Notable people born on this date (for better or for worse) include American politician, soldier and "Great Agnostic" Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899); historian Alex Haley (1921-1992); Danish-born British socialite Claus von Bülow (born in 1926); bigoted American preacher Jerry Falwell (1933-2007), the reason I had to include the "for better or for worse" at the start, as we'd have surely been better off without him; short story writer Andre Dubus (1936-1999); Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid (born in 1944); English singer Joe Jackson (born in 1954); Korean-born comic book artist and DC Comics bigwig Jim Lee (born in 1964); American actress Embeth Davidtz (born in 1965); indie rocker Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, born in 1976); and Australian actor Chris Hemsworth (soon to play Marvel Comics' Thor, born in 1983).
Deaths on this date include Spartan king Leonidas (c. 540 B.C.E. - 480 B.C.E.), killed during the Battle of Thermopylae, which was dramatized in the graphic novel and later movie 300, making this the Manliest Damn Thing You'll Read All Day. Other deaths include Hamnet Shakespeare (1585-1596), son of William; Scottish-born industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919); American author Edith Wharton (1862-1937); artist Jackson Pollock (1912-1956); publisher Alfred A. Knopf (1892-1984); British actor Peter Cushing (1913-1994), from injuries sustained in the 1977 explosion of the Death Star; American singer and talk show host Mike Douglas (1925-2006), who died on his 81st birthday; and Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1921-2009).
Trivia, top hits, low points and assorted snark:
Babe Ruth became the first 500 home-run hitter this day in 1929 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Among the chart-topping singles on this date in history are "Some Enchanted Evening" (Amazon | iTunes) by Perry Como (1949); "Vaya con Dios (May God Be With You)" (Amazon | iTunes) by Les Paul and Mary Ford (1953); "It's Now or Never" (Amazon | iTunes) by Elvis Presley (1960); "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (Amazon | iTunes) by Neil Sedaka (1962); "I Got You Babe" (Amazon | iTunes) by Sonny and Cher (1965); "Summer in the City" (Amazon | iTunes) by The Lovin' Spoonful (1966); "Light My Fire" (Amazon | iTunes) by The Doors (1967); and "People Got to Be Free" (Amazon | iTunes) by The Rascals (1968).
Actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil got a patent this day in 1942 for a communication system that laid the groundwork for modern wireless phones and Wi-Fi. (She wasn't just another pretty face.)
Race riots erupted in Los Angeles' Watts neighborhood this day in 1965.
Other songs hitting No. 1 on this date include "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" (Amazon | iTunes) by the Bee Gees (1971); "The Night Chicago Died" (Amazon | iTunes) by Paper Lace (1974); "Three Times a Lady" (Amazon | iTunes) by the Commodores (1978); "Bad Girls" (Amazon | iTunes) by Donna Summer (1979); "Endless Love" (Amazon | iTunes) by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (1981); the "Ghostbusters" theme (Amazon | iTunes) by Ray Parker Jr. (1984); "Papa, Don't Preach" (Amazon | iTunes) by Madonna (1986); "Vision of Love" (Amazon | iTunes) by Mariah Carey (1990); "End of the Road" (Amazon | iTunes) by Boyz II Men (1992); "Genie in a Bottle" (Amazon | iTunes) by Christina Aguilera (1999); and "I Gotta Feeling" (Amazon | iTunes) by the Black Eyed Peas (2009).
Sources: Wikipedia, Josh Hosler's site, the messages your cats are trying to communicate through their meowing. Dammit, listen to the cats before it's too late!
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