• 1593 - Izaak Walton, England, biographer/fisherman/writer (Compleat Angler)
• 1611 - Henry earl of Nassau-Siegen, colonel/governor of Hulst Neth
• 1631 - John Dryden, English poet/playwright (Heroic Stanzas) [NS=Aug 19]
• 1677 - Jacob Campo Weyerman, South Neth's adventurer/painter/writer
• 1686 - Benedetto Marcello, Venice It, composer (Lettera Famigliare) [or 7/24]
• 1690 - Lorenzo Gaetano Zavateri, composer
• 1696 - Jozef Wenceslas, monarch of Liechtenstein/general
• 1718 - Placidus Cajetan von Camerloher, composer
• 1758 - Bruno Dalberg/Anonymus Belga, [Petrus the Wacker van Zon], writer
• 1776 - Amedeo Avogadro, Tuin Italy, 6.022 x 10 ^ 23 (Avogadro's Law)
• 1781 - Michael Umlauf, composer
• 1808 - William Thomas Ward, Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
• 1819 - William Thomas Green Morton, dentist, used ether (HOF 1920)
• 1823 - Daniel Marsh Frost, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1900
• 1824 - Simon Goodell Griffin, Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
• 1825 - Elisha Ferry, (Gov-R-Wash, 1872-80, 1889-93)
• 1834 - Elias Alvares Lobo, composer
• 1845 - Xavier Mellery, Belgian painter/illustrator
• 1861 - Wilhelm Berger, composer
• 1869 - Randle Ayrton, Chester England, actor (Manxman)
• 1874 - Reynaldo Hahn, composer
• 1875 - Albert William Ketelbey, Aston England, composer (Wonder Worker)
• 1875 - Reynaldo Hahn, composer
• 1883 - George Hoyt, NBA hall of fame referee (elected 1961)
• 1884 - Maria "Mary" Beekman, actress (Genius against Violence)
• 1887 - Abraham Schierbeek, Dutch biologist (Swammerdam)
• 1888 - Hans Oster, German major general/spy/July 20th plotter
• 1890 - Cesar Cortinas, composer
• 1890 - Eino Kaila, Finnish psychologist/philosopher
• 1890 - Sandor Jemnitz, composer
• 1891 - Max Tak, Dutch violinist/radio commentator
• 1892 - Charles Delaney, NYC, actor (Air Police, Lonesome Trail)
• 1895 - Fred Badcock, cricketer (swing bowler in NZ's 1st Test matches)
• 1895 - Nat Pendleton, Davenport IA, Olympic wrestler/actor (Reckless)
• 1896 - Jean Piaget, Switz, pioneer developmental psychologist/zoologist
• 1896 - Leonide Massine, choreographer (Diaghilev Ballet Russe 1914-20)
• 1897 - Ralph Wyckoff, American pioneer in x-ray crystallography
• 1898 - David de Jong, Dutch writer (Mutiny on the Canal)
• 1899 - Armand Salacrou, French playwright
• 1899 - Pamela Lyndon Travers, writer (Mary Poppins)
• 1901 - Charles Farrell, Cape Cod Mass, actor (Vern-My Little Margie)
• 1902 - Zino Francescatti, Marseilles France, violinist (NY Phil-1939)
• 1903 - Tom Tyler, [Vincent Markowsky], Port Henry NY, actor (Mummy's Hand)
• 1905 - Elizabeth Lane, 1st female British supreme court justice
• 1905 - Leo Genn, London England, actor (Affair in Monte Carlo)
• 1907 - Berta Waterstradt, writer
• 1909 - John Baur, museum director/author (American Paintings in 19th Century)
• 1910 - Robert H van Gulik, Dutch diplomat/writer (Judge Ti)
• 1911 - Khurshed Meher-Homji, cricketer (Indian wicket-keeper 1936)
• 1911 - Robert McCormick, Danville Ky, NBC newscaster (Current Opinion)
• 1911 - William A Fowler, US, astrophysicist (Nobel 1983)
• 1913 - Harry Mills, singer (Mills Brothers-Paper Moon)
• 1913 - Herman Talmadge, (Sen-D-Ga, Watergate Committee)
• 1914 - Ferenc Fricsay, Hungarian conductor
• 1914 - Gordon Cullen, architect
• 1914 - Joseph M "Joop" L�cker, Dutch journalist/editor in chief (Volkskrant)
• 1915 - Haim Alexander, composer
• 1918 - Robert Aldrich, US director/producer (Dirty Dozen)
• 1919 - Joop [Johannes] den Uyl, Dutch Premier (PVDA, 1973-77)
• 1919 - Ralph Houk, baseball manager (Yankees, Tigers)
• 1921 - J James Exon, (Sen-D-Nebraska, 1979- )
• 1922 - Philip Larkin, Coventry England, writer (North Ship, Jill)
• 1923 - Gerrit Kouwenaar, Dutch literary
• 1925 - Robert Heppener, composer (Hymns & Conversations, Movie Music)
• 1926 - Denis Atkinson, cricketer (WI all-rounder, 219 v Australia 1955)
• 1926 - Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch jazz historian (Mister Jazz)
• 1927 - Marvin Minsky, Artifical intelligence computer scientist (MIT)
• 1927 - Robert Shaw, England, actor (Deep, Jaws, Sting, Black Sunday)
• 1928 - Bob Cousy, NBA guard (Boston Celtics, 1957 MVP)
• 1930 - Betty Boop, animation
• 1931 - Mark Weinberg, South African/British fiancier/multi-millionaire
• 1935 - George S Leotsakos, composer
• 1938 - Dick Anthony Williams, Chicago Ill, actor (Our Family Honor)
• 1938 - Rod Laver, Australia, tennis ace (1962, 1969 Grand Slam)
• 1939 - Billy Henderson, rocker (Spinners-That's What Girls Are Made For)
• 1939 - Claude Osteen, baseball pitcher (Cin Reds)
• 1939 - Max Neuhaus, composer
• 1939 - Tony Budge, English contractor/tank maker/multi-millionaire
• 1940 - Beverlee McKinsey, Okla, actress (Iris-Another World, Guiding Light)
• 1942 - David Steinberg, Winnipeg Canada, comedian/director (End)
• 1942 - Miguel Littin, actor (Promised Land, Alsino & Condor)
• 1944 - Gerrit Jan Wolffensperger, Dutch MP (D66)
• 1944 - Sam Elliott, Sacramento Calif, actor (Big Chill, Fatal Beauty)
• 1944 - Terry Jenner, cricketer (Australian leg-spinner 1971-75)
• 1944 - Viv Prince, rocker (Pretty Things)
• 1945 - Ken Norton, heavyweight boxing champ/TV panelist (Gong Show)
• 1946 - Maarnus Gerritsen, Dutch rocker (Golden Earring)
• 1946 - Rinus Gerritsen, Dutch rock bassist/keyboardist (Golden Earring)
• 1947 - Barbara Mason, US singer (Yes, I'm Ready)
• 1950 - Roelof S "Roel" Bakker, Dutch actor/director (Love Potion)
• 1952 - Vicki Morgan, Colo Springs Colo, mistress (Beautiful Bad Girl)
• 1955 - Doug Williams, Louisiana, NFL QB (Tampa Bay Bucaneers, Wash Redskins)
• 1957 - Melanie Griffith, actress (Working Girl, Milk Money, Now & Then)
• 1958 - Amanda Bearse, actress (Marcy Rhodes-Married With Children)
• 1958 - Greg Chaisson, heavy metal rocker (Badlands-Dreams in the Dark)
• 1959 - Diane Williams, Hahn AFB Ger, singer (Girls Next Door-Don't Be Cruel)
• 1959 - Kurtis Blow, NYC, rapper (Krushgroove-The Breaks)
• 1961 - Brad Gilbert, Oakland CA, tennis star
• 1962 - Jim Johnson, New Hope, NHL defenseman (Washington Capitals)
• 1962 - John Williams, NBA center/forward (Phoenix Suns)
• 1962 - Michael Colnroy, Modern English, rocker
• 1963 - Lonnie Quinn, Cheshire Conn, actor (Will Cooley-All My Children)
• 1963 - Whitney Houston, Newark NJ, singer (One Moment in Time, Bodyguard)
• 1964 - Brett Hull, Belleville Ont, NHL right wing (St Louis Blues, USA)
• 1964 - Yuri Khmylev, Moscow Rus, NHL left wing (Buffalo Sabres)
• 1965 - Ezra Polley, Georgetown Kentucky, pitcher (NY Yankees)
• 1965 - Gillian Anderson, Chicago IL, actress (X-Files)
• 1965 - John Smith, Del City Okla, 62kg freestyle wrestler (Oly-2 gold-88, 92)
• 1965 - Kyle Kyle, Kensington Pa, rock bassist (Bang Tango-Dancin' on Coals)
• 1966 - Pat Petersen, LA Calif, actor (Michael-Knots Landing)
• 1966 - Vinny Del Negro, NBA guard (San Antonio Spurs)
• 1967 - Debbie Spence, San Jose Cal, tennis star
• 1967 - Deborah Lee, Hamilton Ontario, LPGA golfer (1989 National Amat France)
• 1967 - Deion Sanders, NFL defensive (Cowboys)/centerfielder (Yankees)
• 1967 - Elexa Wills/Orrange, Orange Texas, long jumper/triple jumper
• 1968 - Jay Stacy, Aust field hockey midfielder (Oly-4th/silver-88, 92, 96)
• 1969 - Troy Percival, Fontana CA, pitcher (California Angels)
• 1970 - Chris Gedney, NFL tight end (Chic Bears, Arizona Cardinals)
• 1970 - Rod Brind'amour, Ottawa, NHL center (Phila Flyers, Team Canada 98)
• 1971 - Alan Allen, NFL/WLAF wide receiver (NY Jets, London Monarchs)
• 1971 - David Merritt, WLAF linebacker (Rhein Fire)
• 1971 - Mary Joe Fernandez, Dom Rep, tennis player (US National 16s)
• 1971 - Nikki Schieler, Norwalk Calif, playmate (Sep, 1997)
• 1971 - Scott Karl, Fontana CA, pitcher (Milwaukee Brewers)
• 1972 - Elizabeth Vassey, Raleigh NC, actress (Emily Martin-All My Children)
• 1972 - Eric Zomalt, NFL strong safety (Phila Eagles)
• 1972 - Robert Peal, Chicago Ill, dance skater (& Margot Contois)
• 1972 - Silvia Ramon-Cortes, Barcelona Spain, tennis star (1994 Futures-Vigo)
• 1973 - James McKeehan, tight end (Tennessee Oilers)
• 1973 - Jay Hagood, tackle (NY Jets)
• 1973 - Jimmy King, NBA guard (Toronto Raptors)
• 1973 - Jochen Molling, hockey defenseman (Team Germany 1998)
• 1973 - Larry Stallworth, WLAF wide receiver (London Monarchs)
• 1974 - Derek Fisher, NBA guard (LA Lakers)
• 1974 - Tremayne Allen, tight end (Chicago Bears)
• 1975 - Mathew James Coad, Wellington NZ, 100m/200m runner (Olympics-96)
• 1979 - Alizah Allen, NYC NY, figure skater (1997 North Atlantic Sr champ)
• 1979 - Jessica Gregory, Miss Massachusetts Teen USA (1997)
• 1983 - Ashley Johnson, actress (Chrissy-Growing Pains)

Famous deaths for this day ..

• 0117 - Mark Ulpius Trajanus, emperor of Rome (98-117)
• 0378 - Flavius Valens, emperor of Byzantium (364-78), dies in battle at 50
• 0803 - Irene, Byzantine empress/wife of emperor Leo IV, dies
• 1048 - Damasius II, [Poppo], Pope (1047-48), dies
• 1420 - Pierre d'ailly/Peter de Alliaco, French theologist/cardinal, dies
• 1516 - Jeroen Bosch, painter (Garden of the Lusten), dies at 66
• 1612 - Ottavio M Frangipani, Pope elect, dies
• 1613 - Giovanni Righi, composer, dies at 36
• 1634 - Pieter I de Jode, Flemish publisher, dies
• 1652 - John Both, landscape painter/etcher, dies at about 37
• 1668 - Fran�ois Anguier, French sculptor, dies at about 64
• 1672 - Jose Ximenez, composer, dies at 70
• 1710 - Gabriel Schutz, composer, dies at 77
• 1727 - Johann Philipp Treiber, composer, dies at 52
• 1738 - Pierre Drevet, French engraver, dies
• 1763 - John Althuysen, Fries vicar/poet (Frysk Jierboek), dies at 47
• 1806 - Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia Christian, composer, dies at 33
• 1835 - Claus Nielsen Schali, composer, dies at 78
• 1848 - Frederick Marryat, English captain/author (Mr Midshipman Easy), dies
• 1854 - Frederik Augustus II, king of Saxon (1836-54), dies at 57
• 1862 - Joseph Bennett Plummer, US Union-brig-gen, dies at 42 or 46
• 1888 - Charles Cros, French mathematician/chemist/poet, dies at 45
• 1888 - Isaac Strauss, composer, dies at 82
• 1892 - Matthias de Vries, linguistic (spelling), dies
• 1896 - Otto Lilenthal, aircraft pioneer, killed during a glider test at 48
• 1904 - Friedrich Ratzel, German social-geographer (Lebensraum), dies at 59
• 1915 - Henry Longbottom, English lieutenant, dies in battle
• 1919 - Ernst Haeckel, German philosopher (Social Darwinism), dies at 85
• 1919 - Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (Pagliacci), dies at 62
• 1924 - Jacob P Vis, Dutch founder (NV Royal Salt Industries), dies at 66
• 1928 - Frederik II W, grand duke of Baden (1907-18), dies at 71
• 1929 - Heinrich Zille, German cartoonist (Simplicissimus), dies at 71
• 1942 - Edith Stein, German philosopher, dies
• 1944 - Erwin von Witzleben, German fieldmarshal, hanged at 62
• 1946 - A E E Vogler, cricketer (South Africa, 15 Tests, 64 wkts), dies
• 1949 - Harry Davenport, actor (Cowboy & Lady, Enchanted Forest), dies at 83
• 1955 - Marion Eugene Bauer, composer, dies at 57
• 1958 - Felipe Boero, composer, dies at 74
• 1959 - Emil Frantisek Burian, composer, dies at 55
• 1961 - Walter Bedell Smith, US general/WW II chief of staff, dies at 75
• 1962 - Hermann Hesse, German/Swiss poet/author (Nobel 1946), dies at 85
• 1965 - Creighton Hale, silent film actor (Cat & Canary), dies at 83
• 1966 - Gosta Nystroem, composer, dies at 75
• 1967 - Anton Walbrook, actor (Laura, I Accuse), dies of heart attack at 66
• 1967 - Jaromir Weinberger, Czech/US composer (Czech Rhapsody), dies
• 1967 - Joe Orton, English actor/playwright (Leaf, Murdered), dies at 34
• 1969 - Abigail Folger, US, coffee magnate (Folgers), murdered
• 1969 - George P Marshall, NFL president (Washington Redskins), dies at 72
• 1969 - Robert Lehman, US multi-millionaire/director (Met Museum of Art), dies
• 1969 - Sharon Tate, actress (Valley of Dolls), killed by Manson's gang at 26
• 1969 - Voyteck Freykowski, US director, murdered
• 1972 - Bill Berns, commentator (Television Screen Magazine), dies at 53
• 1972 - Richard Elsasser, composer, dies at 45
• 1973 - Charlie Daniels, US swimmer (Olympics-4 gold-1904, 08), dies at 88
• 1973 - Dean Corll, shot, he raped & killed 26 boys
• 1975 - Dimitri D Shostakovitch, composer (Sun Over Motherland), dies at 68
• 1975 - Julian "Cannonball" Adderly, saxophonist/bandleader, dies at 46
• 1976 - Jose Lezama Lima, Cuban poet/novelist, dies at 65
• 1976 - Max Vredenburg, composer, dies at 72
• 1977 - Edward Chapman, actor (Promoter, Rembrandt), dies at 75
• 1978 - James G Cozzens, US writer (Guard of Honor, Pulitzer), dies at 74
• 1978 - Johan Daisne, [Thiery], Belgian writer (Lago Maggiore), dies at 66
• 1979 - Allan Frank, actor (Charade Quiz), dies at 64
• 1979 - Walter O'Malley, CEO (Dodgers), dies at 75
• 1980 - Elliott Nugent, actor (Romance), dies
• 1980 - Oleg Grigoryevich Kononenko, Russian cosmonaut, dies at 41
• 1980 - P K "Perker" Lee, cricketer (Australian bowler 1931-33, 2 Tests), dies
• 1982 - Aleksandr A Alekseyev, Russian director, dies
• 1986 - Joseph "Poeske" Scherens, Belgian cyclist, dies at 77
• 1987 - Kees de Galan, Dutch economist, dies at 55
• 1988 - Alan Napier, (Alfred the Butler-Batman), dies at 85
• 1990 - Dorothy Appleby, actress (Small Town Boy, Paradise Express), dies
• 1991 - Corrie Hartong, dance pioneer, dies
• 1992 - Christopher Todd, [Todd Wangberg], dies of AIDS at 30
• 1992 - Jan van Baal, antropologist/gov Dutch New-Guinea, dies
• 1992 - Patrick A Devlin, England, judge/lead house of Lords, dies
• 1992 - Thomas J McIntyre, (Sen-NH, 1963-79), dies at 77
• 1993 - Mohamed M Tabet, commissar of Casablanca, raped 518, executed at 54
• 1994 - Aartje W "Mien" van It Sant-van Bommel, author, dies at 93
• 1994 - Clarence Ford, sax player, dies at 64
• 1994 - Toby Rowland, theatrical manager, dies at 77
• 1995 - Jerry Garcia, rock vocalist (Grateful Dead), dies at 53
• 1995 - John Schofield, journalist, dies at 29
• 1995 - Willem Noordhoek, photographer, dies at 78
• 1996 - James Whitman McLamore, businessman, dies at 70
• 1996 - Kenneth Fleetwood, fashion Designer, dies at 65
• 1996 - Ruth Holland, journalist, dies at 54