Alyson Hannigan got her start by starring on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, followed by a recurring role in the American Pie movie trilogy. Since 2005, she has starred on TV's How I Met Your Mother.
1974-
Jean Harlow was an American actress who proved herself a platinum-blonde sex-symbol and able comedian in 1930s Hollywood.
1911-1937
"Barefoot Bandit" Colton Harris-Moore became something of an anti-hero when he eluded the police for two years after committing a string of robberies, which he occasionally perpetrated while barefoot.
1991-
Rex Harrison was a Tony- and an Oscar-winning English actor known for his film and stage performances. His most famous role is that of Henry Higgins in the film musical My Fair Lady.
1908-1990
Over the course of his 106 symphonies, Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn became the principal architect of the classical style of music.
1732-1809
1958-
Dorothy Height was a civil rights and women's rights activist focused primarily on improving the circumstances of and opportunities for African-American women.
1912-2010
1519-1559
1750-1848
1904-1942
American fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger created a brand of clothing that was extremely popular with several different communities in the 1990s.
1951-
German painter Hans Hofmann was an influential 20th century art teacher whose work paved the way for Abstract Expressionism.
1880-1966
1841-1935
American football player Santonio Holmes was named MVP of Super Bowl XLIII after making the game-winning touchdown catch for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
1984-
1881-1934
1874-1944
Harry Houdini's grand illusions and daring, spectacular escape acts made him one of the most famous magicians of all time.
1874-1926
A.E. Housman was an English scholar and poet whose poems were based on classical models and expressed a Romantic pessimism in a spare, simple style. He published two volumes of poetry: A Shropshire Lad and Last Poems.
1859-1936
Statesman Samuel Houston was a key political figure in the creation of the state of Texas. He was elected the first president of the Republic of Texas in 1836.
1793-1863
Actress Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Ron Howard, played Victoria in the third Twilight film and starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village.
1981-
Ron Howard is best known for his roles on the shows Happy Days and The Andy Griffith Show, and as the director for films, including A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13.
1954-
Terrence Howard is an American actor best known for his award-nominated performance in the 2005 film Hustle & Flow.
1969-
D.L. Hughley is an actor and comedian known for his sitcom, The Hughleys, and his appearance in The Original Kings of Comedy.
1963-
Holly Hunter is an American actress best known for her Oscar acclaimed roles in Broadcast News (1987), The Firm (1993) and The Piano (1993).
1958-
Rielle Hunter made national headlines for her relationship with married senator and aspiring presidential candidate John Edwards in 2007.
1964-
Jon Huntsman, former governor of Utah and U.S. Ambassador to China became a candidate for the Republican Party nomination for President in 2012.
1960-
William Hurt is an Academy Award-winning actor known for his intense dramas and challenging roles in films such as Broadcast News and A History of Violence.
1950-
1893-1979
Exiled Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen wrote A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler, the latter of which featured one of theater's most notorious characters.
1828-1906
Robert Iler is an American actor best known for his role as A.J. Sporano on the popular HBO show The Sopranos.
1985-
Michael Imperioli is an actor, writer and producer best known for his Emmy-winning performance on The Sopranos.
1966-
Model Kathy Ireland graced the covers of many magazines, including Sports Illustrated, in the 1980s. Today she runs her own successful business Kathy Ireland Worldwide.
1963-
Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin helped lead the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles in the early 1990s.
1966-
Award-winning, bestselling American novelist John Irving is known for works like The Cider House Rules and The World According to Garp.
1942-
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States. He is known for founding the Democratic Party and for his support of individual liberty.
1767-1845
Jesse Jackson Jr. is the son of the famous Reverend Jesse Jackson. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2012.
1965-
Marlon Jackson scored platinum records singing with his famous family, including little brother Michael. The Jackson 5 was one of Motown's biggest acts.
1957-
1938-2003
1916-1983
1940-
Elton John is a British singer, pianist and composer who was one of the most popular musicians of the 20th century. Along with selling more than 250 million records he has found success on Broadway, composing the music score for the Tony award winning hit Billy Elliot (2008).
1947-
Jack Johnson, nicknamed "the Galveston Giant," was the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion.
1878-1946
Casey Jones was a railroad engineer known for his speed who died in 1900, when he collided with another train. He was immortalized as an American folk hero with the release of Wallace Saunders's song "The Ballad of Casey Jones."
1864-1900
Jennifer Jones was an American actress best known for her Academy Award-winning performance in the film The Song of Bernadette.
1919-2009
1979-
Quincy Jones is best known as a composer and record producer for legendary musicians such as Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Celene Dion and Aretha Franklin.
1933-
Shirley Jones is a singer and actress best known for her parts in movie musicals, and for her role as Mrs. Partridge on the 1970s television show The Partridge Family.
1934-
Star Jones is a lawyer and television personality best known for co-hosting ABC's The View from 1997 until 2006.
1962-
Chief Joseph was a Nez Percé chief who, faced with settlement by whites of tribal lands in Oregon, led his followers in a dramatic effort to escape to Canada.
1840-1904
Holy Roman emperor Joseph II tried to strengthen the Habsburg empire with his enlightened reforms, but the changes he made were met with fierce opposition.
1741-1790
Musician and actor Jon Bon Jovi is best known as the lead singer and founder of the rock band Bon Jovi.
1962-
One of the greatest athletes of all time, track and field star Jackie Joyner-Kersee has won three Olympic gold medals, as well as one silver and two bronze.
1962-
Raúl Juliá was a Puerto Rican actor best known for his work in film, including Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) and The Addams Family (1991).
1940-1994
Benito Juárez was a national hero and president of Mexico, who, for three years (1864-'67), fought against foreign occupation under Maximilian.
1806-1872
Architect Albert Kahn was known for his designs of American automobile factories. He was considered the world's foremost industrial architect at the time.
1869-1942
1964-
Catherine Keener is an American actress best known for her role Maxine in the 1999 film Being John Malkovich.
1959-
Herb Kelleher is the founder and former CEO of Southwest Airlines, one of the first airlines to offer low-cost fares by eliminating unnecessary services.
1931-
1968-
Jack Kerouac was an American writer best known for the novel On the Road, which became an American classic, pioneering the Beat Generation in the 1950s.
1922-1969
Ke$ha is and American singer-songwriter whose big break came from an uncredited and unpaid cameo on rapper Flo Rida's 2009 No. 1 hit "Right Round."
1987-
1953-
Professional basketball player Jason Kidd is one of the top point guards in the sport. He helped the Dallas Mavericks win the NBA Championship in 2011.
1973-
Anselm Kiefer is an internationally acclaimed German painter and sculptor whose work looks at his country’s political past.
1945-
New Zealand–born singer Kimbra is known for her fusion of musical styles and for her vocals on Gotye's hit "Somebody That I Used to Know."
1990-
Criminal Kenny Kimes and his mother, con artist Sante Kimes, jointly murdered lawyer Elmer Golmgren, banker Sayed Bilal Ahmed and businessman David Kazdin.
1975-
Rufus King was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts best known as one of the framers and signers of the constitution.
1755-1827
Alex Kingston is a British actress best known internationally for her role as Dr. Elizabeth Corday on the American hit TV show ER, and for playing the title role in the 1996 U.K. miniseries The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders.
1963-
1824-1887
Keira Knightley is a British actress who had her first major role in Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace and became well-known for her role in Bend It Like Beckham.
1985-
Actor and stuntman Johnny Knoxville is most famous for performing extreme stunts on the American TV series "Jackass."
1971-
1923-
1944-
1910-1998
Czech tennis player Petra Kvitová won the 2011 Wimbledon Championship in women's singles event, and is currently ranked No. 4 in the world by the Women's Tennis Association.
1990-
Louis L'Amour was a prolific and hugely popular writer of mostly Western novels and short stories.
1908-1988
Pop icon Lady Gaga's debut album The Fame included hits "Just Dance" and "Poker Face." Her follow-up, The Fame Monster, was nominated for six Grammys.
1986-
Irish dramatist Lady Gregory, also known as Isabella Augusta, collaborated with William Butler Yeats and J.M. Synge to found the Irish National Theater and the Abbey Theater company.
1852-1932
1938-
Painter Ernest Lawson is known for his impressionistic urban landscapes using thick, intense color. His major work includes Spring Night, Harlem River.
1873-1939
David Lean was a British director and screenwriter best known for his spectacular cinematography and adaptations of Charles Dickens classics, including Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948).
1908-1991
Producer, director, writer and actor Spike Lee creates controversial films that explore race relations, political issues and urban crime and violence. His films include She's Gotta Have It and Do the Right Thing.
1957-
Phil Lesh is best known as being a founding member and bass player for the 1960s rock group Grateful Dead.
1940-
Adam Levine is the Grammy Award-winning frontman of Maroon 5, known for such pop hits as "This Love" and "Moves Like Jagger." He has also appeared as a judge/coach on The Voice.
1979-
Jerry Lewis rose to fame as Dean Martin's comedic partner. The two performed on stage before their film career began in 1949.
1926-
David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary, abolitionist and physician known for his explorations of Africa, having crossed the continent during the mid-19th century.
1813-1873
1936-
Lisa Loeb made a name for herself in the mid-1990s with her contemporary rock sound and hit single "Stay."
1968-
Actress Eva Longoria landed her breakthrough role in 2004 as Gabrielle Solis on the hit television series Desperate Housewives.
1975-
Lord Snowdon was married to Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, from 1960 to 1978. He is also a world-renowned photographer and documentarian.
1930-
1785-1795
Jim Lovell is a former U.S. astronaut who commanded NASA's nearly disastrous Apollo 13 flight to the moon.
1928-
1964-
1855-1916
1917-1977
1894-1975
William Lyon Mackenzie was a journalist and political agitator who led an unsuccessful revolt against the Canadian government in 1837.
1795-1861
Model Elle Macpherson put the super in "supermodel." In her day, she was known as "The Body" because of her stunning height and figure.
1964-
William H. Macy is an actor known for his diverse characters in films such as Fargo, Boogie Nights and Air Force One.
1950-
The fourth U.S. president, James Madison believed in a robust yet balanced federal government and is known as the "Father of the Constitution."
1751-1836