Portal:Biography

A page from the first edition of Foxe's Book of Martyrs, published in 1563
Third Volume of a 1727 edition of Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans printed by Jacob Tonson
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Cover of the first English publication, J. Parson's, London, 1793

A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae (résumé), a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various aspects of their life, including intimate details of experience, and may include an analysis of the subject's personality. (Full article...)

Featured biographies

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James Hogun (died January 4, 1781) was an Irish-American military officer who was as one of five generals from North Carolina to serve with the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in Ireland, Hogan migrated to North Carolina – then a British colony – in 1751. Settling in Halifax County, he raised a family and established himself as a prominent local figure.

A member of the county's Committee of Safety, he represented it at the North Carolina Provincial Congress and helped to draft the first Constitution of North Carolina. Initially a major in the 7th North Carolina Regiment, Hogun advanced quickly in rank during 1776 to become the unit's commanding officer. He participated in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown in 1777. The Continental Congress promoted Hogun to brigadier general in 1779, although several congressmen and the North Carolina General Assembly wished to see Thomas Clark of North Carolina promoted instead. (Full article...)
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Kenneth R. Shadrick (August 4, 1931 – July 5, 1950) was a United States Army soldier who was killed at the onset of the Korean War. He was widely but incorrectly reported as the first American soldier killed in action in the war.

Shadrick was born in Harlan County, Kentucky, one of 10 children. After dropping out of high school in 1948, he joined the U.S. Army, and spent a year of service in Japan before being dispatched to South Korea at the onset of the Korean War in 1950 along with his unit, the 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. During a patrol, Shadrick was killed by the machine gun of a North Korean T-34 tank, and his body was taken to an outpost where journalist Marguerite Higgins was covering the war. Higgins later reported that he was the first soldier killed in the war, a claim that was repeated in media across the United States. His life was widely profiled, and his funeral drew hundreds of people. (Full article...)
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West front of Lincoln Cathedral, which was begun under Alexander

Alexander of Lincoln (died February 1148) was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln, a member of an important administrative and ecclesiastical family. He was the nephew of Roger of Salisbury, a Bishop of Salisbury and Chancellor of England under King Henry I, and he was also related to Nigel, Bishop of Ely. Educated at Laon, Alexander served in his uncle's diocese as an archdeacon in the early 1120s. Unlike his relatives, he held no office in the government before his appointment as Bishop of Lincoln in 1123. Alexander became a frequent visitor to King Henry's court after his appointment to the episcopate, often witnessing royal documents, and he served as a royal justice in Lincolnshire.

Although Alexander was known for his ostentatious and luxurious lifestyle, he founded a number of religious houses in his diocese and was an active builder and literary patron. He also attended church councils and reorganised his diocese by increasing the number of archdeaconries and setting up prebends to support his cathedral clergy. Under Henry's successor, King Stephen, Alexander was caught up in the fall from favour of his family, and was imprisoned together with his uncle Roger in 1139. He subsequently briefly supported Stephen's rival, Matilda, but by the late 1140s Alexander was once again working with Stephen. He spent much of the late 1140s at the papal court in Rome, but died in England in early 1148. During his episcopate he began the rebuilding of his cathedral, which had been destroyed by fire. Alexander was the patron of medieval chroniclers Henry of Huntingdon and Geoffrey of Monmouth, and also served as an ecclesiastical patron of the medieval hermit Christina of Markyate and Gilbert of Sempringham, founder of the Gilbertines. (Full article...)
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Bolikango in 1960

Jean Bolikango, later Bolikango Akpolokaka Gbukulu Nzete Nzube (4 February 1909 – 17 February 1982), was a Congolese educator, writer, and politician. He served twice as Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), in September 1960 and from February to August 1962. Enjoying substantial popularity among the Bangala people, he headed the Parti de l'Unité Nationale and worked as a key opposition member in Parliament in the early 1960s.

Bolikango began his career in the Belgian Congo as a teacher in Catholic schools, and became a prominent member of Congolese society as the leader of a cultural association. He wrote an award-winning novel and worked as a journalist before turning to politics in the late 1950s. Though he held a top communications post in the colonial administration, he became a leader in the push for independence, making him one of the "fathers of independence" in the Congo. The Republic of the Congo became independent in 1960 and Bolikango attempted to organise a national political base that would support his bid for a prestigious office in the new government. He succeeded in establishing the Parti de l'Unité Nationale and promoted both a united Congo and strong ties with Belgium. Older than most of his contemporaries and commanding significant respect—especially among his Bangala peers, he was seen as the Congo's "elder statesman". Regardless, his attempts to secure a position in the government failed and he became a leading member of the opposition in Parliament. (Full article...)
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Portrait by Jakob Emanuel Handmann, 1753

Leonhard Euler (/ˈɔɪlər/ OY-lər; German: [ˈleːɔnhaʁt ˈʔɔʏlɐ] , Swiss Standard German: [ˈleɔnhard ˈɔʏlər]; 15 April 1707 – 18 September 1783) was a Swiss polymath, mathematician, physicist, astronomer, geographer, logician, and engineer who founded the studies of graph theory and topology and made pioneering and influential discoveries in many other branches of mathematics such as analytic number theory, complex analysis, and infinitesimal calculus. He also introduced much of modern mathematical terminology and notation, including the notion of a mathematical function. He is also known for his work in mechanics, fluid dynamics, optics, astronomy, and music theory. As a result, Euler has been described as a "universal genius" who "was fully equipped with almost unlimited powers of imagination, intellectual gifts and extraordinary memory".

Euler is regarded as arguably the most prolific contributor in the history of mathematics and science, and the greatest mathematician of the 18th century. Several great mathematicians who produced their work after Euler's death have recognised his importance in the field as shown by quotes attributed to many of them: Pierre-Simon Laplace expressed Euler's influence on mathematics by stating, "Read Euler, read Euler, he is the master of us all." Carl Friedrich Gauss wrote: "The study of Euler's works will remain the best school for the different fields of mathematics, and nothing else can replace it." His 866 publications and his correspondence are being collected in the Opera Omnia Leonhard Euler which, when completed, will consist of 81 quartos. He spent most of his adult life in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and in Berlin, then the capital of Prussia. (Full article...)
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Bourdon with Canada in 2005

Luc Bourdon (February 16, 1987 – May 29, 2008) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League from 2006 until 2008. After overcoming childhood arthritis, he was selected third overall in the 2003 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) draft and played for the Val-d'Or Foreurs, Moncton Wildcats, and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, spending four seasons in the QMJHL. The Canucks drafted Bourdon with their first selection, 10th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, and he split his professional career with the Canucks and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. Noted as a strong defenceman who could contribute on offence, Bourdon represented Canada in three international tournaments, winning two gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship and a silver medal at the IIHF World U18 Championship.

Bourdon died at the age of 21 near his hometown of Shippagan, New Brunswick when his motorcycle collided with a tractor-trailer. (Full article...)
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Private Lawrence Weathers c. 1916

Lawrence Carthage Weathers, (14 May 1890 – 29 September 1918) was a New Zealand-born Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in battle that could be awarded to a member of the Australian armed forces at the time. His parents returned to their native South Australia when Weathers was seven, and he completed his schooling before obtaining work as an undertaker in Adelaide. He enlisted as a private in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in early 1916, and joined the 43rd Battalion. His unit deployed to the Western Front in France and Belgium in late December. After a bout of illness, Weathers returned to his battalion in time to take part in the Battle of Messines in June 1917, during which he was wounded. Evacuated to the United Kingdom, he rejoined his unit in early December.

Promoted to lance corporal in March 1918, Weathers fought with his battalion during the German spring offensive, but was gassed in May and did not return to his unit until the following month. He participated in the Battle of Hamel in July, the Battle of Amiens in August, and the Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin in September. At Mont Saint-Quentin he was recommended for the award of the Victoria Cross. Promoted to temporary corporal, he was mortally wounded in the head by a shell on 29 September during the Battle of St Quentin Canal, and died soon after, unaware that he was to receive the Victoria Cross, which was not announced until late December. Until 2016, his Victoria Cross was in private hands, but in that year it was purchased at auction and donated to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, where it is displayed in the Hall of Valour. (Full article...)
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Sakic with the Colorado Avalanche in 1997

Joseph Steven Sakic (/ˈsækɪk/; (Croatian pronunciation: [ʃakitɕ]) born July 7, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He played his entire 21-year National Hockey League (NHL) career, which lasted from 1988 to 2009, with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise. Named captain of the team in 1992 (after serving as a co-captain in 1990–91), Sakic is regarded as one of the greatest team leaders in league history and was able to consistently motivate his team to play at a winning level. Nicknamed "Burnaby Joe", Sakic was named to play in 13 NHL All-Star Games and selected to the NHL First All-Star Team at centre three times. Sakic led the Avalanche to Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001, earning the most valuable player (MVP) in the 1996 playoffs. In 2001, Sakic earned both the Hart Memorial Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award as MVP of the NHL. He is one of six players to participate in the first two of the team's Stanley Cup victories and won the Stanley Cup a third time with the Avalanche in 2022 while serving as the team's general manager. Sakic became the third person, after Milt Schmidt and Serge Savard, to win the Stanley Cup with the same franchise as a player and general manager.

Over his career, Sakic was one of the most productive forwards in the game, scoring 50 goals twice and earning at least 100 points in six different seasons. Sakic's wrist shot, considered one of the best in the NHL, was the source of much of his production as goalies around the league feared his rapid snap-shot release. At the conclusion of the 2008–09 NHL season, Sakic was the eighth all-time points leader in the NHL, as well as 14th in all-time goals and 11th in all-time assists. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, Sakic helped lead Team Canada to its first ice hockey gold medal in 50 years and was voted as the tournament's MVP. Sakic represented Team Canada in six other international competitions, including the 1998 and 2006 Winter Olympics. (Full article...)
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Harrison at the Central Flying School, Point Cook, 1914

Eric Harrison (10 August 1886 – 5 September 1945) was an Australian aviator who made the country's first military flight, and helped lay the foundations of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

Born in Victoria, Harrison was a flying instructor in Britain when, in 1912, he answered the Australian Defence Department's call for pilots to form an aviation school. Along with Henry Petre, he established Australia's first air base at Point Cook, Victoria, and its inaugural training unit, the Central Flying School (CFS), before making his historic flight in March 1914. Following the outbreak of World War I, when Petre went on active service with the Mesopotamian Half Flight, Harrison took charge of instructing student pilots of the Australian Flying Corps at CFS, and maintaining its fleet of obsolescent aircraft. (Full article...)
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August Meyszner wearing the rank
of SS-Oberführer in 1938

August Edler von Meyszner (3 August 1886 – 24 January 1947) was an Austrian Gendarmerie officer, right-wing politician, and senior Ordnungspolizei (order police) officer who held the post of Higher SS and Police Leader in the German-occupied territory of Serbia from January 1942 to March 1944, during World War II. He has been described as one of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler's most brutal subordinates.

Meyszner began his career as an officer in the Gendarmerie, served on the Italian Front during World War I and reached the rank of Major der Polizei by 1921. He joined the Austrian Nazi Party in September 1925 and became a right-wing parliamentary deputy and provincial minister in the Austrian province of Styria in 1930. Due to his involvement with the Nazis, Meyszner was forcibly retired in 1933 and arrested in February 1934, but released after three months at the Wöllersdorf concentration camp. That July, he was rearrested following an attempted coup, but escaped police custody and fled to Nazi Germany, where he joined the Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) and then the Allgemeine SS. After police postings in Austria, Germany and occupied Norway, Himmler appointed Meyszner as Higher SS and Police Leader in Serbia in early 1942. He was one of few Orpo officers to be appointed to such a role. (Full article...)
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Zappa performing at Ekeberghallen in Oslo, Norway, in 1977

Frank Vincent Zappa (/ˈzæpə/ ZAP-ə; December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestral and musique concrète works; he also produced almost all of the 60-plus albums that he released with his band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. His work is characterized by nonconformity, improvisation sound experimentation, musical virtuosity and satire of American culture. Zappa also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. He is considered one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse musicians of his generation.

As a mostly self-taught composer and performer, Zappa had diverse musical influences that led him to create music that was sometimes difficult to categorize. While in his teens, he acquired a taste for 20th-century classical modernism, African-American rhythm and blues, and doo-wop music. He began writing classical music in high school, while simultaneously playing drums in rhythm and blues bands, later switching to electric guitar. His debut studio album with the Mothers of Invention, Freak Out! (1966), combined satirical but seemingly conventional rock and roll songs with extended sound collages. He continued this eclectic and experimental approach throughout his career. (Full article...)
Image 12

Portrait by John de Critz, 1605

Anne of Denmark (Danish: Anna; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until her death in 1619.

The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Anne married James at age 14. They had three children who survived infancy: Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, who predeceased his parents; Princess Elizabeth, who became Queen of Bohemia; and James's future successor, Charles I. Anne demonstrated an independent streak and a willingness to use factional Scottish politics in her conflicts with James over the custody of Prince Henry and his treatment of her friend Beatrix Ruthven. Anne appears to have loved James at first, but the couple gradually drifted and eventually lived apart, though mutual respect and a degree of affection survived. (Full article...)
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Benedict Joseph Fenwick (September 3, 1782 – August 11, 1846) was an American Catholic prelate, Jesuit, and educator who served as the Bishop of Boston from 1825 until his death in 1846. In 1843, he founded the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Prior to that, he was twice the president of Georgetown College and established several educational institutions in New York City and Boston.

Born in Maryland, Fenwick entered the Society of Jesus and began his ministry in New York City in 1809 as the co-pastor of St. Peter's Church. He then became pastor of the original St. Patrick's Cathedral and later the vicar general and diocesan administrator of the Diocese of New York. In 1817, Fenwick became the president of Georgetown College, remaining just several months before he was tasked with resolving a longstanding schism at St. Mary's Church in Charleston, South Carolina. He remained in the city as vicar general for the Archdiocese of Baltimore until 1822, when he returned to Georgetown as acting president. (Full article...)
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Collingwood in 2019

Paul David Collingwood (born 26 May 1976) is an English cricket coach and former player, who played in all three formats of the game internationally for England. He played for Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood was a regular member of the England Test side and captain of the One Day International (ODI) team (2007–2008). He was the first T20I captain for England. As captain, he led the England team to win their first ICC trophy, the 2010 World Twenty20, and scored the winning run in the final.

He captained his county club, Durham County Cricket Club, for the final six seasons of his career. A batting all-rounder, whose batting combined natural strokeplay with great tenacity, Collingwood also bowled reliable medium pace. Described as a "natural athlete", he was regarded as one of the finest fielders of his time, usually fielding at backward point or at third or fourth slip in Tests; he also deputised as wicket-keeper for England. (Full article...)
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Tomb effigy, Worcester Cathedral

John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empire and contributing to the subsequent growth in power of the French Capetian dynasty during the 13th century. The baronial revolt at the end of John's reign led to the sealing of Magna Carta, a document considered an early step in the evolution of the constitution of the United Kingdom.

John was the youngest son of King Henry II of England and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was nicknamed John Lackland (Norman: Jean sans Terre, lit. 'John without land') because he was not expected to inherit significant lands. He became Henry's favourite child following the failed revolt of 1173–1174 by his brothers Henry the Young King, Richard, and Geoffrey against their father. John was appointed Lord of Ireland in 1177 and given lands in England and on the continent. During the reign of his brother Richard I, he unsuccessfully attempted a rebellion against Richard's royal administrators while the King was participating in the Third Crusade, but he was proclaimed king after Richard died in 1199. He came to an agreement with Philip II of France to recognise John's possession of the continental Angevin lands at the peace treaty of Le Goulet in 1200. (Full article...)

Today anniversaries

Pre-1600

1461 – Louise of Savoy, French nun (d. 1503)
1510 – Nicholas Bacon, English politician (d. 1579)
1535 – Martin Eisengrein, German theologian (d. 1578)

1601–1900

1619 – Antoine Furetière, French author and scholar (d. 1688)
1635 – Elizabeth Stuart, second daughter of King Charles I of England (d. 1650)
1651 – Johann Krieger, German organist and composer (d. 1735)
1655 – Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk (d. 1698)
1665 – George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (d. 1716)
1722 – Eliza Lucas, Caribbean-American agriculturalist (d. 1793)
1724 – Christoph Franz von Buseck, Prince-Bishop of Bamberg (d. 1805)
1763 – John Molson, English-Canadian brewer, founded the Molson Brewery (d. 1836)
1775 – Jean-Gabriel Eynard, Swiss banker and photographer (d. 1863)
1789 – Catharine Maria Sedgwick, American novelist of "domestic fiction" (d. 1867)
1798 – Thomas Henderson, Scottish astronomer and mathematician (d. 1844)
1818 – Carl Remigius Fresenius, German chemist and academic (d. 1897)
1842 – Calixa Lavallée, Canadian-American lieutenant and composer (d. 1891)
1856 – Woodrow Wilson, American historian and politician, 28th President of the United States, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924)
1865 – Félix Vallotton, Swiss/French painter (d. 1925)
1870 – Charles Bennett, English runner (d. 1949)
1882 – Arthur Eddington, English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (d. 1944)
1882 – Lili Elbe, Danish model and painter (d. 1931)
1887 – Werner Kolhörster, German physicist and academic (d. 1946)
1888 – F. W. Murnau, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1931)
1890 – Quincy Wright, American political scientist, historian, and academic (d. 1970)
1895 – Carol Ryrie Brink, American author and playwright (d. 1981)
1898 – Carl-Gustaf Rossby, Swedish-American meteorologist and academic (d. 1957)
1898 – Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese admiral (d. 1947)
1900 – Ted Lyons, American baseball player (d. 1986)

1901–present

1902 – Mortimer J. Adler, American philosopher and author (d. 2001)
1902 – Shen Congwen, Chinese author and educator (d. 1988)
1903 – Earl Hines, American pianist and bandleader (d. 1983)
1903 – John von Neumann, Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist (d. 1957)
1907 – Ze'ev Ben-Haim, Ukrainian-Israeli linguist and academic (d. 2013)
1908 – Lew Ayres, American actor (d. 1996)
1910 – Billy Williams, American singer (d. 1972)
1911 – Wil van Beveren, Dutch sprinter and journalist (d. 2003)
1913 – Lou Jacobi, Canadian-American actor (d. 2009)
1914 – Bidia Dandaron, Russian author and educator (d. 1974)
1914 – Pops Staples, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2000)
1917 – Ellis Clarke, Trinidadian politician, 1st President of Trinidad and Tobago (d. 2010)
1919 – Emily Cheney Neville, American author (d. 1997)
1920 – Tufty Mann, South African cricketer (d. 1952)
1920 – Bruce McCarty, American architect, designed the Knoxville City-County Building (d. 2013)
1920 – Steve Van Buren, Honduran-American football player (d. 2012)
1920 – Al Wistert, American football player and coach (d. 2016)
1921 – Johnny Otis, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2012)
1922 – Lionel Bowen, Australian politician, 6th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (d. 2012)
1922 – Stan Lee, American publisher, producer, and actor (d. 2018)
1924 – Girma Wolde-Giorgis, Ethiopian politician; President of Ethiopia (d. 2018)
1925 – Hildegard Knef, German actress and singer (d. 2002)
1925 – Milton Obote, Ugandan engineer and politician, 2nd President of Uganda (d. 2005)
1926 – Donald Carr, German-English cricketer and referee (d. 2016)
1928 – Moe Koffman, Canadian flute player, saxophonist, and composer (d. 2001)
1929 – Brian Redhead, English journalist and author (d. 1994)
1929 – Terry Sawchuk, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 1970)
1929 – Maarten Schmidt, Dutch astronomer (d. 2022)
1930 – Mariam A. Aleem, Egyptian illustrator and academic (d. 2010)
1931 – Guy Debord, French theorist and author (d. 1994)
1931 – Martin Milner, American actor (d. 2015)
1932 – Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman, founded Reliance Industries (d. 2002)
1932 – Dorsey Burnette, American singer-songwriter (d. 1979)
1932 – Roy Hattersley, English journalist and politician, Shadow Home Secretary
1932 – Harry Howell, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2019)
1932 – Nichelle Nichols, American actress (d. 2022)
1932 – Manuel Puig, Argentine author and playwright (d. 1990)
1933 – John Y. Brown Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 55th Governor of Kentucky (d. 2022)
1934 – Rudi Faßnacht, German footballer and manager (d. 2000)
1934 – Maggie Smith, English actress (d. 2024)
1936 – Alan Coleman, English-Australian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
1936 – Lawrence Schiller, American journalist, director, and producer
1937 – Ratan Tata, Indian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2024)
1938 – Dick Sudhalter, American trumpet player, scholar, and critic (d. 2008)
1939 – Philip Anschutz, American businessman, founded Anschutz Entertainment Group
1939 – Frank McLintock, Scottish footballer and manager
1939 – Michelle Urry, American journalist and illustrator (d. 2006)
1940 – A. K. Antony, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Defence
1940 – Don Francisco, Chilean-American journalist and talk show host
1941 – Intikhab Alam, Indian-Pakistani cricketer and coach
1942 – Roger Swerts, Belgian cyclist
1943 – Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, Peruvian cardinal
1943 – David Peterson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Premier of Ontario
1943 – Joan Ruddock, Welsh politician
1944 – Sandra Faber, American astronomer and academic
1944 – Johnny Isakson, American sergeant and politician (d. 2021)
1944 – Kary Mullis, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
1944 – Gordon Taylor, English footballer
1945 – Birendra, King of Nepal (d. 2001)
1945 – Max Hastings, English journalist, historian, and author
1946 – Mike Beebe, American lawyer and politician, 45th Governor of Arkansas
1946 – Pierre Falardeau, Canadian director, screenwriter, and activist (d. 2009)
1946 – Hubert Green, American golfer (d. 2018)
1946 – Tim Johnson, American lawyer and politician (d. 2024)
1946 – Barbara, Lady Judge, American-English lawyer and businesswoman (d. 2020)
1946 – Bill Lee, American baseball player and author
1946 – Laffit Pincay Jr., Panamanian jockey
1946 – Edgar Winter, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
1947 – Dick Diamonde, Dutch-Australian rock bass player (d. 2024)
1947 – Aurelio Rodríguez, Mexican baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2000)
1948 – Ziggy Modeliste, American drummer
1950 – Alex Chilton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)
1950 – Clifford Cocks, English mathematician and cryptographer
1950 – Rainer Maria Latzke, German-American painter and academic
1952 – Arun Jaitley, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Indian Minister of Law and Justice (d. 2019)
1952 – Bridget Prentice, Scottish educator and politician
1953 – Richard Clayderman, French pianist
1953 – Tatsumi Fujinami, Japanese wrestler and promoter, founded Dradition wrestling promotion
1953 – Charlie Pierce, American journalist and author
1953 – Martha Wash, American singer-songwriter
1954 – Gayle King, American television journalist
1954 – Denzel Washington, American actor, director, and producer
1954 – Tony Ables, American serial killer
1955 – Stephen Frost, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
1955 – Liu Xiaobo, Chinese author, academic, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2017)
1956 – Nigel Kennedy, English violinist
1958 – Terry Butcher, English footballer and manager
1958 – Curt Byrum, American golfer
1958 – Zoran Gajić, Serbian volleyball trainer
1959 – Hansjörg Kunze, German runner and sportscaster
1959 – Daniel Léo Simpson, American composer
1959 – Ana Torroja, Spanish singer-songwriter
1960 – Ray Bourque, Canadian ice hockey player
1960 – John Fitzgerald, Australian tennis player, coach, and sportscaster
1960 – Chad McQueen, American actor and race car driver (d. 2024)
1960 – Melvin Turpin, American basketball player (d. 2010)
1961 – Kent Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager
1962 – Michel Petrucciani, French jazz pianist (d. 1999)
1964 – Tex Perkins, Australian singer-songwriter
1964 – Maite Zúñiga, Spanish runner
1965 – Allar Levandi, Estonian skier
1967 – Chris Ware, American illustrator
1968 – Akihiko Hoshide, Japanese engineer and astronaut
1969 – Linus Torvalds, Finnish-American computer programmer, developed Linux kernel
1970 – Elaine Hendrix, American actress
1970 – James Jett, American sprinter and football player
1970 – Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Dutch tennis player
1971 – Benny Agbayani, American baseball player
1971 – Sergi Barjuán, Spanish footballer and manager
1971 – Anita Doth, Dutch singer-songwriter
1971 – William Gates, American basketball player
1972 – Roberto Palacios, Peruvian footballer
1972 – Patrick Rafter, Australian-Bermudian tennis player and model
1972 – Adam Vinatieri, American football player
1973 – Holger Blume, German sprinter
1973 – Marc Blume, German sprinter
1973 – Seth Meyers, American actor, producer, screenwriter, and talk show host
1973 – Ids Postma, Dutch speed skater
1974 – Jocelyn Enriquez, American singer
1974 – Rob Niedermayer, Canadian ice hockey player
1974 – Markus Weinzierl, German footballer and manager
1975 – B. J. Ryan, American baseball player
1976 – Brendan Hines, American actor and singer
1976 – Joe Manganiello, American actor
1976 – Trond Nymark, Norwegian race walker
1976 – Ben Tune, Australian rugby player
1976 – Igor Žiković, Croatian footballer
1977 – Derrick Brew, American sprinter
1977 – Shane Elford, Australian rugby league player
1977 – Vanessa Ferlito, American actress
1977 – Seun Ogunkoya, Nigerian sprinter
1978 – Chris Coyne, Australian footballer and manager
1978 – John Legend, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor
1979 – James Blake, American tennis player
1979 – Senna Gammour, German singer-songwriter
1979 – Bill Hall, American baseball player
1979 – Zach Hill, American musician and artist
1979 – André Holland, American actor
1979 – Noomi Rapace, Swedish actress
1980 – Lomana LuaLua, Congolese footballer
1980 – Ryta Turava, Belarusian race walker
1981 – Khalid Boulahrouz, Dutch footballer
1981 – Elizabeth Jordan Carr, American journalist
1981 – Sienna Miller, American-British actress and fashion designer
1981 – David Moss, American ice hockey player
1981 – Narsha, South Korean singer and dancer
1981 – Frank Turner, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1981 – Mika Väyrynen, Finnish footballer
1982 – Cedric Benson, American football player (d. 2019)
1982 – Beau Garrett, American actress and model
1982 – François Gourmet, Belgian decathlete
1982 – Curtis Glencross, Canadian hockey player
1984 – Martin Kaymer, German golfer
1984 – Duane Solomon, American runner
1986 – Tom Huddlestone, English footballer
1987 – Thomas Dekker, American actor and musician
1989 – Austin Barnes, American baseball player
1989 – Mackenzie Rosman, American actress
1990 – Ayele Abshero, Ethiopian runner
1990 – David Archuleta, American singer
1990 – John Henson, American basketball player
1990 – Bastiaan Lijesen, Dutch swimmer
1992 – Tomáš Jurčo, Slovak ice hockey player
1994 – Adam Peaty, English swimmer
1995 – Dylan Cease, American baseball player
2001 – Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Canadian actress (Full article...)

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