- 1454 Poliziano, Florentine humanist (d. 1494)
- 1486 Andrea del Sarto, Italian painter (Recollets), born in Florence (d. 1530)
- 1602 Jules Mazarin, Italian cardinal, diplomat and Chief Minister of France (1642-61), Pescina, Abruzzo Ultra, Kingdom of Naples (d. 1661)
- 1608 George Goring, Lord Goring, English royalist soldier (d. 1657)
- 1610 Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1670)
- 1634 Pasquier Quesnel, French Jansenist theologian (d. 1719)
- 1671 Jacques D'Allonville, French astronomer and mathematician (d. 1732)
- 1675 Claude Alexandre de Bonneval, French soldier who served the Ottoman Empire and converted to Islam (d. 1747)
- 1676 Caspar Abel, German theologian, historian, and poet (d. 1763)
- 1696 William Oldys, English antiquarian and bibliographer (d. 1761)
- 1707 Jacques-Philippe Lamoninary, French composer and violinist, born in Maroilles, France (d. 1802)
- 1721 John Douglas, Scottish Anglican bishop and man of letters (d. 1807)
- 1743 Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, Russian poet and statesman, born in the Kazan Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1816)
- 1756 Thomas Rowlandson, English painter, cartoonist and etcher, born in London, England (d. 1827)
- 1762 Joseph Lakanal, French Politician and Educator, born in Serres Ariège, France (d. 1845)
- 1785 Mordecai Manuel Noah, American playwright, writer and journalist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1851)
- 1794 John Gibson Lockhart [Scorpion], Scottish biographer (Life of Sir Walter Scott), born in Lanarkshire, Scotland (d. 1854)
- 1801 Johannes Peter Müller, German physiologist (d. 1858)
- 1804 Ludwig von Benedek, Hungarian born Austrian general (battle of Königgrätz), born in Sopron, Kingdom of Hungary Empire (d. 1881)
- 1816 Arthur de Gobineau, French philosopher (d. 1882)
- 1818 Nathaniel Lyon, American Brigadier General (Union Army), 1st Union General to die in battle, born in Ashford, Connecticut (d. 1861)
- 1830 Richard Henry Jackson, Irish-American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Kinnegad County, Westmeath, Ireland (d. 1892)
- 1831 William Dwight, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 1888)
- 1839 (Edward) Sydney Smith, British pianist and composer, born in Dorchester, England (d. 1889)
- 1854 Alexander Kopylov, Russian imperial composer and violinist, born in Saint Petersburg, Russia (d. 1911)
- 1855 Richard Samuel Hughes, Welsh composer and pianist, born in Aberystwyth, Wales (d. 1893)
- 1857 Frederick Louis Maytag, American businessman, head of Maytag, born in Elgin, Illinois (d. 1937)
- 1859 Willy Hess, German violinist, born in Mannheim, Grand Duchy of Baden (now Germany) (d. 1939)
- 1862 Florence Bascom, American geologist and 1st woman hired by the US Geological Survey, born in Williamstown, Massachusetts (d. 1945)
- 1862 Gustav Klimt, Austrian Symbolist painter (The Kiss), born in Baumgarten, Austria-Hungary (d. 1918)
- 1865 Annie Jones, American bearded lady (appeared in P. T. Barnum circus), born in Marion, Virginia (d. 1902)
Gertrude Bell (1868-1926)
British archaeologist (Desert & The Sown), born in Washington Hall, County Durham, England
- 1869 Owen Wister, American novelist 'Father of the Western' (The Virginian), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1938)
- 1874 Abbas Hilmi II, last khedive (Ottoman viceroy) of Egypt (1892-1914), born in Alexandria, Egypt (d. 1944)
- 1874 Andre-Louis Debierne, French chemist and physicist (discoverer of actinium element, worked with Marie Curie), born in Paris, France (d. 1949)
- 1878 Donald Meek, Scottish-American stage and screen actor (You Can't Take It With You; Stagecoach), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 1946)
- 1883 Alexandru Zirra, Romanian composer (On the Plain of Moldova), and pedagogue (Treaty of Harmony), born in Roman, Romania (d. 1946)
- 1885 Sisavang Vong, King of Laos (1904-59), born in Luang Phrabang (d. 1959)
Ante Pavelić (1889-1959)
Croatian leader of Nazi Germany puppet Independent State of Croatia, born in Bradina, Austria-Hungary
- 1890 Ossip Zadkine [Zadkin], Russian French sculptor (Destroyed City), born in Vitsebsk, Russian Empire (d. 1967)
- 1891 Henry Oscar, English stage and film actor (Saint in London), born in London (d. 1969)
- 1893 Clarence J. Brown, American newspaper publisher and politician (US Rep-R-Ohio 1939-65), born in Blanchester, Ohio (d. 1965)
- 1893 John G. Strijdom, South African politician and nationalist, Prime Minister of South-Africa (1954-58), born in Willowmore, Cape Colony (d. 1958)
- 1893 Spencer Williams, American director, writer and actor (The Amos 'n' Andy Show), born in Vidalia, Louisiana (d. 1969)
- 1895 Frank Raymond [F.R.] Leavis, British literary critic (Culture & Environment), born in Cambridge, England (d. 1978)
- 1896 Buenaventura Durruti, Spanish anarchist involved in the Spanish Revolution, born in León, Spain (d. 1936)
- 1898 A. B. "Happy" Chandler, American Baseball HOF executive (MLB Commissioner 1945-51) and politician (44th & 49th Governor Kentucky), born in Corydon, Kentucky (d. 1991)
- 1898 Ivan Triesault [Johann Constantin Treisalt], Russian actor (Cry of the Werewolf, Black Parachute), born in Reval, Russian Empire (d. 1980)
- 1901 George Tobias, American actor (Bewitched), born in NYC, New York (d. 1980)
- 1901 Gerald Finzi, British composer (Dies natalis), born in London, England (d. 1956)
- 1902 Paul Guilfoyle, American actor and director (White Heat, Cyrano de Bergerac), born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 1961)
- 1902 Truman J. Hedding, US vice-admiral (WWII) (d. 1995)
- 1903 Irving Stone, American author (Love is Eternal, Lust for Life), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1989)
- 1903 Ken Murray, American comedian (Ken Murray Show, Judy Garland Show) and actor (Bill and Coo, Crooner), born in NYC, New York (d. 1988)
- 1904 Richard Clarkson, British aeronautical engineer (Hawker Siddeley - Trident wing), born in London, England (d. 1996)
- 1906 Arthur Hutchings, English composer and musicologist, born in Sunbury-on-Thames, England (d. 1989)
- 1906 Tom Carvel, Greek born American ice cream mogul (Carvels), born in Athens, Greece (d. 1990)
- 1907 (Henry) "Rubberlegs" Williams, American vaudeville dancer, and blues and jazz singer, born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 1962)
- 1907 Annabella [Suzanne G Charpentier], French actress (Dinner at Ritz), born in Paris, France (d. 1996)
- 1908 Chaim Raphael, English Jewish scholar and novelist, born in Middlesbrough (d. 1994)
- 1910 Peter Stadlen, Austrian pianist and critic, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1996)
William Hanna (1910-2001)
American animator (Tom and Jerry, Scooby Doo) and founder of studio Hanna-Barbera, born in Melrose, New Mexico
- 1911 Bill Blair, American auto racer (NASCAR pioneer; 54 top-10 finishes), born in High Point, North Carolina (d. 1995)
- 1911 Terry-Thomas [Thomas Terry Hoar-Stevens], English comedian and actor (I'm All Right Jack, Private's Progress), born in London (d. 1990)
- 1912 Northrop Frye, Canadian literary critic (d. 1991)
Woody Guthrie (1912-1967)
American folk singer-songwriter ("This Land Is Your Land"), peace activist, and father of Arlo, born in Okemah, Oklahoma
- 1913 Fritz Erler, German socialist politician (SDP), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1967)
Gerald Ford (1913-2006)
38th US President (R: 1974-77) and 41st US Vice President (R: 1973-74), born in Omaha, Nebraska
- 1916 Claude Harmon, American golfer (US Masters 1948), born in Savannah, Georgia (d. 1989)
- 1916 Natalia Ginzburg, Italian author (Family dictionary), born in Palermo, Italy (d. 1991)
- 1917 Arthur Leavins, English violinist and concertmaster (Royal Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra) born in Leicester, England (d. 1995)
Ben Enwonwu (1917-1994)
Nigerian painter (Portrait of Tutu), born in Onitsha, Nigeria
- 1917 Douglas Edwards, American newscaster (CBS Evening News, FYI), born in Alda, Oklahoma (d. 1990)
- 1918 Arthur Laurents, American playwright (West Side Story; Gypsy), and screenwriter (Rope; Anastasia), born in NYC, New York (d. 2011)
Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007)
Swedish stage and film director (Cries & Whispers), born in Uppsala, Sweden
- 1918 Jay Forrester, Engineer, invented random-access magnetic core memory, born near Anselmo, Nebraska (d. 2016)
- 1919 Angiolino "Lino" Ventura, Italian actor (Happy New Year, Pain in the A--), born in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy (d. 1987)
- 1920 Marijohn Wilkin, American songwriter ("One Day At A Time"), born in Kemp, Texas (d. 2006)
- 1921 Geoffrey Wilkinson, English chemist (1973 Nobel Prize - organometallic compounds), born in Todmorden, England (d. 1996)
- 1921 Leon Garfield, English children's author (Devil-in-the-Fog), born in Brighton, England (d. 1996)
- 1921 Sixto Durán Ballén, Ecuadorian politician, President of Ecuador (1992-96), born in Boston, America (d. 2016)
- 1922 Elfriede Rinkel, Nazi concentration camp guard (d. 2018)
- 1922 Käbi Laretei, Estonian-Swedish concert pianist, born in Tartu, Estonia (d. 2014)
- 1922 Peter Tranchell, British composer, born in Cuddalore, British India (d. 1993)
- 1922 Robin Olds, American World War II and Vietnam War ace fighter pilot (d. 2007)
- 1923 Dale Robertson, American actor (Death Valley Days, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Iron Horse), born in Harrah, Oklahoma (d. 2013)
- 1923 Frances Lear, American Woman's magazine publisher (Lears), born in Larchmont, New York (1995)
- 1923 Willie Steele, American athlete (Olympic gold long jump 1948), born in El Centro, California (d. 1989)
- 1925 Luis Antonio Escobar, Colombian composer and musicologist, born in Villapinzón, Cundinamarca, Colombia( d. 1993)
Harry Dean Stanton (1926-2017)
American actor (Lucky: Alien; Cool Hand Luke; The Godfather Part II), musician, and singer, born in West Irvine, Kentucky
- 1926 Jan Krenz, Polish conductor and composer, born in Włocławku, Poland (d. 2020)
- 1927 John Chancellor, American news anchor (NBC, VOA), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1996)
- 1928 Elizabeth Jane Lloyd, English artist and teacher, born in London, England (d. 1995)
- 1928 Nancy Olson, American actress (Absent-Minded Professor, Pollyanna), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- 1928 Ole Schmidt, Danish composer and conductor, born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2010)
- 1928 Pierre Olaf [Trivier], French actor (Camelot, Don't Drink the Water, Kraft Music Hall), born in Caudéran, Bordeaux (d. 1995)
- 1929 Alan Dawson, American jazz drummer and teacher (Berklee, 1957-75), born in Marietta, Pennsylvania (d. 1996)
- 1930 Eric Norman Stokes, American composer (The Jealous Cellist; Tintinnabulary), born in Haddon Heights, New Jersey (d. 1999)
- 1930 Polly Bergen [Nellie Burgin], American actress, singer, television host, and writer (Winds of War; The Helen Morgan Story), born in Knoxville, Tennessee (d. 2014)
- 1931 Donald Eugene Webb, American murderer (record length on FBI Most Wanted List), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (d. 1999)
- 1931 Sir Robert Stephens, British actor (Uncle Kurt-Holocaust, Chaplin, QB VII, Cleopatra), born in Bristol, England (d. 1995)
- 1932 Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier, American actor, minister, and former professional American football player (Pennsylvania State University), born in Cuthbert, Georgia
- 1933 Del Reeves, American country music singer and guitarist, born in Sparta, North Carolina (d. 2007)
- 1933 Robert Bourassa, Canadian politician, Prime Minister of Quebec province (1970-76, 85-93), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1996)
- 1934 Lee Elder, American golfer (first African-American to play in the US Masters; 4 PGA Tour titles), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 2021)
- 1934 Lee Friedlander, American portrait, and 'social landscape' photographer, and album cover artist (John Coltrane, Peggy Lee, Miles Davis, Mose Allison), born in Aberdeen, Washington
- 1934 Leo Koury, American murderer (FBI Most Wanted List), born in Pittburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1991)
- 1934 Marlene Matthews, Australian sprinter (Olympics 2 bronze-1956), born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- 1934 Trevor Fancutt, South African tennis player (Australian C'ships mixed doubles [Jan Lehane]), born in Kokstad, South Africa (d. 2022)
- 1936 Gloria Lambert, American singer (Sing Along With Mitch), born in Worcester, Massachusetts (d. 2013)
- 1936 Robert F. Overmyer, American USMC Colonel, and NASA astronaut (STS-5; STS-51-B), born in Lorain, Ohio (d. 1996)
- 1937 Duncan MacKay, Scottish soccer defender (14 caps; Celtic 162 games), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2019)
- 1937 Yoshirō Mori, Japanese politician, Prime Minister of Japan (2000-01), born in Nomi, Japan
- 1938 Bob Scholl, American doo-wop vocalist (Mello-Kings - "Tonite, Tonite"), born in Mount Vernon, New York (d. 1975)
- 1938 Jerry Rubin, American activist (Chicago 7), stockbroker, born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1994)
- 1938 Moshe Safdie, Israel-Canadian-American architect (National Gallery of Canada), born in Haifa, British Palestine
- 1938 Tommy Vig, Hungarian jazz, session, and classical percussionist, drummer, and marimba player, arranger, and composer, born in Budapest, Hungary
- 1939 George E. Slusser, American scholar, writer and Sci-Fic critic, born in San Francisco, California (d. 2014)
- 1939 Karel Gott, Czech singer 'Sinatra of the East', born in Pilsen, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (d. 2019)
- 1939 Ljubisa Beara, Bosnian general convicted of overseeing Srebrenica Massacre, born in Sarajevo (d. 2017)
- 1939 Sid Haig [Sidney Mosesian], American actor (House of 1000 Corpses, Jason of Star Command), born in Fresno, California
- 1940 Susan Howatch, English author, born in Leatherhead, England
- 1941 Andreas Khol, Austrian politician, born in Bergen auf Rügen, Germany
- 1941 Maulana Karenga, American author and activist, born in Parsonburg, Maryland
- 1941 Tatyana Kuznetsova, Soviet cosmonaut (youngest person selected for space training at 20 but never flew), born in Moscow, Soviet Union (d. 2018)
- 1942 Javier Solana, Spanish European Union foreign policy chief
- 1943 Harold Wheeler, American pianist, music director, composer, and orchestrator, born in St. Louis, Missouri
- 1943 Lynn Loring, American actress (Patty-Fair Exchange, Barbara-FBI), born in NYC, New York
- 1945 Jim Gordon, American drummer, studio musician (Derek and the Dominos), and murderer, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2023) [1] [2]
- 1945 Maxine Waters (Williard), American jazz (The Waters), and session vocalist (Thriller; The Bodyguard), born in Beaumont, Texas
- 1945 Peter Klatzow, South African pianist, composer (Inyanga; Still-life with Moonbeams), and educator, born in Springs, Transvaal, Union of South Africa (d. 2021)
- 1946 John Wood, Australian actor (Blue Heelers), born in Melbourne, Australia
- 1946 Maureen O'Connor, American politician, first female Mayor of San Diego, born in San Diego, California
- 1946 Nick Benedict, American actor (Days of Our Lives, 1993-2001 - "Curtis"; The Pistol: Birth of a Legend; All My Children - "Phillip"), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2023)
- 1947 Claudia Kennedy, U.S. Army officer (first female three star general in US army), born in Frankfurt, Germany
- 1947 Steve Stone, American sportscaster (Monday Night Baseball), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- 1948 Akua Dixon, American jazz cellist, arranger, composer, and educator (Quartette Indigo), born in New York City
- 1948 Ken Burrough, American football wide receiver (Pro Bowl 1975, 77; Houston Oilers), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2022)
- 1949 Niel Barnard, South African head of South Africa secret service (NIS), born in Otjiwarongo, South-West Africa
- 1949 Tommy Mottola, American music executive (Sony/Columbia Records; Casablanca Records), husband of Mariah Carey (1993-98), born in The Bronx, New York
- 1950 Andy Newmark, American session and touring drummer (Carly Simon, Sly and the Family Stone; George Harrison; Rod Stewart; John Lennon; Roxy Music; Bryan Ferry; David Gilmour), born in Port Chester, New York
- 1950 Bruce Oldfield, British fashion designer
- 1950 Mario Osbén, Chilean soccer goalkeeper (36 caps; Unión Española, Colo Colo, Cobreloa), born in Chiguayante, Chile (d. 2021)
- 1951 Erich Hallhuber, German actor (d. 2003)
- 1951 Esther Dyson, computer publisher (Release 1.0), born in Zurich, Switzerland
- 1951 Judi Brown, American 400m hurdler (Olympic silver 1984), born in East Lansing, Michigan
- 1952 Bob Casale, (aka Bob 2), American new wave rock musician (Devo - "Whip It!"), and record producer, born in Kent, Ohio (d. 2014)
- 1952 Eric Laneuville, American actor (Larry-Room 222, St Elsewhere), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- 1952 Franklin Graham, American evangelist, son of Billy Graham, born in Asheville, North Carolina
- 1952 George E. Lewis, American trombonist avant-garde jazz, electronic and contemporary classical composer, born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1952 Jerry Houser, American actor (Slapshot, Summer of '42, Class of '44), born in Los Angeles, California
- 1952 Joel Silver, American producer (Warriors, Xanadu, Die Hard), born in South Orange, New Jersey
- 1952 Sheila Oliver, American politician (Lt. Governor of New Jersey, 2018-23; Member of NJ State Assembly, 2004-18), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2023)
- 1952 Stan Shaw, American actor (Mississippi, Roots Next Generation), born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1953 Bebe Buell [Beverle Lorence], American model, singer, and Playboy playmate (Nov 1974), born in Portsmouth, Virginia
- 1954 Jos Zoomer, Dutch rock drummer (Vandenberg), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1954 R. Sarathkumar, Indian actor (Nattamai), director and politician, born in New Delhi, India
- 1955 L. Brent Bozell, American author and activist
- 1955 Matthew Seligman, British studio and touring new wave rock bassist (Robyn Hitchcock; Thompson Twins; Thomas Dolby), born in Pentageia, Cyprus (d. 2020)
- 1955 Sándor Puhl, Hungarian soccer referee (1994 FIFA World Cup Final; 1997 UEFA Champions League Final; IFFHS World's Best Referee 1994-97), born in Miskolc, Hungary (d. 2021)
- 1956 Bob Birch, American musician (Elton John), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2012)
- 1956 Vladimir Kulich, Czech actor
- 1957 Peter Webb, NZ cricketer (batsman against West Indies 1980)
- 1958 Anne Hegerty, British TV quiz show host (The Chaser), born in London, England
- 1958 Joe Keenan, American Emmy Award-winning screenwriter, television producer (Fraiser), playwright (The Times), and novelist (Putting On The Ritz), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 1959 Susana Martinez, American politician (Governor of New Mexico) 1st female Hispanic US governor, born in El Paso, Texas
- 1960 Angélique Kidjo, Beninese singer-songwriter ("Djin, Djin"; "Eve"; "IFÉ"), and human rights activist, born in Ouidah, Republic of Dahomey (now Benin)
- 1960 Anna Bligh, Australian politician, 1st woman Premier of Queensland (2007-12), born in Warwick, Australia
Jane Lynch (63 years old)
1960 American actress (Best In Show; Glee; Two and a Half Men; Criminal Minds), singer, and comedian, born in Evergreen Park, Illinois
- 1960 Ray Herndon, American guitarist (Lyle Lovett's Large Band), and country singer-songwriter (McBride & Ride - "Can I Count On You"), born in Scottsdale, Arizona
- 1961 Jackie Earle Haley, American actor (Breaking Away), born in Northridge, California
- 1962 Diane Ratnik, Canadian volleyball setter (Olympics 1992, 1996), born in Toronto, Ontario
- 1962 Jeff Olson, American heavy metal drummer and keyboardist, born in Wareham, Massachusetts
- 1963 Phil Rosenthal, American newspaper columnist (Chicago Tribune), born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1964 Barbara Chiu, Canada table tennis player (Olympic 33-92, 96), born in Guangzhou, China
- 1964 Brett Ogle, Australian golfer, broadcaster (2 PGA Tour titles; Fox Sports), born in Sydney, NSW
- 1964 Mike Morasky, American video game music composer, visual effects artist, and punk rock guitarist (Steel Pole Bath Tub), born in Detroit, Michigan
- 1965 Reina Olea, American female jockey, born in Compton, California
- 1966 Brian Selznick, American author and illustrator (The Invention of Hugo Cabret), born in East Brunswick Township, New Jersey
- 1966 D. J. Johnson, American NFL cornerback (Atlanta Falcons), born in Louisville, Kentucky
- 1966 Ellen Reid, Canadian keyboard and accordion player (Crash Test Dummies - "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm"), born in Selkirk, Manitoba
- 1966 Matthew Fox, American actor (Party of 5, Lost), born in Abington, Pennsylvania
- 1966 Tayna Donelly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Throwing Muses; Belly), born in Newport, Rhode Island
- 1967 Hashan Tillekeratne, Sri Lankan cricketer (Sri Lanka wicket-keeper/batsman)
- 1967 Leonardo Lavalle, Mexican tennis star
- 1967 Patrick J. Kennedy, American politician (Rep-D-Rhode Island 1995-2011), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- 1967 Robin Ventura, American infielder (Chicago White Sox), born in Santa Maria, California
- 1968 Kazushi Sakuraba, Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, Shōwa, Akita, Japan
- 1969 Jose Hernandez, Puerto Rican infielder (Chicago Cubs), born in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
- 1970 Mark Brandenburg, American baseball pitcher (Texas Rangers), born in Houston, Texas
- 1970 Mark Strickland, American NBA forward (Miami Heat), born in Atlanta, Georgia
- 1970 Missy Gold, American actress (Katie-Benson), born in Great Falls, Montana
- 1970 Thomas Lauderdale, American musician (Pink Martini), born in Oakland, California
- 1971 Bubba Ray Dudley [Mark LoMonaco], American professional wrestler (WWF, WWE), born in New York City
- 1971 Joey Styles, American wrestling commentator (WWE), born in The Bronx, New York
- 1971 Marie-Chantal Toupin, French Canadian pop singer, born in Montreal, Quebec
- 1972 Deborah Mailman, Australian actress (The Secret Life of Us, Offspring), born in Mount Isa, Australia
- 1973 Adam Quinn, American traditional and Celtic-fusion bagpiper, composer (Lucid Druid), and teacher, born in Clearwater, Florida
- 1973 Candela Peña, Spanish actress (Take My Eyes), born in Gavà, Spain
- 1973 Halil Mutlu, Bulgarian-Turkish weightlifter (5X World Champion; Olympics - gold, 1996, 2000 & 2004), born in Postnik, Bulgaria