Krist Novoselic — the American musician and activist who co-founded Nirvana — was born on this day — May 16, 1965 — in Compton, California.

Novoselic holds a BSc in social sciences from Washington State University.

:::

Ras Jua Baraka — the 40th and current mayor of Newark, New Jersey — was born on this day — April 9, 1969 — Newark, New Jersey.

He holds a BA from Howard University in Political Science and an Masters Degree in Education from St. Peter’s University.

:::

Sahra Wagenknecht — the German economist and founder of the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht — was born on this day — July 16, 1969 — in Jena, Bezirk Gera, East Germany.

She holds an MA from the University of Groningen and a PhD in microeconomics from TU Chemnitz.

:::

Kurt Cobain – the American singer, songwriter and artist – died at the age of 27 on this day – April 5, 1994 – in Seattle, Washington.

:::

Baltasar Ebang Engonga – who until late 2024 served as head of the National Agency for Financial Investigation (ANIF) in Equatorial Guinea – was born on thid day – March 15, 1970.

He holds a degree in economics and finance from the University of Malabo.

:::

Sara Nelson — the American Union Leader who serves as President of the Association of Flight Attendants — was born on March 11, 1973 in Corvallis, Oregon.

Ms. Nelson holds a BA in theater from Principa College.

:::

Kurt Cobain – the American singer, songwriter and artist – was born on February 20, 1967 in Aberdeen, Washington.

In 1985 Cobain founded the short-lived punk band Fecal Matter, and more famously, he founded Nirvana in 1987.

:::

Andrew Breitbart — an American journalist who founded Breitbart News and co-founded HuffPost — was born on this day — February 1, 1969 — in Los Angeles, California. Tragically, he passed away in 2012.

Mr. Breitbart is best remembered for his formulation “politics is downstream from culture” – which has come to be known as The Breitbart Doctrine. He was educated at the Brentwood School and holds a BA in American studies from Tulane University.

:::

Zack de la Rocha – best known for his work as vocalist and lyricist for Rage Against the Machine – was born on this day – January 12, 1970 – in Long Beach, California.

Dmitri O’Bannon here: I recently learned that Zack de la Rocha wrote the afterword for the upcoming book Fearless Vampire Killers: The Bad Brains Photographs by Glen E. Friedman. This book will ship on April 1, 2025.

:::

Bradley Charles Cooper — the American actor — was born on this day — January 5, 1975 — in Abington Township, Pennsylvania.

He holds a BA from Georgetown University — where he majored in English and minored in French — and an MFA in acting from the Actors Studio Drama School at The New School.

:::