Did you know
He won a gold medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville
Famous Birthdays on March 17
211 people
763 – 2001
March 17 has seen 211 notable people enter the world across recorded history — from 763 – 2001. Below are the most significant names born on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
1969 — Edgar Grospiron
French skier
Did you know
He received a bronze medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer
Did you know
At the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics he was Chef de mission for the French Team
Did you know
He was in charge of the Annecy bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics
Did you know
This bid secured seven votes, behind Munich with 25 and the winner Pyeongchang with 63 votes
Abbasid caliph (died 809)
Abū Jaʿfar Hārūn ibn Muḥammad ar-Rashīd, or simply Hārūn ibn al-Mahdī, famously known as Hārūn al-Rashīd, was the fifth Abbasid caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, reigning from September 786 until his death in March 809.…
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763
Emperor Shijō was the 87th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. This reign spanned the years 1232 through 1242.
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1231
James IV was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchieburn,…
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1473
Catholic cardinal (died 1584)
Giovanni Francesco Commendone was an Italian cardinal and papal nuncio.
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1523
Japanese daimyō (died 1598)
Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as Kinoshita Tōkichirō and Hashiba Hideyoshi , was a Japanese samurai and daimyō of the late Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.…
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1537
Count of Skenninge, Swedish field marshal (died 1662)
Robert Douglas, was a professional soldier from East Lothian in Scotland. He spent his career in the Swedish Army and became a field marshal in 1657. He settled in Sweden, where the Douglas family remains prominent.
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1611
French harpsichord player and composer (died 1729)
Élisabeth Claude Jacquet de La Guerre was a French musician, harpsichordist and composer. Jacquet de La Guerre was a significant figure in French Baroque music, particularly in the development of cantata and keyboard…
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1665
Scottish philosopher and theologian (died 1732)
Thomas Boston was a Scottish Presbyterian church leader, theologian and philosopher. Boston was successively schoolmaster at Glencairn, and minister of Simprin in Berwickshire, and Ettrick in Selkirkshire. In addition…
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1676
French painter and engraver (died 1755)
Jean-Baptiste Oudry was a French Rococo painter, engraver, and tapestry designer. He is particularly well known for his naturalistic pictures of animals and his hunt pieces depicting game. His son, Jacques-Charles…
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1686
Scottish-American general and politician (died 1806)
Lachlan McIntosh was a Scottish American military and political leader during the American Revolution and the early United States. In a 1777 duel, he fatally shot Button Gwinnett, who had signed the Declaration of…
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1725
Irish-English priest and author (died 1861)
Patrick Brontë was an Irish Anglican clergyman and author who spent most of his adult life in England. One of ten children from a very poor family, he managed to secure a scholarship to study theology at St John's…
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1777
American politician and jurist, 5th Chief Justice of the United States (died 1864)
Roger Brooke Taney was an American lawyer and politician who served as the fifth chief justice of the United States from 1836 until his death in 1864. Taney delivered the majority opinion in Dred Scott v. Sandford…
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1777
Scottish minister, economist, and educator (died 1847)
Thomas Chalmers, was a Scottish Presbyterian minister, professor of theology, political economist, and a leader of both the Church of Scotland and of the Free Church of Scotland. He has been called "Scotland's greatest…
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1780
English poet and educator (died 1849)
Ebenezer Elliott was an English poet, known as the Corn Law rhymer for his leading the fight to repeal the Corn Laws, which were causing hardship and starvation among the poor. Though a factory owner himself, his…
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1781
American fur trader and explorer (died 1881)
James Felix Bridger was an American mountain man, trapper, Army scout, and wilderness guide who explored and trapped in the Western United States in the first half of the 19th century. He was known as Old Gabe in his…
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1804
African American inventor and chemical engineer (died 1894)
Norbert Rillieux was a Louisiana Creole inventor who was widely considered one of the earliest chemical engineers and noted for his pioneering invention of the multiple-effect evaporator. This invention was an important…
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1806
English poet and author (died 1897)
Jean Ingelow was an English poet and novelist, who gained sudden fame in 1863. She also wrote several stories for children.
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1820
German engineer and businessman, co-founded Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (died 1900)
Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler was a German engineer, industrial designer and industrialist. He was a pioneer of internal-combustion engines and automobile development. He invented the high-speed liquid petroleum-fueled…
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1834
Liechtensteiner-German organist and composer (died 1901)
Josef Gabriel Rheinberger was an composer and organist from Liechtenstein, residing in Bavaria for most of his life. As court conductor in Munich, he was responsible for the music in the royal chapel. He is known for…
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1839
Finnish physician (died 1929)
Emma Rosina Heikel was a Finnish medical doctor and feminist. In 1878, she became the first female physician in Finland, and specialised in gynaecology and paediatrics.
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1842
English author and illustrator (died 1901)
Catherine Greenaway was an English Victorian artist and writer, known for her
children's book illustrations. She received her education in graphic design and art between 1858 and 1871 from the Finsbury School of Art,…
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1846
Italian anarchist and dairy worker
Ernesta Forti,, was an Italian and French dairy worker and anarchist. She is best known for the Parisian dairy shop she ran with her partner, Constant Martin, in the 1880s and 1890s. This shop served as a gathering…
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1848
American businessman and philanthropist, co-invented the Arc lamp (died 1929)
Charles Francis Brush was an American engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.
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1849
American marine biologist (died 1934)
Cornelia Maria Clapp was an American educator and zoologist, specializing in marine biology. She earned the first Ph.D. in biology awarded to a woman in the United States from Syracuse University in 1889, and she would…
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1849
Russian painter (died 1910)
Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel was a Russian painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. A prolific and innovative master in various media such as painting, drawing, decorative sculpture, and theatrical art, Vrubel is generally…
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1856
1862
Belgian merchant and economist (died 1930)
Johann Silvio Gesell was a German-Argentine economist, entrepreneur, and social reformer. He was the founder of Freiwirtschaft, an economic model for market socialism. In 1900, he founded the magazine Money and Land…
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1862
Indian engineer, lawyer, and politician (died 1930)
Joseph Baptista was an Indian politician and activist from Bombay, closely associated with the Lokmanya Tilak and the Home Rule Movement. He was the first president of the Indian Home Rule League established in 1916. He…
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1864
American lawyer and jurist (died 1939)
Pierce Butler was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1923 until his death in 1939. He is notable for being the first Supreme Court justice from…
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1866
Spanish poet (died 1926)
Patrice Contamine de Latour, born in Tarragona as José Maria Vicente Ferrer Francisco de Paola Patricio Manuel Contamine and published as J. P. Contamine de Latour, was a Spanish poet who lived in Paris.
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1867
1877
Austrian-German psychoanalyst and philosopher (died 1920)
Otto Hans Adolf Gross was an Austrian psychoanalyst. A maverick early disciple of Sigmund Freud, he later became an anarchist and joined the utopian Ascona community.
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1877
Finnish politician (died 1951)
Vilhelm Kiviniemi was a Finnish farmer, politician and member of the Parliament of Finland, the national legislature. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he represented Lapland between November 1917 and September…
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1877
English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (died 1952)
Sir Patrick Gardiner Hastings was an English barrister and politician noted for his long and highly successful career as a barrister and his short stint as Attorney General. He was educated at Charterhouse School until…
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1880
English lieutenant and explorer (died 1912)
Lawrence Edward Grace "Titus" Oates was a British army officer, and later an Antarctic explorer, who died from hypothermia during the Terra Nova Expedition when he walked from his tent into a freezing blizzard. His…
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1880
Swiss physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1973)
Walter Rudolf Hess was a Swiss physiologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1949 for mapping the areas of the brain involved in the control of internal organs. He shared the prize with Egas Moniz.
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1881
American clarinet player (died 1934)
Alcide Patrick Nunez, also known as Yellow Nunez and Al Nunez, was an American jazz clarinetist. He was one of the first musicians of New Orleans to make audio recordings.
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1884
American track and field athlete (died 1913)
Ralph Waldo Rose was an American track and field athlete. He was born in Healdsburg, California. With six Olympic medals, Rose is one of the most successful track and field Olympians of all time.
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1885
Princess Patricia of Connaught was a member of the British royal family and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She was the third and youngest child and the second daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and…
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1886
French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (died 1961)
Paul Ramadier was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France in 1947.
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1888
Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator (died 1931)
Henry Patrick Clarke was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts movement.
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1889
Australian politician, 17th Premier of Western Australia (died 1962)
Sir Duncan Ross McLarty, was an Australian politician and the 17th Premier of Western Australia.
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1891
American college football coach (died 1965)
Floyd Bates Barnum was American football coach He was the fourth head football coach at Jamestown College—now known as the University of Jamestown—in Jamestown, North Dakota, serving for one season, in 1921, and…
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1892
Egyptian singer-songwriter and producer (died 1923)
Sayed Darwish was an Egyptian singer and composer who was considered the father of Egyptian popular music and one of Egypt's greatest musicians and seen by some as its single greatest composer.
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1892
American playwright and academic (died 1981)
Paul Eliot Green was an American playwright whose work includes historical dramas of life in North Carolina during the first decades of the twentieth century. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his 1927 play,…
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1894
Australian painter (died 1988)
Lloyd Frederic Rees was an Australian landscape painter who twice won the Wynne Prize for his landscape paintings.
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1895
American composer and conductor (died 1970)
Alfred Newman was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of film music. From his start as a music prodigy, he came to be regarded as a respected figure in the history of film music. He won nine Academy Awards and…
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1900
American golfer and lawyer (died 1971)
Robert Tyre Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer who was one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport; he was also a lawyer by profession. Jones founded and helped design Augusta National Golf…
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1902
Finnish politician (died 1987)
Ellen Aleksandra Stenberg was a Finnish politician and member of the Parliament of Finland, the national legislature of Finland. A member of the Communist Party of Finland (SKP) and the Finnish People's Democratic…
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1903
Austrian-American sculptor and educator (died 1991)
Chaim Gross was an American sculptor and educator of Hungarian Jewish origin. Gross studied and taught at the Educational Alliance Art School in New York City’s Lower Manhattan.
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1904
American comedienne, dancer, and singer (died 1996)
Lillian "Billie" Yarbo was an American stage and screen actress, dancer, and singer.
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1905
Japanese politician, 41st Prime Minister of Japan (died 1988)
Takeo Miki was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1974 to 1976.
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1907
Belgian academic and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Belgium (died 1991)
Jean Marie Joseph "Jan", Baron Van Houtte was a Belgian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Belgium from 1952 to 1954.
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1907
German-Swiss actress (died 1996)
Brigitte Helm was a German actress, best remembered for her dual role as Maria and her double, the Maschinenmensch, in Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film Metropolis.
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1908
American businessman and philanthropist (died 1991)
David Abraham "Sonny" Werblin was a prominent entertainment industry executive and sports impresario who was an owner of the New York Jets and served as chairman of Madison Square Garden, and who built and managed the…
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1910
American activist (died 1987)
Bayard Rustin was an American political activist and prominent leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. Rustin was the principal organizer of the March on Washington for Jobs…
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1912
American football player and coach (died 2008)
Samuel Adrian Baugh was an American professional football quarterback who played 16 seasons with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). Baugh also played safety on defense and was the team's…
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1914
American ornithologist, writer and conservationist (died 1987)
Robert Simeon Arbib Jr. was an American ornithologist, writer and conservationist. From 1970 to 1984 he was editor of American Birds, the magazine of the National Audubon Society, and was the author of several books on…
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1915
Australian equestrian rider (died 2011)
James William George Roycroft, OBE was an Australian Olympic equestrian champion. He grew up on a dairy farm and learnt to ride horses there. After serving in the army in World War II, he moved with his family to a…
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1915
English drummer and bandleader (died 1985)
Henry Pitts Brown, better known by his stage name Ray Ellington, was an English jazz musician and bandleader. He is best known for his appearances on The Goon Show from 1951 to 1960. The Ray Ellington Quartet had a…
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1916
American baseball player (died 2001)
Henry John “Hank” Sauer was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He appeared in 1,399 games, primarily as a left fielder, in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs…
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1917
American singer, pianist, and television host (died 1965)
Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and pop vocalist started in the late 1930s and spanned almost three decades where he…
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1919
British-Irish military officer and mercenary (died 2020)
Thomas Michael "Mad Mike" Hoare was a British-Irish military officer and mercenary who fought during the Simba rebellion and was involved in carrying out the 1981 Seychelles coup d'état attempt.
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1919
Bangladeshi politician, 1st President of Bangladesh (died 1975)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman, activist and diarist who was the founding president of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangladesh, he…
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1920
Israeli general and politician, 12th Israeli Minister of Communications (died 2009)
Meir Amit was an Israeli politician and cabinet minister. He served as the Chief Director and the head of global operations for Mossad from 1963 to 1968, before entering into politics and holding two ministerial…
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1921
American psychologist and philosopher (died 2014)
Patrick Colonel Suppes was an American philosopher who made significant contributions to philosophy of science, the theory of measurement, the foundations of quantum mechanics, decision theory, psychology and…
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1922
English composer and educator (died 2013)
Stephen Cuthbert Vivian Dodgson was a British composer and broadcaster. Dodgson's prolific musical output covered most genres, ranging from opera and large-scale orchestral music to chamber and instrumental music, as…
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1924
Italian actor (died 2015)
Gabriele Ferzetti was an Italian actor with more than 160 credits across film, television and stage. His career was at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s.
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1925
Polish-German author and playwright (died 2014)
Siegfried Lenz was a German writer of novels, short stories and essays, as well as dramas for radio and the theatre. In 2000 he received the Goethe Prize on the 250th Anniversary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's birth.…
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1926
American soprano and educator (died 2009)
Betty Allen was an American operatic mezzo-soprano who had an active international singing career during the 1950s through the 1970s. In the latter part of her career her voice acquired a contralto-like darkening, which…
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1927
Canadian businessman and politician, 17th Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (died 2007)
William John McKeag, was a Manitoba politician and office-holder. He served as the province's 17th Lieutenant Governor between 1970 and 1976.
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1928
1930
American colonel, pilot, and astronaut, eighth astronaut to walk on the moon (died 1991)
James Benson Irwin was an American astronaut, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and a United States Air Force pilot. He served as Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 15, the fourth human lunar landing. He was the eighth…
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1930
American actress (died 2011)
Patricia Rose Breslin was an American actress and philanthropist. She had a prominent career in television, which included recurring roles as Amanda Miller on The People's Choice (1955–58), and as Laura Harrington…
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1931
English-American chemist and toxicologist (died 2001)
David Beaumont Peakall was an internationally recognised toxicologist. His research into the effects of DDE and DDT on eggshells contributed to the ban on DDT in the United States. He proved that the chemicals caused…
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1931
American country music singer (died 1995)
Dick Curless was an American-Canadian country music singer and guitarist known for his extensive vocal range, trademark eye patch, and songs about life on the road. Rising to fame with the 1965 hit "A Tombstone Every…
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1932
American journalist and activist
Myrlie Louise Evers-Williams is an American civil rights activist and journalist who worked for over three decades to seek justice for the 1963 murder of her husband Medgar Evers, another civil rights activist. She also…
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1933
English author
Dame Penelope Margaret Lively is a British writer of fiction for both children and adults. Lively has won both the Booker Prize and the Carnegie Medal for British children's books.
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1933
American biologist and academic (died 2024)
Frederick T. Mackenzie was an American sedimentary and global biogeochemist. Mackenzie applied experimental and field data coupled to a sound theoretical framework to the solution of geological, geochemical, and…
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1935
1935
1936
Slovak composer and conductor (died 2016)
Ladislav Kupkovič was a Slovak composer and conductor.
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1936
American admiral, pilot, and astronaut (died 2023)
Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II was an American aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, rear admiral in the United States Navy, and astronaut who orbited the Moon on Apollo 16 and flew on the STS-4 and STS-51-C missions.
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1936
Russian ballerina (died 2021)
Galina Samsova was a Russian ballet dancer and company director.
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1937
Russian-French dancer and choreographer (died 1993)
Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of the 20th century, as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all…
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1938
Northern Ireland-born Scottish cleric, theologian, and cardinal (died 2018)
Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien was a senior-ranking Catholic prelate in Scotland. He was the Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh from 1985 to 2013.
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1938
American singer (died 2007)
Zoletta Lynn Taylor was an American singer and musician. Beginning her career in the early 1950s, Taylor was the original female member of the American vocal group The Platters from 1954 until 1962, when the group…
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1938
1939
Canadian academic and politician, 4th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 2022)
William Carvel Graham was a Canadian lawyer, academic and politician. Graham served as the minister of foreign affairs, minister of national defence, leader of the opposition and interim leader of the Liberal Party of…
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1939
English sailor and first person to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe
Sir William Robert Patrick Knox-Johnston CBE RD* is a British sailor. In 1969, he became the first person to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe. Along with Sir Peter Blake, he won in 1994 the…
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1939
Italian footballer and manager
Giovanni Trapattoni, popularly nicknamed "Trap", is an Italian former football manager and player, considered the most successful club coach in Italian football.
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1939
American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of Texas (died 2017)
Mark Wells White Jr. was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 43rd governor of Texas from 1983 to 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 74th secretary of state of Texas from 1973 to…
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1940
Taiwanese soldier and politician
Wang Jin-pyng is a Taiwanese politician. He served as President of the Legislative Yuan from 1999 to 2016, which makes him Taiwan's longest-serving legislative speaker. Once a leading figure of the Kuomintang (KMT),…
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1941
American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2016)
Paul Lorin Kantner was an American rock musician. He is best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and a secondary vocalist of Jefferson Airplane, a leading psychedelic rock band of the counterculture era. He…
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1941
English director and academic
Maxwell Robert Guthrie Stewart "Max" Stafford-Clark is a British theatre director.
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1941
American serial killer and rapist (died 1994)
John Wayne Gacy was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured and murdered at least thirty-three young men and boys between 1972 and 1978 in Norwood Park Township, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. He…
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1942
Japanese actress (died 2024)
Yoko Yamamoto was a Japanese actress represented by Kabushikigaisha Sanyō Kikaku. Yamamoto was born on March 17, 1942, and died on February 20, 2024, at the age of 81.
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1942
Welsh fashion designer
Jeff Banks PPCSD is a Welsh fashion designer of men's and women's clothing, jewellery, and home furnishings. Born in Ebbw Vale, Wales, Banks co-founded the fashion chain Warehouse in the late 1970s. He later created and…
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1943
Canadian philosopher, author, and academic
Andrew Brook is a Canadian philosopher, author and academic particularly known for his writings on Immanuel Kant and the interplay between philosophy and cognitive science. Brook is Chancellor's Professor Emeritus of…
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1943
English model, author, and photographer
Patricia Anne Boyd is an English model and photographer. She was one of the leading international models during the 1960s and, with Jean Shrimpton, epitomised the British female look of the era. Boyd married George…
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1944
American baseball player and manager
Clarence Edwin "Cito" Gaston is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder, coach and manager. His major league career as a player lasted from 1967 to 1978, most notably with the San Diego Padres and…
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1944
American general, 20th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Michael Vincent Hayden is a retired United States Air Force four-star general and former director of the National Security Agency, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Director of the Central…
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1945
English footballer (died 2025)
Dennis Joseph Thomas Bond was an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Watford, Tottenham Hotspur, Charlton Athletic and represented England at School and Youth level.
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1947
Russian-American songwriter and producer (died 2025)
Yury Alexandrovich Chernavsky was a Russian producer, composer and songwriter. Chernavsky was a member of performance rights organisations such as GEMA, BMI, and RAO, and had also been recognized as an Honored Artist of…
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1947
American-Canadian author and screenwriter
William Ford Gibson is an American and Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk, a category from which he has repeatedly distanced…
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1948
Scottish footballer and manager
Alexander MacDonald is a Scottish former professional football player and manager. MacDonald played for St Johnstone, Rangers and Hearts. He also played in one full international match for Scotland, in 1976. Towards the…
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1948
1949
English businessman
Stuart Alan Ransom Rose, Baron Rose of Monewden is a British businessman and life peer, who was the executive chairman of Marks & Spencer until 2010, remaining as chairman until early 2011.
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1949
American singer-songwriter and guitarist
William Scott Gorham is an American guitarist and songwriter who is one of the "twin lead guitarists" for the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. Although not a founding member of Thin Lizzy, he served a continuous membership…
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1951
Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Craig Edward Ramsay is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He played in the NHL from 1971 to 1985 for the Buffalo Sabres, notably featuring in the 1975 Stanley Cup Final with the Sabres. After…
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1951
English activist (died 2001)
Barry Horne was an English animal rights activist. He became known around the world in December 1998 when he engaged in a 68-day hunger strike in an effort to persuade the government to hold a public inquiry into animal…
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1952
Filipino activist (died 2001)
Filemon Castelar Lagman, also known by the aliases Ka Popoy and Carlos Forte, was a Filipino revolutionary socialist and labor leader who supported Marxism-Leninism. He split with the Communist Party of the Philippines…
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1953
American football player (died 2013)
Harry Vance "Chuck" Muncie was an American professional football player who was a running back for the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers in the National Football League (NFL) from 1976 to 1984. He was selected…
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1953
American activist and politician
Cynthia Ann McKinney is a former American politician. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms in the United States House of Representatives. She was the first African American woman elected to…
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1955
American author and illustrator
Patrick McDonnell is a cartoonist, author, and playwright. He is the creator of the daily comic strip Mutts, which follows the adventures of a dog and a cat, that has been syndicated since 1994. Prior to creating Mutts,…
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1956
British comedian, television personality, and writer
Patrick Rory McGrath is a British comedian, television personality, and writer. He came to prominence in the comedy show Who Dares Wins and was a regular panellist on the game show They Think It's All Over for many…
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1956
American journalist and author (died 2003)
Michael Thomas Kelly was an American journalist for The New York Times, a columnist for The Washington Post and The New Yorker, and a magazine editor for The New Republic, National Journal, and The Atlantic. He came to…
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1957
American baseball and basketball player
Daniel Ray Ainge is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and professional baseball player who serves as the chief executive officer for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA).…
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1959
American singer-songwriter and drummer
Paul Mars Black is an American singer and drummer. He is most notable for his time as lead vocalist in L.A. Guns, with whom he wrote most of their self-titled debut album.
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1959
1961
American actress, singer, and activist (died 2006)
Dana Charles Reeve was an American actress and singer. She was the wife of actor Christopher Reeve and mother of television reporter and anchor Will Reeve.
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1961
Swedish business executive
Casten Åke Loritz Almqvist is a Swedish executive. He was the Swedish CEO for TV4 Media 2011–2022. December 2019–2022 he was also part of Telia Company's group executive management team leading the business area…
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1962
Dutch politician
Anna Theodora Bernardina "Ank" Bijleveld-Schouten is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). She served as Minister of Defence in the third cabinet of Prime Minister Mark Rutte from 26 October 2017…
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1962
American singer and guitarist
Janet Patricia Gardner is an American rock singer. She is best known as the former lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the all-female glam metal band Vixen joining in 1983. She was the band's longest serving vocalist…
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1962
Scottish singer and actress
Claire Patricia Grogan, known professionally as Clare Grogan or sometimes as C. P. Grogan, is a Scottish singer and actress. She is best known as the lead singer of the 1980s new wave music group Altered Images, as well…
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1962
1962
Guyanese cricketer and coach
Roger Andrew Harper is a Guyanese former cricketer turned coach, who played both Test and One Day International cricket for the West Indies cricket team. His international career lasted 13 years, from 1983 to 1996, and…
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1963
Italian footballer (died 2013)
Stefano Borgonovo was an Italian footballer and manager, who played as a striker. An opportunistic striker, Borgonovo played for several Italian clubs throughout his career, and came to prominence while playing…
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1964
1964
1964
Cameroonian footballer and coach
Jacques Celestin Songo'o is a Cameroonian former professional football goalkeeper who is the current goalkeeping coach of the Cameroon national team.
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1964
South African cricketer
Andrew Charles Hudson is a former South African Test and ODI cricketer. The right-handed batsman played 35 Tests and 89 One Day Internationals for South Africa in the 1990s.
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1965
English journalist and politician
Andrew Richard Rosindell is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Romford since 2001. He was elected as a Conservative MP before his defection to Reform UK on 18 January 2026.
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1966
American pastor and businessman
Barry Jay Minkow was a former American businessman, pastor, and a repeat convicted felon. While still in high school, Minkow founded ZZZZ Best, which appeared to be an immensely successful carpet-cleaning and…
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1967
1968
English fashion designer, founded eponymous brand (died 2010)
Lee Alexander McQueen was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992 and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His achievements in fashion earned him four…
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1969
Canadian ice hockey player
Patrick Mikael Lebeau is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He represented Canada at the 1992 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal. He has played professionally in the National Hockey League with the…
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1970
1970
American baseball player and coach
William Richard Mueller is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). Mueller's MLB playing career was spent with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs…
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1971
English-Canadian singer-songwriter and actor
Torquil Campbell is the co-lead singer and a songwriter for the Montreal-based indie rock band Stars. In addition to singing, he also plays the melodica, trumpet, synthesizer, and tambourine. Campbell is also an actor…
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1972
Filipino singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
Rico Rene Granados Blanco is a Filipino singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actor, endorser and entrepreneur. He began his career as one of the founding members, and served as the chief…
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1973
American baseball player and manager
Vance Allen Wilson is an American former professional baseball catcher and current coach. He is the third base coach for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played all or parts of eight seasons in…
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1973
English comedian and television host
Mark Dolan is an English presenter and comedian. He has hosted various shows on UK television, including Balls of Steel for Channel 4 2005 until 2008 and the self titled Mark Dolan Tonight and Friday Night Live with…
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1974
English singer-songwriter
Justin David Hawkins is an English musician, Internet personality, singer, and songwriter best known as the founder, lead singer, and lead guitarist of The Darkness, of which his younger brother Dan is also a member. He…
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1975
Indian actor, singer, and producer (died 2021)
Puneeth Rajkumar, affectionately known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, film producer, television presenter and philanthropist who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of legendary actor and…
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1975
1975
American baseball player
Scott Jeremy Downs is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta…
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1976
Irish singer-songwriter and actor (died 2009)
Stephen Patrick David Gately was an Irish singer who, with Ronan Keating, was co-lead singer of the pop group Boyzone. All of Boyzone's studio albums during Gately's lifetime hit number one in the United Kingdom, their…
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1976
Uruguayan footballer
Álvaro Alexánder Recoba Rivero is an Uruguayan professional football coach and former player, who played as a forward or midfielder. He is the current manager of Venezuelan club Deportivo Táchira. He is considered one…
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1976
American singer and television personality
Tamar Estine Braxton is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality.
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1977
American journalist
Zachery "Zach" Kouwe is a communications strategist and former financial journalist. He is known for serving as a media and strategic communications advisor to corporations and financial firms including activist…
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1978
American adult film actress
Stephanie A. Gregory Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, is an American pornographic film actress, director and former stripper. She has won many industry awards and is a member of the NightMoves Hall of…
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1979
Canadian ice hockey player
Andrew James Stewart Ference is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played as a defenceman for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers. In 2011, Ference helped the…
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1979
Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and fashion designer
Stephen Kramer Glickman is a Canadian actor, comedian and singer. He is best known for his role as Gustavo Rocque on the Nickelodeon sitcom Big Time Rush (2009–2013), and for co-hosting the podcast The Night Time Show.
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1979
Japanese essayist
Mineko Nomachi is a Japanese essayist, columnist, illustrator, and radio and television personality. She is best known for her blog I'm Queer but I'm an Office Lady , which was published as a book by Bungeishunjū in…
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1979
1979
American soccer player
Daniel Benjamin Califf is an American retired professional soccer player who played as a defender.
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1980
1981
Turkish footballer
Servet Çetin is a Turkish football manager and former player who's currently coaching Sarıyer. Çetin began his football journey in 1990 when he joined Kartalspor after a chance encounter. Initially an amateur, he…
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1981
1981
American basketball player
Kyle Elliot Korver is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is the assistant general manager for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball…
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1981
South African footballer
Steven Jerome Pienaar is a South African former professional footballer and current coach of the U14 team of Sharjah FC in the United Arab Emirates.
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1982
1983
Portuguese footballer
Raul José Trindade Meireles is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
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1983
Hungarian sprint canoeist
Attila Vajda is a Hungarian sprint canoeist who has competed since the early 2000s. Competing in three Summer Olympics he has won two medals in the C-1 1000 m event with a gold in 2008 and a bronze in 2004.
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1983
American basketball player and coach
Christopher Stephen Copeland, nicknamed "the X-Factor", is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Colorado, Boulder.
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1984
1984
Turkish-Canadian figure skater
Tuğba Karademir is a Turkish former competitive figure skater. She won silver medals at the 2008 International Challenge Cup and 2008 Ondrej Nepela Memorial. She qualified to the free skate at two Winter Olympics, two…
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1985
Dominican baseball player
César Miguel Valdez is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics,…
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1985
American baseball player
Christopher Lyn Davis, nicknamed "Crush Davis", is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles. He batted left-handed and…
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1986
Bosnian footballer
Edin Džeko is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a striker for 2. Bundesliga club Schalke 04 and captains the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Nicknamed the "Bosnian Diamond" or simply the "Diamond", he…
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1986
English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Miles Peter Kane is an English singer and musician, best known as a solo artist and the co-frontman of the Last Shadow Puppets. He was also the former frontman of the Rascals, before the band announced their break-up in…
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1986
American basketball player
Jeremy Raymon Pargo is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. In 2011 he reached the EuroLeague Final with Maccabi Tel Aviv, earning an All-EuroLeague Second…
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1986
German pole vaulter
Silke Spiegelburg is a former German pole vaulter. She is the younger sister of Richard Spiegelburg. She represented Germany at the Summer Olympics in 2004, 2008 and 2012, as well as having competed at the World…
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1986
Argentine footballer
Federico Julián Fazio is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a central defender.
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1987
American television personality
Robert Arthur Kardashian is an American television personality. He is known for appearing on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, a reality television series that centers on his family, as well as its spin-offs. In 2011,…
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1987
Bolivian footballer
Carlos Emilio Lampe Porras is a Bolivian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for División Profesional club Bolívar and the Bolivia national team.
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1987
Canadian ice hockey player
Ryan Parent is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Philadelphia Flyers and the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently head coach with the Utica Comets.
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1987
American ice hockey player
Robert Shane Ryan is an American former professional ice hockey winger. He played for the Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted second overall by the…
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1987
American football player
Emmanuel Niamiah Sanders is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the SMU Mustangs, and was drafted by the…
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1987
Swedish footballer
Rasmus Christoffer Elm is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently the assistant coach of Kalmar FF. During his career, he played for Kalmar FF in Sweden, for AZ in the…
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1988
English footballer
Fraser Gerard Forster is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Bournemouth.
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1988
1988
Belgian politician
Brent C. M. Meuleman is a Belgian politician and member of the Chamber of Representatives. A member of Vooruit, he has represented East Flanders since June 2024.
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1988
Canadian ice hockey player
Ryan White is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He was selected in the third round, 66th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2006 NHL entry draft. White also played for the Philadelphia Flyers,…
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1988
Swedish ice hockey player
Mikael Backlund is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is a centre and captain of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL).
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1989
Japanese footballer
Shinji Kagawa is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Cerezo Osaka. He is widely regarded as one of the best Japanese players of all time.
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1989
Dominican baseball player
Juan Osvaldo Lagares is a Dominican former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, and in the KBO League for the SSG Landers. Known for…
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1989
English actor
Harry Edward Melling is an English actor who first came to international attention for playing Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter films (2001–2010). Since then, he has come to prominence for his well-received…
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1989
1990
Indian badminton player
Saina Nehwal is an Indian former badminton player. A former world no. 1, she has won 24 international titles, which includes ten Superseries titles. Although she reached the world's 2nd in 2009, it was only in 2015 that…
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1990
Dominican baseball player
Jean Carlos Enrique Segura is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle…
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1990
Russian ice hockey player
Sergey Pavlovich Kalinin is a Russian professional ice hockey forward who plays for CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He formerly played for the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League (NHL).
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1991
American football player
Cordarrelle Patterson, nicknamed "Flash", is an American professional football running back. As a versatile utility player, he is also a kick returner and occasionally at wide receiver. Patterson played college football…
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1991
American-Lebanese basketball player
Thomas Earl Robinson is an American-born naturalised Lebanese professional basketball player for the Piratas de Quebradillas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). A consensus All-American at the University of…
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1991
British actor and producer
John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega, known professionally as John Boyega, is an English actor and producer. He first gained recognition in Britain for his role as a teenage gang leader in the comedy horror film Attack the…
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1992
American golfer
Patrick Stephen Cantlay is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, where he has won eight tournaments.
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1992
Costa Rican footballer
Yeltsin Ignacio Tejeda Valverde is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Liga FPD club Herediano, which he captains, and the Costa Rica national team.
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1992
Italian footballer
Matteo Bianchetti is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club Cremonese.
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1993
American baseball player
Rhys Dean Hoskins is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers.
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1993
Chinese Border police officer (died 2011)
Yao Yuanjun was a border police officer with the rank of Private who served in the People's Armed Police Border Defense Corps. Yao drowned in the Shweli river while attempting to arrest a drug trafficker on the…
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1993
American football player
DeForest George Buckner is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, and was selected by the…
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1994
American basketball player
Terry William Rozier III, nicknamed "Scary Terry", is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for the…
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1994
Italian footballer
Ivan Provedel is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Lazio.
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1994
Austrian footballer
Marcel Sabitzer is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Austria national team. Predominantly a central midfielder, Sabitzer can play in a multitude…
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1994
American boxer and mixed martial artist
Claressa Maria Shields is an American professional boxer and former professional mixed martial artist. She has held 18 major world championships spanning five weight classes, including the undisputed female light…
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1995
American swimmer
Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky is an American competitive swimmer. She is the most decorated female swimmer in history and the most decorated American woman in Olympic history, with a total of 14 Olympic medals, including…
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1997
Dutch ice hockey player
Daniel Sprong is a Dutch professional ice hockey right winger for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Sprong was originally selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the…
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1997
American football player
Brandon Aiyuk is an American professional football wide receiver who plays for the San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for the Sierra College Wolverines and Arizona State Sun Devils and was selected by the…
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1998
Italian footballer
Pietro Pellegri is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie B club Empoli on loan from Torino. He has been capped once by the Italy national team.
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2001
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March 17 in the Blog
St. Patrick's Day — March 17, 1631
1631 St. Patrick's Day in Dublin, Ireland: Uncover the emerald legend
Read the full storyFamous birthdays
Who was born on March 17?
Edgar Grospiron — French freestyle skier (born 1969)
FeaturedEdgar Grospiron
Birth year1969
Known forHe won a gold medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville
Birthdays on this date211 (763 – 2001)
Explore March 17
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on March 17 in History
2016
Rojava conflict: At a conference in Rmelan, the Movement for a Democratic Society declares the establishment of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria. Wikipedia →
2004
Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed. Wikipedia →
2003
See all events on March 17
Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council, Robin Cook, resigns from the British Cabinet in disagreement with government plans for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Wikipedia →
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