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… of Willie McCovey. “Stretch,” a baseball hall-of-famer, is 69.

… of Scott McKenzie. Going to San Francisco with some flowers in his hair at 68.

… of Rod Stewart. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee is 62.

… of William Sanderson. The character actor (E.B. Farnum in “Deadwood,” Larry on “Newhart”) is 59.

… of George Foreman. The boxing hall-of-famer and cook is 58. Foreman has five daughters and five sons and has named all of the sons George: George Jr., George III, George IV, George V, and George VI.

… of Patricia Mae Andrzejewski. Pat Benatar is 54. She won four consecutive Grammy awards in the 1980s for “Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female.”

… of Shawn Colvin. The singer is 51.

… of Bart Starr. The hall-of-fame quarterback is 73.

… of Dick Enberg. The sportscaster is 72 (oh, my!).

… of Joan Baez. The singer is 66.

… of Jimmy Page. The Led Zeppelin rocker is 63.

Combining the visceral power and intensity of hard rock with the finesse and delicacy of British folk music, Led Zeppelin redefined rock in the Seventies and for all time. They were as influential in that decade as the Beatles were in the prior one. Their impact extends to classic and alternative rockers alike. Then and now, Led Zeppelin looms larger than life on the rock landscape as a band for the ages with an almost mystical power to evoke primal passions. The combination of Jimmy Page’s powerful, layered guitar work, Robert Plant’s keening, upper-timbre vocals, John Paul Jones’ melodic bass playing and keyboard work, and John Bonham’s thunderous drumming made for a band whose alchemy proved enchanting and irresistible. “The motto of the group is definitely, ‘Ever onward,’” Page said in 1977, perfectly summing up Led Zeppelin’s forward-thinking philosophy. (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

… of Brenda Gayle Webb. Loretta Lynn’s little sister Crystal Gayle is 56.

… of Dave Matthews. He’s 40.

Tia Carrere, 40.

Cuba Gooding Jr., 39.

Christy Turlington, 38.

Taye Diggs, 36.

Paz Vega, 31.

Oh, and anti-hottie Dennis Hastert is 65.

… of J.D. Salinger. The reclusive author of Catcher in the Rye is 88.

… of Frank Langella. The actor is 67.

… of Country Joe McDonald. Give me an “F”… He’s 65.

… of Grandmaster Flash. The rapper is 49.

Also born on New Year’s Day:

Betsy Ross in 1752.

William Fox (of Fox Pictures) in 1879.

“Wild Bill” Donovan in 1883. Donovan directed the American Office of Strategic Service during World War II, precursor to the CIA.

J. Edgar Hoover, in 1895.

Barry Goldwater in 1909.

… of Odetta. The folk and blues singer is 76.

… of Anthony Hopkins. The Oscar winner is 69. Hopkins has been nominated for Best Actor three times, winning for The Silence of the Lambs. He was also nominated as Best Supporting Actor for Amistad.

… of Tim Considine. Spin of “Spin and Marty” is 66. Considine was also the oldest of “My Three Sons” and played the soldier slapped by General Patton in the film Patton.

… of Sarah Miles. The Oscar nominee (best actress for Ryan’s Daughter) is 65.

… of Ben Kingsley. The Oscar winner is 63. He won Best Actor for his portrayal of Gandhi. He was also nominated for Best Actor for House of Sand and Fog and twice for Best Supporting Actor.

… of Diane Von Furstenberg. The fashion designer is 60.

… of Tim Matheson. Animal House’s “Otter,” better known recently as Vice President John Hoynes on “West Wing,” is 59.

… of Donna Summer. The Bad Girl is 58.

… of Bebe Neuwirth. Lilith is 48. Ms. Neuwirth won the Emmy twice for this role on Cheers.

… of Val Kilmer. “Iceman” is 47.

… of Gong Li. The actress is 41.

Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. was born in Roswell, New Mexico, on this date in 1943. His grandmother gave him a guitar while he lived in Tucson and eventually he became John Denver. Denver died in 1997 when his experimental plane crashed into Monterey Bay.

George C. Marshall was born on this date in 1880.

Few Americans in the twentieth century have left a greater legacy to world peace than George C. Marshall (1880-1959). As chief of staff of the United States Army during World War II, it fell to Marshall to raise, train, and equip an army of several million men. It was Marshall who selected the officer corps and it was Marshall who played a leading role in planning military operations on a global scale. In the end, it was Marshall whom British Prime Minister Winston Churchill hailed as “the true organizer of victory.”

Yet history will associate Marshall foremost as the author of the Marshall Plan. The idea of extending billions of American dollars for European economic recovery was not his alone. He was only one of many Western leaders who realized the tragic consequences of doing nothing for those war-shattered countries in which basic living conditions were deplorable and still deteriorating two years after the end of the fighting. But Marshall, more than anyone else, led the way. In an address at Harvard University on June 5, 1947, Marshall, in his capacity as secretary of state, articulated the general principles of the Marshall Plan. (National Portrait Gallery)

Marshall won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.

Henri Matisse was born on this date in 1869. With Picasso, Matisse is considered the pinnacle of 20th century painting.

The WebMuseum has details of the life and works of Matisse including several examples.

Matisse died in 1954.