Famous people born on March 21st
March 21 gathers an unusually wide range of creators, thinkers, and performers, spanning Baroque music, modernist art, motorsport brilliance, and contemporary film. The date connects influential composers and authors with philosophers, business innovators, and elite athletes. Across 27 notable birthdays, the common thread is originality: many of these figures reshaped their fields rather than simply excelling within them.
Notable highlights
- Johannes Sebastian Bach (1685) - A cornerstone of Western music whose contrapuntal mastery still shapes composition, performance, and music education worldwide.
- Jean Paul (1763) - German novelist celebrated for digressive, imaginative prose that helped bridge Enlightenment sensibilities and Romantic experimentation.
- Modest Mussorgsky (1839) - Russian composer known for bold realism and vivid musical storytelling, later inspiring generations of orchestrators and composers.
- Hans Hofmann (1880) - Pivotal modernist painter and teacher whose theories of color and "push-pull" space influenced Abstract Expressionism.
- Walter Gilbert (1932) - Nobel-winning biochemist whose discoveries advanced the understanding of genes and helped propel modern molecular biology.
- Brian Clough (1935) - Iconic football manager who achieved legendary success with Nottingham Forest, redefining what smaller clubs could accomplish.
- Ayrton Senna (1960) - Formula One great remembered for extraordinary wet-weather driving, fierce qualifying speed, and enduring global legacy.
- Gary Oldman (1958) - Transformative actor acclaimed for chameleonic roles across decades, from intense dramas to major franchises.
- Slavoj Zizek (1949) - Influential contemporary philosopher and cultural critic known for provocative readings of ideology, cinema, and politics.
- Nobuo Uematsu (1959) - Celebrated game composer whose melodic themes helped define the emotional language of modern video game music.
On this day
- 1804 - The Napoleonic Code is adopted in France, reshaping civil law traditions across Europe and beyond.
- 1960 - The Sharpeville massacre in South Africa becomes a turning point in global opposition to apartheid.
- 1963 - Alcatraz prison closes, ending a notorious chapter in U.S. federal incarceration history.
- 1990 - Namibia gains independence, becoming Africa's 160th independent nation after decades of colonial and regional conflict.