Birthdays:
1985 ~ Keira Knightley (née Keira Christina Knightley), English actress. She was born in London, England.
1973 ~ Larry Page (né Lawrence Edward Page), American computer scientist and co-founder of Google. He was born in East Lansing, Michigan.
1960 ~ Jennifer Grey, American actress, best known for her role in Dirty Dancing. She was born in Manhattan, New York.
1954 ~ Curtis Sliwa, American anti-crime activist and founder of the Guardian Angels. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1953 ~ Lincoln Chafee (né Lincoln Davenport Chafee), Governor of Rhode Island. He served in that position from January 2011 until January 2015. He had previously served as a United States Senator from Rhode Island from November 1999 until January 2007. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island.
1953 ~ Elaine Chao (née Elaine Lan Chao), 18th United States Secretary of Transportation during the Trump administration. She assumed this Office in January 2017. She resigned her position just days before the 2021 inauguration of President Biden. She previously served under President George W. Bush as the 24th United States Secretary of Labor from January 2001 until January 2009. She is married to Mitch McConnell. She was born in Taipei, Taiwan.
1951 ~ Carl Wieman (né Carl Edwin Wieman), American physicist and recipient of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics. He was born in Corvallis, Oregon.
1950 ~ Teddy Pendergrass (né Theodore DeReese Pendergrass; d. Jan. 13, 2010), African-American Rhythm and Blues star who overcame a devastating accident. At age 31, he was involved in a car accident that left him a paraplegic, but he resumed his singing and became a spokesperson for the disabled. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. He died at age 59 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
1950 ~ Martin Short (né Martin Hayter Short), Canadian comedian. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
1949 ~ Vicki Lawrence (née Victoria Ann Axelrad) American actress. She is best known for the many characters she portrayed on The Carol Burnett Show. She was born in Inglewood, California.
1948 ~ Steven Tyler (né Steven Victor Tallarico), American singer, songwriter and frontman of Aerosmith. He was born in Manhattan, New York.
1944 ~ Diana Ross (née Diana Ernestine Earle Ross), American singer and lead singer of The Supremes. She was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1943 ~ Bob Woodward (né Robert Upshur Woodward), American journalist, best known for working with Carl Bernstein and uncovering Watergate. He was born in Geneva, Illinois.
1942 ~ Erica Jong (née Erica Mann), American actor best known for her novel, Fear of Flying. She was born in Manhattan, New York.
1940 ~ James Caan (né James Edmund Caan), American actor. He was born in The Bronx, New York.
1940 ~ Nancy Pelosi (née Nancy Patricia D’Alesandro), American politician and first woman Speaker of the House. She was a Representative from California. She served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives from January 2007 to January 2011. She served a second term as Speaker of the House beginning in January 2019. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
1938 ~ Sir Anthony Leggett (né Anthony James Leggett), British theoretical physicist and recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering work on superfluidity. He was born in London, England.
1934 ~ Alan Arkin (né Alan Wolf Arkin), American actor. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1931 ~ Leonard Nimoy (né Leonard Simon Nimoy; d. Feb. 27, 2015), American actor best known for his role as Mr. Spock from the Star Trek Series. Although he initially was not keen on the role of Mr. Spock, he learned to love the alien. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He died about a month before his 84th birthday in Bel Air, California.
1930 ~ Sandra Day O’Connor (née Sandra Day), first woman Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. She was nominated to the High Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. She replaced Potter Stewart on the Court. She served on the Court from September 1981 until January 2006 when she retired. Samuel Alito replaced her on the Court. She was born in El Paso, Texas.
1926 ~ Guido Stampacchia (d. Apr. 27, 1978), Italian mathematician. He was born in Naples, Italy. He died of a heart attack a month after his 52nd birthday in Paris France.
1925 ~ Vesta Roy (née Vesta M. Coward; d. Feb. 8, 2002), Acting Governor of New Hampshire. She served as Governor for only a few days, December 29, 1982 until January 6, 1983, after the sitting governor, Hugh Gallen, died in office. She was the first woman to serve both as President of the New Hampshire Senate and Acting Governor of New Hampshire. She was born in Dearborn, Michigan. She died at age 76 in Kenmore, New York.
1923 ~ Bob Elliot (né Robert Brackett Elliot; d. Feb. 2, 2016), American comedian and actor. He was half of the comedy duo of Bob and Ray. His son is comedian Chris Elliot. He was born in Winchester, Massachusetts. He died of throat cancer at age 92 in Cundy Harbor, Maine.
1916 ~ Christian B. Anfinsen, Jr. (né Christian Boehmer Anfinsen, Jr.; d. May 14, 1995), American chemist and recipient of the 1972 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on ribonuclease. He was born in Monessen, Pennsylvania. He died at age 79 in Randallstown, Maryland.
1914 ~ Toru Kumon (d. July 25, 1995), Japanese mathematician. He died of pneumonia at age 81.
1914 ~ General William Westmoreland (né William Childs Westmoreland; d. July 18, 2005), American general who oversaw all military commands during the Vietnam War from 1964 until 1968. He served as the 25th Chief of Staff of the United States Army from July 1963 through June 1972. He was born in Saxon, South Carolina. He died at age 91 in Charleston, South Carolina.
1913 ~ Paul Erdős (d. Sept. 20, 1996), Hungarian mathematician. He was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. He died at age 83 in Warsaw Poland..
1911 ~ Tennessee Williams (né Thomas Lanier Williams, III; d. Feb. 25, 1983), American playwright, best known for A Streetcar Named Desire. He was born in Columbus, Mississippi. He died in New York, New York a month before his 72nd birthday.
1911 ~ Sir Bernard Katz (d. Apr. 20, 2003), German-born biophysicist and recipient of the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on nerve physiology. He fled to England in 1935 to escape the Nazi rule. He was born in Leipzig, German Empire. He died less than a month after his 92nd birthday in London, England.
1905 ~ Viktor Frankl (né Viktor Emil Frankl; d. Sept. 2, 1997), Austrian neurologist and psychologist. He survived several concentration camps during the Holocaust. He was born and died in Vienna, Austria. He died at age 92.
1904 ~ Joseph Campbell (né Joseph John Campbell; d. Oct. 30, 1987), professor of comparative mythology and religion. He was born in White Plains, New York. He died at age 83 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
1881 ~ Guccio Gucci (né Guccio Giovanbattista Giacinto Dario Maria Gucci; d. Jan. 2, 1953), Italian fashion designer and founder of the House of Gucci. He was born in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. He died at age 71 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy.
1874 ~ Robert Frost (né Robert Lee Frost; d. Jan. 29, 1963), American poet. He was born in San Francisco, California and died in Boston, Massachusetts at age 88.
1873 ~ Condé Nast (né Condé Montrose Nast; d. Sept. 19, 1942), American publisher and founder of the Condé Mast media company. He was born and died in New York, New York. He was 69 years old.
1868 ~ King Faud I of Egypt (d. Apr. 28, 1936). He was born and died in Cairo, Egypt. He died about a month after his 68th birthday.
1859 ~ Aldolf Hurwitz (d. Nov. 18, 1919), German mathematician. He died at age 60.
1859 ~ A.E. Housman (né Alfred Edward Housman; d. Apr. 30, 1936), English poet. He died at age 77 in Cambridge, England.
1850 ~ Edward Bellamy (d. May 22, 1898), American author, socialist and utopian visionary. He is best known for his novel Looking Backwards. He was born and died in Chicopee, Massachusetts. He died at age 48 of tuberculosis.
1773 ~ Nathaniel Bowditch (d. Mar. 16, 1838), American mathematician. He is best known for his contribution to ocean navigation. He was born in Salem, Province of Massachusetts Bay. He died in Boston, Massachusetts of stomach cancer 10 days before his 65th birthday.
1698 ~ Prokop Diviš (d. Dec. 21, 1765), Czech scientist and inventor of the lightning rod. He died at age 67.
1687 ~ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (d. June 28, 1757), Queen consort of Prussia and Electress consort of Brandenburg. She was the wife of Frederick William I, King of Prussia. She was of the House of Hanover. She was the daughter of George I, King of Great Britain, and Sophia Dorothea of Celle. She died at age 70.
1656 ~ Nicholas Hartsoeker (d. Dec. 10, 1725), Dutch mathematician and physicist. He invented the screw-barrel simple microscope. He died at age 69.
1633 ~ Mary Beale (née Mary Cradock; d. Oct. 8, 1699), British painter and artist. She was one of the most successful professional female Baroque artists. She is best known for her portraiture. She died at age 66 in London, England.
1613 ~ Sir Henry Vane the Younger (d. June 14, 1662), English politician and Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he was baptized on March 26, 1613. He was executed for treason in England at age 49.
1031 ~ Malcolm III, King of Scotland (d. Nov. 13, 1093). He ruled Scotland from 1058 until his death in 1093. He was married twice, first to Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, and then to St. Margaret of Scotland. He was of the House of Dunkeld. He was the son of Duncal I, King of the Scots and Suthen. The exact date of his birth is not known, but it is generally considered to be March 26, 1031. He died at age 62.
Events that Changed the World:
2000 ~ Vladimir Putin (b. 1952) was elected as president of Russia.
1979 ~ Anwar Sadat (1918 ~ 1981), Menachem Began (1913 ~ 1991) and Jimmy Carter (b. 1924) signed the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.
1971 ~ East Pakistan declared its independence from Pakistan to become the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
1953 ~ Jonas Salk (1914 ~ 1994) announced the development of the polio vaccine.
1942 ~ The first female prisoners began arriving at Auschwitz.
1934 ~ The United Kingdom began requiring driving tests.
1931 ~ Swissair, the national airline of Switzerland, was founded.
1920 ~ This Side of Paradise, F. Scott’s Fitzgerald’s first novel was published.
1830 ~ The Book of Mormon was first published.
1812 ~ A political cartoon coined the term “gerrymander” to describe the oddly-shaped electoral districts designed to help incumbents win reelections. The word Gerrymander is a portmanteau of Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry (1774 ~ 1814) and the word Salamander because the redistricting that he proposed resembled a salamander.
1812 ~ An earthquake destroyed much of Caracas, Venezuela.
1027 ~ Conrad II (990 ~ 1039) was crowned as the Holy Roman Emperor.
Good-Byes:
2019 ~ Michel Bacos (b. May 23, 1924), French airline pilot who became a hero at Entebbe. He was the captain of Air France Flight 139 when it was hijacked by a Palestinian terrorist group in June 1976. He was born in Port Said, Egypt. He died at age 94 in Nice, France.
2016 ~ Jim Harrison (né James Harrison; b. Dec. 11, 1937), American poet, novelist, and essayist. He was born in Grayling, Michigan. He died of a heart attack at age 78 in Patagonia, Arizona.
2015 ~ Tomas Tranströmer (né Tomas Gösta Tranströmer; b. Apr. 15, 1931), Swedish writer and recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born and died in Stockholm, Sweden. He died about 3 weeks before his 84th birthday.
2015 ~ Friedrich L. Bauer (né Friedrich Ludwig Bauer; b. June 10, 1924), German mathematician. He died at age 90.
2011 ~ Geraldine Ferraro (née Geraldine Anne Ferraro; b. Aug. 26, 1935), American Congresswoman and Vice-Presidential nominee in the 1984 presidential campaign. Walter Mondale selected her to be his running mate. She died of multiple myeloma at age 75 in Boston, Massachusetts.
2005 ~ Georgeanna Jones (née Georgeanna Seegar; b. July 6, 1912), American reproductive endocrinologist who began an in vitro fertilization clinic with her husband, Howard Jones (1910 ~ 2015), after reaching retirement age. Elizabeth Carr (b. Dec. 28, 1981), was first “test tube” baby born in the United States, was born as a result of their research. Georgeanna Jones was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She died at age 92 in Portsmouth, Virginia.
2005 ~ James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff (né Leonard James Callaghan; d. Mar. 27, 1912), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He died 1 day before his 93rd birthday.
2003 ~ Daniel Patrick Moynihan (b. Mar. 16, 1927), American politician and United States Senator from New York State. He was also the 12th United States Ambassador to the United Nations. He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He died 10 days after his 76th birthday in Washington, D.C.
2000 ~ Alex Comfort (né Alexander Comfort; b. Feb. 10, 1920), English physician and author. He is best known for his book The Joy of Sex. He was also a poet, novelist, antinuclear activist, and an anarchist, as well as an authority on the biochemistry of aging. He was born in London, England. He died at age 80.
1996 ~ Edmund Muskie (né Edmund Sixtus Muskie; b. Mar. 28, 1914), American politician and long-term senator from Maine. He also served as the 58th United States Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter from May 1980 until January 1981. He was born in Rumford, Maine. He died 2 days before his 82nd birthday in Washington, D.C.
1996 ~ David Packard (b. Sept. 7, 1912), American businessman and co-founder of Hewlett-Packard. He also served as the 13th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense from January 1969 to December 1971 during the Nixon Administration. He was born in Pueblo, Colorado. He died at age 83 in Stanford, California.
1994 ~ Margaret Millar (née Margaret Ellis Sturm; b. Feb. 5, 1915), American-Canadian mystery writer. She was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. She died at age 79 in Santa Barbara, California.
1990 ~ Halston (né Roy Halston Frowick; b. Apr. 23, 1932), American fashion designer. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He died less than a month before his 58th birthday in San Francisco, California.
1983 ~ Sir Anthony Blunt (né Anthony Frederick Blunt; b. Sept. 26, 1907), English historian and Soviet spy. He died at age 75 in London, England.
1976 ~ Lin Yutang (b. Oct. 10, 1895), Chinese writer and translator. He died at age 80 in Hong Kong.
1973 ~ Sir Noël Coward (né Noël Peirce Coward; b. Dec. 16, 1899), English composer and playwright. He died of heart failure at age 73.
1970 ~ Julius Krug (né Julius Albert Krug; b. Nov. 23, 1907), 33rd United States Secretary of the Interior. He served under President Harry S. Truman from March 1946 until December 1949. He was born in Madison, Wisconsin. He died at age 62 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
1969 ~ John Kennedy Toole (b. Dec. 17, 1937), American novelist from New Orleans. His most well-known novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, was published after his death by suicide at age 31. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and died in Biloxi, Mississippi.
1966 ~ Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler (née Anna Johnson; b. May 5, 1883), American mathematician. She is best known for her work in linear algebra in infinite dimensions. She was born in Calliope, Iowa. She died of a stroke at age 82 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
1964 ~ Hedwig Kohn (b. Apr. 5, 1887), German physicist and one of three women to earn habilitation prior to World War II. She earned her Ph.D. in 1913 and obtained her habilitation in 1930. She was forced to leave German under Nazi regime and ultimately moved to the United States. She was born in Breslau, German Empire. She died in Durham, North Carolina 10 days before her 78th birthday.
1959 ~ Raymond Chandler (né Raymond Thornton Chandler; b. July 23, 1888), American detective-fiction writer. He is best known for such novels as The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. He died at age 70 in La Jolla, California.
1945 ~ David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (b. Jan. 17, 1863), Welsh attorney and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the reign of King George V. He served as Prime Minister from December 1916 until October 1922. He died at age 82.
1932 ~ Henry Leland (né Henry Martyn Leland; b. Feb. 16, 1843), American inventor and automotive entrepreneur. He founded the luxury automobiles of Cadillac and Lincoln. He was born in Vermont. He died at age 89 in Detroit, Michigan.
1923 ~ Sarah Bernhardt (née Henriette Rosine Bernard; b. Oct. 22, 1844), French actress. Her birth date is sometime noted as being on October 23, 1844. She was born and died in Paris, France. She died at age 78.
1902 ~ Cecil Rhodes (né Cecil John Rhodes; b. July 5, 1853), English-born South African explorer and businessman. He was the founder of the DeBeers diamond mining company. The Rhodes Scholarship was established in his will and was established in 1902. He died of heart failure at age 48.
1900 ~ Isaac Mayer Wise (b. Mar. 29, 1819), Bohemian-born American rabbi and founder of the Reform Movement in the United States. He died 3 days before his 81st birthday in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1892 ~ Walt Whitman (né Walter Whitman; b. May 31, 1819), American poet. He was born in West Hills, New York. He died at age 72 in Camden, New Jersey.
1885 ~ Anson Stager (b. Apr. 22, 1925), American businessman who co-founded Western Union. He was also the head of the Military Telegraph Department for the Union during the American Civil War. He was born in Ontario County, New York. He died less than a month before his 60th birthday in Chicago, Illinois.
1862 ~ Uriah Levy (né Uriah Phillips Levy; b. Apr. 22, 1792), Commodore of the United States Navy. He was the first Jewish Commodore of the Navy. He is best known for stopping flogging and corporal punishment. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died less than a month before his 70th birthday in New York, New York.
1827 ~ Ludwig van Beethoven (b. Dec. 17, 1770), German composer. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he was baptized on December 17, 1770. In his later years he became deaf yet continued to compose music. His famous Ninth Symphony was written when he was completely deaf. He was born in Bonn, Germany. He died at age 56 in Vienna, Austria.
1814 ~ Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (b. May 28, 1738), French physician and namesake of the guillotine. He did not invent the guillotine and was, in fact, an opponent of the death penalty. He was born in Saintes, France. He died at age 75 in Paris, France.
1776 ~ Samuel Ward (b. May 25, 1725), Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island. He served two terms as governor, first from 1762 until 1763, and then from 1765 until 1767. He was born in Newport, Rhode Island. He died of smallpox at age 50 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1729 ~ Simon de la Loubère (b. Apr. 21, 1642), French diplomat and mathematician. He was born in Toulouse, France. He died in Montesquieu-Volvestre, France less than a month before his 87th birthday.
1649 ~ John Winthrop (b. Jan. 12, 1587/88), Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but Jan 12 is typically the date ascribed to his birth. He was born in England. He died in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony.
1535 ~ Georg Tannsetter (b. April 1482), Austrian mathematician. The exact date of his birth is unknown.
1350 ~ Alfonso XI, King of Castile and León (b. Aug. 13, 1311). He ruled from September 1312 until his death in 1350. He was married twice. His first wife was Constanze Manuel. After this marriage was annulled, he married Maria of Portugal. He was of the House of Burgundy. He was the son of Ferdinand IV, King of Castile and Constance of Portugal. He died of the Black Plague at age 38.
1324 ~ Marie of Luxembourg (b. 1304), Queen consort of France and Navarre and second wife of Charles IV, King of France. She was of the House of Luxembourg. She was the daughter of Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor and Margaret of Brabant. The exact date of her birth is not known. She died at age 19 or 20 in childbirth.
1211 ~ Sancho I, King of Portugal (b. Nov. 11, 1154). He reigned from December 1185 until his death in March 1211. He was married to Dulce of Aragon. He was of the Portuguese House of Burgundy. He was the son of Afonso I, King of Portugal, and Matilda of Savoy. He died at age 56.
1130 ~ Sigurd the Crusader, King of Norway (b. 1089). He ruled Norway from 1103 until his death in 1130. He was married twice, and possibly three times. His first wife was Bjaðmunjo Mýrjartaksdóttir. His second wife was Malmfred of Kiev. He may have married a third time to Cecilia. He was of the House of Hardrada. He was the son of Magnus III, King of Norway and his concubine, Tora. The exact date of his birth is not known. He died about age 48 or 49.
908 ~ Ai (b. Oct. 27, 892), last emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He ascended to the throne at age 11 and was poisoned at age 15.
752 ~ Pope-Elect Stephen. He died before he was installed as Pope. He was elected Pope but died of a stroke before formally being ordained. The date of his birth is unknown.
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