Wednesday, January 24, 2024

January 24

Birthdays:

 

2012 ~ Athena, Countess of Monpezat, member of the Danish royal family.  When she was born, she was known as Princess Athena of Denmark.  In September 2022, her grandmother, Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark decided to strip the descendants of her younger son of their royal titles.  As of January 2023, she became known as Her Excellency Countess Athena of Monpezat.  She is of the House of Montezat.  She is the daughter of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Marie Cavalier.

 

1974 ~ Ed Helms (né Edward Parker Helms), American actor.  He was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

1968 ~ Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast.  She was born in Fairmont, West Virginia.

 

1961 ~ Nastassja Kinski (née Nastassja Aglaia Nakszynski), German actress.  She is the daughter of actor Klaus Kinski.  She was born in Berlin, Germany.

 

1949 ~ John Belushi (né John Adam Belushi; d. Mar. 5, 1982), American actor and comedian.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.  He died of a drug overdose at age 33 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1947 ~ Warren Zevon (né Warren William Zevon; d. Sept. 7, 2003), American musician.  He is best known for his song,Werewolves of London.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.  He died of cancer at age 56 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1946 ~ Michael Ontkean (née Michael Leonard Ontkean), Canadian actor.  He is an alum of the University of New Hampshire.  He attended the University on a hockey scholarship.  He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

 

1943 ~ Sharon Tate (née Sharon Marie Tate; d. Aug. 9, 1969), American actress and wife of Roman Polanski.  She was murdered by Charles Manson and his gang.  Killed along with her were Abigail Folger (b. 1943) the coffee heiress, Wojciech Frykowski (b. 1936), a Polish writer, Jay Sebring (b. 1933), and Steven Parent (b. 1951).  Tate was born in Dallas, Texas.  At the time of her death, she was pregnant.  She was 26 years old at the time of her murder.

 

1941 ~ Aaron Neville (né Aaron Joseph Neville), African-American musician and singer.  He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

 

1941 ~ Dan Shechtman, Israeli chemist, and recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of quasiperiodic crystals.  He was born in Tel Aviv, Israel.

 

1939 ~ Ray Stevens (né Harold Ray Ragsdale), American singer-songwriter known for his comic renditions of songs.  He was born in Clarkdale, Georgia.

 

1931 ~ Lars Hörmander (né Lars Valter Hörmander; d. Nov. 25, 2012), Swedish mathematician.  He died at age 81.

 

1925 ~ Maria Tallchief (né Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief; d. Apr. 11, 2013), Native American dancer hailed as America’s prima ballerina.  She was a member of the Osage Nation.  She broke her hip in December 2012 and died from complications from that injury.  She was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma.  She died at age 88 years old in Chicago, Illinois.

 

1922 ~ Bob Hoover (né Robert Anderson Hoover; d. Oct. 15, 2015), American war hero who became an aviation daredevil.  He flew Spitfires during World War II and was shot down off the coast of France in 1944.  After the War, he became a test pilot and flight instructor.  He was also known as an air show display pilot.  He was born in Nashville, Tennessee.  He died at age 94 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1918 ~ Oral Roberts (né Granville Oral Roberts; d. Dec. 15, 2009), American televangelist and founder of Oral Roberts University.  He was born in Alda, Oklahoma.  He died of pneumonia at age 91 in Newport Beach, California.

 

1917 ~ Ernest Borgnine (né Ermes Effron Borgnino; d. July 8, 2012), American actor whose tough guy act lasted 60 years.  He was born in Hamden, Connecticut.  He died at age 95 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1916 ~ Sam Maloof (né Samuel Solomon Maloof, d. May 21, 2009), American woodworker and furniture maker.  He was the first craftsman to be awarded a MacArthur fellowship.  His family were Lebanese Jewish immigrants.  He was born in Chino, California.  He died at age 93 in Alto Loma, California.

 

1915 ~ Robert Motherwell (d. July 16, 1991), American painter.  He was born in Aberdeen, Washington.  He died at age 76 in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

 

1888 ~ Ernst Hienkel (d. Jan. 30, 1958), German aviation engineer.  He was a member of the Nazi party.  He died 6 days after his 70th birthday.

 

1888 ~ Vicki Baum (née Hedwig Baum; d. Aug. 29, 1960), Austrian writer.  She is best known for her novel The Grand Hotel, which later became a Broadway musical.  She was born in Vienna, Austria.  She died of leukemia at age 72 in Hollywood, California.

 

1863 ~ August Adler (d. Oct. 17, 1923), Czech mathematician.  He died at age 60.

 

1862 ~ Edith Wharton (née Edith Newbold Jones; d. Aug. 11, 1937), American novelist.  She is best known for her novel, The Age of Innocence, for which she won the 1921 Pulitzer.  She was born in New York, New York.  She died of a heart attack at age 75 in Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt.

 

1814 ~ John Colenso (né John William Colenso; d. June 20, 1883), British mathematician, theologian, and Biblical scholar.  He died at age 69.

 

1779 ~ Elizabeth Alexeievna (née Princess Louise Marie Auguste of Baden; d. May 16, 1826), Tsarina consort of Russia and German wife of Alexander I, Tsar of Russia (1777 ~ 1825).  They married in 1793 when she was 14 and Alexander was 15.  It was not a happy marriage.  She was of the House of Zähringen.  She was the daughter of Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden and Langravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt.  She was Lutheran but converted to Russian Orthodox upon her marriage to Alexander.  She died of heart failure at age 47.

 

1776 ~ E.T.A. Hofmann (né Ernst Theodor Wilhelm (Amadeus) Hoffmann; d. June 25, 1882), German writer.  He is best known as the author of the novella, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which became the basis of The Nutcracker.  He was also the subject of Jacques Offenbach’s opera, The Tales of Hoffmann.  He died of syphilis at age 46.

 

1746 ~ Gustav III, King of Sweden (d. Mar. 29, 1792).  He ruled Sweden from February 1771 until his assassination in March 1792.  He had been shot in the back 13 days earlier at a masquerade ball at Stockholm’s Royal Opera.  He was married to Sophia Magdalena of Denmark (1746 ~ 1813).  They married in 1766.  He was of the House of Holstein-Gottorp.  He was the son of Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden and Princess Louisa Ulrika of Prussia.  He was succeeded by his son, Gustav IV Adolf, King of Sweden.  He was Lutheran.  He was killed at age 46.

 

1712 ~ Frederick II, King of Prussia (d. Aug. 17, 1786).  He was known as Frederick the Great.  He ruled Prussia from May 1740 until his death in August 1786.  He was married to Elizabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern (1715 ~ 1797).  He was of the House of Hohenzollern.  He was the son of Frederick William I, King of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover.  He died at age 74.

 

1547 ~ Archduchess Joanna of Austria (d. Apr. 11, 1578), Grand Duchess consort of Tuscany and first wife of Francesco I de’Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1541 ~ 1587).  It was not a happy marriage.  She was of the House of Habsburg.  She was the daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary.  She was Roman Catholic.  She died at age 31 from injuries sustained from a fall down a flight of stairs while 8 months pregnant.  The mysterious circumstances of her death caused speculation that she was actually murdered by her husband and his mistress.

 

76 CE ~ Hadrian (d. July 10, 138 CE), the date ascribed to the birth of the Roman Emperor.  He was buried in Rome next to his wife, Vibia Sabina (83 ~ 137 CE).  He died at age 62.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2010 ~ The New Orleans Saints won the NFC football championship in Super Bowl XLIV, which was played in Miami.  The Saints defeated the Minnesota Vikings in a score of 31 to 28.

 

2003 ~ The United States Department of Homeland Security officially began operation.  Tom Ridge (b. 1945) was the first Secretary of the agency.

 

1984 ~ The first Apple Macintosh went on sale.

 

1978 ~ The Great Blizzard of 1978 swept through the American mid-west and Great Lakes region bring heavy snow and winds up to 100 miles per hour.  It would continue across the country and inundate New England with snow.  The storm formed on January 14 and dissipated on January 29, 1978.

 

1966 ~ Indira Gandhi (1917 ~ 1984) began her first term as Prime Minister of India.

 

1946 ~ The United Nations General Assembly passed its first resolution to establish the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission.

 

1939 ~ A severe earthquake struck Chillán, Chile.  An estimated 28,000 people were killed.

 

1933 ~ The 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, which changed the beginning and end date of terms for all elected federal offices.  The terms of the President and Vice President begin and end on January 20.  The terms of members of Congress begin and end on January 3.

 

1918 ~ The Gregorian calendar was introduced in Russia by decree of the Council of People’s Commissars, effective February 14.

 

1916 ~ The United States Supreme Court issued its ruling in Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad, in which it found the federal income tax was constitutional.  Chief Justice Edward Douglass White (1845 ~ 1921) drafted the decision.

 

1908 ~ Lord Robert Baden-Powell (1857 ~ 1941) organized the first Boy Scout troop in England.

 

1862 ~ Bucharest was proclaimed as the capital of Romania.

 

1848 ~ James Marshall (1810 ~ 1885) discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill near Sacramento, California, which lead to the California gold rush of 1849.

 

1742 ~ Charles VII Albert (1697 ~ 1745) became the Holy Roman Emperor.

 

1679 ~ Charles II, King of England (1630 ~ 1685) dissolved the Cavalier Parliament.

 

1458 ~ Matthias Corvinus (1443 ~ 1490) was elected King of Hungary.

 

1328 ~ Fifteen-year-old Edward III, King of England (1312 ~ 1377) married 12-year-old Philippa of Hainault (1314 ~ 1369).

 

41 CE ~ Traditional date that Claudius (10 BCE ~ 54 CE) was proclaimed Roman Emperor by the Praetorian Guard after his nephew Caligula (12 CE ~ 41 CE) was assassinated.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2015 ~ Joe Franklin (né Joseph Fortgang; b. Mar. 9, 1926), American radio and television talk show host who bantered 300,000 guests.  He was born and died in New York, New York.  He died at age 88 of prostate cancer.

 

2010 ~ Pernell Roberts (né Pernell Elven Roberts, Jr.; b. May 18, 1928), American Bonanza actor who hated his signature role.  He was best known for his role as Adam Cartwright on Bonanza.  He was born in Waycross, Georgia.  He died of pancreatic cancer at age 81 in Malibu, California.

 

2010 ~ Robert Mosbacher, Sr. (né Robert Adam Moshbacher; b. Mar. 11, 1927), United States Secretary of Commerce.  He served under President George H.W. Bush.  He held that position from January 1989 until January 1992.  He was born in Mount Vernon, New York.  He died of pancreatic at age 82 in Houston, Texas.

 

2009 ~ Sandra Kay Yow (b. Mar. 14, 1942), American women’s basketball coach who championed her sport.  She was born in Gibsonville, North Carolina.  She died of breast cancer at age 66 in Cary, North Carolina.

 

2006 ~ Chris Penn (né Christopher Shannon Penn; b. Oct. 10, 1965), American actor.  He was born in Los Angeles, California.  He died of cardiomyopathy at age 40 in Santa Monica, California.

 

2003 ~ Bobbi Trout (née Evelyn Trout; b. Jan. 7, 1906), American pioneering aviator.  She was the first woman to set the record for the first non-stop refueling endurance.  She was born in Greenup, Illinois.  She died of a heart attack 17 days after her 97th birthday in San Diego, California.

 

1993 ~ Thurgood Marshall (b. July 2, 1908), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was appointed to the High Court by President Lyndon Johnson.  He was the 1st African-American to be appointed to the Court.  He replaced Justice Tom C. Clark on the High Court.  He was succeeded by Clarence Thomas.  He served on the Court from October 1967 until his retirement in 1991.  He was born in Baltimore, Maryland.  He died at age 84 in Bethesda, Maryland.

 

1989 ~ Ted Bundy (né Theodore Robert Cowell; b. Nov. 24, 1946), American serial killer.  He is believed to have killed over 30 women.  He was born in Burlington, Vermont.  He was executed at age 42 in Bradford County, Florida.

 

1988 ~ Werner Fenchel (né Moritz Werner Fenchel; b. May 3, 1905), German-born Dutch mathematician.  He left Germany to escape the Nazi suppression of intellectuals.  He was born in Berlin, Germany.  He died at age 82 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

1986 ~ L. Ron Hubbard (né Lafayette Ronald Hubbard; b. Mar. 13, 1911), American founder of the Church of Scientology.  He was born in Tilden, Nebraska.  He died of a stroke at age 74 in Creston, California.

 

1975 ~ Larry Fine (né Louis Feinberg; b. Oct. 5, 1902), American actor and comedian.  He was one of the original Three Stooges.  He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He died of a stroke at age 72 in Woodland Hills, California.

 

1971 ~ Bill W (né William Griffith Wilson; b. Nov. 26, 1895), American co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.  His organization is often called Friends of Bill W.  He was born in East Dorset, Vermont.  He died at age 75 in Miami, Florida.

 

1965 ~ Sir Winston Churchill (né Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill; b. Nov. 30, 1874), 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.

 

1962 ~ Stanley Lord (né Stanley Phillip Lord; b. Sept. 13, 1877), captain of the SS Californian, a ship in the area, the night the Titanic hit an iceberg.  He died at age 84.

 

1939 ~ Maximilian Bircher-Benner (b. Aug. 22, 1867), Swiss physician and creator of Muesli.  He died at age 71.

 

1935 ~ John Payne (né John Barton Payne; b. Jan. 26, 1855), 27th United States Secretary of the Interior.  He served under President Woodrow Wilson from March 1920 until March 1921.  He was born in Pruntytown, West Virginia.  He died 2 days before his 80th birthday in Washington, D.C.

 

1930 ~ Rebecca Latimer Felton (née Rebecca Ann Latimer; b. June 10, 1835), American politician.  She was the first woman to serve in the United States Senate, although she only served for one day.  She was a slave owner and a white supremacist from Georgia who often spoke in favor of lynching.  She was born in Decatur, Georgia.  She died at age 94 in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

1924 ~ Anna Bayerová (b. Nov. 4, 1853), Czech physician.  She was one of the first practicing physicians in her country.  She died at age 70 in Prague, Czechia.

 

1921 ~ Susan Jane Cunningham (b. Mar. 23, 1842), American mathematician.  She was instrumental in founding Swarthmore College.  She died of heart failure at age 78.

 

1920 ~ Amedeo Modigliani (né Amedeo Clemente Modigliani; b. July 12, 1884), Italian painter and sculptor.  He was born in Livorno, Kingdom of Italy.  He died in Paris, France of tubercular meningitis at age 35.

 

1895 ~ Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill (b. Feb. 13, 1849), British statesman.  He was the father of Winston Churchill.  Interestingly, Winston died exactly 70 years after the death of his father.  He was born and died in London, England.  Lord Randolph died 20 days before his 46th birthday.

 

1882 ~ Levi Boone (né Levi Day Boone; b. Dec. 6, 1808), 17th Mayor of Chicago.  He was a member of the Know-Nothing Party.  He served as Mayor from 1855 until 1856.  He died at age 73 in Chicago, Illinois.

 

1848 ~ Horace Wells (b. Jan. 21, 1815), American dentist.  He was a pioneer in the use of anesthesia in dentistry, especially the use of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas.  He was born in Hartford, Vermont.  He died by suicide three days after his 33rd birthday in New York, New York.

 

1595 ~ Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria (b. June 14, 1529).  He reigned over Further Austria from June 1564 until his death on January 1595.  He was married twice.  His first wife was Philippine Welser (1527 ~ 1580).  They married in secret in 1557 because she was not of royal lineage.  It was a morganatic marriage, so she was never made archduchess consort.  After her death, he married Anne Juliana Gonzaga (1566 ~ 1621).  He was of the House of Habsburg.  He was the son of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Hungary.  He died at age 65.

 

1336 ~ Alfonso IV, King of Aragon, Valencia, Sardinia and Corsica (b. Nov. 2, 1299). King of Aragon, Valencia, Sardinia and Corsica.  He ruled as King from November 1327 until his death 9 years later.  He was known as Alfonso the Kind.  His first wife was Teresa d’Entença (1300 ~ 1327).  They were both 14 years old at the time of their marriage.  She died in childbirth in 1327.  His second wife was Infanta Eleanor of Castile (1307 ~ 1359), whom he married in 1329.  He was of the House of Barcelona.  He was the son of James II, King of Aragon and Blanche of Anjou.  He was born in Naples, Italy.  He died at age 36 in Barcelona, Spain.  He was succeeded by his son Peter IV, King of Aragon.

 

817 ~ Pope Stephen IV (né Stephanus; b. 770).  He was Pope from June 816 until his death 7 months later.  The exact date of his birth is not known.  He was born and died in Rome.

 

41 CE ~ Caligula (b. Aug. 31, 12 CE), a Roman Emperor known for his cruel despotism.  He was assassinated by his Praetorian Guards, who then proclaimed Claudius, Caligula’s uncle, as Emperor.  Caligula was about 28 years old at the time of his death.


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