Birthdays in History on July 4

  • 1330 Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shogun (2nd shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate) (d. 1367)
  • 1546 Murad III, Sultan of Turkey (1574-95), born in Manisa, Ottoman Empire (d. 1595)
  • 1610 Cornelis Evertsen the Elder, Dutch-Swiss vice-admiral (d. 1666)
  • 1610 Paul Scarron, French writer (Virgile Travesti), born in Paris (d. 1660)
  • 1669 Alexander von Papenhoven, Flemish religious sculptor (d. 1759)
  • 1715 Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet and novelist (Fables & Tales), born in Hainchen, Germany (d. 1769)
  • 1719 Michel-Jean Sedaine, French dramatist (Le Philosophe sans le savoir), born in Paris (d. 1797)
  • 1753 Jean-Pierre Blanchard, French ballonist (1st balloon flights in England and U.S.), born in Les Andelys, France (d. 1809)
  • 1756 William Rush, American sculptor (Spirit of the Schuylkill), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1833)
  • 1790 George Everest, Welsh surveyor and namesake of Mt. Everest, born in Gwernvale, Brecknockshire, Wales (d. 1866)
  • 1799 Oscar I, King of Sweden and Norway (1844-59), born in Paris (d. 1859)
  • 1804 Désiré de Haerne, Belgian Catholic priest and Congressional leader, born in Ypres, Belgium (d. 1890)

Person of interestNathaniel Hawthorne

1804 Nathaniel Hawthorne, American author (House of 7 Gables, The Scarlet Letter), born in Salem, Massachusetts (d. 1864)

Author Nathaniel Hawthorne
Author
Nathaniel Hawthorne

Person of interestGiuseppe Garibaldi

1807 Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian general and nationalist (Risorgimento) who helped unify Italy, born in Nice, First French Empire (d. 1882)

Unifier of Italy Giuseppe Garibaldi
Unifier of Italy
Giuseppe Garibaldi
  • 1816 Hiram Walker, American entrepreneur and founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery, born in East Douglas, Massachusetts (d. 1899)
  • 1819 Reuben Fenton, American merchant and politician (22nd Governor of New York), born in Carroll, New York (d. 1885)
  • 1826 Green Clay Smith, American politician and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Richmond, Kentucky (d. 1895)
  • 1828 J. Johnston Pettigrew, American lawyer and Confederate General in the American Civil War, born in Tyrrell County, North Carolina (d. 1863)
  • 1828 Wilhelm Ahlwardt, German orientalist, born in Greifswald, Germany (d. 1909)
  • 1841 Edward Gailliard, Flemish linguist and archaeologist, born in Bruges, Belgium (d. 1922)
  • 1842 Gustav Ratzenhofer, Austrian sociologist and general, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1904)
  • 1845 Thomas John Barnardo, British social worker, born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1905)
  • 1847 James Anthony Bailey, American circus impresario (Barnum & Bailey), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1906)
  • 1854 Victor Babeş, Romanian physician and bacteriologist, born in Vienna, Austrian Empire (d. 1926)
  • 1867 Stephen Mather, American industrialist and conservationist (organized US National Park Service), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1930)
  • 1868 Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer (period-luminosity relation), born in Lancaster, Massachusetts (d. 1921)
  • 1870 Pieter van der Lijn, Dutch geologist (Dutch boulders), born in Graft, Netherlands (d. 1964)

Person of interestCalvin Coolidge

1872 Calvin Coolidge [Silent Cal], 30th US President (R) (1923-29), born in Plymouth Notch, Vermont (d. 1933)

30th US President Calvin Coolidge
30th US President
Calvin Coolidge
  • 1875 Giovanni & Giacomo Tocci, Italian siamese twins, born in Locana (probable date),
  • 1881 Ulysses S. Grant III, American soldier and planner, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1968)

Person of interestRube Goldberg

1883 Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist (who made the easy outrageously difficult) Pulitzer Prize 1948, born in San Francisco, California (d. 1970)

Cartoonist Rube Goldberg
Cartoonist
Rube Goldberg
  • 1884 Alexander Byvanck, Dutch art historian and archaeologist, born in Leiden, Netherlands (d. 1970)
  • 1895 Massimo Campigli, Italian painter and illustrator, born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1971)
  • 1896 Mao Dun [Shen Dehong], Chinese writer (Midnight), born in Tongxiang, China (d. 1981)
  • 1898 Pilar Barbosa, Puerto Rican historian and political activist, born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico (d. 1997)
  • 1898 Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian politician and economist, temporary Prime Minster of India (1964, 1966), born in Sialkot, British India (d. 1998)

Person of interestMeyer Lansky

1902 Meyer Lansky, Russian-American mobster known as the "Mob's Accountant", born in Grodno, Belarus (d. 1983)

Mobster Meyer Lansky
Mobster
Meyer Lansky
  • 1905 Lionel Trilling, American literary critic and author (1969 Poses Award, The Liberal Imagination), born in NYC, New York (d. 1975)
  • 1905 Irving Johnson, American sail training pioneer and adventurer, born in Hadley, Massachusetts (d. 1991)
  • 1906 Vincent Joseph Schaefer, American chemist and meteorologist (cloud seeding), born in Schenectady, New York (d. 1993)
  • 1908 Aurelio Peccei, Italian industrialist and chairman (Club of Rome), born in Turin, Piedmont, Italy (d. 1984)
  • 1909 Lynette Roberts, British poet, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1995)
  • 1909 Madeleine Barot, Frecnh activist and theologian, born in Châteauroux, France (d. 1995)
  • 1910 Francis D. Foley, US Rear Admiral (WW II, Guadalcanal), born in Dorchester, Massachusetts (d. 1999)
  • 1911 Mitch Miller, American oboist and recording producer (Sing Along with Mitch), born in Rochester, New York (d. 2010)
  • 1914 Nuccio Bertone, Italian automobile designer, born in Turin, Piedmont, Italy (d. 1997)
  • 1915 Christine Lavant, Austrian poet and writer (Das Kind), born in Lavant Valley, Carinthia, Austria (d. 1973)
  • 1916 Tokyo Rose [Iva Toguri D'Aquino], American-born Japanese propagandist (WWII), born in Los Angeles (d. 2006)
  • 1917 Manolete [Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez], Spanish bullfighter, born in Córdoba, Andalucia, Spain (d. 1947)
  • 1918 Abigail Van Buren [Pauline Phillips], American columnist and radio show host known for "Dear Abby" advice column, twin sister of fellow advice columnist Ann Landers (Eppie Lederer), born in Sioux City, Iowa (d. 2013)
  • 1918 Ann Landers [Eppie Lederer], American advice columnist "Ask Ann Landers," twin sister of fellow advice columnist "Dear Abby" (Abigail Van Buren), born in Sioux City, Iowa (d. 2002)

  • 1918 Buster Davis, American choral director (Garry Moore Show), born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania (d. 1987)
  • 1918 Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, King of Tonga (1965-2006), born in Royal Palace, Nuku'alofa, Tonga (d. 2006)
  • 1920 Leona Helmsley, American real estate billionaire and convicted of federal income tax evasion, born in Marbletown, New York (d. 2007)
  • 1921 Gérard Debreu, French-American economist (Nobel 1983), born in Calais, France (d. 2004)
  • 1923 Rudolf Friedrich, Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1982-84), born in Winterthur, Switzerland (d. 2013)

Person of interestNeil Simon

1927 Neil Simon, American playwright (Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, Biloxi Blues), born in The Bronx, New York

Playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon
Playwright and screenwriter
Neil Simon
  • 1928 Patrick Tilley, British sci-fi author (1st Family, Blood River)
  • 1928 Paul de Wispelaere, Flemish writer and critic, born in Bruges, Belgium (d. 2016)
  • 1928 Sylvius Gerald Marie Rozendal, Premier of Netherland's Antilles, born in Willemstad, Curacao (d. 2003)
  • 1935 Paul Scoon, Grenadian politician (2nd Governor-General of Grenada (1978-92)), born in Gouyave, British Windward Islands (d. 2013)
  • 1937 Thomas Nagel, American philosopher and University Professor of Philosophy and Law Emeritus at New York University, born in Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
  • 1941 Brian Willson, American peace activist, born in New York
  • 1941 Sergio Oliva, American body builder (The Myth, IFBB Mr. Olympia, 1967-9), born in Havana, Cuba (d. 2012)
  • 1942 Michael, English Prince of Kent and paternal first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, born in Coppins, Iver, Buckinghamshire, England
  • 1942 Stefan Meller, Polish diplomat and 9th Minister of Foreign Affairs (2005-06), born in Lyon, France (d. 2008)
  • 1946 Michael Milken, American financier and partner (Intl Capital Access Group), born in Los Angeles, California
  • 1946 Ron Kovic, American anti-war activist and writer (Born on the Fourth of July), born in Ladysmith, Wisconsin
  • 1951 Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, American Democratic politician and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland (1995-2003), born in Greenwich, Connecticut
  • 1952 Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Colombian politician (31st President of Colombia), born in Medellín, Colombia
  • 1957 Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand, the youngest daughter of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit, born in Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall Dusit Palace, Bangkok
  • 1961 Richard Allen Garriott, English-American computer game designer (Origin), born in Austin, Texas
  • 1965 Jo Whiley, English radio DJ
  • 1971 Koko, sign-language gorilla
  • 1971 Andrew Murray, English entrepreneur
  • 1975 Tania Davis, Australian violist
  • 1998 Malia Obama, American daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama, born in Chicago, Illinois
  • 2003 Alessia di Matteo, Italian medical figure (d. 2005)