HistoryData

Famous Birthdays on September 3

12 notable people were born on September 3.

September 3 is the birth date of several notable individuals. Nobel Prize-winning immunologist Frank Macfarlane Burnet was born in 1899, and Finnish President Urho Kekkonen in 1900. South African jazz singer Dorothy Masuka was born on this date in 1935, followed by former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 1936 and Nobel Prize-winning chemist Ryōji Noyori in 1938.

19th Century2 people

Frank Macfarlane Burnet

Frank Macfarlane Burnet

1899 – 1985

Nobel Prize-winning immunologist who developed the theory of clonal selection and made fundamental contributions to understanding acquired immunity.

chemistimmunologistphysicianAustralia
Urho Kekkonen

Urho Kekkonen

1900 – 1986

Finnish politician who served as the eighth President of Finland for 26 years (1956-1982), the longest presidential term in Finnish history. He skillfully navigated Finland's neutrality during the Cold War between East and West.

athletics competitorjournalistlawyerFinland

20th Century10 people

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

1936 – 2019

Tunisian president from 1987 to 2011 who was ousted during the Arab Spring revolution. He ruled as an authoritarian leader for over two decades before fleeing to Saudi Arabia.

diplomatpoliticianTunisia
Eduardo Galeano

Eduardo Galeano

1940 – 2015

Uruguayan writer best known for 'The Open Veins of Latin America' and 'Memory of Fire' trilogy, influential voices in Latin American literature and anti-imperialist thought.

essayistjournalistpoetUruguay
Mario Draghi

Mario Draghi

1947

Italian economist who served as President of the European Central Bank from 2011 to 2019 and later as Prime Minister of Italy from 2021 to 2022.

bankereconomistpoliticianItaly
Maithripala Sirisena

Maithripala Sirisena

1951

Former Health Minister who defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2015 to become Sri Lanka's President, serving until 2019 in a coalition government.

politicianSri Lanka
Negasso Gidada

Negasso Gidada

1943 – 2019

Ethiopian historian and politician who served as President of Ethiopia from 1995 to 2001. He was also a prominent academic and Lutheran minister.

historianministerpoliticianEthiopia
Samuel Kuffour

Samuel Kuffour

1976

Ghanaian defender who spent most of his career at Bayern Munich, winning multiple Bundesliga titles and the Champions League in 2001.

association football playerGhana
Ryōji Noyori

Ryōji Noyori

1938

Japanese chemist who won the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on chirally catalyzed hydrogenation reactions. His research advanced asymmetric synthesis in organic chemistry.

chemistprofessorJapan
Kiran Desai

Kiran Desai

1971

Indian-American novelist who won the 2006 Man Booker Prize for her novel 'The Inheritance of Loss'. She is the daughter of acclaimed author Anita Desai.

novelistwriterIndia
Dorothy Masuka

Dorothy Masuka

1935 – 2019

Dorothy Masuka was a renowned jazz singer and songwriter who became known as the 'Queen of African Jazz,' performing across southern Africa and composing songs that addressed social and political issues.

jazz musiciansingersongwriterZimbabwe
Gregorio Rosa Chávez

Gregorio Rosa Chávez

1942

Catholic cardinal appointed by Pope Francis in 2017, serving as auxiliary bishop of San Salvador since 1982.

Catholic bishopCatholic priesttheologianEl Salvador

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the most famous person born on September 3?
Frank Macfarlane Burnet, born in 1899, is likely the most famous person born on September 3, as he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1960 for his work on immunological tolerance. Urho Kekkonen, the long-serving President of Finland from 1956 to 1982, is also highly notable among September 3 births.
Are there any Nobel Prize winners born on September 3?
Yes, two Nobel Prize winners were born on September 3: Frank Macfarlane Burnet won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1960, and Ryōji Noyori won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2001. Both made groundbreaking contributions to their respective scientific fields.
Which politicians were born on September 3?
Two prominent political leaders were born on September 3: Urho Kekkonen, who served as President of Finland for 26 years, and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was President of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011. Kekkonen was known for his neutrality policy during the Cold War, while Ben Ali's presidency ended during the Arab Spring.