May 31

Birthdays:

 

1965 ~ Brooke Shields (née Brooke Christa Shields), American model and actress.  She was born in Manhattan, New York.

 

1961 ~ Lea Thompson (née Lea Katherine Thompson), American actress.  She is best known for her role as Lorraine Baines in the Back to the Future movie trilogy.  She was born in Rochester, Minnesota.

 

1960 ~ Chris Elliot (né Christopher Nash Elliot), American actor and comedian.  He was born in New York, New York.

 

1955 ~ Susie Essman (née Susan Essman), American actress and comedian.  She is best known for her role as Susie Green on Curb Your Enthusiasm.  She was born in The Bronx, New York.

 

1955 ~ Lynne Truss, British journalist and author, best known for her grammar book, Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

 

1948 ~ Svetlana Alexievich, Ukrainian journalist and author.  She was the recipient of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature.

 

1945 ~ Rainer Werner Fassbinder (b. June 10, 1982), German actor and director.  He died of a drug overdose, just 10 days after his 37^th birthday.

 

1943 ~ Sharon Gless (née Sharon Marguerite Gless), American actress.  She was born in Los Angeles, California.

 

1943 ~ Joe Namath (né Joseph William Namath), American football player.  He was born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.

 

1941 ~ Louis J. Ignarro, American pharmacologist and recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.

 

1941 ~ William Nordhaus (né William Dawbney Nordhaus), American economist and recipient of the 2018 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science.  He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

 

1939 ~ Terry Waite (né Terence Hardy Waite), English humanitarian.  He was kidnapped and held captive from 1987 to 1991 in Lebanon while trying to secure the release of several hostages.  He was born in Bollington, Cheshire, England.

 

1938 ~ Peter Yarrow, American singer-songwriter and a member of the trio, Peter, Paul and Mary.  He was born in Manhattan, New York.

 

1934 ~ Hazel Smith (née Hazel Ruth Boone; d. Mar. 18, 2018), American journalist who named country’s “outlaw music.”  She was born in Caswell County, North Carolina.  She died at age 83 in Madison, Tennessee.

 

1931 ~ John Robert Schrieffer (d. July 27, 2019), American physicist and recipient of the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was born in Oak Park, Illinois.  He died at age 88 in Tallahassee, Florida.

 

1930 ~ Clint Eastwood (né Clinton Eastwood, Jr.), American actor and movie director.  He was born in San Francisco, California.

 

1923 ~ Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (né Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; d. Apr. 6, 2005), and husband of Grace Kelly.  He died at age 81.

 

1921 ~ The Tulsa Race Massacre began.  Thousands of white citizens of Tulsa began burning homes and black-owned businesses in the area known as the Black Wall Street.  Hundreds of Black citizens were killed.

 

1916 ~ Bernard Lewis (d. May 19, 2018), English-American historian and scholar who shaped Western views on Islam.  He was born in London, England.  He died 12 days before his 102^nd birthday in Voorhees Township, New Jersey.

 

1915 ~ George Vujnovich (né George Mane Vujnovich; d. Apr. 24, 2012), American mastermind of a daring World War II rescue.  He is known for organizing Operation Halyard, which rescued over 500 downed Allied airmen from Serbia in August 1944.  He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He died at age 96 in New York, New York.

 

1912 ~ Chien-Shiung Wu (d. Feb. 16, 1997), Chinese-American physicist and recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics.  She made significant advances in nuclear physics.  She also worked on the Manhattan Project.  She died at age 84 in New York, New York.

 

1911 ~ Maurice Allais (né Maurice Félix Charles Allais; d. Oct. 9, 2010), French economist and recipient of the 1988 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.  He died at age 99.

 

1908 ~ Don Ameche (né Dominic Felix Amici; d. Dec. 6, 1993), American actor.  He was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  He died of prostate cancer at age 85 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

 

1898 ~ Norman Vincent Peale (d. Dec. 24, 1993), American clergyman and author.  He is best known for his book, The Power of Positive Thinking.  He died at age 95.

 

1894 ~ Fred Allen (né John Florence Sullivan; d. Mar. 17, 1956), American comedian and radio personality.  He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  He died of a heart attack at age 61 in Manhattan, New York.

 

1887 ~ Saint-John Perse (né Alexis Leger; d. Sept. 20, 1975), French poet and recipient of the 1960 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He died at age 88.

 

1883 ~ Lauri Kristian Relander (d. Feb. 9, 1942), 2^nd President of Finland.  He served in Office from March 1925 until March 1931.  He died of heart failure at age 58.

 

1866 ~ John Ringling (né John Nicholas Ringling; d. Dec. 2, 1936), American circus owner and brother of Charles Ringling.  He died on what would have been his brother, Charles’ 73^rd birthday.  John died at age 70,

 

1857 ~ Pope Pius XI (né Ambrogio Damiano Archille Ratti; d. Feb. 10, 1939).  He was Pope from February 1922 until his death in February 1939.  He was 81 at the time of his death.

 

1852 ~ Julius Petri (né Julius Richard Petri; d. Dec. 20, 1921), German microbiologist and inventor of the Petri dish.  He died at age 69.

 

1827 ~ Kusumoto Ine (d. Aug. 27, 1903), Japanese doctor.  She was the first Japanese female doctor of Western Medicine.  She was the daughter of a Japanese courtesan and a German physician.  She died at age 76.

 

1819 ~ Walt Whitman (né Walter Whitman, d. Mar. 26, 1892), American poet.  He died at age 72.

 

1818 ~ John Albion Andrew (d. Oct. 30, 1867), 25^th Governor of Massachusetts.  He served as Governor from January 1861 until January 1866.  He was born in Windham, Maine.  He died in Boston, Massachusetts of apoplexy at age 49.

 

1816 ~ Dimitrie Ghica (d. Feb. 15, 1897), Prime Minister of Romania from 1868 to 1870.  He was born and died in Bucharest, Romania.  He died at age 80.

 

1683 ~ Jean-Pierre Christin (d. Jan. 19, 1755), French mathematician and physicist.  He died at 71.

 

1597 ~ Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac (d. Feb. 18, 1654), French writer.  He died at age 59.

 

1557 ~ Feodor I of Russia (d. Jan. 16, 1598).  He was the Tsar of All Rus’ from March 1584 until his death in January 1598.  He is believed to have been about 40 years old at the time of his death as the exact date of his birth is unknown, although it is often considered to have been May 31, 1557.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2021 ~ Memorial Day observed in the United States.

 

2013 ~ A powerful EF5 tornado, with a diameter of 2.6 miles, swept through El Reno, Oklahoma, killing 9 people and destroying the town.  This is the widest recorded tornado in history.

 

2005 ~ Former FBI Agent W. Mark Felt (1913 ~ 2008) came forward identifying himself as Deep Throat, the informant in the Watergate scandal.

 

1996 ~ Benjamin Netanyahu (. 1949) was elected to his first term as Prime Minister of Israel.  He assumed the Office on June 18, 1996, and served as the 9^th Prime Minister of Israel until July 1999.  Ten years later, he was re-elected to become the 13^th Israeli Prime Minister.

 

1977 ~ The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was completed.

 

1971 ~ In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which Congress passed in 1968, Memorial Day was observed for the first time on the last Monday of May instead of the traditional May 30^th observation.

 

1970 ~ A massive earthquake, followed by a landslide buried the town of Yungay, Peru, killing nearly 70,000 people.

 

1962 ~ Adolf Eichmann (1906 ~ 1962) the Nazi SS officer who was intimately involved in Hitler’s “final solution” had been found guilty of war crimes and was hanged.

 

1961 ~ The Union of South Africa, which had been created on this date in 1910, became known as the Republic of South Africa.

 

1947 ~ Communists seized power in Hungary.

 

1927 ~ The Ford Motor Company ceased manufacturing its Model T.  During the course of its production, over 15,007,000 cars had been made.

 

1921 ~ The Tulsa, Oklahoma race massacre began and lasted over a 2-day period.  Mobs of white residents, under the apparent police authority, began attacking Black residents and businesses.  Homes and businesses were burned to the ground and totally destroyed.  Numerous people were killed, although the number of deaths has been disputed.

 

1902 ~ The Boer War in South Africa ended.

 

1889 ~ A dam broke in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, killing over 2,200 people.

 

1859 ~ The bell known as Big Ben in the bell tower in London, rang out over the Houses of Parliament for the first time.

 

1790 ~ The United States Copyright Act of 1790 was enacted by the United States Congress.

 

1669 ~ Samuel Pepys (1633 ~ 1703) made his last diary entry.  His diary provided valuable insight into everyday life during the English Restoration period.

 

1578 ~ King Henry III (1551 ~ 1589) of France laid the first stone of the Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2020 ~ Christo (né Christo Vladimirov Javacheff; b. June 13, 1935) and Jeanne-Claude (née Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, June 13, 1935 ~ Nov. 18, 2009), a married artistic couple who were born on the same day.  They were both visual artists and created many environmental works of art throughout the world.  Christo was born in Gabrovo, Bulgaria; Jeanne-Claude was born in Casablanca, Morocco of French parents.  Jeanne-Claude was the French artist who helped Christo wrap his work.  She died at age 74 in Manhattan, New York.  Christo died in New York, New York 13 days before his 85^th birthday.

 

2018 ~ Ella Brennan (b. Nov. 27, 1925), American restaurateur who became a New Orleans icon.  She was a part of the Brennan family that specialized in haute Louisiana creole cuisine in New Orleans.  She died at age 92.

 

2017 ~ Fred Kummerow (né Friedrich August Kummerow; b. Oct. 4, 1914), German-born American biochemist who got trans fats out of American diets.  He died at age 102.

 

2013 ~ Jean Stapleton (née Jeanne Murray; b. Jan. 19, 1923), American theater actress best known for her portrayal of Edith Bunker on All in the Family.  She was 90 years old.

 

2010 ~ Louise Bourgeois (née Louise Joséphine Bourgeois; b. Dec. 25, 1911), French artist, sculptor and painter.  She died at age 98.

 

2009 ~ Elizabeth Gladys Millvina Dean (b. Feb. 2, 1912), English secretary who was the last survivor of the sinking of the HMS Titanic.  She was 2 months old when she, along with her parents and sibling, set sail on the Titanic.  She died at age 97.

 

2006 ~ Raymond Davis, Jr. (b. Oct. 14, 1914), American physicist and recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was 91 years old.

 

2001 ~ Arlene Francis (née Arline Francis Kazanjian; b. Oct. 20, 1907), American actress, game show panelist and television personality.  She was born in Boston, Massachusetts.  She died at age 93.

 

2000 ~ Petar Mladenov (b. Aug. 22, 1936), He was the last Communist leader of Bulgaria, from 1989 until 1990.  He then briefly served as the 1^st President of Bulgaria from April 1990 until July 1990.  He died at age 63.

 

2000 ~ Tito Puente (né Ernesto Antonio Puente; b. Apr. 20, 1923), American jazz musician.  He was born and died in New York, New York.  He died of a massive heart attack at age 77.

 

1996 ~ Timothy Leary (né Timothy Francis Leary; b. Oct. 22, 1920), American psychologist and proponent of the use of psychedelic drugs, such as LSD.  He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts.  He died of prostate cancer at age 75.

 

1986 ~ James Rainwater (né Leo James Rainwater; b. Dec. 9, 1917), American physicist and recipient of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He died of a heart attack at age 68.

 

1983 ~ Jack Dempsey (né William Harrison Dempsey; b. June 24, 1895), American boxer.  He died 24 days before his 88^th birthday.

 

1976 ~ Jacques Monod (né Jacques Lucien Monod; b. Feb. 9, 1910), French biologist and recipient of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He died of leukemia at age 66.

 

1910 ~ Elizabeth Blackwell (b. Feb. 3, 1821), British-born physician and first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States.  She died at age 89.

 

1860 ~ Peter Vivian Daniel (b. Apr. 24, 1784), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was nominated to the High Court by President Martin Van Buren.  He replaced Philip Barbour on the Court.  He was succeeded by Samuel Miller.  He served on the Court from March 1841 until his death in May 19 years later.  He was born in Stafford County, Virginia.  He died in Richmond, Virginia.  He was 76 years old.

 

1832 ~ Évariste Galois (b. Oct. 25, 1811), French mathematician.  He died at age 20 from wounds suffered in a duel.

 

1831 ~ Eugène Cosserat (b. Mar. 4, 1866), French mathematician and astronomer.  He died at age 65.

 

1809 ~ Joseph Haydn (b. Mar. 31, 1732), Austrian composer.  He died at age 77.

 

1594 ~ Tintoretto (né Jacopo Comin; b. Sept. 29, 1518), Venetian Renaissance painter and artist.  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but it is generally ascribed to late September or early October.  He died at about age 75

 

1495 ~ Cecily Neville, Duchess of York (b. May 3, 1415), wife of Richard Plantagenet, 3^rd Duke of York and mother of King Edward IV and King Richard III of England.  She was also the mother of Margaret of York who was born on her 31^st birthday.  She died 28 days after her 80^th birthday.

 

1162 ~ Géza II of Hungary (b. 1130).  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been about 31 or 32 at the time of his death.

 

May 30

Birthdays:

 

1974 ~ CeeLo Green (né Thomas DeCarlo Callaway), African-American singer-songwriter.  He was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

1971 ~ Idina Menzel (né Idina Kim Mentzel), American actress and singer.  She was born in New York, New York.

 

1958 ~ Ted McGinley (né Theodore Martin McGinley), American actor best known for his role as Jefferson D’Arcy on Married with Children.  He was born in Newport Beach, California.

 

1955 ~ Jonathan Idema (né Jonathan Keith Idema; d. Jan. 21, 2012), American con man who ran a torture chamber.  He was a former United States army special reserve operations non-commissioned officer.  He was convicted of running a private prison in Afghanistan and tortured civilians he claimed to be terrorists.  He was born in Poughkeepsie, New York.  He died of AIDS at age 55 in Bacalar, Mexico.

 

1951 ~ Stephen Tobolowsky (né Stephen Harold Tobolowsky), American actor and director.  He was born in Dallas, Texas.

 

1945 ~ Gladys Horton (née Gladys Catherine Horton; d. Jan. 26, 2011), African-American singer who was the Motown star who made the song Please, Mr. Postman famous.  She was born in Gainesville, Florida.  She died at age 65 in Sherman Oaks, California.

 

1943 ~ James Chaney (né James Earle Chaney; d. June 21, 1964), African-American civil rights activist who was murdered during Freedom Summer.  He was from Meridian, Mississippi.  He was murdered in Philadelphia, Mississippi 22 days after his 21^st birthday.

 

1934 ~ Aleskei Leonov (d. Oct. 11, 2019), Soviet Russian cosmonaut who, in March 1965, made the first spacewalk.  He stayed outside the space capsule during the Voskhod 2 mission for just over 12 minutes.  He died at age 85 in Moscow, Russia.

 

1927 ~ Clora Bryant (née Clora Larea Bryant; d. Aug. 25, 2019), African-American jazz trumpet virtuoso who was set back by sexism.  She performed with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.  She was born in Denison, Texas.  She died at age 92 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1927 ~ Joan Birman (née Joan Sylvia Lyttle), American mathematician known for her work in braid theory and knot theory.  She was born in New York, New York.

 

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 was born in the Bronx, New York.  She died of cancer 3 weeks before her 63^rd birthday in San Clemente, California.

 

1922 ~ Gil Clancy (né Gilbert Thomas Clancy, d. Mar. 31, 2011), American Hall of Fame Boxer and trainer and boxing commentator.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died at age 88 in Lynbrook, New York.

 

1915 ~ Maxine Powell (née Maxine Blair; d. Oct. 14, 2013), African-American mentor who gave polish to Motown’s stars.  She was an etiquette instructor and talent agent.  She was born in Texarkana, Texas.  She died at age 98 in Southfield, Michigan.

 

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

 

1910 ~Harry Bernstein (né Harry Louis 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 101^st birthday in New York, New York.

 

1909 ~ Benny Goodman (né Benjamin David Goodman; d. June 13, 1986), American clarinetist and bandleader.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.  He died of a heart attack 14 days after his 77^th birthday in New York, New York.

 

1908 ~ Mel Blanc (né Melvin Jerome Blank; 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 was born in San Francisco, California.  He died of heart disease and emphysema at age 81 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1908 ~ Hannes Alfvén (né Hannes Olof Gösta 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 Countee LeRoy Porter; d. Jan. 9, 1946), African-American poet and author.  He was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance.  He died at age 42.

 

1899 ~ Cornelia Otis Skinner (d. July 9, 1979), American writer and actress.  She was born in Chicago, Illinois.  She died in New York, New York at age 80.  She is buried in Fall River, Massachusetts.

 

1869 ~ Grace Andrews (d. July 27, 1951), American mathematician.  She was one of only 2 women listed in the first edition of American Men of Science in 1906.  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.

 

1010 ~ Emperor Renzong of Song (d. Apr. 30, 1063), 4^th Chinese emperor of the Song Dynasty.  He died a month before his 53^rd birthday.

 

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 Aruba.  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 up to 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 reintegrated 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.

 

1913 ~ A peace treaty was signed ending the First Balkan War.  The newly aligned Slavic nations of Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Greece had driven out Turkish forces that had been in the Balkans region of southeastern Europe.

 

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

 

1899 ~ Pearl Hart (1871 ~ 1955), a female outlaw, robbed a stagecoach just outside of Globe, Arizona.

 

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 (1412 ~ 1431) 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:

 

2020 ~ Bobby Morrow (né Bobby Joe Morrow; b. Oct. 15, 1935), American sprinting champion who ran from the spotlight.  He won 3 gold medals at the 1956 Olympics.  He was born in Harlingen, Texas.  He died at age 84 in San Benito, Texas.

 

2019 ~ Leon Redbone (né Dickran Gobalian; b. Aug. 26, 1949), Cyprian-born American musician.  He was born in Nicosia, Cyprus.  He died of complications of dementia at age 69 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

 

2015 ~ Beau Biden (né Joseph Robinette Biden, III; 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 ~ Jim Bailey (né James William Bailey; b. Jan. 10, 1938), American entertainer and female impersonator who became a diva.  He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He died of complications of pneumonia at age 77 in Los Angeles, California.

 

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 (né Andrew Fielding 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 (née Rosalyn Sussman; b. July 19, 1921), American medical physicist and recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the development of the Radioimmunoassay technique.  She died at age 89.

 

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

 

1993 ~ Marge (née Marjorie Lyman Henderson; b. Dec. 11, 1904), American cartoonist.  She was the creator of Little Lulu.  She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  She died of lymphoma at age 88 in Elyria, Ohio.

 

1989 ~ Claude Pepper (né Claude Denson Pepper; b. Sept. 8, 1900), American politician and United States Senator from Florida.  He was born in Dudleyville, Alabama.  He died at age 88 in Washington, D.C.

 

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

 

1975 ~ Steve Prefontaine (né Steve Roland 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 of an abdominal hemorrhage in Laconia, New Hampshire at age 77.

 

1960 ~ Boris Pasternak (b. Feb. 10, 1890), Russian writer and recipient of the 1958 Nobel Peace Prize.  The Communist Party forced him to decline the award.  His descendants were able to accept the Prize in his name in 1988.  He is best known for his novel, Dr. Zhivago.  He died of lung cancer at age 70.

 

1947 ~ Georg Ludwig von Trapp (né Georg Johannes Ludwig Ritter 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 of lung cancer 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 Vienna, Maine and died in Springfield, 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 nominated to the High Court by President Andrew Jackson.  He served on the Court from March 8, 1937 until his death in Nashville, Tennessee at age 79.  The seat was established for him, and after he left the Court, the seat was abolished to prevent President Andrew Johnson from appointing any further members on the Court.

 

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.

 

1730 ~ Arabella Churchill (b. Feb. 23, 1648), English mistress of King James II of England.  She died at age 82.

 

1670 ~ John Davenport (b. Apr. 9, 1597), English-American clergyman and co-founder of the New Haven Connecticut colony.  He died of apoplexy at age 73.

 

1640 ~ Sir Peter Paul Rubens (b. June 28, 1577), Flemish painter and diplomat.  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 in a barroom brawl 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 Roman Catholic saint.  She led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years’ War.  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.

 

May 29

Birthdays:

 

1959 ~ Rupert Everett (né Rupert James Hector Everett), British actor.  He was born in Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk, England.

 

1958 ~ Annette Bening (née Annette Carol Bening), American actress.  She was born in Topeka, Kansas.

 

1941 ~ Bob Simon (né Robert David Simon; d. Feb. 11, 2015), American television foreign correspondent who was it all.  He was killed at age 73 from head injuries sustained when the taxi cab he was traveling in crashed.  He was born and died in New York, New York.

 

1938 ~ Fay Vincent (né Francis Thomas Vincent, Jr.), 8^th Commissioner of Baseball.  He served as Commissioner from September 1989 until September 1992.  He was born in Waterbury, Connecticut.

 

1934 ~ Robert Laughlin (né Robert Moody Laughlin; d. May 28, 2020), American anthropologist and linguist who spend decades in the Mexican state of Chiapas, where he meticulously documented and helped revitalize indigenous Mayan languages.  He was a curator at the Smithsonian Institution.  He was born in Princeton, New Jersey.  He died a day before his 86^th birthday of complications from Covid-19 in Arlington, Virginia.

 

1932 ~ Doreen Simmons (née Doreen Sylvia Clarke; d. Apr. 23, 2018), British teacher who made it big in the world of sumo.  She was best known for her English radio commentary on Sumo wrestling.  She died at age 85 in Tokyo, Japan.

 

1929 ~ Peter Higgs (né Peter Ware Higgs), English physicist and recipient of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the mass of subatomic particles.  He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

 

1922 ~ Raymond Plank (d. Nov. 8, 2018), American tax expert who became an oil giant.  He was the founder and Chairman of the Apache Corporation, an oil and gas company.  He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  He died at age 96.

 

1920 ~ John Harsanyi (né Harsányi János Károly; d. Aug. 9, 2000), Hungarian economist and recipient of the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.  He was born in Budapest, Hungary.  He died at age 80 in Berlekey, California.

 

1918 ~ David Rees (d. Aug. 16, 2013), Welsh mathematician.  He died at age 95.

 

1917 ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy (d. Nov. 22, 1963), 35^th President of the United States.  He served as President from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963.  He was born in Brookline, Massachusetts.  He was assassinated at age 46 in Dallas, Texas.

 

1914 ~ Tenzing Norgay (né Namgyl Wangdi; d. May 9, 1986), Nepalese Sherpa who accompanied Edmund Hillary on the climb up Mount Everest in May 1953.  He reached the summit on his 39^th birthday.   He died 20 days before his 72^ndbirthday.

 

1912 ~ Pamela Hansford Johnson, Baroness Snow (d. June 19, 1981), British novelist, poet and social critic.  She was born and died in London, England.  She died 20 days after her 69^th birthday.

 

1911 ~ George Szekeres (d. Aug. 28, 2005), Hungarian mathematician and husband of Esther Szekeres (1910 ~ 2005).  His family left Hungary during World War II.  He died within hours of his wife.  He was born in Budapest, Hungary.  He was 94 years old in Adelaide, Australia.

 

1906 ~ T.H. White (né Terence Hanbury White; d. Jan. 17, 1964), English author best known for his book, The Once and Future King, about King Arthur.  He was born in Bombay, British India.  He died of heart failure at age 57 in Athens, Greece.

 

1903 ~ Bob Hope (né Leslie Townes Hope; d. July 27, 2003), English-American comedian and actor.  He was born in London, England.  He died at age 100 in Toluca Lake, California.

 

1874 ~ G.K. Chesterton (né Gilbert Keith Chesterton; d. June 14, 1936), English novelist.  He died 16 days after his 63^rdbirthday.

 

1736 ~ Patrick Henry (d. June 6, 1799), Early-American politician and 1^st Governor of Virginia.  He died 8 days after his 63^rd birthday.

 

1675 ~ Humphry Ditton (d. Oct. 15, 1715), English mathematician.  He died at age 40.

 

1630 ~ King Charles II of England (d. Feb. 6, 1685), monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland.  He was married to Catherine of Braganza.  He was of the House of Stuart.  He died at age 54.

 

1439 ~ Pope Pius III (né Francesco Todechini Piccolomini; d. Oct. 18, 1503).  He was Pope for only 26 days, from September 1503 until his death on October 18, 1503, making his papacy one of the shortest in Catholic history.  He was 64 years old at the time of his death.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2017 ~ Memorial Day observed in the United States.

 

2012 ~ A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit northern Italy.

 

2008 ~ A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck Iceland.

 

2004 ~ The National World War II Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

 

1990 ~ Boris Yeltsin (1931 ~ 2007) was elected president of the Russian Republic.

 

1982 ~ The British defeated Argentine forces at the Battle of Goose Green during the Falklands War.

 

1973 ~ Tom Bradley (1917 ~ 1998) was elected as the first African-American mayor of Los Angeles, California.

 

1953 ~ Sir Edmund Hillary (1919~2008) and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay (1914 ~ 1986) became the first known people to reach the summit of Mount Everest.  They reached the summit on Norgay’s 39^th birthday.

 

1942 ~ All Jews of occupied Paris, France were ordered to wear identifying yellow stars.

 

1919 ~ Albert Einstein’s theory of general relative was tested by Sir Arthur Eddington (1882 ~ 1944) and Andrew Crommelin (1865 ~ 1939).

 

1914 ~ The Ocean liner the RMS Empress of Ireland sank in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence following a collision with the Norwegian ship the SS Storstad.  Over 1000 people were killed in the collision.

 

1913 ~ Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, The Rite of Spring, premiered in Paris and caused a riot.

 

1886 ~ The first advertisement for Coca-Cola appeared in the Atlantic Journal.

 

1848 ~ Wisconsin became the 30^th State of the Union.

 

1790 ~ Rhode Island and Providence Plantations became the last of the original 13 colonies to ratify the Constitution.

 

1727 ~ Peter II (1715 ~ 1730) became Tsar of Russia.

 

1660 ~ King Charles II (1630 ~ 1685) was restored to the throne of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

 

1328 ~ Philip VI (1293 ~ 1350) was crowned King of France.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2017 ~ Manuel Noriega (b. Feb. 11, 1934), Panamanian dictator.  He died following complications of brain surgery.  He was 83 years old.

 

2015 ~ Doris Hart (b. June 20, 1925), American tennis champion who beat the odds.  She was a World Number 1 tennis player who was active in the 1940s and ‘50s.  She was one of just three players to have a “boxes set” of Grand Slam titles by winning the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles from all four Grand Slam events.  She died 22 days before her 90^thbirthday.

 

2013 ~ Andrew Greeley (b. Feb. 5, 1928), American Catholic maverick priest who chided his church.  He also wrote novels of straying priests and detective thrillers.  He died at age 85.

 

2012 ~ Doc Watson (né Arthel Land Watson; b. Mar. 3, 1923), American guitarist who was blind.  He died at age 89.

 

2011 ~ Bill Clements (né William Perry Clements, Jr.; b. Apr. 13, 1917), 42^nd and 44^th Governor of Texas.  He served his first time from January 1979 through January 1983, and his second term from January 1987 through January 1991.  He had previously served briefly as the United States Secretary of Defense during the Richard Nixon administration, from May 1973 until July 1973.  He died at age 94.

 

2010 ~ Dennis Hopper (né Dennis Lee Hopper; b. May 17, 1936), American actor.  He died of prostate cancer just 12 days after his 74^th birthday.

 

2008 ~ Harvey Korman (né Harvey Herschel Korman; b. Feb. 15, 1927), American actor and comedian.  He is best known for his role on The Carol Burnett Show.  He died at age 81.

 

2004 ~ Archibald Cox, Jr. (b. May 17, 1912), American lawyer and First Special Prosecutor for the Watergate hearings.  He also served as the 31^st United States Solicitor General under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.  He died 12 days after his 92^nd birthday.

 

1998 ~ Barry Goldwater (né Barry Morris Goldwater; b. Jan. 2, 1909), American politician and 1964 presidential candidate.  He was a United States Senator from Arizona from January 1969 until January 1087.  He died at age 89.

 

1995 ~ Margaret Chase Smith (née Margaret Madeline Chase; b. Dec. 14, 1897), American politician and United States Senator from Maine.  She served main as Senator from January 1949 until January 1973.  She was born and died in Skowhegan, Maine.  She died at age 97.

 

1979 ~ Mary Pickford (née Gladys Marie Smith; b. Apr. 8, 1892), Canadian silent film actress and co-founder of United Artists.  She died at age of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 87.

 

1970 ~ John Gunther (b. Aug. 30, 1901), American journalist and author.  He is best known for his 1949 memoir, Death Be Not Proud, which chronicled the death of his young son from a brain tumor.  Gunther died of liver cancer at age 68.

 

1958 ~ Juan Ramón Jiménez (b. Dec. 23, 1881), Spanish writer and recipient of the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He died at age 76.

 

1951 ~ Fanny Brice (née Fania Borach; b. Oct. 29, 1891), American singer and actress.  She died at age 59 of a cerebral hemorrhage.

 

1942 ~ John Barrymore (né John Sidney Blyth; b. Feb. 14, 1882), American actor and member of the Barrymore acting dynasty.  His birthdate is sometimes listed as Feb. 15, 1882.  He died at age 60.

 

1919 ~ Robert Bacon (b. July 5, 1860), 39^th United States Secretary of State.  He served under President Theodore Roosevelt for 38 days, from January 1909 until March 1909.  He was from Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.  He died at age 58 of blood poisoning following surgery.

 

1911 ~ Sir W.S. Gilbert (né William Schwenck Gilbert; b. Nov. 18, 1836), English dramatist and lyricist who worked with composer Sir Arthur Sullivan to create operettas, such as the Pirate of Penzance.  He died at age 74.

 

1892 ~ Bahá’u’lláh (b. Nov. 12, 1817), Persian born religious leader and founder of he Bahá’í faith.  He died at age 74.

 

1868 ~ Levi Lincoln, Jr. (b. Oct. 25, 1868), 13^th Governor of Massachusetts.  He served as Governor from May 1825 until January 1834.  He was born and died in Worcester, Massachusetts.  He died at age 85.

 

1866 ~ Winfield Scott (b. June 13, 1786), American Army General.  He was known as “Old Fuss and Feathers” and served on active duty for over 53 years.  During the course of his military career, he commanded forces in the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, the Mexican-American War, the Second Seminole War, and the American Civil War.  He died 15 days before his 80^th birthday.

 

1829 ~ Sir Humphry Davy, 1^st Baronet (b. Dec. 17, 1778), English chemist.  He is known for inventing the Davy Lamp. He died at age 50 from complications following a stroke.

 

1814 ~ Joséphine de Beauharnais (b. June 23, 1763), first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte.  She died 24 days before her 51^stbirthday.

 

1790 ~ Israel Putnam (b. Jan. 7, 1718), American general.  He made his name at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War.  He died at age 72.

 

1660 ~ Frans van Schooten (b. 1615), Dutch mathematician.  The exact date of his birth is unknown.

 

1424 ~ Hongxi (b. Aug. 16, 1378), 4^th Chinese Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.  He died at age 46.

 

1379 ~ Henry II, King of Castile and León (b. Jan. 13, 1334).  He was the first king of Castile and León.  He was the king involved in the Ferdinand War and the Hundred Years’ War.  He was married to Juana Manuel (1339 ~ 1381).  He died at age 45.

 

1332 ~ Mary of Woodstock (b. Mar. 11, 1279), daughter of King Edward I of England.  She became a Benedictine nun.  She died at age 53.

 

1259 ~ Christopher I of Denmark (b. 1219).  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been about 39 or 40 at the time of his death.