On this day in 1883, Nicholas Andrea Dandolos was born.  He would later become known as Nick the Greek - a professional gambler and high roller from Crete. [Thackery Gambling Secrets of Nick the Greek]

On this day, Mickey MacDougall was born. MacDougall accompanied Edward Thorp to Las Vegas and Reno to test out Thorp's new card counting system in 1962. 

On this day in 1903, John Scarne was born.  Scarne was once considered the World's Foremost Gambling Authority.

On this day in 1906, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was born.  Siegel opened the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

On this day in 1915,  Lawrence Revere was born.  Revere is best known for his ground breaking book Playing Blackjack as a Business.  Revere was inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame in 2005.

On this day in 1919, Jess Marcum (originally Marcovitch) was born.  Many believe that Marcum’s counting method was the first point count system used to gain an advantage in blackjack.

On this day in 1923, Edna Luckman was born.   She, with her late husband John, founded the Gambler's Book Club in Las Vegas in 1964.  The Luckmans published more than 130 books on gambling.

On this day in 1923, Edward Gordon (aka D. Howard Mitchell) was born.  Gordon was the author of the DHM card counting systems.

On this day in 1924, Allan Wilson was born.  Author of the classic book The Casino Gambler's Guide he was one of the early computer analysts of blackjack. 

On this day in 1924, John Luckman was born.   He, with his late wife Edna, founded the Gambler's Book Club in Las Vegas in 1964.  The Luckmans published more than 130 books on gambling.

On this day, Russell T. Barnhart was born. Barnhart accompanied Edward Thorp to Las Vegas and Reno to test out Thorp's new card counting system in 1962. 

On this day in 1927, Richard Arnold Epstein was born.  Epstein was the author of the book The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic which included an exhaustive section on blackjack theory and statistics.

On this day in 1928, Harvey Dubner was born.  Dubner is credited as the first person to publish a paper on the Hi-Lo count, which is used by many blackjack card counters today.

On this day in 1929, Julian Braun was born.  Braun was the author of the ground-breaking book How to Play Winning Blackjack and was a major influence in the development of computer proven blackjack systems. Inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame in 2005.

On this day in 1929, Roger Baldwin was born.  In the 1950s, Along with Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel and James McDermott, they discovered and published in the Journal of the American Statistical Association the first accurate basic strategy for blackjack, using only desk calculators.

On this day in 1930, James McDermott was born.   He was one of the  Four Horsemen of Aberdeen and a 2008 member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame.  McDermott passed away in 2018.

On this day in 1932, Ed Thorp was born.  Thorp is best known for his ground breaking book Beat the Dealer and is considered by most as the “inventor” of card counting.

On this day in 1932, John Gwynn Jr. was born.  Gwynn authored numerous papers on gambling theory and devoted many hours of his life analyzing and testing blackjack systems and strategies for publications like Blackjack Forum.

On this day in 1933, Keith Taft was born. Taft developed the first hidden toe-operated blackjack computer and was a major influence on the world of professional blackjack.  A 2004 member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame.

On this day in 1935, Ken Uston was born.  Uston was a professional player and best known for his book The Big Player and Million Dollar Blackjack.  Uston was inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame in 2003.

On this day in 1935, gambling publishing pioneer Stanley Sludikoff (aka Stanley Roberts) was born. Sludikoff published Gambling Times and Win Magazine between 1977 and 1993.  He was also the author of several blackjack books.

On this day in 1937, Peter Griffin was born.  Griffin was the author of the classic book, Theory of Blackjack and was one of the great theoretical pioneers of the game.  Inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame in 2003.

On this day in 1939, Lance Humble was born.  Humble co-authored the book, the Worlds Greatest Blackjack Book and developed the Hi-Opt I and Hi-Opt II card counting systems.

On this day in 1942, Steve Wynn was born.  Wynn played a major role in the resurgence and expansion of Las Vegas during the 1990s.

On this day in 1942, Paul Keen was born.  Keen was a well respected Las Vegas card counter and former Las Vegas reporter for Arnold Snyder’s Blackjack Forum. 

On this day in 1942, Bob Stupak was born.  Stupak, owner of the old Vegas World casino, is credited for introducing Double Exposure blackjack to Las Vegas.

On this day in 1943, Stanford Wong (aka John Ferguson) was born.  For his amazing contributions to the game he was elected in 2003, as one of the seven original inductees into the Blackjack Hall of Fame.

On this day in 1945, Howard Grossman was born.  He was a former professional card counter for many years who turned casino consultant and table games inventor, including the game Super Fun 21.

On this day in 1946, gambling book publisher and author John Gollehon was born.  Gollehon authored over two dozen gambling titles including the book All About Blackjack.

On this day in 1948, Arnold Snyder was born.  Snyder published Blackjack Forum magazine for over 23 years.  For his amazing contributions to the game he was elected in 2003, as one of the seven original inductees into the Blackjack Hall of Fame.

On this day in 1950, Robert Mike Turner was born.  We know him as "Bootlegger" and the author of the book Bootlegger's 200 Proof Blackjack.

On this day in 1953, Stu Ungar was born.   An expert poker and gin rummy player, Stu Ungar was also an accomplished blackjack card counter.

On this day in 1953, Robert Michael Canjar was born.  We know him as "MathProf", a well respected and regular contributor to many blackjack and advantage play websites.

On this day in 1955, Michael Dalton was born.  Dalton is the former publisher and editor of Blackjack Review magazine and author of the The Encyclopedia of Blackjack.

On this day in 1955, Bill Zender was born.    A professional level card counter and former casino executive, he has written several books on blackjack and managing casino games.

On this day in 1956, Steve Forte was born.    An expert in card manipulation, he is the author of one of the best instructional Gambler's Protection Series videos on cheating at cards and dice. Forte is also the author of the ground breaking book Read the Dealer and Casino Game Protection.

On this day in 1958, Eliot Jacobson was born.  Jacobson is the author of  the book Advanced Advantage Play and the creator of the original apheat.net site.

On this day in 1961, Zeljko Ranogajec was born.   Ranogajec was one of the most prolific and innovative APs of all time.  The legend goes that he started with only a few hundred dollars and built it into millions in blackjack and in other gambling endeavors.  A 2011 member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame.

On this day in 1965, Michael Shackleford was born.  Shackleford is the Wizard of Odds and a past winner of the Grosjean Cup at Max Rubin's Blackjack Ball.

On this day in 1968, Semyon Dukach was born.  A former professional blackjack player and member of the MIT Blackjack Team, his exploits are written about in Mezrich's second book called Busting Vegas.

On this day in 1969, professional poker player and former MIT blackjack team member Andy Bloch was born .

On this day in 1970, Mike Aponte was born.   Mike is a former member of the MIT Blackjack Team.  In 2004, he won the World Series of Blackjack and was co-founder of the Blackjack Institute.

On this day in 1973, Karel Janecek was born.  Janecek is the author of the software Statistical Blackjack Analyzer (SBA).

On this day in 1974, Dave Stann was born.  Stann is the author of the book Hollywood Blackjack: An Uncensored Guide to Doing It Like a Pro. 

On this day in 1975, Enrique Pena (Ricky) Velasco was born.  Also known as El Burro, a Las Vegas professional blackjack and advantage player.  Unfortunately, Ricky died young at the age of only 28.