Thursday, July 4, 2019

July 4

Independence Day in the United States

Birthdays:

1998~ Malia Obama, American daughter of President Barak and Michele Obama.

1971~ Koko (d. July 19, 2018), female western lowland gorilla who was taught and learned a modified version of American Sign Language.  She died 2 weeks after her 46th birthday.

1956~ Robert Sinclair MacKay, British mathematician.

1945~ Andre Spitzer (d. Sept. 6, 1972), Romanian-born Israeli fencer.  He was killed at in the 1972 Olympics Munich massacre.  He was 27 years old.

1943~ Geraldo Rivera (né Gerald Michael Rivera), American television personality and journalist.

1938~ Bill Withers (né William Harrison Withers, Jr.), American singer-songwriter.

1937~ Sonja, Queen consort of Norway and wife of King Harald V of Norway.

1930~ George Steinbrenner (né George Michael Steinbrenner, III; d. July 13, 2010), American businessman and owner of the New York Yankees.  He died of a heart attack 9 days after his 80th birthday.

1929~ Al Davis (né Allen Davis; d. Oct. 8, 2011), American football executive and hard-charging maverick who shook up football.  He died at age 82.

1927~ Neil Simon (né Marvin Neil Simon; d. Aug. 26, 2018), American playwright who became Broadway’s king of comedy.  He died at age 91.

1927~ Gina Lollobrigida (née Luigina Lollobrigida), Italian actress.

1926~ Amos Elon (d. May 25, 2009), Israeli author and journalist who loved and challenged his country.  He died at age 82.

1924~ Eva Marie Saint, American actress.

1921~ Gérard Debreu (d. Dec. 31, 2004), French economist and mathematician.  He was the recipient of the 1983 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.  He died at age 83.

1920~ Leona Helmsley (née Lena Mindy Rosenthal; d. Aug. 20, 2007), American businesswoman who was known as the Queen of Mean.  She died at age 87.

1918~ Ann Landers (née Esther Pauline Friedman Lederer; d. June, 22, 2002) and Abigail Van Buren (née Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips, d. Jan. 16, 2013), identical twin sisters who were both advice columnists.  Esther Friedman (Ann Landers) died 12 days before her 84th birthday.  Pauline Esther Friedman (Dear Abby) died on January 16, 2013 at age 94.

1918~ Abigail Van Buren (née Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips, d. Jan. 16, 2013), American advice columnist known to readers as Dear Abby.  She counseled millions with her advice.  Her identical twin sister, Ann Landers (née Esther “Eppie” Pauline Friedman Lederer; b. July 4, 1918), was also an advice columnist.  Esther Friedman (Ann Landers) died on June 22, 2012, just 12 days before her 84th birthday.  Pauline Esther Friedman (Dear Abby) died at age 94.

1911~ Mitch Miller (né Mitchell William Miller; d. July 31, 2010), American musician and entertainer.  He died 27 days after his 99th birthday.

1905~ Lionel Trilling (né Lionel Mordechai Trilling; d. Nov. 5, 1975), American critic and writer.  He died of abdominal cancer at age 70.

1902~ Abe Saperstein (né Abraham Michael Saperstein; d. Mar. 15, 1966), American basketball player and coach.  He was the owner and coach of the franchise that became the Harlem Globetrotters.  He died of a heart attack at age 63.

1902~ Meyer Lansky (né Meier Suchowlanski, d. Jan. 15, 1983), Russian-born American gangster.  He died of lung cancer at age 80.

1883~ Rube Goldberg (né Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg; d. Dec. 7, 1970), American sculptor and cartoonist.  He died at age 87.

1872~ Calvin Coolidge (néJohn Calvin Coolidge, Jr.; d. Jan. 5, 1933), 30th President of the United States.  He was the 29th Vice President of the United States and became President upon the death of President Warren G. Harding.  He served as President from August 1923 until March 1929.  He had previously served as the 48th Governor of Massachusetts although he was born in Plymouth Notch, Vermont.  He died at age 60.

1868~ Henrietta Swan Leavitt (d. Dec. 12, 1921), American astronomer.  She was born and died in Massachusetts.  She died of cancer at age 53.

1862~ Walter L. Fisher (né Walter Lowrie Fisher; d. Nov. 9, 1935), 25th United States Secretary of the Interior. He served under Presidents William Taft and Woodrow Wilson.  He was in Office from March 1911 until March 1913.  He died at age 73.

1847~ James Anthony Bailey (né James Anthony McGinnis; d. Apr. 11, 1906), American businessman and co-founder of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.  He died at age 58.

1826~ Stephen Foster (né Stephen Collins Foster; d. Jan. 13, 1864), American composer and songwriter.  He died at age 37 from an infection.

1816~ Hiram Walker (d. Jan. 12, 1899), American businessman and distiller.  He founded Canadian Club whiskey.  He was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts.  He died at age 82.

1804~ Nathaniel Hawthorne (d. May 19, 1864), American author.  He is best known for his novel, The Scarlett Letter.  He was born in Salem, Massachusetts and died in Plymouth, New Hampshire.  He died at age 59.

1799~ King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway (né Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte; d. July 8, 1859).  He was King from March 1844 until his death in 1859.  He died just 4 days after his 60th birthday.

1790~ Sir George Everest (d. Dec. 1, 1866), Welsh surveyor and geographer.  He served as the Surveyor General of India from 1830 through 1843. Mount Everest in the Himalayan Mountains was named in his honor.  He died at age 76.

1753~ Jean-Pierre Blanchard (d. Mar. 7, 1809), French inventor best known for being a pioneer in balloon flight.  He died at age 55.

Events that Changed the World:

2009~ The crown of the Statute of Liberty reopened.  It has been closed following the September 11 attacks in 2001 due to security concerns.

1987~ In France, former Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie (1913 ~ 1991) was convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison.  He had been known as the Butcher of Lyon for his acts.  He ultimately died in prison at age 77.

1976~ The United States celebrated its Bicentennial.

1976~ Israeli commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but four passengers and crew of an Air France jet that had been seized by Palestinian terrorists.  Yonatan Netanyahu (1946 ~ 1976), the rescue commander, was also killed in the rescue.

1966~ President Lyndon Johnson (1908 ~ 1973) signed the Freedom of Information Act into Law.  The law became effective the following year.

1958~ President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1880 ~ 1969) signed the Rivers and Harbors Flood Control Bill.

1950~ Radio Free Europe began broadcasting.

1946~ The Philippines attained full independence from the United States.

1946~ Forty-two Jews were killed in the Kielce, Poland pogrom in a deadly post-World War II attack.

1941~ The Great Choral Synagogue in Riga was burned to the ground with 300 Jews locked in the basement.

1941~ Nazi troops massacred Polish intellectuals in the capture of Lviv, Ukraine.

1939~ Lou Gehrig (1903 ~ 1941), announced his retirement from major league baseball.  He had recently been diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

1934~ Leó Szilárd (1898 ~ 1964) patented the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb.

1914~ Six days after their assassination in Sarajevo, the funerals of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1863 ~ 1914) and his wife, Sophie (1868 ~ 1914), took place in Vienna.

1911~ A massive heat wave struck the northeastern United States.  Over 380 people died due to the record-breaking temperatures over an 11-day period.

1903~ Dorothy Levitt (1882 ~ 1922) became the first English woman to compete and win in a motor race.

1881~ The Tuskegee Institute opened in Alabama.

1863~ The Confederate Army surrendered Vicksburg to the Union Army following a 47 day siege.

1862~ Lewis Carroll (1832 ~ 1898) first told Alice Liddell a story that would, in three years hence, become the published novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

1855~ The first edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass was published.

1831~ Samuel Francis Smith (1808 ~ 1895) wrote, My Country, ‘Tis of Thee for the Boston, Massachusetts July 4th festivities.

1827~ Slavery was abolished in New York State.

1817~ Construction on the Erie Canal began in Rome, New York.

1803~ The Louisiana Purchase was announced to the American people.

1802~ The United States Military Academy at West Point, New York opened.

1776~ The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, marking the “birthday” of the United States of America.

1534~ Christian III (Aug. 12, 1503 ~ Jan. 1, 1559) was elected King of Denmark and Norway.

Good-Byes:

2011~ Otto von Habsburg (b. Nov. 20, 1912), the last crown prince of Austria-Hungary.  He died at age 98.

2009~ Béla Király (b. Apr. 14, 1912), the Hungarian general who lead the 1956 revolt.  After World War II, he was sentenced to life in prison under the Soviet-allied regime.  He was later released.  He died at age 97.

2008~ Jesse Helms (né Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr.; b. Oct. 18, 1921), American far-right senator from North Carolina who refused to compromise.  He was a leader in the conservative movement.  He died at age 86.

2008~ Evelyn Keys (née Evelyn Louise Keys; b. Nov. 20, 1916), the American veteran actress who is best known for her role as Suellen O’Hara, sister of Scarlett O’Hara’s sister in Gone with the Wind.  She was born in Port Arthur, Texas.  She died at age 91.

2003~ Barry White (né Barry Eugene Carter, b. Sept. 12, 1944), American singer and songwriter.  He was born in Galveston, Texas.  He died of kidney disease at age 58.

2002~ Laurent-Moïse Schwartz (b. Mar. 5, 1915), French mathematician.  He was awarded the Fields Medal in 1950 for his work in theory distributions.  He died at age 87.

2002~ Benjamin O. Davis (né Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr.; b. Dec. 18, 1912), American United States Air Force General.  He was the first African-American general officer in the United States Air Force.  He died at age 89.

1997~ Charles Kuralt (néCharles Bishop Kuralt; b. Sept. 10, 1934), American television journalist.  After his death, it was learned that he had a second, shadow family, while married to his first wife.  He died at age 62.

1995~ Bob Ross (né Robert Norman Ross; b. Oct. 29, 1942), American painter and art teacher.  He hosted the television show, The Joy of Painting.  He died of lymphoma at age 52.

1995~ Eva Gabor (b. Feb. 11, 1919), Hungarian-born actress.  She is best known for her role as Lisa Douglas on the sit-com Green Acres.  She died of respiratory failure and pneumonia at age 76.

1986~ Oscar Zariski (b. Apr. 24, 1899), Russian-born mathematician.  He died in Brookline, Massachusetts at age 87.

1976~ Yonatan Netanyahu (b. Mar. 13, 1946), Israeli soldier and younger brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  He was the only soldier killed during the daring raid on Entebbe in 1976 to release hostages.  He was 30 years old at the time of his death.

1974~ Georgette Heyer (b. Aug. 16, 1902), English writer of gothic novels and historical romance novels.  She died of lung cancer at age 71.

1941~ Antoni Łomnicki (néAntoni Marian Łomnicki; b. Jan. 17, 1881), Polish mathematician.  He was murdered at age 60 by the Nazis during the Massacre of the Lwów professors during World War II.

1938~ Suzanne Lenglen (née Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen; b. May 24, 1899), French tennis player.  She dominated women’s tennis from 1914 to 1926.  She died of leukemia at age 39.

1934~ Chaim Nahman Bialik (b. Jan. 9, 1873), Ukrainian-born poet.  He is known as the Israeli National Poet.  He died following complications from surgery at age 61.

1934~ Marie Curie (née Maria Salomea Skłodowska; b. Nov. 7, 1867), French-Polish physicist and chemist, who along with her husband, Pierre Curie (1859 ~ 1906), became famous for their research on radioactivity and the discovery or radium.  She was the first woman to be awarded with a Nobel Prize and the first person to win two Nobel Prizes.  In 1903, she shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with Pierre Curie and Henri Bacquerel.  In 1911, she was awarded a solo Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  She died at age 66.

1910~ Melville Fuller (né Melville Weston Fuller; b. Feb. 11, 1833), 8th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was nominated to the High Court by President Grover Cleveland.  He replaced Morrison Waite on the Court.  He was succeeded by Edward Douglas White.  He served on the Court from October 1888 until his death at age 77 on this date 22 years later.  He was born in Augusta, Maine and died in Sorrento, Maine.

1891~ Hannibal Hamlin (b. Aug. 27, 1809), 15th Vice President of the United State.  He served during Abraham Lincoln’s first term, from March 1861 until March 1865.  He had previously served as the 26th Governor of the State of Maine, but only for 2 months, from January 1857 through February 1857.  He was born in Paris, Maine and died in Bangor, Maine at the age of 81.

1857~ William L. Marcy (né William Learned Marcy; b. Dec. 12, 1786), 21st United States Secretary of State.  He served under President Franklin Pierce from March 1853 until March 1857.  He served as the 20th United States Secretary of War in the James Polk administration from March 1845 until March 1849.  He was also the 11th Governor of New York State.  He died at age 70.

1831~ James Monroe (b. Apr. 28, 1758), 5th President of the United States.  He was President from March 1817 through March 1825.  He had previously served as the 8th United States Secretary of War under President James Madison from September 1814 until March 1815.  He also served as the 7th United States Secretary of State under President James Madison from April 1811 until March 1817.  He died at age 73.

1826~ Thomas Jefferson (b. Apr. 13, 1743), 3rd President of the United States.  He was President from March 1801 through March 1809.  He was also the 2nd Vice President of the United State, under President John Adams.  He also served as the 1st United States Secretary of State in the George Washington administration from March 1790 through December 1793.  He was born in Virginia.  He died at age 83.

1826~ John Adams (b. Oct. 30, 1735), 2nd President of the United States.  He was President from March 1797 until March 1801.  Prior to that he had served as the 1st Vice President of the United States under George Washington, from April 1789 until March 1797. He died at age 90 in Quincy, Massachusetts.

1742~ Luigi Guido Grandi (b. Oct. 1, 1671), Italian monk and mathematician.  He died at age 80.

965~ Pope Benedict V.  He was Pope from May 964 until June 964.  He was overthrown by Emperor Otto I.  The date of his birth is unknown.

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