Birthdays:
1979 ~ Heath Ledger (né Heath Andrew Ledger; d. Jan. 22, 2008), Australian actor. He was born in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. He died of a drug overdose at age 28 in New York, New York.
1966 ~ Lisa Ewald (d. Mar. 31, 2020), American emergency nurse who treated coronavirus patients at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. She died 4 days before her 54 birthday from complications of Covid-19.
1964 ~ David Cross, American comedian and actor best known for his role in Arrested Development. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
1958 ~ Rebecca Dawn Shadowen (d. Sept. 11, 2020), American medical doctor, infectious disease specialist and health-care epidemiologist. She helped establish a Covid-19 unit at a hospital in Bowling Green, Kentucky. After she became ill with Covid-19, she continued to attend work meetings from her hospital bed. She was born in Louisville, Kentucky. She died at age 62 in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
1956 ~ David E. Kelley (né David Edward Kelley), American screenwriter and producer. He was born in Waterville, Maine. In 1993, he married actress Michelle Pfeiffer.
1950 ~ Christine Lahti (née Christine Ann Lahti), American actress. She was born in Birmingham, Michigan.
1949 ~ Shing-Tung Yau, Chinese mathematician. He was born in Shantou, Guangdong, China.
1948 ~ Richard Parsons (né Richard Dean Parsons), American executive and former CEO of Time Warner. He was born in New York, New York.
1944 ~ Craig T. Nelson (né Craig Theodore Nelson), American actor. He was born in Spokane, Washington.
1938 ~ A. Bartlett Giamatti (né Angelo Bartlett Giamatti, d. Sept. 1, 1989), 7th Commissioner of Major League Baseball. He is best known for being the Commissioner during the Pete Rose gambling scandal. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He died of a heart attack at age 51 in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts.
1932 ~ Andrei Tarkovsky (d. Dec. 29, 1986), Russian filmmaker. He died in Paris, France at age 54. This is some speculation that he may have been poisoned.
1932 ~ Anthony Perkins (d. Sept. 12, 1992), American actor best known for his portrayal of Norman Bates in Psycho. He was born in New York, New York. He died at age 60 in Los Angeles, California.
1932 ~ Charlie Powell (né Charles Elvin Powell; d. Sept. 1, 2014), African-American standout boxer who starred on the gridiron. He played professional football and was a professional boxer. He was born in Dallas, Texas. He died in San Diego, California at age 82.
1932 ~ Richard Lugar (né Richard Green Lugar; d. Apr. 28, 2019), American Hoosier Senator who shaped world affairs. He served in the United States Senator from Indiana from 1977 until 2013. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He died 24 days after his 87th birthday in Falls Church, Virginia.
1928 ~ Maya Angelou (née Margueritte Annie Johnson; d. May 28, 2014), African-American inspirational writer who chronicled the black experience. She was born in St. Louis, Minnesota. She died at age 86 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
1926 ~ Mildred Fay Jefferson (d. Oct. 15, 2010), African-American physician and anti-abortion activist. She was born in Pittsburg, Texas. She died in Cambridge, Massachusetts at age 84.
1924 ~ Joye Hummel (née Joye Evelyn Hummel; d. Apr. 5, 2021), American author and comic book writer who helped bring Wonder Woman to life. She was born in Long Island, New York. She died 1 day after her 97th birthday in Winter Haven, Florida.
1913 ~ Muddy Waters (né McKinley Morganfield, d. Apr. 30, 1983), African-American musician, considered the “father of modern Chicago blues.” He was born in Issaquena County, Mississippi. He died of heart failure 26 days after his 70thbirthday in Westmont, Illinois.
1906 ~ John Cameron Swayze (d. Aug. 15, 1995), American journalist. He was born in Wichita, Kansas. He died at age 89 in Sarasota, Florida.
1899 ~ Hillel Oppenheimer (né Heinz Reinhard Oppenheimer; d. June 15, 1971), German-Israeli botanist. He was born in Germany but emigrated to what is now Israel in 1925. He died at age 72.
1895 ~ Arthur Murray (né Moses Teichman, d. Mar. 3, 1991), American dancer and dance instructor. He was born in Galicia but emigrated to the United States in 1897. He died a month before his 96th birthday in Honolulu, Hawaii.
1880 ~ Baron Georg Ludwig von Trapp (né Georg Johannes Ludwig Ritter von Trapp; d. May 30, 1947), Austro-Hungarian navy officer and patriarch of the von Trapp family. His family’s story inspired the movie, The Sound of Music. He was born in Zadar, Croatia. He died of lung cancer at age 67 in Stowe, Vermont.
1869 ~ Mary Jane Colter (née Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter; d. Jan. 8, 1958), American architect. She was one of a very small group of female architects. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She died at age 88 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
1868 ~ Philippa Fawcett (née Philippa Garrett Fawcett; d. June 10, 1948), British mathematician. She was also an advocate for women’s rights. She was born and died in London, England. She died at age 80.
1842 ~ Édouard Lucas (d. Oct. 3, 1891), French mathematician. He was born in Amiens, France. He died of septicemia at age 49 in Paris, France. He had attended a banquet when a waiter dropped a plate, cutting his cheek, thereby causing a fatal infection.
1821 ~ Linus Yale, Jr. (d. Dec. 25, 1868), American mechanical engineer and inventor, best known for his invention of the cylinder locks. He was the founder of the Yale Lock Company. He was born in Salisbury, New York. He died of a heart attack at age 47 in New York, New York.
1819 ~ Maria II, Queen of Portugal (d. Nov. 15, 1853). She reigned from May 1826 to June 1828, then again from May 1834 until her death in 1853. She was known as Maria the Educator. She was married twice. Her first husband was Auguste de Beahuarnais, Duke of Luechtenberg (1810 ~ 1835). They married in 1835, but he died 2 months later. Her second husband was Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1816 ~ 1885). They married in 1836. He co-ruled with her until her death. She was of the House of Braganza. She was the daughter of Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil / Pedro IV, King of Portugal and Maria Leopoldina of Austria (née Archduchess Caroline Josepha Leopoldine of Austria). She was Roman Catholic. She died in childbirth at age 34.
1802 ~ Dorothea Dix (née Dorothea Lynde Dix; d. July 17, 1887), American prison and asylum reformer and social activist. She was a strong advocate for mental health issues. She was born in Hampden, Maine. She died in Trenton, New Jersey. She was 85 at the time of her death.
1772 ~ Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (d. Oct. 16, 1810), Ukrainian Jewish religious leader and founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement. He died of tuberculosis at age 38.
Events that Changed the World:
2023 ~ Finland officially joined NATO.
2023 ~ Former United States President Donald Trump (b. 1946) was arrested in New York after being indicted on charges of falsifying business records related to 2016 hush-money payments..
2021 ~ Easter Sunday.
2017 ~ The town of Khan Shaykhun, Syria was suffered from an airstrike, believed to be a sarin attack, after suspected government warplane soared overhead and dropped bombs. At least 72 civilians were killed in the attack, including numerous children.
2010 ~ Easter Sunday.
2010 ~ A 7.0 earthquake struck the California-Mexican border. Two people were killed.
1975 ~ Microsoft was founded as a partnership between Bill Gates (b. 1955) and Paul Allen (1953 ~ 2018).
1973 ~ The World Trade Center in New York was officially dedicated.
1969 ~ Dr. Denton Cooley (1920 ~ 2016) implanted the first artificial heart.
1968 ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 ~ 1968), was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
1949 ~ The North American Treaty Organization (NATO) was signed. The original countries to the Treaty were: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, and the United States.
1939 ~ Faisal II (1935 ~ 1958) became King of Iraq. He was the last king of Iraq and was killed at age 23 during the 14 July Revolution in 1958.
1905 ~ A massive earthquake struck in the Kangra Valley in India killing an estimated 20,000 people.
1887 ~ Susanna M. Salter (1860 ~ 1961) became the first female mayor elected in the United States when she was elected as mayor of Argonia, Kansas.
1873 ~ The Kennel Club was founded. It is the world’s first official registry of purebred dogs.
1850 ~ The city of Los Angeles, California became incorporated.
1841 ~ Vice President John Tyler (1790 ~ 1862) became President of the United States upon the death of President William Henry Harrison (1773 ~ 1841), thereby becoming the first President to assume office on the death of his predecessor.
1818 ~ The United States Congress adopted the Flag with 13 stripes and with 1 star for each state in the Union. There were 20 states at the time of the adoption of the Flag.
1796 ~ Georges Cuvier (1769 ~ 1832) gave the first known paleontological lecture at the École Centrale du Pantheon of the Muséum national d’histoire naturalle on living and fossil remains of elephants and related species. He is considered the founder of comparative anatomy and the science of Paleontology.
1768 ~ The first modern circus was staged in London, England.
1581 ~ Sir Francis Drake (1540 ~ 1596) was knighted for completing a circumnavigation of the world.
1147 ~ The first historical record of Moscow, Russia. The city is believed to have been founded by Yuri I Vladimirovich (1099 ~ 1157), a Rurikid prince.
Good-byes:
2023 ~ Billy Waugh (né William Dawson Waugh; b. Dec. 1, 1929), American special-ops legend who tracked bin Laden. He was known as the Godfather of the Green Berets. He was the CIA paramilitary operations officer who served more than 50 years between the Army’s Green Berets and the CIA’s Special Activities Division. He was born in Bastrop, Texas. He died at age 93 in Tampa, Florida.
2022 ~ Eric Boehlert (b. Dec. 6. 1965), American liberal critic and journalist who railed against bias in the press. He was born in Utica, New York. He was struck and killed by an eastbound New Jersey transit train while biking. He was 56 years old.
2021 ~ Robert Mundell (né Robert Alexander Mundell; b. Oct. 24, 1932), Canadian economist and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science. He is known as the father of the Euro. He was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He died of cancer in Siena, Tuscany, Italy at age 88.
2020 ~ Julie Butler (b. June 15, 1957), African-American veterinarian who for many years ran the only full-service animal clinic in Harlem. She earned her degree at Cornell University. She hired and mentored many aspiring vets and technicians in the largely African-American neighborhood. She was born in Washington, D.C. She died of Covid-19 at age 62.
2020 ~ Tom Dempsey (né Thomas John Dempsey; b. Jan. 12, 1947), American toeless football kicker who blasted field goals. He began his career in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints. He was known for his kicking style. He had been born with no toes on his right foot, so wore a special shoe. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He died in New Orleans, Louisiana at age 73 of Covid-19.
2015 ~ Jenny Wallenda (b. Oct. 8, 1927), German-born matriarch of the Wallenda family. She was the high-wire walker who followed family tradition, despite seeing her father and husband killed from high-wire accidents. She died of cancer at age 87 in Sarasota, Florida.
2013 ~ Roger Ebert (né Roger Joseph Ebert; b. June 18, 1942), American journalist and movie critic who gave cinema a big thumbs-up. He was born in Urbana, Illinois. He died at age 70 following a long battle with cancer in Chicago, Illinois.
2013 ~ Arthur James “The Bulldog” Donovan, Jr. (b. June 5, 1924), Hall of Fame tackle for the Baltimore Colts. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He died at age 89 in Baltimore, Maryland.
2010 ~ Clifford M. Hardin (né Clifford Morris Hardin; b. Oct. 9, 1915), 17th United States Secretary of Agriculture. He served during the Richard Nixon administration from January 1969 until November 1971. He was born in Knightstown, Indiana. He died at age 94 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
1997 ~ Leo Picard (b. June 3, 1900), German-Israeli geologist. He died at age 96.
1993 ~ Alfred Butts (né Alfred Mosher Butts; b. Apr. 13, 1899), American architect and inventor of the game of Scrabble. He was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. He died 9 days before his 94th birthday in Rhinebeck, New York.
1991 ~ Max Frisch (né Max Rudolf Frisch; b. May 15, 1911), Swiss playwright and novelist. He was born and died in Zurich, Switzerland. He died about 6 weeks before his 80th birthday.
1983 ~ Gloria Swanson (née Gloria May Josephine Swanson, b. Mar. 27, 1899), American actress. She is best known for her role as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. She was born in Chicago, Illinois. She died about a week after her 84thbirthday in New York, New York.
1979 ~ Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (b. Jan. 5, 1928) 4th President of Pakistan. He was executed at age 51 following a coup.
1972 ~ Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (b. Nov. 29, 1908), 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.
1968 ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. (né Michael King, Jr., b. Jan. 15, 1929), African-American Civil Rights activist and recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee at age 39.
1961 ~ Simion Stoilow (b. Sept. 14, 1873), Romanian mathematician. He was born and died in Bucharest, Romania. He died at age 87 of a brain stroke.
1953 ~ Carol II, King of Romania (b. Oct. 15, 1893). He was King from June 1930 until his abdication in September 1940. He was married three times. His first marriage to Zizi Lambrino (1898 ~ 1953) was annulled. She was a commoner and his parents opposed the marriage. The marriage was deemed unconstitutional, which forced the annulment. He then married Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark (1896 ~ 1982). They married in 1921 and divorced in 1928. They were the parents of Michael I, King of Romania. His third wife, whom he married following his abdication, was his former mistress Magda Lupescu (1890s ~ 1977). He was of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. He was the son of Ferdinand I, King of Romania and Princess Marie of Edinburg. He was Romanian Orthodox. He died at age 59.
1944 ~ Rose O’Neill (née Rose Cecil O’Neill; b. June 25, 1874), American cartoonist and illustrator. She is best known for creating the iconic Kewpie. She was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She died of heart failure at age 69 in Springfield, Missouri.
1933 ~ Elizabeth Bacon Custer (née Elizabeth Clift Bacon; b. Apr. 8, 1842), American author and educator. She was the wife and widow of General George Custer. She was born in Monroe, Michigan. She died 4 days before her 91st birthday in New York, New York.
1932 ~ Wilhelm Ostwald (né Friedrich Wilhlem Ostwald, b. Sept. 2, 1853), German chemist and recipient of the 1909 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on catalysis, chemical equilibria, and reaction velocities. He is sometime known as being the father of modern physical chemistry. He died at age 78.
1931 ~ André Michelin (né André Jules Michelin; b. Jan. 16, 1953), French industrialist. He co-founded, along with his brother, the Michelin Tire Company. He published the first Michelin Guide, which was designed to promote his tire company. He was born and died in Paris, France. He died at age 78.
1930 ~ Victoria of Baden (née Sophie Marie Viktoria; b. Aug. 7, 1862), Queen consort of Sweden and wife of Gustaf V, King of Sweden (1858 ~ 1950). They married in 1881. They were the parents of Gustaf VI Adolf, King of Sweden. She was of the House of Zähringen. She was the daughter of Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden and Princess Louise of Prussia. She died at age 67.
1929 ~ Karl Benz (né Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant; b. Nov. 25, 1844), German engineer and businessman. He is generally considered to be the inventor of the gas-powered automobile. Along with his wife, Bertha (1849 ~ 1944), they founded the Mercedes-Benz car manufacturing company. He died at age 84.
1923 ~ John Venn (b. Aug. 4, 1834), English mathematician. He is best known for introducing the Venn diagram into the field of mathematics. He died at age 88 in Cambridge, England.
1912 ~ Isaac Kaufmann Funk (né Isaac Kaufmann Funk; b. Sept. 10, 1839), American lexicographer and publisher. He was a co-founder of Funk and Wagnalls. He was also a Lutheran minister. He was born in Clifton, Ohio. He died at age 72 in Montclair, New Jersey.
1861 ~ John McLean (b. Mar. 11, 1785), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was nominated to the High Court by President Andrew Jackson. He served on the Court until his death 32 years later in April 1861. He was one of two Justices who dissented in the Dred Scott case. He replaced Robert Trimble on the High Court. He had previously served as the 6th United States Postmaster General under Presidents James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, from June 1823 until March 1829. He was born in Morris County, New Jersey. He died less than a month after his 76thbirthday in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1846 ~ Solomon Sibley (b. Oct. 7, 1769), 1st Mayor of Detroit, Michigan. He served as Mayor in 1806. He was born in Sutton, Massachusetts. He died at age 76 in Detroit, Michigan.
1841 ~ William Henry Harrison, Sr. (b. Feb. 9, 1773), 9th President of the United States. He caught pneumonia during his inauguration speech and died a month after taking Office. He was the first President to die in office and he served for the shortest term in American history. He was born in Charles City County, Virginia, British America. He died at age 68 in Washington, D.C.
1774 ~ Oliver Goldsmith (b. Nov. 10, 1728), Anglo-Irish novelist and playwright. He is best known for his play She Stoops to Conquer. He was born in Ireland. He died at age 45 in London, England.
1617 ~ John Napier (b. 1550), Scottish mathematician. He is best known for as the inventor of logarithms. He was born and died in Edinburgh, Scotland. The exact date of his birth is not known; he is believed to be 66 or 67 at the time of his death.
1588 ~ Frederick II, King of Denmark and Norway. (b. July 1, 1534). He reigned from January 1559 until his death in 1588. He was married to Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (1557 ~ 1631). They married in 1572. He was of the House of Oldenburg. He was the son of Christian III, King of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. He was Lutheran. He died at age 53. He was succeeded by his son, Christian IV.
1538 ~ Elena Glinskaya (b. 1510), Grand Princess consort of Moscow. She was the second wife of Vasili III, Grand Prince of Moscow (1479 ~ 1533). She was of the House of Glinski. She was the daughter of Vasili Lvovich Glinsky and Ana Jakšić. She was Eastern Orthodox. The exact date of her birth is unknown, but she is believed to have been about 27 or 28 at the time of her death. She is believed to have been poisoned.
1406 ~ Robert III, King of Scotland (né Robert Stuart, b. 1337). He reigned from April 1390 until his death 16 years later. He was married to Anabella Drummond (1350 ~ Oct. 1401). They married in 1367. He was of the House of Stuart. He was the son of Robert II, King of Scotland and Elizabeth Mure. The exact date of his birth is not known. He is believed to have been about age 68 or 69 at the time of his death.
1292 ~ Pope Nicholas IV (né Girolamo Masci; b. Sept. 30, 1227). He was Pope from February 1288 until his death 4 years later. He was 64 at the time of his death.
1284 ~ Alfonso X, King of Castile and León(b. Nov. 23, 1221). He reigned from June 1252 until his death 32 years later. He was known as Alfonso the Wise. He was married to Violant of Aragon (1236 ~ 1301). They married in 1249. He was of the Castilian House of Ivrea. He was the son of Ferdinand III, King of Castile and Elisabeth of Swabia. He was Roman Catholic. He died at age 62.
896 ~ Pope Formosus (b. 816). He reigned as Pope from October 6, 891 until his death on this date in 896. The exact date of his birth is unknown.
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