May 30

Birthdays:

1958 ~ Ted McGinley, American actor best known for his role on Married with Children.

1951 ~ Stephen Tobolowsky, American actor and director.

1945 ~ Gladys Horton (d. Jan. 26, 2011), American singer who was the Motown star who made the song Please, Mr. Postman famous.  She died at age 65.

1943 ~ James Chaney (d. June 21, 1964), American civil rights activist who was murdered during Freedom Summer.  He was killed 22 days after his 21^st birthday.

1926 ~ Christine Jorgensen (né George William Jorgensen, Jr., d. May 3, 1989), American transgender woman.  She is the first American to have sex reassignment surgery.  She died 3 weeks before her 63^rd birthday.

1922 ~ Gilbert “Gil” Chancy (d. Mar. 2011), African-American Hall of Fame Boxer and trainer.  He died at age 88.

1912 ~ Julius Axelrod (b. Dec. 29, 2004), American biochemist and recipient of the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He died at age 92.

1910 ~Harry Bernstein (d. June 3, 2011), British-born journalist and author.  He is best known for his book, The Invisible Wall, which described his life as a Jewish young child in a small town in England.  This book was published when he was 96 years old.  He died just 4 days after his 101th birthday in New York City.

1909 ~ Benny Goodman (né Benjamin David Goodman, d. June 13, 1986), American clarinetist and bandleader.  He died 14 days after his 77^th birthday.

1908 ~ Mel Blanc (né Melvin Jerome Black, d. July 10, 1989), American voice actor known for creating the voices of many cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Sylvester the cat.  He died of heart disease and emphysema at age 81.

1908 ~ Hannes Alfvén (d. Apr. 2, 1995), Swedish physicist and recipient of the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He died at age 86.

1903 ~ Countee Cullen (né Coleman Rutherford, d. Jan. 9, 1946), African-American poet and author.  He died at age 42.

1901 ~ Cornelia Otis Skinner (d. July 9, 1979), American writer and actress.  She died at age 80.

1869 ~ Grace Andrews (d. July 27, 1951), American mathematician.  She died at age 82.

1846 ~ Peter Carl Fabergé (d. Sept. 24, 1920), Russian goldsmith and jeweler.  He died at age 74.

1814 ~ Eugène Charles Catalan (d. Feb. 14, 1894), Belgian mathematician.  He died at age 79.

1757 ~ Henry Addington, 1^st Viscount Sidmouth (d. Feb. 15, 1844), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.  He was in Office from March 1801 until May 1804 during the reign of King George III.  He died at age 86.

1423 ~ Georg von Peuerbach (b. Apr. 8, 1461), German-Austrian mathematician and astronomer.  He died at age 37.

Events that Changed the World:

2012 ~ Former Liberian president Charles Taylor (b. 1948) was sentenced to 50 years in prison for his role in crimes against humanity committed during the Sierra Leone Civil War.

2011 ~ Memorial Day was celebrated in the United States.

2005 ~ American student from Alabama, Natalee Holloway (b. 1986), disappeared while on a high school trip to Aurba.  She was believed to have been murdered.  In January 2012, an Alabama judge declared her legally dead.

1998 ~ A 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan, killing at least 5,000 people.

1972 ~ Members of the Japanese Red Army carried out a massacre at the Lod Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.  Twenty-four people were killed and over 70 others were injured.

1967 ~ The eastern region of Nigeria declared its independence as the Republic of Biafra.  This declaration sparked a civil war, and after two and a half years, after many of its citizens were murdered, Biafra reintergrated into Nigeria.

1942 ~ During World War II, 1000 British bombers launched a 90-minute attack on Cologne, Germany.

1922 ~ The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., was dedicated.

1911 ~ The first Indianapolis 500 automobile race ended.  Ray Harroun (1879 ~ 1968) was the first winner of this race.

1806 ~ Andrew Jackson (1767 ~ 1845) killed Charles Dickinson (1780 ~ 1806) in a duel after Dickinson accused Rachel Jackson (1767 ~ 1828), Andrew’s wife, of bigamy.

1635 ~ The Peace of Prague was signed effectively ending the civil aspects of the Thirty Years’ War.

1574 ~ Henry III (1551 ~ 1589) became King of France.

1536 ~ King Henry VIII (1491 ~ 1547) of England married Jane Seymour (1508 ~ 1537).  She would die the following year in childbirth.

1431 ~ During the Hundred Years’ War, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen, France, by an English-dominated tribunal.

70 ~ The date ascribed during the Siege of Jerusalem when Titus and his Roman legions breached the Second Wall surrounding the city.  The Jewish defenders were forced to retreat to the First Wall.

Good-Byes:

2015 ~ Joseph “Beau” Biden (né Joseph Robinette Biden, b. Feb. 3, 1969), American son of Vice President Joseph Biden who dedicated his life to public service.  He served as the 44^th Attorney General of Delaware.  He had suffered from brain cancer and was 46 years old at the time of his death.

2015 ~ James “Jim” Bailey (b. Jan. 10, 1938), American entertainer and female impersonator who became a diva.  He was 77 years old.

2012 ~ Jack Twyman (né John Kennedy Twyman, b. May 21, 1934), All-Star basketball player who sent on off-court example.  He died 11 days after his 78^th birthday.

2012 ~ Sir Andrew Huxley (b. Nov. 22, 1917), English physiologist and biophysicist.  He was the recipient of the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He was also half brother of writer Aldous Huxley.  He died at age 94.

2011 ~ Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (b. July 19, 1921), American biophysicist and recipient of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  She died at age 89.

2009 ~ Ephraim Katzir (b. May 16, 1916), Israeli biophysicist.  He also served as the 4^th President of Israel.  He was President from May 1973 until May 1978.  He died 14 days after his 93^rd birthday.

1986 ~ Perry Ellis (b. Mar. 3, 1940), American fashion designer.  He died at age 46.

1975 ~ Steve Prefontaine (b. Jan. 25, 1951), American runner.  He died at age 24 in a car accident.

1971 ~ Marcel Dupré (b. May 3, 1886), French organist and composer.  He died 27 days after his 85^th birthday.

1967 ~ Claude Rains (né William Claude Rains, b. Nov. 10, 1889), English actor.  He is best known for his role in Casablanca.  He died in Laconia, New Hampshire at age 77.

1960 ~ Boris Pasternak (b. Feb. 10, 1890), Russian writer and recipient of the 1958 Nobel Peace Prize.  He is best known for his novel, Dr. Zhivago.  He died at age 70.

1947 ~ Georg Ludwig von Trapp (b. Apr. 4, 1880), Austro-Hungarian navy officer and patriarch of the von Trapp family.  His family’s story inspired the movie, The Sound of Music.  He died at age 67 in Stowe, Vermont.

1926 ~ Vladimir Skeklov (b. Jan. 9, 1864), Russian mathematician and physicist.  He died at age 62.

1912 ~ Wilber Wright (b. Apr. 16, 1867) American inventor, pioneer in aviation and airplane designer.  He, along with his brother, Orville, invented the airplane and founded the Wright company.  He died of typhoid fever at age 45.

1911 ~ Milton Bradley (b. Nov. 8, 1836), American businessman and founder of the Milton Bradley Company.  He was born in Maine and died in Massachusetts at age 74.

1901 ~ Victor D’Hondt (b. Nov. 20, 1841), Belgian mathematician.  He died at age 59.

1865 ~ John Catron (b. Jan. 7, 1786), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was appointed to the High Court by President Andrew Jackson.  He served on the Court from March 8, 1937 until his death at age 79 on this date in 1865.

1778 ~ Voltaire (né François-Marie Arouet, b. Nov. 21, 1694), French writer and philosopher.  He died at age 83.

1770 ~ François Boucher (b. Sept. 29, 1703), French painter.  He died at age 66.

1744 ~ Alexander Pope (b. May 21, 1688), English writer and poet.  He died 9 days after his 56^th birthday.

1670 ~ Johan Davenport (b. Apr. 9, 1597), English-American clergyman and co-founder of the New Haven Connecticut colony.

1640 ~ Sir Peter Paul Rubens (b. June 28, 1577), Flemish painter.  He was knighted by both King Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England.  He died 29 days before his 63^rd birthday

1593 ~ Christopher Marlowe (b. Feb. 26, 1564), English playwright.  He was stabbed to death at age 29.  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he was baptized on February 26.

1574 ~ King Charles IX of France (b. June 27, 1550).  He was King from December 1560 until his death at age 23 on this date in 1574.  He died most likely from tuberculosis 28 days before his 24^th birthday.  He was succeeded by his brother, Henry III.

1431 ~ Joan of Arc (b. Jan. 6, 1412), French military figure and saint.  She was condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake.  She was approximately 19 years old as the exact date of her birth is unknown, although Jan. 6 is commonly accepted as her birthdate.