February 2

Ground Hog Day

Birthdays:

1954~ Christie Brinkley (née Christie Lee Hudson), American model.

1948~ Ina Garten (née Ina Rosenberg), American chef and author.  She is known as the Barefoot Contessa.

1947~ Farrah Fawcett (née Ferrah Leni Fawcett, d. June 25, 2009), American actress. She died of cancer at age 62.

1939~ Dale T. Mortensen (né Dale Thomas Mortensen; d. Jan. 9, 2014), American economist and recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Economic Science.  He died less than a month before his 75^thbirthday.

1937~ Tom Smothers (né Thomas Bolyn Smothers, III), American comedian.

1931~ Judith Viorst (née Judith Stahl), American author.

1927~ Stan Getz (né Stanley Gayetski, d. June 6, 1991), American saxophonist.  He died of liver cancer at age 64.

1926~ Sylvia Woods (née Sylvia Pressley; d. July 19, 2012), the African-American cook who brought soul food to Harlem.  She died at age 86.

1926~ Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (néValéry Marie René Georges Giscard D’Estaing), French president.  He served as President from May 1974 until May 1981.

1925~ Elaine Stritch (d. July 17, 2014), American Broadway actress who brought sass to the stage.  She died at age 89.

1923~ Liz Smith (née Mary Elizabeth Smith; d. Nov. 12, 2017), American gossip columnist who befriended the stars.  She died at age 94.

1915~ Abba Eban (né Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban; d. Nov. 17, 2002), Israeli diplomat. He was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He died at age 87.

1912~ Elizabeth Gladys Millvina Dean (d. May 31, 2009), English secretary who was the last survivor of the sinking of the HMS Titanic.  She was 2 months old when she, along with her parents and sibling, set sail on the Titanic.  She died at age 97.

1905~ Ayn Rand (née Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum, d. Mar. 6, 1982), Russian-born American author, best known for her novels, Atlas Shruggedand The Fountainhead.  She died at age 77.

1897~ Howard Johnson (né Howard Deering Johnson, d. June 20; 1972), American businessman and founder of the Howard Johnson restaurant chain.  He was born and died in Massachusetts.  He died at age 75.

1897~ Gertrude Blanche (née Gittel Kaimowitz; d. Jan. 1, 1996), Russian-American mathematician.  She specialized in numerical analysis.  She died a month before her 99^thbirthday. 

1896~ Kazimierz Kuratowski (d. June 18, 1980), Polish mathematician and logician.  He died at age 84.

1893~ Cornelius Lanczos (né Kornél Lőwy; d. June 25, 1974), Hungarian mathematician and physicist.  His family fled Hungary when the Nazi’s purged Hungary of its Jews in 1944.  He died at age 81.

1882~ James Joyce (né James Augustine Aloysius Joyce; d. Jan. 13, 1941), Irish writer.  He died at 20 days before his 59^thbirthday.

1861~ Solomon R. Guggenheim (né Solomon Robert Guggenheim; d. Nov. 3, 1949), American art collector and founder of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. He died at age 88.

1860~ Curtis Guild, Jr. (d. Apr. 6, 1915), 43^rdGovernor of Massachusetts. He was Governor from January 1906 until January 1909.  He was born and died in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died at age 55 following a brief illness.

1859~ Havelock Ellis (néHenry Havelock Ellis, d. July 8, 1939), English psychologist, social reformer and author.  He died at age 80.

1842~ Yulian Vasilivich Sokhotsku (d. Dec. 14, 1927), Russian mathematician. He died at age 85.

1807~ Alexandre Ledru-Rollin (né Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollins; d. Dec. 31, 1874), French politician and champion of the working class.  He was forced into exile after the failed revolution of 1848.  He died at age 67.

1786~ Jacques Philippe Marie Binet (d. May 12, 1856), French mathematician.  He died at age 70.

1754~ Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (d. May 17, 1838), French statesman and advisor to Napoleon.  He was also the 1^stPrime Minister of France.  He served in this Office from July 1815 until September 1815.  He died at age 84.

1650~ Nell Gwynne (née Eleanor Gwyn, d. Nov. 14, 1687), mistress of King Charles II of England.  She died at age 37.

1649~ Pope Benedict XIII (né Pietro Francesco Orsini, d. Feb. 21, 1730).  He ruled as Pope from May 29, 1724 until his death on February 21, 1730.  He died three weeks after his 81^stbirthday.

1522~ Lodovico Ferrari (d. Oct. 5, 1565), Italian mathematician.  He died at age 43, possibly of poisoning at the hand of his sisters.

1494~ Bona Sforza (d. Nov. 19, 1557), Queen consort of Poland and Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania.  She was the wife of Sigismund I of Poland.  She was of the House of Sforza.  She died at age 63.

1455~ King John of Denmark (d. Feb. 20, 1513).  He ruled form May 21, 1481 until his death in February 1513.  He was married to Christina of Saxony.  He died 18 days after his 58^thbirthday.

1208~ King James I of Aragon (d. July 27, 1276).  He was known as James the Conqueror.  He was King of Aragon from September 1213 until his death in 1276. He died at age 68.

450~ Justin I (d. Aug. 1, 527), Byzantine Emperor.  He ruled from September 518 until his death in August 527. He was married to Euphemia.  He is believed to have been about 77 at the time of his death.

Events that Changed the World:

1925~ Dog sleds reached Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum.  This inspired the Iditarod races.

1922~ James Joyce (1882 ~ 1941) published his novel, Ulysseson his 40^thbirthday.

1914~ The film Making a Livingpremiered.  This was Charlie Chaplin’s first film.

1913~ Grand Central Terminal was opened in New York City.

1901~ The funeral for Queen Victoria (1819 ~ 1901) was held.

1899~ The Australian Premiers’ Conference, which was held in Melbourne, decided to locate Australia’s capital city to Canberra.

1887~ The first Groundhog Day was observed in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

1876~ The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of the Major League Baseball was formed.

1848~ The first wave of Chinese immigrants arrived in San Francisco, California to assisted with the California Gold Rush.

1948~ The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed between the United States and Mexico, ending the Mexican-American War.

1709~ Alexander Selkirk (1676 ~ 1721), a Scottish sailor, was rescued after being a castaway from a ship wreck for four years on a desert island.  He was the inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe.

1653~ The city of New Amsterdam, later renamed New York City, was incorporated.

1536~ The city of Buenos Aries, Argentina was founded by Pedro de Mendoza (1487 ~ 1537).

1141~ During the Battle of Lincoln, King Stephen (1092 ~ 1154) of England was defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda (1102 ~ 1167).

962~ Otto I (912 ~ 973) was crown Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII (930 ~ 964).

Good-byes:

2016~ Bob Elliot (né Robert Brackett Elliot; b. Mar. 26, 1923), American comedian and actor.  He was half of the comedy duo of Bob and Ray.  His son is comedian Chris Elliot.  He died of throat cancer at age 92 in Cundy Harbor, Maine.

2014~ Philip Seymour Hoffman (b. July 23, 1967), American Oscar-winning actor who found depth in every character.  He died of a drug overdose at age 46.

2012~ Dorothy Gilman (née Dorothy Edith Gilman; b. June 25, 1923), American mystery writer, best known for her Mrs. Pollifax mysteries.  She died at age 88.

2008~ Joshua Lederberg (b. May 23, 1925), American molecular biologist and recipient of the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He died at age 82 of pneumonia.

2008~ Earl Butz (né Earl Lauer Butz, b. July 3, 1909), 18^thUnited States Secretary of Agriculture.  He served under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford from December 1971 until October 1976.  He was forced to resign over a racist joke.  He died at age 98.

2005~ Max Schmeling (né Maximillian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling, b. Sept. 28, 1905), German boxer who defeated, then lost to, Joe Louis.  He died at age 99.

1996~ Gene Kelly (né Eugene Curran Kelly; b. Aug. 23, 1912), American dancer and actor.  He died at age 83.

1992~ Bert Parks (né Bertram Jacobson; b. Dec. 30, 1914), American television host, best known as being the emcee for the Miss America beauty contests.  He died of lung cancer at age 77.

1980~ William Howard Stein (b. June 25, 1911), American biochemist and recipient of the 1972 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He died at age 68.

1979~ Sid Vicious (né John Simon Ritchie, b. May 10, 1957), English musician and singer in The Sex Pistols.  He murdered his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen.  He died at age 21 from a drug overdose that was possibly a suicide.

1974~ Imre Lakatos (b. Nov. 9, 1922), Hungarian mathematician.  He fled to England during World War II.  He died of a heart attack at age 51.

1970~ Bertrand Russell, 3^rdEarl Russell (né Bertrand Arthur William Russell; b. May 18, 1872), British philosopher and mathematician.  He was also the recipient of the 1950 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He died at age 97.

1969~ Boris Karloff (né William Henry Pratt, b. Nov. 23, 1887), British actor best known for his role in horror films.  He died of pneumonia and emphysema at age 81.

1950~ Constantin Carathéodory (b. Sept. 13, 1873), Greek mathematician.  He died at age 76.

1942~ Ado Birk (b. Nov. 14, 1883), Prime Minister of Estonia from for 3 days, from July 28 to July 30, 1920.  At the beginning of World War II, he was arrested by the Soviet secret police.  He was sentenced to death, but died before he could be executed.  He died at age 58.

1918~ John L. Sullivan (né John Lawrence Sullivan; b. Oct. 15, 1858), American boxer. He was born and died in Massachusetts. He died at age 59.

1905~ Henri Germain (b. Feb. 19, 1824), French banker and founder of Le Crédit Lyonnais.  He died 17 days before his 81^stbirthday.

1904~ William Whitney (né William Collins Whitney; b. July 5, 1841), 31^stUnited States Secretary of the Navy.  He served under President Grover Cleveland from March 1885 until March 1889.  He was born in Conway, Massachusetts.  He died at age 62.

1769~ Pope Clement XIII (né Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, b. Mar. 7, 1693).  He was Pope from July 1758 until his death in February 1769.  He died just over a month before his 76^thbirthday.

1768~ Robert Smith (b. Oct. 16, 1689) English mathematician and musical theorist. He is believed to have been born in October 1689.  He died at age 78.

1704~ Guillaume François Antoine, Marquis de l’Hôpital (b. 1661), French mathematician.  The exact date of his birth is not know, but he is believed to have been 42 at the time of his death.

1612~ Christopher Clavius (b. Mar. 25, 1539), German Jesuit priest and mathematician. He died at age 73.

1461~ Sir Owen Tudor, (b. 1392), Welsh soldier and founder of the Tudor dynasty of England.  He was married to Catherine of Valois.  The exact date of his birth is not know, but he is believed to have been 68 or 69 at the time of his death.

1250~ King Eric XI of Sweden (b. 1216).  He was known as Eric the Lisp and Lame.  He was the last ruler of the House of Eric.  The exact date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been 33 at the time of his death.