September 21

Birthdays:

1957 ~ Ethan Coen, American film director and screenwriter.

1950 ~ Bill Murray, American actor and comedian.

1947 ~ Stephen King, American suspense and horror author.  He is from Maine and graduated from the University of Maine.

1945 ~ Jerry Bruckheimer, American film and television producer.

1944 ~ Hamilton Jordan (né William Hamilton McWhorter Jordan, d. 2008), 8^th White House Chief of Staff.  He was the political advisor who had President Jimmy Carter’s ear.

1944 ~ Fanny Flagg (née Patricia Neal), American actress, comedian and writer.  She is best known for her novel, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café.

1941 ~ R. James Woolsey, Jr. (né Robert James Woolsey, Jr.), 16^th Director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.  He served in the Bill Clinton administration.

1940 ~ Bill Kurtis, American journalist.

1936 ~ Diane Rehm, American radio host.

1934 ~ Leonard Cohen, Canadian songwriter.

1931 ~ Larry Hagman (d. 2012), American actor best known for his role as J.R. Ewing on the TV series, Dallas.

1930 ~ Romulus Linney (d. 2011), American playwright who drew on his Southern boyhood.

1926 ~ Donald Glaser (d. 2013), American physicist and recipient of the 1960 Nobel Prize for Physics.

1917 ~ Phyllis Nicholson (d, 1968), English mathematician.

1914 ~ John Kluge (d. 2010), German-born immigrant to the United States who built a media empire.

1902 ~ Allen Lane (d. 1970), British publisher and founder of Penguin Books.

1884 ~ Dénes Kőnig (d. 1944), Hungarian mathematician.

1874 ~ Gustav Holst (d. 1934), English composer.

1867 ~ Henry L. Stimson (d. 1950), 46^th United States Secretary of State.  He served under President William Taft.

1866 ~ H.G. Wells (né Herbert George Wells, d. 1946), English writer.

1866 ~ Charles Nicolle (d. 1936), French bacteriologist and recipient of the 1928 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work in the identification of lice as transmitters of typhus.

1853 ~ Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (d. 1926), Dutch physicist and recipient of the 1913 Nobel Prize in Physics.

1849 ~ Maurice Barrymore (né Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe, d. 1905), he was patriarch of the Barrymore family.  Drew Barrymore can thank her lucky stars for him!

1788 ~ Margaret Taylor (d. 1853), 13^th First Lady of the United States and wife of President Zachary Taylor.

1758 ~ Christopher Gore (d. 1827), 5^th Governor of Massachusetts.

1756 ~ John McAdam (d. 1836).  Scottish engineer, road builder and inventor.  Without his invention would we still be driving on dirt roads?

1645 ~ Louis Joliet (d. 1700), Canadian explorer.

1452 ~ Girolamo Savonarola (d. 1498), Italian-Dominican priest and philosopher.

1415 ~ Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1493).

Events that Changed the World:

2005 ~ Hurricane Rita struck the Gulf Coast.

1999 ~ A massive earthquake in Taiwan kill approximately 2500 people.

1981 ~ Sandra Day O’Connor (b. 1930) was unanimously approved by the US Senate as the first female Supreme Court Justice.  She served on the Court from 1981 until her retirement in 2006.

1972 ~ Ferdinand Marcos (1917 ~ 1989) placed The Philippines under martial law.

1970 ~ The New York Times began the first modern op-ed page.  Who know that was so recent!

1942 ~ This date marked Yom Kippur.  Jews throughout Poland and the Ukraine were either sent to concentration camps or were executed.  While this was a common practice by the Nazis, it was particularly horrific as it occurred on the holiest day of the Jewish year.

1938 ~ The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 made landfall in New England.  Hurricanes rarely have a direct impact on the northern States.  This was the first recorded major hurricane to strike in New York and New England.  It was the costliest hurricane to hit the northeast until Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

1898 ~ The Empress Dowager Cixi (1935 ~ 1908) seized power in China, becoming the de facto ruler over the Manchu Qing Dynasty.  Her actions on this date ended the Hundred Days’ Reform in China.

1897 ~ The famous Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus editorial was published in The New York Sun newspaper.  Virginia O’Hanlon (1889 ~ 1971), began to question the existence of Santa Claus, so she wrote to her newspaper.  The paper responded in the affirmative, addressing the philosophical rational for believing in St. Nick.

1843 ~ John Williams Wilson took possession of the Strait of Magellan on behalf of the Chilean government.

1780 ~ Benedict Arnold gave the British the plans to West Point.

Good-Byes:

2012 ~ Sven Hassel (b. 1917), Danish novelist who humanized German soldiers from the World War II era.

1998 ~ Florence Griffith Joyner (b. 1959), American athlete.  She was known as Flo-Jo.

1974 ~ Jacqueline Susann (b. 1918), American novelist, best known for her book, The Valley of the Dolls.

1974 ~ Walter Brennan (b. 1894), American actor.  He is best known for his role on the TV show, The Real McCoys.

1971 ~ Bernardo Houssay (b. 1887), Argentine physiologist and recipient of the 1947 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the role of the pituitary homes in regulating blood sugar levels.

1961 ~ Hilda Doolittle (b. 1886), American poet and novelist.  She died 11 days after her 75^th birthday.

1957 ~ King Haakon VII of Norway (b. 1872).

1904 ~ Chief Joseph (b. 1840), Nez Perce leader.

1880 ~ Manuel Montt (b. 1809), Chilean politician and 6^th President of Chile.  He died less than three weeks following his 71^st birthday.

1832 ~ Sir Walter Scott (b. 1771), Scottish writer and poet.

1576 ~ Gerolamo Cardano (b. 1501), Italian mathematician.

1558 ~ Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1500).

1327 ~ King Edward II of England (b. 1284).

1235 ~ King Andrew II of Hungary (b. 1175).

687 ~ Pope Conon (b. 630).  He was Pope from October 21, 686 until his death just under a year later.

19 BCE ~ Virgil (b. 70 BCE), Roman poet.