What happened on February 21 ?

1484 - Elector Joachim I of Brandenburg (d. 1535)

1556 - Sethus Calvisius, German calendar reformer (d. 1615)

1621 - Rebecca Nurse, American accused witch (d. 1692)

1675 - Franz Xaver Josef von Unertl, Bavarian politician (d. 1750)

1688 - Queen Ulrike Eleonora of Sweden (d. 1741)

1705 - Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, British naval officer (d. 1781)

1721 - John McKinly, American physician and President of Delaware (d. 1796)

1723 - Louis-Pierre Anquetil, French historian (d. 1808)

1728 - Tsar Peter III of Russia, husband of Catherine the Great (d. 1762)

1791 - Carl Czerny, Austrian composer (d. 1857)

1801 - John Henry Newman, English Catholic cardinal (d. 1890)

1821 - Charles Scribner, American publisher (d. 1871)

1836 - Léo Delibes, French composer (d. 1891)

1844 - Charles-Marie Widor, French organist and composer (d. 1937)

1865 - John Haden Badley, English author and school founder (d. 1967)

1867 - Otto Hermann Kahn, German millionaire and benefactor (d. 1934)

1876 - Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (d. 1956)

1880 - Waldemar Bonsels, German writer (d. 1952)

1885 - Sacha Guitry, Russian dramatist, writer, director, and actor (d. 1957)

1893 - Celia Lovsky, Russian-born actress (d. 1979)

1893 - Andrés Segovia, Spanish guitarist (d. 1987)

1895 - Carl Peter Henrik Dam Danish biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1976)

1903 - Fairfax M. Cone, American advertising executive (d. 1977)

1903 - Anaïs Nin, French writer (d. 1977)

1907 - W. H. Auden, English poet (d. 1973)

1910 - Douglas Bader, British pilot (d. 1982)

1910 - Carmine Galante, Italian-born gangster (d. 1979)

1910 - Eddie Waring, British sports commentator (d. 1986)

1915 - Ann Sheridan, American actress (d. 1967)

1917 - Lucille Bremer, American actress (d. 1996)

1924 - Robert Mugabe first President of Zimbabwe

1925 - Sam Peckinpah, American director (d. 1984)

1927 - Erma Bombeck, American humorist (d. 1996)

1927 - Hubert de Givenchy, French fashion designer

1929 - Roberto "Chespirito" Carlos Bolanõs, Mexican actor, writer, comedian, and songwriter

1933 - Nina Simone, American singer (d. 2003)

1934 - Rue McClanahan, American actress

1936 - Barbara Jordan, American politician (d. 1996)

1937 - King Harald V of Norway

1937 - Gary Lockwood, American actor

1940 - John Lewis, American politician

1941 - James Wong, Hong Kong composer (d. 2004)

1942 - Margarethe von Trotta, German actor, film director, and writer

1943 - David Geffen, American record producer

1946 - Tyne Daly, American actress

1946 - Anthony Daniels, British actor

1946 - Alan Rickman, English actor

1947 - Olympia Snowe, American politician

1947 - Victor Sokolov, Russian dissident journalist and priest (d. 2006)

1949 - Jerry Harrison, American musician (Talking Heads)

1951 - Vince Welnick, musician, keyboardist (The Grateful Dead)

1953 - Christine Ebersole, American actress

1953 - William Petersen, American actor

1955 - Sir Steven Fayburgh, British diplomat

1955 - Kelsey Grammer, American actor

1958 - Jake Burns, Irish singer (Stiff Little Fingers)

1958 - Mary Chapin Carpenter, American singer

1958 - Alan Trammell, baseball player and manager

1961 - Davey Allison, American race car driver (d. 1993)

1961 - Christopher Atkins, American actor

1961 - Martha Hackett, American actress

1961 - Chuck Palahniuk, American writer

1962 - Jim Starr, American Gladiator "Laser"

1962 - Vanessa Feltz, British television presenter

1962 - David Foster Wallace, American writer

1963 - William Baldwin, American actor

1967 - Leroy Burrell, American runner

1969 - Eric Wilson, American musician (Sublime)

1969 - James Dean Bradfield, Welsh musician (Manic Street Preachers)

1970 - Michael Slater, Australian cricketer

1972 - Seo Taiji, Korean musician

1974 - Ivan Campo, Spanish footballer

1974 - Roberto Heras, Spanish cyclist

1975 - Affirmed, American race horse (d. 2001)

1976 - Ryan Smyth, Canadian hockey player

1977 - Steve Francis, American basketball player

1977 - Kevin Rose, American television host

1979 - Pascal Chimbonda, French footballer

1979 - Carly Colon, Puerto Rican professional wrestler

1979 - Lonnie Ford, American football player

1979 - Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress and singer

1983 - Braylon Edwards, American football player

1984 - Andrew Ellis, New Zealand rugby union player

1986 - Charlotte Church, Welsh soprano

1987 - Anthony Walker, British student, hate crime murder victim (d. 2005)

1987 - Ellen Page, Canadian Actress