| 120421 | October 21 | Birth | 1947 – Ai, American poet and educator (d. 2010) |
| 120422 | October 21 | Birth | 1947 – Mary Pipher, American psychologist and author |
| 120423 | October 21 | Birth | 1948 – Shaye J. D. Cohen, American historian and academic |
| 120424 | October 21 | Birth | 1948 – Tom Everett, American actor and singer |
| 120425 | October 21 | Birth | 1948 – Allen Henry Vigneron, American archbishop |
| 120426 | October 21 | Birth | 1949 – Michel Brière, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1971) |
| 120427 | October 21 | Birth | 1949 – Mike Keenan, Canadian ice hockey player and coach |
| 120428 | October 21 | Birth | 1949 – Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli captain and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Israel |
| 120429 | October 21 | Birth | 1950 – Ronald McNair, American physicist and astronaut (d. 1986) |
| 120430 | October 21 | Birth | 1952 – Trevor Chappell, Australian cricketer and coach |
| 120431 | October 21 | Birth | 1952 – Patti Davis, American actress and author |
| 120432 | October 21 | Birth | 1952 – Allen Hoey, American poet and author |
| 120433 | October 21 | Birth | 1952 – Brent Mydland, German-American keyboard player (Grateful Dead, Bobby and the Midnites, and Silver) (d. 1990) |
| 120434 | October 21 | Birth | 1953 – Charlotte Caffey, American guitarist and songwriter (The Go-Go's and The Graces) |
| 120435 | October 21 | Birth | 1953 – Eric Faulkner, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Bay City Rollers) |
| 120436 | October 21 | Birth | 1953 – Keith Green, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and minister (d. 1982) |
| 120437 | October 21 | Birth | 1953 – Marc Johnson, American bassist, composer, and bandleader |
| 120438 | October 21 | Birth | 1953 – Peter Mandelson, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland |
| 120439 | October 21 | Birth | 1954 – Brian Tobin, Canadian journalist and politician, 6th Premier of Newfoundland |
| 120440 | October 21 | Birth | 1955 – Dick DeVos, American businessman |
| 120441 | October 21 | Birth | 1955 – Fred Hersch, American pianist and composer |
| 120442 | October 21 | Birth | 1955 – Rich Mullins, American singer-songwriter (A Ragamuffin Band) (d. 1997) |
| 120443 | October 21 | Birth | 1956 – Carrie Fisher, American actress and screenwriter |
| 120444 | October 21 | Birth | 1956 – Mike Tully, American pole vaulter |
| 120445 | October 21 | Birth | 1957 – Julian Cope, English singer-songwriter (The Teardrop Explodes, Crucial Three, Black Sheep, Brain Donor, and Queen Elizabeth) |
| 120446 | October 21 | Birth | 1957 – Wolfgang Ketterle, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate |
| 120447 | October 21 | Birth | 1957 – Steve Lukather, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Toto) |
| 120448 | October 21 | Birth | 1958 – Andre Geim, Russian-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate |
| 120449 | October 21 | Birth | 1959 – George Bell, Dominican baseball player |
| 120450 | October 21 | Birth | 1959 – Tony Ganios, American actor, director, and producer |