Born on Thursday, 8th May – Famous Birthdays

08/05/2005

Oliver Bearman, English racing driver

Oliver James Bearman is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Haas.

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08/05/2003

Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco

Moulay Hassan is the Crown Prince of Morocco. He is the elder child of King Mohammed VI and Princess Lalla Salma. He has a younger sister, Princess Khadija. He is named after his grandfather Hassan II. In 2013, he began participating with his father at public official engagements.

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08/05/2001

Jordyn Huitema, Canadian soccer player

Jordyn Pamela Huitema is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Chicago Stars FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Canada national team.

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08/05/1996

6ix9ine, American rapper

Daniel Hernandez, known professionally as 6ix9ine, Tekashi69, or Tekashi 6ix9ine, is an American rapper. His music has been marked by an aggressive style of rapping, while his controversial public persona is characterized by his distinctive rainbow-colored hair, tattoos, legal problems, social media "trolling", and publicized celebrity feuds.

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08/05/1993

Pat Cummins, Australian cricketer

Patrick James Cummins is an Australian international cricketer who plays for the Australian men's cricket team in all three formats, captaining the team in both Test and One Day International cricket. A right-armed pace bowler, he also captains the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.

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08/05/1992

Olivia Culpo, American model and actress

Olivia Frances Culpo is an American model, actress, and media personality. Culpo has won Miss Rhode Island USA, Miss USA 2012, and Miss Universe 2012.

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Kevin Hayes, American ice hockey player

Kevin Patrick Hayes is an American professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).

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08/05/1990

Lane Johnson, American football player

David Lane Johnson is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Eagles fourth overall in the 2013 NFL draft. He played college football for the Kilgore Rangers before transferring to the Oklahoma Sooners. Johnson has made three Super Bowl appearances with the Eagles, winning two. He is a two time first-team All-Pro, three time second All-Pro, and six time Pro Bowl selection.

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Iyo Sky, Japanese wrestler

Masami Odate is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Iyo Sky . She is a former Women's Money in the Bank contract holder, former WWE Women's Champion, and former Women's World Champion. Known for her athleticism and in-ring ability, she is regarded as one of the best women's wrestlers in the world.

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Kemba Walker, American basketball player

Kemba Hudley Walker is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is a player enhancement coach for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was picked ninth overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2011 NBA draft and also played for the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and the Dallas Mavericks, before finishing his career with AS Monaco. He played college basketball for the Connecticut Huskies. In their 2010–11 season, Walker was the nation's second-leading scorer and was named consensus first-team All-American; he also led the Huskies to a 2011 NCAA championship victory and claimed the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award. Walker is a four-time NBA All-Star, a one-time All-NBA Team member, two-time winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award, as well as a LNB Élite champion.

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08/05/1989

Lars Eller, Danish ice hockey player

Lars Fosgaard Eller is a Danish professional ice hockey player who is a centre for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "the Tiger", he was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the first round, 13th overall, in the 2007 NHL entry draft. Eller made his NHL debut in 2009 with the Blues and was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 2010, where he played six seasons, before being traded to the Washington Capitals in 2016. He became the first person from Denmark to win the Stanley Cup when the Capitals won in 2018, scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal. After a brief stint with the Colorado Avalanche, Eller joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023, becoming the first Danish player to play in 1,000 NHL games, before being traded back to the Capitals in 2024. Internationally, Eller has played for the Danish national team at both the junior and senior level, including at five World Championships.

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08/05/1988

Trisha Paytas, American media personality

Trisha Paytas is an American media personality, actress, singer, and YouTuber. She is known for her multifaceted career on YouTube, where her content has spanned numerous genres, including lifestyle vlogs, music videos, and mukbangs.

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08/05/1987

Felix Jones, American football player

Felix Jones Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, earning consensus All-American honors in 2007. He was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft.

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Mark Noble, English footballer

Mark James Noble is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is the sporting director of Premier League club West Ham United. A fan of the club since childhood, Noble spent eighteen years with West Ham playing as a central midfielder, serving as club captain for seven years, before retiring at the end of the 2021–22 season. Aside from two brief loan spells at Hull City and Ipswich Town, Noble played all of his first team matches for the club, earning him the nickname "Mr West Ham".

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Kurt Tippett, Australian footballer

Kurt Anthony Tippett is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club and the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL).

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08/05/1986

Galen Rupp, American runner

Galen Rupp is an American long-distance runner. He competed in the Summer Olympics in 2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2021 in Tokyo. He won the silver medal in the men's 10,000 meters in London and the bronze medal in the men's marathon in Rio de Janeiro. Rupp competed for the University of Oregon and trained under Alberto Salazar as a member of the Nike Oregon Project. He won the 2017 Chicago Marathon, becoming the first American to do so since Khalid Khannouchi in 2002. Rupp won the marathon at the 2020 United States Olympic Trials (marathon) in Atlanta with a time of 2:09:20, and qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, where he finished eighth.

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08/05/1985

Tommaso Ciampa, American wrestler

Tommaso Whitney, better known by the ring name Tommaso Ciampa, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former one-time AEW TNT Champion. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he was a former two-time NXT Champion, and a one-time NXT Tag Team Champion with Johnny Gargano as part of #DIY.

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08/05/1982

Buakaw Banchamek, Thai kick-boxer

Sombat Banchamek, also known by his ring name Buakaw Banchamek and mononymously as Buakaw is a Thai professional Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. Known for his fierce fighting style, he is regarded as one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters of all time.

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Adrián González, American baseball player

Adrián González Savín, also known by his nicknames "A-Gon" and "Titán", is a Mexican-American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets.

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08/05/1981

Stephen Amell, Canadian actor

Stephen Adam Amell is a Canadian actor. He came to prominence for playing the lead role of Oliver Queen on the CW superhero series Arrow (2012–2020), based on DC Comics. Amell also appeared in subsequent Arrowverse franchise media, along with reprising his role in various video games. Following the conclusion of Arrow, Amell landed the lead roles in both the Starz drama series Heels (2021–2023), and Suits LA, the sequel to Suits.

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Andrea Barzagli, Italian footballer

Andrea Barzagli is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He was selected to the Serie A Team of the Year four times.

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08/05/1980

Evgeny Lebedev, Russian-English publisher and philanthropist

Evgeny Alexandrovich Lebedev, Baron Lebedev, is a Russian-British businessman, who owns Lebedev Holdings Ltd, which in turn owns the Evening Standard and the now-defunct ESTV. He is also an investor in The Independent.

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Michelle McManus, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress

Michelle McManus is a Scottish singer, columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter who won the second and final series of the UK talent show Pop Idol in 2003. She currently presents the Afternoon radio show broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland, and is the host of The Entertainment Mix (2024–present) which airs on BBC Scotland. In January 2004, McManus made history when she became the first Scottish female artist to debut atop the UK Singles Chart with a debut single.

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08/05/1978

Lúcio, Brazilian footballer

Lucimar Ferreira da Silva, commonly known as Lúcio, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. A tall and physically strong defender who excelled in the air, he is regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation. His long, surging, galloping runs on the ball earned him the nickname O Cavalo.

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08/05/1977

Joe Bonamassa, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Joseph Leonard Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen solo albums through his independent record label J&R Adventures, of which eleven have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Blues chart.

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Bad News Brown, Canadian rapper, harmonica player, and actor (died 2011)

Paul Frappier, better known by his stage name Bad News Brown, was a Montreal-based Canadian entertainer, musician, and hip hop MC of Haitian origin. He was known for pairing the sound of his chief instrument, the harmonica, with hip-hop beats and rhymes. Frappier started out busking in Montreal in streets and subway stations. He later toured and opened for many well-known hip hop acts or as background musician. He also appeared as an impromptu host in Music for a Blue Train, the 2003 documentary about busker musicians in the Montreal Metro subway train system. In 2004, he signed a management deal with E-Stunt Entertainment Group. In 2009, he established his own record label, Trilateral Entertainment Inc., and released his debut album Born 2 Sin. Brown was found murdered in an alley near the Lachine Canal in Montreal on February 11, 2011. The feature film BumRush, featuring Brown in a leading role, premiered posthumously on April 1, 2011.

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Theodoros Papaloukas, Greek basketball player

Theodoros Papaloukas, commonly known as Theo Papaloukas, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. He was selected to the All-EuroLeague Team four times, was a member of the EuroLeague 2000–2010 All-Decade Team, and was named one of the 50 greatest EuroLeague contributors in 2008. A legendary figure in European basketball, he was renowned for his ability to come off the bench and immediately dominate the game. In 2013, he received the sport’s highest European honor when he was named a EuroLeague Legend in recognition of his career achievements.

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08/05/1976

Martha Wainwright, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Martha Wainwright is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. She has released seven critically acclaimed studio albums.

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08/05/1975

Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor

Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa where he released three Spanish albums: Enrique Iglesias, Vivir and Cosas del Amor, becoming the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the turn of the millennium, he made a successful crossover into the mainstream English-language market.

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08/05/1974

Korey Stringer, American football player (died 2001)

Korey Damont Stringer was an American professional football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings. On August 1, 2001, Stringer died from complications brought on by heat stroke during the Vikings' training camp in Mankato, Minnesota.

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08/05/1973

Jesús Arellano, Mexican footballer

José de Jesús Arellano Alcocer is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a winger, and a wanted fugitive.

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Marcus Brigstocke, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter

Marcus Alexander Brigstocke is a British comedian and actor. He has worked in stand-up comedy, television, radio and musical theatre. He has appeared on many BBC television and radio shows.

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08/05/1972

Darren Hayes, Australian singer-songwriter

Darren Stanley Hayes is an Australian singer, songwriter, music producer and composer. He was the singer of the pop duo Savage Garden from their 1993 establishment until their disbandment in 2001. Their 1997 album Savage Garden peaked at No. 1 in Australia, No. 2 in the United Kingdom, and No. 3 in the United States. It spawned the singles "I Want You", "To the Moon and Back", and Australian and US No. 1 hit "Truly Madly Deeply". The duo followed the success of their debut album with Affirmation (1999), which provided additional hits such as Australian and US No. 1 hit "I Knew I Loved You" and Australian No. 3 hit "The Animal Song".

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Ray Whitney, Canadian ice hockey player

Raymond D. Whitney is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was given the nickname "The Wizard" for his passing and playmaking skills.

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08/05/1971

Candice Night, American singer-songwriter

Candice Night is an American singer and musician. She has been the vocalist/lyricist and multi-instrumentalist for the traditional folk rock project Blackmore's Night since its origins in 1997 with her husband, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. She is also the backing vocalist for Rainbow from 1994 to 1997 and 2015–present, again with Blackmore. Her first solo album, Reflections, was released in 2011.

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08/05/1970

Michael Bevan, Australian cricketer and coach

Michael Gwyl Bevan is an Australian former international cricketer. He played as a left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm wrist spin bowler. Bevan is widely considered as one of the greatest One Day International (ODI) batsmen of all-time, and topped the International Cricket Council's batting rankings in the format on numerous occasions. He was the first Canberra-born player to represent Australia at international level. He played 232 ODIs for Australia, and was a part of the Australian squads which won the 1999 and 2003 Cricket World Cups. He represented Australia at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, where cricket was included in the Games for the first time.

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Naomi Klein, Canadian author and activist

Naomi Klein is a Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker known for her political analyses, support of ecofeminism and organized labour, and criticism of corporate globalization, fascism and capitalism.

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Luis Enrique, Spanish footballer and manager

Luis Enrique Martínez García, known as Luis Enrique, is a Spanish football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.

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08/05/1969

Akebono Tarō, American-Japanese sumo wrestler, the 64th Yokozuna (died 2024)

Akebono Tarō was an American-born Japanese professional sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Joining sumo in Japan in 1988, he was trained by the pioneering Hawaiian wrestler Takamiyama and rose swiftly up the rankings, reaching the top division in 1990. After two consecutive yusho or tournament championships in November 1992 and January 1993 he made history by becoming the first non-Japanese-born wrestler ever to reach yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo.

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08/05/1967

Viviana Durante, Italian ballerina and actress

Viviana Durante is an Italian ballet dancer, considered one of the great dramatic ballerinas of recent times. She was a principal dancer of The Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Teatro alla Scala and K-Ballet. She is the artistic director of English National Ballet School and of the Viviana Durante Company.

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08/05/1966

Eileen Bowman, American actress

Eileen Josephine Bowman Sylwestrzak is an American actress who performed as Snow White at the 61st Academy Awards and Beach Blanket Babylon. Bowman starred in productions of End of the Rainbow (2015), Hairspray (2018), Looped (2024) and she won a Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Female for Guys and Dolls (2012).

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Cláudio Taffarel, Brazilian footballer and coach

Cláudio André Mergen Taffarel is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently the goalkeeping coach of the Brazil national team.

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08/05/1964

Melissa Gilbert, American actress and director

Melissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest-starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second-oldest daughter of Charles Ingalls on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During the run of Little House, Gilbert appeared in several television films, including The Diary of Anne Frank (1980) and The Miracle Worker (1979). As an adult, she continued her career mainly in television films. From 2009 to 2010, Gilbert appeared as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. In 2012, she was a contestant on season fourteen of the reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars on ABC.

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08/05/1963

Anthony Field, Australian guitarist, songwriter, producer, and actor

Anthony Donald Joseph Field is an Australian musician, actor, songwriter and producer. He is best known as the leader of the children's group the Wiggles and a member of the 1980s and 1990s pop band the Cockroaches. While still a teenager, he helped found the Cockroaches with his brothers, Paul and John. The Cockroaches recorded two albums and enjoyed moderate success, interrupted by Field's service in the Army, until they disbanded in the late 1980s.

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Michel Gondry, French director and screenwriter

Michel Gondry is a French filmmaker and producer. He is known for directing the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which he co-wrote with Charlie Kaufman, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. His other films include the music documentary Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005), the surrealistic science fantasy comedy The Science of Sleep (2006), the comedy Be Kind Rewind (2008), the superhero comedy The Green Hornet (2011), the drama The We and the I (2012), and the romantic science fantasy tragedy Mood Indigo (2013).

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08/05/1961

Bill de Blasio, American politician, 109th Mayor of New York City

Bill de Blasio is an American former politician who served as the 110th mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he held the office of New York City Public Advocate from 2010 to 2013.

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David Winning, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter

David Winning is a Canadian-American film and television director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and occasional actor. Although Winning has worked in numerous film and TV genres, his name is most commonly associated with science fiction, thrillers and drama.

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08/05/1960

Franco Baresi, Italian footballer and coach

Franchino Baresi is an Italian football youth team coach and a former player and manager. He mainly played as a sweeper or as a central defender, and spent his entire 20-year career with Serie A club AC Milan, captaining the club for 15 seasons. Widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, he was ranked 19th in World Soccer magazine's list of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century. With Milan, he won three UEFA Champions League titles, six Serie A titles, four Supercoppa Italiana titles, two European Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups, as well as a World Cup with Italy.

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08/05/1959

Ronnie Lott, American football player and sportscaster

Ronald Mandel Lott is an American former professional football player in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons from 1981 to 1994.

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08/05/1958

Roddy Doyle, Irish novelist, playwright, and screenwriter

Roderick Doyle is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. He is the author of eleven novels for adults, eight books for children, seven plays and screenplays, and dozens of short stories. Several of his books have been made into films, beginning with The Commitments in 1991. Doyle's work is set primarily in Ireland, especially working-class Dublin, and is notable for its heavy use of dialogue written in slang and Irish English dialect. Doyle was awarded the Booker Prize in 1993 for his novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.

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Brooks Newmark, American-English businessman and politician, Lord of the Treasury

Brooks Phillip Victor Newmark is a former British Conservative politician, who served as a Member of Parliament and minister. He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Braintree in the 2005 general election and stood down at the 2015 general election.

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08/05/1957

Bill Cowher, American football player, coach, and analyst

William Laird Cowher is an American former professional football linebacker and coach who served as the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He began his coaching career as an assistant under Marty Schottenheimer for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, serving as the latter's defensive coordinator from 1989 to 1991. In 1992, Cowher was named head coach of the Steelers, a position he held until his retirement following the 2006 season. After retiring, Cowher joined The NFL Today as a studio analyst.

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08/05/1956

Jeff Wincott, Canadian actor and martial artist

Jeffrey Wincott is a Canadian actor and martial artist best known for his lead role in the television series Night Heat.

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08/05/1955

Patrick Hanrahan, American computer graphics researcher

Patrick M. Hanrahan is an American computer graphics researcher, the Canon USA Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering in the Computer Graphics Laboratory at Stanford University. His research focuses on rendering algorithms, graphics processing units, as well as scientific illustration and visualization. He has received numerous awards, including the 2019 Turing Award.

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Mladen Markač, Croatian general

Mladen Markač is a Croatian retired general. He was a Commander of Croatian Special Police during Operation Storm during the Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995), and afterwards held the rank of Colonel General. Later, he was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for war crimes committed during Operation Storm by Croatian forces against the Serbs from Croatia. In April 2011, the ICTY found him guilty and sentenced him to 18 years.

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08/05/1954

David Keith, American actor and director

David Lemuel Keith is an American actor and director. His breakout role was as aspiring Navy pilot Sid Worley in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), earning Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year. The role paved the way for leading performances in The Lords of Discipline (1983), Firestarter (1984) and the cult thriller White of the Eye (1987). Keith has since appeared in numerous supporting roles, among them Major League II (1994), The Indian in the Cupboard (1995), Poodle Springs (1998), U-571 (2000), Men of Honor (2000), Behind Enemy Lines (2001) and Daredevil (2003). He also portrayed Elvis Presley in Chris Columbus’s musical comedy Heartbreak Hotel (1988), singing several numbers on the soundtrack—including “Love Me” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”—opposite Tuesday Weld.

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08/05/1953

Alex Van Halen, Dutch-American drummer

Alexander Arthur Van Halen is an American musician who was the drummer and a co-founder of the rock band Van Halen, which was formed in 1972 by Van Halen and his younger brother Eddie under the name "Mammoth" before adding Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth in 1974 and changing their name to Van Halen.

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08/05/1952

Peter McNab, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (died 2022)

Peter Maxwell McNab was a Canadian-born American professional ice hockey player. He played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1973 to 1987, with the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, and New Jersey Devils. He later served as the color commentator for the Colorado Avalanche from their inaugural 1995–96 season until his death.

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08/05/1951

Philip Bailey, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor

Philip James Bailey is an American singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. Noted for his four-octave vocal range and distinctive falsetto register, Bailey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire. Bailey was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his work with the band.

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Mike D'Antoni, American basketball player and coach

Michael Andrew D'Antoni is an American-Italian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a coaching advisor for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

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Chris Frantz, American drummer and producer

Charton Christopher Frantz is an American musician and record producer. He is the drummer for both Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, both of which he co-founded with wife and Talking Heads bassist, Tina Weymouth. In 2002, Frantz was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Talking Heads.

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08/05/1947

H. Robert Horvitz, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Howard Robert Horvitz ForMemRS NAS AAA&S APS NAM is an American biologist whose research on the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans was awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, together with Sydney Brenner and John E. Sulston, whose "seminal discoveries concerning the genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death" were "important for medical research and have shed new light on the pathogenesis of many diseases".

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John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, Scottish historian and politician, Secretary of State for Defence

John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, is a Scottish politician. A member of the Labour Party, he held various Cabinet positions under prime minister Tony Blair from 1999 to 2007, lastly as Home Secretary from 2006 to 2007. He was also a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1987 to 2010 and has been a member of the House of Lords since 2010.

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08/05/1945

Keith Jarrett, American pianist and composer

Keith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a group leader and solo performer in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music. His improvisations draw from the traditions of jazz and other genres, including Western classical music, gospel, blues, and ethnic folk music.

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08/05/1944

Gary Glitter, English singer-songwriter

Paul Francis Gadd, better known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is a British former singer who achieved fame and success during the 1970s and 1980s. His career ended after his 1999 conviction of downloading child sexual abuse material. He was also convicted of child sexual abuse in 2006 and a series of sexual offences in 2015.

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08/05/1943

Pat Barker, English author

Dame Patricia Mary W. Barker, is an English writer and novelist. She has won many awards for her fiction, which centres on themes of memory, trauma, survival and recovery. She is known for her Regeneration Trilogy, published in the 1990s, and, more recently, a series of books set during the Trojan War, starting with The Silence of the Girls in 2018.

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Gamini Lokuge, Sri Lankan politician (died 2025)

Gamini Kulawansa Lokuge was a Sri Lankan politician. He was a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka for the Colombo Electoral District between 1989 and 2024, and had previously represented Kesbewa in the National State Assembly from 1983 to 1989. Throughout his time in Sri Lankan politics, Lokuge held many different cabinet positions, such as Minister of Power, Minister of Energy, Minister of Transport, Minister of Labour, Minister of Sports and Minister of Tourism, among many others, through many national governments. He also served as the President of the National Employees Union as well as the head of the United National Party’s Public Service Trade Union.

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08/05/1942

Norman Lamont, Scottish banker and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer

Norman Stewart Hughson Lamont, Baron Lamont of Lerwick, is a British politician and former Conservative MP for Kingston-upon-Thames. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1990 until 1993. He was created a life peer in 1998. Lamont was a supporter of the Eurosceptic organisation Leave Means Leave.

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Terry Neill, Irish footballer and manager (died 2022)

William John Terence Neill was a Northern Irish football player and manager. A centre-back, he captained and later managed Arsenal, guiding the club to a European final in 1980 and three consecutive FA Cup finals between 1978 and 1980, winning a dramatic final against Manchester United in 1979. Before his seven-year spell as manager of Arsenal, he managed Hull City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Northern Ireland.

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08/05/1941

Bill Lockyer, American academic and politician, 30th Attorney General of California

William Westwood Lockyer is an American politician and lawyer from the state of California. A Democrat, he served in both houses of the state legislature, having been a member of the California State Assembly from 1973 to 1982 and the California State Senate from 1982 to 1998. He spent the last four years of his State Senate tenure as president pro tempore. He then served as California Attorney General from 1999 to 2007, and as California State Treasurer from 2007 to 2015.

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James Traficant, American lawyer and politician (died 2014)

James Anthony Traficant Jr. was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. A staunch economic populist known for his flamboyant personality, he represented the 17th congressional district, which centered on his hometown of Youngstown and included parts of three counties in northeast Ohio's Mahoning Valley.

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08/05/1940

Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter (died 2006)

Peter Bradford Benchley was an American author. He is best known for his bestselling novel Jaws and co-wrote its movie adaptation with Carl Gottlieb. Several more of his works were also adapted for both cinema and television, including The Deep, The Island, Beast, and White Shark.

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Irwin Cotler, Canadian lawyer and politician, 47th Canadian Minister of Justice

Irwin Cotler is a retired Canadian politician who was Member of Parliament for Mount Royal from 1999 to 2015. He served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2003 until the Liberal government of Paul Martin lost power following the 2006 federal election. He was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election in November 1999, winning 92% of votes cast.

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Emilio Delgado, Mexican-American actor (died 2022)

Emilio Ernest Delgado was an American actor best known for his role as Luis, the Fix-it Shop owner, on the children's television series Sesame Street. He joined the cast of Sesame Street in 1971 and remained until his contract was not renewed, in late 2016, as part of Sesame Workshop's retooling of the series.

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Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (died 1985)

Eric Hilliard "Ricky" or “Rick” Nelson was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. In 1957, he began a long and successful career as a popular recording artist.

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Toni Tennille, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player

Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist. A contralto, she is best known as one-half of the 1970s duo Captain & Tennille with her former husband Daryl Dragon; their signature song is "Love Will Keep Us Together". Tennille also performed musical work independently of Dragon, including solo albums and session work.

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William B. Jordan, American art historian (died 2018)

William Bryan Jordan Jr. was an American art historian who facilitated acquisitions, curated exhibitions, and authored publications on Spanish artists and still life paintings, particularly from the Golden Age.

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08/05/1938

Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator (died 2012)

Jean Henri Gaston Giraud was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer who worked in the Franco-Belgian bandes dessinées (BD) tradition. Giraud garnered worldwide acclaim predominantly under the pseudonym Mœbius for his fantasy/science-fiction work, and to a slightly lesser extent as Gir, which he used for his Western-themed work. Esteemed by Federico Fellini, Stan Lee, and Hayao Miyazaki, among others, he has been described as the most influential bande dessinée artist after Hergé.

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08/05/1937

Mike Cuellar, Cuban-American baseball player (died 2010)

Miguel Ángel Cuellar Santana was a Cuban professional baseball player. He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher in 1959 and from 1964 through 1977, most prominently as a member of the Baltimore Orioles who won the American League (AL) pennant in each of Cuellar's first three seasons with the team. During that time, Cuellar and the Orioles won the 1970 World Series. Cuellar also played for the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros and California Angels.

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Thomas Pynchon, American novelist

Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. is an American novelist. He is known for his dense, complex works of postmodern fiction, which are distinguished by their paranoid tone, absurd humor, and references to history, art, science, and popular culture. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American novelists. Pynchon is notoriously reclusive. Few photographs of him have been published, and rumors about his location and identity have circulated since the 1960s.

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08/05/1935

Jack Charlton, English footballer and manager (died 2020)

John Charlton was an English professional footballer and manager who played as a centre-back for Leeds United. He was part of the England national team that won the 1966 World Cup and managed the Republic of Ireland national team from 1986 to 1996, taking them to two World Cups and one European Championship. He was given Irish citizenship in 1996. He was the elder brother of Manchester United forward Bobby Charlton and one of his teammates in England's World Cup final victory.

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08/05/1934

Leonard Hoffmann, Baron Hoffmann, South African-English lawyer and judge

Leonard Hubert "Lennie" Hoffmann, Baron Hoffmann is a senior South African–British judge. Currently, he serves as a Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong; he formerly served as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary from 1995 to 2009.

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08/05/1930

Heather Harper, Northern Irish soprano (died 2019)

Heather Mary Harper was a Northern Irish operatic soprano. She was active internationally in both opera and concert. She performed roles such as Helena in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Royal Opera House, Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin at the Bayreuth Festival, and the Countess in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro at the Metropolitan Opera. She became known internationally when she stepped in for the world premiere of Britten's War Requiem in 1962, and remained associated with the composer's work, but also sang other premieres.

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Doug Atkins, American football player (died 2015)

Douglas Leon Atkins was an American professional football defensive end who played for the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, and New Orleans Saints in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers under head coach Robert Neyland. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Atkins was also drafted to the NBA in the 17th round by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1953 NBA draft.

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Gary Snyder, American poet, essayist, and translator

Gary Sherman Snyder is an American poet, essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist. His early poetry has been associated with the Beat Generation and the San Francisco Renaissance and he has been described as the "poet laureate of Deep Ecology". Snyder is a winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the American Book Award. His work, in his various roles, reflects an immersion in both Buddhist spirituality and nature. He has translated literature into English from ancient Chinese and modern Japanese. For many years, Snyder was an academic at the University of California, Davis, and for a time served as a member of the California Arts Council.

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08/05/1929

John C. Bogle, American businessman, investor, and philanthropist (died 2019)

John Clifton "Jack" Bogle was an American investor, business magnate and philanthropist and founder. He was the founder and chief executive of The Vanguard Group and is credited with popularizing the index fund. An avid investor and money manager himself, he preached investment over speculation, long-term patience over short-term action, and reducing broker fees as much as possible.

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Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese-American actress and singer (died 2007)

Miyoshi Umeki was a Japanese American singer and actress. She was nominated for the Tony Award and Golden Globe Award and was the first East Asia-born woman to win an Academy Award for acting.

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08/05/1928

Ted Sorensen, American lawyer, 8th White House Counsel (died 2010)

Theodore Chaikin Sorensen was an American lawyer, writer, and presidential adviser. Many have attempted to credit Sorensen as the writer behind John F. Kennedy's speeches, but in the introduction to Let the Word Go Forth, a book of Kennedy's speeches, statements, and writings from 1947 to 1963, Sorensen states: "John Kennedy was the true author of all his speeches and writings. They set forth his ideas and ideals, his decisions and policies, his knowledge of history and politics...More importantly, he alone was responsible for the decision that lay at the heart of every major speech." Kennedy would later pen Profiles in Courage, for which he won the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for Biography; Sorensen provided assistance in assembling the work. He also assisted in Kennedy's inaugural address and drafted Lyndon Johnson's "Let Us Continue" speech following Kennedy's assassination.

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08/05/1926

David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host

Sir David Frederick Attenborough is an English broadcaster, natural historian and writer. His presenting career began as host of Zoo Quest in 1954, and has spanned eight decades; it includes the nine documentary series forming The Life Collection, Natural World, Wildlife on One, the Planet Earth franchise, The Blue Planet and Blue Planet II. He is the only person to have won BAFTA Awards in black-and-white, colour, high-definition, 3D and 4K resolution. Over his life he has collected dozens of honorary degrees and awards, including three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Narration and one Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Personality - Non-Daily.

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David Hurst, German actor (died 2019)

David Hurst was a German actor, best known for his role in the film Hello, Dolly as Rudolph the headwaiter.

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Don Rickles, American comedian and actor (died 2017)

Donald Jay Rickles was an American actor and stand-up comedian known primarily for his insult comedy. His film roles include Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), Enter Laughing (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970), and Casino (1995). From 1976 to 1978, Rickles had a two-season starring role in the NBC television sitcom C.P.O. Sharkey, having previously starred in two eponymous half-hour programs, an ABC variety series titled The Don Rickles Show (1968) and a CBS sitcom identically titled The Don Rickles Show (1972). A veteran headline performer at Las Vegas hotel-casinos and peripheral member of the Rat Pack via friendship with Frank Sinatra, Rickles received widespread exposure as a frequent guest on talk and variety shows, including The Dean Martin Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and The Late Show with David Letterman, and voiced Mr. Potato Head in the first three films of the Toy Story franchise (1995–2010), with archive recordings used for Toy Story 4 (2019). He won a Primetime Emmy Award for the 2006 documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project. In 2014, he was honored by fellow comedians in a show at the Apollo Theater, which was taped and released on Spike TV titled Don Rickles: One Night Only.

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08/05/1925

Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Tanzanian politician, 2nd President of Tanzania (died 2024)

Ali Hassan Mwinyi was a Tanzanian politician who served as the second president of the United Republic of Tanzania from 1985 to 1995. Previous posts included Minister for Home Affairs and Vice President. He also was chairman of the ruling party, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) from 1990 to 1996.

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08/05/1920

Saul Bass, American graphic designer and director (died 1996)

Saul Bass was an American graphic designer and filmmaker, best known for his design of motion-picture title sequences, film posters, and corporate logos.

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Barbara Howard, Canadian sprinter and educator (died 2017)

Barbara Howard was a Canadian sprinter and educator. Growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Howard gained national media attention as a sprinter in high school when she completed a time trial that broke the standing British Empire Games record for the 100-yard dash. She was selected as a member of the Canadian track and field team for the 1938 British Empire Games, becoming the first Black woman to represent Canada in international athletic competition. Although she did not place in the 100-yard dash, she helped her team win silver and bronze in the 440-yard and 660-yard relay events. The outbreak of the Second World War meant that most international sporting events over the next decade were cancelled, and Howard's window of opportunity as a sprinter ended before she could compete again.

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Tom of Finland, Finnish illustrator (died 1991)

Touko Valio Laaksonen, known by his pseudonym Tom of Finland, was a Finnish artist who made stylized erotic art featuring suggestively hypermasculine male characters. He worked primarily in pencil, producing drawings on paper and for publication in a variety of magazines and other formats. These works profoundly influenced late 20th-century gay culture and sexuality, their rise in popularity coinciding with gay law reform successes and the cultural and political emergence of LGBTQ+ communities from the 1960s onward. Tom of Finland has been called the "most influential creator of gay pornographic images" by cultural historian Joseph W. Slade. Over the course of four decades, he produced some 3,500 illustrations, mostly featuring men with exaggerated sexual traits, wearing tight or partially removed clothing. In 1984, he founded the Tom of Finland Foundation to preserve his catalogue of works and support erotic art generally; it continues to operate from TOM House in Los Angeles.

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Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic (died 2000)

Gordon Lee McClymont AO was an Australian agricultural scientist, ecologist, and educationist. The originator of the term "sustainable agriculture", McClymont is known for his multidisciplinary approach to farm ecology. McClymont was the foundation chair of the Faculty of Rural Science at the University of New England, the first degree program of its kind to integrate animal husbandry, veterinary science, agronomy, and other disciplines into the field of livestock and agricultural production. In 1978, in recognition of his work and contributions to his field, he was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia.

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08/05/1919

Lex Barker, American actor (died 1973)

Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr. was an American film and television actor. He played Tarzan for RKO Pictures between 1949 and 1953 and portrayed leading characters from Karl May's novels, including Old Shatterhand in a film series by the West German studio Rialto Film. At the height of his fame, he was one of the most popular actors in German-speaking cinema and received Bambi Award and Bravo Otto nominations for the honor.

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08/05/1916

João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (died 2016)

Jean-Marie Faustin Godefroid "João" de Havelange was a Brazilian lawyer, businessman, and athlete who was the seventh president of FIFA from 1974 to 1998. His tenure as president is the second longest in FIFA's history, behind that of Jules Rimet. He received the title of honorary president when leaving office, but resigned in April 2013. He was preceded by Stanley Rous and succeeded by Sepp Blatter. Havelange served as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1963 to 2011. He was the longest-serving active member upon his resignation. In July 2012, a Swiss prosecutor's report revealed that, during his tenure on FIFA's Executive Committee, he and his son-in-law Ricardo Teixeira took more than 41 million Swiss francs (£21m) in bribes in connection with the award of World Cup marketing rights.

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Chinmayananda Saraswati, Indian spiritual leader and educator (died 1993)

Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati, also known as Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati, was a Hindu spiritual leader and a teacher. In 1953, he founded Chinmaya Mission, a worldwide nonprofit organisation, in order to spread the knowledge of Advaita Vedanta, the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and other ancient Hindu scriptures. Through the Mission, Swami Chinmayananda spearheaded a global Hindu spiritual and cultural renaissance that popularised these spiritual texts and values, teaching them in English all across India and abroad.

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08/05/1913

Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (died 1984)

Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. was an American animator, director, producer and puppeteer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated series from Warner Bros. Cartoons as well as the television shows Time for Beany and Beany and Cecil. He was born and raised not far from Hollywood and, early in life, showed an interest in animation and puppetry. After dropping out of high school in 1931, he joined the team at Harman-Ising Productions and began working on the studio's newest short subjects, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. Clampett was promoted to a directorial position in 1937. During his 15 years at the studio, he directed 84 cartoons later deemed classic, and designed some of the studio's most famous characters, including Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and Tweety. Among his most acclaimed films are Porky in Wackyland (1938) and The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946). He left Warner Bros. Cartoons in 1946 and turned his attention to television, creating the puppet show Time for Beany in 1949. A later animated version of the series, Beany and Cecil, was initially broadcast on ABC in 1962 and rerun until 1967. It is considered the first fully creator-driven television series and carried the byline "a Bob Clampett Cartoon".

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Sid James, South African-English actor and singer (died 1976)

Sidney James was a South African–British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. Noted for his distinctive laugh, he was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series.

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08/05/1912

George Woodcock, Canadian author and poet (died 1995)

George Woodcock was a Canadian writer of political biography and history, an anarchist thinker, a philosopher, an essayist and literary critic. He was also a poet and published several volumes of travel writing. In 1959 he was the founding editor of the journal Canadian Literature which was the first academic journal specifically dedicated to Canadian writing. He is most commonly known outside Canada for his book Anarchism: A History of Libertarian Ideas and Movements (1962).

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08/05/1911

Wilhelm Friedrich de Gaay Fortman, Dutch jurist and politician, Dutch Minister of The Interior (died 1997)

Wilhelm Friedrich "Gaius" de Gaay Fortman was a Dutch jurist and politician of the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP).

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Robert Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1938)

Robert Leroy Johnson was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his recording career spanned only seven months, he is recognized as a master of the blues, particularly the Delta blues style, and as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as perhaps "the first ever rock star".

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08/05/1910

Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (died 1981)

Mary Lou Williams was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records. Williams wrote and arranged for Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and she was friend, mentor, and teacher to Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Tadd Dameron, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie.

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08/05/1906

Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (died 1977)

Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such as Rome, Open City (1945), Paisan (1946), and Germany, Year Zero (1948). He is also known for his films starring his then wife Ingrid Bergman, Stromboli (1950), Europe '51 (1952), Journey to Italy (1954), Fear (1954) and Joan of Arc at the Stake (1954).

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08/05/1905

Red Nichols, American cornet player, composer, and bandleader (died 1965)

Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols was an American jazz cornetist, composer, and jazz bandleader. He was one of the most prolific and influential jazz musicians in the late 1920s and early 1930s, appearing on over 4,000 recordings. In 1959, a biopic was made of his life and career, The Five Pennies, starring Danny Kaye.

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08/05/1904

John Snagge, English journalist (died 1996)

John Derrick Mordaunt Snagge was a British newsreader and commentator on BBC Radio.

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08/05/1903

Fernandel, French actor and singer (died 1971)

Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin, better known as Fernandel, was a French comic actor. Born in Marseille, France, to Désirée Bedouin and Denis Contandin, originating in Perosa Argentina, a town located in the province of Turin, Italy, he became a comedy star, first gaining popularity in French vaudeville, operettas, and music-hall revues. His stage name originated from his marriage to Henriette Manse, the sister of his best friend and frequent cinematic collaborator Jean Manse. So attentive was he to his wife that his mother-in-law amusingly referred to him as Fernand d'elle.

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08/05/1902

André Michel Lwoff, French microbiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1994)

André Michel Lwoff was a French microbiologist and Nobel laureate.

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08/05/1901

Turkey Stearnes, American baseball player (died 1979)

Norman Thomas "Turkey" Stearnes was an American baseball center fielder. He played 18 years in the Negro leagues, including nine years with the Detroit Stars (1923–1931), six years with the Chicago American Giants, and three years with the Kansas City Monarchs (1938–1940).

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08/05/1899

Arthur Q. Bryan, American actor, voice actor, comedian and radio personality (died 1959)

Arthur Quirk Bryan was an American actor and radio personality. He is best remembered for his longtime recurring role as well-spoken, wisecracking Dr. Gamble on the radio comedy Fibber McGee and Molly and for voicing the Warner Bros. cartoon character Elmer Fudd.

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Friedrich Hayek, Austrian economist and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1992)

Friedrich August von Hayek was an Austrian economist and philosopher. He is known for his contributions to political economy, political philosophy and intellectual history. Hayek shared the 1974 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Gunnar Myrdal for work on money and economic fluctuations, and the interdependence of economic, social and institutional phenomena. His account of how prices communicate information is widely regarded as an important contribution to economics that led to him receiving the prize. He was a major contributor to the Austrian school of economics.

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Jacques Heim, French fashion designer (died 1967)

Jacques Heim was a French fashion designer and costume designer for theater and film, and was a manufacturer of women's furs. From 1930 to his death in 1967, he ran the fashion house Jacques Heim, which closed in 1969. He was president of the Paris Chambre Syndicale de la haute couture from 1958 to 1962, a period of transition from haute couture to ready-to-wear clothing.

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08/05/1898

Aloysius Stepinac, Croatian cardinal (died 1960)

Aloysius Viktor Stepinac was a Croatian prelate of the Catholic Church. Made a cardinal in 1953, Stepinac served as Archbishop of Zagreb from 1937 until his death.

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08/05/1895

James H. Kindelberger, American businessman (died 1962)

James Howard "Dutch" Kindelberger was an American aviation pioneer. He led North American Aviation from 1934 until 1960. An extroverted character, Kindelberger was famed for his emphasis on hard work, orderliness and punctuality.

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Fulton J. Sheen, American archbishop (died 1979)

Fulton John Sheen was an American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Rochester from 1966 to 1969. He was known for his preaching, especially on television and radio.

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Edmund Wilson, American critic, essayist, and editor (died 1972)

Edmund Wilson Jr. was an American writer, literary critic, and journalist. He is widely regarded as one of the most important literary critics of the 20th century. Wilson began his career as a journalist, writing for publications such as Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. He helped to edit The New Republic, served as chief book critic for The New Yorker, and was a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books.

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08/05/1893

Francis Ouimet, American golfer (died 1967)

Francis DeSales Ouimet was an American amateur golfer who is frequently referred to as the "father of amateur golf" in the United States. He won the U.S. Open in 1913 and was the first non-Briton elected Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. He was posthumously inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

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Edd Roush, American baseball player and coach (died 1988)

Edd J. Roush was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1913 to 1931, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds where he was a two-time National League (NL) batting champion and led the team to the 1919 World Series championship. He also played for the New York Giants, Chicago White Sox as well as the Newark Peppers and the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the Federal League. Roush accumulated a .323 batting average over his 18-year playing career and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

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Teddy Wakelam, English rugby player and sportscaster (died 1963)

Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Blythe Thornhill Wakelam, known as Teddy Wakelam, was an English sports broadcaster and rugby union player who captained Harlequin F.C.

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08/05/1892

Adriaan Pelt, Dutch journalist and diplomat (died 1981)

Adriaan Pelt was a Dutch journalist, international civil servant and diplomat, most famous for drafting the post war constitution of Libya.

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08/05/1885

Thomas B. Costain, Canadian journalist and author (died 1965)

Thomas Bertram Costain was a Canadian-American journalist who became a best-selling author of historical novels at the age of 57.

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08/05/1884

Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (died 1972)

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequently, Truman implemented the Marshall Plan in the aftermath of World War II to rebuild the economy of Western Europe, and established both the Truman Doctrine and NATO to contain the expansion of Soviet communism. A member of the Democratic Party, he proposed numerous New Deal coalition liberal domestic reforms, but few were enacted by the conservative coalition that dominated the United States Congress.

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08/05/1879

Wesley Coe, American shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor (died 1926)

Wesley William Coe Jr., sometimes listed as William Wesley Coe Jr., was an American track and field athlete who competed principally in the shot put and also in the hammer throw, discus throw, and tug of war.

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08/05/1876

Ludvig Karsten, Norwegian painter (died 1926)

Ludvig Karsten was a Norwegian painter. He was a neo-impressionist influenced by Edvard Munch, Henri Matisse and contemporary French painting. He first participated at the Autumn exhibition in Kristiania in 1901, and had his first separate exhibition in 1904. He is represented at museums in many Scandinavian cities, including several paintings at the National Gallery of Norway. Karsten was known for his bohemian lifestyle and quick temper.

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08/05/1867

Margarete Böhme, German novelist (died 1939)

Margarete Böhme was, arguably, one of the most widely read German writers of the early 20th century. Böhme authored 40 novels – as well as short stories, autobiographical sketches, and articles. The Diary of a Lost Girl, first published in 1905 as Tagebuch einer Verlorenen, is her best known and bestselling book. By the end of the 1920s, it had sold more than a million copies, ranking it among the bestselling books of its time. One contemporary scholar has called it “Perhaps the most notorious and certainly the commercially most successful autobiographical narrative of the early twentieth century.”

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08/05/1859

Johan Jensen, Danish mathematician and engineer (died 1925)

Johan Ludwig William Valdemar Jensen, mostly known as Johan Jensen, was a Danish mathematician and engineer. He was the president of the Danish Mathematical Society from 1892 to 1903.

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08/05/1858

Heinrich Berté, Slovak-Austrian composer (died 1924)

Heinrich Berté, born Heinrich Bettelheim was an Austrian-Hungarian composer of operas and operettas.

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J. Meade Falkner, English author and poet (died 1932)

John Meade Falkner was an English novelist and poet, best known for his 1898 novel Moonfleet. An extremely successful businessman, he became chairman of the arms manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth during World War I.

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08/05/1856

Pedro Lascuráin, Mexican politician (died 1952)

Pedro José Domingo de la Calzada Manuel María Lascuráin Paredes was a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the 38th president of Mexico for 45 minutes on 19 February 1913, the shortest presidency in history. The grandson of Mariano Paredes, the 15th president of Mexico, Lascuráin previously served as Mexico's foreign secretary for two terms and was the director of a small law school in Mexico City for 16 years.

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08/05/1853

Dan Brouthers, American baseball player and manager (died 1932)

Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from 1879 to 1896, with a brief return in 1904. Nicknamed "Big Dan" for his size, he was 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and weighed 207 pounds (94 kg), which was large by 19th-century standards.

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08/05/1850

Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (died 1915)

Charles Roscoe Barnes was one of the stars of baseball's National Association (1871–1875) and the early National League (1876–1881), playing second base and shortstop. He played for the dominant Boston Red Stockings teams of the early 1870s, along with Albert Spalding, Cal McVey, George Wright, Harry Wright, Jim O'Rourke, and Deacon White. Despite playing for these star-studded teams, many claim that Ross was the most valuable to his teams. However, injuries limited his power in his peak and his professional career ended at the age of 31.

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08/05/1846

Oscar Hammerstein I, American businessman and composer (died 1919)

Oscar Hammerstein I was a German-born businessman, theater impresario, and composer in New York City. His passion for opera led him to open several opera houses, and he rekindled opera's popularity in America. He was the grandfather of American playwright/lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II and the father of theater manager William Hammerstein and American producer Arthur Hammerstein.

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08/05/1842

Emil Christian Hansen, Danish physiologist and mycologist (died 1909)

Emil Christian Hansen was a Danish mycologist and fermentation physiologist.

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08/05/1839

Adolphe-Basile Routhier, Canadian judge, author, and songwriter (died 1920)

Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier was a Canadian judge, author, and lyricist. He wrote the lyrics of the original French version of the Canadian national anthem "O Canada". He was born in Saint-Placide, Quebec, to Charles Routhier and Angélique Lafleur.

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08/05/1835

Bertalan Székely, Hungarian painter and academic (died 1910)

Bertalan Székely was a Hungarian history and portrait painter who worked in the Romantic and Academic styles.

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08/05/1829

Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American pianist and composer (died 1869)

Louis Moreau Gottschalk was a Louisiana Creole and Jewish-American composer, pianist, and virtuoso performer of his own romantic piano works. He spent most of his working career outside the United States.

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08/05/1828

Henry Dunant, Swiss businessman and activist, co-founded the Red Cross, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1910)

Henry Dunant, also known as Henri Dunant, was a Swiss humanitarian, businessman, social activist, and co-founder of the Red Cross. His humanitarian efforts won him the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.

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Charbel Makhluf, Lebanese monk and saint (died 1898)

Charbel Makhlouf, O.L.M. was a Lebanese Maronite monk and priest. During his life, he obtained a wide reputation for holiness, and for his ability to unite Christians, Muslims and Druze. He was a member of the Baladites.

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08/05/1825

George Bruce Malleson, English-Indian colonel and author (died 1898)

Colonel George Bruce Malleson was an English officer in India and the author of several works on British Indian colonial history.

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08/05/1824

William Walker, American physician, lawyer, journalist and mercenary (died 1860)

William Walker was an American journalist and mercenary. In the era of the expansion of the United States, driven by the doctrine of manifest destiny, Walker organized unauthorized military expeditions into Mexico and Central America with the intention of establishing colonies. Such an enterprise was known at the time as "filibustering".

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08/05/1821

William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (died 1885)

William Henry Vanderbilt was an American businessman and railroad magnate. Known as "Billy", he was the eldest son of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, an heir to his fortune and a prominent member of the Vanderbilt family. Vanderbilt became the richest American after he took over his father's fortune in 1877 until his own death in 1885, passing on a substantial part of the fortune to his wife and children, particularly to his sons Cornelius II and William. He inherited nearly $100 million from his father. The fortune had doubled when he died fewer than nine years later.

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08/05/1818

Samuel Leonard Tilley, Canadian pharmacist and politician, 3rd Premier of New Brunswick (died 1896)

Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley was a Canadian politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation. Tilley was descended from United Empire Loyalists on both sides of his family. As a pharmacist, he went into business as a druggist.

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08/05/1815

Edward Tompkins, American lawyer and politician (died 1872)

Edward Tompkins (1815–1872) was an American lawyer. He is best known for endowing a chair at the University of California where he had been elected to the board of regents.

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08/05/1786

John Vianney, French priest and saint (died 1859)

John Vianney was a French Catholic priest and member of the Third Order of Mary who is often referred to as the Curé d'Ars. Canonized a saint in 1925, he is known for his priestly and pastoral work in his parish in Ars, France, resulting in the radical spiritual transformation of the community and its surroundings. Catholics note his saintly life, mortification, persevering ministry in the sacrament of confession, and ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. His feast day is 4 August. He is the patron saint of parish priests.

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08/05/1753

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Mexican priest and rebel leader (died 1811)

Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor, commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo, was a Mexican Catholic priest and prominent leader of the Mexican War of Independence, who is recognized as the Father of the Nation.

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08/05/1745

Carl Stamitz, German violinist and composer (died 1801)

Carl Philipp Stamitz, was a German composer of partial Czech ancestry. He was the most prominent representative of the second generation of the Mannheim School.

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08/05/1737

Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (died 1794)

Edward Gibbon was a British essayist, historian and minor politician. His most important and influential work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1789, to critical and commercial success. It is known for the quality and irony of its prose, its use of primary sources, and its polemical criticism of organized religion.

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08/05/1735

Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter and politician (died 1811)

Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, 1st Baronet was a British painter and politician.

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08/05/1720

William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1764)

William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, styled Lord Cavendish before 1729, and Marquess of Hartington between 1729 and 1755, was a British Whig statesman and nobleman who was briefly nominal Prime Minister of Great Britain. He was the first son of William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire and his wife, Catherine. He is also a great-great-great-great-great-grandfather of King Charles III through the king's maternal great-grandmother, Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne.

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08/05/1698

Henry Baker, English naturalist (died 1774)

Henry Baker was a British naturalist.

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08/05/1670

Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (died 1726)

Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St. Albans, KG was an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England by his mistress Nell Gwyn.

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08/05/1653

Claude Louis Hector de Villars, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (died 1734)

Claude Louis Hector de Villars, Prince of Martigues, Marquis then (1st) Duke of Villars, Viscount of Melun was a French military commander and an illustrious general of Louis XIV. He was one of only six Marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. Villars is considered one of the great military commanders produced by his time.

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08/05/1641

Nicolaes Witsen, Mayor of Amsterdam, Netherlands (died 1717)

Nicolaes Witsen was a Dutch statesman who was mayor of Amsterdam thirteen times, between 1682 and 1706. In 1693, he became administrator of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). In 1689, he was extraordinary-ambassador to the English court and became Fellow of the Royal Society. In his free time, he was a cartographer, maritime writer, and an authority on shipbuilding. His books on the subject are important sources on Dutch shipbuilding in the 17th century. Furthermore, he was an expert on Russian affairs. He was the first to describe Siberia, the Far East and Central Asia in his study Noord en Oost Tartarye [North and East Tartary].

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08/05/1639

Giovanni Battista Gaulli, Italian artist (died 1709)

Giovanni Battista Gaulli, also known as Baciccio or Baciccia, was an Italian Baroque painter working in the High Baroque and early Rococo periods. He is best known for his grand illusionistic vault frescos in the Church of the Gesù in Rome. His work was influenced by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

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08/05/1632

Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming, German field marshal and politician (died 1706)

Heino Heinrich Reichsgraf von Flemming was a Saxon, later Brandenburger army leader and field marshal and Governor of Berlin.

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08/05/1629

Niels Juel, Norwegian-Danish admiral (died 1697)

Admiral Niels Juel was a Danish naval officer who served as supreme commander of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy during the late 17th century and oversaw its development into a blue-water navy. His victory against Sweden at the Battle of Køge Bay (1677) is regarded as the greatest victory in Danish naval history. He also won, one month earlier, the Battle of Møn.

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08/05/1628

Angelo Italia, Sicilian Jesuit and architect (died 1700)

Angelo Italia was an Italian Jesuit and Baroque architect, who was born in Licata and died in Palermo. He designed a number of churches in Sicily, and later worked to reconstruct three cities following the 1693 Sicily earthquake.

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08/05/1622

Claes Rålamb, Swedish politician (died 1698)

Claes Rålamb was a Swedish statesman. In 1660 he was appointed Governor of Uppland County and in 1664 he served in the Privy Council. Between 1673 and 1678, he served as the Governor of Stockholm.

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08/05/1587

Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (died 1637)

Victor Amadeus I was the Duke of Savoy and ruler of the Savoyard states from 26 July 1630 until his death in 1637. He was also known as the Lion of Susa.

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08/05/1551

Thomas Drury, English government informer and swindler (died 1603)

Thomas Drury was an English government informer, messenger and swindler, who is noted for having been one of the main people responsible for accusations of heresy, blasphemy, and seditious atheism on the part of the Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe given to the Privy Council in May 1593. Within a couple of weeks, Marlowe, just 29, was dead.

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08/05/1521

Peter Canisius, Dutch-Swiss priest and saint (died 1597)

Peter Canisius was a Dutch Jesuit priest known for his strong support for the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Switzerland and the British Isles. The restoration of the Catholic Church in Germany is largely attributed to the work there of the Jesuits, which Canisius led. He is venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint and as a Doctor of the Church.

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08/05/1508

Charles Wriothesley, English Officer of Arms (died 1562)

Charles Wriothesley was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the last member of a dynasty of heralds that started with his grandfather—Garter Principal King of Arms John Writhe.

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08/05/1492

Andrea Alciato, Italian jurist and writer (died 1550)

Andrea Alciato, commonly known as Alciati, was an Italian jurist and writer. He is regarded as the founder of the French school of legal humanists.

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08/05/1460

Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (died 1536)

Frederick I of Ansbach and Bayreuth was born at Ansbach as the eldest son of Albert III, Margrave of Brandenburg by his second wife Anna, daughter of Frederick II, Elector of Saxony. His elder half-brother was the Elector John Cicero of Brandenburg. Friedrich succeeded his father as Margrave of Ansbach in 1486 and his younger brother Siegmund as Margrave of Bayreuth in 1495.

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08/05/1427

John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester, Lord High Treasurer (died 1470)

John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester KG, was an English nobleman and scholar who served as Lord High Treasurer, Lord High Constable of England and Lord Deputy of Ireland. He was known as "the Butcher of England" to his Tudor detractors.

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08/05/1326

Joan I, Countess of Auvergne (died 1360)

Joan I was ruling Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne from 1332 to 1360 and Queen of France by her marriage to King John II.

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