August 31

Birthdays:

 

1970 ~ Rania (née Rania Al-Yassin), Queen consort of Jordan and wife of Abdullah II, King of Jordan.  She was born in Kuwait City, Kuwait.

 

1952 ~ Kim Kashkashian, American violinist.  She was born in Detroit, Michigan.

 

1949 ~ Richard Gere (né Richard Tiffany Gere), American actor.  He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 

1949 ~ H. David Politzer (né Hugh David Politzer), American theoretical physicist and recipient of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was born in New York, New York.

 

1945 ~ Sir Van Morrison (né George Ivan Morrison), Northern Irish singer and musician.  He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

 

1945 ~ Itzhak Perlman, Israeli violinist.  He was born in Tel Aviv, Israel.

 

1935 ~ Eldridge Cleaver (né Leroy Eldridge Cleaver; d. May 1, 1998), American political rights activist during the Civil Rights Movement.  He was an early leader in the Black Panther Party.  He was born in Wabbaseka, Arkansas.  He died at age 62 in Pomona, California.

 

1935 ~ Frank Robinson (d. Feb. 7, 2019), African-American baseball legend who broke racial barriers.  He was born in Beaumont, Texas.  He died of bone cancer at age 83 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1930 ~ Betty Pat Gatliff (né Betty Patricia Gatliff; d. Jan. 5, 2020), American sculptor who gave a face to the faceless.  She was a pioneer in the art of forensic sculpture and forensic facial reconstruction.  She was born in El Reno, Oklahoma.  She died of a stroke at age 89 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

 

1928 ~ James Coburn (né James Harrison Coburn, III; d. Nov. 18, 2002), American actor best known for his role in western films.  He was born in Laurel, Nebraska.  He died of a heart attack at age 74 in Beverly Hills, California.

 

1924 ~ Thomas Hudner (né Thomas Jerome Hudner, Jr.; d. Nov. 13, 2017), American Navy hero who reached across a racial divide.  During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War, Hudner deliberately crashed his aircraft in an attempt to save the life of his wingman, Ensign Jesse Brown (1926 ~ 1950), who was African-American.  Unfortunately, Brown subsequently died from wounds he sustained in the battle.  For his efforts, Hudner received the Medal of Honor.  He was born in Fall River, Massachusetts.  He died at age 93 in Concord, Massachusetts.

 

1918 ~ Alan Jay Lerner (d. June 14, 1986), American composer.  He was born and died in New York, New York.  He died of lung cancer at age 67.

 

1916 ~ Daniel Schorr (né Daniel Louis Schorr, d. July 23, 2010), American journalist.  He waa born in The Bronx, New York.  He died in Washington, D.C. at age 93.

 

1908 ~ William Saroyan (d. May 18, 1981), American writer.  He was born and died in Fresno, California.  He died of prostate cancer at age 72.

 

1907 ~ William Shawn (né William Chon, d. Dec. 8, 1992), American journalist and long-time editor of The New Yorker.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.  He died at age 85 in New York, New York.

 

1903 ~ Arthur Godfrey (né Arthur Morton Godfrey, d. Mar. 16, 1983), American actor and television host.  He was born and died in Manhattan, New York.  He died of emphysema at age 79.

 

1880 ~ Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (d. Nov. 28, 1962).  She became queen at age 10, when her father, King William III, died.  She was Queen from November 1890 until she abdicated in favor of her daughter, Juliana, in 1948.  She died at age 82.

 

1879 ~ Emperor Taishō (d. Dec. 25, 1926), Emperor of Japan.  He died of a heart attack at age 47.

 

1879 ~ Alma Mahler (née Alma Margaretha Maria Schindler; d. Dec. 11, 1964), Austrian-born socialite, composer and artist.  She married three famous men, including the composer Gustav Mahler, the architect Walter Gropius, and novelist Franz Werfel.  She died at age 85.

 

1871 ~ James E. Ferguson (né James Edward Ferguson, Jr.; d. Sept. 21, 1944), 26^th Governor of Texas.  He served as Governor from January 1915 until August 1917.  Several years later, his wife, Miriam, became Governor, making him the First Gentleman of Texas.  He died 3 weeks after his 73^rd birthday.

 

1870 ~ Maria Montessori (d. May 6, 1952), Italian educator.  She died at age 81.

 

1823 ~ Galusha A. Grow (né Galusha Aaron Grow; d. Mar. 31, 1907), Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.  He was a Representative from Pennsylvania.  He served as Speaker from July 1861 through March 1863.  He died at age 84.

 

1542 ~ Isabella de’Medici (d. July 16, 1576), Italian princess.  She is believed to have been murdered at age 33.

 

1168 ~ Emperor Zhangzong of Jin (d. Dec. 29, 1208), Chinese Emperor.  He was emperor from January 1189 until his death in December 1208.  He died at age 40.

 

12 ~ The traditional date ascribed to the birth of Caligula (d. Jan. 24, 41), a Roman Emperor known for his cruel despotism.  He was assassinated by his Praetorian Guards, who then proclaimed Claudius, Caligula’s uncle, as Emperor.  Caligula was about 28 years old at the time of his death.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2012 ~ A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck in the Philippines.

 

2006 ~ Edvard Munch’s famous painting, The Scream, which had been stolen in August 2002, almost 2 years to the day, was recovered by Norwegian police.

 

1997 ~ Diana, Princess of Wales (1961 ~ 1997) was killed in a car crash in Paris.

 

1991 ~ Kyrgyzstan declared its independence from the Soviet Union.

 

1988 ~ Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 crashed during take-off from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.  Fourteen people were killed in the accident.

 

1920 ~ The first radio news program began broadcasting in Detroit, Michigan.

 

1895 ~ Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838 ~ 1917) of Germany patented his Navigable Balloon.

 

1888 ~ Mary Ann Nichols (1845 ~ 1888) was murdered.  She is believed to have been the first victim of Jack the Ripper.

 

1886 ~ A 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Charleston, South Carolina killed 100 people.

 

1864 ~ General William T. Sherman (1820 ~ 1891) began an assault on Atlanta, Georgia during the American Civil War.

 

1314 ~ King Håkon V Magnusson (1270 ~ 1319) moved the capital of Norway from Bergen to Oslo.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2020 ~ Tom Seaver (né George Thomas Seaver; b. Nov. 17, 1944), American professional baseball player.  He was the Mets ace who steered a miracle.  He also played for the Cincinnati Reds, the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox.  He was born in Fresno, California.  He died at age 75 in Calistoga, California.

 

2013 ~ Jan Camiel Willems (b. Sept. 18, 1939), Belgian mathematician.  He died less than 3 weeks before his 74^thbirthday.

 

2013 ~ Sir David Frost (né David Paradine Frost, b. Apr. 7, 1939), British journalist most famous for his interviews with United States President Richard Nixon.  He was the master interviewer who got President Nixon to apologize.  He died of a heart attack at age 74.

 

2011 ~ Betty Skelton Erde (né Betty Skelton; b. June 28, 1926), American aviatrix who raced into the record books.  She held a land speed record and aerobatics pilot who set 17 aviation and automobile records.  She helped create opportunities for women in aviation, auto racing, astronautics and advertising.  She was born in Pensacola, Florida.  She died at age 85.

 

2008 ~ Ike Pappas (né Icarus Nestor Pappas; b. Apr. 16, 1933), American journalist.  He died of congestive heart failure at age 75.

 

2005 ~ Sir Joseph Rotblat (né Józef Rotblat; b. Nov. 4, 1908), Polish-English physicist and recipient of the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize.  He was born in Warsaw, Poland, but left for England before the Holocaust.  He had been recruited to work on the Manhattan Project, but left on grounds of conscience.  In 1995, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in nuclear disarmament.  He died at age 96.

 

2002 ~ George Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham (b. Dec. 6, 1920), English chemist and recipient of the 1967 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He died at age 81.

 

2002 ~ Lionel Hampton (né Lionel Leo Hampton, b. Apr. 20, 1908), African-American jazz musician and bandleader.  He died at age 94.

 

1997 ~ Diana, Princess of Wales (née Diana Frances Spencer, b. July 1, 1961), first wife of England’s Prince Charles and mother of Prince William and Prince Henry.  She died at age 36 of injuries sustained in a car accident in Paris, France.  The car she was in was driven by Henri Paul (1956 ~ 1997) and they were fleeing from the paparazzi.

 

1997 ~ Dodi Al-Fayed (b. Apr. 15, 1955), Egyptian lover of Diana, Princess of Wales.  He was killed in the car crash that also killed the Princess.  He died at age 42.

 

1986 ~ Urho Kekkonen (b. Sept. 3, 1900), President of Finland.  He served as President from March 1956 through January 1982.  He died 3 days before his 86^th birthday.

 

1986 ~ Henry Moore (né Henry Spencer Moore, b. July 30, 1898), English sculptor.  He died a month after his 88^thbirthday.

 

1985 ~ Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet (b. Sept. 3, 1899), Australian virologist and recipient of the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his contribution to the study of immunology.  He died 3 days before his 86^th birthday.

 

1979 ~ Sally Rand (née Hattie Helen Gould Beck, b. Apr. 3, 1904), American burlesque dancer.  She died at age 75 from congestive heart failure.

 

1973 ~ John Ford (b. Feb. 1, 1894), American film director.  He died of stomach cancer at age 79.

 

1969 ~ Rocky Marciano (né Rocco Francis Marchegiano, b. Sept. 1, 1923), American boxer.  He was born in Brockton, Massachusetts.  He was killed the day before his 46^th birthday when the small plane he was in crashed.

 

1963 ~ Georges Braque (b. May 13, 1882), French artist, painter and sculptor.  He died at age 81.

 

1945 ~ Stefan Banach (b. Mar. 30, 1892), Polish mathematician.  He is considered to be the founder of modern functional analysis.  He was born in Krakow, Poland.  He died of lung cancer at age 53 in Lviv, Ukraine.

 

1869 ~ Mary Ward (née Mary King, b. Apr. 27, 1827), Irish astronomer and entomologist.  She was killed at age 42 when she fell under the wheels of an experimental steam vehicle.  She is the first person known to have been killed by a motor vehicle.

 

1867 ~ Charles Baudelaire (né Charles Pierre Baudelaire, b. Apr. 9, 1821), French post, essayist and art critic.  He was a pioneering translator of Edgar Allen Poe.  He died at age 46.

 

1800 ~ John Blair, Jr. (b. Apr. 17, 1732), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was nominated by President George Washington, and was on the first High Court.  He served on the Court from September 1789 until October 1975.  He was replaced by Samuel Chase, who was also born on April 17.  He was born and died in Williamsburg, Virginia.  Blair died at age 68.

 

1654 ~ Ole Worm (b. May 13, 1588), Danish physician and historian.  He died at age 66.

 

1422 ~ King Henry V of England (b. Aug. 9, 1386).  He died of dysentery while in France.  He was 36 years old.  Upon his death, his infant son, Henry VI, became King of England.

 

August 30

Birthdays:

 

1972 ~ Cameron Diaz (née Cameron Michelle Diaz), American actress.  She was born in San Diego, California.

 

1953 ~ Robert Parish, African-American professional basketball player.  He had a long career with the Boston Celtics, where he was known as Chief.  He was born in Shreveport, Louisiana.

 

1948 ~ Lewis Black (né Lewis Niles Black), American comedian.  He was born in Washington, D.C.

 

1946 ~ Peggy Lipton (née Margaret Ann Lipton; d. May 11, 2019), American model and actress best known for her role on The Mod Squad.  She is the mother of actress Rashida Jones.  She was born in New York, New York.  She died of cancer at age 72 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1944 ~ Molly Ivins (née Mary Tyler Ivins; d. Jan. 31, 2007), American political humorist.  She was born in Monterey, California.  She died at age 62 of breast cancer in Austin, Texas.

 

1943 ~ Tal Brody (né Talbot Brody), American-Israeli basketball player.  He was born in Trenton, New Jersey.

 

1943 ~ Jean-Claude Killy, French alpine skier.  He was born in Saint-Cloud, France.

 

1935 ~ Alexandra Bellow (née Alexandra Ionescu Tulcea), Romanian-American mathematician.  She was born in Bucharest, Romania.

 

1930 ~ Warren Buffett (né Warren Edward Buffett), American entrepreneur.  He was born in Omaha, Nebraska.

 

1927 ~ Geoffrey Beene (né Samuel Albert Bozeman, Jr.; d. Sept. 28, 2004), American fashion designer.  He was from Hayesville, Louisiana.  He died in New York, New York of cancer 29 days after his 77^th birthday.

 

1926 ~ Daryl Gates (né Darrel Francis Gates; d. Apr. 16, 2010), American police chief of the City of Los Angeles.  He was the co-founder of the D.A.R.E. Program (Drugs Abuse Resistance Education).  He is best known for having been the Chief of Police for the City of Los Angeles during the Rodney King beatings and subsequent riots.  He was born in Glendale, California.  He died of cancer at age 83 in Dana Point, California.

 

1922 ~ Robert Rines (né Robert Harvey Rines; d. Nov. 1, 2009), lawyer and inventor who is best known as the man who hunted “Nessie” the Loch Ness monster.  He was also an accomplished violinist and composer.  He was born and died in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died at age 87.

 

1922 ~ Robert W. Blakeley (né Robert Wilson Blakeley; d. Oct. 25, 2017), American graphic artist and civil servant who designed the iconic fallout shelter sign.  He was born in Ogden, Utah.  He died at age 95 in Jacksonville, Florida.

 

1921 ~ Angelo Dundee (né Angelo Mirena; d. Feb. 1, 2012), American boxing trainer in the coming of boxing’s best.  He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He died at age 90 in Tampa, Florida.

 

1919 ~ Kitty Wells (née Ellen Muriel Deason; d. July 16, 2012), the American trailblazing “Queen of Country Music.”  She was born in Nashville, Tennessee.  She died at age 92 in Madison, Tennessee.

 

1919 ~ Joachim Rønneberg (né Joachim Holmboe Rønneberg; d. Oct. 21, 2018), Norwegian who thwarted the Nazi atomic bomb.  He was best known for his resistance work during World War II, most notably commanding Operation Gunnerside.  He was born and died in Alesund, Norway.  He died at age 99.

 

1918 ~ Ted Williams (né Theodore Samuel Williams; d. July 5, 2002), American baseball player who spent his entire 21-year major league baseball career with the Boston Red Sox.  He was born in San Diego, California.  He died of cardiac arrest at age 83 in Inverness, Florida.

 

1915 ~ Princess Lilian of Sweden, Duchess of Halland (née Lillian May Davies; d. Mar. 10, 2013), Welsh coalminer’s daughter who became a princess.  She was the wife of Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland.  He was her 2^nd husband.  She had previously been married to Walter Ivan Craig.  She and Prince Bertil lived together for many years before they married in 1976.  Because she was a commoner, had they married earlier, he would have lost his right to the succession to the Swedish throne.  She was born in Swansea, Wales.  She died at age 97 in Stockholm, Sweden.

 

1913 ~ Sir Richard Stone (né John Richard Nicholas Stone; d. Dec. 6, 1991), British economist and recipient of the 1984 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.  He died at age 78.

 

1912 ~ Edward Mills Purcell (d. Mar. 7, 1997), American physicist and recipient of the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was born in Taylorville, Illinois.  He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts at age 84.

 

1912 ~ Nancy Wake (née Nancy Grace Augusta Wake; d. Aug. 7, 2011), French secret agent during World War II.  She was a leading figure on the French resistance.  A fictionalized account of her life was portrayed in Ariel Lawhon’s 2020 novel entitled Code Name Hélène.  She was born in Wellington, New Zealand.  She died 23 days before her 99^th birthday in London, England.

 

1908 ~ Fred MacMurray (né Frederick Martin MacMurray; d. Nov. 5, 1991), American actor, best known for his role as the father on the television series, My Three Sons.  He was born in Kankakee, Illinois.  He died of pneumonia at age 83 in Santa Monica, California.

 

1906 ~ Olga Taussky-Todd (d. Oct. 7, 1995), Austrian-born mathematician.  She was born in the current day Olomouc, Czech Republic.  She died at age 89 in Pasadena, California.

 

1901 ~ John Gunther (d. May 29, 1970), American journalist and author.  He is best known for his 1949 memoir, Death Be Not Proud, which chronicled the death of his young son from a brain tumor.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.  Gunther died of liver cancer at age 68.

 

1898 ~ Shirley Booth (née Marjory Ford; d. Oct. 16, 1992), American actress.  She is best known for her portrayal of Hazel on the sit-com of the same name.  She was born in Brooklyn, New York.  She died in North Chatham, Massachusetts at age 94.

 

1893 ~ Huey P. Long (né Huey Pierce Long, Jr.; d. Sept. 10, 1935), 40^th Governor of Louisiana.  He was also a United States Senator.  He was born in Winnfield, Louisiana.  He was assassinated in the Louisiana Capital building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1935.  He was killed 11 days after his 42^nd birthday.

 

1884 ~ Theodor Svedberg (d. Feb. 25, 1971), Swedish chemist and recipient of the 1926 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He died at age 86.

 

1871 ~ Ernest Rutherford, 1^st Baron Rutherford of Nelson (d. Oct. 19, 1937), British physicist and recipient of the 1908 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He is known as the Father of Nuclear Physics.  He died at age 66.

 

1856 ~ Carl Runge (né Carl David Tolmé Runge; d. Jan. 3, 1927), German mathematician.  He died at age 70.

 

1852 ~ Jacobus Henricus van ‘t Hoff (d. Mar. 1, 1911), Dutch physical and organic chemist.  He was the first recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which awarded in 1901.  He was the first recipient of the Nobel Prize given in this category.  He died of tuberculosis at age 58.

 

1837 ~ Nell Arthur (née Ellen Lewis Herndon, d. Jan. 12, 1880), American wife of President Chester Arthur.  She was born in Culpeper, Virginia.  She died of pneumonia in New York, New York at age 42 before her husband became President so she was never the First Lady.

 

1818 ~ Alexander H. Rice (né Alexander Hamilton Rice; d. July 22, 1895), 30^th Governor of Massachusetts.  He served as Governor from January 1876 through January 1879.  He was born in Newton, Massachusetts and died in Melrose, Massachusetts.  He died at age 76 following a long illness.

 

1797 ~ Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin; d. Feb. 1, 1851), English author best known for her gothic novel, Frankenstein.  She died at age 53.

 

1748 ~ Jacques-Louis David (d. Dec. 29, 1825), French painter.  He died at age 77.

 

1400 ~ Vlad II Dracul (d. Dec. 2, 1447).  He was the father of Vlad the Impaler.  His name in English means Vlad the Dragon.  He was assassinated.  The exact dates of his birth and death are not known.  He is believed to have been about 51 or 52 at the time of his death.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

1995 ~ NATO launched Operation Deliberate Force against Bosnian Serbs during the Bosnian War.

 

1967 ~ Thurgood Marshall (1908 ~ 1993) was confirmed as the first African-American Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

 

1956 ~ The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway connecting New Orleans with the North Shore opened in Louisiana.

 

1918 ~ Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Lenin (1870 ~ 1924) was seriously injured during an assassination attempt by Fanya Kaplan (1890 ~ 1918).  She was executed in early September for her actions.

 

1862 ~ The Second Battle of Bull Run, also known as Manassas, which ended in a Confederate victory during the American Civil War.  The battle had begun 2 days earlier.

 

1835 ~ The City of Melbourne, Australia was founded.

 

1464 ~ Pope Paul II (1417 ~ 1471) succeeds Pope Pius II (1405 ~ 1464) to become the 211^th Pope.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2020 ~ John Thompson, Jr. (né John Robert Thompson, Jr.; b. Sept. 2, 1941), African-American Georgetown University basketball coach who put his players first.  He was born in Washington, D.C.   He died 3 days before his 79^th birthday in Washington, D.C.

 

2019 ~ Valerie Harper (née Valerie Kathryn Harper; b. Aug. 22, 1939), American actress who went from sidekick to star as TV’s Rhoda.  She best known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern from the Mary Tyler Moore Show.  She later had her own spin-off as Rhoda.  She was born in Suffern, New York.  She died of cancer 8 days after her 80^th birthday in Los Angeles, California.

 

2018 ~ Marie Severin (b. Aug. 21, 1929), American pioneering comic book artist who created Spider-Woman.  She was one of the first women to become a major comic book artist.  She was born in East Rockaway, New York.  She died in Massapequa, New York just 8 days after her 89^th birthday.

 

2017 ~ Louise L. Hay (née Helen Vera Lunney; b. Oct. 8, 1926), American professional speaker and self-help guru who pushed positive thinking.  She died at age 90.

 

2015 ~ Wes Craven (né Wesley Earl Craven; b. Aug. 2, 1939), American film director who was the master of horror creating the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and bringing Freddy Krueger to life.  He died of brain cancer 28 days after his 76^th birthday.

 

2015 ~ Oliver Sacks (né Oliver Wolf Sacks; b. July 9, 1933), English neurologist and author who explored the human mind.  He was 82 years old.

 

2013 ~ Seamus Heaney (né Seamus Justin Heaney; b. Apr. 13, 1939), Irish writer and poet who wrote of mud, history and country.  He was the recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He died at age 74.

 

2009 ~ Nancy Talbot (née Nancy Orr; b. Aug. 17, 1920), American women’s clothier who sold classic looks.  She and her husband established Talbot’s in 1947 to sell timeless, fashionable clothing.  She was born in Charlevoix, Michigan.  She died in Boulder, Colorado 2 weeks after her 89^th birthday.

 

2006 ~ Naguib Mahfouz (b. Dec. 11, 1911), Egyptian author and recipient of the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature.  He died at age 94.

 

1993 ~ Richard Jordan, Jr. (né Robert Anson Jordan, Jr.; b. July 19, 1937), American actor.  He starred in Taylor Caldwell’s adaptation of Captains and the Kings.  He died of a brain tumor at age 56.

 

1985 ~ Taylor Caldwell (née Janet Miriam Holland Taylor Caldwell; b. Sept. 7, 1900), English-born American novelist.  She is best known for her novel entitled Captains and the Kings.  She died 8 days before her 85^th birthday.

 

1970 ~ Abraham Zapruder (b. May 15, 1905), Ukrainian-born American businessman and clothing manufacturer.  He is best known for being the man who filmed the famous Zapruder film showing the assassination of President John Kennedy.  He was born in Kovel, Ukraine.  He died of stomach cancer at age 65 in Dallas, Texas.

 

1961 ~ Cristóbal de Losada y Puga (b. Apr. 14, 1894), Peruvian mathematician and mining engineer.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died in Lima Peru at age 67.

 

1940 ~ Sir J. J. Thomson (né Joseph John Thomson; b. Dec. 18, 1856), English physicist and recipient of the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the electron and for his work on the conduction of electricity in gases.  He died at age 83.

 

1938 ~ Max Factor, Sr. (né Maksymilian Faktorowicz; b. Sept. 15, 1877), Polish-born American make-up artist and founder of the Max Factor Company, a cosmetics manufacturer.  He was born in Zdunska Wola, Poland.  He died of an illness following a fright just 16 days before his 66^th birthday in Beverly Hills, California.

 

1928 ~ Wilhelm Wien (né Wilhelm Carl Werner Otto Frantz Franz Wien; b. Jan. 13, 1864), German physicist and recipient of the 1911 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in heat radiation.  He died at age 64.

 

1890 ~ Marianne North (b. Oct. 24, 1830), British biologist and botanical artist.  She died at age 59.

 

1879 ~ John Bell Hood (b. June 1, 1831), Confederate General during the American Civil War.  He died of yellow fever in New Orleans, Louisiana at age 48.

 

1483 ~ King Louis XI of France (b. July 3, 1423).  He was known as Louis the Prudent.  He was King from July 1461 until his death at age 60 in August 1483.

 

1181 ~ Pope Alexander III (b. 1100s).  He was Pope from September 1159 until his death on this date 22 years later.  The date of his birth is unknown.

 

August 29

Birthdays:

 

1986 ~ Lea Michele (née Lea Michele Sarfati), American actress and singer.  She is best known for her role as Rachel Berry on the television series Glee.  She was born in the Bronx, New York.

 

1967 ~ Neil Gorshuch (né Neil McGill Gorshuch), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He assumed office in April 2017.  He replaced Antonin Scalia on the Court.  He was born in Denver, Colorado.

 

1959 ~ Rebecca De Mornay (née Rebecca Jane Pearch), American actress.  She is best known for her role as Lana in the 1983 movie Risky Business.  She was born in Santa Rosa, California.

 

1959 ~ Stephan Wolfram, English-born physicist and mathematician.  He was born in London, England.

 

1958 ~ Michael Jackson (né Michael Joseph Jackson, d. June 25, 2009), African-American singer.  He was born in Gary, Indiana.  He died at age 50 of a drug overdose in Los Angeles, California.

 

1955 ~ Jack Lew (né Jacob Joseph Lew), 76^th United States Secretary of the Treasury.  He assumed that office in February 2013.  He previously served as the White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama, from January 2012 until January 2013.  He served in both positions during the Obama administration.  He was born in New York, New York.

 

1943 ~ Arthur B. McDonald (né Arthur Bruce McDonald), Canadian astrophysicist and recipient of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.

 

1940 ~ James Brady (né James Scott Brady; d. Aug. 4, 2014) 14^th White House Press Secretary.  He served under President Ronald Reagan.  He was the Reagan staffer who championed gun control.  He was seriously injured when he was shot in the head during an assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981 and spent the last 33 years in a wheelchair.  Following his injury, he became a gun control advocate.  He was born in Centralia, Illinois.  He died in Alexandria, Virginia 25 days before his 74^th birthday.

 

1939 ~ Joel T. Schumacher (d. June 22, 2020), American eclectic film director who made the Brat Pack.  He made such films as A Time to Kill and St. Elmo’s Fire.  He was born and died in New York, New York.  He died at age 80.

 

1938 ~ Elliott Gould (né Elliot Goldstein), American actor.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.

 

1938 ~ Robert Rubin (né Robert Edward Rubin), 70^th United States Secretary of the Treasury.  He served in the Clinton administration from January 1995 until July 1999.  He was born in New York, New York.

 

1937 ~ James Florio (né James Joseph Florio), 49^th Governor of New Jersey.  He served as Governor from January 1990 until January 1994.  He had previously served as a Member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey from 1975 until 1990.  He was born in New York, New York.

 

1936 ~ John McCain (né John Sidney McCain, III; d. Aug. 25, 2018), American politician and war hero who served as a Senate maverick.  He served in Vietnam and from 1967 until 1973, he was a Prisoner of War.  He was born in the Panama Canal Zone.  He died of brain cancer 4 days before his 82^nd birthday in Cornville, Arizona

 

1924 ~ Dinah Washington (née Ruth Lee Jones; d. Dec. 14, 1963), African-American singer and pianist.  She was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  She died in Chicago, Illinois of a drug overdose at age 39.

 

1923 ~ Sir Richard Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (né Richard Samuel Attenborough; d. Aug. 24, 2014), British actor and film director.  He was the Gandhi director who championed against injustice.  He was born in Cambridge, England.  He died in London, England 4 days before his 91^st birthday.

 

1922 ~ John Edwards Williams (d. Mar. 3, 1994), American author.  He was born in Wichita Falls, Texas.  He died at age 71 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

 

1922 ~ Richard Blackwell (né Richard Sylvan Selzer; d. Oct. 19, 2008), American fashion designer known as Mr. Blackwell, who skewered the worst-dressed celebrities.  He is best known for creating the “10 Worst Dress Women List.”  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He died at age 86 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1922 ~ Arthur Anderson (né Arthur John Miles Anderson, d. Apr. 9, 2016), American versatile actor who voiced the Luck Charms leprechaun.  He was born on Staten Island, New York.  He died at age 93 in Manhattan, New York.

 

1920 ~ Charlie Parker (né Charles Parker, Jr.; d. Mar. 12, 1955), American jazz saxophonist.  He was known as Bird.  He was born in Kansas City, Kansas.  He died of lobar pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer at age 34 in Kansas City, Missouri.

 

1919 ~ Jay Marshall (né James Ward Marshall; d. May 10, 2005), American magician and ventriloquist.  He was born in Abington, Massachusetts.  He died of a heart attack at age 85 in Chicago, Illinois.

 

1917 ~ Isabel Sanford (née Eloise Gwendolyn Sanford; d. July 9, 2004), American actress best known for her role as “Weezy” Jefferson on the sit-com The Jeffersons.  She was born in Harlem, New York.  She died at age 86 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1915 ~ Ingrid Bergman (d. Aug. 29, 1982), Swedish actress.  She was also the mother of actress Isabella Rossellini.  She was born in Stockholm, Sweden.  She died in London, England of breast cancer on her 67^th birthday.

 

1910 ~ Georges Loinger (d. Dec. 28, 2018), French soldier and teacher who saved Jewish children during World War II.  He was in the French Resistance.  He died at age 108.

 

1904 ~ Werner Forssmann (b. June 1, 1979), German physician and recipient of the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work with heart catheterization.  From 1932 until 1945, he was a member of the Nazi Party.  He died of heart failure at age 74.

 

1876 ~ Charles F. Kettering (né Charles Franklin Kettering; d. Nov. 25, 1958), American engineer and inventor and automobile pioneer.  In 1945 he and Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., founded the Sloan-Kettering Institution, a research institution.  He died at age 82.

 

1871 ~ Albert Lebrun (né Albert François Lebrun; d. Mar. 6, 1950), President of France.  He was the last president of the Third Republic.  He served in that office from May 1932 until July 1940.  He died of pneumonia at age 78.

 

1862 ~ Maurice Maeterlinck (d. May 6, 1949), Belgian writer and recipient of the 1911 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He died at age 86.

 

1843 ~ David B. Hill (né David Bennett Hill; d. Oct. 20, 1910), 29^th Governor of New York State.  He served as Governor from January 1885 through December 1891.  He died at age 67.

 

1813 ~ Henry Bergh (d. Mar. 12, 1888), American activist and founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).  He was born and died in New York, New York.  He died at age 74.

 

1809 ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (d. Oct. 7, 1894), American physician and author.  He was the father of Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.  He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and died in Boston.  He died at age 85.

 

1780 ~ Richard Rush (d. July 30, 1859), 8^th United States Attorney General.  He served under President James Madison from February 1814 until November 1817.  He subsequently went on to serve as the 8^th United States Secretary of the Treasury, from March 1825 until March 1829.  He was born and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He died a month before his 79^th birthday.

 

1780 ~ Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (d. Jan. 14, 1867), French painter and artist.  He died at age 86.

 

1756 ~ Jan Śniadecki (d. Nov. 9, 1830), The lunar crater Śniadecki on the moon is named in his honor.  He died at age 72.

 

1632 ~ John Locke (d. Oct. 28, 1704), English philosopher and physician.  He died at age 72.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2012 ~ Hurricane Isaac made landfall in Louisiana.  The storm had formed in the Atlantic on August 21 and dissipated on September 2, 2012.

 

2005 ~ Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast creating severe damage along the coast of Mississippi, Louisiana and the City of New Orleans.  Nearly 2000 people were killed.  The storm had formed on August 23 and dissipated on August 31, 2005.

 

1997 ~ Netflix began as an internet DVD rental service.

 

1966 ~ The Beatles last concert was held in Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

 

1958 ~ The United States Air Force Academy opened in Colorado Springs Colorado.

 

1898 ~ The Goodyear tire company was founded.

 

1885 ~ Gottlieb Daimler (1834 ~ 1900) patented the first internal combustion motorcycle.

 

1869 ~ The Mount Washington Cog Railway opened in New Hampshire.

 

1842 ~ The signing of the Treaty of Nanking marked the end of the First Opium War.

 

1831 ~ Michael Faraday (1791 ~ 1867) discovered electromagnetic induction.

 

1786 ~ Armed farmers rebelled against the high debt and tax burdens in what became known as Shays’ Rebellion.

 

1758 ~ The first American Indian Reservation was established at Indian Mills, New Jersey.

 

1756 ~ Frederick the Great, King of Prussia (1712 ~ 1786) attacked Saxony, thereby initiating the Seven Years’ War.

 

1541 ~ The Ottoman Turks captured Buda, the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom.

 

1484 ~ Pope Innocent VIII (1432 ~ 1942) began his reign as Pope.  He was Pope until his death in July 1492.  He succeeded Pope Sixtus IV (1414 ~ 1484).

 

1261 ~ Pope Urban IV (1195 ~ 1264) began his reign as Pope.  He was Pope until his death in October 1264.  He succeeded Pope Alexander IV (d. 1261) to become the 182^nd Pope.

 

1009 ~ The Mainz Cathedral in Mainz, Germany, suffered extensive damage from a fire that occurred on its inauguration day.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2018 ~ Sir James Mirrlees (né James Alexander Mirrlees; b. July 5, 1936), Scottish economist and recipient of the 1996 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.  He died at age 82.

 

2018~ Stan Brock (né Stanley Edmunde Brock; b. Apr. 21, 1936), British-born cowboy who became a health care-activist.  When he was 17 years old, he was badly injured while working as a cowboy in the Amazon basin.  The nearest doctor was a 26-day trek away, so he stayed and recovered among the Wapishana Indians.  Recognizing the importance of medical care, he founded the charity Remote Area Medical in 1985.  He died at age 82.

 

2018 ~ Paul Taylor (né Paul Belville Taylor, Jr.; b. July. 29, 1930), American choreographer who found light in darkness.  He died of renal failure a month after his 88^th birthday.

 

2016 ~ Gene Wilder (né Jerome Silberman; b. June 11, 1933), American actor and husband of Gilda Radner.  He died at age 83.

 

2015 ~ Wayne Dyer (né Wayne Walter Dyer; b. May 10, 1940), American self-help guru who preached self-reliance.  He was born in Detroit, Michigan.  He died of a heart attack at age 75 years old in Maui, Hawaii.

 

2013 ~ Robert Taylor (né Robert Ridgley Taylor; b. Sept. 1, 1935), American entrepreneur who put soap in a bottle.  He invented Softsoap and sold it to Colgate-Palmolive.  He died of cancer just 4 days before his 78^th birthday.

 

2012 ~ Shoshichi Kobayashi (b. Jan. 4, 1932), Japanese mathematician.  He was 80 years old.

 

2011 ~ David Edwards (b. June 28, 2015), African-American guitarist and last of the original Delta bluesmen.  He was known as Honeyboy.  He died of heart failure at age 96.

 

2007 ~ Alfred H. Peet (b. Mar. 10, 1920), Dutch-born businessman and founder of Peet’s Coffee & Tea.  He died at age 87.

 

1987 ~ Lee Marvin (b. Feb. 19, 1924), He is best known for his palimony lawsuit in which his live-in girlfriend sued him for financial support after their break-up.  He died of a heart attack at age 63.

 

1982 ~ Ingrid Bergman (b. Aug. 29, 1915), Swedish actress.  She was also the mother of actress Isabella Rossellini.  She was born in Stockholm, Sweden.  She died in London, England of breast cancer on her 67^th birthday.

 

1981 ~ Lowell Thomas (né Lowell Jackson Thomas, b. Apr. 6, 1892), American travel writer and journalist.  He died at age 89.

 

1975 ~ Éamon de Valera (né Geroge de Valera; b. Oct. 14, 1882), American-born President of the Irish Republic.  He served as President from August 1921 until January 1922.  He died at age 92.

 

1971 ~ Nathan F. Leopold, Jr. (né Nathan Freudenthal Leopold, Jr.; b. Nov. 19, 1904), American murderer.  In 1924, he, along with his college friend, Richard Albert Loeb (1905 ~ 1936), kidnapped and murdered 14-year Robert Franks simply because they thought they could get away with the “perfect crime.”  They were quickly arrested and tried for the crime.  Both were sentenced to life in prison.  Loeb was killed in prison by a fellow inmate.  Leopold was paroled in 1958.  He died of a heart attack at age 66.

 

1970 ~ Ralph W. Sockman (né Ralph Washington Sockman; b. Oct. 1, 1970), American minister and radio host.  He was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio.  He died at age 80 in New York, New York.

 

1931 ~ David T. Abercrombie (né David Thomas Abercrombie; b. June 6, 1867), American businessman and co-founder of the clothing store, Abercrombie and Fitch.  He died at age 64.

 

1930 ~ William Archibald Spooner (b. July 22, 1844), English priest and scholar.  His name is given to the linguistic phenomenon of spoonerism.  He died at age 86.

 

1891 ~ Pierre Lallement (b. Oct. 25, 1843), French inventor of the bicycle.  He died at age 47 in Boston, Massachusetts.

 

1877 ~ Brigham Young (b. June 1, 1801), American religious leader of the Mormons.  He was born in Whitingham, Vermont.  He died at age 76.

 

1856 ~ Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck (née Mary Anne Galton, b. Nov. 25, 1778), British writer and activist in the anti-slavery movement.  She died at age 77.

 

1799 ~ Pope Pius VI (né Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, b. Dec. 25, 1717).  He reigned as Pope from February 15, 1775 until his death on this date 24 years later.  He succeeded Pope Clement XIV and was followed by Pope Pius VII.  He was 81 years old at the time of his death.

 

1526 ~ Louis II, King of Hungary (b. July 1, 1506).  He was killed during the Battle of Mohács fighting the Ottomans at age 20.

 

1123 ~ Eystein I of Norway (b. 1088).  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been between 33 and 35 at the time of his death.

 

939 ~ Wang Jipeng, Chinese Emperor of the Min Dynasty.  The date of his birth is not known.