International Women’s Day
Birthdays:
1960 ~ Jeffrey Eugenides (né Jeffrey Kent Eugenides), American author. He is best known for his novels The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex. He was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1959 ~ Lester Holt (né Lester Don Holt, Jr.), African-American newscaster, journalist and anchor of the NBC Evening News. He was born on Hamilton Air Force Base, Marin County, California.
1959 ~ Aiden Quinn, American actor. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1953 ~ Jim Rice (né James Edward Rice), African-American professional baseball player who had a long career with the Boston Red Sox. He was born in Anderson, South Carolina.
1948 ~ Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks (né Jonathan Henry Sacks; d. Nov. 7, 2020), Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth of England. He was born and died in London, England. He died of cancer at age 72.
1947 ~ Michael S. Hart (né Michael Stern Hart; d. Sept. 6, 2011), American digital rebel who invented the e-book. He was the founder of Project Gutenberg. He was born in Tacoma, Washington. He died of a heart attack at age 64 in Urbana, Illinois.
1947 ~ Carole Bayer Sager (né Carole Bayer), American singer-songwriter. She was born in Manhattan, New York.
1945 ~ Micky Dolenz (né George Michael Dolenz, Jr.), American musician and member of The Monkees. He was born in Los Angeles, California.
1945 ~ Sylvia Margaret Wiegand, American mathematician. She was born in Cape Town, South Africa.
1943 ~ Lynn Redgrave (née Lynn Rachel Redgrave; d. May 2, 2010), the British pedigreed actress who had the common touch. She was born in London, England. She died at age 67 of breast cancer in Kent, Connecticut.
1929 ~ Nicodeme Scarfo (d. Jan. 13, 2017), American ruthless mafia don who ruled Philadelphia. He was known as Little Nicky. In 1988, he was convicted on racketeering and murder charges. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was serving a 55-year sentence when he died at age 87 in the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina.
1922 ~ Cyd Charisse (née Tula Ellice Finklea; d. June 17, 2008), Leggy American dancer and actress who floated across the silver screen. She was born in Amarillo, Texas. She died of a heart attack at age 86 in Los Angeles, California.
1922 ~ Ralph Baer (né Rudolf Heinrich Baer; d. Dec. 6, 2014), German-born American engineer who became a video game pioneer. He was known as the Father of Video Games. His family left Germany to escape from the Holocaust. He died at age 92 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
1921 ~ Alan Hale, Jr. (né Alan Hale MacKahan; d. Jan. 2, 1990), American actor best known for his role as the Skipper on Gilligan’s Island. He was born and died in Los Angeles, California. He died of thymus cancer at age 68.
1912 ~ Meldrim Thomson, Jr. (d. Apr. 19, 2001), 73rd Governor of New Hampshire. He was Governor from January 1973 until January 1979. He was known for supporting strong conservative political values. He was born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. He died at age 89 in Orford, New Hampshire.
1912 ~ Preston Smith (né Preston Ernest Smith; d. Oct. 18, 2003), 40th Governor of Texas. He served as Governor from January 1969 until January 1973. He died at age 91 in Lubbock, Texas.
1909 ~ Beatrice Shilling (d. Nov. 18, 1990), British engineer and motorcycle racer. She invented the “Miss Shilling's orifice” which helped prevent engines flooding in fighter aircraft during World War I. She died at age 81.
1886 ~ Edward Calvin Kendall (d. May 4, 1972), American chemist and recipient of the 1950 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work with hormones of the adrenal glands. He was born in South Norwalk, Connecticut. He died at age 86 in Princeton, New Jersey.
1879 ~ Otto Hahn (d. July 28, 1968), German chemist and recipient of the 1944 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in nuclear fission. He is known as the Father of Nuclear Chemistry. He discovered radioactive isotopes of radium, thorium, protactinium, and uranium. He died at age 89.
1859 ~ Kenneth Grahame (d. July 6, 1932), Scottish author, best known for his children’s novel, The Wind in the Willows. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He died at age 73 in Pangbourne, England.
1841 ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., (d. Mar. 6, 1935), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was appointed to the High Court by President Theodore Roosevelt. He served on the Court from December 1902 until January 1932. He replaced Horace Gray on the Court. He was succeeded by Benjamin Cardozo. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He died in Washington, D.C. He died 2 days before his 94th birthday.
1839 ~ Josephine Cochrane (née Josephine Garis; d. Aug. 3, 1913), American inventor who produced the first commercially successful dishwasher. She was born in Ashatabula, Ohio. She died of exhaustion in Chicago, Illinois at age 74.
1836 ~ Harriet Samuel (née Harriet Wolfe; d. Feb. 6, 1908), English businesswoman and founder of H. Samuel Jewelers, one of England’s best-known high street jewelry retailers. When her husband died in 1863, she took over her father-in-law’s clockmaking business. She was born in London, England. She died about a month before her 72nd birthday.
1822 ~ Ignacy Łukasiewicz (né Jan Józef Ignacy Łukasiewicz; d. Jan. 7, 1882), Polish inventor. He invented the Kerosene lamp. He died of pneumonia at age 59.
1799 ~ Simon Cameron (d. June 26, 1889), 26th 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.
1783 ~ Hannah Van Buren (née Hannah Hoes; d. Feb. 5, 1819), wife of United States President Martin Van Buren. Even though she died before her husband became president, she is sometimes considered to be a First Lady. She was born in Kinderhook, New York. She died of tuberculosis at about a month before her 36th birthday in Albany, New York.
1748 ~ William V, Prince of Orange (d. Apr. 9, 1806). He was the last stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. He was married to Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia (1751 ~ 1820). They married in 1767. They were the parents of William I, King of the Netherlands. He was of the House of Orange. He was the son of William IV, Prince of Orange and Anne, Princess Royal of Great Britain. He died a month after his 58th birthday.
1702 ~ Anne Bonny (d. Apr. 22, 1782), Irish-American pirate. The actual dates of her birth and death are unknown, but she is believed to have been born on or about March 8.
1495 ~ John of God (d. Mar. 8, 1550), Portuguese priest and saint. He is considered one of the leading religious figures on the Iberian Peninsula. He died on his 55th birthday.
1293 ~ Beatrice of Castile (d. Oct. 25, 1359), Queen consort of Portugal and wife of Afonso IV, King of Portugal (1291 ~ 1357). They married in 1309. They were the parents of Peter I, King of Portugal. She was of the Castilian House of Ivrea. She was the daughter of Sancho IV, King of Castile and Maria de Molina. She died at 66.
Events that Changed the World:
2016 ~ Heavy rainfall developed in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi and continued over several days, which caused wide-spread flooding, ruining homes, and prompting the evacuation of thousands of evacuations. At least 20 inches of rain fell in less than 72 hours in the Sabine and Pearl Rivers. At least 4 deaths were reported in Louisiana.
2014 ~ Malaysian Flight 370 disappeared in the Indian Ocean on a flight to Australia. The plane was believed to have crashed somewhere in the Indian Ocean. All 239 people aboard were killed and their remains never found.
1978 ~ The BBC Radio 4 began broadcasting Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
1974 ~ The Charles de Gaulle Airport opened in Paris, France.
1971 ~ In what was billed as the Fight of the Century, a boxing match between Joe Frazier (1944 ~ 2011) and Muhammad Ali (1942 ~ 2016) was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City. Frazier won the fight in 15 rounds.
1957 ~ The Suez Canal was reopened following the Suez Crisis.
1936 ~ The Daytona Beach Road Course held its first oval stock car race.
1924 ~ One Hundred Seventy-Two coal miners were killed in a mining disaster in Castle Gate, Utah.
1917 ~ International Women’s Day protests in St. Petersburg, Russia marked the beginning of the February Revolution. Russia was still using the Julian calendar on this date, hence the term the February Revolution.
1911 ~ Clara Zetkin (1857 ~ 1933), the leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, instituted International Women’s Day in Copenhagen, Denmark.
1910 ~ Raymonde de Laroche (1882 ~ 1919) of France became the first woman to be granted a pilot’s license to fly an airplane. Nine years later, on July 18, 1919, she would be killed at age 36 in a plane crash.
1884 ~ Susan B. Anthony (1820 ~ 1906) addressed the United States House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee arguing for the right of women to vote.
1844 ~ Oscar I (1799 ~ 1859) became King of Sweden and Norway. He ruled until his death 15 years later.
1702 ~ Anne, Queen of Great Britain (1665 ~ 1714), became Queen regnant of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
1681 ~ Johannes Kepler (1571 ~ 1630) discovered the third law of planetary motion.
Good-Byes:
2023 ~ Chaim Topol (b. Sept. 9, 1935), Israeli actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Tevye, the lead role in the stage musical Fiddler on the Roof, and the 1971 film adaption of the play. He was born and died in Tel Aviv, Israel. He died at age 87.
2021 ~ Norton Juster (b. June 2, 1929) American architect and children’s author. He is best known for his book, The Phantom Tollbooth. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He died in North Hampton, Massachusetts at age 91.
2020 ~ Max von Sydow (né Carl Adolf von Sydow; b. Apr. 10, 1929), Swedish actor who played chess with Death. He is best known for his role as a disillusioned medieval knight who challenged Death to a game of chess in Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 movie The Seventh Seal. He was born in Lund, Sweden. He died about a month before his 91st birthday in Provence, France.
2018 ~ Sir John Sulston (né John Edward Sulston; b. Mar. 27, 1942), British chemist and recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was born in Cambridge, United Kingdom. He died in Buckinghamshire, England of stomach cancer 21 days before his 76th birthday.
2018 ~ Togo D. West, Jr. (né Togo Dennis West, Jr.; b. June 821 1942), 3rd United States Secretary of Veteran Affairs. He served under President Bill Clinton from May 1998 until July 2000. He was the 2nd African-American to be Secretary of Veteran Affairs. He was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He died of a heart attack at age 78 while on a cruise between Barbados and Puerto Rico.
2017 ~ George Andrew Olah (né Oláh György; b. May 22, 1927), Hungarian chemist and recipient of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He was born in Budapest, Hungary. He died in Beverly Hills, California at age 89.
2017 ~ Lou Duva (né Louis Duva; b. May 28, 1922), American scrappy boxing manager who trained champs. He managed such boxing champions as Evander Holyfield and Darren van Horn over a 7-decade career. He was born in New York, New York. He died at age 94 in Paterson, New Jersey.
2016 ~ Sir George Martin (né George Henry Martin; b. Jan. 3, 1926), British experimental recording producer who guided the Beatles. He was sometimes referred to as the Fifth Beatle because of his involvement in each of the Beatles albums. He was born in London, England. He died at age 90 in Wiltshire, England.
2014 ~ Gerard Mortier, Baron Mortier (né Gerard Alfons August Mortier; b. Nov. 25, 1943), Belgium opera director who defied the elite. He was born in Ghent, Belgium. He died of pancreatic cancer at age 70 in Brussels, Belgium.
2013 ~ Margaret K. Butler (né Margaret Kampschaefer; b. Mar. 27, 1924), American mathematician and computer programmer. She was the first female fellow at the American Nuclear society and director of the National Energy Software Center at Argonne, where she worked from 1972 until 1991. She was born in Evansville, Indiana. She died 19 days before her 89th birthday in La Grange Park, Illinois.
2013 ~ Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin (b. July 10, 1922), German aristocrat who plotted to kill Hitler. He was involved in a suicide plot to kill Hitler. The plot failed and he was sent to a concentration camp for the duration of the war. He died at age 90.
2004 ~ Robert Pastorelli (né Robert Joseph Pastorelli; b. June 21, 1954), American actor best known for his role as Eldin on Murphy Brown. He was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He died in Hollywood Hills, California of a drug overdose that may have been a suicide. He was 49 years old.
1999 ~ Peggy Cass (née Mary Margaret Cass; b. May 21, 1924), American comedian and game show panelist. She was a regular on To Tell the Truth. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She died of heart failure at age 74 in New York, New York.
1999 ~ Joe DiMaggio (né Joseph Paul DiMaggio; b. Nov. 25, 1914), American professional baseball player and husband of Marilyn Monroe. He was born in Martinez, California. He died at age 84 in Hollywood, California.
1993 ~ Billy Eckstein (né William Clarence Eckstein; b. July 8, 1914), African-American trumpet player and singer. He was born and died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He died at age 78.
1980 ~ Max Mideinger (b. Dec. 24, 1910), Swiss typeface designer best known for creating the Helvetica typeface in 1957. He was born and died in Zürich, Switzerland. He died at age 69.
1971 ~ Harold Lloyd, Sr. (né Harold Clayton Lloyd; b. Apr. 20, 1893), American silent screen actor. He was born in Burchard, Nebraska. He died of prostate cancer at age 77 in Beverly Hills, California.
1955 ~ Princess Clémentine of Belgium (b. July 30, 1872), member of the Belgium royal family. After her marriage in 1910 to Victor, Prince Napoléon (1862 ~ 1926), she became known as Princess Napoléon. She was of the House of Witten, a branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She was the third daughter of Leopold II, King of the Belgiums and Archduchess Henriette Marie of Austria. She died at age 82.
1941 ~ Sherwood Anderson (b. Sept. 13, 1876), American author. He is best known for his novel Winesburg, Ohio. He was born in Camden, Ohio. He died at age 64 of peritonitis while on a cruise in Colón, Panama.
1930 ~ Edward Terry Sanford (b. July 23, 1865), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He served on the High Court from January 1923 until his death on this date 7 years later. He was nominated to the Court by President Warren Harding. He replaced Mahlon Pitney on the Court. He was succeeded by Owen Roberts. He was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. He died of uremic poisoning following a tooth extraction in Washington, D.C. He was 64 years old.
1930 ~ William Howard Taft (b. Sept. 15, 1857), 27th President of the United States and 10th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He served as President from March 1909 until March 1913. He had previously served as the 42ndUnited States Secretary of War, from February 1904 until June 1908. Following his term as President, he was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Warren Harding. He served on the Court from July 1921 until Feb. 1930. He replaced Edward Douglass White on the Court. He was succeeded by Charles Evans Hughes as Chief Justice. He died about a month after his retirement from the High Court. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He died in Washington, D.C. He was 72 at the time of his death.
1923 ~ Johannes Diderik van der Waals (b. Nov. 23, 1837), Dutch theoretical physicist and recipient of the 1910 Nobel Prize in Physics. His name is associated with van der Waals forces. He was born in Leiden, Netherlands. He died at age 85 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
1917 ~ Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (né Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin; b. July 8, 1838), German aircraft manufacture and father of the Zeppelin. He died at age 78 in Berlin, Germany.
1887 ~ James Buchanan Eads (b. May 23, 1820), American civil engineer. He designed and built the Eads Bridge, the first bridge to cross the Mississippi River. The bridge is in St. Louis, Missouri. He died at age 66 while on vacation in the Bahamas.
1887 ~ Henry Ward Beecher (b. June 24, 1813), American clergyman and social reformer. He was a strong abolitionist prior to the American Civil War. He was the brother of writer Harriet Beecher Stowe. He was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. He died following a stroke at age 73 in Queens, New York.
1874 ~ Millard Fillmore (b. Jan. 7, 1800), 13th President of the United States. He was President from July 1850 until March 1853. He had previously served as the 12th Vice President. He assumed the Presidency upon the death of Zachary Taylor. He was born in Moravia, New York. He died at age 74 in Buffalo, New York.
1872 ~ Priscilla Susan Bury (née Priscilla Susan Falkner, b. Jan. 12, 1799), British botanist and illustrator. She was born in Liverpool, England. She died in Croydon, England at age 73.
1869 ~ Hector Berlioz (né Louis-Hector Berlioz; b. Dec. 11, 1803), French composer. He died at age 65.
1844 ~ Charles XIV John, King of Sweden and Norway (né Jean Bernadotte; b. Jan. 26, 1763). He reigned from February 1818 until his death 28 years later in March 1844. He was married to Désirée Clary (1777 ~ 1860). They were the parents of Oscar I, King of Sweden. He was first monarch of the House of Bernadotte. He was the son of Henri Bernadotte and Jeanne de Saint-Jean. He died at age 81.
1723 ~ Sir Christopher Wren (b. Oct. 30, 1632), English architect and mathematician. Following the Great Fire of London in 1666, he re-designed many of the city’s churches. He is best known as being the lead architect of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Under the calendar in use at the time, his birthday was on October 20. He died at age 90 in London, England.
1616 ~ Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria (b. Dec. 8, 1574), Archduchess consort of Inner Austria and first wife of Ferdinand, Archduke of Inner Austria (1578 ~ 1637). The married in 1600. He later became Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, but she died before he ascended to that position, thus was never the Empress consort. They were the parents of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor. She was of the House of Wittelsbach. She was the daughter of William V, Duke of Bavaria and Renata of Lorraine. She died at age 41.
1550 ~ John of God (b. Mar. 8, 1495), Portuguese priest and saint. He is considered one of the leading religious figures on the Iberian Peninsula. He died on his 55th birthday.
1466 ~ Francesco I Sforza, Duke of Milan (d. July 23, 1401). He was the Duke of Milan from March 1450 until his death 16 years later. He was married twice. His first wife was Polissena Ruffo (1400 ~ 1420). They married in 1418. His second wife was Bianca Maria Visconti (1425 ~ 1468). He was of the Noble family of Sforza. He was the son of Muzio Attendolo Sforza and Ludia da Torsano. He died at age 64.
1464 ~ Catherine of Poděbrady (b. Nov. 11, 1464), Queen consort of Hungary and Croatia. She was the second wife of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary (1443 ~ 1490). They married when he was 18 and she was 13. She was of the House of Poděbrady. She was the twin sister of Sidonie of Poděbrady. She was the daughter of George of Poděbrady, King of Bohemia and Kunigunde of Sternberg. She died in childbirth at age 14. Her unborn baby died as well.
1144 ~ Pope Celestine II (né Guido di Castello). He was Pope from September 1143 until his death less than 6 months later. The date of his birth is unknown.
1137 ~ Adela of Normandy (1067 ~ Mar. 8, 1137), Countess of Blois and wife of Stephen II, Count of Blois (1045 ~ 1102). They were the parents of Stephen, King of England. She was of the House of Normandy. She was the daughter of William I, King of England, also known as William the Conqueror, and Matilda of Flanders. The exact date of her birth is not known. She died at about age 69 or 70.
1126 ~ Urraca, Queen of León, Castile, and Galicia (b. Apr. 1079). She was the queen in her own right and reigned from 1109 until her death in 1126. She was known as Urraca the Reckless or Urraca the Bold. She claimed the imperial title of Empress of all Hispania. She was married twice. Her first husband was Raymond of Burgundy (1070 ~ 1107). They married when she was just 8 years old. They had two children together. They were the parents of Alfonso VII, King of León and Castile. Her second husband was Alfonso I, King of Aragon (1070s ~ 1134). He was also known as Alfonso the Battler. They married in 1109. It was not a happy marriage. He was abusive, so she left him. She had two illegitimate children with her lover, Pedro González. She was of the House of Jiménez. She was the daughter of Alfonso VI, King of León and his second wife, Constance of Burgundy. The exact date of her birth is not known, but she is believed to have been born in April 1079. She died in childbirth at age 46.
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