• 1554 - Gregory XV, [Alessandro Ludovisi], pope (1621-23)
• 1574 - Christoph Buel, composer
• 1620 - Johann Weichmann, composer
• 1695 - John E Loovens, lawyer
• 1699 - Robert J Pothier, French lawyer
• 1728 - Thomas Warton, poet laureate of England (Pleasures of Melancholy)
• 1748 - Stefan Paluselli, composer
• 1790 - Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom, Swedish poet (Lycksalighetens)
• 1803 - Christopher Gustavus Memminger, Secy Treas (Confederacy) died in 1888
• 1815 - William Jackson, composer
• 1816 - John Palmer Usher, Secy Int (Union) died in 1889
• 1820 - Pavel Krizkovsky, composer
• 1822 - John Porter Hatch, volunteers Bvt Major General (Union), died in 1901
• 1829 - Adolf von Schlagintweit, German explorer (Tarimbekken)
• 1829 - Thomas William Robertson, England, playwright (Caste)
• 1832 - Esquire Maurits A de Savornin Lohman, Dutch governor of Suriname
• 1839 - John Knowles Paine, Portland Maine, composer
• 1843 - Christiaan A Ulder, Cura‡ao, composer (waltzes/tumbas)
• 1851 - Giuseppi Gallignani, composer
• 1851 - Luis Coloma, Spanish jesuiet/writer (Peque¤eces, Boy)
• 1856 - Anton Askerc, Slavic priest/poet (Primoz Trubar)
• 1856 - Lizette Woodworth Reese, US poet (Branch of May, Tears)
• 1856 - Stevan Mokranjac, composer
• 1857 - Henry B Fuller, American writer (Under the Skylights)
• 1859 - Carrie Chapman Catt, women's rights leader
• 1859 - Carrie Lane Chapman Catt, founder (League of Women Voters)
• 1859 - Frederik Pijper, Dutch vicar/church historian (The Monasteries)
• 1866 - Albert Baertsoen, Flemish painter/etcher
• 1867 - Jacques Urlus, Dutch tenor (Opera of Leipzig, Song of the Earth)
• 1870 - Joseph B Strauss, civil engineer/builder (Golden Gate Bridge)
• 1871 - Charles Kortright, British(?) cricket player
• 1873 - Hayyim Nahman Bialik, R„di Ukraine, Hebrew poet/translator
• 1876 - Hans Bethge, writer
• 1879 - John Broadus Watson, behaviorist psychologist
• 1881 - Giovanni Papini, Italy, writer (Il Diavolo)
• 1881 - Lascelles Abercrombie, English poet/critic (Revaluations)
• 1890 - Karel Capek, Czech, writer (R U R); coined the word "robot"
• 1890 - Kurt Tucholsky, German journalist/writer (Panther Tiger & Co)
• 1891 - August Gailit, Estonia, writer (Ekke Moor)
• 1894 - Henryk Stazewski, Polish abstract painter/graphic artist
• 1897 - Luis Gianneo, composer
• 1898 - Gracie Fields, [Stansfield], England, music hall/vaudeville performer
• 1898 - Vilma Banky, Budapest Hungary, silent screen actress (Eagle, Rebel)
• 1900 - Joseph Frederick Wagner, composer
• 1901 - Chic Young, cartoonist (Blondie)
• 1902 - Jose Maria Escriv  de Balaguer y Alb s, Spanish priest (Opus Dei)
• 1902 - Rudolph Bing, opera manager (NY Metropolitan Opera)
• 1904 - George Balanchine, dancer/choreographer/ballet producer [NS=Jan 22]
• 1908 - Simone de Beauvoir, France, author (Mandarins, 2nd Sex)
• 1909 - Herva Nelli, soprano
• 1910 - Dick Henry Jurgen, bandleader
• 1911 - Richard Selwyn Francis Schiling, professor of occupational health
• 1911 - Stafford WIlliam Somerfield, British newspaper editor
• 1912 - Ralph Tubbs, architect
• 1913 - Lavad "Dr Hepcat" Durst, vocal/piano
• 1913 - Peter John Norton, naval diplomat/artist
• 1913 - Richard Milhous Nixon, (R) 37th pres (1968-74) (I am not a crook!)
• 1914 - Derek Allhusen, England, equestrian (Olympic-gold-1968)
• 1914 - Gypsy Rose Lee, [Rose Hovick], Seattle, burlesque actress (Gypsy)
• 1914 - Kenny [Klook] Clarke, Pittsburgh, jazz/drummer, composer (Epistrop)
• 1915 - Anita Louise, NYC, actress (My Friend Flicka)
• 1915 - Fernando Lamas, Buenos Aires Argentina, actor ("You look marvelous")
• 1915 - Les Paul, guitarist inventor (Les Paul)
• 1916 - Alain Bernardin, impressario (Crazy Horse Saloon)
• 1916 - Vic Mizzy, Bkln NY, orch leader (Don Rickles Show)
• 1917 - Herbert Lom, Czech, actor (Pink Panther Strikes Again, Dorian Gray)
• 1921 - Seymour Barab, composer
• 1922 - Ahmed S‚kou Tour‚, president of Guinea (1957-84)
• 1922 - Har G Khorana, India/Canada bio-chemist (Nobel 1968)
• 1924 - Juli n B Coco, Cura‡ao guitarist/bassist (Utrecht Symphony Orch)
• 1925 - Abdelhamid Benhadugah, novelist
• 1925 - Lee Van Cleef, NJ, actor (For a Few Dollars More, Escape from NY)
• 1928 - Domenico Modugno, Italy, rocker (Polignano A Mare)
• 1928 - Fernand J St Germain, (Rep-D-RI, 1961- )
• 1928 - Judith Krantz, NYC, author (Scruples, Princess Daisy, Dazzle)
• 1929 - Heiner Muller, dramatist
• 1931 - Algi[rda]s [Jonas] Budrys, Prussia, sci-fi author (Man of Earth)
• 1931 - Geoffrey Wragg, British(?) reorganizer
• 1933 - Robert Garcia, (Rep-D-NY, 1978- )
• 1933 - Sonia Garmers, [Justina], Cura‡ao, author (Dear Queen)
• 1934 - Bart Starr, NFL quarterback/coach (Green Bay)
• 1934 - Julian B Coco, Antilles, guitarist/tutor (Princess Christina)
• 1935 - Bob Denver, New Rochelle NY, actor (Dobie Gillis, Gilligan's Island)
• 1935 - Dick Enberg, Mt Clemens Mich, sportscaster (Where's Huddles)
• 1935 - Kenneth "Buddy" Scott, blues guitarist/Singer
• 1936 - Peter Fletcher, music teacher
• 1937 - K Schlesinger, writer
• 1938 - Aad Kosto, Dutch theologist/actor/asst secretary of Justice
• 1940 - Barbara Buczek, composer
• 1940 - Jimmy Boyd, McComb Mo, singer/actor (Howard-Bachelor Father)
• 1941 - Joan Baez, Staten Island, folk singer/human rights advocate
• 1941 - Susannah York, London, actress (A Man for All Seasons, Tom Jones)
• 1942 - K Callan, Dallas Tx, actress (Joe's World, Martha-Lois & Clark)
• 1943 - Dick Yount, rocker (Harpers Bizarre)
• 1943 - Kenneth Kelley, US singer (Manhattans, One Life to Live)
• 1943 - Rob Hoeke, Dutch pianist/singer (Drinking on My Bed)
• 1944 - Jimmy Page, London, rock guitarist (Led Zeppelin-Stairway to Heaven)
• 1944 - Scott Engel, vocalist (Walker Brothers-Sun Aint Gonna Shine Anymore)
• 1945 - Frank J Biondi Jr, president (HBO)
• 1945 - Harun Farocki, actor/director (Nicht loeschbares Feur)
• 1946 - Leo Gullotta, actor (Sinbad of the 7 Seas)
• 1948 - Bill Cowsill, Newport RI, rock guitarist/vocals (Cowsills-We Can Fly)
• 1948 - Paul King, rocker (Blue Oyster Cult)
• 1950 - David Johansen, [Buster Poindexter], NY, singer (Hot! Hot! Hot!)
• 1950 - Rio Reiser, rock singer
• 1951 - Crystal Gayle, Ky, country singer (Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue)
• 1951 - Rosalyn Kind, Bkln, singer (« sister of Barbra Streisand)
• 1952 - Eveline L Herfkens, Dutch MP (PvdA)
• 1954 - Lance Hoppens, rocker (Orleans-Still the One, Dance With Me)
• 1956 - David Smith, cricketer (England lefty batsman in 2 Tests v WI 1986)
• 1956 - Kimberly Beck Hilton, Glendale Calif, actress (Kim-Peyton Place)
• 1959 - Otis Nixon, US baseball outfielder (Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers)
• 1960 - David Peoples, Augusta ME, Nike golfer (1991 Buick Southern Open)
• 1960 - Lisa Walters, Prince Rupert BC, LPGA golfer (Itoki Hawaiian-1992, 93)
• 1962 - Phil Lewis, London England, rock vocalist (LA Guns-It's Over Now)
• 1964 - Stan Javier, S P de Macoris Dom Rep, outfielder (Oak A's, SF Giants)
• 1965 - Atsuo Kudo, hockey defenseman (Team Japan 1998)
• 1965 - Carin Garbarra, East Orange NJ, soccer forward (Olympics-96)
• 1965 - Cindy Brooks, East Hampton CT, rower (Olympics-96)
• 1965 - Darren Bennett, NFL punter (SD Chargers)
• 1965 - Georg Franz, Straubing GER, hockey forward (Team Germany, Landshut)
• 1965 - Muggsy Bogues, NBA guard (SF Warriors)
• 1965 - Vincent Brown, NFL inside linebacker (NE Patriots)
• 1965 - [Tyrone] Muggsy Bogues, NBA guard (Charlotte Hornets, Wash Bullets)
• 1966 - Jimmie Jones, defensive end/defensive tackle (Philadelphia Eagles)
• 1967 - Dave Matthews, singer/musician (Dave Matthews Band)
• 1967 - Dave Mcllwain, Seaforth, NHL center (Pitts Penguins)
• 1967 - Jamie Huscroft, Creston, NHL defenseman (Calgary Flames)
• 1968 - Jimmy Adams, cricketer (prolific West Indian lefty bat since 1992)
• 1968 - Katie Anderson, Kingston Jamaica, Canada 100m hurdler (Oly-7th-92, 96)
• 1968 - Mardi Lunn, Liverpool Sydney Australia, golfer (1991 Thailand Open)
• 1969 - Domingo Jean, Dominican/US baseball pitcher (Houston Astros)
• 1969 - Johanna Ikonen, ice hockey defenseman (Finland, Oly-98)
• 1970 - Graciela Schutt, El Paso Tex, WPVA volleyballer (Deerfield-25th-1995)
• 1971 - Bill Schroeder, NFL wide reciever (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
• 1971 - Elizabeth Punsalan, Syracuse NY, dance skater (& Swallow, Oly-15-94)
• 1971 - Scott Thornton, London, NHL left wing (Edmonton Oilers)
• 1972 - Eddie Mason, NFL linebacker (NY Jets)
• 1972 - Jay Powell, Meridian MS, pitcher (Florida Marlins)
• 1972 - Kristie Hicks, Bardstown Kentucky, Miss America-Kentucky (1996)
• 1973 - Aaron Holbert, US baseball infielder (St Louis Cardinals)
• 1973 - Ronald Hamming, soccer player (FC Groningen, Fortuna Sittard)
• 1974 - Craig Wishart, cricketer (Zimbabwe Test batsman vs South Africa 1995)
• 1974 - Jamain Stephens, NFL offensive tackle (Pittsburgh Steelers)
• 1975 - Justin Huish, Fountain Valley CA, archer (Olympics-gold-1996)
• 1975 - Mariano Friedick, Tarzana Calif, pursuit cyclist (Olympics-96)
• 1976 - Amy Safe, Australian rower (Olympics-96)
• 1976 - Radek Bonk, Koprivnice Cze, NHL center (Ottawa Senators, Team Czech)
• 1979 - Lavinia Magruder, Miss Vermont Teen USA (1996)

Famous deaths for this day ..

• 1499 - Johan Cicero, elector of (Brandenburg, 1486-99), dies at 43
• 1514 - Anna de Bretagne, wife of Maximilian, dies at 36
• 1677 - Aernout "Aert" van der Neer, cartoonist/landscape painter, dies at 73
• 1679 - Werner Fabricius, composer, dies at 45
• 1798 - Pedro Pablo Abarca d Bolea earl of Aranda, Spanish officer, dies at 79
• 1828 - Pieter 't Hoen, Dutch journalist/patriot (Neder-Rhijn), dies at 83
• 1843 - Caroline Herschel, "1st lady of astronomy", dies at 98 in Germany
• 1849 - Jan Kops, Dutch agriculturist/vicar, dies at 83
• 1853 - Juan N Gallego, Spanish poet/interpreter (El dos de Mayo), dies at 75
• 1854 - Filippo Traetta, [Philip Trajetta], Ital composer, dies at 77
• 1863 - Ferdinand Huber, composer, dies at 71
• 1878 - Victor Emmanuel II, king of Sard (1849-61)/Italy (1861-78), dies at 57
• 1879 - Don Joaquin BF Espartero, fieldmarshall/viceroy of Navarra, dies at 86
• 1886 - Jakob Eduard Schmolzer, composer, dies at 73
• 1893 - Mohara, Arab ivory/slave trader, dies in battle & is eaten
• 1902 - Gustaaf Rolin-Jaequemyns, Belgian lawyer/Interior minister, dies at 66
• 1904 - Alfred Richard, cricketer (6 & 0 in only Test for S Af 1895-96), dies
• 1908 - Abraham Goldfaden, US Yiddish stage performer (Shulamis), dies at 67
• 1908 - Wilhelm Busch, writer, dies
• 1911 - Edwin Arthur Jones, composer, dies at 57
• 1923 - Katherine Mansfield, NZ/British writer (Dove's Nest), dies at 34
• 1927 - Houston S Chamberlain, British/German race theorist, dies at 71
• 1929 - Heiner M�ller, writer, dies
• 1930 - Edward W Buck, Dutch/US editor (Ladies Home Journal), dies at 66
• 1931 - Claude Anet [Jean Schopfer], French writer (La fille perdue), dies
• 1936 - John Gilbert, actor (Love, Downstairs), dies at 40
• 1939 - Johann Strauss, Austrian conductor/Royal ball director, dies at 72
• 1941 - Ko Boezeman, Dutch resistance fighter, dies
• 1943 - Robin G Collingwood, English philosopher (Roman Britain), dies at 53
• 1946 - Countee Cullen, US poet (Black Christ, One Way to Heaven), dies at 42
• 1947 - Karl Mannheim, sociologist (Diagnosis of Our Time), dies at 53
• 1947 - Lambertus Zijl, sculptor (Merchant Exchange-Amsterdam), dies at 80
• 1949 - Amilcare Zanella, composer, dies at 75
• 1953 - Hans Aanrud, Norwegian author (Storken), dies at 89
• 1957 - Mary Carr Moore, composer, dies at 83
• 1958 - Paul Fechter, German writer/historian (God's Magician), dies
• 1959 - Paul Malengreau, composer, dies at 71
• 1962 - LeRoy B Shield, US pianist/composer (Union Pacific Suite), dies at 68
• 1964 - Halide Edib Adevar/Salih, Turkish feminist (Handan), dies at about 80
• 1966 - Haro Levoni Step'anyan, composer, dies at 68
• 1968 - Kokichi Tsuburaya, Jap marathoner (Oly-bronze-1964), commits suicide
• 1968 - Louis-Fran‡ois-Marie Aubert, French composer (Habanera), dies at 90
• 1969 - Ladislav Vycpalek, composer, dies at 86
• 1972 - Ted Shawn, US dancer, dies at 80
• 1975 - John Slater, actor (Deadlock, 3 on a Spree), dies at 58
• 1975 - Pierre Fresnay, French actor (Monsieur Vincent), dies at 77
• 1977 - Alexey Kozlovsky, composer, dies at 71
• 1977 - Hal Sawyer, TV host (Sawyer Views Hollywood), dies at 62
• 1978 - Eddie Gilbert, cricket (Aboriginal Qld quick got Don for a duck), dies
• 1979 - Avery Claflin, composer, dies at 80
• 1979 - Sara Carter, vocalist/guitarist (Carter Family), dies at 80
• 1981 - Kazimierz Serocki, composer, dies at 58
• 1982 - Paul Lynde, actor (Bye Bye Birdie, Bewitched), dies at 55
• 1984 - Wolfgang Staudte, German director (Ciske de Rat), dies at 77
• 1985 - Don Brennan, cricket wicketkeeper (England in 2 Tests 1951), dies
• 1987 - Arthur Lake, actor (Dagwood-Blondie), dies at 81
• 1992 - Steve Brodie, actor (Desperate, Bodyguard), dies of cancer at 72
• 1992 - William JF "Bill" Naughton, Irish/Brit playwright (Alfie), dies at 81
• 1993 - Alois Brunner, German/Syrian commandant of KZ-Lower Drancy, dies
• 1993 - Felix Grucci, fireworks expert, dies of Alzheimer's disease at 87
• 1994 - Silas Hogan, blues singer/guitarist, dies at 82
• 1995 - Peter Cook, English comic/actor (Peter n' Dud, Bedazzled), dies at 57
• 1995 - Souphanouvong, [Red Prince], president of Laos (1975-87), dies at 85
• 1996 - Fearless Mary Nadia Wadia, actress, dies at 88
• 1996 - Kurt Schmucker, German RFA minister of Economy (1963-66), dies
• 1996 - Michael Lynn Synar, politician, dies at 45
• 1997 - Edward Osobka-Morawski, prime minister of Poland (1945-47), dies
• 1997 - Junaidu ibn Buhari, scholar, dies at 90
• 1998 - Kenichi Fukui, Japanese Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1981) dies at 79
• 1998 - Michael Tippett, British composer (Royal Col of Music), dies at 93