October 6 birthdays
1888 ROLAND GARROS French aviator
Garros was a pioneer aviator and fighter pilot in World War I. He started his aviation career in 1909 and set an altitude record of 3950m in 1911. In 1928, the Roland Garros Tennis Stadium (home of the French Open) was named in his honour.
1905 HELEN WILLS MOODY American tennis player
Moody held top position in women’s tennis for nine years. She won 19 Grand Slam singles titles in her career and another 12 doubles and mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. She had a 180-match winning streak from 1927 until 1933.
1914 THOR HEYERDAHL Norwegian adventurer
Heyerdahl is best remembered for his Kon-tiki expedition in 1947, during which he sailed more than 8000km across the Pacific Ocean on a hand-built raft. He was given a state funeral after his death in 2002.
1930 RICHIE BENAUD Australian cricketer
Benaud was a valuable allrounder and helped Australian back to the top of international cricket in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He played 63 Tests, scoring 2201 runs and taking 248 wickets. He captained Australia from 1958 until 1964.
1946 TONG GREIG English cricketer
Born in South Africa, Grieg qualified to play for England due to his Scottish heritage. He played in a total of 58 Test matches, scoring 3599 runs and taking 141 wickets with his medium-pace and off-spin bowling.
1948 GERRY ADAMS Northern Irish politician
Adams was president of Sinn Fein from 1983 until 2018. In 1984, he was wounded in an assassination attempt by several gunmen from the
Ulster Defence Association. Adams was an important figure in the Northern Ireland peace process.
1963 ELISABETH SHUE American actor
Shue is best known for her roles in the films The Karate Kid, Cocktail and Back to the Future, parts two and three. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Leaving Las Vegas.