Who was born on May 31?
May 31 is packed with notable birthdays. Explore 105 famous birthdays, sorted by recent English Wikipedia pageviews. Top ranked names include Clint Eastwood, Brooke Shields, Colin Farrell, Gable Steveson, Tom Berenger. Filter by actor, musician, athlete, and more — or open any other calendar day.
May 31
105 people
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Clint Eastwood
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is a retired American actor and filmmaker. After achieving success in the Western TV series Rawhide, Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy of spaghetti Westerns during the mid-1960s and as antihero cop Harry Callahan in the five Dirty Harry films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. These roles, among others, have made Eastwood an enduring cultural icon of masculinity. Elected in 1986, Eastwood served for two years as the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Eastwood's greatest commercial successes are the adventure comedy Every Which Way but Loose (1978) and its action comedy sequel Any Which Way You Can (1980). Other popular Eastwood films include the Westerns Hang 'Em High (1968), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and Pale Rider (1985), the action-war film Where Eagles Dare (1968), the prison film Escape from Alcatraz (1979), the war film Heartbreak Ridge (1986), the action film In the Line of Fire (1993), and the romantic drama The Bridges of Madison County (1995). More recent works include Gran Torino (2008), The Mule (2018), and Cry Macho (2021). Since 1967, Eastwood's company Malpaso Productions has produced all but four of his American films. An Academy Award nominee for Best Actor, Eastwood won Best Director and Best Picture for his Western film Unforgiven (1992) and his sports drama Million Dollar Baby (2004). In addition to directing many of his own star vehicles, Eastwood has directed films in which he did not appear, such as the mystery drama Mystic River (2003) and the war film Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), for which he received Academy Award nominations, as well as the legal thriller Juror #2 (2024). He also directed the biographical films Changeling (2008), Invictus (2009), American Sniper (2014), Sully (2016), and Richard Jewell (2019). Eastwood's accolades include four Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and three César Awards as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and a Grammy Award. He has been honored the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, the Honorary Palme d'Or, and an AFI Life Achievement Award. Bestowed two of France's highest civilian honors he also received the Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1994, and the Legion of Honour in 2007.
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Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and current president of the Actors' Equity Association. A child model starting at the age of 11 months, Shields gained widespread notoriety for her leading role in Louis Malle's film Pretty Baby (1978), in which she appeared in nude scenes shot when she was 11 years old. She continued to model into her late teenage years and starred in several dramas in the 1980s, including The Blue Lagoon (1980), and Franco Zeffirelli's Endless Love (1981). In 1983, Shields suspended her modeling career to attend Princeton University, where she subsequently graduated with a bachelor's degree in Romance languages. In the 1990s, Shields returned to acting and appeared in minor roles in films. She also starred in the NBC sitcoms Suddenly Susan (1996–2000), for which she received two Golden Globe nominations, and Lipstick Jungle (2008–2009). In 2017, Shields returned to NBC with a major recurring role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the show's 19th season. Shields voiced Beverly Goodman in the Adult Swim animated series Mr. Pickles (2014–2019) and its spin-off Momma Named Me Sheriff.
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Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A leading man in blockbusters and independent films since the 2000s, he has received various accolades, including three Golden Globe Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and one Volpi Cup in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Farrell began acting in the BBC drama series Ballykissangel (1998) and made his (first credited) film debut in the drama The War Zone (1999). His first lead film role was in the war drama Tigerland (2000), and he made his breakthrough in Steven Spielberg's science fiction film Minority Report (2002). He took on high-profile roles such as Bullseye in Daredevil (2003) and as Alexander the Great in Alexander (2004), with further starring roles in Phone Booth (2002), The Recruit (2003), S.W.A.T. (2003), and Miami Vice (2006). Farrell earned acclaim for playing a novice hitman in his first film with frequent collaborator Martin McDonagh, the dark comedy In Bruges (2008), winning a Golden Globe Award. He went on to play a variety of leading and character roles in the comedy Horrible Bosses (2011), the science fiction film Total Recall (2012), the drama Saving Mr. Banks (2013), the dark comedies Seven Psychopaths (2012) and The Lobster (2015), the thrillers The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), The Beguiled (2017) and Widows (2018), and the fantasy films Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and Dumbo (2019). He also starred in the second season of HBO's thriller series True Detective (2015). In 2022, Farrell gained acclaim for his roles in the science fiction drama After Yang, the survival film Thirteen Lives, and McDonagh's drama The Banshees of Inisherin. For playing a naïve Irishman in the lattermost, he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and his second Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for the BAFTA and Academy Award for Best Actor. Farrell played Oz Cobb / Penguin in the superhero film The Batman (2022) and the HBO miniseries The Penguin (2024). For the latter, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award in the same category.
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Gable Steveson
Gable Dan Steveson (born May 31, 2000) is an American freestyle wrestler, professional mixed martial artist, former professional wrestler and football defensive tackle. He is currently signed to the Heavyweight divisions of both Real American Freestyle and Ultimate Fighting Championship. In freestyle wrestling, Steveson was a 2020 Summer Olympic gold medalist, and was also a three-time age-group world champion. In folkstyle wrestling, Steveson was a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner, a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a four-time Big Ten Conference champion, and five-time All-American out of the University of Minnesota. Steveson made his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) debut at LFA 217 on September 12, 2025. He was previously signed to WWE from 2021 to 2024, but was released after a poorly-received televised match. Steveson was signed to the Buffalo Bills in 2024, but was released before the start of the 2024 NFL season.
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Tom Berenger
Thomas Michael Moore (born May 31, 1949), known professionally as Tom Berenger, is an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of the Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes in Platoon (1986). He is also known for playing Jake Taylor in the Major League films and Thomas Beckett in the Sniper films. Other films he appeared in include Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), The Dogs of War (1980), The Big Chill (1983), Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), Betrayed (1988), The Field (1990), Gettysburg (1993), The Substitute (1996), Training Day (2001), and Inception (2010). He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his performance as Jim Vance in the 2012 miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.
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Azealia Banks
Azealia Amanda Banks ( ə-ZEE-lee-ə; born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Her debut single "212" became a defining song of the 2010s and appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2021. Banks is also known for her controversial social media presence and outspoken views, which have received significant publicity. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, she began releasing music through Myspace in 2008 before being signed to XL Recordings at age 18. She subsequently signed with Interscope and Polydor Records before separating in 2013. Banks became an independent artist and started her own independent record label, Chaos & Glory Recordings. She later signed to Parlophone and Warner Records before quitting her label in 2023. Banks has released three mixtapes (Fantasea in 2012, Slay-Z in 2016, and Yung Rapunxel Pt.II in 2019), two studio albums (Broke with Expensive Taste in 2014 and Zenzealia in 2026), and two extended plays (1991 in 2012 and Icy Colors Change in 2018). In 2017, Banks had her film debut in the musical drama Love Beats Rhymes, portraying the lead character. Banks's works have garnered acclaim from critics, drawing on various sounds including house, rap, pop, electronic music, and avant-garde. Throughout her career, Banks has generated controversy for her views on U.S. politics and race, as well as disputes with other artists. She identifies as a Zionist, and has been accused of homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia towards multiple nationalities. Complex wrote in 2014 that "she gets more attention for her public feuds than she does for her music".
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Marco Reus
Marco Reus (German pronunciation: [ˈmaʁkoː ˈʁɔʏs]; born 31 May 1989) is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. Reus spent his youth career at Borussia Dortmund, prior to leaving for Rot Weiss Ahlen. He joined Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2009, and had his most successful season at the club in 2012, scoring 18 goals and providing 12 assists in the Bundesliga to help Borussia Mönchengladbach secure a place in the following season's UEFA Champions League. Reus returned to his hometown club and back-to-back Bundesliga winners Borussia Dortmund after the 2011–12 season. With the club, Reus won the DFB-Pokal in 2017 and 2021, the DFL-Supercup in 2013 and 2019, and reached the Champions League final in 2013 and 2024, coming in both his first and last season as a member of the side. He also finished Bundesliga runner-up seven times during his twelve-year stint, and served as club captain from 2018 until 2023. Reus scored 170 goals with 132 assists for Borussia Dortmund across all competitions, and he is one of only three players (after Andreas Möller and Thomas Müller) to reach the landmark of 100 Bundesliga goals and 100 assists each. He was voted German Footballer of the Year twice, as well as Bundesliga Player of the Season on three occasions. With more than 200 goals scored throughout his career, Reus is considered one of the most prolific midfielders of this century, and one of Borussia Dortmund's best ever players. After his contract at Dortmund expired at the end of the 2023–24 season, Reus signed for Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy in August 2024 on a deal until the end of 2026, leaving Dortmund after twelve years, as well as Germany for the first time in his career. Four months after signing for the Galaxy, Reus lifted the MLS Cup, his first trophy with the club. Reus earned 48 caps for the Germany national team. He represented them at two major tournaments (Euro 2012 and the 2018 World Cup), but also missed three FIFA World Cups (2010, 2014, 2022) and two UEFA European Championships (2016, 2020) due to physical reasons.
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Walt Whitman
Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incorporated both transcendentalism and realism in his writings and is often called the father of free verse. His work was controversial in his time, particularly his 1855 poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described by some as obscene for its overt sensuality. Whitman was born in Huntington on Long Island and lived in Brooklyn as a child and through much of his career. At age 11, he left formal schooling to go to work. He worked as a journalist, a teacher, and a government clerk. Whitman's major poetry collection, Leaves of Grass, first published in 1855, was financed with his own money and became well known. The work was an attempt to reach out to the common person with an American epic. Whitman continued expanding and revising Leaves of Grass until his death in 1892. During the American Civil War, he went to Washington, D.C., and worked in hospitals caring for the wounded. His poetry often focused on both loss and healing. On the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, whom Whitman greatly admired, he authored a number of poems, including "O Captain! My Captain!" and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd", and gave a series of lectures on Lincoln. After suffering a stroke towards the end of his life, Whitman moved to Camden, New Jersey, where his health further declined. When he died at age 72, his funeral was a public event. Whitman's influence on poetry remains strong. Art historian Mary Berenson wrote, "You cannot really understand America without Walt Whitman, without Leaves of Grass.... He has expressed that civilization, 'up to date,' as he would say, and no student of the philosophy of history can do without him." Modernist poet Ezra Pound called Whitman "America's poet.... He is America." According to the Poetry Foundation, he is "America's world poet—a latter-day successor to Homer, Virgil, Dante, and Shakespeare."
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Jim Hutton
Dana Scott James Hutton (May 31, 1934 – June 2, 1979) was an American actor in film and television best remembered for his role as Ellery Queen in the 1970s TV series of the same name, and his screen partnership with Paula Prentiss in four films, starting with Where the Boys Are. He was the father of actor Timothy Hutton. According to Stephen Vagg of Filmink, Hutton "seemed on the verge of becoming a star for many years without ever quite getting there... it’s kind of a mystery why it didn’t happen."
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Denholm Elliott
Denholm Mitchell Elliott (31 May 1922 – 6 October 1992) was an English actor. He appeared in numerous productions on stage and screen, receiving BAFTA Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Trading Places (1983), A Private Function (1984) and Defence of the Realm (1986), and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Mr. Emerson in A Room with a View (1985). He is also known for his performances in Alfie (1966), A Doll's House (1973), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Maurice (1987), September (1987), and Noises Off (1992). He portrayed Marcus Brody in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). On television, Elliott won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor in 1981 and was nominated for a second for Hotel du Lac (1986). The American film critic Roger Ebert described Elliott as "the most dependable of all British character actors." The New York Times called him "a star among supporting players" and "an accomplished scene-stealer". He was appointed a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988.
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Don Ameche
Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, repertory theatre, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which led to the offer of a movie contract from 20th Century Fox in 1935. In the 1950s, he worked on Broadway and in television and was the host of NBC's International Showtime from 1961 to 1965. Returning to film work in his later years, Ameche enjoyed a fruitful revival of his career, beginning with his role as a villain in the comedy hit Trading Places (1983). He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Cocoon (1985) and the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his performance in Things Change (1988).
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Waka Flocka Flame
Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. He first became known for his 2009 single "O Let's Do It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 and led him to sign with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, an imprint of Warner Records, that same year. His 2010 follow-up single, "No Hands" (featuring Roscoe Dash and Wale), reached number 13 on the chart and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Both songs, along with "Hard in da Paint" and "Grove St. Party" (featuring Kebo Gotti), preceded the release of his debut studio album Flockaveli (2010), which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. His second studio album, Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family (2012) peaked at number ten on the chart and was supported by the singles "Round of Applause" (featuring Drake), "I Don't Really Care" (featuring Trey Songz) and "Get Low" (featuring Tyga, Nicki Minaj and Flo Rida).
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Sharon Gless
Sharon Marguerite Gless (born May 31, 1943) is an American actress known for her television roles. She portrayed Maggie Philbin on Switch (1975–1978), Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series Cagney & Lacey (1982–1988), and the title role in The Trials of Rosie O'Neill (1990–1992). She also played Debbie Novotny in the Showtime cable television series Queer as Folk (2000–2005) and Madeline Westen on Burn Notice (2007–2013). A 10-time Emmy Award nominee and seven-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Gless won a Golden Globe in 1986 and an Emmy in 1986 and 1987 for Cagney & Lacey, as well as a second Golden Globe in 1991 for The Trials of Rosie O'Neill. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1995.
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Normani
Normani Kordei Hamilton ( nor-MAH-nee; born May 31, 1996), is an American singer, dancer, and former member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in the group, she competed in Dancing with the Stars (2017). She embarked on a solo career with her 2018 debut single "Love Lies" (with Khalid), which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and received quintuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Following Fifth Harmony's indefinite hiatus, Normani released a two-song EP with Calvin Harris, Normani x Calvin Harris (2018). Her 2018 single, "Waves" (featuring 6lack), won a MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video. Her 2019 single, "Dancing with a Stranger" (with Sam Smith), reached the top ten in 22 countries, and earned a Song of the Year nomination at the Brit Awards 2020. Later that year, she released her first solo single, "Motivation" to critical acclaim. She appeared in the music video for Cardi B's 2020 single "WAP". Her debut studio album, Dopamine (2024), was led by the top 20 single "Wild Side" (featuring Cardi B). Normani also collaborated with Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, and Megan Thee Stallion on the Charlie's Angels: Original Motion Picture and Birds of Prey soundtracks. She served as an advisor on Season 17 of the NBC competition series The Voice. As an actress, she made her feature film debut in the Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck directed Freaky Tales.
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Ahilyabai Holkar
Ahilyabai Holkar (Marathi pronunciation: [əɦɪljɑbaɪ]; 31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795), also spelled Ahalya Bai, Rajmata Ahilyabai Holkar was the Holkar Queen of the Malwa kingdom. She was later ruling queen of Indore within the Maratha Empire. She established Maheshwar (in Madhya Pradesh) as the seat of the Holkar Dynasty. Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar is renowned for good governance, along with educational and cultural development. She commisioned a number of temples, Ghats, Pathasalas, and Dharmshalas as socio-cultural projects, while also contributing to the growth of Indian architecture. After the deaths of her husband Khanderao Holkar and father-in-law Malhar Rao Holkar, Ahilyabai undertook the affairs of the Holkar dynasty. She defended Indore against invasions and personally led armies into battle, with her brother-in-law Tukoji Rao Holkar serving as her military commander. She is widely revered across India as one of the legendary queens of the Maratha Malwa kingdom, who has a notable legacy of public welfare, education, and socio-cultural development. Ahilyabai's Matha, or charitable endowments, spread across India. She is also remembered as a Sadhvi, or holy woman, and widely referred to as Devi Ahilya. In 2025, her 300th birth anniversary was widely celebrated across India, and she was remembered for her contributions to Hindu cultural institutions, including the rebuilding of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. She is also remembered for her commitment to women's education and empowerment, including women-led traditional textile initiatives such as the Maheshwari sarees.
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Dina Boluarte
Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra (born 31 May 1962) is a Peruvian politician, civil servant, and lawyer who served as the president of Peru from 7 December 2022 until she was removed from office on 10 October 2025. She had previously served as the first vice president and minister at the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion under President Pedro Castillo. She served as an officer at the National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC) from 2007 until 2022. Boluarte is the first woman to become President of Peru. She was a member of the Free Peru but never fully embraced the party's Marxism–Leninism, and was sworn in following Castillo's attempt to dissolve Congress and subsequent impeachment and arrest. Boluarte aligned herself with the right-wing majority of the Peruvian Congress, and received support from the Peruvian Armed Forces. Boluarte's use of military and the police against protestors has been controversial. During her first months as president, protests against her government emerged across Peru, during which authorities perpetrated the Ayacucho massacre and Juliaca massacre. Analysts said that Boluarte's crackdown on protestors has undermined democracy. Despite international concerns, Boluarte praised the actions of the armed forces. On 10 January 2023, Attorney General of Peru Patricia Benavides announced she was opening an investigation to determine if Boluarte and members of her government committed genocide and aggravated homicide. Boluarte described these investigations as lawfare, and Benavides was later dismissed. Boluarte again avoided impeachment following a bribery scandal, nicknamed "Rolexgate", in 2025. Despite describing herself as a "progressive and moderate leftist", observers labeled Boluarte's administration as conservative, opportunistic, and illiberal. She became chronically unpopular, with a historic low of 2% approval as of March 2025. As such, she was labeled "the world's least popular leader" and the "most unpopular leader in the world". On 10 October 2025, Boluarte was impeached and removed from office by the Peruvian Congress in a 122–0 vote amidst a security crisis and renewed civil unrest against her rule. She was succeeded as President of Peru by José Jerí, the president of Congress.
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Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Fassbinder (German: [ˈʁaɪnɐ ˈvɛʁnɐ ˈfasbɪndɐ] ; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. He directed over 40 films that span a variety of genres; frequently his work blends elements of Hollywood melodrama with social criticism and avant-garde techniques. His films, according to him, explored "the exploitability of feelings". His work was deeply rooted in post-war German culture: the aftermath of Nazism, the German economic miracle and the Red Army Faction. Early on, Fassbinder focused on marginalized figures in the city—migrant workers, prisoners, and gay people. He worked with a company of actors and technicians who frequently appeared in his projects. Fassbinder began leading the acting troupe Anti-Theater in 1967, with whom he staged some of his earliest productions. His first feature-length film was a gangster movie called Love Is Colder Than Death (1969); he scored his first domestic commercial success with The Merchant of Four Seasons (1972) and his first international success with Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974), both of which are considered masterpieces by contemporary critics. Big-budget projects such as Despair (1978), Lili Marleen and Lola (both 1981) followed. His greatest success came with The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979), chronicling the rise and fall of a German woman in the wake of World War II. Other notable films include the lesbian chamber drama The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972), Fox and His Friends (1975), Satan's Brew (1976), In a Year of 13 Moons (1978) and Querelle (1982), all of which dealt with homoerotic themes. He also directed the TV series World on a Wire (1973) and Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980). Fassbinder died on 10 June 1982, aged 37, from a lethal cocktail of cocaine and barbiturates. His career lasted less than two decades, but he was extremely prolific; between 1967 and 1982, he completed over 40 feature films, 24 plays, two television serials, three short films and four video productions, winning five of the most prestigious prizes for feature film in Germany, including the Golden Bear and multiple German Film Awards. His premature death is often considered the end of the New German Cinema timeframe.
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Johnny Paycheck
Johnny Paycheck (born Donald Eugene Lytle; May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003) was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is a notable figure in the outlaw movement in country music. Rising from humble beginnings in Greenfield, Ohio, Paycheck began performing in his teens and gained early recognition as a session musician and harmony vocalist for stars such as Ray Price, George Jones, and Faron Young. Adopting the stage name Johnny Paycheck in the mid-1960s, he scored several hits throughout the next decades, most notably "She's All I Got" in 1971. Paycheck reached the peak of his fame with the 1977 blue-collar anthem "Take This Job and Shove It," written by David Allan Coe, which became a cultural phenomenon and helped solidify Paycheck's status as a defining figure of outlaw country alongside Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Merle Haggard. His career, however, was marked as much by turmoil as triumph, as he struggled with substance abuse, alcohol, spent time in prison, and was involved in multiple legal controversies, including a conviction for assault and a high-profile sexual misconduct case. Despite these setbacks, Paycheck's legacy endures through his raw and uncompromising music, which continues to resonate with fans of traditional and outlaw country. A member of the Grand Ole Opry and the subject of tribute albums and documentaries, Paycheck remained active into the early 2000s before health complications, including emphysema and asthma, led to his death in 2003. His life and work have been recognized as emblematic of both the rebellion and the heartbreak that defined a pivotal era in American country music.
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Nur Jahan
Nur Jahan (Persian: نورجهان, lit. 'Light of the World'; 31 May 1577 – 18 December 1645), born Mehr-un-Nissa, was the twentieth wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. More decisive and proactive than her husband, Nur Jahan is considered by certain historians to have been the real power behind the throne for more than a decade. Wielding a level of power and influence unprecedented for a Mughal empress, she was granted honours and privileges never enjoyed by any of her predecessors or successors, such as having coinage struck in her name. Jahangir had severe addictions to hunting, alcohol, and opium and he also had to contend with his frequent ill-health. Nur Jahan rose to power due to her intellect, political skill, and ability to forge strategic alliances in the imperial court in her husband’s negligence.
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Santino Ferrucci
Santino Michael Ferrucci (born May 31, 1998) is an American professional racing driver. He competes full-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 14 Chevrolet for A. J. Foyt Enterprises. He has also previously raced in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
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Norman Vincent Peale
Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) was an American Protestant clergyman, and an author best known for popularizing the concept of positive thinking, especially through his best-selling book The Power of Positive Thinking (1952). He served as the pastor of Marble Collegiate Church, New York, from 1932, leading this Reformed Church in America congregation for more than a half century until his retirement in 1984. Alongside his pulpit ministry, he had an extensive career of writing and editing, and radio and television presentations. Despite arguing at times against involvement of clergy in politics, he nevertheless had some controversial affiliations with politically active organizations in the late 1930s, and engaged with national political candidates and their campaigns, having influence on some, including personal friendships with Presidents Richard Nixon and Donald Trump. Peale led a group opposing the election of John F. Kennedy for president, saying, "Faced with the election of a Catholic, our culture is at stake." Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr responded that Peale was motivated by "blind prejudice". After intense public criticism, Peale retracted his statement. He also opposed Adlai Stevenson's candidacy for president because he was divorced, which led to Stevenson's famous quip "I find Saint Paul appealing and Saint Peale appalling." Following the publication of Peale's 1952 best seller, his ideas became the focus of criticism from several psychiatric professionals, church theologians and leaders. Peale was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, on March 26, 1984, by President Ronald Reagan. He died at age 95, following a stroke, on December 24, 1993, in Pawling, New York. Ruth Stafford, his wife of 63 years, influenced his publication of The Power in 1952, and was the co-founder of Guideposts.
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Jim Craig
James Downey Craig (born May 31, 1957) is an American former ice hockey goaltender who is best known for being part of the U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Craig had a standout Olympic tournament, including stopping 36 of 39 shots on goal by the heavily favored Soviet Union in the 'Miracle on Ice', as the U.S. won 4–3, in what is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Two days later, the U.S. defeated Finland, 4–2, to clinch Olympic gold. Craig went on to play professionally in the National Hockey League for the Atlanta Flames, Boston Bruins, and Minnesota North Stars from 1980 to 1983. He was inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999.
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Shane Bieber
Shane Robert Bieber (born May 31, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians / Guardians. As a walk-on, Bieber played college baseball for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. He was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB draft, and made his MLB debut with them in 2018. Bieber was named an All-Star in 2019 and 2021, and received the American League's 2020 Cy Young Award.
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Hijikata Toshizō
Hijikata Toshizō (土方 歳三; May 31, 1835 – June 20, 1869) was a Japanese swordsman of the Bakumatsu period and Vice-Commander (副長, Fukucho) of the Shinsengumi. As Vice-Commander, he served the Tokugawa Shogunate and co-led his group in its resistance against the imperial rule brought about by the Meiji Restoration. He fought against the Imperial Army during the Boshin War until his death at the Battle of Hakodate, which ended the war.
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Tommy Emmanuel
William Thomas Emmanuel (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian guitarist. Originally a session player in many bands, he has released many award-winning recordings as a solo artist. In June 2010, Emmanuel was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM); in 2011, he was inducted into the Australian Country Music Roll of Renown. In 2019, he was listed by MusicRadar as the best acoustic guitarist in the world.
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Julian Beck
Julian Beck (May 31, 1925 – September 14, 1985) was an American actor, stage director, poet, and painter. He is best known for co-founding and directing the Living Theatre, as well as his posthumous role as Reverend Henry Kane, the malevolent preacher in the supernatural horror film Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
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Chien-Shiung Wu
Chien-Shiung Wu (Chinese: 吳健雄; pinyin: Wú Jiànxióng; May 31, 1912 – February 16, 1997) was a Chinese-American particle and experimental physicist who made significant contributions in the fields of nuclear and particle physics. Wu worked on the Manhattan Project, where she helped develop the process for separating uranium into uranium-235 and uranium-238 isotopes by gaseous diffusion. She is best known for conducting the Wu experiment, which proved that parity is not conserved. This discovery resulted in her colleagues Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang winning the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics, while Wu herself was awarded the inaugural Wolf Prize in Physics in 1978. Her expertise in experimental physics evoked comparisons to Marie Curie. Her nicknames include the "First Lady of Physics", the "Chinese Marie Curie" and the "Queen of Nuclear Research".
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Erik Karlsson
Erik Sven Gunnar Karlsson (pronounced [ˈêːrɪk ˈkɑ̌ːɭsɔn]; born 31 May 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Karlsson was drafted in the first round, 15th overall, by the Ottawa Senators at the 2008 NHL entry draft, with whom he spent his first nine NHL seasons; he has also played for the San Jose Sharks. Karlsson is a three-time winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman, winning the award in 2012, 2015, and 2023.
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Walter Sickert
Walter Richard Sickert (31 May 1860 – 22 January 1942) was a German-born British painter and printmaker who was a member of the Camden Town Group of Post-Impressionist artists in early 20th-century London. He was an important influence on distinctively British styles of avant-garde art in the mid and late 20th century. Sickert was a cosmopolitan and an eccentric who often favoured ordinary people and urban scenes as his subjects. His work includes portraits of well-known personalities and images derived from press photographs. He is considered a prominent figure in the transition from Impressionism to Modernism.
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Terry Waite
Sir Terence Hardy Waite (born 31 May 1939) is a British human rights activist and author. Waite was the Assistant for Anglican Communion Affairs for the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, in the 1980s. As an envoy for the Church of England, he travelled to Lebanon to try to secure the release of four hostages, including the journalist John McCarthy. He was himself kidnapped and held captive from 1987 to 1991. After his release he wrote Taken on Trust (1994), a memoir about his experiences, and became involved in humanitarian causes and charitable work.
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Andy Hurley
Andrew John Hurley (born May 31, 1980) is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Fall Out Boy. Prior to Fall Out Boy, Hurley played in several hardcore punk bands. He joined Fall Out Boy as the full-time drummer in 2003 and was in the band's lineup until its hiatus in 2009. Following that, he formed the heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things with Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman; the group went on hiatus after its debut album, Ironiclast (2010), due to band members focusing on their original bands' new album cycles. Hurley moved on to hardcore punk band Enabler which released a debut album and toured in 2012. Fall Out Boy regrouped and announced a new album and tour in February 2013. The band's fifth studio album, Save Rock and Roll, was released in April 2013, with the EP PAX AM Days released in October of the same year. The band's sixth studio album American Beauty/American Psycho was released in January 2015 and debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200.
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Svetlana Alexievich
Svetlana Alexandrovna Alexievich (born 31 May 1948) is a Belarusian investigative journalist, essayist and oral historian who writes in Russian. She was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time". She is the first writer from Belarus to receive the award.
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Jordy Nelson
Jordy Ray Nelson (born May 31, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Nelson was raised in Riley County, Kansas and played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats, receiving consensus All-American honors in 2007. He was selected by the Packers in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. In the 2010 season, he won Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers, catching a touchdown pass in the game. Following his departure from the Packers in 2018, he played one year with the Oakland Raiders before announcing his retirement. In 2023, he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame. As of September 2025, Nelson holds the Packers franchise record for the most Lambeau Leaps performed by a player (27).
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Fred Allen
John Florence Sullivan (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956), known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist, topically pointed radio program The Fred Allen Show (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the Golden Age of American radio. His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but that was only part of his appeal. Radio historian John Dunning wrote that Allen was perhaps radio's most admired comedian and most frequently censored. A master ad libber, Allen often tangled with his network's executives and often barbed them on the air over the battles while developing routines whose style and substance influenced fellow comic talents, including Groucho Marx, Stan Freberg, Henry Morgan, and Johnny Carson; his avowed fans also included President Franklin D. Roosevelt, humorist James Thurber, and novelists William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Herman Wouk, who began his career writing for Allen. Allen was honored with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for contributions to television and radio.
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Phil Keoghan
Philip John Keoghan ( KOHG-ən; born 31 May 1967) is a New Zealand television presenter, best known for hosting the American version of The Amazing Race on CBS, since its 2001 debut. He is the creator and host of No Opportunity Wasted, which has been produced in the United States, New Zealand, and Canada. Keoghan also co-created and hosts the American reality competition programme Tough as Nails, which debuted on CBS on 8 July 2020. As of 2021, he has been involved with winning 10 Primetime Emmy Awards related to his work on The Amazing Race, where the show consecutively won the Outstanding Reality-Competition Program seven times.
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Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan (Hebrew: מנחם גולן; 31 May 1929 – 8 August 2014, originally Menachem Globus) was an Israeli film producer, screenwriter, and director. He co-owned The Cannon Group with his cousin Yoram Globus. Cannon specialized in producing low-to-mid-budget American films, primarily genre films, during the 1980s after Golan and Globus had achieved significant filmmaking success in Israel during the 1970s. Golan produced films featuring actors such as Sean Connery, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Charles Bronson, and for a period, was known as a producer of comic book-style films like Masters of the Universe, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Captain America, and his aborted attempt to bring Spider-Man to the silver screen. Golan also wrote and polished numerous film scripts under the pen name Joseph Goldman. At the time of his death, Golan had produced over 200 films, directed 44, and won 8 "Kinor David" awards as well as "Israel Prize" in Cinema. He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Foreign-Language Film for Franco Zeffirelli's Otello.
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Breece Hall
Breece Maelik Hall (born May 31, 2001) is an American professional football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). Hall played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones, where he was a two-time All-American and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. He was selected by the Jets in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.
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Henry B. Eyring
Henry Bennion Eyring (born May 31, 1933) is an American religious leader and former educational administrator serving as the first counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). As the church's second most senior apostle, he is also the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, with Dieter F. Uchtdorf serving as the quorum's acting president. Born in Princeton, New Jersey, Eyring earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Utah in 1955 and later received MBA and DBA degrees from Harvard University. He served two years in the U.S. Air Force before beginning a career in academia. He was a professor of business at Stanford University from 1962 to 1971, also serving as a Sloan Visiting Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was the president of Ricks College (now Brigham Young University–Idaho) from 1971 to 1977. Eyring has been an LDS Church general authority since 1985. He was a counselor in the Presiding Bishopric from 1985 to 1992, then became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy until he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1995. He served twice as commissioner of the Church Educational System, first from 1980 to 1985 and again from 1992 to 2005.
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Kusumoto Ine
Kusumoto Ine (楠本 イネ, 31 May 1827 – 27 August 1903; born Shiimoto Ine 失本 稲) was a Japanese physician. She was the first female doctor of Western medicine in Japan. She was the daughter of Kusumoto Taki, who was a courtesan from Nagasaki; and the German physician Philipp Franz von Siebold, who worked on Dejima, an island foreigners were restricted to during Japan's long period of seclusion from the world. Ine was also known as O-Ine and later in life took the name Itoku (伊篤). In Japanese she is often called Oranda O-Ine ("Dutch O-Ine") for her association with Dejima and its Dutch-language Western learning. Siebold was banished from Japan in 1829 but managed to provide for Ine and her mother and arranged for his students and associates to care for them. Ine's reputation grew after she became a doctor of Western medicine, and she won the patronage of the feudal lord Date Munenari. She studied in various parts of Japan under numerous teachers, one of whom impregnated her—likely having raped her—resulting in her only daughter; she never married. She settled in Tokyo after the country ended its seclusion, and assisted in the birth by one of Emperor Meiji's concubines in 1873. Since her death Ine has been the subject of novels, plays, comics, and musicals in Japan.
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Andrea de Cesaris
Andrea de Cesaris (Italian pronunciation: [anˈdrɛːa de ˈtʃeːzaris]; 31 May 1959 – 5 October 2014) was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1980 to 1994. De Cesaris started 208 Formula One Grands Prix without victory, holding the record for the most races without a win from 1989 until being surpassed by Nico Hülkenberg at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix. A string of accidents early in his career earned him a reputation for being a fast but wild driver. In 2005 and 2006, de Cesaris competed in the Grand Prix Masters formula for retired Formula One drivers. He died on 5 October 2014 after losing control of his motorcycle on Rome's Grande Raccordo Anulare motorway.
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Ellsworth Kelly
Ellsworth Kelly (May 31, 1923 – December 27, 2015) was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker associated with hard-edge painting, Color field painting and minimalism. His works demonstrate unassuming techniques emphasizing line, color and form, similar to the work of John McLaughlin and Kenneth Noland. Kelly often employed bright colors. He lived and worked in Spencertown, New York.
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Leonard Asper
Leonard Asper (born May 31, 1964) is a Canadian businessperson, entrepreneur and lawyer. He was president and CEO of Canwest from 1999 through its bankruptcy in 2010. He would later establish Anthem Sports & Entertainment (initially Anthem Media Group) which owns television specialty channels and has interests in combat sports and film distribution.
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Junior Campbell
Junior Campbell (born William Campbell Jr.; 31 May 1947) is a Scottish composer, songwriter and musician. He was a founding member, lead guitarist, pianist, and singer with the Scottish band Marmalade and co-wrote and produced some of their biggest successes, including "Reflections of My Life", "I See the Rain" and "Rainbow". Reflections of My Life has produced sales of over two million units. In 1998 Campbell and co-writer Dean Ford (Thomas McAleese) were awarded a Special Citation of Achievement by the BMI for attaining radio broadcast performances in excess of one million in the US alone. He also wrote and produced his own solo hits, "Hallelujah Freedom" and "Sweet Illusion" and "Carolina Days". Campbell is also known for composing music for film and television drama, and as an arranger and producer for many musicians including Barbara Dickson. He is also known for co-composing the music and co-writing the lyrics for 182 episodes and 31 songs of the children's TV series Thomas & Friends from 1983–2003, including “Thomas’ Anthem”, "The Island Song", "Really Useful Engine", "The Snow Song" and "Accidents Will Happen", and also composing the music for Tugs, a 13 part children's television series from the same production crew as Thomas.
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Jim Bolger
James Brendan Bolger ( BOL-jər; 31 May 1935 – 15 October 2025) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party who was the 35th prime minister of New Zealand, serving from 1990 to 1997. Bolger was born in Ōpunake, Taranaki, to Irish immigrants. Before entering politics, he farmed in Waikato, and was involved in Federated Farmers—a nationwide agricultural association. Bolger won election to Parliament in 1972, and subsequently served in several portfolios in the Third National Government. Following one unsuccessful bid for the party leadership in 1984, Bolger was elected as National Party leader in 1986. He served as Leader of the Opposition from 1986 to 1990. Bolger led the National Party to a landslide victory—the largest in its history—in the 1990 election, leading him to become prime minister in November. The Fourth National Government was elected on the promise of delivering a "Decent Society" following the previous Labour government's economic reforms, known as "Rogernomics", which Bolger criticised. However, shortly after taking office, his government was forced to bail out the Bank of New Zealand and as a result reneged on many promises made during the election campaign. Bolger's government essentially advanced the free-market reforms of the previous government, while implementing drastic cuts in public spending. National retained power in the 1993 election, albeit with a much-reduced majority. Bolger's second term in office saw the introduction of the MMP electoral system. In the subsequent 1996 election, National emerged as the largest party, but it was forced to enter into a coalition with New Zealand First. Bolger continued as prime minister; however, his critics argued that he gave the inexperienced NZ First too much influence in his Cabinet. In December 1997, Bolger was effectively ousted as leader by his party caucus, and was replaced as prime minister by Jenny Shipley. After resigning as a member of Parliament in 1998, Bolger was appointed ambassador to the United States, where he remained until 2002.
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John Ringling
John Nicholas Ringling (May 31, 1866 – December 2, 1936) was an American entrepreneur who is the best known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows to create a virtual monopoly of traveling circuses and helped shape the modern circus. In addition to owning and managing many of the largest circuses in the United States, he was also a rancher, a real estate developer and art collector. He was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 1987.
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Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki
Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki (31 May 1640 – 10 November 1673), also known as Michał Tomasz Wiśniowiecki (Lithuanian: Mykolas Kaributas Višnioveckis), and under a regal name Michael (Polish: Michał; Lithuanian: Mykolas), was the ruler of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 29 September 1669 until his death in 1673. Michał was chosen partly because of the merit of his father, Prince Jeremi Wiśniowiecki, a powerful border magnate who had helped suppress the rebellious Cossacks during the Khmelnytsky Uprising. After Michał's early death, these setbacks were reversed at the Battle of Khotyn (Chocim) in 1673 by his successor, John III Sobieski, who defeated an Austrian candidate in the election. In 1670, Michał was married to Eleonora Maria of Austria (1653–1697), daughter of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, and his third wife Eleonora Gonzaga. They had one son, who died at birth.
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Jean Chalopin
Jean Chalopin (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ ʃalɔpɛ̃]; born 31 May 1950) is a French businessman, banker and former television animation producer. In 1971, he founded the production company DIC Entertainment, which specialized in children-oriented animated television and film productions. Through DIC he produced numerous successful television series, including Inspector Gadget, which he also co-created (and which grew into a namesake media franchise), The Real Ghostbusters, The Littles and Dennis the Menace. Chalopin also co-wrote DIC's first two major productions, Ulysses 31 and The Mysterious Cities of Gold. After selling off his ownership in DIC, he founded a second company, C&D, in 1987, through which he continued to produce cartoons until its closure in 1996. Chalopin remained active as a writer, producer and creative consultant in the years to follow. More recently, however, he has shifted his focus onto a career in banking.
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Francis Younghusband
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband (31 May 1863 – 31 July 1942) was a British Army officer, explorer and spiritual writer. He is remembered for his travels in the Far East and Central Asia; especially the 1904 British expedition to Tibet, led by him, and for his writings on Asia and foreign policy. Younghusband held positions including British commissioner to Tibet and president of the Royal Geographical Society.
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Diesel
Mark Denis Lizotte (born 31 May 1966) is an American-born Australian singer-songwriter and musician, who has released material under the name Diesel, Johnny Diesel, as leader of band Johnny Diesel & the Injectors, and as a solo performer, as well as under his birth name. Two of his albums reached No. 1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Albums Charts, Hepfidelity in 1992 and The Lobbyist in 1993. Since 1987, he has played on albums by his brother-in-law, Australian rock singer, Jimmy Barnes. Although better known as a singer-songwriter and guitarist, Lizotte is also competent on guitar; and has also produced an album by Richard Clapton and one by Vika and Linda Bull. He has won six ARIA Music Awards with three for 'Best Male Artist' in 1993, 1994 and 1995.
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Carole Achache
Carole Hélène Marthe Andrée Achache (née Salomon-Lange; 31 May 1952 – 1 March 2016) was a French writer, photographer and actress. She was the daughter of French writer Monique Lange and the mother of French-Moroccan film director Mona Achache. She appeared in films such as The Gypsy (1975), Special Section (1975), Lumière (1976), Mr. Klein (1976), Le Juge Fayard dit Le Shériff (1977), and Death of a Corrupt Man (1977) under the name Carole Lange. She later worked as a still photographer in the films Other People's Money (1978), A Week's Vacation (1980), The Trout (1982), and Un soir au club (2009). As an author, Achache published five books. Achache died in Paris on 1 March 2016 at the age of 63. Her death was ruled as suicide by hanging.
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Andrew Bailey
Andrew Scott Bailey (born May 31, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player, he played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies. He played college baseball for Wagner College and was selected by the Athletics in the sixth round of the 2006 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2009 and won that season's American League Rookie of the Year Award. He was an All-Star in 2009 and 2010 while he was the closer for the Athletics. He has also been a pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants.
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Henry Sidgwick
Henry Sidgwick (; 31 May 1838 – 28 August 1900) was an English utilitarian philosopher and economist and is best known in philosophy for his utilitarian treatise The Methods of Ethics. His work in economics has also had a lasting influence. He was the Knightbridge Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Cambridge from 1883 until his death. He was one of the founders and first president of the Society for Psychical Research and a member of the Metaphysical Society and promoted the higher education of women. In 1875, with Millicent Garrett Fawcett, he co-founded Newnham College, a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It was the second Cambridge college to admit women, after Girton College. In 1856 Sidgwick joined the Cambridge Apostles intellectual secret society.
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William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie
William James Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie (31 May 1847 – 7 June 1924) was a leading British shipbuilder and businessman. He was chairman of Harland & Wolff, shipbuilders, between 1895 and 1924, and also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast between 1896 and 1898. He was ennobled as Baron Pirrie in 1906, appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick in 1908 and made Viscount Pirrie in 1921. Lord Pirrie was involved in the building of the Olympic-class ocean liners, along with his nephew Thomas Andrews. In Belfast, he was already a controversial figure: a Protestant employer associated as a leading Liberal with a policy of Home Rule for Ireland.
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Akira Ifukube
Akira Ifukube (伊福部 昭, Ifukube Akira; 31 May 1914 – 8 February 2006) was a Japanese composer. He is best known for composing several entries in the Godzilla franchise as well as developing the titular monster's roar.
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Edna Doré
Edna Lillian Doré (née Gorring; 31 May 1921 – 11 April 2014) was a British actress. She was known for her bit-part roles in sitcoms and for playing the character of Mo Butcher in EastEnders from 1988 to 1990.
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Saint-John Perse
Alexis Leger (French: [ləʒe]; 31 May 1887 – 20 September 1975), better known by his pseudonym Saint-John Perse ([sɛ̃ d͜ʒɔn pɛʁs]; also Saint-Leger Leger), was a French poet, writer and diplomat, awarded the 1960 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the soaring flight and the evocative imagery of his poetry which in a visionary fashion reflects the conditions of our time".
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John Albion Andrew
John Albion Andrew (May 31, 1818 – October 30, 1867) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He was elected in 1860 as the 25th governor of Massachusetts, serving between 1861 and 1866, and led the state's contributions to the Union cause during the American Civil War (1861–1865). He was a guiding force behind the creation of some of the first African-American units in the United States Army, including the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. He belonged to the Whig, Free Soil, and Republican parties during his career. Educated at Bowdoin College, Andrew was a radical abolitionist of slavery from an early age, engaged in the legal defense of fugitive slaves against owners seeking their return. He provided legal support to John Brown after his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, raising his profile and propelling him to the Massachusetts governor's chair. Andrew was a persistent voice criticizing President Abraham Lincoln's conduct of the war, and pressing him to end slavery. By the end of the war, his politics had moderated, and he came to support the Reconstruction policies of Lincoln's successor, Andrew Johnson. In Massachusetts, Andrew opposed the Know Nothing movement of the 1850s and the state's strict alcohol prohibition laws, and oversaw the state takeover of the Hoosac Tunnel construction project. In 1865, he signed legislation establishing the Massachusetts State Police, the first statewide police force of its type in the nation. He died early of apoplexy at the age of 49.
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Thomas Mavros
Thomas Mavros (Greek: Θωμάς Μαύρος, born 31 May 1954) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker. Starting his career at Panionios, he quickly established himself in the Greek championship at the age of 16. He became one of the star players of AEK Athens and led the club to major successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Mavros is widely regarded as one of the best footballers in Greece, having scored a record 260 goals in the Greek championship and played for the Europe XI in 1981, as well as the World XI in 1984. He was nicknamed "The God" (Greek: Ο Θεός) or "Theomas" (Greek: "Θεωμάς"). In 2012 he also had a brief spell as president of AEK Athens.
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John Robert Schrieffer
John Robert Schrieffer (; May 31, 1931 – July 27, 2019) was an American theoretical physicist who, with John Bardeen and Leon Cooper, was a recipient of the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physics for developing the BCS theory, the first successful quantum description of superconductivity.
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Fritz Hilpert
Friedrich "Fritz" Hilpert (born 31 May 1956) is a German musician who is best known for his work as a member of the electropop group Kraftwerk.
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Ludwig Tieck
Johann Ludwig Tieck (; German: [tiːk]; 31 May 1773 – 28 April 1853) was a German poet, fiction writer, translator, and critic. He was one of the founding fathers of the Romantic movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
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Pankaj Roy
Pankaj Roy (; 31 May 1928 – 4 February 2001) was an Indian cricketer who played in 43 Test matches, including once as captain. He was a right-handed opening batsman, perhaps best known for establishing the world record opening partnership in Test cricket of 413 runs, together with Vinoo Mankad, against New Zealand at Chennai. The record stood for 52 years until 2008. Roy played for Bengal in domestic matches. In 2000, he was appointed as the Sheriff of Kolkata. He has been honoured with the Padma Shri. His nephew Ambar Roy and son Pranab Roy also played Test cricket for India. He was a…
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Robert Osterloh
Robert Osterloh (May 31, 1918 – April 16, 2001) was an American actor. In a career spanning 20 years, he appeared in films such as The Dark Past (1948), The Wild One (1953), I Bury the Living (1958), and Young Dillinger (1965).
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Lauri Kristian Relander
Lauri Kristian Relander (forenames Finnish: [ˈlɑu̯ri ˈkristiɑ̯n], surname Finland Swedish: [reˈlɑndær]; 31 May 1883 – 9 February 1942) was the president of Finland (1925–1931). A prominent member of the Agrarian League, he served as a member of Parliament, and as Speaker, before his election as president. Relander is widely regarded as the most unknown of Finland's presidents, as he has been considered a colorless and weak president who, during a domestic politically broken period, allowed himself to be guided without a clear line of his own. In foreign policy, the policy of isolation was…
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Alessandro Allori
Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori (Florence, 31 May 1535 – 22 September 1607) was an Italian painter of the late Mannerist Florentine school.
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Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud
Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud (French pronunciation: [pjɛʁ viktyʁnjɛ̃ vɛʁɲo]; 31 May 1753 – 31 October 1793) was a French lawyer and statesman, a figure of the French Revolution. A deputy to the Assembly from Bordeaux, Vergniaud was an eloquent orator. He was a supporter of Jacques Pierre Brissot and the Girondist faction.
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Graham Wallas
Graham Wallas (31 May 1858 – 9 August 1932) was an English socialist, social psychologist, educationalist, a leader of the Fabian Society and a co-founder of the London School of Economics.
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Maurice Allais
Maurice Félix Charles Allais (French pronunciation: [mɔʁis feliks ʃaʁl alɛ]; 31 May 1911 – 9 October 2010) was a French physicist and economist, the 1988 winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "for his pioneering contributions to the theory of markets and efficient utilization of resources", along with John Hicks (Value and Capital, 1939) and Paul Samuelson (The Foundations of Economic Analysis, 1947), to neoclassical synthesis. They formalize the self-regulation of markets, which Keynes refuted but reiterated some of Allais's ideas. Born in Paris, France, Allais attended the…
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Woo Jin-young
Woo Jin-young (Korean: 우진영; born May 31, 1997) is a South Korean singer and rapper. During his tenure as a trainee with Happy Face Entertainment (now Dreamcatcher Company), he was a contestant on the reality survival series Produce 101 and Mix Nine, where he competed to debut in an idol group. He found success in the latter and ranked number one in the competition, but the group never materialized due to failed contract negotiations between the show creator YG Entertainment and the artists' respective agencies. Woo released a collaborative extended play (EP) entitled [Present] in 2018 with…
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David Leigh
David Alan Leigh (born May 31, 1963) FRS FRSE FRSC is a British chemist, Royal Society Research Professor and, since 2014, the Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Manchester. He was previously the Forbes Chair of Organic Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh (2001–2012) and Professor of Synthetic Chemistry at the University of Warwick (1998–2001). He is President-elect of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2026-28; President 2028-2030).
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Francisco Moreno
Francisco Pascasio Moreno (May 31, 1852 – November 22, 1919) was a prominent explorer and academic in Argentina, where he is usually referred to as Perito Moreno (perito means "specialist, expert"). Perito Moreno has been credited as one of the most influential figures in the Argentine incorporation of large parts of Patagonia and its subsequent development.
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Jean-François Gillet
Jean-François Gillet (born 31 May 1979) is a Belgian professional football coach and former player who played as a goalkeeper. He works as a goalkeeping coach at Standard Liège. At international level, he was a member of the Belgian squad that took part at UEFA Euro 2016.
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Mac Suzuki
Mac Suzuki (マック鈴木; born Makoto Suzuki (鈴木 誠, Suzuki Makoto); May 31, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. Over his career, Suzuki played 18 seasons in professional baseball, including six in Major League Baseball and two in the Japan Pacific League. In his major league career, he has played for the Seattle Mariners (1996, 1998–1999), the Kansas City Royals (1999–2001, 2002), the Colorado Rockies (2001), and the Milwaukee Brewers (2001). With those teams, he has had a combined record of 16–31 with a 5.72 earned run average (ERA), one complete game, one shutout, 67 starts…
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Pirkka-Pekka Petelius
Pirkka-Pekka Petelius (born 31 May 1953) is a Finnish actor, director, producer, screenwriter and politician. He has also released six records as a singer. He is a member of the Green League and was elected to the Finnish parliament in the 2019 election with 6,331 personal votes, but is not a member of the parliament any more. Petelius's breakthrough was in Yleisradio's sketch series Velipuolikuu (1983), which he wrote and also acted in. The popularity gained by the series started Petelius's career as one of the most well-known comedians in Finland. He gained immense popularity due to his…
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Andrea Appiani
Andrea Appiani (31 May 1754 – 8 November 1817) was an Italian neoclassical painter. He is known as "the elder", to distinguish him from his great-nephew Andrea Appiani, a historical painter in Rome.
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James Eberle
Admiral Sir James Henry Fuller Eberle, (31 May 1927 – 17 May 2018) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy who served as Commander-in-Chief Fleet from 1979 until 1981.
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Hiroiki Ariyoshi
Hiroiki Ariyoshi (有吉 弘行, Ariyoshi Hiroiki; born 31 May 1974) is a Japanese comedian and singer who is represented by Ohta Production.
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Rosa May Billinghurst
Rosa May Billinghurst (31 May 1875 – 29 July 1953) was a British suffragette and women's rights activist. She was known popularly as the "cripple suffragette" as she campaigned in a tricycle.
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Robie Macauley
Robie Mayhew Macauley (May 31, 1919 – November 20, 1995) was an American editor, novelist and critic whose literary career spanned more than 50 years.
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Count Hieronymus von Colloredo
Hieronymus Joseph Franz de Paula Graf Colloredo von Wallsee und Melz (German pronunciation: [hiˈʁɔnimʊs ˈjoːzɛf ˈfʁants də ˈpaʊla ˈɡʁaːf kɔloˈʁeːdo fɔn ˈvalzeː ʊnt ˈmɛlts]; Jérôme Joseph Franz de Paula, Count of Colloredo-Wallsee and Mels; 31 May 1732 – 20 May 1812) was Prince-Bishop of Gurk from 1761 to 1772 and Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1772 until 1803, when the prince-archbishopric was secularized. After secularization, Colloredo fled to Vienna and remained the non-resident archbishop of Salzburg, bereft of temporal power, until his death in 1812. He is most famously known as a…
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Ted Baehr
Millard Robert E. Theodore Baehr (born 1946) is an American media critic and chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, a division of Good News Communications, Inc. He is publisher and editor-in-chief of Movieguide, a website and biweekly journal that evaluates motion pictures and other entertainment products from a Christian perspective on suitability for family consumption. He also hosts nationally and internationally syndicated Movieguide radio and television programs.
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Bert Haanstra
Albert Haanstra (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑlbərd bɛrt ˈɦaːnstraː]; 31 May 1916 – 23 October 1997) was a Dutch director of films and documentaries. His documentary Glass (1958) won the Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject in 1959. His feature film Fanfare (1958) was the most visited Dutch film at the time, and has since only been surpassed by Turkish Delight (1973).
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Greg Adams
Gregory Charles Adams (born May 31, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1980–81 to 1989–90.
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Frances Alda
Frances Davis Alda (born Frances Jane Davis; 31 May 1879 – 18 September 1952) was a New Zealand-born, Australian-raised operatic lyric soprano. She achieved fame during the first three decades of the 20th century due to her outstanding singing voice, fine technique and colourful personality, as well as her frequent onstage partnerships at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, with Enrico Caruso.
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Anatoliy Bondarchuk
Anatoliy Pavlovych Bondarchuk (Ukrainian: Анатолій Павлович Бондарчук, 31 May 1940 – 23 December 2025) was a Ukrainian hammer thrower who competed for the Soviet Union. An Olympic gold medallist, he is regarded as one of the most accomplished hammer throw coaches of all time. He was the author of a two-volume book, Transfer of Training, which was translated from Russian to English by Michael Yessis.
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Alfredo Antonini
Alfredo Antonini (May 31, 1901 – November 3, 1983) was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the early 1970s. In 1972 he received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Religious Programming on television for his conducting of the premiere of Ezra Laderman's opera And David Wept for CBS television during 1971. In addition, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1980.
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Michel Kikoine
Michel Kikoïne (Belarusian: Міхаіл Кікоін; Russian: Михаил Кико́ин, Michail Kikóin; 31 May 1892 – 4 November 1968) was a Lithuanian Jewish-French painter who belonged to the Ecole de Paris art movement.
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Mikael Antonsson
Mikael Antonsson (born 31 May 1981) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a defender. He currently works for the Danish Superliga side F.C. Copenhagen as assistant manager. As a player, he played professionally in Sweden, Austria, Greece, Italy, and Denmark during a career that spanned between 1996 and 2018. A full international between 2004 and 2015, he won 28 caps for the Sweden national team and was a part of their UEFA Euro 2012 squad.
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Brett Firman
Brett Firman is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s. He played in the National Rugby League, primarily in the halves, for the St. George Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters, North Queensland Cowboys, Penrith Panthers, and the Helensburgh Tigers of the Illawarra Rugby League.
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Ed Lincoln
Ed Lincoln (Eduardo Lincoln Barbosa de Sabóia; May 31, 1932 – July 16, 2012) was a Brazilian musician, composer and arranger known for a wide variety of styles. As a bassist, he was present at the earliest moments of bossa nova and as a Hammond organ player, he was foundational in establishing the sound of Brazilian jazz and space age pop. His most widely heard compositions include O Ganso (Ed Lincoln and D'Orlann), É o Cid (Ed Lincoln and Sílvio César), Palladium (Ed Lincoln and Orlandivo) and Ai que Saudade Dessa Nega. His most successful arrangements include O Bêbado (Durval Ferreira and…
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Michaël Bournival
Joseph Alain Michaël Bournival (born May 31, 1992) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was selected in the third round, 71st overall, by the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 2010 NHL entry draft and played for the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning.
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Domenico Fioravanti
Domenico Fioravanti (born 31 May 1977) is a retired Italian competitive swimmer who won two gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
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Jerzy Radziwiłł
Prince Jerzy Radziwiłł (Lithuanian: Jurgis Radvila; 31 May 1556 – 21 January 1600) was a Polish–Lithuanian magnate and Imperial Reichsfürst from the Radziwiłł family. He was ordained a Catholic priest and later rose through the ranks as Bishop of Vilnius eventually becoming a cardinal. He was a close friend and adviser of King Sigismund III and represented his interests in front of the Pope. Raised a Calvinist, Radziwiłł was educated at the University of Leipzig. In 1572 he converted to Catholicism and became associated with the Jesuits. He continued to study at Jesuit colleges in Poznań,…
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Art Coulter
Arthur Edmund Coulter (May 31, 1909 – October 14, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League. Coulter, a two time Stanley Cup Champion, helped the Black Hawks win their first championship in 1933–34 and the Rangers to a Cup win in 1939–40. He succeeded Hall of Famer Bill Cook as captain of the Rangers in 1938. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974.
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Lucile Godbold
Lucile Ellerbe Godbold (May 31, 1900 – April 5, 1981) was an American track and field athlete. She competed in the long jump and several running and throwing events at the 1922 Women's World Games, also known as the First International Games for Women, and won a gold medal in the shot put and a bronze in the javelin throw; she finished fourth in the 300 m and 1000 m races. She won a total of six medals, which was more than any other competitor.
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Sándor Festetics
Count Sándor Ágost Dénes Festetics de Tolna (31 May 1882 – 12 September 1956) was a Hungarian nobleman and cabinet minister who later became an advocate of Nazism in Hungary.
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Frode Estil
Frode Estil (born 31 May 1972) is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier. He lives in Meråker Municipality with his wife Grete whom he married in the summer of 2001. They have two sons, Bernhard, born in August 2002, and Konrad. Estil was classical specialist and also a specialist at succeeding in World Championships and Olympics. While Estil only won four World Cup races, he won one individual Olympic Gold and one individual World Championship gold. In addition, he won three team events in the World Championships and another team gold in the Olympics.
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Ray Cote
Ray Cote (born May 31, 1961) is a former professional ice hockey forward. He spent his junior career with the Calgary Wranglers of the WHL and signed a free agent contract with the Edmonton Oilers in 1981 after going undrafted. Cote spent the majority of his career in the minor leagues and European leagues but saw three separate stints with the Oilers. His only career NHL points were recorded in the 1982–83 playoffs. In the 1983 playoffs, he and George McPhee of the New York Rangers became the first players to score three goals in a single postseason before playing a regular season NHL game.…
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John Cox Bray
Sir John Cox Bray (31 May 1842 – 13 June 1894) was a prominent South Australian politician and the first native-born Premier of South Australia (1881–1884).
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Arun Luthra
Aruṇ Lūthrā (Hindi: अरुण लूथरा) is a saxophonist, konnakol artist, composer, and bandleader based in New York City.
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Adye Douglas
Sir Adye Douglas (31 May 1815 – 10 April 1906) was an Australian lawyer and politician, and first class cricket player, who played one match for Tasmania. He was Premier of Tasmania from 15 August 1884 to 8 March 1886.
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June Clark
Dame Margaret June Clark, FAAN FLSW (31 May 1941 – 14 May 2025) was a British nurse and academic who was Professor Emeritus of Community Nursing, at Swansea University in Wales.
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Robert Richards
Robert Stanley Richards (31 May 1885 – 24 April 1967) was an Australian politician. He served as premier of South Australia for two months in 1933, leading the Parliamentary Labor faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the aftermath of a major party split. His government was defeated in a landslide at the 1933 state election. He returned as leader of the reunited ALP from 1938 to 1949, leading the party to three consecutive electoral defeats as leader of the opposition in the face of severe electoral malapportionment. He later served as administrator of Nauru, a UN trust territory…
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Karl-Hans Riehm
Karl-Hans Riehm (born 31 May 1951 in Konz, Rhineland-Palatinate) is a former West German hammer thrower. His biggest success came at the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, United States where he won the silver medal. At the previous Olympics he had a tenth place from 1972 and a fourth place from 1976. In addition he won the bronze medal at the 1978 European Championships and finished seventh at the 1983 World Championships. His personal best throw was 80.80 metres, achieved in July 1980 in Rhede. This ranks him tenth among German hammer throwers, behind Ralf Haber, Heinz Weis, Karsten…
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Johann Georg Baiter
Johann Georg Baiter (31 May 1801 – 10 October 1877) was a Swiss philologist and textual critic.
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