Born on Sunday, 11th May – Famous Birthdays
On this day, 113 notable people were born on 11th May — spanning from 1571 to 2006. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.
Sunday, 11th May 2025 marks a significant date in the calendar of notable births spanning multiple centuries and disciplines. Among those born on this day was Andrés Iniesta, the Spanish footballer who emerged as one of Europe’s most influential midfielders during his career with Barcelona and Juventus. The date also coincides with the birth of Konsta Helenius in 2006, a Finnish ice hockey player who represents the Nordic sporting tradition. European talent features prominently throughout the historical record of births on this date, with contributions to music, science, athletics and the arts well represented across generations.
The list extends back through time to include figures of considerable historical importance. Spanish artist Salvador Dalí, born on this date in 1904, became a defining figure of the Surrealist movement and left an indelible mark on twentieth-century art. Richard Feynman, born in 1918, established himself as a physicist and engineer of exceptional calibre, earning recognition that extended well beyond academic circles. These individuals exemplify the diverse achievements associated with births on this particular day across different eras and nationalities.
Contemporary sports continue the tradition of notable figures emerging on 11th May, with athletes in ice hockey, football, tennis and basketball all represented among recent births. The range of professions and disciplines demonstrates how this date has consistently produced individuals who would go on to achieve recognition within their respective fields. Whether in athletics, entertainment, science or the creative arts, those born on this day have contributed substantially to their chosen endeavours and broader cultural landscapes.
DayAtlas provides comprehensive information about weather on this day, historical events, famous births and deaths for any date and location worldwide, offering users a detailed historical perspective on any calendar date they wish to explore.
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11/05/2006
Konsta Helenius, Finnish ice hockey player
Konsta Helenius is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 14th overall by the Sabres in the 2024 NHL entry draft.
11/05/2003
Fermín López, Spanish footballer
Fermín López Marín is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team.
11/05/2000
Yūki Tsunoda, Japanese racing driver
Yuki Tsunoda is a Japanese racing driver who serves as a reserve driver in Formula One for Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls. Tsunoda competed in Formula One from 2021 to 2025.
Wang Chuqin, Chinese table tennis player
Wang Chuqin is a Chinese professional table tennis player, Olympic champion, and World Champion. He is currently ranked world No.1 in men's singles.
11/05/1999
Sabrina Carpenter, American singer and actress
Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She first gained prominence starring as Maya Hart on the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World (2014–2017). She signed with the Disney-owned Hollywood Records and achieved limited success with studio albums Eyes Wide Open (2015), Evolution (2016), Singular: Act I (2018), and Singular: Act II (2019).
11/05/1998
Viktória Kužmová, Slovak tennis player
Viktória Hrunčáková is a Slovak professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as No. 43 in singles and No. 27 in doubles in the world by the WTA. Hrunčáková has won five doubles titles on the WTA Tour and 26 titles on the ITF Circuit. She also ended runner-up at the Premier-level 2019 St. Petersburg Trophy and at the 2021 Yarra Valley Classic in doubles, along with Anna Kalinskaya. With the Slovakia team, she contributed to achieve for the first time the final for her country at 2024 Billie Jean King Cup, losing only in the final to Italian Lucia Bronzetti.
11/05/1997
Coi Leray, American rapper and singer
Coi Leray Collins is an American rapper and singer. The daughter of rapper and media executive Benzino, she began her musical career in 2018 with the release of her debut mixtape, Everythingcoz. She signed with Republic Records to release her second mixtape EC2 (2019) and debut extended play, Now or Never (2020). In 2021, the Lil Durk remix of her song "No More Parties" peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Lana Condor, American actress
Lana Therese Condor is an American actress and YouTuber. She made her acting debut starring as Jubilee in the superhero film X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), and gained international recognition for portraying Lara Jean Covey in the romantic comedy To All the Boys film series (2018–2021). She has also portrayed Saya Kuroki in the television series Deadly Class and Koyomi in the film Alita: Battle Angel, and voiced the titular character in the animated teen comedy film Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023).
11/05/1996
Adin Hill, Canadian ice hockey player
Adin Hill is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hill was selected by the Arizona Coyotes, 76th overall, in the 2015 NHL entry draft. He has also played with the San Jose Sharks. As their starting goaltender, Hill won the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023.
11/05/1995
Gelson Martins, Portuguese footballer
Gelson Dany Batalha Martins is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Super League Greece club Olympiacos.
Sachia Vickery, American tennis player
Sachia Vickery is an American professional tennis player. She reached a career-high of No. 73 in the WTA rankings on July 30, 2018. Vickery, a former USTA junior national champion, has also won three singles and three doubles titles on the ITF Circuit.
Shira Haas, Israeli actress
Shira Haas is an Israeli actress. She first rose to local prominence for her role in the television series Shtisel (2013–2021). Her international breakthrough came with her portrayal of Esther "Esty" Shapiro in the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox (2020), for which she received Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations, becoming the first Israeli actress to be nominated for the latter.
11/05/1994
Hagos Gebrhiwet, Ethiopian runner
Hagos Gebrhiwet Berhe is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 5,000 m at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He won the gold medal in the 5 km at the 2023 World Road Running Championships. He has also won silver and bronze medals at the World Athletics Championships.
Nene Macdonald, Papua New Guinean rugby league player
Nene Macdonald is a Papua New Guinean professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger or centre for St Helens in the Super League, and Papua New Guinea at international level.
11/05/1993
Maurice Harkless, American-Puerto Rican basketball player
Maurice José "Moe" Harkless is an American-Puerto Rican professional basketball player for the Criollos de Caguas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm before being drafted 15th overall, after his freshman season, in the 2012 NBA draft. Harkless has represented the Puerto Rican national team internationally.
Miguel Sanó, Dominican baseball player
Miguel Ángel Jean Sanó is a Dominican professional baseball first baseman and third baseman for the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels. He made his MLB debut in 2015, and was an All-Star in 2017. He is currently playing winter baseball for the Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Professional Baseball League.
11/05/1992
Thibaut Courtois, Belgian footballer
Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Belgium national team. Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he is known for his reflexes, acrobatic saves, and command of the penalty area.
Pablo Sarabia, Spanish footballer
Pablo Sarabia García is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Qatar Stars League club Al-Arabi. Mainly an attacking midfielder, he can also play as a right winger.
Bobi, Portuguese Rafeiro do Alentejo, oldest recorded dog (died 2023)
Bobi was a male purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo dog cared for by Leonel Costa of Conqueiros, Leiria, Portugal. Bobi was claimed by his caretaker to be the oldest dog to ever live and the first dog on record to reach 30 years. On 2 February 2023, Bobi was certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest living dog, along with being the oldest dog on record to ever live. However, after veterinarians became suspicious of his real age, an investigation was pursued. Once his records were revoked, he was stripped of the title. Bobi died on 21 October 2023, reportedly aged 31 years and 163 days.
11/05/1989
Giovani dos Santos, Mexican footballer
Giovani dos Santos Ramírez is a Mexican former professional footballer. A versatile forward, dos Santos played as an attacking midfielder, winger, and secondary striker.
Cam Newton, American football player
Cameron Jerrell Newton is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is second in career quarterback rushing touchdowns and third in career quarterback rushing yards. Following a stint with the Florida Gators, Newton played college football for the Auburn Tigers, winning the Heisman Trophy and the 2011 BCS National Championship Game as a junior. He was selected first overall by the Panthers in the 2011 NFL draft.
11/05/1988
Jeremy Maclin, American football player
Jeremy Maclin is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, twice earning consensus All-American honors. Maclin was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2014. He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
Brad Marchand, Canadian ice hockey player
Brad Marchand is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a left winger for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Boston Bruins selected Marchand in the third round, 71st overall, of the 2006 NHL entry draft.
11/05/1987
Lim Seul-ong, South Korean singer and actor
Lim Seul-ong, also known by the mononym Seulong, is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as a singer in 2008 as a member of the K-pop boyband 2AM. He made his acting debut in 2010 in the Korean drama Personal Taste and also had a role in the series Hogu’s Love (2015).
11/05/1986
Abou Diaby, French footballer
Vassiriki Abou Diaby is a French former professional footballer. He played primarily in a box to box role, adept at both attacking and defending, and was described as a player who was "languid, elusive, and athletic" that could either "dribble past opponents or slip passes to team-mates". Of Ivorian descent, Diaby also possessed "superb touch" and "excellent close control". Diaby's career was hampered by numerous repetitive injuries, a problem that existed from his time in France.
Miguel Veloso, Portuguese footballer
Miguel Luís Pinto Veloso is a Portuguese former professional footballer. Mainly a defensive midfielder, he could also operate as an attacking left-back.
11/05/1985
Beau Ryan, Australian rugby league player and television host
Beau Ryan is an Australian television and radio presenter and former professional rugby league footballer. He played for the Wests Tigers and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League as a winger, centre and fullback. Ryan is also known for his comedic work on The Footy Show. On 5 June 2014, Ryan announced his immediate retirement whilst on The Footy Show, due to a neck injury. Ryan released a single, "Where You From?" featuring Justice Crew on 19 September 2014.
11/05/1984
Andrés Iniesta, Spanish footballer
Andrés Iniesta Luján is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and spent most of his career at La Liga club Barcelona. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, he was lauded for his balance, ball control and agility in close spaces, combined with his skill, composure, and flair on the ball.
11/05/1983
Matt Leinart, American football player
Matthew Stephen Leinart is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans, winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the team to a perfect season as a junior. Selected 10th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2006 NFL draft, Leinart primarily served as Kurt Warner's backup for four seasons. He spent his final three seasons in a backup role for the Houston Texans and the Oakland Raiders. Leinart was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
Steven Sotloff, American-Israeli journalist (died 2014)
Steven Joel Sotloff was an American-Israeli journalist. In August 2013, he was kidnapped in Aleppo, Syria, and held captive by militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). On September 2, 2014, ISIS released a beheading video, showing one of its members beheading Sotloff. Following Sotloff's beheading, U.S. President Barack Obama stated that the United States would take action to "degrade and destroy" ISIS. President Obama also signed an Executive Order dated June 24, 2015, in the presence of the Sotloff family and other hostage families, overhauling how the U.S. handles American hostages held abroad by groups such as ISIS.
Holly Valance, Australian actress, singer and model
Holly Rachel Candy, known professionally as Holly Valance, is an Australian and British actress, singer, model, and a right-wing political commentator.
11/05/1982
Cory Monteith, Canadian actor and singer (died 2013)
Cory Allan Michael Monteith was a Canadian actor and musician. He made his acting debut in the television series Stargate Atlantis (2004), and had other roles in shows including Smallville (2005), and Supernatural (2005). During his career, he starred in over eighteen dramas and seventeen films, with Monte Carlo (2011), Final Destination 3 (2006), and Sisters & Brothers (2011), all becoming commercially successful.
11/05/1981
Lauren Jackson, Australian basketball player
Lauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian former professional basketball player. Arguably the most notable Australian women's basketball player, Jackson has had a decorated career with the Australia women's national basketball team and has had multiple stints in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) between 1997 and 2024. Between 2001 and 2012, she played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
JP Karliak, American actor, voice actor and comedian
John Paul Karliak is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his voice acting as Morph in the television series X-Men '97, Wile E. Coyote in the television series New Looney Tunes, Wolfgang in the video game series Skylanders, and Gargamel and Razamel in the 2025 Smurfs film.
11/05/1978
Laetitia Casta, French model and actress
Laetitia Marie Laure Casta is a French model and actress.
Judy Ann Santos, Filipino actress
Judy Anne Lumagui Santos is a Filipino actress and film producer. Prolific in film and television in the Philippines, and is known for her dramatic and comedic roles in blockbusters and independent films, as well as for her portrayals of oppressed and impoverished women. She has received various accolades, including a Cairo International Film Festival Award, a Fantasporto International Film Festival Award, a Gawad Urian, two Luna Awards, three Metro Manila Film Festival Awards, and three FAMAS Awards.
11/05/1977
Pablo Gabriel García, Uruguayan footballer
Pablo Gabriel García Pérez is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the manager of Cypriot First Division club APOEL.
Victor Matfield, South African rugby player, coach, and sportscaster
Victor Matfield is a South African former professional rugby union player. He played for and captained the South Africa national team (Springboks) as well as the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Bulls franchise in Super Rugby. He is generally considered one of the best locks to have ever played for South Africa and had a long successful partnership with Springbok and Blue Bulls teammate Bakkies Botha.
Bobby Roode, Canadian professional wrestler
Robert Francis Roode Jr. is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he works as a producer.
11/05/1976
Kardinal Offishall, Canadian rapper and record producer/executive
Jason Drew Harrow, better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall, is a Canadian rapper and record producer. Often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", he has been regarded as one of the country's most prominent hip-hop producers during the 2000s and is distinctive for his reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.
11/05/1975
Francisco Cordero, Dominican baseball player
Francisco Javier Cordero is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros from 1999 through 2012, often serving as the closer. On June 1, 2011, Cordero recorded his 300th career save with the Reds, becoming only the 22nd player to reach that mark. He completed his major league career with 329 saves and is a three-time MLB All-Star.
Ziad Jarrah, Lebanese terrorist, September 11 attacks (died 2001)[citation needed]
Ziad Samir Jarrah, also known as Ziad al-Jarrah, was a Lebanese terrorist who was a member of al-Qaeda. During the September 11 attacks in 2001, he was one of 19 al-Qaeda members who hijacked four American commercial flights in an attempt to crash them into national landmarks in the country. Jarrah's group hijacked United Airlines Flight 93, departing Newark, New Jersey, for San Francisco, but they failed to reach their target when the plane crashed.
11/05/1974
Stanley Gene, Papua New Guinean rugby league player
Stanley Gene is a Papua New Guinean former rugby league Kumul player and Assistant Coach of Hull F.C. He previously coached Gateshead Thunder and assistant coach at Hull Kingston Rovers and served as the Papua New Guinea Kumuls head coach in 2010. Having moved to England following an impressive showing for PNG in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup, Gene enjoyed a long career in the British game with spells at Hull Kingston Rovers, Huddersfield Giants, Bradford Bulls, Hull FC and Halifax.
11/05/1970
Harold Ford Jr., American lawyer and politician
Harold Eugene Ford Jr. is an American financial managing director, pundit, author, and former U.S. Congressman who served from 1997 to 2007 in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party from Tennessee's 9th congressional district, centered in Memphis. He is a member of the Ford political family from Memphis, and is the son of former Congressman Harold Ford Sr., who held the same seat for 22 years. In 2006, Ford made an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the retiring Bill Frist. He was also the last chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC).
11/05/1969
Mitch Healey, Australian rugby league player and coach
Mitch Healey is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, who played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
Simon Vroemen, Dutch runner
Simon Frans Vroemen is a Dutch runner, specialising in the steeplechase.
11/05/1967
Alberto García Aspe, Mexican footballer and manager
Alberto García Aspe Mena is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
11/05/1964
Tim Blake Nelson, American actor
Timothy Blake Nelson is an American actor, director, and writer. Described as a "modern character actor", his roles include Delmar O'Donnell in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), Gideon in Minority Report (2002), Doctor Steve Pendanski in Holes (2003), Doctor Jonathan Jacobo in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), Danny Dalton Jr. in Syriana (2005), Samuel Sterns / The Leader in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Richard Schell in Lincoln (2012), the eponymous character of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), and Henry McCarty in Old Henry (2021). He portrayed Wade Tillman / Looking Glass in the HBO limited series Watchmen (2019), for which he received a Critics' Choice Television Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2020.
Bobby Witt, American baseball player
Robert Andrew Witt Sr. is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Cleveland Indians, and Arizona Diamondbacks.
11/05/1963
Natasha Richardson, English actress (died 2009)
Natasha Jane Richardson was an English actress. A member of the Redgrave family, Richardson was a daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director/producer Tony Richardson and a granddaughter of Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. She was married to Liam Neeson.
11/05/1958
Sayuri Kume, Japanese singer-songwriter
Sayuri Kume, also known as Saki Kubota, is a Japanese singer-songwriter whose song Ihojin (1979) sold more than 1.4 million copies and reached number 1 in the Japanese singles chart. The song was used in the "Silk Road" television commercial for Sanyo.
11/05/1957
Mike Nesbitt, Northern Irish journalist and politician
Michael Nesbitt, MLA is a Northern Irish politician and former broadcaster. He has been Minister of Health since 28 May 2024. Nesbitt became Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) on 30 August 2024, following his successful candidacy in the 2024 leadership election, and left the position on 31 January 2026; he had previously served in that role from 2012 to 2017. He has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Strangford since 2011.
11/05/1955
James L. Dolan, American businessman
James Lawrence Dolan is an American businessman, and the executive chairman and chief executive officer of Madison Square Garden Sports and Madison Square Garden Entertainment, and executive chairman of MSG Networks. As the companies' chairman, Dolan oversees all operations within the company and supervises day-to-day operations of its professional sports teams, the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, as well as their regional sports networks, which include MSG Network and MSG Plus. Dolan was previously CEO of Cablevision, founded by his father, until its sale in June 2016 to European telecom conglomerate Altice.
11/05/1954
John Gregory, English footballer and manager
John Charles Gregory is an English former football player and manager. He last served as the head coach of Super League Kerala side Malappuram.
11/05/1951
Ed Stelmach, Canadian farmer and politician, 13th Premier of Alberta
Edward Michael Stelmach is a Canadian politician who served as the 13th premier of Alberta, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and fluently speaks the distinctive Canadian dialect of Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a farmer, except for some time spent studying at the University of Alberta. His first foray into politics was a 1986 municipal election, when he was elected to Lamont County council. A year into his term, he was appointed reeve. He continued in this position until his entry into provincial politics.
11/05/1950
Jeremy Paxman, English journalist and author
Jeremy Dickson Paxman is an English former broadcaster, journalist and author, born in Yorkshire.
Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Indian actor (died 2014)
Sadashiv Dattatray Amrapurkar was an Indian actor, best known for his performances in Marathi and Hindi films from 1983 to 2013. He acted in more than 300 movies in Hindi, Marathi, and other regional languages. Amrapurkar played a negative role against Dharmendra in Anil Sharma's first successful film Hukumat in 1987.
11/05/1948
Nirj Deva, British politician
Niranjan Joseph De Silva Deva Aditya, known as Nirj Deva, is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as a Member of the European Parliament for South East England from 1999 to 2019. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the British House of Commons from 1992 to 1997, for the seat of Brentford and Isleworth.
Pam Ferris, Welsh actress
Pamela Ferris is a German-born Welsh actress. She starred in the British television series Connie (1985), The Darling Buds of May (1991–1993), Where the Heart Is (1997–2000), Rosemary & Thyme (2003–2006), and Call the Midwife. In film, she played Miss Trunchbull in Matilda (1996). For her role as Peggy Snow in Where the Heart Is, Ferris was nominated three times for Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards.
11/05/1947
Butch Trucks, American drummer (died 2017)
Claude Hudson "Butch" Trucks was an American drummer. He was best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Trucks was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida.
11/05/1945
Hilda Pérez Carvajal, Venezuelan biologist
Hilda Pérez Carvajal is a Venezuelan biologist from the Central University of Venezuela. She was president of the Venezuelan Society of Parasitology at the end of the 1980s. Perez studied at the Central University of Venezuela and graduated with a biology degree in the year 1967. Her undergraduate thesis was on E. Coli bacteriophages. Pérez is most known for the research she did on Malaria and Leishmania's in Venezuela.
11/05/1943
Nancy Greene, Canadian skier and politician
Nancy Catherine Greene Raine is a former Canadian Senator for British Columbia and an Olympic alpine champion voted as Canada's Female Athlete of the 20th Century. She was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Greene Raine won the giant slalom in the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.
11/05/1941
Eric Burdon, English musician
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer and songwriter. He was previously the lead vocalist of the original lineup of the R&B and rock band the Animals and the funk band War. He is currently the lead vocalist of the present day lineup of Eric Burdon & the Animals. Burdon is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, powerful blues-rock voice and is known for his intense stage performances.
Ian Redpath, Australian cricketer and coach (died 2024)
Ian Ritchie Redpath MBE was an Australian international cricketer who played in 66 Test matches and five One Day Internationals between 1964 and 1976. Greg Chappell said he was one of only two players he knew who would kill to get into the Australian Test team, the other being Rod Marsh.
11/05/1937
Ildikó Újlaky-Rejtő, Hungarian Olympic and world champion foil fencer
Ildikó Rejtő is a retired Hungarian two-time Olympic and five-time World Champion foil fencer.
11/05/1934
Jim Jeffords, American lawyer and politician (died 2014)
James Merrill Jeffords was an American lawyer and politician from Vermont. Originally a Republican, he served as a member of the Vermont Senate from 1967 to 1969 and Vermont Attorney General 1969 to 1973. He lost the 1972 Republican primary for governor of Vermont, but in 1974 he won Vermont's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives. He served in the US House from 1975 to 1989, and in 1988 won election to the United States Senate. In 2001, Jeffords left the Republican Party to become an independent and began caucusing with the senate's Democrats. Jeffords served in the Senate from 1989 until 2007.
Jack Twyman, American basketball player (died 2012)
John Kennedy Twyman was an American professional basketball player and sports broadcaster. Twyman is a namesake of the NBA's Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. Twyman was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.
11/05/1933
Louis Farrakhan, American religious leader
Louis Farrakhan is an American religious leader who has been the head of the Nation of Islam (NOI) since 1981, an organization which combines black nationalism and Islamic teachings. Prior to the NOI, Farrakhan was a calypso singer who used the stage name Calypso Gene from 1950 to 1955 and a violinist from 1939 to 1955. The longest-serving NOI leader, he also served as minister of several mosques in Boston and Harlem in the 1950s under the leadership of Elijah Muhammad. Farrakhan is most prominent for antisemitic statements and racist remarks directed at white people.
11/05/1932
Valentino Garavani, Italian fashion designer (died 2026)
Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani, known mononymously as Valentino, was an Italian fashion designer who founded Valentino S.p.A., a luxury fashion house, in 1960 and served as its creative director until 2007. A flamboyant designer noted for his retro pieces and celebrity collaborations, he is regarded as one of the preeminent figures in haute couture.
11/05/1930
Edsger W. Dijkstra, Dutch computer scientist and academic (died 2002)
Edsger Wybe Dijkstra was a Dutch computer scientist, programmer, mathematician, and science essayist.
Basil H. Losten, American Ukrainian Greek Catholic hierarch (died 2024)
Basil Harry Losten was a bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the USA. He was until his death Bishop Emeritus of the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Stamford, Connecticut. He was succeeded by Bishop Paul Patrick Chomnycky.
11/05/1929
Gerhard Klingenberg, Austrian actor (died 2024)
Gerhard Klingenberg was an Austrian actor and stage director, and theatre manager. He was also involved in television productions as an actor, director, and scriptwriter. He was Intendant of the Burgtheater in Vienna from 1971 to 1976, and then of the Schauspielhaus Zürich from 1977 to 1982.
11/05/1927
Bernard Fox, British actor (died 2016)
Bernard Lawson, better known as Bernard Fox, was a Welsh actor. He is remembered for his roles as Dr. Bombay in the comedy fantasy series Bewitched (1964–1972) of which he was the last surviving adult cast member, Colonel Crittendon in the comedy series Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971), Malcolm Merriweather in The Andy Griffith Show (1963–1965), Max in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977), and Archibald Gracie IV in the film Titanic (1997).
Gene Savoy, American explorer, author, and scholar (died 2007)
Douglas Eugene "Gene" Savoy was an American explorer, author, religious leader, and theologian. He served as Head Bishop of the International Community of Christ, Church of the Second Advent from 1971 until his death. Rising to prominence as one of the premier explorers of Peru in the 1960s, he is best known for his claims to have discovered more than 40 lost cities in Peru and is credited with bringing to light a number of Peru’s most important archeological sites, including Vilcabamba, the last refuge of the Incas during the Spanish conquest, and Gran Pajaten, which he named but did not discover.
11/05/1925
Edward J. King, American politician, 66th Governor of Massachusetts (died 2006)
Edward Joseph King was an American politician who served as the 66th governor of Massachusetts from 1979 to 1983. A member of the Democratic Party until 1985, he then became a member of the Republican Party. Elected in the 1978 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, he lost the Democratic primary of the 1982 election to his predecessor Michael Dukakis.
11/05/1924
Antony Hewish, English astronomer and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2021)
Antony Hewish was a British radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974 for his role in the discovery of pulsars. He was also awarded the Eddington Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1969.
11/05/1918
Richard Feynman, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1988)
Richard Phillips Feynman was an American theoretical physicist. He shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics with Julian Schwinger and Shin'ichirō Tomonaga "for their fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics (QED), with deep-ploughing consequences for the physics of elementary particles". He is also known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, and the parton model. Feynman developed a pictorial representation scheme for the mathematical expressions describing the behavior of subatomic particles, which later became known as Feynman diagrams and is widely used.
11/05/1916
Camilo José Cela, Spanish author and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2002)
Camilo José Cela y Trulock, 1st Marquess of Iria Flavia was a Spanish novelist, poet, story writer and essayist associated with the Generation of '36 movement.
11/05/1912
Saadat Hasan Manto, Pakistani author and screenwriter (died 1955)
Saadat Hasan Manto NI was a Pakistani writer, playwright and novelist from Punjab, who is regarded as the greatest short-story author in Urdu literature. He was active from 1933 during British rule till his death in 1955 after independence.
11/05/1911
Phil Silvers, American actor and comedian (died 1985)
Phil Silvers was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly 60 years. He achieved major popularity when he starred in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S. Army post in which he played Master Sergeant Ernest (Ernie) Bilko. He also starred in the films It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966). He was a winner of two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on The Phil Silvers Show and two Tony Awards for his performances in Top Banana and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He also wrote the original lyrics to the jazz standard "Nancy ".
11/05/1907
Rip Sewell, American baseball player and coach (died 1989)
Truett Banks "Rip" Sewell was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played 13 years in the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers (1932) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1938–1949). Sewell was selected four times to the National League All-Star team (1943–1946) and is credited with inventing the "Eephus pitch."
11/05/1905
Lise de Baissac, Mauritian SOE agent, war hero (died 2004)
Lise Marie Jeanette de Baissac MBE CdeG, code names Odile and Marguerite, was a Mauritian agent in the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization in France during World War II. The purpose of SOE was to conduct espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in countries occupied by the Axis powers, especially Nazi Germany. SOE agents allied themselves with resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from England.
Catherine Bauer Wurster, American architect and public housing advocate (died 1964)
Catherine Krouse Bauer Wurster was an American public housing advocate and educator of city planners and urban planners. A leading member of the "housers," a group of planners who advocated affordable housing for low-income families, she dramatically changed social housing practice and law in the United States. Wurster's influential book Modern Housing was published by Houghton Mifflin Company in 1934 and is regarded as a classic in the field.
11/05/1904
Salvador Dalí, Spanish artist (died 1989)
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí de Púbol, known as Salvador Dalí, was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in his work.
11/05/1903
Charlie Gehringer, American baseball player and manager (died 1993)
Charles Leonard Gehringer, nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played for the Detroit Tigers for 19 seasons from 1924 to 1942. He compiled a .320 career batting average with 2,839 hits and 1,427 runs batted in (RBIs). He had seven seasons with more than 200 hits and was the starting second baseman and played every inning of the first six All Star Games. He won the American League batting title in 1937 with a .371 average and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award. He helped lead the Tigers to three American League pennants and the 1935 World Series championship.
11/05/1901
Rose Ausländer, poet and author (died 1988)
Rose Ausländer was a Jewish poet writing in German and English. Born in Czernowitz in the Bukovina, she lived through its tumultuous history of belonging to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kingdom of Romania, and eventually the Soviet Union. Rose Ausländer spent her life in several countries: Austria-Hungary, Romania, the United States, and West Germany.
Gladys Rockmore Davis, American painter (died 1967)
Gladys Rockmore Davis was an American artist who worked in both commercial and fine arts. She gave up a career in advertising art to work in creative painting. Her work in pastels ranks with her oils, and her chief subjects are children, nudes, and still lifes. She also painted ballet dancers, vignettes of liberated Paris, and scenes of Spain. An art critic once called Davis "the ten-year wonder of United States art". Her husband Floyd Davis and her son Noel Rockmore were well-known artists as well.
11/05/1897
Robert E. Gross, American businessman (died 1961)
Robert Ellsworth Gross was an American businessman involved in the field of aviation. His first venture, the Viking Flying Boat Company, failed with the loss of the aircraft market brought on by the Great Depression. He was also credited with naming Bell Aircraft’s P-39 as the “AiraCobra”.
11/05/1896
Josip Štolcer-Slavenski, Croatian composer and academic (died 1955)
Josip Štolcer-Slavenski was a Croatian composer and professor at the Music Academy in Belgrade.
11/05/1895
Jacques Brugnon, French tennis player (died 1978)
Jacques Marie Stanislas Jean Brugnon, nicknamed "Toto", was a French tennis player, one of the famous "Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He was born in and died in Paris.
Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher and speaker (died 1986)
Jiddu Krishnamurti was an Indian spiritual figure, speaker, and writer. Adopted by members of the Theosophical Society as a child, Krishnamurti was raised to fill the mantle of the prophesied World Teacher, a role tasked with aiding humankind's spiritual evolution. In 1922, he began to suffer from painful, seizure-like mystical episodes that would produce a lasting change in his perception of reality. In 1929, he broke from the Theosophy movement and disbanded the Order of the Star in the East which had been formed around him. He spent the rest of his life speaking to groups and individuals around the world, hoping to contribute a radical transformation of mankind.
William Grant Still, American composer and conductor (died 1978)
William Grant Still Jr. was an American composer of nearly two hundred works, including five symphonies, four ballets, nine operas, and more than thirty choral works, art songs, chamber music, and solo works. Born in Mississippi and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Still attended Wilberforce University and Oberlin Conservatory of Music as a student of George Whitefield Chadwick and then as a student of Edgard Varèse. Because of his close association and collaboration with prominent African-American literary and cultural figures, Still is considered to be part of the Harlem Renaissance.
11/05/1894
Martha Graham, American dancer and choreographer (died 1991)
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer responsible for creating the Graham technique.
11/05/1890
Willie Applegarth, English-American sprinter (died 1958)
William Reuben Applegarth was a British track and field athlete and winner of a gold medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 1912 Summer Olympics.
Helge Løvland, Norwegian decathlete (died 1984)
Helge Andreas Løvland was a Norwegian military officer, track and field athlete, sports official and writer. He won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1920 Olympics. Løvland was awarded the Egebergs Ærespris in 1919.
11/05/1889
Paul Nash, British painter (died 1946)
Paul Nash was a British surrealist painter and war artist, as well as a photographer, writer and designer of applied art. Nash was among the most important landscape artists of the first half of the twentieth century. He played a key role in the development of Modernism in English art.
11/05/1888
Irving Berlin, Belarusian-American pianist and composer (died 1989)
Irving Berlin was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Gerald R. Ford in 1977. The broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite stated he "helped write the story of this country, capturing the best of who we are and the dreams that shape our lives".
Willis Augustus Lee, American admiral (died 1945)
Willis Augustus "Ching" Lee Jr. was a vice admiral of the United States Navy during World War II. Lee commanded the American ships during the second night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal and turned back a Japanese invasion force headed for the island. The victory ended Japanese attempts to reinforce their troops on Guadalcanal, and thus marked a turning point in both the Guadalcanal campaign and the Pacific War.
11/05/1881
Al Cabrera, Spanish-Cuban baseball player and manager (died 1964)
Alfredo A. Cabrera was a professional baseball shortstop who played many years in the Cuban League. His nickname was Pájaro, which is Spanish for "Bird."
Jan van Gilse, Dutch composer and conductor (died 1944)
Jan Pieter Hendrik van Gilse was a Dutch composer and conductor. Among his works are five symphonies and the Dutch-language opera Thijl.
Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, and engineer (died 1963)
Theodore von Kármán was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist who worked in aeronautics and astronautics. He was responsible for crucial advances in aerodynamics characterizing supersonic and hypersonic airflow. The human-defined threshold of outer space is named the "Kármán line" in recognition of his work. Kármán is regarded as an outstanding aerodynamic theoretician of the 20th century.
11/05/1875
Harriet Quimby, American pilot and screenwriter (died 1912)
Harriet Quimby was an American pioneering aviator, journalist, and film screenwriter. In 1911, she became the first woman in the United States to receive a pilot's license and in 1912 the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel. Although Quimby died at the age of 37 in a flying accident, she strongly influenced the role of women in aviation.
11/05/1871
Frank Schlesinger, American astronomer and author (died 1943)
Frank Schlesinger was an American astronomer. His work concentrated on using photographic plates rather than direct visual studies for astronomical research.
11/05/1869
Archibald Warden, English tennis player (died 1943)
Archibald Adam Warden was a British tennis player who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics.
11/05/1854
Jack Blackham, Australian cricketer (died 1932)
John McCarthy Blackham was a Test cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia.
11/05/1852
Charles W. Fairbanks, American journalist and politician, 26th United States Vice President (died 1918)
Charles Warren Fairbanks was the 26th vice president of the United States under President Theodore Roosevelt serving from 1905 to 1909. A member of the Republican Party, Fairbanks was previously a senator from Indiana from 1897 to 1905.
11/05/1811
Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel, Swiss politician (died 1893)
Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1864–1872).
Chang and Eng Bunker, Siamese-American showmen, the original conjoined twins (died 1874)
Chang Bunker and Eng Bunker were Siamese-American conjoined twin brothers whose fame propelled the expression "Siamese twins" to become synonymous for conjoined twins in general. They were widely exhibited as curiosities and were "two of the nineteenth century's most studied human beings".
11/05/1797
José Mariano Salas, Mexican general and politician (died 1867)
José Mariano Salas Barbosa was a Mexican soldier and politician who served twice as interim president of Mexico, once in 1846, during the Mexican–American War, and once in 1859 during the Reform War.
11/05/1752
Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, German physician, physiologist, and anthropologist (died 1840): 94
Johann Friedrich Blumenbach was a German medical doctor, naturalist, physiologist, and anthropologist. He is considered to be a main founder of zoology and anthropology as comparative, scientific disciplines. He has been called the "founder of racial classifications".
11/05/1715
Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach, German organist (died 1739)
Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach was a German musician. It is not known whether he composed, and his career as an organist is not in itself notable, but his life throws light on his famous father, Johann Sebastian Bach. Johann Gottfried was the fourth child of Johann Sebastian and Maria Barbara Bach to reach adulthood.
11/05/1578
Sophie Axelsdatter Brahe, Danish noblewoman (died 1646)
Sophie Axelsdatter Brahe was a Danish noblewoman and landowner. She is notable for being the first confirmed owner of Gunhild Cross. She was married to nobleman Holger Rosenkrantz, with whom she had 13 children, and raised 10 of her nieces and nephews, including Anne Gøye. She was also known for her accounting, of which her books are held in the Karen Brahe library, and landowning.
11/05/1571
Niwa Nagashige, Japanese daimyō (died 1637)
Niwa Nagashige was a Japanese daimyō who served the Oda clan. Nagashige was the eldest son of Niwa Nagahide and married the 5th daughter of Oda Nobunaga. He took part in his first campaign in 1583, assisting his father in the Battle of Shizugatake against Shibata Katsuie. In 1584, the Battle of Nagakute, at the age of thirteen, Nagashige led a troop of the Niwa clan in place of his father, who was ill.