October 23

Birthdays:

1965 ~ Augusten Burroughs (né Augusten Xon Burroughs), American writer, best known for his memoir Running with Scissors.  He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

 

1962 ~ Doug Flutie (né Douglas Richard Flutie), American football player.  He was born in Manchester, Maryland.

 

1960 ~ Randy Pausch (né Randolph Frederick Pausch; d. July 25, 2008), American professor whose last lecture inspired millions.  He was born in Baltimore, Maryland.  He died at age 47 of pancreatic cancer in Chesapeake, Virginia.

 

1959 ~ “Weird Al” Yankovic (né Alfred Matthew Yankovic), American comedian and songwriter.  He was born in Downey, California.

 

1956 ~ Dwight Yoakam (né Dwight David Yoakam), American country musician.  He was born in Pikeville, Kentucky.

 

1954 ~ Ang Lee, Taiwanese-American film director.

 

1949 ~ Nick Tosches (né Nicholas P. Tosches; d. Oct. 20, 2019), American gonzo journalist who wrote the lives of showbiz legends.  He was a journalist, novelist and biographer.  He was born in Newark, New Jersey.  He died 3 days before his 70^th birthday in Manhattan, New York.

 

1946 ~ Mel Martínez (né Melquíades Rafael Martínez Ruiz), 12^th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.  He served under President George W. Bush from January 2001 until December 2003.  He was born in Sagua La Grande, Cuba.

 

1942 ~ Dame Anita Roddick (née Anita Lucia Perella, d. Sept. 10, 2007), English businesswoman and environmentalist.  She was founder of The Body Shop.  She died of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 64.

 

1942 ~ Michael Crichton (né John Michael Crichton; d. Nov. 4, 2008), American physician and author of “technothrillers”.  He died of lymphoma 12 days after his 66^th birthday.

 

1940 ~ Pelé (né Edison Arantes do Nascimento), Brazilian soccer player.

 

1931 ~ William P. Clark, Jr. (né William Patrick Clark, Jr.; d. Aug. 10, 2013), 44^th United States Secretary of the Interior.  He served in that Office from November 1983 until February 1985.  Prior to being appointed as Secretary of the Interior, he served as the 12^th United States National Security Advisor.  He served in that Office from January 1982 until October 1983.  He served both offices during the Ronald Reagan Administration.  He died of complications of Parkinson’s disease at age 81.

 

1929 ~ Merv Adelson (né Mervyn Lee Adelson; d. Sept. 8, 2015), American mogul involved in real estate and television who produced Dallas, but then lost his fortune.  He was born and died in Los Angeles, California.  He died of cancer at age 85.

 

1925 ~ Johnny Carson (né John William Carson; d. Jan. 23, 2005), American television host of The Late Show.  He was the comedian who was the “king of late night” television.  He died at age 79.

 

1922 ~ Jean Barker, Baroness Trumpington (née Jean Alys Campbell-Harris; d. Nov. 26, 2018), British politician and socialite.  She died at age 96.

 

1920 ~ Frank Rizzo (né Francis Lazarro Rizzo, d. July 16, 1991), American police officer who became Philadelphia’s 93^rd Mayor.  He was born and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He died of a massive heart attack at age 70.

 

1908 ~ Ilya Frank (d. June 22, 1990), Russian physicist and recipient of the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He died at age 81.

 

1905 ~ Felix Bloch (d. Sept. 10, 1983), Swiss-American physicist and recipient of the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He died at age 77.

 

1905 ~ Gertrude Ederle (né Gertrude Caroline Ederle; d. Nov. 30, 2003), American athlete and swimmer.  On August 6, 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.  She died at age 98.

 

1899 ~ Bernt Balchen (d. Oct. 17, 1973), Norwegian-American aviation pioneer.  He died a week before his 74^thbirthday.

 

1894 ~ Emma Vyssotsky (née Emma Williams; d. May 12, 1974), American astronomer.  She earned her Ph.D., in astronomy at Harvard College.  She was born in Media, Pennsylvania.  She died at age 80.

 

1893 ~ Gummo Marx (né Milton Marx; d. Apr. 21, 1977), fourth of the Marx brothers, and American actor and comedian.  He was born in Manhattan, New York.  He died of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 84 in Palm Springs, California.

 

1869 ~ John Heisman (né John William Heisman; d. Oct. 3, 1936), American football player and coach.  The college Heisman Trophy is named in his honor.  He died of pneumonia 20 days before his 67^th birthday.

 

1835 ~ Adlai Stevenson I (né Adlai Ewing Stevenson; d. June 14, 1914), 23^rd United States Vice President.  He served under President Grover Cleveland from March 1893 until March 1897.  He was born in Christian County, Kentucky.  He died at age 78 in Chicago, Illinois.

 

1762 ~ Samuel Morey (d. Apr. 17, 1843), American engineer and inventor.  He worked on the internal combustion engine and was a pioneer in steamship development.  He was born in Connecticut.  He died at age 80.

 

1715 ~ Tsar Peter II of Russia (d. Jan. 30, 1730).  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.

 

1491 ~ Ignatius of Loyola (d. July 31, 1556), Spanish theologian and founder of the Society of Jesus.  He died at age 64.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2015 ~ Hurricane Patricia, which was the most powerful Category 5 Storm to hit in the Western Hemisphere, slammed into Mexico’s west coast.  It soon was downgraded to a tropical storm and caused less damage than originally anticipated.  The storm had formed on October 20 and dissipated on October 24, 2015.

 

2011 ~ A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Van Province, Turkey killing over 580 people.

 

1998 ~ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (b. 1949) and PLO leader Yasser Arafat (1929 ~ 2004) reached a “land for peace” agreement.

 

1989 ~ The Hungarian Republic was officially declared, replacing the communist Hungarian People’s Republic.

 

1983 ~ The United States Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon was hit by a truck bomb and 241 United States military personnel were killed.  The French army barracks were also hit with a similar bomb, which killed 58 soldiers.

 

1973 ~ United States President Richard M. Nixon (1913 ~ 1994) agreed to turn over the subpoenaed audiotapes of his Oval Office conversations to the Senate Watergate Committee.

 

1956 ~ Thousands of Hungarians protested against the government and Soviet occupation.  By November 4, 1956, less than three weeks later, Hungarian Revolution of 1956 would ultimately be crushed.

 

1915 ~ Nearly 33,000 women marched on Fifth Avenue in New York City to advocate their right to vote.

 

1902 ~ The five-month strike by the United Mine Workers ended.  The strike had begun in May.

 

1850 ~ The first National Women’s Rights Convention was held in Worcester, Massachusetts.

 

1707 ~ The first Parliament of Great Britain convened.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2016 ~ Tom Hayden (né Thomas Emmet Hayden; b. Dec. 11, 1939), American politician and political activist.  He was also married to Jane Fonda from 1973 until their divorce in 1990.  He was born in Royal Oak, Michigan.  He died at age 73 in Santa Monica.

 

2014 ~ Bernard Mayes (né Anthony Bernard Duncan Mayes; b. Oct. 10, 1929), British former priest who reached out to the suicidal.  He started America’s first suicide prevention hotline.  He died 2 weeks after his 85^th birthday.

 

2014 ~ Joan Quigley (née Joan Ceciel Quigley; b. Apr. 10, 1927), American astrologer who guided First Lady Nancy Reagan.  She died at age 87.

 

2011 ~ Herbert A. Hauptman (né Herbert Aaron Hauptman; b. Feb. 14, 1917), American mathematician and chemist.  He was the recipient of the 1985 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He died at age 94.

 

2010 ~ Stanley K. Tanger (b. Apr. 13, 1923), American businessman and founder of the Tanger Factory Outlet Stores.  He died of pneumonia at age 87.

 

2009 ~ Lou Jacobi (né Louis Harold Jacobovitch; b. Dec. 28, 1913), Canadian-born actor who wore his heart on his face.  He died at age 95.

 

2002 ~ Richard Helms (né Richard McGarrah Helms; b. Mar. 30, 1913), 8^th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.  He served under Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon from June 1966 until February 1973.  He was born in St. Davids, Pennsylvania.  He died at age 89 in Washington, D.C.

 

1996 ~ Diana Trilling (né Diana Rubin; b. July 21, 1905), American literary critic and author.  She was the wife of author Lionel Trilling.  She died at age 91.

 

1986 ~ Edward Adelbert Doisy (b. Nov. 13, 1893), American biochemist and recipient of the 1943 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He died 3 weeks before his 93^rd birthday.

 

1983 ~ Jessica Savitch (née Jessica Beth Savitch; b. Feb. 1, 1947), American journalist.  She was killed in a car accident at age 36.

 

1950 ~ Al Jolson (né Asa Yoelson, b. May 26, 1886), Lithuanian-born American comedian and singer.  He died of a heart attack at age 64.

 

1944 ~ Charles Glover Barkla (b. June 7, 1877), English physicist and recipient of the 1917 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in X-ray spectroscopy.  He died at age 67

 

1939 ~ Zane Grey (né Pearl Zane Grey; b. Jan. 31, 1872), American dentist and author of western novels.  He is best known for his novel Riders of the Purple Sage.  He died at age 67.

 

1896 ~ Columbus Delano (b. June 4, 1809), 11^th United States Secretary of the Interior.  He served under President Ulysses S. Grant from November 1870 until September 1875.  He was born in Shoreham, Vermont.  He died at age 87 in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

 

1887 ~ Elihu B. Washburne (né Elihu Benjamin Washburne, b. Sept. 23, 1816), 25^th United States Secretary of State.  He served under President Ulysses S. Grant for 11 days, from March 5, 1869 until March 16, 1869.  He was born in Livermore, Maine.  He died in Chicago, Illinois a month after his 71^st birthday.

 

1874 ~ Abraham Geiger (b. May 24, 1810), German rabbi and scholar.  He is considered the founding father of the Reform Movement.  He was born in Frankfurt, Germany.  He died at age 64 in Berlin, Germany.

 

1869 ~ Edward Smith-Stanley, 14^th Earl of Derby (né Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley; b. Mar. 29, 1799), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.  He served as Prime Minister in three separate terms, first from February 1852 until December 1852; then from February 1858 until June 1859; and finally from June 1866 until 1868.  He died at age 70.

 

1581 ~ Michael Neander (b. Apr. 3, 1529), German mathematician and astronomer.  The Neander crater on the moon is named after him.  He died at age 52.