May 14, 1727 – Physicist and perfecter of the thermometer Gabriel Fahrenheit is born in Gdansk, Poland.
May 12, 1820 – British nurse and public health advocate Florence Nightingale is born in Florence, Italy.
May 11, 1888 – Prolific popular song writer Irving Berlin is born in Tolochin, Russia.
May 12, 1907 – Four-time academy award winning actress Katharine Hepburn is born Hartford, Connecticut.