June 24
Birthdays:
1987 ~ Lionel Messi (né Lionel Andrés Messi), Argentine professional soccer player.
1979 ~ Mindy Kaling (née Vera Mindy Chokalingam), American actress. She was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
1961 ~ Rebecca Solnit, American writer. She was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
1953 ~ William E. Moerner (né William Esco Moerner), American chemist and physicist. He was the recipient of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He was born in Pleasanton, California.
1947 ~ Peter Weller (né Peter Frederick Weller), American actor. He was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
1946 ~ Ellison Onizuka (né Ellison Shoji Onizuka; d. Jan. 28, 1986), American astronaut who was killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. He was born in Kealaekau, Hawaii. He was 39 years old.
1946 ~ Robert Reich (né Robert Bernard Reich), 22nd United States Secretary of Labor. He served from January 1993 until January 1997 under President Bill Clinton. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
1945 ~ George Pataki (né George Elmer Pataki), Governor of New York State. He was Governor from January 1995 through December 2006. He was born in Peekskill, New York.
1944 ~ Jeff Beck (né Geoffrey Arnold Beck; d. Jan. 10, 2023), British guitar virtuoso who couldn’t be pigeonholed. He rose to prominence with The Yardbirds. He was born in Surrey, England. He died of a bacterial meningitis infection at age 78.
1942 ~ Michele Lee (née Michele Lee Dusick), American actress and singer. She was born in Los Angeles, California.
1942 ~ Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, President of Chile. He served as President from March 1994 until March 2000. He was born in Santiago, Chile.
1939 ~ Stephen Dunn (d. June 24, 2021), American poet. He was born in New York, New York. He died on his 82ndbirthday in Frostburg, Maryland.
1930 ~ Claude Chabrol (né Claude Henri Jean Chabrol; d. Sept. 12, 2010), French film director who mocked France’s bourgeoisie. His 1958 film, Le Beau Serge, inaugurated the New Wave of French cinema. He was born and died in Paris, France. He died at age 80.
1929 ~ Caroline S. Shoemaker (née Caroline Jean Spellman; d. Aug. 13, 2021), American astronomer. She is best known for being a co-discoverer of the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. She was born in Gallup, New Mexico. She died at age 92 in Flagstaff, Arizona.
1927 ~ Martin Lewis Perl (d. Sept. 30, 2014), American physicist and recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in physics for his discovery of the Tau Lepton. He was born in Manhattan, New York. He died of a heart attack at age 87 in Palo Alto, California.
1927 ~ James B. Edwards (né James Burrows Edwards; d. Dec. 26, 2014), 3rd United States Secretary of Energy. He served from January 1981 until November 1982 under President Ronald Reagan. He had previously served as the 110thGovernor of South Carolina from January 1975 until January 1979. He was born in Hawthorne, Florida. He died of complications of a stroke at age 87 in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
1919 ~ Al Molinaro (né Umberto Francesco Molinaro; d. Oct. 30, 2015), American Happy Days star who found fame late in life. He is best known for his role as Big Al Delveccio, the owner of a malt-shop on Happy Days. He was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He died at age 96 in Glendale, California.
1917 ~ Joan Clark (née Joan Elisabeth Lowther Clark; d. Sept. 4, 1996), British cryptanalyst and numismatist. She worked as a code-breaker at Bletchley Park. She was involved in the Enigma project that decrypted Nazi German secret communications during World War II. She was born in London, England. She died at age 79.
1916 ~ John Ciardi (né John Anthony Ciardi; d. Mar. 30, 1986), American poet. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He died at age 69 in Metuchen, New Jersey.
1916 ~ William B. Saxbe (né William Bart Saxbe; d. Aug. 24, 2010), 70th United States Attorney General. He served from January 1974 until February 1975 under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He was born and died in Machanicsburg, Ohio. He died at age 94.
1909 ~ William Penney, Baron Penney (né William George Penney; d. Mar. 3, 1991), English mathematician. He was born in Gibraltar. He died at age 81.
1901 ~ Chuck Taylor (né Charles Hollis Taylor; d. June 23, 1969), semi-professional basketball player and salesman. He is best known for his association with the Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers. He was born in Brown County, Indiana. He died one day before his 68th birthday in Port Charlotte, Florida.
1900 ~ Wilhelm Cauer (d. Apr. 22, 1945), German mathematician. He was killed at age 44 by Soviet soldiers during the fall of Berlin in 1945.
1895 ~ Jack Dempsey (né William Harrison Dempsey; d. May 31, 1983), American professional boxer. He was born in Manassa, Colorado. He died 24 days before his 88th birthday in New York, New York.
1893 ~ Roy O. Disney (né Roy Oliver Disney; d. Dec. 20, 1971), American businessman. Together with his brother, Walt Disney, they created the Walt Disney Company. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. He died of a brain seizure at age 78 in Burbank, California.
1883 ~ Victor Franz Hess (d. Dec. 17, 1964), Austrian-American physicist and recipient of the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of cosmic rays. He died at age 81 in Mount Vernon, New York.
1880 ~ Oswald Veblen (d. Aug. 10, 1960), American mathematician. He was born in Decorah, Iowa. He died in Brooklin, Maine at age 80.
1869 ~ Caroline Ellen Furness (d. Feb. 9, 1936), American astronomer. She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in astronomy from Columbia University. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She died at age 66 in New York, New York.
1860 ~ Princess Mercedes of Orléans (d. June 26, 1878), Queen consort of Spain. She was the first wife of Alfonso XII, King of Spain (1857 ~ 1885). They married in 1878. She died of typhoid fever less than 6 months after their marriage. She was of the House of Orléans. She was the daughter of Antoine d’ Orléans, Duke of Montpensier and Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain. She was Roman Catholic. She died 2 days after her 18th birthday.
1854 ~ Eleanor Norcross (née Ella Augusta Norcross; d. Oct. 19, 1923), American painter. She was born and died in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. She died at age 69.
1852 ~ Friedrich Loeffler (d. Apr. 9, 1915), German bacteriologist. He is best known for identifying the bacterium that causes diphtheria. He was born in Frankfort, Germany. He died at age 62 in Berlin, Germany.
1842 ~ Ambrose Bierce, American author (né Ambrose Gwinnet Bierce; disappeared around 1914). In 1913, he traveled to Mexico to report on the Mexican Revolution. He was never seen again and disappeared sometime in 1914 when he is believed to have died. He was 71 or 72 at the time when his death was acknowledged.
1839 ~ Gustavus Swift, Sr. (né Gustavus Franklin Swift; d. Mar. 29, 1903), American businessman and founder of the Swift meat-packing company. He was born in Sagamore, Massachusetts. He died at age 63 in Chicago, Illinois.
1813 ~ Henry Ward Beecher (d. Mar. 8, 1887), American clergyman and social reformer. He was a strong abolitionist prior to the American Civil War. He was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. He died following a stroke at age 73 in Queens, New York.
1811 ~ John Campbell (né John Archibald Campbell; d. Mar. 12, 1889), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was nominated to the High Court by President Franklin Pierce. He replaced John McKinley on the Court. He was succeeded by David Davis. He served on the Court from March 1853 until April 1861. He resigned from the Court at the beginning of the American Civil War to join the Confederacy. After the War, he settled in New Orleans where he resumed his practice of law. He was a Southerner and opposed Reconstruction following the American Civil War. He was born in Washington, Georgia. He died in Baltimore, Maryland. He died at age 77.
1784 ~ Juan Antonio Lavalleja (d. Oct. 22, 1853), Uruguayan general and President of Uruguay. He is best remembered as a rebel who led the fight against Brazil. He died at age 68.
1771 ~ Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (d. Oct. 31, 1834), French businessman who founded a gunpowder company in 1802. His company was the forerunner of today’s DuPont chemical company. He was born in Paris, France. He died at age 63 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1535 ~ Joanna, Archduchess of Austria (d. Sept. 7, 1573), Hereditary Princess of Portugal and wife of John Manuel, Hereditary Prince of Portugal (1537 ~ 1554). They married in 1552. He died 2 years later, before ascending to the Portuguese throne and leaving her a widow with an infant son. Their infant son became Sebastian, King of Portugal. She was of the House of Habsburg. She was the daughter of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Isabella of Portugal. She was Roman Catholic. She died at age 38.
1532 ~ Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (d. Sept. 4, 1588), English statesman and political advisor to Elizabeth I, Queen of England. He died at age 56.
1485 ~ Princess Elizabeth of Denmark (d. June 10, 1555), member of the Danish royal family. Upon her marriage to Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg (1484 ~ 1535), she became the Electress consort of Brandenburg. She was of the House of Oldenburg. She was the John, King of Denmark and Christina of Saxony. She was Lutheran. She died 2 weeks before her 70th birthday.
1465 ~ Isabella del Balzo (d. 1533), Queen consort of Naples and second wife of Frederick IV, King of Naples (1452 ~ 1504). She was of the House of Baux. She was the daughter of Pietro del Balzo, Duke of Andria and Maria Donata Orsini. The exact date of her death is not known. She is believed to have died at about age 67 or 68.
1343 ~ Joan of Valois (d. Nov. 3, 1373), Queen consort of Navarre. She was the wife of Charles II, King of Navarre (1332 ~ 1387). They married in 1352. She was also known as Joan of France. She was of the House of Valois. She was the daughter of John II, King of France and Bonne of Luxembourg. She was Roman Catholic. She died at age 30.
1322 ~ Joanna, Duchess of Brabant (d. Dec. 1, 1406). She was the ruling Duchess of Brabant from 1355 until her death in 1406. She was married twice. Her first husband was William II, Count of Hainaut (1307 ~ 1345). They married in 1334. After his death, she married Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg (1337 ~ 1383). She was of the House of Reginar. She was the daughter of John III, Duke of Brabant and Marie d’Évreux. She died at age 84.
1314 ~ Philippa of Hainault (d. Aug. 15, 1369), Queen consort of England. She was the wife and political advisor of Edward III, King of England (1312 ~ 1377). They married in 1328. She was of the House of Avesnes. She was the daughter of William I, Count of Hainaut and Joan of Valois. The exact date of her birth is not known, but it is generally considered to have been on June 24, 1314. She died at age 55.
Events that Changed the World:
2022 ~ The United Supreme Court, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overruled Roe v. Wade, and held that the right to abortion is not a protected right under the United States Constitution. The decision, written by Samuel Alito (b. 1950). Associate Justices Stephen Breyer (b. 1938), Sonia Sotomayor (b. 1954) and Elena Kagan (b. 1960) dissented. Many states had trigger laws that immediately took effect, banning all abortions, and creating ambiguity in other states. Unintended consequences of the ruling also impacted women who might suffer miscarriages.
2021 ~ A 13-story beachfront condominium in Surfside, Florida collapsed in the middle of the night. At least 98 people were killed in the collapse.
2021 ~ Rudy Giuliani (b. 1944) was suspended from practicing law in New York state due to false claims he made during the 2020 presidential election.
2013 ~ Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (b. 1936) was found guilty of abusing his power and engaging in sex with underage women. He was sentenced to 7 years in prison.
2012 ~ The last known tortoise of the Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii, a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise died, making the species extinct. The tortoise had been named Lonesome George.
2011 ~ New York State became the sixth state to allow same-sex marriages.
2010 ~ Julia Gillard (b. 1961) became the first female Prime Minister of Australia. She served in that Office until June 2013.
2004 ~ In New York State, capital punishment was declared unconstitutional.
1973 ~ In New Orleans, the UpStairs Lounge, gay bar in the French Quarter, was set afire. Thirty-two people were killed because of fire or smoke inhalation. No convictions were ever made and in 1980, the State Fire Marshal’s Office declared the case closed.
1957 ~ In the case of Roth v. United States, the United States Supreme Court ruled that obscenity is not protected speech under First Amendment. Associate Justice William Brennan (`906 ~ 1997) drafted the decision.
1949 ~The television western, Hopalong Cassidy, first aired on television.
1939 ~ The country of Siam was renamed Thailand by the country’s prime minister, Plaek Pibulsonggram (1897 ~ 1964), the country’s third prime minister.
1932 ~ A bloodless revolution instigated by the People’s Party ended the absolute power of Prajadhipok, King of Siam (1893 ~ 1941). He would remain king until March 1935, when he abdicated the throne due to political upheaval.
1916 ~ Mary Pickford (1892 ~ 1979) became the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract.
1793 ~ The French Constitution of France was adopted.
1604 ~ Samuel de Champlain (1574 ~ 1635) found the mouth of the St. John River, where the Reversing Falls is located.
1509 ~ Henry VIII (1491 ~ 1547) and Catherine of Aragon (1485 ~ 1536) were crowned King and Queen of England.
1497 ~ John Cabot (1450 ~ 1500) landed in North America in what is now Newfoundland, leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings.
1314 ~ In the First War of Scottish Independence, the Battle of Bannockburn ended with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce (1274 ~ 1329).
Good-byes:
2021 ~ Stephen Dunn (b. June 24, 1939), American poet. He was born in New York, New York. He died on his 82ndbirthday in Frostburg, Maryland.
2015 ~ Susan Ahn Cuddy (née Susan Ahn; b. Jan. 16, 1915), American naval officer. She was the first Asian-American woman to join the United States Navy. She was also the first female gunnery officer in Navy. She was the daughter of Ahn Chang-ho and Helen Ahn, the first married Korean couple to emigrated to the United States. She retired from the Navy as a lieutenant. She was born and died in Los Angeles, California. She died at age 100.
2014 ~ Eli Wallach (né Eli Herschel Wallach; b. Dec. 7, 1915), American actor. He was born and died in New York, New York. He died at age 98.
2013 ~ Mauro Francaviglia (b. June 22, 1953), Italian mathematician. He was born in Turin, Italy. He died in Rende, Italy 2 days after his 60th birthday.
2012 ~ Gu Chaohao (b. May 15, 1926), Chinese mathematician. He died at age 86 in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.
2008 ~ Gerhard Ringel (b. Oct. 28, 1919), Austrian mathematician. He died at age 88.
2008 ~ Leonid Hurwicz (b. Aug. 21, 1917), Russian-born Polish mathematician and economist. At age 90, he was the oldest recipient of a Nobel Prize when he was awarded the 2007 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science. He was born in Moscow, Russia. He died at age 90 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2005 ~ Paul Winchell (né Paul Wilchinksy; b. Dec. 21, 1922), American ventriloquist who was the voice of Jerry Mahoney and Tigger. He was born in New York, New York. He died at age 82 in Moorpark, California.
2005 ~ Yedidia Shofet (b. Nov. 14, 1908), Chief Rabbi of Iran. Following the 1979 Iranian revolution, he moved to California. He was born in Kashan, Iran. He died at age 96 in Los Angeles, California.
1997 ~ Brian Keith (né Robert Alba Keith; b. Nov. 14, 1921), American actor. He is best known for his role as Uncle Bill on the television sit-com Family Affair. He was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. He died by suicide at age 75 in Malibu, California.
1991 ~ Sumner Locke Elliott (b. Oct. 17, 1917), Australian-born novelist, whose autobiographical novel was Careful, He Might Hear You. He was born in Sydney, Australia. He died of cancer at age 73 in New York, New York.
1987 ~ Jackie Gleason (né John Herbert Gleason; b. Feb. 26, 1916), American actor and musician. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He died of cancer at age 71 in Lauderhill, Florida.
1972 ~ R.F. Delderfield (né Ronald Frederick Derldefield; b. Feb. 12, 1912), English author. He is best known for his novel God is an Englishman. He was born in London, England. He died of lung cancer at age 60.
1935 ~ Carlos Gardel (né Charles Romuald Gardès; b. Dec. 11, 1890), French-Argentine tango singer and dancer. He was born in Toulouse, France. He was killed in a plane crash at age 44.
1909 ~ Sarah Orne Jewett (née Theodora Sarah Orne Jewett; b. Sept. 3, 1849), American writer, whose work centered around the State of Maine. She was born and died in South Berwick, Maine. She died of a stroke at age 59.
1908 ~ Grover Cleveland (né Stephen Grover Cleveland; b. Mar. 18, 1837), the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. He is the only American President to have served two non-consecutive terms as President. He served his first term from March 1885 until March 1889, and his second term from March 1893 until March 1897. Before becoming President, he was the Governor of New York, from January 1883 until January 1885. He married the 21-year-old Francis Folsom while in Office as President. He was born in Caldwell, New Jersey. He died of a heart attack at age 71 in Princeton, New Jersey.
1880 ~ Jules Antoine Lissajous (b. Mar. 4, 1822), French physicist and mathematician. He was born in Versailles, France. He died at age 58.
1815 ~ Charles Lee (b. Jan. 1, 1758), 3rd United States Attorney General. He served from December 1795 until February 1801 under Presidents George Washington and John Adams. He was born in Leesylvania, Virginia, British America. He died at age 57 in Fauquier County, Virginia.
1803 ~ Matthew Thornton (b. Mar. 17, 1713), Irish-born early American founder. He is best known for being a signed of the Declaration of Independence. He ultimately settled in New Hampshire. He died at age 90 in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
1798 ~ Maria Christina (b. May 13, 1742), Duchess of Teschen. In 1766, she married Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen (1738 ~ 1822). Upon their marriage, they received the Duchy of Teschen. She was of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. She was the fifth child of Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. She was born on her mother’s 25th birthday. She was Roman Catholic. She died at age 56.
1768 ~ Marie Leszczyńska (née Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska; b. June 23, 1703), Queen consort of France and Polish wife of Louis XV, King of France (1701 ~ 1774). They married in 1725. She was of the House of Leszczyński. She was the daughter of Stanisław Leszczyński, the deposed King of Poland, and Catherine Opalińska. She was Roman Catholic. She died 1 day after her 65th birthday.
1519 ~ Lucrezia Borgia (b. Apr. 18, 1480), Florentine noblewoman. She was married three times. Her first husband was Giovanni Sforza (1466 ~ 1510). They married in 1493 for political reasons. After the political ties were no longer needed, the Pope ordered the marriage annulled on alleged grounds that the marriage hadn’t been consummated. Her second husband was Alfonso of Aragon (1481 ~ 1500). They married in 1498. He was murdered 2 years later. Her third husband was Alfonso d’Este (1476 ~ 1534), whom she married in 1501. She was of the House of Borgia. She was the illegitimate daughter Pope Alexander VI and his mistress Vannozza die Cattanei. She died at age 39 following complications of childbirth.
1439 ~Frederick IV, Duke of Austria (b. 1382). He ruled over Further Austria from 1406 until his death. He was known as Frederick of the Empty Pockets. He was married twice. His first wife was Elisabeth of the Palatinate. His second wife was Anna of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He was the son of Leopold III, Duke of Austria and Viridis Visconti. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he was about age 56 or 59.
1398 ~ Hongwu (b. Oct. 21, 1328), Chinese founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He died at age 69.
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