31 August Births

August 31 is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar.

Births

AD 12 – Caligula, Roman emperor (d. 41)
161 – Commodus, Roman emperor (d. 192)
1018 – Jeongjong II, Korean ruler (d. 1046)
1168 – Zhang Zong, Chinese emperor (d. 1208)
1542 – Isabella de' Medici, Italian princess (d. 1576)
1569 – Jahangir, Mughal emperor (d. 1627)
1652 – Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga, Italian nobleman (d. 1708)
1663 – Guillaume Amontons, French physicist and instrument maker (d. 1705)
1721 – George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1775)
1741 – Jean-Paul-Égide Martini, French composer and educator (d. 1816)
1748 – Jean-Étienne Despréaux, French ballet dancer, choreographer, composer, and playwright (d. 1820)
1767 – Henry Joy McCracken, Irish businessman and activist, founded the Society of United Irishmen (d. 1798)
1775 – Agnes Bulmer, English poet and author (d. 1836)
1802 – Husein Gradaščević, Ottoman general (d. 1834)
1821 – Hermann von Helmholtz, German physician and physicist (d. 1894)
1823 – Galusha A. Grow, American lawyer and politician, 28th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1907)
1834 – Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer and educator (d. 1886)
1842 – Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, American journalist, publisher, and activist (d. 1924)
1843 – Georg von Hertling, German academic and politician, 7th Chancellor of the German Empire (d. 1919)
1870 – Maria Montessori, Italian physician and educator (d. 1952)
1871 – James E. Ferguson, American banker and politician, 26th Governor of Texas (d. 1944)
1878 – Frank Jarvis, American sprinter and lawyer (d. 1933)
1879 – Alma Mahler, Austrian-American composer and author (d. 1964)
1879 – Taishō, emperor of Japan (d. 1926)
1880 – Wilhelmina, queen of the Netherlands (d. 1962)
1884 – George Sarton, Belgian-American historian of science (d. 1956)
1885 – DuBose Heyward, American author and playwright (d. 1940)
1890 – August Alle, Estonian poet and author (d. 1952)
1893 – Lily Laskine, French harp player (d. 1988)
1894 – Albert Facey, Australian soldier and author (d. 1982)
1896 – Brian Edmund Baker, English Air Marshal (d. 1979)
1896 – Félix-Antoine Savard, Canadian priest and author (d. 1982)
1897 – Fredric March, American lieutenant, actor, and singer (d. 1975)
1900 – Gino Lucetti, Italian anarchist, attempted assassin of Benito Mussolini (d. 1943)
1902 – Géza Révész, Hungarian general and politician, Hungarian Minister of Defence (d. 1977)
1903 – Arthur Godfrey, American radio and television host (d. 1983)
1903 – Vladimir Jankélévitch, French musicologist and philosopher (d. 1985)
1905 – Robert Bacher, American physicist and academic (d. 2004)
1905 – Sanford Meisner, American actor and educator (d. 1997)
1907 – Valter Biiber, Estonian footballer (d. 1977)
1907 – Augustus F. Hawkins, American lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
1907 – Ramon Magsaysay, Filipino captain, engineer, and politician, 7th President of the Philippines (d. 1957)
1907 – William Shawn, American journalist (d. 1992)
1907 – Altiero Spinelli, Italian theorist and politician (d. 1986)
1908 – William Saroyan, American novelist, playwright, and short story writer (d. 1981)
1909 – Ferenc Fejtő, Hungarian-French journalist and political scientist (d. 2008)
1911 – Edward Brongersma, Dutch journalist and politician (d. 1998)
1911 – Arsenio Rodríguez, Cuban-American tres player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1970)
1913 – Helen Levitt, American photographer and cinematographer (d. 2009)
1913 – Bernard Lovell, English physicist and astronomer (d. 2012)
1914 – Richard Basehart, American actor (d. 1984)
1915 – Pete Newell, American basketball player and coach (d. 2008)
1916 – Danny Litwhiler, American baseball player and coach (d. 2011)
1916 – Daniel Schorr, American journalist and author (d. 2010)
1916 – John S. Wold, American geologist and politician (d. 2017)
1918 – Ana María González, Mexican singer and voice actress (d. 1983)
1918 – Alan Jay Lerner, American songwriter and composer (d. 1986)
1919 – Amrita Preetam, Indian poet and author (d. 2005)
1921 – Otis G. Pike, American judge and politician (d. 2014)
1921 – Raymond Williams, Welsh author and academic (d. 1988)
1924 – John Davidson, American physician and politician (d. 2012)
1924 – Buddy Hackett, American actor and singer (d. 2003)
1924 – Herbert Wise, Austrian-English director and producer (d. 2015)
1925 – Moran Campbell, English-Canadian physician and academic, invented the venturi mask (d. 2004)
1925 – Maurice Pialat, French actor and director (d. 2003)
1928 – James Coburn, American actor (d. 2002)
1928 – Jaime Sin, Filipino cardinal (d. 2005)
1930 – Big Tiny Little, American pianist (d. 2010)
1931 – Jean Béliveau, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2014)
1931 – Noble Willingham, American actor (d. 2004)
1932 – Allan Fotheringham, Canadian journalist
1932 – Roy Castle, English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician (d. 1994)
1935 – Eldridge Cleaver, American activist and author (d. 1998)
1935 – Bryan Organ, English painter
1935 – Frank Robinson, American baseball player and manager
1936 – Vladimir Orlov, Russian journalist and author (d. 2014)
1937 – Warren Berlinger, American actor
1937 – Bobby Parker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
1938 – Martin Bell, English journalist and politician
1939 – Jerry Allison, American drummer and songwriter
1940 – Robbie Basho, American guitarist, pianist, and composer (d. 1986)
1940 – Wilton Felder, American saxophonist and bass player (d. 2015)
1940 – Larry Hankin, American actor, director, and producer
1940 – Roger Newman, English-American actor and screenwriter (d. 2010)
1940 – Jack Thompson, Australian actor
1941 – William DeWitt, Jr., American businessman
1941 – Emmanuel Nunes, Portuguese-French composer and educator (d. 2012)
1942 – Isao Aoki, Japanese golfer
1943 – Leonid Ivashov, Russian general
1944 – Roger Dean, English illustrator and publisher
1944 – Liz Forgan, English journalist
1944 – Christine King, English historian and academic
1944 – Clive Lloyd, Guyanese cricketer
1945 – Van Morrison, Northern Irish singer-songwriter
1945 – Itzhak Perlman, Israeli-American violinist and conductor
1945 – Bob Welch, American singer and guitarist (d. 2012)
1946 – Ann Coffey, Scottish social worker and politician
1946 – Jerome Corsi, American theorist and author
1946 – Tom Coughlin, American football player and coach
1947 – Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Italian businessman
1947 – Yumiko Ōshima, Japanese author and illustrator
1947 – Somchai Wongsawat, Thai lawyer and politician, 26th Prime Minister of Thailand
1948 – Harald Ertl, Austrian race car driver and journalist (d. 1982)
1948 – Lowell Ganz, American screenwriter and producer
1948 – Ken McMullen, English director, producer, and screenwriter
1948 – Holger Osieck, German footballer and manager
1948 – Rudolf Schenker, German guitarist and songwriter
1949 – Richard Gere, American actor and producer
1949 – Hugh David Politzer, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1949 – Rick Roberts, American country-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
1951 – Grant Batty, New Zealand rugby player
1951 – Sirje Tamul, Estonian historian, author, and academic
1952 – Kim Kashkashian, American viola player and educator
1952 – Herbert Reul, German politician
1953 – Miguel Ángel Guerra, Argentinian race car driver
1953 – György Károly, Hungarian poet and author
1953 – Pavel Vinogradov, Russian astronaut and engineer
1954 – Julie Brown, American actress and screenwriter
1955 – Aleksander Krupa, Polish-American actor
1955 – Julie Maxton, Scottish lawyer and academic
1955 – Edwin Moses, American hurdler
1955 – Anthony Thistlethwaite, English saxophonist and bass player
1955 – Gary Webb, American journalist and author (d. 2004)
1956 – Mária Balážová, Slovak painter and illustrator
1956 – Masashi Tashiro, Japanese singer, actor, and director
1956 – Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwanese politician and the President of the Republic of China
1957 – Colm O'Rourke, Irish footballer and sportscaster
1957 – Gina Schock, American rock drummer (The Go-Go's)
1957 – Glenn Tilbrook, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1958 – Serge Blanco, Venezuelan-French rugby player and businessman
1958 – Stephen Cottrell, English bishop
1959 – Ralph Krueger, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1959 – Jessica Upshaw, American lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
1960 – Vali Ionescu, Romanian long jumper
1960 – Chris Whitley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
1960 – Hassan Nasrallah, Lebanese politician, 3rd Secretary-General of Hezbollah
1961 – Kieran Crowley, New Zealand rugby player
1961 – Magnus Ilmjärv, Estonian historian and author
1962 – Dee Bradley Baker, American voice actor
1963 – Reb Beach, American guitarist
1963 – Rituparno Ghosh, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
1963 – Sonny Silooy, Dutch footballer and manager
1964 – Raymond P. Hammond, American poet and critic
1965 – Zsolt Borkai, Hungarian gymnast and politician
1965 – Susan Gritton, English soprano and actress
1966 – Lyuboslav Penev, Bulgarian footballer and manager
1967 – Gene Hoglan, American drummer
1967 – Anita Moen, Norwegian skier
1968 – Valdon Dowiyogo, Nauruan politician
1968 – Hideo Nomo, Japanese-American baseball player
1968 – Jolene Watanabe, American tennis player
1969 – Nathalie Bouvier, French skier
1969 – Jonathan LaPaglia, Australian actor and physician
1969 – Javagal Srinath, Indian cricketer and referee
1970 – Debbie Gibson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
1970 – Nikola Gruevski, Macedonian economist and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia
1970 – Greg Mulholland, English politician
1970 – Queen Rania of Jordan
1970 – Arie van Lent, Dutch-German footballer and manager
1970 – Zack Ward, Canadian actor and producer
1971 – Pádraig Harrington, Irish golfer
1971 – Vadim Repin, Belgian-Russian violinist
1971 – Chris Tucker, American comedian and actor
1973 – Scott Niedermayer, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1974 – Andriy Medvedev, Ukrainian-Monacan tennis player
1975 – Craig Cumming, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster
1975 – John Grahame, American ice hockey player and coach
1976 – Vincent Delerm, French singer-songwriter and pianist
1976 – Roque Júnior, Brazilian footballer and manager
1976 – Radek Martínek, Czech ice hockey player
1977 – Jeff Hardy, American wrestler and singer
1977 – Ian Harte, Irish footballer
1977 – Craig Nicholls, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1977 – Arzu Yanardağ, Turkish actress and model
1978 – Philippe Christanval, French footballer
1978 – Ido Pariente, Israeli mixed martial artist and trainer
1978 – Craig Stapleton, Australian rugby league player
1978 – Sandis Valters, Latvian basketball player
1978 – Morten Qvenild, Norwegian pianist and composer
1979 – Clay Hensley, American baseball player
1979 – Mark Johnston, Canadian swimmer
1979 – Simon Neil, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1979 – Yuvan Shankar Raja, Indian singer-songwriter and producer
1979 – Ramón Santiago, Dominican baseball player
1979 – Mickie James, American wrestler
1980 – Joe Budden, American rapper
1981 – Ahmad Al Harthy, Omani race car driver
1981 – Dwayne Peel, Welsh rugby player
1981 – Steve Saviano, American ice hockey player
1982 – Ian Crocker, American swimmer
1982 – Chris Duhon, American basketball player
1982 – Lien Huyghebaert, Belgian sprinter
1982 – Christopher Katongo, Zambian footballer
1982 – Josh Kroeger, American baseball player
1982 – Alexei Mikhnov, Ukrainian-Russian ice hockey player
1982 – Pepe Reina, Spanish footballer
1982 – Michele Rugolo, Italian race car driver
1982 – G. Willow Wilson, American journalist and author
1983 – Deniz Aydoğdu, German-Turkish footballer
1983 – Milan Biševac, Serbian footballer
1983 – Larry Fitzgerald, American football player
1984 – Matti Breschel, Danish cyclist
1984 – Ryan Kesler, American ice hockey player
1984 – Ted Ligety, American skier
1984 – Charl Schwartzel, South African golfer
1985 – Rolando, Portuguese footballer
1985 – Andrew Foster, Australian footballer
1985 – Mabel Matiz, Turkish singer
1987 – Xavi Annunziata, Spanish footballer
1987 – Petros Kravaritis, Greek footballer
1987 – Ondřej Pavelec, Czech ice hockey player
1988 – Trent Hodkinson, Australian rugby league player
1988 – David Ospina, Colombian footballer
1989 – Dezmon Briscoe, American football player
1990 – Tadeja Majerič, Slovenian tennis player
1991 – António Félix da Costa, Portuguese race car driver
1991 – Cédric Soares, Portuguese footballer
1992 – Tyler Randell, Australian rugby league player
1993 – Pablo Marí, Spanish football player
1993 – Ilnur Alshin, Russian football player
1993 – Anna Karnaukh, Russian water polo player
1994 – Alex Harris, Scottish footballer
1994 – Can Aktav, Turkish football player.
2017 – Prince Gabriel, Duke of Dalarna

Source: wikipedia