February 16 - Births

Births

• 1032 – Emperor Yingzong of China (d. 1067)
• 1222 – Nichiren Daishonin, Japanese founder of Nichiren Buddhism (d. 1282)
• 1497 – Philipp Melanchthon, German humanist and reformer (d. 1560)
• 1519 – Gaspard de Coligny, French Huguenot leader (d. 1572)
• 1543 – Kano Eitoku, Japanese painter (d. 1590)
• 1620 – Friedrich Wilhelm I of Brandenburg, Duke of Prussia (d. 1688)
• 1643 – John Sharp, English Archbishop of York (d. 1714)
• 1698 – Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician (d. 1758)
• 1727 – Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian scientist (d. 1817)
• 1761 – Charles Pichegru, French general (d. 1804)
• 1786 – Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (d. 1859)
• 1802 – Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, American philosopher (d. 1866)
• 1804 – Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist (d. 1885)
• 1812 – Henry Wilson, American politician 18th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875)
• 1821 – Heinrich Barth, German explorer (d. 1865)
• 1822 – Sir Francis Galton, English explorer and biologist (d. 1911)
• 1824 – Peter Kozler, Slovenian cartographer and geographer (d. 1879)
• 1826 – Julia Grant, First Lady of the United States (d. 1902)
• 1826 – Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet (d. 1886)
• 1831 – Nikolai Leskov, Russian writer (d. 1895)
• 1834 – Ernst Haeckel, German zoologist and philosopher (d. 1919)
• 1838 – Henry Adams, American historian and novelist (d. 1918)
• 1845 – George Kennan, American explorer (d. 1924)
• 1847 – Philipp Scharwenka, Polish-German composer (d. 1917)
• 1848 – Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist (d. 1935)
• 1856 – Rudolph Karstadt, German entrepreneur (d. 1944)
• 1856 – Willem Kes, Dutch conductor (d. 1934)
• 1866 – Billy Hamilton, American baseball player (d. 1940)
• 1866 – Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian poet (d. 1949)
• 1874 – Marie Gutheil-Schoder, German soprano (d. 1935)
• 1876 – George Macaulay Trevelyan, English historian (d. 1962)
• 1878 – Pamela Colman Smith, British writer and occultist (d. 1951)
• 1880 – Frank Burke, American baseball player (d. 1946)
• 1883 – Elizabeth Craig, British writer (d. 1980)
• 1884 – Robert J. Flaherty, American filmmaker (d. 1951)
• 1886 – Van Wyck Brooks, American historian and critic (d. 1963)
• 1887 – Kathleen Clifford, American actress (d. 1962)
• 1891 – Hans F. K. Günther, German eugenicist (d. 1967)
• 1896 – Eugénie Blanchard, French supercentenarian (d. 2010)
• 1898 – Katharine Cornell, American actress (d. 1974)
• 1901 – Vincent Coleman, American actor (d. 1971)
• 1901 – Wayne King, American musician and orchestra leader (d. 1985)
• 1901 – Chester Morris, American film actor (d. 1970)
• 1903 – Edgar Bergen, American ventriloquist (d. 1978)
• 1903 – George-Henri Lévesque, Quebec priest and sociologist (d. 2000)
• 1904 – Karl-Heinz Bürger, German Nazi figure (d. 1988)
• 1904 – George F. Kennan, American historian and diplomat (d. 2005)
• 1906 – Vera Menchik, British-born Czech chess player (d. 1944)
• 1909 – Hugh Beaumont, American actor (d. 1982)
• 1909 – Jeffrey Lynn, American actor (d. 1995)
• 1909 – Richard McDonald, American fast food entrepreneur (d. 1998)
• 1915 – Jim O'Hora, American college football coach (d. 2005)
• 1915 – Elisabeth Eybers, South African poet (d. 2007)
• 1915 – Michael Relph, British film producer and director (d. 2004)
• 1916 – Bill Doggett, American jazz and rhythm and blues pianist and organist (d. 1996)
• 1918 – Patty Andrews, American singer
• 1920 – Anna Mae Hays, American army general
• 1921 – Jean Behra, French race car driver (d. 1959)
• 1921 – Araucaria, British crossword compiler
• 1921 – Vera-Ellen, American actress (d. 1981)
• 1922 – Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, German night fighter pilot (d. 1950)
• 1925 – Carlos Paredes, Portuguese guitarist (d. 2004)
• 1926 – John Schlesinger, English film director (d. 2003)
• 1926 – Margot Frank, German-born Dutch Jewish holocaust victim (d. 1945)
• 1929 – Peter Porter, Australian poet (d. 2010)
• 1927 – June Brown, British actress
• 1929 – Gerhard Hanappi, Austrian footballer (d. 1980)
• 1931 – George E. Sangmeister, American politician (d. 2007)
• 1931 – Ken Takakura, Japanese actor
• 1932 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress and dancer (d. 2007)
• 1932 – Otis Blackwell, American songwriter and singer (d. 2002)
• 1932 – Harry Goz, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1932 – Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, President of Sierra Leone
• 1934 – Harold Kalin, American singer (d. 2005)
• 1934 – Herbert Kalin, American singer (d. 2006)
• 1934 – August Coppola, American academic; father of Nicolas Cage (d. 2009)
• 1934 – Marlene Hagge, American professional golfer
• 1935 – Sonny Bono, American entertainer politician (d. 1998)
• 1936 – Jill Kinmont, American skier
• 1937 – Yuri Manin, Russian mathematician
• 1938 – John Corigliano, American composer
• 1938 – Barry Primus, American actor
• 1939 – Czesław Niemen, Polish singer-songwriter and composer (d. 2004)
• 1939 – Adolfo Azcuna, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
• 1941 – Kim Jong-il, North Korean leader
• 1943 – Brig Owens, American football player
• 1944 – Richard Ford, American novelist
• 1944 – António Mascarenhas Monteiro, 2^nd President of Cape Verde
• 1945 – Jeremy Bulloch, English actor
• 1946 – Ian Lavender, English actor
• 1950 – Peter Hain, British politician
• 1950 – Kazuki Tomokawa, Japanese acid-folk singer
• 1950 – Roman Tam, Hong Kong singer (d. 2002)
• 1951 – William Katt, American actor
• 1952 – Barry Foote, American baseball player
• 1953 – George Martin, English footballer
• 1953 – Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1953 – Roberta Williams, American video game designer
• 1954 – Michael Holding, Jamaican West Indies cricketer
• 1954 – Iain Banks, Scottish author
• 1954 – Margaux Hemingway, American actress and model (d. 1996)
• 1955 – Hunt Block, American actor
• 1956 – James Ingram, American singer
• 1956 – Vincent Ward, New Zealand director and screenwriter
• 1957 – LeVar Burton, American actor
• 1958 – Natalie Angier, American journalist and author
• 1958 – Ice-T, American rapper and actor
• 1958 – Lisa Loring, American actress
• 1958 – Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
• 1958 – Herb Williams, American basketball player and coach
• 1958 – Michael W. Burns, American politician
• 1959 – John McEnroe, American tennis player
• 1959 – Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player
• 1960 – Pete Willis, English guitarist (Def Leppard)
• 1960 – Cherie Chung, Hong Kong actress
• 1961 – Andy Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran, The Power Station)
• 1961 – Eric Red, American screenwriter and director
• 1961 – LaGaylia Frazier, American-Swedish singer
• 1962 – John Balance, English musician (Coil, Psychic TV) (d. 2004)
• 1963 – Dano Halsall, Swiss swimmer
• 1964 – Bebeto, Brazilian footballer
• 1964 – Christopher Eccleston, English actor
• 1965 – Dave Lombardo, Cuban-born drummer (Slayer)
• 1967 – John Valentin, baseball player
• 1967 – Keith Gretzky, Canadian hockey player
• 1968 – Warren Ellis, British comic writer
• 1969 – David Heath, American professional wrestler
• 1969 – Holly Aird, English actress
• 1970 – Serdar Ortac, Turkish popstar
• 1970 – Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer
• 1971 – Amanda Holden, British actress
• 1972 – Jerome Bettis, American football player
• 1972 – Sarah Clarke, American actress
• 1973 – Christian Bassedas, Argentine footballer
• 1973 – Cathy Freeman, Australian athlete
• 1973 – Nikos Kostakis, Greek footballer
• 1973 – Maureen Johnson, American author
• 1974 – Fanis Katergiannakis, Greek footballer
• 1974 – Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, American actor
• 1974 – Johnny Tri Nguyen, Vietnamese-born American stuntman and martial artist
• 1974 – Luis Figueroa, Puerto Rican baseball player
• 1975 – Nanase Aikawa, Japanese singer
• 1975 – Vanina Ickx, Belgian racing driver
• 1975 – Don Jeffcoat, American actor
• 1976 – Eric Byrnes, American baseball player
• 1976 – Kyo, Japanese singer (Dir en grey)
• 1976 – Joe Odagiri, Japanese actor
• 1977 – Brad Walst, American bassist (Three Days Grace)
• 1977 – Ian Clarke, Irish computer programmer
• 1977 – Ahman Green, American football player
• 1978 – Tia Hellebaut, Belgian athlete
• 1978 – John Tartaglia, Broadway actor and Muppeteer
• 1978 – Wasim Jaffer, Indian cricketer
• 1979 – Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
• 1979 – Eric Mun, Korean rapper (Shinhwa)
• 1980 – Agim Kaba, American actor and film producer
• 1980 – Ashley Lelie, American football player
• 1981 – Jay Howard, British racing driver
• 1981 – Jerry Owens, American baseball player
• 1981 – Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
• 1982 – Lupe Fiasco, American hip hop artist
• 1982 – Alemão, Portuguese footballer
• 1983 – Tuomo Ruutu, Finnish ice hockey player
• 1984 – Ous Mellouli, Tunisian swimmer
• 1985 – Zoi Dimoschaki, Greek swimmer
• 1987 – Theresa Goh, Singaporean paralympic swimmer
• 1988 – Denílson Pereira Neves, Brazilian footballer
• 1988 – Diego Capel, Spanish footballer
• 1991 - Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg