June 26

Birthdays:

 

2005 ~ Princess Alexia of the Netherlands.  She is a member of the Dutch royal family.  She is of the House of Orange-Nassau.  She is the second daughter of Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands and Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti.

 

1980 ~ Jason Schwartzman (né Jason Francesco Schwartzman), American actor.  His mother is Talia Shire.  He was born in Los Angeles, California.

 

1974 ~ Derek Jeter (né Derek Sanderson Jeter), American baseball player.  He was born in Pequannock Township, New Jersey.

 

1970 ~ Nick Offerman (né Nicholas Offerman), American actor best known for his role as Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation.  He was born in Joliet, Illinois.

 

1965 ~ Firoozeh Dumas, Iranian-American writer.  Her family moved to the United States when she was 7 years old.  She was born in Abadan, Iran.

 

1956 ~ Chris Isaak (né Christopher Joseph Isaak), American singer-songwriter.  He was born in Stockton, California.

 

1955 ~ Gedde Watanabe (né Gary Watanabe), American actor and comedian.  He was born in Ogden, Utah.

 

1939 ~ Chuck Robb (né Charles Spittal Robb), American politician.  He served as Governor of Virginia from January 1982 until January 1986.  He then went on to become a United States Senator from Virginia.  He is married to Lynda Bird Johnson.  He was born in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

1938 ~ Roger Corless (d. Jan. 12, 2007), American religious scholar.  He was born in England.  He died at age 69 in San Francisco, California.

 

1937 ~ Robert Coleman Richardson (d. Feb. 19, 2013), American physicist and recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was born in Washington, D.C.  He died at age 75 in Ithaca, New York.

 

1933 ~ Claudio Abbado (d. Jan. 20, 2014), Italian conductor who achieved global presence.  He was born in Milan, Italy.  He died at age 80 in Bologna, Italy.

 

1929 ~ Milton Glaser (d. June 26, 2020), American graphic designer who spread love for New York.  He is best known for his I [Heart] New York logo.  He was born in The Bronx.  He died on his 91^st birthday in Manhattan, New York.

 

1922 ~ Dick Smith (né Richard Emerson Smith; d. July 30, 2014), American make-up and special-effects artist who transformed Hollywood.  He was born in Larchmont, New York.  He died at age 92 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1911 ~ Babe Didrikson Zaharias (née Mildred Ella Didrikson; d. Sept. 27, 1956), American athlete and golfer.  She was from Port Arthur, Texas.  She died at age 45 of colon cancer in Galveston, Texas.

 

1911 ~ Edward H. Levi (né Edward Hirsch Levi; d. Mar. 7, 2000), 71^st United States Attorney General.  He served under President Gerald Ford from February 1975 until January 1977.  He was born and died in Chicago, Illinois.  He died at age 88.

 

1909 ~ Colonel Tom Parker (né Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk; d. Jan. 21, 1997), Dutch-American talent manager who managed the singing career of Elvis Presley.  He was born in Breda, Netherlands.  He died at age 87 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

1908 ~ Salvador Allende (Salvador Guillerno Allende Gossens; d. Sept. 11, 1973), 29^th President of Chile.  He served as President from 1970 until his death in 1973.  He died under mysterious circumstances and was believed to have been assassination after his ouster as president.  He was born and died in Santiago, Chile.  He was 65 years old.

 

1904 ~ Peter Lorre (né László Löwenstein; b. Mar. 23, 1964), Hungarian-born actor.  His film career began in Germany, but he left that country in 1933 with the rise of Nazism.  He died of a stroke at age 59 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1901 ~ Stuart Symington (né William Stuart Symington, Jr.; d. Dec. 14, 1988), 1^st United States Secretary of the Air Force.  He was appointed to this office by President Harry S Truman and served as the Secretary of the Air Force from September 1947 through December 1950.  He went on to become a United States Senator from Missouri.  He was born in Amherst, Massachusetts and died in New Canaan, Connecticut.  He died at age 87.

 

1899 ~ Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (d. July 17, 1918), member of the Russian Royal Family.  She was of the House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov.  She was the daughter of Nicholas II, Tsar of Russia, the last monarch of Russia and Alexandra Feodorovna (née Alix of Hesse and by Rhine).  She was assassinated 21 days before her 20^th birthday by the Bolshevik secret police during the Russian Revolution.

 

1898 ~ Willie Messerschmmitt (né Wilhelm Emil Messerschmitt; d. Sept. 15, 1978), German aircraft designer and manufacturer.  He died at age 80 in Munich, West Germany.

 

1892 ~ Pearl S. Buck (née Pearl Sydenstricker; d. Mar. 6, 1973), American writer and recipient of the 1938 Nobel Prize in Literature.  She is best known for her novel, The Good Earth.  She was born in Hillsboro, West Virginia.  She died of lung cancer at age 80 in Danby, Vermont.

 

1878 ~ Leopold Löwenheim (d. May 5, 1957), German mathematician.  He died at age 78 in Berlin, Germany.

 

1866 ~ George Hebert, 5^th Earl of Carnarvon (d. Apr. 5, 1923), English banker and financier of Howard Carter’s archeological expeditions which lead to the discovery of King Tut’s tomb.  He was born in London, England.  He died at age 56 from an infected mosquito bite in Cairo, Egypt.

 

1824 ~ William Thomson, 1^st Baron Kelvin (d. Dec. 17, 1907), Irish mathematical physicist who introduced the temperature scale that begins at absolute zero (-273.15^o C).  Absolute temperatures stated in units of kelvin are named in his honor.  He was born in Belfast, Ireland.  He died at age 83 in Largs, Scotland.

 

1821 ~ Bartolomé Mitre (d. Jan. 19, 1906), President of Argentina.  He was president from October 1862 until October 1868.  He was born and died in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  He died at age 84.

 

1819 ~ Abner Doubleday (d. Jan. 26, 1893), American general.  He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter at the beginning of the American Civil War.  Although often credited with the invention of baseball, this is likely not true.  He was born in Ballston Spa, New York.  He died in Mendham, New Jersey at age 73.

 

1817 ~ Branwell Brontë (d. Sept. 24, 1848), English painter and poet.  He was the brother of writers, Anne, Emily and Charlotte Brontë.  He died of tuberculosis at age 30.

 

1681 ~ Hedvig Sophia of Sweden (d. Dec. 22, 1708), Swedish princess and Duchess consort of Holstein-Gottorp.  She was the wife of Frederick IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp.  She was of the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken.  She was the daughter of Charles XI, King of Sweden and Ulrike Eleanora of Denmark.  She died of smallpox at age 27.

 

1575 ~ Anne Catherine of Brandenburg (d. Apr. 8, 1612), Queen consort of Denmark and Norway.  She was the first wife of Christian IV, King of Denmark.  She was of the House of Hohenzollern.  She was the daughter of Joachim Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg and Catherine of Brandenburg-Küstrin.  She died at age 36.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2015 ~ In the case of Obergelfell v. Hodges, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the 14^th Amendment requires a State to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state or in a jurisdiction recognizing the same.  Justice Anthony Kennedy (b. 1936) drafted the majority decision.

 

2013 ~ In the case of Windsor v. United States, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed State to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages, was unconstitutional and a violation of the Fifth Amendment.  Justice Anthony Kennedy (b. 1936) drafted the majority decision.

 

2003 ~ United States Supreme Court ruled that gender-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional in the case of Lawrence v. Texas.  Justice Anthony Kennedy (b. 1936) drafted the majority decision.

 

1997 ~ The United States Supreme Court, in the case of Reno v. ACLU, ruled that the Communications Decency Act was unconstitutional and violated the First Amendment.  Justice John Paul Stevens (1920 ~ 2019) drafted the majority decision.

 

1974 ~ The Universal Product Code, or UPC, was scanned for the first time in making a purchase.  The first purchase, made at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, was for a package of chewing gum.

 

1963 ~ Levi Eshkol (1895 ~ 1969) became the 3^rd Israeli Prime minister.  He served until his death of a heart attack on February 26, 1969.

 

1963 ~ President John F. Kennedy (1917 ~ 1963) gave his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech.

 

1959 ~ The St. Lawrence Seaway was officially opened, creating a navigational channel between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes.

 

1956 ~ The United States Congress approved the Federal Highway Act, which allotted over $30 Billion for the construction of the interstate highway system.

 

1948 ~ Shirley Jackson’s short story, The Lottery, was published in The New Yorker magazine.

 

1948 ~ The Berlin Airlift began when pilots from the United States and Great Britain began delivering food and supplies into Berlin after the city had been isolated by the Soviet blockade.

 

1945 ~ The United Nations Charter was executed in San Francisco.

 

1934 ~ President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 ~ 1945) signed the Federal Credit Union Act, which established the existence of credit unions.

 

1927 ~ The Cyclone roller coaster opened in Coney Island.

 

1917 ~ The first American troops arrived in France to fight alongside the British and France against the Germans in World War I.

 

1906 ~ The first Grand Prix, the French motor racing event, was held.  It was a two-day event.

 

1870 ~ The Christian holiday of Christmas was officially declared a federal holiday in the United States.

 

1830 ~ Under the terms of the Treaty of Nanking, which ended the 1^st Opium War, Hong Kong was ceded to the British.

 

1830 ~ William IV (1765 ~ 1837) became King of Britain and Hanover.

 

1483 ~ Richard III (1452 ~ 1485) became King of England.

 

684 ~ Pope Benedict II (d. 685) became Pope.  He was Pope until his death a year later, on May 8, 685.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2021 ~ Mike Gravel (né Maurice Robert Gravel; b. May 13, 1930), American idiosyncratic Democratic senator who hated war and elitism.  He served as a United States Senator from Alaska from January 1969 until January 1981.  He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts.  He died at age 91 in Seaside, California.

 

2020 ~ Milton Glaser (b. June 26, 1929), American graphic designer who spread love for New York.  He is best known for his I [Heart] New York logo.  He was born in The Bronx.  He died on his 91^st birthday in Manhattan, New York

 

2014 ~ Howard Baker, Jr. (né Howard Henry Baker, Jr.; b. Nov. 15, 1925), American senator from Tennessee who skewered President Nixon over Watergate.  He was the 12^th White House Chief of Staff.  He served under President Ronald Reagan in that Office from July 2001 until February 2005.  He died at age 88.

 

2012 ~ Nora Ephron (b. May 19, 1941), American filmmaker, writer and journalist whose wit defined an era.  She died of leukemia at age 71.

 

2012 ~ Ann Curtis (née Ann Elisabeth Curtis; b. Mar. 6, 1926), American swimmer who won gold at the 1948 Olympics. She was born in San Francisco, California.  She died at age 86 in San Rafael, California.

 

2011 ~ Jan van Beveren (b. Mar. 5, 1948), Dutch-born soccer star who became a devoted coach in Texas.  He died in Beaumont, Texas at age 63.

 

2007 ~ Liz Claiborne (née Anne Elizabeth Jane Claiborne; b. Mar. 31, 1929), American fashion designer.  She was born in Brussels, Belgium to American parents.  She came from a prominent Louisiana family, whose ancestor was William C.C. Claiborne, Governor of Louisiana during the War of 1812.  She died of cancer at age 78.

 

2004 ~ Naomi Shemer (b. July 13, 1930), Israeli singer-songwriter.  She died at 17 days before her 74^th birthday.

 

2003 ~ Sir Denis Thatcher, 1^st Baronet (b. May 10, 1915), British businessman and husband of Britain’s Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.  He died at age 88.

 

2003 ~ Strom Thurmond, Sr. (né James Strom Thurmond; b. Dec. 5, 1902), United States Senator from South Carolina.  He was a staunch opponent of Civil Rights legislation during the 1950s and ‘60s.  He had also served as the 103^rdGovernor of South Carolina.  He was born and died in Edgefield, South Carolina.  He died at age 100.

 

1997 ~ Israel Kamakawino’ole (b. May 20, 1959), Hawaiian singer-songwriter and ukulele player.  He was born and died in Honolulu, Hawaii.  He died at age 38.

 

1993 ~ Roy Campanella (b. Nov. 19, 1923), American baseball player and coach.  He died of heart failure at age 71.

 

1991 ~ Pauline A. Young (née Pauline Alice Young; b. Aug. 17, 1900), African-American educator, historian, civil rights activist and aviator.  She was born in West Medford, Massachusetts.  She died at age 90 in Wilmington, Delaware.

 

1957 ~ Malcolm Lowry (né Clarence Malcolm Lowry; b. July 28, 1909), British novelist.  He is best known for his novelUnder the Volcano.  He died about a month before his 48^th birthday.

 

1949 ~ Ray Wilbur (né Ray Lyman Wilbur; b. Apr. 13, 1875), 31^st United States Secretary of the Interior.  He served under President Herbert Hoover from March 1929 until March 1933.  He was also a physician and served as the 3^rdPresident of Stanford University.  He died of heart disease at age 74.

 

1943 ~ Karl Landsteiner (b. June 14, 1868), Austrian biologist, physician and recipient of the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He died 12 days after his 75^th birthday in New York, New York.

 

1939 ~ Ford Madox Ford (né Ford Hermann Hueffer; b. Dec. 17, 1873), English writer.  He died at age 65.

 

1938 ~ James Weldon Johnson (b. June 17, 1871), African-American author and civil rights activist.  He was born in Jacksonville, Florida.  He died 9 days after his 67^th birthday in Wiscasset, Maine.

 

1938 ~ E.V. Lucas (né Edward Verrall Lucas; b. June 11, 1868), British humorist and author.  His birthday is sometimes listed as June 12.  He died 17 days after his 70^th birthday.

 

1932 ~ Adelaide Ames (b. June 3, 1900), American astronomer.  She died in a boating accident on Squam Lake in New Hampshire just 3 weeks after her 32^nd birthday.

 

1922 ~ Albert I, Prince of Monaco (né Albert Honoré Charles Grimaldi; b. Nov. 13, 1848).  He reigned from September 1889 until his death 32 years later.  He was married first to Lady Mary Hamilton.  After their divorce and annulment, he married the American Alice Heine.  He died at age 73.

 

1889 ~ Simon Cameron (b. Mar. 8, 1799), 26^th United States Secretary of War.  He served under President Abraham Lincoln from March 1861 until January 1862.  He subsequently served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from March 1867 until March 1877.  He was born and died in Maytown, Pennsylvania.  He died at age 90.

 

1886 ~ David Davis (b. Mar. 9, 1815), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was nominated to the High Court by President Abraham Lincoln.  He served on the Court from October 1862 until March 1877.  He replaced John Campbell on the Court.  He was succeeded by John Harlan.  He went on to be elected a United States Senator from Illinois and became the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.  He was born in Cecil County, Maryland.  He died in Bloomington, Illinois.  He died at age 71.

 

1881 ~ Henry Stanbery (b. Feb. 20, 1803), 28^th United States Attorney General.  He served in that office under the Andrew Johnson administration from July 1866 until July 1868.  He was born and died in New York, New York.  He died at age 78.

 

1836 ~ Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle (b. May 10, 1760), French soldier and composer.  He composed a piece of music that would later become known as La Marseillaise, which is the French national anthem.  He died at age 76.

 

1830 ~ King George IV of the United Kingdom (b. Aug. 12, 1762).  He ruled the United Kingdom from January 1820 until his death in June 1830.  He died at age 67.

 

1810 ~ Joseph-Michel Montgolfier (b. Aug. 26, 1740), French inventor and co-inventor along with his brother, Jacques-Étienne (1845 ~ 1799), of the hot air balloon.  He died at age 69; his brother died at age 54.

 

1796 ~ David Rittenhouse (b. Apr. 8, 1732), American astronomer and mathematician.  He was also the first director of the United States mint.  He died at age 64 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 

1541 ~ Francisco Pizarro (b. 1471), Spanish conqueror of Peru.  He was assassinated in Lima, Peru by the son of his former companion, Diego de Almagro.  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been about 70 years old at the time of his death.