10. February 27, 1930: Joanne Woodward. Although her husband, Paul Newman, was much more famous, she won an Academy Award long before he did. She is now the earliest living Oscar winner. In 1960, she received the 1st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Honorable Mention: February 27, 1940: Howard Hesseman. He played Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati, and Charlie Moore on Head of the Class.
9. February 27, 1961: James Worthy. He didn't like the nickname "Big Game James," but he earned it. He led North Carolina to the 1982 National Championship, and won NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1985, 1987 and 1988. He was named to the NBA's 50 and later 75 Greatest Players.
Honorable Mention: February 27, 1943: Carlos Alberto Parreira. Although he never played professional soccer, "Big Phil" became one of the sport's greatest managers. He won league titles in his native Brazil and Turkey, made a bigger mark in the international game, leading Brazil to win the 1994 World Cup. He also led the national teams of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the Asian Cup.
8. February 27, 1933: Raymond Berry. Every great quarterback needs a great receiver. For Johnny Unitas, that receiver was Berry. Until Jerry Rice, he was considered by some observers to be the greatest receiver in football history. He went on to become the 1st coach to lead the New England Patriots into a Super Bowl -- and he never had to cheat.
7. February 27, 1807: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Author of Evangeline, The Song of Hiawatha and the not-quite-accurate Paul Revere's Ride.
6. February 27, 1897: Marian Anderson. The 1st great black female opera singer, her nationally-broadcast concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 helped inspire the March On Washington in 1963, at which she also sang.
Honorable Mention: February 27, 1981: Josh Groban. He proved that, in the 21st Century, a person could sing, without hard rock or machines, and still sell millions of records.
5. February 27, 1902: John Steinbeck. The writer of the century for America's common man.
Honorable Mention: February 27, 1904: James T. Farrell. Author of the Studs Lonigan novels.
Honorable Mention: February 27, 1913: Irwin Shaw. Author of The Young Lions and Rich Man, Poor Man.
Honorable Mention: February 27, 1942: Charlayne Hunter-Gault. One of the 1st 2 black graduates of the University of Georgia, she became a journalist for National Public Radio, CNN and PBS.
4. February 27, 1891: David Sarnoff. He turned RCA, the Radio Corporation of America, into NBC, the National Broadcasting Company.
3. February 27, 1886: Hugo Black. As a U.S. Senator from Alabama, he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. When he was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, he usually voted on the side of civil rights, including Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
Honorable Mention: February 27, 1980: Chelsea Clinton. The only child of Bill and Hillary, she has followed her mother as a global health advocate and an author.
Somewhat Honorable Mention: February 27, 1934: Ralph Nader. He is the greatest consumer advocate of all time. But his role in the 2000 Presidential election can never be redeemed.
Dishonorable Mention: February 27, 1951: Lee Atwater. When he was dying, he regretted the horrible things he'd done as a Republican political operative. I wouldn't wish cancer on anybody, but for being the founding father of Republican racist dirty tricks, he deserved some pain.
2. February 27, AD 272: Emperor Constantine I of Rome. Yes, he was a tyrant. Most Roman Emperors were. But he reunited the Empire after winning a civil war, and brought Christianity out of the shadow and into the open. There was a reason he was known as Constantine the Great.
1. February 27, 1932: Elizabeth Taylor. It can be debated whether she was the greatest actress of her generation. But with her advocacy for recovery from substance abuse (based on her own experience) and for AIDS victims, she was a great humanitarian as well.
Still alive as of this writing: Woodward, Worthy, Parreira, Berry, Groban, Hunter-Gault, Clinton, Nader.