Portal:Biography
Appearance
-
A page from the first edition of Foxe's Book of Martyrs, published in 1563
-
Third Volume of a 1727 edition of Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans printed by Jacob Tonson
-
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Cover of the first English publication, J. Parson's, London, 1793
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae (résumé), a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various aspects of their life, including intimate details of experience, and may include an analysis of the subject's personality. (Full article...)
Featured biographies
Today anniversaries
1601–1900
- 1638 – Johann Georg Gichtel, German mystic (d. 1710)
- 1737 – Ioan Nicolidi of Pindus, Aromanian physician and noble (d. 1828)
- 1772 – José Núñez de Cáceres, Dominican politician and writer. He was the leader of the Independence movement of the Dominican Republic against Spain in 1821 (d. 1846)
- 1790 – Ludwig Emil Grimm, German painter and engraver (d. 1863)
- 1800 – James Bogardus, American inventor and architect (d. 1874)
- 1801 – Kristjan Jaak Peterson, Estonian poet (d. 1822)
- 1804 – Johann Strauss I, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1849)
- 1813 – Joseph P. Bradley, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1892)
- 1820 – Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (d. 1878)
- 1822 – Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies (d. 1889)
- 1823 – Théodore de Banville, French poet and critic (d. 1891)
- 1833 – Frederic Shields, English painter and illustrator (d. 1911)
- 1833 – Lucy Hobbs Taylor, American dentist and educator (d. 1910)
- 1835 – Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italian astronomer and historian (d. 1910)
- 1836 – Isabella Beeton, English author of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (d. 1865)
- 1837 – Charles Ammi Cutter, American librarian (d. 1903)
- 1844 – Umberto I of Italy (d. 1900)
- 1844 – Arthur O'Shaughnessy, English poet and herpetologist (d. 1881)
- 1847 – Castro Alves, Brazilian poet and playwright (d. 1871)
- 1853 – Ferdinand Hodler, Swiss painter (d. 1918)
- 1854 – Paul Ehrlich, German physician and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1915)
- 1854 – John Lane, English publisher, co-founded The Bodley Head (d. 1925)
- 1854 – Alexandru Macedonski, Romanian author and poet (d. 1920)
- 1854 – Thomas R. Marshall, American lawyer and politician, 28th Vice President of the United States of America (d. 1925)
- 1862 – Vilhelm Bjerknes, Norwegian physicist and meteorologist (d. 1951)
- 1864 – Casey Jones, American engineer (d. 1900)
- 1868 – Emily Murphy, Canadian jurist, author, and activist (d. 1933)
- 1869 – Algernon Blackwood, English author and playwright (d. 1951)
- 1874 – Anton Philips, Dutch businessman, co-founded Philips Electronics (d. 1951)
- 1879 – Albert Einstein, German-American physicist, academic and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1955)
- 1882 – Wacław Sierpiński, Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1969)
- 1885 – Raoul Lufbery, French-American soldier and pilot (d. 1918)
- 1886 – Firmin Lambot, Belgian cyclist (d. 1964)
- 1887 – Sylvia Beach, American-French bookseller and publisher, who founded Shakespeare and Company (d. 1962)
- 1898 – Reginald Marsh, French-American painter and illustrator (d. 1954)
- 1899 – K. C. Irving, Canadian businessman, founded Irving Oil (d. 1992)
1901–present
- 1901 – Sid Atkinson, South African hurdler and long jumper (d. 1977)
- 1903 – Adolph Gottlieb, American painter and sculptor (d. 1974)
- 1904 – Doris Eaton Travis, American actress and dancer (d. 2010)
- 1905 – Raymond Aron, French journalist, sociologist, and philosopher (d. 1983)
- 1906 – Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Turkish composer and educator (d. 1972)
- 1908 – Ed Heinemann, American designer of military aircraft (d. 1991)
- 1908 – Maurice Merleau-Ponty, French philosopher and academic (d. 1961)
- 1908 – Phil Vincent, English engineer and businessman, founded Vincent Motorcycles (d. 1979)
- 1908 – Koča Popović, Yugoslav politician and Divisional Commander of the First Proletarian Division of the Yugoslav Partisans (d. 1992)
- 1911 – Akira Yoshizawa, Japanese origamist (d. 2005)
- 1912 – Cliff Bastin, English footballer (d. 1991)
- 1912 – Les Brown, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2001)
- 1912 – W. Graham Claytor Jr. American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1994)
- 1912 – W. Willard Wirtz, American lawyer and politician, 10th United States Secretary of Labor (d. 2010)
- 1913 – Dominik Tatarka, Slovak writer (d. 1989)
- 1914 – Lee Hays, American singer-songwriter (d. 1981)
- 1914 – Bill Owen, English actor and songwriter (d. 1999)
- 1914 – Lee Petty, American race car driver and businessman, founded Petty Enterprises (d. 2000)
- 1915 – Alexander Brott, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 2005)
- 1916 – Horton Foote, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
- 1917 – Alan Smith, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 2013)
- 1918 – Zoia Horn, American librarian (d. 2014)
- 1919 – Max Shulman, American author and screenwriter (d. 1988)
- 1920 – Hank Ketcham, American author and cartoonist, created Dennis the Menace (d. 2001)
- 1920 – Dorothy Tyler-Odam, English high jumper (d. 2014)
- 1921 – S. Truett Cathy, American businessman, founded Chick-fil-A (d. 2014)
- 1921 – Ada Louise Huxtable, American author and critic (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Les Baxter, American pianist and composer (d. 1996)
- 1923 – Diane Arbus, American photographer (d. 1971)
- 1925 – William Clay Ford Sr., American businessman (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Joseph A. Unanue, American sergeant and businessman (d. 2013)
- 1926 – François Morel, Canadian pianist, composer, conductor, and educator (d. 2018)
- 1927 – Chuck Share, American basketball player (d. 2012)
- 1928 – Frank Borman, American astronaut (d. 2023)
- 1928 – Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, Spanish environmentalist (d. 1980)
- 1929 – Bob Goalby, American golfer (d. 2022)
- 1932 – Mark Murphy, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2015)
- 1932 – Naina Yeltsina, Russian wife of Boris Yeltsin, First Lady of Russia
- 1933 – Michael Caine, English actor
- 1933 – Quincy Jones, American producer (d. 2024)
- 1934 – Eugene Cernan, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2017)
- 1934 – Paul Rader, American 15th General of The Salvation Army
- 1936 – Bob Charles, New Zealand golfer
- 1937 – Peter van der Merwe, South African cricketer and referee (d. 2013)
- 1938 – Eleanor Bron, English actress and screenwriter
- 1938 – Jan Crouch, American televangelist, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (d. 2016)
- 1938 – John Gleeson, Australian cricketer (d. 2016)
- 1938 – Árpád Orbán, Hungarian footballer (d. 2008)
- 1939 – Raymond J. Barry, American actor
- 1939 – Bertrand Blier, French director and screenwriter (d. 2025)
- 1939 – Yves Boisset, French director and screenwriter
- 1941 – Wolfgang Petersen, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2022)
- 1942 – Rita Tushingham, English actress
- 1943 – Anita Morris, American actress and singer (d. 1994)
- 1944 – Boris Brott, Canadian composer and conductor (d. 2022)
- 1944 – Clyde Lee, American basketball player
- 1944 – Václav Nedomanský, Czech ice hockey player and manager
- 1944 – Bobby Smith, English footballer and manager
- 1944 – Tom Stannage, Australian historian and academic (d. 2012)
- 1945 – Jasper Carrott, English comedian, actor, and game show host
- 1945 – Michael Martin Murphey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1945 – Walter Parazaider, American saxophonist
- 1946 – Wes Unseld, American basketball player, coach, and manager (d. 2020)
- 1947 – Roy Budd, English pianist and composer (d. 1993)
- 1947 – William J. Jefferson, American lawyer and politician
- 1947 – Jona Lewie, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1948 – Tom Coburn, American physician and politician (d. 2020)
- 1948 – Billy Crystal, American actor, comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1948 – Theo Jansen, Dutch sculptor
- 1950 – Rick Dees, American actor and radio host
- 1951 – Jerry Greenfield, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Ben & Jerry's
- 1953 – Nick Keir, Scottish singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
- 1954 – Brian Smith, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1955 – Jonathan Kaufer, American director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
- 1956 – Indu Malhotra, Judge of the Supreme Court of India
- 1956 – Butch Wynegar, American baseball player and coach
- 1957 – Tad Williams, American author
- 1958 – Albert II, Prince of Monaco
- 1959 – Laila Robins, American actress
- 1959 – Tamara Tunie, American actress
- 1960 – Heidi Hammel, American astronomer and academic
- 1960 – Kirby Puckett, American baseball player (d. 2006)
- 1961 – Mike Lazaridis, Greek–Canadian businessman and philanthropist, founded BlackBerry Limited
- 1963 – Bruce Reid, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1964 – Chris Johns, Australian rugby league player and administrator
- 1965 – Kevin Brown, American baseball player and coach
- 1965 – Aamir Khan, Indian film actor, producer, and director
- 1965 – Billy Sherwood, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1965 – Kevin Williamson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1966 – Jonas Elmer, Danish actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1966 – Elise Neal, American actress and producer
- 1968 – Megan Follows, Canadian-American actress
- 1968 – Magnús Árni Magnússon, Icelandic politician
- 1969 – Larry Johnson, American basketball player and actor
- 1970 – Kristian Bush, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1972 – Irom Chanu Sharmila, Indian poet and activist
- 1973 – Rohit Shetty, Indian film director and producer
- 1974 – Santino Marella, Canadian wrestler
- 1974 – Patrick Traverse, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975 – Steve Harper, English footballer and referee
- 1975 – Dmitri Markov, Belarusian-Australian pole vaulter
- 1976 – Brian Quinn, American improvisational comedian and actor
- 1976 – Phil Vickery, English rugby player and sportscaster
- 1977 – Vadims Fjodorovs, Latvian footballer and coach
- 1977 – Naoki Matsuda, Japanese footballer (d. 2011)
- 1977 – Jeremy Paul, New Zealand-Australian rugby player
- 1978 – Pieter van den Hoogenband, Dutch swimmer
- 1979 – Nicolas Anelka, French footballer and manager
- 1979 – Dan Avidan, American musician and internet personality
- 1979 – Chris Klein, American actor
- 1979 – Sead Ramović, German-Bosnian footballer
- 1980 – Aaron Brown, English footballer and coach
- 1980 – Ben Herring, New Zealand rugby player and coach
- 1981 – Bobby Jenks, American baseball player
- 1981 – George Wilson, American football player
- 1982 – Carlos Marinelli, Argentine footballer
- 1982 – François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (d. 2008)
- 1983 – Bakhtiyar Artayev, Kazakh boxer
- 1986 – Elton Chigumbura, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1986 – Jessica Gallagher, Australian skier and cyclist
- 1986 – Andy Taylor, English footballer
- 1988 – Stephen Curry, American basketball player
- 1988 – Rico Freimuth, German decathlete
- 1989 – Marwin González, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1989 – Kevin Lacroix, Canadian race car driver
- 1989 – Patrick Patterson, American basketball player
- 1990 – Joe Allen, Welsh footballer
- 1990 – Tamás Kádár, Hungarian footballer
- 1990 – Haru Kuroki, Japanese actress
- 1990 – Kolbeinn Sigþórsson, Icelandic footballer
- 1991 – Emir Bekrić, Serbian hurdler
- 1991 – László Szűcs, Hungarian footballer
- 1991 – Steven Zellner, German footballer
- 1992 – Shotzi Blackheart, American wrestler
- 1992 – Erik Gustafsson, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1993 – Anthony Bennett, Canadian basketball player
- 1993 – J. T. Miller, American ice hockey player
- 1993 – Philipp Ziereis, German footballer
- 1994 – Ansel Elgort, American actor and DJ
- 1995 – Brandon Aubrey, American multi-sport athlete
- 1995 – Nick Eh 30, Canadian live streamer and professional gamer
- 1996 – Batuhan Altıntaş, Turkish footballer
- 1997 – Simone Biles, American gymnast
- 1998 – Tyson Jost, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1999 – Marvin Bagley III, American basketball player
- 2000 – Chrisean Rock, American rapper and reality television personality
- 2000 – Jihoon, South Korean singer
- 2001 – Nico Mannion, Italian-American basketball player
- 2008 – Abby Ryder Fortson, American actress (Full article...)
Get involved
- For editor resources and to collaborate with other editors on improving Wikipedia's Biography-related articles, see WikiProject Biography.
Featured articles
Did you know...
Featured pictures
- » subpages: artists and writers, business, entertainment, law, military, political, religious figures, royalty and nobility, science and engineering, sport, traditional dress, others
Categories
- » Categories: Category:Biography (genre), Category:People
Popular pages
- » subpages: Popular pages, Arts and entertainment, Military, Science and academia, Politics and government
Vital articles
- » subpages: Level 3 People Vital articles, Level 4 People Vital articles
- » subpages: Writers/journalists, Artists/musicians/composers, Entertainers/directors/producers/screenwriters, Philosophers/historians/social scientists, Religious figures, Politicians/leaders, Military leaders/revolutionaries/activists, Scientists/inventors/mathematicians, Sports figures, Miscellaneous
Discover Wikipedia using portals