1809 – John Stuart Blackie, Scottish professor, scholar, translator, and essayist.
1844 – Gerard Manley Hopkins, English Jesuit priest who was one of the leading Victorian poets.
1864 – Stephen Phillips, popular English poet and dramatist.
1866 – Beatrix Potter, beloved English children’s author and illustrator, famous for her children’s books, including the classic, The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
1874 – Alice Duer Miller, American poetry whose work influenced political opinion, especially in the areas of women’s suffrage and U.S. entry into World War II.
1887 – Willard Price, Canadian-born American author of adventure books for children.
1902 – Sir Karl Raimund Popper, Austrian-British philosopher and professor who was considered one of the greatest philosophers of science of the 20th century.
1909 – Malcolm Lowry, English poet and novelist who was best known for his book Under the Volcano, voted 11 on the Modern Library 100 Best Novels list.
1927 – John Ashbery, Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet.
1929 – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. First Lady during her first husband John F. Kennedy’s term as President; later she became a book editor for Viking and Doubleday.
1932 – Natalie Babbitt, American author of books for children and teens, best known for her novel Tuck Everlasting.
1937 – Francis Veber, French film director and screenwriter.
1938 – Robert Studley Forrest Hughes, Australian-born art critic, writer, and TV documentary producer.
1940 – Anne Mollegen Smith, former editor of such national magazines as Redbook and McCalls; she also writes fiction and blogs about business and finance.
1945 – Jim Davis, American cartoonist; best known for writing and drawing the Garfield cartoon strips and books.
1946 – Robert Asprin, American author of humorous science fiction and fantasy.
1956 – John Feinstein, American sportswriter who writes about basketball and golf.
1959 – William T. Vollman, National Book Award-winning American novelist.
1960 – Jon J. Muth, American author and illustrator of children’s books and comics.
1963 – Michael Ruhlman, American cookbook author who writes about food and restaurants.
