• 1478 - Clement VII, [Giulio de' Medici], Italy, Pope (1523-34)
• 1566 - Mohammed III, sultan of Turkey (1595-1603)
• 1591 - Dirck Janszoon Sweelinck, composer
• 1667 - Abraham De Moivre, French mathematician (De Moivre's theorem)
• 1689 - Mary Wortley Montagu, English essayist, feminist, eccentric
• 1700 - Nikolaus L earl von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf, German evangelist
• 1759 - Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, writer/mother of Mary Shelley
• 1771 - Rahel Varnhagen von Ense-Levin, German saloon owner/author
• 1773 - Hans Georg Nageli, composer
• 1782 - Joseph Drechsler, composer
• 1788 - ? Clark, England, baby of Mary Clark born without a brain
• 1799 - Alexander S Pushkin, Russia, writer (Eugene Onegin)
• 1799 - August Kopisch, German writer (Die Heinzelm„nnchen von K”ln)
• 1806 - Henry Knox Thatcher, Comm (Union Navy), died in 1880
• 1822 - E de Goncourt, writer
• 1825 - Felipe Gutierrez y Espinoza, composer
• 1835 - Edward Porter Alexander, Brig General (Confederate Army)
• 1846 - Arthur Coquard, composer
• 1850 - Christine [Elizabeth C] Poolman, Dutch actress (Stupid force)
• 1853 - Monroe A Althouse, composer
• 1856 - George Templeton Strong, composer
• 1859 - Alfred Edward Housman, Bromsgrove England, poet (A Buried Life)
• 1865 - Akseli V Gallen-Kallela, Fins painter/graphic artist/illustrator
• 1866 - John Eigenhuis, writer (Tough Workers)
• 1867 - Mary, queen of Great Britain/North Ireland
• 1871 - Camille Huysmans, Belgian premier (1946-47)
• 1873 - Cornelis G N de Vooys, translator/founder (New Taalgids)
• 1874 - Henry Farman, French aviation pioneer (double decker)
• 1876 - Jack Root, boxing's 1st light heavyweight champion
• 1877 - Isadora Duncan, SF, free form/interpretative dancer
• 1877 - Jean Schlumberger, French writer (La Mort de Sparte)
• 1877 - Sadao Araki, Japanese general/minister of War (1931-34)
• 1884 - Charles Winninger, Athens Wisc, actor (Charlie Farrell Show)
• 1886 - Al Jolson, [Asa Yoelson], jazz singer/silent actor (Mamie, Swanee)
• 1890 - Kurt Edzard, German sculptor (nudes/portraits)
• 1893 - Eugene Goossens, London England, conductor/composer (Perseus)
• 1893 - Norma Talmadge, NY, actress (Sign on Door, Camille)
• 1895 - Dorothea Lange, US documentary photographer
• 1895 - Paul Lukas, Budapest Hungary, actor (Watch on the Rhine, Sphynx)
• 1898 - Ernst Bacon, composer
• 1898 - Gerard Bertouille, composer
• 1899 - Otto E Neugebauer, Austrian/US math historian
• 1899 - Pieter Menten, Dutch war criminal
• 1903 - Estes Kefauver, (Sen-D-Tn)
• 1905 - Hans Holewa, composer
• 1907 - Carleton Young, NY, actor (Reefer Madness, Pride of the Bowery)
• 1907 - John Wayne, Winterset IA, actor (Green Berets, True Grit)
• 1908 - Malando, [Arie Maasland], composer/orchestra leader (Ol‚ Guapa)
• 1908 - Robert Morley, England, actor (High Road to China, African Queen)
• 1909 - Matt Busby, Scottish soccer coach (Manchester United)
• 1909 - Richard Maibaum, NYC, screenwriter (Goldfinger)
• 1910 - Adolfo Lopez Mateos, president of Mexico
• 1910 - Laurance S Rockefeller, NYC, CEO (Chase Manhattan Bank)
• 1911 - Ben Alexander, NV, actor (Dragnet, Outer Gate, Mr Doodles Kicks Off)
• 1912 - J nos K d r, premier Hungary (1956-58)
• 1913 - Fred Bertrand, Belgian politician
• 1913 - Peter Cushing, England, actor (Dracula, Star Wars, Dr Who)
• 1913 - Robert Shaw, town planner
• 1914 - Archie Duncan, Glasgow Scotland, actor (Sherlock Holmes)
• 1919 - Jay Silverheels, actor (Tonto-Lone Ranger)
• 1919 - Peter Malcolm Gordon Raleigh, journalist
• 1920 - Jack Cheetham, cricketer (South African batsman, Test capt early 50's)
• 1920 - Peggy Lee, [Norma Egstrom], Jamestown ND, singer (Thats All There Is?)
• 1921 - Frank Mooney, cricketer (dependable wicket-keeper for NZ in 13 Tests)
• 1923 - Horst Tapper, German director/actor (Derrick)
• 1923 - James Arness, Minneapolis MN, actor (Matt Dillon-Gunsmoke, Thing)
• 1923 - Oren Lee Staley, 1st pres of National Farmers Organization (1955-79)
• 1923 - Roy Dotrice, Guernsey Channel Island, actor (Wizard)
• 1924 - Cooper Evans, (Rep-R-IA, 1981-87)
• 1924 - Victor Herbert, Irish/US composer (Kiss in Dark)
• 1925 - Alec McCowen, Tunbridge Wells England, actor (Never Say Never Again)
• 1926 - Maria de Lourdes Martins, composer
• 1927 - Jacques Bergerac, France, actor (Gigi, Les Girls, Thunder in Sun)
• 1929 - Hugo Raes, Flemish writer (Horses Jump & Fresh Sea)
• 1934 - Abdulah M "Dulah" Omar, South African attorney/UDF-leader
• 1937 - Yehuda Yannay, composer
• 1938 - Jackie Liebesit, rocker (Can)
• 1938 - Teresa Stratas, [Anastasia Stratakis], Toronto, soprano (Salome)
• 1938 - William Elden Bolcom, Seattle Washington, composer (Oracles)
• 1939 - Brent Musburger, sportscaster (CBS-TV)
• 1939 - Gerald Ronson, English multi-millionaire
• 1941 - Imants Kalnins, composer
• 1942 - Levon Helm, drummer/singer (Band)
• 1942 - Ray Ennis, England, guitar (Swinging Blue Jeans-You're No Good)
• 1943 - Erica G Terpstra, Oly swimmer/Dutch MP (VVD)
• 1944 - Verden "Phally" Allen, keyboardist (Mott the Hoople)
• 1945 - Garry Peterson, rocker (Guess Who)
• 1946 - Stevie Nicks, Phoenix Az, rocker (Fleetwood Mac-Bella Donna)
• 1947 - Glenn Turner, cricketer (masterful NZ opening batsman)
• 1947 - Piers Gray, critic/writer
• 1947 - Sherry Bain, Calif, actress (Pipe Dreams)
• 1948 - Geoff Greenidge, cricketer (no relation to Gordon, WI opener 1972-74)
• 1949 - Dan Pastorini, NFL quarterback (Houston Oilers, Raiders) [or Dec 25]
• 1949 - Dayle Haddon, Montr‚al Qu‚bec Canada, actress (Bedroom Eyes)
• 1949 - Hank Williams Jr, Shreveport La, country singer (Honky Tonk)
• 1949 - Pam Grier, Winston-Salem NC, actress (Big Bird Cage, Tough Enough)
• 1949 - Philip Michael Thomas, Columbus Ohio, actor (Miami Vice)
• 1950 - ?, 1st whooping crane hatched in captivity
• 1951 - Muhammed Ahmad Faris, Syria, cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-3)
• 1951 - Sally Kristen Ride, LA Calif, 1st US woman astronaut (STS-7, STS 41G)
• 1955 - Candace L Collins, Dupo Illinois, playmate (Dec, 1979)
• 1957 - Margaret Colin, actress (Independence Day, Three Men & a Baby)
• 1959 - Beverly Lee, rocker
• 1959 - Brian Peaker, London Ontario, rower (Olympics-96)
• 1959 - Nancy White-Brophy, Montague PEI, LPGA golfer (1994 McCall's-25th)
• 1959 - Wayne Hussey, rocker (Mission-Lover for Life)
• 1961 - Stephen Robert Pate, Ventura CA, PGA golfer (1987 Southwest Classic)
• 1962 - Bob[cat] Goldthwait, Syracuse NY, comedian (Police Academy)
• 1962 - Colin Vearncombe, rocker (Black-Wonderful Like)
• 1962 - Genie Francis, Englewood NJ, actress (General Hospital, Bare Essence)
• 1963 - Charles Van Eman, Pitts, actor (Charlie-All My Children, Dynasty II)
• 1963 - Eddie Martin Jr, jockey
• 1964 - Kevin Kennedy, baseball manager (Texas Rangers)
• 1964 - Lenny Kravitz, singer/guitar (911 is a Joke, Are You Gonna Go My Way?)
• 1965 - Greg Lloyd, NFL linebacker (Pitts Steelers)
• 1965 - Jacqueline Mary Nelson, Upper Hutt NZ, points race cyclist (Oly-96)
• 1966 - Anthony Edwards, NFL wide receiver (Arizona Cardinals)
• 1966 - Billy Downes, Camden NJ, Nike golfer (1994 New England Classic)
• 1966 - Grant Bradburn, cricketer (son of Wynne NZ off-spinner 1990- )
• 1966 - Zola Budd Pieterse, Bloemfontein South Africa, track star (Oly-1988)
• 1967 - Igor Zemlyanoy, hockey defenseman (Team Kazakhstan Oly-1998)
• 1967 - Jean Bartholomew, Queens NY, LPGA golfer (1989 Duke U Champ)
• 1968 - Frederik, Heir Apparent Crown Prince of Denmark
• 1968 - Rachael Sporn, Australian basketball forward (Olympics-bronze-96)
• 1970 - Sam Mack, NBA forward/guard (Houston Rockets, Vancouver Grizzlies)
• 1970 - Sebastian Barrie, NFL defensive tackle (SD Chargers)
• 1971 - Darwin Ireland, NFL linebacker (Chic Bears)
• 1971 - Lewis Capes, WLAF defensive tackle (London Monarchs)
• 1971 - Steven Rice, Kitchener, NHL right wing (Hartford Whalers)
• 1975 - Christopher Lindsey Donaldson, Dunedin NZ, 100m/200m runner (Oly-96)
• 1975 - Travis Lee, San Diego CA, baseball 1st baseman (Olympics-bronze-96)
• 1976 - Benji Gregory, Encino Calif, actor (Brian Tanner-Alf)
• 1976 - Markus Wieland, hockey defenseman (Team Germany 1998)
• 1976 - Scott Humphries, Greely Colo, tennis star (1995 doubles Binghampton)
• 1990 - Zenouska Mowatt, granddaughter of English princess Alexandra
• 1996 - Austin Michael Luciano, actor (Dante Carlino-Another World)

Famous deaths for this day ..

• 0604 - 605? Augustinus van Canterbury, bishop/apostle of England, dies
• 0735 - Beda Venerabilis, English speaking church historian, dies at about 62
• 1421 - Mohammed I, sultan of Turkey (1413-21), dies
• 1512 - Bajezid II, governor of Amasja/8th sultan of Turkey, dies
• 1595 - Philippus Nerius, [Filippo Neri], Italian merchant/saint, dies at 79
• 1609 - Cornelis Claesz, mapmaker, buried
• 1685 - Karel, monarch of Palts, dies
• 1703 - Samuel Pepys, English marine expert (Diary)/composer, dies at 70
• 1753 - Willem Maurits, earl of Nassau/gov of Zeeuws-Flanders, dies
• 1818 - Michael A Barclay de Tolly, Russian fieldmarshal/War Minister, dies
• 1831 - Georg Hermes, German philosopher/theologist (Hermenianen), dies
• 1832 - Fran‡ois-Louis Perne, composer, dies at 59
• 1864 - Ch Sealsfield, writer, dies at 71
• 1868 - Michael Barrett, Irish nationalist, last British public execution
• 1871 - Aime Maillart, composer, dies at 54
• 1873 - August Conradi, composer, dies at 51
• 1876 - Frantisek Palacky, Czech historian/MP, dies at 77
• 1880 - John Curwen, composer, dies at 63
• 1883 - Abd el-Kader, Algerian sultan/religious ruler, dies at about 74
• 1891 - Frederick Bowen Jewson, composer, dies at 67
• 1905 - Alphonse de Rothschild, French banker, dies
• 1908 - Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Indies theologist (Ahmadiyya motion), dies at 69
• 1912 - Jan Blockx, Belgian opera composer (Bride of the Sea), dies at 61
• 1924 - Johann Heinrich Beck, composer, dies at 67
• 1924 - Victor Herbert, Irish/US cellist/composer/conductor, dies at 65
• 1926 - S V Petlura, Ukrainain ataman, assassinated by Shalom Schwarzbard
• 1933 - Jimmie Rodgers, country singer, dies at 35
• 1939 - Charles H Mayo, US surgeon/co-founder (Mayo Clinic), dies at 74
• 1939 - Cornelis J Cutters, supreme commander of Navy (1910-18), dies
• 1943 - Edsel Ford, owner (Ford Motor Company), dies at 49
• 1944 - C M Francois, cricketer (WWII, 252 runs in 5 Tests for S Africa), dies
• 1946 - Friedrich A H von Waldeck, monarch of Waldeck, dies
• 1950 - Antonina Neshdanova, Russian soprano (Bolshoi Theater), dies
• 1951 - Lincoln Ellsworth, artic explorer, dies at 71
• 1952 - D maso Alonso, Spanish linguistic/poet (Hombrey Dios), dies at 55
• 1954 - Franz Pfemfert, writer, dies at 74
• 1956 - Al Simmons, outfielder (A's)/lifetime batting avg of .334, dies at 54
• 1958 - Francis Carco(pino), French author/critic (L'homme traqu‚), dies at 71
• 1959 - Ed Walsh, baseball pitcher (1.82 ERA), dies at 78
• 1959 - Joe Kelly, TV host (Quiz Kids), dies at 57
• 1963 - Sharon Lynn, actress (Way Out West, Big Broadcast), dies at 53
• 1966 - Don Castle, actor (Motor Patrol, Born to Speed), dies at 47
• 1966 - Neal Dodd, actor (Only Women, You Belong to Me), dies at 86
• 1967 - Antoon Spinoy, Belgian politician, dies at 60
• 1967 - George E Stone, actor (5 Star Final, Front Page), dies at 64
• 1968 - William E "Little Willie" John, US R&B-singer (Fever), dies at 30)
• 1969 - Kathryn Minner, entertainer, dies of heart attack at 77
• 1971 - John Longden, actor (Man From Interpol), dies at 70
• 1973 - Jacques Lipchitz, US cubist sculptor, dies at 81
• 1974 - Kitty Gordon, entertainer, dies at 96
• 1976 - Martin Heidegger, German philosopher (Holzweg), dies at 86
• 1977 - Jim Boles, actor (Kraft Music Hall, One Man's Family), dies at 63
• 1977 - William Powell, rocker (O'Jays), dies of cancer at 35
• 1979 - George Brent, actor (Baby Face, Dark Victory, 42nd St), dies at 75
• 1991 - Tom Cassidy, anchor (CNN), dies of AIDs at 41
• 1991 - Tom Eyen, playwright (Dreamgirls), dies of cardiac arrest at 50
• 1992 - Danny Biasone, basketball innovator (24-second clock), dies at 83
• 1993 - Carleton Morse, radio dramatist (One Man's Family), dies at 91
• 1993 - Cor de Great, pianist/conductor/composer (Vernissage), dies at 78
• 1993 - Marvin Young, producer/child actor (Player), dies at 90
• 1994 - George Wildman Ball, under minister of Foreign affairs, dies at 84
• 1994 - Sonny Sharrock, US free-jazz guitarist, dies at 53
• 1994 - Warren Harding "Sonny" Sharrock, jazz Guitarist, dies at 53
• 1995 - Isadore "Friz" Freling, cartoon director (Sylvester), dies at 88
• 1995 - Ron Weatherburn, jazz pianist, dies at 61
• 1995 - Severn Darden, comedian (Second City), dies at 65
• 1996 - Halka Grossman, resistance fighter/politician, dies at 76
• 1996 - Matima Kinuani Mpiosso, musician, dies at 45
• 1997 - Manfred Von Ardenne, German scientific pioneer, dies at 90