1 January Births

January 1 is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Friday, Sunday, or Tuesday (58 in 400 years each) than on Wednesday or Thursday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Saturday or Monday (56). This day is known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the year.

Births

377 – Arcadius, Byzantine emperor (d. 408)
1431 – Pope Alexander VI (d. 1503)
1449 – Lorenzo de' Medici, Italian politician (d. 1492)
1453 – Bernardin Frankopan, Croatian nobleman, diplomat and soldier (d. 1529)
1465 – Lachlan Cattanach Maclean, 11th Chief, Scottish clan chief (d. 1523)
1467 – Sigismund I the Old, Polish king (d. 1548)
1484 – Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss pastor and theologian (d. 1531)
1488 – Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (d. 1543)
1500 – Solomon Molcho, Portuguese mystic (d. 1532)
1509 – Guillaume Le Testu, French privateer (d. 1573)
1515 – Johann Weyer, Dutch physician (d. 1588)
1516 – Margaret Leijonhufvud, queen of Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1551)
1526 – Louis Bertrand, Spanish missionary to Latin America, patron saint of Colombia (d. 1581)
1530 – Thomas Bromley, English lord chancellor (d. 1587)
1545 – Magnus Heinason, Faroese naval hero (d. 1589)
1548 – Giordano Bruno, Italian mathematician, friar, philosopher, poet, and cosmological theorist (d. 1600)
1557 – Stephen Bocskay, Prince of Transylvania (d. 1606)
1560 – Hugh Myddelton, Welsh businessman (d. 1631)
1561 – Thomas Walsingham, English spymaster (d. 1630)
1579 – Jacob Dircksz de Graeff, Dutch mayor (d. 1638)
1584 – Charles de Lorme, French physician (d. 1678)
1586 – Pau Claris i Casademunt, Catalan ecclesiastic (d. 1641)
1600 – Friedrich Spanheim, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1649)
1628 – Christoph Bernhard, German composer and theorist (d. 1692)
1638 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (d. 1685)
1638 – Nicolas Steno, Danish pioneer in anatomy and geology, bishop (d. 1686)
1650 – George Rooke, Royal Navy admiral (d. 1709)
1655 – Christian Thomasius, German jurist and philosopher (d. 1728)
1684 – Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch scholar and author (d. 1748)
1704 – Soame Jenyns, English author, poet, and politician (d. 1787)
1711 – Baron Franz von der Trenck, Austrian soldier (d. 1749)
1714 – Giovanni Battista Mancini, Italian soprano and author (d. 1800)
1714 – Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian pastor and poet (d. 1780)
1735 – Paul Revere, American silversmith and engraver (d. 1818)
1745 – Anthony Wayne, American general and politician (d. 1796)
1750 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American minister and politician, 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1801)
1752 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress, credited with designing the Flag of the United States (d. 1836)
1768 – Maria Edgeworth, Anglo-Irish author (d. 1849)
1769 – Marie Lachapelle, French obstetrician (d. 1821)
1769 – Jane Marcet, British science writer (d. 1858)
1774 – André Marie Constant Duméril, French zoologist and academic (d. 1860)
1779 – William Clowes, English publisher (d. 1847)
1803 – Edward Dickinson, American politician and father of poet Emily Dickinson (d. 1874)
1803 – Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1869)
1806 – Lionel Kieseritzky, Estonian-French chess player (d. 1853)
1809 – Achille Guenée, French lawyer and entomologist (d. 1880)
1813 – George Bliss, American politician (d. 1868)
1814 – Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebellion leader and king (d. 1864)
1818 – William Gamble, American general (d. 1866)
1819 – Arthur Hugh Clough, English-Italian poet and academic (d. 1861)
1819 – George Foster Shepley, American general (d. 1878)
1823 – Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian poet and activist (d. 1849)
1833 – Robert Lawson, Scottish-New Zealand architect, designed the Otago Boys' High School and Knox Church (d. 1902)
1834 – Ludovic Halévy, French author and playwright (d. 1908)
1839 – Ouida, English-Italian author and activist (d. 1908)
1848 – John W. Goff, Irish-American lawyer and politician (d. 1924)
1852 – Eugène-Anatole Demarçay, French chemist and academic (d. 1904)
1854 – James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist and academic (d. 1941)
1854 – Thomas Waddell, Irish-Australian politician, 15th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1940)
1857 – Tim Keefe, American baseball player (d. 1933)
1859 – Thibaw Min, Burmese king (d. 1916)
1859 – Michael Joseph Owens, American inventor (d. 1923)
1860 – John Cassidy, Irish sculptor and painter (d. 1939)
1860 – Dan Katchongva, American tribal leader and activist (d. 1972)
1860 – Michele Lega, Italian cardinal (d. 1935)
1860 – Jan Vilímek, Czech illustrator and painter (d. 1938)
1863 – Pierre de Coubertin, French historian and educator, founded the International Olympic Committee (d. 1937)
1864 – Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d. 1957)
1864 – Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer and curator (d. 1946)
1867 – Mary Ackworth Evershed, English astronomer and Dante scholar (d. 1949)
1867 – Lew Fields, American actor, producer, and manager (d. 1941)
1871 – Montagu Toller, English cricketer and lawyer (d. 1948)
1874 – Frank Knox, American publisher and politician, 46th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1944)
1874 – Gustave Whitehead, German-American pilot and engineer (d. 1927)
1877 – Alexander von Staël-Holstein, German sinologist and orientalist (d. 1937)
1878 – Agner Krarup Erlang, Danish mathematician, statistician, and engineer (d. 1929)
1879 – E. M. Forster, English author and playwright (d. 1970)
1879 – William Fox, Hungarian-American screenwriter and producer, founded the Fox Film Corporation and Fox Theatres (d. 1952)
1883 – William J. Donovan, American general, lawyer, and politician (d. 1959)
1883 – Mary Forbes, English actress (d. 1974)
1883 – Dimitrios Semsis, Greek violinist and composer (d. 1950)
1884 – Chikuhei Nakajima, Japanese lieutenant, engineer, and politician, founded Nakajima Aircraft Company (d. 1949)
1884 – José Quirante, Spanish footballer, coach, and manager (d. 1964)
1884 – Konstantinos Tsaldaris, Egyptian-Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1970)
1887 – Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral (d. 1945)
1888 – John Garand, Canadian-American engineer, designed the M1 Garand rifle (d. 1974)
1888 – Georgios Stanotas, Greek general (d. 1965)
1889 – Charles Bickford, American actor (d. 1967)
1890 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer and academic (d. 1966)
1891 – Sampurnanand, Indian educator and politician, 3rd Governor of Rajasthan (d. 1969)
1892 – Mahadev Desai, Indian author and activist (d. 1942)
1892 – Artur Rodziński, Polish-American conductor (d. 1958)
1892 – Manuel Roxas, Filipino lawyer and politician, 5th President of the Philippines (d. 1948)
1893 – Mordechai Frizis, Greek colonel (d. 1940)
1894 – Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian physicist and mathematician (d. 1974)
1894 – Edward Joseph Hunkeler, American clergyman (d. 1970)
1895 – J. Edgar Hoover, American law enforcement official; 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (d. 1972)
1899 – Jack Beresford, British rower (d. 1977)
1900 – Sam Berger, Canadian sports businessman (d. 1992)
1900 – Paola Borboni, Italian film actress (d. 1995) [1]
1900 – Xavier Cugat, Spanish-American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1990)
1900 – Chiune Sugihara, Japanese soldier and diplomat (d. 1986)
1900 – Shrikrishna Narayan Ratanjankar, Indian scholar and teacher of Hindustani classical music (d. 1974)
1902 – Hans von Dohnányi, German jurist and political dissident (d. 1945)
1902 – Buster Nupen, South African cricketer and lawyer (d. 1977)
1903 – Dwight Taylor, American screenwriter and author (d. 1986)
1904 – Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 5th President of Pakistan (d. 1982)
1905 – Stanisław Mazur, Ukrainian-Polish mathematician and theorist (d. 1981)
1907 – Kinue Hitomi, Japanese sprinter and long jumper (d. 1931)
1909 – Dana Andrews, American actor (d. 1992)
1909 – Dattaram Hindlekar, Indian cricketer (d. 1949)
1909 – Stepan Bandera, Ukrainian soldier and politician (d. 1959)
1910 – Koesbini, Indonesian composer (d. 1991)
1911 – Audrey Wurdemann, American poet and author (d. 1960)
1911 – Basil Dearden, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1971)
1911 – Hank Greenberg, American baseball player and lieutenant (d. 1986)
1911 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (d. 2012)
1912 – Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko, Russian mathematician and historian (d. 1995)
1912 – Kim Philby, British spy (d. 1988)
1912 – Nikiforos Vrettakos, Greek poet and academic (d. 1991)
1917 – Shannon Bolin, American actress and singer (d. 2016)
1918 – Willy den Ouden, Dutch swimmer (d. 1997)
1918 – Patrick Anthony Porteous, Scottish colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2000)
1918 – Ed Price, American soldier, pilot, and politician (d. 2012)
1919 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer and actor (d. 1990)
1919 – Carole Landis, American actress (d. 1948)
1919 – J. D. Salinger, American soldier and author (d. 2010)
1919 – Yoshio Tabata, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
1920 – Osvaldo Cavandoli, Italian cartoonist (d. 2007)
1920 – Mahmoud Zoufonoun, Iranian-American violinist (d. 2013)
1921 – Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American philosopher and academic (d. 1986)
1921 – César Baldaccini, French sculptor and academic (d. 1998)
1921 – Regina Bianchi, Italian actress (d. 2013)
1921 – John Strawson, English general (d. 2014)
1922 – Ernest Hollings, American soldier and politician, 106th Governor of South Carolina
1922 – Roz Howard, American race car driver (d. 2013)
1922 – Jerry Robinson, American illustrator (d. 2011)
1923 – Valentina Cortese, Italian actress
1923 – Daniel Gorenstein, American mathematician and academic (d. 1992)
1923 – Milt Jackson, American vibraphonist and composer (Modern Jazz Quartet) (d. 1999)
1924 – Charlie Munger, American businessman and philanthropist
1924 – Francisco Macías Nguema, Equatorial Guinean politician, 1st President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (d. 1979)
1925 – Matthew Beard, American actor and singer (d. 1981)
1925 – Wahiduddin Khan, Indian religious scholar and peace activist
1925 – Paul Bomani, Tanzanian politician and diplomat, 1st Tanzanian Minister of Finance (d. 2005)
1926 – Kazys Petkevičius, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (d. 2008)
1927 – Maurice Béjart, French-Swiss dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 2007)
1927 – Calum MacKay, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2001)
1927 – James Reeb, American clergyman and political activist (d. 1965)
1927 – Vernon L. Smith, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1927 – Doak Walker, American football player and businessman (d. 1998)
1928 – Khan Mohammad, Pakistani cricketer (d. 2009)
1928 – Ernest Tidyman, American author and screenwriter (d. 1984)
1928 – Gerhard Weinberg, German-American historian, author, and academic
1929 – Raymond Chow, Hong Kong film producer, co-founded Orange Sky Golden Harvest
1929 – Larry L. King, American journalist, author, and playwright (d. 2012)
1930 – Jean-Pierre Duprey, French poet and sculptor (d. 1959)
1930 – Ty Hardin, American actor (d. 2017)
1930 – Gaafar Nimeiry, Egyptian-Sudanese politician, 4th President of the Sudan (d. 2009)
1930 – Frederick Wiseman, American director and producer
1932 – Jackie Parker, American football player and coach (d. 2006)
1932 – Giuseppe Patanè, Italian conductor (d. 1989)
1933 – James Hormel, American philanthropist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Luxembourg
1933 – Ford Konno, American swimmer
1933 – Joe Orton, English author and playwright (d. 1967)
1934 – Alan Berg, American lawyer and radio host (d. 1984)
1934 – Lakhdar Brahimi, Algerian politician, Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs
1935 – Om Prakash Chautala, Indian former politician
1936 – Don Nehlen, American football player and coach
1936 – James Sinegal, American businessman, co-founded Costco
1937 – John Fuller, English poet and author
1937 – Matt Robinson, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2002)
1938 – Robert Jankel, English businessman, founded Panther Westwinds (d. 2005)
1938 – Frank Langella, American actor
1939 – Michèle Mercier, French actress
1939 – Phil Read, English motorcycle racer and businessman
1939 – Senfronia Thompson, American politician
1939 – Mohamed El Yazghi, Moroccan politician
1941 – Martin Evans, English-Welsh geneticist and academic
1941 – Younoussi Touré, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali
1942 – Dennis Archer, American lawyer and politician, 67th Mayor of Detroit
1942 – Al Hunt, American journalist
1942 – Anthony Hamilton-Smith, 3rd Baron Colwyn, English dentist and politician
1942 – Billy Lothridge, American football player (d. 1996)
1942 – Country Joe McDonald, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1942 – Alassane Ouattara, Ivorian economist and politician, President of the Ivory Coast
1942 – Gennadi Sarafanov, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2005)
1942 – Judy Stone, Australian singer-songwriter
1943 – Jerilyn Britz, American golfer
1943 – Bud Hollowell, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014)
1943 – Don Novello, American comedian (Father Guido Sarducci), screenwriter and producer
1943 – Ronald Perelman, American businessman and philanthropist, founded MacAndrews & Forbes
1943 – Tony Knowles, American soldier and politician, 7th Governor of Alaska
1943 – Vladimir Šeks, Croatian lawyer and politician, 16th Speaker of the Croatian Parliament
1944 – Omar al-Bashir, Sudanese field marshal and politician, 7th President of Sudan
1944 – Barry Beath, Australian rugby league player
1944 – Charlie Davis, Trinidadian cricketer
1944 – Jimmy Hart, American wrestling manager and singer
1944 – Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani field hockey player and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Pakistan
1944 – Teresa Torańska, Polish journalist and author (d. 2013)
1944 – Mati Unt, Estonian author, playwright, and director (d. 2005)
1945 – Victor Ashe, American politician and former United States Ambassador to Poland
1945 – Jacky Ickx, Belgian race car driver
1945 – Martin Schanche, Norwegian race car driver
1946 – Rivellino, Brazilian footballer and manager
1946 – Carl B. Hamilton, Swedish economist and politician
1946 – Shelby Steele, American journalist, author, and director
1946 – Claude Steele, African-American social psychologist and academic
1947 – Jon Corzine, American sergeant and politician, 54th Governor of New Jersey
1947 – Leon Patillo, American singer and evangelist
1947 – Leonard Thompson, American golfer
1948 – Devlet Bahçeli, Turkish economist, academic, and politician, 57th Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
1948 – Pavel Grachev, Russian general and politician, 1st Russian Minister of Defence (d. 2012)
1948 – Joe Petagno, American illustrator
1948 – Dick Quax, New Zealand runner and politician
1949 – Max Azria, Tunisian-French fashion designer
1949 – Olivia Goldsmith, American author (d. 2004)
1949 – Borys Tarasyuk, Ukrainian politician and diplomat
1950 – Wayne Bennett, Australian rugby league player and coach
1950 – Tony Currie, English footballer
1950 – Morgan Fisher, Keyboard player for Mott the Hoople
1950 – Deepa Mehta, Indian-Canadian director and screenwriter
1950 – James Richardson, American poet and academic
1951 – Ashfaq Hussain, Pakistani-Canadian poet and journalist
1951 – Martha P. Haynes, American astronomer and academic
1951 – Nana Patekar, Indian actor, screenwriter, and film director
1951 – Hans-Joachim Stuck, German race car driver
1951 – Radia Perlman, American software designer and network engineer
1952 – Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatari ruler, 7th Emir of Qatar
1952 – Shaji N. Karun, Indian director and cinematographer
1952 – Rosario Marchese, Italian-Canadian educator and politician
1953 – Gary Johnson, American businessman and politician, 29th Governor of New Mexico
1953 – Lynn Jones, American baseball player and coach
1954 – Richard Edson, American drummer
1954 – Bob Menendez, American lawyer and politician
1954 – Dennis O'Driscoll, Irish poet and critic (d. 2012)
1954 – Yannis Papathanasiou, Greek engineer and politician, Greek Minister of Finance
1955 – Mary Beard, English scholar, academic, and classicist
1955 – LaMarr Hoyt, American baseball player
1955 – Gennady Lyachin, Russian captain (d. 2000)
1955 – Precious, Canadian wrestler and manager
1955 – Simon Schaffer, British academic and historian of Science and Philosophy
1956 – Sergei Avdeyev, Russian engineer and astronaut
1956 – Andy Gill, English guitarist and singer-songwriter
1956 – Mark R. Hughes, American businessman, founder of Herbalife (d. 2000)
1956 – Christine Lagarde, French lawyer and politician; Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
1956 – Mike Mitchell, American basketball player (d. 2011)
1956 – Martin Plaza, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1956 – Kōji Yakusho, Japanese actor.
1957 – Urmas Arumäe, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Justice
1957 – Evangelos Venizelos, Greek lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece
1958 – Dave Silk, American ice hockey player and coach
1958 – Grandmaster Flash, Barbadian rapper and DJ
1959 – Andy Andrews, American tennis player
1959 – Azali Assoumani, Comorian colonel and politician, President of the Comoros
1959 – Panagiotis Giannakis, Greek basketball player and coach
1959 – Abdul Ahad Mohmand, Afghan colonel, pilot, and astronaut
1959 – Michel Onfray, French philosopher and author
1960 – Michael Seibert, American ice dancer and choreographer
1960 – Toomas Vitsut, Estonian businessman and politician
1960 – Danny Wilson, English footballer and manager
1961 – Sergei Babayan, Armenian-American pianist and academic
1961 – Sam Backo, Australian rugby league player
1961 – Fiona Phillips, English journalist
1962 – Anton Muscatelli, Italian-Scottish economist and academic
1963 – Alberigo Evani, Italian footballer and manager
1963 – Jean-Marc Gounon, French race car driver
1964 – Dedee Pfeiffer, American actress
1965 – Andrew Valmon, American runner and coach
1965 – John Sullivan, American real estate agent and politician
1966 – Anna Burke, Australian businesswoman and politician, 28th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
1966 – Ivica Dačić, Serbian journalist and politician, 95th Prime Minister of Serbia
1967 – John Digweed, English DJ, record producer, and actor
1967 – Tawera Nikau, New Zealand rugby league player
1967 – Reza Sheykholeslam, Iranian politician
1967 – Derrick Thomas, American football player (d. 2000)
1967 – Spencer Tunick, American photographer
1968 – Miki Higashino, Japanese pianist and composer
1968 – Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer
1969 – Morris Chestnut, American actor and producer
1969 – Paul Lawrie, Scottish golfer and journalist
1969 – Verne Troyer, American actor and stuntman
1970 – Sergei Kiriakov, Russian footballer and manager
1971 – Sammie Henson, American wrestler and coach
1971 – Bobby Holík, Czech-American ice hockey player and coach
1971 – Andre Marriner, English association football referee
1971 – Juan Carlos Plata, Guatemalan footballer
1971 – Chris Potter, American saxophonist and composer
1971 – Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, Indian politician
1971 – Denise Stapley, American former game show contestant, winner of Survivor: Philippines
1972 – Barron Miles, American-Canadian football player and coach
1972 – Lilian Thuram, French footballer
1973 – Shelda Bede, Brazilian volleyball player
1973 – Danny Lloyd, American actor and educator
1973 – Magnus Sahlgren, Swedish guitarist and linguist
1973 – Bryan Thao Worra, Laotian-American author, poet, and playwright
1974 – Christian Paradis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 9th Canadian Minister of Industry
1975 – Mohamed Albuflasa, Bahraini poet and activist
1975 – Chris Anstey, Australian basketball player and coach
1975 – Sonali Bendre, Indian actress and model
1975 – Joe Cannon, American soccer player and sportscaster
1975 – Becky Kellar-Duke, Canadian ice hockey player
1975 – Eiichiro Oda, Japanese manga artist
1975 – Bengt Sæternes, Norwegian footballer and manager
1975 – Fernando Tatís, Dominican baseball player
1976 – Mustafa Doğan, Turkish-German footballer and sportscaster
1977 – Rosena Allin-Khan, British politician
1977 – Leoš Friedl, Czech tennis player
1977 – María de la Paz Hernández, Argentinian field hockey player
1977 – Craig Reucassel, Australian comedian and television host
1978 – Philip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer and priest
1979 – Vidya Balan, Indian actress.
1979 – Brody Dalle, Australian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1979 – Koichi Domoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor
1980 – Richie Faulkner, English guitarist and songwriter
1980 – Karina Jacobsgaard, Danish tennis player
1981 – Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian race car driver
1982 – David Nalbandian, Argentinian tennis player
1982 – Egidio Arévalo Ríos, Uruguayan footballer
1982 – Luke Rodgers, English footballer
1983 – Calum Davenport, English footballer
1983 – Park Sung-hyun, South Korean archer
1983 – Melaine Walker, Jamaican hurdler
1984 – Lance Brooks, American discus thrower
1984 – Christian Eigler, German footballer
1984 – Paolo Guerrero, Peruvian footballer
1984 – Stefano Pastrello, Italian footballer
1984 – Rubens Sambueza, Argentinian footballer
1984 – Michael Witt, Australian rugby league player
1985 – Jeff Carter, Canadian ice hockey player
1985 – Steven Davis, Northern Irish footballer
1985 – Tiago Splitter, Brazilian basketball player
1986 – Ramses Barden, American football player
1986 – Pablo Cuevas, Uruguayan tennis player
1986 – Lee Sung-min, South Korean singer and actor
1986 – Glen Davis, American basketball player
1987 – Gilbert Brulé, Canadian ice hockey player
1987 – Meryl Davis, American ice dancer
1987 – Serdar Özkan, Turkish footballer
1987 – Ryan Perrilloux, American football player
1987 – Devin Setoguchi, Canadian ice hockey player
1988 – Grzegorz Panfil, Polish tennis player
1989 – Stefan Reinartz, German footballer
1989 – Bae Geu-rin, South Korean actress
1989 – Jason Pierre-Paul, American football player
1991 – Darius Slay, American football player
1992 – Daniel Kofi Agyei, Ghanaian footballer
1992 – Nathaniel Peteru, New Zealand rugby league player
1992 – Jack Wilshere, English footballer
1993 – Jon Flanagan, English footballer
1993 – Michael Olaitan, Nigerian footballer
1994 – Brendan Elliot, Australian rugby league player
1994 – Craig Murray, Scottish footballer

Source: wikipedia