Bella Abzug was a leading liberal activist and politician in the 1960s and 1970s, especially known for her work for women’s rights.
1920-1998
American actress Amy Adams has starred in the popular films Julie & Julia, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Enchanted and Junebug, among many others.
1974-
Sheldon Adelson developed COMDEX, a computer trade show, which made him a fortune and launched him into the casino resort business.
1933-
Ben Affleck is known for co-writing and acting in Good Will Hunting, starring in Armageddon, and directing, co-producing and acting in Argo.
1972-
Casey Affleck is best known as an actor in films including Gone Baby Gone, and as the brother of actor Ben Affleck.
1975-
Lou Albano was a professional wrestler-turned-wrestling personality in the hugely popular World Wrestling Federation of the 1980s.
1933-2009
Ira Aldridge was a 19th century African-American actor who became a renowned interpreter of Shakespearean tragedy on the European stage.
1807-1867
1876-1903
One of America's best-loved comediennes, Gracie Allen developed the Burns and Allen weekly radio program with husband George Burns.
1905-1964
Actress Joan Allen is a founding member of Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company. She has also made several critically acclaimed film appearances.
1956-
Isabel Allende is a Chilean author best known for penning novels in the style of magic realism. She is the niece of former Chilean president Salvador Allende.
1942-
1912-2001
Tori Amos is a singer/songwriter known for her influence on the 1990s alternative music scene and her piano-driven songs.
1963-
Actress Gillian Anderson is famous for her portrayal of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully on the 1990s television series The X-Files.
1968-
Loni Anderson is a TV actress notable for her sexy role as Jennifer Marlowe on the series WKRP in Cincinnati.
1946-
One of the biggest classic pop performers, Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka moved from teen heartthrob to adult artist with a slew of hits.
1941-
Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, is best known for her charitable work and equestrian talents.
1950-
Louis Armstrong was a trumpeter, bandleader, singer, soloist, film star and comedian. Considered one of the most influential artists in jazz history, he is known for songs like "Star Dust," "La Via En Rose" and "What a Wonderful World."
1901-1971
Astronaut, military pilot, and educator, Neil Armstrong made history on July 20, 1969, by becoming the first man to walk on the moon.
1930-2012
Alexis Arquette is a transgendered actor and member of the Arquette acting family. She performs in drag as "Eva Destruction."
1969-
Rosanna Arquette is an American actress best known for her role opposite Madonna in the 1985 hit film Desperately Seeking Susan.
1959-
1932-
1927-
William Atherton is an American actor known for playing heavies in films like Ghostbusters and Die Hard.
1947-
Alan Autry is best known for his role as Captain "Bubba" Skinner on the television series In the Heat of the Night. In later life, he was a successful mayor of Fresno, California.
1952-
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian tennis player and Olympic gold medalist. She is known for the loud grunting noise she makes when hitting the ball.
1989-
Scottish engineer John Logie Baird was the first man to televise pictures of objects in motion. He also demonstrated color television, in 1928.
1888-1946
Considered one of the greatest drummers of all time, Ginger Baker played with the bands Cream and Blind Faith. He is known for using two bass drums in his kit.
1939-
Russell Baker is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and columnist who authored the autobiographies Growing Up and The Good Times.
1925-
James Baldwin was an essayist, playwright and novelist regarded as a highly insightful, iconic writer with works like The Fire Next Time and Another Country.
1924-1987
Stanley Baldwin was a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister three times between 1923 and 1937.
1867-1947
1848-1930
One of America's most beloved comedians, Lucille Ball is particularly known for her iconic TV show I Love Lucy.
1911-1989
Spanish actor Antonio Banderas starred in several of Pedro Almodóvar’s films. In America, he has played Zorro, and Puss in Boots in the Shrek film series.
1960-
1879-1959
Considered one of history's most influential jazz musicians, Count Basie was known for his piano style and command of big bands such as the Count Basie Orchestra, and for songs like "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "Taxi War Dance" and "Miss Thing."
1904-1984
Angela Bassett is an Academy Award- and Emmy Award-nominated actress known for roles in What's Love Got to Do With It, Waiting to Exhale, Malcolm X and The Rosa Parks Story.
1958-
A professor and a poet, Katharine Lee Bates wrote the poem "America the Beautiful." Her poem became the lyrics to the popular American ballad still enjoyed today.
1859-1929
1948-
Jean Baudrillard was a French postmodern social theorist and philosopher who developed theories of "hyperreality" and "simulacrum."
1929-2007
1922-2007
1872-1898
Film actor. Kate Beckinsale is an actress whose starring role in the Underworld films catapulted her to international stardom.
1973-
Jeanne Bécu, Countess Du Barry, mistress to French King Louis XV, asserted her influence on the court throughout his reign and was later executed for treason.
1743-1793
1913-1992
1811-1884
Tony Bennett is an American jazz vocalist, best known for performing standards and his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."
1926-
Halle Berry is an American actress, former fashion model and former beauty queen. One of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, she is also a Revlon spokeswoman.
1966-
Wendell Berry’s nature poetry, novels of America's rural past and essays on ecological responsibility grew from his experiences as a farmer.
1934-
Involved in the Great Train Robbery of 1963, Ronnie Biggs became the world's most famous fugitive. He avoided capture for more than 30 years.
1929-
Actress Tempestt Bledsoe is best known for her role as Vanessa Huxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. In 2010 she became the host of the Style Network's Clean House.
1973-
1959-
1925-2011
1939-
Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military leader who was instrumental in the revolutions against the Spanish empire.
1783-1830
Usain Bolt became the first man in Olympic history to win both the 100-meter and 200-meter races in world record times in 2008. Four years later, at the London Olympics, he became the first man to win gold medals in both the 100 and 200 at consecutive Olympic Games and the first man in history to set three world records in a single Olympic Games competition.
1986-
1959-
Napoleon Bonaparte was a military general who became the first emperor of France. His drive for military expansion changed the world.
1769-1821
1964-
American motion-picture actress Clare Bow personified the flapper of the 1920s. From 1927 to 1930 she was one of the top five Hollywood box-office attractions.
1905-1965
Crystal Bowersox landed a spot on the ninth season of American Idol and became the first runner-up.
1985-
American fantasy and horror author Ray Bradbury is best known for his novels Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man and The Martian Chronicles.
1920-2012
1943-
The winner of three Super Bowls, Tom Brady is one of the top players in the NFL. He is married to model Gisele Bündchen.
1977-
1947-
1894-1974
Stephen Breyer is a justice for the U.S. Supreme Court, having been nominated by President Bill Clinton.
1938-
Sergey Brin created Google, the world's most popular search engine. Brin and Larry Page, Google's co-creator, still manage the company and are billionaires.
1973-
Emily Brontë is best known for authoring the novel Wuthering Heights. She was the sister of Charlotte and Anne Brontë, also famous authors.
1818-1848
Alton Brown is best known as a celebrity chef, best-selling author and award-winning Food Network star.
1962-
Chuck Brown, known as the "Godfather of Go-Go," played with Jerry Butler and The Earls of Rhythm in the early 1960s, and later joined Latin-American band Los Latinos. His hit songs include "I Need Some Money" and "Bustin' Loose."
1936-2012
1978-
Ron Brown was a lawyer and Democratic politician who served as commerce secretary under the administration of President Bill Clinton.
1941-1996
Author and poet Charles Bukowski wrote the gritty poetry book Love is a Dog from Hell, and the novels Barfly and Factotum, both of which were made into films.
1920-1994
Academy Award-winning actress Sandra Bullock is known for her roles in such films as Speed, While You Were Sleeping, The Proposal, and The Blind Side.
1964-
Ralph Bunche was a U.S. diplomat, a key member of the United Nations for more than two decades, and the winner of the 1950 Nobel Prize for Peace.
1904-1971
1953-
Plaxico Burress is an American football wide receiver who has played in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New York Giants and the New York Jets.
1977-
Oscar-winning director James Cameron is best known for the highly acclaimed, box-office hits Aliens (1986), Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009).
1954-
Television Actress Jessica Capshaw is best known for playing lawyer Jamie Stringer on The Practice and a lesbian doctor named Arizona Roberts on the ABC drama Grey’s Anatomy.
1976-
Television and film actor Steve Carell earned recognition on The Dana Carvey Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Office and in The 40 Year Old Virgin.
1962-
1958-
1837-1894
1907-2003
1951-
Rosalynn Carter is an American First Lady best known as the wife of President Jimmy Carter during his term from 1977-'81.
1927-
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer whose humane, spontaneous photographs helped establish photojournalism as an art form.
1908-2004
Steve Case co-founded and served as CEO of America Online (AOL), overseeing the massive merger that created AOL Time Warner Inc. He served as chairman of AOL Time Warner Inc. until his resignation in 2003.
1958-
Ted Cassidy was a 6’9” American actor known for his work in The Addams Family TV series and the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
1932-1979
Marxist Cuban political leader Fidel Castro helped lead the Cuban Revolution, and served as president of Cuba from 1976 to 2008.
1926-
1796-1872
1956-
1935-1978
Wilt Chamberlain was the first NBA player to score more than 30,000 cumulative points over his career, and the first and only player to score 100 points in a single game.
1936-1999
1888-1959
With her trademark suits and little black dresses, fashion designer Coco Chanel created timeless designs that are still popular today.
1883-1971
Charles I was a monarch of the Hapsburg line who was the last emperor of Austria and king of Hungary. He lost his throne at the end of World War I.
1887-1922
Joshua Scott ("JC") Chasez performed in the mega-popular boy band N'Sync before becoming a solo artist, songwriter and reality-show judge.
1976-
Actress Kristin Chenoweth is best known for her Broadway roles in Wicked and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, as well as on TV show The West Wing.
1968-
TV chef and author Julia Child adapted complex French cooking for everyday Americans, with her groundbreaking cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
1912-2004