Famous people born on May 31st
May 31 brings together a striking range of voices, from groundbreaking poets and bestselling self-help thinkers to screen icons, sports legends, and influential public servants. The date is especially rich in American cultural history, but it also spans global politics, television, music, and travel-adventure fame. Together, these birthdays trace how art, persuasion, and performance can shape the public imagination across centuries.
Notable highlights
- Walt Whitman (1819) - His free-verse revolution in Leaves of Grass helped redefine what American poetry could sound like.
- Clint Eastwood (1930) - He evolved from Western and action stardom into an Oscar-winning director known for spare, morally complex dramas.
- Joe Namath (1943) - His guarantee-and-win Super Bowl moment helped legitimize the AFL and turned a quarterback into a pop-culture figure.
- Brooke Shields (1965) - A child star who successfully navigated fame into a long career spanning film, TV, modeling, and stage work.
- Colin Farrell (1976) - He built a second-act reputation for daring character roles and dark comedy after early blockbuster visibility.
- Norman Vincent Peale (1898) - A major popularizer of positive thinking whose preaching and writing influenced modern self-help culture.
- Fred Allen (1894) - A sharp radio-era comedian celebrated for witty monologues and satirical feuds that shaped broadcast humor.
- John Bonham (1948) - Led Zeppelin's powerhouse drummer, famed for thunderous groove and feel that became a rock benchmark.
On this day
- 1859 - Big Ben first begins chiming in London, becoming one of the city's most recognizable timekeeping symbols.
- 1911 - The RMS Titanic is launched in Belfast, a milestone in early 20th-century shipbuilding later tied to its infamous fate.
- 1962 - Adolf Eichmann is executed in Israel after a landmark trial that brought global attention to Holocaust accountability.
- 1970 - A major earthquake off Peru triggers landslides, including the disaster at Yungay, resulting in one of the deadliest catastrophes in the country's history.