Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. was an American physician, poet, and polymath based in Boston. Grouped among the fireside poets, he was acclaimed by his peers as one of the best writers of the day. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table (1858). He was also an important medical reformer. In addition to his work as an author and poet, Holmes also served as a physician, professor, lecturer, inventor, and, although he never practiced it, he received formal training in law.

29 August 1809

Born on the same birth day (29 August): Carsten Fischer • Dante Basco • David Boaz • Dhyan Chand • Francine D. Blau • Han Yong-un • Heinrich von Bellegarde • James Brady • Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres • Jerry Bailey • Jimmy C. Newman • John McCain • Jon Dahl Tomasson • Juan Bautista Alberdi • Nathan Pritikin • Pablo Mastroeni • Pebbles (musician) • Phil Harvey (band manager) • Preston Sturges • Werner Forssmann

Born in the same month (August 1809): Alfred, Lord Tennyson • Hannibal Hamlin • John Kirk Townsend • William B. Travis