 actress who portrayed Melanie Hamilton in the film Gone with the Wind, and Thomas Dorsey, born on this date in 1899. Musician, composer, and Christian evangelist, influential in the development of early blues and 20th century gospel music, he penned 3,000 songs, a third of them gospel, including Take My Hand, Precious Lord, and Peace in the Valley. And that's a little bit of what happened and who you celebrate your birthday with. If your birthday is today, July the 1st, again, happy birthday to you.