Who was born on August 31?
August 31 is packed with notable birthdays. Explore 120 famous birthdays, sorted by recent English Wikipedia pageviews. Top ranked names include Agnes Bulmer, Ahmad Al Harthy, Alan Jay Lerner, Albert Facey, Aleksander Krupa. Filter by actor, musician, athlete, and more — or open any other calendar day.
August 31
120 people
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Agnes Bulmer
Agnes Bulmer (31 August 1775 – 20 August 1836) was an English poet. Her work Messiah's Kingdom is thought to be the longest epic poem ever written by a woman, and took over nine years to complete.
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Ahmad Al Harthy
Ahmad Al Harthy (born 31 August 1981 in Muscat, Oman) is an Omani racing driver who currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMGT3 Class in the No. 46 BMW M4 GT3 for BMW M Team WRT alongside nine-time MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi and ADAC GT Masters champion, two time 24 Hours of Nürburgring winner, and DTM vice champion, Kelvin Van Der Linde. He won the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain Pro-Am 1 Championship and in 2017 became the Blancpain Endurance Cup Pro-Am Champion along with British team-mate Jonny Adam.
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Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre both for the stage and on film. Lerner won three Tony Awards and three Academy Awards, among other honors.
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Albert Facey
Albert Barnett Facey (31 August 1894 – 11 February 1982), publishing as A. B. Facey, was an Australian writer and World War I veteran, whose main work was his autobiography, A Fortunate Life, now considered a classic of Australian literature. As of 2020, it has sold over one million copies and was the subject of a television mini-series.
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Aleksander Krupa
Aleksander Krupa (born 18 March 1947), often credited as Olek Krupa, is a Polish-American film and television actor known for playing villains and criminals, such as in Eraser, Blue Streak, Home Alone 3 and The Italian Job. He portrayed a Bosnian Serb general engaged in genocide against Bosnian Muslims in Behind Enemy Lines and portrayed the President of Russia in the action thriller film Salt. Krupa played minor roles in Hollywood movies including X-Men: First Class, Hidden Figures, and The Fate of the Furious.
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Alex Harris
Alexander David Harris (born 31 August 1994) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Berwick Rangers. He has played in the Scottish Premier League, Scottish Premiership and Scottish Championship for Hibernian, Dundee, Queen of the South and Falkirk, and in the Scottish League Two for Edinburgh City.
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Allan Fotheringham
Allan Fotheringham (August 31, 1932 – August 19, 2020) was a Canadian newspaper and magazine journalist. He styled himself Dr. Foth and "the Great Gatheringfroth". He was described as "never at a loss for words".
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Alma Mahler
Alma Mahler-Werfel (born Alma Margaretha Maria Schindler; 31 August 1879 – 11 December 1964) was an Austrian composer, author, editor, and socialite. Musically active from her early years, she became a fixture of Vienna's fin de siècle cultural scene, and struck up friendships and relationships with a number of notable artists and composers. Alma was trained in composition by Max Burckhard, but ceased her compositional activity in 1902, when she married composer Gustav Mahler, who died in 1911. Between 1911 and 1914 she had a passionate affair with Oskar Kokoschka. In 1915, Alma married Walter Gropius, and they had a daughter, Manon Gropius. Throughout her marriage to Gropius, Alma engaged in an affair with Franz Werfel. Following her separation from Gropius, Alma and Werfel eventually married. In 1938, after Nazi Germany annexed Austria, Werfel and Alma fled, as it was unsafe for the Jewish Werfel. Eventually, the couple settled in Los Angeles. In later years, her salon became part of the artistic scene, first in Vienna, then in Los Angeles and New York.
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Amanda Anisimova
Amanda Kay Victoria Anisimova (; born August 31, 2001) is an American professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 3, achieved in January 2026. Anisimova is a two-time Grand Slam finalist, at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships and at the 2025 US Open. She has won four WTA Tour titles, including two WTA 1000 events. As a junior, Anisimova was ranked as high as No. 2 in the world, and won the 2017 US Open girls' singles title. Her breakthrough came as a 17-year-old in 2019, when she reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and the semifinals of the French Open, at the latter defeating defending champion and world No. 3 Simona Halep. In 2022, Anisimova reached the fourth round of the Australian Open (defeating defending champion Naomi Osaka en route) and the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships. Anisimova reached her career-best ranking to date in 2022, before temporarily stepping away from the sport for mental health reasons. Following her return, Anisimova posted her career-best results in 2025, including the Wimbledon and US Open finals, two WTA 1000 titles, and a top-5 ranking. In 2026, she reached the world No. 3 ranking.
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Amilcare Ponchielli
Amilcare Ponchielli (US: , Italian: [aˈmilkare poŋˈkjɛlli]; 31 August 1834 – 16 January 1886) was an Italian opera composer, best known for his opera La Gioconda. He was married to the soprano Teresina Brambilla.
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Amrita Pritam
Amrita Pritam ([əm.mɾɪt̪ɑː pɾiːt̪əm] ; 31 August 1919 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian novelist, essayist and poet, who wrote in Punjabi and Hindi. A prominent figure in Punjabi literature, she is the recipient of the 1956 Sahitya Akademi Award. Her body of work comprised over 100 books of poetry, fiction, biographies, essays, a collection of Punjabi folk songs and an autobiography that were all translated into several Indian and foreign languages. Pritam is best remembered for her poignant poem, Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu (Today I invoke Waris Shah – "Ode to Waris Shah"), an elegy to the 18th-century Punjabi poet, and an expression of her anguish over massacres during the partition of British India. As a novelist, her most noted work was Pinjar ("The Skeleton", 1950), in which she created her memorable character, Puro, an epitome of violence against women, loss of humanity and ultimate surrender to existential fate; the novel was made into an award-winning film, Pinjar (2003). When British India was partitioned into the independent states of India and Pakistan in 1947, she migrated from Lahore to India, though she remained equally popular in Pakistan throughout her life. Pritam's magnum opus, the long poem Sunehade, won her the 1956 Sahitya Akademi Award, making her the first and the only woman to have been given the award for a work in Punjabi. She received the Jnanpith Award, one of India's highest literary awards, in 1982 for Kagaz Te Canvas ("The Paper and the Canvas"). She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1969, and the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, in 2004. In that same year she was honoured with India's highest literary award given by the Sahitya Akademi (India's Academy of Letters), the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, awarded to the "immortals of literature" for lifetime achievement.
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Andriy Medvedev
Andrei Medvedev (Ukrainian: Андрій Медведєв, romanized: Andriy Medvedyev; born 31 August 1974) is a Ukrainian former professional tennis player. Medvedev reached the final of the 1999 French Open, the French Open semifinals in 1993, and won four Masters titles during his career, achieving a career-high ranking of world No. 4 in May 1994.
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Ann Coffey
Margaret Ann Coffey (née Brown; born 31 August 1946) is a British former politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Stockport from 1992 to 2019. A former member of the Labour Party, she defected to form Change UK. Coffey resigned from the Labour Party in 2019 in protest at the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn and, with six others, formed Change UK.
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António Félix da Costa
António Maria de Mello Breyner Félix da Costa (born 31 August 1991) is a Portuguese racing driver who competes in Formula E for Jaguar and in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Alpine. Félix da Costa won the 2019–20 Formula E Championship with Techeetah, and has won 14 ePrix across 12 seasons. In endurance racing, Félix da Costa won the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers in 2022 with Jota. Félix da Costa won the Macau Grand Prix invitational Formula Three race in 2012 and 2016, as well as the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup in 2009. After progressing through various levels of the junior formulae motorsport ladder, Félix da Costa's breakthrough year came during the 2012 season. Having started the season driving for the Carlin team in the GP3 Series, Félix da Costa was selected to join the Red Bull Junior Team, replacing Formula Renault 3.5 Series driver Lewis Williamson, who had failed to score a point in the first three meetings of the season. Félix da Costa assumed Williamson's drive with the Arden Caterham team, where he ultimately won four of the final five races to be held in the campaign en route to fourth position in the final championship standings, just 23 points behind eventual champion Robin Frijns. Félix da Costa moved to the Arden Caterham team full-time for the 2013 season. Both Félix da Costa and Frijns received tests with the Red Bull Racing Formula One team for the Young Drivers' test in Abu Dhabi – Félix da Costa's second such appearance at the tests, after driving for Force India in 2010 – with Félix da Costa setting the pace on the second day. He completed the season with the first Portuguese victory in the Macau Grand Prix in 58 years, leading every racing lap of the meeting en route to victory.
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Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer. At the peak of his success, in the early to mid-1950s, Godfrey was heard on radio and seen on television up to six days a week, at times for as many as nine separate broadcasts for CBS. His programs included Arthur Godfrey Time (Monday-Friday mornings on radio and television), Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (Monday evenings on radio and television), Arthur Godfrey and His Friends (Wednesday evenings on television), The Arthur Godfrey Digest (Friday evenings on radio) and King Arthur Godfrey and His Round Table (Sunday afternoons on radio). In 1953, Godfrey's infamous on-air firing of cast member Julius La Rosa permanently damaged his kindly, down-to-earth, family-man image which resulted in an immediate decline of his popularity that he was never able to overcome. Over the next two years, Godfrey fired over twenty additional cast and crew members, under similar circumstances, for which he was heavily attacked by the press and public alike. A self-made man, Godfrey was fiercely competitive; some of his employees were fired for merely speaking with those he considered to be competitors, like Ed Sullivan, or for signing with a talent agent. By the late 1950s, CBS reduced his on-air presence to hosting his daily radio show, which ended in 1972, and the occasional television special. Sometimes introduced by his nickname "The Old Redhead", Godfrey was strongly identified with many of his commercial sponsors, especially Chesterfield cigarettes and Lipton Tea. He advertised Chesterfield for many years, during which time he devised the slogan "Buy 'em by the carton"; he terminated his relationship with the company after he quit smoking, five years before he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1959. Godfrey later became a prominent spokesman for the anti-tobacco movement.
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August Alle
August Alle (31 August [O.S. 19 August] 1890 – 8 July 1952) was an Estonian writer.
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Big Tiny Little
Dudley "Big Tiny" Little, Jr. (August 31, 1930 – March 3, 2010) was an American musician who appeared on The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1959. His primary instrument was the piano.
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Brian Edmund Baker
Air Marshal Sir Brian Edmund Baker (31 August 1896 – 8 October 1979) was an officer of the Royal Air Force who served in both World Wars. He was a flying ace in World War I credited, in conjunction with his gunners, with twelve victories, comprising one enemy aircraft captured, four destroyed (including one shared), and seven "out of control" (including one shared).
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Brittany Mahomes
Brittany Lynne Mahomes (née Matthews; born August 31, 1995) is an American sports team co-owner and former soccer player who played as a forward. She is a founding co-owner of the Kansas City Current, a team in the American professional top-division National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She is married to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They have been married since 2022.
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Clay Hensley
Clayton Allen Hensley (born August 31, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins, and San Francisco Giants.
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Colm O'Rourke
Colm O'Rourke (born 31 August 1957) is a Gaelic football manager, former player, retired secondary school principal, sports broadcaster and columnist. His league and championship career at senior level with the Meath county team spanned twenty years from 1975 to 1995. Born in Aughavas, County Leitrim, his family moved to Skryne in County Meath, where O'Rourke spent his youth. He played competitive Gaelic football during his schooling at St Patrick's Classical School in Navan. O'Rourke first appeared for the Skryne club at underage levels, before winning two county senior championship medals in 1992 and 1993. He gained his Bachelor of Arts degree (1978) and Higher Diploma in Education (1979) from University College Dublin. While studying at University College Dublin he won a Sigerson Cup medal in 1979. He was awarded UCD Alumnus of the Year in Sport in 2016. O'Rourke made his debut on the inter-county scene when he was picked for the Meath minor team. He later joined the under-21 side but enjoyed little success in these grades. O'Rourke made his senior debut during the 1975–76 league. Over the course of the next twenty years he was a regular member of the starting fifteen and won back-to-back All-Ireland medals in 1987 and 1988. He also won five Leinster medals, three National Football League medals and was named Footballer of the Year in 1991. O'Rourke played his last game for Meath in July 1995. In retirement from playing O'Rourke combined his teaching career with a new position as a sports broadcaster. His media career began with RTÉ where he worked as a studio analyst with the flagship programme The Sunday Game for over twenty-five years. O'Rourke also managed the Meath senior team between 2022 and 2024, and writes a weekly column for the Sunday Independent.
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Commodus
Commodus (; Latin: [ˈkɔmmɔdʊs]; 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was Roman emperor from 177 to 192, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father Marcus Aurelius and then ruling alone from 180. Commodus's sole reign is commonly thought to mark the end of the Pax Romana, a golden age of peace and prosperity in the history of the Roman Empire. Commodus accompanied his father during the Marcomannic Wars in 172 and on a tour of the Eastern provinces in 176. The following year, he became the youngest emperor and consul up to that point, at the age of 16. His sole reign saw less military conflict than that of Marcus Aurelius, but internal intrigues and conspiracies abounded, goading Commodus to an increasingly dictatorial style of leadership. This culminated in his creating a deific personality cult, including his performances as a gladiator in the Colosseum. Throughout his reign, Commodus entrusted the management of affairs to his palace chamberlain and praetorian prefects, namely Saoterus, Perennis, and Cleander. Commodus was assassinated by the wrestler Narcissus in 192, ending the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was succeeded by Pertinax, the first claimant in the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors.
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Craig Cumming
Craig Derek Cumming (born 31 August 1975) is a New Zealand former international cricketer. He played 11 Test matches and 13 One Day Internationals for the New Zealand national team. He played domestic cricket with Canterbury and Otago.
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Danny Litwhiler
Daniel Webster Litwhiler (August 31, 1916 – September 23, 2011) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1940 to 1951 for the Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cincinnati Reds. He was the first Major League Baseball player to have an error-free season while playing a full-time position on defense. That same season, 1942, he also became the first player to stitch together the fingers of his glove. After his playing career, he continued to work in baseball as a coach in college sports.
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Debbie Gibson
Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She released her debut album Out of the Blue (1987) at age 16, writing and largely producing the material. The album spawned several international hits, later being certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. One of those singles, "Foolish Beat", made Gibson the youngest female artist to write, produce, and perform a Billboard Hot 100 number-one single. Her double-platinum second album Electric Youth (1989) gave Gibson another U.S. number-one hit with "Lost in Your Eyes". Gibson is the sole songwriter on all of her singles to reach the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. She was recognized by ASCAP as Songwriter of the Year, along with Bruce Springsteen, in 1989. Gibson continued to record and release music throughout the 1990s and 2000s. In 2006, she reached number 24 on the U.S. adult contemporary chart with "Say Goodbye", a duet with Jordan Knight, and in 2017 achieved her highest-charting appearance in more than 25 years in her duet with Sir Ivan, "I Am Peaceman". Gibson's 2020 single "Girls Night Out" became her first top five and highest-charting hit after 30 years. In addition to music, she then has had starring roles on Broadway and touring musicals including playing Eponine in Les Misérables and Sandy in Grease as well as television and independent film work.
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Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as Adventure Time, American Dad!, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ben 10, Codename: Kids Next Door, The Fairly OddParents, Gravity Falls, Handy Manny, Higglytown Heroes, Jungle Junction, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Miles from Tomorrowland, Milo Murphy's Law, Muppet Babies, My Friends Tigger & Pooh, Phineas and Ferb, The Powerpuff Girls, SpongeBob SquarePants, Steven Universe, The 7D, and The Legend of Korra. His voice work in live-action series includes Legends of the Hidden Temple and Shop 'til You Drop, as well as films such as Space Jam and The Boxtrolls. Baker is especially known for his work on various Star Wars television series, mainly as the voice of Captain Rex and other clone troopers in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and Star Wars: The Bad Batch as well as multiple characters in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord. He has also voiced characters in video games including Halo, Gears of War, Viewtiful Joe, Destiny, Overwatch, Dota 2 and Portal 2.
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Deniz Aydoğdu
Deniz Aydoğdu (born 31 August 1983 in Berlin, Germany) is a Turkish footballer. Aydoğdu made 2 appearances in the Süper Lig during his playing career.
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Dezmon Briscoe
Dezmon Jerrod Briscoe (born August 31, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft. He played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks.
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DuBose Heyward
Edwin DuBose Heyward (August 31, 1885 – June 16, 1940) was an American author best known for his 1925 novel Porgy. He and his wife Dorothy, a playwright, adapted it as a 1927 play of the same name. The couple worked with composer George Gershwin to adapt the work as the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. It was later adapted as a 1959 film of the same name. Heyward also wrote poetry and other novels and plays, as well as the children's book The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes (1939).
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Eduardo Nonato Joson
Eduardo Nonato "Edno" Noriel Joson (August 31, 1950 – March 12, 2025) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served in the Philippine legislature as assemblyman from Nueva Ecija (1984–1986) and representative of the province's first district (1987–1992 and 2007–2010). In the local level, he served as provincial governor (1995–1998) wherein he was suspended twice in his tenure. He also served as administrator of the National Food Authority during the presidency of Joseph Estrada. He was the second son of former Nueva Ecija Governor Eduardo Joson Sr.
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Edward Brongersma
Edward Brongersma (31 August 1911 in Haarlem, Netherlands – 22 April 1998 in Bloemendaal/Overveen, Netherlands) was a Dutch politician and doctor of law. For a number of years he was a member of the Dutch Senate for the Labour Party, and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He was primarily known for pedophilia advocacy and as an advocate of more lax legislation on public morality.
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Eldridge Cleaver
Leroy Eldridge Cleaver (August 31, 1935 – May 1, 1998) was an African American writer and political activist, fashion designer, self-confessed serial rapist, and an early leader of the Black Panther Party serving as Minister of Information, and while in exile, Head of the International Section of the Panthers. As editor of the official Panthers' newspaper, The Black Panther, Cleaver's influence on the direction of the party was rivaled only by founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. In 1966, Cleaver was convicted of a series of crimes including assault and attempted murder, and eventually served time in Folsom and San Quentin prisons until being released on parole. In 1968, Cleaver published Soul on Ice, a collection of essays that was met with both praise and condemnation due to its searing commentary on American society and its provocative assertions. That same year, he became a fugitive after wounding two Oakland police officers in an ambush, during which Cleaver was wounded and fellow Black Panther Bobby Hutton was killed. Cleaver and Newton eventually fell out with each other, resulting in a split that weakened the party. After spending seven years in exile in Cuba, Algeria, and France, Cleaver returned to the U.S. in 1975, where he designed provocative clothes for men, and later became involved in various religious groups (Unification Church and the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP)) before joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as becoming a conservative Republican, appearing at Republican events.
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Emperor Zhangzong of Jin
Emperor Zhangzong of Jin (31 August 1168 – 29 December 1208), personal name Madage, sinicized name Wanyan Jing, was the sixth emperor of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty of China. He reigned from 20 January 1189 to 29 December 1208. During his rule, he is credited for ordering the construction of the beautiful Taiye Lake, an artificial lake in Beijing, that remains to this day. He also established many Confucian temples throughout Northeast China and was tolerant of both Han and Jurchen cultures and customs. However, the Jin dynasty began to decline as he started neglecting governmental affairs and showing favoritism to one of his concubines Li Shi'er and her family members in political office. The Tatar confederation who once allied with the Jin dynasty rebelled and joined the rising Mongol Empire. The Southern Song chancellor Han Tuozhou tried to take advantage of Madage's incompetency by launching an attack on the Jin. However the Jin dynasty defeated the Southern Song, and the Southern Song was forced to pay retribution and execute Han Tuozhou for the Jin. Madage died shortly after the Song's failed invasion and was succeeded by yet another incompetent ruler. Seeing the declining state of the Jin dynasty under Madage and his successor, Genghis Khan launched an invasion on the Jin shortly after Madage's death. The Yuan dynasty would ultimately conquer both the Jin and Southern Song dynasties, reunifying China after centuries of war between the various empires.
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Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat
Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga (31 August 1652 – 5 July 1708) was the only child of Duke Charles II of Mantua and Montferrat, and the last ruler of the Duchy of Mantua of the House of Gonzaga.
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Ferenc Fejtő
Ferenc Fejtő (31 August 1909 – 2 June 2008), also known as François Fejtő, was a Hungarian-born French journalist and political scientist specializing in Eastern Europe.
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Frank Jarvis
Frank Washington Jarvis (August 31, 1878 in California, Pennsylvania – June 2, 1933 in Sewickley, Pennsylvania) was an American sprinter, the 1900 Olympic 100 m champion, and a triple jumper.
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Fredric March
Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated stars of the 1930s and 1940s. As a performer he was known for his versatility. He received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, two Tony Awards, two Volpi Cups, the Silver Bear, as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and three Emmy Awards. March began his career in 1920, by working as an extra in movies filmed in New York City. He made his stage debut on Broadway in 1926 at the age of 29, and by the end of the decade, he had signed a film contract with Paramount Pictures. He made seven pictures in 1929. He went on to receive two Academy Awards, for his performances in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) and The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). His other Oscar-nominated performances were in the films The Royal Family of Broadway (1930), A Star is Born (1937), and Death of a Salesman (1951). March gained popularity after establishing himself with leading man roles in films such as Honor Among Lovers (1931), Merrily We Go to Hell (1932), Design for Living (1933), Death Takes a Holiday, The Barretts of Wimpole Street (both 1934), Les Misérables, Anna Karenina, The Dark Angel (all 1935), Anthony Adverse (1936), Nothing Sacred (1937), and I Married a Witch (1942). His later film roles include Executive Suite, The Bridges at Toko-Ri (both 1954), The Desperate Hours (1955), Inherit the Wind (1960), and Seven Days in May (1964). He made his final film appearance in The Iceman Cometh (1973). March was also known for his stage roles; he made his Broadway debut in the play The Melody Man (1926), and during his stage career he twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, for his performances in the Ruth Gordon play Years Ago (1947) and in Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night (1956). He and Helen Hayes are the only actors to have won both the Academy Award and the Tony Award twice.
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Galusha A. Grow
Galusha Aaron Grow (August 31, 1823 – March 31, 1907) was the 24th speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1861 to 1863. Elected as a Democrat in the 1850 congressional elections, he switched to the newly organized Republican Party in the mid-1850s when the Democratic Party tried to force the extension of slavery into western territories. Elected speaker for the 37th Congress, Grow presided over the House during the initial years of the American Civil War. During his tenure Congress passed the landmark Homestead Act of 1862, which he supported. Grow was defeated for reelection in 1862. For over a century he remained the last incumbent House speaker to be defeated, until Speaker Tom Foley lost his seat in 1994. After leaving office he continued to speak out on political issues, but did not serve in elective office. Then, 31 years after leaving office, Grow won an 1894 special election to succeed William Lilly. It remains one of the longest known interregnums between terms of service for a House member. Over the course of his career, Grow represented the people of three Pennsylvania congressional districts: the 12th district (1851–1853), 14th district (1853–1863), and Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district (1894–1903).
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Gene Hoglan
Eugene Victor Hoglan II (born August 31, 1967) is an American drummer, known for his work with thrash metal bands Dark Angel and Testament. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including use of abstract devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms. Though his playing style is very technically demanding, he retains high accuracy at extreme tempos, earning him the nicknames "The Atomic Clock" and "Human Drum Machine". Hoglan has played for numerous metal bands across his career. He first established himself as the drummer of Dark Angel in the 1980s, and began to expand his repertoire in the early 1990s after that band split up. Since then, he has played for Death, Strapping Young Lad and the solo projects of its frontman Devin Townsend, Fear Factory, Dethklok and Testament, amid two Dark Angel reunions and participation in several other side projects. He released his own album, the Gene Hoglan: The Atomic Clock DVD, and served as Testament's longest-serving drummer. Hoglan was featured on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine in November 2010. He also won Terrorizer magazine's Reader's Poll for Best Drummer 2010, and Modern Drummer magazine nominated Hoglan for Best Metal Drummer, and Best Recorded Performance (for Dethklok's Dethalbum II) on their 2011 ballot. He was nominated for Best Drummer in Revolver magazine's 2010 Reader's Poll.
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Georg von Hertling
Georg Friedrich Karl Freiherr von Hertling, from 1914 Count von Hertling, (31 August 1843 – 4 January 1919) was a German politician of the Catholic Centre Party. He was foreign minister and minister president of Bavaria, then imperial chancellor of the German Reich and minister president of Prussia from 1 November 1917 to 30 September 1918. He was the first party politician to hold the two offices; all of his predecessors were career civil servants or military men. Hertling's Catholicism played an important role in both his academic and political life. He belonged to the conservative wing of the Centre Party and resisted moves towards making the government dependent on the will of parliament rather than on the emperor, a stance that helped bring down his government in the final months of World War I.
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George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol
George William Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol (3 August 1721 – 18/20 March 1775) was an English diplomat and politician who was the eldest son of John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, by his marriage with Mary Hervey. Lord Bristol served for some years in the British Army, and in 1755 was sent to Turin as envoy extraordinary. He was ambassador at Madrid from 1758 to 1761, filling a difficult position with credit and dignity, and ranked among the followers of William Pitt the Elder. Appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1766, he never visited that country during his short tenure of this office, and, after having served for a short time as keeper of the Privy Seal, became Groom of the Stool to George III in January 1770. He died unmarried, despite a youthful flirtation with the Lady Townshend, and was succeeded by his brother.
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George Sarton
George Alfred Leon Sarton (; 31 August 1884 – 22 March 1956) was a Belgian-American chemist and historian. He is considered the founder of the discipline of the history of science as an independent field of study. His most influential works were the Introduction to the History of Science, which consists of three volumes and 4,296 pages, and the journal Isis. Sarton ultimately aimed to achieve an integrated philosophy of science that provided a connection between the sciences and the humanities, which he referred to as "the new humanism". He was a founder of the History of Science Society and is the namesake of its George Sarton Medal, a prestigious lifetime achievement award for historians of science.
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Gino Lucetti
Gino Lucetti (31 August 1900 – 17 September 1943) was an Italian anarchist and anti-fascist who attempted to assassinate the Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini in 1926. After World War I, Lucetti was involved in many clashes and political brawls during the Biennio Rosso. He continued to oppose local fascists and on 26 September 1925, after an argument, he wounded with a pistol the fascist militant and fellow citizen Alessandro Perfetti. His companion, Antonio Vatteroni, fired back, wounding Lucetti in his neck and ear as he fled. In spite of the wound, he escaped and embarked on a ship to Marseille. He came back to Italy under the name of Ermete Giovannini, with the intention of attacking Mussolini's life, following a plan that he claimed to have developed alone. On 11 September 1926, the day of the trial for the shooting of the previous year, in front of Porta Pia in Rome, Lucetti launched a bomb against the Lancia Lambda of Mussolini on the usual route from Villa Torlonia, his house, to his office in Palazzo Chigi. The bomb exploded on the ground, slightly injuring eight people but leaving the target unharmed. When arrested by the police he said, "I didn't come with a bouquet of flowers for Mussolini. But I was also willing to use the revolver if I didn't achieve my aim with the bomb." He was sentenced to 30 years in prison but he was freed or escaped in 1943 when Napoli was liberated. On 17 September 1943, he died in the island of Ischia due to an air bombardment from the Germans. The anarchist brigade Lucetti Battalion of the Italian Resistance during World War II was named after him.
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Grant Batty
Grant Bernard Batty (31 August 1951 – 16 January 2026) was a New Zealand rugby union footballer. A diminutive but effective wing for the All Blacks, Batty played domestically for Wellington and Bay of Plenty. A crowd favourite, he was usually the smallest man on the field. Nicknamed "Batts", he was also known as "Twinkle Toes" or "Pocket Rocket" for his small size, explosive acceleration, and fearless combative approach. His rugby career was cut short by a knee injury, leading to his retirement in 1977 at age 25.
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Guillaume Amontons
Guillaume Amontons (31 August 1663 – 11 October 1705) was a French scientific instrument inventor and physicist. He was one of the pioneers in studying the problem of friction, which is the resistance to motion when bodies make contact. He is also known for his work on thermodynamics, the concept of absolute zero, and early engine design.
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Géza Révész
Géza Révész (31 August 1902 – 22 January 1977) was a Hungarian military officer and politician, who served as Minister of Defence between 1957 and 1960. During the Hungarian Soviet Republic and the Second World War he fought in the Red Army. From 1960 to 1963 he was the Hungarian ambassador to the Soviet Union.
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Harald Ertl
Harald Ertl (31 August 1948 – 7 April 1982) was an Austrian racing driver and motorsport journalist. He was born in Zell am See and attended the same school as Grand Prix drivers Jochen Rindt, Helmut Marko and Niki Lauda. Ertl sported an 'Imperial'-style moustache and full beard. He worked his way through the German Formula Vee and Super Vee, and then on to Formula Three, before a successful switch to Touring Cars. During this period, he gained sufficient sponsorship to enter Formula One, where he drove with various outfits between 1975 and 1980. Ertl was one of the four drivers who helped to get Niki Lauda out of his burning Ferrari in the 1976 German Grand Prix. Ertl was killed in an aeroplane crash in 1982, when the small plane he was travelling in suffered from engine failure.
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Helen Levitt
Helen Levitt (August 31, 1913 – March 29, 2009) was an American photographer and cinematographer. She was particularly noted for her street photography around New York City. David Levi Strauss described her as "the most celebrated and least known photographer of her time."
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Henry Joy McCracken
Henry Joy McCracken (31 August 1767 – 17 July 1798) was an Irish republican executed in Belfast for his part in leading United Irishmen in the Rebellion of 1798. Convinced that the cause of representative government in Ireland could not be advanced under the British Crown, McCracken had sought to forge a revolutionary union between his fellow Presbyterians in Ulster and the country's largely dispossessed Catholic majority. In June 1798, following reports of risings in Leinster, he seized the initiative from a leadership that hesitated to act without French assistance and led a rebel force against a British garrison in Antrim Town. Defeated, he was returned to Belfast where he was court-martialled and hanged.
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Hermann von Helmholtz
Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (31 August 1821 – 8 September 1894; "von" since 1883) was a German physicist and physician who made significant contributions in several scientific fields, particularly hydrodynamic stability. The Helmholtz Association, the largest German association of research institutions, was named in his honour. Helmholtz is remembered for at the time groundbreaking work in natural science linking theory and practical research work. He was given the von in his surname by Emperor William II. In the fields of physiology and psychology, Helmholtz is known for his mathematics concerning the eye, theories of vision, ideas on the visual perception of space, colour vision research, the sensation of tone, perceptions of sound, and empiricism in the physiology of perception. In physics, he is known for his theories on the conservation of energy and on the electrical double layer, work in electrodynamics, chemical thermodynamics, and on a mechanical foundation of thermodynamics. Although credit is shared with Julius von Mayer, James Joule, and Daniel Bernoulli—among others—for the energy conservation principles that eventually led to the first law of thermodynamics, he is credited with the first formulation of the energy conservation principle in its maximally general form. As a philosopher, he is known for his philosophy of science, ideas on the relation between the laws of perception and the laws of nature, the science of aesthetics, and ideas on the civilizing power of science. By the late nineteenth century, Helmholtz's development of a broadly Kantian methodology, including the a priori determination of the manifold of possible orientations in perceptual space, had inspired new readings of Kant and contributed to the late modern neo-Kantianism movement in philosophy.
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Holly Earl
Holly Earl (born 31 August 1992) is an English actress. She started her career as a child actor, in the television series Touching Evil (1997–1998), and may be best known for her recurring role in the first three seasons of Cuckoo (2012–2016), or her main cast roles in the series Beowulf (2016) and in the third season of Humans (2018). Her films include Werner Herzog’s Queen of the Desert (2015), Once Upon a Time in London (2018) and her role as the 15-year-old version of a character played by Phyllis Logan in Last Train to Christmas (2021).
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Husein Gradaščević
Husein Gradaščević (Husein-kapetan) (31 August 1802 – 17 August 1834), also known as Zmaj od Bosne (lit. 'Dragon of Bosnia'), was an Ottoman Bosnian military commander who led an uprising against the Tanzimat, a system of political reforms with aim to modernise the Ottoman Empire. Born into a Bosnian noble family, Gradaščević became the captain of Gradačac in the early 1820s, succeeding his relatives (among whom was his father) in the position. He grew up surrounded by a political climate of turmoil in the western reaches of the Ottoman Empire. With the Russo-Turkish war (1828–29), Gradaščević's importance rose; the Bosnian governor gave him the task of mobilising an army between the Drina and Vrbas. By 1830, Gradaščević became the spokesman of all Ottoman captains in Bosnia and coordinated the defence in light of a possible Serbian invasion. Sparked by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II's reforms that abolished the Janissaries and weakened the privileges of the nobility, and the autonomy and territory granted to the Principality of Serbia, much of the Bosnian nobility united and revolted. Gradaščević was chosen as the leader and claimed the title of Vizier. This uprising, with goals of autonomy, lasted three years and included the termination of Ottoman loyals mainly in Herzegovina. Among notable accomplishments, Gradaščević led forces victorious against the Ottoman field marshal in Kosovo. The uprising failed, and all captaincies were abolished by 1835. Temporarily exiled to Austria, he negotiated his return with the Sultan and was allowed to enter all of the Ottoman Empire except Bosnia. He died under controversial circumstances in 1834 and was most probably buried in the backyard of the Eyup Mosque in Istanbul, or nearby Eyüp Cemetery. Gradaščević received the honorific "the Dragon of Bosnia" (Zmaj od Bosne), and is considered a Bosniak national hero.
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Ian Crocker
Ian Lowell Crocker (born August 31, 1982) is an American former competition swimmer, five-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. During his career, he set world records in the 50- and 100-meter butterfly (long course and short course) and the 100-meter freestyle (short course). He has won a total of twenty-one medals in major international competition, spanning the Olympics, the FINA World Aquatics Championships, and the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. He coached for many years at the Western Hills Athletic Club and has helped coach the Longhorns swim camp in 2019 as well as other years. Since Spring of 2022 when the new facility opened, Crocker coaches at the Western Aquatics and Social Club at the Eanes Independent School District Aquatics center.
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Isabella de' Medici
Princess Isabella Romola de' Medici (31 August 1542 – 16 July 1576), Duchess of Bracciano, was a Tuscan noblewoman, daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, first Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Eleanor of Toledo. Beautiful, intelligent, witty and refined, she was referred to as the Star of the House of Medici (La Stella di Casa Medici), in recognition of "her playfulness, vibrancy, often sarcastic sense of humour, sharpness and interest in a huge variety of topics - not to mention the great parties she held". Isabella de' Medici's influence on Renaissance Florence, through her patronage of the arts, political activities, and notable personal qualities, marks her as a significant figure within the Medici court of Grand Duke Cosimo I. Educated in the humanist tradition with her siblings, including future Grand Dukes of Tuscany Francesco and Ferdinando de' Medici, Isabella de' Medici's destiny as a princess of the ruling Medici family, the first princes of Italy at the time, was to serve the family's political interests through marriage. Consequently, to secure Tuscany's southern borders through an alliance with the powerful Roman Orsini family, Isabella's father arranged her marriage to Paolo Giordano I Orsini when she was eleven years old. Unconventionally however, at her father's request, she remained in Florence after her marriage at age sixteen, a decision that granted her an unprecedented level of independence for a woman of her era. Following her mother's death, Isabella's influence grew, and under the protection of her father, Cosimo I, she served as the primary female figure of the Medici family and the First Lady of Florence. Her prominent role was even recognised by other European courts, incl. the Vatican, during official occasions. Following in the footsteps of her Medici ancestors, she occupied a central role within Florence's intellectual milieu, establishing a cultural circle, as well as championing the cause of female artists. Isabella's patronage extended to a wide range of artistic and intellectual figures, including writers, poets, painters, musicians, and scientists. Many dedicated their works to her, acknowledging her as a key figure in Florentine society and often portraying her in near-royal terms. This patronage fostered a vibrant intellectual and artistic environment in Florence and contributed to the revival of the city as a hub of Renaissance culture. In an era when female patronage of the arts, beyond religious commissions, was still rather uncommon, she commissioned artworks solely for their aesthetic value. A key aspect of Isabella's contribution was her promotion of Florentine culture and its authors, including women artists, all the while spearheading initiatives alongside her father to establish vernacular Tuscan as Italy's official language. Contemporary accounts and artistic representations often idealised Isabella, comparing her to figures such as Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Minerva, emphasising her beauty, intellect, wisdom, and spirituality. Some even described her as a "new goddess," reflecting the high regard in which she was held. Beyond the artistic sphere, Isabella also acted as a patron for women, supporting their professional endeavours and offering protection from abusive husbands, demonstrating her broader social influence. In contrast to conventional expectations placed upon married women, Isabella de' Medici established a separate personal residence, the Villa Baroncelli (known today as Villa del Poggio Imperiale), which she held in her own name, distinct from her official marital residence in the ancestral Palazzo Medici on Via Larga. This choice not only asserted her independence but also stood as a tangible challenge to the prevailing societal norm of women being considered their husbands' property. In 1576, two years after her father's death, Isabella died in circumstances that gave rise to widespread speculation of murder. Contemporary accounts and diplomatic dispatches suggest her husband may have been responsible, possibly with the complicity of her brother Grand Duke Francesco, in retaliation for her alleged affair with her husband's cousin, Troilo Orsini. Others suggested that Isabella's growing influence and popularity made her a potential rival to her brother Francesco, since as the mother of Cosimo I's only grandson at the time she could have served as a figurehead for opposition to his unpopular rule - a concern not unfounded in the wake of the Pucci conspiracy. However, scholar Elisabetta More argued that a literal reading of the correspondence between Isabella and her husband supports the conclusion that she died of natural causes. Isabella had two surviving children: a daughter, Francesca Eleonora Orsini (known as Nora), and a son, Virginio Orsini. Nora would later marry her cousin Alessandro Sforza and become the Duchess of Segni and Santa Fiora, while Virginio would become the 2nd Duke of Bracciano and hailed as 'the best of the Orsini dukes'. He is believed to be the inspiration for Duke Orsino in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Despite her contributions to Tuscan scholarship, arts, and politics, Isabella's legacy may have been deliberately suppressed after her untimely death. Although a prominent political figure and patron, her portraits are largely absent from family and museum collections, leading some scholars to suggest that she was subjected to damnatio memoriae, possibly orchestrated by her brother to restore family honour and posthumously diminish her influence. After her death, Isabella remained a source of inspiration for musical and literary works. Today, each July, the village of Cerreto Guidi commemorates Isabella's life and cultural impact with a two-day festival called La notte d'Isabella (The night of Isabella).
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Isao Aoki
Isao Aoki (青木 功, Aoki Isao; born 31 August 1942) is a Japanese professional golfer. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.
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Jahangir
Nur ud-din Muhammad Salim (Persian: نورالدین محمد سلیم [ˈnuːrʊˌdɪn/ [mʊ.ɦɑmˈmad̪̚] /sə.liːm]; 31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his royal name Jahangir (Persian: جهانگیر, Persian pronunciation: [d͡ʒa.hɑːn.ˈɡiːɾ]), was the fourth Mughal emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from 1605 until his death in 1627. The third and only surviving son of Emperor Akbar I (r. 1556–1605) and his consort Maryam uz-Zamani. Jahangir received a comprehensive education, which included the languages Chagatai, Persian, and Hindustani, as well as diverse subjects such as military tactics and social sciences. In 1594, at the age of 26, Jahangir successfully led an army to crush a revolt by the Bundela in Orchha, and after the surrender of their leader Vir Singh Deo, transformed Orchha into a vassal state. As such, the Jahangir Mahal was later constructed in Orchha by Deo in honor of Jahangir. Following Akbar's death, Jahangir succeeded him on 3 November 1605. Jahangir's reign was marked by a combination of artistic achievement and political intrigue, set against the backdrop of the Mughal Empire's considerable expansion and consolidation. Jahangir's rule is distinguished by his commitment to justice and his interest in the arts, particularly painting and architecture, which flourished during his reign. Jahangir's reign was characterized by a complex relationship with his nobility and family, notably reflected in his marriage to Mehar-un-Nisa (later known as Empress Nur Jahan), who wielded significant political influence behind the throne. This period saw the empire's further entrenchment into the Indian subcontinent, including efforts to subdue the Rajput Kingdoms and extend Mughal authority into the Deccan. Jahangir's foreign policy included relations with the Safavids of Persia and the Ottoman Empire, as well as with the English East India Company. Despite his achievements, Jahangir's reign had challenges, including revolts led by his sons, which threatened the stability of his rule. His poor health, caused by a lifetime of opium and alcohol use, led to his death in 1627, precipitating a brief succession crisis before the throne passed to his son, Shah Jahan. Jahangir's legacy lives on through his contributions to Mughal art and architecture, his memoirs, and the policies he implemented, which continued to influence the empire after his demise.
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Jalen Brunson
Jalen Marquis Brunson (born August 31, 1996), nicknamed "Captain Clutch", is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The son of former NBA guard Rick Brunson, he played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats, earning national player of the year honors as a junior and winning two national championships. Brunson was selected 33rd overall in the 2018 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks and played his first four NBA seasons with them. He signed with the Knicks as a free agent in 2022, subsequently leading the franchise to its first NBA championship in 53 years. Brunson participated in the 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, Jordan Brand Classic, and Nike Hoop Summit. He led Stevenson to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 4A championship. He won Illinois Mr. Basketball and earned the MVP of the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. Brunson was a role player for the championship season of the 2015–16 Villanova Wildcats and named the national player of the year and a consensus first-team 2018 All-American for the championship season of the 2017–18 Wildcats. After being selected by the Mavericks, Brunson spent four seasons with Dallas, culminating in a run to the Western Conference Finals. Since joining the Knicks in 2022, Brunson has been named an NBA All-Star three times (2024–2026) and received three All-NBA Second Team selections in the same period. He set the NBA record for most three-point shots made in a half without a miss (8), and tied the NBA record for most three-point shots made in a single game without a miss (9). In 2025, he led the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years. In 2026, he led the franchise to its first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 and its first NBA championship since 1973, earning both the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and the NBA Finals MVP. He also tied Michael Jordan’s record for most points scored in a title clinching road finals game (45) which Jordan set back in 1998 against the Utah Jazz.
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James Coburn
James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American actor who featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career. Coburn was in numerous leading roles in Westerns and action films. He had starring roles in The Magnificent Seven, Hell Is for Heroes, The Great Escape, Charade and Hard Times as well as the lead role in Our Man Flint and its sequel In Like Flint, The President's Analyst, Duck, You Sucker!, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and Cross of Iron. In 1998, Coburn won an Academy Award for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction. In 2002, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries nomination for producing The Mists of Avalon. During the New Hollywood era, he cultivated an image synonymous with "cool".
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James E. Ferguson
James Edward Ferguson Jr. (August 31, 1871 – September 21, 1944), known as Pa Ferguson, was an American Democratic politician and the 26th governor of Texas, in office from 1915 to 1917. He was indicted and impeached during his second term, removed from office, and barred from holding further Texas office. Unable to run under his own name, Ferguson ran his wife's campaign for governor; Miriam A. Ferguson, known as "Ma" Ferguson, was twice elected as governor, serving two non-consecutive terms, from 1925 to 1927 and 1933 to 1935. In 1925, Miriam became the first female governor of Texas after campaigning as a stand-in for her husband, and James E. Ferguson became the first gentleman of Texas for her two terms.
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Jang Won-young
Jang Won-young (Korean: 장원영; born August 31, 2004) is a South Korean singer. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Ive under Starship Entertainment and former member of project girl group Iz*One, having finished first in Mnet's girl group survival reality television show Produce 48 in 2018.
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Jaylen Barron
Jaylen Barron (born August 31, 1997) is an American actress, known for her roles as Dominique Winslow in the Showtime series Shameless and Zoe Phillips in the Netflix drama series Free Rein. In 2021, she began starring in the Starz series Blindspotting.
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Jean Béliveau
Joseph Arthur Jean Béliveau (August 31, 1931 – December 2, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played parts of 20 seasons with the National Hockey League's (NHL) Montreal Canadiens from 1950 to 1971. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972, "Le Gros Bill" Béliveau is widely regarded as one of the ten greatest NHL players of all time. Born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Béliveau first played professionally in the Quebec Major Hockey League (QMHL). He made his NHL debut with the Canadiens in 1950, but chose to remain in the QMHL full-time until 1953. From 1950 to 1971, he spent his entire NHL career with the Canadiens. By his second season in the NHL, Béliveau was among the top three scorers. He was the fourth player to score 500 goals and the second to score 1,000 points. Béliveau won two Hart Memorial Trophies as league MVP (1956, 1964) and one Art Ross Trophy as top scorer (1956), as well as the inaugural Conn Smythe Trophy as play-off MVP (1965). After his retirement as a player, he became an executive with the franchise for an additional twenty-two seasons. From 1950 to 1993, Béliveau won a combined total of 17 Stanley Cup Championships, 10 as a player, and 7 as an executive, the most by any individual. Béliveau is tied with MLB legend Frankie Crosetti for the most combined championships in sports. In 2017, Béliveau was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
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Jean-Paul-Égide Martini
Jean-Paul-Égide Martini, also known as Jean-Paul-Gilles Martini (31 August 1741 – 14 February 1816) was a French composer of German birth during the classical period. He is best known today for the vocal romance "Plaisir d'amour," on which the 1961 Elvis Presley pop standard "Can't Help Falling in Love" is based. He is often confused with the Italian composer Giovanni Battista Martini, so is sometimes known as Martini Il Tedesco ("Martini The German").
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Jean-Étienne Despréaux
Jean-Étienne Despréaux (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ etjɛn depʁeo]; 31 August 1748 – 26 March 1820) was a French ballet dancer, choreographer, composer, singer and playwright.
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Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a five-time and current TNA World Tag Team Champion with brother Matt. He also appears on partner promotion WWE on its NXT brand where he is a former one-time NXT Tag Team Champion. He is also known for his tenure in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Together with his brother Matt Hardy, the tag team The Hardy Boyz are regarded as one of the major teams that revived tag team wrestling during the Attitude Era. Born and raised in Cameron, North Carolina, Hardy started his career as a youth performing in the Trampoline Wrestling Federation, which he started alongside his brother Matt Hardy. Eventually, that would transition into the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA) as they became older. As a tag team, the Hardy Boyz worked as enhancement talents for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1994, and were signed to full-time contracts in 1998. They gained notoriety in the tag team division, partly due to their participation in Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches. With the addition of Lita, the team became known as Team Xtreme and continued to rise in popularity. After splitting up as a team in 2002, Jeff's popularity as a singles wrestler began to grow. However, the brothers still teamed up sporadically in the years afterward, and together they have held twenty-one world tag team championships between WWE, TNA, ROH and other promotions. Hardy had great success in his singles career, capturing his first of six world championships, the WWE Championship, in 2008, and going on to hold WWE's World Heavyweight Championship twice and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship three times. Within WWF/WWE, he has also won the Intercontinental Championship five times, the Hardcore Championship three times and the European, Light Heavyweight, and United States Championships once each. Having won the required championships, he is the 18th Triple Crown Champion and 9th Grand Slam Champion in WWE history (one of five men to complete both WWE Grand Slam formats, and one of two to win all original Grand Slam titles). He has headlined numerous pay-per-view events for WWE and TNA, including TNA's flagship event, Bound for Glory, on two occasions. Readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated named him "Most Popular Wrestler of the Year" on two occasions. Outside of professional wrestling, Hardy is involved in motocross, as well as artistic endeavors, particularly music and painting. He is currently a member of the band PeroxWhy?Gen, with whom he tours and has released three studio albums and four extended plays. In 2003, Hardy, along with his brother Matt, co-wrote an autobiographical book of memoirs titled The Hardy Boyz. Their book was a New York Times Best Seller.
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Jeongjong, 10th Monarch of Goryeo
Jeongjong (31 August 1018 – 24 June 1046), personal name Wang Hyŏng, was the 10th king of Korea's Goryeo dynasty. He was the second son of King Hyeonjong, and the younger brother of King Deokjong. At the age of four in 1022, he was made Naesaryeong, a position of high rank, and designated the Prince of Pyongyang. Jeongjong was greatly concerned with national defense, and began constructing fortresses along the northern border in the first year of his reign. In 1037, Goryeo was invaded by the Liao dynasty. In 1044, the Cheolli Jangseong was completed, an enormous wall across northern Korea. Jeongjong also concerned himself with the material support of the army, distributing state land to indigent soldiers in 1036. Just before his death in 1046, Jeongjong established primogeniture as national law.
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Jerry Allison
Jerry Ivan Allison (August 31, 1939 – August 22, 2022) was an American musician. He was best known as the drummer and only constant member of the Crickets and co-writer of their hits "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue", recorded with Buddy Holly. He had a solo chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100, "Real Wild Child", which was issued in 1958 under the name Ivan. Allison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
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Joe Budden
Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American broadcaster and former rapper. He first gained recognition with his 2003 single "Pump It Up", which peaked in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of his eponymous debut studio album (2003). A critical and commercial success, the album peaked in the top ten of the Billboard 200, although it was his only major label release for Def Jam Recordings. He released seven more independent albums to continued critical praise. While doing so, he performed as a member of the hip-hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, who signed with Eminem's Shady Records in 2012; the group released two studio albums. In 2014, he was made fun of in episode nine, "Tombstone," of Loiter Squad's third season, with his beard divorcing him, played by rapper Earl Sweatshirt. In 2018, he retired from recording and shifted focus onto his career in broadcasting. Three years prior, he began hosting The Joe Budden Podcast, which has been running for 900 episodes. In 2017, he had a much-publicized run as a co-host (alongside DJ Akademiks) for Complex magazine's web show Everyday Struggle. He hosted State of the Culture alongside Remy Ma for the network Revolt from 2018 to 2020. For his outspoken views on prominent hip-hop figures, Budden has been described as "the Howard Stern of hip-hop".
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John Davidson
John A. Davidson (August 31, 1924 – August 21, 2012) was an American politician and practicing chiroprater. Born in West Point, Mississippi, Davidson graduated from Petersburg, Illinois High School. Davidson served in the Illinois Senate 1973–1993. He served in the United States Navy Air Corp during World War II and was a chiropractor. He served on the Sangamon County, Illinois Board and was chairman of the board prior to being elected to the Illinois Senate. In 1971, he was a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. During his tenure at the Senate, Davidson was known to massage the backs of fellow politicians on a $5,000 table from the Illinois Chiropractic Society. He died due to congestive heart failure on August 21, 2012, in Springfield, Illinois.
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Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin (née St. Pierre; August 31, 1842 – March 13, 1924) was a publisher, journalist, civil rights leader, suffragist, abolitionist, and editor of the Woman's Era, the first national newspaper published by and for African American women.
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Julie Brown
Julie Ann Brown (born August 31, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, singer, writer, and director.
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Kieran Crowley
Kieran James Crowley (born 31 August 1961) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, who is the former head coach of Italy. He has also coached the New Zealand Under-19s in the 2007 World Championships as well as coaching provincial side Taranaki. He previously served as head coach of Canada. He also spent five seasons coaching Benetton Rugby. He is a former member of the New Zealand All Blacks where he played as a fullback.
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Kim Kashkashian
Kim Kashkashian (born August 31, 1952) is an American violist. She has spent her career in the U.S. and Europe and collaborated with many major contemporary composers. In 2013 she won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. She is recognized as one of the world's top violists.
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Kirstie Allsopp
Kirstie Mary Allsopp (born 31 August 1971) is a British television presenter, best known as co-presenter of Channel 4 property shows including Location, Location, Location, Love It or List It UK, Relocation, Relocation and Location Revisited.
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Leonid Ivashov
Leonid Grigoryevich Ivashov (Russian: Леонид Григорьевич Ивашов; born 31 August 1943) is a Russian military and public official. He is a former President of the Academy for Geopolitical Problems and a retired colonel general. In January 2022, as the head of the All-Russian Officers Assembly, he published a statement condemning Putin's "criminal policy of provoking a war" during the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis and calling for President Vladimir Putin's resignation.
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Lily Laskine
Lily Laskine (31 August 1893 – 4 January 1988) was one of the most prominent harpists of the twentieth century who was born and died in Paris. Born Lily Aimée Laskine to Jewish parents in Paris, she studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Alphonse Hasselmans and became a frequent performing partner of several distinguished French flautists, including Marcel Moyse and Jean-Pierre Rampal. Laskine also served as professor of harp at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1948 to 1958. She was awarded the Legion of Honour in 1958. She died in Paris. In 1936 she married Roland Charmy, a violinist and academic of the Conservatoire de Paris.
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Luca Cordero di Montezemolo
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (Italian pronunciation: [ˈluːka korˈdɛːro di montedˈdzɛːmolo, -ˈdzeː-]; born 31 August 1947) is an Italian businessman and motorsport executive who is best known as the former chairman of Ferrari, Fiat S.p.A., Confindustria and Alitalia. Montezemolo descends from an aristocratic family from the region of Piedmont in Italy. He is one of the founders and former president of NTV, an Italian company which is Europe's first private open access operator of 300 km/h (186 mph) high-speed trains. In 2009, Montezemolo founded Future Italy, a free market think tank that joined Civic Choice in the 2013 Italian parliamentary election. On 28 June 2025, he was reported to have been appointed as a director of McLaren Group Holdings Ltd.
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Lyuboslav Penev
Lyuboslav Mladenov Penev (Bulgarian: Любослав Младенов Пенев; born 31 August 1966) is a Bulgarian professional football manager and former player. Penev played as a forward for several clubs in Bulgaria and Spain. He started his career at CSKA Sofia in 1984, winning two Bulgarian League titles and four Bulgarian Cups. In 1989 he moved to Valencia, where he established himself as among the most prolific goalscorers in La Liga. After six seasons at Valencia, Penev joined Atlético Madrid, winning the 1995–96 La Liga. After leaving Atlético, he had stints with Compostela, Celta Vigo, CSKA and Lokomotiv Plovdiv.
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Marcia Clark
Marcia Rachel Clark (née Kleks, formerly Horowitz; born August 31, 1953) is an American prosecutor, author, television correspondent, and television producer. She was the lead prosecutor in the O. J. Simpson murder case.
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Maria Montessori
Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori ( MON-tiss-OR-ee; Italian: [maˈriːa montesˈsɔːri]; 31 August 1870 – 6 May 1952) was an Italian physician and educator best known for her philosophy of education (the Montessori method) and her writing on scientific pedagogy. At an early age, Montessori enrolled in classes at an all-boys technical school, with hopes of becoming an engineer. She soon had a change of heart and began medical school at the Sapienza University of Rome, becoming one of the first women to attend medical school in Italy; she graduated with honors in 1896. Her educational method is in use globally in many public and private schools.
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Martin Bell
Martin Bell (born 31 August 1938) is a British UNICEF (UNICEF UK) Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician who became the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton from 1997 to 2001. He is sometimes known as "the man in the white suit". As a BBC reporter, he pioneered an approach to journalism he later described as a "moral enterprise" informed by the individual journalist’s personal sense of “right and wrong", and which, as he put it, "cares as well as knows; that is aware of its responsibilities; and will not stand neutrally between good and evil, right and wrong, the victim and the oppressor."
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Matt Adams
Matthew James Adams (born August 31, 1988) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Nicknamed "Big City" for his imposing size and ability to regularly hit long home runs, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Adams in the 23rd round of the 2009 MLB draft from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, and Colorado Rockies. Playing in the Texas League in 2011, Adams was recognized as that league's Most Valuable Player and the Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year with a .300 batting average, 32 home runs and 101 runs batted in. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012. In his rookie season in 2013, Adams hit 17 home runs in 296 at-bats. He won the 2019 World Series with the Washington Nationals.
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Matti Breschel
Matti Breschel (born 31 August 1984) is a Danish retired professional road racing cyclist, who competed between 2005 and 2019 for the Rabobank, Tinkoff–Saxo, Astana and EF Education First teams.
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Mária Balážová
Mária Balážová (born 31 August 1956) is a contemporary Slovak artist. Her practise as an artist is usually associated with new geometry, post-geometry and postmodern.
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Nathalie Bouvier
Nathalie Bouvier (born August 31, 1969 in Les Rousses) is a retired French alpine skier. She won a controversial World Cup victory in 1989, in Giant Slalom. Bouvier also earned a silver medal at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1991 for Downhill skiing, which she lost by only 0.44 second.
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Otis G. Pike
Otis Grey Pike (August 31, 1921 – January 20, 2014) was an American lawyer and politician who served nine terms as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York, from 1961 to 1979.
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Pablo Marí
Pablo Marí Villar (born 31 August 1993) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. Marí graduated from Mallorca's youth academy and played for various clubs throughout his career, in Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil, England and Italy. He won the Copa Libertadores and Série A in 2019 with Flamengo, and was included in the Série A Team of the Year that year.
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Pete Newell
Peter Francis Newell (August 31, 1915 – November 17, 2008) was an American college men's basketball coach and basketball instructional coach. He coached for 15 years at the University of San Francisco, Michigan State University, and the University of California, Berkeley, compiling an overall record of 234 wins and 123 losses. He led California to the NCAA title in 1959, and a year later coached the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 1960 Summer Olympics, a team that would be inducted as a unit to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. After his coaching career ended, he ran a world-famous instructional basketball camp and served as a consultant and scout for several National Basketball Association (NBA) teams.
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Philippe Christanval
Philippe Charles Lucien Christanval (born 31 August 1978) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. During his career, he played for Monaco, Barcelona, Marseille and Fulham and earned six full international caps with the France national team, as well as selection to the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
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Ralph Krueger
Ralph Krueger (born 31 August 1959) is a Canadian-born German professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the former head coach of the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL), and former chairman of Southampton Football Club. Since April 2019, he has held a Swiss passport. He was head coach of the Swiss men's national ice hockey team from the 1997–98 season until the end of the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010 and the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 2012–13 season. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2026. In 2014, Krueger shifted from hockey to the world of association football, to become director of English Premier League team Southampton. On 12 March 2014, Krueger was appointed the chairman of Southampton F.C. In April 2019, Krueger left the club to return to hockey full time. He is also known for his involvement in the World Economic Forum, where since 2011 he has been a Member, Global Agenda Council on New Models of Leadership.
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Ramón Castilla
Ramón Castilla y Marquesado (Spanish pronunciation: [raˈmoŋ kasˈtiʝa] ; 31 August 1797 – 30 May 1867) was a Peruvian caudillo who served twice as President of Peru, first in 1845–1851, and then in 1855–1862. He also led a Military junta in 1844, and was de facto interim president for a couple of days in April 1863. His earliest prominent appearance in Peruvian history began with his participation in a commanding role of the army of the Libertadores that helped Peru become an independent nation. Later, he led the country when the economy boomed due to the exploitation of guano deposits. Castilla's governments are remembered for having abolished slavery and modernized the state. He began his military career in the royalist army, participating in the Battle of Chacabuco. Taken prisoner after the battle, he was taken to Buenos Aires where he obtained permission to leave the country and returned to Peru. Reinstated in the Royal Army of Peru, he joined the independence cause in early 1822. He organized and served in the cavalry of the Peruvian Legion, distinguishing himself at the Battle of Ayacucho. He continued his military and political career, holding high public offices such as sub-prefect of his native Tarapacá and prefect of Puno during the administrations of Agustín Gamarra and Luis José de Orbegoso. His first constitutional government was notable for the country's institutional stability after a long period of anarchy, the organization of the Peruvian state, and the economic boom fueled by revenues from the guano deposits. He led the liberal revolution of 1854 and decreed the abolition of the indigenous tribute and the end of slavery.
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Ramón Fonst
Ramón Fonst Segundo (August 31, 1883 – September 9, 1959) was a Cuban fencer who competed in the early 20th century. He was one of the greatest world fencers, individual and by team; he was born and died in Havana. He became the first non-European and the only Hispanic American to win an Olympic fencing title. Although Fonst was born in Cuba, he spent most of his youth in France, where he received his fencing education, and aged just 16 years old he entered the 1900 Summer Olympics which were being held in Paris. He entered the Men's épée event, which put him up against another 101 fencers from 10 other countries, in his first round group he came out top against the five fencers from France, so advanced into the next round, in the next round and again in a group of six fencers Fonst only managed to finish in third place but was still good enough to advance to the semi-finals, and again he would finish third in the group and so qualifying for the final. In the final, Fonst was up against seven French and one Argentine fencer, and against the odds (and the judges) Fonst won four of his six matches to win the gold medal and so became the first Cuban and first Latin American medalist on the Olympic stage. A few days later after his gold medal, Fonst competed in the Men's amateurs-masters épée which put the top four amateurs with the top four professionals at the Games, Fonst managed to win six of his seven contests and won the silver medal, his only defeat was against the French professional Albert Ayat who went on to win the gold medal. Four years later, Fonst was in St. Louis, Missouri, competing at the 1904 Summer Olympics, and within two days he won three gold medals, retained his Olympic title in the Men's épée, added the Men's foil title and under the Mixed team banner won the Men's team foil event with fellow Cuban Manuel Díaz and American Albertson Van Zo Post. Cuba didn't compete in the Summer Olympics again until 1924, which was again held in Paris, France. Now aged 40, Fonst again competed in the Men's épée but this time only managed to reach the semi-final. He also competed in the Men's team épée but they were knocked out of the competition in the quarter-finals. Fonst also competed at three Central American and Caribbean Games in 1926, 1930 and 1938 and won six more gold medals. He fenced often with George Worth, who later became an American Olympic medalist fencer, during Worth's two years in Cuba after fleeing Hungary at the outset of World War II. After his career as an active sportsmen Fonst became president of the National Olympic Committee for Cuba, as well as an adviser for the Department of Physical Education and Sports, which he served until he died from a diabetic coma in 1959, aged 76 years old.
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Raymond P. Hammond
Raymond P. Hammond is an American poet, critic and editor of the New York Quarterly magazine since assuming control after the death of William Packard in 2002. Hammond was born August 31, 1964, in Roanoke, Virginia. Packard had "willed" the magazine by asking Hammond in writing to take control of the magazine should anything happen to him. Hammond is the author of Poetic Amusement. Originally written in 2000 as his Master's thesis, Poetic Amusement was passed around underground as a digital file for ten years among those associated with the New York Quarterly. What began as Hammond's observations of the influence of "po' biz" and writing programs on contemporary American poetry became a timeless treatise on poetry itself. Using his experience with NYQ and devouring many literary critics across the ages from the ancient Greeks to contemporary critics, Hammond examines at once both our current literary environment and the essence of poetry. In seeking to answer the questions "What is poetry?" and "Where does poetry come from?" for himself, he encourages readers to ask those questions for and of themselves as well.
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Reb Beach
Richard Earl "Reb" Beach Jr. (born August 31, 1963) is an American hard rock guitarist. He is a member of the bands Winger and Whitesnake.
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Richard Basehart
John Richard Basehart (August 31, 1914 – September 17, 1984) was an American actor. Known for his "deep, resonant baritone voice and craggy good looks," he was active in film, theatre and television from 1947 until 1983. He won two National Board of Review Awards, for his performances in Fourteen Hours (1951) and Moby Dick (1956), and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Time Limit (1957). Basehart was known to television viewers for starring as Admiral Harriman Nelson on the television science-fiction drama Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–68). He also portrayed Wilton Knight in the pilot episode of the TV series Knight Rider (1982), and provided the narration that was heard during the opening credits throughout the entire series. He appeared in a number of British and Italian films in the mid-1950s, including Federico Fellini's La Strada and Il Bidone. He also narrated a wide range of television and film projects. In 1960, Basehart received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion-picture industry.
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Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere ( GHEER; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and a starring role in Days of Heaven (1978). Gere came to prominence with his role in the film American Gigolo (1980), which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol. Gere's other films include An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), The Cotton Club (1984), Internal Affairs (1990), Pretty Woman (1990), Sommersby (1993), First Knight (1995), Primal Fear (1996), The Jackal (1997), Red Corner (1997), Runaway Bride (1999), Unfaithful (2002), Shall We Dance? (2004), I'm Not There (2007), Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009), Arbitrage (2012) and Norman (2016). For portraying Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago (2002), he won a Golden Globe Award.
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Robbie Basho
Robbie Basho (earlier name Daniel R. Robinson, Jr.; August 31, 1940 – February 1986) was an American acoustic guitarist, pianist and singer.
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Robert Bacher
Robert Fox Bacher (August 31, 1905 – November 18, 2004) was an American nuclear physicist and one of the leaders of the Manhattan Project. Born in Loudonville, Ohio, Bacher obtained his undergraduate degree and doctorate from the University of Michigan, writing his 1930 doctoral thesis under the supervision of Samuel Goudsmit on the Zeeman effect of the hyperfine structure of atomic levels. After graduate work at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he accepted a job at Columbia University. In 1935 he accepted an offer from Hans Bethe to work with him at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It was there that Bacher collaborated with Bethe on his book Nuclear Physics. A: Stationary States of Nuclei (1936), the first of three books that would become known as the "Bethe Bible". In December 1940, Bacher joined the Radiation Laboratory at MIT, although he did not immediately cease his research at Cornell into the neutron cross section of cadmium. The Radiation Laboratory was organized into two sections, one for incoming radar signals, and one for outgoing radar signals. Bacher was appointed to handle the incoming signals section. Here he gained valuable experience in administration, coordinating not just the efforts of his scientists, but also those of General Electric and RCA. In 1942, Bacher was approached by Robert Oppenheimer to join the Manhattan Project at its new laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. It was at Bacher's insistence that Los Alamos became a civilian rather than a military laboratory. At Los Alamos, Bacher headed the project's P (Physics) Division, and later its G (Gadget) Division. Bacher worked closely with Oppenheimer, and the two men discussed the project's progress on a daily basis. After the war, Bacher became director of the Laboratory of Nuclear Studies at Cornell. He also served on the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, the civilian agency that replaced the wartime Manhattan Project, and in 1947 he became one of its inaugural commissioners. He left in 1949 to become head Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy at Caltech. He was appointed a member of the President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC) in 1958. In 1962, he became Caltech's vice president and provost. He stepped down from the post of provost in 1970, and became a professor emeritus in 1976. He died in 2004 at the age of 99.
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Roger Dean
William Roger Dean (born 31 August 1944) is an English artist, designer, and publisher, best known for his surreal, fantastical landscapes and distinctive typography that defined the visual identity of progressive rock in the 1970s. Over a career spanning six decades, more than 100 million copies of his designs have circulated globally. His landmark collaborations with bands such as Yes and Asia produced some of the most recognisable album covers, logos, and stage designs during this period. Dean spent his childhood moving between the UK, Greece, Cyprus, and Hong Kong due to his father's military career. He returned to England in 1959, later studying industrial design at the Canterbury College of Art and furniture design at the Royal College of Art in London. As a student, he developed the Sea Urchin chair, an early precursor to the beanbag chair that was later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum. His postgraduate thesis focused on organic architecture and the psychology of domestic tranquility, establishing design philosophies that would shape both his later architectural concepts and his painted environments. Dean transitioned into commercial illustration after executing design commissions for Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, which led to his breakthrough album cover for the Afro-rock band Osibisa in 1971. Later that year, he began a historic creative partnership with Yes, designing their iconic bubble logo, stage sets, and dozens of album sleeves beginning with Fragile (1971). His recurring motifs of floating islands, exotic biomes, and biomorphic structures became a central element of the band's visual identity. Dean established a similar long-term collaboration with the supergroup Asia and provided artwork for numerous other acts, including Uriah Heep, Gentle Giant, and Budgie. Beyond the music industry, Dean's multi-disciplinary output spans corporate branding, architecture, video games, and book publishing. He created the original logo for Richard Branson's Virgin Records in 1973 and later designed the visual identity, box art, and logo for the software publisher Psygnosis. As a publisher, he co-founded Dragons' Dream and Paper Tiger Books, releasing over a hundred illustrated art volumes, including his own bestselling debut compilation, Views (1975).
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Rolando
Rolando Jorge Pires da Fonseca (born 31 August 1985), known simply as Rolando, is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a central defender. He played 222 Primeira Liga games for Belenenses, Porto and Braga, winning several honours including the league, Taça de Portugal and Europa League treble with the second club in 2011. Abroad, he played on loan for Napoli and Inter Milan in Italy and Anderlecht in Belgium, and spent four years in France with Marseille. Rolando was part of the Portugal squads at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012, reaching the semi-finals in the latter tournament and earning 21 caps.
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Rosa Lemberg
Rosa Emilia Lemberg (née Clay; 31 August 1875 – 1959) was a Namibian-born Finnish American teacher, singer and choral conductor. She was the first African-born person in Finland to officially receive Finnish citizenship. She was also a significant influence in the Finnish-American labor movement of the first half of the 20th century.
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Ryan Kelley
Ryan Jonathan Kelley (born August 31, 1986) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in Mean Creek, Prayers for Bobby, as Ben Tennyson in Ben 10: Alien Swarm, and as Deputy Jordan Parrish on Teen Wolf.
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Sauce Gardner
Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (born August 31, 2001) is an American professional football cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats and was selected fourth overall by the New York Jets in the 2022 NFL draft. Gardner was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was the first rookie cornerback since Ronnie Lott in 1981 to be named first-team All-Pro.
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Scott Niedermayer
Scott Niedermayer (born August 31, 1973) is a Canadian former ice hockey player and current special assignment coach of the Anaheim Ducks. A defenceman, he played 18 seasons and over 1,000 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks. Niedermayer is a four-time Stanley Cup champion and played in five NHL All-Star Games. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2003–04 as the NHL's top defenceman and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2007 as the most valuable player of the playoffs. In 2017, Niedermayer was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history. As a junior, Niedermayer was a member of a Kamloops Blazers team that won two Western Hockey League championships and was voted the most valuable player of the 1992 Memorial Cup, leading the Blazers to the Canadian Hockey League championship. The third overall selection at the 1991 NHL entry draft by New Jersey, Niedermayer played the majority of his professional career with the Devils before moving to Anaheim in 2005. Internationally, Niedermayer played with Team Canada on several occasions. He is a member of the Triple Gold Club, having won the Stanley Cup as well as a World Championship (2004) and Olympic gold medals (2002, 2010). Niedermayer also played for the Memorial Cup champions, and championship teams at the 1991 World Junior Championships and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, making him and Corey Perry the only players in history to have ever won each of the six major North American and international competitions available to players. He was introduced in to the IIHF All-Time Canada Team in 2020. Regarded as one of the greatest defencemen in NHL history, Niedermayer has earned numerous accolades throughout his career. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2013, and into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2015. The New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks, and Kamloops Blazers have all retired his uniform number.
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Serge Blanco
Serge Blanco (born 31 August 1958) is a former rugby union rugby player who played fullback for Biarritz Olympique and the French national side, gaining 93 caps, 81 of them at fullback. His alternative position was wing. He was generally nicknamed by French rugby fans as the Pelé of Rugby. Blanco was born in Caracas, Venezuela, to a Venezuelan father and a Basque mother, and was raised in Biarritz, France. He made his international debut against South Africa at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on 8 November 1980, which France lost 37–15.
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Tadeja Majerič
Tadeja Majerič (born 31 August 1990, in Maribor) is a former tennis player from Slovenia. Over her career, Majerič won nine singles and six doubles title on the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour. On 25 November 2013, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 111. On 28 January 2013, she peaked at No. 227 in the WTA doubles rankings.
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Ted Blakey
Theodore Robert Blakey (August 31, 1925 – October 14, 2004) was an American historian, businessman, and activist. He was instrumental in the civil rights movement in South Dakota and was leader of the committee that helped the state ratify the Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Blakey was among the first African American leaders of Junior Chamber International, Kiwanis, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was named the state's black historian in 1995 and was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 1997.
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Théophile Gautier
Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier (US: goh-TYAY; French: [pjɛʁ ʒyl teɔfil ɡotje]; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and remains a point of reference for many subsequent literary traditions such as Parnassianism, Symbolism, Decadence and Modernism. He was widely esteemed by writers as disparate as Balzac, Baudelaire, the Goncourt brothers, Flaubert, Pound, Eliot, James, Proust and Wilde.
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Valdon Dowiyogo
Valdon Kape Dowiyogo (31 August 1968 – 8 December 2016) was a political figure and cabinet minister from the Pacific nation of the Republic of Nauru.
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Vali Ionescu
Valeria "Valy" Ionescu (later Constantin, born 31 August 1960) is a retired long jumper from Romania. She won the European title in 1982 and an Olympic silver medal in 1984. Ionescu spent her entire career with the club Rapid Bucuresti, and later worked there as a coach and official.
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Valter Biiber
Valter Biiber (31 August 1907 in Narva — 8 September 1977 in Tallinn) was an Estonian football player.
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Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish musician, singer, and songwriter whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK Top 40, as well as internationally, including in the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands. He has scored top ten albums in the UK in four consecutive decades, following the success of 2021's Latest Record Project, Volume 1. Eighteen of his albums have reached the top 40 in the United States, twelve of them between 1997 and 2017. Since turning 70 in 2015, he has released – on average – more than an album a year. His accolades include two Grammy Awards, the 1994 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, the 2017 Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting, and inductions into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2016 he was knighted for services to the music industry and to tourism in Northern Ireland. Morrison began performing as a teenager in the late 1950s, playing a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various Irish showbands, covering the popular hits of that time. Known as "Van the Man" to his fans, Morrison rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Belfast R&B band Them, with whom he wrote and recorded "Gloria", which became a garage band staple. His solo career started under the pop-hit-oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl" in 1967. After Berns's death, Warner Bros. Records bought Morrison's contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks (1968). While initially a poor seller, the album has come to be regarded as a classic. Moondance (1970) established Morrison as a major artist, and he built on his reputation throughout the 1970s with a series of acclaimed albums and live performances. Much of Morrison's music is structured around the conventions of soul music and early rhythm and blues. An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, jazz and stream of consciousness narrative, of which Astral Weeks is a prime example. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic soul", and his music has been described as attaining "a kind of violent transcendence".
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Vincent Delerm
Vincent Delerm (born 31 August 1976) is a French singer-songwriter, pianist and composer. He is the son of the writer Philippe Delerm and illustrator Martine Delerm. His first album was released in 2002, the second, Kensington Square, in 2004, the third Les Piqûres d'araignée in 2006, the fourth Quinze Chansons in 2008 . All were released by the Tôt ou tard record label.
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Vladimir Orlov
Vladimir Viktorovich Orlov (Russian: Влади́мир Ви́кторович Орло́в; 31 August 1936 – 5 August 2014) was a Russian novelist, notable for his fantasy novel Danilov, the Violist. Orlov was born in Moscow, but during World War II was evacuated to Mari El. Between 1954 and 1959, he was a student at the Faculty of Journalism of the Moscow State University. Subsequently, he took a job as a reporter with the Komsomolskaya Pravda working at the construction of the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam and Tayshet-Abakan railroad, and at the same time started to write short stories, mainly under influence of Vasily Aksyonov. He published his book of short stories "Doroga dlinoy v sem' santimetrov" (The Seven Centimetre road) in 1960 and the novel "Solyony Arbuz" (The salted watermelon) in 1965. In 1969, Orlov published his novel, Posle dozhdichka v chetverg(After the Rain on Thursday), and decided to become a full-time writer. Between 1969 and 1975, all the books Orlov submitted for publication were rejected for ideological reasons. In 1975 he published the novel "Proishestviye v Nikolskom" (An incident in Nikolskoye), a psychological drama about the rape of a girl by her classmates and the legal proceedings afterwards. In 1980, Orlov published Danilov, the Violist, which immediately gained popularity. The protagonist of the novel, Danilov, is a kind-hearted and lazy half-demon who cannot decide whether he is more a demon or a human, and runs into a trouble with his demon superiors (who demand that he should be an enemy of humans, or face execution). The novel is full of mythical creatures such as domovoi. The fantasy genre was not common in the Soviet Union at the time, and this added to the popularity of the novel, which eventually became the first part of the Ostankino Stories cycle. Two more novels followed to complete the cycle: Aptekar (1988) and Shevrikuka (1997). The cycle genre is considered to be magical realism influenced by Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Sologub and Mikhail Bulgakov. Danilov, the Violist was compared with Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann since both novels study the diabolic and human origins of artistic creativity., and with Bulgakov's Master and Margarita. In the 1990s and the 2000s, Orlov was teaching at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow. Orlov died on August 5, 2014. He left behind a widow, Lidiya, with whom he had lived for nearly 60 years, and a son, Leonid Orlov, who as of 2014 was working as a television producer.
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Warren Berlinger
Warren Berlinger (August 31, 1937 – December 2, 2020) was an American character actor, with Broadway runs, movie and television credits, and much work in commercials.
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Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina (Dutch pronunciation: [ʋɪlɦɛlˈminaː] ; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, making her the longest-reigning monarch in Dutch history, as well as the longest-reigning female monarch outside of the United Kingdom. Her reign encompassed World War I, the Dutch economic crisis of 1933, and World War II. The only surviving child of King William III of the Netherlands and Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Wilhelmina ascended the throne at the age of 10 after her father's death in 1890, under her mother's regency. After taking charge of government, Wilhelmina became generally popular for maintaining Dutch neutrality during the First World War and solving many of her country's industrial problems. By that time, her business ventures had made her the world's first female billionaire as measured by U.S. dollars. Following the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, Wilhelmina fled to Britain and took charge of the Dutch government-in-exile. She frequently spoke to the nation over radio and came to be regarded as a symbol of the Dutch resistance. By 1948, she had returned to the liberated Netherlands and was the only survivor of the 17 European monarchs who were reigning at the time of her inauguration. Increasingly beset by poor health, Wilhelmina abdicated in favour of her daughter Juliana in September 1948 and retired to Het Loo Palace, where she died in 1962. Largely due to her status as a symbol of the Resistance, she remains reasonably popular in the Netherlands, even among the Dutch Republican movement.
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William DeWitt, Jr.
William Orville DeWitt Jr. (born August 31, 1941) is an American businessman who is currently the principal owner, managing partner and chairman of the St. Louis Cardinals, a professional baseball franchise which competes in Major League Baseball (MLB). The Cardinals have won two World Series — in 2006 and 2011 — during DeWitt's time as owner. In addition to the Cardinals, DeWitt has also owned or invested in the Cincinnati Stingers hockey club, Baltimore Orioles, the Cincinnati Reds and the Texas Rangers. Business interests outside baseball include Reynolds, DeWitt & Co., which owns Arby's franchises and invests in the U.S. Playing Card Company and the petroleum company Spectrum 7.
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William Saroyan
William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an American novelist, playwright, and short story writer of Armenian descent. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film The Human Comedy. When the studio rejected his original 240-page treatment, he turned it into a novel, The Human Comedy. Saroyan wrote extensively about the Armenian immigrant life in California. Many of his stories and plays are set in his native Fresno. Some of his best-known works are The Time of Your Life, My Name Is Aram and My Heart's in the Highlands. His two collections of short stories from the 1930s, Inhale Exhale (1936) and The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze (1934), are regarded as among his major achievements and essential documents of the cultural history of the period on the West Coast of the United States. He has been described in a Dickinson College news release as "one of the most prominent literary figures of the mid-20th century" and by Stephen Fry as "one of the most underrated writers of the [20th] century." Fry suggests that "he takes his place naturally alongside Hemingway, Steinbeck and Faulkner". Kurt Vonnegut has said that Saroyan was "the first and still the greatest of all the American minimalists."
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Xavi Annunziata
Javier 'Xavi' Fernández Annunziata (born 31 August 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left winger.
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Zsolt Borkai
Zsolt Borkai (born 31 August 1965) is a Hungarian Olympic gymnast champion and politician, who served as the mayor of Győr from 1 October 2006 to 8 November 2019. He was President of the Hungarian Olympic Committee (MOB) between 20 November 2010 and 2 May 2017. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, where he won a gold medal in pommel horse. He won a gold medal in pommel horse and a bronze medal in the horizontal bars at the 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam.
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