Birthdays:
1982 ~ Janan Ganesh, British journalist.
1974 ~ Jillian Michaels, American personal trainer and businesswoman. She was born in Los Angeles, California.
1968 ~ Molly Ringwald (née Molly Kathleen Ringwald), American actress. She was born in Roseville, California.
1964 ~ Matt Dillon (né Matthew Raymond Dillon), American actor. He was born in New Rochelle, New York.
1957 ~ Vanna White (née Vanna Marie Rosich), American game show presenter on The Wheel of Fortune. She was born in Conway, South Carolina.
1955 ~ Lisa See, American author, best known for her novels about China. She was born in Paris, France.
1954 ~ John Travolta (né John Joseph Travolta), American actor. He was born in Englewood, New Jersey.
1952 ~ Sir Martin J. Taylor (né Martin John Taylor), British mathematician. He was born in Leicester, England
1950 ~ John Hughes (né John Wilden Hughes, Jr.; d. Aug. 6, 2009), American filmmaker who gently captured teenage angst. He is best known for such teen films as The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. He was born in Lansing, Michigan. He died of a heart attack at age 59 in New York, New York.
1950 ~ Cybill Shepherd (née Cybill Lynne Shepherd), American actress. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
1941 ~ Irma Thomas (née Irma Lee), American singer from Louisiana. She is known as the Soul of New Orleans. She was born in Ponchatoula, Louisiana.
1936 ~ Paul Hempill (né Paul James Hempill; d. July 11, 2009), the American writer who chronicled the blue-collar South. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He died of throat cancer at age 73 in Atlanta, Georgia.
1936 ~ Jean Auel (née Jean Marie Untinen), American author best known for her novel, The Clan of the Cave Bear. She was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1934 ~ Audre Lorde (née Audrey Geraldine Lorde; d. Nov. 17, 1992), African-American writer, feminist and civil rights activist. She was born in New York, New York. She died of breast cancer at age 58 in Saint Croix, Virgin Islands.
1934 ~ Paco Rabanne (né Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo; d. Feb. 3, 2023), Spanish fashion designer who fashioned the future. He rose to fame in the 1960s with his use of unconditional materials, such as metals and plastic, in his clothing designs. He was born in Pasaia, Spain. He died 2 weeks before his 89th birthday in Ploudalmézeau, France.
1933 ~ Yoko Ono, Japanese-born American singer and performance artist. She was the wife of Beatle John Lennon. She was born in Tokyo, Japan.
1932 ~ Miloš Forman (né Jan Tomáš Forman; d. Apr. 13, 2018), Czech Oscar-winning film director who loved rebels. He was born in Czechoslovakia. He died at age 86 in Danbury, Connecticut.
1931 ~ Johnny Hart (né John Lewis Hart; d. Apr. 7, 2007), American cartoonist, best known for creating the comic strip B.C. and co-creating The Wizard of Id. He was also a fundamentalist Christian. He was born in Endicott, New York. He died at age 76 in Ninevah, New York.
1931 ~ Charles Higham (d. Apr. 21, 2012), British celebrity biographer. He was born in London, England. He died at age 81 in Los Angeles, California.
1931 ~ Toni Morrison (née Chloe Ardelia Wofford; d. Aug. 5, 2019), American writer and recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature. She chronicled the Black experience. She was born in Lorain, Ohio. She died at age 88 in New York, New York.
1929 ~ Len Deighton (né Leonard Cyril Deighton), British historian and author. He is best known for his spy and espionage novels. He was born in London, England.
1927 ~ John Warner (né John William Warner, III; d. May 25, 2021), American GOP Senator who had an independent streak. He gained bipartisan respect for his consensus-building, and tabloid attention for becoming Elizabeth Taylor’s 6thhusband in 1976. He served as a United States Senator from Virginia from January 1979 until January 2009. He previously served as the 61st United States Secretary of the Navy from May 1972 until April 1974 during the Richard Nixon administration. He and Taylor divorced in 1982. He was born in Washington, D.C. He died at age 94 in Alexandria, Virginia.
1925 ~ Jack Gilbert (d. Nov. 13, 2012), American poet who never much cared for fame. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He died at age 87 in Berkeley, California.
1925 ~ George Kennedy (né George Harris Kennedy, Jr.; d. Feb. 28, 2016), American actor best known for his role in Cool Hand Luke. He was born in New York, New York. He died of heart disease 10 days after his 91st birthday in Middleton, Idaho.
1924 ~ Creighton J. Hale (d. Oct. 8, 2017), American physiologist who made Little League safer. He designed the plastic, padded helmet with flaps to protect the temple and cheekbones. He was born in Hardy, Nebraska. He died at age 93 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
1922 ~ Helen Gurley Brown (née Helen Marie Gurley; d. Aug. 13, 2012), American editor who created the Cosmo Girl. She was the editor-in-chief for Cosmopolitan for 32 years. She was born in Green Forest, Arkansas. She died at age 90 in New York, New York.
1921 ~ Mary Amdur (née Mary Ochsenhirt; d. Feb. 16, 1998), American toxicologist and public health researcher. The focus of her research was on air pollution. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She died of a heart attack while on vacation in Hawaii just 2 days before her 77th birthday.
1920 ~ Eddie Slovik (né Edward Donal Slovik; d. Jan. 31, 1945), American Army private who was executed for desertion. He was the first such execution of an American soldier since the American Civil War. He was born in Detroit, Michigan. He was executed 18 days before his 25th birthday in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, France.
1920 ~ Bill Cullen (né William Lawrence Francis Cullen; d. July 7, 1990), American game show host. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He died of lung cancer at age 70 in Bel Air, California.
1919 ~ Jack Palance (né Volodymyr Oalahniuk; d. Nov. 10, 2006), American actor. He was born in Pennsylvania, the son of Ukrainian immigrants. He was born in Lattimer Mines, Pennsylvania. He died at age 87 in Montecito, California.
1909 ~ Wallace Stegner (né Wallace Earle Stegner; d. Apr. 13, 1993), American writer and historian. He was born in Lake Mills, Iowa. He died at age 84 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
1906 ~ Hans Asperger (né Johann Friedrich Karl Asperger; d. Oct. 21, 1980), Austrian physician and psychologist. He is best known for his studies on mental disorders, especially in children. He died at age 74 in Vienna, Austria.
1892 ~ Wendell Willkie (né Lewis Wendell Willkie, d. Oct. 8, 1944), American politician and 1940 Republican nominee for President. He was born in Elwood, Indiana. He died of a heart attack at age 52 in New York, New York.
1883 ~ Nikos Kazantzakis (d. Oct. 26, 1957), Greek author best known for his novels, Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ. He died at age 74.
1862 ~ Charles M. Schwab (né Charles Michael Schwab; d. Sept. 18, 1939), American businessman and co-founder of Bethlehem Steel. He was born in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania. He died of heart disease at age 77 in New York, New York.
1848 ~ Louis Comfort Tiffany (d. Jan. 17, 1933), American artist and glass designer. He was born and died in New York, New York. He died about a month before his 85th birthday.
1838 ~ Ernst Mach (né Ernst Waldfried Josef Wenzel Mach; d. Feb. 19, 1916), Austrian physicist. He is best known for his contributions to the study of shock waves. The ratio of one’s speed to that of sound is named in his honor. He was born in Brno, present-day Czech Republic. He died 1 day after his 78th birthday in Munich, Germany Empire.
1795 ~ George Peabody (d. Nov. 4, 1869), American financier regarded as the Father of Modern Philanthropy. He was born in Danvers, Massachusetts into a poor family. He went into the dry-goods business, then into banking. He moved to London, England, then the financial capital where he helped to establish America’s international credit. He founded several philanthropic institutions. The town of Peabody, Massachusetts was named in his honor. He died in London at age 74. His body was returned to America and he is buried in Massachusetts.
1745 ~ Alessandro Volta (d. Mar. 5, 1827), Italian physicist and pioneer in electricity. He is credited with inventing the battery. He is also credited with being the discoverer of methane. He died about 2 weeks after his 82nd birthday.
1516 ~ Mary I, Queen of England (d. Nov. 17, 1558), first reigning queen of England. She was married to Philip II, King of Spain (1527 ~ 1598). They married in 1554. She was also the Queen consort of Spain. She was known as “Bloody Mary” because of the persecutions of Protestants during her reign. She was of the House of Tudor. She was the daughter of Henry VIII, King of England and Catherine of Aragon, as well as being the half-sister of Elizabeth I, Queen of England. She died at age of 42 during an influenza epidemic, however, she was in ill health prior to the epidemic. When she died, her half-sister, Elizabeth I, ascended to the throne.
259 BCE ~ Qin Shi Huang (d. Sept. 10, 201 BCE), Chinese Emperor and founder of the Qin Dynasty. He was the first emperor of a unified China. He died at age 49.
Events that Changed the World:
2019 ~ President’s Day observed in the United States.
2013 ~ President’s Day was celebrated in the United States.
2001 ~ FBI agent Robert Hanssen (1944 ~ 2023) was arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
1979 ~ Snow fell in the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria for the first time in recorded history. It also snowed in the Sahara Desert on January 7, 2018.
1978 ~ The first Ironman Triathlon competition took place on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. There were 15 competitors in the competition.
1970 ~ The Chicago Seven (Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, and Lee Weiner) were found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
1954 ~ The first Church of Scientology was established in Los Angeles, California.
1939 ~ The San Francisco Golden Gate International Exposition opened.
1930 ~ The planet Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh (1906 ~ 1997) while he was studying photographs that had been taken in January 1930, although years later, in 2006, Pluto was demoted from its planet status to a dwarf planet.
1885 ~Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published.
1865 ~ During the American Civil War, Major General William Sherman (1820 ~ 1891) set the South Carolina State House on fire during the burning of Columbia, South Carolina
1861 ~ Jefferson Davis (1808 ~ 1889) was inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Alabama.
1791 ~ Congress passed a law admitting Vermont statehood, which would become effective on March 4, 1791. Vermont, however, had existed for the previous 14 years as a de facto independent state.
Good-Byes:
2018 ~ Günter Blobel (b. May 21, 1936), German biologist and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He died at age 81.
2017 ~ Norma McCorvey (née Norma Leah Nelson; b. Sept. 22, 1947), American abortion rights activist and plaintiff who challenged abortion laws in the Supreme Court Decision of Roe v. Wade. She later changed her position and advocated against abortion. She was born in Simmesport, Louisiana. She died of heart failure at age 69 in Katy, Texas.
2017 ~ Clyde Stubblefield (né Clyde Austin Stubblefield; b. Apr. 18, 1943), African-American “funky drummer” who gave hip-hop its essential beat. He is known for his work with James Brown. He was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He died of kidney failure at age 73 in Madison, Wisconsin.
2014 ~ Maria Agatha Franziska Gobertina von Trapp (b. Sept. 28, 1914), the singer whose life inspired The Sound of Music. She was the second oldest daughter of Captain von Trapp. She died at age 99 in Stowe, Vermont.
2013 ~ Kevin Ayers (b. Aug. 16, 1944), British psychedelic guitarist who shunned stardom. He died at age 68.
2013 ~ Martin Zweig (né Martin Edward Zweig, b. July 2, 1942), American stock advisor who forecast the Black Monday crash. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He died at age 70 in Fisher Island, Florida.
2013 ~ Jerry Buss (né Gerald Hatten Buss; b. Jan. 27, 1933), American businessman and basketball owner who made the Los Angeles Lakers into winners. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He died of kidney failure 22 days after his 80thbirthday in Los Angeles, California.
2003 ~ Isser Harel (b. 1912), 2nd Director of Mossad. The exact date of his birth is not known. He died in Tel Aviv at about age 90 or 91.
2001 ~ Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (né Ralph Dale Earnhardt; b. Apr. 29, 1951), Seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. He was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina. He was killed at age 49 in a racing accident during the Daytona 500.
1998 ~ Harry Caray (né Harry Christopher Carabina; b. Mar. 1, 1914), American sportscaster. He is best known for being the voice of the Chicago Cubs. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He died 2 weeks before his 84th birthday in Rancho, Mirage, California.
1997 ~ Emily Hahn (b. Jan. 14, 1904), American journalist and author. She wrote over 50 books, and many of her novels focused on her extensive travels to Asia and Africa. She was the first woman to receive a degree in Mining Engineering at the University of Wisconsin. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She died a month after her 92nd birthday in Manhattan, New York.
1981 ~ John K. Northrop (né John Knudsen Northrop; b. Nov. 10, 1895), American airplane manufacturer and founder of the Northrop Corporation. He was born in Newark, New Jersey. He died at age 85.
1967 ~ J. Robert Oppenheimer (né Julius Robert Oppenheimer; b. Apr. 22, 1904), American physicist. He is known as the Father of the Atomic Bomb. He was born in New York, New York. He died of throat cancer at age 62 in Princeton, New Jersey.
1964 ~ Joseph-Armand Bombardier (b. Apr. 16, 1907), Canadian inventor of the snowmobile. He was born in Valcourt, Quebec, Canada. He died of cancer at age 56 in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
1964 ~ Clarence B. Kelland (né Clarence Budington Kelland, b. July. 18, 1881), American writer who described himself as the “best second-rated writer in America.” He was born in Portland, Michigan. He died at age 82 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
1933 ~ James Corbett (né James John Corbett, b. Sept. 1, 1866), American boxer. He was known as Gentleman Jim. He was born in San Francisco, California. He died of liver cancer at age 66 in Queens, New York.
1915 ~ Frank James (né Alexander Franklin James; b. Jan. 10, 1843), American wild west outlaw. He also served as a Confederate soldier in the American Civil War. He was the older brother of outlaw Jesse James. He was born and died in Clay County, Missouri. He died at age 72.
1910 ~ Lucy Stanton (b. Oct. 16, 1831), African-American abolitionist and activist for woman’s rights. She was the first African-American woman to graduate a four-year college or university. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1850. She was born in Ohio. She died at age 78 in Los Angeles, California.
1906 ~ John B. Stetson (né John Batterson Stetson; b. May 5, 1830), American hat manufacturer and inventor of the cowboy hat known as the Stetson Hat. He was born in Orange, New Jersey. He died at age 75 in DeLand, Florida.
1902 ~ Charles Lewis Tiffany (b. Feb. 15, 1812), American jeweler and designer. He founded Tiffany & Co. He introduced the first retail catalogue in the United States. He was the father of artist Louis Comfort Tiffany who was born on February 18, 1848, 54 years earlier. He was born in Killingly, Connecticut. Charles Lewis Tiffany died 3 days after his 90th birthday in Yonkers, New York.
1901 ~ Anna Gardner (b. Jan. 25, 1816), American abolitionist and women’s rights activist. She was born and died in Nantucket, Massachusetts. She died 24 days after her 85th birthday.
1899 ~ Sophus Lie (né Marius Sophus Lie; b. Dec. 17, 1842), Norwegian mathematician. The study of Lie algebra is named in his honor. He died of pernicious anemia at age 56 in Oslo, Norway.
1876 ~ Charlotte Cushman (née Charlotte Saunders Cushman; b. July 23, 1816), American stage actress. She was born and died in Boston, Massachusetts. She died of pneumonia at age 59.
1862 ~ Pierre Bretonneau (né Pierre-Fidèle Bretonneau; b. Apr. 3, 1778), French physician who performed the first successful tracheotomy. He studied the spread of various infectious diseases and named diphtheria, which at the time was one of the leading causes of death for young children. The term was derived from the Greek word Diphthera, which means leather, and was a reference to the disease’s signature physical feature in the back of a patient’s throat. He died at age 83 in Paris, France.
1851 ~ Carl Gustav Jakob Jacobi (b. Dec. 10, 1804), German mathematician. He was the first Jewish mathematician to be appointed at a German university. He was born in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia. He died at age 46 in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia.
1834 ~ William Wirt (b. Nov. 8, 1772), 9th United States Attorney General. He served under Presidents James Monroe and John Quincy Adams from November 1817 until March 1829. He is credited with turning the position of United States Attorney into one of great influence. He was born in Bladensburg, Maryland. He died at age 61 in Washington, D.C.
1790 ~ Elizabeth of Württemberg (b. Apr. 21, 1767), Archduchess of Austria and first wife of Francis, Archduke of Austria (Feb. 12, 1768 ~ Mar. 2, 1835). They married in 1788, before he became the Holy Roman Emperor, thus she was never the Empress consort. She was of the House of Württemberg. She was the daughter of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg and Princess Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt. She was Lutheran, but later converted to Roman Catholicism. She died in childbirth at age 22.
1743 ~ Anna Marie Luisa de’Medici (b. Aug. 11, 1667), the last of the Medicis. She was the Electress consort of Palatine. She was married to Johann Wilhelm, Elector of Palatine (1658 ~ 1716). They married in 1691 and she was his second wife. She was of the House of Medici. She was the daughter of Cosimo III de’Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Marguerite Louise d’Orléans. She died at age 75.
1712 ~ Louis, Duke of Burgundy (b. Aug. 16, 1682), Dauphin of France. He was never king, however, because he died while his grandfather, Louis XIV, was still on the throne. In 1697, he married to Princess Marie Adélaïde of Savoy (1685 ~ 1712). It was a happy marriage. They were the parents of Louis, XV, King of France. He was of the House of Bourbon. He was the son of Louis, Grand Dauphin and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. He was Roman Catholic. He died at age 29, just 6 days after the death of his wife. Both had contracted measles, which was the cause of death.
1654 ~ Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac (b. May 31, 1594), French writer. He died at age 59.
1564 ~ Michelangelo Buonarroti (né Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni; b. Mar. 6, 1475), Italian painter and sculptor. He was born in the Republic of Florence. He died about 2 weeks before his 89th birthday in Rome, Italy.
1546 ~ Martin Luther (b. Nov. 10, 1483), German monk and leader of the Protestant Reformation. After he left the priesthood, he married Katharine von Bora (1499 ~ 1552), an ex-nun. They married in 1525. He was born and died in Eisleben, County of Mansfeld, Holy Roman Empire. He died at age 62.
1502 ~ Hedwig Jagiellon (b. Sept. 21, 1457), Duchess consort of Bavaria-Lanshut. She was the wife of George, Duke of Bavaria-Landshut (1455 ~ 1503). She was of the Jagiellon Dynasty. She was the eldest daughter of Casimir IV Jagiellon, King of Poland and Elizabeth of Austria. She was Roman Catholic. She died at age 44.
1478 ~ George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence (b. Oct. 21, 1449), brother of two British kings: Edward IV of England and Richard III of England. He was married to Isabel Neville (1451 ~ 1476). He was convicted of treason against Edward IV and was executed in the Tower of London. He was of the House of York and Plantagent. His father, Richard Plantagenet was the 3rd Duke of York. His mother, Cecily Nivelle, was the Duchess of York. He was 28 years old at the time of his execution.
1455 ~ Fra Angelico (né Guido di Pietro; b. 1395), Italian artist and muralist. The exact date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been about 59 at the time of his death.
1445 ~ Infanta Maria of Aragon (b. Feb. 24, 1403), Queen consort of Castile and León. She was the first wife of John II, King of Castile and León. They married in 1420. They were the parents of Henry IV, King of Castile. She was of the House of Trastámara. She was the daughter oof Ferdinand I, King of Aragon and Eleanor of Alburquerque. She was Roman Catholic. She died 6 days before her 42nd birthday.
1294 ~ Kublai Khan (b. Sept. 23, 1215). Mongol Emperor and founder of the Yuan Dynasty. He reigned from May 1260 until his death 34 years later. He died at age 78.
999 ~ Pope Gregory V (né Bruno of Carinthia; b. 972). He was Pope from May 966 until his death on February 18, 999. The exact date of his birth is not known.
901 ~ Thābit ibn Qurra (b. 826), Iraqi physician and mathematician. The exact date of his birth is not known.
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