US statesman and 35th president (1961-3), born in Brookline, Massachusetts, USA. Descended from Irish-Americans who had shown a talent for politics, he studied at Harvard, and his senior thesis became the best-selling Why England Slept (1940). His later Profiles in Courage (1956) won the Pulitzer Prize.

Wildlife expert, conservationist, television show host. Born on February 22, 1962, in Essendon in Victoria, Australia. Part wildlife expert and part entertainer, Irwin became world famous for his television series, The Crocodile Hunter, and other nature programs.

Singer, musician, songwriter. Born on February 6, 1945, in Jamaica. Bob Marley helped introduce reggae music to the world and remains one of its most beloved artists to this day. The son of a black teenage mother and much older, later absent white father, he spent his early years in the rural village known as Nine Miles in the parish of St. Ann.

Actor, director. Born July 9, 1956, in Concord, California. His parents divorced when Hanks was five years old; he was raised, along with his older brother and sister, by their father, Amos, a chef.  The family moved frequently, finally settling in Oakland, California, where Hanks attended high school.

Actress. Born on October 28, 1967, in Smyrna, Georgia. Julia Roberts is one of the most popular film actresses in the United States. She caught the public’s eye as the wild, but vulnerable Daisy in Mystic Pizza (1988).