- Letitia Christian Tyler, American 1st wife of President Tyler, born in Cedar Grove, Virginia (d. 1842)
- John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, English physicist and discoverer of argon (Nobel Prize 1904), born in Maldon, Essex, England (d. 1919)
- Borislav Ivkov, Yugoslav chess Grandmaster, first World Junior Champion (1951), one of the most decorated Chess Olympiad players, born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (d. 2022)
- Jenny McLeod, New Zealand composer (Earth and Sky; Seven Tone Clock Pieces; Hohepa), and educator, born in Wellington, New Zealand
- Al Michaels, American sportscaster (Miracle on Ice, American Football), born in Brooklyn, New York
- James Pugh, American session and touring trombonist (Thundering Herd; Chick Corea; Steely Dan), composer, and educator, born in Camden, New Jersey
- (Isaac) "Ike" Willis, American vocalist and guitarist (Frank Zappa, 1978-88 - "Joe's Garage"), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2026)
- Rhonda Shear, American comedian (Up All Night), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Roger Clemens wins AL Cy Young Award unanimously
- Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, symbolically signs the Kyoto Protocol, but the US never ratifies it
- US Mid-term elections: Democrats retain control of the Senate with Catherine Cortez Masto's victory in Nevada 50-49, with run-off in Georgia still to be decided
- Final US penny is minted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; manufacturing cost of the1-cent coin, produced for 232 years, had risen to nearly 3.7 cents, an estimated 1.4 billion remain in circulation
- Maximilian von Weichs, German aristocrat and army officer (WWII Field Marshal; WWI Cavalryman), born in Dessau, German Empire (d. 1954)
- Richard H. Truly, American US Navy Rear Admiral, NASA astronaut (STS T-2, T-4, 2, 8), and administrator (Head of NASA, 1989-92), born in Fayette, Mississippi (d. 2024)
- Al Michaels, American sportscaster (Miracle on Ice, American Football), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Michael Bishop, American sci-fi author (Nebula, Stolen Faces), born in Lincoln, Nebraska
- Greg Gagne, American MLB infielder (LA Dodgers), born in Fall River, Massachusetts