What happened on December 23 ?

1503 - Nostradamus French physician and prophet (d. 1566)

1513 - Thomas Smith, English diplomat and scholar (d. 1577)

1582 - Severo Bonini, Italian composer (d. 1663)

1597 - Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet (d. 1639)

1613 - Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish soldier (d. 1676)

1621 - Edmund Berry Godfrey, English magistrate (d. 1678)

1621 - Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1682)

1689 - Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)

1732 - Richard Arkwright, English industrialist and inventor (d. 1792)

1743 - Ippolit Bogdanovich, Russian poet (d. 1803)

1750 - King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)

1777 - Tsar Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)

1790 - Jean François Champollion, French Egyptologist (d. 1832)

1804 - Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French literary critic (d. 1869)

1805 - Joseph Smith, Jr., American founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1844)

1819 - Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (d. 1889)

1822 - Wilhelm Bauer, German engineer (d. 1875)

1867 - Madame C. J. Walker, American millionaire (d. 1919)

1878 - Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-born mechanical engineer (d. 1972)

1885 - Pierre Brissaud, French artist (d. 1964)

1891 - Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer (d. 1956)

1907 - Avraham Stern, Polish-born Zionist leader (d. 1942)

1908 - Yousuf Karsh, Turkish-born photographer (d. 2002)

1911 - Niels Kaj Jerne, English-born immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1994)

1918 - Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of Germany

1918 - José Greco, Italian-born flamenco dancer (d. 2001)

1922 - Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and musician

1923 - Günther Schifter, Austrian music journalist

1923 - Claudio Scimone, Italian conductor

1923 - James Stockdale, U.S. Navy admiral (d. 2005)

1926 - Robert Bly, American poet

1931 - Ronnie Schell, American actor

1933 - Akihito, Emperor of Japan

1935 - Paul Hornung, American football player

1936 - Frederic Forrest, American actor

1938 - Bob Kahn, American Internet pioneer

1940 - Jorma Kaukonen, American musician

1941 - Tim Hardin, American musician (d. 1980)

1943 - Mikhail Gromov, Russian-born mathematician

1943 - Harry Shearer, American actor

1943 - Silvia Sommerlath, Queen of Sweden

1944 - Wesley Clark, U.S. general and NATO Supreme Allied Commander

1946 - Susan Lucci, American actress

1948 - Jack Ham, American football player

1949 - Adrian Belew, American musician

1950 - Michael C. Burgess, American politician

1951 - Anthony Phillips, British guitarist (Genesis)

1952 - William Kristol, American political commentator

1955 - Bruce Hornsby, American singer, pianist (Bruce Hornsby & the Range)

1956 - Dave Murray, English guitarist (Iron Maiden)

1958 - Victoria Williams, American singer

1961 - Carol Smillie, British television personality

1963 - Jim Harbaugh, American football player

1964 - Eddie Vedder, American musician (Pearl Jam)

1968 - Carla Bruni, Italian-French model, songwriter and singer

1969 - Martha Byrne, American actress

1970 - Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater

1971 - Corey Haim, Canadian actor

1971 - Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British socialite

1975 - Sky Lopez, American actress

1977 - Alge Crumpler, American football player

1978 - Andra Davis, American football player

1978 - Esthero, Canadian musician and singer

1978 - Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player

1978 - Estella Warren, Canadian model and actress

1978 - Jodie Marsh, British adult model

1979 - Summer Altice, American model and actress

1981 - Beth, Spanish singer

1985 - Harry Judd, British drummer (McFly)