Did you know
He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, earning Big Ten Quarterback of the Year honors after leading the Wolverines to a 15–0 record and a national championship in 2023
Famous Birthdays on January 20
206 people
225 – 2003
January 20 has seen 206 notable people enter the world across recorded history — from 225 – 2003. Below are the most significant names born on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
2003 — J. J. McCarthy
American football player
Did you know
McCarthy finished with a 27–1 record (.964) in two seasons as a starting quarterback, the highest career winning percentage in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history
Did you know
In his three years at Michigan, the Wolverines won three Big Ten titles and made three College Football Playoff semifinal appearances
Did you know
After missing his entire rookie year due to injury, McCarthy became the starter in his second season.
Did you know
He was selected 10th overall by the Vikings in the 2024 NFL draft
Roman emperor (died 244)
Gordian III was Roman emperor from 238 to 244. At the age of 13, he became the second-youngest sole emperor of the united Roman Empire. Gordian was the son of Maecia Faustina and her husband Junius Balbus, who died…
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225
Seljuk sultan (probable; (died 1072)
Alp Arslan was the second sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty and the empire. He reigned from 1063 until his assassination in 1072.
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1029
queen consort of Bohemia (died 1330)
Elizabeth of Bohemia was a princess of the Bohemian Přemyslid dynasty who became Queen of Bohemia as the first wife of King John the Blind. She was the mother of Emperor Charles IV, King of Bohemia, and a daughter of…
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1292
Japanese shōgun (died 1490)
Ashikaga Yoshimasa was a Japanese samurai, daimyo and the eighth shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1443 to 1473 during the Muromachi period of Japan. His actions led to the Ōnin War (1467–1477), which…
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1436
German scholar, cartographer, and cosmographer (died 1552)
Sebastian Münster was a German cartographer and cosmographer. He also was a Christian Hebraist scholar who taught as a professor at the University of Basel. His well-known work, the highly accurate world map,…
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1488
German humanist (probable; (died 1543)
Sebastian Franck was a 16th-century German freethinker, humanist, and radical reformer.
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1499
French priest, knight and writer (died 1561)
Jean Quintin or Quentin was a French priest, knight of the Order of St John and writer. His writings include Insulae Melitae Descriptio (1536), the earliest known detailed description of the Maltese Islands, which also…
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1500
Spanish-Mexican rancher and missionary (died 1600)
Sebastián de Aparicio y del Pardo was a Spanish colonist in Mexico shortly after its conquest by Spain, who after a lifetime as a rancher and road builder entered the Order of Friars Minor as a lay brother. He spent the…
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1502
Italian mathematician (died 1572)
Rafael Bombelli was an Italian mathematician. Born in Bologna, he is the author of a treatise on algebra and is a central figure in the understanding of imaginary numbers.
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1526
1554
Jesuit hagiographer (died 1629)
Heribert Rosweyde was a Jesuit hagiographer. His work, quite unfinished, was taken up by Jean Bolland who systematized it, while broadening its perspective. This is the beginning of the association of the Bollandists.
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1569
German astronomer and academic (died 1624)
Simon Marius was a German astronomer. He was born in Gunzenhausen, near Nuremberg, but spent most of his life in the city of Ansbach. He is best known for being among the first observers of the four largest moons of…
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1573
German composer (died 1630)
Johann Hermann Schein was a German composer of the early Baroque era. He was Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1615 to 1630. He was one of the first to import the early Italian stylistic innovations into German music, and…
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1586
Italian lawyer and jurist (died 1718)
Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina was an Italian man of letters and jurist. He was the adoptive father of the poet Metastasio. Gravina was one of the foremost Italian jurists of the late 17th century. His views exerted…
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1664
Flemish violinist and composer (died 1741)
Joseph-Hector Fiocco, born in Brussels, was a composer and harpsichordist of the late Baroque period.
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1703
French archaeologist and numismatist (died 1795)
Jean-Jacques Barthélemy was a French Catholic clergyman, archaeologist, numismatologist and scholar who became the first person to decipher an extinct language. He deciphered the Palmyrene alphabet in 1754 and the…
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1716
Charles III was King of Spain from 1759 until his death in 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza as Charles I (1731–1735), King of Naples as Charles VII and King of Sicily as Charles III (1735–1759). He was the…
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1716
American lawyer and politician, President of the Continental Congress (died 1794)
Richard Henry Lee was an American statesman and Founding Father from Virginia, best known for the June 1776 Lee Resolution, the motion in the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence from Great…
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1732
Swedish botanist and author (died 1783)
Carl Linnaeus the Younger, Carolus Linnaeus the Younger, Carl von Linné den yngre, or Linnaeus filius was a Swedish naturalist. His names distinguish him from his father, the pioneering taxonomist Carl Linnaeus…
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1741
1st Baronet, English admiral (died 1824)
Admiral Sir Albemarle Bertie, 1st Baronet, was a long-serving and at the time controversial officer of the Royal Navy who saw extensive service in his career, but also courted controversy with several of his actions.
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1755
Belgian-French composer and theorist (died 1842)
Jérôme-Joseph de Momigny was a Belgian/French composer and music-theorist.
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1762
French physicist and mathematician (died 1836)
André-Marie Ampère was a French physicist and mathematician who was one of the founders of the science of classical electromagnetism, which he referred to as electrodynamics. He made also important contributions in…
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1775
Baron zu Hortenburg, Austrian-German historian and politician (died 1848)
Joseph Hormayr, Baron zu Hortenburg was an Austrian and German statesman and historian.
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1781
German cellist and composer (died 1860)
Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer was a German cellist and composer.
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1783
American physician and politician, 5th President of the Republic of Texas (died 1858)
Anson Jones was an American medical doctor, businessman, and politician, who was the fourth and last president of the Republic of Texas.
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1799
English-New Zealand politician, 2nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1893)
Sir William Fox was a New Zealand politician who was the second premier of New Zealand in 1856, from 1861 to 1862, from 1869 to 1872, and in 1873. Serving while New Zealand was still a British colony, he was known for…
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1812
1812
American politician, sponsor of Wilmot Proviso (died 1868)
David Wilmot was an American politician and judge from Pennsylvania who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, and as a judge of the Court of Claims. He is best known for being the prime sponsor…
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1814
Swedish merchant, ironmaster and industrialist (died 1900)
Göran Fredrik Göransson was a Swedish merchant, ironmaster and industrialist. He was the founder of the company Sandvikens Jernverks AB and was the first person to implement the Bessemer process successfully on an…
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1819
American lawyer and politician, 34th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1896)
George Dexter Robinson was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Chicopee, Massachusetts. After serving in the Massachusetts General Court and United States House of Representatives, Robinson served three…
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1834
1855
American suffragist and organizer (died 1940)
Harriot Eaton Blatch was an American writer and suffragist. She was the daughter of pioneering women's rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
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1856
French singer and actress (died 1944)
Yvette Guilbert was a French cabaret singer and actress of the Belle Époque.
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1865
Finnish geologist and professor (died 1928)
Wilhelm Ramsay was a Finnish geologist. He became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1914 and in 1915 was accepted into the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund. He coined the terms Fennoscandia (1900)…
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1865
Belgian pianist and composer (died 1894)
Jean Joseph Nicolas Guillaume Lekeu was a Belgian composer.
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1870
Danish author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1950)
Johannes Vilhelm Jensen was a Danish author, known as one of the great Danish writers of the first half of 20th century. He was awarded the 1944 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the rare strength and fertility of his…
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1873
English footballer and coach (died 1938)
Stephen Bloomer was an England international footballer and manager who played for Derby County – becoming their record goalscorer – and Middlesbrough. The anthem "Steve Bloomer's Watchin'" is played at every Derby home…
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1874
Polish-American pianist and composer (died 1957)
Josef Casimir Hofmann was a Polish-American pianist, composer, music teacher, and inventor.
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1876
Scottish-English actor (died 1968)
William Finlay Currie was a Scottish actor of stage, screen, and television. He received great acclaim for his roles as Abel Magwitch in the British film Great Expectations (1946), as Saint Peter in Quo Vadis (1951) and…
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1878
American dancer and educator (died 1968)
Ruth St. Denis was an American pioneer of modern dance, introducing eastern ideas into the art and paving the way for other women in dance. She was inspired by the Delsarte advocate Genevieve Stebbins. St. Denis was the…
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1879
American accountant and politician, 60th Governor of Delaware (died 1962)
Walter Wolfkiel Bacon was an American politician and accountant from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party who served three terms as Mayor of Wilmington and two terms as…
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1880
Italian-American mob boss (died 1957)
John Donato Torrio was an Italian-born mobster who helped build the Chicago Outfit in the 1920s later inherited by his protégé Al Capone. Torrio proposed a National Crime Syndicate in the 1930s and later became an…
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1882
American mob boss (died 1968)
Enoch Lewis "Nucky" Johnson was an American politician from the Republican Party who served as an Atlantic City political boss, sheriff of Atlantic County, businessman, and crime boss who was the leader of the political…
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1883
American journalist and author (died 1942)
Robert Forrest Wilson was an American author and journalist. He won the 1942 Pulitzer Prize for his biography, Crusader in Crinoline: The Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe.
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1883
American folk/blues musician and songwriter (died 1949)
Huddie William Ledbetter, better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the folk standards he introduced,…
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1888
American engineer and businessman, founded the Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company (died 1969)
Allan Haines Lockheed was an American aviation engineer and businessman. He formed the Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company along with his brother, Malcolm Loughead, which became Lockheed Corporation.
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1889
Ukrainian-American violinist (died 1967)
Mischa Elman was a Russian-American violinist famed for his passionate style, beautiful tone, and impeccable artistry and musicality.
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1891
Swedish triple jumper (died 1946)
Nils Georg Åberg was a Swedish athlete who competed at the 1912 Olympics. He won a bronze medal in the long jump and placed second in the triple jump, in which Sweden collected all three medals. He won the long jump…
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1893
American cartoonist, created Little Orphan Annie (died 1968)
Harold Lincoln Gray was an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the newspaper comic strip Little Orphan Annie.
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1894
American composer, theorist, and academic (died 1976)
Walter Hamor Piston, Jr., was an American composer of classical music, music theorist, and professor of music at Harvard University.
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1894
Hungarian mathematician and academic (died 1985)
Gábor Szegő was a Hungarian-American mathematician. He was one of the foremost mathematical analysts of his generation and made fundamental contributions to the theory of orthogonal polynomials and Toeplitz matrices…
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1895
American actor, comedian, and producer (died 1996)
George Burns was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film, and television. His arched eyebrow and cigar-smoke punctuation…
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1896
1898
English potter (died 1972)
Clarice Cliff was an English ceramic artist and designer. Active from 1922 to 1963, Cliff became the head of the Newport Pottery factory creative department.
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1899
Japanese engineer (died 1990)
Kenjiro Takayanagi was a Japanese engineer and a pioneer in the development of television and video tape recorders. Although he failed to gain much recognition in the West, he built the world's first all-electronic…
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1899
English painter, potter, and muralist (died 1983)
Dorothy Annan was an English painter,
potter and muralist who was born in Brazil to British parents and was educated in France and Germany. Her works were frequently shown at the Leicester Galleries in London and she…
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1900
English actor (died 1937)
Colin Glenn Clive was a British theatre and film actor. Known for portraying individualistic, tumultuous characters which often mirrored his personal life, he is most famous for his role as Dr. Henry Frankenstein in the…
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1900
1902
Irish Republican Army volunteer (died 1920)
Kevin Gerard Barry was an Irish Republican Army (IRA) soldier and medical student who was executed by the British Government during the Irish War of Independence. He was sentenced to death for his part in an attack upon…
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1902
Greek shipping magnate (died 1975)
Aristotle Socrates Onassis was a Greek and Argentine business magnate. He amassed the world's largest privately owned shipping fleet and was one of the world's richest and most famous men. He was married to Athina Mary…
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1906
Austrian actress and producer (died 2000)
Paula Anna Maria Wessely was an Austrian theatre and film actor. Die Wessely, as she was called by her admirers and fans, was Austria's foremost popular postwar actress.
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1907
Japanese martial artist (died 1989)
Jitsumi Gōgen Yamaguchi, also known as Gōgen Yamaguchi, was a Japanese martial artist and student of Gōjū-ryū Karate under Chōjun Miyagi. He was one of the most well-known karate-dō masters from Japan and he founded the…
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1909
Austria-Kenyan painter and conservationist (died 1980)
Friederike Victoria "Joy" Adamson was a naturalist, artist and author. Her book, Born Free, describes her experiences raising a lion cub named Elsa. Born Free was printed in several languages and made into an Academy…
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1910
Pakistani businessman and politician, 7th President of Pakistan (died 2006)
Ghulam Ishaq Khan, commonly known by his initials GIK, was a Pakistani bureaucrat, politician and statesman who served as the seventh president of Pakistan from 1988 to 1993. He previously served as chairman of the…
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1915
Mexican pianist, composer, and bandleader (died 2002)
Juan García Esquivel, often known mononymously as Esquivel!, was a Mexican band leader, pianist, and composer for television and films. He is recognized today as one of the foremost exponents of a sophisticated style of…
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1918
American scientist (died 2013)
Nevin Stewart Scrimshaw was an American food scientist and Institute Professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Scrimshaw was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During the course of his long career he…
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1918
Italian director and screenwriter (died 1993)
Federico Fellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most…
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1920
American actor (died 1999)
Jackson DeForest Kelley was an American actor, screenwriter, poet, and singer. He was known for his roles in film and television Westerns and achieved international fame as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the USS…
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1920
Norwegian ski jumper and author (died 2006)
Thorleif Schjelderup was a Norwegian ski jumper, author and environmentalist.
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1920
Spanish footballer (died 2006)
Pedro Telmo Zarraonandía Montoya, known as Telmo Zarra, was a Spanish football forward. He spent the majority of his career at Athletic Bilbao, from 1940 to 1955, for whom he remains the top scorer in competitive…
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1921
American trumpeter and bandleader
Ray Anthony is an American retired bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his tenure as a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, from 1940 to 1941, and later for successfully leading his own…
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1922
American author and screenwriter (died 2015)
Don Martin Mankiewicz was an American screenwriter and novelist best known for his novel Trial.
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1922
American country and western singer-songwriter and musician (died 2013)
Ottis Dewey "Slim" Whitman Jr. was an American country music singer and guitarist known for his yodeling abilities and his use of falsetto. Recorded figures show 70 million sales, during a career that spanned more than…
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1923
French pianist and composer (died 2010)
Yvonne Louise Georgette Loriod-Messiaen was a French pianist, teacher, and composer, and the second wife of composer Olivier Messiaen. Her sister was the Ondes Martenot player Jeanne Loriod.
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1924
Pakistani poet, playwright, and critic (died 2015)
Nawabzada Mirza Jamiluddin Ahmed Khan PP, HI, also known as Jamiluddin Aali or Aaliji, was a Pakistani poet, critic, playwright, essayist, columnist, and scholar.
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1925
Nicaraguan priest, poet, and politician (died 2020)
Ernesto Cardenal Martínez was a Nicaraguan Catholic priest, revolutionary, poet, and politician. He was a liberation theologian and the founder of the primitivist art community in the Solentiname Islands, where he lived…
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1925
American actress (died 2010)
Patricia Neal was an American actress of stage and screen. She is well known for, among other roles, playing World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), radio journalist Marcia Jeffries in A…
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1926
American pianist and composer (died 1996)
David Eugene Tudor was an American pianist and composer of experimental music. After playing the U.S. premiere of the Piano Sonata No. 2 by Pierre Boulez in 1950, he premiered works by New York School composers…
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1926
Indian-Pakistani journalist and academic (died 2007)
Qurratulain Hyder was an Indian Urdu novelist and short story writer, academic, and journalist. One of the most outstanding and influential literary names in Urdu literature, she is best known for her magnum opus, Aag…
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1927
French conductor and musicologist (died 1997)
Antonio de Almeida was a French conductor and musicologist.
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1928
American actor and comedian (died 2019)
Arthur Stanton Eric Johnson was an American actor and comedian, who was best known for his work as a regular, portraying himself, in the NBC sketch comedy series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967–1971).
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1929
Japanese biologist
Masaharu Kawakatsu is a Japanese zoologist known for his studies on the taxonomy and ecology of planarians.
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1929
American race car driver (died 1964)
Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts Jr. was an American stock car racer.
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1929
American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
Buzz Aldrin is an American former astronaut, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. He was the second person to walk on the Moon after mission commander Neil Armstrong. He made three spacewalks as pilot of the 1966…
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1930
1931
Japanese pianist and composer (died 1992)
Hachidai Nakamura was a Japanese songwriter and jazz pianist.
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1931
Canadian ice hockey player (died 2016)
Louis Joseph "Leapin' Louie" Fontinato was a Canadian defenceman in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers from 1954 to 1961 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1961 to 1963.
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1932
South African poet, author, and academic (died 2014)
Hennie Aucamp was a South African Afrikaans poet, short story writer, cabaretist and academic. He grew up on a farm in the Stormberg highlands and matriculated at Jamestown, Eastern Cape before continuing his higher…
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1934
1934
American actress, singer, and dancer (died 2010)
Dorothy Michelle Provine was an American singer, dancer and actress. Born in 1935 in Deadwood, South Dakota, she grew up in Seattle, Washington, and was hired in 1958 by Warner Bros., after which she first starred in…
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1935
American basketball player
Bailey E. Howell is an American former professional basketball player. After playing college basketball at Mississippi State, Howell played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A six-time NBA…
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1937
Irish-English footballer and journalist (died 2007)
Alexander Derek Dougan was a Northern Ireland international footballer, football manager, football chairman, pundit, and writer. He was also known by his nickname, "The Doog". He was capped by Northern Ireland at…
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1938
American captain and politician (died 2000)
Paul Douglas Coverdell was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Georgia from 1993 until his death in 2000. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the director of the Peace…
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1939
Sri Lankan-English mathematician, astronomer, and biologist
Nalin Chandra Wickramasinghe is a Sri Lankan-born British mathematician and astronomer. His research interests include the interstellar medium, infrared astronomy, light scattering theory, applications of solid-state…
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1939
American figure skater and actress
Carol Elizabeth Heiss Jenkins is an American former figure skater and actress. Competing in ladies' singles, she became the 1960 Olympic champion, the 1956 Olympic silver medalist, and a five-time World champion…
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1940
Indian actor and politician (died 2022)
Uppalapati Venkata Krishnam Raju was an Indian actor and politician. He was known for his works in Telugu cinema and was widely known as "Rebel Star" for his rebellious acting style. He was also the winner of the…
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1940
Malian economist and politician, Prime Minister of Mali (died 2009)
Mandé Sidibé was Prime Minister of Mali from 2000 to 2002 and chairman of the Board of Directors of Ecobank from 2006 to 2009. He was also Director of the Malian branch of the Central Bank of West African States from…
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1940
American journalist and producer
Linda Moulton Howe is an American investigative journalist and Regional Emmy award-winning documentary film maker best known for her work as a ufologist and advocate of a variety of conspiracy theories, including her…
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1942
Spanish director and producer
José Luis García Muñoz, known professionally as José Luis Garci, is a Spanish film director, producer, critic, TV presenter, screenwriter and author. One of the most influential film personalities in the history of film…
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1944
Iranian singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2002)
Farhad Mehrad was a popular Iranian singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. He was a versatile musician who released the first English rock and roll album in Iran. Farhad gained fame among the Iranian rock, pop and…
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1944
American poet (died 1989)
Pat Parker was an African American poet and activist. Both her poetry and her activism drew from her experiences as a Black lesbian feminist. Her poetry spoke about her tough childhood growing up in poverty, dealing…
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1944
English journalist and sportscaster (died 2013)
Christopher Dennis Alexander Martin-Jenkins, MBE, also known as CMJ, was a British cricket journalist and a President of MCC. He was also the longest serving commentator for Test Match Special (TMS) on BBC Radio, from…
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1945
English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
Eric Michael Stewart is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known as a founding member of the rock groups the Mindbenders with whom he played from 1963 to 1968, and likewise of…
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1945
American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2025)
David Keith Lynch was an American filmmaker, producer, actor, painter, and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, with his films often…
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1946
Czech singer-songwriter, guitarist, and journalist
Vladimír Merta is a Czech folk singer-songwriter. He was also journalist, writer, photographer, architect, filmmaker and author of film music. He has recorded many solo albums. In 2011 he released the album Ponorná řeka…
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1946
French cyclist and sportscaster
Cyrille Guimard is a French former professional road racing cyclist who became a directeur sportif and television commentator. Three of his riders, Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon, and Lucien Van Impe, won the Tour de…
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1947
American author and academic
Nancy Anne Kress is an American science fiction writer. She began writing in 1976 but has achieved her greatest notice since the publication of her Hugo- and Nebula-winning novella Beggars in Spain (1991), which became…
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1948
Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel
Natan Sharansky is a Ukrainian-born, Israeli politician, professional chess player and author. He served as Chairman of the Executive for the Jewish Agency from June 2009 to August 2018, and currently serves as Chairman…
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1948
Swedish lawyer and politician, 31st Prime Minister of Sweden
Hans Göran Persson is a Swedish former politician who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and as Leader of the Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007. Persson has served as chairman of Swedbank since…
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1949
Tanzanian banker and politician, 13th Tanzanian Minister of Finance (died 2014)
William Augustao Mgimwa was a Tanzanian CCM politician and Member of Parliament for Kalenga constituency from 2010 to 2014. He also served as Tanzania's Minister of Finance from 2012 to 2014.
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1950
Nigerien politician, President of Niger
Mahamane Ousmane is a Nigerien politician. Elected as the fourth President of Niger at 43 years old, he is the youngest elected president in Africa. He was also the first democratically elected president of his country,…
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1950
1951
Greek psychiatrist and poet
Nikos Sideris, is a Greek psychiatrist, translator, poet and writer.
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1952
American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
Paul Stanley is an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and a founding member of the hard rock band Kiss, which was active from 1973 to 2023. He was the writer or co-writer of many of the…
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1952
South African-English journalist and author
John Witherow is a former editor of British newspaper The Times. A former journalist with Reuters, he joined News International in 1980 and was appointed editor of The Sunday Times in 1994 and editor of The Times in…
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1952
American financier and convicted sex offender (died 2019)
Jeffrey Edward Epstein was an American financier and child sex offender. He began his career as a math teacher at the Dalton School, before entering the banking and finance sector. Over several decades, he made much of…
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1953
Afghan aviator and military officer
Mohammad Dawran is an Afghan former military officer as well as the former Commander of the Afghan Air Force, enlisting in 1973. He was promoted to the post in 2005 by Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and the…
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1954
1954
Caymanian politician, Premier of the Cayman Islands
William McKeeva Bush, is a Caymanian politician, former Speaker of the Parliament of the Cayman Islands and former Premier of the Cayman Islands. Bush, the former leader of the Cayman Democratic Party, served as the…
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1955
Swedish educator and politician, Swedish Minister of Health and Social Affairs
Ingrid Maria Larsson is a Swedish politician of the Christian Democrats who served as Governor of Örebro County from May 2015 to December 2022, appointed by the cabinet of Stefan Löfven. She previously served as…
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1956
American comedian, political commentator, media critic, television host, and producer
William Maher is an American television host, comedian, actor and political commentator. Known for his political satire, he is the host of the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher (2003–present) and podcast…
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1956
English-Australian journalist and television host
Richard Morecroft is an English-born Australian radio announcer, TV newsreader and presenter, and conservationist. He presented the Adelaide News bulletin, before becoming the long-running host of the nightly bulletin…
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1956
American swimmer
John Phillips Naber is an American former competitive swimmer, five-time Olympic medalist and former world record-holder in multiple events.
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1956
English saxophonist and composer
Andy Sheppard is a British jazz saxophonist and composer. He has been awarded several prizes at the British Jazz Awards, and has worked with some notable figures in contemporary jazz, including Gil Evans, Carla Bley,…
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1957
American actor, director, and producer
Lorenzo Fernando Lamas is an American actor and producer. He is widely known for his role of Lance Cumson, the irresponsible grandson of Angela Channing—played by Jane Wyman—in the soap opera Falcon Crest (1981–1990),…
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1958
1959
Scottish actor, writer and comedian (died 2024)
Jane Godley Currie, known professionally as Janey Godley, was a Scottish stand-up comedian, actress, writer and political activist. She began her stand-up career in 1994, and won various awards for her comedy in the…
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1961
Basque militant activist
Yolanda González Martín was a Spanish student and communist militant murdered by two members of New Force.
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1961
American actor
James Denton is an American film and television actor. He is known for playing Mike Delfino on ABC's comedy drama series Desperate Housewives (2004–2012) and Dr. Sam Radford on Hallmark Channel's fantasy series Good…
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1963
American painter and illustrator
Mark Ryden is an American painter who is considered to be part of the Lowbrow art movement. He was dubbed "the god-father of pop surrealism" by Interview magazine. In 2015, Artnet named Ryden and his wife, painter…
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1963
Venezuelan-American baseball player and manager
Oswaldo José Guillén Barrios is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player and current manager of the Tigres de Aragua of the Venezuelan League. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1985 to 2000,…
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1964
American basketball player and coach
Ronald Harper Sr. is an American former professional basketball player. He played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 1986 and 2001 and is a five-time NBA champion.
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1964
Japanese screenwriter and songwriter
Kazushige Nojima is a Japanese video game writer. He is best known for writing several installments of Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise—namely Final Fantasy VII and its spin-offs Advent Children and Crisis Core,…
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1964
Filipino lawyer and politician
Aquilino Martin "Koko" de la Llana Pimentel III is a Filipino politician and lawyer who served as a senator of the Philippines from 2011 to 2025. During his tenure, he served as Senate president from 2016 to 2018 and…
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1964
Indian-American journalist and author
Fareed Rafiq Zakaria is an Indian-born American journalist, political commentator, and author. He is the host of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS and writes a weekly column for The Washington Post. He has been a columnist for…
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1964
Scottish footballer and manager
Colin Calderwood is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is currently interim manager of Northampton Town.
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1965
1965
American singer-songwriter and guitarist
John Michael Montgomery is an American country music singer. He has had more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. This total includes seven number-one singles: "I Love the Way You Love Me", "I…
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1965
English singer-songwriter
Heather Marguerita Small is an English soul singer and lead vocalist of the band M People. Her subsequent debut solo studio album, Proud, was released in 2000. Her second and third studio albums, Close to a Miracle and…
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1965
1965
Romanian footballer
Anton Weissenbacher is a former Romanian football right back who was part of Steaua București's squad that won the European Cup in 1986, also playing in the Intercontinental Cup final of the same year. When he left…
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1965
American basketball player
Christopher Vernard Morris is an American former professional basketball player. In his eleven-season (1988–1999) National Basketball Association (NBA) career, the 6'8" small forward played for the New Jersey Nets, Utah…
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1966
American actor
Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson is an American actor. He starred as Dwight Schrute on NBC's American adaptation of The Office from 2005 to 2013, and received three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding…
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1966
American actress and television journalist
Stacey Lauretta Dash is an American actress. Dash played Dionne Marie Davenport in the 1995 feature film Clueless and its television series. She has also appeared in the films Moving, Mo' Money, Renaissance Man, and…
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1967
American basketball player and sportscaster
Nelison "Nick" Anderson is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings, and Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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1968
Grenadian cricketer
Junior Randalph Murray MBE is a West Indian former cricketer. He was the first Grenadian to play Test cricket for the West Indies.
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1968
American actor
Roy "Reno" Wilson is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Howard in the sitcom The Cosby Show, Officer Carl McMillan in Mike & Molly, Stan Hill in Good Girls, Wes in The Chronicle (2001–2002), and…
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1969
Welsh singer-songwriter and bass player
Nicholas Allen Jones, known as Nicky Wire, is a Welsh musician, best known as lyricist, bassist and secondary vocalist of the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers.
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1969
American actor
Skeet Ulrich is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in popular 1990s films, including Billy Loomis in Scream (1996), Chris Hooker in The Craft (1996), and Vincent Lopiano in As Good as It Gets (1997). From…
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1970
English singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
Gary Barlow is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, pianist, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the pop group Take That.
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1971
Japanese sumo wrestler, the 66th Yokozuna
Masaru Hanada is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. As an active wrestler he was known as Wakanohana Masaru , and his rise through the ranks alongside his younger brother Takanohana Kōji saw a boom in sumo's…
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1971
1971
American accountant and politician, 116th Governor of South Carolina
Nikki Haley is an American politician and diplomat who served as the 116th governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and as the 29th U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from January 2017 to December 2018. A…
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1972
Scottish-Welsh politician, Secretary of State for Wales
Stephen Crabb is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Preseli Pembrokeshire from 2005 to 2024 and Chairman of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee from 2020 to 2024. A member of the Welsh…
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1973
Mathilde Marie Christine Ghislaine d'Udekem d'Acoz is Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Philippe.
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1973
American baseball player
David Mark Eckstein is an American former professional baseball player. He was an infielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for ten seasons. He played college baseball for the University of Florida and played…
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1975
Argentinian racing driver
Norberto Edgardo Fontana is an Argentine racing driver. He participated in four Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 29 June 1997 but scoring no championship points.
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1975
English journalist and politician
Frank Zacharias Robin Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith of Richmond Park is a British politician, life peer and journalist who served as Minister of State for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment…
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1975
American basketball player
Ira Reynolds Newble II is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle SuperSonics, and…
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1975
Scottish television presenter
Kirsty Jane Gallacher is a British television presenter and model. She began her career at Sky Sports News in 1998 and hosted Kirsty's Home Videos, RI:SE and Simply the Best before returning to Sky Sports News from…
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1976
1976
South African cricketer and coach
Paul Regan Adams is a former South African cricketer. A left-arm unorthodox spin bowler with a unique bowling action, Adams played for the Test and ODI teams for national team sporadically since the 1990s. Meanwhile,…
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1977
American musician
Sidney George Wilson is an American DJ and keyboardist. He is the turntablist and keyboardist for the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #0.
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1977
1978
Danish footballer
Allan Søgaard is a Danish former football (soccer) player, spent his entire career playing for the Danish Superliga side AC Horsens. His normal position was as a defensive midfielder. He was known as a pacy player, with…
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1978
American musician and songwriter
Robert Gregory Bourdon is an American musician, best known as a co-founding member and the former drummer of the rock band Linkin Park. He remained in the band until their hiatus in 2017; when the band members began…
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1979
English singer-songwriter and actor
William Robert Young is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the worldwide Idol…
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1979
American wrestler
Chad Allegra, known by his ring name Karl Anderson, is an American professional wrestler. He is known for his tenures in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), WWE and Impact Wrestling.
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1980
Jr., American-French oceanographer and journalist
Philippe-Pierre Jacques-Yves Arnault Cousteau Jr. is a French-American oceanographer and environmental activist, the son of Philippe Cousteau and the grandson of Jacques Cousteau. Cousteau has continued the work of his…
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1980
Canadian swimmer
Philippe Gagnon is a Canadian retired Paralympic swimmer and politician. Gagnon ran as a Conservative in the riding of Jonquière in the 2019 federal election.
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1980
South Korean singer and actor
Kim Jeong-hoon, also known by his stage name John Hoon, is a South Korean singer and actor. He initially rose to fame as a member of South Korean duo UN debuting with the single Voice Mail in 2000. After the duo…
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1980
Dominican baseball player
Freddy Antonio Guzmán is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays in five seasons…
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1981
English footballer
Owen Lee Hargreaves is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was known as a hard-working and "solid defensive midfielder who worked tirelessly to win the ball" and provide his teammates with…
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1981
American basketball player
Jason Anthoney Richardson Sr. is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Richardson was taken by the Golden State Warriors as the fifth…
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1981
Indian computer engineer
Ruchi Sanghvi is an Indian-American computer engineer and businesswoman. She was the first female engineer hired by Facebook. In late 2010, she quit Facebook and in 2011, she started her own company Cove, with two other…
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1982
1982
Puerto Rican baseball player
Geovany Soto is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most prominently as a member of the Chicago Cubs, where he appeared in the MLB All-Star Game and…
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1983
Filipino singer and television personality
Celestine "Toni" Cruz Gonzaga-Soriano is a Filipino media personality, host, actress, businesswoman, singer, and vlogger. Gonzaga was the former lead host of ABS-CBN's long-running reality show Pinoy Big Brother…
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1984
American singer-songwriter
Bonnie Leigh McKee is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her debut studio album, Trouble, was released in 2004 by Reprise Records. After the label dropped her, she took a musical hiatus and established herself…
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1984
Belgian politician
Nabil Boukili is a Belgian politician and member of the Chamber of Representatives. A member of the Workers' Party of Belgium, he has represented Brussels since June 2019.
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1985
Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and producer
Kevin Richard Parker is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and DJ, best known for his musical project Tame Impala, for which he writes, performs, records, and produces the music. Parker has…
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1986
American actor
Evan Thomas Peters is an American actor. He made his acting debut in the 2004 drama film Clipping Adam and starred in the ABC science fiction series Invasion from 2005 to 2006. Peters gained wide recognition for playing…
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1987
Nigerian footballer
Elderson Uwa Echiéjilé is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a left-back.
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1988
Slovenian ice hockey player
Jan Muršak is a professional Slovenian ice hockey player for Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Muršak first played hockey in Slovenia as a member of HDK Maribor before he left to spend one season in the…
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1988
American football player
Nicholas Edward Foles is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. A member of six teams, he achieved his greatest success with the…
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1989
Canadian ice hockey player
Alex Grant is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played under contract with Avangard Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Grant was…
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1989
New Zealand rugby league player
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is a former New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who last played as a prop for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League and New Zealand at international level.
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1989
Scottish footballer
Thomas Cairney is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and captains Premier League club Fulham. Born in England, he represented the Scotland national team.
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1991
American actress and model
Ciara Hanna is an American actress. She is known for playing the roles of Gia Moran in Power Rangers Megaforce and Nicole Parker in Blood Lake: Attack of the Killer Lampreys.
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1991
Slovenian tennis player
Polona Hercog is a Slovenian professional tennis player. Her career-high WTA rankings are world No. 35 in singles and No. 56 in doubles. She has won five titles on the WTA Tour, three in singles and two in doubles.…
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1991
Thai actor
Jumpol Adulkittiporn, nicknamed Off, is a Thai actor, model and host. He is known for his starring roles in Theory of Love (2019), Not Me (2021–2022), and Astrophile (2022) for which he has received Asian Academy…
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1991
Italian footballer
Lorenzo Crisetig is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie B club Padova.
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1993
American singer-songwriter (died 2024)
Catherine Janice Ipsan, known professionally as Cat Janice, was an American singer-songwriter. Janice wrote and sang "Dance You Outta My Head", which went viral on TikTok.
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1993
American football player
DeVante Parker is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected…
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1993
Irish footballer
Seán Kavanagh is an Irish football coach and former player who played as a left back for Fulham, Mansfield Town, Hartlepool United and Shamrock Rovers.
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1994
Swedish ice hockey player
Hampus Lindholm is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman and alternate captain for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Lindholm began his ice hockey career with Jonstorps IF and…
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1994
Brazilian footballer
Lucas Domingues Piazon is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for I liga club Wieczysta Kraków. A versatile player, he can be deployed as a winger, attacking midfielder, and as a second striker.
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1994
American rapper and actor
Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, known professionally as Joey Badass, is an American rapper and actor. Born in Brooklyn, he formed the regional hip-hop group Pro Era in 2011, with whom he has released three mixtapes and formed…
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1995
English footballer
Calum Chambers is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for and captains EFL League One club Cardiff City.
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1995
Uruguayan footballer
José María Giménez de Vargas is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and captains the Uruguay national team.
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1995
Spanish footballer
Sergi Samper Montaña is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Ekstraklasa club Motor Lublin.
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1995
South Korean singer
Kim So-hee is a South Korean singer. She is known for having been a member of girl group Nature, a contestant of the first season of Produce 101 and a member of the project girl group I.B.I. Kim debuted as a soloist on…
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1995
American basketball player
Tyler Christopher Herro is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one year with the Kentucky Wildcats. After being…
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2000
French footballer
Arnaud Kalimuendo-Muinga is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker or wide midfielder for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt, on loan from Premier League club Nottingham Forest.
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2002
Croatian tennis player
Antonia Ružić is a Croatian tennis player.
Ružić has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 65 by the WTA, achieved on 19 January 2026. She also has a career-high WTA doubles ranking of No. 544, reached on 27…
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2003
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Famous birthdays
Who was born on January 20?
J. J. McCarthy — American football player (born 2003)
FeaturedJ. J. McCarthy
Birth year2003
Known forHe played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, earning Big Ten Quarterback of the Year honors after leading the Wolverines to a 15–0 record and a national championship in 2023
Birthdays on this date206 (225 – 2003)
Explore January 20
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on January 20 in History
2018
A group of four or five gunmen attack The Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, sparking a 12-hour battle. The attack kills 40 people and injures many others. Wikipedia →
2018
Syrian civil war: The Government of Turkey announces the initiation of the Afrin offensive and begins shelling Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions in Afrin Region. Wikipedia →
2009
See all events on January 20
A protest movement in Iceland culminates as the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests start. Wikipedia →
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