René Descartes
1596 – 1650French philosopher and mathematician who developed Cartesian coordinate systems and declared "I think, therefore I am."
Famous Birthdays on March 31
15 notable people were born on March 31.
March 31 marks the birth of several notable figures from various fields and centuries. Among them is René Descartes (born in 1596), a French philosopher known for his revolutionary work in mathematics and philosophy. William Lawrence Bragg, born in 1890, was a physicist who won the Nobel Prize for his contributions to science. Shin'ichirō Tomonaga, a Japanese theoretical physicist born in 1906, and Octavio Paz, a Mexican poet and diplomat born in 1914, also share this birth date. Their work has influenced philosophy, science, and literature.
16th Century1 person
20th Century12 people
Zviad Gamsakhurdia
1939 – 1993Georgia's first president after independence (1991-1992) and prominent dissident writer who led the country's liberation movement from Soviet rule.
Oleksandr Turchynov
1964Acting President of Ukraine during the 2014 transition period following Viktor Yanukovych's departure and architect of key defense reforms.
Octavio Paz
1914 – 1998Mexican poet, essayist, and diplomat who won the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature for his exploration of Mexican identity and universal human experience.
Angus Young
1955Lead guitarist and co-founder of the legendary rock band AC/DC, known for his energetic stage performances and schoolboy uniform.
Shin'ichirō Tomonaga
1906 – 1979Theoretical physicist who shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on quantum electrodynamics alongside Richard Feynman and Julian Schwinger.
Carlo Rubbia
1934Italian particle physicist who won the 1984 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the W and Z particles at CERN.
Nordin Amrabat
1987Dutch-born winger who represents Morocco internationally and has played for various European clubs including PSV Eindhoven. He has been a consistent presence in Morocco's national team squads over the past decade.
association football playerMorocco
Sheila Dikshit
1938 – 2019Indian politician who served as Chief Minister of Delhi for 15 years across three terms from 1998-2013. She was credited with significant infrastructure development in the capital.
politicianIndia
Alenka Bratušek
1970Slovenian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister from 2013-2014 after her Positive Slovenia party briefly led a coalition government. She later served as a European Commissioner and held various ministerial positions.
Osama Hawsawi
1984Saudi Arabian defender who captained the national team and played over 130 international matches, including three World Cup tournaments.
association football playerSaudi Arabia
Eric Davis
1991Panamanian defender who plays for the national team and has competed in European leagues.
association football playerPanama
Ľubomír Luhový
1967Slovak striker who scored prolifically in European leagues during the 1990s and represented Slovakia in international competition. He later transitioned into coaching after his playing career.
18th Century1 person
Frederick V of Denmark
1723 – 1766King of Denmark and Norway from 1746 to 1766 whose reign marked a period of cultural flourishing and the founding of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
monarchDenmark
19th Century1 person
William Lawrence Bragg
1890 – 1971Nobel Prize winner in Physics at age 25 for pioneering X-ray crystallography, the youngest person ever to receive a Nobel Prize in science.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the most famous person born on March 31?
René Descartes, the French philosopher and mathematician born in 1596, is widely considered the most famous person born on March 31. He is known for the statement 'I think, therefore I am' and his foundational contributions to modern philosophy and mathematics.
What Nobel Prize winners were born on March 31?
Two Nobel Prize winners were born on March 31: William Lawrence Bragg, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1915 for his work on X-ray crystallography, and Shin'ichirō Tomonaga, who shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to quantum electrodynamics.
Are there any famous writers or poets born on March 31?
Yes, Octavio Paz, the Mexican poet and writer, was born on March 31, 1914. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1990 for his passionate writing with poetic intelligence.