April 21
Earth Day
Birthdays:
1982 ~ Cassidy Freeman, American actress. She is best known for her role as Cady Longmire on the television western Longmire. She was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1963 ~ Sean Lock (d. Aug. 16, 2021), British comedian. He died of cancer at age 58 in London, England.
1959 ~ Ryan Stiles (né Ryan Lee Stiles), American-Canadian actor. He was born in Seattle, Washington.
1952 ~ Marilyn Chambers (née Marilyn Ann Briggs; d. Apr. 12, 2009), American pornographic actress. She began her career as a baby model for Ivory Snow detergent. She was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She died of a cerebral hemorrhage 10 days before her 57th birthday in Santa Clarita, California.
1950 ~ Peter Frampton (né Peter Kenneth Frampton), English musician. He was born in Beckenham, Kent, England.
1946 ~ Bruce Ivins (né Bruce Edwards Ivins; d. July 29, 2008), American scientist and bio-defense research. He was the primary suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks. He committed suicide at age 62 after learning that the FBI was about to file charges against him. He was born in Lebanon, Ohio. He died in Frederick, Maryland.
1946 ~ John Waters (né John Samuel Waters, Jr.), American film director. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
1944 ~ Steve Fossett (né James Stephen Fossett; d. Sept. 3, 2007), American millionaire adventurer who set over 100 world records or firsts on sea, land, and air. He is presumed to have perished on September 3, 2007, after the single-engine plane he was in disappeared in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California. He was born in Jackson, Tennessee. He was at age 63.
1943 ~ Janet Evanovich (née Janet Schneider), American author of detective novels. She was born in South River, New Jersey.
1943 ~ Louise Glück (née Louise Elisabeth Glück), American poet. She was the recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature. She was born in New York, New York.
1938 ~ Issey Miyake (né Kazunaru Miyake; d. Aug. 5, 2022), Japanese fashion designer and Hiroshima survivor. He favored simple forms and is known for making Steve Jobs’ mock turtleneck shirts as his signature look. He was 7 years old when Hiroshima was hit with an atomic bomb. His mother died soon after of radiation poisoning and he developed a bone disease that left him with a limp. He was born in Hiroshima, Japan. He died of liver cancer at age 84.
1937 ~ Jack Nicholson (né John Joseph Nicholson), American actor. He was born in Neptune City, New Jersey.
1936 ~ Glen Campbell (né Glen Travis Campbell; d. Aug. 8, 2017), American musician and songwriter. He was born in Delight, Arkansas. He died of Alzheimer’s disease at age 81 in Nashville, Tennessee.
1935 ~ Bhama Srivivasan, Indian-American mathematician. She is best known for her work in the representation theory of finite groups. She was born in Madras, India.
1932 ~ Kenneth Jay Lane (d. July 20, 2017), American jewelry designer who specialized in fabulous fakes. He was born in Detroit, Michigan. He died at age 85 in New York, New York.
1929 ~ Sir Michael Atiyah (né Michael Francis Atiyah; d. Jan. 11, 2019), British mathematician specializing in geometry. He was born in London, England. He died at age 89 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1928 ~ Estelle Harris (née Estelle Nussbaum; d. Apr. 2, 2022), American actress who gave Seinfeld its shrill mom. She is best known for her role as Estelle Costanza, George’s mother on the sit-com Seinfeld. She was born in Manhattan, New York. She died in Palm Desert, California 20 days before her 94th birthday.
1926 ~ Charlotte Rae (née Charlotte Rae Lubotsky; d. Aug. 5, 2018), American actress best known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the television sit-com The Facts of Life. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She died at age 92 in Los Angeles, California.
1923 ~ Aaron Spelling (d. June 23, 2006), American television producer. He was born in Dallas, Texas. He died of a stroke at age 83 in Los Angeles, California.
1922 ~ Charles Mingus, Jr. (d. Jan. 5, 1979), African-American bassist, composer and bandleader. He was born in Nogales, Arizona. He died at age 56 of ALS in Los Angeles, California.
1919 ~ Donald J. Cram (né Donald James Cram; d. June 17, 2001), American chemist and recipient of the 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He was born in Chester, Vermont. He died at age 82 in Palm Desert, California.
1916 ~ Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin (d. Mar. 12, 1999), American-born Swiss violinist. He was born in New York, New York. He died of bronchitis at age 82 in Berlin, Germany.
1916 ~ Hanfried Lenz (d. June 1, 2013), German mathematician who specialized in geometry and combinatorics. He was born in Munich, Germany. He died at age 97 in Berlin, Germany.
1916 ~ Ruth A.M. Schmidt (née Ruth Anna Marie Schmidt; d. Mar. 29, 2014), American geologist and paleontologist. She was born in Brooklyn, New York. She died 24 days before her 98th birthday in Anchorage, Alaska.
1914 ~ Jan de Hartog (d. Sept. 22, 2002), Dutch author. He was born in Haarlem, Netherlands. He died in Houston, Texas at age 88.
1910 ~ Norman Steenrod (né Norman Earl Steenrod; d. Oct. 14, 1971), American mathematician who specialized in algebraic topology. He was born in Dayton, Ohio. He died at age 61 in Princeton, New Jersey.
1909 ~ Rita Levi-Montalcini (d. Dec. 30, 2012), Italian neurologist and recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her work in neurobiology. She was of Sephardic ancestry. She was born in Turin, Italy. She died at age 103 in Rome, Italy.
1906 ~ Eddie Albert (né Edward Albert Heimberger; d. May 26, 2005), American versatile actor who appeared in TV’s Green Acres. He is best known for his role as Oliver Wendell Douglas on the sit-com Green Acres. He was born in Rockland, Illinois. He died of complications of pneumonia at age 99 in Los Angeles, California.
1904 ~ J. Robert Oppenheimer (né Julius Robert Oppenheimer; d. Feb. 18, 1967), American physicist. He is known as the Father of the Atomic Bomb. He was born in New York, New York. He died of throat cancer at age 62 in Princeton, New Jersey.
1902 ~ Charles Angoff (d. May 3, 1979), Russian-born American journalist and editor. He was born in Minsk, Russia. His family moved to the United States when he was 5 years old. He became a naturalized citizen in 1923. He died at age 77 in New York, New York.
1899 ~ Vladimir Nabokov (d. July 2, 1977), Russian novelist, best known for Lolita. He was born in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire. He died at age 78 in Montreux, Switzerland.
1891 ~ Nicola Sacco (d. Aug. 23, 1927), Italian-American anarchist. He, along with Bartolomeo Vanzetti (1888 ~ 1927), was an anarchists who was convicted of murdering two men during a botched robbery in 1920. Because they were Italian immigrants, it has been suggested that they did not receive a fair trial. He was 36 years old at the time of his execution.
1891 ~ Laura Gilpin (d. Nov. 30, 1978), American photographer. She is best known for her portraiture of Native Americans and their culture. She was born in Austin Bluffs, Colorado. She died at age 88 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
1891 ~ Sir Harold Jeffreys (d. Mar. 18, 1989), English mathematician. He was born in Fatfield, England. He died at age 97 in Cambridge, England.
1887 ~ Harald Bohr (né Harald August Bohr; d. Jan. 22, 1951), Danish mathematician. He was a leading critic of the antisemitic policies in the German mathematical establishment in the 1930s. He was the brother of physicist Niels Bohr. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He died at age 63 in Gentofte, Denmark.
1876 ~ Róbert Bárány (d. Apr. 8, 1936), Austrian physician and recipient of the 1914 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. He died 14 days before his 60th birthday in Uppsala, Sweden.
1873 ~ Ellen Glasgow (née Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow; d. Nov. 21, 1945), American author. Her novels portray the changing world in the American South. She was born and died in Richmond, Virginia. She died at age 72.
1872 ~ Princess Margaret of Prussia (d. Jan. 22, 1954), member of the German royal family. She was the Queen consort-elect of Finland and wife of Frederick Charles, King-elect of Finland (1868 ~ 1942). They married in 1893. She was of the House of Hohenzollern. She was the daughter of Frederick III, Emperor of Germany and Victoria, Princess Royal. She was the granddaughter of Victoria, Queen of Great Britain. She died at age 81.
1870 ~ Vladimir Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov; d. Jan. 21, 1924), Russian communist revolutionary and Chairman of the Council of the People’s Commissars of the Soviet Union. He died at age 53.
1854 ~ Henri La Fontaine (né Henri Marie La Fontaine, d. May 14, 1943), Belgian lawyer and recipient of the 1913 Nobel Peace Prize. He was born and died in Brussels, Belgium. He died less than a month after his 89th birthday.
1852 ~ William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (d. Feb. 25, 1912). He ruled Luxembourg from November 1905 until his death 7 years later. He was married to Infanta Maria Anna de Bragança of Portugal (1861 ~ 1942). They married in 1893. He was House of Nassau-Weilburg. He was the son of Adolphe, Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau. He died at age 59.
1832 ~ Julius Sterling Morton (d. Apr. 27, 1902), 3rd United States Secretary of Agriculture. He served in that Office from March 1893 until March 1897 in the Grover Cleveland administration. He was born in Adams, New York. He died 5 days after his 70th birthday in Lake Forest, Illinois.
1825 ~ Anson Stager (d. Mar. 26, 1885), American businessman who co-founded Western Union. He was also the head of the Military Telegraph Department for the Union during the American Civil War. He was born in Ontario County, New York. He died less than a month before his 60th birthday in Chicago, Illinois.
1792 ~ Uriah Levy (né Uriah Phillips Levy; d. Mar. 26, 1862), Commodore of the United States Navy. He was the first Jewish Commodore of the Navy. He is best known for stopping flogging and corporal punishment. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died in New York, New York less than a month before his 70th birthday.
1766 ~ Germaine de Staël (née Anne Louise Germaine Necker; d. July 14, 1817), French author. She was known as Madame de Staël. She was born and died in Paris, France. She died at age 51.
1744 ~ James Sullivan (d. Dec. 10, 1808), 7th Governor of Massachusetts. He was Governor from May 1807 until his death at age 64 on December 10, 1808. He had previously served as the 2nd Massachusetts Attorney General. He was born in Berwick, Province of Massachusetts Bay. He died in Boston, Massachusetts.
1729 ~ Michael Hillegas (d. Sept. 29, 1804), American politician and 1st Treasurer of the United States. He served in that office from July 1775 until September 1789. He was born and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died at age 75.
1724 ~ Immanuel Kant (d. Feb. 12, 1804), German philosopher. He was one of the central figures during the Enlightenment Period. He died at age 79.
1711 ~ Eleazar Wheelock (d. Apr. 24, 1779), American Congregational minister and educator. He was the founder and first president of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. He was born in Windham, Connecticut Colony, British America. He died 2 days after his 68th birthday in Hanover, New Hampshire.
1707 ~ Henry Fielding (d. Oct. 8, 1754), English novelist, best known for his book, Tom Jones. He died at age 47 in Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal.
1610 ~ Pope Alexander VIII (né Pietro Vito Ottoboni; d. Feb. 1, 1691). He was Pope from October 1689 until his death less than 2 years later. He died at age 80.
1592 ~ Wilhelm Schickard (d. Oct. 24. 1635), German mathematician and Hebrew professor. He is considered the father of the computing age. He died at age 42.
1518 ~ Antoine, King of Navarre (d. Nov. 17, 1562). He was king jure uxoris. He was married to Jeanne III, Queen of Navarre (1528 ~ 1572). They married in 1548. He was her second husband. They were the parents of Henry IV, King of France. He was of the House of Bourbon. He was the son of Charles, Duke of Vendôme and Françoise of Alençon. He died of injuries sustained in the first French War of Religion. He was 44 years old.
1451 ~ Isabella I, Queen of Castile (d. Nov. 26, 1504). She ruled Castile from December 1474 until her death. She, along with her husband, Ferdinand II, King of Aragon (1452 ~ 1516), were the Catholic Monarchs who implemented the Spanish Inquisition. Together they unified Spain into one state. She also reorganized the government, lowed the crime rate, and paid off the major debts that her brother had accrued. She was a patron of Christopher Columbus. She was of the House of Trastámara. She was the daughter of John II, King of Castile and Isabella of Portugal. She died at age 53.
Events that Changed the World:
2021 ~ In the case of Jones v. Mississippi, the Supreme Court ruled that life sentences without the possibility of parole for juveniles convicted of murder could upheld. In Jones, the defendant, who grew up in poverty and abuse, stabbed his grandfather to death when he was 15 years old. The Court ruled that it was not necessary to find the minor was “permanently incorrigible” to be given such a harsh sentence as long as the judge had “discretion” to impose a lesser sentence. Jones had subsequently been a model prisoner and earned his GED. Associate Justice Bret Kavanaugh drafted the decision, which is ironic since his behavior at age 15 certainly was dismissed when he was nominated to the High Court.
2019 ~ A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Luzon, Philippines. At least 18 people were killed.
2018 ~ Earth Day.
2016 ~ Passover began at sunset.
2000 ~ Federal agents seized 6-year-old Elián González (b. 1993) from his relatives home in Miami, Florida and ultimately deported him to his father in Cuba. He and his mother had attempted to enter the United States. His mother died during the journey and he was placed with other family members.
1978 ~ The Blues Brothers, an American comedy team played by Dan Aykroyd (b. 1952) and John Belushi (1949 ~ 1982), made their first appearance on Saturday Night Live.
1970 ~ The first Earth Day was celebrated. Earth Day is designed to increase public awareness of the world’s environmental problems.
1954 ~ Witness began testifying as the “Red Scare” McCarthy hearings began. The hearings ran through June 17, 1954.
1915 ~ Poison gas, in the form of chlorine gas, was released as a chemical weapon during the Second Battle of Ypres during World War I.
1889 ~ The Oklahoma Land Rush began. Those individuals who began to claim prior to the Land Rush were called Sooners, hence the nickname of the State.
1876 ~ The first National League baseball game was played in Philadelphia between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Baseball club. Boston won, 6-5.
1864 ~ The United States Congressed passed the Coinage Act of 1864, which mandates that the words In G~d We Trust, be inscribed on all coins of the United States.
1836 ~ After the Battle of San Jacinto, Texas forces under the direction of General Sam Houston (1793 ~ 1863) captured Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794 ~ 1876).
1529 ~ The Treaty of Zaragoza divided the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal.
1519 ~ Hernán Cortés (1485 ~ 1547) established a settlement in what is now Veracruz, Mexico.
Good-Byes:
2022 ~ Guy Lafleur (né Guy Damien Lafleur; b. Sept. 20, 1951), Canadian hockey legend who dominated the sport. He was a right-winger for the Montreal Canadiens. He was born in Thurso, Quebec, Canada. He died at age 70 in Kirkland, Quebec, Canada.
2020 ~ Shirley Knight (b. July 5, 1936), American actress who turned her back on stardom. She was born in Goessel, Kansas. She died in San Marcos, Texas at age 83.
2017 ~ Erin Moran (née Erin Marie Moran; b. Oct. 18, 1960), American Happy Days star who fell on hard times. She was born in Burbank, California. She died of complications of throat cancer at age 56 in New Salisbury, Indiana.
2017 ~ Norman T. Hatch (né Norman Thomas Hatch; b. Mar. 2, 1921), the American Marine who filmed World War II in the Pacific. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He died at age 96 in Alexandria, Virginia.
2016 ~ Isabelle Dinoire (b. 1967), French woman who was the first person to receive a partial face transplant. In May 2005, she passed out from a drug overdose and her Labrador retriever began gnawing on her face. In November 2005, she underwent a face transplant with the nose, lips, and chin from a brain-dead donor. The surgery involved transplanting 20 muscles and connecting hundreds of nerves. She died of cancer at age 49.
2013 ~ Richie Havens (né Richard Pierce Havens; b. Jan. 21, 1941), African-American eclectic singer who opened Woodstock. He was born in New York, New York. He died of a heart attack at age 72 in Jersey City, New Jersey.
2013 ~ James L. Tolbert (né James Lionel Tolbert; b. Oct. 26, 1926), African-American Hollywood lawyer who fought for civil rights. He was born in New Orleans to a jazz family. He died at age 86.
2009 ~ Jack Cardiff (b. Sept. 18, 1917), British cinematographer. He died at age 94.
2006 ~ Henriette Avram (née Henriette Regina Davidson; b. Oct. 7, 1919), American computer scientist. She is best known for developing the MARC format (Machine Readable Cataloging). She was born in New York, New York. She died at age 86 in Miami, Florida.
2005 ~ Phillip Morrison (b. Nov. 7, 1915), American physicist who helped assemble the first atomic bomb. He was born in Somerville, New Jersey. He died at age 89 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
2004 ~ Pat Tillman (né Patrick Daniel Tillman; b. Nov. 6, 1976), American football player and soldier. He was born in Fremont, California. He was killed at age 27 by friendly fire in Spera, Afghanistan.
2002 ~ Linda Lovelace (née Linda Susan Boreman, b. Jan. 10, 1949), American porn actress who was best known for her role in Deep Throat. She was killed in a car accident at age 53.
1996 ~ Erma Bombeck (née Erma Louise Fiste; b. Feb. 21, 1927), American humorist. She was born in Bellbrook, Ohio. She died of complications from a kidney transplant at age 69 in San Francisco, California.
1994 ~ Richard M. Nixon (né Richard Milhous Nixon; b. Jan. 9, 1913), 37th President of the United States. Prior to becoming president, he had served as the 36th Vice President. He served as Vice President under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He had also served as a United States Senator from California from December 1950 through January 1953. He was the only President to leave office when facing impeachment for his actions in the Watergate scandal. He was born in Yorba Linda, California. He died at age 81 in New York, New York.
1989 ~ Emilio G. Segrè (né Emilio Gino Segrè; b. Feb. 1. 1905), Italian physicist and recipient of the 1959 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the elements technetium and astatine, and the antiproton, which is a subatomic antiparticle. He was also a group leader for the Manhattan Project. He died of a heart attack at age 84 in Lafayette, California.
1984 ~ Ansel Adams (né Ansel Easton Adams; b. Feb. 20, 1902), American photographer. He was born in San Francisco, California. He died of cardiovascular disease at age 82 in Monterey, California.
1983 ~ Earl Hines (né Earl Kenneth Hines; b. Dec. 28, 1903), African-American jazz musician, pianist and bandleader. He was very influential in the development of modern jazz. He was born in Duquesne, Pennsylvania. He died at age 79 in Oakland, California.
1946 ~ Harlan Fiske Stone (b. Oct. 11, 1972), 12th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was first nominated to the High Court by President Calvin Coolidge as an Associate Supreme Court Justice, where he served from February 1925 until July 1941. He replaced Joseph McKenna on the Court as an Associate Justice and was succeeded by Robert H. Jackson. In July 1941, he was elevated to become the Chief Justice by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, where he served until his death in 1946. He replaced Charles Evans Hughes as Chief Justice and was succeeded by Fred M. Vinson. Prior to becoming a Supreme Court Justice, he served as the 52nd United States Attorney General during the Coolidge administration. He was born in Chesterfield, New Hampshire. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Washington, D.C., at age 73.
1945 ~ Wilhelm Cauer (b. June 24, 1900), German mathematician. He was killed at age 44 by Soviet soldiers during the fall of Berlin in 1945.
1933 ~ Sir Henry Royce, 1st Baronet (né Frederick Henry Royce; b. Mar. 27, 1863), English automobile pioneer who, along with Charles Rolls (1877 ~ 1910) founded Rolls-Royce Limited. He died 26 days after his 70th birthday.
1908 ~ Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (b. Sept. 7, 1836), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He was Prime Minister from December 1905 until his death on this date in April 1908 during the reign of Edward VII, King of Great Britain. He died at age 71, just 19 days after he resigned as Prime Minister while he was still living at 10 Downing Street, London, England.
1854 ~ Nicolás Bravo (b. Sept. 10, 1786), President of Mexico. He died at age 67.
1782 ~ Anne Bonny (b. Mar. 8, 1702), 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.
1778 ~ James Hargreaves (b. Dec. 13, 1720), English inventor of the Spinning Jenny. He died at about age 57. The exact date of his birth is unknown but is assumed to have been December 13.
1616 ~ Miguel de Cervantes (b. Sept. 29, 1547), Spanish author best known for writing Don Quixote. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been born on September 29, 1547. He is believed to have died at age 68 in Madrid, Crown of Castile.
1355 ~ Eleanor of Woodstock (b. June 18, 1318), member of the English royal family. She was an English princess and second wife of Reginald II, Duke of Guelders (1295 ~ 1343). Upon her marriage she became the Duchess consort of Guelders. She was of the House of Plantagenet. She was the daughter of Edward II, King of England and Isabella of France. She died at age 36.
846 ~ Wuzong (b. July 2, 814), Chinese emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He died at age 31.
536 ~ Pope Agapetus I. He was Pope from May 535 until his death less than a year later. The date of his birth is unknown.
296 ~ Pope Caius. He was also known as Galius. He was Pope from December 283 until his death on this date 12 years later. The date of his birth is unknown.
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