Born on Saturday, 31st January – Famous Birthdays
On this day, 192 notable people were born on 31st January — spanning from 1512 to 2006. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.
Saturday, 31st January 2026 marks the birth of numerous notable individuals across entertainment, sports and public life. Among those born on this date is Sára Bejlek, a Czech tennis player who entered the world in 2006, continuing a tradition of central European excellence in racquet sports. Another significant birth from the early 2000s is Gianluca Prestianni, an Argentine footballer born in 2006 who would go on to pursue a career in professional football. The date has also seen the arrival of musicians, actors and athletes who have shaped contemporary culture, including figures such as Marcus Mumford, the American-English singer-songwriter born in 1987, whose acoustic folk music reached international audiences.
The historical record reveals a particularly rich tradition of births on this date spanning centuries. Franz Schubert, the Austrian composer, was born in 1797 and would become one of the most influential figures in classical music despite his short lifespan. Theodor Heuss, born in 1884, later served as the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany, playing a crucial role in shaping post-war European politics and democracy. The consistency of significant births across disciplines demonstrates the date’s prominence in historical and cultural records.
The range of professions represented among those born on this date extends across sports, medicine, academia and business. From baseball players such as Nolan Ryan and Ernie Banks to contemporary filmmakers and digital creators, 31st January has produced individuals who have left lasting impacts on their respective fields. The diversity of achievements across different eras underscores the date’s significance as a marker of notable human accomplishment throughout modern and historical periods.
DayAtlas provides comprehensive information about weather patterns, historical events, famous births and deaths for any chosen date and location, making it a valuable resource for those researching specific calendar dates and their cultural significance.
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31/01/2006
Sára Bejlek, Czech tennis player
Sára Bejlek is a Czech professional tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 37, achieved on 23 February 2026 and a doubles ranking of No. 671, reached on 1 August 2022.
Gianluca Prestianni, Argentine footballer
Gianluca Prestianni Gross is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a winger for Primeira Liga club Benfica and the Argentina national team.
31/01/2002
Hong Ye-ji, South Korean actress
Hong Ye-ji is a South Korean actress. She first gained recognition in 2018 as a participant in the reality competition show Produce 48. She made her acting debut in the film 2037 (2022). She is known for her roles in A Normal Family (2023) and the television series Love Song for Illusion (2024).
Beñat Turrientes, Spanish footballer
Beñat Turrientes Imaz is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Sociedad.
31/01/2000
Julián Alvarez, Argentine footballer
Julián Alvarez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Argentina national team.
31/01/1998
Beto, Portuguese and Bissau-Guinean footballer
Norberto Bercique Gomes Betuncal, known as Beto, is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Everton. Born in Portugal, he represents Guinea-Bissau at international level.
Jalen McDaniels, American basketball player
Jalen Marquis McDaniels is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs. He is the older brother of basketball player Jaden McDaniels.
31/01/1997
Arnaut Danjuma, Dutch footballer
Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld is a professional footballer who plays as a left winger for La Liga club Valencia. Born in Nigeria, he has represented the Netherlands national team.
Donte DiVincenzo, American basketball player
Donte Michael DiVincenzo is an Italian-American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats, where he won national championships in 2016 and 2018, being named Final Four Most Outstanding Player (MOP) in 2018.
Miyeon, South Korean singer and actress
Cho Mi-yeon, better known mononymously as Miyeon, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a vocalist of the South Korean girl group I-dle under Cube Entertainment, and voiced Ahri in the virtual K-pop girl group K/DA.
31/01/1996
Joel Courtney, American actor
Joel Courtney is an American actor known for his role in the 2011 film Super 8 and for his starring role as Lee Flynn in Netflix's The Kissing Booth film series.
Nikita Dragun, American YouTuber
Nikita Nguyen, known professionally as Nikita Dragun, is an American internet personality, YouTuber, make-up artist, and model.
31/01/1994
Kenneth Zohore, Danish footballer
Albin Kenneth Dahrup Zohore ; born 31 January 1994) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Danish 2nd Division side Fremad Amager.
31/01/1993
Qiu Bo, Chinese diver
Qiu Bo is a Chinese diver. He won the silver medal in the 10 metre platform event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is a four-time world champion at the World Aquatics Championships, winning the gold medal three times in the 10m platform event, consecutively in 2011, 2013 and 2015, and winning the gold medal in the synchronized 10m event in 2011.
31/01/1992
Tyler Seguin, Canadian ice hockey player
Tyler Paul Seguin is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a forward and alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL).
31/01/1990
Cro, German rapper
Carlo Waibel, better known by the stage name Cro, is a German rapper and singer. He describes his music as a mixture between rap and pop, which he calls "raop". He is known for wearing a panda mask on stage.
Nicolás Laprovíttola, Argentine basketball player
Nicolás "Nico" Laprovíttola is an Argentine professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He is also a member of the Argentina national basketball team.
31/01/1989
Tommy La Stella, American baseball player
Thomas Frank La Stella is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, and Seattle Mariners.
31/01/1988
Brett Pitman, English footballer
Brett Douglas Pitman is a Jèrriais footballer who plays as a forward for Wessex League Premier Division club Downton, where he holds the role of player-coach.
Taijo Teniste, Estonian footballer
Taijo Teniste is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as a right back for Estonian Esiliiga club Tartu Welco and the Estonia national team.
31/01/1987
Marcus Mumford, American-English singer-songwriter
Marcus Oliver Johnstone Mumford is a British singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is the lead singer of the folk band Mumford & Sons and also plays a number of instruments with the group, including guitar, drums and mandolin.
31/01/1986
Walter Dix, American sprinter
Walter Dix is a retired American sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is the seventh-fastest 200-meter runner ever with a best of 19.53 seconds, and has broken the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters, with a best of 9.88 (9.80w) seconds. He was the only track athlete from USA to win 2 individual Olympic medals in Beijing.
Megan Ellison, American film producer, founded Annapurna Pictures
Margaret "Megan" Elizabeth Ellison is an American film producer. She founded Annapurna Pictures in 2011. Her production work includes the films American Hustle (2013), Her (2013), Phantom Thread (2017), and Zero Dark Thirty (2012), where she received Academy Award for Best Picture nominations. She was an executive producer of Nimona, which was nominated for Best Animated Feature.
George Elokobi, Cameroonian footballer
George Nganyuo Elokobi is a Cameroonian-French football coach and former player who is currently manager of National League South club Maidstone United.
Yves Ma-Kalambay, Belgian footballer
Yves Makabu-Ma-Kalambay is a former professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He most recently played for English club Wycombe Wanderers. Ma-Kalambay has previously played for Chelsea, Watford, Hibernian, Swansea City and KV Mechelen.
Pauline Parmentier, French tennis player
Pauline Parmentier is a French former tennis player.
31/01/1985
Adam Federici, Australian footballer
Adam Jay Federici is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
31/01/1984
Vernon Davis, American football player
Vernon Leonard Davis is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins, earning first-team All-American honors in 2005. Davis was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the sixth overall pick of the 2006 NFL draft. In 2009, he co-led the NFL in touchdown receptions and consequently earned his first of two career Pro Bowl selections.
Mikhail Grabovski, German-Belarusian ice hockey player
Mikhail Yuryevich Hrabowski, better known as Mikhail Grabovski, is a German-born Belarusian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Grabovski serves as an assistant coach for HC Dinamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Prior to his coaching career, Grabovski played as a centre in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 10 seasons.
31/01/1983
Fabio Quagliarella, Italian footballer
Fabio Quagliarella is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
31/01/1982
Maret Ani, Estonian tennis player
Maret Ani is a retired tennis player from Estonia.
Allan McGregor, Scottish footballer
Allan James McGregor is a Scottish former professional footballer and current goalkeeping coach at Rangers. McGregor has previously played for Rangers, St Johnstone, Dunfermline Athletic, Turkish team Beşiktaş, English club Hull City and Welsh side Cardiff City, and made 42 international appearances for Scotland.
Jānis Sprukts, Latvian ice hockey player
Jānis Sprukts is a retired Latvian professional ice hockey forward.
31/01/1981
Julio Arca, Argentine footballer
Julio Andrés Arca is an Argentine former professional footballer, who played as a left-back or central midfielder. He was most recently manager of South Shields.
Mark Cameron, Australian cricketer
Mark Alan Cameron is an Australian former cricketer who played Australian domestic cricket for New South Wales.
Gemma Collins, English media personality and businesswoman
Gemma Clair Collins is an English media personality and businesswoman. She came to prominence appearing on the ITV reality series The Only Way Is Essex (2011–2019) and went on to appear on various other reality television shows, including I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (2014), Celebrity Big Brother (2016), Celebs Go Dating (2018) and Dancing on Ice (2019). Known for her "diva persona" and alter-ego "The GC", she became the subject of several internet memes and a staple of the British hun subculture.
Justin Timberlake, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Prince of Pop", he is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Billboard named him one of the greatest pop stars of the 21st century. His awards include ten Grammy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, three Brit Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, the Contemporary Icon Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and MTV's Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
31/01/1980
James Adomian, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
James Adomian is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and impressionist. He is best known for his work on Comedy Bang! Bang!, Chapo Trap House, Last Comic Standing, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson where he impersonated President George W. Bush until 2009, and for portraying Bernie Sanders during the 2016 Trump vs. Bernie tour. He voiced Talking Ben in the Talking Tom & Friends animated series, and additional voices in the Nickelodeon animated series Pig Goat Banana Cricket.
Gary Doherty, Irish footballer
Gary Michael Thomas Doherty is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a defender, having previously also played as a forward. He gained international honours for the Republic of Ireland.
Shim Yi-young, South Korean actress
Shim Yi-young is a South Korean actress.
Clarissa Ward, British-American television journalist
Clarissa Ward is a British-American television journalist who is the chief international correspondent for CNN. Previously, she was with CBS News, based in London. Before her CBS News position, Ward was a Moscow-based news correspondent for ABC News programs.
31/01/1979
Daniel Tammet, English author and educator
Daniel Paul Tammet is an English writer and savant. His memoir, Born on a Blue Day (2006), is about his early life with Asperger syndrome and savant syndrome, and was named a "Best Book for Young Adults" in 2008 by the American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services magazine. Tammet's second book, Embracing the Wide Sky, was one of France's best-selling books of 2009. His third book, Thinking in Numbers, was published in 2012 by Hodder & Stoughton in the United Kingdom and in 2013 by Little, Brown and Company in the United States and Canada. Tammet's books have been published in over 20 languages.
31/01/1978
Fabián Caballero, Argentine footballer and manager
Néstor Fabián Caballero, commonly referred to as Tyson, was an Argentine-Paraguayan professional footballer who played as a forward.
31/01/1977
Bobby Moynihan, American actor and comedian
Robert Michael Moynihan Jr. is an American comedian and actor. He was a cast member and writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2017.
Kerry Washington, American actress
Kerry Marisa Washington is an American actress. She has received several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and two Tony Awards. She was included in Time's 100 list of most influential people in 2014, and Forbes named her the eighth highest-paid television actress in 2018.
31/01/1976
Traianos Dellas, Greek footballer and manager
Traianos Dellas is a Greek professional football manager and former player. He last managed Super League club OFI.
Buddy Rice, American racing driver
Buddy Rice is an American former professional race car driver. He is best known for winning the 2004 Indianapolis 500 while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, and the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing.
31/01/1975
Preity Zinta, Indian actress, producer, and television host
Preity G. Zinta is an Indian actress and entrepreneur primarily known for her work in Hindi films. After graduating with degrees in English honours and criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se.. in 1998, followed by a role in Soldier in the same year. These performances earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut, and she was later recognised for her role as a teenage single mother in Kya Kehna (2000). She established a career as a leading Hindi film actress of the decade with a variety of character types. Her roles, often deemed culturally defiant, along with her unconventional screen persona won her recognition and several accolades.
31/01/1974
Othella Harrington, American basketball player and coach
Othella Harrington is an American former professional basketball player. After he finished his high school career at Murrah High School, he played in college at Georgetown University where he teamed with future NBA star Allen Iverson. Harrington was drafted 30th overall in the 1996 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets.
Ariel Pestano, Cuban baseball player
Ariel Osvaldo Pestano Valdés, better known as El Veterano, is a Cuban former baseball catcher. He has won both silver and gold medals in the Olympic Games and also played catcher on Cuba's World Baseball Classic team in March 2006 and March 2009. In Cuba, Pestano plays with the Villa Clara Naranjas of the Cuban National Series.
31/01/1973
Portia de Rossi, Australian-American actress
Portia Lee James DeGeneres, known professionally as Portia de Rossi, is an Australian and American former actress. She played Nelle Porter on the American drama series Ally McBeal (1998–2002), for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award; Lindsay Bluth Fünke on the American television sitcom Arrested Development, and Elizabeth North on the American political thriller series Scandal (2014–2017).
31/01/1971
Patricia Velásquez, Venezuelan model and actress
Patricia Carola Velásquez Semprún is a Venezuelan actress, model, public speaker, and philanthropist. She is best known for portraying Anck-su-namun in the 1999 film The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns.
31/01/1970
Minnie Driver, English singer-songwriter and actress
Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver is a British and American actress and singer. She rose to prominence with her break-out role in the 1995 film Circle of Friends. She went on to star in a wide range of films, including the cult classic Grosse Pointe Blank; Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting ; the musical The Phantom of the Opera; and Owning Mahowny. She also provided the voice of Lady Eboshi in Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke.
Danny Michel, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
Danny Michel is a Canadian songwriter and producer.
31/01/1969
Dov Charney, Canadian-American fashion designer and businessman, founded American Apparel
Dov Charney is a Canadian entrepreneur and clothing manufacturer. He is the founder of American Apparel, which was one of the largest garment manufacturers in the United States until its bankruptcy in 2015. Charney was fired from American Apparel in 2014 due to allegations of sexual harassment and assault. He subsequently founded Los Angeles Apparel which produces Kanye West's line Yeezy.
Daniel Moder, American cinematographer
Daniel Richard Moder is an American cinematographer who has worked on such films as Secret in Their Eyes, The Mexican, and Fireflies in the Garden. He received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his cinematography in the television film The Normal Heart. He is married to actress Julia Roberts.
31/01/1968
John Collins, Scottish footballer and manager
John Angus Paul Collins is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.
Matt King, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
Matt King is an English actor, DJ and comedian. He is best known for his role as Super Hans in the British sitcom Peep Show.
Ulrica Messing, Swedish politician, 2nd Swedish Minister for Infrastructure
Ulrica Messing is a Swedish politician and civil servant who has served as Governor of Blekinge County since 2021. A member of the Social Democratic Party, she previously served as Minister for Infrastructure from 2000 to 2006.
Patrick Stevens, Belgian sprinter
Patrick Stevens is a retired sprinter from Belgium. He won the bronze medal in the 200 metres at the 1994 European Championships in Helsinki and a silver medal in the 200 m at the 2000 European Indoor Championships. He earned selection for four consecutive Olympic Games for his native country, although he was unable to compete at Sydney 2000 due to injury. His best result was seventh in the famous Michael Johnson 1996 200m WR final in Atlanta. He has also competed in four World Championships, between 1993 and 1999, finishing eighth in the 1997 200 m final.
31/01/1967
Fat Mike, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
Michael John Burkett, known professionally as Fat Mike, is an American musician and producer. He was the bassist and lead vocalist for the punk rock band NOFX and the cofounder and bassist of the punk rock supergroup cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Burkett started out with his first band False Alarm in 1982. He and NOFX rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin were the only band members who remained constant in the band's lineup throughout its existence. Burkett was the owner and founder of Fat Wreck Chords.
31/01/1966
Dexter Fletcher, English actor and director
Dexter Fletcher is a British film director and actor. He has appeared in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, as well as in television shows such as the comedy drama Hotel Babylon and the HBO series Band of Brothers and, earlier in his career, starred as Spike Thomson in the comedy drama Press Gang. His earliest acting role was in Steptoe and Son Ride Again.
Thant Myint-U, Myanmar historian, diplomat, conservationist, and former presidential advisor.
Thant Myint-U is an historian, writer, grandson of former United Nations Secretary-General U Thant, former UN official, former Myanmar peace process mediator, and an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He has authored five books, including The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma and Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia. He founded the Yangon Heritage Trust in 2012 to protect built heritage and promote urban planning in the Burmese commercial capital of Yangon. He is also a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Christ's College, Cambridge and United Nations Special Adviser on Humanitarian Diplomacy.
31/01/1965
Giorgos Gasparis, Greek basketball player and coach
The Greece men's national basketball team represents Greece in international basketball. They are controlled by the Hellenic Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Greece. Greece is currently ranked 13th in the FIBA World Ranking.
Ofra Harnoy, Israeli-Canadian cellist
Ofra Harnoy is an Israeli-Canadian cellist. She is a Member of the Order of Canada. When she signed with RCA Victor Red Seal, Harnoy became the first Canadian classical instrumental soloist since Glenn Gould to gain an exclusive worldwide contract with a major record label. She is a five-time Juno Award winner.
Peter Sagal, American author and radio host
Peter Daniel Sagal is an American humorist, writer, and host of the National Public Radio game show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and the PBS special Constitution USA with Peter Sagal.
31/01/1964
Martha MacCallum, American journalist
Martha Bowes MacCallum is an American journalist and news anchor for Fox News. She is the executive editor and anchor of The Story with Martha MacCallum, broadcast from Manhattan Monday through Friday at 3PM ET, and co-anchor of Fox News Election coverage. MacCallum joined the network in 2004 and is based in New York City. Her interviews with President Donald Trump, President Barack Obama, First Lady Laura Bush, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and others have been featured on her programs.
Dawn Prince-Hughes, American scientist
Dawn Prince-Hughes is an American anthropologist, primatologist, and ethologist. She is the author of several books, including Gorillas Among Us: A Primate Ethnographer's Book of Days and her memoir Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism, and she is the editor of the essay collection Aquamarine Blue 5: Personal Stories of College Students with Autism.
31/01/1963
Gwen Graham, American lawyer and politician
Gwendolyn Graham is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 2nd congressional district from 2015 to 2017. She is the daughter of Bob Graham, the former United States senator and governor of Florida. A Democrat, she was a candidate in the 2018 Democratic primary for Florida governor. Graham served as assistant secretary of education for legislation and congressional affairs in the Biden administration from 2021 to 2025.
31/01/1962
Bruce McGuire, Australian rugby league player
Bruce McGuire is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s.
31/01/1961
Elizabeth Barker, Baroness Barker, English politician
Elizabeth Jean Barker, Baroness Barker, is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.
Fatou Bensouda, Gambian lawyer and judge
Fatou Bom Bensouda is a Gambian lawyer and former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), who has served as the Gambian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom since 3 August 2022.
Lloyd Cole, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Lloyd Cole is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was lead vocalist of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989 and subsequently worked solo.
31/01/1960
Akbar Ganji, Iranian journalist and author
Akbar Ganji is an Iranian journalist, writer and a former member of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He has been described as "Iran's preeminent political dissident", and a "wildly popular pro-democracy journalist" who has crossed press censorship "red lines" regularly. A supporter of the Islamic revolution as a youth, he became disenchanted in the mid-1990s and served time in Tehran's Evin Prison from 2001 to 2006, after publishing a series of stories on the murder of dissident authors known as the Chain Murders of Iran. While in prison, he issued a manifesto which established him as the first "prominent dissident, believing Muslim and former revolutionary" to call for a replacement of Iran's theocratic system with "a democracy". He has been described as "Iran's best-known political prisoner".
Grant Morrison, Scottish author and screenwriter
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, humanist philosophy and countercultural leanings. Morrison has written extensively for the American comic book publisher DC Comics, penning lengthy runs on Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, Action Comics, and Green Lantern as well as the graphic novels Arkham Asylum, JLA: Earth 2, and Wonder Woman: Earth One, the meta-series Seven Soldiers and The Multiversity, the mini-series DC One Million and Final Crisis, both of which served as centrepieces for the eponymous company-wide crossover storylines, and the maxi-series All-Star Superman. Morrison's best known DC work is the seven-year Batman storyline which started in the Batman ongoing series and continued through Final Crisis, Batman and Robin, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne and two volumes of Batman Incorporated. They also co-created the DC character Damian Wayne.
Željko Šturanović, Montenegrin politician, 31st Prime Minister of Montenegro (died 2014)
Željko Šturanović was a Montenegrin politician who was the Prime Minister of Montenegro from 2006 until his resignation in 2008.
31/01/1959
Anthony LaPaglia, Australian actor and producer
Anthony LaPaglia is an Australian actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen he has received several accolades including three AACTA Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award.
Kelly Lynch, American model and actress
Kelly Lynch is an American film and television actress. She gained recognition for her roles in Cocktail and Road House (1989). She was subsequently nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Drugstore Cowboy (1989), and for Best Supporting Female for The Beans of Egypt, Maine (1994).
31/01/1958
Armin Reichel, German footballer and manager
Armin Reichel is a German former professional football goalkeeper.
31/01/1957
Shirley Babashoff, American swimmer
Shirley Frances Babashoff is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in multiple events. Babashoff set six world records and earned a total of nine Olympic medals in her career. She won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay in both the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, and she won the 1975 world championship in both the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle. During her career, she set 37 national records and for some time held all national freestyle records from the 100-meter to 800-meter events.
31/01/1956
John Lydon, English singer-songwriter
John Joseph Lydon, also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English-born singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. He was the lead vocalist of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols, which was active from 1975 to 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s. He is also the lead vocalist of post-punk band Public Image Ltd (PiL), which he founded and fronted from 1978 until 1993, and again since 2009.
Guido van Rossum, Dutch programmer, creator of the Python programming language
Guido van Rossum is a Dutch programmer. He is the creator of the Python programming language, for which he was the "benevolent dictator for life" (BDFL) until he stepped down from the position on 12 July 2018. He remained a member of the Python Steering Council through 2019, and withdrew from nominations for the 2020 election.
31/01/1955
Virginia Ruzici, Romanian tennis player and manager
Virginia Ruzici is a Romanian former professional tennis player. She won the 1978 French Open singles championship.
31/01/1954
Faoud Bacchus, Guyanese cricketer
Sheik Faoud Ahamul Fasiel Bacchus is a Guyanese former cricketer who played for the West Indies and the United States. He was a member of the West Indies squad which won the 1979 Cricket World Cup.
Adrian Vandenberg, Dutch guitarist and songwriter
Adriaan van den Berg, known as Adrian "Adje" Vandenberg, is a Dutch rock guitarist, best known for his tenure as one of the guitarists in Whitesnake during their successful late 1980s period and the band Vandenberg which he started in 1981. In 2013, Adrian formed a new band, Vandenberg's MoonKings, and recorded a new studio album which was released in early 2014.
31/01/1951
Harry Wayne Casey, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
Harry Wayne Casey, better known by his stage name KC, is an American record producer, musician, and songwriter. He is best known for his band, KC and the Sunshine Band, with co-founder Richard Finch. Casey has enjoyed success and recognition as a producer of several hits for other artists, and as a pioneer of the disco genre of the 1970s.
31/01/1950
Denise Fleming, American author and illustrator
Denise K. Fleming is an American creator of children's picture books. She was born in Toledo, Ohio. She graduated in illustration from Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Alexander Korzhakov, Russian general and bodyguard
Alexander Vasilyevich Korzhakov is a Russian former KGB general who served as Boris Yeltsin's bodyguard, confidant, and adviser for eleven years. He was the head of the Presidential Security Service (PSB) from 1991 to 1996, State Duma deputy from 1997 to 2011, and retired Lieutenant-general. Korzhakov had been Yeltsin's bodyguard since 1985, and on 19 August 1991, he stood next to his boss on top of a tank during Yeltsin's historic speech.
Janice Rebibo, American-Israeli author and poet (died 2015)
Janice Rebibo was an American-born Israeli poet who began writing in Hebrew in the mid-1980s.
31/01/1949
Johan Derksen, Dutch footballer and journalist
Johannes Gerrit "Johan" Derksen is a Dutch sports journalist and former football player. He played professional football between 1966 and 1978 for six clubs: Go Ahead Eagles, Cambuur, Veendam, HFC Haarlem, SV Meppen and MVV Maastricht. During and after his footballing career, he became a sports journalist, specialising in football. He was the editor-in-chief of Voetbal International, the Netherlands' most prominent football magazine, from 2000 until his retirement in 2013. Derksen was while working at Voetbal International and after his retirement a television football pundit on RTL7's Voetbal International and Veronica Inside on Veronica TV. His current TV talkshow is Vandaag Inside on SBS6.
Norris Church Mailer, American model and educator (died 2010)
Norris Church Mailer was an American novelist, actress, artist, and model. Norris published two novels, Windchill Summer and Cheap Diamonds, and a memoir, A Ticket to the Circus, which focuses on her nearly thirty-year marriage to Norman Mailer.
Ken Wilber, American sociologist, philosopher, and author
Kenneth Earl Wilber Jr. is an American writer on transpersonal psychology and his own integral theory, a four-quadrant grid which purports to model all human knowledge and experience.
31/01/1948
Volkmar Groß, German footballer (died 2014)
Volkmar Groß was a German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent seven seasons in the Bundesliga with Hertha BSC, Tennis Borussia Berlin and FC Schalke 04. He represented West Germany once in a friendly against Greece. He scored one goal in the Bundesliga from a penalty kick.
Muneo Suzuki, Japanese politician
Muneo Suzuki, commonly known simply as "Muneo" due to his common last name, is a Japanese politician from Ashoro, Hokkaido, currently serving as a member of the House of Councillors since 2019, representing the National PR block.
31/01/1947
Jonathan Banks, American actor
Jonathan Ray Banks is an American actor. He played FBI Special Agent Frank McPike in the television series Wiseguy (1987–1990). For his role, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Banks gained renewed recognition for his role as hitman and fixer Mike Ehrmantraut in the television series Breaking Bad (2009–2013). He reprised the role as a lead character in the spin-off series Better Call Saul (2015–2022) and the movie El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). For playing Ehrmantraut, he received five nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
Matt Minglewood, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
Matt Minglewood is a Canadian musician whose style can be described as a blend of country, blues, folk, roots, and rock. The name "Matt" was borrowed from his brother, Matt Batherson.
Nolan Ryan, American baseball player
Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr., nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), Ryan pitched for the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. After his retirement in 1993, Ryan served as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Texas Rangers and an executive advisor to the Houston Astros. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 in his first year of eligibility, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest pitchers of all time.
Glynn Turman, American actor
Glynn Turman is an American actor. First coming to attention as a child actor in the original 1959 Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun, Turman is known for his roles as Lew Miles on the prime-time soap opera Peyton Place (1968–1969), high school student Leroy "Preach" Jackson in the 1975 coming-of-age film Cooley High, math professor and retired Army colonel Bradford Taylor on the NBC sitcom A Different World (1988–1993), and Baltimore mayor Clarence Royce on the HBO drama series The Wire. He received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role on the HBO drama series In Treatment.
31/01/1946
Mike Carlton, Australian journalist and radio host
Michael James Carlton, is an Australian former media commentator, radio host, television journalist, author and newspaper columnist. He formerly co-hosted the daily breakfast program on Sydney radio station 2UE with Peter FitzSimons and later Sandy Aloisi.
Terry Kath, American guitarist and singer-songwriter (died 1978)
Terry Alan Kath was an American guitarist and singer who is best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago. He played lead guitar and sang lead vocals on many of the band's early hit singles alongside Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera. He has been praised by his bandmates and other musicians for his guitar skills and his Ray Charles–influenced vocal style. Jimi Hendrix cited Kath as one of his favorite guitarists and considered him to be "the best guitarist in the universe."
Medin Zhega, Albanian footballer and manager (died 2012)
Medin Zhega was an Albanian professional football manager and player, who played as a forward.
31/01/1945
Rynn Berry, American historian and author (died 2014)
Rynn Berry was an American author and scholar on vegetarianism and veganism, as well as a pioneer in the animal rights and vegan movements.
Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, English lawyer, judge, and academic
Brenda Marjorie Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond,, is a British judge who served as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2017 until her retirement in 2020.
Joseph Kosuth, American sculptor and theorist
Joseph Kosuth is an American conceptual artist, who lives in New York and Venice, after having resided in various cities in Europe, including London, Ghent and Rome.
31/01/1944
John Inverarity, Australian cricketer and coach
Robert John Inverarity is a former Australian cricketer who played six Test matches. A right-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox spin bowler in his playing career, Inverarity was also one of the enduring captains in the Australian Sheffield Shield during the late 1970s and early 1980s, captaining both Western Australia and South Australia.
Charlie Musselwhite, American musician and singer-songwriter
Charles Douglas Musselwhite is an American blues harmonica player and bandleader who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal figure in helping to revive the Chicago Blues movement of the 1960s. He has often been identified as a "white bluesman".
31/01/1942
Daniela Bianchi, Italian actress
Daniela Bianchi is an Italian former actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universo Italia 1960 and represented her country at Miss Universe 1960 where she placed 1st Runner-Up. She is known for the role of Bond girl Tatiana Romanova in the 1963 film From Russia with Love.
Derek Jarman, English director, stage designer, and author (died 1994)
Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English artist, film maker, stage designer, writer, gardener, and gay rights activist, regarded as one of the most influential figures associated with the new queer cinema. Trained originally as a painter, he moved into stage and production design in the late 1960s, including work on Ken Russell's controversial historical 1971 film The Devils, before turning to filmmaking as a director.
31/01/1941
Len Chappell, American basketball player (died 2018)
Leonard Roy Chappell was an American basketball player. He played for 10 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA) and was selected to one NBA All-Star Game. He played college basketball for Wake Forest University in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) from 1959 to 1962. He was the ACC Player of the Year twice, led the ACC in scoring and rebounding in the same season twice, was first-team All-ACC three times, led his team to two ACC tournament championships as the Most Valuable Player both of those years, and was a consensus All-American as a senior while leading his team to the NCAA final four in 1962.
Dick Gephardt, American lawyer and politician
Richard Andrew Gephardt is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who represented Missouri's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he was House majority leader from 1989 to 1995 and minority leader from 1995 to 2003. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 1988 and 2004. Gephardt was mentioned as a possible vice presidential nominee in 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004, and 2008.
Gerald McDermott, American author and illustrator (died 2012)
Gerald McDermott was an American film-maker, creator of children's picture books, and expert on mythology. His creative works typically combine bright colors and styles with ancient imagery. His picture books feature folktales and cultures from all around the world.
Jessica Walter, American actress (died 2021)
Jessica Ann Walter was an American actress who appeared in more than 170 film, stage, and television productions.
31/01/1940
Kitch Christie, South African rugby player and coach (died 1998)
George Moir Christie, better known as Kitch Christie, was a South African rugby union coach best known for coaching the country's national team, the Springboks, to victory at the 1995 Rugby World Cup. He remained unbeaten during his tenure as Springbok rugby coach between 1994 and 1996, including leading the team to a then record 14 consecutive victories. In 2011, he was inducted posthumously into the IRB Hall of Fame, later subsumed into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.
Stuart Margolin, American actor and director (died 2022)
Stuart Margolin was an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He was known for playing Evelyn "Angel" Martin on the 1970s television series The Rockford Files, winning two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He received an additional two Emmy nominations for his directing work, and was also a Directors Guild of America Award winner.
31/01/1938
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until her abdication in 2013.
Lynn Carlin, American actress
Mary Lynn Carlin is an American retired actress. For her debut role in the 1968 John Cassavetes film Faces, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first nonprofessional performer to receive an Oscar nomination. She was later nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Milos Forman’s Taking Off (1971).
James G. Watt, American lawyer and politician, 43rd United States Secretary of the Interior (died 2023)
James Gaius Watt was an American lawyer, lobbyist, and civil servant who served as Secretary of the Interior in the Ronald Reagan administration from 1981 to 1983. He was described as "anti-environmentalist" and was one of Ronald Reagan's most controversial cabinet appointments.
31/01/1937
Regimantas Adomaitis, Lithuanian actor (died 2022)
Regimantas Adomaitis was a Lithuanian film and stage actor. He was also active in Russia and Germany.
Andrée Boucher, Canadian educator and politician, 39th Mayor of Quebec City (died 2007)
Andrée Plamondon Boucher was a Canadian politician from the province of Quebec. She was the mayor of Quebec City from November 19, 2005, until her death. Previously, she had been the mayor of the city of Sainte-Foy, formerly a suburb of Quebec City, from 1985 until 2001, when the cities of Sainte-Foy and Quebec were merged. She was the first woman to become leader of a municipal political party in the province of Quebec.
Philip Glass, American composer
Philip Morris Glass is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass' work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive phrases and shifting layers. He described himself as a composer of "music with repetitive structures", which he has helped to evolve stylistically.
Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (died 2008)
Suzanne Pleshette was an American actress known for her roles in theatre, film, and television. She was nominated for three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. For her role as Emily Hartley on the CBS sitcom The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978), she received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
31/01/1936
Can Bartu, Turkish footballer and basketball player (died 2019)
Can Bartu was a Turkish basketball and football player of Circassian origin. He was the first Turkish footballer to play a final in Europe. His statue was erected in Istanbul. After retirement, he also worked as a pundit and sports journalist.
Franz Ceska, Austrian diplomat (died 2026)
Franz Ceska was an Austrian diplomat. He was the ambassador to Belgium from 1982 to 1988, permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva from 1988 to 1991, secretary general of the Federation of Austrian Industry from 1992 to 1997, and ambassador to France from 1997 to 2001.
31/01/1935
Kenzaburō Ōe, Japanese author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2023)
Kenzaburō Ōe was a Japanese writer and a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His novels, short stories and essays, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, deal with political, social and philosophical issues, including nuclear weapons, nuclear power, social non-conformism, and existentialism. Ōe was awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize in Literature for creating "an imagined world, where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today".
31/01/1934
Ernesto Brambilla, Italian motorcycle racer and racing driver (died 2020)
Ernesto "Tino" Brambilla was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and a professional race car driver from Italy. Born in Monza, he was the brother of driver Vittorio Brambilla. In 1959, he finished in tenth place in the 350cc Grand Prix motorcycle season. In 1961, he again finished in tenth place in the 350 class.
James Franciscus, American actor and producer (died 1991)
James Grover Franciscus was an American actor, known for his roles in feature films and in six television series: Mr. Novak, Naked City, The Investigators, Longstreet, Doc Elliot, and Hunter.
31/01/1933
Camille Henry, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1997)
Joseph Wilfred Camille "The Eel" Henry was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger/centre who played for the New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks, and St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League.
Morton Mower, American cardiologist and inventor (died 2022)
Morton Maimon Mower was an American cardiologist specializing in electrophysiology and the co-inventor of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator. He served in several professional capacities at Sinai Hospital and Cardiac Pacemakers Inc. In 1996, he became the chairman and chief executive officer of Mower Research Associates. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002 for the development of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator with Michel Mirowski in the 1970s. He continued his research in the biomechanical engineering laboratories at Johns Hopkins University.
31/01/1932
Miron Babiak, Polish sea captain (died 2013)
Miron Babiak was a Polish sea captain who is best known for commanding the RV Profesor Siedlecki Antarctica research ship.
31/01/1931
Ernie Banks, American baseball player and coach (died 2015)
Ernest Banks, nicknamed "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine", was an American professional baseball player who starred in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs between 1953 and 1971. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977 in his first year of eligibility, and was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
Christopher Chataway, English runner, journalist, and politician (died 2014)
Sir Christopher John Chataway was a British middle- and long-distance runner, television news broadcaster and Conservative politician.
31/01/1930
Joakim Bonnier, Swedish racing driver (died 1972)
Joakim "Jo" Bonnier was a Swedish racing driver and team owner, who competed in Formula One from 1956 to 1971. Bonnier won the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix with BRM.
Al De Lory, American composer, conductor, and producer (died 2012)
Alfred V. De Lory was an American record producer, arranger, conductor and session musician. He was the producer and arranger of a series of worldwide hits by Glen Campbell in the 1960s, including John Hartford's "Gentle on My Mind", Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman" and "Galveston". He was also a member of the 1960s Los Angeles session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew, and inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007.
31/01/1929
Rudolf Mössbauer, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2011)
Rudolf Ludwig Mössbauer was a German physicist who shared the 1961 Nobel Prize in Physics with Robert Hofstadter for his discovery of the Mössbauer effect, which is the basis for Mössbauer spectroscopy.
Jean Simmons, English-American actress (died 2010)
Jean Merilyn Simmons was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Britain during and after the Second World War, followed mainly by Hollywood films from 1950 onwards.
31/01/1928
Irma Wyman, American computer scientist and engineer (died 2015)
Irma M. Wyman was an early computer engineer and the first woman to become vice president of Honeywell, Inc. She was a systems thinking tutor and was the first female CIO of Honeywell, Inc., then a Fortune 100 company.
31/01/1927
Norm Prescott, American animator, producer, and composer, co-founded Filmation Studios (died 2005)
Norman Zachary Prescott was co-founder and executive producer at Filmation Associates, an animation studio he created with veteran animator Lou Scheimer.
Julian Wojtkowski, Polish Roman Catholic prelate and theologian (died 2026)
Julian Andrzej Antoni Wojtkowski was a Polish Roman Catholic prelate and theologian, who served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Warmia from 1969 until his resignation in 2004. He also held the titular see of Murustaga.
31/01/1926
Tom Alston, American baseball player (died 1993)
Thomas Edison Alston was an American Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1954 to 1957, the first African-American to do so. A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, he stood 6'5" (200 cm) and weighed 210 pounds (95 kg).
Chuck Willis, American singer-songwriter (died 1958)
Harold "Chuck" Willis was an American blues, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll singer and songwriter. His biggest hits, "C. C. Rider" (1957) and "What Am I Living For" (1958), both reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart. He was known as 'The King of the Stroll' for his performance of the 1950s dance, the stroll.
31/01/1925
Benjamin Hooks, American minister, lawyer, and activist (died 2010)
Benjamin Lawson Hooks was an American civil rights leader and government official. A Baptist minister and practicing attorney, he served as executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1977 to 1992.
31/01/1923
Norman Mailer, American journalist and author (died 2007)
Nachem Malech Mailer, known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American writer, journalist, and filmmaker. In a career spanning more than six decades, Mailer had 11 best-selling books, at least one in each of the seven decades after World War II.
31/01/1922
Joanne Dru, American actress (died 1996)
Joanne Dru was an American film and television actress, known for such films as Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, All the King's Men, and Wagon Master.
31/01/1921
John Agar, American actor (died 2002)
John George Agar Jr. was an American film and television actor. He is best known for starring alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache, and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. In his later career he was the star of B movies, such as Tarantula!, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Revenge of the Creature, Flesh and the Spur and Hand of Death. He was the first husband of Shirley Temple.
Carol Channing, American actress, singer, and dancer (died 2019)
Carol Elaine Channing was an American actress, comedian, singer and dancer who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Each of her characters typically possessed a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice.
E. Fay Jones, American architect, designed the Thorncrown Chapel (died 2004)
Euine Fay Jones was an American architect and designer. An apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright during his professional career, Jones is the only one of Wright's disciples to have received the AIA Gold Medal (1990), the highest honor awarded by the American Institute of Architects. He also achieved international prominence as an architectural educator during his 35 years of teaching at the University of Arkansas School of Architecture.
Mario Lanza, American tenor and actor (died 1959)
Mario Lanza was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer at the age of 16. After appearing at the Hollywood Bowl in 1947, Lanza signed a seven-year film contract with Louis B. Mayer, the head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who saw his performance and was impressed by his singing. Prior to that, the adult Lanza sang only two performances of an opera. The following year (1948) he sang the role of Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly in New Orleans.
31/01/1920
Stewart Udall, American lawyer and politician, 37th United States Secretary of the Interior (died 2010)
Stewart Lee Udall was an American politician and environmentalist who belonged to the Democratic Party. After serving three terms as a congressman from Arizona, he served as Secretary of the Interior from 1961 to 1969, under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. A staunch liberal, he is best known for enthusiastically promoting environmentalism while in the cabinet, with success primarily under President Johnson.
Bert Williams, English footballer (died 2014)
Bert Frederick Williams MBE was an English international football goalkeeper. Nicknamed The Cat, he spent the majority of his playing career at Wolverhampton Wanderers where he won the League Championship and FA Cup. At the time of his death Williams was the oldest living England international.
31/01/1919
Jackie Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster (died 1972)
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was an American professional baseball player who was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. The Dodgers signing Robinson heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball, which had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s.
31/01/1915
Bobby Hackett, American trumpet player and cornet player (died 1976)
Robert Leo Hackett was a versatile American jazz musician who played swing music, Dixieland jazz and mood music, now called easy listening, on trumpet, cornet, and guitar. He played Swing with the bands of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he played Dixieland from the 1930s into the 1970s in a variety of groups with many of the major figures in the field, and he was a featured soloist on the first ten of the numerous Jackie Gleason mood music albums during the 1950s.
Alan Lomax, American historian, author, and scholar (died 2002)
Alan Lomax was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music during the 20th century. He was a musician, folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activist, oral historian, filmmaker and son of folklorist John Lomax. Lomax produced recordings, concerts, and radio shows in the U.S. and in England which played an important role in preserving folk music traditions in both countries and helped start both the American and British folk revivals of the 1940s, 1950s, and especially the early 1960s. He collected material first with his father, folklorist and collector John Lomax, and later, alone and with others. Lomax recorded thousands of songs and interviews for the Archive of American Folk Song, of which he was the director, at the Library of Congress on aluminum and acetate discs.
31/01/1914
Jersey Joe Walcott, American boxer and police officer (died 1994)
Arnold Raymond Cream, best known as Jersey Joe Walcott, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1930 to 1953. He held the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), National Boxing Association (NBA), and The Ring heavyweight titles from 1951 to 1952, and broke the record for the oldest man to win the title, at the age of 37. That record would hold for over four decades until it was eventually broken in 1994 by 45-year-old George Foreman. Despite holding the world heavyweight title for a relatively short period of time, Walcott was regarded among the best heavyweights in the world during the 1940s and 1950s.
31/01/1913
Don Hutson, American football player and coach (died 1997)
Donald Montgomery Hutson, nicknamed "the Alabama Antelope", was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). In the era of the one-platoon football, he played as an end and spent his entire 11-year career with the Green Bay Packers. Under head coach Curly Lambeau, Hutson led the Packers to four NFL Championship Games, winning three in 1936, 1939, and 1944.
31/01/1909
Miron Grindea, Romanian-English journalist (died 1995)
Miron Grindea was a Romanian-British literary journalist and the editor of ADAM International Review, a literary magazine published for more than 50 years. In 1984, ADAM was said to be "the world's longest surviving literary magazine". Its title was an acronym for "Arts, Drama, Architecture and Music".
31/01/1905
John O'Hara, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (died 1970)
John Henry O'Hara was an American writer. He was one of America's most prolific writers of short stories, credited with helping to invent The New Yorker magazine short story style. He became a best-selling novelist before the age of 30 with Appointment in Samarra and BUtterfield 8. While O'Hara's legacy as a writer is debated, his work was praised by such contemporaries as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and his champions rank him highly among the major under-appreciated American writers of the 20th century. Few college students educated after O'Hara's death in 1970 have discovered him, chiefly because he refused to allow his work to be reprinted in anthologies used to teach literature at the college level.
31/01/1902
Nat Bailey, Canadian businessman, founded White Spot (died 1978)
Nathaniel Ryal Bailey, better known as Nat Bailey, was an American-born Canadian restaurateur, and the founder of White Spot restaurants. He is known for building the first drive-in restaurant in Canada, in 1928, and developing the first carhop tray. His chain of restaurants continues to thrive today.
Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (died 1968)
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944). She also had a brief but successful career on radio and made appearances on television. In all, Bankhead amassed nearly 300 film, stage, television and radio roles during her career. She was posthumously inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1972 and the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1981.
Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1986)
Alva Myrdal was a Swedish sociologist, diplomat and politician. She was a prominent leader of the disarmament movement. She, along with Alfonso García Robles, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982. She married Gunnar Myrdal in 1924; he received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1974, making them the fourth ever married couple to have won Nobel Prizes, and the first to win independent of each other.
Julian Steward, American anthropologist (died 1972)
Julian Haynes Steward was an American anthropologist known best for his role in developing "the concept and method" of cultural ecology, as well as a scientific theory of culture change.
31/01/1900
Betty Parsons, American artist, art dealer and collector (died 1982)
Betty Parsons was an American artist, art dealer, and collector known for her early promotion of Abstract Expressionism. She is regarded as one of the most influential and dynamic figures of the American avant-garde.
31/01/1896
Sofya Yanovskaya, Russian mathematician and historian (died 1966)
Sofya Aleksandrovna Yanovskaya was a Soviet mathematician, philosopher and historian, specializing in the history of mathematics, mathematical logic, and philosophy of mathematics. She is best known for her efforts in restoring the research of mathematical logic in the Soviet Union and publishing and editing the mathematical works of Karl Marx.
31/01/1894
Isham Jones, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (died 1956)
Isham Edgar Jones was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter.
31/01/1892
Eddie Cantor, American singer-songwriter, actor, and dancer (died 1964)
Edward "Eddie" Cantor was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era.
31/01/1889
Frank Foster, English cricketer (died 1958)
Frank Rowbotham Foster was an English amateur cricketer who played for Warwickshire County Cricket Club from 1908 to 1914, and in Test cricket for England in 1911 and 1912. He was born in Birmingham, educated at Solihull School and died in St Andrew's Hospital in Northampton. His career was cut short after a motor-cycle accident during World War I.
31/01/1884
Theodor Heuss, German journalist and politician, 1st President of the Federal Republic of Germany (died 1963)
Theodor Heuss was a German politician who served as the first president of West Germany from 1949 to 1959. His civil demeanour and cordial nature – somewhat a contrast to German nationalist traditions and the stern character of chancellor Konrad Adenauer – largely contributed to the stabilisation of democracy in West Germany during the Wirtschaftswunder years. Before beginning his career as a politician, Heuss had been a political journalist. Heuss is remembered as a major representative of social liberalism in Germany.
Mammad Amin Rasulzade, Azerbaijani scholar and politician, 1st President of The Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (died 1955)
Mahammad Amin Akhund Haji Molla Alakbar oghlu Rasulzade was an Azerbaijani politician, journalist and the head of the Azerbaijani National Council. He is mainly considered the founder of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918 and the father of its statehood. His expression "Bir kərə yüksələn bayraq, bir daha enməz!" became the motto of the independence movement in Azerbaijan in the early 20th century. He faced numerous exiles from both Turkey and Iran. During World War II, Rasulzade attempted to form a strategic alliance with Nazi Germany in order to garner support for an independent Azerbaijan.
31/01/1881
Irving Langmuir, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1957)
Irving Langmuir was an American chemist, physicist, and metallurgical engineer. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1932 for his work in surface chemistry.
31/01/1878
Marta Sandal, Norwegian singer (died 1930)
Marta Christine Sandal was a Norwegian mezzo-soprano, best known for singing songs by Edvard Grieg.
31/01/1876
Mette Bull, Norwegian actress (died 1946)
Mette Marie Bull was a Norwegian actress.
31/01/1872
Zane Grey, American author (died 1939)
Zane Grey was an American author. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American frontier. Riders of the Purple Sage (1912) was his best-selling book.
31/01/1868
Theodore William Richards, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1928)
Theodore William Richards was an American physical chemist and the first American scientist to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, earning the award "in recognition of his exact determinations of the atomic weights of a large number of the chemical elements."
31/01/1865
Henri Desgrange, French cyclist and journalist (died 1940)
Henri Desgrange was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set twelve world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres (21.950 mi) on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France.
Shastriji Maharaj, Indian spiritual leader, founded BAPS (died 1951)
Shastriji Maharaj, born Dungar Patel and ordained Shastri Yagnapurushdas, was a swami of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya and founder of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). Several branches accept him as the third spiritual successor of Swaminarayan in the lineage of Aksharbrahma Gurus through whom Swaminarayan manifests, which began with Gunatitanand Swami. Born in a family of farmers in central Gujarat, India, he became a swami within the Vadtal diocese of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya at the age of 17 where he was given the name Yagnapurushdas Swami. The prefix Shastri was later added in recognition of his eminent scholarship in Sanskrit and the Hindu scriptures. He established BAPS after a doctrinal split from the Vadtal diocese of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya.
31/01/1854
David Emmanuel, Romanian mathematician and academic (died 1941)
David Emmanuel was a Romanian Jewish mathematician and member of the Romanian Academy, considered to be the founder of the modern mathematics school in Romania.
31/01/1835
Lunalilo of Hawaii (died 1874)
Lunalilo was the sixth monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from his election on January 8, 1873, until his death a year later.
31/01/1820
William B. Washburn, American politician, 28th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1887)
William Barrett Washburn was an American businessman and politician from Massachusetts. Washburn served several terms in the United States House of Representatives (1863–71) and as the 28th governor of Massachusetts from 1872 to 1874, when he won election to the United States Senate in a special election to succeed the recently deceased Charles Sumner. A moderate Republican, Washburn only partially supported the Radical Republican agenda during the American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era that followed.
31/01/1799
Rodolphe Töpffer, Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricaturist (died 1846)
Rodolphe Töpffer was a Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricaturist. He is best known for his illustrated books, which are possibly the earliest European comics. He is known as the father of comic strips and has been credited as the "first comics artist in history."
31/01/1798
Christine Genast, German actress, singer and pianist (died 1860)
Karoline Christine Genast was a German actress, singer and pianist.
31/01/1797
Franz Schubert, Austrian pianist and composer (died 1828)
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a vast oeuvre of more than 1,000 compositions, including more than 600 Lieder and other vocal works, seven complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music, and a large body of piano and chamber music. Among these are the songs "Gretchen am Spinnrade", "Erlkönig" and "Ave Maria"; the Trout Quintet; the Symphony No. 8 in B minor (Unfinished); the Symphony No. 9 in C major ; the String Quartet No. 14 in D minor ; the String Quintet in C major; the Impromptus for solo piano; the last three piano sonatas; the Fantasia in F minor for piano four hands; the incidental music to the play Rosamunde; the song cycles Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise; and the song collection Schwanengesang.
31/01/1785
Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová, Czech cookbook author (died 1845)
Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová was a Czech writer known for her famous cookery book.
31/01/1769
André-Jacques Garnerin, French balloonist and the inventor of the frameless parachute (died 1823)
André-Jacques Garnerin was a French balloonist and the inventor of the frameless parachute. He was appointed Official Aeronaut of France.
31/01/1759
François Devienne, French flute player and composer (died 1803)
François Devienne was a French composer of the Classical period and professor for flute at the Paris Conservatory.
31/01/1752
Gouverneur Morris, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (died 1816)
Gouverneur Morris was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He wrote the Preamble to the United States Constitution and has been called the "Penman of the Constitution". While most Americans still thought of themselves as citizens of their respective states, Morris advanced the idea of being a citizen of a single union of states. He was also one of the most outspoken opponents of slavery among those who were present at the Constitutional Congress. He represented New York in the United States Senate from 1800 to 1803.
31/01/1686
Hans Egede, Norwegian missionary and explorer (died 1758)
Hans Poulsen Egede was a Norwegian Lutheran priest and missionary who launched mission efforts to Greenland, which led him to be styled the Apostle of Greenland. He established a successful mission among the Inuit and is credited with revitalizing Danish-Norwegian interest in the island after contact had been broken for about 300 years. He founded Greenland's capital Godthåb, now known as Nuuk.
31/01/1673
Louis de Montfort, French priest and saint (died 1716)
Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, SMM was a French Catholic priest known for his influence on Catholic Mariology. He wrote a number of books that went on to become classic Catholic titles, including Secret of the Rosary and True Devotion to Mary, and influenced several popes. He also founded several religious communities, including the Company of Mary.
31/01/1624
Arnold Geulincx, Flemish philosopher and academic (died 1669)
Arnold Geulincx, also known by his pseudonym Philaretus, was a Flemish philosopher, metaphysician, and logician. He was one of the followers of René Descartes who tried to work out more detailed versions of a generally Cartesian philosophy. Samuel Beckett cited Geulincx as a key influence and interlocutor because of Geulincx's emphasis on the powerlessness and ignorance of the human condition.
31/01/1607
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (died 1651)
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby was an English nobleman, politician, and supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. Before inheriting the title in 1642 he was known as Lord Strange. He was feudal Lord of the Isle of Man, where he was known as "Yn Stanlagh Mooar".
31/01/1597
John Francis Regis, French priest and saint (died 1640)
John Francis Regis, SJ, commonly known Saint Regis, was a French Jesuit priest who was canonized in 1737. A tireless preacher and social reformer, Regis is best known for his work with at-risk women and orphans.
31/01/1583
Peter Bulkley, English and later American Puritan (died 1659)
Peter Bulkley was an influential early Puritan minister who left England for greater religious freedom in the American colony of Massachusetts. He was a founder of Concord, and was named by descendant Ralph Waldo Emerson in his poem about Concord, "Hamatreya".
31/01/1543
Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japanese shōgun (died 1616)
Tokugawa Ieyasu was a Japanese samurai, daimyo and the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow Oda subordinate Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The son of a minor daimyo, Ieyasu once lived as a hostage under daimyo Imagawa Yoshimoto on behalf of his father. He later succeeded as daimyo after his father's death, serving as ally, vassal, and general of the Oda clan, and building up his strength under Oda Nobunaga.
31/01/1512
Henry, King of Portugal (died 1580)
Henry, dubbed the Chaste and the Cardinal-King, was King of Portugal and an inquisitor and cardinal of the Catholic Church, who ruled Portugal between 1578 and 1580. As a clergyman, he was bound to celibacy, and as such, had no children to succeed him, and thus put an end to the reigning House of Aviz. His death led to the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 and ultimately to the 60-year Iberian Union that saw Portugal share a monarch with Habsburg Spain. The next independent monarch of Portugal would be John IV, who restored the throne after 60 years of Spanish rule. He was the only cardinal to have served as a monarch.