April 30

Birthdays:

1986~ Dianna Agron (née Dianna Elsie Agron), American actress and singer best known for her role as Quinn Fabray on Glee.

1985~ Gal Gadot, Israel actress.

1961~ Isiah Thomas (néIsiah Lord Thomas, III), American baseball player.

1959~ Paul Gross (né Paull Michael Gross), Canadian actor best known for his role as the upright Canadian Mounted Police Officer working in with the Chicago Police Department in the TV series, Due South.

1946~ King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.  He became King of Sweden in September 1973.

1945~ Michael Smith (né Michael John Smith; d. Jan. 28, 1986), American astronaut who was killed in the Space Shuttle Challengerdisaster.  He was 40 years old.

1945~ Annie Dillard (née Meta Ann Doak), American author.

1944~ Jill Clayburg (d. Nov. 5, 2010), American actress.  She died of leukemia at age 66.

1930~ José Narosky, Argentine writer best known for his aphorisms.

1926~ Cloris Leachman, American actress.

1925~ Johnny Horton (né John LaGale Horton, d. Nov. 5, 1960), American musician and singer, best known for his song, The Battle of New Orleans.  He was killed in a car accident at age 35.

1921~ Roger L. Easton, Sr. (né Roger Lee Easton; d. May 8, 2014), American scientist and co-inventor of the GPS.  He was born in Craftsbury, Vermont and died in Hanover, New Hampshire.  He died 8 days after his 93^rd birthday.

1916~ Claude Shannon (né Claude Elwood Shannon; d. Feb. 24, 2001), American engineer and mathematician.  He died in Medford, Massachusetts at age 84.

1909~ Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (née Juliana Louise Emma Marie Whlhelmina; d. Mar. 20, 2004).  She reigned as Queen from September 1948 until April 1980, her 61^st birthday, when she abdicated the throne in favor or her daughter, Wilhelmina.  She died at age 94.

1908~ Eve Arden (née Eunice Mary Quedens; d. Nov. 12, 1990), American actress.  She died at age 82 of heart disease.

1905~ Sergey Nikolsky (d. Nov. 9, 1912), Russian mathematician.  He died at age 107.

1902~ Theodore Schultz (né Theodore William Schultz; d. Feb. 26, 1998), American economist and recipient of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.  He died at age 95.

1901~ Simon Kuznets (né Simon Smith Kuznets; d. July 8, 1985), Ukrainian economist and recipient of the 1971 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.  He died at age 84 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1877~ Alice B. Toklas (né Alice Babette Toklas; d. Mar. 7, 1967), American writer and companion of Gertrude Stein.  She died at age 89.

1866~ Mary Haviland Stiwell Kuesel (d. June 22, 1936), American pioneer dentist. She was the founder of the Women’s Dental Association of the United States.  She died of coronary thrombosis at age 70.

1777~ Carl Friedrich Gauss (né Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss, d. Feb. 23, 1855), German mathematician.  He died at age 77.

1245~ King Philip III of France (d. Oct. 5, 1285).  He was known as Philip the Bold.  He died of dysentery at age 40.

Events that Changed the World:

2013~ Queen Beatrix (b. 1938) of the Netherlands abdicated in favor of her son, Willem-Alexander (b. 1967), who became King of the Netherlands.

2009~ Chrysler automobile company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

2008~ Two skeletal remains found near Yekaterinburg, Russia were confirmed to be the remains of Alexei Nikolaevich (1904 ~ 1918), Tsarevich of Russia and the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna (1901 ~ 1918).

1993~ Tennis star Monica Seles (b. 1973) was stabbed in the back by an obsessed fan during the quarterfinal match of the 1993 Citizen Cup in Hamburg, Germany.

1980~ Beatrix of the Netherlands (b. 1938) became Queen of the Netherlands.  She abdicated the throne on April 30, 2013 in favor of her eldest son, Willem-Alexander (b. 1967).

1975~ The Vietnam War formally ended with the unconditional surrender of South Vietnamese president Duong Văn Minh (1916 ~ 2001).  Communist forces gained control of Saigon.

1973~ Richard Nixon’s top White House aides, including H.R. Haldeman (1926 ~ 1993) and John Ehrlichman (1925 ~ 1999), resigned amid the Watergate Scandal.

1947~ The Boulder Dam in Nevada was renamed the Hoover Dam.

1945~ Soviet troops liberated Stalag Luft I, a German prisoner-of-war camp. Over 9000 American and British airman were freed.

1939~ The 1939-40 New York World’s Fair opened.

1939~ Television was first publically broadcast from the Empire State Building in New York City.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 ~ 1945) presented the New York World’s Fair ceremonial address on NBC.

1927~ Douglas Fairbanks (1883 ~ 1939) and Mary Pickford (1892 ~ 1979) became the first Hollywood celebrities to leave their footprints in the concrete at Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

1927~ The first women’s federal prison in the United States opened in Alderson, West Virginia as the Federal Industrial Institute for Women.

1904~ The Louisiana Purchase Exposition World’s Fair opened in St. Louis, Missouri.

1900~ Hawaii became a territory of the United States.

1885~ The Governor of New York State signed legislation creating the Niagara Reservation, the first state park in New York State.

1812~ Louisiana became the 18^th State of the Union.

1803~ The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France under the Louisiana Purchase Agreement which, although was signed on May 2, was dated as of April 30.  The purchase price was $15 Million.

1789~ George Washington (1732 ~ 1799) was inaugurated as the first United States President.  The ceremony took place on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City.

1598~ Henry IV of France (1553 ~ 1610) issued the Edict of Nantes, which allowed the freedom of religion to the Huguenots.

1492~ Christopher Columbus (1451 ~ 1506) was granted his commission of exploration by Spain.

Good-byes:

2018~ Jhoon Goo Rhee (b. Jan. 7, 1932), Korean-born martial artist who popularized Tae Kwon Do in the United States.  He died at age 86.

2017~ Ueli Steck (b. Oct. 4, 1976), Swiss daredevil mountaineer who raced up peaks.  He died at age 40 from a fall while training in the Himalayas.

2016~ Sir Harry Kroto (né Harold Walter Krotoschiner; b. Oct. 7, 1939), British chemist and recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He died at age 76.

2016~ Father Daniel Berrigan (né Daniel Joseph Berrigan; b. May 9, 1921), American Catholic priest, political and anti-war/peace activist.  He died 9 days before his 95^th birthday.

2015~ Ben E. King (né Benjamin Earl Nelson; b. Sept. 28, 1938), American soul legend who sang Stand by Me.  He was 76 years old.

2012~ Benzion Netanyahu (b. Mar. 25, 1910), Israeli historian whose field of expertise was the history of Jews in Spain during the Inquisition.  He was also the hawkish father of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  He died at age 102.

2007~ Tom Poston (né Thomas Gordon Poston; b. Oct. 17, 1921), American actor.  He is best known for his portrayal of George Utley on Newhart.  He died of respiratory failure at age 85.

1994~ Richard Scarry (né Richard McClure Scarry; b. June 5, 1919), American author and illustrator of children’s books.  He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died of a heart attack at age 74.

1983~ Muddy Waters (né McKinley Morganfield; b. Apr. 4, 1913), American musician, considered the “father of modern Chicago blues.”  He died of heart failure 26 days after his 70^th birthday.

1983~ George Balanchine (b. Jan. 22, 1904), Russian-born dancer and choreographer.  He died at age 79.

1974~ Agnes Moorehead (née Agnes Robertson Moorehead; b. Dec. 6, 1900), American actress.  She is best known for her role as Endora on the sit-com Bewitched.  She was born in Clinton, Massachusetts.  She died of uterine cancer at age 73.

1958~ Alvan Fuller (né Alvan Tufts Fuller; d. Feb. 27, 1878), 50^th Governor of Massachusetts.  He served as Governor from January 1925 until January 1929.  He died at age 80.

1956~ Alben Barkley (né Alben William Barkley; b. Nov. 24, 1877), 35^th Vice President of the United States.  He served under President Harry S. Truman from January 1949 until January 1953.  He collapsed and died of a heart attack while giving a speech in Virginia. He died at age 78.

1945~ Adolf Hitler (b. Apr. 20, 1889) dictator of Nazi Germany.  He committed suicide along with Eva Braun (née Eva Anna Paula Braun; b. Feb. 6, 1912), his wife of one day 10 days before his 57^th birthday.

1943~ Beatrice Webb, Baroness Passfield (né Martha Beatrice Potter; d. Jan. 22, 1858), British sociologist and economist.  She was one of the founders of the London School of Economics. She coined the phrase collective bargaining.  She died at age 85.

1936~ A.E. Housman (né Alfred Edward Housman; b. Mar. 26, 1859), English poet.  He died at age 77.

1926~ Bessie Coleman (née Elizabeth Coleman; b. Jan. 26, 1892), African-American civil aviator.  She was the first African-American woman pilot and the first African-American to hold an international pilot license.  She was killed at age 34 in a plane crash.

1900~ Casey Jones (né Jonathan Luther Jones; b. Mar. 14, 1863), American railroad engineer who died in a train wreck in Vaughn, Mississippi, when his train, the Cannonball Express, collided with a stalled freight train.  He gave his life to prevent a crash and to save the lives of his passengers.  He was the only fatality in the crash.  He was 37 years old at the time of his death.

1883~ Édouard Manet (b. Jan. 23, 1832), French painter.  He died of gangrene following an operation to amputate his foot.  He was 51 years old.

1879~ Sarah Josepha Hale (née Sarah Josepha Buell; b. Oct. 24, 1788), American author and poet.  She was born in Newport, New Hampshire.  She is credited with the nursery rhyme, Mary had a Little Lamb.  She died at age 90.

1513~ Edmund de la Pole, 3^rd Duke of Suffolk (b. 1471), Yorkist pretender to the English throne.  Henry VIII had him executed.  He was the son of Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk.  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been about 41 or 42 at the time of his death

1063~ Emperor Renzong of Song (b. May 30, 1010), 4^th Chinese emperor of the Song Dynasty.  He died a month before his 53^rd birthday.

125~ Emperor An of Han (b. 94), Chinese emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty.  The exact date of his birth is not known but he is believed to have died at age 31.

April 29

Birthdays:

1970~ Andre Agassi (né Andre Kirk Agassi), tennis player.

1970~ Uma Thurman (née Uma Karuna Thurman), American actress.  She was born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1958~ Michelle Pfeiffer (née Michelle Marie Pfeiffer), American actress.

1957~ Sir Daniel Day-Lewis (né Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis), English-Irish actor.

1955~ Kate Mulgrew (née Katherine Kiernan Maria Mulgrew), American actress.

1954~ Jerry Seinfeld (né Jerome Allen Seinfeld), American comedian.

1952~ Nora Dunn (née Nora Eloise Dunn), American actress and comedian.  She is best known for her work on Saturday Night Live.

1951~ Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (né Ralph Dale Earnhardt; b. Feb. 18, 2001), Seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion.  He was killed at age 49 in a racing accident during the Daytona 500.

1938~ Bernie Madoff (néBernard Lawrence Madoff), American business man and convicted felon who masterminded an elaborate Ponzi scheme that bulked thousands people out of billions of dollars.  In June 2009, he was sentenced to 150 years in prison.

1937~ Hasil Adkins (b. Apr. 25, 2005), American musician from an Appalachian county in West Virginia who influenced the creation of rock ‘n roll.  He died 3 days before his 68^th birthday.

1936~ Zubin Mehta, Indian bassist and conductor.

1933~ Rod McKuen (né Rodney Marvin McKuen; d. Jan. 29, 2015), American populist poet and songwriter who was loathed by critics.  He died of complications of pneumonia at age 81.

1933~ Willie Nelson (né Willie Hugh Nelson), American singer and musician.

1927~ Big Jay McNeely (né Cecil James McNeeley; d. Sept. 16, 2018), African-American hard-honking saxophonist who inspired rock ‘n roll.  He is best known for his tenor rhythm and blues saxophone.  He died at age 91.

1917~ Celeste Holm (d. July 15, 2012), American actress who was a city girl who first starred as a rube.  She died at age 95.

1901~ Hirohito (d. Jan. 7, 1989), Emperor of Japan from 1929 until his death in 1989.  He was the Emperor during World War II.  He died at age 87.

1899~ Duke Ellington (né Edward Kennedy Ellington; d. May 24, 1974), African-American jazz musician.  He died 25 days before his 76^th birthday.

1893~ Harold Urey (né Harold Clayton Urey; d. Jan. 5, 1981), American chemist and recipient of the 1934 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on isotopes.  He died at age 87.

1868~ Alice Keppel (née Alice Frederica Edmonstone; d. Sept. 11, 1947), English socialite and mistress of King Edward VII of England.  She died at age 79.

1863~ William Randolph Hearst, Sr. (d. Aug. 14, 1951), American newspaper publisher.  He was the founder of the Hearst Corporation.  He died at age 88.

1854~ Henri Poincaré (néJules Henri Poincaré; d. July 17, 1912), French mathematician and physicist.  He died of an embolism at age 58.

1818~ Tsar Alexander II of Russia (d. Mar. 13, 1881).  He ruled from March 2, 1855 until his assassination 26 years later. He was killed near his palace when a bomb was thrown at him.  In the Julian calendar that was used by Russia at the time, this event was recorded on March 1.  He was 62 at the time of his death.

1810~ Thomas Adolphus Trollope (d. Nov. 11, 1892), British author and journalist.  He died at age 82.

1745~ Oliver Ellsworth (d. Nov. 26, 1807), 3^rd Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was nominated to the High Court by President George Washington.  He replaced John Rutledge on the Court.  He served on the Court from March 1796 until September 1800.  He died at age 62.

Events that Changed the World:

2011~ Prince William (b. 1982) of England married Kate Middleton (b. 1982).  Upon her marriage, Kate Middleton became known as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

2004~ The Oldsmobile ceased production after 107 years of car manufacturing.

1992~ Los Angeles was caught up in massive riots following the acquittal of several police officers of charges that they used excessive force in the beating of Rodney King (1965 ~ 2012).  During the riots, which lasted three days, 53 people were killed, numerous people were injured and hundreds of buildings were destroyed.

1986~ Fire at the Central library of the City of Los Angeles damaged or destroyed over 400,000 books and other items.

1983~ Harold Washington (1922 ~ 1987) was sworn in as Chicago's first African-American mayor.  He died in office.

1968~ The musical Hair debuted on Broadway.

1945~ The Dachau concentration camp was liberated by American troops.

1945~ Adolf Hitler (1889 ~ 1945) married Eva Braun (1912 ~ 1945) in a bunker in Berlin.  They both committed suicide the following day.

1944~ During World War II, British agent Nancy Wake (1912 ~ 2011), a leading figure in the French Resistance and the Gestapo’s most wanted person, parachuted into France to become a liaison between London and a local resistance group.

1916~ Martial law in Ireland was lifted and the Easter Rising rebellion was deemed official over following the surrender of Irish nationals to the British in Dublin.

1863~ The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, was chartered as a land grant agricultural college.

1862~ New Orleans fell to Union forces under the leadership of Admiral David Farragut (1801 ~ 1870) during the American Civil War.

1861~ During the American Civil War, Maryland’s House of Delegates voted not to secede from the Union.

1832~ Mathematician Évariste Galois (1811 ~ 1832) was released from prison.  He had been politically active and on Bastille Day, July 14, 1831, he led a protest wearing the uniform of the disbanded artillery.  He was arrested and sentenced to six months in prison for illegally wearing a uniform.  It was not until April 29, 1832, however, before he was released.  He would die about a month later from wounds suffered in a duel.

1781~ During the American Revolutionary War, British and French ships clashed in the Battle of Fort Royal off the coast of Martinique.

1770~ James Cook (1728 ~ 1779) arrived at, and named Botany Bay, Australia.

1587~ Sir Francis Drake (1540 ~ 1596) lead a raid in the Bay of Cádiz, sinking at least 23 ships of the Spanish Armada.

1429~ Joan of Arc (1412 ~ 1431) arrived to relieve the Siege of Orleans.

Good-Byes:

2015~ Jean Nidetch (née Jean Evelyn Slutsky; b. Oct. 12, 1923), American housewife who was a co-founder of Weight Watchers. She was 91 years old.

2014~ Bob Hoskins (né Robert William Hoskins; b. Oct. 26, 1942), the stumpy British actor who made it big in Hollywood.  He died of pneumonia at age 71.

2014~ Al Feldstein (né Albert Bernard Feldstein; b. Oct. 24, 1925), American editor of Madmagazine who made skepticism funny.  He died at age 88.

2014~ Colonel Walter Walsh (né Walter Rudolph Walsh; b. May 4, 1907), American FBI marksman who gunned down gangsters.  He joined the FBI in 1934, during the infamous Public Enemy era and was involved in many high-profile cases.  He died 6 days before his 107^th birthday.

2013~ Ernest A. Michael (né Ernest Arthur Michael; b. Aug. 27, 1925), American mathematician.  He died at age 87.

2008~ Mary G. Ross (née Mary Golda Ross; b. Aug. 9, 2008), Native American engineer.  She was one of the original 40 members of Skunk Works, the name of Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs, which was responsible for designing military aircraft.  She died at age 99.

2008~ Albert Hofmann (b. Jan. 11, 1906), Swiss chemist who was the first to synthesize and try LSD.  He died of a heart attack at age 102.

2006~ John Kenneth Galbraith (b. Oct. 15, 1908), Canadian-American economist.  He died at age 97 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

2005~ William Bell (né William Joseph Bell; b. Mar. 6, 1927), American screenwriter and producer.  He was known for producing many soap operas, including The Young and the Restless.  He died of complications of Alzheimer’s disease at age 78.

2005~ Louis Leithold (b. Nov. 16, 1924), American mathematician.  He died at age 80.

1997~ Mike Royko (né Michael Royko, Jr.; b. Sept. 19, 1932), American columnist.  He died of a brain aneurysm at age 64.

1980~ Sir Alfred Hitchcock (né Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, b. Aug. 13, 1899), English film director.  He died at age 80.

1951~ Ludwig Wittgenstein (né Ludwig Joseph Johann Wittgenstein; b. Apr. 26, 1889), Austrian-born philosopher who worked in logic and mathematical philosophy.  He died 3 days after his 62^nd birthday.

1937~ Wallace Carothers (né Wallace Hume Carothers; b. Apr. 27 1896), American organic chemist who, while working at DuPont, invented nylon.  He died by suicide 2 days after his 41^st birthday.

1921~ Annie Edson Taylor (née Anne Edson; b. Oct. 24, 1838), was the first person to go Niagara Falls and survive.  She performed this stunt on October 24, 1901, her 63^rd birthday! She died at age 82.

1916~ Jørgen Pedersen Gram (b. June 27, 1850), Danish actuary and mathematician.  He died at age 65 after being hit by a bicycle.

1793~ Yechezkel ben Yehudah Landau (b. Oct. 8, 1713), Polish Rabbi.  He died at age 79.

1771~ Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (b. 1700), French-Italian architect who designed the Winter Palace and the Catherine Palace for Imperial Russia. The exact date of his birth is unknown.

1380~ Catherine of Siena (b. Mar. 25, 1347), Italian mystic and Catholic saint.  She died of a stroke at age 33.

April 28

Birthdays:

1974~ Penélope Cruz (née Penélope Cruz Sánchez), Spanish actress.

1964~ L’Wren Scott (née Laura Bambrough, d. Mar. 17, 2014), the American fashion designer who styled the stars.  She was Mick Jagger’s long-time girlfriend.  She died by suicide at age 49.

1960~ Elana Kagan, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  She was appointed to the High Court by President Barack Obama.  She began her term in August 2010.

1950~ Jay Leno (néJames Douglas Muir Leno), American television personality.

1949~ Bruno Kirby (né Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu, Jr.; d. Aug. 14, 2006), American actor.  He died of leukemia at age 57.

1949~ Paul Guilfoyle (né Paul Vincent Guilfoyle), American television actor best known for his role as Captain Brass on the television drama CSI. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1948~ Sir Terry Pratchett (né Terrance David John Pratchett; d. Mar. 12, 2015), British author of the Discworldfantasy series.  He died of early onset Alzheimer’s disease at 66 years old.

1941~ Ann-Margret (née Ann-Margret Olsson), Swedish actress.

1941~ Karl Barry Sharpless, American chemist and recipient of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work with on stereoselective reactions.

1937~ Saddam Hussein (d. Dec. 30, 2006), 5^thPresident, and virtual dictator of, Iraq.  He was executed for war crimes and the mass execution of Iraqi Shi’ietes.  He was 69 years old.

1930~ James Baker (né James Addison Baker, III), 61^stUnited States Secretary State.  He served in that capacity in under George H.W. Bush.  He also served Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush as White House Chief of Staff.  During the Reagan Administration, he also served as the 67^thUnited States Secretary of the Treasury from February 1985 until August 1988.  He was born in Houston, Texas.

1926~ Harper Lee (née Nelle Harper Lee, d. Feb. 19, 2016), American author, best known for her novel To Kill a Mockingbird.  In July 2015, a second book written by Lee, Go Set A Watchman, was published.  She was 89 years old at the time of her death.

1923~ Carolyn Cassady (née Carolyn Elizabeth Robinson; d. Sept. 20, 2013), American woman who was the Beats’ muse and lover.  She was married to Neal Cassady.  She died following complications of surgery at age 90.

1916~ Ferruccio Lamborghini (d. Feb. 20, 1993), Italian businessman and creator of the Lamborghini, a high-end sports vehicle. He died at age 76 of a heart attack.

1908~ Oskar Schindler (d. Oct. 9, 1974), Austro-Hungarian industrialist who saved many Jews during World War II.  Although a member of the Nazi Party, he hired many Jews in his factories, which ultimately saved their lives.  He was the subject of Steven Spielberg’s movie, Schindler’s List.  He was named Righteous Among Nations by the Israeli government in 1963. He died at age 66.  He is buried in the Mount Zion Catholic Cemetery in Jerusalem.

1906~ Kurt Gödel (né Kurt Friedrich Gödel; d. Jan. 14, 1978), Austrian mathematician.  He was born in what is now Brno, Czech Republic.  He died at age 71 of starvation.  He had a fear of being poisoned and would only eat food prepared by his wife, Adele.  When she became ill and could no longer prepare his food, he stopped eating.

1878~ Lionel Barrymore (néLionel Herbert Blyth; d. Nov. 15, 1954), American actor.  He was a member of the theatrical Barrymore family.  He died of a heart attack at age 76.

1868~ Georgy Voronoy (d. Nov. 20, 1908), Russian mathematician.  He died at age 40 following a severe illness.

1854~ Hertha Marks Aryton (née Phoebe Sarah Marks; d. Aug. 26, 1923), British engineer and mathematician.  She died of blood poisoning following a bug bite.  She was 69 years old.

1838~ Tobias Asser (né Tobias Michael Carel Asser; d. July 29, 1913), Dutch lawyer and recipient of the 1911 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in the field of private international law.  He died at age 75.

1765~ Sylvestre François Lacroix (d. May 24, 1834), French mathematician.  He died less than a month after his 78^thbirthday.

1761~ Marie Harel (d. Nov. 9, 1844), French cheesemaker.  She is credited with inventing Camembert Cheese. She died at age 83.

1758~ James Monroe (d. July 4, 1831), 5^thPresident of the United States.  He was President from March 1817 through March 1825.  He had previously served as the 8^thUnited States Secretary of War under President James Madison from September 1814 until March 1815.  He also served as the 7^thUnited States Secretary of State under President James Madison from April 1811 until March 1817.  He died at age 73.

1676~ King Frederick I of Sweden (b. Apr. 5, 1751).  He died 23 days before his 75^thbirthday.

1442~ King Edward IV of England (d. Apr. 9, 1483).  He was the first Yorkist King of England.  He died 19 days before his 41^stbirthday.

Events that Changed the World:

1994~ Aldrich Ames (b. 1941), former CIA counter-intelligence office, pled guilty to giving US secrets to the former Soviet Union and Russia.

1988~ On Aloha Airlines Flight 243, the fuselage ripped off a Boeing 737 and flight attendant Clarabelle Lansing (1930 ~ 1988) was sucked through the hole to her death.  The pilot was able to land the plane with no other casualties.

1971~ The Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA) was established by the United States Department of Labor.

1969~ Charles de Gaulle (1890 ~ 1970) resigned as president of France.

1952~ Dwight David Eisenhower (1890 ~ 1969) resigned as the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.

1947~ Thor Heyerdahl (1914 ~ 2002) and his crew of five set out on the Kon-Tikifrom Peru to Polynesia.

1932~ A vaccine for yellow fever was approved for use in humans.

1920~ Azerbaijan was became a part of the Soviet Union.

1789~ Lieutenant William Bligh (1754 ~ 1817) and 18 of his loyal sailors were set adrift following the Mutiny on the Bounty.  The mutineers returned to Tahiti, then set sail for Pitcairn’s Island.

1788~ Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.

1503~ The Battle of Cerignola in southern Italy was fought between Spanish and French armies.  The Spanish armies utilized firearms and were victorious; marking the first battle won using gunpowder in small fire arms.

Good-Byes:

2018~ Larry Harvey (b. Jan. 11, 1948), American artist and freethinker who co-founded Burning Man.  He died of a massive stroke at age 70.

2018~ Art Paul (néArthur Paul, b. Jan. 18, 1925), American graphic designer who gave Playboyits bunny.  He died at age 93.

1999~ Arthur Leonard Schawlow (b. May 5, 1921), American physicist and recipient of the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on lasers.  He died 7 days before his 78^thbirthday.

1988~ Clarabelle Lansing (b. Jan. 18, 1930), American stewardess on the ill-fated Aloha Airlines.  She was the only fatality when the fuselage ripped open mid-flight.  She was 58 years old.

1960~ General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo (b. Nov. 3, 1877), President of Chile. He served two terms, the first from May 1927 until November 1931 in his first term and the second term from November 1952 until November 1958.  He died at age 82.

1954~ Léon Jouhaux (b. July 1, 1879), French labor leader and recipient of the 1951 Nobel Peace Prize. He died at age 74.

1949~ Aurora Quezon (b. Feb. 19, 1888), First Lady of the Philippines.  She was assassinated on her way to open a hospital dedicated to her deceased husband, former president of the Philippines.  She was 61 years old.

1946~ Louis Bachelier (né Louis Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Bachelier; b. Mar. 11, 1870), French mathematician.  He died at age 76.

1945~ Clara Petacci (b. Feb. 28, 1912), Italian mistress of Benito Mussolini.  She was executed by firing squad along with Mussolini.  She was 33 years old.

1945~ Benito Mussolini (né Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini, b. July 29, 1883), Fascist dictator of Italy.  He served as the 27^thPrime Minister of Italy from October 1922 until July 1943.  He was executed by a firing squad, which consisted of members of the Italian resistance movement.  He was 61.

1944~ Frank Knox (néWilliam Franklin Knox; b. Jan. 1, 1874), 46^thUnited States Secretary of the Navy.  He served under President Franklin D. Roosevelt during most of World War II, from July 1940 until April 1944.  He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died in office at age 70.

1936~ King Faud I of Egypt (b. Mar. 26, 1868). He died about a month after his 68^thbirthday.

1922~ Paul Deschanel (né Paul Eugène Louis Deschanel; b. Feb. 13, 1855), President of France from February 1920 until September 1920.  He died at age 67.

1903~ Josiah Willard Gibbs (b. Feb. 11, 1839), American mathematical physicist. An instructorship at the Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut is named in his honor.  He was born and died in New Haven, Connecticut.  He died at age 64.

1883~ Jack Russell (né John Russell; b. Dec. 21, 1795), English parson and dog breeder.  He died at age 87.

1865~ Sir Samuel Cunard, 1^stBaronet (b. Nov. 21, 1787), Canadian businessman who founded the Cunard Line.  He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  He died at age 77.

April 27

Birthdays:

1969~ Cory Booker (né Cory Anthony Booker), American politician.  He is a United States Senator from New Jersey.

1945~ August Wilson (né Frederick August Kettel, Jr.; d. Oct. 2, 2005), African-American author and playwright.  He died of cancer at age 60.

1941~ Fethullah Gülen (né Muhammed Fethullah Gülen), Turkish theologian.

1939~ Judy Carne (néeJoyce Audrey Botterill; d. Sept. 3, 2015), British actress.  She is best known for her performances in Laugh-In.  She died of pneumonia at age 76.

1932~ Gian-Carlo Rota (d. Apr. 18, 1999), Italian-born mathematician.  He died of cardiac arrest 9 days before his 67^thbirthday.

1932~ Casey Kasem (né Kemal Amin Kasem; d. June 15, 2014), American radio disc jockey and personality, best known for being the host of American Top 40. He democratized rock ‘n roll.  He died at age 82.

1932~ Anouk Aimée (née Nicole Françoise Florence Dreyfus), French actress.

1927~ Coretta Scott King (né Coretta Scott; d. Jan. 30, 2006), American civil rights activist and wife of Martin Luther King, Jr.  She died of ovarian cancer at age 78 years old.

1923~ Jean Harris (née Jean Struven; d. Dec. 23, 2012), American educator who murdered her lover.  She was the headmistress of the Madeira School for girls in Virginia.  She was in a relationship with Herman Tarnowner. After she discovered that he had another girlfriend, she killed him.  She was convicted of his murder and sent to prison.  She died in New Haven, Connecticut at age 89.

1922~ Jack Klugman (né Jacob Joachim Klugman; d. Dec. 24, 2012), American actor.  He is best known for his role as Oscar Madison on the television sit-com, The Odd Couple.  He died at age 90.

1921~ John Stott (né John Robert Walmsley Stott; d. July 27, 2011), British Christian who evangelized the world. He died at age 90.

1920~ Mark Krasnosel’skii (d. Feb. 13, 1997), Ukrainian mathematician.  He is best known for his work on nonlinear functional analysis.  He died at age 76.

1916~ Enos Slaughter (né Enos Bradsher Slaughter; d. Aug. 12, 2002), American baseball player.  He died at age 86.

1913~ Irving Adler (d. Sept. 22, 2012), American mathematician.  He died in Bennington, Vermont at age 99.

1899~ Walter Lantz (né Walter Benjamin Lantz; d. Mar. 22, 1994), American animator, screenwriter and actor.  He is best known for creating such cartoon characters as Woody Woodpecker. He died of heart failure a month before his 95^thbirthday.

1896~ Wallace Carothers (né Wallace Hume Carothers; d. Apr. 29, 1937), American organic chemist who, while working at DuPont, invented nylon.  He died by suicide 2 days after his 41^stbirthday.

1827~ Mary Ward (née Mary King; d. Aug. 31, 1869), Irish astronomer and entomologist. She was killed at age 42 when she fell under the wheels of an experimental steam vehicle.

1822~ Ulysses S. Grant (néHiram Ulysses Grant, d. July 23, 1885), General in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and 18^thPresident of the United States.  He was President from March 1969 through March 1877.  He has previously served as General in the Union Army during the American Civil War.  He died of throat cancer at age 63.

1791~ Samuel Morse (né Samuel Finley Breese Morse; d. Apr. 2, 1872), American painter and inventor of the Morse code.  His contribution greatly advanced the use of the commercial telegraph. He was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts.  He died three weeks before his 81^stbirthday.

1759~ Mary Wollstonecraft (d. Sept. 10, 1797), English author and early feminist, best known for her book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. She died at age 38 of complications following childbirth.

1755~ Marc-Antoine Parseval (d. Aug. 16, 1836), French mathematician.  He died at age 81.

1593~ Mumtaz Mahal (d. June 17, 1631) died during the birth of her 14^thchild.  She was 38 years old.  She was the third and favorite wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan I (1592 ~ 1666), who spent the next 17 years building her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.

Events that Changed the World:

2014~ A tornado outbreak over much of the eastern portion of the United States killed 45 people.

2011~ Over 200 tornados touched down in the Southeastern United States, especially in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee.  During the tornado outbreak, which occurred from April 25 through April 28, over 300 people were killed and scores were injured in the devastation caused by the storms.

2010~ Standard & Poor’s downgraded Greece’s sovereign credit rating to junk.

1987~ The United States Department of Justice banned Austrian President Kurt Waldheim (1918 ~ 2007) from entering the United States because he had been involved in the deportation and execution of thousands of Jews while serving as a German Army officer during World War II.

1967~ Expo 67 officially opened in Montreal, Canada in a ceremony that was broadcast around the world.

1865~ The steamboat, SS Sultana, exploded and sank into the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee.  The boat’s passenger list was comprised of many Union soldiers who had survived the Andersonville and Cahaba Prisons.  Of the 2,400 passengers aboard the steamboat, over 1,700 were killed.

1865~ The New York State Senate created Cornell University as the state’s land grant institution.

1861~ President Abraham Lincoln (1809 ~ 1865) suspended the writ of habeas corpus.

1810~ Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 ~ 1827) composed his famous piano piece, Für Elise.

1667~ John Milton (1608 ~ 1674), who was blind and impoverished, sold the copyright of his book, Paradise Lostfor £10.

1570~ Pope Pius V (1504 ~ 1572) declared England’s Queen Elizabeth I (1533 ~ 1603) a heretic.

711~ Islamic Moorish troops landed in Gibraltar and began their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.

Good-Byes:

2012~ Moose Skowron (né William Joseph Skowron; b. Dec. 18, 1930), American All-Star first baseman.  He played 13 seasons in the major league from 1954 to 1967, playing with such teams as the Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Washington Senators and the Chicago White Sox.  He died at age 81.

2002~ Ruth Handler (né Ruth Marianna Mosko; b. Nov. 4, 1916), American toymaker and creator of the Barbie doll.  She was president of the Mattel toy company.  She died of colon cancer at age 85.

1999~ Al Hirt (néAlois Maxwell Hirt; b. Nov. 7, 1922), American trumpeter.  He was born and died in New Orleans, Louisiana.  He was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2009.  He died at age 76.

1996~ William Colby (né William Egan Colby; b. Jan. 4, 1920), 10^thDirector of the Central Intelligence Agency.  He served under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford from September 1973 until January 1996.  He died in what appeared to be a boating accident.  He took off on a canoe on April 27, 1996.  His body was discovered on May 6, 1996.  Although the coroner determined that he died drowning after having suffered a stroke or heart attack, there has been speculation that his death may have been due to foul play or suicide.  He was 76 years old.

1978~ Guido Stampacchia (b. Mar. 26, 1926), Italian mathematician.  He died of a heart attack a month after his 52^ndbirthday.

1965~ Edward R. Murrow (néEgbert Roscoe Murrow; d. Apr. 25, 1908), American broadcast journalist.  He died of lung cancer 2 days after his 57^thbirthday.

1952~ Guido Castelnuovo (b. Aug. 14, 1865), Italian mathematician.  He died at age 86.

1938~ Edmund Husserl (néEdmund Gustav Albrecht Hesserl; b. Apr. 8, 1859), Austrian mathematician.  He died 19 days after his 79^thbirthday.

1936~ Karl Pearson (b. Mar. 27, 1857), English statistician and mathematician. He died a month after his 79^thbirthday.

1932~ Hart Crane (né Harold Hart Crane; b. July 21, 1899), American writer.  He is believed to have intentionally died by suicide at age 32 by throwing himself off a steamship.

1915~ John Labatt (b. Dec. 11, 1838), Canadian businessman and brewer. He was the founder of the Labatt’s Brewing Company.  He died at age 76.

1902~ Julius Sterling Morton (b. Apr. 22, 1832), 3^rdUnited States Secretary of Agriculture.  He served in that Office from March 1893 until March 1897 in the Grover Cleveland administration.  He died 5 days after his 70^thbirthday.

1886~ Henry Hobson Richardson (b. Sept. 29, 1838), American architect.  He designed Trinity Church in Copley Square in Boston.  He was born in St. James Parish, Louisiana.  He died in Brookline, Massachusetts at age 47 of Bright’s disease.

1882~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (b. May 25, 1803), American essayist, poet and philosopher.  He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died in Concord, Massachusetts less than a month before his 79^thbirthday.

1813~ Zebulon Pike (né Zebulon Montgomery Pike; b. Jan. 5, 1779), American army officer, frontiersman and explorer.  Pikes Peak in Colorado is named for him.  He was killed in action age 34 in the Battle of York during the War of 1812.

1605~ Pope Leo XI (né Alessandro Ottaviano de’ Medici; b. June 2, 1535).  He was Pope for less that a month, from April 1 until April 27, 1605.  He died at age 69.

1521~ Ferdinand Magellan (b. 1480), Portuguese explorer who was killed by natives in the Philippines.  He is believed to have been about 40 years old at the time of his death.  The exact date of his birth is unknown.