August 31
- 12 – Gaius Caligula, Roman Emperor (d. 41)
- 161 – Commodus, Roman Emperor (d. 192)
- 1569 – Emperor Jahangir of India (d. 1627)
- 1602 – Countess Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, wife of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (d. 1675)
- 1652 – Ferdinand Charles, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat (d. 1708)
- 1663 – Guillaume Amontons, French physicist and instrument maker (d. 1705)
- 1721 – George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol, British statesman (d. 1775)
- 1741 – Jean Paul Egide Martini, French composer (d. 1816)
- 1767 – Henry Joy McCracken, Irish political activist, founder of the Society of United Irishmen (d. 1798)
- 1802 – Husein Gradaščević, Bosnian general (d. 1834)
- 1821 – Hermann von Helmholtz, German scientist (d. 1894)
- 1822 – Galusha A. Grow, American politician (d. 1907)
- 1834 – Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer (d. 1886)
- 1842 – Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, American publisher, journalist, suffragist and civil rights leader (d. 1924)
- 1843 – Georg von Hertling, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1919)
- 1870 – Maria Montessori, Italian educator (d. 1952)
- 1871 – James E. Ferguson, American politician, 26th Governor of Texas (d. 1944)
- 1878 – Frank Jarvis, American sprinter (d. 1933)
- 1879 – Alma Mahler, Austrian socialite, wife of composer Gustav Mahler (d. 1964)
- 1879 – Emperor Taishō of Japan (d. 1926)
- 1880 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (d. 1962)
- 1885 – DuBose Heyward, American playwright (d. 1940)
- 1893 – Lily Laskine, French harpist (d. 1988)
- 1894 – Albert Facey, Australian writer (d. 1982)
- 1896 – Félix-Antoine Savard, Canadian priest and novelist (d. 1982)
- 1897 – Fredric March, American actor (d. 1975)
- 1900 – Gino Lucetti, Italian anarchist (d. 1943)
- 1902 – Géza Révész, Hungarian military officer and politician (d. 1977)
- 1903 – Arthur Godfrey, American television host (d. 1983)
- 1903 – Vladimir Jankélévitch, French philosopher (d. 1985)
- 1905 – Sanford Meisner, American actor and teacher (d. 1997)
- 1907 – Augustus F. Hawkins, American politician (d. 2007)
- 1907 – Ramon Magsaysay, 7th President of the Philippines (d. 1957)
- 1907 – William Shawn, American editor (d. 1992)
- 1907 – Altiero Spinelli, Italian advocate of European federalism (d. 1986)
- 1908 – William Saroyan, American novelist (d. 1981)
- 1909 – Ferenc Fejtő, Hungarian-born journalist and political scientist (d. 2008)
- 1911 – Edward Brongersma, Dutch politician, writer and political activist (d. 1998)
- 1913 – Sir Bernard Lovell, English radio astronomer
- 1913 – Helen Levitt, American photographer (d. 2009)
- 1914 – Richard Basehart, American actor (d. 1984)
- 1916 – Daniel Schorr, American journalist (d. 2010)
- 1916 – Danny Litwhiler, American baseball player and coach
- 1916 – John S. Wold, American politician
- 1918 – Alan Jay Lerner, American lyricist (d. 1986)
- 1919 – Amrita Preetam, Indian poet and author (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Gustavo Adolfo Palma, Guatemalan singer (d. 2010)
- 1920 – G. D. Spradlin, American actor (d. 2011)
- 1921 – Raymond Williams, Welsh academic (d. 1988)
- 1924 – Buddy Hackett, American actor and comedian (d. 2003)
- 1928 – Jaime Sin, Philippine cardinal and patriot (d. 2005)
- 1928 – James Coburn, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1931 – Jean Béliveau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1931 – Noble Willingham, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Nikos Xanthopoulos, Greek actor
- 1935 – Eldridge Cleaver, American political activist (d. 1998)
- 1935 – Frank Robinson, American baseball player and manager
- 1937 – Warren Berlinger, American actor
- 1937 – Bobby Parker, American blues-rock guitarist
- 1938 – Martin Bell, British journalist
- 1938 – Murray Gleeson, Chief Justice of Australia
- 1939 – Jerry Allison, American drummer (The Crickets)
- 1940 – Jack Thompson, Australian actor
- 1940 – Roger Newman, British-born American television actor and writer (d. 2010)
- 1940 – Wilton Felder, saxophone and bass player, co-founder of Crusaders
- 1941 – William DeWitt, Jr., American businessman
- 1943 – Leonid Ivashov, Russian general
- 1944 – Roger Dean, English artist
- 1944 – Clive Lloyd, Guyanese West Indies cricketer
- 1944 – Jos LeDuc, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 1999)
- 1945 – Van Morrison, Northern Irish singer-songwriter
- 1945 – Itzhak Perlman, Israeli violinist
- 1946 – Jerome Corsi, American writer
- 1947 – Mona Marshall, American voice actress
- 1947 – Luca di Montezemolo, Italian businessman
- 1947 – Yumiko Ōshima, Japanese manga artist
- 1947 – Somchai Wongsawat, 26th Prime Minister of Thailand
- 1948 – Harald Ertl, Austrian racing driver (d. 1982)
- 1948 – Lowell Ganz, American screenwriter
- 1948 – Ken McMullen, English film director
- 1948 – Holger Osieck, German footballer and coach
- 1948 – Rudolf Schenker, German guitarist (Scorpions)
- 1949 – Richard Gere, American actor
- 1949 – H. David Politzer, American physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1952 – Herbert Reul, German politician
- 1953 – Miguel Ángel Guerra, Argentine racing driver
- 1953 – György Károly, Hungarian author
- 1953 – Pavel Vinogradov, Russian cosmonaut
- 1954 – Julie Brown, American actress, singer-songwriter and screenwriter
- 1955 – Edwin Moses, American hurdler
- 1955 – Gary Webb, American journalist (d. 2004)
- 1955 – Olek Krupa, Polish actor
- 1955 – Anthony Thistlethwaite, musician, member of The Waterboys and The Saw Doctors
- 1956 – Maria Balazova, Slovak painter
- 1956 – Masashi Tashiro, Japanese television performer
- 1957 – Colm O'Rourke, Irish footballer and commentator
- 1957 – Gina Schock, American drummer (The Go-Go's)
- 1957 – Glenn Tilbrook, English singer and guitarist (Squeeze)
- 1958 – Serge Blanco, French rugby union footballer
- 1959 – Ralph Krueger, Canadian ice hockey coach
- 1960 – Vali Ionescu, Romanian long jumper
- 1960 – Chris Whitley, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
- 1962 – Dee Bradley Baker, American voice actor
- 1963 – Reb Beach, American guitarist (Winger, Whitesnake)
- 1963 – Todd Carty, Irish actor
- 1963 – Sonny Silooy, Dutch footballer
- 1964 – Raymond P. Hammond, American poet and editor
- 1965 – Céline Bonnier, French-Canadian actress
- 1965 – Zsolt Borkai, Hungarian gymnast
- 1965 – Willie Watson, New Zealand cricketer
- 1966 – Jan Einar Thorsen, Norwegian alpine skier
- 1967 – Nigel Avery, New Zealand weightlifter
- 1967 – Jonathan Cake, British actor
- 1967 – Gene Hoglan, American drummer (Devin Townsend, Strapping Young Lad, Testament, Fear Factory)
- 1967 – Anita Moen, Norwegian cross-country skier
- 1968 – Valdon Dowiyogo, Nauruan politician and Australian football player
- 1968 – Hideo Nomo, Japanese baseball player
- 1969 – Nathalie Bouvier, French alpine skier
- 1969 – Andrew Cunanan, American spree killer (d. 1997)
- 1969 – Jonathan LaPaglia, Australian actor
- 1969 – Javagal Srinath, Indian cricketer
- 1970 – Deborah Gibson, American singer
- 1970 – Nikola Gruevski, 6th Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia
- 1970 – Queen Rania of Jordan
- 1970 – Arie van Lent, Dutch-born German footballer
- 1970 – Amy Stein, American photographer
- 1970 – Zack Ward, Canadian actor
- 1971 – Pádraig Harrington, Irish golfer
- 1972 – Chris Tucker, American actor and comedian
- 1973 – Scott Niedermayer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1974 – Andriy Medvedev, Ukrainian tennis player
- 1975 – Craig Cumming, New Zealand cricketer
- 1975 – John Grahame, American ice hockey player
- 1975 – Daniel Harding, British conductor
- 1975 – Sara Ramírez, American actress
- 1975 – Takahiro Suwa, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1976 – Vincent Delerm, French singer-songwriter, pianist and composer
- 1976 – Roque Júnior, Brazilian footballer
- 1976 – Radek Martínek, Czech ice hockey player
- 1977 – Jeff Hardy, American wrestler
- 1977 – Ian Harte, Irish footballer
- 1977 – Craig Nicholls, Australian singer and guitarist (The Vines)
- 1978 – Philippe Christanval, French footballer
- 1979 – Clay Hensley, American baseball player
- 1979 – Mickie James, American professional wrestler
- 1979 – Mark Johnston, Canadian swimmer
- 1979 – Simon Neil, Scottish singer and guitarist (Biffy Clyro)
- 1979 – Yuvan Shankar Raja, Indian film music composer
- 1979 – Ramón Santiago, Dominican baseball player
- 1980 – Joe Budden, American rapper
- 1981 – Dwayne Peel, Welsh rugby union footballer
- 1981 – Steve Saviano, American ice hockey player
- 1982 – Ian Crocker, American swimmer
- 1982 – Chris Duhon, American basketball player
- 1982 – Lien Huyghebaert, Belgian sprinter
- 1982 – Josh Kroeger, American baseball player
- 1982 – Alexei Mikhnov, Ukrainian-born Russian ice hockey player
- 1982 – José Manuel Reina, Spanish footballer
- 1982 – Michele Rugolo, Italian racing driver
- 1983 – Deniz Aydoğdu, Turkish footballer
- 1983 – Larry Fitzgerald, American football player
- 1984 – Matti Breschel, Danish road bicycle racer
- 1984 – Ryan Kesler, American ice hockey player
- 1984 – Ted Ligety, American alpine skier
- 1984 – Charl Schwartzel, South African golfer
- 1985 – Andrew Foster, Australian rules footballer
- 1986 – Feng Tianwei, Singaporean table tennis player
- 1987 – Petros Kravaritis, Greek footballer
- 1987 – Ondřej Pavelec, Czech ice hockey player
- 1989 – Dezmon Briscoe, American football player
August 30
- 1334 – King Peter of Castile (d. 1369)
- 1377 – Shah Rukh, ruler of Persia and Transoxonia (d. 1447)
- 1705 – David Hartley, English philosopher (d. 1757)
- 1720 – Samuel Whitbread, English brewer (d. 1796)
- 1748 – Jacques-Louis David, French painter (d. 1825)
- 1768 – Joseph Dennie, American writer (d. 1812)
- 1797 – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, English writer (d. 1851)
- 1808 – Princess Ludovika of Bavaria (d. 1892)
- 1812 – Agoston Haraszthy Hungarian-born traveler and writer(d. 1869)
- 1813 – Princess Mathilde of Bavaria (d. 1862)
- 1818 – Alexander H. Rice, 30th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1895)
- 1821 – Anita Garibaldi, Brazilian revolutionary and wife of Giuseppe Garibaldi (d. 1849)
- 1839 – Gulstan Ropert, French Catholic prelate (d. 1903)
- 1842 – Grand Duchess Alexandra Alexandrovna of Russia (d. 1849)
- 1848 – Andrew Onderdonk, Canadian railway contractor (d. 1905)
- 1850 – Marcelo H. del Pilar, Filipino writer, journalist and revolutionary (d. 1896)
- 1852 – Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Dutch physical and organic chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1911)
- 1856 – Carle David Tolmé Runge, German physicist (d. 1927)
- 1860 – Isaac Levitan, Russian artist (d. 1900)
- 1870 – Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia (d. 1891)
- 1871 – Ernest Rutherford, New Zealand-born British chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1937)
- 1884 – Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1971)
- 1890 – Samuel Frederick Henry Thompson, British fighter ace (d. 1918)
- 1893 – Huey Long, American politician (d. 1935)
- 1896 – Raymond Massey, Canadian actor (d. 1983)
- 1898 – Shirley Booth, American actress (d. 1992)
- 1901 – Roy Wilkins, American civil rights leader (d. 1981)
- 1901 – John Gunther, American writer (d. 1970)
- 1906 – Joan Blondell, American actress (d. 1979)
- 1908 – Fred MacMurray, American actor (d. 1991)
- 1910 – Roger Bushell, South African RAF officer and prisoner of war (d. 1944)
- 1912 – Edward Mills Purcell, American physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1997)
- 1912 – Nancy Wake, British war agent (d. 2011)
- 1913 – Richard Stone, British economist, Nobel laureate (d. 1991)
- 1915 – Robert Strassburg, American composer (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Denis Healey, British politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
- 1917 – Vladimir Kirillovich, Grand Duke of Russia, pretender to the Russian throne (d. 1992)
- 1918 – Ted Williams, American baseball player (d. 2002)
- 1918 – Billy Johnson, American baseball player (d. 2006)
- 1919 – Kitty Wells, American singer
- 1919 – Wolfgang Wagner, German opera director (d. 2010)
- 1922 – Lionel Murphy, Australian politician (d. 1986)
- 1922 – Regina Resnik, American mezzo-soprano
- 1923 – Barbara Ansell, British physician, founder of paediatric rheumatology (d. 2001)
- 1923 – Charmian Clift, Australian writer and essayist (d. 1969)
- 1923 – Nate Saint, American Evangelical Christian missionary (d. 1956)
- 1923 – Vic Seixas, American tennis player
- 1924 – Geoffrey Beene, American fashion designer (d. 2004)
- 1924 – Lajos Kisfaludy, Hungarian chemical engineer (d. 1988)
- 1925 – Laurent de Brunhoff, French writer and illustrator
- 1926 – Daryl Gates, American police chief (d. 2010)
- 1928 – Lloyd Casner, American racecar driver and owner (d. 1965)
- 1930 – Warren Buffett, American entrepreneur
- 1930 – Noel Harford, New Zealand cricketer (d. 1981)
- 1931 – John Leonard "Jack" Swigert, Jr., American astronaut (d. 1982)
- 1933 – Don Getty, Canadian politician
- 1934 – Baloo Gupte, Indian cricketer (d. 2005)
- 1935 – John Phillips, American singer-songwriter (The Mamas & the Papas) (d. 2001)
- 1937 – Bruce McLaren, New Zealand car racer and founder of McLaren racing team (d. 1970)
- 1939 – John Peel, English radio disc jockey (d. 2004)
- 1939 – Elizabeth Ashley, American actress
- 1941 – Ben L. Jones, American actor, politician and essayist
- 1942 – Pervez Sajjad, Pakistani cricketer
- 1943 – Tal Brody, American-born Israeli basketball player
- 1943 – Robert Crumb, American cartoonist
- 1943 – Jean-Claude Killy, French skier
- 1944 – Molly Ivins, American political humorist (d. 2007)
- 1944 – Tug McGraw, American baseball player (d. 2004)
- 1946 – Peggy Lipton, American actress
- 1946 – Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
- 1947 – Allan Rock, Canadian politician and diplomat
- 1948 – Lewis Black, American comedian
- 1948 – Fred Hampton, American Black Panther Party leader (d. 1969)
- 1948 – Donnacha O'Dea, Irish poker player and swimmer
- 1949 – Ted Ammon, American financier (d. 2001)
- 1949 – Don Boudria, Canadian politician
- 1949 – Christopher Collins, American actor and comedian (d. 1994)
- 1949 – Peter Maffay, German singer-songwriter
- 1950 – Antony Gormley, English sculptor
- 1951 – Timothy Bottoms, American actor
- 1951 – Dana Rosemary Scallon, Irish singer (as Dana) and politician
- 1953 – Horace Panter, British bassist (The Specials, General Public)
- 1953 – Robert Parish, American basketball player
- 1953 – Ron George, American politician
- 1954 – David Paymer, American actor
- 1954 – Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus
- 1956 – Frank Conniff, American comedian (TV's Frank)
- 1958 – Martin Jackson, British drummer (Swing out Sister)
- 1958 – Anna Politkovskaya, Russian journalist (d. 2006)
- 1959 – Mark "Jacko" Jackson, Australian rules footballer and actor
- 1960 – Gary Gordon, American Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1993)
- 1960 – Guy A. Lepage, Quebec humorist, television host and producer
- 1962 – Alexander Litvinenko, Russian KGB officer (d. 2006)
- 1963 – Michael Chiklis, American actor
- 1963 – Paul Oakenfold, British disc jockey
- 1963 – Oderus Urungus, American vocalist (GWAR)
- 1964 – Gavin Fisher, British engineer
- 1966 – Michael Michele, American actress
- 1967 – Justin Vaughan, New Zealand cricketer
- 1967 – Frederique van der Wal, Dutch model
- 1968 – Vladimir Malakhov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1969 – Dimitris Sgouros, Greek pianist
- 1970 – Carlo Checchinato, Italian rugby player and manager
- 1970 – Michael Wong, Malaysia-born Chinese singer
- 1971 – Lars Frederiksen, American guitarist (Rancid and UK Subs)
- 1972 – Cameron Diaz, American actress
- 1972 – Pavel Nedvěd, Czech footballer
- 1973 – Lisa Ling, American journalist
- 1974 – Javier Otxoa, Spanish cyclist
- 1974 – Aaron Barrett, American vocalist and guitarist (Reel Big Fish)
- 1975 – Radhi Jaïdi, Tunisian footballer
- 1976 – Mike Koplove, American baseball player
- 1976 – Sarah-Jane Potts, English actress
- 1977 – Shaun Alexander, American football player
- 1977 – Marlon Byrd, American baseball player
- 1977 – Elden Henson, American actor
- 1977 – Kamil Kosowski, Polish footballer
- 1977 – Jens Ludwig, German guitarist (Edguy)
- 1978 – Swizz Beatz, American record producer and rapper
- 1978 – Cliff Lee, American baseball player
- 1978 – Sinead Kerr, Irish Olympic figure skater and ice dancer
- 1979 – Juan Ignacio Chela, Argentine tennis player
- 1979 – Niki Chow, Hong Kong actress and singer
- 1979 – Leon Lopez, British actor
- 1979 – Scott Richmond, Canadian baseball player
- 1979 – Tavia Yeung, Hong Kong actress
- 1980 – Derrick Ward, American football player
- 1981 – Germán Legarreta, American actor
- 1981 – Adam Wainwright, American baseball player
- 1982 – Will Davison, Australian racing driver
- 1982 – Andy Roddick, American tennis player
- 1983 – Gustavo Eberto, Argentine footballer (d. 2007)
- 1983 – Jun Matsumoto, Japanese singer and actor
- 1983 – Simone Pepe, Italian footballer
- 1983 – Marco Vianello, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Anthony Ireland, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1985 – Richard Duffy, Welsh footballer
- 1985 – Joe Inoue, Japanese American singer
- 1985 – Leisel Jones, Australian swimmer
- 1985 – Éva Risztov, Hungarian swimmer
- 1985 – Steven Smith, Scottish footballer
- 1985 – Eamon Sullivan, Australian swimmer
- 1986 – Ryan Ross, American guitarist (Panic! at the Disco)
- 1986 – Lelia Masaga, New Zealand All Black rugby player
- 1988 – Michael Cavanaugh ("StrongSide"), American professional gamer
- 1988 – Ernests Gulbis, Latvian tennis player
- 1988 – Laura Põldvere, Estonian singer
- 1988 – Olex Oldman, British World Record Holder in 'Cheese Drumming', 14lbs and 118db in 7 minutes 12 seconds.
- 1989 – Simone Guerra, Italian footballer
- 1989 – Ronald Huth, Paraguayan footballer
- 1991 – Liam Cooper, Scottish footballer
- 2001 – Emily Bear, American child pianist and composer
August 29
- 1434 – Janus Pannonius, Hungarian poet, diplomat and Bishop of Pécs(d. 1472)
- 1619 – Jean-Baptiste Colbert, French minister of finance (d. 1683)
- 1628 – John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath, English royalist statesman (d. 1701)
- 1632 – John Locke, English philosopher (d. 1704)
- 1694 – Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1715)
- 1725 – Charles Townshend, English politician (d. 1767)
- 1728 – Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony, Electress of Bavaria (d. 1797)
- 1756 – Heinrich Graf von Bellegarde, Austrian field marshal and statesman (d. 1845)
- 1756 – Jan Śniadecki, Polish mathematician (d. 1830)
- 1777 – Nikita Yakovlevich Bichurin, founder of Sinology (d. 1853)
- 1780 – Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, French painter (d. 1867)
- 1805 – Frederick Maurice, English theologian (d. 1872)
- 1809 – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., American physician and writer (d. 1894)
- 1810 – Juan Bautista Alberdi, Argentinian politician, writer and Constitution main promoter (d. 1884)
- 1811 – Henry Bergh, founder of American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (d. 1888)
- 1842 – Alfred Shaw, English cricketer (d. 1907)
- 1843 – David B. Hill, Governor of New York (d. 1910)
- 1844 – Edward Carpenter, English poet (d. 1929)
- 1857 – Sandford Schultz, English cricketer (d. 1937)
- 1862 – Andrew Fisher, 5th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1928)
- 1862 – Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian poet Nobel laureate (d. 1949)
- 1871 – Albert Lebrun, French politician (d. 1950)
- 1876 – Charles F. Kettering, American inventor (d. 1958)
- 1876 – Kim Gu, President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (d. 1949)
- 1898 – Preston Sturges, American filmmaker (d. 1959)
- 1901 – Aurèle Joliat, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1986)
- 1904 – Werner Forssmann, German physician Nobel laureate (d. 1979)
- 1905 – Arndt Pekurinen, Finnish pacifist (d. 1941)
- 1905 – Dhyan Chand, Indian hockey player (d. 1979)
- 1910 – Vivien Thomas, African American surgeon (d. 1985)
- 1912 – Wolfgang Suschitzky, Austrian/Polish cinematographer
- 1912 – Barry Sullivan, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1912 – Sohn Kee-chung, Korean runner (d. 2002)
- 1913 – Len Butterfield, New Zealand cricketer (d. 1999)
- 1915 – Ingrid Bergman, Swedish actress (d. 1982)
- 1915 – Nathan Pritikin, American nutritionist (d. 1985)
- 1916 – Luther Davis, American playwright (d. 2008)
- 1916 – George Montgomery, American actor (d. 2000)
- 1917 – Isabel Sanford, American actress (d. 2004)
- 1920 – Charlie Parker, American musician (d. 1955)
- 1922 – Mr. Blackwell, American fashion critic (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Richard Attenborough, English film director
- 1923 – Marmaduke Hussey, BBC Chairman (d. 2006)
- 1923 – Hiralal Gaekwad, Indian cricketer (d. 2003)
- 1924 – Consuelo Velázquez, Mexican songwriter (d. 2005)
- 1924 – Dinah Washington, American singer (d. 1963)
- 1926 – Helene Ahrweiler, Greek Byzantinologist
- 1926 – Betty Lynn, American actress
- 1926 – María Dolores Pradera, Spanish melodic singer
- 1927 – Jimmy C. Newman, American Country and Western and Cajun Singer.
- 1928 – Charles Gray, English actor (d. 2000)
- 1928 – Herbert Meier, Swiss writer
- 1929 – Thom Gunn, British poet (d. 2004)
- 1930 – Jacques Bouchard, Canadian advertising executive (d. 2006)
- 1931 – Stelios Kazantzidis, Greek singer (d. 2001)
- 1931 – Lise Payette, Quebec politician, writer and columnist
- 1932 – Lakis Petropoulos, Greek footballer (d. 1996)
- 1933 – Arnold Koller, Swiss Federal Councilor
- 1934 – John Guy, New Zealand cricketer
- 1934 – Dimitris Papamichael, Greek actor and director (d. 2004)
- 1935 – William Friedkin, American film director
- 1935 – László Garai, Hungarian scientist, psychologist
- 1936 – John McCain, American politician
- 1937 – James Florio, American politician
- 1938 – Elliott Gould, American actor
- 1938 – Christian Müller, German footballer
- 1938 – Robert Rubin, United States Secretary of the Treasury 1995–1999
- 1939 – Jolán Kleiber-Kontsek, Hungarian athlete
- 1939 – Joel Schumacher, American film director
- 1940 – James Brady, American White House Press Secretary and gun control activist
- 1940 – Gary Gabelich, American race car driver (d. 1984)
- 1941 – Robin Leach, English television host
- 1942 – James Glennon, American cinematographer (d. 2006)
- 1942 – John Heuser, Electron microscopist
- 1943 – Mohamed Amin, Kenyan photojournalist (d. 1996)
- 1943 – Dick Halligan, musician & composer
- 1945 – Wyomia Tyus, American athlete
- 1945 – Chris Copping, musician, singer-songwriter
- 1946 – Bob Beamon, American long jumper
- 1946 – Dimitris Christofias, Cypriot politician and sixth President of the Republic of Cyprus
- 1947 – Temple Grandin, American animal welfare and autism expert
- 1947 – James Hunt, English racing driver (d. 1993)
- 1949 – Werner Kaiser, German footballer
- 1950 – Doug DeCinces, American baseball player
- 1950 – Dave Reichert, American politician and sheriff
- 1950 – Frank Henenlotter, American director
- 1952 – Karen Hesse, American children's writer
- 1952 – Dave Malone, American rock guitarist
- 1952 – Deborah Van Valkenburgh, American actress
- 1953 – James Quesada, Nicaraguan/American anthropologist
- 1954 – Michael P. Kube-McDowell, American science fiction novelist
- 1955 – Diamanda Galas, American singer
- 1955 – Frank Hoste, Belgian cyclist
- 1955 – Jacob Lew, American government official
- 1956 – GG Allin, American rock singer (d. 1993)
- 1956 – Mark Morris, American choreographer
- 1956 – Charalambos Xanthopoulos, Greek footballer
- 1957 – Jerry D. Bailey, American racing jockey
- 1958 – Lenny Henry, British writer, comedian and actor
- 1958 – Michael Jackson, American pop singer (d. 2009)
- 1959 – Chris Hadfield, Canadian astronaut
- 1959 – Akkineni Nagarjuna, Indian Telugu actor
- 1959 – Rebecca De Mornay, American actress
- 1959 – Timothy Perry Shriver, member of the Kennedy Family
- 1959 – Stephen Wolfram, British physicist and mathematician
- 1959 – Eddi Reader, Scottish singer-songwriter
- 1960 – Todd English, American chef
- 1960 – Tony MacAlpine, American guitarist
- 1961 – Carsten Fischer, German field-hockey player
- 1961 – Rodney McCray, American basketball player
- 1962 – Hiroki Kikuta, Japanese composer
- 1962 – Carl Banks, American football player
- 1962 – Ian James Corlett, Canadian voice actor
- 1963 – Elizabeth Fraser, Scottish singer
- 1965 – Will Perdue, American basketball player
- 1965 – Dina Spybey, American actress
- 1966 – Jörn Großkopf, German footballer
- 1967 – Anton Newcombe, American musician (The Brian Jonestown Massacre)
- 1967 – Jiří Růžek, Czech photographer
- 1968 – Me'Shell NdegéOcello, American singer
- 1969 – Joe Swail, Northern Irish snooker player
- 1971 – Henry Blanco, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1971 – Carla Gugino, American actress
- 1971 – Alex Griffin, bassist, Ned's Atomic Dustbin
- 1972 – Bae Yong Joon, South Korean actor
- 1973 – Adam Sessler, American TV show host
- 1973 – Olivier Jacque, motorcyclist
- 1974 – Kumi Tanioka, Japanese composer
- 1975 – Dante Basco, Filipino/American actor
- 1975 – Juan Diego Botto, Argentine-Spanish actor
- 1975 – Kyle Cook, guitarist, Matchbox 20
- 1976 – Stephen Carr, Irish footballer
- 1976 – Kevin Kaesviharn, American football player
- 1976 – Giorgos Kalaitzis, Greek basketball player
- 1976 – Pablo Mastroeni, American soccer player
- 1976 – Jon Dahl Tomasson, Danish footballer
- 1977 – John Patrick O'Brien, American footballer
- 1977 – Aaron Rowand, American baseball player
- 1977 – Devean George, American basketball player
- 1977 – Roy Oswalt, American baseball player
- 1977 – Charlie Pickering, Australian comedian
- 1977 – Jo Weil, German actor
- 1978 – Celestine Babayaro, Nigerian footballer
- 1979 – Ryan Shealy, American baseball player
- 1979 – Stijn Devolder, Belgian cyclist
- 1980 – David Desrosiers, Canadian musician (Simple Plan)
- 1980 – Chris Simms, American football player
- 1980 – David West, American basketball player
- 1980 – Nicholas Tse, Hong Kong singer and actor
- 1980 – Mohammad Sheikh, Kenyan cricketer
- 1981 – Lanny Barbie, Canadian pornographic actress
- 1981 – Geneviève Jeanson, French Canadian cyclist
- 1981 – Jay Ryan (Jay Bunyan), Australian actor
- 1981 – Dennis Oh, Korean-American actor
- 1982 – Carlos Delfino, Argentine basketball player
- 1984 – Alexander Hug, German rugby player
- 1985 – Jeffrey Licon, American actor
- 1985 – Marc Rzepczynski, American baseball player
- 1986 – Lauren Collins, Canadian actress
- 1986 – Lea Michele, American actress and singer
- 1987 – Tony Kane, Irish footballer
- 1990 – Nicole Anderson, American actress
- 1990 – Patrick van Aanholt, Dutch footballer
- 1991 – Anikó Kovacsics, Hungarian handball player
- 1992 – Mallu Magalhães, Brazilian singer-songwriter
- 1993 – Lucas Cruikshank, American Internet personality
- 1993 – Liam Payne, British singer (One Direction)
August 28
- 1025 – Emperor Go-Reizei of Japan (d. 1068)
- 1582 – Taichang Emperor, of the Ming Dynasty of China (d. 1620)
- 1592 – George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, English statesman (d. 1628)
- 1612 – Marcus Zuerius van Boxhorn, Dutch scholar (d. 1653)
- 1667 – Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1721)
- 1691 – Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Holy Roman Empire Empress (d. 1750)
- 1714 – Anthony Ulrich II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1774)
- 1749 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and scientist (d. 1832)
- 1774 – Elizabeth Ann Seton, American-born Catholic saint (d. 1821)
- 1789 – Stéphanie de Beauharnais, Grand Duchess of Baden (d. 1860)
- 1801 – Antoine Augustin Cournot, French mathematician (d. 1877)
- 1814 – Sheridan Le Fanu, Irish writer (d. 1873)
- 1827 – Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia (d. 1894)
- 1828 – Leo Tolstoy, Russian author (birthdate according to O.S.) (d. 1910)
- 1840 – Alexander Cameron Sim, Scottish merchant (d. 1900)
- 1853 – Vladimir Shukhov, Russian engineer and inventor (d. 1939)
- 1859 – Vittorio Sella, Italian photographer (d. 1943)
- 1867 – Umberto Giordano, Italian composer (d. 1948)
- 1878 – George Whipple, American doctor and Nobel laureate (d. 1976)
- 1884 – Peter Fraser, former Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1950)
- 1885 – Vance Palmer, Australian author (d. 1959)
- 1887 – István Kühár, Slovene (Prekmurian) writer and politician (d. 1922)
- 1894 – Karl Böhm, Austrian conductor (d. 1981)
- 1898 – Charlie Grimm, American baseball player (d. 1983)
- 1899 – Charles Boyer, French actor (d. 1978)
- 1899 – Andrei Platonov, Russian writer (d. 1951)
- 1903 – Bruno Bettelheim, American psychologist (d. 1990)
- 1904 – Secondo Campini, Italian jet engine pioneer (d. 1980)
- 1905 – Cyril Walters, England cricketer (d. 1992)
- 1906 – John Betjeman, English poet (d. 1984)
- 1908 – Roger Tory Peterson, American ornithologist (d. 1996)
- 1910 – Tjalling Koopmans, Dutch-born economist Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
- 1911 – Joseph Luns, Dutch politician (d. 2002)
- 1913 – Robertson Davies, Canadian writer (d. 1995)
- 1913 – Jack Dreyfus, American entrepreneur (d. 2009)
- 1913 – Lindsay Hassett, Australian cricketer (d. 1993)
- 1913 – Robert Irving, British conductor (d. 1991)
- 1913 – Boris Pahor, Slovenian writer
- 1913 – Terence Reese, British bridge player (d. 1996)
- 1913 – Richard Tucker, American tenor (d. 1975)
- 1915 – Max Robertson, British sports commentator (d. 2009)
- 1915 – Tasha Tudor, American illustrator (d. 2008)
- 1916 – Hélène Baillargeon, Quebec singer and folklorist (d. 1997)
- 1916 – C. Wright Mills American sociologist (d. 1962)
- 1916 – Jack Vance, American author
- 1917 – Jack Kirby, American comic book artist (d. 1994)
- 1919 – Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, English electrical engineer Nobel Laureate (d. 2004)
- 1921 – Fernando Fernán Gómez, Spanish actor, director, academic and playwright (d. 2007)
- 1921 – Nancy Kulp, American actress (d. 1991)
- 1924 – Janet Frame, New Zealand author (d. 2004)
- 1924 – Peggy Ryan, American actress (d. 2004)
- 1924 – Tony MacGibbon, New Zealand cricketer
- 1925 – Donald O'Connor, American singer, dancer, and actor (d. 2003)
- 1925 – Billy Grammer, American country music singer and guitarist (d. 2011)
- 1928 – F. William Free, American advertising executive (d. 2003)
- 1929 – István Kertész, Hungarian conductor (d. 1973)
- 1929 – Ken Gampu, South African actor (d. 2003)
- 1930 – Windsor Davies, British actor
- 1930 – Ben Gazzara, American actor
- 1931 – John Shirley-Quirk, English bass-baritone
- 1931 – Tito Capobianco, Argentinian stage impresario and director
- 1932 – Andy Bathgate, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1935 – Gilles Rocheleau, French Canadian politician (d. 1998)
- 1936 – Don Denkinger, American baseball umpire
- 1938 – Paul Martin, Canadian politician
- 1938 – Maurizio Costanzo, Italian television journalist
- 1940 – Ken Jenkins, American actor
- 1940 – Roger Pingeon, French cylist
- 1940 – Nik Turner, English musician (Hawkwind)
- 1941 – Sybille de Selys Longchamps, Belgian aristocrat
- 1941 – Paul Plishka, American opera singer
- 1942 – Sterling Morrison, American guitarist (The Velvet Underground) (d. 1995)
- 1943 – David Soul, American actor
- 1943 – Lou Piniella, American baseball manager
- 1943 – Surayud Chulanont, Thai 24th Prime Minister (former)
- 1944 – Marianne Heemskerk, Dutch swimmer
- 1945 – Robert Greenwald, American film director/producer
- 1945 – Bob Segarini, American musician
- 1944 – Melvin Dummar, American claimant to the Howard Hughes estate
- 1947 – Liza Wang, Hong Kong actress
- 1948 – Danny Seraphine, American musician (Chicago)
- 1948 – Murray Parker, New Zealand cricketer
- 1948 – Heather Reisman, Canadian businesswoman
- 1949 – Hugh Cornwell, British musician (The Stranglers)
- 1949 – Svetislav Pešić, Serbian basketball player and coach
- 1950 – Ron Guidry, American baseball player and coach
- 1951 – Keiichi Suzuki, Japanese composer
- 1951 – Wayne Osmond, American singer (The Osmonds)
- 1952 – Rita Dove, American poet
- 1952 – Wendelin Wiedeking, German businessman
- 1952 – Guy Nadon, Canadian actor
- 1952 – Jacques Chagnon, Canadian politician
- 1954 – George Church, American geneticist
- 1956 – Luis Guzmán, Puerto Rican actor
- 1956 – Mark Lutz, Puerto Rican actor
- 1957 – Ivo Josipovic, President of Croatia
- 1957 – Daniel Stern, American actor
- 1957 – Rick Rossovich, American actor
- 1958 – Scott Hamilton, American figure skater
- 1960 – Emma Samms, English actress
- 1960 – Dinah Cancer, American singer 45 Grave
- 1961 – Kim Appleby, English singer
- 1961 – Cliff Benson, American football player
- 1962 – Paul Allen, English footballer
- 1962 – Craig Anton, American actor and Comedian
- 1962 – David Fincher, American music video and film director
- 1963 – Jennifer Coolidge, American actress
- 1963 – Regina Jacobs, American athlete
- 1965 – Satoshi Tajiri, founder of Game Freak
- 1965 – Amanda Tapping, Canadian actress, director and producer
- 1965 – Shania Twain, Canadian singer
- 1966 – Priya Dutt, Indian social worker and politician
- 1968 – Billy Boyd, Scottish actor
- 1969 – Jason Priestley, Canadian-born actor
- 1969 – Jack Black, American actor
- 1969 – Mary McCartney, English photographer
- 1969 – Pierre Turgeon, French Canadian ice hockey player
- 1970 – Sherrié Austin, Australian actress/singer
- 1970 – Rick Recht, Jewish singer
- 1971 – Todd Eldredge, American figure skater
- 1971 – Janet Evans, American swimmer
- 1971 – Raul Marquez, Mexican-born American boxer
- 1971 – Shane Andrews, American baseball player
- 1972 – Jay Witasick, American baseball player
- 1972 – Ravindu Shah, Kenyan cricketer
- 1973 – Matthew John Armstrong, American actor
- 1973 – DJ Assault, American musician
- 1973 – Kirby Morrow, Canadian voice actor
- 1974 – Johan Andersson, Swedish game programmer
- 1974 – Carsten Jancker, German footballer
- 1974 – Takahito Eguchi, Japanese composer
- 1974 – Kaori Mizuhashi, Japanese voice actress
- 1975 – Jamie Cureton, English footballer
- 1975 – Gareth Farrelly, Irish footballer
- 1975 – Vera Jordanova, Finnish actress and model
- 1976 – Federico Magallanes, Uruguayan footballer
- 1978 – Jess Margera, American drummer (CKY)
- 1979 – Robert Hoyzer, German football referee
- 1979 – Shaila Durcal, Spanish singer
- 1979 – Kristen Hughes, Australian netballer
- 1979 – Markus Pröll, German footballer
- 1979 – Ruth Riley, American basketball player
- 1980 – Debra Lafave, American former teacher and convicted sex offender
- 1980 – Carly Pope, Canadian actress
- 1981 – Martin Erat, Czech hockey player
- 1981 – Daniel Gygax, Swiss footballer
- 1981 – Agata Wróbel, Polish weightlifter
- 1981 – Raphael Matos, Brazilian racing driver
- 1982 – Anderson Silva de França, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 – LeAnn Rimes, American singer
- 1982 – Kevin McNaughton, Scottish footballer
- 1982 – Thiago Motta, Brazilian footballer
- 1983 – Lasith Malinga, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1983 – Alfonso Herrera, Mexican actor and singer (RBD)
- 1983 – Luke McAlister, New Zealand All Black rugby player
- 1984 – Sarah Roemer, American actress and model
- 1986 – Gilad Shalit, Israeli soldier
- 1986 – Jeff Green, American basketball player
- 1986 – Florence Welch, British singer (Florence + the Machine)
- 1986 – Mohombi, Swedish-Colognese singer
- 1989 – Cassadee Pope, American Pop Musician (Hey Monday)
- 1989 – Jokwon, South Korean singer (2AM)
- 1990 – Bojan Krkić, Spanish footballer
- 1991 – Kyle Massey, American actor and rapper
- 1999 – Prince Nikolai of Denmark, Danish royalty