Famous August Birthdays a to z

French physicist Gabriel Lippmann created the first color photographic plate. The creation earned him the 1908 Nobel Prize for Physics.

Blake Lively is an actress notable for her role as Serena van der Woodsen on the CW network's teen drama Gossip Girl.

Ryan Lochte is an American swimmer who has won 11 Olympic medals in the sport, including five golds.

English philosopher John Locke's works lie at the foundation of modern philosophical empiricism and political liberalism.

Emmy-award winning television and film actress Shelley Long played Diane Chambers on the TV sitcom Cheers and was Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch: The Movie.

Cuban Mijain Lopez won a gold medal for wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he served as Cuba's opening-ceremony flagbearer.

Louis XVI was the last king of France (1774–92) in the line of Bourbon monarchs preceding the French Revolution of 1789. He was executed for treason by guillotine in 1793.

Demi Lovato is a singer and actress who stars on Disney Channel's original series Sonny with a Chance.

Horror fiction author H.P. Lovecraft wrote short stories, novels and novellas, including "The Call of Cthulhu" and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

Henry Lee Lucas was a murderer best known for allegedly killing hundreds of people in the 1960s and '70s, though only three (including his mother) were confirmed.

A leading twentieth century philosopher, Jean-Francois Lyotard was noted for his analysis of postmodernity and its impact on humankind.

Bernarr MacFadden was a well known physical culturist, and became the preeminent advocate for healthy living and exercise.

Pop legend Madonna is known for her constant reinvention as a performer. Her biggest hits include "Papa Don't Preach," "Like a Prayer" and "Vogue."

Ramon Magsaysay became the third president of the Philippines in 1953, and is credited with restoring law and order during the Philippine crisis of the 1950s.

Shirley Manson is a Scottish singer best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Garbage.

Jo Marie Payton won over television audiences as Harriette Winslow, a quick-witted and long-suffering wife and mother, on the situation comedy Family Matters.

Film actor. William Marshall was an actor best known for his lead role in the legendary blaxploitation film Blacula.

Comedian and comedy writer Steve Martin found fame starring in such films as The Jerk, Little Shop of Horrors, and Father of the Bride.

Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin, who pursued a professional acting career despite being legally deaf, is an inspirational role model to many.

John McCain is a military hero and Republican U.S. Senator defeated by Barack Obama in the 2008 United States presidential election.

Actress Melissa McCarthy starred as Sookie in the show Gilmore Girls. In 2011, she received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress in the film Bridesmaids.

Stanley A. McChrystal led the Joint Special Operations Command in Iraq during the Persian Gulf Wars and was top Commander of American forces in Afghanistan.

Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt wrote the biography Angela’s Ashes after retiring from teaching for 30 years in New York City.

Herman Melville wrote the classic American novel Moby-Dick (1851), a whaling adventure which regarded as one of the greatest literary works of all time.

English stage and film director Sam Mendes won an Oscar for American Beauty, and went on to direct films like Jarhead, Revolutionary Road and Skyfall.

Vera Miles is a prolific American film and TV actress. She's best known for her role as Lila Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.

Slobodan Milosevic was a politician best known as the Serbian and Yugoslavian president in the late 1980s through the '90s. After losing power in 2000, he was charged for crimes against humanity.

A legendary tough guy on and off-screen, Robert Mitchum was one of the most memorable leading men of the twentieth century.

Jay Mohr is a stand-up comedian, actor and television host known for his stint on Saturday Night Live and for hosting Last Comic Standing.

Italian physician Maria Montessori was a pioneer of theories in early childhood education, which are still implemented in Montessori schools all over the globe.

Keith Moon was a legendary drummer for the rock band the Who before his untimely death by accidental drug overdose in 1978.

Mohamed Morsi was elected as president of Egypt in June 2012. He is the successor to Hosni Mubarak, and is Egypt's first democratically elected president.

Mother Teresa was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor.

Naturalist, writer, and advocate of U.S. forest conservation, John Muir founded the Sierra Club and helped establish Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks.

Sir V.S. Naipaul is a Trinidadian-British writer of Indian descent known for his novels set in developing countries. He won the Nobel Prize in 2001 for his novel, Half a Life.

Donald Neilson is best known as "The Black Panther", the English armed robber and murderer.

Film, stage and TV actress Julie Newmar played Catwoman in the 1960’s TV series Batman. She was also in the musical film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Alexei Nikolaevich was the only son of Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia, and the tsarina Alexandra. He was killed with his family during the Russian Revolution.

Antonia C. Novello is a former U.S. surgeon general who was the first woman and first person of Latin descent to hold the position.

Bill Nye is a humorous writer best known for founding the Laramie Boomerang. His newspaper and writings quickly became popular across America.

Daniel O'Connell was a 19th century Irish political leader. He worked to repeal of the Act of Union which combined Ireland and Great Britain.

Carroll O’Connor played Archie Bunker on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family. His comedic role as close-minded Archie made fun of bigoted opinions.

Maureen O'Hara was an Irish-born actress who was billed alongside Hollywood's leading men in a slew of swashbuckling features in the 1940s.

Bernardo O'Higgins is best known for being the leader of Chilean independence from Spain and its first leader.

Annie Oakley was a renowned markswoman and star who worked for years with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

Barack Obama is the 44th and current president of the United States, and the first African American to serve as U.S. president. First elected to the presidency in 2008, he won a second term in 2012.

Roland Orzabal is an English musician, songwriter and record producer best known as co-founder with Curt Smith of the popular '80s pop band Tears for Fears.

Keke Palmer is an actress and singer who made her first splash in Barbershop 2: Back in Business. She's gone on to star in several films and made for TV movies.

Hayden Panettiere is the young American actress who became famous for her role as the cheerleader in the television show Heroes.

Charlie Parker was a legendary Grammy Award–winning jazz saxophonist who with Dizzy Gillespie invented the musical style called bop or bebop.

Dorothy Parker was the sharpest wit of the Algonquin Round Table, as well as a master of short fiction and a blacklisted screenwriter.

Tom Parker is a British musician and singer best known as a member of the popular boy band the Wanted.

Politician Ron Paul has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas multiple times. His politics are a mix of Republican and Libertarian views.

Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn starred in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, married Madonna, and directed Jack Nicholson in two films.

President of Israel Shimon Peres was also twice prime minister of Israel and won a Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the Oslo Accords with Rabin and Arafat.

Israeli classical violinist Itzhak Perlman is one of the 20th century's premier musicians, despite having lost the use of his legs at age 4 due to polio.

French daredevil Philippe Petit is best known for his 1974 high-wire walk between the twin towers in New York City.