On this day · Capricorn

January 6 birthdays

328 notable historical figures were born on January 6, and 213 died on this day. Everyone born on January 6 is a Capricorn.

17% of January 6 birthdays work in Arts & Music, more than any other field. More come from United States (80) than any other country.

Born on January 6

• Syd Barrett (1946 to 2006. English musician (1946–2006))
• A. R. Rahman (born 1966. Indian composer and musician (born 1967))
• Alan Watts (1915 to 1973. British and American writer and lecturer (1915–1973))
• Richard II of England (1367 to 1400. King of England from 1377 to 1399)
• Kahlil Gibran (1883 to 1931. Lebanese American artist, poet, and writer)
• John Singleton (1968 to 2019. American filmmaker (1968–2019))
• Kim Dae-jung (1924 to 2009. President of South Korea from 1998 to 2003)
• Justin Welby (born 1956. Archbishop of Canterbury from 2013 to 2025)
• Gustave Doré (1832 to 1883. French illustrator and painter (1832–1883))
• Alexander Scriabin (1872 to 1915. Russian composer and pianist (1872–1915))
• Luise Therese Sophie Schliemann (1822 to 1890. German businessman and archaeologist (1822–1890))
• Charles Sumner (1811 to 1874. American abolitionist and statesman (1811–1874))
• Ali al-Sajjad (659 to 713. Great-grandson of Muhammad and fourth Shia Imam (659–713))
• Carl Sandburg (1878 to 1967. American writer and editor (1878–1967))
• Babrak Karmal (1929 to 1996. Afghan communist politician (1929–1996))
• Michaela DePrince (1995 to 2024. Sierra Leonean–American ballet dancer (1995–2024))
• Eduard Bernstein (1850 to 1932. German politician and theorist (1850–1932))
• Ferenc Szálasi (1897 to 1946. Fascist leader of Hungary from 1944 to 1945, dictator)
• E. L. Doctorow (1931 to 2015. American novelist and editor (1931–2015))
• Jedediah Smith (1799 to 1831. American explorer (1799–1831))
• Rowan Atkinson (born 1955. English actor, comedian, and writer (born 1955))
• Daniel Chapo (born 1977. President of Mozambique since 2025)
• Maria of Yugoslavia (1900 to 1961. Queen of Yugoslavia from 1922 to 1934)
• Clarence King (1842 to 1901. American geologist (1842–1901))
• Max Bruch (1838 to 1920. German composer (1838–1920))
• José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia (1766 to 1840. Dictator of Paraguay from 1814 to 1840)
• Bjørn Lomborg (born 1965. Danish author (born 1965))
• Victor Horta (1861 to 1947. Belgian architect and designer)
• Vijay Tendulkar (1928 to 2008. Indian playwright (1928-2008))
• Marcellus I (255 to 309. Head of the Catholic Church from 308 to 309)
• Eddie Redmayne (born 1982. English actor (born 1982))
• Hayim Nahman Bialik (1873 to 1934. Hebrew poet, author, and editor (1873–1934))
• Ahmed el-Tayeb (born 1946. Egyptian Islamic scholar (born 1946))
• Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg (1655 to 1720. Holy Roman Empress from 1676 to 1705)
• Fan Noli (1882 to 1965. Prime Minister of Albania in 1924 and writer (1882–1965))
• Teejay Arunasalam (born 1994. British actor (born 1994))
• John Maynard Smith (1920 to 2004. English biologist and geneticist (1920–2004))
• Julio María Sanguinetti (born 1936. President of Uruguay (1985–1990; 1995–2000))
• Ralph Branca (1926 to 2016. American baseball player (1926–2016))
• Clive Woodward (born 1956. British rugby union player and coach)
• Sia Figiel (1967 to 2026. Samoan novelist, poet and painter (1967–2026))
• Sefer Halilović (born 1952. Bosnian former general and commanding officer)
• Paula Fredriksen (born 1951. American historian (born 1951))
• Uzi Narkiss (1925 to 1997. Israeli general)
• David Saint-Jacques (born 1970. Canadian astronaut (born 1970))
• Juan Goytisolo (1931 to 2017. Spanish writer, poet and novelist)
• 9th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu (1933 to 2012. Gelug Tibetan Buddhist leader (1933–2012))
• William Browder (mathematician) (1934 to 2025. American mathematician (1934–2025))
• Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira (1669 to 1690. Portuguese infanta (1669–1690))
• Alejandro Maldonado (born 1936. Guatemalan statesman)
• Antonio López García (born 1936. Spanish painter and sculptor (born 1936))
• Nikola Zhekov (1865 to 1949. Bulgarian general)
• Alex Turner (born 1986. British rock musician (born 1986))
• Wendelin Van Draanen (born 1965. American writer)
• Timothy Brook (born 1951. Canadian university professor, historian)
• Sufi Abdul Hamid (1903 to 1938. African-American religious and labor leader, and early African-American convert to Islam)
• Rolf M. Zinkernagel (born 1944. Swiss immunologist (born 1944))
• Harri Holkeri (1937 to 2011. Prime Minister of Finland from 1987 to 1991)
• David Tracy (1939 to 2025. American Roman Catholic theologian and priest (1939–2025))
• Samuel Alexander (1859 to 1938. Australian-born British philosopher (1859-1938))

Died on January 6

• Theodore Roosevelt (1858 to 1919. President of the United States from 1901 to 1909)
• Sidney Poitier (1927 to 2022. Bahamian-American actor, filmmaker, diplomat (1927–2022))
• Gregor Mendel (1822 to 1884. Austrian biologist and friar (1822–1884))
• Mehmed IV (1642 to 1693. Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687)
• Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence (1510 to 1537. Duke of Florence from 1532 to 1537)
• Tyagaraja (1767 to 1847. Composer in Carnatic Classical Music (1767-1847))
• Frances Burney (1752 to 1840. English novelist, diarist and playwright (1752–1840))
• Odo of Bayeux (1030 to 1097. 11th-century bishop of Bayeux and half-brother of William the Conqueror)
• Joe Slovo (1926 to 1995. South African politician (born 1926-1995))
• Uzun Hassan (1423 to 1478. Sultan of the Aq Qoyunlu from 1452 to 1478)
• André Bessette (1845 to 1937. Canadian Catholic brother and saint (1845–1937))
• Vladimir Vernadsky (1863 to 1945. Soviet geochemist (1863–1945))
• Christopher of Bavaria (1416 to 1448. Scandinavian king under the Kalmar Union (1416–1448))
• Vang Pao (1929 to 2011. Hmong American soldier and community leader (1929–2011))
• Julius Rosenwald (1862 to 1932. American businessman (1862–1932))
• Pavel Cherenkov (1904 to 1990. Soviet physicist (1904–1990))
• Bayezid Osman (1924 to 2017. Head of the Osmanoğlu family)
• Makgatho Mandela (1950 to 2005. Son of Nelson Mandela (1950–2005))
• Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria (1922–1993) (1922 to 1993. Archduchess of Austria (1922-1993))
• Bharatendu Harishchandra (1850 to 1885. Indian writer and poet (1850–1885))
• Richard Henry Dana Jr. (1815 to 1882. American author and lawyer (1815–1882))
• F. Sionil José (1924 to 2022. Filipino writer (1924–2022))
• Comandanta Ramona (1959 to 2006. Mexican Mayan activist and EZLN commander (1959–2006))
• John VIII, Count of Vendôme (1428 to 1477. French noble (c.1425 – 1477))
• Theophan the Recluse (1815 to 1894. Russian Orthodox Church saint (1815–1894))
• Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (1641 to 1695. Duke of Holstein-Gottorp from 1659 to 1695)
• Raymond of Penyafort (1175 to 1275. Dominican Master General and archbishop and saint (c. 1367–1439))
• George R. Price (1922 to 1975. American mathematician)
• Octavio Lepage (1923 to 2017. President of Venezuela from May to June 1993)
• Duane Hanson (1925 to 1996. American sculptor (1925–1996))

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