Born on Wednesday, 2nd April – Famous Birthdays

On this day, 238 notable people were born on 2nd April — spanning from 181 to 2007. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.

Wednesday, 2nd April 2025 marks the birth date of numerous notable individuals across sports, entertainment and public life. Among those born on this day is Brenda Fruhvirtová, the Czech tennis player who has established herself as a rising talent in professional tennis since her emergence in 2007. The date has also seen the birth of several footballers who would go on to represent their nations, including Josip Stanišić from Croatia, born in 2000, who has developed into a significant player for his country’s football programme.

The day witnesses births spanning multiple generations and professions, from contemporary athletes to historical figures of considerable renown. Émile Zola, the French novelist and journalist born in 1840, remains among the most influential literary figures of the nineteenth century, whilst Hans Christian Andersen, the Danish writer and poet born in 1805, created works that have endured for nearly two centuries. More recently, actors, musicians and sports professionals have continued the tradition of notable births on this calendar date, with individuals from American television and film to international footballers finding their entry into the world on this particular day.

The breadth of talent emerging on 2nd April extends across continents and disciplines. Baseball players, basketball professionals, racing drivers and entertainers have all shared this birth date throughout recorded history. Contemporary personalities include athletes competing at the highest levels of their respective sports, alongside figures who have shaped popular culture through music, acting and other creative endeavours. DayAtlas provides comprehensive information about weather patterns, significant historical events and births and deaths for any date and location, offering users a detailed perspective on what makes each day distinctive.

Discover who was born today 1st April.

02/04/2007

Brenda Fruhvirtová, Czech tennis player

Brenda Fruhvirtová is a Czech professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 87, achieved on 29 July 2024. She reached a career-high ITF junior ranking of world No. 4, achieved on 13 December 2021.


02/04/2005

Adrián Liso, Spanish footballer

Adrián Liso Lahoz is a Spanish footballer who plays as a left winger for La Liga club Getafe, on loan from Zaragoza.


02/04/2004

Diana Shnaider, Russian tennis player

Diana Maximovna Shnaider is a Russian professional tennis player. She has a career-high rankings of world No. 11 in singles and No. 8 in doubles by the Women's Tennis Association, both achieved in 2025. Shnaider has won five singles titles and two doubles titles on the WTA Tour, and was a silver medalist in women's doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics partnering Mirra Andreeva.


02/04/2002

Emma Myers, American actress

Emma Elizabeth Myers is an American actress. She is best known for her breakthrough role as Enid Sinclair in the Netflix series Wednesday (2022–present). She has since appeared in the television series A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (2024–present), and in films such as Family Switch (2023) and A Minecraft Movie (2025), with the latter earning her a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award. She was featured in the 2026 class of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.


02/04/2000

Rodrigo Riquelme, Spanish footballer

Rodrigo Riquelme Reche, also known as Roro, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Betis and the Spain national team.


Josip Stanišić, Croatian footballer

Josip Stanišić is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Born in Germany, he plays for the Croatia national team. Stanišić has featured most often as a right-back but also as a centre-back, left-back and wing-back at senior level.


02/04/1997

Dillon Bassett, American race car driver

Dillon W. Bassett is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro for his team, Bassett Racing. He and his family team also previously competed full-time in what is now the ARCA Menards Series East. He is the brother of Ronnie Bassett Jr., who also drives for and co-owns Bassett Racing.


Abdelhak Nouri, Dutch footballer

Abdelhak "Appie" Nouri is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He operated primarily as an attacking midfielder, but could also be deployed as a winger.


Austin Riley, American baseball player

Michael Austin Riley is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Braves selected him in the first round, 41st overall, of the 2015 MLB draft.


02/04/1996

Zach Bryan, American singer-songwriter

Zachary Lane Bryan is an American country singer-songwriter from Oologah, Oklahoma. After two self-produced studio albums, DeAnn (2019) and Elisabeth (2020), he signed with Warner Records to release his third album and major label debut American Heartbreak (2022), which peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and was led by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Something in the Orange". His self-titled fourth album (2023) debuted atop the Billboard 200, while its lead single, "I Remember Everything", peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts simultaneously, also earning him a Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. His fifth studio album, The Great American Bar Scene (2024), peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top-ten single "Pink Skies".


André Onana, Cameroonian footballer

André Onana Onana is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor, on loan from Premier League club Manchester United, and the Cameroon national team.


02/04/1995

Zack Steffen, American soccer player

Zackary Thomas Steffen is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids and the United States national team.


02/04/1994

Pascal Siakam, Cameroonian basketball player

Pascal Siakam is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A four-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection, he won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. Nicknamed "Spicy P", Siakam played college basketball for the New Mexico State Aggies and was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2016. He was selected by Toronto with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NBA draft.


02/04/1993

Keshorn Walcott, Trinidadian javelin thrower

Keshorn "Keshie" Walcott, ORTT is a Trinidadian track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. He is the 2012 Olympic champion and the 2025 World champion. He is the first Caribbean male athlete, as well as the first of African descent, to win the gold medal in a throwing event in the history of the Olympics. He is also the holder of the North, Central American and Caribbean junior record.


Bruno Zuculini, Argentine footballer

Bruno Zuculini is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Racing Club.


02/04/1991

Quavo, American rapper

Quavious Keyate Marshall, better known by his stage name Quavo, is an American rapper and record producer. He was the frontman of the now-defunct hip-hop group Migos. Formed with his nephew Takeoff and their mutual friend Offset in 2008, the group released four commercially successful studio albums before disbanding in 2023.


02/04/1990

Yevgeniya Kanayeva, Russian gymnast

Evgeniya Olegovna Kanaeva OMF is a retired Russian individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the only individual rhythmic gymnast in history to win two Olympic all-around gold medals, winning at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she finished with 3.75 points ahead of silver medalist Inna Zhukova, and at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she also became the oldest gymnast to win the Olympic gold. On 4 July 2013, Kanaeva received the International Fair Play Award for "Sport and Life".


Miralem Pjanić, Bosnian footballer

Miralem Pjanić is a Bosnian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation, he is considered to be one of the greatest free-kick takers of all time.


Amr El Solia, Egyptian footballer

Amr Mohamed Eid El Solia is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Egyptian Premier League club Ceramica Cleopatra and the Egypt national team. He featured in the 2021 AFCON final match against Senegal.


02/04/1988

Ellen Adarna, Filipino actress, model and public figure

Ellen Meriam Go Adarna-Ramsay is a Filipino former actress, model, and former internet celebrity. Her family owns various hotels, condominiums and Queensland and Madonna, a chain of motels in Cebu, Manila and Davao. They also own a temple in honor of her late grandmother. A Gravure model, Adarna has appeared in various magazine covers in the Philippines, such as Candy, FHM, Esquire, UNO, Preview, Speed and Women's Health.


Renée Good, American writer, poet and shooting victim (died 2026)

Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year-old American woman, was fatally shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross, on January 7, 2026. Good was in her car, stopped sideways in the street, which led Ross to circle her vehicle on foot. Other agents approached, and one ordered her to get out of the car while reaching through her open window. Good briefly reversed, then began moving forward and to the right, into the direction of traffic. At this point, Ross was standing at the front-left of the vehicle and fired three shots, killing her, as her vehicle passed him, turning away from him. The killing sparked national protests and multiple investigations.


Jesse Plemons, American actor

Jesse Plemons is an American actor. Known for his work with auteurs and portrayal of eccentric characters, his accolades include a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor as well as nominations for an Academy Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two British Academy Film Awards and an Actor Award.


02/04/1987

Pablo Aguilar, Paraguayan footballer

Pablo César Aguilar Benítez is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a centre-back who plays for Sportivo Luqueño.


Shane Lowry, Irish Professional Golfer, winner of the 2019 Open Championship and European Team Member for the 2021 and 2023 Ryder Cups

Shane Lowry is an Irish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. His notable victories include the Irish Open in 2009 as an amateur and the 2019 Open Championship.


02/04/1986

Ibrahim Afellay, Dutch footballer

Ibrahim Afellay is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger. He currently works for Dutch broadcaster NOS as a football pundit.


Andris Biedriņš, Latvian basketball player

Andris Biedriņš is a Latvian former professional basketball player. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft.


Drew Van Acker, American actor, model and producer

Drew Van Acker is an American actor, model and producer. He is known for playing Jason DiLaurentis, the older brother of Alison DiLaurentis, on Freeform's Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017) and Ian Archer in Cartoon Network's Tower Prep (2010). He has also starred as Remi Delatour on Lifetime's Devious Maids (2013–2015), and as Detective Tommy Campbell on the 2017 CBS police drama Training Day. Van Acker also starred in Addison Rae's music video for "Diet Pepsi".


02/04/1985

Thom Evans, Zimbabwean-Scottish rugby player

Thom Evans is a Scottish former international rugby union player and model. He last played on the wing for Glasgow Warriors in the Celtic League. Evans's rugby career ended aged 24 on his tenth appearance for Scotland when he suffered a serious neck injury.


Stéphane Lambiel, Swiss figure skater

Stéphane Lambiel is a Swiss former competitive figure skater who now works as a coach and choreographer. He is a two-time (2005–2006) World champion, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final champion, and a nine-time Swiss national champion. Lambiel is known for his spins and is credited with popularizing some spin positions.


02/04/1984

Engin Atsür, Turkish basketball player

Engin Atsür is a Turkish professional basketball player for Orlandina Basket of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Standing at 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), he plays the point guard position. Atsür played college basketball at the North Carolina State University from 2003 to 2007.


Nóra Barta, Hungarian diver

Nóra Barta is a Hungarian diver. She won the bronze medal in 3m Springboard event at the 2006 European Aquatics Championships and the silver in 1 m springboard event at the 2008 European Championships in Aquatics.


Jérémy Morel, French footballer

Jérémy Morel is a former professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. Born in France, he played for the Madagascar national team.


Miguel Ángel Moyá, Spanish footballer

Miguel Ángel Moyá Rumbo is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.


02/04/1983

Arthur Boka, Ivorian footballer

Etienne Arthur Boka is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a left back for the Ivory Coast national team. At club level, he last played for Atlético de Marbella in the seventh-tier Primera Andaluza.


Maksym Mazuryk, Ukrainian pole vaulter

Maksym Mazuryk is a Ukrainian pole vaulter. He was born in Donetsk. He is sporter of Fenerbahçe S.K. from Turkey.


02/04/1982

Marco Amelia, Italian footballer

Marco Amelia is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and last coached Serie D amateurs Sondrio.


David Ferrer, Spanish tennis player

David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in July 2013. Ferrer won 27 ATP Tour singles titles, including a Masters 1000 event at the 2012 Paris Masters. He was also the runner-up at the 2013 French Open, the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup, and six Masters events. A three-time Davis Cup champion with Spain, Ferrer has the thirteenth-highest career prize money earnings among male tennis players. With 734 career match wins, he holds the distinction of winning the most matches on the ATP Tour without having won a major; he is widely considered one of the best players not to have won a major.


02/04/1981

Michael Clarke, Australian cricketer

Michael John Clarke is an Australian former cricketer. He was captain of the Australian cricket team in both Test and One Day International (ODI) between 2011 and 2015, leading Australia to victory in the 2015 Cricket World Cup. He also served as captain of the Twenty20 International (T20I) team between 2007 and 2010. With his time representing Australia, Clarke won multiple ICC titles with the team: the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the 2015 Cricket World Cup which he was the winning captain, and the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy.


Kapil Sharma, Indian stand-up comedian, television presenter and actor

Kapil Sharma is an Indian stand-up comedian, television host, actor, dubbing artist, producer, and singer who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He is best known for hosting popular stand-up comedy and talk shows such as The Great Indian Kapil Show and The Kapil Sharma Show, and has received five Indian Television Academy Awards.


02/04/1980

Avi Benedi, Israeli singer and songwriter

Avi Benedi is an Israeli singer and songwriter. He has released three albums: Avi Benedi & Diamond Band in 2001, We Met Late in 2012. and Loco in 2017.


Adam Fleming, Scottish journalist

Robert Adam Fleming is a Scottish journalist and presenter for BBC News. He was formerly its Chief Political correspondent, Brussels correspondent, and has previously worked for Daily Politics and Newsround. He co-presented the podcast and television programme Brexitcast, before becoming lead presenter of its successor, Newscast.


Gavin Heffernan, Canadian director and screenwriter

Gavin Heffernan is a Canadian filmmaker, photographer, and producer. He co-wrote the psychological horror film The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014) and Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) with writing partner Adam Robitel. Also known for directing experimental visual works, primarily timelapse, featured in the Rolling Stones' 2015 Zip Code Tour as well as their 2016 Desert Trip shows. Heffernan also contributed visuals to Pink Floyd's Roger Waters' 2016 concerts, Paul Simon's 2018 Homeward Bound Farewell Tour, and John Mayer's 2022 Sob Rock tour.


Ricky Hendrick, American race car driver (died 2004)

Joseph Riddick "Ricky" Hendrick IV was an American stock car racing driver and partial owner at Hendrick Motorsports, a NASCAR team that his father Rick Hendrick founded. He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 2, 1980, and began racing in Go Karts at a young age, then the Legends Series at fifteen. He competed in both the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series before his death from an airplane accident on October 24, 2004. He was killed with nine other family members and friends during the accident.


Wairangi Koopu, New Zealand rugby league player

Dane Wairangi Manuera Koopu is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played for the New Zealand Warriors and the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League. Koopu primarily played in the second-row, and as a centre. He is fluent in Te Reo Maori and often appeared on Māori Television.


Carlos Salcido, Mexican international footballer

Carlos Arnoldo Salcido Flores is a Mexican former professional footballer. He started his career as a centre-back and played most of it as left-back, then converted to defensive midfielder and ended it as centre-back. He won the 2012 Olympic gold medal.


02/04/1977

Per Elofsson, Swedish skier

Per Eilert Elofsson is a Swedish former cross-country skier who competed from 1997 to 2004. He won a bronze medal in the 10 km + 10 km combined pursuit at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, being upgraded from fourth place in 2004, after Spain's Johann Mühlegg got stripped of his gold medal due to the use of darboepotine.


Michael Fassbender, German-Irish actor and producer

Michael Fassbender is a German-Irish actor, producer and racing driver. His accolades include a win for one Volpi Cup and nominations for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, he was listed at number nine on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors.


Hanno Pevkur, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Justice

Hanno Pevkur is an Estonian politician who is currently the Minister of Defence. He is the former chairman of the Estonian Reform Party.


02/04/1976

Andreas Anastasopoulos, Greek shot putter

Andreas Anastasopoulos is a Greek track and field athlete in the shot put. From October 23, 2001 to October 22, 2003 he was suspended by the IAAF.


Rory Sabbatini, South African golfer

Rory Mario Trevor Sabbatini is a South African-Slovak professional golfer. Sabbatini won six times on the PGA Tour between 2000 and 2011 and was runner-up in the 2007 Masters. He spent 21 weeks in the world top-10 in late-2007 and early-2008, with a high of 8th. Sabbatini won the silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, representing Slovakia.


02/04/1975

Nate Huffman, American basketball player (died 2015)

Nathaniel Thomas Huffman was an American professional basketball player, who played most of his career with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He was the 2001 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, as well as the 2001 FIBA SuproLeague Player of the Year.


Randy Livingston, American basketball player

Randy Livingston is an American former professional basketball player and current coach. He played parts of eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for nine different teams. The national high school player in the country in 1993, Livingston's college and professional careers were marked by a series of injuries that hampered his play.


Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski, German rower

Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski is a German rower and two-time Olympic gold medalist.


Pattie Mallette, Canadian author and film producer

Patricia Mallette is the mother of Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber. She also managed her son's early career. Her autobiography, Nowhere but Up, was published in 2012 by Christian book publisher Revell, and was number 17 on the New York Times Best Seller list during its first week of release.


Pedro Pascal, Chilean and American actor

José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal is a Chilean and American actor. Known for his portrayals of parental figures, he has starred in television series and blockbuster films. His accolades include an Actor Award, in addition to nominations for a Golden Globe Award and four Primetime Emmy Awards. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.


02/04/1974

Tayfun Korkut, Turkish football manager and former player

Tayfun Korkut is a football manager and former player. He was most recently the head coach of Hertha BSC. Born in Germany, he represented the Turkey national team internationally.


02/04/1973

Dmitry Lipartov, Russian footballer

Dmitry Viktorovich Lipartov is a former Russian professional footballer who played as a striker.


Roselyn Sánchez, Puerto Rican-American actress

Roselyn Milagros Sánchez Rodríguez is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, producer, and writer. On television, she is best known for her roles as Elena Delgado on the CBS police procedural Without a Trace (2005–2009), as Carmen Luna on the Lifetime comedy-drama Devious Maids (2013–2016), and as Elena Roarke on the new Fantasy Island (2021–2023). In film, Sánchez has appeared in Rush Hour 2 (2001), Boat Trip (2002), The Game Plan (2007), and Act of Valor (2012).


Aleksejs Semjonovs, Latvian footballer

Aleksejs Semjonovs is a retired Latvian international football midfielder, who also holds the Russian nationality. He obtained a total number of nine caps for the Latvia national football team, scoring two goals. His last club was Dinaburg FC. He also played in Estonia and Russia during his career.


02/04/1972

Eyal Berkovic, Israeli footballer

Eyal Berkovic is an Israeli former professional association footballer, football coach, team owner and television talk show presenter.


Remo D'Souza, Indian choreographer and dancer

Remo Gopi D'Souza is an Indian choreographer, film director, and producer. Over the course of his career spanning more than 25 years, D'Souza has choreographed more than 100 films. He is considered the most successful and renowned choreographer in the Hindi film industry and has served as a role model for many Indian choreographers. Additionally, he has been a judge on the dance reality show Dance Plus for seven consecutive seasons.


Calvin Davis, American sprinter and hurdler (died 2023)

Calvin Davis was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 400 meters, though his fame came from his success in the 400 meter hurdles.


Zane Lamprey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

Zane Lamprey is a comedian, actor, editor, producer, and writer for television and movies.


02/04/1971

Edmundo Alves de Souza Neto, Brazilian footballer

Edmundo Alves de Souza Oliveira, better known simply as Edmundo, is a Brazilian football pundit and retired footballer who played as a forward. Nicknamed O Animal, he was a talented yet controversial footballer and drew attention both for his skill, as well as for his volatile behaviour, both on and off the pitch.


Jason Lewry, English cricketer

Jason Lewry is an English former cricketer. He was a left-handed batsman and a left-arm fast-medium bowler. Born in Worthing, he played for Sussex from the beginning of his career in 1994 until his retirement in 2009, a career spanning 16 years, in spite of numerous injuries.


Todd Woodbridge, Australian tennis player and sportscaster

Todd Andrew Woodbridge, OAM is an Australian broadcaster and former professional tennis player. During his playing career, he formed multiple Grand-Slam winning doubles partnerships with Mark Woodforde and later Jonas Björkman.


02/04/1969

Ajay Devgn, Indian actor, director, and producer

Vishal Virender "Ajay" Devgan is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi films. He has appeared in over 100 films and has won numerous accolades, including four National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards. In 2016, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian honour.


02/04/1967

Greg Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Gregory Dean Camp is an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band Smash Mouth and served as a guitarist and songwriter across several stints. Camp is credited as one of the main songwriters for the band, and as such received a Grammy nomination for the song "All Star". Since leaving the band for a solo career in 2008, he has rejoined Smash Mouth periodically. Camp is currently a member of The Defiant.


Phil Demmel, American guitarist and songwriter

Phil Demmel is an American musician who played lead guitar in the heavy metal band Machine Head between 2002 and 2018, making him their longest running member in that position. He has also performed with other artists such as Vio-lence, Torque, Metal Allegiance, BPMD, Kerry King and Category 7, and briefly with Slayer, Nonpoint, Overkill, Lamb of God and Testament as a fill-in guitarist.


02/04/1966

Bill Romanowski, American football player and actor

William Thomas Romanowski is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. Nicknamed "Romo" and "RomoCop", he spent the majority of his career with the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos.


Teddy Sheringham, English international footballer and coach

Edward Paul Sheringham is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career. Sheringham was part of the Manchester United team that won the treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in 1999. He scored the equalising goal and provided the assist for the club's winning goal in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final against Bayern Munich that sealed it, with both goals coming in injury time of the second half.


02/04/1965

Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (died 2012)

Rodney Glen King was an African American victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was severely beaten by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during his arrest after a high speed pursuit for driving while intoxicated on Interstate 210. An uninvolved resident, George Holliday, saw and filmed the incident from his nearby balcony and sent the footage, which showed King on the ground being beaten, to a local news station, KTLA. The station broadcast the film, which was rebroadcast by other stations, with this exposure precipitating riots. The incident was covered by news media around the world and caused a major public uproar.


02/04/1964

Pete Incaviglia, American baseball player and coach

Peter Joseph Incaviglia is an American professional baseball coach and former left fielder who is currently the manager for the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association of Professional Baseball. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 12 seasons (1986–1998), for six different big league teams, and also spent one year in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Incaviglia was drafted in the first round by the Montreal Expos in the 1985 Major League Baseball draft out of Oklahoma State University, then was traded later that same year to the Texas Rangers. He debuted in the major leagues on April 8, 1986, without having spent any time in the minor leagues. His last MLB game was on September 27, 1998.


Jonathon Sharkey, American wrestler

Jonathon Tepes Sharkey is an American former professional wrestler, and has been a candidate in multiple elections for public office.


02/04/1963

Karl Beattie, English director and producer

Karl Beattie is an English television director, producer and cameraman. Beattie and wife Yvette Fielding co-own and run Antix Productions.


Mike Gascoyne, English engineer

Michael Robert Gascoyne is a British former Formula One designer and engineer.


02/04/1962

Pierre Carles, French director and producer

Pierre Carles is a French documentary filmmaker. He has been compared to Michael Moore for his use of the documentary form to denounce mainstream media, which he accuses of having conflicts of interest.


Billy Dean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

William Harold Dean Jr. is an American country music singer and songwriter.


Clark Gregg, American actor

Robert Clark Gregg Jr. is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He portrayed Phil Coulson in films and television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from 2008 to 2024, and voiced Coulson in an animated television series and video games.


02/04/1961

Buddy Jewell, American singer-songwriter

Buddy Jewell Jr. is an American country music singer who was the first winner on the USA Network talent show Nashville Star. Signed to Columbia Records in 2003, Jewell made his debut on the American country music scene with the release of his self-titled album, which produced the singles "Help Pour Out the Rain" and "Sweet Southern Comfort". Another album, Times Like These, followed in 2005.


Christopher Meloni, American actor

Christopher Peter Meloni is an American actor. He is known for portraying NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC legal drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and its spin-off Organized Crime (2021–present), for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. He also played Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama Oz (1998–2003), and starred in and executive produced the Syfy series Happy! (2017–2019).


Keren Woodward, English singer-songwriter

Keren Jane Woodward is an English singer/songwriter and, with Sara Dallin and Siobhan Fahey, a founding member of the girl group Bananarama. In 1986, the trio reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with their version of "Venus". Woodward and Dallin are the only constant members of Bananarama, and both have been a part of the group for over 40 years since 1979.


02/04/1960

Linford Christie, Jamaican-English sprinter

Linford Christie is a Jamaican-born British former sprinter and athletics coach. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games. He was the first European athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 m and held the British record in the event for close to 30 years. He is a former world indoor record holder over 200 metres, and a former European record holder in the 60 metres, 100 m and 4 × 100 metres relay.


Brad Jones, Australian race car driver

Bradley Jones is an Australian former racing driver. Jones now acts as team co-principal with his brother Kim in the V8 Supercar racing team, Brad Jones Racing.


Pascale Nadeau, Canadian journalist

Pascale Nadeau is a Canadian news presenter for Télévision de Radio-Canada from Quebec. Previously a daytime presenter for the all-news network Réseau de l'information and a local presenter for CBFT in Montreal, she has been the weekend presenter of the network's flagship newscast Le Téléjournal from September 2008 to 2021.


02/04/1959

Gelindo Bordin, Italian runner

Gelindo Bordin is an Italian former long distance runner, winner of the marathon race at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He is the first Italian to have won an Olympic gold in the marathon and the only male to win both the Boston Marathon and the Olympic gold medal in this event.


David Frankel, American director, producer, and screenwriter

David Frankel is an American filmmaker. He directed The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Marley & Me (2008), Hope Springs (2012), Jerry & Marge Go Large (2022), and the first and fourth episodes of the Netflix miniseries Inventing Anna (2022).


Juha Kankkunen, Finnish race car driver

Juha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series. Both Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier have since collected more world titles. Kankkunen's feat of becoming a world champion with three different manufacturers was unique until Ogier matched this achievement in 2020.


Yves Lavandier, French director and producer

Yves Lavandier is a French film writer and director.


Badou Ezzaki, Moroccan footballer and manager

Ezzaki "Zaki" Badou is a Moroccan football coach and former goalkeeper who currently manages the Niger national team.


02/04/1958

Stefano Bettarello, Italian rugby player

Stefano Bettarello is an Italian former rugby union player. He played as a fly-half for several clubs, mainly Rovigo and Benetton Treviso, winning an Italian Championship with each.


Larry Drew, American basketball player and coach

Larry Donnell Drew is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).


02/04/1957

Caroline Dean, English biologist and academic

Dame Caroline Dean is a British plant scientist working at the John Innes Centre. She is focused on understanding the molecular controls used by plants to seasonally judge when to flower. She is specifically interested in vernalisation — the acceleration of flowering in plants by exposure to periods of prolonged cold. She has also served on the Life Sciences jury for the Infosys Prize from 2018.


Hank Steinbrenner, American businessman (died 2020)

Henry George Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was a part owner and co-chairman of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was the older brother of the team's principal owner and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner.


02/04/1955

Michael Stone, Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary

Michael Anthony Stone is a British former militant who was a member of the Ulster Defence Association, a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. He was convicted of three counts of murder committed at an IRA funeral in 1988. In 2000, he was released from prison on licence under the Good Friday Agreement. In November 2006, Stone was charged with the attempted murder of Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams, having been arrested attempting to enter the parliament buildings at Stormont while armed. He was convicted and sentenced in 2008 to a further 16 years' imprisonment, before being released on parole in 2021.


02/04/1954

Gregory Abbott, American singer-songwriter and producer

Gregory Joel Abbott is an American singer, musician, composer and producer. Although he continues to record to date, he is best known for his singles in the mid-1980s including his platinum single, "Shake You Down", from his 1986 debut album.


Donald Petrie, American actor and director

Donald Mark Petrie is an American film director and actor.


02/04/1953

Jim Allister, Northern Irish lawyer and politician

James Hugh Allister is a Northern Irish unionist politician and barrister who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons for North Antrim since the 2024 general election. He founded the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) in 2007 and has led the party since its formation. Prior to his election to Westminster, Allister was a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for North Antrim, having been first elected in the 2011 Assembly election.


Rosemary Bryant Mariner, 20th and 21st-century U.S. Navy aviator (died 2019)

Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner was an American pilot and one of the first six women to earn their wings as a United States Naval Aviator in 1974. She was the first female military pilot to fly a tactical jet and the first to achieve command of an operational aviation squadron.


Malika Oufkir, Moroccan Berber writer

Malika Oufkir is a Moroccan writer and former victim of enforced disappearance. She is the daughter of General Mohamed Oufkir and a cousin of fellow Moroccan writer and actress Leila Shenna.


Debralee Scott, American actress (died 2005)

Debralee Scott was an American actress best known for her roles on the sitcoms Welcome Back, Kotter; Angie; Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; and Forever Fernwood.


James Vance, American author and playwright (died 2017)

James Vance was an American comic book writer, author and playwright, best known for his work from Kitchen Sink Press and in particular the lauded Kings in Disguise.


02/04/1952

Lennart Fagerlund, Swedish cyclist

Lennart Fagerlund is a Swedish former cyclist. He competed in the individual road race and team time trial events at the 1972 Summer Olympics. His sporting career began with Mariestadcyclisten.


Will Hoy, English race car driver (died 2002)

William Ewing Hoy was a British racing driver and the 1991 British Touring Car Champion, the highlight of a 20-year career in motor racing.


Leon Wilkeson, American bass player and songwriter (died 2001)

Leon Russell Wilkeson was an American musician. He was the bassist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2001.


02/04/1951

Ayako Okamoto, Japanese golfer

Ayako Okamoto is a Japanese professional golfer. She won 62 tournaments internationally, including 17 on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.


02/04/1950

Lynn Westmoreland, American politician

Leon Acton "Lynn" Westmoreland Jr. is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for Georgia's 3rd congressional district from 2007 to 2017 and the 8th district from 2005 to 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party.


02/04/1949

Paul Gambaccini, American-English radio and television host

Paul Matthew Gambaccini is an American-British radio and television presenter and author. He is a dual citizen of the United States and United Kingdom, having become a British citizen in 2005.


Bernd Müller, German footballer

Bernd Müller is a former East German footballer.


Pamela Reed, American actress

Pamela Reed is an American actress. She is known for playing Arnold Schwarzenegger's police partner Phoebe O'Hara in the 1990 film Kindergarten Cop and portraying the matriarch Gail Green in Jericho. She appeared as Marlene Griggs-Knope on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, as well as the exasperated wife Alison Langley in Bean.


David Robinson, American drummer

David Robinson is an American retired rock drummer. He has performed with many rock bands, including the Rising Tide, the Modern Lovers, the Pop!, DMZ and the Cars. In 2018, Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cars. To date, Robinson is also the only member of the Cars to not release a solo album.


02/04/1948

Roald Als, Danish author and illustrator

Roald Als is a Danish cartoonist best known for his editorial cartoons in Danish newspapers Weekendavisen and Politiken.


Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (died 2012)

Dimitris Mitropanos was a Greek singer. He was renowned for his mastery of laïkó, a Greek music style.


Daniel Okrent, American journalist and author

Daniel Okrent is an American writer and editor. He is best known for having served as the first public editor of The New York Times newspaper, inventing Rotisserie League Baseball, and for writing several history books.. In November 2011, Last Call won the Albert J. Beveridge prize, awarded by the American Historical Association to the year's best book of American history. His most recent book is The Guarded Gate: Bigotry, Eugenics, and the Law That Kept Two Generations of Jews, Italians, and Other European Immigrants Out of America (2019).


Joan D. Vinge, American author

Joan D. Vinge is an American science fiction author. She is known for her Hugo Award–winning novel The Snow Queen (1980) and its sequels, her series about a telepath named Cat, and her Heaven's Chronicles books. She also is the author of The Random House Book of Greek Myths (1999).


02/04/1947

Paquita la del Barrio, Mexican singer, songwriter and actress (died 2025)

Francisca Viveros Barradas, known professionally as Paquita la del Barrio, was a Mexican singer. She was a Grammy-nominated performer of rancheras, boleros and other traditional and contemporary Mexican musical genres.


Tua Forsström, Finnish writer

Tua Birgitta Forsström is a Finland-Swedish writer who writes in Swedish. She was awarded the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 1998 for the poetry collection Efter att ha tillbringat en natt bland hästar. Forsström's work is known for its engagement with the Finnish landscape, travel and conflicts within relationships. She often uses quotations in her work, sometimes placing them directly into her poems and at other times using them as introductions or interludes in her sequences. She has used quotations from Egon Friedell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hermann Hesse and Friedrich Nietzsche. In the collection After Spending a Night Among Horses (1997) Forsström uses quotations from the Andrei Tarkovsky film Stalker, they are placed as interludes in a sequence of pieces and sit alone on the page, without direct reference to their source on the page, leaving this to a Notes & Quotations section at the end of the book.


Emmylou Harris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Emmylou Harris is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana genre in the 1990s. Her music united both country and rock audiences in live performance settings. Her characteristic voice, musical style and songwriting have been acclaimed by critics and fellow recording artists.


Camille Paglia, American author and critic

Camille Anna Paglia is an American academic, social critic and feminist. Paglia was a professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1984 until the university's closure in 2024. She is critical of many aspects of modern culture and is the author of Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson (1990) and other books. She is also a critic of contemporary American feminism and of post-structuralism, as well as a commentator on multiple aspects of American culture such as its visual art, music, and film history.


02/04/1946

Richard Collinge, New Zealand cricketer

Richard Owen Collinge is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played 35 Tests and 15 ODIs. He was a New Zealand Cricket Almanack Player of the Year in 1971.


David Heyes, English politician

David Alan Heyes is a British Labour Party politician and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashton-under-Lyne from 2001 to 2015.


Sue Townsend, English author and playwright (died 2014)

Susan Lillian Townsend was an English writer and humorist whose work encompasses novels, plays and works of journalism. She was best known for creating the character Adrian Mole.


Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist and songwriter (died 1997)

Kurt Frank Winter was a Canadian guitarist and songwriter, best known as a member of The Guess Who.


02/04/1945

Jürgen Drews, German singer-songwriter

Jürgen Ludwig Drews is a German schlager singer.


Guy Fréquelin, French race car driver

Guy Fréquelin is a French former rally and sports car driver.


Linda Hunt, American actress

Linda Hunt is an American actress. She made her film debut playing Mrs. Oxheart in Popeye (1980). Her portrayal of the male character Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first person to win an Oscar for portraying a character of the opposite sex. Hunt has also appeared in films such as Dune (1984), Silverado (1985), Eleni (1985), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Pocahontas (1995), Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998), and Stranger Than Fiction (2006).


Reggie Smith, American baseball player and coach

Carl Reginald Smith is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and afterwards served as a coach and front office executive. He also played in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for two seasons at the end of his playing career. During a seventeen-year MLB career (1966–1982), Smith appeared in 1,987 games, hit 314 home runs with 1,092 RBI and batted .287. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. In his prime, he had one of the strongest throwing arms of any outfielder in the MLB. Smith played at least seventy games in thirteen different seasons, and in every one of those thirteen seasons, his team had a winning record.


Don Sutton, American baseball player and sportscaster (died 2021)

Donald Howard Sutton was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sutton won a total of 324 games, pitched 58 shutouts including five one-hitters and ten two-hitters, and led the National League in walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) four times. He is seventh on baseball's all-time strikeout list with 3,574.


Anne Waldman, American poet

Anne Waldman is an American poet. Since the 1960s, Waldman has been an active member of the Outrider experimental poetry community as a writer, performer, collaborator, professor, editor, scholar, and cultural/political activist. She has also been connected to the Beat Generation poets.


02/04/1944

Bill Malinchak, American football player

William John Malinchak is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and special teams ace in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers


02/04/1943

Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce, South African-English admiral and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (died 2022)

Admiral of the Fleet Michael Cecil Boyce, Baron Boyce was a British Royal Navy officer who also sat as a crossbench member of the House of Lords until his death in November 2022.


Caterina Bueno, Italian singer (died 2007)

Caterina Bueno was an Italian singer and folk music historian.


Larry Coryell, American jazz guitarist (died 2017)

Larry Coryell was an American jazz guitarist, widely considered the "godfather of fusion". Alongside Gábor Szabó, he was a pioneer in melding jazz, country and rock music. Coryell was also a music teacher and a writer, penning a monthly column for Guitar Player magazine from 1977 to 1989. He collaborated with a number of other high-profile musicians, including John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Miroslav Vitouš, Billy Cobham, Lenny White, Emily Remler, Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucía, Steve Morse and others.


Antonio Sabàto, Sr., Italian actor (died 2021)

Antonio Sabàto Sr. was an Italian actor, best known for his starring roles in Spaghetti Western and poliziotteschi films. He was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor for his performance in Grand Prix (1966).


02/04/1942

Leon Russell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (died 2016)

Leon Russell was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and roll, country, gospel, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, southern rock, blues rock, folk, surf and the Tulsa sound. His recordings earned six gold records and he received two Grammy Awards from seven nominations. In 1973 Billboard named Russell the "Top Concert Attraction in the World". In 2011, he was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.


Roshan Seth, Indian-English actor

Roshan Seth is a British-Indian actor, writer and theatre director who has worked in the United Kingdom, United States and India. He began his acting career in the early 1960s in the UK, but left acting the following decade and moved to India to work as a journalist. In the 1980s, he rose to prominence for his comeback performance as Jawaharlal Nehru in Richard Attenborough's Academy Award-winning film Gandhi, which brought him a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and reignited his interest in acting.


02/04/1941

Dr. Demento, American radio host

Barret Eugene Hansen, also known professionally as Dr. Demento, is a retired American radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and unusual recordings from the dawn of the phonograph to the present.


Sonny Throckmorton, American country singer-songwriter

James Fron "Sonny" Throckmorton is an American country music songwriter. He has had more than 1,000 of his songs recorded by various country singers. He has also had minor success as a recording artist, having released two major-label albums: The Last Cheater's Waltz in 1978 on Mercury Records and Southern Train in 1986 on Warner Bros. Records. Throckmorton is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has been awarded Songwriter of the Year by both Broadcast Music Incorporated and the Nashville Songwriters Association International.


02/04/1940

Donald Jackson, Canadian figure skater and coach

Donald George Jackson is a Canadian retired figure skater. He is the 1962 World Champion, four-time Canadian national champion, and 1960 Olympic bronze medallist. At the 1962 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia, he landed the first triple Lutz jump in international competition and won the world title.


Mike Hailwood, English motorcycle racer (died 1981)

Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1958 to 1967, and Formula One between 1963 and 1974. Nicknamed "the Bike", Hailwood was a nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, with four titles in the premier 500cc class with MV Agusta, and won 76 motorcycle Grands Prix across 10 seasons.


Penelope Keith, English actress

Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith is an English actress and presenter, active in film, radio, stage and television and primarily known for her roles in the British sitcoms The Good Life and To the Manor Born. She succeeded Lord Olivier as president of the Actors' Benevolent Fund after his death in 1989, and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to the arts and to charity.


02/04/1939

Marvin Gaye, American singer-songwriter (died 1984)

Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. was an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. Commonly referred to as the "Prince of Motown" and "Prince of Soul", he helped to shape the sound of Motown and soul music in the 1960s and 1970s. A cultural icon, Gaye is often considered one of the greatest singers and songwriters of all time.


Anthony Lake, American academic and diplomat, 18th United States National Security Advisor

William Anthony Kirsopp Lake is an American diplomat and political advisor who served as the 17th United States National Security Advisor from 1993 to 1997 and as the sixth Executive Director of UNICEF from 2010 to 2017.


Lise Thibault, Canadian journalist and politician, 27th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec

Lise Thibault DStJ is a Canadian politician who served as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec from 1997 to 2007. She later spent six months in jail for misuse of public funds, which she was ordered to repay the government. As of 2026, she is the only Canadian vice-regal representative to have been incarcerated.


02/04/1938

John Larsson, Swedish 17th General of The Salvation Army (died 2022)

John Alfred Larsson was a Swedish Salvationist, writer and composer of Christian music and hymns, who was the 17th General of The Salvation Army.


Booker Little, American trumpet player and composer (died 1961)

Booker Little Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He appeared on many recordings in his short career, both as a sideman and as a leader. Little performed with Max Roach, John Coltrane, and Eric Dolphy and was strongly influenced by Sonny Rollins and Clifford Brown. He died aged 23.


Al Weis, American baseball player

Albert John Weis is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder from 1962 to 1971 for the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets. A light-hitting batter with only seven career home runs, he is notable for hitting a dramatic home run in Game 5 of the 1969 World Series. He was a switch hitter until the end of the 1968 season, after which he batted exclusively right-handed.


02/04/1937

Dick Radatz, American baseball player (died 2005)

Richard Raymond Radatz was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed "The Monster", the 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), 230 lb (100 kg) right-hander had a scorching but short-lived period of dominance for the Boston Red Sox in the early 1960s. Radatz is reported to have gotten his nickname during a game against the New York Yankees in Boston in 1963 in which he came in to pitch with the bases loaded and no one out. He consecutively struck out Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Elston Howard, after which Mantle grumbled about Radatz being "that monster". Over his career, Radatz struck out Hall of Famer Mantle 44 times in 63 at-bats.


02/04/1936

Shaul Ladany, Serbian-Israeli race walker and engineer

Shaul Paul Ladany is an Israeli Holocaust survivor, racewalker and two-time Olympian. He holds the world record in the 50-mile walk (7:23:50), and the Israeli national record in the 50-kilometer walk (4:17:07). He is a former world champion in the 100-kilometer walk.


02/04/1934

Paul Cohen, American mathematician and theorist (died 2007)

Paul Joseph Cohen was an American mathematician, best known for his proofs that the continuum hypothesis and the axiom of choice are independent from Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory, for which he was awarded a Fields Medal.


Brian Glover, English wrestler and actor (died 1997)

Brian Glover was an English actor and writer. He worked as a teacher and professional wrestler before commencing an acting career which included films, many roles on British television and work on the stage. His film appearances include Kes (1969), An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Alien 3 (1992).


Carl Kasell, American journalist and game show host (died 2018)

Carl Ray Kasell was an American radio personality. He was a newscaster for National Public Radio, and later was the official judge and scorekeeper of the weekly news quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! until his retirement in 2014.


Richard Portman, American sound engineer (died 2017)

Richard Portman was an American sound engineer. He won an Academy Award for Best Sound and was nominated for ten more in the same category. He worked on more than 160 films between 1963 and 2004. Portman later taught at Florida State University; he died of complications after a fall.


Dovid Shmidel, Austrian-born Israeli rabbi

Dovid Shmidel of Bnei Brak is a rabbi and the Chairman of Asra Kadisha. He was involved in struggles against excavations at various locations including at the Tomb of Maimonides in Tiberias in 1956 and at Israel's Highway 6; as well as at the disputed tomb of Antigonus II Mattathias in East Jerusalem. For an entire year, Shmidel was occupied with preserving the old Jewish cemetery in Egypt.


02/04/1933

György Konrád, Hungarian sociologist and author (died 2019)

György (George) Konrád was a Hungarian novelist, pundit, essayist and sociologist known as an advocate of individual freedom.


02/04/1932

Edward Egan, American cardinal (died 2015)

Edward Michael Egan was an American Catholic prelate who served as bishop of Bridgeport in Connecticut from 1988 to 2000 and as archbishop of New York from 2000 to 2009. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2001.


02/04/1931

Keith Hitchins, American historian (died 2020)

Keith Arnold Hitchins was an American historian and a professor of Eastern European history at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, specializing in Romania and its history.


Vladimir Kuznetsov, Russian javelin thrower (died 1986)

Vladimir Vasilyevich Kuznetsov was a Soviet Russian javelin thrower.


02/04/1930

Roddy Maude-Roxby, English actor

Roderick A. Maude-Roxby is an English retired actor. He has appeared in numerous films, such as Walt Disney's The Aristocats, where he voiced the greedy butler Edgar Balthazar ; Unconditional Love; and Clint Eastwood's White Hunter Black Heart, playing Thompson.


02/04/1929

Ed Dorn, American poet and educator (died 1999)

Edward Merton Dorn was an American poet and teacher often associated with the Black Mountain poets. His most famous work is Gunslinger (1968).


02/04/1928

Joseph Bernardin, American cardinal (died 1996)

Joseph Louis Bernardin was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Cincinnati in Ohio from 1972 until 1982, and as Archbishop of Chicago in Illinois from 1982 until his death from pancreatic cancer. Bernardin was elevated to the cardinalate in 1983 by Pope John Paul II.


Serge Gainsbourg, French singer-songwriter, actor, and director (died 1991)

Serge Gainsbourg was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative releases which caused uproar in France, dividing public opinion. His artistic output ranged from his early work in jazz, chanson, and yé-yé to later efforts in rock, zouk, funk, reggae, and electronica. Gainsbourg's varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorise, although his legacy has been firmly established and he is often regarded as one of the world's most influential popular musicians.


Roy Masters, English-American radio host (died 2021)

Roy Masters was an English-born American author, radio personality, businessman and hypnotist. He was the creator of a type of mindfulness meditation exercise, which has appeared in his books and recordings. Masters was the founder of the Oregon non-profit organization, The Foundation of Human Understanding. His forays into radio broadcasting included his own show, Advice Line, and the Talk Radio Network, a long time popular conservative talk radio syndicator.


David Robinson, Northern Irish horticulturist and academic (died 2004)

David Willis Robinson was a Northern Irish horticultural scientist who made contributions to the national and international fields of horticulture and agriculture, with more than 120 publications. After a working life in research, in retirement he became a journalist and television/radio presenter and a leader of gardening tours. He cultivated and managed the Earlscliffe Gardens at the Baily, Howth, County Dublin, Ireland.


02/04/1927

Carmen Basilio, American boxer and soldier (died 2012)

Carmen Basilio was an American professional boxer who was a two-time Undisputed Welterweight Champion and Undisputed Middleweight champion, beating Sugar Ray Robinson for the latter title. An iron-chinned pressure fighter, Basilio was a combination puncher who had great stamina and eventually wore many of his opponents down with vicious attacks to the head and body.


Howard Callaway, American soldier and politician, 11th United States Secretary of the Army (died 2014)

Howard Hollis "Bo" Callaway was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the United States House of Representatives from 1965 to 1967 and as the United States secretary of the Army from 1973 to 1975.


Rita Gam, American actress (died 2016)

Rita Gam was an American film and television actress and documentary filmmaker. She won the Silver Bear for Best Actress.


Billy Pierce, American baseball player and sportscaster (died 2015)

Walter William Pierce was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball between 1945 and 1964 who played most of his career for the Chicago White Sox. He was the team's star pitcher in the decade from 1952 to 1961, when they posted the third best record in the major leagues, and received the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award for the American League (AL) in 1956 and 1957 after being runner-up in both 1953 and 1955. A seven-time All-Star, he led the AL in complete games three times despite his slight build, and in wins, earned run average (ERA) and strikeouts once each. He pitched four one-hitters and seven two-hitters in his career, and on June 27, 1958 came within one batter of becoming the first left-hander in 78 years to throw a perfect game.


Kenneth Tynan, English author and critic (died 1980)

Kenneth Peacock Tynan was an English theatre critic and writer. Initially making his mark as a critic at The Observer, he praised John Osborne's Look Back in Anger (1956) and encouraged the emerging wave of British theatrical talent.


02/04/1926

Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver (died 2014)

Sir John Arthur Brabham was an Australian racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1955 to 1970. Brabham won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in 1959, 1960 and 1966, and won 14 Grands Prix across 16 seasons. He co-founded Brabham in 1960, leading the team to two World Constructors' Championship titles, and remains the only driver to have won the World Drivers' Championship in an eponymous car.


Rudra Rajasingham, Sri Lankan police officer and diplomat (died 2006)

Rudra Srichandra Rajasingham was a Sri Lankan police officer and diplomat. He was the Inspector General of Police and Sri Lankan Ambassador to Indonesia.


02/04/1925

George MacDonald Fraser, Scottish author and screenwriter (died 2008)

George MacDonald Fraser was a British author and screenwriter. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman. Over the course of his career he wrote eleven novels and one short-story collection in the Flashman series of novels, as well as non-fiction, short stories, novels and screenplays—including those for the James Bond film Octopussy, The Three Musketeers and an adaptation of his own novel Royal Flash.


Hans Rosenthal, German radio and television host (died 1987)

Hans Rosenthal was a German radio editor, director, and one of the most popular German radio and television hosts of the 1970s and 1980s.


02/04/1924

Bobby Ávila, Mexican baseball player (died 2004)

Roberto Francisco Ávila González, known as "Beto" in Mexico and as "Bobby" in the United States, was a Mexican professional baseball second baseman.


02/04/1923

Gloria Henry, actress (died 2021)

Gloria Henry was an American actress, best known for her role as Alice Mitchell, Dennis' mother, from 1959 to 1963 on the CBS family sitcom Dennis the Menace.


Johnny Paton, Scottish footballer, coach, and manager (died 2015)

John Aloysius Paton was a Scottish professional football player, manager, coach, scout and later a professional snooker referee. He began his career in Scotland with Celtic and played in the Football League for Chelsea, Brentford and Watford. Paton later managed Watford and Arsenal 'A'.


G. Spencer-Brown, English mathematician, psychologist, and author (died 2016)

George Spencer-Brown was an English polymath best known as the author of the 1969 book Laws of Form, a study of mathematics and philosophy. He described himself as a "mathematician, consulting engineer, psychologist, educational consultant and practitioner, consulting psychotherapist, author, and poet".


02/04/1922

John C. Whitehead, American banker and politician, 9th United States Deputy Secretary of State (died 2015)

John Cunningham Whitehead was an American banker and civil servant, a board member of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, and, until his resignation in May 2006, chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.


02/04/1920

Gerald Bouey, Canadian lieutenant and civil servant (died 2004)

Gerald Keith Bouey was a Canadian economist who served as the fourth governor of the Bank of Canada from 1973 to 1987, succeeding Louis Rasminsky. He was succeeded by John Crow.


Jack Stokes, English animator and director (died 2013)

John Albert Stokes was a British animation director best known for his work on the 1968 Beatles film Yellow Submarine.


Jack Webb, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1982)

John Randolph Webb was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, most famous for his role as Joe Friday in the Dragnet franchise, which he created. He was also the founder of his own production company, Mark VII Limited.


02/04/1919

Delfo Cabrera, Argentinian runner and soldier (died 1981)

Delfo Cabrera Gómez was an Argentine athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1948 Summer Olympics in one of the most dramatic finishes in athletics history.


02/04/1914

Alec Guinness, English actor (died 2000)

Sir Alec Guinness was an English actor. In the BFI listing of the 100 most important British films of the 20th century, he was the single most noted actor, represented across nine films—six in starring roles and three in supporting roles—including five directed by David Lean and four from Ealing Studios. He won an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, a Tony Award and a Volpi Cup. In 1959, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the arts. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, the Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement in 1980 and the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award in 1989.


02/04/1910

Paul Triquet, Canadian general, Victoria Cross recipient (died 1980)

Brigadier-General Paul Triquet was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for valour in the presence of the enemy that can be awarded to British and other Commonwealth forces. Triquet held the rank of captain at the time of his VC award and went on to achieve the rank of brigadier-general.


Chico Xavier, Brazilian spiritual medium (died 2002)

Chico Xavier or Francisco Cândido Xavier, born Francisco de Paula Cândido, was a popular Brazilian philanthropist and spiritist medium. During a period of 60 years, he wrote over 490 books and several thousand letters claiming to use a process known as "psychography". Books based on old letters and manuscripts were published posthumously, bringing the total number of books to 496.


02/04/1908

Buddy Ebsen, American actor and dancer (died 2003)

Buddy Ebsen, also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer, widely known for his role as Jed Clampett in the CBS television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971) as well his title role in the television detective drama Barnaby Jones (1973–1980).


02/04/1907

Harald Andersson, American-Swedish discus thrower (died 1985)

Harald "Slaktarn" Andersson was a Swedish discus thrower. In 1934 he won a European title and held the world record for eight months. The same year he was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal.


Luke Appling, American baseball player and manager (died 1991)

Lucius Benjamin Appling, nicknamed "Old Aches and Pains", was an American professional baseball shortstop who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox (1930–1950). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.


02/04/1906

Alphonse-Marie Parent, Canadian priest and educator (died 1970)

Alphonse-Marie Parent was a Canadian priest, educator and academic administrator. He is best known for having given his name to the Parent Report on the reform of Quebec's education system.


02/04/1903

Lionel Chevrier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Canadian Minister of Justice (died 1987)

Lionel Chevrier was a Canadian politician who was a Member of Parliament and cabinet minister.


02/04/1902

Jan Tschichold, German-Swiss graphic designer and typographer (died 1974)

Jan Tschichold (German pronunciation: [jan ˈtʃɪçɔlt]; born Johannes Tzschichhold;, also known as Iwan Tschichold or Ivan Tschichold, was a German calligrapher, typographer and book designer. He played a significant role in the development of graphic design in the 20th century – first, by developing and promoting principles of typographic modernism, and subsequently idealizing conservative typographic structures. His direction of the visual identity of Penguin Books in the decade following World War II served as a model for the burgeoning design practice of planning corporate identity programs. He also designed the typeface Sabon.


Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe (died 1994)

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known to adherents of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or simply the Rebbe, was an Orthodox rabbi and the Rebbe of the Lubavitch Hasidic dynasty. He is considered one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the 20th century.


02/04/1900

Roberto Arlt, Argentinian journalist, author, and playwright (died 1942)

Roberto Arlt was an Argentine novelist, storyteller, playwright, and journalist.


Anis Fuleihan, Cypriot-American pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1970)

Anis Fuleihan was a Cypriot-born American composer, conductor and pianist.


Alfred Strange, English footballer (died 1978)

Alfred Henry Strange was an English footballer who played most of his career as a half back with Sheffield Wednesday. He won 20 caps for England, including three as captain.


02/04/1898

Harindranath Chattopadhyay, Indian poet, actor and politician (died 1990)

Harindranath Chattopadhyay was an Indian English poet, dramatist, actor, musician, and a member of the 1st Lok Sabha from Vijayawada constituency. He was the younger brother of Sarojini Naidu, the second woman President of the Indian National Congress and first Indian woman to hold the position, and Virendranath Chattopadhyay, an international communist revolutionary. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan in 1973.


Chiungtze C. Tsen, Chinese mathematician (died 1940)

Chiungtze C. Tsen, given name Chiung, was a Chinese mathematician born in Nanchang, Jiangxi. He is known for his work in algebra. He was one of Emmy Noether's students at the University of Göttingen, Germany.


02/04/1896

Johnny Golden, American golfer (died 1936)

Johnny Golden was an American professional golfer.


02/04/1891

Jack Buchanan, Scottish entertainer (died 1957)

Walter John Buchanan was a British theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director.


Max Ernst, German painter, sculptor, and poet (died 1976)

Max Ernst was a German-born painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and surrealism in Europe. He had no formal artistic training, but his experimental attitude toward the making of art resulted in his invention of frottage—a technique that uses pencil rubbings of textured objects and relief surfaces to create images—and grattage, an analogous technique in which paint is scraped across canvas to reveal the imprints of the objects placed beneath. Ernst is noted for his unconventional drawing methods as well as for creating novels and pamphlets using the method of collages. He served as a soldier for four years during World War I, which left him shocked, traumatised and critical of the modern world. During World War II he was designated an "undesirable foreigner" while living in France.


Tristão de Bragança Cunha, Indian nationalist and anti-colonial activist from Goa (died 1958)

Tristão de Bragança Cunha, better known as T. B. Cunha, was a Goan nationalist and anti-colonial activist. Referred to as the "Father of Goan nationalism", he was the organiser of the first movement to end Portuguese rule in Goa.


02/04/1888

Neville Cardus, English cricket and music writer (died 1975)

Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus, CBE was an English writer and critic. From an impoverished home background, and mainly self-educated, he became The Manchester Guardian's cricket correspondent in 1919 and its chief music critic in 1927, holding the two posts simultaneously until 1940. His contributions to these two distinct fields in the years before the Second World War established his reputation as one of the foremost critics of his generation.


02/04/1884

J. C. Squire, English poet, author, and historian (died 1958)

Sir John Collings Squire was an English writer, most notable as editor of the London Mercury, a major literary magazine in the interwar period. He antagonised several eminent authors, but attracted a coterie that was dubbed the Squirearchy. He was also a poet and historian, who captained a famous literary cricket-team called the Invalids.


02/04/1875

Walter Chrysler, American businessman, founded Chrysler (died 1940)

Walter Percy Chrysler was an American industrial pioneer in the automotive industry, automotive industry executive, and the founder and namesake of American Chrysler Corporation.


William Donne, English cricketer and captain (died 1942)

William Stephens Donne was an English cricket player, and former president of the Rugby Football Union, and was a member of the cricket team that won a gold medal at the 1900 Summer Olympics.


02/04/1870

Edmund Dwyer-Gray, Irish-Australian politician, 29th Premier of Tasmania (died 1945)

Edmund John Chisholm Dwyer-Gray was an Irish-Australian politician, who was the 29th Premier of Tasmania from 11 June to 18 December 1939. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP).


02/04/1869

Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (died 1928)

Hugh Ambrose Jennings was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won National League championships in 1894, 1895, and 1896. During those three seasons, Jennings had 355 runs batted in and hit .335, .386, and .401.


02/04/1862

Nicholas Murray Butler, American philosopher and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1947)

Nicholas Murray Butler was an American philosopher, diplomat, and educator. Butler was president of Columbia University, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and the late James S. Sherman's replacement as William Howard Taft’s running mate in the 1912 United States presidential election. The New York Times printed his Christmas greeting to the nation for many years during the 1920s and 1930s.


02/04/1861

Iván Persa, Slovenian priest and author (died 1935)

Iván Persa was a Hungarian Slovene Roman Catholic priest and writer.


02/04/1842

Dominic Savio, Italian Catholic saint, adolescent student of Saint John Bosco (died 1857)

Dominic Savio was a 19th-century Italian teenager who was a student of John Bosco and became a Catholic saint. He was studying to be a priest when he became ill and died at the age of 14, possibly from pleurisy. He was noted for his piety and devotion to the Catholic faith, and was canonized a saint by Pope Pius XII in 1954.


02/04/1841

Clément Ader, French engineer, designed the Ader Avion III (died 1926)

Clément Ader was a French inventor and engineer who was born near Toulouse in Muret, Haute-Garonne, and died in Toulouse. He is remembered primarily for his pioneering work in aviation. In 1870 he was also one of the pioneers in the sport of cycling in France.


02/04/1840

Émile Zola, French novelist, playwright, journalist (died 1902)

Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism. He was a major figure in the political liberalization of France and in the exoneration of the falsely accused and convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus, which is encapsulated in his renowned newspaper opinion headlined J'Accuse...!  Zola was nominated for the first and second Nobel Prizes in Literature in 1901 and 1902.


02/04/1838

Léon Gambetta, French lawyer and politician, 45th Prime Minister of France (died 1882)

Léon Gambetta was a French lawyer and republican politician who proclaimed the French Third Republic in 1870 and played a prominent role in its early government.


02/04/1835

Jacob Nash Victor, American engineer (died 1907)

Jacob Nash Victor, son of Henry Clay Victor and Gertrude Nash, was a civil engineer who worked as General Manager of the California Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Victor oversaw the construction in the early 1880s of the California Southern between Colton and Barstow, California, including the section that is now one of the busiest rail freight routes in the United States, Cajon Pass.


02/04/1827

William Holman Hunt, English soldier and painter (died 1910)

William Holman Hunt was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolism. These features were influenced by the writings of John Ruskin and Thomas Carlyle, according to whom the world itself should be read as a system of visual signs. For Hunt, it was the duty of the artist to reveal the correspondence between sign and fact. Of all the members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Hunt remained most true to their ideals throughout his career. He was always keen to maximise the popular appeal and public visibility of his works.


02/04/1814

Henry L. Benning, American general and judge (died 1875)

Henry Lewis Benning was a Confederate general who commanded infantry in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. He was also a lawyer, legislator, and associate judge in the Georgia Supreme Court. Following the Confederacy's defeat, he returned to his native Georgia, where he resumed his legal practice.


Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American inventor (died 1879)

Erastus Brigham Bigelow was an American inventor of weaving machines.


02/04/1805

Hans Christian Andersen, Danish novelist, short story writer, and poet (died 1875)

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales.


02/04/1798

August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet and academic (died 1874)

August Heinrich Hoffmann was a German poet associated with the Young Germany movement. He is best known for writing "Das Lied der Deutschen", whose third stanza is now the national anthem of Germany, and a number of popular children's songs.


02/04/1797

Samuel Bogart, Texas state legislator (died 1861)

Samuel Bogart was an itinerant Methodist minister and militia captain from Ray County, Missouri who played a prominent role in the 1838 Missouri Mormon War before later moving to Collin County, Texas, where he became a Texas Ranger and a member of the Texas State Legislature. He is best remembered, however, for his role in leading opposition to Mormon settlers in northwestern Missouri, and for the active role he took in operations against them in the fall of 1838. These operations led to the expulsion of nearly all Mormons from the state following the issuance of Governor Lilburn Boggs' infamous Extermination Order in October of that year.


02/04/1792

Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian general and politician, 4th President of the Republic of the New Granada (died 1840)

Francisco José de Paula Santander y Omaña was a Neogranadine military and political leader who served as Vice-President of Gran Colombia between 1819 and 1826, and was later elected by Congress as the President of the Republic of New Granada between 1832 and 1837. Santander played a pivotal role in the Colombian War of Independence being one of the main leaders of the Patriot forces and helped lead the Patriot Army alongside Simón Bolívar to victory. He's often credited with creating the legal foundations for democracy in Colombia, as well as creating the country's first system of public education. For these reasons he is considered a National Hero in Colombia and has thus commonly been known as "The Man of the Laws" as well as the "Organizer of Victory".


02/04/1789

Lucio Norberto Mansilla, Argentinian general and politician (died 1871)

Lucio Norberto Mansilla was an Argentine military officer, surveyor and politician who played a prominent role in the Argentine War of Independence, the Cisplatine War and the Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata. He was the first governor of the Entre Ríos Province. Although he commanded several units in many battles, he is most renowned for commanding the Argentine forces in the battle of Vuelta de Obligado on the Paraná River during the Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata.


02/04/1788

Francisco Balagtas, Filipino poet and author (died 1862)

Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz, commonly known as Francisco Balagtas and also as Francisco Baltazar, was a Filipino poet and litterateur of the Tagalog language during the Spanish rule of the Philippines. He is widely considered one of the greatest Filipino literary laureates for his impact on Filipino literature. The famous epic Florante at Laura is regarded as his defining work.


Wilhelmine Reichard, German balloonist (died 1848)

Johanne Wilhelmine Siegmundine Reichard was a German aeronaut who was the first German female balloonist.


02/04/1755

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, French lawyer and politician (died 1826)

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was a French lawyer and politician, who, as the author of Physiologie du goût, became celebrated for his culinary reminiscences and reflections on the craft and science of cookery and the art of eating.


02/04/1725

Giacomo Casanova, Italian explorer and author (died 1798)

Giacomo Girolamo Casanova was an adventurer and writer who was born in the Republic of Venice and travelled extensively throughout Europe. He is chiefly remembered for his autobiography, written in French and published posthumously as Histoire de ma vie. That work has come to be regarded as a unique and provocative source of information on the customs and norms of European social life in the 18th century.


02/04/1719

Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet (died 1803)

Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim was a German poet, commonly associated with the Enlightenment and Rococo movements.


02/04/1696

Francesca Cuzzoni, Italian operatic soprano (died 1778)

Francesca Cuzzoni was an Italian operatic soprano of the Baroque era.


02/04/1653

Prince George of Denmark (died 1708)

Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland, was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708.


02/04/1647

Maria Sibylla Merian, German-Dutch botanist and illustrator (died 1717)

Maria Sibylla Merian was a German entomologist, naturalist and scientific illustrator. She was one of the earliest European naturalists to document observations about insects directly. Merian was a descendant of the Frankfurt branch of the Swiss Merian family.


02/04/1618

Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (died 1663)

Francesco Maria Grimaldi was an Italian Jesuit priest, mathematician and physicist who taught at the Jesuit college in Bologna. He was born in Bologna to Paride Grimaldi and Anna Cattani.


02/04/1602

Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, Franciscan abbess (died 1665)

Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, OIC, also known as the Abbess of Ágreda, was an abbess and spiritual writer. She is best known for her extensive correspondence with King Philip IV of Spain and her reports of bilocation between Spain and New Spain. She was a noted mystic of her era.


02/04/1586

Pietro Della Valle, Italian traveler (died 1652)

Pietro Della Valle, also written Pietro della Valle, was an Italian composer, musicologist, and author who travelled throughout Asia during the 17th century. His travels took him to the Holy Land, the Middle East, Northern Africa, and as far as India.


02/04/1565

Cornelis de Houtman, Dutch explorer (died 1599)

Cornelis de Houtman was a Dutch merchant seaman who commanded the first Dutch expedition to the East Indies. Although the voyage was difficult and yielded only a modest profit, Houtman showed that the Portuguese monopoly on the spice trade was vulnerable. A flurry of Dutch trading voyages followed, eventually leading to the displacement of the Portuguese and the establishment of a Dutch monopoly on spice trading in the East Indies.


02/04/1545

Elisabeth of Valois (died 1568)

Elisabeth of France, or Elisabeth of Valois, was Queen of Spain as the third wife of Philip II of Spain. She was the eldest daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.


02/04/1473

John Corvinus, Hungarian noble (died 1504)

John Corvinus was the illegitimate son of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, and his mistress, Barbara Edelpöck.


02/04/0747

Charlemagne, Frankish king (died 814)

Year 747 (DCCXLVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 747 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.


02/04/0181

Emperor Xian of Han, Chinese emperor (died 234)

Year 181 (CLXXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Burrus. The denomination 181 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.