September 25

Birthdays:

1969 ~ Catherine Zeta-Jones, Welsh actress and wife of Michael Douglas, whose birthday is also on this date.

1968 ~ Will Smith, American actor.

1952 ~ Christopher Reeve (d. 2004), American actor best known for his role as Superman in the movie of the same name.  He was paralyzed following an equine accident in 1995.  He died about 3 weeks after his 52^nd birthday.

1951 ~ Mark Hamill, Actor who played Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars movie.

1949 ~ Petro Almodóvar, Spanish movie director.

1947 ~ Cheryl Tiegs, American model.

1944 ~ Michael Douglas, American actor who share his birthday with his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones (b. 1969).

1943 ~ Robert Gates, 22^nd United States Secretary of Defense.  He served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

1936 ~ Juliet Prowse (d. 1996), South African dancer.  She died of pancreatic cancer less than 2 weeks before her 60^th birthday.

1931 ~ Bryan John Birch, English mathematician.

1930 ~ Shel Silverstein (né Sheldon Allen Silverstein, d. 1999), American humorist and writer.  He died at age 68.

1929 ~ Barbara Walters, American television journalist.

1927 ~ Colin Davis (d. 2013), Longtime British conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra.  He died at age 85.

1915 ~ Ethel Rosenberg (d. 1953), American who was executed along with her husband, Julius, for allegedly spying for the Soviet Union.  She was 37 years old at the time of her execution.

1911 ~ Earl Cooley (d. 2009), the American firefighter who pioneered smoke jumping.  He died at age 98.

1903 ~ Mark Rothko (né Markus Yakovlevich Rotkovich, d. 1970), Latvian-born American painter.  He died at age 66.

1897 ~ William Faulkner (d. 1962), Southern American novelist and recipient of the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature.  He died at age 64.

1893 ~ Harald Cramér (d. 1985), Swedish mathematician.  He died 10 days after his 92^nd birthday.

1866 ~ Thomas Hunt Morgan (d. 1945), American evolutionary biologist, geneticist and embryologist.  He was the 1933 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the role chromosomes played in heredity.  He died at age 79.

1764 ~ Fletcher Christian (d. 1793), English mutineer on the HMS Bounty.  He led the mutiny on the HMS Bounty against Captain Bligh.  He died 5 days before his 29^th birthday.

1694 ~ Henry Pelham (d. 1754), Prime Minister of the Great Britain.  He served as Prime Minister from August 1743 until his death at age 59 in March 1754.  He served during the reign of King George II.

Events that Changed the World:

2014 ~ Rosh HaShanah.

2003 ~ An 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan.

1981 ~ Sandra Day O’Connor (b. 1930) became the 102^nd person sworn in as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and the first woman to hold this office.  She had been approved by the Legislature a few days earlier.

1977 ~ The first Chicago Marathon was held.  Approximately 4,200 runners participated.

1974 ~ The first ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery was performed on baseball player Tommy John.  This surgery is now referred to as Tommy John surgery.

1957 ~ The United States Army stood guard as nine African-American students began classes during ordered integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

1942 ~ The Swiss Police Instruction of September 25, 1942 went into effect, which denied Jewish refugees entry into Switzerland during World War II.

1911 ~ Ground was broken for the construction of Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.

1890 ~ The U.S. Congress established Sequoia National Park in California.

1789 ~ The United States Congress passed the Bill of Rights, the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution.

1775 ~ During the American Revolutionary War, Ethan Allen (1738 ~ 1789) surrendered to British forces after attempting to capture Montreal during the Battle of Longue-Pointe.

1513 ~ Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475 ~ 1519) reached what would become known as the Pacific Ocean, thereby becoming the first recorded European to have discovered this Ocean coming from the East.

1237 ~ England and Scotland signed the Treaty of York, thereby establishing the location of their common border.

Good-Byes:

2012 ~ Andy Williams (né Howard Andrew Williams, b. 1927), American singer and entertainer, who is considered the last of the great easy-listening crooners.  He died at age 84.

2011 ~ Wangari Maathai (b. 1940), Kenyan environmentalist who fought for Africa’s forests.  She was recipient of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.  She was the first African woman to win this prize for her work in sustainable development.  She died at age 71.

2005 ~ Don Adams (b. 1923), American actor, best known for his role as Maxwell Smart on the TV sit-com, Get Smart.  He died at age 82.

2003 ~ George Plimpton (b. 1927), American writer and actor.  He died at age 76.

2003 ~ Franco Modigliani (b. 1918), Italian economist and 1985 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics.  He died at ag e85.

1999 ~ Marion Zimmer Bradley (d. 1930), American writer.  She died at age 69.

1995 ~ Annie Elizabeth “Bessie” Delany (b. 1891) African-American dentist and author.  She and her older sister, Sarah Delany wrote the book, Having Our Say: The First 100 Years.  The book was published when both sisters were over 100 years old.  Sarah Delany died at age 109 and Bessie died at age less than 3 weeks after her 104^th birthday.

1986 ~ Nikolay Nikolayevich Semyonov (b. 1896), Russian chemist and recipient of the 1956 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He died at age 90.

1971 ~ Hugo Black (b. 1886), Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court.  He was appointed to the High Court by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  He served on the Court from August 1837 until his death at age 85 on this date 34 years later.

1970 ~ Erich Marie Remarque (b. 1898), German author, best known for his World War I novel, All Quiet on the Western Front.  He died at age 72.

1960 ~ Emily Post (b. 1873), American etiquette expert.  She died at age 87.

1849 ~ Johann Strauss, I (b. 1804), Austrian composer.  He died at age 45.

1777 ~ Johann Heinrich Lambert (b. 1728), Swiss mathematician.  He died a month after his 49^th birthday.

1534 ~ Pope Clement VII (né Giulio di Giuliano de’Medici, b. 1478).  He was Pope from 1523 until his death at age 56 12 years later.

June 20

Birthdays:

1967 ~ Nicole Kidman, Australian actress.

1955 ~ E. Lynn Harris (d. 2009), the African-American author who wrote about gay Black men.

1954 ~ Ilan Ramon (d. 2003), Israeli combat pilot and astronaut, who was killed, along with 6 other crew members, when the Columbia crashed upon re-entry.

1952 ~ John Goodman, American actor.

1949 ~ Lionel Richie, American musician.

1933 ~ Danny Aiello, American actor.

1931 ~ Olympia Dukakis, American actress.

1928 ~ Martin Landau, American actor.

1926 ~ Rehavam Ze’evi (d. 2001), Israeli general and politician.

1925 ~ Doris Hart (d. 2015), American tennis champion who beat the odds.  She was a World Number 1 tennis player who was active in the 1940s and ‘50s.  She was one of just three players to have a “boxes set” of Grand Slam titles by winning the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles from all four Grand Slam events.  She was 89 years old.

1924 ~ Audie Murphy (d. 1971), American Medal of Honor recipient and actor.

1909 ~ Errol Flynn (d. 1959), Australian actor.

1905 ~ Lillian Hellman (d. 1984), American playwright.

1861 ~ Frederick Gowland Hopkins (d. 1947), English biochemist and recipient of the 1929 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

1837 ~ David Josiah Brewer (d. 1910), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

1819 ~ Jacques Offenbach (d. 1880), German-born French composer.

1808 ~ Samson Raphael Hirsch (d. 1888), German rabbi.

Events that Changed the World:

2009 ~ During the Iranian elections protests, Neda Agha-Soltan (1983 ~ 2009) shot to death and her death was caught on video and immediately released on the internet.

1977 ~ The Trans-Alaska oil pipeline opened.

1975 ~ The movie, Jaws, was released.

1945 ~ The United States government approved the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi scientist to America.

1893 ~ Lizzie Bordon was acquitted of the murders of her father and step-mother.

1877 ~ Alexander Graham Bell installed the world's first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

1863 ~ West Virginia was admitted as the 35th State in the Union.

1840 ~ Samuel Morse received a patent for the telegraph.

1837 ~ Queen Victoria of England ascended to the British throne.  She reigned over England and the British Commonwealth until her death on January 22, 1901.

1782 ~ U.S. Congress adopted the design for the Great Seal of the United States.

1214 ~ The University of Oxford received its charter.

Good-Byes:

2012 ~ LeRoy Neiman (b. 1921), American painter.

2012 ~ Judy Agnew (b. 1921), 29^th Second Lady of the United States and wife of US Vice President, Spiro T. Agnew.

2005 ~ Larry Collins (b. 1929), American writer, best known for O, Jerusalem, about the history of Israel.

2005 ~ Jack Kilby (b. 1923), American physicist and recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.

1972 ~ Howard Johnson (b. 1897), American businessman and founder of the Howard Johnson restaurant chain.

1963 ~ Raphaël Salem (b. 1898), Greek mathematician.

1958 ~ Kurt Alder (b. 1902), German chemist and recipient of the 1950 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

1947 ~ Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (b. 1906), American gangster.

1843 ~ Hugh Swinton Legaré (b. 1797), 16^th US Attorney General.  He served under President John Tyler.  He also briefly served as Acting Secretary of State under President Tyler.

1837 ~ King William IV of the United Kingdom (b. 1765).

1800 ~ Abraham Gotthelf Kästner (b. 1719), German mathematician.

1605 ~ Feodor II of Russia (b. 1589).  He was assassinated 3 months after being installed as tsar.

537 ~ Pope Silverius.

May 26

Birthdays:

1971 ~ Matt Stone, American animator and co-creator of South Park.

1966 ~ Helena Bonham Carter, English actress.

1966 ~ Zola Budd, South American athlete.

1951 ~ Sally Ride (d. 2012), First American female astronaut to go into space.

1928 ~ Jack Kevorkian (né Murad Kervorkian, d. 2011), American pathologist and activist for assisted suicide.  Ironically, he chose not to die by suicide.  He died 8 days after his 83^rd birthday.

1926 ~ Miles Davis (d. 1991), American Jazz trumpeter, bandleader and composer.

1923 ~ James Arness (d. 2011), American rugged actor who played Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke.  His brother was Peter Graves.

1920 ~ Peggy Lee (d. 2002), American singer and actress.

1912 ~ Jay Silverheels (d. 1980), Canadian actor.

1907 ~ John Wayne (d. 1979), American actor.

1895 ~ Dorothea Lange (d. 1965), American photographer, best known for her work during the Great Depression.

1886 ~ Al Jolson (né Asa Yoelson, d. 1950), Lithuanian-born American comedian and singer.

1867 ~ Mary of Teck (d. 1953), Queen consort of King George V of the United Kingdom.

1667 ~ Abraham de Moivre (d. 1854), French mathematician.

1478 ~ Pope Clement VII (né Giulio di Giuliano de’Medici, d. 1534).

Events that Changed the World:

1998 ~ The US Supreme Court ruled in New Jersey v. New York, that Ellis Island is mainly in the State of New Jersey and not New York.

1983 ~ A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Japan and caused a tsunami that killed over 100 people and injured scores of others.

1978 ~ The first legal casino in the eastern United States opened in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

1972 ~ The United States and the Soviet Union signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

1946 ~ A patent was filed in the United States for the hydrogen bomb.

1938 ~ The US House Un-American Activities Committee began meeting.

1908 ~ At Masjed Soleyman in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East was made.  The rights to the oil was acquired by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, which in 1954 became known as the British Petroleum or BP Company.

1897 ~ Bram Stoker’s Dracula was published.

1896 ~ The first edition the of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, by Charles Dow, was published.

1896 ~ Nicholas II became Tsar of Imperial Russia.

1869 ~ Boston University received its charter from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

1868 ~ The impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson concluding finding Johnson not guilty.

1830 ~ The Indian Removal Act was passed by US Congress.  President Andrew Jackson signed the Act into law two days later, on May 28.  This Act ultimately lead to the Trail of Tears, in which Native Americans were forcibly removed from their land to migrate west.

1736 ~ During the Battle of Ackia, British and Chicksaw soldiers repelled a French and Choctaw attack on the village of Ackia (near present-day Tupelo, Mississippi).  Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, the French Louisiana governor, had hoped to link Louisiana with Acadia and other northern colonies of New France.

1647 ~ Alse Young (1600 ~ 1647), of Hartford, Connecticut, became the first person executed as a witch in the American colonies. 

1538 ~ The city of Geneva expelled John Calvin and his followers.  He relocated in exile to Strasbourg.

1293 ~ An earthquake in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan killed an estimated 30,000 people.

Good-Byes:

2010 ~ Art Linkletter (b. 1912), Canadian-American radio and television host.

2008 ~ Sydney Pollack (b. 1934), American Oscar-winning director, who tackled many genres.

2005 ~ Dale Velzy (b. 1927), American surfboard maker who defined the “surfer dude lifestyle.”

2005 ~ Eddie Albert (b. 1906), American actor, best known for his role in the television sit-com, Green Acres.

1943 ~ Edsel Ford (b. 1893), American businessman.  He was the son of Henry Ford.  The car named after him was introduced in 1957, many years after his death.

1939 ~ Charles Horace Mayo (b. 1865), American physician and co-founder of the Mayo Clinic.

1914 ~ Jacob August Riis (b. 1849), Danish-American journalist, photographer and social reformer.

1907 ~ Ida Saxton McKinley (b. 1847), 25^th First Lady and wife of President William McKinley.

1904 ~ Georges Gilles de la Tourette (b. 1857), French neurologist who first described the condition now known as Tourette’s syndrome.

1703 ~ Samuel Pepys (b. 1633), English civil servant and diarist.

946 ~ Edmund I of England (b. 921).  He was murdered by a thief.

735 ~ Bede (b. 673), English historian and theologian.