Famous Birthdays on May 16

Q: Who was born on May 16?

Famous people born on May 16 include: John II of Cyprus, Wolfgang I of Oettingen, Anna Sibylle of Hanau-Lichtenberg, John Bulwer, Pope Innocent XI (died 1689).

Q: What is Dafydd Williams known for?

Dafydd Williams, Canadian physician and astronaut

209 people 1418 – 2002

May 16 has seen 209 notable people enter the world across recorded history — from 1418 – 2002. Below are the most significant names born on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · May 16 — Wikipedia

1954 — Dafydd Williams

Canadian physician and astronaut

Did you know

His first spaceflight, STS-90 in 1998, was a 16-day mission aboard Space Shuttle Columbia dedicated to neuroscience research

Did you know

During that mission he performed three spacewalks, becoming the third Canadian to perform a spacewalk and setting a Canadian record for total number of spacewalks

Did you know

His second flight, STS-118 in August 2007, was flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station

Did you know

These spacewalks combined for a total duration of 17 hours and 47 minutes.

Did you know

Dafydd "David" Rhys Williams is a Canadian physician, public speaker, CEO, author and retired CSA astronaut

John II of Cyprus

King of Cyprus and Armenia and also titular King of Jerusalem from 1432 to 1458 (probable; (died 1458)

John II or III of Cyprus was the King of Cyprus and Armenia and also titular King of Jerusalem from 1432 to 1458. He was previously a titular Prince of Antioch.

1418

Wolfgang I of Oettingen

German count (died 1522)

Wolfgang I of Oettingen was a Count of Oettingen-Oettingen.

1455

Anna Sibylle of Hanau-Lichtenberg

German noblewoman (died 1580)

Countess Anna Sibylle of Hanau-Lichtenberg was a German noblewoman. She was born in Lichtenberg, the eldest surviving daughter of Count Philipp IV and his wife, Countess Eleonore of Fürstenberg.

1542

John Bulwer

British doctor (died 1656)

John Bulwer was an English physician and early Baconian natural philosopher who wrote five works exploring the Body and human communication, particularly by gesture. He was the first person in England to propose…

1606

Pope Innocent XI (died 1689)

Pope Innocent XI, born Benedetto Odescalchi, was head of the Catholic Church and leader of the Papal States from 21 September 1676 until his death on 12 August 1689.

1611

Dudley North

English economist and politician (died 1691)

Sir Dudley North was an English merchant, politician, economist and writer on free trade. He was also a member of the North family.

1641

William Talbot

1st Earl Talbot, English politician, Lord Steward of the Household (died 1782)

William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, PC, styled as Lord Talbot from 1737 to 1761, was an English peer and Whig politician. Talbot was a notable figure among opposition Whig politicians during the reign of King George II…

1710

Maria Gaetana Agnesi

Italian mathematician and philosopher (died 1799)

Maria Gaetana Agnesi was an Italian mathematician, philosopher, theologian, and humanitarian. She was the first woman to write a mathematics handbook, the first woman appointed as a mathematics professor at a university…

1718

Louis Nicolas Vauquelin

French pharmacist and chemist (died 1829)

Louis Nicolas Vauquelin FRS(For) HFRSE was a French pharmacist and chemist. He was the discoverer of chromium and beryllium.

1763

Friedrich Rückert

German poet and translator (died 1866)

Johann Michael Friedrich Rückert was a German poet, translator, and professor of Oriental languages.

1788

William H. Seward

American lawyer and politician, 24th United States Secretary of State (died 1872)

William Henry Seward was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869 and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States senator. A determined opponent of the…

1801

Elizabeth Palmer Peabody

American educator who founded the first U.S. kindergarten (died 1894)

Elizabeth Palmer Peabody was an American educator who opened the first English-language kindergarten in the United States. Long before most educators, Peabody embraced the premise that children's play has intrinsic…

1804

Johann Voldemar Jannsen

Estonian journalist and poet (died 1890)

Johann Voldemar Jannsen was an Estonian journalist. He was one of the earliest figures of the Estonian national awakening, which he promoted through his newspaper, the Eesti Postimees, and two Estonian Song Festivals.…

1819

Pafnuty Chebyshev

Russian mathematician and statistician (died 1894)

Pafnuty Lvovich Chebyshev was a Russian mathematician and considered to be the founding father of Russian mathematics.

1821

Levi P. Morton

American banker and politician, 22nd United States Vice President (died 1920)

Levi Parsons Morton was the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He also served as United States ambassador to France, as a U.S. representative from New York, and as the 31st governor of New York.

1824

Edmund Kirby Smith

American general (died 1893)

Edmund Kirby Smith was a Confederate States Army general, who oversaw the Trans-Mississippi Department from 1863 to 1865. Before the American Civil War, Smith served as an officer of the United States Army.

1824

Pierre Cuypers

Dutch architect, designed the Amsterdam Centraal railway station and Rijksmuseum (died 1921)

Petrus Josephus Hubertus "Pierre" Cuypers was a Dutch architect. His name is most frequently associated with the Amsterdam Central Station (1881–1889) and the Rijksmuseum (1876–1885), both in Amsterdam. More…

1827

David Edward Hughes

Welsh-American physicist, co-invented the microphone (died 1900)

David Edward Hughes, was a Welsh-American inventor, practical experimenter, and professor of music known for his work on the printing telegraph and the microphone. He is generally considered to have been born in London…

1831

Horace Hutchinson

English golfer (died 1932)

Horatio Gordon "Horace" Hutchinson was an English amateur golfer who played in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Hutchinson won the 1886 and 1887 Amateur Championships. He had three top-10 finishes in the…

1859

Margaret Fountaine

English lepidopterist and diarist (died 1940)

Margaret Elizabeth Fountaine, was a Victorian lepidopterist, natural history illustrator, diarist, and traveller who published in The Entomologist's Record and Journal of Variation. She is also known for her personal…

1862

Fred Conrad Koch

American biochemist and endocrinologist (died 1948)

Frederick Conrad Koch was an American biochemist and endocrinologist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Koch graduated from the University of Illinois in 1899. He was affiliated with the University of Chicago from 1912 to…

1876

Pierre Gilliard

Swiss author and academic (died 1962)

Pierre Gilliard was a Swiss academic and author, best known as the French-language tutor to the five children of Russian emperor Nicholas II from 1905 to 1918. In 1921, after the Russian Revolution, he published a…

1879

Simeon Price

American golfer (died 1945)

Simeon Taylor "Sim" Price Jr. was an American golfer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics.

1882

Celâl Bayar

Turkish politician, 3rd President of Turkey (died 1986)

Mahmut Celâlettin "Celâl" Bayar was a Turkish economist and politician who was the president of Turkey from 1950 to 1960. He previously served as the prime minister of Turkey from 1937 to 1939.

1883

Maria Lacerda de Moura

Brazilian teacher and anarcha-feminist (died 1945)

Maria Lacerda de Moura was a Brazilian teacher, writer and anarcha-feminist. The daughter of spiritist and anti-clerical parents, she grew up in the city of Barbacena, in the interior of Minas Gerais, where she…

1887

Royal Rife

American microbiologist and instrument maker (died 1971)

Royal Raymond Rife was an American inventor and early exponent of high-magnification time-lapse cine-micrography.

1888

Edith Grace White

American ichthyologist (died 1975)

Edith Grace White was an American zoologist known for her studies of elasmobranchs. She was a professor of biology at Wilson College, and was a research associate of the American Museum of Natural History in New York…

1890

Osgood Perkins (actor

born 1892), American actor (died 1937)

James Ridley Osgood Perkins was an American actor.

1892

Walter Yust

American journalist and writer (died 1960)

Walter M. Yust was an American journalist and writer. Yust was the American editor-in-chief of the Encyclopædia Britannica from 1938 to 1960.

1894

Zvi Sliternik

Israeli entomologist and academic (died 1994)

Zvi Saliternik was an Israeli entomologist.

1897

Tamara de Lempicka

Polish-American painter (died 1980)

Tamara Łempicka, known outside Poland as Tamara de Lempicka, was a Polish painter who spent her working life in France and the United States. She is best known for her polished Art Deco portraits of aristocrats and the…

1898

Desanka Maksimović

Serbian poet and academic (died 1993)

Desanka Maksimović was a Serbian poet, writer and translator. Her first works were published in the literary journal Misao in 1920, while she was studying at the University of Belgrade. Within a few years, her poems…

1898

Kenji Mizoguchi

Japanese director and screenwriter (died 1956)

Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese filmmaker who directed roughly one hundred films during his career between 1923 and 1956. His most acclaimed works include The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (1939), The Life of Oharu…

1898

Charles F. Brannock

American inventor and manufacturer (died 1992)

Charles F. Brannock was the inventor and manufacturer of the Brannock Device for measuring overall length, width, and heel-to-ball length of the foot.

1903

Henry Fonda

American actor (died 1982)

Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. Known for his work on screen and stage, he often portrayed characters who embodied an everyman image.

1905

Ernie McCormick

Australian cricketer (died 1991)

Ernest Leslie McCormick was an Australian cricketer who played in 12 Test matches from 1935 to 1938.

1906

Alfred Pellan

Canadian painter and educator (died 1988)

Alfred Pellan was an important figure in twentieth-century Canadian painting.

1906

Arturo Uslar Pietri

Venezuelan lawyer, journalist, and author (died 2001)

Arturo Uslar Pietri was a Venezuelan intellectual, historian, writer, television producer, and politician.

1906

Margret Rey

German author and illustrator (died 1996)

Margret Elizabeth Rey was a German-born American writer and illustrator, best known for the Curious George series of children's picture books that she and her husband H. A. Rey created from 1939 to 1966.

1906

Bob Tisdall

Irish hurdler (died 2004)

Robert Morton Newburgh Tisdall was an Irish athlete who won a gold medal in the 400-metre hurdles at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

1907

Margaret Sullavan

American actress and singer (died 1960)

Margaret Brooke Sullavan was an American stage and film actress. She began her career onstage in 1929 with the University Players on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In 1933, she caught the attention of film director John M.…

1909

Luigi Villoresi

Italian race car driver (died 1997)

Luigi "Gigi" Villoresi was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1956.

1909

Olga Bergholz

Russian poet and author (died 1975)

Olga Fyodorovna Berggolts was a Soviet and Russian poet, writer, playwright and journalist. She is most famous for her work on the Leningrad radio during the city's siege, when she became the symbol of the city's…

1910

Higashifushimi Kunihide

Japanese monk and educator (died 2014)

Count Higashifushimi Kunihide was the titular head of the Higashifushimi-no-miya, an extinct branch of the Imperial House of Japan, and a Buddhist monk. He was the youngest brother of Empress Kōjun and was the maternal…

1910

Studs Terkel

American historian and author (died 2008)

Louis "Studs" Terkel was an American writer, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1985 for The Good War and is best remembered for his oral histories of common…

1912

Gordon Chalk

Australian politician, 30th Premier of Queensland (died 1991)

Sir Gordon William Wesley Chalk, was Premier of Queensland for a week, from 1 to 8 August 1968. He was the first and only Queensland Premier from the post-war Liberal Party.

1913

Woody Herman

American singer, saxophonist, and clarinet player (died 1987)

Woodrow Charles Herman was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his death in 1987.…

1913

Edward T. Hall

American anthropologist and author (died 2009)

Edward Twitchell Hall Jr. was an American anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher. He is remembered for developing the concept of proxemics and exploring cultural and social cohesion, and describing how people…

1914

Mario Monicelli

Italian director and screenwriter (died 2010)

Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli was an Italian film director and screenwriter.

1915

Ephraim Katzir

Israeli biophysicist and politician, 4th President of Israel (died 2009)

Ephraim Katzir was an Israeli biophysicist and Labor Party politician. He was the president of Israel from 1973 until 1978.

1916

Ben Kuroki

American sergeant and pilot (died 2015)

Ben Kuroki was the only American of Japanese descent in the United States Army Air Forces to serve in combat operations in the Pacific theater of World War II. He flew a total of 58 combat missions over Europe, North…

1917

James C. Murray

American lawyer and politician (died 1999)

James Cunningham Murray was a U.S. representative from Illinois from 1955 to 1957. He graduated from De Paul University Law School in 1940 and subsequently worked as a lawyer. He served in the United States Army Air…

1917

Juan Rulfo

Mexican author and photographer (died 1986)

Juan Nepomuceno Carlos Pérez Rulfo Vizcaíno, best known as Juan Rulfo, was a Mexican writer, screenwriter, and photographer. He is best known for two literary works, the 1955 novel Pedro Páramo, and the collection of…

1917

Wilf Mannion

English footballer and manager (died 2000)

Wilfrid James Mannion was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward, making over 350 senior appearances for Middlesbrough. He also played international football for England. With his blonde…

1918

Liberace

American pianist and entertainer (died 1987)

Władziu Valentino Liberace was an American pianist, singer, and actor. He was born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin and enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordings, television,…

1919

Ramon Margalef

Spanish ecologist and biologist (died 2004)

Ramon Margalef López was a Spanish biologist and ecologist. He was Emeritus Professor of Ecology at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona. Margalef, one of the most prominent scientists that Spain has…

1919

Martine Carol

French actress (died 1967)

Martine Carol was a French film actress. She frequently was cast as an elegant blonde seductress. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, she was the leading sex symbol and a top box-office draw of French cinema, and she…

1920

Harry Carey Jr.

American actor, producer, and screenwriter (died 2012)

Henry George Carey Jr. was an American actor. He appeared in more than 90 films, including several John Ford Westerns, as well as numerous television series.

1921

Victoria Fromkin

American linguist and academic (died 2000)

Victoria Alexandra Fromkin was an American linguist who taught at UCLA. She studied slips of the tongue, mishearing, and other speech errors, which she applied to phonology, the study of how the sounds of a language are…

1923

Merton Miller

American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2000)

Merton Howard Miller was an American economist, and the co-author of the Modigliani–Miller theorem (1958), which proposed the irrelevance of debt-equity structure. He shared the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences…

1923

Peter Underwood

English parapsychologist and author (died 2014)

Peter Underwood was an English author, broadcaster and parapsychologist. Underwood was born in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. Described as "an indefatigable ghost hunter", he wrote many books which surveyed alleged…

1923

Barbara Bachmann

American microbiologist (died 1999)

Barbara Joyce Bachmann was a lecturer at Yale University, UC Berkeley, Columbia and NYU, and is best known as director of the E. coli Genetic Stock Center and for publishing editions of the standard E. coli K-12 genetic…

1924

Dawda Jawara

1st President of the Gambia (died 2019)

Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara was a Gambian politician who served as prime minister from 1962 to 1970, and then as the first President of The Gambia from 1970 to 1994, when he was overthrown by Yahya Jammeh.

1924

Nancy Roman

American astronomer (died 2018)

Nancy Grace Roman was an American astronomer who made important contributions to stellar classification and stellar motions. The first female executive at NASA, Roman served as NASA's first Chief of Astronomy throughout…

1925

Ola Vincent

Nigerian banker and economist (died 2012)

Olatunde Olabode Vincent was a Nigerian economist and banker who was governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria from 1977 to 1982.

1925

Nílton Santos

Brazilian footballer (died 2013)

Nílton dos Santos was a Brazilian footballer who primarily played as a wingback. At international level, he was a member of the Brazil squads that won the 1958 and 1962 World Cups.

1925

Glen Michael

British television presenter and entertainer (died 2025)

Cecil Edward Buckland, known professionally as Glen Michael, was a British children's television presenter and entertainer. He hosted the popular children's television show Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade, which ran…

1926

Billy Martin

American baseball player and coach (died 1989)

Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin Jr. was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman and manager, who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the manager of the New York Yankees. First known as a…

1928

Betty Carter

American singer-songwriter (died 1998)

Betty Carter was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative interpretation of lyrics and melodies.…

1929

John Conyers

American lawyer and politician (died 2019)

John James Conyers Jr. was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1965 to 2017. Conyers was the sixth-longest serving member of Congress and the…

1929

Claude Morin

Canadian academic and politician

Claude Morin is a former politician from Quebec, Canada and was the Parti Québécois Member of the National Assembly for the electoral district of Louis-Hébert, from 1976 to 1981. He became embroiled in controversy in…

1929

Adrienne Rich

American poet, essayist, and feminist (died 2012)

Adrienne Cecile Rich was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century", and was credited with bringing "the oppression…

1929

K. Natwar Singh

Indian scholar and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (died 2024)

Natwar Singh was an Indian politician and diplomat of the Indian Foreign Service who later served as India's Minister of External Affairs from May 2004 to December 2005. Having been suspended by the Indian National…

1929

Friedrich Gulda

Austrian pianist and composer (died 2000)

Friedrich Gulda was an Austrian pianist and composer who worked in both the classical and jazz fields.

1930

Vujadin Boškov

Serbian footballer, coach, and manager (died 2014)

Vujadin Boškov was a Yugoslavian football player and manager.

1931

Hana Brady

Jewish-Czech Holocaust victim (died 1944)

Hana "Hanička" Brady was a Czechoslovak Jewish girl murdered in the gas chambers of the German concentration camp at Auschwitz, located in the occupied territory of Poland, during the Holocaust. She is the subject of…

1931

Lowell P. Weicker Jr.

American soldier and politician, 85th Governor of Connecticut (died 2023)

Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. was an American politician who served as a U.S. representative, U.S. senator, and the 85th governor of Connecticut.

1931

Kenneth O. Morgan

Welsh historian and author

Kenneth Owen Morgan, Baron Morgan, is a Welsh historian and author, known especially for his writings on modern British history and politics and on Welsh history. He is a regular reviewer and broadcaster on radio and…

1934

Antony Walker

English general (died 2023)

General Sir Antony Kenneth Frederick Walker, was a British Army officer who served as Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies from 1990 to 1992.

1934

Floyd Smith

Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Floyd Robert Donald Smith is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and coach. Smith played 616 total games in the National Hockey League (NHL), doing so for the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Detroit Red…

1935

Karl Lehmann

German cardinal (died 2018)

Karl Lehmann was a German prelate and cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Mainz from 1983 to 2016, being elevated to the cardinalate in 2001.

1936

Yvonne Craig

American ballet dancer and actress (died 2015)

Yvonne Joyce Craig was an American actress best known for her role as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in the 1960s television series Batman. Other notable roles in her career include Dorothy Johnson in the 1963 movie It Happened…

1937

Jim Hunt

American politician, 69th and 71st Governor of North Carolina (died 2025)

James Baxter Hunt Jr. was an American politician and attorney who was the 69th and 71st governor of North Carolina. He was the longest-serving governor in the state's history.

1937

Stuart Bell

English lawyer and politician (died 2012)

Sir Stuart Bell was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Middlesbrough from the 1983 general election until his death in 2012. He was known as the longest serving Second Church…

1938

Ivan Sutherland

American computer scientist and academic

Ivan Edward Sutherland is an American computer scientist and Internet pioneer, widely regarded as a pioneer of computer graphics. His early work in computer graphics as well as his teaching with David C. Evans in that…

1938

Marco Aurelio Denegri

Peruvian television host and sexologist (died 2018)

Marco Aurelio Denegri Santa Gadea was a Peruvian intellectual, literary critic, television host and sexologist.

1938

Mario Segni

Italian professor and politician

Mariotto "Mario" Segni is a retired Italian politician and professor of civil law. He founded several parties, which focused on fighting for electoral reform through referendums. He is the son of the politician Antonio…

1939

Denis Hart

Australian archbishop

Denis James Hart is a retired Australian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Melbourne from 2001 to 2018.

1941

David Penry-Davey

English lawyer and judge (died 2015)

Sir David Herbert Penry-Davey was a judge of the High Court of England and Wales.

1942

Kay Andrews

Baroness Andrews, English politician

Elizabeth Kay Andrews, Baroness Andrews is a British Labour politician and life peer. She was Chair of English Heritage from July 2009 to July 2013.

1943

Dan Coats

American politician and diplomat, 29th United States Ambassador to Germany

Daniel Ray Coats is an American politician, attorney, and diplomat from the state of Indiana. A Republican, Coats has served in the United States House of Representatives, in the United States Senate, as United States…

1943

Wieteke van Dort

Dutch actress, comedian, singer, writer and artist (died 2024)

Louisa Johanna Theodora "Wieteke" van Dort was a Surabaya-born Javindo actress, comedian, singer, writer and artist. On 29 April 1999, Queen Beatrix appointed her Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau.

1943

Billy Cobham

Panamanian-American drummer, composer, and bandleader

William Emanuel Cobham Jr. is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

1944

Antal Nagy

Hungarian footballer

Antal Nagy is a Hungarian former professional footballer who played as a striker. In his only season for Standard de Liège (1968–69), he won the Belgian championship and he became the Belgian First Division top scorer.

1944

Friedrich Schorlemmer

German Protestant theologian (died 2024)

Friedrich Schorlemmer was a German Protestant theologian. He was a prominent member of the civil rights movement in East Germany, leading to the Peaceful Revolution. Remaining active in politics and society after German…

1944

John Law

English sociologist and academic

John Law, is a sociologist and science and technology studies scholar, currently on the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Open University. He has remained one of the leading proponents of Actor-Network Theory together…

1946

Robert Fripp

English guitarist, songwriter and producer

Robert Fripp is an English musician, composer, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and only constant member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session…

1946

Cheryl Clarke

American writer

Cheryl Lynn Clarke is an American lesbian poet, essayist, educator, and Black feminist community activist. Her scholarship focuses on African-American women's literature, black lesbian feminism, and the Black Arts…

1947

Darrell Sweet

Scottish drummer (died 1999)

Nazareth are a Scottish hard rock band formed in Dunfermline in 1968 that had many hit singles and albums in Canada, the United Kingdom, and a number of other European countries beginning in the early 1970s. The breadth…

1947

Roch Thériault

Canadian religious leader (died 2011)

Roch Thériault was a Canadian cult leader and convicted murderer. Thériault, a self-proclaimed prophet under the name Moïse, founded the Ant Hill Kids in 1977. They were a doomsday cult whose beliefs were based on those…

1947

Jesper Christensen

Danish actor, director, and producer

Jesper Christensen is a Danish actor. A veteran of European cinema, he has made the transition to English language projects, including The Interpreter and Revelations. He has also appeared as the mysterious villain Mr.…

1948

Judy Finnigan

English talk show host and author

Judith Adele Finnigan is an English television presenter and writer. She co-presented ITV's This Morning and the Channel 4 chat show, Richard & Judy (2001–2008) alongside her husband Richard Madeley. Her debut novel…

1948

Enrico Fumia

Italian automobile and product designer

Enrico Fumia is an Italian automobile and product designer. He is widely known for his work with the car design firm Pininfarina, helping to design and package a new sports car version of the Alfa Romeo, which included…

1948

Jimmy Hood

Scottish engineer and politician (died 2017)

James Hood was a Scottish Labour Party politician, who served as a Member of Parliament from 1987 until being defeated in 2015. He represented the Clydesdale constituency until 2005, and the Lanark and Hamilton East…

1948

Emma Georgina Rothschild

English historian and academic

Emma Georgina Rothschild is an English economic historian, a professor of history at Harvard University. She is director of the Joint Centre for History and Economics at Harvard, and an honorary Professor of History and…

1948

Staf Van Roosbroeck

Belgian cyclist

Gustaf Van Roosbroeck is a retired Belgian professional road bicycle racer who competed in the 1970s.

1948

Rick Reuschel

American baseball player

Rickey Eugene Reuschel is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1972 to 1991, winning 214 games with a career 3.37 ERA. His nickname was "Big…

1949

Georg Bednorz

German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Johannes Georg Bednorz is a German physicist who, together with K. Alex Müller, discovered high-temperature superconductivity in ceramics, for which they shared the 1987 Nobel Prize in Physics.

1950

Ray Condo

Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2004)

Ray Condo, born Ray Tremblay, was a Canadian rockabilly singer, saxophonist, and guitarist.

1950

Bruce Coville

American author

Bruce Farrington Coville is an author of young adult fiction. Coville was first published in 1977 and has written over 100 books.

1950

Christian Lacroix

French fashion designer

Christian Marie Marc Lacroix is a French fashion designer. The name also refers to the company he founded.

1951

Jonathan Richman

American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Jonathan Michael Richman is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970, he founded the Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key…

1951

Janet Soskice

Canadian philosopher and theologian

Janet Martin Soskice is a Canadian-born English Roman Catholic theologian and philosopher. Soskice completed her Bachelor of Arts at Cornell University and her Master of Arts at Sheffield University. She then obtained…

1951

Pierce Brosnan

Irish-American actor and producer

Pierce Brendan Brosnan is an Irish actor. He achieved worldwide fame playing the lead role in four James Bond films from 1995 to 2002: GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. Brosnan…

1953

Peter Onorati

American actor

Peter Onorati is an American actor. He is known for his TV roles as Charlie Howell on Civil Wars (1991–1993), Mr. Scotto on Murder One (1995–1997), Stanley Pearson on This Is Us (2017–2022), and Jeffrey Mumford on…

1953

Richard Page

American singer-songwriter and bass player

Richard James Page is an American musician who is best known as the lead singer and bassist of 1980s band Mr. Mister. The band's hits include "Broken Wings" and "Kyrie". Page has also sung in other bands, been a solo…

1953

Kitanoumi Toshimitsu

Japanese sumo wrestler, the 55th Yokozuna (died 2015)

Kitanoumi Toshimitsu , born Toshimitsu Obata , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Sōbetsu, Hokkaido. He entered professional sumo at the age of 13 and set several youth-related records, including promotion…

1953

David Maclean

Scottish politician

David John Maclean, Baron Blencathra, is a Conservative Party life peer. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Penrith and The Border from 1983 to 2010.

1953

Stephen Woolman

Lord Woolman, Scottish judge and academic

Stephen Errol Woolman, Lord Woolman, is a Scottish legal academic and a retired Senator of the College of Justice.

1953

Olga Korbut

Soviet gymnast

Olga Valentinovna Korbut is a Belarusian retired gymnast who competed for the Soviet Union. Nicknamed the "Sparrow from Minsk," she won four gold medals and two silver medals at the Summer Olympic Games, in which she…

1955

Jack Morris

American baseball player and sportscaster

John Scott Morris is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers. Morris won 254 games throughout his career.

1955

Hazel O'Connor

English-born Irish singer-songwriter and actress

Hazel Thereasa O'Connor is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles "Eighth Day", "D-Days" and "Will You?" She also starred in the 1980 film Breaking Glass.

1955

Páidí Ó Sé

Irish footballer and manager (died 2012)

Páidí Ó Sé was an Irish Gaelic football manager and player, whose league and championship career at senior level with the Kerry county team spanned fifteen seasons from 1974 to 1988. Ó Sé is widely regarded as one of…

1955

Debra Winger

American actress

Mary Debra Winger is an American actress. She starred in the films An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), Terms of Endearment (1983), and Shadowlands (1993), each of which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for…

1955

Loretta Schrijver

Dutch television host, news anchor (died 2025)

Loretta Maxine Schrijver was a Dutch television presenter.

1956

Joan Benoit

American runner

Joan Benoit Samuelson, née Joan Benoit, is an American marathon runner who was the first women's Olympic Games marathon champion, winning the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She held the fastest…

1957

Benjamin Mancroft

3rd Baron Mancroft, English politician

Benjamin Lloyd Stormont Mancroft, 3rd Baron Mancroft, is a British peer, businessman and Conservative Party politician.

1957

Yuri Shevchuk

Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist

Yuri Yulianovich Shevchuk is a Soviet and Russian rock musician and singer/songwriter who leads the rock band DDT, which he founded with Vladimir Sigachyov in 1980.

1957

Anthony St John

22nd Baron St John of Bletso, English lawyer and businessman

Anthony Tudor St John, 22nd Baron St John of Bletso is a British peer, politician, businessman and solicitor. He is one of the ninety hereditary peers elected to remain in the House of Lords after the House of Lords Act…

1957

Bob Suter

American ice hockey player and coach (died 2014)

Robert Allen Suter was an American ice hockey defenseman and member of the U.S. national team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

1957

Mitch Webster

American baseball player

Mitchell Dean Webster is an American former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1983 through 1995 for the Toronto Blue Jays, Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los…

1959

Mare Winningham

American actress and singer-songwriter

Mary Megan "Mare" Winningham is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Tony Awards.

1959

Landon Deireragea

Nauruan politician, Nauruan Speaker of Parliament

Landon Deireragea is a Nauruan politician.

1960

Bruce Norris

playwright

Bruce Norris is an American character actor and playwright associated with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago. His play Clybourne Park won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

1960

S. Shanmuganathan

Sri Lankan commander and politician (died 1998)

Sarawanabavanandan Shanmuganathan was a Sri Lankan Tamil militant, politician and Member of Parliament.

1960

Kevin McDonald

Canadian actor and screenwriter

Kevin Hamilton McDonald is a Canadian actor, comedian and writer. He is a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of stage, television and film productions, most notably…

1961

Charles Wright

American wrestler

Charles Wright, better known under his ring name The Godfather, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and…

1961

Helga Radtke

German long jumper

Helga Radtke is a retired German track and field athlete, former World Indoor Long Jump Champion.

1962

Rachel Griffith

Anglo-American economist

Dame Rachel Susan Griffith is a British and American academic and educator. She is professor of economics at the University of Manchester and a research director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

1963

David Wilkinson

English theologian and academic

David Adam Wilkinson, FRAS is a British Methodist minister, theologian, astrophysicist and academic. He was the Principal of St John's College, Durham (2006-2023), and is a professor in the Department of Theology and…

1963

John Salley

American basketball player and actor

John Thomas Salley is an American former professional basketball player. He was the first player in NBA history to win championships with three franchises, as well as the first player in the NBA to win a championship in…

1964

Boyd Tinsley

American singer-songwriter and violinist

Boyd Calvin Tinsley is an American violinist and mandolinist who is best known for having been a member of the Dave Matthews Band.

1964

Milton Jones

English comedian, actor, and screenwriter

Milton Hywel Jones is an English comedian. His style of humour is based on one-liners involving puns delivered in a deadpan and slightly neurotic style.

1964

Krist Novoselic

American bass player, songwriter, author, and activist

Krist Anthony Novoselic is a Croatian American musician, politician, and activist. Novoselic co-founded and played bass on every album for the rock band Nirvana.

1965

Tanel Tammet

Estonian computer scientist, engineer, and academic

Tanel Tammet is an Estonian computer scientist, professor, software engineer, and computer programmer. He was also one of the founding members of the Estonian Greens party, and helped found the IT College in Tallinn.

1965

Janet Jackson

American singer-songwriter actress

Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. Considered a pop icon, she is known for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage…

1966

Scott Reeves

American singer-songwriter and actor

Gregory Scott Reeves is an American actor, musician, and songwriter. He is known for playing the roles of Ryan McNeil on the CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, Steven Webber on the ABC Daytime soap opera…

1966

Thurman Thomas

American football player

Thurman Lee Thomas is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football for the Oklahoma…

1966

Doug Brocail

American baseball player and coach

Douglas Keith Brocail is an American professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers. He has coached…

1967

Susan Williams

Baroness Williams of Trafford, British politician

Susan Frances Maria Williams, Baroness Williams of Trafford is a Conservative life peer who served as the Chief Whip of the House of Lords and Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms between 2022 and 2024.…

1967

Ralph Tresvant

American singer and producer

Ralph Edward Tresvant is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the lead singer of R&B group New Edition. As a solo artist, Tresvant released his double platinum-selling debut album Ralph…

1968

David Boreanaz

American actor

David Paul Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director known for playing the roles of vampire-turned-private investigator Angel on The WB/UPN supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire…

1969

Tucker Carlson

American journalist, co-founded The Daily Caller

Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is an American conservative political commentator who hosts Tucker on X and The Tucker Carlson Show since 2023. He previously hosted the nightly political talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight…

1969

Steve Lewis

American sprinter

Steven Earl Lewis is a former American track and field athlete, winner of three gold medals at the 1988 Summer Olympics and 1992 Summer Olympics.

1969

Gabriela Sabatini

Argentinian tennis player

Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini is an Argentine former professional tennis player. A former world No. 3 in both singles and doubles, Sabatini was one of the leading players from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, amassing 41…

1970

Danielle Spencer

Australian singer-songwriter and actress

Danielle Spencer is an Australian actress, singer, and songwriter.

1970

Phil Clarke

English rugby league player and sportscaster

Philip Clarke is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. A Great Britain and England international representative back-rower or stand-off, he played his club rugby…

1971

Rachel Goswell

English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Rachel Ann Goswell is an English musician who rose to prominence as vocalist and guitarist of the shoegaze band Slowdive, which formed in 1989. When Slowdive disbanded in 1995, Goswell, along with Neil Halstead, Ian…

1971

Christian Califano

French rugby player

Christian Califano is a former French rugby union player who finished his career at Gloucester Rugby.

1972

Matthew Hart

New Zealand cricketer

Matthew Norman Hart is a former New Zealand cricketer. Hart, a left-arm orthodox spinner, played in 14 Tests between 1994 and 1996, claiming 29 wickets including one five-wicket haul against South Africa.

1972

Tori Spelling

American actress, reality television personality, and author

Victoria Davey Spelling is an American actress. Her first major role was Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210, from 1990 to 2000. She has appeared in made-for-television films, including A Friend to Die For (1994), A…

1973

Laura Pausini

Italian singer-songwriter and producer

Laura Pausini is an Italian singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in 1993, winning the newcomer artists' section of the 43rd Sanremo Music Festival with the song "La solitudine", which became an Italian standard and…

1974

Sonny Sandoval

American singer-songwriter and rapper

Paul Joshua "Sonny" Sandoval is an American rapper and singer who is the lead vocalist and a founding member of nu metal band P.O.D.

1974

Tony Kakko

Finnish musician, composer, and vocalist

Toni Kristian "Tony" Kakko is a Finnish musician, composer and vocalist. He is known as the vocalist, primary songwriter, and creative lead of the band Sonata Arctica since 1996.

1975

Simon Whitfield

Canadian triathlete

Simon St. Quentin Whitfield is a Canadian retired Olympic triathlon champion. Whitfield won ten consecutive Canadian Triathlon Championships titles and carried the Canadian national flag during the 2000 Summer Olympics…

1975

Dirk Nannes

Australian-Dutch cricketer

Dirk Peter Nannes is an Australian-Dutch cricket commentator and former cricketer who has played internationally for both Australia and the Netherlands, one of the few players to represent multiple international teams.

1976

Melanie Lynskey

New Zealand actress

Melanie Jayne Lynskey is a New Zealand actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women and her command of American accents, she works predominantly in independent films and television. She is the recipient of…

1977

Emilíana Torrini

Icelandic singer-songwriter

Emilíana Torrini is an Icelandic singer and songwriter. Her works include the 2009 single "Jungle Drum" and the 1999 album Love in the Time of Science. She performed "Gollum's Song" for the 2002 film The Lord of the…

1977

Scott Nicholls

English motorcycle racer

Scott Karl Nicholls is an English motorcycle speedway rider, who has won the British Championship seven times, and was a full participant in the Speedway Grand Prix series between 2002 and 2008. He earned 8…

1978

Lionel Scaloni

Argentinian footballer and manager

Lionel Sebastián Scaloni is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of the Argentina national team. Under his leadership, Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Scaloni…

1978

Michael Oberlechner

Austrian politician

Michael Oberlechner is an Austrian politician of the Freedom Party serving as a member of the National Council since 2024. He has been a district councillor of Ottakring since 2010.

1979

Nuria Llagostera Vives

Spanish tennis player

Nuria Llagostera Vives is a Spanish former tennis player. In June 2005, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 35. In November 2009, she peaked at No. 5 in the WTA doubles rankings.

1980

Ricardo Costa

Portuguese footballer

Ricardo Miguel Moreira da Costa is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played mainly as a central defender but occasionally as a full-back. He is the current manager of Liga Portugal 2 club Feirense.

1981

Łukasz Kubot

Polish tennis player

Łukasz Kubot is a former Polish professional tennis player who was ranked world No. 1 in doubles.

1982

Daniel Kerr

Australian footballer

Daniel Alan Kerr is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played 220 games for the club between 2001 and 2013, as a hard-running inside…

1983

Kyle Wellwood

Canadian ice hockey player

Kyle Wellwood is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs 134th overall in the…

1983

Darío Cvitanich

Argentinian footballer

Darío Cvitanich is an Argentine retired professional footballer who played as a striker.

1984

Tomáš Fleischmann

Czech ice hockey player

Tomáš Fleischmann is a Czech former professional ice hockey winger. He most notably played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with several teams, including stints with the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers.

1984

Jensen Lewis

American baseball player

Jensen Daniel Lewis is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Cleveland Indians from 2007 to 2010 and is currently a baseball analyst with Bally Sports.

1984

Rick Rypien

Canadian ice hockey player (died 2011)

Richard Joseph Rypien was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who was a forward for parts of six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks from 2005 to 2011. After a major junior…

1984

Anja Mittag

German footballer

Anja Mittag is a German football coach and a former player who played as a striker. She is currently an Individual Development Coach for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

1985

Rodrigo Peters Marques

Brazilian footballer

Rodrigo Peters Marques, known as Café, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper.

1985

Corey Perry

Canadian ice hockey player

Corey Perry is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played the first 14 years of his career with the Anaheim Ducks where he won…

1985

Megan Fox

American actress

Megan Denise Fox is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the family film Holiday in the Sun (2001), which was followed by numerous supporting roles in film and television, such as the teen musical comedy…

1986

Andy Keogh

Irish footballer

Andrew Declan Keogh is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for semi-professional side East Perth FC. Born in Dublin, Keogh played the first several years of his professional career playing for a…

1986

Shamcey Supsup

Filipino model and architect

Shamcey Gurrea Supsup-Lee is a Filipino architect and a beauty pageant titleholder. She was crowned as Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2011. She represented the Philippines at the Miss Universe 2011 pageant in São Paulo,…

1986

Tom Onslow-Cole

English race car driver

Thomas Michael Onslow-Cole is a British former racing driver. He won the International GT Open in Pro-Am category in 2018 and in 2019 and the 24H Series in 2015.

1987

Jesús Castillo

Mexican footballer

Jesús Castillo Ugarte is a former defender who last played for the Celaya on loan from Monarcas Morelia, in the Ascenso MX.

1988

Martynas Gecevičius

Lithuanian basketball player

Martynas Gecevičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for BC Telšiai of the National Basketball League (NKL). Standing at 1.93 m, he primarily plays at the shooting guard position.

1988

Jaak Põldma

Estonian tennis player

Jaak Põldma is a retired Estonian tennis player.

1988

Behati Prinsloo

Namibian model

Behati Prinsloo is a Namibian model. In 2008, she became a Pink contract model, and moved on to become a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2009. She walked in twelve Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows, and opened consecutive…

1989

Amanda Carreras

Gibraltarian tennis player

Amanda Carreras is an inactive British tennis player from Gibraltar.

1990

Thomas Brodie-Sangster

English actor

Thomas Brodie-Sangster, is a British actor. As a child actor, he gained recognition for his roles in the commercially successful films Love Actually (2003) and Nanny McPhee (2005). He voiced Ferb in the first four…

1990

Darko Šarović

Serbian sprinter

Darko Šarović is a Serbian medical doctor, PhD in child psychiatry, Master of Science in psychology, and former professional athlete who specialised in the short sprint events, holding a national 100m record in the…

1990

Omar Strong

American basketball player

Omar Strong Sr. is an American professional basketball player for the Windsor Express of the NBL Canada. In 2012–13, he was a senior at Texas Southern University and was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Player…

1990

Grigor Dimitrov

Bulgarian tennis player

Not to be confused with Georgi Dimitrov.

1991

Joey Graceffa

American internet celebrity

Joseph Michael Graceffa Jr. is an American YouTuber, vlogger, actor, author, and producer. He runs four active YouTube channels, all named after him. His main channel is dedicated to vlogging, while the second features…

1991

Ashley Wagner

American figure skater

Ashley Elisabeth Wagner is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2016 World silver medalist, a 2014 Olympic bronze medalist in the team event, the 2012 Four Continents champion, a three-time Grand…

1991

Jeff Skinner

Canadian ice hockey player

Jeffrey Scott Skinner is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He most recently played for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected seventh overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the…

1992

Kirstin Maldonado

American singer and songwriter

Kirstin Taylor Maldonado is an American singer-songwriter. She is known for being a vocalist in the a cappella group Pentatonix. With the group, she has released seven studio albums, won three Grammy Awards, and sold…

1992

Johannes Thingnes Bø

Norwegian biathlete

Johannes Thingnes Bø is a Norwegian former biathlete who has achieved significant success in the sport. Thingnes Bø has won the Biathlon World Cup five times, in the 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2022/23, and 2023/24…

1993

Karol Mets

Estonian footballer

Karol Mets is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as a centre back or defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli and the Estonia national team.

1993

Korean singer-songwriter and actress

Lee Ji-eun, also known by her stage name IU (아이유), is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress. She signed with LOEN Entertainment in 2007 as a trainee and debuted as a singer at the age of fifteen with the EP Lost…

1993

Kathinka von Deichmann

Liechtenstein tennis player

Kathinka von Deichmann is a professional tennis player from Liechtenstein. On 8 October 2018, she reached her best WTA ranking of world No. 153 in singles, and on 17 July 2017, she peaked at No. 343 in doubles. Von…

1994

Elizabeth Ralston

Australian footballer

Elizabeth Rose "Liz" Ralston is an Australian football (soccer) player, who plays for Western Sydney Wanderers in the Australian W-League. She has previously played for Sydney FC. She also works as a physiotherapist.

1995

Louisa Chirico

American tennis player

Louisa Chirico is an American tennis player. On 24 October 2016, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 58. On 6 March 2017, she peaked at No. 184 in the WTA doubles rankings. Chirico has won seven singles…

1996

Luis Garcia

Dominican-American baseball player

Luis Victoriano García, known professionally as Luis García Jr., is a Dominican-American professional baseball second baseman for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB).

2000

Ryan Gravenberch

Dutch footballer

Ryan Jiro Gravenberch is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and the Netherlands national team.

2002

Famous birthdays

Who was born on May 16?

Dafydd Williams — Canadian astronaut, physician and public speaker (born 1954)

FeaturedDafydd Williams

Birth year1954

Known forWilliams was a mission specialist on two Space Shuttle missions

Birthdays on this date209 (1418 – 2002)

Explore May 16

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

Events on May 16 Birthdays on May 16 Deaths on May 16 May 16 quiz

Also on May 16 in History

2025

A devastating EF4 tornado kills nineteen people in Southeast Kentucky, hitting the towns of Somerset and London. Wikipedia →

2014

Twelve people are killed in two explosions in the Gikomba market area of Nairobi, Kenya. Wikipedia →

2011

STS-134 (ISS assembly flight ULF6), launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour. Wikipedia →

See all events on May 16

May 15 May 17

Explore famous birthdays on the interactive calendar.

Open the Calendar All Blog Posts

Famous Birthdays on May 16

1954 — Dafydd Williams

Who was born on May 16?

Explore May 16

Also on May 16 in History

History runs on facts, and this project runs on coffee!