John Bunyan (1628-1688)
English minister and author (The Pilgrim's Progress), born in Elstow, Bedfordshire, England
- 1640 Willem de Vlamingh, Dutch sea captain who explored the then "New Holland", the central west coast of Australia, born in Oost-Vlieland, Dutch Republic (d. c. 1698)
- 1650 Jan Palfijn, Flemish physician and inventor (obstetrical forceps), born in Kortrijk, Flanders (d. 1730)
- 1661 Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, British Governor of New York and New Jersey (d. 1723)
- 1681 Jean Cavalier, French Huguenot chief of the Camisards, born in Ribaute, France (d. 1740)
- 1700 Nathaniel Bliss, English 4th Astronomer Royal (1762-64), born in Bisley, Gloucestershire, England (d. 1764)
- 1700 Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Queen consort of Denmark and Norway (1730-46), born in Castle Schonberg, Bavaria (d. 1770)
- 1704 Jacob Mossel, Dutch Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1750-61), born in Enkhuizen, Dutch Republic (d. 1761)
William Blake (1757-1827)
English poet and artist (Songs of Innocence & Experience), born in London, England
- 1770 Princess Louise of Orange-Nassau, daughter of viceroy Willem V & Wilhelmina of Prussia, born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1819)
- 1772 Luke Howard, British manufacturing chemist and meteorologist (nomenclature system for clouds), born in London (d. 1864)
- 1777 Augsut Kestner, German art collector and diplomat, born in Hanover, Germany (d. 1853)
- 1785 Victor de Broglie, 3rd Duke of Broglie, 14th Prime Minister of France (1835-36), born in Paris (d. 1870)
- 1792 Victor Cousin, French philosopher and educational reformer, born in Paris (d. 1867)
- 1805 John Stephens, American explorer and archaeologist (pivotal figure in the rediscovery of Maya civilization throughout Middle America), born in Shrewsbury, New Jersey (d. 1852)
- 1810 William Froude, English engineer and naval architect, born in Devon, England (d. 1879)
- 1811 Maximilian II of Bavaria, King of Bavaria (1848-64), born in Munich (d. 1864)
Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)
German social philosopher and revolutionary socialist who co-authored "The Communist Manifesto" with Karl Marx, born in Barmen, Kingdom of Prussia
- 1820 Lawrence O'Bryan Branch, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Enfield, North Carolina (d. 1862)
John Wesley Hyatt (1837-1920)
American inventor who simplified the production of celluloid, born in Starkey, New York
- 1853 Helen Magill White, American educator and 1st woman to earn a Ph.D. in the U.S., born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 1944)
- 1854 Gottlieb Haberlandt, Austrian botanist, born in Mosonmagyaróvár (d. 1945)
- 1857 Alfonso XII, King of Spain (1874-85), born in Royal Palace of Madrid, Madrid (d. 1885)
- 1864 Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, Dutch lithographer and wood carver, born in Amsterdam (d. 1945)
- 1864 James Allen, English writer (As a Man Thinketh), born in Leicester, England (d. 1912)
- 1864 Lindley M. Garrison, American lawyer and 46th U.S. Secretary of War (1913-16), born in Camden, New Jersey (d. 1932)
Henry Bacon (1866-1924)
American architect (Lincoln Memorial), born in Watseka, Illinois
- 1878 Jozef van Mierlo, Belgian Jesuit and literary (Hadewych), born in Turnhout, Belgium (d. 1958)
- 1880 Alexander Block, Russian poet (Dvenatsat), born in St. Petersburg, Russia (d. 1921)
- 1880 Marinus van Meel, Dutch aviator and aircraft manufacturer, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1958)
- 1881 Stefan Zweig, Austrian poet, essayist and dramatist (Beware of Pity), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1942)
- 1887 Ernst Röhm, German army officer and chief organizer of Adolf Hitler’s Storm Troopers (Sturmabteilung, or SA; Brownshirts), born in Munich (d. 1934)
- 1891 Gregorio Perfecto, Filipino jurist (48th Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court) and politician, born in Mandurriao, Iloilo, Captaincy General of the Philippines (d. 1949)
Brooks Atkinson (1894-1984)
American drama critic (The New York Times), born in Melrose, Massachusetts
- 1896 Dawn Powell, American writer (Turn, Magic Wheel), born in Mount Gilead, Ohio (d. 1965)
- 1897 Uno Chiyo, Japanese writer (Confessions of Love), born in Iwakuni (d. 1996)
- 1904 James Eastland, American politician (Sen-D-Miss 1943-68), born in Doddsville, Mississippi (d. 1986)
- 1904 Nancy Mitford, English author (Love in a Cold Climate), one of the Mitford sisters, born in London (d. 1973)
- 1907 Alberto Moravia [Pincherle], Italian author (Indifferent Ones), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1990)
- 1908 Arturo Frondizi, 35th President Argentina (1958-62), born in Paso de los Libres, Corrientes, Argentina (d. 1995)
- 1908 Claude Lévi-Strauss, French social anthropologist and ethnologist (structuralism), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 2009)
- 1909 Aleksandar Ranković, Yugoslavic partisan and 1st Vice President of Yugoslavia (1963-66), born in Draževac, Serbia (d. 1983)
- 1911 Václav Renč, Czech poet, dramatist and translator, born in Vodochody, Czech Republic (d. 1973)
- 1912 Heinz Galinski, President (Central council for Jews in Germany), born in Marienburg, West Prussia, Germany (d. 1992)
- 1912 Morris Louis, American painter (post painterly abstraction), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1962)
- 1913 Hugo Pos, Surinamese-Dutch poet and writer, born in Paramaribo, Suriname (d. 2000)
- 1915 Evald Okas, Estonian painter, born in Talinn, Estonia (d. 2011)
- 1916 Lilian Baels, Princess of Réthy, English 2nd wife of Belgian king Leopold III, born in London (d. 2002)
- 1922 Helen Copley, American newspaper publisher (The San Diego Union-Tribune), born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (d. 2004)
- 1923 Helen Delich Bentley, American politician (Rep-R-MD, 1985-95), born in Ruth, Nevada (d. 2016)
- 1923 Phyllis Jenkins, American literary & theatrical agent community activist, born in New York (d. 2004)
- 1928 Arthur Melvin Okun, American economist (Misery Index), born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 1980)
- 1928 Edward LeBone Molotlegi, chief of the Bafokeng
- 1931 Dervla Murphy, Irish travel author (Full Tilt, In Ethiopia with a Mule), born in Lismore, Ireland
- 1931 Rinus Ferdinandusse, Dutch editor and author (Nude on Fence), born in Goes, Netherlands
- 1931 Thomas Enders, German business executive and diplomat, born in Bruchertseifen, Germany
- 1933 Joe Knollenberg, American politician (Rep-R-Michigan 1993-2009), born in Mattoon, Illinois (d. 2018)
- 1935 Prince Hitachi, Japanese royalty (sixth born child of Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun), born in Tokyo Imperial Palace, Tokyo
- 1935 Randolph Stow, Australian author and poet (Suburbs of Hell), born in Geraldton, Western Australia (d. 2010)
- 1936 Gary Hart, American politician (Sen-D-Co, 1975-86), born in Ottawa, Kansas
- 1942 Manolo Blahnik, Santa Cruz de La Palma Spain, shoe designer
- 1943 (Johan) "Hans" Rosenberg, Dutch astrophysicist, politician (Alderman of Utrecht, 1974-82), and administrator (University of Utrecht, 1984-91), born in Mierlo-Hout, Netherlands (d. 1992)
- 1944 Timothy Krajcir, American serial killer, born in West Mahanoy Township, Pennsylvania
- 1946 Susan Spencer, American correspondent (48 Hours) [1946 approx], born in Memphis Tennessee
- 1949 Victor Ostrovsky, Canadian/Israel, Mossad agent (By Way of Deception)
- 1950 Russell Alan Hulse, American astrophysicist (1993 Nobel Prize for Physics for the discovery of a new type of pulsar), born in New York City
- 1955 Adem Jashari, Albanian freedom fighter
- 1958 Georges Rutaganda, Rwandan war criminal
- 1959 R Glynn Holt, Plainveiw Texas, PhD/astronaut (STS 73 alt)
- 1959 Stephen Roche, bicylist
- 1960 John Galliano, British fashion designer, born in Gibraltar
- 1964 Cornelia Guest, debutante (Debutante's Guide to Life)
- 1964 Michael Bennet, American politician (Senator-D-Colorado 2009-), born in New Delhi, India
- 1965 Erwin Mortier, Belgian author
- 1975 Eka Kurniawan, Indonesian writer
- 1978 Ryan Leslie, American producer
- 1981 Sharon Needles [Aaron Coady], American drag queen, recording artist and TV performer (RuPaul's Drag Race season 4 winner), born in Newton, Iowa