January 20

Birthdays:

1972 ~ Nikki Haley, American politician.  She served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations during the Donald Trump administration.

1968 ~ Melissa Rivers, American actress and television host.  She is the daughter of Joan Rivers.

1967 ~ Kellyann Conway, American political strategist for Donald Trump.

1966 ~ Rainn Dietrich Wilson, American actor, best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on The Office.

1965 ~ Sophie, Countess of Wessex (née Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones), wife of Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II.

1956 ~ William “Bill” Maher, American political comedian and television host.

1948 ~ Natan Sharansky, Russian-born Israeli physicist and politician.

1946 ~ David Keith Lynch, American film director.

1939 ~ Chandra Wickramasinghe, Sri Lankan mathematician and astronomer.

1936 ~ Frances Shand Kydd (d. June 3, 2004), British mother of Diana, Princess of Wales.  She died of Parkinson’s disease at age 68.

1931 ~ David Morris Lee, American physicist and recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics.

1930 ~ Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin, American astronaut.

1929 ~ Frank Joseph Kush (d. June 22, 2017), American tough coach who made Arizona State a football powerhouse.  He died at age 88.

1929 ~ Arte Johnson (né Arthur Stanton Eric Johnson), American actor.

1927 ~ Denise McCluggage (d. May 6, 2015), American female racer who shattered stereotypes.  In 1959, she became the first woman to win a sports-car event at the Thompson Raceway in Connecticut.  She died at age 88.

1926 ~ Patricia Neal (née Patsy Louise Neal, d. Aug. 8, 2010), American actress.  She died at age 84 of lung cancer.

1920 ~ Frederico Fellini (d. Oct. 31, 1993), Italian movie director.  He died of a stroke at age 73.

1920 ~ DeForest Kelley (d. June 11, 1999), American actor best known for his role as Bones on Star Trek.  He died of stomach cancer at age 79.

1914 ~ Gerald Herbert Holtom (d. Sept. 18, 1985), British artist and designer.  In 1958, He designed the peace symbol logo for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.  He died at age 71.

1910 ~ Joy Adamson (née Friederike Victoria Gessner Adamson, d. Jan. 3, 1980), Czech conservationist best known for her books about Elsa the lion raised in her home in Africa, including Born Free, Living Free, and Forever Free.  She was murdered by a former and disgruntled employee just 17 days before her 70^th birthday.

1906 ~ Aristotle Socrates Onassis (d. Mar. 15, 1975), Greek shipping magnate and second husband of Jacqueline Kennedy.  He also had a long-term affair with opera singer Maria Callas.  He died at age 69.

1896 ~ George Burns (né Nathan Birmbaum, d. Mar. 9, 1996), American actor and comedian.  He died at age 100.

1895 ~ Gábor Szegő (d. Aug. 7, 1985), Hungarian mathematician.  He died at age 90.

1894 ~ Harold Lincoln Gray (d. May 9, 1968), American cartoonist and creator of Little Orphan Annie.  He died at age 74.

1873 ~ Johannes Vilhelm Jensen (d. Nov. 25, 1950), Danish writer and recipient of the 1944 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He died at age 77.

1834 ~ George Dexter Robinson (né George Washington Robinson, d. Feb. 22, 1896), 34^th Governor of Massachusetts.  He served as governor from January 1884 until January 1887.  He died just over a month after his 62^nd birthday.

1798 ~ Anson Jones (d. Jan. 9, 1858), the 4^th and last President of the Republic of Texas.  He was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.  He committed suicide 11 days before his 60^th birthday.

1775 ~ André-Marie Ampère (d. June 10, 1836), French physicist and mathematician.  He died at age 61.

1741 ~ Carl Linnaeus the Younger (d. Nov. 1, 1783), Swedish naturalist.  He died at age 42.

1292 ~ Elizabeth of Bohemia (d. Sept. 28, 1330), Queen Consort of John of Luxembourg.  She died at age 38.

Events that Changed the World:

2017 ~ Donald J. Trump (b. 1946) was inaugurated as the 45^th President of the United States.

2009 ~ Barack Obama (b. 1961) was inaugurated as the 44^th President and the first African-American President of the United States.

2001 ~ George W. Bush (b. 1946) was inaugurated as the 43^rd President of the United States.

1991 ~ The Sudanese government imposed Islamic law across the country, which worsened the civil war between the country’s Muslim north and the Christian south.

1987 ~ Terry Waite (b. 1939), a representative from the Church of England, was kidnapped in Lebanon.  He would be released 4 years later on November 18, 1991.

1986 ~ Martin Luther King, Jr., Day was celebrated for the first time as a federal holiday.

1981 ~ Iran released 52 American hostages who had been held for 444 days.  The release was timed to occur 20 minutes after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration into the United States Presidency.

1961 ~ John F. Kennedy (1917 ~ 1963) was inaugurated as the 35^th President of the United States.

1953 ~ Dwight David Eisenhower (1890 ~ 1969) was inaugurated as the 34^th President of the United States.

1949 ~ President Harry Truman (1884 ~ 1972) announced his Point Four Program, which was a program designed to provide economic aid to poor countries.  He announced this Program in his inaugural address for a full term as President.

1942 ~ Senior Nazi officials met at the Wannsee Conference to discuss the implementation of “The Final Solution to the Jewish Question.”

1936 ~ King Edward VIII (1894 ~ 1972) became King of the United Kingdom.  He would abdicate the throne 11 months later in order to marry Wallis Simpson (1896 ~ 1986).

1934 ~ The photographic and electronics company, Fujifilm, was founded in Japan.

1929 ~ The first full-length talking motion picture that was filmed outdoors was released.  The movie was called In Old Arizona.

1920 ~ The American Civil Liberties Union was founded.

1887 ~ The US Navy was granted permission to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.

1885 ~ The roller coaster was patented by LaMarcus Adna Thompson (1848 ~ 1919).

1841 ~ Great Britain began its occupation of Hong Kong.

1783 ~ Great Britain signed a peace treaty with France and Spain officially ending the hostilities relating to the American War of Independence.

1649 ~ The trial of King Charles I (1600 ~ 1649) of England for treason and other “high crimes” began.  He was executed 20 days later.

1523 ~ Christian II (1481 ~ 1559) was forced to abdicate the throne as King of Denmark and Norway following his slaughter of Swedish nobility.  He was deposed in a rebellion.

1265 ~ The First English parliament conducted its first meeting.  It was held by Simon de Montfort (1208 ~ 1265) in the Palace of Westminster, now referred to as the Houses of Parliament.

Good-Byes:

2016 ~ George Weidenfeld, Baron Weidenfeld (b. Sept. 13, 1919), British Jewish refugee who became a publishing legend.  He was born in Vienna, Austria, but escaped to England during World War II.  He died at age 96.

2014 ~ Claudio Abbado (b. June 26, 1933), Italian conductor who achieved global presence.  He died at age 80.

2013 ~ Larry Selman (b. Apr. 2, 1942), American street philanthropist of Greenwich Village.  He weighed 3 pounds at birth and was not expected to live.  He went on to overcome a mental disability and became a skilled charity fundraiser.  He died at age 70.

2012 ~ Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins, b. Jan. 25, 1938), American singer.  She died 5 days before her 74^th birthday.

2011 ~ Reynolds Price (né Edward Reynolds Price, b. Feb. 1, 1933), American novelist who knew the South best.  His first novel, A Long and Happy Life, won the William Faulkner Award.  He died 12 days before his 78^th birthday.

2003 ~ Albert “Al” Hirschfeld (b. June 21, 1903), American illustrator.  He died at age 99.

1996 ~ Gerry Mulligan (né Gerald Joseph Mulligan, b. Apr. 6, 1927), American jazz saxophonist and composer.  He died at age 68 following complications of knee surgery.

1993 ~ Audrey Hepburn (née Audrey Kathleen Ruston, b. May 4, 1929), Anglo-Dutch actress best known for her role as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  She died of cancer at age 63.

1990 ~ Barbara Stanwyck (née Ruby Catherine Stevens, b. July 16, 1907), American actress.  She died at age 82.

1984 ~ Johnny Weissmuller (né Johann Peter Weissmüller, b. June 2, 1904), Hungarian-born American swimmer and actor, best known for his role as Tarzan in the movies.  He died at age 79 of pulmonary edema.

1936 ~ King George V of the United Kingdom (b. June 3, 1865).  He was King from May 1910 until his death 26 years later.  He died at age 70.

1908 ~ John Ordronaux (b. 1830), American Civil War army surgeon and pioneer in mental health.  The actual date of his birth is not known.

1907 ~ Agnes Mary Clerke (b. Feb. 10, 1842), Irish astronomer.  The lunar crater Clerke is named in her honor.  She died 21 days before her 65^th birthday.

1900 ~ John Ruskin (b. Feb. 8, 1819), English author.  He died 19 days before his 81^st birthday.

1891 ~ King Kalākaua of Hawaii (b. Nov. 16, 1836).  He died at age 54.

1875 ~ Jean-François Millet (b. Oct. 4, 1814), French painter.  He died at age 60.

1848 ~ Christian VIII of Denmark (b. Sept. 18, 1786).  He was king from December 1839 until his death 8 years later.  He was 61 at the time of his death.

1837 ~ Sir John Soane (b. Sept. 10, 1753), English architect.  He died at age 83.

1612 ~ Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. July 18, 1552).  He died at age 59.

1590 ~ Giambattista Benedetti (b. Aug. 14, 1530), Italian mathematician and physicist.  He died at age 59.

250 ~ Pope Fabian (b. 200).  He was murdered when Roman Emperor Decius began persecutions of Christians.  The date of his birth is not known.