Birthdays:
1978 ~ January Jones (née January Kristen Jones), American actress best known for her role as Betty Drapper on MadMen. She was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
1975 ~ Bradley Cooper (né Bradley Charles Cooper), American actor. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1975 ~ Warrick Dunn (né Warrick De’Mon Dunn), American football player who lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His mother, Betty Smothers, was a police officer. While working as an off-duty police officer in Baton Rouge, she was killed by armed robbers on January 7, 1993. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1953 ~ George Tenet (né George John Tenet), Director of the Central Intelligence. He served under United States Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, from December 1996 until July 2004. He was born in New York, New York.
1950 ~ Chris Stein (né Christopher Stein), American guitarist and co-founder of the band, Blondie. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1948 ~ Ted Lange (né Theodore William Lange), African-American actor best known for his role as the bartender, Isaac, on The Love Boat. He was born in Oakland, California.
1946 ~ Diane Keaton (née Diane Hall), American actress. She was born in Los Angeles, California.
1942 ~ Charlie Rose (né Charles Peete Rose, Jr.), American journalist and talk show host who, in late 2017, was fired from all his jobs for charges of sexual harassment. He was born in Henderson, North Carolina.
1938 ~ Juan Carlos I, King of Spain. He reigned from November 1975 until June 2014. He is married to Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark. He is of the House of Bourbon. He is the son of Prince Juan, Count of Barcelona and Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. He was born when his parents were in exile in Rome, Italy.
1934 ~ Phil Ramone (né Philip Rabinowitz, d. Mar. 30, 2013), American music producer who made the stars shine. He produced albums for Paul Simon, Carly Simon, Billy Joel and countless others. He died in New York, New York following surgery for an aortic aneurism. He was 79 years old.
1932 ~ Raisa Gorbachova (née Raisa Maximovna Titarenko; d. Sept. 20, 1999), wife of Russian leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. She died of leukemia at age 67.
1932 ~ Umberto Eco (d. Feb. 19, 2016), Italian philosopher and scholar who became a blockbuster novelist with his novel, The Name of the Rose. He died at age 84 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy.
1931 ~ Alvin Ailey, Jr. (d. Dec. 1, 1989), African-American dancer and choreographer. He was the founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He was born and died in Rogers, Texas. He died at age 58 in Manhattan, New York.
1931 ~ Aaron Cohen (d. Feb. 25, 2010), American engineer who ran Mission Control. He was the Acting Deputy Administrator for NASA from February 1992 until November 1992. He was born in Corsicana, Texas. He died at age 79 in College Station, Texas.
1931 ~ Robert Duvall (né Robert Selden Duvall), American actor. He was born in San Diego, California.
1930 ~ Dorothy Cotton (née Dorothy Lee Forman; b. June 10, 2018), African-American civil rights leader who educated black voters. She was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina. She died in Ithaca, New York at age 88.
1929 ~ Tabby Thomas (né Ernest Joseph Thomas; d. Jan. 1, 2014), American blues musician. He was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he ran and operated Tabby’s Blues Box. He died 4 days before his 85th birthday.
1928 ~ Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (b. Apr. 4, 1979) 4th President of Pakistan. He was executed at age 51 following a coup.
1928 ~ Walter Mondale (né Walter Frederick Mondale; d. Apr. 19, 2021), American politician and 42nd Vice President of the United States. He was considered the liberal standard-bearer who redefined the vice presidency. He served under President Jimmy Carter from January 1977 to January 1981. He had previously served as a United States Senator from Minnesota from December 1964 to December 1976. He was born in Ceylon, Minnesota. He died at age 93 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1923 ~ Sam Phillips (né Samuel Cornelius Phillips, d. July 30, 2003), American record producer and founder of Sun Records. He was born in Florence, Alabama. He died at age 80 in Memphis, Tennessee.
1923 ~ Robert L. Bernstein (né Robert Louis Bernstein; d. May 27, 2019), American publisher and human rights activist. He was born and died in New York, New York. He died at age 96.
1921 ~ John H. Reed (né John Hathaway Reed; d. Oct. 31, 2012), 67th Governor of Maine. He served as Governor from December 1959 until January 1967. Before turning to politics, he was a potato farmer in Aroostook County. He was born in Fort Fairfield, Maine. He died at age 91 in Washington, D.C.
1917 ~ Jane Wyman (née Sarah Jane Mayfield; d. Sept. 10, 2007), American actress and first wife of President Ronald Reagan. She was born in St. Joseph, Missouri. She died at age 90 in Rancho Mirage, California.
1914 ~ George Reeves, (né George Keefer Brewer; d. June 16, 1959), American actor best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television show of the same name. He was born in Wookstock, Iowa. He died under mysterious circumstances that have been described as both a suicide and murder in Los Angeles, California. He was 45 at the time of his death.
1910 ~ Hugh Brannum (d. Apr. 19, 1987), American actor and composer. He is best known for his role as Mr. Green Jeans on Captain Kangaroo. He was born in Sandwich, Illinois. He died of cancer at age 77 in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
1909 ~ Stephen Kleene (né Stephen Cole Kleene; d. Jan. 25, 1994), American mathematician. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He died 20 days after his 85th birthday in Madison, Wisconsin.
1906 ~ Dame Kathleen Mary Kenyon (d. Aug. 24, 1978), British archeologist. She was one of the most influential archeologists on Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent. She was born in London, England. She died at age 72 in Wrexham, Wales.
1905 ~ Rebecca Lancefield (née Rebecca Craighill; d. Mar. 3, 1981), American microbiologist. Her work focused on group A streptococci and its relation to rheumatic fever. She was born and died in New York, New York. She died following complications of a broken hip at age 86.
1904 ~ Erika Morini (d. Nov. 1, 1995), Austrian violinist. She owned a Stradivarius violin. Shortly before her death, her apartment in New York City was broken into and her violin, along with other valuables, was stolen. The crime has never been solved. She was born in Vienna, Austria. Her family immigrated to the United States to avoid the Nazi regime. She died at age 91 in New York, New York.
1904 ~ Jeane Dixon (née Lydia Emma Pinckert, d. Jan. 25, 1997), American astrologer and psychic. She is best known for advising Nancy Reagan. She was born in Medford, Wisconsin. She died of cardiac arrest 20 days after her 93rdbirthday in Washington, D.C.
1893 ~ Elizabeth Cotten (née Elizabeth Nevillis; d. June 29, 1987), African-American blues and folk musician, singer and songwriter. She was a self-taught musician who played left-handed in her own style. She is known for playing a guitar strung for a right-handed player but played it upside down. She was born in Carroboro, North Carolina and died at age 94 in Syracuse, New York.
1886 ~ Markus Reiner (d. Apr. 25, 1976), Austrian-born Israeli civil engineer. He died at age 90.
1882 ~ Dorothy Levitt (née Elizabeth Levi, d. May 17, 1922), British journalist and first woman race car driver. She taught the women in the royal family how to drive. She died at age 40.
1874 ~ Joseph Erlanger (d. Dec. 5, 1965), American physiologist and recipient of the 1944 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was born in San Francisco, California. He died a month before his 92nd birthday in St. Louis, Missouri.
1865 ~ Julio Garavito Armero (d. Mar. 11, 1920), Colombian mathematician, astronomer, and engineer. He was born and died in Bogotá, Colombia. He died at age 55.
1855 ~ King Gillette (né King Camp Gillett; d. July 9, 1932), American inventor credited with creating the safety razor. He was also the founder of the Gillette Company. He was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He died at age 77 in Los Angeles, California.
1846 ~ Rudolf Christoph Eucken (d. Sept. 15, 1926), German writer and philosopher and recipient of the 1908 Nobel Prize for Literature. He died at age 80.
1838 ~ Camille Jordan (né Marie Ennemond Camille Jordan; d. Jan. 22, 1922), French mathematician. He was born in Lyon, France. He died less than 3 weeks after his 84th birthday in Paris, France.
1779 ~ Zebulon Pike (né Zebulon Montgomery Pike; d. Apr. 27, 1813), American army officer, frontiersman and explorer. Pikes Peak in Colorado is named for him. He was born in Lamington, New Jersey. He was killed in action age 34 in the Battle of York, Canada during the War of 1812.
1779 ~ Stephen Decatur, Jr. (d. Mar. 22, 1820), American naval officer during the American Revolutionary War. He is known for his heroism during the Barbary Wars and in the War of 1812. He was born in Sinepuxent, Maryland. He was killed in a duel at age 41 in Washington, D.C.
1762 ~ Constanze Mozart (née Maria Constanze Cäcilia Josepha Johanna Aloysia Weber; d. Mar. 6, 1842), German wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. She died at age 80 in Salzburg, Austria.
1592 ~ Shah Jahan (d. Jan. 22, 1666), Mughal emperor. He is best known for having the Taj Mahal built as a burial tomb for his wife. He died 17 days after his 74th birthday.
1209 ~ Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall (d. Apr. 2, 1272). He was of the House of Plantagenet. He was one of the richest men in Europe. He married three times. His first wife was Isabel Marshal. After her death, he married Sanchia of Provence. After her death, he married Beatrice of Falkenburg. He was the son of John, King of England and Isabella, Countess of Angoulême. He died at age 63.
Events that Changed the World:
2021 ~ In the final 2020 election run-off for United States Senate seats in Georgia, the Democratic Party won both seats. Jon Ossoff (b. 1987) defeated incumbent GOP Senator David Perdue (b. 1949) and Raphael Warnock (b. 1969) defeated incumbent GOP Senator Kelly Leoffler (b. 1970). Warnock is an African-American and Ossof is Jewish.
1991 ~ The United States Embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia was evacuated due to violence in the city during the Somali Civil War.
1972 ~ President Richard M. Nixon (1913 ~ 1994) ordered the development of the Space Shuttle Program.
1970 ~ A massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Tonghai County in China. Over 10,000 people were killed and over 25,000 others were injured.
1953 ~ Samuel Beckett’s play, Waiting for Godot, was first performed in Paris.
1949 ~ United States President Harry S. Truman (1884 ~ 1972) announced his Fair Deal program.
1940 ~ The FM radio was first demonstrated to the Federal Communications Commission.
1933 ~ Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, connecting San Francisco with Marin County, began. The construction was completed in April 1937.
1925 ~ Nellie Tayloe Ross (1876 ~ 1977) became the first woman governor of a state when she took the office in Wyoming. She served as Governor from 1925 to 1927.
1919 ~ The German Workers’ Party, the precursor to the Nazi Party, was founded.
1914 ~ Henry Ford (1863 ~ 1947), head of the Ford Motor Company, announced a minimum wage scale of $5 per day for all employees and an 8-hour workday. Employees, however, were subject to arbitrary restrictions and “character standards” imposed by Ford.
1895 ~ French army officer Alfred Dreyfus (1859 ~ 1935) was stripped of his rank and sentenced to life in prison on Devil’s Island, for no other reason than being Jewish. He was later acquitted.
1882 ~ Charles J. Guiteau (1841 ~ 1882) was convicted of the assassination of President James Garfield (1831 ~ 1881). He was sentenced to death by hanging, which would be carried out in June 1882.
1826 ~ The General Assembly of Maryland granted Jews the right to vote or to hold public office in the State.
1781 ~ During the American Revolutionary War, British naval forces, led by Benedict Arnold (1741 ~ 1801), burned Richmond, Virginia.
1757 ~ Louis XV, King of France survived an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens (1715 ~ 1757). As the King was entering his carriage at the Palace of Versailles, Damiens rushed towards him and stabbed him with a small knife. The King was only slightly wounded. Damiens was immediately arrested and was executed for his assassination attempt. In March 1575, Damiens would become the last person to be executed in France by drawing and quartering.
1477 ~ Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1433 ~ 1477), was defeated and killed in battle with René II, Duke of Lorraine (1451 ~ 1508). As a result, Burgundy became a part of France.
Good-Byes:
2019 ~ Bernice Sandler (née Bernice Resnick; b. Mar. 3, 1928), American Title IX activist who battled discrimination. She was a women’s right activist who was instrumental in the enactment of Title IX. She was born in New York, New York. She died at age 90 in Washington, D.C.
2018 ~ Thomas Bopp (né Thomas Joel Bopp; b. Oct. 15, 1949), American amateur astronomer best known for being a co-discoverer of the Hale-Bopp comet. He was born in Denver, Colorado. He died of liver failure at age 68 in Phoenix, Arizona.
2018 ~ Jerry Van Dyke (né Jerry McCord Van Dyke; b. July 27, 1931), American actor and younger brother of Dick Van Dyke. He is best known for his role as Tag in the television sit-com, The Middle. He was born in Danville, Illinois. He died of congestive heart failure at age 86 in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
2018 ~ John Young (b. Sept. 24, 1930), American astronaut who became NASA’s conscience. He was an outspoken voice for astronaut safety following the tragic Launchpad fire in 1967 that killed three of his fellow astronauts. He was born in San Francisco, California. He died of complications from pneumonia at age 87 in Houston, Texas.
2012 ~ Frederica Sagor Maas (née Frederica Alecandrina Sagor; b. July 6, 1900), American screenwriter who told cinema’s secrets. She was one of the oldest surviving entertainers from the silent film era. At age 99, she published her memoir entitled The Shocking Miss Pilgrim: A Writer in Early Hollywood. She was born in New York, New York. She died at age 111 in La Mesa, California.
2010 ~ Murray Saltzman (b. Nov. 26, 1929), Reform Jewish rabbi and civil rights leader. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He died at age 80 of pancreatic cancer in Fort Myers, Florida.
2009 ~ Griffin Bell (né Griffin Boyette Bell; b. Oct. 31, 1918), 72nd United States Attorney General. He served under President Jimmy Carter. He served as Attorney General from January 1977 until August 1979. He was also a Judge of the United States Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit from February 1962 until March 1976. He was born in Americus, Georgia. He died at age 90 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2004 ~ Norman Heatley (né Norman George Heatley; b. Jan. 10, 1911), British biologist and chemist who co-developed penicillin. He died 5 days before his 93rd birthday.
2003 ~ Jean Kerr (née Bridget Jean Collins, b. July 10, 1922), American author. She is best known for her book, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies. She was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She died at age 80 in White Plains, New York.
1998 ~ Sonny Bono (né Salvatore Phillip Bono; b. Feb. 16, 1935), American singer and half of the duo Sonny and Cher. In his later life, he became a politician. He was killed in a freak skiing accident. He was born in Detroit, Michigan. He died at age 62 in Stateline, Nevada.
1994 ~ Tip O’Neill (né Thomas Phillip O’Neill; b. Dec. 9, 1912), American politician from Massachusetts and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He served as Speaker for 10 years, from January 1977 until January 1987. He was a Representative from Massachusetts. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He died 27 days after his 81stbirthday in Boston, Massachusetts.
1988 ~ Pete Maravich (né Peter Press Maravich; b. June 22, 1947), American basketball player, who in college played for Louisiana State University. He was known as Pistol Pete. He was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. He died at age 40 of heart failure during a pick-up game of basketball in Pasadena, California. He is buried in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The basketball arena at LSU is named in his honor.
1981 ~ Harold Urey (né Harold Clayton Urey; b. Apr. 29, 1893), American chemist and recipient of the 1934 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on isotopes. He was born in Walkerton, Indiana. He died at age 87 in La Jolla, California.
1979 ~ Charles Mingus, Jr. (b. Apr. 22, 1922), African-American bassist, composer and bandleader. He was born in Nogales, Arizona. He died at age 56 of ALS in Los Angeles, California.
1978 ~ Wyatt Cooper (né Wyatt Emory Cooper; b. Sept. 1, 1927), American author and screenwriter. He was married to Gloria Vanderbilt and was the father of Anderson Cooper. He was born in Quitman, Mississippi. He died in New York, New York at age 50 during heart surgery.
1970 ~ Max Born (b. Dec. 11, 1882), German physicist and mathematician. He was the recipient of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physics. He died 25 days after his 87th birthday.
1943 ~ George Washington Carver (b. 1864), African-American plant scientist best known for his research on peanuts. He was born in Diamond, Missouri. He died in Tuskegee, Alabama. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been about 80 years old at the time of his death.
1942 ~ Tina Modotti (née Assunta Adelaide Luigia Modotti Mondini; b. Aug. 16, 1896), Italian photographer and model. She was also a revolutionary political activist. She was born in Udine, Kingdom of Italy. She died of heart failure in Mexico City at age 45.
1941 ~ Amy Johnson (b. July 1, 1903), English aviator. She was an aviation pioneer and the first woman to fly alone from Britain to Australia. She was a participant in the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War II. She was killed during a ferry flight at age 37. Her body was never recovered.
1939 ~ Amelia Earhart (b. July 24, 1897), American aviator. The plane she was piloting went missing on July 2, 1937, 3 weeks before her 38th birthday. She was attempting to circumvent the earth when she lost communications and was never heard from again. She was born in Atchison, Kansas. She was legally declared dead on January 5, 1939, at age 41.
1933 ~ Calvin Coolidge (né John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.; b. July 4, 1872), 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 in Northampton, Massachusetts.
1922 ~ Sir Ernest Shackleton (né Ernest Henry Shackelton; b. Feb. 15, 1874), Irish Antarctic explorer. He died of a heart attack at age 47.
1905 ~ William Claflin (b. Mar. 6, 1818), 27th Governor of Massachusetts. He served as Governor from January 1869 until January 1872. He was born in Milford, Massachusetts. He died at age 86 in Newton, Massachusetts.
1899 ~ Ezra Otis Kendall (b. May 17, 1818), American mathematician and professor. He was born in Wilmington, Massachusetts. He died at age 80 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1796 ~ Samuel Huntington (b. July 16, 1731), 18th Governor of Connecticut. He served as Governor from May 1786 until his death in January 1796. His birthday under the Julian calendar is considered to be July 5. He was born in Windham, Connecticut. He died in office at age 64 in Norwich, Connecticut.
1762 ~ Elizabeth Petrovna (b. Dec. 29, 1709), Empress of Russia. She was reigned from December 1741 until her death 21 years later. She was very harsh towards the Jews and enforced the laws banning Jews from the Russian Empire. She was succeeded by Peter III. She was of the House of Romanov. She was the daughter of Peter I, Tsar of Russia and Catherine I, Empress of Russia. She died of complications of a stroke 1 week after her 52nd birthday.
1589 ~ Catherine de’Medici (b. Apr. 13, 1519), Queen consort of France and wife of Henry II, King of France. She was of the House of Medici. She was the daughter of Lorenzo de’Medici, Duke of Urbino and Madeleine de La Tour d’Auvergne. She died at age 69.
1477 ~ Charles, Duke of Burgundy (b. Nov. 10, 1433). He was known as Charles the Bold. He was of the House of Valois-Burgundy. He was the son of Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, also known as Philip the Good, and Infanta Isabella of Portugal. He was killed at the Battle of Nancy, thus Burgundy became a part of France. He died at age 43.
1448 ~ Christopher III, King of Denmark (b. Feb. 26, 1416). He reigned Denmark from April 1440 until his death 8 years later. He was also known as Christopher of Bavaria. He was married to Dorothea of Brandenburg. He was the son of John, Count Palatine of Neumarkt and Catherine of Pomerania. He died suddenly at age 31.
1430 ~ Philippa of England (b. June 4, 1394), Queen consort of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and first wife of Eric, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. She was also known as Philippa of Lancaster. She was from the House of Lancaster. She was the daughter of Henry IV, King of England and Mary de Bohun. Her mother died giving birth to Philippa. She died at age 35 of complications of childbirth.
1382 ~ Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of Ulster (b. Aug. 16, 1355). She married Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March, in 1368. Her cousin was Richard II, King of England who was childless, making the children of Philippa and her husband to be in line for the throne, setting the stage for the War of the Roses in the 1400s. She was of the House of Plantagenet. She was the daughter of Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence and Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster. She died at age 25.
1066 ~ Edward the Confessor (b. 1004), King of England. He was married to Edith of Wessex (1025 ~ 1075). He died childless, thus there was a succession crisis upon his death, which ultimately set the stage for the Norman conquest of England. He was of the House of Wessex. He was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been about 62 at the time of his death.
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