Famous Birthdays on February 16

Q: Who was born on February 16?

Famous people born on February 16 include: Nichiren, Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temür, Coluccio Salutati, John I, Eric I.

Q: What is James Ingram known for?

James Ingram, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2019)

1952 — James Ingram

American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2019)

February 16 has seen 195 notable people enter the world across recorded history — from 1222 – 2001. Below are the most significant names born on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · February 16 — Wikipedia

Famous Birthdays 195 people 1222 – 2001

Did you know

He had two number-one singles on the Hot 100: the first, a duet with fellow R&B artist Patti Austin, 1982's "Baby, Come to Me" topped the U.S

Did you know

pop chart in 1983; "I Don't Have the Heart", which became his second number-one in 1990, was his only number-one as a solo artist.

Did you know

James Edward Ingram was an American singer, songwriter and record producer

Did you know

After beginning his career in 1973, Ingram charted eight top 40 hits on the U.S

Did you know

Billboard Hot 100 chart from the early 1980s until the early 1990s, as well as thirteen top 40 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart

Nichiren

founder of Nichiren Buddhism (died 1282)

Nichiren was a Japanese Buddhist monk and philosopher of the Kamakura period. His teachings form the basis of Nichiren Buddhism, a unique branch of Japanese Mahayana Buddhism based on the Lotus Sutra.

1222

Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temür

Chinese emperor (died 1332)

Jayaatu Khan, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Wenzong of Yuan, was an emperor of the Yuan dynasty. Apart from Emperor of China, he is regarded as the 12th Khagan of the Mongol Empire, although it was only…

1304

Coluccio Salutati

Italian political leader (died 1406)

Coluccio Salutati was an Italian Renaissance humanist and notary, and one of the most important political and cultural leaders of Renaissance Florence; as chancellor of the Florentine Republic and its most prominent…

1331

John I

Duke of Cleves (died 1481)

John I, Duke of Cleves, Count of Mark. Jean de Belliqueux (warlike), was Duke of Cleves and Count of Mark.

1419

Eric I

Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (died 1540)

Eric I, the Elder was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg from 1495 and the first reigning prince of Calenberg-Göttingen.

1470

Krishnadevaraya

emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire (died 1529)

Krishnadevaraya was emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1509 to 1529 and the third ruler of the Tuluva dynasty. Widely regarded as one of the greatest rulers in Indian history, he presided over the empire at its…

1471

Philip Melanchthon

German astronomer, theologian, and academic (died 1560)

Philipp Melanchthon was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, an intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and influential…

1497

Georg Joachim Rheticus

Austrian cartographer and instrument maker (died 1574)

Georg Joachim de Porris, also known as Rheticus, was a mathematician, astronomer, cartographer, navigational-instrument maker, medical practitioner, and teacher. He is perhaps best known for his trigonometric tables and…

1514

Gaspard II de Coligny

French admiral (died 1572)

Gaspard de Coligny, seigneur de Châtillon, was a French nobleman, Admiral of France, and Huguenot leader during the French Wars of Religion. He served under kings Francis I and Henry II during the Italian Wars,…

1519

Kanō Eitoku

Japanese painter and educator (died 1590)

Kanō Eitoku was a Japanese painter who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japanese history and one of the most prominent patriarchs of the Kanō school of Japanese painting.

1543

Frederick William

Elector of Brandenburg (died 1688)

Frederick William was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1640 until his death in 1688. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as "the Great Elector"…

1620

John Sharp

English archbishop (died 1714)

John Sharp was an English divine who served as Archbishop of York.

1643

Pierre Bouguer

French mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (died 1758)

Pierre Bouguer was a French mathematician, geophysicist, geodesist, and astronomer. He is also known as "the father of naval architecture".

1698

Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin

Austrian botanist, chemist, and mycologist (died 1817)

Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin was a scientist who studied medicine, chemistry and botany. He travelled to the West Indies as part of an Austrian expedition and collected a large number of botanical specimens and…

1727

Giambattista Bodoni

Italian publisher and engraver (died 1813)

Giambattista Bodoni was an Italian typographer, type-designer, compositor, printer, and publisher in Parma.

1740

Jean-Charles Pichegru

French general (died 1804)

Divisional-General Jean-Charles Pichegru was a French Army officer who served in the French Revolutionary Wars. Under his command, French troops overran the Austrian Netherlands and Dutch Republic in the Flanders…

1761

Pierre Rode

French violinist and composer (died 1830)

Jacques Pierre Joseph Rode was a French violinist and composer.

1774

Maria Pavlovna

Russian Grand Duchess (died 1859)

Maria Pavlovna was a grand duchess of Russia as the daughter of Paul I, Emperor of all the Russias and Empress Maria Feodorovna and later became the Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach by her marriage to Charles…

1786

Phineas Quimby

American mystic and philosopher (died 1866)

Phineas Parkhurst Quimby was an American folk healer, mentalist and mesmerist. His work is widely recognized as foundational to the New Thought spiritual movement.

1802

Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold

German physiologist and zoologist (died 1885)

Prof Karl (Carl) Theodor Ernst von Siebold FRS(For) HFRSE was a German physiologist and zoologist. He was responsible for the introduction of the taxa Arthropoda and Rhizopoda, and for defining the taxon Protozoa…

1804

Henry Wilson

American colonel and politician, 18th Vice President of the United States (died 1875)

Henry Wilson was the 18th vice president of the United States, serving from 1873 until his death in 1875, and a senator from Massachusetts from 1855 to 1873. Before and during the American Civil War, he was a leading…

1812

Heinrich Barth

German explorer and scholar (died 1865)

Johann Heinrich Barth was a German explorer of Africa and scholar.

1821

Francis Galton

English biologist and statistician (died 1911)

Sir Francis Galton was an English polymath and the originator of eugenics during the Victorian era; his ideas later became the basis of behavioural genetics.

1822

Peter Kosler

Slovenian lawyer, geographer, and cartographer (died 1879)

Peter Kosler or Kozler was an Austrian-Slovene lawyer, geographer, cartographer, activist, and businessman. He was of Gottscheer origin, but also identified with Slovene culture and advocated for the peaceful…

1824

Joseph Victor von Scheffel

German poet and author (died 1886)

Joseph Victor von Scheffel was a German poet and novelist. His novel Ekkehard (1855) became one of the most popular German novels in the 19th century.

1826

Lars Hertervig

Norwegian painter (died 1902)

Lars Hertervig was a Norwegian painter. His semi-fantastical work with motives from the coastal landscape in the traditional district of Ryfylke is regarded as one of the peaks of Norwegian painting.

1830

Nikolai Leskov

Russian author, playwright, and journalist (died 1895)

Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov was a Russian novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and journalist, who also wrote under the pseudonym M. Stebnitsky. Praised for his unique writing style and innovative experiments in…

1831

Ernst Haeckel

German biologist, physician, and philosopher (died 1919)

Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel was a German zoologist, naturalist, eugenicist, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biologist and artist. He discovered, described and named thousands of new species, mapped a…

1834

Henry Adams

American journalist, historian, and author (died 1918)

Henry Brooks Adams was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Francis Adams,…

1838

Armand Guillaumin

French painter (died 1927)

Armand Guillaumin was a French Impressionist painter and lithographer.

1841

Henry M. Leland

American engineer and businessman, founded Cadillac and Lincoln (died 1932)

Henry Martyn Leland was an American machinist, inventor, engineer, and automotive entrepreneur. He founded the two premier American luxury automotive marques, Cadillac and Lincoln.

1843

George Kennan

American journalist and explorer (died 1924)

George Kennan was an American explorer noted for his travels in the Kamchatka and Caucasus regions of the Russian Empire. He was a cousin twice removed of the American diplomat and historian George F. Kennan, whose…

1845

Hugo de Vries

Dutch botanist, geneticist, and academic (died 1935)

Hugo Marie de Vries was a Dutch botanist and one of the first geneticists. He is known chiefly for suggesting the concept of genes, rediscovering the laws of heredity in the 1890s while apparently unaware of Gregor…

1848

Octave Mirbeau

French journalist, novelist, and playwright (died 1917)

Octave Henri Marie Mirbeau was a French novelist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, journalist and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, whilst still appealing to the…

1848

Ossian Everett Mills

American academic, founded Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (died 1920)

Ossian Everett Mills was the founder of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity at the New England Conservatory of Music in 1898.

1856

Billy Hamilton

American baseball player and manager (died 1940)

William Robert Hamilton, nicknamed "Sliding Billy", was an American professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 19th century. He played for the Kansas City Cowboys, Philadelphia Phillies and…

1866

Radoje Domanović

Serbian journalist and author (died 1908)

Radoje Domanović was a Serbian journalist, writer and teacher, most famous for his satirical short stories. His adult years were a constant fight against tuberculosis. This circumstance of his life, and the affection…

1873

G. M. Trevelyan

English historian and academic (died 1962)

George Macaulay Trevelyan was an English historian and academic. He was a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1898 to 1903. He then spent more than twenty years as a full-time author. He returned to the…

1876

Tom Crean

Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer (died 1938)

Thomas Crean was an Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer who was awarded the Albert Medal for Lifesaving (AM).

1877

Pamela Colman Smith

English occultist and illustrator (died 1951)

Pamela Colman Smith, nicknamed "Pixie", was a British artist, illustrator, writer, publisher, and occultist. She is best-known for illustrating the Rider–Waite Tarot for Arthur Edward Waite. This tarot deck became the…

1878

James Colosimo

Italian-American mob boss (died 1920)

Vincenzo Colosimo, known as James "Big Jim" Colosimo or as "Diamond Jim", was an Italian-American Mafia crime boss who emigrated from Calabria, Italy, in 1895 and built a criminal empire in Chicago based on…

1878

Robert J. Flaherty

American director and producer (died 1951)

Robert Joseph Flaherty was an American filmmaker who directed and produced the first commercially successful feature-length documentary film, Nanook of the North (1922). The film made his reputation and nothing in his…

1884

Kathleen Clifford

American actress (died 1962)

Kathleen Clifford was an American vaudeville and Broadway stage and film actress of the early twentieth century. She was known for her skills as a male impersonator.

1887

Hans F. K. Günther

German eugenicist and academic (died 1968)

Hans Friedrich Karl Günther, popularly known as Hans F. K. Günther, was a German writer, advocate of scientific racism and eugenicist in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He was also known as "Rassengünther" or…

1891

Katharine Cornell

American actress and producer (died 1974)

Katharine Cornell was a German-born American stage actress, writer, theater owner and producer. She was born in Berlin to American parents and raised in Buffalo, New York.

1893

Eugénie Blanchard

French super-centenarian (died 2010)

French supercentenarians are citizens, residents or emigrants from France who have attained or surpassed 110 years of age. As of January 2015, the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) had validated the longevity claims of…

1896

Wayne King

American singer-songwriter and conductor (died 1985)

Harold Wayne King was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader with a long association with both NBC and CBS. He was referred to as "the Waltz King" because much of his most popular music involved waltzes; "The…

1901

Chester Morris

American actor (died 1970)

John Chester Brooks Morris was an American stage, film, television, and radio actor. He had some prestigious film roles early in his career, and received an Academy Award nomination for Alibi (1929). Morris is…

1901

Cyril Vincent

South African cricketer (died 1968)

Cyril Leverton Vincent was a South African cricketer who played in 25 Test matches from 1927 to 1935. He was later chairman of the South African selectors.

1902

Edgar Bergen

American ventriloquist and actor (died 1978)

Edgar John Bergen was an American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, vaudevillian and radio performer. He was best known for his characters Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. Bergen pioneered modern-day ventriloquism and…

1903

James Baskett

American actor and singer (died 1948)

James Franklin Baskett was an American actor who portrayed Uncle Remus in the 1946 Disney feature film Song of the South. His performance included singing the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah". In recognition of his portrayal of…

1904

George F. Kennan

American historian and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (died 2005)

George Frost Kennan was an American diplomat and historian. He was best known as an advocate of a policy of containment of Soviet expansion during the Cold War. He lectured widely and wrote scholarly histories of the…

1904

Henrietta Barnett

English Women's Royal Air Force officer (died 1985)

Air Commandant Dame Mary Henrietta Barnett was a senior officer of the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF). From 1956 to 1960, she served as its director.

1905

Vera Menchik

Russian-Czechoslovak-British chess player (died 1944)

Vera Francevna Mencikova, was a Russian-born Czechoslovak chess player who primarily resided in England. She was the first and longest-reigning Women's World Chess Champion from 1927 to 1944, winning the championship a…

1906

Hugh Beaumont

American actor and director (died 1982)

Eugene Hugh Beaumont was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Ward Cleaver on the television series Leave It to Beaver, originally broadcast from 1957 to 1963, and as private detective Michael…

1909

Richard McDonald

American businessman, co-founded McDonald's (died 1998)

Richard James McDonald and Maurice James "Mac" McDonald, known as the McDonald brothers, were American entrepreneurs who founded the fast food company McDonald's.

1909

Jimmy Wakely

American country music singer-songwriter and actor (died 1982)

James Clarence Wakely was an American actor, songwriter, country music vocalist, and one of the last singing cowboys. During the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, he released records, appeared in several B-Western movies with…

1914

Bill Doggett

American pianist and composer (died 1996)

William Ballard Doggett was an American pianist and organist. He began his career playing swing music before transitioning into rhythm and blues. Best known for his instrumental compositions "Honky Tonk" and "Hippy…

1916

Georges Ulmer

Danish-French actor and composer (died 1989)

Georges Ulmer (1919–1989) was a Danish-born composer, librettist, and actor who became a naturalized French citizen. He was born Jørgen Frederik Ulmer on 16 February 1919 in Copenhagen, Denmark, and died on 29 September…

1919

Anna Mae Hays

American general (died 2018)

Anna Mae Violet Hays was an American military officer who served as the 13th chief of the United States Army Nurse Corps. She was the first woman in the United States Armed Forces to be promoted to a general officer…

1920

Jean Behra

French race car driver (died 1959)

Jean Marie Behra was a French racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1952 to 1959.

1921

John Galbraith Graham

English priest and academic (died 2013)

John Galbraith Graham MBE was a British crossword compiler, best known as Araucaria of The Guardian. He was also, like his father Eric Graham, a Church of England priest.

1921

Vera-Ellen

German-American actress, singer, and dancer (died 1981)

Vera-Ellen was an American dancer, actress, and singer. She is remembered for her solo performances as well as her work with partners Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye, and Donald O'Connor. She is best known for her…

1921

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer

German soldier and pilot (died 1950)

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was a German Luftwaffe night-fighter pilot and the highest-scoring night fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare. A flying ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more…

1922

Samuel Willenberg

Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter (died 2016)

Samuel Willenberg, nom de guerre Igo, was a Polish-born Jewish Holocaust survivor, artist, and writer. He was a Sonderkommando at the Treblinka extermination camp and participated in the unit's planned revolt in August…

1923

Ed Emshwiller

American illustrator and experiment film maker (died 1990)

Edmund Alexander Emshwiller was an American visual artist notable for his science fiction illustrations and his pioneering experimental films. He usually signed his illustrations as Emsh but sometimes used Ed Emsh, Ed…

1925

Margot Frank

German-Dutch holocaust victim (died 1945)

Margot Betti Frank was the elder daughter of Otto Frank and Edith Frank and the elder sister of Anne Frank. Margot's deportation order from the Gestapo hastened the Frank family into hiding. According to the diary of…

1926

John Schlesinger

English actor and director (died 2003)

John Richard Schlesinger was an English film, television and theatre director, and actor. He emerged in the early 1960s as a leading light of the British New Wave, before embarking on a successful career in Hollywood,…

1926

June Brown

English actress (died 2022)

June Muriel Brown was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera EastEnders. In 2005, she won Best Actress at the Inside Soap Awards and received the Lifetime…

1927

Gerhard Hanappi

Austrian footballer and architect (died 1980)

Gerhard Hanappi was an Austrian football midfielder who is often regarded as one of the greatest Austrian footballers. He is also the father of political economist Hardy Hanappi.

1929

Peter Porter

Australian-English poet and educator (died 2010)

Peter Neville Frederick Porter OAM was a British-based Australian poet.

1929

Otis Blackwell

American singer-songwriter and pianist (died 2002)

Otis Blackwell was an American songwriter whose work influenced rock and roll. His compositions include "Fever", "Great Balls of Fire" and "Breathless", "Don't Be Cruel", "All Shook Up", and "Return to Sender", and…

1931

Bernie Geoffrion

Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 2006)

Joseph André Bernard Geoffrion, nicknamed "Boom Boom" or "Boum Boum", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Generally considered one of the innovators of the slapshot, he was inducted into the Hockey…

1931

Ken Takakura

Japanese actor and singer (died 2014)

Ken Takakura , born Takeichi Oda , was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in over 200 films. Affectionately referred to as "Ken-san" by audiences, he was best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he…

1931

Ahmad Tejan Kabbah

Sierra Leonean economist, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (died 2014)

Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the third President of Sierra Leone from 1996 to 1997 and from 1998 to 2007. An economist and attorney by profession, Kabbah spent many years…

1932

Gretchen Wyler

American actress, singer, and dancer (died 2007)

Gretchen Wyler was an American actress and dancer. She was also an animal rights advocate and founder of the Genesis Awards for animal protection.

1932

Ken Brown

English footballer and manager

Kenneth Brown is an English former football player and manager. As player, he made more than 400 appearances in the Football League representing West Ham United, where he spent the majority of his career, and Torquay…

1934

August Coppola

American author and academic (died 2009)

August Floyd Coppola was an American academic, author, film executive, and member of the Coppola family.

1934

Marlene Hagge

American golfer (died 2023)

Marlene Hagge was an American professional golfer. She was one of the thirteen founders of the LPGA in 1950. She won one major championship and 26 LPGA Tour career events. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

1934

Brian Bedford

English-American actor and director (died 2016)

Brian Bedford was an English actor. Known for his work on stage and screen, he was an actor and director in various Shakespearian productions. Bedford was nominated for seven Tony Awards for his theatrical work, winning…

1935

Sonny Bono

American actor, singer, and politician (died 1998)

Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and politician. In partnership with his second wife, Cher, he formed the singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republican…

1935

Stephen Gaskin

American activist, co-founded The Farm (died 2014)

Stephen Gaskin was an American counterculture Hippie icon best known for his presence in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco in the 1960s and for co-founding "The Farm", a spiritual commune in 1970. He was a…

1935

Bradford Parkinson

American colonel and engineer

Bradford Parkinson is an American engineer and inventor, retired United States Air Force Colonel and Emeritus Professor at Stanford University. He is best known as the lead architect, advocate and developer, with early…

1935

Kenneth Price

American painter and sculptor (died 2012)

Kenneth Price was an American artist who predominantly created ceramic sculpture. He studied at the Chouinard Art Institute and Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, before receiving his BFA degree from the University of…

1935

Carl Icahn

American businessman and investor

Carl Celian Icahn is an American businessman and investor. He is the founder and controlling shareholder of Icahn Enterprises, a public company and diversified conglomerate holding company based in Sunny Isles Beach,…

1936

Paul Bailey

British novelist, critic, and biographer

Peter Harry "Paul" Bailey was an English novelist and critic, as well as a biographer of Cynthia Payne and Quentin Crisp.

1937

Valentin Bondarenko

Soviet aviator and cosmonaut (died 1961)

Valentin Vasilyevich Bondarenko was a Soviet fighter pilot selected in 1960 for training as a cosmonaut. He died as the result of burns sustained in a fire during a 15-day low-pressure endurance experiment in Moscow.…

1937

Yuri Manin

Russian-German mathematician and academic (died 2023)

Yuri Ivanovich Manin was a Russian mathematician, known for work in algebraic geometry and diophantine geometry, and many expository works ranging from mathematical logic to theoretical physics.

1937

John Corigliano

American composer and academic

John Paul Corigliano is an American composer of contemporary classical music. With over 100 compositions, he has won accolades including a Pulitzer Prize, five Grammy Awards, Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, and…

1938

Adolfo Azcuna

Filipino lawyer and judge

Adolfo Sevilla Azcuna is a Filipino jurist who was one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution being a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, and served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the…

1939

Hannelore Schmatz

German mountaineer (died 1979)

Hannelore Schmatz was a German mountaineer and the fourth woman to summit Mount Everest. She collapsed and died as she was returning from summiting Everest via the southern route; Schmatz was the first woman and first…

1940

Kim Jong Il

North Korean commander and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of North Korea (died 2011)

Kim Jong Il was a North Korean politician and dictator who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from the death of his father Kim Il Sung in 1994 until his own death in 2011. Posthumously, Kim Jong Il was…

1941

Yang Jen-fu

Taiwanese politician (died 2024)

Yang Jen-fu was a Taiwanese Amis politician.

1942

Glyn Davies

Welsh farmer and politician

Edward Glyn Davies is a former Welsh Conservative politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Montgomeryshire from 2010 to 2019. Davies previously served as a Member of the Welsh Assembly (AM) for the Mid and…

1944

Richard Ford

American novelist and short story writer

Richard Ford is an American novelist and short story author and writer of a series of novels featuring the character Frank Bascombe.

1944

António Mascarenhas Monteiro

Cape Verdean politician, 2nd President of Cape Verde (died 2016)

António Manuel Mascarenhas Gomes Monteiro was the first democratically elected President of Cape Verde from 22 March 1991 to 22 March 2001.

1944

Jaroslav Kubera

Czech politician (died 2020)

Jaroslav Kubera was a Czech politician for the Civic Democratic Party, who served in the Czech Senate representing Teplice from 2000 and the Senate President from 2018 until his death in 2020. He previously served as…

1947

Kaiketsu Masateru

Japanese sumo wrestler and coach (died 2014)

Kaiketsu Masateru was a Japanese sumo wrestler, who reached the second highest rank of ōzeki on two occasions. He also won two top division tournament championships. After his retirement in 1979 he became a coach under…

1948

Peter Hain

Welsh politician, Secretary of State for Wales

Peter Gerald Hain, Baron Hain, is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2005 to 2007, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2007 to 2008 and twice as Secretary of State…

1950

William Katt

American actor

William Theodore Katt is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his starring role as Ralph Hinkley/Hanley on the ABC television series The Greatest American Hero (1981–1983).

1951

Peter Kitchen

English footballer

Michael Peter Kitchen is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League in the 1970s and 80s as a forward.

1952

John Bradbury

English musician, songwriter, and producer (died 2015)

John "Brad" Bradbury was an English drummer and record producer. He is best known for having been the drummer in the English ska group the Specials.

1953

Lanny McDonald

Canadian ice hockey player and manager

Lanny King McDonald is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Calgary Flames during his 16-year career in the National Hockey League (NHL). He…

1953

Roberta Williams

American video game designer, co-founded Sierra Entertainment

Roberta Lynn Williams is an American video game designer and writer. She has been named by several publications as one of the best or most influential creators in the video game industry.

1953

Iain Banks

Scottish author and playwright (died 2013)

Iain Menzies Banks was a Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks. His books have been adapted for theatre, radio, and television. In 2008, The Times named Banks in…

1954

Margaux Hemingway

American model and actress (died 1996)

Margaux Louise Hemingway was an American fashion model and actress. The granddaughter of writer Ernest Hemingway, she gained independent fame as a supermodel in the 1970s, appearing on the covers of magazines including…

1954

Michael Holding

Jamaican cricketer and sportscaster

Michael Anthony Holding is a Jamaican former cricketer and commentator who played for the West Indies cricket team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pace bowlers in cricket history, he was nicknamed "Whispering…

1954

Vincent Ward

New Zealand director and screenwriter

Vincent Ward is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and artist.

1956

LeVar Burton

American actor, director, and producer

Levardis Robert Martyn Burton is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) and Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots (1977), and was the…

1957

Natalie Angier

American author

Natalie Angier is an American nonfiction writer and a former science journalist for The New York Times. Her awards include the Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting in 1991 and the AAAS Westinghouse Science Journalism Award…

1958

Ice-T

American rapper and actor

Tracy Lauren Marrow, known professionally as Ice-T, is an American rapper and actor. He is active in both hip-hop and heavy metal. Ice-T began his career as an underground rapper in the 1980s and was signed to Sire…

1958

Oscar Schmidt

Brazilian basketball player (died 2026)

Oscar Daniel Bezerra Schmidt, nicknamed Mão Santa, was a Brazilian professional basketball player. Schmidt primarily played the power forward and small forward position, was 2.06 m tall and weighed 109 kg (240 lbs).…

1958

Herb Williams

American basketball player and coach

Herbert Levene Williams is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eighteen seasons from 1981 to 1999. Williams served as the interim head coach and the…

1958

John McEnroe

American tennis player and sportscaster

John Patrick McEnroe Jr. is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 170 weeks, and as world No. 1 in men's…

1959

Kelly Tripucka

American basketball player and sportscaster

Peter Kelly Tripucka is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1991. He was a two-time NBA All Star and averaged over twenty points a game…

1959

Pete Willis

English guitarist and songwriter

Peter Andrew Willis is a retired English guitarist, best known as a founding member of the hard rock band Def Leppard. He was with Def Leppard from 1977 to 1982, when he was fired from the band and replaced by Phil…

1960

Niko Nirvi

Finnish journalist

Niko Nirvi, pen name Nnirvi, is a long-term major icon in the Finnish gaming world. He is well known for writing computer game reviews since the 1980s in MikroBitti, C=Lehti and the computer game yearbooks that were…

1961

Andy Taylor

English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Andrew James Taylor is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of Duran Duran and the Power Station. He has also recorded and performed as a solo artist, and served as a guitarist, songwriter, and record…

1961

John Balance

English singer-songwriter (died 2004)

Geoffrey Nigel Laurence Rushton, better known under the pseudonyms John Balance or the later variation Jhonn Balance, was an English musician, occultist, artist and poet.

1962

Bebeto

Brazilian footballer and manager

José Roberto Gama de Oliveira, known as Bebeto, is a Brazilian former professional football player who played as a forward. He entered politics in the 2010 Brazilian general elections and was elected to the Legislative…

1964

Christopher Eccleston

English actor

Christopher Eccleston is an English actor. He is known for his work in various social realist television dramas, as well as for playing the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who…

1964

Dave Lombardo

Cuban-American musician and songwriter

David Lombardo is a Cuban-American drummer, best known as a co-founding member of the thrash metal band Slayer. He currently plays drums with Fantômas, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle, Empire State Bastard, and Misfits.

1965

Keith Gretzky

Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Keith Edward Gretzky is a Canadian ice hockey executive and former player who served as interim general manager of the Edmonton Oilers from January 23 to May 7, 2019. He is the brother of Wayne Gretzky, considered by…

1967

Warren Ellis

English author and screenwriter

Warren Girard Ellis is an English comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including Transmetropolitan (1997–2002), Global Frequency…

1968

Angelo Peruzzi

Italian footballer and manager

Angelo Peruzzi is an Italian football coach and former goalkeeper, and a three-time winner of the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year award.

1970

Michael Avenatti

American attorney and pundit

Michael John Avenatti is an American former attorney currently incarcerated in federal prison for felony fraud and extortion. He is best known for his legal representation of adult film actress Stormy Daniels in…

1971

Craig Laundy

Australian politician

Craig Arthur Samuel Laundy is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who served as Member of Parliament for Reid from 2013 until his retirement in 2019. He served as Minister for Small and Family Business, the…

1971

Jerome Bettis

American football player

Jerome Abram Bettis Sr. is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "the Bus" due to his…

1972

Zoran Čampara

Bosnian football player

Zoran Čampara is a Serbian retired footballer who played as a defender.

1972

Sarah Clarke

American actress

Sarah Clarke is an American actress, best known for her role as Nina Myers on 24, and also for her roles as Renée Dwyer, Bella Swan's mother, in the 2008 film Twilight, Erin McGuire on the short-lived TV show Trust Me,…

1972

Naomi Nishida

Japanese actress

Naomi Nishida is a Japanese actress. She won the Best Supporting Actress award at the 2001 Yokohama Film Festival and at the 25th Hochi Film Award for her performance in Nabbie's Love.

1972

Cathy Freeman

Australian sprinter

Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman is an Australian former sprinter, who specialised in the 400 metres event. Her personal best of 48.63 seconds currently ranks her as the 11th-fastest woman of all time, set while…

1973

Mahershala Ali

American actor

Mahershala Ali is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Films in which he has appeared have…

1974

José Dominguez

Portuguese footballer and manager

José Manuel Martins Dominguez is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player.

1974

Eric Byrnes

American baseball player and sportscaster

Eric James Byrnes, is an American baseball analyst and former outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Seattle…

1976

Kyo

Japanese singer-songwriter and producer

Kyo is a Japanese musician, singer, lyricist and poet. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the heavy metal band Dir En Grey. He was formerly in a string of visual kei rock bands, with the most notable…

1976

Ian Clarke

Irish-American computer scientist, founded Hyphanet

Ian Clarke is the original designer and lead developer of Hyphanet.

1977

Ahman Green

American football player

Ahman Rashad Green is an American former professional football running back who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning second-team…

1977

Alexei Morozov

Russian ice hockey player and executive

Alexei Alekseyevich Morozov is the president of the Kontinental Hockey League and a Russian former professional ice hockey player.

1977

Tia Hellebaut

Belgian high jumper and chemist

Tia Hellebaut is a Belgian former track and field athlete. She started out in her sports career in the heptathlon, and afterwards specialized in the high jump event. She has cleared 2.05 metres both indoors and outdoors.

1978

Wasim Jaffer

Indian cricketer

Wasim Jaffer is a retired Indian professional cricketer. He was a right-handed opening batsman and an occasional right arm off-break bowler. In 2011 he became the highest run-scorer in Ranji Trophy cricket, surpassing…

1978

John Tartaglia

American actor, singer, and puppeteer

John Nicholas Tartaglia is an American puppeteer, actor, and singer.

1978

Stéphane Dalmat

French footballer

Stéphane Dalmat is a French former footballer who played as a midfielder.

1979

Eric Mun

American-South Korean singer and actor

Eric Mun, birth name Mun Jung-hyuk (Korean: 문정혁, is a South Korean rapper, songwriter and actor. He is a member and leader of the South Korean boy band Shinhwa. He is also well known for several dramas such as Phoenix,…

1979

Valentino Rossi

Italian motorcycle racer

Valentino Rossi is an Italian racing driver, former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed "the Doctor", he is widely considered one of the greatest…

1979

Longineu W. Parsons III

French-American musician and songwriter

Longineu Warren "LP" Parsons III is a French-born American rock musician. He is best known as the founding drummer of the American rock band Yellowcard. He played on all of the band's studio albums from their debut…

1980

Jay Howard

English race car driver

Jay Howard is a British professional race car driver who competed in the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500. He qualified for the Indianapolis 500 in 2011, 2017 and 2018.

1981

Susanna Kallur

Swedish sprint hurdler

Susanna Elisabeth "Sanna" Kallur is a Swedish former athlete competing mainly in sprint hurdles. She has won several international medals, including the gold medal in the 100 m hurdles at the 2006 European Athletics…

1981

Jerry Owens

American baseball player

Jerry Lee Owens is an American former professional baseball player. He played parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Chicago White Sox from 2006 to 2009.

1981

Qyntel Woods

American basketball player

Qyntel Deon Woods is an American former professional basketball player. He played mainly at the small forward position, but he also played at the shooting guard position, on occasion.

1981

Manny Delcarmen

American baseball player

Manuel Delcarmen, nicknamed The Pride of Hyde Park, is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2005 through 2010 for the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies; he…

1982

Aleksandr Dmitrijev

Estonian footballer

Aleksandr Dmitrijev is an Estonian football coach and former professional footballer, currently playing in amateur level as a midfielder for Tallinna Cosmos.

1982

Lupe Fiasco

American rapper

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is an American rapper, singer, record producer and music educator. Born and raised in Chicago, he gained mainstream recognition for his guest appearance…

1982

Rickie Lambert

English footballer

Rickie Lee Lambert is an English former professional footballer who is currently an Academy Youth Development Coach at Wigan Athletic. A striker, Lambert was known for his large stature and physical performances,…

1982

Agyness Deyn

English model, actress, and singer

Agyness Deyn is an English model and actress. She is best known for her successful modelling career in the 2000s, and has been called one of the decade's top models. Since her retirement from modelling in the 2010s, she…

1983

Tuomo Ruutu

Finnish ice hockey player and coach

Tuomo Iisakki Ruutu is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward and current assistant coach with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. Ruutu was drafted in the first round, ninth overall, at the…

1983

Sofia Arvidsson

Swedish tennis player

Lena Sofia Alexandra Arvidsson is a Swedish professional padel player and a former tennis player. In her tennis career, she won two singles titles and one doubles title on the WTA Tour, as well as 20 singles and 13…

1984

Oussama Mellouli

Tunisian swimmer

Oussama "Ous" Mellouli is a Tunisian swimmer who competes in the freestyle and medley events. He is a three-time Olympic medalist, is an African record holder, and trains with the USC Trojans team based at the…

1984

Simon Francis

English footballer

Simon Charles Francis is an English former professional footballer who was most recently the first-team technical director at Premier League club Bournemouth.

1985

Stacy Lewis

American golfer

Stacy Lewis is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She has won two major championships: the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2011 and the Women's British Open in 2013. She was ranked number one in…

1985

Ron Vlaar

Dutch footballer

Ron Peter Vlaar is a Dutch former footballer who played as a centre-back.

1985

Diego Godín

Uruguayan footballer

Diego Roberto Godín Leal is a Uruguayan former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

1986

Shawne Williams

American basketball player

Shawne Brian Williams is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being selected 17th overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers.

1986

Luc Bourdon

Canadian ice hockey player (died 2008)

Luc Bourdon was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who was a defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2006 until 2008. After overcoming childhood arthritis, he was selected…

1987

Theresa Goh

Singaporean swimmer

Theresa Goh Rui Si is a Singaporean swimmer and Paralympic medalist, with a bronze at the SB4 100m breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. She previously held world records for the SB4 50 metres and 200 metres…

1987

Tommy Milone

American baseball player

Tomaso Anthony Milone is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee…

1987

Jon Ossoff

American politician and filmmaker

Thomas Jonathan Ossoff is an American politician who has served as the senior United States senator from Georgia since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the youngest incumbent U.S. senator. Before his…

1987

Hasheem Thabeet

Tanzanian basketball player

Hasheem Thabeet is a Tanzanian professional basketball player for Dar City of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies before being drafted second overall in the 2009 NBA…

1987

Diego Capel

Spanish footballer

Diego Ángel Capel Trinidad is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left winger.

1988

Denílson

Brazilian footballer

Denílson Pereira Neves, known as Denílson, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. He mainly featured as a central midfielder who at times also played in the role of defensive midfielder. He is also a former…

1988

Korbinian Holzer

German ice hockey player

Korbinian Holzer is a German professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He previously played for the Anaheim Ducks, Nashville Predators, and Toronto…

1988

Zhang Jike

Chinese table tennis player

Zhang Jike is a retired Chinese table tennis player.

1988

Andrea Ranocchia

Italian footballer

Andrea Ranocchia is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a defender.

1988

Kim Soo-hyun

South Korean actor and singer

Kim Soo-hyun is a South Korean actor. He is the recipient of five Baeksang Arts Awards, two Grand Bell Awards and one Blue Dragon Film Award. Kim made his television debut in 2007 with the family sitcom Kimchi Cheese…

1988

Elizabeth Olsen

American actress

Elizabeth Chase Olsen is an American actress. She gained worldwide recognition for her portrayal of Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2014, with her performance in the miniseries…

1989

The Weeknd

Canadian singer-songwriter and producer

Abel Tesfaye, known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. Regarded as an influential figure in popular music, he is known for his light-lyric tenor vocal range and…

1990

Sergio Canales

Spanish footballer

Sergio Canales Madrazo is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder.

1991

Nicolai Boilesen

Danish footballer

Nicolai Møller Boilesen is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a left back.

1992

Zsófia Susányi

Hungarian tennis player

Zsófia Susányi is a Hungarian former tennis player.

1992

Annika Beck

German tennis player

Annika Beck is a German former professional tennis player. She started playing tennis at the age of four when introduced to the game by her parents. A baseliner whose favorite shot is forehand, and favorite surface is…

1994

Federico Bernardeschi

Italian footballer

Federico Bernardeschi is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a right winger or attacking midfielder for Serie A club Bologna. His nickname is "Brunelleschi", after the famous Florentine architect, for his…

1994

Ava Max

American singer and songwriter

Amanda Ava Koci, known professionally as Ava Max, is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in 2018 with the release of her breakthrough single "Sweet but Psycho". The song peaked at number one in 22…

1994

Denzel Curry

American rapper

Denzel Rae Don Curry is an American rapper. Born and raised in the Carol City neighborhood of Miami Gardens, Florida, Curry started rapping while in the sixth grade and began working on his first mixtape, King…

1995

Katy Dunne

English tennis player

Katy Dunne is a British tennis player.

1995

Carina Witthöft

German tennis player

Carina Witthöft is a German former professional tennis player. She won one singles title on the WTA Tour whereas on the ITF Women's Circuit, she won eleven singles titles and one doubles title. On 8 January 2018, she…

1995

Jordan Greenway

American ice hockey player

Jordan Greenway is an American professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the second round in the 2015 NHL entry…

1997

An Hyejin

South Korean volleyball player

An Hye-jin is a South Korean professional volleyball player. She is a setter and a member of the South Korean National Team. On the club level, she plays for GS Caltex Seoul KIXX.

1998

Kim Suji

South Korean diver

Kim Su-ji is a South Korean diver. She competed in the 10-metre platform event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The youngest member of the South Korean contingent at the Olympics that year, she lives in Ulsan, where she…

1998

Ignatius Ganago

Cameroonian footballer

Ignatius Ganago is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Nantes and the Cameroon national team.

1999

Marie Ulven Ringheim

Norwegian singer, songwriter and music producer

Marie Ulven Ringheim, known professionally as Girl in Red, is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer. Her first EPs Chapter 1 (2018) and Chapter 2 (2019) were recorded in her bedroom and feature songs about…

1999

Koffee

Jamaican singer, songwriter and rapper

Mikayla Victoria Simpson, who performs under the stage name Original Koffee and formerly as Koffee, is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, rapper, and guitarist from Spanish Town. She released her debut single "Burning" in…

2000

Coby White

American basketball player

Alec Jacoby "Coby" White is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. White was a…

2000

Carlos Yulo

Filipino artistic gymnast

Carlos Edriel Poquiz Yulo is a Filipino artistic gymnast. He is the 2024 Olympic gold medalist at the floor exercise and vault events. He is the first Filipino and the first male Southeast Asian gymnast to medal at the…

2000

Yuki Naito

Japanese tennis player

Yuki Naito is a Japanese tennis player. Naito has been ranked as high as world No. 169 in singles and No. 224 in doubles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).

2001

Famous birthdays

Who was born on February 16?

James Ingram — American singer, songwriter, and record producer (1952–2019)

FeaturedJames Ingram

Birth year1952

Known forHe was a two-time Grammy Award-winner and a two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Original Song

Birthdays on this date195 (1222 – 2001)

Explore February 16

Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.

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Also on February 16 in History

2021

Five thousand people gathered in the town of Kherrata, Bejaia Province to mark the second anniversary of the Hirak protest movement. Demonstrations had been suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria. Wikipedia →

2013

A bomb blast at a market in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan kills more than 80 people and injures 190 others. Wikipedia →

2006

The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army. Wikipedia →

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Famous Birthdays on February 16

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