22 historically significant individuals born on March 24. March 24 is the birth date of several notable individuals, including Nobel Prize-winning physicist Peter Debye in 1884 and controversial psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich in 1897. Other significant births on this date include chess world champion Vasily Smyslov in 1921, Nobel Prize-winning playwright Dario Fo in 1926, and former Yugoslav president Vojislav Koštunica in 1944. These individuals made contributions to science, literature, politics, and intellectual thought in the 20th century.
Total Born
22
Countries
18
Top Century
20th· 13
Top Field
scientist
3 individuals
Headline Figures
Birth Distribution by Century
20th (13)
19th (4)
17th C.21st C.
21st Century
1Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
William Saliba
association football player
French footballer (born 2001)
20th Century
13Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Reinhard Genzel
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physics (2020)
John C. Kendrew
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1962)
Adolf Butenandt
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1939)
Yanis Varoufakis
economistnon-fiction writer
Greek economist who served as Finance Minister during Greece's debt crisis negotiations with the EU in 2015.
Dario Fo
directorfilm actor
Italian playwright, actor, and director who won the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature for his satirical works that challenge authority and social conventions.
Shakib Al Hasan
all-roundercricketer
Bangladeshi cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history, ranking #1 in ICC all-rounder rankings multiple times. He has been Bangladesh's most successful international player across all formats.
Ilir Meta
diplomatpolitician
Albanian economist and politician who served as President of Albania from 2017 to 2022, previously holding the position of Prime Minister three times.
Vasily Smyslov
chess composerchess player
Soviet chess grandmaster who was World Chess Champion from 1957-1958 and competed in three World Championship matches against Botvinnik. He was also an accomplished baritone singer who performed professionally.
Nathalia Dill
actorfilm actor
Brazilian actress known for her roles in television series and films. She has appeared in popular telenovelas and is recognized as one of Brazil's prominent young actresses.
Rafael Orozco Maestre
singer
Colombian vallenato singer known as 'El Binomio de Oro' who became one of the most popular performers of the genre before his death at age 38.
Aliou Cissé
association football coachassociation football national coach
Senegalese football manager who captained Senegal to the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals as a player and later coached the national team to victory in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Vojislav Koštunica
juristpedagogue
Serbian politician and legal scholar who served as the last President of Yugoslavia (2000-2003) and later as Prime Minister of Serbia. He played a key role in the country's democratic transition.
Ranil Wickremesinghe
lawyerpolitician
Long-serving leader of the United National Party who became Sri Lanka's President in 2022 following mass protests that forced Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign.
19th Century
4Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Wilhelm Reich
philosopherpsychoanalyst
Austrian-American psychoanalyst who developed theories connecting sexual repression to political authoritarianism and later pursued controversial research into orgone energy.
Franz S. Exner
physicistuniversity teacher
Austrian physicist (1849–1926)
Hubert LaRue
chemistphysician
Canadian doctor (1833-1881)
Peter Debye
chemistcrystallographer
Dutch-American physicist and physical chemist who won the 1936 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on molecular structure and dipole moments.
18th Century
3Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Joseph Priestley
abolitionistchemist
English chemist, theologian, educator, and political theorist (1733–1804)
Jakub Kryštof Rad
businesspersonentrepreneur
Entrepreneur and inventor (1799-1871)
Ján Hollý
Catholic priestlinguist
Slovak Catholic priest, writer, poet and translator
17th Century
1Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Joseph Sauveur
mathematicianmusicologist
French mathematician and founder of the science of acoustics (1653–1716)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is a famous person born on March 24?
Peter Debye, born in 1884, is well-known. He was a Dutch-American physicist and Nobel Prize winner recognized for his work in molecular physics and chemistry. Italian playwright Dario Fo and chess world champion Vasily Smyslov are also notable individuals born on this date.
What Nobel Prize winners were born on March 24?
Peter Debye and Dario Fo are two Nobel Prize recipients born on March 24. Debye won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1936 for his research on molecular structure. Dario Fo was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1997 for his contributions to theater.
Are there any notable chess players born on March 24?
Yes, Vasily Smyslov, a renowned chess player, was born on March 24, 1921. He was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958 and is remembered for his skillful positional play and endgame technique.