May 12

International Nurse’s Day in honor of Florence Nightingale.

 

Birthdays:

 

2003 ~ Madeleine McCann (née Madeleine Beth McCann; disappeared May 3, 2007), British missing person.  She disappeared from her bed in Praia da Luz, Portugal while on holiday with her parents.  In June 2020, she was declared presumed dead in absentia.

 

1981 ~ Rami Malek (né Rami Said Melek), American actor.  He is best known for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody.  He was born in Los Angeles, California.

 

1980 ~ Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.  He assumed the Office in October 2022.  He became the third Prime Minister in two months and is the first non-white leader of the country.  He was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England.

 

1977 ~ Maryam Mirzakhani (d. July 14, 2017), Iranian mathematician prodigy who shattered math’s glass ceiling.  In 2014, she was awarded the prestigious Fields Medal.  She was born in Tehran, Iran.  She died of breast cancer at age 40 in Stanford, Connecticut.

 

1970 ~ Samantha Mathis, American actress.  She was born in New York, New York.

 

1968 ~ Catherine Tate (né Catherine Jane Ford), British actress.  She was born in London, England.

 

1962 ~ Emilo Estavez, American actor, and son of actor Martin Sheen.  He was born in New York, New York.

 

1950 ~ Gabriel Byrne (né Gabriel James Byrne), Irish actor.  He was born in Dublin, Ireland.

 

1948 ~ Lindsay Crouse (née Lindsay Ann Crouse), American actress.  She was born in New York, New York.

 

1939 ~ Ron Ziegler (né Ronald Louis Ziegler; d. Feb. 10, 2003), White House Press Secretary.  He served during the Nixon Administration from January 1969 until August 1974.  He was born in Covington, Kentucky.  He died of a heart attack at age 63 in Coronado, California.

 

1937 ~ George Carlin (né George Denis Patrick Carlin; d. June 22, 2008), American subversive comedian who honored no sacred cows.  He was born in Manhattan, New York.  He died of heart failure at age 71 in Santa Monica, California.

 

1936 ~ Tom Snyder (né Thomas James Snyder; d. July 29, 2007), American journalist and talk show host.  He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  He died of leukemia at age 71 in San Francisco, California.

 

1936 ~ Frank Stella (né Frank Philip Stella; d. May 4, 2024), American painter and sculptor who never stopped inovating.  He was born in Malden, Massachusetts.  He died 8 days before his 88^th birthday in New York, New York.

 

1933 ~ Stephen Vizinczey (né István Vizinczey; d. Aug. 18, 2021), Hungarian author who sang the praises of older women.  He fled to Canada after the failed 1956 Hungarian revolution and settled in Canada.  He is best known for his 1965 semi-autobiographical novel In Praise of Older Women.  He was born in Káloz, Hungary.  He died at age 88 in London, England.

 

1930 ~ Pat McCormick (née Patricia Joan Keller; d. Mar. 7, 2023), American Olympic diver who never stopped achieving.  She was the first diver to sweep all gold medals in two Olympic games.  She won both diving events at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics.  She was born in Seal Beach, California.  She died at age 92 in Orange County, California.

 

1928 ~ Burt Bacharach (né Burt Freeman Bacharach; d. Feb. 8, 2023), American songwriter, composer, and pianist who crafted complex classics.  He was born in Kansas City, Missouri.  He died at age 94 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1925 ~ Yogi Berra (né Lawrence Peter Berra; d. Sept. 22, 2015), American professional baseball player and manager.  He was the baseball great who became a fount of wisdom.  He was born in St. Louis, Missouri.  He died in West Caldwell, New Jersey.  He was 90 years old.

 

1924 ~ Evan Mecham (d. Feb. 21, 2008) American loose-lipped governor from Arizona who was impeached.  He served as governor from January 1987 until April 1988.  He was impeached on charges of obstruction of justice and misuse of government funds.  He was born in Duchesne, Utah.  He died at 83 years old in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

1924 ~ Alexander Esenin-Volpin (d. Mar. 16, 2016), Russian mathematician.  He was born in Leningrad, Russia.  He died at age 91 in Boston, Massachusetts.

 

1921 ~ Farley Mowat (né Farley McGill Mowat; d. May 6, 2014), Canadian writer who championed animals.  He is best known for his 1963 book Never Cry Wolf.  He was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.  He died 6 days before his 93^rdbirthday in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada.

 

1918 ~ Julius Rosenberg (d. June 19, 1953), American who was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union.  He and his wife, Ethel (1918 ~ 1953), were executed.  He was born in Manhattan, New York.  He died in Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York.  He was 35 years old.

 

1918 ~ Mary Kay Ash (née Mary Kathryn Wagner; d. Nov. 22, 2001), American entrepreneur and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics.  She was born in Hot Wells, Texas.  She died in Dallas, Texas at age 83.

 

1914 ~ Howard K. Smith (né Howard Kingsbury Smith; d. Feb. 15, 2002), American journalist.  He was born in Ferriday, Louisiana.  He died of pneumonia at age 87 in Bethesda, Maryland.

 

1910 ~ Dorothy Hodgkin (née Dorothy Mary Crowfoot; d. July 29, 1994), British biochemist and recipient of the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  She advanced the technique of X-ray crystallography and was able to confirm the structure of penicillin.  She was born in Cairo, Egypt.  She died of a stroke at age 84.

 

1907 ~ Katherine Hepburn (née Katherine Houghton Hepburn; d. June 29, 2003), American actress.  She was born in Hartford, Connecticut.  She died at age 96 in Fenwick, Connecticut.

 

1895 ~ William Giauque (né William Francis Giauque; d. Mar. 28, 1982), Canadian-born American chemist and recipient of the 1949 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  He was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.  He died at age 86 in Berkeley, California.

 

1889 ~ Otto Frank (né Otto Heinrich Frank; d. Aug. 19, 1980), German-born Swiss father of Anne Frank and Holocaust survivor.  He died of lung cancer at age 91.

 

1855 ~ George Woodberry (né George Edward Woodberry; d. Jan. 2, 1930), American poet and literary critic.  He was born and died in Beverly, Massachusetts.  He died at age 79.

 

1850 ~ Henry Cabot Lodge (d. Nov. 9, 1924), American politician and United States Senator from Massachusetts.  He was born in Beverly, Massachusetts.  He died following a stroke suffered after gall bladder surgery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  He was 74 years old.

 

1846 ~ Boutros Ghali (d. Feb. 21, 1910), Prime Minister of Egypt.  He served as Prime Minister from November 1908 until his assassination on this date.  He was the father of Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who became the United Nations Secretary-General.  The exact date of his birth is not known, it is often believed to have been May 12, 1846.  He died in Cairo, Khedivate of Egypt.  He is believed to have been about 64 or 65 years of age.

 

1828 ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti (d. Apr. 9, 1882), English poet and illustrator.  He was born in London, England.  He died of kidney disease at age 53.

 

1820 ~ Florence Nightingale (d. Aug. 13, 1910), British nurse.  She is the founder of modern nursing.  She was instrumental in the health of British soldiers during the Crimean War.  She was born in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany.  She was named after her birth city.  She died at age 90 in London, England.

 

1812 ~ Edward Lear (d. Jan. 29, 1888), English artist and poet, who is most famous for his limericks.  He died of heart disease at age 75.

 

1670 ~ Augustus II, King of Poland (d. Feb. 1, 1733).  He was known as Augustus the Strong.  He ruled Poland from 1697 until 1706.  He was married to Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1671 ~ 1727).  They married in 1693.  They were the parents of Augustus III, King of Poland.  He was of the House of Wettin.  He was the son of John George III, Elector of Saxony and Princess Anna Sophie of Denmark.  He was Lutheran but converted to Roman Catholicism upon becoming King.  He died at age 62.

 

1590 ~ Cosimo II de’Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. Feb. 28, 1621).  He ruled from February 1609 until his death in 1621.  He was married to Archduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria (1589 ~ 1631).  He was of the House of Medici.  He was the son of Ferdinando I, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Christina of Lorraine.  He died of tuberculosis at age 30.

 

1496 ~ Gustav I, King of Sweden (né Gustav Eriksson, d. Sept. 29, 1560).  He ruled from June 1523 until his death in September 1560.  He was known as Gustav Vasa.  He was married 3 times.  His first wife was Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (1513 ~ 1535).  They married in 1531.  They were the parents of Eric XIV, King of Sweden.  After her death of complications of childbirth, he married Margaret Leijonhufvud (1516 ~ 1551).  They married in 1536.  They were the parents of John III, King of Sweden.  His third and final wife was Catherine Stenbock (1535 ~ 1621).  There were no children of his third marriage.  He was of the House of Vasa.  He was the son of Erik Johansson Vasa and Cecilia Månsdotter Eka.  He was born Catholic but converted to Lutheranism in 1523.  He was 64 years old at the time of his death.

 

1258 ~ Sancho IV, King of Castile and León (d. Apr. 25, 1295).  He was King from April 4, 1284 until his death 11 years later.  He was known as Sancho the Brave.  In 1282, he married María de Molina (1265 ~ 1321).  They had 7 children.  He also had 3 illegitimate children.  He was of the Castilian House of Ivrea.  He was the son of Alfonso X, King of Castile and Violant of Aragon.  He was Roman Catholic.  He died of an illness, probably tuberculosis, at age 36.  He was succeeded by his son, Ferdinand IV, King of Castile.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2024 ~ Mother’s Day in the United States.

 

2021 ~ Representative Liz Chaney (b. 1966) was stripped of her leadership position because she did not support “The Big Lie” that Donald Trump actually won the 2020 Presidential election.

 

2019 ~ Mother’s Day in the United States.

 

2018 ~ In a terrorist attack, a Chechnya-born French citizen attached pedestrians near the Paris Opera House with a knife.  He killed one pedestrian and injured several others before he was shot and killed by police.

 

2015 ~ A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck in Nepal.  Over 200 people were killed.

 

2015 ~ An Amtrak train running from New York City towards Washington, D.C., derailed in Philadelphia.  Eight people were killed and over 200 people were injured.

 

2014 ~ The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., opened for the first time since the 2011 earthquake, which caused massive damage to the monument.

 

2013 ~ Mother’s Day in the United States.

 

2008 ~ A massive 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people.

 

2002 ~ Former President Jimmy Carter (b. 1924) visited Fidel Castro (1926 ~ 2016) in Cuba.  He became the first United States President to visit Cuba since Castro took power in the 1959 Cuban Revolution.

 

1984 ~ The World’s Exposition opened in New Orleans.  It was a financial disaster.

 

1948 ~ Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands (1880 ~ 1962) ceded the throne to her daughter, who became Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands (1909 ~ 2004).

 

1942 ~ During World War II, the United States tanker, the SS Virginia was torpedoed in the mouth of the Mississippi River by a German submarine.

 

1937 ~ George VI (1895 ~ 1952) and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900 ~ 2002) were crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland following the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII (1894 ~ 1972).

 

1935 ~ Alcoholics Anonymous met for the first time in Akron, Ohio.

 

1933 ~ The Agricultural Adjustment Act was enacted to restrict agricultural production by paying farmers subsidies.

 

1932 ~ Just over 2 months after his abduction, the body of the infant son of Charles Lindbergh (1902 ~ 1974) was discovered a few miles from the Lindberghs’ home.

 

1873 ~ The coronation of Oscar II, King of Sweden (1829 ~ 1907) took place.  He had been ruling the country since September 1872.

 

1862 ~ During the American Civil War, Union troops began their occupation of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

 

1780 ~ The Continental Army suffered its largest defeat during the American Revolutionary War when Charleston, South Carolina was taken by British forces.

 

1551 ~ The National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, was founded in Lima, Peru.

 

1364 ~ The Jagiellonian University, the oldest university in Poland, was founded in Kraków.

 

1191 ~ Richard I, King of England (1157 ~ 1199) married Princess Berengaria of Navarre (d. 1230).  She was crowned Queen consort of England on her wedding day.

 

254 ~ Pope Stephen I (d. 257) became the 23^rd Pope of the Catholic Church.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2022 ~ Robert McFarlane (né Robert Carl McFarlane; b. July 12, 1937), 13^th United States National Security Advisor.  He served under President Ronald Reagan from October 1983 until December 1985.  He was the Iran-Contra operative who lived with regret.  He was born in Washington, D.C.  He died at age 84 in Lansing, Michigan.

 

2014 ~ H.R. Giger (né Hans Rudolf Giger; b. Feb. 5, 1940), Swiss artist who made monsters.  He was a surreal artist who designed the monster in the movie Alien.  He died at age 74 from injuries suffered in a fall.

 

2008 ~ Robert Rauschenberg (né Milton Ernest Rauschenberg; b. Oct. 22, 1925), American graphic artist.  He was born in Port Arthur, Texas.  He died of heart failure at age 82 in Captiva, Florida.

 

2008 ~ Irena Sendler (née Irena Krzyżanowska; b. Feb. 15, 1910), Polish nurse and humanitarian.  She led a cell in the Polish Resistance and helped save over 2500 Jewish children during the Holocaust.  She is recognized by the State of Israel as a Righteous Among the Gentiles.  Her story is depicted in the book, Irena’s Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto.  She was born and died in Warsaw, Poland.  She died at age 98.

 

2001 ~ Perry Como (né Pierino Ronald Como; b. May 18, 1912), American singer.  He was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.  He died 6 days before his 89^th birthday in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida.

 

1992 ~ Robert Reed (né John Robert Rietz, Jr.; b. Oct. 19, 1932), American actor best known for his role as Mike Brady from the television sit-com The Brady Bunch.  He was born in Highland Park, Illinois.  He died of cancer at age 59 in Pasadena, California.

 

1980 ~ Bette Nesmith Graham (née Bette Clair McMurray; b. Mar. 23, 1924), American inventor of Liquid Paper.  She was born in Dallas, Texas.  She died at age 56 in Richardson, Texas.  Her son, Michael Nesmith, was in the band The Monkees.

 

1975 ~ Emma Vyssotsky (née Emma Williams; b. Oct. 23, 1894), American astronomer.  She earned her Ph.D., in astronomy at Harvard College.  She was born in Media, Pennsylvania.  She died at age 80 in Winter Park, Florida.

 

1970 ~ Nelly Sachs (née Leonie Sachs; b. Dec. 10, 1891), German-born, Swedish writer and recipient of the 1966 Nobel Prize in Literature.  She was born in Berlin, German Empire.  She died of cancer at age 78 in Stockholm, Sweden.

 

1964 ~ Agnes Forbes Blackadder (b. Dec. 4, 1875), Scottish medical doctor.  She was the first female graduate of the University of St. Andrews.  She was also the first consultant dermatologist appointed at St. John’s Hospital.  She died in London, England at ag 86.

 

1925 ~ Amy Lowell (née Amy Lawrence Lowell; b. Feb. 9, 1874), American poet.  She was born and died in Brookline, Massachusetts.  She died of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 51.

 

1902 ~ Maria Zakrzewska (née Maria Elizabeth Zakrzewska; b. Sept. 6, 1929), German-born American physician.  She is best known for establishing the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston, Massachusetts.  She died in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts at age 72.

 

1894 ~ Grand Duchess Catherine Makhailovna of Russia (b. Aug. 28, 1827).  She became the Duchess Georg of Mecklenburg-Strelitz upon her 1851 marriage to Duke Georg of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1824 ~ 1876).  They married in 1851.  She was of the House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov.  She was the daughter of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia and Princess Charlotte of Württemberg.  She was the granddaughter of Paul I, Tsar of Russia.  She was Russian Orthodox.  She died at age 66.

 

1864 ~ Jeb Stuart (né James Ewell Brown Stuart; b. Feb. 6, 1833), Confederate Army General.  He was born in Patrick County, Virginia.  He was killed in the Battle of Yellow Tavern in Henrico County, Virginia.  He was 31 years old.

 

1856 ~ Jacques Philippe Marie Binet (b. Feb. 2, 1786), French mathematician.  He made significant contributions to number theory.  He was born in Rennes, France.  He died at age 70 in Paris, France.

 

1490 ~ Joanna, Princess of Portugal (b. Feb. 6, 1458), member of the Portuguese royal family.  She never married and became a nun.  She was of the House of Aviz.  She was the daughter of Afonso V, King of Portugal and Infanta Isabel of Coimbra.  She was Roman Catholic.  She died at age 38.

 

1429 ~ Elizabeth of Pilica (b. 1372), Queen consort of Poland and third wife of Władysław II Jagiełło, King of Poland (1350s ~ 1434).  He was her second husband.  She had previously been married to Wincenty Granowski.  She was the daughter of Otton Pilica and Jadwiga of Melsztyn.

 

1182 ~ Valdemar I, King of Denmark (b. Jan. 14, 1131).  He reigned from 1154 until his death in May 1182.  He was known as Valdemar the Great.  He was married to Sophia of Minsk (1140 ~ 1198).  He was of the House of Estridsen.  He was the son of Canute Lavard, Duke of Schleswig and Ingeborg of Kiev.  He was Roman Catholic.  He died at age 51.

 

1012 ~ Pope Sergius IV (né Pietro Martino Buccaporci, b. 970).  He was pope from July 1009 through his death on this date in May 1012.  The exact date of his birth is unknown.

 

1003 ~ Pope Sylvester II (né Gerbert d’Aurillac, b. 946).  He was Pope from April 999 until his death on this date 4 years later.  He was the first French Pope.  The exact date of his birth is unknown.

May 11

Birthdays:

 

1989 ~ Cam Newton (né Cameron Jerrell Newton), American professional football player.  He was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

1982 ~ Cory Monteith (né Cory Allan Michael Monteith, d. July 13, 2013), Canadian actor best known for his role as Finn Hudson on Glee.  He was born in Calgary, Albert, Canada.  He died of a drug overdose at age 31 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

 

1963 ~ Natasha Richardson (née Natasha Jane Richardson; d. Mar. 18, 2009), American actress who suffered a severe head injury following a skiing accident.  She was 45 years old.  She was born in London, England.  She died in a hospital in New York, New York.  Liam Neeson was her second husband.

 

1958 ~ Christian Brando (né Christian Devi Brando; d. Jan. 26, 2008), American actor and son of Marlon Brando.  He is known for fatally shooting the boyfriend of his half-sister.  He was born and died in Los Angeles, California.  He died of pneumonia at age 49.

 

1955 ~ John DeStefano, Jr., 49^th Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut.  He served as Mayor from January 1994 until January 2014.  He was born in New Haven, Connecticut.

 

1950 ~ John Kelly (né John Francis Kelly), American politician and retired Marine Corps general.  He served as the 28^thWhite House Chief of Staff in the Trump administration.  He was Trump’s second Chief of Staff.  He held that Office from July 2017 until January 2019.  He had previously served as the 5^th United States Secretary of Homeland Security, also during the Trump administration, from January 2017 until July 2017.  Before working for the Trump administration, Kelly had retired as a 4-star general in the Marines.  He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.

 

1946 ~ Robert Jarvik, (né Robert Koffler Jarvik) American scientist and developer of the artificial heart.  He was born in Midland, Michigan.

 

1941 ~ Eric Burdon (né Eric Victor Burdon), British singer-songwriter.  He is best known for being the frontman of The Animals.  He was born in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

 

1937 ~ Guinter Kahn (d. Sept. 17, 2014). German-born doctor who discovered a baldness remedy.  He was a dermatologist credited with developing Rogaine.  He was born in Trier, Germany.  His family emigrated to the United States in 1938 to escape from Nazi Germany.  He died at age 80 in Miami, Florida.

 

1935 ~ Dick Leitsch (né Richard Joseph Leitsch; d. June 22, 2018), American gay rights activist who led “Sip-in” protests in bars.  He was born in Louisville, Kentucky.  He died at age 83 in Manhattan, New York.

 

1933 ~ Anne Marguerite McCann (d. Feb. 12, 2017), American art historian and archeologist.  She was the first female American underwater archeologist.  She was born in Mamaroneck, New York.  She died at age 83 in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

 

1933 ~ Louis Farrakhan (né Louis Eugene Walcott), American Nation of Islam leader.  He was born in The Bronx, New York.

 

1930 ~ Stanley Elkin (né Stanley Lawrence Elkin; d. May 31, 1995), American novelist and short-story writer.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He died of a heart attack 20 days after his 65^th birthday in St. Louis, Missouri.

 

1927 ~ Mort Sahl (né Morton Lyon Sahl; d. Oct. 26, 2021), Canadian-born American comedian and actor.  He was the gadfly who revolutionized stan-up comedy.  He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  He died at age 94 in Mill Valley, California.

 

1925 ~ Edward King (né Edward Joseph King; d. Sept. 18, 2006), 66^th Governor of Massachusetts.  He served as Governor from January 1969 to January 1983.  He was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts.  He died at age 81 in Burlington, Massachusetts.

 

1924 ~ Ninfa Laurenzo (née Maria Ninfa Rodriguez; d. June 17, 2001), American restaurateur and founder of Ninfa’s restaurant.  She was born in Harlingen, Texas.  She died at age 77 of bone cancer in Houston, Texas.

 

1924 ~ Leonard Garment (d. July 13, 2013), White House Counsel.  He served under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford from April 1973 until August 1974.  He was born and died in New York, New York.  He died at age 89.

 

1924 ~ Eugene Dynkin (d. Nov. 14, 2014), Russian-born mathematician.  He was born in St. Petersburg, Russia.  He died at age 90 in Ithaca, New York.

 

1924 ~ Antony Hewish (d. Sept. 13, 2021), British radio astronomer and recipient of the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was born in Fowey, Cornwall, England.  He died at age 97.

 

1918 ~ Richard Feynman (né Richard Phillips Feynman; d. Feb. 15, 1988), American theoretical physicist and recipient of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He is best known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of Quantum electrodynamics, and the physics of superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died of cancer at age 69 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1916 ~ Camilo José Cela (d. Jan. 17, 2002), Spanish writer and recipient of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He died at age 85 in Madrid, Spain.

 

1911 ~ Phil Silvers (né Philip Silversmith; d. Nov. 1, 1985), American actor and comedian.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He died at age 74 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1906 ~ Jacqueline Cochran (née Bessie Lee Pittman; d. Aug. 9, 1980), American aviator and test pilot.  In 1953, she became the first woman to break the sound barrier.  She was born in Pensacola, Florida.  She died at age 74 in Indio, California.

 

1905 ~ Catherine Bauer Wurster (née Catherine Krause Bauer; d. Nov. 21, 1964), American architect and public housing advocate.  She was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey.  She died from injuries in a fall from a solo hike on Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, California.  She was 59 years old at the time of her death.

 

1904 ~ Salvador Dalí (né Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech; d. Jan. 23, 1989), Spanish surrealist painter.  He was born and died in Figueres, Catalonis, Spain.  He died at age 84.

 

1902 ~ Edna Ernestine Lassar (née Edna Ernestine Kramer; d. July 9, 1984), American mathematician and author of math books.  She was born and died in Manhattan, New York.  She died of Parkinson’s disease at age 82.

 

1901 ~ Gladys Davis (née Gladys Rockmore; d. Feb. 16, 1967), American artist and impressionist painter.  She was born and died in New York, New York.  She died at age 65.

 

1901 ~ Rose Ausländer (née Rosalie Beatrice Scherzer; d. Jan. 3, 1988), Hungarian Jewish poet.  She died at age 86.

 

1895 ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti (d. Feb. 17, 1986), Indian philosopher.  He was born in India.  He died at age 90 in Ojai, California.

 

1894 ~ Martha Graham (b. Apr. 1, 1991), American dancer and choreographer.  She was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania.  She died in New York, New York at age 96.

 

1891 ~ Angus MacFarlane-Grieve (né Alexander Angus MacFarlane-Grieve; d. Aug. 2, 1970), British mathematician.  He died at age 79.

 

1890 ~ Woodall Rodgers (né James Woodall Rodgers; d. July 6, 1961), Mayor of Dallas, Texas.  He served from 1939 until 1947.  He was born in New Market, Alabama.  He died at age 71 in Dallas, Texas.

 

1888 ~ Irving Berlin (né Israel Isidore Beilin; d. Sept. 22, 1989), Russian-born American songwriter and composer.  He died at age 101 in Manhattan, New York.

 

1881 ~ Theodore von Kármán (d. May 6, 1963), Hungarian mathematician, physicist, and engineer.  He was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary.  He died 5 days before his 82^nd birthday in Aachen, West Germany.

 

1875 ~ Harriet Quimby (d. July 1, 1912), American pilot.  She was the first woman to fly across the English Channel.  She was born in Michigan.  She was killed in a plane crash during an air show in Squantum, Massachusetts at age 37.

 

1852 ~ Charles W. Fairbanks (né Charles Warren Fairbanks; d. June 4, 1918), 26^th United States Vice-President.  He served under President Theodore Roosevelt from March 1905 until March 1909.  Prior to becoming the Vice President, he served as a Republican United States Senator from Indiana.  He was born in Unionville Center, Ohio.  He died of nephritis less than a month after his 66^th birthday in Indianapolis, Indiana.

 

1811 ~ Chang and Eng Bunker (d. Jan. 17, 1874), Thai-American conjoined twins.  Because they were from Thailand, then called Siam, co-joined twins became known as Siamese Twins.  Each brother married and collectively they had a total of 21 children.  They died in Mount Airy, North Carolina.  They were 62 at the time of their death.

 

1720 ~ Baron Münchhausen (d. 1797), fictional German military officer created by writer Erich Raspe.  He is said to have told a number of far-fetched stories about his travel adventures, hence the disease known as Münchhausen Syndrome is named after him.

 

1715 ~ Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach (d. May 27, 1739), German musician and organist.  He was the 4^th child of Johann Sebastian Bach.  He died just 16 days after his 24^th birthday.

 

1366 ~ Anne of Bohemia (d. June 7, 1394), Queen consort of England.  She was the first wife of Richard II, King of England (1367 ~ 1400).  They married in 1382.  They were married for 12 years before she died of the plague less than a month after her 28^th birthday.  There were no children of the marriage.  She was also known as Anne of Luxembourg.  She was of the House of Luxembourg.  She was the daughter of Charles, IV, Holy Roman Emperor and Elizabeth of Pomerania.

 

482 ~ Justinian I (d. Nov. 14, 565), Byzantine Emperor.  He was known as Justinian the Great.  The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been 83 years old at the time of his death.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2014 ~ Mother’s Day in the United States.

 

2011 ~ A 5.1 magnitude struck in Lorca, Spain.

 

2010 ~ David Cameron (b. 1966) became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.  He served until July 13, 2016 when he was succeeded by Theresa May (b. 1956).

 

1996 ~ Shortly after take-off from Miami, Florida, ValuJet Flight 592 caught fire caused by improperly handled chemical oxygen generators in the cargo hold.  The crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 passengers and crew aboard.  Candalyn Chamberlain Kubeck (1961 ~ 1996) was the captain of the flight.  She died one day after her 35^th birthday.  She was the first female commercial pilot to die in a plane crash.

 

1987 ~ Klaus Barbie (1913 ~ 1991) went to trial Lyon, France for Nazi war crimes he committed during World War II. He was known as the Butcher of Lyon.  He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.  He died four years later in 1991.

 

1970 ~ A massive tornado struck Lubbock, Texas, killing 26 people.

 

1960 ~ In Buenos Aries, Argentina, four Israeli Mossad agents captured Nazi Adolf Eichmann (1906 ~ 1962), who had been living in a modest home with his family under the alias of Ricardo Klement.  This capture was depicted in the 2018 movie, Operation Finale.

 

1953 ~ During the 1953 Waco tornado outbreak, a massive tornado hit downtown Waco, Texas, killing 114 people.

 

1949 ~ Israel joined the United Nations.

 

1934 ~ A massive dust storm from the Great Plains swept across the Eastern states sending millions of tons of topsoil as far east as New York City, Boston, Massachusetts and Atlanta, Georgia.

 

1927 ~ The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded.

 

1910 ~ The Glacier National Park in Montana became official through an Act of Congress.

 

1894 ~ Over 4,000 Pullman Palace Car Company workers went on a wildcat strike against the Pullman Company.

 

1867 ~ Luxembourg gained its independence from Belgium.

 

1858 ~ Minnesota became the 32^nd State of the Union.

 

1846 ~ President James Polk (1795 ~ 1849) requested a Declaration of War against Mexico from Congress.  Congress approved the request two days later, initiating the Mexican-American War.

 

1812 ~ British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval (1762 ~ 1812) was assassinated in the lobby of the British House of Commons.  He is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated.

 

1647 ~ Peter Stuyvesant (1612 ~ 1672) arrived in New Amsterdam, now known as New York City, to replace Willem Kieft (1597 ~ 1647) as the Director-General of the Dutch colonial settlement.

 

1502 ~ Christopher Columbus (1451 ~ 1506) left on his fourth and final voyage to the West Indies.

 

912 ~ Alexander III (870 ~ 913) became the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire in this date.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2023 ~ Hodding Carter (né Willing Hodding Carter, III; b. April 7, 1935), American journalist and politician.  He was the voice of calm in the Iran hostage crisis.  During the Carter Administration, he was the spokesperson for the United States Department of State.  He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.  He died about a month after his 88^th birthday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

 

2020 ~ Jerry Stiller (né Gerald Isaac Stiller; b. June 8, 1927), American comedian and actor who got laughs across the generations.  He spent many years as half of the comedy team Stiller and Meara, with his wife, Anne Meara.  He is best known for his portrayal as Frank Costanza on Seinfeld.  His son is actor Ben Stiller.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He died about a month before his 93^rd birthday in New York, New York.

 

2019 ~ Peggy Lipton (née Margaret Ann Lipton; b. Aug. 30, 1946), American model and actress best known for her role on The Mod Squad.  She is the mother of Rashida Jones.  She was born in New York, New York.  She died of cancer at age 72 in Los Angeles, California.

 

2014 ~ Jeb Stuart Magruder (b. Nov. 5, 1934), American politician turned Presbyterian minister.  He was involved in the Watergate scandal and spent several years in prison.  After getting out of jail, he became a religious leader.  He was born in Staten Island, New York.  He died of complications of a stroke at age 79 in Danbury, Connecticut.

 

2013 ~ Joseph Farman (né Joseph Charles Farman; b. Aug. 7, 1930), British geophysicist who discovered the ozone hole over the Antarctic.  He died at age 82.

 

2006 ~ Floyd Patterson (b. Jan. 4, 1935), American heavyweight boxing champion.  He was born in Waco, North Carolina.  He died at age 71 in New Paltz, New York.

 

2001 ~ Douglas Adams (né Douglas Noel Adams; b. Mar. 11, 1952), English author best known for his novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  He was born in Cambridge, England.  He died of a heart attack at age 49 in Montecito, California.

 

1996 ~ Candalyn Chamberlain Kubeck (b. May 10, 1961), American commercial airline pilot.  She was the captain of ValuJet Flight 592 when it crashed into the Florida Everglades shortly after take-off.  She was the first female commercial pilot to die in a plane crash.  She died 1 day after her 35^th birthday. 

 

1996 ~ Rob Hall (né Robert Edwin Hall; b. Jan. 14, 1961), New Zealander mountaineer who led many expeditions up Mt. Everest.  He died on one such expedition, which was recounted in Jon Krakauer’s book, Into Thin Air.  He was also the subject of the 2015 movie Everest.  He was born in Christchurch, New Zealand.  He died at age 35.

 

1996 ~ Scott Fischer (né Scott Eugene Fischer; b. Dec. 24, 1955), American mountaineer and guide.  He was best known for his ascents of the world’s highest mountains.  In 1996, he was leading a group of hikers up Mt. Everest when a sudden blizzard arose.  He did not survive the storm.  He was the subject of the book, Into Thin Air: Death on Everest.  He was born in Muskegon, Michigan.  He was 40 at the time of his death.

 

1988 ~ Kim Philby (né Harold Adrian Russell Philby; b. Jan. 1, 1912), British spy and Soviet double agent.  He defected to the Soviet Union in 1963.  He was born in British India.  He died in Moscow, Russia at age 76.

 

1985 ~ Chester Gould (b. Nov. 20, 1900), American cartoonist and creator of Dick Tracy.  He was born in Pawnee, Territory of Oklahoma.  He died at age 84 in Woodstock, Illinois.

 

1981 ~ Bob Marley (né Robert Nasta Marley; b. Feb. 6, 1945), Jamaican singer and musician.  He died of cancer at age 36 in Miami, Florida.

 

1981 ~ Odd Hassel (b. May 17, 1897), Norwegian physical chemist and recipient of the 1969 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He died 6 days before his 84^th birthday in Oslo, Norway.

 

1963 ~ Herbert Spencer Gasser (b. July 5, 1888), American physiologist and recipient of the 1944 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work with action potentials in nerve fibers.  He was born in Platteville, Wisconsin.  He died at age 74 in New York, New York.

 

1960 ~ John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (né John Davison Rockefeller, Jr.; b. Jan. 29, 1874), American entrepreneur and philanthropist.  He was the son and namesake of the founder of Standard Oil.  He was born in Cleveland, Ohio.  He died at age 86 in Tucson, Arizona.

 

1927 ~ Juan Gris (né José Victoriano González-Pérez, b. Mar. 23, 1887), Spanish painter and sculptor.  He was born in Madrid, Spain.  He died of renal failure at age 40 in Paris, France.

 

1889 ~ John Cadbury (b. Aug. 12, 1801), English businessman and founder of the Cadbury Chocolate company.  He was born and died in Birmingham, England.  He died at age 87.

 

1881 ~ Henri-Frédéric Amiel (b. Sept. 27, 1821), Swiss philosopher poet and critic.  He was born and died in Geneva, Switzerland.  He died at age 59.

 

1871 ~ Sir John Herschel, 1^st Baronet (né John Frederick William Herschel; b. Mar. 7, 1792), English mathematician, astronomer, and polymath.  He died at age 79.

 

1849 ~ Juliette Récamier (née Jeanne Françoise Julie Adélaïde Bernard; b. Dec. 4, 1777), French businesswoman.  The chaise lounge, or réclamier is named after her.  She was born in Lyon, Kingdom of France.  She died at age 71 in Paris, France.

 

1812 ~ Spencer Perceval (b. Nov. 1, 1762), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.  He served as Prime Minister during the reign of King George III.  He was the first, and to date, the only, Prime Minister to have been assassinated while in office.  He was killed by a disgruntled citizen who was angry that the government had not compensated him for war debts incurred in Russia.  The assassin, although deemed insane, was executed a week later.  Perceval was 49 years old at the time of his death.

 

1778 ~ William Pitt, 1^st Earl of Chatham (b. Nov. 15, 1708), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.  He was known William Pitt, the Elder, as his son of the same name was later Prime Minister of Great Britain.  He served in office during the reign of King George III, from July 1766 until October 1768.  He died at age 69.

 

1696 ~ Jean de la Bruyère (b. Aug. 16, 1645), French philosopher and moralist.  He is best known for his satire.  He was born in Paris, France.  He died at age 50 in Versailles, France.

 

1610 ~ Matteo Ricci (b. Oct. 6, 1552), Italian priest and missionary.  He was one of the founding fathers of the Jesuit China missions and was the first European to enter the Forbidden City in Beijing.  He died at age 57 in Beijing, Ming Empire.

 

1572 ~ Moses Isserles (b. Feb. 22, 1530), Polish rabbi and Talmudist.  He was born and died in Kraków, Poland.  He died at age 42.

 

912 ~ Leo VI the Wise (b. Sept. 19, 866), Byzantine Emperor.  He died at age 45.

May 10

Birthdays:

 

1965 ~ Linda Evangelista, Canadian supermodel.  She was born in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada.

 

1963 ~ Lisa Nowak (née Lisa Marie Caputo), American former astronaut.  She was born in Washington, D.C.

 

1961 ~ Candalyn Chamberlain Kubeck (d. May 11, 1996), American commercial airline pilot.  She was the captain of ValuJet Flight 592 when it crashed into the Florida Everglades shortly after take-off.  She was the first female commercial pilot to die in a plane crash.  She was born in Los Angeles, California.  She died 1 day after her 35^th birthday in the Everglades.

 

1960 ~ Bono (né Paul David Hewson), Irish musician and lead singer of the band U2.  He was born in Dublin, Ireland.

 

1959 ~ Victoria Rowell (née Victoria Lynn Rowell), American actress.  She is best known for her role in The Young and the Restless.  She was born in Portland, Maine.

 

1958 ~ Rick Santorum (né Richard John Santorum), American politician from Pennsylvania and presidential-hopeful candidate in 2012 campaign.  He was a Republican and was a United States Senator representing Pennsylvania from January 1995 until January 2007.  He was born in Winchester, Virginia.

 

1957 ~ Sid Vicious (né John Simon Ritchie; d. Feb. 2, 1979), English musician and singer in The Sex Pistols.  He murdered his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen.  He died at age 21 from a drug overdose that was possibly a suicide in New York, New York.

 

1955 ~ Rick Steves (né Richard John Steves, Jr.), American travel television host and author of travel books.  He was born in Barstow, California.

 

1941 ~ Nicholas Sand (d. Apr. 24, 1917), American chemist who spread the gospel of LSD.  He was a strong advocate for using LSD throughout his life.  He was born in New York, New York.  He died 16 days before his 76^th birthday in Lagunitas, California.

 

1940 ~ Wayne Dyer (né Wayne Walter Dyer; d. Aug. 29, 2015), American self-help guru who preached self-reliance.  He was born in Detroit, Michigan.  He died of a heart attack at 75 years old in Maui County, Hawaii.

 

1939 ~ Wayne Cochran (né Talvin Wayne Cochran; d. Nov. 21, 2017), American flamboyant soul singer who found religion.  He is best known for his outlandish outfits and white pompadour.  He retired from music in the early 1970s and became an evangelistic minister.  He was born in Thomaston, Georgia.  He died of cancer at age 78 in Miramar, Florida.

 

1933 ~ Barbara Taylor Bradford (née Barbara Taylor), English novelist.  She is best known for her novel, A Woman of Substance.  She was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England.

 

1930 ~ Pat Summerall (né George Allen Summerall; d. Apr. 16, 2013), American former football player who became the voice of the NFL.  He was born in Lake City, Florida.  He died 24 days before his 83^rd birthday in Dallas, Texas.

 

1930 ~ David Wise (d. Oct. 8, 2018), American investigative journalist who lifted the veil on the CIA.  He was one of the foremost authorities on the CIA.  He is known for his 1964 book The Invisible Government, which was a well-sourced account of the CIA’s involvement in the Bay of Pigs.  He was born in Manhattan, New York.  He died of pancreatic cancer at age 88 in Washington, D.C.

 

1930 ~ George E. Smith (né George Elwood Smith), American physicist and recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics.  He was born in White Plains, New York.

 

1922 ~ Nancy Walker (née Anna Myrtle Swoyer; d. Mar. 25, 1992), American actress.  She was best known for her role on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  She died at age 69 of lung cancer in Los Angeles, California.

 

1919 ~ Ella Grasso (née Ella Rosa Giovianna Oliva Tambussi; d. Feb. 5, 1981), 83^rd Governor of Connecticut.  She served as Governor from January 1975 through December 31, 1980.  She was born in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.  She died of ovarian cancer at age 61 in Hartford, Connecticut.

 

1915 ~ Sir Denis Thatcher, 1^st Baronet (d. June 26, 2003), British businessman and husband of Britain’s Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.  He was born and died in London, England.  He died at age 88.

 

1911 ~ Bel Kaufman (née Bella Kaufman; d. July 25, 2014), German-born American author who skewered school bureaucracy.  She is best known for book, Up the Down Staircase.  She was born in Berlin, Germany.  She died at age 103 in Manhattan, New York.

 

1908 ~ Carl Albert (né Carl Bert Albert; d. Feb. 4, 2000), Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.  He was a politician from Oklahoma and served as Speaker of the House from January 1971 until January 1977.  He was born and died in McAlester, Oklahoma.  He died at age 91.

 

1902 ~ David O. Selznick (d. June 22, 1965), American movie producer.  He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He died of a heart attack at age 63 in Hollywood, California.

 

1900 ~ Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (née Cecilia Helena Payne; d. Dec. 7, 1979), British-born American astronomer and astrophysicist.  She died at age 79 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

 

1899 ~ Fred Astaire (né Frederick Austerlitz; d. June 22, 1987), American actor and dancer.  He was born in Omaha, Nebraska.  He died at age 88 in Los Angeles, California.

 

1898 ~ Ariel Durant (née Chayna Kaufman; d. Oct. 25, 1981), Ukrainian-born American historian who, along with her husband, Will Durant (1885 ~ 1981), wrote a series of books on the history of civilization.  She died 2 weeks before her husband in 1981, who died on November 5, 1981.  She was born in present-day Ukraine.  She died in Los Angeles, California.  She was 83 at the time of her death.

 

1886 ~ Karl Barth (d. Dec. 10, 1968), Swiss Calvinist theologian.  He was born and died in Basel, Switzerland.  He died at age 82.

 

1878 ~ Gustav Stresemann (né Gustav Ernst Stresemann; d. Oct. 3, 1929), German politician and Chancellor of German during the Weimar Republic.  He served as Chancellor from August 1923 until November 1923.  He was also the recipient of the 1926 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in the reconciliation between Germany and France following World War I.  He was born and died in Berlin, Germany.  He died of a stroke at age 51.

 

1874 ~ Moses Schorr (d. July 8, 1941), Polish rabbi.  He died in a Soviet work camp in Uzbekistan at age 67.

 

1847 ~ Wilhelm Killing (né Wilhelm Karl Joseph Killing; d. Feb. 11, 1923), German mathematician.  He made important advances in Lie algebra.  He died at age 75.

 

1838 ~ John Wilkes Booth (d. Apr. 26, 1865), American assassin who killed President Abraham Lincoln.  He was shot by Union Calvary troopers in Virginia.  He was born in Bel Air, Maryland.  He was killed 14 days before his 27^th birthday in Port Royal, Virginia.

 

1823 ~ John Sherman (d. Oct. 22, 1900), 35^th United States Secretary of State.  He served under President William McKinley from March 1897 until April 1898.  He had previously served as the 32^nd United States Secretary of the Treasury during the Rutherford B. Hayes administration from March 1877 until March 1881.  He is best known for being the prime mover of the Sherman Antitrust Act that became law in 1890.  He was born in Lancaster, Ohio.  He died at age 77 in Washington, D.C.

 

1813 ~ Montgomery Blair (d. July 27, 1883), 20^th Postmaster General of the United States.  He served in that office from March 1861 until September 1864 during the Lincoln administration.  He was born in Franklin County, Kentucky.  He died at age 70 in Silver Spring, Maryland.

 

1760 ~ Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle (d. June 26, 1836), French soldier and composer.  He composed a piece of music that would later become known as La Marseillaise, which is the French national anthem.  He died at age 76.

 

1662 ~ Mary II, Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland (d. Jan. 7, 1695).  She was co-regent with her husband, William III, King of England (1650 ~ 1702).  They married in 1677.  She and her husband had no children.  She was of the House of Stuart.  She was the daughter of James II, King of England and Anne Hyde.  She was of the Anglican Church.  She died of smallpox at age 32.  The dates of her birth and death are sometimes recorded in accordance with the Julian calendar, thus would appear as April 30, 1662 to December 28, 1694.

 

Events that Changed the World:

 

2022 ~ For the first time in 59 years, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom (1926 ~ 2022) missed the Opening of Parliament.  The new session of Parliament was opened by then then Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948).

 

2021 ~ United States Representative Liz Chaney (b. 1966) was stripped of her position as Chair of the House Republican Conference for her unrelenting criticism of Donald Trump (b. 1946) and Republican’s resistance to form a bipartisan independent commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol attack.

 

2021 ~ A major outbreak of violence began between Hamas and Israel and continued until May 21 when a ceasefire took effect.  Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad attacked Israel launched hundreds of rockets at the Israeli towns of Ashdod and Ashkelon, killing 2 people and injuring nearly 100 others.  An Israeli airstrike hit a 13-story residential tower in Gaza, which then collapsed.  Hamas then launched over 4,000 rockets into Israel.

 

2020 ~ Mother’s Day in the United States.

 

2015 ~ Mother’s Day in the United States.

 

2005 ~ Germany dedicated its Holocaust Memorial.  Its formal name is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The memorial opened to the public on May 12, 2005.

 

2002 ~ FBI agent Robert Hanssen (1944 ~ 2023) was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for selling United States secrets to Russia.

 

1997 ~ A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck in Iran killing over 1,500 people and injuring over 2,300 others.

 

1996 ~ Eight climbers died during a snowstorm as they were on an expedition to climb up Mount Everest.  This incident was later recounted in the 1997 book, Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer.

 

1994 ~ Nelson Mandela (1918 ~ 2013) was inaugurated as South Africa’s first Black president.

 

1954 ~ Bill Haley and the Comets released Rock Around the Clock.  This was the first rock and roll record to hit number one on the Billboard charts.

 

1940 ~ Winston Churchill (1874 ~ 1965) was appointed as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain (1869 ~ 1940).

 

1933 ~ In Germany, the Nazis began massive public book burnings.  This event was depicted in the novel, The Book Thief.

 

1924 ~ J. Edgar Hoover (1895 ~ 1972) was appointed as the Director of the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation and remained in that position until his death in 1972.

 

1908 ~ Mother’s Day was observed for the first time in the United States.

 

1893 ~ In Nix v. Hedden, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a tomato was a vegetable and not a fruit for purposes of the Tariff Act of 1883.  Associate Justice Horace Gray (1828 ~ 1902) drafted the decision.

 

1877 ~ Romania declared itself independent from the Ottoman Empire.

 

1877 ~ President Rutherford B. Hayes (1822 ~ 1893) had the first telephone installed in the White House.  The telephone number was “1”.  The only other telephone that had a direct line to the White House was the Department of the Treasury.

 

1872 ~ Victoria Woodhull (1838 ~ 1927) became the first woman to be nominated for President of the United States.  The newly formed party, the Equal Rights Party nominated her for President.

 

1869 ~ The Transcontinental Railroad, which linked the eastern and western United States was completed.

 

1865 ~ Confederate President Jefferson Davis (1808 ~ 1889) was captured by Union troops.

 

1824 ~ The National Gallery in London, England opened to the public.

 

1775 ~ During the American Revolutionary War, a small colonial militia led by Ethan Allen (1738 ~ 1789) of the Green Mountain Boys and Colonel Benedict Arnold (1741 ~ 1801) captured Fort Ticonderoga.

 

1774 ~ Louis XVI (1754 ~ 1793) and Marie Antoinette (1755 ~ 1793) became the King and Queen of France.

 

1773 ~ The British Parliament passed the Tea Act, designed to save the British East India Tea Company.  The Act granted a monopoly to the company on the North American tea trade.

 

1497 ~ Amerigo Vespucci (1454 ~ 1512) is said to have left Cádiz for his first voyage to the New World.

 

1291 ~ Scottish nobles acknowledged the authority of Edward I, King of England (1239 ~ 1307).

 

70 ~ The date attributed to the Siege of Jerusalem when Titus, the son of the Roman emperor Vespasian, opened a full-scale attack on the Jerusalem and attacked the City’s Third Wall.

 

Good-Byes:

 

2022 ~ Leonid Kravchuk (né Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk; b. Jan. 10, 1934), Ukrainian Communist who midwifed a new Ukraine.  He was the first President of Ukraine.  He served from December 1991 until July 1994.  He was born in Velykyi Zhytyn, Ukraine.  He died at age 88 in Munich, Germany.

 

2020 ~ Nita Pippins (née Jesse Juanita Roberts; b. Feb. 2, 1927), 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 in New York, New York at age 93 of Covid-19.

 

2020 ~ Francis A. Kennedy (b. June 21, 1924), American Army artillery spotter during the Korean War.  He was awarded the Silver Star and 2 Purple Hearts for pulling three wounded members of his unit to safety under enemy fire.  After leaving the Army, he became an inventor.  He invented an early prototype of the telephone caller ID and an energy efficient concrete block.  He was born in Pittson, Pennsylvania.  He died in Buffalo, New York at age 95 of Covid-19.

 

2016 ~ Mark Lane (b. Feb. 24, 1927), American attorney who saw conspiracy in JFK’s murder.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He died of a heart attack at age 89 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

 

2015 ~ Chris Burden (né Christopher Lee Burden; b. Apr. 11, 1946), American performance artist.  He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died of cancer a month after his 69^th birthday in Topanga Canyon, California.

 

2012 ~ Carroll Shelby (né Carroll Hall Shelby; b. Jan. 11, 1923), Texan chicken farmer and hot-rod designer.  He was portrayed in the 2019 movie Ford vs. Ferrari.  He was born in Leesburg, Texas.  He died at age 89 in Dallas, Texas.

 

2012 ~ Gunnar Sønsteby (b. Jan. 11, 1918), Norwegian saboteur who foiled the Nazis.  He was a member of the Norway resistance movement during German occupation.  He was 94 years old.

 

2012 ~ Evelyn Bryan Johnson (née Evelyn Stone; b. Nov. 4, 1909), American pilot and colonel in the Civil Air Patrol.  She was a female pilot at a time when women were not pilots.  She was known as Mama Bird.  She was born in Corbin, Kentucky.  She died at age 102 in Morristown, Tennessee.

 

2005 ~ Jay Marshall (né James Ward Marshall; b. Aug. 29, 1919), American magician and ventriloquist.  He was born in Abington, Massachusetts.  He died of a heart attack at age 85 in Chicago, Illinois.

 

2001 ~ Dorothy Burr Thompson (née Dorothy Burr; b. Aug. 19, 1900), American archaeologist and art historian.  She was a leading expert in Hellenistic figurines.  She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  She died in Hightstown, New Jersey at age 100.

 

1999 ~ Shel Silverstein (né Sheldon Allen Silverstein; b. Sept. 25, 1930), American poet, composer and author of children’s books.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois.  He died of a heart attack at age 68 in Key West, Florida.

 

1992 ~ K.G. Ramanathan (né Kollagunta Goplaliyer Ramanathan; b. Nov. 13, 1920), Indian mathematician best known for his work in number theory.  He died at age 71 in Bombay, India.

 

1990 ~ Walker Percy (b. May 28, 1916), American author who wrote about Louisiana.  Although born in Birmingham, Alabama, he lived and died in Covington, Louisiana.  He died of prostate 18 days before his 74^th birthday.

 

1977 ~ Joan Crawford (née Lucille Faye LeSueur; b. Mar. 23, 1904), American actress.  She was born in San Antonio, Texas.  She died of a heart attack in New York, New York.  The year of her birth is disputed, but is generally accepted as being in 1904, making her 73 at the time of her death.

 

1950 ~ Belle da Costa Greene (née Belle Marion Greener; b. Nov. 26, 1879), African-American librarian.  She passed for white and became the personal librarian to J.P. Morgan.  She was born in Washington, D.C.  She died in New York, New York at age 70.  A fictional version of her life was portrayed in the 2021 novel The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.

 

1904 ~ Sir Henry Morton Stanley (né John Rowlands; b. Jan. 28, 1841), Welsh-born explorer and journalist.  He is best known for his search for the Scottish explorer and missionary, David Livingston.  He was born in Wales.  He died at age 63 in London, England.  Details of his life are depicted in the book King Leopold’s Ghost, by Adam Hochschild.

 

1863 ~ Stonewall Jackson (né Thomas Jonathan Jackson; b. Jan. 21, 1824), General in the Confederate Army.  He was born in Clarksburg, Virginia.  He had been shot by friendly fire 8 days prior to his death.  He died in Guinea Station, Virginia.  He was 39 years old.

 

1822 ~ Paolo Ruffini (b. Sept. 22, 1765), Italian mathematician.  He was born in Valentano, Italy.  He died at age 56 in Modena, Italy.

 

1818 ~ Paul Revere (b. Jan. 1, 1835), American patriot and silversmith.  He was born before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, so his birthday is sometimes listed as December 21, 1734.  The town of Revere, Massachusetts was named in his honor.  He was born and died in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died at age 83.

 

1798 ~ George Vancouver (b. June 22, 1757), British navy officer and explorer.  The province of Vancouver, Canada was named after him.  He died at age 40.

 

1775 ~ Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain (b. July 22, 1751), Queen consort of Denmark and Norway.  She was the wife of Christian VII, King of Denmark (1749 ~ 1808).  They married in 1766.  It was not a happy marriage and they divorced in 1772.  She was of the House of Hanover.  She was the daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha.  She died at age of scarlet fever at 23.

 

1774 ~ Louis XV, King of France (b. Feb. 15, 1701).  He reigned from September 1715 until his death 59 years later.  He was known as Louis the Beloved.  He succeeded his great-grandfather, Louis XIV, King of France.  He was married to Marie Leszczyńska (1703 ~ 1768).  They married in 1725.  He was of the House of Bourbon.  He was the son of Louis, Duke of Burgundy and Marie Adélaïde of Savoy.  He was 64 years old at the time of his death.

 

1692 ~ Sarah Osborne (b. 1643), American woman accused of witchcraft.  She was one of the first to be accused during the Salem Witch trials.  She died in jail before being indicted or found guilty.  The exact date of her birth is unknown.  She was born in Watertown, Massachusetts Bay Colony.  She died in Boston, Massachusetts, Province of Massachusetts Bay.  The exact date of her birth is unknown.

 

1667 ~ Marie Louise Gonzaga (b. Aug. 18, 1611), Queen consort of Poland and first wife of John II Casimir Vasa (1609 ~ 1672).  They married in 1649.  He was her second husband.  She had previously been married to John’s elder brother, Władysław IV Vasa (1595 ~ 1648).  They married in 1645.  She was Władysław’s second wife.  She was of the House of Gonzaga.  She was the daughter of Charles I, Duke of Mantua and Catherine of Guise.  She was Roman Catholic.  She was born in Nevers, France.  She died at age 55 in Warsaw, Poland.

 

1482 ~ Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli (b. 1397), Italian mathematician and astronomer.  He was born in Florence, Italy.  The exact date of his birth is unknown.

 

1403 ~ Katherine Swynford (née Katherine de Roet; b. 1349), Duchess of Lancaster.  She was the third wife of John of Gaunt, 1^st Duke of Lancaster (1340 ~ 1399).  They married in 1396.  She had been his mistress before they married.  He was her second husband.  She had previously been married to Sir Hugh Swynford.  They  had married in 1361 and he died in 1371.  She was the daughter of Payne de Roet and an unnamed mother.  The exact date of her birth is not known.  She is believed to have been about 52 or 53 at the time of her death.