- 1520 Matthias Flacius, Croatian Protestant reformer (d. 1575)
- 1583 Edward Herbert of Cherbury, English military/philosopher
- 1589 Gisbertus Voetius [Gijsbert Voet], Dutch reformed theologist
- 1606 Edmund Waller, England, poet (Penshust)
- 1652 Thomas Otway, England, playwright/poet (Venice Preserved)
- 1678 Madeleine de Verchères, French Canadian heroine (d. 1747)
- 1756 William Godwin, philosopher/political writer (Caleb Williams)
- 1778 Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Hanover (d. 1841)
- 1793 Charles Sealsfield [Carl Anton Postl], Austrian-American writer, born in Popice u Znojma, Moravia (d. 1864)
- 1800 Heinrich Georg Bronn, German geologist (d. 1862)
- 1805 Jonas Furrer, first President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1861)
- 1811 Vissarion Belinsky, Sveaborg Finland, Russian author (Literary Review)
- 1823 Gyula Andrássy Sr, Prime Minister of Hungary (1867-71), born in Kassa, Austrian Empire (d. 1890)
- 1831 George M Pullman, inventor (railway sleeping car)
- 1838 George William Hill, US astronomer (calculated Moon's orbit)
- 1839 Jamsetji Tata, Indian industrialist (d. 1904)
- 1841 John Murray, Canadian-British oceanographer, marine biologist (Challenger Expedition, 1872-76), and writer (The Depths of the Ocean), born in Coburg, West Canada (now Ontario) (d. 1914)
- 1845 Georg Cantor, German mathematician (discover transfinite numbers)
Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)
Scottish-born British-American inventor (telephone), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
- 1849 Jacques Oppenheim, Dutch lawyer
- 1851 Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author (d. 1911)
- 1863 Arthur Machen, Welsh-born author (d. 1947)
- 1866 Fred A. Busse, Mayor of Chicago (d. 1914)
- 1868 Alain [Emile-Auguste Chartier], French philosopher/writer
- 1873 William Green, president of American Federation of Labor (1924-52)
- 1880 Anne C Veth, Dutch cartoonist/art critic
- 1882 Charles Ponzi [Carlo], Italian con-man (Ponzi scheme in the US), born in Lugo, Italy (d. 1949)
- 1882 Floris H L Prims, Flemish priest/historian/archivist of Antwerp
- 1883 Cyril Burt, educational psychologist (d. 1971)
- 1886 Tore Ørjasæter, Norwegian poet (d. 1968)
- 1890 Norman Bethune, Canadian doctor, communist and humanitarian (Spanish Civil War, Second Sino-Japanese War), born in Gravenhurst, Ontario (d. 1939)
- 1891 Jan Donner, Dutch minister of Justice/president High Council
- 1893 Beatrice Wood, potter/artist/author
- 1895 Matthew Ridgway, American general (World War II, Korean War, NATO Supreme Commander) and Chief of Staff of the US Army (1953-55), born in Fort Monroe, Virginia (d. 1993)
- 1895 Ragnar Frisch, Norwegian economist (1st winner of the Nobel prize in economics-1969), born in Oslo, Norway
- 1899 Alfred M Gruenther, American commanding general (NATO, 1953-56)
- 1899 Yuri Olesha, Russian writer, born in Jelisawetgrad, Russian Empire (d. 1960)
- 1903 Gilbert Adrian [Greenberg], Naugatuck CT, costume designer
- 1903 Rabbe A Enckell, Fins author/poet (Lutad about Brunnen)
- 1906 Artur Lundkvist, Swedish writer/Swedish Academy (Agadir)
- 1906 Krishnarao Shiva Shelvankar, journalist/diplomat
- 1907 Aar van de Werfhorst [Pieter G Jansen], Dutch writer
- 1907 Joy Finzi [Joyce A Black], British painter
- 1909 Jay Morris Arena, inventor/pediatrician
- 1909 Kenton Kilmer, American writer, born in Morristown, New Jersey (d. 1995)
- 1911 Hugues Lapointe, Canadian politician and Lieutenant governor of Quebec (d. 1982)
- 1913 Roger Caillois, French writer (Les Jeux et les Hommes)
- 1917 Bert van Aerschot, Flemish writer (Elevator, Women)
- 1917 Sameera Moussa, Egyptian nuclear scientist (d. 1952)
- 1918 Arnold Newman, photographer (Faces USA)
- 1918 Arthur Kornberg, US biochemist (Nobel 1959)
- 1918 San Yu, Burmese General and the 5th President of Burma (1981-88), born in Thegon, Pegu Province, British Burma, British India (d. 1996)
- 1924 Ali Faik Zaghloul, Egyptian radio presenter (d. 1995)
- 1926 James Ingram Merrill, American poet/author (Scripts for the Pageant)
- 1926 Joseph Anthony Ferrario, American clergyman (Roman Catholic Bishop of Honolulu , 1982-93), born in Scranton, Pennsylvania (d. 2003)
- 1927 Charles O. Whitley, American politician (Rep-D-NC, 1977-87), born in Siler City, North Carolina (d. 2002)
- 1927 Frank Singleton, librarian
- 1927 Pierre Aubert, member of the Swiss Federal Council
- 1927 William Kurelek, Canadian artist and writer (The Maze, Passion of Christ series), born near Whitford, Alberta (d. 1977)
- 1928 Gudrun Pausewang, Eastern Bohemia, German writer
- 1930 Heiner Geißler, German politician
- 1930 Ion Iliescu, President of Romania
- 1931 Henk Knol, Dutch 2nd chamber member (PvdA)
- 1931 Piet [van] Bambergen, Dutch cabaretier (Mounties, Sherlock Jones)
- 1932 Fred Storey, Canadian curler (World C'ship gold 1966, 68, 69), born in Empress, Alberta (d. 2019)
- 1933 Lee Radziwell Ross, American princess (Jackie O's sister), born in NYC, New York
- 1935 Zhelyu Zhelev, Veselinovo, Shumen Province, Bulgarian President (1990-97)
- 1939 Hans Pieter Verhagen, Dutch poet (Hoepla/Holland's Hole)
- 1940 Germán Castro Caycedo, Colombian writer and journalist
- 1942 Vladimir Vasilyevich Kovolyonok, USR, cosmonaut (Soyuz 25, 29/31, T-4)
- 1944 Janice Garfat, rocker (Dr Hook)
- 1946 James C Adamson, Lt Col USA/astronaut (STS 28, STS 43), born in Warsaw, New York
- 1947 Clifton Snider, American poet and writer
- 1947 Dave Mount, English rocker (Mud), born in Carshalton, Surrey (d. 2006)
- 1948 Reed Hundt, FCC chairman
- 1949 Bonnie J Dunbar, Sunnyside Wash, PhD/astro (STS 61-A, 32, 50, 71, 89)
- 1949 James S Voss, Cordova Alabama, Major USA/astronaut (STS 44, 53, 69)
- 1949 Jüri Allik, Estonian psychologist
- 1951 Sergei Aleksandrovich Yemelyanov, Russian cosmonaut
- 1953 Aleksandr Viktorovich Borodin, Russian cosmonaut
- 1958 Marc Silvestri, American comic book artist and publisher (Top Cow Productions)
- 1962 Glen E. Friedman, American photographer and artist
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (57 years old)
1965 Ethiopian politician and heath official (first African Director-General of the World Health Organization), born in Asmara, Eritrea
- 1971 Tyler Florence, American chef, Food Network personality & cookbook author, born in Greenville, South Carolina
- 1976 Fraser Gehrig, Australian rules footballer
Authors
Civil Rights Activists
Inventors
Kings
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