What happened on 17th December?

On this day, 248 notable people were born on 17th December — spanning from 1239 to 2002. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.

17/12/2002

Castello Lukeba, French footballer

Junior Castello Lukeba is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig.

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17/12/2000

Wesley Fofana, French footballer

Wesley Tidjan Fofana is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Chelsea.

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17/12/1999

Holly Humberstone, English singer-songwriter

Holly Ffion Humberstone is an English singer and songwriter. She released her debut EP Falling Asleep at the Wheel in 2020, before signing a recording contract with Interscope and Polydor Records. Her first EP following the signings, The Walls Are Way Too Thin, was released in November 2021; she subsequently won the Brit Award for Rising Star at the 2022 Brit Awards. She has since released two studio albums, Paint My Bedroom Black (2023) and Cruel World (2026), both of which received positive reviews.

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Mirei Sasaki, Japanese singer, model, and actress

Mirei Sasaki is a Japanese actress and media personality. She has appeared in dramas such as Women's Gourmet Burger Club (2020) and Kakegurui Twin (2021), and starred in Koeharu! (2021) and Piece of Cake! (2022). Her theater appearances include portraying Yor Forger in the stage adaptation of Spy × Family (2023). She is also a lifestyle reporter for the Nippon TV morning show Zip!

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17/12/1998

Jasmine Armfield, English actress

Jasmine Armfield is an English actress, known for playing Bex Fowler in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2014 to 2020, with a brief stint in 2025. Following her leaving the soap, she has made appearances in fellow BBC series Doctors and Casualty, as well as making her stage debut in Jumping the Shark in 2023.

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Martin Ødegaard, Norwegian footballer

Martin Ødegaard is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for and captains both Premier League club Arsenal and the Norway national team.

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17/12/1997

Naiktha Bains, British-Australian tennis player

Naiktha Bains is an Australian-British tennis player.

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Shoma Uno, Japanese figure skater

Shoma Uno is a Japanese figure skater. As a singles skater, he is a three-time Olympic medalist, a two-time World champion, and a two-time World silver medalist. He was also the 2019 Four Continents champion, the 2022–23 Grand Prix Final champion, a fourteen-time Grand Prix medalist, the 2017 Asian Winter Games champion, and a six-time Japanese national champion. At the junior level, Uno is the 2015 World Junior champion, the 2014–15 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and 2012 Youth Olympic silver medalist.

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17/12/1996

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Russian figure skater

Elizaveta Sergeyevna Tuktamysheva is a retired Russian figure skater. She is the 2015 World champion, the 2021 World silver medalist, the 2015 European champion and the 2013 European bronze medalist. She has medaled 16 times on the Grand Prix series, including 5 gold medals and including gold at the 2014–15 Grand Prix Final and bronze at the 2018–19 Grand Prix Final. On national level she is an 8-time medalist in the Russian Championships and the 2013 Russian national champion, as well as 4-time medalist in the Russian Cup Finals. On the junior level, she is the 2012 Youth Olympic champion, 2011 World Junior silver medalist, and 2010–11 JGP Final silver medalist.

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17/12/1995

Guerschon Yabusele, French basketball player

Guerschon Yabusele is a French professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He primarily plays at the power forward position. Yabusele represents the French national team in international competitions, with whom he won silver medals at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics.

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17/12/1994

Lloyd Perrett, New Zealand rugby league player

Lloyd Perrett is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Ormeau Shearers DMC side.

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Nat Wolff, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player and actor

Nathaniel Marvin Wolff is an American actor, musician, and singer-songwriter. He initially gained recognition for composing the music for The Naked Brothers Band (2007–2009), a Nickelodeon television series he starred in with his younger brother, Alex, that was created by his actress mother, Polly Draper. Wolff's jazz musician father, Michael Wolff, co-produced the series' soundtrack albums The Naked Brothers Band (2007) and I Don't Want to Go to School (2008), both of which placed the 23rd spot on the Billboard 200 charts.

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17/12/1993

Kiersey Clemons, American actress

Kiersey Nicole Clemons is an American actress. She is known for her role in the 2015 comedy-drama film Dope, playing Cassandra "Diggy" Andrews. Subsequently, she went on to co-star in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), Flatliners (2017), Hearts Beat Loud (2018), and played Iris West in both Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) and The Flash (2023).

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Patricia Kú Flores, Peruvian tennis player

Patricia Iveth Kú Flores is a Peruvian former tennis player.

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17/12/1992

Quinton de Kock, South African cricketer

Quinton de Kock is a South African international cricketer and former captain of the South Africa national team in all three formats. He currently plays for Titans at the domestic level and for South Africa in white ball cricket. He was named the Cricketer of the Year at Cricket South Africa's 2017 Annual Awards, and is considered as one of the best wicket keeper batsmen of his generation. An opening batsman and wicket-keeper, de Kock made his domestic debut for the Highveld Lions during the 2012/2013 season. He quickly caught the national selectors' eye when he starred in a match-winning partnership with Neil McKenzie in the Champions League T20 against the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He also finished fourth on the first-class rankings, despite playing only six of the 10 matches that summer.

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Buddy Hield, Bahamian basketball player

Chavano Rainer "Buddy" Hield is a Bahamian professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners and was named the Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016.

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Joshua Ingram, Canadian drummer and percussionist

Joshua Ingram is a rock drummer and percussionist. Ingram is best known as the former drummer of American hard rock band New Years Day.

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17/12/1991

Jordan Rankin, Australian rugby league player

Jordan Rankin is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a fullback, five-eighth or halfback for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League.

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Atsedu Tsegay, Ethiopian runner

Atsedu Tsegay Tesfay is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner. In 2012, he won Prague Half Marathon in a time of 58:47 — the best half marathon performance of the year and an Ethiopian record.

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17/12/1990

Graham Rogers, American actor

Graham Rogers is an American actor, known for his roles as Scott Thomas in the comedy film Struck by Lightning (2012), Danny Matheson in NBC's science fiction series Revolution, Al Jardine in the biopic Love and Mercy (2014), Carson in the thriller Careful What You Wish For (2015), and Tyler Stone in Hulu's comedy series Resident Advisors.

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17/12/1989

André Ayew, Ghanaian footballer

André Morgan Rami Ayew, also known as Dede Ayew in Ghana, is a professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Dutch Eerste Divisie club NAC Breda and captains the Ghana national team.

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Taylor York, American musician

Taylor Benjamin York is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band Paramore.

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17/12/1988

Liisa Ehrberg, Estonian cyclist

Liisa Ehrberg is an Estonian racing cyclist. She rode at the 2014 UCI Road World Championships.

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Grethe Grünberg, Estonian ice dancer

Grethe Grünberg is an Estonian former ice dancer. With partner Kristjan Rand, she is the 2007 World Junior silver medalist and the 2005–2007 Estonian national champion.

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Kris Joseph, Canadian basketball player

Kristopher Carlos Joseph is a Canadian former professional basketball player. He played for the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team from 2008 to 2012. He was selected in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics with the 51st pick overall. He is the older cousin of Pistons point guard Cory Joseph.

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David Rudisha, Kenyan runner

David Lekuta Rudisha, MBS is a retired Kenyan middle-distance runner who is the world and Olympic record holder in the 800 metres. Rudisha won gold medals in the 800 m at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic Games, where, at the former, he set the world record in the event with a time of 1:40.91. He is also a two-time World champion and two-time Diamond League champion in the 800 m. Rudisha is the first and only person to ever run 800 m under 1:41, and he holds the three fastest times ever run in this event, each being a world record when set.

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Yann Sommer, Swiss footballer

Yann Sommer is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He is known for his exceptional reflexes and high agility.

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Craig Sutherland, Scottish footballer

Craig Stephen Sutherland is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He began his career in the United States playing college soccer for Midwestern State University and North Carolina State University. Sutherland played 16 times in the Football League for Blackpool and Plymouth Argyle between 2011 and 2012. He has also played for Woking, Queen's Park, Cowdenbeath, Stenhousemuir and East Fife.

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17/12/1987

Maryna Arzamasova, Belarusian middle-distance runner

Maryna Aliaksandrauna Arzamasova is a Belarusian middle-distance runner.

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Bo Guagua, Chinese businessman

Bo Kuangyi, more commonly known as Bo Guagua, is a Chinese businessman and lawyer. The second son of Bo Xilai and the only child of Gu Kailai, he attracted media attention for his family background and lifestyle, often being described as a "red aristocrat" and "playboy". Since his parents were arrested in 2012, he has lived in exile and kept a low profile.

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Chelsea Manning, American soldier and intelligence analyst

Chelsea Elizabeth Manning is an American activist and whistleblower. She is a former United States Army soldier who was convicted by court-martial in July 2013 of violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses, after disclosing to WikiLeaks nearly 750,000 classified, or unclassified but sensitive, military and diplomatic documents. She was imprisoned from 2010 until 2017, when President Barack Obama commuted her sentence. A trans woman, Manning said in 2013 that she had had a female gender identity since childhood and wanted to be known as Chelsea Manning.

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Donovan Solano, Colombian baseball player

Donovan Solano Preciado, nicknamed "Donnie Barrels", is a Colombian professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers.

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17/12/1986

Emma Bell, American actress

Emma Jean Bell is an American actress, best known for her role as Parker O'Neal in the films Frozen and Hatchet II, as Molly Harper in Final Destination 5 (2011), and for playing Amy in the first and third season of the AMC post apocalyptic series The Walking Dead, and Emma Judith Ryland Brown on the TNT drama series Dallas (2013–2014).

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Frei Gilson, Brazilian Catholic priest and singer

Gilson da Silva Pupo Azevedo, known as Frei Gilson, is a Brazilian Catholic priest and singer. A Carmelite friar, he is known for leading the ministry Som do Monte, which seeks to spread religious messages through music. He gained prominence through his work on social media, becoming one of the most popular religious figures in Brazil. His biggest musical hit is the song Eu Te Levantarei.

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Frank Winterstein, Australian-Samoan rugby league player

Frank Winterstein is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for Toulouse Olympique in the Championship.

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Vanessa Zima, American actress

Vanessa Zima is an American actress. She is known for her roles as a child actress in the 1990s films The Baby-Sitters Club, Ulee's Gold, and Wicked, and for her recurring role on the first season of the 1995 television legal drama Murder One.

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17/12/1985

Fernando Abad, Dominican baseball player

Fernando Antonio Abad is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, and Colorado Rockies.

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Łukasz Broź, Polish footballer

Łukasz Broź is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a defender for V liga Masovia club Tygrys Huta Mińska.

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Craig Reid, English footballer

Craig Kevin Reid is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.

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17/12/1984

Luis Alfageme, Argentinian footballer

Luis Maria Alfageme is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for F.C. Matese in Italy's Serie D.

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Julian Bennett, English footballer

Julian Llewelyn Bennett is an English retired footballer, who played as a defender, having spent his career at Walsall, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday before finishing his career at Southend United.

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Andrew Davies, English footballer

Andrew John Davies is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre back.

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Shannon Woodward, American actress

Shannon Marie Woodward is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Sabrina Collins on the Fox sitcom Raising Hope (2010–2014), Elsie Hughes on the HBO science-fiction thriller series Westworld (2016–2018), and the voice of Dina in the video game The Last of Us Part II (2020), for which she received a BAFTA Award for Performer in a Supporting Role nomination at the 17th British Academy Games Awards.

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17/12/1983

Gregory Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player and executive

Gregory James Campbell is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and current Assistant General Manager of the Florida Panthers. He was drafted by the Panthers in the third round, 67th overall, in the 2002 NHL entry draft. Campbell is the son of former NHL player and current NHL Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell.

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Erik Christensen, Canadian ice hockey player

Erik Christensen is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who last played for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

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Mikky Ekko, American singer and songwriter

John Stephen Sudduth, known professionally as Mikky Ekko, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer from Nashville. He co-wrote and was featured on Rihanna's 2013 single "Stay", which charted in multiple countries, becoming his first-charting material. Ekko released his debut studio album, Time, in 2015 through RCA Records. Fame, his second album, was released in 2018 on Interscope Records.

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Haron Keitany, Kenyan runner

Haron Keitany is a runner from Kenya, who specialises in 1500 metres. In 2008, he won 1500 metres races at the African Championships, the IAAF Golden League meeting of Weltklasse Zürich, and World Athletics Final. He missed the Beijing Olympics though, after finishing fourth at the Kenyan trials.

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Sébastien Ogier, French race car driver

Sébastien Eugène Emile Ogier is a French rally driver, competing for the Toyota Gazoo Racing Team in the World Rally Championship (WRC). He is currently teamed with co-driver Vincent Landais. He has won 9 World Rally Drivers' Championship including 6 consecutive titles from 2013 to 2018, in addition to 2020, 2021 and 2025, and is the joint most successful WRC driver together with Sébastien Loeb. He has achieved 68 rally victories and is one of the only two drivers to have won the World Championship with 3 different manufacturers. He holds various WRC records including the most drivers' championship points overall, biggest points gap with the championship runner-up, most stage victories and points in a single season.

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17/12/1982

Josh Barfield, American baseball player

Joshua LaRoy Barfield is an American professional baseball executive and former second baseman. He is the son of former major league outfielder Jesse Barfield. Barfield was born in Venezuela during his mother's two-week winterball visit with his father. He attended Klein High School, located near Houston, Texas, and holds the District 5 single season home run record.

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Lorenzo Cittadini, Italian rugby player

Lorenzo Cittadini is a retired Italian rugby union player who plays at prop. He made his debut for Italy against Ireland on 2 February 2008. He played at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.He represented Italy on 58 occasions.

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Craig Kielburger, Canadian activist and author

Craig Kielburger is a Canadian human rights activist and social entrepreneur. He is the co-founder, with his brother Marc Kielburger, of the WE Charity, as well as We Day and the independent, social enterprise Me to We. On April 11, 2008, Kielburger was named a member of the Order of Canada.

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Stéphane Lasme, Gabonese basketball player

Yann Ulrich Stéphane Lasme is a Gabonese former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Massachusetts (UMass), with the UMass Minutemen, and he was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the second round, 46th overall, in the 2007 NBA draft. In 2016 Stephane won the EuroCup Championship and earned the Finals MVP award, as well as, an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in 2014 and won the EuroLeague Best Defender award in 2013, among others.

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17/12/1981

Jerry Hsu, American skateboarder and photographer

Jerry Hsu is a Taiwanese-American skateboarder, photographer and owner/operator of the skate company "Sci-Fi Fantasy".

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Tim Wiese, German footballer

Tim Wiese is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

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17/12/1980

Suzy Batkovic, Australian basketball player

Suzy Batkovic is an Australian professional basketball player and politician. Suzy played her junior basketball with the Port Hunter Basketball Club in Newcastle. She has played basketball for several European clubs including the French Valenciennes, the Spanish side Ros Casares, the Russian side UMMC Ekaterinburg, and Italian side Cras Basket. In the United States, she has played for the Seattle Storm after having been selected as a first round draft pick in 2003. She has played professional basketball domestically for the Australian Institute of Sport in 1996–1999, the Sydney Uni Flames from 1999–2001, and 2009–2010, the Townsville Fire in 2001–2002, the Canberra Capitals in 2010–2011, and the Adelaide Lightning in 2011–2013; she returned to the Fire for the 2013–14 season. She has been a member of the Australia women's national basketball team, being named to the team for the first time in 1999. She won a silver medal with the team at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

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Ryan Hunter-Reay, American race car driver

Ryan Christopher Hunter-Reay nicknamed RHR, is an American professional racing driver who won the Indianapolis 500 (2014) and the IndyCar Series championship (2012). He currently is the sporting director for IndyCar Series team Arrow McLaren and competes part-time in the IndyCar Series for Arrow McLaren. Hunter-Reay also won in the now defunct Champ Car World Series twice and the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Hunter-Reay has competed in the Race of Champions, A1 Grand Prix, and sports car racing series including American Le Mans Series, the Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series and the IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship.

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Alexandra Papageorgiou, Greek hammer thrower

Alexandra Papageorgiou is a hammer thrower from Athens, Greece. Her personal best throw is 70.73 metres, achieved on August 1, 2009, in Thessaloniki. This places her second on the Greek all-time list, behind Stiliani Papadopoulou.

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Eli Pariser, American activist and author

Eli Pariser is an author, activist, and entrepreneur. He has stated that his focus is "how to make technology and media serve democracy". He became executive director of MoveOn.org in 2004, where he helped pioneer the practice of online citizen engagement. He is the co-founder of Upworthy, a website for meaningful viral content, and Avaaz, a global citizen's organization. His bestselling book, The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You, introduced the term “filter bubble” to the lexicon. He is currently an Omidyar Fellow at New America and co-directs New_ Public.

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17/12/1979

Matt Murley, American ice hockey player

Matt Murley is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Phoenix Coyotes in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently a Sports betting expert for Barstool Sports' hockey podcast, Spittin' Chiclets and appears on the spin-off podcast Chiclets Game Notes with former teammate Colby Armstrong.

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Paul Smith, English footballer

Paul Daniel Smith is an English football coach and former player. He is currently head of Academy goalkeeper coaching at League Two club Colchester United.

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17/12/1978

Alex Cintrón, Puerto Rican baseball player and sportscaster

Alexander Cintrón is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball infielder who is currently the hitting coach for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Nationals and was also the hitting coach for the Houston Astros.

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Riteish Deshmukh, Indian film actor, producer and architect

Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh is an Indian actor, filmmaker and television presenter who predominantly works in Hindi and Marathi films. Known for his comic portrayals, Deshmukh is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award, a Filmfare Award Marathi and five IIFA Awards.

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Manny Pacquiao, Filipino boxer and politician

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. is a Filipino professional boxer and former politician. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time, becoming the only eight-division world champion in boxing history. He also served as a senator of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022.

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Neil Sanderson, Canadian drummer and songwriter

Neil Christopher Sanderson is a Canadian musician. He is the drummer, backing vocalist, keyboardist, and co-founder of the Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. He cited his influences as John Bonham, Danny Carey, and Stewart Copeland. He is also the co-founder of the American record label Judge & Jury Records, alongside record producer Howard Benson.

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Chase Utley, American baseball player

Chase Cameron Utley, nicknamed "the Man" and "Silver Fox," is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 16 seasons, primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies. He also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is a six-time All-Star, won a World Series with the Phillies in 2008, and was chosen as the second baseman on the Sports Illustrated All-Decade Team for the 2000s. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

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17/12/1977

Arnaud Clément, French tennis player

Arnaud Clément is a French former professional tennis player and Davis Cup captain. Clément reached the final of the 2001 Australian Open and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 10 in April 2001. He also had a career-high doubles ranking of No. 8. He won four ATP singles titles, and twelve doubles titles including 2007 Wimbledon, partnering Michaël Llodra, and two Masters titles.

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Samuel Påhlsson, Swedish ice hockey player

Samuel Olof Påhlsson is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player who last played with Modo Hockey of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Påhlsson spent the majority of his playing career in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks. He was originally drafted 176th overall by the Colorado Avalanche at the 1996 NHL entry draft, though he never played for the team.

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Katheryn Winnick, Canadian actress

Katheryn Winnick is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring roles in the television series Vikings (2013–2020), Wu Assassins (2019), and Big Sky (2020–2023), and her recurring role on the television series Bones (2010–2011). She also starred in the films Amusement (2008), Choose (2010), A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2012), The Art of the Steal (2013), Polar (2019), and The Marksman (2021).

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17/12/1976

Éric Bédard, Canadian speed skater and coach

Éric Bédard is a Canadian short track speed skater who has won 4 Olympic medals. He participated in three individual events at the 2006 Winter Olympics and finished fourth in the 500 meters. He also led a team into the 5000 meter relay, winning the silver medal. He has been a longtime member of Canada's short track team and has won four medals in three Olympic games: bronze in the 1,000 meters in Nagano, and two golds and a silver in the 5,000 meter relay. He has also had a lot of success at the World Championships, capturing 10 medals, including three golds.

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Nir Davidovich, Israeli footballer and manager

Nir Davidovich is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His honours are 7 championships, 2 Israeli cups, 3 Toto Cups, 1 MVP of the season.

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Patrick Müller, Swiss footballer

Patrick Müller is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a defender. In his fifteen-year professional career, Müller played for football clubs in Switzerland, France, and Spain, including two spells with Lyon.

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Andrew Simpson, English sailor (died 2013)

Andrew James "Bart" Simpson, was an English sailor who won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, as crew for skipper Iain Percy in the Star class representing Great Britain. Simpson died in the capsize of the catamaran he was crewing on 9 May 2013, while training for the America's Cup in San Francisco Bay.

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Takeo Spikes, American football player and sportscaster

Takeo Gerard Spikes is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Auburn Tigers. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 13th overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft. A two-time Pro Bowl selection and one-time All-Pro, Spikes also played for the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and San Diego Chargers.

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17/12/1975

Nick Dinsmore, American wrestler and trainer

Nicholas David Dinsmore, better known by his ring name Eugene, is an American professional wrestler.

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Susanthika Jayasinghe, Sri Lankan sprinter

Deshabandu Kameradin Susanthika Jayasinghe is a Sri Lankan retired sprinter, who specialised in the 100 and 200 metres. She won the Olympic silver medal for the 200 m event in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the second Sri Lankan to win an Olympic medal after Duncan White and the first Asian woman to win an Olympic or World Championship medal in a sprint event. She is also the only Asian athlete to have claimed an Olympic medal in sprint events. She is also the first and only Sri Lankan to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships. Her silver medal achievement at the 2000 Sydney Olympics also stood as the only Olympic medal for a South Asian in athletics event for 21 years before Neeraj Chopra's gold medal achievement at the 2020 Summer Olympics for India. She is fondly nicknamed as the Asian Black Mare. She has represented Sri Lanka at the Olympics on three occasions in 1996, 2000 and 2008. She is considered one of the most decorated sprinters in Sri Lanka. However, she is also a deemed as a controversial figure in Sri Lanka.

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Milla Jovovich, Ukrainian-American actress

Milica Bogdanovna Jovović, known professionally as Milla Jovovich, is an American actress, singer, and former model. Her starring roles in numerous science fiction and action films led the music channel VH1 to deem her the "reigning queen of kick-butt" in 2006. In 2004, Forbes determined that she was the highest-paid model in the world.

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17/12/1974

Charl Langeveldt, South African cricketer

Charl Kenneth Langeveldt is a South African cricket coach and former cricketer who is currently a bowling coach with the Zimbabwe national cricket team.

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Sarah Paulson, American actress

Sarah Catharine Paulson is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2017, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

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Giovanni Ribisi, American actor

Antonino Giovanni Ribisi is an American actor. He has appeared in the films That Thing You Do! (1996), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), Heaven (2002), Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Perfect Stranger (2007), Avatar (2009), Public Enemies (2009), Gangster Squad (2013), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), and Papa: Hemingway in Cuba (2015). He had starring roles in the TV sitcom Dads (2013–2014) and the crime drama series Sneaky Pete (2015–2019). He also had recurring roles in television series such as The Wonder Years (1992–1993), Friends and My Name Is Earl (2005–2008).

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Marissa Ribisi, American actress

Marissa Ribisi is an American actress. She has appeared in the films Dazed and Confused (1993), The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), Pleasantville (1998), True Crime (1999), and Don's Plum (2001) and television shows such as Felicity, Friends, Grace Under Fire, Watching Ellie, and Tales of the City. She is the twin sister of actor Giovanni Ribisi.

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17/12/1973

Eddie Fisher, American drummer

Eddie Ray Fisher is an American musician and songwriter. He is the drummer for the pop rock band OneRepublic. Eddie grew up in Mission Viejo, California and currently resides in Denver, Colorado, where OneRepublic is based. Fisher joined OneRepublic in 2005, and has been the band's drummer ever since.

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Konstadinos Gatsioudis, Greek javelin thrower

Konstadinos Gatsioudis is a retired Greek track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. His personal best throw of 91.69 m, achieved in 2000, is the Greek record.

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Rian Johnson, American director, producer, and screenwriter

Rian Craig Johnson is an American filmmaker. He made his directorial debut with the neo-noir mystery film Brick (2005), which received positive reviews and grossed nearly $4 million on a $450,000 budget. Going on to make higher-profile films, Johnson achieved mainstream recognition for writing and directing the science-fiction thriller Looper (2012) to critical and commercial success. Johnson landed his largest project when he wrote and directed the space opera Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), which grossed over $1 billion. He returned to the mystery genre with the Knives Out film series (2019–present), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay.

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Paula Radcliffe, English runner

Paula Jane Radcliffe is a British former long-distance runner. She is a three-time winner of the London Marathon, three-time New York Marathon champion, the 2002 Chicago Marathon winner and the 2005 World Champion in the Marathon from Helsinki. She was previously the fastest female marathoner of all time, and held the Women's World Marathon Record with a time of 2:15:25 for 16 years from 2003 to 2019 when it was broken by Brigid Kosgei.

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Hasan Vural, German-Turkish footballer

Hasan Vural is a Turkish former footballer and football manager.

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17/12/1972

John Abraham, Indian actor and producer

John Abraham is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. He is a recipient of one National Film Award along with four Filmfare Awards nominations. Abraham has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2017.

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Iván Pedroso, Cuban long jumper and coach

Iván Lázaro Pedroso Soler is a retired Cuban athlete, who specialized in the long jump, and is the current coach of Yulimar Rojas and Jordan Díaz.

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17/12/1971

Claire Forlani, English actress

Claire Antonia Forlani is an English actress. She became known in the mid-1990s for her leading role in the film Mallrats, and in the Jean-Michel Basquiat 1996 biopic Basquiat. In 1998, she achieved wide recognition for starring in the fantasy romance film Meet Joe Black. Her other notable films include Mystery Men (1999), Boys and Girls (2000), Antitrust (2001), The Medallion (2003), and In the Name of the King (2007). She appeared in numerous TV films and series, including a starring role on the historical-fantasy-drama series Camelot, and recurring roles on the CBS action series CSI: NY, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Hawaii Five-0. She played the role of Meredith Newman in the 2019 film Five Feet Apart.

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Alan Khan, South African radio and TV presenter

Alan Khan is a South African media and radio personality. He hosts the talk show Walk the Talk with Alan Khan on Lotus FM. In April 2015 Khan was inducted into the South African Radio Hall of Fame.

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Nikki McCray-Penson, American basketball player and coach (died 2023)

Nikki Kesangane McCray-Penson was an American basketball player and coach. She was the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs women's basketball team from 2020 to 2021 and a professional basketball player from 1996 to 2006. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for eight seasons. In 2008 after leaving the WNBA, McCray joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks. McCray-Penson was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

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Antoine Rigaudeau, French basketball player

Antoine Roger Rigaudeau is a French former professional basketball player and professional basketball coach. During his playing days, he played at the point guard, shooting guard, and small forward positions. Also during his playing career, his nickname was "Le Roi".

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17/12/1970

Sean Patrick Thomas, American actor

Sean Patrick Thomas is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Derek Reynolds in the 2001 film Save the Last Dance and as Jimmy James in Barbershop (2002), Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004), and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016), as well as his television role as Detective Temple Page in The District and as Professor Macalester in Vixen (2015–2016).

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17/12/1969

Laurie Holden, American actress and model

Heather Laurie Holden is an American-Canadian actress, producer, model, and human rights activist. She is best known for portraying Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files (1996–2002) and Andrea Harrison in AMC's The Walking Dead. She has also had recurring roles in acclaimed television series such as The Shield (2008), The Americans (2017–2018), and The Boys (2022).

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Inna Lasovskaya, Russian triple jumper

Inna Alexandrovna Lasovskaya is a retired triple jumper from Russia. She won a gold medal at the 1994 European Athletics Indoor Championships, ahead of compatriot and world record holder Anna Biryukova. In 1996 she jumped past the 15-metre mark for the first time and won an Olympic silver medal. In 1997 she won the World Indoor Championships, and the same year in Valencia she jumped 15.09 metres, which remains her personal best.

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Chuck Liddell, American mixed martial artist and kick-boxer

Charles David Liddell is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 to 2018, Liddell is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and is widely credited, along with fellow UFC fighter Randy Couture, with helping bring MMA into the mainstream of American sports and entertainment. Known as "The Iceman", Liddell achieved a 16–7 MMA record in the UFC, and an overall MMA record of 21–9, with 13 of his wins coming by way of knockout. He also achieved a 20–2 record in kickboxing, with 16 of his wins coming by way of knockout, and won two national amateur championships. He retired in late 2010, then came out of retirement for one bout in 2018, in a loss to rival Tito Ortiz. On July 10, 2009, Liddell was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

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Mick Quinn, English singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer

Michael Milton Quinn is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as founding member of English rock band Supergrass. He is a permanent member of fellow Oxford band Swervedriver.

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17/12/1968

Claudio Suárez, Mexican footballer

Claudio Suárez Sánchez is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. With 177 caps for the Mexico national team, he is regarded as one of the best North American players of all time.

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Paul Tracy, Canadian race car driver and sportscaster

Paul Anthony Tracy is a Canadian-American professional auto racing driver who participated in Champ Car World Series, the IndyCar Series, and the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). He started kart racing at age five and quickly became successful and began car racing at sixteen, finishing third in the 1985 Formula Ford 1600 championship with one win and Rookie of the Year honors. Tracy became the youngest Canadian Formula Ford champion in the 1985 CASC Formula 1600 Challenge Series and was the youngest Can-Am race winner the following year. He raced in the American Racing Series for three years between 1988 and 1990, winning the series title with nine wins from fourteen races in 1990.

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17/12/1967

Vincent Damphousse, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster

Vincent François Damphousse is a Canadian former professional hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for eighteen seasons. He played centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, and San Jose Sharks, winning a Stanley Cup championship with Montreal in 1993.

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Gigi D'Agostino, Italian musician, singer and DJ.

Luigino Celestino Di Agostino, known professionally as Gigi D'Agostino, is an Italian DJ and music producer. In 1986, he started his career as a DJ spinning Italo disco. His biggest chart successes include "Bla Bla Bla", "Another Way", a cover of Nik Kershaw's "The Riddle", "La Passion", "Super" and "L'Amour toujours", all in the years 1999 and 2000. The hookline of "L'Amour toujours" was also used for the 2018 hit game remix/mashup "In My Mind".

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Karsten Neitzel, German footballer and manager

Karsten Neitzel is a former German football player and former manager. He previously served as both head and assistant coach of Malaysia Super League club Selangor.

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17/12/1966

Tracy Byrd, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Tracy Lynn Byrd is an American country music artist. Signed to MCA Nashville Records in 1992, Byrd broke through on the country music scene that year with his 1993 single "Holdin' Heaven", which reached Number One on Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks. Although he did not land a second Number One until 2002's "Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo", Byrd has charted more than thirty hit singles in his career, including eleven additional Top Ten hits. He has also released ten studio albums and two greatest-hits albums, with four gold certifications and one double-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. He was the on-air spokesman for the TNN Outdoors block from 1998 to 2000.

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Kristiina Ojuland, Estonian politician, 23rd Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Kristiina Ojuland is an Estonian politician. She was the Foreign Minister of Estonia from 2002 through 2005. She was a member of the Estonian Reform Party from 1995 till 5 June 2013 and from 2009 to 2014 she served as one of the six Estonian MEPs in the European Parliament. She was expelled from the Reform Party because of alleged vote rigging on 5 June 2013. She later founded the Party of People's Unity, which failed to gain any seats in the 2015 and 2019 parliamentary election.

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17/12/1965

Craig Berube, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Craig Berube is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who was most recently the head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Chief", Berube played 17 seasons in the NHL for the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders. His role was primarily that of an enforcer. After retirement, Berube served as head coach of the Flyers for two seasons, and the St. Louis Blues for parts of six seasons, winning the Stanley Cup in 2019 as then-interim head coach. Berube additionally served as a national team scout for Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, under Blues general manager Doug Armstrong.

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Jeff Grayer, American basketball player and coach

Jeffrey Grayer is an American former professional basketball player who played nine seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Grayer was an All-American college player for the Iowa State Cyclones and won an Olympic bronze medal as a member of the United States national team in 1988.

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17/12/1964

Frank Musil, Czech ice hockey player and coach

František Musil, more commonly known in North America as Frank Musil, is a Czech former professional ice hockey player who spent several seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Minnesota North Stars, Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators, and Edmonton Oilers. Musil is currently an amateur scout for the Sabres and assistant coach for the Czech national ice hockey team.

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Joe Wolf, American basketball player and coach (died 2024)

Joseph James Wolf was an American professional basketball player and coach. Wolf played eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for seven different teams. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where in 1987 he was named first-team All-ACC. Prior to UNC, Wolf was one of the most successful high school players in Wisconsin state history.

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17/12/1962

Paul Dobson, English footballer

Paul Dobson is an English former professional footballer. He was a prolific striker in the lower leagues during the 1980s and early 1990s, notably for Torquay United.

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Galina Malchugina, Russian sprinter

Galina Vyacheslavovna Malchugina is a retired sprinter from Russia. Competing for the Soviet relay team, she won medals at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics. In the individual distance 200 metres her success came mostly on European level, although she won a bronze medal at the 1995 World Championships.

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Rocco Mediate, American golfer and journalist

Rocco Anthony Mediate is an American professional golfer who has won six times on the PGA Tour and five times on the PGA Tour Champions. In the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines South Course, he finished runner-up after losing the first sudden-death hole after an 18-hole playoff to Tiger Woods. In 2016, Mediate won the Senior PGA Championship, one of the five senior majors.

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17/12/1961

Mansoor al-Jamri, Bahraini journalist and author

Mansoor al-Jamri is a Bahraini columnist, author, human rights activist and former opposition leader. He is the editor-in-chief of Al-Wasat, an Arabic language independent daily newspaper. He is also the second son of the Shia spiritual leader Sheikh Abdul-Amir al-Jamri, who died in 2006.

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Sara Dallin, English singer

Sara Elizabeth Dallin is an English singer/songwriter and a founding member of the pop group Bananarama. The group has achieved 28 UK top-50 and 11 US top-100 singles, including a US number one with "Venus" (1986). Other hits include "Cruel Summer" (1983), "I Heard a Rumour" (1987) and "Love in the First Degree" (1987). Dallin and bandmate Keren Woodward are the only performers to appear on both the 1984 and 1989 Band Aid versions of "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Bananarama have sold over 30 million records and entered the Guinness Book of World Records for achieving most UK chart entries by an all-female group, a record they still hold.

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17/12/1959

Bob Stinson, American songwriter and guitarist (died 1995)

Robert Neil Stinson was an American musician best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the rock band the Replacements.

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17/12/1958

Mike Mills, American bass player, songwriter, and producer

Michael Edward Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., his musical repertoire also includes keyboards and occasional lead vocals. He contributed to a majority of the band's musical compositions and is the only member to have had formal musical training.

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Donald Payne Jr., American politician (died 2024)

Donald Milford Payne Jr. was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 10th congressional district from 2012 until his death in 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, Payne served as president of the Newark city council from 2010 to 2012.

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17/12/1957

Wendy Hoyte, English sprinter

Wendy Patricia Hoyte is a British former sprinter, who won a 1982 Commonwealth Games gold medal and a 1982 European Championships silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay. She also competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. She is the holder of the United Kingdom indoor 50 m record, which she set in 1981. As of 2016, the record still stands.

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Bob Ojeda, American baseball player and coach

Robert Michael Ojeda is an American former professional baseball player, coach and television sports color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left-handed pitcher from 1980 to 1994, most notably as a member of the New York Mets, with whom he won a world championship in 1986. He also played for the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees. Ojeda was the lone survivor of a March 22, 1993, boating accident that killed fellow Cleveland Indians players Steve Olin and Tim Crews. He is a former pre- and post-game studio analyst for Mets' broadcasts.

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17/12/1956

Peter Farrelly, American director, producer, and screenwriter

Peter John Farrelly is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and novelist. Along with his brother Bobby, the Farrelly brothers are mostly famous for directing and producing quirky comedy and romantic comedy films such as Dumb and Dumber; Shallow Hal; Me, Myself and Irene; There's Something About Mary; and the 2007 remake of The Heartbreak Kid.

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Dominic Lawson, English journalist and author

Dominic Ralph Campden Lawson is a British journalist.

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Totka Petrova, Bulgarian runner

Totka Nikolaeva Petrova is a retired female middle-distance runner who represented Bulgaria in the 1970s and the early 1980s. She specialized in the 800 and 1500 metres, and won numerous international medals. She was named both the Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year and the BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year in 1977. She is still the Bulgarian 1500 metres record holder.

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17/12/1955

Brad Davis, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster

Bradley Ernest Davis is an American former professional basketball player who spent the bulk of his National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Dallas Mavericks. He has been associated with the Mavericks for the team's entire existence as either a player, assistant coach or broadcaster.

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17/12/1954

Sergejus Jovaiša, Lithuanian basketball player

Sergejus Jovaiša is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. He played at the shooting guard position and won the bronze medal with Lithuania national team at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He was also a member of the Soviet national team that won the bronze medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics.

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17/12/1953

Bill Pullman, American actor

William Pullman is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting.

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17/12/1951

Pat Hill, American football player and coach

Lawrence Patrick Hill is an American football coach, former player, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach at Fresno State from 1997 until his dismissal following the 2011 season. In 15 seasons as head coach as Fresno State, he led the Bulldogs to a record of 112–80, 11 bowl game appearances, and a share of the 1999 Western Athletic Conference title.

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Ken Hitchcock, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Kenneth S. Hitchcock is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach. Hitchcock coached the Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He also served as an assistant coach for Canada national team in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Hitchcock became a major league coach in January 1996 when the Dallas Stars named him coach with 43 games remaining in the season. The following season was the start of five elite years for the team, where they won five consecutive division championships to go along with reaching the Conference Finals in 1998, 1999, and 2000. The Stars advanced to the Stanley Cup in 1999, which they won in six games over the Buffalo Sabres. They reached the 2000 Stanley Cup Final but lost to the New Jersey Devils in six games; Hitchcock was fired 50 games into the 2001-02 season. He was hired by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2002 and coached them to three playoff appearances, which included a Conference Finals appearance in 2004 but was fired eight games into the 2006 season. He was quickly hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets that year and coached four seasons, where he helped them reach their first Stanley Cup playoffs in 2009; he was fired the following season. He was hired to coach the St. Louis Blues in 2011, and in his first season he led them to their first division title in twelve years. They reached the Conference Finals once in 2016 but Hitchcock was fired in the middle of the 2016-17 season. Hitchcock initially retired after spending the 2017-18 season with the Stars as coach but returned to coach the last 62 games of the 2018-19 season for the Edmonton Oilers before he was let go. Hitchcock is the fourth-winningest coach in NHL history with a total of 849 victories. He was named a 2019 Order of Hockey in Canada recipient. Hitchcock was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2023.

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Tatyana Kazankina, Russian runner

Tatyana Vasilyevna Kazankina is a Russian former runner who set seven world records and won a total of three gold medals at the Olympic Games for the Soviet Union. She was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour and the title Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR in 1976. Kazankina competed for VSS Burevestnik.

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17/12/1950

Laurence F. Johnson, American educator and author

Larry Johnson is an American futurist, author, and educator. Currently, Johnson serves as the Founder and CEO of EdFutures.org, an international think tank, and as a Senior Fellow of the Center for Digital Education. From 2001 to 2016, he served as chief executive officer of the New Media Consortium an international consortium of hundreds of universities, colleges, museums, research centers, and technology companies.

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Maurice Peoples, American sprinter and coach

Maurice Peoples is an American former sprinter.

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17/12/1949

Joel Brooks, American actor

Joel Brooks is an American actor, known for his roles in Stir Crazy, My Sister Sam, Six Feet Under, The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green and Phil of the Future. Brooks also had a recurring role as a psychologist in Ally McBeal.

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Sotiris Kaiafas, Cypriot footballer

Sotirios Kaiafas is a Cypriot former footballer who is considered to be Cyprus's best footballer. He played for Omonia and the Cyprus national team. During his career at Omonia, he won the European Golden Boot (1975–76).

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Paul Rodgers, English singer-songwriter and producer

Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English singer. He was the lead vocalist of numerous successful rock bands, including Free, Bad Company, the Firm and the Law. He also has performed as a solo artist and collaborated with the remaining active members of Queen under the name Queen + Paul Rodgers, from 2004 to 2009. A poll in Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 55 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". In 2011, Rodgers received the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.

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17/12/1948

Valery Belousov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (died 2015)

Valery Konsantinovich Belousov was a Russian professional ice hockey coach and player.

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Jim Bonfanti, American rock drummer

James Alexander Bonfanti is an American rock drummer who is best known for having been a member of the band Raspberries.

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Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Turkish economist and politician

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, also referred to by his initials KK, is a Turkish politician who served as the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) from 2010 to 2023. He was Leader of the Main Opposition in Turkey between 2010 and 2023. He served as a member of parliament for Istanbul's second electoral district from 2002 to 2015, and as an MP for İzmir's second electoral district from 2015 to 2023.

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17/12/1947

Wes Studi, American actor and producer

Wesley Studi is a Cherokee actor and film producer. He has garnered critical acclaim and awards throughout his career, particularly for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. In 2019, he received an Academy Honorary Award, becoming the first Native American as well as the first Indigenous person from North America to be honored by the academy.

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17/12/1946

Simon Bates, English radio host

Simon Philip Bates is an English disc jockey and radio presenter. Between 1976 and 1993 he worked at BBC Radio 1, presenting the station's weekday mid-morning show for most of this period. He was a regular presenter of Top of the Pops from 1979 to 1988. He was the first presenter of BBC Two's Food and Drink programme in 1982.

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Eugene Levy, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter

Eugene Levy is a Canadian actor and comedian. He often plays flustered and unconventional figures. He is best known for appearing in the sketch comedy series SCTV, which aired from 1976 until 1984, and the American Pie series of films. He is a regular collaborator of actor-director Christopher Guest, appearing in and co-writing four of his films, commencing with Waiting for Guffman (1996). From 2015 to 2020, he starred as Johnny Rose in Schitt's Creek, a comedy series that he co-created with his son and co-star Dan Levy.

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17/12/1945

Ernie Hudson, American actor

Earnest Lee Hudson is an American actor. He is known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters franchise. Hudson has also acted in the films Leviathan (1989), The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), The Crow (1994), Airheads (1994), The Basketball Diaries (1995), Congo (1995), Miss Congeniality (2000), and The Ron Clark Story (2006).

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David Mallet, English director

David Victor Mark Mallet is a British director of music videos and concert films. He was one of the most prolific directors of music videos in the 1980s.

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Chris Matthews, American journalist and author

Christopher John Matthews is an American political commentator, retired talk show host, and author. Matthews hosted his weeknight hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, on America's Talking and later on MSNBC, from 1997 until 2020. He announced on his final episode that he was retiring, following an accusation that he had made inappropriate comments to a Hardball guest four years earlier.

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Jüri Talvet, Estonian poet and critic

Jüri Talvet is an Estonian poet and academic. He is the author of various literary works including poetry, criticism, and essays.

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Jacqueline Wilson, English author and academic

Dame Jacqueline Wilson is an English novelist known for her children's literature. Her novels have tackled realistic topics such as adoption and divorce. Since her debut novel in 1969, Wilson has written more than 100 books.

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17/12/1944

Jack L. Chalker, American author and educator (died 2005)

Jack Laurence Chalker was an American science fiction author. Chalker was also a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for 12 years, retiring during 1978 to write full-time. He also was a member of the Washington Science Fiction Association and was involved in the founding of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society.

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Carlo M. Croce, Italian-American oncologist and academic

Carlo Maria Croce is an Italian-American professor of medicine at Ohio State University, specializing in oncology and the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer. Croce and his research have attracted public attention because of multiple allegations of scientific misconduct.

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Bernard Hill, English actor (died 2024)

Bernard Hill was an English actor. He was known for his versatile performances in both television and film, and his career spanned over fifty years.

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17/12/1943

Ron Geesin, Scottish pianist and composer

Ronald Frederick Geesin is a Scottish musician, composer and writer known for his unusual creations and novel applications of sound. He is also well known for his collaborations with Pink Floyd and Roger Waters.

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17/12/1942

Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerian general and politician, 7th & 15th President of Nigeria (died 2025)

Muhammadu Buhari was a Nigerian general and politician who ruled as military dictator of Nigeria from 1983 to 1985, and later served as the democratically elected civilian president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023.

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Paul Butterfield, American singer and harmonica player (died 1987)

Paul Vaughn Butterfield was an American blues harmonica player, singer, and bandleader. After early training as a classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his native Chicago, where he met Muddy Waters and other blues greats, who provided encouragement and opportunities for him to join in jam sessions. He soon began performing with fellow blues enthusiasts Nick Gravenites and Elvin Bishop.

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17/12/1941

Dave Dee, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2009)

David John Harman, known professionally as Dave Dee, was an English singer-songwriter, musician, A&R manager, fundraiser and businessman. He was the frontman for the 1960s pop band Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich.

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Stan Mudenge, Zimbabwean historian and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 2012)

Isaak Stanislaus Gorerazvo Mudenge was a Zimbabwean politician who served in the government of Zimbabwe as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 2005 and as Minister of Higher Education from 2005 to 2012.

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17/12/1940

Kåre Valebrokk, Norwegian journalist (died 2013)

Kåre Valebrokk was a Norwegian journalist and television executive. He was editor-in-chief and administrative director of TV 2 from October 1999 until June 2007, when he retired. He was the father of economist and editor Per Valebrokk.

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María Elena Velasco, Mexican actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (died 2015)

María Elena Velasco Fragoso was a Mexican actress, comedian, singer-songwriter and dancer. She was known for creating and portraying La India María, a comical character based on indigenous Mexican women.

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17/12/1939

James Booker, American pianist (died 1983)

James Carroll Booker III was an American New Orleans rhythm and blues keyboardist and singer. Flamboyant in personality and style, and a pianist of extraordinary technical skill, he was dubbed "the Black Liberace."

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Eddie Kendricks, American R&B singer-songwriter (died 1992)

Edward James Kendrick, better known as Eddie Kendricks, was an American tenor singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1961 until 1971. He was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do the Things You Do", "Get Ready", and "Just My Imagination ". As a solo artist, Kendricks recorded several hits of his own during the 1970s including the number-one single "Keep On Truckin'" and the number-two single "Boogie Down."

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17/12/1938

Peter Snell, New Zealand runner (died 2019)

Sir Peter George Snell was a New Zealand middle-distance runner. He won three Olympic gold medals, and is the only man since 1920 to have won the 800 and 1500 metres at the same Olympics, in 1964.

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17/12/1937

Brian Hayes, Australian-English radio host (died 2025)

Brian Hayes was an Australian-British radio presenter who was known in the United Kingdom for his phone-in shows. He worked as a presenter on Capital Radio, LBC and BBC.

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Art Neville, American singer and keyboard player (died 2019)

Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans.

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Kerry Packer, Australian businessman, founded World Series Cricket (died 2005)

Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer was an Australian media tycoon, and was considered one of Australia's most powerful media proprietors of the twentieth century. The Packer family company owned a controlling interest in both the Nine Network and the publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later merged to form Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL). Outside Australia, Packer was best known for founding World Series Cricket. At the time of his death, he was the richest and one of the most influential men in Australia. In 2004, Business Review Weekly magazine estimated Packer's net worth at A$6.5 billion.

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John Kennedy Toole, American novelist (died 1969)

John Kennedy Toole was an American novelist from New Orleans, Louisiana, whose posthumously published novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. At 16 in 1954, he wrote his first novel, The Neon Bible, which he shelved in the same year, not finding a willing publisher; he later dismissed it as "adolescent". Toole was a successful and popular professor, first at University of Southwestern Louisiana, then Hunter College, and finally St. Mary's Dominican College in New Orleans. Having persuaded Simon & Schuster to accept A Confederacy of Dunces, he was unable to resolve editorial disputes. Due in part to the novel's failure, he suffered from paranoia and depression, dying by suicide at the age of 31.

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Calvin Waller, American general (died 1996)

Calvin Augustine Hoffman Waller was a United States Army lieutenant general.

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17/12/1936

Pope Francis, Argentinian Pope of the Catholic Church (died 2025)

Pope Francis was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 13 March 2013 until his death in 2025. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin American, and the first pope born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III.

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Tommy Steele, English singer, guitarist, and actor

Sir Thomas Hicks, known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.

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17/12/1935

Brian Langford, English cricketer (died 2013)

Brian Anthony Langford was an English first-class cricketer who played as an off-spin bowler for Somerset. He captained the county from 1969 until 1971 and his career tally of 1,390 wickets ranks him third in the county's history, behind only Jack White and Arthur Wellard.

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Cal Ripken Sr., American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 1999)

Calvin Edwin Ripken was an American professional baseball player, scout, coach and manager who spent 36 years in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He played in the Orioles' farm system beginning in 1957, and later served as coach and manager of the parent club, on which his sons Cal Jr. and Billy played.

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17/12/1934

Irving Petlin, American painter and academic (died 2018)

Irving Petlin was an American artist and painter renowned for his mastery of the pastel medium and collaborations with other artists and for his work in the "series form" in which he employed the raw materials of pastel, oil paint and unprimed linen, and found inspiration in the work of writers and poets including Primo Levi, Bruno Schulz, Paul Celan, Michael Palmer and Edmond Jabès.

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Ray Wilson, English footballer and manager (died 2018)

Ramon Wilson was an English professional footballer who played as a left-back. He was a member of the England national team that won the 1966 World Cup.

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17/12/1932

John Bond, English footballer and manager (died 2012)

John Frederick Bond was an English professional football player and manager. He played from 1950 until 1966 for West Ham United, making 444 appearances in all competitions and scoring 37 goals. He was a member of the West Ham side which won the 1957–58 Second Division and the 1964 FA Cup. He also played for Torquay United until 1969. He managed seven different Football League clubs, and was the manager of the Norwich City side which made the 1975 Football League Cup Final and the Manchester City side which made the 1981 FA Cup Final. He is the father of Kevin Bond, a former footballer and coach.

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17/12/1931

Gerald Finnerman, American director and cinematographer (died 2011)

Gerald Perry Finnerman was an American cinematographer who worked on TV series such as Moonlighting and the original Star Trek. He served as vice president of the American Society of Cinematographers, and won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography in Entertainment Programming for a Special.

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Dave Madden, Canadian-American actor (died 2014)

David Joseph Madden was a Canadian-born American actor. His most famous role came on the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family, in which he played the group's manager, Reuben Kincaid, opposite Shirley Jones's character. Madden later had a recurring role as diner customer Earl Hicks on the mid-1970s to mid-1980s sitcom Alice.

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James McGaugh, American neurobiologist and psychologist

James L. McGaugh is an American neurobiologist and author working in the field of learning and memory. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine and a fellow and founding director of the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory.

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17/12/1930

Bob Guccione, American photographer and publisher, founded Penthouse (died 2010)

Robert Charles Joseph Edward Sabatini Guccione was an American visual artist, photographer and publisher. He founded the adult magazine Penthouse in 1965. This was aimed at competing with Playboy, but with more explicit erotic content, a special style of soft focus photography, and in-depth reporting of government corruption scandals and the art world. By 1982 Guccione was listed in the Forbes 400 wealth list, and owned one of the biggest mansions in Manhattan. However, he made some extravagant investments that failed, and the growth of free online pornography in the 1990s greatly diminished his market. In 2003, Guccione's publishers filed for bankruptcy and he resigned as chairman.

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Armin Mueller-Stahl, German actor and painter

Armin Mueller-Stahl is a German retired actor who appeared in numerous English-language films starting in the 1980s. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Shine. In 2011, he was awarded the Honorary Golden Bear.

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Dorothy Rowe, Australian psychologist and author (died 2019)

Dorothy Rowe was an Australian-British psychologist and author, whose area of interest was depression.

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17/12/1929

William Safire, American journalist and author (died 2009)

William Lewis Safire was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He was a long-time syndicated political columnist for The New York Times and wrote the "On Language" column in The New York Times Magazine about popular etymology, new or unusual usages, and other language-related topics.

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17/12/1928

Marilyn Beck, American journalist (died 2014)

Marilyn Beck was a syndicated Hollywood columnist and author.

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Eli Beeding, American captain and pilot (died 2013)

Eli Lackland Beeding Jr. was a U.S. Air Force captain and rocket test subject. In 1958, a series experiments using a miniature rocket sled began at Holloman AFB under the supervision of Colonel John Stapp and Captain Beeding. Participants rode the "Daisy Sled" at various speeds and in many different positions—even head first—in an attempt to learn more about the g-force limits of the human body.

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Doyle Conner, American farmer and politician, seventh Florida Commissioner of Agriculture (died 2012)

Doyle Edward Conner Sr. was an American politician. He served as Florida Commissioner of Agriculture for 30 years, and also served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. He was born in 1928 in Starke, Florida.

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17/12/1927

Richard Long, American actor and director (died 1974)

Richard McCord Long was an American actor best known for his leading roles in three ABC television series, The Big Valley, Nanny and the Professor, and Bourbon Street Beat. He was also a series regular on ABC's 77 Sunset Strip during the 1961–1962 season.

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Edward Meneeley, American painter and sculptor (died 2012)

Edward Meneeley was an American artist who created paintings, sculptures, and prints.

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17/12/1926

Ray Jablonski, American baseball player (died 1985)

Raymond Leo Jablonski was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for all or parts of eight MLB seasons between 1953 and 1960. A 1954 National League All-Star, Jablonski appeared in 812 games for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Redlegs, New York / San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Athletics. The native of Chicago, Illinois, threw and batted right-handed and was listed as 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg).

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John Hans Krebs, American lawyer and politician (died 2014)

John Hans Krebs was an Israeli-American politician and attorney who served two terms as a U.S. Representative for California's 17th congressional district from 1975 to 1979.

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Stephen Lewis, English actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright (died 2015)

Stephen Lewis, credited early in his career as Stephen Cato, was an English actor, comedian, director, screenwriter, and playwright. He is best known for his roles as Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake in On the Buses, Clem "Smiler" Hemmingway in Last of the Summer Wine and Harry Lambert in Oh, Doctor Beeching!, although he also appeared in numerous stage and film roles.

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17/12/1925

Calvin Tomkins, American author and art critic

Calvin Tomkins II was an American author and art critic for The New Yorker magazine.

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17/12/1923

Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian and scholar (died 2006)

Jaroslav Jan Pelikan Jr. was an American scholar of the history of Christianity, Christian theology, and medieval intellectual history at Yale University.

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17/12/1922

Alan Voorhees, American engineer and academic (died 2005)

Alan Manners Voorhees was an American transportation engineer and urban planner who designed many large public works in the United States and elsewhere.

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17/12/1921

Lore Berger, German-Swiss author and translator (died 1943)

Lore Berger was a Swiss writer who committed suicide at the age of 21.

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17/12/1920

Kenneth E. Iverson, Canadian computer scientist, developed the APL programming language (died 2004)

Kenneth Eugene Iverson was a Canadian computer scientist noted for the development of the programming language APL. He was honored with the Turing Award in 1979 "for his pioneering effort in programming languages and mathematical notation resulting in what the computing field now knows as APL; for his contributions to the implementation of interactive systems, to educational uses of APL, and to programming language theory and practice".

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17/12/1917

Kenneth Dike, Nigerian historian, author, and academic (died 1983)

Kenneth Onwuka Dike was a Nigerian educationist, historian and the first Nigerian vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan.

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17/12/1916

Penelope Fitzgerald, English author and poet (died 2000)

Penelope Mary Fitzgerald was a Booker Prize-winning novelist, poet, essayist and biographer from Lincoln, England. In 2008 The Times listed her among "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945". The Observer in 2012 placed her final novel, The Blue Flower, among "the ten best historical novels". A.S. Byatt called her, "Jane Austen’s nearest heir for precision and invention."

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17/12/1914

Mushtaq Ali, Indian cricketer (died 2005)

Syed Mushtaq Ali was an Indian cricketer, a right-handed opening batsman who holds the distinction of scoring the first overseas Test century by an Indian player when he scored 112 against England at Old Trafford in 1936. Mushtaq Ali was noted for his graceful batting style and a flair which often cost him his wicket by being over-adventurous too soon in an innings. He received the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995, the highest honour bestowed by the BCCI on a former player. He batted right-handed and bowled slow left-arm orthodox spin. He bowled frequently enough in domestic matches to be classified as an all-rounder but only occasionally in Test matches.

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Fernando Alonso, Cuban ballet dancer, co-founded the Cuban National Ballet (died 2013)

Fernando Alonso was a Cuban ballet dancer. He is a co-founder of the Cuban National Ballet and was part of the American Ballet Theatre company between 1940 until 1948. He received the Prix Benois de la Danse for lifetime achievement in 2008.

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17/12/1913

Burt Baskin, American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (died 1967)

Burton Leo Baskin was an American businessman who co-founded the Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor chain in 1946 with business partner and brother-in-law Irv Robbins.

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17/12/1912

Edward Short, Baron Glenamara, English captain and politician, Lord President of the Council (died 2012)

Edward Watson Short, Baron Glenamara, was a British Labour Party politician and deputy leader of the Labour Party. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and served as a minister during the Labour governments under Harold Wilson, before being appointed to the House of Lords shortly after James Callaghan became Prime Minister.

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17/12/1910

Eknath Easwaran, Indian-American educator and author (died 1999)

Eknath Easwaran was an Indian-born spiritual teacher, author, and translator and interpreter of Indian religious texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads.

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Sy Oliver, American singer-songwriter and trumpet player (died 1988)

Melvin James "Sy" Oliver was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader.

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17/12/1908

Willard Libby, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1980)

Willard Frank Libby was an American physical chemist noted for his role in the 1949 development of radiocarbon dating, a process which revolutionized archaeology and palaeontology. For his contributions to the team that developed this process, Libby was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1960.

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17/12/1906

Fernando Lopes-Graça, Portuguese composer and conductor (died 1994)

Fernando Lopes-Graça was a Portuguese composer, conductor and musicologist. Lopes-Graça was born in Tomar, and was influenced by Portuguese popular music, which he also studied, continuing the work of the composer and musicologist Francisco de Lacerda. He was a member of the Portuguese Communist Party and strenuously opposed the Estado Novo and its leader António de Oliveira Salazar. He completed the Dicionário de Música, started by his teacher, Tomás Borba, himself a composer. He died in Parede, near Cascais.

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Russell C. Newhouse, American pilot and engineer (died 1998)

Russell Conwell Newhouse (1906–1998) made many contributions to the advancement of aviation in a distinguished career running from the late 1920s into the 1970s. He was the Director of the Radar Laboratory for the Bell Telephone Laboratories from 1958 to 1968.

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17/12/1905

Simo Häyhä, Finnish soldier and sniper (died 2002)

Simo Häyhä, often referred to by his nickname The White Death, was a Finnish military sniper during the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union in World War II. He used a Finnish-produced M/28-30 rifle and a Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun. Häyhä is believed to have killed more than 500 enemy soldiers during the conflict, the highest number of sniper kills in any major war. Consequently, he is generally regarded as the deadliest sniper in history.

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Mohammad Hidayatullah, 11th Chief Justice of India, and politician, sixth Vice President of India (died 1992)

Mohammad Hidayatullah, OBE was an Indian jurist and statesman who served as interim President of India in 1969. He concurrently served as Chief Justice of India from 1968 to 1970 and then as Vice President of India from 1979 to 1984.

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Erico Verissimo, Brazilian author and translator (died 1975)

Érico Lopes Veríssimo was an important Brazilian writer, born in the State of Rio Grande do Sul.

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17/12/1904

Paul Cadmus, American painter and illustrator (died 1999)

Paul Cadmus was an American artist widely known for his egg tempera paintings of gritty social interactions in urban settings. He also produced many highly finished drawings of single nude male figures. His paintings combine elements of eroticism and social critique in a style often called magic realism.

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17/12/1903

Erskine Caldwell, American novelist and short story writer (died 1987)

Erskine Preston Caldwell was an American novelist and short story writer. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native Southern United States, in novels such as Tobacco Road (1932) and God's Little Acre (1933), won him critical acclaim.

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Ray Noble, English bandleader, composer, and actor (died 1978)

Raymond Stanley Noble was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United States. He is best known for his signature tune, "The Very Thought of You", and for "Cherokee".

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17/12/1900

Mary Cartwright, English mathematician and academic, one of the first people to analyze a dynamical system with chaos (died 1998)

Dame Mary Lucy Cartwright was a British mathematician. She was one of the pioneers of what would later become known as chaos theory. Along with J. E. Littlewood, Cartwright saw many solutions to a problem which would later be seen as an example of the butterfly effect.

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17/12/1898

Loren Murchison, American sprinter (died 1979)

Loren C. Murchison was an American athlete, double gold medal winner in 4 × 100 m relay at the Olympic Games.

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17/12/1895

Gerald Patterson, Australian tennis player (died 1967)

Gerald Leighton Patterson MC was an Australian tennis player.

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17/12/1894

Arthur Fiedler, American conductor (died 1979)

Arthur Fiedler was an American conductor known for his association with both the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the United States. Fiedler was sometimes criticized for over-popularizing music, particularly when adapting popular songs or editing portions of the classical repertoire, but he kept performances informal and sometimes self-mocking to attract a bigger audience.

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Patrick Flynn, Irish-American runner and soldier (died 1969)

Patrick J. Flynn was an accomplished Irish American athlete, an Olympic silver medalist and a war veteran.

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Wim Schermerhorn, Dutch cartographer, engineer, and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (died 1977)

Willem "Wim" Schermerhorn was a Dutch politician who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 25 June 1945 until 3 July 1946. He was a member of the Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) and later co-founder of the Labour Party (PvdA). According to Harry W. Laidler, the government under Schermerhorn's premiership "achieved important results in the fields of labor, finance, housing, old age pensions, and the social services".

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17/12/1893

Charles C. Banks, English captain and pilot (died 1971)

Captain Charles Chaplin Banks was a World War I flying ace credited with thirteen aerial victories. He scored a pioneering night fighter victory on 31 May 1918, when he shot down a German Friedrichshafen G bomber.

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Erwin Piscator, German director and producer (died 1966)

Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator was a German theatre director and producer. Along with Bertolt Brecht, he was the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio-political content of drama, rather than its emotional manipulation of the audience or the production's formal beauty.

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17/12/1892

Sam Barry, American basketball player and coach (died 1950)

Justin McCarthy "Sam" Barry was an American collegiate coach who achieved significant accomplishments in three major sports - football, baseball, and basketball. He remains one of only three coaches to lead teams to both the Final Four and the College World Series. Barry, and four of his USC players, have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as coaches; Sharman was also inducted as a player.

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17/12/1890

Prince Joachim of Prussia (died 1920)

Prince Joachim Franz Humbert of Prussia was the youngest son and sixth child of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, by his first wife, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He died by suicide at age 29. Prince Joachim was educated as an officer and participated in the First World War. During the war, he was considered a candidate for several newly established monarchies in Europe.

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17/12/1887

Josef Lada, Czech painter and illustrator (died 1957)

Josef Lada was a Czech painter, illustrator, cartoonist and writer. He was pioneer of the Czech comicbook tradition and founder of the "Czech modern fairytale" genre. He is considered one of the greatest Czech artists of all times – which is also what the artist Pablo Picasso had claimed him to be. He is best known for his children's books and as the illustrator of Jaroslav Hašek's World War I novel The Good Soldier Švejk. He's an author of over 15,000 illustrations and more than 600 paintings. The main themes and motives of his work include the following: home village Hrusice, water goblins and sprites, night watchmen, pub fights and the traditional pig-slaughter.

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17/12/1884

Alison Uttley, English children's book writer (died 1976)

Alison Jane Uttley was an English writer of over 100 books. She is best known for a children's series about Little Grey Rabbit and Sam Pig. She is also remembered for a pioneering time slip novel for children, A Traveller in Time, about the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots.

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17/12/1881

Aubrey Faulkner, South African-English cricketer and coach (died 1930)

George Aubrey Faulkner was a South African cricketer who played 25 Test matches for South Africa and fought in both the Second Boer War and World War I. In cricket, he was an all-rounder who was among the best batsmen in the world at his peak and was one of the first leg spin bowlers to use the googly.

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17/12/1874

William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canadian economist and politician, tenth Prime Minister of Canada (died 1950)

William Lyon Mackenzie King was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal, he was the dominant politician in Canada from the early 1920s to the late 1940s. With a total of 21 years and 154 days in office, he remains the longest-serving prime minister in Canadian history.

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17/12/1873

Ford Madox Ford, English novelist, poet, and critic (died 1939)

Ford Madox Ford was an English novelist, poet, critic and editor whose journals The English Review and The Transatlantic Review were important in the development of early 20th-century English and American literature.

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17/12/1866

Kazys Grinius, Lithuanian physician and politician, third President of Lithuania (died 1950)

Kazys Grinius was the third President of Lithuania, holding the office from 7 June 1926 to 17 December 1926. Previously, he had served as the fifth Prime Minister of Lithuania, from 19 June 1920 until his resignation on 18 January 1922. He was posthumously awarded the Lithuanian Life Saving Cross for saving people during the Holocaust and was recognised as a Righteous Among the Nations in 2016.

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17/12/1859

Paul César Helleu, French painter and illustrator (died 1927)

Paul César Helleu was a French oil painter, pastel artist, drypoint etcher, and designer, best known for his numerous portraits of beautiful society women of the Belle Époque. He also conceived the ceiling mural of night sky constellations for Grand Central Terminal in New York City. He was also the father of Jean Helleu and the grandfather of Jacques Helleu, both artistic directors for Parfums Chanel.

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17/12/1858

Eva Nansen, Norwegian mezzo-soprano singer and pioneer on women's skiing (died 1907)

Eva Helene Nansen was a celebrated Norwegian mezzo-soprano singer. She was also a pioneer of women's skiing.

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17/12/1853

Pierre Paul Émile Roux, French physician and immunologist, co-founded the Pasteur Institute (died 1933)

Pierre Paul Émile Roux FRS was a French physician, bacteriologist and immunologist. Roux was one of the closest collaborators of Louis Pasteur (1822–1895), a co-founder of the Pasteur Institute, and responsible for the institute's production of the anti-diphtheria serum, the first effective therapy for this disease. Additionally, he investigated cholera, chicken-cholera, rabies, and tuberculosis. Roux is regarded as a founder of the field of immunology.

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17/12/1847

Émile Faguet, French author and critic (died 1916)

Auguste Émile Faguet was a French author and literary critic.

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17/12/1842

Sophus Lie, Norwegian mathematician and academic (died 1899)

Marius Sophus Lie was a Norwegian mathematician. He largely created the theory of continuous symmetry and applied it to the study of geometry and differential equations. He also made substantial contributions to the development of algebra.

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17/12/1840

Nozu Michitsura, Japanese field marshal (died 1908)

Field Marshal Marquess Nozu Michitsura was a Japanese field marshal and leading figure in the early Imperial Japanese Army.

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17/12/1835

Alexander Emanuel Agassiz, Swiss-American ichthyologist and engineer (died 1910)

Alexander Emmanuel Rodolphe Agassiz, was an American scientist and engineer. He was the son of Louis Agassiz and stepson of Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz.

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17/12/1830

Jules de Goncourt, French author and critic (died 1870)

Jules Alfred Huot de Goncourt was a French writer, who published books together with his brother Edmond. Jules was born and died in Paris. His death at the age of 39 was at Auteuil of a stroke brought on by syphilis.

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17/12/1827

Alexander Wassilko von Serecki, Austrian lawyer and politician (died 1893)

Freiherr Alexander Wassilko von Serecki was an Austro-Hungarian ethnic Romanian statesman, Landeshauptmann of the Duchy of Bukovina and member of the Herrenhaus, the Upper House of the Imperial Council of Austria.

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17/12/1812

Vilhelm Petersen, Danish painter (died 1880)

Vilhelm Peter Carl Petersen was a Danish landscape painter. He was one of the first Danish landscape painters to work on Bornholm and in the moorlands of Jutland. Small fishing villages were especially attractive to him.

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17/12/1807

John Greenleaf Whittier, American poet and activist (died 1892)

John Greenleaf Whittier was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Whittier is remembered particularly for his anti-slavery writings, as well as his 1866 book Snow-Bound.

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17/12/1798

Wilhelmine von Wrochem, German flutist, singer and actress (died 1839)

Wilhelmine von Wrochem was a German flutist, soprano opera singer and stage actress.

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17/12/1797

Joseph Henry, American physicist and engineer (died 1878)

Joseph Henry was an American physicist and inventor who served as the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He was the secretary for the National Institute for the Promotion of Science, a precursor of the Smithsonian Institution. He also served as president of the National Academy of Sciences from 1868 to 1878.

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17/12/1796

Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Canadian judge and politician (died 1865)

Thomas Chandler Haliburton was a Nova Scotia-born judge, author, novelist, and Conservative MP in Britain. He was the first internationally bestselling fiction author from what is now Canada.

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17/12/1778

Humphry Davy, English chemist and physicist (died 1829)

Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and an early form of arc lamp. He is also remembered for isolating, by using electricity, several elements for the first time: potassium and sodium in 1807 and calcium, strontium, barium, magnesium and boron the following year, as well as for discovering the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine. Davy also studied the forces involved in these separations, inventing the new field of electrochemistry. He is credited with discovering clathrate hydrates. In 1799, he experimented with nitrous oxide and was astonished at how it made him laugh. He nicknamed it "laughing gas" and wrote about its potential as an anaesthetic to relieve pain during surgery. Davy was a baronet, President of the Royal Society (PRS), Member of the Royal Irish Academy (MRIA), a founder member and Fellow of the Geological Society of London, a member of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, and a member of the American Philosophical Society. Berzelius called Davy's 1806 Bakerian Lecture "On Some Chemical Agencies of Electricity" "one of the best memoirs which has ever enriched the theory of chemistry."

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17/12/1749

Domenico Cimarosa, Italian composer and educator (died 1801)

Domenico Cimarosa was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan School and of the Classical period. He wrote more than eighty operas, the best known of which is Il matrimonio segreto (1792); most of his operas are comedies. He also wrote instrumental works and church music.

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17/12/1734

Maria I of Portugal (died 1816)

Dona Maria I, also known as Maria the Pious in Portugal and Maria the Mad in Brazil, was Queen of Portugal from 24 February 1777 until her death in 1816. Maria was the first undisputed queen regnant of Portugal and the first monarch of Brazil.

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17/12/1706

Émilie du Châtelet, French mathematician and physicist (died 1749)

Gabrielle Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet was a French mathematician and physicist.

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17/12/1699

Charles-Louis Mion, French composer and educator (died 1775)

Charles-Louis Mion was a French composer of the Baroque era. He was the grand-nephew of Michel Richard Delalande who also taught him music. Between 1710 and 1718 he was a choirboy at the Sainte-Chapelle du Palais. Later in life he became music teacher to his patroness Madame de Pompadour. In 1755 he was appointed master of music to Les Enfants de France. He wrote motets and operas, one of which earned him a royal pension of 2,000 livres.

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17/12/1685

Thomas Tickell, English poet (died 1740)

Thomas Tickell was a minor English poet and man of letters.

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17/12/1632

Anthony Wood, English historian and author (died 1695)

Anthony Wood, who styled himself Anthony à Wood in his later writings, was an English antiquary. He was responsible for a celebrated Hist. and Antiq. of the Universitie of Oxon.

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17/12/1619

Prince Rupert of the Rhine (died 1682)

Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland was an English–German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to prominence as a Royalist cavalry commander during the English Civil War. Rupert was the third son of the German Prince Frederick V of the Palatinate and Elizabeth, eldest daughter of King James VI and I of Scotland and England respectively.

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17/12/1616

Roger L'Estrange, English pamphleteer and author (died 1704)

Sir Roger L'Estrange was an English pamphleteer, author, courtier and press censor. Throughout his life L'Estrange was frequently mired in controversy and acted as a staunch ideological defender of King Charles II's regime during the Restoration era. His works played a key role in the emergence of a distinct 'Tory' bloc during the Exclusion Crisis of 1679–81. Perhaps his best known polemical pamphlet was An Account of the Growth of Knavery, which ruthlessly attacked the parliamentary opposition to Charles II and his successor James, Duke of York, placing them as fanatics who misused contemporary popular anti-Catholic sentiment to attack the Restoration court and the existing social order in order to pursue their own political ends. Following the Exclusion Crisis and the failure of the nascent Whig faction to disinherit James, Duke of York in favour of Charles II's illegitimate son James, 1st Duke of Monmouth, L'Estrange used his newspaper The Observator to harangue his opponents and act as a voice for a popular provincial Toryism during the 'Tory Reaction' of 1681–85. Despite serving as an MP from 1685 to 1689 his stock fell under James II's reign as his staunch hostility to religious nonconformism conflicted with James's goals of religious tolerance for both Catholics and Nonconformists. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the collapse of the Restoration political order heralded the end of L'Estrange's career in public life, although his greatest translation work, that of Aesop's Fables, saw publication in 1692.

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17/12/1574

Pedro Téllez-Girón, 3rd Duke of Osuna, Spanish nobleman and politician (died 1624)

Pedro Téllez-Girón, 3rd Duke of Osuna was a Spanish nobleman and politician. He was the 2nd Marquis of Peñafiel, 7th Count of Ureña, Spanish Viceroy of Sicily (1611–1616), Viceroy of Naples (1616–1620), a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece since 1608, Grandee of Spain, member of the Spanish Supreme Council of War, and the subject of several poems by his friend, counselor and assistant, Francisco de Quevedo.

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17/12/1556

Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana, poet in Mughal Empire (died 1627)

Khanzada Mirza Khan Abdul Rahim, popularly known as simply Rahim and titled Khan-i-Khanan, was a poet who lived in India during the rule of Mughal emperor Akbar, who was Rahim's mentor. He was one of the nine important ministers (dewan) in Akbar's court, known as the Navaratnas. Rahim was known for his Hindustani dohe (couplets) and his books on astrology.

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17/12/1554

Ernest of Bavaria, Roman Catholic bishop (died 1612)

Wittelsbach-Hapsburg aristocrat Ernest of Bavaria was Prince-Elector-Archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne and, as such, Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire and Duke of Westphalia, from 1583 to 1612 as successor of the expelled Archbishop Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg.

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17/12/1267

Emperor Go-Uda of Japan (died 1324)

Emperor Go-Uda was the 91st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1274 through 1287.

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17/12/1239

Kujō Yoritsugu, Japanese shōgun (died 1256)

Kujō Yoritsugu , also known as Fujiwara no Yoritsugu , was the fifth shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. His father was the 4th Kamakura shōgun, Kujō Yoritsune.

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