4th December — International Cheetah Day

On this day, 194 notable people were born on 4th December — spanning from 34 to 2003. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.

04/12/2003

Jackson Holliday, American baseball player

Jackson Matthew Holliday is an American professional baseball infielder for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected first overall by the Orioles in the 2022 MLB draft and made his MLB debut in 2024. He is the son of former MLB All-Star Matt Holliday.

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Kim Do-ah, South Korean singer and actress

Kim Do-ah, also known by the mononym Doah, is a South Korean singer, rapper, and actress. She was a member of South Korean girl group, Fanatics and its sub-unit, Fanatics-Flavor until their disbandment in 2024. She is known for her participation in Produce 48 and Girls Planet 999.

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04/12/2002

María Dueñas, Spanish violinist and composer

María Dueñas Fernández, is a Spanish violinist and composer. In 2021 she won the first prize in the Yehudi Menuhin Competition, in the Senior Division. She is considered the Spanish violinist with the greatest international profile, and one of the most promising musicians of her generation. In 2022, she signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon.

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04/12/1999

Kim Do-yeon, South Korean singer and actress

Kim Do-yeon, known mononymously as Doyeon, is a South Korean singer and actress signed under Fantagio. She is best known as a contestant on the Mnet reality show Produce 101, as a member of the resulting group I.O.I, and subsequently as a member of Weki Meki. In 2018, she appeared on Law of the Jungle and made her acting debut in the drama Short (2018).

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Kang Mi-na, South Korean actress and singer

Kang Mi-na, known mononymously as Mina, is a South Korean actress, singer and rapper. She is best known for finishing ninth in Mnet's K-pop girl group survival show Produce 101. She is a former member of the girl groups I.O.I and Gugudan, as well as its subgroups 5959 and SeMiNa. Kang is also best known for her roles in the television series Dokgo Rewind (2018), Tale of Fairy (2018), Hotel del Luna (2019), Summer Guys (2021), Moonshine (2021–2022), Café Minamdang (2022), and Welcome to Samdal-ri (2023).

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04/12/1996

Diogo Jota, Portuguese footballer (died 2025)

Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, commonly known as Diogo Jota, was a Portuguese professional footballer who played as a forward and winger. He was known for his finishing, pace, dribbling ability, and work rate.

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Sebastián Vegas, Chilean footballer

Sebastián Ignacio Vegas Orellana is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a defender for Liga MX club León, on loan from Monterrey.

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04/12/1994

Gabriel Lundberg, Danish basketball player

Gabriel Ifeanyi "Iffe" Lundberg is a Danish professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Ligat HaAl and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Denmark national team. Standing at 1.93 m, he can play at both guard positions. According to numerous Danish outlets, Lundberg is Denmark's best basketball player.

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04/12/1992

Robin Bruyère, Belgian politician

Robin F. A. R. Bruyère is a Belgian politician and former member of the Chamber of Representatives. A member of the Workers' Party of Belgium, he represented Namur from August 2023 to May 2024.

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Peta Hiku, New Zealand rugby league player

Peta Hiku is a New Zealand rugby league footballer who plays as a centre, winger and fullback for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League, and New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori at international level.

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Jean-Claude Iranzi, Rwandan footballer

Jean-Claude Iranzi is a Rwandan professional footballer who most recently played for Rwanda Premier League club Rayon Sports.

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Jin, South Korean singer, songwriter and actor

Kim Seok-jin, known professionally as Jin, is a South Korean singer. He rose to prominence as member of the South Korean boy band BTS. Jin has released three solo tracks with BTS: "Awake" in 2016, "Epiphany" in 2018, and "Moon" in 2020, all of which have charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. In 2019, Jin released his first independent song, the digital track "Tonight". He made his official debut as a solo artist in October 2022, with the release of the single "The Astronaut".

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Joe Musgrove, American baseball player

Joseph Anthony Musgrove is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Blake Snell, American baseball player

Blake Ashton Snell is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants.

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04/12/1991

Duje Dukan, Croatian basketball player

Duje Dukan is a Croatian professional basketball player who last played for the Klosterneuburg Dukes in the Austrian Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

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André Roberson, American basketball player

André Lee Roberson is an American professional basketball player for Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes. As a junior in 2013, Roberson earned first-team all-conference honors in the Pac-12 for the second time and was also named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. He was selected in the first round of the 2013 NBA draft with the 26th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but was acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder in a draft night trade. Roberson was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2017.

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Max Holloway, American mixed martial artist

Jerome Max Keliʻi Holloway is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Featherweight Champion and former symbolic UFC "BMF" titleholder. He is considered one of the greatest Featherweights of all time. As of January 27, 2026, he is #4 in the Meta UFC lightweight rankings.

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Reality Winner, American intelligence specialist convicted of espionage

Reality Leigh Winner is a United States Air Force veteran, and a former National Security Agency (NSA) translator. In 2018, she was given the longest prison sentence ever imposed for an unauthorized release of government classified information to the media, after she leaked an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. She was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison.

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04/12/1990

Lukman Haruna, Nigerian footballer

Lukman Abdulkarim Haruna is a Nigerian former footballer who played as a midfielder.

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Blake Leary, Australian rugby league player

Blake Leary is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock, second-row forward and hooker for the New York Freedom in the North American Rugby League.

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04/12/1988

Yeng Constantino, Filipina singer and songwriter

Josephine "Yeng" Eusebio Constantino-Asuncion is a Filipino singer, songwriter, composer and guitarist. She is considered the Philippines' Pop Rock Royalty. In 2006, she earned the title "Grand Star Dreamer" in the inaugural season of Pinoy Dream Academy, the Philippine edition of Endemol's reality TV show Star Academy.

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04/12/1987

Orlando Brown, American actor and rapper

Orlando Brown is an American rapper, singer, restaurateur and former actor. He is best known for his roles as Eddie Thomas on That's So Raven, Cadet Kevin "Tiger" Dunne in Major Payne, Nelson in The Jamie Foxx Show, 3J Winslow on Family Matters, and Max on Two of a Kind. He was the title protagonist on both the Waynehead and Fillmore! animated series. He also voiced the character of Sticky Webb in The Proud Family. In 2023, Brown was cast in the second season of the Zeus Network reality television show Bad Boys: Texas. In 2025, he opened a restaurant called Orlando Brown's Million Dollar Fried Chicken in Phoenix, Arizona.

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04/12/1986

Kaija Udras, Estonian skier

Kaija Vahtra is an Estonian cross-country skier who has competed since 2005. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, she finished 16th in the team sprint, 31st in the individual sprint, and did not finish the 7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit events.

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Martell Webster, American basketball player

Martell Webster is an American former professional basketball player who played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The sixth player taken in the 2005 NBA draft, Webster played for Portland, Minnesota and Washington between 2005 and 2015. His best season came in 2012–13 when he started 62 games for the Wizards and averaged 11.4 points per game.

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04/12/1985

Andrew Brackman, American baseball player

Andrew Warren Brackman is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the New York Yankees in 2011.

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Carlos Gómez, Dominican baseball player

Carlos Argelis Gómez Peña, nicknamed Go-Go, is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays. Gómez is a two-time MLB All-Star and a Gold Glove Award winner.

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04/12/1984

Lindsay Felton, American actress

Lindsay Marie Felton is an American former actress. She is best known for her roles as Caitlin Seeger in Caitlin's Way and Anna Morgan in Anna's Dream.

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Anna Petrakova, Russian basketball player

Anna "Anya" Viktorovna Petrakova-Parker is a Russian former basketball player. She was part of the Russia women's national basketball team that placed fourth at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She won the 2011–12 EuroCup Women with Dynamo Kursk and the 2012–13 EuroLeague Women and the 2013 FIBA Europe SuperCup Women with UMMC Ekaterinburg.

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Jelly Roll, American singer and rapper

Jason Bradley DeFord, known professionally as Jelly Roll, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He began his music career in 2003, and in 2022 rose to mainstream prominence following the release of his singles "Son of a Sinner" and "Need a Favor".

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Joe Thomas, American football player

Joseph Hayden Thomas is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for 11 seasons with the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin, earned unanimous All-American honors, and was recognized as the top college interior lineman.

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04/12/1983

Jimmy Bartel, Australian footballer

James Ross Bartel is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A utility, 1.87 m tall and weighing 89 kilograms (196 lb), Bartel contributed as a midfielder, forward, and defender.

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Chinx, American rapper (died 2015)

Lionel Du Fon Pickens, professionally known as Chinx, was an American rapper. He was a member of The Rockaway Riot Squad alongside fellow slain rapper Stack Bundles. Chinx later joined French Montana's Coke Boys Records, gaining recognition for his appearances on the Coke Boys mixtapes and the Cocaine Riot mixtape series. He was killed in a drive-by shooting in Jamaica, Queens on May 17, 2015. Two men have since been arrested in the case.

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04/12/1982

Nathan Douglas, English triple jumper

Nathan James Douglas is a retired two-time Olympian and British athlete who specialised in the triple jump. He is an eight-time British champion and two-time European silver medalist.

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Waldo Ponce, Chilean footballer

Waldo Alonso Ponce Carrizo is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as a defender.

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Ho-Pin Tung, Dutch-Chinese race car driver

Ho-Pin Tung is a Dutch-born racing driver who races with a Chinese license.

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Nick Vujicic, Australian evangelist

Nicholas James Vujicic, known as Nick Vujicic, is an Australian and American evangelist and motivational speaker. Vujicic has tetra-amelia syndrome, a condition characterised by the absence of arms and legs.

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04/12/1981

Brian Vandborg, Danish cyclist

Brian Bach Vandborg is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2004 and 2013. Over his career, Vandborg competed for Team CSC (twice), Discovery Channel, Team GLS, Liquigas–Doimo, SpiderTech–C10 and Cannondale.

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04/12/1980

Brian Cook, American basketball player

Brian Joshua Cook is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted out of the University of Illinois with the 24th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Viktor, Canadian wrestler and manager

Eric Thompson is a Canadian professional wrestler making appearances for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), under the ring name Zyon. He is best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Viktor.

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04/12/1979

Ysabella Brave, American singer-songwriter

Ysabella Brave is an American YouTube personality, artist, vocalist, singer and songwriter signed by Cordless Recordings, a division of the Warner Music Group. She was discovered through the popularity of her YouTube channels, Ysabella Brave and ysabellabravetalk.

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Jay DeMerit, American soccer player

Jay Michael DeMerit is an American former soccer player who played as a center back.

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04/12/1978

Jaclyn Victor, Malaysian singer and actress

Jaclyn Joshua Thanaraj Victor is a Malaysian singer, actress and businesswoman who won the inaugural Malaysian Idol, Ikon Malaysia, Gegar Vaganza Season 9 & Gegar Vaganza All Stars. As the winner of Malaysian Idol, she won a recording contract with Sony BMG Music Entertainment. She represented Malaysia in the first Asian Idol and Ikon Asean. She has been dubbed "Asia's Divette" for her vocal prowess and a legend in Malaysia.

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04/12/1977

Ajit Agarkar, Indian cricketer

Ajit Bhalchandra Agarkar is a former Indian cricketer and commentator. He was considered a bowling all-rounder. He is known for his fast bowling skills, particularly his pace and ability to take wickets. He is the third highest wicket-taker for India in One Day Internationals (ODIs). He has been the current chairman of the BCCI selection committee since 4 July 2023. He has represented India in more than 200 international matches across all three formats of the game.

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Darvis Patton, American sprinter

Darvis "Doc" Darell Patton is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events. He is a two-time US Champion in the 200-meter dash and won the silver medal in the event at the 2003 World Championships. He is a three-time Olympian and a four-time participant at the World Athletics Championships.

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Morten Veland, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter

Morten Veland is a Norwegian musician. He is one of the founding members of the gothic metal band Tristania and the founding member of Sirenia and Mortemia.

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04/12/1976

Kristina Groves, Canadian speed skater

Kristina Nicole Groves is a Canadian retired speed skater. She is Canada's most decorated skater in the World Single Distances Championships with 13 career medals in this event. She won four Olympic medals: she won two silver medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, in the 1,500 meters and team pursuit, and she won the silver medal in the 1500 m event and the bronze medal in the 3000 m event at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

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Betty Lennox, American basketball player

Betty Bernice Lennox is an American retired professional basketball player. She played for the Minnesota Lynx, Miami Sol, Cleveland Rockers, Seattle Storm, Atlanta Dream, Los Angeles Sparks and Tulsa Shock in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Her nicknames include "Betty Basketball," "Betty Big Buckets," and her most popular nickname "B-Money."

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04/12/1974

Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball player

Tadahito Iguchi , nicknamed "Gucci", is a Japanese professional baseball second baseman and former manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

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04/12/1973

Tyra Banks, American model, actress, and producer

Tyra Lynne Banks is an American model, television personality, producer, writer, and actress. She began her career as a model at the age of 15 and was the first African American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, on which she appeared three times. Banks was one of only a few Black models to achieve supermodel status. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. By the early 2000s, Banks was one of the world's top-earning models.

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Mina Caputo, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player

Keith Caputo is an American singer who is lead vocalist and a founding member of New York City alternative metal band Life of Agony. Formed in 1989, Life of Agony has released six studio albums, the latest of which, The Sound of Scars, was released in 2019. Caputo came out as transgender in 2011 and transitioned to female. In November 2024, Caputo announced he would be detransitioning back to male. During the interim period, he identified as Mina Caputo.

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Michael Jackson, English footballer and manager

Michael James Jackson is an English football manager and former professional footballer. He is currently interim head coach for EFL Championship club Burnley.

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Steven Menzies, Australian rugby league player

Steve Menzies, commonly referred to by his nickname "Beaver", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer best known for his career with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. He also played for the Bradford Bulls and the Catalans Dragons in the Super League. Menzies spent the majority of his playing career in the second row, but he also played as a centre, five-eighth and as a utility player off the bench.

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Kate Rusby, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Kate Anna Rusby is an English folk singer-songwriter from Penistone, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Sometimes called the "Barnsley Nightingale", she has headlined various British folk festivals, and is one of the best known contemporary English folk singers. In 2001 The Guardian described her as "a superstar of the British acoustic scene." In 2007 the BBC website described her as "The first lady of young folkies". She is one of the few folk singers to have been nominated for the Mercury Prize.

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Corliss Williamson, American basketball player and coach

Corliss Mondari Williamson is an American basketball coach who serves as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is also a former player who played for four teams during his 12-year career. In 2002, Williamson was selected as NBA Sixth Man of the Year. His nickname is "Big Nasty", a moniker he received from his AAU coach when he was 13. Williamson was a dominating power forward in college at Arkansas, but an undersized power forward in the NBA and mostly played at the small forward position.

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04/12/1972

Jassen Cullimore, Canadian ice hockey player

Jassen Andrew Cullimore is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman.

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Yūko Miyamura, Japanese voice actress and singer

Yūko Miyamura , also known by her nickname Miyamū (みやむー), is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer and sound director. She played Kazuha Toyama in Detective Conan, Casca in Berserk and Asuka Langley Soryu in Neon Genesis Evangelion.

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04/12/1971

Shannon Briggs, American boxer and actor

Shannon Briggs is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1992 and 2016. He held the lineal heavyweight title from 1997 to 1998, and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight title from 2006 to 2007. Nicknamed "the Cannon", Briggs was known for his formidable punching power and aggression, possessing an 88.3% knockout-to-win rate with 37 knockout wins in the first round.

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04/12/1970

Kevin Sussman, American actor and comedian

Kevin Sussman is an American actor and comedian. He played Walter on the ABC comedy-drama Ugly Betty and Stuart Bloom on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Starting with the sixth season of The Big Bang Theory, he was promoted to a series regular.

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04/12/1969

Dionne Farris, American singer-songwriter, producer and actress

Dionne Farris is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New Jersey, she began singing in elementary school and competed in pageants as a teenager. In the early 1990s, she was featured on the hip-hop group Arrested Development's hit single "Tennessee" (1992).

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Jay-Z, American rapper, producer, actor, and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records

Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and record executive. In 2023, Billboard and Vibe ranked him as the greatest rapper of all time. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, Jay-Z is known for his complex lyricism that often uses double entendres, wordplay, and braggadocio. His music is built on a rags to riches narrative. According to Forbes, he is the wealthiest music artist in history, worth an estimated US$2.8 billion as of 2026.

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Plum Sykes, English journalist and author

Victoria Rowland, known as Plum Sykes, is an English fashion journalist and novelist.

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04/12/1968

Tahir Dawar, Pakistani police officer and Pashto poet (died 2018)

Mohammad Tahir Khan Dawar was a Pakistani police officer who was abducted from Islamabad on 26 October 2018 and then tortured and killed. His body was found on 13 November 2018 by the locals in the Dur Baba District of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, close to the Torkham border crossing. His postmortem report revealed he had no marks of bullet injury, but was rather killed by excessive torture during captivity. He was kept hungry and thirsty for several days, and his legs and arms were broken. He had died a few days before his body was found.

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04/12/1967

Guillermo Amor, Spanish footballer and manager

Guillermo Amor Martínez is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a versatile midfielder.

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04/12/1966

Fred Armisen, American actor and musician

Fereydun Robert Armisen is an American comedian, actor, musician, and television writer. With his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein, he co-created and co-starred in the IFC sketch comedy series Portlandia. He also co-created and starred in the mockumentary IFC series Documentary Now! and the Showtime comedy series Moonbase 8.

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Andy Hess, American bass player

Andy Hess is an American bass guitarist perhaps best known a member of Gov't Mule from 2003 to 2008.

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Suzanne Malveaux, American journalist

Suzanne Maria Malveaux is an American broadcast journalist. After joining CNN from NBC News in 2002, she co-anchored the CNN international news program Around the World and editions of CNN Newsroom and also served as the network's White House correspondent and as primary substitute to Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room. She departed the network in 2023.

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Suzette M. Malveaux, American lawyer and academic

Suzette M. Malveaux is an American law professor and civil rights lawyer. She joined the Washington and Lee University School of Law in 2024 as the Roger D. Groot Professor of Law. Previously she was Provost Professor of Civil Rights Law and director of the Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Law at the University of Colorado Law School.

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04/12/1965

Álex de la Iglesia, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter

Alejandro "Álex" de la Iglesia Mendoza is a Spanish film director, screenwriter, producer and former comic book artist.

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Shaun Hollamby, English race car driver and businessman

Shaun Scott Hollamby is a British TV Director/Producer and former racing driver and race team owner. He was the managing director of AmD Tuning, a performance tuning company and motor racing team based in West Thurrock, Essex. He also previously competed in a part-time effort in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and Historic F3 and FFord.

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Ulf Kirsten, German footballer and manager

Ulf Kirsten is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed Der Schwatte, he is the first player in history to reach a total 100 caps playing with two different national teams. Kirsten's biggest success was the victory of the 1992–93 DFB-Pokal.

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04/12/1964

Scott Hastings, Scottish rugby player and sportscaster (died 2026)

Scott Hastings was a Scottish and British and Irish Lions rugby union player and sports summariser. He gained 65 full international caps between 1986 and 1997 and at his retirement he was Scotland's most-capped player ever. He went on two British Lions tours. He played for Edinburgh District and, when that provincial side turned professional, for Edinburgh Rugby. He maintained a strong connection with Watsonians who he first played for at an amateur level and then at the start of the professional era, eventually being their director of rugby.

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Chelsea Noble, American actress

Chelsea Cameron is an American actress known for her role as Kate McDonnell on the ABC television sitcom Growing Pains (1989–1992).

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Marisa Tomei, American actress

Marisa Tomei is an American actress. She gained prominence for her comedic performance in My Cousin Vinny (1992), which earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She received further nominations in the category for In the Bedroom (2001) and The Wrestler (2008).

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04/12/1963

Sergey Bubka, Ukrainian pole vaulter

Serhiy Nazarovych Bubka is a Ukrainian former pole vaulter. He is the 1988 Olympic Champion, a record six-time consecutive World Champion, a record four-time World Indoor Champion, the 1985 European Indoor Champion, the 1986 European Champion and a seven-time IAAF Grand Prix Final Champion. Bubka broke the world record in men's pole vault a record 35 times, and was the first pole vaulter to clear 6.0 meters and 6.10 meters, holding the indoor record of 6.15 meters from 1993 to 2014 and outdoor record of 6.14 meters from 1994 to 2020.

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Nigel Heslop, English rugby player

Nigel John Heslop is an English former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for England, and at club level for Orrell R.U.F.C., and Liverpool St Helens F.C. as a Wing, and club level rugby league (RL) for Oldham, at the time of his move to Oldham, he was employed by Merseyside Police.

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04/12/1962

Vinnie Dombroski, American singer-songwriter and musician

Vinnie Dombroski is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist and main songwriter for the rock band Sponge. He also fronted the short-lived supergroup Spys4Darwin, and has been a member of several Detroit-based bands throughout his career.

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Gary Freeman, New Zealand rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster

Gary Ross Freeman is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 2000s, who both captained and coached the New Zealand national team. He was arguably one of New Zealand's greatest Test halfbacks and at the time of his retirement he was the most-capped New Zealand test player and also held the record for most consecutive tests for New Zealand with 37.

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Nixon Kiprotich, Kenyan runner

Nixon Kiprotich is a former Kenyan 800 metres runner, who won the silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games. Previously, Kiprotich had come eighth in the 1988 Olympic final.

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Kevin Richardson, English footballer and manager

Kevin Richardson is an English former footballer who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League, playing for Everton, Watford, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Coventry City, Southampton, Barnsley and Blackpool, and also spent a season in La Liga with Real Sociedad. He was capped once for England.

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04/12/1961

Frank Reich, American football player and coach

Frank Michael Reich is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is currently the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played 14 seasons in the NFL.

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Naomi Robson, American-Australian television host[better source needed]

Naomi Robson is an American-born Australian television presenter who is best known as the former presenter of the east coast edition of Today Tonight, an Australian current affairs program which was broadcast on weeknights on the Seven Network, from 1997 to 2006.

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04/12/1960

David Green, Nicaraguan-American baseball player

David Alejandro Green Casaya was a Nicaraguan professional baseball player who was an outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). Between 1981 and 1987, he spent parts of six seasons in the MLB. He was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals for five of those years, and he also spent one season with the San Francisco Giants.

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Glynis Nunn, Australian heptathlete and hurler

Glynis Leanne Nunn OAM is a former Australian heptathlete, the first Olympic champion in the event.

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04/12/1958

Sergei Starikov, Russian ice hockey player and coach

Sergei Viktorovich Starikov is a Russian ice hockey coach and former player, who competed as defenseman for the Soviet national team.

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04/12/1957

Raul Boesel, Brazilian race car driver and radio host

Raul de Mesquita Boesel is a Brazilian former racing driver who raced for the March and Ligier Formula One teams and later raced in Champ Car and the Indy Racing League.

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Eric S. Raymond, American computer programmer and author

Eric Steven Raymond, often referred to as ESR, is an American software developer, open-source software advocate, and author of the 1997 essay and 1999 book The Cathedral and the Bazaar. He wrote a guidebook for the Roguelike game NetHack. In the 1990s, he edited and updated the Jargon File, published as The New Hacker's Dictionary.

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Lee Smith, American baseball player

Lee Arthur Smith is an American former professional baseball player who was a pitcher for 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eight teams. Serving mostly as a relief pitcher during his career, he was a dominant closer, was the first pitcher to reach 400 saves, and held the major league record for career saves from 1993 until 2006, when Trevor Hoffman passed his total of 478. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2019 by the Today's Game Era Committee.

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04/12/1956

Nia Griffith, Welsh educator and politician, former Shadow Secretary of State for Wales

Dame Nia Rhiannon Griffith is a Welsh politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Llanelli since 2005. A member of the Labour Party, she served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales and Equalities between 2024 and 2025.

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Bernard King, American basketball player and sportscaster

Bernard King is an American former professional basketball player at the small forward position in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 14 seasons with the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Washington Bullets. King is a four-time NBA All-Star, four-time All-NBA selection and led the NBA in scoring in the 1984–85 season. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 8, 2013. His younger brother, Albert, also played in the NBA during his career.

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04/12/1955

Philip Hammond, English businessman and politician, former Chancellor of the Exchequer

Philip Hammond, Baron Hammond of Runnymede is a British politician and life peer who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019 and Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, having previously served as Defence Secretary from 2011 to 2014 and Transport Secretary from 2010 to 2011. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Runnymede and Weybridge from 1997 to 2019.

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Dave Taylor, Canadian-American ice hockey player and manager

David Andrew Taylor is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Los Angeles Kings from 1977 to 1994. Taylor was a star player at Clarkson University for four seasons while being drafted by both the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association in 1975. He made it to the NHL in 1977 with the Los Angeles Kings. The 1980-81 season saw Taylor be labeled as part of a "Triple Crown Line" alongside centre Marcel Dionne and left winger Charlie Simmer, as all three players scored 100 points each, with Taylor's 112 points being a career high and the first of two straight 100-point seasons. In the 1980s, Taylor was named to the All-Star Game four times and was a Second All-Star once while recording two 40-goal seasons. In 1991, he was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his perseverance and for his leadership qualities on and off the ice while also recording his 1,000th point, becoming the 29th player to do so in NHL history. In his penultimate season, Taylor reached the Stanley Cup Final for the only time in his career, with Taylor recording five goals and eight total points in 22 games. After playing 33 games in the 1993-94 season, Taylor retired.

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Cassandra Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer

Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating blues, country, and folk music into her work. She has won numerous awards, including two Grammys, and was named "America's Best Singer" by Time magazine in 2001.

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04/12/1954

Tony Todd, American actor (died 2024)

Anthony Tiran Todd was an American actor. Known for his distinctly deep and gravelly voice, he amassed numerous credits on screen and in video games since the 1980s, including the title character in the Candyman film series (1992–2021) and William Bludworth in the Final Destination franchise (2000–2025). For the former, he was nominated at the Critics' Choice and Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.

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04/12/1953

Rick Middleton, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster

Richard David "Nifty" Middleton is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. Middleton played 14 years in the NHL, most prominently with the Bruins, serving as their captain alongside Ray Bourque from 1985 until his retirement in 1988.

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Jean-Marie Pfaff, Belgian footballer and manager

Jean-Marie Pfaff is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and spent most of his professional career with Beveren and Bayern Munich. Pfaff was capped 64 times playing for Belgium, and participated at the 1982 FIFA World Cup and 1986 FIFA World Cup tournaments. Pfaff was named goalkeeper of the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and he was the first player to receive the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award in 1987.

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04/12/1951

Gary Rossington, American guitarist (died 2023)

Gary Robert Rossington was an American musician best known as a founding guitarist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, with whom he performed until his death. Rossington was also a founding member of the Rossington Collins Band, along with former bandmate Allen Collins. Rossington was both the longest-serving and last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd by the time of his death.

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Patricia Wettig, American actress and playwright

Patricia Anne Wettig is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Nancy Weston in the television series Thirtysomething (1987–1991), for which she received a Golden Globe Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards.

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04/12/1950

Bjørn Kjellemyr, Norwegian bassist and composer (died 2025)

Bjørn Kjellemyr was a Norwegian jazz double bassist, known from a variety of musical contexts like Terje Rypdal & The Chasers, Joe Henderson, Bob Berg, Chet Baker, Art Farmer, Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, Dag Arnesen, Knut Riisnæs, Jon Eberson, Bugge Wesseltoft, Audun Kleive, Jon Balke, Jan Gunnar Hoff and Ketil Bjørnstad.

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04/12/1949

Jeff Bridges, American actor

Jeffrey Leon Bridges is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his leading man roles in film and television. In a career spanning more than seven decades, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for three BAFTA Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019, he was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

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Jock Stirrup, Baron Stirrup, English air marshal and politician

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Graham Eric Stirrup, Baron Stirrup, informally known as Jock Stirrup, is a former senior Royal Air Force commander who was the Chief of the Defence Staff from 2006 until his retirement in late 2010. He is now a Crossbench member of the House of Lords. In April 2013, he was appointed a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth II.

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04/12/1948

Southside Johnny, American singer-songwriter

John Lyon, known professionally as Southside Johnny, is a retired American singer-songwriter who fronted the band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.

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04/12/1947

Jane Lubchenco, American ecologist, academic, and diplomat

Jane Lubchenco is a decorated American environmental scientist and marine ecologist.

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04/12/1946

Karina, Spanish singer/actress

María Isabel Llaudes Santiago, better known by her stage name Karina, is a Spanish singer who had her biggest success from the late 1960s until the mid-1970s in Spain and Latin America. She represented Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 with the song "En un mundo nuevo", where she placed second.

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04/12/1945

Roberta Bondar, Canadian neurologist, academic, and astronaut

Roberta Lynn Bondar is a Canadian astronaut, neurologist and consultant. She is Canada's first female astronaut and the first neurologist in space.

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04/12/1944

Chris Hillman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Christopher Hillman is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his work with the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas and the country-rock group the Desert Rose Band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the Byrds.

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Anna McGarrigle, Canadian musician and singer-songwriter

Anna McGarrigle, CM is a Canadian folk music singer and songwriter who recorded and performed with her late sister Kate McGarrigle.

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François Migault, French race car driver (died 2012)

François Marie Edouard Migault was a racing driver from Le Mans, France. He participated in 16 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 13 August 1972, but scored no championship points.

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Dennis Wilson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and drummer (died 1983)

Dennis Carl Wilson was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their drummer and the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. The only dedicated surfer in the group, his lifestyle embodied the "California myth" that inspired and was celebrated in many of the band's early songs. He later contributed original material to their catalog, including "Forever" (1970), his best-known song.

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04/12/1942

Bob Mosley, American singer-songwriter and bass player

James Robert "Bob" Mosley is an American musician principally known as the bass player and one of the songwriters and vocalists for the band Moby Grape. Some of his best-known songs with Moby Grape are "Mr. Blues", "Come In The Morning", and "Lazy Me" from the first Moby Grape album (1967), and "Gypsy Wedding" from the 20 Granite Creek (1971) album.

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04/12/1941

Marty Riessen, American tennis player and coach

Marty Riessen is an American former amateur and professional tennis player active from the 1960s to the 1980s. He was ranked as high as No. 11 in the world in singles on the ATP rankings in September 1974, though was ranked as high as world No. 8 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph in 1971 before the computer rankings. Renowned for his doubles play, Riessen was also a regular doubles partner of Australian tennis great Margaret Court, winning six of his seven major mixed titles and a career Grand Slam alongside her. Additionally a winner of two men's doubles Grand Slams, his highest doubles ranking was No. 3 in March 1980.

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04/12/1940

Gerd Achterberg, German footballer and manager

Gerd Achterberg was a German football manager.

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Gary Gilmore, American murderer (died 1977)

Gary Mark Gilmore was an American criminal who gained international attention for demanding the implementation of his death sentence for two murders he had admitted to committing in Utah. After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a new series of death penalty statutes in the 1976 decision Gregg v. Georgia, he became the first person in almost ten years to be executed in the United States. These new statutes avoided the problems under the 1972 decision in Furman v. Georgia, which had resulted in earlier death penalty statutes being deemed "cruel and unusual" punishment, and therefore unconstitutional. Gilmore was executed by a firing squad in 1977. His life and execution were the subject of the 1979 nonfiction novel The Executioner's Song, by Norman Mailer, and the 1982 TV film of the novel starring Tommy Lee Jones as Gilmore.

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04/12/1939

Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (died 2016)

Stephen Warren Bosworth was an American academic and diplomat. He served as Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University and served as United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy from March 2009 to October 2011. He served three times as a U.S. Ambassador, to Tunisia (1979–1981), to the Philippines (1984–1987), and to South Korea (1997–2001). In 1987, he received the American Academy of Diplomacy's Diplomat of the Year Award.

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Joan Brady, American-British author (died 2024)

Joan Brady was an American-British writer. She was the first woman and American to win the Whitbread Book of the Year Award for her novel Theory of War.

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04/12/1938

Andre Marrou, American lawyer and politician

Andrew Verne Marrou is an American politician who served in the Alaska House of Representatives from the 5th district as a member of the Libertarian Party from 1985 to 1987. He was the Libertarian vice-presidential nominee in the 1988 election and presidential nominee in the 1992 election.

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Yvonne Minton, Australian-English soprano and actress

Yvonne Fay Minton CBE is an Australian-born but mostly British-resident opera singer. She is variously billed as a soprano, mezzo-soprano or contralto.

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04/12/1937

Max Baer Jr., American actor, director, and producer

Maximilian Adelbert Baer Jr. is an American former actor, producer, comedian, and director widely known for his role as Jethro Bodine, the dim-witted relative of Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies.

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04/12/1936

Freddy Cannon, American singer and guitarist

Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr., better known by his stage name Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singer. His biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans", and "Palisades Park".

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John Giorno, American poet and performance artist (died 2019)

John Giorno was an American poet and performance artist. He founded the not-for-profit production company Giorno Poetry Systems and organized a number of early multimedia poetry experiments and events. Giorno's creative journey was marked by collaborations, groundbreaking initiatives, and a deep exploration of diverse art forms. He gained prominence through his association with pop art luminary Andy Warhol, sparking a creative partnership that propelled his career to new heights.

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04/12/1935

Paul O'Neill, American businessman and politician, 72nd United States Secretary of the Treasury (died 2020)

Paul Henry O'Neill was an American businessman and government official who served as the 72nd United States secretary of the treasury for part of President George W. Bush's first term, from January 2001 until his resignation in December 2002. Prior to his term as Secretary, O'Neill was chairman and CEO of industrial giant Alcoa and chairman of the RAND Corporation.

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04/12/1934

Bill Collins, Australian film critic and author (died 2019)

William Roderick Collins was an Australian film critic and film historian, radio and television presenter, journalist, author and lecturer best known for presenting Hollywood films on television in Australia.

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Victor French, American actor and director (died 1989)

Victor Edwin French was an American actor and director. He is remembered for roles on the television programs Gunsmoke, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, and Carter Country.

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04/12/1933

Horst Buchholz, German actor (died 2003)

Horst Werner Buchholz was a German actor who appeared in more than 60 feature films from 1951 to 2002. During his youth, he was sometimes called "the German James Dean". He is perhaps best known in English-speaking countries for his roles as Chico in The Magnificent Seven (1960), as a communist in Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three (1961), and as Dr. Lessing in Life Is Beautiful (1997).

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Wink Martindale, American game show host and producer (died 2025)

Winston Conrad "Wink" Martindale was an American disc jockey, radio personality, game show host and television producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he was known for his outgoing and jovial demeanor and his booming voice, who was also well-known for hosting the game shows: Gambit from 1972 to 1976, Tic-Tac-Dough from 1978 to 1985, High Rollers from 1987 to 1988, and Debt from 1996 to 1998. He also presented Wink's Vault, on his YouTube Channel, from 2014 until his death in 2025.

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Dick Ricketts, American baseball and basketball player (died 1988)

Richard James Ricketts Jr. was an American professional basketball and baseball player. Ricketts was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1955 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks out of Duquesne University. Ricketts played professional basketball and baseball simultaneously and retired from basketball to play baseball. He pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1959 and had a 10-season pitching career. He is one of 13 athletes to play in both the NBA and MLB.

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04/12/1932

Roh Tae-woo, South Korean general and politician, 6th President of South Korea (died 2021)

Roh Tae-woo was a South Korean army general and politician who served as the sixth president of South Korea from 1988 to 1993. In 1987, he became the first president to be directly elected under the current democratic constitution, which was promulgated after a lengthy period of indirect elections under military governments following the advent of the Yushin Constitution in 1972.

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04/12/1931

Alex Delvecchio, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (died 2025)

Alexander Peter "Fats" Delvecchio was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager who spent his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Detroit Red Wings. In a playing career that lasted from 1951 to 1973, Delvecchio played in 1,549 games and recorded 1,281 points. At the time of his retirement, he was second in NHL history in number of games played, assists, and points. He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct three times and helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup three times. He is one of three NHL players to spend their entire career with one franchise and play at least 1,500 games with that team. Upon retiring in 1973, Delvecchio was named head coach of the Red Wings and was also named the team's general manager in 1974; he served in both roles until 1977. Delvecchio was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977, and in 2017 was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.

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Wally George, American radio and television host (died 2003)

Wally George was an American conservative radio and television commentator. Calling himself the "Father of Combat TV," he was a fixture on Southern California television for three decades (1975–2003), most notably as the host of Hot Seat, which began as a local show on KDOC Channel 56, a local Southern California based UHF TV station in Anaheim, Orange County in 1983. His other nicknames were "Mr. Conservative" and "Mr. America" in the 1980s–1990s and he represented the strong conservative fan base of Orange County and the Coachella Valley of California where he was also on their local TV stations.

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04/12/1930

Ronnie Corbett, Scottish actor and comedian (died 2016)

Ronald Balfour Corbett was a Scottish comedian and actor. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC Television comedy sketch show The Two Ronnies (1971–87), becoming known for his meandering chair monologues, and starred in sitcoms such as No – That's Me Over Here! (1967–70), Now Look Here (1971–73), and Sorry! (1981–88).

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Jim Hall, American guitarist and composer (died 2013)

James Stanley Hall was an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger.

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04/12/1929

Şakir Eczacıbaşı, Turkish pharmacist, photographer, and businessman (died 2010)

Şakir Eczacıbaşı, a second generation member of the notable Turkish Eczacıbaşı family, was a pharmacist, photographer and businessman.

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04/12/1926

Ned Romero, American actor and opera singer (died 2017)

Ned Romero was an American actor and opera singer who appeared in television and film.

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04/12/1925

Albert Bandura, Canadian-American psychologist and academic (died 2021)

Albert Bandura was a Canadian-American psychologist and professor of social science in psychology at Stanford University, who contributed to the fields of education and to the fields of psychology, and influenced the transition between behaviorism and cognitive psychology. Bandura also is known as the originator of social learning theory, social cognitive theory, and the theoretical construct of self-efficacy. He was responsible for the theoretically influential Bobo doll experiment (1961), which demonstrated the conceptual validity of observational learning, wherein children would observe an adult act either aggressively or neutrally toward a doll, and, having learned through observation, were more likely to also beat the doll if they had witnessed the aggressive behavior.

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04/12/1924

John C. Portman Jr., American architect, designed the Renaissance Center and Tomorrow Square (died 2017)

John Calvin Portman Jr. was an American neofuturistic architect and real estate developer widely known for popularizing hotels and office buildings with multi-storied interior atria. Portman also had a particularly large impact on the cityscape of his hometown of Atlanta, with the Peachtree Center complex serving as downtown's business and tourism anchor from the 1970s onward. The Peachtree Center area includes Portman-designed Hyatt, Westin, and Marriott hotels. Portman's plans typically dealt with primitives in the forms of symmetrical squares and circles.

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04/12/1923

Charles Keating, American lawyer and financier (died 2014)

Charles Humphrey Keating Jr. was an American sportsman, lawyer, real estate developer, banker, financier, conservative activist, and convicted felon best known for his role in the savings and loan scandal of the late 1980s.

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Eagle Keys, American-Canadian football player and coach (died 2012)

Eagle Keys was an American born professional Canadian football player who played and coached in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is currently fifth all-time in regular season wins with 131 as a head coach in the CFL. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

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John Krish, English director and screenwriter (died 2016)

John Jeffrey Krish was a British film director and screenwriter. He directed and filmed much archive footage and in particular Our School in 1962, showing the changing ways of Britain's school and the last few years of the 11-plus exam.

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04/12/1921

Deanna Durbin, Canadian actress and singer (died 2013)

Edna Mae Durbin, known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-American lyric soprano and actress, who moved to the United States with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. Additionally, she performed mostly classical concerts and recitals as well as concerts with semi-classical and popular music. She specialized in opera arias, art song, and semi-classical songs, which is today known as classical crossover.

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04/12/1920

Nadir Afonso, Portuguese painter and architect (died 2013)

Nadir Afonso, GOSE was a Portuguese geometric abstractionist painter. Formally trained in architecture, which he practiced early in his career with Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer, Nadir Afonso later studied painting in Paris and became one of the pioneers of Kinetic art, working alongside Victor Vasarely, Fernand Léger, Auguste Herbin, and André Bloc.

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Michael Bates, English actor (died 1978)

Michael Hammond Bates was a British actor, born in colonial India. He was best known for his roles as Field Marshall Sir Bernard Law Montgomery in Patton (1970), Guard Barnes in A Clockwork Orange (1971), Cyril Blamire in Last of the Summer Wine (1973–1975) and Rangi Ram in It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974–1977).

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Jeanne Manford, American educator and activist, co-founded PFLAG (died 2013)

Jeanne Sobelson Manford was an American schoolteacher and activist. She co-founded the support group organization, PFLAG, for which she was awarded the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal.

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04/12/1919

I. K. Gujral, Indian poet and politician, 12th Prime Minister of India (died 2012)

Inder Kumar Gujral was an Indian diplomat, politician, and independence activist, who served as prime minister of India from April 1997 to March 1998.

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04/12/1916

Ely Jacques Kahn Jr., American journalist and author (died 1994)

Ely Jacques Kahn Jr. was an American writer with The New Yorker for five decades.

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04/12/1915

Eddie Heywood, American pianist and composer (died 1989)

Edward Heywood Jr. was an American jazz pianist and composer particularly active in the 1940s and 1950s.

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04/12/1914

Rudolf Hausner, Austrian painter and sculptor (died 1995)

Rudolf Hausner was an Austrian painter, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor. Hausner has been described as a "psychic realist" and "the first psychoanalytical painter".

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Claude Renoir, French cinematographer (died 1993)

Claude Renoir was a French cinematographer. He was the son of actor Pierre Renoir, the grandson of painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and the nephew of director Jean Renoir.

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04/12/1913

Mark Robson, Canadian-American director and producer (died 1978)

Mark Robson was a Canadian-American film director, producer, and editor. Robson began his 45-year career in Hollywood as a film editor. He later began working as a director and producer. He directed 34 films during his career, including Champion (1949), Bright Victory (1951), The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), Peyton Place (1957), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), Von Ryan's Express (1965), Valley of the Dolls (1967), and Earthquake (1974).

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04/12/1912

Pappy Boyington, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1988)

Gregory "Pappy" Boyington was an American combat pilot who was a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. A Marine aviator with the Pacific fleet in 1941, Boyington joined the "Flying Tigers" of the Republic of China Air Force and saw combat in Burma in late 1941 and 1942 during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

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04/12/1910

Alex North, American composer and conductor (died 1991)

Alex North was an American composer best known for his many film scores, including A Streetcar Named Desire, Viva Zapata!, Spartacus, Cleopatra, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. He received fifteen Academy Award nominations for his work as a composer; while he did not win for any of his nominations, he received an Honorary Academy Award in 1986, the first for a composer.

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R. Venkataraman, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th President of India (died 2009)

Ramaswamy Venkataraman, also known as R. Venkataraman, was an Indian lawyer, independence activist and politician who served as a union minister and as the vice president of india and president of India. Venkataraman was born in Rajamadam village in Tanjore district, Madras Presidency. He studied law and practised in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court of India. In his youth, he was an activist for the Indian independence movement, and he participated in the Quit India Movement. He was appointed as the member of the Constituent Assembly and the provisional cabinet. He was elected to the Lok Sabha four times and served as Union Finance Minister and Defence Minister. In 1984, he was elected as the vice president of India and in 1987, he became the president of India and served from 1987 to 1992. He also served as a state minister under K. Kamaraj and M. Bhaktavatsalam. He is referred to as the Father of Industrialisation of Tamilnadu

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04/12/1908

Alfred Hershey, American bacteriologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1997)

Alfred Day Hershey was an American Nobel Prize–winning bacteriologist and geneticist.

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04/12/1904

Albert Norden, German journalist and politician (died 1982)

Albert Norden was a German communist politician, academic and journalist who held several senior positions in the ruling Socialist Unity Party of East Germany from the 1950s until his retirement in 1981. Among his responsibilities were domestic and foreign propaganda, the Party Academy "Karl Marx", and the National Front. He also edited the Braunbuch, published in 1965, in which nearly 2,000 leading West Germans were named as former Nazis.

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04/12/1903

Cornell Woolrich, American author (died 1968)

Cornell George Hopley Woolrich was an American novelist and short story writer. He sometimes used the pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley. His biographer, Francis Nevins Jr., rated Woolrich the fourth best crime writer of his day, behind Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner and Raymond Chandler.

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04/12/1899

Karl-Günther Heimsoth, German physician and politician (died 1934)

Karl-Günther Heimsoth, also known as Karl-Guenter Heimsoth, was a German physician, polygraph, and politician. Heimsoth was a member of the Nazi Party and later the Communist Party of Germany.

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Charlie Spencer, English footballer and manager (died 1953)

Charles William Spencer was an English football player and manager.

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04/12/1897

Robert Redfield, American anthropologist of Mexico (died 1958)

Robert Redfield was an American anthropologist and ethnolinguist, whose ethnographic work in Tepoztlán, Mexico, is considered a landmark of Latin American ethnography. He was associated with the University of Chicago for his entire career: all of his higher education took place there, and he joined the faculty in 1927 and remained there until his death in 1958, serving as Dean of Social Sciences from 1934 to 1946. Redfield was a co-founder of the University of Chicago Committee on Social Thought alongside other prominent Chicago professors Robert Maynard Hutchins, Frank Knight, and John UIrich Nef.

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04/12/1895

Feng Youlan, Chinese philosopher and academic (died 1990)

Feng Youlan was a Chinese philosopher, historian, and writer who was instrumental for reintroducing the study of Chinese philosophy in the modern era. In early scholarship he was published and discussed under the name 'Fung Yu-lan', as used in the Bodde translation of A History of Chinese Philosophy and the work of Wing-tsit Chan. His works still saw publication under this name at the end of the century.

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04/12/1893

Herbert Read, English poet and critic (died 1968)

Sir Herbert Edward Read, was an English art historian, poet, literary critic and philosopher, best known for numerous books on art, which included influential volumes on the role of art in education. Read was co-founder of the Institute of Contemporary Arts. As well as being a prominent English anarchist, he was one of the earliest English writers to take notice of existentialism. He was co-editor with Michael Fordham and Gerhard Adler of the British edition in English of The Collected Works of C. G. Jung.

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04/12/1892

Francisco Franco, Spanish general and dictator, Prime Minister of Spain (died 1975)

Francisco Franco Bahamonde was a Spanish military general who was the leader of Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975. He had led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. This period in Spanish history, from the Nationalist victory to Franco's death, is commonly known as Francoist Spain.

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Liu Bocheng, Chinese commander and politician (died 1986)

Liu Mingzhao, more commonly known as Liu Bocheng, was a Chinese military officer and Marshal of the People's Republic of China. Known as the 'half' of the "Three and A Half" Strategists of China in modern Chinese history, he was recognised as a revolutionary, military strategist, and theoretician and one of the founders of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

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04/12/1887

Winifred Carney, Irish suffragist, trade unionist, and Irish republican (died 1943)

Maria Winifred "Winnie" Carney, was an Irish republican, a participant in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin and, as a trade union secretary, women's suffragist, and socialist party member, a lifelong social and political activist in Belfast. In March 2024, a statue to her was unveiled on the grounds of Belfast City Hall.

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04/12/1884

R. C. Majumdar, Indian historian (died 1980)

Ramesh Chandra Majumdar was an Indian historian and professor known for promoting Hindu nationalist views. He principally studied the history of India.

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04/12/1883

Katharine Susannah Prichard, Australian author and playwright (died 1969)

Katharine Susannah Prichard was an Australian author and co-founding member of the Communist Party of Australia.

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04/12/1882

Constance Davey, Australian psychologist (died 1963)

Constance Muriel Davey was an Australian psychologist who worked in the South Australian Department of Education, where she introduced the state's first special education classes.

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04/12/1881

Erwin von Witzleben, Polish-German field marshal (died 1944)

Job Wilhelm Georg Erwin Erdmann von Witzleben was a German Generalfeldmarschall in the Wehrmacht and Oberbefehlshaber West, during the Second World War. A leading conspirator in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, he was designated to become commander in chief of the Wehrmacht in a post-Nazi regime, had the plot succeeded. After being dishonourably discharged by the Ehrenhof, he was murdered, after a show trial from the Volksgerichtshof.

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04/12/1877

Morris Alexander, South African politician (died 1946)

Morris Alexander was a South African lawyer and politician who was a leading figure of Cape Town's Jewish community. He is best known for his successful campaign to have Yiddish recognized as a European language by colonial authorities, allowing thousands of Jews to immigrate to South Africa. A prominent liberal, Alexander served in the South African House of Assembly from 1910 until his death in 1946.

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04/12/1875

Agnes Forbes Blackadder, Scottish medical doctor (died 1964)

Agnes Forbes Blackadder Savill was a Scottish medical expert and doctor, sometimes regarded as a polymath. Blackadder became the first female graduate of the University of St Andrews when she gained her M.A. degree on 29 March 1895.

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Joe Corbett, American baseball player and coach (died 1945)

Joseph Aloysius Corbett was an American Major League Baseball starting pitcher who played in the National League. He was born in San Francisco, California.

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Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian-Swiss poet and author (died 1926)

René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke, known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was an Austrian poet. Acclaimed as an idiosyncratic and expressive poet, he is widely recognized as a significant writer in the German language. His work is viewed by critics and scholars as possessing undertones of mysticism, exploring themes of subjective experience and disbelief. His writings include one novel, several collections of poetry, several volumes of correspondence and a few early novellas.

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04/12/1868

Jesse Burkett, American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 1953)

Jesse Cail Burkett, nicknamed "Crab", was an American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1890 to 1905 for the New York Giants, Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos / Cardinals, St. Louis Browns, and Boston Americans.

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04/12/1867

Stanley Argyle, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Victoria (died 1940)

Sir Stanley Seymour Argyle KBE, MRCS, LRCP, was an Australian radiologist and politician. He served as premier of Victoria from 1932 to 1935 and was the state leader of the Nationalist Party and United Australia Party from 1930 until his death in 1940.

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04/12/1865

Edith Cavell, English nurse, humanitarian, and saint (Anglicanism) (died 1915)

Edith Louisa Cavell was a British nurse. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination during the First World War and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium. Cavell was arrested, court-martialled under German military law, and sentenced to death by firing squad. Despite international pressure for mercy, the German government refused to commute her sentence and she was shot. The execution received worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage.

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04/12/1861

Hannes Hafstein, Icelandic poet and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Iceland (died 1922)

Hannes Þórður Pétursson Hafstein was an Icelandic politician and poet. In 1904 he became the first Icelander to be appointed to the Danish Cabinet as the Minister for Iceland in the Cabinet of Deuntzer and was – unlike the previous minister for Iceland Peter Adler Alberti – responsible to the Icelandic Althing. He is considered to be the 1st Prime Minister of Iceland, he was also the 1st Minister for Iceland under Home Rule.

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04/12/1844

Franz Xavier Wernz, German religious leader, 25th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (died 1914)

Franz Xavier Wernz, SJ was a German Catholic priest who served as the twenty-fifth superior general of the Society of Jesus from 1906 to 1914.

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04/12/1835

Samuel Butler, English author and critic (died 1902)

Samuel Butler was an English novelist and critic, best known for the satirical utopian novel Erewhon (1872) and the semi-autobiographical novel The Way of All Flesh. Both novels have remained in print since their initial publication. In other studies he examined Christian orthodoxy, evolutionary thought, and Italian art, and made prose translations of the Iliad and Odyssey that are still consulted.

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04/12/1817

Nikoloz Baratashvili, Georgian poet and author (died 1845)

Prince Nikoloz Baratashvili was a Georgian poet. He was one of the first Georgians to marry modern nationalism with European Romanticism and to introduce "Europeanism" into Georgian literature. Due to his early death, Baratashvili left a relatively small literary heritage of fewer than forty short lyrics, one extended poem, and a few private letters, but he is nevertheless considered the high point of Georgian Romanticism. He was referred to as the "Georgian Byron".

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04/12/1798

Jules Armand Dufaure, French lawyer and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of France (died 1881)

Jules Armand Stanislas Dufaure was a French statesman who served 3 non-consecutive terms as Prime Minister of France.

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04/12/1795

Thomas Carlyle, Scottish-English historian, philosopher, and academic (died 1881)

Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. Known as the "sage of Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the Victorian era.

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04/12/1777

Juliette Récamier, French businesswoman (died 1849)

Jeanne Françoise Julie Adélaïde Récamier, known as Juliette, was a French socialite whose salon drew people from the leading literary and political circles of early 19th-century Paris. An icon of neoclassicism, Récamier cultivated a public persona as a great beauty, and her fame quickly spread across Europe. She befriended many intellectuals, sat for the finest artists of the age, and spurned an offer of marriage from Prince Augustus of Prussia.

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04/12/1727

Johann Gottfried Zinn, German anatomist and botanist (died 1759)

Johann Gottfried Zinn was a German anatomist and botanist and was a member of the Berlin Academy.

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04/12/1713

Gasparo Gozzi, Italian playwright and critic (died 1786)

Gasparo, count Gozzi was a Venetian critic and dramatist.

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04/12/1670

John Aislabie, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (died 1742)

John Aislabie, of Studley Royal, near Ripon, Yorkshire, was a British politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1695 to 1721. He was of an independent mind, and did not stick regularly to the main parties. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time of the South Sea Bubble and his involvement with the Company led to his resignation and disgrace.

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04/12/1667

Michel Pignolet de Montéclair, French composer and educator (died 1737)

Michel Pignolet de Montéclair was a French composer of the baroque period.

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04/12/1660

André Campra, French composer and conductor (died 1744)

André Campra was a French composer and conductor of the Baroque era. The leading French opera composer in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau, Campra wrote several tragédies en musique and opéra-ballets that were extremely well received. He also wrote three books of cantatas as well as religious music, including a requiem.

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04/12/1647

Daniel Eberlin, German composer (died 1715)

Daniel Eberlin was a German Baroque composer and Kapellmeister.

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04/12/1595

Jean Chapelain, French poet and critic (died 1674)

Jean Chapelain was a French poet and critic during the Grand Siècle, best known for his role as an organizer and founding member of the Académie française. Chapelain acquired considerable prestige as a literary critic, but his own major work, an epic poem about Joan of Arc called "La Pucelle," (1656) was lampooned by his contemporary Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux.

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04/12/1585

John Cotton, English-American minister and theologian (died 1652)

John Cotton was a clergyman in England and the American colonies, and was considered the preeminent minister and theologian of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He studied for five years at Trinity College, Cambridge, and nine years at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He had already built a reputation as a scholar and outstanding preacher when he accepted the position of minister at St. Botolph's Church, Boston, in Lincolnshire, in 1612.

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04/12/1580

Samuel Argall, English adventurer and naval officer (died 1626)

Sir Samuel Argall was an English sea captain, navigator, and Deputy-Governour of Virginia, an English colony.

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04/12/1575

Sister Virginia Maria, Italian nun (died 1650)

Sister Virginia Maria, best known as the Nun of Monza, was an Italian nun who gave birth to two children fathered by a local aristocrat and had connived in the murder of another nun to cover up the affair. This took place in Monza, in northern Italy, at the beginning of the 17th century.

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04/12/1555

Heinrich Meibom, German poet and historian (died 1625)

Heinrich Meibom, German historian and poet, was born at Barntrup in Westphalia.

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04/12/1506

Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy of Chiche (died 1558)

Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy of Chiche was an English courtier during the reign of Edward VI. He served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household and Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard between 1550 and 1551 before his appointment as Lord Chamberlain of the Household. He was placed under house arrest for his support of Lady Jane Grey as Edward's successor.

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04/12/1428

Bernard VII, Lord of Lippe (died 1511)

Bernard VII was the ruler of the Lordship of Lippe from 1429 until his death. Because of the many bloody feuds in which he was involved, he was nicknamed "the Bellicose". As Edler Herr of Lippe for 81 years, he was the longest-ever ruling European monarch.

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04/12/0846

Hasan al-Askari 11th Imam of Twelver Shia Islam (died 874)

Hasan al-Askari was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is regarded as the eleventh of the Twelve Imams, succeeding his father, Ali al-Hadi. Hasan Al-Askari was born in Medina in 844 and brought with his father to the garrison town of Samarra in 848, where the Abbasid caliphs held them under close surveillance until their deaths, even though neither were politically active. After the death of al-Hadi in 868, the majority of his following acknowledged his son, al-Askari, as their next Imam. Al-Askari's contact with the Shia population was restricted by the caliphs and instead, he communicated with his followers through a network of representatives. He died in Samarra in 873–874 at the age of about twenty-eight and was buried in the family home next to his father, which later developed into al-Askari shrine, a major center for Shia pilgrimage. Shia sources commonly hold the Abbasids responsible for the death of al-Askari and his father. A well-known early Shia commentary of the Quran is attributed to al-Askari.

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04/12/0034

Persius, Roman poet (died 62)

AD 34 (XXXIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Persicus and Vitellius. The denomination AD 34 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

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