Born on Sunday, 18th May – Famous Birthdays
On this day, 218 notable people were born on 18th May — spanning from 1048 to 2009. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.
Sunday, 18th May 2025 marks the birthday of several notable figures across entertainment, sport and public service. Alina Zagitova, the Russian figure skater born in 2002, achieved considerable recognition in her discipline, whilst Laura Omloop, a Belgian singer-songwriter born in 1999, has established herself in the music industry. Among historical births, Pope John Paul II was born on this date in 1920, becoming one of the most influential religious figures of the twentieth century. His papacy lasted from 1978 until his death in 2005, during which he travelled extensively and shaped Catholic doctrine on numerous global issues.
The date has also produced accomplished individuals in diverse fields. Niki Terpstra, a Dutch cyclist born in 1984, competed at the highest levels of professional cycling. John Higgins, the Scottish snooker player born in 1975, achieved prominence in competitive snooker through multiple world championships and tournament victories. Further back, Bertrand Russell was born on this date in 1872, becoming a mathematician, historian and philosopher whose contributions to logic and epistemology influenced academic discourse for decades.
On Sunday, 18th May 2025, the moon will be in the full phase, whilst the weather conditions will bring rain and a temperature of twelve degrees Celsius. The date falls under the zodiac sign of Taurus, which governs those born between mid-April and mid-May. Births recorded on this day span from the eleventh century through to the present era, reflecting the wide temporal range of historical documentation.
DayAtlas provides comprehensive information by displaying weather conditions for any given date and location, alongside significant historical events, notable births and deaths. Users can explore these details across centuries to understand what occurred on specific dates throughout history.
Discover who was born today 9th April.
18/05/2009
Hala Finley, American actress
Hala Finley is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in Man with a Plan (2016–2020) as Emme Burns and in We Can Be Heroes (2020) as Ojo.
18/05/2003
Travis Hunter, American football player
Travis Hunter Jr. is an American professional football cornerback and wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Jackson State Tigers and Colorado Buffaloes, winning the Heisman Trophy with the latter in 2024. Known for his two-way playing ability, Hunter is the only player in college football history to win both the Chuck Bednarik and Fred Biletnikoff Awards. He was selected by the Jaguars second overall in the 2025 NFL draft.
18/05/2002
Alina Zagitova, Russian figure skater
Alina Ilnazovna Zagitova is a Russian former competitive figure skater. She is the 2018 Olympic champion, the 2019 World champion, the 2018 European champion, 2017–18 Grand Prix Final champion, and the 2018 Russian national champion. She also won a silver medal in the team event at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Earlier in her career, she won gold at the 2017 World Junior Championships and at the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final.
18/05/2001
Emma Navarro, American tennis player
Emma Navarro is an American professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of No. 8 by the WTA, achieved on September 9, 2024, and a doubles ranking of No. 93, achieved on August 12, 2024. Navarro has won two singles titles on the WTA Tour, and reached a major semifinal at the 2024 US Open.
18/05/2000
Ryan Sessegnon, English footballer
Kouassi Ryan Sessegnon is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back, left midfielder, or left winger for Premier League club Fulham.
Steven Sessegnon, English footballer
Zeze Steven Sessegnon is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder for EFL League One club Wigan Athletic.
18/05/1999
Laura Omloop, Belgian singer-songwriter
Laura Omloop is a Belgian pop singer who represented her country in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Kyiv, Ukraine, finishing in fourth place. Omloop sang the song "Zo verliefd", which contains yodeling. This was Belgium's best result in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
18/05/1998
Polina Edmunds, American figure skater
Polina Edmunds Bast is a retired American figure skater. She is the 2015 Four Continents champion, the 2014 CS U.S. Classic champion, and a two-time U.S. national silver medalist. She represented the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, finishing 9th.
18/05/1993
Stuart Percy, Canadian ice hockey player
Stuart Percy is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for HC Vítkovice Ridera in the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He was selected 25th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Jessica Watson, Australian sailor
Jessica Rose Watson is an Australian sailor who was awarded The Medal of the Order of Australia after attempting a solo circumnavigation at the age of 16 from 18 October 2009 to 15 May 2010. Although she circled the planet, she did it in a narrow range of latitudes that resulted in her voyage falling short of the distance criterion of 21,600 nautical miles (40,000 km) for a circumnavigation – the equivalent of the circumference of the Earth at the equator – by nearly 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km); Watson was nevertheless named 2011 Young Australian of the Year and awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2012 for "...service to sailing and to youth through the achievement of sailing solo and unassisted around the world [sic], and as a role model for young Australians". As of November 2022, she resides in Melbourne. Netflix produced a film, True Spirit (2023), about Watson's voyage.
18/05/1992
Adwoa Aboah, British fashion model
Adwoa Caitlin Maria Aboah is a British fashion model and actress. In December 2017 she appeared on the cover of British Vogue. She has also been on the cover of American Vogue, Vogue Italia, Vogue Poland, and i-D. In 2017, the fashion industry voted her as Model of the Year for models.com. She is the founder of Gurls Talk, a platform that provides resources and a safe space for young women and girls to discuss Mental Health.
18/05/1990
Dimitri Daeseleire, Belgian footballer
Dimitri Daeseleire is a retired Belgian football player who played as a right back. He is currently manager of Londerzeel in the Belgian Division 3.
Yuya Osako, Japanese footballer
Yuya Osako is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for J1 League club Vissel Kobe.
Josh Starling, Australian rugby league player
Josh Starling is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League and his position was prop.
18/05/1988
Taeyang, South Korean singer
Dong Young-bae, better known by his stage name Taeyang or SOL, is a South Korean singer and songwriter. He made his debut in 2006 as a member of the South Korean boy band BigBang. Following the release of several albums and extended plays with his group, Taeyang pursued a solo career in 2008, releasing his first extended play, Hot. The EP was acclaimed by critics and went to win the award for Best R&B & Soul Album at the 6th Korean Music Awards. Hot was followed by his first full-length studio album Solar (2010), which was released in July 2010 and peaked atop the Gaon Album Chart.
18/05/1986
Kevin Anderson, South African tennis player
Kevin Michael Anderson is a South African former professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking of world No. 5 on 16 July 2018. He was the first South African to be ranked in the top 5 since Kevin Curren was No. 5 on 23 September 1985.
18/05/1985
Oliver Sin, Hungarian painter
Oliver Sin is a Hungarian artist.
Henrique Sereno, Portuguese footballer
Henrique Sereno Fonseca, known as Sereno, is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a central defender.
18/05/1984
Ivet Lalova, Bulgarian sprinter
Ivet Miroslavova Lalova-Collio, née Lalova, is a retired Bulgarian athlete who specialised in the 100 metres and 200 metres sprint events. She is the 13th-fastest woman in the history of the 100 metres. She finished fourth in the 100 metres and fifth in the 200 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Her career was interrupted for two years between June 2005 and May 2007 due to a leg injury sustained in a collision with another athlete. In June 2012 she won gold at the 2012 European Athletics Championships in the Women's 100 metres. In July 2016 she won two silver medals at the 2016 European Athletics Championships in both the Women's 100 and 200 metres. She has participated in five editions of the Olympic Games.
Simon Pagenaud, French race car driver
Simon Pierre Michel Pagenaud is a French former professional racing driver, who last drove the No. 60 Honda for Meyer Shank Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series. After a successful career in sports car racing that saw him taking the top class championship title in the 2010 American Le Mans Series, he moved to the Indycar Series where he became the 2016 IndyCar champion and the 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner, becoming the first driver born in France to win the Indianapolis 500 since Gaston Chevrolet in 1920 and the first polesitter to have won the race since Helio Castroneves in 2009.
Darius Šilinskis, Lithuanian basketball player
Darius Šilinskis is a former professional Lithuanian basketball center, who last played for NKL's JAZZ-Diremta. He is 2.16 m tall and weights 118 kg. In his early professional career he had couple stints with Žalgiris Kaunas.
Joakim Soria, Mexican baseball player
Joakim Agustín Soria Ramos is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays from 2007 to 2021.
Niki Terpstra, Dutch cyclist
Niki Terpstra is a Dutch former racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2022 for six different teams. He is the brother of fellow racing cyclist Mike Terpstra. He is the third Dutch cyclist to have won both of the cobbled Monument spring classics, Paris–Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, after Jan Raas and Hennie Kuiper.
18/05/1983
Gary O'Neil, English footballer
Gary Paul O'Neil is an English football manager and former player who is currently head coach of Ligue 1 club Strasbourg.
Luis Terrero, Dominican baseball player
Luis Enrique Terrero Gomez is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago White Sox, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Vince Young, American football player
Vincent Paul Young Jr. is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons, primarily with the Tennessee Titans. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, winning the Maxwell, Davey O'Brien, and Manning awards in 2005 en route to a victory in the 2006 Rose Bowl. Young was selected by the Titans third overall in the 2006 NFL draft.
18/05/1982
Jason Brown, English footballer
Jason Roy Brown is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He began his career at Gillingham where he made over 100 appearances, before joining up with Premier League side Blackburn Rovers in 2006. Born in England, was capped three times for Wales after making his debut in 2006.
Marie-Ève Pelletier, Canadian tennis player
Marie-Ève Pelletier is a Canadian former professional tennis player. She reached career-high rankings by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) of 106 in singles and 54 in doubles.
18/05/1981
Mahamadou Diarra, Malian international footballer
Mahamadou Diarra is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He served as captain for the Mali national team.
Ashley Harrison, Australian rugby league player
Ashley Harrison is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a lock in the 2000s and 2010s.
18/05/1980
Reggie Evans, American basketball player
Reginald Jamaal Evans is an American former professional basketball player who last played in the Big3 League. A Power forward, Evans played 13 seasons in the NBA with seven teams. Evans was known for his rebounding, tenacity and hustle on the defensive end.
Michaël Llodra, French tennis player
Michaël Llodra is a French former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 3 in men's doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), winning 26 career doubles titles, including three majors and an Olympic silver medal. Llodra also had success in singles, winning five career titles and with victories over Novak Djokovic, Juan Martín del Potro, Tomáš Berdych, Robin Söderling, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nikolay Davydenko, Janko Tipsarević and John Isner. Llodra has been called "the best volleyer on tour."
Diego Pérez, Uruguayan footballer
Diego Fernando Pérez Aguado, nicknamed "Ruso", is a Uruguayan football manager and former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He has played 89 matches for the Uruguay national football team, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2011 editions of the Copa América. He is currently the manager of Uruguay A' and Uruguay under-18 national teams.
18/05/1979
Jens Bergensten, Swedish video game designer, co-designed Minecraft
Jens Peder Bergensten, known professionally as Jeb, is a Swedish video game programmer and designer. He is best known as the lead designer of Minecraft, and is the chief creative officer of Mojang Studios. In 2013, he, along with Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson, was named as one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world. As an employee of Mojang Studios, he had been co-developing Minecraft with Persson since 2010, became the lead designer in 2011, and assumed full control in 2014, when Persson left the company after its acquisition.
Mariusz Lewandowski, Polish footballer
Mariusz Lewandowski is a Polish professional football manager and former player. He was most recently in charge of Polish I liga club Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza.
Michal Martikán, Slovak slalom canoeist
Michal Martikán is a Slovak slalom canoeist who has been competing at the international level since 1994. In 1996 he became the first athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for Slovakia since the country gained independence in 1993. In total he won 5 Olympic medals, which is the most among all slalom paddlers. He has also won the World Championship title in the C1 individual category four times.
Milivoje Novaković, Slovenian footballer
Milivoje Novaković is a Slovenian retired footballer who played as a forward.
Julián Speroni, Argentinian footballer
Julián Maria Speroni is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
18/05/1978
Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer
Ricardo Alberto Silveira de Carvalho is a Portuguese professional football coach and former player who is currently assistant head coach of the Portugal national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation.
Marcus Giles, American baseball player
Marcus William Giles is an American former Major League Baseball player. He was a second baseman and batted right-handed. His older brother, Brian Giles, was an outfielder who also played in the Major Leagues. Marcus and Brian played together on the 2007 San Diego Padres.
Charles Kamathi, Kenyan runner
Charles Wawerū Kamathi is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He is best known for winning the 10,000 metres distance at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton.
18/05/1977
Lee Hendrie, English footballer
Lee Andrew Hendrie is an English former professional footballer and pundit for Sky Sports.
Danny Mills, English footballer and sportscaster
Daniel John Mills is an English former professional footballer, his main position was right-back, though he could also play as a centre-back.
Li Tie, Chinese footballer and manager
Li Tie is a Chinese former professional football coach and player.
18/05/1976
Ron Mercer, American basketball player
Ronald Eugene Mercer is an American former professional basketball player. After his career at the University of Kentucky, Mercer played for several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA); he ended his career with the New Jersey Nets in 2005.
Marko Tomasović, Croatian pianist and composer
Marko Tomasović is a Croatian composer and songwriter. He has composed and written more than 300 songs. His work has covered various genres. Marko is a member of Croatian Composers' Society, and he was listed as one of the 10 most performed authors in Croatia in 2004.
Oleg Tverdovsky, Ukrainian-Russian ice hockey player
Oleg Fedorovych Tverdovsky is a Russian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played professionally from 1994 to 2013. He was selected 2nd overall by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 1994 NHL entry draft, playing 713 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, and Los Angeles Kings. He won 2 Stanley Cups with the Devils in 2003, and the Hurricanes in 2006.
18/05/1975
Jem, Welsh singer-songwriter and producer
Jemma Gwynne Griffiths, known by her stage name Jem, is a Welsh singer, songwriter, and record producer.
John Higgins, Scottish snooker player
John Higgins is a Scottish professional snooker player from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire. Since turning professional in 1992, he has won 33 ranking titles, placing him in third position on the all-time list of ranking event winners, behind Ronnie O'Sullivan (41) and Stephen Hendry (36). He has won four World Championships, three UK Championships and two Masters titles, for a total of nine Triple Crown titles, behind only O'Sullivan (23), Hendry (18), Steve Davis (15) and Mark Selby (10). He first entered the top 16 in the 1995–96 world rankings and remained there continuously for over 29 years until September 2024, setting a record for the longest uninterrupted tenure as a top-16 player. He reached the world number one position four times.
Jack Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Jack Hody Johnson is an American singer-songwriter. He plays a variety of styles including pop, rock, acoustic, folk, and surf rock.
Ingvild Kjerkol, Norwegian politician
Ingvild Kjerkol is a Norwegian politician. A member of Labour Party, she was elected to the Parliament of Norway from Nord-Trøndelag first time in 2013, and re-elected in 2017 and 2021. She has been a member of the Standing Committee on Transport and Communications, and of the Standing Committee on Health and Care Services. From 2021 to 2024, she served as minister of health and care services.
18/05/1974
Nelson Figueroa, American baseball player and sportscaster
Nelson Figueroa is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, and Houston Astros. Figueroa also played for the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. He featured a fastball topping out at 91 mph, slider, curveball, changeup, and a splitter. He has also worked as a post-game studio analyst for Mets broadcasts.
18/05/1973
Donyell Marshall, American basketball player and coach
Donyell Lamar Marshall is an American basketball coach and former professional player. Drafted with the fourth pick in the 1994 NBA draft, he played for eight different teams during his National Basketball Association (NBA) career which lasted until 2009. In 2005, he hit a then-record 12 three-pointers in a single game.
Aleksandr Olerski, Estonian footballer (died 2011)
Aleksandr Olerski was a football forward from Estonia. His last club was FC Puuma Tallinn.
18/05/1972
Turner Stevenson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Turner Ladd Stevenson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers. He won the Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2003.
18/05/1971
Brad Friedel, American international soccer player, manager and sportscaster
Bradley Howard Friedel is an American professional soccer coach and former player who played as a goalkeeper.
Mark Menzies, Scottish politician
Mark Andrew Menzies is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Fylde in Lancashire from 2010 to 2024. As a member of the Conservative Party, he was the parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Charles Hendry, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, before both were removed in the 2012 British cabinet reshuffle.
Nobuteru Taniguchi, Japanese race car driver
Nobuteru Taniguchi is a Japanese racing driver and drifting driver who currently competes in the Super GT racing series. Taniguchi is commonly nicknamed "NOB" or "The Pimp" as a reference to his S15 Silvia which he is best known for.
18/05/1970
Javier Cárdenas, Spanish singer, television and radio presenter
Francisco Javier Cárdenas Pérez is a Spanish singer, television presenter, and radio presenter.
Tina Fey, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. Known for her comedic roles in sketch comedy, television and film, Fey has received numerous accolades, including ten Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for a Grammy Award and a Tony Award. She appeared on the Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world in both 2007 and 2009 and was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2010.
Tim Horan, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
Tim Horan is an Australian rugby union commentator and former player. He played for the Queensland Reds in the Super 12, and represented Australia. He was one of the best centres in the world throughout the 1990s due to his attacking prowess, formidable defence and playmaking ability. He became one of only 43 players who have won the Rugby World Cup on multiple occasions.
Billy Howerdel, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
William L. Howerdel is an American musician, best known as a founding member, guitarist, backing vocalist, songwriter, and producer for the band A Perfect Circle, as well as for his former solo project, Ashes Divide. Howerdel has recorded six studio albums across his career: four with A Perfect Circle, one under the moniker Ashes Divide, and one under his own name.
Vicky Sunohara, Canadian former ice hockey player
Vicky Sunohara is a Canadian ice hockey coach, former ice hockey player, and three-time Olympic medallist. She has been described as "the Wayne Gretzky of women's hockey" and is recognized as a trailblazer and pioneer for the sport. In 2020, Sunohara was named to "TSN Hockey’s All-Time Women’s Team Canada," in recognition of her status as one of Canada’s best female hockey players of all time. She was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2025.
18/05/1969
Troy Cassar-Daley, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
Troy Cassar-Daley is an Australian country music songwriter and entertainer of Aboriginal heritage. He released his first single, "Dream Out Loud", in 1994, followed by his debut album, Beyond the Dancing, in 1995, and has continued to release music since then, including the platinum-selling The Great Country Songbook (2013) with Adam Harvey. Throughout his career he has received many awards, including ARIA Music Awards, Golden Guitars, Deadly Awards, Country Music Association of Australia Entertainer of the Year awards, and National Indigenous Music Awards.
Martika, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
Marta Marrero, better known professionally as Martika, is an American singer and actress. She rose to prominence as an actress, playing the role of Gloria in the television program Kids Incorporated between 1984 and 1986. Following her appearance in the show, Martika signed a recording contract with Columbia Records, and in October 1988, released her self titled debut album to critical acclaim. It spawned the internationally successful single "Toy Soldiers", which peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. It received similar commercial success in other international territories, and received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Other singles released from the album – "More Than You Know", "I Feel the Earth Move" and "Water" – also achieved commercial success. The album sold over three million copies worldwide.
Antônio Carlos Zago, Brazilian footballer and manager
Antônio Carlos Zago, sometimes known as just Antônio Carlos or simply Zago, is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player who played as a centre back.
18/05/1968
Philippe Benetton, French rugby player
Philippe Benetton is a former French rugby union footballer and currently head coach of Tournon d'Agenais. He played as a flanker.
Ralf Kelleners, German race car driver
Ralf Kelleners is a racing driver from Germany.
18/05/1967
Nina Björk, Swedish journalist and author
Nina Björk is a Swedish writer and a feminist activist. She is most well known for Under det rosa täcket , a feminist book written in 1996.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen, German race car driver
Heinz-Harald Frentzen is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1994 to 2003. Frentzen was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1997 with Williams, and won three Grands Prix across 10 seasons.
Nancy Juvonen, American screenwriter and producer, co-founded Flower Films
Nancy Juvonen is an American film producer. She and Drew Barrymore own the production company Flower Films.
Mimi Macpherson, Australian environmentalist, entrepreneur and celebrity
Mimi Macpherson is an Australian environmentalist, entrepreneur and celebrity.
18/05/1966
Renata Nielsen, Polish-Danish long jumper and coach
Renata Pytelewska-Nielsen, née Renata Pytelewska, is a Polish-born former Danish long jumper.
Michael Tait, American singer-songwriter and producer
Michael DeWayne Tait is an American singer who was active in contemporary Christian music from 1987 to early 2025, mainly as the vocalist for DC Talk, Tait, and Newsboys.
18/05/1964
Ignasi Guardans, Spanish academic and politician
Ignasi Guardans i Cambó is a Spanish former politician, currently an independent figure still present in the Spanish media and public opinion. He is one of the 14 grandsons of Francesc Cambó.
18/05/1963
Marty McSorley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Martin James McSorley is a Canadian former professional hockey player, who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1983 to 2000. A versatile player, he could play both the forward and defense positions. He was also head coach of the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League from 2002 to 2004. He was a valued teammate of Wayne Gretzky when they played together for the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, serving as an enforcer.
Sam Vincent, American basketball player and coach
James Samuel Vincent is an American former professional basketball player, and coach. He currently works as a defensive coach for MBB of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Vincent was Mr. Basketball of Michigan in 1981, before playing with Michigan State, and turned professional after four years of college basketball. He became an NBA champion in 1986 with the Boston Celtics. Vincent began a coaching career in Europe after his retirement.
18/05/1961
Russell Senior, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Russell Senior is a British musician, record producer, and playwright. He is best known as the former guitarist and violinist of Pulp and Venini as well as for his production work with The Long Blondes and Art Brut.
18/05/1960
Brent Ashton, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Brent Kenneth Ashton is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent 14 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1979 and 1993. Despite being a fine goalscoring winger, he was known during his career for being the most-traded player in the history of the NHL, a record since tied by Mike Sillinger.
Jari Kurri, Finnish ice hockey player, coach, and manager
Jari Pekka Kurri is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. Beginning in 1980, he played right wing for five National Hockey League (NHL) teams: the Edmonton Oilers, the Los Angeles Kings, the New York Rangers, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and the Colorado Avalanche. Kurri played 17 seasons in the NHL and was the first Finnish player to be enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame, in 2001. He was a member of a Stanley Cup-winning team five times, all with the Oilers. In 2017, Kurri was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history. He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1985, and was the NHL goal scoring leader in the 1985–86 season.
Yannick Noah, French tennis player
Yannick Noah is a French former professional tennis player and singer, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. Noah won the French Open in 1983, and is a former captain of both France's Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup teams. During his nearly two-decade career, Noah captured 23 singles titles and 16 doubles titles, reaching a career-high singles ranking of world No. 3 in July 1986 and attaining the world No. 1 doubles ranking the following month. Since his retirement from the game, Noah has remained in the public eye as a popular music performer and as the co-founder, with his mother, of a charity organization for underprivileged children. Noah is also the father of former NBA player Joakim Noah.
18/05/1959
Graham Dilley, English cricketer and coach (died 2011)
Graham Roy Dilley was an English international cricketer, whose main role was as a fast bowler. He played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club and Worcestershire County Cricket Clubs, and appeared in 41 Test matches and 36 One Day International (ODIs) for the England cricket team.
Jay Wells, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Gordon Jay Wells is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He was nicknamed "The Hammer" for his tough, physical style of play.
18/05/1958
Rubén Omar Romano, Argentinian-Mexican footballer and coach
Rubén Omar Romano Cachía is an Argentine former footballer and current manager.
Toyah Willcox, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
Toyah Ann Willcox is an English singer-songwriter, actress, and television presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, she has had eight top 40 singles, released more than 20 albums, written two books, appeared in more than 40 stage plays and 10 feature films, and voiced and presented numerous television shows.
18/05/1957
Michael Cretu, Romanian-German keyboard player and producer
Michael Cretu is a Romanian-German musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He gained worldwide fame as the founder and musician behind the musical project Enigma, which he formed in 1990.
Henrietta Moore, English anthropologist and academic
Professor Dame Henrietta L. Moore, is a British social anthropologist and leading global thinker on prosperity. She is the founder and director of the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity, part of the Bartlett, UCL's Faculty of the Built Environment, and Chair in Culture, Philosophy and Design at University College, London,
18/05/1956
Catherine Corsini, French director and screenwriter
Catherine Corsini is a French film director, screenwriter, and actress. Her film Replay was entered into the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. Her 2012 film Three Worlds competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
John Godber, English playwright and screenwriter
John Harry Godber is an English playwright, known mainly for observational comedies. The Plays and Players Yearbook of 1993 rated him the third most performed playwright in the UK after William Shakespeare and Alan Ayckbourn. He has been creative director of the Theatre Royal Wakefield since 2011.
Jim Moginie, Australian guitarist and songwriter
James 'Jim' Moginie is an Australian musician. He is best known for his work with Midnight Oil, of which he was a founding member, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and leading songwriter.
18/05/1955
Chow Yun-fat, Hong Kong actor and screenwriter
Chow Yun-fat SBS, previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker. In a film career spanning more than forty-five years, Chow has appeared in over 100 television drama series and films. Known for his versatility, encompassing action and melodrama, comedy and historical drama, his accolades include three Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actor and two Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor.
18/05/1954
Wreckless Eric, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Eric Goulden, known as Wreckless Eric, is an English rock and new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single "Whole Wide World" on Stiff Records. More than two decades after its release, the song was included in Mojo magazine's list of the best punk rock singles of all time. It was also acclaimed as one of the "top 40 singles of the alternative era 1975–2000".
Eric Gerets, Belgian footballer and manager
Eric Maria Gerets is a Belgian football manager and former player.
18/05/1953
Alan Kupperberg, American author and illustrator (died 2015)
Alan Kupperberg was an American comics artist known for working in both comic books and newspaper strips.
18/05/1952
Diane Duane, American author and screenwriter
Diane Duane is an American science fiction and fantasy author, long based in Ireland. Her works include the Young Wizards young adult fantasy series and the Rihannsu Star Trek novels.
David Leakey, English general and politician
Lieutenant General Arundell David Leakey, is a former British Army officer. He was Director General of the European Union Military Staff in the Council of the European Union, Brussels. In 2010 he was appointed Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, a role he held until February 2018.
George Strait, American singer, guitarist and producer
George Harvey Strait Sr. is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, music producer, and rancher. Strait has sold over tens of million of records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time
Jeana Yeager, American pilot
Jeana Lee Yeager is an American aviator. She co-piloted, along with Dick Rutan, the first non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world in the Rutan Voyager aircraft from December 14 to 23, 1986. The flight took 9 days, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds and covered 24,986 miles (40,211 km), almost doubling the old distance record set by a Boeing B-52 strategic bomber in 1962.
18/05/1951
Richard Clapton, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
Richard Clapton is an Australian singer-songwriter-guitarist and producer. His solo top 20 hits on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart are "Girls on the Avenue" (1975) and "I Am an Island" (1982). He reached the top 20 on the related albums chart with Goodbye Tiger (1977), Hearts on the Nightline (1979), The Great Escape (1982) and The Very Best of Richard Clapton (1982). Clapton's highest-charting album, Music Is Love (1966–1970), peaked at number 3 on the ARIA Chart.
Jim Sundberg, American baseball player and sportscaster
James Howard Sundberg is an American former professional baseball player, television sports analyst, and executive. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1974 to 1989, most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers where he established himself as one of the top defensive catchers of his era. A three-time All-Star player, Sundberg won six consecutive Gold Glove Awards during his tenure with the Rangers. Later in his career, he won a World Series championship as a member of the Kansas City Royals in 1985. He also played for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs. Sundberg was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2003.
Angela Voigt, German long jumper (died 2013)
Angela Voigt, née Schmalfeld was an East German long jumper.
18/05/1950
Rod Milburn, American hurdler and coach (died 1997)
Rodney Milburn Jr. was an American hurdler who won gold at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich in the 110 m hurdles.
Mark Mothersbaugh, American singer-songwriter and painter
Mark Allen Mothersbaugh is an American musician, composer and artist. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, lead vocalist and keyboardist of the new wave band Devo, whose "Whip It" was a top 20 single in the US in 1980, peaking at No. 14, and which has since maintained a cult following. Mothersbaugh was one of the primary composers of Devo's music.
18/05/1949
Walter Hawkins, American gospel music singer and pastor (died 2010)
Walter Lee Hawkins was an American gospel singer, songwriter, composer, and pastor. An influential figure in urban contemporary gospel music, his career spanned more than four decades. Hawkins won one Grammy from a sum of eight nominations.
Rick Wakeman, English progressive rock keyboardist and songwriter
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboardist and composer best known for his multiple tenures in the progressive rock band Yes and for his prolific solo career which has spanned across six decades. His most successful and acclaimed albums are his first three progressive rock concept albums–The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973), the UK number-one Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974), and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975). AllMusic describes Wakeman as a "classically trained keyboardist extraordinaire who plied his trade with Yes and developed his own brand of live spectacular in a solo act."
18/05/1948
Joe Bonsall, American country/gospel singer (died 2024)
Joseph Sloan Bonsall Jr. was an American singer who was tenor vocalist of the Oak Ridge Boys from 1973 to 2023. Besides charting numerous hits as a member of the Oak Ridge Boys, Bonsall had a solo hit guesting with Sawyer Brown on their 1986 single "Out Goin' Cattin'".
Yi Mun-yol, South Korean author and academic
Yi Mun-yol is a South Korean writer. Yi's given name at birth was Yol; the character, Mun, was added after he took up a writing career. His works include novels, short stories and Korean adaptations of classic Chinese novels. An informal count has estimated that over 30 million copies of his books have been sold and, as of 2021, they have been translated into 21 languages. His works have garnered many literary awards and many have been adapted for film and television.
Richard Swedberg, Swedish sociologist and academic
Richard Swedberg is a Swedish sociologist. He is currently professor emeritus at the Department of Sociology at Cornell University.
Tom Udall, American lawyer and politician, 28th New Mexico Attorney General, United States Senator from New Mexico
Thomas Stewart Udall is an American diplomat, attorney, and politician who served as a United States senator for New Mexico from 2009 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he also served as the U.S. representative for New Mexico's 3rd congressional district from 1999 to 2009 and New Mexico attorney general from 1991 to 1999. In 2022, he was made the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, leaving his post in 2025. Born in Tucson, Arizona to the Udall family, he is the son of former U.S. Representative and Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall and the nephew of former U.S. Representative Mo Udall. His cousin is Mark Udall, a Senator for the neighboring state of Colorado from 2009 to 2015.
18/05/1947
John Bruton, Irish politician, 10th Taoiseach of Ireland (died 2024)
John Gerard Bruton was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997 and Leader of Fine Gael from 1990 to 2001. He held cabinet positions between 1981 and 1987, including twice as minister for finance. He was Leader of the Opposition from 1990 to 1994 and 1997 to 2001. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Meath from 1969 to 2004.
18/05/1946
Frank Hsieh, Taiwanese lawyer and politician, 40th Premier of the Republic of China
Frank Hsieh Chang-ting is a Taiwanese politician, diplomat, and former defense attorney who has served as the chairman of the Taiwan–Japan Relations Association since 2026. He was the premier of the Republic of China in the administration of Chen Shui-bian from 2005 to 2006, the mayor of Kaohsiung from 1998 to 2005, and a member of the Legislative Yuan from 1990 to 1996.
Reggie Jackson, American baseball player and sportscaster
Reginald Martinez Jackson is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and California Angels. Jackson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993 in his first year of eligibility.
Gerd Langguth, German political scientist and author (died 2013)
Gerd Langguth was a professor of political science at the University of Bonn and the author of biographies of Angela Merkel, Horst Köhler and of Rudi Dutschke
18/05/1945
Gail Strickland, American actress
Gail Strickland is a retired American actress who had prominent supporting roles in such films as The Drowning Pool (1975), Bound for Glory (1976), Who'll Stop the Rain (1978), Norma Rae (1979), and Protocol (1984), and appeared regularly on various network television shows.
18/05/1944
Albert Hammond, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
Albert Louis Hammond OBE is a Gibraltarian singer, songwriter and record producer. As a songwriter he has collaborated with songwriters Mike Hazlewood, John Bettis, Hal David, Diane Warren, Holly Knight, Carole Bayer Sager and Roy Orbison.
W. G. Sebald, German novelist, essayist, and poet (died 2001)
Winfried Georg Sebald, known as W. G. Sebald or Max Sebald, was a German writer and academic. At the time of his death at the age of 57, he was according to The New Yorker "widely recognized for his extraordinary contribution to world literature."
18/05/1943
Jimmy Snuka, Fijian wrestler (died 2017)
James Reiher Snuka was a Fijian and American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka.
18/05/1942
Nobby Stiles, English footballer, coach, and manager (died 2020)
Norbert Peter Stiles was an English professional footballer. He played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring one goal. He played every minute of England's victorious 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign. Stiles also played in the final, which England won 4–2 against West Germany. His post-match dance on the Wembley pitch, holding the World Cup trophy in one hand and his false teeth in the other, was widely broadcast.
18/05/1941
Gino Brito, Canadian wrestler and promoter
Louis Gino Acocella, better known by his ring name Gino Brito, is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and promoter. He was most popular in Montreal. As Louis Cerdan, he was a WWWF Tag Team Champion with fellow Italian-Canadian wrestler Tony Parisi. He trained another Italian-Canadian wrestler, Dino Bravo.
Malcolm Longair, Scottish astronomer, physicist, and academic
Malcolm Sim Longair is a British physicist. From 1991 to 2008 he was the Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy in the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. Since 2016 he has been editor-in-chief of the Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society.
Miriam Margolyes, English-Australian actress and singer
Miriam Margolyes is a British-Australian actress. Known for her work as a character actor across film, television, and stage, she received the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs. Mingott in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence (1993), and achieved international prominence with her portrayal of Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film series (2001–2011). Margolyes was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2002 New Year Honours for Services to Drama.
18/05/1940
Erico Aumentado, Filipino journalist, lawyer, and politician (died 2012)
Erico Boyles Aumentado was a former governor, vice governor, and senior provincial board member of Bohol, and congressman and deputy speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives. He is the first governor of Bohol who served for three consecutive terms (2001-2010).
18/05/1939
Patrick Cormack, Baron Cormack, English historian, journalist, and politician (died 2024)
Patrick Thomas Cormack, Baron Cormack, was a British politician, historian, journalist and author. He served as a member of Parliament (MP) for 40 years, from 1970 to 2010. Cormack was a member of the Conservative Party and was seen as a one-nation conservative.
Giovanni Falcone, Italian lawyer and judge (died 1992)
Giovanni Falcone was an Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, Sicily, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Sicilian Mafia. After a long and distinguished career, culminating in the Maxi Trial in 1986–1987, on 23 May 1992, Falcone was assassinated by the Corleonesi Mafia in the Capaci bombing, on the A29 motorway near the town of Capaci.
Gordon O'Connor, Canadian general and politician, 38th Canadian Minister of Defence
Gordon James O'Connor, is a retired brigadier-general, businessman, and lobbyist, who served as Conservative Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2015.
18/05/1938
Janet Fish, American painter and academic
Janet Isobel Fish was an American contemporary realist artist. Through oil painting, lithography, and screenprinting, she explored the interaction of light with everyday objects in the still life genre. Many of her paintings include elements of transparency, reflected light, and multiple overlapping patterns depicted in bold, high color values. She has been credited with revitalizing the still life genre.
18/05/1937
Brooks Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster (died 2023)
Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. was an American baseball player who played his entire 23-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles from 1955 to 1977. Nicknamed "Mr. Hoover" and "the Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally considered to have been the greatest defensive third baseman in major league history.
Jacques Santer, Luxembourger jurist and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Luxembourg
Jacques Louis Santer is a Luxembourgish politician who served as president of the European Commission from 1995 to 1999 before resigning amidst allegations of corruption. He served as the finance minister of Luxembourg from 1979 until 1989, and as prime minister of Luxembourg from 1984 to 1995, as a member of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), which was the leading party in the Luxembourgish government between 1979 and 2013. As prime minister of Luxembourg, he also led the negotiations on the Single European Act, which effectively set aside the 20-year-old Luxembourg compromise.
18/05/1936
Leon Ashley, American singer-songwriter (died 2013)
Leon Walton, better known by his stage name Leon Ashley, was an American country music singer. He is known mainly for his single "Laura ", which topped the country singles charts in 1967. This single was distributed on his own label. Ashley recorded, released, distributed and published the single on his own. Besides this song, he released several other singles throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Türker İnanoğlu, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2024)
Türker İnanoğlu was a Turkish screenwriter, film director and producer.
Michael Sandle, English sculptor and academic
Michael Sandle is a British sculptor and artist. His works include several public sculptures, many relating to themes of war, death, or destruction.
18/05/1935
Pádraig Ó Snodaigh, Irish activist and writer (died 2025)
Pádraig Ó Snodaigh was an Irish language activist, poet, writer, and publisher. He worked for the Irish Electricity Supply Board, and later in the National Museum of Ireland. He was a president of Conradh na Gaeilge, the Gaelic League.
18/05/1934
Dwayne Hickman, American actor and director (died 2022)
Dwayne Bernard Hickman was an American actor and television executive, producer and director, who worked as an executive at CBS and had also briefly recorded as a vocalist. Hickman portrayed Chuck MacDonald, Bob Collins's girl-crazy teenaged nephew, in the 1950s The Bob Cummings Show and the title character in the 1960s sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. He was the younger brother of actor Darryl Hickman, with whom he appeared on screen. After retirement, he devoted his time to creating personalized paintings.
18/05/1933
Bernadette Chirac, French politician, First Lady of France
Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chirac is a French politician and the widow of the former president Jacques Chirac.
H. D. Deve Gowda, Indian farmer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of India
Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda is an Indian politician who served as the prime minister of India for nearly 11 months, from 1996 to 1997. He previously served as the chief minister of Karnataka from 1994 to 1996 and as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Lok Sabha. A member of the Janata Dal (Secular), he has been serving as the party's president since 1999 and has been an MP in the Rajya Sabha representing Karnataka since 2020.
Don Whillans, English rock climber and mountaineer (died 1985)
Donald Desbrow Whillans was an English rock climber and mountaineer. He climbed with Joe Brown and Chris Bonington.
18/05/1931
Don Martin, American cartoonist (died 2000)
Don Martin was an American cartoonist whose best-known work was published in Mad from 1956 to 1988. His popularity and prominence were such that the magazine promoted Martin as "Mad's Maddest Artist."
Robert Morse, American actor (died 2022)
Robert Alan Morse was an American actor. Known for his gap-toothed boyishness, he started his career as a star on Broadway acting in musicals and plays before expanding into film and television. He earned numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Kalju Pitksaar, Estonian chess player (died 1995)
Kalju Pitksaar was an Estonian chess player, who won the Estonian Chess Championship.
Clément Vincent, Canadian farmer and politician (died 2018)
Clément Vincent was a Canadian politician and a Member of the House of Commons of Canada.
18/05/1930
Warren Rudman, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (died 2012)
Warren Bruce Rudman was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from New Hampshire from 1980 to 1993. A member of the Republican Party, he was known as a moderate centrist, to such an extent that President Clinton approached him in 1994 about replacing departing Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen in Clinton's cabinet, an offer that Rudman declined.
Fred Saberhagen, American soldier and author (died 2007)
Fred Thomas Saberhagen was an American science fiction and fantasy author most famous for his Berserker series of science fiction short stories and novels.
18/05/1929
Jack Sanford, American baseball player and coach (died 2000)
John Stanley Sanford was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Sanford was notable for the meteoric start to his career when, he led the National League with 188 strikeouts as a 28-year-old rookie for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1957. He later became a 20-game-winner and made his only World Series appearance as a member of the San Francisco Giants. He also played for the California Angels and the Kansas City Athletics.
Norman St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (died 2012)
Norman Antony Francis St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley, was a British Conservative politician, author and barrister. He served as Leader of the House of Commons in the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher from 1979 to 1981. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Chelmsford from 1964 to 1987 and was made a life peer in 1987. His surname was created by compounding those of his father (Stevas) and mother.
18/05/1928
Pernell Roberts, American actor (died 2010)
Pernell Elven Roberts Jr. was an American stage, film, and television actor, activist, and singer. In addition to guest-starring in over 60 television series, he was best known for his roles as Ben Cartwright's eldest son Adam Cartwright on the Western television series Bonanza (1959–1965), and as chief surgeon John McIntyre, the title character on Trapper John, M.D. (1979–1986).
18/05/1927
Richard Body, English politician (died 2018)
Sir Richard Bernard Frank Stewart Body was an English politician. He was Conservative Member of Parliament for Billericay from 1955 to 1959, for Holland with Boston from 1966 to 1997, and for Boston and Skegness from 1997 until he stood down at the 2001 general election. He was a long-standing member of the Conservative Monday Club, and came second in its 1972 election for chairman. A prominent eurosceptic, Body also served as president of the Anti-Common Market League.
Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (died 2015)
Raymond Robert Nagel was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was the head football coach at the University of Utah from 1958 to 1965 and the University of Iowa from 1966 to 1970, compiling a career college football coaching record of 58–71–3 (.455). After coaching, Nagel was the athletic director at Washington State University from 1971 to 1976 and the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 1976 to 1983. From 1990 to 1995, he was the executive director of the Hula Bowl, a college football invitational all-star game in Hawaii.
18/05/1925
Lillian Hoban, American author and illustrator (died 1998)
Lillian Hoban was an American illustrator and children's writer best known for picture books created with her husband Russell Hoban. According to OCLC, she has published 326 works in 1,401 publications in 11 languages.
18/05/1924
Priscilla Pointer, American actress (died 2025)
Priscilla Marie Pointer was an American actress of theater, film and television.
Jack Whitaker, American sportscaster (died 2019)
John Francis Whitaker was an American sportscaster who worked for both CBS and ABC. Whitaker was a decorated army veteran of World War II. He fought in the Normandy Campaign and was wounded by an artillery strike.
18/05/1923
Jean-Louis Roux, Canadian actor and politician, 34th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (died 2013)
Jean-Louis Roux was a Canadian politician, entertainer and playwright who was briefly the 26th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.
Hugh Shearer, Jamaican journalist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Jamaica (died 2004)
Hugh Lawson Shearer was a Jamaican trade unionist and politician, who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1967 to 1972. He was also Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade from 1980 to 1989, under Edward Seaga.
18/05/1922
Bill Macy, American actor (died 2019)
Wolf Martin Garber, known professionally as Bill Macy, was an American television, film, and stage actor. He was best known for his role of Walter Findlay on the CBS sitcom Maude (1972–1978).
Kai Winding, Danish-American trombonist and composer (died 1983)
Kai Chresten Winding was a Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He is known for his collaborations with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson. His version of "More", the theme from the movie Mondo Cane, reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963 and remained his only entry there.
18/05/1921
Joan Eardley, British artist (died 1963)
Joan Kathleen Harding Eardley was a British artist noted for her portraiture of street children in Glasgow and for her landscapes of the fishing village of Catterline and surroundings on the North-East coast of Scotland. One of Scotland's most enduringly popular artists, her career was cut short by breast cancer. Her artistic career had three distinct phases. The first was from 1940 when she enrolled at the Glasgow School of Art through to 1949 when she had a successful exhibition of paintings created while travelling in Italy. From 1950 to 1957, Eardley's work focused on the city of Glasgow and in particular the slum area of Townhead. In the late 1950s, while still living in Glasgow, she spent much time in Catterline before moving there permanently in 1961. During the last years of her life, seascapes and landscapes painted in and around Catterline dominated her output.
Michael A. Epstein, English pathologist and academic (died 2024)
Sir Michael Anthony Epstein was a British pathologist and academic. He was one of the discoverers of the Epstein–Barr virus, along with Yvonne Barr and Bert Achong.
18/05/1920
Pope John Paul II (died 2005)
Pope John Paul II was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005. He was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century, as well as the third-longest-serving pope in history, after St. Peter and Pius IX.
Anthony Storr, English psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and author (died 2001)
Anthony Storr was an English psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and author.
18/05/1919
Margot Fonteyn, British ballerina (died 1991)
Dame Margaret Evelyn de Arias DBE, known by the stage name Margot Fonteyn, was an English ballerina. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Sadler's Wells Ballet Company, now known as the Royal Ballet, eventually being appointed prima ballerina assoluta of the company by Queen Elizabeth II.
18/05/1917
Bill Everett, American author and illustrator (died 1973)
William Blake Everett was an American comic book writer and artist best known for creating Namor the Sub-Mariner, as well as co-creating Daredevil and the zombie Simon Garth with writer Stan Lee for Marvel Comics.
18/05/1914
Pierre Balmain, French fashion designer, founded Balmain (died 1982)
Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain was a French fashion designer and founder of leading post-war fashion house Balmain. Known for sophistication and elegance, he described the art of dressmaking as "the architecture of movement".
Boris Christoff, Bulgarian-Italian opera singer (died 1993)
Boris Christoff was a Bulgarian opera singer, widely considered one of the greatest basses of the 20th century.
18/05/1913
Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood, Canadian-English publisher and politician (died 2000)
Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood, born Joan Pollock Graham, was a British far-right political activist who took part in a number of movements, and was described as the "largest individual distributor of racist and antisemitic material" in Britain. She was the second wife of Christopher Birdwood, 2nd Baron Birdwood.
18/05/1912
Richard Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1992)
Richard Brooks was an American film director, screenwriter, journalist and novelist. He directed 24 feature films between 1950 and 1985, and was known for his portrayals of hard-hitting subject matter, psychologically-complex characters, and his independently-minded auteurist approach to filmmaking.
Perry Como, American singer and television host (died 2001)
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987.
Walter Sisulu, South African politician (died 2003)
Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu was a South African anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress (ANC). Between terms as ANC Secretary-General (1949–1954) and ANC Deputy President (1991–1994), he was Accused No.2 in the Rivonia Trial and was incarcerated on Robben Island where he served more than 25 years' imprisonment for his anti-Apartheid revolutionary activism. He had a close partnership with Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela, with whom he played a key role in organising the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the establishment of the ANC Youth League and Umkhonto we Sizwe. He was also on the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party.
18/05/1911
Big Joe Turner, American blues/R&B singer (died 1985)
Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. Turner's greatest fame was due to his rock and roll recordings in the 1950s, particularly "Shake, Rattle and Roll", but his career as a performer endured from the 1920s into the 1980s.
18/05/1910
Ester Boserup, Danish economist and author (died 1999)
Ester Boserup was a Danish economist. She studied economic and agricultural development, worked at the United Nations as well as other international organizations, and wrote seminal books on agrarian change and the role of women in development.
18/05/1909
Fred Perry, English tennis player and academic (died 1995)
Frederick Towersey Perry was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1. He won 10 Majors, including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well as six Major doubles titles. Perry was the first player to win a "Career Grand Slam", lifting all four singles titles, which he completed at the age of 26 at the 1935 French Championships. He remains the only British player to achieve this feat.
18/05/1907
Irene Hunt, American author and educator (died 2001)
Irene Hunt was an American children's writer known best for historical novels. She was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal for her first book, Across Five Aprils, and won the medal for her second, Up a Road Slowly. For her contribution as a children's writer she was U.S. nominee in 1974 for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition available to creators of children's books.
18/05/1905
Ruth Alexander, pioneering American pilot (died 1930)
Ruth Blaney Alexander was an early American female pilot who set several records in altitude and distance in 1929 and 1930.
Hedley Verity, English cricketer and soldier (died 1943)
Hedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and 144 wickets in 40 Tests at an average of 24.37.
18/05/1904
Jacob K. Javits, American colonel and politician, 58th New York Attorney General (died 1986)
Jacob Koppel Javits was an American lawyer and politician from New York. During his time in politics, he served in both chambers of the United States Congress, a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1947 to 1954 and a member of the United States Senate from 1957 to 1981. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as Attorney General of New York from 1955 to 1957. Generally considered a liberal Republican, he was often at odds with his own party. A supporter of labor unions, the Great Society, and the civil rights movement, he played a key role in the passing of civil rights legislation. An opponent of the Vietnam War, he drafted the War Powers Resolution in 1973.
Shunryū Suzuki, Japanese-American monk and educator (died 1971)
Shunryu Suzuki was a Sōtō Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the United States, and is renowned for founding the first Zen Buddhist monastery outside Asia. Suzuki founded San Francisco Zen Center which, along with its affiliate temples, comprises one of the most influential Zen organizations in the United States. A book of his teachings, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, is one of the most popular books on Zen and Buddhism in the West.
18/05/1902
Meredith Willson, American playwright and composer (died 1984)
Robert Reiniger Meredith Willson was an American flautist, composer, conductor, musical arranger, bandleader, playwright, and writer.
18/05/1901
Henri Sauguet, French composer (died 1989)
Henri-Pierre Sauguet-Poupard was a French composer.
Vincent du Vigneaud, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1978)
Vincent du Vigneaud was an American biochemist. He was recipient of the 1955 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his work on biochemically important sulphur compounds, especially for the first synthesis of a polypeptide hormone," a reference to his work on the peptide hormone oxytocin.
18/05/1898
Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel, Turkish poet, author, and playwright (died 1973)
Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel was a leading Turkish poet, author and later politician. He is one of the Five Syllabists. Together with Behçet Kemal Çağlar, he wrote the lyrics of the Tenth Anniversary March. He served as a member of parliament for Istanbul during the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th terms of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM).
18/05/1897
Frank Capra, Italian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1991)
Frank Russell Capra was an Italian-born American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind several major award-winning films of the 1930s and 1940s. Born in Italy and raised in Los Angeles from the age of five, his rags-to-riches story has led film historians such as Ian Freer to consider him the "American Dream personified".
18/05/1896
Eric Backman, Swedish runner (died 1965)
Eric Natanael Backman was a Swedish long distance runner who had his best achievements at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
18/05/1895
Augusto César Sandino, Nicaraguan rebel leader (died 1934)
Augusto César Sandino was a Nicaraguan revolutionary, founder of the militant group EDSN, and leader of a rebellion between 1927 and 1933 against the United States occupation of Nicaragua. Despite being referred to as a "bandit" by the United States government, his exploits made him a hero throughout much of Latin America, where he became a symbol of resistance to American imperialism. Sandino drew units of the United States Marine Corps into an undeclared guerrilla war. The United States troops withdrew from the country in 1933 after overseeing the election and inauguration of President Juan Bautista Sacasa, who had returned from exile.
18/05/1892
Ezio Pinza, Italian-American actor and singer (died 1957)
Ezio Fortunato Pinza was an Italian opera singer. Pinza possessed a rich, smooth and sonorous voice, with a flexibility unusual for a bass. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 performances of 50 operas. At the San Francisco Opera, Pinza sang 26 roles during 20 seasons from 1927 to 1948. Pinza also sang to great acclaim at La Scala, Milan, and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London.
18/05/1891
Rudolf Carnap, German-American philosopher and academic (died 1970)
Paul Rudolf Carnap was a German philosopher who was active in Europe before 1935 and in the United States thereafter. He was a major member of the Vienna Circle and an advocate of logical positivism.
18/05/1889
Thomas Midgley Jr., American chemist and engineer (died 1944)
Thomas Midgley Jr. was an American mechanical and chemical engineer. He played a major role in developing leaded gasoline and some of the first chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), better known in the United States by the brand name Freon; both products were later banned from common use due to their harmful impact on human health and the environment. He was granted more than 100 patents over the course of his career.
18/05/1888
Hanna Barysiewicz, the oldest female resident of Belarus not registered by the Guinness Book of Records. (died 2007)
Hanna Adamauna Barysiewicz, Belarusian: Ганна Адамаўна Барысевiч, Russian: Анна Адамовна Борисевич was the oldest female resident of Belarus not registered by the Guinness Book of Records. Until her death, she was reputedly the oldest resident in the country and, according to the media, in the world. She lived to the claimed age of 118 years and 281 days.
18/05/1886
Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter (died 1946)
Abbie Jean MacPherson was an American silent actress, writer and director. She is known for her collaborations with directors D. W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille, and was a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
18/05/1883
Eurico Gaspar Dutra, Brazilian marshal and politician, 16th President of Brazil (died 1974)
Eurico Gaspar Dutra was a Brazilian military leader and politician who served as the president of Brazil from 1946 to 1951. He was the first president of the Fourth Brazilian Republic, which followed the Vargas Regime.
Walter Gropius, German-American architect, designed the John F. Kennedy Federal Building (died 1969)
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius was a German-American architect and founder of the Bauhaus School, who is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modernist architecture. He was a founder of Bauhaus in Weimar and taught there for several years, becoming known as a leading proponent of the International Style. Gropius emigrated from Germany to England in 1934 and from England to the United States in 1937, where he spent much of the rest of his life teaching at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In the United States he worked on several projects with Marcel Breuer and with the firm The Architects Collaborative, of which he was a founding partner. In 1959, he won the AIA Gold Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in architecture.
18/05/1882
Babe Adams, American baseball player, manager, and journalist (died 1968)
Charles Benjamin "Babe" Adams was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1906 to 1926 who spent nearly his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Noted for his outstanding control, his career average of 1.29 walks per 9 innings pitched was the second lowest of the 20th century; his 1920 mark of 1 walk per 14.6 innings was a modern record until 2005. He shares the Pirates' franchise record for career victories by a right-hander (194), and holds the team mark for career shutouts (47); from 1926 to 1962, he held the team record for career games pitched (481).
18/05/1878
Johannes Terwogt, Dutch rower (died 1977)
Johannes Hester Lambertus Terwogt was a Dutch rower who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics.
18/05/1876
Hermann Müller, German journalist and politician, 12th Chancellor of Germany (died 1931)
Hermann Müller was a German Social Democratic politician who served as foreign minister (1919–1920) and was twice chancellor of Germany during the Weimar Republic.
18/05/1872
Bertrand Russell, British mathematician, historian, and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1970)
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, was an English philosopher, logician, mathematician, and public intellectual. He influenced mathematics, logic, set theory, and various areas of analytic philosophy.
18/05/1871
Denis Horgan, Irish shot putter and weight thrower (died 1922)
Denis Horgan was a champion Irish athlete and weight thrower, born in Banteer, County Cork, who competed mainly in the shot put.
18/05/1869
Lucy Beaumont, English-American actress (died 1937)
Lucy Emily Beaumont was an English actress of the stage and screen from Bristol.
18/05/1868
Nicholas II of Russia (died 1918)
Nicholas II was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication in 1917. He was the last monarch of Russia before the Russian Revolution, and oversaw the Russian Empire's participation in World War I. In 1918, the Romanovs were murdered, putting an end to the dynasty.
18/05/1867
Minakata Kumagusu, Japanese author, biologist, naturalist and ethnologist (died 1941)
Minakata Kumagusu was a Japanese author, biologist, naturalist and ethnologist.
18/05/1862
Josephus Daniels, American publisher and politician, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy (died 1948)
Josephus Daniels was a newspaper editor, Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson, and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
18/05/1855
Francis Bellamy, American minister and author (died 1931)
Francis Julius Bellamy was an American Christian socialist Baptist minister and author. He is best known for writing the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance in 1892.
18/05/1854
Bernard Zweers, Dutch composer and educator (died 1924)
Bernard Zweers was a Dutch composer and music teacher.
18/05/1852
Gertrude Käsebier, American photographer (died 1934)
Gertrude Käsebier was an American photographer. She was known for her images of motherhood, her portraits of Native Americans, and her promotion of photography as a career for women.
18/05/1851
James Budd, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of California (died 1908)
James Herbert Budd was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for California's 2nd district from 1883 to 1885 and as the 19th governor of California from 1895 to 1899. He was the last Democrat to hold the latter office until the election of Culbert Olson 40 years later.
Simon Kahquados, Potawatomi political activist (died 1930)
Simon Kahquados, born Kakanisaiga, was a leader of the Potawatomi people in Wisconsin, United States, and played a pivotal role in creating the federally recognized Forest County Potawatomi Community.
18/05/1850
Oliver Heaviside, English engineer, mathematician, and physicist (died 1925)
Oliver Heaviside was a British mathematician and electrical engineer who invented a new technique for solving differential equations, independently developed vector calculus, and rewrote Maxwell's equations in the form commonly used today. He significantly shaped the way Maxwell's equations were understood and applied in the decades following Maxwell's death. Also, in 1893, he extended them to gravitoelectromagnetism, which was confirmed by Gravity Probe B in 2005. His formulation of the telegrapher's equations became commercially important during his own lifetime, after their significance went unremarked for a long while, as few others were versed at the time in his novel methodology. Although at odds with the scientific establishment for most of his life, Heaviside changed the face of telecommunications, mathematics, and science.
18/05/1835
Charles N. Sims, American Methodist preacher and 3rd chancellor of Syracuse University (died 1908)
Charles N. Sims was an American Methodist preacher and the third chancellor of Syracuse University, serving from 1881 to 1893. Sims Hall and Sims drive on the Syracuse campus is named for him.
18/05/1824
Wilhelm Hofmeister, German botanist (died 1877)
Wilhelm Friedrich Benedikt Hofmeister was a German biologist and botanist. He "stands as one of the true giants in the history of biology and belongs in the same pantheon as Darwin and Mendel." Largely self-taught he was the first to study and establish alternation of generations and the details of sexual reproduction in the bryophytes.
18/05/1822
Mathew Brady, American photographer and journalist (died 1896)
Mathew B. Brady was an American photographer. Known as one of the earliest and most famous photographers in American history, he is best known for his scenes of the American Civil War. He studied under inventor Samuel Morse, who pioneered the daguerreotype technique in America. Brady opened his own studio in New York City in 1844, and went on to photograph U.S. presidents John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Millard Fillmore, Martin Van Buren, and other public figures.
18/05/1797
Frederick Augustus II of Saxony (died 1854)
Frederick Augustus II was King of Saxony and a member of the House of Wettin.
18/05/1785
John Wilson, Scottish author and critic (died 1854)
John Wilson FRSE was a Scottish advocate, literary critic and author, the writer most frequently identified with the pseudonym Christopher North of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine.
18/05/1778
Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, Irish soldier and diplomat, British Ambassador to Austria (died 1854)
Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry,, was an Anglo-Irish nobleman, soldier and politician. He served in the French Revolutionary Wars, in the suppression of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and in the Napoleonic Wars. He excelled as a cavalry commander in the Peninsular War (1807–1814) under Sir John Moore and the Duke of Wellington.
18/05/1777
John George Children, English chemist, mineralogist, and zoologist (died 1852)
John George Children FRS FRSE FLS PRES was a British chemist, mineralogist and zoologist. He was a friend of Sir Humphry Davy, who helped him secure a controversial appointment to a post in the British Museum. Along with Davy he built a large galvanic cell, assisted him in experiments and invented a method to extract silver from ore without the need for mercury. Children was also the founding president of the Royal Entomological Society. His daughter Anna Atkins became a pioneer of botanical photography.
18/05/1711
Roger Joseph Boscovich, Ragusan physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (died 1787)
Roger Joseph Boscovich was a physicist, astronomer, mathematician, philosopher, diplomat, poet, theologian, Jesuit priest, and a polymath from the Republic of Ragusa. He studied and lived in Italy and France where he also published many of his works.
18/05/1692
(O.S.) Joseph Butler, English bishop, theologian, and apologist (died 1752)
Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, they refer to the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 1582 and 1923. Before as well as after the legal change, writers used the dual dating convention to specify a given day by giving its date according to both styles of dating.
18/05/1662
George Smalridge, English bishop (died 1719)
George Smalridge was Bishop of Bristol (1714–1719).
18/05/1631
Stanislaus Papczyński, Polish priest and saint (died 1701)
Stanislaus Papczyński, MIC, born Jan Papczyński and in religion Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary, was a Polish Catholic priest who founded the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, the first Polish religious order for men. He is also widely remembered as a prolific religious writer, including works such as The Mystical Temple of God.
18/05/1537
Guido Luca Ferrero, Roman Catholic cardinal (died 1585)
Guido Luca Ferrero was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal.
18/05/1450
Piero Soderini, Italian politician and diplomat (died 1513)
Piero di Tommaso Soderini, also known as Pier Soderini, was an Italian statesman of the Republic of Florence.
18/05/1186
Konstantin of Rostov (died 1218)
Konstantin Vsevolodovich was the eldest son of Vsevolod the Big Nest and Maria Shvarnovna.
18/05/1048
Omar Khayyám, Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet (died 1131)
Omar Khayyam (1048–1131) was a Persian poet and polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and Persian literature. He was born in Nishapur, Iran and lived during the Seljuk era, around the time of the First Crusade.