HistoryData

Famous Birthdays on December 21

December 20December 22

18 historically significant individuals born on December 21. December 21 is the birth date of several notable figures spanning different fields and centuries. Born on this day are Nicaraguan president Juan Bautista Sacasa (1874), German Nobel Prize-winning author Heinrich Böll (1917), and acclaimed Guatemalan writer Augusto Monterroso (1921). The date marks the birth of Uzbek actress Halima Nosirova (1913) and Mongolian paleontologist Rinchen Barsbold (1935).

Total Born
18
Countries
15
Top Century
20th· 12
Top Field
minister
2 individuals

Headline Figures

businessperson
William Ruto

William Ruto

1966 – Present

Fifth President of Kenya since 2022 and former Deputy President who won office on an economic platform focused on small businesses and agriculture.

engineer
Hu Jintao

Hu Jintao

1942 – Present

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party from 2002 to 2012 and President of China during the same period. He oversaw China's rapid economic growth and hosted the 2008 Beijing Olympics, while promoting the concept of 'harmonious society.'

lyricist
Heinrich Böll

Heinrich Böll

1917 – 1985

German author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972 for his novels and short stories examining post-war German society and moral responsibility.

Birth Distribution by Century

20th (12)
18th (3)
17th C.20th C.

20th Century

12
William Ruto
William Ruto
businesspersonminister
Fifth President of Kenya since 2022 and former Deputy President who won office on an economic platform focused on small businesses and agriculture.
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
engineerpolitician
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party from 2002 to 2012 and President of China during the same period. He oversaw China's rapid economic growth and hosted the 2008 Beijing Olympics, while promoting the concept of 'harmonious society.'
Heinrich Böll
Heinrich Böll
lyricistNobel Prize winner
German author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972 for his novels and short stories examining post-war German society and moral responsibility.
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron
bankerinvestment banker
French president since 2017 and former investment banker who founded the En Marche! political movement.
Adebayo Adedeji
Adebayo Adedeji
economistmember of the Senate of Nigeria
Nigerian politician
AM
Augusto Monterroso
diplomatwriter
Augusto Monterroso was a writer famous for his short stories and micro-fiction, including the world's shortest story 'The Dinosaur.'
Nika Melia
Nika Melia
juristlawyer
Chairman of the United National Movement, Georgia's main opposition party, and former Mayor of Tbilisi (2017-2017).
Claudia Maria Poll
Claudia Maria Poll
swimmer
Olympic swimmer who won Costa Rica's first Olympic medal, taking silver in the 200m freestyle at the 1996 Atlanta Games. She also won gold at the 1999 Pan American Games.
Halima Nosirova
Halima Nosirova
actormusic educator
Celebrated soprano who performed leading roles at major Soviet opera houses and later served in cultural education roles.
Rinchen Barsbold
Rinchen Barsbold
geologistpaleontologist
Mongolian paleontologist who discovered and named numerous dinosaur species, including Oviraptor and several sauropods found in the Gobi Desert.
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland
film actorfilm director
British-Canadian actor famous for his role as Jack Bauer in the television series 24, winning an Emmy Award for the performance.
Cheikhou Kouyaté
Cheikhou Kouyaté
association football player
Versatile midfielder who has earned over 90 caps for Senegal and played in the Premier League for West Ham United and Crystal Palace.

19th Century

2
Trevor Kincaid
Trevor Kincaid
entomologistmarine biologist
Canadian-American scientist (1872-1970)
Juan Bautista Sacasa
Juan Bautista Sacasa
politician
Nicaraguan politician and physician who served as President of Nicaragua from 1933 to 1936, coming to power after the assassination of Augusto Sandino.

18th Century

3
José Tomás Ovalle
José Tomás Ovalle
lawyerminister
Chilean political figure, president
Johann Christian Wiegleb
Johann Christian Wiegleb
chemistnaturalist
German chemist, pharmacist
Jesse Hartley
Jesse Hartley
architectengineer
British architect

17th Century

1
Georg Erhard Hamberger
Georg Erhard Hamberger
botanistchemist
Physician, physiologist, botanist (1697-1755)

Explore More for December 21

Discover historical events and other data for this day.

Events on December 21Deaths on December 21Browse All Dates

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the most famous person born on December 21?
Heinrich Böll, a German author and Nobel Prize winner in Literature, is likely the most internationally recognized person born on December 21. He was born in 1917 and became one of Germany's most celebrated post-war writers.
Are there any Nobel Prize winners born on December 21?
Yes, Heinrich Böll was born on December 21, 1917, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972. He was a German writer known for his novels and short stories about post-war Germany.
What famous authors were born on December 21?
Two notable authors were born on December 21: Heinrich Böll, the German Nobel Prize-winning novelist born in 1917, and Augusto Monterroso, the Guatemalan writer born in 1921. Both contributed significantly to 20th-century literature.