On This Day

Birthdays in History on June 9

  • 1508 Primož Trubar, Slovenian Protestant reformer (d. 1586)
  • 1510 Nicolaas van Nieuwland, corrupt 1st bishop of Harlem
  • 1573 Henricus Hondius, Dutch etcher and publisher
  • 1580 Daniel Heinsius, Flemish scholar (d. 1655)
  • 1595 Władysław IV Vasa, King of Poland (1632-48), born in Kraków (d. 1648)
  • 1597 Pieter Jansz Saenredam, Dutch architecture painter, born in Assendelft
  • 1640 Leopold I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (1658-1705), born in Vienna (d. 1705)
  • 1661 Tsar Feodor III of Russia (1676-82), born in Moscow, Tsardom of Russia (d. 1682)

Peter the GreatPeter the Great (1672-1725)

Tsar of Russia (1682-1725), born in Moscow

Peter the Great
  • 1686 Andrei Osterman, German born Russian statesman to Tsar Peter I, born in Bochum, Westphalia (d. 1747)
  • 1768 Samuel Slater, English-American industrialist who brought the textile industrial revolution to America, born in Belper, Derbyshire, England (d. 1836)

George StephensonGeorge Stephenson (1781-1848)

English engineer known as the "Father of Railways" (Locomotion No. 1, Standard Gauge), born in Newcastle, England

George Stephenson
  • 1791 Thomas L. Jennings, American tailor and inventor (dry-cleaning), abolitionist, and desegregationist, born in New York City (d. 1856) [birth date is uncertain, but taken from burial record; many sources cite default of Jan. 1] [1]
  • 1792 Frederic de Merode, Earl of Merode, Belgian revolutionary, born in Maastricht (d. 1830)
  • 1812 Hermann von Fehling, German chemist (Fehling's reagens)
  • 1812 Johann Gottfried Galle, German astronomer (discovered Neptune), born in Radis, Kingdom of Saxony (d. 1910)
  • 1833 John Rogers Cooke, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), (d. 1891)
  • 1836 Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, 1st qualified woman physician in Britain, first woman mayor (Aldeburgh), born in London (d. 1917)
  • 1843 Bertha von Suttner, Austrian novelist and pacifist (1st woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905), born in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia (d. 1914)
  • 1845 Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, Governor General of Canada and India, born in London (d. 1914)
  • 1849 Michael Peter Ancher, Danish painter (d. 1927)
  • 1851 Charles Joseph Bonaparte, American Lawyer and political activist (US Attorney General (1906-9), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1921)
  • 1854 Gerard Bolland, Dutch philosopher (Bolland Society), born in Groningen, Netherlands (d. 1922)
  • 1861 Floris Verster [van Wulverhorst], Dutch painter, cartoonist and etcher, born in Leiden, Netherlands (d. 1927)
  • 1875 Henry Dale, English physiologist (Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology 1936), born in London, England (d. 1968)
  • 1877 Rudolf Borchardt, German writer, born in Königsberg, Germany (d. 1945)
  • 1879 Oskar Back, Hungarian-Dutch violist and pedagogue, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1963)
  • 1896 Catherine Filene Shouse, American philanthropist (Wolf Trap Institute), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1994)
  • 1898 Curzio Malaparte [Kurt E. Suckert], Italian author (Kaputt)
  • 1900 Prosper Cocquyt, Belgian brewer and pilot, born in Astène, Belgium (d. 1954)
  • 1901 George Price, American cartoonist (The New Yorker), born in Fort Lee, New Jersey (d. 1995)
  • 1909 Jose Luis Lopez Aranguren, Spanish philosopher, born in Avila, Spain (d. 1996)
  • 1913 Alida Margaretha Bosshardt, lt-colonel of Dutch Salvation Army
  • 1913 Patrick Steptoe, English scientist (developed in vitro fertilization), born in Oxford, England (d. 1988)
  • 1916 Robert McNamara, American United States Secretary of Defense (1961-68), played major role in US escalation in Vietnam, born in San Francisco, California (d. 2009)
  • 1917 Eric J. Hobsbawm, Marxist historian (The Age of Revolution; Capital; and Empire), born in Alexandria, Sultanate of Egypt, (d. 2012)
  • 1920 June Braybrooke [Isobel English], English writer (Every Eye), born in London, England (d. 1994)
  • 1921 Arthur Hertzberg, American Jewish scholar (d. 2006)
  • 1921 Forrest Bird, American aviator and inventor (1st respirators and ventilators), born in Stoughton, Massachusetts (d. 2015)
  • 1922 George Axelrod, American playwright (Breakfast at Tiffany, Bus Stop), born in New York City (d. 2003)
  • 1922 John Gillespie Magee, Jr., American poet and aviator (d. 1941)
  • 1922 Peter Beazley, British politician (C) (European Parliament), born in Chale, Isle of Wight (d. 2004)
  • 1925 Keith Laumer [Anthony LeBaron], American sci-fi author (Retief's War), born in Syracuse, New York (d. 1993)
  • 1925 Roy Hughes, Baron Islwyn, British politician (L), born in Pontllanfraith, Monmouthshire (d. 2003)
  • 1927 Norman Sisisky, American politician (Rep-D-VA, 1983-2001), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2001)
  • 1928 Geraint Gruffydd, Welsh scholar (University of Wales), born in Tal-y-bont, Wales (d. 2015)
  • 1929 Robert Badham, American politician (Rep-R-CA, 1977-89), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2005)
  • 1930 Carlos Vilar, Argentine sailor (Snipe World Championships gold 1948, 51), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 2021)
  • 1930 Lin Carter, American sci-fi author (Thongor of Lemuria), born in St. Petersburg, Florida
  • 1930 Ragnhild Alexandra [Princess Ragnhild, Mrs Lorentzen], Norwegian princess, born in the Royal Palace, Oslo, Norway (d. 2012)
  • 1933 Don Young, American politician (US Representative from Alaska (R), 1973- 2022), born in Meridian, California (d. 2022)
  • 1934 Donald Duck, famous fowl
  • 1934 Michael Mates, British politician (C) resigned during Asil Nadir scandal, born in Brentford, Middlesex
  • 1937 Harald Rosenthal, German biologist (lobbied against ballast water pollution), born in Berlin, Germany
  • 1938 Jeremy Hardie, British economic and businessman (W H Smith Group, Monopoly and Mergers Commission)
  • 1938 Peter Sanders, British head of the Commission for Racial Equality
  • 1938 Roger Hurn, British businessman (Smith's Industries)
  • 1939 Charles Webb, American writer (The Graduate), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2020)
  • 1941 Peter Wilson, CEO (Gallaher)
  • 1942 Nicholas Lloyd, British editor (The Daily Express)
  • 1943 Charles Saatchi, Iraqi English magnate and art collector (founded advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi), born in Baghdad, Iraq
  • 1943 Joe Haldeman, American sci-fi author (The Forever War), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • 1944 23 puppies (record litter), born to Lena, a foxhound in Ambler, Pennsylvania
  • 1945 Nike Wagner, German woman of the theater and descendant of Wagner and Liszt, born in Überlingen, Germany
  • 1947 John Gurda, American historian (The Making of Milwaukee,), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • 1948 Gudrun Schyman, Swedish politician (Feminist Initiative), born in Täby, Sweden
  • 1954 George Pérez, American comic book artist (The Avenger; Teen Titans), born in New York City (d. 2022)
  • 1954 Gregory Maguire, American fantasy writer (Wicked), born in Albany, New York
  • 1956 Patricia Cornwell, American author (Kay Scarpetta crime novels), born in Miami, Florida
  • 1959 Benny Gantz, Israeli soldier, politician and Alternate Prime Minister of Israel (Blue and White: 2020-), born in Kfar Ahim, Israel
  • 1959 Christian Wulff, German politician, prime minister of Lower Saxony (2003-10) and President of Germany (2010-12), born in Osnabrück, West Germany
  • 1960 Steve Paikin, Canadian journalist, born in Hamilton, Ontario
  • 1974 Tim Shaw, British radio personality
  • 1977 Roopa Mishra, Indian civil servant
  • 1978 Shandi Finnessey, game hostess


Historical Figures

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