May 18 - Births

Births

• 1048 – Omar Khayyám, Persian mathematician, poet and philosopher (d. 1131)
• 1186 – Konstantin of Rostov, Prince of Novgorod (d. 1218)
• 1474 – Isabella d'Este, Marquise of Mantua (d. 1539)
• 1610 – Stefano della Bella, Italian printmaker (d. 1664)
• 1616 – Johann Jakob Froberger, German composer (d. 1667)
• 1662 (O.S.) – George Smalridge, English bishop of Bristol (d. 1719)
• 1692 (O.S.) – Joseph Butler, English bishop and philosopher (d. 1752)
• 1711 – Ruđer Josip Bošković, Croatian atomic theorist (d. 1787)
• 1777 – John George Children, British chemist, mineralogist and zoologist (d. 1852)
• 1778 – Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry (d. 1854)
• 1785 – John Wilson, Scottish writer (d. 1854)
• 1797 – King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony (d. 1854)
• 1850 – Oliver Heaviside, English physicist (d. 1925)
• 1851 – James Budd, Governor of California (d. 1908)
• 1852 – Gertrude Käsebier, American photographer (d. 1934)
• 1854 – Bernard Zweers, Dutch composer and music teacher (d. 1924)
• 1868 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (d. 1918)
• 1872 – Bertrand Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, British mathematician, writer and philosopher, Nobel laureate (d. 1970)
• 1876 – Hermann Müller, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1931)
• 1882 – Babe Adams, American baseball player (d. 1968)
• 1883 – Eurico Gaspar Dutra, President of Brazil (d. 1974)
• 1883 – Walter Gropius, German architect (d. 1969)
• 1887 – Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1946)
• 1889 – Thomas Midgley, Jr., American chemist and inventor (d. 1944)
• 1891 – Rudolf Carnap, German philosopher (d. 1970)
• 1892 – Ezio Pinza, Italian-born bass (d. 1957)
• 1897 – Frank Capra, American film producer, director, and writer (d. 1991)
• 1901 – Vincent du Vigneaud, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1978)
• 1902 – Meredith Willson, American composer (d. 1984)
• 1904 – Jacob K. Javits, American politician (d. 1986)
• 1905 – Hedley Verity, English cricketer (d. 1943)
• 1907 – Carl Mydans, American photographer (d. 2004)
• 1909 – Fred Perry, British former tennis player (d. 1995)
• 1911 – Big Joe Turner, American blues singer (d. 1985)
• 1912 – Richard Brooks, American film director, writer and producer (d. 1992)
• 1912 – Perry Como, American singer (d. 2001)
• 1912 – Walter Sisulu, South African anti-apartheid activist (d. 2003)
• 1913 – Jane Birdwood, Canadian-born British far right activist (d. 2000)
• 1913 – Charles Trenet, French singer and songwriter (d. 2001)
• 1913 – Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Indian politician (d. 1996)
• 1913 – Mary Howard de Liagre, American actress (d. 2009)
• 1914 – Pierre Balmain, French fashion designer (d. 1982)
• 1914 – Robert J. Wilke, American actor (d. 1989)
• 1918 – Massimo Girotti, Italian actor (d. 2003)
• 1919 – Dame Margot Fonteyn, English ballet dancer (d. 1991)
• 1920 – Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła) (d. 2005)
• 1920 – Lucia Mannucci, Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra)
• 1922 – Gerda Boyesen, Norwegian-born body psychotherapist (d. 2005)
• 1922 – Bill Macy, American actor
• 1922 – Kai Winding, Danish-born jazz trombonist and composer (d. 1983)
• 1923 – Hugh Shearer, Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 2004)
• 1923 – Jean-Louis Roux, French Canadian actor and artistic director
• 1924 – Priscilla Pointer, American actress
• 1924 – Jack Whitaker, American sportscaster
• 1926 – Dirch Passer, Danish actor (d. 1980)
• 1928 – Pernell Roberts, American actor (d. 2010)
• 1929 – Jack Sanford, American baseball player (d. 2000)
• 1930 – Warren Rudman, American politician
• 1931 – Don Martin, American cartoonist (d. 2000)
• 1931 – Robert Morse, American actor
• 1933 – Bernadette Chirac, French politician
• 1933 – Don Whillans, English mountaineer (d. 1985)
• 1934 – Dwayne Hickman, American actor and television executive
• 1937 – Brooks Robinson, American baseball player
• 1937 – Jacques Santer, Luxembourg statesman
• 1939 – Giovanni Falcone, Italian magistrate and Mafia victim (d. 1992)
• 1939 – Gordon O'Connor, Canadian politician
• 1941 – Lobby Loyde, Australian guitarist and songwriter (Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs) (d. 2007)
• 1941 – Miriam Margolyes, British actress
• 1942 – Albert Hammond, British/Gibraltarian musician and composer
• 1942 – Nobby Stiles, English footballer
• 1943 – Jimmy Snuka, American professional wrestler
• 1944 – W. G. Sebald, German-born writer (d. 2001)
• 1946 – Bruce Gilbert, English guitarist (Wire)
• 1946 – Frank Hsieh, Premier of Taiwan
• 1946 – Reggie Jackson, American baseball player
• 1946 – Andreas Katsulas, American actor (d. 2006)
• 1947 – John Bruton, ninth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland
• 1948 – Tom Udall, American politician
• 1948 – Yi Munyol, South Korean writer
• 1949 – Rick Wakeman, English composer and musician (Yes)
• 1949 – Bill Wallace, Canadian bassist (The Guess Who)
• 1950 – Thomas Gottschalk, German television show host
• 1950 – Mark Mothersbaugh, American composer, musician, and singer (Devo)
• 1951 – Jim Sundberg, American baseball player
• 1952 – Diane Duane, American writer
• 1952 – George Strait, American country musician
• 1952 – Jeana Yeager, American aviator
• 1954 – Reinhold Heil, German composer
• 1955 – Chow Yun-fat, Hong Kong actor
• 1955 – Lena T. Hansson, Swedish actor
• 1957 – Michael Cretu, Romanian-born German musician (Enigma)
• 1958 – Toyah Willcox, English actor and singer
• 1959 – Jay Wells, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1960 – Jari Kurri, Finnish ice hockey player
• 1960 – Yannick Noah, French tennis player
• 1961 – Jim Bowden, American baseball executive
• 1962 – Mike Whitmarsh, American volleyball player
• 1962 – Nanne Grönvall, Swedish singer
• 1962 – Sandra, German singer
• 1962 – Mike Darnell, American television executive
• 1963 – Marty McSorley, Canadian hockey player
• 1963 – Sam Vincent, American basketball player
• 1965 – Ingo Schwichtenberg, German drummer (Helloween) (d. 1995)
• 1966 – Michael Tait, American musician (dc Talk, Tait)
• 1967 – Heinz-Harald Frentzen, German Formula One racing driver
• 1967 – Rob Base, American rapper
• 1967 – Nancy Juvonen, American film producer
• 1967 – Nina Björk, Swedish feminist and author
• 1969 – Martika, Cuban-American singer
• 1970 – Tina Fey, American writer/actress
• 1970 – Tim Horan, Australian rugby union player
• 1970 – Billy Howerdel, American guitarist (A Perfect Circle)
• 1971 – Brad Friedel, American soccer player
• 1971 – Desiree Horton, American helicopter pilot/television reporter
• 1971 – Nobuteru Taniguchi, Japanese racing driver
• 1972 – Turner Stevenson, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1973 – Dario Franchitti, Scottish race car driver
• 1973 – Brian Heffron, American professional wrestler ("The Blue Meanie")
• 1973 – Donyell Marshall, American basketball player
• 1974 – Nelson Figueroa, American baseball player
• 1975 – John Higgins, Scottish snooker player
• 1975 – Jack Johnson, American musician
• 1976 – Ron Mercer, American basketball player
• 1976 – Oleg Tverdovsky, Ukrainian ice hockey player
• 1977 – Lee Hendrie, English footballer
• 1977 – Danny Mills, English footballer
• 1978 – Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer
• 1978 – Marcus Giles, American baseball player
• 1979 – Anna Chatziathanassiou, Greek figure skater
• 1979 – Mariusz Lewandowski, Polish footballer
• 1979 – Michal Martikán, Slovak slalom canoeist
• 1979 – David Nail, American country singer
• 1979 – Milivoje Novakovič, Slovenian footballer
• 1979 – Julián Speroni, Argentine footballer
• 1980 – Jeff Roehl, American football player
• 1980 – Matt Long, American actor
• 1980 – Ali Zafar, Pakistani singer and model
• 1980 – Aileen Campbell, Scottish politician
• 1980 – Reggie Evans, American basketball player
• 1981 – Mahamadou Diarra, Malian footballer
• 1982 – Jason Brown, English footballer
• 1983 – Gary O'Neil, English footballer
• 1983 – Luis Terrero, Dominican baseball player
• 1983 – Vince Young, American football player
• 1984 – Joakim Soria, Mexican baseball player
• 1984 – Niki Terpstra, Dutch cyclist
• 1985 – Dalma Kovács, Romanian singer and actress
• 1985 – Francesca Battistelli, American singer
• 1986 – Ryan Lamb, English rugby union player
• 1986 – Ahmed Hamada, Egyptian racer
• 1987 – Luisana Lopilato, Argentine actress and model
• 1988 – Ryan Cooley, Canadian actor
• 1988 – Koji Seto, Japanese actor and singer
• 1988 – Taeyang, South Korean singer (Big Bang)
• 1992 – Spencer Breslin, American actor