History Blog

October 21

Happy Birthday RIP John “Dizzy” Gillespie(1917–1993) ; Joyce Randolph(Sirola)–90 Manfred Mann(Lubowitz)–74 Judith “Judy” Sheindlin(Blum)–72 Carrie Fisher–58 Kensaku Watanabe–55 Sasha Roiz–43 Jade Jagger–43 Jeremy Miller–38 William Estes Nipper–36 Aaron Tveit–31 ; 1879 – Thomas Edison invented a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J. which was tested the next day and lasted 13.5 hours. This would be the start of the invention of the first commercially practical incandescent light. Popular belief is that he invented the light bulb, which he did not.

October 20

Happy Birthday RIP Bela Lugosi(Blaskó 1882–1956) John Dewey(1859–1952) Joyce Brothers(Bauer 1927–2013) ; William Christopher–82 Thomas Petty–64 Thomas Newman–59 Viggo Mortensen Jr–56 Calvin Broadus(“Snoop Dogg”)–43 Sam Witwer–37 John Krasinski–35 Adam Butcher–26 ; 1803 – The U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase.

October 19

Happy Birthday RIP “LaWanda Page”(Alberta Peal 1920–2002) “Robert Reed”(John Rietz 1932–1992) Harris Glenn Milstead(“Divine” 1945–1988) ; John Lithgow–69 Patricia Ireland–69 Jennifer Holliday–54 Amy Carter–47 Randolph “Trey” Parker III–45 Christopher Kattan–44 Desmond Harrington–38 ; 1987 – “Black Monday” the stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or -22.6 percent in value, the largest one-day percentage drop (worse than 1929 at -12.82%)

October 18

Happy Birthday RIP George Campbell Scott(1927–1999)  Peter Boyle Jr(1935–2006)  ; Charles “Chuck” Berry–88 Dawn Wells–76 Michael Ditka–75 Pamela Dawber–63 Martina Navratilova–58 Erin Moran–54 Jean-Claude Van Damme(Varenberg)–54 Zachary Efron–27 ; 1867 – United States takes possession of Alaska after purchasing it from Russia for $7.2 million. Celebrated annually in the state as Alaska Day ; 1898 – United States takes possession of Puerto Rico.

October 17

Happy Birthday RIP Edward Montgomery Clift(1920–1966) “Rita Hayworth”(Margarita Cansino 1918–1987) Thomas Poston(1921–2007) ; James Seals–72 Michael McKean–67 Margaret “Margot” Kidder–66 George Wendt–66 Norman Macdonald–51 David “Ziggy” Marley–46 Marshall Mathers(“Eminem”)–42 David Matthew Macfadyen–40 Chris Lowell–30 Maximillian Irons–29 ; 1919 – RCA is incorporated as the Radio Corporation of America

October 16

Happy Birthday RIP Oscar Wilde(1854–1900) Michael Conrad(1925–1983) ; Angela Lansbury–89 Leonard Barrie Corbin–74 Suzanne Somers(Mahoney)–68 Timothy Robbins–56 Kim Wayans–53 Michael Balzary(“Flea”)–52 Johnathan Mayer–37 Brea Grant–33  ; 1923 – The Walt Disney Company is founded by Walt Disney and his brother, Roy Disney.

October 15

Happy Birthday RIP “Mark Lenard” aka Sarek(Leonard Rosenson 1924–1996) ; Lido “Lee” Iacocca–90 Linda Lavin–77 Carole Penny Marshall–72 Richard Carpenter–68 Sarah Ferguson–55 Emeril Lagasse III–55 Dominic West–45 William “Billy” Unger–19 ; 1878 – The Edison Electric Light Company begins operation (later General Electric) in Schenectady ; 1951 – The first episode of I Love Lucy, an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley, airs on the Columbia Broadcasting System.

October 14

Happy Birthday RIP David Dwight Eisenhower(1890–1969) Lillian Gish(1893–1993) Charles Everett Koop(1916–2013) ;  Sir Roger Moore–87 Ralph Lauren(Lifschitz)–75 Harry Anderson–62 Gregory Evigan–61 Thomas Dolby(Robertson)–56 Isaac Mizrahi–53 Stephen Coogan–49 Karyn White–49 Usher Raymond IV–36 Maximillion Thieriot–26 ; 1964 – civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence.

October 13

Happy Birthday RIP Margaret Thatcher(Roberts 1925–2013) ; Paul Simon–73 Grady Demond Wilson–68 Samuel “Sammy” Hagar–67 Olive Marie Osmond–55 Kathleen “Kate” Walsh–47 Sacha Baron Cohen–43 Branden Williams–40 Ashanti Douglas–34 ; 1843 – In New York City, Henry Jones and 11 others found B’nai B’rith (the oldest Jewish service organization in the world).

October 12

Happy Birthday RIP Luciano Pavarotti(1935–2007) ; Chris Wallace–67 Susan Anton–64 Christopher Botti–52 Glenn Soukesian(“Colton Ford”)–52 Hugh Jackman–46 Adam Rich–46 Joshua Hutcherson–22 ; 1998 – Matthew Shepard, a gay student at University of Wyoming, died five days after he was beaten, robbed and left tied to a wooden fence post outside of Laramie Wyoming.