Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)
Polish mathematician and astronomer who theorized that planets revolve around the sun (Heliocentric theory), born in Toruń, Royal Prussia, Kingdom of Poland
- 1526 Charles de L'Ecluse, Flemish botanist (d. 1609)
- 1552 Melchior Klesl, Austrian cardinal and statesman (d. 1630)
- 1588 Pieter de Carpentier, Flemish governor-general of Dutch East-Indies
- 1611 Andries de Graeff, mayor of Amsterdam (1657..71)
- 1630 Shivaji Bhonsle [Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj], Indian warrior and founder of the Maratha Empire (disputed birth date; 1630-02-19 accepted by Indian government), born at Shivneri fort (d. 1680)
- 1660 Friedrich Hoffmann, German physician and chemist (d. 1742)
- 1722 Tiphaigne de la Roche, French writer (d. 1774)
- 1751 Cornelis de Gijselaar, Dutch politician and patriot
- 1754 Nicolas Baudin, French explorer, led cartographic survey of the coast of Australia, born in St-Pierre-de-Ré, France (d. 1803)
- 1754 Vincenzo Monti, Italian poet and translator (Al Signor di Montgolfier)
- 1755 Pieter Gerardus van Overstraten, Dutch Governor-General of Dutch East Indies
- 1780 Friedrich Heinrich von der Hagen, German philologist (Nibelungenlied), born in Angermünde-Schmiedeberg i (d. 1856)
- 1780 Richard McCarty, American politician, born in Coeymans, New York (d. 1844)
- 1792 Roderick Murchison, Muir of Ord Ross-shire, Scottish Geologist (Silurian system)
- 1802 Wilhelm Matthias Naeff, Swiss Federal Councillor (d. 1881)
- 1804 Carl Freiherr von Rokitansky, German physician (d. 1878)
- 1804 David Wark, Canadian politician (d. 1905)
- 1817 William III, last male King of the Netherlands (1849-90) until 2013, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1890)
- 1819 Mark Prager Lindo, English Dutch writer, born in London, England (d. 1877)
- 1821 Francis Preston Blair Jr., (Rep-Missouri), born in Lexington, Kentucky (d. 1875)
- 1827 Charles Robert Woods, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Newark, Ohio (d. 1855)
- 1828 Johannes von Miquel, German politician
- 1859 Svante Arrhenius, Swedish physicist and chemist (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1903), born in Wik Castle, Sweden (d. 1927)
- 1865 Adrian van Oordt, Dutch writer (neo-romantic)
- 1865 Sven Hedin, Swedish scientist and explorer (Tibet)
- 1876 Constantin Brancusi, Romanian French sculptor (Princesse X), born in Hobita (d. 1957)
- 1877 Else Berg, German born Dutch painter (Bergense School), born in Ratibor, German Empire (d. 1942)
- 1877 Gabriele Münter, German painter (d. 1962)
- 1880 Álvaro Obregón, Mexican general and President of Mexico (1920-24), born in Alamos, Mexico (d. 1928)
- 1881 Evert Gorter, founder of Dutch medical child care
- 1881 Paul Zech, German writer, born in Briesen, Western Prussia (d. 1946)
- 1888 Aurora Quezon, First Lady of the Philippines (d. 1949)
- 1889 Jose Eustasio Rivera, Colombian poet and novelist (Vortex)
- 1893 Pietro Pancrazi, Italian critic (Scrittori d'Oggi)
- 1898 Lauwrens Voorthuyzen [Lou de Palingboer], Dutch sect leader
- 1899 Yury Olesha, Russian novelist (d. 1960)
- 1900 Giorgos Seferis [Giōrgios Stylianou Seferiadēs], Greek writer (Nobel Prize for Literature 1963) and diplomat, born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire (d. 1971)
- 1901 Cor[nelis RJ] Kieboom, Dutch resistance fighter and chairman (Feyenoord)
- 1903 Kay Boyle, American novelist (Plagued by Nightingales), born in St. Paul, Minnesota (d. 1992)
- 1903 Sadiq Hidajat, Persian writer (Blind Person Owl), (d. 1951)
- 1904 Havank [HF vqan der Kallen], Dutch thriller writer (St Eustache)
- 1912 Adolf Rudnicki [Aron Hirschhorn], Polish writer (Niekochana), born in Żabno, Galicia (now Poland) (d. 1990)
- 1912 Peter Francis du Sautoy, British publisher (Faber & Faber) (d. 1995)
- 1917 Carson McCullers, American novelist (The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter), born in Columbus, Georgia (d. 1967)
- 1920 C. Z. Guest, American socialite and fashion icon, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2003)
- 1920 Frances Bairstow, American educator and labor relations arbitrator, born in Racine, Wisconsin (d. 2013)
- 1920 Jaan Kross, Estonian writer (d. 2007)
- 1921 Andries Treurnicht [Dr No], South African politician (founder of the South African Conservative Party), born in Piketberg, South Africa (d. 1993)
- 1922 Beant Singh, Indian politician (Chief Minister of Punjab), born in Patiala, Punjab (d. 1995)
- 1927 Rene Firino-Martell, French cognac manufacturer (Martell), born in Cognac, France (d. 1995)
- 1930 John Frankenheimer, American director (Birdman of Alcatraz), born in NYC, New York
- 1932 Joseph P. Kerwin, American Capt Med Corps USN/astro (Skylab 2), born in Oak Park, Illinois
- 1934 David Jones, English director (Betrayal), born in Poole, England (d. 2008)
- 1934 Julian Rochfort Belfrage, English theatre agent, born in London, England (d. 1994)
- 1936 Ione Mylonas Shear, American archeologist (Bronze Age Greece), born in Champaign, Illinois (d. 2005)
- 1936 Marin Sorescu, Romanian poet, playwright and artist (Iona, House under surveillance), born in Bulzești, Dolj County (d. 1996)
- 1940 Saparmurat Niyazov, President of Turkmenistan (d. 2006)
- 1941 Imre Szöllősi, Hungarian sprint canoeist (World C'ship gold K-2 10,00m 1966; 2 x Olympic silver 1960, bronze 1968), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2022)
- 1941 Stephen Dobyns, American author and poet (Cold Dog Soup), born in Orange, New Jersey
- 1942 Ken Kramer [Kenneth Bentley Kramer], former American Republican member of the House of Representatives, born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1943 Homer Hickam, American author (Rocket Boys) and retired NASA engineer, born in Coalwood, West Virgina
- 1943 Tim Hunt, British biochemist, (Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology for discovery of protein molecules), born in Neston, England
- 1946 Karen Silkwood, American nuclear lab technician and labor union activist, born in Longview, Texas (d. 1974)
- 1946 Peter Hudson, Australian rules footballer
- 1947 Ferdousi Priyabhashini, Bangladeshi sculptor (Independence Day Award-2010), born in Khulna District, British India (d. 2018)
- 1947 Peter Bird, British ocean rower (1st to row non-stop solo across the Pacific), (d. 1996)
- 1947 Tim Shadbolt, New Zealand politician (Mayor of Invercargill), born in Auckland, New Zealand
- 1948 Byron K. Lichtenburg, American astronaut (STS 9, STS 45), born in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
- 1948 Pim Fortuyn, Dutch politician (d. 2002)
- 1949 Danielle Bunton Berry [Dan Bunten], American software developer (M.U.L.E), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1998)
- 1949 William Messner-Loebs, American comics writer and artist (Flash, Wonder Woman), born in Ferndale, Michigan
- 1951 Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri (Db), Pakistani Islamic Sufi Scholar
- 1952 Amy Tan, American novelist (The Joy Luck Club), born in Oakland, California
- 1952 Rudolfo Neri-Vida, Mexican PHD/astronaut (STS 23)
- 1953 Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Argentina (2007-2015), born in La Plata, Buenos Aires
- 1956 George David Low, American astronaut (STS 32, STS 43), born in Cleveland, Ohio
Jeffrey Robert Immelt (66 years old)
1956 American chairman of General Electric, born in Cincinnati, Ohio
- 1956 Roderick MacKinnon, American biologist (2003 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for work on ion channels), born in Burlington, Massachusetts
- 1958 Helen Fielding, English writer (Bridget Jones), born in Morley, England
- 1960 Andrew, Duke of York, British prince and 2nd son of Queen Elizabeth II, born at Buckingham Palace, London
- 1960 Keith Musa[kawukhathi] Zondi, South African head of Inkatha Youth Brigade
- 1962 John Laroche, American orchid poacher
- 1963 Laurell K. Hamilton, American writer (Anita Blake books), born in Heber Springs, Arkansas
- 1964 Dmitri Lipskerov, Russian writer
- 1964 Jennifer Doudna, American biochemist (2020 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for CRISPR Gene Editing), born in Washington D.C.
- 1971 Jeff Kinney, American author (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), born in Fort Washington, Maryland
- 1989 L A Baby orangutan, at Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle, Washington)
- 1991 Lina Hidalgo, American politician (County Judge Harris County), born in Bogota, Colombia