On this day · Gemini

May 31 birthdays

285 notable historical figures were born on May 31, and 174 died on this day. Everyone born on May 31 is a Gemini.

17% of May 31 birthdays work in Literature, more than any other field. More come from United States (65) than any other country.

Born on May 31

• Genghis Khan (1162 to 1227. Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1206 to 1227)
• Clint Eastwood (born 1930. American actor and filmmaker (born 1930))
• Viktor Orbán (born 1963. Prime Minister of Hungary (1998–2002, 2010–present))
• Walt Whitman (1819 to 1892. American poet, essayist and journalist (1819–1892))
• Pius XI (1857 to 1939. Head of the Catholic Church from 1922 to 1939)
• Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443 to 1509. English noblewoman and politician (1443–1509))
• Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (1923 to 2005. Prince of Monaco from 1949 to 2005)
• Dina Boluarte (born 1962. President of Peru from 2022 to 2025)
• Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945 to 1982. German filmmaker (1945–1982))
• Ahilyabai Holkar (1725 to 1795. Maharani of Indore from 1767 to 1795)
• Nur Jahan (1577 to 1645. Padshah Begum of the Mughal Empire)
• Feodor (1557 to 1598. Tsar of Russia from 1584 to 1598)
• John Prescott (1938 to 2024. Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007)
• Manuel, Duke of Beja (1469 to 1521. King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521)
• Chien-Shiung Wu (1912 to 1997. Chinese-American physicist (1912–1997))
• Laurent Gbagbo (born 1945. President of Côte d'Ivoire from 2000 to 2011)
• Julian Beck (1925 to 1985. American actor, stage director, poet, and painter (1925–1985))
• Bernard Lewis (1916 to 2018. British-American historian (1916–2018))
• Steph McGovern (born 1982. English journalist and TV presenter (born 1982))
• Colin Farrell (born 1976. Irish actor (born 1976))
• Ayad Allawi (born 1944. Prime Minister of Iraq from 2004 to 2005)
• Douglas Stuart (writer) (born 1976. Scottish writer (born 1976))
• John Connolly (author) (born 1968. Irish author, primarily of detective fiction)
• Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire (1868 to 1938. British politician (1868–1938))
• Ellsworth Kelly (1923 to 2015. American painter, sculptor, and printmaker)
• Francis Younghusband (1863 to 1942. British Army officer, explorer, and spiritual writer (1863–1942))
• Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria (1922–1993) (1922 to 1993. Archduchess of Austria (1922-1993))
• Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony (1867–1944) (1867 to 1944. Archduchess of Austria (1867–1944))
• Archduke Felix of Austria (1916 to 2011. Last surviving child of Charles I, Emperor of Austria)
• Irina (1557 to 1603. Tsaritsa of Russia from 1584 to 1598)
• Henry Sidgwick (1838 to 1900. British philosopher and economist (1838–1900))
• Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki (1640 to 1673. Ruler of Poland–Lithuania from 1669 to 1673)
• Louise Farrenc (1804 to 1875. French composer and pianist (1804–1875))
• Marin Marais (1656 to 1728. French composer and viol player (1656–1728))
• Brooke Shields (born 1965. American actress (born 1965))
• Louis Ignarro (born 1941. American pharmacologist)
• John Robert Schrieffer (1931 to 2019. American physicist (1931–2019))
• Konstantin Paustovsky (1892 to 1968. Russian writer (1892–1968))
• Frei Otto (1925 to 2015. German architect (1925–2015))
• John G. Kemeny (1926 to 1992. Hungarian-born American mathematician and computer scientist (1926-1992))
• Judith Wright (1915 to 2000. Australian poet and activist (1915–2000))
• Marco Reus (born 1989. German footballer (born 1989))
• Ludwig Tieck (1773 to 1853. German poet, writer, and critic (1773–1853))
• Edgar Savisaar (1950 to 2022. Estonian politician (1950–2022))
• Glenda Hatchett (born 1951. American lawyer)
• Lauri Kristian Relander (1883 to 1942. Finnish politician (1883–1942))
• June Sarpong (born 1977. British television presenter (born 1977))
• Iga Świątek (born 2001. Polish tennis player (born 2001))
• Carole Achache (1952 to 2016. French writer, photographer and actress)
• George R. Stewart (1895 to 1980. American novelist)
• Alfred-Maurice de Zayas (born 1947. Cuban–American lawyer and historian (born 1947))
• Adolpho Veloso (born 1989. Brazilian cinematographer (born 1989))
• Margherita de' Medici (1612 to 1679. Duchess of Parma and Piacenza from 1628 to 1646)
• Nazmul Hassan (born 1961. Bangladeshi cricket administrator)
• Lynne Truss (born 1955. English writer (born 1955))
• John George II (1613 to 1680. Elector of Saxony from 1656 to 1680)
• James II of Majorca (1243 to 1311. King of Majorca (1243–1311))
• Catherine-Dominique de Pérignon (1754 to 1818. French Marshal)
• Francisco Moreno (1852 to 1919. Argentine explorer)
• Tony Dize (born 1982. American singer)

Died on May 31

• Adolf Eichmann (1906 to 1962. German SS officer and war criminal (1906–1962))
• Joseph Haydn (1732 to 1809. Austrian composer (1732–1809))
• Évariste Galois (1811 to 1832. French mathematician (1811–1832))
• Frederick William I (1688 to 1740. King in Prussia from 1713 to 1740)
• Louise Bourgeois (1911 to 2010. French-American artist (1911–2010))
• Tito Puente (1923 to 2000. American Latin jazz and mambo musician (1923–2000))
• Kamala Surayya (1934 to 2009. Indian poet and author (1934–2009))
• Tintoretto (1518 to 1594. Italian painter (1518–1594))
• Cecily Neville (1415 to 1495. English noblewoman (1415–1495))
• Jean Lannes (1769 to 1809. Marshal of The First French Empire (1769–1809))
• Billy Strayhorn (1915 to 1967. American jazz pianist, composer, lyricist and arranger (1915–1967))
• C. L. R. James (1901 to 1989. Trinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist (1901–1989))
• Hannah Höch (1889 to 1978. German artist (1889–1978))
• George Green (mathematician) (1793 to 1841. British mathematical physicist (1793–1841))
• Martin (1356 to 1410. King of Aragon from 1396 to 1410)
• Ama Ata Aidoo (1942 to 2023. Ghanaian writer, politician, and academic (1942–2023))
• Lloyd Wright (1890 to 1978. American architect (1890–1978))
• Jacques Monod (1910 to 1976. French biochemist (1910–1976))
• Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358 to 1408. Military ruler of Japan from 1368 to 1394)
• Vladimir Tatlin (1885 to 1953. Russian artist (1885–1953))
• Edith Hamilton (1867 to 1963. American teacher and writer (1867–1963))
• Géza II of Hungary (1130 to 1162. King of Hungary and Croatia from 1141 to 1162)
• Prince Georg of Bavaria (1880 to 1943. Bavarian prince (1880–1943))
• Antonio Imbert Barrera (1920 to 2016. Dominican army general (1920–2016))
• Reccared I (559 to 601. Visigothic King)
• Sunanda Kumariratana (1860 to 1880. Queen consort of Thailand)
• John Coolidge (1906 to 2000. American businessman (1906–2000))
• Dora Russell (1894 to 1986. British writer, feminist and socialist campaigner (1894–1986))
• Carla Lane (1928 to 2016. English television writer (1928–2016))
• Petar Mladenov (1936 to 2000. Final leader of Communist Bulgaria (1989–90); first President of Bulgaria (1990))

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