Birthdays
1810 - Frederic Chopin, (born Frédéric François Chopin), Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leading musician of his era, one whose "poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation." All of Chopin's compositions include the piano. His piano writing was technically demanding and expanded the limits of the instrument: his own performances were noted for their nuance and sensitivity. Chopin invented the concept of the instrumental ballade. His major piano works also include mazurkas, waltzes, nocturnes, polonaises, études, impromptus, scherzos, preludes and sonatas, some published only posthumously. Among the influences on his style of composition were Polish folk music, the classical tradition of J. S. Bach, Mozart, and Schubert, and the atmosphere of the Paris salons of which he was a frequent guest. His innovations in style, harmony, musical form, and his association of music with nationalism, were influential throughout and after the late Romantic period.
1904 - Glenn Miller, (born Alton Glenn Miller), American big-band trombonist, arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was the best-selling recording artist from 1939 to 1942, leading one of the best-known big bands.American Trombonist and big-band Leader. Here's one popular in his day: Glenn Miller - In the Mood. AF117. Accessed March 1, 2009.
1910 - David Niven, (born James David Graham Niven), English actor, memoirist and novelist. His many roles included Squadron Leader Peter Carter in A Matter of Life and Death, Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days, and Sir Charles Lytton ("the Phantom") in The Pink Panther. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Separate Tables (1958) with Deborah Kerr. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Niven returned to Britain and rejoined the army, being recommissioned as a lieutenant. Niven appeared in nearly a hundred films, and many shows for television. He also began writing books, with considerable commercial success. In 1982 he appeared in Blake Edwards' final "Pink Panther" films Trail of the Pink Panther and Curse of the Pink Panther, reprising his role as Sir Charles Lytton.
1917 - Robert Lowell (Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV), American poet. His family, past and present, were important subjects in his poetry. Growing up in Boston also informed his poems, which were frequently set in Boston and the New England region. The literary scholar Paula Hayes believes that Lowell mythologized New England, particularly in his early work. He was appointed the sixth Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, where he served from 1947 until 1948. In addition to winning the National Book Award, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1947 and 1974, the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1977, and a National Institute of Arts and Letters Award in 1947. He is "widely considered one of the most important American poets of the postwar era."
1922 - Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77, and from 1992 until his assassination in 1995. In 1992, Rabin was re-elected as prime minister on a platform embracing the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. He signed several historic agreements with the Palestinian leadership as part of the Oslo Accords. In 1994, Rabin won the Nobel Peace Prize together with long-time political rival Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Rabin also signed a peace treaty with Jordan in 1994. In November 1995, he was assassinated by an extremist named Yigal Amir, who opposed the terms of the Oslo Accords. Rabin has become a symbol of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process.
1927 - Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.), Jamaican-American singer, songwriter, activist, and actor. One of the most successful Jamaican-American pop stars in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Trinidadian Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. His breakthrough album Calypso was the first million-selling LP by a single artist. Belafonte is known for his recording of "The Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". He has recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards. He has also starred in several films.
1935 - Robert Conrad, American film and television actor, singer, and stuntman, best known for his role in the 1965–69 television series The Wild Wild West, playing the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West. He also portrayed World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep, the series Hawaiian Eye, and many other TV shows and films.
1954 - Ron Howard (born Ronald William Howard), American film director, producer, writer and actor. Howard first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of The Twilight Zone.
Leftie:
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More birthdays and historical events, March 1 - On This Day
Historical Events
1692 - The Salem witch trials begin in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony.
1932 - Charles Lindbergh III, the 22-month-old son of celebrated aviator and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, is kidnapped and held for ransom. He is found dead in May. This event is the basis of Agatha Christie's famous book adaptation "Murder on the Orient Express" also made into a popular star-studded movie with Christie's famous character Hercule Poirot.
