Wednesday, 25th February 2026 in Lisbon

On this day, 156 notable people were born on 24th February — spanning from 1259 to 2005. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.

25/02/2005

Noah Jupe, English actor

Noah Casford Jupe is a British actor. As a child actor, he gained recognition for his roles in the television series The Night Manager and The Undoing (2020). He also appeared in a number of films of this period, including the dark comedy Suburbicon (2017), the drama Wonder (2017), the horror film A Quiet Place (2018) and its sequel A Quiet Place Part II (2021), and the sports drama Ford v Ferrari (2019).

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25/02/2004

Tyler Sanders, American actor (died 2022)

Tyler Sanders was an American child actor.

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25/02/2003

Brandin Podziemski, American basketball player

Brandin Thomas Podziemski is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A guard, he played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Santa Clara Broncos. Podziemski was chosen by the Warriors with the 19th pick in the 2023 NBA draft. He is nicknamed "Podz".

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25/02/2001

Vernon Carey Jr., American basketball player

Vernon A. Carey Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. He finished his high school career at NSU University School as a five-star recruit and among the top-ranked players in the 2019 class.

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25/02/2000

Bo Nix, American football player

Bo Chapman Nix is an American professional football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played his first three seasons of college football for the Auburn Tigers, winning SEC Freshman of the Year in 2019. During his last two seasons, Nix was a member of the Oregon Ducks and won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 after leading the FBS in passing touchdowns.

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25/02/1999

Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italian footballer

Gianluigi Donnarumma is an Italian professional footballer, who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Manchester City and captains the Italy national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

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Matvey Safonov, Russian footballer

Matvey Yevgenyevich Safonov is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Russia national team. He has been described by media sources as a penalty specialist.

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Rocky, South Korean singer, dancer and songwriter

Park Min-hyuk, known professionally as Rocky (라키), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter and actor. He is a former member of the South Korean boy group Astro and its sub-unit Jinjin & Rocky. In 2023, he founded his own agency, Wonijin Entertainment, and debuted as a solo artist with the extended play (EP) Rockyst. Park made his acting debut in the web series To Be Continued (2015) and later gained recognition for his role in Broke Rookie Star (2022), for which he received multiple awards. He also starred in the Korean adaptation of the musical The Three Musketeers (2022).

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25/02/1997

Isabelle Fuhrman, American actress

Isabelle Fuhrman is an American actress. She is known for her breakthrough role as Esther in the horror film Orphan (2009) and its prequel Orphan: First Kill (2022). She played Clove in the dystopian adventure film The Hunger Games (2012), Alex in the independent film The Novice (2021), and Diamond in the Western film series Horizon: An American Saga (2024–present).

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Thon Maker, South Sudanese-Australian basketball player

Thon Marial Maker is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for Al-Ula of the Saudi Basketball League. He attended high school at Orangeville District Secondary School and played basketball for Canada's Athlete Institute. He was picked 10th overall in the 2016 NBA draft, and played for three different NBA teams between 2016 and 2021.

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25/02/1995

Mario Hezonja, Croatian basketball player

Mario Hezonja is a Croatian professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Croatian national team in international competition. He was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic.

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Viktoriya Tomova, Bulgarian tennis player

Viktoriya Konstantinova Tomova is a Bulgarian professional tennis player. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 46 on 29 July 2024. Her best doubles ranking is No. 137, achieved on 8 September 2025. Tomova is the current No. 1 Bulgarian female singles player.

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25/02/1994

Fred VanVleet, American basketball player

Fredderick Edmund VanVleet Sr. is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is also the current president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).

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25/02/1993

Erick Fedde, American baseball player

Erick James Fedde is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, and Milwaukee Brewers, and in the KBO League for the NC Dinos. He played college baseball at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

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Lukáš Sedlák, Czech ice hockey player

Lukáš Sedlák is a Czech professional ice hockey player who is a forward for HC Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). Sedlak was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the sixth round, 158th overall, of the 2011 NHL entry draft.

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25/02/1992

Joakim Nordström, Swedish ice hockey player

Joakim Nordström is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre who is currently playing with HC Davos of the National League (NL). He won the World Championships in 2017 with Sweden and the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015. He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the third round, 90th overall in the 2010 NHL entry draft. He is the brother of Dennis Nordström.

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Jorge Soler, Cuban baseball player

Jorge Carlos Soler Castillo is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, and San Francisco Giants.

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25/02/1990

Félix Peña, Dominican baseball player

Félix Ricardo Peña is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the CTBC Brothers of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels, in the KBO League for the Hanwha Eagles, and in the CPBL for the Uni-President Lions. He made his MLB debut in 2016.

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25/02/1989

Jimmer Fredette, American basketball player

James Taft "Jimmer" Fredette is an American former professional basketball player who serves as the managing director of the USA Basketball 3x3 Men's National Team. Fredette was the 2011 National Player of the Year in college basketball, after ranking as the leading scorer in all of NCAA Division I during his senior season for the BYU Cougars. He was subsequently selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft.

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Kana Hanazawa, Japanese voice actress and singer

Kana Hanazawa is a Japanese actress and singer. A prolific voice performer in anime, she has amassed several film and television credits since her debut in 2003. She won the Seiyu Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2015, and won the Newtype Anime Awards for Best Voice Actress three times in 2015, 2017 and 2018.

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E'Twaun Moore, American basketball player

E'Twaun Donte Moore is an American former professional basketball player who is a scout for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the 2011 NBA draft after playing college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers. In high school, he led East Chicago's Central High School to an IHSAA state championship.

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25/02/1988

Tom Marshall, English photo colouriser and artist

Tom Marshall is a British model maker, voice actor, director and image editor known for his colourisations of historical black and white photographs, often working under the name PhotograFix. He is a scale model maker with his model company Buggleskelly Station.

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Gerald McCoy, American football player

Gerald Keith McCoy Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, earning consensus All-American honors. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the third overall pick of the 2010 NFL draft. McCoy has been selected to the Pro Bowl six times, and was selected to one First-team All-Pro.

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25/02/1987

Justin Abdelkader, American ice hockey player

Justin Abdelkader is an American former professional ice hockey winger. He played for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League (NHL), as well as EV Zug and HC Lugano of the National League (NL). He was drafted 42nd overall by the Red Wings in the 2005 NHL entry draft.

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25/02/1986

Justin Berfield, American actor, writer, and producer

Justin Tyler Berfield is an American writer, producer and actor. He is known for his portrayals of Reese on the family sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006) and Ross Malloy on The WB sitcom Unhappily Ever After (1995–1999). Berfield was Chief Creative Officer of Virgin Produced, a film and television development, packaging, and production company announced in 2010 by the Virgin Group.

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Jameela Jamil, English actress and presenter

Jameela Alia Jamil is a British actress, activist and presenter. She began her career on Channel 4, where she hosted a pop culture series in the T4 strand from 2009 until 2012. She then became the radio host of The Official Chart, and co-hosted The Official Chart Update alongside Scott Mills on BBC Radio 1. She was the first regular solo female presenter of the BBC Radio 1 chart show.

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James Phelps, English actor

James Andrew Eric Phelps and Oliver Martyn John Phelps are English actors, podcasters and identical twin brothers. They are known for playing Fred and George Weasley, respectively, in the Harry Potter film series from 2001 to 2011 and have continued to work together as a duo on other projects.

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Oliver Phelps, English actor

James Andrew Eric Phelps and Oliver Martyn John Phelps are English actors, podcasters and identical twin brothers. They are known for playing Fred and George Weasley, respectively, in the Harry Potter film series from 2001 to 2011 and have continued to work together as a duo on other projects.

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25/02/1985

Joakim Noah, French-American basketball player

Joakim Simon Noah is a former professional basketball player. Born in New York, Noah was a member of the France national team and played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007. The Chicago Bulls selected Noah with the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. Noah is a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 2014 when he also was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

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25/02/1982

Maria Kanellis, American professional wrestler, actress, and model

Mary Louis Kanellis-Bennett is an American professional wrestler, manager, promoter, singer and model. She is best known for her tenures in WWE, TNA, All Elite Wrestling, and Ring of Honor.

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Flavia Pennetta, Italian tennis player

Flavia Pennetta is an Italian former professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top-ten female singles player on 17 August 2009 and the first Italian to be ranked world No. 1 in doubles, on 28 February 2011. She is a Grand Slam champion in both doubles and singles, having won the 2011 Australian Open women's doubles title with Gisela Dulko, and the 2015 US Open singles title over childhood friend Roberta Vinci in the first all-Italian major final.

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Anton Volchenkov, Russian ice hockey player

Anton Alexeyevich Volchenkov is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

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25/02/1981

Park Ji-sung, South Korean footballer

Park Ji-sung is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in the South Korean capital of Seoul, Park is regarded as one of the greatest and most successful Asian players in football history, having won 19 trophies in his career. He is the first Asian footballer to win the UEFA Champions League, play in a UEFA Champions League final, and win the FIFA Club World Cup. Park was able to play anywhere across the midfield and was noted for his exceptional fitness level, discipline, work ethic and off-the-ball movement. His remarkable endurance levels earned him the nickname "Three-Lung" Park.

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25/02/1980

Kash Patel, American lawyer, former federal prosecutor and official

Kashyap Pramod "Kash" Patel is an American lawyer serving since 2025 as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Patel also served as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from February to April 2025.

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25/02/1979

Napoleon Harris, American football player and politician

Napoleon Bill Harris III is an American politician and former professional football player who has been a member of the Illinois Senate representing the 15th district since 2013. The 15th district stretches from Blue Island in the north, Calumet City in the east, Homewood in the west, Steger in the south, and includes all or parts of Crete-Monee, Dolton, Flossmoor, Glenwood, Thornton, Dixmoor, Markham, Midlothian, Oak Forest, Harvey, Riverdale, and South Holland.

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25/02/1976

Rashida Jones, American actress and writer

Rashida Leah Jones is an American actress and filmmaker. In television, she has starred as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series Boston Public (2000–2002), Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series The Office, Ann Perkins on the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation (2009–2015), and as the eponymous lead role in the TBS comedy series Angie Tribeca (2016–2019). Her accolades include a Grammy Award and nominations for a Golden Globe Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2025, she was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world.

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Samaki Walker, American basketball player

Samaki Ijuma Walker is a former American professional basketball power forward and center. Walker played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected in the 1996 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks, where he played until 1999. Walker continued to play for the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs (1999–2001), Los Angeles Lakers (2001–2003), Miami Heat (2003–2004), Washington Wizards (2004–2005), and Indiana Pacers (2005–2006). Afterwards, Walker played in various international and minor leagues.

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25/02/1975

Chelsea Handler, American comedian, actress, author, and television host

Chelsea Joy Handler is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer. She hosted the late-night talk show Chelsea Lately on the E! network from 2007 to 2014 and released a documentary series, Chelsea Does, on Netflix in January 2016. From 2016 to 2017, Handler hosted the talk show Chelsea on Netflix.

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25/02/1974

Dominic Raab, English politician; First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

Dominic Rennie Raab is a British former politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor from September 2021 to September 2022 and again from October 2022 to April 2023. He previously served as First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Conservative Party, Raab was Member of Parliament (MP) for Esher and Walton from 2010 to 2024.

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25/02/1973

Anson Mount, American actor

Anson Adams Mount IV is an American actor. He became known for his television roles on the western drama series Hell on Wheels (2011–2016) and Conviction (2006). He also starred in various films including Crossroads (2002) and Cook County (2009).

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25/02/1971

Sean Astin, American actor, director and producer

Sean Patrick Astin is an American actor and trade union leader who serves as the 4th national president of SAG-AFTRA. He began his career as a child actor, making his film debut as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies (1985), followed by significant roles as Billy Tepper in Toy Soldiers (1991), Dave Morgan in Encino Man (1992), Daniel Ruettiger in Rudy (1993), and Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003).

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Stuart MacGill, Australian cricketer

Stuart Charles Glyndwr MacGill is an Australian former cricketer who played 44 Test matches and three One Day Internationals for the Australian national cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler, who has been credited with having the best strike rate of any modern leg-spin bowler, but he did not have a regular place in the Australian Test team due to the dominance of Shane Warne in the position of sole spinner.

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Daniel Powter, Canadian singer-songwriter and musician

Daniel Richard Powter is a Canadian singer-songwriter. His 2005 pop single "Bad Day" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks. He was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards for "Bad Day" and won the Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2006.

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25/02/1970

Chris Barnes, American bowler and sportscaster

Chris Barnes is an American professional bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), who currently competes on the PBA50 Tour while bowling part-time on the regular PBA Tour. He has also competed internationally as a member of Team USA.

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25/02/1968

Lesley Boone, American actress and producer

Lesley Boone is an American actress and producer, best known for her roles as Marlene Gilbert on the Fox sitcom Babes (1990–1991), as Molly Hudson in the NBC comedy-drama Ed (2000–2004) and as Rose Roberts in the ABC action-adventure show Agent Carter (2015–2016) included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Danny Crnkovich, Australian rugby league player

Danny Crnkovich is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s up to 1990s. He played his entire club football career with the Parramatta Eels. He mostly played at fullback, but also played the occasional game at wing or centre.

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Oumou Sangaré, Malian musician

Oumou Sangaré is a Malian Wassoulou singer of Fula descent. She is often referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou". Wassoulou is a historical region south of the Niger River, where the music descends from age-old traditional song, often accompanied by a calabash.

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25/02/1967

Ed Balls, English politician; Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

Edward Michael Balls is a British broadcaster, economist and former politician. He served as a junior minister in the treasury portfolio from 2006 to 2007, as Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families from 2007 to 2010, and as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2011 to 2015. A member of Labour Co-op, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Normanton and later for Morley and Outwood between 2005 and 2015.

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25/02/1966

Alexis Denisof, American actor

Alexis Denisof is an American actor, primarily known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. He also had a recurring role on How I Met Your Mother. His wife, Alyson Hannigan, starred in both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and How I Met Your Mother.

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Téa Leoni, American actress

Téa Leoni is an American actress. Early in her career, she starred on the television sitcoms Flying Blind (1992–1993) and The Naked Truth (1995–1998). Her breakthrough role was in the 1995 film Bad Boys, which led to leading parts in Deep Impact (1998), The Family Man (2000), Jurassic Park III (2001), Spanglish (2004), and Fun with Dick and Jane (2005). From 2014 to 2019, Leoni starred as Elizabeth McCord on the CBS drama series Madam Secretary.

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25/02/1965

Carrot Top, American comedian

Scott Christopher Thompson, known professionally as Carrot Top, is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his use of prop comedy.

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Veronica Webb, American model, actress, and writer

Veronica Webb is an American model, writer, and television personality. Born in Detroit, she rose to prominence in the late 1980s and 1990s. She has appeared on the covers of Vogue, Essence, and Elle, and walked runways for designers including Gianni Versace, Azzedine Alaïa, Isaac Mizrahi, and Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel. In 1992, Webb became the first Black model to sign an exclusive cosmetics contract, with Revlon. She has contributed essays to The New York Times, Elle, and Interview.

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25/02/1963

Paul O'Neill, American baseball player and sportscaster

Paul Andrew O'Neill is an American former baseball right fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Cincinnati Reds (1985–1992) and New York Yankees (1993–2001). O'Neill compiled 281 home runs, 1,269 runs batted in, 2,107 hits, and a lifetime batting average of .288. He won the American League batting title in 1994 with a .359 average. He was a five-time World Series champion and a five-time All-Star.

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25/02/1962

Birgit Fischer, German kayaker

Birgit Fischer is a German former kayaker, who has won eight gold medals over six different Olympic Games, a record she shares with Aladár Gerevich and Isabell Werth, spanning seven Olympiads: twice representing East Germany, then four times representing the reunited nation. After both the 1988 and 2000 games, she announced her retirement, only to return for the subsequent games. She has been both the youngest- and oldest-ever Olympic canoeing champion. In 2004, she was chosen as the German sportswoman of the year.

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25/02/1958

Kurt Rambis, Greek-American basketball player, coach, and executive

Darrell Kurt Rambis is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is a senior basketball adviser for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, he won four NBA championships while playing power forward for the Lakers. Rambis was a key member of the Showtime era Lakers and was extremely popular for his hard-nosed blue collar play. With his trademark black horn-rimmed glasses, Rambis complemented the flashy Hollywood style of the Showtime era Lakers.

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25/02/1957

Raymond McCreesh, Irish Republican, hunger striker (died 1981)

Raymond McCreesh was an Irish volunteer in the South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). In 1976, he and two other IRA volunteers were captured while attempting to ambush a British Army observation post. McCreesh was one of the ten Irish republicans who died during the 1981 Irish hunger strike in the Maze Prison. McCreesh was one of 22 Irish republicans who died on hunger-strike.

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Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singaporean economist and politician; 5th Senior Minister and 9th President of Singapore

Tharman Shanmugaratnam is a Singaporean politician and economist who has served as the ninth president of Singapore since 2023. An independent politician since his presidency, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Taman Jurong of Jurong GRC from 2001 to 2023.

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25/02/1953

José María Aznar, Spanish politician; Prime Minister of Spain, 1996–2004

José María Aznar López is a Spanish politician who was the prime minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He led the People's Party (PP), the dominant centre-right political party in Spain.

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John Doe, American musician, singer-songwriter, actor, and poet

John Nommensen Duchac, known professionally as John Doe, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet, guitarist and bass player. Doe co-founded LA punk band X, of which he is still an active member. His musical performances and compositions span rock, punk, country and folk music genres. As an actor, he has dozens of television appearances and several movies to his credit, including the role of Jeff Parker in the television series Roswell.

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25/02/1952

Joey Dunlop, Northern Irish motorcyclist (died 2000)

William Joseph Dunlop was a Northern Irish roadracing motorcyclist from Ballymoney, County Antrim. In 2015, he was voted Northern Ireland's greatest-ever sports star.

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25/02/1951

Don Quarrie, Jamaican sprinter and coach

Donald O'Riley Quarrie CD is a Jamaican former track and field athlete, one of the world's top sprinters during the 1970s. At the 1976 Summer Olympics he was the gold medallist in the Olympic 200 meters and silver medallist in the Olympic 100 meters. In all, he competed in five Olympic Games and won four Olympic medals during his career.

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25/02/1950

Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Spanish skier (died 2006)

Francisco "Paquito" Fernández Ochoa was a World Cup alpine ski racer from Spain. Born in Madrid and raised north of the city in Cercedilla, he was the eldest of eight children whose father ran a ski school. Paquito raced in all of the alpine disciplines and specialized in slalom.

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Neil Jordan, Irish film director, screenwriter and author

Neil Patrick Jordan is an Irish filmmaker and writer. His short story collection, Night in Tunisia, won the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979. After a stint working at RTÉ, he made his directorial debut with the 1982 film Angel.

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Néstor Kirchner, Argentine politician; 51st President of Argentina (died 2010)

Néstor Carlos Kirchner Ostoić was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the president of Argentina from 2003 to 2007. A member of the Justicialist Party, he previously served as Governor of Santa Cruz Province from 1991 to 2003, and mayor of Río Gallegos from 1987 to 1991. He later served as first gentleman of Argentina during the early tenure of his wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the first person to serve in this role. Ideologically, he identified himself as a Peronist and a progressive, with his political approach called Kirchnerism.

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25/02/1949

Ric Flair, American professional wrestler

Richard Morgan Fliehr, known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. As of November 2023, he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in a legends role for special appearances. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair's career spanned fifty years.

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Amin Maalouf, Lebanese-French journalist and author

Amin Maalouf is a Lebanese French author who has lived in France since 1976. His native language is Arabic, and he writes in French. His works have been translated into over 40 languages.

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25/02/1947

Lee Evans, American sprinter and athletics coach (died 2021)

Lee Edward Evans was an American sprinter. He won two gold medals in the 1968 Summer Olympics, setting world records in the 400 meters and the 4 × 400 meters relay, both of which stood for 20 and 24 years respectively. Evans co-founded the Olympic Project for Human Rights and was part of the athlete's boycott and the Black Power movement.

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25/02/1946

Jean Todt, French racing driver and team manager

Jean Henri Todt is a French motor racing executive and former rally co-driver. He was previously director of Peugeot Talbot Sport and then Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team principal, before being appointed chief executive officer of Ferrari from 2004 to 2008. From 2009 to 2021 he served as the ninth president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

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25/02/1944

François Cevert, French racing driver (died 1973)

Albert François Cevert was a French racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1969 to 1973. Cevert won the 1971 United States Grand Prix with Tyrrell.

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25/02/1943

George Harrison, English singer-songwriter, guitarist and film producer (died 2001)

George Harrison was an English musician who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Known as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison played a significant role in shaping the band's musical direction and established a successful solo career, particularly through his interest in Eastern musical influences.

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25/02/1942

Karen Grassle, American actress

Karen Grassle is an American actress, known for her role as Caroline Ingalls in the NBC television drama series Little House on the Prairie.

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25/02/1941

David Puttnam, English film producer and academic

David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam is a British-Irish film producer, educator, environmentalist and former member of the House of Lords. His productions include Chariots of Fire, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, The Mission, The Killing Fields, Local Hero, Midnight Express and Memphis Belle. In 1982, he received the BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema, and in 2006 he was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

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25/02/1940

Ron Santo, American baseball player and sportscaster (died 2010)

Ronald Edward Santo was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 through 1973 and the Chicago White Sox in 1974. In 1990, Santo became a member of the Cubs broadcasting team providing commentary for Cubs games on WGN radio and remained at that position until his death in 2010. In 1999, he was selected to the Cubs All-Century Team. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.

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25/02/1938

Diane Baker, American actress and producer

Diane Carol Baker is an American actress, producer, and educator.

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Herb Elliott, Australian athlete

Herbert James Elliott is a former Australian athlete and arguably the world's greatest middle-distance runner of his era. In August 1958 he set the world record in the mile run, clocking 3:54.5, 2.7 seconds under the record held by Derek Ibbotson; later in the month he set the 1500 metres world record, running 3:36.0, 2.1 seconds under the record held by Stanislav Jungwirth. In the 1500 metres at the 1960 Rome Olympics, he won the gold medal and bettered his own world record with a time of 3:35.6.

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Farokh Engineer, Indian cricketer

Farokh Maneksha Engineer is an Indian former cricketer. He was a wicket-keeper-batsman, usually an opening batsman, who represented India in 46 Test matches from 1961 to 1975. In first-class cricket, he played for Bombay from 1959/60 to 1974/75, for West Zone from 1961/62 to 1974/75, and for Lancashire County Cricket Club from 1968 to 1976. He was the first-choice wicket-keeper for the Rest of the World team which toured England in 1970 and Australia in 1971–72. Engineer is the first Man of the Match for India in the Men's Cricket World Cup because of his performance against East Africa in the 1975 Cricket World Cup.

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25/02/1937

Tom Courtenay, English actor

Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay is an English actor. A notable figure of the British New Wave, he has received numerous accolades including three BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, two Silver Bears, and a Volpi Cup, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He was knighted for his services to cinema and theatre in the 2001 New Year Honours.

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Bob Schieffer, American political author, journalist and TV interviewer

Bob Lloyd Schieffer is an American television journalist. He is known for his moderation of presidential debates, where he has been praised for his capability. Schieffer is one of the few journalists to have covered all four of the major Washington national assignments: the White House, the Pentagon, United States Department of State, and United States Congress. His career with CBS has almost exclusively dealt with national politics. He has interviewed every United States President since Richard Nixon, as well as most of those who sought the office.

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25/02/1935

Tony Campolo, American sociologist and pastor (died 2024)

Anthony Campolo Jr. was an American sociologist, Baptist pastor, author, public speaker, and spiritual advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton. Campolo was an influential leader in the evangelical left. Campolo was a popular commentator on religious, political, and social issues, and had been a guest on programs such as The Colbert Report, The Charlie Rose Show, Larry King Live, Nightline, Crossfire, Politically Incorrect and The Hour.

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Oktay Sinanoglu, Turkish physical chemist and molecular biophysicist (died 2015)

Oktay Sinanoğlu was a Turkish physical chemist and molecular biophysicist who made contributions to the theory of electron correlation in molecules, the statistical mechanics of clathrate hydrates, quantum chemistry, and the theory of solvation.

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25/02/1934

Tony Lema, American golfer (died 1966)

Anthony David Lema was an American professional golfer who rose to fame in the mid-1960s and won a major title, the 1964 Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. He died two years later at age 32 in an aircraft accident near Chicago.

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25/02/1932

Tony Brooks, English racing driver (died 2022)

Charles Anthony Standish "Tony" Brooks was a British racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1956 to 1961. Nicknamed "the Racing Dentist", Brooks was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1959 with Ferrari and Vanwall, and won six Grands Prix across six seasons.

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Faron Young, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1996)

Faron Young was an American country singer, musician, and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s. His hits including "If You Ain't Lovin' " and "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young" marked him as a honky-tonk singer in sound and personal style; and his chart-topping singles "Hello Walls" and "It's Four in the Morning" showed his versatility as a vocalist.

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25/02/1930

Wendy Beckett, British nun and art critic (died 2018)

Wendy Mary Beckett, better known as Sister Wendy, was a British Catholic religious sister and art historian who became known internationally during the 1990s when she presented a series of BBC television documentaries on the history of art. Her programmes, such as Sister Wendy's Odyssey and Sister Wendy's Grand Tour, often drew a 25 percent share of the British viewing audience. In 1997 she made her debut on US public television, with The New York Times describing her as "a sometime hermit who is fast on her way to becoming the most unlikely and famous art critic in the history of television."

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25/02/1928

Paul Elvstrøm, Danish yachtsman (died 2016)

Paul Bert Elvstrøm was a Danish yachtsman and the founder of Elvstrøm Sails. He won four Olympic gold medals and thirteen world titles in a range of classes including Snipe, Soling, Star, Flying Dutchman, Finn, 505, and 5.5 Metre. For his achievements, Elvstrøm was chosen as "Danish Sportsman of the Century."

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Larry Gelbart, American author and screenwriter (died 2009)

Larry Simon Gelbart was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series M*A*S*H, and as co-writer of the Broadway musicals A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and City of Angels.

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A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., American civil rights advocate, historian, and judge (died 1998)

Aloyisus Leon Higginbotham Jr. was an American civil rights advocate, historian, presidential adviser, and federal court judge. From 1990 to 1991, he served as chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Originally nominated to the bench by President Kennedy in 1963, Higginbotham was the seventh African-American Article III judge appointed in the United States, and the first African-American United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He was elevated to the Third Circuit in 1977, serving as a federal judge for nearly 30 years in all. In 1995, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Higginbotham used the name "Leon" informally.

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Richard G. Stern, American author and academic (died 2013)

Richard Gustave Stern was an American novelist, short story writer, and educator.

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25/02/1927

Ralph Stanley, American singer and banjo player (died 2016)

Ralph Edmund Stanley was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. He began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of the Stanley Brothers, and most often as the leader of his band, the Clinch Mountain Boys. He was also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley.

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25/02/1926

Masatoshi Gündüz Ikeda, Japanese-Turkish mathematician and academic (died 2003)

Masatoşi Gündüz İkeda, was a Japanese-born Turkish mathematician known for his contributions to the field of algebraic number theory.

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25/02/1925

Lisa Kirk, American actress and singer (died 1990)

Lisa Kirk was an American actress and singer noted for her comic talents and rich contralto.

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Shehu Shagari, Nigerian politician, 6th President of Nigeria (died 2018)

Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari was a Nigerian politician who was the first democratically elected president of Nigeria, after the transfer of power by military head of state General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1979, which gave rise to the Second Nigerian Republic.

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25/02/1924

Hugh Huxley, English-American biologist and academic (died 2013)

Hugh Esmor Huxley was a British molecular biologist who made important discoveries in the physiology of muscle. He was a graduate in physics from Christ's College, Cambridge. However, his education was interrupted for five years by the Second World War, during which he served in the Royal Air Force. His contribution to development of radar earned him an MBE.

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25/02/1922

Molly Reilly, Canadian aviator (died 1980)

Moretta Fenton Beall "Molly" Reilly became the first female Canadian pilot to reach the rank of captain, the first female Canadian corporate pilot, and the first woman to fly to the Arctic professionally. Her modifications to the Beechcraft Duke were used to improve the aircraft. Over the course of her career, Reilly logged over 10,000 flight hours as a pilot-in-command — without a single accident. She is a member of the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame.

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25/02/1921

Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec (died 1970)

Pierre Laporte was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician. He was deputy premier of the province of Quebec when he was kidnapped and murdered by members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) during the October Crisis.

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Andy Pafko, American baseball player and manager (died 2013)

Andrew Pafko was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs (1943–51), Brooklyn Dodgers (1951–52), and Milwaukee Braves (1953–59). He batted and threw right-handed and played center field.

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25/02/1920

Philip Habib, American academic and diplomat, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (died 1992)

Philip Charles Habib was an American career diplomat active from 1949 to 1987.

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25/02/1919

Monte Irvin, American baseball player and executive (died 2016)

Monford Merrill "Monte" Irvin was an American left fielder and right fielder in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB) who played with the Newark Eagles, New York Giants (1949–1955) and Chicago Cubs (1956). He grew up in New Jersey and was a standout football player at Lincoln University. Irvin left Lincoln to spend several seasons in Negro league baseball. His career was interrupted by military service from 1943 to 1945.

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25/02/1918

Bobby Riggs, American tennis player (died 1995)

Robert Larimore Riggs was an American tennis champion who was the world No. 1 amateur in 1939 and world No. 1 professional in 1946 and 1947. He played his first professional tennis match on December 26, 1941.

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25/02/1917

Anthony Burgess, English author, playwright, and critic (died 1993)

John Anthony Burgess Wilson was an English writer and composer.

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25/02/1915

S. Rajaratnam, Singaporean politician, 1st Senior Minister of Singapore (died 2006)

Sinnathamby Rajaratnam was a Singaporean statesman, journalist and diplomat. He served as the first Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1965 until 1980, and subsequently as the 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore from 1980 to 1985. Rajaratnam was pivotal in shaping Singapore's foreign policy framework during its formative years of sovereignty, helping secure the nation's position on the global stage. Alongside his foreign affairs portfolio, he also served as Minister for Culture from 1959 to 1965, Minister for Labour from 1968 to 1971, Deputy Prime Minister from 1980 to 1985 and Senior Minister from 1985 to 1988. Throughout his entire political career, he represented the constituency of Kampong Glam. Rajaratnam is remembered for authoring the Singapore National Pledge in 1966. Rajaratnam is widely recognised as one of the founding fathers of modern Singapore and a key architect of ASEAN.

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25/02/1913

Jim Backus, American actor and screenwriter (died 1989)

James Gilmore Backus was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island, the father of James Dean's character in Rebel Without a Cause, the voice of the near-sighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo, the rich Hubert Updike III on the radio version of The Alan Young Show, and Joan Davis's character's husband on TV's I Married Joan. He also starred in his own show of one season, The Jim Backus Show, also known as Hot Off the Wire.

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Gert Fröbe, German actor (died 1988)

Karl Gerhart "Gert" Fröbe was a German actor who appeared in over 100, mostly German-produced films. He was best known in English-speaking countries for his work as the title character in the James Bond film Goldfinger (1964). Other international films include his role as Baron Bomburst in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), as General Dietrich von Choltitz in Is Paris Burning? (1966), as Colonel Manfred von Holstein in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), and as Inspector Bauer in Ingmar Bergman's The Serpent's Egg (1977).

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25/02/1910

Millicent Fenwick, American journalist and politician (died 1992)

Millicent Vernon Fenwick was an American fashion model, Vogue magazine editor, socialite, Republican Party politician, and diplomat who represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1983. She also served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1970 to 1972 and as the first United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture from 1983 to 1987. She was famous for her energy and colorful enthusiasm and regarded as a political moderate or progressive within her party. She was outspoken in favor of civil rights and the women's movement.

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25/02/1908

Mary Locke Petermann, American cellular biochemist (died 1975)

Mary Locke Petermann was an American cellular biochemist known for her key role in the discovery and characterization of animal ribosomes, the molecular complexes that carry out protein synthesis. She was the first woman to become a full professor at Cornell University's medical school.

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Frank G. Slaughter, American physician and author (died 2001)

Frank Gill Slaughter, pen-name Frank G. Slaughter, pseudonym C. V. Terry, was an American novelist and physician whose books sold more than 60 million copies. His novels drew on his own experience as a doctor and his interest in history and the Bible. Through his novels, he often introduced readers to new findings in medical research and new medical technologies.

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25/02/1907

Sabahattin Ali, Turkish journalist, author, and poet (died 1948)

Sabahattin Ali was a Turkish novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist.

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25/02/1906

Mary Coyle Chase, American journalist and playwright (died 1981)

Mary Chase was an American journalist, playwright and children's novelist, known primarily for writing the 1944 Broadway play Harvey, which was adapted into the 1950 film starring James Stewart.

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25/02/1905

Perry Miller, American historian, author, and academic (died 1963)

Perry Gilbert Eddy Miller was an American intellectual historian and a co-founder of the field of American Studies. Miller specialized in the history of early America and took an active role in a revisionist view of the colonial Puritan theocracy that was cultivated at Harvard University beginning in the 1920s. Heavy drinking led to his premature death at the age of 58.

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25/02/1903

King Clancy, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and coach (died 1986)

Francis Michael "King" Clancy was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, referee, coach and executive. Clancy played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was a member of three Stanley Cup championship teams and won All-Star honours. After he retired in 1937, he remained in hockey, becoming a coach for the Montreal Maroons. Clancy next worked for 11 seasons as a referee in the NHL.

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25/02/1901

Vince Gair, Australian politician, 27th Premier of Queensland (died 1980)

Vincent Clair Gair was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of Queensland from 1952 until 1957, when his stormy relations with the trade union movement saw him expelled from the Labor Party. He was elected to the Australian Senate and led the Democratic Labor Party from 1965 to 1973. In 1974 he was appointed Australian Ambassador to Ireland by the Whitlam government, which caused his expulsion from the DLP.

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Zeppo Marx, American comedian and theatrical agent (died 1979)

Herbert Manfred "Zeppo" Marx was an American comedic actor and businessman. He was the youngest, and last survivor, of the five Marx Brothers. He appeared with his brothers on Broadway during the 1920s and in the first five Marx Brothers feature films from 1929 to 1933, usually performing in a more subdued style than his brothers and serving as a romantic lead and/or straight man. After Duck Soup (1933), he abandoned acting for subsequent careers as an engineer and theatrical agent.

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25/02/1898

William Astbury, physicist and molecular biologist (died 1961)

William Thomas Astbury FRS was an English physicist and molecular biologist who made pioneering X-ray diffraction studies of biological molecules. His work on keratin provided the foundation for Linus Pauling's discovery of the α-helix. He also studied the structure for DNA in 1937 and made the first step in the elucidation of its structure.

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25/02/1896

Ida Noddack, German chemist and physicist (died 1978)

Ida Noddack, née Tacke, was a German chemist and physicist. In 1934 she was the first to mention the idea later named nuclear fission. With her husband Walter Noddack, and Otto Berg, she discovered element 75, rhenium. She was nominated three times for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

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25/02/1894

Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master (died 1969)

Meher Baba was an Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, or the total manifestation of God in human form. A spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following of hundreds of thousands of people, mostly in India, with a smaller number of followers in North America, Europe, South America, and Australia.

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25/02/1890

Myra Hess, English pianist and educator (died 1965)

Dame Julia Myra Hess was an English pianist known for her performances of the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms. She famously organised concerts in London during the Second World War and The Blitz.

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25/02/1888

John Foster Dulles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 52nd United States Secretary of State (died 1959)

John Foster Dulles was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat who served as United States secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 until his resignation in 1959. A member of the Republican Party, he was briefly a U.S. senator from New York in 1949. Dulles was a significant figure in the early Cold War era who pushed for an aggressive rollback campaign against communist regimes and their allies throughout the world.

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25/02/1885

Princess Alice of Battenberg, mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (died 1969)

Princess Alice of Battenberg was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II, and paternal grandmother of King Charles III. After marrying Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark in 1903, she adopted the style of her husband, becoming Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark.

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25/02/1883

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (died 1981)

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, was a member of the British royal family. She was the longest-lived princess of the blood royal, and one of the longest-lived British royals. Princess Alice was the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria, the sister-in-law of Queen Mary, and the first cousin of Queen Mary's husband, King George V, and was the sister of Charles Edward the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The Princess served as Viceregal Consort of both the Union of South Africa and of Canada.

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25/02/1881

William Z. Foster, American union leader and politician (died 1961)

William Z. Foster was a radical American labor organizer and Communist politician, whose career included serving as General Secretary of the Communist Party USA from 1945 to 1957. He was previously a member of the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World, leading the drive to organize packinghouse industry workers during World War I and the steel strike of 1919.

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Alexei Rykov, Russian politician, Premier of Russia (died 1938)

Alexei Ivanovich Rykov was a Russian Bolshevik revolutionary and a Soviet politician and statesman, most prominent as premier of Russia and the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1929 and 1924 to 1930 respectively. He was one of the accused in Joseph Stalin's show trials during the Great Purge.

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25/02/1877

Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist and scholar (died 1935)

Erich Moritz von Hornbostel was an Austrian ethnomusicologist, comparative musicologist, and scholar of music. He is remembered for his pioneering work in the field of ethnomusicology, and for the Sachs–Hornbostel system of musical instrument classification which he co-authored with Curt Sachs. He is also known as the father of the "Berlin School of Ethnomusicology" in conjunction with Carl Stumpf.

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25/02/1873

Enrico Caruso, Italian-American tenor; the most popular operatic tenor of the early 20th century and the first great recording star. (died 1921)

Enrico Caruso was an Italian operatic tenor, who sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles that ranged from the lyric to the dramatic. Generally recognized as the first international recording star, Caruso made around 250 commercially released recordings from 1902 to 1920.

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25/02/1871

Lesya Ukrainka, Ukrainian poet and playwright (died1913)

Lesya Ukrainka was one of Ukrainian literature's foremost writers, best known for her poems and plays. She was also an active political, civil, and female rights activist.

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25/02/1869

Phoebus Levene, Russian-American biochemist and physician (died 1940)

Phoebus Aaron Theodore Levene was a Russian-born American biochemist who studied the structure and function of nucleic acids. He characterized the different forms of nucleic acid, DNA from RNA, and found that DNA contained adenine, guanine, thymine, cytosine, deoxyribose, and a phosphate group.

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25/02/1866

Benedetto Croce, Italian philosopher and politician (died 1952)

Benedetto Croce, was an Italian idealist philosopher, historian, and politician who wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, historiography, and aesthetics. A political liberal in most regards, he formulated a distinction between liberalism and "liberism". Croce had considerable influence on other Italian intellectuals, from Marxists to Italian fascists, such as Antonio Gramsci and Giovanni Gentile, respectively.

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25/02/1865

Andranik, Armenian general (died 1927)

Andranik Ozanian, commonly known as General Andranik or simply Andranik, was an Armenian military commander and statesman, widely regarded as the preeminent fedayi and a seminal figure of the Armenian national liberation movement.

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25/02/1860

William Ashley, English historian and academic (died 1927)

Sir William James Ashley was an English economic historian. His major intellectual influence was in organising economic history in Great Britain and introducing the ideas of the leading German economic historians, especially Gustav von Schmoller and the historical school of economic history. His chief work is The Economic Organisation of England, still a set text on many A-level and University syllabuses.

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25/02/1857

Robert Bond, Canadian politician; first Prime Minister of Newfoundland (died 1927)

Sir Robert Bond was a Newfoundlander politician who was the last Premier of Newfoundland Colony from 1900 to 1907 and the first prime minister of the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1907 to 1909 after the 1907 Imperial Conference conferred dominion status on the colony.

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25/02/1856

Karl Gotthard Lamprecht, German historian and academic (died 1915)

Karl Gotthard Lamprecht was a German historian who specialized in German art and economic history.

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Mathias Zdarsky, Czech-Austrian skier, painter, and sculptor (died 1940)

Mathias Zdarsky was an early ski pioneer and founder of modern Alpine skiing technique: Arnold Lunn described him as the "father of alpine skiing". He was the first ski instructor in the world. He was also a teacher, painter and sculptor.

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25/02/1855

Cesário Verde, Portuguese poet and author (died 1886)

Cesário Verde was a 19th-century Portuguese poet. His work, while mostly ignored during his lifetime and not well known outside of the country's borders even today, is generally considered to be amongst the most important in Portuguese poetry and is widely taught in schools. This is partly due to his being championed by many other authors after his death, notably Fernando Pessoa.

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25/02/1845

George Reid, Scottish-Australian lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Australia (died 1918)

Sir George Houston Reid was a Scottish-born Australian politician, diplomat, and barrister who served as the fourth prime minister of Australia from 1904 to 1905. He held office as the leader of the Free Trade Party, previously serving as the 12th premier of New South Wales from 1894 to 1899, and later as the high commissioner of Australia to the United Kingdom from 1910 to 1916.

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25/02/1842

Karl May, German author, poet, and playwright (died 1912)

Karl Friedrich May was a German author known for writing often in first-person narrative about travels and adventures, mostly set in the American Old West or the Orient and Middle East, but also in Latin America, China and within Germany. For a time he insisted that he actually had travelled to the West and was called Old Shatterhand there, while in the Ottoman Empire he was called Kara Ben Nemsi, and posed in costumes.

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25/02/1841

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter and sculptor (died 1919)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a leading French Impressionist artist. In his depiction of feminine beauty, Renoir has been described as "the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to Watteau."

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25/02/1833

John St. John, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Kansas (died 1916)

John Pierce St. John was an American politician who served as the eighth governor of Kansas. A Republican, St. John was a staunch supporter of Prohibition and later served as the Prohibition Party's nominee in the 1884 presidential election. Under his tenure as governor, Kansas became the third state to enact a statewide prohibition of alcohol which would last until 1948 and remain in some form until 1987. After leaving elected office he maintained his position in the Prohibition party and remained active in the party's presidential politics and was a major figure in the party schism during the 1896 presidential election.

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25/02/1816

Giovanni Morelli, Italian historian and critic (died 1891)

Giovanni Morelli was an Italian art critic and political figure.

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25/02/1812

Carl Christian Hall, Danish lawyer and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Denmark (died 1888)

Carl Christian Hall was a Danish statesman. Hall served as the Council President of Denmark, first from 1857 to 1859 and again from 1860 to 1863.

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25/02/1809

John Hart, English-Australian politician, 10th Premier of South Australia (died 1873)

Captain John Hart CMG was a South Australian politician and a Premier of South Australia.

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25/02/1806

Emma Catherine Embury, American author and poet (died 1863)

Emma Catherine Embury was an American writer and poet. Under the pen name of "Ianthe", she contributed to the periodicals of the day, and may be considered among the pioneers of female literature in the United States. Her many poems and tales were afterwards collected and published in book form. Among these volumes are The Blind Girl and Other Tales, Glimpses of Home Life, Pictures of Early Life, Nature's Gems, or American Wild Flowers (1845), and The Waldorf Family, a fairy tale of Brittany, partly a translation and partly original (1848).

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25/02/1778

José de San Martín, Argentinian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (died 1850)

José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras, nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's successful struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire who served as the Protector of Peru. Born in Yapeyú, Corrientes, in modern-day Argentina, he left the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata at the early age of seven to study in Málaga, Spain.

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25/02/1755

François René Mallarmé, French lawyer and politician (died 1835)

François-René-Auguste Mallarmé was a French statesman of the French Revolution and a supporter of Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Empire. His career is of particular interest because he was among political figures such as Joseph Fouché who at first aggressively supported the Terror, only to betray its leaders and support the various conservative reactionary régimes that followed. His was a chevalier de l'Empire from 22 November 1808 and a baron de l'Empire from 31 January 1810.

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25/02/1752

John Graves Simcoe, English-Canadian general and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (died 1806)

Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer, politician, and colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796. He founded York, the present-day city of Toronto, and was instrumental in introducing institutions such as courts of law, trial by jury, English common law, freehold land tenure, and also in the abolition of slavery in Upper Canada.

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25/02/1728

John Wood, the Younger, English architect, designed the Royal Crescent (died 1782)

John Wood, the Younger was an English architect, working principally in the city of Bath, Somerset. He was the son of the architect John Wood, the Elder. His designs were highly influential during the 18th century and the Royal Crescent is considered to be one of the best examples of Georgian Neo-Classical architecture in Britain.

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25/02/1714

René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, French lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of France (died 1792)

René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, marquis de Morangles was a French lawyer, politician, and chancellor of France, whose attempts at reform signalled the failure of enlightened despotism in France. He is best known for his effort to destroy the system of parlements, which were powerful regional courts, in 1770–74. When King Louis XV died in 1774, the parlements were restored and Maupeou lost power.

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25/02/1707

Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright and composer (died 1793)

Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays of Goldoni for their ingenious mix of wit and honesty. His plays offered his contemporaries images of themselves, often dramatizing the lives, values, and conflicts of the emerging middle classes. Though he wrote in French and Italian, his plays make rich use of the Venetian language, regional vernacular, and colloquialisms. Goldoni also wrote under the pen name and title Polisseno Fegeio, Pastor Arcade, which he claimed in his memoirs the "Arcadians of Rome" bestowed on him.

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25/02/1682

Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist and pathologist (died 1771)

Giovanni Battista Morgagni was an Italian anatomist, generally regarded as the father of modern anatomical pathology, who taught thousands of medical students from many countries during his 56 years as Professor of Anatomy at the University of Padua.

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25/02/1670

Maria Margarethe Kirch, German astronomer and mathematician (died 1720)

Maria Margaretha Kirch was a German astronomer. She was one of the first famous astronomers of her period due to her writing on the conjunction of the sun with Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter in 1709 and 1712 respectively.

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25/02/1663

Peter Anthony Motteux, French-English author, playwright and translator (died 1718)

Peter Anthony Motteux was a French-born English author, playwright, and translator. Motteux was a significant figure in the evolution of English journalism in his era, as the publisher and editor of The Gentleman's Journal, "the first English magazine," from 1692 to 1694.

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25/02/1643

Ahmed II, Ottoman sultan (died 1695)

Ahmed II was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1691 to 1695.

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25/02/1591

Friedrich Spee, German poet and author (died 1635)

Friedrich Spee was a German Jesuit priest, professor, and poet, most well known as a forceful opponent of witch trials and one who was an insider writing from the epicenter of the European witch-phobia. Spee argued strongly against the use of torture, and as an eyewitness he gathered a book full of details regarding its cruelty and unreliability. He wrote, "Torture has the power to create witches where none exist."

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25/02/1543

Sharaf Khan Bidlisi, Emir of Bitlis (died 1603)

Sharaf al-Din Khan b. Shams al-Din b. Sharaf Beg Bedlisi was a Kurdish Emir of Bitlis. He was also a historian, writer and poet. He wrote exclusively in Persian. Born in the Qara Rud village, in central Iran, between Arak and Qom, at a young age he was sent to the Safavids' court and obtained his education there.

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25/02/1540

Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, English aristocrat and courtier (died 1614)

Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton was an English aristocrat and courtier. He was suspected throughout his life of being Roman Catholic, and went through periods of royal disfavour, in which his reputation suffered greatly. He was distinguished for learning, artistic culture and his public charities. He built Northumberland House in London and superintended the construction of the fine house of Audley End. He founded and planned several hospitals. Francis Bacon included three of his sayings in his Apophthegms, and chose him as "the learnedest councillor in the kingdom to present to the king his Advancement of Learning." After his death, it was discovered that he had been involved in the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury.

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25/02/1475

Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, last male member of the House of York (died 1499)

Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick was the son of Isabel Neville and George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, and a potential claimant to the English throne during the reigns of both his uncle, Richard III (1483–1485), and Richard's successor, Henry VII (1485–1509). He was also a younger brother of Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury. Edward was tried and executed for treason in 1499.

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25/02/1337

Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg (died 1383)

Wenceslaus I was the first Duke of Luxembourg from 1354. He was the son of John the Blind, King of Bohemia, and Beatrice of Bourbon.

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25/02/1259

Infanta Branca of Portugal, daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal and Urraca of Castile (died 1321)

Blanche of Portugal, was an infanta and nun, the firstborn child of King Afonso III of Portugal and his second wife Beatrice of Castile. Named after her great-aunt Blanche of Castile, queen of France, Blanche was the Lady of Las Huelgas, Montemor-o-Velho, Alcocer and Briviesca, the city which she founded.

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