Birthdays, Mine & Others

Do you know who celebrates the same birthday as youself?

Birthday cards displayed on our bookcases

Since today is my 🎂 birthday, I did an online search to see who else was celebrating even if we won't be doing so together. As mentioned last week, we’re on a celebratory adventure. I already knew the names of a few of these famous co-celebrants. It was interesting to learn that many of those also celebrating today are (or were) active in the creative arts fields, like these folks:

• Nathan Lane, actor
• Blythe Danner, actor, singer, dancer
• Amal Clooney, lawyer & human rights activist
• Fran Tarkenton, football quarterback and announcer
• James Michener (1909-1997), author
• Morgan Fairchild, actress
• Maura Tierney, actress
• Bridget Regan, actress
• John Handy, musician
• Shelley Berman (1925-2017), comedian and actor
• Horace Greeley, newspaper editor & publisher
• Warwick Davis, actor & TV show host
• Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, 1st woman in U.S. to receive a medical degree
• Daddy Yankee (Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez), rapper and singer

So, it seems I am in some very well known birthday company.

Some February 3 birthday folks along with myself

Aside from birthday celebrations of myself and others, the date of February 3 is significant in several other ways — historic, sweet and very tragic.

On this day in 1870, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, which guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race and intending to ensure, with the 14th Amendment, the civil rights of former slaves.

For those who enjoy cake, In the U.S. today is National Carrot Cake Day, a sweet and delicious way to celebrate. That has me thinking that I will have a piece tonight.

Sadly, it's also known as The Day the Music Died in reference to the deaths of three young pop music stars: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, Jr. All died in a 1959 plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. Don McLean's 1971 hit song was in homage to their passing.

In astrology, Aquarius is the 11th sign of the zodiac, considered as governing the period from January 20 to February 18. I knew that there was Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In popularized by the American pop vocal group, the 5th Dimension was a song associated with the sign.

According to the "birthday paradox," in a random group of 23 people, there is about a 50% chance two people will share a birthday. Any more than that, and it gets increasingly likely that a pair of matching birthdays exist. It's considered a paradox as it goes against our intuitive understanding of probability

While that be true, I know that in my own family, I shared this birthday with my late cousin, Richard, was also born on Feb 3; his older brother will be celebrating on Feb 5.

Did you know that the other 11 signs of the zodiac (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn and Pisces) also have songs named for them? 

Here's some examples, most nearly all of these songs were unknown to me: 

• Aries: "Aries" by Gorillaz, "Aries (YuGo)" by EMike WiLL Made-It
• Taurus: "Dirty Taurus" by EAnt Beale, "Taurus" by EAby Coulibaly
• Gemini: "Gemini (2 Sides)" by E Wale, "Gemini Feed" by BANKS
• Virgo: "Virgo" by Atmosphere, "Virgo" by Victor Internet
• Libra: "Libra" by Pity Party (Girls Club)
• Scorpio: "Scorpio Rising" by Soccer Mommy
• Sagittarius: "Sagittarius" by 88GLAM, "Sagittarius" by Trevor Hall
• Capricorn: "Capricorn Dancer" by Richard Clapton, "Capricorn" by Elderbrook
• Aquarius: "Aquarius" by Tinashe
• Pisces: "Pisces" by RIZ LA VIE, "Pisces Dream" by Shamefac

An interesting statistic is that my birth month, February, comes in last place when birth months of the year are ranked. According to online data sources, birth months from most common to least common are: August, July, September, October, May, December, March, June, January, November and April. Where do you rank?

Did You Know?

More people are born in summer (May to August) than in winter (October to January). And, the most common birthday is September 9 (also my late mother's birthday). This is based on data collected for over 20 years by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics and the Social Security Administration. 

On average, over 12,000 babies are born on September 9 annually. Nine of the top 10 most popular birthdays fall between September 9 and September 20. 

Famous September 9 Celebrants

If you were born on the most popular day of the year, here's some of the famous folks who also share the same birthday:

• Adam Sandler
• Hugh Grant
• Michelle Williams
• Otis Redding (1941-1967)
• Colonel Harland Saunders (1890-1980)
• Angela Cartwright
• Michael Bublé
• Cesare Pavese
• Tom Wopat
• Eric Stonestreet
• Zoe Kazan
• William Miller
• Kelsey Asbille
• Henry Thomas
• Constance Marie

Some folks who celebrate on Sept 9, including my late mother

What's the Rarest Birthday?

Out of the 365 annual calendar days, that would be December 25, Christmas Day. These folks, among others, celebrate both a birthday and holiday:

• Jeremy Strong
• Justin Trudeau
• Issac Newton (1643-1727)
• Anwar el-Sadat (1918-1981)
• Jimmy Buffett (1946-2023) 
• Clara Barton (1821-1912)
• Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957)
• Annie Lennox
• Rod Serling (1924-1975)
• Eartha Kitt (1927-2008)
• Sissy Spacek
• Barbara Mandrell

Happy Birthday & Merry Christmas to these folks

While Christmas Day might be the rarest birthday, the least common birthday occurs on leap year, February 29. That's because since this date only happens once every four years, it yields the least number of birthdays. The odds of being born on Leap Day are 1 in 1,461 and that's compared to 1 in 365 for any other day of the year. So, if your birthday is on this date, it's a very special one — celebrated years longer than others.

And, now you know the rest of my birthday story (for now).

Thanks, in advance, for the birthday wishes; taking a blog break for a few days.