May 24
Birthdays:
1965 ~ John C. Reilly (né John Christopher Reilly), American actor. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1963 ~ Michael Chabon, American novelist. He was born in Washington, D.C.
1960 ~ Dame Kirstin Scott Thomas (née Kristin Ann Scott Thomas), English actress. She was born in Redruth, Cornwall, England.
1953 ~ Alfred Molina (né Alfredo Molina), English actor. He was born in London, England.
1949 ~ Tomaž Pisanski, Slovenian mathematician. He was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
1945 ~ Priscilla Presley (née Priscilla Ann Wagner), wife of Elvis Presley. She was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1944 ~ David Berger (né David Mark Berger; d. Sept. 6, 1972), American-born Israeli weightlifter. He was murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He died at age 28.
1944 ~ Patti LaBelle (née Patricia Louise Holte), African-American singer. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1943 ~ Fred Franzia (né Fred Thomas Franzia; d. Sept. 13, 2022), American wine maverick behind Two-Buck Chuck. He was the co-founder and CEO of the Bronco Wine Company, which produced the Charles Shaw brand wines sold at Trader Joe’s. He was born in Modesto, California. He died at age 79 in Denair, California.
1943 ~ Gary Burghoff (né Gary Rich Burghoff), American actor best known for his role as Radar O’Reilly on M*A*S*H. He was born in Bristol, Connecticut.
1941 ~ Bob Dylan (né Robert Allen Zimmerman), American singer-songwriter. He was the recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. He snubbed the Swedish Academy by failing to attend the December ceremony. He finally accepted the Prize on April 1, 2017 in a small private ceremony in Stockholm. In order to collect the prize money, however, he agreed to give a Nobel lecture no later than June 10, 2017. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota.
1940 ~ Joseph Brodsky (né Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky; d. Jan. 28, 1996), Russian-born poet and recipient of the 1987 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He died of a heart attack at age 55 in Brooklyn Heights, New York.
1938 ~ David Viscott (né David Steven Viscott; d. Oct. 10, 1996), American psychologist. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He died of heart failure at age 58 in Studio City, California.
1938 ~ Tommy Chong (né Thomas Bing Kin Chong), Canadian-born American actor. He became a naturalized American citizen in the 1980s. He is best known for his marijuana-themed comedy routines with Cheech Martin. He was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
1936 ~ Harold Budd (né Harold Montgomery Budd; d. Dec. 8, 2020), American composer and pianist. He was best known for his minimalist and meditative works and collaborations with musician Brian Eno. He was born in Los Angeles, California. He died at age 84 in Arcadia, California of complications of Covid-19.
1933 ~ Jane Byrne (née Jayne Margaret Burke; d. Nov. 14, 2014), American politician and first female mayor of Chicago. She was the City’s 50th Mayor and served from April 1979 until April 1983. She was born and died in Chicago, Illinois. She died of complications of a stroke at age.
1932 ~ Lila Fenwick (née Lila Althea Fenwick; d. Apr. 2, 2020), African-American attorney who, in 1956, became the first black woman to graduate from Harvard Law School. She went on to work as a human rights official at the United Nations. She was born and died in Manhattan. She died from complications of Covid-19 at age 87.
1918 ~ Coleman Young (né Coleman Alexander Young; d. Nov. 29, 1997), African-American politician and Mayor of Detroit. He served as Mayor from January 1974 until January 1994. He was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He died of emphysema at age 79 in Detroit, Michigan.
1917 ~ Florence Knoll Bassett (née Florence Marguerite Schust; d. Jan. 25, 2019), American designer who revolutionized the workplace. She was an architect and furniture designed. She created modern post-war streamlined office furniture. She was born in Saginaw, Michigan. She died at age 101 in Coral Gables, Florida.
1909 ~ Wilbur Mills (né Wilber Daigh Mills; d. May 2, 1992), American politician, whose political career ended when he was found cavorting with stripper Fanne Foxe in 1974. He finished his term in the House of Representatives but did not run for re-election. He had represented Arkansas in the House from January 1939 until his term ended in 1976. He was born in Kensette, Arkansas. He died 22 days before his 83rd birthday in Searcy, Arkansas.
1905 ~ Mikhail Sholokhov (né Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov; d. Feb. 21, 1984), Russian writer and recipient of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature. He died at age 78.
1899 ~ Suzanne Lenglen (née Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen; d. July 4, 1938), French tennis player. She dominated women’s tennis from 1914 to 1926. She was born and died in Paris, France. She died of leukemia at age 39.
1879 ~ H.B. Reese (né Harry Burnett Reese; d. May 16, 1956), American candy-maker and creator of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. He was born in York County, Pennsylvania. He died 8 days before his 77th birthday in West Palm Beach, Florida.
1878 ~ Harry Emerson Fosdick (d. Oct. 5, 1969), American pastor. He was one of the most liberal religious leaders in the early 20th century. He was also an anti-Zionist. He was born in Buffalo, New York. He died at age 91 in Bronxville, New York.
1878 ~ Lillian Moller Gilbreth (née Lillian Evelyn Moller, d. Jan. 2, 1972), American psychologist and industrial engineer. She was one of the first American women to earn a Ph.D. in engineering. She and her husband had twelve children and they are the subject of the book, Cheaper by the Dozen. She was born in Oakland, California. She died at age 93 in Phoenix, Arizona.
1870 ~ Benjamin Cardozo (né Benjamin Nathan Cardozo; d. July 9, 1938), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was nominated to the High Court by President Herbert Hoover. He replaced Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., on the Court. He was succeeded by Felix Frankfurter. He served on the Court from March 1932 until his death 6 years later. He was born in New York, New York. He died of a heart attack at age 68 in Port Chester, New York.
1819 ~ Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India (née Alexandrina Victoria; d. Jan. 22, 1901). She reigned as Queen of the United Kingdom beginning when she was 18 years old in June 1835 until her death 66 years later. She was married to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819 ~ 1862). They married in 1840. She was of the House of Hanover. She was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She was Anglican. She died at age 81.
1810 ~ Abraham Geiger (d. Oct. 23, 1874), German rabbi and scholar. He is considered the founding father of the Reform Movement. He was born in Frankfurt, Grand Duchy of Frankfurt. He died at age 64 in Berlin, Prussia.
1743 ~ Jean-Paul Marat (d. July 13, 1793), journalist and one of the most radical leaders of the French Revolution. He was assassinated at age 50 in his bathtub by Charlotte Corday, a French aristocrat and member of the opposing political faction. He died in Paris, France.
1686 ~ Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (d. Sept. 16, 1736), German physicist, engineer and glass blower. He is best known for inventing the mercury thermometer and the temperature scale that is named after him. He developed the Fahrenheit temperature scale. He died at age 50 in The Hague, Dutch Republic.
1671 ~ Gian Gastone de’Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. July 9, 1737). He ruled over Tuscany from October 1723 until his death in July 1737. He was married to Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg (1672 ~ 1741). He was of the House of Medici. He was the son of Cosimo III de’Medici and Marguerite Louise d’Orléans. He was Roman Catholic. He died at age 66.
1335 ~ Margaret of Bohemia (d. 1349), Queen consort of Hungary. She was also known as Margaret of Luxembourg. When she was 7 years old in 1342, she was married to Louis I, King of Hungary (1326 ~ 1382). She was his first wife. She was of the House of Luxembourg. She was the daughter of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and Blanche of Valois. The exact date of her death is not known, but she was 13 or 14 at the time of her death.
Events that Changed the World:
2022 ~ A mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas left 19 children and two teachers dead. The shooter, an 18-year-old male, was shot and killed by police. It was the second mass shooting within 2 weeks and the deadliest school shooting since 2012 shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. It was also the 27th school shooting in 2022. Some of the victims were shot so badly that they were unrecognizable.
2019 ~ Due to protests over her handling of Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May (b. 1956) announced that she would resign as Leader of the Conservative Party, effective as of June 7, 2019.
2014 ~ Four people were killed in Brussels in a shooting at the Jewish Museum of Belgium.
2014 ~ A 6.4 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Aegean Sea. Over 300 people were killed.
2001 ~ The Versailles wedding hall in Jerusalem, Israel collapsed during a wedding. Twenty-three people were killed. Over 200 other individuals were injured. This was the worst civil disaster in Israel at the time. Three years later, the owners of the wedding hall were convicted of negligence for failing to properly maintain the safety of the building.
2000 ~ Israeli troops withdrew from southern Lebanon after being there for 22 years.
1999 ~ Slobodan Milošević (1941 ~ 2006) was indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for crimes that were committed in Kosovo.
1993 ~ Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia.
1991 ~ During Operation Solomon, Israel successfully evacuated Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
1967 ~ Egypt imposed a blockade and siege of the Red Sea off the coast of Israel.
1961 ~ The Freedom Riders, a group of American civil rights activists, were arrested in Jackson, Mississippi for allegedly disturbing the peace.
1956 ~ The first Eurovision Song Contest was held. It took place in Lugano, Switzerland. Swiss singer Lys Assia (1924 ~ 2018) was the winner of the first contest.
1943 ~ Josef Mengele (1911 ~ 1979), known as the Angel of Death, became the chief medical officer at Auschwitz.
1935 ~ The first night game in Major League Baseball took place in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies.
1930 ~ Amy Johnson (1903 ~ 1941) became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. The trip took her 19 days.
1921 ~ The trial of anarchists Nicola Sacco (1891 ~ 1927) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (1888 ~ 1927) began. They were convicted and executed on August 23, 1927.
1883 ~ The Brooklyn Bridge opened for traffic, thereby linking Brooklyn and Manhattan. Construction on the bridge took 14 years.
1844 ~ Samuel Morse (1791 ~ 1872) sent out his message, "What hath G~d wrought” in the first telegraph line which ran from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in United States Capitol building to Baltimore, Maryland.
1830 ~ Service on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which ran between Baltimore, Maryland and Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland began.
1830 ~ Sarah Josepha Hale’s ditty Mary Had a Little Lamb was first published.
1798 ~ The Irish Rebellion of 1798 against the British rule began.
1738 ~ John Wesley (1703 ~ 1791) began the Methodist movement of the Protestant religion. This is now a holiday in the Methodist church known as Aldersgate Day.
1689 ~ The English Parliament passed the ironically titled Act of Tolerance, which protected Protestants. Roman Catholics were specifically excluded.
1683 ~ The Ashmolean Museum at Oxford University in England opened as the world’s first university museum.
1626 ~ Peter Minuit (1580 ~ 1638) purchased the Island of Manhattan.
1607 ~ The first permanent English colony in America began when 100 English settlers disembarked in what would become Jamestown.
1543 ~ Copernicus (1473 ~ 1543) published his proof that the planets revolve around the sun.
1516 ~ The Jewish Ghetto in Venice, Italy was first established. Two months earlier, the Venetian Republic required all Jews of the city to live within a walled area, separate from the surrounding Catholic population. The site became the first such walled enclosure in Europe to be described as a Ghetto. Until this time, the Jews of Venice had been free to travel throughout the city. Most of the Venetian Jews were those who had been expelled from Spain or persecuted in Portugal. The Jews of Venice were required to live within the Ghetto until the 18th Century. The community thrived and was known for the publication of many important Hebraic books.
1218 ~ The Fifth Crusade left Acre for Egypt.
Good-Byes:
2020 ~ Jimmy Cobb (né Wilbur James Cobb; b. Jan. 20, 1929), African-American subtle drummer who laid down the beat on Kind of Blue. He was the last surviving member of Miles Davis’s First Great Sextet. He was born in Washington, D.C. He died of lung cancer at age 91 in Manhattan, New York.
2019 ~ Murray Gell-Mann (b. Sept. 15, 1929), American physicist and recipient of the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physics. He is known for coining the term Quark. He was born in Manhattan, New York. He died at age 89 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
2016 ~ Mel Lazarus (né Melvin Lazarus; d. May 3, 1927), American cartoonist. He is best known for his comic strips Momma and Miss Peach. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He died 21 days after his 89th birthday in Los Angeles, California.
2011 ~ Huguette Clark (née Huguette Marcelle Clark, b. June 9, 1906), American tycoon’s daughter who hid for seven decades. She became a recluse and lived in various hospitals for the last 20 years of her life. She is the subject of the book, Empty Mansions, by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. She was born in Paris, France. She died 16 days before her 105th birthday in New York, New York.
2008 ~ Dick Martin (né Thomas Richard Martin; b. Jan. 30, 1922), American comedian and goofy co-host of Laugh-In. He was born in Battle Creek, Michigan. He died at age 86 om Santa Monica, California.
1995 ~ Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (né James Harold Wilson, b. Mar. 11, 1916), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He died of cancer at age 79 in London, England.
1974 ~ Duke Ellington (né Edward Kennedy Ellington; b. Apr. 29, 1899), African-American jazz musician. He was born in Washington, D.C. He died 25 days before his 76th birthday om New York, New York.
1960 ~ Avraham Arnon (b. 1887), Israeli educator. He was a recipient of the 1960 Israel Prize in Education. He was born in Cherykaw, Belarus. He died in Israel.
1959 ~ John Foster Dulles (b. Feb. 25, 1888), 52nd Secretary of State. He served under President Dwight David Eisenhower from January 1953 until his death. He was born and died in Washington, D.C. He died of colon cancer at age 71.
1956 ~ Martha Anne Whiteley (b. Nov. 11, 1866), English chemist and mathematician. She is known for advocating for women’s equality in the field of chemistry. She was born and died in London, England. She died at age 89.
1861 ~ Elmer E. Ellsworth (né Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth, b. Apr. 11, 1837), American soldier. He has the distinction of being the first casualty in the American Civil War. He was born in Malta, New York. He was killed while removing a Confederate flag from the roof of an inn in Alexandria, Virginia. He was 24 years old.
1843 ~ Sylvestre François Lacroix (b. Apr. 28, 1765), French mathematician. He died less than a month after his 78thbirthday.
1632 ~ Robert Hues (b. 1553), English mathematician. The exact date of his birth is unknown. He is believed to have been about 78 or 79 at the time of his death.
1543 ~ Nicolaus Copernicus (b. Feb. 19, 1473), Polish mathematician and astronomer who published his proof that the planets revolve around the sun. He died at age 70.
1212 ~ Dagmar of Bohemia (b. 1186), Queen consort of Denmark and first wife of Valdemar II, King of Denmark (1170 ~ 1241). They married in 1205. She was also known as Margaret. She was of the House of Přemyslid. She was the daughter of Ottokar I, King of Bohemia and Adelheid of Meissen. She was Roman Catholic. The exact date of her birth is not known. She died of complications of childbirth. She is believed to have been about 26 at the time of her death.
1153 ~ David I of Scotland (b. 1083). He ruled from April 1124 until his death 19 years later. He was married to Maud, Countess of Huntington (1072 ~ 1131). David was her second husband. She had previously been married to Simon de Senlis. He was of the House of Dunkeld. He was the son of Malcolm III, King of Scotland and Margaret of Wessex. The exact date of his birth is unknown. He is believed to have been about 68 or 69 at the time of his death.
1107 ~ Raymond of Burgundy, Count of Galicia (b. 1070). He was the first husband of Urraca, Queen of León and Castile (1081 ~ 1126). They were the parents of Alfonso VII, King of León and Castile. He was of the House of Ivrea. He was the son of William I, Count of Burgundy and Stephanie. He was Roman Catholic. The date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have died at about age 36 or 37.
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