May 20 Dateline

Birthdays

1759 - Dr. William Thornton, British-American physician, inventor, painter and architect who designed the United States Capitol. He also served as the first Architect of the Capitol and first Superintendent of the United States Patent Office.

 

1799 - Honore de Balzac,  French novelist and playwright. His novel sequence La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is generally viewed as his magnum opus. (French author spotlight Balzac. Uploaded by The Medieval Reader. Accessed May 20, 2019.) 

1806 - John Stuart Mill (usually cited as J. S. Mill), British philosopher, political economist, and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to social theory, political theory, and political economy. Dubbed "the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century", Mill's conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state and social control. He was a proponent of utilitarianism, an ethical theory developed by his predecessor Jeremy Bentham. He contributed to the investigation of scientific methodology, though his knowledge of the topic was based on the writings of others, notably William Whewell, John Herschel, and Auguste Comte.

1903 - Jerzy Fitelberg, Polish-American composer. He said that his style of composition was similar to the energy and high voltage music of Stravinsky, a focus on linear and harmonic complexity as in Hindemith, and colors of contemporary French music such as Milhaud. In 1927 Fitelberg re-orchestrated Arthur Sullivan's music for The Mikado for Erik Charell's re-staging as an operetta-revue in Berlin's Grosses Schauspielhaus. (Review in the Times (London) September 2, 1927. In 1928, his String Quartet no. 2 won first prize in a competition organized by the Association of Young Polish Musicians in Paris. His first violin concerto made a major impression on the 1929 International Society for Contemporary Music concert.

1908 - James Maitland Stewart, American actor and military officer. Known for his distinctive drawl and every man screen persona, Stewart had a film career that spanned over 55 years and 80 films. With the strong morality he portrayed both on and off the screen, Stewart epitomized the "American ideal" in 20th-century United States. In 1999, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked him third on its list of the greatest American male actors. 

1946 - Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian), American singer, actress and TV personality. Commonly referred to by the media as the "Goddess of Pop", Cher is known for her distinctive contralto singing voice, as well as adopting a variety of styles and appearances. Cher gained popularity in 1965 as one-half of the folk rock husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher after their song "I Got You Babe" peaked at number one on the US and UK charts. By the end of 1967, they had sold 40 million records worldwide. She became a TV with her CBS shows The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, watched by over 30 million viewers weekly during its three-year run, and Cher. She emerged as a fashion trendsetter by wearing elaborate outfits on her television shows.

Leftie:
None known

 

More birthdays and historical events, May 20 - On This Day

 

Feature:

 

Enjoy the music of  Jerzy Fitelberg (1903-1951): Sonata per pianoforte No.1 (1926).  Pianist: Kolja Lessing.  Accessed May 20, 2017

Historical Events

1773 - Captain James Cook, explorer, releases the first sheep in New Zealand.

1873 - Levi Strauss of San Francisco and Jacob Davis of Nevada receive a patent for miners' work pants, marking the birthday of a quintessential American garment - blue jeans. 

May 19 Dateline

Birthdays

1861 - Dame Nellie Melba, (born Helen Porter Mitchell), DBE, Australian operatic soprano, one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century, and was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician. She took the pseudonym "Melba" from Melbourne, her home town. She moved to Europe in search of a singing career. She studied in Paris, made a great success there and in Brussels. Returning to London she established herself as the leading lyric soprano at Covent Garden. She was successful in Europe and later at New York's Metropolitan Opera. She was known for her performances in French and Italian opera, but sang little German opera. She raised large sums for WWI charities. She returned to Australia frequently during the 20th century, singing in opera and concerts. She was active as singing teacher at the Melbourne Conservatorium. Her death, in Australia, was news across the English-speaking world, and her funeral was a major national event. The Australian $100 note features her image.

1914 - Max Perutz (born Max Ferdinand Perutz, OM CH CBE FRS, Austrian-born British molecular biologist, who shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with John Kendrew, for their studies of the structures of haemoglobin and myoglobin. He went on to win the Royal Medal of the Royal Society in 1971 and the Copley Medal in 1979. At Cambridge he founded and chaired (1962–79) the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), fourteen of whose scientists have won Nobel Prizes. Perutz's contributions to molecular biology in Cambridge are documented in The History of the University of Cambridge: Volume 4 (1870 to 1990) published by the Cambridge University Press in 1992.

1930 - Lorraine Vivian Hansberry, American playwright, known for her best work A Raisin in the Sun, the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway. At the age of 29, she won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award — making her the first African-American dramatist, the fifth woman, and the youngest playwright to do so. Hansberry's family had struggled against segregation, challenging a restrictive covenant and eventually provoking the 1940 Supreme Court case Hansberry v. Lee.

1941 - Nora Ephron, American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for her romantic comedy films and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Writing: for Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally..., and Sleepless in Seattle. She won a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay for When Harry Met Sally.... She often co-wrote scripts with her sister Delia Ephron. Her last film was Julie & Julia. Her first produced play, Imaginary Friends, was honored as one of the ten best plays of the 2002–03 New York theatre season. In 2013, Ephron received a posthumous Tony Award nomination for Best Play for Lucky Guy. She also directed “You’ve Got Mail” starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.

1942 - Carla Maria Zampatti AC, OMRI, Italian-Australian fashion designer and businesswoman, and executive chair of the fashion label Carla Zampatti Pty Ltd. Zampatti became one of the first Australian designers to introduce swimwear into her collection. Expanding into other areas of fashion, she was commissioned to create the first designer eyewear of Polaroid's range. In 1983, Zampatti launched her first successful perfume, 'Carla', and a second in 1987, 'Bellezza'. In partnership with Ford Australia, Zampatti redesigned a car especially for the women's market. Zampatti held a number of directorships, including chairman of the SBS Corporation, a director of the Westfield Group, and a trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Lefties:
None known 

 

More birthdays and historical events today, May 19 - On This Day.

 

Historical Events

1536 - The execution of Anne Boleyn takes place. She was Henry VIII's second wife and mother to Elizabeth I. She stood accused of adultery. She is buried in a chapel at the Tower of London.

1842 - G. Donizetti's opera Linda di Chamounix is first performed, in Vienna.

Here's a personal favourite interpretation from the late Dame Joan Sutherland singing Donizetti's Linda Di Chamonix - "Ah! tardai troppo ... O luce di quest'anima."

 

 

1886 - Camille Saint-Saen's Symphony No. 3, for organ, two pianos, and orchestra, "Organ Symphony," is first performed, in London.  Below is a performance of  Saint-Saëns - Symphony No 3 in C minor, Op 78 - Thierry Escaich, organ; Paavo Järvi conducting the Orchestre de Paris.  YouTube, uploaded by Classical Vault 1. Accessed May 19, 2023.