April 6

Birthdays:

1975~ Zach Braff (néZachary Israel Braff), American actor.

1949~ Horst Ludwig Störmer, German physicist and recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physics.

1947~ John Dezso Ratzenberger, American actor, best known for his role as Cliff Claven on the television sit-com, Cheers.

1947~ Michael Worboys, English mathematician and computer scientist.

1942~ Anita Pallenberg (d. June 13, 2017), Italian actress who inspired the Rolling Stones.  She died at age 75.

1942~ Barry Levinson, American producer and movie director.

1937~ Merle Ronald Haggard (d. Apr. 6, 2016), American teenage troublemaker who became a music legend. He died of pneumonia on his 79^thbirthday.

1937~ Billy Dee Williams (né William December Williams), American actor.

1929~ André Previn (né Andreas Ludwig Priwin), German-born composer and conductor.  His family left Nazi Germany in 1939 and moved to the United States.

1928~ James Dewey Watson, American geneticist and recipient of the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

1927~ Gerry Mulligan (né Gerald Joseph Mulligan, d. Jan. 20, 1996), American jazz saxophonist and composer.  He died at age 68 following complications of knee surgery.

1926~ Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Paisley Ian Paisley (d. Sept. 12, 2014), Irish Protestant firebrand who made peace.  He was the 2^ndFirst Minister of Northern Ireland.  He died at age 88.

1920~ Jack Cover, Jr. (néJohn HIgson Cover, Jr., d. Feb. 7, 2009), American pilot and inventor of the Taser stun gun.  He died at age 88.

1920~ Edmond Henri Fischer, Swiss-American biochemist and recipient of the 1992 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

1911~ Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen (d. Aug. 6, 1979), German biochemist and recipient of the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the regulation of cholesterol.  He died at age 68 following surgery for an aneurism.

1892~ Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. (d. Feb. 1, 1981), American aviation industrialist and founder of the Douglas Aircraft Company.  He died at age 88.

1892~ Lowell Jackson Thomas (d. Aug. 29, 1981), American travel writer and journalist.  He died at age 89.

1866~ Lincoln Steffens (né Lincoln Joseph Steffens, d. Aug. 9, 1936), American reporter.  He is best known for investigating corruption in municipalities and his support for the Soviet Union.  He died of a heart attack at age 70.

1860~ René Jules Lalique (d. May 1, 1945), French art nouveau jeweler and art deco glass artist. He less than a month after his 85^thbirthday.

1823~ Joseph Medill (d. Mar. 16, 1899), 26^thMayor of Chicago.  He was Mayor from 1871 ~ 1873.  He was born in New Brunswick, Canada.  He died less than a month before his 75^thbirthday.

1483~ Raphael (né Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, d. Apr. 6, 1520), Italian Renaissance artist.  His birthday was either March 28 or April 6.  If it was April 6, he died on his 37^thbirthday.

Events that Changed the World:

2012~ Good Friday was celebrated in the Western Christian countries.

2012~ Passover began at sunset.

2009~ A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit near L’Aquila, Italy killing over 300 people.

1994~ The Rwandan Genocide began after the plane carrying Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana (1937 ~ 1994) was shot down on the grounds of the presidential residence.

1992~ The Bosnian War began. It would not end until December 1995.

1973~ The American League of Major League Baseball began using the designated hitter.

1968~ Pierre Elliot Trudeau (1919 ~ 2000) won the Liberal Leadership Election and would go on to become Prime Minister of Canada.

1947~ The first Tony Awards were presented for theatrical achievement.  The full name of the award is the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theater.   The awards are named after Antoinette Perry, the co-founder of the American Theatre Wing.

1929~ Huey P. Long (1893 ~ 1935), Governor of Louisiana, was impeached by the Louisiana House of Representatives on charges ranging from blasphemy to corruption and misuse of state funds.

1917~ The United States declared war on Germany, thus entered in World War I.

1909~ Robert Peary (1856 ~ 1920) and Matthew Henson (1866 ~1955) reached the North Pole.

1903~ The Kishinev pogroms began, forcing thousands of Jews to flee Russia.  Many Jews settled in either Israel or the United States.

1896~ The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, 1500 years after the original games were banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I.

1869~ Celluloid was patented.

1862~ The Battle of Shiloh began in Tennessee during the American Civil War.

1841~ John Tyler (1790 ~ 1862) was officially sworn in as President of the United States, having succeeded to the position following the death of President William Henry Harrison (1773 ~ 1841) two days earlier.

1830~ Joseph Smith (1805 ~ 1844) founded the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons).

1808~ John Jacob Astor (1763 ~ 1848) founded the American Fur Company.  The company would ultimately make him the first millionaire in the United States.

1580~ One of the largest earthquakes impacting England, Flanders and Northern France occurred.

Goodbyes:

2017~ Don Rickles (né Donald Jay Rickles b. May 8, 1926), American comedian who insulted his way to fame. He died about a month before his 91^stbirthday.

2016~ Merle Ronald Haggard (b. Apr. 6, 1937), American teenage troublemaker who became a music legend. He died of pneumonia on his 79^thbirthday.

2015~ Bernice Tannenbaum (b. Nov. 6, 1913), President of Hadassah from 1976 to 1980.  While she was president, she began the practice of periodically holding the annual conference in Israel.  She joined Hadassah in 1944.  She was 101 years old at the time of her death.

2014~ Massimo Tamburini (b. Nov. 28, 1943), Italian designer who made motorbikes into high art.  He died of lung cancer at age 70.

2014~ Mickey Rooney (né Joseph Yule, Jr., b. Sept. 23, 1920), American child actor.  He died at age 93.

2009~ Russell Dunham (b. Feb. 23, 1920), American sergeant during World War II who won the Medal of Honor. He died at age 89.

2005~ Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (né Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi, b. May 31, 1923), and husband of Grace Kelly.  He died at age 81.

1998~ Tammy Wynette (née Virginia Wynette Pugh, b. May 5, 1942), American country singer.  She is best remembered for her song Stand By Your Man.  She a month before her 56^thbirthday.

1996~ Greer Garson (née Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson, b. Sept. 29, 1904), British actress.  She died at age 91.

1992~ Isaac Asimov (né Isaak Yudovich Ozimov, b. Jan. 2, 1920), Russian-born American science-fiction writer and biochemistry professor.  He taught at Boston University.  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but January 2 is generally accepted as his birthdate.  He died at age 72.

1971~ Igor Stravinsky (b. June 17, 1882), Russian-born composer. He died at age 88.

1970~ Samuel Holmes “Sam” Sheppard (b. Dec. 29, 1923), American neurosurgeon who, in 1954, was convicted of the brutal murder of his pregnant wife.  He was convicted and served nearly 10 years in prison.  His case was retried and he was acquitted in 1964.  The television seriesThe Fugitivewas loosely based on his story.  He died at age 46 from liver failure.

1961~ Jules Bordet (b. June 13, 1870), Belgian immunologist and microbiologist.  He was the recipient of the 1919 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  The bacterial genus Bordetellais named after him.  He died at age 90.

1959~ Leo Aryeh Mayer (b. Jan. 12, 1895), Israeli scholar of Islamic art and rector of Hebrew University in Jerusalem.  He died at age 64.

1935~ Edward Arlington Robinson (b. Dec. 22, 1869), American poet from Maine.  He died of cancer at age 65.

1918~ John Quincy Adams Brackett (b. June 8, 1842), 36^thGovernor of Massachusetts.  He served as Governor for one year from 1890 until 1891. He was born in Bradford, New Hampshire and died in Arlington, Massachusetts.  He died at age 75.

1915~ Curtis Guild, Jr. (b. Feb. 2, 1860), 43^rdGovernor of Massachusetts.  He was Governor from January 1906 until January 1909.  He was born and died in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died at age 55 following a brief illness.

1888~ Thomas Green Clemson (b. July 1, 1807), American politician, who left his estate to the State of South Carolina to establish Clemson Agricultural College.  He died at age 80.

1883~ Benjamin Wright Raymond (b. June 15, 1801), Mayor of Chicago.  He served first from 1839 to 1840, and served his second term from 1842 until 1843.  He died at age 81.

1860~ James Kirke Paulding (b. Aug. 22, 1778) 11^thSecretary of the Navy from July 1838 until March 1841.  He served under President Martin Van Buren.  He died at age 81.

1829~ Niels Henrick Abel (b. Aug. 5, 1802), Norwegian mathematician.  He died at age 26 of tuberculosis.

1676~ John Winthrop the Younger (b. Feb. 12, 1606), 1^stGovernor of Connecticut Colony.  He died at age 70.

1528~ Albrecht Dürer (b. May 21, 1471), German artist, engraver and mathematician.  He died at age 56.

1520~ Raphael (né Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, d. Apr. 6, 1483), Italian Renaissance artist.  His birthday was either March 28 or April 6.  If it was April 6, he died on his 37^thbirthday.

1490~ Matthias Corvinus (b. Feb. 23, 1443), Hungarian king.  He died at age 47, possibly of poisoning.

1199~ King Richard I of England (b. Sept. 8, 1157).  He was known as Richard the Lionheart.  He was a central commander during the Third Crusade. In late March 1100, he was wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France.  A week after his injury he died from an infection after an arrow had been removed from his shoulder.  He died at age 41.