October 7, 1939

1939John Hopcroft, American computer scientist and author^[†]

John Edward Hopcroft is an American theoretical computer scientist. His textbooks on theory of computation and data structures are regarded as standards in their fields. He is a professor emeritus at Cornell University, co-director of the Center on Frontiers of Computing Studies at Peking University, the director of the John Hopcroft Center for Computer Science at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Hopcroft Center on Computer Science at Huazhong University of Science and Tecnology.

1939Clive James, Australian television host, author, and critic (died 2019)^[†]

Clive James was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019. He began his career specialising in literary criticism before becoming television critic for The Observer in 1972, where he made his name for his wry, deadpan humour.

1939Harry Kroto, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2016)^[†]

Sir Harold Walter Kroto was an English chemist. He shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Robert Curl and Richard Smalley for their discovery of fullerenes. He was the recipient of many other honors and awards.

1939Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Congolese cardinal (died 2021)^[†]

Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya was a Congolese prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the Archbishop of Kinshasa from 2007 to 2018. He became a cardinal in 2010. He was widely recognized as a champion of peace, dialogue, and human rights.

1939Bill Snyder, American football player and coach^[†]

William D. Snyder is an American retired college football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at Kansas State University from 1989 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2018. Snyder initially retired from the position from 2006 to 2008 before being rehired. Snyder retired for the second time on December 2, 2018, and is serving as a special ambassador for the athletics department.

1939Harvey Williams Cushing, American neurosurgeon and academic (born 1869)^[†]

Harvey Williams Cushing was an American neurosurgeon, pathologist, writer, and draftsman. A pioneer of brain surgery, he was the first exclusive neurosurgeon and the first person to describe Cushing's disease. He wrote a biography of physician William Osler in three volumes.