Sunday, April 15, 2018

April 15

Federal Tax Day

Birthdays:

1990~ Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson, British actress.

1982~ Seth Aaron Rogen, Canadian actor.

1972~ Arturo Gatti (d. July 11, 2009), Italian champion boxer who was known as “The Thunder.”  He was most likely murdered by his wife although the circumstances of his death remain unclear.  He was 37 years old.

1966~ Mott Green (né David Lawrence Friedman, d. June 1, 2013), American anarchist who earned acclaim as a chocolatier.  He was electrocuted in a freak accident while working on a solar-powered cooling machine.  He was 47 years old.

1959~ Emma Thompson, English actress.

1955~ Dodi Al-Fayed (d. Aug. 31, 1997), Egyptian lover of Diana, Princess of Wales. He was killed in the car crash that also killed the Princess.  He died at age 42.

1947~ Linda Joyce Bloodworth-Thomason, American television screenwriter and producer.

1946~ Peter Rouse (néPeter Mikami Rouse), Acting White House Chief of Staff under President Barack Obama.  He served in that position from January 2011 through December 31, 2013.

1943~ Robert Lefkowitz (né Robert Joseph Lefkowitz), American physician and recipient of the 2012 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

1942~ Kenneth Lay (né Kenneth Lee Lay, d. July 5, 2006), American businessman who was known for his role in the corruption scandal that led to the downfall of the Enron Corporation.  He was found guilty of securities fraud, but died before the matter reached the appellate level.  He died of a heart attack at age 64.

1940~ Yossef Romano (d. Sept. 5, 1972), Israeli weightlifter who was murdered in the 1972 Summer Olympics Munich massacre. He was 32 years old.

1940~ Jeffrey Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (né Jeffrey Archer), British writer and politician.

1933~ Elizabeth Montgomery (née Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery, d. May 18, 1995), American actress, best known for her role as Samantha in Bewitched.  She died of cancer just a month after her 62ndbirthday.

1932~ Eva Figes (d. Aug. 28, 2012), German-born Jewish feminist author who escaped Nazi Germany.  She died at age 80.

1931~ Tomas Tranströmer (néTomas Gösta Tranströmer, d. Mar. 26, 2015), Swedish writer and recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He died less than 3 weeks before his 84thbirthday.

1924~ Marcella Hazan (d. Sept. 29, 2013), Italian-born Sephardic cookbook author who redefined Italian cooking.  She died at age 89.

1922~ Harold Washington (né Harold Washington, d. Nov. 25, 1987), 1stAfrican-American Mayor of Chicago.  He served as Mayor from April 1983 until November 1987.  He died in office at age 65.

1920~ Thomas Szasz (né Thomas Szasz, d. Sept. 8, 2012), Hungarian-born psychiatrist who attacked his profession.  He is best known for being a critic of psychiatry.  He died at age 92.

1917~ Robert Moon (Robert Moon, né d. Apr. 11, 2001), American postal inspector and creator of the ZIP Code.  He died 4 days before his 84thbirthday.

1912~ Kim Il-sung (d. July 8, 1994), 1stEternal President of North Korea.  He died at age 82.

1907~ Nikolaas Tinbergen (d. Dec. 21, 1988), Dutch ethologist and recipient of the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He died at age 81.

1904~ Arshile Gorky (né Vostanik Manoug Adoian, d. July 21, 1948), Armenian painter.  He committed suicide at age 44.

1896~ Nikolay Semyonov (d. Sept. 25, 1986), Russian chemist and recipient of the 1956 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the mechanism of chemical transformation.  He died at age 90.

1894~ Bessie Smith (d. Sept. 26, 1937), American singer.  She was known as the Empress of the Blues.  She died at age 43 after being fatally injured in a car accident.

1894~ Nikita Khrushcev (d. Sept. 11, 1971), Soviet politician and 7thPremier of the Soviet Union.  He died at age 77 of heart disease.

1892~ Corrie ten Boom (née Cornelia ten Boom, d. Apr. 15, 1983), Dutch watchmaker, author and Holocaust survivor, who helped many Jews escape the Nazis.  She was imprisoned for her actions, which she described in her memoir, The Hiding Place.  She died on her 91stbirthday.

1889~ Thomas Hart Benton (d. Jan. 19, 1975) American painter and muralist.  He died at age 85.

1874~ Johannes Stark (d. June 21, 1957), German physicist and recipient of the 1919 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was closely associated with the Nazi party.  He died at age 83.

1847~ Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter (d. Jan. 11, 1905), Hasidic rabbi.  He died at age 57.

1843~ Henry James (d. Feb. 28, 1916), American novelist.  He died at age 72.

1841~ Joseph E. Seagram (né Joseph Emm Seagram, d. Aug. 18, 1919), Canadian politician, philanthropist and founder of the Seagram Company, Ltd.  He died at age 78.

1809~ Hermann Grassmann (né Hermann Günther Grassmann, d. Sept. 26, 1877), German mathematician.  He died at age 68.

1801~ Henry Gilpin (né Henry Dilworth Gilpin, d. Jan. 29, 1860), 14thUnited States Attorney General.  He served under President Martin Van Buren from January 1840 until March 1841.  He died at age 58.

1800~ Sir James Clark Ross (d. Apr. 3, 1962), British captain and explorer. He is best known for exploration of the Antarctic.  He died 12 days before his 62ndbirthday.

1797~ Adolphe Thiers (d. Sept. 3, 1877), 2ndelected President of France and the 1stPresident of the Third Republic.  He died at age 80.

1741~ Charles Willson Peale (d. Feb. 22, 1827), American painter.  He is best known for his portrait paintings of the leaders of the American Revolution.  He died at age 85.

1707~ Leonhard Euler (d. Sept. 18, 1783), Swiss mathematician.  He died at age 76.

1684~ Catherine I of Russia (d. May 17, 1727). She was the second wife of Peter the Great.  She died of tuberculosis just over a month after her 43rdbirthday.

1646~ King Christian V of Denmark (d. Aug. 25, 1699).  He reigned from February 1670 until his death in August 29 years later.  He died at age 53 from injuries sustained in a hunting accident.

1552~ Pietro Cataldi (d. Feb. 11, 1626), Italian mathematician.  He died at age 77.

1452~ Leonardo da Vinci (d. May 2, 1519), Italian painter, sculpture, scientist and Renaissance man.  He died 17 days after his 67thbirthday.

1367~ King Henry IV of England (d. Mar. 20, 1413).  He was king from September 1399 until his death on this date 13 years later.  He died less than a month before 46thbirthday.

Events that Changed the World:

2018~ Because April 15 fell on a Sunday, federal income taxes were not due until the following business day in Washington, D.C., which was Tuesday, April 18, because Emancipation Day was observed on Monday April 16 in Washington, D.C.

2017~ Because April 15 fell on a Saturday, federal income taxes were not due until the following business day in Washington, D.C., which was Tuesday, April 18, because Emancipation Day was observed in Washington, D.C., on April 16.

2014~ A total lunar eclipse produced a Blood Moon.

2014~ Over 200 young women students were declared missing after a mass kidnapping in Borno State, Nigeria by an extremist group, the Boko Haram.

2013~ Four hours into the Boston Marathon, which was held on Patriot’s Day in Boston, Massachusetts, two bombs exploded near the finish line.  Three people, including a young 8-year old boy, were killed and over 260 others were injured.  Two Chechen brothers, Tamerlan (1986 ~ 2013) and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (b. 1993), were identified as planting the bombs.  In a chase to capture the suspects, Tamerlan was killed.  Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s trial concluded almost exactly two years following the bombing.  He was given a death sentence and is currently incarcerated in a federal prison in Colorado.

1989~ The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 began in Beijing, China.  The protests lasted through June 4, 1989. The protests were suppressed after the government declared martial law.

1955~ The first McDonald’s franchised restaurant opened in Des Plaines, Illinois.  This event is depicted in the 2017 movie, Founder.

1947~ Jackie Robinson (1919 ~ 1972) began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier.  This event would be recounted in the 2013 movie, 42.

1945~ The Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was liberated following World War II.

1936~ Aer Lingus was founded and became the National airline of the Republic of Ireland.

1927~ The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 began. The flood was deemed the most destructive river flood in US history.  Fifteen inches of rain fell in New Orleans, Louisiana in 18 hours.  The history of the flooding was recounted in John Berry’s book, Rising Tide.

1924~ Rand McNally published its first road atlas.

1923~ Insulin became available for use by diabetics.

1922~ Wyoming United States Senator John Kendrick (1857 ~ 1933) introduced a resolution calling for an investigation into the secret land deal that lead to the discovery of the Teapot Dome scandal.

1920~ Two security guards were murdered during a robbery in a shoe factory in South Braintree, Massachusetts.  Ultimately Nicola Sacco (1891 ~ 1927) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (1888 ~ 1927) would be convicted and executed for the crime.  The case was controversial and subsequent research indicates that their conviction was largely due to anti-Italian prejudice and the fact that both held anarchist beliefs.

1912~ The RMS Titanicsank 2 hours and 40 minutes after hitting an iceberg late on the night of April 14.  Of the 2,227 passengers and crew on board, only 710 survived.

1892~ The General Electric Company was formed.

1861~ President Abraham Lincoln (1809 ~ 1865) called for 75,000 volunteers to quell the insurrection that was to become the American Civil War.

1817~ Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787 ~ 1851) and Laurent Clerc (1785 ~ 1869) founded the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut.  It was the first such school in the United States for deaf children.  Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., a school of higher learning for the deaf and hard of hearing, was named in honor of Thomas Gallaudet.

1783~ The American Revolutionary War was officially declared over.

Good-Byes:

2017~ Sylvia Moy (b. Sept. 15, 1938), African-American songwriter who saved Stevie Wonder’s career.  She died of complications from pneumonia at age 78.

2014~ John Cornelius Houbolt (b. Apr. 10, 1919), American engineer who helped NASA reach the moon.  He died of Parkinson’s disease in Scarborough, Maine 5 days after his 95thbirthday.

2010~ Benjamin Lawson Hooks (b. Jan. 31, 1925), African-American minister, civil rights activist and attorney.  He died at age 85.

2009~ Sir Clement Raphael Freud (b. Apr. 24, 1924), British bon vivant and broadcaster.  He was the grandson of Sigmund Freud and brother of Lucian Freud.  He died 9 days before his 85thbirthday.

2002~ Byron Raymond White (b. June 8, 1917), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was appointed to the High Court by President John F. Kennedy.  He served on the Court from April 1962 until June 1993.  He died at age 84.

2001~ Joey Ramone (né Jeffrey Ross Hyman, b. May 19, 1951), American musician.  He died of lymphoma.  He was 49 years old.

2000~ Edward Gorey (b. Feb. 22, 1925), American illustrator.  He was 75 years old.

1998~ Pol Pot (b. May 19, 1925), Cambodian dictator.  He died at age 72 under mysterious circumstances.

1992~ Otis Barton (néFrederick Otis Baton, Jr., b. June 5, 1899), American deep-see diver and engineer.  He designed the bathysphere.  He died at age 92.

1990~ Greta Garbo (née Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, b. Sept. 18, 1905), Swedish actress.  She was 84 years old.

1984~ Grete Hermann (b. Mar. 2, 1901), German mathematician.  She died at age 83.

1983~ Corrie ten Boom (née Cornelia ten Boom, b. Apr. 15, 1892), Dutch watchmaker, author and Holocaust survivor, who helped many Jews escape the Nazis.  She was imprisoned for her actions, which she described in her memoir, The Hiding Place.  She died on her 91stbirthday.

1980~ Jean-Paul Sartre (b. June 21, 1905), French existential philosopher and writer.  He was awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature, however he refused it claiming that he always declined official honors.  He died at age 74.

1927~ Gaston Leroux (néGaston Louis Alfred Leroux, b. May 6, 1868), French writer best known for his novel, Phantom of the Opera.  He died 3 weeks before his 59thbirthday.

1912~ Victims of the RMS Titanicdisaster:

v1912~ Benjamin Guggenheim (b. Oct. 26, 1865), American businessman.  He died on the RMS Titanic.  He was 46 years old.

v1912~ John Jacob Astor, IV (b. July 13, 1864), American businessman.  He died on the RMS Titanic.  He was 47 years old.

v1912~ Edward John Smith (b. Jan. 27, 1850), English navy officer and captain of theRMS Titanic He went down with the ship.  He was 62 years old.

v1912~ Ida Straus (née Rosalie Ida Blun, b. Feb. 6, 1849), wife of Isidor Straus.  She died on the RMS Titanic.  She and her husband, Isidor Straus, shared a birth and death date.  She was 63 years old.

v1912~ Isidor Straus (b. Feb. 6, 1845), co-owner of Macy’s department store in New York.  He died on the RMS Titanic.  He and his wife, Ida Straus, shared a birth and death date.  He was 67 years old.

1889~ Father Damien (né Jozef De Veuster, b. Jan. 3, 1840), Roman Catholic priest from Belgium who was known for his ministry to people with leprosy in Molokai, Hawaii.  He died of leprosy at age 49.

1888~ Matthew Arnold (b. Dec. 24, 1822), British poet and social and religious critic. He died at age 65.

1865~ Abraham Lincoln (b. Feb. 12, 1809), 16thPresident of the United States.  He died after being shot by John Wilkes Booth the day before.  He was 56 years old.

1793~ Ignacije Szentmartony (b. Oct. 28, 1718), Croatian mathematician, astronomer and Jesuit priest.  He died at age 74.

1764~ Madame de Pompadour (née Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, b. Dec. 29, 1721), mistress of King Louis XV of France.  She died of tuberculosis at age 42.

1764~ Peder Horrebow (b. May 14, 1679), Danish mathematician.  The crator Horrebow on the moon is named in his honor.mmHe died a month before his 85thbirthday.

1754~ Jacopo Riccati (né Jacopo Francesco Riccati, b. May 28, 1676), Italian mathematician.  He died at age 77.

1719~ Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon (b. Nov. 27, 1635), second wife of King Louis XIV of France.  She died at age 83.

1704~ Johann van Waveren Hudde (b. Apr. 23, 1628), Dutch mathematician.  He died 8 days before his 75thbirthday.

1632~ George Calvert, 1stBaron Baltimore (b. 1580), English politician and colonizer.  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been 53 at the time of his death.

1558~ Roxelana (b. 1502), Polish wife of Suleiman the Magnificent.  The exact date and year of her birth is unknown, but she is believed to have been about 56 at the time of her death.

943~ Liu Bin (b. 920), Chinese emperor of the Southern Han.  He ruled from June 942 until his death a year later.  The date of his birth is not known.


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