Who was born on August 17?
August 17 is packed with notable birthdays. Explore 110 famous birthdays, sorted by recent English Wikipedia pageviews. Top ranked names include Aleksandr Maksimenkov, Alexander Briant, Alexander Ivashkin, Andriy Kuzmenko, Antwaan Randle El. Filter by actor, musician, athlete, and more — or open any other calendar day.
August 17
110 people
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Aleksandr Maksimenkov
Aleksandr Ivanovich Maksimenkov (Russian: Александр Иванович Максименков; 17 August 1952 – 7 September 2012) was a Soviet and Russian football player and coach.
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Alexander Briant
Alexander Briant, SJ (17 August 1556 – 1 December 1581) was an English Jesuit and martyr, executed at Tyburn.
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Alexander Ivashkin
Alexander Vasilievich Ivashkin (Russian: Александр Васильевич Ивашкин), (17 August 1948 – 31 January 2014) was a Russian cellist, writer, academic and conductor. He was a professor of music and the Chair of Performance Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London since 1999, the director of the Centre for Russian Music, and the curator of the Alfred Schnittke Archive. In 1996, he published the first English-language biography of the composer Alfred Schnittke.
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Andriy Kuzmenko
Andriy Viktorovych "Kuzma" Kuzmenko (Ukrainian: Андрій Вікторович Кузьменко; 17 August 1968 – 2 February 2015) was a Ukrainian singer, poet, writer, TV presenter, producer and actor. He was best known as the lead singer of the Ukrainian rock band Skryabin, founded in 1989. Kuzmenko died in a traffic collision on 2nd of February 2015 in Lozuvatka, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, aged 46. He was post-humously named Hero of Ukraine in 2020.
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Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El ( AN-twahn RAN-dəl-EL; born August 17, 1979) is an American professional football coach and former player who currently serves as the wide receivers coach and assistant head coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers, earning first-team All-American honors in 2001. He also played basketball and baseball for the Hoosiers. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft. Playing with the Steelers for four seasons as a wide receiver and return specialist, he was active in all 64 regular season games with 23 starts. He was also instrumental in a number of trick plays, including throwing a touchdown pass as a wide receiver for the Steelers in Super Bowl XL. After the 2005 NFL season, Randle El was signed as a free agent with the Washington Redskins, where he scored ten touchdowns, catching eight and throwing two. In 2007, Randle El was sidelined for a game against the Buffalo Bills with a hamstring injury. This was the only inactive game of his NFL career. Randle El was released by the Redskins in March 2010, re-signing with the Steelers shortly after. Randle El was also named fifth in USA Today's All-Decade kick returners. For a time, he was also a sideline reporter for the Big Ten Network for interconference games that the Indiana football team plays.
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Austin Butler
Austin Robert Butler (born August 17, 1991) is an American actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he has received a British Academy Film Award and Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, two Critics' Choice Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023. Butler began his career on television, appearing in sitcoms on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, most notably on Zoey 101 (2007–2008), and later in teen dramas, including recurring parts on The CW's Life Unexpected (2010–2011) and Switched at Birth (2011–2012). He went on to star in The Carrie Diaries (2013–2014) and The Shannara Chronicles (2016–2017). Butler's film breakthrough came as Tex Watson in Quentin Tarantino's period dramedy Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). He gained wider recognition for portraying Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's biopic Elvis (2022), which earned him a BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He has since starred in the Apple TV+ miniseries Masters of the Air (2024), Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic Dune: Part Two (2024), and Darren Aronofsky's crime thriller Caught Stealing (2025). On stage, Butler made his Broadway debut in the revival of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh (2018).
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Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle ( KAR-lyle; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer and songwriter. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, and she went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist. Raised in Southern California, Carlisle was the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, which she co-founded in 1978. With their chart-topping debut album Beauty and the Beat in 1981, the group helped popularize new wave music in the United States. The Go-Go's have sold over seven million records worldwide. After the break-up of the Go-Go's in 1985, Carlisle went on to have a successful solo career with radio hits such as "Mad About You", "I Get Weak", "Circle in the Sand", "Leave a Light On", "Summer Rain", and "Heaven Is a Place on Earth". The Go-Go's reformed in 1999; Carlisle maintained her solo career and performed with the band until its disbandment in 2022, returning for two festival performances in 2025. Carlisle's autobiography, Lips Unsealed, published in June 2010, was a New York Times Best Seller and received favorable reviews. In 1999, Carlisle was ranked number 76 with the Go-Go's in VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll. In 2011, Carlisle, as a member of the Go-Go's, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She and the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and the California Hall of Fame in 2024.
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Bill Downs
William Randall Downs, Jr. (August 17, 1914 – May 3, 1978) was an American broadcast journalist and war correspondent. He worked for CBS News from 1942 to 1962 and for ABC News beginning in 1963. He was one of the original members of the team of war correspondents known as the Murrow Boys. Downs reported from both the Eastern and Western fronts during World War II, and was the first to deliver a live broadcast from Normandy to the United States after D-Day. After the surrender in Europe, he joined a press party that toured Asia in the months leading up to the end of the Pacific War. He entered Tokyo with Allied occupation forces and covered the Japanese surrender, and was among the first Americans to enter Hiroshima after the atomic bombing. He later covered the Bikini Atoll nuclear tests, the Berlin Blockade, and the Korean War.
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Brady Corbet
Brady James Monson Corbet ( kor-BAY; born August 17, 1988) is an American filmmaker and former actor. He had roles in films such as Thirteen (2003), Mysterious Skin (2004), Funny Games (2007), Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), Melancholia (2011), and Clouds of Sils Maria (2014), as well as the series 24 (2006) and Olive Kitteridge (2014). Since retiring from acting in 2014 to pursue his filmmaking career with his partner Mona Fastvold, Corbet made his directorial debut with the psychological drama The Childhood of a Leader (2015). He has since co-written and directed the musical drama Vox Lux (2018) and the period epic The Brutalist (2024). The latter earned him the Silver Lion, BAFTA, and Golden Globe for Best Director as well as three Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay.
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Carlos Cruz-Diez
Carlos Cruz-Diez (17 August 1923 – 27 July 2019) was a Franco-Venezuelan artist recognized within the kinetic art movement. He lived and worked in Paris from 1960 until his death. Cruz-Diez proposed conceiving color as an autonomous reality that develops in time and space, without the aid of form or the need for a support. His work encompasses eight investigations: Additive Color (Couleur Additive), Physichromie, Chromatic Induction (Induction Chromatique), Chromointerférence, Transchromie, Chromosaturation, Chromoscope, and Color in Space (Couleur à l’Espace). Cruz-Diez is one of the primary figures and most prominent representatives of kinetic art. His research has provided a new approach to the phenomenon of color in the field of art, particularly through the development of color perception. As a color theorist, Cruz-Diez research based on three chromatic situations: subtractive, additive, and reflective which led to a new cognitive approach to the phenomenon of color, expanding its field of perception. Cruz-Diez apprehended color as an autonomous reality that evolves in space and time. His abstract works are defined by the use of color and lines to create the impression of movement and are exhibited in museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate Modern in London, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Caracas.
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Christian Laettner
Christian Donald Laettner (, LAYT-nər; born August 17, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. His college career for the Duke Blue Devils is widely regarded as one of the best in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) history. He was the star player on back-to-back Duke National Championship teams of 1991 and 1992, and the NCAA player of the year in his senior year. He is famous for his game-winning shot against Kentucky in the 1992 tournament and being polarizing amongst basketball fans. Laettner was the only collegian selected for the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, dubbed the "Dream Team", that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. As a member of the "Dream Team", Laettner is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, and FIBA Hall of Fame, while he is enshrined for his individual career in the College Basketball Hall of Fame. He was drafted third overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1992 NBA draft, then played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for six teams, being named as an All-Star in 1997.
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Colin James
Colin James (born Colin James Munn; August 17, 1964) is a Canadian blues rock singer and songwriter. James has been very successful in Canada, having attained seven Gold-certified albums in Canada during his career, including four Platinum albums and two Double Platinum albums.
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Colin Moulding
Colin Ivor Moulding (born 17 August 1955) is an English bassist, singer, and songwriter who was one of the core members of the rock band XTC. Moulding wrote three of their earliest charting UK singles: "Life Begins at the Hop" (1979), "Making Plans for Nigel" (1979) and "Generals and Majors" (1980).
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David Conrad
David Conrad is an American actor. From 2005 to 2010, he starred in the television series Ghost Whisperer alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt. He's still active from time to time.
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Davy Crockett
David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American politician, militia officer and frontiersman. Often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier", he represented Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives and fought in the Texas Revolution. Crockett grew up in East Tennessee, where he gained a reputation for hunting and storytelling. He was made a colonel in the militia of Lawrence County, Tennessee, and was elected to the Tennessee state legislature in 1821. In 1827, he was elected to the U.S. Congress where he vehemently opposed many of the policies of President Andrew Jackson, especially the Indian Removal Act. Crockett's opposition to Jackson's policies led to his defeat in the 1831 elections. He was re-elected in 1833, then narrowly lost in 1835, prompting his angry departure to Texas (then the Mexican state of Tejas) shortly thereafter. In early 1836, he took part in the Texas Revolution and died at the Battle of the Alamo. It is unclear whether he died in battle or was executed after being captured by the Mexican Army. Crockett became famous during his lifetime for larger-than-life exploits popularized by stage plays and almanacs. After his death, he continued to be credited with acts of mythical proportion. These led in the 20th century to television and film portrayals, and he became one of the best-known American folk heroes.
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Dee Brown
Daniel "Dee" Brown (born August 17, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player and current college coach. Brown played at the University of Illinois from 2002 to 2006, receiving numerous awards and accolades, including the 2005 Sporting News National Player of the Year. Brown was selected in the second round of the 2006 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. Brown played for several international basketball teams from 2007 to 2015.
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Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Luis Pedroia (born August 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Boston Red Sox, from 2006 to 2019. He was a four-time All-Star, and won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award in 2007 and the AL Most Valuable Player and Silver Slugger Award in 2008. He has also received four Gold Glove Awards and was named AL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. Pedroia was selected by the Red Sox in the 2004 MLB draft and made his major league debut in 2006. He became a full-time player for Boston in 2007, winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award. He was a member of the Red Sox World Series championship teams in 2007 and 2013. Pedroia was the last player from the 2007 World Series team to leave the club. A knee injury late in the 2017 season marked the end of his effective play. After playing in only nine major league games over the 2018 and 2019 seasons, including missing the 2018 postseason, he also missed all of the shortened 2020 season. He announced his retirement on February 1, 2021. Pedroia was a proficient contact hitter with a very low strikeout rate and "a surprising amount of power," whose defense at second base has been rated significantly above-average. Pedroia was the first Red Sox infielder to win four Gold Gloves.
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Ederson Moraes
Ederson Santana de Moraes (born 17 August 1993), simply known as Ederson (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈɛdɛʁsõ]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and the Brazil national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best keepers After finishing as a runner-up in the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga with Rio Ave in 2014, Ederson returned to Benfica in 2015. He won two Primeira Liga titles and one of each cup before signing for Manchester City for £35 million in 2017. He made 372 appearances for City, winning 18 major honours, including six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups, and the Champions League in 2023, as part of a continental treble. Ederson won the Premier League Golden Glove three consecutive times between 2020 and 2022. Ederson made his senior debut for Brazil in 2017. He was chosen in Brazil's squad for the FIFA World Cup in 2018, 2022 and 2026, and the Copa América in 2019 and 2021, winning the 2019 tournament.
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Eduardo Mignogna
Eduardo Mignogna (August 17, 1940 – October 6, 2006) was an Argentine film director and screenwriter.
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Edward Cowie
Edward Cowie (born 17 August 1943) is an Australian composer, author, natural scientist, and painter.
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Eric Boulton
Eric Boulton (born August 17, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. Boulton was drafted 234th overall in the ninth round of the 1994 draft by the New York Rangers. While he never played for the Rangers, he played for the Buffalo Sabres, Atlanta Thrashers, New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders between 2000 and 2016. Boulton was best known for his role as an enforcer.
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Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954) is an American guitarist, vocalist and composer. His 1990 album Ah Via Musicom was certified platinum by the RIAA, and the single "Cliffs of Dover" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Best known for his electric guitar skills, Johnson is also a player of acoustic, lap steel, and resonator guitar, as well as a bassist, pianist, and vocalist. He plays many musical genres, including rock, blues, jazz fusion, soul, folk, new-age, classical, and country. Keyboard called him "one of the most respected guitarists on the planet" in 2006.
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Ernest Dezentjé
Ernest Regnard Leonce Dezentjé (17 August 1885 – 12 January 1972) was a Dutch-Indonesian painter. Dezentjé worked for the office of the auditor general until the 1910s, when he took up painting and began learning from established artists such as Leo Eland and Gerard Pieter Adolfs. Dezentjé joined the Kuntskring ('Batavia Art Circle') and was exhibiting by the 1920s, gaining popularity for his depiction of Mount Gede. By 1940 he had held several solo exhibitions and was acknowledged as one of the most important artists of the Dutch East Indies. He remained active through the 1970s, establishing a close friendship with President Sukarno and taking several apprentices. Dezentjé was best known for his landscape paintings, which emphasized natural beauty and lighting, and is considered part of the Mooi Indië (lit. 'Beautiful Indies') movement. Reception of his works was initially positive, though later critics questioned his formulaic presentation and use of perspective. Paintings by Dezentjé are exhibited at the Merdeka and Bogor Palaces and held by several museums.
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Evan S. Connell
Evan Shelby Connell Jr. (August 17, 1924 – January 10, 2013) was a U.S. novelist, short-story writer, essayist and author of epic historical works. He published under the name Evan S. Connell Jr (and sometimes simply Evan S. Connell). In 2009, Connell was nominated for the Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement. On April 23, 2010, he won the Robert Kirsch Award from the Los Angeles Times for "a living author with a substantial connection to the American West, whose contribution to American letters deserves special recognition."
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Evelyn Ankers
Evelyn Felisa Ankers (August 17, 1918 – August 29, 1985) was a British-American actress who often played variations on the role of the cultured young leading lady in many American horror films during the 1940s, most notably The Wolf Man (1941) opposite Lon Chaney Jr., a frequent screen partner.
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Francesco Albani
Francesco Albani or Albano (17 March or 17 August 1578 – 4 October 1660) was an Italian Baroque painter of Albanian descent who was active in Bologna (1591–1600; 1609; 1610; 1618–1622), Rome (1600–1609; 1610–1617; 1623–1625), Viterbo (1609–1610), Mantua (1621–1622) and Florence (1633). He was a distinguished artist of the Bolognese school, deeply influenced by Annibale Carracci’s classicism. His fame rests on his idyllic landscapes and small mythological pictures, the lyrical qualities of which earned him the soubriquet ‘the Anacreon of painters’.
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Francis Gary Powers
Francis Gary Powers (August 17, 1929 – August 1, 1977) was an American pilot who served as a United States Air Force officer and a CIA employee. Powers is best known for his involvement in the 1960 U-2 incident, when he was shot down while flying a secret CIA spying mission over the Soviet Union. Powers survived, but was captured and sentenced to 10 years in a Soviet prison for espionage. He served 21 months of his sentence before being released in a prisoner swap in 1962. After returning to the US, he worked at Lockheed as a test pilot for the U-2, and later as a helicopter pilot for Los Angeles news station KNBC. He died in 1977, when the KNBC helicopter he was flying crashed.
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Fredrika Bremer
Fredrika Bremer (17 August 1801 – 31 December 1865) was a Finnish-born Swedish writer and reformer. Her Sketches of Everyday Life were wildly popular in Britain and the United States during the 1840s and 1850s and she is regarded as the Swedish Jane Austen, bringing the realist novel to prominence in Swedish literature. In her late 30s, Bremer successfully petitioned King Charles XIV for emancipation from her brother's wardship; in her 50s, her novel Hertha prompted a social movement that granted all unmarried Swedish women legal majority at the age of 25 and established Högre Lärarinneseminariet, Sweden's first female tertiary school. It also inspired Sophie Adlersparre to begin publishing the Home Review, Sweden's first women's magazine as well as the later magazine Hertha. In 1884, she became the namesake of the Fredrika Bremer Association, the first women's rights organization in Sweden.
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Gail Berman
Gail Berman (born August 17, 1956) is an American producer and television executive. She is co-owner and founding partner of The Jackal Group, a production entity formed in partnership with Fox Networks Group. The Jackal Group develops and produces scripted, unscripted, and 'factual' entertainment programming for FNG's channels, including Fox Broadcasting Company, FX/FXX, the National Geographic Channels, and Fox International Channels. The partnership also provides for opportunities in digital and film, as well as for non-21st Century Fox distribution entities.
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Gene Stratton-Porter
Gene Stratton-Porter (August 17, 1863 – December 6, 1924), born Geneva Grace Stratton, was an American writer, nature photographer, and naturalist from Wabash County, Indiana. In 1917 Stratton-Porter urged legislative support for the conservation of Limberlost Swamp and other wetlands in Indiana. She was also a silent film-era producer who founded her own production company, Gene Stratton Porter Productions, in 1924. Stratton-Porter wrote several best-selling novels in addition to columns for national magazines, such as McCall's and Good Housekeeping, among others. Her novels have been translated into more than twenty languages, including Braille, and at their peak in the 1910s attracted an estimated 50 million readers. Eight of her novels, including A Girl of the Limberlost, were adapted into moving pictures. Stratton-Porter was also the subject of a one-woman play, A Song of the Wilderness. Two of her former homes in Indiana are state historic sites, the Limberlost State Historical Site in Geneva and the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site on Sylvan Lake, near Rome City, Indiana.
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Geoffrey Elton
Sir Geoffrey Rudolph Elton (born Gottfried Rudolf Otto Ehrenberg; 17 August 1921 – 4 December 1994) was a German-born British political and constitutional historian, specialising in the Tudor period. He taught at Clare College, Cambridge, and was the Regius Professor of Modern History there from 1983 to 1988.
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Georgia Gibbs
Georgia Gibbs (born Frieda Lipschitz; August 17, 1919 – December 9, 2006) was an American popular singer and vocal entertainer rooted in jazz. Already singing publicly in her early teens, Gibbs achieved acclaim and notoriety in the mid-1950s copying songs originating with the black rhythm and blues community and later became a featured vocalist for many radio and television variety and comedy programs. Her key attribute was tremendous versatility and an uncommon stylistic range from melancholy ballad to uptempo swinging jazz and rock and roll.
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Geraint Jarman
Geraint Jarman (17 August 1950 – 2 March 2025) was a Welsh musician, poet and television producer whose career dates back to the early years of Welsh popular music. He recorded many albums as a solo artist and with his band Geraint Jarman a'r Cynganeddwyr.
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Gilby Clarke
Gilbert J. Clarke (born August 17, 1962) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is known for having a three-year tenure as the rhythm guitarist of Guns N' Roses, replacing Izzy Stradlin in 1991 during the Use Your Illusion Tour, and also featured on "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993). Following this, Clarke went on to forge a solo career and also played guitar with Slash's Snakepit, Kat Men, Heart, Nancy Sinatra, Kathy Valentine (of The Go-Go's), MC5 and forming his own group Rock Star Supernova with members of Metallica and Mötley Crüe. Clarke's production work includes albums by L.A. Guns, Bullets and Octane, The Bronx, Frankie and the Studs and Vains of Jenna.
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Giuliana Rancic
Giuliana Rancic (; née DePandi; born August 17, 1974) is an American entertainment reporter and television personality. She is a former co-anchor of E! News and resides in Chicago and Los Angeles.
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Gracie Gold
Grace Elizabeth Gold (born August 17, 1995) is an American figure skater. She is a 2014 Olympic bronze medalist in the team event, a six-time Grand Prix medalist (2 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze), and a two-time U.S. national champion (2014, 2016). She placed 4th at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. At the junior level, Gold is the 2012 World Junior silver medalist, the 2011 JGP Estonia champion, and the 2012 U.S. junior national champion. In 2014, Gold became the first American woman to win the NHK Trophy title on the Grand Prix Series circuit and holds the record for the highest short program score ever recorded by an American woman (76.43) which she achieved at the 2016 World Championships in Boston. She is a mental health advocate and was recognized with the 2022 Bell of Hope Award. She was featured in the HBO sports documentary The Weight of Gold (2020), and her memoir Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out released in February 2024, was on the New York Times Bestseller list.
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Habibul Bashar
Qazi Habibul Bashar (Bengali: কাজী হাবিবুল বাশার; born 17 August 1972) is a Bangladeshi cricket administrator and former cricketer who played as a right-handed batter for the Bangladesh national team from 1995 to 2008. He has served as the team's chief selector since March 2026. By the time of his retirement, he held several national batting records in both Test and One Day International (ODI) formats. He served as the captain of the national team from 2004 to 2007.
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Harve Bennett
Harve Bennett (born Harvard Bennett Fischman; August 17, 1930 – February 25, 2015) was an American television and film producer and screenwriter.
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Henry Cadwalader Chapman
Dr. Henry Cadwalader Chapman (August 17, 1845 – September 7, 1909) was an American physician and naturalist.
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Hugh Baiocchi
Hugh John Baiocchi (born 17 August 1946) is a South African professional golfer who has won more than 20 professional tournaments around the world.
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Jake Virtanen
Jacob Virtanen (born August 17, 1996) is a Finnish-Canadian professional ice hockey player who currently plays for HK Dukla Michalovce of the Slovak Extraliga. Virtanen was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks sixth overall in the 2014 NHL entry draft and played for the NHL team from 2015 to 2021. Virtanen played junior hockey with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and has represented Canada five times in international competition at the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, 2013 U-18 Junior World Cup, 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships, 2015 IIHF World U20 Championships and 2016 IIHF World U20 Championships.
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Janet Lewis
Janet Loxley Lewis (August 17, 1899 – December 1, 1998) was an American novelist, poet, and librettist. She was considered one of the finest American literary figures of the 20th century.
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Jim Courier
James Spencer Courier (born August 17, 1970) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 58 weeks, including as the year-end No. 1 in 1992. Courier won 23 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including four majors – two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open – and was the youngest man in the Open Era to reach the final of all four singles majors, after reaching the final of the 1993 Wimbledon Championships aged 22 years, 319 days, a record that stood until Carlos Alcaraz achieved the same feat aged 22 years, 266 days at the 2026 Australian Open. He also won five Masters titles and was part of the victorious United States Davis Cup teams in 1992 and 1995. Since 2005, Courier has worked as a tennis commentator, notably for Nine (and previously Seven), the host broadcaster of the Australian Open. He is also an analyst for Tennis Channel and Prime Video Sport.
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Johann Valentin Andrea
Johannes Valentinus Andreae (17 August 1586 – 27 June 1654), also known as Johannes Valentinus Andreä or Johann Valentin Andreae, was a German theologian and writer. He is generally considered to be the author of the Rosicrucian text known as the Chymische Hochzeit Christiani Rosencreutz anno 1459 (published in 1616, Strasbourg; in English Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz in 1459), based on an earlier unpublished novel of his titled Chymische Hochzeit (Chemical Wedding) written in 1607. This became one of the three founding works of Rosicrucianism, which was a popular occult Protestant movement founded in Germany. Andreae was a prominent member of the Protestant utopian movement which began in Germany and spread across northern Europe and into Britain under the mentorship of Samuel Hartlib and John Amos Comenius. The focus of this movement was the need for education and the encouragement of sciences as the key to national prosperity. But like many vaguely-religious Renaissance movements at this time, the scientific ideas being promoted were often tinged with hermeticism, occultism and neo-Platonic concepts. The threats of heresy charges posed by rigid religious authorities (Protestant and Catholic) and a scholastic intellectual climate often forced these activists to hide behind fictional secret societies and write anonymously in support of their ideas, while claiming access to "secret ancient wisdom".
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John A. Sampson
John Albertson Sampson (August 17, 1873–December 23, 1946) was a gynecologist who studied endometriosis. Sampson was born near Troy, New York and graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1899. After completing his training in gynecology, he settled in Albany, New York. He worked at the Albany Hospital, and later became Professor of Gynecology at Albany Medical College. While endometriotic cysts had been described before - notably by W.W. Russell in 1898, it was Sampson who studied the disease systematically, described the clinical manifestations, and contributed to our understanding by proposing, in 1921, that endometriosis - a term he coined - is a process caused by the escape of menstrual debris including endometrial tissue that escapes retrograde through the fallopian tubes into the pelvis. This then leads to secondary reactions of inflammation, repair, and scar formation. His theory of retrograde menstruation explains the typical distribution of endometriosis in the pelvis and why women with cervical or vaginal obstruction have a high incidence of endometriosis, it does not, however, provide an answer to why some women have endometriosis after hysterectomy or in distant organs. Thus, alternative theories have been developed, including the concept of endometriosis that starts in the pelvis de novo from stem cells. Even today, these and other theories coexist, as the cause of endometriosis remains a subject of debate. He has the distinction of having an artery named after him, Sampson's artery. Sampson died in Albany.
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John Brahm
John Brahm (August 17, 1893 – October 12, 1982) was a German film and television director. His films include The Undying Monster (1942), The Lodger (1944), Hangover Square (1945), The Locket (1946), The Brasher Doubloon (1947), and the 3D horror film The Mad Magician (1954).
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John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski (Polish: Jan III Sobieski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjan ˈtʂɛt͡ɕi sɔˈbʲɛskʲi]); Lithuanian: Jonas III Sobieskis (Lithuanian pronunciation: ['joːnäs so'bʲɛskis]); Latin: Ioannes III Sobiscius (Latin pronunciation: [joˈannɛs soˈbiʃiʊs]) 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Europe in his youth. As a soldier and later commander, he fought in the Khmelnytsky Uprising, the Russo-Polish War and during the Swedish invasion known as the Deluge. Sobieski demonstrated his military prowess during the war against the Ottoman Empire and established himself as a leading figure in Poland and Lithuania. In 1674, he was elected monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth following the sudden and unexpected death of King Michael Korybut Wiśniowiecki. Sobieski's 22-year reign marked a period of the Commonwealth's stabilization, much needed after the turmoil of previous conflicts. Popular among his subjects, he was an able military leader, most famously for his victory over the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Vienna in 1683. The defeated Ottomans named Sobieski the "Lion of Lechistan", and the Pope hailed him as the saviour of Western Christendom. Suffering from poor health and obesity in later life, Sobieski died in 1696 and was buried at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków. He was succeeded by Augustus II the Strong.
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John Matthew Rispoli
John Matthew Rispoli (17 August 1582 – 6 April 1639) was a Maltese philosopher of great erudition. He was held in high esteem by the Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller Order, the Bishops of Malta, the Viceroys of Sicily, cardinals, bishops, inquisitors, and the common people. Perhaps the most eminent Maltese philosopher of the Middle Ages, the various extant writings of his are witness to his philosophical aptitude and dexterity as to his high calibre as a philosopher. These qualities were highly appreciated during his lifetime, in Malta as in France and Italy. He lived a busy life, both as an intellectual and as an administrator. He was professor of philosopher at various institutions of high education, an able preacher, and an official at various posts within the Dominican Order, of which his was a member. He was an avid aficionado of music, and was talented with playing musical instruments. Though the fame of holiness accompanied him in his life, this did not deter the Inquisition from suspecting him of heresy, and keeping him in its dungeons for fourteen months. When he died, he was given an almost state funeral.
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Jon Gruden
Jon David Gruden (born August 17, 1963) is an American former football coach and media personality, currently employed by Barstool Sports. After beginning his coaching career in the college ranks and working as a position coach and as an offensive coordinator in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, he held his first head coaching position with the Raiders during their Oakland tenure from 1998 to 2001, where he won two consecutive division titles and made an AFC Championship Game appearance. Gruden was traded by Raiders owner and general manager Al Davis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002, which he led to their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXVII the same season. At age 39, he was the then-youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl. He served as Tampa Bay's head coach through 2008, setting the franchise record for wins, but made only two further playoff runs. After his firing from the Buccaneers, Gruden was featured as an analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Football broadcasts from the 2009 to the 2017 seasons. In 2018, Gruden returned to the Raiders as their head coach. He led the team until his resignation during the 2021 season after it was publicly revealed that he wrote and sent many racist, misogynistic, and homophobic emails between 2011 and 2018. In 2023, Gruden was hired by the New Orleans Saints as an offseason consultant, assisting the coaching staff with installing their offense upon the signing of Derek Carr, Gruden’s starting quarterback in his second stint with the Raiders.
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Jonathan Franzen
Jonathan Earl Franzen (born August 17, 1959) is an American novelist and essayist. His 2001 novel The Corrections drew widespread critical acclaim, earned Franzen a National Book Award, was a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction finalist, earned a James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and was shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award. His novel Freedom (2010) garnered similar praise and led to an appearance on the cover of Time magazine alongside the headline "Great American Novelist". Franzen's latest novel Crossroads was published in 2021, and is the first in a projected trilogy. Franzen has contributed to The New Yorker magazine since 1994. His 1996 Harper's essay "Perchance to Dream" bemoaned the state of contemporary literature. Oprah Winfrey's book club selection in 2001 of The Corrections led to a much publicized feud with the talk show host.
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Josef Dobrovský
Josef Dobrovský (17 August 1753 – 6 January 1829) was a Czech philologist and historian. He was one of the most important figures of the Czech National Revival along with Josef Jungmann.
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João Donato
João Donato de Oliveira Neto (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʒuˈɐ̃w doˈnatu]; 17 August 1934 – 17 July 2023) was a Brazilian jazz and bossa nova pianist as well as a trombonist from Rio Branco. He first worked with Altamiro Carrilho and went on to perform with Antonio Carlos Jobim and Astrud Gilberto. Because of the area he grew up in Brasil he was able to hear Cuban music on the radio. This influence would manifest itself in many of his compositions, piano, and trombone playing. Donato's most well-known compositions include: "Amazonas", "Lugar Comum", "Simples Carinho", "Até Quem Sabe" and "Nasci Para Bailar".
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Jules Bernard Luys
Jules Bernard Luys (17 August 1828 – 21 August 1897) was a French neurologist known for significant contributions to nineteenth-century neuroanatomy and neuropsychiatry. He produced influential works on the structure and function of the central nervous system and published the first photographic atlas of the human brain.
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Julia Marlowe
Julia Marlowe (born Sarah Frances Frost; August 17, 1865 – November 12, 1950) was an English-born American actress, known for her interpretations of William Shakespeare's plays.
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Jüri Luik
Jüri Luik (born 17 August 1966) is an Estonian diplomat and politician. He has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence, and he has acted as Estonia's ambassador to Benelux, NATO, North America, and Russia.
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Keith Dabengwa
Keith Mbusi Dabengwa (born 17 August 1980) is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He was appointed head coach of the Denmark national cricket team in October 2021. Dabengwa is an all-rounder who made his First class debut for Matabeleland in 2000, taking 5 for 76, he then spent a season at the CFX Academy. He continued without many spectacular performances but in 2004/05 he got selected in Zimbabwe A squad for their tours of Namibia and Bangladesh. In the first match against Bangladesh A he took five wickets and scored 50 not out. In 2005 Dabengwa scored his highest first class score of 161 against Midlands, his only century to date. Following this, he gained a place in the national squad and made his test debut against New Zealand in Bulawayo taking two wickets for 87 runs and scoring 21 runs starting his test account by scoring a six. He played in Zimbabwe's next two tests against India. Between those games there was a tri series with India and New Zealand in this Dabengwa made his ODI debut against India in Harare. In one Logan Cup match in 2007 he took his career best innings figures of 7 for 1. They are the best bowling figures of anyone in first class history to have taken seven wickets in an innings. The record was previously held by Fred Spofforth who took 7 for 3. However, there have been inaccuracies in the scoreboards provided by Zimbabwe Cricket and thus a question mark exists over Dadengwa's feat. Dabengwa played for Lymington Cricket Club for the 2006 season. Dabengwa signed for Scottish team Ferguslie for the 2013 season. After a successful season helping them win the CricHQ40 cup he returned in the summer of 2014. This season was personally more successful for Dabengwa as he scored over 700 league runs including a high score of 184 vs Greenock. He also helped Ferguslie win the WDCU CSL First Division title.
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Ken Kwapis
Kenneth William Kwapis (born August 17, 1957) is an American film and television director, screenwriter, and author. He specialized in single-camera sitcoms in the 1990s and 2000s and has directed feature films such as Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), and He's Just Not That into You (2009).
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Lalla Carlsen
Lalla Carlsen (née Haralda Petrea Christensen) (17 August 1889 – 23 March 1967) was a Norwegian singer and actress. She was a very popular singer in Norway.
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Larry Clinton
Larry Clinton (August 17, 1909 – May 2, 1985) was an American musician, best known as a trumpeter who became a prominent American bandleader and arranger. His jazz and pop standards were "The Dipsy Doodle" (1937), "My Reverie" (1938), and "Heart and Soul" (1938). He also composed "Satan Takes a Holiday", "Midnight in the Madhouse", and "Calypso Melody".
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Larry Ellison
Lawrence Joseph Ellison (born August 17, 1944) is an American businessman. He co-founded the software company Oracle Corporation, and was its CEO from 1977 to 2014. He now serves as its CTO and executive chairman. According to Forbes, as of early 2026, Ellison's estimated net worth is $201–203 billion, making him the world's sixth-richest person. On September 10, 2025, Ellison was briefly the wealthiest person in the world after an increase in Oracle stock price, with an estimated net worth of $393 billion. He is also known for various other investments, such as his ownership of 98% of the land on Lānaʻi, the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands, his stake in the automotive and clean energy company Tesla, Inc. worth over $19 billion, and his controlling stake in the mass media conglomerate Paramount Skydance, which is managed by his son David Ellison.
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Lennart Torstensson
Lennart Torstensson (17 August 1603 – 7 April 1651), Swedish Field Marshal and later Governor-General of Pomerania, Västergötland, Dalsland, Värmland and Halland. He adapted the use of artillery on the battlefield, making it a more mobile weapon than previously known. Torstensson achieved important victories in the Thirty Years' War and in Sweden's war against Denmark (1643-45), which is named the Torstenson War after him. The period of his supreme command marks one of the most successful chapters in the military history of the Swedish army.
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Leslie Groves
Leslie Richard Groves Jr. (17 August 1896 – 13 July 1970) was a United States Army Corps of Engineers officer who oversaw the construction of the Pentagon and directed the Manhattan Project, the top secret research program that developed the atomic bomb during World War II, leading to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The son of a U.S. Army chaplain, Groves lived at various Army posts during his childhood. In 1918, he graduated fourth in his class at the United States Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned into the United States Army Corps of Engineers. In 1929, he went to Nicaragua as part of an expedition to conduct a survey for the Inter-Oceanic Nicaragua Canal. Following the 1931 Nicaraguan earthquake, Groves took over Managua's water supply system, for which he was awarded the Nicaraguan Presidential Medal of Merit. He attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1935 and 1936, and the Army War College in 1938 and 1939, after which he was posted to the War Department General Staff. Groves developed "a reputation as a doer, a driver, and a stickler for duty". In 1940 he became special assistant for construction to the Quartermaster General, tasked with inspecting construction sites and checking on their progress. In August 1941, he was appointed to create the gigantic office complex for the War Department's 40,000 staff that would ultimately become the Pentagon. In September 1942, Groves took charge of the Manhattan Project. He was involved in most aspects of the atomic bomb's development: he participated in the selection of sites for research and production at Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington. He directed the enormous construction effort, made critical decisions on the various methods of isotope separation, acquired raw materials, directed the collection of military intelligence on the German nuclear energy project and helped select the cities in Japan that were chosen as targets. Groves wrapped the Manhattan Project in security, but spies working within the project were able to pass some of its most important secrets to the Soviet Union. After the war, Groves remained in charge of the Manhattan Project until responsibility for nuclear weapons production was handed over to the United States Atomic Energy Commission in 1947. He then headed the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, which had been created to control the military aspects of nuclear weapons. He was given a dressing down by the Chief of Staff of the Army, General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, on the basis of various complaints, and told that he would never be appointed Chief of Engineers. Three days later, Groves announced his intention to leave the Army. He was promoted to lieutenant general just before his retirement on 29 February 1948 in recognition of his leadership of the bomb program. By a special act of Congress, his date of rank was backdated to 16 July 1945, the date of the Trinity nuclear test. He went on to become a vice president at Sperry Rand.
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Lil B
Brandon Christopher McCartney (born August 17, 1989), known professionally as Lil B and Lil B the BasedGod, is an American rapper and record producer. He began his career as a member of the Berkeley, California-based hip hop group the Pack in 2005, who signed with Too Short's Up All Nite Records, an imprint of Jive Records the following year. The group became best known for their hit song "Vans", their sole entry on the Billboard Hot 100, later releasing two studio albums before disbanding in 2010. McCartney's extensive use of social media in his solo career and online persona has yielded a cult following. His work spans several genres, including comedy hip-hop, new age, jazz, indie rock and choral music. He calls his alter ego the BasedGod, and is credited with having coined the slang term "based", which originally denoted a lifestyle of positivity, impudence or boldness. By the late 2010s, the phrase had been used to describe stances or actions that negate political correctness; by the 2020s, the term had entered the mainstream and regained a neutral connotation. Lil B has been credited as "the godfather of internet rap", a pioneer of the cloud rap subgenre, as well as one of the "most influential rappers" of the 2010s, influencing artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Playboi Carti, Young Thug, Lil Yachty, Chief Keef, Chance the Rapper, Yung Lean, Earl Sweatshirt, Black Kray, Bladee, Xaviersobased, and Tyler, the Creator, as well as actor Timothée Chalamet.
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Lil Pump
Gazzy Fabio Garcia (born August 17, 2000), known professionally as Lil Pump, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as part of the SoundCloud rap scene in the late 2010s, gaining distinction for his minimalist music and rambunctious public persona. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he gained mainstream attention following the release of his 2017 single "Gucci Gang", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded his self-titled debut studio album, released by Warner Records in October of that year. "Gucci Gang", despite being panned by critics, received quintuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while its parent album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. In the following two years, he saw continued success with his singles "I Love It" (with Kanye West featuring Adele Givens), "Esskeetit", "Drug Addicts", "Butterfly Doors", "Be Like Me" (featuring Lil Wayne), and "Welcome to the Party" (with Diplo and French Montana featuring Zhavia Ward) for the Deadpool 2 soundtrack. His second album, Harverd Dropout (2019), peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 and was panned by critics. His third album, Lil Pump 2 (2023), was met with mixed critical reception and failed to chart in any known territory.
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Lothar Bisky
Lothar Bisky (17 August 1941 – 13 August 2013) was a German politician. He was the chairman of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), the successor of East Germany's Socialist Unity Party (SED). In June 2007, he became co-chairman of The Left (Die Linke) party, formed by a merger of the PDS and the much smaller Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative. From 2007 until 2010, he was the President of the Party of the European Left. Also, he was the Publisher of the socialist newspaper Neues Deutschland.
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Louis Desaix
Louis Charles Antoine Desaix (French: [lwi ʃaʁl ɑ̃twan dəzɛ]) (17 August 1768 – 14 June 1800) was a French general and military leader during the French Revolutionary Wars. According to the usage of the time, he took the surname Desaix de Veygoux. He was considered one of the greatest generals of the Revolutionary Wars.
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Luther Allison
Luther Sylvester Allison (August 17, 1939 – August 12, 1997) was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was born in Widener, Arkansas, although some accounts suggest his actual place of birth was Mayflower, Arkansas. Allison was interested in music as a child and during the late 1940s he toured in a family gospel group called The Southern Travellers. He moved with his family to Chicago in 1951 and attended Farragut High School where he was classmates with Muddy Waters' son. He taught himself guitar and began listening to blues extensively. Three years later he dropped out of school and began hanging around outside blues nightclubs with the hopes of being invited to perform. Allison played with the bands of Howlin' Wolf and Freddie King, taking over King's band when King toured nationally. He worked with Jimmy Dawkins, Magic Sam and Otis Rush, and also backed James Cotton. Chicago Reader has called him "the Jimi Hendrix of blues guitar".
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Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI
Asaf Jah VI, also known as Sir Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqi (17 August 1866 – 29 August 1911), was the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad. He ruled Hyderabad State, one of the princely states of India, between 1869 and 1911.
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Mark Dinning
Max Edward "Mark" Dinning (August 17, 1933 – March 22, 1986) was an American pop music singer. In February 1960, the song "Teen Angel", written by his sister Jean (Eugenia) and her husband Red Surrey, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Jean and two of her sisters, Virginia and Lucille, comprised The Dinning Sisters, a popular singing trio in the 1940s. Additionally, Dinning is the uncle of Dean Dinning, bass guitarist for alternative rock band Toad the Wet Sprocket.
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Mark Felt
William Mark Felt Sr. (August 17, 1913 – December 18, 2008) was an American law enforcement officer who worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1942 to 1973 and was the informant known as "Deep Throat" in the Watergate scandal. After working in several FBI field offices and ascending through the ranks, Felt became the bureau's deputy director following J. Edgar Hoover's death in mid-1972. While his only superior was on sick leave, he provided two Washington Post reporters information about the Watergate scandal under the pseudonym "Deep Throat". He resigned in mid-1973 under suspicions that he was the informant. In 1980, he was convicted of having violated the civil rights of people thought to be associated with members of the Weather Underground, having ordered FBI agents to break into their homes and search the premises as part of an attempt to prevent bombings. He was ordered to pay a fine, but was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan during his appeal. In 2005, at age 91, Felt revealed to Vanity Fair magazine that during his tenure as Deputy Director of the FBI he was Deep Throat, who provided The Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein critical information about the Watergate scandal, ultimately leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974. Woodward, who had long vowed not to reveal Deep Throat's identity while the source was still alive, quickly confirmed Felt's claim. Though Felt's identity as Deep Throat was suspected, including by Nixon himself, it had generally remained a secret for 30 years. Felt finally acknowledged that he was Deep Throat after being persuaded by his daughter to reveal his identity before his death. Felt published two memoirs: The FBI Pyramid in 1979 (updated in 2006) and A G-Man's Life, written with John O'Connor in 2006. In 2012, the FBI released Felt's personnel file covering the period from 1941 to 1978. The agency also released files pertaining to an extortion threat made against Felt in 1956.
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Mary Cain
Mary Dawson Cain (August 17, 1904 – May 6, 1984) was an American newspaper editor, political activist, and gubernatorial candidate in Mississippi. A Democrat, she advocated for conservative causes and is particularly remembered for her campaigns against the Social Security tax. She ran for Governor of Mississippi in 1951 and 1955, the first woman to do so.
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Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara (née FitzSimons; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was an Irish and American actress and singer who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for playing passionate but sensible heroines, often in Westerns and adventure films. She worked with director John Ford and long-time friend John Wayne on numerous projects. O'Hara was born into a Catholic family and raised in Dublin, Ireland. She aspired to become an actress from a very young age. She trained with the Rathmines Theatre Company from the age of 10 and at the Abbey Theatre from the age of 14. She was given a screen test, which was deemed unsatisfactory, but Charles Laughton saw potential in her and arranged for her to co-star with him in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn in 1939. Laughton insisted that she change her surname from FitzSimons against her wishes, and she became "O'Hara". She moved to Hollywood the same year to appear with him in the production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and was given a contract by RKO Pictures. From there, she went on to enjoy a long and highly successful career, and acquired the nickname "the Queen of Technicolor". O'Hara appeared in films such as How Green Was My Valley (1941) (her first collaboration with John Ford), The Black Swan with Tyrone Power (1942), The Spanish Main (1945), Sinbad the Sailor (1947), the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947) with John Payne and Natalie Wood, and Comanche Territory (1950). O'Hara made her first film with John Wayne, the actor with whom she is most closely associated, in Rio Grande (1950); this was followed by The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963) and Big Jake (1971). Such was her strong chemistry with Wayne that many assumed they were married or in a relationship. In the 1960s, O'Hara increasingly turned to more motherly roles as she aged, appearing in films such as The Deadly Companions (1961), The Parent Trap (1961) and The Rare Breed (1966). She retired from the industry in 1971, but returned 20 years later to appear with John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991). In the late 1970s, O'Hara helped run her third husband Charles F. Blair Jr.'s flying business in Saint Croix in the United States Virgin Islands, and edited a magazine, but later sold them to spend more time in Glengarriff in Ireland. She was married three times, and had one daughter, Bronwyn, with her second husband. Her autobiography, 'Tis Herself, published in 2004, became a New York Times bestseller. In 2009, The Guardian named her one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination. In November 2014, she was presented with an Honorary Academy Award with the inscription "To Maureen O'Hara, one of Hollywood's brightest stars, whose inspiring performances glowed with passion, warmth and strength". In 2020, she was ranked number one on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors.
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Mick Malthouse
Michael Raymond Malthouse (born 17 August 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After finishing his playing career, Malthouse embarked on a distinguished coaching career with Footscray, West Coast, Collingwood and Carlton. He guided the Eagles to their first two AFL premierships in 1992 and 1994, and then led Collingwood to their 15th VFL/AFL premiership in 2010. Early in the 2015 AFL season, Malthouse broke the long-standing record held by legendary Collingwood coach Jock McHale for the most VFL/AFL senior games coached, eventually finishing with 718 over 31 seasons. Since the end of his coaching career, Malthouse has continued his involvement in football through his media commitments, especially with ABC Radio.
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Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (Russian: Михаи́л Моисе́евич Ботви́нник; IPA: [mʲɪxɐˈil məɪˈsʲejɪvʲɪdʑ‿bɐˈtvʲinʲːɪk]; August 17 [O.S. August 4] 1911 – May 5, 1995) was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster who held five world titles in three different reigns. The sixth World Chess Champion, he also worked as an electrical engineer and computer scientist and was a pioneer in computer chess, the last of which he was awarded an honorary mathematics degree for. Botvinnik was the first world-class player to develop within the Soviet Union. He played a major role in the organization of chess, making a significant contribution to the design of the World Chess Championship system after World War II and becoming a leading member of the coaching system that enabled the Soviet Union to dominate top-class chess during that time. His pupils include World Champions Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, and Vladimir Kramnik. He is often described as the patriarch of the Soviet chess school and is revered for his analytical approach to chess.
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Mohamed Abdelaziz
Mohamed Abdelaziz ben Khalili ben Mohamed al-Bachir Er-Rguibi (Arabic: محمد عبد العزيز, romanized: Muhammad ʿAbd al-ʿAziz; 17 August 1947 – 31 May 2016) was the 3rd Secretary General of the Polisario Front, from 1976, and the President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic from 1982, until his death in 2016.
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Monty Woolley
Edgar Montillion "Monty" Woolley (August 17, 1888 – May 6, 1963) was an American film and theater actor. At the age of 50, he achieved a measure of stardom for his role in the 1939 stage play The Man Who Came to Dinner and its 1942 film adaptation. His distinctive white beard was his trademark and he was affectionately known as "The Beard." Woolley was nominated twice for an Academy Award, for Best Actor in 1943 for The Pied Piper and for Best Supporting Actor in 1945 for Since You Went Away. He won a Best Actor award from the National Board of Review in 1942 for his role in The Pied Piper.
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Moses Majekodunmi
Chief Moses Adekoyejo Majekodunmi (Yoruba: Adékóyèjọ Májẹ̀kódùnmí, ; 17 August 1916 – 11 April 2012) was a Nigerian gynaecologist and obstetrician. He was Minister of Health in the Nigerian First Republic. As an Oloye of the Yoruba people, he held the chieftaincy titles of the Mayegun of Lagos and the Otun Balogun of the Christians of Egbaland.
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Nastasja Schunk
Nastasja Mariana Schunk (born 17 August 2003) is a German tennis player. Schunk has a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 143, achieved on 8 August 2022.
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Nathan Deakes
Nathan Deakes (born 17 August 1977 in Geelong) is an Australian former race walker. Deakes trained with the Australian Institute of Sport under Ronald Weigel and Craig Hilliard. By performances, Deakes is Australia's best and most successful ever race walker, winning several international medals and holding many Australian and World Records. He was the 2006 Australian Male Athlete of the year, Australia's most prestigious sporting award across all sports. He won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, finishing behind Ivano Brugnetti, who it was later established recorded suspicious blood samples around that period, and Francisco Fernandez, who later served a ban for doping after admitting to using the blood doping agent EPO. Deakes was also part of the leading duo in the 50 km walk, until being disqualified around the 34km mark, leaving Robert Korzeniowski alone in front to walk onto victory and a fourth Olympic gold medal. Deakes is a four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist. He won gold in the 20 km walk and 50 km walk events at both the 2002 Manchester Games and the 2006 Melbourne Games, becoming the first man to win both the 20 km and 50 km walks at two consecutive Commonwealth Games. He also won bronze medals at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games and the 1996 World Junior Championships. He won the gold medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka in the 50 km walk. in a dominant display in incredibly oppressive conditions. To cap off a successful 2007, Deakes was crowned 2007 Telstra Athletics Australia Male Athlete of the Year for the second time (the first being in 2004). He also was jointly awarded the AIS Athlete of the Year for 2007, sharing the honour with track cyclist Anna Meares. Deakes broke the 50 km walk world record on 2 December 2006 at the Australian 50 km Road Walking Championships in Geelong, recording a time of 3:35.47. This bettered race walking great Robert Korzeniowski's previous world record of 3:36.03. He is also 4th all-time for the 20 km walk, 1:17.33, and 7th all-time for the 20,000m walk, 1:19.47, and remains the Australian record holder for each of the Olympic distances. Deakes won the last edition of the Goodwill Games in Brisbane 2001. He beat a strong field consisting of the current Olympic Champion, Robert Korzeniowski, and the then current World Champion, Roman Rasskazov. On 21 July 2008 Deakes announced that he would withdraw from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, with a hamstring tendon injury that required surgery to repair. His last competitive outing came at the 2012 London Olympics, where he competed despite a year riddled with injury and finished 19th in the 50 km walk. He retired from the sport officially in February 2013, and became a Board Member soon after for Athletics Australia. In 2018 he was appointed as a member of the Athletics Integrity Unit Anti-Doping Panel. Deakes has completed university academic qualifications with a double degree in Banking & Finance and Law (Honours) from the University of Canberra, a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Australian National University and a Masters in Law with a Sports Law specialisation from the University of Melbourne. He is published in the area of sports integrity. Deakes works as a Crown Prosecutor. Inaugural inductee to University of Canberra Sport Walk of Fame in 2022.
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Nicola Porpora
Nicola (or Niccolò) Antonio Giacinto Porpora (17 August 1686 – 3 March 1768) was an Italian composer and teacher of singing of the Baroque era, whose most famous singing students were the castrati Farinelli and Caffarelli. Other students included composers Johann Adolph Hasse, Matteo Capranica and Joseph Haydn.
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Norm Coleman
Norman Bertram Coleman Jr. (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician, attorney, and lobbyist. From 2003 to 2009, he served as a United States senator for Minnesota. From 1994 to 2002, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. First elected as a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Coleman became a Republican in 1996. Elected to the Senate in 2002, he was narrowly defeated in his 2008 reelection bid. To date, he is the last Republican to have represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate. Born in New York City, Coleman was elected mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota's capital and second-largest city, in 1993 as a member of the Democratic Party. A liberal Democrat in his youth, Coleman shifted to conservatism as an adult. After conflicts with the Democratic Party over his conservative views, Coleman joined the Republican Party. He was reelected mayor a year later as a Republican. While serving as mayor, he was the Republican nominee in the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election, but lost to former professional wrestler and third-party candidate Jesse Ventura. Coleman challenged incumbent Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone in the 2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota. After Wellstone died in a plane crash a few weeks before the election, he was replaced on the ballot by former Vice President Walter Mondale. Coleman defeated Mondale by over two points. He sought reelection in 2008. In one of the closest elections in the history of the Senate, he lost to former comedian Al Franken by 312 votes out of over three million cast (a margin of just over 0.01%). Since his defeat, Coleman has been a lobbyist and chairs both the Republican Jewish Coalition and the conservative American Action Network. He is also the founder of the Congressional Leadership Fund super PAC and works as a lobbyist for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Percy Sherwell
Percy William Sherwell (17 August 1880 – 17 April 1948) was a South African cricketer who played in 13 Tests for South Africa as captain, wicketkeeper and batsman from 1906 to 1911.
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Phil Jagielka
Philip Nikodem Jagielka ( yə-GYEL-kə or JAG-ee-EL-kə;, Polish: Filip Jagiełka; born 17 August 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is primarily known for his lengthy tenures at Sheffield United and Everton. Jagielka came up through the youth ranks at Sheffield United from 1998 to 2000, where he made his first-team debut in the latter year. He helped them achieve top-flight status for the 2006–07 season. When Sheffield United were relegated, Jagielka joined Everton for a £4 million fee in 2007. He later captained the club from 2013 to 2019, and totalled 385 games. He left Everton in July 2019 after 12 years and returned to former club Sheffield United. He had brief stints at Championship clubs Derby County and Stoke City before retiring in 2023 at the age of 41. Debuting in 2008, he received 40 England caps during his international career and was included in the England squads at UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Lucille Bridgers (born August 17, 1994) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Her indie folk music typically centers on acoustic guitar and electronic production, with melancholic lyrical themes. She has won four Grammy Awards on eleven nominations. Bridgers has performed music since her youth and was a member of Sloppy Jane. She released her debut solo album, Stranger in the Alps, in 2017, followed by Punisher (2020), both of which received critical acclaim. She is also a member of the supergroup boygenius, with which she released a self-titled EP in 2018, followed by its debut album The Record and the EP The Rest in 2023. She was also a member of Better Oblivion Community Center with Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, with whom she released a self-titled album and two singles. Bridgers has been featured on tracks with Taylor Swift, the 1975's Matty Healy, The Killers, Muna, SZA, Kid Cudi, Christian Lee Hutson, Shame, and the National. She has progressive political views, and has advocated and fundraised for various causes.
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Rachel Hurd-Wood
Rachel Hurd-Wood (born 17 August 1990) is an English actress. She is known for her performances in the fantasy adventure film Peter Pan (2003), the supernatural horror film An American Haunting (2005), the thriller film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), the dark fantasy horror film Dorian Gray (2009), the action-adventure war film Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010) and the BBC Three television series Clique (2017–18).
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Rachel Pollack
Rachel Grace Pollack (August 17, 1945 – April 7, 2023) was an American science fiction author, comic book writer, and expert on divinatory tarot.
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Ralph McKittrick
Ralph McKittrick (August 17, 1877 – May 4, 1923) was an American golfer and tennis player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. In 1904 McKittrick was part of the American team which won the silver medal in the team golf event. He finished eleventh in this competition. In the individual competition he finished first in the qualification but was eliminated in the second round of the match play. McKittrick also competed in the single tennis competition but was eliminated in the second round. With his partner Dwight F. Davis he also participated in the tennis doubles tournament, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals. He graduated from Harvard University.
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Reggie Duff
Reginald Alexander Duff (17 August 1878 – 13 December 1911) was an Australian cricketer who played in 22 Tests between 1902 and 1905. Duff made his Test debut along with Warwick Armstrong, against England at Melbourne in 1901–02 and scored 104 after being held back until No. 10 in the second innings due to a bad pitch. This innings was the first instance of a Test No. 10 scoring a hundred on debut and one of only four centuries from that low in the order by anyone. He was a specialist batsman and opened in the second innings of the next Test. He also scored a century in his last Test match, becoming the first batsman to score a century on Test debut as well as a century in his final Test. Abul Hasan of Bangladesh became the second man to score a Test century at debut at No. 10 in 2012. Duff's career was plagued by alcoholism, and he lost his life at the age of 33 in 1911. His former colleagues from his home state of New South Wales paid for his funeral. Ric Sissons wrote a biography of Duff in 2015, Reggie, five years of fame, Reg Duff’s story. He was discussed briefly by Mike Atherton and Mark Butcher during the 2022 test at Trent Bridge, due to the absence of ducks during his Test Career.
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Richard Hunt
Richard Hunt (August 17, 1951 – January 7, 1992) was an American actor and puppeteer, best known as a Muppet performer on Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and other projects for The Jim Henson Company. His roles on The Muppet Show included Scooter, Statler, Janice, Beaker, and Sweetums and characters on Sesame Street included Gladys the Cow, Don Music, Forgetful Jones and the right head of the Two-Headed Monster.
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Roy Tattersall
Roy Tattersall (17 August 1922 – 9 December 2011) was an English cricketer who played for Lancashire and played sixteen Tests for England as a specialist off spin bowler. He was born at Tonge Moor, Bolton, Lancashire, England. Tattersall had an unusual style, quite different from the orthodox Jim Laker, who kept him out of a Test place for most of his career. Tattersall held his index finger around the seam of the ball and this allowed him to bowl a carefully disguised away-swinger to supplement his sharp off-break. He was rather faster than Laker, and this served to increase his penetration on the many wet wickets of his home county. Of small account as a batsman, he did nonetheless help Reg Simpson in a tenth wicket stand of 74 which helped to give England its first victory over Australia since their record win at The Oval in 1938.
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Rudy Gay
Rudy Carlton Gay Jr. (born August 17, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. A forward, he played college basketball for the UConn Huskies before being selected eighth overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, but was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies days later. He was named to the 2007 All-Rookie First Team.
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Sam Butera
Sam Butera (August 17, 1927 – June 3, 2009) was an American tenor saxophonist and singer best noted for his collaborations with Louis Prima and Keely Smith. Butera is frequently regarded as a crossover artist who performed with equal ease in both R&B and the post-big band pop style of jazz that permeated the early Vegas nightclub scene.
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Saraya Bevis
Saraya-Jade Bevis (; born 17 August 1992) is an English professional wrestler and actress. As of April 2026, she is signed to WWE, where she performs under the ring name Paige. She is also known for her tenure in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2022 to 2025, where she performed under her real name (stylized mononymously as Saraya). In 2005, at the age of 13, Bevis made her debut under the ring name Britani Knight for her family's World Association of Wrestling (WAW) promotion. She went on to hold several championships on the European independent circuit. After talent scouting in England, WWE signed Bevis in 2011 and she began wrestling in its developmental systems, debuting in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in 2012 and later going on a winning streak in NXT, culminating in her becoming the inaugural NXT Women's Champion. She made her surprise debut on the main roster in 2014 and immediately won the Divas Championship, making her the youngest Divas Champion and also the youngest female champion in company history at the age of 21. She is also the only woman to hold both a WWE and NXT Women's Championship simultaneously. In 2015 and 2016, Bevis went on hiatus due to injury, undergoing neck surgery in October 2016. She suffered another neck injury in December 2017 that forced her into retirement. Following her retirement, she remained with WWE as a contributor to WWE-related programs and fulfilled managing roles until her contract with the company expired in July 2022. In September 2022, she signed with AEW and made her debut for the company at Grand Slam Saraya, where she was the leader of The Outcasts stable. In August 2023 at All In, she won the AEW Women's World Championship in London. After her contract with AEW expired in 2025, she returned to WWE as an in-ring performer at WrestleMania 42 in April 2026, where she won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Brie Bella. In 2012, Channel 4 produced a documentary about Bevis and her family called The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family, which was later adapted into the biographical sports comedy-drama film Fighting with My Family (2019), starring Florence Pugh as Bevis. She ranked No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Female 50 in 2014, and was named Diva of the Year by Rolling Stone that same year.
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Seamus Mallon
Seamus Frederick Mallon ( SHAY-məs MAL-ən; 17 August 1936 – 24 January 2020) was an Irish politician who served as deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2001 and Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) from 1979 to 2001. He also sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1986 to 2005.
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Shane Porteous
John Shane Porteous (born 17 August 1942) (known as Shane Porteous) is an Australian actor, screenwriter, animation layout artist and animation voice artist. As a screenwriter, he is sometimes credited as John Hanlon. He remains best known for his role as in the TV serial A Country Practice, as Dr. Terence Elliot and original character and his ongoing role in TV series Pizza from 2000 until 2007. He has done numerous animation layouts and provided voice roles for feature film and shorts.
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Stefan Bastyr
Stefan Bastyr (17 August 1890 – 6 August 1920) was a Polish aviator and military pilot, one of the pioneers of the Polish aviation. He is credited with the first military flight in the history of the Polish Air Force on 5 November 1918, almost a week before Poland officially regained her independence, at the opening stages of the Polish-Ukrainian War. Initially he was a military pilot in Austria-Hungary during World War I. From February 1916 he served as an observer in Flik 10 reconnaissance squadron on the eastern front, from December 1917 in Flik 12D on Austro-Italian front. In 1918 he himself trained as a pilot and was assigned to Flik 37P from June 1918. He undertook about 100 sorties during the war and scored at least 1 air victory on 4 June 1916. In the Polish Air Force, he took part in the Battle of Lwów (1918). He performed the first military flight of Polish aircraft, on 5 November 1918 against Ukrainian troops at Persenkowka station, along with observer Janusz de Beaurain (he flew Oeffag C.II, or according to other publications, Hansa-Brandenburg C.I). He died in an aircrash of Fokker D.VII in Lviv (probably due to heart failure) during the Battle of Lwów (1920) and is buried at the Łyczaków cemetery in Lwów (modern Lviv).
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Stephan Eicher
Stephan Eicher (born 17 August 1960) is a Swiss singer. He sings in a variety of languages, including French, German, English, Italian, Swiss German and Romansh, sometimes using different languages in the same song. Eicher's success started in German-speaking countries in the 1980s when, as part of the band Grauzone, he had a hit single, Eisbär. With hit songs such as Combien de Temps and Oh Ironie, his popularity spread across Europe with albums, tours and chart success in France and Switzerland.
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Steve Gorman
Steve Gorman (born August 17, 1965) is an American musician and radio host. He is best known as the former drummer of the American rock and roll band The Black Crowes. He spent time as the drummer for British rock band Stereophonics. He also hosted his own radio show Steve Gorman Sports! on Fox Sports Radio. He is now the host of Steve Gorman Rocks! on Westwood One radio station affiliates and the morning-show co-host at KQRS-FM in Minneapolis. He also co-hosts on 101.5 WQUT in Tennessee.
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T. J. Anderson
Thomas Jefferson "T.J." Anderson, Jr. (born August 17, 1928) is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator and educator.
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Theodoros Pangalos
Theodoros Pangalos (Greek: Θεόδωρος Πάγκαλος; 17 August 1938 – 31 May 2023) was a Greek politician and leading member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). He served as the deputy prime minister of Greece, responsible for the coordination of the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA) and the new Economic & Social Policy Committee from 2009 to 2012.
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Tony Wrigley
Sir Edward Anthony Wrigley (17 August 1931 – 24 February 2022) was a British historical demographer. Wrigley and Peter Laslett co-founded the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure in 1964. Wrigley was born in Manchester on 17 August 1931. Wrigley's scholarly works focus on demographic history, and the long-term causes and effects of urbanization and industrialization. Among his many publications, Wrigley is known for the book Continuity, Chance and Change, published in 1988, in which he explained why Malthus was wrong about the law of diminishing returns slowing population growth. His most celebrated work, however, is The Population History of England, 1541-1871, published in 1981 with co-author Roger S. Schofield. Wrigley completed undergraduate and postgraduate courses at Peterhouse, Cambridge between 1949-1958. He was elected as a Fellow of Peterhouse in the latter year and held office until 1979, when he became an Emeritus Fellow there and also Professor of Population Studies at the London School of Economics. He ceased the professorship in 1988 to become a Senior Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford and returned to Cambridge as Professor of Economic History for the period 1994-1997. As of 2019, he was an Honorary Fellow at Peterhouse. He was Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge from 1994 until 2000, and was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1980, serving as president from 1997 to 2001. He was also a member of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was the recipient of the 2005 Leverhulme Medal and Prize awarded by the British Academy and in the same year became a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College. In 1960, Wrigley married Mieke Spelberg, with whom by 1972 he had three daughters and a son. He died on 24 February 2022, at the age of 90.
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Uhm Jung-hwa
Uhm Jung-hwa (Korean: 엄정화; born August 17, 1969) is a South Korean singer, actress and dancer. Uhm is considered to be one of the most influential women in the Korean entertainment industry, finding success in both music and film. Her legacy and career reinventions have given her the nickname of "Korean Madonna". Uhm began her career in 1989 as a chorus member for the broadcasting company MBC. She starred in the romantic drama film On a Windy Day, We Must Go to Apgujeong (1993) and released her debut studio album Sorrowful Secret that same year. Though both releases found limited audiences, the album's lead single, "Pupil", helped to establish a sensual image for Uhm. She pivoted to dance music with the single "Sad Expectation" (1996), and found success with "Rose of Betrayal" (배반의 장미) from her third studio album, After Love (1997). Subsequent album releases Invitation (1998) and 005.1999.06 (1999) were bolstered by a string of hit singles: "Poison", "Invitation", "I Don't Know" (몰라), and "Festival", which gained status as her signature songs. In 2001, Uhm began to focus on her acting career. Her performance in the erotic comedy Marriage Is a Crazy Thing (2002) won Best Actress at the 39th Baeksang Arts Awards, a category she received another nomination for with Princess Aurora (2006) and won again with Dancing Queen (2012). Her 2000s musical output saw declining commercial reception but greater appeal with critics. Uhm began experimenting with electronica on Self Control (2004), and funk on Prestige (2006), the latter of which won Best Dance and Electronic Album at the 4th Korean Music Awards. In 2008, she experienced a commercial resurgence with the single "D.I.S.C.O". Following a nearly decade-long hiatus from music, she released her tenth studio album The Cloud Dream of the Nine in 2017.
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V. S. Naipaul
Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul (; 17 August 1932 – 11 August 2018) was a Trinidad and Tobago-born British writer renowned for his works of fiction and nonfiction in English. He is known for his comic early novels set in Trinidad, his bleaker novels of alienation in the wider world, and his vigilant chronicles of life and travels. He wrote in prose that was widely admired, but his views sometimes aroused controversy. He published more than thirty books over fifty years. Naipaul's breakthrough novel A House for Mr Biswas was published in 1961. Naipaul won the Booker Prize in 1971 for his novel In a Free State. He won the Jerusalem Prize in 1983, and was awarded the Trinity Cross, Trinidad and Tobago's highest national honour, in 1990. He received a knighthood in 1990, and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001.
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Valerie Eliot
Esmé Valerie Eliot (née Fletcher; 17 August 1926 – 9 November 2012) was the second wife and later widow of the Nobel Prize-winning poet T. S. Eliot. She was a major shareholder in the publishing firm of Faber and Faber Limited and the editor and annotator of a number of books dealing with her late husband's writings.
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Vivienne de Watteville
Vivienne Florence Beatrice de Watteville (17 August 1900 – 27 June 1957) was a British travel writer and adventurer, author of two books based on her experiences in East Africa in the 1920s, Out in the Blue (1927) and Speak to the Earth (1935). She is best remembered for taking charge of and continuing an expedition in the Congo and Uganda at the age of 24, when her father was killed by a lion.
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Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt (17 August 1840 – 10 September 1922), sometimes spelt Wilfred, was an English poet and writer. He and his wife Lady Anne Blunt travelled in the Middle East and were instrumental in preserving the Arabian horse bloodlines through their farm, the Crabbet Arabian Stud. Blunt was best known for his poetry, which appeared in a collected edition in 1914, and also wrote political essays and polemics. He became additionally known for strongly anti-imperialist views that were relatively uncommon in his time.
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William Kidston
William Kidston (17 August 1849 – 25 October 1919) was an Australian bookseller, politician and Premier of Queensland, from January 1906 to November 1907 and again from February 1908 to February 1911.
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William Rootes, 1st Baron Rootes
William Edward Rootes, 1st Baron Rootes GBE (17 August 1894 – 12 December 1964) (Billy Rootes; The Lord Rootes) was a British motor manufacturer. He opened his first car sales agency in 1913, leading to the global Rootes Group. During the Second World War he supervised the volume manufacture of aircraft and engines, as well as the supply of military motor vehicles and armoured fighting vehicles. He was knighted in 1942 for these services and for organising the reconstruction of bomb-damaged Coventry after its saturation bombing by the Luftwaffe on 14–15 November 1940. In the 1950s, he became a leader of Britain's export drive, and chaired a committee to found the University of Warwick with a vision of academic links with industry.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (山本 由伸, Yamamoto Yoshinobu; born August 17, 1998) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Orix Buffaloes, where he became one of the most decorated pitchers in league history. Between 2021 and 2023, Yamamoto won three consecutive Pacific League Most Valuable Player Awards, three Eiji Sawamura Awards, and three Triple Crowns, leading the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average in each of those seasons. He also threw two no-hitters and was a key figure in Orix's 2022 Japan Series championship. Following the 2023 season, Yamamoto was posted to MLB and signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers, the largest ever for a pitcher at the time. In his rookie MLB season, he contributed to Los Angeles’ 2024 World Series title over the New York Yankees, becoming the first player in baseball history to win a World Series, an Olympic gold medal, and a World Baseball Classic title. In 2025, Yamamoto was named to his first All-Star team. He then helped the Dodgers win a second consecutive World Series title over the Toronto Blue Jays and claimed the World Series MVP award in the process, becoming only its second Asian recipient (after Hideki Matsui in 2009). Yamamoto again was named an All-Star in 2026. Internationally, he has represented Japan in multiple tournaments, earning gold medals at the 2019 WBSC Premier12, the 2020 Summer Olympics, and the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
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Yū Aoi
Yu Aoi (蒼井 優, Aoi Yū; born August 17, 1985) is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou. She subsequently portrayed Tetsuko Arisugawa in Hana and Alice (2004), also directed by Iwai, Kimiko Tanigawa in the hula dancing film Hula Girls and Hagumi Hanamoto in the 2006 live-action adaptation of the Honey and Clover manga series. She has won numerous awards for her performances on screen, including the Japan Academy Prize and Kinema Junpo Awards for best supporting actress in 2007 for Hula Girls and Rookie of the Year for continued performances in the field of Films in Media and Fine Arts by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan in 2009.
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