Births

The people who were born on these dates and went on to shape their fields.

Birth1547Miguel de Cervantes is bornThe future author of Don Quixote was born in Alcalá de Henares, beginning a life of war, captivity, and hardship that shaped the first modern novel.September 29, 1547

Birth1601Louis XIII is bornThe first son of Henry IV was born at Fontainebleau. As king, he and Cardinal Richelieu laid the foundations of absolute monarchy in France.September 27, 1601

Birth1896F. Scott Fitzgerald is bornThe future author of The Great Gatsby was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and grew up to define the Jazz Age in American fiction.September 24, 1896

Birth1924Truman Capote is bornThe New Orleans-born writer behind Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood helped blur the line between fiction and reporting.September 30, 1924

Birth1934Brigitte Bardot is bornThe Paris-born actress became France's most famous film star of the 1950s and 1960s, then gave up cinema for a long, outspoken fight for animals.September 28, 1934

Birth1968Will Smith is bornThe Philadelphia rapper who became the Fresh Prince, and later an Oscar-winning film star with more than $10 billion in box office, is born.September 25, 1968

Birth1981Serena Williams is bornThe youngest of five sisters arrived in Michigan and grew into a champion who won 23 major singles titles, more than anyone else in the Open Era.September 26, 1981