Birthdays in History on May 25

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

American essayist and philosopher (Concord Hymn), born in Boston, Massachusetts

1818 Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss cultural historian, born in Basel, Switzerland (d. 1897)
1830 Jules de Geyter, Belgian poet (International), born in Lede, Belgium (d. 1905)
1839 John Eliot, English meteorologist, born in Lamesley, Durham (d. 1908)
1846 Naim Frashëri, Albanian poet and writer, born in Frashër, Janina Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (d. 1900)
1846 Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria, born in Buckingham Palace, London (d. 1923)
1847 John Alexander Dowie, Scottish-American evangelist (founded the city of Zion, Illinois), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1907)
1856 Louis Franchet d'Espèrey, French general during WWI, born in Mostaganem, French Algeria (d. 1942)
1860 James McKeen Cattell, American psychologist, born in Easton, Pennsylvania (d. 1944)
1865 Frederick Augustus III, King of Saxony (1904-18), born in Dresden, Germany (d. 1932)
1865 John Mott, American evangelist and organizer (YMCA, Nobel 1946), born in Livingston Manor, Sullivan County, New York (d. 1955)
1865 Pieter Zeeman, Dutch physicist (Zeeman effect, Nobel Prize 1902), born in Zonnemaire, Schouwen-Duiveland (d. 1943)
1879 William Maxwell Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, Canadian English newspaper publisher (Daily Express), born in Maple, Ontario (d. 1964)
1880 Jean Alexandre Barré, French neurologist who helped identify the Guillain-Barré-Strohl syndrome, born in Nantes, France (d. 1967)
1883 Elsa Maxwell, American writer (Jack Paar Show), born in Keokuk, Iowa (d. 1963)
1886 Philip Murray, 1st president of the United Steelworkers and longest-serving president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, born in Blantyre, Scotland (d. 1952)
1886 Rash Behari Bose, Indian revolutionary leader against the British Raj in India, born in Bengal, India (d. 1945)
1887 Padre Pio, Roman Catholic saint, born in Pietrelcina, Benevento, Kingdom of Italy (d. 1968)

Igor Sikorsky (1889-1972)

Russian-American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, born in Kyiv, Ukraine

1891 Robert Willem Pieter Peereboom, Dutch editor in chief (Haarlem Newspaper), born in Haarlem, North Holland, Netherlands (d. 1956)
1894 Dirk Vansina, Flemish playwright (Verschaeve Gives Evidence), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1967)
1896 Jan Nicolaas Bakhuizen van den Brink, Dutch theologist and church historian, born in Joure, Netherlands (d. 1987)
1898 Bennett Cerf, American publisher (Random House) and panelist (What's My Line), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 1971)
1898 Gustav Regler, German writer, born in Merzig (d. 1963)
1900 Alain Grandbois, French Canadian poet (Né à Québec: Louis Jolliet), born in Saint-Casimir, Quebec (d. 1975)
1907 U Nu, 1st Prime Minister of Burma (1948-56, 1960-62), born in Wakema, Myaungmya District, British Burma (d. 1995)
1908 Theodore Roethke, American poet (Words for the Wind), born in Saginaw, Michigan (d. 1963)
1909 Alfred Kubel, German politician, born in Braunschweig, Germany (d. 1999)
1912 Princess Deokhye of Korea, last princess of the Korean Empire, born in Changdeok Palace, Keijo, Japanese Korea (d. 1989)
1913 J. Peter Grace, American businessman and industrialist, born in Manhasset, New York (d. 1995)
1915 Daniel Wolf, American journalist (d. 1996)
1916 Lou van Rees, Dutch impresario, born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1993)
1921 Jack Steinberger, American physicist (1988 Nobel Prize for Physics - Neutrinos), born in Bad Kissingen, Germany (d. 2020) [1]
1923 John Weitz, American author and fashion designer (Friends in High Places), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2002)
1925 Rosario Castellanos, Mexican poet (Balún Canán), born in Mexico City (d. 1974)
1927 Robert Ludlum, American spy novelist (Bourne Identity), born in NYC, New York (d. 2001)
1928 Mary Tuck, British social researcher and civil servant (d. 1996)
1929 David Sturtevant Ruder, 23rd chairman of Security & Exchange Commission, born in Wausau, Wisconsin
1930 Sonia Rykiel, French fashion designer, born in Paris, France (d. 2016)
1932 Georgy Grechko, Soviet cosmonaut (Soyuz 17, 26, T-14), born in Leningrad, Soviet Union (d. 2017)
1932 John Gregory Dunne, American writer (Up Close & Personal, True Confessions), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2003)
1934 Ron Nesson, American press secretary (Gerald Ford), born in Washington, D.C.
1938 Raymond Carver, American poet and short story writer (Furious Season), born in Clatskanie, Oregon (d. 1988)
1943 Wynand Charl Malan, South African lawyer and politician, born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
1944 Bob Payton, American pizza magnate (The Chicago Pizza Pie Factory), born in Miami, Florida (d. 1994)
1944 Robert MacPherson, American mathematician (invention of intersection homology with Mark Goresk), born in Lakewood, Ohio
1945 Dave Lee Travis [David Griffin], British DJ and presenter (Top of the Pops], convicted of indecent assault, born in Buxton, Derbyshire
1946 David A. Hargrave, American role-playing games (RPGs) designer (d. 1988)
1946 Janet Morris, American sci-fi author (Golden Sword, Tempus), born in Boston, Massachusetts
1946 Tommy Cecil, Irish ferryman, born on Rathlin Island, County Antrim (d. 1997)
1947 Mitch Margo, American rocker (The Tokens, The Lion Sleeps Tonight), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2017)
1949 Jamaica Kincaid [Elaine Cynthia Potter Richardsonn], Antiguan-American journalist (NYer), born in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda
1952 Al Sarrantonio, American writer (999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense), born in NYC, New York
1952 Gordon Smith, American politician (U.S. Senator from Oregon), born in Pendleton, Oregon
1952 Jeffrey Bewkes, American media executive (CEO of Time Warner from 2008-18), born in Paterson, New Jersey
1953 Eve Ensler, American playwright (The Vagina Monologues), born in NYC, New York
1953 Stan Sakai, Japanese-American cartoonist (Usagi Yojimbo), born in Kyoto, Japan
1954 Alison Stern, American wife of radio personality Howard Stern (Private Parts), born in Newton, Massachusetts
1955 Alistair Burt, British Conservative Party politician, born in Bury, Lancashire, England
1956 Larry Hogan, American politician, Governor of Maryland (2015-), born in Washington, D.C.
1957 Edward Lee, American writer (Mr. Torso), born in Washington, D.C.
1958 Dorothy Straight, American 4 year old author (How the World Began), born in Washington, D.C.
1959 Manolis Kefalogiannis, Greek politician (Minister for Mercantile Marine), born in Heraklion, Greece
1960 Amy Klobuchar, American politician (D), senator for Minnesota (2007-), born in Plymouth, Minnesota
1964 Ivan Bella, Slovak cosmonaut who was the 1st Slovak citizen to fly in space, born in Brezno, Czechoslovakia

Yahya Jammeh (57 years old)

1965 Gambian dictator (1994-2017), born in Kanilai, Gambia

1966 Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, wife of Prince Constantijn and sister-in-law of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, born in Leiden, Netherlands
1967 Poppy Z. Brite [Billy Martin], American author (Lost Souls, Drawing Blood), born in Bowling Green, Kentucky
1969 Stacy London, American stylist and fashion consultant (What Not To Wear), born in NYC, New York
1971 Marco Cappato, Italian politician (Member of the European Parliament), born in Milan, Italy
1973 Daz Dillinger [Delmar Drew Arnaud], American hip-hop performer, born in Long Beach, California
1979 Carlos Bocanegra, American sports executive and footballer, born in Alta Loma, California
1993 Dilley sextuplets, American sextuplets (United States' first set of surviving sextuplets), born in Indianapolis, Indiana