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J.K. Rowling
British author
July 31, 1965 -
J.K. Rowling British author, creator of the popular and critically acclaimed Harry Potter series, about a young sorcerer in training. After graduating from the University of Exeter in 1986, Rowling began...
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Gore Vidal
American writer
October 3, 1925 - July 31, 2012
Gore Vidal was a prolific American novelist and essayist who was as well known for his outspoken political opinions and his witty and satirical observations as he was for his irreverent and intellectually...
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Wesley Snipes
American actor
July 31, 1962 -
Wesley Snipes American actor best known for his action films, many of which feature martial arts. Snipes spent his early years in New York City’s South Bronx. He studied martial arts from age seven, initially...
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Andrew Johnson
president of United States
December 29, 1808 - July 31, 1875
Andrew Johnson was the 17th president of the United States (1865–69), who took office upon the assassination of Pres. Abraham Lincoln during the closing months of the American Civil War (1861–65). His...
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Ayman al-Zawahiri
Egyptian militant
June 19, 1951 - July 31, 2022
Ayman al-Zawahiri Egyptian physician and militant who became one of the major ideologues of al-Qaeda. Zawahiri led al-Qaeda from 2011 until his death in 2022. Zawahiri was raised in Maʿādī, Egypt, several...
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Milton Friedman
American economist
July 31, 1912 - November 16, 2006
Milton Friedman was an American economist and educator, one of the leading proponents of monetarism in the second half of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1976. (Read Milton...
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Franz Liszt
Hungarian composer
October 22, 1811 - July 31, 1886
Franz Liszt was a Hungarian piano virtuoso and composer. Among his many notable compositions are his 12 symphonic poems, two (completed) piano concerti, several sacred choral works, and a great variety...
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Bill Russell
American basketball player
February 12, 1934 - July 31, 2022
Bill Russell was an American basketball player who was the first outstanding defensive centre in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and one of the sport’s greatest icons. He won 11...
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Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
French author
June 29, 1900 - July 31, 1944
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a French aviator and writer whose works are the unique testimony of a pilot and a warrior who looked at adventure and danger with a poet’s eyes. His fable Le Petit Prince (The...
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St. Ignatius of Loyola
Spanish saint
1491 - July 31, 1556
St. Ignatius of Loyola ; canonized March 12, 1622; feast day July 31) was a Spanish theologian and mystic, one of the most influential figures in the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation in the 16th century,...
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Denis Diderot
French philosopher
October 5, 1713 - July 31, 1784
Denis Diderot was a French man of letters and philosopher who, from 1745 to 1772, served as chief editor of the Encyclopédie, one of the principal works of the Age of Enlightenment. Diderot was the son...
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Muhammed Rafi
Indian singer
December 24, 1924 - July 31, 1980
Muhammed Rafi legendary playback singer who recorded more than 25,000 songs in a career spanning almost 40 years. Rafi studied music with eminent Hindustani singer Chhote Gulam Ali Khan. He eventually...
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Premchand
Indian author
July 31, 1880 - October 8, 1936
Premchand was an Indian author of novels and short stories in Hindi and Urdu who pioneered in adapting Indian themes to Western literary styles. Premchand worked as a teacher until 1921, when he joined...
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Jeanne Moreau
French actress
January 23, 1928 - July 31, 2017
Jeanne Moreau was an actress best known for her multifaceted performances in French New Wave films of the 1950s and ’60s, although she continued her prolific film career into the 21st century. Moreau studied...
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Primo Levi
Italian writer and chemist
July 31, 1919 - April 11, 1987
Primo Levi was an Italian-Jewish writer and chemist, noted for his restrained and moving autobiographical account of and reflections on survival in the Nazi concentration camps. Levi was brought up in...
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John Searle
American philosopher
July 31, 1932 -
John Searle American philosopher best known for his work in the philosophy of language—especially speech act theory—and the philosophy of mind. He also made significant contributions to epistemology, ontology,...
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Fidel Ramos
president of Philippines
March 18, 1928 - July 31, 2022
Fidel Ramos was a military leader and politician who was president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was generally regarded as one of the most effective presidents in that nation’s history. Ramos...
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Poul Anderson
American writer
November 25, 1926 - July 31, 2001
Poul Anderson was a prolific American writer of science fiction and fantasy, often praised for his scrupulous attention to scientific detail. Anderson published his first science-fiction story while an...
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Alan Parker
British director, writer, and producer
February 14, 1944 - July 31, 2020
Alan Parker British director, writer, and producer who worked in a wide range of genres; his notable films included Midnight Express (1978) and Fame (1980). After he worked as an advertising copywriter...
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Hilary Putnam
American philosopher
July 31, 1926 - March 13, 2016
Hilary Putnam leading American philosopher who made major contributions to metaphysics, epistemology, the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of language, the philosophy of science, the philosophy of mathematics,...
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Baudouin I
king of Belgium
September 7, 1930 - July 31, 1993
Baudouin I was the king of the Belgians from 1951 to 1993, who helped restore confidence in the monarchy after the stormy reign of King Leopold III. The son of Leopold III and Queen Astrid, Baudouin shared...
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William C. Quantrill
American outlaw
July 31, 1837 - June 6, 1865
William C. Quantrill was the captain of a guerrilla band irregularly attached to the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, notorious for the sacking of the free-state stronghold of Lawrence,...
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Maximilian II
Holy Roman emperor
July 31, 1527 - October 12, 1576
Maximilian II was the Holy Roman emperor from 1564, whose liberal religious policies permitted an interval of peace between Roman Catholics and Protestants in Germany after the first struggles of the Reformation....
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Bud Powell
American musician
September 27, 1924 - July 31, 1966
Bud Powell was a jazz pianist and composer who emerged in the mid-1940s as the first to play intricate, improvised solos in response to lines originally conceived by bebop saxophonists and trumpeters....
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Philip III
duke of Burgundy
July 31, 1396 - June 15, 1467
Philip III was the most important of the Valois dukes of Burgundy (reigned 1419–67) and the true founder of the Burgundian state that rivaled France in the 15th century. Philip was the son of John the...
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Jean Dubuffet
French artist
July 31, 1901 - May 12, 1985
Jean Dubuffet was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, best known for his development of art brut (q.v.; “raw art”). As an art student in Paris, Dubuffet demonstrated a facility for academic painting....
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Robert C. Merton
American economist
July 31, 1944 -
Robert C. Merton American economist known for his work on finance theory and risk management and especially for his contribution to assessing the value of stock options and other derivatives. In 1997 Merton...
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Stephanie Kwolek
American chemist
July 31, 1923 - June 18, 2014
Stephanie Kwolek American chemist, a pioneer in polymer research whose work yielded Kevlar, an ultrastrong and ultrathick material best known for its use in bulletproof vests. Kwolek’s father, a foundry...
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Omar Torrijos
dictator of Panama
February 13, 1929 - July 31, 1981
Omar Torrijos was a dictator-like leader of Panama (1968–78), who negotiated the Panama Canal treaties with the United States, leading to Panama’s eventual assumption of control of the canal. Educated...
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George H. Thomas
United States general
July 31, 1816 - March 28, 1870
George H. Thomas was a Union general in the American Civil War (1861–65), known as “the Rock of Chickamauga” after his unyielding defense in combat near that stream in northwestern Georgia in September...
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Whitney Young
American civil-rights activist
July 31, 1921 - March 11, 1971
Whitney Young was an American civil rights leader who, as head of the National Urban League from 1961 to 1971, spearheaded the drive for equal opportunity for Black people in U.S. industry and government...
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Harold Prince
American theatrical producer and director
January 30, 1928 - July 31, 2019
Harold Prince was an American theatrical producer and director who was recognized as one of the most creative and innovative figures on Broadway in the 20th century. The son of a New York stockbroker,...
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Jean Jaurès
French politician
September 3, 1859 - July 31, 1914
Jean Jaurès was a French socialist leader, cofounder of the newspaper L’Humanité, and member of the French Chamber of Deputies (1885–89, 1893–98, and 1902–14); he achieved the unification of several factions...
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Allan Octavian Hume
British colonial official
June 6, 1829 - July 31, 1912
Allan Octavian Hume was a British administrator in India, one of the leading spirits in the founding of the Indian National Congress. Hume was the son of the radical politician Joseph Hume. He entered...
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Seymour Papert
South African-born mathematician and computer scientist
February 29, 1928 - July 31, 2016
Seymour Papert South African-born mathematician and computer scientist who was best known for his contributions to the understanding of children’s learning processes and to the ways in which technology...
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Carl Goerdeler
German politician
July 31, 1884 - February 2, 1945
Carl Goerdeler was a conservative German municipal administrator and prominent figure in the resistance movement and in an unsuccessful coup against Adolf Hitler. A long-time mayor of Leipzig, he was to...
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John Ericsson
Swedish-American engineer
July 31, 1803 - March 8, 1889
John Ericsson was a Swedish-born American naval engineer and inventor who built the first armoured turret warship and developed the screw propeller. After serving in the Swedish army as a topographical...
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S.S. Kresge
American businessman
July 31, 1867 - October 18, 1966
S.S. Kresge was an American merchant who established a chain of nearly 1,000 variety and discount stores throughout the United States. Kresge worked as a traveling salesman before going into business with...
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Friedrich Wöhler
German chemist
July 31, 1800 - September 23, 1882
Friedrich Wöhler was a German chemist who was one of the finest and most prolific of the 19th century. Wöhler, the son of an agronomist and veterinarian, attended the University of Marburg and then the...
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John V
king of Portugal
October 22, 1689 - July 31, 1750
John V was the king of Portugal from 1706 to 1750, whose relatively peaceful reign saw an increase in the wealth and power of the crown and a generous patronage of learning, culture, and the church. John...
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Richard Morris Hunt
American architect
October 31, 1827 - July 31, 1895
Richard Morris Hunt was an architect who established in the United States the manner and traditions of the French Beaux-Arts (Second Empire) style. He was instrumental in establishing standards for professional...
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Teddy Wilson
American musician
November 24, 1912 - July 31, 1986
Teddy Wilson American jazz musician who was one of the leading pianists during the big band era of the 1930s and ’40s; he was also considered a major influence on subsequent generations of jazz pianists....
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Erich Heckel
German artist
July 31, 1883 - January 27, 1970
Erich Heckel was a German painter, printmaker, and sculptor who was one of the founding members of Die Brücke (“The Bridge”), an influential group of German Expressionist artists. He is best known for...
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Michael Harrington
American activist and author
February 24, 1928 - July 31, 1989
Michael Harrington American socialist activist and author, best known for his book The Other America (1962), about poverty. He was also chairman of the Socialist Party of America from 1968 to 1972. Harrington...
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Sándor Petőfi
Hungarian poet
January 1, 1823 - July 31, 1849?
Sándor Petőfi was one of the greatest Hungarian poets and a revolutionary who symbolized the Hungarian desire for freedom. Petőfi had an eventful youth; he studied at eight different schools, joined for...
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Paul-Henri Spaak
Belgian statesman
January 25, 1899 - July 31, 1972
Paul-Henri Spaak was Belgium’s foremost statesman in the decades following World War II and a leading advocate of European cooperation. He played a major role in forming the European Economic Community...
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Paul D. Boyer
American biochemist
July 31, 1918 - June 2, 2018
Paul D. Boyer American biochemist who, with John E. Walker, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1997 for their explanation of the enzymatic process involved in the production of the energy-storage...
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Sir Francis Edward Younghusband
British army officer
May 31, 1863 - July 31, 1942
Sir Francis Edward Younghusband was a British army officer and explorer whose travels, mainly in northern India and Tibet, yielded major contributions to geographical research. He also forced the conclusion...
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Pascual Jordan
German physicist
October 18, 1902 - July 31, 1980
Pascual Jordan was a German theoretical physicist who was one of the founders of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. Jordan received a doctorate (1924) from the University of Göttingen, working...
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Thomas Dudley
British colonial governor
1576 - July 31, 1653
Thomas Dudley was a British colonial governor of Massachusetts, for many years the most influential man in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, save for John Winthrop. Dudley was the son of a country gentleman...
