Historical Birthday
23 May 1100
Qinzong last Emperor of Song Dynasty in China born in China (d. 1161)
23 May 1598
Claude Mellan French engraver cartoonist and painter born in Abbeville France (d. 1683)
23 May 1606
Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz Spanish writer born in Madrid Spain (d. 1682)
23 May 1617
Elias Ashmole English antiquarian and collector (Ashmolean Museum) born in Litchfield (d. 1692)
23 May 1620
Pieter Neefs the Younger Flemish painter baptized in Antwerp
23 May 1644
Thomas Eisenhut German composer born in Aursburg Germany (d. 1702)
23 May 1696
Johann Caspar Vogler German composer and organist born in Hausen Schwarzburg-Arnstadt (d. 1763)
23 May 1710
Francois-Gaspard Adam French sculptor (garden sculptures)
23 May 1729
Giuseppe Parini Italian priestpoet (Il Giorno)
23 May 1734
Friedrich Anton Mesmer Austrian physicianhypnotist (Mesmerism)
23 May 1735
Charles Joseph prince the Ligne Belgian fieldmarshalauthor
23 May 1754
Andrea Appiana Italian royal painter (Napoleon)
23 May 1790
Jules Dumont dUrville French explorer (d. 1842)
23 May 1794
Isaak-Ignaz Moscheles Bohemian composer born in Prague (d. 1870)
23 May 1799
Thomas Hood English poetcomposer (Song of the Shirt)
23 May 1810
Margaret Fuller [Ossoli] American feminist and journalist (NY Tribune) born in Cambridge Massachusetts (d. 1850)
23 May 1812
Henri A Esquiros French poetwriter (Les Vierges Folles)
23 May 1813
Mason Brayman American attorney newspaperman and Brevet Major General (Union Army) born in Buffalo New York (d. 1895)
23 May 1820
James Buchanan Eads American engineerinventor (Eads Bridge-St Louis)
23 May 1820
Lorenzo Sawyer 9th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California (d. 1891)
23 May 1828
Edward Hitchcock Americas 1st prof of physical ed (Amherst College)
23 May 1832
Pieter J B C R van der Aa Dutch Indologistgeographer
23 May 1837
James Sanks Brisbin American educator lawyer and Brevet Major General (Union Army) born in Boalsburg Pennsylvania (d. 1892)
23 May 1844
Abdul-Bah Successor to Prophet of the Bah Faith (d. 1921)
23 May 1848
Helmuth J L von Moltke German generalchief of staff (WWI)
23 May 1851
Antoni Stolpe Polish pianist and composer born in Pulawy Poland (d. 1872)
23 May 1862
William Dummy Hoy professional baseball player who lived to 99
23 May 1865
Epitcio Pessoa 11th President of Brazil (Minas Gerais Republican 1919-22) born in Umbuzeiro Paraba Empire of Brazil (d. 1942)
23 May 1866
Gustav Aschaffenburg German psychiatristcriminalologist
23 May 1871
Sigurd Lie Norwegian composer and conductor born in Drammen (d. 1904)
23 May 1873
Leo Baeck rabbipresident (World Union for Progressive Judaism)
23 May 1875
Alfred P. Sloan American long-time president and chairman of General Motors (d. 1966)
23 May 1879
Dezs Lauber Hungarian sportsman (d. 1966)
23 May 1882
James Gleason American writer and actor (Bishops Wife Flying Fool) born in NYC New York (d. 1959)
23 May 1883
Douglas Fairbanks American actor (The Mark of Zorro 3 Musketeers Robin Hood) born in Denver Colorado (d. 1939)
23 May 1887
Thoralf Skolem Norwegian mathematician (d. 1963)
23 May 1888
Adrian Roland Holst Dutch poet (Raged & Tired)
23 May 1888
Zack Wheat American baseball player (d. 1972)
23 May 1889
Jos Padilla Almera Spanish composer and pianist (La Violetera - City Lights a cest Paris - Moulin Rouge)
23 May 1890
Herbert Marshall English actor (Murder Razors Edge Little Foxes) born in London England
23 May 1891
Pr Lagerkvist Swedish writer Nobel laureate (d. 1974)
23 May 1893
Ulysses S. Grant IV American geologist and paleontologist (d. 1977)
23 May 1896
Felix Martin Julius Steiner German Heer and Waffen-SS officer (d. 1966)
23 May 1898
Frank McHugh american actor (Going My Way Front Page Gold Diggers 1935 Mighty Joe Young) born in Homestead Pennsylvania (d. 1981)
23 May 1898
Joseph H. Hazen Hollywood lawyer (Warner Brothers) born in Kingston New York (d. 1996)
23 May 1901
Edmund Rubbra Northampton England composer (Morning Watch) [or 323]
23 May 1902
Mark Lothar German composer (The Story of the Lazy Bear) born in Berlin (d. 1985)
23 May 1903
Walter Reisch American screenwriter (Ninotchka Gaslight Titanic)
23 May 1907
Matthew Campbell British senior civil servant
23 May 1908
Max Abramovitz US architect (Lincoln Center UN Building)
23 May 1910
Artie Shaw [Arthur Arshawsky] American bandleader jazz clarinetist and actor (Begin the Beguine) born in NYC New York (d. 2004)
23 May 1910
Scatman Crothers [Benjamin] American actor singer dancer and musician (Chico and the Man The Shining) born in Terre Haute Indiana (d. 1986)
23 May 1910
Margaret Wise Brown American author (d. 1952)
23 May 1911
Melvin M Payne president (National Geographic Society)
23 May 1912
John Payne American actor (The Restless Gun Miracle on 34th Street) born in Roanoke Virginia (d. 1989)
23 May 1912
Marius Goring British actor (Stairway to Heaven The Red Shoes) born in Isle of Wight England (d. 1998)
23 May 1912
Samuel Curran vice chancellor (Strathclyde University)
23 May 1914
Barbara Ward economistwriter (Only One Earth)
23 May 1914
Leo Lerman American writer and editor (Cond Nast Publications) born in NYC New York (d. 1994)
23 May 1916
Margaret Hayden Rector playwright (living legacy award 1995)
23 May 1917
Edward Norton Lorenz American mathematician and meteorologist born in West Hartford Connecticut (d. 2008)
23 May 1918
Robert Bumps Blackwell band leader and record producer born in Seattle Washington (d. 1985)
23 May 1918
Dennis Compton England cricket batsman & footballer (5807 Test runs Arsenal 1950 FA Cup) born in Hendon England (d. 1997)
23 May 1919
Elizabeth Betty Garrett American actress comedian singer and dancer (All in the Family) born in St Joseph Missouri (d. 2011)
23 May 1919
Ruth Fernandez Ponce Puerto Rico singer (When you Return) politician (d. 2012)
23 May 1920
Helen OConnell Lima Ohio singer (Green Eyes Anapola)
23 May 1920
Sid Melton [Sidney Meltzer] American actor (Green Acres The Danny Thomas Show) born in Brooklyn New York (d. 2011)
23 May 1921
Humphrey Lyttelton British jazz musician actor and broadcaster (Its Great to Be Young) born in Eton Buckinghamshire (d. 2008)
23 May 1921
James [Benjamin] Blish USUK sci-fi author (Hugo Star Trek Reader)
23 May 1921
Loren Tindall American actor (Meet Me on Broadway Girl of Limberlost) born in Hastings Oklahoma (d. 1973)
23 May 1923
Alicia de Larrocha Copenhagen Denmark pianist (Orquesta Sinfonica)
23 May 1923
Nirode Chowdhury Indian cricket pace bowler (1949-52)
23 May 1924
Desmond Carrington British radio host (The Music Goes Round) born in Bromley (d. 2017)
23 May 1924
Michael McCrum master (Corpus Christi College Cambridge)
23 May 1925
Joshua Lederberg American molecular biologist Nobel laureate (d. 2008)
23 May 1925
Malcolm Mac Wiseman American bluegrass singer born in Crimora Virginia (d. 2019)
23 May 1928
Nigel Davenport British actor (Without a Clue Masada) born in Cambridge England (d. 2013)
23 May 1928
Nina Otkalenko USSR 800m runner (9 world records)
23 May 1928
Rosemary Clooney American singer (Come On-a My House) and actress (White Christmas) born in Maysville Kentucky (d. 2002)
23 May 1928
Jeannie Carson [Shufflebottom] British-born comedian actress singer and dancer (As Long as Theyre Happy An Alligator Named Daisy) born in Yorkshire England
23 May 1932
John Lyons Master (Trinity Hall) born in Cambridge England
23 May 1933
John Browning American pianist (Leventritt Award-1956) born in Denver Colorado (d. 2003)
23 May 1933
Gerrit J M Braks Dutch minister of agriculture & land & fishing (CDA)
23 May 1933
Joan Henrietta Collins actress (Alexis-Dynasty Bitch) born in London England
23 May 1934
Malcolm Gill deputy head (Bank for Intl Settlements)
23 May 1934
Robert Moog American engineer (Moog synthesizer Moog Music) born in NYC New York (d. 2005)
23 May 1928
Pauline Julien French Canadian singer (d. 1998)
23 May 1929
Joe Modise South African commandant of Umkhonto we Sizwe (1965- )
23 May 1929
Ulla Jacobsson Swedish actress (Zulu One Summer of Happiness) born in Gothenburg Sweden (d. 1982)
23 May 1931
Barbara Barrie [Berman] American actress and author (Breaking Away Barney Miller) born in Chicago Illinois
23 May 1934
Mason Rudolph American golfer (Ryder Cup 1971 PGA Cship 1973 3rd) born in Clarksville Tennessee (d. 2011)
23 May 1935
Juliet Campbell British ambassador (to Luxembourg)
23 May 1935
Lord Grenfell head of External affairs European office world bank
23 May 1938
Graham Johnny Ball British TV personality a populariser of mathematics (Play School) born in Bristol England
23 May 1939
Michel Colombier French composer and songwriter (d. 2004)
23 May 1941
General George Norman Johnson US singer (Down at the Beach Club)
23 May 1942
Zalman King Trenton New Jersey actor and director (Wild Orchid) (d. 2012)
23 May 1944
John Newcombe Australian tennis player (7 singles 17 Grand Slam doubles) born in Sydney Australia
23 May 1944
Ramon Tiki Fulwood US drummer (Funkadelic Knee Deep)
23 May 1945
Elliott Bernerd English brokermulti-millionaire
23 May 1945
Lauren Chapin actress (Kathy-Father Knows Best)
23 May 1945
Misty Morgan country keyboardist (duo with Jack Blanchard)
23 May 1946
Danny Klein American rock bassist (J Geils Band-Centerfold) born in NYC New York
23 May 1946
David Graham Australian golfer (PGA Cship 1979 US Open 1981) born in Windsor NSW
23 May 1949
Alan Garca President of Peru (Peruvian Aprista Party 1985-90 2006-11) born in Lima Peru (d. 2019)
23 May 1950
Linda Thompson actress (Hee Haw) born in Memphis Tennessee
23 May 1950
Martin McGuinness Irish Sinn Fin politician and IRA member born in Derry (d. 2017)
23 May 1951
Anatoly Karpov Russian chess player (world champion 1975-85 93-99) born in Zlatoust Russia
23 May 1951
Judy Rodman country singer (Girls Ride Horses Too) born in Riverside California
23 May 1951
Don Warrington [Donald Williams] Trinidadian-born British actor (Rising Damp) born in Trinidad
23 May 1952
Martin Parr British photographer born in Epsom England
23 May 1952
Marvelous Marvin Hagler NJ middleweight boxing champ (1982-83)
23 May 1952
Deborah Adair actress (Tracey-Dynasty Kate-Day of Our Life)
23 May 1953
Agathe Uwilingiyimana Prime Minister of Rwanda (1993-94) and one of the 1st female political figures in Africa born in Nyaruhengeri Rwanda (d. 1994)
23 May 1955
Dean Friedman American singer-songwriter (Ariel) born in Paramus New Jersey
23 May 1956
Ursula Plassnik Austrian politician and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2004-8) born in Klagenfurt Austria
23 May 1956
Buck Showalter American baseball player and manager
23 May 1957
Thereza Bazar British-Canadian singer (Dollar-Loves Gotta Hold on Me) born in Toronto Ontario
23 May 1957
Jimmy McShane singer (Baltimora-Tarzan Boy) born in Derry Northern Ireland (d. 1995)
23 May 1958
Shelly West country singer (Red Hot West by West) born in Cleveland Ohio
23 May 1959
Robert Bob Mortimer British comedian podcast presenter and actor born in Acklam England
23 May 1961
Dave Babych Edmonton NHL defenseman (Vancouver Canucks)
23 May 1962
Karen Duffy [Duff] American MTV VJactress (Meet Wally Sparks) born in NYC New York
23 May 1962
Keith Brantley Scott AFB Ill marathoner (Olympics 1996)
23 May 1962
Imran Anwar Pakistani Internet pioneer and American TV personality
23 May 1964
Staci Greason actress (Isabella Toscando-Days of Our Lives) born in Denver Colorado
23 May 1964
Ruth Metzler-Arnold member of the Swiss Federal Council
23 May 1710
Franois Gaspard Adam French sculptor (garden sculptures) born in Nancy France (d. 1761)
23 May 1718
William Hunter Scottish anatomist and physician born in East Kilbride South Lanarkshire Scotland (d. 1783)
23 May 1729
Giuseppe Parini Italian prose writer and poet (Il Giorno) born in Bosisio Lombardy Italy (d. 1799)
23 May 1734
Franz Anton Mesmer Austrian physician and hypnotist (Mesmerism) born in Iznang Germany (d. 1815)
23 May 1735
Charles Joseph 7th Prince the Ligne Belgian fieldmarshal and author born in Brussels (d. 1814)
23 May 1737
Louis Franois Chambray French composer born in Chteau de Chambray Evreux France (d. 1807)
23 May 1741
Andrea Lucchesi Italian composer born in Motta di Livenza Italy (d. 1801)
23 May 1754
Andrea Appiani Italian royal painter (Napoleon) born in Milan (d. 1817)
23 May 1756
Nicolas-Joseph Hllmandel Alsatian composer born in Strasbourg France (d. 1823)
23 May 1759
Antnio da Silva Leite Portuguese composer born in Porto Portugal (d. 1833)
23 May 1790
Jules Dumont dUrville French explorer and naval officer born in Cond-sur-Noireau France (d. 1842)
23 May 1795
Charles Barry British architect born in London (d. 1860)
23 May 1799
Thomas Hood English poet and composer (The Song of the Shirt) born in London (d. 1845)
23 May 1812
Henri-Franois-Alphonse Esquiros French poet and writer (Les Vierges Folles) born in Paris (d. 1876)
23 May 1820
James Buchanan Eads American engineer and inventor (Eads Bridge-St Louis) born in Lawrenceburg Indiana (d. 1887)
23 May 1820
Lorenzo Sawyer 9th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California born in Le Roy New York (d. 1891)
23 May 1828
Edward Hitchcock Jr. 1st American physical educator (Amherst College) born in Amherst Massachusetts (d. 1911)
23 May 1832
Pieter Jan Baptist Carel Robid van der Aa Dutch Indologist and geographer born in Oosterbeek Netherlands (d. 1887)
23 May 1888
Zack Wheat American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (NL batting champion 1918 Brooklyn Superbas Dodgers Robins 190926) born in Hamilton Missouri (d. 1972)
23 May 1892
Rafael Moreno Aranzadi [Pichichi] Spanish soccer forward (5 caps Athletic Bilbao) born in Bilbao Spain (d. 1922)
23 May 1901
Edmund Rubbra English composer (Morning Watch) born in Northampton England
23 May 1923
Alicia de Larrocha Spanish pianist (Orquesta Sinfonica) born in Barcelona Spain (d. 2009)
23 May 1924
Clyde King American baseball pitcher coach manager and executive (Brooklyn Dodgers New York Yankees) born in Goldsboro North Carolina (d. 2010)
23 May 1941
General George Norman Johnson American singer (Down at the Beach Club)
23 May 1598
Claude Mellan French engraver cartoonist and painter born in Abbeville France (d. 1688)
23 May 1837
Jzef Wieniawski Polish pianist composer conductor and teacher born in Lublin Poland (d. 1912)
23 May 1910
Benjamin Scatman Crothers American singer musician (Television Blues) and actor (Chico and the Man The Shining) born in Terre Haute Indiana (d. 1986)
23 May 1919
Gayatri Devi 3rd Maharani consort of Jaipur India (1940-49) born in London England (d. 2009)
23 May 1920
Helen OConnell American big-band singer (Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra - Green Eyes Anapola) born in Lima Ohio (d. 1993)
23 May 1928
Rosemary Clooney American singer (Come On-a My House) and actress (White Christmas) born in Maysville Kentucky (d. 2002)
23 May 1928
Jeannie Carson [Shufflebottom] British-born comedian actress singer and dancer (As Long as Theyre Happy An Alligator Named Daisy) born in Yorkshire England
23 May 1930
Richard Anuszkiewicz American artist new wizard of op born in Erie Pennsylvania (d. 2020)
23 May 1933
John Browning American pianist (Leventritt Award 1956) born in Denver Colorado (d. 2003)
23 May 1933
Gary Burden American artist and one of the pioneers for the concept of album cover art (Neil Young Graham Nash The Doors) born in Cleveland Ohio (d. 2018)
23 May 1935
Lasse Strmstedt Swedish writer and actor born in Gvle Sweden (d. 2009)
23 May 1938
Graham Johnny Ball British TV personality and mathematics educator (Play School) born in Bristol England
23 May 1941
Jackson Hill American composer and educator (Voices of Autumn) born in Birmingham Alabama
23 May 1944
John Newcombe Australian tennis player (7 Grand Slam singles 17 Grand Slam doubles titles) born in Sydney Australia
23 May 1945
Misty Morgan American country keyboardist (duo with Jack Blanchard - Tennessee Bird Walk) born in Buffalo New York (d. 2021)
23 May 1946
H. Paul Shuch American scientist who coordinated radio amateurs to search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) born in Chicago Illinois
23 May 1948
Ernesto Marcel Panamanian boxer (WBA featherweight title 1972-74) born in Coln Panama (d. 2020)
23 May 1950
Aleksandr Klepikov Russian rower (Olympic gold Soviet Union coxed four 1976) born in St. Petersburg Russia (d. 2021)
23 May 1950
William Barr American lawyer (US Attorney General 1992-93 and 2019-20) born in New York City
23 May 1952
Marvelous Marvin Hagler American boxer (undisputed World Middleweight champion 1980-87 second-longest unified Cship reign in history) born in Newark New Jersey (d. 2021)
23 May 1955
Luka Bloom [Kevin Moore] Irish contemporary folk singer-songwriter and guitarist (I Need Love) born in Newbridge County Kildare Ireland
23 May 1956
Mark Shaw New Zealand rugby union flanker (30 caps Manawatu Hawkes Bay) born in Palmerston North New Zealand
23 May 1956
Buck Showalter American baseball manager (AL Manager of the Year 1994 2004 14 NY Yankees Arizona Diamondbacks Texas Rangers Baltimore Orioles) and analyst (ESPN YES network) born in DeFuniak Springs Florida
23 May 1957
Jimmy McShane Irish singer (Baltimora-Tarzan Boy) born in Derry Northern Ireland (d. 1995)
23 May 1962
Karen Duffy [Duff] American MTV VJactress (Meet Wally Sparks) born in NYC New York
23 May 1862
William Dummy Hoy American baseball outfielder (most accomplished deaf player in MLB history NL stolen base leader 1888 Washington Senators Cincinnati Reds) born in Houcktown Ohio (d. 1961)
23 May 1881
Artur de Sacadura Freire Cabral Portuguese aviator (1st flight across the south Atlantic) born in Celorico da Beira Portugal (d. 1924)
23 May 1897
Fred Guy American jazz banjo player and guitarist (Joseph C. Smiths Orchestra Duke Ellingtons Washingtonians) born in Burkeville Virginia (d. 1971)
23 May 1900
Ralph Dunn American actor (Mr Rudge-Norby) born in Titusville Pennsylvania (d. 1968)
23 May 1916
Jean Franaix French classical pianist and composer born in Le Mans France (d. 1997)
23 May 1918
Robert Bumps Blackwell American band leader songwriter and record producer (Little Richard Sam Cooke) born in Seattle Washington (d. 1985)
23 May 1919
Betty Garrett American stage and screen comedian singer dancer and actress (All In The Family - Irene Laverne & Shirley - Edna) born in St Joseph Missouri (d. 2011)
23 May 1919
Ruth Fernndez Puerto Rican singer (Cuando Vuelvas - When You Return) and politician (Senate-at-large 1973-81) born in Ponce Puerto Rico (d. 2012)
23 May 1919
William LeMassena American stage and screen actor (All That Jazz As The World Turns 1985-92) born in Glen Ridge New Jersey (d. 1993)
23 May 1920
Helen OConnell American big-band singer (Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra - Green Eyes Anapola) and TV host (Today Show 1956-58) born in Lima Ohio (d. 1993)
23 May 1921
Humphrey Lyttelton British jazz trumpeter and bandleader (Bad Penny Blues) and broadcaster (BBC2 - Best Of Jazz 1967-2007 BBC4 - Im Sorry I Havent A Clue 1972-2008) born in Eton Buckinghamshire (d. 2008)
23 May 1928
Pauline Julien Canadian singer-songwriter social and political activist born in Trois-Rivires Quebec (d. 1998)
23 May 1933
Gary Burden American artist and pioneer of album cover art (Neil Young Graham Nash The Doors) born in Cleveland Ohio (d. 2018)
23 May 1939
Marvin Stamm American jazz and session trumpeter and flugelhorn player (Stan Kenton Woody Herman Thad JonesMel Lewis Paul McCartney - Uncle Albert) born in Memphis Tennessee
23 May 1941
General Norman Johnson American soul singer (Chairmen of the Board - Give Me Just a Little More Time) and songwriter (Patches Want Ads) born in Norfolk Virginia (d. 2010)
23 May 1943
Vicky Moscholiou Greek pop singer (Hathike to feggari - The Moon is Lost Ximeromata - Daybreaks) born in Metaxourgeio Athens Greece (d. 2005)
23 May 1944
Ramon Tiki Fulwood American funk drummer (Parliament-Funkadelic Miles Davis) born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania (d. 1979)
23 May 1946
Danny Klein American rock bassist (J Geils Band - Centerfold) born in NYC New York
23 May 1946
Famoudou Don Moye American jazz percussionist and drummer (Art Ensemble of Chicago) born in Rochester New York
23 May 1951
Judy Rodman American country singer (Girls Ride Horses Too) born in Riverside California
23 May 1952
James Mankey American rock guitarist (Sparks 1972-73 Concrete Blonde - Joey) born in Washington
23 May 1953
Rick Fenn British rock guitarist (10cc - Im Not In Love The Things We Do for Love) born in Oxford England
23 May 1957
Thereza Bazar British-Canadian singer (Dollar - Loves Gotta Hold on Me) born in Toronto Ontario
23 May 1957
Jimmy McShane Irish singer (Baltimora - Tarzan Boy) born in Derry Northern Ireland (d. 1995)
23 May 1958
Shelly West Ameican country singer (Red Hot West by West) born in Cleveland Ohio
23 May 1620
Pieter Neefs the Younger Flemish painter (church interiors) baptized in Antwerp (d. 1675 or after)
23 May 1794
(Isaac) Ignaz Moscheles Bohemian piano virtuoso student of Beethoven teacher of Mendelssohn and composer born in Prague Bohemia (now Czech Republic) (d. 1870)
23 May 1848
Helmuth von Moltke German general (German chief of staff at outbreak of WWI) born in Gersdorff Mecklenburg (d. 1916)
23 May 1848
Otto Lilienthal German pioneer aviator (explored winged flight through gliders) born in Anklam Prussia (d. 1896)
23 May 1866
Gustav Aschaffenburg German psychiatrist (pioneer in criminology and forensic pathology) born in Zweibrcken (d. 1944)
23 May 1873
Leo Baeck German rabbi (President of World Union for Progressive Judaism) born in Lissa German Empire (d. 1956)
23 May 1888
Adrian Roland Holst Dutch poet (Raged & Tired) born in Amsterdam Netherlands (d. 1976)
23 May 1889
Virginia True Boardman American actress of the silent era (A Blind Bargain The Lady Lies) born in Fort Davis Texas (d. 1971)
23 May 1890
Herbert Marshall English actor (Trouble in Paradise The Little Foxes) born in London (d. 1996)
23 May 1891
Pr Lagerkvist Swedish poet novelist and playwright (Nobel Prize in Literature 1951) born in Vxj Sweden (d. 1974)
23 May 1897
Fred Guy American jazz banjo player and guitarist (Joseph C. Smiths Orchestra Duke Ellingtons Washingtonians) born in Burkeville Virginia (d. 1971)
23 May 1901
Edmund Rubbra English composer (Morning Watch) born in Semilong Northampton England (d. 1986)
23 May 1902
Mark Lothar German composer (The Story of the Lazy Bear) born in Berlin Germany (d. 1985)
23 May 1903
Walter Reisch Austrian-American director and screenwriter (Ninotchka Gaslight Titanic) born in Vienna Austria-Hungary (d. 1983)
23 May 1906
Hellmuth Christian Wolff German composer teacher musicologist and painter born in Zrich Switzerland (d. 1988)
23 May 1907
Kenneth Allen English industrialist (WH Allen and Sons Ltd helped form CBI and negotiate 40 hr week) born in Bedford England (d. 2000) [1]
23 May 1908
Max Abramovitz American architect (Lincoln Center UN Building) born in Chicago Illinois (d. 2004)
23 May 1910
(Benjamin) Scatman Crothers American singer musician (Id Rather Be a Hummingbird) and actor (Chico and the Man - Louie The Shining) born in Terre Haute Indiana (d. 1986)
23 May 1910
Artie Shaw [Arthur Arshawsky] American gig 0bandleader jazz clarinetist and actor (Begin the Beguine) and actor born in NYC New York (d. 2004)
23 May 1910
Franz Kline American abstract expressionist painter born in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania (d. 1962)
23 May 1910
Hugh Casson English architect (Festival of Britain director President of the Royal Academy) born in London England (d. 1999)
23 May 1911
Boris Kremenliev Bulgarian-American composer (The Tell-Tale Heart) educator (UCLA 1947-78) and ethno-musicologist (Bulgarian-Macedonian Folk Music) born in Razlog Bulgaria (d. 1988)
23 May 1911
Melvin M Payne American scientific leader (National Geographic Society 1932-88) born in Washington D.C. (d. 1990)
23 May 1912
John Payne American actor (The Restless Gun Miracle on 34th Street) born in Roanoke Virginia (d. 1989)
23 May 1912
Marius Goring British actor (Stairway to Heaven The Red Shoes) born in Isle of Wight England (d. 1998)
23 May 1912
Samuel Churran British physicist (invented scintillation counter 1st Vice Chancellor Strathclyde University - UKs 1st technological university) born in Ballymena Northern Ireland (d. 1998)
23 May 1914
Alec Dickson British founder of the Volentary Service Overseas (d. 1994)
23 May 1914
Barbara Ward English economist and writer (Only One Earth) born in Heworth England (d. 1981)
23 May 1914
Travis Kemp British ballet dancer and teacher born in Nottingham England (d. 1995)
23 May 1915
Clyde Wiegand American physicist (co-discovered the antiproton) born in Long Beach Washington (d. 1996)
23 May 1919
Robert K.J.E. Antonissen Belgian-born South African literary figure born in Antwerp (d. 1972)
23 May 1920
Helen OConnell American big-band singer (Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra - Green Eyes Anapola) and TV host (Today Show 1956-58) born in Lima Ohio (d. 1993) [1]
23 May 1920
Sid Melton [Sidney Meltzer] American actor (Green Acres The Danny Thomas Show) born in Brooklyn New York (d. 2011)
23 May 1923
Nirode Chowdhury Indian cricket medium pace bowler (2 Tests 1 wicket Bengal Bihar) born in Jharkhand India (d. 1979)
23 May 1928
Buster Welch American cutting horse trainer (4 x NCHA World Championship 5 x NCHA World Championship Futurity) born in Sterling City Texas (d. 2022)
23 May 1929
Vic Stasiuk Canadian ice hockey left winger (Chicago Black Hawks Detroit Red Wings Boston Bruins) and coach (Philadelphia Flyers Vancouver Canucks) born in Lethbridge Alberta (d. 2023)
23 May 1936
Charles Kimbrough American stage and screen actor (Murphy Brown - Jim Disneys Hunchback of Notre Dame) born in Saint Paul Minnesota (d. 2023)
23 May 1936
Douglas John Gorman British businessman (Chairman of CMG (Computer Management Group)) born in Woolwich England (d. 1995)
23 May 1936
Ingeborg Hallstein German soprano opera singer (Bavarian State Opera 1961-73) born in Munich Germany
23 May 1938
John Miller American politician (Rep-R-WA 1985-93) born in New York City (d. 2017)
23 May 1941
General Norman Johnson American soul singer (Chairmen of the Board - Give Me Just a Little More Time) and songwriter (Patches Want Ads) born in Norfolk Virginia (d. 2010)
23 May 1942
Zalman King American actor and director (Wild Orchid) born in Trenton New Jersey (d. 2012)
23 May 1943
Lars-ke Nilsson Swedish diplomat born in Lund Sweden (d. 1996)
23 May 1958
Franois Feldman French pop singer and songwriter (Petit Frank) born in Paris France
23 May 1959
Ken Peplowski American swing jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist born in Cleveland Ohio
23 May 1959
Linden Ashby American actor (Mortal Kombat) born in Atlantic Beach Florida
23 May 1794
(Isaac) Ignaz Moscheles Bohemian piano virtuoso friend of Beethoven teacher of Mendelssohn conductor and composer born in Prague Bohemia (now Czech Republic) (d. 1870) [1]
23 May 1848
Helmuth von Moltke German army general (German Chief of Staff at outbreak of WWI) born in Gersdorff Mecklenburg (d. 1916)
23 May 1848
Maritcha Remond Lyons American educator civic leader suffragist and civil rights leader (co-founder of the Womens Loyal Union of New York and Brooklyn) born in New York City (d. 1929)
23 May 1882
James Gleason American writer and actor (Bishops Wife Flying Fool) born in New York City (d. 1959)
23 May 1906
Hellmuth Christian Wolff German composer teacher musicologist and painter born in Zrich Switzerland (d. 1988)
23 May 1910
Artie Shaw [Arthur Arshawsky] American gig 0bandleader jazz clarinetist and actor (Begin the Beguine) and actor born in New York City (d. 2004)
23 May 1911
Boris Kremenliev Bulgarian-American composer (The Tell-Tale Heart) educator (UCLA 1947-78) and ethnomusicologist (Bulgarian-Macedonian Folk Music) born in Razlog Bulgaria (d. 1988)
23 May 1914
Alec Dickson British founder of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) born in Ruislip London (d. 1994)
23 May 1914
Leo Lerman American writer and editor (Cond Nast Publications) born in New York City (d. 1994)
23 May 1918
Dennis Compton England cricket batsman and footballer (5807 Test runs Arsenal 1950 FA Cup) born in Hendon England (d. 1997)
23 May 1918
Robert Bumps Blackwell American bandleader songwriter and record producer (Little Richard Sam Cooke) born in Seattle Washington (d. 1985)
23 May 1921
James Blish [pseudonym William Atheling Jr] American-British sci-fi author (Hugo Star Trek Reader) born in East Orange New Jersey (d. 1975)
23 May 1921
Montague Modlyn English radio and TV broadcaster born in London England (d. 1994)
23 May 1924
Michael McCrum English academic and Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University born in Alverstoke England (d. 2005)
23 May 1934
Robert Moog American engineer (Moog synthesizer Moog Music) born in New York City (d. 2005)
23 May 1934
Syd Millar Irish rugby union prop (37 Tests Ireland 9 British & Irish Lions Ballymena RFC Ulster) coach (Ireland B&I Lions 1974) and executive (IRFU President 1995-96) born in Ballymena Northern Ireland (d. 2023)
23 May 1939
Michel Colombier French composer of film and concert music (Against All Odds) born in Lyon France (d. 2004)
23 May 1941
General Johnson American soul singer and songwriter (Chairmen of the Board - Give Me Just a Little More Time) and songwriter (Patches Want Ads) born in Norfolk Virginia (d. 2010)
23 May 1946
Danny Klein American rock bassist (J Geils Band - Centerfold) born in New York City
23 May 1952
Anne-Marie David French pop singer (Eurovision 1973) born in Casablanca French Protectorate in Morocco
23 May 1958
Shelly West American country singer (Red Hot West by West) born in Cleveland Ohio
23 May 1644
Thomas Eisenhut German composer born in Ausburg Germany (d. 1702)
23 May 1834
Carl Heinrich Bloch Danish painter (art for Kings Chapel at Frederiksborg Palace) born in Copenhagen Denmark (d. 1890)
23 May 1844
Abdul-Bah Persian successor and head of the Bah Faith (1892-1921) from his father Bahullh born in Tehran Sublime State of Persia (d. 1921)
23 May 1848
Otto Lilenthal German aviation pioneer born in Anklam Province of Pomerania Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1896)
23 May 1875
Alfred P. Sloan American long-time president chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation (1923-56) born in New Haven Connecticut (d. 1966)
23 May 1879
Dezs Lauber Hungarian competitive athlete (Ice skating golf tennis cycling) and architect born in Pecs Hungary (d. 1966)
23 May 1884
Corrado Gini Italian statistician sociologist and developer of the Gini coefficient born in Motta di Livenza Kingdom of Italy (d. 1965)
23 May 1887
Thoralf Skolem Norwegian mathematician (mathematical logic and set theory) born in Sandsvr Norway (d. 1963)
23 May 1889
Ernst Niekisch German writer and politician born in Trebnitz German Empire (d. 1967)
23 May 1893
Ulysses S. Grant IV American geologist and paleontologist born in Salem Center New York (d. 1977)
23 May 1896
Felix Steiner German SS commander during the Nazi era born in Stallupnen German Empire (d. 1966)
23 May 1898
Scott ODell American author and recipient of the Hans Christian Anderson Award (1972) born in Los Angeles California (d. 1989)
23 May 1902
Mark Lothar [Lothar Hundertmark] German composer (The Story of the Lazy Bear) born in Berlin Germany (d. 1985)
23 May 1910
Artie Shaw [Arthur Arshawsky] American gig 0bandleader jazz clarinetist (Begin the Beguine) and actor born in New York City (d. 2004)
23 May 1910
Margaret Wise Brown American author of childrens books (Goodnight Moon The Runaway Bunny) born in Brooklyn New York City (d. 1952) [1]
23 May 1925
Joshua Lederberg American molecular biologist and winner of the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine born in Montclair New Jersey (d. 2008) [1]
23 May 1928
Jeannie Carson [Shufflebottom] British-born comedian actress singer and dancer (As Long as Theyre Happy An Alligator Named Daisy) born in Yorkshire England (d. 2022)
23 May 1928
Nigel Davenport British actor (Without a Clue Masada) born in Cambridge England (d. 2013)
23 May 1928
Nina Otkalenko Soviet Russian 800m runner (9 world records European Champion 1954) born in Kursk Russia USSR (d. 2015)
23 May 1929
Joe Modise South African military leader and politician (Commander of uMKhonto we Sizwe 1965-90 Minister of Defence 1994-99) born in Doornfontein South Africa (d. 2001)
23 May 1930
Friedrich Achleitner Austrian architecture critic (sterreichische Architektur im 20. Jahrhundert) and poet born in Schalchen Austria (d. 2019)
23 May 1932
John Lyons British linguist academic and administrator (Master of Trinity Hall 1985-2000) born in Cambridge England (d. 2020)
23 May 1933
Bruce Peterson American aeronautical engineer and NASA test pilot (M2 HL-10) born in Washburn North Dakota (d. 2006)
23 May 1935
Julian Grenfell British peer (House of Lords 1976-2014) World Bank attach (1965-95) and novelist born in London
23 May 1935
Juliet Campbell (ne Collings) British diplomat (Ambassador to Luxembourg 1988-91) and administrator (Grifton College 1992-98) born in London
23 May 1936
Robert Sangster British race horse owner and breeder born in Liverpool England (d. 2004)
23 May 1938
Peter Preston British journalist and editor-in-chief of The Guardian and The Observer (Bess The 51st State) born in Barrow upon Soar England (d. 2018) [1]
23 May 1942
Gabriel Liiceanu Romanian philosopher born in Rmnicu Vlcea Romania
23 May 1943
Sir Peter Kenilorea first Prime Minister of the independent Solomon Islands (1978-81 1984-86) born in Takataka British Solomon Islands (d. 2016)
23 May 1945
Elliott Bernerd English property developer and co-founder of Chelsfield born in Maida Vale London
23 May 1947
Ann Hui Chinese film director producer and screenwriter (A Simple Life Summer Snow) born in Anshan Republic of China
23 May 1947
Bernard Comrie English linguist and Fellow of the British Academy born in Sunderland England
23 May 1947
Jane Kenyon American poet and translator born in Ann Arbor Michigan (d. 1995)
23 May 1951
Antonis Samaras Greek politician and Prime Minister (2012-15) born in Athens Greece
23 May 1958
Mitch Albom American author journalist and musician (Tuesdays With Morrie) born in Passaic New Jersey
23 May 1958
Thomas Reiter German Brigadier General and former astronaut (European Space Agency) born in Frankfurt West Germany
23 May 1962
Franca Masu Italian jazz and world music singer-songwriter born in Alghero Sardinia Italy
23 May 1962
Karen Duffy [Duff] American MTV VJactress (Meet Wally Sparks) born in New York City
23 May 1965
Melissa McBride American actress (The Walking Dead) born in Lexington Kentucky
23 May 1966
Gary Roberts Canadian ice hockey left wing (NHL All-Star 1992 93 2004 Calgary Flames Carolina Hurricanes Toronto Maple Leafs) born in North York Ontario
23 May 1966
Graeme Hick English cricket batsman (65 Tests 6 x 100s 120 ODIs Worcestershire) born in Harare Zimbabwe
23 May 1967
Craig Monk New Zealand sailor (Olympic Finn class bronze 1992 Americas Cup) born in Auckland New Zealand
23 May 1967
Freddie Junior Waite British reggae-rock drummer (Musical Youth - Pass the Dutchie) born in Birmingham England
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