Friday, March 25, 2022

March 25

Birthdays:

 

1984 ~ Katherine McPhee (née Katherine Hope McPhee), American actress and singer.  She was born in Los Angeles, California.

 

1982 ~ Danica Patrick (née Danica Sue Patrick), American professional race car driver.  She was born in Beloit, Wisconsin.

 

1982 ~ Jenny Slate (née Jenny Sarah Slate), American comedian and actress.  She is best known for her role as Mona-Lisa Saperstein on the television sit-com Parks and Recreation.  She was born in Milton, Massachusetts.

 

1979 ~ Lee Pace (né Lee Grinner Pace), American actor.  He is best known for his role as Joe MacMillan in the television series Halt and Catch Fire.  He was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma.

 

1952 ~ Antanas Mockus, Colombian mathematician and politician.  He served as Mayor of Bogotá from 2001 through 2003.  He was born in Bogotá, Columbia.

 

1947 ~ Sir Elton John (né Reginald Kenneth Dwight), English singer and songwriter.  He was born in England.

 

1942 ~ Aretha Franklin (née Aretha Louise Franklin; d. Aug. 16, 2018), American soul singer who captured our attention.  She was known as the Queen of Soul.  She was born in Memphis, Tennessee.  She died at age 76 in Detroit, Michigan.

 

1942 ~ Richard O’Brien (né Richard Timothy Smith), English actor best known for writing the cult musical, The Rocky Horror Show.  He was born in Cheltenham, England.

 

1935 ~ Johnny Pacheco (né Juan Azarías Pacheco Knipping; d. Feb. 15, 2021), Dominican godfather of salsa who got the world dancing to a Latin beat.  He was born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.  He died at age 85 of complications of pneumonia in Teaneck, New Jersey.

 

1934 ~ Gloria Steinem (née Gloria Marie Steinem), American feminist, writer publisher and founder of Ms. magazine.  At age 66, she married David Bale and became the step-mother to actor Christian Bale.  She was born in Toledo, Ohio.

 

1930 ~ Sherm Poppen (né Sherman Robert Poppen; d. July 30, 2019), American inventor who wanted people to go “snurfing”.  He invented the snowboard and is often called the Grandfather of Snowboarding.  He died at age 89 in Griffin, Georgia.

 

1928 ~ Jim Lovell (né James Arthur Lovell, Jr.), American astronaut.  He was the commander of Apollo 13.  He flew to the moon twice.  He was born in Cleveland, Ohio.

 

1926 ~ Gene Shalit (né Eugene Shalit), American journalist and movie critic.  He is known for his use of puns and his oversized handlebar mustache.  He was born in New York, New York.

 

1925 ~ Flannery O’Connor (née Mary Flannery O’Connor; d. Aug. 3, 1964), American Southern author.  She was born in Savannah, Georgia.  She died of complications of lupus at age 39 in Milledgeville, Georgia.

 

1922 ~ Eileen Ford (née Eileen Cecile Ottensosor; d. July 9, 2014), American businesswoman and co-founder of Ford Models.  She was the modeling agent who created the supermodel.  She was born in New York, New York.  She died in Morristown, New Jersey at age 92.

 

1921 ~ Alexandra of Yugoslavia (d. Jan. 30, 1933), Queen consort of Yugoslavia and wife of Peter II, King of Yugloslavia.  She was of the House of Glücksburg.  She was the daughter of Alexander, King of Greece and his morganatic wife, Aspasia Manos.  She was born in Athens, Greece.  She died in England at age 71.

 

1918 ~ Howard Cosell (né Howard William Cohen; d. Apr. 23, 1995), American sportscaster.  He was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  He died of a heart attack about a month after his 77th birthday.

 

1917 ~ Nancy B. Sinatra (née Nancy Rose Barbato; d. July 13, 2018), American ex-wife who stayed loyal to Frank Sinatra.  She was Frank Sinatra’s first wife.  After they divorced, she never remarried.  She was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.  She died at age 101.

 

1914 ~ Norman Borlaug (né Norman Ernest Borlaug; d. Sept. 12, 2009), American agriculturalist and recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize.  He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions of increasing the world’s food supplies as a pathway to peace.  He was born in Cresco, Iowa.  He died at age 95 in Dallas, Texas.

 

1910 ~ Benzion Netanyahu (d. Apr. 30, 2012), Israeli historian whose field of expertise was the history of Jews in Spain during the Inquisition.  He was also the hawkish father of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  He was born in Warsaw, Poland.  He died at age 102 in Jerusalem.

 

1908 ~ Sir David Lean (d. Apr. 16, 1991) English movie director.  He is best known for his movies Lawrence of ArabiaThe Bridge on the River Kwai, and Doctor Zhivago.  He died 22 days after his 83rd birthday in London, England.

 

1903 ~ Nahum Norbet Glatzer (d. Feb. 27, 1990), Jewish-American scholar.  He was born in Austria.  He died about a month after his 86th birthday in Tucson, Arizona.

 

1887 ~ Robert Quillen (né Verni Robert Quillen; d. Dec. 9, 1948), American journalist and humorist.  He was born in Syracuse, Kansas.  He died at age 61 in Ashville, North Carolina.

 

1881 ~ Béla Bartók (d. Sept. 26, 1945), Hungarian composer.  He refused to perform concerts in Nazi Germany.  He died at age 64 of complications from leukemia.

 

1867 ~ Gutzon Borglum (né John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum; b. Mar. 6, 1941), American sculptor who designed Mount Rushmore.  He was born in Utah territory.  He died from complications following surgery 19 days before his 74thbirthday in Chicago, Illinois.

 

1867 ~ Arturo Toscanini (d. Jan. 16, 1957), Italian musician and conductor.  He was born in Parma, Italy.  He died at age 89 in The Bronx, New York.

 

1862 ~ George Sutherland (né George Alexander Sutherland; d. July 18, 1942), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was born in Stony Stratford, England, but his family moved to Utah territory when he was a year old because his father had converted to Mormonism.  He was appointed to the High Court by President Warren Harding.  He served on the court from September 1922 until January 1938.  He replaced John Clarke on the Court.  He was succeeded by Stanley Reed.  He died in while on vacation in Stockbridge, Massachusetts at age 80.

 

1745 ~ John Barry (d. Sept. 13, 1803), American officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War.  He and John Paul Jones are considered the Fathers of the American Navy.  After the War, he became the first American commissioned naval officer, receiving the rank of Commodore.  He was born in Ireland.  He died of asthma at age 58 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 

1541 ~ Francesco I de’Medici (d. Oct. 19, 1587), Grand Duke of Tuscany.  He was married twice.  His first wife was Archduchess Joanna of Austria.  His second wife was Bianca Cappello.  He was of the House of Medici.  He was the son of Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Eleanor of Toledo.  He died at age 46.

 

1538 ~ Christopher Clavius (d. Feb. 6, 1612), German Jesuit priest and mathematician.  He died at age 73.

 

1479 ~ Vasili III Ivanovich, Grand Prince of Moscow (d. Dec. 3, 1553).  He governed over Moscow from November 1505 until his death 28 years later.  He was married twice.  His first wife was Solomonia Saburova.  His second wife was Elena Glinskaya.  He was of the House of Rurik.  He was the son of Ivan III, Tsar of Russia and Sophia Paleologue.  He died at age 54.

 

1453 ~ Giuliano de’Medici (d. Apr. 26, 1478), co-ruler of Florence, Italy with his brother, Lorenzo the Magnificant.  He was murdered by members of the Pazzi family, who had conspired to kill both Guiliano and Lorenzo de’Medici during High Mass in the Duomo of Florence.  Lorenzo was not killed in this attack.  Giuliano de’Medici was of the Medici Family.  He was the son of Piero the Gouty and Lucrezia Tornabouni.  He had an illegitimate son who became Pope Clement VII.  Giuliano was killed a month after his 26th birthday.

 

1347 ~ Catherine of Siena (d. Apr. 29, 1380), Italian Catholic saint.  She died of a stroke at age 33.

 

1345 ~ Blanche of Lancaster (d. Sept. 12, 1368), Duchess of Lancaster.  She was the first wife of John of Gaunt and mother of Henry IV, King of England.  She was of the House of Plantagenet.  She was the daughter of Henry of Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster and Isabel of Beaumont.  The exact date of her birth is not known, but she is believed to have been born in either 1345 or 1347.  She is believed to have died of the Black Death between the age of 21 or 23.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2018 ~ Palm Sunday.

 

2016 ~ Good Friday.

 

2013 ~ Passover began at sunset.

 

1965 ~ The 4-day 50-mile civil rights march led by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 ~ 1968), from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama was completed.

 

1957 ~ United States Customs officials seized Allen Ginsberg’s poem Howl on the grounds of obscenity.

 

1957 ~ The European Economic Community was established with West German, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

 

1947 ~ One hundred eleven people were killed in a coal mine explosion in Centralia, Illinois.

 

1931 ~ The Scottsboro Boys, nine African-American teenagers, were arrested in Alabama and charged with the rape of two white women.

 

1911 ~ The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City caught fire.  Of the 600 workers in the factory, the fire killed 146 garment workers.  This was the deadliest disaster in New York City until the terrorist attack on the Trade Towers on September 11, 2001.  The fire led to the beginning of workplace safety laws.

 

1807 ~ In Great Britain, the Slave Trade Act was passed, which abolished the slave trade throughout the British Empire.

 

1655 ~ Christiaan Huygens (1629 ~ 1695) discovered Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.

 

1584 ~ Sir Walter Raleigh (1554 ~ 1618) was granted a patent to colonize Virginia.

 

1306 ~ Robert the Bruce (1275 ~ 1329) became King of Scotland.

 

717 ~ Theodosios III resigned the throne to the Byzantine Empire to enter religious life.

 

708 ~ Pope Constantine (664~715) became the 88th Pope, after succeeding Pope Sisinnius (650~708).  Pope Sisinnius (650 ~ Feb. 4, 708) died after having served as Pope for only 20 days.

 

421 ~ According to legend, Venice was founded at noon with the dedication of its first church, the San Giacomo di Rialto.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2021 ~ Larry McMurtry (né Larry Jeff McMurtry; b. June 3, 1936), Texan-American author who wrote unsentimental tales of the West.  He is best known for his western novel, Lonesome Dove.  He was born and died in Archer City, Texas.  He died at age 84.

 

2021 ~ Beverly Cleary (née Beverly Atlee Bunn; b. Apr. 12, 1916), Beverly Cleary (née Beverly Atlee Bunn; d. Mar. 25, 2021), American children’s author who hooked generations of young readers fall in love with books.  She created Henry Higgins and Ramona Quimby in children’s literature.  She was born in McMinnville, Oregon.  She died 17 days before her 105th birthday in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

 

2018 ~ Linda Brown (née Linda Carol Brown, b. Feb. 20, 1943), American civil rights icon who helped desegregate schools.  She was the plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court case Brown vs. the Topeka School Board of Education.  She was born and died in Topeka, Kansas.  She died at age 75.

 

2014 ~ Jonathan Schell (né Jonathan Edward Schell; b. Aug. 21, 1943), American author and social activist.  His work primarily campaigned against nuclear weapons.  He was born and died in New York, New York.  He died of cancer at age 70.

 

2013 ~ Anthony Lewis (né Joseph Anthony Lewis; b. Mar. 27, 1927), American journalist and author of Gideon’s Trumpet.  He was born in The Bronx, New York.  He died of a heart attack 2 days before his 86th birthday in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

 

2012 ~ Bert Sugar (né Herbert Randolph Sugar; b. June 7, 1926), American boxing writer who could spin a great yarn.  He was born in Washington, D.C.  He died at age 75 in Mount Kisco, New York.

 

2009 ~ John Hope Franklin (b. Jan. 2, 1915), African-American historian.  He was born in Rentiesville, Oklahoma.  He died at age 94 in Durham, North Carolina.

 

2006 ~ Buck Owens (né Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr.; b. Aug. 12, 1929), American singer and television personality.  He was born in Sherman, Texas.  He died of a heart attack at age 76 in Bakersfield, California.

 

1998 ~ Bernard C. Meltzer (b. May 2, 1916), American radio host.  He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He died at age 81 in Manhattan, New York.

 

1992 ~ Nancy Walker (née Anna Myrtle Swoyer; b. May 10, 1922), American actress.  She was best known for her role on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  She died at age 69 of lung cancer in Studio City, California.

 

1988 ~ Robert Joffrey (né Abdullah Jaffa Bey Khan, b. Dec. 24, 1930), American choreographer and founder of the Joffrey Ballet.  He was born in Seattle, Washington.  He died at age 57 in New York, New York.

 

1980 ~ Milton H. Erickson (né Milton Hyland Erickson; b. Dec. 5, 1901), American psychiatrist and hypnotherapist.  He was born in Aurum, Nebraska.  He died at age 78 in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

1975 ~ King Faisal of Saudi Arabia (b. Apr. 14, 1906).  He was shot and killed by a nephew.  He was born and died in Riyadh, Sauda Arabia.  He died less than a month before his 69th birthday.

 

1973 ~ Edward Steichen (né Éduard Jean Steichen; b. Mar. 27, 1879), American painter and photographer.  He was born in Luxembourg, but his family moved to the United States when he was a child.  He died 2 days before his 94th birthday in West Redding, Connecticut.

 

1939 ~ Carl Richard Nyberg (b. May 28, 1858), Swedish inventor of the blow torch.  He died at age 80 in Stockholm, Sweden.

 

1931 ~ Ida B. Wells (née Ida Bell Wells; b. July 16, 1862), African-American journalist and political activist.  She was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi.  She died of kidney failure at age 68 in Chicago, Illinois.

 

1918 ~ Claude Debussy (né Archille-Claude Debussy; b. Aug. 22, 1862), French composer.  He died of cancer at age 55.

 

1914 ~ Frédéric Mistral (né Joseph Étienne Frédéric Mistral; b. Sept. 8, 1830), French poet and recipient of the 1904 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He was born and died in Maillane, France.  He died at age 83.

 

1905 ~ Maurice Barrymore (né Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe; b. Sept. 21, 1849), British-American actor and patriarch of the Barrymore acting family.  He was born in Amritsar, India.  He died at age 55 in Amityville, New York.  Drew Barrymore can thank her lucky stars for him!

 

1867 ~ Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge (b. Feb. 8, 1794), German analytical chemist.  He is best known for identifying caffeine and discovering the mydriatic effect of belladonna.  He died at age 73.

 

1857 ~ William Colgate (b. Jan. 25, 1783), British soap manufacturer who founded what would become the Colgate-Palmolive Company.  Colgate University in New York State was named in recognition of the Colgate family.  He was born in England.  He died at age 74 in New York, New York.

 

1818 ~ Caspar Wessel (b. June 8, 1745), Danish mathematician.  He died at age 72 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

1223 ~ Afonso II, King of Portugal (b. Apr. 23, 1185).  He reigned as King of Portugal from March 1211 until his death 12 years later.  He was married to Urraca of Castile.  He was of the House of Burgundy.  He was the son of Sancho I, King of Portugal and Dulce of Aragon.  He died about a month before his 38th birthday.

 

1005 ~ Kenneth III, King of Scotland (b. 966).  Little is known of his life.  He was of the House of Alpin.  He was the son of Dub, King of Alba.  He was killed in battle.  The exact date of his birth is not known but he is believed to have been about 38 or 39 at the time of his death.


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