Born on Saturday, 31st May – Famous Birthdays

31/05/2001

Breece Hall, American football player

Breece Maelik Hall is an American professional football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones, where he was a two-time All-American and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Hall was selected by the Jets in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.

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Iga Świątek, Polish tennis player

Iga Natalia Świątek is a Polish professional tennis player. Currently ranked world No. 4 in women's singles by the WTA, she has held the world No. 1 ranking for a total of 125 weeks. Świątek has won 25 WTA Tour–level singles titles, including six major titles: four at the French Open, one at Wimbledon, and one at the US Open. She has also won the 2023 WTA Finals and eleven WTA 1000 titles. Świątek is the first Pole to win a major singles title.

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31/05/2000

Gable Steveson, American wrestler

Gable Dan Steveson is an American wrestler and professional mixed martial artist. In freestyle wrestling, Steveson was a 2020 Summer Olympic gold medalist, and was also a three-time age-group world champion. In folkstyle wrestling, Steveson was a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner, a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a four-time Big Ten Conference champion, and five-time All-American out of the University of Minnesota. He is currently signed to the Heavyweight division of Real American Freestyle.

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31/05/1998

Santino Ferrucci, American race car driver

Santino Michael Ferrucci is an American professional racing driver. He competes full-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 14 Chevrolet for A. J. Foyt Enterprises. He has also previously raced in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

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31/05/1997

Woo Jin-young, South Korean singer and rapper

Woo Jin-young is a South Korean singer and rapper. During his tenure as a trainee with Happy Face Entertainment, he was a contestant on the reality survival series Produce 101 and Mix Nine, where he competed to debut in an idol group. He found success in the latter and ranked number one in the competition, but the group never materialized due to failed contract negotiations between the show creator YG Entertainment and the artists' respective agencies.

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Jeong Se-woon, South Korean singer-songwriter

Jeong Se-woon is a South Korean singer-songwriter. He debuted as solo artist with released the first part of his debut EP Ever on August 31, 2017. Jeong is known for being a contestant on the survival show Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017.

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31/05/1996

Normani Kordei Hamilton, American singer

Normani Kordei Hamilton, known mononymously as Normani, is an American singer, dancer, and former member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in the group, she competed in Dancing with the Stars (2017). She embarked on a solo career with her 2018 debut single "Love Lies", which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and received quintuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

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Brandon Smith, New Zealand rugby league player

Brandon Smith is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker and lock for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League (NRL), and for New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori at international level.

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31/05/1995

Shane Bieber, American baseball player

Shane Robert Bieber is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians / Guardians. As a walk-on, Bieber played college baseball for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. He was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB draft, and made his MLB debut with them in 2018. Bieber was named an All-Star in 2019 and 2021, and received the American League's 2020 Cy Young Award.

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Matthew Lodge, Australian rugby league player

Matthew Lodge is a rugby league footballer who most recently played as a prop for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL).

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31/05/1992

Michaël Bournival, Canadian ice hockey player

Joseph Alain Michaël Bournival is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was selected in the third round, 71st overall, by the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and played for the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning.

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Laura Ikauniece, Latvian heptathlete

Laura Ikauniece is a Latvian athlete competing in heptathlon. She participated in two Olympic Games, finishing fourth in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. She won a silver medal at the 2012 European Athletics Championships, and a bronze medal at the 2015 World Athletics Championships. She set a Latvian record in the heptathlon and a Latvian record in the indoor pentathlon.

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Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson, Icelandic politician

Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson is an Icelandic politician, government minister and member of the Althing. A member of the Social Democratic Alliance, he has represented Reykjavík South since November 2024. He previously represented Reykjavík North from September 2021 to November 2024. He has been Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate since December 2024.

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31/05/1991

Azealia Banks, American singer-songwriter and rapper

Azealia Amanda Banks is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Her debut single "212" became a defining song of the 2010s and appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2021. Banks is also known for her controversial social media presence and outspoken views, which have received significant publicity.

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31/05/1990

Erik Karlsson, Swedish ice hockey player

Erik Sven Gunnar Karlsson is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Karlsson was drafted in the first round, 15th overall, by the Ottawa Senators at the 2008 NHL entry draft, with whom he spent his first nine NHL seasons; he has also played for the San Jose Sharks. Karlsson is a three-time winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman, winning the award in 2012, 2015, and 2023.

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31/05/1989

Marco Reus, German footballer

Marco Reus is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy.

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31/05/1986

Waka Flocka Flame, American rapper

Juaquin James Malphurs, known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. He first became known for his 2009 single "O Let's Do It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 and led him to sign with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, an imprint of Warner Records that same year. His 2010 follow-up single, "No Hands", reached number 13 on the chart and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Both songs, along with "Hard in da Paint" and "Grove St. Party", preceded the release of his debut studio album Flockaveli (2010), which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. His second studio album, Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family (2012) peaked at number ten on the chart and was supported by the singles "Round of Applause", "I Don't Really Care" and "Get Low".

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Robert Gesink, Dutch cyclist

Robert Gesink is a Dutch former cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2007 to 2024. His major victories include the 2012 Tour of California, the 2011 Tour of Oman and the 2010 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. Gesink also won the Giro dell'Emilia twice and offered some good performances on Grand Tours and one-week stage races, thanks in part to his climbing and time trialing abilities.

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31/05/1985

Jordy Nelson, American football player

Jordy Ray Nelson is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Nelson was raised in Riley County, Kansas and played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats, receiving consensus All-American honors in 2007. He was selected by the Packers in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. In the 2010 season, he won Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers, catching a touchdown pass in the game. Following his departure from the Packers in 2018, he played one year with the Oakland Raiders before announcing his retirement. In 2023, he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame. As of September 2025, Nelson holds the Packers franchise record for the most Lambeau Leaps performed by a player (27).

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31/05/1984

Andrew Bailey, American baseball player

Andrew Scott Bailey is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player, he played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies. He played college baseball for Wagner College and was selected by the Athletics in the sixth round of the 2006 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2009 and won that season's American League Rookie of the Year Award. He was an All-Star in 2009 and 2010 while he was the closer for the Athletics. He has also been a pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants.

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Milorad Čavić, Serbian swimmer

Milorad "Milo" Čavić is a Serbian former professional swimmer. He won a silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the 2008 Summer Olympics in a historic race with American swimmer Michael Phelps. Čavić also was World and European champion, as well as world record holder. He is one of seven swimmers to break 50 seconds in the 100m butterfly.

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Nate Robinson, American basketball player

Nathaniel Cornelius Robinson is an American former professional basketball player. Robinson played college basketball for the Washington Huskies and was the 21st overall pick of the 2005 NBA draft. The 5-foot-9-inch (1.75 m) point guard played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, and New Orleans Pelicans. Robinson became the NBA's first three-time slam dunk champion in 2010.

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31/05/1982

Brett Firman, Australian rugby league player

Brett Firman is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s. He played in the National Rugby League, primarily in the halves, for the St. George Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters, North Queensland Cowboys, Penrith Panthers, and the Helensburgh Tigers of the Illawarra Rugby League.

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31/05/1981

Mikael Antonsson, Swedish footballer

Mikael Antonsson is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a defender. He currently works for the Danish Superliga side F.C. Copenhagen as assistant manager. As a player, he played professionally in Sweden, Austria, Greece, Italy, and Denmark during a career that spanned between 1996 and 2018. A full international between 2004 and 2015, he won 28 caps for the Sweden national team and was a part of their UEFA Euro 2012 squad.

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Daniele Bonera, Italian footballer

Daniele Bonera is an Italian retired professional footballer who played as a centre back.

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Jake Peavy, American baseball player

Jacob Edward Peavy is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He is currently an on-air analyst for MLB Network. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw right-handed.

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Marlies Schild, Austrian skier

Marlies Raich is a retired Austrian World Cup alpine ski racer. She specializes in the technical disciplines of slalom and giant slalom. Schild won four Olympic medals, with silvers in the combined (2006) and slalom and a bronze in slalom (2006). She has seven World Championship medals and has won five World Cup season titles.

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31/05/1980

Andy Hurley, American musician

Andrew John "Andy" Hurley is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Fall Out Boy. Prior to Fall Out Boy, Hurley played in several hardcore punk bands. He joined Fall Out Boy as the full-time drummer in 2003 and was in the band's lineup until its hiatus in 2009. Following that, he formed the heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things with Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman; the group went on hiatus after its debut album, Ironiclast (2010), due to band members focusing on their original bands' new album cycles. Hurley moved on to hardcore punk band Enabler which released a debut album and toured in 2012.

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31/05/1979

Jean-François Gillet, Belgian footballer

Jean-François Gillet is a Belgian professional football coach and former player who played as a goalkeeper. He works as a goalkeeping coach at Standard Liège. At international level, he was a member of the Belgian squad that took part at UEFA Euro 2016.

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31/05/1977

Domenico Fioravanti, Italian swimmer

Domenico Fioravanti is a retired Italian competitive swimmer who won two gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

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Moses Sichone, Zambian footballer

Moses Sichone is a Zambian football manager and former professional footballer who is the current manager of the Zambia national team. As a player, he spent most of his career with German clubs.

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31/05/1976

Colin Farrell, Irish actor

Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor. A leading man in blockbusters and independent films since the 2000s, he has received various accolades, including three Golden Globe Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and one Volpi Cup in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. The Irish Times named him Ireland's fifth-greatest film actor in 2020, and Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.

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Matt Harpring, American basketball player and sportscaster

Matthew Joseph Harpring is an American former professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was formerly paired with play-by-play broadcaster Craig Bolerjack as the color analyst in broadcasting games for the Utah Jazz.

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31/05/1975

Mac Suzuki, Japanese baseball player

Mac Suzuki is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. Over his career, Suzuki played 18 seasons in professional baseball, including six in Major League Baseball and two in the Japan Pacific League. In his major league career, he has played for the Seattle Mariners, the Kansas City Royals, the Colorado Rockies (2001), and the Milwaukee Brewers (2001). With those teams, he has had a combined record of 16–31 with a 5.72 earned run average (ERA), one complete game, one shutout, 67 starts and 327 strikeouts in 117 games pitched.

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31/05/1974

Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Japanese comedian and singer

Hiroiki Ariyoshi is a Japanese comedian and singer who is represented by Ohta Production.

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31/05/1972

Frode Estil, Norwegian skier

Frode Estil is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier. He lives in Meråker Municipality with his wife Grete whom he married in the summer of 2001. They have two sons, Bernhard, born in August 2002, and Konrad. Estil was classical specialist and also a specialist at succeeding in World Championships and Olympics. While Estil only won four World Cup races, he won one individual Olympic Gold and one individual World Championship gold. In addition, he won three team events in the World Championships and another team gold in the Olympics.

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Christian McBride, American bassist and record producer

Christian McBride is an American jazz bassist, composer, and arranger. He has appeared on more than 400 recordings as a sideman, and is an eleven-time Grammy Award winner.

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Antti Niemi, Finnish international footballer and coach

Antti Mikko Niemi is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently an assistant coach of Volos of the Super League Greece. Since 2010, he has also worked as the goalkeeping coach of Finland national team. He also worked as a goalkeeping coach at Brighton & Hove Albion during the 2014–15 season. Niemi spent time as a player in the Scottish Premier League and the Premier League, and in 2008 announced his retirement due to injury. However, in 2009 he returned to sign for Premier League club Portsmouth, although he did not make any appearances before leaving in 2010.

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Archie Panjabi, British actress

Archana Panjabi is an English actress. On television, she is known for her roles as Maya Roy in the BBC One series Life on Mars (2006–2007), Kalinda Sharma in the CBS series The Good Wife (2009–2015), Nas Kamal in the NBC series Blindspot, Kendra Malley in the Global series Departure (2019–2023), and The Rani in Doctor Who (2025). Her work in The Good Wife earned her a Primetime Emmy Award in 2010 and an NAACP Image Award in 2012, as well as two further Emmy nominations, one Golden Globe nomination, and three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations shared with the cast. Panjabi is the first Asian actor to win a Primetime Emmy for acting. Her films include East Is East (1999), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Yasmin (2004), and A Mighty Heart (2007).

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Dave Roberts, American baseball player and coach

David Ray Roberts, nicknamed "Doc", is an American professional baseball manager and former outfielder who is the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for five MLB teams over a ten-year career and then coached for the San Diego Padres before being named Dodgers manager in 2016. Although he played for the Boston Red Sox for only part of one season, his most notable achievement as a player was a key stolen base in the 2004 American League Championship Series that extended the Red Sox's postseason, which culminated in a championship in the 2004 World Series. Roberts batted and threw left-handed.

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31/05/1971

Arun Luthra, Indo-Anglo-American saxophonist, konnakol artist, composer, and arranger

Aruṇ Lūthrā is a saxophonist, konnakol artist, composer, and bandleader based in New York City.

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31/05/1967

Phil Keoghan, New Zealand television host and producer

Philip John Keoghan is a New Zealand television presenter, best known for hosting the American version of The Amazing Race on CBS, since its 2001 debut. He is the creator and host of No Opportunity Wasted, which has been produced in the United States, New Zealand, and Canada. Keoghan also co-created and hosts the American reality competition programme Tough as Nails, which debuted on CBS on 8 July 2020. As of 2021, he has been involved with winning 10 Primetime Emmy Awards related to his work on The Amazing Race, where the show consecutively won the Outstanding Reality-Competition Program seven times.

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Kenny Lofton, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster

Kenneth Lofton is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. Lofton was a six-time All-Star (1994–1999) and four-time Gold Glove Award winner (1993–1996), and is currently ranked 15th among all-time stolen-base leaders with 622. During his career, he played for the Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Texas Rangers.

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31/05/1966

Diesel, American-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist

Mark Denis Lizotte is an American-born Australian singer-songwriter and musician, who has released material under the name Diesel, Johnny Diesel, as leader of band Johnny Diesel & the Injectors, and as a solo performer, as well as under his birth name. Two of his albums reached No. 1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Albums Charts, Hepfidelity in 1992 and The Lobbyist in 1993.

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Roshan Mahanama, Sri Lankan cricketer and referee

Deshabandu Roshan Siriwardene Mahanama is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and a former ICC match referee. He was a key member in the 1996 Cricket World Cup winning team for Sri Lanka. He is the first man to have stood as a match referee in a day-night test match in Test history.

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31/05/1965

Brooke Shields, American model, actress, and producer

Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and current president of the Actors' Equity Association. A child model starting at the age of 11 months, Shields gained widespread notoriety for her leading role in Louis Malle's film Pretty Baby (1978), in which she appeared in nude scenes shot when she was 11 years old. She continued to model into her late teenage years and starred in several dramas in the 1980s, including The Blue Lagoon (1980), and Franco Zeffirelli's Endless Love (1981).

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31/05/1964

Leonard Asper, Canadian lawyer and businessman

Leonard Asper is a Canadian businessperson, entrepreneur and lawyer. He was president and CEO of Canwest from 1999 through its bankruptcy in 2010. He would later establish Anthem Sports & Entertainment which owns television specialty channels and has interests in combat sports and film distribution.

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Stéphane Caristan, French hurdler and coach

Stéphane Caristan is a retired hurdler from France, who set the world's best year performance in 1986. He did so by winning the men's 110 metres hurdles final at the European Championships in Stuttgart, clocking 13.20, which was also his personal best. He competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics for his native country, starting in 1984. Caristan later became the coach of French sprinter Christine Arron.

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Yukio Edano, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs

Yukio Edano is a Japanese politician who served as the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan from its formation in 2017 until 2021.

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Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, American rapper and producer

Darryl Matthews McDaniels, also commonly known by his stage name DMC, is an American rapper and record producer. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Run-DMC, and is considered one of the pioneers of hip hop culture.

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31/05/1963

David Leigh, holder of the Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry at the University of Manchester

David Alan Leigh FRS FRSE FRSC is a British chemist, Royal Society Research Professor and, since 2014, the Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Manchester. He was previously the Forbes Chair of Organic Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh (2001–2012) and Professor of Synthetic Chemistry at the University of Warwick (1998–2001).

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Viktor Orbán, Hungarian politician, 38th Prime Minister of Hungary

Viktor Mihály Orbán is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has been the 56th prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also led the Fidesz political party since 2003, and previously from 1993 to 2000. He was re-elected as prime minister in 2014, 2018, and 2022. On 29 November 2020, he became the country's longest-serving prime minister.

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Wesley Willis, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (died 2003)

Wesley Lawrence Willis was an American musician and visual artist. Diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1989, Willis began a career as an underground singer-songwriter in the outsider music tradition. Willis' songs are typically partially spoken in an MC style, and partially sung in a nasal and out-of-tune manner reminiscent of punk rock vocals. They feature bizarre, humorous and sometimes obscene or absurd lyrics sung over backing created by using the auto accompaniment feature on his Technics KN keyboard. His songs cover a wide variety of topics, with mental illness and consumerism being the most prominent themes. Dubbed "The Daddy of Rock 'n' Roll," he is best known for songs such as "Rock N Roll McDonald's" as well as a series of songs where he would directly insult his demons.

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31/05/1962

Dina Boluarte, Peruvian politician, 64th President of Peru

Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra is a Peruvian politician, civil servant, and lawyer who served as the president of Peru from 7 December 2022 until she was removed from office on 10 October 2025. She had previously served as the first vice president and minister at the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion under President Pedro Castillo. She served as an officer at the National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC) from 2007 until 2022.

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Corey Hart, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer

Corey Mitchell Hart is a Canadian singer, musician and songwriter known for his hit singles "Sunglasses at Night", "Never Surrender" and "It Ain't Enough". He has sold over 16 million records worldwide and recorded nine US Billboard Top 40 hits. In Canada, 30 of Hart's recordings have been Top 40 hits, including 11 in the Top 10, over the course of over 35 years in the music industry. Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1984, Hart is an inductee of both Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Canada's Walk of Fame, and is also a multiple Juno award nominee and winner, including the Diamond Award for his best-selling album Boy in the Box. He has also been honoured by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN).

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31/05/1961

Ray Cote, Canadian ice hockey player

Ray Cote is a former professional ice hockey forward. He spent his junior career with the Calgary Wranglers of the WHL and signed a free agent contract with the Edmonton Oilers in 1981 after going undrafted. Cote spent the majority of his career in the minor leagues and European leagues but saw three separate stints with the Oilers. His only career NHL points were recorded in the 1982–83 playoffs. In the 1983 playoffs, he and George McPhee of the New York Rangers became the first players to score three goals in a single postseason before playing a regular season NHL game. He also played for the Canadian National Team on four separate occasions.

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Justin Madden, Australian footballer and politician

Justin Mark Madden is a former Australian rules footballer and state politician. He played for both the Essendon Football Club and the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

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Lea Thompson, American actress, director, and producer

Lea Katherine Thompson is an American actress, singer, dancer and director.

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31/05/1960

Greg Adams, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman

Gregory Charles Adams is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1980–81 to 1989–90.

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Chris Elliott, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter

Christopher Nash Elliott is an American actor, comedian and writer known for his surreal sense of humor. He was a regular performer on Late Night with David Letterman while working as a writer there (1983–1988), created and starred in the comedy series Get a Life (1990–1992) on Fox, and wrote and starred in the film Cabin Boy (1994). His writing for Letterman won four consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards.

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Peter Winterbottom, English rugby player

Peter James Winterbottom, is an English former rugby union player who played as an openside flanker. He was England's most-capped openside until being overtaken by Neil Back in 2003. He made his England debut on 2 January 1982 against Australia, and his final appearance on 20 March 1993 against Ireland.

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31/05/1959

Andrea de Cesaris, Italian race car driver (died 2014)

Andrea de Cesaris was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1980 to 1994.

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Phil Wilson, English politician

Philip Wilson, Baron Wilson of Sedgefield, is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield from a 2007 by-election until 2019. A member of the Labour Party, he was appointed to the House of Lords as a life peer in 2024.

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31/05/1957

Jim Craig, American ice hockey player

James Downey Craig is an American former ice hockey goaltender who is best known for being part of the U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Craig had a standout Olympic tournament, including stopping 36 of 39 shots on goal by the heavily favored Soviet Union in the 'Miracle on Ice', as the U.S. won 4–3, in what is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Two days later, the U.S. defeated Finland, 4–2, to clinch Olympic gold. Craig went on to play professionally in the National Hockey League for the Atlanta Flames, Boston Bruins, and Minnesota North Stars from 1980 to 1983. He was inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999.

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31/05/1956

Fritz Hilpert, German drummer and composer

Friedrich "Fritz" Hilpert is a German musician who is best known for his work as a member of the electropop group Kraftwerk.

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John Young, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player

John Young is a British rock musician hailing from Liverpool. He is currently the keyboardist and singer for the progressive rock band Lifesigns.

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31/05/1955

Tommy Emmanuel, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist

William Thomas Emmanuel is an Australian guitarist. Originally a session player in many bands, he has released many award-winning recordings as a solo artist. In June 2010, Emmanuel was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM); in 2011, he was inducted into the Australian Roll of Renown. In 2019, he was listed by MusicRadar as the best acoustic guitarist in the world.

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Susie Essman, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter

Susan Essman is an American comedian, actress, producer, and writer. She is best known for her role as Susie Greene on Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000–2024), as the voice of Mittens in Bolt (2008), and as Bobbi Wexler on Broad City (2009–2011).

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31/05/1954

Thomas Mavros, Greek footballer

Thomas Mavros is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.

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Vicki Sue Robinson, American actress and singer (died 2000)

Vicki Sue Robinson was an American singer closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, "Turn the Beat Around".

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31/05/1953

Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Finnish actor and screenwriter

Pirkka-Pekka Petelius is a Finnish actor, director, producer, screenwriter and politician. He has also released six records as a singer. He is a member of the Green League and was elected to the Finnish parliament in the 2019 election with 6,331 personal votes, but is not a member of the parliament any more.

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31/05/1952

Carole Achache, French writer, photographer and actress (died 2016)

Carole Hélène Marthe Andrée Achache was a French writer, photographer and actress. She was the daughter of French writer Monique Lange and the mother of French-Moroccan film director Mona Achache. She appeared in films such as The Gypsy (1975), Special Section (1975), Lumière (1976), Mr. Klein (1976), Le Juge Fayard dit Le Shériff (1977), and Death of a Corrupt Man (1977) under the name Carole Lange. She later worked as a still photographer in the films Other People's Money (1978), A Week's Vacation (1980), The Trout (1982), and Un soir au club (2009). As an author, Achache published five books.

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Karl Bartos, German singer-songwriter and keyboard player

Karlheinz Bartos is a German musician and composer, known for his contributions to the electronic band Kraftwerk.

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31/05/1951

Karl-Hans Riehm, German hammer thrower

Karl-Hans Riehm is a former West German hammer thrower.

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31/05/1950

Jean Chalopin, French director, producer, and screenwriter, founded DIC Entertainment

Jean Chalopin is a French businessman, banker and former television animation producer. In 1971, he founded the production company DIC Entertainment, which specialized in children-oriented animated television and film productions. Through DIC he produced numerous successful television series, including Inspector Gadget, which he also co-created, The Real Ghostbusters, The Littles and Dennis the Menace. Chalopin also co-wrote DIC's first two major productions, Ulysses 31 and The Mysterious Cities of Gold. After selling off his ownership in DIC, he founded a second company, C&D, in 1987, through which he continued to produce cartoons until its closure in 1996. Chalopin remained active as a writer, producer and creative consultant in the years to follow. More recently, however, he has shifted his focus onto a career in banking.

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Gregory Harrison, American actor

Gregory Neale Harrison is an American actor. He is known primarily for his roles as Dr. George Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates, the young surgeon assistant of Dr. Trapper John McIntyre on the CBS series Trapper John, M.D. (1979–86), and as ruthless business tycoon Michael Sharpe in the CBS series Falcon Crest (1989–1990). Since 2015, Harrison has played Joe O'Toole, father of Oliver, in the Hallmark Channel expansion films of Signed, Sealed and Delivered. From 2020 to 2024, he assumed the role of Gregory Chase on General Hospital.

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Christine Kurzhals, German politician (died 1998)

Christine Kurzhals was a German engineer and politician who served in the Bundestag from 1994 until her death in 1998. A member of the Social Democratic Party from Saxony, she was prominent for her role in the inner reunification process.

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Edgar Savisaar, Estonian politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior (died 2022)

Edgar Savisaar was an Estonian politician, one of the founding members of Popular Front of Estonia and the Centre Party. He served as the acting Prime Minister of Estonia, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, and twice mayor of Tallinn.

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31/05/1949

Tom Berenger, American actor, film producer and television writer

Thomas Michael Moore, known professionally as Tom Berenger, is an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of the Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes in Platoon (1986). He is also known for playing Jake Taylor in the Major League films and Thomas Beckett in the Sniper films.

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31/05/1948

Svetlana Alexievich, Belarusian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate

Svetlana Alexandrovna Alexievich is a Belarusian investigative journalist, essayist and oral historian who writes in Russian. She was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time". She is the first writer from Belarus to receive the award.

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John Bonham, English musician, songwriter and drummer (died 1980)

John Henry Bonham was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential drummers in history.

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Martin Hannett, English bass player, guitarist, and record producer (died 1991)

James Martin Hannett, was an English record producer, musician, and an original partner and director at Tony Wilson's Factory Records. He was also a co-founder of the musicians' collective Music Force, and the record label Rabid in the late 1970s.

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Duncan Hunter, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician

Duncan Lee Hunter is a retired American politician. He was a Republican member of the House of Representatives from California's 52nd, 45th and 42nd districts from 1981 to 2009.

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31/05/1947

Junior Campbell, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Junior Campbell is a Scottish composer, songwriter and musician. He was a founding member, lead guitarist, pianist, and singer with the Scottish band Marmalade and co-wrote and produced some of their biggest successes, including "Reflections of My Life", "I See the Rain" and "Rainbow".

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Gabriele Hinzmann, German discus thrower

Gabriele Hinzmann is a German former track and field athlete who competed mainly in the discus throw, such as at the 1976 Summer Olympics held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where she competed for East Germany and won the bronze medal.

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31/05/1946

Ted Baehr, American publisher and critic

Millard Robert E. Theodore Baehr is an American media critic and chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, a division of Good News Communications, Inc. He is publisher and editor-in-chief of Movieguide, a website and biweekly journal that evaluates motion pictures and other entertainment products from a Christian perspective on suitability for family consumption. He also hosts nationally and internationally syndicated Movieguide radio and television programs.

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Steve Bucknor, Jamaican cricketer and umpire

Stephen Anthony Bucknor, OJ is a Jamaican former international cricket umpire.

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Krista Kilvet, Estonian journalist, politician, and diplomat (died 2009)

Krista Kilvet was an Estonian radio journalist, politician and diplomat.

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Debbie Moore, English model and businesswoman

Debbie Moore OBE is an English retired model and businesswoman who founded the Pineapple Dance Studios and its associated clothing brand. She was the first woman to float a company on the London Stock Exchange and in 1984 was an early winner of the prestigious Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of The Year Award.

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31/05/1945

Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German actor, director, and screenwriter (died 1982)

Rainer Werner Fassbinder, sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. He directed over 40 films that span a variety of genres; frequently his work blends elements of Hollywood melodrama with social criticism and avant-garde techniques. His films, according to him, explored "the exploitability of feelings". His work was deeply rooted in post-war German culture: the aftermath of Nazism, the German economic miracle and the Red Army Faction. Early on, Fassbinder focused on marginalized figures in the city—migrant workers, prisoners, and gay people. He worked with a company of actors and technicians who frequently appeared in his projects.

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Laurent Gbagbo, Ivorian academic and politician, 4th President of Côte d'Ivoire

Koudou Laurent Gbagbo is an Ivorian politician who was the president of Côte d'Ivoire from 2000 until his arrest in April 2011. He was the first president in the history of the country that was a centre-left politician. A historian, Gbagbo was imprisoned in the early 1970s and again in the early 1990s, and he lived in exile in France during much of the 1980s as a result of his union activism. Gbagbo founded the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) in 1982 and ran unsuccessfully for president against Félix Houphouët-Boigny at the start of multi-party politics in 1990. He won a seat in the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire in 1990.

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Bernard Goldberg, American journalist and author

Bernard Richard Goldberg is an American author, journalist, and political pundit. Goldberg has won fourteen Emmy Awards and was a producer, reporter and correspondent for CBS News for twenty-eight years (1972–2000) and a paid contributor for Fox News for ten years (2009–2018). He is best-known for his on-going critiques of journalism practices in the United States—as described in his first book published in 2001, Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News. He was a correspondent for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO for 22 years until January 2021.

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31/05/1943

Sharon Gless, American actress

Sharon Marguerite Gless is an American actress known for her television roles. She portrayed Maggie Philbin on Switch (1975–1978), Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series Cagney & Lacey (1982–1988), and the title role in The Trials of Rosie O'Neill (1990–1992). She also played Debbie Novotny in the Showtime cable television series Queer as Folk (2000–2005) and Madeline Westen on Burn Notice (2007–2013).

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Joe Namath, American football player, sportscaster, and actor

Joseph William Namath is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. Nicknamed "Broadway Joe", he played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, receiving first-team All-SEC honors and winning the national championship in 1964. Namath was selected by the Jets first overall in the 1965 AFL draft.

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31/05/1941

June Clark, Welsh nurse and educator

Dame Margaret June Clark, FAAN FLSW was a British nurse and academic who was Professor Emeritus of Community Nursing, at Swansea University in Wales.

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Louis Ignarro, American pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Louis Joseph Ignarro is an American pharmacologist. For demonstrating the signaling properties of nitric oxide, he was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Robert F. Furchgott and Ferid Murad.

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William Nordhaus, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

William Dawbney Nordhaus is an American economist. He was a Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, best known for his work in economic modeling and climate change, and a co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Nordhaus received the prize "for integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis".

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31/05/1940

Anatoliy Bondarchuk, Ukrainian hammer thrower and coach (died 2025)

Anatoliy Pavlovych Bondarchuk was a Ukrainian hammer thrower who competed for the Soviet Union. An Olympic gold medallist, he is regarded as one of the most accomplished hammer throw coaches of all time. He was the author of a two-volume book, Transfer of Training, which was translated from Russian to English by Michael Yessis.

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Augie Meyers, American musician and singer-songwriter

August Edmond George Meyer Jr., known professionally as Augie Meyers, was an American musician, songwriter, studio musician, record producer and record label owner. He is perhaps best known as a founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet and the Texas Tornados.

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Gilbert Shelton, American illustrator

Gilbert Shelton is an American cartoonist and a key member of the underground comix movement. He is the creator of the iconic underground characters The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Fat Freddy's Cat, and Wonder Wart-Hog.

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31/05/1939

Terry Waite, English humanitarian and author

Sir Terence Hardy Waite is a British human rights activist and author.

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31/05/1938

Johnny Paycheck, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2003)

Johnny Paycheck was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is a notable figure in the outlaw movement in country music.

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John Prescott, British sailor and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 2024)

John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott was a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007.

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Peter Yarrow, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2025)

Peter Yarrow was an American singer and songwriter who found fame as a member of the 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary along with Paul Stookey and Mary Travers.

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31/05/1935

Jim Bolger, New Zealand businessman and politician, 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 2025)

James Brendan Bolger was a New Zealand politician of the National Party who was the 35th prime minister of New Zealand, serving from 1990 to 1997.

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31/05/1934

Jim Hutton, American actor (died 1979)

Dana Scott James Hutton was an American actor in film and television best remembered for his role as Ellery Queen in the 1970s TV series of the same name, and his screen partnership with Paula Prentiss in four films, starting with Where the Boys Are. He was the father of actor Timothy Hutton.

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31/05/1933

Henry B. Eyring, American religious leader, educator, and author

Henry Bennion Eyring is an American religious leader and former educational administrator serving as the first counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As the church's second most senior apostle, he is also the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, with Dieter F. Uchtdorf serving as the quorum's acting president.

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31/05/1932

Ed Lincoln, Brazilian pianist, bassist, and composer (died 2012)

Ed Lincoln was a Brazilian musician, composer and arranger known for a wide variety of styles. As a bassist, he was present at the earliest moments of bossa nova and as a Hammond organ player, he was foundational in establishing the sound of Brazilian jazz and space age pop.

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Jay Miner, American computer scientist and engineer (died 1994)

Jay Glenn Miner was an American integrated circuit designer, known primarily for developing graphics and audio chips for the Atari 2600 and Atari 8-bit computers and as the "father of the Amiga".

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31/05/1931

John Robert Schrieffer, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2019)

John Robert Schrieffer was an American physicist who, with John Bardeen and Leon Cooper, was a recipient of the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physics for developing the BCS theory, the first successful quantum theory of superconductivity.

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Shirley Verrett, American soprano and actress (died 2010)

Shirley Verrett was an American operatic mezzo-soprano who successfully transitioned into soprano roles making her a Soprano sfogato. Verrett enjoyed great fame from the late 1960s through the 1990s; she was particularly known for performing works by Giuseppe Verdi and Gaetano Donizetti.

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31/05/1930

Clint Eastwood, American actor, director, musician, and producer

Clinton Eastwood Jr. is an American actor, musician, and filmmaker. After achieving success in the Western TV series Rawhide, Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy of spaghetti Westerns during the mid-1960s and as antihero cop Harry Callahan in the five Dirty Harry films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. These roles, among others, have made Eastwood an enduring cultural icon of masculinity. Elected in 1986, Eastwood served for two years as the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

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Elaine Stewart, American actress and model (died 2011)

Elaine Stewart was an American actress and model.

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31/05/1929

Menahem Golan, Israeli director and producer (died 2014)

Menahem Golan was an Israeli film producer, screenwriter, and director. He co-owned The Cannon Group with his cousin Yoram Globus. Cannon specialized in producing low-to-mid-budget American films, primarily genre films, during the 1980s after Golan and Globus had achieved significant filmmaking success in Israel during the 1970s.

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31/05/1928

Pankaj Roy, Indian cricketer (died 2001)

Pankaj Roy was an Indian cricketer who played in 43 Test matches, including once as captain. He was a right-handed opening batsman, perhaps best known for establishing the world record opening partnership in Test cricket of 413 runs, together with Vinoo Mankad, against New Zealand at Chennai. The record stood for 52 years until 2008. Roy played for Bengal in domestic matches. In 2000, he was appointed as the Sheriff of Kolkata. He has been honoured with the Padma Shri. His nephew Ambar Roy and son Pranab Roy also played Test cricket for India. He was a student of Vidyasagar College. In 2016, he was posthumously awarded the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honour conferred by BCCI on a former player.

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31/05/1927

James Eberle, English admiral (died 2018)

Admiral Sir James Henry Fuller Eberle, was a senior officer in the Royal Navy who served as Commander-in-Chief Fleet from 1979 until 1981.

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Michael Sandberg, Baron Sandberg, English lieutenant and banker (died 2017)

Michael Graham Ruddock Sandberg, Baron Sandberg, CBE was executive chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation from 1977 to 1986.

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31/05/1925

Julian Beck, American actor and director (died 1986)

Julian Beck was an American actor, stage director, poet, and painter. He is best known for co-founding and directing the Living Theatre, as well as his posthumous role as Reverend Henry Kane, the malevolent preacher in the supernatural horror film Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)

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31/05/1923

Ellsworth Kelly, American painter and sculptor (died 2015)

Ellsworth Kelly was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker associated with hard-edge painting, Color field painting and minimalism. His works demonstrate unassuming techniques emphasizing line, color and form, similar to the work of John McLaughlin and Kenneth Noland. Kelly often employed bright colors. He lived and worked in Spencertown, New York.

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Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (died 2005)

Rainier III was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years.

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Claudio Matteini, Italian football player (died 2003)

Claudio Matteini was an Italian professional football player.

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31/05/1922

Denholm Elliott, English-Spanish actor (died 1992)

Denholm Mitchell Elliott was an English actor. He appeared in numerous productions on stage and screen, receiving BAFTA awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Trading Places (1983), A Private Function (1984) and Defence of the Realm (1986), and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Mr. Emerson in A Room with a View (1985). He is also known for his performances in Alfie (1966), A Doll's House (1973), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Maurice (1987), September (1987), and Noises Off (1992). He portrayed Marcus Brody in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). On television, Elliott won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in 1981 and was nominated for a second for Hotel du Lac (1986).

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31/05/1921

Edna Doré, English actress (died 2014)

Edna Lillian Doré was a British actress. She was known for her bit-part roles in sitcoms and for playing the character of Mo Butcher in EastEnders from 1988 to 1990.

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Andrew Grima, Anglo-Italian jewellery designer (died 2007)

Andrew Grima was an Anglo-Italian jewellery designer.

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Howard Reig, American radio and television announcer (died 2008)

Howard Reig was an American radio and television announcer. His last name was pronounced "reeg."

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Alida Valli, Austrian-Italian actress and singer (died 2006)

Baroness Alida Maria Laura Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg, better known by her stage name Alida Valli, or simply Valli, was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films in a 70-year career, spanning from the 1930s to the early 2000s. She was one of the biggest stars of Italian film during the Fascist era, once being called "the most beautiful woman in the world" by Benito Mussolini, and was internationally successful post-World War II.

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31/05/1919

Robie Macauley, American editor, novelist and critic (died 1995)

Robie Mayhew Macauley was an American editor, novelist and critic whose literary career spanned more than 50 years.

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31/05/1918

Robert Osterloh, American actor (died 2001)[better source needed]

Robert Osterloh was an American actor. In a career spanning 20 years, he appeared in films such as The Dark Past (1948), The Wild One (1953), I Bury the Living (1958), and Young Dillinger (1965).

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Lloyd Quarterman, African American chemist (died 1982)

Lloyd Albert Quarterman was an American chemist working mainly with fluorine. During the Second World War, he was one of the first six African American scientists and technicians on the Manhattan Project.

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31/05/1916

Bert Haanstra, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1997)

Albert Haanstra was a Dutch director of films and documentaries. His documentary Glass (1958) won the Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject in 1959. His feature film Fanfare (1958) was the most visited Dutch film at the time, and has since only been surpassed by Turkish Delight (1973).

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31/05/1914

Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer and educator (died 2006)

Akira Ifukube was a Japanese composer. He is best known for composing several entries in the Godzilla franchise as well as developing the titular monster's roar.

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31/05/1912

Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American experimental physicist (died 1997)

Chien-Shiung Wu, also known as Madame Wu, was a Chinese-American particle and experimental physicist who made significant contributions in the fields of nuclear and particle physics. Wu worked on the Manhattan Project, where she helped develop the process for separating uranium into uranium-235 and uranium-238 isotopes by gaseous diffusion. She is best known for conducting the Wu experiment, which proved that parity is not conserved. This discovery resulted in her colleagues Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang winning the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics, while Wu herself was awarded the inaugural Wolf Prize in Physics in 1978. Her expertise in experimental physics evoked comparisons to Marie Curie. Her nicknames include the "First Lady of Physics", the "Chinese Marie Curie" and the "Queen of Nuclear Research".

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31/05/1911

Maurice Allais, French economist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2010)

Maurice Félix Charles Allais was a French physicist and economist, the 1988 winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "for his pioneering contributions to the theory of markets and efficient utilization of resources", along with John Hicks and Paul Samuelson, to neoclassical synthesis. They formalize the self-regulation of markets, which Keynes refuted but reiterated some of Allais's ideas.

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31/05/1909

Art Coulter, Canadian-American ice hockey player (died 2000)

Arthur Edmund Coulter was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League.

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31/05/1908

Don Ameche, American actor (died 1993)

Don Ameche was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, repertory theatre, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which led to the offer of a movie contract from 20th Century Fox in 1935.

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31/05/1901

Alfredo Antonini, Italian-American conductor and composer (died 1983)

Alfredo Antonini was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the early 1970s. In 1972 he received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Religious Programming on television for his conducting of the premiere of Ezra Laderman's opera And David Wept for CBS television during 1971. In addition, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1980.

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31/05/1900

Lucile Godbold, American athlete (died 1981)

Lucile Ellerbe Godbold was an American track and field athlete. She competed in the long jump and several running and throwing events at the 1922 Women's World Games, also known as the First International Games for Women, and won a gold medal in the shot put and a bronze in the javelin throw; she finished fourth in the 300 m and 1000 m races. Lucile won a total of six medals, which was more than any other competitor.

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31/05/1898

Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author (died 1993)

Norman Vincent Peale was an American Protestant clergyman, and an author best known for popularizing the concept of positive thinking, especially through his best-selling book The Power of Positive Thinking (1952). He served as the pastor of Marble Collegiate Church, New York, from 1932, leading this Reformed Church in America congregation for more than a half century until his retirement in 1984. Alongside his pulpit ministry, he had an extensive career of writing and editing, and radio and television presentations. Despite arguing at times against involvement of clergy in politics, he nevertheless had some controversial affiliations with politically active organizations in the late 1930s, and engaged with national political candidates and their campaigns, having influence on some, including personal friendships with Presidents Richard Nixon and Donald Trump.

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31/05/1894

Fred Allen, American comedian, radio host, game show panelist, and author (died 1956)

John Florence Sullivan, known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist, topically pointed radio program The Fred Allen Show (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the Golden Age of American radio.

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31/05/1892

Michel Kikoine, Belarusian-French painter (died 1968)

Michel Kikoïne was a Lithuanian Jewish-French painter who belonged to the Ecole de Paris art movement.

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Erich Neumann, German lieutenant and politician (died 1951)

Erich Neumann was a German lawyer and civil servant, a member of the Nazi party and an SS-Oberführer. Neumann was a participant in the Wannsee Conference that determined the implementation of the Final Solution. He was interned at the end of the Second World War but was released in 1948 due to ill health and was never prosecuted.

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Konstantin Paustovsky, Russian poet and author (died 1968)

Konstantin Georgiyevich Paustovsky was a Soviet writer nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1968.

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Gregor Strasser, German lieutenant and politician (died 1934)

Gregor Strasser was a German politician and early leader of the Nazi Party. Along with his younger brother Otto, he was a leading member of the party's left-wing faction, which brought them into conflict with the dominant faction led by Adolf Hitler, resulting in Gregor's murder in 1934. The brothers' strand of the Nazi ideology is known as Strasserism.

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31/05/1887

Saint-John Perse, French poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1975)

Alexis Leger, better known by his pseudonym Saint-John Perse, was a French poet, writer and diplomat, awarded the 1960 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the soaring flight and the evocative imagery of his poetry which in a visionary fashion reflects the conditions of our time".

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31/05/1885

Robert Richards, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of South Australia (died 1967)

Robert Stanley Richards was an Australian politician. He served as premier of South Australia for two months in 1933, leading the Parliamentary Labor faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the aftermath of a major party split. His government was defeated in a landslide at the 1933 state election. He returned as leader of the reunited ALP from 1938 to 1949, leading the party to three consecutive electoral defeats as leader of the opposition in the face of severe electoral malapportionment. He later served as administrator of Nauru, a UN trust territory administered by Australia, from 1949 to 1951.

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31/05/1883

Lauri Kristian Relander, Finnish politician, 2nd President of Finland (died 1942)

Lauri Kristian Relander was the president of Finland (1925–1931). A prominent member of the Agrarian League, he served as a member of Parliament, and as Speaker, before his election as president.

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31/05/1882

Sándor Festetics, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of War (died 1956)

Count Sándor Ágost Dénes Festetics de Tolna was a Hungarian nobleman and cabinet minister who later became an advocate of Nazism in Hungary.

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31/05/1879

Frances Alda, New Zealand-Australian soprano (died 1952)

Frances Davis Alda was a New Zealand-born, Australian-raised operatic lyric soprano. She achieved fame during the first three decades of the 20th century due to her outstanding singing voice, fine technique and colourful personality, as well as her frequent onstage partnerships at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, with Enrico Caruso.

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31/05/1875

Rosa May Billinghurst, British suffragette and women's rights activist (died 1953)

Rosa May Billinghurst was a British suffragette and women's rights activist. She was known popularly as the "cripple suffragette" as she campaigned in a tricycle.

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31/05/1866

John Ringling, American entrepreneur; one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus (died 1936)

John Nicholas Ringling was an American entrepreneur who is the best known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows to create a virtual monopoly of traveling circuses and helped shape the modern circus. In addition to owning and managing many of the largest circuses in the United States, he was also a rancher, a real estate developer and art collector. He was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 1987.

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31/05/1863

Francis Younghusband, Indian-English captain and explorer (died 1942)

Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, was a British Army officer, explorer and spiritual writer. He is remembered for his travels in the Far East and Central Asia; especially the 1904 British expedition to Tibet, led by him, and for his writings on Asia and foreign policy. Younghusband held positions including British commissioner to Tibet and president of the Royal Geographical Society.

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31/05/1860

Walter Sickert, English painter (died 1942)

Walter Richard Sickert was a German-born British painter and printmaker who was a member of the Camden Town Group of Post-Impressionist artists in early 20th-century London. He was an important influence on distinctively British styles of avant-garde art in the mid and late 20th century.

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31/05/1858

Graham Wallas, English socialist, social psychologist, and educationalist (died 1932)

Graham Wallas was an English socialist, social psychologist, educationalist, a leader of the Fabian Society and a co-founder of the London School of Economics.

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31/05/1857

Pope Pius XI (died 1939)

Pope Pius XI was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of Vatican City upon its creation on 11 February 1929.

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31/05/1852

Francisco Moreno, Argentinian explorer and academic (died 1919)

Francisco Pascasio Moreno was a prominent explorer and academic in Argentina, where he is usually referred to as Perito Moreno. Perito Moreno has been credited as one of the most influential figures in the Argentine incorporation of large parts of Patagonia and its subsequent development.

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Julius Richard Petri, German microbiologist, invented the Petri dish (died 1921)

Julius Richard Petri was a German microbiologist who is generally credited with inventing the device known as the Petri dish, which is named after him, while working as assistant to bacteriologist Robert Koch.

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31/05/1847

William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, Canadian-Irish businessman and politician, Lord Mayor of Belfast (died 1924)

William James Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie was a leading British shipbuilder and businessman. He was chairman of Harland & Wolff, shipbuilders, between 1895 and 1924, and also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast between 1896 and 1898. He was ennobled as Baron Pirrie in 1906, appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick in 1908 and made Viscount Pirrie in 1921. Lord Pirrie was involved in the building of the Olympic-class ocean liners, along with his nephew Thomas Andrews. In Belfast, he was already a controversial figure: a Protestant employer associated as a leading Liberal with a policy of Home Rule for Ireland.

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31/05/1842

John Cox Bray, Australian politician, 15th Premier of South Australia (died 1894)

Sir John Cox Bray was a prominent South Australian politician and the first native-born Premier of South Australia (1881–1884).

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31/05/1838

Henry Sidgwick, English economist and philosopher (died 1900)

Henry Sidgwick was an English utilitarian philosopher and economist and is best known in philosophy for his utilitarian treatise The Methods of Ethics. His work in economics has also had a lasting influence.

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31/05/1835

Hijikata Toshizō, Japanese commander (died 1869)

Hijikata Toshizō was a Japanese swordsman of the Bakumatsu period and Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi. As Vice-Commander, he served the Tokugawa Shogunate and co-led his group in its resistance against the imperial rule brought about by the Meiji Restoration. He fought against the Imperial Army during the Boshin War until his death at the Battle of Hakodate, which ended the war.

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31/05/1827

Kusumoto Ine, first Japanese female doctor of Western medicine (died 1903)

Kusumoto Ine was a Japanese physician. She was the first female doctor of Western medicine in Japan.

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31/05/1819

Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist (died 1892)

Walter Whitman Jr. was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incorporated both transcendentalism and realism in his writings and is often called the father of free verse. His work was controversial in his time, particularly his 1855 poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described by some as obscene for its overt sensuality.

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31/05/1818

John Albion Andrew, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1867)

John Albion Andrew was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He was elected in 1860 as the 25th Governor of Massachusetts, serving between 1861 and 1866, and led the state's contributions to the Union cause during the American Civil War (1861–1865). He was a guiding force behind the creation of some of the first African-American units in the United States Army, including the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. He belonged to the Whig, Free Soil, and Republican parties during his career.

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31/05/1815

Adye Douglas, English-Australian cricketer and politician, 15th Premier of Tasmania (died 1906)

Sir Adye Douglas was an Australian lawyer and politician, and first class cricket player, who played one match for Tasmania. He was Premier of Tasmania from 15 August 1884 to 8 March 1886.

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31/05/1812

Robert Torrens, Irish-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of South Australia (died 1884)

Sir Robert Richard Torrens,, also known as Robert Richard Chute Torrens, was an Irish-born parliamentarian, writer, and land reformer. After a move to London in 1836, he became prominent in the early years of the Colony of South Australia, emigrating after being appointed to a civil service position there in 1840. He was Colonial Treasurer and Registrar-General from 1852 to 1857 and then the third Premier of South Australia for a single month in September 1857.

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31/05/1801

Johann Georg Baiter, Swiss philologist and scholar (died 1887)

Johann Georg Baiter was a Swiss philologist and textual critic.

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31/05/1773

Ludwig Tieck, German poet, author, and critic (died 1853)

Johann Ludwig Tieck was a German poet, fiction writer, translator, and critic. He was one of the founding fathers of the Romantic movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

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31/05/1754

Andrea Appiani, Italian painter and educator (died 1817)

Andrea Appiani was an Italian neoclassical painter. He is known as "the elder", to distinguish him from his great-nephew Andrea Appiani, a historical painter in Rome.

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31/05/1753

Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, French lawyer and politician (died 1793)

Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud was a French lawyer and statesman, a figure of the French Revolution. A deputy to the Assembly from Bordeaux, Vergniaud was an eloquent orator. He was a supporter of Jacques Pierre Brissot and the Girondist faction.

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31/05/1732

Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Austrian archbishop (died 1812)

Hieronymus Joseph Franz de Paula Graf Colloredo von Wallsee und Melz was Prince-Bishop of Gurk from 1761 to 1772 and Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1772 until 1803, when the prince-archbishopric was secularized. After secularization, Colloredo fled to Vienna and remained the non-resident archbishop of Salzburg, bereft of temporal power, until his death in 1812. He is most famously known as a patron and employer for Mozart.

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31/05/1725

Ahilyabai Holkar, Queen of the Malwa Kingdom under the Maratha Empire (died 1795)

Ahilyabai Holkar, also spelled Ahalya Bai, was the Rajamata and later the ruling queen of Indore within the Maratha Empire. She established Maheshwar as the seat of the Holkar Dynasty. She is renowned for good governance, social welfare, and humanitarian work along with religious, educational, and cultural advancements. She contributed to the growth of Indian architecture through the commission of various temples, Ghats, and Dharmshalas. Ahilyabai's Matha, or charitable endowments, spread across India. She is remembered as a Sadhvi, or holy woman.

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31/05/1641

Patriarch Dositheos II of Jerusalem (died 1707)

Dositheus II Notaras of Jerusalem was the Patriarch of Jerusalem between 1669 and 1707 and a theologian of the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was known for standing against influences of the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. He convened the Synod of Jerusalem in 1672 to counter the Calvinist confessions alleged to be from Cyril Lucaris.

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31/05/1640

Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, King of Poland (died 1673)

Michał Tomasz Wiśniowiecki, also known as Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, and under a regal name Michael I, was the ruler of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 29 September 1669 until his death in 1673.

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31/05/1613

John George II, Elector of Saxony (died 1680)

Johann George II was the Elector of Saxony from 1656 to 1680. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin.

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31/05/1577

Nur Jahan, Empress consort of the Mughal Empire (died 1645)

Nur Jahan, born Mehr-un-Nissa, was the twentieth wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir.

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31/05/1556

Jerzy Radziwiłł, Catholic cardinal (died 1600)

Prince Jerzy Radziwiłł was a Polish–Lithuanian magnate and Imperial Reichsfürst from the Radziwiłł family. He was ordained a Catholic priest and later rose through the ranks as Bishop of Vilnius eventually becoming a cardinal. He was a close friend and adviser of King Sigismund III and represented his interests in front of the Pope.

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31/05/1535

Alessandro Allori, Italian painter (died 1607)

Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori was an Italian painter of the late Mannerist Florentine school.

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31/05/1469

Manuel I of Portugal (died 1521)

Manuel I, known as the Fortunate, was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as monarch. Manuel ruled over a period of intensive expansion of the Portuguese Empire owing to the numerous Portuguese discoveries made during his reign. His sponsorship of Vasco da Gama led to the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India in 1498, resulting in the creation of the Portuguese India Armadas, which guaranteed Portugal's monopoly on the spice trade. Manuel began the Portuguese colonization of the Americas and Portuguese India, and oversaw the establishment of a vast trade empire across Africa and Asia.

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31/05/1462

Philipp II, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (died 1504)

Philipp II of Hanau-Lichtenberg ruled the County of Hanau-Lichtenberg from 1480 until his death.

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