DECEMBER 5 - Births

1377 - Jianwen Emperor of China (d. 1402)
1443 - Pope Julius II (d. 1513)
1495 - Nicolas Cleynaerts, Flemish grammarian (d. 1542)
1537 - Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Japanese shogun (d. 1597)
1539 - Fausto Paolo Sozzini, Italian theologian (d. 1604)
1547 - Ubbo Emmius, Dutch historian and geographer (d. 1625)
1595 - Henry Lawes, English composer (d. 1662)
1661 - Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, English statesman (d. 1724)
1687 - Francesco Geminiani, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1762)
1782 - Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United States (d. 1862)
1803 - Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev, Russian poet (d. 1873)
1820 - Afanasy Fet, Russian poet (d. 1892)
1822 - Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, American college president (d. 1907)
1829 - Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, French Canadian politician (d. 1908)
1830 - Christina Rossetti, British poet (d. 1894)
1839 - George Armstrong Custer, American general (d. 1876)
1841 - Marcus Daly, American mining tycoon (d. 1900)
1855 - Clinton Hart Merriam, American ornithologist (d. 1942)
1859 - John Jellicoe, British admiral (d. 1935)
1863 - Paul Painlevé, French mathematician (d. 1933)
1867 - Józef Piłsudski, Polish revolutionary and statesman (d. 1935)
1868 - Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist (d. 1951)
1869 - Ellis Parker Butler, American author (d. 1937)
1870 - Vítězslav Novák, Czech composer (d. 1949)
1871 - Bill Pickett, American rodeo performer (d. 1932)
1872 - Harry Nelson Pillsbury, American chess player (d. 1906)
1875 - Sir Arthur Currie, Canadian soldier (d. 1933)
1879 - Clyde Cessna, American airplane manufacturer (d. 1954)
1886 - Rose Wilder Lane, American writer and reporter (d. 1968)
1890 - David Bomberg, British painter (d. 1957)
1890 - Fritz Lang, Austrian-born film director (d. 1976)
1892 - Ferdinand Schörner, German field marshal (d. 1973)
1895 - Elbert Frank Cox, American mathematician (d. 1969)
1896 - Carl Ferdinand Cori, Austrian-born biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
1879 - Nunnally Johnson, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1977)
1898 - Grace Moore, American soprano (d. 1947}
1898 - Josh Malihabadi, Urdu poet of India and Pakistan (d. 1982)
1901 - Walt Disney, American animated film producer (d. 1966)
1901 - Milton H. Erickson, American psychiatrist (d. 1980)
1901 - Werner Heisenberg, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1976)
1902 - Strom Thurmond, American politician (d. 2003)
1903 - Johannes Heesters, Dutch singer and actor
1903 - Cecil Frank Powell, British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1969)
1905 - Gus Mancuso, baseball player (d. 1984)
1906 - Otto Preminger, Austrian-born director, producer, and actor (d. 1986)
1907 - Giuseppe Occhialini, Italian physicist (d. 1993)
1910 - Abraham Polonsky, American screenwriter (d. 1999)
1911 - Władysław Szpilman, Polish pianist (d. 2000)
1914 - Hans Hellmut Kirst, German author (d. 1989)
1927 - Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand
1932 - Sheldon Lee Glashow, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1932 - Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman), American singer and pianist
1934 - Joan Didion, American writer
1935 - Yury Vlasov, Soviet weightlifter
1935 - Calvin Trillin, American writer
1936 - James Lee Burke, American writer
1938 - J. J. Cale, American songwriter
1940 - Peter Pohl, Swedish writer
1943 - Eva Joly, Norwegian-born French magistrate
1944 - Jeroen Krabbé, Dutch actor
1945 - Serge Chapleau, Quebec caricaturist
1946 - José Carreras, Spanish tenor
1946 - Andy Kim, Canadian singer and songwriter
1947 - Jim Messina, American musician (Buffalo Springfield - Loggins and Messina)
1947 - Jim Plunkett, American football player
1947 - Bruce Golding, Jamaican Politian, Head of JLP
1949 - Ray Comfort, New Zealand evangelist
1950 - Camarón de la Isla, Spanish flamenco singer (d. 1992)
1950 - Osvaldo Golijov, Argentine-born composer
1951 - Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven, Belgian artist
1951 - Morgan Brittany, American actress
1953 - Larry Zbyszko, American professional wrestler
1956 - Brian Backer, American actor
1956 - Krystian Zimerman, Polish pianist
1957 - Art Monk, American football player
1958 - Dean Erickson, American actor
1960 - Jack Russell, American glam rock singer (Great White)
1962 - José Cura, Argentine tenor
1963 - Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards, British skier
1965 - Johnny Rzeznik American singer (Goo Goo Dolls)
1966 - Patricia Kaas, French singer
1967 - Gary Allan, American singer
1968 - Margaret Cho, American comedian and actress
1968 - Lisa Marie, American model and actress
1969 - Lewis Gordon Pugh, British swimmer, polar explorer and motivational speaker
1969 - Morgan J. Freeman, American film director
1970 - Kevin Haller, National Hockey League defenseman
1972 - Angela Shelton, American actress & writer
1972 - Mike Mahoney, baseball player
1972 - Cliff Floyd, Major League Baseball player
1973 - Shalom Harlow, model
1973 - Luboš Motl, Czech physicist
1975 - Ronnie O'Sullivan, British snooker player
1976 - Amy Acker, American actress
1978 - Olli Jokinen, Finnish ice hockey player
1979 - Matteo Ferrari, Italy footballer
1979 - Niklas Hagman, Finnish hockey player
1979 - Nick Stahl, American actor
1979 - Gareth McAuley, Northern Irish footballer
1980 - Shizuka Ito, Japanese seiyū
1982 - Eddy Curry, American basketball player
1982 - Trai Essex, American football player
1984 - Chris Solinsky, American distance runner
1985 - Josh Smith, American basketball player
1985 - Frankie Muniz, American actor
1988 - Ross Bagley, American actor