Born on Saturday, 12th April – Famous Birthdays

12/04/1996

Jan Bednarek, Polish footballer

Jan Kacper Bednarek is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Primeira Liga club Porto and the Poland national team.

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Matteo Berrettini, Italian tennis player

Matteo Berrettini is an Italian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 6 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he achieved in January 2022, and world No. 105 in doubles, attained in July 2019. Berrettini has won ten ATP Tour singles titles and two doubles titles, and produced his best major performance by reaching the singles final of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. He is the first man born in the 1990s and first Italian man to reach the quarterfinals or better at all four majors.

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12/04/1995

Pedro Cachin, Argentine tennis player

Pedro Cachin, also known as Pedro Cachín, is an Argentine former professional tennis player. Cachin had a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 48, achieved on 7 August 2023 and a doubles ranking of No. 219, achieved on 9 May 2022. He won one ATP Tour singles title, at the 2023 Swiss Open Gstaad.

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12/04/1994

Eric Bailly, Ivorian professional footballer

Eric Bertrand Bailly is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Real Oviedo and the Ivory Coast national team. Although he mainly plays as a centre-back, he can also play as a right-back.

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Isabelle Drummond, Brazilian actress and singer

Isabelle Christine Lourenço Gomes Drummond is a Brazilian actress. She became known as a child when she played the rag doll Emília in the children's series Sítio do Picapau Amarelo, joining the cast for six consecutive years. Still on TV Globo, she continued to gain notoriety by starring in several prominent characters in telenovelas such as Bianca in Caras & Bocas, Cida in Cheias de Charme, Giane in Sangue Bom and Manuzita in Verão 90.

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Guido Rodríguez, Argentine footballer

Guido Rodríguez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Valencia.

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Saoirse Ronan, American-born Irish actress

Saoirse Una Ronan is an American-born Irish actress. Primarily known for her work in period dramas, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Scottish BAFTA, with nominations for four Academy Awards and seven British Academy Film Awards.

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Sehun, South Korean musician

Oh Se-hun, known mononymously as Sehun, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and dancer. He is a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo and its sub-unit Exo-SC. Apart from his group's activities, Sehun has also starred in various films and television dramas such as Dokgo Rewind (2018), Secret Queen Makers (2018), The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure (2022), and All That We Loved (2023).

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12/04/1993

Robin Anderson, American tennis player

Robin Kimberly Anderson is an American tennis player.

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Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Canadian ice hockey player

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a forward and alternate captain for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Nuge" by Oilers fans, Nugent-Hopkins was selected first overall by the Oilers in the 2011 NHL entry draft.

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12/04/1992

Chad le Clos, South African swimmer

Chad Guy Bertrand le Clos, OIS is a South African competitive swimmer who is an Olympic, World and Commonwealth Games champion. He is the African record, Commonwealth record, and South African record holder in the short course and long course 200-metre butterfly and the short course 100-metre butterfly. He also holds African and South African records in the long course 200-metre freestyle and 100-metre butterfly, as well as the short course 100-metre freestyle. Formerly, he was a world record holder in the short course 100-metre butterfly and 200-metre butterfly.

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12/04/1991

Lionel Carole, French professional footballer

Lionel Jules Carole is a French professional footballer who plays as a left back for Turkish club Kayserispor. He is a French youth international, having earned caps at under-17, under-20, and under-21 level.

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Oliver Norwood, English-born Northern Irish international footballer

Oliver James Norwood is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL League One club Stockport County.

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Magnus Pääjärvi, Swedish ice hockey player

Karl Magnus Svensson Pääjärvi, surname also known as Pääjärvi-Svensson, is a Swedish professional ice hockey left winger, currently playing for Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). During his NHL career, Pääjärvi played for the Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators. He was drafted 10th overall in the 2009 NHL entry draft by the Edmonton Oilers.

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Jazz Richards, Welsh international footballer

Ashley Darel Jazz Richards is a Welsh footballer who plays as a full-back. His most recent club was Haverfordwest County in the Cymru Premier.

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12/04/1990

Hiroki Sakai, Japanese footballer

Hiroki Sakai is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a right back and the inaugural captain for A-League club Auckland FC.

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12/04/1989

Bethan Dainton, Welsh rugby union player

Bethan Dainton is a Welsh rugby league player who plays as Loose forward for Wigan Warriors in the RFL Women's Super League. She formerly played rugby union as back row for the Wales women's national rugby union team and Harlequins Women in the Allianz's Premier 15s. She made her debut for the Wales national squad in 2016, and represented them at the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship.

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Ádám Hanga, Hungarian basketball player

Ádám Hanga is a Hungarian professional basketball player for Joventut Badalona of the Spanish Liga ACB. He was drafted 59th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2011 NBA draft. Hanga won the EuroLeague Best Defender award in 2017.

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Miguel Ángel Ponce, American-Mexican footballer

Miguel Ángel Ponce Briseño, also known as Pocho, is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a left-back. Born in the United States, he played for the Mexico national team. He is an Olympic gold medalist.

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Valentin Stocker, Swiss footballer

Valentin Stocker is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a left midfielder, and as an attacking midfielder. He also played for the Switzerland national team.

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Kaitlyn Weaver, Canadian-American ice dancer

Kaitlyn Elizabeth Weaver is a retired American-Canadian ice dancer. With partner Andrew Poje, she was a three-time World medalist, a two-time Four Continents champion, a two-time Grand Prix Final champion, and a three-time Canadian national champion.

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12/04/1988

Ricky Álvarez, Argentinian footballer

Ricardo "Ricky" Gabriel Álvarez is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Álvarez retired from football at the end of 2021.

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Stephen Brogan, English footballer

Stephen Patrick Brogan is an English semi-professional footballer who plays for Hallam FC. He has previously played in the Football League for Rotherham United.

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Amedeo Calliari, Italian footballer

Amedeo Calliari is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

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Jessie James Decker, American singer-songwriter

Jessica Rose James Decker is an American country pop singer. At age 15, after auditioning for and being rejected by most of the country labels in Nashville, Tennessee, Decker began working with Carla Wallace of Big Yellow Dog Music. One of her songs attracted the attention of Mercury Records, which offered her a recording contract. She released her debut album, Jessie James, in 2009. A few years later in 2013, she starred with her husband Eric Decker, a wide receiver in the National Football League, in the E! reality show Eric & Jessie: Game On.

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Moamen Zakaria, Egyptian footballer

Moamen Zakaria Abbas Eldawy is an Egyptian former professional footballer who plays as a winger. In 2020, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

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12/04/1987

Luiz Adriano, Brazilian professional footballer

Luiz Adriano de Souza da Silva, or simply Luiz Adriano, is a Brazilian former professional footballer.

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Brooklyn Decker, American model and actress

Brooklyn Danielle Decker is an American model and actress, perhaps best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, including the cover of the 2010 issue. In addition to working for Victoria's Secret for the 2010 "Swim" collection, she has ventured into television with guest appearances on Chuck, Ugly Betty, The League, and Royal Pains. She made her feature film debut in Just Go with It (2011), and later starred in Battleship (2012) and What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012). In 2015, she was cast as a series regular, portraying Mallory Hanson, on Netflix's Grace and Frankie.

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Shawn Gore, Canadian football player

Shawn Vere Gore, is a retired professional Canadian football wide receiver. Gore spent the majority of his professional career playing for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted tenth overall by the Lions in the 2010 CFL draft, but signed with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League on the day after the draft as a free agent. He played college football for the Bishop's Gaiters, and high school football for the Newtonbrook North Stars.

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Brendon Urie, American singer, songwriter, musician and multi-instrumentalist

Brendon Boyd Urie is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of Panic! at the Disco, the only constant member throughout the band's 19-year run.

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12/04/1986

Blerim Džemaili, Swiss footballer

Blerim Džemaili is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

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Marcel Granollers, Spanish tennis player

Marcel Granollers Pujol is a Spanish professional tennis player. He reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 1 on 6 May 2024, becoming the second Spanish man to achieve the feat. He is a Grand Slam champion at the 2025 French Open and at the 2025 US Open with Horacio Zeballos. He also has a career-high singles ranking of No. 19 achieved on 23 July 2012.

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Jonathan Pitroipa, Burkinabé footballer

Beninwende Yann Jonathan Pitroipa is a Burkinabé former professional footballer who played as a winger.

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12/04/1985

Brennan Boesch, American baseball player

Brennan Philip Boesch is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2010 with the Detroit Tigers. After being released from Detroit before the 2013 season, Boesch spent most of his remaining career playing for the Minor League teams of the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, and Cincinnati Reds until retiring before the 2017 season when no team signed him from free agency.

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Hitomi Yoshizawa, Japanese singer

Hitomi Yoshizawa is a Japanese former singer and actress. In 2000, Yoshizawa debuted as a 4th generation member of the idol girl group Morning Musume and became their leader in 2005 until leaving the group in 2007. Following her departure, Yoshizawa continued to appear in several music projects, including Hangry & Angry, Abcho, and Dream Morning Musume.

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12/04/1984

Aleksey Dmitrik, Russian high jumper

Aleksey Vladimirovich Dmitrik is a Russian high jumper. He won the silver medal at the 2009 European Indoor Championships.

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12/04/1983

Jelena Dokic, Serbian-Australian tennis player

Jelena Dokic is an Australian broadcaster, tennis analyst, former professional player and public speaker. Her highest ranking as a tennis player was world No. 4, in August 2002. She won WTA Tour events on all surfaces during her career.

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Luke Kibet, Kenyan runner

Luke Kibet Bowen is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon. He won the marathon race at the 2007 World Championships.

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12/04/1981

Yuriy Borzakovskiy, Russian runner

Yuriy Mikhailovich Borzakovskiy is a Russian middle-distance runner specializing in the 800 metres.

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Nicolás Burdisso, Argentinian footballer

Nicolás Andrés Burdisso is an Argentine football manager and former professional player who played as a centre-back.

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Tulsi Gabbard, American politician

Tulsi Gabbard is an American politician and U.S. military officer serving as the eighth director of national intelligence (DNI) since 2025. She previously served as U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021 and in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004. Gabbard was a member of the Democratic Party until 2022, after which she became independent until joining the Republican Party in 2024.

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Grant Holt, English footballer and professional wrestler

Grant Holt is an English professional footballer who plays for Dereham Town.

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Hisashi Iwakuma, Japanese baseball pitcher

Hisashi Iwakuma is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes from 2000 to 2004, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles from 2005 to 2011, and Yomiuri Giants in 2019, and all of his time in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2012 to 2017. Iwakuma retired in 2020 due to lingering shoulder issues that had prevented him from playing that year.

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12/04/1980

Sara Head, Welsh Paralympic table tennis champion

Sara Head is a Welsh Paralympic table tennis player. Head has represented Wales at two Commonwealth Games and was selected for the 2012 Paralympic Games, where she took the bronze medal in the women's team class 1–3 event with team-mate Jane Campbell.

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Brian McFadden, Irish singer-songwriter

Brian Nicholas McFadden is an Irish pop singer and television presenter. He rose to fame in 1998 as a member of the Irish boy band Westlife. Following his departure from the group in 2004, McFadden released his debut solo album, Irish Son. He has since released four studio albums: Set in Stone (2008), Wall of Soundz (2010), The Irish Connection (2013), and Otis (2019). McFadden has also released two albums, Strings Attached (2020) and Old School (2022), in collaboration with Keith Duffy of Boyzone.

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12/04/1979

Claire Danes, American actress

Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress. Prolific in film and television since her teens, she is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2012, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

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Elena Grosheva, Russian gymnast

Yelena Nikolayevna Grosheva is a Russian former competitive gymnast. She won silver in the team event at the 1996 Summer Olympics and two team medals at the World Championships.

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Mateja Kežman, Serbian footballer

Mateja Kežman is a Serbian sports agent and former professional footballer who played as a striker.

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Jennifer Morrison, American actress

Jennifer Marie Morrison is an American actress and director. She is most known for her roles as Dr. Allison Cameron in the medical-drama series House (2004–2012) and Emma Swan in the ABC adventure-fantasy series Once Upon a Time (2011–2018). She has also portrayed Zoey Pierson, one of Ted Mosby's love interests, on the comedy series How I Met Your Mother; Winona Kirk, mother of James T. Kirk in the 2009 science-fiction film Star Trek; and Tess Conlon in the 2011 sports drama film Warrior. She made her feature-film directorial debut with Sun Dogs (2017).

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Sergio Pellissier, Italian footballer

Sergio Pellissier is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is currently working as owner and chairman of AC ChievoVerona, after FC Clivense was reestablished as the previously defunct ChievoVerona.

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Cristian Ranalli, Italian footballer

Cristian Ranalli is a former Italian footballer.

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Lee Soo-young, South Korean singer

Lee Soo-young is a South Korean ballad singer. She debuted in 1999 with the hit album, I Believe, and quickly gained popularity due to her strong singing skills. During the mid-2000s, Lee was one of South Korea's best-selling singers, selling more than 700,000 albums in 2004 alone despite a recession in the music industry at the time.

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12/04/1978

Guy Berryman, Scottish bassist (Coldplay)

Guy Rupert Berryman is a Scottish musician, songwriter, producer, businessman and designer. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band Coldplay and electronic supergroup Apparatjik. Raised in Kirkcaldy, he started to play bass at an early age, drawing inspiration from James Brown, the Funk Brothers and Kool & the Gang. His projects beyond music include The Road Rat magazine and Amsterdam-based fashion brand Applied Art Forms.

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Scott Crary, American director, producer, and screenwriter

Scott Crary is an American film director, producer and writer, best known for having directed, produced, filmed and edited the film Kill Your Idols, a documentary examining three decades of New York art punk bands.

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Svetlana Lapina, Russian high jumper

Svetlana Mikhailovna Lapina ; born 12 April 1978) is a Russian high jumper.

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Robin Walker, English businessman and politician

Robin Caspar Walker is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Worcester from 2010 to 2024. He chaired the House of Commons Education Select Committee from 2022 to 2024. He served as the Minister of State for School Standards from 2021 to 2022 and as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at both the Scotland Office and Northern Ireland Office under Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Conservative Party, he identifies as a one-nation Conservative.

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12/04/1977

Giovanny Espinoza, Ecuadorian footballer

Giovanny Patricio Espinoza Pabón is an Ecuadorian football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He is the current assistant manager of Leones.

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Sarah Monahan, Australian actress

Sarah Monahan is an Australian former child actress. Best known for her role as Jenny Kelly on Hey Dad..!, she also appeared in Sons and Daughters and Home and Away.

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Jason Price, Welsh footballer

Jason Jeffrey Price is a Welsh former footballer who played as a right sided midfielder or as a forward.

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Glenn Rogers, Australian-Scottish cricketer

Glenn Alan Rogers is an Australian-born former cricketer who played international cricket for Scotland. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, his ODI debut was in Chittagong against Bangladesh in December 2006.

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12/04/1976

Olga Kotlyarova, Russian runner

Olga Kotlyarova is a Russian runner. She used to compete mainly in 400 metres, and has an Olympic bronze medal from 2000 in relay. She is also a world champion in this event.

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Brad Miller, American basketball player

Bradley Alan Miller is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for six National Basketball Association (NBA) teams. Miller played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers.

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12/04/1974

Belinda Emmett, Australian actress (died 2006)

Belinda Jane Emmett was an Australian actress and singer. She was best known for her roles in the TV drama series Home and Away and All Saints as well as the sitcom Hey Dad..!. She was married to Australian television host, comedian and media personality Rove McManus.

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Bryan Fletcher, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster

Bryan Fletcher is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative second-row-forward, he played his club football in Australia with the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs, before a stint in England with Wigan.

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Roman Hamrlík, Czech ice hockey player

Roman Hamrlík is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally selected first overall in the 1992 NHL entry draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the first-ever selection by the expansion franchise, beginning his career with the team and later playing for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers. In total, he played 1,395 games during his NHL career and participated in three NHL All-Star Games, in 1996, 1999, and 2003.

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Marley Shelton, American actress

Marley Eve Shelton is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Wendy Peffercorn in The Sandlot (1993), the Customer in Sin City (2005), Dr. Dakota Block in Grindhouse (2007), and Judy Hicks in two installments of the Scream franchise (2011–2022).

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Sylvinho, Brazilian footballer and manager

Sylvio Mendes Campos Júnior, commonly known as Sylvinho, is a Brazilian football manager and former player, who coaches the Albania national football team.

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12/04/1973

J. Scott Campbell, American author and illustrator

Jeffery Scott Campbell is an American comic book artist. He was initially known professionally as Jeffery Scott, but is best known as J. Scott Campbell. He rose to fame as an artist for Wildstorm Comics, though he has since done work for Marvel Comics, and the video game industry.

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Ryan Kisor, American trumpet player and composer

Ryan Kisor is an American jazz trumpeter.

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Antonio Osuna, Mexican-American baseball player

Antonio Pedro Osuna is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He played parts of 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, and Washington Nationals.

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Christian Panucci, Italian footballer and manager

Christian Panucci is an Italian former footballer and manager. In his playing career he played as a defender. A versatile footballer, he began his career as a right-back, but was also capable of playing on the left; as he lost his pace in his later career, he was usually deployed as a centre back, due to his strength in the air.

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12/04/1972

Paul Lo Duca, American baseball player and sportscaster

Paul Anthony Lo Duca is an American former professional baseball player and television personality. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998–2004), Florida Marlins, New York Mets (2006–2007), and Washington Nationals (2008). He later became a horse racing analyst for the TVG Network and New York Racing Association. In November 2019, he agreed to a contract to work for Barstool Sports as a horse racing and gambling analyst.

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12/04/1971

Nicholas Brendon, American actor (died 2026)

Nicholas Brendon Schultz was an American actor, artist, and writer. He is best known for playing Xander Harris in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) and Kevin Lynch in Criminal Minds (2007–2014).

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Shannen Doherty, American actress, director, and producer (died 2024)

Shannen Maria Doherty was an American actress. During her career in film and television, Doherty played a number of notable characters, including Jenny Wilder in Little House on the Prairie (1982–1983); Maggie Malene in Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985); Kris Witherspoon in Our House (1986–1988); Heather Duke in Heathers (1989); Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–1994), 90210 (2008–2009), and BH90210 (2019); Rene Mosier in Mallrats (1995); and Prue Halliwell in Charmed (1998–2001).

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12/04/1970

Sylvain Bouchard, Canadian speed skater

Sylvain Bouchard is a Canadian long track speed skater. He won the 1000m event at the 1998 World Single Distance Championships. He competed at the 1994 Winter Olympics, finishing 4th at the 500m event and 5th at the 1000m event. He also competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics, finishing 4th on 500m and 5th on 1000m. He earned the world record time in the 1000m event in 1995 and 1998. He retired from competition the same year.

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12/04/1969

Michael Jackson, American football player and politician (died 2017)

Michael Dywane Jackson Dyson was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1991 to 1998. He played college football for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Jackson was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 1991 NFL draft. He played in the NFL for the Browns and the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks to play the 1999 season, but was cut at the end of the preseason.

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Jörn Lenz, German footballer and manager

Jörn Lenz is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. Lenz had four different spells with BFC Dynamo during his professional playing career and has continued to serve as part of the club's backroom staff since retiring in 2008. Lenz played a total of 374 matches for BFC Dynamo between 1988 and 2008. He made two appearances for BFC Dynamo in the 1989-90 European Cup Winners' Cup.

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Lucas Radebe, South African footballer and sportscaster

Lucas Valeriu Ntuba Radebe OIS is a South African former professional footballer who played as a centre back.

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12/04/1968

Alicia Coppola, American actress

Alicia Coppola is an American actress. She became known for playing Lorna Devon in the soap opera Another World from 1991 to 1994. Afterwards, she made regular and guest star appearances in various television series, notably Jericho and Blood & Treasure, and appeared in films such as National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

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Toby Gad, German songwriter and producer

Tobias "Toby" Gad is a German music producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. He is known for co-writing songs including John Legend's biggest hit, "All of Me", the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and producing "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie and "If I Were a Boy" by Beyoncé. Other notable works include "Skyscraper" for Demi Lovato, "Who You Are" for Jessie J, "Untouched" for The Veronicas, "A Year Without Rain" for Selena Gomez & the Scene, "Don't Hold Your Breath" for Nicole Scherzinger, "Love You More" for JLS, and "I Do" for Colbie Caillat.

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Adam Graves, Canadian ice hockey player

Adam Scott Graves is a Canadian former professional hockey player. He played 10 seasons with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He also played for the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks in a career that spanned from 1987 to 2003. He finished his career with 329 goals, 287 assists and 1,224 penalty minutes.

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12/04/1967

Sarah Cracknell, English singer-songwriter

Sarah Jane Cracknell is an English singer-songwriter and lead singer of the electronic music band Saint Etienne.

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12/04/1966

Nils-Olav Johansen, Norwegian guitarist and singer

Nils-Olav Johansen is a major Norwegian entertainer and jazz musician, known from several recordings and as orchestra leader. He is with Jarle Vespestad (drums) and Stian Carstensen, central members of the Balkan-jazz orchestra Farmers Market.

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Lorenzo White, American football player

Lorenzo Maurice White is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers (1988–1994) and Cleveland Browns (1995). He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1992, recording his best season with 1,226 rushing yards and 1,867 yards from scrimmage.

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12/04/1965

Kim Bodnia, Danish actor and director

Kim Bodnia is a Danish actor. He became widely known for his role as police detective Martin Rohde in the Scandinavian crime drama series The Bridge (2011-2014). He is also known internationally for his lead role as drug dealer Frank in Nicolas Winding Refn's 1996 directorial debut Pusher, and as Konstantin in the spy thriller TV series Killing Eve (2018–2022).

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Chi Onwurah, English politician

Dame Chinyelu Susan "Chi" Onwurah is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West since 2024, and previously for Newcastle upon Tyne Central from 2010 to 2024, when the constituency was abolished. She is a member of the Labour Party.

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Gervais Rufyikiri, Burundian politician

Gervais Rufyikiri is a Burundian politician who was Second Vice President of Burundi from 2010 to 2015.

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Mihai Stoica, Romanian footballer and manager

Mihai "Meme" Stoica is a former president of Oțelul Galați and former general manager of Unirea Urziceni. Since November 2010 until September 2011, Mihai Stoica was the manager of Steaua Bucureşti. He was for a while the permanent co-host of some TV shows at DigiSport TV Channel. In 2012, he returned to Steaua as general manager. Currently, Mihai Stoica takes on the role of a sports analyst on the Prima Sport broadcast.

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12/04/1964

Chris Fairclough, English footballer and coach

Courtney Huw Fairclough, commonly known as Chris Fairclough, is an English football coach and former professional footballer.

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Amy Ray, American folk-rock singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer

Amy Elizabeth Ray is an American singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls with Emily Saliers. She also pursues a solo career, releasing ten albums under her own name, and founded the independent label Daemon Records in 1989. Ray is known for her alto and tenor range, and plays both electric and acoustic guitar, as well as mandolin and harmonica.

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12/04/1963

Lydia Cacho, Mexican journalist and author

Lydia María Cacho Ribeiro is a Mexican journalist, feminist, and human rights activist. Described by Amnesty International as "perhaps Mexico's most famous investigative journalist and women's rights advocate", Cacho's reporting focuses on violence against and sexual abuse of women and children.

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12/04/1962

Art Alexakis, American singer-songwriter and musician

Arthur Paul Alexakis is an American musician best known as the singer-songwriter and guitarist of the rock band Everclear. He has been a member of several other bands in addition to his own work as a songwriter for other artists. Alexakis has founded several record labels throughout his career and worked as an A&R representative for major record labels between and during his own musical projects. Later he became a political activist and lobbied for special concerns which include drug awareness policies and support for the families of the military.

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Carlos Sainz, Spanish racing driver

Carlos Sainz Cenamor is a Spanish rally driver. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Toyota in 1990 and 1992, and finished runner-up four times. Constructors' world champions to have benefited from Sainz are Subaru (1995), Toyota (1999) and Citroën. In the 2018 season, he was one of the official drivers of the Team Peugeot Total. He received the Princess of Asturias Sports Award in 2020. Sainz founded the Acciona | Sainz XE Team to join Extreme E and competed in the first two seasons alongside Laia Sanz.

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Nobuhiko Takada, Japanese mixed martial artist and wrestler, founded Hustle

Nobuhiko Takada is a Japanese former mixed martial artist, retired professional wrestler, actor, and writer. He competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) and the Union of Wrestling Forces International (UWFI) in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming one of the highest figures of the "shoot-style" movement.

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12/04/1961

Corrado Fabi, Italian racing driver

Corrado Fabi is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 18 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 13 March 1983, scoring no championship points. He is the younger brother of Teo Fabi, also a racing driver.

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Charles Mann, American football player and sportscaster

Charles Andre Mann is an American businessman and former professional football player. He played as a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers. Mann made the Pro Bowl four times in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991.

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Magda Szubanski, English-Australian actress, comedian and writer

Magdalene Mary Therese Szubanski is an Australian comedian, actor, author, and LGBT rights advocate. She performed in Fast Forward, Kath & Kim as Sharon Strzelecki, and in the films Babe (1995) and Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Happy Feet (2006) and Happy Feet Two (2011). In 2003 and 2004 surveys, she polled as the most recognised and well-liked Australian television personality.

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12/04/1960

David Thirdkill, American basketball player

David Thirdkill is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the NBA, and was the 1993 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP.

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12/04/1958

Will Sergeant, English guitarist

William Alfred Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. He is the group's only constant member.

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Klaus Tafelmeier, German javelin thrower

Klaus-Dieter Tafelmeier is a retired German javelin thrower. He represented Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

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Ginka Zagorcheva, Bulgarian hurdler

Ginka Zagorcheva-Boycheva, Bulgarian: Гинка Загорчева-Бойчева is a former hurdling athlete from Bulgaria. She was born in Plovdiv, and is most notable for winning the 100 metres hurdles at the 1987 World Championships. She held the world record for a year with a time of 12.25 sec, until it was beaten by Yordanka Donkova in August 1988. She also competed in the women's 100 metres hurdles at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

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12/04/1957

Greg Child, Australian mountaineer and author

Greg Child is an Australian-born rock climber, mountaineer and author.

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Vince Gill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Vincent Grant Gill is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He played in a number of local bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention after taking over as lead singer of the soft rock band Pure Prairie League. Gill sang lead on their hit single "Let Me Love You Tonight" in addition to writing several of their songs. After leaving Pure Prairie League, Gill briefly played guitar in Rodney Crowell's backing band the Cherry Bombs before beginning a solo career in country music in 1984. Gill recorded for RCA Records Nashville from then until 1988 with minimal success. A year later he signed with MCA Nashville and has recorded for them since.

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Tama Janowitz, American novelist and short story writer

Tama Janowitz is an American novelist and a short story writer. She is especially known for her novel-in-stories Slaves of New York (1986), which was adapted into the movie of the same name by Merchant Ivory in 1989. She is often referenced as one of the main "brat pack" authors, along with Bret Easton Ellis and Jay McInerney.

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12/04/1956

Andy Garcia, Cuban-American actor, director, and producer

Andrés Arturo García Menéndez is an American actor, director, producer, and musician. He first rose to prominence acting in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables (1987) alongside Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, and Robert De Niro. He continued to act in films such as Stand and Deliver (1988), and Internal Affairs (1990). He then co-starred in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part III (1990) as Vincent Mancini, earning nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and becoming the first Cuban to be nominated for an acting Oscar.

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Herbert Grönemeyer, German singer-songwriter and actor

Herbert Arthur Wiglev Clamor Grönemeyer is a German singer, musician, producer, composer and actor, popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

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12/04/1955

Fabian Hamilton, English graphic designer, engineer, and politician

Fabian Uziell-Hamilton is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds North East since 1997. He served as Shadow Minister for Peace and Disarmament from November 2016 to September 2023.

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12/04/1954

John Faulkner, Australian educator and politician, 52nd Australian Minister for Defence

John Philip Faulkner is an Australian former Labor Party politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 1989 to 2015. He was a Cabinet Minister in the Keating, Rudd and Gillard governments.

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Steve Stevaert, Belgian businessman and politician (died 2015)

Steve Stevaert was a Belgian politician of the Flemish Socialist Party: the SP.A.

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Pat Travers, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist

Patrick Henry Travers is a Canadian rock guitarist, singer and songwriter who began his recording career in the mid-1970s.

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12/04/1953

Tanino Liberatore, Italian author and illustrator

Gaetano Liberatore, better known as Tanino Liberatore, is an Italian comics author and illustrator. His best known fictional character is RanXerox.

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12/04/1952

Reuben Gant, American football player

Reuben Charles Gant is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Oklahoma State University. He is regarded as a draft "bust" as he never lived up to the billing after Buffalo used a first-round pick on him in the 1974 NFL Draft. His best season came in 1977 when he recorded 41 catches for 646 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He became the team's full-time starter at tight end the following season.

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Leicester Rutledge, New Zealand rugby player

Leicester Malcolm Rutledge is a New Zealand former rugby union player. As a flanker, Rutledge represented Southland at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, from 1978 to 1980. He played 31 matches for the All Blacks, including 13 internationals, and captained the side in one match against Combined Services on the 1978 tour of Britain and Ireland.

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Gary Soto, American poet, novelist, and memoirist

Gary Anthony Soto is an American poet, novelist, and memoirist.

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Ralph Wiley, American journalist (died 2004)

Ralph Heygood Wiley Jr. was an American sports journalist who wrote for Sports Illustrated and ESPN's Page 2. He was well known for his distinctive literary tone and his writings on race in America.

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12/04/1951

Tom Noonan, American actor (died 2026)

Thomas Patrick Noonan was an American actor, director and screenwriter, best known for his roles as Francis Dollarhyde in Manhunter (1986), Frankenstein's Monster in The Monster Squad (1987), Cain in RoboCop 2 (1990), The Ripper in Last Action Hero (1993), Kelso in Heat (1995), Sammy Barnathan in Synecdoche, New York (2008), Mr. Ulman in The House of the Devil (2009), Reverend Nathaniel in Hell on Wheels (2011–2014), the Pallid Man in 12 Monkeys (2015–2018), and as the voice of everyone but Michael and Lisa in Anomalisa (2015).

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12/04/1950

Joyce Banda, Malawian politician, 4th president of Malawi

Joyce Hilda Banda is a Malawian politician, educator, and activist who served as the fourth president of Malawi from 2012 to 2014. She became president after the death of Bingu wa Mutharika, under whom she served as the fourth vice president from 2009 to 2012. A member of the People's Party, Banda has led the party since its creation in 2011, and was the first female president of Malawi and the second head of state, after Elizabeth II, and the second in Africa, after Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

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Flavio Briatore, Italian businessman

Flavio Briatore is an Italian businessman, who serves as executive adviser and de facto team principal of Alpine in Formula One. As the longtime team principal of the colloquially known "Team Enstone", Briatore led the team to three World Constructors' Championship and four World Drivers' Championship victories. However, he was dogged by allegations of cheating, including the 1994 "Launch Control" controversy and the 2007 "Spygate" affair, although in both cases his teams escaped penalties. He was forced out of Renault and received a lifetime ban from F1 after the 2008 "Crashgate" scandal, although a French court subsequently overturned the ban. Fifteen years later, he returned to the Enstone team, which currently operates as Alpine F1.

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David Cassidy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2017)

David Bruce Cassidy was an American actor and musician. While he was best known in the United States for his role as Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical-sitcom The Partridge Family, he was an international success in his solo career as a singer. For a period, he was the highest-paid entertainer in the world.

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Nicholas Sackman, English composer and educator

Nicholas Sackman is an English classical composer.

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12/04/1949

Scott Turow, American lawyer and author

Scott Frederick Turow is an American writer and lawyer. Turow worked as a lawyer for a decade before writing full-time, and has written 13 fiction and three nonfiction books, which have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 30 million copies. Turow’s novels are set primarily among the legal community in the fictional Kindle County. Films have been based on several of his books.

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Pravin Gordhan, South African politician (died 2024)

Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist who held various ministerial posts in the Cabinet of South Africa. He served as Minister of Finance from 2009 until 2014, and again from 2015 until 2017, as Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2014 until 2015, and as Minister of Public Enterprises from February 2018 until June 2024, when the entire Department of Public Enterprises and its ministry were abolished following the 2024 general elections.

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12/04/1948

Jeremy Beadle, English television host and producer (died 2008)

Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle MBE was an English television and radio presenter, writer and producer. From the 1980s to the late 1990s he maintained a constant presence both on British television and radio, hosting various programmes in particular the hidden-camera show Beadle's About and home-movie clip show You've Been Framed!.

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Joschka Fischer, German academic and politician

Joseph Martin "Joschka" Fischer is a German former politician of the Alliance 90/The Greens party. He served as the foreign minister and as the vice chancellor of Germany in the cabinet of Gerhard Schröder from 1998 to 2005. Fischer has been a leading figure in the German Greens since the 1970s, and according to opinion polls, he was the most popular politician in Germany for most of the Schröder government's duration. Following the September 2005 election, in which the Schröder government was defeated, he left office on 22 November 2005. In September 2010, he supported the creation of the Spinelli Group, a Europarliamentarian initiative founded with a view to reinvigorate efforts to federalise the European Union.

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Christos Iakovou, Greek weightlifter

Christos Iakovou is a Greek weightlifter. He competed at the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. He was named the 1975 Greek Male Athlete of the Year.

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Marcello Lippi, Italian footballer, manager, and coach

Marcello Romeo Lippi is an Italian former professional football player and former manager, who led the Italy national team to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

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12/04/1947

Roy M. Anderson, English epidemiologist, zoologist, and academic

Sir Roy Malcolm Anderson is a leading international authority on the epidemiology and control of infectious diseases. He is the author, with Robert May, of the most highly cited book in this field, entitled Infectious Diseases of Humans: Dynamics and Control. His early work was on the population ecology of infectious agents before focusing on the epidemiology and control of human infections. His published research includes studies of the major viral, bacterial and parasitic infections of humans, wildlife and livestock. This has included major studies on HIV, SARS, foot and mouth disease, bovine tuberculosis, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), influenza A, antibiotic resistant bacteria, the neglected tropical diseases and most recently COVID-19. Anderson is the author of over 650 peer-reviewed scientific articles with an h-index of 125.

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Martin Brasier, English palaeontologist, biologist, and academic (died 2014)

Martin David Brasier FGS, FLS was an English palaeobiologist and astrobiologist known for his conceptual analysis of microfossils and evolution in the Precambrian and Cambrian.

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Tom Clancy, American historian and author (died 2013)

Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have been bestsellers and more than 100 million copies of his books have been sold. His name has also been used on screenplays written by ghostwriters, nonfiction books on military subjects occasionally with co-authors, and video games. He was a part-owner of his hometown Major League Baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles, and vice-chairman of their community activities and public affairs committees.

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David Letterman, American comedian and talk show host

David Michael Letterman is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC and ending with the May 20, 2015, broadcast of Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. In total, Letterman hosted 6,080 episodes of Late Night and Late Show, surpassing his friend and mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late-night talk show host in American television history.

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Wayne Northrop, American actor (died 2024)

Wayne Alan Northrop was an American actor known for his parts in soap operas such as Dynasty and Days of Our Lives. Wayne Northrop died on November 29th, 2024 in Los Angeles, California of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 77 years old.

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12/04/1946

John Dunsworth, Canadian actor and comedian (died 2017)

John Francis Dunsworth was a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He was best known for playing trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey, the antagonist on the comedy series Trailer Park Boys (2001–2018). His other roles included the mysterious reporter Dave Teagues on the supernatural drama series Haven (2010–2015) and Officer McNabb in the CBC film Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion (2003). He also had extensive experience in regional theater.

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Ed O'Neill, American actor and comedian

Edward Leonard O'Neill is an American actor, comedian, and former football player. Over his career, he has earned four Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

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George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, Scottish politician and diplomat, 10th Secretary General of NATO

George Islay MacNeill Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen is a British politician who served as the 10th Secretary General of NATO from 1999 to 2003. A member of the Labour Party, he previously served as Secretary of State for Defence from 1997 to 1999 and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland from 1993 to 1997. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Hamilton South from 1978 to 1999 and was appointed to the House of Lords as a life peer in 2000.

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12/04/1945

Lee Jong-wook, South Korean physician and diplomat (died 2006)

Lee Jong-wook was a South Korean physician. He was the director-general of the World Health Organization for three years. Lee joined the WHO in 1983, working on a variety of projects including the Global Programme for Vaccines and Immunizations and Stop Tuberculosis. He began his term as director-general in 2004, and was the first figure from Korea to lead an international agency.

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12/04/1944

Lisa Jardine, English historian, author, and academic (died 2015)

Lisa Anne Jardine was a British historian of the early modern period.

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John Kay, German-Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

John Kay is an American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist known as the frontman of Steppenwolf.

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12/04/1943

Sumitra Mahajan, Indian politician, 16th Speaker of the Lok Sabha

Sumitra "Tai" Mahajan is an Indian politician who was the Speaker of Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament from 2014 to 2019. She belongs to Bharatiya Janata Party. She represented the Indore constituency of Madhya Pradesh from 1989 to 2019 as the longest serving Woman Member of Parliament.

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12/04/1942

Bill Bryden, Scottish actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2022)

William Campbell Rough Bryden was a Scottish stage and film director and screenwriter.

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Carlos Reutemann, Argentinian race car driver and politician (died 2021)

Carlos Alberto "Lole" Reutemann was an Argentine racing driver and politician, who competed in Formula One from 1972 to 1982 and served as the Governor of Santa Fe from 1999 to 2003. Reutemann was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1981 with Williams and—at the time of his retirement—held the record for most podium finishes (45); he won 12 Grands Prix across 11 seasons. A member of the Justicialist Party, he was a National Senator for Santa Fe from 2003 until his death in 2021.

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Jacob Zuma, South African politician, 4th President of South Africa

Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is a South African politician who served as the president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a former anti-apartheid activist, member of uMkhonto weSizwe, and president of the African National Congress (ANC) from 2007 to 2017. He is also the father-in-law of Eswatini king Mswati III.

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12/04/1941

Bobby Moore, English footballer and manager (died 1993)

Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore was an English professional footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years, and was the captain of the England national team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the history of football, and was cited by Pelé as the greatest defender he had ever played against. Moore is considered one of the greatest players of all time.

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12/04/1940

Woodie Fryman, American baseball player (died 2011)

Woodrow Thompson Fryman was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six teams, across 18 seasons (1966–1983). A two-time National League (NL) All-Star, he helped the Detroit Tigers reach the 1972 American League Championship Series and the Montreal Expos reach the 1981 National League Championship Series.

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Herbie Hancock, American pianist, composer, and bandleader

Herbert Jeffrey Hancock is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the post-bop sound. In the 1970s, he experimented with jazz fusion, funk, and electro styles using a wide array of synthesizers and electronics. It was during this time that he released one of his best-known and most influential albums, Head Hunters.

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12/04/1939

Alan Ayckbourn, English director and playwright

Sir Alan Ayckbourn is a prolific British playwright and director. As of 2025, he has written and produced 91 full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their first performance. More than 40 have subsequently been produced in the West End, at the Royal National Theatre or by the Royal Shakespeare Company since his first hit Relatively Speaking opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1967.

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Johnny Raper, Australian rugby league player and coach (died 2022)

John William Raper was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach. Nicknamed "Chook", he was a lock-forward who earned a then-record of 33 Test caps in the Australia national team between 1959 and 1968. He also played six World Cup games between 1960 and 1968. Raper captained Australia on eight occasions from 1967 to 68 and played in eight consecutive NSWRFL first-grade grand final victories for the St. George Dragons club. He was named as one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.

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12/04/1937

Dennis Banks, American author and activist (died 2017)

Dennis J. Banks was a Native American activist, teacher, and author. He was a longtime leader of the American Indian Movement, which he co-founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1968 to represent urban Indians. He was a pre-eminent spokesman for Native Americans. His protests won government concessions and created national attention and sympathy for the oppression and endemic social and economic conditions for Native Americans.

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Igor Volk, Ukrainian-Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (died 2017)

Igor Petrovich Volk was a Russian test pilot and former Soviet cosmonaut in the Buran programme.

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12/04/1936

Tony Earl, American politician, 40th Governor of Wisconsin (died 2023)

Anthony Scully Earl was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as the 41st governor of Wisconsin from 1983 until 1987. Prior to his election as governor, he served as secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration and secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in the administration of Governor Patrick Lucey. He also served three terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Marathon County.

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Charles Napier, American actor (died 2011)

Charles Lewis Napier was an American actor who was known for playing supporting and occasional leading roles in television and films. He was frequently cast as police officers, soldiers, or authority figures, many of them villainous or corrupt. After leaving his Kentucky hometown to serve in the Army, he graduated from college and worked as a sports coach and art teacher before settling on acting as a career. His first prominent role in a film was in Cherry, Harry & Raquel! (1969), which was the first of four films he would do with director Russ Meyer. Napier established himself in character roles and worked steadily for the next 35 years. He made numerous collaborations with director Jonathan Demme, including roles in Something Wild (1986), Married to the Mob (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Philadelphia (1993), Beloved (1998), and The Manchurian Candidate (2004).

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Kennedy Simmonds, Kittitian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis

Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds, KCMG, is a Saint Kittitian and Nevisian politician who served as the first prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 1983 to 1995.

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12/04/1935

Jimmy Makulis, Greek singer (died 2007)

Dimitrios Makulis, known as Jimmy Makulis, was a Greek singer who had a successful career in German-speaking markets in the 1950s and 1960s, and is known for his participation on behalf of Austria in the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest.

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12/04/1934

Heinz Schneiter, Swiss footballer and manager (died 2017)

Heinz Schneiter was a Swiss football player and manager.

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12/04/1933

Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano and actress (died 2018)

María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch or Folc, simply known as Montserrat Caballé, was a Spanish operatic soprano. Widely considered to be one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century, she won a variety of musical awards throughout her six-decade career, including three Grammy Awards.

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12/04/1932

Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 5th Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 2005)

Sri Lankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar, PC was a Sri Lankan lawyer. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2001 and again from April 2004 until his assassination in August 2005. Lakshman Kadirgamar served as the President of Oxford Union in 1958–59.

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Herbert Butros Khaury, American singer and ukulele player (died 1996)

Herbert Butros Khaury, also known as Herbert Buckingham Khaury, and known professionally as Tiny Tim, was an American musician, songwriter and musical archivist. He is especially known for his 1968 hit recording of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips", a cover of the popular song "Tiptoe Through the Tulips with Me" from the 1929 musical Gold Diggers of Broadway. Tiny Tim was renowned for his wide vocal range, in particular his far-reaching falsetto.

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Jean-Pierre Marielle, French actor (died 2019)

Jean-Pierre Marielle was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films in which he played very diverse roles, from a banal citizen, to a World War II hero, to a compromised spy, to a has-been actor, to his portrayal of Jacques Saunière in The Da Vinci Code. He was well known for his distinctive cavernous voice, which is often imitated by French humorists who considered him to be archetypical of the French gentleman.

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12/04/1931

Leonid Derbenyov, Russian poet and songwriter (died 1995)

Leonid Petrovich Derbenyov was a Russian poet and lyricist widely regarded as one of the stalwarts of the 20th century Soviet and Russian pop music.

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12/04/1930

John Landy, Australian runner and politician, 26th Governor of Victoria (died 2022)

John Michael Landy was an Australian middle-distance runner and state governor. He was the second man to break the four-minute mile barrier in the mile run and held the world records for the 1500-metre run and the mile race. He was also the 26th Governor of Victoria from 2001 to 2006.

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Bryan Magee, English philosopher and politician (died 2019)

Bryan Edgar Magee was a British philosopher, broadcaster, politician, and author, known for bringing philosophy to a popular audience.

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Manuel Neri, American sculptor and painter (died 2021)

Manuel John Neri Jr. was an American sculptor who is recognized for his life-size figurative sculptures in plaster, bronze, and marble. In Neri's work with the figure, he conveys an emotional inner state that is revealed through body language and gesture. Since 1965 his studio was in Benicia, California; in 1981 he purchased a studio in Carrara, Italy, for working in marble. Over four decades, beginning in the early 1970s, Neri worked primarily with the same model, Mary Julia Klimenko, creating drawings and sculptures that merge contemporary concerns with Modernist sculptural forms.

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Pythagoras Papastamatiou, Greek lyricist and playwright (died 1979)

Pythagoras Papastamatiou, mainly known by the mononym Pythagoras, was a Greek lyricist and playwright.

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Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician and educator (died 2006)

Michał Życzkowski was a Polish mechanical engineer.

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12/04/1929

Elspet Gray, Scottish actress (died 2013)

Elspet Jean Gray, Baroness Rix was a Scottish actress, who first became known for her partnership with her husband, Brian Rix, and later was cast in many television roles in the 1970s and 1980s. She played Lady Collingford in the television series Catweazle and Mrs. Palmer in the television series Solo, alongside Felicity Kendal.

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Mukhran Machavariani, Georgian poet and educator (died 2010)

Mukhran Machavariani was a Georgian poet, a member of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia from 1990 until 1992, and a recipient of the Shota Rustaveli Prize of Georgia. From 1988 until 1990 he was the Chairman of the Union of Georgian Writers. He died during a performance at Rustaveli Theatre in Tbilisi.

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12/04/1928

Hardy Krüger, German actor (died 2022)

Hardy Krüger was a German actor and author who appeared in more than 60 films from 1944 onwards. After becoming a film star in Germany in the 1950s, Krüger increasingly turned to roles in international films such as The One That Got Away (1957), Hatari!, Sundays and Cybèle, The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), Battle of Neretva, The Secret of Santa Vittoria, The Red Tent, Barry Lyndon (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), and The Wild Geese (1978).

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Jean-François Paillard, French conductor (died 2013)

Jean-François Paillard was a French conductor.

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12/04/1927

Thomas Hemsley, English baritone (died 2013)

Thomas Jeffrey Hemsley, CBE was an English baritone.

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Alvin Sargent, American screenwriter (died 2019)

Alvin Sargent was an American screenwriter. He won two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, for Julia (1977) and Ordinary People (1980). Sargent's other works include screenplays of the films The Sterile Cuckoo (1969), The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1970), Paper Moon (1973), Nuts (1987), White Palace (1990), What About Bob? (1991), Unfaithful (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012).

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12/04/1926

Jane Withers, American actress (died 2021)

Jane Withers was an American actress and children's radio show hostess. She became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for box-office gross in 1937 and 1938.

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12/04/1925

Evelyn Berezin, American computer scientist and engineer (died 2018)

Evelyn Berezin was an American computer designer responsible for the creation of the first airline reservation systems and the original word processor.

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Ned Miller, American country music singer and songwriter (died 2016)

Henry Ned Miller was an American country music singer-songwriter. Active as a recording artist from 1956 to 1970, he is known primarily for his hit single "From a Jack to a King", a crossover hit in 1962 which reached the Top 10 on the country music, adult contemporary, and Billboard Hot 100 chart, No. 1 for five weeks in Canada, as well as reaching No. 2 in the UK singles chart. He had several more chart singles in his career, although none matched the success of "From a Jack to a King". He also composed and recorded "Invisible Tears".

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Oliver Postgate, English animator, puppeteer, and screenwriter (died 2008)

Richard Oliver Postgate was an English animator, puppeteer, and writer. He was the creator and writer of several popular British children's television programmes. Bagpuss, Pingwings, Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine, Clangers and Pogles' Wood, were all made by Smallfilms, the company he set up with collaborator, artist and puppet maker Peter Firmin. The programmes were originally broadcast by the BBC from the 1950s to the 1980s. In a 1999 BBC poll Bagpuss was voted the most popular children's television programme of all time.

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12/04/1924

Raymond Barre, French economist and politician, Prime Minister of France (died 2007)

Raymond Octave Joseph Barre was a French politician and economist. He was a Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs under three presidents. He later served as Prime Minister under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing from 1976 until 1981. As a candidate for the presidency in 1988, he came in third and was eliminated in the first round. He was born in Saint-Denis, on the French island of Réunion, and then still a colony.

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Peter Safar, Austrian physician and academic (died 2003)

Peter Safar was an Austrian anesthesiologist of Czech descent. He is credited with pioneering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

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Curtis Turner, American race car driver (died 1970)

Curtis Morton Turner was an American stock car racer who won 17 NASCAR Grand National Division races and 38 NASCAR Convertible Division races. Throughout his life, he developed a reputation for drinking and partying. He also fought to form a drivers union, which got him banned by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. for four years.

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12/04/1923

Ann Miller, American actress, singer, and dancer (died 2004)

Ann Miller was an American actress and dancer. She is best remembered for her work in the classical Hollywood cinema musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Her early film work included roles in Room Service with the Marx Brothers and Frank Capra's You Can't Take It with You, both released in 1938. She later starred in the musical classics Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949) and Kiss Me Kate (1953). Her final film role was in Mulholland Drive (2001).

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12/04/1922

Simon Kapwepwe, Zambian politician, 2nd Vice President of Zambia (died 1980)

Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe was a prominent Zambian politician, anti-colonialist, and author, born on April 12, 1922. Kapwepwe made significant contributions towards Zambia's struggle for independence, working tirelessly towards achieving the country's liberation from colonial rule.

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12/04/1921

Robert Cliche, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (died 1978)

Robert Cliche was a Canadian lawyer, politician and judge.

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12/04/1919

István Anhalt, Hungarian-Canadian composer and educator (died 2012)

István Anhalt (1919-2012) was a Hungarian-Canadian composer and teacher.

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Billy Vaughn, American musician and bandleader (died 1991)

William Vaughn, popularly known as Billy Vaughn was an American musician, singer, multi-instrumentalist, orchestra leader, and A&R man for Dot Records.

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12/04/1917

Helen Forrest, American singer and actress (died 1999)

Helen Forrest was an American singer of traditional pop and swing music. She served as the "girl singer" for three of the most popular big bands of the Swing Era, thereby earning a reputation as "the voice of the name bands."

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Vinoo Mankad, Indian cricketer (died 1978)

Mulvantrai Himmatlal "Vinoo" Mankad was a former Captain of Indian cricket team and appeared in 44 Test matches for India between 1946 and 1959. He was best known for his world record setting opening partnership of 413 runs with Pankaj Roy in 1956, a record that stood for 52 years, and for running out a batsman "backing up" at the non-striker's end. Mankading in cricket is named after him. In June 2021, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

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Robert Manzon, French racing driver (died 2015)

Robert Jean Joseph Manzon was a French racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1956.

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12/04/1916

Beverly Cleary, American author (died 2021)

Beverly Atlee Cleary was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction. One of America's most successful authors, 91 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide since her first book was published in 1950. Some of her best known characters are Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse.

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Russell Garcia, American-New Zealand composer and conductor (died 2011)

Russell Garcia, QSM was an American composer and arranger who wrote a wide variety of music for screen, stage and broadcast.

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Benjamin Libet, American neuropsychologist and academic (died 2007)

Benjamin Libet was an American neuroscientist who was a pioneer in the field of human consciousness. Libet was a researcher in the physiology department of the University of California, San Francisco. In 2003, he was the first recipient of the Virtual Nobel Prize in Psychology from the University of Klagenfurt "for his pioneering achievements in the experimental investigation of consciousness, initiation of action, and free will".

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12/04/1914

Armen Alchian, American economist and academic (died 2013)

Armen Albert Alchian was an American economist who made major contributions to microeconomic theory and the theory of the firm. He spent almost his entire career at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and is credited with turning its economics department into one of the country's best. He is also known as one of the founders of new institutional economics, and widely acknowledged for his work on property rights.

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12/04/1913

Keiko Fukuda, Japanese-American martial artist (died 2013)

Keiko Fukuda was a Japanese-American martial artist. She was the highest-ranked female judoka in history, holding the rank of 9th dan from the Kodokan (2006), and 10th dan from USA Judo and from the United States Judo Federation (USJF), and was the last surviving student of Kanō Jigorō, founder of judo. She was a renowned pioneer of women's judo, and in 1972 together with her senpai Masako Noritomi (1913–1982) was one of the first two women promoted to 6th dan. In 2006, the Kodokan promoted Fukuda to 9th dan, making her the first woman to hold this rank from any recognized judo organization. She is also the first and, so far, only woman to have been promoted to 10th dan in judo, which occurred in 2011. After completing her formal education in Japan, Fukuda visited the United States to teach in the 1950s and 1960s, and eventually settled there. She continued to teach her art in the San Francisco Bay Area until her death in 2013.

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12/04/1912

Frank Dilio, Canadian businessman (died 1997)

Francis Paul Dilio was a Canadian ice hockey administrator in Quebec and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He served as the registrar and secretary of the Hockey Québec. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League named one of its divisions after him, along with Robert Lebel.

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Hamengkubuwono IX, Indonesian politician, 2nd Vice President of Indonesia (died 1988)

Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, often abbreviated as HB IX, was an Indonesian politician and Javanese royal who was the second vice president of Indonesia, the ninth sultan of Yogyakarta, and the first governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Hamengkubuwono IX was also the chairman of the first National Scout Movement Quarter and was known as the Father of the Indonesian Scouts.

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Hound Dog Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1975)

Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer.

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12/04/1911

Mahmoud Younis, Egyptian engineer (died 1976)

Mahmoud Younis was an engineer of the Suez Canal nationalization on July 26, 1956. He served as Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority. He also served as the head of engineers' syndicate during the rule of Gamal Abdel Nasser.

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12/04/1910

Gillo Dorfles, Italian art critic, painter and philosopher (died 2018)

Angelo Eugenio "Gillo" Dorfles was an Italian art critic, painter, and philosopher.

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Irma Rapuzzi, French politician (died 2018)

Irma Rapuzzi was a French politician.

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12/04/1908

Ida Pollock, English author and painter (died 2013)

Ida Julia Pollock was a British writer of several short-stories and over 125 romance novels that were published under her married name, Ida Pollock, and under a number of different pseudonyms: Joan M. Allen; Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, Averil Ives, Anita Charles, Barbara Rowan, Jane Beaufort, Rose Burghley, Mary Whistler and Marguerite Bell. She sold millions of copies over her 90-year career. She has been referred to as the "world's oldest novelist", who was still active at 105 and continued writing until her death. On the occasion of her 105th birthday, Pollock was appointed honorary vice-president of the Romantic Novelists' Association, having been one of its founding members.

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Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American pilot and general (died 2006)

Robert Lee Scott Jr. was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force and a flying ace of World War II, credited with shooting down 13 Japanese aircraft.

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12/04/1907

Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial (died 2003)

Felix Weihs de Weldon was an Austrian sculptor. His most famous pieces include the United States Marine Corps War Memorial in the Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, US, and the Malaysian National Monument (1966) in Kuala Lumpur.

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Zawgyi, Burmese poet, author, literary historian, critic, scholar and academic (died 1990)

Saya Zawgyi was a distinguished and leading Burmese poet, author, literary historian, critic, scholar and academic. He is regarded as the greatest of Myanmar's poets. His name, Zawgyi, refers to a mythical wizard from Burmese mythology. He was one of the leaders of the Hkit san movement in Burmese literature searching for a new style and content before the Second World War, along with Theippan Maung Wa, Nwe Soe and Min Thu Wun. His first hkit san poetry, Padauk pan, was published in Hantha Kyemon pamphlet.

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12/04/1903

Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1994)

Jan Tinbergen was a Dutch economist who was awarded the first Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1969, which he shared with Ragnar Frisch for having developed and applied dynamic models for the analysis of economic processes. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential economists of the 20th century and one of the founding fathers of econometrics.

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12/04/1902

Louis Beel, Dutch academic and politician, 36th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (died 1977)

Louis Joseph Maria Beel was a Dutch politician of the Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP) and later co-founder of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and jurist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 3 July 1946 until 7 August 1948 and from 22 December 1958 until 19 May 1959.

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12/04/1901

Lowell Stockman, American farmer and politician (died 1962)

Lowell Stockman was a representative from Oregon to the United States House of Representatives from 1943 to 1953.

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12/04/1898

Lily Pons, French-American soprano and actress (died 1976)

Alice Joséphine Pons, known professionally as Lily Pons, was a French-American operatic lyric coloratura soprano and actress who had an active career from the late 1920s through the early 1970s. As an opera singer, she specialized in the coloratura soprano repertoire and was particularly associated with the title roles in Lakmé and Lucia di Lammermoor. In addition to appearing as a guest artist with many opera houses internationally, Pons enjoyed a long association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where she performed nearly 300 times between 1931 and 1960.

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12/04/1894

Dorothy Cumming, Australian-American actress (died 1983)

Dorothy Greville Cumming was an Australian-born actress of the silent film era. She appeared in 39 American, English, and Australian films between 1915 and 1929, notably appearing as the Virgin Mary in Cecil B. DeMille's 1927 film The King of Kings and the jealous wife in Victor Sjöström's 1928 The Wind. She also appeared in stage productions in those same countries.

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Francisco Craveiro Lopes, Portuguese field marshal and politician, 13th President of Portugal (died 1964)

Francisco Higino Craveiro Lopes was a Portuguese Air Force officer and politician who served as the president of Portugal from 1951 to 1958.

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12/04/1892

Henry Darger, American writer and artist (died 1973)

Henry Joseph Darger Jr. was an American janitor and hospital worker who became known after his death for his immense body of art and literature.

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12/04/1888

Dan Ahearn, Irish-American long jumper and police officer (died 1942)

Dan Ahearn was an Irish and later American track and field athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He competed for the U.S. Olympic team in the 1920 Summer Olympics.

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Cecil Kimber, English automobile engineer (died 1945)

Cecil Kimber was a self-taught British businessman, engineer, inventor, race-car driver and the creative motor-car designer best known for having been the driving force behind The M.G. Car Company. Kimber's automotive design philosophy was simple: "A sports car should look fast even when it is standing still".

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12/04/1887

Harold Lockwood, American actor and director (died 1918)

Harold A. Lockwood was an American silent film actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most popular matinée idols of the early film period during the 1910s.

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12/04/1885

Robert Delaunay, French painter (died 1941)

Robert Delaunay was a French artist of the School of Paris movement; who, with his wife Sonia Delaunay and others, co-founded the Orphism art movement, noted for its use of strong colours and geometric shapes. His later works were more abstract. His key influence related to the bold use of colour and a clear love of experimentation with both depth and tone.

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12/04/1884

Tenby Davies, Welsh runner (died 1932)

Frederick Charles "Tenby" Davies was a Welsh athlete who became the half-mile world professional champion in 1909 after a race against Irishman Beauchamp Day.

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Otto Meyerhof, German physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1951)

Otto Fritz Meyerhof was a German physician and biochemist who won the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.

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12/04/1883

Imogen Cunningham, American photographer and educator (died 1976)

Imogen Cunningham was an American photographer known for her botanical photography, nudes, and industrial landscapes. Cunningham was a member of the California-based Group f/64, known for its dedication to the sharp-focus rendition of simple subjects.

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Dally Messenger, Australian rugby player, cricketer, and sailor (died 1959)

Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger, was an Australian rugby league and rugby union footballer. One of Australia's first professional rugby footballers, he is recognised as one of the greatest-ever players in either code. He played for New South Wales in the first match run by the newly-created New South Wales Rugby Football League, which had just split away from the established New South Wales Rugby Football Union.

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12/04/1880

Addie Joss, American baseball player and journalist (died 1911)

Adrian "Addie" Joss, nicknamed "the Human Hairpin", was an American professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Cleveland Bronchos of Major League Baseball, later known as the Naps, between 1902 and 1910. Joss, who was 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg), pitched the fourth perfect game in baseball history. His 1.89 career earned run average (ERA) is the second-lowest in MLB history, behind Ed Walsh, while his career WHIP of 0.968 is the lowest of all-time.

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12/04/1874

William B. Bankhead, American lawyer and politician, 47th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (died 1940)

William Brockman Bankhead was an American politician who served as the 42nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1936 to 1940, representing Alabama's 10th and later 7th congressional districts as a Democrat from 1917 to 1940. Bankhead was a strong liberal and a prominent supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal of pro-labor union legislation, thus clashing with most other Southern Democrats in Congress at the time. Bankhead described himself as proud to be a politician, by which he meant that he did not neglect matters that concerned his district or reelection. He was the father of actress Tallulah Bankhead.

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12/04/1871

Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and politician, 130th Prime Minister of Greece (died 1941)

Ioannis Metaxas was a Greek military officer and politician who was the dictator of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941. He governed constitutionally for the first four months of his tenure, and thereafter as the strongman leader of the 4th of August Regime following his appointment by King George II.

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12/04/1869

Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (died 1922)

Henri Désiré Landru was a French serial killer, nicknamed the Bluebeard of Gambais and a prolific marriage fraudster. He is confirmed to have murdered at least ten women and the teenage son of his first victim, primarily targeting lonely war widows whom he met through newspaper advertisements, seduced, defrauded of their assets, and then killed, disposing of their bodies by burning them in his stove. He committed these crimes between December 1914 and January 1919, first at a house in Vernouillet and later at an isolated villa in Gambais, near Paris. The true number of Landru's victims remains unknown, as police traced correspondence with 283 women, 72 of whom were never found. He is considered one of France's most famous and notorious murderers, whose investigation and trial became a media sensation in the aftermath of World War I. His case served as the inspiration for Charlie Chaplin's film Monsieur Verdoux.

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12/04/1868

Akiyama Saneyuki, Japanese admiral (died 1918)

Akiyama Saneyuki was a Japanese navy officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Meiji era. He was a planner of Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War. General Akiyama Yoshifuru was his elder brother and politician Hisako Ōishi was his granddaughter.

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12/04/1863

Raul Pompeia, Brazilian writer (died 1895)

Raul d'Ávila Pompeia was a Brazilian novelist, short story writer and chronicler. He is famous for the Impressionist romance O Ateneu. He was the original patron of the 33rd chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

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12/04/1856

Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, English mountaineer, cartographer, and politician (died 1937)

William Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington,, known between 1895 and 1931 as Sir Martin Conway, was an English art critic, politician, cartographer and mountaineer, who made expeditions in Europe as well as in South America and Asia.

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12/04/1852

Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician and academic (died 1939)

Carl Louis Ferdinand von Lindemann was a German mathematician, noted for his proof, published in 1882, that π (pi) is a transcendental number, meaning it is not a root of any nonzero polynomial with rational coefficients.

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12/04/1851

José Gautier Benítez, Puerto Rican soldier and poet (died 1880)

José Martín Antonio Gautier Benítez was a Puerto Rican poet of the Romantic Era.

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Edward Walter Maunder, English astronomer and author (died 1928)

Edward Walter Maunder was a British astronomer. His study of sunspots and the solar magnetic cycle led to his identification of the period from 1645 to 1715 that is now known as the Maunder Minimum.

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12/04/1845

Gustaf Cederström, Swedish painter (died 1933)

Gustaf Olof Cederström (1845-1933) was a Swedish painter who specialized in historical scenes and portraits.

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12/04/1839

Nikolay Przhevalsky, Russian geographer and explorer (died 1888)

Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky was a Russian geographer and a renowned explorer of Central and East Asia. Although he never reached his ultimate goal, the city of Lhasa in Tibet, he still travelled through regions then unknown to Westerners, such as northern Tibet, Amdo and Dzungaria. He contributed substantially to European knowledge of Central Asian geography.

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12/04/1823

Alexander Ostrovsky, Russian playwright and translator (died 1886)

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 original plays, Ostrovsky "almost single-handedly created a Russian national repertoire." His dramas are among the most widely read and frequently performed stage pieces in Russia.

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12/04/1816

Charles Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Victoria (died 1903)

Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, KCMG, PC, was an Irish poet, politician and journalist, Young Irelander and tenant-rights activist. After emigrating to Australia in 1856 he entered the politics of Victoria on a platform of land reform, and in 1871–1872 served as the colony's 8th Premier.

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12/04/1801

Joseph Lanner, Austrian composer and conductor (died 1843)

Joseph Lanner was an Austrian dance music composer and dance orchestra conductor. He is best remembered as one of the earliest Viennese composers to reform the waltz from a simple peasant dance to something that even the highest society could enjoy, either as an accompaniment to the dance, or for the music's own sake. He was just as famous as his friend and musical rival Johann Strauss I, who was better known outside of Austria in their day because of his concert tours abroad, in particular, to France and England.

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12/04/1799

Henri Druey, Swiss lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the Swiss Confederation (died 1855)

Daniel-Henri Druey was a Swiss politician of the 19th century. He was a founding father of constitutional democracy and member of the Free Democratic Party in Switzerland.

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12/04/1796

George N. Briggs, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1861)

George Nixon Briggs was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. A Whig, Briggs served for twelve years in the United States House of Representatives, and served seven one-year terms as the 19th Governor of Massachusetts, from 1844 to 1851.

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12/04/1794

Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician and engineer (died 1847)

Germinal Pierre Dandelin was a French mathematician, soldier, and professor of engineering.

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12/04/1792

John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, English soldier and politician, Lord Privy Seal (died 1840)

John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham,, also known as "Radical Jack" and commonly referred to in Canadian history texts as Lord Durham, was a British Whig statesman, colonial administrator, Governor General and high commissioner of British North America.

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12/04/1777

Henry Clay, American lawyer and politician, 9th United States Secretary of State (died 1852)

Henry Clay was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state. Clay unsuccessfully ran for president in the 1824, 1832, and 1844 elections. He helped found both the National Republican Party and the Whig Party. For his role in defusing sectional crises, he earned the appellation of the "Great Compromiser" and was part of the "Great Triumvirate" of Congressmen, alongside fellow Whig Daniel Webster and Democrat John C. Calhoun.

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12/04/1748

Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, French botanist and author (died 1836)

Antoine Laurent de Jussieu was a French botanist, notable as the first to publish a natural classification of flowering plants; much of his system remains in use today. His classification was based on an extended unpublished work by his uncle, the botanist Bernard de Jussieu.

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12/04/1724

Lyman Hall, American physician, clergyman, and politician, 16th Governor of Georgia (died 1790)

Lyman Hall was an American Founding Father, physician, clergyman, and statesman who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Georgia. Hall County is named after him. He was one of four physicians to sign the Declaration, along with Benjamin Rush, Josiah Bartlett, and Matthew Thornton.

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12/04/1722

Pietro Nardini, Italian violinist and composer (died 1793)

Pietro Nardini was an Italian composer and violinist, a transitional musician who worked in both the Baroque and Classical era traditions.

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12/04/1716

Felice Giardini, Italian violinist and composer (died 1796)

Felice de Giardini was an Italian composer and violinist.

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12/04/1713

Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French historian and author (died 1796)

Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, also known as Abbé Raynal, was a French writer, former Catholic priest, and man of letters during the Age of Enlightenment.

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12/04/1710

Caffarelli, Italian actor and singer (died 1783)

Gaetano Majorano was an Italian castrato and opera singer, who performed under the stage name Caffarelli. Like Farinelli, Caffarelli was a student of Nicola Porpora.

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12/04/1705

William Cookworthy, English minister and pharmacist (died 1780)

William Cookworthy was an English Quaker minister, a successful pharmacist and an innovator in several fields of technology. He was the first person in Britain to discover how to make hard-paste porcelain, like that imported from China. He subsequently discovered china clay in Cornwall. In 1768 he founded a works at Plymouth for the production of Plymouth porcelain; in 1770 he moved the factory to Bristol, to become Bristol porcelain, before selling it to a partner in 1773.

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12/04/1656

Benoît de Maillet, French diplomat and natural historian (died 1738)

Benoît de Maillet was a well-travelled French diplomat and natural historian. He was French consul general at Cairo, and overseer in the Levant. He formulated an evolutionary hypothesis to explain the origin of the Earth and its contents.

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12/04/1639

Martin Lister, English naturalist and physician (died 1712)

Martin Lister was an English naturalist and physician. His daughters Anne and Susanna were two of his illustrators and engravers.

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12/04/1612

Simone Cantarini, Italian painter and engraver (died 1648)

Simone Cantarini or Simone da Pesaro, called il Pesarese was an Italian painter and etcher. He is known mainly for his history paintings and portraits executed in an original style, which united aspects of Bolognese classicism with a bold naturalism.

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12/04/1577

Christian IV of Denmark (died 1648)

Christian IV was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days makes him the longest-reigning monarch in Scandinavian history.

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12/04/1550

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English courtier and politician, Lord Great Chamberlain (died 1604)

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was an English peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. Oxford was heir to the second oldest earldom in the kingdom, a court favourite for a time, a sought-after patron of the arts, and noted by his contemporaries as a lyric poet and court playwright, but his volatile temperament precluded him from attaining any courtly or governmental responsibility and contributed to the dissipation of his estate.

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12/04/1526

Muretus, French philosopher and author (died 1585)

Marc Antoine Muret, better known by his Latinized name Marcus Antonius Muretus, was a French humanist who was among the revivers of an Attic, or anti-Ciceronian, prose style, and is among the usual candidates for the best Latin prose stylist of the Renaissance.

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12/04/1500

Joachim Camerarius, German scholar and translator (died 1574)

Joachim Camerarius, the Elder, was a German classical scholar. His critical abilities, his deep understanding of Greek and Latin, and his wide-ranging knowledge of the ancient world made him one of the foremost German scholars of his time.

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12/04/1484

Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect, designed the Apostolic Palace and St. Peter's Basilica (died 1546)

Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, also known as Antonio Cordiani, was an Italian architect active during the Renaissance, mainly in Rome and the Papal States. He worked on the design of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, and was also an engineer who restored several buildings. His success was greatly due to his contracts with renowned artists during his time. Sangallo died in Terni, Italy, and was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica.

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Maharana Sangram Singh, Rana of Mewar (died 1527)

Sangram Singh I, most commonly known as Rana Sanga, was the Maharana of Mewar from 24 May 1509 until his death in 1528. A member of the Sisodia dynasty, he controlled parts of present-day Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Sindh, and Uttar Pradesh from his capital at Chittorgarh.

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12/04/1432

Anne of Austria, Landgravine of Thuringia (died 1462)

Anne of Bohemia and Austria was a Duchess of Luxembourg in her own right and, as a consort, Landgravine of Thuringia and of Saxony.

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12/04/1116

Richeza of Poland, queen of Sweden and Grand Princess of Minsk (died 1156)

Richeza of Poland, a member of the House of Piast, was twice Queen of Sweden and once Princess of Minsk through her three marriages. Tradition describes her as unusually beautiful.

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12/04/0959

En'yū, emperor of Japan (died 991)

Emperor En'yū was the 64th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.

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12/04/0811

Muhammad al-Jawad, the ninth Imam of Shia Islam (died 835)

Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the ninth of the Twelve Imams, succeeding his father, Ali al-Rida. He is known by the epithets al-Jawād and al-Taqī. Like most of his predecessors, Muhammad kept aloof from politics and engaged in religious teaching, while organizing the affairs of the Imamite Shia community through a network of representatives. The extensive correspondence of al-Jawad with his followers on questions of Islamic law has been preserved in Shia sources and numerous pithy religio-ethical sayings are also attributed to him.

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