Goldie Hawn began her career as a dancer, but switched to acting on television and then film. She won an Academy Award for her performance in Cactus Flower, and later received an Oscar nomination for Private Benjamin.
1945-
1897-1981
1869-1936
1958-
Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor became king of Germany in 1056 and was abdicated in 1105. He overthrew Pope Gregory VII because of a disagreement about imperial rule.
1050-1106
Mazie Hirono is the first Asian-American female, Buddhist and Japan-born U.S. senator.
1947-
1904-1996
1697-1764
1949-
Maxine Hong Kingston is a Chinese American author of memoirs and fiction. Her best known work is The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood among the Ghosts.
1940-
1814-1879
Adam Horovitz, also known as "Ad-Rock," was a co-founder and member of the Beastie Boys, the popular rap-rock group.
1966-
1830-1909
Astronomer Edwin Hubble revolutionized the field of astrophysics. His research helped prove that the universe is expanding, and he created a classification system for galaxies that has been used for several decades.
1889-1953
Noted for his exceptional good looks and comedic film performance, Rock Hudson was an iconic actor who, later in life, contracted and died from the AIDS virus.
1925-1985
1945-
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a 17th century nun, self-taught scholar and acclaimed writer of the Latin American colonial period and the Hispanic Baroque. She was also a staunch advocate for women's rights.
1651-1695
J.B.S. Haldane was a British geneticist who helped found the theories of population genetics.
1892-1964
Jermaine Jackson was a member of the Jackson 5 music group and brother to Michael Jackson.
1954-
20th century recording artist Mahalia Jackson, known as the Queen of Gospel, is revered as one of the greatest musical figures in U.S. history.
1911-1972
New Zealand native Peter Jackson is best known as a director for his adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, which has won 11 Oscars.
1961-
Singer and musician Randy Jackson came to fame as a member of the Jacksons, a hit R&B and pop group of the 1970s and '80s.
1961-
Martha Jefferson was married to Thomas Jefferson for 10 years and bore six of his children, but died in 1781, at age 33.
1748-1782
One of the most beloved athletes of the 1970s, track athlete Bruce Jenner won a gold medal and set a world record in the decathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Since then, he's appeared on the popular reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
1949-
Reality television star and "momager" Kris Jenner, wife of Bruce Jenner, appears on Keeping Up with the Kardashians with her husband and daughters Kim, Kourtney and Khloé.
1955-
Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen released the hit 2012 single, "Call Me Maybe," which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Candian Hot 100 chart.
1985-
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the world's first elected black female president and Africa's first elected female head of state.
1938-
Lois Mailou Jones was a painter whose works reflect a command of widely varied styles, from traditional landscape to African-themed abstraction.
1905-1998
National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the starting QB for the San Francisco 49ers. In 2012 he led the franchise to Super Bowl XLVII.
1987-
Paul Kagame is a Rwandan military leader and politician who is best known for defeating Hutu extremist forces to end the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
1957-
American playwright George S. Kaufman co-wrote a number of Broadway hits, two of which received Pulitzer Prizes.
1889-1961
English Romantic lyric poet John Keats was dedicated to the perfection of poetry marked by vivid imagery that expressed a philosophy through classical legend.
1795-1821
Robert Kennedy was Attorney General during his brother JFK's administration. He later served as a U.S. Senator and was assassinated during his run for the presidency.
1925-1968
Imre Kertész is a Hungarian writer who survived the Holocaust and went on to win the 2002 Nobel Prize in Literature.
1929-
Anthony Kiedis is the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their 1991 alternative rock album BloodSugarSexMagik sold more than 4 million copies.
1962-
Jack Kilby was an American physicist and electrical engineer who co-created the integrated circuit.
1923-2005
Television personality and comedian Jimmy Kimmel hosted Comedy Central's game show, Win Ben Stein's Money, and the late night talk show late Jimmy Kimmel Live.
1967-
In addition to his career of talk show host on Larry King Live, Larry King has appeared as himself in several movies and television shows.
1933-
1926-2006
Fashion designer Calvin Klein is known for his line of menswear and womenswear. He also designs home collections, fragrances and cosmetics.
1942-
Thomas Klestil was an Austrian statesman and the 10th president of Austria.
1932-2004
Kevin Kline is an American actor known for his versatility, from roles in Shakespearean plays to parts in dramatic films, including Sophie's Choice and A Fish Called Wanda.
1947-
1940-
1957-
1946-
1964-
Modernist abstract painter and collage artist Lee Krasner, wife of Jackson Pollock, created the Little Image painting series and the multimedia collage "Milkweed."
1908-1984
1767-1844
Dame Cleo Laine was a Grammy Award-winning British jazz vocalist as well as a stage actress. She was known as the "Queen of Jazz" in her singing prime.
1927-
Leonard Lake was a serial killer who partnered with another man to rape and kill several people in the 1980s.
1945-1985
Extraordinarily beautiful, Hedy Lamarr was a Austrian-American actress during MGM's "Golden Age."
1913-2000
Miranda Lambert is a Grammy Award-winning country music star and singer-songwriter. Her 2005 major label debut album, Kerosene, went platinum.
1983-
1913-1994
Michael Landon was an American actor, writer, director and producer known for his roles in I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie.
1936-1991
Versatile singer and songwriter k.d. Lang is known for such country hits as "Crying" and "I'm Down to My Last Cigarette," and for the successful pop single "Constant Craving."
1961-
Bernard Law Montgomery led the British Eighth Army in North Africa during World War Two and oversaw British participation during the D-Day invasion.
1887-1976
Simon Le Bon was lead singer of the 1980s pop group Duran Duran, known for recording the hit song “Hungry Like the Wolf.” He left the group before they later reunited in 2001.
1958-
Ang Lee is an Academy Award-winning director, producer and screenwriter whose films include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain.
1954-
Vivien Leigh was a British actress who achieved film immortality by playing two of American literature's most celebrated Southern belles, Scarlett O'Hara and Blanche DuBois.
1913-1967
1904-1971
Marc Lepine went on a shooting spree in 1989 that became known as the Montreal Massacre, which killed 14 people.
1964-1989
1923-1997
American gymnast Danell Leyva is best known for being the first Cuban-American and Miami resident to make it to the United States Olympic men's gymnastics team, and for winning a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
1991-
Roy Lichtenstein was an American pop artist best known for his boldly-colored parodies of comic strips and advertisements.
1923-1997
Delroy Lindo is an actor who has played both good guys and bad guys in his three-decade career in film, theater and television.
1952-
Anastasia Valeryevna Liukin, better known as Nastia Liukin, is a world-renowned gymnast and Olympian who was named the Olympic individual all-around Champion in 2008.
1989-
Activist and lawyer Belva Lockwood was the first woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
1830-1917
1924-2005
Journalist Elijah Lovejoy staunchly defended his right to publish abolitionist material in his newspaper, and died at the hands of a proslavery mob in 1837.
1802-1837
Lyle Lovett is an eclectic country music singer/songwriter who has also been known to dabble in acting.
1957-
Juliette Gordon Low is the founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.
1860-1927
Lorna Luft is an actress and singer known for both TV and film roles as well as for being the daughter of Judy Garland.
1952-
1915-2005
Lulu is a Scottish-born singer who performed "To Sir With Love" and appeared in the classic film of the same name alongside Sidney Poitier.
1948-
Theologian Martin Luther forever changed Christianity when he began the Protestant Reformation in 16th-century Europe.
1483-1546
Norwegian singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad and her band, ABBA, became an overnight sensation in 1974 with their first hit single, "Waterloo."
1945-
Former teen heartthrob beloved for his role in The Karate Kid, actor Ralph Macchio has appeared in movies, theater and on television. He is also a producer.
1961-
Seth MacFarlane is best known for writing, animating and producing the hit TV show Family Guy.
1973-
1873-1913
1898-1967
Mahmud of Ghazna is best known as the the leader of the Ghaznavid dynasty in modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwest India.
971-1030
Tommy Makem was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.
1932-2007
Terrence Malick is a critically acclaimed American film director who films include: Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Tree of Life.
1943-
1932-1995
Jena Malone started acting while still a child and has appeared in films including Bastard out of Carolina (1996) and Contact (1997).
1984-
1924-2010
Herman J. Mankiewicz was a journalist and screenwriter who won an Academy Award for his work on the film Citizen Kane.
1897-1953
Wilma Mankiller worked for several years as a leading advocate for the Cherokee people, and became the first woman to serve as their principal chief in 1985.
1945-2010
Charles Manson is an American cult leader whose followers carried out several notorious murders in the late 1960s and inspired the book Helter Skelter.
1934-
Robert Mapplethorpe, recognized as a giant of late 20th century photography, is best known for his large-scale, highly stylized black and white portraits.
1946-1989
Soccer great Diego Maradona led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup, though his accomplishments were later overshadowed by his battles with drug abuse.
1960-
1888-1973
1893-1960
Garry Marshall produced some of the most popular television shows in the 1970s, including The Odd Couple and Mork and Mindy. He also directed Pretty Woman.
1934-
1971-
1925-2005
Rachel McAdams is a Canadian actress best known for her roles in Mean Girls, Wedding Crashers, The Time Traveler's Wife, Sherlock Holmes and The Vow.
1978-
Jenny McCarthy was named Playboy's 1994 Playmate of the Year and hosted MTV's Singled Out from 1995 to 1997. She began hosting Love in the Wild in June 2012.
1972-
1908-1957
Matthew McConaughey is an American actor from Texas known for his laid back persona and good looks. He was named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2005.
1969-