Birthdays:
1981 ~ Elijah Wood (né Elijah Jordan Wood), American actor. He is best known for his role as Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Ring trilogy. He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
1980 ~ Michael Hastings (né Michael Mahon Hastings; d. June 18, 2013), journalist whose article on General Stanley McCrystal let to the Afghanistan Commander’s dismissal from the military. He died in a car crash at age 33.
1978 ~ Big Freedia (né Freddie Ross), American musician, known for the genre of hip hop known as bounce music. She is known as the Queen of Bounce. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1972 ~ Amy Coney Barrett (née Amy Vivian Coney), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. She was nominated by President Donald Trump. She assumed office in October 2020. She replaced Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had died barely a month prior to Barrett’s appointment. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1969 ~ Mo Rocca (né Maurice Alberto Rocca), American comedian and television journalist. He was born in Washington, D.C.
1955 ~ Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France from May 2007 until May 2012. He was born in Paris, France.
1947 ~ Jeanne Shaheen (née Cynthia Jeanne Bowers), 78th Governor of New Hampshire. She served as Governor from January 1997 until January 2003. In January 2009, she became a United States Senator. She was the first female governor and senator from New Hampshire. She was born in Saint Charles, Missouri.
1938 ~ Tomas Lindahl (né Tomas Robert Lindahl), Swedish-born British biologist specializing in cancer research. He was the recipient of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research in the study of DNA repair. He was born in Stockholm, Sweden.
1936 ~ Alan Alda (né Alphonso Joseph D’Abruzzo), American actor. He is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the television sit-com M*A*S*H. He was born in New York, New York.
1935 ~ David Lodge (né David John Lodge), English author and literary critic. British author and literary critic. He was born in London, England.
1930 ~ Sylvia Weinstock (née Sylvia Silver; d. Nov. 22, 2021), American master of luxury wedding cakes. She crafter multitiered confections that were covered with botanically correct sugar flowers. She was born in The Bronx, New York. She died at age 91 in Tribeca, New York.
1929 ~ Edith Marie Flanigen, American chemist. She is best known for her work on the synthesis of emeralds.
1922 ~ Robert Holley (né Robert William Holley; d. Feb. 11, 1993), American biochemist and recipient of the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was born in Urbana, Illinois. He died 14 days after his 71st birthday in Los Gatos, California.
1912 ~ Jackson Pollock (né Paul Jackson Pollock; d. Aug. 11, 1956), American artist. He was born in Cody, Wyoming. He was killed in a car accident at age 44 in Springs, New York.
1911 ~ Johan van Hulst (né Johan Willem van Hulst; d. Mar. 22, 2018), Dutch teacher who saved hundreds of children during the Holocaust. He was the principal at a teacher’s college that was situated next to a nursery. He helped to develop an elaborate scheme to stop the children from being sent to concentration camps by the Nazis. He received the Yad Vashem distinction Righteous Among the Nations from Israel in 1973. He was born and died in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He died at age 107.
1903 ~ Dame Kathleen Lonsdale (née Kathleen Yardley; d. Apr. 1, 1971), Irish chemist and political activist. In 1929, she, using x-ray diffraction, she proved that the benzene ring is flat. She became a Quaker and became involved in political pacifism. She was born in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland. She died of cancer at age 68 in London, England.
1900 ~ Alice Neel (d. Oct. 13, 1984), American visual artist. She was born in Merion Square, Pennsylvania. She died at age 84 in New York, New York.
1890 ~ Robert Stroud (né Robert Franklin Stroud; d. Nov. 21, 1963), American murderer and ornithologist. He was known as the Bird Man of Alcatraz, although he was not actually able to keep birds at that prison. He had, however, kept birds while at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth. He was born in Seattle, Washington. He was in prison from age 18 until his death at age 73.
1887 ~ Arthur Rubinstein (d. Dec. 20, 1982), Polish-born American pianist. He died at age 95.
1873 ~ Colette (née Sidonie-Gabrielle Collette; d. Aug. 3, 1954), French writer, best known for her novel, Gigi. She died at age 81 in Paris, France.
1865 ~ Kaarlo Ståhlberg (né Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg; d. Sept. 22, 1952), 1st President of Finland. He served in this office from July 1919 until March 1925. He died at age 87.
1864 ~ Charles W. Nash (né Charles William Nash; d. June 6, 1948), American automobile entrepreneur and founder of the Nash Motors company. He was born in Cortland, Illinois. He died at age 84 in Beverly Hills, California.
1841 ~ Sir Henry Morgan Stanley (né John Rowlands; d. May 10, 1904), Welsh-born explorer and journalist. He is best known for his search for the Scottish explorer and missionary, David Livingston. He was born in Wales. He died at age 63 in London, England.
1818 ~ George Boutwell (né George Sewell Boutwell; d. Feb. 27, 1905), 28th Secretary of the Treasury. He served under President Ulysses S. Grant from March 1869 to March 1873. Prior to his service in the Federal Government, he had served as the 20th Governor of Massachusetts. He also served as a United States Senator from the State of Massachusetts from March 1873 until March 1877. He was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. He died a month after 87th birthday in Groton, Massachusetts.
1784 ~ George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen (d. Dec. 14, 1860), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He was Prime Minister from December 1852 until January 1855 during the reign of Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom. He died at age 76.
1768 ~ Frederick VI, King of Denmark (d. Dec. 3, 1839), King of Denmark from Mar. 13, 1808 until Dec. 3, 1839 and King of Norway from Mar. 13, 1808 until May 17, 1814. He was married to Marie Hesse-Kassel. He was of the House of Oldenburg. He was the son of Christian VII, King of Denmark and Caroline Matilda of Great Britain. He was born and died in Copenhagen, Denmark. He died at age 71.
1701 ~ Charles Marie de la Condamine (d. Feb. 4, 1774), French mathematician and geographer. He spent several years in present-day Ecuador measuring the length of a degree latitude at the equator. He died 7 days after his 73rd birthday.
1600 ~ Pope Clement IX (né Giulio Rospigliosi; d. Dec. 9, 1669). He was Pope from 1667 until his death at age 69 in December 1669.
1540 ~ Ludolph van Ceulen (d. Dec. 31, 1610), German-Dutch mathematician. He died 29 days before his 71st birthday.
1457 ~ Henry VII, King of England (d. Apr. 21, 1509). He reigned from August 1485 until his death 24 years later. He was married to Elizabeth of York. He was of the House of Tudor. He was the son of Edward Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond and Lady Margaret Beaufort. He died of tuberculosis at age 52 and was succeeded by his son, Henry VIII, King of England.
1312 ~ Joan II (d. Oct. 6, 1349), Queen of Navarre and wife of Philip III, King of Navarre. She was the Queen in her own right. She was of the House of Capet. Her father was Louis X, King of France / Louis I, King of Navare. Her mother was Margaret of Burgundy. Her paternity was in question, however, Louis recognized her as his legitimate daughter. She died at age 37 of the Black death.
598 ~ Tai Zong (d. July 10, 649), 2nd Chinese Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He ruled from September 626 until his death in July 649. He died at age 51.
Events that Changed the World:
2016 ~ The World Health Organization announced an outbreak of the Zika virus.
1986 ~ The Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated shortly after liftoff, killing all seven crew members, including New Hampshire school-teacher Christa McAuliffe (1948 ~ 1986).
1965 ~ The Maple Leaf design of the Canadian flag was chosen by an Act of Parliament.
1958 ~ The Lego company, a Danish company, patented the design of its Lego bricks.
1956 ~ Elvis Presley (1935 ~ 1977) made his first United States television appearance. He appeared on The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show.
1935 ~ Iceland legalized therapeutic abortions, thereby becoming the first Western country to do so.
1934 ~ The first ski tows in the United States begin operating at Woodstock, Vermont. The tow was a rope tow. They had previously been used since 1908 in Germany.
1922 ~ Washington D.C., experiences its biggest recorded snowfall. The roof of the Knickerbocker Theater collapsed due to heavy snow, killing over 100 people.
1915 ~ The United States Coast Guard was created.
1909 ~ The United States withdraws its troops from Cuba. They had been a presence in Cuba since the Spanish-American War. The United States retained the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, however.
1902 ~ The Carnegie Institution of Washington was founded in Washington, D.C., with a $10M gift from Andrew Carnegie (1835 ~ 1919).
1896 ~ Walter Arnold of East Packham, Kent England became the first person to be convicted of speeding when he exceeded the speed limit of 2 miles per hour. He had been traveling at the high rate of 8 miles per hour.
1851 ~ Northwestern University became the first chartered university in Illinois.
1813 ~ Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice was first published.
1724 ~ The St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences was founded in St. Petersburg by Peter the Great (1672 ~ 1725). In 1917, the name was changed to the Russian Academy of Sciences.
1624 ~ The first British colony was founded on the island of St. Kitts, in the Caribbean by Sir Thomas Warner (1580 ~ 1649).
1573 ~ The Articles of the Warsaw Confederation were signed guaranteeing freedom of religion in Poland.
1547 ~ Edward VI (1537 ~ 1553) became the first protestant King of England upon the death of his father Henry VIII, King of England (1491 ~ 1547). He was 9 years old at the time. He ruled for only 6 years before he died at age 15.
1521 ~ The Diet of Worms began and lasted through May 25, 1521. This assembly discussed Martin Luther (1483 ~ 1546) and the effect of the Protestant Reformation.
Good-byes:
2021 ~ Cicely Tyson (b. Dec. 19, 1924), African-American screen, stage, and television star who shattered racial stereotypes, especially in the 1970s by delivering a string of electrifying portrayals of resilient African-American women. She was born and died in Harlem, New York. She died at age 96.
2018 ~ Gene Sharp (b. Jan. 21, 1918), American academic who helped inspire the Arab Spring. He was the founder of the Albert Einstein Institution, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing non-violent action. He was born in North Baltimore, Ohio. He died in East Boston, Massachusetts 7 days after his 90th birthday.
2016 ~ Buddy Cianci (née Vincent Albert Cianci, Jr.; b. Apr. 30, 1941), American politician. He served as the 32nd and 34th Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. He served two terms as Mayor. His first term ran from January 1975 until April 1984. His second term ran from January 1991 until September 2002. In April 2001, he was indicted on charges of racketeering, corruption, witness tampering, and mail fraud. He was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. He was born in Cranston, Rhode Island. He died of colon cancer at age 74 in Providence, Rhode Island.
2007 ~ Father Robert Drinan (né Robert Frederick Drinan; b. Nov. 15, 1920), American priest and politician from Massachusetts. He left the priesthood to comply with Pope John Paul II’s request that all priests remain neutral on politics. He served in the United States House of Representatives for the State of Massachusetts from January 1971 until January 1981. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He died at age 86 in Washington, D.C.
2005 ~ Lucien Carr (b. Mar. 1, 1925), American newsman who was muse to the Beat generation. He was a key member of the original New York City circle of the Beat Generation. He was born in New York, New York. He died of bone cancer at age 79 in Washington, D.C.
2004 ~ Lloyd Bucher (né Lloyd Mark Bucher; b. Sept. 1, 1927), United States Navy officer best remembers as the Captain of the USS Pueblo, which was capture by North Korea in January 1968. He was born in Pocatello, Idaho. He died at age 76 in San Diego, California.
2002 ~ Astrid Lindgren (née Astrid Anna Emilia Ericsson; b. Nov. 14, 1907), Swedish author best known for creating Pippi Longstocking. She died at age 94.
1996 ~ Joseph Brodsky (né Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky; b. May 24, 1940), Russian-born poet and recipient of the 1987 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union. He died of a heart attack at age 55 in New York, New York.
1996 ~ Jerry Siegel (né Jerome Siegel; b. Oct. 17, 1914), American writer and illustrator. He, along with his friend Joseph Shuster, was the co-creator of Superman. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He died at age 81 in Los Angeles, California.
1993 ~ Helen Sawyer Hogg (née Helen Battles Sawyer; b. Aug. 1, 1905), American-Canadian astronomer. She is known for her pioneering research into global clusters. She was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. She died in Ontario at age 87.
1988 ~ Klaus Fuchs (né Emil Julius Klaus Fuchs; b. Dec. 29, 1911), German theoretical physicist. In 1950, he was convicted of supplying information from the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union. He spent 9 years in prison in Great Britain. After his prison term, he returned to East Germany and continued his career as a physicist. He died a month after his 76th birthday.
1986 ~ Astronauts on the ill-fated Space Shuttle Challenger that exploded over Cape Canaveral, Florida:
v 1986 ~ Ronald McNair (né Ronald Erwin McNair; d. Oct. 21, 1950), African-American astronaut. He was born in Lake City, South Carolina. He was killed in the Challenger explosion. He died at age 35.
v 1986 ~ Judith Resnik (née Judith Arlene Resnik; b. Apr. 5, 1949), American astronaut who was killed in the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger. She was born in Akron, Ohio. She was 36 years old.
v 1986 ~ Christa McAuliffe (née Sharon Christa Corrigan; b. Sept. 2, 1948), American schoolteacher from Concord, New Hampshire, who was selected to join the ill-fated Space Shuttle Challenger crew. The shuttle exploded upon take-off, and she was one of the seven crew members and the only civilian killed in the disaster. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She was 37 years old.
v 1986 ~ Ellison Onizuka (né Ellison Shoji Onizuka; b. June 24, 1946), American astronaut who was killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. He was born in Kealakekua, Hawaii Territory. He was 39 years old.
v 1986 ~ Michael Smith (né Michael John Smith; b. Apr. 30, 1945), American astronaut who was killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. He was born in Beaufort, North Carolina. He was 40 years old.
v 1986 ~ Gregory Jarvis (né Gregory Bruce Jarvis; b. Aug. 24, 1944), American astronaut who was killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. He was born in Detroit, Michigan. He was 41 years old.
v 1986 ~ Dick Scobee (né Francis Richard Scobee; b. May 19, 1939), American commander who was killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. He was born in Cle Elum, Washington. He was 46 years old.
1960 ~ Zora Neale Hurston (b. Jan. 7, 1891), African-American author. She was a part of the Harlem Renaissance. She was born in Notasulga, Alabama. She died of heart disease 2 weeks after her 69th birthday in Fort Pierce, Florida.
1950 ~ Nikolai Luzin (b. Dec. 9, 1883), Russian mathematician. He died at age 66 in Moscow, Soviet Union.
1945 ~ Roza Shanina (b. Apr. 3, 1924), Soviet army sergeant and sniper. During World War II, she is credited with 59 confirmed kills, including 12 soldiers during the Battle of Vilnius. She was killed in action at age 20.
1939 ~ William Butler Yeats (b. June 13, 1865), Irish poet and playwright. He was the recipient of the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature. He died at age 73.
1936 ~ Richard Loeb (né Richard Albert Loeb; b. June 11, 1905), American murderer. In 1924, he, along with his college friend, Nathan F. Leopold, Jr. (1904 ~ 1971), kidnapped and murdered a 14-year-old boy 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. Both Loeb and Leopold were born in Chicago, Illinpois. Leopold was paroled in 1958 and died of a heart attack at age 66. Loeb was killed by a fellow inmate in prison in Joliet, Illinois. He was 30 years old.
1936 ~ Oscar K. Allen, Sr. (né Oscar Kelly Allen; d. Aug. 8, 1882), 42nd Governor of Louisiana. He was Governor from May 1932 until his death. He is best known for signing into law the homestead exemption. He was born in Winn Parish, Louisiana. He died in Baton Rouge at age 53 of a cerebral hemorrhage while in Office.
1859 ~ F. J. Robinson, 1st Earl of Ripon, 1st Viscount Goderich (né Frederick John Robinson; b. Nov. 1, 1782), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He served as Prime Minister from August 1827 until January 1928, which was during the reign of George IV, King of England. He died at age 76.
1621 ~ Pope Paul V (né Camillo Borghese; b. Sept. 17, 1550). He was Pope from May 1605 until his death 16 years later at age 70.
1613 ~ Thomas Bodley (b. Mar. 2, 1545), English diplomat and scholar. He is best known for being the founder of the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. He died at age 67.
1595 ~ Sir Francis Drake (b. 1540), English explorer. The exact date of his birth is not known. He was born in England. He died in Portobelo, Colón, Panama. He is believed to have been 55 at the time of his death.
1549 ~ Elia Levita (b. Feb. 13, 1469), Renaissance Hebrew grammarian and poet. He died 18 days after his 80th birthday in Venice, Italy.
1547 ~ Henry VIII, King of England (b. June 28, 1491). He ruled England from April 1509 until his death in January 1547. He was known for initiating the English Reformation which separated the Church of England from the Catholic Church. He was married six times. His first wife was Catherine of Aragon, whom he divorced. His second wife was Anne Boleyn, who was beheaded. Jane Seymour, his third wife, died. His fourth marriage was to Anne of Cleves. This marriage was annulled. He then married Catherine Howard, who was later beheaded. His sixth and final marriage was to Catherine Parr. She outlived the King. Henry was of the House of Tudor. He was the second Tutor monarch of England. He was the son of Henry VII, King of England and Elizabeth of York. He died at age 55.
1284 ~ Alexander, Prince of Scotland (b. Jan. 21, 1264). He was the heir apparent to the Scottish throne. He married Margaret of Flanders. He was of the House of Dunkeld. He was the son of Alexander III, King of Scotland, and Margaret of England. He died suddenly a week after his 20th birthday.
1271 ~ Isabella of Aragon (b. 1247), Queen consort of France and first wife of King Philip III. She was of the House of Barcelona. She was the daughter of James I, King of Aragon and Violant of Hungary. She died from injuries from a fall from a horse when she was six months pregnant with her fifth child. The exact date of her birth is not known, but she is believed to have been about 22 or 23 at the time of her death.
1256 ~ William II, King of Germany (b. Feb. 1227). He ruled Germany from October 1247 until his death in January 1256. He was married to Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He was of the House of Holland. He was the son Floris IV, Count of Holland and Matilda of Brabent. The exact date of his birth is not known. He died at age 28.
814 ~ Charlemagne (b. Apr. 2, 742), Holy Roman Emperor. He is also sometimes referred to as Charles the Great. He was the creator of the Carolingian Dynasty. He was the son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon. He died pleurisy at age 71.
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