January 31

Birthdays:

1981 ~ Justin Timberlake (né Justin Randall Timberlake), American singer and actor.  He was born in Memphis, Tennessee.

1970 ~ Minnie Driver (née Amelia Fiona Driver), English actress.  She was born in London, England.

1954 ~ Mark Slavin (d. Sept. 6, 1972), Russian-born Israeli wrestler.  He was murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Olympics in Munich.  He died at age 18.

1949 ~ Norris Church Mailer (née Betty Jean Davis, d. Nov. 21, 2010), American model and widow of Norman Mailer.  She was his 6^th wife.  She was born on Norman Mailer’s 26^th birthday.  She died of cancer at age 61.

1947 ~ Nolan Ryan (né Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr.), American baseball pitcher.  He was born in Refugio, Texas.

1943 ~ Richard Quick (né Richard Walter Quick; d. June 10, 2009), American head swim coach at Stanford University.  He coached the United States swim team in six Olympic competitions.  He died of a brain tumor at age 66.

1938 ~ James G. Watt (né James Gaius Watt), 43^rd United States Secretary of the Interior.  He served under President Ronald Reagan.  He was born in Lusk, Wyoming.

1938 ~ Queen Beatrix (née Beatrix Wilheelima Armgard) of the Netherlands.  She was Queen from April 1980 until she abdicated in April 2013 in favor of her son, Willem-Alexander.  She was born at Soestdijk Palace, Baarn, Netherlands.

1937 ~ Suzanne Pleshette (d. Jan. 19, 2008), American actress.  She died of respiratory failure just 12 days before her 71^st birthday.

1937 ~ Philip Glass (né Philip Morris Glass), American avant garde composer.  He was born in Baltimore, Maryland.

1935 ~ Kenzaburō Ōe, Japanese writer and recipient of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He was born in Ōse, Ehime, Japan.

1934 ~ Eva Kor (née Eva Mozes; d. July 4, 2019), Romanian survivor of Nazi twin experiments who forgave her torturers.  She and her twin sister, Miriam, were the only members of her family to survive the Holocaust.  Miriam died in 1993 of kidney failure that could be traced to the Nazi experimentation.  She died at age 85.

1933 ~ Ruedi Rymann (né Rudolf Rymann; d. Sept. 10, 2008), Swiss yodeler who was a national icon.  He died at age 75.

1933 ~ Nora Johnson (d. Oct. 5, 2017), American author who chronicled a Hollywood childhood.  She is best known for her novel, The World of Henry Orient.  She died at age 84 in Dallas, Texas.

1932 ~ Rick Hall (né Roe Erister Hall; d. Jan. 2, 2018), American record producer who crafted the Muscle Shoals sound.  He died of prostate cancer 29 days before his 86^th birthday.

1931 ~ Ernie Banks (né Ernest Banks; d. Jan. 23, 2015), African-American baseball player.  He was the optimistic shortstop who played for the Chicago Cubs and was known as “Mr. Cub.”  He died 8 days before his 84^th birthday.

1929 ~ Jean Simmons (née Jean Merilyn Simmons; d. Jan. 22, 2010), English actress who brought quiet strength to her roles.  She died 9 days before her 81^st birthday.

1929 ~ Rudolf Mössbauer (né Rudolf Ludwig Mössbauer; d. Sept. 14, 2011), German physicist and recipient of the 1961 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He died at age 82.

1928 ~ Irma Wyman (d. Nov. 17, 2015), American computer engineer.  She was the first woman to become vice president at Honeywell, Inc.  She died at age 87.

1925 ~ Benjamin Hooks (né Benjamin Lawson Hooks; d. Apr. 15, 2010), African-American minister, civil rights activist and attorney.  He died at age 85.

1924 ~ A. Alfred Taubman (né Adolph Alfred Taubman; d. Apr. 17, 2015), the American developer who pioneered indoor malls.  He died at age 91.

1923 ~ Norman Mailer (né Norman Kingsley Mailer; d. Nov. 10, 2007), American author and journalist.  He died at age 84.

1921 ~ Carol Channing (née Carol Elaine Channing; d. Jan. 15, 2019), American Broadway star who was the definition of Dolly.  She was best known for her role as Dolly Levi in the musical Hello, Dolly!, which opened on Broadway on January 16, 1964, almost exactly 45 years before her death.  She died 16 days before her 98^th birthday.

1920 ~ Stu Udall (né Stewart Lee Udall; d. Mar. 20, 2010), 37^th United States Secretary of the Interior.  He served under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from January 1961 until January 1969.  He had also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona.  He died at age 90.

1919 ~ Jackie Robinson (né Jack Roosevelt Robinson; d. Oct. 24, 1972), American baseball player.  He was the first African-American to play in the Major League.  He was the subject of the 2013 movie 42, which was the number on his baseball uniform.  He died of a heart attack at age 53.

1915 ~ Thomas Merton (d. Dec. 10, 1968), American author and Trappist monk.  He died at age 53.

1915 ~ Garry Moore (né Thomas Garrison Morfit, III; d. Nov. 28, 1993), American game show host.  He died of throat cancer at age 78.

1905 ~ John O’Hara (né John Henry O’Hara; d. Apr. 11, 1970), American author and screenwriter.  He died of cardiovascular disease at age 65.

1902 ~ Tallulah Bankhead (née Tallulah Brockman Bankhead; d. Dec. 12, 1968), American actress.  She died at age 66 of pneumonia.

1902 ~ Alva Myrdal (d. Feb. 1, 1986), Swedish sociologist and politician and recipient of the 1982 Nobel Peace Prize for her work in the disarmament movement.  She died 1 day after her 84^th birthday.

1896 ~ Sofya Yanovskaya (d. Oct. 24, 1966), Russian mathematician.  She specialized in the history of mathematics.  She died from complications of diabetes ate age 70.

1893 ~ Dame Freya Stark (née Freya Madeline Stark; d. May 9, 1993), British-Italian explorer and travel writer.  She wrote numerous books on the Middle East and Afghanistan.  She was born in Paris, France.  She died in Asolo, Italy at age 100.

1892 ~ Eddie Cantor (né Edward Israel Iskowitz; d. Oct. 10, 1964), American actor and singer.  He died at age 72.

1881 ~ Irving Langmuir (d. Aug. 16, 1957), American chemist and recipient of the 1932 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in surface chemistry.  He died in Woods Hole, Massachusetts at age 76.

1872 ~ Zane Grey (né Pearl Zane Grey; d. Oct. 23, 1939), American dentist and author of western novels.  He is best known for his novel Riders of the Purple Sage.  He died at age 67.

1868 ~ Theodore William Richards (d. Apr. 2, 1928), American chemist and recipient of the 1914 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in determining the atomic weights of a number of chemical elements. He was the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He died at age 60 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1854 ~ David Emmanuel (d. Feb. 4, 1941), Romanian mathematician.  He died 4 days after his 87^th birthday.

1830 ~ James G. Blaine (né James Gillespie Blaine, d. Jan. 27, 1893) 28^th and 31^st United States Secretary of State.  He first served in this office from March 1881 to December 1881 during the Presidencies of James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur.  He served his second term during the Presidency of Benjamin Harrison from March 1889 to June 1892.  He had also served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representative.  He served as a United States Senator from the State of Maine.  He died 4 days before his 63^rd birthday.

1820 ~ William B. Washburn (né William Barrett Washburn; d. Oct. 5, 1887), 28^th Governor of Massachusetts.  He was Governor from January 1872 until April 1874, when he became a United States Senator following the death of Charles Sumner.  He died at age 67.

1797 ~ Franz Schubert (né Franz Peter Schubert; d. Nov. 19, 1828), Austrian composer.  He died at age 31, possibly of typhoid fever.

1512 ~ King Henry of Portugal (d. Jan. 31, 1580).  He was king from August 1578 until his death on this date in 1580.  He was also a Cardinal in the Catholic Church.  He was known as Henry the Chaste and had no children.  He was the last member of the House of Aviz to rule Portugal.  He died on his 68^th birthday.

Events that Changed the World:

2020 ~ The United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union will cease in accordance with Article 50.

2018 ~ Both a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse occurred.

2001 ~ A Scottish court convicted Abdelbaset al-Megrahi (1952 ~ 2012) of Libya for his part in the bombing of the Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.  He was sentenced to life in prison, however, was released in August 2009 on “compassionate” grounds, alleging that he was dying of cancer.  He survived for another 2 and a half years before succumbing in May 2012.

1990 ~ The first McDonald’s restaurant in the Soviet Union opened in Moscow.

1958 ~ James Van Allen (1914 ~ 2006) discovered the radiation belt that now bears his name.

1953 ~ A North Sea flood occurred killing over 1,800 people in the Netherlands and over 300 people in the United Kingdom.

1950 ~ President Harry Truman (1884 ~ 1972) announced a program to develop the hydrogen bomb.

1949 ~ The first daytime television soap opera, These Are My Children, began broadcasting by the NBC station in Chicago.  The show ran for only a few weeks, ending on March 4, 1949.

1945 ~ Eddie Slovik (1820 ~ 1945), a private in the United States Army, was executed for desertion.  He was the first American to be executed since the Civil War.  He was 24 years old.

1942 ~ Allied forces were defeated by the Japanese at the Battle of Malaya and retreated to Singapore during World War II.

1930 ~ The 3M company began marketing Scotch Tape.

1929 ~ Leon Trotsky (1879 ~ 1940) was exiled by the Soviet Union.

1919 ~ The Battle of George Square, a violent confrontation between the police and striking Glasgow workers occurred in George Square.  The riot was caused by anger at the 47-hour working week.  Despite the violent confrontation, there were no fatalities as a result of the riots.

1915 ~ Germany began using wide-scale use of poison gas during the Battle of Bolimów against Russia during World War I.

1865 ~ The United States Congress passed the 13^th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery.  The Amendment was then sent to the States for ratification.

1801 ~ John Marshall (1755 ~ 1835) was nominated as the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court by President John Adams (1735 ~ 1826).  He began his tenure as Chief Justice four days later, on February 4, 1801.  He served until his death in July 1835.

1747 ~ The first venereal disease clinic opened at London Lock Hospital.

314 ~ Pope Silvester I (d. 335) began his reign succeeding Pope Miltiades (d. 314).

Good-Byes:

2019 ~ Harold Bradley (né Harold Ray Bradley; b. Jan. 2, 1926), American prolific guitarist who shaped the Nashville sound.  He was one of the most recorded guitarists in music history.  He died 29 days after his 93^rdbirthday.

2018 ~ Oscar Gamble (né Oscar Charles Gamble; d. Dec. 20, 1949), American professional baseball outfielder who had a big bat and big hair.  He died in Birmingham, Alabama of cancer at age 68.

2015 ~ Lizabeth Scott (née Emma Matzo; b. Sept. 29, 1922), American actress known for her smoky-voice.  She played the femme fatale in many 1940s and 1950s film noir.  She was 92.

2007 ~ Molly Ivins (née Mary Tyler Ivans; b. Aug. 30, 1944), American political humorist.  She died at age 62 of breast cancer.

1976 ~ Ernesto Miranda (né Ernesto Arturo Miranda; b. Mar. 9, 1941), American criminal who was convicted of kidnap, rape and armed robbery based on his confession under police interrogation.  He was the Miranda in the United States Supreme Court Case, Miranda v. Arizona, which ruled that criminal suspects must be informed of their Constitutional rights.  This case set the police standard of reading arrestees their Constitutional rights.  He was stabbed to death in a bar fight at age 34.

1974 ~ Samuel Goldwyn (né Szmuel Gelbfizs; b. Aug. 17, 1882), Polish-born film studio executive and co-founder of Goldwyn Pictures.  He died at age 94.

1973 ~ Ragnar Frisch (né Ragnar Anton Kittil Frisch; b. Mar. 3, 1895), Norwegian economist and recipient of the 1969 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.  He died at age 77.

1956 ~ A.A. Milne (né Alan Alexander Milne; b. Jan. 18, 1882), English author, best known for his Winnie the Poohseries of children’s books.  He died 2 weeks after his 74^th birthday.

1955 ~ John Mott (né John Raleigh Mott; b. May 25, 1865), American evangelist and recipient of the 1946 Nobel Peace Prize.  He died at age 89.

1954 ~ Edwin Armstrong (né Edwin Howard Armstrong; b. Dec. 18, 1890), American engineer and inventor of the FM radio.  He committed suicide at age 63.

1945 ~ Eddie Slovik (né Edward Donal Slovik; b. Feb. 18, 1920), American Army private who was executed for desertion.  He was the first such execution of an American soldier since the American Civil War.  He was executed 18 days before his 25^th birthday.

1933 ~ John Galsworthy (b. Aug. 14, 1867), British novelist and recipient of the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He is best known for The Forsyte Saga.  He died of a brain tumor at age 65.

1892 ~ Charles Spurgeon (né Charles Haddon Spurgeon; b. June 19, 1834), English Particular Baptist preacher.  He died at age 57.

1856 ~ 11^th Dalai Lama (né Khedrup Gyasto; b. Nov. 1, 1838).  He died at age 17.

1788 ~ Charles Edward Stuart (b. Dec. 31, 1720), pretender to the British Throne.  He died of a stroke a month after his 67^th birthday.

1632 ~ Jost Bürgi (b. Feb. 28, 1552), Swiss clockmaker and mathematician.  He died 28 days before his 80^thbirthday.

1606 ~ Guy Fawkes (b. Apr. 13, 1570), English Catholic conspirator.  He was the mastermind behind the Gunpowder Plot, which was a plot against Parliament and King James.  He was captured on November 5, 1605, hence that day is known as Guy Fawkes Day.  He was hanged two months later on this date at age 35.

1580 ~ King Henry of Portugal (b. Jan. 31, 1512).  He was king from August 1578 until his death on this date in 1580.  He was also a Cardinal in the Catholic Church.  He was known as Henry the Chaste and had no children.  He was the last member of the House of Aviz to rule Portugal.  He died on his 68^th birthday.

1435 ~ Xuande (b. Mar. 16, 1399), 5^th Chinese Emperor of the Ming dynasty.  His personal name was Zhu Zhanji.  He ruled from June 1425 until his death in January 1435.  He died of an illness at age 35.

January 30

Birthdays:

1974 ~ Christian Bale (né Christian Charles Philip Bale), Welsh actor.  He was born in Haverfordwest, Wales.

1974 ~ Olivia Colman (née Sarah Caroline Olivia Colman), English actress.  She is best known for her role as Queen Anne in the movie The Favorite.

1968 ~ King Felipe VI of Spain.  He ascended to the throne in June 2014 upon the abdication of his father, King Juan Carlos I.  He was born in Madrid, Spain.

1962 ~ King Abdullah II of Jordan.  He became king in 1999.  He was born in Amman, Jordon.

1957 ~ Payne Stewart (né William Payne Stewart; d. Oct. 25, 1999), American golfer.  He was killed in an airplane crash at age 42.

1955 ~ John Baldacci (né John Elias Baldacci), 73^rd Governor of Maine.  He served as Governor from January 2003 until January 2011.  He was born in Bangor, Maine.

1949 ~ Peter Agre, American physician and biologist.  He was the recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He was born in Northfield, Minnesota.

1948 ~ Miles Reid (né Miles Anthony Reid), English mathematician who works in algebraic geometry.  He was born in Hoddesdon, England.

1945 ~ Meir Dagan (né Meir Huberman; d. Mar. 17, 2016), Israeli military officer and Director of Mossad from 2002 until 2011.  He died of cancer at age 71.

1942 ~ Marty Balin (né Martyn Jerel Buchwald; d. Sept. 27, 2018), American s inger who sparked a rock revolution.  He founded the band Jefferson Airplane.  He died at age 76.

1941 ~ Dick Chaney (né Richard Bruce Chaney), 46^th Vice President of the United States.  He served under President George W. Bush from January 2001 until January 2009.  He had previously served as the 17^th United States Secretary of Defense during the George H.W. Bush administration from March 1989 until January 1993.  He also served as a Representative from Wyoming in the United States House of Representatives.  From November 1975 until January 1977, he served as the White House Chief of Staff for President Gerald Ford.  The 2018 movie Vice was a depiction of his life.  He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska.

1937 ~ Vanessa Redgrave, English actress.  She was born in Greenwich, England.

1937 ~ Boris Spassky (né Boris Vasilievich Spassky), Russian chess master.  He was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

1931 ~ Shirley Hazzard (d. Dec. 12, 2016), Australian writer best known for her book The Transit of Venus.  She died at age 85.

1930 ~ Gene Hackman (né Eugene Allen Hackman), American actor.  He was born in San Bernardino, California.

1928 ~ Harold Prince (né Harold Smith Prince; d. July 31, 2019), American stage and Broadway giant who shook up musicals.  He died at age 91.

1927 ~ Olof Palme (né Sven Olaf Joachim Palme; d. Feb. 28, 1986), Prime Minister of Sweden.  He was assassinated a month after his 59^th birthday.

1925 ~ Douglas Engelbart (né Douglas Carl Engelbart; d. July 2, 2013), American computer scientist and inventor of the computer mouse.  He was also responsible for laying out the principles of computer networking.  He died at age 88.

1924 ~ Margaret Yorke (née Margaret Larminie; d. Nov. 17, 2012), British crime fiction author.  She died at age 88.

1922 ~ Dick Martin (né Thomas Richard Martin, d. May 24, 2008), American comedian and goofy co-host of Laugh-In.  He died at age 86.

1915 ~ John Profumo, 5^th Baron Profumo (né John Dennis Profumo; d. Mar. 9, 2006), British Secretary of State for War.  He was caught in a sex scandal in the 1960s.  He died of a stroke at age 91.

1914 ~ David Wayne (né Wayne James McMeekan; d. Feb. 9, 1995), American actor.  He died of lung cancer 10 days after his 81^st birthday.

1912 ~ Barbara W. Tuchman (née Barbara Wertheim; d. Feb. 6, 1989), American historian.  She is best known for her book The Guns of August, which is about the first month of World War I.  She died 7 days after her 77^th birthday.

1899 ~ Max Theiler (d. Aug. 11, 1972), South African virologist and recipient of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work in developing a vaccine against yellow fever.  He died at age 73 in New Haven, Connecticut.

1894 ~ Boris III of Bulgaria (d. Aug. 28, 1943), Tsar of Bulgaria from October 1918 until his death on this date 25 years later.  He is best known for taking steps to protect the Jews of Bulgaria during World War II.  He was of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháy.  He was married to Princess Giovanna of Italy.  He died of a heart attack at age 49.

1882 ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt (né Franklin Delano Roosevelt; d. Apr. 12, 1945), 32^nd United States President.  He served in Office from March 1933 until his death on this date in 1945.  He is the only President to have been elected for 3 terms.  He died at age 63.

1844 ~ Richard Greener (né Richard Theodore Greener; d. May 2, 1922), lawyer who was the first African-American to graduate from Harvard College.  He went on to become the dean of the Howard University School of Law.  He died age 78.

1841 ~ Félix Faure (né Félix François Faure; d. Feb. 16, 1899), President of France.  He served as President from January 1895 until his death in February 1899.  He died in Office of apoplexy just 17 days after his 58^th birthday.

1816 ~ Nathaniel Banks (né Nathaniel Prentiss Banks, d. Sept. 1, 1894), 24^th Governor of Massachusetts.  He served as Governor from January 1858 until January 1861.  He also served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from February 1856 until March 1857.  He was born and died in Waltham, Massachusetts.  He was 78 at the time of his death.

1736 ~ James Watt (d. Aug. 25, 1819), Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer best know for the creation of the modern steam engine.  He died at age 83.

1615 ~ Thomas Rolfe (d. 1675), American son of Pocahontas and her husband, John Rolfe.  The exact date of his death is not known.

Events that Changed the World:

1972 ~ British Paratroopers killed 14 unarmed civil rights marchers in Northern Ireland in this date, which became known as Bloody Sunday.

1969 ~ The Beatles’ last public performance took place on the roof of Apple Records in London.  The police later broke up this impromptu concert.

1968 ~ The Tet Offensive was launched by forces of the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army against South Vietnam and the United States.  It was one of the largest military campaigns in the Vietnam War.  The offense occurred late at night and in the early morning hours of January 31, on the Vietnamese New Year, hence the name of the event.

1948 ~ Mahatma Gandhi (1869 ~ 1948) was assassinated by Hindu extremist Nathuram Godse.

1933 ~ Adolf Hitler (1889 ~ 1945) was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.

1862 ~ The first American ironclad warship, the USS Monitor, was launched.

1847 ~ Yerba Buena, California was renamed San Francisco.

1835 ~ Richard Lawrence (1800 ~ 1861) attempted an assassination attempt on President Andrew Jackson (1767 ~ 1845) in the first known assassination attempt against an American president.  Lawrence spent the rest of his life in an insane asylum.

1826 ~ The first modern suspension bridge, the Menai Suspension Bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the north west coast of Wales, opened.

1820 ~ Irish sailor Edward Bransfield (1785 ~ 1852) claimed the discovery of Antarctica with the sighting of its Trinity Peninsula.

1815 ~ President James Madison (1751 ~ 1836) approved the Act of the United States Congress to the purchase of Thomas Jefferson's library.  Jefferson had nearly 6,500 volumes, which became the nucleus of the Library of Congress.

1661 ~ Oliver Cromwell (1599 ~ 1658), Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England was ritually executed 2 years after his death, on the anniversary of the execution of King Charles I of England (1600 ~ 1649), the monarch he had deposed in 1649.

1607 ~ A massive flood unexpectedly struck along the coast of the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary in England, which may have been caused by a tsunami.  It is believed about 2,000 people were drowned.

516 BCE ~ The traditional date ascribed to the completion of the Second Temple of Jerusalem.

Good-byes:

2018 ~ Mark Saling (né Mark Wayne Saling; b. Aug. 17, 1982), American actor and musician.  He was best known for his role as Puck on the television series Glee.  He was born in Dallas, Texas.  He had been arrested on charges of possession of child pornography.  He pled guilty, but died by suicide before he was sentence.  He died at age 35.

2017 ~ Harold Rosen (b. Mar. 20, 1926), American satellite pioneer who got the world talking.  He was known as the Father of the Communication Satellite.  He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.  He died at age 90 of complications of a stroke.

2015 ~ Želju Mitev Želev (b. Mar. 3, 1935), President of Bulgaria from January 1992 until January 1997.  He died at age 79.

2015 ~ Carl Djerassi (b. Oct. 29, 1923), Austrian-born chemist who helped develop the birth control pill.  He died at age 91.

2013 ~ Patty Andrews (née Patricia Marie Andrews; b. Feb. 16, 1918), last surviving member of the Andrews Sisters vocal trio.  She died 17 days before her 95^th birthday.

2009 ~ Ingemar Johansson (né Jens Ingemar Johansson, b. Sept. 22, 1932), Swedish world heavyweight champion who beat Floyd Patterson.  He was known as The Hammer Thor.  He died at age 76.

2009 ~ Milton Parker (b. Jan. 10, 1919), American businessman, restaurateur and co-founder of the Carnegie Deli.  He made the Carnegie Deli famous.  He died 20 days after his 90^th birthday,

2007 ~ Sidney Sheldon (né Sidney Schechtel; b. Feb. 11, 1917), American author.  He died 12 days before his 90^thbirthday.

2006 ~ Wendy Wasserstein (b. Oct. 18, 1950), American playwright.  She died of lymphoma at age 55.

2006 ~ Coretta Scott King (né Coretta Scott; b. Apr. 27, 1927), American civil rights activist and wife of Martin Luther King, Jr.  She died of ovarian cancer at age 78 years old.

1995 ~ Gerald Durrell (né Gerald Malcolm Durrell; b. Jan. 7, 1925), British naturalist and author.  He wrote The Whispering Lands, which is about Patagonia.  He died 23 days after his 70^th birthday.

1991 ~ John Bardeen (b. May 23, 1908), American physicist and recipient of the 1956 and 1972 Nobel Prizes in Physics.  To date, he is the only individual to have won two Nobel Prizes in Physics.  He died in Boston, Massachusetts at age 82.

1980 ~ Professor Longhair (né Henry Roeland Byrd, b. Dec. 19, 1918), African-American New Orleans Blues singer-songwriter and pianist.  He was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana and died in New Orleans.  He died of a heart attack at age 61.

1973 ~ Elizabeth Baker (née Elizabeth Faulkner Baker; b. Dec. 10, 1885), American economist.  She died at age 87.

1969 ~ Dominique Pire (né George Charles Clement Ghislain Pire; b. Feb. 10, 1910), Belgian monk and recipient of the 1958 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in assisting refugees following World War II.  He died of complications following surgery 11 days before his 59^th birthday.

1958 ~ Ernst Hienkel (b. Jan. 24, 1888), German aviation engineer.  He was a member of the Nazi party.  He died 6 days after his 70^th birthday.

1951 ~ Ferdinand Porsche (b. Sept. 3, 1875), Austrian-German engineer and businessman.  He founded the Porsche automobile company.  He was a member of the Nazi party.  He died of a stroke at age 75.

1948 ~ Orville Wright (b. Aug. 19, 1871), American aviation pioneer, who along with his brother, Wilber (1867 ~ 1912), invented the airplane.  Orville died at age 76.

1948 ~ Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi aka Mahatma Gandhi (b. Oct. 2, 1869), Indian pacifist and spiritual leader.  He advocated non-violent disobedience.  He was assassinated by a Hindu extremist.  He was 78 at the time of his death.

1934 ~ Frank Doubleday (né Frank Nelson Doubleday; b. Jan. 8, 1862), American publisher and founder of the Doubleday Publishing Company.  He died 22 days after his 72^nd birthday.

1928 ~ Johannes Fibiger (né Johannes Andreas Grib Fibiger; b. Apr. 23, 1867), Danish physician and recipient of the 1926 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He died of colon cancer at age 60.

1910 ~ Granville Woods (né Granville Tailer Woods; b. Apr. 23, 1856), African-American inventor and engineer.  He held over 50 patents.  He died of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 53.

1888 ~ Asa Gray (b. Nov. 18, 1810), American botanist.  He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  He died at age 77.

1836 ~ Betsy Ross (née Elizabeth Griscom; b. Jan. 1, 1752), American seamstress who is credited with making the first American Flag, although there is no evidence to support this legend.  She died 29 days after her 84^th birthday.

1730 ~ Tsar Peter II of Russia (b. Oct. 23, 1715).  He was Emperor from May 1727 until his death in January 3 years later.  He was of the House of Romanov.  He died of smallpox at age 14.

1649 ~ King Charles I of England and Ireland and King of Scotland (b. Nov. 19, 1600).  He was king from March 1625 until his execution in January 1649.  He was of the House of Stuart.  He was tried and convicted of high treason and was beheaded at age 48.

970 ~ Peter I of Bulgaria.  He was Tsar from 927 until 969.  He was married to Irene Lekapene.  He then became a monk and died of a stroke in January 970.  The date of his birth is not known.

January 29

Birthdays:

1975 ~ Sara Gilbert (née Sara Rebecca Abeles), American actress and talk show host.  She was born in Santa Monica, California.

1970 ~ Heather Graham (née Heather Joan Graham), American actress.  She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1970 ~ Paul Ryan (né Paul David Ryan, Jr.), American politician and United States Representative from the State of Wisconsin.  He served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.  He served in that Office from October 2015 until January 2019, when he was succeeded by Nancy Pelosi.  He was also the 2012 vice presidential nominee of the Republican party, along with Mitt Romney.  He was born in Janesville, Wisconsin.

1954 ~ Oprah Winfrey (née Oprah Gail Winfrey), American talk show hostess.  She was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi.

1950 ~ Ann Jillian (née Ann Jura Nauseda), American actress.  She was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1949 ~ Tommy Ramone (né Erdélyi Tamás; d. July 11, 2014), Hungarian-American drummer who defied punk rock.  He was the last surviving original member of the Ramones.  He died of cancer at age 65.

1947 ~ Linda Buck (née Linda Brown Buck), American biologist and recipient of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her work in olfactory receptors.  She was born in Seattle, Washington.

1941 ~ Andrzej Trybulec (d. Sept. 11, 2013), Polish mathematician.  He was 72 years old.

1940 ~ Katharine Ross (née Katharine Juliet Ross), American actress best known for her role as Elaine Robinson in The Graduate.  She was born in Hollywood, California.

1939 ~ Germaine Greer, Australian writer and feminist.  She was born in Melbourne, Australia.

1933 ~ Paul Sally (né Paul Joseph Sally, Jr.; d. Dec. 30, 2013), American mathematician.  He was born in Massachusetts.  He died of heart failure a month before his 81^st birthday.

1929 ~ Joseph Kruskal (né Joseph Bernard Kruskal, Jr.; d. Sept. 19, 2010), American mathematician.  He died at age 82.

1927 ~ Edward Abbey (né Edward Paul Abbey; d. Mar. 14, 1989), American author and environmental activist.  He died at age 62 of complications following surgery.

1926 ~ Abdus Salam (d. Nov. 21, 1996), Pakistani physicist and recipient of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He died at age 70.

1921 ~ Geraldine Pittman Woods (née Geraldine Pittman; d. Dec. 27, 1999), African-American embryologist.  She died a month before her 79^th birthday.

1918 ~ John Forsythe (né Jacob Lincoln Freund; d. Apr. 1, 2010), American actor.  He is best remembered for his role as the conniving patriarch Blake Carrington on the television drama Dynasty.  He died at age 92.

1888 ~ Sydney Chapman (d. June 16, 1970), English mathematician and geophysicist.  He died at age 82.

1881 ~ Alice Evans (née Alice Catherine Evans; d. Sept. 5, 1975), American pioneering microbiologist.  She demonstrated that Bacillus abortus in cattle caused Brucellosis in cattle and humans.  She died at age 94.

1880 ~ W.C. Fields (né William Claude Dunkenfield; d. Dec. 25, 1946), American comedian, actor and writer, best known for his comic persona as a misanthropic egotist.  He died just over a month before his 67^th birthday.

1874 ~ John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (né John Davison Rockefeller, Jr.; d. May 11, 1960), American entrepreneur and philanthropist.  He was the son and namesake of the founder of Standard Oil.  He died at age 86.

1866 ~ Romain Rolland (d. Dec. 30, 1944), French author and recipient of the 1915 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He died a month before his 79^th birthday.

1860 ~ Anton Chekhov (né Anton Paviovich Chekhov; d. July 15, 1904), Russian playwright.  He died at age 44 of tuberculosis.

1846 ~ Karol Olszewski (né Karol Stanisław Olszewski; d. Mar. 24, 1915), Polish chemist, physicist and mathematician.  He died at age 69.

1843 ~ William McKinley, Jr. (d. Sept. 14, 1901), 25^th President of the United States.  He died from injuries suffered in the assassination attempt on September 6, 1901.  He was just two months into his second term as President when he died.  Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him as President.  McKinley was 58 years old at the time of his death.

1817 ~ William Ferrel (d. Sept. 18, 1891), American mathematician and meteorologist.  He died at age 74.

1810 ~ Mary Whitwell Hale (d. Nov. 17, 1862), American school teacher and hymnwriter.  She was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in Keene, New Hampshire.  She died at age 52.

1810 ~ Ernst Kummer (né Ernst Eduard Kummer; d. May 14, 1893), German mathematician.  He died at age 83.

1761 ~ Albert Gallatin (né Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin; d. Aug. 12, 1849), Swiss-born 4^th United States Secretary of the Treasury.  He served under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison from May 1801 until February 1814.  He died at age 88.

1754 ~ Moses Cleaveland (d. Nov. 16, 1806), American general and politician who founded Cleveland, Ohio.  He died at age 52.

1749 ~ King Christian VII of Denmark (d. Mar. 13, 1808).  He reigned as King of Denmark and Norway from January 14, 1766 until his death in March 1808.  He was married to Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain in 1766.  They were divorced in 1772.  He died of a stroke at age 59.

1499 ~ Katharina von Bora (d. Dec. 20, 1552), former nun and wife of Martin Luther.  She died at age 53.

919 ~ Shi Zong (d. Oct. 7, 951), Chinese Emperor of the Liao dynasty.  He ruled from May 947 until his death in October 951.  He died at age 32.

Events that Changed the World:

2009 ~ Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (b. 1956) was convicted on corruption charges, including the alleged solicitation of personal benefit in exchange for an appointment to fill the United States Senate seat left vacant upon Barack Obama’s presidential win.  He was sentenced to federal prison.

2002 ~ President George W. Bush (b. 1946) gave his State of the Union Address in which he called Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an Axis of Evil.

1980 ~ The Rubik’s Cube was first introduced to the public at a toy fair in London.

1944 ~ The Koniuchy massacre in Poland killed approximately 38 people during World War II.

1936 ~ The first inductees into the Baseball of Fame were announced.  Those inducted in the first year included Ty Cobb (Detroit Tigers), Walter Johnson (Washington Senators), Christy Mathewson (New York Giants), Babe Ruth (New York Yankees), and Honus Wagner (Pittsburgh Pirates).

1916 ~ German zeppelins bombed Paris during World War I.

1907 ~ Charles Curtis (1860 ~ 1936) of Kansas became the first Native American elected to the United States Congress.

1901 ~ The American League baseball team was organized in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The initial teams comprising the American League were the: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Americans, Chicago White Stockings, Cleveland Blues, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Athletics, and the Washington Senators.

1891 ~ Liliuokalani (1838 ~ 1917) became Queen of Hawaii.  She was the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands.

1886 ~ Karl Benz (1844 ~ 1929) patented the first successful gasoline-driven automobile, the Motorwagon.

1861 ~ Kansas became the 34^th State of the Union.

1856 ~ Queen Victoria (1819 ~ 1901) instituted the Victoria Cross to recognize acts of valor by military personnel during the Crimean War.

1845 ~ Edgar Allen Poe’s (1809 ~ 1849) first publication, The Raven, appeared in the New York Evening Mirror.

1834 ~ President Andrew Jackson (1767 ~ 1845) ordered federal troops to suppress a labor dispute.

Good-Byes:

2015 ~ Colleen McCullough (née Colleen Margaretta McCullough; b. June 1, 1937), Australian neuroscientist and novelist.  She was a prolific author best known for her novel The Thorn Birds.  She died of renal failure at age 77.

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

2015 ~ Alexander Vraciu (b. Nov. 2, 1918), American flying ace in the United States Navy who dominated the Pacific during World War II.  He died at age 96.

2012 ~ Camilla Williams (née Camilla Ella Williams; b. Oct. 18, 1919), African-American opera star.  She died at age 92.

2009 ~ John Martyn (né Iain David McGeachy; b. Sept. 11, 1948), hard-living British musician who defied genres.  He died at age 60.

2008 ~ Margaret Truman (née Mary Margaret Truman; b. Feb. 17, 1924), American writer and daughter of President Harry S Truman.  She died 19 days before her 84^th birthday.

2006 ~ Nam June Paik (b. July 20, 1932), South Korean artist.  He died at age 73.

2005 ~ Ephraim Kishon (né Ferenc Hoffmann; b. Aug. 23, 1924), Hungarian-born Israeli writer.  He died at age 80.

2004 ~ M.M. Kaye (née Mary Margaret Kaye; b. Aug. 21, 1908), British writer, best known for her book The Far Pavilions.  She died at age 95.

1998 ~ Joseph Alioto (né Joseph Lawrence Alioto; b. Feb. 12, 1916), 36^th Mayor of San Francisco.  He was mayor from January 1968 until January 1976.  He died of prostate cancer 14 days before his 82^nd birthday.

1980 ~ Jimmy Durante (né James Francis Durante; b. Feb. 10, 1893), American actor and comedian.  He died 11 days before his 87^th birthday.

1977 ~ Freddie Prinze (né Frederick Karl Pruetzel; b. June 22, 1954), American actor and comedian.  He died by suicide at age 22.

1969 ~ Allen Dulles (né Allan Welsh Dulles; b. Apr. 7, 1893), 5^th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.  He served under President Dwight David Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy from February 1953 until November 1961.  He resigned following the Bay of Pigs incident.  He died of influenza at age 75.

1964 ~ Alan Ladd (né Alan Walbridge Ladd; b. Sept. 3, 1913), American actor.  He died of a cerebral edema caused by an accidental overdose.  He was 50 years old.

1963 ~ Robert Frost (né Robert Lee Frost; b. Mar. 26, 1874), American poet.  He died in Boston, Massachusetts at age 88.

1956 ~ H.L. Mencken (né Henry Louis Mencken; b. Sept. 12, 1880), American journalist.  He died at age 75.

1946 ~ Harry Hopkins (né Harry Lloyd Hopkins; b. Aug. 17, 1890), 8^th United States Secretary of Commerce.  He served during the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration from December 1938 until September 1940.  He died of stomach cancer at age 55.

1934 ~ Fritz Haber (b. Dec. 9, 1868), German chemist and recipient of the 1918 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He is considered the Father of Chemical Warfare.  He died at age 65.

1933 ~ Sara Teasdale (née Sara Trevor Teasdale; b. Aug. 8, 1884), American poet.  She died by suicide at age 48.

1906 ~ King Christian IX of Denmark (b. Apr. 8, 1818).  He ruled from November 15, 1863 until his death in 1906.  He was married to Louise of Hesse-Kassel.  He died at age 87.

1888 ~ Edward Lear (b. May 12, 1812), English artist and poet, who is most famous for his limericks.  He died of heart disease at age 75.

1860 ~ Henry Gilpin (né Henry Dilworth Gilpin; b. Apr. 14, 1801), 14^th United States Attorney General.  He served under President Martin Van Buren from January 1840 until March 1841.  He died at age 58.

1829 ~ Timothy Pickering (b. July 17, 1745), 3^rd United States Secretary of State.  He served under Presidents George Washington and John Adams from August 1795 until May 1800.  He had previously served as the 2^nd United States Secretary of War in the Washington Administration from January 1795 until January 1796.  He also served as the 2^nd United States Postmaster General from August 1791 until January 1795.  Following his tenure in the executive branch of government, he became a United States Senator from Massachusetts from March 1813 to March 1817.  He was born in Salem, Massachusetts and died in Salem at age 83.

1820 ~ King George III of the Great Britain and Ireland (né George William Frederick, b. June 4, 1738).  He ruled from October 25, 1769 until his death 60 years later.  He married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1761.  He was of the House of Hanover.  He died at age 81.

1715 ~ Bernard Lamy (b. June 15, 1640), French mathematician.  He died at age 74.

1119 ~ Pope Gelasius II (né Giovanni Caetani; b. 1060).  He was Pope from 1118 until his death on this date in 1119.  The exact date of his birth is not known.

757 ~ An Lushan (b. 703), 1^st Chinese Emperor and founder of the Yan Dynasty.  He was assassinated by his son at about age 54.  The exact date of his birth is not known.