Did you know about Richard Armitage
Richard Armitage received recognition in the UK with his first leading role as John Thornton in the British television programme North & South (2004).
Famous Birthdays on August 22
August 22 has 215 recorded notable births across history, from 1412 to 2005. This page lists every one of them, with the best-known people first.
What happened on the day you were born?
1971 — Richard Armitage
English actor
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia · Report an error
Famous Birthdays
215 source records
1412 – 2005
Leo
Peridot birthstone
Gladiolus birth flower
Today in history
Major events on August 22
See what else happened on this day in history.
Did you know about LaMelo Ball
LaMelo Ball was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the third overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft.
Did you know about Kristen Wiig
First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Wiig achieved stardom in the late 2000s for her seven-season tenure on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 2005 to 2012.
Did you know about Layne Staley
Layne Staley was the original lead vocalist of Alice in Chains, which rose to international fame in the early 1990s as part of Seattle's grunge movement.
Did you know about Deng Xiaoping
Emerging as China's most influential figure after Mao Zedong's death in 1976, Deng consolidated political power and guided the country into an era of reform and opening up that transitioned the nation toward a socialist market economy.
More major people born on August 22
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
2001
LaMelo Ball
American basketball player
LaMelo LaFrance Ball is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the third overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft. Ball was voted the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2021 and named an NBA All-Star the following season in 2022.
1973
Kristen Wiig
American actress, comedian, and screenwriter
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Wiig achieved stardom in the late 2000s for her seven-season tenure on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 2005 to 2012.
1967
Layne Staley
American singer-songwriter (died 2002)
Layne Thomas Staley was an American singer-songwriter. He was the original lead vocalist of Alice in Chains, which rose to international fame in the early 1990s as part of Seattle's grunge movement. He was known for his distinctive vocal style as well as his harmonizing with bandmate Jerry Cantrell. Before his success with Alice in Chains, Staley was also a member of the glam metal bands Sleze and Alice N' Chains. He was also a part of the supergroups Mad Season and Class of '99.
1904
Deng Xiaoping
Chinese soldier and politician, paramount leader and 1st Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (died 1997)
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 1978 to 1989. Emerging as China's most influential figure after Mao Zedong's death in 1976, Deng consolidated political power and guided the country into an era of reform and opening up that transitioned the nation toward a socialist market economy. Credited as the "architect of modern China", he is recognized for shaping both socialism with Chinese characteristics and Deng Xiaoping Theory.
1955
Chiranjeevi
Indian film actor, producer and politician
Konidela Chiranjeevi is an Indian actor, philanthropist and former politician known for his work in Telugu cinema. Known as Mega Star, he is widely regarded as one of the most successful and influential actors in the history of Indian cinema. He is also celebrated as one of the finest dancers in Indian cinema. He has received numerous honours, including the Padma Bhushan in 2006 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2024 from the Government of India, as well as the IFFI Indian Film Personality of the Year Award in 2022. His other accolades include the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, three Nandi Awards, and nine Filmfare Awards South, including the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Honorary Award. In 2013, CNN-IBN recognized him as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema". In 2024, he was honoured with a Guinness World Record as the most prolific actor-dancer in the Indian film industry.
1956
Paul Molitor
American baseball player and coach
Paul Leo Molitor, nicknamed "Mollie" and "the Ignitor", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. During his 21-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), he played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1992), Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1995), and Minnesota Twins (1996–1998). He was known for his exceptional hitting and speed. He made seven All-Star Game appearances, and was the World Series Most Valuable Player in 1993. Molitor ranks eleventh on the all-time MLB career hits list with 3,319. He is one of only five players in history with 3,000+ hits, a lifetime .300+ batting average, and 500+ career stolen bases.
1997
Maxx Crosby
American football player
Maxx Robert Crosby is an American professional football defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Eastern Michigan Eagles and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft.
1978
James Corden
English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter
James Kimberley Corden is an English actor, comedian, writer, producer, singer, and television host. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for co-writing and starring in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey. In the United States, he gained recognition as the host of The Late Late Show with James Corden, a late-night talk show that aired on CBS from 2015 to 2023.
1967
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
English actor
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor. On television, he is best known for his roles as Simon Adebisi in Oz (1997–2000), Mr. Eko in Lost (2005–2006), and Alamo Brown in Euphoria (2026). Notable film roles include Hitu in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns (2001), Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity (2002), Heavy Duty in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), Kurse in Thor: The Dark World (2013), Dave Duerson in Concussion (2015), and Killer Croc in Suicide Squad (2016).
1967
Ty Burrell
American actor and comedian
Tyler Gerald Burrell is an American actor. Burrell is best known for playing Phil Dunphy on the ABC sitcom Modern Family (2009–2020), for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and five Screen Actors Guild Awards.
1941
Bill Parcells
American football player and coach
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He came to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 to 1990, winning two Super Bowl titles. Parcells was later the head coach of the New England Patriots from 1993 to 1996, the New York Jets from 1997 to 2000, and the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006. Nicknamed "the Big Tuna", he is the only NFL coach to lead four different franchises to the playoffs and three to a conference championship game.
1970
Giada De Laurentiis
Italian-American chef and author
Giada Pamela De Laurentiis is an Italian-American chef, entrepreneur, writer, and television personality. She was the host of Food Network's program called Giada at Home. She also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's program titled Today. De Laurentiis is the founder of the catering business GDL Foods. She is a winner of the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Host and the Gracie Award for Best Television Host. She was also recognized by the International Hospitality Institute as one of the Global 100 in Hospitality, a list featuring the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality.
1920
Ray Bradbury
American science fiction writer and screenwriter (died 2012)
Ray Douglas Bradbury was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and realistic fiction.
1947
Cindy Williams
American actress and producer (died 2023)
Cynthia Jane Williams was an American actress. She is best known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the television sitcoms Happy Days (1975–1979), and Laverne & Shirley (1976–1982). She also appeared in American Graffiti (1973), The Conversation (1974), Mr. Ricco (1975), and More American Graffiti (1979).
1965
David Reimer
Canadian man, born male but reassigned female and raised as a girl after a botched circumcision (died 2004)
David Reimer was a Canadian man raised as a girl following medical advice and intervention after his penis was severely injured during a botched circumcision in infancy.
1945
David Chase
American screenwriter and producer
David Henry Chase is an American writer, producer, and director. A recipient of seven Primetime Emmy Awards, he is best known for being the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the HBO drama The Sopranos, which aired for six seasons between 1999 and 2007. Chase has also produced and written for shows such as The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He created the original series Almost Grown, which aired for 10 episodes in 1988 and 1989. Chase's film debut came in 1972 with Grave of the Vampire, and his later filmography includes Not Fade Away (2012) and The Many Saints of Newark (2021), a prequel film to the TV series The Sopranos.
1993
Dillon Danis
American mixed martial artist
Dillon Danis is an American mixed martial artist. He currently competes in Misfits as part of their MMA division, where he is the current Misfits MMA Light Heavyweight (175lbs) Champion. Danis is also signed to the Cruiserweight division of Real American Freestyle (RAF).
1975
Rodrigo Santoro
Brazilian actor
Rodrigo Junqueira Reis Santoro is a Brazilian actor. He is known in Brazil for his appearances on local telenovelas, and internationally for his portrayal of the Persian king Xerxes I in the film 300 (2006) and its sequel 300: Rise of an Empire (2014). Other credits include Brainstorm (2001), Carandiru (2003), Love Actually (2003), Che (2008), I Love You Phillip Morris (2009), and Rio (2011), What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012). He also appeared on the television series Lost in 2006, portraying the character Paulo, and on HBO's Westworld (2016–2020).
1997
Lautaro Martínez
Argentine footballer
Lautaro Javier Martínez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Inter Milan, which he captains, and the Argentina national team. Known for his work rate, clinical finishing, and tactical ability, he is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world.
1959
Mark Williams
English actor
Mark Williams is an English actor, comedian, presenter and screenwriter. He first achieved widespread recognition as one of the central performers in the BBC sketch show The Fast Show. His film roles include Horace in 101 Dalmatians (1996) and Arthur Weasley in seven of the Harry Potter films. He appeared in Doctor Who and Red Dwarf. Since 2013, Williams has portrayed the title character in the long-running BBC series loosely based on the Father Brown short stories by G. K. Chesterton.
1985
Jey Uso
Samoan-American wrestler
Joshua Samuel Fatu, better known by the ring name Jey Uso, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand and is one-half of The Usos with his brother Jimmy as members of The Bloodline. He is also a member of the Anoaʻi family of professional wrestlers.
1902
Leni Riefenstahl
German actress, film director and propagandist (died 2003)
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German filmmaker, photographer, and actress. She is considered one of the most controversial personalities in film history. Regarded by many critics as an "innovative filmmaker and creative aesthete", she is also criticized for her works in the service of propaganda during the Nazi era.
1961
Roland Orzabal
English singer and musician
Roland Jaime Orzábal De La Quintana is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and author. He is the guitarist, co-lead vocalist, principal songwriter, co-founder, and only constant member of Tears for Fears. He is also a producer of artists such as Oleta Adams. In 2014, Orzabal published his first novel, Sex, Drugs & Opera, a romantic comedy.
1925
Honor Blackman
English actress and republican (died 2020)
Honor Blackman was an English actress and singer, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in The Avengers (1962–1964), "Bond girl" Pussy Galore in Goldfinger (1964), Julia Daggett in Shalako (1968), and Hera in Jason and the Argonauts (1963). She is also known for her role as Laura West in the ITV sitcom The Upper Hand (1990–1996).
1958
Colm Feore
American-Canadian actor
Colm Joseph Feore is a Canadian actor. A 15-year veteran of the Stratford Festival, he is known in Canada for his Gemini-winning turn as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the CBC miniseries Trudeau (2002), his portrayal of Glenn Gould in Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993), and for playing Detective Martin Ward in Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) and its sequel Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2 (2017).
1963
Tori Amos
American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
Tori Amos is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. A child prodigy, Amos entered the Peabody Institute's preparatory division at five, but left at eleven, coming of age as a pianist in Washington, D.C. bars. Amos was the lead singer of the short-lived 1980s pop-rock group Y Kant Tori Read before achieving her breakthrough as a solo artist in the early 1990s. Her songs focus on a broad range of topics, including sexuality, feminism, politics, and religion.
1973
Howie Dorough
American singer-songwriter and dancer
Howard Dwaine Dorough, also known as Howie D, is an American singer and actor. He is a member of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys.
1939
Valerie Harper
American actress (died 2019)
Valerie Kathryn Harper was an American actress. She began her career as a dancer on Broadway, making her debut as a replacement in the musical Li'l Abner. She played Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977) and its spin-off Rhoda (1974–1978). For her work on Mary Tyler Moore, she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series three times, and later received the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Rhoda.
1862
Claude Debussy
French pianist and composer (died 1918)
Achille Claude Debussy was a French composer, born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
1966
GZA
American rapper and producer
Gary Eldridge Grice, better known by his stage names GZA and the Genius, is an American rapper. A founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both the first member in the group to receive a record deal and being the oldest member. He has appeared on his fellow Wu-Tang members' solo projects, and has maintained a successful solo career starting with his second album Liquid Swords (1995).
1979
Steve Kornacki
American political journalist, writer and TV presenter (NBC)
Stephan Joseph Kornacki Jr. is an American political journalist, writer, and television presenter. Kornacki is a national political correspondent for NBC News. He has written articles for Salon, The New York Observer, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Boston Globe, and The Daily Beast. Kornacki was the multimedia anchor for much of MSNBC's The Place for Politics campaign coverage, having led the network's analysis of voting results for Election Day in the United States from 2014 to 2024.
1939
Carl Yastrzemski
American baseball player
Carl Michael Yastrzemski Sr., nicknamed "Yaz", is an American former professional baseball player who played his entire 23-year career with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He started his career primarily as a left fielder, but also played 33 games as a third baseman. Later in his career, he was mainly a first baseman and designated hitter.
2003
Cooper Connolly
Australian cricketer
Cooper Patrick Leonard Connolly is an Australian international cricketer who represents the Australian national cricket team in all forms of this game. He is a left-handed batter and a slow left-arm orthodox bowler, who plays for Western Australia in domestic cricket, Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League and Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League.
1934
Norman Schwarzkopf
Jr., American general and engineer (died 2012)
Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. was a United States Army general. While serving as the commander of United States Central Command, he led all coalition forces in the Gulf War against Ba'athist Iraq.
1985
Luke Russert
American journalist
Luke Orth Russert is an American author and broadcast news correspondent who works for MS NOW. He previously worked for NBC News from 2008 to 2016. His reporting has been shown on NBC Nightly News, TODAY, NBCNews.com, and MSNBC. He has been a guest anchor on various MSNBC programs, including Morning Joe and Way Too Early with Jonathan Lemire.
1985
Jimmy Uso
Samoan-American wrestler
Jonathan Solofa Fatu, better known by his ring name Jimmy Uso, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand and is a one-half of The Usos with his twin brother Jey Uso as members of The Bloodline. He is a member of the Anoaʻi family of professional wrestlers.
1968
Elisabeth Murdoch
Australian businesswoman
Elisabeth Murdoch is an Australian-born British and American media executive based in the United Kingdom. She was a non-executive chairperson of Shine Group, the UK-based TV programme production company she founded in 2001, until the company's parent 21st Century Fox merged its Shine Group division with Apollo Global Management's Endemol and Core Media production houses, to specialise in reality TV, in 2015. She is the daughter of the media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, and is widely believed to be the inspiration for the character Shiv Roy in the television series Succession.
1893
Dorothy Parker
American poet, short story writer, critic, and satirist (died 1967)
Dorothy Parker was an American poet, literary critic and writer of fiction. Based in New York, she was known for her caustic wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles.
1971
Rick Yune
American actor
Richard Yune is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, and martial artist of Korean descent. His most notable roles have been in the movies Snow Falling on Cedars, the first Fast & Furious film The Fast and the Furious, the James Bond movie Die Another Day, and Olympus Has Fallen. He was part of the main cast of the Netflix original series Marco Polo. He made his debut in the Indian cinema in the 2025 Indian-Malayalam language film L2: Empuraan, which he played a cameo role.
1948
David Marks
American singer-songwriter and guitarist
David Lee Marks is an American guitarist who was an early and latter-era member of the Beach Boys. While growing up in Hawthorne, California, Marks was a neighborhood friend of the original band members and was a frequent participant at their family get-togethers. He did not perform on their debut record "Surfin'" (1961), leading many historians to discount him as a founding member. When Al Jardine left the group in February 1962, Marks joined and played on their first four albums: Surfin' Safari (1962), Surfin' U.S.A. (1963), Surfer Girl (1963), and Little Deuce Coupe (1963).
1917
John Lee Hooker
American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2001)
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues that he developed in Detroit. Hooker often incorporated other elements, including talking blues and early North Mississippi hill country blues. He developed his own driving-rhythm boogie style, distinct from the 1930s–1940s piano-derived boogie-woogie. Hooker was ranked 35 in Rolling Stone's 2015 list of 100 greatest guitarists, and has been cited as one of the greatest male blues vocalists of all time.
1990
Adam Thielen
American football player
Adam John Thielen is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Minnesota State Mavericks and signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2013, playing for them for 10 seasons. Thielen holds several NFL records, including eight straight games over 100+ yards receiving, and 74 receptions in the first half of a season. Thielen also played in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
1994
Israel Broussard
American actor
Isaiah Israel Broussard is an American actor. He made his film debut in the comedy-drama Flipped, and is known for his roles in the crime film The Bling Ring (2013), the drama Perfect High (2015), the thriller H8RZ (2015), the comedy Good Kids (2016), the slasher film Happy Death Day (2017) as well as its 2019 sequel Happy Death Day 2U, and the teen romance film To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018).
1957
Steve Davis
English snooker player, sportscaster, and author
Steve Davis is an English former professional snooker player who now works as a BBC commentator and analyst, DJ, electronic musician and author. After turning professional in 1978, he dominated the sport in the 1980s, when he reached eight World Snooker Championship finals in nine years, won six world titles, and held the world number one ranking for seven consecutive seasons. He won 15 Triple Crown titles, the third most of any player, and 28 ranking titles, which place him fifth on the all-time list. He is the only snooker player to have won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, which he received in 1988. He was appointed MBE in the 1988 Birthday Honours and OBE in the 2000 New Year Honours.
1990
Randall Cobb
American football player
Randall Ladonald Cobb II is an American former professional football wide receiver who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning All-American honors in 2010. Cobb was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft. He also played one season each for the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, and New York Jets.
1997
Fanum
American streamer
Roberto Escanio, known online as Fanum, is an American streamer and content creator. Fanum emerged online around 2016. He is known for originating the term "Fanum tax". He won "Breakout Streamer of the Year" at the 13th Streamy Awards and the "Best Roleplay Streamer" of the year award at the 2022 Streamer Awards and 2023 Streamer Awards. He is a member of the streamer group Any Means Possible (AMP).
1972
Paul Doucette
American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and drummer
Paul John Doucette is an American musician best known for being the drummer, rhythm guitarist, and backing vocalist of the band Matchbox Twenty. Doucette is also known as a film composer and as the frontman of his own band The Break and Repair Method. He was married to Moon Zappa from 2002 to 2014.
1949
Diana Nyad
American swimmer and author
Diana Nyad is an American author, journalist, motivational speaker, and long-distance swimmer. Nyad gained national attention in 1975 when she swam around Manhattan in record time.
1958
Stevie Ray
American wrestler
Laslon "Lash" Steven Huffman is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Stevie Ray. Stevie Ray is best known for his seven-year tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1993 to 2000, where he was one-half of the tag team Harlem Heat, with his younger brother Booker T. Huffman, better known as Booker T. They won the WCW World Tag Team Championship a record ten times.
1974
Jenna Leigh Green
American actress and singer
Jenna Leigh Green is an American actress and singer best known for her performances as Libby Chessler on the television show Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as well as for roles on tour in the musical Wicked and later in the Broadway production.
1887
Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
German jurist and politician, German Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 1977)
Johann Ludwig "Lutz" Graf Schwerin von Krosigk was a German senior government official who served as the minister of finance of Germany from 1932 to 1945 and de facto chancellor of Germany during May 1945.
1935
Annie Proulx
American novelist, short story writer, and journalist
Edna Ann Proulx is an American novelist, short story writer, and journalist. She has written most frequently as Annie Proulx but has also used the names E. Annie Proulx and E. A. Proulx.
1854
Milan I of Serbia (died 1901)
Milan Obrenović IV reigned as the Prince of Serbia from 10 June 1868 until 1882, and then King of Serbia, a title he held until his abdication on 6 March 1889. Most important events during Milan's reign was the First and Second Serbian–Ottoman War and the Serbo-Bulgarian War. At the beginning of his reign, the Principality of Serbia was still de jure part of the Ottoman Empire, but became fully independent in 1878 with the Treaty of Berlin (1878). In 1882, the Principality was elevated to the status of a kingdom, and Milan became a king.
1928
Karlheinz Stockhausen
German composer and academic (died 2007)
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groundbreaking work in electronic music, having been called the "father of electronic music", for introducing controlled chance into serial composition, and for musical spatialization.
1979
Brandon Adams
American actor
Brandon Quintin Adams is an American actor, known for having played Jesse Hall in the first two Mighty Ducks movies and Kenny DeNunez in The Sandlot. He also played Jimmy Bean in the 1989 film Polly.
1991
Brayden Schenn
Canadian ice hockey player
Brayden Michael Schenn is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a centre and alternate captain for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the former captain of the St. Louis Blues. He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings fifth overall in the 2009 NHL entry draft. He also played for the Philadelphia Flyers from 2011 to 2017 before being traded to the Blues in 2017.
1960
Collin Raye
American country music singer
Floyd Elliot Wray, known professionally as Collin Raye and previously as Bubba Wray, is an American country music singer. He initially recorded as a member of the band The Wrays between 1983 and 1987. He made his solo debut in 1991 as Collin Raye with the album All I Can Be, which produced his first Number One hit in "Love, Me". All I Can Be was the first of four consecutive albums released by Raye to achieve platinum certification in the United States for sales of one million copies each. Raye maintained several Top Ten hits throughout the rest of the decade and into 2000. 2001's Can't Back Down was his first album that did not produce a Top 40 country hit, and he was dropped by his record label soon afterward. He did not record another studio album until 2005's Twenty Years and Change, released on an independent label.
1908
Henri Cartier-Bresson
French photographer and painter (died 2004)
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French humanist photographer and artist. He was considered a master of candid photography, and was an early user of 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography and viewed capturing what he named the decisive moment as the essence of the very best pictures.
1963
James DeBarge
American R&B/soul singer
James Curtis DeBarge is an American R&B/soul singer. He was one of the members of the singing family vocal group DeBarge who became famous with their mid-1980s songs "All This Love", "Love Me in a Special Way", "Rhythm of the Night", and "Who's Holding Donna Now".
1890
Cecil Kellaway
South African actor (died 1973)
Cecil Lauriston Kellaway was a South African-British character actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor twice, for The Luck of the Irish (1948) and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967).
1958
Vernon Reid
English-born American guitarist and songwriter
Vernon Alphonsus Reid is a British-born American guitarist, producer, and songwriter best known as the founder of the rock band Living Colour. Reid was named No. 66 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and in August 2023, was ranked No. 42 in Rolling Stone's top 250 Greatest Guitarists of all time. Critic Steve Huey writes, "[Reid's] rampant eclecticism encompasses everything from heavy metal and punk to funk, R&B and avant-garde jazz, and his anarchic, lightning-fast solos have become something of a hallmark as well."
1964
Mats Wilander
Swedish-American tennis player and coach
Mats Arne Olof Wilander is a Swedish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 20 weeks, including as the year-end No. 1 in 1988. Wilander won 33 career singles titles, including seven majors, and seven career doubles titles, including a major in men's doubles at Wimbledon.
1950
Scooter Libby
American lawyer and politician, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is an American lawyer and former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. He became known as a high-ranking staff person to be indicted by a grand jury on charges related to an intelligence investigation. He was convicted but later granted clemency by Republican president George W. Bush and fully pardoned by Republican president Donald Trump.
1945
Ron Dante
American singer-songwriter and producer
Carmine John Granito, known professionally as Ron Dante, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Dante is best known as the real-life lead singer of the fictional cartoon band the Archies; he was also the vocalist of the Cuff Links, The Turtles and co-produced Barry Manilow's first nine albums.
1974
Cory Gardner
American politician
Cory Scott Gardner is an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from Colorado from 2015 to 2021. A Republican, he was the U.S. representative for Colorado's 4th congressional district from 2011 to 2015 and a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011. As of 2026, he is the last Republican to serve Colorado in the U.S. Senate.
1994
Olli Määttä
Finnish ice hockey player
Olli Määttä is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the first round, 22nd overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2012 NHL entry draft. Määttä has also played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, Utah Mammoth, and Calgary Flames.
1873
Alexander Bogdanov
Russian physician and philosopher (died 1928)
Alexander Aleksandrovich Bogdanov, born Alexander Malinovsky, was a Russian and later Soviet physician, philosopher, science fiction writer, and Bolshevik revolutionary. He was a polymath who pioneered blood transfusion, as well as general systems theory, and made important contributions to cybernetics.
1947
Donna Godchaux
American singer (Grateful Dead and Elvis Presley)
Donna Jean Thatcher Godchaux-MacKay was an American singer best known as a member of the rock band the Grateful Dead from 1972 to 1979. In addition to the Dead, she performed with the Jerry Garcia Band and the short-lived Heart of Gold Band, all alongside her first husband, Keith Godchaux. She formed the Donna Jean Godchaux Band in 2006.
1915
David Dellinger
American activist (died 2004)
David T. Dellinger was an American pacifist and an activist for nonviolent social change. Although active beginning in the early 1940s, Dellinger reached peak prominence as one of the Chicago Seven, who were put on trial in 1969.
1960
Regina Taylor
American actress and playwright
Regina Taylor is an American actress and playwright. She has won several awards throughout her career, including a Golden Globe Award and NAACP Image Award. In July 2017, Taylor was announced as the new Denzel Washington Endowed Chair in Theater at Fordham University.
1987
Apollo Crews
American wrestler
Sesugh Isaac Uhaa is an American professional wrestler. He is performing as a freelancer under the ring name Uhaa Nation. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Apollo Crews.
1880
George Herriman
American cartoonist (died 1944)
George Joseph Herriman III was an American cartoonist best known for the comic strip Krazy Kat (1913–1944). More influential than popular, Krazy Kat had an appreciative audience among those in the arts. Gilbert Seldes' article "The Krazy Kat Who Walks by Himself" was the earliest example of a critic from the high arts giving serious attention to a comic strip. The Comics Journal placed the strip first on its list of the greatest comics of the 20th century. Herriman's work has been a primary influence on cartoonists such as Elzie C. Segar, Will Eisner, Walt Kelly, Charles M. Schulz, Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Bill Watterson, and Chris Ware.
1971
Craig Finn
American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Craig A. Finn is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the frontman of the American indie rock band the Hold Steady, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums. Prior to forming the Hold Steady, Finn was the frontman of Lifter Puller.
1957
Holly Dunn
American country music singer-songwriter (died 2016)
Holly Suzette Dunn was an American country music singer and songwriter. Dunn recorded for MTM Records between 1985 and 1988, Warner Bros. Records between 1988 and 1993, and River North Records between 1995 and 1997. She released 10 albums and charted 19 singles, plus two duets on the Hot Country Songs charts. Two of her single releases, "Are You Ever Gonna Love Me" and "You Really Had Me Going", went to No. 1 on that chart. Other songs for which she is known include "Daddy's Hands" and "Maybe I Mean Yes". Dunn's brother, Chris Waters, is a songwriter and record producer, having worked with both his sister and other artists in these capacities. Dunn retired from music in 2003, and died of ovarian cancer in 2016.
1936
Chuck Brown
American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2012)
Charles Louis Brown was an American guitarist, bandleader, and singer known as "The Godfather of Go-Go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed around the Washington, D.C., area in the mid-1970s. While its musical classification, influences, and origins are debated, Brown is regarded as the fundamental force behind the creation of go-go music.
1983
Jahri Evans
American football player
Jahri Divine Evans is an American football coach and former football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL). He currently serves as the assistant offensive line coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Bloomsburg Huskies. Evans was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft and won Super Bowl XLIV with the team over the Indianapolis Colts. He has also been a member of the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
1874
Max Scheler
German philosopher and author (died 1928)
Max Ferdinand Scheler was a German philosopher known for his work in phenomenology, ethics, and philosophical anthropology. Considered in his lifetime one of the most prominent German philosophers, Scheler developed the philosophical method of Edmund Husserl, the founder of phenomenology.
1933
Sylva Koscina
Italian actress (died 1994)
Sylva Koscina was a Yugoslav-born Italian actress, best known for her role as Iole, the bride of Hercules in Hercules (1958) and Hercules Unchained (1960). She also played Paul Newman's romantic interest in The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968).
1909
Julius J. Epstein
American screenwriter and producer (died 2000)
Julius J. Epstein was an American screenwriter, who had a long career, best remembered for his screenplay, written with his twin brother, Philip, and Howard E. Koch, of the film Casablanca (1942), for which the writers won an Academy Award. It was adapted from an unpublished play, Everybody Comes to Rick's, written by Murray Bennett and Joan Alison.
1940
Bill McCartney
American football player and coach (died 2025)
William Paul McCartney was an American college football coach who was the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes for 13 seasons (1982–1994). He compiled a 93–55–5 (.624) record, and won three consecutive Big Eight Conference titles (1989–1991). McCartney's 1990 team was crowned as national champions by the Associated Press, splitting the title with Georgia Tech, who was first in the final Coaches' Poll. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2013.
1412
Frederick II
Elector of Saxony (died 1464)
Frederick II, The Gentle was Prince-Elector and Arch-Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire, who ruled as Duke of Saxony and Margrave of Meissen (1428–1464) and Landgrave of Thuringia (1440–1445). His succession laid the basis for the later division of the House of Wettin, as his two sons, Ernest and Albert, inherited his territories jointly, before eventually forming the Ernestine and Albertine branches, through the Treaty of Leipzig (1485).
1961
Andrés Calamaro
Argentine singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
Andrés Calamaro is an Argentine musician, composer and Latin Grammy winner. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential rock artists in Spanish. He is also one of the most complete artists for his wide range of musical styles, including funk, reggae, ballads, boleros, tangos and jazz. His former band Los Rodríguez was a major success in Spain and throughout Latin America mainly during the 1990s. He is multi-instrumentalist and became one of the main icons of Argentine rock, selling over 1.3 million records to date.
1760
Pope Leo XII (died 1829)
Pope Leo XII was head of the Catholic Church and leader of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death in February 1829.
2005
Stiliana Nikolova
Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast
Stiliana Nikolova is a Bulgarian individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2024 European all-around champion, the 2025 and 2026 World all-around silver medalist, 2022 World all-around bronze medalist and hoop, clubs, and ribbon silver medalist, the 2023 World ball bronze medalist and team competition champion, and a two-time European all-around bronze medalist and champion in the team competition. She competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where she came in 11th place in all-around qualifications. At the junior level, she is the 2020 European Junior ribbon champion and ball silver medalist.
1834
Samuel Pierpont Langley
American physicist and astronomer (died 1906)
Samuel Pierpont Langley was an American aviation pioneer, astronomer and physicist who invented the bolometer. He was the third secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and a professor of astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was the director of the Allegheny Observatory.
1920
Denton Cooley
American surgeon and scientist (died 2016)
Denton Arthur Cooley was an American cardiothoracic surgeon famous for performing the first implantation of a total artificial heart. Cooley was also the founder and surgeon in-chief of The Texas Heart Institute, chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at clinical partner Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, consultant in Cardiovascular Surgery at Texas Children's Hospital and a clinical professor of Surgery at McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
1941
Thomas Lovejoy
American conservation biologist who coined the term "biodiversity"
Thomas Eugene Lovejoy III was an American ecologist who was President of the Amazon Biodiversity Center, a Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation and a university professor in the Environmental Science and Policy department at George Mason University. Lovejoy was the World Bank's chief biodiversity advisor and the lead specialist for environment for Latin America and the Caribbean as well as senior advisor to the president of the United Nations Foundation. In 2008, he also was the first Biodiversity Chair of the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment to 2013. Previously he served as president of the Heinz Center since May 2002. Lovejoy introduced the term biological diversity to the scientific community in 1980. He was a past chair of the Scientific Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) for the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the multibillion-dollar funding mechanism for developing countries in support of their obligations under international environmental conventions.
1909
Mel Hein
American football player and coach (died 1992)
Melvin Jack Hein, nicknamed "Old Indestructible", was an American professional football player. In the era of one-platoon football, he played as a center and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 as part of the first class of inductees. He was also named to the National Football League (NFL) 75th, and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams.
1913
Bruno Pontecorvo
Italian physicist and academic (died 1993)
Bruno Pontecorvo was an Italian–Russian nuclear physicist, an early assistant of Enrico Fermi and the author of numerous studies in high energy physics, especially on neutrinos. A convinced communist, he defected to the Soviet Union in 1950, where he continued his research on the decay of the muon and on neutrinos. The prestigious Pontecorvo Prize was instituted in his memory in 1995.
1891
Jacques Lipchitz
Lithuanian-Italian sculptor (died 1973)
Jacques Lipchitz was a Lithuanian-born French-American Cubist sculptor. Lipchitz retained highly figurative and legible components in his work leading up to 1915–16, after which naturalist and descriptive elements were muted, dominated by a synthetic style of Crystal Cubism. In 1920 Lipchitz held his first solo exhibition, at Léonce Rosenberg's Galerie L'Effort Moderne in Paris where he was counted as part of the School of Paris. Fleeing the Nazis he moved to the US and settled in New York City and eventually Hastings-on-Hudson. While in the US, he created a number of his best-known works, including the outdoor sculptures The Song of the Vowels, Birth of the Muses, and Bellerophon Taming Pegasus, the last of which was completed after his death.
1993
Laura Dahlmeier
German biathlete (died 2025)
Laura Dahlmeier was a German biathlete. Dahlmeier started in her first World Cup races in the 2012–13 season. In 2014, she participated in the Winter Olympics in Sochi. She won a record of five gold medals at the World Championships of 2017. In 2018, she became the first woman to win the biathlon sprint and pursuit in the same Olympics. During her career she won a total of two golds and one bronze at the Olympics, seven gold medals, three silver medals and five bronze medals at World Championships, one overall World Cup and two discipline World Cup titles.
1647
Denis Papin
French physicist and mathematician, developed pressure cooking (died 1712)
Denis Papin FRS was a French Huguenot physicist, mathematician and inventor, best known for his pioneering invention of the steam digester, the forerunner of the pressure cooker, the steam engine, the centrifugal pump, and a submersible boat.
1868
Willis R. Whitney
American chemist (died 1958)
Willis Rodney Whitney was an American chemist and founder of the research laboratory of the General Electric Company. He is known as the "father of industrial research" in the United States for blending the worlds of research and industry together; which at the time, were two very distinct careers. He is also known for his corrosion theory of iron which he developed after studying at M.I.T. and the University of Leipzig. Whitney was also a professor at M.I.T. for some time before his career transition into research directing. He received many awards, including the Willard Gibbs medal, the Franklin medal, the Perkin medal, the Edison medal, the John Fritz medal, the Chandler medal, and many others. He was an astute believer in researching and experimenting for pleasure and voiced his belief at various science conferences.
1903
Jerry Iger
American cartoonist, co-founded Eisner & Iger (died 1990)
Samuel Maxwell "Jerry" Iger was an American cartoonist and art-studio entrepreneur. With business partner Will Eisner, he co-founded Eisner & Iger, a comic book packager that produced comics on demand for new publishers during the late-1930s and 1940s period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books.
1976
Jeff Weaver
American baseball player
Jeffrey Charles Weaver is an American former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. During his career, he pitched for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, St. Louis Cardinals, and Seattle Mariners. He is the older brother of fellow MLB pitcher Jered Weaver.
1929
Roy Clay
American computer scientist (died 2024)
Roy Lee Clay Sr. was an African American computer scientist and inventor. He was a founding member of the computer division at Hewlett-Packard, where he led the team that created the HP 2116A 16-bit minicomputer. He was Chief Executive Officer of ROD-L Electronics, an electrical-safety test equipment manufacturer.
1986
Tokushōryū Makoto
Japanese sumo wrestler
Tokushōryū Makoto is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Nara. An amateur sumo competitor while studying at Kinki University, he joined Kise stable and made his professional debut in January 2009. He won championships in the jonokuchi, sandanme and jūryō divisions, and first reached the top makuuchi division in July 2013. After spending most of 2018 and 2019 in the second tier, Tokushōryū returned to makuuchi in January 2020 and recorded 14 wins to take an upset top-division championship victory at the age of 33. He retired from competition in September 2023 and is now coaching, first at Kise stable and then at Nishikido stable, as an elder. His highest rank was maegashira 2, and he earned one kinboshi and two special prizes in his career.
1982
Sean Rash
American bowler
Sean Rash is an American professional ten-pin bowler who has been one of the top players on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. He currently owns 18 PBA Tour titles, including two major championships, and was the 2011–12 PBA Player of the Year. Rash has rolled two of his 30 career PBA perfect 300 games on television, making him the first player in history with multiple perfect games in the TV finals of a PBA Tour event. Canadian François Lavoie, American Chris Via, and Australian Jason Belmonte have since joined Rash in this exclusive club. Rash has also been on the losing end of four televised 300 games, more than any other player. He owns ten PBA Regional Tour titles.
1778
James Kirke Paulding
American poet, playwright, and politician, 11th United States Secretary of the Navy (died 1860)
James Kirke Paulding was an American writer and, for a time, the United States Secretary of the Navy. Paulding's early writings were satirical and violently anti-British, as shown in The Diverting History of John Bull and Brother Jonathan (1812). He wrote numerous long poems and serious histories. Among his novels are Konigsmarke, the Long Finne (1823) and The Dutchman's Fireside (1831). He is best known for creating the inimitable Nimrod Wildfire, the "half horse, half alligator" in The Lion of the West (1831), and as collaborator with William Irving and Washington Irving in Salmagundi. (1807–08). Paulding was also, by the mid-1830s, an ardent and outspoken defender of slavery who later endorsed southern secession from the United States.
1897
Bill Woodfull
Australian cricketer and educator (died 1965)
William Maldon Woodfull was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victoria and Australia, and was best known for his dignified and moral conduct during the tumultuous bodyline series in 1932–33. Trained as a schoolteacher, Woodfull was known for his benevolent attitude towards his players, and his patience and defensive technique as an opening batsman. His opening pairing with fellow Victorian Bill Ponsford for both his state and Australia remains one of the most successful in history. While not known for his tactical skills, Woodfull was widely admired by his players and observers for his sportsmanship and ability to mould a successful and loyal team through the strength of his character.
1984
Lee Camp
English footballer
Lee Michael John Camp is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. After a spell as a youth coach at Blackpool, he became Professional Development Phase Coach at Accrington Stanley.
1891
Henry Bachtold
Australian soldier and railway engineer (died 1983)
Brigadier Henry Bachtold, was an Australian soldier and railway engineer. He fought during the First World War as an engineer with the 1st Field Company at the Gallipoli Campaign, where he was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Military Cross. He commanded the 14th Field Company at the Battle of Polygon Wood, for which he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order. Bachtold commanded the engineers of the 5th Australian Division in 1917–18 and the engineers of the 3rd Australian Division in 1918. He was mentioned in despatches four times during the First World War and ended the war as a lieutenant colonel. During 1942 and 1943, Bachtold was the Chief Engineer of II Corps, after which he was placed in reserve with the honorary rank of brigadier. Bachtold retired from the Department of Railways New South Wales in 1962 and died on 9 May 1983.
1976
Randy Wolf
American baseball player
Randall Christopher Wolf, nicknamed "Wolfie", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, and Detroit Tigers.
1771
Henry Maudslay
English engineer (died 1831)
Henry Maudslay was an English machine tool innovator, tool and die maker, and inventor. He is considered a founding father of machine tool technology. His inventions were an important foundation for the Industrial Revolution.
1996
Jeon So-min
South Korean singer-songwriter
Jeon So-min, known professionally as Somin (소민), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and composer signed under DSP Media. She is a member of the co-ed group Kard, and a former member of South Korean girl groups Puretty and April. Somin made her solo debut with the EP Unveil, released on April 2, 2026.
1896
Laurence McKinley Gould
American geologist, educator, and polar explorer (died 1995)
Laurence McKinley Gould was an American geologist, educator, and polar explorer. He made expeditions to both the Arctic and Antarctic, and was chief scientist on Richard Evelyn Byrd's first Antarctic expedition, which Gould described in his 1931 book Cold: the Record of an Antarctic Sledge Journey. He served as president of Carleton College from 1945 to 1962, and president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1964. His namesakes include the research vessel Laurence M. Gould as well as Antarctic features including Gould Bay, Gould Coast, and Mount Gould.
1943
Masatoshi Shima
Japanese computer scientist and engineer, co-designed the Intel 4004
Masatoshi Shima is a Japanese electronics engineer. He was one of the architects of the world's first microprocessor, the Intel 4004. In 1968, Shima worked for Busicom in Japan, and did the logic design for a specialized CPU to be translated into three-chip custom chips. In 1969, he worked with Intel's Ted Hoff and Stanley Mazor to reduce the three-chip Busicom proposal into a one-chip architecture. In 1970, that architecture was transformed into a silicon chip, the Intel 4004, by Federico Faggin, with Shima's assistance in logic design.
1764
Charles Percier
French architect and interior designer (died 1838)
Charles Percier was a neoclassical French architect, interior decorator and designer, who worked in a close partnership with Pierre François Léonard Fontaine, originally his friend from student days. For work undertaken from 1794 onward, trying to ascribe conceptions or details to one or other of them is fruitless; it is impossible to disentangle their cooperative efforts in this fashion. Together, Percier and Fontaine were inventors and major proponents of the rich, grand, consciously-archaeological versions of neoclassicism we recognise as Directoire style and Empire style.
1881
James Newland
Australian soldier and policeman (died 1949)
James Ernest Newland, VC was an Australian soldier, policeman and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. Newland was awarded the Victoria Cross following three separate actions in April 1917, during attacks against German forces retreating to the Hindenburg Line. While in command of a company, Newland successfully led his men in several assaults on German positions and repulsed subsequent counter-attacks.
1914
Connie B. Gay
American businessman, co-founded the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (died 1989)
Connie Barriot Gay was an American music entrepreneur who is renowned as a "founding father" and "major force" in country music. He is credited with coining the country music genre, which had previously been called hillbilly music. Gay was the founding president of the Country Music Association (CMA) and co-founder of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The CMA established the Connie B. Gay Award to recognize outstanding service to the CMA by a member not serving on the board of directors.
1882
Raymonde de Laroche
French pilot (died 1919)
Raymonde de Laroche was a French pilot who became the world's first licensed female pilot on 8 March 1910. She is thought to be the first woman to pilot a plane.
1845
William Lewis Douglas
American businessman and politician, 42nd Governor of Massachusetts (died 1924)
William Lewis Douglas was an American businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He served as the 42nd governor of Massachusetts from 1905 until 1906. He also founded and oversaw the growth of the W. L. Douglas Shoe Company, a highly successful Brockton, Massachusetts, business that became one of the world's largest shoe manufacturers. He also opened the first nationwide chain of shoe stores devoted to selling the company's products.
1930
Gylmar dos Santos Neves
Brazilian footballer (died 2013)
Gylmar dos Santos Neves, known simply as Gilmar, was a Brazilian footballer who played goalkeeper for Corinthians and Santos and was a member of the Brazil national team in three World Cups. He was elected the best Brazilian goalkeeper of the 20th century and one of the best in the world by the IFFHS. He is remembered for his sober style on the pitch and his peaceful personality.
1972
Okkert Brits
South African pole vaulter
Okkert Brits is a former South African track and field athlete who specialised in the pole vault. He was the silver medallist at the World Championships in Athletics in 2003. He was a four-time champion at the African Championships in Athletics and twice champion at the All-Africa Games. He was a gold medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and took bronze at the 1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
1974
Agustín Pichot
Argentinian rugby player
Agustín Pichot is an Argentine retired rugby union player and executive. He was the captain of the Argentine team and the English club Bristol. He also played for French sides Stade Français and Racing Métro after leaving Argentine team CASI from San Isidro in 1997. In 2011, he was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame. He was vice-chairman of World Rugby between 2016 and 2020.
1881
Bede Jarrett
English Dominican priest (died 1934)
Bede Jarrett OP was an English Dominican friar and Catholic priest who was also a noted historian and author. Known for works including Mediæval Socialism and The Emperor Charles IV, Jarrett also founded Blackfriars Priory at the University of Oxford in 1921, formally reinstating the Dominican Order at that university for the first time since the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII.
1827
Ezra Butler Eddy
Canadian businessman and politician (died 1906)
Ezra Butler Eddy was a Canadian businessman and political figure. Born in Vermont, Eddy moved to Canada, where he founded the E. B. Eddy Company, which produced matches and related wood products, later diversifying into pulp and paper and expanding to become a major manufacturer. Eddy later became a politician, serving as mayor of Hull, Quebec and as a Quebec legislator.
1985
Salih Yoluç
Turkish race car driver
Ahmet Salih Yoluç is a Turkish racing driver. As a bronze-ranked competitor, Yoluç has taken notable accolades in sportscar racing, including the 2020 LMGTE Am class victory at Le Mans, the Pro-Am title in the 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, as well as the 2022 European Le Mans Series and 2023 Asian Le Mans Series championships in the LMP2 category.
1860
Paul Gottlieb Nipkow
Polish-German technician and inventor, created the Nipkow disk (died 1940)
Paul Julius Gottlieb Nipkow was a German electrical engineer and inventor. He invented the Nipkow disk, which laid the foundation of television, since his disk was a fundamental component in the first televisions. Hundreds of stations experimented with television broadcasting using his disk in the 1920s and 1930s, until it was superseded by all-electronic systems in the 1940s.
1943
Alun Michael
Welsh police commissioner and politician, inaugural First Minister of Wales
Alun Edward Michael is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative retired politician. He served as Secretary of State for Wales from 1998 to 1999 and then as the first First Secretary of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 1999 to 2000. He went on to serve as South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner from 2012 to 2024.
1968
Casper Christensen
Danish comedian, actor, and screenwriter
Casper Lindholm Christensen is a Danish comedian. He has hosted many shows including Casper & Mandrilaftalen, the Danish airing of Shooting Stars and Don't Forget Your Toothbrush, and the Danish version of Deal or No Deal. He also had a leading role in the Danish sit-coms Langt fra Las Vegas and the long running series Klovn (Clown/Fool).
1867
Charles Francis Jenkins
American inventor (died 1934)
Charles Francis Jenkins was an American engineer who was a pioneer of early cinema and one of the inventors of television, though he used mechanical rather than electronic technologies. His businesses included Charles Jenkins Laboratories and Jenkins Television Corporation. Over 400 patents were issued to Jenkins, many for his inventions related to motion pictures and television.
1967
Paul Colman
Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
Paul Colman is a British-Australian pop-rock guitarist, vocalist, pianist, and composer. He has earned recognition as a Christian musician both independently and as part of his band, the Paul Colman Trio, as a solo artist, and with the band Newsboys. His songwriting talents have been recognized with a Grammy nomination and several Dove Awards.
1818
Rudolf von Jhering
German jurist (died 1892)
Caspar Rudolph von Jhering was a German jurist. He is best known for his 1872 book Der Kampf ums Recht, as a legal scholar, and as the founder of a modern sociological and historical school of law. His ideas were important to the subsequent development of the "jurisprudence of interests" in Germany.
1900
Lisy Fischer
Swiss-born pianist and child prodigy (died 1999)
Elisabeth (Lisy) Fischer was a Swiss pianist from a talented Jewish family. Born to parents Arthur Fischer and Bertha Hochstetter, she was a child prodigy giving piano recitals from 11 years of age first in Geneva and afterwards in Paris under the tutelage of Lucien Grou de Flagny and later Charles Barbier.
1938
Jean Berkey
American businesswoman and politician (died 2013)
Jean Louise Berkey was an American politician who served as a Washington State Senator from Washington's 38th legislative district from 2005 to 2011. Her career ended due to the Moxie Media scandal: in the 2010 primary election, her fellow Democrat, Nick Harper, bankrolled ads for a third candidate in an effort to "Squeeze The Middle" and prevent the moderate incumbent Berkey from running in the general election. The state's election watchdog committee unanimously voted to refer the case to the state Attorney General Rob McKenna, who promptly "filed suit, alleging multiple campaign-finance violations." Berkey placed third in the primary, and despite a call several former state senators to hold another election, was prevented from running in the general election per Washington state's 'top two' primary system. Her term ended in January 2011.
1996
Jessica-Jane Applegate
British Paralympic swimmer
Jessica-Jane Applegate MBE is a retired British Paralympic swimmer. Applegate competed in the S14 classification for swimmers with intellectual disabilities, mainly freestyle and backstroke preferring shorter distances. She qualified for the 2012 Summer Paralympics and on 2 September, Applegate won the gold setting a Paralympic record in the S14 200m freestyle.
1975
Clint Bolton
Australian footballer
Clint Brian Bolton is an Australian former goalkeeper. He was one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the history of the National Soccer League, which preceded the A-League. He played over 300 games for Brisbane Strikers, Sydney Olympic FC and Parramatta Power, and won two A-League championships with Sydney FC.
1857
Ned Hanlon
American baseball player and manager (died 1937)
Edward Hugh Hanlon, also known as "Foxy Ned", and sometimes referred to as "the Father of Modern Baseball", was an American professional baseball player and manager whose career spanned from 1876 to 1914. He was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996 by the Veterans Committee.
1922
Frank Kelly Freas
American science fiction and fantasy artist (died 2005)
Frank Kelly Freas was an American artist known for his work in science fiction and fantasy, with a career spanning more than 50 years. He was known as the "Dean of Science Fiction Artists" and he was the second artist inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
1978
Ioannis Gagaloudis
Greek basketball player
Ioannis "Gaga" Gagaloudis is a Greek professional basketball player for Esperos Kallitheas B.C. of the Greek B Basket League. He is 1.92 m tall and 86 kg (190 lbs.) in weight. Born in Athens, Greece, he can play at both the point guard and shooting guard positions.
1847
John Forrest
Australian politician, 1st Premier of Western Australia (died 1918)
Sir John Forrest was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister in federal politics.
1932
Gerald P. Carr
American engineer, colonel, and astronaut (died 2020)
Gerald Paul Carr was an American mechanical and aeronautical engineer, United States Marine Corps officer and aviator, and NASA astronaut. He was commander of Skylab 4, the third and final crewed visit to the Skylab Orbital Workshop, from November 16, 1973, to February 8, 1974.
1981
Christina Obergföll
German javelin athlete
Christina Obergföll is a retired German track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. She was World Champion in 2013. Her personal best throw of 70.20 m is the German record. It also ranks her fifth on the overall list.
1921
Tony Pawson
English cricketer, footballer, and journalist (died 2012)
Henry Anthony Pawson was an English sportsman who played cricket and association football and was a leading fly fisherman. He worked as a cricket writer and journalist. He was the son of Guy Pawson, and father of scientist Anthony Pawson.
1924
James Kirkwood
Jr., American playwright and author (died 1989)
James Kirkwood Jr. was an American playwright, author and actor. In 1976 he received the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the Broadway hit A Chorus Line.
1918
Mary McGrory
American journalist and author (died 2004)
Mary McGrory was an American journalist and columnist. She specialized in American politics, and was noted for her detailed coverage of political maneuverings. She wrote over 8,000 columns, but no books, and made very few media or lecture appearances.
1972
Max Wilson
German-Brazilian race car driver
Max Wilson Ferreira de Lima is a racing driver of Brazilian parentage. He won the Stock Car Brasil title in 2010, claimed seven podiums at the International Formula 3000 Championship, and also competed in CART and V8 Supercars.
1990
Drew Hutchison
American baseball player
Andrew Scott Hutchison is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers and the Detroit Tigers.
1962
Stefano Tilli
Italian sprinter
Stefano Tilli is a former Italian sprinter who specialized in the 100 and 200 m, twice European indoor champion, three-time semi-finalist at the Olympic Games, and was the world record holder in the 200 m indoor.
1773
Aimé Bonpland
French botanist and explorer (died 1858)
Aimé Jacques Alexandre Bonpland was a French explorer and botanist who traveled with Alexander von Humboldt in Latin America from 1799 to 1804. He co-authored volumes of the scientific results of their expedition.
1983
Theo Bos
Dutch cyclist
Theo Bos is a Dutch former professional road and track cyclist. An Olympic silver medalist and five-time world champion, he is the brother of Olympic medalist in speed skating Jan Bos.
1570
Franz von Dietrichstein
Roman Catholic archbishop and cardinal (died 1636)
Franz Seraph von Dietrichstein, was an Austrian nobleman and cardinal, member of an ancient House of Dietrichstein, was the 1st Prince of Dietrichstein, Archbishop of Olomouc, Governor (Landeshauptmann) of Moravia.
1860
Alfred Ploetz
German physician, biologist, and eugenicist (died 1940)
Alfred Ploetz was a German physician, biologist, Social Darwinist, and eugenicist known for coining the term racial hygiene (Rassenhygiene), a form of eugenics, and for promoting the concept in Germany.
1924
Harishankar Parsai
Indian writer, satirist and humorist (died 1995)
Harishankar Parsai was an Indian writer who wrote in Hindi. He was a noted satirist and humorist of modern Hindi literature and is known for his simple and direct style. He wrote vyangya (satire), which described human values and nature. They reflected his critical thinking and humorous way of describing simple things with huge meanings. Parsai won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1982, for his satire, Viklaang Shraddha ka daur.
1844
George W. De Long
American Naval officer and explorer (died 1881)
George Washington De Long was a United States Navy officer and explorer who led the ill-fated Jeannette expedition of 1879–1881, in search of the Open Polar Sea.
1679
Pierre Guérin de Tencin
French cardinal (died 1758)
Pierre-Paul Guérin de Tencin was a French ecclesiastic and statesman, who was archbishop of Embrun and Lyon and cardinal. His sister was Claudine Guérin de Tencin.
1915
James Hillier
Canadian-American scientist, co-designed the electron microscope (died 2007)
James Hillier, was a Canadian-American scientist and inventor who designed and built, with Albert Prebus, the first successful high-resolution electron microscope in North America in 1938.
1800
Samuel David Luzzatto
Italian poet and scholar (died 1865)
Samuel David Luzzatto, also known by the Hebrew acronym Shadal, was an Italian-Austrian Jewish scholar, poet, and a member of the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement.
1848
Melville Elijah Stone
American publisher, founded the Chicago Daily News (died 1929)
Melville Elijah Stone was an American newspaper publisher, the founder of the Chicago Daily News, and was the general manager of the reorganized Associated Press.
1929
Ulrich Wegener
German police officer and general (died 2017)
Ulrich Klaus Wegener was a German police officer of the Federal Border Guard. He was also the commander and founding member of the federal counter-terrorism force GSG 9.
1965
Wendy Botha
South African-Australian surfer
Wendy Botha is a four-time world surfing champion. She won her first title as a South African citizen in 1987, then she became an Australian citizen and won three more titles in 1989, 1991, and 1992. She also posed nude for Australian Playboy for the September issue of 1992. Botha married New Zealand rugby league international and television star Brent Todd in 1993. They had two children, Jessica and Ethan, and split in about 2005.
1893
Ernest H. Volwiler
American chemist (died 1992)
Ernest Henry Volwiler was an American chemist. He spent his career at Abbott Laboratories working his way from staff chemist to CEO. He was a pioneer in the field of anesthetic pharmacology, assisting in the development of two breakthrough drugs, Nembutal and Pentothal. Volwiler also helped Abbott Laboratories to achieve commercial success for its pharmaceutical products including the commercialization of penicillin and sulfa drugs during World War II.
1913
Leonard Pagliero
English businessman and pilot (died 2008)
Leonard Pagliero OBE was Director of the Stationers Association and Chairman of The Kennel Club. During World War II, he served as a pilot for RAF Transport Command. He was also a dog show judge and judged several times at Crufts. He became Master of the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers, and was given the Freedom of the City of London.
1956
Peter Taylor
Australian cricketer
Peter Laurence Taylor is a former Australian cricketer who played in 13 Test matches and 83 One Day Internationals between 1987 and 1992. He became a Test match selector for Australia in the late 1990s. Taylor was a part of the Australian team that won their first world title during the 1987 Cricket World Cup.
1950
Ray Burris
American baseball player and coach
Bertram Ray Burris is an American former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB), and the current rehabilitation pitching coordinator in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He played in MLB from 1973 through 1987 for seven different teams. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 200 pounds (91 kg), he threw and batted right-handed.
1936
John Callaway
American journalist and producer (died 2009)
John Callaway was an American journalist, who appeared on radio and television as a host, interviewer and moderator. He was the original host of Chicago Tonight, a nightly news program broadcast on the Chicago, Illinois television station WTTW, serving in that role from 1984 to 1999.
1989
Aleksandra Gajewska
Polish politician and businessperson
Aleksandra Małgorzata Gajewska is a Polish politician and businessperson. She has been a member a member of the Sejm of Poland since 2019, and the secretary of state of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy since 2023. Gajewska belongs to the Civic Coalition party.
1948
Carolyn L. Mazloomi
American art historian and quilter
Carolyn L. Mazloomi is an American curator, quilter, author, art historian, and aerospace engineer. She is a strong advocate for presenting and documenting African-American-made quilts. Her quilts are designed to tell complex stories around African-American heritage and contemporary experiences.
1959
Pia Gjellerup
Danish lawyer and politician, Danish Minister of Finance
Pia Gjellerup is a Danish politician representing the Social Democrats. She has been a Member of Parliament (Folketinget) since 8 September 1987 and has occupied three different cabinet positions: Justice Minister, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Finance Minister.
1922
Theoni V. Aldredge
Greek-American costume designer (died 2011)
Theoni V. Aldredge was a Greek-American stage and screen costume designer. During her career she won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and three Tony Awards, as well as was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards.
1929
Valery Alekseyev
Russian anthropologist and author (died 1991)
Valery Pavlovich Alekseyev, sometimes Alexeev was a Soviet anthropologist, director of the Institute of Archaeology in Moscow (1987–1991) and member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, exceptionally without having been a member of the Communist Party.
1973
Eurelijus Žukauskas
Lithuanian basketball player
Eurelijus Žukauskas is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player. At a height of 2.18 m tall, and a weight of 118 kg (260 lb), he played at the center position.
1980
Seiko Yamamoto
Japanese wrestler
Seiko Yamamoto is a Japanese wrestler and submission grappler. She is a four time World Wrestling Champion, two time Asian Wrestling Champion and an ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship medallist.
1980
Nicolas Macrozonaris
Canadian sprinter
Nicolas Macrozonaris is a Canadian Olympic track and field athlete of Greek descent, who has won the 100 metre national title four times and once in the 200 metre.
1970
Charlie Connelly
English author and broadcaster
Charlie Connelly is an author of popular non-fiction books. In addition to being a writer, Connelly also appears as a presenter on radio and television shows.
1979
Matt Walters
American football player
Matthew Jeremy Walters is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL).
1944
Roger Cashmore
English physicist and academic
Roger John Cashmore is the chair of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. Previously he was principal of Brasenose College, Oxford, and professor of experimental physics at the University of Oxford. His interests include the origin of the masses of particles and the Higgs boson.
1599
Agatha Marie of Hanau
German noblewoman (died 1636)
Countess Agatha Marie of Hanau-Lichtenberg was a daughter of Count Johann Reinhard I (1569-1625) and his wife, Countess Maria Elisabeth of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein (1576-1605).
1601
Georges de Scudéry
French author, poet, and playwright (died 1667)
Georges de Scudéry, the elder brother of Madeleine de Scudéry, was a French novelist, dramatist and poet.
1624
Jean Regnault de Segrais
French author and poet (died 1701)
Jean Regnault de Segrais was a French poet and novelist born in Caen. He was elected a member of the Académie française in 1662.
1836
Archibald Willard
American soldier and painter (died 1918)
Archibald MacNeal Willard was an American painter who was born and raised in Bedford, Ohio. His most famous work is The Spirit of '76.
1867
Maximilian Bircher-Benner
Swiss physician and nutritionist (died 1939)
Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, M.D. was a Swiss physician and a pioneer nutritionist credited for popularizing muesli and raw food vegetarianism.
1880
Gorch Fock
German author and poet (died 1916)
Johann Wilhelm Kinau, better known by his pseudonym Gorch Fock, was a German author. Other pseudonyms he used were Jakob Holst and Giorgio Focco.
1893
Wilfred Kitching
English 7th General of The Salvation Army (died 1977)
Wilfred Kitching CBE was a British Salvation Army officer who was their seventh General between 1954 and 1963.
1895
László Almásy
Hungarian captain, pilot, and explorer (died 1951)
László Adolf Ede György Mária Almásy de Zsadány et Törökszentmiklós was a Hungarian aristocrat, motorist, desert explorer, aviator, Scout-leader, and sportsman.
1895
Paul Comtois
Canadian lawyer and politician, 21st Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (died 1966)
Paul Comtois was a Canadian politician.
1902
Edward Rowe Snow
American historian and author (died 1982)
Edward Rowe Snow was an American writer and historian.
1902
Thomas Pelly
American lawyer and politician (died 1973)
Thomas Minor Pelly was an American politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from the state of Washington between 1953 and 1973.
1908
Erwin Thiesies
German rugby player and coach (died 1993)
Erwin Thiesies was a German international rugby union player, playing for the Berliner SV 92 Rugby and the Germany national rugby union team.
1914
Jack Dunphy
American author and playwright (died 1992)
John Paul Dunphy was an American novelist and playwright. He was widely known as the partner of author Truman Capote.
1915
Edward Szczepanik
Polish economist and politician, 15th Prime Minister of the Polish Republic in Exile (died 2005)
Edward Franciszek Szczepanik was a Polish economist and the last Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile.
1921
Dinos Dimopoulos
Greek director and screenwriter (died 2003)
Dinos Dimopoulos was a Greek actor, film director, screenwriter and theatre director. He directed more than 40 films between 1953 and 1993.
1922
Roberto Aizenberg
Argentine painter and sculptor (died 1996)
Roberto Aizenberg, nicknamed "Bobby", was an Argentine painter and sculptor. He was considered the best-known orthodox surrealist painter in Argentina.
1926
Bob Flanigan
American pop singer (died 2011)
Robert Lee Flanigan was an American tenor vocalist and founding member of The Four Freshmen, a jazz vocal group.
1926
Marc Bohan
French fashion designer (died 2023)
Roger Maurice Louis Bohan was a French fashion designer, best known for his 30-year career at the house of Dior.
1928
Tinga Seisay
Sierra Leonean academic and diplomat (died 2015)
Samuel Tinga Khendekha Seisay was a Sierra Leonean diplomat and pro-democracy activist.
1936
Dale Hawkins
American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2010)
Delmar Allen "Dale" Hawkins was a pioneer American rock singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist who was often called the architect of swamp rock boogie.
1936
Werner Stengel
German roller coaster designer and engineer, designed the Maverick roller coaster
Werner Stengel is a German roller coaster designer and engineer. Stengel is the founder of Stengel Engineering, also known as Ingenieurbüro Stengel GmbH.
1949
Joop Donkervoort
Dutch businessman
Joop A. Donkervoort is a Dutch businessman and founder of Donkervoort car manufacturer of Netherlands.
1952
Peter Laughner
American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1977)
Peter Laughner was an American guitarist, songwriter and singer.
1953
Paul Ellering
American weightlifter, wrestler, and manager
Paul Ellering is an American professional wrestling manager and retired professional wrestler.
1959
Juan Croucier
Cuban-American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
Juan Croucier is a Cuban-born American musician. He is best known as the bassist for the hard rock/glam metal band Ratt.
1960
Holger Gehrke
German footballer and manager
Holger Andreas Gehrke is a former professional German football player and manager.
1966
Rob Witschge
Dutch footballer and manager
Robert Witschge is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
1968
Aleksandr Mostovoi
Russian footballer
Aleksandr Vladimirovich Mostovoi is a Russian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
1968
Horst Skoff
Austrian tennis player (died 2008)
Horst Skoff was a professional tennis player from Austria, who won four tournaments at the top-level.
1970
Tímea Nagy
Hungarian fencer
Tímea Nagy is a Hungarian right-handed épée fencer, three-time Olympian, 2006 individual world champion, and two-time Olympic champion.
1973
1976
Bryn Davies
American bassist, cellist, and pianist
Bryn Davies is an American bassist, cellist, and occasional pianist.
1976
Laurent Hernu
French decathlete
Laurent Hernu is a French decathlete. In 2015, Hernu coached about 20 other athletes, including French sprint athlete Marie Gayot.
1976
Marius Bezykornovas
Lithuanian footballer
Marius Bezykornovas is a Lithuanian footballer.
1977
Heiðar Helguson
Icelandic footballer
Heiðar Helguson is an Icelandic former professional footballer who played as a striker.
1977
Keren Cytter
Israeli visual artist and writer
Keren Cytter is an Israeli visual artist and writer.
1980
Roland Benschneider
German footballer
Roland Benschneider is a German former professional footballer, who works as sports director at FC Energie Cottbus.
1981
Alex Holmes
American football player
Alex Holmes is an American former professional football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL).
1981
Jang Hyun-kyu
South Korean footballer (died 2012)
Jang Hyun-Kyu was a South Korean footballer.
1984
Lawrence Quaye
Ghanaian-Qatari footballer
Lawrence Awuley Quaye is a former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder.
1986
Stephen Ireland
Irish footballer
Stephen James Ireland is an Irish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, and current manager of Wythenshawe FC Veterans.
1989
Giacomo Bonaventura
Italian footballer
Giacomo "Jack" Bonaventura is an Italian former professional footballer.
1990
Robbie Rochow
Australian rugby league player
Robbie Rochow is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row forward in the 2010s.
1991
Federico Macheda
Italian footballer
Federico Macheda is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Super League Greece club Asteras Tripolis.
1992
Ema Burgić Bucko
Bosnian tennis player
Ema Burgić is a Bosnian professional tennis player.
1995
Dua Lipa
English singer-songwriter
Dua Lipa is an English singer and songwriter. Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards.