November 30

Birthdays:

 

1985 ~ Kaley Cuoco (née Kaley Christine Cuoco), American actress.  She is best known for her role as Penny on The Big Bang Theory.  She was born in Camarillo, California.

 

1975 ~ Mindy McCready (née Malinda Gayle McCready; d. Feb. 17, 2013), American tortured country singer who fell from grace.  She was born in Fort Myers, Florida.  She died by suicide at age 37 in Heber Springs, Arkansas.

 

1965 ~ Ben Stiller (né Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller), American comedic actor.  He is the son of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.  He was born in New York, New York.

 

1962 ~ Bo Jackson (né Vincent Edward Jackson), American football and baseball player.  He was named an All-Star in both sports.  He was born in Bessemer, Alabama.

 

1957 ~ Colin Mochrie (né Colin Andrew Mochrie), Canadian comedian and actor.  He is best known for being a part of the improvisational television show Whose Line is it Anyway?  He was born in Kilmarnick, East Ayrshier, Scotland.

 

1957 ~ Margaret Spellings (née Margaret M. Dudar), 8^th United States Secretary of Education.  She served under President George W. Bush from January 2005 until January 2009.  She was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

 

1955 ~ Billy Idol (né William Michael Albert Broad), British musician.  He was born in Stanmore, London, England.

 

1954 ~ Lawrence Summers (né Lawrence Henry Summers), American economist and 27^th President of Harvard University.  He served as the 71^st United States Secretary of the Treasury during the Clinton Administration.  He held that office from July 1999 until January 2001.  He was born in New Haven, Connecticut.

 

1952 ~ Mandy Patinkin (né Mandel Bruce Patinkin), American actor.  He is well known for his role as Inigo Montoya in the 1987 movie The Princess Bride.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.

 

1947 ~ David Mamet (né David Alan Mamet), American playwright.  He is best known for his play Glengarry Glen Ross.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.

 

1946 ~ Marina Abramović, Serbian conceptual and performance artist.  She was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (current day Serbia).

 

1937 ~ Sir Ridley Scott, British film director.  He was born in South Shields, England.

 

1936 ~ Abbie Hoffman (né Abbot Howard Hoffman; d. Apr. 12, 1989), American political activist.  He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts.  He died by suicide at age 52 in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania.

 

1936 ~ Dmitri Anosov (d. Aug. 5, 2014), Russian mathematician.  He was born and died in Moscow, Russia.  He died at age 77.

 

1935 ~ Woody Allen (né Allen Stewart Konigsberg), American film director, actor, and comedian.  He was born in New York, New York.

 

1931 ~ Bill Walsh (né William Ernest Walsh; d. July 30, 2007), American football player and head coach for the San Francisco 49ers.  He was born in Los Angeles, California.  He died at age 75 in Woodside, California.

 

1930 ~ G. Gordon Liddy (né George Gordon Battle Liddy; d. Mar. 30, 2021), American operative who masterminded the Watergate break-in, that resulted in the scandal that led to the downfall of President Nixon.  He was convicted of burglary and conspiracy because of the Watergate break in and served 52 months in federal prisons.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He died in Mount Vernon, Virginia at age 90.

 

1929 ~ Dick Clark (né Richard Augustus Wagstaff Clark; d. Apr. 18, 2012), American radio and television personality, best known for hosting American Bandstand.  He was the man who put rock ‘n’ roll on TV.  He was born in Bronxville, New York.  He died at age 82 in Santa Monica, California.

 

1929 ~ Joan Ganz Cooney (née Joan Ganz), American screenwriter.  She was a co-creator of Sesame Street.  She was born in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

1927 ~ Robert Guillaume (né Robert Peter Williams, d. Oct. 24, 2017), African-American actor who refused to be stereotyped.  He is best known for his role as Benson on the television series Soap.  He was born in St. Louis, Missouri.  He died of prostate cancer at age 89 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1926 ~ Richard Crenna (né Richard Donald Crenna; d. Jan. 17, 2003), American actor.  He was born and died in Los Angeles, California.  He died of congestive heart failure at age 76.

 

1926 ~ Andrew Schally (né Andrzej Viktor Schally), Polish-born American endocrinologist and recipient of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He is known for is research of the hypothalamus.  He was born in Vilnius, Poland.

 

1925 ~ Maryon Pittman Allen (née Maryon Pittman, d. July 23, 2018), Alabama Senator who foiled George Wallace.  She served as United States Senator for five months, from June 1978 until November 1978, following the death of her husband, Senator James Allen.  Governor George Wallace appointed her to fill her husband’s term, expecting that he would run for that position in a special election.  She refused to step aside, foiling Wallace’s plans.  She was born in Meridian, Mississippi.  She died at age 92 in Birmingham, Alabama.

 

1924 ~ Shirley Chisholm (née Shirley Anita St. Hill; d. Jan. 1, 2005), African-American educator who was the first black congresswoman.  In 1968, she was the first African-American woman elected to Congress.  In 1972, she became the first Black candidate and woman to run for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.  She was born in Brooklyn, New York.  She died at age 80 in Ormond Beach, Florida.

 

1919 ~ Jane C. Wright (née Jane Cooke; b. Nov. 20, 1919), African-American oncologist and cancer research.  She is credited with developing a technique of using human tissue culture rather than lab rats to test the effects of potential drugs on cancer.  She was born in Manhattan, New York.  She died at age 93 in Guttenberg, New Jersey.

 

1919 ~ Joe Rogers, Sr. (né Joseph Wilson Rogers; d. Mar. 3, 2017), American businessman and Waffle House co-founder who put the customer first.  He was born in Jackson, Tennessee.  He died at age 97 in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

1918 ~ Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (d. May 2, 2014), American actor, best known for his role in the TV show, The FBI.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died at age 95 in Slovang, California.

 

1917 ~ Bill Ash (né William Franklin Ash; d. Apr. 26, 2014), Texas-born British writer who served as a fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II.  He was the POW who wouldn’t stop escaping.  He made 13 escape attempts from prisoner-of-war camps during World War II.  He was born in Dallas, Texas.  He died at age 96 in London, England.

 

1915 ~ Henry Taube (d. Nov. 16, 2005), Canadian-born American chemist and recipient of the 1983 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He was born in Neudorf, Saskatchewan, Canada.  He died 14 days before his 90^th birthday in Palo Alto, California.

 

1912 ~ Gordon Parks (né Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks; b. Mar. 7, 2006), African-American photographer and film director.  He was born in Fort Scott, Kansas.  He died at age 93 in Manhattan, New York.

 

1907 ~ Jacques Barzun (né Jacques Martin Barzun; d. Oct. 25, 2012), French-American historian who focused on cultural history.  He died about a month before his 105^th birthday in San Antonio, Texas.

 

1889 ~ Reuvein Margolies (d. Aug. 28, 1971), Hungarian-born Israeli author and Talmudic scholar.  He died at age 81.

 

1889 ~ Edgar Adrian, 1^st Baron Adrian (né Edgar Douglas Adrian; d. Aug. 4, 1977), British electrophysiologist and recipient of the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physiology or medicine for his work on the function of neurons.  He was born in London, England.  He died at age 87 in Cambridge, England.

 

1874 ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery (d. Apr. 24, 1942), Canadian author, best known for Anne of Green Gables.  She was born in New London, Prince Edward Island, Canada.  She died at age 67 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

 

1874 ~ Sir Winston Churchill (né Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, d. Jan. 24, 1965), British statesman and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II.  He was also the recipient of the 1953 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He died exactly 70 years after the death of his father, Lord Rudolph Churchill.  He died in London, England.  Winston was 90 years old at the time of his death.

 

1869 ~ Gustaf Dalén (né Nils Gustaf Dalén; d. Dec. 9, 1937), Swedish physicist and recipient of the 1912 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He died 9 days after his 68^th birthday.

 

1866 ~ Andrey Lyapchev (d. Nov. 6, 1933), Bulgarian attorney and Prime Minister of Bulgaria.  He served as Prime Minister from January 1926 until June 1931.  He died 24 days before his 67^th birthday in Sofia, Bulgaria.

 

1843 ~ Martha Ripley (née Martha George Rogers; d. Apr. 18, 1912), American physician, professor of medicine, and suffragist.  She was the founder of the Maternity Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  She was born in Lowell, Vermont.  She died in Minneapolis, Minnesota at age 68.

 

1835 ~ Mark Twain (né Samuel Langhorne Clemens, d. Apr. 21, 1910), American novelist and humorist.  He was born in Florida, Missouri.  He died at age 74 in Redding, Connecticut.

 

1817 ~ Theodor Mommsen (né Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen, d. Nov. 1, 1903), German writer and recipient of the 1902 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He died 29 days before his 86^th birthday.

 

1810 ~ Oliver Winchester (né Oliver Fisher Winchester; d. Dec. 11, 1880), American businessman and manufacturer of the Winchester Repeating Arms.  He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in New Haven, Connecticut.  He died 11 days after his 70^th birthday.

 

1723 ~ William Livingston (d. July 25, 1790), 1^st Governor of New Jersey.  He was Governor from August 1776 until his death on this date 4 years later.  He was also one of the signers of the United States Constitution.  He was born in Albany, New York.  He was 66 years old at the time of his death in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

 

1719 ~ Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (d. Feb. 8, 1772), Princess of Wales through her marriage to Frederick, Prince of Wales (1701 ~ 1751).  He died before becoming King, so she was never the Queen Consort.  She was the mother of George III, King of England.  She was of the House of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.  She was the daughter of Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Princess Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst.  She died of throat cancer at age 52.

 

1699 ~ Christian VI, King of Denmark and Norway (d. Aug. 6, 1746).  He reigned as King from October 1730 until his death 16 years later.  He was married to Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1700 ~ 1770).  They married in  1721.  They were the parents of Frederick V, King of Denmark.  He was of the House of Oldenburg.  He was the son of Frederick IV, King of Denmark and Louise of Mecklenburg-Glüstrow.  He was Lutheran.  He died at age 46.

 

1667 ~ Jonathan Swift (d. Oct. 19, 1745), Ango-Irish author and satirist, best known for his novel, Gulliver’s Travels.  He was also an Anglican cleric.  He was born and died in Dublin, Ireland.  He died at age 77.

 

1628 ~ John Bunyan (d. Aug. 31, 1688), British theologian, minister, and author.  He is best known for his book, The Pilgrim’s Progress.  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he was baptized on November 30, 1628.  He is believed to have been 59 at the time of his death.

 

1549 ~ Sir Henry Savile (d. Feb. 19, 1622), English mathematician and scholar.  He was one of the scholars to translate the Greek Bible into English.  He died at age 72.

 

1485 ~ Veronica Gambara (d. June 13, 1550), Italian poet and political leader.  She ruled the County of Correggio from 1518 until her death in 1550.  She died at age 64.

 

1466 ~ Andrea Doria (d. Nov. 25, 1560), Italian admiral and naval leader.  He died 5 days before his 94^th birthday in Genoa, Republic of Genoa.

 

1427 ~ Casimir IV Jagiellon, King of Poland (d. June 7, 1492).  He reigned as King of Poland from June 1447 until his death 45 years later.  He was married to Elisabeth of Austria (1436 ~ 1505).  He was of the Jagiellon Dynasty.  He was the son of Władysław II Jagiełło and Sophia of Halshany.  He was Roman Catholic.  He died at age 64.

 

1340 ~ John, Duke of Berry (d. June 15, 1416), member of the French royal family.  He is best known for collecting illuminated manuscripts.  He was known as John the Magnificant.  He was married twice.  His first wife was Joan of Armagnac (1346 ~ 1387).  His second wife was Joan II, Countess of Auvergne (1378 ~ 1424).  He was of the House of Valois.  He was the son of John II, King of France and Princess Bonne of Bohemia.  He died at age 75.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2021 ~ A 15-year-old boy carried out a mass shooting in a school outside of Detroit, Michigan, killing four students and injuring several others.  The boy was arrested and charged as an adult in the killing.  His parent had purchased the weapon for him as a Christmas present just days earlier.  After their son was arrested, the parents were charged with involuntary manslaughter.  Before they were arraigned, they fled and were not taken into custody for several days.

 

2018 ~ A 7.0 magnitude struck near Anchorage, Alaska.  There was considerable damage, but no lives were lost.

 

2005 ~ John Sentamu (b. 1949) became the first black archbishop in the Church of England when he became the Archbishop of York.

 

2004 ~ Longtime Jeopardy! contestant, Ken Jennings (b. 1974), lost in his 75^th appearance on the show.  During his long tenure on the show, he accumulated over $2.5 Million.  After the death of long-time Jeopardy! host in 2020, Ken Jennings was selected to become the 1^st interim host.

 

1999 ~ Exxon and Mobil signed a merger agreement, thereby creating ExxonMobil.

 

1995 ~ Operation Desert Storm, the Gulf War, officially ended.

 

1995 ~ President Bill Clinton (b. 1946) became the first United States President to visit Northern Ireland.

 

1993 ~ President Bill Clinton (b. 1946) signed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (the Brady Bill) into law, which mandated a waiting period and background check for handgun purchases.  The Bill was named after James Brady (1940 ~ 2014), who was a staff member in the Ronald Reagan administration.  James Brady was shot and seriously injured in the same assassination attempt on Reagan’s life.  The law went into effect on February 28, 1994.

 

1982 ~ Michael Jackson’s album, Thriller, was released.

 

1979 ~ The Wall, by Pink Floyd, was released.

 

1971 ~ Iran seized the Greater and Lesser Tunbs from the United Arab Emirates.

 

1967 ~ The Pakistan People’s Party was founded by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (1928 ~ 1979), who later became its Head of State.

 

1967 ~ The People’s Republic of South Yemen gained its independence from the United Kingdom.

 

1966 ~ Barbados gained its independence from the United Kingdom.  The country would become a republic on this date in 2021.

 

1965 ~ Unsafe at Any Speed, by Ralph Nadar (b. 1934) was published.  The book described the dangers of the automobile industry and prompted the passage of the Traffic and Motor Safety Act.

 

1954 ~ In Oak Grove, Alabama, the Hodges meteorite crashed through a house and hit Ann Elizabeth Fowler Hodges (1920 ~ 1972), who was taking a nap.  She was badly bruised, but not killed.  This is the only documented case of a human being hit by a rock from space in the United States.

 

1940 ~ Lucille Ball (1911 ~ 1989) and Desi Arnaz (1917 ~ 1986) eloped.  They divorced 20 years later.

 

1939 ~ The Russo-Finnish Winter War began when Soviet forces crossed into Finland and bombed Helsinki and several other Finnish cities.

 

1936 ~ The Crystal Palace, which had been built in London, England to house the Great Exposition of 1851, was destroyed by fire.

 

1886 ~ The Folies Bergère in Paris staged its first revue-style music hall show.  It introduced an elaborate revue featuring women in sensational costumes.

 

1858 ~ John L. Mason (1832 ~ 1902) patented the Mason jar, thereby allowing a method for the preservation of perishable foods.

 

1804 ~ The Democratic-Republican-controlled United States Senate began impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase (1741 ~ 1811) who was a Federalist.

 

1803 ~ In New Orleans, Louisiana, Spanish representatives officially transferred the Louisiana Territory to France.  Within a month, France transferred the same portion of land to the United State as the Louisiana Purchase.

 

1786 ~ Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1747 ~ 1792) promulgated penal reforms abolishing the death penalty, making his country the first state to do such.  He would later go on to become known as Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor.

 

1782 ~ Following the American Revolutionary War, representatives from the United States and from Great Britain met in Paris and signed the preliminary peace articles, that were later formalized as the 1873 Treaty of Paris.

 

1700 ~ At the Battle of Navra, the Swedish army under Charles XII, King of Sweden (1682 ~ 1718) defeated a much larger Russian army.  Under the calendar in use at the time, this battle occurred on November 19, 1700.  He would be killed during the siege of the fortress of Fredriksten in Norway 18 years later, to the date.

 

1487 ~ Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria-Munich (1447 ~ 1508) promulgated the German Beer Purity law, which stated that beer should be brewed using only three ingredients ~ water, malt, and hops.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2022 ~ Christine McVie (née Christine Anne Perfect; b. July 12, 1943), American songbird who soared in Fleetwood Mac.  She died at age 79 in London, England.

 

2021 ~ Marjorie Tallchief (née Marjorie Louise Tall Chief; b. Oct. 19, 1926), Native American ballerina.  She is of the Osage Nation.  She is the sister of ballerina Maria Tallchief.  She was born in Denver, Colorado.  She died at age 95 in Boca Raton, Florida.

 

2018 ~ George H.W. Bush (né George Herbert Walker Bush; b. June 12, 1924), 41^st President of the United States.  He served as President from January 1989 until January 1993.  He was the war hero and president who stood tall on the world stage.  He was born in Milton, Massachusetts.  He died in Houston, Texas at age 94.

 

2017 ~ Jim Nabors (né James Thurston Nabors; b. June 12, 1930), American actor who played TV’s most lovable klutz. He is best known for his portrayal of Gomer Pyle, who appeared first on the Andy Griffith Show, then became a spin-off.  He was born in Sylacauga, Alabama.  He died at age 87 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

 

2014 ~ Ian Player (né Ian Cedric Audley Player; b. Mar. 15, 1927), South African game warden who saved the white rhinoceros.  He was the brother of professional golfer Gary Player.  He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.  He died of a stroke at age 87 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

 

2013 ~ Paul Crouch (né Paul Franklin Crouch; b. Mar. 30, 1934), American televangelist who asked believers to dig deep.  He founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network.  He was born in St. Joseph, Missouri.  He died at age 79 in Orange, California.

 

2007 ~ Evel Knievel (né Robert Craig Knievel; b. Oct. 16, 1938), American stuntman.  He was born in Butte, Montana.  He died at age 69 in Clearwater, Florida.

 

2003 ~ Gertrude Ederle (né Gertrude Caroline Ederle; b. Oct. 23, 1905), American athlete and swimmer.  On August 6, 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.  She was born in New York, New York.  She died at age 98 in Wyckoff, New Jersey.

 

1998 ~ Margaret Walker (née Margaret Abigail Walker; b. July 7, 1915), African-American poet.  She was a part of the African-American literary moment in Chicago known as the Chicago Black Renaissance.  She was born in Birmingham, Alabama.  She died of breast cancer at age 83 in Chicago, Illinois.

 

1996 ~ Tiny Tim (né Herbert Buckingham Khaury; b. Apr. 12, 1932). American musician.  He was born in Manhattan, New York.  He died of a massive heart attack at age 64 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 

1979 ~ Zeppo Marx (né Herbert Manfred Marx; b. Feb. 25, 1901), American actor and comedian.  He was the youngest of the Marx brothers.  He was the last surviving Marx brother.  He was born in Manhattan, New York.  He died of lung cancer at age 78 in Rancho Mirage, California.

 

1979 ~ Laura Gilpin (b. Apr. 22, 1891), American photographer.  She is best known for her portraiture of Native Americans and their culture.  She was born in Austin Bluffs, Colorado.  She died at age 88 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

 

1961 ~ Sam Zemurray (né Schmuel Zmurri; b. Jan. 18, 1877), Russian-born American businessman who founded the Cuyamel Fruit Company.  He entered into the banana trade, establishing a center in New Orleans, Louisiana.  He was known as Sam the Banana Man.  The story of his rise in the trade was depicted in Rich Cohen’s book, The Fish that Ate the Whale.  He was born in what is present-day Chișinău, Moldavia.  He died in New Orleans, Louisiana at age 84.

 

1944 ~ Albert B. Fall (né Albert Bacon Fall; b. Nov. 26, 1861), 28^th United States Secretary of the Interior.  He served under President Warren G. Harding from March 1921 until March 1923.  He is best known for his involvement in the Teapot Dome scandal.  Before joining the Harding Administration, he served as a United States Senator from New Mexico.  He was born in Frankfort, Kentucky.  He died 4 days after his 83^rd birthday in El Paso, Texas.

 

1935 ~ Fernando Pessoa (né Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa; b. June 13, 1888), Portuguese poet.  He was born and died in Lisbon, Portugal.  He died at age 47.

 

1934 ~ Hélène Boucher (b. May 23, 1908), French pilot.  She set several women’s world speed records for flying.  She was born in Paris, France.  She was killed at age 26 in a plane crash in 1934 near Versailles, France.

 

1930 ~ Mother Jones (née Mary G. Harris; b. Aug. 1, 1837), Irish-born American labor organizer.  Her actual birthdate is unknown, although she was baptized on August 1, 1837.  May 1 is sometimes ascribed to her birth because it is International Labor Day.  She was born in Cork, Ireland.  She died in Silver Spring, Maryland.  She was 93 at the time of her death.

 

1907 ~ Paula Modersohn-Becker (née Paula Becker; b. Feb. 8, 1876), German painter and artist.  She is best known for being the first known female to paint nude self-portraits.  She died at age 31 of a postpartum embolism.

 

1900 ~ Oscar Wilde (né Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde; b. Oct. 16, 1854), Irish author and playwright.  He was born in Dublin, Ireland.  He died at age 46 in Paris, France.

 

1836 ~ Pierre-Simon Girard (b. Nov. 4, 1765), French mathematician.  He is known for his work in fluid dynamics.  He was born in Caen, France.  He died 26 days after his 71^st birthday in Paris, France.

 

1830 ~ Pope Pius VIII (né Francesco Saverio Maria Felice Castiglioni; b. Nov. 20, 1761).  He was Pope for a year and a half, from March 31, 1829 until his death on November 30, 1830.  He died 10 days after his 69^th birthday.

 

1718 ~ Charles XII, King of Sweden (b. June 17, 1682).  He ruled Sweden from April 1697 until his death in November 1718.  He never married and had no known children.  He was of the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken.  He was the son of Charles XI, King of Sweden and Ulrika Eleanora of Denmark.  He was killed during the Siege of Fredriksten in Norway at age 36.  He was Lutheran.  He was succeeded by his sister Ulrika Elenaora.

 

1675 ~ Cecil Calvert, 2^nd Baron Baltimore (b. Aug. 8, 1605), British colonial governor of Maryland.  He was also the Governor of Newfoundland.  He was born in Kent, England.  He died at age 70 in Middlesex, England.

 

1647 ~ Bonaventura Cavalieri (b. 1598), Italian mathematician and astronomer.  He is best known for his work on optics and motion.  The exact date of his birth is not known.  He is believed to have been about 48 or 49 at the time of his death.

 

1204 ~ Emeric, King of Hungary and Croatia (b. 1174).  He ruled over Hungary from 1196 until his death 8 years later.  He was married to Infanta Constance of Aragon.  He was of the Árpád dynasty.  He was the son of Béla III, King of Hungary and Agnes of Antioch.  He was Roman Catholic.  The date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been about 29 or 30 at the time of his death.

 

1016 ~ Edmund II, King of England (b. 990).  He was known as Edmund Ironside.  He was King of the English from April through November 1016.  He was married to Ealdgyth.  He was of the House of Wessex.  He was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Ælfgifu of York.  It is not clear whether or not he died of an illness or murder.  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been 25 or 26 at the time of his death.

November 29

Birthdays:

 

1976 ~ Chadwick Boseman (né Chadwick Aaron Boseman; d. Aug. 28, 2020), African-American actor and Black Panther star who portrayed African-American icons.  He was born in Anderson, South Carolina.  He died at age 43 of colon cancer in Los Angeles, California.

 

1964 ~ Don Cheadle (né Donald Frank Cheadle, Jr.), African-American actor.  He was born in Kansas City, Missouri.

 

1962 ~ Andrew McCarthy (né Andrew Thomas McCarthy), American actor.  He was born in Westfield, New Jersey.

 

1961 ~ Tom Sizemore (né Thomas Edward Sizemore, Jr.; d. Mar. 3, 2023), American tough-guy actor who battled addiction.  Throughout his career, he struggled with heroin and cocaine addiction.  He was born in Detroit, Michigan.  He died of a brain aneurysm at age 61 in Burbank, California.

 

1960 ~ Cathy Moriarty, American actress.  She is best known for her role as Vikki LaMotta in the movie Raging Bull. She was born in The Bronx, New York.

 

1959 ~ Richard Borcherds (né Richard Ewen Borcherds), South African mathematician.  He is known for his work in group theory and lattices.  He was the recipient of the 1998 Fields Medal.  He was born in Cape Town, South Africa.

 

1959 ~ Rahm Emanuel (né Rahm Israel Emanuel), American politician.  He was the 23^rd White House Chief of Staff.  He served under President Barack Obama from January 2009 until October 2010.  He then became the Mayor of Chicago in May 2011.  He served as Mayor until May 2019.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.

 

1957 ~ Janet Napolitano (née Janet Ann Napolitano), 3^rd Secretary of Homeland Security.  She served under President Obama from January 2009 until September 2013.  She had previously served as the 21^st Governor of Arizona from January 2003 until January 2009.  She was born in New York, New York.

 

1954 ~ Joel Coen, American film director.  He was born in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

 

1952 ~ John Barrow (né John David Barrow; d. Sept. 26, 2020), British mathematician and theoretical physician.  He was born in London, England.  He died of colon cancer at age 67.

 

1949 ~ Garry Shandling (né Garry Emmanuel Shandling; d. Mar. 24, 2016), American comedian and actor who broke TV’s “fourth wall”.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.  He died of a heart attack at age 66 in Santa Monica, California.

 

1947 ~ Petra Kelly (née Petra Karin Lehmann; d. Oct. 1, 1992), German political activist and ecofeminist.  She was killed in a murder-suicide by her partner in Bonn, Germany.  She was 44 years old.

 

1946 ~ Suzy Chaffee (née Suzanne Stevia Chaffee), American Olympic alpine ski racer.  She competed in the 1968 winter Olympics.  She was known as Suzy Chapstick.  She was born in Rutland, Vermont.

 

1942 ~ Stanley Ann Dunham (d. Nov. 7, 1995), American anthropologist and mother of United States President Barack Obama.  She was born in Wichita, Kansas.  She died of cancer 22 days before her 53^rd birthday in Honolulu, Hawaii.

 

1940 ~ Michael G. Crandall (né Michael Grain Crandall), American mathematician best known for his work in differential equations.  He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

 

1939 ~ Peter Bergman (né Peter Paul Bergman; d. Mar. 9, 2012), American who pioneered surreal radio comedy.  He is best known for being a member of the Fireside Theater.  He was born in Cleveland, Ohio.  He died of complications from leukemia at age 72 in Santa Monica, California.

 

1932 ~ Jacques Chirac (né Jacques René Chirac; d. Sept. 26, 2019), French politician and 22^nd president of France from May 1995 until May 2007 who defied a rush to war.  Following 9/11, he vowed to stand by the United States against the war on terrorism, however, when United States President George W. Bush sought his assistance in Iraq, Chirac balked.  He was born and died in Paris, France.  He died at age 86.

 

1928 ~ Paul Simon (né Paul Martin Simon; d. Dec. 9, 2003), American politician and United States Senator from Illinois.  He was born in Eugene, Oregon.  He died 10 days after his 75^th birthday in Springfield, Illinois.

 

1928 ~ Yolande Fox (née Yolande Margaret Betbeze; d. Feb. 22, 2016), American Miss America who defied convention.  She became the 1951 Miss America.  Following her year as Miss America, she became a social activist.  She was born in Mobile, Alabama.  She died of lung cancer at age 87 in Washington, D.C.

 

1927 ~ Vin Scully (né Vincent Edward Scully; d. Aug. 2, 2022), American beloved longtime voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He was the sportscaster, known for his 67 seasons calling games for the Los Angeles Dodges baseball team.  He was born in The Bronx, New York.  He died at age 94 in Hidden Hills, California.

 

1920 ~ Joseph Shivers, Jr. (né Joseph Clois Shivers, Jr.; d. Sept. 1, 2014), American chemist and developer of spandex.  He was born in Marlton, New Jersey.  He died at age 93 in Venice, Florida.

 

1919 ~ Sir Frank Kermode (né John Frank Kermode; d. Aug. 17, 2010), British literary critic considered a giant in his field.  He was born on the Isle of Man.  He died at age 90 in Cambridge, England.

 

1918 ~ Madeleine L’Engle (née Madeleine L’Engle Camp; d. Sept. 6, 2007), American author, best known for her children’s novel, A Wrinkle in Time.  She was born in New York, New York.  She died at age 88 in Litchfield, Connecticut.

 

1915 ~ Eugene Polley (d. May 20, 2012), American electrical engineer who invented the TV remote control.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.  He died at age 96 in Downers Grove, Illinois.

 

1912 ~ Sir John Templeton (né John Marks Templeton; d. July 8, 2008), the American-born investor who helped fund the search for God.  In 1968, he took British citizenship and was knighted by Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom in 1987.  He was born in Winchester, Tennessee.  He died of pneumonia at age 95 in Nassau, Bahamas.

 

1912 ~ Viola Smith (née Viola Schmitz; d. Oct. 21, 2020), American trailblazing swing drummer who broke musical boundaries.  She was one of the first female professional drummers.  She was born in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin.  She died in Costa Mesa, California a month before her 108^th birthday.

 

1908 ~ Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (d. Apr. 4, 1972), African-American politician and civil rights leader.  He was the first African-American to serve in the United States Congress from New York State.  He was born in New Haven, Connecticut.  He died at age 63 in Miami, Florida.

 

1898 ~ C.S. Lewis (né Clive Staples Lewis; d. Nov. 22, 1963), Irish author best known for his novels The Screwtape Letters and The Chronicles of Narnia.  He was also an Anglican lay theologian, and his writings reflect his religious beliefs.  He was born in Belfast, Ireland.  He died 7 days before his 65^th birthday in Oxford, England.

 

1895 ~ Busby Berkeley (né Berkeley William Enos; d. Mar. 14, 1976), American film director and choreographer.  He was born in Los Angeles, California.  He died at age 80 in Palm Desert, California.

 

1876 ~ Nellie Tayloe Ross (né Nellie Davis Tayloe; d. Dec. 19, 1977), American politician and 14^th Governor of Wyoming.  She was the first woman to be elected to a State office.  She served as Governor from January 1925 until January 1927.  She later served as the 28^th Director of the United States Mint from May 1933 until April 1953.  She was born in St. Joseph, Missouri.  She died 3 weeks after her 101^st birthday in Washington, D.C.

 

1874 ~ Egas Moniz (né António Caetano de Aubre Freire de Resende; d. Dec. 13, 1955), Portuguese neurologist and recipient of the 1949 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He died 14 days after his 81^st birthday in Lisbon, Portugal.

 

1873 ~ Suzan Rose Benedict (d. Apr. 8, 1942), American mathematician.  She was the first woman awarded a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Michigan.  She had a long career at Smith University in Massachusetts.  She was born in Norwalk, Ohio.  She died of a heart attack at age 68 in Northampton, Massachusetts.

 

1849 ~ Sir John Ambrose Fleming (d. Apr. 18, 1945), British physicist and inventor of the vacuum tube.  He died at age 95.

 

1843 ~ Gertrude Jekyll (d. Dec. 8, 1932), British horticulturist and garden designer.  She created over 400 gardens in England, Europe, and the United States.  She was born in London, England.  She died 9 days after her 89^th birthday.

 

1835 ~ Empress Dowager Cixi (d. Nov. 15, 1908), Chinese ruler.  She effectively controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing Dynasty from 1861 until her death in 1908.  She was born in Beijing, Qing Empire.  She died 14 days before her 73^rd birthday.

 

1832 ~ Louisa May Alcott (d. Mar. 6, 1888), American novelist.  She is best known for her novels Little Women and Little Men.  She was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on her father’s 33^rd birthday.  She died of a stroke at age 55 in Boston, Massachusetts.

 

1816 ~ Morrison Waite (né Morrison Remick Waite; d. Mar. 23, 1888), 7^th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was nominated to the High Court by President Ulysses S. Grant.  He replaced Salmon Chase on the Court.  He was succeeded by Melville Fuller.  He served in office from March 1874 until his death on this date 14 years later.  He was born in Lyme, Connecticut.  He died in Washington, D.C., at age 71.

 

1803 ~ Christian Doppler (né Christian Andreas Doppler; d. Mar. 17, 1853), Austrian physicist and mathematician.  He is best known for his principle known as the Doppler effect, that the observed frequency of a wave depends upon the relative speed of the source and the observer.  He died at age 49 of pulmonary disease.

 

1799 ~ Amos Bronson Alcott (d. Mar. 4, 1888), American philosopher and educator.  He was the father of author Louisa May Alcott, who was born in his 33^rd birthday.  He was born in Wolcott, Connecticut and died at age 88 in Boston, Massachusetts.

 

1627 ~ John Ray (d. Jan. 17, 1705), English naturalist.  He died at age 77.

 

1427 ~ Emperor Yingzong of Ming (d. Feb. 23, 1464), Chinese Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.  He ruled from February 1435 until he was forced to abdicate in favor of his brother in September 1449.  A few years later, he deposed his brother and took over the empire reigning from February 1457 until his death 7 years later.  He died at age 36.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2007 ~ A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Martinique affecting many of the Caribbean islands.

 

1972 ~ Atari released the video game, Pong.

 

1967 ~ United States Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (1916 ~ 2009) announced his resignation following his recommendation to President Lyndon Johnson (1908 ~ 1973) to freeze troop levels and stop bombing in North Vietnam.

 

1963 ~ The Beatles song, I Want to Hold Your Hand, which had been recorded 6 weeks earlier, was release to the public in the United Kingdom.

 

1963 ~ President Lyndon Johnson (1908 ~ 1973) formed the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (1917 ~ 1963).

 

1947 ~ The United Nations General Assembly approved a plan for the partition of Palestine.

 

1929 ~ Admiral Richard E. Byrd (1888 ~ 1957) and his three-member crew became the first persons to fly over the South Pole.

 

1863 ~ During the American Civil War, Union forced under the command of Ambrose Burnside (1824 ~ 1881) successfully defended Knoxville, Tennessee from Confederate forced in the Battle of Fort Sanders.

 

1830 ~ The November Uprising, an armed rebellion against Russia’s rule in Poland, began.

 

1783 ~ A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit New Jersey.

 

1777 ~ San Jose, California was founded as Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe.  It was the first civilian settlement in the area that would later become the state of California.

 

1732 ~ The 6.6 magnitude Irpinia earthquake struck in the Kingdom of Naples (southern Italy) killing nearly 2,000 people.

 

1729 ~ The Natchez Indians, who had been in conflict with the French settlers, massacred over 200 of the French settlers and kidnapped the women and children at Fort Rosalie, near present day Natchez, Mississippi.

 

800 ~ Charlemagne (742 ~ 814) arrived in Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of Pope Leo III (d. 816).  Charlemagne protected the Pope from his enemies and thus, became the Holy Roman Emperor.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2021 ~ Arlene Dahl (née Arlene Carol Dahl; b. Aug. 11, 1925), American actress.  She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  She died in New York, New York at age 96.

 

2019 ~ Irving Burgie (né Irving Louis Burgie; b. July 28, 1924), African-American lyricist who got the world singing Day-O.  He is considered on of the greatest composers of Caribbean music.  He was sometimes known as Lord Burgess. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He died in Queens, New York at age 95.

 

2017 ~ Mary Lee Woods (b. Mar. 12, 1924), British mathematician and computer programmer.  She died at age 93 in London, England.

 

2013 ~ Peter Kaplan (né Peter Wennik Kaplan; b. Feb. 10, 1954), American New York editor who mentored a generation. He is known for modernizing New Journalism for the digital age.  He was born in South Orange, New Jersey.  He died of cancer at age 59 in Manhattan, New York.

 

2009 ~ Harry Hurt (né Hugh Harrison Hurt, Jr.; b. Dec. 13, 1927), American engineer who made motorcycles safer.  He was born in Big Spring, Texas.  He died 2 weeks before his 82^nd birthday in Pomona, California.

 

2008 ~ Jørn Oberg Utzon (b. Apr. 9, 1918), Danish architect who designed the Sydney Opera House in Australia.  He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark.  He died at age 90.

 

2005 ~ Wendie Jo Sperber (b. Sept. 15, 1958), American actress.  She was born in Los Angeles, California.  She died of breast cancer at age 47 in Sherman Oaks, California.

 

2001 ~ George Harrison (b. Feb. 25, 1943), English musician and member of the Beatles.  He was born in Liverpool, England.  He died of lung cancer at age 58 in Los Angeles, California.

 

2001 ~ John Knowles (b. Sept. 16, 1926), American author.  He is best known for his novel A Separate Peace.  He was born in Fairmont, West Virginia.  He died at age 75 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

 

1999 ~ Gene Rayburn (né Eugen Peter Jeljenic; b. Dec. 22, 1917), American game show host.  He hosted the Match Game for over 20 years.  He was born in Christopher, Illinois.  He died of congestive heart failure in Gloucester, Massachusetts 23 days before his 82^nd birthday.

 

1997 ~ Coleman Young (né Coleman Alexander Young; b. May 24, 1918), African-American politician and Mayor of Detroit.  He served as Mayor from January 1974 until January 1994.  He was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  He died of emphysema at age 79 in Detroit, Michigan.

 

1992 ~ Jean Dieudonné (b. July 1, 1906) French mathematician.  He was born in Lillie, France.  He died at age 86 in Paris, France.

 

1991 ~ Frank Yerby (né Frank Garvin Yerby, b. Sept. 5, 1916), African-American historical novelist.  He was born in Augusta, Georgia.  He died of liver cancer at age 75 in Madrid, Spain.

 

1986 ~ Cary Grant (né Archibald Alexander Leach; b. Jan. 18, 1904), British-born American actor.  He was born in Bristol, England.  He died of a stroke at age 82 in Davenport, Iowa where he was preparing for a stage performance.

 

1984 ~ Tatyana Pavlovna Ehrenfest (b. Oct. 28, 1905), Dutch mathematician.  She was born in Vienna, Austria.  She is best known for her proof of a lower bound on low-discrepancy sequences.  She about a month after her 79^th birthday in Dordrech, Netherlands.

 

1981 ~ Natalie Wood (née Natasha Nikoleavna Zakkharenko; b. July 20, 1938), American actress.  She was born in San Francisco, California.  She died in a mysterious boating accident.  Ostensibly she drowned at age 43, however, in 2012, an investigation into her death was reopened.  Her husband, Richard Wagner, was considered as a “person of interest.”.

 

1980 ~ Dorothy Day (b. Nov. 8, 1897), American journalist and activist.  She was born in Brooklyn, New York.  She died 21 days after her 83^rd birthday in Chicago, Illinois.

 

1958 ~ Roy West (né Roy Owen West; b. Oct. 27, 1868), 30^th United States Secretary of the Interior.  He served under President Calvin Coolidge from July 1928 until March 1929.  He was born in Georgetown, Illinois.  He died a month after his 90^th birthday in Chicago, Illinois.

 

1953 ~ Ernest Barnes (né Ernest William Barnes; b. Apr. 1, 1874), English mathematician.  He was also a member of the clergy.  He was born in Birmingham, England.  He died at age 79.

 

1943 ~ Bertha Knight Landes (née Bertha Ethel Knight; b. Oct. 19, 1868), 38^th Mayor of Seattle.  She served as Mayor from 1926-1928.  She was the first female mayor of a major United States city.  She was born in Ware, Massachusetts.  She died at age 75 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

 

1924 ~ Giacomo Puccini (b. Dec. 22, 1858), Italian composer best known for his opera Madame Butterfly.  He was born in Lucca, Italy.  He died 23 days before his 66^th birthday of complications from throat cancer in Brussels, Belgium.

 

1872 ~ Horace Greeley (b. Feb. 3, 1811), American journalist and politician.  He is credited with coining the phrase: Go West, Young Man!  He also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.  He was born in Amherst, New Hampshire.  He died at age 61 in Pleasantville, New York.

 

1872 ~ Mary Somerville (née Mary Fairfax; b. Dec. 26, 1780), Scottish mathematician and astronomer.  She was born in Jedburgh, Scotland.  She died less than a month before her 92^nd birthday in Naples, Italy.

 

1871 ~ John Bigler (b. Jan. 8, 1805), 3^rd Governor of California.  He served as Governor from January 1852 until January 1856.  He was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  He died at age 66 in Sacramento, California.

 

1780 ~ Maria Theresa (née Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; b. May 13, 1717), Holy Roman Empress.  She was the only woman to become Holy Roman Empress in her own right.  She despised Jews and Protestants and was known to expel them from her realm.  In 1836, she married Francis III Stephen, Duke of Lorraine (1708 ~ 1765).  Upon their marriage, he became Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor.  They were the parents of 16 children.  She was of the House of Habsburg.  She was the daughter of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor and Princess Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.  She was born and died in Vienna, Austria, Holy Roman Empire.  She died at age 63.

 

1759 ~ Nicolaus I Bernoulli (b. Oct. 21, 1687), Swiss mathematician.  He was one of many prominent matheticians in the Bernoulli family.  He died about a month after his 72^nd birthday.

 

1694 ~ Marcello Malpighi (b. Mar. 10, 1628), Italian astronomer, physician, and botanist.  He died at age 66 in Rome, Italy.

 

1632 ~ Frederick I, King of Bohemia (b. Aug. 26, 1596).  He ruled as king of Bohemia from August 1619 until November 1620 when he was forced to abdicate.  Because of his brief reign, he was known as the Winter King.  In 1613, he married Princess Elizabeth Stuart.  He was of the House of Palatine Simmern.  He was the son of Frederick IV, Elector Palatine of the Rhine and Princess Louise Juliana of Orange-Nassau.  He was Calvinist.  He died at age 36 of an infection.

 

1590 ~ Philipp Nicodemus Frischlin (b. Sept. 22, 1547), German astronomer, mathematician, and writer.  He was arrested in March 1590 for writing libelous letters.  He is believed to have been killed at age 43 from a fall while trying to escape from prison.

 

1543 ~ Hans Holbein the Younger (b. 1497), German artist.  He was the son of artist Hans Holbein the Elder.  The exact date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been born 1497.  The exact date of his death is also unknown, but he is believed to have died sometime in October or November 1543.  He died in London, England.

 

1530 ~ Thomas Wolsey (b. March 1470), British statesman and Catholic bishop.  The exact date of his birth is not known.  He died at age 57.

 

1463 ~ Marie of Anjou (b. Oct. 14, 1414), Queen consort of France.  She was the wife of Charles VII, King of France (1403 ~ 1461).  They married in 1422.  They were the parents of Louis XI, King of France.  She was of the House of Valois-Anjou.  She was the daughter of Louis II, Duke of Anjou and Princess Yolande of Aragon, Duchess consort of Anjou.  She was Roman Catholic.  She died at age 59.

 

1378 ~ Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor (b. May 14, 1316).  He reigned as Holy Roman Emperor from 1355 until his death in 1378.  He was also the King of Bohemia from 1346 until his death.  He was the first King of Bohemia to become Holy Roman Emperor.  He was married 4 times.  His first wife was Blanche of Valois (1317 ~ 1348).  They married in 1329 when they were both young teenagers.  After her death, he married Anne of Bavaria (1329 ~ 1353).  They married in 1349.  His third wife was Anna von Schweidnitz (1339 ~ 1362).  His fourth and final wife was Elizabeth of Pomerania (1347 ~ 1393).  He was of the House of Luxembourg.  He was the son of John, King of Bohemia and Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia.  He was Roman Catholic.  He was born and died in Prague.  He died at age 62.

 

1314 ~ Philip IV, King of France (b. 1268).  He ruled as king from October 1285 until his death in 1314.  In 1284 he married Joan I, Queen of Navarre.  He was of the House of Capet.  He was the son of Philip III, King of France and Infanta Isabella of Aragon.  The exact date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been born between April and June in 1268.  He died at age 46.

 

1268 ~ Pope Clement IV (né Gui Foucois, b. Nov. 23, 1190).  He was Pope from February 1265 until his death 2 years later.  He died 6 days after his 78^th birthday.

 

561 ~ Chlothar I (b. 497), King of the Franks.  He ruled the Franks from 558 until his death in 561.  He was married several times.  His first wife was Guntheuc.  His second wife was Radegund.  His third wife was Ingund.  His fourth wife was Aregund.  His final wife was Chunsina.  He was of the Merovingian Dynasty.  He was the son of Clovis I, King of the Franks and Clotilde.  He was a Chalcedonian Christian.  The exact date of his birth is not known.