What happened on July 31 ?

1143 - Emperor Nijo of Japan (d. 1165)

1396 - Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1467)

1527 - Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, (d. 1576)

1598 - Alessandro Algardi, Italian sculptor and architect (d. 1654)

1702 - Jean Denis Attiret, French Jesuit missionary and painter (d. 1768)

1704 - Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician (d. 1752)

1718 - John Canton, English physicist (d. 1772)

1724 - Noël François de Wailly, French lexicographer (d. 1801)

1803 - John Ericsson, Swedish inventor and engineer (d. 1889)

1816 - George Henry Thomas, American general (d. 1870)

1835 - Henri Brisson, French statesman (d. 1912)

1843 - Peter Rosegger, Austrian poet (d. 1918)

1860 - Mary Vaux Walcott, American artist and naturalist (d. 1940)

1884 - Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, German politician (d. 1945)

1887 - Hans Freyer, German sociologist (d. 1969)

1893 - Fatima Jinnah, Prominent leader of Pakistan Movement and sister of Jinnah (d. 1967)

1901 - Jean Dubuffet, French painter and sculptor (d. 1985)

1904 - Brett Halliday, American writer (d. 1977)

1911 - George Liberace, American musician (d. 1983)

1912 - Bill Brown, Australian cricketer

1912 - Milton Friedman, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate

1912 - Irv Kupcinet, American newspaper columnist (d. 2003)

1914 - Louis de Funès, French actor and comedian (d. 1983)

1916 - Billy Hitchcock, baseball player, coach, and official (d. 2006)

1916 - Bill Todman, American game show producer (d. 1979)

1918 - Paul D. Boyer, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate

1918 - Hank Jones, American pianist

1919 - Curt Gowdy, American sports announcer

1919 - Primo Levi, Italian author and chemist (d. 1987)

1921 - Whitney Young, American civil rights activist (d. 1971)

1923 - Ahmet Ertegun, Turkish-born record company executive

1929 - Don Murray, American actor

1929 - José Santamaria, Uruguayan footballer

1929 - Lynne Reid Banks, British author

1930 - Oleg Popov, Russian clown

1931 - Kenny Burrell, American guitarist

1931 - Nick Bollettieri, American tennis coach

1933 - Cees Nooteboom, Dutch writer

1939 - France Nuyen, French actress

1941 - Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician

1943 - William Bennett, U.S. Secretary of Education

1943 - Susan Flannery, American actress

1944 - Geraldine Chaplin, American actress

1944 - Robert Carhart Merton, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate

1946 - Bob Welch, American musician

1950 - Steve Miller, American writer

1951 - Evonne Goolagong, Australian tennis player

1951 - Barry Van Dyke, American actor

1952 - Alan Autry, American football player, actor, and Mayor of Fresno, California

1952 - Helmuts Balderis, Latvian hockey player

1952 - João Barreiros, Portuguese writer

1953 - James Read, American actor

1957 - Daniel Ash, Gothic Rock artist in such bands as Bauhaus, Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets

1958 - Bill Berry, American drummer (R.E.M.)

1958 - Mark Cuban, American businessman, producer, and basketball team owner

1959 - Stanley Jordan, American jazz guitarist

1960 - Dale Hunter, Canadian ice hockey player

1962 - Wesley Snipes, American actor

1962 - Kevin Greene, professional American football player

1964 - Jim Corr, Irish singer and musician (The Corrs)

1965 - John Laurinaitis, American professional wrestler

1965 - J. K. Rowling, English novelist

1965 - Scott Brooks, former pro basketball player

1966 - Dean Cain, American actor

1967 - Minako Honda, Japanese singer and musical actress (d. 2005)

1969 - David Cash (Kid Kash), American professional wrestler

1971 - Gus Frerotte, American football player

1973 - Chandra North, American supermodel

1974 - Emilia Fox, English actress

1974 - Jonathan Ogden, American football player

1975 - Simon Hirst, British radio DJ (hit40uk)

1976 - Annie Parisse, American actress

1977 - Tim Couch, American football player

1978 - Justin Wilson, English race car driver

1979 - Jade Kwan, Hong Kong singer

1979 - Per Kroldrup, Danish footballer

1981 - Ira Losco, Maltese singer

1981 - Matthew "M. Shadows" Sanders, American singer (Avenged Sevenfold)

1982 - Blessing Mahwire, Zimbabwean cricketer