2018
2018 was designated as the third International Year of the Reef by the International Coral Reef Initiative.
Events
January
- January 13 – The killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud in a fake encounter staged by the police officer Rao Anwar in Karachi, Pakistan sparked countrywide protests against extrajudicial killings. The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, led by Manzoor Pashteen, launched a campaign to seek justice for Mehsud.
- January 20 – Turkey, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announces the beginning of a military offensive to capture a portion of northern Syria from Kurdish forces, amidst the ongoing Kurdish–Turkish conflict.
- January 20–22 – The US government enters a federal government shutdown as a result of a dispute over Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
- January 24 – Scientists in China report in the journal Cell the creation of the first monkey clones using somatic cell nuclear transfer, named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua.
- January 31 – A total lunar eclipse takes place, the 49th eclipse of Lunar Saros 124. This was referred to by the media as a 'super blue blood moon' as it was close to a supermoon, with perigee being on January 30, and a blue moon eclipse, the first since 1982.
February
- February 6 – SpaceX successfully conducts its maiden flight of its most powerful rocket to date, the Falcon Heavy, from LC39A at John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
- February 9–25 – The 2018 Winter Olympics are held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
- February 10 – Kay Goldsworthy becomes the first female archbishop in the Anglican Communion on her installation in the Anglican Diocese of Perth, Western Australia.
- February 11 – Saratov Airlines Flight 703 crashes shortly after take-off from Moscow, killing all 71 people on board.
- February 14
- * Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa after nine years in power.
- * A school shooting occurs at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, United States, killing 17 people and injuring 17 others.
- February 18 – Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 3704 crashes in the Zagros Mountains, en route from Tehran to Yasuj. All 65 passengers and crew members perish.
March
- March 4 – Former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, are poisoned by the Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England. UK counter-terrorism police investigate amid speculation the Kremlin was behind the incident.
- March 6 – 2018 Russian Air Force Antonov An-26 crash: An Antonov An-26 transport aircraft operated by the Russian Air Force crashes on approach to Khmeimim air base in Syria, killing all 39 people on board. All of them were servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces, including Major-General Vladimir Yeremeyev.
- March 9–18 – The 2018 Winter Paralympics are held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
- March 9 – President of the United States Donald Trump accepts an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a meeting in May to discuss the denuclearisation of North Korea.
- March 11 – China's government approves a constitutional change that removes term limits for its leaders, granting Xi Jinping the status of "President for Life". Xi is also the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China.
- March 12 – Flight BS211 crashes and bursts into flames at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal, killing 51 of the 71 people aboard. The 20 surviving passengers were seriously injured from the impact and the fire.
- March 14 – In response to gun violence in the United States, and particularly triggered by the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, thousands of high school students across the country participate in an organized protest they called the National School Walkout.
- March 18 – In the Russian presidential election, Vladimir Putin is elected for a fourth term.
- March 19 – The world's last male northern white rhinoceros dies in Kenya, making the subspecies functionally extinct.
- March 23 – An Islamic terrorist attack in Carcassonne and Trèbes, France, kills five people, including the perpetrator.
- March 24 – In over 900 cities internationally, people participate in demonstrations against gun violence and mass shootings, calling for stronger gun control in the "March for Our Lives".
- March 25
- * Qantas launches direct non-stop Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights between Perth Airport and Heathrow Airport, making it the first commercially non-stop service between Australia and the United Kingdom.
- * 2018 Kemerovo fire: At least 60 people are killed and 79 others injured in a fire at the Winter Cherry shopping mall and entertainment complex in Kemerovo, Russia.
- March 26
- China launches crude oil futures contract. The birth of petroyuan.
- * More than 100 Russian diplomats are expelled by more than 20 countries in the wake of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
- March 28
- * North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un meets Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping, leaving the country for the first time since assuming office in 2011.
- * At least 78 people die in a fire in the police headquarters of Valencia, Venezuela.
April
- April 4–15 – The 2018 Commonwealth Games are held in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
- April 5 – Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is given an arrest warrant after a vote by the Supreme Court voted 6–5 in favor of denying his habeas corpus, due to corruption and other scandals.
- April 6 – A semi-truck collides with a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos ice hockey junior team in Saskatchewan, Canada, killing 16 and injuring 13 people.
- April 7 - A man drove a van into people seated outside restaurants in a pedestrianised square in the old part of the German city of Münster. 2018 Münster attack
- April 8 – Syrian Civil War: At least 70 people are reported to have died and hundreds suffering injuries after a sarin chemical attack in Douma, the last rebel-held town in Syria's Eastern Ghouta.
- April 11 – 257 people are killed after an Ilyushin Il-76 belonging to the Algerian Air Force crashes near Algiers.
- April 14 – Syrian Civil War: The United States, the United Kingdom and France order the bombing of Syrian military bases in response to the sarin attack allegedly by the Bashar al-Assad regime on civilians in Ghouta.
- April 18
- * In Nicaragua, protests begin against announced reforms of Social Security which would decrease retirement pension benefits. An estimated number of 34 protesters are killed by police.
- * Cinemas open in Saudi Arabia for the first time since 1983 with the American film Black Panther chosen as the first to be screened.
- * NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is launched.
- April 19
- * Miguel Díaz-Canel is sworn in as President of Cuba, marking the first time since 1959 that Cuba has had a president other than Fidel or Raúl Castro.
- * Swaziland changes its English name, officially becoming the Kingdom of Eswatini.
- April 23 – A vehicle-ramming attack kills 10 people and injures 16 others in Toronto, Canada. A 25-year-old suspect, Alek Minassian, is arrested.
- April 27 – Kim Jong-un crosses into South Korea to meet with President Moon Jae-in, becoming the first North Korean leader to cross the Demilitarized Zone since its creation in 1953.
May
- May 3
- * The separatist group ETA officially announces its final dissolution after 40 years of conflict and more than 800 deaths in Spain.
- * The 2018 lower Puna eruption causes destruction of structures and forces thousands of residents of Hawaii to evacuate as lava floods the land.
- May 5 – NASA's unmanned space probe InSight is launched. It landed on Mars in November and uses a drill to conduct geological science.
- May 8 – U.S. President Donald Trump announces his intention to withdraw the United States from the Iranian nuclear agreement. In a statement, former U.S. President Barack Obama calls the move "a serious mistake".
- May 8–12 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 is held in Lisbon, Portugal, and is won by Israeli entrant Netta Barzilai with the song "Toy".
- May 9 – The opposition-led Pakatan Harapan coalition, led by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, secures a parliamentary majority in the Malaysian Parliament, ending the 61-year rule of the Barisan Nasional coalition since independence in 1957.
- May 16 – The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V, pardons Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim who is immediately released.
- May 18 – Cubana de Aviación Flight 972 crashes shortly after take-off near José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba, killing 112 people and leaving only one survivor.
- May 19 – The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is held at St George's Chapel, England, with an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion.
- May 20 – The 2018 Venezuelan presidential election was held with incumbent President Nicolás Maduro reelected with 67.8% of the vote and the lowest turnout in Venezuela's modern democratic history since the 1958 coup d'état. The elections were denounced as a "sham" by several Latin American countries, the United States, Canada, the Organization of American States and the European Union.
- May 24 – Foreign journalists report that tunnels in the Punggye-ri nuclear test site have been destroyed by the North Korean government in a move to reduce regional tensions.
- May 25
- * The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation goes into effect, imposing strict privacy controls for European citizens worldwide.
- * A constitutional referendum on whether to repeal the ban on abortion in Ireland takes place, with a landslide win of 66.4% to 33.6% for the repeal side.
- May 31 – The U.S. announces that it will extend its tariffs on imported steel and aluminium to include the EU, Mexico and Canada, starting at midnight.
June
- June 2 – Pedro Sánchez is appointed new Prime Minister of Spain, a day after a vote of no confidence against his predecessor, Mariano Rajoy.
- June 3 – At least 109 people are killed and hundreds wounded by the eruption of Volcán de Fuego, Guatemala's deadliest volcano in over a century.
- June 8–9 – The 44th G7 summit is held in Canada. President Trump pushes for the reinstatement of the G8. He also proposes the elimination of tariffs.
- June 12
- * The 2018 North Korea–United States summit is held in Singapore. It is the first summit between a United States President and the North Korean leader.
- * Greece and the Republic of Macedonia reach a deal to end a 27-year naming dispute between both countries, which would result in Macedonia being officially renamed the Republic of North Macedonia.
- June 13 – FIFA awards hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup to a joint bid from Canada, Mexico and the United States.
- June 14 – July 15 – The 2018 FIFA World Cup is held in Russia and is won by France.
- June 16 – Seventeen people die in Caracas, Venezuela following the El Paraíso stampede after a tear gas canister is detonated in a crowded club.
- June 19
- * The United States announces it will withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council.
- * Canada becomes the first major industrialised country to legalise cannabis for recreational use. The Bill which legalises cannabis took effect on October 17.
- June 22 – July 1 – The 2018 Mediterranean Games are held in Tarragona, Spain.
- June 24 – Saudi Arabia allows women to drive.
July
- July 5
- * Lithuania becomes the 36th member of the OECD.
- * The 2018 North American heat wave takes place, killing 33 people in the Canadian province of Quebec.
- July 6
- * Former Aum Shinrikyo leader Shoko Asahara and six other main members of Aum Shinrikyo, who led the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, are executed by hanging.
- * U.S. tariffs on US$ 34 billion of Chinese goods come into effect, as President Trump suggests the final total could reach $550bn. China accuses the U.S. of starting the "largest trade war in economic history" and announces immediate retaliatory tariffs.
- July 7 - 2018 Japan floods, a torrential heavy massive rain, flash flood, landslide hit in Hiroshima, Kurashiki and Ehime Prefecture, Japan. According to Japanese government official confirmed report, killing 232 were persons, 459 persons were hurt.
- July 9 – Eritrea and Ethiopia officially declare an end to their twenty-year conflict.
- July 10 – Twelve boys and their football coach are successfully rescued from the flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand, following a 17-day ordeal that gained worldwide attention.
- July 11–12 – The 2018 Brussels NATO summit is held in Belgium.
- July 17 – The EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement is signed, the world's largest bilateral free trade deal, creating an open trade zone covering nearly one-third of global GDP.
- July 23 – The Saddle Dam D in Paksong, Laos collapsed leaving up to 1100 people missing.
- July 25 – Scientists report the presence of a subglacial lake on Mars, below the southern polar ice cap and extending sideways about, the first known body of water on the planet.
- July 26
- * Heavy wildfires in Greece leave 102 dead and more than a hundred buildings destroyed.
- * The share price of Facebook drops by almost 20 percent after the company warns investors that user growth has slowed following the data leak scandal. Over $109 billion is wiped from its market value, the largest single day loss in corporate history.
- July 27 – The longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century occurs, lasting 102 minutes and 57.3 seconds, but the longest total lunar eclipse of the 3rd millennium will occur on May 12, 2264, lasting 106 minutes and 13.2 seconds, over 3 minutes longer than this eclipse. It was the 38th eclipse of Lunar Saros 129, with an umbral eclipse magnitude of 1.60868. The total lunar eclipse with the greatest magnitude in the 21st century will occur on June 26, 2029, with an umbral eclipse magnitude of 1.84362.
- July 31 – Mars makes its closest approach to Earth since 2003, four days after reaching opposition.
August
- August 1 – The 2018 Kivu Ebola outbreak begins in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It becomes the second-deadliest outbreak of the Ebola virus on November 29, surpassed only by the 2013 West African Ebola virus epidemic.
- August 2 – Apple Inc. becomes the world's first public company to achieve a market capitalization of $1 trillion.
- August 7 – The United States reimposes sanctions on Iran.
- August 10–20 – Heavy rainfall causes severe floods in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the worst flood to hit the state in a century.
- August 12
- * The five littoral states – Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan – sign the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, ending the 20-year long dispute over the Caspian Sea's legal status.
- * NASA launches the unmanned Parker Solar Probe to study the Sun at close range and the solar wind.
- August 14 – Part of the Morandi Bridge collapses after a violent storm in Genoa, Italy, causing 43 fatalities. Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio and transport minister Danilo Toninelli blame private company Autostrade per l'Italia.
- August 18 – September 2 – The 2018 Asian Games are held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia.
- August 23 – Ecuador withdraws from ALBA.
- August 24 – Scott Morrison succeeds Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister of Australia following a Liberal Party leadership ballot. Morrison is sworn in as Prime Minister later that evening.
September
- September 2 – A fire breaks out in the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, destroying more than 90 percent of its archive of 20 million items.
- September 6 – The Supreme Court of India decriminalises homosexuality.
- September 16 - Hydrail train enters service on the Buxtehude-Bremervörde-Bremerhaven-Cuxhaven line in Lower Saxony, Germany.
- September 17 – Syrian Civil War: While the Israeli Air Force conduct missile strikes that hit targets in western Syria, a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane is shot down by a Syrian surface-to-air missile, killing all 15 Russian servicemen on board. Russia blamed Israel's military for the accident because the Israeli jets that conducted the strikes allegedly used the Russian plane as cover to allow them to approach their targets without being hit by Syrian fire.
- September 20 – The MV Nyerere capsizes on Lake Victoria, killing at least 228 passengers.
- September 22 – An attack at a military parade kills 30 people and injures 70 more in Ahvaz, Iran.
- September 28 – A magnitude 7.5 earthquake hits Sulawesi, Indonesia, causing a tsunami that kills at least 4,340 people and injures more than 10,679 others.
October
- October 2 – The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi is murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, triggering a diplomatic crisis for Saudi Arabia.
- October 6 – The United States Senate confirms Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the United States Supreme Court by a margin of 50–48, making it the closest successful confirmation vote of a Supreme Court nominee since 1881.
- October 8 – The IPCC releases its Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC, warning that "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society" are needed to ensure that global warming is kept below 1.5 °C.
- October 10 – Hurricane Michael makes landfall at Mexico Beach, Florida as a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 160 mph and a minimum pressure of. It is the most intense hurricane to hit the mainland United States since Camille in 1969.
- October 16 – Canada legalises the sale and use of cannabis, becoming the second country in the world to do so, after Uruguay in 2013.
- October 17 – A school shooting and bomb attack in Kerch, Crimea, kills 20 people and injures 70 others.
- October 19
- * At least 59 people are killed and at least 100 injured when a train runs through a crowd at a Hindu festival in Punjab, India.
- * The unmanned European-Japanese spacecraft BepiColombo is launched on a seven-year journey to Mercury.
- October 20
- * 700,000 people march through central London demanding a second referendum on the final Brexit deal. The event is the second most attended protest of the 21st century in the United Kingdom after the "Stop the War" anti-Iraq War march in 2003.
- * President Trump announces that the US will "terminate" the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty over alleged Russian violations.
- October 23 – The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, the world's longest sea crossing bridge, is opened by Chinese Paramount leader Xi Jinping.
- October 27
- * Michael D. Higgins is officially declared President of Ireland after receiving 822,566 first preference votes.
- * 11 people are killed during the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pennsylvania, United States.
- October 28 – The far-right Jair Bolsonaro is elected as the next President of Brazil, with 55% of the vote.
- October 29 – Lion Air Flight 610 crashes off the coast of Java, killing all 189 people on board.
- October 30 – NASA's Kepler mission ends after the spacecraft runs out of fuel.
November
- November 1 – NASA's Dawn mission concludes after it runs out of hydrazine fuel.
- November 4 – New Caledonia holds an independence referendum, with 56.4% voting against independence versus 43.6% in favour.
- November 5 - Two U.S. space probes simultaneously reach "opposite" milestones in relation to the solar heliosphere: Voyager 2 passed through the heliopause, the outer limit of the Sun's magnetic field, into interstellar space within hours of the Parker Solar Probe reaching its first perihelion, the closest point to the Sun on its initial orbit.
- November 8 – The Camp Fire ignites in Butte County, California. It becomes California's deadliest and most destructive wildfire, with 88 deaths and 18,804 buildings destroyed.
- November 11 – Many nations around the world, particularly ones in Europe and the Commonwealth, along with the United States, commemorate the ending of the World War I centenary with Armistice Day, Veterans Day, and Remembrance Day ceremonies, speeches, parades, and memorials.
- November 26 – NASA's InSight probe successfully lands on the surface of Mars.
- November 27 – Ukrainian crisis: Ukraine declares martial law after an armed incident in which the Russian Federal Security Service coast guard fired upon and captured three Ukrainian Navy vessels attempting to pass from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait.
- November 28 – Chinese scientist He Jiankui, at a public conference in Hong Kong, announces that he has altered the DNA of twin human girls born earlier in the month to try to make them resistant to infection with the HIV virus; he also reveals the possible second pregnancy of another gene-modified baby.
- November 30 - The Kanden Tunnel Trolleybus, one of the last remaining Japanese trolleybus systems, closes.
December
- December 1–8 – France experiences its worst civil unrest since the protests of 1968 due to the yellow vests movement. Protests in Paris morph into riots, with hundreds of people injured and thousands arrested; over 100 cars are burned, the Arc de Triomphe is vandalized and numerous other tourist sites are closed, both in the capital and elsewhere in the country.
- December 3 – NASA reports the arrival of the OSIRIS-REx probe at Bennu, the agency's first sample-return mission to an asteroid.
- December 7 – The U.N.'s International Telecommunication Union reports that, by the end of 2018, more than half – a full 51.2 percent – of the world's population are now using the Internet.
- December 9 – Parliamentary elections were held in Armenia on 9 December 2018.
- December 15 – At the Katowice Climate Change Conference, nearly 200 nations agree rules on implementing the 2015 Paris agreement.
- December 17 – Scandinavian tourists Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland are murdered by Islamic terrorists in the foothills of Mount Toubkal near to the village of Imlil in Morocco. At least one victim is beheaded with the murders recorded on video and posted on social media. In a previous video the perpetrators pledge allegiance to ISIS.
- December 19–21 – Gatwick Airport drone incident: Reports of drone sightings close to the runway at Gatwick Airport in England causes major disruption, affecting approximately 140,000 passengers and 1,000 flights, making it the largest disruption since ash from an Icelandic volcano shut the airport in 2010.
- December 21 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 22,445 after its worst week since 2008.
- December 22
- * A tsunami hits the Sunda Strait, Indonesia, killing at least 430 people and injuring nearly 1,500.
- * The United States government enters a second government shutdown, arising over a dispute over funding for the U.S.–Mexico border wall. The shutdown, which lasted until January 25, 2019, is the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
- December 24 – Burundi moves its capital from Bujumbura to Gitega.
- December 26 – After weeks of losses the Dow Jones Industrial Average posts its largest ever one-day point gain: 1,086 points.
- December 31 – 2018 Magnitogorsk building collapse: An apartment block in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, partially collapses, killing 39 people and injuring 17 more. According to the official investigation the collapse was caused by a gas explosion.
Births
- March 9 – Princess Adrienne, Duchess of Blekinge
- April 23 – Prince Louis of Cambridge
Deaths
January
- January 2
- * Rick Hall, American record producer, songwriter, and music publisher
- * Thomas S. Monson, American religious leader and writer
- January 4
- * Aharon Appelfeld, Ukrainian-Israeli writer
- * Ray Thomas, English musician
- January 5
- * Thomas Bopp, American astronomer
- * Antonio Angelillo, Italian-Argentine footballer
- * Jerry Van Dyke, American actor
- * John Young, American astronaut
- January 6 – Horace Ashenfelter, American Olympic athlete
- January 7
- * France Gall, French singer
- * Anna Mae Hays, American military officer and nurse
- * Peter Sutherland, Irish businessman and politician
- January 8
- * Juan Carlos García, Honduran footballer
- * Denise LaSalle, American singer, songwriter, and record producer
- * Donnelly Rhodes, Canadian actor
- * George Maxwell Richards, Trinidadian politician, 4th President of Trinidad and Tobago
- January 9
- * Terence Marsh, British production designer
- * Odvar Nordli, 21st Prime Minister of Norway
- * Mario Perniola, Italian philosopher
- January 10
- * Eddie Clarke, British musician
- * Tommy Lawrence, English footballer
- January 11 – Edgar Ray Killen, American criminal
- January 13 – Jean Porter, American actress
- January 14
- * Dan Gurney, American racing driver
- * Cyrille Regis, English footballer
- * Hugh Wilson, American film director and television producer
- January 15
- * Edwin Hawkins, American musician
- * Dolores O'Riordan, Irish musician
- * Peter Wyngarde, British actor
- January 16
- * Bradford Dillman, American actor
- * Dave Holland, English drummer
- * Oliver Ivanović, Serbian politician
- * Jo Jo White, American basketball player
- January 17
- * Simon Shelton, English actor
- * Jessica Falkholt, Australian actress
- January 18
- * Lucas Mangope, South African politician
- * Clara Marangoni, Italian gymnast and Olympic silver medalist
- * Peter Mayle, English author
- * Stansfield Turner, American admiral and academic
- January 19
- * Anna Campori, Italian actress
- * Olivia Cole, American actress
- * Dorothy Malone, American actress
- * Fredo Santana, American rapper and singer-songwriter
- January 20
- * Paul Bocuse, French chef
- * Naomi Parker Fraley, American naval machiner
- * Jim Rodford, English bass guitarist
- January 21
- * Yves Afonso, French actor
- * Philippe Gondet, French footballer
- * Tsukasa Hosaka, Japanese footballer
- * Jens Okking, Danish actor and politician
- * Connie Sawyer, American actress
- January 22
- * Jimmy Armfield, English footballer and manager
- * Ursula K. Le Guin, American novelist
- January 23
- * Hugh Masekela, South African jazz musician
- * Nicanor Parra, Chilean poet
- January 24
- * Jack Ketchum, American author
- * Mark E. Smith, English singer-songwriter
- January 25
- * Claribel Alegría, Nicaraguan poet
- * Neagu Djuvara, Romanian historian, essayist, and philosopher
- January 26 – Elizabeth Hawley, American journalist
- January 27
- * Ingvar Kamprad, Swedish businessman
- * Mort Walker, American comic artist
- January 28 – Gene Sharp, American political scientist
- January 29 – Ion Ciubuc, 7th Prime Minister of Moldova
- January 30
- * Mark Salling, American actor
- * Clyde Scott, American football player
- * Azeglio Vicini, Italian footballer and coach
- January 31
- * Rasual Butler, American basketball player
- * Ann Gillis, American actress
- * Leonid Kadeniuk, Ukrainian cosmonaut
- * Leah LaBelle, American singer
February
- February 1
- * Fidel Castro Díaz-Balart, Cuban nuclear physicist
- * Cliff Bourland, American athlete
- * Dennis Edwards, American singer
- * Barys Kit, Belarusian-American rocket scientist
- February 2
- * Jon Huntsman Sr., American businessman and philanthropist
- * Joseph Polchinski, American theoretical physicist
- February 3
- * Michael Harner, American anthropologist and author
- * Károly Palotai, Hungarian footballer and referee
- February 4
- * Alan Baker, English mathematician
- * John Mahoney, British-American actor
- February 6 – Donald Lynden-Bell, English astrophysicist
- February 7
- * John Perry Barlow, American internet activist, writer, and lyricist
- * Mickey Jones, American musician
- * Pat Torpey, American drummer
- February 8 – Jarrod Bannister, Australian athlete
- February 9
- * Reg E. Cathey, American actor
- * John Gavin, American actor and diplomat
- * István Hevesi, Hungarian Olympic water polo player
- * Jóhann Jóhannsson, Icelandic film composer
- * Liam Miller, Irish footballer
- February 10 – Alan R. Battersby, English organic chemist
- February 11
- * Vic Damone, American singer and actor
- * Asma Jahangir, Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer
- February 12
- * Leo Falcam, 5th President of the Federated States of Micronesia
- * Louise Latham, American actress
- February 13
- * Joseph Bonnel, French footballer
- * Dobri Dobrev, Bulgarian ascetic and philanthropist
- * Prince Henrik, consort of Margrethe II of Denmark
- February 14
- * Ruud Lubbers, Dutch politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- * Morgan Tsvangirai, 2nd Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
- February 15 – Lassie Lou Ahern, American actress
- February 18
- * Günter Blobel, Silesian-American Nobel biologist
- * Didier Lockwood, French jazz violinist
- * Idrissa Ouédraogo, Burkinabé film director
- February 19
- * Sergey Litvinov, Russian Olympic hammer thrower
- * Yury Tyukalov, Russian Olympic rower
- February 20 – Jiichiro Date, Japanese wrestler
- February 21
- * Emma Chambers, English actress
- * Billy Graham, American evangelist
- * Ren Osugi, Japanese actor
- February 22
- * Nanette Fabray, American actress
- * Forges, Spanish cartoonist
- * Richard E. Taylor, Canadian Nobel physicist
- February 23 – Lewis Gilbert, British film director, producer, and screenwriter
- February 24
- * Durward Knowles, Bahamian Olympic sailor
- * Bud Luckey, American actor and animator
- * Sridevi, Indian actress
- February 26 – João W. Nery, Brazilian writer and LGBT activist
- February 27 – Quini, Spanish football player
- February 28 – Rogelio Guerra, Mexican actor
March
- March 1
- * Anatoly Lein, Soviet-American chess grandmaster
- * María Rubio, Mexican actress
- * Luigi Taveri, Swiss motorcycle racer
- March 2
- * Jesús López Cobos, Spanish conductor
- * Gillo Dorfles, Italian art critic, painter, and philosopher
- * Carlo Ripa di Meana, Italian politician
- March 3
- * Roger Bannister, English middle-distance athlete
- * David Ogden Stiers, American actor
- March 4 – Davide Astori, Italian footballer
- March 5
- * Trevor Baylis, English inventor
- * Hayden White, American historian
- March 6 – John Sulston, British Nobel biologist and academic
- March 7
- * Reynaldo Bignone, President of Argentina
- * Marian Schmidt, Polish art photographer and mathematician
- March 8
- * Milko Kelemen, Croatian composer
- * Kate Wilhelm, American author
- March 9
- * Oskar Gröning, German war criminal
- * Hubert de Givenchy, French fashion designer
- * Jung Jae-sung, South Korean badminton player
- * Ralf Waldmann, German motorcycle racer
- March 11
- * Ken Dodd, English comedian, singer-songwriter, and actor
- * Karl Lehmann, German cardinal
- March 12
- * Ken Flach, American tennis player
- * Craig Mack, American rapper
- * Oleg Tabakov, Soviet and Russian actor
- March 14
- * Alfred W. Crosby, American ecological historian
- * Marielle Franco, Brazilian activist and politician
- * Rubén Galván, Argentine footballer
- * Stephen Hawking, English theoretical physicist and cosmologist
- * Adrian Lamo, Colombian-American computer hacker
- * Liam O'Flynn, Irish uilleann piper
- March 16 – Louise Slaughter, American politician
- March 17 – Phan Văn Khải, 5th Prime Minister of Vietnam
- March 18
- * Barkat Gourad Hamadou, 4th Prime Minister of Djibouti
- * Li Ao, Chinese-Taiwanese writer and politician
- * Ivor Richard, Baron Richard, English politician
- March 19
- * Irina Beglyakova, Russian athlete
- * Keith O'Brien, Scottish cardinal
- * Kedarnath Singh, Indian poet
- March 20
- * Katie Boyle, Italian-English actress
- * Peter George Peterson, American banker
- * William Smith, American Olympic wrestler
- March 22
- * René Houseman, Argentine footballer
- * Johan van Hulst, Dutch politician, author, and academic
- * Morgana King, American jazz singer and actress
- March 23
- * DuShon Monique Brown, American actress
- * Debbie Lee Carrington, American actress
- * Philip Kerr, English author
- * Zell Miller, American politician
- March 24
- * José Antonio Abreu, Venezuelan conductor and politician
- * Lys Assia, Swiss singer
- * Rim Banna, Palestinian singer and activist
- March 26 – Sergei Mavrodi, Russian criminal and politician
- March 27 – Stéphane Audran, French actress
- March 30
- * Aureliano Bolognesi, Italian Olympic boxer
- * Sabahudin Kurt, Bosnian singer
- * André Bo-Boliko Lokonga, 9th Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- * Bill Maynard, English comedian and actor
April
- April 1
- * Steven Bochco, American television producer
- * Efraín Ríos Montt, 26th President of Guatemala
- April 2
- * Susan Anspach, American actress
- * Morris Halle, Latvian-American linguist
- * Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, South African activist and politician
- April 3 – Lill-Babs, Swedish singer
- April 4
- * Ignatius Peter VIII Abdalahad, Syrian hierarch
- * Soon-Tek Oh, Korean-American actor
- * Johnny Valiant, American professional wrestler and manager
- * Ray Wilkins, English footballer and manager
- April 5
- * Eric Bristow, English darts player
- * Tim O'Connor, American actor
- * Branislav Pokrajac, Serbian Olympic handball player
- * Isao Takahata, Japanese film director, animator, screenwriter, and producer
- * Cecil Taylor, American pianist and poet
- April 6
- * Daniel Akaka, American educator and politician
- * Jacques Higelin, French pop singer
- * Aleksandr Kurlovich, Soviet-Belarusian Olympic weightlifter
- April 7 – Peter Grünberg, German Nobel physicist
- April 8
- * Leila Abashidze, Georgian actress, director, and writer
- * Juraj Herz, Czech film director, actor, and scene designer
- * André Lerond, French footballer
- * Chuck McCann, American actor and comedian
- * John Miles, English racing driver
- April 9 – Edelgard Huber von Gersdorff, German supercentenarian
- April 12 – Sergio Pitol, Mexican novelist and translator
- April 13
- * Art Bell, American broadcaster and author
- * Miloš Forman, Czech-American film director
- April 14
- * Hal Greer, American basketball player
- * Jean-Claude Malgoire, French conductor
- April 15
- * R. Lee Ermey, American actor
- * Michael Halliday, English-Australian linguist
- * Vittorio Taviani, Italian film director
- April 16
- * Harry Anderson, American actor and magician
- * Choi Eun-hee, South Korean actress
- * Pamela Gidley, American actress and model
- * Dona Ivone Lara, Brazilian singer and composer
- * Ivan Mauger, New Zealand motorcycle speedway rider
- April 17 – Barbara Bush, 41st First Lady of the United States
- April 18 – Bruno Sammartino, Italian professional wrestler
- April 19 – Vladimir Lyakhov, Soviet and Russian cosmonaut
- April 20
- * Avicii, Swedish DJ
- * Roy Bentley, English footballer
- April 21
- * Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Brazilian film director
- * Verne Troyer, American actor
- April 22 - Nino Khurtsidze, Georgian chess player
- April 24 – Henri Michel, French footballer and coach
- April 25
- * Abbas, Iranian photographer
- * Shuhrat Abbosov, Uzbek actor, director and screenwriter
- * Michael Anderson, English film director
- April 26
- * Yoshinobu Ishii, Japanese footballer
- * Gianfranco Parolini, Italian film director
- April 27 – Álvaro Arzú, 32nd President of Guatemala
- April 28 – Tetsuro Miura, Japanese footballer and manager
- April 29
- * Rose Laurens, French singer-songwriter
- * Robert Mandan, American actor
- * Michael Martin, Scottish politician
- * Luis García Meza, 68th President of Bolivia
- * Lester James Peries, Sri Lankan film director
May
- May 1
- * Elmar Altvater, German political scientist
- * Wanda Wiłkomirska, Polish violinist and teacher
- May 2 – Wang Danfeng, Chinese actress
- May 3 – Afonso Dhlakama, Mozambican politician
- May 4 – Renate Dorrestein, Dutch writer and journalist
- May 5 – Ermanno Olmi, Italian film director and screenwriter
- May 7 – Maurane, Belgian singer and actress
- May 8
- * Anne V. Coates, British film editor
- * George Deukmejian, American politician
- May 9 – Per Kirkeby, Danish artist
- May 10 – David Goodall, English-Australian scientist
- May 11 – Gérard Genette, French literary theorist
- May 12
- * Tessa Jowell, British politician
- * Antonio Mercero, Spanish film and television director
- * Dennis Nilsen, Scottish serial killer
- May 13
- * Glenn Branca, American composer and musician
- * Margot Kidder, Canadian-American actress and activist
- May 14
- * Elaine Edwards, American politician
- * E. C. George Sudarshan, Indian theoretical physicist
- * William Vance, Belgian comics artist
- * Tom Wolfe, American author and journalist
- May 15
- * Jlloyd Samuel, Trinidadian footballer
- * Ray Wilson, English footballer
- May 16
- * Joseph Campanella, American actor
- * Lucian Pintilie, Romanian film director
- May 17
- * Nicole Fontaine, French politician
- * Richard Pipes, Polish-American academic and historian
- May 18 – Darío Castrillón Hoyos, Colombian cardinal
- May 19
- * Robert Indiana, American artist
- * Bernard Lewis, British-American historian
- May 20 – Patricia Morison, American actress
- May 21
- * Anna Maria Ferrero, Italian actress
- * Allyn Ann McLerie, Canadian-American actress, singer, and dancer
- * Clint Walker, American actor
- May 22
- * Philip Roth, American writer
- * Daniela Samulski, German swimmer
- May 23 – Luis Posada Carriles, Cuban terrorist
- May 24
- * Gudrun Burwitz, German Neo-Nazi militant
- * Jerry Maren, American actor
- * TotalBiscuit, British gaming commentator and critic
- May 25 – Naser Malek Motiei, Iranian actor
- May 26
- * Alan Bean, American astronaut
- * Ted Dabney, American engineer
- * Roger Piantoni, French footballer
- May 27
- * Gardner Dozois, American science fiction writer
- * Aly Lotfy Mahmoud, 44th Prime Minister of Egypt
- * Donald H. Peterson, American astronaut
- May 28
- * Serge Dassault, French businessman and politician
- * Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress
- * María Dolores Pradera, Spanish singer and actress
- * Dick Quax, Dutch-New Zealand Olympic athlete
- * Jens Christian Skou, Danish medical doctor and Nobel Prize laureate
- * Ola Ullsten, 28th Prime Minister of Sweden
June
- June 1
- * John Julius Norwich, English historian and writer
- * Sinan Sakić, Serbian singer
- June 2
- * Paul D. Boyer, American biochemist and Nobel Prize Laureate
- * Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt, Austrian ethologist
- * Emil Wolf, Czech-American physicist
- June 3
- * Frank Carlucci, American politician
- * Miguel Obando y Bravo, Nicaraguan cardinal
- June 5 – Kate Spade, American fashion designer
- June 6
- * Mateja Matevski, Macedonian poet and writer
- * Kira Muratova, Ukrainian director, screenwriter, and actress
- * Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx, Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- June 7
- * David Douglas Duncan, American photojournalist
- * Arie den Hartog, Dutch road bicycle racer
- June 8
- * Per Ahlmark, Swedish politician and writer
- * Anthony Bourdain, American chef, writer, and television personality
- * Maria Bueno, Brazilian tennis player
- * Eunice Gayson, English actress
- * Danny Kirwan, British musician
- * Liu Yichang, Hong Kong writer and novelist
- June 9
- * Reinhard Hardegen, German U-boat commander
- * Fadil Vokrri, Kosovo-Albanian footballer
- June 10 – Stan Anderson, English footballer and manager
- June 11
- * Oscar Furlong, Argentine basketball player
- * Roman Kłosowski, Polish actor
- June 12 – Jon Hiseman, English drummer
- June 13
- * Anne Donovan, American basketball player
- * D. J. Fontana, American musician
- * Charles Vinci, American Olympic weightlifter
- June 14
- * Fazlullah, Pakistani terrorist, leader of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
- * Stanislav Govorukhin, Russian film director, screenwriter, and politician
- June 15
- * Matt "Guitar" Murphy, American blues guitarist
- * Leslie Grantham, British actor
- June 16 – Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Russian conductor
- June 18
- * Walter Bahr, American soccer player
- * Big Van Vader, American professional wrestler and football player
- * XXXTentacion, American singer and rapper
- June 19
- * Hubert Green, American golfer
- * Stanley Cavell, American philosopher
- * Ivan Drach, Ukrainian poet and political activist
- * Princess Elisabeth of Denmark, Danish diplomat and cousin of Margrethe II of Denmark
- * Sergio Gonella, Italian businessman and football referee
- * Koko, American-bred western lowland gorilla
- June 20
- * Dante Caputo, Argentine diplomat
- * Sophie Gradon, English model and marketing manager
- * Peter Thomson, Australian golfer
- June 21 – Charles Krauthammer, American political commentator
- June 22
- * Grigory Barenblatt, Russian mathematician
- * Geoffrey Oryema, Ugandan musician
- * Vinnie Paul, American drummer
- June 23
- * Alberto Fouilloux, Chilean footballer
- * Kim Jong-pil, 9th Prime Minister of South Korea
- June 24 – Stanley Anderson, American actor
- June 25 – Richard Benjamin Harrison, American businessman and television personality
- June 26 – Henri Namphy, 35th President of Haiti
- June 27 – Joe Jackson, American talent manager
- June 28
- * Harlan Ellison, American writer
- * Christine Nöstlinger, Austrian writer
- June 29
- * Arvid Carlsson, Swedish neuropharmacologist and Nobel Prize laureate
- * Steve Ditko, American comic-book writer and artist
- * Irena Szewińska, Polish Olympic sprinter
- June 30 – José Antonio Zaldúa, Spanish footballer
July
- July 1 – Dame Gillian Lynne, British dancer and choreographer
- July 2
- * Henry Butler, American jazz pianist and photographer
- * Antonio Halili, Filipino politician
- * Bill Watrous, American jazz trombonist
- July 4
- * Georges-Emmanuel Clancier, French poet and novelist
- * Henri Dirickx, Belgian footballer
- * Robby Müller, Dutch cinematographer
- July 5
- * Claude Lanzmann, French filmmaker
- * Ed Schultz, American political commentator and television host
- * Jean-Louis Tauran, French cardinal
- July 6
- * Shoko Asahara, Japanese cult leader and terrorist
- * Vlatko Ilievski, Macedonian singer and actor
- July 7 – Tyler Honeycutt, American basketball player
- July 8
- * Tab Hunter, American actor and singer
- * Frank Ramsey, American basketball player
- July 9
- * Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, former Secretary General of NATO
- * Hans Günter Winkler, German show jumping rider
- July 11 – Lindy Remigino, American Olympic athlete
- July 12
- * Roger Perry, American actor
- * Robert Wolders, Dutch actor
- July 13 – Thorvald Stoltenberg, Norwegian politician
- July 14 – Theo-Ben Gurirab, 2nd Prime Minister of Namibia
- July 15
- * Ray Emery, Canadian ice hockey player
- * Dragutin Šurbek, Croatian table tennis player
- July 17 – Yvonne Blake, British-Spanish costume designer
- July 18 – Burton Richter, American Nobel physicist
- July 19
- * Shinobu Hashimoto, Japanese screenwriter
- * Denis Ten, Kazakh figure skater
- July 22 – Frank Havens, American canoeist
- July 23
- * Paul Madeley, English footballer
- * Oksana Shachko, Ukrainian feminist
- July 25 – Sergio Marchionne, Italian-Canadian automotive executive
- July 26 – Adem Demaçi, Kosovo-Albanian political activist
- July 27
- * Marco Aurelio Denegri, Peruvian literature critic, television host and sexologist
- * Vladimir Voinovich, Russian writer
- July 29
- * Brian Christopher, American professional wrestler
- * Oliver Dragojević, Croatian singer
- * Vibeke Skofterud, Norwegian cross-country skier
- * Tomasz Stańko, Polish trumpeter and composer
- * Nikolai Volkoff, Croatian professional wrestler
August
- August 1
- * Mary Carlisle, American actress
- * Rick Genest, Canadian fashion model and artist
- August 2
- * Winston Ntshona, South African playwright and actor
- August 3 – Moshé Mizrahi, Israeli film director
- August 5
- * Charlotte Rae, American actress and singer
- * Piotr Szulkin, Polish film director and writer
- August 6
- * Paul Laxalt, American politician
- * Joël Robuchon, French chef and restaurateur
- August 7
- * M. Karunanidhi, Indian politician
- * Stan Mikita, Slovak-born Canadian ice hockey player
- August 8 – Nicholas Bett, Kenyan track and field athlete
- August 10 – László Fábián, Hungarian sprint canoeist
- August 11 – V. S. Naipaul, Trinidadian-British Nobel writer
- August 12 – Samir Amin, Egyptian-French Marxian economist
- August 13
- * Somnath Chatterjee, Indian politician
- * Unshō Ishizuka, Japanese voice actor
- * Jim Neidhart, American professional wrestler
- August 14 – Eduard Uspensky, Russian author and screenwriter
- August 15 – Rita Borsellino, Italian anti-Mafia activist and politician
- August 16
- * Aretha Franklin, American singer-songwriter
- * Kim Yong-chun, North Korean military officer and politician
- * Yelena Shushunova, Russian gymnast
- * Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 10th Prime Minister of India
- August 17 – Ezzatolah Entezami, Iranian actor
- August 18 – Kofi Annan, Ghanaian diplomat, 7th United Nations Secretary-General and Nobel laureate
- August 20
- * Uri Avnery, Israeli peace activist and politician
- * Jimmy McIlroy, Northern Irish footballer
- August 21
- * Barbara Harris, American actress and singer
- * Hanna Mina, Syrian novelist
- * Stefán Karl Stefánsson, Icelandic actor and singer
- August 22 – Ed King, American musician
- August 23 – Kuldip Nayar, Indian journalist and politician
- August 25 – John McCain, American politician
- August 26 – Neil Simon, American playwright
- August 29 – James Mirrlees, Scottish Nobel economist
- August 30
- * Joseph Kobzon, Soviet and Russian singer
- * Ray, Hong Kong professional wrestler
- * Marie Severin, American comics artist and colorist
- August 31
- * Susan Brown, American actress
- * Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Italian population geneticist
- * Carole Shelley, American actress
- * Alexander Zakharchenko, Ukrainian separatist rebel
September
- September 1 – Randy Weston, American musician
- September 2 – Conway Savage, Australian pianist
- September 3
- * Lydia Clarke, American actress and photographer
- * Jalaluddin Haqqani, Afghan Haqqani insurgent
- * Jacqueline Pearce, British actress
- September 4
- * Bill Daily, American actor
- * Christopher Lawford, American actor
- September 5 – Bhagwatikumar Sharma, Indian Gujarati writer and journalist
- September 6
- * Richard DeVos, American businessman
- * Liz Fraser, English actress
- * Burt Reynolds, American actor, director, and producer
- * Claudio Scimone, Italian conductor
- September 7
- * Samuel Bodman, American politician
- * Mac Miller, American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer
- September 8
- * Gennadi Gagulia, Prime Minister of Abkhazia
- * Chelsi Smith, American singer and beauty pageant winner
- September 9 – Frank Andersson, Swedish wrestler
- September 10 – Peter Donat, Canadian-American actor,
- September 11
- * Fenella Fielding, English actress
- * Kulsoom Nawaz, First Lady of Pakistan
- September 12 – Rachid Taha, Algerian singer and activist
- September 14 – Anneke Grönloh, Dutch singer
- September 15
- * Warwick Estevam Kerr, Brazilian agricultural engineer, geneticist, entomologist, professor and scientific leader
- * Dudley Sutton, English actor
- September 16 – Kevin Beattie, English footballer
- September 18 – Robert Venturi, American architect
- September 19
- * Győző Kulcsár, Hungarian Olympic fencer
- * Arthur Mitchell, American ballet dancer and choreographer
- * Denis Norden, English comedy writer and television presenter
- September 20 – Mohammed Karim Lamrani, 7th Prime Minister of Morocco
- September 21
- * Vitaliy Masol, 3rd Prime Minister of Ukraine
- * Trần Đại Quang, 8th President of Vietnam
- September 22 – Al Matthews, American actor and singer
- September 23
- * Charles K. Kao, Hong-Kong-born British-American Nobel electrical engineer
- * Gary Kurtz, American film producer
- September 25 – Baba Hari Dass, Indian yoga master, silent monk, and commentator
- September 27 – Marty Balin, American singer and musician
- September 28 – Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini, 8th Prime Minister of Swaziland
- September 29 – Otis Rush, American blues guitarist and singer
- September 30 – Kim Larsen, Danish rock singer, songwriter and guitarist
October
- October 1
- * Charles Aznavour, French-Armenian singer
- * Đỗ Mười, 3rd Prime Minister of Vietnam
- October 2
- * Geoff Emerick, English recording engineer
- * Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi journalist
- October 3 – Leon M. Lederman, American Nobel physicist
- October 4
- * Will Vinton, American animator
- * Audrey Wells, American screenwriter, director, and producer
- October 6
- * Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano
- * Scott Wilson, American actor
- October 7 – Peggy McCay, American actress
- October 8 – Arnold Kopelson, American film producer
- October 9
- * Thomas A. Steitz, American Nobel biochemist
- * Venantino Venantini, Italian actor
- October 10 – Mary Midgley, British philosopher
- October 11
- * Paul Andreu, French architect
- * Labinot Harbuzi, Swedish footballer
- * Greg Stafford, American game designer
- October 12 – Pik Botha, South African politician
- October 13 – Jim Taylor, American football player
- October 14
- * Eduardo Arroyo, Spanish painter and graphic artist
- * Patrick Baumann, Swiss basketball administrator, FIBA secretary general
- * Milena Dravić, Serbian actress
- October 15
- * Paul Allen, American businessman, co-founder of Microsoft
- * Arto Paasilinna, Finnish writer
- October 17 – Ara Güler, Turkish-Armenian photojournalist
- October 18
- * Ayub Bachchu, Bangladeshi singer and songwriter
- * Lisbeth Palme, Swedish child psychologist, former chairwoman of UNICEF
- * Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab, 5th President of the Sudan
- October 19 – Osamu Shimomura, Japanese Nobel chemist and marine biologist
- October 20 – Wim Kok, 48th Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- October 21 – Joachim Rønneberg, Norwegian military officer and anti-Nazi resistant
- October 22 – José Varacka, Argentine football player and coach
- October 23 – James Karen, American actor
- October 24
- * Carmen Alborch, Spanish politician
- * Tony Joe White, American singer-songwriter
- October 25 – Sonny Fortune, American jazz saxophonist
- October 26 – Nikolai Karachentsov, Soviet and Russian actor
- October 27
- * Ntozake Shange, American playwright and poet
- * Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Thai businessman
- October 30
- * Whitey Bulger, American mobster
- * Erika Mahringer, Austrian alpine skier
- * Sangharakshita, English Buddhist teacher and writer
- * Jin Yong, Hong Kong writer
- October 31 – Willie McCovey, American baseball player
November
- November 1 – Yurik Vardanyan, Armenian weightlifter
- November 2
- * Raymond Chow, Hong Kong film producer
- * Roy Hargrove, American jazz trumpeter
- * Kitty O'Neil, American stuntwoman and racer
- November 3 – Sondra Locke, American actress
- November 4 – Serhiy Tkach, Russian-Ukrainian serial killer
- November 6 – Jonathan Cantwell, Australian racing cyclist
- November 7 – Francis Lai, French composer
- November 8 – Bruno Caruso, Sicilian painter, illustrator, writer, graphic designer and political activist
- November 9
- * Albert Bitran, Turkish-born French painter and sculptor
- * Lalan Sarang, Indian actress
- November 11 – Douglas Rain, Canadian actor
- November 12
- * Stan Lee, American comic book writer, editor and actor
- * David Pearson, American race car driver
- * Stuart H. Walker, American Olympic yachtsman
- November 13
- * Lucho Gatica, Chilean singer
- * Katherine MacGregor, American actress
- November 14
- * Rolf Hoppe, German actor
- * Fernando del Paso, Mexican writer
- November 15
- * John Bluthal, Polish-born radio, stage, actor, comedian, and voice artist
- * Roy Clark, American country singer
- * Adolf Grünbaum, German-American philosopher of science
- * Zhores Medvedev, Russian agronomist, biologist, and historian
- November 16 – William Goldman, American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
- November 17
- * Eduard von Falz-Fein, Russian-born Liechtensteiner businessman, journalist and sportsman
- * Cheng Kaijia, Chinese nuclear physicist and engineer
- November 18 – Ethel Ayler, American actress
- November 19 – Apisai Ielemia, 10th Prime Minister of Tuvalu
- November 20
- * James H. Billington, American academic
- * Aaron Klug, Lithuanian-English Nobel chemist
- * Eimuntas Nekrošius, Lithuanian theatre director
- November 21 – Olivia Hooker, American psychologist and civil rights figure
- November 22
- * Soslan Andiyev, Russian wrestler
- * Andrzej Fischer, Polish footballer
- * Willie Naulls, American basketball player
- November 23
- * Betty Bumpers, American childhood immunizations activist
- * Bernard Gauthier, French racing cyclist
- * Nicolas Roeg, British film director
- November 24 – Ricky Jay, American magician and actor
- November 25
- * Giuliana Calandra, Italian actress
- * Viktor Kanevskyi, Ukrainian footballer
- * Gloria Katz, American screenwriter and producer
- November 26
- * Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian film director and screenwriter
- * Stephen Hillenburg, American cartoonist, animator, and marine biology teacher
- November 28
- * Nicanor de Carvalho, Brazilian football manager
- * Robert Morris, American sculptor
- * Harry Leslie Smith, British writer and activist
- November 29 – Viktor Matviyenko, Ukrainian footballer
- November 30 – George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States
December
- December 1
- * Ken Berry, American actor
- * Ennio Fantastichini, Italian actor
- December 2 – Paul Sherwen, English cyclist and broadcaster
- December 3
- * Markus Beyer, German boxer
- * Andrei Bitov, Russian writer
- * Philip Bosco, American actor
- * Geoff Murphy, New Zealand film director
- * Josep Lluís Núñez, Spanish businessman and 35th President of FC Barcelona
- December 5 – Dynamite Kid, English professional wrestler
- December 6
- * Larry Hennig, American professional wrestler
- * Joseph Joffo, French author
- * Pete Shelley, English singer-songwriter
- December 7
- * Belisario Betancur, 26th President of Colombia
- * Luigi Radice, Italian football player and manager
- December 8
- * Lyudmila Alexeyeva, Russian historian and human rights activist
- * Evelyn Berezin, American computer designer
- December 9
- * Robert Bergland, American politician
- * William Blum, American author and historian
- * Riccardo Giacconi, Italian-born American Nobel astrophysicist
- December 12
- * Iraj Danaeifard, Iranian footballer
- * Ferenc Kósa, Hungarian film director
- December 13 – Nancy Wilson, American singer and actress
- December 15 – Girma Wolde-Giorgis, 2nd President of Ethiopia
- December 17
- * Penny Marshall, American actress and film director
- * Andrey Shcharbakow, Belarusian footballer
- December 18
- * David C. H. Austin, English rose breeder
- * Tulsi Giri, 23rd Prime Minister of Nepal
- * Kazimierz Kutz, Polish film director and politician
- * Shinobu Sekine, Japanese Olympic judoka
- * Bill Slater, English footballer
- December 20 – Donald Moffat, English-American actor
- December 22
- * Paddy Ashdown, British politician and diplomat
- * Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi royal and politician
- * Roberto Suazo Córdova, 29th President of Honduras
- December 23 – Elias M. Stein, American mathematician
- December 24
- * Jozef Adamec, Slovakian footballer and manager
- * Martha Érika Alonso, Mexican politician
- * Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, Mexican politician
- * Stanko Poklepović, Croatian footballer and manager
- * Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, Iranian cleric and politician
- December 25 – Nancy Roman, American astronomer
- December 26
- * Wendy Beckett, British religious sister and art historian
- * Roy J. Glauber, American Nobel physicist
- * Lawrence Roberts, American computer scientist
- * Morton Sobell, American engineer and spy
- December 27
- * Juan Bautista Agüero, Paraguayan footballer
- * Robert Kerman, American actor
- * Richard Arvin Overton, American war veteran
- December 28
- * Abdelmalek Benhabyles, Acting President of Algeria
- * Toshiko Fujita, Japanese actress
- * Peter Hill-Wood, English businessman and football executive
- * Georges Loinger, French resistance fighter
- * Amos Oz, Israeli author and journalist
- * Shehu Shagari, 6th President of Nigeria
- * Dame June Whitfield, English actress
- December 29
- * Ringo Lam, Hong Kong film director
- * Rosenda Monteros, Mexican actress
- December 30
- * Edgar Hilsenrath, German writer
- * Don Lusk, American animator
- * Mrinal Sen, Indian film director
- December 31 – Kader Khan, Indian actor
Nobel Prizes
- Chemistry – Frances Arnold, George Smith and Greg Winter
- Economics – William Nordhaus and Paul Romer
- Literature – Olga Tokarczuk
- Peace – Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad
- Physics – Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou, and Donna Strickland
- Physiology or Medicine – James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo