Category: Famous Birthdays

1602 – Jacques de Billy, French Jesuit mathematician (number theory), born in Compiègne, France (d. 1679)
1869 – [Arthur] Neville Chamberlain, British Prime Minister (Conservative: 1937-40), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1940)
1884 – Bernard Cronin, English-Australian author and journalist (Three Against the Stars), born in Ealing, England (d. 1968)
1898 – Otto Jochum, German composer, born in Babenhausen, Germany (d. 1969)
1929 – John Macurdy, American operatic bass (Met Opera), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2020)
1936 – Hans Peter Bleuel, German writer (Sex and Society In Nazi Germany), born in Stuttgart, Germany
1941 – Wolfgang Bauer, Austrian playwright known for “Magic Afternoons”, born in Graz, Austria (d. 2005)
1961 – Grant Hart, American punk rock drummer and songwriter (Hüsker Dü), born in South St. Paul, Minnesota (d. 2017)
1968 – Shin-ichiro Miki, Japanese voice actor (Pokémon, Perfect Blue), born in Tokyo, Japan
1976 – Jovan Kirovski, American soccer forward (62 caps; Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, Los Angeles Galaxy, Colorado Rapids), born in Escondido, California

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1537 – Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japanese daimyō and warrior known as Japan’s second “great unifier”, born in Nakamura-ku, Japan (d. 1598)
1664 – Georg Österreich, German Baroque composer (founded the Bokemeyer collection), baptized in Magdeburg, Brandenburg-Prussia (d. 1735)
1781 – Ebenezer Elliott, British poet known as the “Corn Law Rhymer'” for his opposition to the corn laws, born in Masborough, England (d. 1849)
1872 – Willie Quaife, English cricket batsman (7 Tests, 1 x 50; Sussex CCC, Warwickshire CCC), born in Newhaven, England (d. 1951)
1907 – Sonny Werblin, American sports executive (owner New York Jets; chairman Madison Square Garden), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1991)
1940 – Mark White, American politician, lawyer, and 43rd Governor of Texas (1983-7), born in Henderson, Texas (d. 2017)
1952 – Nikos Xydakis, Greek composer, pianist, and singer, born in Cairo, Egypt
1955 – Bill Beyers, American actor (Capitol – “Wally McCandless”), born in Lake Success, New York (d. 1992)
1961 – Andrew Paul, English actor (The Bill), born in London, England
1979 – Samoa Joe [Nuufolau Joel Seanoa], Samoan-American professional wrestler (TNA iMPACT! Wrestling, WWE Raw), born in Orange County, California

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1473 – Henry IV, Duke of Saxony from the House of Wettin, born in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1541)
1634 – Madame de La Fayette [Marie-Madeleine Pioche de la Vergne], French novelist (La Princesse de Clèves -1st historical novel in French), born in Paris, France (d. 1693)
1846 – Magnus Gösta Mittag-Leffler, Swedish mathematician and founder of Acta Mathematica, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1927)
1857 – Charles Harding Firth, British historian, born in Ecclesall, Sheffield, England (d. 1936)
1907 – Alexander S. Wiener, American physician known for his work in immunohematology (Rh factor in blood), born in New York City (d. 1976)
1921 – Donald Kendall, American businessman and chief executive officer of Pepsi-Cola (1963-86), born in Sequim, Washington (d. 2020)
1959 – Michael J Bloomfield, American USAF Major USAF and NASA astronaut (STS 86), born in Flint, Michigan
1963 – Doug Grisby, American soul music bassist, composer and producer (Patti LaBelle; Teena Marie), born in Queens, New York (d. 2021)
1966 – Catarina Pollini, Italian European and WNBA basketball forward (Houston Comets – 1997; 12 x Italian League Champion), born in Vicenza, Italy
1981 – Yoav Ziv, Israeli soccer defender (32 caps; Beitar Jerusalem, Lokeren, Maccabi Tel Aviv), born in Hadera, Israel

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1851 – Józef Surzyński, Polish organist, composer, conductor, musicologist, and Catholic priest, born in Śrem, Poland (d. 1919)
1900 – Colin McPhee, Canadian-American pianist, composer (Tabuh-Tabuhan; H2O; Mechanical Principles), and ethnomusicologist (Bali), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1964)
1926 – Tim Valentine, American politician (Rep-D-NC, 1983-95), born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina (d. 2015)
1933 – Philippe de Broca, French film director (Le Bossu), born in Paris, France (d. 2004)
1940 – Al Bell [Alvertis Isbell], American record producer, songwriter (“I’ll Take You There”), and label executive (Stax; Motown), born in Brinkley, Arkansas
1947 – Juraj Kukura, Slovak actor (Traffik; It’s Better to Be Wealthy and Healthy Than Poor and Ill), born in Prešov, Slovakia
1955 – Steve Lillywhite, British record producer (U2; Rolling Stones; Phish), born in Egham, England
1959 – Lisa Holton, American business writer and editor, born in Moline, Illinois
1962 – Terrence Trent D’Arby, American rock vocalist (Wishing Well), born in New York City
1974 – Imad Baba, American soccer midfielder (Olympic gold 1996), born in Humble, Texas

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1869 – Algernon Blackwood, English novelist (The Willows), born in Shooter’s Hill, Kent, England (d. 1951)
1873 – Johannes Aengenent, Bishop of Haarlem (1928-35), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1935)
1874 – Anton Philips, Dutch businessman (co-founder of Royal Philips Electronics N.V.), born in Zaltbommel, Gelderland, Netherlands (d. 1951)
1874 – Mary Carr, American actress (Forbidden Trail, Pack Up Your Troubles), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1973)
1908 – Maurice Merleau-Ponty, French philosopher (work on existentialism and phenomenology), born in Rochefort-sur-Mer, France (d. 1961)
1930 – Don Haskins, American College Basketball Hall of Fame coach (Texas El Paso 1961-99; NCAA Tournament 1966), born in Enid, Oklahoma (d. 2008)
1956 – Natalya Kuleshova, Russian cosmonaut, born in Moscow, Soviet Union
1965 – Kevin Williamson, American screenwriter, director and producer (Scream, Dawson’s Creek, Vampire Diaries), born in New Bern, North Carolina
1974 – Grace Park, American-Canadian actress (Hawaii Five-0, Battlestar Galactica), born in Los Angeles, California
1976 – Corey Stoll, American actor (House of Cards, The Strain), born in New York City

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1859 – Ivo Bligh, British noble (8th Earl of Darnley) and cricket batsman (4 Tests; first England captain v Australia 1882-83), born in London, England (d. 1927)
1894 – Clara Smith, American blues singer, billed as the “Queen of the Moaners”, born in Spartanburg County, South Carolina (d. 1935)
1911 – José Ardévol, Spanish-Cuban composer, born in Barcelona, Spain (d. 1981)
1912 – James Friell, Scottish political cartoonist (Daily Worker), born in Glasgow (d. 1997)
1914 – Tessie O’Shea, Welsh stage and screen entertainer, born in Cardiff (d. 1995)
1916 – Ina Ray Hutton [Odessa Cowan], American singer and big band bandleader (Ina Ray Hutton Show), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1984)
1916 – Lindy Boggs (née Marie Corinne Morrison Claiborne), American politician (US Representative from Louisiana, 1973-97), and diplomat, born in New Roads, Louisiana (d. 2013)
1935 – Michael Walzer, American political theorist, born in New York
1984 – Yuuka Nanri, Japanese singer and voice actress (The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Mai-HiME), born in Nagasaki, Japan
1995 – Mikaela Shiffrin, American alpine skier (Olympic gold – 2014, 2018; 100 World Cup races, 5x Overall World Cup champion), born in Vail, Colorado

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1788 – Pierre-Jean David d’Angers], French sculptor (Panthéon in Paris), born in Angers, France (d. 1856)
1793 – Augustin-Philippe Peellaert, Belgian military officer, painter, composer, and librettist, born in Bruges, Belgium (d. 1876)
1827 – John R. Jones, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army) and Virginia educator, born in Rockingham County, Virginia (d. 1901)
1914 – Jan Kapr, Czech composer, born in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia (d. 1988)
1922 – Thomas Hugh Eastwood, British composer, born in Hawley, Blackwater, England (d. 1999)
1926 – Rolv Yttrehus, American contemporary classical music composer (Angstwagen; Plectrum Spectrum; Six Haiku), born in Duluth, Minnesota (d. 2018)
1929 – Lupe Anguiano, Mexican-American civil rights activist, born in La Junta, Colorado
1948 – Kent Conrad, American politician, Senator-D North Dakota (1992-2013), born in Bismarck, North Dakota
1975 – Kéllé Bryan, British pop singer (Eternal – “I Wanna Be The Only One”), born in Plaistow, England
1986 – Danny Jones, English pop-rock singer-songwriter, and guitarist (McFly), born in Bolton, England

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1819 – Henry Tate, English sugar producer (established Tate Gallery in London), born near Chorley, England (d. 1899)
1898 – (Irving Milford) “Miff” Mole, American jazz trombonist, and composer (Red Nichols and His Five Pennies – “Slippin’ Around”; Sophie Tucker), born in Roosevelt, Long Island, New York (d. 1961)
1910 – Robert Havemann, German chemist and dissident, born in Munich, Germany (d. 1982)
1917 – Robert L. Carter, American civil rights activist and judge (Brown v. Board of Education, NAACP v. Alabama), born in Caryville, Florida (d. 2012)
1928 – Peter R. Hunt, British film director (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), born in London (d. 2002)
1933 – Sandra Milo [Salvatrice Greco], Italian actress (8½; Juliet of the Spirits), and television personality, born in Tunis, French Tunisia (d. 2024)
1946 – Brigitte Fossey, French actress (Man Who Died Twice), born in Tourcoing France
1961 – Elias Koteas, Canadian actor (The Thin Red Line, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), born in Montréal, Québec
1967 – Brad Carson, American politician, Rep-D-Oklahoma (2001-05), born in Winslow, Arizona
1977 – Becky Hammon, American Basketball HOF point guard (WNBA: NY Liberty, SA Stars; Russia Olympics 2008, 12) and coach (first female to coach an NBA team; SA Spurs 2020; LV Aces), born in Rapid City, South Dakota

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1899 – Finn Høffding, Danish composer (Karlsvognen), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1997)
1909 – Gerard Croiset, Dutch parapsychologist, born in Laren, Netherlands (d. 1980)
1919 – Marion Hutton [Thornburg], American singer (Glenn Miller Orchestra, 1938-42), and actress (In Society), born in Battle Creek, Michigan (d. 1987)
1923 – Don Abney, American session and touring jazz pianist, and musical director (Universal/MCA Studios), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2000)
1936 – Sepp Blatter, Swiss sports administrator (President FIFA 1998-2015; later banned for corruption), born in Visp, Switzerland
1938 – Kazım Ayvaz, Turkish wrestler (Olympic gold lightweight 1964; World C’ship gold welterweight 1958; lightweight 1962), born in Rize, Turkey (d. 2020)
1940 – David Rabe, American playwright (Streamers), born in Dubuque, Iowa
1957 – Adolfo Horta, Cuban Heavey weight boxer (Olympic silver 1980), born in Camaguey, Cuba
1975 – Lyne Bessette, Canadian cyclist and liberal politician (MP 2019-21), born in Lac-Brome, Quebec
1983 – Carrie Underwood, American Grammy Award-winning country singer-songwriter (“Cowboy Casanova”, “Good Girl”), born in Muskogee, Oklahoma

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1825 – Alexander F. Mozhaiski, Russian aviation pioneer, born in Rochensalm, Russian Empire (d. 1890)
1902 – Edward Durell Stone, American architect (US Embassy, New Delhi), born in Fayetteville, Arkansas (d. 1978)
1923 – Walter Kohn, Austrian-born American scientist (Nobel Prize Chemistry 1998), born in Vienna (d. 2016)
1929 – Hebe Camargo, Brazilian entertainer and television host considered the “Queen of Brazilian Television”, born in Taubaté, Brazil (d. 2012)
1934 – Jill Pasternak, American harpist and classical music broadcaster (WQXR, WFLN, WRTI), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2025)
1934 – Joyce Van Patten, American actress (Good Guys; Don Rickles Show), born in Queens, New York
1934 – Jim Landis, American MLB outfielder, 1957-67, 5X Gold Glove, 2X All-Star (Chicago White Sox, and 5 other teams), born in Fresno, California (d. 2017)
1937 – Bernard Landry, Premier of Quebec (2001-2003), born in Saint-Jacques, Quebec, Canada
1940 – Raul Julia, Puerto Rican actor (Addams Family (films); Kiss of the Spider Woman), born in San Juan, Puerto Rico (d. 1994)
1943 – Trish Van Devere [Patricia Louise Dressel], American actress (The Changeling), born in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

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