Groundhog Day
Birthdays:
1996 ~ Paul Mescal, Irish actor. He was born in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland.
1954 ~ Christie Brinkley (née Christie Lee Hudson), American model. She was born in Monroe, Michigan.
1948 ~ Ina Garten (née Ina Rosenberg), American chef and author. She is known as the Barefoot Contessa. She was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1947 ~ Farrah Fawcett (née Ferrah Leni Fawcett; d. June 25, 2009), American actress. She was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. She died of cancer at age 62 in Santa Monica, California.
1942 ~ Fabrizio Soccorsi (d. Jan. 9, 2021), Italian physician who was Pope Francis’ hand-picked doctor. He was the former head of the hepatology department in Rome’s San Camillo-Forlanini hospital. He died at age 78 of complications of Covid-19.
1939 ~ Dale T. Mortensen (né Dale Thomas Mortensen; d. Jan. 9, 2014), American economist and recipient of the 2010 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science. He was born in Enterprise, Oregon. He died less than a month before his 75th birthday in Wilmette, Illinois.
1939 ~ Mary-Dell Chilton, American chemist. She is one of the founders of modern plant biotechnology. She was born in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1937 ~ Tom Smothers (né Thomas Bolyn Smothers, III; d. Dec. 26, 2023), American comedian. He was born in New York, New York. He died of lung cancer at age 86 in Santa Rosa, California.
1931 ~ Judith Viorst (née Judith Stahl), American author. She is known for her humorous observations in her writings. She was born in Newark, New Jersey.
1927 ~ Stan Getz (né Stanley Gayetski; d. June 6, 1991), American saxophonist. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died of liver cancer at age 64 in Malibu, California.
1927 ~ Nita Pippins (née Jesse Juanita Roberts; d. May 10, 2020), American nurse. In 1987, at age 60, she moved from Florida to New York City to care for her only child, 33-year-old Nick, who was dying of AIDS. She then became an activist and replacement mother for other gay men suffering from AIDS who had become estranged from their families. She was born in Dothan, Alabama. She died on Mother’s Day in New York, New York at age 93 of Covid-19.
1926 ~ Sylvia Woods (née Sylvia Pressley; d. July 19, 2012), the African-American cook who brought soul food to Harlem. She was born in Hemingway, South Carolina. She died at age 86 in Mount Vernon, New York.
1926 ~ Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (né Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d’Estaing; d. Dec. 2, 2020), French president. He served as President from May 1974 until May 1981. He died at age 94.
1925 ~ Elaine Stritch (d. July 17, 2014), American Broadway actress who brought sass to the stage. She was born in Detroit, Michigan. She died at age 89 in Birmingham, Michigan.
1923 ~ Liz Smith (née Mary Elizabeth Smith; d. Nov. 12, 2017), American gossip columnist who befriended the stars. She was born in Fort Worth, Texas. She died at age 94 in Manhattan, New York.
1917 ~ Đỗ Mười (d. Oct. 1, 2018), Vietnamese politician. He served as the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam from June 1991 until December 1997. He was born and died in Hanoi, Vietnam. He died at age 101.
1915 ~ Abba Eban (né Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban; d. Nov. 17, 2002), Israeli diplomat. He was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He died at age 87 in Tel Aviv, Israel.
1912 ~ Eliza Gladys Millvina Dean (d. May 31, 2009), 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.
1905 ~ Ayn Rand (née Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum; d. Mar. 6, 1982), Russian-born American author, best known for her novels, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. She was born in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire. She died about a month after her 77th birthday in New York, New York.
1901 ~ Jascha Heifetz (d. Dec. 10, 1987), Lithuanian violinist and musician. He was born in Vilna, but moved to the United States as a teenager. He was also an advocate for environmental issues. He died at age 86 in Los Angeles, California.
1897 ~ Howard Johnson (né Howard Deering Johnson; d. June 20; 1972), American businessman and founder of the Howard Johnson restaurant chain. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He died at age 75 in Milton, Massachusetts.
1897 ~ Gertrude Blanch (née Gittel Kaimowitz; d. Jan. 1, 1996), Russian-American mathematician. She specialized in numerical analysis. She died a month before her 99th birthday.
1896 ~ Kazimierz Kuratowski (d. June 18, 1980), Polish mathematician and logician. He died at age 84.
1893 ~ Cornelius Lanczos (né Kornél Lőwy; d. June 25, 1974), Hungarian mathematician and physicist. His family fled Hungary when the Nazi’s purged Hungary of its Jews in 1944. He died at age 81.
1882 ~ James Joyce (né James Augustine Aloysius Joyce; d. Jan. 13, 1941), Irish writer. He died at 20 days before his 59th birthday.
1882 ~ Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (d. Dec. 3, 1944). He was the father of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. In 1903, he married Princess Alice of Battenberg (1885 ~ 1969). It was not a happy marriage and they separated by 1930. He was of the House of Glücksburg. He was the son of George I, King of Greece and Olga Constantinovna of Russia. He died of heart failure at age 62.
1861 ~ Solomon R. Guggenheim (né Solomon Robert Guggenheim; d. Nov. 3, 1949), American art collector and founder of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died at age 88 in Long Island, New York.
1860 ~ Curtis Guild, Jr. (d. Apr. 6, 1915), 43rd Governor of Massachusetts. He was Governor from January 1906 until January 1909. He was born and died in Boston, Massachusetts. He died at age 55 following a brief illness.
1859 ~ Havelock Ellis (né Henry Havelock Ellis, d. July 8, 1939), English psychologist, eugenicist, and author. He was a social reformer who studied human sexuality. He died at age 80.
1856 ~ Frederick William Vanderbilt (d. June 29, 1938), American railway magnate. He was the director of the New York Central Railroad for 61 years. He was the son of William Henry Vanderbilt and Marie Louisa Kissam. His grandfather was the Commodore, Cornelius Vanderbilt. He was born in Staten Island, New York. He died at age 82 in Hyde Park, New York.
1842 ~ Yulian Vasilivich Sokhotsku (d. Dec. 14, 1927), Russian mathematician. He died at age 85.
1807 ~ Alexandre Ledru-Rollin (né Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin; d. Dec. 31, 1874), French politician and champion of the working class. He was forced into exile after the failed revolution of 1848. He was born in Paris, France. He died at age 67 in Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
1786 ~ Jacques Philippe Marie Binet (d. May 12, 1856), French mathematician. He made significant contributions to number theory. He died at age 70 in Paris, France.
1754 ~ Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (d. May 17, 1838), French statesman and advisor to Napoleon. He was also the 1st Prime Minister of France. He served in this Office from July 1815 until September 1815. He was born and died in Paris, France. He died at age 84.
1650 ~ Nell Gwynne (née Eleanor Gwyn; d. Nov. 14, 1687), mistress of Charles II, King of England. She died at age 37.
1649 ~ Pope Benedict XIII (né Pietro Francesco Orsini; d. Feb. 21, 1730). He ruled as Pope from May 29, 1724 until his death on February 21, 1730. He died three weeks after his 81st birthday.
1611 ~ Prince Ulrik of Denmark (d. Aug. 12, 1633). He was a Prince-Bishop of Schwerin. He never married. He was of the House of Oldenburg. He was the son of Christian IV, King of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg. He was Lutheran. He died at age 22.
1522 ~ Lodovico Ferrari (d. Oct. 5, 1565), Italian mathematician. He died at age 43, possibly of poisoning at the hand of his sisters.
1494 ~ Bona Sforza (d. Nov. 19, 1557), Queen consort of Poland and Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania. She was the second wife of Sigismund I, King of Poland (1467 ~ 1548). They married in 1517. She was of the House of Sforza. She was the daughter of Gian Galaezzo Sforza and Isabella of Aragon. She was Roman Catholic. She died at age 63.
1455 ~ John, King of Denmark (d. Feb. 20, 1513). He ruled form May 21, 1481 until his death in February 1513. He was married to Christina of Saxony (1461 ~ 1521). They married in 1478. They were the parents of Christian II, King of Denmark. He was of the House of Oldenburg. He was the son of Christian I, King of Denmark and Dorothea of Brandenburg. He was Roman Catholic. He died 18 days after his 58th birthday. He was succeeded by his son, Christian II, King of Denmark.
1426 ~ Eleanor, Queen of Navarre (d. Feb. 12, 1479). She was briefly the Queen regent of Navarre from January 1479 until her death a month later. She was married to Gaston IV, Count of Foix (1422 ~ 1472). She was of the House of Trastámara. She was the daughter of John II, King of Aragon and Blanche I, Queen of Navarre. She died just 10 days after her 53rd birthday.
1208 ~ James I, King of Aragon (d. July 27, 1276). He was known as James the Conqueror. He was King of Aragon from September 1213 until his death in 1276. He was married three times. His first wife was Eleanor of Castile (1200 ~ 1244). He later had this marriage annulled on the grounds of consinguinity. Under the terms of the annulment agreement, she was prohibited from remarrying. She lived the remainder of her life as a nun. His second wife was Violant of Hungary (1215 ~ 1251). They married in 1235. Following her death, he married Teresa Gil de Vidaure, a commoner who had previously been his mistress. He left her when he allegedly she developed leprosy. He was of the House of Barcelona. He was the son of Peter II, King of Aragon and Maria of Montpellier. He was Roman Catholic. He died at age 68.
450 ~ Justin I (d. Aug. 1, 527), Byzantine Emperor. He ruled from September 518 until his death in August 527. He was married to Euphemia (d. 520s). He is believed to have been about 77 at the time of his death.
Events that Changed the World:
2020 ~ Today’s date created a rare palindrome that hadn’t occurred in over 900 years: 02/02/2020.
2020 ~ The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. The game was played in Miami, Florida.
2005 ~ The Canadian government introduced the Civil Marriage Act. The legislation would become law in July 2005, legalizing same-sex marriages.
1971 ~ Idi Amin (d. 2003) took power of Uganda.
1925 ~ The Great Mercy Race, also known as the Serum Run completed its journey of transporting diphtheria serum to Nome, Alaska. The sera were transported by dog sled the provide a remedy against the diphtheria epidemic in northern Alaska.
1922 ~ James Joyce (1882 ~ 1941) published his novel, Ulysses on his 40th birthday.
1914 ~ The film Making a Living premiered. This was Charlie Chaplin’s first film.
1913 ~ Grand Central Terminal opened in New York City.
1901 ~ The funeral for Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1819 ~ 1901) was held.
1900 ~ Baseball’s American league was formed with teams from Boston, Detroit, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Chicago, and St. Louis.
1899 ~ The Australian Premiers’ Conference, which was held in Melbourne, decided to locate Australia’s capital city to Canberra.
1887 ~ The first Groundhog Day was observed in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
1876 ~ The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of the Major League Baseball was formed.
1848 ~ The first wave of Chinese immigrants arrived in San Francisco, California to assisted with the California Gold Rush.
1847 ~ The first member of the Donner party died.
1848 ~ The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed between the United States and Mexico, ending the Mexican-American War.
1709 ~ Alexander Selkirk (1676 ~ 1721), a Scottish sailor, was rescued after being a castaway from a shipwreck for four years on a desert island. He was the inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe.
1653 ~ The city of New Amsterdam, later renamed New York City, was incorporated.
1536 ~ The city of Buenos Aries, Argentina was founded by Pedro de Mendoza (1487 ~ 1537).
1141 ~ During the Battle of Lincoln, Stephen, King of England (1092 ~ 1154) was defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda (1102 ~ 1167).
962 ~ Otto I (912 ~ 973) was crown Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII (930 ~ 964). Otto would rule until his death on May 7, 973.
Good-byes:
2023 ~ Solomon Perel (b. Apr. 21, 1925), German-born Holocaust survivor who hid among Hitler Youth. He managed to escape persecution by the Nazis by posing as ethnic Germans. After the War, he immigrated to Israel and joined the IDF. He later became an author and motivational speaker. He was born in Peine, Hanover, Prussia, Germany. He died at age 97 in Israel.
2016 ~ Bob Elliot (né Robert Brackett Elliot; b. Mar. 26, 1923), 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.
2014 ~ Philip Seymour Hoffman (b. July 23, 1967), American Oscar-winning actor who found depth in every character. He was born in Fairport, New York. He died of a drug overdose at age 46 in New York, New York.
2012 ~ Dorothy Gilman (née Dorothy Edith Gilman; b. June 25, 1923), American mystery writer, best known for her Mrs. Pollifax mysteries. She was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. She died at age 88 in Rye Brook, New York.
2008 ~ Joshua Lederberg (b. May 23, 1925), American molecular biologist and recipient of the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was 33 years old when he received the Nobel Prize. He was awarded the Prize for discovering that bacteria can mate and exchange genes. He was born in Montclair, New Jersey. He died at age 82 of pneumonia in New York, New York.
2008 ~ Earl Butz (né Earl Lauer Butz, b. July 3, 1909), 18th United States Secretary of Agriculture. He served under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford from December 1971 until October 1976. His policies favored large-scale corporate farming. He was forced to resign over a racist joke. He was born in Albion, Indiana. He died at age 98 in Kensington, Maryland.
2005 ~ Max Schmeling (né Maximillian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling; b. Sept. 28, 1905), German boxer who defeated, then lost to, Joe Louis. He died at age 99.
1996 ~ Gene Kelly (né Eugene Curran Kelly; b. Aug. 23, 1912), American dancer and actor. He was bornin Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He died at age 83 in Beverly Hills, California.
1992 ~ Bert Parks (né Bertram Jacobson; b. Dec. 30, 1914), American television host, best known as being the emcee for the Miss America beauty contests. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He died of lung cancer at age 77 in La Jolla, California.
1989 ~ Marie Poland Fish (née Marie Dennis Poland; b. May 22, 1900), American oceanographer and marine biologist. She is best known for founding the field of marine bioacoustics. She was also instrumental in finding eel eggs in the Sargasso Sea. Her research on underwater sound detection allowed the United States Navy to distinguish between submarines from wildlife. She was born in Paterson, New Jersey. She died at age 88 in Westport, Connecticut.
1980 ~ William Howard Stein (b. June 25, 1911), American biochemist and recipient of the 1972 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He was born and died in New York, New York. He died at age 68.
1979 ~ Sid Vicious (né John Simon Ritchie; b. May 10, 1957), English musician and singer in The Sex Pistols. He murdered his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen. He was born in London, England. He died in New York, New York at age 21 from a drug overdose that was possibly a suicide.
1974 ~ Imre Lakatos (b. Nov. 9, 1922), Hungarian mathematician. He fled to England during World War II. He died of a heart attack at age 51 in London, England.
1970 ~ Bertrand Russell, 3rd Earl Russell (né Bertrand Arthur William Russell; b. May 18, 1872), British philosopher and mathematician. He was also the recipient of the 1950 Nobel Prize in Literature. He died at age 97.
1969 ~ Boris Karloff (né William Henry Pratt, b. Nov. 23, 1887), British actor best known for his roles in horror films. He died of pneumonia and emphysema at age 81.
1950 ~ Constantin Carathéodory (b. Sept. 13, 1873), Greek mathematician. He died at age 76.
1942 ~ Ado Birk (b. Nov. 14, 1883), Prime Minister of Estonia from for 3 days, from July 28 to July 30, 1920. At the beginning of World War II, he was arrested by the Soviet secret police. He was sentenced to death, but died before he could be executed. He died at age 58.
1918 ~ John L. Sullivan (né John Lawrence Sullivan; b. Oct. 15, 1858), American boxer. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He died at age 59 in Abington, Massachusetts.
1905 ~ Henri Germain (b. Feb. 19, 1824), French banker and founder of Le Crédit Lyonnais. It was the first bank in Europe to offer savings accounts with interest. He was born in Lyon, France. He died 17 days before his 81st birthday.
1904 ~ William Whitney (né William Collins Whitney; b. July 5, 1841), 31st United States Secretary of the Navy. He served under President Grover Cleveland from March 1885 until March 1889. He was born in Conway, Massachusetts. He died at age 62 in New York, New York.
1873 ~ Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia. She was the wife of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia. They married in 1824. Her name was changed to Elena Pavlovna upon her marriage. She was of the House of Württemberg. She was the daughter of Prince Paul of Württemberg and Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen. She was Lutheran, but converted to the Russian Orthodox Church upon her marriage. She died about a month after her 66th birthday.
1769 ~ Pope Clement XIII (né Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico; b. Mar. 7, 1693). He was Pope from July 1758 until his death in February 1769. He died just over a month before his 76th birthday.
1768 ~ Robert Smith (b. Oct. 16, 1689) English mathematician and musical theorist. He is believed to have been born in October 1689. He died at age 78.
1704 ~ Guillaume François Antoine, Marquis de l’Hôpital (b. 1661), French mathematician. The exact date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been 42 at the time of his death. He was born and died in Paris, France.
1660 ~ Gaston, Duke of Orléans (b. Apr. 24, 1608), member of the French royal family. He was married twice. His first wife was Marie de Bourbon (1605 ~ 1627). They married in 1626. She died a year later, shortly after giving birth to a daughter. After her death, he married Marguerite of Lorraine (1615 ~ 1672). They had married in secret. When Gaston’s brother, Louis XIII, King of France learned of the marriage, he had the marriage annulled. They remarried in 1643 when the king, on his deathbed, finally approved of the marriage. Gaston was of the House of Bourbon. He was the third son of Henry IV, King of France and Marie de’Medici. He was Roman Catholic. He died at age 51.
1461 ~ Sir Owen Tudor, (b. 1392), Welsh soldier and founder of the Tudor dynasty of England. He was married to Catherine of Valois (1401 ~ 1437). He was killed in the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, a major battle in the War of the Roses. The exact date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been 68 or 69 at the time of his death.
1435 ~ Joan II, Queen of Naples (b. June 25, 1371). She ruled Naples from August 1414 until her death 21 years later. She was married twice. Her first husband was William, Duke of Austria (1370 ~ 1406). He died before she became Queen of Naples. Her second husband was James II, Count of La Marche (1370 ~ 1438). Joan was his second wife. She was of the Capetian House of Anjou. She was the daughter of Charles III, King of Naples and Margaret of Durazzo. She died at age 63.
1353 ~ Anne of Bavaria (b. Sept. 26, 1329), Queen consort of Germany and Bohemia. She was the second wife of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1316 ~ 1378). They married in 1349. She died before he became the Holy Roman Emperor, thus was never the Empress consort. She was of the House of Wittelsbach. She was the daughter of Rudolf II, Count Palatine of the Rhine and Anne of Tirol. She died at age 23. In 1998, Asteroid 100733 Annaflacká was named in her memory.
1250 ~ Eric XI, King of Sweden (b. 1216). He was known as Eric the Lisp and Lame. He ruled first from 1222 until 1229. His second rule was from 1234 until his death in 1250. He was married to Catherine Sunesdotter (1215 ~ 1252). He was the last ruler of the House of Eric. He was the son of Eric I, King of Sweden and Richeza of Denmark. The exact date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been 33 at the time of his death.
1218 ~ Joan, Lady of Wales (b. 1191). She was married to Llywelyn the Great. She was of the House of Plantagenet. She was the illegitimate daughter of John, King of England and Clemence. The exact date of her birth is not known. She is believed to have been about 45 or 46 at the time of her death.
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