July 29 th Birthday specials

• 869 – Muhammad al-Mahdi, Iraqi 12th Imam (d. 941)
• 996 – Fujiwara no Norimichi, a kugyo of the Heian period
• 1166 – Henry II, Count of Champagne (d. 1197)
• 1605 – Simon Dach, German poet and hymn-writer (d. 1659)
• 1646 – Johann Theile, German organist and composer (d. 1724)
• 1744 – Giulio Maria della Somaglia, Italian cardinal (d. 1830)
• 1763 – Philip Charles Durham, Scottish admiral and politician (d. 1845)
• 1797 – Daniel Drew, American businessman and financier (d. 1879)
• 1801 – George Bradshaw, English cartographer and publisher (d. 1853)
• 1805 – Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and philosopher (d. 1859)
• 1806 – Horace Abbott, American businessman and banker (d. 1887)
• 1817 – Ivan Aivazovsky, Armenian-Russian painter and illustrator (d. 1900)
• 1817 – Martin Körber, Baltic German pastor, composer, and conductor (d. 1893)
• 1843 – Johannes Schmidt, German linguist and academic (d. 1901)
• 1846 – Sophie Menter, German pianist and composer (d. 1918)
• 1846 – Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil (d. 1921)
• 1849 – Max Nordau, Hungarian physician, author, and critic, co-founded the World Zionist Organization (d. 1923)
• 1860 – Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, English politician, 8th Governor of Queensland (d. 1940)
• 1869 – Booth Tarkington, American novelist and dramatist (d. 1946)
• 1871 – Jakob Mändmets, Estonian writer and journalist (d. 1930)
• 1872 – Eric Alfred Knudsen, American author, lawyer, and politician (d. 1957)
• 1874 – J. S. Woodsworth, Canadian minister and politician (d. 1942)
• 1876 – Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian-American actress and acting teacher (d. 1949)
• 1878 – Don Marquis, American author, poet, and playwright (d. 1937)
• 1880 – John Meyers, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1971)
• 1883 – Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian poet and author (d. 1942)
• 1883 – Benito Mussolini, Italian journalist and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1945)
• 1884 – Ralph Austin Bard, American financier and politician, 2nd Under Secretary of the Navy (d. 1975)
• 1885 – Theda Bara, American actress (d. 1955)
• 1887 – Sigmund Romberg, Hungarian-American pianist and composer (d. 1951)
• 1888 – Vladimir K. Zworykin, Russian-American engineer, invented the Iconoscope (d. 1982)
• 1891 – Bernhard Zondek, German-Israeli gynecologist and academic (d. 1966)
• 1892 – William Powell, American actor and singer (d. 1984)
• 1897 – Neil Ritchie, Guyanese-English general (d. 1983)
• 1898 – Isidor Isaac Rabi, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1988)
• 1899 – Walter Beall, American baseball player (d. 1959)
• 1900 – Eyvind Johnson, Swedish novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1976)
• 1900 – Don Redman, American composer, and bandleader (d. 1964)
• 1904 – Mahasi Sayadaw, Burmese monk and philosopher (d. 1982)
• 1904 – J. R. D. Tata, French-Indian pilot and businessman, founded Tata Motors and Tata Global Beverages (d. 1993)
• 1905 – Clara Bow, American actress and singer (d. 1965)
• 1905 – Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish economist and diplomat, 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1961)
• 1905 – Stanley Kunitz, American poet and translator (d. 2006)
• 1905 – Thelma Todd, American actress and singer (d. 1935)
• 1907 – Melvin Belli, American lawyer and actor (d. 1996)
• 1909 – Samm Sinclair Baker, American author (d. 1997)
• 1909 – Chester Himes, American-Spanish author (d. 1984)
• 1910 – Helend Peep, Estonian actor (d. 2007)
• 1911 – Foster Furcolo, American lawyer and politician, 60th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1995)
• 1911 – Archbishop Iakovos of America (d. 2005)
• 1913 – Erich Priebke, German captain (d. 2013)
• 1914 – Irwin Corey, American actor and activist
• 1915 – Bruce R. McConkie, American colonel and religious leader (d. 1985)
• 1915 – Francis W. Sargent, American soldier and politician, 64th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1998)
• 1916 – Budd Boetticher, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
• 1916 – Charlie Christian, American guitarist (d. 1942)
• 1917 – Rochus Misch, German SS officer (d. 2013)
• 1918 – Don Ingalls, American writer and producer (d. 2014)
• 1918 – Edwin O'Connor, American journalist and author (d. 1968)
• 1918 – Mary Lee Settle, American novelist, essayist, and memoirist (d. 2005)
• 1920 – Neville Jeffress, Australian businessman (d. 2007)
• 1921 – Richard Egan, American actor (d. 1987)
• 1921 – Chris Marker, French photographer and journalist (d. 2012)
• 1923 – George Burditt, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Edgar Cortright, American scientist and engineer (d. 2014)
• 1923 – Jim Marshall, English businessman, founded Marshall Amplification (d. 2012)
• 1923 – Gordon Mitchell, American bodybuilder and actor (d. 2003)
• 1924 – Lloyd Bochner, Canadian-American actor (d. 2005)
• 1924 – Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia, American waitress and murder victim (d. 1947)
• 1924 – Robert Horton, American actor (d. 2016)
• 1925 – Harold W. Kuhn, American mathematician and academic (d. 2014)
• 1925 – Ted Lindsay, Canadian ice hockey player, manager, and sportscaster
• 1925 – Shivram Dattatreya Phadnis, Indian illustrator
• 1925 – Mikis Theodorakis, Greek composer
• 1926 – Robert Kilpatrick, Baron Kilpatrick of Kincraig, Scottish physician, academic, and politician (d. 2015)
• 1927 – Harry Mulisch, Dutch author, poet, and playwright (d. 2010)
• 1930 – Paul Taylor, American dancer and choreographer
• 1931 – Kjell Karlsen, Norwegian pianist, composer, and bandleader
• 1932 – Leslie Fielding, English diplomat
• 1932 – Nancy Kassebaum, American businesswoman and politician
• 1933 – Lou Albano, Italian-American wrestler, manager, and actor (d. 2009)
• 1933 – Colin Davis, English race car driver (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Robert Fuller, American actor and rancher
• 1935 – Peter Schreier, German tenor and conductor
• 1936 – Elizabeth Dole, American lawyer and politician, 20th United States Secretary of Labor
• 1937 – Daniel McFadden, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize Laureate
• 1938 – Peter Jennings, Canadian-American journalist and author (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Jean Rochon, Canadian physician and politician
• 1941 – Jennifer Dunn, American engineer and politician (d. 2007)
• 1941 – Goenawan Mohamad, Indonesian poet and playwright
• 1941 – David Warner, English actor
• 1942 – Doug Ashdown, Australian singer-songwriter
• 1943 – David Taylor, English snooker player and sportscaster
• 1944 – Jim Bridwell, American rock climber and mountaineer
• 1945 – Sharon Creech, American author and educator
• 1945 – Mircea Lucescu, Romanian footballer, coach, and manager
• 1946 – Ximena Armas, Chilean painter
• 1946 – Stig Blomqvist, Swedish race car driver
• 1946 – Neal Doughty, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (REO Speedwagon)
• 1946 – Alessandro Gogna, Italian mountaineer and adventurer
• 1946 – Diane Keen, English actress
• 1946 – Aleksei Tammiste, Estonian basketball player
• 1947 – Dick Harmon, American golfer and coach (d. 2006)
• 1948 – John Clarke, New Zealand-Australian comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1949 – Leslie Easterbrook, American actress
• 1949 – Jamil Mahuad, Ecuadorian lawyer and politician, 51st President of Ecuador
• 1950 – Jenny Holzer, American painter, author, and dancer
• 1950 – Mike Starr, American actor and singer
• 1951 – Susan Blackmore, English psychologist and theorist
• 1951 – Dan Driessen, American baseball player and coach
• 1951 – Dean Pitchford, American actor, director, screenwriter, and composer
• 1952 – Norman Blackwell, Baron Blackwell, English businessman and politician
• 1952 – Joe Johnson, English snooker player and sportscaster
• 1952 – Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou, Greek politician
• 1953 – Ken Burns, American director and producer
• 1953 – Frank McGuinness, Irish poet and playwright
• 1953 – Tim Gunn, American television host and actor
• 1953 – Geddy Lee, Canadian singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (Rush and Big Dirty Band)
• 1953 – Patti Scialfa, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (E Street Band)
• 1955 – Jean-Hugues Anglade, French actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1955 – Dave Stevens, American illustrator (d. 2008)
• 1955 – Stephen Timms, English politician, Minister of State for Competitiveness
• 1956 – Teddy Atlas, American boxer, trainer, and sportscaster
• 1956 – Ronnie Musgrove, American lawyer and politician, 62nd Governor of Mississippi
• 1956 – Faustino Rupérez, Spanish cyclist
• 1957 – Liam Davison, Australian author and educator (d. 2014)
• 1957 – Viktor Gavrikov, Lithuanian-Swiss chess player
• 1957 – Nellie Kim, Russian gymnast and coach
• 1958 – Gail Dines, English-American author, activist, and academic
• 1958 – Simon Nye, English screenwriter and producer
• 1958 – Cynthia Rowley, American fashion designer
• 1959 – Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor, singer, and producer
• 1959 – Ruud Janssen, Dutch blogger and illustrator
• 1959 – Dave LaPoint, American baseball player and manager
• 1959 – John Sykes, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Tygers of Pan Tang, and Blue Murder)
• 1960 – Didier Van Cauwelaert, French author
• 1962 – Carl Cox, English DJ and producer
• 1962 – Frank Neubarth, German footballer and manager
• 1962 – Vincent Rousseau, Belgian runner
• 1963 – Hans-Holger Albrecht, Belgian-German businessman
• 1963 – Jim Beglin, Irish footballer and sportscaster
• 1963 – Julie Elliott, English politician
• 1963 – Azeem Hafeez, Pakistani cricketer
• 1963 – Alexandra Paul, American actress and producer
• 1963 – Graham Poll, English footballer, referee, and journalist
• 1964 – Jaanus Veensalu, Estonian footballer
• 1965 – Luis Alicea, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
• 1965 – Dean Haglund, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1965 – Adam Holloway, English captain and politician
• 1965 – Stan Koziol, American soccer player (d. 2014)
• 1965 – Chang-Rae Lee, South Korean-American author and academic
• 1965 – Woody Weatherman, American guitarist and songwriter (Corrosion of Conformity)
• 1966 – Sally Gunnell, English hurdler and sportscaster
• 1966 – Stuart Lampitt, English cricketer
• 1966 – Martina McBride, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1968 – Gideon Henderson, English geologist and academic
• 1968 – Paavo Lötjönen, Finnish cellist and educator (Apocalyptica)
• 1970 – Adele Griffin, American author
• 1970 – Andi Peters, English journalist, actor, and producer
• 1970 – John Rennie, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1971 – Andrea Philipp, German sprinter
• 1972 – Wil Wheaton, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1973 – Stephen Dorff, American actor and producer
• 1973 – Wanya Morris, American singer and actor (Boyz II Men)
• 1973 – Denis Urubko, Kazakh mountaineer
• 1974 – Akram Khan, English dancer and choreographer
• 1974 – Josh Radnor, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1975 – Yoshihiro Akiyama, Japanese mixed martial artist
• 1975 – Lanka de Silva, Sri Lankan cricketer
• 1975 – Corrado Grabbi, Italian footballer
• 1975 – Jaanus Sirel, Estonian footballer
• 1977 – Rodney Jerkins, American rapper and producer
• 1977 – Danger Mouse, American keyboard player, drummer, and producer (Gnarls Barkley, Broken Bells, and Danger Doom)
• 1978 – Bidisha, English journalist, author, and critic
• 1978 – Mike Adams, American baseball player
• 1978 – Marina Lazarovska, Macedonian tennis player
• 1979 – Karim Essediri, Tunisian footballer
• 1979 – Ronald Murray, American basketball player
• 1979 – Juris Umbraško, Latvian basketball player
• 1980 – Ryan Braun, Canadian-American baseball player
• 1980 – Fernando González, Chilean tennis player
• 1980 – Ben Koller, American drummer (Converge, United Nations, and All Pigs Must Die)
• 1980 – John Morris, Australian rugby league player
• 1981 – Fernando Alonso, Spanish race car driver
• 1981 – Andrés Madrid, Argentinian footballer
• 1981 – Troy Perkins, American soccer player
• 1982 – Janez Aljančič, Slovenian footballer
• 1982 – Jônatas Domingos, Brazilian footballer
• 1983 – Jason Belmonte, Australian bowler
• 1983 – Inés Gómez Mont, Mexican journalist and actress
• 1983 – Alexei Kaigorodov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1983 – Jerious Norwood, American football player
• 1983 – Elise Testone, American singer-songwriter
• 1984 – Oh Beom-seok, South Korean footballer
• 1984 – Chad Billingsley, American baseball player
• 1984 – Wilson Palacios, Honduran footballer
• 1985 – Besart Berisha, Albanian footballer
• 1985 – Simon Santoso, Indonesian badminton player
• 1987 – Alice Dellal, Brazilian-English model
• 1988 – Alexander Lee Eusebio, Hong Kong-South Korean singer (U-KISS)
• 1988 – Tarjei Bø, Norwegian biathlete
• 1988 – Sabrina van der Donk, Dutch model, Miss Earth 2006
• 1989 – Grit Šadeiko, Estonian heptathlete
• 1991 – Dale Copley, Australian rugby league player
• 1991 – Miki Ishikawa, American actress and singer (T-Squad)
• 1991 – Irakli Logua, Russian footballer
• 1992 – Karen Torrez, Bolivian swimmer
• 1993 – Nicole Melichar, American tennis player
• 1994 – Liam O'Brien (ice hockey), Canadian ice hockey player
• 1994 – Tjaša Šrimpf, Slovenian tennis player
• 1998 – Anna Murashige, Japanese singer (HKT48)