Monday, May 27, 2019

May 27

Birthdays:

1990~ Chris Colfer (né Christopher Paul Colfer), American actor best known for portrayal of Kurt on Glee.

1975~ Jamie Oliver (né Jamie Trevor Oliver), English chef and author.

1961~ Peri Gilpin (née Peri Kay Oldham), American actress best known for her role as Roz on Frasier.

1947~ Felix Dennis (d. June 22, 2014), British maverick publisher who built a magazine empire. His company pioneered hobby and computer magazines, as well as The Week.  He died of throat cancer 27 days after his 67thbirthday.

1943~ Bruce Weitz (né Bruce Peter Weitz), American actor best known for his role as Sergeant Mickie Belker on the television drama Hill Street Blues.  He was born in Norwalk, Connecticut.

1936~ Louis Gossett, Jr. (né Louis Cameron Gossett, Jr.), African-American actor.

1935~ Lee Meriwether (née Lee Ann Meriwether), American model, actress and Miss America 1955.

1934~ Harlan Ellison (né Harlan Jay Ellison; d. June 28, 2018), American combative writer who became a sci-fi master.  He died 32 days after his 84thbirthday.

1931~ James Q. Wilson (né James Quinn Wilson; d. Mar. 2, 2012), American political scientist and authority on public administration.  He was the scholar who revolutionized policing.  He died in Boston, Massachusetts at age 80.

1930~ William S. Sessions (né William Steele Sessions), 4thDirector of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from November 1987 until July 1993.

1927~ Peter Malkin (né Zvi Malkin; d. Mar. 1, 2005), Israeli spy who captured Adolf Eichmann. He was born in Poland, but his family moved to British Palestine in 1936 to escape the increased anti-Semitism. In 1939, he joined the Hagannah. After graduating from high school, he joined the Mossad.  The story of Eichmann’s capture was depicted in the 2018 film Operation Finale.  He died at age 76.

1925~ Tony Hillerman (né Anthony Grove Hillerman; d. Oct. 26, 2008), American novelist who wrote mysteries and portrayed Navajo life.  He died of pulmonary failure at age 83.

1923~ Rodney S. Quinn (né Rodney Sharon Quinn, d. Oct 27, 2012), Secretary of State of Maine from 1979 to 1988.  He died at age 89.

1923~ Henry Kissinger (né Heinz Alfred Kissinger), German-born American politician. He was the 56thSecretary of State and served under President Richard Nixon.  He was also the recipient of the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize.

1922~ Sir Christopher Lee (né Christopher Frank Carandini Lee; d. June 7, 2015), British actor who brought monsters to life.  He was known for his portrayal of Dracula and for being a Bondvillain. He died 11 days after his 93rdbirthday.

1915~ Herman Wouk (d. May 17, 2019), American writer.  He is best known for such novels as The Caine Mutinyand The Winds of War.  He died 10 days before his 104thbirthday.

1912~ John Cheever (né John William Cheever; d. June 18, 1982), American author.  He was born in Quincy, Massachusetts.  He died of cancer about 3 weeks after his 70thbirthday.

1912~ Sam Snead (né Samuel Jackson Sneed; d. May 23, 2002), American golfer. He died 4 days before his 90thbirthday.

1911~ Hubert H. Humphrey (né Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr.; d. Jan. 13, 1978), 38thVice President of the United States.  He served under President Lyndon B. Johnson from January 1965 until January 1969.  He had previously served as a United States Senator from Minnesota.  He earned his Master’s Degree from Louisiana State University.  He died of cancer at age 66.

1911~ Vincent Price (né Vincent Leonard Price, Jr., d. Oct. 25, 1993), American actor.  He died of lung cancer at age 82.

1911~ Teddy Kollek (né Tivadar Kollek; d. Jan. 2, 2007), Hungarian-born Israeli politician and 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.

1909~ Delores Hope (née Delores DeFina, d. Sept. 19, 2011), American singer and philanthropist.  She was the wife of comedian Bob Hope (1903 ~ 2003).  She died at age 102.

1907~ Rachel Carson (née Rachel Louise Carson; d. Apr. 14, 1964), American biologist and environmentalist.  She is best known for her book, The Silent Spring, which led to the banning of certain pesticides.  The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, which was named in her honor, is located in southern Maine.  She died of breast cancer at age 56.

1897~ Sir John Cockcroft (né John Douglas Cockcroft; d. Sept. 18, 1967), English physicist and recipient of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in splitting the atomic nucleus.  He died of a heart attack at age 70.

1894~ Dashiell Hammett (né Samuel Dashiell Hammett; d. Jan. 10, 1961), American writer of the detective novel.  He and Lillian Hillman were long-time partners. He died of lung cancer at age 66.

1884~ Max Brod (d. Dec. 20, 1968), Czech writer, composer and journalist.  He was a friend of Franz Kafka and is largely responsible for preserving much of Kafka’s writings.  He died at age 84 in Tel Aviv.

1877~ Isadora Duncan (née Angela Isadora Duncan, d. Sept. 14, 1927), American dancer.  She was killed at age 50 when the scarf around her neck became entangled in the spokes of the automobile in which she was riding.

1871~ Georges Rouault (né Georges Henri Rouault; d. Feb. 13, 1958), French painter.  He died at age 85.

1837~ Wild Bill Hickok (né James Butler Hickok; d. Aug. 2, 1876), American lawman in the American Wild West.  He was murdered at age 39 while playing poker.

1836~ Jay Gould (né Jason Gould; d. Dec. 2, 1892), American railroad developer and financier.  He died of tuberculosis at age 56.

1819~ Julia Ward Howe (née Julia Ward; d. Oct. 17, 1910), American poet and abolitionist.  She wrote the words to theBattle Hymn of the Republic.  She died at age 91 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

1818~ Amelia Bloomer (née Amelia Jenks; d. Dec. 30, 1894), American women’s rights activist.  Women’s pants called Bloomers are named after her.  She died at age 76.

1794~ Cornelius Vanderbilt (d. Jan 4, 1877), American industrialist and philanthropist.  He was known as Commodore Vanderbilt.  He was the founder of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.  He died at age 82.

1756~ Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria (b. Oct. 13, 1825), King of Bavaria.  He was king from January 1806 until his death in October 1825.  He died at age 69.

1738~ Nathaniel Gorham (d. June 11, 1796), early American politician.  He served as the 14thPresident of the Continental Congress.  He was born and died in Charlestown, Massachusetts.  He died 15 days after his 58thbirthday.

1626~ William II, Prince of Orange (d. Nov. 6, 1650).  He died of smallpox at age 24.

742~ De Zong (d. Feb. 25, 805), Chinese Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.  He reigned from June 779 until his death in 805.  He died at age 62.

Events that Changed the World:

2019~ Memorial Day was observed in the United States.

2013~ Memorial Day was observed in the United States.

1995~ Actor Christopher Reeve (1952 ~ 2004) was paralyzed after falling from his horse in a riding competition.  He would live another 9.5 years.

1942~ In Operation Anthropoid, Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich (1904 ~ 1942), was fatally wounded in Prague in an assassination attempt.  He died of his injuries 8 days later.  He was one of the main architects of the Holocaust.

1937~ The Golden Gate Bridge opened to pedestrian traffic.  The bridge spans from San Francisco to Marin County, California.  It would open for vehicular traffic on the following day.

1935~ The United States Supreme Court ruled in Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, that the National Industrial Recovery Act was unconstitutional on grounds of an invalid usage of the Commerce Clause.  Chief Justice Charles Hughes drafted the majority opinion.

1933~ The United States Federal Securities Act was signed into law requiring the registration of securities with the Federal Trade Commission.

1930~ The Chrysler Building in New York City opened to the public.  At 1,046 feet, it was the tallest man-made structure at the time.

1927~ The Ford Motor Company stopped the manufacturing of the Ford Model T to begin changing their plants to be able to make the Ford Model A vehicles.

1883~ Alexander III (1845 ~ 1894) was crowned Tsar of Russia.

1863~ The Union Army made its first assault on the Confederate works at the Siege of Port Hudson during the American Civil War.

1703~ St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great (1672 ~ 1725).

1199~ John (1166 ~ 1216), also known as John Lackland, was crowned King of England   He was the youngest of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitine.  As the youngest son, he was not expected to either become monarch or inherit any significant lands, hence his nickname of John Lackland.  He is best known as being king when the Magna Cartawas drafted.

1153~ Malcolm IV (1141 ~ 1165) was crowned King of Scotland.

1096~ Count Emicho, as leader of the People’s Crusade, stormed through the Rhineland causing pogram on Jews throughout the land.  On this date he entered Mainz and at least 800 Jews were murdered.

Good-Byes:

2017~ Gregg Allman (né Gregg LeNoir Allman; b. Dec. 8, 1947), American musician.  One of his 7 wives was Cher.  He died of liver cancer at age 69.

2012~ Friedrich Hirzenbruch (né Friedrich Ernest Peter Hirzebruch; d. Oct. 17, 1927), German mathematician.  He died at age 84.

2011~ Gil Scott-Heron (né Gilbert Scott-Heron; b. Apr. 1, 1949), American musician and reluctant founder of rap. He died at age 62.

2009~ Sir Clive Granger (néClive William John Granger; d. Sept. 4, 1934), English economist and recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.  He died at age 74.

2006~ Paul Gleason (né Paul Xavier Gleason; b. May 4, 1939), American actor best known for his role as the principal in The Breakfast Club.  He died of lung cancer 23 days after his 68thbirthday.

1990~ Robert B. Meyner (né Robert Baumie Mayner; b. July 3, 1908), 44thGovernor of New Jersey.  He was Governor from January 1954 until January 1962.  He died at age 81.

1988~ Ernst Ruska (néErnst August Friedrich Ruska; b. Dec. 25, 1906), German physicist and recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in electron optics.  He died at age 81.

1987~ John Howard Northrop (b. July 5, 1891), American chemist and recipient of the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He died by suicide at age 95.

1964~ Jawaharlal Nehru (b. Nov. 14, 1889), 1stPrime Minister of India of an independent India from 1947 until 1964.  He was also the father of Indira Gandhi, the country’s 3rdPrime Minister. He died of a heart attack at age 74.

1949~ Robert Ripley (né LeRoy Robert Ripley; b. Dec 25, 1890) American cartoonist and collector of odd facts.  He founded the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! newspaper.  He died of a heart attack at age 58.

1910~ Robert Koch (né Robert Heinrich Hermann Koch; b. Dec. 11, 1843), German physician, bacteriologist, and recipient of the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work with tuberculosis. He is considered the Father of Modern Bacteriology.  He died at age 66.

1867~ Thomas Bulfinch (b. July 15, 1796), American banker and writer.  He is best known for the book Bulfinch’s Mythology.  He was from Massachusetts.  He died at age 70.

1840~ Niccolò Paganini (b. Oct. 27, 1782), Italian violinist and composer.  He died at age 58.

1739~ Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach (b. May 11, 1715), German musician and organist.  He was the 4thchild of Johann Sebastian Bach.  He died just 16 days after his 24thbirthday.

1707~ Françoise Athénaïs, Marquise de Montespan (b. Oct. 5, 1641), French mistress of King Louis XIV of France.  She died at age 66.

1564~ John Calvin (né Jehan Cauvin, b. July 10, 1509), French theologian.  He was an influential religious leader during the Protestant Reformation.  He died at age 54.

1508~ Ludovico Sforza (b. July 27, 1452), Duke of Milan from October 1494 until September 1499.  He is best known for commissioning di Vinci’sThe Last Supper.  He died at age 55.

927~ Simeon I of Bulgaria (b. 864). He ruled over Bulgaria from 893 until his death 24 years later.  He was the first Bulgarian to be recognized as Emperor.  The exact date of his birth is unknown.

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