October 3 Dateline

Birthdays

1900 - Thomas Clayton Wolfe, American novelist of the early 20th century. He wrote four lengthy novels as well as many short stories, dramatic works, and novellas. He is known for mixing highly original, poetic, rhapsodic, and impressionistic prose with autobiographical writing. Wolfe's influence extends to the writings of Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac, and of authors Ray Bradbury and Philip Roth, among others. He remains an important writer in modern American literature, as one of the first masters of autobiographical fiction, and is considered North Carolina's most famous writer.

1916 - James Alfred Wight, OBE, FRCVS, known by the pen name 'James Herriot', British veterinary surgeon and writer. He used his many years of experiences as a veterinary surgeon to write a series of books consisting of stories about animals and their owners. He wrote humourous books. Best known for It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet and If Only They Could Talk.

1925 - Gore Vidal, American writer, political commentator and essayist, a public intellectual known for his patrician manner, epigrammatic wit, and polished style of writing. As a public intellectual, Gore Vidal's topical debates delve on sex, politics, and religion. Vidal thought all men and women are potentially bisexual. As a novelist, Vidal explored the nature of corruption in public and private life. His third novel, The City and the Pillar, offended the literary, political, and moral sensibilities of conservative book reviewers, the plot being about a dispassionately presented male homosexual relationship.  In the historical novel genre, he re-created the imperial world of Julian the Apostate (r. AD 361–63) in Julian, Julian, the Roman emperor who used general religious toleration to re-establish pagan polytheism to counter the political subversion of Christian monotheism. In social satire, Myra Breckinridge explores the mutability of gender role and sexual orientation as being social constructs established by social mores. In Burr and Lincoln, the protagonist is presented as "A Man of the People" and as "A Man" in a narrative exploration of how the facets of personality affect the U.S. national politics.

1936 - Steve Reich, American composer who, along with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass, pioneered minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. (Steve Reich: Variations for Winds, Strings, Keyboards. A complete recording by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Edo De Waart in 1983. Uploaded by R D Jazzboy. Accessed October 3, 2019.)

Lefties:
None known

 

 

More birthdays and historical events, October 3 - On This Day

 

Historical Events

1789 - U.S. President George Washington proclaims the first Thanksgiving Day, setting aside November 26 as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.

1895 - Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage is published in book form. 

1900 - Sir Edward Elgar's oratorio The Dream of Gerontius is first performed, conducted by Hans Richter at Birmingham Festival. It is regarded as Elgar's masterpiece.

October 2 Dateline

Birthdays

1869 - Mahatma Gandhi, (full name: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi), Indian political leader of the Indian Independence Movement in British-ruled India. Indian Lawyer, anti-colonial Nationalist, and Political Ethicist. He employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British Rule, and in turn inspire movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.  (Mahatma - A Great Soul of the 20th Century. Uploaded by Indian Diplomacy. Accessed October 2, 2019.)

1890 - Groucho Marx (born Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx), American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, and television star. He is considered a master of quick wit and one of America's greatest comedians. He made 13 feature films as a team with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born. He also had a successful solo career, notably as the host of the game show You Bet Your Life.  His distinctive appearance included quirks such as an exaggerated stooped posture, spectacles, cigar, a thick greasepaint mustache, and eyebrows. These exaggerated features resulted in the creation of one of the most recognizable and ubiquitous novelty disguises, known as Groucho glasses: a one-piece mask consisting of horn-rimmed glasses, a large plastic nose, bushy eyebrows and mustache.

1895 - Bud Abbott (born William Alexander Abbott, American comedian, the other half of the comedy duo Abbott and Costello. Groucho Marx declared Abbott "the greatest straight man ever."

1945 - Don McLean, American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1971 hit song "American Pie". His other hit singles include "Vincent" (US #12, UK #1 in 1972), "Dreidel" (US #21 in 1972), a rendition of Roy Orbison's "Crying" (US #5, UK #1 in 1980), a rendition of the Skyliners' "Since I Don't Have You" (US #23 in 1980), and "Wonderful Baby" (US AC #1 in 1975). His composition "And I Love You So" has been sung by Elvis Presley, Perry Como, Helen Reddy, Glen Campbell, and others, and in 2000, Madonna had a hit with a rendition of "American Pie".  In 2004, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. (Don McLean - The Meaning of American Pie (Update). Uploaded by lonestarsound. Don McLean - Vincent ( Starry, Starry Night) With Lyrics. Uploaded by wysty67. Accessed October 2, 2014.)

Lefties:
None known

 

 

More birthdays and historical events, October 2 - On This Day

Historical Events

1836 - British naturalist Charles Darwin completes his journey of four years, nine months and five days on H.M.S. Beagle to South America, where he collects data and specimens for research into his evolution theory.

1890 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's comic opera, Bastien und Bastienne (Bastien and Bastienne), K. 50 (revised in 1964 to K. 46b) is known to be first performed this day at Architektenhaus in Berlin. It's a one-act singspiel, a form of German light opera, typically with spoken dialogue, popular especially in the 18th century. It was one of the earliest operas written by Mozart in 1768 when he was only 12 years old.

1913 - Frederick Delius's two orchestral works "Summer Night on the River and "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring" are first performed, in Leipzig.