- 1508 Primož Trubar, Slovenian Protestant reformer (d. 1586)
- 1510 Nicolaas van Nieuwland, corrupt 1st bishop of Harlem
- 1573 Henricus Hondius, Dutch etcher/publisher
- 1580 Daniel Heinsius, Flemish scholar (d. 1655)
- 1595 Władysław IV Vasa, King of Poland (1632-48), born in Kraków (d. 1648)
- 1597 Pieter J Saenredam, architecture painter
- 1640 Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (1658-1705)
- 1661 Tsar Feodor III of Russia (d. 1682)
Peter the Great
1672 Peter the Great [Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov],Tsar of Russia (1682-1725), born in Moscow (d. 1725)
Peter the Great
George Stephenson
1781 George Stephenson, English engineer known as the "Father of Railways" (Locomotion No. 1, Standard Guage), born in Newcastle, England
George Stephenson
- 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 G Galle, German astronomer (discovered Neptune)
- 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/pacifist (Nobel 1905)
- 1845 Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto (d. 1914)
- 1849 Michael Peter Ancher, Danish painter (d. 1927)
- 1851 Charles Joseph Bonaparte, French politician (d. 1921)
- 1854 Gerardus J P J Bolland, Dutch philosopher (Bolland Society)
- 1861 Floris H Verster, [van Wulverhorst], painter/cartoonist/etcher
- 1875 Henry Dale, physiologist (Nobel-1936), born in London, England
- 1877 Rudolf Borchardt, writer
- 1879 Oscar Back, Austrian-Dutch viola player
- 1896 Catherine Filene Shouse, philanthropist (Wolf Trap Institute)
- 1898 Curzio Malaparte, [Kurt E Suckert], Italian author (Kaputt)
- 1900 Prosper Cocquyt, Belgian brewer/pilot
- 1901 George Price, cartoonist
- 1908 J F Williams-Wynne, Lord-Lieutenant (Gwynedd)
- 1909 Jose Luis Lopez Aranguren, philosopher
- 1910 Geoffrey Musson, British General
- 1913 Alida Margaretha Bosshardt, lt-colonel of Dutch Salvation Army
- 1913 Patrick Steptoe, scientist (developed in vitro fertilization)
- 1916 Robert McNamara, American United States Secretary of Defense (1961-8), who played a major role in US escalation in Vietnam, born in San Francisco, California (d. 2009)
- 1916 Robert S McNamara, US Sec of Defense (1961-68)/head (World Bank)
- 1917 Eric J. Hobsbawm, Alexandria, Sultanate of Egypt, Marxist historian (The Age of Revolution; Capital; and Empire), (d. 2012)
- 1920 Isobel June Braybrooke English, novellist
- 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, playwright (Breakfast at Tiffany, Bus Stop)
- 1922 Peter Beazley, British politician (C) (European Parliament), born in Chale, Isle of Wight (d. 2004)
- 1922 John Gillespie Magee, Jr., American poet and aviator (d. 1941)
- 1925 Roy Hughes, Baron Islwyn, British politician (L), born in Pontllanfraith, Monmouthshire (d. 2003)
- 1925 Keith Laumer [Anthony LeBaron], American sci-fi author (Retief's War), born in Syracuse, New York (d. 1993)
- 1927 Norman Sisisky, (Rep-D-VA, 1983- )
- 1928 Geraint Gruffydd, director (U of Wales Centre for Welsh Studies)
- 1929 June O'Dell, deputy CEO (Equal Opportunities Commission)
- 1929 Robert E Badham, (Rep-R-CA, 1977- )
- 1930 Lin[wood] [Vrooman] Carter, American sci-fi author (Thongor of Lemuria)
- 1930 Ragnhild Alexandra [Princess Ragnhild, Mrs Lorentzen], Norwegian princess, born in the Royal Palace, Oslo, Norway (d. 2012)
- 1932 Douglas Smith, CEO (Acas)
- 1933 Don Young, (Rep-R-AK, 1973- )
- 1933 Patrick Symons, British vice-admiral
- 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
- 1938 Jeremy Hardie, CEO (W H Smith Group)
- 1938 Peter Sanders, CEO (Commission for Racial Equality)
- 1938 Roger Hurn, CEO (Smith's Industries)
- 1939 Derek Hunt, CEO (MFI Furniture Group)
- 1939 Charles Webb, American writer (The Graduate), born in San Francisco, California
- 1941 Peter Wilson, CEO (Gallaher)
- 1942 Nicholas Lloyd, editor (Daily Express)
- 1943 Charles Saatchi, English magnate (Saatchi & Saatchi)
- 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, Ambler Penn
- 1945 Nike Wagner, German woman of the theater
- 1946 Peter Kilfoyle, British MP
- 1947 John Gurda, American historian
- 1948 Gudrun Schyman, Swedish politician
- 1949 Douglas Henderson, British MP
- 1954 George Pérez, American comic book artist
- 1954 Gregory Maguire, American fantasy writer
- 1956 Patricia Cornwell, American author
- 1958 Donald Michael Santini, Mass, murderer (FBI Most Wanted List)
- 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
- 1961 Aaron Sorkin, American writer
- 1965 Michelle Francis Bird, campaigner
- 1969 Eric Wynalda, American footballer
- 1974 Tim Shaw, British radio personality
- 1977 Roopa Mishra, Indian civil servant
- 1978 Shandi Finnessey, game hostess
- 1981 Anoushka Shankar, Famous sitarist and daughter of Ravi Shankar