Born on Thursday, 12th March – Famous Birthdays
On this day, 291 notable people were born on 12th March — spanning from 1270 to 2008. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.
Thursday, 12th March 2026 marks the birth of numerous notable individuals across entertainment, sports and public service. Among those born on this date, Emma Kok, the Dutch singer, arrived in 2008, whilst earlier in 1997 Allan Saint-Maximin, the French footballer, was born. The date has produced figures who have gone on to achieve prominence in their respective fields, spanning from music and athletics to political office and the arts.
The breadth of talent born on this day reflects the diversity of human endeavour across the past century and beyond. Liza Minnelli, born in 1946, became an acclaimed American actress, singer and dancer, whilst James Taylor, also born in 1948, established himself as a renowned singer-songwriter and guitarist. From earlier periods, George Berkeley, the Irish bishop and philosopher, was born in 1685, contributing significantly to Western philosophical thought. These individuals represent just a sample of the creative and intellectual contributions made by those sharing this birth date.
The website provides comprehensive information for this date, displaying weather conditions, notable events, famous births and deaths for any location and time period selected by users. Through DayAtlas, visitors can explore historical occurrences and the accomplishments of notable figures born on specific dates.
Discover who was born today 6th April.
12/03/2008
Emma Kok, Dutch singer
Emma Kok is a Dutch singer. She rose to prominence in 2021 after winning the tenth season of The Voice Kids. In 2023, her performance of "Voilà" with André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra went viral, amassing more than 100 million views on YouTube.
12/03/2004
DannyLux, American singer-songwriter
Daniel Balderrama Espinoza better known by his stage name DannyLux, is an American singer-songwriter. He is well known for his hit song with Eslabón Armado called "Jugaste y Sufrí" which introduced him to the music industry, becoming one of the biggest new names in the regional Mexican genre.
12/03/2003
Andrea Brillantes, Filipino actress and model
Ramona Blythe Daguio Gorostiza, known professionally as Andrea Brillantes, is a Filipino actress. She began her career as a child actress, debuting in the sketch comedy show Goin' Bulilit. She starred in her breakthrough titular role, Annaliza and is best known for her portrayal as Marga in the melodrama Kadenang Ginto. Her accolades include two PMPC Star Awards for Television and a Box Office Entertainment Awards.
Malina Weissman, American actress and model
Malina Weissman is an American actress and model, known for playing the roles of Rebecca Brand in Nine Lives, Violet Baudelaire in the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events, young April O'Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and young Kara Zor-El in Supergirl.
12/03/2001
Max Duggan, American football player
Maxwell Duggan is an American professional football quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, winning several national awards after being part of the team that made it to the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship game. He was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Kim Min-kyu, South Korean singer and actor
Kim Min-kyu is a South Korean actor, model and singer. He has been cast in the Playlist's web drama "Pop Out Boy!" as the male lead Chun Nam-wook in 2020 and as Seo Ji-han in Idol: The Coup.
12/03/1998
Carsen Edwards, American basketball player
Carsen Cade Edwards is an American professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers, where he was twice named an All-American.
Mecole Hardman, American football player
Carey Mecole Hardman is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft, winning Super Bowl LIV, LVII, and LVIII with the team. In Super Bowl LVIII, Hardman scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime. He has also played for the New York Jets.
Daniel Samohin, Israeli figure skater
Daniel Samohin is an Israeli figure skater who currently competes for the US. He is the 2016 World Junior champion, and has won two ISU Challenger Series medals, including a gold medal at the 2015 U.S. International Classic. Samohin is one of the few skaters to have landed two quad jumps in a short program, three quads in a free program, and five quads in one competition. He was a member of the Israeli delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Elizaveta Ukolova, Czech figure skater
Elizaveta Ukolova is a Czech figure skater. She has won three senior international medals and is a two-time Czech national silver medalist. She competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics and qualified for the free skate.
12/03/1997
Dean Henderson, English footballer
Dean Bradley Henderson is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Crystal Palace, whom he captains, and the England national team.
Allan Saint-Maximin, French footballer
Allan Irénée Saint-Maximin, simply known as "Maxi", is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ligue 1 club Lens.
Felipe Vizeu, Brazilian footballer
Felipe dos Reis Pereira Vizeu do Carmo, known as just Felipe Vizeu, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Sporting Cristal.
12/03/1996
Serhou Guirassy, French-Guinean footballer
Serhou Yadaly Guirassy is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. Born in France, he plays for the Guinea national team.
Karim Hafez, Egyptian footballer
Karim Hafez Ramadan Seifeldin is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays for Egyptian Premier League club Pyramids and the Egyptian national team as a left-back.
Robert Murić, Croatian footballer
Robert Murić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Albanian club Bylis Ballsh.
Cene Prevc, Slovenian ski jumper
Cene Prevc is a retired Slovenian ski jumper.
12/03/1994
Katie Archibald, Scottish track cyclist
Katie Archibald is an elite racing cyclist, specialising in endurance track cycling events in which she represents Great Britain and Scotland.
Jerami Grant, American basketball player
Houston Jerami Grant is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange and was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft. Grant has also played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and Detroit Pistons. He won a gold medal with the 2020 U.S. Olympic team.
Christina Grimmie, American singer-songwriter (died 2016)
Christina Victoria Grimmie was an American singer, songwriter, and internet personality. In 2009, she began posting covers of popular songs on YouTube. After releasing her debut EP, Find Me (2011), her YouTube channel reached one million subscribers. After she reached two million subscribers, she released her debut studio album, With Love (2013).
Tyler Patrick Jones, American actor
Tyler Patrick Jones is an American former actor known for his recurring role as Ned Banks on the CBS television show Ghost Whisperer.
12/03/1993
Shehu Abdullahi, Nigerian footballer
Shehu Usman Abdullahi is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and defender for Nigeria Premier Football League team Kano Pillars.
Amjad Attwan, Iraqi footballer
Amjad Attwan Kadhim Al-Magsoosi is an Iraqi professional footballer who currently plays for Zakho in the Iraq Stars League and the Iraq national team. He can be deployed as a defensive midfielder, central midfielder or attacking midfielder.
12/03/1992
Daniele Baselli, Italian footballer
Daniele Baselli is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie D club Chievo. He has also appeared for the Italy national team, earning one cap in 2018.
Jordan Ferri, French footballer
Jordan Ferri is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian Serie B club Sampdoria.
Ciara Mageean, Irish middle-distance runner
Ciara Mageean is a middle-distance runner from Portaferry in Northern Ireland who specialises in the 1500 metres. She is the 2024 European Athletics Championships gold medalist at the distance, the first individual Irish European champion since Sonia O'Sullivan.
Jiří Skalák, Czech footballer
Jiří Skalák is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a winger for Czech First League side Dynamo České Budějovice. He has represented the Czech Republic internationally at youth levels U16 through U21.
12/03/1991
Leandro Fernandez, Argentine footballer
Leandro Miguel Fernández is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Argentinos Juniors.
Felix Kroos, German footballer
Felix Kroos is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for Hansa Rostock, Werder Bremen, Union Berlin, and Eintracht Braunschweig and represented Germany at international levels U16 through U21.
12/03/1990
Dont'a Hightower, American football coach and former player
Qualin Dont'a Hightower is an American football coach and former linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the New England Patriots. Hightower played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, receiving consensus All-American honors and winning two BCS National Championships. Selected by New England in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, he was named to two Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowl titles. After retiring, he served as the inside linebackers coach for the Patriots in 2024.
Marvin Jones, American football player
Marvin Lewis Jones Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft and has also played for the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football for the California Golden Bears.
Alexander Kröckel, German skeleton racer
Alexander Kröckel is a German skeleton racer who has competed since 2003. 2007 he joined the German national squad. He won Junior World Championships in 2011 and was second in 2010. 2011–12 Skeleton World Cup he finished 5th.
Dawid Kubacki, Polish ski jumper
Dawid Grzegorz Kubacki is a Polish ski jumper. He is a member of the national team and competed at the Winter Olympics in 2014, 2018 and 2022, winning two bronze medals. He is the 2019 World Champion on the normal hill and winner of the 2019-20 Four Hills Tournament, as well as the 2017 World Champion and bronze medal winner at the 2013 World Championships in the large hill team competitions.
Irakli Kvekveskiri, Georgian footballer
Irakli Kvekveskiri is a Russian-Georgian football player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Russian First League club Orenburg.
Matias Myttynen, Finnish ice hockey player
Matias Myttynen is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He is currently playing for Jokerit of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Ilija Nestorovski, Macedonian footballer
Ilija Nestorovski is a Macedonian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Croatian club Slaven Belupo and the North Macedonia national team.
Milena Raičević, Montenegrin handballer
Milena Raičević née Knežević, is a retired Montenegrin international handballer for the Montenegrin national team.
Mikko Sumusalo, Finnish footballer
Mikko Sumusalo is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a defender and captains Finnish Ykkösliiga club KTP. Sumusalo was born in Porvoo, Finland. Sumusalo began his senior club career playing for Klubi-04, before making his league debut for HJK at age 19 in 2009. He can play either leftback or wingback.
12/03/1989
Jordan Adéoti, French footballer
Jordan Souleymane Adéoti is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Championnat National 2 club Avranches. Born in France, he represents Benin at international level.
Vytautas Černiauskas, Lithuanian footballer
Vytautas Černiauskas is a Lithuanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for A Lyga club Panevėžys.
Tyler Clary, American swimmer
Scott Tyler Clary is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. In his Olympic debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Clary won gold in the 200-meter backstroke in Olympic record time. In total, he won sixteen medals in major international competitions: three gold, eight silver, and five bronze spanning the Summer Olympics, the FINA World Championships, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Pan American Games.
Evgenii Dadonov, Russian ice hockey player
Yevgeny Anatolyevich Dadonov is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in two stints for the Florida Panthers where he was originally selected 71st overall in the 2007 NHL entry draft, as well as the Ottawa Senators, Vegas Golden Knights, Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Stars.
Richard Eckersley, English footballer
Richard Jon Eckersley is an English former professional footballer who played as a full-back.
Chen Jianghua, Chinese basketball player
Chen Jianghua is a Chinese former professional basketball player and current assistant coach of Guangdong Southern Tigers (China).
Dmitry Korobov, Belarusian ice hockey player
Dmitri Nikolaievich Korobov, is a Belarusian professional ice hockey defenceman for HC Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Siim Luts, Estonian footballer
Siim Luts is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Paide Linnameeskond.
12/03/1988
Sebastian Brendel, German canoe racer
Sebastian Brendel is a German sprint canoeist who has competed since 2007. Brendel is the 2016 Olympic champion in the C-1 1000 metres and C-2 1000 metres events.
Kostas Mitroglou, Greek footballer
Kostas Mitroglou is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is nicknamed "Mitrogoal" and "Pistolero" by fans due to his goalscoring abilities.
Titi, Brazilian footballer
Cristian Chagas Tarouco, or simply Titi, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Goiás.
12/03/1987
Manuele Boaro, Italian cyclist
Manuele Boaro is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam XDS Astana Team.
Jessica Hardy, American swimmer
Jessica Adele Hardy Meichtry is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in breaststroke and freestyle events. Hardy earned a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle and a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relays at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Maxwell Holt, American volleyball player
Maxwell Philip Holt is an American professional volleyball player who plays as a middle blocker for Beijing BAIC Motor of the Chinese league and the U.S. national team. Holt was a bronze medalist at the 2016 and 2024 Summer Olympics, and won gold medals in the 2014 World League, 2015 World Cup, and 2023 World Cup.
Teimour Radjabov, Azerbaijani chess player
Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov is an Azerbaijani chess grandmaster.
Chris Seitz, American soccer player
Christopher Seitz is an American former soccer player. He played as a goalkeeper in Major League Soccer from 2007 until his retirement in 2021.
Vadim Shipachyov, Russian ice hockey player
Vadim Alexandrovich Shipachyov is a Russian professional ice hockey forward for Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He previously played for Severstal Cherepovets, SKA Saint Petersburg, HC Dynamo Moscow, Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL and the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Shipachyov currently holds the Kontinental Hockey League's all-time scoring record.
Pablo Velázquez, Paraguayan footballer
Pablo César Leonardo Velázquez Centurión is a Paraguayan footballer who plays as a striker. He last played for River Plate (Asunción).
12/03/1986
Martynas Andriuškevičius, Lithuanian basketball player
Martynas Andriuškevičius is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. He is a 2.18 m tall and 113 kg (250 lb) center. Andriuškevičius has noted perimeter skill for a player of his size, and has trained with former NBA center Arvydas Sabonis.
Oleh Dopilka, Ukrainian footballer
Oleh Dopilka is a Ukrainian football defender who plays for FC Uzhhorod.
Danny Jones, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
Daniel Alan David Jones is a British singer, songwriter and musician who is one of the lead vocalists and the lead guitarist for pop-rock band McFly.
Ben Offereins, Australian runner
Ben Offereins is an Australian track and field athlete. He became national 400 m champion and also represented Australia internationally.
František Rajtoral, Czech footballer (died 2017)
František Rajtoral was a Czech professional footballer who played as a right winger or right-back. He was best known for his stint at Viktoria Plzeň. He was a member of the Czech Republic national team.
12/03/1985
Marco Bonanomi, Italian racing driver
Marco Erminio Bonanomi is an Italian professional racing driver.
Aleksandr Bukharov, Russian footballer
Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Bukharov is a Russian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Ed Clancy, English track and road cyclist
Edward Franklin Clancy is a British former professional track and road bicycle racer, who competed between 2004 and 2021.
12/03/1984
Jaimie Alexander, American actress
Jaimie Lauren Alexander is an American actress. She is known for portraying Jessi on the TV series Kyle XY and Lady Sif in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), as well as the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020) and the Disney+ series Loki and What If?.... From 2015 until 2020, she starred in the NBC series Blindspot.
Shreya Ghoshal, Indian singer
Shreya Ghoshal is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. Noted for her wide vocal range and versatility, she is one of the most prolific and influential singers of India. She has recorded songs for films and albums in various Indian and foreign languages, receiving numerous accolades, including five National Film Awards, four Kerala State Film Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, two BFJA Awards, seven Filmfare Awards and ten Filmfare Awards South.
12/03/1983
Atif Aslam, Pakistani singer and actor
Muhammad Atif Aslam, also known mononymously by the hypocorism Aadeez, is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan films and Indian films, and is known for his vocal belting technique. His music style has been described as a mixture of Pakistani pop and Sufi rock. He made his Bollywood film debut in 2005 by singing the song "Aadat" from Kalyug.
Mikko Koivu, Finnish ice hockey player
Mikko-Sakari Koivu is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. Koivu was drafted sixth overall in the 2001 NHL entry draft by the Minnesota Wild. After four seasons with TPS in the SM-liiga, Koivu joined the Wild in 2005. He spent fifteen seasons in Minnesota, including eleven as captain, accumulating several franchise records, including games played, assists and points scored. Koivu retired in 2021, after a short stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
12/03/1982
Lili Bordán, Hungarian-American actress
Lili Bordán is a Hungarian-American film and television actress.
Samm Levine, American actor and comedian
Samuel Franklin Levine is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Neal Schweiber on NBC's Freaks and Geeks and PFC Hirschberg in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds. Levine was also the sidekick and fill-in host on the internet talk show Kevin Pollak's Chat Show. Levine was a regular competitor on Collider's Movie Trivia Schmoedown.
Ilya Nikulin, Russian ice hockey player
Ilya Vladimirovich Nikulin is a Russian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for HC Dynamo Moscow and Ak Bars Kazan in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Nikulin was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the second round, 31st overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
Hisato Satō, Japanese footballer
Hisato Sato is a Japanese former football player. He played as a forward for the Japan national team. His brother Yuto Sato is also a footballer.
Yūto Satō, Japanese footballer
Yuto Sato is a Japanese retired football player. He played as a midfielder for the Japan national team. His brother Hisato Sato is also footballer.
Tobias Schweinsteiger, German footballer
Tobias Schweinsteiger is a German former footballer who played as a forward. He most recently coached VfL Osnabrück. He is the older brother of former German international Bastian Schweinsteiger.
12/03/1981
Kenta Kobayashi, Japanese wrestler and kick-boxer
Kenta Kobayashi , known mononymously as Kenta, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is the former two-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. A former amateur kickboxer, Kobayashi's wrestling style is based upon strong kicks and strikes. Kobayashi pioneered both the Go 2 Sleep and Busaiku Knee kick finishing manoeuvres, later popularized by CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, respectively.
Katarina Srebotnik, Slovenian tennis player
Katarina Srebotnik is a Slovenian former professional tennis player. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 20, on 7 August 2006. On 4 July 2011, she became the No. 1 of the WTA doubles rankings, holding this ranking for ten weeks.
Holly Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Holly Audrey Williams is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She is the granddaughter of Hank Williams, the half-niece of Jett Williams, daughter of Hank Williams Jr., half-sister of Hank Williams III, and half-aunt of Coleman Williams. Williams has released three studio albums: The Ones We Never Knew in 2004, Here with Me in 2009 and The Highway in 2013. The Highway was released on Williams' own label, Georgiana Records, and reached No. 146 on the Billboard 200
12/03/1980
Césinha, Brazilian footballer
Carlos César dos Santos, known as Césinha, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a left winger.
Becky Holliday, American pole vaulter
Rebecca "Becky" Holliday is an American pole vaulter. She placed 2nd at the 2012 US Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon with a final clearance of 14-11 (4.55m), qualifying her for the 2012 Summer Olympics where she finished 9th in the finals. In 2003, as a senior competing for the University of Oregon, Holliday placed 1st at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Her personal record is 4.60m, set in Des Moines, Iowa in 2010.
Jens Mouris, Dutch cyclist
Jens Mouris is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist.
Douglas Murray, Swedish ice hockey player
Douglas Thomas Lars Murray, nicknamed "Crankshaft", is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted in the 8th round, 241st overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 1999 NHL entry draft.
12/03/1979
Charlie Bell, American basketball player and coach
Charlie Will Bell III is an American professional former basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans, and then played parts of eight seasons in the NBA. He also served as an assistant coach for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. and as an assistant coach for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League.
Rhys Coiro, American actor
Rhys John Coiro is an American actor. He began acting on Broadway but is best known for on-screen roles such as Billy Walsh on the television series Entourage.
Pete Doherty, English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer, and artist
Peter Doherty is an English musician. He is best known for being co-frontman of the Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie bands Babyshambles and Peter Doherty and the Puta Madres.
Jamie Dwyer, Australian field hockey player and coach
Jamie Dwyer is an Australian field hockey player. He currently plays for YMCC Coastal City Hockey Club in the Melville Toyota League in Perth, Western Australia. He previously played for the Queensland Blades in the Australian Hockey League. He debuted for Australia as a junior player in 1995, and for the senior side in 2001. He played over 365 matches for Australia and scored over 244 goals. He represented Australia at the 2004 Summer Olympics where he won a gold medal and the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics where Australia won bronze medals. He has also represented Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games where he won a gold medal and the 2010 Commonwealth Games where he also won gold. He has won silver medals at the 2002 Men's Hockey World Cup and the 2006 Men's Hockey World Cup. He won a gold medal at the 2010 Men's Hockey World Cup and the 2014 Men's Hockey World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
Gerard López, Spanish footballer
Gerard López Segú, usually known as just Gerard, is a Spanish former professional footballer, currently manager of the Catalonia national team. An all-around midfielder, he was known for precision passes and ball control skills. During his career, he played for several clubs, including Barcelona and Valencia, helping the latter to reach the 2000 Champions League final.
Ben Sandford, New Zealand skeleton racer
Ben Sandford is a New Zealand skeleton racer who has competed since 2002. He finished tenth in the men's skeleton event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. He finished 11th at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Edwin Villafuerte, Ecuadorian footballer
Edwin Alberto Villafuerte Posligua is an Ecuadorian former goalkeeper who last played for Club Deportivo Quevedo.
Tim Wieskötter, German sprint canoer
Tim Wieskötter is a German sprint canoer who has competed since the late 1990s. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he won a complete set of medals in the K-2 500 m event with Ronald Rauhe.
12/03/1978
Marco Ferreira, Portuguese footballer
Marco Júlio Castanheira Afonso Alves Ferreira is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a winger.
Casey Mears, American race car driver
Casey James Mears is an American professional off-road and stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 66 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Garage 66. He has raced in IndyCar, NASCAR's three national series, including fifteen seasons in the Cup Series, SCORE International, and the Stadium Super Trucks. A former winner of the Coca-Cola 600, Mears is a member of the Mears racing family as the nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears and the son of IndyCar and off-road veteran Roger Mears.
Arina Tanemura, Japanese author and illustrator
Arina Tanemura is a Japanese manga artist, illustrator, and character designer. She made her professional manga debut in 1996 with the one-shot The Style of the Second Love in the shōjo manga magazine Ribon Original and later published her first series, I.O.N, in 1997, in the main Ribon magazine. She gained mainstream popularity from the late 1990s to mid-2000s with her series Phantom Thief Jeanne, Full Moon o Sagashite, and The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross.
12/03/1977
Michelle Burgher, track and field athlete
Michelle Burgher is a track and field athlete, competing internationally for Jamaica.
Ramiro Corrales, American soccer player
Ramiro Corrales is an American former professional soccer player. He spent most of his professional playing career with the San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer.
Amdy Faye, Senegalese footballer
Amdy Moustapha Faye is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder and could also play as a centre back.
Brent Johnson, American ice hockey player
Brent Spencer Johnson is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League for the St. Louis Blues, Phoenix Coyotes, Washington Capitals, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is currently a studio analyst for Monumental Sports Network.
12/03/1976
Deron Quint, American ice hockey player
Deron Timothy Quint is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. His playing experience included spending time in the National Hockey League with the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders.
Zhao Wei, Chinese actress, film director, producer and pop singer
Zhao Wei, also known as Vicky or Vicki Zhao, is a Chinese actress, singer, filmmaker, and businesswoman. Regarded as one of China's Four Dan actresses, she rose to fame for her role in the television series My Fair Princess (1998–1999), followed by such popular dramas and films as Romance in the Rain (2001), Shaolin Soccer (2001), Moment in Peking (2005), Painted Skin (2008), Mulan (2009), Dearest (2014), for which she won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress, Lost in Hong Kong (2015) and Tiger Mom (2015). Zhao made her directorial debut with So Young (2013), which is a commercial and critical success. She is also a singer with 7 albums and the second largest shareholder of Alibaba Pictures. Zhao ranked 80th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, 22nd in 2014, 7th in 2015, and 28th in 2017.
12/03/1975
Nicolae Grigore, Romanian footballer
Nicolae Grigore is a former Romanian football player.
Edgaras Jankauskas, Lithuanian footballer
Edgaras Jankauskas is a Lithuanian football manager and former professional player. He is the manager of the Lithuania national team.
Valérie Nicolas, French handball player
Valérie Nicolas is a French handball goalkeeper and former player of the French national team. She became World Champion in 2003 with the French team, and was also voted Most Valuable Player and Best Goalkeeper. She was voted into the All-Star Team in the 2007 World Championship. Among her other triumphs are a silver medal from the World Championships, two bronze medals from the European Championships, victories at the Champions League, the EHF Cup, the Cup Winners' Cup, and both French and Danish national championships.
Srđan Pecelj, Bosnian footballer
Srđan Pecelj is a Bosnian retired footballer who played as a defender.
12/03/1974
Charles Akonnor, Ghanaian footballer
Charles Kwabla Akonnor is a Ghanaian football manager and former player who most recently managed the Ghana national team. A former midfielder, he spent most of his club career in Germany. He made 51 appearances for the Ghana national team scoring 13 goals.
Walid Badir, Israeli footballer
Walid Badir is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
12/03/1972
Doron Sheffer, Israeli basketball player
Doron Sheffer is an Israeli former professional basketball player. He spent most of his club career playing with Maccabi Tel Aviv. During his playing career he played at the point guard and shooting guard positions. During his playing days, his nickname was "The Iceman".
12/03/1971
Raúl Mondesí, Dominican baseball player and politician
Raúl Ramón Mondesí Avelino is a Dominican former politician and baseball player. Mondesí played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 13 seasons, primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and made his MLB debut with them in 1993. He was the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year in 1994, an MLB All-Star, and a two-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner. Known for his combination of power and speed, Mondesí twice achieved the 30–30 club. He led MLB right fielders in assists in three separate seasons over the course of his career.
Isaiah Rider, American basketball player and rapper
Isaiah Rider Jr., nicknamed J.R., is an American former professional basketball player who played nine seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Dragutin Topić, Serbian high jumper
Dragutin Topić is a retired Serbian high jumper, former European champion and world junior record holder.
12/03/1970
Karen Bradley, English politician
Dame Karen Anne Bradley is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Staffordshire Moorlands since 2010 and the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee since 2024. She served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2018 to 2019.
Dave Eggers, American author and screenwriter
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. His 2000 memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, became a bestseller and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Eggers is also the founder of several literary and philanthropic ventures, including the literary journal Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, the literacy project 826 Valencia, and the human rights non-profit organisation Voice of Witness. Additionally, he founded ScholarMatch, a program that connects donors with students needing funds for college tuition. His writing has appeared in publications including The New Yorker, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine.
Mathias Grönberg, Swedish golfer
Mathias David Grönberg is a Swedish professional golfer who now lives in the United States. He has played on the European Tour and PGA Tour.
Rex Walters, American basketball player and coach
Rex Andrew Walters Sr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who last served as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).He currently is the Head Coach at Regis University. Previously, he was the associate head coach at Wake Forest University under Danny Manning. Prior to Wake Forest, he spent time at Nevada under Eric Musselman. He has made head coaching stops with the Grand Rapids Drive, the University of San Francisco and Florida Atlantic University.
12/03/1969
Graham Coxon, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Graham Leslie Coxon is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter who came to prominence as a founding member of the British rock band Blur, of which he was the lead guitarist and secondary vocalist.
Jake Tapper, American journalist and author
Jacob Paul Tapper is an American journalist. He is the lead Washington anchor for CNN, hosts the weekday television news show The Lead with Jake Tapper, and co-hosts the Sunday morning public affairs program State of the Union.
12/03/1968
Tammy Duckworth, Thai-American colonel, pilot, and politician
Ladda Tammy Duckworth is an American politician and Army National Guard veteran serving as the junior United States senator from Illinois, a seat she has held since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented Illinois's 8th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017.
Aaron Eckhart, American actor and producer
Aaron Edward Eckhart is an American actor. Born in Cupertino, California, Eckhart moved to the United Kingdom at an early age. He began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Australia for his high school senior year. He left high school without graduating, but earned a diploma through a professional education course, and then graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film.
12/03/1967
Julio Dely Valdés, Panamanian footballer and manager
Julio César Dely Valdés is a Panamanian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is a twin brother of Jorge Dely Valdés and younger brother of Armando Dely Valdés.
12/03/1966
David Daniels, American countertenor
David Daniels is an American countertenor. He was one of the most prominent classical stars to face criminal charges during the MeToo movement and pled guilty to sexual assault in 2023.
Grant Long, American basketball player and sportscaster
Grant Andrew Long is an American former professional basketball player. He played over 1,000 games in the National Basketball Association over a 15-year career. Long had two relatives who were playing in the NBA during his tenure in the league: his uncle John Long, and his cousin Terry Mills. His brother is professional boxer Julius Long.
12/03/1965
Steve Finley, American baseball player
Steven Allen Finley is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for eight teams between 1989 and 2007, most notably the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He is one of only two players, along with Matt Herges, to play for all five National League West teams. An outstanding all-around player with power, speed, and defensive skill, he is one of only four players since 1945 with 300 home runs and 100 triples, along with Stan Musial, Willie Mays, and George Brett. He is also one of three players, along with Mays and Ken Griffey Jr., to have 2,500 hits and win five Gold Glove Awards in center field.
Ivari Padar, former Minister of Finance and Minister of Agriculture of the Estonian Social Democratic Party
Ivari Padar is an Estonian-Võro politician. He is a former Minister of Finance, Minister of Agriculture and chairman of the Estonian Social Democratic Party.
12/03/1964
Dieter Eckstein, German footballer
Dieter Eckstein is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Umirzak Shukeyev, Kazakh chairman of Samruk-Kazyna
Umirzak Shukeyev is a Kazakh politician who's serving as the akim of Turkistan Region since 2019. Prior to that, he served as the Minister of Agriculture from 2017 to 2019, chairman of Samruk-Kazyna, Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund from 2011 to 2017, First Deputy Prime Minister from 2009 to 2011, and prior to that, Deputy Prime Minister from 2007, akim of South Kazakhstan from 2006 to 2007, akim of Astana from 2004 to 2006, akim of Kostanay Region from 1998 to 2004, Minister of Economy and Trade from 1995 to 1997 while serving as Deputy Prime Minister.
12/03/1963
John Andretti, American race car driver (died 2020)
John Andrew Andretti was an American professional race car driver. He won individual races in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series, and NASCAR during his career. A member of the Andretti racing family, he was the son of Aldo Andretti, older brother of racer Adam Andretti, nephew of Mario Andretti, and the cousin to CART drivers Michael and Jeff Andretti. He was also the first cousin once-removed of Marco Andretti.
Candy Costie, American swimmer
Candace (Candy) Costie, known by her married name Candace Costie Merrill since 1995, is an American former synchronized swimming competitor who competed for the University of Arizona, and was a 1984 Los Angeles Olympic gold medal winner in the solo event. She later worked as a broadcaster for sporting events, and in real estate development for her husband's Merrill Company.
Joaquim Cruz, Brazilian runner and coach
Joaquim Carvalho Cruz is a Brazilian former middle-distance runner, winner of the 800 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He is one of only ten men, and in August 1984 became the second man, to run the 800 metres in less than 1 minute 42 seconds.
Reiner Gies, German boxer
Reiner Gies is a former German boxer who won a Light Welterweight Bronze Medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics for West Germany. Four years earlier, when Los Angeles, California hosted the Games, he was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Ian Holloway, English footballer and manager
Ian Scott Holloway is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of EFL League Two club Swindon Town.
Paul Way, English golfer
Paul Graham Albert Way is an English professional golfer.
Jake Weber, English actor
Jake T. Weber is an English actor. He is known in film for his role as Michael in Dawn of the Dead and for his role as Drew in Meet Joe Black. On television, he is best known for playing Joe DuBois, the sleep-deprived husband of psychic Allison DuBois, in the popular drama series Medium.
12/03/1962
Julia Campbell, American actress
Julia Campbell is an American actress. She began her career starring in the daytime television soap operas Ryan's Hope and Santa Barbara, before playing the lead in the short-lived sitcom Women in Prison (1987–1988). Her most noted role to date was "mean girl" Christie Masters in the 1997 comedy film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.
Andreas Köpke, German footballer
Andreas "Andy" Köpke is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. After being selected for the Germany national team squads that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and reached the quarter-finals of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he succeeded Bodo Illgner to become Germany's first-choice goalkeeper at UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Chris Sanders, American illustrator and voice actor
Christopher Michael Sanders is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. His credits include Lilo & Stitch (2002) and How to Train Your Dragon (2010), both of which he co-wrote and directed with Dean DeBlois; The Croods (2013) with Kirk DeMicco; and The Wild Robot (2024), receiving nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for all of them. In 2020, he made his live-action directorial debut with the adventure-drama The Call of the Wild. He created the popular Disney character Stitch in 1985, wrote the film's story, and voiced Stitch in most of his media appearances.
Darryl Strawberry, American baseball player and minister
Darryl Eugene Strawberry Sr. is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Throughout his career, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in the sport, known for his prodigious home runs and his intimidating presence in the batter's box with his 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) frame and his long, looping swing that elicited comparisons to Ted Williams.
Titus Welliver, American actor
Titus B. Welliver is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of the Man in Black in Lost, Silas Adams in Deadwood, Jimmy O'Phelan in Sons of Anarchy, and the title role in the television series Bosch and Bosch: Legacy. He is also known for his collaborations with Ben Affleck, starring in his films Gone Baby Gone (2007), The Town (2010), Argo (2012), and Live by Night (2016).
12/03/1960
Jason Beghe, American actor
Jason Deneen Beghe is an American actor. Since 2014, he has starred in the NBC TV series Chicago P.D. as Sergeant Hank Voight. He is also known for starring in the 1988 George A. Romero film Monkey Shines, playing Demi Moore's love interest in G.I. Jane, appearing as a police officer in the film Thelma & Louise, starring opposite Moira Kelly in the television series To Have & to Hold, and having recurring roles on Picket Fences, Melrose Place, Chicago Hope, American Dreams, Cane, and Californication.
Courtney B. Vance, American actor and painter
Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor. He started his career on stage before moving to film and television. Vance has received various accolades, including a Tony Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as nominations for a Grammy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award.
12/03/1959
Milorad Dodik, Bosnian Serb politician and president of Republika Srpska
Milorad Dodik is a Bosnian Serb politician who served as the 8th President of Republika Srpska from 2022 until his removal from office in 2025. Having previously held the office from 2010 to 2018, he also served as the 7th Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2018 to 2022.
Luenell, American comedian and actress
Luenell Campbell, known mononymously as Luenell, is an American comedian and actress.
Michael Walter, German luger (died 2016)
Michael Walter was a German luger who competed during the 1980s. He won two medals in the men's singles event at the FIL World Luge Championships with a gold in 1985 and a silver in 1981.
12/03/1958
Phil Anderson, English-Australian cyclist
Philip Grant Anderson is an Australian former professional racing cyclist who was the first non-European to wear the yellow jersey of the Tour de France.
12/03/1957
Patrick Battiston, French footballer and coach
Patrick Raymond Jean Battiston is a French former footballer who played as a defender for the France national team in three World Cups and won UEFA Euro 1984. At club level, he played for Metz, Saint-Étienne, Bordeaux, and Monaco, winning five Ligue 1 titles and one Coupe de France.
Marlon Jackson, American singer-songwriter and dancer
Marlon David Jackson is an American singer and dancer best known as a member of the Jackson 5. He is the sixth child of the Jackson family. Marlon now runs Study Peace Foundation to promote peace and unity worldwide.
Andrey Lopatov, Soviet basketball player (died 2022)
Andrey Vyacheslavovich Lopatov was a Russian basketball player who competed for the Soviet Union for many years and won a bronze medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
12/03/1956
Ove Aunli, former Norwegian cross-country skier
Ove Robert Aunli is a Norwegian former cross-country skier. He took the Olympic bronze medal in 1980 Lake Placid when Thomas Wassberg beat Juha Mieto by one-hundredth of a second for the gold medal, and won a silver medal as part of Norway's 4 × 10 km relay team.
Stanisław Bobak, Polish ski jumper (died 2010)
Stanisław Bobak was a Polish ski jumper.
Steve Harris, English bass player and songwriter
Stephen Percy Harris is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist for heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he founded in 1975. He is the only member who has been in the band for its entire history, while he and guitarist Dave Murray are the only members who have appeared on all of the band's studio albums.
Lesley Manville, English actress
Lesley Ann Manville is a British actress. Known for her performances on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including two Laurence Olivier Awards and nominations for an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, five British Academy Television Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Dale Murphy, American baseball player
Dale Bryan Murphy is an American former outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for three National League (NL) teams, mainly the Atlanta Braves, from 1976 to 1993. A 7-time All-Star, he led the NL in home runs, runs batted in and slugging percentage twice each. Playing on frequently poor teams that posted only three winning seasons in his 15 years with Atlanta, he was named the NL's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1982 after leading the Braves to their first division title in 13 years, topping the league with 109 RBI. He was again named the MVP in 1983 after improving his batting figures in nearly every category, batting .302 with a career-high 121 RBI, and becoming only the sixth player in history with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season. A model of reliability in the Braves lineup, he played in 740 consecutive games from 1981 to 1986, then the sixth-longest streak in NL history. His 308 home runs in the 1980s were the second most by any major league player, behind only Mike Schmidt, and his 929 RBI in the decade tied him with Schmidt for the most in the NL, despite the Braves posting the league's worst record in that time. Highly regarded for his throwing arm, Murphy won five consecutive Gold Glove Awards as a center fielder, and his 99 assists and 21 double plays in the 1980s topped all NL outfielders.
Pim Verbeek, Dutch football manager (died 2019)
Peter Tim Dirk "Pim" Verbeek was a Dutch football manager who last coached the Oman national football team.
12/03/1954
Anish Kapoor, Indian-English sculptor
Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor is a British sculptor specializing in installation art and conceptual art. Born in Mumbai, Kapoor attended the all-boys Indian boarding school The Doon School, before moving to the United Kingdom to begin his art training at Hornsey College of Art and, later, Chelsea School of Art and Design.
12/03/1953
Pavel Pinigin, former Soviet wrestler and Olympic champion
Pavel Pinigin is a former Soviet wrestler and Olympic champion in Freestyle wrestling. He is also three times world champion in freestyle wrestling. He is married to athlete and Olympic champion Mariya Pinigina.
12/03/1952
André Comte-Sponville, French philosopher
André Comte-Sponville is a French philosopher.
John Mitchell, English footballer
John Mitchell is an English former footballer who played as a forward in the Football League.
Yasuhiko Okudera, former Japanese footballer
Yasuhiko Okudera is a Japanese former football player and manager. He is the president of J2 League club Yokohama FC and was formerly the president of English club Plymouth Argyle. A midfielder, Okudera was the first Japanese footballer to play professionally in Europe, as well as being the first Asian football player to score in the European Cup, while playing for 1. FC Köln in the 1979 semi-final match against Nottingham Forest and made 32 appearances – scoring nine goals – with the Japan national team.
12/03/1950
Javier Clemente, Spanish footballer and manager
Javier Clemente Lázaro is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.
12/03/1949
Rob Cohen, American director, producer, and screenwriter
Robert Alan Cohen is an American director and producer of film and television. Beginning his career as an executive producer at 20th Century Fox, Cohen produced and developed numerous high-profile film and television programs, including Dragonheart, The Wiz, The Witches of Eastwick and Light of Day until he began focusing on full-time directing in the 1990s. He directed the action films The Fast and the Furious and XXX.
Mary Catherine Lamb, American textile artist
Mary Catherine Lamb was an American textile artist, whose quilts reframed traditional Roman Catholic iconography. Recycling vintage textiles popular during the mid-20th century, she both honored and affectionately skewered her Catholic upbringing.
David Mellor, British politician
David John Mellor is a British broadcaster, barrister, and former politician. As a member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister John Major as Chief Secretary to the Treasury (1990–1992) and Secretary of State for National Heritage, before resigning in 1992. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Putney from 1979 to 1997. Since leaving Parliament, Mellor has worked as a newspaper columnist, a radio presenter, and an after-dinner speaker. He also served as Chairman of the government's Football Task Force.
12/03/1948
Virginia Bottomley, Scottish social worker and politician, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Virginia Hilda Brunette Maxwell Bottomley, Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, is a British Conservative Party politician and headhunter. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons from 1984 to 2005. She became a member of the House of Lords in 2005.
Kent Conrad, American politician
Gaylord Kent Conrad is a former American politician who was a United States senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1986, he served as chairman or ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee for 12 years.
James Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. As a six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
12/03/1947
Peter Harry Carstensen, German educator and politician
Peter Harry Carstensen is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). From 2005 to 2012 he was Minister President of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, serving as President of the Bundesrat in 2005/06.
Jan-Erik Enestam, Finland-Swedish politician
Jan-Erik Enestam is a Finnish politician from the Swedish People's Party. He served as Minister of Defence from 1999 to 2003 under Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen and Minister of the Environment under Prime Ministers Anneli Jäätteenmäki and Matti Vanhanen from 2003 to 2006.
David Rigert, Soviet Olympic weightlifter
David Adamovich Rigert is a Russian retired weightlifter and weightlifting coach of Austrian ancestry. During his career, he competed for the Soviet Union and set 65 ratified world records, and won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and six world titles.
Mitt Romney, American businessman and politician, 70th Governor of Massachusetts
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and retired politician who served as a United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 2012 U.S. presidential election.
12/03/1946
Dean Cundey, American cinematographer and film director
Dean Raymond Cundey, A.S.C. is an American cinematographer and film director.
Liza Minnelli, American actress, singer and dancer
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and four Tony Awards. She is one of the few performers awarded a non-competitive EGOT having received an honorary Grammy Award. Minnelli is a Knight of the French Legion of Honour.
Frank Welker, American voice actor and singer
Franklin Wendell Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific voice actors in history. With his films earning a total worldwide box-office gross of $17.4 billion, he is also amongst the highest-grossing actors as of 2024.
12/03/1945
Anne Summers, Australian feminist writer, editor, publisher and public servant
Anne Summers is an Australian writer and columnist, best known as a leading feminist, editor and publisher. She was formerly First Assistant Secretary of the Office of the Status of Women in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Her contributions are also noted in The Australian Media Hall of Fame biographical entry.
12/03/1944
Erwin Mueller, former American basketball player (died 2018)
Erwin Louis Mueller was an American basketball player. A 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) power forward/center, he attended the University of San Francisco where he was All–Conference and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 1966 NBA draft.
12/03/1943
Ratko Mladić, Serbian general
Ratko Mladić is a Serbian former military officer who led the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Yugoslav Wars. In 2017, he was found guilty of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He is serving a life sentence for these crimes in The Hague.
12/03/1942
Jimmy Wynn, American baseball player (died 2020)
James Sherman Wynn, nicknamed "the Toy Cannon", was an American professional baseball player. He played 15 seasons as a center fielder; he spent ten of his fifteen seasons with the Houston Colt .45s / Astros before playing two All-Star seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers and then two more seasons with three other teams. Wynn was nicknamed "The Toy Cannon" because his bat was described as having a lot of "pop" for his small size at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) and 160 lb (73 kg).
12/03/1941
Josip Skoblar, former Croatian footballer
Josip Skoblar is a Croatian former professional football player and manager. He was primarily a forward, and also capable of playing on both wings. In 1971, he won the European Golden Shoe with 44 goals.
12/03/1940
Al Jarreau, American singer (died 2017)
Alwin Lopez Jarreau was an American singer. His 1981 album Breakin' Away spent two years on the Billboard 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and R&B sound. The album won Jarreau the 1982 Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In all, he won ten Grammy Awards and was nominated 19 other times during his career.
12/03/1938
Vladimir Msryan, Armenian actor (died 2010)
Vladimir Ivanovich Msryan was an Armenian stage and film actor.
Johnny Rutherford, American race car driver and sportscaster
John Sherman Rutherford III, also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in 314 starts. He became one of six drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 at least three times, winning in 1974, 1976, and 1980. He also won the CART championship in 1980.
Ken Spears, American writer (died 2020)
Charles Kenneth Spears was an American animator, writer, television producer and sound editor. He was best known as a co-creator of the Scooby-Doo franchise, together with Joe Ruby. In 1977, they co-founded the television animation production company Ruby-Spears Productions. Spears and Ruby created many other shows such as Jabberjaw, Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, and Fangface. Spears also worked on the shows Sectaurs, Mister T and Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Juan Horacio Suárez, Argentine bishop
Juan Horacio Suárez is an Argentine Roman Catholic bishop.
Ron Tutt, American drummer (died 2021)
Ronald Ellis Tutt was an American drummer who was the principal drummer for Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, the Carpenters, Roy Orbison,, and Jerry Garcia. He was also a session drummer who recorded with some of the most prominent musicians of his day.
12/03/1937
Zoltán Horvath, Hungarian sabre fencer
Zoltán Horváth was a Hungarian sabre fencer. At the 1960 Olympics, he won the gold medal in the team competition, and the individual silver medal behind teammate Rudolf Kárpáti. Horváth also took part in the 1964 Olympics, placing fifth in the team competition.
Zurab Sotkilava, Georgian operatic tenor (died 2017)
Zurab Lavrentyevich Sotkilava was a Soviet and Georgian operatic tenor. Since the early 1970s, he lived and worked in Moscow. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1979.
12/03/1936
Virginia Hamilton, American children's books author (died 2002)
Virginia Esther Hamilton was an American children's books author. She wrote 41 books, including M. C. Higgins, the Great (1974), for which she won the U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the Newbery Medal in 1975. Her works were celebrated for exploring the African-American experience, what she called "Liberation Literature."
Michał Heller, Polish professor of philosophy
Michał Kazimierz Heller, also known as Michael Heller, is a Polish philosopher, theoretical physicist, cosmologist, theologian, and Catholic priest. He is a professor of philosophy at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Kraków, Poland, and an adjunct member of the Vatican Observatory staff.
Eddie Sutton, American basketball player and coach (died 2020)
Edward Eugene Sutton was an American college basketball coach. A native of Bucklin, Kansas, Sutton played college basketball at Oklahoma A&M and was a head coach at the high school, junior college, and college levels spanning six decades.
12/03/1935
Chiam See Tong, Singaporean lawyer and politician
Chiam See Tong is a Singaporean former politician and lawyer who was serving as secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), between 1980 to 1993, and later served as secretary-general of the Singapore People's Party (SPP) between 2011 to 2019 and as chairman of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) from 2001 to 2011. Chiam was the de facto Leader of the Opposition from 1986 to 1993 and again from 1997 to 2006. Throughout his parliamentary career, he had represented Potong Pasir from 1984 to 2011.
12/03/1934
Francisco J. Ayala, Spanish-American evolutionary biologist and philosopher (died 2023)
Francisco José Ayala Pereda was a Spanish-American evolutionary biologist and philosopher who was a longtime faculty member at the University of California, Irvine, and University of California, Davis.
12/03/1933
Myrna Fahey, American actress (died 1973)
Myrna Fahey was an American actress known for her role as Maria Crespo in Walt Disney's Zorro and as Madeline Usher in The Fall of the House of Usher.
Barbara Feldon, American actress
Barbara Feldon is an American actress primarily known for her roles on television. Her most prominent role was that of Agent 99 in the 1965–1970 sitcom Get Smart which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
12/03/1932
Bob Houbregs, Canadian basketball player (died 2014)
Robert J. Houbregs was a Canadian professional basketball player. Houbregs was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.
Andrew Young, American pastor, civil rights movement activist, politician, and 14th United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Andrew Jackson Young Jr. is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and as a close confidant to Martin Luther King Jr. A member of the Democratic Party, Young later became active in politics, serving as a U.S. Congressman from Georgia, United States Ambassador to the United Nations in the Carter Administration, and 55th Mayor of Atlanta. He was the first African American elected to Congress from Georgia since Reconstruction, as well as one of the first two African Americans elected to Congress from the former Confederacy since Reconstruction. Since leaving office, Young has founded or served in many organizations working on issues of public policy and political lobbying.
12/03/1931
Józef Tischner, Polish priest and philosopher (died 2000)
Józef Stanisław Tischner was a Polish priest and philosopher. The first chaplain of the trade union, "Solidarity".
12/03/1930
Antony Acland, English former diplomat and Provost of Eton College (died 2021)
Sir Antony Arthur Acland was a British diplomat and a provost of Eton College.
Vern Law, American baseball player and manager
Vernon Sanders Law is an American former baseball pitcher who played sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in 1950–51 and 1954–67. He batted and threw right-handed and was listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and 195 pounds (88 kg). Law signed for the Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1948 and made his major-league debut in 1950. In 1960, he won both the Cy Young Award and a World Series ring as a member of the Pirates. He is currently the oldest living Cy Young Award winner. In 1965, he won the Lou Gehrig Award and the Associated Press's National League Comeback Player of the Year Award. A control pitcher, he finished among the top three National League pitchers in bases on ball per nine innings pitched in multiple seasons. Law was inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame in August 2025. At the time, he was the 11th oldest living Major League player.
12/03/1929
Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (died 2014)
Win Tin was a Burmese journalist, politician and political prisoner. He co-founded the National League for Democracy (NLD). He was imprisoned by the military government for 19 years (1989–2008) for his writings and his leadership position in the NLD.
12/03/1928
Edward Albee, American director and playwright (died 2016)
Edward Franklin Albee III was an American playwright known for works such as The Zoo Story (1958), The Sandbox (1959), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962), A Delicate Balance (1966), and Three Tall Women (1994). Some critics have argued that some of his work constitutes an American variant of what Martin Esslin identified as and named the Theater of the Absurd. Three of his plays won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and two of his other works won the Tony Award for Best Play.
12/03/1927
Raúl Alfonsín, Argentine lawyer and politician, 46th President of Argentina (died 2009)
Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as president of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after the National Reorganization Process. Ideologically, he identified as a radical and a social democrat, serving as the leader of the Radical Civic Union from 1983 to 1991, 1993 to 1995, 1999 to 2001. His political approach was known as "Alfonsinism".
Emmett Leith, American professor of electrical engineering and co-inventor of three-dimensional holography (died 2005)
Emmett Norman Leith was a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Michigan and, with Juris Upatnieks of the University of Michigan, the co-inventor of three-dimensional holography.
Sudharmono, Indonesian politician, 5th Vice President of Indonesia (died 2006)
Sudharmono, also known by his nickname Pak Dar, was an Indonesian Army officer and politician who served as the fifth vice president of Indonesia from 1988 until 1993 under the New Order regime. Previously, he served in several positions in the government and military, including as the Chairman of Golkar, State Secretary of Indonesia, and a lieutenant general in the army.
12/03/1926
George Ariyoshi, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Hawaii
George Ryoichi Ariyoshi is an American lawyer and politician who served as the third governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1986. A Democrat, he is Hawaii's longest-serving governor and the first American of Asian descent to serve as governor of a U.S. state. He assumed gubernatorial powers and duties when Governor John A. Burns was declared incapacitated in October 1973 and was elected in 1974, becoming the first Asian-American to be elected governor of a U.S. state or territory. His lengthy tenure is a record likely to remain unbroken due to term limits enacted after he left office. Since the death of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter from Georgia in December 2024, he is the oldest living former governor of any U.S. state.
Arthur A. Hartman, American career diplomat (died 2015)
Arthur Adair Hartman was an American career diplomat who served as Ambassador to France under Jimmy Carter and Ambassador to the Soviet Union under Ronald Reagan.
John Clellon Holmes, American author and professor (died 1988)
John Clellon Holmes was an American author, poet and professor, best known for his 1952 novel Go. Considered the first "Beat" novel, Go depicted events in his life with his friends Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg. He was often referred to as the "quiet Beat" and was one of Kerouac's closest friends. Holmes also wrote what is considered the definitive jazz novel of the Beat Generation, The Horn.
David Nadien, American violinist (died 2014)
David Nadien was an American virtuoso violinist and violin teacher. He was the concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic from 1966 to 1970. His playing style, characterized by fast vibrato, audible shifting noises, and superb bow control, has been compared to that of Jascha Heifetz.
12/03/1925
Leo Esaki, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
Leo Esaki is a Japanese solid-state physicist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics with Ivar Giaever and Brian Josephson for his work on tunneling in semiconductors, which led to his invention of the tunnel diode that exploits this phenomenon. His research was done when he was with Sony. He has also contributed in being a pioneer of semiconductor superlattices.
Harry Harrison, American author and illustrator (died 2012)
Harry Max Harrison was an American science fiction author, known mostly for his character The Stainless Steel Rat and for his novel Make Room! Make Room! (1966). The latter was the rough basis for the motion picture Soylent Green (1973). Long resident in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, Harrison was involved in the foundation of the Irish Science Fiction Association, and was, with Brian Aldiss, co-president of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group.
12/03/1923
Hjalmar Andersen, Norwegian speed skater and cyclist (died 2013)
Hjalmar "Hjallis" Johan Andersen was a speed skater from Norway who won three gold medals at the 1952 Winter Olympic Games of Oslo, Norway. He was the only triple gold medalist at the 1952 Winter Olympics, and as such, became the most successful athlete there.
Norbert Brainin, Austrian violinist (died 2005)
Norbert Brainin was the first violinist of the Amadeus Quartet, one of the world's most highly regarded string quartets.
Wally Schirra, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (died 2007)
Walter Marty Schirra Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. In 1959, he became one of the original seven astronauts chosen for Project Mercury, which was the United States' first effort to put humans into space. On October 3, 1962, he flew the six-orbit, nine-hour, Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, in a spacecraft he nicknamed Sigma 7, becoming the fifth American and ninth human to travel into space. In December 1965, as part of the two-man Gemini program, he achieved the first space rendezvous, station-keeping his Gemini 6A spacecraft within 1 foot (30 cm) of the sister Gemini 7 spacecraft. In October 1968, he commanded Apollo 7, an 11-day low Earth orbit shakedown test of the three-man Apollo Command/Service Module and the first crewed launch for the Apollo program.
Mae Young, American wrestler (died 2014)
Johnnie Mae Young was an American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. She wrestled throughout the United States and Canada and won multiple titles in the National Wrestling Alliance. Young is considered one of the pioneers in women's wrestling as she helped to increase the popularity of the sport throughout the 1940s and during World War II. In 1954, she and Mildred Burke were among the first female competitors to tour post-war Japan.
12/03/1922
Jack Kerouac, American author and poet (died 1969)
Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac, known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation.
Lane Kirkland, American sailor and union leader (died 1999)
Joseph Lane Kirkland was an American labor union leader who served as President of the AFL–CIO from 1979 to 1995.
12/03/1921
Gianni Agnelli, Italian businessman (died 2001)
Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli, nicknamed L'Avvocato, was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce, and 16.5% of its industrial investment in research. He was the richest man in modern Italian history.
Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (died 1986)
Albert Gordon MacRae was an American actor, singer, and television and radio host. He appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! (1955) and Carousel (1956), and played the leading man opposite Doris Day in On Moonlight Bay (1951) and its sequel, By The Light of the Silvery Moon (1953).
12/03/1918
Elaine de Kooning, American painter and academic (died 1989)
Elaine Marie Catherine de Kooning was an Abstract Expressionist and Figurative Expressionist painter in the post-World War II era. She wrote extensively on the art of the period and was an editorial associate for Art News magazine.
Pádraig Faulkner, Irish Fianna Fáil politician (died 2012)
Pádraig Faulkner was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1980 to 1981, Minister for Defence 1979 to 1980, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and Minister for Tourism and Transport from 1977 to 1979, Minister for Education from 1969 to 1973, Minister for the Gaeltacht and Minister for Lands from 1968 to 1969 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Gaeltacht from 1965 to 1968. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency from 1957 to 1987.
12/03/1917
Leonard Chess, American record company executive, co-founder of Chess Records (died 1969)
Leonard Samuel Chess was a Polish-American record company executive and the founder of Chess Records alongside his brother Phil. He was influential in the development of the recording industry, and electric blues, Chicago blues, and rock and roll.
Millard Kaufman, American author and screenwriter (died 2009)
Millard Kaufman was an American screenwriter and novelist. His works include the Academy Award-nominated Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). He was also one of the creators of Mr. Magoo.
Googie Withers, Indian-Australian actress (died 2011)
Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers was an English entertainer. She was a dancer and actress, with a lengthy career spanning some 73 years in theatre, film, and television. She was a well-known actress and star of British films during and after the Second World War.
12/03/1915
Alberto Burri, Italian painter and sculptor (died 1995)
Alberto Burri was an Italian visual artist, painter, sculptor, and physician based in Città di Castello. He is associated with the matterism of the European informal art movement and described his style as a polymaterialist. He had connections with Lucio Fontana's spatialism and, with Antoni Tàpies, an influence on the revival of the art of post-war assembly in the United States as in Europe.
Jiří Mucha, Czech journalist (died 1991)
Jiří Mucha was a Czech journalist, writer, screenwriter, author of autobiographical novels and studies of the works of his father, the painter Alphonse Mucha.
12/03/1913
Yashwantrao Chavan, Indian politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of India (died 1984)
Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as 5th Deputy Prime Minister of India in the short-lived Charan Singh ministry in 1979. He served as the last Chief Minister of Bombay State and the first of Maharashtra after the latter was created by the division of Bombay State. His also held significant ministerial post was as the 8th Minister of Finance from 1970 to 1971 and from 1971 to 1974.
Agathe von Trapp, Hungarian-American singer and author (died 2010)
Agathe Johanna Erwina Gobertina von Trapp was the eldest daughter of Georg von Trapp with his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp. She was also a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the 1959 musical play and 1965 film The Sound of Music. She was portrayed as the character "Liesl".
12/03/1912
Willie Hall, English footballer (died 1967)
George William Hall was an English footballer who played for Notts County, Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team during the 1930s.
Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (died 2006)
Irving Peter Layton, OC was a Romanian-born Canadian poet. He was known for his "tell it like it is" style which won him a wide following but also made him enemies. As T. Jacobs notes in his biography (2001), Layton fought Puritanism throughout his life:Layton's work had provided the bolt of lightning that was needed to split open the thin skin of conservatism and complacency in the poetry scene of the preceding century, allowing modern poetry to expose previously unseen richness and depth.
12/03/1911
Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Mexican academic and politician, 49th President of Mexico (died 1979)
Gustavo Díaz Ordaz Bolaños was a Mexican politician and member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He served as the President of Mexico from 1964 to 1970. Previously, he served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Puebla's 1st district, a senator of the Congress of the Union for Puebla, and Secretary of the Interior.
12/03/1910
László Lékai, Archbishop of Esztergom and Cardinal (died 1986)
László Lékai was Archbishop of Esztergom and a Cardinal.
Masayoshi Ōhira, Japanese politician, 68th Prime Minister of Japan (died 1980)
Masayoshi Ōhira was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1978 until his death in 1980.
12/03/1909
Petras Cvirka, Lithuanian author (died 1947)
Petras Cvirka was a Lithuanian writer of several novels, children's books, and short story collections. He wrote under a variety of pen names: A. Cvingelis, Cezaris Petrėnas, J. K. Pavilionis, K. Cvirka, Kanapeikus, Kazys Gerutis, Klangis, Klangis Petras, Klangių Petras, L. P. Cvirka, Laumakys, P. Cvinglis, P. Cvirka-Rymantas, P. Gelmė, P. Veliuoniškis, Petras Serapinas, and S. Laumakys. His works have been translated into Belarusian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, English, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Polish, Romanian, and Uzbek.
12/03/1908
Rita Angus, New Zealand painter (died 1970)
Henrietta Catherine Angus, known as Rita Cook early in her career, was a New Zealand painter who, alongside Colin McCahon and Toss Woollaston, is regarded as one of the leading figures in twentieth-century New Zealand art. She worked primarily in oil and watercolour, and became known for her portraits and landscapes.
David Marshall, Singaporean lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Singapore (died 1995)
David Saul Marshall was a Singaporean lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as the first chief minister of Singapore from April 1955 to June 1956. He resigned after just over a year into his chief ministership after his delegation to London regarding negotiations for self-governance was rejected by the British.
12/03/1907
Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer and academic (died 2007)
Ellen Dorrit Hoffleit was an American senior research astronomer at Yale University. She is best known for her work in variable stars, astrometry, spectroscopy, meteors, and the Bright Star Catalog. She is also known for her mentorship of many young women and generations of astronomers.
12/03/1905
Takashi Shimura, Japanese actor (died 1982)
Takashi Shimura was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1934 and 1981. He appeared in 21 of Akira Kurosawa's 30 films, including as a lead actor in Drunken Angel (1948), Rashomon (1950), Ikiru (1952) and Seven Samurai (1954). He played Professor Kyohei Yamane in Ishirō Honda's original Godzilla (1954) and its first sequel, Godzilla Raids Again (1955).
12/03/1904
Lyudmila Keldysh, Russian mathematician (died 1976)
Lyudmila Vsevolodovna Keldysh was a Soviet mathematician known for set theory and geometric topology. Her son, Sergei Novikov, was also a mathematician.
12/03/1900
Rinus van den Berge, Dutch athlete (died 1972)
Marinus "Rinus" van den Berge was a Dutch athlete, who competed mainly in the 100 metres.
Sylvi Kekkonen, Finnish writer and wife of President of Finland Urho Kekkonen (died 1974)
Sylvi Kekkonen was a Finnish writer and the longest-serving First Lady of Finland.
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, 19th President of Colombia (died 1975)
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla was a Colombian army general, civil engineer and politician who ruled as President of Colombia in a military dictatorship from June 1953 to May 1957.
12/03/1899
Ramón Muttis, Argentine footballer (died 1955)
Ramón Alfredo Muttis was an Argentine football defender who spent most of his career with Boca Juniors. He also played for the Argentina national team winning the 1925 South American Championship.
12/03/1898
Tian Han, Chinese playwright (died 1968)
Tian Han, formerly romanized as T'ien Han, was a Chinese drama activist, playwright, a leader of revolutionary music and films, as well as a translator and poet. He emerged at the time of the New Culture Movement of the early 20th century and continued to be active until the Cultural Revolution, when he was denounced and jailed for two years until his death, before being "posthumously rehabilitated" by the Chinese authorities in 1979. He is considered by drama historians as one of the three founders of Chinese spoken drama, together with Ouyang Yuqian and Hong Shen. His most famous legacy may be the lyrics he wrote for "March of the Volunteers" in 1934, which were later adopted as the national anthem of the People's Republic of China.
Luitpold Steidle, German army officer and politician (died 1984)
Luitpold Steidle was a German army officer and an East German politician. During his political career he belonged to the CDU.
12/03/1896
Jesse Fuller, American singer-songwriter and musician (died 1976)
Jesse Fuller was an American one-man band musician, best known for his song "San Francisco Bay Blues".
12/03/1890
Evert Taube, Swedish singer-songwriter and lute player (died 1976)
Axel Evert Taube was a Swedish singer, composer, and writer. He is widely regarded as one of Sweden's most respected musicians and the foremost troubadour of the Swedish ballad tradition in the 20th century.
12/03/1888
Walter Hermann Bucher, German-American geologist and paleontologist (died 1965)
Walter Hermann Bucher was a German-American geologist and paleontologist.
Hans Knappertsbusch, German conductor (died 1965)
Hans Knappertsbusch was a German conductor, best known for his performances of the music of Wagner, Bruckner and Richard Strauss.
12/03/1883
Sándor Jávorka, Hungarian botanist (died 1961)
Sándor Jávorka was a Hungarian botanist. His birthplace was Hegybánya, then in the Kingdom of Hungary, now in Slovakia and now called Štiavnické Bane. He died in Budapest. Occasionally he has been referred to as Alexander Jávorka; the Hungarian style of his name is Jávorka Sándor.
12/03/1882
Carlos Blanco Galindo, Bolivian politician (died 1943)
Carlos Blanco Galindo was a Bolivian military officer who served as the 32nd president of Bolivia from 1930 to 1931.
12/03/1881
Väinö Tanner, Finnish politician of Social Democratic Party of Finland; the Prime Minister of Finland (died 1966)
Väinö Alfred Tanner was a leading figure in the Social Democratic Party of Finland, and a pioneer and leader of the cooperative movement in Finland. He was Prime Minister of Finland in 1926–1927.
12/03/1880
Henry Drysdale Dakin, English-American chemist and academic (died 1952)
Henry Drysdale Dakin FRS was an English chemist.
12/03/1878
Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (died 1903)
Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani, also known as Gemma of Lucca, was an Italian mystic, canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church in 1940. She has been called the "daughter of the Passion" because of her profound imitation of the Passion of Christ. She is especially venerated in the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus (Passionists).
12/03/1877
Wilhelm Frick, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of the Interior (died 1946)
Wilhelm Frick was a German politician of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and convicted war criminal. He served as Minister of the Interior in Adolf Hitler's cabinet from 1933 to 1943 and as the last governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.
12/03/1874
Edmund Eysler, Austrian composer (died 1949)
Edmund Samuel Eysler, was an Austrian composer.
12/03/1869
George Forbes, New Zealand politician, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1947)
George William Forbes was a New Zealand politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of New Zealand from 28 May 1930 to 6 December 1935. He was the last leader of the remnant of the Liberal Party having entered the House of Representatives in 1908 as a Radical in that Party. Forbes was a co-founder of the United Party in 1927. Later he was a founder of the New Zealand National Party in 1936 and the Party's first parliamentary leader.
12/03/1868
Mary Karadja, Swedish writer, spiritualist and princess (died 1943)
Marie Louise "Mary" Karadja was a Swedish writer, spiritual medium and aristocrat, a central figure in Western esotericism during the Belle Époque. Born in Stockholm to the business magnate Lars Olsson Smith, she married prince Jean Karadja Pasha, an Ottoman diplomat, with whom she had a son, the Romanian diplomat and scholar Constantin Karadja. She lived in various European countries, and published works in several languages—beginning with aphorisms in French. Her involvement with Kardecist spiritism dates to 1899, and was prompted by the deaths of an infant son and of her husband the prince. Under the influence of spiritism, Theosophy and neo-gnosticism, the princess produced spirit drawings and writings that she stated were inspired and dictated to her spiritually. She was a literary celebrity in her native country for a while, and corresponded with August Strindberg; she was also heavily criticized for her claims by investigators such as Henry Morselli and Joseph McCabe, and was a regular target of Birger Sjöberg's satirical articles.
12/03/1864
W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (died 1922)
William Halse Rivers Rivers was an English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist and psychiatrist known for treatment of First World War officers suffering shell shock. Rivers' most famous patient was the war poet Siegfried Sassoon, with whom he remained close friends until his own sudden death.
Alice Tegnér, Swedish organist, composer, and educator (died 1943)
Alice Charlotta Tegnér was a Swedish music teacher, poet and composer. She is the foremost composer of Swedish children's songs during the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.
12/03/1863
Gabriele D'Annunzio, Italian soldier, journalist, poet, and playwright (died 1938)
General Gabriele D'Annunzio, Prince of Montenevoso, sometimes written d'Annunzio as he used to sign himself, was an Italian poet, playwright, orator, journalist, aristocrat, and Royal Italian Army officer during World War I. He occupied a prominent place in Italian literature from 1889 to 1910 and in its political life from 1914 to 1924. He had the epithets il Profeta and il Vate : vate stems from the Latin vates, meaning a prophetic, divinatory, or inspirational poet.
Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian and Ukrainian mineralogist and chemist (died 1945)
Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, also spelt Volodymyr Ivanovych Vernadsky, was a Russian, Ukrainian, and Soviet mineralogist and geochemist who is considered one of the founders of geochemistry, biogeochemistry, and radiogeology. He was one of the founders and the first president of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. Vladimir Vernadsky is most noted for his 1926 book The Biosphere in which he inadvertently worked to popularize Eduard Suess's 1875 term biosphere, by hypothesizing that life is the geological force that shapes the earth. In 1943 he was awarded the Stalin Prize. Vernadsky's portrait is depicted on the Ukrainian ₴1,000 hryvnia banknote.
12/03/1860
Eric Stenbock, Estonian poet and author (died 1895)
Graf Eric Stanislaus Stenbock was a Baltic Swedish poet and writer of macabre fantastic fiction.
12/03/1859
Ernesto Cesàro, Italian mathematician (died 1906)
Ernesto Cesàro was an Italian mathematician who worked in the field of differential geometry. He wrote a book, Lezioni di geometria intrinseca, on this topic, in which he also describes fractal, space-filling curves, partly covered by the larger class of de Rham curves, but are still known today in his honor as Cesàro curves. He is also known for his 'averaging' method for the Cesàro summation of divergent series, also known as the "Cesàro mean".
12/03/1858
Adolph Ochs, American publisher (died 1935)
Adolph Simon Ochs was an American newspaper publisher and former owner of The New York Times and The Chattanooga Times, which is now the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Through his only child, Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger, and her husband Arthur Hays Sulzberger, Ochs's descendants continue to publish The New York Times through the present day.
12/03/1857
William V. Ranous, American actor and director (died 1915)
William V. Ranous was an American silent film actor and director and Shakespearean stage actor.
12/03/1855
Eduard Birnbaum, Polish-born German cantor (died 1920)
Eduard Birnbaum (1855–1920) was a Polish-born German hazzan (cantor) and one of the first explorers of Jewish music.
12/03/1843
Gabriel Tarde, French sociologist and criminologist (died 1904)
Jean-Gabriel (de) Tarde was a French sociologist, criminologist and social psychologist who conceived sociology as based on small psychological interactions among individuals, the fundamental forces being imitation and innovation.
12/03/1838
William Henry Perkin, English chemist and academic (died 1907)
Sir William Henry Perkin was an English chemist and entrepreneur best known for his serendipitous discovery of the first commercial synthetic organic dye, mauveine, made from aniline. Though he failed in trying to synthesise quinine for the treatment of malaria, he became successful in the field of dyes after his first discovery at the age of 18.
12/03/1837
Alexandre Guilmant, French organist and composer (died 1911)
Félix-Alexandre Guilmant was a French organist and composer. He was the organist of La Trinité from 1871 until 1901. A noted pedagogue, performer, and improviser, Guilmant helped found the Schola Cantorum de Paris. He was appointed as Professor of Organ in the Conservatoire de Paris in 1896.
12/03/1835
Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (died 1909)
Simon Newcomb was a Canadian–American astronomer, applied mathematician, and autodidactic polymath. He served as Professor of Mathematics in the United States Navy and at Johns Hopkins University. Born in Nova Scotia, at the age of 19 Newcomb left an apprenticeship to join his father in Massachusetts, where the latter was teaching.
Sigismondo Savona, Maltese educator and politician (died 1908)
Sigismondo Savona was a Maltese educator and politician who played a prominent role in the Language Question which defined the politics of the Crown Colony of Malta in the late 19th century.
12/03/1834
Hilary A. Herbert, American politician, Secretary of the Navy (died 1919)
Hilary Abner Herbert was Secretary of the Navy in the second administration of President Grover Cleveland. He also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama.
12/03/1832
Charles Boycott, English farmer and agent (died 1897)
Captain Charles Cunningham Boycott was an English land agent whose ostracism by his local community in Ireland gave the English language the term boycott. He had served in the British Army 39th Foot, which brought him to Ireland. After retiring from the army, Boycott worked as a land agent for Lord Erne, a landowner in the Lough Mask area of County Mayo.
12/03/1824
Gustav Kirchhoff, Russian-German physicist and academic (died 1887)
Gustav Robert Kirchhoff was a German physicist and mathematician who contributed to the fundamental understanding of electrical circuits, spectroscopy, and the emission of black-body radiation by heated objects. He coined the term black body in 1860.
12/03/1823
Katsu Kaishū, Japanese statesman (died 1899)
Count Katsu Yasuyoshi , born Katsu Yoshikuni , best known by his nickname Katsu Kaishū , was a Japanese statesman, naval engineer and military commander during the late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period.
12/03/1821
John Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Canada (died 1893)
Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party.
Medo Pucić, Croatian writer and politician (died 1882)
Orsat "Medo" Pucić, was a Ragusan writer and an important member of the Serb-Catholic movement in Dubrovnik.
12/03/1815
Louis-Jules Trochu, French military leader and politician (died 1896)
Louis-Jules Trochu was a French military leader and politician. He served as President of the Government of National Defense—France's de facto head of state—from 4 September 1870 until his resignation on 22 January 1871.
12/03/1807
James Abbott, Indian Army officer (died 1896)
General Sir James Abbott, was an English military officer in the Bengal Army and an administrator in British India. The city of Abbottabad, in present day Pakistan, was founded by and subsequently named after him.
12/03/1806
Jane Pierce, American wife of Franklin Pierce, 15th First Lady of the United States (died 1863)
Jane Means Pierce was the first lady of the United States from 1853 to 1857, being married to Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States. Born in Hampton, New Hampshire, she married Pierce, then a congressman, in 1834 despite her family's misgivings. She refused to live in Washington, D.C., and in 1842, she convinced her husband to retire from politics. He sought the Democratic presidential nomination without her knowledge in 1852 and was elected president later that year. Their only surviving son, Benjamin, was killed in a train accident before Franklin's inauguration, sending Jane into a deep depression that afflicted her for the rest of her life. Pierce was a reclusive first lady, spending the first two years of her husband's presidency mourning her son. Her duties at this time were often fulfilled by Abby Kent-Means. After Franklin's presidency, they traveled abroad for two years before settling in Massachusetts. She died of tuberculosis in 1863.
12/03/1795
William Lyon Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian journalist and politician, 1st Mayor of Toronto (died 1861)
William Lyon Mackenzie was a Scottish-born Canadian-American journalist and politician. He founded newspapers critical of the Family Compact, a term used to identify the establishment of Upper Canada. He represented York County in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada and aligned with Reformers. He led the rebels in the Upper Canada Rebellion; after its defeat, he unsuccessfully rallied American support for an invasion of Upper Canada as part of the Patriot War. Although popular for criticising government officials, he failed to implement most of his policy objectives. He is one of the most recognizable Reformers of the early 19th century.
George Tyler Wood, American military officer and politician (died 1858)
George Tyler Wood was an American military officer and politician who served as the second governor of Texas.
12/03/1784
William Buckland, English geologist and paleontologist; Dean of Westminster (died 1856)
William Buckland DD, FRS was an English theologian, geologist and palaeontologist.
12/03/1781
Frederica of Baden, Queen consort to Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (died 1826)
Frederica of Baden was Queen of Sweden from 1797 to 1809 as the consort of King Gustav IV Adolf.
12/03/1766
Claudius Buchanan, Scottish theologian (died 1815)
Claudius Buchanan FRSE was a Scottish theologian, an ordained minister of the Church of England, and an evangelical missionary for the Church Missionary Society. He served as Vice Provost of the College of Calcutta in India.
12/03/1753
Jean Denis, French politician, lawyer, jurist, journalist, and historian (died 1827)
Jean Denis, comte Lanjuinais, was a French politician, lawyer, jurist, journalist, and historian.
12/03/1735
François-Emmanuel Guignard, comte de Saint-Priest, French politician and diplomat (died 1821)
François-Emmanuel Guignard, comte de Saint-Priest, was a French politician and diplomat during the Ancien Régime and French Revolution.
12/03/1710
Thomas Arne, English composer (died 1778)
Thomas Augustine Arne was an English composer of the late Baroque and early Classical periods. He is known for his patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!" and the song "A-Hunting We Will Go", the latter composed for a 1777 production of The Beggar's Opera, which has since become popular as a folk song and a nursery rhyme. Arne was a leading British theatre composer of the 18th century, working at the West End's Drury Lane and Covent Garden. He wrote many operatic entertainments for the London theatres and pleasure gardens, as well as concertos, sinfonias and sonatas.
12/03/1685
George Berkeley, Irish bishop and philosopher (died 1753)
George Berkeley, known as Bishop Berkeley, was an Anglo-Irish philosopher, writer, and clergyman who is regarded as the founder of immaterialism, a philosophical theory he developed which later came to be known as subjective idealism. He has also been called "the father of idealism" by German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. Berkeley played a leading role in the empiricism movement and was one of its pioneers. He was among the most cited philosophers of 18th-century Europe, and his works deeply influenced later thinkers such as Immanuel Kant and David Hume.
12/03/1672
Richard Steele, Irish-Welsh journalist and politician (died 1729)
Sir Richard Steele was an Anglo-Irish writer, playwright and politician best known as the co-founder of the magazine The Spectator alongside his close friend Joseph Addison.
12/03/1637
Anne Hyde, Duchess of York and Albany (died 1671)
Anne Hyde was the first wife of James, Duke of York, who later became King James II and VII.
12/03/1626
John Aubrey, English historian and philosopher (died 1697)
John Aubrey was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He was a pioneer archaeologist, who recorded numerous megalithic and other field monuments in southern England, and who is particularly noted for his systematic examination of the Avebury henge monument. The Aubrey holes at Stonehenge are named after him, although there is considerable doubt as to whether the holes that he observed are those that currently bear the name. He was also a pioneer folklorist, collecting together a miscellany of material on customs, traditions and beliefs under the title "Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme". He set out to compile county histories of both Wiltshire and Surrey, although both projects remained unfinished. His "Interpretation of Villare Anglicanum" was the first attempt to compile a full-length study of English place-names. He had wider interests in applied mathematics and astronomy, and was friendly with many of the greatest scientists of the day.
12/03/1613
André Le Nôtre, French gardener and architect (died 1700)
André Le Nôtre, originally rendered as André Le Nostre, was a French landscape architect and the principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France. He was the landscape architect who designed the gardens of the Palace of Versailles; his work represents the height of the French formal garden style, or jardin à la française.
12/03/1607
Paul Gerhardt, German poet and composer (died 1676)
Paulus or Paul Gerhardt was a German theologian, Lutheran pastor and hymnodist, considered Germany's greatest hymn writer. His songs and hymns were published in contemporary hymnals such as Praxis pietatis melica, and are still part of modern hymnals. Hymn stanzas by him feature prominently in Bach's Passions and the Christmas Oratorio.
12/03/1515
Caspar Othmayr, German Lutheran pastor and composer (died 1553)
Caspar Othmayr was a German Lutheran pastor and composer.
12/03/1270
Charles, Count of Valois (died 1325)
Charles, Count of Valois, was a member of the House of Capet and founder of the House of Valois, which ruled over France from 1328 to 1589. He was the fourth son of King Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon.