Celebrating Today’s Famous Birthdays: 18th December – A Tribute to Remarkable Individuals
Welcome, dear readers! It brings me great joy to present a heartfelt tribute to the remarkable individuals born on this significant date. Today, we commemorate the birth anniversary of a diverse array of extraordinary personalities who have left an indelible mark on the world.
| Year | Person |
|---|---|
| 1343 | William I, Margrave of Meissen (d. 1407) |
| 1498 | Andreas Osiander, German Protestant theologian (d. 1552) |
| 1554 | Philip William, Prince of Orange (d. 1618) |
| 1587 | Dorothea Sophia, Abbess of Quedlinburg (d. 1645) |
| 1683 | Philip V of Spain (d. 1746) |
| 1699 | William Bowyer, English printer (d. 1777) |
| 1714 | John Winthrop, American astronomer and educator (d. 1779) |
| 1778 | Marie Thérèse of France (d. 1851) |
| 1796 | Manuel Bretón de los Herreros, Spanish poet, playwright, and critic (d. 1873) |
| 1797 | Antoine Louis Dugès, French obstetrician and naturalist (d. 1838) |
| 1817 | James J. Archer, American lawyer and general (d. 1864) |
| 1820 | Mary Livermore, American journalist and activist (d. 1905) |
| 1825 | George Frederick Bristow, American violinist and composer (d. 1898) |
| 1831 | Bernice Pauahi Bishop, American philanthropist (d. 1884) |
| 1849 | Henry Clay Frick, American businessman and financier (d. 1919) |
| 1852 | Albert Abraham Michelson, Prussian-American physicist, chemist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1931) |
| 1853 | Charles Fitzpatrick, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec (d. 1942) |
| 1861 | Italo Svevo, Italian author and playwright (d. 1928) |
| 1863 | Wallace Bryant, American archer (d. 1953) |
| 1865 | Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress and playwright (d. 1932) |
| 1873 | Alphonse Kirchhoffer, French fencer (d. 1913) |
| 1875 | Mileva Maric, Serbian physicist (d. 1948) |
| 1875 | Carter G. Woodson, American historian and author, founded Black History Month (d. 1950) |
| 1875 | Grace Marie Bareis, American mathematician (d. 1962) |
| 1876 | Bernard Friedberg, Austrian-Israeli scholar and author (d. 1961) |
| 1884 | Antonín Zápotocký, Czech politician, President of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (d. 1957) |
| 1888 | Fritz Reiner, Hungarian-American conductor (d. 1963) |
| 1891 | Edward Bernard Raczyński, Polish politician and diplomat, 4th President-in-exile of Poland (d. 1993) |
| 1894 | Ford Frick, American journalist and businessman (d. 1978) |
| 1895 | Ingeborg Refling Hagen, Norwegian author and educator (d. 1989) |
| 1899 | Martin Luther King, Sr., American pastor, missionary, and activist (d. 1984) |
| 1900 | Margaret Brundage, American illustrator, known for illustrating pulp magazine Weird Tales (d. 1976) |
| 1901 | Rudolf Hell, German engineer, invented the Hellschreiber (d. 2002) |
| 1901 | Oliver La Farge, American anthropologist and author (d. 1963) |
| 1901 | Fritz Mauruschat, German footballer and manager (d. 1974) |
| 1902 | Ralph Richardson, English actor (d. 1983) |
| 1903 | George Davis Snell, American geneticist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996) |
| 1905 | Irving Kahn, American businessman (d. 2015) |
| 1905 | Giovanni Lurani, Italian race car driver, engineer, and journalist (d. 1995) |
| 1906 | Leonid Brezhnev, Ukrainian-Russian marshal, engineer, and politician, 4th Head of State of the Soviet Union (d. 1982) |
| 1907 | Jimmy McLarnin, Irish-American boxer, actor, and golfer (d. 2004) |
| 1909 | W. A. Criswell, American pastor and author (d. 2002) |
| 1910 | Jean Genet, French novelist, playwright, and poet (d. 1986) |
| 1914 | Mel Shaw, American animator and screenwriter (d. 2012) |
| 1915 | Édith Piaf, French singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1963) |
| 1915 | Claudia Testoni, Italian hurdler, sprinter, and long jumper (d. 1998) |
| 1916 | Roy Ward Baker, English director and producer (d. 2010) |
| 1916 | Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, German political scientist, journalist, and academic (d. 2010) |
| 1918 | Professor Longhair, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1980) |
| 1918 | Lee Rich, American producer and production manager (d. 2012) |
| 1920 | Little Jimmy Dickens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015) |
| 1920 | David Susskind, American talk show host and producer (d. 1987) |
| 1922 | Eamonn Andrews, Irish radio and television host (d. 1987) |
| 1923 | Robert V. Bruce, American historian and author (d. 2008) |
| 1923 | Gordon Jackson, Scottish-English actor and singer (d. 1990) |
| 1924 | Carlo Chiti, Italian engineer (d. 1994) |
| 1924 | Doug Harvey, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1989) |
| 1924 | Gary Morton, American comedian and producer (d. 1999) |
| 1924 | Edmund Purdom, British-Italian actor (d. 2009) |
| 1924 | Michel Tournier, French journalist and author (d. 2016) |
| 1925 | Tankred Dorst, German author and playwright |
| 1925 | William Schutz, American psychologist and academic (d. 2002) |
| 1925 | Robert B. Sherman, American songwriter and screenwriter (d. 2012) |
| 1926 | Bobby Layne, American football player and coach (d. 1986) |
| 1926 | Fikret Otyam, Turkish painter and journalist (d. 2015) |
| 1927 | James Booth, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2005) |
| 1928 | Eve Bunting, Irish-American author and academic |
| 1928 | Nathan Oliveira, American painter and sculptor (d. 2010) |
| 1929 | Bob Brookmeyer, American trombonist, pianist, and composer (d. 2011) |
| 1929 | David Douglas, 12th Marquess of Queensberry, Scottish potter |
| 1929 | Gregory Carroll, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2013) |
| 1929 | Howard Sackler, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 1982) |
| 1930 | Wally Olins, English businessman and academic (d. 2014) |
| 1930 | Knut Helle, Norwegian historian and professor (d. 2015) |
| 1932 | Salvador Elizondo, Mexican author, poet, playwright, and critic (d. 2006) |
| 1932 | Wayne Tippit, American actor (d. 2009) |
| 1933 | Kevan Gosper, Australian runner and politician |
| 1933 | Christopher Smout, Scottish historian and academic |
| 1934 | Al Kaline, American baseball player and sportscaster |
| 1934 | Pratibha Patil, Indian lawyer and politician, 12th President of India |
| 1934 | Casper R. Taylor, Jr., American lawyer and politician |
| 1935 | Bobby Timmons, American pianist and composer (d. 1974) |
| 1935 | Joanne Weaver, American baseball player (d. 2000) |
| 1940 | Phil Ochs, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1976) |
| 1941 | Lee Myung-bak, South Korean businessman and politician, 10th President of South Korea |
| 1941 | Maurice White, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2016) |
| 1942 | Cornell Dupree, American guitarist (d. 2011) |
| 1942 | Dennis E. Fitch, American pilot (d. 2012) |
| 1942 | “Mean Gene” Okerlund, American sports announcer |
| 1943 | Ross M. Lence, American political scientist and academic (d. 2006) |
| 1943 | James L. Jones, American general and politician, 22nd United States National Security Advisor |
| 1944 | William Christie, American-French harpsichord player and conductor |
| 1944 | Mitchell Feigenbaum, American physicist and mathematician |
| 1944 | Martin Hume Johnson, English physiologist and academic |
| 1944 | Richard Leakey, Kenyan paleontologist and politician |
| 1944 | Alvin Lee, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013) |
| 1944 | Tim Reid, American actor and director |
| 1944 | Steve Tyrell, American singer-songwriter and producer |
| 1944 | Zal Yanovsky, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002) |
| 1945 | Elaine Joyce, American actress, singer, and dancer |
| 1945 | John McEuen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist |
| 1946 | Rosemary Conley, English businesswoman, author, and broadcaster |
| 1946 | Robert Urich, American actor and producer (d. 2002) |
| 1947 | Jimmy Bain, Scottish bass player and songwriter (d. 2016) |
| 1948 | Ken Brown, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster |
| 1949 | Sebastian, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist |
| 1949 | Orna Berry, Israeli computer scientist and businesswoman |
| 1949 | Claudia Kolb, American swimmer |
| 1950 | Eleanor J. Hill, American lawyer and diplomat |
| 1951 | Mohammad Reza Aref, Iranian engineer and politician, 2nd Vice President of Iran |
| 1951 | Alan Rouse, English mountaineer and author (d. 1986) |
| 1952 | Walter Murphy, American pianist and composer |
| 1954 | Jeff Allam, English race car driver |
| 1954 | Tim Parks, English author and translator |
| 1955 | Lincoln Hall, Australian mountaineer and author (d. 2012) |
| 1955 | Rob Portman, American lawyer and politician |
| 1956 | Phil Harris, American captain and fisherman (d. 2010) |
| 1956 | Tom Lawless, American baseball player and manager |
| 1956 | Shane McEntee, Irish farmer and politician, Minister of State for Food, Horticulture and Food Safety (d. 2012) |
| 1957 | Cyril Collard, French actor, director, and composer (d. 1993) |
| 1957 | Kevin McHale, American basketball player, coach, and manager |
| 1958 | Steven Isserlis, English cellist and author |
| 1958 | Limahl, English pop singer |
| 1959 | Iván Vallejo, Ecuadorian mountaineer |
| 1959 | Lisa Wilkinson, Australian television host and journalist |
| 1960 | Derrick Jensen, American author and activist |
| 1960 | Michelangelo Signorile, American journalist and author |
| 1961 | Eric Allin Cornell, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate |
| 1961 | Matthew Waterhouse, English actor and author |
| 1961 | Reggie White, American football player and wrestler (d. 2004) |
| 1962 | Gary Fleder, American director, producer, and screenwriter |
| 1963 | Jennifer Beals, American model and actress |
| 1963 | Til Schweiger, German actor, director, and producer |
| 1964 | Béatrice Dalle, French actress |
| 1964 | Lorie Kane, Canadian golfer |
| 1964 | Arvydas Sabonis, Lithuanian basketball player |
| 1965 | Chito Martínez, Belizean-American baseball player |
| 1966 | Chuckii Booker, American singer-songwriter and producer |
| 1966 | Rajesh Chauhan, Indian cricketer |
| 1966 | Alberto Tomba, Italian skier |
| 1966 | Eric Weinrich, American ice hockey player and coach |
| 1967 | Criss Angel, American magician |
| 1967 | Charles Austin, American high jumper |
| 1968 | Ken Marino, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter |
| 1969 | Michael Bates, American sprinter and football player |
| 1969 | Kristy Swanson, American actress |
| 1969 | Tom Gugliotta, American basketball player |
| 1969 | Richard Hammond, English journalist and producer |
| 1969 | Nayan Mongia, Indian cricketer |
| 1969 | Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, Azerbaijani composer, pianist, and singer |
| 1970 | Tyson Beckford, American model and actor |
| 1971 | Karen Pickering, English swimmer |
| 1972 | Alyssa Milano, American actress and television personality |
| 1972 | Warren Sapp, American football player and sportscaster |
| 1973 | Michalis Grigoriou, Greek footballer and coach |
| 1973 | Erick Wainaina, Kenyan runner |
| 1973 | Zulfiya Zabirova, Russian cyclist |
| 1974 | Eduard Ivakdalam, Indonesian footballer |
| 1974 | Joe Jurevicius, American football player |
| 1974 | Felipe Lopez, Dominican-American basketball player |
| 1974 | Jake Plummer, American football player and sportscaster |
| 1974 | Ricky Ponting, Australian cricketer |
| 1975 | Makis Belevonis, Greek footballer |
| 1975 | Russell Branyan, American baseball player |
| 1975 | Brandon Sanderson, American author and academic |
| 1975 | Jeremy Soule, Canadian composer |
| 1975 | Olivier Tébily, Ivorian-French footballer |
| 1977 | Jorge Garbajosa, Spanish basketball player |
| 1977 | LaTasha Jenkins, American sprinter |
| 1977 | Irina Voronina, Russian model |
| 1978 | Patrick Casey, American actor, producer, and screenwriter |
| 1979 | Kevin Devine, American singer-songwriter and guitarist |
| 1979 | Rafael Soriano, Dominican baseball player |
| 1980 | Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor and producer |
| 1980 | Marla Sokoloff, American actress and musician |
| 1981 | Grégory Dufer, Belgian footballer |
| 1982 | Mo Williams, American basketball player |
| 1983 | Nektarios Alexandrou, Cypriot footballer |
| 1983 | Casey Crescenzo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist |
| 1983 | Bridget Phillipson, English politician |
| 1983 | Laura Pomeroy, Canadian swimmer |
| 1983 | Matt Stajan, Canadian ice hockey player |
| 1984 | Ian Kennedy, American baseball player |
| 1985 | Gary Cahill, English footballer |
| 1985 | Andrea Baldini, Italian fencer |
| 1985 | Neil Kilkenny, English-Australian footballer |
| 1985 | Sally Kipyego, Kenyan runner |
| 1985 | Dan Logan, English bass player |
| 1985 | Lady Sovereign, English rapper |
| 1986 | Ryan Babel, Dutch footballer |
| 1986 | Ingrid Burley, American rapper and songwriter |
| 1986 | Lazaros Christodoulopoulos, Greek footballer |
| 1986 | Zuzana Hejnová, Czech hurdler |
| 1986 | Miguel Lopes, Portuguese footballer |
| 1986 | Calvin Andrew, English footballer |
| 1987 | Cédric Baseya, French-Congolese footballer |
| 1987 | Karim Benzema, French footballer |
| 1987 | Ronan Farrow, American activist, journalist, and lawyer |
| 1988 | Alexis Sánchez, Chilean footballer |
| 1988 | Peter Winn, English footballer |
| 1989 | Yong Jun-hyung, South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and producer |
| 1989 | Michał Masłowski, Polish footballer |
| 1989 | Kousei Miura, Japanese jockey |
| 1989 | Hamza Riazuddin, English cricketer |
| 1990 | Greg Bretz, American snowboarder |
| 1991 | Declan Galbraith, English singer-songwriter |
| 1992 | Iker Muniain, Spanish footballer |
| 1992 | Raphael Spiegel, Swiss footballer |
| 1993 | Isiah Koech, Kenyan runner |
| 1993 | Young K, Korean songwriter and singer |
| 1994 | M’Baye Niang, French footballer |
| 1994 | Maudy Ayunda, Indonesian actress and singer-songwriter |
| 1996 | Franck Kessié, Ivorian footballer |
As we come to the end of this tribute to today’s famous birthdays, let us carry forward the inspiration and lessons gleaned from these exceptional individuals. Their journeys remind us that with determination, passion, and resilience, we can leave our own unique imprint on the world. May their stories serve as a guiding light, igniting the spark within each of us to pursue greatness and make a positive impact.
Stay tuned for more insightful posts dedicated to celebrating the lives and contributions of notable personalities. Their stories continue to resonate and inspire, shaping the course of history and leaving an unforgettable legacy for generations to come. Until next time, may the spirit of these extraordinary individuals continue to guide and inspire you on your own remarkable journey.
