Wednesday, January 6, 2021

January 6

Birthdays:

1982 ~ Eddie Redmayne (né Edward John David Redmayne), English actor.  He was born in Westminster, London, England.

 

1970 ~ Julie Chen (née Julie Suzanne Chen), American television journalist.  She is the second wife of Les Moonves (b. 1949), who was involved in a sex scandal in 2018.  She was born in Queens, New York.

 

1968 ~ John Singleton (né John Daniel Singleton; d. Apr. 28, 2019), African-American film director who stunned with Boyz n the Hood.  At age 24, he was the youngest person to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Director for his film Boyz n the Hood.  He died at age 51 of complication of a stroke.

 

1960 ~ Nigella Lawson (née Nigella Lucy Lawson), British chef.  She was born in London, England.

 

1956 ~ Elizabeth Strout, American novelist.  She is best known for her novel Olive Kitteridge.  She was born in Portland, Maine.

 

1955 ~ Rowan Atkinson (né Rowan Sebastian Atkinson), British actor best known for his role in Blackadder.  He was born in Consett, England.

 

1953 ~ Malcolm Young (né Malcolm Mitchell Young; d. Nov. 18, 2017), Scottish-Australian AC/DC guitarist who churned out classical rock riffs.  He and his brother, Angus, co-founded the band AC/DC.  He died at age 64.

 

1950 ~ Louis Freeh (né Louis Joseph Freeh), 10th Director of the American Federal Bureau of Investigation.  He served under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush from September 1993 until June 2001.  He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.

 

1946 ~ Syd Barrett (né Roger Keith Barrett; d. July 7, 2006), British singer-songwriter and founding member of Pink Floyd.  He died of pancreatic cancer at age 60.

 

1944 ~ Bonnie Franklin (née Bonnie Gail Franklin; d. Mar. 1, 2013), American actress and TV star who embodied the single mom.   She is best known for her role in the television sit-com One Day at a Time.  She died at age 69 of pancreatic cancer.

 

1944 ~ Rolf M. Zinkernagel (né Rolf Martin Zinkernagel), Swiss immunologist and recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of how the immune system recognizes viral-infected cells.  He was born in Riehen, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland.

 

1941 ~ Jean Bethke Elshtain (née Jean Paulette Bethke; d. Aug. 11, 2013), American academic who argued for a “just war” in Iraq.  She was born in Windsor, Colorado.  She died of heart failure at age 72 in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

1940 ~ Oscar Lanford (né Oscar Eramus Lanford, III; d. Nov. 16, 2013), American mathematician.  He was born in New York.  He died at age 73.

 

1937 ~ Lou Holtz (né Louis Leo Holtz), football legend, coach and sports analyst for ESPN.  He was the head coach at The College of William and Mary.  He was born in Follansbee, West Virginia.

 

1936 ~ Julio María Sanguinetti, President of Uruguay.  He served two terms, first from March 1985 to 1990, and second from 1995 to 2000.  He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay.

 

1931 ~ E.L. Doctorow (né Edgar Lawrence Doctorow; d. July 21, 2015), American author who turned history into gold.  He is best known for his novel Ragtime.  He died of lung cancer at age 84.

 

1930 ~ Vic Tayback (né Victor Tayback; d. May 25, 1990), American actor best known for his role as Mel on the television sit-com, Alice.  He died of a heart attack at age 60.

 

1927 ~ Jesse Steinfeld (né Jesse Leonard Steinfeld; d. Aug. 5, 2014), 11th Surgeon of the United States.  He served under President Richard M. Nixon from December 1969 until June 1973.  He died of complications of a stroke at age 87.

 

1926 ~ Mickey Hargitay (né Miklós Hargitay; d. Sept. 14, 2006), Hungarian bodybuilder and husband of Jayne Mansfield.  He was the father of actress Mariska Hargitay.  He died of multiple myeloma at age 80.

 

1925 ~ John DeLorean (né John Zachary DeLorean; d. Mar. 19, 2005), American engineer and automaker.  He was the founder of the DeLorean Motor Company.  He died following a stroke at age 80.

 

1924 ~Kim Dae-jung (d. Aug. 18, 2009), 15th President of South Korea.  He served in Office from February 1998 through February 2003.  He was the recipient of the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize.  He died at age 85.

 

1924 ~ Earl Scruggs (né Earl Eugene Scruggs; d. Mar. 28, 2012), American virtuoso who popularized the banjo.  He was known for bluegrass music.  He died at age 88.

 

1916 ~ Eugene T. Maleska (né Eugene Thomas Maleska, d. Aug. 3, 1993), American crossword puzzle creator and editor.  He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.  He died of throat cancer at age 77 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

 

1915 ~ Alan Watts (né Alan Wilson Watts; d. Nov. 16, 1973), British-American philosopher.  He is best known for popularizing Eastern philosophy to Western audiences.  He died at age 58.

 

1912 ~ Danny Thomas (né Amos Muzyad Yakhoob Kairouz; d. Feb. 6, 1991), American actor.  He was the father of Marlo Thomas.  He died a month after his 79th birthday.

 

1908 ~ Menachem Avidom (né Mendel Mlhler-Kalkstein; d. Aug. 5, 1995), Austro-Hungarian-born Israeli composer.  He died in Tel Aviv at age 87.

 

1902 ~ Dagobert D. Runes (né Dagobert David Runes; d. Sept. 24, 1982), Ukrainian-born philosopher.  He was born in Zastavna, Ukraine.  He died in New York, New York at age 80.

 

1883 ~ Khalil Gibran (d. Apr. 10, 1931), Lebanese poet and painter.  He is best known for his book of poetry entitled The Prophet.  He died at age 48.

 

1882 ~ Sam Rayburn (né Samuel Tailferro Rayburn; d. Nov. 16, 1961), American politician from Texas.  He was the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January 1955 until his death in November 1961.  He was influential in the construction of U.S. Route 66.  He died of cancer at age 79.

 

1880 ~ Tom Mix (né Thomas Hezikiah Mix; d. Oct. 12, 1940), American actor best known for his roles in Westerns as a cowboy.  He was killed in a car accident at age 60.

 

1878 ~ Carl Sandburg (né Carl August Sandburg; d. July 22, 1967), American poet.  He died at age 89.

 

1857 ~ William E. Russell (né William Eustis Russell; d. July 16, 1896), 37th Governor of Massachusetts.  He served as Governor from January 1891 through January 1894.  He died unexpectedly, probably of heart failure, at age 39.

 

1811 ~ Charles Sumner (d. Mar. 11, 1874), American politician and United States Senator from Massachusetts.  He was a leader in the anti-slavery movement in Massachusetts.  He died of a heart attack at age 63.

 

1807 ~ Joseph Petzval (d. Sept. 19, 1891), German-Hungarian mathematician.  He died at age 84.

 

1793 ~ James Porter (né James Madison Porter; d. Nov. 11, 1862), 18th United States Secretary of War.  He served under President John Tyler from March 1843 until January 1844.  He died at age 69.

 

1745 ~ Jacques-Étienne Montigolfier (d. Aug. 2, 1799), co-inventor along with his brother Joseph-Michel Montgolfier (1740 ~ 1810), of the hot air balloon.  He died at age 54; his brother died at age 69.

 

1730 ~ Thomas Chittenden (d. Aug. 25, 1797), early American politician and influential figure in the history of Vermont.  He was the 1st Governor of the State of Vermont.  He was in Office from March 1791 until his death in August 1797.  He was born in what is now East Guilford, Connecticut.  He died in Williston, Vermont at age 67.

 

1654 ~ Jacob Bernoulli (d. Aug. 16, 1705), Swiss mathematician.  Under the Julian calendar, his birthday is cited as being on December 27, 1654.  Under the Gregorian calendar, his birthdate is considered to be January 6, 1655.  He was born and died in Basel, Switzerland.  He was 50 at the time of his death.

 

1561 ~ Thomas Fincke (d. Apr. 24, 1656), Danish mathematician and physicist.  He died at age 95.

 

1412 ~ Joan of Arc (d. May 30, 1431), French military figure and Roman Catholic saint.  She led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years’ War.  She was condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake.  She was approximately 19 years old as the exact date of her birth is unknown, although Jan. 6 is commonly accepted as her birthdate.

 

1367 ~ King Richard II of England (d. Feb. 14, 1400).  He reigned over England from June 1377 until he was overthrown in 1399.  He was married first to Anne of Bohemia (1366 ~ 1394).  Following her death, he married Isabella of Valois (1389 ~ 1409).  After Edward was deposed, he was imprisoned in the London Tower.  He died and was likely murdered from starvation on orders of Henry Bolingbroke.  He was 33 years old at the time of his death.

 

255 ~ Pope Marcellus I (d. Jan. 16, 309), Pope from May 308 until his death in January 309.  He died 10 days after his 54th birthday.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2017 ~ The United States Congress certified Donald Trump (b. 1946) as the winner of the 2016 presidential election.

 

2005 ~ A train collision in Graniteville, South Caroling released about 60 tons of chlorine gas.  Nine people were killed and numerous others were injured.

 

2005 ~ Edgar Ray Killen (1921 ~ 2018) was arrested for the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers in Mississippi.  He would ultimately be convicted on three counts of manslaughter and sentenced to 60 years in prison.

 

2001 ~ The United States Congress certified George W. Bush (b. 1964) as the winner of the 2000 presidential election in a contested election with Al Gore (b. 1948).

 

1994 ~ Nancy Kerrigan (b. 1969) was clubbed in the knee at the United States Figure Skating Championships, thereby ruining her chances in the Olympics.

 

1947 ~ Pan American Airlines became the first commercial airline to schedule flights around the world.

 

1930 ~ The first diesel-powered automobile trip, from Indianapolis, Indiana, to New York City, was completed.

 

1929 ~ Mother Teresa (1910 ~ 1997) arrived in Calcutta, India and began her charity work among the poor and sick people of India.

 

1912 ~ New Mexico became the 47th State of the Union.

 

1907 ~ Maria Montessori (1870 ~ 1552) opened her first school and daycare center in Rome, Italy.  It was intended for the working class children of the city.

 

1893 ~ The Washington National Cathedral was chartered by the United States Congress.  United States President Benjamin Harrison (1833 ~ 1901) signed the charter.

 

1853 ~ President-elect Franklin Pierce (1804 ~ 1869) and his family were involved in a train wreck near Andover, Massachusetts.  His 11-year old son Benjamin was killed in the crash.

 

1839 ~ The Night of the Big Wind began.  It was one of the worst storms in Irish history.  It began as an intense storm in the mid-Atlantic; the prior day the country received a heavy snow storm, followed by a balmy, sunny day, which melted the snow.  Suddenly hurricane force winds struck.  Up to 300 people died in the storm and a quarter of the homes in Dublin were destroyed.  The storm ended on January 7.

 

1540 ~ King Henry VIII (1491 ~ 1547) of England married Anne of Cleves (1515 ~ 1557).

 

1492 ~ Ferdinand (1452 ~ 1516) and Isabella (1451 ~ 1504), the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, entered Granada and completing the Reconquista.

 

1322 ~ Stefan Uroš III (1282 ~ 1331) was crowned King of Serbia.

 

1066 ~ Harold II (né Harold Godwinson, 1022 ~ 1066), the last Anglo-Saxon King of England was crowned.  He reigned for only 10 months before he was killed at the Battle of Hastings in October 1066.

 

1016 ~ Cnut the Great (995 ~ 1035) was crowned King of England.  He would rule England for nearly 20 years.  He would go on to be crown King of Denmark and King of Norway.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2018 ~ Dave Toschi (né David Ramon Toschi, b. July 11, 1931), American dogged detective who hunted the Zodiac serial killer.  He was an inspector with the San Francisco Police Department from 1952 to 1987.  For many years he had been assigned to the homicide detail.  He was born and died in San Francisco, California.  He died at age 86.

 

2018 ~ Horace Ashenfelter, III (b. Jan. 23, 1923), American FBI agent who beat the Soviets to win Olympic Gold in the 3,000 steeplechase at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland.  He was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.  He died 17 days before his 95th birthday in West Orange, New Jersey.

 

2016 ~ Pat Harrington, Jr. (né Daniel Patrick Harrington, Jr., b. Aug. 13, 1929), American actor best known for his role as Schneider on the television sit-com One Day at a Time.  He died at age 86.

 

2013 ~ Ruth Carter Stevenson (née Ruth Carter; b. Oct. 19, 1923), American art collector and founder of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas.  She died at age 89.

 

2011 ~ Don Tyson (né Donald John Tyson; b. Apr. 21, 1930), American chicken farmer who built a food empire.  He was the founder of Tyson chicken.  He was born in Olathe, Kansas.  He died of cancer at age 80 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

 

2006 ~ Lou Rawls (né Louis Allen Rawls; b. Dec. 1, 1933), African-American singer.  He died of cancer about a month after his 72nd birthday.

 

2004 ~ Francesco Scavullo (b. Jan. 16, 1921), American fashion photographer.  He died 10 days before his 83rdbirthday.

 

1993 ~ Rudolf Nureyev (b. Mar. 17, 1938), Russian-born dancer and choreographer.  He died of complications of AIDS at age 54.

 

1993 ~ Dizzy Gillespie (né John Birks Gillespie; b. Oct. 21, 1917), American trumpeter and bandleader.  He died at age 75.

 

1990 ~ Pavel Alekseyevich Čerenkov (b. July 28, 1904), Russian physicist and recipient of the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of Cherenkov radiation.  He died at age 85 in Moscow, Russia.

 

1981 ~ A.J. Cronin (né Archibald Joseph Cronin; b. July 19, 1896), Scottish physician and novelist.  He wrote the novel, A Song of Sixpence.  He died at age 77.

 

1944 ~ Ida Tarbell (née Ida Minerva Tarbell; b. Nov. 5, 1857), American journalist and social activist.  She is best known for her 1904 book, The History of Standard Oil.  She was born in Amity Township, Pennsylvania.  She died at age 86 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

 

1932 ~ Julius Rosenwald (b. Aug. 12, 1862), American businessman and philanthropist.  He was an early president of Sears and Roebuck Company.  He established the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.  In addition, he contributed millions of dollars to support black education and Jewish philanthropies.  In the early 2000s there was still a Rosenwald school in New Orleans, Louisiana.  He was born in Springfield, Illinois.  He died at age 69 in Highland Park, Illinois.

 

1922 ~ Jakob Rosanes (b. Aug. 16, 1842), Austrian mathematician and chess master.  He was born in Bordy, which is now a part of the Ukraine.  He died at age 79.

 

1919 ~ Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (b. Oct. 27, 1858), 26th President of the United States, and 25th Vice President of the United States.  He became President following the assassination of William McKinley.  He served as President from September 1901 until March 1909.  He had previously served as the Governor of New York from January 1899 through December 1900.  Roosevelt was also the recipient of the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.  He died at age 60.

 

1918 ~ Georg Cantor (né Georg Ferdinand Ludwig Philipp Cantor; b. Mar. 3, 1845), German mathematician.  He died of a heart attack at age 72.

 

1884 ~ Gregor Mendel (né Gregor Johann Mendel; b. July 20, 1882), Austrian botanist and monk who theorized on the basic laws of genetics and heredity.  He was born in a region that is now part of the Czech Republic.  He died at age 61.

 

1882 ~ Richard Henry Dana, Jr. (b. Aug. 1, 1815), American lawyer and author, best known for his novel/memoir Two Years Before the Mast.  He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  He died at age 66.

 

1852 ~ Louis Braille (b. Jan. 4, 1809), French teacher of the blind and inventor of the Braille system of printing and writing for the blind.  An accident at age 3, followed by a serious infection, left him blind.  He died, most likely of tuberculosis, 2 days after his 43rd birthday.

 

1840 ~ Fanny Burney (née Frances Burney b. June 13, 1752), English novelist.  She died at age 87.

 

1834 ~ Richard Martin (b. Jan. 15, 1754), Irish activist and co-founder of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).  He died 9 days before his 80th birthday.

 

1689 ~ Seth Ward (b. 1617), English mathematician and astronomer.  The date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been 71 at the time of his death.

 

1537 ~ Alessandro de’Medici, Duke of Florence (b. July 22, 1510).  He ruled as Duke of Florence from May 1532 until his assassination 5 years later.  He was married to Margaret of Austria (1522 ~ 1586).  He was assassinated at age 26 by his cousin, Lorenzino de’Medici.

 

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