Honorable Mention: January 2, 1903, Kane Tanaka. At the age of 119, she is the oldest verified living person in the world, and the 3rd-oldest verified person ever. As far as I know, she is not related to former Yankee pitcher Masahiro Tanaka.
Honorable Mention: January 2, 1967, Tia Carrere. Among other things, the star of the TV series Relic Hunter, which asked the question, "What if Indiana Jones, Bruce Lee and Wonder Woman were all the same person, and actually good at her job?"
Honorable Mention: January 2, 1968, Cuba Gooding Jr.; and January 2, 1971, Taye Diggs. In 1996, Diggs was in Rent on Broadway, and Gooding was in the movie Jerry Maguire. It makes me wish that Jerry Maguire had been a musical first, and that Diggs had originated the role of Rod "Show me the money!" Tidwell.
Honorable Mention: January 2, 1999: Fernando Tatis Jr. It's too soon to say he's going to make the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he's already a better player than his father ever was, and his father was a good one.
10. January 2, 1909: Barry Goldwater. A bomber pilot in World War II, he was elected to the U.S. Senate from Arizona in 1952, and by 1960 was considered the leader of the conservative movement in the Republican Party. He was nominated for President in 1964, but, by the standards of the time, was considered so extreme that he lost 44 out of 50 States.
Times changed. By the time another truly conservative President, Ronald Reagan, was elected in 1980, Goldwater seemed like a moderate. He remained an ardent anti-Communist to the end, but supported gay rights and the right to abortion, and said that letting religious activists run the Republican Party would lead to disaster. On this, in my heart, I know he was right.
9. January 2, 1928: Dan Rostenkowski. From 1959 to 1995, "Rosty" was one of the toughest members of Congress, coming out of a District on the North Side of Chicago. He spent 13 years as Chairman of the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means, becoming known as "The King of Pork." His career ended when he was convicted of mail fraud, and he spent a year and a half in prison. But he helped millions of people, and the person he hurt the most was himself.
8. January 2, 1920: Isaac Asimov. The man wrote over 700 books, and they were hardly all science fiction. They were as varied as Asimov's Guide to the Bible and Asimov's Treasury of Humor.
7. January 2, 1727: James Wolfe. This British General won the Battle of Quebec in 1759, guaranteeing British control over what became Canada. He died in the battle, though, only 32 years old.
6. January 2, 1936: Roger Miller. The country singer was best known for his 1965 hit "King of the Road."
5. January 2, 1963: Edgar Martinez. A borderline Hall-of-Famer, but one of the best hitters of his generation.
4. January 2, 1870: George "Tex" Rickard. America's 1st great boxing promoter, he oversaw the title reigns of Jack Johnson, Jess Willard, Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney. When the holder of the deed to the 2nd Madison Square Garden foreclosed, Rickard built the 3rd Garden, at 49th Street and 8th Avenue, and not only ran its boxing operations, but founded a hockey team, which was nicknamed "Tex's Rangers," and the name stuck.
But he wasn't an actual boxer, so I have to put one ahead of him:
3. January 2, 1964: Pernell Whitaker."Sweet Pea" won a Gold Medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. His 1st professional title was in 1989, as IBF Lightweight Champion. His last was in 1995, as WBA Super Welterweight Champion.
2. January 2, 1926: Gino Marchetti. One of the greatest defensive ends ever, he was the Captain of the Baltimore Colts teams that won the 1958 and 1959 NFL Championships. The 1958 NFL Championship Game is considered one of the greatest games in football history, and although he broke his ankle, he refused to be taken to the locker room to get it worked on: He wanted to see the game to its conclusion.
Late in life, he said his proudest accomplishment was that, in 14 seasons, 9 of which ended in Pro Bowls, he was never called for a 15-yard penalty. He later started the hamburger chain Gino's.
1. January 2, 1963: David Cone. No, he's not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But how many baseball players are truly loved by fans of both the Yankees and the Mets?
Still alive as of this writing: Mrs. Tanaka, Carrere, Gooding, Diggs, Tatis, Martinez and Cone.