Born on Friday, 4th July – Famous Birthdays

04/07/2003

Polina Bogusevich, Russian singer

Polina Sergeyevna Bogusevich, also known as Nanamé, is a Russian singer. She represented Russia in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Wings", and went on to win the competition. She is the second Russian entrant to win the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.

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04/07/1999

Moa Kikuchi, Japanese musician

Moa Kikuchi , better known by her stage name Moametal, is a Japanese singer and dancer. She is best known as a member of the kawaii metal band Babymetal, and was formerly a member of the idol group Sakura Gakuin. She is represented by the talent agency Amuse Inc.

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04/07/1995

Post Malone, American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer

Austin Richard Post, known professionally as Post Malone, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His music blends various genres including pop, hip-hop, trap, country, R&B, and rock.

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04/07/1993

Tom Barkhuizen, English footballer

Thomas John Barkhuizen is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League Two club Barrow.

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04/07/1992

Ángel Romero, Paraguayan footballer

Ángel Rodrigo Romero Villamayor is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a winger for Argentine Primera División club Boca Juniors and the Paraguay national team. He is the twin brother of Óscar Romero.

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Óscar Romero, Paraguayan footballer

Óscar David Romero Villamayor is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Primera División club Huracán and the Paraguay national team. He is the twin brother of Ángel Romero.

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04/07/1990

Jake Gardiner, American ice hockey player

Jake William Gardiner is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 17th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2008 NHL entry draft.

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Richard Mpong, Ghanaian footballer

Richard Mpong is a Ghanaian professional footballer who currently plays as a winger, for Elmina Sharks and the Ghana national football team.

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Naoki Yamada, Japanese footballer

Naoki Yamada is a Japanese footballer who plays for J3 League club FC Gifu.

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Ihar Yasinski, Belarusian footballer

Ihar Syarheyevich Yasinski is a Belarusian professional footballer who plays for Bumprom Gomel.

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04/07/1989

Benjamin Büchel, Liechtensteiner footballer

Benjamin Büchel is a Liechtensteiner professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Swiss Challenge League club Vaduz, which he captains, and the Liechtenstein national team.

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04/07/1988

Angelique Boyer, French-Mexican actress

Angelique Monique-Paulette Boyer Rousseau, simply known as Angelique Boyer, is a Mexican actress. Among her most notable works is her participation in soap operas such as Rebelde, and Teresa.

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04/07/1987

Wude Ayalew, Ethiopian runner

Wude Ayalew Yimer is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner. She was the bronze medallist over 10,000 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics and took the silver in that event at the 2011 All-Africa Games. Her sister Hiwot Ayalew is also a top level runner.

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Guram Kashia, Georgian footballer

Guram Kashia is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Niké Liga club Slovan Bratislava and the Georgia national team.

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04/07/1986

Ömer Aşık, Turkish basketball player

Ömer Faruk Aşık is a Turkish former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and other leagues. Aşık, standing at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), was sought after by many of the top Euroleague basketball teams at the age of 19. Aşık got his first chance playing professionally with the Turkish Basketball League team Fenerbahçe in 2005–06. After one season with Alpella, Aşık moved back to Fenerbahçe and eventually ended his Turkish club career with them in 2009–10. He gained recognition playing for the Turkey national team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, and as the starting center, he helped Turkey win the silver medal. In July 2010, Aşık signed with the Chicago Bulls. He was nicknamed "The Turkish Hammer" and "Asik the Destroyer" by Bulls commentator Stacey King.

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Nguyen Ngoc Duy, Vietnamese footballer

Nguyễn Ngọc Duy is a Vietnamese retired professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

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Rafael Arévalo, Salvadoran tennis player

Rafael Arévalo González is a retired professional tennis player from El Salvador. The majority of Arévalo's professional career has been restricted to playing on the Futures (ITF) circuit, with a further 22 appearances for the El Salvador Davis Cup team; he also had modest success in the juniors, reaching a peak of No. 10 in 2004. However, in 2008, aided by the Salvadoran Tennis Federation, he was awarded an invitation to the 2008 Beijing Olympics tennis tournament. The Tripartite Commission, which issued the invitation, is composed of representatives from International Olympic Committee (IOC), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), and the International Tennis Federation (ITF). It is standard practice to award such invitations to countries with small Olympic teams. Arévalo was the first player from El Salvador to represent the country in a tennis competition at the Olympics. Arévalo defeated South Korea's Lee Hyung-taik in three sets in the first round, before being beaten by Swiss World No. 1 Roger Federer in the second. Later that year, Arévalo won his only ATP Challenger Tour match, beating Borja Malo in Quito, before losing to Julio Cesar Campozano.

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Willem Janssen, Dutch footballer

Willem Janssen is a Dutch professional football official and a former player who played as a central defender. He is the technical director of VVV-Venlo.

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Terrance Knighton, American football player

Terrance O'Neil Knighton is an American football coach and former defensive tackle. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft after playing college football for the Temple Owls. Knighton was nicknamed "Pot Roast" and "Mutton Chop" by his teammates. He also played for the Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins and spent time with the New England Patriots prior to the 2016 NFL season.

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Marte Elden, Norwegian skier

Marte Elden is a Norwegian cross-country skier who competed between 2005 and 2011.

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04/07/1985

Kane Tenace, Australian footballer

Kane Tenace is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

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Dimitrios Mavroeidis, Greek basketball player

Dimitrios Mavroeidis is a Greek former professional basketball player and currently the team manager for AEK Athens of the Greek Basket League and the Basketball Champions League. During his career as a player, he stood at 2.12 m tall and covered the center position.

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Wason Rentería, Colombian footballer

Wason Libardo Rentería Cuesta is a Colombian retired professional footballer who played as a forward.

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04/07/1984

Jin Akanishi, Japanese singer-songwriter

Jin Akanishi is a Japanese singer-songwriter and actor. He has been active since 1998 as one of the two lead vocalists of the J-pop boy-band KAT-TUN before starting a solo career in 2009. Akanishi has also acted in several films and dramas.

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04/07/1983

Melanie Fiona, Canadian singer-songwriter

Melanie Fiona Hallim is a Canadian R&B singer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began her career in 2002 as part of a Canadian R&B trio X-Quisite, who was nominated for a Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for their self-titled album (2004). She went on to form the duo the Renaissance with hometown native Drake, although they released no albums.

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Amantle Montsho, Botswanan sprinter

Amantle Montsho is a Botswana former sprinter who specialized in the 400 metres. She represented her country at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, reaching the final at the latter edition. She was the first woman to represent Botswana at the Olympics. She also competed at the World Championships in Athletics and the IAAF World Indoor Championships, and was the former World Champion over the 400 m, winning in a personal best time of 49.56 in Daegu.

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Miguel Pinto, Chilean footballer

Miguel Ángel Pinto Jerez is a Chilean former football goalkeeper. He is the current assistant coach of Esteban González in Querétaro.

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Amol Rajan, Indian-English journalist

Amol Rajan is an Indian journalist, broadcaster and writer working in the United Kingdom. Formerly the media editor of BBC News, he has been a presenter on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 since 2021 and University Challenge on BBC Two since 2023. Before joining the BBC, Rajan was the editor of the newspaper The Independent from 2013 to 2016.

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Mattia Serafini, Italian footballer

Mattia Serafini is an Italian footballer.

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04/07/1982

Vladimir Boisa, Georgian basketball player

Vladimir Boisa or Vladimer Boisa is a Georgian former professional basketball player. Since 2013 he is the vice-president of Georgian Basketball Federation.

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Vladimir Gusev, Russian cyclist

Vladimir Nikolayevich Gusev is a Russian former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2015 for the Team CSC, Discovery Channel, Astana, Team Katusha and Skydive Dubai–Al Ahli teams.

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Jeff Lima, New Zealand rugby league player

Jeff Lima is a former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL. A New Zealand international representative prop, he previously played for the Wests Tigers, Melbourne Storm, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Wigan Warriors and the Catalans Dragons in the Super League, as well as France's Elite One Championship for the Saint-Gaudens Bears.

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Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino, American model, author and television personality

Michael Paul Sorrentino, also known as The Situation, is an American television personality. He appeared on all six seasons of the MTV reality show Jersey Shore from 2009 through 2012, and has since returned to the franchise with Jersey Shore: Family Vacation.

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04/07/1981

Dedé, Angolan footballer

Adérito Waldemar Alves Carvalho, commonly known as Dedé, is an Angolan former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

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Brock Berlin, American football player

Brock Sterling Berlin is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes. Berlin was signed by the Miami Dolphins of the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2005, and was also a member of the Hamburg Sea Devils, Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams, and Detroit Lions.

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Christoph Preuß, German footballer

Christoph Preuß is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender or defensive midfielder.

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Francisco Cruceta, Dominican baseball player

Francisco Alberto Cruceta is a former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers, in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for the Samsung Lions and in the Mexican Baseball League for the Saraperos de Saltillo.

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Will Smith, American football player (died 2016)

William Raymond Smith III was an American professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft, where he played for the entirety of his career. On April 9, 2016, Smith was murdered by firearm during an altercation after a traffic crash.

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04/07/1980

Kwame Steede, Bermudan footballer

Kwame Steede is a Bermudian football coach and former player. He was appointed head coach of the Devonshire Cougars in 2015.

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04/07/1979

Siim Kabrits, Estonian politician

Siim Kabrits is an Estonian entrepreneur and former politician. He was a member of Riigikogu from April 6, 2011, to March 26, 2014.

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Josh McCown, American football player

Joshua Treadwell McCown is an American professional football coach and former quarterback. He is the offensive passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the SMU Mustangs and Sam Houston Bearkats, and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2002 NFL draft. McCown went on to play eighteen seasons in the NFL across twelve franchises. He also spent a season in the United Football League (UFL).

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Renny Vega, Venezuelan footballer

Renny Vicente Vega Hernández is a Venezuelan former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

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04/07/1978

Marcos Daniel, Brazilian tennis player

Marcos Diniz Daniel is a retired professional tennis player from Brazil who turned professional in 1997. The right-hander reached his highest ATP singles ranking of World No. 56 in September 2009. He is coached by his brother, Márcio.

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Émile Mpenza, Belgian footballer

Eka Basunga Lokonda "Émile" Mpenza is a Belgian former footballer who played as a striker. He has been capped at international level by Belgium. His older brother, Mbo, also represented Belgium.

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04/07/1976

Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (died 2003)

Daijiro Kato was a Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, the 2001 250cc world champion, and the 2000 and 2002 Suzuka 8 Hours winner. He died as a result of injuries sustained after a crash during the 2003 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit, Japan.

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Yevgeniya Medvedeva, Russian skier

Yevgeniya Vladimirovna Medvedeva is a Russian cross-country skier who has competed since 1996. Competing in two Winter Olympics, she won two medals at Turin in 2006 with a gold in the 4 × 5 km relay and a bronze in the 7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit.

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04/07/1974

Jill Craybas, American tennis player

Jill N. Craybas is an American former professional tennis player.

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La'Roi Glover, American football player and sportscaster

La'Roi Damon Glover is an American professional football coach and former player who is the defensive line coach for the Orlando Storm of the United Football League (UFL). He played as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). Glover played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs. He enjoyed a 13-year career in which he made six-consecutive Pro Bowls and was a four-time All-Pro selection. He spent five seasons with the New Orleans Saints (1997–2001), four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (2002–2005) and finished his playing career with the St. Louis Rams (2006–2008).

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Adrian Griffin, American basketball player and coach

Adrian Darnell Griffin Sr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA as a shooting guard and small forward from 1999 to 2008. Griffin grew up in Wichita, Kansas, and played college basketball for the Seton Hall Pirates.

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04/07/1973

Keiko Ihara, Japanese race car driver

Keiko Ihara is a Japanese race car driver and businesswoman. She was a former race queen, a model who appears in a swimsuit or other fashionable apparel at race circuits, before deciding to become a racing driver. She is one of the few Japanese women nationals to race internationally at a high level. Her best finishes in the British Formula Three Championship are two eighth places finishes in 2005, which helped her to a final championship standing position of 16th with 12 points. In the 2006 series, she finished in 17th and last position in the Championship Class, with four points.

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Gackt, Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor

Gakuto Oshiro , better known as Gackt, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and actor.

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Michael Johnson, English-Jamaican footballer and manager

Michael Owen Johnson is a former footballer who played as a defender, primarily at centre back, although he also played left-back when called upon. He is a current England U18s coach and club ambassador of Derby County. He made more than 550 appearances in the Football League and Premier League, including more than 250 games for Birmingham City and more than 100 each for Notts County, the club where he began his professional career, and for Derby County. Johnson was born in Nottingham, England, and played 13 times for the Jamaica national team, for which he qualified by descent. He retired as a player at the end of the 2008–09 season, and took up the post of youth team manager with Notts County. Michael can also be found coaching with the Campioni Soccer Academy at family holiday resorts during the summer months, coaching and mentoring children whilst they holiday with their parents.

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Anjelika Krylova, Russian ice dancer and coach

Anjelika Alexeyevna Krylova is a Russian retired ice dancer. With partner Oleg Ovsyannikov, she is the 1998 Olympic silver medalist and two-time World champion. She currently works as a coach and choreographer in Moscow, Russia.

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Jan Magnussen, Danish race car driver

Jan Ellegaard Magnussen is a Danish professional racing driver and was a factory driver for General Motors until the end of the 2020 season. He has competed in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), NASCAR, the FIA Formula One World Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the Corvette Racing team, Magnussen won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in class on four occasions, in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2009, as well as the IMSA Sportscar Championship twice in 2017 and 2018. He also won the 2015 24 Hours of Daytona in the GTLM class.

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Tony Popovic, Australian footballer and manager

Tony Popovic is an Australian association football manager and former player who currently serves as head coach of the Australia national team.

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04/07/1972

Stephen Giles, Canadian canoe racer and engineer

Stephen Giles is a Canadian sprint canoeist who competed from the early 1990s to the mid 2000s. Competing in four Summer Olympics, he won the bronze in the C-1 1000 m event at Sydney in 2000.

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Mike Knuble, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach

Michael Rudolf Knuble is a Canadian-born American former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). During his 16 NHL seasons, he played for the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals.

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04/07/1969

Al Golden, American football player and coach

Alfred James Golden Jr. is an American professional football coach and former tight end who is the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head football coach for the Temple Owls from 2006 to 2010 and the Miami Hurricanes from 2011 to 2015.

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Todd Marinovich, American football player and coach

Todd Marvin Marinovich is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), and Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans. Marinovich is known for the well-documented, intense focus of his training as a young athlete and his brief career as a professional, cut short primarily because of his addiction to drugs.

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Wilfred Mugeyi, Zimbabwean footballer and coach

Wilfred Mugeyi is a Zimbabwean former footballer whose last job was coach at South African Premier Soccer League club AmaZulu FC.

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04/07/1967

Vinny Castilla, Mexican baseball player and manager

Vinicio "Vinny" Castilla Soria is a Mexican former Major League Baseball third baseman who played his best years with the Colorado Rockies. During his career, he played with the Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000–2001), Houston Astros (2001), Washington Nationals (2005), and San Diego Padres (2006). He currently serves as a special assistant to the Rockies GM Bill Schmidt.

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Sébastien Deleigne, French athlete

Sébastien Deleigne is a French modern pentathlete. He competed in four Olympic Games between 1992 and 2004.

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04/07/1966

Ronni Ancona, Scottish actress and screenwriter

Veronica Jane Ancona is a British actress, comedian, impressionist and writer. She co-wrote and starred in The Big Impression which was, for four years, one of BBC One's top-rated comedy programmes, winning a BAFTA in 2003. Ancona also starred in the first series of the ITV series The Sketch Show. Ancona has appeared in the Last Tango in Halifax since its creation in 2012. She is a co-director, alongside Sally Phillips and Nick Hamson, of the production company Captain Dolly.

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Minas Hantzidis, German-Greek footballer

Minas Hantzidis is a Greek former footballer. He played for Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Bochum, Olympiacos, Iraklis, Veria, Wuppertaler SV, SV Elversberg, Union Solingen, 1. FC Kleve, TSV 05 Ronsdorf and SpVgg Radevormwald, as well as for the national side. He competed at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

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Lee Reherman, American actor (died 2016)

Lee Reherman was an American actor, appearing in television and film and hosting television reality shows.

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04/07/1965

Harvey Grant, American basketball player and coach

Harvey Grant is an American former professional National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player. He is the identical twin brother of Horace Grant, also a former NBA player.

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Horace Grant, American basketball player and coach

Horace Junior Grant Sr. is an American former professional basketball player who is a special advisor to Michael Reinsdorf, the president and chief operating officer of the Chicago Bulls. He played college basketball for the Clemson Tigers before playing professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he became a four-time champion, winning three championships with the Chicago Bulls and one championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. Horace is the twin brother of former NBA player Harvey Grant. Horace made an NBA All-Star Game in 1994.

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Kiriakos Karataidis, Greek footballer and manager

Kyriakos Karataidis is a former Greek football player. He played for Olympiacos, as well as for the national side.

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Gérard Watkins, English actor and playwright

Gérard Watkins is a British and French actor, playwright, director, and songwriter.

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04/07/1964

Cle Kooiman, American soccer player and manager

Christopher Clemence "Cle" Kooiman is an American former soccer defender. He played professionally in both Mexico and the United States including the first Major Indoor Soccer League, Western Soccer Alliance, American Professional Soccer League and Major League Soccer. He earned twelve caps, scoring one goal, with the U.S. national soccer team in 1993 and 1994. He was a member of the U.S. team at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

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Elie Saab, Lebanese fashion designer

Elie Saab is a fashion designer based in Lebanon. He started his business in the early 1980s, and specialized in bridal couture. His work includes the use of materials such as lace, gemstones, crystals, pearls, and embroidery.

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Edi Rama, Albanian politician

Edi Rama is an Albanian politician, artist, and writer who has served as prime minister of Albania since 2013 and as chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania since 2005. He was the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports from 1998 to 2000 and the mayor of Tirana from 2000 to 2011.

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Mark Slaughter, American singer-songwriter and producer

Mark Allen Slaughter is an American singer and guitarist and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter.

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Mark Whiting, American actor, director, and screenwriter

Mark Randolph Whiting is an American writer, director, designer and actor.

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04/07/1963

Henri Leconte, French tennis player and sportscaster

Henri Leconte is a French former professional tennis player. He reached the men's singles final at the French Open in 1988, won the French Open men's doubles title in 1984, and helped France win the Davis Cup in 1991. During his career, he won singles titles on all four major court surfaces: hard, clay, grass and carpet. Leconte's career-high singles ranking was world No. 5.

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Laureano Márquez, Spanish-Venezuelan political scientist and journalist

Laureano Olegario Márquez Pérez is a Spanish-born Venezuelan humorist and political scientist.

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José Oquendo, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach

José Manuel Oquendo Contreras, nicknamed "the Secret Weapon", is a Puerto Rican professional baseball coach and former utility player who is the fundamentals coordinator of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played 12 seasons in MLB for the New York Mets and Cardinals, and has coached in various roles within the Cardinals' organization since his retirement, most notably as third base coach for 18 seasons. Oquendo also managed the Puerto Rico national team in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics.

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Sonia Pierre, Haitian-Dominican human rights activist (died 2011)

Solange Pierre, known as Sonia Pierre, was a human rights advocate in the Dominican Republic who worked to end antihaitianismo, which is discrimination against individuals of Haitian origin either born in Haiti or in the Dominican Republic. For this work, she won the 2006 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award.

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04/07/1962

Pam Shriver, American tennis player and sportscaster

Pamela Howard Shriver is an American former professional tennis player and current tennis broadcaster, pundit, and coach. She was ranked as high as world No. 3 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and world No. 1 in doubles. During the 1980s and 1990s, Shriver won 133 WTA Tour-level titles: 21 in singles and 112 in doubles. This includes 22 major titles, 21 in women's doubles and one in mixed doubles, as well as an Olympic gold medal in women's doubles at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, partnering Zina Garrison. Shriver and regular doubles partner Martina Navratilova are the only women's pair to complete the Grand Slam in a calendar year, winning all four majors in 1984.

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04/07/1961

Richard Garriott, English-American video game designer, created the Ultima series

Richard Allen Garriott de Cayeux is a British-born American video game developer, entrepreneur and private astronaut.

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04/07/1960

Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian race car driver (died 1994)

Roland Walter Ratzenberger was an Austrian racing driver, who competed in Formula One at three Grands Prix in 1994.

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04/07/1959

Victoria Abril, Spanish actress and singer

Victoria Mérida Rojas, better known as Victoria Abril, is a Spanish film actress and singer based in France. She is possibly best known to international audiences for her performance in the film Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! by director Pedro Almodóvar.

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04/07/1958

Vera Leth, Greenlandic Ombudsman

Vera Leth is a Greenlandic civil servant who was the County Council Ombudsman for the Parliament of Greenland between 1997 and 2023.

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Kirk Pengilly, Australian guitarist, saxophonist, and songwriter

Kirk Pengilly is an Australian musician and member of the Australian rock group INXS. Kirk plays saxophone and guitar, and also performs as a backing vocalist.

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Carl Valentine, Canadian soccer player, coach, and manager

Carl Howard Valentine is a former professional soccer player and coach who has had a long association with soccer in the Vancouver area.

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04/07/1957

Rein Lang, Estonian politician and diplomat, 25th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Rein Lang is an Estonian politician, a member of the Estonian Reform Party since 1995, and a diplomat. He was the Minister of Culture in Andrus Ansip's third cabinet until his resignation.

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04/07/1956

Robert Sinclair MacKay, British academic and educator

Robert Sinclair MacKay is a British mathematician and professor at the University of Warwick. He researches dynamical systems, the calculus of variations, Hamiltonian dynamics and applications to complex systems in physics, engineering, chemistry, biology and economics.

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04/07/1955

Eero Heinäluoma, Finnish politician

Eero Olavi Heinäluoma is a Finnish politician who has been serving as Member of the European Parliament since 2019. A former chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland, he was replaced in the party's leadership by Jutta Urpilainen in June 2008. He was Speaker of the Parliament of Finland from 2011 to 2015.

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Kevin Nichols, Australian cyclist

Kevin John Nichols is a former track cyclist and Olympic gold medallist.

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04/07/1954

Jim Beattie, American baseball player, coach, and manager

James Louis Beattie is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played for the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners from 1978 to 1986. He also served as the Montreal Expos' general manager from 1995 to 2001, and was the Baltimore Orioles' general manager with Mike Flanagan from 2003 to 2005. As of 2010, Beattie served as a professional scout in the Toronto Blue Jays organization through the 2018 season. Beattie retired from his decades-long career in MLB at the end of the 2018 season. Beattie starred in baseball and basketball at South Portland High School in South Portland, Maine.

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Morganna, American model, actress, and dancer

Morganna Roberts is an American entertainer who became known as Morganna or Morganna, the Kissing Bandit in baseball and other sports from 1969 through 1999. She was also billed as "Morganna the Wild One" when appearing as a dancer in the 1980s.

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Devendra Kumar Joshi, 21st Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy

Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM is the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands since 2017 and the Vice Chairman of Islands Development Agency (IDA). He was an Admiral in the Indian Navy and served as the 21st Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, having assumed office on 31 August 2012. He is a specialist in anti-submarine warfare. He resigned on 26 February 2014, taking responsibility for a series of accidents, thus becoming the first Indian Navy Chief to resign.

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04/07/1953

Francis Maude, English lawyer and politician, Minister for the Cabinet Office

Francis Anthony Aylmer Maude, Baron Maude of Horsham, is a British Conservative Party politician who served as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General from 2010 to 2015. He also served in several posts while the Conservatives were in opposition, notably as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Shadow Foreign Secretary and Chairman of the Conservative Party. Maude was Member of Parliament (MP) for North Warwickshire from 1983 to 1992 and then for Horsham from 1997 to 2015.

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04/07/1952

Álvaro Uribe, Colombian lawyer and politician, 39th President of Colombia

Álvaro Uribe Vélez is a Colombian politician who served as the 32nd President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010. He is a member and leader of the right-wing political party Democratic Center.

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Carol MacReady, English actress

Carol MacReady is an English actress. She has been working in the profession since 1961. She is known for the role of Mrs Dribelle in the series Bodger and Badger.

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John Waite, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

John Charles Waite is an English rock musician. As a solo artist, he has released ten studio albums and is best known for the 1984 hit single "Missing You", which reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the top ten on the UK singles chart. He was also the lead vocalist for the rock bands the Babys and Bad English.

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Paul Rogat Loeb, American author and activist

Paul Rogat Loeb is an American writer whose work has focused on activism, civic engagement, and social change.

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04/07/1951

John Alexander, Australian tennis player and politician

John Gilbert Alexander, nicknamed JA, is an Australian former professional tennis player, sports broadcaster, and federal politician.

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Ralph Johnson, American R&B drummer and percussionist

Ralph Randolph Johnson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and producer. Johnson is a member and percussionist of the funk/soul/disco band Earth, Wind & Fire.

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Vladimir Tismăneanu, Romanian-American political scientist, sociologist, and academic

Vladimir Tismăneanu is a Romanian American political scientist, political analyst, sociologist, and professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. A specialist in political systems and comparative politics, he is director of the University of Maryland's Center for the Study of Post-Communist Societies, having served as chairman of the editorial committee (2004–2008) and editor (1998–2004) of the East European Politics and Societies academic review. Over the years, Tismăneanu has been a contributor to several periodicals, including Studia Politica, Journal of Democracy, Sfera Politicii, Revista 22, Evenimentul Zilei, Idei în Dialog and Cotidianul. He has also worked with the international radio stations Radio Free Europe and Deutsche Welle, and authored programs for the Romanian Television Company. As of 2009, he is Academic Council Chairman of the Institute for People's Studies, a think tank of the Romanian Democratic Liberal Party. Between February 2010 and May 2012, he was also President of the Scientific Council of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania.

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Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, American lawyer and politician, 6th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland

Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend is an American politician and attorney who served as the sixth lieutenant governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. She was the first woman to serve in that role. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran unsuccessfully for governor of Maryland in 2002.

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04/07/1950

Philip Craven, English basketball player and swimmer

Sir Philip Lee Craven is an English sports administrator, former Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, swimmer and track and field athlete. Between 2001 and 2017 he was the second president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

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David Jensen, Canadian-English radio and television host

David Allan Jensen is a Canadian-born British radio DJ and television presenter. Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Jensen began as a radio DJ on Radio Luxembourg. Jensen was later a broadcaster for the BBC from 1976 to 1984, as a host on BBC Radio 1 and presenter on the TV music programme Top of the Pops from 1976 to 1984. Jensen has also hosted and presented for Capital FM and ITV among other stations.

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04/07/1948

René Arnoux, French race car driver

René Alexandre Arnoux is a French former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1978 to 1989. Arnoux won seven Formula One Grands Prix across 12 seasons.

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Tommy Körberg, Swedish singer and actor

Bert Gustav Tommy Körberg is a Swedish singer, actor and musician. English-speaking audiences know him best for his role as Anatoly/"The Russian" in the musical Chess. He played the role on the 1984 concept album, and on stage in the 1986 world premiere West End production in London, as well as several times since. Körberg has represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest twice: 1969 and 1988.

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Jeremy Spencer, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Jeremy Cedric Spencer is a British musician, best known for playing slide guitar and piano in the original line-up of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. A member since Fleetwood Mac's inception in July 1967, he remained with the band until his abrupt departure in February 1971, when he joined the "Children of God", a religious organisation now known as "The Family International", with which he is still affiliated. After a pair of solo albums in the 1970s, he continued to tour as a musician, but did not release another album until 2006. He released further solo albums from 2012 onwards and has also recorded as part of the folk trio Steetley. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

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04/07/1947

Lembit Ulfsak, Estonian actor and director (died 2017)

Lembit Ulfsak was an Estonian stage and film actor. Ulfsak starred in the 2014 film Tangerines which was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards. It was also among the five nominated films at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Ulfsak died on 22 March 2017, at the age of 69.

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04/07/1946

Ron Kovic, American author and activist

Ronald Lawrence Kovic is an American anti-war activist, author, and United States Marine Corps sergeant who was wounded and paralyzed in the Vietnam War. His best selling 1976 memoir Born on the Fourth of July was made into the 1989 film of the same name which starred Tom Cruise as Kovic and was co-written by Kovic and directed by Oliver Stone.

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Michael Milken, American businessman and philanthropist

Michael Robert Milken is an American financier. He is known for his role in the development of the market for high-yield bonds, which led to his reputation as the "Junk Bond King", and his conviction and sentence following a guilty plea on felony charges for violating U.S. securities laws. Milken's compensation while head of the high-yield bond department at Drexel Burnham Lambert in the late 1980s exceeded $1 billion over a four-year period, a record for U.S. income at that time. With a net worth of $6 billion as of 2022, he is among the richest people in the world.

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04/07/1945

Andre Spitzer, Romanian-Israeli fencer and coach (died 1972)

Andre Spitzer was an Israeli fencing master and coach of Israel's 1972 Summer Olympics team. He was one of 11 athletes and coaches taken hostage and subsequently killed by terrorists in the Munich massacre.

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04/07/1943

Conny Bauer, German trombonist

Konrad "Conny" Bauer is a German free jazz trombonist. He is the brother of the trombonist Johannes Bauer.

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Emerson Boozer, American football player and sportscaster

Emerson Boozer is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as a running back for the New York Jets in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). In the last year of separate drafts by the AFL and the NFL, Boozer signed with the AFL's Jets, rather than with an NFL team. He was a member of the Jets team that defeated the NFL's champion Baltimore Colts, 16–7, in Super Bowl III. Before joining the AFL, Boozer played college football at Maryland State College, which is now the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES).

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Adam Hart-Davis, English historian, author, and photographer

Adam John Hart-Davis is an English scientist, author, photographer, historian and broadcaster. He presented the BBC television series Local Heroes and What the Romans Did for Us, the latter spawning several spin-off series involving the Victorians, the Tudors, the Stuarts and the Ancients. He was also a co-presenter of Tomorrow's World, and presented Science Shack.

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Geraldo Rivera, American lawyer, journalist, and author

Geraldo Michael Rivera is an American journalist, attorney, author, and political commentator who worked at the Fox News Channel from 2001 to 2023. He hosted the tabloid talk show Geraldo from 1987 to 1998. He gained publicity with the live 1986 TV special The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults. Rivera hosted the news magazine program Geraldo at Large, hosts the occasional broadcast of Geraldo Rivera Reports. He served as a rotating co-host of The Five from 2022 to 2023. As of February 2024, Rivera retains the spot of correspondent-at-large with NewsNation.

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Fred Wesley, American jazz and funk trombonist

Fred Wesley is an American trombonist who worked with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s, and Parliament-Funkadelic in the second half of the 1970s.

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Alan Wilson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1970)

Alan Christie Wilson, nicknamed "Blind Owl", was an American musician, best known as the co-founder, leader, co-lead singer, and primary composer of the blues rock band Canned Heat. He sang and played harmonica and guitar with the group, live and on recordings. Wilson was the lead singer for the group's two biggest U.S. hit singles: "On the Road Again" and "Going Up the Country".

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04/07/1942

Hal Lanier, American baseball player, coach, and manager

Harold Clifton Lanier is an American former infielder, coach and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Known as a brainy, defense-first player, he won National League Manager of the Year as a rookie manager for leading the Astros to the National League West division championship in 1986. From November 2014 through the end of his 2018 contract, Lanier served as the first manager of the Ottawa Champions of the independent Can-Am League. From 1964 through 1973, Lanier played for the San Francisco Giants (1964–71) and New York Yankees (1972–73). He is the son of Max Lanier, a former MLB All-Star pitcher.

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Floyd Little, American football player and coach (died 2021)

Floyd Douglas Little was an American professional football player who was a halfback for the Denver Broncos, initially in the American Football League (AFL) and later the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orangemen, twice earning All-American honors. Little was the sixth overall selection of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft, the first common draft. He was the first first-round draft pick to sign with the AFL's Broncos, where he was known as "the Franchise". Little was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

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Stefan Meller, French-Polish academic and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 2008)

Stefan Meller was a Polish diplomat and academician. He served as foreign minister of Poland from 31 October 2005, to 9 May 2006, in the cabinet of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz.

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Prince Michael of Kent

Prince Michael of Kent is a member of the British royal family who is 53rd in line to the British throne as of 2026. The younger son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, he is a grandson of George V, nephew of Edward VIII and George VI, and first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Michael's mother was also a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort of Queen Elizabeth II, making him both a second cousin and first cousin once removed to Charles III.

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Peter Rowan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Peter Rowan is an American bluegrass musician and composer. He plays guitar, fiddle, dobro, banjo, bass, piano and mandolin. He has a wide vocal range and yodels. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2022.

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04/07/1941

Sam Farr, American politician

Samuel Sharon Farr is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for California's 17th (1993–2013) and 20th congressional districts (2013–17). He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected to Congress in a 1993 special election when longtime Democratic Rep. Leon Panetta resigned to become Director of the Office of Management and Budget. He retired from Congress following the 2016 elections.

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Tomaž Šalamun, Croatian-Slovenian poet and academic (died 2014)

Tomaž Šalamun was a Slovenian poet who was a leading figure of postwar neo-avant-garde poetry in Central Europe and an internationally acclaimed absurdist. His more than 50 books of Slovene poetry have been translated into more than twenty-five languages. His work has been called a poetic bridge between old European roots and America. Šalamun was a member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He lived in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and was married to the painter Metka Krašovec.

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Pavel Sedláček, Czech singer-songwriter and guitarist

Pavel Sedláček is a Czech rock and roll singer, songwriter and guitarist. When he was 15 played "Rock Around the Clock" on the show for amateur musicians. From 1962 he collaborated with theatre Semafor. At the same time he recorded the song "Život je pes" which became his first hit. In 1968 he attended Czech Technical University in Prague.

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Brian Willson, American soldier, lawyer, and activist

S. Brian Willson is a U.S. American Vietnam veteran, peace activist, and trained attorney.

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04/07/1940

Pat Stapleton, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2020)

Patrick James "Whitey" Stapleton was a Canadian ice hockey player. A defenceman, Stapleton played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and the World Hockey Association (WHA), most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was the father of Mike Stapleton, who had a lengthy career in the NHL.

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04/07/1938

Steven Rose, English biologist and academic

Steven Peter Russell Rose was an English neuroscientist, author and social commentator. He was an emeritus professor of biology and neurobiology at the Open University and Gresham College, London.

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Bill Withers, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2020)

William Harrison Withers Jr. was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter. Born in Slab Fork, West Virginia, and raised in Beckley, West Virginia, he is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me" (1972), "Lean on Me" (1972), "Lovely Day" (1977) and "Just the Two of Us" (1980). Withers won three Grammy Awards out of nine total nominations.

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04/07/1937

Thomas Nagel, American philosopher and academic

Thomas Nagel is an American philosopher. He was the University Professor of Philosophy and Law Emeritus at New York University, where he taught from 1980 until his retirement in 2016. His main areas of philosophical interest are political philosophy, ethics and philosophy of mind.

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Queen Sonja of Norway

Sonja is Queen of Norway as the wife of King Harald V. She is Norway's first queen consort since Queen Maud, the wife of King Haakon VII, who died in 1938.

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Richard Rhodes, American journalist and historian

Richard Lee Rhodes is an American historian, journalist, and author of both fiction and nonfiction, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Making of the Atomic Bomb (1986), and most recently, Energy: A Human History (2018).

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Eric Walters, Australian journalist (died 2010)

Eric Walters was an Australian journalist, media trainer and former television presenter. He was best known for his long-running stint as early morning anchor for the Nine Network, both on the Today and National Nine Early Morning News.

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04/07/1936

Zdzisława Donat, Polish soprano and actress

Zdzisława Donat-Pajda is a Polish coloratura soprano. She studied in Warsaw and Siena, where she was a pupil of Gino Bechi.

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04/07/1935

Paul Scoon, Grenadian politician, 2nd Governor-General of Grenada (died 2013)

Sir Paul Godwin Scoon was a Grenadian politician who served as governor-general of Grenada from 1978 to 1992. His tenure is notable for the hectic events related to the rise and fall of the People's Revolutionary Government, as well as his personal involvement in and support of the invasion of Grenada.

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04/07/1934

Yvonne B. Miller, American academic and politician (died 2012)

Yvonne Bond Miller was a Virginia educator and American politician who became the first African-American woman to serve in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly. A Democrat, in 1983 Miller became the first African-American woman elected to the state house, where she served for four years before winning election to the state Senate, where she consistently won re-election until her death in office. Miller taught in the Norfolk Public schools, and later taught early and childhood education at one of her alma maters, which had become Norfolk State University during her lifetime.

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Colin Welland, English actor and screenwriter (died 2015)

Colin Welland was an English actor and screenwriter. He won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as Mr Farthing in Kes (1969) and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for writing Chariots of Fire (1981).

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04/07/1932

Aurèle Vandendriessche, Belgian runner (died 2023)

Aurèle Vandendriessche was a Belgian marathon runner, who won silver medals at the 1962 and 1966 European Championships. He competed at the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Summer Olympics with the best result of seventh place in 1964. Twice winner of the Boston Marathon, he recorded his best time there, 2:17:44 in 1965, while finishing fourth.

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04/07/1931

Stephen Boyd, Northern Ireland-born American actor (died 1977)

William Millar, better known by his stage name Stephen Boyd, was an actor from Northern Ireland. He emerged as a leading man during the late 1950s with his role as the villainous Messala in Ben-Hur (1959), a role that earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. He received his second Golden Globe nomination for the musical Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962).

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Rick Casares, American football player and soldier (died 2013)

Richard Jose Casares was an American professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) for twelve seasons during the 1950s and 1960s. Casares played college football for the University of Florida, where he was standout fullback and kicker. Casares played professionally for the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins of the NFL, and was a member of the expansion Miami Dolphins of the AFL.

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Sébastien Japrisot, French author, director, and screenwriter (died 2003)

Sébastien Japrisot was a French author, screenwriter and film director. His pseudonym was an anagram of Jean-Baptiste Rossi, his real name. Renowned for subverting the rules of the crime genre, Japrisot broke down the established formulas "into their component pieces to re-combine them in original and paradoxical ways." Some critics argue that though Japrisot's work may lack the explicit experimental element present in the novels of some of his contemporaries, it shows influences of structuralist theories and the unorthodox techniques of the New Novelists.

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Peter Richardson, English cricketer (died 2017)

Peter Edward Richardson was an English cricketer, who played for Worcestershire and Kent County Cricket Clubs and in 34 Test matches for the England cricket team.

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04/07/1930

George Steinbrenner, American businessman (died 2010)

George Michael Steinbrenner III, nicknamed "the Boss", was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010. He was the longest-serving owner in club history, and the Yankees won seven World Series championships and 11 American League pennants under his ownership. His outspokenness and role in driving up player salaries made him one of the sport's most controversial figures. Steinbrenner was also involved in the Great Lakes and Gulf Coast shipping industry.

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04/07/1929

Al Davis, American football player, coach, and manager (died 2011)

Allen R. Davis was an American professional football executive and coach. He was the managing general partner, principal owner and de facto general manager for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) for 39 years, from 1972 until his death in 2011. Prior to becoming principal owner of the Raiders, he served as the team's head coach from 1963 to 1965 and as a part-owner from 1966 to 1971, assuming both positions while the Raiders were members of the American Football League (AFL). He served as the AFL commissioner in 1966.

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Bill Tuttle, American baseball player (died 1998)

William Robert Tuttle was an American professional baseball player. Primarily a center fielder, he appeared in 1,270 games played in Major League Baseball over 11 seasons for the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics (1958–1961) and Minnesota Twins (1961–1963). Tuttle also played 85 games as a third baseman during 1961 for the Twins; they were the only MLB games he ever played at the "hot corner." He threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 190 pounds (86 kg).

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04/07/1928

Giampiero Boniperti, Italian footballer and politician (died 2021)

Giampiero Boniperti was an Italian footballer who played his entire 15-season career at Juventus between 1946 and 1961, winning five Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia titles. He also played for the Italy national team at international level and took part in the 1950 and 1954 FIFA World Cup finals, as well as the 1952 Summer Olympics with Italy. After retirement from professional football, Boniperti was the CEO and chairman of Juventus and, later, a deputy to the European Parliament.

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Teofisto Guingona Jr., Filipino politician; 11th Vice President of the Philippines

Teofisto "Tito" Tayko Guingona Jr. is a Filipino statesman and diplomat who served as the 11th vice president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2004, during the first term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Born in San Juan, he is a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, where he was a working student.

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Jassem Alwan, Syrian Army Officer (died 2018)

Jassem Alwan was a Syrian military officer and prominent military figure in Syria in the early 1960s. He rose to prominence during the period of the United Arab Republic (UAR) when he served as the Commander of the Qatana Base near Damascus. Alwan, a staunch supporter of UAR President Gamal Abdel Nasser, opposed Syria's secession from the union in 1961, leading two failed coup attempts to overthrow the secessionist government in 1962.

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Shan Ratnam, Sri Lankan physician and academic (died 2001)

Emeritus Professor Sittampalam Shanmugaratnam, also known as Shan Ratnam, was a Singaporean obstetrician and gynaecologist.

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Chuck Tanner, American baseball player and manager (died 2011)

Charles William Tanner was an American professional baseball player and manager. A left fielder and pinch hitter who appeared in 396 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1955 and 1962, he was known for his unwavering confidence and infectious optimism. As a manager for all or parts of 19 seasons, he led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series championship in 1979. In his last baseball job, he served as a senior advisor to Pirates general manager Neal Huntington.

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04/07/1927

Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress and photographer (died 2023)

Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida OMRI was an Italian actress, model, photojournalist, and sculptor. She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and 1960s, a period in which she was an international sex symbol. Dubbed "the most beautiful woman in the world", at the time of her death she was among the last surviving high-profile international actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.

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Neil Simon, American playwright and screenwriter (died 2018)

Marvin Neil Simon was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three Tony Awards and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for four Academy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. He was awarded a Special Tony Award in 1975, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1991, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1995 and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2006.

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04/07/1926

Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentinian-Spanish footballer and coach (died 2014)

Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé was an Argentine and naturalised Spanish professional footballer and manager who played as a forward, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and the greatest Real Madrid player ever. Nicknamed "Saeta Rubia", he is best known for his achievements with the club, where he was instrumental in the club's domination of the European Cup and La Liga during the 1950s and 1960s. Along with Francisco Gento and José María Zárraga, he was one of only three players to play a part in all five European Cup victories, scoring goals in each of the five finals. Di Stéfano played international football mostly for Spain after moving to Madrid and becoming a naturalised citizen, but he also played for Argentina.

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Lake Underwood, American race car driver and businessman (died 2008)

Lake Carl Underwood was an American entrepreneur who competed as a champion in the racing of prototype automobiles and motorcycles. He was a master mechanic who, although high performance fuel delivery and carburetor design and mechanics were his specialties, also invented automobile improvements, especially in electronics for German automobiles.

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04/07/1925

Ciril Zlobec, Slovene poet, writer, translator, journalist and politician (died 2018)

Ciril Zlobec was a Slovene poet, writer, translator, journalist and former politician. He is best remembered for his poems, publishing several volumes of poetry in his lifetime. In 1990 he became a member of the Presidency of Slovenia at a critical time for Slovene independence.

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Dorothy Head Knode, American tennis player (died 2015)

Alice Dorothy Head Knode, also known as Dottie Head Knode, was an American tennis player who reached the women's singles final of the French International Championships in 1955, losing to Angela Mortimer in three sets, and 1957, losing to Shirley Bloomer in straight sets. She reached the semifinals of six other Grand Slam singles tournaments from 1952 through 1957.

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04/07/1924

Eva Marie Saint, American actress

Eva Marie Saint is a retired American actress. In a career spanning more than seven decades, she received an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. As of July 2024 Saint was the oldest living Academy Award winner, and one of the last living stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

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Delia Fiallo, Cuban author and screenwriter (died 2021)

Delia Fiallo was a Cuban author and screenwriter who lived in Miami, Florida. She was born in Havana, Cuba and raised in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba. She was one of the most distinguished representatives of the contemporary romance novel, dabbling in various genres which appeared in her literary output.

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Harry Stewart Jr., American military officer and fighter pilot (died 2025)

Harry Thaddeus Stewart Jr. was an American fighter pilot. He was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces, and a Distinguished Flying Cross recipient who served in the 332nd Fighter Group, best known as the all–African American Tuskegee Airmen.

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04/07/1923

Rudolf Friedrich, Swiss lawyer and politician (died 2013)

Rudolf Heinrich Friedrich was a Swiss attorney and politician. He served as a member of the Federal Council (Switzerland) for the Free Democratic Party from 1982 to 1984, where he held the position as Head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police. He resigned from this position for health reasons. Previously, Friedrich served as a member of the National Council from 1975 to 1982.

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04/07/1922

R. James Harvey, American politician (died 2019)

Russell James Harvey usually known as James Harvey, was a United States representative from Michigan and an inactive senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

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04/07/1921

Gérard Debreu, French economist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2004)

Gérard Debreu was a French-born economist and mathematician. Best known as a professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, where he began work in 1962, he won the 1983 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

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Nasser Sharifi, Iranian sports shooter

Nasser Sharifi is an Iranian former sports shooter. He competed in the 50 metre rifle, three positions event at the 1964 Summer Olympics.

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Metropolitan Mikhail of Asyut (died 2014)

Mikhail of Asyut, was the elder metropolitan of the Holy Metropolis of Asyut (Lycopolis), (Hieracon, and of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and was the abbot of the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, in Scetes, Lower Egypt until early 2009, when he decided to resign this responsibility due to his failing health and also due to the demise of Matta El-Meskeen, the Chief Hegumen in-charge of the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great in 2008.

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Philip Rose, American actor, playwright, and producer (died 2011)

Philip Rose was a Broadway theatrical producer of such productions as A Raisin in the Sun, The Owl and the Pussycat, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, Purlie, and Shenandoah. His work was particularly notable for its social insight and distinctive social conscience.

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Tibor Varga, Hungarian violinist and conductor (died 2003)

Tibor Varga was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, and music teacher who developed pedagogic methods for teaching string music. He was a founding member of the string department in the Musikhochschule Detmold.

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04/07/1920

Norm Drucker, American basketball player and referee (died 2015)

Norm Drucker was a major influence in professional basketball officiating for over 35 years. His NBA and ABA officiating career as both a referee and Supervisor of Officials spanned the careers of all-time pro basketball greats, from George Mikan, Bob Cousy, Dolph Schayes and Bob Pettit in the 1950s, to Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Bill Russell in the 1960s, to Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Bill Bradley and Walt Frazier in the 1970s and to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the 1980s.

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Leona Helmsley, American businesswoman (died 2007)

Leona Roberts Helmsley was an American businesswoman. After allegations of non-payment were made by contractors hired to improve Helmsley's Connecticut home, she was investigated and convicted of federal income tax evasion and other crimes in 1989. Although having initially received a sentence of 4 years, she was required to serve only 19 months in prison and two months under house arrest. During the trial, a former housekeeper testified that she had heard Helmsley say: "We don't pay taxes; only the little people pay taxes." This quote was identified with her for the rest of her life. Helmsley's flamboyant personality and reputation for tyrannical behavior, especially towards her employees, earned her the nickname Queen of Mean.

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Fritz Wilde, German footballer and manager (died 1977)

Fritz Wilde was a German football player and manager, who played as a forward.

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Paul Bannai, American politician (died 2019)

Paul Takeo Bannai was an American politician who was the first Japanese American to ever serve in the California State Legislature. He served in the State Assembly as a Republican legislator from 1973 until 1980, when he was defeated for reelection by Democrat Richard Floyd.

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04/07/1918

Eppie Lederer, American journalist and radio host (died 2002)

Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer, better known by the pen name Ann Landers, was an American advice columnist and eventually a nationwide media celebrity. She began writing the "Ask Ann Landers" column in 1955 and continued for 47 years, by which time its readership was 90 million people. A 1978 World Almanac survey named her the most influential woman in the United States. She was the identical twin sister of Pauline Phillips, who wrote the similarly popular "Dear Abby" advice column as Abigail Van Buren.

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Johnnie Parsons, American race car driver (died 1984)

John Woodrow Parsons was an American racing driver in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series. He was the 1949 AAA national champion, and won the 1950 Indianapolis 500.

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King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga, (died 2006)

Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV was King of Tonga from 1965 until his death in 2006. He was the tallest and heaviest Tongan monarch, weighing 209.5 kg (462 lb) and measuring 196 cm.

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Alec Bedser, English cricketer (died 2010)

Sir Alec Victor Bedser was an English professional cricketer, primarily a medium-fast bowler. He is widely regarded as one of the best English cricketers of the 20th century.

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Eric Bedser, English cricketer (died 2006)

Eric Arthur Bedser was a cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club. He was the elder identical twin brother of Alec Bedser (1918–2010), widely regarded as one of England's top bowlers of the 20th century. Eric was an all-rounder, a useful right-handed batsman and right-arm off-spin bowler.

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Pauline Phillips, American journalist and radio host, created Dear Abby (died 2013)

Pauline Esther Phillips, also known as Abigail Van Buren, was an American advice columnist and radio show host who began the well-known Dear Abby newspaper column in 1956. It became the most widely syndicated newspaper column in the world, syndicated in 1,400 newspapers with 110 million readers.

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04/07/1916

Iva Toguri D'Aquino, American typist and broadcaster (died 2006)

Iva Ikuko Toguri D'Aquino was an American citizen visiting Japan when World War II began. Unable to return to the United States, she risked her life smuggling food to American service men held in prisoner of war camps.

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04/07/1915

Timmie Rogers, American actor and singer-songwriter (died 2006)

Timmie Rogers was an American comedian, singer-songwriter, bandleader and actor who appeared on many national TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s. Rogers was one of the first Black comedians allowed to directly address a white audience when he worked. Before Rogers, African-American funny men had to either work in pairs or groups, only conversing with each other, and they had to play a character, while popular white comedians, such as Bob Hope and Jack Benny got to play themselves. Rogers worked by himself, always dressed well, often wearing a tuxedo, and never wore blackface.

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04/07/1914

Nuccio Bertone, Italian automobile designer (died 1997)

Giuseppe Bertone, also called "Nuccio", was an automobile designer and constructor. He took over Carrozzeria Bertone from his father, Giovanni after World War II, growing the small business to a car building and designing powerhouse. After racing Fiat, O.S.C.A., Maserati, and Ferrari, Bertone moved to construction, agreeing to build his first car, a series of 200 MGs, at the 1952 Turin Motor Show. He drew attention at the Paris Motor Show that year with an Abarth concept, and was chosen to design the replacement for the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante. These so-called BAT cars used the Alfa Romeo 1900 Sprint chassis. Bertone is also responsible for designing the famous Lambretta GP/DL range of scooters and the Luna line of scooters.

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04/07/1911

Bruce Hamilton, Australian public servant (died 1989)

Leslie Bruce Hamilton was an Australian senior public servant and head of the Department of Social Services between 1966 and 1973.

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Mitch Miller, American singer and producer (died 2010)

Mitchell William Miller was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor and artists and repertoire (A&R) man. Miller was one of the most influential people in American popular music during the 1950s and early 1960s, both as the head of A&R at Columbia Records and as a best-selling recording artist with an NBC television series, Sing Along with Mitch. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester in the early 1930s, Miller began his musical career as a player of the oboe and English horn, making numerous highly regarded classical and popular recordings.

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Elizabeth Peratrovich, Alaskan-American civil rights activist (died 1958)

Elizabeth Peratrovich was an American civil rights activist, Grand President of the Alaska Native Sisterhood, and a Tlingit who worked for equality on behalf of Alaska Natives. In the 1940s, her advocacy was credited as being instrumental in the passing of Alaska's Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945, the first state or territorial anti-discrimination law enacted in the United States.

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04/07/1910

Robert K. Merton, American sociologist and scholar (died 2003)

Robert King Merton was an American sociologist who is considered a founding father of modern sociology, and a major contributor to the subfield of criminology. He served as the 47th president of the American Sociological Association. He spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University, where he attained the rank of University Professor. In 1994 he was awarded the National Medal of Science for his contributions to the field and for having founded the sociology of science.

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Gloria Stuart, American actress (died 2010)

Gloria Frances Stuart was an American actress, visual artist and activist. She was known for her roles in pre-code films, and garnered renewed fame late in life for her portrayal of Rose Dawson Calvert in James Cameron's epic romance Titanic (1997), one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Her performance in the film won her a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role and earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.

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04/07/1909

Alec Templeton, Welsh composer, pianist and satirist (died 1963)

Alec Andrew Templeton was a Welsh composer, pianist, and satirist.

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04/07/1907

John Anderson, American discus thrower (died 1948)

John Franklin Anderson was an American athlete who competed mainly in the discus throw. He won the gold medal in this event at the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles.

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Howard Taubman, American author and critic (died 1996)

Hyman Howard Taubman was an American music critic, theater critic, and author.

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04/07/1906

Vincent Schaefer, American chemist and meteorologist (died 1993)

Vincent Joseph Schaefer was an American chemist and meteorologist who developed cloud seeding. On November 13, 1946, while a researcher at the General Electric Research Laboratory, Schaefer modified clouds in the Berkshire Mountains by seeding them with dry ice. While he was self-taught and never completed high school, he was issued 14 patents.

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04/07/1905

Irving Johnson, American sailor and author (died 1991)

Irving McClure Johnson was an American sail training pioneer, adventurer, lecturer and writer.

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Robert Hankey, 2nd Baron Hankey, British diplomat and public servant (died 1996)

Robert Maurice Alers Hankey, 2nd Baron Hankey, was a British diplomat and public servant.

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Lionel Trilling, American critic, essayist, short story writer, and educator (died 1975)

Lionel Mordecai Trilling was an American literary critic, short story writer, essayist, and teacher. One of the leading U.S. critics of the 20th century, he analyzed the contemporary cultural, social, and political implications of literature. He and his wife, Diana Trilling, were members of the New York Intellectuals and contributors to the Partisan Review.

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04/07/1904

Angela Baddeley, English actress (died 1976)

Madeleine Angela Clinton-Baddeley was an English stage and television actress, widely remembered for her role as household cook Mrs. Bridges in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. Her stage career spanned seven decades.

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04/07/1903

Flor Peeters, Belgian organist, composer, and educator (died 1986)

Franciscus Florentinus Peeters, Baron Peeters was a Belgian composer, organist and academic teacher. He was director of the Conservatorium in Antwerp, Belgium, and organist at Mechelen Cathedral from 1923 to his death in 1986.

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04/07/1902

Meyer Lansky, American gangster (died 1983)

Meyer Lansky was a Russian-born American organized crime figure associated with gambling operations and illicit finance in the United States, Cuba, and the Caribbean during the mid-20th century. He was closely linked to Charles "Lucky" Luciano and is frequently described by historians and law-enforcement sources as a key figure in the formation of interethnic criminal cooperation in the United States, including the network later referred to as the National Crime Syndicate.

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George Murphy, American actor and politician (died 1992)

George Lloyd Murphy was an American actor and politician. Murphy was a song-and-dance leading man in many big-budget Hollywood musicals from 1930 to 1952. He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1944 to 1946, and was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1951. Murphy served from 1965 to 1971 as U.S. Senator from California, the first notable American actor to be elected to statewide office in California, predating Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who each served two terms as governor. He is the only United States senator represented by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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04/07/1900

Belinda Dann, Indigenous Australian who was one of the Stolen Generation, reunited with family aged 107 (died 2007)

Belinda Dann was an Indigenous Australian born as Quinlyn Wardagoo to an Irish cattle station manager and a Nyikina mother in the Lunlungai community in Derby, Western Australia. At the age of 6, 7, or 8 she was taken away and sent to Beagle Bay Mission with other members of the stolen generation. Her name was changed to Belinda Boyd to integrate with White society.

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Nellie Mae Rowe, American folk artist (died 1982)

Nellie Mae Rowe was an African-American artist from Fayette County, Georgia. Although she is best known today for her colorful works on paper, Rowe worked across mediums, creating drawings, collages, altered photographs, hand-sewn dolls, home installations and sculptural environments. She was said to have an "instinctive understanding of the relation between color and form." Her work focuses on race, gender, domesticity, African-American folklore, and spiritual traditions.

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04/07/1898

Pilar Barbosa, Puerto Rican-American historian and activist (died 1997)

Pilar Barbosa de Rosario was an educator, historian and political activist. She was the first female Official Historian of Puerto Rico.

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Gertrude Lawrence, British actress, singer, and dancer (died 1952)

Gertrude Lawrence was an English actress, singer, dancer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York.

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Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian politician (died 1998)

Gulzarilal Nanda was an Indian politician and economist who specialised in labour issues. He served as the acting Prime Minister of India for two 13-day tenures following the deaths of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964 and Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966 respectively. Both his terms ended after the ruling Indian National Congress's parliamentary party elected a new prime minister. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1997.

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Gertrude Weaver, American supercentenarian (died 2015)

American supercentenarians are citizens or residents of the United States who have attained or surpassed 110 years of age. By January 2015, the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) had validated the longevity claims of 782 American supercentenarians. The oldest living American is Naomi Whitehead, aged 115 years, 196 days. The longest-lived American ever was Sarah Knauss, of Hollywood, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, who died on December 30, 1999, aged 119 years and 97 days.

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04/07/1897

Alluri Sitarama Raju, Indian activist (died 1924)

Alluri Sitarama Raju was an Indian revolutionary who waged an armed rebellion against the British colonial rule in India. He engaged in guerilla campaigns against the British forces across the border regions of present-day Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, and led the Rampa rebellion in 1922. He was known by the title "Manyam Veerudu" to the local people.

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04/07/1896

Mao Dun, Chinese journalist, author, and critic (died 1981)

Shen Dehong, best known by the pen name of Mao Dun, was a Chinese novelist, essayist, journalist, playwright, literary and cultural critic. He was highly celebrated for his realist novels, including Midnight, which depicts life in cosmopolitan Shanghai. Mao was one of the founders of the Chinese Communist Party and participated in a number of left-wing cultural movements during the 1920s and 1930s. He was the editor-in-chief of Fiction Monthly and helped lead the League of Left-Wing Writers. He formed a strong friendship with fellow left-wing Chinese author Lu Xun. From 1949 to 1965, Mao served as the first Minister of Culture in the People's Republic of China.

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04/07/1895

Irving Caesar, American songwriter and composer (died 1996)

Irving Caesar was an American lyricist and composer primarily for theater who wrote lyrics for numerous song standards, including "Swanee", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Crazy Rhythm", and "Tea for Two", one of the most frequently recorded tunes ever written. In 1972, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

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04/07/1888

Henry Armetta, Italian-American actor and singer (died 1945)

Henry Armetta was an American character actor who appeared in at least 150 American films, beginning in silent movies. His last film was released posthumously in 1946, the year after his death.

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04/07/1887

Pio Pion, Italian engineer and businessman (died 1965)

Pio Pion was an Italian entrepreneur, known for founding the first Italian company producing movie projectors, the Fumagalli, Pion & C.

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04/07/1886

Tom Longboat, Canadian runner and soldier (died 1949)

Thomas Charles Longboat was an Onondaga distance runner from the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario and, for much of his career, the dominant long-distance runner. He was known as the "bulldog of Britannia" and was a soldier in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War.

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04/07/1883

Rube Goldberg, American sculptor, cartoonist, and engineer (died 1970)

Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor.

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04/07/1881

Ulysses S. Grant III, American general (died 1968)

Ulysses Simpson Grant III was a United States Army officer and planner. He was the son of Frederick Dent Grant, and the grandson of General of the Armies and American President Ulysses S. Grant.

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04/07/1880

Victor Kraft, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (died 1975)

Victor Kraft was an Austrian philosopher. He is best known for being a member of the Vienna Circle.

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04/07/1874

John McPhee, Australian journalist and politician, 27th Premier of Tasmania (died 1952)

Sir John Cameron McPhee, KCMG was an Australian politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. He was Premier of Tasmania from 15 June 1928 to 15 March 1934.

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04/07/1872

Calvin Coolidge, American lawyer and politician, 30th President of the United States (died 1933)

Calvin Coolidge was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously served as the 29th vice president from 1921 to 1923, under President Warren G. Harding, and as the 48th governor of Massachusetts from 1919 to 1921. Coolidge gained a reputation as a small-government conservative, with a taciturn personality and dry sense of humor that earned him the nickname "Silent Cal".

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04/07/1871

Hubert Cecil Booth, English engineer (died 1955)

Hubert Cecil Booth was an English engineer, best known for having invented one of the first powered vacuum cleaners.

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04/07/1868

Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer and academic (died 1921)

Henrietta Swan Leavitt was an American astronomer. Her discovery of how to effectively measure vast astronomical distances led to a shift in the understanding of the scale and nature of the universe.

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04/07/1854

Victor Babeș, Romanian physician and biologist (died 1926)

Victor Babeș was a Romanian physician, bacteriologist, academician and professor. One of the founders of modern microbiology, Victor Babeș is the author of one of the first treatises of bacteriology in the world – Bacteria and their role in pathological anatomy and histology of infectious diseases, written in collaboration with French scientist Victor André Cornil in 1885. In 1888, Babeș underlined the principle of passive immunity, and a few years later he enunciated the principle of antibiosis. He made early and significant contributions to the study of rabies, leprosy, diphtheria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. He also discovered more than 50 unknown germs and foresaw new methods of staining bacteria and fungi. Victor Babeș introduced rabies vaccination and founded serotherapy in Romania.

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04/07/1847

James Anthony Bailey, American circus ringmaster, co-founded Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (died 1906)

James Anthony Bailey, was an American owner and manager of several 19th-century circuses, including the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

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04/07/1845

Thomas John Barnardo, Irish philanthropist and humanitarian (died 1905)

Thomas John Barnardo was an Irish, Christian philanthropist and founder and director of homes for poor and deprived children. From the foundation of the first Barnardo's home in 1867 to the date of Barnardo's death, nearly 60,000 children had been taken in.

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04/07/1842

Hermann Cohen, German philosopher (died 1918)

Hermann Cohen was a German philosopher, one of the founders of the Marburg school of neo-Kantianism, and he is often held to be "probably the most important Jewish philosopher of the nineteenth century".

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04/07/1826

Stephen Foster, American songwriter and composer (died 1864)

Stephen Collins Foster, known as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and folk music during the Romantic period. Foster wrote more than 200 songs, including "Oh! Susanna", "Hard Times Come Again No More", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home", "My Old Kentucky Home", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", "Old Black Joe", and "Beautiful Dreamer". Many of his compositions remain popular today.

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04/07/1816

Hiram Walker, American businessman, founded Canadian Club whisky (died 1899)

Hiram Walker was an American entrepreneur and founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in 1838. He purchased land across the Detroit River, just east of what is Windsor, Ontario, and established a distillery in 1858 in what would become Walkerville, Ontario. He began selling his whisky as Hiram Walker's Club Whisky, in containers that were "clearly marked". He used a process to make his whisky that was vastly different from all other distillers.

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04/07/1807

Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian general and politician (died 1882)

Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. He contributed to the Unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and the creation of the Kingdom of Italy. He is considered to be one of Italy's "fathers of the fatherland", along with Camillo Benso di Cavour, King Victor Emmanuel II and Giuseppe Mazzini. Garibaldi is also known as the "Hero of the Two Worlds" because of his military enterprises in South America and Europe.

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04/07/1804

Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer (died 1864)

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion.

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04/07/1799

Oscar I of Sweden (died 1859)

Oscar I was King of Sweden and Norway from 8 March 1844 until his death. He was the second monarch of the House of Bernadotte.

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04/07/1790

George Everest, Welsh geographer and surveyor (died 1866)

Sir George Everest, was a British surveyor and geographer who served as Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843.

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04/07/1753

Jean-Pierre Blanchard, French inventor, best known as a pioneer in balloon flight (died 1809)

Jean-Pierre François Blanchard was a French inventor, best known as a pioneer of gas balloon flight, who distinguished himself in the conquest of the air in a balloon. Notable for his successful hydrogen balloon flight in Paris on 2 March 1784, Blanchard later moved to London and undertook flights with varying propulsion mechanisms. His historic achievement came on 7 January 1785, crossing the English Channel from Dover Castle to Guînes in about 2½ hours, receiving acclaim from Louis XVI and earning a substantial pension.

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04/07/1729

George Leonard, American lawyer, jurist and politician (died 1819)

George Leonard was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Norton, Massachusetts. Besides service on state court benches and in both houses of the state legislature, he represented Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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04/07/1719

Michel-Jean Sedaine, French playwright (died 1797)

Michel-Jean Sedaine was a French dramatist and librettist, especially noted for his librettos for opéras comiques, in which he took an important and influential role in the advancement of the genre from the period of Charles-Simon Favart to the beginning of the Revolution.

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04/07/1715

Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet and academic (died 1769)

Christian Fürchtegott Gellert was a German poet, novelist, and popular moralistic writer, one of the forerunners of the golden age of German literature that was ushered in by Lessing.

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04/07/1694

Louis-Claude Daquin, French organist and composer (died 1772)

Louis-Claude Daquin was a French composer, writing in the Baroque and Galant styles. He was a virtuoso organist and harpsichordist.

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04/07/1656

John Leake, Royal Navy admiral (died 1720)

Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Leake was a Royal Navy officer and politician who represented Rochester in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1715. He served in the Third Anglo-Dutch War as a junior officer, participating in the Battle of Texel. During the Williamite War in Ireland, Leake distinguished himself by leading a convoy which broke the barricading boom at Culmore Fort and lifted the siege of Derry. As a captain he fought in the Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue of the Nine Years' War.

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04/07/1546

Murad III, Ottoman sultan (died 1595)

Murad III was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595.

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04/07/1477

Johannes Aventinus, Bavarian historian and philologist (died 1534)

Johann Georg Turmair, known by the pen name Johannes Aventinus or Aventin, was a Bavarian Renaissance humanist historian and philologist. He authored the 1523 Annals of Bavaria, a valuable record of the early history of Germany.

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04/07/1330

Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shōgun (died 1367)

Ashikaga Yoshiakira was the second shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1358 to 1367 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshiakira was the son of the founder and first shōgun of the Muromachi shogunate, Ashikaga Takauji. His mother was Akahashi Tōshi (赤橋登子), also known as Hōjō Nariko.

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04/07/1095

Usama ibn Munqidh, Muslim poet, author and faris (Knight) (died 1188)

Majd ad-Dīn Usāma ibn Murshid ibn ʿAlī ibn Munqidh al-Kināni al-Kalbī or Ibn Munqidh was a medieval Arab Muslim poet, author, faris (knight), and diplomat from the Banu Munqidh dynasty of Shaizar in northern Syria. His life coincided with the rise of several medieval Muslim dynasties, the arrival of the First Crusade, and the establishment of the crusader states.

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04/07/0068

Salonia Matidia, Roman daughter of Ulpia Marciana (died 119)

AD 68 (LXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Silius Italicus and Trachalus, or the start of the Year of the Four Emperors. The denomination AD 68 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. These are now used throughout the world.

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