January 7

Birthdays:

1966 ~ Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (d. 1999), wife of John F. Kennedy, Jr.  She was killed when the small plane husband was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while they were on their way to Martha’s Vineyard to attend a family wedding.  She was 33 years old.

1964 ~ Nicolas Cage, American actor.

1963 ~ Rand Paul, American ophthalmologist and presidential candidate in the 2016 United States Presidential campaign.

1957 ~ Katie Couric, American journalist and news reporter.

1956 ~ David Caruso, American actor best known for his role as Horatio on CSI:Miami.

1941 ~ John E. Walker, English chemist and recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

1925 ~ Gerald Durrell (d. 1995), British naturalist and author.  He wrote The Whispering Lands, which is about Patagonia.  He died 23 days after his 70^th birthday.

1916 ~ Elena Ceauşescu (d. 1989), Romanian politician and wife of former Romanian president, Nicolae Ceauşescu who was executed for her crimes against humanity.  She died 13 days before her 74^th birthday.

1912 ~ Charles Addams (d. 1988), American cartoonist who became famous for his dark humor.  His cartoons were published in The New Yorker.  His characters inspired The Addams family, which was a TV series in the 1960s, and later became a Broadway musical.  He died at age 76.

1911 ~ Thelma “Butterfly” McQueen (d. 1995), African-American actress best known for her roll as Prissy, Scarlett O’Hara’s maid in Gone with the Wind.  She died 15 days before her 85^th birthday.

1911 ~ Jean Carroll (née Celine Zeigman, d. 2010), American female comic who blazed new trails in stand-up.  She died 6 days before her 99^th birthday.

1910 ~ Orval Faubus (d. 1994), 36^th Governor of Arkansas.  He is best known for his 1957 stand against desegregation of the public schools in Little Rock.  He died 3 weeks before his 85^th birthday.

1873 ~ Adolph Zukor (d. 1976), Hungarian-American film producer and co-founder of Paramount Pictures.

1891 ~ Zora Neale Hurston (d. 1960), African-American author.  She died 2 weeks after her 69^th birthday.

1871 ~ Émile Borel (né Félix Édouard Justin Émile Borel, d. 1956), French mathematician, known for his work in areas of measure theory and probability.  He died less than a month after his 85^th birthday.

1858 ~ Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (d. 1922), a Jewish lexicographer who was the driving spirit behind the revival of the Hebrew language in the modern era.  He died 3 weeks before his 65^th birthday.

1837 ~ Thomas Henry Ismay (d. 1899), founder of the White Star Line shipping company, which was the owner of the Titanic.  He died at age 62.

1827 ~ Sir Sanford Fleming (d. 1915), Canadian engineer who introduced the Universal Standard Time to the world.  He died at age 88.

1800 ~ Millard Filmore (d. 1874), the 13^th President of the United States.  He inherited the Presidency following the death of President Zachary Taylor.  He was President from July 1850 until March 1853.  He died at age 74.

1786 ~ John Catron (d. 1865), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was appointed to the High Court by President Andrew Jackson.  He served on the Court from March 1837 until his death at age 79 in May 1865.

1713 ~ Israel Putnam (d. 1790), American Revolutionary War general, best known for his role in leading the Battle of Bunker Hill.  He died at age 72.

1502 ~ Pope Gregory XIII (né Ugo Boncompagni, d. 1585).  He reigned for almost 13 years, beginning in May 1572 until his death in 1585.  He died at age 83.

Events that Changed the World:

2015 ~ Islamic terrorists entered the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine office, in Paris, France, and opened fire killing 12 people, and injuring 11 others.

2010 ~ Muslim gunmen in Egypt fired on a crowd of Coptic Christians who were celebrating Christmas Mass.  Nine people were killed including eight of the Christians and one Muslim bystander.

1999 ~ The Senate trial in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton (b. 1946) began.

1990 ~ The Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed to the public for safety concerns.  After several years of corrective reconstruction and stabilization, the Tower reopened in December 2001.

1989 ~ Prince Akihito (b. 1933) was sworn in as emperor of Japan following the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito (1901 ~ 1998).

1980 ~ President Jimmy Carter (b. 1924) authorized legislation granting $1.5 Billion in loans to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.

1979 ~ Pol Pot (1925 ~ 1998) and the Khmer Rouge were ousted from the Cambodian government.

1973 ~ Mark Essex’s (1949 ~ 1973) 8-day killing spree ended after he fatally shot 10 people and wounded 13 others at a Howard Johnson’s hotel in New Orleans.  He was then shot and killed.  The killing began when he began to target New Orleans police officers on New Year’s Eve.

1959 ~ The United States recognized the Cuban government of Fidel Castro (1926 ~ 2016).

1955 ~ Marian Anderson (1897 ~ 1993) performed in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera at the Metropolitan Opera.  She was the first African-American to perform at the Met.

1942 ~ The siege of the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines, began.  The Battle of Bataan was one the most intense phases of Japan’s invasion of the Philippines.

1940 ~ During the Winter War, the Finnish 9^th Division stopped and completely destroyed the Russian forces.

1927 ~ The first transatlantic telephone service was established from New York to London, England.

1894 ~ William Kennedy Dickson (1860 ~ 1935) received a patent for motion picture film.

1785 ~ The first balloon flight crossed the English Channel from Dover, England to Calais, France, carrying Jean-Pierre Blanchard (1753 ~ 1809) and American John Jeffries (1745 ~ 1819).

1782 ~ The first American commercial bank, the Bank of North America, opened.

1610 ~ Galileo (1564 ~ 1642) observed four moons of the planet Jupiter, known as the Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa (although technically, the latter two were distinguishable until the following day).

1608 ~ A fire destroyed Jamestown, Virginia.

1598 ~ Boris Godunov (1551 ~ 1605) became Czar of Russia by seizing the throne.  His coronation would take place in September 1598.

1558 ~ France took Calais, the last continental possession of England.

1325 ~ Alfonso IV (1291 ~ 1357) became King of Portugal.

Good-Byes:

2015 ~ Rodney Taylor (b. 1930), Australian actor who battled The Birds in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 movie.  He died 4 days before his 85^th birthday.

2013 ~ Richard Ben Cramer (b. 1950), American political journalist and author.  He died of lung cancer at age 62.

2012 ~ Herbert Wilf (b. 1931), American mathematician.  He died at age 80.

1998 ~ Vladimir Prelog (b. 1906), Croatian chemist and recipient of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He died at age 91.

1988 ~ Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (b. 1901), leader of Japan during World War II.  He died at age 87.

1984 ~ Alfred Kaster (b. 1902), French physicist and recipient of the 1966 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He died at age 81.

1945 ~ Alexander Stirling Calder (b. 1870), American sculptor.  He was the father of son, also named Alexander Calder.  Alexander the father died 4 days before his 75^th birthday.

1944 ~ Lou Henry Hoover (b. 1874), First Lady and wife of President Herbert Hoover.  She died at age 69.

1943 ~ Nikola Tesla (b. 1856), Serbian-American physicist and inventor.  He is born in what is now considered modern Croatia, but at the time of his birth was under the Austrian empire.  He died at age 86 in New York City.

1893 ~ Jožef Stafan (b. 1835), Slovenian physicist and mathematician.  He died at age 57.

1864 ~ Caleb Blood Smith (b. 1808), 6^th United States Secretary of the Interior.  He served under President Abraham Lincoln from March 1861 through December 1862.  He then became a Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Indiana.  He died at age 55.

1655 ~ Pope Innocent X (né Giovanni Battista Pamphilj, b. 1574).  He reigned as Pope for over 10 years, from 1644 until his death in January 1655.  He died at age 80.

1536 ~ Catherine of Aragon (b. 1485), first wife of Henry VIII of England.  Henry’s attempt to have their marriage annulled ultimately led to England’s split from the Catholic Church.  Henry defied the Pope and declared supremacy over religious matters, thereby allowing him to terminate his marriage to Catherine.  Catherine died 3 weeks after her 50^th birthday.

1451 ~ Antipope Felix V (b. 1383).  He died at age 67.

1325 ~ King Denis of Portugal (b. 1261).  He died at age 63.

January 2

Birthdays:

1975 ~ Dax Shepard, American actor and movie director.

1969 ~ Christy Turlington, American model.

1968 ~ Cuba Gooding, Jr., American actor.

1942 ~ Dennis Hastert, 59^th Speaker of the House of Representatives.  In 2015, he was indicted on federal charges of structuring bank withdrawals to evade banking reporting requirements.  This led to an investigation of allegations of sexually abusing young boys when he was a teacher years earlier.  In 2015, he entered a plea deal and was sentenced to federal prison.

1940 ~ Jim Bakker, American televangelist.

1940 ~ S.R. Srinivasa Varadhan, Indian mathematician.

1936 ~ Roger Miller (d. 1992), American singer-songwriter, best known for his song, King of the Road.  He died of lung cancer at age 56.

1933 ~ Richard Riley, 6^th United States Secretary of Education.  He served under President Bill Clinton from January 1992 until January 2001.

1931 ~ James D. Murray, British mathematician.

1920 ~ Isaac Asimov (né Isaak Ozimov, d. 1992), American science-fiction writer and biochemistry professor.  He taught at Boston University.  He died at age 72.

1915 ~ John Hope Franklin (b. 2009), African-American historian.  He died at age 94.

1909 ~ Barry M. Goldwater (d. 1998), American politician and 1964 US Presidential candidate.  He died at age 89.

1905 ~ Lev Schnirelmann (d. 1938), Russian mathematician.  He committed suicide at age 33.

1898 ~ Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (d. 1989), American economist and attorney.  She was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D in Economic in the United States.  She died at age 91.

1884 ~ Ben-Zion Dinur (d. 1973), Russian-born Israeli educator and historian.  He served as the 4^th Israeli Minister of Education.  He served as Minister of Education from 1951 until 1955.  He died at age 89.

1836 ~ Queen Emma of Hawaii (d. 1885).  She died at age 49.

1836 ~ Mendele Movkher Sforim (d. 1917), Russian-born Jewish writer.  He died at age 80.

1822 ~ Rudolf Clausius (né Rudolf Gottleib, d. 1888), Polish-born mathematician.  He died at age 66.

1727 ~ James Wolfe (d. 1759), British general whose success at the Battle of Quebec in 1759, conquered Canada for the British Empire.  During the battle, however, Wolfe was shot three times and succumbed to his wounds.  He was 32 years old.

Events that Changed the World:

2006 ~ An explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia trapped thirteen miners for two days, all but one of the miners died due to carbon monoxide poisoning before rescue teams could reach them.

1974 ~ President Richard Nixon (1913 ~ 1994) signed a bill lowering the speed limit to 55 MPH to conserve gas during the OPEC embargo.

1967 ~ Ronald Reagan (1911 ~ 2004) was sworn in as Governor of California.

1942 ~ Japanese forces captured Manila, Philippines during World War II.

1935 ~ Bruno Hauptmann (1899 ~ 1936) went on trial for the kidnapping and murder of the infant son of Charles and Anna Lindbergh.  He was ultimately found guilty and was executed.

1900 ~ John Hay (1838 ~ 1905), Secretary of State under the William McKinley administration, announced the “Open Door Policy” to promote trade between the US and China.

1833 ~ British rule was re-established in the Falkland Islands.

1788 ~ Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution.

1777 ~ During the American Revolutionary War, American forces, under the command of General George Washington, repulsed an attack by the British at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek, near Trenton, New Jersey.

1492 ~ During the Spanish Reconquista, the Emirate of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold surrendered to Spain.

533 ~ Mercurius became Pope John II (b. 470), the first pope to adopt a new name upon becoming pope.  His birth name, Mercurius, honored the Roman god, Mercury, was inappropriate for a pope.  His reign started on this date until his death on May 5, 535.

Good-Byes:

2011 ~ Peter William “Pete” Postlehwaite (b. 1946), English character actor.  He died of prostate cancer at age 64.

2007 ~ Theodor “Teddy” Kollek (b. 1911), Hungarian-born Mayor of Jerusalem.  He was elected Mayor 5 times beginning in 1968.  He served in that office for 28 years.  He died at age 95.

2001 ~ William Pierce Rogers (b. 1913), 55^th Secretary of State.  He served in that position during the Richard Nixon administration.  He also served as the 63^rd US Attorney General under President Dwight Eisenhower.  He died at age 87.

1994 ~ Dixy Lee Ray (née Margurite Ray, b. 1914), American politician and 17^th Governor of the State of Washington.  She served as Governor from January 1977 until January 1981.  She died at age 79.

1990 ~ Alan Hale, Jr. (b. 1918), American actor best known for his role as the Skipper on the TV sitcom, Gilligan's Island.  He died at age 68 of thymus cancer.

1904 ~ James Longstreet (b. 1821), Confederate General during the American Civil War.  He died 6 days before his 83^rd birthday.

1892 ~ Sir George Biddle Airy (b. 1801), English mathematician and astronomer.  He died at age 90.