Born on Thursday, 24th April – Famous Birthdays
On this day, 207 notable people were born on 24th April — spanning from 1086 to 2002. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.
On 24th April 2025, several notable figures share their birthday, drawing from a rich tapestry of achievement across sport, entertainment, entertainment and politics. Among the most prominent is Sachin Tendulkar, the legendary Indian cricketer born in 1973, widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history with a career spanning over two decades. Another significant figure born on this date is Barbra Streisand, the American singer and actress who turned 82 in 2024, maintaining her status as an iconic performer and cultural figure. These individuals represent just two of the many accomplished people who have celebrated their birthdays on this day throughout modern history.
The date also marks the births of numerous athletes and entertainers who have made their mark across various disciplines. Lee Westwood, the English golfer born in 1973, stands among professional golf’s most consistent performers, whilst Kelly Clarkson, born in 1982, has built a multifaceted career as a singer-songwriter and television personality. Younger generations include Ashleigh Barty, the Australian tennis player born in 1996, who achieved the world number one ranking during her professional career, and Joe Keery, the American actor born in 1992 who gained prominence through his role in the television series Stranger Things.
The broader list of birthdays extends across centuries, encompassing historical figures such as Philippe Pétain, the French general born in 1856 who led France during the First World War, and Anthony Trollope, the English novelist born in 1815 whose works remain widely read today. Further back, William I of Orange, born in 1533, played a foundational role in establishing the Dutch nation through his leadership during the Eighty Years War. These historical figures underscore how 24th April has continuously marked the birth of individuals who would shape their respective fields and societies.
On 24th April 2025, London experiences mild spring weather typical of late April in the United Kingdom, with temperatures expected to reach around 15 to 17 degrees Celsius and moderate cloud cover. The city is entering late spring, positioned within the Taurus zodiac period that runs from 20th April to 20th May. The moon phase for this date falls into the waxing gibbous phase, approximately five days before reaching its full potential. London, the capital of England, serves as one of Europe’s most significant cultural and economic centres, situated on the Thames and encompassing historic landmarks alongside modern developments that attract millions of visitors annually.
DayAtlas shows weather on this day, events, famous births and deaths for any date and location.
Discover who was born today 7th April.
24/04/2002
Olivia Gadecki, Australian tennis player
Olivia Gadecki is an Australian professional tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 83, achieved on 7 October 2024 and a best doubles ranking of No. 52, reached on 8 December 2025. She won two mixed doubles titles in the 2025 and 2026 editions of the Australian Open with compatriot John Peers.
24/04/1999
Ziyu He, Chinese violinist
Ziyu He is a Chinese violinist. In 2011, he moved to Salzburg, Austria. At the age of 15, he won the 2014 Eurovision Young Musicians. He also won the Menuhin Competition in 2016.
Jerry Jeudy, American football player
Jerry Davarus Jeudy is an American professional football wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he was awarded the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the season's outstanding college football receiver as a sophomore in 2018, and was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 15th overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft.
24/04/1998
Ryan Newman, American actress
Ryan Whitney is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ginger Falcone in Disney XD's Zeke and Luther, Allison in The Thundermans, Cindy Collins in Zoom and Emily Hobbs in See Dad Run.
24/04/1997
Lydia Ko, New Zealand golfer
Dame Lydia Ko is a New Zealand professional golfer, member of the LPGA Hall of Fame, and the reigning Olympic champion. She first reached number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings on 2 February 2015 at 17 years, 9 months and 9 days of age, making her the youngest player of either gender to be ranked No. 1 in professional golf.
Veronika Kudermetova, Russian tennis player
Veronika Eduardovna Kudermetova is a Russian professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 9, achieved on 24 October 2022, and a career-high WTA doubles ranking of No. 2, reached on 6 June 2022. She is a doubles major champion at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships with Elise Mertens. She has won an additional nine WTA Tour doubles titles including three WTA 1000 and being crowned champion at the 2022 and 2025 WTA Finals editions. In addition, she reached the doubles final of Wimbledon in 2021, with Elena Vesnina. She has also won two WTA Tour singles titles.
24/04/1996
Ashleigh Barty, Australian tennis player
Ashleigh Jacinta Barty is an Australian former professional tennis player and cricketer. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 121 weeks, and was ranked world No. 5 in doubles. Barty won 12 WTA Tour-level singles titles, and three majors at the 2019 French Open, 2021 Wimbledon Championships, and 2022 Australian Open, as well as the 2019 WTA Finals. She also won 12 doubles titles, including a major at the 2018 US Open with CoCo Vandeweghe.
24/04/1995
Kehlani, American singer-songwriter
Kehlani Ashley Parrish is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. They initially started as a member of the teen pop group PopLyfe in 2011 as contestant on America's Got Talent. After leaving the group, Parrish self-released the mixtapes Cloud 19 (2014) and You Should Be Here (2015), both of which were critically acclaimed and received gold certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while the latter marked their first entry on the US Billboard 200 and was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
24/04/1994
Jordan Fisher, American singer, dancer, and actor
Jordan William Fisher is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He began his career with recurring roles on several television series, including The Secret Life of the American Teenager in 2012 and Liv and Maddie from 2015 to 2017. He also had supporting roles in the television films Teen Beach Movie (2013), Teen Beach 2 (2015) as well as Grease Live (2016) and the CW series The Flash (2021–2022). He starred in Rent: Live (2019).
Caspar Lee, British-South African YouTuber
Caspar Richard George Lee is a British-South African YouTuber and investor. He was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020 for his work in media and advertising.
24/04/1993
Ben Davies, Welsh international footballer
Benjamin Thomas Davies is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a left-back and centre-back for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Wales national team.
24/04/1992
Joe Keery, American actor
Joseph David Keery, also known by his musical stage name Djo, is an American actor, singer, musician, and songwriter. He rose to international prominence for his role as Steve Harrington in the sci-fi series Stranger Things (2016–2025). He has also starred in films such as Spree (2020) and Free Guy (2021) and the fifth season of the crime drama series Fargo (2023–2024).
Laura Kenny, English cyclist
Dame Laura Rebecca Kenny, Lady Kenny, is an English former professional track and road cyclist who specialised in track endurance events. These included the team pursuit, omnium, scratch race, and madison disciplines. She won six Olympic medals during her career—five golds and one silver. Her five Olympic gold medals are an all-time record for a British female Olympian, and her overall tally of six medals is a joint-record alongside Charlotte Dujardin.
Jack Quaid, American actor
Jack Henry Quaid is an American actor. The son of actors Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, he is also the nephew of character actor Randy Quaid. He made his acting debut with a minor role in the dystopian film The Hunger Games (2012). Quaid was part of the main cast of the drama series Vinyl (2016) and had a supporting role in the film Logan Lucky (2017). His breakout role was as vigilante Hughie Campbell in the satirical superhero series The Boys (2019–present).
24/04/1991
Sigrid Agren, French-Swedish model
Sigrid Agren is a French model from Martinique, who rose to prominence during the Elite Model Look in 2006.
Morgan Ciprès, French figure skater
Morgan Ciprès is a French former competitive pair skater. With partner Vanessa James, born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, he is the 2019 European Champion, the 2018 World bronze medalist, the 2017 European bronze medalist, the 2018 Grand Prix Final champion and a six-time French national champion. They have also won medals in Grand Prix and Challenger Series competitions. James and Ciprès represented France at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics.
Batuhan Karadeniz, Turkish footballer
Batuhan Karadeniz is a former Turkish professional footballer.
24/04/1990
Kim Tae-ri, South Korean actress
Kim Tae-ri is a South Korean actress. Known for her work in both television and film, she has received various accolades, including three Baeksang Arts Awards and a Blue Dragon Film Award, in addition to a nomination for a Grand Bell Award.
Jan Veselý, Czech basketball player
Jan Veselý is a Czech professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Standing at 2.10 m, he can play both the power forward and center positions. He was selected sixth overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. Veselý is a Three-time All-EuroLeague First Team selection.
24/04/1989
Elīna Babkina, Latvian basketball player
Elīna Babkina is a Latvian former basketball player.
David Boudia, American diver
David Alasdair Boudia is an American diver. He won the gold medal in the 10 metre platform diving competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the bronze medal in the same event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He also won a bronze medal with Nick McCrory in the men's synchronized 10 metre platform at the 2012 Summer Olympics and a silver medal in the same event with Steele Johnson at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Taja Mohorčič, Slovenian tennis player
Taja Mohorčič is a retired Slovenian tennis player. On 25 February 2008, Mohorčič reached her best singles ranking of world number 957. On 26 November 2007, she peaked at world number 733 in the doubles rankings.
24/04/1987
Ben Howard, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Benjamin John Howard is an English singer-songwriter, musician and composer. His self-released debut extended play (EP) Games in the Dark (2008) was followed by two more EPs, These Waters (2009) and Old Pine (2010). Signed to Island Records, his debut studio album came in 2011 titled Every Kingdom. The album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart and was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Howard later released two more EPs, Ben Howard Live (2011) and The Burgh Island E.P. (2012).
Kris Letang, Canadian ice hockey player
Kristopher Joseph Pierre Irwin Letang is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played juniors in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with Val-d'Or Foreurs for three seasons, during which time he was selected 62nd overall by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL entry draft. In his second full NHL season, Letang won the 2009 Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh. He became a two-time Stanley Cup champion when the Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks in 2016, and a three-time Stanley Cup champion when the Penguins defeated the Nashville Predators in 2017. Internationally, he has competed for Canada at the under-18 and under-20 levels, winning back-to-back gold medals at the World Junior Championships in 2006 and 2007.
Rein Taaramäe, Estonian cyclist
Rein Taaramäe is an Estonian professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI Continental team Kinan Racing Team.
Jan Vertonghen, Belgian international footballer
Jan Bert Lieve Vertonghen is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a defender. Mainly a centre-back, he also played as a left-back.
Varun Dhawan, Indian actor
Varun Dhawan is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. One of India's highest-paid actors, Dhawan has appeared in a variety of genres, from romantic-comedies to action. Between 2012 and 2018, he appeared in eleven consecutive commercially successful films. During the 2010s, he was featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list, reflecting his commercial presence within the Indian film industry.
24/04/1986
Aaron Cunningham, American baseball player
Aaron Roe Ward Cunningham is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Cleveland Indians.
24/04/1985
Mike Rodgers, American sprinter
Michael Rodgers is an American professional track and field sprinter who specializes in the 100 m and the 60 m. He won the gold medal in the 100 m relay in Doha 2019. He is also the Pan-Am Games Champion.
24/04/1983
Hanna Melnychenko, Ukrainian heptathlete
Hanna Anatoliïvna Kasyanova is a Ukrainian heptathlete.
24/04/1982
Kelly Clarkson, American singer-songwriter, talk show host
Kelly Brianne, known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the first season of American Idol, she has established a multi-decade career in music and television and is credited with having a lasting impact on televised talent shows. Known as a vocal powerhouse and versatile performer, she was ranked one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone and one of the 21st century's Greatest Pop Stars by Billboard.
David Oliver, American hurdler
David Oliver, is the Director of Track & Field at Howard University and a retired American hurdling athlete. As a professional athlete, he competed in the 110 meter hurdles event outdoor and the 60 meter hurdles event indoors. He is the former 110 meter hurdles champion winning the gold medal at the World Championships in Moscow in 2013 with a time of 13 seconds. He won the bronze medal in the 2008 Olympic Games and won another bronze at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
Simon Tischer, German volleyball player
Simon Tischer is a German retired volleyball player. He was born in Schwäbisch Gmünd.
24/04/1981
Taylor Dent, American tennis player
Taylor Phillip Dent is a retired professional tennis player from the United States. He reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 21, winning 4 singles titles.
Yuko Nakanishi, Japanese swimmer
Yuko Nakanishi is a Japanese butterfly swimmer.
24/04/1980
Fernando Arce, Mexican footballer
Fernando Enrique Arce Ruiz is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Karen Asrian, Armenian chess player (died 2008)
Karen Asrian was an Armenian chess player. Awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1998, he was a three-time Armenian champion. Asrian was a member of the gold medal-winning Armenian team in the 37th Chess Olympiad.
24/04/1978
Diego Quintana, Argentine footballer
Diego Jesús Quintana is an Argentine footballer who spent his career mostly playing for Skoda Xanthi in Greece.
24/04/1977
Carlos Beltrán, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
Carlos Iván Beltrán Valdés is a Puerto Rican former outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for seven teams from 1998 to 2017. A nine-time All-Star, he hit 20 home runs twelve times and 30 doubles eleven times, with eight seasons of 100 runs batted in (RBI) and seven seasons of 100 runs scored. He was named the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year in 1999 with the Kansas City Royals after batting .293 with 112 runs and 108 RBI, and leading the league's center fielders in putouts and assists. He led the Royals in runs, RBI, triples and stolen bases every year from 2001 to 2003, always with over 20 home runs and twice batting over .300. In June 2004 he was traded to the Houston Astros in the National League (NL), and became the first player in major league history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases after changing leagues midseason. After joining the New York Mets as a free agent, he led the team to a tie for the best record in the major leagues in 2006, posting career highs in home runs (41), runs (127), RBI (116), walks (95) and slugging percentage (.594).
Diego Placente, Argentine footballer
Diego Rodolfo Placente is an Argentine manager and former footballer who played as a left-back. He is the current manager of the Argentina U20 national team and Argentina national under-17 football team.
24/04/1976
Hedda Berntsen, Norwegian skier
Hedda Berntsen is a Norwegian sportsperson who has competed internationally in telemark skiing, alpine skiing, freestyle skiing and skicross. She is world champion in Telemark classic from 1997. She later concentrated on the alpine slalom, her career peaking in the 2000–01 season with consistent performances in the World Cup as well as a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships. She later switched to skicross, receiving a silver medal at the 2008 Winter X Games. In the Vancouver Winter Olympics on 23 February 2010 she won the silver medal in the women's skicross competition.
Steve Finnan, Irish international footballer
Stephen John Finnan is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a right-back. He is the only player to have played in the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, UEFA Intertoto Cup, Premier League, all three levels of the Football League, and non-League.
Frédéric Niemeyer, Canadian tennis player and coach
Frédéric Niemeyer is a Canadian retired, professional tennis player and was tennis coach at Tennis Canada for 10 years and he is now a freelance Tennis Consultant and Coach.
24/04/1975
Marte Mjøs Persen, Norwegian politician
Marte Mjøs Persen is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. She served as minister of labour and social inclusion from 2022 to 2023, and minister of petroleum and energy from 2021 to 2022. She served as the mayor of Bergen from 2015 until being elected to the Storting in 2021.
Dejan Savić, Yugoslavian and Serbian water polo player
Dejan Savić is a Serbian professional water polo coach and former player.
24/04/1974
Eric Kripke, American director, producer, and screenwriter
Eric Kripke is an American writer and television producer. Kripke came to prominence in the late 2000s for creating The WB/CW fantasy drama series Supernatural (2005–2020). He served as the showrunner during the first five seasons of the series. Since then, he has created and/or produced a number of television series including Revolution (2012–2014), Timeless (2016–2018), and The Boys (2019–present).
Stephen Wiltshire, English illustrator
Stephen Wiltshire is a British architectural artist and autistic savant. He is known for his ability to draw a landscape from memory after seeing it just once. His work has gained worldwide fame.
24/04/1973
Gabby Logan, English gymnast, television and radio host
Gabrielle Nicole Logan is a Welsh television and radio presenter, and a former rhythmic gymnast who represented Wales and Great Britain. She hosted Final Score for BBC Sport from 2009 until 2013. She has also presented live sports events for the BBC, including a revived episode of Superstars in December 2012 and the London Marathon since 2015. Since 2013, she has co-hosted Sports Personality of the Year for the BBC and she presented the second series of The Edge in 2015.
Damon Lindelof, American screenwriter and producer
Damon Laurence Lindelof is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, and producer. Among his accolades, he has received three Primetime Emmy Awards, from twelve nominations. In 2010, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Brian Marshall, American bass player and songwriter
Brian Aubrey Marshall is an American musician best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge.
Eric Snow, American basketball player and coach
Eric Snow is an American former basketball player and coach. He played the point guard position in the National Basketball Association from 1995 to 2008 and appeared in three NBA Finals. Known for his defense, Snow was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2003. Following his playing career, Snow served as an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic for two years (2014–2016) after having worked two seasons at SMU (2012–14) as the director of player development under Larry Brown, his former coach.
Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. Often dubbed the "God of Cricket" in India, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. He holds several world records, including being the all-time highest run-scorer in international cricket, receiving the most player of the match awards in international cricket, and being the only batsman to score 100 international centuries. Tendulkar was a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha by presidential nomination from 2012 to 2018.
Toomas Tohver, Estonian footballer
Toomas Tohver is a retired Estonian international football goalkeeper, with 24 caps to his name. Tohver started his professional career at Flora Tallinn and had two spells abroad, first in Sweden and then in Norway.
Lee Westwood, English golfer
Lee John Westwood is an English professional golfer. He is one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on five continents – Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and Oceania – including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He has also won tournaments in four decades, the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. He was named European Tour Golfer of the Year for the 1998, 2000, 2009 and 2020 seasons. He has won the 2000 European Tour Order of Merit, and the renamed 2009 and 2020 Race to Dubai. He has frequently been mentioned as one of the best golfers without a major championship victory, and he holds the record of playing in the most majors without winning one.
24/04/1972
Rab Douglas, Scottish footballer
Robert James Douglas, known professionally as Rab Douglas is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for several clubs, including Livingston, Dundee, Celtic, Leicester City, Forfar Athletic and was a goalkeeping coach with Arbroath. Douglas was part of the Celtic side that reached the 2003 UEFA Cup Final, under the management of Martin O'Neill. He also represented Scotland at international level, playing 19 times between 2002 and 2005. In 2017, Douglas was inducted into the Dundee FC Hall of Fame.
Chipper Jones, American baseball player
Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2012. The Braves chose Jones with the first overall pick in the 1990 MLB draft. He was also a member of their 1995 World Series championship team that beat the Cleveland Indians. An eight-time All-Star, Jones won the 1999 National League (NL) Most Valuable Player Award and the 1999 and 2000 NL Silver Slugger Award for third basemen. He was the MLB batting champion in 2008 after hitting .364.
Jure Košir, Slovenian skier and singer
Jure Košir is a Slovenian former alpine skier.
24/04/1971
Kumar Dharmasena, Sri Lankan cricketer and umpire
Deshabandu Handunnettige Deepthi Priyantha Kumar Dharmasena is a Sri Lankan cricket umpire and former international cricketer. He is a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and the first person to participate in an ICC Cricket World Cup final both as a player and an umpire. A right-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler, Dharmasena was a member of the Sri Lankan side that won the 1996 Cricket World Cup and the side which were joint-winners of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy with India.
Mauro Pawlowski, Belgian singer-songwriter and guitarist
Evil Superstars was a Belgian indie rock band led by Mauro Pawlowski. Among its members was Millionaire and Eagles of Death Metal guitarist Tim Vanhamel.
24/04/1970
Damien Fleming, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
Damien William Fleming is an Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer who played for the Australian national cricket team and domestic cricket for Victoria. He played in 20 Tests and 88 ODIs from 1994 to 2001 and was part of the all-conquering Australian teams under Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor. In recent years Fleming has spent time refining his theory of Bowlology, a set of scientific coaching principles to help developing bowlers. Fleming was a part of the Australian team that won the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
24/04/1969
Elias Atmatsidis, Greek footballer
Ilias Atmatsidis is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is the director of Football at AEK Athens B.
Rory McCann, Scottish actor
Rory McCann is a Scottish actor, best known for portraying Sandor "The Hound" Clegane on the HBO series Game of Thrones, Michael "Lurch" Armstrong in Edgar Wright's crime-comedy Hot Fuzz (2007), Jurgen the Brutal in the adventure comedy Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) and the voice of Megatron in Transformers: EarthSpark.
Eilidh Whiteford, Scottish academic and politician
Eilidh Whiteford is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who served as the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Banff and Buchan from 2010 to 2017.
24/04/1968
Aidan Gillen, Irish actor
Aidan Murphy, known professionally as Aidan Gillen, is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of three Irish Film & Television Awards and has been nominated for a British Academy Television Award, a British Independent Film Award, a Tony Award, and a Drama Desk Award.
Todd Jones, American baseball player
Todd Barton Jones is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was an effective middle reliever for several teams and also filled the role of closer, most notably with the Detroit Tigers for whom he earned 235 of his 319 career saves, most in Tigers history. On September 16, 2007, Jones became the 21st member of the 300-save club during his second stint with the Tigers.
Roxanna Panufnik, English composer
Roxanna Panufnik is a British composer of Polish descent. She is the daughter of the Polish composer and conductor Sir Andrzej Panufnik and his second wife Camilla, née Jessel.
Hashim Thaçi, Kosovan soldier and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Kosovo
Hashim Thaçi is a Kosovo Albanian politician. He was the first prime minister of Kosovo (2008–2014) and the Foreign minister and deputy prime minister (2014–2016) in the cabinet led by Isa Mustafa. He served as President of Kosovo from 2016 until his resignation in 2020.
24/04/1967
Dino Rađa, Croatian basketball player
Dino Rađa is a Croatian former professional basketball player. He was a member of the Jugoplastika team of the late 1980s and early 1990s, which he helped to win two FIBA European Champions Cup championships. He spent three and a half seasons with the Boston Celtics, being one of the European pioneers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Rađa was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991, and one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, as a member of the 2018 class. He was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame, in 2022.
Omar Vizquel, Venezuelan-American baseball player and coach
Omar Enrique Vizquel González, nicknamed "Little O", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop and coach. During his 24-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Vizquel played for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays. In Venezuela, he played for Leones del Caracas.
24/04/1966
Pierre Brassard, Canadian comedian and actor
Pierre Brassard is a French-Canadian actor, comedian, television personality, and radio broadcaster. He is associated with CKOI-FM in Montreal and known for his phone call hoaxes.
Alessandro Costacurta, Italian footballer, coach, and manager
Alessandro "Billy" Costacurta is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a defender.
David Usher, English-Canadian singer-songwriter
David Usher is a Canadian musician, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and activist best known as the front man for the band Moist. He has also released a number of solo albums. He is the founder of Reimagine AI, an artificial intelligence creative studio.
24/04/1965
Jeff Jackson, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
Jeff Jackson is a Canadian ice hockey executive and retired ice hockey winger who is the CEO of hockey operations of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Jackson played 263 games in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Quebec Nordiques, and Chicago Blackhawks.
24/04/1964
Helga Arendt, German sprinter (died 2013)
Helga Arendt was a West German sprinter who competed mainly in the 400 metres.
Cedric the Entertainer, American comedian, actor, and producer
Cedric Antonio Kyles, better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and television host. He hosted BET's ComicView during the 1993–1994 season and Def Comedy Jam in 1995. He is best known for co-starring with Steve Harvey on The WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, as one of The Original Kings of Comedy, and for starring as Eddie Walker in Barbershop. He starred in the TV Land original series The Soul Man, which aired from 2012–16 and hosted the 12th season of the daytime version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from 2013–14. He has also done voice work for Ice Age, the Madagascar film series, Charlotte's Web, Planes and Planes: Fire & Rescue. He currently stars on the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood. In 2019, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Djimon Hounsou, Beninese-American actor and producer
Djimon Gaston Hounsou is a Beninese-American actor. He began his career appearing in music videos and made his film debut in Without You I'm Nothing (1990). He then earned widespread recognition for his role as Cinqué in the Steven Spielberg film Amistad (1997), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. For his performances in In America (2002) and Blood Diamond (2006), Hounsou was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Witold Smorawiński, Polish guitarist, composer, and educator
Witold Smorawiński is a Polish classical guitarist, composer and teacher. He comes from a family of musicians and therefore he had a chance to perform in public since his childhood.
24/04/1963
Paula Frazer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Paula A. Frazer is an American singer-songwriter. She grew up in Georgia and Arkansas and moved to San Francisco in 1981. Her music is frequently described as melancholic alternative country, but with an eclectic mix of folk, blues and pop, among other genres. She first came to notice by fronting the band Tarnation in the 1990s and has appeared on recordings and in concert with many bands and solo artists including Cornershop, Sean Lennon, Frightwig, Tindersticks, the Czars, and Handsome Boy Modeling School.
Billy Gould, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
William David Gould is an American musician, best known as the bassist for the rock band Faith No More.
Mano Solo, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2010)
Mano Solo, born Emmanuel Cabut, was a French singer. He was born in Châlons-sur-Marne on 24 April 1963 to the illustrator Cabu and Isabelle Monin, co-founder of the ecology-related magazine, La Gueule ouverte.
24/04/1962
Clemens Binninger, German politician
Clemens Binninger is a German politician of the CDU. Binninger was a member of the Bundestag from 2002 until 2017.
Stuart Pearce, English footballer, coach, and manager
Stuart Pearce is an English professional football manager and former player, who was most recently a first-team coach for Premier League club West Ham United. He was nicknamed "Psycho" for his unforgiving style of play.
Steve Roach, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
Stephen David Roach, nicknamed Blocker or Blocker Roach, is an Australian former professional rugby league who played as a prop forward in the 1980s and early 1990s.
24/04/1961
Andrew Murrison, English physician and politician, Minister for International Security Strategy
Surgeon Commander Andrew William Murrison is a British doctor, naval officer and Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Wiltshire, previously Westbury, since 2001. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People and Families from October 2022 to July 2024.
24/04/1959
Paula Yates, British-Australian television host and author (died 2000)
Paula Elizabeth Yates was a British television presenter and writer. She was best known for presenting the Channel 4 television programmes The Tube and The Big Breakfast. She was subjected to intense media attention and scrutiny, owing to her popularity and her relationships with musicians Bob Geldof and Michael Hutchence.
24/04/1958
Brian Paddick, English police officer and politician
Brian Leonard Paddick, Baron Paddick, is a British life peer and retired police officer. He was the Liberal Democrat candidate for the London mayoral elections of 2008 and of 2012, and until his retirement in May 2007 was a deputy assistant commissioner in the Metropolitan Police Service.
24/04/1957
Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed, Pakistani-English businessman and politician
Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed, is a British former politician. As a member of the Labour Party, he was appointed a life peer in 1998.
24/04/1956
James A. Winnefeld, Jr., American admiral
James Alexander "Sandy" Winnefeld Jr. is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. While on active duty, Winnefeld served as the ninth vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from August 4, 2011, to July 31, 2015.
24/04/1955
Marion Caspers-Merk, German politician
Marion Caspers-Merk is a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). She was a member of the Bundestag, representing Lörrach – Müllheim, and Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Health. Alongside other prominent figures such as Kofi Annan and Javier Solana, Caspers-Merk served on the Global Commission on Drug Policy which advocates reforms in drug policies towards the regulation of all substances.
John de Mol Jr., Dutch businessman, co-founded Endemol
Johannes Hendrikus Hubert "John" de Mol Jr. is a Dutch media proprietor. De Mol is one of the men behind production companies Endemol and Talpa. He created the reality television formats Big Brother, Star Academy and The Voice, and the game shows Fear Factor, Deal or No Deal and The Floor.
Eamon Gilmore, Irish trade union leader and politician, 25th Tánaiste of Ireland
Eamon Gilmore is an Irish diplomat and former Labour Party politician. He has served as European Union Special Representative for Human Rights since February 2019. He has also been the European Union Special Envoy for the Colombian Peace Process since 2015. He was Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2011 to 2014, Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2014, Chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe from 2012 to 2013, Minister of State at the Department of the Marine from 1994 to 1997. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 1989 to 2016.
Margaret Moran, British politician and criminal
Margaret Mary Moran is a former Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. Moran was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Luton South from the 1997 general election to 2010. In November 2012, jurors at Southwark Crown Court ruled that she had falsified her parliamentary expenses; she had been unable to stand trial because of mental health issues, but the case was nevertheless heard without her. Her fraudulent claims totalled more than £53,000, the highest amount by any politician in the United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal.
Guy Nève, Belgian race car driver (died 1992)
Guy Nève de Mevergnies, commonly known as Guy Nève, was a Belgian racing driver. He was the younger brother of fellow racer Patrick Nève, who he had competed with and against.
Michael O'Keefe, American actor
Michael O'Keefe is an American actor known for his roles as Danny Noonan in Caddyshack, Ben Meechum in The Great Santini, for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and Darryl Palmer in the Neil Simon movie The Slugger's Wife. He also appeared as Fred on the television sitcom Roseanne from 1993 to 1995.
Bill Osborne, New Zealand rugby player
William Michael Osborne is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A second five-eighth and centre, Osborne represented Wanganui and Waikato at a provincial level. Started his club career with the local Kaierau Rugby Union Club in Wanganui. He was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, between 1975 and 1982, playing 48 matches including 16 internationals.
24/04/1954
Mumia Abu-Jamal, American journalist, activist, and convicted murderer
Mumia Abu-Jamal is an American political activist and journalist who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1982 for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. While on death row, he wrote and commented on the criminal justice system in the United States. After numerous appeals, his death sentence was overturned by a federal court. In 2011, the prosecution agreed to a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. He entered the general prison population early the following year.
Jack Blades, American singer-songwriter and bass player
Jack Martin Blades is an American rock musician. He has worked in the bands Rubicon, Night Ranger, and Damn Yankees. He has also recorded with Tommy Shaw under the name Shaw Blades and has done work alongside the Tak Matsumoto Group. Blades' most recent efforts include a second solo album and three albums with Revolution Saints, which he was a member of until 2022.
24/04/1953
Eric Bogosian, American actor and writer
Eric Michael Bogosian is an American actor, playwright, monologuist, novelist, and historian. Descended from Armenian-American immigrants, he grew up in Watertown and Woburn, Massachusetts, and attended the University of Chicago and Oberlin College. His play Talk Radio was a finalist for the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Bogosian also wrote and starred in the 1988 film adaptation, winning the Silver Bear.
24/04/1952
Jean Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer
Jean Paul Gaultier is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer.
Ralph Winter, American film producer
Ralph Frederick Winter is an American film producer who has helped to produce blockbuster movies such as the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Star Trek series as well as I, Robot and Planet of the Apes.
24/04/1951
Ron Arad, Israeli architect and academic
Ron Arad is a British-Israeli industrial designer, artist, and architectural designer. He is best known for his furniture designs, including the postmodern chair Rover.
Christian Bobin, French author and poet (died 2022)
Christian Bobin was a French author and poet.
Nigel Harrison, English bass player and songwriter
Nigel Harrison is an English musician. Harrison spent several years as the bassist of the American rock band Blondie during the 1970s and 1980s.
Enda Kenny, Irish educator and politician, 13th Taoiseach of Ireland
Enda Kenny is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2011, Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997 and Minister of State at the Department of Labour and Department of Education with responsibility for Youth Affairs from 1986 to 1987. He served as Teachta Dála (TD) for Mayo West from 1975 to 1997 and for Mayo from 1997 to 2020.
24/04/1950
Rob Hyman, American singer-songwriter and musician
Robert Andrew Hyman is an American singer, songwriter, keyboard and accordion player, producer, and arranger, best known for being a founding member of the rock band the Hooters.
24/04/1949
Eddie Hart, American sprinter
Edward James "Eddie" Hart is an American former track and field sprinter and Olympic champion in the men's 4 × 100 m relay race at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Véronique Sanson, French singer-songwriter and producer
Véronique Marie Line Sanson is a three-time Victoires de la Musique award-winning French singer-songwriter and record producer with an avid following in her native country.
24/04/1948
Paul Cellucci, American soldier and politician, 69th Governor of Massachusetts (died 2013)
Argeo Paul Cellucci was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 69th governor of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2001 and as the United States Ambassador to Canada from 2001 to 2005. He also served as 68th lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1999, as well as in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate from 1977 to 1991.
Eliana Gil, Ecuadorian-American psychiatrist, therapist, and author
Eliana Gil, is a lecturer, writer, and clinician of marriage, family and child. She is on the board of a number of professional counselling organizations that use play and art therapies, and she is the former president of the Association for Play Therapy (APT).
24/04/1947
Josep Borrell, Spanish engineer and politician, 22nd President of the European Parliament
Josep Borrell Fontelles is a Spanish politician who served as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission from 2019 to 2024. A member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), he served as President of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2007 and as Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation from 2018 to 2019.
João Braz de Aviz, Brazilian cardinal
João Braz de Aviz is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life from 2011 to 2025. He began his career working for twenty years as a parish priest and seminary teacher. He became a bishop in 1994 and was bishop of Ponta Grossa from 1998 to 2002, archbishop of Maringá from 2002 to 2004, and archbishop of Brasília from 2004 to 2011.
Claude Dubois, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
Claude André Dubois is a Canadian singer-songwriter.
Denise Kingsmill, Baroness Kingsmill, New Zealand-English lawyer and politician
Denise Patricia Byrne Kingsmill, Baroness Kingsmill CBE is a British Labour peer. She was appointed as a life peer in 2006 after practising as a solicitor in personal injury, trade union and employment law.
Roger D. Kornberg, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
Roger David Kornberg is an American biochemist and professor of structural biology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Kornberg was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2006 for his studies of the process by which genetic information from DNA is copied to RNA, "the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription."
24/04/1946
Doug Christie, Canadian lawyer and activist (died 2013)
Douglas Hewson Christie, Jr. was a Canadian lawyer and political activist based in Victoria, British Columbia, who was known nationally for his defence of clients such as Holocaust denier Ernst Zündel, former Nazi prison guard Michael Seifert, and neo-Nazi Paul Fromm among others.
Phil Robertson, American hunter and television personality (died 2025)
Phil Alexander Robertson was an American professional hunter, businessman and television personality who was the founder of hunting products company Duck Commander. A reality television star on the popular television series Duck Dynasty, he was also featured on the television show Duck Commander, a hunting program on the Outdoor Channel. He served as patriarch of the Duck Dynasty Robertson family.
24/04/1945
Doug Clifford, American drummer and songwriter
Douglas Raymond "Cosmo" Clifford is an American drummer. He is best known as a founding member of Creedence Clearwater Revival for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. After the group disbanded in late 1972, Clifford released a solo album and later joined CCR bassist Stu Cook in the Don Harrison Band. In 1995, Clifford and Cook formed the band Creedence Clearwater Revisited, performing live versions of Creedence Clearwater Revival songs.
24/04/1944
Peter Cresswell, English judge
Sir Peter John Cresswell, DL was an English High Court judge, and a judge of the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre.
Maarja Nummert, Estonian architect
Maarja Nummert was an Estonian architect who designed a number of school buildings.
Tony Visconti, American record producer, musician and singer
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's "Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of many hits in collaboration with Marc Bolan. Visconti's lengthiest involvement was with David Bowie: intermittently from 1968 to his final album Blackstar in 2016, Visconti produced and occasionally performed on many of Bowie's albums. Visconti's work on Blackstar was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and his production of Angelique Kidjo's Djin Djin received the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album.
24/04/1943
Richard Sterban, American country and gospel bass singer
Richard Anthony Sterban is an American singer. He was born in Camden, New Jersey. In 1972, he joined the country and gospel quartet the Oak Ridge Boys, in which he sings bass.
Gordon West, English footballer (died 2012)
Gordon West was an English professional football goalkeeper. He won three international caps in a career that included a long stint at Everton.
24/04/1942
Richard M. Daley, American lawyer and politician, 54th Mayor of Chicago
Richard Michael Daley is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh term. At 22 years, his was the longest tenure in Chicago mayoral history, surpassing the 21-year mayoralty of his father, Richard J. Daley.
Barbra Streisand, American singer, actress, activist, and producer
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand is an American singer, actress, songwriter, and filmmaker. Over a career spanning more than six decades, Streisand's success in the entertainment industry has included Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards.
24/04/1941
Richard Holbrooke, American journalist, banker, and diplomat, 22nd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (died 2010)
Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke was an American diplomat and author. He was the only person to have held the position of Assistant Secretary of State for two different regions of the world, assisting in brokering a peace agreement among the warring factions in Bosnia leading to the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords. Holbrooke was a prime contender to succeed Warren Christopher as Secretary of State but was passed over in 1996 as President Bill Clinton chose Madeleine Albright instead.
John Williams, Australian-English guitarist and composer
John Christopher Williams is an Australian and English guitarist known for his solo and ensemble playing as well as his interpretation and promotion of the modern classical guitar repertoire. In 1973, he shared a Grammy Award in the Best Chamber Music Performance category with fellow guitarist Julian Bream for Together. Guitar historian Graham Wade has said that "John is perhaps the most technically accomplished guitarist the world has seen."
24/04/1940
Sue Grafton, American author (died 2017)
Sue Taylor Grafton was an American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the "alphabet series" featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. The daughter of detective novelist C. W. Grafton, she said the strongest influence on her crime novels was author Ross Macdonald. Before her success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies.
24/04/1937
Joe Henderson, American saxophonist and composer (died 2001)
Joe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and very occasional flute player. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note, Milestone, Contemporary Records and Verve.
24/04/1936
David Crombie, Canadian educator and politician, 56th Mayor of Toronto
David Edward Crombie is a former Canadian academic and politician who served as the 56th mayor of Toronto from 1972 to 1978. Crombie was elected to Parliament following his tenure as mayor. A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, he served as minister of national health and welfare from 1979 to 1980, minister of Indian affairs and northern development from 1984 to 1986, and secretary of state for Canada from 1986 to 1988.
Jill Ireland, English actress (died 1990)
Jill Dorothy Ireland was an English actress and singer.
24/04/1934
Jayakanthan, Indian journalist and author (died 2015)
D. Jayakanthan, popularly known as JK, was an Indian writer, journalist, orator, filmmaker, critic and activist. Born in Cuddalore, he dropped out of school at the age of 9 and went to Madras, where he joined the Communist Party of India. In a career spanning six decades, he authored around 40 novels, 200 short stories, apart from two autobiographies. Outside literature, he made two films. In addition, four of his other novels were adapted into films by others.
Shirley MacLaine, American actress, singer, and dancer
Shirley MacLaine is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, two BAFTA Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Volpi Cups, and two Silver Bears. She has been honored with the Film Society of Lincoln Center Tribute in 1995, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1998, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2012, and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2014. MacLaine is one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
24/04/1931
Abdelhamid Kermali, Algerian footballer and manager (died 2013)
Abdelhamid Kermali was an Algerian footballer and football manager of the Algerian national team.
Bridget Riley, English painter and illustrator
Bridget Louise Riley is an English painter known for her op art paintings. She lives and works in London, Cornwall and the Vaucluse in France.
24/04/1930
Jerome Callet, American instrument designer, educator, and author (died 2019)
Jerome Callet was a brass embouchure clinician, and designer of brass instruments and mouthpieces.
Richard Donner, American actor, director, and producer (died 2021)
Richard Donner was an American filmmaker. Described as "one of Hollywood's most reliable makers of action blockbusters", Donner directed some of the most financially successful films of the 1970s and 1980s. His 50-year career crossed genres and influenced trends among filmmakers across the world.
José Sarney, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 31st President of Brazil
José Sarney de Araújo Costa is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and writer who served as the 31st president of Brazil from 1985 to 1990. He briefly served as the 20th vice president of Brazil for a month between March and April 1985.
24/04/1929
Dr. Rajkumar, Indian actor and singer (died 2006)
Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj, better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and versatile actors in the history of Indian cinema, he is considered a cultural icon and holds a matinée idol status in the Kannada diaspora, among whom he is popularly called as Nata Saarvabhouma, Bangarada Manushya, Vara Nata, Gaana Gandharva, Rasikara Raja, Kannada Kanteerava and Rajanna/Annavru. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1983 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1995. He is the only lead actor to win National Award for Playback singing. His 39 movies have been remade 63 times in 9 languages by 34 actors making him the first actor whose movies were remade more than fifty times and the first actor whose movies were remade in nine languages. He was the first actor in India to enact a role which was based on James Bond in a full-fledged manner. The success of his movie Jedara Bale is credited to have widely inspired an Indian bond genre in other Indian film industries. On the occasion of the "Centenary of Indian Cinema" in April 2013, Forbes included his performance in Bangaarada Manushya on its list of "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema". Upon his death, The New York Times had described him as one of India's most popular movie stars.
24/04/1928
Tommy Docherty, Scottish footballer and manager (died 2020)
Thomas Henderson Docherty, commonly known as "The Doc", was a Scottish football player and manager. Docherty played for several clubs, most notably Preston North End, and represented Scotland 25 times between 1951 and 1959. He then managed a total of 13 clubs between 1961 and 1988, as well as the Scotland national team. Docherty was manager of Manchester United between 1972 and 1977, during which time they were relegated to the Second Division but promoted back to the First Division as champions at the first attempt.
Johnny Griffin, American saxophonist (died 2008)
John Arnold Griffin III was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin began his career in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of his death. A pioneering figure in hard bop, Griffin recorded prolifically as a bandleader in addition to stints with the pianist Thelonious Monk and the drummer Art Blakey, in partnership with his fellow tenor Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and as a member of the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band after he moved to Europe in the 1960s. In 1995, Griffin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.
Anahit Perikhanian, Russian-born Armenian Iranologist (died 2012)
Anahit Georgievna Perikhanian was a Soviet-born Armenian academic. An Iranologist, Perikhanian specialized in Sasanian jurisprudence, history and society. In addition to her work on many aspects of ancient and medieval Iran, Perikhanian was also interested in ancient inscriptions of Asia Minor and the Middle East, as well as Middle Iranian languages and Armenian language. She also spent much time researching Armenian philology and etymology, especially in relation to Iranian loanwords in the Armenian language, and contributed to the understanding of Aramaic inscriptions found in Armenia.
24/04/1927
Josy Barthel, Luxembourgish runner and politician, Luxembourgish Minister for Energy (died 1992)
Joseph "Josy" Barthel was a Luxembourgish athlete and politician. He was the surprise winner of the Men's 1500 metres at the 1952 Summer Olympics, and the only athlete representing Luxembourg to have won a gold medal at the Olympics. Besides athletics, Barthel also led successful careers in both chemistry and politics.
24/04/1926
Marilyn Erskine, American actress
Marilyn Erskine is an American retired actress who started performing at the age of three on radio, and has since appeared in radio, theater, film and television roles from the 1920s through the 1970s.
Thorbjörn Fälldin, Swedish farmer and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Sweden (died 2016)
Nils Olof Thorbjörn Fälldin was a Swedish politician and farmer who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1976 to 1978 and again from 1979 to 1982. From 1971 to 1985, he was leader of the Centre Party.
24/04/1925
Franco Leccese, Italian sprinter (died 1992)
Franco Leccese was an Italian sprinter.
24/04/1924
Clement Freud, German-English radio host, academic, and politician (died 2009)
Sir Clement Raphael Freud was a British broadcaster, writer, politician and chef. The son of Ernst L. Freud and grandson of Sigmund Freud, Clement moved to the United Kingdom from Nazi Germany as a child and later worked as a prominent chef and food writer.
Ruth Kobart, American actress and singer (died 2002)
Ruth Kobart was an American performer, whose six-decade career encompassed opera, Broadway musical theatre, regional theatre, films, and television.
24/04/1923
Gus Bodnar, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 2005)
August Bodnar was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who was the Calder Memorial Trophy winner as the National Hockey League's rookie of the year for the 1943–44 season. He played 12 seasons in the NHL from 1943 to 1955, for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Black Hawks and Boston Bruins.
Doris Burn, American author and illustrator (died 2011)
Doris "Doe" Burn was an American children's book author and illustrator. She lived most of her life on Waldron Island in the San Juan Islands archipelago of Washington.
24/04/1922
Marc-Adélard Tremblay, Canadian anthropologist and academic (died 2014)
Marc-Adélard Tremblay, was a Canadian anthropologist.
24/04/1920
Gino Valenzano, Italian race car driver (died 2011)
Luigi "Gino" Valenzano was an Italian racing driver. He entered 39 races between 1947 and 1955 in Abarths, Maseratis and Lancias as a teammate of drivers like Robert Manzon and Froilán González.
24/04/1919
David Blackwell, American mathematician and academic (died 2010)
David Harold Blackwell was an American statistician and mathematician who made significant contributions to game theory, probability theory, information theory, and statistics. He is one of the eponyms of the Rao–Blackwell theorem, and is also known for the Blackwell channel, Blackwell's contraction mapping theorem, Blackwell's approachability theorem, and the Blackwell order. He wrote one of the first Bayesian statistics textbooks, his 1969 Basic Statistics. He was the first African American inducted into the National Academy of Sciences, the first African American full professor with tenure at the University of California, Berkeley, and the seventh African American to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. By the time he retired, he had published more than 90 papers and books on dynamic programming, game theory, and mathematical statistics. In 2012, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Blackwell the National Medal of Science.
Glafcos Clerides, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 4th President of Cyprus (died 2013)
Glafcos Ioannou Clerides was a Cypriot statesman who served as President of Cyprus in 1974 and from 1993 to 2003.
24/04/1916
Lou Thesz, American wrestler and trainer (died 2002)
Aloysius Martin Thesz, known by the ring name Lou Thesz, was an American professional wrestler and wrestling coach. Considered to be one of the last true shooters in professional wrestling and described as the "quintessential athlete" and a "polished warrior who could break a man in two if pushed the wrong way", Thesz is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers and wrestling world champions in history, and possibly the last globally accepted world champion.
24/04/1914
William Castle, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1977)
William Castle was an American filmmaker and actor. He was best known as a director of horror and thriller B-movies in the 1950s and '60s, for which he devised innovative and distinctive promotional gimmicks.
Phil Watson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1991)
Joseph Philippe Henri Watson was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League. He played for the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers between 1936 and 1948, and coached the Rangers from 1955 to 1960 and the Boston Bruins from 1961 to 1963. He was born in Montreal, Quebec.
Justin Wilson, American chef and author (died 2001)
Justin Elmer Wilson was a Southern American chef and humorist known for his brand of Cajun-inspired cuisine, humor and storytelling.
24/04/1913
Dieter Grau, German-American scientist and engineer (died 2014)
Dieter Grau was a German-born American aerospace engineer and member of the "von Braun rocket group", at Peenemünde (1939–1945) working on the V-2 rockets in World War II. He was among the engineers who surrendered to the United States and traveled there, providing rocketry expertise via Operation Paperclip, which took them first to Fort Bliss, Texas. Grau was sent by the U.S. Army to White Sands in 1946 to work on the assemblage and testing of the V-2. His wife joined him there in 1947. While von Braun was on standby at Fort Bliss, Grau and other German aerospace engineers busily launched V-2s for U.S. scientists to analyze. A total of 67 V-2s were launched at White Sands.
24/04/1912
Ruth Osburn, American discus thrower (died 1994)
Ruth Osburn was an American athlete who competed mainly in the discus. She was born in Shelbyville, Missouri, United States.
24/04/1908
Marceline Day, American actress (died 2000)
Marceline Day was an American motion picture actress whose career began as a child in the 1910s and ended in the 1930s.
Inga Gentzel, Swedish runner (died 1991)
Inga Kristina Gentzel was a Swedish runner who won a bronze medal in the 800 m at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Shortly before the Olympics, she set a new world record in this event, broken two weeks later, but remained a national record until 1943. Gentzel won the silver medal in the 1000 m at the 1926 Women's World Games.
Józef Gosławski, Polish sculptor (died 1963)
Józef Jan Gosławski was a Polish sculptor and medallic artist. He was a designer of coins, monuments and medals. Laureate of many artistic competitions; decorated with the Silver Cross of Merit.
24/04/1907
Gabriel Figueroa, Mexican cinematographer (died 1997)
Gabriel Figueroa Mateos was a Mexican cinematographer, regarded as one of the greatest cinematographers of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. He worked on over 200 films, which cover a broad range of genres, and is best known for his technical dominance, his careful handling of framing and chiaroscuro, and affinity for the aesthetics of artists.
24/04/1906
William Joyce, American-born Irish-British Nazi propaganda broadcaster (died 1946)
William Brooke Joyce, nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an American-born fascist and Nazi propaganda broadcaster during the Second World War. After moving from New York to Ireland and subsequently to England, Joyce became a member of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists (BUF) from 1932, before finally moving to Germany at the outset of the war where he took Nazi German citizenship in 1940.
Mimi Smith, English nurse (died 1991)
Mary Elizabeth "Mimi" Smith, informally known as Aunt Mimi, was a maternal aunt and the parental guardian of the English musician John Lennon. She was born in Toxteth, Liverpool, as the oldest of five daughters. She became a resident trainee nurse at the Woolton Convalescent Hospital and later worked as a private secretary. On 15 September 1939, she married George Toogood Smith, who ran his family's dairy farm and a shop in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool.
24/04/1905
Al Bates, American long jumper (died 1999)
Alfred Hilborn Bates was an American athlete from Philadelphia Pennsylvania, who competed mainly in the long jump.
Robert Penn Warren, American novelist, poet, and literary critic (died 1989)
Robert Penn Warren was an American poet, novelist, literary critic and professor at Yale University. He was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the literary journal The Southern Review with Cleanth Brooks in 1935. He received the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel for All the King's Men (1946) and the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1958 and 1979. He is the only person to have won Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction and poetry. Yale awarded Warren an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 1973.
24/04/1904
Willem de Kooning, Dutch-American painter and educator (died 1997)
Willem de Kooning was a Dutch-American abstract expressionist artist. Born in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, he moved to the United States in 1926, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1962. In 1943, he married painter Elaine Fried.
24/04/1903
José Antonio Primo de Rivera, Spanish lawyer and politician, founded the Falange (died 1936)
José Antonio Primo de Rivera y Sáenz de Heredia, 1st Duke of Primo de Rivera, 3rd Marquis of Estella GE, often referred to simply as José Antonio, was a Spanish national syndicalist politician who founded the Falange Española, later Falange Española de las JONS.
24/04/1900
Elizabeth Goudge, English author and educator (died 1984)
Elizabeth de Beauchamp Goudge FRSL was an English writer of fiction and children's books. She won the Carnegie Medal for British children's books in 1946 for The Little White Horse. Goudge was long a popular author in the UK and the US and regained attention decades later. In 1993 her book The Rosemary Tree was plagiarised by Indrani Aikath-Gyaltsen; the "new" novel set in India was warmly reviewed in The New York Times and The Washington Post before its source was discovered. In 2001 or 2002, J. K. Rowling identified The Little White Horse as one of her favourite books and one of few to have a direct influence on the Harry Potter series.
24/04/1899
Oscar Zariski, Russian-American mathematician and academic (died 1986)
Oscar Zariski was an American mathematician. The Russian-born scientist was one of the most influential algebraic geometers of the 20th century.
24/04/1897
Manuel Ávila Camacho, Mexican colonel and politician, 45th President of Mexico (died 1955)
Manuel Ávila Camacho was a Mexican politician and military leader who served as the president of Mexico from 1940 to 1946. Having participated in the Mexican Revolution and achieving a high rank, he came to the presidency of Mexico because of his direct connection to General Lázaro Cárdenas and served him as the Chief of his General Staff during the Mexican Revolution and afterwards. He was called affectionately by Mexicans "The Gentleman President". As president, he pursued "national policies of unity, adjustment, and moderation." His administration completed the transition from military to civilian leadership, ended confrontational anticlericalism, reversed the push for socialist education, and restored a working relationship with the US during World War II.
Benjamin Lee Whorf, American linguist, anthropologist, and engineer (died 1941)
Benjamin Atwood Lee Whorf was an American linguist and fire prevention engineer best known for proposing the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis. He believed that the structures of different languages shape how their speakers perceive and conceptualize the world. Whorf saw this idea, named after him and his mentor Edward Sapir, as having implications similar to those of Einstein's principle of physical relativity. However, the concept originated from 19th-century philosophy and thinkers like Wilhelm von Humboldt and Wilhelm Wundt.
24/04/1889
Stafford Cripps, English academic and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (died 1952)
Sir Richard Stafford Cripps was a British Labour Party politician, barrister, and diplomat.
Lyubov Popova, Russian painter and academic (died 1924)
Lyubov Sergeyevna Popova was a Russian-Soviet avant-garde artist, painter and designer.
24/04/1888
Pe Maung Tin, Burma-based scholar and educator (died 1973)
Pe Maung Tin was a scholar of Pali and Buddhism and educator in Myanmar, formerly Burma. Born to an Anglican family at Pauktaw, Insein Township, Rangoon, he was the fifth child of U Pe and Daw Myaing. His grandfather was the first Burmese pastor of Henzada. He learnt the basic Buddhist texts at a local private school before he went to Rangoon Government High School where he won a scholarship at age 14.
24/04/1887
Denys Finch Hatton, English hunter (died 1931)
Denys George Finch-Hatton MC was a British aristocratic big-game hunter and the lover of Baroness Karen von Blixen, a Danish noblewoman who wrote about him in her autobiographical book Out of Africa, first published in 1937. In the book, his name is hyphenated: "Finch-Hatton".
24/04/1885
Thomas Cronan, American triple jumper (died 1962)
Thomas Francis Cronan was an American athlete who competed mainly in the triple jump.
Con Walsh, Irish-Canadian hammer thrower and footballer (died 1961)
Cornelius Edward "Con" Walsh was an Irish Canadian athlete who represented Canada at the 1908 Summer Olympics. He was born in Carriganimma. He won a bronze medal in the hammer throw, finishing third behind fellow Irishmen John Flanagan and Matt McGrath, both of whom represented the United States. Another Irishman, Robert Kerr also represented Canada at the same games. Walsh had earlier played Gaelic football and represented Cork.
24/04/1882
Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, Scottish-English air marshal (died 1970)
Air Chief Marshal Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force. He was Air Officer Commanding RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and is generally credited with playing a crucial role in Britain's defence, and hence, the defeat of Operation Sea Lion, Adolf Hitler's plan to invade Britain.
24/04/1880
Gideon Sundback, Swedish-American engineer and businessman, developed the zipper (died 1954)
Otto Fredrik Gideon Sundbäck was a Swedish-American electrical engineer, who is most commonly associated with his work in the development of the zipper.
Josef Müller, Croatian entomologist (died 1964)
Josef Müller, also known as Giuseppe Müller, was a Croatian entomologist.
24/04/1879
Susanna Bokoyni, Hungarian-American circus performer (died 1984)
Susanna Bokoyni, also known as "Princess Susanna", was a Hungarian centenarian and circus performer who was listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-lived dwarf on record.
24/04/1878
Jean Crotti, Swiss-French painter (died 1958)
Jean Crotti was a French painter.
24/04/1876
Erich Raeder, German admiral (died 1960)
Erich Johann Albert Raeder was a German admiral who played a major role in the naval history of World War II and was convicted of war crimes after the war. He attained the highest possible naval rank, that of grand admiral, in 1939. Raeder led the Kriegsmarine for the first half of the war; he resigned in January 1943 and was replaced by Karl Dönitz. At the Nuremberg trials he was sentenced to life imprisonment but was released early owing to failing health in 1955.
24/04/1868
Sandy Herd, Scottish golfer (died 1944)
Alexander Herd was a Scottish professional golfer from St Andrews. He won The Open Championship in 1902 at Hoylake.
24/04/1862
Tomitaro Makino, Japanese botanist (died 1957)
Tomitaro Makino was a pioneer Japanese botanist noted for his taxonomic work. He has been called "Father of Japanese Botany", having been one of the first Japanese botanists to work extensively on classifying Japanese plants using the system developed by Linnaeus. His research resulted in collecting more than 500,000 specimens, many of which are represented in his Makino's Illustrated Flora of Japan. Despite having dropped out of grammar school, he eventually attained a Doctor of Science degree, and his birthday is remembered as Botany Day in Japan.
24/04/1860
Queen Marau, last Queen of Tahiti (died 1935)
Johanna Marau Taʻaroa a Tepau Salmon was the last Queen of Tahiti as the wife of King Pōmare V, who ruled from 1877 to 1880. Her name means "Much unique cleaning of the splash" in the Tahitian language.
24/04/1856
Philippe Pétain, French general and politician, 119th Prime Minister of France (died 1951)
Henri Philippe Bénoni Omer Joseph Pétain, better known as Marshal Pétain, was a French military officer who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the collaborationist regime of Vichy France, from 1940 to 1944, during World War II.
24/04/1845
Carl Spitteler, Swiss poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1924)
Carl Friedrich Georg Spitteler was a Swiss poet who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1919 "in special appreciation of his epic Olympian Spring". His work includes both pessimistic and heroic poems.
24/04/1829
Luisa Cappiani, Austrian soprano, educator and essayist (died 1919)
Luisa Kapp-Young, was an Austrian dramatic operatic soprano, musical educator, and essayist who used the principle of the Aeolian harp emission of tone, which excluded all effort in the throat, and preserved the voice. Kapp-Young made her debut after the death of her husband, Gisbert Kapp, in 1859. In 1861, she sang Wagner roles in Rotterdam. In the United States, she appeared in 1867 as Mme. Kapp-Young. After several seasons in Italy, she came back to the United States, and established herself under the name of Cappiani as a teacher in Boston and New York City. In 1884, she was one of the original founders of the American Federation of Musicians, and the only woman initially elected. After 1899, she lived permanently in Milan, and died in Zürich in 1919. Her essays on the voice were reproduced in many musical papers in the U.S. and other countries. She died in 1919.
24/04/1823
Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Mexican politician, President of Mexico (died 1889)
Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada y Corral was a Mexican liberal politician and jurist who served as the 31st president of Mexico from 1872 to 1876.
24/04/1815
Anthony Trollope, English novelist, essayist, and short story writer (died 1882)
Anthony Trollope was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among the best-known of his 47 novels are two series of six novels each collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire and the Palliser novels, as well as The Way We Live Now. His novels address political, social, and gender issues and other topical matters. He also wrote an autobiography, a book on William Makepeace Thackeray, a book on Lord Palmerston, five travel books, and 42 short stories.
24/04/1784
Peter Vivian Daniel, American lawyer and jurist (died 1860)
Peter Vivian Daniel was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
24/04/1743
Edmund Cartwright, English clergyman and engineer, invented the power loom (died 1823)
Edmund Cartwright was an English inventor. He graduated from Oxford University and went on to invent the power loom. Married to local Elizabeth McMac at 19, he was the brother of Major John Cartwright, a political reformer and radical, and George Cartwright, explorer of Labrador.
24/04/1718
Nathaniel Hone the Elder, Irish-English painter and educator (died 1784)
Nathaniel Hone was an Irish-born portrait and miniature painter, and one of the founder members of the Royal Academy in 1768.
24/04/1706
Giovanni Battista Martini, Italian pianist and composer (died 1780)
Giovanni Battista or Giambattista Martini,, also known as Padre Martini, was an Italian Conventual Franciscan friar, who was a leading musician, composer, and music historian of the period and a mentor to Mozart.
24/04/1620
John Graunt, English demographer and statistician (died 1674)
John Graunt has been regarded as the founder of demography. Graunt was one of the first demographers, and perhaps the first epidemiologist, though by profession he was a haberdasher. He was bankrupted later in life by losses suffered during Great Fire of London and the discrimination he faced following his conversion to Catholicism.
24/04/1608
Gaston, Duke of Orléans, third son of King Henry IV of France (died 1660)
Monsieur Gaston, Duke of Orléans, was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his second wife, Marie de' Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a Fils de France. He later acquired the title Duke of Orléans, by which he was generally known during his adulthood. As the eldest surviving brother of King Louis XIII, he was known at court by the traditional honorific Monsieur.
24/04/1581
Vincent de Paul, French priest and saint (died 1660)
Vincent de Paul, CM was an Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor.
24/04/1562
Xu Guangqi, Ming Dynasty Chinese politician, scholar and lay Catholic leader (died 1633)
Xu Guangqi or Hsü Kuang-ch'i, also known by his baptismal name Paul or Paul Siu, was a Chinese agronomist, astronomer, mathematician, politician, and writer during the late Ming dynasty. Xu was appointed by the Chinese Emperor in 1629 to be the leader of the Shixian calendar reform, which he embarked on with the assistance of Jesuits. Xu was a colleague and collaborator of the Italian Jesuits Matteo Ricci and Sabatino de Ursis and assisted their translation of several classic Western texts into Chinese, including part of Euclid's Elements. He was also the author of the Nong Zheng Quan Shu, a treatise on agriculture.
24/04/1545
Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, English Earl (died 1581)
Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, was an English peer.
24/04/1538
Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (died 1587)
Guglielmo Gonzaga was Duke of Mantua from 1550 to 1587, and of Montferrat from 1574 to 1587. He was the second son of Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Margaret Palaeologina of Montferrat. In 1574, Montferrat was elevated to a Duchy and Guglielmo became its first duke. He was succeeded as Duke of both duchies by his son Vincenzo.
24/04/1533
William I of Orange, founding father of the Netherlands (died 1584)
William the Silent or William the Taciturn, more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange, was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs that set off the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. Born into the House of Nassau, he became Prince of Orange in 1544 and is thereby the founder of the Orange-Nassau branch and the ancestor of the monarchy of the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, he is also known as Father of the Fatherland.
24/04/1532
Thomas Lucy, English politician (died 1600)
Sir Thomas Lucy was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1571 and 1585. He was a magistrate in Warwickshire, but is best known for his links to William Shakespeare. As a Protestant activist, he came into conflict with Shakespeare's Catholic relatives, and there are stories that the young Shakespeare himself had clashes with him.
24/04/1492
Sabina of Bavaria, Bavarian duchess and noblewoman (died 1564)
Sabina of Bavaria-Munich was Duchess consort of Württemberg by marriage to Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg.
24/04/1086
Ramiro II of Aragon (died 1157)
Ramiro II, called the Monk, was a member of the House of Jiménez who became King of Aragon in 1134. Although a monk, he was elected by the Aragonese nobility to succeed his childless brother Alfonso the Battler. He then had a daughter, Petronilla, whom he had marry Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona, unifying Aragon and Barcelona into the Crown of Aragon. He withdrew to a monastery in 1137, leaving authority to Ramon Berenguer but keeping the royal title until his death.