April 18

Birthdays:

1963~ Conan Christopher O’Brien, American comedian.  He was born in Brookline, Massachusetts.

1961~ Jane Leeves, British actress best known for her role as Daphne Moon on the television sit-com Frasier.

1960~ J. Christopher Stevens (né John Christopher Stevens, d. Sept. 11, 2012), American diplomat and the 10^thAmbassador to Libya.  He was killed during a violent attack by militant Islamics in Benghazi, Libya on the American embassy.  He was a career diplomat who had served in U.S. missions throughout the Middle East and whose last mission was focused on supporting a democratic transition in the Libya.  He was 52 years old.

1956~ Melody Thomas Scott, American actress best known for her role as Nikki Newman on The Young and the Restless.

1947~ James Howard Woods, American actor.

1946~ Hayley Mills (née Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills), English actress, best known for her role as Pollyanna in the movie of the same name.

1940~ Joseph Leonard Goldstein, American biologist and recipient of the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his studies in cholesterol.

1927~ Samuel Phillips Huntington (d. Dec. 24, 2008), American scholar who predicted a class of cultures.  He was best known for arguing that religion and culture, particularly Christianity and Islam, would fuel the conflicts of the 21^stcentury.  He died in Martha’s Vinyard at age 81.

1927~ Tadeusz Mazowiecki (d. Oct. 28, 2013), Polish author and editor who became Poland’s first post-communist leader.  He was the 1^stPrime Minister from August 1989 until January 1991.  He died at age 86.

1924~ Gatemouth Brown (néClarence Brown, Jr., d. Sept. 10, 2005), American singer-songwriter and guitarist.  He was born in Vinton, Louisiana.  He died at age 81.

1922~ Barbara Hale (d. Jan. 26, 2017), American actress best known for her role as Della Street on the TV show, Perry Mason.  She was 94 years old.

1905~ George Herbert Hitchings (d. Feb. 27, 1998), American physician and recipient of the1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He died at age 92.

1902~ Menachem Mendel Schneerson (d. June 12, 1994), Russian-born Lubavitcher Rebbe.  He was the last rebbe of the Lubavitcher Hasidic dynasty.  He died at age 92.

1882~ Leopold Anthony Stokowski (d. Sept. 13, 1977), Polish-born conductor.  He died of a heart attack at age 95.

1857~ Clarence Seward Darrow (d. Mar. 13, 1938), American attorney.  He is best known for defending John Scopes in the famous Monkey Trial, which was about teaching evolution in the Tennessee schools.  He was a leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union.  He died about a month before his 81^stbirthday of pulmonary heart disease.

1813~ James McCune Smith (d. Nov. 17, 1865), African-American physician and abolitionist.  He earned his medical degree in Scotland and returned to the United States to practice medicine.  He was the first African-American to hold a medical degree.  He died of congestive heart failure at age 52.

1799~ John Young Mason (d. Oct. 3, 1859), 18^thUnited States Attorney General.  He served during the James Polk administration from March 1845 until October 1946.  He also served as the 16^thUnited States Secretary of the Navy during the John Tyler administration from March 1844 until March 1945.  From September 1846 until March 1849, he served as the 18^thSecretary of the Navy during the Polk administration.  He died at age 60.

1503~ Henry II of Navarre (d. May 25, 1555).  He was King of Navarre from February 1517 until his death in 1555. He died at age 52.

1480~ Lucrezia Borgia (d. June 24, 1519), Florentine ruler and illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI.  She died at age 39 following complications of childbirth.

1446~ Ippolita Maria Sforza (d. Aug. 20, 1484), Italian nobelwoman.  She died at age 38.

Events that Changed the World:

2017~ Federal Taxes due.

2016~ Boston Marathon.

2014~ Good Friday.

2014~ Sixteen people were killed in an avalanche on Mount Everest.

1983~ A suicide bomber destroyed the American embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 63 people.

1954~ Gamal Abdal Nasser (1918 ~ 1970) took over leadership in Egypt.

1949~ Ireland left the British Commonwealth and became the Republic of Ireland.

1946~ The International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands began operation.

1924~ Simon & Schuster published the first crossword puzzle book.

1923~ Yankee Stadium, known as The House that Babe Ruth Built, opened for the first time.

1906~ The San Francisco earthquake and fire began.  Much of the city was destroyed.

1902~ Quatzaltenango, Guatemala was destroyed by an earthquake killing hundreds of people.

1880~ A strong tornado hit in Marshfield, Missouri, killing nearly 100 people.

1831~ The University of Alabama was founded in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

1775~ Paul Revere (1735 ~ 1818) made his famous mid-night ride to warn the Americans that the British were arriving by sea.

1518~ Bona Sforza (1494 ~ 1557) was crowned as queen consort of Poland.  She was married to Sigismund I of Poland.

1506~ Construction on St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome began.

Good-Byes:

2012~ Dick Clark (né Richard Augustus Wagstaff Clark, b. Nov. 30, 1929), American radio and television personality, best known for hosting American Bandstand. He was 82 years old.

2008~ Joy Page (née Joy Cerrette Paige, b. Nov. 9, 1924), American actress best known for her role as Annina Brandel in the film Casablanca.  She was 83 years old.

2002~ Thor Heyerdahl (b. Oct. 6, 1914), Norwegian explorer and adventurer.  He is best known for his Kon-Tikiexpedition in 1947.  He died at age 87.

1999~ Gian-Carlo Rota (b. Apr. 27, 1932), Italian-born mathematician.  He died of cardiac arrest 9 days before his 67^thbirthday.

1995~ Arturo Frondizi (b. Oct. 28, 1908), 32^ndPresident of Argentina. He served as President from May 1958 until March 1962.  He died at age 86.

1964~ Ben Hecht (b. Feb. 28, 1894), American playwright.  He died at age 70.

1955~ Albert Einstein (b. Mar. 14, 1879), German-born American physicist and recipient of the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He died just over a month after his 76^thbirthday.

1945~ Ernie Pyle (néErnest Taylor Pyle, b. Aug. 3, 1900), American journalist.  He was killed reporting during World War II.  He was 44 years old.

1945~ Sir John Ambrose Fleming (b. Nov. 29, 1849), British physicist and inventor of the vacuum tube.  He died at age 95.

1942~ Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (b. Jan. 9, 1875), American socialite and patron of the arts.  She was the founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art.  She died at age 67.

1923~ Pieter Hendrick Schoute (b. Jan. 21, 1846), Dutch mathematician.  He died at age 77.

1853~ William Rufus DeVane King (b. April 7, 1786), 13^thVice President of the United States.  He served under President Franklin Pierce from March 1853 until April 1853.  He had been ill with tuberculosis and had gone to Cuba to recover his health.  Because of this, he was allowed by an Act of Congress to take his oath as Vice President outside the United States.  He also served as Vice President for only 6 weeks before he died.  He died 11 days after his 67^th birthday.