On This Day

Famous Birthdays on March 16

  • 1338 Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick (d. 1401)
  • 1445 Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg, Swiss-born preacher (d. 1510)
  • 1473 Henry IV the Pious, Duke of Saxony (d. 1541)
  • 1581 Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Dutch historian and writer (d. 1647)
  • 1585 Gerbrant A Bredero, Dutch poet and playwright (Klucht van de Koe), born in Amsterdam, Dutch Republic (d. 1618)
  • 1609 Michael Franck, German composer, poet. and baker, born in Schleusingen, Electorate of Saxony (now Germany) (d. 1667) [1]
  • 1631 René Le Bossu, French critic (d. 1680)
  • 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)
  • 1651 Zaccaria Tevo, Italian Franciscan friar and composer, born in Piove di Sacco (d. after May 1709)
  • 1654 Andreas Acoluthus, German orientalist (d. 1704)
  • 1663 Nicolas Siret, French baroque composer and organist, born in Troyes (d. 1754)
  • 1687 Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, queen consort in Prussia (d. 1757)
  • 1739 George Clymer, American merchant and Founding Father (signed US Declaration of Independence and US Constitution), born in Philadelphia, British America (d. 1813)
  • 1745 Johann Wilhelm Cornelius von Konigslow, German composer, born in Hamburg (d. 1833)
  • 1750 Caroline Herschel, German astronomer, (comet 35P/Herschel-Rigollet), born in Hanover, Germany (d. 1848)

James MadisonJames Madison (1751-1836)

4th US President (1809-17), born in Port Conway, Virginia

James Madison
  • 1757 Bengt Lidner, Swedish poet (Medea, Yttersa Domen), born in Gothenburg, Sweden (d. 1793)
  • 1773 Juan Ramón Balcarce, Argentine military leader and politician (d. 1836)

Matthew FlindersMatthew Flinders (1774-1814)

English explorer, navigator and cartographer who was 1st to circumnavigate Australia, born in Donington, England [1]

Matthew Flinders
  • 1776 Johan Gijsbert Verstolk van Soelen, Dutch minister of Foreign Affairs, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1845)

Georg OhmGeorg Ohm (1789-1854)

German physicist and mathematician (Ohm's law), born in Erlangen, Bavaria

Georg Ohm
  • 1794 Ami Boué, Austrian geologist (d. 1881)

Anna AtkinsAnna Atkins (1799-1871)

English botanist, photographer and the 1st person to publish a book illustrated with photographic images, born in Tonbridge, England

Anna Atkins
  • 1800 Emperor Ninko of Japan (d. 1846)
  • 1802 George Archibald McCall, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1868)
  • 1805 Peter Ernst von Lasaulx, German philosopher and writer (d. 1861)
  • 1812 Henry Dwight Terry, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 1869)
  • 1814 Guildo Alary, Italian-born French composer, born in Mantua (d. 1891)
  • 1821 Ernest Feydeau, French author, friend of Flaubert (Fanny), born in Paris, France (d. 1873)
  • 1822 John Pope, American Major General (Union Army), born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 1892)
  • 1822 Marie-Rosalie "Rosa" Bonheur, French animalière painter (The Horse Fair; Buffalo Bill), and sculptor, born in Bordeaux, France (d. 1899)
  • 1823 William Henry Monk, English composer and organist (Eventide), born in London, England (d. 1889)
  • 1832 Charles Doolittle, American general (Union volunteer), born in Burlington, Vermont (d. 1903)
  • 1834 James Hector, Scottish geologist (d. 1907)
  • 1836 Andrew Smith Hallidie, American inventor of the cable car, born in London (d. 1900)
  • 1839 Sully Prudhomme, French poet (1st Nobel Prize for Literature winner 1901), born in Paris, France (d. 1907)
  • 1840 Shibusawa Eiichi, Japanese industrialist (d. 1931)
  • 1846 Gösta Mittag-Leffler, Swedish mathematician (d. 1927)
  • 1849 James E. Smith, American minister and "oldest new father known to medicine" at 102 with a woman 64 years younger, born in Williamsburg, Virginia [1]
  • 1851 Martinus Beijerinck, Dutch microbiologist and botanist (1st to coin the name virus), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1931)
  • 1856 Napoléon IV, Prince Imperial, Head of the House of Bonaparte (1873-79), born in Paris, French Empire (d. 1879)
  • 1857 Charles Harding Firth, British historian, born in Ecclesall, Sheffield, England (d. 1936)
  • 1858 Bud Fowler, American Baseball HOF executive (earliest known African-American player in organized pro baseball), born in Fort Plain, New York (d. 1913)
  • 1859 Alexander Stepanovich Popov, Russian physicist (d. 1906)
  • 1865 Patsy Donovan, Irish-American baseball outfielder (Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals) and manager (Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Washington Sens, Brooklyn Superbas, Boston RS), born in Queenstown, Ireland (d. 1953)
  • 1869 F. A. Forbes, Scottish author (d. 1936)
  • 1873 Hippolyte Daeye, Belgium (Sereniteit) (d. 1952)
  • 1876 Charles Halton, British stage actor (Dr Cyclops, Tugboat Annie Sails Again), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1959)
  • 1878 Clemens August Graaf von Galen, German Catholic Bishop of Münster (led opposition to Nazism, especially T4 extermination program), born in Drinklage, Germany (d. 1946)
  • 1878 Henry B Walthall, American actor (The Birth of a Nation, Klondike), born in Shelby City, Alabama (d. 1936)
  • 1882 Jim Lightbody, American athlete (Olympic gold 800m, 1500m, 2590m Steeplechase 1904), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1953)
  • 1883 Ethel Anderson, Australian poet (d. 1958)
  • 1884 Harrison Ford, American silent screen actor (Rubber Tires, Vanity Fair, Love In High Gear), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 1957)
  • 1885 Giacomo Benvenuti, Italian composer, born in Toscolano, Italy (d. 1943)
  • 1885 Sydney Chaplin [Hawkes], British actor, half brother and manager of Charlie Chaplin, born in London, England (d. 1965)
  • 1889 Reggie Walker, South African athlete (Olympic gold 100m 1908), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 1951)
  • 1890 Solomon Mikhoels, Soviet actor and chairman of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (d. 1948)
  • 1892 Caesar Vallejo, Peruvian-French poet (Los Heraldos Negros), born in Santiago de Chuco, Peru (d. 1938)
  • 1892 James Petrillo, leader of the U.S. musicians union (d. 1984)
  • 1893 Isobel Elsom, British actress (My Fair Lady, Love From a Stranger), born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England (d. 1981)
  • 1897 Conrad Nagel, American actor (All That Heaven Allows, Celebrity Time), born in Keokuk, Iowa (d. 1970)
  • 1901 Edward Pawley, American actor (Angels with Dirty Faces), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 1988)
  • 1901 Potti Sreeramulu, Indian revolutionary known as the Father of Andhra for conducting a 56 day hunger strike in support of a separate Telugu-speaking state, born in Nellore District, Madras, British India (d. 1952)
  • 1902 Lucie Rie, Austrian-born British potter, born in Vienna (d. 1995)
  • 1903 Mike Mansfield, American politician (Sen-D-Montana 1953-77) majority whip, born in New York City (d. 2001)
  • 1903 Morgan Conway, American actor (Dick Tracy, Brother Orchid), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1981)
  • 1903 Nikolai Lopatnikoff, Estonian-American composer (Variazioni Concertanti), born in Reval, Russian Empire (now Tallinn, Estonia) (d. 1976)
  • 1904 Clive Morton, British actor (Goodbye Mr Chips, Moonraker), born in London, England (d. 1975)
  • 1905 Elisabeth Flickenschildt, German actress, born in Hamburg, Germany (d. 1977)
  • 1906 Francisco Ayala, Spanish writer, born in Granada, Spain (d. 2009)
  • 1906 Henny Youngman, American comedian and violinist ("Take my wife ... please"), born in London, England (d. 1998)
  • 1906 Lloyd Waner, American Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder (MLB All Star 1938; batting average over .300 x 10; Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Harrah, Oklahoma (d. 1982)
  • 1908 Robert Rossen, American film director and screenwriter (The Hustler, All the King's Men, Mambo), born in New York City (d. 1966)
  • 1910 Aladár Gerevich, Hungarian fencer (7 Olympic gold 1932, 36, 48, 52, 56, 60), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1991)
  • 1910 Andrew Miller-Jones, British TV pioneer (Picture Page, Dressing Up), born in London, England (d. 1994)
  • 1910 I. A. K. Pataudi, Indian cricket batsman (3 Tests England, 3 India; 1 x 100; Oxford University CC, Worcestershire CCC, Southern Punjab), born in Pataudi, India (d. 1952)
  • 1910 Norman Wooland, British character actor (Ivanhoe, Quo Vadis, Hamlet), born in Düsseldorf, Germany (d. 1989)
  • 1911 Dr. Josef Mengele, German, accused Nazi war criminal (d. 1979)
  • 1911 Pierre Harmel, Belgian politician and Prime Minister of Belgium (1965-66), born in Uccle, Belgium (d. 2009)
  • 1912 (Thelma Catherine) "Pat" Nixon [née Ryan], American First Lady (1969-74), born in Ely, Nevada (d. 1993)
  • 1916 Lloyd McBride, American labor leader (President of United Steelworkers), born in Farmington, Missouri (d. 1983) [1]
  • 1916 Mercedes McCambridge, American actress (All the King's Men, The Exorcist, Giant), born in Joliet, Illinois (d. 2004)
  • 1917 Samael Aun Weor, Colombian writer (d. 1977)
  • 1918 Aldo van Eyck, Dutch architect (City Hall), born in Driebergen, Netherlands (d. 1999)
  • 1918 Howard Boatwright, American composer and violinist, born in Newport News, Virginia (d. 1999)
  • 1919 Ernő Király, Yugoslavian composer and ethnomusicologist, born in Subotica, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (d. 2007)
  • 1920 Dorothea Binz, Nazi war criminal (d. 1947)
  • 1920 John Addison, British Academy and BAFTA Award-winning film score composer (Tom Jones; A Bridge Too Far; Centennial), born in Surrey, England (d. 1998)
  • 1920 Percy Mansell, Rhodesian cricket all-rounder (13 Tests South Africa, 11 wickets, 2 x 50; Rhodesia), born in St George's, Shropshire, England (d. 1995)
  • 1920 Reginald "Leo" McKern, Australian actor (Blue Lagoon, Help, Mouse that Roared), born in Sydney, New South Wales (d. 2002)
  • 1920 Sid Fleischman, American author, and screenplay writer (The Whipping Boy; Blood Alley: The Abracadabra Kid), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2010)
  • 1920 Traudl Junge, German secretary to Adolf Hitler, born in Munich (d. 2002)
  • 1921 Anne Truitt [Anne Dean], American sculptor, born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2004)
  • 1921 Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia (1982-2005), born in Riyadh, Sultanate of Nejd (d. 2005)
  • 1922 Geoffrey Freeman Allen, railway writer
  • 1922 Harding Lemay, American writer (Another World), born in North Bangor, New York
  • 1924 Beryl Davis, British-American cabaret and big band singer (Quintette du Hot Club de France, Glenn Miller's US Army Air Force Orchestra), born Plymouth, England (d. 2011)
  • 1925 Cornell Borchers, German actress (The Big Lift, Floodtide, Istanbul), born in Šilutė, Lithuania (d. 2014)
  • 1925 Luis E. Miramontes, Mexican chemist, co-inventor of the combined oral contraceptive pill (d. 2004)
  • 1926 Charles Goodell, American politician (d. 1987)

Jerry LewisJerry Lewis (1926-2017)

American comedian (Martin and Lewis, MDA Telethon), born in Newark, New Jersey

Jerry Lewis
  • 1927 Daniel Patrick Moynihan, US ambassador to UN/(Sen-D-NY, 1977- )
  • 1927 Karlheinz Boehm, Austrian actor (Face of Fear, Peeping Tom, Unnatural), born in Darmstadt, Austria (d. 2014)
  • 1927 Olga San Juan, American actress, dancer and comedian (Variety Girl, 1 Touch of Venus), born in NYC, New York (d. 2009)
  • 1927 Vladimir Komarov, Soviet cosmonaut (Voshkod I, Soyuz 1) and the 1st human to die in a space flight, born in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union (d. 1967)
  • 1928 Christa Ludwig, German soprano (Vienna State Opera, 1955-94; Metropolitan Opera, 1959-93), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2021)
  • 1928 Ramon Barce, Spanish composer, born in Madrid (d. 2008)
  • 1928 Wakanohana Kanji I, Japanese sumo wrestler (45th Yokozuna; 10 x top division titles), born in Hirosaki, Japan (d. 2010)
  • 1929 Edwin London, American horn player, conductor (Cleveland Chamber Orchestra; Ineluctable Modality Choir), and composer (Dream Thing on Biblical Episodes), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2013)
  • 1929 Nadja Tiller, Austrian actress (Ich suche Dich, Rosemary) and Miss Austria (1949), born in Vienna, Austria
  • 1930 Don Perry, Canadian NHL coach (LA Kings 1982-84), born in Edmonton, Alberta (d. 2019)
  • 1930 Minoru Miky, Japanese composer for traditional Japanese instruments, born in Tokushima (d. 2011)
  • 1931 Betty Johnson, American pop and cabaret singer (Jack Paar Show; "I Dreamed"), born in Guilford County, North Carolina (d. 2022)
  • 1931 Don Richard Carpenter, American writer (Hard Rain Falling), born in Berkeley, California (d. 1995)
  • 1932 Walter Cunningham, American astronaut (Apollo 7), born in Creston, Iowa (d. 2023)
  • 1933 Sandy Weill, American financier and philanthropist
  • 1934 Howard Schnellenberger, American football coach (National C'ship Uni of Miami 1983; Uni of Oklahoma, Uni of Louisville, Florida Atlantic Uni; Baltimore Colts), born in Saint Meinrad, Indiana (d. 2021)
  • 1934 Ray Hnatyshyn, Governor-General of Canada (d. 2002)
  • 1935 Teresa Berganza, Spanish mezzo-soprano (Rossini), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2022)
  • 1936 Fred Neil [Morlock], American songwriter, folk singer, guitarist (Everybody's Talkin'; Candy Man), and conservationist (Dolphin Project), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2001)
  • 1936 Thelma Hopkins, England, high jumper (Olympic silver 1956)
  • 1937 Amos Tversky, Israeli cognitive and mathematical psychologist, born in Haifa, Mandatory Palestine (d. 1996)
  • 1937 Constança Capdeville, Porteguese pianist and composer, born in Barcelona, Spain (d. 1992)
  • 1937 David Del Tredici, American pianist, Neo-Romantic composer, and 1980 Pulitzer winner (In Memory of a Summer Day), born in Cloverdale, California
  • 1939 Carlos Bilardo, Argetinian football coach
  • 1940 Chuck Woolery, Ky, TV game show host (Love Connection)
  • 1940 Jan Schaefer, Dutch asst secretary of state (PvdA)
  • 1940 Keith Rowe, English guitarist (AMM) and painter

Bernardo BertolucciBernardo Bertolucci (1941-2018)

Italian director (Last Tango in Paris, The Last Emperor), born in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Bernardo Bertolucci
  • 1941 Robert Guéï, ruler of Côte d'Ivoire (d. 2002)
  • 1942 James Soong, Taiwanese politician
  • 1942 Jerry Jeff Walker [Ronald Clyde Crosby], American country music singer and songwriter (Mr Bojangles), born in Oneonta, New York
  • 1942 Roger Crozier, Canadian ice hockey goaltender (d. 1996)
  • 1943 Kim Mu-saeng, South Korean actor (d. 2005)
  • 1943 Ursula Goodenough, American biologicst, Evolutionary Scholar, author and educator, born in NYC, New York
  • 1946 Hubert Soudant, Dutch conductor
  • 1947 Ramzan Paskayev, Chechen accordionist and folk musician, born in Taraz, Kazakhstan
  • 1948 Margaret [Edith] Weis, American sci-fi author (Dragons of Spring Dawning)
  • 1948 Michael Bruce, American rock guitarist and keyboard player (Alice Cooper, 1969-73), born in Arizona
  • 1949 Bertha Knox Gilkey, welfare & tenament rights for urban women
  • 1949 Elliott Murphy, American singer/songwriter
  • 1949 Erik Estrada, actor (CHiPs), born in NYC, New York
  • 1949 Victor Garber, actor (Days & Nights of Molly Dodd), born in Montreal, Quebec
  • 1951 Kate Nelligan, actress (Bethune, Eye of the Needle), born in London, Ontario
  • 1951 Ray Benson [Seifert], American Western swing singer-songwriter, and record producer (Asleep at the Wheel), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • 1951 Ritchie Teeter, American drummer (The Dictators, 1976-79; Twisted Sister, 1980-81) (d. 2012)
  • 1952 Graham Cole [Graham Coleman-Smith], English actor (The Bill), born in London, England
  • 1952 Philippe Kahn, French-American entrepreneur
  • 1953 Isabelle Huppert, French actress (The Piano Teacher), born in Paris
  • 1953 Richard Stallman, American free software activist
  • 1954 Colin Ireland, Kent, England, serial killer ('Gay Slayer'/ Coleherne killer), (d. 2012)
  • 1954 Dav Whatmore, Australian cricket batsman (7 Tests, 2 x 50s; Victoria) and coach (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • 1954 Hollis Stacy, American golfer (US Open, 1977-78, 84), born in Savannah, Georgia
  • 1954 Jimmy Nail, singer/actor (Evita, Spender, Howling II)
  • 1954 Miklós Csemiczky, Hungarian contemporary classical and electronic music composer, born in Budapest, Hungary
  • 1954 Nancy Wilson, rock guitarist (Heart - "Baracuda"; "What About Love"), born in San Francisco, California
  • 1955 Bruno Barreto, Brazilian film director
  • 1955 Jiro Watanabe, Japanese boxer
  • 1956 Ozzie Newsome, NFL tight end (Cleveland Browns)
  • 1956 Vladimír Godár, Slovak contemporary classical music and film music composer, born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia)
  • 1957 Pearl Moore, WBL guard (NY Stars)

Jorge RamosJorge Ramos (65 years old)

1958 Mexican-American Spanish-language new anchor (Noticiero Univision) and journalist, born in Mexico City

Jorge Ramos
  • 1958 Kate Worley, American comic book writer (Omaha the Cat Dancer), born in Belleville, Illinois (d. 2004)

Flavor FlavFlavor Flav (64 years old)

1959 American rapper (Public Enemy) and reality TV star (The Surreal Life), born in Roosevelt, Long Island, New York

Flavor Flav
  • 1959 Jens Stoltenberg, Norwegian politician (Prime Minister of Norway, 2000-1, 2005-13), born in Oslo, Norway
  • 1959 Michael J Bloomfield, American USAF Major USAF and NASA astronaut (STS 86), born in Flint, Michigan
  • 1959 Stan Thorn, American country singer (Shenandoah - "Sunday in the South"), born in Kenosha, Wisconsin
  • 1960 Duane Sutter, Canadian NHL right wing, 1979-90 (New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks), and coach, 2000-02 (Florida Panthers), born in Viking, Alberta
  • 1960 Jenny Eclair [Hargreaves], British comedienne, author and actress (Grumpy Old Women, Loose Women), born in Kuala Lumpur, Federation of Malaya
  • 1961 Mel Gray, NFL wide receiver/kick returner (Houston/Tennessee Oilers)
  • 1962 Marcel Brands, soccer player (RKC)
  • 1963 Doug Grisby, American soul music bassist, composer and producer (Patti LaBelle; Teena Marie), born in Queens, New York (d. 2021)
  • 1963 Jimmy Degrasso, American musician, drummer

Kevin SmithKevin Smith (1963-2002)

New Zealand actor (Ares-Hercules), born in Auckland, New Zealand

Kevin Smith
  • 1963 Phung Vuong, murderer (FBI Most Wanted List), born in Saigon, Vietnam
  • 1964 Gore Verbinski, American movie director (Pirates of the Caribbean films; Rango), born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
  • 1964 Pascal Richard, Swiss cyclist
  • 1964 Patty Griffin, American singer and songwriter (Downtown Church), born in Old Town, Maine
  • 1965 Belén Rueda, Spanish actress
  • 1965 Cindy Brown, American basketball player (Olympic gold 1988)
  • 1965 Mark Carney, Canadian economist, Governor of the Bank of England, and Chairman of the G20's Financial Stability Board, born in Fort Smith, Canada
  • 1966 Catarina Pollini, WNBA forward (Houston Comets)
  • 1966 David Nascimento, soccer player (Roda JC/FC Utrecht)
  • 1966 Rodney Peete, NFL quarterback (Philadelphia Eagles)
  • 1967 Dan Owens, NFL defensive tackle (Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions)
  • 1967 John Mangum, NFL safety (Chicago Bears)
  • 1967 Lauren Graham, American actress and author (Gilmore Girls, Parenthood), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
  • 1968 Ananya Khare, Indian actress and teacher
  • 1968 Jason van Blerk, Australian soccer player (Go Ahead Eagles), born in Sydney, Australia
  • 1969 Judah Friedlander, American comedian and actor (30 Rock - "Frank"; American Splendor), born in Gaithersburg, Maryland
  • 1969 Ottis Gibson, cricketer (Barbados fast bowler, WI 1995)
  • 1969 Pat Harlow, NFL tackle (NE Patriots, Oakland Raiders)
  • 1969 Steve Israel, NFL cornerback (SF 49ers, New England Patriots)
  • 1971 Alan Tudyk, American actor (Firefly; Suburgatory0,, born in El Paso, Texas
  • 1971 Brett Carolan, NFL tight end (SF 49ers)
  • 1971 Eric Ravotti, NFL linebacker (Pittsburgh Steelers)
  • 1971 Greg Johnson, Canadian NHL hockey center, 1994-2006 (Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators (captain 2002-06), and 2 other teams), born in Thunder Bay, Ontario (d. 2019)
  • 1973 Bert Zuurman, soccer player (SC Heerenveen)
  • 1973 Brant Bjork, American musician (Kyuss)
  • 1973 Zef Eisenberg, British ultra-speed racer (world's fastest motorbike on sand 201.5mph; fastest wheel powered vehicle 210.33mph) and founder Maximuscle, born in London, England (d. 2020)


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