On this day · Capricorn

January 15 birthdays

317 notable historical figures were born on January 15, and 218 died on this day. Everyone born on January 15 is a Capricorn.

18% of January 15 birthdays work in Literature, more than any other field. More come from United States (62) than any other country.

Born on January 15

• Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 to 1968. American minister and civil rights activist (1929–1968))
• Giorgia Meloni (born 1977. Prime Minister of Italy since 2022)
• Shah Jahan (1592 to 1666. Mughal emperor from 1628 to 1658)
• Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918 to 1970. President of Egypt from 1956 to 1970)
• Ibn Saud (1876 to 1953. King of Saudi Arabia from 1932 to 1953)
• Edward Teller (1908 to 2003. Hungarian-American physicist (1908–2003))
• Saud of Saudi Arabia (1902 to 1969. King of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1964)
• Princess Michael of Kent (born 1945. Member of the British royal family (born 1945))
• Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809 to 1865. French philosopher and economist (1809–1865))
• Margaret O'Brien (born 1937. American film, television and stage actress)
• Dan Scavino (born 1976. American political advisor (born 1976))
• Rashad al-Alimi (born 1954. Yemeni politician (born 1954))
• Lee Teng-hui (1923 to 2020. President of the Republic of China from 1988 to 2000)
• Ivor Novello (1893 to 1951. Welsh composer and actor (1893–1951))
• Raffaella Petrini (born 1969. Italian Vatican official (born 1969))
• Margaret of Connaught (1882 to 1920. Crown Princess of Sweden (1882–1920))
• Choe Ryong-hae (born 1950. North Korean politician (born 1950))
• Mihai Eminescu (1850 to 1889. Romanian poet, novelist and journalist (1850–1889))
• Vitaly Kaloyev (born 1956. Russian architect (born 1956))
• Sofya Kovalevskaya (1850 to 1891. Russian mathematician (1850–1891))
• Nâzım Hikmet (1902 to 1963. Turkish communist poet, playwright and novelist (1902–1963))
• Afonso V of Portugal (1432 to 1481. King of Portugal from 1438 to 1481)
• João Figueiredo (1918 to 1999. President of Brazil from 1979 to 1985)
• Boris Tadić (born 1958. President of Serbia from 2004 to 2012)
• Hugh Trevor-Roper (1914 to 2003. English historian (1914–2003))
• Bharathi Vishnuvardhan (born 1951. Indian actress (born 1950))
• Jacques Pierre Brissot (1754 to 1793. French revolutionary (1754–1793))
• Robert Silverberg (born 1935. American science fiction writer and editor (born 1935))
• Pavel Milyukov (1859 to 1943. Russian historian and politician (1859–1943))
• Sophie Wilmès (born 1975. Prime Minister of Belgium from 2019 to 2020)
• Loie Fuller (1862 to 1928. American dancer (1862–1928))
• Noura Erakat (born 1980. Palestinian-American academic (born 1980))
• Georg Ratzinger (1924 to 2020. German Catholic prelate and brother of Pope Benedict XVI (1924–2020))
• Maeda Toshiie (1538 to 1599. General of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period)
• Assef Shawkat (1950 to 2012. Syrian intelligence officer and politician (1950–2012))
• Michel Debré (1912 to 1996. Prime Minister of France from 1959 to 1962)
• George Cadle Price (1919 to 2011. Leader of Belize (1961–1984, 1989–1993))
• Algernon Sidney (1623 to 1683. English politician (1623–1683))
• Rizwana Hasan (born 1968. Bangladeshi attorney and environmentalist)
• Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony (1893 to 1943. Crown Prince of Saxony (1893–1943))
• Beatrice Sparks (1917 to 2012. American writer and hoaxer (1917–2012))
• Pitbull (born 1981. American rapper (born 1981))
• Bin Akao (1899 to 1990. Japanese politician)
• Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke (1953 to 2012. British historian (1953–2012))
• Martin Chalfie (born 1947. American scientist)
• Philip Livingston (1716 to 1778. American Founding Father, merchant, and politician (1716–1778))
• Wasif Ali Wasif (1929 to 1993. Pakistani scholar and poet (1929–1993))
• Aristotle Onassis (1906 to 1975. Greek and Argentine business magnate (1906–1975))
• Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793 to 1865. Austrian painter and writer (1793–1865))
• John Colet (1467 to 1519. English priest and scholar (1467–1519))
• L. Brent Bozell, Jr. (1926 to 1997. American activist and writer (1926–1997))
• Hippolyte Bouchard (1780 to 1837. French navy officer)
• Artturi Ilmari Virtanen (1895 to 1973. Finnish chemist and professor)
• Peter Maitlis (1933 to 2022. British chemist (1933–2022))
• Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen (1872 to 1907. Danish author, ethnologist, and explorer)
• Erling Kagge (born 1963. Norwegian explorer)
• Alfred W. Crosby (1931 to 2018. 20th Century American historian, author, and academic)
• Giles Milton (born 1966. British writer and historian)
• Dhina (born 1966. Musical artist)
• Ben Shapiro (born 1984. American political commentator (born 1984))

Died on January 15

• Rosa Luxemburg (1871 to 1919. Polish-German Marxist revolutionary (1871–1919))
• Galba (3 BC to 69. Roman emperor from AD 68 to 69)
• Ray Bolger (1904 to 1987. American actor (1904–1987))
• Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark (1942 to 2026. Greek princess (1942–2026))
• Henry H. Arnold (1886 to 1950. American general (1886–1950))
• Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475 to 1519. Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador (c. 1475–1519))
• Mariana Victoria of Spain (1718 to 1781. Queen of Portugal from 1750 to 1777)
• Zinaida Portnova (1926 to 1944. Soviet partisan (1926–1944))
• Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti (1951 to 2007. Iraqi Mukhabarat leader (1951–2007))
• Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (1926 to 2006. Emir of Kuwait from 1977 to 2006)
• Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (1912 to 1966. Prime Minister of Nigeria from 1960 to 1966)
• Sammy Cahn (1913 to 1993. American lyricist, songwriter, musician (1913–1993))
• Seán MacBride (1904 to 1988. Irish republican activist, politician, and diplomat (1904–1988))
• Dolores O'Riordan (1971 to 2018. Irish musician (1971–2018))
• Jeannot Szwarc (1937 to 2025. French film director (1939–2025))
• Ahmadu Bello (1910 to 1966. Nigerian politician (1909–1966))
• Rudolph of France (890 to 936. King of West Francia from 923 to 936)
• Theodora (815 to 867. Byzantine empress (c. 815 – c. 867 CE))
• Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (1938 to 1996. King of Lesotho (1966–90; 1995–96))
• William Boyd Dawkins (1837 to 1929. Welsh geologist, paleontologist and archaeologist (1838–1929))
• Emanuel Celler (1888 to 1981. American politician (1888–1981))
• Kenneth Grant (occultist) (1924 to 2011. British occult writer and ceremonial magician (1924–2011))
• Fanny Kemble (1809 to 1893. English actress and writer (1809–1893))
• Manuel Fraga (1922 to 2012. Spanish politician (1922–2012))
• Namdeo Dhasal (1940 to 2014. Indian writer)
• William Alexander, Lord Stirling (1726 to 1783. American Continental Army general (1726–1783))
• Christie Palmerston (1850 to 1897. Australian explorer and prospector)
• György Cziffra (1921 to 1994. Hungarian pianist and composer)
• Thérésa Tallien (1773 to 1835. Spanish-born French noblewoman and socialite (1773–1835))
• Prince Arisugawa Taruhito (1835 to 1895. Japanese prince and general (1835–1895))

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