Born: 22 February 1953 · Died: 15 May 1972 · Age at death: 19
How old was Romas Kalanta when he died?
Romas Kalanta died aged 19. He was born on 22 February 1953 and died on 15 May 1972.
Quick facts
Date of birth22 February 1953
Date of death15 May 1972
Age at death19
NationalityLithuanian
BirthplaceAlytus, Lithuania
Editor's Take:
Romas Kalanta was only 19 when his death became a turning point for Soviet Lithuania. His protest outside a Kaunas theatre was aimed at the regime that had absorbed the country in 1940. The authorities claimed he was mentally ill and rushed his burial. That did not stop thousands of young people filling the streets and calling for freedom. For the next two decades his name stood for quiet defiance. When independence returned, the new state honoured him as a national symbol.
Key Milestones
1972: Sets himself on fire in Kaunas in protest at Soviet rule
1972: His funeral sparks two days of mass protests
1990: His farewell note becomes public after independence
2000: Honoured with the Order of the Cross of Vytis after his death
Romas Kalanta (22 February 1953 – 14 May 1972) was a 19-year-old Lithuanian high school student who killed himself by self-immolation in an act of protest against the Soviet regime in Lithuania. His death provoked the largest post-war riots in Lithuania and inspired similar self-immolations.
Romas Kalanta's birthday is February 22. He was born on February 22, 1953 in Alytus, Lithuania.
How old was Romas Kalanta when he died?
Romas Kalanta died on May 15, 1972, aged 19.
Who shares a birthday with Romas Kalanta?
Famous people who share Romas Kalanta's February 22 birthday include George Washington, Frédéric Chopin, Arthur Schopenhauer, Heinrich Hertz and Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell.
