Born on Friday, 19th December – Famous Birthdays

19/12/1998

King Princess, American singer-songwriter and musician

Mikaela Mullaney Straus, known professionally as King Princess, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actor from Brooklyn, New York. She was signed to Mark Ronson's label Zelig Records, an imprint of Columbia Records. In February 2018, she released her debut single "1950", from her debut extended play (EP) Make My Bed, released later that year. The song was a commercial success, charting in multiple territories, and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her second single, "Talia", was certified gold in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). King Princess released her debut studio album Cheap Queen in 2019 to widespread critical acclaim. She left Zelig Records before the release of her 2025 album Girl Violence, which was released by Section1. She made her acting debut in the 2025 show Nine Perfect Strangers.

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19/12/1997

Gabriel Magalhães, Brazilian footballer

Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães, also simply known as Gabriel, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as centre-back for Premier League club Arsenal and the Brazil national team. Known for his strength, aggression, tackling and aerial threat, he is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world.

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Fikayo Tomori, English footballer

Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola "Fikayo" Tomori is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club AC Milan. Born in Canada, he represents the England national team.

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19/12/1996

Franck Kessié, Ivorian footballer

Franck Yannick Kessié is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and the Ivory Coast national team.

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19/12/1994

Maudy Ayunda, Indonesian actress and singer-songwriter

Ayunda Faza Maudya, commonly known as Maudy Ayunda is an Indonesian actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author.

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M'Baye Niang, French footballer

M'Baye Hamady Niang is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Gençlerbirliği. Born in France, he represented Senegal at international level.

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19/12/1993

Young K, South Korean singer-songwriter

Kang Young-hyun, known professionally as Young K (영케이), is a South Korean musician, singer, songwriter, and rapper. He is best known as the bassist and vocalist of South Korean pop rock band Day6.

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Isiah Koech, Kenyan runner

Isiah Kiplangat Koech is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the 5000 metres.

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19/12/1992

Iker Muniain, Spanish footballer

Iker Muniain Goñi is a Spanish former professional footballer who played mainly as a winger but also as a forward. He is the manager of Tercera Federación club Derio.

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Raphael Spiegel, Swiss footballer

Raphael Simon Spiegel is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper who currently plays for Oakland Roots in the USL Championship.

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19/12/1991

Steven Berghuis, Dutch footballer

Steven Berghuis is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Netherlands national team.

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Declan Galbraith, English singer-songwriter

Declan John Galbraith is a British singer and songwriter. He became known in 2002 with the release of the single "Tell Me Why", which peaked at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart and helped break the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest simultaneous sing-along. Galbraith later found success in Europe and China, where his music was used in schools to support English language learning. Since 2017, he has released music independently under the stage name Child of Mind.

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Josh Huestis, American basketball player

Joshua Sutton Huestis is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Stanford University.

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Keiynan Lonsdale, Australian actor, singer-songwriter, and dancer

Keiynan Lonsdale is an Australian actor, dancer, and singer-songwriter. He is known for roles such as Oliver Lloyd in the ABC series Dance Academy (2012–2013), Wally West / Kid Flash in the CW series The Flash (2015–2023) and Legends of Tomorrow (2017–2018), and Abraham "Bram" Greenfeld in the film Love, Simon (2018). His other films include The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015) and The Finest Hours (2016). Lonsdale has also worked as an MTV VJ and released original music recordings, including a studio album in 2020.

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Sumire Uesaka, Japanese voice actress and singer

Sumire Uesaka is a Japanese voice actress and singer associated with Voice Kit. She first began her career as a junior model in 2000, appearing in various commercials. In 2011, she transitioned into voice acting. She won the Best Rookie Actress at the 10th Seiyu Awards. In addition to voice acting, Uesaka began a music career in April 2013 under King Records under the King Amusement Creative label.

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19/12/1990

Greg Bretz, American snowboarder

Gregory Bretz is an American professional snowboarder and two-time Olympian. He also won the FIS Snowboard World Cup for halfpipe in 2008 and finished first in the Dew Tour over Shaun White in 2013.

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Torrey Craig, American basketball player

Torrey Craig is an American professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the USC Upstate Spartans, where he was named an honorable mention All-American and Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year in 2012.

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19/12/1989

Yong Jun-hyung, South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and producer

Yong Jun-hyung, known mononymously as Junhyung, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Junhyung rose to fame as a member of South Korean boy band Highlight, formed in 2009. He departed from Highlight in 2019, amidst a controversy where he admitted to having watched a video of singer Jung Joon-young making out with a woman, which was filmed with consent but shared without.

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Michał Masłowski, Polish footballer

Michał Adam Masłowski is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. On 18 January 2014, he made his debut for the Poland national team in a friendly against Norway.

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Kousei Miura, Japanese jockey

Kousei Miura is a Japanese jockey who is affiliated with the Japan Racing Association. He won the 2008 JRA Award for Newcomer Jockey with the Most Victories after winning 91 races in a single year as a rookie jockey, surpassing Yutaka Take's previous record of 69 victories.

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Hamza Riazuddin, English cricketer

Hamza Riazuddin is an English former cricketer.

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19/12/1988

Alexis Sánchez, Chilean footballer

Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez, also known mononymously as Alexis, is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a winger or a striker for La Liga club Sevilla and the Chile national team. He is regarded as one of best forwards of his generation and one of the greatest Chilean players of all time.

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Peter Winn, English footballer

Peter Harry Winn is an English former professional footballer. Primarily a winger earlier in his career, he was also deployed at full-back.

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19/12/1987

Cédric Baseya, French-Congolese footballer

Cédric Baseya is a former professional footballer who played as a forward. Born in France, he made one appearance for the DR Congo U20 national team.

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Karim Benzema, French footballer

Karim Mostafa Benzema is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal. Regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time, Benzema is a creative forward known for his technical skills, vision and versatility on the field. He won 25 trophies with Real Madrid, including four La Liga, three Copa del Rey, and five UEFA Champions League titles. He has scored over 500 career goals for club and country, and is Real Madrid's second-highest goalscorer after Cristiano Ronaldo and third-highest assist provider after Míchel and Paco Gento. In the Champions League, he is both the all-time French top goalscorer (90) and assist provider (29). He is also one of the few players in football history with 1,000 or more official appearances.

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Ronan Farrow, American activist, journalist, and lawyer

Satchel Ronan O'Sullivan Farrow is an American journalist. The son of actress Mia Farrow and filmmaker Woody Allen, he is known for his investigative reporting on sexual abuse allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein, which was published in The New Yorker magazine. The magazine won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for this reporting, sharing the award with The New York Times. Farrow has worked for UNICEF and as a government advisor.

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19/12/1986

Calvin Andrew, English footballer

Calvin Hyden Andrew is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.

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Lauren Boebert, American politician

Lauren Opal Boebert is an American politician, businesswoman, and gun rights activist serving as the U.S. representative for Colorado's 4th congressional district beginning in 2025, having previously represented Colorado's 3rd congressional district from 2021 to 2025. From 2013 to 2022, she owned Shooters Grill, a restaurant in Rifle, Colorado, where staff members were encouraged to carry firearms openly.

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Ryan Babel, Dutch footballer

Ryan Guno Babel is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a forward.

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Ingrid Burley, American rapper and songwriter

Ingrid Burley, known professionally as Ingrid, is an American singer, rapper and songwriter. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Burley's mother was close to Tina Knowles and Mathew Knowles, who signed Burley to his record label, Music World, when she was an upcoming rap artist. She began her career at age 11, as part of Trio, which was managed by Knowles.

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Lazaros Christodoulopoulos, Greek footballer

Lazaros Christodoulopoulos, known mononymously as Lazaros due to his long surname, is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a winger.

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Zuzana Hejnová, Czech hurdler

Zuzana Hejnová is a Czech retired athlete who specialised in the 400 metres hurdles. She won the silver medal in the event at the 2012 London Olympics. Hejnová is a two-time World Champion, having claimed titles at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships in Athletics. She won bronze at the 2012 European Championships and silver for the 400 metres at the 2017 European Indoor Championships.

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Miguel Lopes, Portuguese footballer

Hugo Miguel Almeida Costa Lopes is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Liga 3 club Amora.

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Annie Murphy, Canadian actress

Anne Frances Murphy is a Canadian actress. She rose to prominence for her starring role as Alexis Rose in the sitcom Schitt's Creek (2015–2020), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe Award and two Critics' Choice Television Awards.

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19/12/1985

Andrea Baldini, Italian fencer

Andrea Baldini is an Italian foil fencer, several-time European and World champion and team Olympic champion in 2012. He is the only foil fencer in history to have obtained four golds and the final victory in the World Cup in the same season.

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Gary Cahill, English footballer

Gary James Cahill is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

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Neil Kilkenny, English-Australian footballer

Neil Martin Kilkenny is a former professional footballer. A midfielder, he began his career in the youth system at Arsenal, and went on to play league football for Oldham Athletic, Birmingham City, Leeds United, Bristol City, Preston North End, Melbourne City, Perth Glory, Western United, and Sorrento.

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Sally Kipyego, Kenyan runner

Sally Jepkosgei Kipyego is a Kenyan-born American long- and middle-distance runner. She was the silver medalist in the 10,000 metres at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and the silver medalist in the same race at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She has a personal record of 30:38.35 minutes for that event and her 5000 metres best of 14:30.42 minutes makes her the second fastest Kenyan woman for the distance.

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Dan Logan, English bass player

Dan Logan is an English musician. Formerly the bassist of Cat the Dog, he recorded and toured with The Kooks and played double bass for Brighton alt/blues band Sweet Sweet Lies as well as singing and playing all instruments in rock-a-billy side band Logan And The Faithfuls collaborating with various musicians. After a brief spell with The Lyrebirds he was bassist for a reformed The Ordinary Boys, and tech for The Maccabees. Since 2014, Logan has played bass and sung backing vocals for Chrissie Hynde. During COVID-19, he retired from music to work in finance and UK politics.

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Lady Sovereign, English rapper

Louise Amanda Harman better known by the stage name Lady Sovereign, is a British rapper, best known for the songs "9 to 5" and "Love Me or Hate Me". She was signed to Def Jam in 2005 by Jay-Z.

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19/12/1984

Ian Kennedy, American baseball player

Ian Patrick Kennedy is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Between 2007 and 2023, he played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

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19/12/1983

Nektarios Alexandrou, Cypriot footballer

Nektarios Alexandrou is a Greek Cypriot former professional footballer. He was a left flank specialist, but he primarily played as the left winger.

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Casey Crescenzo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Casey Crescenzo is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, most notable for being the singer for the bands The Dear Hunter and The Receiving End of Sirens. He is also a producer who has worked with many other bands.

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Bridget Phillipson, English politician

Bridget Maeve Phillipson is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Houghton and Sunderland South since 2010.

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Laura Pomeroy, Canadian swimmer

Laura Pomeroy is a Canadian swimmer.

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Matt Stajan, Canadian ice hockey player

Matthew Stajan is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He was a second round selection, 57th overall, of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2002 NHL entry draft. Stajan made his NHL debut in 2004 and was a member of the Maple Leafs until he was traded to the Calgary Flames in 2010. Stajan played his final professional season with EHC Red Bull München of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL)

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19/12/1982

Mo Williams, American basketball player

Maurice Williams is an assistant men's basketball coach at the University of Kentucky and a former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a successful high school career at Murrah High School in Jackson, Mississippi, Williams attended college at the University of Alabama, where he led his team as a freshman to a 27–8 record, and also shared an SEC regular-season championship. After two seasons at Alabama, Williams entered the 2003 NBA draft where he was selected with the 47th overall pick by the Utah Jazz. Throughout his career, he has also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2009, Williams was selected as an NBA All-Star. In the 2016 NBA Finals, he won his only NBA championship with the Cavaliers. He retired as a player in 2017.

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19/12/1981

Grégory Dufer, Belgian footballer

Grégory Dufer is a Belgian former international footballer.

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19/12/1980

Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor and producer

Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal is an American actor whose career on screen and stage has spanned more than three decades. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and the younger brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.

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Marla Sokoloff, American actress and musician

Marla Sokoloff is an American actress. She is known for playing Gia Mahan on Full House and Fuller House, Cokie Mason in The Babysitters Club movie, and Lucy Hatcher on the legal drama series The Practice. She also appeared as Joey's sister Dina on Friends and as the nanny Claire on Desperate Housewives. She has starred in the films True Crime (1996), The Climb (1999), Whatever It Takes (2000), Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), Sugar & Spice (2001), The Tollbooth (2004), Love on the Side (2006), Play the Game (2009), and The Merry Gentlemen (2024).

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19/12/1979

Kevin Devine, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Kevin Devine is an American songwriter and musician from Brooklyn and Staten Island, New York City. He is a contemporary member of the underground indie rock and indie folk musical scenes, and his influences range from older indie artists such as Neutral Milk Hotel, Elliott Smith and Pavement to more mainstream and well known acts such as Nirvana and Bob Dylan. In 2013, Kevin Devine rejoined his previous band, Miracle of 86, for a series of reunion shows.

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Rafael Soriano, Dominican baseball player

Rafael Soriano is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, and Chicago Cubs.

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19/12/1978

Patrick Casey, American actor, producer, and screenwriter

Patrick Casey is an American screenwriter, producer, and actor, often collaborating with filmmaker Worm Miller. He is best known for his work on the Fox animated series Golan the Insatiable and the Sonic the Hedgehog feature films.

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19/12/1977

Jorge Garbajosa, Spanish basketball player

Jorge Garbajosa Chaparro is a Spanish former professional basketball player, the outgoing president of the Spanish Basketball Federation, and the current President of FIBA Europe. Standing at 2.07 m, he played both power forward and small forward. He was an All-EuroLeague first team selection in 2003, and an All-EuroLeague second team selection in 2006, while playing for Unicaja. During his stint in the NBA, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2007. A serious injury the following season cut his NBA career short, and he never truly recovered until his retirement.

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LaTasha Jenkins, American sprinter

LaTasha Jenkins is an American former track and field sprinter. Having won international medals in the 200 m, she won a silver medal at the 2001 World Indoor Championships and a silver medal at the 2001 Outdoor Championships. Other career highlights include 2001 U.S. Indoor 200m champion; 1999 and 2001 US Outdoor runner-up, 200m; 1999 NCAA 200m champion; four-time NCAA All-American; member of world record-holding 4 × 200 m relay team. She was born in Chicago and attended Oak Lawn Polaris High School.

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Irina Voronina, Russian model

Irina Voronina is an American model and comedian. Born in Dzerzhinsk in Russia, she moved to Los Angeles in summer 1999 and posed for several magazines including Playboy, who made her Playboy Playmate of the month for January 2001. She acted in multiple films and TV series and spent a year on tour as 2008's St. Pauli Girl Beer spokesmodel. Voronina began a career as a stand-up comedian in early 2015 and subsequently published a comedy album, From Russia With Laughs.

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Elisa (Italian singer), Italian singer, songwriter and record producer.

Elisa Toffoli, known mononymously as Elisa, is an Italian singer, songwriter and record producer. She draws inspiration from many genres such as pop, alternative rock, electronica, and trip hop, recording songs both in Italian and English, which she considers her artistic primary language.

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19/12/1975

Makis Belevonis, Greek footballer

Makis Belevonis is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a right back.

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Brandon Sanderson, American author and academic

Brandon Winn Sanderson is an American author of high fantasy, science fiction, and young adult books. His best known novels include the Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive, which are set in the Cosmere fictional universe. Outside of the Cosmere, he has written several young adult and juvenile series including The Reckoners, the Skyward series, and the Alcatraz series. He is also known for finishing author Robert Jordan's high fantasy series The Wheel of Time. Sanderson has created two graphic novels, White Sand and Dark One.

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Jeremy Soule, American composer

Jeremy Soule is an American composer of soundtracks for film, television, and video games. He has composed soundtracks for over 60 games and over a dozen other works during his career, including The Elder Scrolls, Guild Wars, Total Annihilation, and the Harry Potter series.

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Olivier Tébily, Ivorian-French footballer

Olivier Tébily is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. A French citizen, he won 18 full international caps for his native Ivory Coast national team. He played in the top level league in four countries: for Châteauroux in Division 1, for Celtic in the Scottish Premier League, for Birmingham City in the English Premier League, and for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer.

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Dean Treister, Australian rugby league player

Dean Treister is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, and 2000s. A member of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks team, Treister played many games for the club from 1993 to 2003, including the 1997 Super League Grand Final. His position of choice was hooker. As a Cronulla Sharks local junior, Dean was part of the famous 1994 Presidents Cup winning team and played 161 first grade games between 1995 and 2003 where he scored 16 tries and played in the hooker position. He finished his career in England where he played 1 season for Hull FC. Throughout his time at the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks he was a favourite amongst the fans. Treister was known for his creative ability in attack and his ability to control the game.

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19/12/1974

Eduard Ivakdalam, Indonesian footballer

Eduard Ivakdalam is an Indonesian former professional footballer. Ivakdalam normally plays as a midfielder and he is a former player for Indonesia national football team.

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Joe Jurevicius, American football player

Joseph Michael Jurevicius is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1998 NFL draft. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

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Felipe Lopez, Dominican-American basketball player

Luis Felipe López is a Dominican former professional basketball player. He starred as a high school player and for the St. John's Red Storm in college basketball. López played for four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has played for teams in a half dozen countries, as well as in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in the U.S. Most recently, he has been a broadcaster with Spanish-language networks. His life story was the subject of an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary entitled The Dominican Dream.

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Jake Plummer, American football player and sportscaster

Jason Steven "Jake" Plummer is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils. Plummer was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 1997 NFL draft, spending six seasons with the Cardinals and then four with the Denver Broncos.

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Ricky Ponting, Australian cricketer and sportscaster

Ricky Thomas Ponting is an Australian cricket coach, commentator, and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time and is the most successful captain in international cricket history, with 220 victories in 324 matches with a winning rate of 67.91%.

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Mige (musician), Finnish musician, bassist and founding member of the gothic rock band HIM

Mikko Henrik Julius Paananen, better known as Mige, is a Finnish musician, best known as the bassist and founding member of the gothic rock band HIM. Born to an artistic family, Mige attended the Sibelius Upper Secondary School of music and dance, when he first formed HIM with Ville Valo. The band broke up after Mige began his national military service, but they reformed in 1995. HIM would go on to release eight studio albums and become one of the most commercially successful Finnish bands of all time. The band announced their retirement in March 2017, and played their final show on New Year's Eve 2017.

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19/12/1973

Michalis Grigoriou, Greek footballer and coach

Michalis Grigoriou is a Greek professional football manager. He is the current manager of Super League club Aris.

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Erick Wainaina, Kenyan runner

Erick Wainaina is a Kenyan marathon runner, who won an Olympic bronze medal in 1996 and a silver medal in 2000. He finished seventh in the 2004 Summer Olympics marathon in Athens, making him one of the few athletes in Olympic history to finish in the top 10 at three separate marathons.

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Zulfiya Zabirova, Russian cyclist

Zulfiya Khasanovna Zabirova is a Russian professional cycle racer who won the gold medal in the time trial event in the 1996 Olympics and later, in 2002, won the World Time Trial Championship.

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Takashi Sorimachi, Japanese actor and singer

Takashi Sorimachi is a Japanese actor and singer. He is mostly famous for having portrayed Eikichi Onizuka in the 1998 live-action drama adaptation of the popular manga series Great Teacher Onizuka, and the assassin O in Hong Kong action thriller film Fulltime Killer.

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19/12/1972

Rosa Blasi, American actress

Rosa Blasi Harris is an American actress, author, model, singer and therapist. She is known for her roles as Luisa Delgado in the Lifetime medical drama series Strong Medicine and Barb Thunderman in the Nickelodeon series The Thundermans.

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Alyssa Milano, American actress, television personality, and activist

Alyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress and activist. She has played Samantha Micelli in Who's the Boss? (1984–1992), Jennifer Mancini in Melrose Place (1997–1998), Phoebe Halliwell in Charmed (1998–2006), Billie Cunningham in My Name Is Earl (2007–2008), Savannah "Savi" Davis in Mistresses (2013–2014), Renata Murphy in Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later (2017), and Coralee Armstrong in Insatiable (2018–2019). As an activist, Milano is known for her role in the #MeToo movement in October 2017. She was the replacement of the role of Roxie Hart, and did her own singing in Chicago.

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Warren Sapp, American football player and analyst

Warren Carlos Sapp is an American former professional football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, winning the Lombardi Award and the Bronko Nagurski and Bill Willis trophies in 1994. Sapp was selected in the first round of 1995 NFL draft by the Buccaneers, where he spent his first nine seasons. In his final four seasons, he was a member of the Oakland Raiders. In addition, Sapp served as an assistant coach for the Colorado Buffaloes from 2024 to 2025.

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19/12/1971

Amy Locane, American actress

Amy Locane is an American retired actress known for her role in John Waters' 1990 musical comedy Cry-Baby. In 1992, Locane portrayed Sandy Harling in the first season of the prime time soap opera Melrose Place. She appeared in the 1992 film School Ties alongside Matt Damon and Brendan Fraser, as the object of their affections.

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Karen Pickering, English swimmer

Karen Denise Pickering, MBE is a former competitive freestyle swimmer from Great Britain. Pickering was the first woman to win an individual World Championship gold medal in swimming for Great Britain at the 1993 FINA Short Course World Championships in the 200 metre freestyle, and was part of the team that won relay gold three times for Great Britain in both long course (2001) and short course world championships.

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19/12/1970

Tyson Beckford, American model and actor

Tyson Beckford is a Jamaican-American model and actor best known as a Ralph Lauren Polo model. He was also the host of both seasons of the Bravo program Make Me a Supermodel. Beckford has been described as one of the most successful male supermodels of all time, achieving fame and huge contracts similar to the female models who had huge success in the 1990s.

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Robert Lang, Czech ice hockey player

Robert Lang is a Czech former professional ice hockey player. Selected by the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the fifth round, 133rd overall, of the 1990 NHL entry draft, Lang made his NHL debut with the team in the 1992–93 season. He has also played for the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens and Phoenix Coyotes, with whom he retired with in 2010.

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19/12/1969

Michael Bates, American sprinter and football player

Michael Dion Bates is an American former two-sport athlete who gained fame as a sprinter who won an Olympic bronze medal in the 200-meter dash in 1992. He also played football as a kick returner in the National Football League (NFL), where he was a five-time Pro Bowl selection. He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats.

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Tom Gugliotta, American basketball player

Thomas James Gugliotta is an American former professional basketball player. Drafted with the sixth pick in the 1992 NBA draft, he played thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 6'11 power forward, he was an All-Star in 1997 as a player of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Gugliotta was formerly an All-American college player for the NC State Wolfpack.

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Richard Hammond, English journalist and producer

Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, journalist, and author. He co-hosted the BBC Two motoring programme Top Gear from 2002 until 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson and James May. From 2016 to 2024, the trio presented Amazon Prime Video's The Grand Tour.

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Nayan Mongia, Indian cricketer

Nayan Ramlal Mongia is a former Indian cricketer and cricket coach. He was a right-handed batsman and a wicketkeeper. He was part of the Indian squad which won the 1995 Asia Cup.

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Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, Azerbaijani composer, pianist, and singer

Aziza Mustafa Zadeh is an Azerbaijani singer, pianist, and composer who plays a fusion of jazz and mugham with classical and avant-garde influences.

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Kristy Swanson, American actress

Kristy Swanson is an American actress. She is best recognized for having played Buffy Summers in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer and appeared in the 1996 film The Phantom.

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19/12/1968

Kristina Keneally, American-Australian politician, 42nd Premier of New South Wales

Kristina Marie Kerscher Keneally is an American-born Australian politician who served as the first female Premier of New South Wales from 2009 to 2011 and was later a Labor Senator for New South Wales from February 2018 until April 2022. She resigned from the Senate to contest the House of Representatives seat of Fowler, but was unsuccessful. From 2019 to 2022 she served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, and Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.

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Ken Marino, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

Kenneth Joseph Marino is an American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He was a cast member on MTV's The State and has starred in shows such as Party Down, Marry Me, Burning Love, and Childrens Hospital. He played the Lehman brothers on the Showtime series Black Monday. He also stars as Victor in the cult-classic comedy film Wet Hot American Summer, as well as its spin-offs.

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19/12/1967

Criss Angel, American magician

Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos, known professionally as Criss Angel, is an American magician, illusionist and musician.

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Charles Austin, American high jumper

Charles Allen Austin is an American former athlete who won the gold medal in the men's high jump at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He was inducted into the United States Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2012. Currently, Charles and Javier Sotomayor are the only two high jumpers that have won gold medals in the Olympics, Outdoor World Championships, Indoor World Championships and World Cup Championships. Hennadiy Avdyeyenko, who won the inaugural 1983 Outdoor World Championship setting the championship high jump record with a jump of 2.32m, and Charles are the only two high jumpers to win and establish the championship record in both the Outdoor World Championship and Olympic Games. He currently holds or previously held the high jump record at the three biggest outdoor track and field competitions.

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19/12/1966

Chuckii Booker, American singer-songwriter and producer

Eugene Allen Booker Jr., known professionally as Chuckii Booker, is an American producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader from Los Angeles, California.

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Rajesh Chauhan, Indian cricketer

Rajesh Chauhan is a former Indian cricketer who played in 21 Tests and 35 One Day Internationals from 1993 to 1998. He was part of the Indian spin trio of Kumble-Raju-Chauhan, in the 1990s.

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Robert MacNaughton, American actor

Robert MacNaughton is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Elliott's brother Michael in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, for which he won a 1982 Young Artist Award as Best Young Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. MacNaughton also played the lead role of Adam Farmer in the 1983 film I Am the Cheese, based on the young adult novel by Robert Cormier.

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Alberto Tomba, Italian skier

Alberto Tomba is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Italy. He was the dominant technical skier in the late 1980s and 1990s. At 182 cm and 90 kg, his powerful build was a contrast to the lighter, more traditional technical skiers who prioritised agility over muscle. Tomba was able to take advantage of the introduction of spring-loaded ski gates which replaced the older, solid gates in the early 1980s by using his power to maintain a faster, more direct line through courses. Tomba won three Olympic gold medals, two World Championships, and nine World Cup season titles: four in slalom, four in giant slalom, and one overall title. He was popularly called Tomba la Bomba.

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Eric Weinrich, American ice hockey player and coach

Eric John Weinrich is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and Vancouver Canucks. He played 1,157 career NHL games, scoring 70 goals and 318 assists for 388 points.

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19/12/1965

Chito Martínez, Belizean-American baseball player

Reyenaldo Ignacio "Chito" Martínez was a Belizean Major League Baseball (MLB) player, the first in MLB history to be born in his country. He played for the Baltimore Orioles from 1991 to 1993.

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19/12/1964

Béatrice Dalle, French actress

Béatrice Dalle is a French actress and model. She has appeared in over fifty films and is best known internationally for her debut role in the 1986 film 37°2 le matin. Béatrice Dalle is renowned for her intense and unconventional roles, often portraying characters that are both provocative and transgressive.

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Lorie Kane, Canadian golfer

Lorie Kane, is a Canadian professional golfer on the LPGA Tour. She began her career on the LPGA Tour in 1996 and has four career victories and 99 top-10 finishes on the tour. She won the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award in 2000 and became a member of the Order of Canada at a ceremony in December 2006. Kane was the second Canadian to have multiple wins on the LPGA circuit in one season, in 2000, after Sandra Post performed the feat twice, in 1978 and 1979. The next person to do so was Brooke Henderson, in 2016. In 2015, she was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. In May 2020, it was announced that she would be awarded the Order of Sport, marking her induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020-2021.

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Randall McDaniel, American football player

Randall Cornell McDaniel is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Minnesota Vikings and two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

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Arvydas Sabonis, Lithuanian basketball player

Arvydas Romas Sabonis is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and businessman. Sabonis won the Euroscar six times and the Mr. Europa Award twice. He played in a variety of leagues, including the Spanish ACB League, and spent seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Playing the center position, Sabonis won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics, in South Korea, for the Soviet Union, and later earned bronze medals at the 1992 Olympic Games and 1996 Olympic Games representing Lithuania. He retired from professional basketball in 2005. Sabonis was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 1986 NBA draft, but he did not play his first NBA game until 1995, at the age of 30.

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19/12/1963

Jennifer Beals, American model and actress

Jennifer Beals is an American actress. She made her film debut in My Bodyguard (1980), before receiving critical acclaim for her performance as Alexandra Owens in Flashdance (1983), for which she won NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

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Til Schweiger, German actor, director, and producer

Tilman Valentin Schweiger is a German actor and filmmaker. He became known in the 1990s for films such as Manta, Manta, Der bewegte Mann and Knockin' on Heaven's Door. He went on to star in international film productions such as Inglourious Basterds and founded his own production company Barefoot Films. Films like Rabbit Without Ears, Rabbit Without Ears 2, Kokowääh and Head Full of Honey, in which he was director, producer and actor, drew large audiences, making Schweiger the most commercially successful German filmmaker.

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19/12/1962

Gary Fleder, American director, producer, and screenwriter

Gary Fleder is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His most recently completed film, Homefront, was released by Open Road Films and Millennium Films in November 2013. In recent years he has been a prolific director of television pilots.

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19/12/1961

Scott Cohen, American actor

Scott Cohen is an American actor best known for his supporting role as Max Medina on the first three seasons of The WB comedy drama series Gilmore Girls (2000–03), as well as his lead roles as Detective Chris Ravell on the NBC legal drama series Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005–06), Dominic Eugene "Nico" Careles on the USA Network comedy drama series Necessary Roughness (2011–13), Ezra Wolf on the ABC legal drama series The Fix (2019), and Luca Falcone on the HBO crime drama miniseries The Penguin (2024).

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Eric Allin Cornell, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Eric Allin Cornell is an American physicist who, along with Carl E. Wieman, was able to synthesize the first Bose–Einstein condensate in 1995. For their efforts, Cornell, Wieman, and Wolfgang Ketterle shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001.

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Matthew Waterhouse, English actor and author

Matthew Waterhouse is an English actor and writer, best known for his role as Adric in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1980 to 1982.

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Reggie White, American football player and wrestler (died 2004)

Reginald Howard White was an American professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. White played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, earning unanimous All-American honors. After playing two seasons for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL), he was selected in the first round of the 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft, and then played for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Green Bay Packers and the Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most awarded defensive players in NFL history.

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19/12/1960

Derrick Jensen, American author and activist

Derrick Jensen is an American environmental activist, author and ecophilosopher in the anarcho-primitivist tradition. He believes that human civilization is and has always been unsustainable for the planet.

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Michelangelo Signorile, American journalist and author

Michelangelo Signorile is an American journalist, author and talk radio host. His radio program is aired each weekday across the United States and Canada on Sirius XM Radio and globally online. Signorile was editor-at-large for HuffPost from 2011 until 2019. Signorile is a political liberal, and covers a wide variety of political and cultural issues.

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19/12/1959

Iván Vallejo, Ecuadorian mountaineer

Iván Vallejo is a high-altitude mountaineer from Ecuador. On 1 May 2008, he became the 14th person to reach the summit of all 14 mountains above 8,000 meters, and the 7th without use of supplemental oxygen. He is the first, and still the only, Southern Hemisphere climber to complete all 14 eight-thousanders, without supplemental oxygen.

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Lisa Wilkinson, Australian television host and journalist

Lisa Clare Wilkinson is an Australian television presenter, journalist, and magazine editor.

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19/12/1958

Steven Isserlis, English cellist and author

Steven John Isserlis is a British cellist. An acclaimed soloist, chamber musician, educator, writer and broadcaster, he is widely regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation. He is also noted for his diverse repertoire and distinctive sound which is partly from his use of gut strings.

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Limahl, English pop singer

Christopher Hamill, known professionally as Limahl, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of the pop band Kajagoogoo beginning in 1982, before embarking on a solo career, releasing the 1984 hit "The NeverEnding Story", the theme song for the eponymous film.

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19/12/1957

Cyril Collard, French actor, director, and composer (died 1993)

Cyril Collard was a French author, filmmaker, composer, musician and actor. He is known for his unapologetic portrayals of bisexuality and HIV in art, particularly his autobiographical novel and film Les Nuits fauves. Openly bisexual, Collard was also one of the first French artists to speak openly about his HIV-positive status.

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Kevin McHale, American basketball player, coach, and manager

Kevin Edward McHale is an American former professional basketball player, coach and analyst who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He earned the nickname "the Torture Chamber" for his exceptional footwork and wide array of post moves which made him nearly impossible to guard one-on-one. Dominique Wilkins famously called him "A Man With a Thousand Moves." He is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and widely considered one of the greatest power forwards of all time.

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19/12/1956

Phil Harris, American captain and fisherman (died 2010)

Phillip Charles Harris was an American captain and part owner of the crab fishing vessel F/V Cornelia Marie, which has been featured on Discovery Channel's documentary reality TV series Deadliest Catch. He suffered a stroke while offloading C. opilio crab in port at Saint Paul Island, Alaska, on January 29, 2010. Despite improvements in his condition, Harris died on February 9, 2010, at the age of 53, while suffering an intracranial hemorrhage in the hospital.

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Tom Lawless, American baseball player and manager

Thomas James Lawless is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player who played between 1982 and 1990, appearing with the Cincinnati Reds, Montreal Expos, St. Louis Cardinals, and Toronto Blue Jays.

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Shane McEntee, Irish farmer and politician, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (died 2012)

Shane McEntee was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine from 2011 to 2012. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 2005 to 2012.

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Merzbow, Japanese noise musician

Merzbow is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by Masami Akita, best known for a style of harsh noise music. Since 1980, Akita has released over 500 recordings and collaborated with numerous artists.

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19/12/1955

Lincoln Hall, Australian mountaineer and author (died 2012)

Lincoln Ross Hall OAM was a veteran Australian mountaineer, adventurer and author. Lincoln was part of the first Australian expedition to climb Mount Everest in 1984, which successfully forged a new route. He reached the summit of Mount Everest on his second attempt in 2006, miraculously surviving the night at 8,700 m (28,543 ft) on descent, after his family had been told he had died.

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Rob Portman, American lawyer and politician

Robert Jones Portman is an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from Ohio from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Portman was the 35th director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from 2006 to 2007, the 14th United States trade representative from 2005 to 2006, and a U.S. representative from 1993 to 2005, representing Ohio's 2nd district.

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19/12/1954

Jeff Allam, English race car driver

Jeffrey Frank Allam, is a former British racing driver who made his name in Saloon Car racing. He now works as Head of Business for Allam Motor Services in Epsom which are a Skoda sales and service and Vauxhall servicing dealership.

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Tim Parks, English author and translator

Timothy Harold Parks is a British novelist who has lived in Italy since 1981. He is also an author of nonfiction, a translator from Italian to English, and a professor of literature.

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19/12/1952

Walter Murphy, American pianist and composer

Walter Anthony Murphy Jr. is an American composer, keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for the instrumental "A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony which topped the charts in 1976 and was featured on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in 1977. Further classical-disco fusions followed, such as "Flight '76", "Toccata and Funk in 'D' Minor" "Bolero", and "Mostly Mozart", but were not as successful.

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19/12/1951

Mohammad Reza Aref, Iranian engineer and politician, 2nd Vice President of Iran

Mohammad Reza Aref is an Iranian engineer, academic and reformist politician who is the eighth and current first vice president of Iran since 2024, under President Masoud Pezeshkian; he previously served as the first vice-president from 2001 to 2005 under Mohammad Khatami. He is also currently member of the Expediency Discernment Council since 2002.

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Alan Rouse, English mountaineer and author (died 1986)

Alan Paul Rouse was the first British climber to reach the summit of the second highest mountain in the world, K2, but died on the descent.

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19/12/1950

Eleanor J. Hill, American lawyer and diplomat

Eleanor Jean Hill served as Inspector General for the United States Department of Defense under President Bill Clinton. Hill was the head of the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense from 1995–1999.

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19/12/1949

Orna Berry, Israeli computer scientist and businesswoman

Orna Berry, is an Israeli computer scientist, high-tech entrepreneur, and senior executive in the Israeli science and technology industries. In 1996, Berry became the first woman to serve as chief scientist and head of the industrial R&D operation of the Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labour. She was awarded the "Yekirat Hanegev" award from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in 2012.

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Claudia Kolb, American swimmer

Claudia Anne Kolb, also known by her married name Claudia Thomas, is an American former competition swimmer, swim coach, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in four events.

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Sebastian, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist

Knud Grabow Christensen, better known by his stage name Sebastian, is a Danish singer, guitarist and songwriter.

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Lenny White, American musician

Leonard White III is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion".

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19/12/1948

Ken Brown, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (died 2022)

Kenneth Murray Brown was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He played one game in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1971, and 52 games in the World Hockey Association with the Alberta/Edmonton Oilers between 1972 and 1975. The rest of his career lasted from 1968 to 1975 and was spent in the minor leagues.

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19/12/1947

Jimmy Bain, Scottish bass player and songwriter (died 2016)

James Stewart Bain was a Scottish musician, best known for playing bass guitar in the bands Rainbow and Dio. He also worked with Kate Bush and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo albums.

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19/12/1946

Rosemary Conley, English businesswoman, author, and broadcaster

Rosemary Jean Neil Conley CBE, DL is an English businesswoman, author and broadcaster on exercise and health. Conley authored a low-fat diet and exercise programme, The Hip & Thigh Diet in 1988, which sold more than two million copies. However, her spot theory of fat reduction which claims people can lose fat specifically from the hips and thighs has no scientific basis.

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Robert Urich, American actor and producer (died 2002)

Robert Michael Urich was an American film, television, and stage actor and television producer. Over the course of his 30-year career, he starred in a record 15 television series.

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19/12/1945

John McEuen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

John McEuen is an American folk musician and a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

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19/12/1944

William Christie, American-French harpsichord player and conductor

William Lincoln Christie is an American-born French conductor and harpsichordist. He is a specialist in baroque and classical repertoire and is the founder of the ensemble Les Arts Florissants.

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Mitchell Feigenbaum, American physicist and mathematician (died 2019)

Mitchell Jay Feigenbaum was an American mathematical physicist whose pioneering studies in chaos theory led to the discovery of the Feigenbaum constants.

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Martin Hume Johnson, English physiologist and academic

Martin Hume Johnson is a British scientist who is emeritus professor of Reproductive Sciences in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience (PDN) at the University of Cambridge.

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Richard Leakey, Kenyan paleontologist and politician (died 2022)

Richard Erskine Frere Leakey was a Kenyan paleoanthropologist, conservationist and politician. Leakey held a number of official positions in Kenya, mostly in institutions of archaeology and wildlife conservation. He was director of the National Museum of Kenya, founded the NGO WildlifeDirect, and was the chairman of the Kenya Wildlife Service. Leakey served in the powerful office of cabinet secretary and head of public service during the tail end of President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi's government.

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Alvin Lee, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2013)

Alvin Lee was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter, who was best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After.

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Tim Reid, American actor and director

Timothy Lee Reid Sr. is an American actor, comedian and film director best known for his roles in prime time American television programs, such as Venus Flytrap on WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–82), Marcel "Downtown" Brown on Simon & Simon (1983–87), Ray Campbell on Sister, Sister (1994–99) and William Barnett on That '70s Show (2004–06).

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Steve Tyrell, American singer-songwriter and producer

Steve Tyrell is an American singer and record producer. He won a 2004 Grammy Award as the producer of the Rod Stewart studio album Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III. He also hosts a jazz radio program on KKJZ at California State University, Long Beach.

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Zal Yanovsky, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2002)

Zalman Yanovsky was a Canadian folk-rock musician and restaurateur. Born in Toronto, he was the son of political cartoonist Avrom Yanovsky and teacher Nechama Yanovsky. He played lead guitar and sang for the Lovin' Spoonful, a rock band which he founded with John Sebastian in 1964.

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19/12/1943

James L. Jones, American general and politician, 22nd United States National Security Advisor

James Logan Jones Jr. is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general and consultant who served as the 21st United States National Security Advisor from 2009 to 2010. During his military career, he served as the 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps from July 1999 to January 2003, and Commander, United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe from 2003 to 2006. Jones retired from the Marine Corps on February 1, 2007, after 40 years of service.

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Elaine Joyce, American actress, singer, and dancer

Elaine Joyce is an American actress.

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Ross M. Lence, American political scientist and academic (died 2006)

Ross Marlo Anthony Lence, was a professor of political science at the University of Houston from 1971 to 2006, where he was John and Rebecca Moores Scholar and held the Ross M. Lence Distinguished Teaching Chair. He taught political philosophy, American political thought, and American government as a member of the political science and honors college faculties. His edited volume of the works of John C. Calhoun, Union and Liberty: The Political Philosophy of John C. Calhoun, is one of the foremost references on Calhoun.

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19/12/1942

Cornell Dupree, American guitarist (died 2011)

Cornell Luther Dupree was an American jazz fusion and R&B guitarist. He worked at various times with Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, King Curtis, and Steve Gadd, appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, and wrote a book on soul and blues guitar, Rhythm and Blues Guitar. He reportedly recorded on 2,500 sessions.

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Gene Okerlund, American sports announcer (died 2019)

Eugene Arthur Okerlund was an American professional wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host. He was best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Okerlund was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan. He was signed to a lifetime contract with WWE and later worked for promotional programs. He has been described by some journalists as the greatest interviewer in the history of professional wrestling.

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19/12/1941

Lee Myung-bak, South Korean businessman and politician, 10th President of South Korea

Lee Myung-bak, often referred to by his initials MB, is a South Korean politician and business executive who served as the tenth president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. A member of then Saenuri Party, he was the mayor of Seoul from 2002 to 2006. Before entering politics, he was the chief executive officer of Hyundai Engineering and Construction.

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Maurice White, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2016)

Maurice White was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.

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19/12/1940

Phil Ochs, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1976)

Philip David Ochs was an American songwriter, protest singer, and political activist. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, and political commentary. He wrote about 200 songs in the 1960s and 1970s and released eight albums.

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19/12/1938

Jay Arnette, American basketball player

Jay Hoyland Arnette is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns. Arnette played professionally for the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA from 1963 to 1965.

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19/12/1935

Tony Taylor, Cuban baseball player and coach (died 2020)

Antonio Nemesio Taylor Sánchez was a Cuban professional baseball second baseman who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Detroit Tigers from 1958 until 1976. He batted and threw right-handed and also played third base and first base.

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Bobby Timmons, American pianist and composer (died 1974)

Robert Henry Timmons was an American jazz pianist and composer. He was a sideman in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers for two periods, between which he was part of Cannonball Adderley's band. Several of Timmons' compositions written when part of these bands – including "Moanin'", "Dat Dere", and "This Here" – enjoyed commercial success and brought him more attention. In the early and mid-1960s he led a series of piano trios that toured and recorded extensively.

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Joanne Weaver, American baseball player (died 2000)

Joanne "Joltin' Jo" Weaver was a right fielder who played from 1951 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 142 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.

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19/12/1934

Al Kaline, American baseball player and sportscaster (died 2020)

Albert William Kaline, nicknamed "Mr. Tiger", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played his entire 22-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. For most of his career, Kaline played in the outfield, mainly as a right fielder where he won ten Gold Glove Awards and was known for his strong throwing arm. He was selected to 18 All-Star Games, including selections each year between 1955 and 1967. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 in his first year of eligibility.

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Pratibha Patil, Indian lawyer and politician, 12th President of India

Pratibha Devisingh Patil, also known as Pratibha Patil Shekhawat, is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the president of India from 2007 to 2012. She was the first woman to become the president of India. A member of the Indian National Congress, she also served as the Governor of Rajasthan from 2004 to 2007, and was a member of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996.

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Casper R. Taylor, Jr., American lawyer and politician (died 2023)

Casper R. Taylor Jr. was an American politician who served as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1994 to 2003, amongst the longest Speaker's tenures in Maryland history. He also represented Districts 1C and 2A in the House of Delegates from 1975 to 2003.

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19/12/1933

Kevan Gosper, Australian runner and politician (died 2024)

Richard Kevan Gosper, AO was an Australian athlete who mainly competed in the 400 metres. He was a Vice President of the International Olympic Committee, and combined chairman and CEO of Shell Australia. Gosper died on 19 July 2024, at the age of 90.

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Christopher Smout, Scottish historian and academic

Thomas Christopher Smout is an English academic, historian, author and Historiographer Royal in Scotland.

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19/12/1932

Salvador Elizondo, Mexican author, poet, playwright, and critic (died 2006)

Salvador Elizondo Alcalde was a Mexican writer of the 60s Generation of Mexican literature.

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Lola Hendricks, African American civil rights activist (died 2013)

Lola Mae Haynes Hendricks was corresponding secretary for Fred Shuttlesworth's Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights from 1956 to 1963. She assisted Wyatt Walker in planning the early portions of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's involvement in the 1963 Birmingham campaign during the Civil Rights Movement.

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Wayne Tippit, American actor (died 2009)

Wayne Tippit was an American television and stage character actor. He was best known to television audiences for playing Ted Adamson on the 1970s and 1980s CBS soap opera, Search for Tomorrow, for five years. He later portrayed Palmer Woodward, the father of Heather Locklear's character, Amanda Woodward, on the Fox primetime soap opera, Melrose Place, during the 1990s.

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19/12/1931

Ginger Stanley, American model, actress and stunt woman (died 2023)

Ginger Stanley was an American stuntwoman, model and bit-part actress.

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19/12/1930

Anca Giurchescu, Romanian academic (died 2015)

Anca Giurchescu née Ciortea was a Romanian researcher of folk dance, and an ethnochoreologist, one of the founders of the discipline. Born in Bucharest to a family formerly from Translylvania, she lived in that region as a child. Entering university, she studied dance at the National Institute of Physical Education. During her schooling, she participated in competitive target shooting and was a silver (team) and bronze (individual) medalist in the 1955 European Shooting Championship. While still studying, she began working as a researcher at the Folklore Institute and in 1962 became a member of the International Council for Traditional Music. The Council established a working group which included Giurchescu, that laid the foundation for the science of ethnochoreology.

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Knut Helle, Norwegian historian and professor (died 2015)

Knut Helle was a Norwegian historian. A professor at the University of Bergen from 1973 to 2000, he specialized in the late medieval history of Norway. He has contributed to several large works.

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Wally Olins, English businessman and academic (died 2014)

Wallace Olins CBE was a British practitioner of corporate identity and branding. He co-founded Wolff Olins and Saffron Brand Consultants and was the chairman of both. Olins advised many of the world's leading organisations on identity, branding, communication and related matters including 3i, Akzo Nobel, Repsol, Q8, The Portuguese Tourist Board, BT, Renault, Volkswagen, Tata and Lloyd's of London. He acted as advisor both to McKinsey and Bain. He pioneered the concept of the nation as a brand and has worked on branding projects for a number of cities and countries, including London, Mauritius, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, and Lithuania.

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19/12/1929

Bob Brookmeyer, American trombonist, pianist, and composer (died 2011)

Robert Edward "Bob" Brookmeyer was an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, arranger, and composer. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of Gerry Mulligan's quartet from 1954 to 1957. He later worked with Jimmy Giuffre, before rejoining Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band. He received eight Grammy Award nominations during his lifetime.

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Gregory Carroll, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2013)

John Wayne Carroll, usually known as Gregory Carroll or Greg Carroll, was an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was a member of several successful vocal harmony or "doo-wop" groups including The Four Buddies and The Orioles, and co-wrote and produced Doris Troy's 1963 hit "Just One Look".

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David Douglas, 12th Marquess of Queensberry, Scottish potter

David Harrington Angus Douglas, 12th Marquess of Queensberry is an Anglo-Scottish aristocrat and pottery designer. He is the elder son of Francis Douglas, 11th Marquess of Queensberry, and his only son by his second wife, artist Cathleen Sabine Mann. His maternal grandparents were an interior decorator, Dolly Mann and artist Harrington Mann. He succeeded his father in 1954.

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Howard Sackler, American playwright and screenwriter (died 1982)

Howard Oliver Sackler was an American screenwriter and playwright who is best known for having written The Great White Hope and its film adaptation. The Great White Hope enjoyed both a successful run on Broadway and, as a film adaptation, in movie theaters. James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander both starred in the original Arena Stage production of the play in Washington, D.C., then brought their roles to Broadway and later to the film version. Both Jones and Alexander received Academy Award nominations for their work in the movie.

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19/12/1928

Eve Bunting, Irish-American author and academic (died 2023)

Eve Bjørgum Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, was a Northern Irish-born American writer of more than 250 books. Her work covered a broad array of subjects and included fiction and non-fiction books. Her novels are primarily aimed at children and young adults, but she has also written the text for picture books. While many of her books are set in Northern Ireland where she grew up, her topics and settings range from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Bunting's first book, The Two Giants, was published in 1971. Due to the popularity of her books with children, she has been listed as one of the Educational Paperback Association's top 100 authors.

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Nathan Oliveira, American painter and sculptor (died 2010)

Nathan Oliveira was an American painter, printmaker, and sculptor, born in Oakland, California to immigrant Portuguese parents. Since the late 1950s, Oliveira has been the subject of nearly one hundred solo exhibitions, in addition to having been included in hundreds of group exhibitions in important museums and galleries worldwide. He taught studio art for several decades in California, beginning in the early 1950s, when he taught at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. After serving as a Visiting Artist at several universities, he became a Professor of Studio Art at Stanford University.

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19/12/1927

James Booth, English actor and screenwriter (died 2005)

James Booth was an English film, stage and television actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Private Henry Hook in Zulu.

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19/12/1926

Bobby Layne, American football player and coach (died 1986)

Robert Lawrence Layne was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns before being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the third overall pick of the 1948 NFL draft and traded to the Chicago Bears. Layne played one season with the Bears, and then with the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit Lions from 1950 to 1958, and the Steelers from 1958 to 1962.

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Fikret Otyam, Turkish painter and journalist (died 2015)

Fikret Otyam was a Turkish painter and journalist.

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19/12/1925

Tankred Dorst, German author and playwright (died 2017)

Tankred Dorst was a German playwright and storyteller.

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William Schutz, American psychologist and academic (died 2002)

William Schutz was an American psychologist.

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Robert B. Sherman, American songwriter and screenwriter (died 2012)

Robert Bernard Sherman was an American songwriter. Best known for his work in musical films with his brother, Richard M. Sherman, they, known as Sherman brothers, produced more motion picture song scores than any other songwriting team in film history. Some of their songs were incorporated into live action and animation musical films including Mary Poppins, The Happiest Millionaire, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Slipper and the Rose, and Charlotte's Web. Their best-known work is "It's a Small World " possibly the most-performed song in history.

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19/12/1924

Carlo Chiti, Italian engineer (died 1994)

Carlo Chiti was an Italian racing car and engine designer best known for his long association with Alfa Romeo's racing department. He also worked for Ferrari and was involved in the design of the Ferrari 156 Sharknose car, with which Phil Hill won the 1961 championship.

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Doug Harvey, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1989)

Douglas Norman Harvey was a Canadian professional hockey defenceman. Widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in National Hockey League (NHL) history, Harvey was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973 and was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history in 2017. Individually he won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the best defenceman seven times, and was named to the end of season NHL All-Star team as a First All-Star 10 times. He played from 1947 until 1964, and from 1966 until 1969. Best known for playing with the Montreal Canadiens, Harvey also played for the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, and St. Louis Blues, as well as several teams in the minor leagues. He also served as the player-coach of the Rangers for one season, and served a similar role for the minor-league Kansas City Blues. He was also a coach.

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Gary Morton, American comedian and producer (died 1999)

Gary Morton was an American stand-up comedian whose primary venues were hotels and resorts of the Borscht Belt in upstate New York. He was born in New York City, the son of Morris Goldaper and Rose Greenfeder Goldaper, and had a sister, Helen. Later, he was a producer and studio executive, in association with his second wife, Lucille Ball.

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Edmund Purdom, British-Italian actor (died 2009)

Edmund Anthony Cutlar Purdom was an English actor, voice artist, and director. He worked first on stage in Britain, performing various works by Shakespeare, then in the United States on Broadway and in Hollywood, and eventually in Italy. He is perhaps best known for his starring role in the 1954 films The Egyptian and The Student Prince.

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Michel Tournier, French journalist and author (died 2016)

Michel Tournier was a French writer. He won awards such as the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française in 1967 for Friday, or, The Other Island and the Prix Goncourt for The Erl-King in 1970. His inspirations included traditional German culture, Catholicism and the philosophies of Gaston Bachelard. He resided in Choisel and was a member of the Académie Goncourt. His autobiography has been translated and published as The Wind Spirit. He was on occasion in contention for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

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Cicely Tyson, American actress (died 2021)

Cecily Louise "Cicely" Tyson was an American actress. In a career spanning seven decades, she portrayed complex and strong-willed African American women. She received several awards including three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and a Tony Award, as well as nominations for a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award. She was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, and the Honorary Academy Award in 2018.

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19/12/1923

Robert V. Bruce, American historian and author (died 2008)

Robert Vance Bruce was an American historian specializing in the American Civil War, who won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for History for his book The Launching of Modern American Science, 1846–1876 (1987). After serving in the Army during World War II, Bruce graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. He received his Master of Arts in history and his Doctor of Philosophy from Boston University, where he was later a professor. He also taught at the University of Bridgeport, Lawrence Academy at Groton, and the University of Wisconsin. Bruce was also a lecturer at the Fortenbaugh Lecture at Gettysburg College.

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Gordon Jackson, Scottish-English actor and singer (died 1990)

Gordon Cameron Jackson was a Scottish actor. He is best remembered for his roles as the butler Angus Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs and as George Cowley, the head of CI5, in The Professionals. He also portrayed Capt Jimmy Cairns in Tunes of Glory, and Flt. Lt. Andrew MacDonald, "Intelligence", in The Great Escape.

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19/12/1922

Eamonn Andrews, Irish radio and television host (died 1987)

Eamonn Andrews was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority, which oversaw the introduction of a state television service in Ireland. He is perhaps best remembered as the UK host of This Is Your Life from its inception in 1955 until his death in 1987.

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19/12/1920

Little Jimmy Dickens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2015)

James Cecil Dickens, better known by his stage name Little Jimmy Dickens, was an American country music singer and songwriter famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size, and his rhinestone-studded outfits. He started as a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1948 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983. Before his death, he was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry.

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David Susskind, American talk show host and producer (died 1987)

David Howard Susskind was an American producer of TV, movies, and stage plays and also a TV talk show host. His talk shows were innovative in the genre and addressed timely, controversial topics beyond the scope of others of the day.

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19/12/1918

Professor Longhair, American singer-songwriter and pianist (died 1980)

Henry Roeland Byrd, better known as Professor Longhair or "Fess" for short, was an American singer and pianist who performed New Orleans blues. He was active in two distinct periods, first in the heyday of early rhythm and blues and later in the resurgence of interest in traditional jazz after the founding of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1970. His piano style has been described as "instantly recognizable, combining rumba, mambo, and calypso".

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Lee Rich, American producer and production manager (died 2012)

Lee Rich was an American film and television producer, who won the 1973 Outstanding Drama Series Emmy award for The Waltons as the producer. He is also known as the co-founder and former chairman of Lorimar Television.

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19/12/1916

Roy Ward Baker, English director and producer (died 2010)

Roy Ward Baker was an English film director.

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Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, German political scientist, journalist, and academic (died 2010)

Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann was a German political scientist. Her most famous contribution is the model of the spiral of silence, detailed in The Spiral of Silence: Public Opinion – Our Social Skin. The model is an explanation of how perceived public opinion can influence individual opinions or actions.

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19/12/1915

Édith Piaf, French singer-songwriter and actress (died 1963)

Édith Giovanna Gassion, known as Édith Piaf, was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer and one of the most celebrated performers of the 20th century.

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Claudia Testoni, Italian hurdler, sprinter, and long jumper (died 1998)

Claudia Testoni, was an Italian hurdler, sprinter and long jumper. She was European champion, in 1938, on 80 metres hurdles. She was born in Bologna and died in Cagliari.

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19/12/1914

Mel Shaw, American animator and screenwriter (died 2012)

Mel Shaw was an American animator, design artist, writer, and artist. Shaw was involved in the animation, story design, and visual development of numerous Disney animated films, beginning with Bambi, which was released in 1942. His other animated film credits, usually involving animation design or the story, included The Rescuers in 1977, The Fox and the Hound in 1981, The Black Cauldron in 1985, The Great Mouse Detective in 1986, Beauty and the Beast in 1991, and The Lion King in 1994. He was named a Disney Legend in 2004 for his contributions to The Walt Disney Company.

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19/12/1910

Jean Genet, French novelist, playwright, and poet (died 1986)

Jean Genet was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels The Thief's Journal and Our Lady of the Flowers and the plays The Balcony, The Maids and The Screens.

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19/12/1909

W. A. Criswell, American pastor and author (died 2002)

Wallie Amos Criswell Jr., was an American Baptist pastor, author, and a two-term elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1968 to 1970. As senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas for five decades, he became widely known for expository biblical preaching at a popular level, and is regarded as a key figure in the late 1970s "Conservative Resurgence" within the Southern Baptist Convention.

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19/12/1907

Jimmy McLarnin, Irish-American boxer, actor, and golfer (died 2004)

James Archibald McLarnin was an Irish professional boxer who became a two-time Undisputed Welterweight World Champion and an International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee.

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19/12/1906

Leonid Brezhnev, Ukrainian-Russian marshal, engineer, and politician, 4th Head of State of the Soviet Union (died 1982)

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until his death in 1982. He also held office as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet from 1960 to 1964 and later from 1977 to 1982. His tenure as General Secretary and leader of the Soviet Union was second only to Joseph Stalin's in duration.

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19/12/1905

Irving Kahn, American businessman (died 2015)

Irving Kahn was an American investor and philanthropist. He was the oldest living active investor. He was an early disciple of Benjamin Graham, who popularized the value investing methodology. Kahn began his career in 1928 and continued to work until his death. He was chairman of Kahn Brothers Group, Inc., the privately owned investment advisory and broker-dealer firm that he founded with his sons, Thomas and Alan, in 1978.

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Giovanni Lurani, Italian race car driver, engineer, and journalist (died 1995)

Giovanni “Johnny” Lurani Cernuschi, VIII Count of Calvenzano was an Italian automobile engineer, racing car driver and journalist.

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19/12/1903

George Davis Snell, American geneticist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1996)

George Davis Snell NAS was an American mouse geneticist and basic transplant immunologist.

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19/12/1902

Ralph Richardson, English actor (died 1983)

Sir Ralph David Richardson was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He worked in films throughout most of his career, and played more than sixty cinema roles. From an artistic but not theatrical background, Richardson had no thought of a stage career until a production of Hamlet in Brighton inspired him to become an actor. He learned his craft in the 1920s with a touring company and later the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. In 1931 he joined the Old Vic, playing mostly Shakespearean roles. He led the company the following season, succeeding Gielgud, who had taught him much about stage technique. After he left the company, a series of leading roles took him to stardom in the West End and on Broadway.

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19/12/1901

Rudolf Hell, German engineer, invented the Hellschreiber (died 2002)

Rudolf Hell was a German inventor and engineer.

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Oliver La Farge, American anthropologist and author (died 1963)

Oliver Hazard Perry La Farge II was an American writer and anthropologist. In 1925 he explored early Olmec sites in Mexico, and later studied additional sites in Central America and the American Southwest. He wrote more than 15 scholarly works on this work, mostly about Native American culture.

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Fritz Mauruschat, German footballer and manager (died 1974)

Fritz Mauruschat (1901–1974) was a German football player and manager.

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19/12/1899

Martin Luther King Sr., American pastor, missionary, and activist (died 1984)

Martin Luther King, commonly known as Daddy King, was an American Baptist pastor, missionary, and civil rights activist who was an early figure in the civil rights movement. He served as the senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church from 1931 to 1975, and was also the father of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

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19/12/1895

Ingeborg Refling Hagen, Norwegian author and educator (died 1989)

Ingeborg Refling Hagen was a Norwegian author, poet, and artistic director. Her writings and activities in support of the arts made her a significant cultural figure in Norway during much of the 20th century.

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19/12/1894

Ford C. Frick, American journalist and businessman (died 1978)

Ford Christopher Frick was an American sportswriter and baseball executive. After working as a teacher and as a sportswriter for the New York American, he served as public relations director of the National League (NL) and then as the league's president from 1934 to 1951. He was the third commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1951 to 1965.

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19/12/1891

Edward Bernard Raczyński, Polish politician and diplomat, 4th President-in-exile of Poland (died 1993)

Count Edward Bernard Raczyński was a Polish diplomat, writer, politician who served as President of Poland-in-exile.

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19/12/1888

Fritz Reiner, Hungarian-American conductor (died 1963)

Frederick Martin Reiner was an American conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to prominence as a conductor with several orchestras. He reached the pinnacle of his career while music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the 1950s and early 1960s.

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19/12/1884

Antonín Zápotocký, Czech politician, President of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (died 1957)

Antonín Zápotocký was a Czech communist politician and statesman in Czechoslovakia. He served as the Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1948 to 1953, and then as President of Czechoslovakia from 1953 to 1957.

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19/12/1876

Bernard Friedberg, Austrian-Israeli scholar and author (died 1961)

Bernard Friedberg was an Austrian Hebraist, scholar and bibliographer.

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19/12/1875

Mileva Marić, Serbian physicist (died 1948)

Mileva Marić, sometimes called Mileva Marić-Einstein, was the first wife of Albert Einstein from 1903 to 1919. She was the only woman among Einstein's fellow students at Zürich Polytechnic. Marić and Einstein were study colleagues and lovers, and had a daughter Lieserl in 1902, who likely died of scarlet fever at one and a half years old. They later had two sons, Hans Albert and Eduard. The question of whether she contributed to Einstein's early work has been debated.

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Carter G. Woodson, American historian and author, founded Black History Month (died 1950)

Carter Godwin Woodson was an American historian, author, journalist, and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He was one of the first scholars to study the history of the Black African diaspora in the United States. A founder of The Journal of Negro History in 1916, Woodson has been called the "father of Black history." In February 1926, he launched the celebration of "Negro History Week," the precursor of Black History Month. Woodson was an important figure to the movement of Afrocentrism, due to his perspective of placing people of Sub-Saharan African descent at the center of the study of history and the human experience.

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Grace Marie Bareis, American mathematician (died 1962)

Grace Marie Bareis was an American mathematician and educator who became the first person to receive a doctorate degree in mathematics from Ohio State University. Bareis was an assistant professor at Ohio State University where she taught for 40 years until her eventual retirement in 1946.

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19/12/1873

Alphonse Kirchhoffer, French fencer (died 1913)

Simon Alphonse Kirchhoffer was a French fencer who competed in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

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19/12/1865

Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress and playwright (died 1932)

Minnie Maddern Fiske, but often billed simply as Mrs. Fiske, was one of the leading American actresses of the late 19th and early 20th century. She also spearheaded the fight against the Theatrical Syndicate for the sake of artistic freedom. She was widely considered the most important actress on the American stage in the first quarter of the 20th century. Her performances in several Henrik Ibsen plays helped introduce American audiences to the Norwegian playwright. She was also an influential campaigner for improving animal welfare.

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19/12/1863

Wallace Bryant, American archer (died 1953)

Wallace Bryant was an American archer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. He won the bronze medal in the team competition. In the Double York round he finished fourth and in the Double American round he finished eighth. Bryant was also a famous portrait artist.

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19/12/1861

Italo Svevo, Italian author and playwright (died 1928)

Aron Hector Schmitz, better known by the pseudonym Italo Svevo, was an Italian and Austro-Hungarian writer, businessman, novelist, playwright, and short story writer.

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19/12/1853

Charles Fitzpatrick, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec (died 1942)

Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Justice of Canada, as Chief Justice of Canada and then as Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.

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19/12/1852

Albert Abraham Michelson, Prussian-American physicist, chemist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1931)

Albert Abraham Michelson was an American experimental physicist known for his work on measuring the speed of light and especially for the Michelson–Morley experiment. In 1907, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics, becoming the first American to win the Nobel Prize in a science. He was the founder and the first head of the physics departments of the Case School of Applied Science and the University of Chicago.

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19/12/1849

Henry Clay Frick, American businessman and financier (died 1919)

Henry Clay Frick was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, and later became chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company. Frick's management of Carnegie Steel was characterized by vehement opposition to unions, a trait reflected most notably by his violent suppression of the Homestead Strike. In the final years of his career as an industrialist, he was instrumental in the founding of U.S. Steel, which became the world's largest steel manufacturer.

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19/12/1831

Bernice Pauahi Bishop, American philanthropist (died 1884)

Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop was an aliʻi (noble) of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii and a well-known philanthropist.

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19/12/1825

George Frederick Bristow, American violinist and composer (died 1898)

George Frederick Bristow was an American composer, conductor, violinist, and educator, born in Brooklyn, New York. A prominent advocate for American classical music during a period of European dominance in U.S. concert life, Bristow worked to promote native composers and establish a national musical identity. His body of work includes five symphonies, two operas, oratorios, choral pieces, and chamber music. His Fifth Symphony, titled Niagara, premiered at Carnegie Hall in January 1898, only months before his death. Bristow also figured prominently in a public dispute with critic William Henry Fry and the New York Philharmonic Society, criticizing its exclusion of American composers. Through his compositions and advocacy, Bristow helped lay the foundation for a distinctly American tradition in classical music.

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19/12/1820

Mary Livermore, American journalist and activist (died 1905)

Mary Ashton Livermore was an American journalist, abolitionist, and advocate of women's rights. In addition to articles, she published numerous books of poetry, essays, and stories.

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19/12/1817

James J. Archer, American lawyer and general (died 1864)

James Jay Archer was a lawyer and an officer in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War. He later served as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army (CSA) during the American Civil War.

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19/12/1797

Antoine Louis Dugès, French obstetrician and naturalist (died 1838)

Antoine Louis Dugès was a French obstetrician and naturalist born in Charleville-Mézières, Ardennes. He was the father of zoologist Alfredo Dugès (1826–1910), and a nephew to midwife Marie-Louise Lachapelle (1769–1821).

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19/12/1796

Manuel Bretón de los Herreros, Spanish poet, playwright, and critic (died 1873)

Manuel Bretón de los Herreros was a Spanish dramatist.

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19/12/1778

Marie Thérèse of France (died 1851)

Marie-Thérèse was the eldest child of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette of France, and their only child to reach adulthood. In 1799, she married her cousin Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, the eldest son of Charles X of France, henceforth becoming the Duchess of Angoulême. She was the only member of her immediate family to survive the French Revolution.

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19/12/1714

John Winthrop, American astronomer and educator (died 1779)

John Winthrop was an American mathematician, physicist and astronomer. He was the 2nd Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in Harvard College.

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19/12/1699

William Bowyer, English printer (died 1777)

William Bowyer was an English printer known as "the learned printer".

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19/12/1683

Philip V of Spain (died 1746)

Philip V was king of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign is the longest in the history of the Spanish monarchy, surpassing Philip IV. Although his ascent to the throne precipitated the War of the Spanish Succession, Philip V instigated many important reforms in Spain, most especially the centralization of power of the monarchy and the suppression of regional privileges, via the Nueva Planta decrees, and restructuring of the administration of the Spanish Empire on the Iberian Peninsula and its overseas regions.

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19/12/1587

Dorothea Sophia, Abbess of Quedlinburg (died 1645)

Duchess Dorothea Sophia of Saxe-Altenburg was Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg.

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19/12/1554

Philip William, Prince of Orange (died 1618)

Philip William, Prince of Orange was the eldest son of William the Silent by his first wife Anna van Egmont. He became Prince of Orange in 1584 and Knight of the Golden Fleece in 1599.

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19/12/1498

Andreas Osiander, German Protestant theologian (died 1552)

Andreas Osiander was a German Lutheran theologian and Protestant reformer.

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19/12/1343

William I, Margrave of Meissen (died 1407)

William I, the One-Eyed was Margrave of Meissen. His nickname is related to the legend that Saint Benno appeared to him because of his disputes with the Church in a dream and he had an eye gouged out.

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