Birthday’s... we all have one.
With 8 Billion people on the planet earth, that means that approximately 21,917,808 have the exact same birthdate as you.
In 2011, I started a Twitter account called .BirthdayVault that lists each date’s birthdays. My job is to list each day’s birthdays and narrow down the list to 15 – 17 names (280 characters). So, 21.9 million people have the same birthday, but there are about 50 – 100 famous names that you may be familiar with each day.
Some people are famous actors, comedians, singers, songwriters, journalists, musicians, writers, producers, directors, artists, sports figures, inventors, right’s activists, explorers, achievers, pioneers of technology, philanthropists, and many other categories.
Many people ask how do I decide who makes the list and who doesn’t?
The list is comprised of those who have crossed my life in some way, made me laugh, made me think in wonder, impressed me with their accomplishments, are famous for a variety of reasons, I admired their work, or they overcame great challenges. The list changes slightly each year as new additions bump off others.
I get direct messages saying, “you missed this person, why did you list this idiot, or what about so and so?” Once again, some names have influenced me, others made an impression for diverse reasons, but nonetheless it is their birthday. I don’t pay attention to arrests, or they once said “that word,” or they voted for so and so, or they think “this” ... I don’t care... it is just their birthdate, the list is of people who were born on that date, not an endorsement, good or bad.
There are even a few days where the list is so long that I send out two lists because each person listed made an impression on me that I can’t ignore. February 11 and August 19 are two of those days...
Ages below are from Jan 31, 2022
Born Feb 11: Taylor Lautner 29, Natalie Dormer 39, Kelly Rowland 40, Matthew Lawrence 41, Brandy 42, Mike Shinoda 44, Damian Lewis 50, Jennifer Aniston 52, Sheryl Crow 59, Sergio Mendes 80, Tina Louise 87, Larry Merchant 90, Conrad Janis 93, Bobby Boris Pickett, Gene Vincent, Thomas Edison, Dr. Virginia Johnson, Eva Gabor, Gerry Goffin, Leslie Nielsen, Sidney Sheldon, Burt Reynolds, Joseph Mankiewicz.
Born Aug 19: Ethan Cutkosky 22, Erika Christensen 39, Fat Joe 51, Matthew Perry 52, Tabitha Soren 54, Kyra Sedgwick 56, Kevin Dillon 56, John Stamos 58, Adam Arkin 65, Peter Gallagher 66, Jonathan Frakes 69, John Deacon 70, Deana Martin 73, Gerald McRaney 74, Bill Clinton 75, Ian Gillan 76, Billy J. Kramer 78, Jill St. John 81, Diana Muldaur 83, Robert Graham, Coco Chanel, Fred Thompson, Johnny Nash, Ring Lardner Jr., Ginger Baker, Philo Farnsworth, Willie Shoemaker, Ogden Nash, Orville Wright, Gene Roddenberry
Researching the list over the past 10 + years allowed me to find some surprising and interesting birthdates.
What do Michael Schumacher, Bobby Hull, Hank Stram, Sergio Leone, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Sir George Martin have in common?... Born January 3
NFL Football coaches; Sam Wyche and Chuck Noll... Both January 5
Music; Dave Grohl, LL Cool J, T-Bone Burnett, Jack Jones... All January 14
Baseball; Nolan Ryan, Ernie Banks, Jackie Robinson... January 31
Some of my followers on twitter want to see who else shares their own birthdate. There are some who use the list to learn about people that they never heard of and wonder what it was that they accomplished in their life, or made me take note of their lifetime.
Who is that? Pick a name unknown to you and Google it. Whose birthday is today? Who shares your birthdate?
Find out... Twitter, .BirthdayVault
