Today's Famous Birthdays

[IceWizard]

Wilbur Wright
(April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912)

were American aviation pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's
first successful motor-operated airplane. They made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered,
heavier-than-air aircraft with the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903, 4 mi (6 km) south of
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, at what is now known as Kill Devil Hills. The brothers were also the
first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.









Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin KBE
(16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977)

was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film.
He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered one of the
film industry's most important figures. His career spanned more than 75 years, from childhood
in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977,
and encompassed both adulation and controversy.









Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE FRSA
(born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov  16 April 1921 – 28 March 2004)

was a British actor, filmmaker, and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on
television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. An intellectual and diplomat, he
held various academic posts and served as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and president of
the World Federalist Movement.









David Jack Peverett
(16 April 1943 – 7 February 2000),

also known as Lonesome Dave, was an English singer and guitarist, best known as the original lead
vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Foghat, which he co-founded following his tenure
in Savoy Brown.









Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
( born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.; April 16, 1947)

is an American former professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball
Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center,
Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was a 19-time NBA All-Star—tied
for the most ever—a 15-time All-NBA Team member, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection.
He was a member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two more as an assistant coach,
and was twice voted the NBA Finals MVP. He was named to three NBA anniversary teams
(35th, 50th, and 75th). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he was called the
greatest basketball player of all time by Pat Riley, Isiah Thomas, and Julius Erving. Abdul-Jabbar
was the NBA's career scoring leader from 1984 to 2023.










Jonathan Niven Cryer
(born April 16, 1965)

is an American actor, writer, director and producer. Born into a show business family, he made his
motion picture debut as a teenage photographer in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair;
his breakout role came in 1986, in the John Hughes-written film Pretty in Pink. In 1998, he wrote
and produced the independent film Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five.










Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence
(born April 16, 1965)

is an American comedian and actor. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood
career as a leading actor. He got his start playing Maurice Warfield in What's Happening Now!!
(1987–1988). He was a leading actor in the Fox television sitcom Martin, the Bad Boys franchise,
and House Party, Boomerang, Open Season, Wild Hogs, Nothing to Lose, Blue Streak, Life,
Black Knight, Big Momma's House, and A Thin Line Between Love and Hate.









Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton
(born April 16, 1935)

is an American former singer and occasional actor, who also hosted his own self-titled TV show
in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid
tribute to his Polish heritage. One of his most popular songs is "Blue Velvet" (a cover of the 1951
song recorded by Tony Bennett) which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, No. 1 in
Canada (5 weeks), and number 2 in the UK in 1990.