Birthdays of important personalities on January 2

1642 : Mehmed IV, sultan (Turkey)
1647 : Nathaniel Bacon, leader of Bacon's Rebellion, Va (1676)
1699 : Osman III, sultan (Turkey)
1727 : James Wolfe, commanded British Army (captured Qu?bec)
1728 : Louis Barbiano de Belgioioso, Austrian count/diplomat in Belgium
1752 : Philip Freneau, poet of American Revolution (The American Village)
1777 : Christian D Rauch, German sculptor
1803 : Gugliemo Libri, [della Somaia], Ital/Fren mathematician/book collector
1822 : Rudolph J E Clausius, Germany, physicist (thermodynamics)
1831 : Justin Winston, historian/librarian (Harvard)
1835 : Charles Russell Lowell Jr, Brig General (Union volunteers)
1842 : Amy G C A Bonet-Maury, French reformed theologist
1857 : Frederick Opper, cartoonist (Maud, Alphonse & Gaston)
1857 : Martha Carey Thomas, educator/president (Bryn Mawr College)
1860 : William C Mills, museum curator (excavated Ohio Indian mounds)
1861 : Helen Herron Taft, 1st lady (1909-12)
1863 : Lucia Zarate, became lightest known adult human (2.1 kg at 17)
1873 : Anton Pannekoek, Dutch astronomer/marxist theorist (Communist Tactics)
1879 : Johannes L "Jan" Walch, Dutch literary (Grimaces)
1879 : Pieter Tesch, Dutch geologist (Pedestal of Nederlands)
1880 : Louis Breguet, French aviation pioneer
1885 : Johannes Ringers, Dutch water engineer (dikes)
1886 : Moyshe Leyb Halpern, Galican/US poet (In New-York)
1892 : Lura Anson, Nebraska, entertainer
1894 : Robert Nathan, NYC, poet, novelist (Portrait of Jennie)
1895 : Count Folke Bernadotte, Sweden, statesman (Red Cross, UN)
1899 : Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgium, premier/sec-gen of NATO (1957-61)
1901 : Robert Marshall, founder (Wilderness Society)
1901 : Torsten Ralf, Swedish tenor (Daphne)
1903 : Anton van Duinkerken, [Willem JMA Asselbergs], literary
1904 : James Melton, Moultrie Ga, opera tenor (Ford Festival)
1904 : Sally Rand, Hickory County MO, stripper (fan dance)
1907 : Edward Albert Radice, economist
1908 : Ben Grauer, NYC, newscaster (Big Story)
1909 : Rene Etiemble, French literature historian (Parlez-vous Franglais)
1912 : Renato Guttuso, Italian painter (Flight from Etna, Crucifixion)
1913 : Ernest Sidey, British air marshal
1913 : Juanita E Jackson Mitchell, US head (NAACP)
1913 : L?on P Teisserenc de Bort, France, meteorologist
1915 : John Hope Franklin, historian
1920 : Duke of Devonshire, English large landowner/art collector
1920 : Penelope Jessel, politcal activist
1920 : Peter Harrison Swan, bomber pilot/stockbroker
1922 : Renata Tebaldi, Pesaro Italy, lyric soprano
1925 : William J Crowe Jr, Kentucky, chairman joint chief of staff
1927 : David Herbert, publisher
1927 : Richard Belmont Ray, (Rep-D-Ga) [or Feb 2]
1928 : Dan Rostenkowski, (Rep-D-Il, -94)
1928 : Harry Hyams, English immovable goods owner (Center Point)
1928 : Vaughn Beals, Cambridge Mass, CEO (Harley Davidson motorcycle)
1929 : Art Prysock, jazz musician
1930 : Julius LaRosa, Bkln NY, singer (fired by Arthur Godfrey on the air)
1931 : Toshiki Kaifu, premier of Japan (1989-91)
1932 : Dabney Coleman, Austin Texas, (That Girl, Mary Hartman, Buffalo Bill)
1936 : Roger Miller, Ft Worth Tx, country singer (King of the Road, Dang Me)
1937 : Marianne McDonald, classicist/philanthropist
1939 : Jim Bakker, televangelist (PTL Club)/rapist (Jessica Hahn)
1947 : Aleksandr Tikhonova, USSR, biathalon relay (Oly-gold-1968, 72, 76, 80)
1947 : Lanny Bassham, US, rifle-3 position (Olympic-gold-1976)
1949 : Chick Churchill, Wales, keyboardist (Ten Years After-I'm Going Home)
1952 : Ricky Van Shelton, Grit Va, country singer (Wild-Eyed Dream)
1954 : Ludmila Borozna, USSR, volleyball player (Olympic-gold-1972)
1963 : David Cone, KC Mo, baseball pitcher (NY Mets/Tor Blue Jays/NY Yankees)
1963 : Edgar Martinez, NYC, baseball 1st baseman (Seattle Mariners)
1964 : Christopher John Gray, priest
1964 : Pernell Whitaker, boxer (Olympic-gold)
1965 : Greg Swindell, Fort Worth TX, pitcher (Houston Astros, Cleve Indians)
1965 : Russ Courtnall, Duncan, NHL right wing (Vancouver Canucks)
1969 : Rick Tabaracci, Toronto, NHL goalie (Calgary Flames)
1969 : Robert Svehla, Martin Cze, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers, Slovakia)
1969 : Stephen Davies, Aust field hockey forward/vice capt (Oly-sil-92, 96)
1970 : Aleksandr Shimin, hockey goaltender (Team Kazakhstan Oly-1998)
1970 : Royce Clayton, Burbank CA, infielder (SF Giants, St Louis Cardinals)
1971 : Brad Parpan, WLAF quarterback (Rhein Fire)
1971 : Robert O' Neal, WLAF DB (Amsterdam Admirals)
1972 : Jeff Jackson, US baseball outfielder (Phila Phillies)
1972 : Mattias Norstrom, Mora SWE, NHL defenseman (Team Sweden, LA Kings)
1973 : Abu Wilson, running back (Indianapolis Colts)
1973 : Fredric Ford, WLAF CB (Scotland Claymores)/NFL cornerback (Eagles)
1973 : Sarah Schwald, Bellingham Wash, 1.5k runner
1974 : Juha Lind, NHL forward (Team Finland Oly-Bronze-1998, Dallas)
1980 : Stephanie Stiegler, Santa Monica Calif, pairs skater (& Zimmerman)

News Updates

Birthdays

Death Days

Events