New Year’s Day
Birthdays:
2000 ~ Ice Spice (née Isis Naija Gaston), African American rapper. She was born in New York, New York.
1997 ~ Noah Kahan, American singer-songwriter. He was born in Strafford, Vermont.
1986 ~ Glen Davis (né Ronald Glen Davis), African-American professional basketball player. He played for Louisiana State University while in college; then went on to play for the Boston Celtics. While playing at LSU, he was known as Big Baby. In October 2021, he and 18 other professional basketball players were indicted on charges to commit insurance fraud. In November 2023, he was found guilty of committing health care fraud. He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1969 ~ Verne Troyer (né Verne Jay Troyer; d. Apr. 21, 2018), American actor best known for his role as Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies. He was born in Sturgis, Michigan. He died at age 49 of a possible suicide in Los Angeles, California.
1966 ~ Ivica Dačić, Prime Minister of Serbia. He served in that Office for a month, from May 2017 through June 2017. He had previously served as Prime Minister from July 2012 until April 2014. He was born in Prizren, Kosovo.
1957 ~ Karen Pence (née Karen Sue Batten), Second Lady of the United States and wife of Vice President Mike Pence. He was her second husband. She was born at the McConnel Air Force Base, Kansas.
1956 ~ Christine Legarde (née Christine Madeleine Odette Lallouette), French lawyer and head of the International Monetary Fund. She assumed this position in July 2011, which she held through September 2019. On November 1, 2019, she became the President of the European Central Bank. She was born in Paris, France.
1953 ~ Gary Johnson (né Gary Earl Johnson), 29th Governor of New Mexico and Libertarian Party nominee for President in the 2012 and 2016 elections. He served as Governor from January 1995 to January 2003. He was born in Minot, North Dakota.
1950 ~ James Richardson, American poet. He was born in Garden City, New York.
1949 ~ Olivia Goldsmith (née Randy Goldfield; d. Jan. 15, 2004), American author. She is best known for her novel The First Wives Club. She was born in Dumont, New Jersey. She died following complications of cosmetic surgery just 2 weeks after her 55th birthday in New York, New York.
1947 ~ Jon Corzine (né Jon Stevens Corzine), 54th Governor of New Jersey. He served as Governor from January 2006 until January 2010. He had previously served as a United States Democrat Senator from New Jersey from January 2001 until January 2006. He was born in Taylorville, Illinois.
1943 ~ Don Novello (né Donald Andrew Novello), American comedian and screenwriter. He is best known for his portrayal as Father Guido Sarducci on Saturday Night Live. He was born in Ashtabula, Ohio.
1942 ~ Dennis Archer (né Dennis Wayne Archer), African-American politician and 67th Mayor of Detroit. He served as Mayor from January 1994 through December 2001. He was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1938 ~ Frank Langella, (né Frank A. Langella, Jr.) American actor. He was born in Bayonne, New Jersey.
1936 ~ James Sinegal, American businessman and co-founder of the Costco Wholesale Corp. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1935 ~ Bernard Kliban (d. Aug. 12, 1990), American cartoonist. He signed his work simply B. Kliban. He was born in Norwalk, Connecticut. He died at age 55 of a heart embolism in San Francisco, California.
1933 ~ Alicia Nash (née Alicia Esther Lardé Lopez-Harrison; d. May 23, 2015), Salvadorian-American physicist and engineer. She was the wife of John Forbes Nash (1923 ~ 2015). She was killed in a taxi car accident on the New Jersey Turnpike along with her husband. She was born in San Salvador, El Salvador. She was 82 years old.
1927 ~ Vernon L. Smith (né Vernon Lomax Smith), American economist and recipient of the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science. He was born in Wichita, Kansas.
1924 ~ Charlie Munger (né Charles Thomas Munger; d. Nov. 28, 2023), American businessman and investor. He was the vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate controlled by Warren Buffett. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He died at age 99 in Santa Barbara, California.
1923 ~ Daniel E. Gorenstein (d. Aug. 26, 1992), American mathematician. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He died at age 69 in Chilmark, Massachusetts.
1923 ~ Salamo Arouch (d. Apr. 26, 2009), Greek Sephardic Jew who was a boxer who survived Auschwitz with his boxing skills, which entertained Nazi officers. His story was portrayed in the 1989 film Triumph of the Spirit. He was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. He died in Tel Aviv, Israel at age 86.
1922 ~ Jerry Robinson (né Sherrill David Robinson; d. Dec. 7, 2011), American cartoonist who created the Batmancharacter the Joker. He was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He died about a month before his 90th birthday in New York, New York.
1922 ~ Ernest Hollings (né Ernest Frederick Hollings; d. Apr. 6, 2019), American politician. He served as a United States Democrat Senator from South Carolina from November 1966 until January 2005. He had previously served as the 106thGovernor of South Carolina from January 1959 until January 1963. He was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He died at age 97 in Isle of Palms, South Carolina.
1919 ~ Marek Edelman (d. Oct. 2, 2009), Polish-Jewish fighter who helped to lead the Warsaw Ghetto uprising during World War II. After the War, he went to medical school and became a cardiologist. The exact date of his birth is unknown. He is believed to have been born in 1919, but possibly as late as 1922. He was born in Gomel, Belarus. He died at age 80 in Warsaw, Poland.
1919 ~ J. D. Salinger (né Jerome David Salinger; d. Jan. 27, 2010), American reclusive writer best known for his coming-of-age novel, The Catcher in the Rye. He was born in Manhattan, New York. He died in Cornish, New Hampshire 26 days after his 91st birthday.
1912 ~ Kim Philby (né Harold Adrian Russell Philby; d. May 11, 1988), British spy and Soviet double agent. He defected to the Soviet Union in 1963. He was born in Ambala, Punjab, British India. He died in Moscow, Russia at age 76.
1912 ~ Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko (d. Dec. 27, 1995), Russian mathematician. He died 4 days before his 83rdbirthday in Moscow, USSR.
1911 ~ Hank Greenberg (né Hyman Benjamin Greenberg; d. Sept. 4, 1986), American Jewish baseball who, in 1934, refused to play baseball on Yom Kippur, the one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar, even though his team, the Detroit Tigers, were in the middle of a pennant race. He was known as The Hebrew Hammer for his batting skills. He was born in Manhattan, New York. He died of kidney cancer at age 75 in Beverly Hills, California.
1908 ~ Franklin P. Jones (d. Jan. 1, 1980), American journalist and columnist. He died on his 72nd birthday.
1908 ~ Bill Tapia (né William Tapia; d. Dec. 2, 2011), American musician dubbed the Duke of Uke. By age 8, he was already a professional musician and played for troops in Hawaii during World War I. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He died a month before his 104th birthday in Los Angeles, California.
1905 ~ Stanisław Mazur (d. Nov. 5, 1981), Polish mathematician. He was born in the city now known as Lviv, Ukraine. He died at age 76 in Warsaw, Poland.
1900 ~ Xavier Cugat (né Francisco de Asís Javier Cugat Mingali de Bru y Deulofeu; d. Oct. 27, 1990), Spanish-born musician and band leader. He was born in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. He died of heart failure at age 90 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
1895 ~ J. Edgar Hoover (né John Edgar Hoover; d. May 2, 1972), American law enforcement officer and 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He served in that position from May 1924 until his death 48 years later. He was born and died in Washington, D.C. He died in Office at age 77 of a heart attack.
1894 ~ Satyendra Nath Bose (d. Feb. 4, 1974), Indian mathematician and theoretical physicist. He is best known for his work on quantum mechanics. He was born and died in Calcutta, India. He died about a month after his 80th birthday.
1883 ~ William J. Donovan (né William Joseph Donovan; d. Feb. 8, 1959), American Director of the Office of Strategic Services, precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency. He is known as the Father of American Intelligence. He was born in Buffalo, New York. He died in Washington, D.C., just over a month after his 76th birthday.
1879 ~ William Fox (né Wilhem Fried Fuchs; d. May 8, 1952), Hungarian-born American film producer and founder of the Fox Film Corporation and Fox Theaters. He and his family immigrated to the United States when he was an infant. He died at age 73 in Manhattan, New York.
1879 ~ E.M. Forster (né Edward Morgan Forster; d. June 7, 1970), English author, best known for his novels, A Room with a View, to A Passage to India, and Howards End. He died at age 91.
1878 ~ Agner Krarup Erlang (d. Feb. 3, 1929), Danish mathematician and engineer. He invented the field of traffic engineering. He died in Copenhagen, Denmark a month after his 51st birthday following abdominal surgery.
1874 ~ Frank Knox (né William Franklin Knox; d. Apr. 28, 1944), 46th United States Secretary of the Navy. He served under President Franklin D. Roosevelt during most of World War II, from July 1940 until April 1944. He was an advocate for Japanese internment during World War II. Prior to becoming the Secretary of the Navy, he was a newspaper publisher. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He died in Washington, D.C., while still in Office at age 70.
1867 ~ Mary Acworth Evershed (née Mary Acworth Orr; d. Oct. 25, 1949), British astronomer. She was also a Dante Alighieri scholar. She was born in Devon, England. She died at age 82 in Surrey England.
1864 ~ Alfred Stieglitz (d. July 13, 1946), American photographer. He was married twice. He divorced his first wife. His second wife was artist Georgia O'Keeffe (1887 ~ 1986). He was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. He died at age 82 in New York, New York.
1863 ~ Pierre de Coubertin (né Pierre de Frédy; d. Sept. 2, 1937), French historian and educator. He is known as the Father of the Modern Olympics because he founded the International Olympic Committee. He was born in Paris, France. He died of a heart attack at age 74 in Geneva, Switzerland.
1803 ~ Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja (d. Sept. 28, 1869), Italian mathematician. He is best known for his love and theft of ancient and precious manuscripts. He was born in Florence, Italy. He died at age 66 in Fiesole, Italy.
1769 ~ Marie-Louise Lachapelle (d. Oct. 4, 1821), French midwife and head of obstetrics at the Hôtel-Dieu in Parish. She argued against the use of forceps during birth. She is considered the Mother of Modern Obstetrics. She wrote many books on the practice of obstetrics and gynecology. She was born in Paris, France. She died of stomach cancer at age 52.
1768 ~ Maria Edgeworth (d. May 22, 1849), Anglo-Irish writer and women’s rights advocate. She died at age 81.
1758 ~ Charles Lee (d. June 24, 1815), 3rd United States Attorney General. He served from December 1795 until February 1801 under Presidents George Washington and John Adams. He was born in Leesylvania, Virginia, British America. He died at age 57 in Fauquier County, Virginia.
1752 ~ Betsy Ross (né Elizabeth Griscom; d. Jan. 30, 1836), American seamstress who is credited with making the first American Flag, although there is no evidence to support this legend. She married three times. John Ross was her first husband, and it is his name that she is known by. After he died, she married Joseph Ashburn. He died within 3 years of their marriage. Her third husband was John Claypoole. She died 29 days after her 84th birthday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1750 ~ Frederick Muhlenberg (né Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg; d. June 4, 1801), American minister and politician. He was a United States Representative from Pennsylvania. He was the 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He served in that position from April 1789 until March 1791. He subsequently served as the 3rdSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives from December 1793 until March 1795. He was born in Trappe, Pennsylvania. He died at age 51 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
1745 ~ Anthony Wayne (d. Dec. 15, 1796), American Revolutionary War general known as Mad Wayne Anthony. He was born in Easttown Township, Province of Pennsylvania, British America. He died 17 days before his 52nd birthday of complications of gout in Fort Presque Isle, Pennsylvania.
1735 ~ Paul Revere (d. May 10, 1818), American patriot and silversmith. He was born before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, so his birthday is sometimes listed as December 21, 1734. The town of Revere, Massachusetts was named in his honor. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He died at age 83.
1548 ~ Giordano Bruno (né Filippo Bruno; d. Feb. 17, 1600), Italian friar, mathematician, and cosmological theorist. The exact date of his birth is not known, but it is considered to have been on January 1. He was burned at stake for heresy. He was 52 at the time of his execution.
1516 ~ Margaret Leijonhufvud (d. Aug. 26, 1551), Queen consort of Sweden. She was the second wife of Gustav I, King of Sweden (1496 ~ 1560). They married in 1536. They were the parents of John III, King of Sweden. She was not of royal blood but was of a noble family. She played a significant political role as an advisor to the King. She was the daughter of Erik Abrahamsson Leijonhufud and Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa. She died of pneumonia at age 35.
1511 ~ Henry, Duke of Cornwall (d. Feb. 22, 1511), member of the British royal family. He was of the House of Tudor. He was the first-born child of Henry VIII, King of England. His mother was Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon. The young Henry died less than 2 months after his birth.
1467 ~ Sigismund I the Old, King of Poland (d. Apr. 1, 1548). He reigned Poland from December 1506 until his death 42 years later. He married twice: first to Princess Barbara Zápolya (1495 ~ 1515). They married in 1512. After her death in 1515, he married Bona Sforza d’Aragona (1494 ~ 1557). They married in 1517. He was of the House of Jagiellon. He was the son of Casimir IV, King of Poland and Elisabeth of Austria. He was Roman Catholic. He died at age 81.
1449 ~ Lorenzo de’Medici (né Lorenzo di Piero de’Medici; d. Apr. 8, 1492), Italian statesman and de facto ruler of the Florentine Republic. He was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. He was married to Clarice Orsini (1453 ~ 1488). He was of the Noble family of Medici. He was the son of Piero the Gouty and Lucrezia Tornabuoni. He died at age 43.
1431 ~ Pope Alexander VI (né Roderic Liançoi i de Borja; d. Aug. 18, 1503). He was Pope from August 11, 1492 until his death 11 years later. He was from the Borgia family. He was known to have many mistresses and several children. He was also very tolerant to the Jews and allowed them to live in Rome without harassment and undue interference. He was succeeded by Pope Pius III. He died at age 72.
Events that Changed the World:
2023 ~ Croatia officially adopted the Euro as its currency. The country became the 20th Eurozone country and became the 27th member of the Schengen Area.
2020 ~ The United Kingdom formally withdrew from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community in what was known as Brexit.
2017 ~ António Guterres (b. 1949), a Portuguese diplomat, assumed the Office as the 9th Secretary-General of the United Nations.
2016 ~ The Mississippi River crested at the third highest level on record for St. Louis. The surge of water caused massive flooding, killing at least 25 people and leaving hundreds of homes and businesses underwater.
2015 ~ Lithuania became the 19th member of the Eurozone.
2014 ~ Latvia became the 18th member of the Eurozone.
2011 ~ A bomb exploded at a Coptic church during services in Alexandria, Egypt, killing over 20 worshippers.
2011 ~ Estonia officially adopted the Euro as its currency and became the 17th country in the Eurozone.
2009 ~ A nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand, killed 66 people.
2008 ~ Malta and Cyprus adopted the Euro and became the 14th and 15th countries in the Eurozone, respectively.
2007 ~ Bulgaria and Romania officially jointed the European Union.
2007 ~ Ban Ki-moon (b. 1944), from South Korea became the 8th Secretary General of the United Nations. He served until December 31, 2016.
2001 ~ Greece adopted the Euro as its currency.
1999 ~ The Euro was introduced in 11 member countries in the European Union. The United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece, and Sweden opted out of using the Euro and continued to use their own currency.
1997 ~ Kofi Annan (1938 ~ 2018), a Ghanaian diplomat, became the 7th Secretary General of the United Nations. He served until December 31, 2006.
1995 ~ The World Trade Organization was founded. It is an international organization that regulates and facilitates international trade.
1995 ~ Sweden, Austria and Finland joined the European Union.
1994 ~ The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect.
1993 ~ The Czechoslovakia was divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
1992 ~ Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1922 ~ 2016), Egyptian diplomat, became the 6th Secretary General of the United Nations. He served until December 31, 1996.
1990 ~ David Dinkins (1927 ~ 2020) was sworn in as the first black mayor of New York City. He served until 1993.
1989 ~ The Montreal Protocol, an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer, became effective.
1986 ~ Spain joined the European Community.
1984 ~ Brunei gained its independence from the United Kingdom.
1984 ~ The original American Telephone & Telegraph Company was divested of its 22 “Baby” Bell System companies because of the 1974 anti-Trust settlement.
1982 ~ Javier Pérez de Cuéllar y de la Guerra (1920 ~ 2020), a Peruvian diplomat, became the 5th Secretary-General of the United Nations. He served until December 31, 1991.
1981 ~ Greece was admitted into the European Community.
1979 ~ Formal diplomatic relations were established between the People’s Republic of China and the United States.
1973 ~ Denmark, the United Kingdom and Ireland were admitted into the European Community.
1972 ~ Kurt Josef Waldheim (1918 ~ 2007), an Austrian diplomat, became the 4th Secretary-General of the United Nations. He served until December 31, 1981.
1971 ~ The prohibition of cigarette advertising on television took effect in the United States.
1965 ~ The People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan was founded in Kabul, Afghanistan.
1962 ~ The United States Navy SEALs (Sea, Air, Land Teams) were established.
1959 ~ Fulgencio Batista (1901 ~ 1973), dictator of Cuba, was overthrown by Fidel Castro’s forces during the Cuban Revolution.
1958 ~ The European Economic Community was first established.
1956 ~ The Sudan became independent from Egypt and the United Kingdom.
1954 ~ NBC made its first coast-to-coast color broadcast when it aired the Tournament of Roses Parade.
1947 ~ The Canadian Citizenship Act of 1946 took effect, thereby giving its British subjects Canadian citizenship. Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874 ~ 1950) became the first Canadian citizen under this Act.
1942 ~ The Declaration by United Nations was signed by 26 nations. The initial countries were: the Big Four (the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States); the British Commonwealth (Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and South Africa); the Central American and Caribbean powers (Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama); and the countries in exile (Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Yugoslavia).
1937 ~ The United Kingdom made safety glass in vehicle windscreens mandatory.
1934 ~ Alcatraz Island became a United States federal prison. It operated as a high-security prison until its closure in 1963.
1932 ~ The United States Post Office Department issued a set of 12 stamps to commemorate the 200th birthday of George Washington.
1926 ~ Turkey adopted the Gregorian calendar; thus, the country went from December 18, 1926 (as per the Julian calendar) to January 1, 1927.
1912 ~ The Republic of China was established. Sun Yat-sen (1866 ~ 1925) was the first president.
1902 ~ The Rose Bowl, the first American college football bowl game, was played in Pasadena, California between the University of Michigan and Stanford University. Michigan was the victor with a final score of 49-0.
1899 ~ Spanish rule ended in Cuba.
1892 ~ Ellis Island began to process immigrants into the United States. Many European immigrants were processed through Ellis Island until it closed in 1954.
1890 ~ The first Tournament of Roses Parade was held in Pasadena, California.
1890 ~ Eritrea was consolidated into a colony by the Italian government.
1881 ~ Construction on the Panama Canal was begun by Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805 ~ 1894). The canal as planned by de Lesseps, however, was abandoned and was eventually bought out by the United States.
1877 ~ Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1819 ~ 1901) was proclaimed Empress of India.
1873 ~ Japan began using the Gregorian calendar.
1863 ~ The Emancipation Proclamation became effective in the Confederate territory.
1818 ~ Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797 ~ 1851), was first published. Only 500 copies of the book were printed.
1808 ~ The importation of slaves into the United States was banned. Slaves could continue be sold domestically, however.
1804 ~ French rule in Haiti ended, making Haiti the first black republic and the second independent country in North America (the first being the United States).
1801 ~ Guiseppe Piazzi (1746 ~ 1826) discovered the dwarf planet Ceres.
1801 ~ The legislative union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland was completed to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
1788 ~ The first edition of the Times of London was published.
1773 ~ The hymn that became known as Amazing Grace, written by clergyman John Newton (1725 ~ 1807), was performed accompany one of his sermons in Olney, England.
1772 ~ The world’s first traveler’s cheques, which could be cashed in 90 European cities, went on sale in London, England. The London Credit Exchange Company issued the traveler’s cheques.
1651 ~ Charles Stuart, Prince of Wales (1630 ~ 1685) was crowned Charles II, King of Scotland. He would later become King of England.
1600 ~ Scotland recognized January 1 as the beginning of the year. Under the Julian calendar, March 25 was considered the start of the year.
1527 ~ Ferdinand I, Archduke of Austria (1503 ~ 1564) was elected by Croatian nobles to be the King of Croatia. He would rule over Croatia until his death in 1564.
1515 ~ Francis, Duke of Brittany I (1494 ~ 1547) succeeded to the French throne to become Francis I, King of France., succeeding his father-in-law, Louis XII, King of France (1462 ~ 1515).
1438 ~ Albert II of Habsburg, Duke of Austria (1397 ~ 1439) was crowned King of Hungary.
1001 ~ Stephen I, Grand Prince of Hungary (975 ~ 1038) was named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II (946 ~1003). Stephen is known for forcing Hungary into becoming a Christian country.
45 BCE ~ The Julian calendar took effect for the first time, recognizing that a regular year has 365 days, that can be divided into 12 months, with a leap day added every 4 years. January 1 was established as the new date for the new year.
Good-Byes:
2020 ~ David Stern (né David Joel Stern; b. Sept. 22, 1942), American businessman and commissioner of the National Basketball Association from 1984 until 2014. He was the NBA boss who built a global powerhouse. He was born and died in Manhattan, New York. He died following emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage at age 77.
2020 ~ Don Larsen (né Donald James Larsen; b. Aug. 7, 1929), American hard-partying Yankee pitcher who achieved perfection. In Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, he pitched a perfect game, allowing the New York Yankees defeat the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers. He was born in Michigan City, Indiana. He died at age 90 in Hayden Idaho.
2017 ~ Jewell Plummer Cobb (d. Jan. 17, 1924), African-American biologist and cancer researcher. She specialized in the study and cure for melanoma. She was born in Chicago, Illinois. She died 16 days before her 93rd birthday in Maplewood, New Jersey.
2016 ~ Dale Bumpers (né Dale Leon Bumpers; b. Aug. 12, 1925), United States Senator from Arkansas. He served in the Senate from January 1975 until January 1999. He had previously served as the 38th Governor of Arkansas from January 1971 until January 1975. He was born in Charleston, Arkansas. He died at age 90 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
2015 ~ Donna Douglas (née Doris Ione Smith; b. Sept. 26, 1932), American actress, best known for her role as Elly May Clampett on the Beverly Hillbillies. She was born in Pride, Louisiana. She died of pancreatic cancer at age 82 in Zachary, Louisiana.
2015 ~ Mario Cuomo (né Mario Matthew Cuomo; b. June 15, 1932), American politician and 52nd Governor of New York. He was governor from January 1983 until December 1994. He was considered the liberal who flirted with a presidential run. He was born and died in New York, New York. He died at age 82.
2014 ~ Tabby Thomas (né Ernest Joseph Thomas; b. Jan. 5, 1929), African-American blues musician. He was born and died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he ran and operated Tabby’s Blues Box. He died 4 days before his 85th birthday.
2013 ~ Patti Page (née Clara Ann Fowler; b. Nov. 8, 1927), American 1950s singing sensation who ruled the radio. She made a 1950 hit of Tennessee Waltz. She was born in Claremore, Oklahoma. She died at age 85 in Encinitas, California.
2012 ~ Yafa Yakoni (b. Dec. 24, 1925), Israeli singer. She was awarded the Israel Prize in 1998 for Hebrew song. She was born in Giv’at Rambam, British Mandate. She died in Tel Aviv, Israel 8 days after her 86th birthday.
2011 ~ Louise Reiss (née Louise Marie Zibold; b. Feb. 23, 1920), American medical doctor who inspired an atomic test ban. She coordinated what became known as the Baby Tooth Survey, in which deciduous teeth from children living in the St. Louis, Missouri area were collected and analyzed for levels of strontium-90. Children born in 1963 had much higher levels (50 times higher) of the isotope than children born in 1950, before widespread nuclear weapons began to be tested. She was born in Queens, New York. She died at age 90 in Pinecrest, Florida.
2010 ~ Jean Carroll (née Celine Zeigman; b. Jan. 7, 1911), American female comic who blazed new trails in stand-up. She was born in Paris, France. She died 6 days before her 99th birthday in White Plains, New York.
2009 ~ Claiborne Pell (né Claiborne de Borda Pell; b. Nov. 22, 1918), United States Democratic Senator from Rhode Island who was best known as the sponsor of the Pell Grant, which provides financial aid funding to United States college students. He was born in New York, New York. He died at age 90 in Newport, Rhode Island.
2007 ~ Tillie Olsen (née Tillie Lerner; b. Jan. 14, 1912), American short story writer and first generation of American feminist writers. She was born in Wahoo, Nebraska. She died 13 days before her 95th birthday in Oakland, California.
2005 ~ Shirley Chisholm (née Shirley Anita St. Hill; b. Nov. 30, 1924), 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.
2001 ~ Ray Walston (né Herman Raymond Walston; b. Nov. 2, 1914), American actor best known for his role as the Martian on the television show, My Favorite Martian. He was born in Laurel, Mississippi. He died of lupus at age 86 in Beverly Hills, California.
1996 ~ Gertrude Blanch (née Gittel Kaimowitz; b. Feb. 2, 1897), Russian-American mathematician. She specialized in numerical analysis. She was born in Kolno, Poland. She died a month before her 99th birthday in San Diego, California.
1995 ~ Eugene P. Wigner (né Eugene Paul Wigner; b. Nov. 17, 1902), Hungarian-born American physicist and mathematician. He was the recipient of the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physics. He was born in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary. He died at age 92 in Princeton, New Jersey.
1994 ~ Cesar Romero (né Cesar Julio Romero, Jr.; b. Feb. 15, 1907), American actor. He is best known for his role as the Joker on Batman. He was born in New York, New York. He died at age 86 in Santa Monica, California.
1992 ~ Grace Hopper (née Grace Brewster Murray; b. Dec. 9, 1906), Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and computer scientist pioneer. She was the computer scientist who designed COBOL. In November 2016, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was born in New York, New York. She died 23 days after her 85th birthday in Arlington, Virginia.
1988 ~ Ilona Fehér (b. Dec. 1, 1901), Hungarian-Jewish violinist. She was born in Budapest, Hungary. She died a month after her 87th birthday in Holon, Israel.
1981 ~ Hephzibah Menuhin (b. May 20, 1920), American concert pianist. She was the sister of Yehudi Menuhin. She was born in San Francisco, California. She died at age 60 following a long illness in London, England.
1980 ~ Franklin P. Jones (b. Jan. 1, 1908), American journalist and columnist. He died on his 72nd birthday.
1972 ~ Maurice Chevalier (né Maurice Auguste Chevalier; b. Sept. 12, 1888), French actor and singer. He is best known for his signature song, Thank Heaven for Little Girls. He was born and died in Paris, France. He died at age 83.
1966 ~ Vincent Auriol (né Vincent Jules Auriol; b. Aug. 27, 1884), French politician and first President of the Fourth Republic. He served as President from January 1947 until January 1954. He was born in Revel, France. He died at age 81 in Paris, France.
1958 ~ Edward Weston (né Edward Henry Weston; b. Mar. 24, 1886), American photographer. He was born in Highland Park, Illinois. He died at age 71 in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.
1953 ~ Hank Williams (né Hiram King Williams; b. Sept. 17, 1923), American country musician. He was born in Mount Olive, Alabama. He died at age 29 of heart failure exacerbated by drug and alcohol abuse in Oak Hill, West Virginia.
1904 ~ Frederick Pabst (né Johann Gottlieb Friedrich Pabst; b. Mar. 28, 1836), German-born American brewer and founder of the Pabst Brewing Company. He died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at age 67 years old.
1894 ~ Heinrich Hertz (né Heinrich Rudolf Hertz; b. Feb. 22, 1857), German physicist. He proved the existence of electromagnetic waves. The unit of frequency (cycle per second), known as the Hertz, was named in his honor. He was born in Hamburg, Germany. He died of an illness at age 36 in Bonn, German Empire.
1892 ~ Roswell B. Mason (b. Sept. 19, 1805), 25th Mayor of Chicago. He served as Mayor from 1869 until 1971. The town of Mason, Illinois was named in his honor. He was born in New Hartford, New York. He died at age 86 in Chicago, Illinois.
1862 ~ Mikhail Vasilyevich Orstrogradsky (b. Sept. 24, 1801), Ukrainian mathematician and physicist. He died at age 60.
1856 ~ John M. Berrien (né John Macpherson Berrien, b. Aug. 23, 1781), 10th United States Attorney General. He served under President Andrew Jackson from March 1829 until July 1831. Following his service as Attorney General, he became a United States Senator from Georgia. Before the American Civil War, he was slave owner. He was born in Rocky Hill, New Jersey. He died at age 81 in Savannah, Georgia.
1796 ~ Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde (b. Feb. 28, 1735), French chemist and mathematician. He was born and died in Paris, France at age 60.
1782 ~ Johann Christian Bach (b. Sept. 5, 1735), German composer. He was the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach. He died at age 46.
1748 ~ Johann Bernoulli (b. Aug. 6, 1667), Swiss mathematician. He is best known for his contributions to infinitesimal calculus. He was also the teacher of mathematician Leonhard Euler. He was born and died in Basel, Switzerland. He died at age 80.
1730 ~ Samuel Sewall (b. Mar. 28, 1652), British-American judge best known for presiding over the Salem witch trials. He later apologized for his actions in those trials. He was born in Britain. He died at age 77 in Boston, Massachusetts.
1631 ~ Thomas Hobson (b. 1544), best known for the person behind the expression “Hobson’s Choice,” which means there is really no choice available. He was a livery stable owner in Cambridge, England. He was said to have offered his customers to either take the horse nearest the door, or not to take a horse at all, hence the phrase. The exact date of his birth is not known. Although the exact date of his death is unknown, this is the date ascribed to his death.
1559 ~ Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway (b. Aug. 12, 1503). He reigned from July 1534 until his death in 1559. During his reign, he established Lutheranism as the state religion. He was married to Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg (1511 ~ 1571). He was of the House of Oldenburg. He was the son of Frederick I, King of Denmark and Anna of Brandenburg. He was Lutheran. He died at age 55.
1515 ~ Louis XII, King of France (b. June 27, 1462). He reigned France from April 1498 until his death 17 years later. He was forced to marry Joan of France (1464 ~ 1505) in 1476. For political reasons, his marriage to Joan was annulled so he could marry Anne, Duchess of Brittany (1477 ~ 1514), widow of Charles VII, King of France (1470 ~ 1498). After Anne’s death, he married Mary Tudor (1496 ~ 1533), sister of Henry VIII, King of England (1491 ~ 1547). He was of the House of Valois-Orléans. He was the son of Charles, Duke of Orléans and Marie of Cleves. He died at age 52. Because he had no sons, he was succeeded to the throne by his cousin and son-in-law, Francis I (1494 ~ 1547).
1387 ~ Charles II, King of Navarre (b. Oct. 10, 1332). He reigned from October 1349 until his death. He was known as Charles the Bad. He was married to Princess Joan of France (1343 ~ 1373). They married in 1352. He was of the House of Évreux. He was the son of Joan, Queen of Navarre and Philip III, King of Navarre. He was Roman Catholic. He died at age 54.
1204 ~ Haakon III, King of Norway (b. 1170s). He was King of Norway from March 1202 until his death on this date 2 years later. He never married, but had a long-time mistress, Inga Olafsdatter of Varteig, who was the father of his son. He was of the House of Sverre. He was the son of Sverre, King of Norway and an unknown mother. The exact date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been in his early 20s at the time of his death. His illegitimate son ultimately became Haakon IV, King of Norway.
951 ~ Ramiro II, King of León and Galicia (b. 900). He reigned León from 931 until his death 20 years later. He was married twice. His first wife was Adosinda Gutiérrez. His second wife was Urraca of Pamplona. He was of the Astur-Leonese dynasty. He was the son of Ordoño II, King of León and Elvira Menéndez. He was Roman Catholic. The exact date of is birth is not known, but he is believed to have been about 50 years old at the time of his death.
898 ~ Odo I, King of West Francia (b. 857). He ruled West Francia from 888 until his death 10 years later. He is best noted for having divided West Francia from the Carolingian Empire, which would not be reunited. He married Théodrate of Troyes in 882. He was of the House of Robertian and was the first Robertian king. He was the son of Robert the Strong and Adelaide of Tours. The exact date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been about 41 at the time of his death.
466 ~ Emperor Qianfei (b. Feb. 25, 449), Chinese emperor of the Liu Song dynasty. His brief reign was known for his violent and impulsive acts. He was assassinated age 16 after reigning for just a year and a half.
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