Did you know
He batted right-handed and played his first One Day International in 1999 and joined the Indian Test side in 2001
Famous Birthdays on October 20
242 people
888 – 2003
October 20 has seen 242 notable people enter the world across recorded history — from 888 – 2003. Below are the most significant names born on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
1978 — Virender Sehwag
Indian cricketer
Did you know
Widely regarded as one of the most destructive openers and one of the greatest batsmen of his era, he played for Delhi Capitals in IPL and Delhi and Haryana in Indian domestic cricket
Did you know
Virender Sehwag is a former Indian cricketer who represented India from 1999 to 2013
Did you know
During his time with India, Sehwag was a member of the team that was one of the joint winners of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, the winners of the 2007 T20 World Cup, and the winners of the 2011 Cricket World Cup
Did you know
During the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, Sehwag was the highest run scorer with 271 runs
emperor of Later Liang (died 923)
Year 888 (DCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.
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888
Italian poet and playwright (died 1525)
Giovanni Rucellai, known as Giovanni di Bernardo Rucellai, was an Italian humanist, poet, dramatist and man of letters in Renaissance Florence, in Tuscany, Italy. A member of a wealthy family of wool merchants and one…
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1475
1496
Hungarian writer and noble (died 1594)
Baron Valentinus Balassa de Kékkő et Gyarmat was a Renaissance lyric poet. He wrote in nine languages: Latin, Italian, German, Polish, Turkish, Slovak, Croatian, Magyar and Romanian. He is the founder of modern slovak…
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1554
1st Earl of Burlington, Anglo-Irish nobleman, Lord High Treasurer of Ireland, Cavalier (died 1698)
Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington, 2nd Earl of Cork was an Anglo-Irish nobleman who served as Lord High Treasurer of Ireland and was a Cavalier.
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1612
Danish physician, mathematician, and theologian (died 1680)
Thomas Bartholin was a Danish physician, mathematician, and theologian. He discovered the lymphatic system in humans and advanced the theory of refrigeration anesthesia, being the first to describe it scientifically.
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1616
Dutch painter (died 1691)
Aelbert Jacobszoon Cuyp or Cuijp was one of the leading Dutch Golden Age painters, producing mainly landscapes. The most famous of a family of painters, the pupil of his father, Jacob Gerritszoon Cuyp (1594–1651/52),…
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1620
English politician (died 1711)
Sir Edward Hungerford, KB, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1702. He was famous for his profligate ways and sold thirty manors, including the family seat at Farleigh Hungerford,…
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1632
1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (died 1723)
Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven PC, styled 17th Baron Willoughby de Eresby between 1666 and 1701, and known as 4th Earl of Lindsey between 1701 and 1706, and as 1st Marquess of Lindsey between 1706 and…
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1660
King of Poland (died 1766)
Stanisław Leszczyński, also Anglicised and Latinised as Stanislaus, was twice King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and at various times Prince of Deux-Ponts, Duke of Bar and Duke of Lorraine.
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1677
Prussian jurist and statesman (died 1755)
Samuel Freiherr von Cocceji was a German official from the Electorate of the Palatinate who served Brandenburg-Prussia and the Kingdom of Prussia. He was the son of Heinrich von Cocceji.
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1679
American lawyer, jurist, and politician, (died 1795)
Timothy Dwight Ruggles was an American colonial military leader, jurist, and politician. He was a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress of 1765 and later a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War.
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1711
Duchess of Gordon, Scottish aristocrat (died 1779)
Catherine Gordon, Duchess of Gordon, was the wife of Cosmo George Gordon, 3rd Duke of Gordon, and the mother of the 4th Duke. After the duke's death, she married General Staats Long Morris.
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1718
German historian, economist, and jurist (died 1772)
Gottfried Achenwall was a German philosopher, historian, economist, jurist and statistician. He is counted among the inventors of statistics.
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1719
Dutch author and poet (died 1805)
Isabelle de Charrière, also known as Madame de Charrière and in the Netherlands as Belle van Zuylen, was a Dutch and Swiss writer of the Enlightenment who lived the latter half of her life in Colombier, Neuchâtel,…
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1740
American lawyer and politician, 8th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut (died 1815)
Chauncey Goodrich was an American lawyer and politician from Connecticut who represented that state in the United States Congress as both a senator and a representative.
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1759
French sister of Napoleon (died 1825)
Paula Maria Bonaparte Leclerc Borghese, better known as Pauline Bonaparte, was an imperial French princess, the first sovereign Duchess of Guastalla, and the princess consort of Sulmona and Rossano. She was the sixth…
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1780
3rd Viscount Palmerston, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1865)
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, known as Lord Palmerston, was a British Anglo-Irish politician who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1855 to 1858 and from 1859 to his death in 1865. A…
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1784
English historian and author (died 1873)
George Ormerod was an English antiquary and historian. Among his writings was a major county history of Cheshire, in North West England.
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1785
Patrick Matthew was a Scottish grain merchant, fruit farmer, forester, and landowner, who contributed to the understanding of horticulture, silviculture, and agriculture in general, with a focus on maintaining the…
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1790
Swiss architect and educator, designed the Natural History Museum of Basel (died 1854)
Melchior Berri was a Swiss architect.
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1801
German geographer and journalist (died 1875)
Karl Andree was a German geographer, publicist and consul.
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1808
1819
English lawyer and judge (died 1896)
Thomas Hughes was an English lawyer, judge, politician and author. He is most famous for his novel Tom Brown's School Days (1857), a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended. It had a…
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1822
German architect and theorist (died 1894)
Johannes Wilhelm Constantin Lipsius was a German architect and architectural theorist, best known for his controversial design of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and Exhibition Building (1883–1894) on the Brühl Terrace…
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1832
Norwegian painter (died 1906)
Frits Thaulow was a Norwegian Impressionist painter renowned for his naturalistic depictions of landscape.
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1847
French soldier and poet (died 1891)
Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism.
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1854
English union leader and politician, President of the Board of Trade (died 1943)
John Elliot Burns was an English trade unionist and politician, particularly associated with London politics and Battersea. He was a socialist and then a Liberal Member of Parliament and Minister. He was anti-alcohol…
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1858
American psychologist and philosopher (died 1952)
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the first half of the twentieth century.
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1859
American banker and politician, 6th Governor of New Mexico (died 1951)
James Fielding Hinkle was an American banker, politician and the sixth governor of New Mexico.
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1864
Indian songwriter (died 1934)
Atul Prasad Sen was a Bengali composer, lyricist, singer, writer, lawyer, philanthropist and educationist.
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1871
Canadian author and suffragist (died 1951)
Nellie Letitia McClung was a Canadian author, politician, and social activist, who is regarded as one of Canada's most prominent suffragists. She began her career in writing with the 1908 book Sowing Seeds in Danny, and…
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1873
Finnish politician (died 1918)
Juho Rikard Merinen was a Finnish trade unionist, politician and member of the Parliament of Finland, the national legislature of Finland. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he represented Turku Province North…
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1873
American composer (died 1954)
Charles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer, actuary and businessman. Ives was among the earliest renowned American composers to achieve recognition on a global scale. His music was largely ignored during his…
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1874
American businessman (died 1915)
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Sr. was an American businessman and member of the Vanderbilt family. A sportsman, he participated in and pioneered a number of related endeavors. He died in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
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1877
American actress (died 1965)
Margaret Dumont was an American stage and film actress. She is best remembered as the comic foil to the Marx Brothers in seven of their films; Groucho Marx called her "practically the fifth Marx brother."
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1882
Hungarian-American actor (died 1956)
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó, better known by the stage name Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian–American actor. He was best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the horror film classic Dracula (1931), Ygor in both Son of…
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1882
American engineer (died 1963)
Karl Probst was an American freelance engineer and automotive pioneer, credited with drafting the design drawings of the first prototype of the Bantam Reconnaissance Car, also known as the World War II "jeep" in 1940.
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1883
Prince Yasuhiko Asaka was the founder of a collateral branch of the Japanese Imperial Family and served as a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Japanese invasion of China and the Second World War. He was…
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1887
Austrian priest and saint (died 1944)
Johann Gruber, also known as "Papa Gruber" and "The Saint of Gusen", was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest who was imprisoned in Concentration Camp Gusen I from 1940 until he was murdered by the camp commandant on Holy…
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1889
1889
Estonian bagpipe player (died 1968)
Aleksander Maaker, nicknamed Torupilli-Sass was a folk musician, a player of the traditional torupill, the Estonian bagpipe. Maaker was from the Estonian island of Hiiumaa. At the time of his death, the only other…
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1890
American historian and author (died 1973)
Samuel Flagg Bemis was an American historian and biographer. For many years he taught at Yale University. He was also president of the American Historical Association and a specialist in American diplomatic history. He…
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1891
English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1974)
Sir James Chadwick was a British experimental physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1935 for his discovery of the neutron. In 1941, he wrote the final draft of the MAUD Report, which inspired the U.S.…
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1891
American actor, director, and screenwriter (died 1940)
Charles Joseph Parrott, known professionally by stage name Charley Chase, was an American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly…
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1893
American model and actress (died 1920)
Olive Thomas was an American silent-film actress, art model, and photo model. Her birth certificate appears to list her name as Oliva, but this is widely thought to be an error. In the 1900 census, she is listed as…
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1894
1895
American writer/director (died 1985)
Morris Ryskind was an American dramatist, lyricist and writer of theatrical productions and movies who became a conservative political activist later in life.
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1895
1897
Sudanese politician, 3rd President of Sudan (died 1969)
Ismail al-Azhari was a Sudanese nationalist and political figure. He served as the first Prime Minister of Sudan between 1954 and 1956, and as Head of State of Sudan from 1965 until he was overthrown by Gaafar Nimeiry…
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1900
American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (died 1974)
Wayne Lyman Morse was an American attorney and United States Senator from Oregon. Morse is well known for opposing the Democratic Party’s leadership and for his opposition to the Vietnam War on constitutional grounds.
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1900
American film composer (died 1942)
Frank Edwin Churchill was an American film composer and songwriter. He wrote music for many classic films produced by Walt Disney, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Dumbo and Bambi.
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1901
American-English singer, actress, and dancer (died 1993)
Adelaide Louise Hall was an American-born UK-based jazz singer and entertainer. Her career spanned more than 70 years from 1921 until her death. Early in her career, she was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance; she…
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1901
Scottish-Canadian minister and politician, 7th Premier of Saskatchewan (died 1986)
Thomas Clement Douglas was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as the seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Baptist minister, he was…
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1904
American educator and activist (died 2006)
Enolia Pettigen McMillan was an American educator, civil rights activist, and community leader. She was the first female national president of the NAACP.
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1904
English actress, singer, and producer (died 1986)
Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox, known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer.
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1904
American actress and television personality (died 2001)
Arlene Francis was an American game show panelist, actress, and radio and television talk show host. She was a pioneer for women in television, and is best known for her long-running role as a panelist on the television…
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1907
American singer-songwriter, actor, and radio show host (died 1989)
Carl Stuart Hamblen was an American entertainer who in 1926 became one of radio's first singing cowboys, going on to become a singer, actor, radio show host and songwriter. He converted to Christianity under the…
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1908
American actress and photographer (died 2014)
Rebekah Isabelle Laemmle, known professionally as Carla Laemmle and occasionally as Beth Laemmle, was an American actress and dancer, and the niece of Universal Pictures studio founder Carl Laemmle. As an…
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1909
Japanese painter (died 1993)
Yasushi Sugiyama was a Japanese painter of the Shōwa and Heisei eras, who practiced the nihonga style of watercolour painting.
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1909
Chinese director and playwright (died 2013)
Chen Liting was a Chinese playwright, drama and film director, screenwriter, and film theorist. He was one of the most prominent film directors and screenwriters in pre-Communist China, together with Shi Dongshan, Cai…
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1910
1912
American singer-songwriter and banjo player (died 1998)
Louis Marshall Jones, known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American banjo player and old time/country music singer. He was inducted as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1978.
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1913
American actor, dancer, and choreographer (died 2006)
Fayard Antonio Nicholas was an American choreographer, dancer and actor. He and his younger brother Harold Nicholas made up the Nicholas Brothers tap dance duo, who starred in the MGM musicals An All-Colored Vaudeville…
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1914
German-French activist and diplomat (died 2013)
Stéphane Frédéric Hessel was a French diplomat, ambassador, writer, concentration camp survivor, Resistance member and BCRA agent. Born German, he became a naturalised French citizen in 1939. He became an observer of…
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1917
Estonian anti-communist, freedom fighter and forest brother (died 1951)
Ants Kaljurand popularly known as Terrifying Ants,, was an Estonian anti-communist, and forest brother during and after World War II.
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1917
French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1973)
Jean-Pierre Grumbach, known professionally as Jean-Pierre Melville, was a French filmmaker. Considered a spiritual godfather of the French New Wave, he was one of the first fully-independent French filmmakers to achieve…
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1917
German soldier and pilot (died 2013)
Martin Drewes was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and night fighter ace during World War II. He was credited with 52 victories of which 43 were claimed at night whilst flying variants of the Messerschmitt Bf 110…
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1918
American-German soldier and journalist (died 2003)
Robert H. Lochner was a journalist who helped to revive the free media in West Germany after World War II and who is most well known for assisting John F. Kennedy with his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in 1963.
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1918
American chemist and academic (died 2008)
Howard Tracy Hall was an American physical chemist and one of the early pioneers in the research of synthetic diamonds, using a press of his own design.
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1919
American illustrator (died 2013)
Nicholas Viscardi, known professionally as Nick Cardy and Nick Cardi, was an American comics artist best known for his DC Comics work on Aquaman, the Teen Titans and other major characters. Cardy was inducted into the…
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1920
Estonian-French linguist and academic (died 2011)
Fanny de Sivers was an Estonian linguist, literature researcher, and essayist.
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1920
Indian singer (died 1988)
Akhil Bandhu Ghosh was a Bengali singer from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is considered as one of the greatest exponents of Bengali classical based vocal music.
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1920
6th President of Guyana (died 2009)
Janet Rosenberg Jagan was an American-born Guyanese politician who served as the 6th President of Guyana from 1997 to 1999. She was the first female president of Guyana, and the first American-born woman to serve as a…
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1920
Indian lawyer and politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (died 2010)
Siddhartha Shankar Ray was an Indian lawyer, diplomat and Indian National Congress politician from West Bengal. In his political career he held a number of offices, including Chief Minister of West Bengal (1972–77),…
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1920
American race car driver (died 1955)
Manuel Leaonedas Ayulo was an American racecar driver. His efforts, along with those of friend and teammate Jack McGrath, helped establish track roadsters as viable race cars. Ayulo was killed in practice for the 1955…
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1921
Dutch poet and author (died 2001)
Johannes Adrianus Menne Warren was a Dutch writer. Much of his fame in the Netherlands derives from having published a collection of diaries in which he described his life and homosexual experiences in a country that…
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1921
American actor (died 1992)
John Robert Anderson was an American character actor. He was best known for his more than 500 television roles.
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1922
American opera singer (died 2012)
Franco Ventriglia was an opera singer who sang bass in every major European opera house during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He returned to the U.S. in 1978, where he continued to perform at venues including Carnegie…
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1922
American conductor and musicologist (died 2015)
Robert Lawson Craft was an American conductor and writer. He is best known for his intimate professional relationship with Igor Stravinsky, on which Craft drew in producing numerous recordings and books.
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1923
American poet, playwright, and critic (died 2014)
Robert Louis Peters was an American poet, critic, scholar, playwright, editor, and actor. He held a PhD in Victorian literature. Born in an impoverished rural area of northern Wisconsin in 1924, his poetry career began…
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1924
Hungarian journalist and human rights activist (died 2024)
András Bíró was a Hungarian journalist, journal editor, environment activist and human rights activist, noted for his support of the Romani people in Hungary.
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1925
American soldier and journalist (died 2007)
Arthur Buchwald was an American humorist best known for his column in The Washington Post. At the height of his popularity, it was published nationwide as a syndicated column in more than 500 newspapers. His column…
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1925
1925
Algerian-French actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2015)
Roger Hanin was a French actor and film director, best known for playing the title role in the TV police drama, Navarro.
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1925
3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, English lieutenant and politician, founded the National Motor Museum (died 2015)
Edward John Barrington Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, was a British aristocrat and Conservative politician, best known for founding the National Motor Museum, as well as for a pivotal cause…
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1926
American psychologist, author, and actress (died 2013)
Joyce Diane Bauer Brothers was an American psychologist, television personality, advice columnist, and writer.
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1927
Indian poet and critic (died 2007)
Gunturu Seshendra Sarma B.A. B.L., also known as Yuga Kavi, was a Telugu poet, critic and litterateur. He is well known for his works Naa Desam, Naa Prajalu and Kaala Rekha. He authored over fifty works which have been…
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1927
English physician, author, and journalist (died 2019)
Michael O'Donnell was a British physician, journalist, author and broadcaster.
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1928
American lawyer and politician, 54th Mayor of Pittsburgh (died 1988)
Richard S. Caliguiri was an American politician who served as the mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1977 until his death in 1988.
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1931
American baseball player and sportscaster (died 1995)
Mickey Charles Mantle, nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York Yankees,…
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1931
English businessman (died 2017)
Sir Kenneth Duncan Morrison CBE was an English businessman, Life President, and former chairman of Morrisons, the fifth largest supermarket group in the United Kingdom. He was the son of William Morrison, who founded…
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1931
American football player and coach (died 2004)
Roosevelt Brown Jr. was an American professional football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants from 1953 to 1965. He played college football for the Morgan State…
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1932
American actor and singer (died 2016)
William Christopher was an American actor and comedian, best known for playing Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. from 1965 to 1968 and Father Francis John Patrick Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H…
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1932
Japanese voice actor (died 2014)
Rokurō Naya was a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and the younger brother of voice actor Gorō Naya (1929–2013). He was a lifelong resident of Tokyo and was affiliated with Mausu Promotion at the time of his death.
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1932
1933
American trumpet player (died 1974)
Bill Chase was an American trumpeter and leader of the jazz-rock band Chase.
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1934
American saxophonist (died 1996)
Eddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ. His best-known…
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1934
English actor (died 2024)
Timothy Lancaster West was an English actor with a long and varied career across theatre, film, and television. He began acting in repertory theatres in the 1950s before making his London stage debut in 1959 moving on…
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1934
American actor and singer (died 2004)
Jerome Bernard Orbach was an American actor and singer described as "one of the last bona fide leading men of the Broadway musical".
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1935
Filipino lawyer and jurist (died 2013)
Cancio Castillo Garcia was a Filipino lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was appointed to the court on October 6, 2004, by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo…
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1937
American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Wanda LaVonne Jackson is an American retired singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of rock, country and gospel. She was among the first women to have a career in rock…
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1937
Dominican baseball player and sportscaster
Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez, nicknamed "the Dominican Dandy", is a Dominican former right-handed pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1960 to 1975, mostly with the San Francisco Giants.…
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1937
English author (died 2017)
Emma Christina Tennant FRSL was an English novelist and editor of Scottish extraction, known for a post-modern approach to her fiction, often imbued with fantasy or magic. Several of her novels give a feminist or…
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1937
Italian director and screenwriter (died 2012)
Emidio Greco was an Italian film director and screenwriter, best known for the 1974 film Morel's Invention.
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1938
American actress and nun
Dolores Hart is an American Catholic Benedictine nun and former actress. Following her movie debut with Elvis Presley in Loving You (1957), she made 10 films in five years, including Wild Is the Wind (1957), King Creole…
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1938
Scottish photographer and educator (died 2006)
Iain Stewart Macmillan was the Scottish photographer famous for taking the cover photograph for the Beatles' album Abbey Road in 1969. He grew up in Scotland, then moved to London to become a professional photographer.…
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1938
English painter, illustrator, and photographer
Patrick Hughes is a British artist working in London. He is the creator of "reverspective", an optical illusion on a three-dimensional surface where the parts of the picture which seem farthest away are actually…
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1939
Cameroonian filmmaker
Jean-Pierre Dikongué Pipa is a Cameroonian film director and writer. He produced Cameroon's first full-length feature film, Muna Moto, in 1975. Dikongué Pipa's films deal with the interrelationships between elements of…
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1940
English singer (died 2011)
Kathy Kirby was an English singer, best known for her cover version of Doris Day's "Secret Love" and for representing the United Kingdom in the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest, where she finished in second place. Her…
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1940
American poet and critic
Robert Pinsky is an American poet, essayist, literary critic, and translator. He was the first United States Poet Laureate to serve three terms. Recognized worldwide, Pinsky's work has earned numerous accolades. Pinsky…
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1940
English actress
Anneke Wills is an English actress, best known for her role as the companion Polly in the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.
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1941
American actor (died 2003)
Earl John Hindman was an American actor, best known for his roles as Bob Reid on the television soap opera Ryan's Hope from 1975—1984 and 1988–89, and as Wilson W. Wilson on the sitcom Home Improvement from 1991–1999.
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1942
German biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate
Christiane (Janni) Nüsslein-Volhard is a German developmental biologist and a 1995 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate. She is the only woman from Germany to have received a Nobel Prize in the sciences.
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1942
1942
Croatian soprano and actress
Dunja Vejzović is a Croatian operatic mezzo-soprano and soprano.
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1943
Sri Lankan physicist and philosopher (died 2024)
Thakurartha Devadithya Guardiyawasam Lindamulage Nalin Kumar de Silva was a Sri Lankan philosopher, polymath and a political analyst. He was the former Sri Lankan ambassador in Myanmar. He was a professor in the…
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1944
American party planner, created The Loft (died 2016)
David Paul Mancuso was an American disc jockey who created the popular "by invitation only" parties in New York City, which later became known as "The Loft". The first party, called "Love Saves The Day", was held on 14…
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1944
1945
American-English sociologist, author, and academic
Diana Gittins, is a former associate lecturer in creative writing for the Open University and a published writer of fiction and non-fiction books.
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1946
American comedian and author (died 1994)
Lewis McDonald Grizzard Jr. was an American writer and humorist, known for his Southern demeanor and commentary on the American South. Although he spent his early career as a newspaper sports writer and editor, becoming…
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1946
Austrian author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
Elfriede Jelinek is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She is one of the most decorated authors to write in German and was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Literature for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voices…
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1946
English director and screenwriter
Richard Loncraine is a British film and television director.
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1946
Belgian cyclist
Lucien Van Impe is a former Belgian cyclist, who competed professionally between 1969 and 1987. He excelled mainly as a climber in multiple-day races such as the Tour de France. He was the winner of the 1976 Tour de…
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1946
English civil servant and academic (died 2015)
Sir Christopher Anthony Woodhead was a British educationalist. He was Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in England from 1994 to 2000, and was one of the most controversial figures in debates on the direction of…
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1946
Australian entertainer
Peter Charles Combe is an Australian children's entertainer and musician. At the ARIA Music Awards he has won three ARIA Awards for Best Children's Album, for Toffee Apple (1988), Newspaper Mama (1989) and The…
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1948
American-English actress and composer
Sandra Dickinson is an American-British actress. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She has often played characters within the trope of a dumb blonde with a high-pitched voice.
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1948
Dutch jurist and politician, Dutch Minister of Justice
Jan Pieter Hendrik "Piet Hein" Donner is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist. He was granted the honorary title of Minister of State on 21 December 2018.
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1948
Turkish journalist and politician, Mayor of Ankara
İbrahim Melih Gökçek is a Turkish politician who served as the mayor of Ankara from 1994 to 2017. From 1991 to 1994, he was an MP. Gökçek has won municipal elections in 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, and was controversially…
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1948
Ukrainian-Russian sprinter
Valeriy Pylypovych Borzov is a Soviet-Ukrainian former sprinter and politician. He is a two-time Olympian, a former president of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, and Minister for Youth and Sports of Ukraine.
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1949
American politician (died 2024)
Christopher Black Cannon was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, for the Republican Party, representing the third district of Utah from 1997 to 2009.
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1950
American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2017)
Thomas Earl Petty was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was the leader and frontman of the rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling…
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1950
American actor and director
William Russ is an American actor and television director. He played Alan Matthews on the sitcom Boy Meets World (1993–2000) and appeared in the television series Wiseguy, the soap operas Another World and The Young and…
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1950
American keyboard player
Alan Greenwood is an American rock musician who was a founding member and keyboardist of the rock band Foreigner from 1976 to 1980. He performed on the albums Foreigner (1977), Double Vision (1978) and Head Games…
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1951
English lawyer and politician
Patrick Hall is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bedford from 1997 to 2010. He was re-selected by the Labour Party as their candidate in Bedford for the 2015 general election,…
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1951
1951
Swedish businessman and politician
Leif Pagrotsky is a Swedish politician, economist, and diplomat. He served as minister of culture from 2004 to 2006 and minister for industry, employment and communications from 2002 to 2004 under Prime Minister Göran…
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1951
Italian footballer and manager
Claudio Ranieri is a retired Italian professional football manager and former player who is the senior advisor of Serie A club Roma. As manager of Leicester City, he won the 2015–16 Premier League, a feat regarded as…
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1951
American actress and director
Melanie Joy Mayron is an American actress and director of film and television. Mayron is best known for her role as photographer Melissa Steadman on the ABC drama thirtysomething for which she won the Primetime Emmy…
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1952
English photographer and art director
Derek Ridgers is a British photographer known for his photography of music, film and club/street culture. He has photographed people including James Brown, the Spice Girls, Sinéad O' Connor, Clint Eastwood and Johnny…
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1952
Ecuadorian politician and economist
Wilma Josefina Salgado Tamayo is an Ecuadorian politician and economist.
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1952
American baseball player and sportscaster
Keith Hernandez is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and Cleveland Indians. Hernandez was a five-time…
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1953
American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded the Upper Deck Company (died 2013)
Richard P. McWilliam was the chairman and co-founder of Upper Deck Company, a successful and award-winning Carlsbad-based collectibles business that specializes in trading cards for Major League Baseball, National…
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1953
1953
American composer and conductor
Steve Orich is a composer, orchestrator and musical director.
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1954
American composer and conductor
Thomas Montgomery Newman is an American composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He is best known for his film scores, earning accolades of six Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, two BAFTA Film Awards, and 15 Academy Award…
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1955
English author and academic
Don David John Profumo, 6th Baron Profumo of the Kingdom of Sardinia, FRSL, is an English novelist and son of former British government minister and key subject of the Profumo affair, John Profumo.
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1955
American boxer (died 2016)
Aaron Pryor was an American professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 1990. He was a two-time light welterweight world champion, having held the WBA title from 1980 to 1983, and the IBF title from 1984 to 1985.…
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1955
American politician
Sheldon Whitehouse is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Rhode Island, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States…
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1955
English director, producer, and screenwriter
Daniel Francis Boyle is an English director and producer. He has been described by the British Film Institute as "one of the liveliest and most unpredictable of British directors, adept at shifting genres and bringing a…
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1956
English guitarist
Martin Taylor, MBE is a British jazz guitarist who has performed solo, in groups, guitar ensembles, and as an accompanist.
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1956
Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, English politician
Jane Bonham Carter, Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, is a British Liberal Democrat politician, and member of the House of Lords.
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1957
English cricketer and sportscaster
Christopher Stuart Cowdrey is an English former cricketer. Cowdrey played for Kent, Glamorgan and England as an all-rounder. He is the eldest son of the cricketer and life peer, Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of…
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1957
Thai military officer, 40th Commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army
General Chalermchai Sitthisart PC is a retired Thai military officer and general within the Royal Thai Army. In September 2016, he was chosen to serve as the Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army, and was endorsed…
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1957
American academic and politician, 25th United States Secretary of Labor
Hilda Lucia Solis is an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 1st district and is the Chair of Los Angeles County. Solis previously served as the 25th United States…
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1957
American director and producer
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are two American directors and producers for films and music videos. They started their career directing videos for such artists as Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M. and the Smashing…
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1958
1958
American wrestler (died 2022)
Scott Oliver Hall was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Razor…
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1958
1958
American football player
David Michael Krieg is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He attended Milton College in his home state of Wisconsin and made the Seattle Seahawks…
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1958
American-Danish actor and producer
Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received nominations for three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.
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1958
Australian comedian, actor, and screenwriter
Mark Little is an Australian actor, television presenter, comedian and screen/stage writer. He is known for playing Joe Mangel on the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 1988 to 1991, in 2005 and in 2022.
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1959
Norwegian drummer and composer
Audun Kleive is a Norwegian jazz drummer. He was raised in Skien and is the son of organist Kristoffer Kleive and brother of organist Iver Kleive.
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1961
English author and playwright
Katherine Louise Mosse is a British novelist, non-fiction and short story writer and broadcaster. She is best known for her 2005 novel Labyrinth, which has been translated into more than 37 languages. She co-founded in…
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1961
1961
Canadian director, producer, and harmonica player
Les Stroud is a Canadian survival expert, filmmaker and musician best known as the creator, writer, producer, director, cameraman and host of the television series Survivorman. Stroud was named Chief Scout by Scouts…
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1961
Japanese voice actress and singer
Michie Tomizawa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer born in Maruko, Nagano Prefecture and raised in Shinmachi, Gunma.
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1961
1962
Canadian engineer, astronaut, and 29th Governor General of Canada
Julie Payette is a Canadian engineer, scientist and former astronaut who served as the 29th governor general of Canada from 2017 to 2021.
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1963
American politician and lawyer, 49th Vice President of the United States
Kamala Devi Harris is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and…
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1964
Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
Norman Blake is a Scottish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter in the Glasgow-based band Teenage Fanclub.
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1965
American businessman
Jonathan Ian Schwartz is an American businessman. He is president and CEO of CareZone, a firm intending to lower the price of prescription drugs for people with chronic illness.
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1965
Russian ice hockey player
Mikhail Alekseyevich Shtalenkov is a Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played extensively in his native USSR and Russia for HC Dynamo Moscow before moving to North America, where he played with the…
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1965
American actor and producer
William Michael Zabka is an American actor. He is best known for his role of Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), and the TV series Cobra Kai (2018–2025).
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1965
South African cricketer and coach
Allan Anthony Donald is a South African former cricketer who is also the former bowling coach of Bangladesh national cricket team. Often nicknamed 'White Lightning' due to his quick bowling, he is considered one of the…
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1966
American computer scientist and engineer, founded Slackware
Patrick Volkerding is the founder and maintainer of the Slackware Linux distribution. Volkerding is Slackware's "Benevolent Dictator for Life" (BDFL), and is also known informally as "The Man".
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1966
Armenian-Uzbek boxer
Artur Razmikovich Grigorian is a retired Armenian-Uzbek professional boxer.
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1967
Australian rugby league player
Kerrod Walters is an Australian former rugby league footballer. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative hooker, he played most of his club football with the Brisbane Broncos, with whom…
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1967
Australian rugby league player and coach
Kevin David Walters is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach, as well as a pundit for Fox League.
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1967
English actress, director, and producer
Susan Lorna Tully is a British actress, television producer and television director from London.
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1968
Australian rugby league player and coach
Laurie William Daley AM, also known by the nickname "Loz", is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and a former player who played as a centre and five-eighth in the late 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.
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1969
Puerto Rican baseball player
Juan Alberto González Vázquez, nicknamed Juan Gone, is a Puerto Rican former baseball outfielder. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams, but is most identified with the Texas Rangers, for…
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1969
English-Chinese businessman (died 2011)
Neil Heywood was an English businessman. The great-grandson of John Barr Affleck, Britain's Consul General in Tianjin from 1935 to 1938, Heywood lived and worked in China from the early 1990s and became associated with…
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1970
Estonian poet and illustrator
Aapo Ilves is an Estonian poet, writer, playwright, artist and musician.
He writes in Estonian, Võro and Seto languages. Ilves has also written song lyrics for other artists, including several "Hits of the Year" and…
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1970
American blogger and author
Michelle Malkin is an American conservative political commentator. She was a Fox News contributor and in May 2020 joined Newsmax TV. Malkin has written seven books and founded the conservative commentary website Twitchy…
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1970
American basketball player
Taj McWilliams-Franklin is an American former professional basketball player.
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1970
American actor
Kenneth Choi is an American actor. He is known for playing Henry Lin on the television series Sons of Anarchy (2008–2014), Chester Ming in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and Judge Lance Ito in The…
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1971
American rapper, producer, and actor
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., known professionally as Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, songwriter, and actor. A key figure in West Coast hip-hop, he helped define G-funk and gangsta rap, and is…
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1971
American basketball player
Edward Charles Jones is an American former professional basketball player who played for five teams in his 14-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career.
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1971
Dutch runner
Kamiel Maase is a retired long-distance runner from the Netherlands, who is the current Dutch record holder in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. He retired in January, 2009.
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1971
Australian singer-songwriter and actress
Danielle Jane Minogue is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. As a child she appeared on the television talent show Young Talent Time (1982–1988) before gaining recognition for her role as Emma…
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1971
English rugby player and sportscaster
William John Heaton Greenwood, MBE is an English former rugby union player who played for Leicester Tigers and Harlequins and was a member of England's 2003 World Cup-winning team and the 1997 British & Irish Lions. He…
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1972
American academic and politician, 11th Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii
Brian Emanuel Schatz is an American politician serving since 2012 as the senior United States senator from Hawaii. A progressive Democrat, Schatz served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006,…
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1972
American singer-songwriter, writer and socio-political activist
Ed Hale is an American writer, singer-songwriter-recording artist. His hit singles include "I Walk Alone", "New Orleans Dreams" and "Scene in San Francisco", which all landed in the Billboard Top 40 Charts in the Adult…
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1974
1974
1974
Norwegian politician
Ronny Holen Aukrust is a Norwegian politician and deputy member of the Storting. A member of the Labour Party, he has represented Østfold since October 2025.
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1975
American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Daniel Kevin Fogler is an American actor, comedian and writer. He had his breakout in theatre, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as William Barfée in the Broadway production of The…
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1976
Italian footballer and manager
Nicola Legrottaglie is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a centre back.
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1976
Cambodian politician and military officer, 33rd Prime Minister of Cambodia
Hun Manet is a Cambodian politician and military officer who has served as Prime Minister of Cambodia and Vice President of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) since 2023. He is the second child of Senate…
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1977
Canadian-American violinist
Leila Bronia Josefowicz is an American-Canadian classical violinist.
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1977
American actor and musician
Sam Witwer is an American actor and voice actor. He is known for his roles as Crashdown in Battlestar Galactica, Davis Bloome in Smallville, Aidan Waite in Being Human, Mr. Hyde in Once Upon a Time, Ben Lockwood in…
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1977
Scottish bass player and songwriter
Paul "Pablo" Wilson is a Scottish musician, who is best known as the former bass guitarist for Northern Irish–Scottish alternative rock band Snow Patrol. He previously played guitar in Glasgow band Terra Diablo during…
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1978
English footballer
Paul Everton Ifill is a former professional footballer and current manager who played as a forward. He is currently in charge of New Zealand Central League side Wellington Olympic. He spent most of his career playing as…
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1979
American actor, director, and producer
John Burke Krasinski is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–2013), where he was also a producer and occasional director. He directed, co-wrote…
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1979
Irish rugby player
Paul Jeremiah O'Connell is an Irish rugby union coach and former player. When he retired, he was Ireland's third most-capped player (108) and the eighteenth most-capped international player in rugby union history.…
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1979
Greek footballer
Dimitris Papadopoulos is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.
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1981
Thai singer
Clash is a Thai rock band. They released their first album in 2001 and are known for their emotional rock ballads. The band was founded in 2001 by Preeti Barameeanant, Chodchapak Pholthanachod (guitar), Thapana Na…
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1982
Welsh golfer
Rebecca Dawn Brewerton is a Welsh professional golfer and a member of the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour.
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1982
American basketball player
Lawrence Edward Roberts III is an American former professional basketball player. Standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he played at the power forward position.
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1982
1983
Dutch footballer
Michel Armand Vorm is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Following his playing career, he was also a goalkeeping coach at Tottenham Hotspur.
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1983
American singer-songwriter (died 2012)
Mitchell Adam Lucker was an American musician best known as the lead vocalist for the deathcore band Suicide Silence.
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1984
Irish rugby player
Andrew Trimble is a former Irish rugby union player from Northern Ireland who played for Ulster and represented Ireland at international level.
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1984
English race car driver
James Sutton is a racing driver. He won the 2007 Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
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1985
Australian model
Elyse Taylor is an Australian model. She is a brand ambassador for makeup and skincare brand Nude by Nature and has walked in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
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1986
German historian and blogger who falsely claimed to be descended from Holocaust survivors (died 2019)
Marie Sophie Hingst was a German historian and blogger who falsely claimed to be descended from Holocaust survivors. Born in Wittenberg to a Protestant family, she fabricated a Jewish background and sent documentation…
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1987
1988
1988
South African supermodel and philanthropist
Candice Susan Swanepoel is a South African model. She is best known for her work with Victoria's Secret. She became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2010. In 2016, she was listed 8th on the Forbes top-earning models list.
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1988
American football player
Jamie Lee Collins Sr. is an American football coach and former professional linebacker who is the inside linebackers coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10…
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1989
English singer-songwriter
Jessica Hannah Glynne is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in 2014 as a featured artist on the singles "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit and "My Love" by Route 94, both of which reached number one on…
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1989
Cook Islands rugby league player
Sam Mataora is a Cook Island professional rugby league footballer. He played for the Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. His positions were prop and second-row.
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1990
Thai actor
Phupoom Pongpanupak, better known by his nickname Ken (เคน), is a Thai actor known for his leading role in the Thai television soap opera Saam Num Nua Thong. He is one of the top Thai actors in Thailand known for his…
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1991
Italian footballer
Mattia De Sciglio is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a right-back.
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1992
Russian gymnast
Ksenia Andreyevna Semyonova is a retired Russian artistic gymnast. She is the 2007 world champion on the uneven bars, the 2008 European champion on the uneven bars and the balance beam, and the 2009 European all-around…
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1992
Canadian-American basketball player
Kyle Gregory Wiltjer is a Canadian-American professional basketball player for Reyer Venezia Mestre of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He spent two seasons of college basketball with the Kentucky Wildcats before…
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1992
1994
Mexican wrestler
Humberto Garza Carrillo is a Mexican professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Berto. He is one-half of Los Garza with his cousin Angel.
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1995
Indonesian badminton player
Anthony Sinisuka Ginting is an Indonesian badminton player. He first rose to senior prominence when he won the bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games, having won a 2014 Youth Olympic bronze in 2014. At the 2020 Olympics,…
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1996
Nigerian footballer
Ademola Lookman Olajade Alade Aylola Lookman is a professional footballer who plays as a winger or second-striker for La Liga club Atlético Madrid. Born in England, he plays for the Nigeria national team.
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1997
Japanese footballer
Daizen Maeda is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Scottish Premiership side Celtic and the Japan national team.
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1997
Vietnamese footballer
Nguyễn Tiến Linh is a Vietnamese professional footballer who plays as a striker for V.League 1 club Công An Hồ Chí Minh City and the Vietnam national team.
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1997
Russian tennis player
Andrey Andreyevich Rublev is a Russian professional tennis player. He has been ranked by the ATP as high as world No. 5 in singles, which he achieved on 13 September 2021, and No. 44 in doubles, attained on 6 November…
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1997
Australian rules footballer
Jordan Ridley is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was selected by Essendon with their second selection and twenty-second…
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1998
1999
American rapper
Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again or NBA YoungBoy, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Gaulden released eight mixtapes from 2015 to 2017, and garnered a regional…
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1999
American football player
Kenneth Walker III is an American professional football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Michigan State…
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2000
American basketball player
Paige Madison Bueckers is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Breeze of Unrivaled. She played college basketball for the UConn…
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2001
Spanish footballer
Yéremy Jesús Pino Santos is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Crystal Palace and the Spain national team.
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2002
English footballer
Carney Chibueze Chukwuemeka is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Austria national team.
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2003
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Famous birthdays
Who was born on October 20?
Virender Sehwag — Retired Indian cricketer (born 1978)
FeaturedVirender Sehwag
Birth year1978
Known forWidely regarded as one of the most destructive openers and one of the greatest batsmen of his era, he played for Delhi Capitals in IPL and Delhi and Haryana in Indian domestic cricket
Birthdays on this date242 (888 – 2003)
Explore October 20
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Also on October 20 in History
2022
Liz Truss steps down as British Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party amid the country's political crisis, serving for the least time of any British Prime Minister (49 days). Wikipedia →
2017
Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declare victory in the Raqqa campaign. Wikipedia →
2011
See all events on October 20
Libyan Crisis: Rebel forces capture Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in his hometown of Sirte and kill them shortly thereafter, ending the first Libyan civil war. Wikipedia →
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