- 1081 Henry V, King of Germany (1099-1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (1111-1125), born in Goslar, Saxony (d. 1125) [or born 1086]
- 1467 Mary of York, English princess (d. 1482)
- 1600 Paul Hallmann, German composer, born in Friedland, Silesia (now Frýdlant, Czech Republic) (d. 1650)
- 1613 Cristoph Kaldenbach, Prussian poet, born in Schwiebus, Prussia (now Świebodzin, Poland) (d. 1698)
- 1635 Thomas Betterton, British actor and dramatist (Coriolanus), born in London, England (d. 1710)
- 1667 Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, last of the Medicis (d. 1743)
- 1673 Richard Mead, physician, born in London, England
- 1718 Sir Frederick Haldimand, Swiss-born British colonial governor (d. 1791)
- 1720 Martin Gerbert, German composer, music historian and Benedictine abbot, born in Horb am Neckar, Duchy of Württemberg (now Germany) (d. 1793)
- 1722 Richard Brocklesby, English physician (d. 1797)
- 1737 Joseph Nollekins, sculptor, born in London, England
- 1744 Johann Gottlieb Schwencke, German bassoonist, born in Breitenau, Saxony (now Germany) (d. 1823)
- 1748 Joseph Schuster, German composer, born in DresdenSaxony (now Germany) (d. 1812)
- 1772 Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount/general
- 1778 Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, German educator and founder of the turnverein (gymnastics) movement, born in Lanz, Brandenburg, Prussia (d. 1852)
- 1794 James Barton Longacre, American engraver (d. 1869)
- 1799 Joachim de Barrande, French paleontologist/geologist
- 1805 Pieter J Elout van Soeterwoude, Dutch judge/member of parliament
- 1807 David Rice Atchison, American politician (not President of the United States for a day on March 4, 1849), born in Lexington, Kentucky (d. 1886) [1]
- 1811 Judah P Benjamin, US lawyer/minister of Confederacy navy [or Aug 6]
- 1823 Charlotte Mary Yonge, England, writer (Heir of Redclyffe)
- 1828 Edward Saloman, American politician, Governor of Wisconsin (1862-64), born in Ströbeck, Prussian Saxony (d. 1909)
- 1832 Thomas Ogden Osbord, American lawyer, diplomat and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Licking County, Ohio (d. 1904)
- 1833 Kido Takayoshi, Japanese politician (d. 1877)
- 1833 Robert Green Ingersoll, NY, author/politician/agnostic (Att Gen-R-Ill)
- 1836 Cato M. Guldberg, Norwegian mathematician and chemist (law of mass action), born in Christiania, Norway (d. 1902)
- 1836 Warren Brown, American politician (d. 1919)
- 1837 Marie François Sadi Carnot, President of France (1887-94), born in Limoges, France (d. 1894)
- 1855 John Hodges, Australian cricket fast bowler (2 Tests [first 2 played], 6 wickets; Victoria), born in London, England (d. 1933)
Christiaan Eijkman (1858-1930)
Dutch physician and bacteriologist (Nobel Prize in Medicine 1929), born in Nijkerk, Netherlands
Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936)
Prime Minister of Greece (1910-15, 1917-20, 1924, 1928-32, 1933), born in Mournies, Chania, Crete, Ottoman Empire
- 1867 Hobart Bosworth, American actor (Woman of Affairs, Big Parade), born in Marietta, Ohio (d. 1943)
- 1867 Joseph M Weber, comedian/singer (Weber & Lewis Fields)
- 1870 Tom Richardson, England cricket fast bowler (14 Tests, 88 wickets, BB 8/94; Surrey CCC), born in Byfleet, England (d. 1912)
- 1870 Walter Bowman, Canadian soccer player (d. ?)
- 1872 Shidehara Kijuro, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1951)
- 1873 J. Rosamund Johnson, American composer ("Lift Every Voice And Sing"), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 1954)
- 1877 Adolph M. Christianson, justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court (d. 1954)
- 1880 Frederick Jerome Work, composer
- 1882 Rodolfo Graziani, Italian Marshal, fascist and Viceroy of Italian East Africa, born in Filettino, Italy (d. 1955)
- 1883 Ernst Stadler, German poet (Der Aufbruch), born in Colmar, Alsace-Lorraine (d. 1914)
- 1888 Owen Nares [Ramsay], British actor and manager (Maiden Erleigh), born in Maiden Erlegh, Berks, England (d. 1943)
- 1890 Erich Wichman, Dutch fascist painter/sculptor
- 1892 Archie Wiles, West Indian cricketer (d. 1957)
- 1892 Eiji Yoshikawa, Japanese novelist (d. 1962)
- 1892 Hugh MacDiarmid (Christopher Murray Grieve), Scotland, poet (Scots Unbound)
- 1892 Wladyslaw Anders, Polish army general (WWI and WWII), and politician (Parliament-in exile), born in Krośniewice–Błonie, Russian Empire (now Poland) (d. 1970)
- 1894 Wilhelm Grosz, composer
Enid Blyton (1897-1968)
English children's writer, fifth most popular author in the world (Famous Five, Secret Seven, The Adventure), born in London, England
- 1897 Louise Bogan, American poet and critic (Sleeping Fury), born in Maine (d. 1970)
- 1898 Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton, politician/trade unionist
- 1900 Alexander Mosolov, Soviet composer (Iron Foundry; Four Newspaper Advertisements; Signal), born in Kyiv, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) (d. 1973)
- 1900 Charles William Paddock, Texas, American athlete and 100m record breaker (Olympic-2 gold-1920) (d. 1943)
- 1900 Philip Phillips, American archaeologist focusing on the Lower Mississippi Valley, born in Buffalo, New York (d. 1994)
- 1902 Alfredo Binda, Italian road cyclist (first to win Giro d'Italia x 5; World Road Race C'ship 1927, 30, 32), born in Cittiglio, Italy (d. 1986)
- 1902 Christian Castries, French general (Dien Bien Phu)
- 1902 Lloyd Nolan, American actor (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Peyton Place), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1985)
- 1903 Michael Whalley Wickham, artist
- 1904 Jess Stacy, jazz pianist, born in Bird's Point, Missouri (d. 1995)
- 1905 Erwin Chargaff, Austrian biochemist (d. 2002)
- 1907 Ted à Beckett, Australian cricket fast bowler (4 Tests, 3 wickets; Victoria), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 1989)
- 1909 Gaston Gilbert Litaize, composer
- 1909 Hugo Buchthal, art historian
- 1909 Jean Lancaster, director (WRNS)
- 1910 Denis "Sonny" Moloney, New Zealand cricket all-rounder (3 Tests, 1 x 50; Otago, Wellington, Canterbury), born in Dunedin, New Zealand (d. 1942)
- 1911 Alphonse de Waelhens, Flemish philosopher (Psychosis)
- 1911 Benny Lee, entertainer
- 1911 Henry Kulky [Kulakowich], American actor (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Love Nest), born in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York (d. 1965)
- 1911 Prem Bhatia, journalist
- 1911 Ronald Batty, bookseller
- 1911 Thanom Kittikachorn, general/premier Thailand (1958..73)
- 1912 Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (d. 1954)
- 1913 Angus Wilson, English novelist and short story writer ("Anglo-Saxon Attitudes"; "The Middle Age of Mrs Eliot"), born in Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, England (d. 1991)
- 1913 Bob Scheffing, American professional baseball player and manager (d. 1985)
- 1913 Paul Dupuis, French Canadian actor (The Fortress; Passport to Pimlico), born in Montréal, Québec (d. 1976)
- 1914 José Silva, American parapsychologist (d. 1999)
- 1915 Jean Parker [Luise-Stephanie Zelinska], American actress (Beyond Tomorrow, Little Women), born in Butte, Montana (d. 2005)
- 1915 Kunio Toda, Japanese composer, born in Tokyo (d. 2003)
- 1916 Johnny Claes, Belgian racing driver (d. 1956)
- 1917 Dik Browne, cartoonist (Hi & Lois, Hagar the Horrible)
- 1919 Ginette Neveu, French violinist (d. 1949)
- 1919 June Hutton [Cowan], American pop vocalist (The Pied Pipers -"I'll Never Smile Again"; Afterglow), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1973)
- 1919 Luis Olmo, pioneering Puerto Rican NBA player (Brooklyn Dodgers), born in Arecibo (d. 2017)
- 1920 Chuck Rayner, Canadian Hockey HOF goaltender (Hart Memorial Trophy 1950; NHL All-Star 1949, 50, 51; New York Americans, New York Rangers), born in Sutherland, Saskatchewan (d. 2002)
- 1920 Derry Jeffares, Honorary Prof of English Studies (Stirling U)
- 1920 Mike Douglas [Dowd], American big band singer (Kay Kyser), and TV talk show host (The Mike Douglas Show, 1961-81), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2006)
- 1920 William Masselos, pianist/prof (Juilliard 1976), born in Niagara Falls, New York
Alex Haley (1921-1992)
American writer (Autobiography of Malcolm X, Roots), born in Ithaca, New York
- 1923 Stan Chambers, American television reporter
- 1924 Arlene Dahl, American actress (Journey to the Center of the Earth, Ambush, One Life To Live), TV panelist (What's My Line), and perfumer, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 2021)
- 1925 Carl Rowan, American syndicated journalist (Chicago Sun-Times, Washington bureau), and diplomat, born in Ravenscroft, Tennessee (d. 2000)
- 1925 Floyd Curry, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Stanley Cup 1953, 56-58; Montreal Canadiens), born in Chapleau, Ontario (d. 2006)
- 1925 Robert Linn, American classical composer and educator, born in San Francisco (d. 1999)
- 1926 Aaron Klug, Biochemist (Nobel prize for Chemistry 1982), born in Lithuanian (d. 2018)
- 1926 Bernard Ashley, English businessperson, fashion designer and co-founder of Laura Ashley, born in London (d. 2009)
- 1926 Claus Von Bulow, socialite accused of murdering his wife
- 1926 J R S Fincham, geneticist
- 1926 Johnny Van Derrick, British jazz violinist (Pink Panther Theme), born in Ealing, England (d. 1995)
- 1927 James Eaton, Lord-Lieutenant of the City of Londonderry
- 1927 Raymond Leppard, British-American harpsichordist, conductor (Indianapolis Symphony, 1987-2001; BBC Northern Symphony, 1973-80), and composer (Lord Of The Flies), born in London, England
- 1928 Bill Bartholomay, American businessman and MLB owner (Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves 1962-76), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2020)
- 1928 Richard Barratt, former Chief Inspector of Constabulary
- 1928 Stan Kesler, American session musician, songwriter and, record producer and songwriter (Sun Studio), born in Abbeville, Mississippi (d. 2020)
- 1929 Alun Hoddinott, Welsh composer (Floriture), born in Bargoed, Glamorganshire, Wales (d. 2008)
- 1929 Cora de Man-Canne Meyer, Dutch mezzo-soprano (Figaro, Carmen), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1930 Heinz Werner Zimmermann, composer
- 1930 Michael Quinlan, civil servant
- 1930 William A O'Neal, (Gov-D-Ct)
- 1931 Manabendra Mukhopadhyay, Bengali singer and composer (Ei Ganga ei Padda), born in Kolkata (d. 1992)
- 1932 Angela Rumbold, British politician (C), born in Bristol (d. 2010)
- 1932 Eric Varley, British politician and cabinet minister, born in Poolsbrook, Derbyshire (d. 2008)
- 1932 Fernando Arrabal, Spanish song/romance writer (Baal Babilonia)
- 1932 Geoffrey Cass, CEO (Cambridge U Press)
- 1932 Israel Asper, Canadian tax lawyer (d. 2003)
- 1932 John Gorrie, English director
- 1932 Sam McCluskie, trade unionist
- 1932 Wilson "Papa" Godett, Curacaos worker's union leader/boxer
- 1933 Jerry Falwell Sr., American TV evangelist (Moral Majority), born in Lynchburg, Virginia (d. 2007)
- 1933 Julian Oswald, British Admiral of the Fleet
- 1933 Justin Connolly, composer
- 1933 Tamas Vasary, pianist/conductor
- 1934 Bob Hepple, South African-born academic and master of Clare College Cambridge, (d. 2015)
- 1936 Bill Monbouquette, American MLB pitcher (3-time All Star, no-hitter 1962), born in Medford, Massachusetts (d. 2015)
- 1936 D V Day, Principal (St John's College, Durham U)
- 1936 J L Thompson, Bishop (Bath & Wells)
- 1937 Allegra Kent [Iris Cohen], American ballet dancer (New York City Ballet) and teacher, born in Santa Monica, California
- 1937 Anna Massey, English actress (De Sade, Doll's House), born in Thakeham, England (d. 2011)
- 1937 Barbara Smith Conrad, American operatic mezzo-soprano singer, and educator (Wagner Theater), born in Atlanta, Texas (d. 2017)
- 1937 Taki Theodoracopoulos, Greek-British journalist and multi-millionaire
- 1938 Branko Stanovnik, Slovenian chemist
- 1938 Charles Hugh Shirley, publisher
- 1938 Rainer Boesch, composer
- 1939 Attila Bozay, composer
- 1939 Ronnie Dawson, American rockabilly guitarist (Rockabilly Hall of Fame, 1998), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 2003) [1]
- 1940 Kip King, actor (Charlie & Company), born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1941 Elizabeth Holtzman, Bkln DA (D-Rep-NY, Watergate Committee)
- 1941 John Simon, American record producer (The Band), born in Norwalk, Connecticut
- 1941 Patricio Guzman, director/actor (Cruz del Sur, Moon over Parador)
- 1942 Mike Hugg, British rock drummer (Manfred Mann - "Mighty Quinn"), and film composer (Up The Junction), born in Gosport, Hampshire, England
- 1942 Otis Taylor, American football wide receiver (Super Bowl 1970 Kansas City Chiefs; First-team All-Pro & Pro Bowl 1971, 72), born in Houston, Texas (d. 2023)
- 1943 Abigail Folger, American heiress and Manson murder victim (d. 1969)
- 1943 Denis Payton, British rock saxophonist (Dave Clark Five - "Glad All Over"), born in London (d. 2006)
- 1943 James Kale, rocker (Guess Who)
- 1943 Kenny Gamble, American songwriter, and "Philadelphia Soul" producer, with Leon Huff (Billy Paul - "Me & Mrs Jones"; The O'Jays; Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1943 Krzysztof Meyer, Polish pianist, composer, and music scholar, born in Kraków, Poland
Pervez Musharraf (1943-2023)
Pakistani general and politician, 10th President of Pakistan (2001-2008), born in Delhi, British India
- 1944 David Pearl, British judge
- 1944 Ian McDiarmid, Scottish stage director, and stage and screen actor (Star Wars -"Palpatine"), born in Carnoustie, Scotland
- 1946 John Conlee, American country singer ("Common Man"), born in Versailles, Kentucky
- 1946 Marilyn Vos Savant, writer/world's highest IQ (228), born in St Louis, Missouri
- 1946 Michael Fonfara, Canadian rock and blues keyboard player (The Electric Flag; Lou Reed), born in Stevensville, Ontario
- 1947 Catherine Collard, French concert pianist (Schumann; Brahms), and teacher, born in Paris (d. 1993)
- 1947 Georgios Karatzaferis, Greek politician
- 1947 Sergey Kovalneko, USSR, basketball (Olympic bronze 1968)
- 1948 Don Boyd, Scottish director and producer (Goldeneye, 21, East of Elephant Rock), born in Nairn
- 1948 Jan Palach, Czech student protester (d. 1969)
- 1948 Rustam Akramov, Uzbek soccer coach (Uzbekistan 1992-94; India 1995-97), born in Yangibozor, Uzbekistan (d. 2022)
- 1949 Eric Carmen, rocker (All by Myself), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- 1949 Ian Charleson, actor (Gandhi, Chariots of Fire), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
- 1949 Sandra Scheuer, American student, killed by soldiers of the Ohio Army National Guard at Kent State University while protesting against US military, born in Youngstown, Ohio (d. 1970)
- 1949 Tim Hutchinson, American politician (Rep-R-Arkansas 1997-2003), born in Bentonville, Arkansas
- 1950 Erik Brann [Braunn], American violin prodigy and rock guitarist (Iron Butterfly - "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"), born in Pekin, Illinois (d. 2003)
- 1950 Gennidy Nikonov, Russian weapons inventor
- 1950 Glenn Jarrett, American auto racer (67 x NASCAR starts) and broadcaster (TNN, Speed Channel. MRN), born in Conover, North Carolina
Steve Wozniak (72 years old)
1950 American pioneer of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s and co-founder of Apple Computer, born in San Jose, California
Hulk Hogan (69 years old)
1953 WWF heavyweight champion (1984-89), born in Augusta, Georgia
- 1953 Sanford Jensen, American actor (Foley Square), born in South Haven, Michigan
- 1954 (David Ian) "Joe" Jackson, British singer-songwriter, and pianist ("Is She Really Going Out with Him?"; "Steppin' Out"), born in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England
- 1954 Juan Maria Solare, Argentine composer
- 1954 Lina Polito, actress (Love & Anarchy), born in Naples, Italy
- 1954 M V Narasimha Rao, Indian cricketer (leg-spin all-rounder 1978-79), born in Secunderabad, India
- 1954 Sinan Savaskan, Turkish-British contemporary classical music composer and educator (The Age of Analysis; Octandre Ensemble), born in Istanbul, Turkey
- 1954 Yashpal Sharma, Indian cricket batsman (37 Tests; 2 x 100s; 42 ODIs), born in Ludhiana, Punjab, India (d. 2021)
- 1955 Marc Bureau, French Canadian politician
- 1955 Norio Honaga, wrestler (NJPW)
- 1955 Sylvia Hermon, British politician
- 1956 June Daugherty, American women's college basketball coach (Boise State Uni, Uni of Washington, Washington State University), born in Columbus, Ohio (d. 2021)
- 1956 Pierre-Louis Lions, French mathematician
- 1957 Masayoshi Son, Korean-Japanese chief executive of SoftBank Mobile and chairman of Sprint Corporation, born in Tosu, Saga
- 1957 Richie Ramone [Richard Reinhardt], American rock drummer (Ramones), born in Passaic, New Jersey
- 1957 Ross Halfin, British rock and heavy metal concert tour and portrait photographer, born in london, England
- 1958 Cordelia Gonzalez, actress (La Gran Fiesta), born in San Juan Puerto Rico
- 1959 Gustavo Cerati, Argentinian musician (Soda Stereo)
- 1959 Martin Smolka, Czech contemporary classical composer (Observing the Heavens; Annunciation), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia
- 1959 Yoshiaki Murakami, Japanese investor
- 1960 Leora "Sam" Jones, American US team handball player (Olympic-92), born in Mt. Olive, North Carolina
- 1961 Craig Ehlo, NBA guard (Atlanta Hawks)
- 1961 Frederick W Sturckow, USMC capt/astronaut (sk: STS 88), born in La Mesa, California
- 1962 Jonathan Hayes, American NFL tight end and coach (KC Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers), born in South Fayette Township, Pennsylvania
- 1962 Uvais Karnain, cricketer (Sri Lankan ODI bowler in mid 1980's)
- 1963 Mike Huff, outfielder (Toronto Blue Jays), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- 1963 Thornetta Davis, American blues singer, born in Detroit, Michigan
- 1964 Hamish Seelochan, British R&B and pop vocalist (The Pasedenas - "Riding on the Train"), born in England [some source cite birthday as May 19]
Year of the Rat
Year of the Ox
Year of the Tiger
Year of the Rabbit
Year of the Dragon
Year of the Snake