Famous people born on August 14th
August 14 brings together an unusually wide-ranging set of birthdays, spanning literary giants, cultural innovators, sports legends, and public servants. The day mixes classic voices from the 18th and 19th centuries with modern entertainers who shaped late-20th-century pop culture. Whether your interest is in novels, comedy, science, music, or athletics, this date has an impressively deep bench.
Notable highlights
- Walter Scott (1771) - A foundational figure of the historical novel whose works helped popularize Romantic-era storytelling across Europe.
- John Galsworthy (1867) - Nobel Prize-winning author best known for The Forsyte Saga, a sharp portrait of class, property, and social change.
- Steve Martin (1945) - A defining modern comedian whose stand-up, film work, and writing made him a rare multi-platform comic auteur.
- Gary Larson (1950) - Creator of The Far Side, a single-panel comic that reshaped offbeat humor with surreal science-and-nature punchlines.
- Magic Johnson (1959) - NBA icon whose playmaking helped define the Lakers' "Showtime" era and broadened the league's global profile.
- Halle Berry (1968) - Oscar-winning actress whose career includes blockbuster franchises and boundary-pushing leading roles.
- Danielle Steel (1947) - One of the world's best-selling novelists, known for prolific output and durable popularity across decades.
- Pierre Schaeffer (1910) - Pioneer of musique concrete whose experiments with recorded sound anticipated modern sampling and electronic composition.
- Russell Baker (1925) - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist celebrated for humane, quietly incisive humor in his columns and memoirs.
- Wim Wenders (1945) - Influential director associated with New German Cinema, acclaimed for atmospheric road narratives and reflective visual style.
On this day
- 1945 - Japan announces its intention to accept the Allied terms of surrender, setting in motion the formal end of World War II.
- 1935 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act, creating a cornerstone of the American welfare system.
- 1914 - The Panama Canal officially opens to commercial traffic, transforming global shipping routes.
- 1900 - International forces capture Beijing as the Boxer Rebellion reaches its climax.