- 401 Theodosius II, the Younger, Eastern Roman emperor (408-450), born in Constantinople (d. 450)
- 1512 James V, King of Scotland (1513-42), born in Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgow, Scotland (d. 1542)
- 1569 Emilia van Nassau, daughter of Willem of Orange & Anna of Saxon, born in Cologne, Germany (d. 1629)
- 1583 Hugo Grotius, Dutch jurist, father of international law, born in Delft, Holland (d. 1645)
- 1651 Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, German mathematician (Tschirnhaus transformation), born in Kieslingswalde, Margraviate Upper Lusatia, Saxony (d. 1708)
- 1656 René Lepage de Ste-Claire, lord-founder of the town of Rimouski, in New France, born in Ouanne, Burgundy, France (d. 1718)
- 1695 Balthazar Huydecoper, Dutch translator and historian, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1778)
- 1704 Benjamin Heath, English classical scholar, born in Exeter, Devon, England (d. 1766)
- 1713 John Whitehurst, English clockmaker and scientist, born in Congleton, Cheshire, England (d. 1788)
- 1755 Samuel Hahnemann, German physician, originator of homeopathy, born in Meissen, Dresden (d. 1843)
- 1762 Giovanni Aldini, Italian physicist, born in Bologna (d. 1834)
- 1778 William Hazlitt, English essayist and critic, born in Kent, England (d. 1830)
- 1783 Hortense de Beauharnais, French Queen of Holland (1806-10), born in Paris (d. 1837)
Matthew C. Perry
1794 Matthew C. Perry, Commodore of the United States Navy who opened Japan to Western influence and trade, born in Newport, Rhode Island (d. 1858)
Matthew C. Perry
- 1796 James Bowie, American pioneer and soldier (Texas Revolution), born in Logan, Kentucky (d. 1836)
- 1797 Claude Ambroise Seurat, Frenchman exhibited in England as "Human Skeleton", born in Champaigne France (d. 1826)
- 1806 Leonidas Polk, Lt. Gen. (Confederate Army), born in Raleigh, North Carolina (d. 1864)
- 1823 Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Jefferson County, Georgia (d. 1862)
- 1827 Lewis "Lew" Wallace, American author (Ben-Hur) and Major General (Union Army), born in Brookville, Indiana (d. 1905)
- 1829 William Booth, English preacher and founder (Salvation Army), born in Sneinton, Nottingham, England (d. 1912)
- 1833 David McMurtrie Gregg, American diplomat and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania (d. 1916)
- 1833 James Edward Rains, American lawyer and Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 1862)
- 1837 Forceythe Willson, American poet (The Old Sergeant), born in Little Genesee, New York (d. 1867)
- 1847 Joseph Pulitzer, Hungarian publisher (St Louis Post-Dispatch, NY World), born in Makó, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire (d. 1911)
- 1857 Henry Ernest Dudeney, English mathematician and puzzle maker, born in Mayfield, East Sussex, England (d. 1930)
- 1865 Jack Miner, Canadian naturalist and conservationist, born in Dover Center, Ohio (d. 1944)
- 1867 George William Russell, Irish nationalist, poet and artist, born in Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland (d. 1935)
- 1877 Alfred Kubin, Austrian writer and illustrator, born in Leitmeritz, Bohemia (d. 1959)
- 1880 Frances Perkins, American politician and 1st woman to hold cabinet-level position (Labor 1933-45), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1965)
- 1880 Montague Summers, English clergyman and writer (Malleus Maleficarum), born in Clifton, Bristol, England (d. 1948)
- 1880 Mohammed Nadir Shah, King of Afghanistan (1929-33), born in Dehra Dun, British India (d. 1933)
- 1882 Simon F H J Berkelbach Van der Sprenkel, theologist (Fear & Religion)
- 1887 Bernardo Houssay, Argentine physiologist (Nobel 1947), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1971)
- 1892 Egon Freiherr von Eickstedt, German anthropologist (classified human into races), born in Jeseritz, Germany (d. 1965)
- 1894 Ben Nicholson, English painter and sculptor (Circle), born in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England (d. 1982)
- 1894 Ghanshyam Das Birla, Indian industrialist and educator, born in Pilani, Rajputana, India (d. 1983)
- 1900 Jean Duvieusart, 36th Prime Minister of Belgium, born in Les Bons Villers, Belgium (d. 1977)
- 1903 Clare Boothe Luce, American politician and U.S. ambassador to Italy, born in NYC, New York (d. 1987)
- 1905 Jan H. van Roijen, Dutch ambassador to the U.S. and Netherlands Foreign Minister, born in Constantinople (d. 1991)
- 1906 Kathleen Major, British historian and principal (St Hilda's College, England), born in Lincolnshire (d. 2001)
- 1908 Aidan Crawley, British journalist and politician (Labour MP 1945-51), born in Benenden, Kent (d. 1993)
- 1910 David Gilroy Bevan, British politician (d. 1996)
- 1910 Paul Sweezy, American Marxist economist and editor (Monthly Review), born in NYC, New York (d. 2004)
- 1911 Maurice Schumann, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (1969-73), born in Paris (d. 1998)
- 1912 Roy Hofheinz, American judge and engineer (Houston Astrodome), born in Beaumont, Texas (d. 1982)
- 1913 Stefan Heym, German-American author (Crusaders, Family Benda), born in Chemnitz, German Empire (d. 2001)
- 1915 Leo Vroman, Dutch-American hematologist and poet, born in Gouda, Netherlands (d. 2014)
- 1917 Robert B. Woodward, American organic chemist (Nobel 1965), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1979)
- 1921 Peter Herbert Penwarden, English priest, born in Walthamstow, England (d. 1995)
- 1924 Kenneth Noland, American Color Field painter, born in Asheville, North Carolina (d. 2010)
- 1926 Johnnie Tillmon, civil rights activist (National Welfare Rights Association), born in Scott, Arkansas (d. 1995)
- 1927 Marshall Warren Nirenberg, Jewish-American biochemist and geneticist (Nobel 1968), born in NYC, New York (d. 2010)
- 1927 Wesley A Clark, American computer designer (first personal computer - LINC), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 2016)
- 1930 Hugh Morton, Baron Morton of Shuna, Scottish lawyer and judge, born in Mukden, Manchuria, China (d. 1995)
- 1930 Dolores Huerta, American civil rights activist (co-founded United Farm Workers), born in Dawson, New Mexico
- 1931 Marcel van Maele, Belgian poet and playwright, born in Bruges, Belgium (d. 2009)
- 1932 Adrian Henri, British poet and founder of poetry-rock group (Liverpool Scene), born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England (d. 2000)
- 1933 Robert Rhodes James, British politician historian (Gallipoli), born in India (d. 1999)
- 1934 David Halberstam, American journalist, historian and author (Pulitzer 1964), born in NYC, New York (d. 2007)
- 1935 Patrick Garland, British director (Doll House), born in England (d. 2013)
- 1936 Michael Naylor, English insurance broker (Endsleigh Insurance), born in Croydon (d. 1995)
- 1937 Bella Akhmadulina, Russian poet (The String, Fever), born in Moscow (d. 2010)
- 1939 Alan Rothenberg, American lawyer and sports executive, born in Detroit, Michigan
- 1939 Daniel Oliver, American CEO (Federal Trade Commission), born in NYC, New York
- 1939 Penny Vincenzi [Hannaford], British novelist (An Absolute Scandal, Spoils of Time trilogy), born in Bournemouth, England (d. 2018)
- 1941 Paul Theroux, American travel book writer (Mosquito Coast), born in Medford, Massachusetts
- 1942 Nick Auf der Maur, Canadian journalist and politician, born in Montreal, Canada (d. 1998)
- 1948 Thomas Spencer, British politician (Conservative)
- 1950 Barry M. Riemer, American author (The Great American Con Machine)
- 1951 Mark Roth, American professional bowler (4-time PBA Player of Year), born in Brooklyn, New York
- 1951 David Helvarg, American journalist and environmental activist, born in Long Island, New York
- 1957 John M. Ford, American sci-fi author and poet, born in East Chicago, Indiana (d. 2006)
- 1957 Aliko Dangote, Nigerian Chairman and CEO of the Dangote Group, born in Kano, Kano State
- 1959 Yvan Loubier, Canadian politician and one of founders of the Bloc Québécois, born in Montreal, Quebec
- 1961 Joe Cole, American roadie (Black Flag, Rollins Band), born in California (d. 1991)
- 1963 Doris Leuthard, Swiss politician, President of Switzerland (2017), born in Merenschwand, Switzerland
- 1973 Christopher Simmons, American graphic designer, born in Canada
- 1974 Eric Greitens, American former military officer, born in St. Louis, Missouri
- 1975 Floris, Prince of Netherlands, son of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Pieter van Vollenhoven, born in Nijmegen, Netherlands
- 1979 Rachel Corrie, American political activist, born in Olympia, Washington (d. 2003)
- 1984 Zoe, 1st frozen-embryo child, born in Melbourne Australia
- 2007 Princess Ariane of the Netherlands, Dutch Princess, daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, born in The Hague, Netherlands