Born on September 17?

Zinaida Kupriyanovich

Belarusian singer and presenter who sang Like It at Eurovision

Did you know? She performs under several names, including Zena and Zina Bless.

Zinaida Alexandrovna Kupriyanovich (born 17 September 2002), sometimes known professionally as Zina Kupriyanovich, Zena, and Zina Bless, is a Belarusian singer, actress, and television presenter. Kupriyanovich represented Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Like It", placing 24th in the final.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Esteban Ocon

French Formula One driver who won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix

Did you know? During his early racing years, his family lived in a caravan so they could afford to fund his competitive karting career.

Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane (French pronunciation:; born 17 September 1996) is a French racing driver who competes in Formula One for Haas. Born and raised in Normandy to a working-class family, Ocon began competitive kart racing aged nine, winning several national and international titles.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Sophie

Glasgow-born producer whose experimental, hyper-real sound influenced hyperpop and earned a Grammy nomination before her death at 34

Did you know? She produced for Madonna and Charli XCX.

Sophie Xeon ( ZEE-on; died 30 January 2021), known as Sophie (stylised in all caps), was a British music producer, songwriter, and DJ. Her distinctive musical style incorporated experimental sound design, "sugary" synthesised textures, and underground dance elements.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Jimmie Johnson

American racing driver and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion

Did you know? He is one of only three drivers to have won seven top-tier NASCAR titles in his career.

Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Anastacia

American singer with a powerhouse voice whose hits I'm Outta Love and Left Outside Alone made her a star in Europe

Did you know? She was diagnosed with Crohn's disease as a teenager and has since become a high-profile advocate for people living with the condition.

Anastacia Lyn Newkirk ( AN-ə-STAY-zhə; born September 17, 1968), known mononymously as Anastacia, is an American singer-songwriter who has released nine albums and sold over 50 million records worldwide, and collecting a total of 227 gold and platinum certifications.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Tito Vilanova

Spanish football manager who led Barcelona to a league title

Did you know? He spent several years as Pep Guardiola’s assistant coach during one of the most successful periods in the club's history.

Francesc "Tito" Vilanova Bayó (17 September 1968 – 25 April 2014) was a Spanish professional football central midfielder and manager.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Paula Jones

Paula Corbin Jones (born Paula Rosalee Corbin; September 17, 1966) is an American civil servant. A former Arkansas state employee, Jones sued United States president Bill Clinton for sexual harassment in 1994.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Bryan Singer

Director of The Usual Suspects and several X-Men films

Did you know? He began making short films on 8mm as a child and later attended the same high school as the actor Ethan Hawke.

Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed, as well as multiple television series.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Damon Hill

Formula One World Champion and son of Graham Hill

Did you know? He started his competitive racing career on two wheels as a motorcycle racer before making the transition to cars.

Damon Graham Devereux Hill (born 17 September 1960) is a British former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1992 to 1999. Hill won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1996 with Williams, and won 22 Grands Prix across eight seasons.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Janez Janša

Former Prime Minister of Slovenia and leader of the Democratic Party

Did you know? He was an outspoken journalist and critic of the Yugoslav government before leading his country's successful move towards independence.

Ivan Janša (Slovene:; born 17 September 1958), better known as Janez Janša, is a Slovenian politician who has served as Prime Minister of Slovenia since 2026, a position he previously held from 2004 to 2008, from 2012 to 2013 and from 2020 to 2022.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Almazbek Atambaev

Kyrgyz politician who served as president from 2011 to 2017 and oversaw the country's first peaceful handover between elected leaders

Did you know? Aside from his political career, he is a keen songwriter and has released several albums of his own music.

Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev (born 17 September 1956) is a Kyrgyzstani politician who served as the fourth president of Kyrgyzstan from 2011 to 2017.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Narendra Modi

Prime Minister of India since 2014 and former Chief Minister of Gujarat, leader of the Hindu nationalist BJP

Did you know? As a young man, he spent two years travelling across India and living in various ashrams.

Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician and statesman who has served as the prime minister of India since 26 May 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Varanasi.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Reinhold Messner

Mountaineer who first climbed Mount Everest without using supplemental oxygen

Did you know? He was the first person to successfully climb all fourteen of the world's mountains that reach over eight thousand metres in height.

Reinhold Andreas Messner (German:; born 17 September 1944) is an Italian climber, explorer, and author from the German-speaking province of South Tyrol. He made the first solo ascent of Mount Everest and, along with Peter Habeler, the first ascent of Everest without supplementary oxygen.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Ken Kesey

Author of the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Did you know? While at university, he volunteered for government-funded medical trials involving psychoactive drugs, an experience that heavily influenced his first novel.

Kenneth Elton Kesey (September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist, and countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Anne Bancroft

American actress who won an Oscar for The Miracle Worker and played the unforgettable Mrs Robinson in The Graduate

Did you know? Despite playing an older woman pursuing a younger student, she was actually only six years older than her co-star Dustin Hoffman.

Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Tony Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Cannes Film Festival Award.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Edgar Mitchell

NASA astronaut who was the sixth person to walk on the Moon

Did you know? During the Apollo 14 mission, he set a record for the longest ever moonwalk, spending over nine hours on the lunar surface.

Edgar Dean Mitchell (September 17, 1930 – February 4, 2016) was a United States Navy officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, ufologist, and NASA astronaut.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hank Williams

Iconic American singer-songwriter and pioneer of country music

Did you know? He learned to play the guitar from a street performer named Rufus Payne in exchange for meals or money.

Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Agostinho Neto

First President of independent Angola and revolutionary poet

Did you know? He was a qualified medical doctor and frequently treated patients while serving as a leader in the liberation struggle.

António Agostinho Neto Kilamba (17 September 1922 – 10 September 1979) was an Angolan communist revolutionary, politician and poet. He served as the first president of Angola from 1975 to 1979, after leading the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) during the war for independence.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Chaim Herzog

Former President of Israel born in Northern Ireland

Did you know? He served in the British Army during the Second World War and participated in the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

Chaim Herzog (Hebrew: חַיִּים הֶרְצוֹג‎; 17 September 1918 – 17 April 1997) was an Irish-Israeli politician, military officer, lawyer and author who served as President of Israel from 1983 to 1993.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

David Oistrakh

Renowned Soviet violinist and conductor

Did you know? Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev both dedicated several of their major violin works specifically to him.

David Fyodorovich Oistrakh (30 September 1908 – 24 October 1974) was a Soviet Russian violinist, violist, and conductor. He was also Professor at the Moscow Conservatory, People's Artist of the USSR (1953), and Laureate of the Lenin Prize (1960).

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Uzeyir Hajibeyov

Composer widely regarded as the father of Azerbaijani classical music

Did you know? He wrote the first opera in the Islamic world by successfully merging traditional Eastern folk melodies with European musical structures.

Uzeyir bey Abdulhuseyn bey oghlu Hajibeyov (18 September 1885 – 23 November 1948) was an Azerbaijani composer, musicologist, and teacher. He is recognized as the father of Azerbaijani classical music.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

William Carlos Williams

Modernist American poet and author of The Red Wheelbarrow

Did you know? He balanced his literary career with his daily work as a paediatrician, often writing poems on the back of prescription pads.

William Carlos Williams (September 17, 1883 – March 4, 1963) was an American poet and physician closely associated with modernism and imagism. His Spring and All (1923) was written in the wake of T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land (1922).

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Christian Lous Lange

Norwegian historian and Nobel Peace Prize winner

Did you know? He served as the secretary-general of the Inter-Parliamentary Union for over thirty years, working to prevent conflict between nations.

Christian Lous Lange (17 September 1869 – 11 December 1938) was a Norwegian historian, teacher, and political scientist. He was one of the world's foremost exponents of the theory and practice of internationalism.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Billy the Kid

Notorious American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West

Did you know? Despite his reputation as a prolific killer, historical evidence suggests he was only personally responsible for the deaths of four men.

Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859 – July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders. He was solely responsible for four of them, and he may have played a role in five, alongside other men.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0