Famous people born on January 7th

January 7 brings together a wide-ranging set of birthdays spanning literature, film, journalism, politics, and sport. The date mixes enduring classic voices with modern pop-culture staples, showing how creative influence can travel across centuries. From novelists and philosophers to screen stars and scientists, the day is marked by both imagination and public impact.

Notable highlights

• Nicolas Cage (1964) - An Academy Award-winning actor known for fearless, eccentric role choices across indie film and blockbusters.
• Zora Neale Hurston (1891) - A central Harlem Renaissance writer whose ethnographic storytelling helped preserve Black Southern folklore in American literature.
• Katie Couric (1957) - A broadcast journalist who became one of the most prominent anchors in U.S. morning news and major network reporting.
• Jeremy Renner (1971) - An Oscar-nominated performer recognized for intense dramatic turns and a major role in the Marvel film universe.
• Kenny Loggins (1948) - A hitmaking singer-songwriter whose music became synonymous with iconic 1980s film soundtracks.
• Charles Addams (1912) - The cartoonist who created The Addams Family, shaping a lasting template for macabre, deadpan American humor.
• William Peter Blatty (1928) - The author of The Exorcist, a landmark work that redefined modern horror in popular culture.
• Gerald Durrell (1925) - A naturalist and writer who popularized wildlife conservation through vivid memoirs and advocacy for endangered species.

On this day

• 1610 - Galileo Galilei observes four moons orbiting Jupiter, a discovery that challenges Earth-centered cosmology.
• 1782 - The first U.S. commercial bank, the Bank of North America, opens in Philadelphia.
• 1927 - The first transatlantic telephone call is made between New York and London.
• 1953 - U.S. President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed the hydrogen bomb.