March 31

Birthdays:

 

1948 ~ Al Gore (né Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.), 45^th Vice President of the United States.  He served under President Bill Clinton.  He was also the recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.  He was born in Washington, D.C.

 

1948 ~ Rhea Perlman (né Rhea Jo Pearlman), American actress.  She is best known for her role as Carla on the television sitcom Cheers.  She was born in New York, New York.

 

1947 ~ Augustin Banyaga, Rwandan-born mathematician.

 

1944 ~ Angus King (né Angus Stanley King, Jr.), United States Senator from Maine.  He is serving as an independent.  He assumed office in January 2013.  He had previously served as the 72^nd Governor of Maine from January 1995 until January 2003.  He was born in Alexandria, Virginia.

 

1943 ~ Christopher Walken (né Ronald Walken), American actor.  He was born in New York, New York.

 

1940 ~ Barney Frank (né Barnett Frank), American politician from Massachusetts.  He was a member of the House of Representatives from January 1981 until January 2013.  He was the first openly gay member of Congress.  He was born in Bayonne, New Jersey.

 

1940 ~ Patrick Leahy (né Patrick Joseph Leahy), American United States Senator from Vermont.  He served in that office from January 1975 to January 2023.  He was born in Montpelier, Vermont.

 

1936 ~ Marge Piercy, American novelist.  She was born in Detroit, Michigan.

 

1935 ~ Judith Rossner (née Judith Louise Perelman; d. Aug. 9, 2005), American author, best known for her 1975 novel Looking for Mr. Goodbar.  She was born and died in New York, New York.  She died of leukemia and complications from diabetes at age 70.

 

1935 ~ Herb Alpert, American trumpeter, and band leader.  He was born in Los Angeles, California.

 

1934 ~ Richard Chamberlain (né George Richard Chamberlain), American actor.  He is best known for his role as Doctor Kildare in the television show of the same name.  He was born in Beverly Hills, California.

 

1934 ~ Shirley Jones (née Shirley Mae Jones), American actress and singer.  She was born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania.

 

1934 ~ Carlo Rubbia, Italian particle physicist, and recipient of the 1984 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work leading to the discovery of the W and Z particles at CERN.  He was born in Gorizia, Italy.

 

1932 ~ John Jakes (né John Williams Jakes; d. Mar. 11, 2023), American author who made historical fiction fun.  He is best known for his Civil War North and South trilogy.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.  He died 3 weeks before his 91^stbirthday in Sarasota, Florida.

 

1929 ~ Liz Claiborne (née Anne Elisabeth Jane Claiborne; d. June 26, 2007), American fashion designer.  She came from a prominent Louisiana family, whose ancestor was William C.C. Claiborne, Governor of Louisiana during the War of 1812.  She was born in Brussels, Belgium.  She died of cancer at age 78 in New York, New York.

 

1928 ~ Gordie Howe (né Gordon Howe; d. June 10, 2016), Canadian professional ice hockey player who could do it all.  He spent 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings.  His nickname was Mr. Hockey.  He was born in Floral, Saskatchewan, Canada.  He died at age 88 in Sylvania, Ohio.

 

1927 ~ César Chávez (né César Estrada Chávez; d. Apr. 23, 1993), American labor activist and co-founder of the United Farm Workers.  He was born in Yuma, Arizona.  He died 23 days after his 66^th birthday in San Luis, Arizona.

 

1927 ~ William Daniels (né William David Daniels), American actor.  He is best known for his role as Dr. Mark Craig on the television drama St. Elsewhere.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.

 

1926 ~ John Fowles (né John Robert Fowles; d. Nov. 5, 2005), British author best known for his novel The French Lieutenant’s Woman.  He died of heart failure at age 79.

 

1924 ~ Carl Ally (né Carl Joseph Ally; d. Feb. 15, 1999), American advertising executive.  He died at age 78 in Rowayton, Connecticut.

 

1920 ~ Deborah Cavendish (née Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford; d. Sept. 24, 2014), Duchess of Devonshire.  She was the British aristocrat and Mitford sister who restored a country estate.  She died at age 94.

 

1914 ~ Octavio Paz Lozano (d. Apr. 19, 1998), Mexican diplomat and recipient of the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He was born and died in Mexico City, Mexico.  He died 19 days after his 84^th birthday.

 

1908 ~ Philip Keenan (né Philip Childs Keenan; d. Apr. 20, 2000), American astronomer.  He is best known for creating an atlas of stellar spectra that is considered the bible of star classification.  He was born in Bellevue, Pennsylvania.  He died at age 92 in Columbus, Ohio.

 

1906 ~ Shin’ichiro Tomonaga (d. July 8, 1979), Japanese physicist and recipient of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was born and died in Tokyo, Japan.  He died at age 73.

 

1900 ~ Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (d. June 10, 1974), member of the British Royal family.  He was married to Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott (1901 ~ 2004).  They married in 1935.  He was of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha until the family changed its name to Windsor in 1917.  He was the son of George V, King of England and Mary of Teck.  He died at age 74.

 

1890 ~ Sir Lawrence Bragg (né William Lawrence Bragg; d. July 1, 1971), Australian-English physicist and recipient of the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics.  At age 25, he was then the youngest person to receive a Nobel Prize.  He shared the Nobel Prize with his father, William Henry Bragg, Sr.  He was born in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.  He died at age 81.

 

1885 ~ Pascin (né Julius Mordecai Pincas, d. June 5, 1930), Sephardi Bulgarian-American painter.  He was born in Bidin, Bulgaria.  He suffered from depression and died by suicide at age 45 in Paris, France.

 

1884 ~ Henri Queuille (d. June 15, 1970), French politician and Prime Minister during the Third and Fourth Republics.  He died at age 86 in Paris, France.

 

1847 ~ Yegor Ivanovich Zolotarev (d. July 19, 1878), Russian mathematician.  He died of blood poisoning at age 31.

 

1809 ~ Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (d. Mar. 4, 1809), Ukrainian-Russian playwright and author.  He died 27 days before his 43^rd birthday.

 

1794 ~ Thomas McKennan (né Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan; d. July 9, 1852), 2^nd United States Secretary of the Interior.  He served under President Millard Fillmore, but only for 11 days from August 15 until August 26, 1850, because he found the job too stressful.  He was born in New Castle, Delaware.  He died at age 58 in Reading, Pennsylvania.

 

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

 

1730 ~ Étienne Bézout (d. Sept. 27, 1783), French mathematician.  He died at age 53.

 

1723 ~ Frederick V, King of Denmark (d. Jan. 14, 1766).  He ruled from August 1746 until his death in January 1766.  He was married twice.  His first wife was Princess Louise of Great Britain (1724 ~ 1751).  They married in 1743.  After her death, he married Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1729 ~ 1796).  They married in 1752.  He was of the House of Oldenburg.  He was the son of Christian VI, King of Denmark and Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.  He was Lutheran.  He died at age 42.

 

1718 ~ Infanta Mariana Victoria of Spain (d. Jan. 15, 1781), Queen consort of Spain and wife of Joseph I, King of Spain (1714 ~ 1777).  They married in 1729.  They were the parents of Maria I, Queen of Portugal.  She was of the House of Bourbon.  She was the daughter of Philip V, King of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese.  She died at age 62.

 

1685 ~ Johann Sebastian Bach (d. July 28, 1750), German composer.  He died at age 65.

 

1675 ~ Pope Benedict XIV (né Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, d. May 3, 1758).  He was Pope from 1740 until his death 18 years later.  He died at age 83.

 

1596 ~ René Descartes (d. Feb. 11, 1650), French philosopher and mathematician.  He died of pneumonia at age 53 in Stockholm, Swedish Empire.

 

1576 ~ Countess Louise Juliana of Orange-Nassau (d. Mar. 15, 1644), Electress consort of Palatine and wife of Frederick IV, Elector of Palatine (1574 ~ 1610).  They married in 1593.  It was not a happy marriage.  She was of the House of Nassau.  She was the daughter of William the Silent, Prince of Orange and Charlotte of Bourbon.  She died 2 weeks before her 68^th birthday.

 

1519 ~ Henry II, King of France (d. July 10, 1559).  He was king from March 1547 until his death 12 years later.  In 1533, he married Catherine de’Medici (1519 ~ 1589).  They were the parents of Francis II, King of France.  He was of the House of Valois-Angoulême.  He was the son of Francis I, King of France and Claude, Duchess of Brittany.  He was Catholic.  He died at age 40 from an injury sustained 10 days earlier to his eye during a jousting match.

 

1499 ~ Pope Pius IV (né Giovanni Angelo Medici; d. Dec. 9, 1565).  He was Pope from 1559 until his death 6 years later.  He is best known for presiding over the final session of the Council of Trent.  He was 66 years old at the time of his death.

 

1439 ~ Joan, Infanta of Portugal (d. June 13, 1475), Queen consort of Castile and León.  She was the second wife of Henry IV, King of Castile and León (1425 ~ 1474).  They married in 1455.  It has been rumored that the marriage was never consummated due to the king’s impotence.  She was known to take lovers and gave birth to three children.  Henry declared that the marriage was never legal and divorced her in 1468.  She was of the House of Aviz.  She was the daughter of Edward, King of Portugal and Infanta Eleanor of Aragon.  She was Roman Catholic.  She died at age 36.

 

1425 ~ Bianca Maria Visconti (d. Oct. 28, 1468), Duchess consort of Milan.  She was the second wife of Francesco Sforza (1401 ~ 1466).  They married in 1450.  She was the daughter of Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan and Agnese del Maino.  She died at age 43.

 

1360 ~ Philippa of Lancaster (d. July 19, 1415), Queen consort of Portugal and wife of John I, King of Portugal (1357 ~ 1433).  They married in 1387.  They were the parents of Edward, King of Portugal.  She was of the House of Lancaster.  She was the daughter of John of Gaunt, 1^st Duke of Lancaster and Blanche of Lancaster.  She was Catholic.  She died of the plague at age 55.

 

1373 ~ Catherine of Lancaster (d. June 2, 1418), Queen consort of Henry III, King of Castile (1379 ~ 1406).  They married in 1388 and were the parents of three children, including John I, King of Castile.  She was of the House of Lancaster.  She was the daughter of John of Gaunt, 1^st Duke of Lancaster and Infanta Constance of Castile.  She was Roman Catholic.  She died of a stroke at age 45.

 

867 ~ Zhao Zong (d. Sept. 22, 904), Chinese emperor of the Tang Dynasty.  He was Emperor from April 888 until December 900.  He is believed to have been 37 at the time of his death.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2024 ~ Easter Sunday.

 

2017 ~ Torrential rains caused devastating flash floods and mudslides in Mocoa, Columbia.  Tons of mud and debris crashed through streets and swept away house, cars, trees, and bridges.  Over 300 people were killed and hundreds other were injured.

 

2013 ~ Easter Sunday.

 

1986 ~ Mexicana Flight 940 en route to Puerto Vallarta crashed into the mountains near Mexico City and killed 167 people aboard.

 

1966 ~ The Soviet Union launched Luna 10, which later became the first space probe to orbit around the moon.

 

1959 ~ Tenzin Gyatso (b. 1935), the 14^th Dalai Lama, was granted political asylum after crossing into India after being exiled from Tibet.

 

1931 ~ Transcontinental and Western Air Flight 599, which was carrying Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne (1888 ~ 1931), crashed in Kansas.  All 8 people aboard were killed.

 

1931 ~ A massive earthquake destroyed Managua, Nicaragua, and about 2,000 people were killed.

 

1930 ~ The Motion Picture Production Code, also known as the Hays Code, took effect which imposed strict guidelines on sex, crime, violence and religion in movies.  The guidelines governed self-censorship for nearly 40 years.

 

1918 ~ Daylight savings time went into effect in the United States for the first time.

 

1917 ~ The United States purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25M.

 

1909 ~ Serbia accepted Austrian control over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

1906 ~ The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, which later became the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was established.  Its function was to establish rules for college sports.

 

1889 ~ The Eiffel Tower was officially opened.

 

1866 ~ The Spanish Navy bombed the harbor of Valparaío, Chile.

 

1761 ~ An estimated 8.5 magnitude struck off the Iberian Peninsula.  The effects of the quake were felt in Scotland.

 

1492 ~ The Alhambra Decree was issued by King Ferdinand (1452 ~ 1516) and Queen Isabella (1451 ~ 1504) of Spain expelling all Jews and Muslims who refuse to convert to Christianity.  This Decree was not formally revoked until 1968.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2022 ~ Patrick Demarchelier (b. Aug. 21, 1943), French photographer with an eye for personality.  He was a high fashion photographer and worked for several fashion magazines, including Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.  He was also noted for photographing such iconic women as Princess Diana and Cindy Crawford.  In 2018, however, he was accused by several women of sexual harassment and Vogue barred him from future photo shoots.  He was born in Le Havre, France.  He died at age 78.

 

2020 ~ Lisa Ewald (b. Apr. 4, 1966), American emergency nurse who treated coronavirus patients at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.  She died 4 days before her 54^th birthday from complications of Covid-19.

 

2020 ~ Wallace Roney (b. May 25, 1960), African-American jazz trumpeter.  He was mentored by Miles Davis.  He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He died of complications from Covid-19 in Paterson, New Jersey.  He was 59 years old.

 

2020 ~ Frank Gabrin (b. 1959), American emergency room doctor who worked the front lines of he Covid-19 pandemic.  He became the first emergency physician in the United States to die from complications of Covid-19.  He was 60 years old.

 

2020 ~ Peter Beard (né Peter Hill Beard; b. Jan. 22, 1938), American photographer who embraced the wild side.  He split his time between a tented camp in Kenya photographing African wildlife, and New York City.  He was born in New York, New York.  He disappeared on Montauk Point, New York.  His body was found on April 19, 2020.  He was 82 years old.

 

2019 ~ Nipsey Hussle (né Ermias Joseph Asghedom; b. Aug. 15, 1985), American rising rap star who became a champion for South Los Angeles.  He was born and died in Los Angeles, California.  He was shot and killed outside his clothing store.  He was 33 years old.

 

2017 ~ Gilbert Baker (b. June 2, 1951), American gay activist who created the rainbow flag.  He was born in Chanute, Kansas.  He died at age 65 in New York, New York.

 

2017 ~ Richard Bolles (né Richard Nelson Bolles; b. Mar. 19, 1927), American clergyman who became a job-searching guru.  He was an Episcopal priest who wrote the book, What Color is Your Parachute?  He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  He died 12 days after his 90^th birthday in Danville, California.

 

2016 ~ Dame Zaha Hadid (née Zaha Mohammad Hadid; b. Oct. 31, 1950), Iraqi-British visionary who broke architecture’s glass ceiling.  She was one of the most influential architects of her generation.  She was the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize.  She was born in Baghdad, Kingdom of Iraq.  She died of a heart attack at age 65 in Miami, Florida.

 

2016 ~ Imre Kertész (b. Nov. 9, 1929), Hungarian writer and recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He was a Holocaust survivor and his writings reflect his experiences.  He is best known for his quasi-autobiographical novel, Fatelessness.  He was born and died in Budapest, Hungary.  He died of Parkinson’s disease at age 86.

 

2015 ~ Robert Morin (b. Jan. 3, 1938), American librarian.  He worked for nearly 50 years as a librarian at the University of New Hampshire’s Diamond Library.  He was known as being frugal.  When he died, he left his estate, and estimated $4M to the University.  The money has been put to use to fund scholarships.  He was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. He died at age 77.

 

2014 ~ Charles Keating (né Charles Humphrey Keating, Jr.; b. Dec. 4, 1923), American attorney and businessman.  He is best known for his role in the Savings and Loan scandal of the late 1980s.  In 1991, he was charged with 17 counts of fraud, racketeering and conspiracy.  He was given a 10-year prison sentence for his crimes.  He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.  He died at age 90 in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

2011 ~ Gil Clancy (né Gilbert Thomas Clancy; b. May 30, 1922), 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.

 

2009 ~ Raúl Ricardo Alfonsin (b. Mar. 12, 1927), 46^th Argentine president who championed democracy after years of brutal authoritarian rule.  He was born and died in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  He died 19 days 83^rd birthday.

 

2005 ~ Terri Schiavo (née Therese Marie Schindler; b. Dec. 3, 1963), American medical patient who was the center of a wrenching right-to-die dispute.  In 1990, she suffered from a cardiac arrest, and suffered irreparable brain damage due to the lack of oxygen to her brain.  She never recovered conscientiousness and was left in a comatose state.  Her husband and her parents found themselves on opposite sides of a dispute when her husband wanted to remove her feeding tube.  After years of legal battling, the feeding tube was removed, and she died 13 days later at age 41.  She died in Pinellas Park, Florida.

 

2005 ~ Frank Perdue (né Franklin Parsons Perdue; b. May 9, 1920), American businessman and founder of Perdue Chicken.  He was born and died in Salisbury, Maryland.  He died at age 84.

 

2003 ~ Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter (b. Feb. 9, 1907), British-born Canadian mathematician.  He is known for the study of geometry.  He was born in London, England.  He died at age 96 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

 

2001 ~ Clifford Shull (né Clifford Glennwood Shull; b. Sept. 23, 1915), American physicist and recipient of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He died in Medford, Massachusetts at age 85.

 

1998 ~ Bella Abzug (née Bella Savitsky; b. July 24, 1920), American politician.  She was a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York State.  She was known for wearing big hats.  She was born and died in New York, New York.  She died of breast cancer at age 77.

 

1983 ~ Christina Stead (b. July 17, 1902), Australian novelist.  She was born in Rockdale, New South Wales, Australia. She died at age 80 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

 

1981 ~ Enid Bagnold, Lady Jones (née Enid Algerine Bagnold; b. Oct. 27, 1889), British playwright, best known for her novel, National Velvet.  She was born in Rochester, Kent, England.  She died at age 91 of bronchopenumonia.

 

1980 ~ Jesse Owens (né James Cleveland Owens; b. Sept. 12, 1913), American athlete.  He is best known for competing in track in the 1936 Olympics that were held in Berlin, Germany.  He was born in Oakville, Alabama.  He died of lung cancer at age 66 in Tucson, Arizona.

 

1978 ~ Charles Herbert Best (b. Feb. 27, 1899), Canadian medical student who co-discovered insulin.  He was born in West Pembroke, Maine.  He died about a month after his 79^th birthday in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

 

1976 ~ Paul Strand (b. Oct. 16, 1890), American photographer.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He died at age 85 in France.

 

1952 ~ Wallace White, Jr. (né Wallace Humphry White, Jr.; b. Aug. 6, 1877), United States Senator from the State of Maine.  He was born in Lewiston, Maine.  He died at age 74 in Auburn, Maine.

 

1945 ~ Anne Frank (née Annelies Marie Frank, b. June 12, 1929), German-Jewish girl who wrote a diary while hiding from the Nazis during World War II.  She received a diary for her thirteenth birthday.  She and her family were ultimately caught and sent to the Belsen concentration camp where she died.  The exact date of her death is unknown, but she perished in the concentration camp in either February or March 1945.  She was 15 years old at the time of her death.

 

1945 ~ Hans Fischer (b. July 27, 1881), German organic chemist and recipient of the 1930 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He died by suicide at age 63 in Munich, Germany after his laboratory and his life’s work had been destroyed by bombing in the last days of World War II.

 

1935 ~ Prince Georges V. Matchabelli (né George Vasili Matchabelli; b. July 23, 1885), Georgian-American businessman and founder of Prince Matchabelli perfume company.  He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Russian Empire.  He died of pneumonia at age 49 in New York, New York.

 

1931 ~ Knute Rockne (né Knute Kenneth Rockne; b. Mar. 4, 1888), Norwegian-American football player and coach at the University of Notre Dame.  He was born in Voss, Norway.  He was killed in an airplane crash in Kansas, while en route to participate in the film, The Spirit of Notre Dame.  He died 27 days after his 43^rd birthday.

 

1917 ~ Emil Adolf von Behring (né Emil Adolf Behring; b. Mar. 15, 1854), German physician and recipient of the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded in 1901.  He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the diphtheria antitoxin.  He died 16 days after his 63^rd birthday.

 

1913 ~ J.P. Morgan, Sr. (né John Pierpoint Morgan, b. Apr. 17, 1837), American financier.  He was born in Hartford, Connecticut.  He died 17 days before his 76^th birthday in Rome, Italy.

 

1907 ~ Galusha A. Grow (né Galusha Aaron Grow; b. Aug. 31, 1823), Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.  He was a Representative from Pennsylvania.  He served as Speaker from July 1861 through March 1863.  He was born in Ashford, Connecticut.  He died at age 84 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

 

1877 ~ Antoine Augustin Cournot (b. Aug. 28, 1801), French mathematician.  He was born in Grey, France.  He died at age 75 in Paris, France.

 

1855 ~ Charlotte Brontë (b. Apr. 21, 1816), English author.  She is best known for her novel Jane Eyre.  She died 3 weeks before her 39^th birthday.

 

1850 ~ John C. Calhoun (né John Caldwell Calhoun; d. Mar. 18, 1782), 7^th Vice President of the United States.  He served under President John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson from March 1925 until December 1832, when he resigned the Office.  He went on to serve as the 16^th United States Secretary of State during the John Tyler and James Polk administrations, from April 1844 until March 1845.  Before becoming the Vice President, he had served as the 10^thUnited States Secretary of War under President James Monroe from December 1817 until March 1825.  He was born in Abbeville, South Carolina.  He died 13 days after his 68^th birthday in Washington, D.C.

 

1751 ~ Frederick, Prince of Wales (b. Jan. 31, 1707), member of the British royal family and heir to the British throne.  In 1736, he married Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenberg (1719 ~ 1772).  They were the parents of George III, King of the United Kingdom.  He died before his father, thus never became king.  He was of the House of Hanover.  He was the son of George II, King of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach.  He died at age 44 of what is believed to have been a pulmonary embolism.

 

1837 ~ John Constable (d. June 11, 1776), English Romantic painter.  He died at age 60.

 

1727 ~ Sir Isaac Newton (b. Jan. 4, 1642), English mathematician, astronomer, physicist, philosopher, and natural scientist.  He is credited with inventing a branch of mathematics called calculus.  Under the old calendar (the Julian calendar), Newton’s birthdate would fall on December 25, 1642, so that date is sometime listed as his actual birthdate.  He is believed to have been 84 at the time of his death.

 

1703 ~ Johann Christoph Bach (b. Dec. 6, 1642), German composer.  The exact date of his birth is not known, but he was baptized on December 18 (Dec. 8, 1642 under the calendar in effect at the time of his birth.)  He died at age 60.

 

1671 ~ Anne Hyde (b. Mar. 12, 1637), Duchess of York and Albany and first wife of James II, King of England (1633 ~ 1701).  When they married, he was known as James, Duke of York and Albany.  She converted to Catholicism shortly after her marriage to James.  She died of breast cancer 19 days after her 34^th birthday.  She died before James became king, thus was never the Queen consort.  She was the daughter of Edward Hyde, 1^st Earl of Clarendon and Frances Aylesbury.

 

1631 ~ John Donne (b. Jan. 22, 1572), English writer and cleric in the Church of England.  He was born and died in London, England.  He died at age 59.

 

1621 ~ Philip III, King of Spain and Portugal (b. Apr. 14, 1578).  He ruled from September 1598 until his death in 1621.  In 1599, he married Margaret of Austria (1584 ~ 1611).  He was of the House of Habsburg.  He was the son of Philip II, King of Spain and Anna of Austria.  He died 2 weeks after his 42^nd birthday.

 

1547 ~ Francis I, King of France (b. Sept. 12, 1494).  He ruled over France from January 1515 until his death in 1547.  He was married twice.  In 1514, he married Claude, Duchess of Brittany (1499 ~ 1524).  After her death, he married Eleanor, Archduchess of Austria (1498 ~ 1588).  They married in 1530.  He was Eleanor’s second husband.  He was of the House of Valois-Angoulême.  He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême and Louise of Savoy.  He was Roman Catholic.  He died at age 52.

 

1340 ~ Ivan I, Prince of Moscow (b. 1288).  He reigned as the Prince of Moscow from No1325 until his death.  He was married twice.  His first wife was Elena Aleksandra (d. 1331).  His second wife was Ulyana.  Little is known of either wife.  He was of the House of Rurik.  He was the son of Daniel, Prince of Moscow and Maria.  He was Russian Orthodox.  The exact dates of his birth and death are unknown.  He is believed to have been between 51 and 53 at the time of his death.

March 30

Birthdays:

 

1979 ~ Norah Jones (née Geetali Norah Jones Shankar), American singer-songwriter.  She was born in Manhattan, New York.

 

1960 ~ Bill Johnson (né William Dean Johnson; d. Jan. 21, 2016), American bad boy of skiing who won Olympic gold.  He became the first American male to win an Olympic gold medal in alpine skiing at the 1985 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.  In March 2001, he crashed during a training run and suffered a serious brain injury, from which he never actually recovered.  He was born in Los Angeles, California.  He died at age 55 in Gresham, Oregon.

 

1950 ~ Robbie Coltrane (né Anthony Robert McMillan; d. Oct. 14, 2022), warmhearted Scottish actor who embodied the Harry Potter character Rubeus Hagrid.  He was born in Rutherglen, Scotland.  He died at age 72 following a long illness in Larbert, Scotland.

 

1949 ~ Ray Magliozzi (né Raymond Francis Magliozzi), American radio personality who, along with his older brother Tom Magliozzi (1937 ~ 2014), hosted NPR’s Car Talk.  He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

 

1945 ~ Eric Clapton (né Eric Patrick Clapton), English rock musician and composer.  Clapton was the first musician to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times.  He was born in Ripley, Surrey, England.

 

1937 ~ Warren Beatty (né Henry Warren Beatty), American actor.  He was born in Richmond, Virginia.

 

1934 ~ Paul Crouch (né Paul Franklin Crouch; d. Nov. 30, 2013), American televangelist who asked believers to dig deep.  He founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network.  He was born in St. Joseph, Missouri.  He died at age 79 in Orange, California.

 

1930 ~ John Astin (né John Allen Astin), American actor.  He is best known for his portrayal of Gomez on The Addams Family.  He was born in Baltimore, Maryland.

 

1929 ~ Richard Dysart (né Richard Allen Dysart; d. Apr. 5, 2015), American actor best known for his role as Leland McKenzie on LA Law.  He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died 6 days after his 86^th birthday in Santa Monica, California.

 

1928 ~ Tom Sharpe (né Thomas Ridley Sharpe; d. June 6, 2013), British novelist who fused satire and smut.  He was born in London, England.  He died at age 85 in Spain.

 

1926 ~ Anthony Smith (né Anthony John Francis Smith; d. July 7, 2014), British adventurer who crossed land, sea, and air.  In 2011, well into his 80s, he sailed from the Canary Islands to the Bahamas.  He died at age 88 in Oxford, England.

 

1926 ~ Ingvar Kamprad (né Feodor Ingvar Kamprad; d. Jan. 27, 2018), Swedish entrepreneur and founder of IKEA who took Swedish style global.  He died at age 91.

 

1926 ~ Peter Marshall (né Ralph Pierre LaCock), American game show host.  He was the original host of The Hollywood Squares.  He was born in Huntington, West Virginia.

 

1923 ~ Frank Field (né Franklyn Feld; d. July 1, 2023), American meteorologist with a passion for science.  In addition to reporting on the weather in New York, he was known for reporting on science and health topics.  He was also instrumental in publicizing the Heimlich Maneuver.  He was born in Queens, New York.  He died at age 100 in Boca Raton, Florida.

 

1919 ~ McGeorge Bundy (d. Sept. 16, 1996), 6^th United States National Security Advisor.  He served under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from January 1961 until February 1966.  He was born and died in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died of a heart attack at age 77.

 

1919 ~ Robin M. Williams (né Robert Martin Williams; d. Mar. 18, 2013), New Zealand mathematician.  He was born in Christchurch, New Zealand.  He died 12 days before his 94^th birthday in Wellington, New Zealand.

 

1913 ~ Richard Helms (né Richard McGarrah Helms; d. Oct. 23, 2002), 8^th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.  He served under Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon from June 1966 until February 1973.  He was born in St. Davids, Pennsylvania.  He died at age 89 in Washington, D.C.

 

1910 ~ Józef Marcinkiewicz (d. 1940), Polish mathematician.  He is believed to have died in the Katyn massacre near Smolensk during World War II.  The exact date of his death is unknown.

 

1902 ~ Brook Astor (née Roberta Brooke Russell; d. Aug. 13, 2007), American socialite and philanthropist.  She was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Her third husband was William Vincent Astor.  She died at age 105.

 

1895 ~ Carl Lutz (d. Feb. 12, 1975), Swiss vice-consul to Hungary during World War II.  He is credited with saving over 62,000 Jews during the War. By issuing safe-conduct certificates that allowed Jews to emigrate to what is now Israel.  He is the Righteous Among the Nations.  He died at age 79 in Bern, Switzerland.

 

1892 ~ Stefan Banach (d. Aug. 31, 1945), Polish mathematician.  He is considered the founder of modern functional analysis.  He died of lung cancer at age 53 Lviv, Ukraine.

 

1880 ~ Seán O’Casey (né John Casey; d. Sept. 18, 1964), Irish playwright.  He was born in Dublin, Ireland.  He died at age 84.

 

1874 ~ Nicolae Rădescu (d. May 16, 1953), Romanian general and Prime Minister of Romania.  He was the last pre-Communist Prime minister.  He served from December 1944 until March 1945.  He died at age 79.

 

1853 ~ Vincent van Gogh (né Vincent Willem van Gogh; d. July 29, 1890), Dutch painter.  He died by suicide at age 37.

 

1820 ~ Anna Sewell (d. Apr. 25, 1878), English novelist, who is best known for her novel, Black Beauty.  She died of tuberculosis just 26 days before her 59^th birthday.

 

1811 ~ Robert Bunsen (né Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen; d. Aug. 16, 1899), German chemist and inventor.  He developed the Bunsen burner.  He died at age 88.

 

1746 ~ Francisco Goya (d. Apr. 16, 1828), Spanish painter.  He died just over 2 weeks after his 82^nd birthday in Bordeaux, France.

 

1606 ~ Vincentio Reinieri (d. Nov. 5, 1642), Italian mathematician and astronomer.  The crater Reiner on the Moon is named in his honor.  He was born in Genoa, Italy.  He died at age 36 in Pisa, Italy.

 

1326 ~ Ivan II of Russia, Grand Prince of Moscow (d. Nov. 13, 1359).  He was known as Ivan the Fair.  He succeeded his brother, Simeon I, Grand Prince of Moscow and was succeeded by his son, Dmitri I, Grand Prince of Moscow.  He was married first to Fedosia of Bryansk.  There were no children of this marriage.  After her death, he married Alexandra Velyaminova (d. Dec. 1364).  He was of the House of Rurik.  He was the son of Ivan I, Grand Prince of Moscow and Helena.  He was Eastern Orthodox.  He died at age 33.

 

1135 ~ Maimonides (né Moshe ben Maimon, also known as the Rambam, which stands for Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, d. Dec. 12, 1204), preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher, rabbi, and Torah scholar.  The exact date of his birth is not known.  It has been recorded as early as March 29 and as late as April 4, 1135.  March 30 is the generally accepted date of his birth.  Although he was born in Córdoba, Spain, he traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean.  He died in Egypt at age 69.

 

892 ~ Emperor Shi Jingtang (d. July 28, 942) 1^st Chinese Emperor of the Later Jin Dynasty.  He reigned from November 936 until his death 6 years later.  He died at age 50.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2023 ~ Former United States President Donald Trump (b. 1946) was indicted by a grand jury in New York. Court.  Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (b. 1973) had been investigating Trump’s role in covering up hush-money paid to a former porn star during the 2016 presidential campaign.  Trump was arraigned on 34 felony counts relating to his allegedly falsifying business records to indicate the hush-money was payment for legal fees.  Republicans circled their wagons around Trump and claimed that the prosecution was political.

 

2002 ~ A group of masked men attacked a synagogue in Lyon, France.  At the time of the incident, the building was unoccupied.  It was the first of a series of attacks on Jewish facilities in a week, which coincided with Passover observation.

 

1981 ~ President Ronald Reagan (1911 ~ 2004) was shot in Washington, D.C., by John Hinckley, Jr. (b. 1955)

 

1967 ~ Delta Airlines Flight 9877 crashed at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport during a crew training flight.  Nineteen people were killed.

 

1965 ~ A car bomb exploded in front of the United States Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam.  Twenty-two people were killed and nearly 200 were wounded.

 

1964 ~ The game show Jeopardy! made its debut.  The original host was Art Fleming (1924 ~ 1995).

 

1910 ~ The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi was founded by the Mississippi legislature.

 

1909 ~ The Queensboro Bridge opened, which linked Manhattan to Queens.  This bridge is also known as the 59^th Street Bridge.

 

1870 ~ The 15^th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which granted the right to vote to men regardless of race, was adopted.  It had been ratified on February 3, 1870; but became a part of the Constitution on this date.

 

1870 ~ Texas was readmitted into the Union following Reconstruction.

 

1867 ~ The United States purchased the Alaska territory from Russia for $7.2 M, or about 2 cents/acre.  United States Secretary of State William Steward (1801 ~ 1872) was in favor of this purchase and Alaska was initially referred to as Steward’s folly.

 

1856 ~ The Treaty of Paris was signed, thereby ending the Crimean War.

 

1842 ~ Ether anesthesia was used for the first time in an operation to remove a tumor from the neck of a patient.  Dr. Crawford Long (1815 ~ 1878) performed the operation in Georgia.

 

1822 ~ The Florida Territory was formally organized as an unincorporated territory into the United States.

 

Good-byes:

 

2023 ~ Mark Russell (né Joseph Marcus Ruslander; b. Aug. 23, 1932), American political commentator, satirist, and humorist.  He was born in Buffalo, New York.  He died at age 90 in Washington, D.C.

 

2021 ~ G. Gordon Liddy (né George Gordon Battle Liddy; b. Nov. 30, 1930), American operative who masterminded the Watergate break-in, that resulted in the scandal that led to the downfall of President Nixon.  He was convicted of burglary and conspiracy as a result of the Watergate break in and served 52 months in federal prisons.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He died in Mount Vernon, Virginia at age 90.

 

2020 ~ Ben Luderer (b. Sept. 29, 1989), American special education teacher and high school baseball coach.  He died of Covid-19 at age 30.

 

2020 ~ Joanne Mellady (b. 1952), American IT specialist who embraced adventure even after receiving a double lung transplant in 2007.   For years she had a mysterious lung infection.  After receiving her transplant, she took up hang gliding, skiing, skateboarding and kayaking.  She died at age 67 in Concord, New Hampshire of Covid-19.

 

2020 ~ Bill Withers (né William Harrison Withers, Jr.; b. July 4, 1938), American Rhythm and Blues hitmaker who walked away from fame.  He is best known for his 1971 song Ain’t No Sunshine.  He retired from his music career in 1985.  He was born in Slab Fork, West Virginia.  He died at age 81 of heart complications in Los Angeles, California.

 

2018 ~ Anna Chennault (née Chan Sheng Mai; b. June 23, 1923), Chinese-born power broker who schemed with Richard Nixon.  She was actually born in 1923, but her birthday is reported as being on June 12, 1925.  She married American General Claire Chennault in 1947.  He was 30 years her senior and died in 1958.  She was a prominent Republican member of the China Lobby.  In 1968, she sent word to South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu that if he boycotted the planned peace talks with North Vietnam, he would secure the full support of President Nixon.  She was born in Beijing, China.  She died at age 94 in Washington, D.C.

 

2016 ~ Seymour Lazar (né Seymour Manuel Lazar; b. June 14, 1929), American celebrity lawyer who embraced the counterculture.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He died at age 88.

 

2015 ~ Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld (b. Oct. 21, 1921), Dutch astronomer.  She died at age 93.

 

2013 ~ Phil Ramone (né Philip Rabinowitz; b. Jan. 5, 1934), South-African born, American music producer who made the stars shine.  He produced albums for Paul Simon, Carly Simon, Billy Joel and countless others.  He died following surgery for an aortic aneurism.  He was 79 years old.

 

2009 ~ Herman Franks (né Herman Louis Franks; b. Jan. 4, 1914), American professional baseball catcher and manager.  He was born in Price, Utah.  He died at 95 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

2008 ~ Roland Fraïssé (b. Mar. 12, 1920), French mathematical logician.  He was born in Bressuire, France.  He died in Marseille, France 18 days after his 88^th birthday.

 

2005 ~ Mitch Hedberg (né Mitchell Lee Hedberg; b. Feb. 24, 1968), American stand-up comedian.  He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.  He died at age 37 of a drug overdose in Livingston, New Jersey.

 

2004 ~ Alistair Cooke (né Alfred Cooke; b. Nov. 20, 1908), English-born journalist and longtime host of Masterpiece Theater.  He died at age 95 in New York, New York.

 

2002 ~ Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (née Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon; b. Aug. 4, 1900), Scottish Queen consort of George VI, King of the United Kingdom (1895 ~ 1952).  They married in 1923.  She was the mother of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom.  She was known as the Queen Mother.  She was of the House of Bowes-Lyon.  She was the daughter of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 4^th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck.  She died at age 101.

 

1994 ~ William Arthur Ward (b. Dec. 17, 1921), American motivational writer known for his inspirational maxims.  He died at age 82.

 

1986 ~ John Ciardi (né John Anthony Ciardi; b. June 24, 1916), American poet.  He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died at age 69 in Metuchen, New Jersey.

 

1986 ~ James Cagney (né James Francis Cagney, Jr.; b. July 17, 1899), American actor.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died of a heart attack at age 86 in Stanford, New York.

 

1981 ~ DeWitt Wallace (né William Roy DeWitt Wallace; b. Nov. 12, 1889), American publisher and co-founder along with his wife, Lila Wallace, of Reader’s Digest.  He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.  He died at age 91 in Mount Kisco, New York.

 

1966 ~ Maxfield Parrish (né Frederick Parrish, b. July 25, 1870), American artist.  He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He died in Plainfield, New Hampshire at age 95.

 

1965 ~ Philip Showalter Hench (d. Feb. 28, 1896), American physician and recipient of the 1950 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He died of pneumonia about a month after his 69^thbirthday in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

 

1950 ~ Léon Blum (né André Léon Blum; b. Apr. 8, 1872), Jewish-French lawyer and Prime Minister of France.  He served in that office for three terms, first for a month from March to April 1938; second from June 1936 until July 1937; and then for a month from December 1946 until January 1047.  He was influenced by the Dreyfus affair of the late 1800s.  Post-World War II, he was a transitional leader in French politics.  He was born in Paris, France.  He died 10 days before his 78^th birthday.

 

1949 ~ Friedrich Bergius (né Friedrich Karl Rudolf Bergius; b. Oct. 11, 1884), German chemist and recipient of the 1931 Nobel Prize in Chemistry in recognition of contributions to the invention and development of chemical high-pressure measures.  Due to his collaboration with a company with Nazi ties, he immigrated to Argentina after World War II.  He died at age 64 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 

1911 ~ Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards (née Ellen Henrietta Swallow; b. Dec. 3, 1842), American industrial and environmental chemist.  She was the first woman admitted to MIT.  After her graduation, she became MIT’s first female instructor.  She was born in Dunstable, Massachusetts.  She died at age 68 in Boston, Massachusetts.

 

1871 ~ Louise of the Netherlands (b. Aug. 5, 1828), Queen consort of Sweden and Norway and wife of Charles XV, King of Sweden (1826 ~ 1872).  They married in 1850.  She was of the House of Orange-Nassau.  She was the daughter of Prince Frederick of the Netherlands and Princess Louise of Prussia.  She was of the Dutch Reform Church.  She died of pneumonia at age 42.

 

1853 ~ Abigail Fillmore (née Abigail Powers; b. Mar. 13, 1798), First Lady of the United States and wife of President Millard Fillmore.  She was born in Stillwater, New York.  She died of pneumonia just over 2 weeks after her 55^th birthday in Washington, D.C.

 

1842 ~ Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (b. Apr. 16, 1755), French portrait painter.  She created over 660 landscapes and 200 portraits.  She was born and died in Paris, France.  She died 17 days before her 87^th birthday.

 

1787 ~ Anna Amalia, Abbess of Quedlinburg (b. Nov. 9, 1723), Prussian princess and member of the Prussian royal family.  She was an early modern German composer.  She also served as the Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg.  She never married.  She was of the House of Hohenzollern.  She was the daughter of Frederick William I, King of Prussian and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover.  She was also the sister of Frederick the Great.  She was Lutheran.  She died at age 63.

 

1796 ~ Augusta Wilhelmina (b. Apr. 14, 1765), Duchess consort of Zweibrücken.  She was the first wife of Maximilian, Duke of Zweibrücken.  They married in 1785 before he became king of Bavaria.  They were the parents of Ludwig I, King of Bavaria.  She was of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt.  She was the daughter of Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt and Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg.  She was Lutheran.  She died 2 weeks before her 31^st birthday.

 

1559 ~ Adam Ries (b. Jan. 17, 1492), German mathematician.  He died at age 66.

 

1465 ~ Isabella of Clermont (b. January 1424), Queen consort of Naples.  She was the first wife of Ferdinand I, King of Naples (1423 ~ 1494).  When they married, he was the Duke of Calabria, making her the Duchess of Calabria.  They were the parents of Alfonso II, King of Naples.  She was the daughter of Tristan of Clermont and Catherine of Taranto.  She was Roman Catholic.  The exact date of her birth is not known, but she is believed to have been about 40 or 41 at the time of her death.

 

1225 ~ Gertrude, Countess of Dagsburg.  She was the Countess in her own right.  Her first husband was  Theobald, Duke of Lorraine, making her the Duchess consort of Lorraine.  After his death, she married Theobald IV of Champagne.  She was his first wife.  He repudiated her in 1222, before he became the King of Navarre, thus she was never the queen consort.  In 1224, she married Simon III, Count of Leiningen.  She died within a year of their marriage.  The date of her birth is not known.

 

1185 ~ Beatrice of Rethel (b. 1130s), Queen consort of Sicily and third wife of Roger II, King of Sicily (1095 ~ 1154).  They were the parents of Constance I, Queen of Sicily.  She was the daughter of Guitier, Count of Rethel and Beatrix of Namur.  The date of her birth is not known.

 

943 ~ Li Bian (b. Jan. 7, 889), 1^st Chinese Emperor of Southern Tang.  He was the founding emperor of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Southern Tang.  He ruled from November 937 until his death 4 years later.  His second wife was Empress Song (d. 945).  He died at age 54.

 

365 ~ Ai of Jin (b. 341), Chinese Emperor of the Jin Dynasty.  The exact date of his birth is not known.