February 28

Birthdays:

 

1965 ~ Colum McCann, Irish writer, best known for his novel, Let the World Spin.  He was born in Dublin, Ireland.

 

1961 ~ Rae Dawn Chong, Canadian actress.  She is the daughter of actor Tommy Chong.  She was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

 

1960 ~ Dorothy Stratten (née Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten; d. Aug. 14, 1980), Canadian actress and model.  She was murdered by her estranged husband at age 20.  She was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  She died in Los Angeles, California.  Her life and murder was depicted in the movie Star 80.

 

1957 ~ John Turturro (né John Michael Turturro), American actor.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.

 

1953 ~ Paul Krugman (né Paul Robin Krugman), American economist and recipient of the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.  He was born in Albany, New York.

 

1949 ~ Zoia Ceauşescu (d. Nov. 20, 2006), Romanian mathematician.  She was the daughter of Communist leader Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife, Elena.  She was born and died in Bucharest, Romania.  She died of lung cancer at age 57.

 

1948 ~ Steven Chu, American physicist and recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was also the 12^th Secretary of Energy and served under President Barack Obama from January 2009 until April 2013.  He was born in St. Louis, Missouri.

 

1948 ~ Mike Figgis (né Michael Figgis), British film director.  He was born in Carlisle, Cumberland, England.

 

1948 ~ Bernadette Peters (née Bernadette Lazzara), American actress.  She was born in New York, New York.

 

1948 ~ Mercedes Reuhl, American actress.  She was born in Queens, New York.

 

1942 ~ Frank Bonner (né Frank Woodrow Boers, Jr.; d. June 16, 2021), American actor and television director.  He is best known for his role as Herb Tarlek on the television sit-com WKRP in Cincinnati.  He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.  He died at age 79 of complications of dementia in Laguna Niguel, California.

 

1941 ~ Suzanne Mubarak (née Suzanne Saleh Thabet), First Lady of Egypt and wife of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

 

1940 ~ Mario Andretti (né Mario Gabriele Andretti), Italian-born American race driver.  He was born in Montona, which at the time was part of the Kingdom of Italy, but is currently in Croatia.

 

1939 ~ Daniel C. Tsui (né Daniel Chee Tsui), Chinese-born American physicist and recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was born in Henan, China.

 

1939 ~ Tommy Tune (né Thomas James Tune), American actor and dancer.  He was born in Wichita Falls, Texas.

 

1938 ~ Lord Michael Onslow, 7^th Earl of Onslow (né Michael William Coplestone Dillon Onslow; d. May 14, 2011), British lord and eccentric who enlivened the House of Lords.  He died of cancer at age 73.

 

1931 ~ Dean Smith (né Dean Edwards Smith; d. Feb. 7, 2015), American legendary college basketball coach who put his players first.  He was the head men’s basketball coach for 36 years at the University of North Carolina.  He promoted desegregation in the sport at his school.  He was born in Emporia, Kansas.  He died three weeks before his 84^thbirthday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

 

1931 ~ Gavin MacLeod (né Allan George See; d. May 29, 2021), American actor best known for his role as Captain Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat.  He was also a Christian television host.  He was born in Mount Kisco, New York.  He died at age 90 in Palm Desert, California.

 

1930 ~ Leon Cooper (né Leon Neil Cooper), American physicist and recipient of the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was born in The Bronx, New York.

 

1929 ~ Frank Gehry (né Frank Owen Goldberg), Canadian-born American architect.  He was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

 

1926 ~ Lana Peters (née Svetlana Iosifovna Stalina; d. Nov. 22, 2011), Russian who was Stalin’s peripatetic daughter.  She moved to the United States and changed her name.  She was born in Moscow, Russia.  She died at age 85 in Richland Center, Wisconsin.

 

1924 ~ Chris Kraft (né Christopher Columbus Kraft, Jr.; d. July 22, 2019), American NASA visionary who led Mission Control.  He was born in Phoebus, Virginia.  He died in Houston, Texas at age 95.

 

1923 ~ Charles Durning (né Charles Edward Durning; d. Dec. 24, 2012), American actor.  He was born in Highland Falls, New York.  He died at age 89 in Manhattan, New York.

 

1921 ~ Saul Zaentz (d. Jan. 3, 2014), American film producer who put literature on the screen.  He is best known for such films as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The English Patient, and The Lord of the Rings.  He was born in Passaic, New Jersey.  He died of complications of Alzheimer’s disease in San Francisco at age 92.

 

1915 ~ Zero Mostel (né Samuel Joel Mostel; b. Sept. 8, 1977), American actor.  He is best known for his portrayal of Tevye in the stage version of Fiddler on the Roof.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died of an aortic aneurysm at age 62 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 

1915 ~ Sir Peter Medawar (né Peter Brian Medawar; d. Oct. 2, 1987), Brazilian-born British biologist and recipient for the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on organ transplants and the discovery of acquired immune tolerance.  He died following a stroke at age 72 in London, England.

 

1912 ~ Clara Petacci (d. Apr. 28, 1945), Italian mistress of Benito Mussolini.  She was executed by firing squad along with Mussolini.  She was born in Rome, Italy.  She was 33 years old at the time of her death.

 

1906 ~ Bugsy Siegel (né Benjamin Siegel; d. June 20, 1947), American gangster.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He was murdered at age 41 in Beverly Hills, California.

 

1903 ~ Vincente Minnelli (né Lester Anthony Minnelli; d. July 25, 1986), American film director, husband of Judy Garland and father of Liza Minnelli.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.  He died of emphysema and pneumonia at age 83 in Beverly Hills, California.

 

1901 ~ Linus Pauling (né Linus Carl Pauling; d. Aug. 19, 1994), American chemist political activist.  He was the recipient of two Nobel Prizes: the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize.  He was born in Portland, Oregon.  He died at age 93 in Big Sur, California.

 

1896 ~ Philip Showalter Hench (d. Mar. 30, 1965), American physician and recipient of the 1950 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He died of pneumonia about a month after his 69^thbirthday in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

 

1894 ~ Ben Hecht (d. Apr. 18, 1964), American playwright.  He was born and died in New York, New York.  He died at age 70.

 

1884 ~ Ants Piip (d. Oct. 1, 1942), Prime Minister of Estonia.  He served as Prime Minister from October 1920 until December 1920, at which time he became the 1^st State Elder of Estonia.  He served in that position for only a month until January 1921.  He died in a Soviet prison camp at age 58.

 

1878 ~ Pierre Fatou (né Pierre Joseph Louis Fatou; d. Aug. 9, 1929), French mathematician.  He died at age 51.

 

1851 ~ Samuel W. McCall (né Samuel Walker McCall; d. Nov. 4, 1923), 47^th Governor of Massachusetts.  He served as Governor from January 1916 until January 1919.  He had previously served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts.  He was born in East Providence Township, Pennsylvania.  He died at age 72 in Winchester, Massachusetts.

 

1838 ~ Maurice Lévy (d. Sept. 30, 1910), French mathematician and engineer.  He died at age 72 in Paris, France.

 

1824 ~ Charles Blondin (né Jean François Gravelet; d. Feb. 22, 1897), French acrobat and tightrope walker.  He is best known for crossing Niagara Falls on a tightrope.  He died of diabetes 6 days before his 73^rd birthday in London, England.

 

1797 ~ Mary Lyon (née Mary Mason Lyon; d. Mar. 5, 1849), American pioneer in women’s education.  She founded the Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts and was its first president.  She was born in Buckland, Massachusetts and died in South Hadley, Massachusetts.  She died of an acute skin infection at just a week after her 52^ndbirthday.

 

1792 ~ Karl Ernst von Baer (d. Nov. 28, 1876), Estonian biologist.  He is considered the founding father of embryology.  He was born in Piibe, Estonia.  He died at age 84 in Tartu, Estonia.

 

1735 ~ Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde (d. Jan. 1, 1796), French chemist and mathematician.  He was born and died in Paris, France at age 60.

 

1552 ~ Jost Bürgi (d. Jan. 31, 1632), Swiss clockmaker and mathematician.  He died 28 days before his 80^th birthday.

 

1533 ~ Michel de Montaigne (d. Sept. 13, 1592), French philosopher and author.  He died at age 59.

 

1518 ~ Francis III, Duke of Brittany (d. Aug. 10, 1536), French prince.  He was of the House of Valois-Angoulême.  He was the eldest son of Francis I, King of France and Claude, Duchess of Brittany.  He died at age 18 under suspicious circumstances.  He may either have been poisoned or he died of tuberculosis.

 

1261 ~ Margaret of Scotland (d. Apr. 9, 1283), Queen consort of Norway and first wife of Eric II, King of Norway.  She was of the House of Dunkeld.  She was the daughter of Alexander III, King of Scotland and Margaret of England.  She died at age 22 in childbirth.

 

1155 ~ Henry the Young King (d. June 11, 1183).  He was crowned during the reign of his father, Henry II, King of England.  He was married to Margaret of France.  He was of the House of Plantagenet.  He was the son of Henry II, King of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine.  He died of dysentery at age 28, six years before his father, thus never ruled alone.

 

1119 ~ Emperor Xizong of Jin (d. Jan. 9, 1119), Chinese emperor of the Jin Dynasty.  He ruled from February 1135 until his assassination at age 30.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2017 ~ Mardi Gras.

 

2013 ~ Pope Benedict XVI (b. 1927) resigned as Pope of the Catholic Church.  He was the first pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII (1320s ~ Oct. 18, 1417) resigned in 1415.

 

2001 ~ A 6.8 earthquake, with its epicenter in the southern Puget Sound, damaged the Seattle, Washington metropolitan area.

 

1997 ~ An earthquake in northern Iran killed about 3,000 people.

 

1993 ~ The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raided the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas, to arrest David Koresh (1959 ~ 1993), the group’s leader.  Four agents and 5 Davidians were killed in the initial raid.  The ATF and Davidians began a 51-day standoff.

 

1991 ~ The first Gulf War, which had begun in August 1990, was deemed to have ended.

 

1986 ~ Olof Palme (1927 ~ 1986), the Prime Minister of Sweden, was assassinated on the streets of Stockholm as he was walking home late at night.  The assassination remains officially unsolved.

 

1983 ~ The final episode of the television sit-com M*A*S*H aired.

 

1958 ~ In one of the country’s worst school bus accident, a school bus in Floyd County, Kentucky hit a wrecker truck and plunged into the Levisa Fork River.  The driver and 26 students were killed in the accident.

 

1954 ~ The first color televisions using the National Television System Committee (NTSC) standard became available for sale to the general public.

 

1940 ~ The basketball game between Fordham University and the University of Pittsburgh, which was played in Madison Square Garden, was the first televised basketball game.  Pittsburgh beat Fordham in a score of 57-37.

 

1935 ~ Wallace Carothers (1896 ~ 1937), a scientist at DuPont, invented nylon.

 

1922 ~ The United Kingdom ended its protectorate over Egypt.

 

1827 ~ The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad became incorporated.  It was the first railroad in the United States to provide commercial transportation to people and freight.

 

1784 ~ John Wesley (1703 ~ 1791) chartered the Methodist Church in the United States.

 

1525 ~ Hernán Cortés (1485 ~ 1547) and his men executed the Aztec King Cuauhtémoc.

 

202 BCE ~ Lui Bang (d. 195 BCE) became the Emperor of China, thus beginning the rule of the Han Dynasty.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2020 ~ Joe Coulombe (né Joseph Hardin Coulombe; b. June 3, 1930), American businessman and founder of Trader Joe’s.  He was born in San Diego, California.  He died at age 89 in Pasadena, California.

 

2020 ~ Freeman Dyson (né Freeman John Dyson; b. Dec. 15, 1923), British-American theoretical and mathematical physicist.  He was born in England.  He died in Princeton, New Jersey at age 96 from complications sustained in a fall.

 

2019 ~ André Previn (né Andreas Ludwig Priwin; b. Apr. 6, 1929), German-born musical polymath who spurned Hollywood.  composer and conductor.  His family left Nazi Germany in 1939 and moved to the United States.  He was born in Berlin, Germany.  He died at age 89 in New York, New York.

 

2019 ~ Sarah Lee Lippincott (b. Oct. 26, 1920), American astronomer and academic.  She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  She died at age in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania at age 98.

 

2016 ~ George Kennedy (né George Harris Kennedy, Jr.; b. Feb. 18, 1925), American actor best known for his role in Cool Hand Luke.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died of heart disease 10 days after his 91^st birthday in Middleton, Idaho.

 

2014 ~ Lee Lorch (né Lee Alexander Lorch; b. Sept. 20, 1915), American mathematician and civil rights activist.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died at age 98 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

 

2013 ~ Donald Glaser (né Donald Arthur Glaser; b. Sept. 21, 1926), American physicist and recipient of the 1960 Nobel Prize for Physics.  He was born in Cleveland, Ohio.  He died at age 86 in Berkeley, California.

 

2011 ~ Peter J. Gomes (né Peter John Gomes; b. May 22, 1942), African-American gifted preacher who spoke out for tolerance.  He was born and died in Boaton, Massachusetts.  He died at age 68.

 

2011 ~ Jane Russell (née Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell; b. June 21, 1921), American actress.  She was born in Bermidji, Minnesota.  She died at age 89 of respiratory failure in Santa Maria, California.

 

2009 ~ Paul Harvey (né Paul Harvey Aurandt; b. Sept. 4, 1918), American radio broadcaster.  He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He died at age 90 in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

2007 ~ Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. (né Arthur Bancroft Schlesinger; b. Oct. 15, 1917), American historian.  He was born in Columbus, Ohio.  He died at age 89 in New York, New York.

 

2006 ~ Owen Chamberlain (b. July 10, 1920), American physicist and recipient of the 1959 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was born in San Francisco, California.  He died at age 85 in Berkeley, California.

 

2004 ~ Daniel J. Boorstin (né Daniel Joseph Boorstin; b. Oct. 1, 1914), American historian and writer.  He was the 12^thLibrarian of Congress, where he served from November 1975 until September 1987, during the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.  He was born in Atlanta, Georgia.  He died at age 89 in Washington, D.C.

 

1993 ~ Ruby Keeler (née Ethel Ruby Keeler; b. Aug. 25, 1909), Canadian singer and actress.  She was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.  She died of kidney cancer at age 83 in Rancho Mirage, California.

 

1986 ~ Olof Palme (né Sven Olaf Joachim Palme; b. Jan. 30, 1927), Prime Minister of Sweden.  He was born and died in Stockholm, Sweden.  He was assassinated a month after his 59^th birthday.

 

1986 ~ Laura Z. Hobson (née Laura Kean Zametkin; b. June 19, 1900), American author best known for her novel, Gentleman’s Agreement.  She was born and died in Manhattan, New York.  She died at age 85.

 

1967 ~ Henry Luce (né Henry Robinson Luce; d. Apr. 3, 1898), American publisher who launched Time and Lifemagazines.  He was born in Tengchow, Qing, China.  He died at age 68 in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

1959 ~ Maxwell Anderson (né James Maxwell Anderson; b. Dec. 15, 1888), American playwright.  He was born in Atlantic, Pennsylvania.  He died at age 70 in Stamford, Connecticut.

 

1956 ~ Frigyes Riesz (b. Jan. 22, 1880), Hungarian mathematician.  He is best known for his contributions to functional analysis.  He died at age 76 in Budapest, Hungary.

 

1941 ~ Alfonso XIII, King of Spain (b. May 17, 1886).  He became king at birth, as his father had died before he was born.  He was known as The African because of a trip to Melilla, a Spanish city in Africa.  He reigned until he was ousted on April 14, 1931.  He was married to Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg.  He was of the House of Bourbon.  He was the son of Alfonso XII, King of Spain and Maria Christina of Austria.  He died in Rome at age 54.

 

1936 ~ Charles Nicolle (né Charles Jules Henry Nicolle; b. Sept. 21, 1866), French bacteriologist and recipient of the 1928 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work in the identification of lice as transmitters of typhus.  He was born in Rouen, France.  He died at age 69 in Tunis, French Tunisia.

 

1916 ~ Henry James (b. Apr. 15, 1843), American novelist.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died at age 72 in London, England.

 

1901 ~ William M. Evarts (né William Maxwell Evarts; b. Feb. 6, 1818), 27^th United States Secretary of State.  He served under President Rutherford B. Hayes from March 1977 until March 1881.  He also served as the 29^th United States Attorney General under President Andrew Johnson from July 1868 to March 1868.  Following his positions in the Federal Executive Office, he became a United States Senator from the State of New York from March 1885 until March 1891.  He was born in Charleston, Massachusetts.  He died 22 days after his 83^rd birthday in New York, New York.

 

1844 ~ Abel P. Upshur (né Abel Parker Upshur; b. June 17, 1790), 15^th United States Secretary of State.  He served under President John Tyler from July 1843 until his death on February 28, 1844.  He had previously served as the 13^th United States Secretary of the Navy during the Tyler administration from October 1841 until July 1843.  He was born in Northampton County, Virginia.  He was killed at age 53 while viewing the new steamship USS Princeton and one of the ship’s guns exploded during a demonstration on the Potomac River, Maryland.

 

1648 ~ Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway (b. Apr. 12, 1577).  He ruled as King from April 1588 until his death in February 1648.  He married twice.  His first wife was Anne Catherine of Brandenburg.  After her death, he married Kirsten Munk, a member of a wealthy but untitled noble.  She was the mother of their twelve children.  He was of the House of Oldenburg.  He was the son of Frederick II, King of Denmark and Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.  He died at age 70.

 

1621 ~ Cosimo II de’Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. May 12, 1590).  He was married to Maria Maddalena of Austria.  He was of the House of Medici.  He was the son of Ferdinando I, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Christina of Lorraine.  He died of tuberculosis at age 30.

 

1525 ~ Cuauhtémoc (b. 1495), Aztec ruler.  He was killed by Hernán Cortés.

 

February 27

Birthdays:

 

1980 ~ Chelsea Clinton (née Chelsea Victoria Clinton), daughter of President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.  She was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.

 

1971 ~ Sara Blakely (née Sara Treleaven Blakely), American businesswoman and inventor of Spanx.  She was born in Clearwater, Florida.

 

1965 ~ Noah Emmerich (né Noah Nicholas Emmerich), American actor.  He is best known for his role as FBI agent Stan Beeman in The Americans.  He was born in New York, New York.

 

1958 ~ Nancy Spungen (née Nancy Laura Spungen; d. Oct. 12, 1978), American murder victim and girlfriend of Sid Vicious (né John Simon Ritchie, 1957 ~ 1979), of the Sex Pistols.  She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  She was 20 years old at the time of her murder in New York, New York.

 

1958 ~ Maggie Hassan (née Margaret Coldwell Wood), 81^st Governor of New Hampshire from January 2013 until January 2017.  In January 2017, she became a United States Senator from New Hampshire.  She was born in Boston, Massachusetts.

 

1951 ~ Lee Atwater (né Harvey LeRoy Atwater; d. Mar. 29, 1991), American politician and political consultant.  He served Presidents Ronald Reagan and George WH Bush.  He was born in Atlanta, Georgia.  He died about a month after his 40^th birthday of an aggressive form of brain tumor in Washington, D.C.

 

1950 ~ Julia Neuberger, Baroness Neuberger (née Julia Babette Sarah Schwab), English rabbi and political figure.  She was born in London, England.

 

1942 ~ Robert H. Grubbs (né Robert Howard Grubbs; d. Dec. 19, 2021), American chemist and recipient of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He was born on a farm in Marshall County, Kentucky.  He died of a heart attack at age 79 in Duarte, California.

 

1940 ~ Howard Hesseman (d. Jan. 29, 2022), American actor who embodied the counterculture.  He is best known for his role as Johnny Fever on WKPR in Cincinnati.  He was born in Lebanon, Oregon.  He died of complications from colon surgery a month before his 82^nd birthday in Los Angeles, California.

 

1939 ~ Kenzō Takada (d. Oct. 4, 2020), Japanese fashion designer.  He was the founder of Kenzo, a world-wide brand of clothing and cosmetics.  He moved to Paris, France in 1964 and shook up the fashion world with his bold colors and fusion of Japanese and western style.  He was born in Himeji, Japan.  He died at age 81 of Covid-19 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

 

1937 ~ Barbara Babcock, American actress.  She is best known for her role as Grace Gardner on the television drama Hill Street Blues.  She was born in Fort Riley, Kansas.

 

1934 ~ Ralph Nader, American consumer protection activist and political figure.  He was born in Winsted, Connecticut.

 

1933 ~ Malcolm Wallop (d. Sept. 14, 2011), American rancher and United States Senator from Wyoming who pushed hard for missile defense.  He was born in New York City, New York.  He died at age 78 in Big Horn, Wyoming.

 

1932 ~ Dame Elizabeth Taylor (née Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor; d. Mar. 23, 2011), English-American actress.  She was born in London, England.  She died of congestive heart failure about a month after her 79^th birthday in Los Angeles, California.

 

1930 ~ Joanne Woodward (née Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward), American actress and wife of Paul Newman.  She went to the Louisiana State University.  She was born in Thomasville, Georgia.

 

1927 ~ Peter Whittle (d. Aug. 10, 2021), New Zealander mathematician.  He was born in Wellington, New Zealand.  He died in Cambridge, England at age 94.

 

1926 ~ David H. Hubel (né David Hunter Hubel; d. Sept. 22, 2013), Canadian neurophysiologist and recipient of the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.  He died at age 87 in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

 

1921 ~ Theodore Van Kirk (d. July 28, 2014), American navigator who guided the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber that dropped the H-bomb on Hiroshima.  He was born in Northumberland, Pennsylvania.  He died at age 93 in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

 

1919 ~ Johnny Pesky (né John Michael Paveskovich; d. Aug. 13, 2012), American professional baseball player, manager and coach who spent much of his career with the Boston Red Sox.  He was known as Mr. Red Sox.  He was born in Portland, Oregon.  He died at age 93 in Danvers, Massachusetts.

 

1917 ~ John Connally, Jr. (né John Bowden Connally, Jr.; d. June 15, 1993), 61^st Secretary of the Treasury.  He served under President Richard Nixon from February 1971 until June 1972.  He was also the 55^th United States Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy from January 1961 until December 1961.  He has also served as the 39^th Governor of Texas and was in the motorcade when President Kennedy was killed.  He was born in Floresville, Texas.  He died at age 76 in Houston, Texas.

 

1913 ~ Irwin Shaw (né Irwin Gilbert Shamforoff; d. May 16, 1984), American author.  He is best known for his books Rich Man, Poor Man and Beggarman, Thief.  He was born in The Bronx, New York.  He died of prostate cancer at age 71 in Davos, Switzerland.

 

1913 ~ Paul Riocœur (né Jean Paul Gustave Riocœur; d. May 20, 2005), French philosopher who taught in a POW camp during World War II.  He died at age 92.

 

1910 ~ Peter de Vries (d. Sept. 28, 1993), American novelist.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.  He died at age 83 in Norwalk, Connecticut.

 

1903 ~ Joseph B. Soloveitchik (né Joseph Ber Soloveitchik; d. Apr. 9, 1993), Russian-born American rabbi and philosopher.  He died at age 90 in Boston, Massachusetts.

 

1903 ~ Hans Rohrback (d. Dec. 19, 1993), German mathematician.  He was a member of the Nazi party.  He died at age 90.

 

1902 ~ John Steinbeck (né John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr.; b. Dec. 20, 1968), American novelist and recipient of the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He is best known his novels including The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, and The Red Pony.  He was born in Salinas, California.  He died of heart disease at age 66 in New York, New York.

 

1899 ~ Charles Herbert Best (d. Mar. 31, 1978), Canadian medical student who co-discovered insulin.  He was born in West Pembroke, Maine.  He died about a month after his 79^th birthday in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

 

1897 ~ Marian Anderson (d. Apr. 8, 1993), African-American contralto.  She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  She died at age 96 of congestive heart failure and complications of a stroke in Portland, Oregon.

 

1892 ~ William Demarest (né Carl William Demarest; d. Dec. 27, 1983), American character actor.  He is best known for playing Uncle Charlie on My Three Sons.  He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.  He died of prostate cancer at age 91 in Palm Springs, California.

 

1891 ~ David Sarnoff (d. Dec. 12, 1971), Russian-born American businessman and pioneer in radio and television.  He was the founder of RCA.  He also founded NBC.  He was born near Minks, Russian Empire.  He died at age 80 in New York, New York.

 

1888 ~ Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr. (né Arthur Meier Schlesinger; d. Oct. 30, 1965), American historian and author.  He was born in Xenia, Ohio.  He died in Boston, Massachusetts at age 77.

 

1886 ~ Hugo Black (né Hugo Lafayette Black; d. Sept. 25, 1971), Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court.  He was nominated to the High Court by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  He served on the Court from August 1837 until his retirement on September 17, 1971.  He served on the court for 34 years.  He replaced Willis Van Devanter on the Court and was succeeded by Lewis Powell.  In his early life, he had been a member of the Ku Klux Klan, but resigned in 1925.  He was born in Harlan, Alabama.  He suffered a stroke 2 days after he retired and died shortly thereafter at age 83 in Bethesda, Maryland.

 

1881 ~ L. E. J. Brouwer (né Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer; d. Dec. 2, 1966), Dutch mathematician.  He died at age 85.

 

1878 ~ Alvan Fuller (né Alvan Tufts Fuller; d. Apr. 30, 1958), 50^th Governor of Massachusetts.  He served as Governor from January 1925 until January 1929.  He was born and died in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died at age 80.

 

1869 ~ Alice Hamilton (d. Sept. 22, 1970), American academic and pioneer in toxicology research.  She was a leading expert in occupational health.  She was the first woman appointed to the faculty at Harvard University.  She was born in Manhattan, New York.  She died at age 101 in Hydlyme, Connecticut.

 

1852 ~ John McLane (d. Apr. 13, 1911), 50^th Governor of New Hampshire.  He was Governor from January 1905 until January 1907.  He was a furniture maker from Milford, New Hampshire.  He was born in Scotland and died in Pinehurst, North Carolina.  He died at age 59.

 

1834 ~ Dr. Patrick Francis Healy (d. Jan. 10, 1910), African-American educator, priest, and President of Georgetown University.  His father saw to his education and he when he entered the Jesuit order, he became the first African-American to do so.  He was ordained as a priest in 1864.  When he became the President of Georgetown in 1874, he became the first African-American to become the president of a predominantly white educational institution.  He was born into slavery in Macon, Georgia and was the son of a plantation owner and Mary Eliza Smith, a slave.  He died at age 75 in Washington, D. C.

 

1807 ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (d. Mar. 24, 1882), American poet.  He was born in Portland, Maine.  He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts less than a month after his 75^th birthday.

 

272 ~ Constantine the Great (d. May 22, 337), Roman emperor.  He reigned the Roman Empire from July 306 until October 312.  Tradition holds that he was born on February 27.  He is believed to have died at age 65

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2010 ~ An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Chile, killing over 500 people and injuring thousand more.  The quake initiated a tsunami, which reached Hawaiian Islands.

 

2004 ~ The initial version of the report detailing sexual abuse by Catholic priests in the United States, was released.

 

1991 ~ United States President George H.W. Bush (1924 ~ 2018) declared that Kuwait was liberated as a result of the Gulf War.

 

1973 ~ The occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota began by the American Indian Movement.

 

1951 ~ The 22^nd Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, thereby limiting future American Presidents to only two terms in office.

 

1940 ~ Chemists Martin Kamen (1913 ~ 2002) and Sam Ruben (1913 ~ 1943) discovered carbon-14.

 

1933 ~ The Reichstag, Germany’s parliamentary building in Berlin was set on fire and burned to the ground.  The Nazi party used the fire to solidify its power and eliminated the communists as political rivals.

 

1932 ~ In a letter published in Nature, James Chadwick (1891 ~ 1974) described his discovery of the neutron.  This discovery allowed scientist to split the atom.  Chadwick would be awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery.  With the discovery of the neutron, the United States began atomic bomb research.

 

1922 ~ In the case of Leser v. Garnett, the United States Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the 19^thAmendment to the United States Constitution, which granted women the right to vote.  The decision was authored by Justice Louis Brandeis (1856 ~ 1941).

 

1900 ~ The British Labour Party, a political party, was founded.

 

1864 ~ The first Union Prisoners of War were sent to Andersonville, the Confederate prison in Andersonville, Georgia.

 

1844 ~ The Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti.

 

1801 ~ Washington, D.C. was placed under the jurisdiction of the United States Congress in accordance with District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801.

 

1594 ~ Henry IV (1553 ~ 1610) was crowned King of France.

 

425 ~ The University of Constantinople was founded by Emperor Theodosius II (401 ~ 450).

 

Good-Byes:

 

2019 ~ Jerry Merryman (né Jerry Dale Merryman; b. June 17, 1932), American engineer who taught us how to count on a pocket-sized machine.  As a member of the Texas Instruments team, he was known for co-inventing the hand-held calculator.  He was bornin Hearne, Texas.  He died in Dallas, Texas of heart and kidney failure at age 86.

 

2017 ~ William Liebenow (b. Jan. 18, 1920), American Navy skipper who rescued a stranded John F. Kennedy in 1943 during World War II.  As a Lieutenant in the Navy, he used the cover of darkness to take his patrol boat into enemy waters to rescue the crew of PT-109.  He was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia.  He died at age 97.

 

2015 ~ Leonard Nimoy (né Leonard Simon Nimoy; b. Mar. 26, 1931), American actor best known for his role as Mr. Spock from the Star Trek Series.  Although he initially was not keen on the role of Mr. Spock, he learned to love the alien.  He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died about a month before his 84^th birthday in Bel Air, California.

 

2013 ~ Van Cliburn (né Harvey Lavan Cliburn, Jr.; b. July 12, 1934), American pianist who became a Cold War hero.  He entered into, and won, the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958.  He was born in Shreveport, Louisiana.  He died at age 78 in Fort Worth, Texas.

 

2012 ~ Tina Strobos (née Tineke Buchter; b. May 19, 1920), Dutch physician and psychologist who saved dozens of Jews during World War II.  A secret compartment had been built into her attic as a hiding place for Jews.  She worked with the resistance and was able to get passports and other documents so Jews could leave the country.  She and her mother are recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Vad Vashem in Jerusalem.  She was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  She died at age 91 in Rye, New York.

 

2011 ~ Necmettin Erbakan (b. Oct. 29, 1926), Prime Minister of Turkey.  He held that position from June 1996 through June 1997.  He died at age 84.

 

2011 ~ Frank Buckles (né Wood Buckles; b. Feb. 1, 1901), the last surviving American veteran of World War I.  He was born in Bethany, Missouri.  He died 26 days after his 110^th birthday in Charles Town, West Virginia.

 

2008 ~ William F. Buckley, Jr. (né William Francis Buckley, Jr.; b. Nov. 24, 1925), American writer and founder of the National Review.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died at age 82 in Stamford, Connecticut.

 

2003 ~ Fred Rogers (né Fred McFeely Rogers; b. Mar. 20, 1928), American minister and host to a children’s educational TV show.  He was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  He died of stomach cancer less than a month before his 75^th birthday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

 

1998 ~ J.T. Walsh (né James Thomas Patrick Walsh; b. Sept. 28, 1943), American actor.  He was born in San Francisco, California.  He died of a heart attack at age 54 in Le Mesa, California.

 

1998 ~ George H. Hitchings (né George Herbert Hitchings; b. Apr. 18, 1905), American physician and recipient of the1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He was born in Hoquiam, Washington.  He died at age 92.

 

1993 ~ Lillian Gish (née Lillian Diana Gish; b. Oct. 14, 1893), American silent film actress.  She is sometimes referred to as the First Lady of American Cinema.  She was born in Springfield, Ohio.  She died at age 99 in New York, New York.

 

1990 ~ Nahum Norbet Glatzer (b. Mar. 25, 1906), Jewish-American scholar.  He was born in Austria.  He died about a month after his 86^th birthday in Tucson, Arizona.

 

1989 ~ Konrad Lorenz (né Konrad Zacharias Lorenz; b. Nov. 7, 1903), Austrian zoologist and recipient of the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He joined the Nazi party in 1938.  He was born and died in Vienna, Austria.  He died at age 85.

 

1985 ~ Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (b. July 5, 1902), American diplomat and 1960 Vice Presidential nominee as Richard Nixon’s running mate.  He was a United States Senator from Massachusetts from January 1947 until January 1953.  He served as the 3^rd United States Ambassador to the United Nations.  He was born in Nahant, Massachusetts.  He died in Beverly, Massachusetts at age 82.

 

1956 ~ Daniele Varè (b. Jan. 12, 1880), Italian diplomat and author.  He is best known for his novel The Maker of Heavenly Trousers.  He died at age 86.

 

1936 ~ Joshua Alexander (né Joshua Willis Alexander; b. Jan. 22, 1852), 2^nd United States Secretary of Commerce.  He served in the Woodrow Wilson administration from December 1919 until March 1921.  He had previously served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri from March 1907 until December 1919.  He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.  He died about a month after his 84^th birthday in Gallatin, Missouri.

 

1936 ~ Ivan Pavlov (b. Sept. 25, 1849), Russian physiologist and recipient of the 1904 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He is best known for his studies in classical conditioned responses.  He died at age 86.

 

1915 ~ Nikolay Yakovlevich Sonin (b. Feb. 22, 1849), Russian mathematician.  He was born in Tula, Russian Empire.  He was born in Tula, Russian Empire.  He died 5 days after his 66^th birthday in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire.

 

1906 ~ Samuel Langley (né Samuel Pierpont Langley; b. Aug. 22, 1834), American physicist and astronomer.  He served as the 3^rd Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, from 1887 until 1906.  The Langley Air Force Base in Virginia is named in his honor.  He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts.  He died at age 71 in Aiken, South Carolina.

 

1905 ~ George Boutwell (né George Sewell Boutwell; b. Jan. 28, 1818), 28^th 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 20^th 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 87^th birthday in Groton, Massachusetts.

 

1902 ~ Breaker Morant (né Edwin Henry Morant; b. Dec. 9, 1864), Anglo-Australian soldier who allegedly participated in the summary execution of several Boer prisoners during the Second Boer War, as well as a witness to the executions.  His actions lead to a court-martial and he was executed for murder.  He was born in England.  He was executed in Pretoria, South African Republic.  He was 37 years old.

 

1892 ~ Louis Vuitton (b. Aug. 4, 1821), French designer of leather goods, especially trunks and bags.  He is the founder of the House of Louis Vuitton brand of leather goods.  He died at age 70.

 

1844 ~ Nicholas Biddle (b. Jan. 8, 1786), American banker and financier.  He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He died at age 58 in Andalusia, Pennsylvania.

 

1659 ~ Henry Dunster (b. Nov. 26, 1609), English-American clergyman and academic.  He became the first President of Harvard College.  The date of his birth is not known, but he was baptized on November 26, 1609.  He was bornin England.  He died at age 49 in what is now Scituate, Massachusetts.

 

1425 ~ Vasily I, Grand Prince of Moscow (b. Dec. 30, 1371).  He was the Grand Prince of Moscow from May 1389 until his death 36 years later.  He was married to Sophia of Lithuania (1371 ~ 1453).  He was of the Rurik Dynasty.  He was the son of Dmitry Donskoy and Eudoxia Dmitriyevna.  He died at age 53.

 

1416 ~ Eleanor of Castile (b. 1363), Queen consort of Navarre.  She was the wife of Charles III, King of Navarre.  She was of the House of Trastámara.  Her father was Henry II, King of Castile and her mother was Juana Manuel of Castile.  The exact date of her birth is not known, but she is believed to have been about 52 or 53 at the time of her death.

 

640 ~ Pepin the Elder (b. 580), Frankish politician.  The exact date of his birth is not known.

February 26

Birthdays:

 

1976 ~ Nalini Anantharaman, French mathematician.  She is the daughter of two mathematicians.  She was born in Paris, France.

 

1958 ~ Tim Kaine (né Timothy Michael Kaine), American politician and United States Senator from Virginia.  He is best known for being the Democratic Vice President nominee in the 2016 Presidential election.  He was the running mate of Hillary Clinton.  He had previously served as the 70^th Governor of Virginia from January 2006 until January 2010.  He was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

 

1956 ~ Michel Houellebecq (né Michel Thomas), French author best known for his novels and essays.

 

1954 ~ Ernst August, Prince of Hanover.  He is the third husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco.  They married in 1999.  He is of the House of Hanover.  He is the son of Ernest Augustus of Hanover and Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.

 

1954 ~ Recep Tayyio Erdoğan, 12^th President of Turkey.  He assumed office in August 2014.  He was born in Istanbul, Turkey.

 

1949 ~ Elizabeth George (née Susan Elizabeth George), American writer of mystery stories set in Great Britain.  She was born in Warren, Ohio.

 

1948 ~ Sharyn McCrumb, American author whose books focus on the folklore of Appalachia.  She was born in Wilmington, North Carolina.

 

1946 ~ Ahmed Zewail (d. Aug. 2, 2016), Egyptian-born American chemist.  He was the recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He is known as the Father of Femtochemistry, the study of chemical reactions on extremely short durations.  He died at age 70 in Pasadena, California.

 

1932 ~ Johnny Cash (né John Ray Cash; d. Sept. 12, 2003), American singer.  He was born in Kingsland, Arkansas.  He died at age 71 in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

1931 ~ Robert Novak (né Robert David Sanders Novak; d. Aug. 18, 2009), American journalist.  He was born in Joliet, Illinois.  He died at age 78 of complications from a brain tumor in Washington, D.C.

 

1928 ~ Ariel Sharon (né Ariel Scheinermann; d. Jan. 11, 2014), 11^th Prime Minister of Israel.  He was a retired General.  He had been a commander in the Israeli Army from its inception in 1948, thus he led Israel in war and peace.  He suffered a massive stroke in January 2006 and remained in a coma for the rest of his life.  He died at age 85 in Ramat Gan, Israel.

 

1928 ~ Fats Domino (né Antoine Dominique Domino, Jr.; d. Oct. 24, 2017), African-American New Orleans pianist who shaped rock ‘n’ roll.  He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.  He died in Harvey, Louisiana at age 89.

 

1927 ~ Tom Kennedy (né James Edward Narz; d. Oct. 7, 2020), American game show host.  He was born in Louisville, Kentucky.  He died at age 93 in Oxnard, California.

 

1926 ~ Sandy Green (né James Alexander Green; d. Apr. 7, 2014), Scottish mathematician.  He was born in Rochester, New York.  He died at age 88 in Oxford, England.

 

1921 ~ Betty Hutton (née Elizabeth June Thornburg; d. Mar. 12, 2007), American stage and film actress.  She was born in Battle Creek, Michigan.  She died of colon cancer 2 weeks after her 86^th birthday in Palm Springs, California.

 

1920 ~ Tony Randall (né Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg; d. May 17, 2004), American actor.  He was married twice.  His first wife, Florence Gibbs, died in 1992.  At age 75, he remarried Heather Harlan, who was 25 years old.  They had two children.  He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He died at age 84 in New York, New York.

 

1916 ~ Jackie Gleason (né John Herbert Gleason; d. June 24, 1987), American actor and musician.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He died of cancer at age 71 in Lauderhill, Florida.

 

1916 ~ Joan Struthers Curran (né Joan Elizabeth Curran; d. Feb. 10, 1999), Welsh scientist.  She was instrumental in the development of radar and the atomic bomb during World War II.  She invented the chaff, a radar countermeasure technique.  She attended Cambridge University to study physics, however, because she was a woman, she was not awarded her degree.  After she finished her courses, she began a graduate program.  Again, she was not awarded an advanced degree because she was female.  She was born in Swansea, Wales.  She died of cancer in Glasgow, Scotland 16 days before her 83^rd birthday.

 

1903 ~ Guilio Natta (d. May 2, 1979), Italian chemist and recipient of the 1963 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on high polymers.  He died at age 76.

 

1897 ~ Elizabeth Lucy, Princess Bibesco (née Elizabeth Lucy Asquith; d. Apr. 7, 1945), English author and socialite.  She was the daughter of British Prime Minister H.H. Asquith.  In 1919, she married Prince Antoine Bibesco, a Romanian diplomat.  She was born in London, England.  She died at age 48 of complications of pneumonia in Bucharest, Romania.

 

1887 ~ William Frawley (d. Mar. 3, 1966), American actor best known for his role as Fred Mertz on the I Love Lucyshow.  He was born in Burlington, Iowa.  He died of a heart attack 5 days after his 79^th birthday in Los Angeles, California.

 

1882 ~ Husband E. Kimmel (né Husband Edward Kimmel, d. May 14, 1968), American admiral.  He was born in Henderson, Kentucky.  He died at age 86 in Groton, Connecticut.

 

1866 ~ Herbert Henry Dow (d. Oct. 15, 1930), Canadian-American businessman and founder of the Dow Chemical Company.  He died at age 64 in Rochester, Minnesota.

 

1861 ~ Ferdinand I, Tsar of Bulgaria (d. Sept. 10, 1948).  He ruled Bulgaria from October 1908 until October 1918.  He married several times.  His first wife was Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma.  After her death, he married Princess Eleonore Reuss of Köstritz.  His third wife was Alžbeta Brezáková, whom he married a year before his death.  He was 86 and his third wife was 26 at the time of their marriage.  He was of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.  He was the son of Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Clémentine of Orléans.  He died at age 87.

 

1852 ~ John Harvey Kellogg (d. Dec. 14, 1943), American surgeon and vegetarian advocate.  He was from Battle Creek, Michigan and ran a sanitarium that focused on nutrition and exercise.  He, along with his brother Will (1860 ~ 1951), became known for creating the breakfast cereal, Kellogg’s Cornflakes.  He was born in Tyrone, Michigan.  He died at age 91 in Battle Creek, Michigan.

 

1846 ~ Buffalo Bill Cody (né William Frederick Cody; d. Jan. 10, 1917), American frontiersman and showman.  He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory.  He died of kidney failure at age 70 in Denver, Colorado.

 

1844 ~ Horace Lurton (né Horace Harmon Lurton; d. July 12, 1914), Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court.  He was nominated to the High Court by President William Taft.  He replaced Rufus Peckham on the Court.  He was succeeded on the Court by James Clark McReynolds.  He was nominated to the Court at age 65, making him the oldest Justice at the time to be appointed.  He served on the Court for 5 years.  He was born in Newport, Kentucky.  He died of a sudden heart attack in Atlantic City, New Jersey while still in Office at age 70.

 

1829 ~ Levi Strauss (né Löb Strauß; d. Sept. 26, 1902), German-born American clothing manufacturer.  He founded Levi Strauss & Company, the first company to manufacture denim blue jeans, which were worn by gold miners during the California Gold Rush.  He died at age 73 in San Francisco, California.

 

1808 ~ Honoré-Victorin Daumier (d. Feb. 10, 1879), French artist, painter, illustrator, and sculptor.  He died 16 days before his 71^st birthday.

 

1802 ~ Victor Hugo (né Victor Marie Hugo, d. May 22, 1885), French novelist best known for his novels Les Misérablesand The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  He died at age 83 in Paris, France.

 

1786 ~ François Arago (né Dominique François Jean Arago; d. Oct. 2, 1853), French mathematician and politician.  He died at age 67 in Paris, France.

 

1777 ~ Mateja Nenadović (d. Dec. 11, 1854), Serbian priest, historian, and politician.  He is considered the 1^st Prime Minister of Serbia.  He died at age 77.

 

1746 ~ Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria (d. June 18, 1804), Duchess of Parma.  She was the wife of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma.  She was of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.  She was the daughter of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa.  She died at age 58.

 

1564 ~ Christopher Marlowe (d. May 30, 1593), English playwright.  He was stabbed to death at age 29.  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he was baptized on February 26 1564.

 

1416 ~ Christopher III, King of Denmark (d. Jan. 5, 1448).  He reigned Denmark from April 1440 until his death 8 years later.  He was also known as Christopher of Bavaria.  He was married to Dorothea of Brandenburg.  He was of the House of Palatinate-Neumarkt.  He was the son of John, Count Palatine of Neumarkt and Catherine of Pomerania.  He died suddenly at age 31.

 

1361 ~ Wenceslaus IV, King of Bohemia (d. Aug. 16, 1419).  He ruled Bohemia from November 1378 until his death in 1419.  He was married twice.  His first wife was Joanna of Bavaria.  His second wife was Sophia of Bavaria.  He was of the House of Luxembourg.  He was the son of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna von Schweidnitz.  He died at age 58.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

 

2021 ~ Two hundred seventy-nine female students, between the ages of 10 and 17 were kidnapped in the Zamfara kidnapping in Nigeria.  All of the hostages were released on March 1, 2021.

 

2013 ~ A hot air balloon carrying tourist crashed near the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt.  Nineteen people were killed.

 

2008 ~The New York Philharmonic performed in Pyongyang, North Korea.  It was the first such an event to occur in North Korea.

 

1995 ~ The United Kingdom’s oldest investment banking institution, the Barings Bank, collapsed after a securities broker lost $1.4 Billion by speculating on the Singapore International Monetary Exchange using future contracts.

 

1993 ~ A truck bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City exploded, killing 6 people in injuring over 1000.

 

1980 ~ Egypt and Israel established full diplomatic relations.

 

1972 ~ The Buffalo Creek Flood in West Virginia caused a dam to burst, killing 125 people.

 

1971 ~ United Nations Secretary-General U Thant (1909 ~ 1974) signed a United Nations Proclamation of the establishing the vernal equinox as Earth Day.

 

1935 ~ Adolf Hitler (1889 ~ 1945) ordered the Luftwaffe to be reformed in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

 

1929 ~ President Calvin Coolidge (1872 ~ 1933) signed an Executive Order establishing Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

 

1919 ~ President Woodrow Wilson (1856 ~ 1924) signed an Act of Congress establishing the Grand Canyon National Park.

 

1917 ~ The Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded the first Jazz record.  The band originally called itself the Original Dixieland Jass Band.

 

1909 ~ The first successful color motion picture process, the Kinemacolor, was first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London, England.

 

1815 ~ Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 ~ 1821) escaped from Elba.

 

1794 ~ The first Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark burned down.

 

1616 ~ Galileo Galileo (1564 ~ 1642) was banned by the Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun.  In 1992, the Catholic Church formally exonerated Galileo of any wrongdoing.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2020 ~ Betsy Byars (née Betsy Cromer; b. Aug. 7, 1928), American author who wrote about lost children.  She is best known for her 1970 novel Summer of the Swans, about an awkward 14-year-old orphan searching for her brother.  She was born in Charlotte, South Carolina.  She died at age 91 in Senece, South Carolina.

 

2019 ~ Charles McCarry (b. June 14, 1930), American CIA agent who became a best-selling spy novelist.  He was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.  He died at age 88 in Fairfax County, Virginia.

 

2017 ~ Ludvig Faddeev (b. Mar. 23, 1934), Russian mathematician.  He was born and died in St. Petersburg, Soviet Union.  He died less than a month before his 83^rd birthday.

 

2017 ~ Joseph Wapner (né Joseph Albert Wapner; b. Nov. 15, 1919), American judge who presided over The People’s Court.  He was the first star of the reality television court.  His show ran from 1981 until 1992.  He was born and died in Los Angeles, California.  He died at age 97.

 

2015 ~ Earl Lloyd (né Earl Francis Lloyd; b. Apr. 3, 1928), American professional NBA player who broke the color barrier.  In 1950, he became the first African-American to play in the National Basketball Association.  He was drafted by the Washington Capitols.  He was born in Alexandria, Virginia.  He died at age 86 in Crossville, Tennessee.

 

2013 ~ Thomas C. Griffin (né Thomas Carson Griffin; b. July 10, 1916), American World War II navigator who helped steer the Doolittle Raid.  He died at age 96.

 

2011 ~ Eugene Fodor (né Eugene Nicholas Fodor, Jr.; b. Mar. 5, 1950), American violin virtuoso haunted by addiction.  He was born in Denver, Colorado.  He died of liver disease 7 days before his 61^st birthday in Arlington, Virginia.

 

2011 ~ Arnošt Lustig (b. Dec. 21, 1926), Czech novelist who recalled the horrors of the Holocaust.  He was born and died in Prague.  He died at age 84.

 

2010 ~ Louis Fabian Bachrach, Jr. (b. Apr. 9, 1917), American photographer who put the powerful at ease.  He is best known for his photographs of celebrities, politicians, and presidents.  He was born and died in Newton, Massachusetts.  He died at age 92.

 

2005 ~ Jef Raskin (né Jeff Raskin; b. Mar. 9, 1943), American tech genius who created the Macintosh for Apple.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died of pancreatic cancer 11 days before his 62^nd birthday in Pacifica, California.

 

2005 ~ Henry A. Grunwald (né Heinz Anatole Grünwald; b. Dec. 3, 1922), Austrian-born American journalist and editor who reinvented Time magazine.  He was born in Vienna, Austria.  He died at age 82 in New York, New York.

 

1998 ~ Theodore Schultz (né Theodore William Schultz; b. Apr. 30, 1902), American economist and recipient of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.  He was born in Arlington, South Dakota.  He died at age 95 in Evanston, Illinois.

 

1994 ~ Avery Fisher (né Albert Robert Fisher; b. Mar. 4, 1906), American audio specialist.  He is best known for the design of the auditorium in the Lincoln Center cultural complex in Manhattan.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He died 6 days before his 88^th birthday in New Milford, Connecticut.

 

1993 ~ Fletcher Knebel (b. Oct. 1, 1911), American author best known for his political fiction.  He is best known for his novel Seven Days in May.  He was born in Dayton, Ohio.  He died by suicide following a long bout with cancer in Honolulu, Hawaii.  He was 81 years old.

 

1985 ~ Albert Turner Bharucha-Reid (né Albert Turner Reid; b. Nov. 13, 1927), African-American mathematician whose work focused on probability theory.  He was born in Hampton Beach, Virginia.  He died at age 57 in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

1985 ~ Tjalling Koopmans (né Tjalling Charles Koopmans; b. Aug. 28, 1910), Dutch-American mathematician and recipient of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Economic Science.  He died in New Haven, Connecticut at age 74.

 

1969 ~ Levi Eshkol (né Levi Yitzhak Shkolnik; b. Oct. 25, 1895), Prime Minister of Israel.  He served as Prime Minister from June 1963 until his death in February 1969.  He died in office at age 73 in Jerusalem, Israel.

 

1954 ~ William Ralph Inge (b. June 6, 1860), Anglican priest and author.  He died at age 93.

 

1931 ~ Otto Wallach (b. Mar. 27, 1847), German chemist and recipient of the 1910 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on alicyclic compounds.  He died a month before his 84^th birthday.

 

1903 ~ Richard Jordan Gatling (b. Sept. 12, 1818), American inventor who invented the Gatling gun, the first successful machine gun.  He was born in Hertford County, North Carolina.  He died at age 84 in New York, New York.

 

1850 ~ Daoguang Emperor (b. Sept. 16, 1782), Chinese Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.  He reigned during the First Opium War.  He died at age 67.

 

1839 ~ Sybil Ludington (b. Apr. 5, 1761), heroine of the American Revolutionary War.  At age 16, she rode her horse 40 miles throughout the night of April 22, 1777, to warn the militiamen that British troops were planning to attack Danbury, Connecticut.  She was born in Kent, New York.  She died at age 77 in Unadilla, New York.

 

1834 ~ Alois Senefelder (né Johann Alois Senefelder; b. Nov. 6, 1771), Czech inventor of the lithography printing process.  He was born in Prague.  He died at age 62 in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria.

 

1813 ~ Robert Livingston (b. Nov. 27, 1746), American politician and assisted in the negotiation of the Louisiana Purchase from France.  He was the 1^st United States Secretary for Foreign Affairs.  He served in this position during the George Washington administration from October 1781 until June 1783.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died at age 66 in Clermont, New York.

 

1638~ Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac (b. Oct. 9, 1581), French mathematician.  He died at age 56.

 

1625 ~ Princess Anna of Sweden (b. May 17, 1568).  Although she was born Catholic, she converted to Lutheranism, thus making her ineligible to marry into Europe’s Catholic royals.  She never married and had no children…She was of the House of Vasa.  She was the daughter and youngest child of John III, King of Sweden and Catherine Jagiellon.  She died at age 56.

 

1603 ~ Archduchess Maria of Austria (b. June 21, 1528), Holy Roman Empress consort and wife of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.  She was of the House of Habsburg.  She was the daughter of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Isabella of Portugal.  She died at age 74.

 

1577 ~ Eric XIV, King of Sweden (b. Dec. 13, 1533).  He ruled from September 1580 until he was deposed 8 years later in September 1568.  After he was deposed, he was imprisoned and believed to have been murdered.  He was of the House of Vasa.  He was the son of Gustav I, King of Sweden and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenbuurg.  He died at age 43.

 

1548 ~ Lorenzino de’Medici (b. Mar. 23, 1514), Italian nobleman, writer, and politician.  He is best known for assassinating his cousin, Alessandro de’Medici.  He was of the House of Medici.  He was the son of Pierfrancesco II de’Medici and Maria Soderini.  He was subsequently murdered about a month before his 34^th birthday.

 

1275 ~ Margaret of England (b. Sept. 29, 1240).  She was the Queen consort of Scots and wife of Alexander III, King of Scotland.  She was of the House of Plantagenet.  She was the second child of Henry III, King of England and Eleanor of Provence.  She died at age 34.

 

1266 ~ Manfred, King of Sicily (b. 1232).  He reigned from 1258 until his death in February 1266.  He was married twice.  His first wife was Beatrice of Savoy.  His second wife was Helena Angelina Doukaina.  He was of the House of Hohenstaufen.  He was the son of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and Bianca Lancia.  The exact date of his birth is not known.  He was killed in the Battle of Benevento at age 34.

 

1154 ~ Roger II, King of Sicily (b. Dec. 22, 1095).  He reigned from September 1130 until his death 24 years later.  He married 3 times; first to Elvira of Castile.  After her death, he married Sibylla of Burgundy.  She died of complications of childbirth.  He then married Beatrice of Rethel.  He was of the House of Hauteville.  He was the son of Roger I, King of Sicily and Adelaide del Vasto.  He died in Palermo, Sicily at age 58.