1997 in the United States

Events from the year 1997 in the United States.

Incumbents

Federal government

President: Bill Clinton
President of the United States|Vice President]: Al Gore
Chief Justice: William Rehnquist
Speaker of the House of Representatives: Newt Gingrich
Senate Majority Leader: Trent Lott
Congress: 104th, 105th

Events

January

January 16 - Ennis Cosby, only son of Bill and Camille Cosby, is murdered near Interstate 405, by Mikhail Markhasev.
January 17 - A Delta II rocket carrying a military GPS payload explodes shortly after liftoff from Cape Canaveral.
January 20 – President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore begin their second term.
January 26 - Super Bowl XXXI: The Green Bay Packers win the NFL Championship for the first time since 1967, defeating the New England Patriots 35–21 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

February

February 4 - State of the Union Address.
February 5 - A Santa Monica jury finds former football legend O. J. Simpson liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.
February 8 - Motorcycle stunt rider Corey Scott is killed in front of a crowd of around 30,000 spectators at the Orange Bowl stadium in Miami, Florida, after a stunt goes terribly wrong.
February 10 - The United States Army suspends Gene C. McKinney, Sergeant Major of the Army, its top-ranking enlisted soldier, after hearing allegations of sexual misconduct.
February 13
*The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 7,000 Closing milestones of the [Dow Jones Industrial Average|for the first time], gaining 60.81 to 7,022.44.
*STS-82: Astronauts from Space Shuttle Discovery begin tune-up and repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope.
February 23 - 1997 Empire State Building shooting: A gunman kills one person and wounds six others before taking his own life on the observation deck of the Empire State Building in Manhattan, New York City.
February 28
*FBI agent Earl Edwin Pitts pleads guilty to selling secrets to Soviet Union.
*North Hollywood shootout: Two heavily armed bank robbers conflict with officers from the Los Angeles Police Department in a mass shootout.

March

March 4 - U.S. President Bill Clinton bars federal funding for any research on human cloning.
March 9 - 24-year-old Brooklyn rapper The Notorious B.I.G. is killed in a drive-by shooting shortly after leaving a Vibe magazine party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles before the release of his second album Life After Death. The album is released on March 25.
March 13 - The Phoenix Lights are seen over Phoenix, Arizona.
March 14 - A famous study of gender reassignment of a twin boy who lost his penis to a botched circumcision is refuted. The supposedly successful outcome for "Joan" had been widely cited as proof that gender was determined by nurture, yet the patient, David Reimer, was deeply unhappy and had returned to his original gender by the age of 15, thus indicating the exact opposite thesis.
March 21 – Liar Liar is released in theaters nationwide, later going on to rank as the 7th highest grossing film of the year.
March 23 – The World Wrestling Federation holds WrestleMania 13 from the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois.
March 24 - The 69th Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal, are held at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, with Anthony Minghella's The English Patient winning nine awards out of 12 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. The telecast garners nearly 40.1 million viewers.
March 26 - In San Diego, California, 39 Heaven's Gate cultists commit mass suicide at their compound.

April

April 15 - Jackie Robinson's number 42 is retired across all Major League Baseball teams.
April 16 - Houston socialite Doris Angleton is murdered, drawing suspicion to her estranged husband, Robert. His brother Roger confesses to the crime and the investigation reveals that Robert had amassed a fortune through illegal betting.
April 18 - The Red River of the North breaks through dikes and floods Grand Forks, North Dakota and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, causing US$2 billion in damage.

May

May - For the first time since December 1973, unemployment falls below 5%. It would remain below 5% until September 2001, during the early 2000s recession.
May 2 - The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
May 15 - The United States government acknowledges existence of the "Secret War" in Laos, and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong and other "Secret War" veterans.
May 16 - U.S. President Bill Clinton issues a formal apology to the surviving victims of the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male and their families.
May 22 - Kelly Flinn, the U.S. Air Force's first female bomber pilot certified for combat, accepts a general discharge in order to avoid a court martial.
May 25 - Strom Thurmond becomes the longest-serving member in the history of the United States Senate.
May 27 - The second-deadliest tornado of the 1990s hits in Jarrell, Texas, killing 27 people.

June

June 2 - In Denver, Colorado, Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
June 6 - In Lacey Township, New Jersey, high school senior Melissa Drexler gives birth in a toilet and leaves the newborn for dead in the trash.
June 7
*A computer user known as "_eci" publishes his C source code on a Windows 95 and Windows NT exploit, which later becomes WinNuke. The source code gets wide distribution across the internet, and Microsoft is forced to release a security patch.
*The Detroit Red Wings win their first Stanley Cup championship in 42 years, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4 games to 0. Red Wings goaltender Mike Vernon is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
June 8 - A United States Coast Guard helicopter crashes near Humboldt Bay, California; all four crew members perish.
June 12 - The United States Department of the Treasury unveils a new $50 bill, meant to be more difficult to counterfeit.
June 13 - A jury sentences Timothy McVeigh to death for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
June 19 - The fast food chain McDonald's wins a partial victory in its libel trial, known as the "McLibel case", against two environmental campaigners. The judge agrees that McDonald's targeted its advertising at children, who pestered their parents into visiting the company's restaurants.
June 25 - The NHL announces the addition of four new franchises to be added to the league by the 2000-01 [NHL season].
June 27 - Walt Disney Pictures' 35th feature film, Hercules, loosely based on the legendary mythological hero of the same name, is released to positive reviews but underperforms at the box office in comparison to its most recent predecessors.
June 28 - During the Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II boxing match in Las Vegas, Mike Tyson bites off part of Evander Holyfield's ear.

July

July 2 - Men in Black is released in theaters.
July 4 - NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.
July 15 - Spree killer Andrew Cunanan shoots fashion designer Gianni Versace to death outside Versace's Miami Beach, Florida, residence.
July 16 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 63.17 to close at 8,038.88. It is the Dow's first close above 8,000. The Dow has doubled its value in 30 months.
July 18 - The first Speedway gas station opens in Ohio.
July 21 - The fully restored celebrates her 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.
July 23 - Digital Equipment Corporation files antitrust charges against chipmaker Intel.

August

August 1 - Steve Jobs returns to Apple Computer, Inc at Macworld in Boston.
August 3 - The World Wrestling Federation holds its SummerSlam event from the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
August 6 - Microsoft buys a $150 million share of financially troubled Apple Computer.
August 6 - Korean Air Flight 801 crashes while attempting to land in the U.S. territory of Guam, killing 229.
August 13 - Trey Parker and Matt Stone's South Park aired its first episode on Comedy Central; it would go on to become one of the most infamous and celebrated sitcoms ever made.
August 29 - Netflix, Inc., a DVD-by-mail rental business, is founded by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings in Scotts Valley, California.

September

September 4 - In Lorain, Ohio, the last Ford Thunderbird for three years rolls off the assembly line.
September 15 - www.google.com is registered by Google.
September 29 - The Forced Abortion Condemnation Act is introduced in the U.S. Congress.
September 30 - Facing increasing shifts to the use of GPS, the Omega radio navigation system is deactivated.

October

October 1 - Luke Woodham walks into Pearl High School in Pearl, Mississippi and opens fire, killing two girls, after killing his mother earlier that morning.
October 4
*One million men gather for Promise Keepers' "Stand in the Gap" event in Washington, DC.
*Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery: The second largest cash robbery in U.S. history occurs at the Charlotte, North Carolina, office of Wells Fargo. An FBI investigation eventually results in 24 convictions and the recovery of approximately 95% of the stolen cash.
October 15
*Andy Green sets the first supersonic land speed record for the ThrustSSC team, led by Richard Noble of the UK. ThrustSSC goes through the flying mile course at Black Rock Desert, Nevada, at an average speed of.
*NASA launches the Cassini-Huygens probe to Saturn.
October 16 - The first color photograph appears on the front page of The New York Times.
October 19 - Thirteen-year-old Maryann Measles is abducted while waiting for her mother in the parking lot of a New Milford, Connecticut shopping center. Eight former friends then take part in her beating, gang-rape, and murder, ultimately dumping her body into the Housatonic River. The gruesome crime attracts national attention due to its brutality and the age of the victim.
October 26 - 1997 World Series: The Florida Marlins defeat the Cleveland Indians.
October 27 - Stock markets around the world crash due to a global economic crisis scare. The Dow Jones Industrial Average follows suit and plummets 554.26, or 7.18%, to 7,161.15. The points loss exceeds the loss from Black Monday. Officials at the New York Stock Exchange for the first time invoke the "circuit breaker" rule to stop trading.
October 28 - In the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average gains a record 337.17 points, closing at 7,498.32. One billion shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time ever.
October 30 - In Newton, Massachusetts, British au pair Louise Woodward is found guilty of the baby-shaking death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen.

November

November - The unemployment rate drops to 4.6%, the lowest since October 1973.
November 10
*Telecom companies WorldCom and MCI Communications announce a US$37 billion merger to form MCI WorldCom.
*A Fairfax, Virginia, jury finds Mir Qazi guilty of murdering two CIA employees in 1993.
November 12 - Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
November 14 - Mary Kay Letourneau is sentenced to six months imprisonment in Washington after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree child rape. Letourneau gave birth to her victims' child and the leniency of her sentence was widely criticized.
November 19 - In Des Moines, Iowa, Bobbi McCaughey gives birth to septuplets in the second known case where all seven babies are born alive, and the first in which all survive infancy.
November 27
* The 71st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York City. High winds cause a balloon to knock loose a piece of a lamppost, injuring four, one nearly fatally. Police deflate other balloons by force.
* NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission is launched, the start of the satellite component of the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System.

December

December 1 - Michael Carneal opens fire on a prayer group at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky, killing three and injuring five.
December 3 - In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, representatives from 121 countries sign a treaty prohibiting the manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel land mines. However, the United States, the People's Republic of China, and Russia do not sign the treaty.
December 18 - Comedian and Saturday Night Live actor Chris Farley is found dead from a drug overdose in his apartment on the 60th floor at John Hancock Center in Chicago, Illinois.
December 19 - James Cameron's Titanic, the highest-grossing film of all time until Avatar, premieres in the U.S.

Ongoing

Births

January

January 4 - CJ, rapper
January 7 - Lamar Jackson, football player
January 8 - Jack Andraka, inventor
January 13
* Lori Harvey, model and entrepreneur
* Jimmy Wopo, rapper
January 14 - Joey Luthman, actor
January 17
* Shea Patterson, football player
* Jake Paul, boxer
* Kyle Tucker, baseball player
January 20 - Blueface, rapper
January 21 - Jeremy Shada, actor and singer
January 23
* Lexie Priessman, gymnast
January 24
* Jonah Bobo, actor
* Dylan Riley Snyder, actor, singer, and dancer
January 25 - Noah Hanifin, ice hockey player
January 26 - Gedion Zelalem, soccer player
January 27 - Peyton Ernst, artistic gymnast
January 29 - Jack Roslovic, ice hockey player

February

February 6 - Mitch Hyatt, football player
February 7
* Saquon Barkley, football player
* Matthew Gumley, actor
February 8 - Kathryn Newton, actress
February 9
* Jaire Alexander, football player
* Bella Poarch, tiktoker
February 10
* Josh Jackson, basketball player
* Lilly King, swimmer
* Chloë Grace Moretz, actress
* Josh Rosen, football player
February 11
* Damien Harris, football player
* Mike Hughes, football player
February 12 - Shane Baumel, actor
February 13 - Deondre Francois, football player
February 14 - Madison Iseman, actress
February 15
* Myles Gaskin, football player
* Derrick Jones Jr., basketball player
February 20 - Mitchie Brusco, skateboarder
February 21 - Ben Rhodes, stock car racing driver
February 25
* Brock Boeser, ice hockey player
* Isabelle Fuhrman, actress
February 26 - Aidan Gould, actor

March

March 2
* Becky G, singer
* Lizzy LeDuc, American-born Filipino artistic gymnast
March 3
*Camila Cabello, Cuban-born singer
Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, wrestler
*Ty Walker, Olympic snowboarder
March 9
* Chika, rapper
* Jessica Rogers, wheelchair athlete
March 10 - Uriah Shelton, actor and singer
March 11 - Jake Ilardi, skateboarder
March 14 - Simone Biles, Olympic artistic gymnast
March 16 - Tyrel Jackson Williams, actor
March 17 - Katie Ledecky, swimmer
March 18 - Ciara Bravo, actress and singer
March 20 - Wifisfuneral, rapper
March 25 - Aaron Monteiro, football player
March 26 - Cameron Smith, football player
March 29 - Josh Sweat, football player
March 30 - Gideon Adlon, actress

April

April 5 - Dominik Mysterio, wrestler
April 8 - Roquan Smith, football player
April 9 - Brianna Kupfer, murder victim
April 10 - Claire Wineland, activist and author
April 12
* Jacob Clemente, actor and dancer
* Katelyn Ohashi, artistic gymnast
April 15 - Donavan Brazier, middle-distance runner
April 18 - Caleb Swanigan, basketball player
April 23 - Andrew Callaghan, journalist
April 26 - Amber Midthunder, actress

May

May 1 - Ariel Gade, actress
May 2 - Perla Haney-Jardine, Brazilian-born actress
May 3
* Desiigner, rapper
* Dwayne Haskins, football quarterback
May 6 - Lash Legend, wrestler
May 9 - Zane Huett, actor
May 10 - Brittany Broski, internet personality
May 11 - Coi Leray, musician
May 12 - Odeya Rush, Israeli-born actress
May 14
* Riley Griffiths, actor
* Chloe Troast, actress
May 15
* Precious Doe, murder victim
* Smokepurpp, rapper
May 19 - Maxxine Dupri, wrestler
May 21 - Kevin Quinn, actor and singer
May 23
* Coy Craft, soccer player
* Kiana James, wrestler
May 27 - Daniel Jones, football player
May 30
* Peter Lenz, amateur motorcycle racer
* Jake Short, actor

June

June 11
* John Hunter Nemechek, stock car racing driver
* Kodak Black, rapper
June 12 - Ashley Cooke, singer
June 15 - Madison Kocian, Olympic artistic gymnast
June 20 - Maria Lark, Russian-born actress
June 21 - Rebecca Black, singer
June 25 - Faye Webster, singer
June 29 - Arianna Grace, wrestler

July

July 13 - Leo Howard, actor
July 15 - Noah Lyles, Olympic sprinter
July 20 - Billi Bruno, actress
July 22 - Field Cate, actor
July 23 - Faresa Kapisi, track and field athlete
July 27 - G'Angelo Hancock, wrestler
July 28 - Gabbriette, model and musician
July 30 - Finneas O'Connell, singer
July 31 - Bobbi Althoff, internet personality

August

August 2
* Austin Theory, wrestler, bodybuilder, and actor
* Christina Robinson, actress
August 5
* Adam Irigoyen, actor
* Olivia Holt, actress
August 8
* Corpse Husband, internet personality
* Antonee Robinson, soccer player
August 10 - Kylie Jenner, model
August 12 - Jordan Brown, person exonerated of murder
August 16 - Greyson Chance, singer
August 17 - Vory, musician
August 19 - Joseph Castanon, actor and singer
August 22 - Fanum, streamer
August 23 - Lil Yachty, rapper
August 24 - Karoline Leavitt, press secretary
August 25 - Madison Desch, artistic gymnast
August 26 - Cordae, rapper

September

September 2 - 645AR, rapper
September 3 - Shavar McIntosh, actor
September 10 - Leah Keiser, figure skater
September 11
* Julia Marino, Olympic snowboarder
* Michelle Randolph, actress
September 12 - Sydney Sweeney, actress
September 16 - Elena Kampouris, actress
September 24 - Malaya Watson, singer
September 25 - Laquan McDonald, murder victim
September 27 - Jaiden Animations, animator

October

October 2 - Rubi Rose, rapper and model
October 3
* Jonathan Isaac, basketball player
* Colby Stevenson, Olympic freestyle skier
October 4
* Matt Deitsch, writer and activist
* Brenden Foster, cancer patient
October 6 - Michael J. Woodard, singer, voice actor
October 7
* Kira Kosarin, actress
* J. Rey Soul, singer
October 8 - Bella Thorne, actress, dancer, singer, and model
October 10
* DDG, rapper
* Grace Rolek, actress and singer
October 13
October 15 - Adora Svitak, prodigy and author
October 23
* Nick Bosa, American football player
* Zach Callison, actor
October 24
* Arthur Gunn, singer
* Bron Breakker, wrestler and former football player
October 25 - Tyler Alvarez, actor
October 27
* Lonzo Ball, basketball player
* Mariah the Scientist, musician
October 28
*Joy-Anna Forsyth, television personality
*Taylor Fritz, tennis player
*Sierra McCormick, actress
October 31 - Sydney Park, actress

November

November 1
* Max Burkholder, actor
* Alex Wolff, actor and musician
November 6
* Riley Pint, baseball player
* Jamal Roberts, singer
November 9 - Alex Kirilloff, baseball player
November 12 - Dexter Lawrence, football player
November 13 - Brent and Shane Kinsman, twin actors
November 15 - Leelah Alcorn, transgender girl whose suicide attracted international attention
November 17 - Zach Bonner, philanthropist and founder of the non-profit charity Little Red Wagon Foundation
November 19
* Zach Collins, basketball player
* The McCaughey septuplets, world's first known septuplets
* Rachel Parsons, ice dancer
November 20 - Michael Reeves, internet personality
November 26 - Aubrey Joseph, actor
November 29 - William Byron, racing driver
November 30 - Elijah Holyfield, wrestler and former professional football

December

December 3 - Rashan Gary, football player
December 5 - Maddie Poppe, singer
December 6 - Sabrina Ionescu, basketball player
December 11
*Ben Cook, actor
*Matthew Tkachuk, hockey player
December 12
* Christian Saulsberry, American football player
* Jacob Wohl, far-right conspiracy theorist, fraudster, and internet troll
December 14 - DK Metcalf, football player
December 15
* Stefania LaVie Owen, actress
* Maude Apatow, actress
December 20 - De'Aaron Fox, basketball player
December 28 - Nash Grier, internet personality
December 31 - Cameron Carter-Vickers, soccer player

Full date unknown

Milivi Adams
Amanda Balon, actress, vocalist and dancer
Lexi Peters, first female ice hockey player to appear in an EA Sports NHL Hockey video game

Deaths

January

January 1 – Townes Van Zandt, American Country-folk music singer-songwriter
January 4 – Harry Helmsley, American real estate mogul
January 5 – Burton Lane, American composer and lyricist
January 6 – Catherine Scorsese, Italian-American actress
January 8 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist
January 9
* Jesse White, American actor
* Ellen Griffin Dunne, American actress and activist
January 11
* Carol Habben, American baseball player
* Sheldon Leonard, American actor, director, and producer
January 12 – Charles Brenton Huggins, Canadian-born cancer researcher
January 16 – Ennis Cosby, murder victim, son of Bill Cosby
January 17 – Clyde Tombaugh, American astronomer
January 18 – Paul Tsongas, American politician
January 19
* James Dickey, American poet and novelist
* Adriana Caselotti, American actress
January 20 – Curt Flood, American baseball player and sportscaster
January 21 – Colonel Tom Parker, Dutch musical entrepreneur and manager for Elvis Presley
January 23 – Richard Berry, American singer and composer
January 24 – Dr. Jerry Graham, American wrestler and trainer
January 25 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer
January 26 – Laurence Stoddard, American rower
January 30 – Charles Hargens, American painter.
January 31 – Johnny Klein, American drummer

February

February 1
* Herb Caen, American newspaper columnist
* Marjorie Reynolds, American actress
February 5 – Pamela Harriman, American diplomat
February 7 – Owen Aspinall, 45th Governor of American Samoa
February 8 – Corey Scott, American motorcycle stunt rider
February 11 – Don Porter, American actor
February 13 – John R. Bartels, American judge
February 16 – Ethel Owen, American actress
February 22 – Joey Aiuppa, American mobster
February 23 – Tony Williams, American jazz drummer
February 24 – Isabelle Lucas, Canadian-born British actress
February 26 – David Doyle, American actor

March

March 2 – Judi Bari, American environmental activist
March 4
* Robert H. Dicke, American experimental physicist
* Carey Loftin, American actor and stuntman
March 7 – Edward Mills Purcell, American physicist
March 9 – The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper
March 10 – LaVern Baker, American singer
March 15 – Gail Davis, American actress ″
March 17 – Jermaine Stewart, American singer
March 20 – Tony Zale, American boxer
March 21 – John Nemechek, American race car driver

April

April 5 – Allen Ginsberg, American poet
April 8 – Laura Nyro, American singer and composer
April 10 – Michael Dorris, American author
April 12 – George Wald, American scientist
April 13 – Dorothy Frooks, American author, military figure and actress.
April 15
* Don Bexley, American actor and comedian
* Mildred Cleghorn, Chairwoman of the Fort Sill Apache tribe
April 16 – Doris Angleton, American socialite
April 18 – Georgia Schmidt, American actress
April 20
* Jean Louis, American costume designer
* Henry Mucci, American army ranger
April 21 – Thomas H. D. Mahoney, American professor and politician
April 24 – Pat Paulsen, American comedian
April 26 – John Beal, American actor
April 30 – Henry Picard, American golfer

May

May 4
* Alvy Moore, American actor
* Lee Miglin, American businessman and philanthropist
May 11 – Howard Morton, American actor
May 14
* Harry Blackstone Jr., American magician
* Thelma Carpenter, American singer and actress
May 18 – Bridgette Andersen, American actress
May 22 – Alfred Hershey, American biochemist
May 23 – James Lee Byars, American artist
May 29
* Jeff Buckley, American musician
* George Fenneman, American radio and television announcer
May 31 – James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist

June

June 2 – Helen Jacobs, American tennis champion
June 3 – Dennis James, American game show host
June 4 – Ronnie Lane, English rock musician
June 6 – Magda Gabor, American actress
June 8 – Reid Shelton, American actor
June 14 – Richard Jaeckel, American actor
June 23
* Betty Shabazz, American educator and activist
* William Slater Brown, American novelist, biographer and translator
June 24
* Don Hutson, American football player
* Brian Keith, American actor
June 26 – Israel Kamakawiwoole, Hawaiian singer
June 29 – William Hickey, American actor

July

July 1
* Robert Mitchum, American actor
* Charles Werner, American cartoonist
July 2 – James Stewart, American actor and soldier
July 4 – Charles Kuralt, American reporter and television journalist
July 5 – Mrs. Miller, American singer
July 13 – Alexandra Danilova, Russian-American ballerina and dance instructor
July 15 – Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer
July 18 – Eugene Merle Shoemaker, American astronomer
July 23 – Andrew Cunanan, American serial killer
July 24
* William J. Brennan Jr., American Supreme Court Justice
* Frank Parker, American tennis champion
July 25 – Ben Hogan, American golf champion
July 27 – K'tut Tantri, American broadcaster and hotelier

August

August 2 – William S. Burroughs, American writer and artist
August 10 – Conlon Nancarrow, American-born Mexican composer
August 11 – Clara Peller, American TV personality
August 12 – Luther Allison, American musician
August 18
* Harry R. Wellman, American university president
* Jimmy Witherspoon, American musician
August 23 – Lucy Somerville Howorth, lawyer, feminist and politician
August 25 – Carl Richard Jacobi, American journalist and author
August 27
* Sally Blane, American actress
* Brandon Tartikoff, American television executive

September

September 2 – Rudolf Bing, Austrian-born British opera manager
September 7 – Elisabeth Brooks, Canadian actress
September 8 – Helen Shaw, American actress
September 9
* Richie Ashburn, American baseball player and broadcaster
* Burgess Meredith, American actor
September 13 – Victor Szebehely, Hungarian-American astronomer
September 17 – Red Skelton, American comedian
September 18 – Jimmy Witherspoon, American blues singer
September 19 – Rich Mullins, American Christian musician
September 23
* Shirley Clarke, American filmmaker
* Wilbur R. Ingalls, Jr., American architect
September 26 – Dorothy Kingsley, American screenwriter and producer
September 27 – Adriana Marines, American murder victim
* September 29 – Roy Lichtenstein, American artist

October

October 1 – Jerome H. Lemelson, American inventor
October 5
* Brian Pillman, American professional wrestler
* Arthur Tracy, American singer
October 6 – Johnny Vander Meer, American baseball player
October 9 – Arch Johnson, American actor
October 12 – John Denver, American musician
October 14 – Harold Robbins, American writer
October 16
* Audra Lindley, American actress
* James A. Michener, American writer
October 19 – Glen Buxton, American guitarist
October 21 – Dolph Camilli, American baseball player
October 23 – Claire Falkenstein, American sculptor and painter
October 24 – Don Messick, American voice actor
October 28 – Paul Jarrico, American screenwriter
October 29
* Andreas Gerasimos Michalitsianos, American astrophysicist
* Anton Szandor LaVey, American author and Satanist
October 30 – Samuel Fuller, American screenwriter and director
October 31 – Sidney Darlington, American engineer

November

November 1 – Victor Mills, American chemical engineer
November 3 – Wally Bruner, American television host and journalist
November 11 – Rod Milburn, American athlete
November 13 – Dawud M. Mu'Min, murderer
November 14 – Eddie Arcaro, American jockey
November 15 – Douglas MacArthur II, American diplomat
November 22 – Joanna Moore, American actress
November 23 – Hulda Crooks, American mountaineer
November 30 – Kathy Acker, American author

December

December 2 – Michael Hedges, American composer and guitarist
December 14 – Stubby Kaye, American actor
December 16
* Lillian Disney, American artist
* Nicolette Larson, American pop singer
* Thomas J. Parmley, American academic
December 18 – Chris Farley, American actor and comedian
December 19
* David Schramm, American astrophysicist
* Jimmy Rogers, American musician
December 20 – Denise Levertov, English-born American poet
December 21 – Amie Comeaux, American country singer
December 23 – Stanley Cortez, American cinematographer
December 25 – Denver Pyle, American actor
December 31
* Floyd Cramer, American pianist
* Billie Dove, American actress
* Michael LeMoyne Kennedy, American socialite