Joseph Stalin – 1878 – a Soviet politician who led the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. During World War II, Stalin led the Soviet Union’s efforts against Nazi Germany and played a key role in the Allied victory.

Edwin Howard Armstrong – 1890 – an American electrical engineer and inventor, best known for his pioneering work in radio communication. He is credited with the invention of frequency modulation (FM) radio, which revolutionized the quality of radio broadcasting.

Betty Grable – 1916 – an American actress, dancer and singer, known for her pin-up girl image and her signature song “I Can’t Begin to Tell You.” She starred in over 40 films, including “Down Argentine Way,” “Moon Over Miami,” “Pin Up Girl” and “How to Marry a Millionaire.”

Peggy Cummins – 1925 – a British actress best known for her role as the gun-wielding femme fatale in the film “Gun Crazy.” She also appeared in several films throughout the 1950s, including “Forever Amber” and “The Late Edwina Black”.

Roger Smith – 1932 – an American actor, best known for his role as Jeff Spencer in the TV series “77 Sunset Strip.” He also appeared in other television shows such as “The Big Valley” and “Hawaii Five-O.”

Jacques Pépin – 1935 – a French chef and television personality. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential chefs in the world. Pépin has written over 30 cookbooks and hosted several television cooking shows, including “The Complete Pépin” and “Jacques Pépin: More Fast Food My Way”.

Roger E. Mosley – 1938 – an American actor, best known for his role as helicopter pilot Theodore “T.C.” Calvin on the TV series “Magnum, P.I. He also appeared in television shows such as “A Thin Line Between Love and Hate” and “The Practice.”

Alan Rudolph – 1943 – an American film director and producer, known for directing several critically acclaimed films including “Choose Me,” “Trouble in Mind” and “The Moderns.”

Keith Richards – 1943 – an English musician and founding member of the rock band The Rolling Stones. Richards is widely considered as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists in the history of rock and roll.

Steven Spielberg – 1946 – an American filmmaker, considered one of the greatest and most commercially successful directors in cinema history. Spielberg directed many blockbuster movies, including “Jaws”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Jurassic Park”. He has won several Academy Awards including Best Director for “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan.”

Ray Liotta – 1954 – an American actor, best known for his roles in films such as “Goodfellas,” “Field of Dreams,” “Cop Land,” “Hannibal” and “Blow.” He also had roles in television shows such as “ER,” “Shades of Blue” and “Texas Rising.”

 Brad Pitt – 1963 – an American actor and film producer, known for his roles in films such as “Thelma & Louise”, “Fight Club”, “Meet Joe Black”, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”, “The Big Short”, “Bullet Train” and “Legends of the Fall.”

Charles Oakley – 1963 – a professional basketball player, known for his tough, physical style of play and was considered one of the league’s top rebounders and defensive players. He was selected to the NBA All-Star team in 1994.

Steve Austin – 1964 – an American professional wrestler, known by his ring name “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. He won numerous championships throughout his career, including six WWF Championships and two WCW Championships.

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario – 1971 – a Spanish tennis player. She won a total of 29 singles titles during her career. She is also a three-time Olympic medalist, winning silver in singles at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and bronze in doubles at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.

Sia (Kate Isobelle Furler) – 1975 – an Australian singer and songwriter. Some of her most popular songs include “Chandelier,” “Elastic Heart” and “Cheap Thrills.” Sia has also written songs for other artists, including Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Rihanna.

Trish Stratus – 1975 – a Canadian professional wrestler, fitness model and television personality best known for her career in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). She won a total of seven WWE Women’s Championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.

Katie Holmes – 1978 – an American actress, known for her role in the films such as “Wonder Boys”, “Batman Begins,” “Thank You for Smoking” and “The Gift.” In addition to her acting career, Holmes is also a fashion icon and has launched her own fashion line called Holmes & Yang.

Christina Aguilera – 1980 – an American singer and television personality. She has won five Grammy Awards and has sold over 75 million records worldwide. Aguilera has also appeared in several films and television shows including “Burlesque” and “The Voice”.

Ashley Benson – 1989 – an American actress and model, best known for her role as Hanna Marin on the television series “Pretty Little Liars”. She has also appeared in several other television shows and movies including “Spring Breakers,” “Pixels” and “Her Smell.”

Billie Eilish – 2001 – an American singer and songwriter, best known for her hit songs “Ocean Eyes”, “Bad Guy,” “Bury a Friend” and “All the Good Girls Go to Hell.”

1892 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s two-act ballet “The Nutcracker” premiered in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Nutcracker, now the world’s most performed ballet, is known for its beautiful music and elaborate dance sequences, including the iconic “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.”

1966 – “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”, a classic Christmas television special based on the book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, first aired on CBS.

1993 – The MGM Grand Las Vegas hotel and casino opened. The hotel and casino is one of the largest hotels in the world with over 6,800 rooms.

2002 – The movie “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” released. Directed by Peter Jackson, the film was the second instalment in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards.

2009 – The Avatar movie was released. Directed by James Cameron, the film was a major commercial and critical success, breaking numerous box office records and winning several awards.

A penguin named Nils Olav was bestowed with an honorary knighthood by the Norwegian King’s Guard in 2008. Nils Olav is a resident of the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland and has been the official mascot of the Norwegian King’s Guard since the 1970s.

It is illegal to own just one guinea pig in Switzerland. The Swiss Federal Act on Animal Protection states that guinea pigs are social animals and must be kept in pairs or groups. This is because guinea pigs are highly social animals and are known to become depressed and suffer from health issues when they are kept alone for extended periods.

Almost half the world’s population watched the 2010 FIFA World Cup game in South Africa. The game was shown in every country and territory on the globe, including Antarctica and the Arctic Circle. That meant a record-breaking 3.2 billion people around the world (approximately 45% of the world’s population at that time) watched the game in their homes.