Born on This Day: February 9

American military officer and president whose frontier career and election reflected the growth of mass democratic politics.

American reform politician whose contested presidential election of 1876 shaped the end of Reconstruction.

German engineer whose engine and automobile designs contributed fundamentally to modern motor transportation.

American poet and critic whose advocacy helped establish Imagism and broaden the audience for modern poetry.

Russian theater director whose experimental staging and actor-training methods transformed modern performance.

American performer and writer whose wit and theatrical persona reshaped burlesque and popular entertainment.

American singer whose honky-tonk recordings helped define modern country music.

Irish playwright and writer whose works joined political experience, humor, and vernacular speech in modern Irish literature.