May 26 Dateline

Birthdays

1799 - Alexander Pushkin (born Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (see also 6 June [O.S. 26 May] 1799), Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. Pushkin was born into Russian nobility in Moscow.  (Alexander Pushkin (Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Пу́шкин). Uploaded by Steven Parris Ward. Accessed May 26, 2018.

1893 - Sir Eugene Aynsley Goossens, English conductor and composer. His works include two symphonies, two "Phantasy" concertos (one for piano, one for violin), two string quartets, two violin sonatas, and a Concertino for string octet. The Oboe Concerto was written for his brother, Léon Goossens. He wrote two operas (both with libretto by Arnold Bennett: Judith (1929) and Don Juan de Manara), and a large-scale oratorio, The Apocalypse, after the Revelation of St. John. Goossens is credited for much of the lobbying to the NSW Government to build a music performance venue, a process that led to the construction of the Sydney Opera House. He insisted that it be built at Bennelong Point overlooking Sydney Harbour, was confirmed in 1957, after he had left Australia. He is commemorated in the Eugene Goossens Hall, a concert and recording facility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Ultimo, Sydney. (Goosens' Oboe Concerto, Op.45 beautifully performed by Samantha Crouse. Uploaded by Arts Laureate. Accessed May 26, 2016.)

1907 - John Wayne (born Marion Michael Morrison), nicknamed "Duke", American actor, Director, Producer and Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient. He was among the top box office draws for three decades, famous for his roles in Western films.

1920 - Peggy Lee (born Norma Deloris Egstrom), American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, Lee created a sophisticated persona, writing music for films, acting, and recording conceptual record albums combining poetry and music. Lee recorded over 1,100 masters and composed over 270 songs.

1966 - Helena Bonham Carter, CBE, English actress. Recipient of British Academy Film Award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and nominations for two Academy Awards, nine Golden Globe Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards and four British Academy Television Awards. She began her film career playing Lucy Honeychurch in A Room with a View. For her role as Kate Croy in The Wings of the Dove, Bonham Carter received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in The King's Speech, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her collaborations with director Tim Burton include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland as the Red Queen, and Dark Shadows. For her role as children's author Enid Blyton in the BBC Four biographical film Enid, she won the 2010 International Emmy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for the British Academy TV Award for Best Actress. Aside from her numerous movies she has other television films that include Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald, and Burton & Taylor. Beginning in 2019, she portrayed Princess Margaret on seasons three and four of The Crown.

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More birthdays and historical events today, May 26 - On This Day
 

 

Feature:

Below, a video of Stravinsky's  Le Rossignol (The Nightingale). Barbara Hannigan, soprano; Edgaras Montvidas, tenor; Pierre Boulez, conductor. Berliner Philharmoniker / Recorded at the Berlin Philharmonie, 18 September 2010.

Historical Events

1521 - Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation, is banned by the Edict of Worms because of his religious beliefs and is formally declared an outlaw. (Resource: Luther & the Protestant Reformation. Uploaded by CrashCourse. Accessed May 26, 2016)    

1896 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is first published. It is the oldest stock market index still used today in the U.S.

May 25 Dateline

Birthdays

1803 - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, lecturer, poet and philosopher. He led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. Main interests‎: ‎Individualism‎, ‎mysticism.  School‎: ‎Transcendentalism. Some of his best known essays include:  Self-Reliance, The Over-Soul, Compensation, The Poet, and Experience. (Literature - Ralph Waldo Emerson. Uploaded by The School of Life. Accessed Mary 25, 2018.) 

1878 - Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid black American entertainer in America during the first half of the twentieth century. His long career mirrored changes in American entertainment tastes and technology.

1926 - Miles Davis, American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. (Miles Davis - Smoke gets in your eyes. Uploaded by TheLittletan. Accessed May 25, 2020.)

1927 - Robert Ludlum, American spy author of 27 thriller novels, best known as the creator of Jason Bourne from the original The Bourne Trilogy series. The number of copies of his books in print is estimated between 300 million and 500 million. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries.

1938 - Raymond Carver (born Raymond Clevie Carver Jr.), American short-story writer and poet. His main characters are working-class Americans; his spare, tense prose reflects their attempts to express themselves. Several of his short-story collections were nominated for prestigious prizes, including Pulitzer Prizes. He is considered to be amongst America's greatest writers.  

Leftie:
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More birthdays and historical events today, May 25 - On This Day
 

 

Feature:

 Delibes: Coppélia (Royal Ballet) Uploaded by Opus Arte. Accessed April 3, 2022.

Historical Events

1659 - Richard Cromwell, son of Oliver Cromwell, resigns as Lord Protector, leading the way to the Restoration of the Monarchy and the reign of Charles II.

1870 - Leo Delibes's ballet Coppelia is first staged, in Paris.