August 26, 1951

1951Gerd Bonk, German weightlifter (died 2014)^[†]

Gerd Bonk was an East German weightlifter who was active from 1969 to 1980 who won silver at the 1976 Summer Olympics, bronze at the 1972 Summer Olympics, and set three world records. He was the first man in history to clean and jerk 250 kg (551 lb). He also achieved numerous other top-three placements at World Championships and European Weightlifting Championships. He was also a master mechanic.

1951Bill Whitaker, American journalist^[†]

Bill Whitaker is an American television journalist and a correspondent for the CBS News program 60 Minutes.

1951Edward Witten, American physicist and academic^[†]

Edward Witten is an American theoretical physicist known for his contributions to string theory, topological quantum field theory, and various areas of mathematics. He is a professor emeritus in the school of natural sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Witten is a researcher in string theory, quantum gravity, supersymmetric quantum field theories, and other areas of mathematical physics. Witten's work has also significantly impacted pure mathematics. In 1990, he became the first physicist to be awarded a Fields Medal by the International Mathematical Union, for his mathematical insights in physics, such as his 1981 proof of the positive energy theorem in general relativity, and his interpretation of the Jones invariants of knots as Feynman integrals. He is considered the practical founder of M-theory.