On this day · Capricorn

December 31 birthdays

330 notable historical figures were born on December 31, and 232 died on this day. Everyone born on December 31 is a Capricorn.

20% of December 31 birthdays work in Arts & Music, more than any other field. More come from United States (84) than any other country.

Born on December 31

• Alex Ferguson (born 1941. Scottish football manager (born 1941))
• Salman of Saudi Arabia (born 1935. King of Saudi Arabia since 2015)
• Val Kilmer (1959 to 2025. American actor (1959–2025))
• Anthony Hopkins (born 1937. Welsh actor (born 1937))
• Josh Hawley (born 1979. American lawyer and politician (born 1979))
• Henri Matisse (1869 to 1954. French artist (1869–1954))
• George C. Marshall (1880 to 1959. American general and statesman (1880–1959))
• Charles (1720 to 1788. Jacobite leader (1720–1788))
• Diane von Fürstenberg (born 1946. Belgian fashion designer (born 1946))
• Jacques Cartier (1491 to 1557. French maritime explorer of North America (1491–1557))
• Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (1738 to 1805. British Army officer (1738–1805))
• Taylor Hackford (born 1944. American film director (born 1944))
• Alex Salmond (1954 to 2024. First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014)
• Ziad Rahbani (1955 to 2025. Lebanese composer (1956–2025))
• Duma Boko (born 1969. President of Botswana since 2024)
• Muhammad ibn al-Qasim (695 to 715. Umayyad general and governor of Sindh (695–715))
• Psy (born 1977. South Korean rapper and singer (born 1977))
• Junot Díaz (born 1968. Dominican-American writer and academic (born 1968))
• Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (born 1956. President of Mauritania since 2019)
• Donna Summer (1948 to 2012. American singer (1948–2012))
• Emperor Go-Yōzei (1571 to 1617. Emperor of Japan from 1586 to 1611)
• Priscilla Shirer (born 1974. American author and motivational speaker)
• José Tolentino de Mendonça (born 1965. Portuguese prelate)
• Isma'il Pasha of Egypt (1831 to 1895. Khedive of Egypt and Sudan from 1863 to 1879)
• Trevor Phillips (born 1953. British television producer (born 1953))
• Pete Quaife (1943 to 2010. English musician (1943–2010))
• Émile Loubet (1838 to 1929. President of France from 1899 to 1906)
• Konishiki Yasokichi (born 1963. American sumo wrestler (born 1963))
• Jule Styne (1905 to 1994. English-American songwriter (1905–1994))
• Henri I, Duke of Guise (1550 to 1588. Duke of Guise (1551–1588))
• Tehching Hsieh (born 1950. Taiwanese artist (born 1950))
• Pierre-Charles Villeneuve (1763 to 1806. French Navy officer (1763–1806))
• Amelia Kinkade (born 1963. American actress, dancer, and author)
• Jacob Israël de Haan (1881 to 1924. Dutch-Jewish lawyer and writer (1881–1924))
• Leonard Adleman (born 1945. American computer scientist (born 1945))
• Katayoun Riahi (born 1961. Iranian actress (born 1961))
• Frederick Selous (1851 to 1917. British explorer, and conservationist (1851–1917))
• John T. Thompson (1860 to 1940. United States Army general (1860–1940))
• Marien Ngouabi (1938 to 1977. President of Congo-Brazzaville from 1969 to 1977)
• Friedrich Christian, Margrave of Meissen (1893 to 1968. Margrave of Meissen)
• Ben Kingsley (born 1943. English actor (born 1943))
• Herman Boerhaave (1668 to 1738. Dutch botanist, chemist, humanist, and physician (1668–1738))
• Giovanni Pascoli (1855 to 1912. Italian poet and classical scholar (1855–1912))
• Saw Maung (1928 to 1997. Military ruler of Myanmar from 1988 to 1992)
• Yuki Hayashi (composer) (born 1980. Musical artist)
• Jennifer Higdon (born 1962. American composer (born 1962))
• Vaughan Jones (1952 to 2020. New Zealand mathematician and Fields Medalist)
• al-Amir (1096 to 1130. Fatimid caliph and imam from 1101 to 1130)
• Avram Hershko (born 1937. Hungarian-Israeli biochemist)
• Beatrice of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy (1504 to 1538. Duchess consort of Savoy)
• Anne Hamilton-Byrne (1921 to 2019. Australian cult leader and yoga teacher (1921–2019))
• Taylor Mead (1924 to 2013. American writer (1924–2013))
• Baron Waqa (born 1959. President of Nauru from 2013 to 2019)
• Don James (American football) (1932 to 2013. American football player and coach (1932–2013))
• Don Page (physicist) (born 1948. Canadian physicist (born 1948))
• Tasker H. Bliss (1853 to 1930. 8th Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1917-1918))
• Santiago Genovés (1923 to 2013. Mexican anthropologist (1923–2013))
• Yosef Ben-Jochannan (1918 to 2015. American historian and writer)
• Donald Trump Jr. (born 1977. American businessman and activist (born 1977))
• Betty Go-Belmonte (1933 to 1994. Founder of STAR Group of Publications)

Died on December 31

• Benedict XVI (1927 to 2022. Head of the Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013)
• Commodus (161 to 192. Roman emperor from 177 to 192)
• Natalie Cole (1950 to 2015. American singer (1950–2015))
• Roberto Clemente (1934 to 1972. Puerto Rican baseball player (1934–1972))
• Marshall McLuhan (1911 to 1980. Canadian philosopher and communications scholar (1911–1980))
• Catherine of Braganza (1638 to 1705. Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1662 to 1685)
• Robert Boyle (1627 to 1691. Anglo-Irish scientist (1627–1691))
• Betty White (1922 to 2021. American actress and comedian (1922–2021))
• Sylvester I (300 to 335. Head of the Catholic Church from 314 to 335)
• Miguel de Unamuno (1864 to 1936. Spanish writer, philosopher and academic (1864–1936))
• Donald E. Westlake (1933 to 2008. American novelist (1933–2008))
• Zviad Gamsakhurdia (1939 to 1993. First President of Georgia (1991–92))
• George M. Dallas (1792 to 1864. Vice President of the United States from 1845 to 1849)
• Karl Renner (1870 to 1950. Austrian statesman (1870–1950))
• Catherine Labouré (1806 to 1876. French Daughter of Charity and saint)
• Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse (1741 to 1788. French Navy officer and explorer (1741–1788))
• Léon Gambetta (1838 to 1882. French politician (1838–1882))
• Dorgon (1612 to 1650. Regent of Qing China from 1643 to 1650)
• Hö'elün (1142 to 1210. Mother of Temüjin (Genghis Khan) (fl. 1162–1210))
• Pontormo (1494 to 1556. Florentine Mannerist painter)
• Marion Chesney (1936 to 2019. British novelist (1936–2019))
• Elena Stasova (1873 to 1966. Soviet politician (1873–1966))
• Ptolemy III Euergetes (284 BC to 222 BC. 3rd pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt (r. 246-222 BC))
• Dick Thornburgh (1932 to 2020. American lawyer and politician (1932–2020))
• Vicente Lim (1888 to 1944. Filipino army general (1888–1944))
• Leopold V the Virtuous (1157 to 1194. Duke of Austria from 1177 to 1194)
• Arnold Rüütel (1928 to 2024. President of Estonia from 2001 to 2006 (1928–2024))
• Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah (1913 to 1977. Emir of Kuwait from 1965 to 1977)
• Seymour Martin Lipset (1922 to 2006. American sociologist (1922–2006))
• Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati (1874 to 1936. Gaudīya Vaisnava Ācārya (1874–1937))

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