Juan Ponce de León (1460-1521)
Spanish explorer and conquistador who searched for the fountain of youth and the first European to discover Florida, born in Santervás de Campos, Castile, Spain
Philip IV (1605-1665)
King of Spain & Portugal (1621-65), born in Royal Palace of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
- 1631 Cornelis de Heem, Dutch painter, born in Leiden, Netherlands (d. 1695)
- 1641 Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English statesman, born in Paris (d. 1704)
- 1655 Louis Willem I, Margrave of Baden-Baden, born in Paris (d. 1707)
- 1695 Johann Christian Gunther, German poet, born in Striegau, Silesia (d. 1723)
- 1726 Lewis Morris, American landowner and farmer (signed US Declaration of Independence), born in Morrisania, New York (d. 1798)
- 1732 David Rittenhouse, American astronomer, inventor, and mathematician, born in Paper Mill Run, Pennsylvania (d. 1796)
- 1775 Adam Albert von Neipperg, Austrian general and Napoleon's wife Marie's lover and later husband, born in Vienna (d. 1829)
- 1783 John Claudius Loudon, Scottish horticulturist, born in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland (d. 1843)
- 1816 Frederic William Burton, Irish painter, born in Wicklow, Ireland (d. 1900)
- 1818 Christian IX, King of Denmark (1863-1906), born in Gottorf Castle, Schleswig, Duchy of Schleswig (d. 1906)
- 1826 Pancha Carrasco, Costa Rican war heroine (Costa Rica's first woman in the military), born in Cartago, Costa Rica (d. 1890)
- 1827 Ramón Emeterio Betances, Puerto Rican politician, medical doctor and diplomat, born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico (d. 1898)
- 1828 George Baird Hodge, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Fleming County, Kentucky (d. 1892)
- 1831 Allard Pierson, Dutch theologist, philosopher and art historian, born in Amsterdam (d. 1896)
- 1832 Alfred von Waldersee, Prussian field marshal and Chief of the German General Staff, born in Potsdam, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1904)
- 1842 Elizabeth Bacon Custer, American author, public speaker and wife of George Armstrong Custer, born in Monroe, Michigan (d. 1933)
- 1850 William H. Welch, American pathologist who founded Johns Hopkins Hospital, born in Norfolk, Connecticut (d. 1934)
- 1859 Edmund Husserl, German philosopher (founded School of Phenomenology), born in Proßnitz, Margraviate of Moravia, Austrian Empire (d. 1938)
- 1869 Harvey Cushing, American neurosurgeon (blood pressure studies), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1939)
- 1871 Clarence Hudson White, American photographer, born in Newark, Ohio (d. 1925)
- 1874 Stanisław Taczak, Polish general, commander-in-chief of the Greater Poland Uprising, born in Mieszków, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland (d. 1960)
- 1875 Albert I, King of Belgium (1909-34), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1934)
- 1882 Lulu McConnell, American vaudeville, radio, and television comedienne (It Pays To Be Ignorant), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 1962)
- 1883 R. P. Keigwin, English academic, born in Lexden, Essex (d. 1972)
- 1886 Margaret Ayer Barnes, American playwright and writer (Years of Grace), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1967)
- 1888 Dennis Chavez, American politician, 1st US Hispanic Senator elected to serve full term, born in Los Chavez, New Mexico Territory (d. 1964)
- 1892 Richard Neutra, Austrian American modernist architect (Kaufmann Desert House), born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (d. 1970)
- 1893 Henri Puvrez, Belgian sculptor (Sereniteit)
- 1898 Achiel H. Acker, Belgian premier (1945-46, 1954-58), born in Bruges, Belgium (d. 1975)
- 1898 Cecil [Maurice] Bowra, British classics expert (Greek experience)
- 1904 John R. Hicks, British economist (Value and Capital), (Nobel Memorial Prize for Economic Science 1972), born in Warwick, England (d. 1989)
- 1905 Hans Scherfig, Danish marxist/writer (Idealister, Frydenholm)
- 1905 Helen Joseph, South African anti-apartheid activist and writer (Side by Side), born in Easebourne, England (d. 1992)
- 1905 Pierre Wigny, Belgian minister of Foreign affairs (1958-61) [or 4/18]
- 1906 Charles J. B. Jonckheere, Flemish poet and writer (Mirror of the Sea)
- 1907 Maurice Stacey, British chemist who worked to synthesize vitamin C, born in Moreton, England (d. 1994)
- 1908 Neil Lawson, British high court judge
- 1909 William James Millar Mackenzie, Scottish political scientist, born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1996)
- 1911 Douglas Hyde, England political journalist, born in Worthing, England (d. 1996)
- 1911 Emil Mihai Cioran, Romanian born writer and aphorist, born in Resinár, Kingdom of Hungary (d. 1995)
- 1911 Melvin Calvin, US chemist (photosynthesis, Nobel 1961)
- 1913 Hubertus Ernst, Dutch Roman Catholic bishop of Breda, born in Breda, Netherlands (d. 2017)
Betty Ford (1918-2011)
First Lady of the United States (1974-77) and founder of the Betty Ford Center clinic, born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1918 Glendon Swarthout, American novelist (Where The Boys Are; The Shootist), born in Pickney, Massachusetts (d. 1992)
- 1919 Ian Smith, Rhodesian farmer, fighter pilot, and politician (Prime Minister of Rhodesia, 1964-79), born in Selukwe, Rhodesia (d. 2007)
- 1923 George Fisher, American cartoonist (d. 2003)
- 1924 Anthony Farrar-Hockley, English army officer (NATO Commander) and historian, born in Coventry, England (d. 2006)
- 1926 Henry N. Cobb, American architect (Pei Cobb Freed & Partners), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2020)
- 1926 Jürgen Moltmann, German Reformed theologian, born in Hamburg, Germany
- 1928 Leah Rabin (nee Schloßberg), wife of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, born in Königsberg, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia) (d. 2000)
- 1928 Mary Zeldenrust-Noordanus, Dutch CEO (NVSH - Dutch Association for Sexual Reform), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1984)
- 1929 Renzo de Felice, Italian historian of Fascism, born in Rieti, Italy (d. 1996)
- 1930 Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Parma
- 1930 Julien Van Remoortere [Piet Mortelman], Flemish writer (Fist), born in Beveren, Belgium (d. 2018)
- 1930 Mary Moore, English principal (St Hilda's College, Oxford) (d. 2017)
- 1934 Kisho Kurokawa, Japanese architect (d. 2007)
- 1935 Albert G. Bustamante, American politician (Rep-D-TX, 1985-93), born in Asherton, Texas
- 1935 Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, epidemiologist (Living legacy award-1984)
- 1937 Seymour Hersh, award-winning investigative reporter (NY Times), born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1937 Tony Clegg, English property trader (Montleigh), born in Littleborough, England (d. 1995)
Kofi Annan (1938-2018)
Ghanaian diplomat and 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997-2006), born in Comassie, Gold Coast
- 1941 Vivienne Westwood [Dame], English fashion designer (Vivienne Westwood), born in Tintwistle, England
- 1942 Eduard Visser, Dutch writer (Fyffes are now called Chiquita)
- 1943 James Herbert, English horror writer (The Rats), born in London, England (d. 2013)
- 1943 Michael Bennett, American theater director and choreographer (Chorus Line), born in Buffalo, New York (d. 1987)
- 1943 Tony Banks, English politician (Labour), born in Belfast (d. 2006)
- 1943 William Garth Morrison, British Chief scout of UK and Overseas territories (d. 2013)
- 1944 Christoph Hein, German writer and translator, born in Heinzendorf, Germany
- 1944 Odd Nerdrum, Norwegian painter
- 1945 Derrick Walker, Scottish auto racing team owner (President of operations and competition of IndyCar), born in Leven, Scotland
- 1947 Hsiao-hsien Hou, Taiwanese director (Cheerful Wind, City of Sadness, The Puppetmaster), born in Mei County, China
- 1947 Robert Kiyosaki, American investor (Rich Dad Company), born in Hilo, Hawaii
- 1947 Tom DeLay, American politician (Rep-R-Texas, 1985-2006), born in Laredo, Texas
- 1948 Michael Leshner, Canadian lawyer and gay rights advocate
Robert Allen Litchfield (74 years old)
1948 American bank robber who was on the FBI most wanted list in the 1980s
- 1954 G.V. Loganathan, American professor (d. 2007)
- 1955 Barbara Kingsolver, American novelist (The Poisonwood Bible), born in Annapolis, Maryland
- 1955 David Wu, Taiwanese-born American politician (Rep-D-Ore 1999-2011), born in Hsinchu, Taiwan
- 1955 Ron Johnson, American politician (Senator-R-Wisconsin 2011-), born in Mankato, Minnesota
- 1963 Erica Terwillegar, American lugist, born in Nelsonville, New Jersey
- 1963 Seth Tobias, American financial commentator (d. 2007)
- 1974 Chris Kyle, American Navy SEAL sniper (160 kills), born in Odessa, Texas (d. 2013)
- 1974 Holger Hott Johansen, Norwegian orienteerist
- 1974 Nnedi Okorafor, Nigerian American writer (Binti books), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
- 1977 Mark Spencer, American computer programmer (Pidgin, Asterisk), born in Alabama
- 1977 Mehran Ghassemi, Iranian journalist (d. 2008)
- 1979 David Petruschin, American drag queen (Raven) and make-up artist, born in Victorville, California
Authors
Civil Rights Activists
Inventors
Kings
Revolutionaries
Scientists