Birthdays
1632 - John Locke,
FRS, English philosopher and physician, regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "Father of Liberalism." Locke is equally important to social contract theory. His work affected the development of epistemology and political philosophy. His writings influenced Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and many Scottish Enlightenment thinkers and American Revolutionaries. Locke's theory of mind is cited as the origin of modern conceptions of
identity and the
self, figuring prominently in the work of later philosophers such as Rousseau, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. He was the first to define the
self through a continuity of consciousness. He postulated that, at birth, the mind was a blank slate, or
tabula rasa. Contrary to Cartesian philosophy based on pre-existing concepts, he maintained that we are born without innate ideas, and that knowledge is determined only by experience derived from sense perception, a concept now known as
empiricism. Locke is said to have
established the method of introspection, i.e. observing the emotions and behaviours of one's self.
1661 -
Louis Couperin (born c. 1626 – died 29 August 1661), French Baroque composer and performer. He was born in Chaumes-en-Brie and moved to Paris in 1650–1651 with the help of Jacques Champion de Chambonnières. Couperin worked as organist of the Church of St. Gervais in Paris and as musician at the court. He quickly became one of the most prominent Parisian musicians, establishing himself as a harpsichordist, organist, and violist, but his career was cut short by his early death at the age of thirty-five.
1809 -
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., Physician, Educator and Author, famous for
The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table,
a collection of essays originally published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1857 and 1858 before being collected in book form. (TO A BLANK SHEET OF PAPER by Oliver Wendell Holmes - FULL POEM AudioBook | GreatestAudioBooks. Uploaded by Greatest AudioBooks. Accessed August 29, 2018.)
1915 -
Ingrid Bergman, Swedish actress. She won numerous accolades, achieving the Triple Crown of Acting with three Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, along with four Golden Globe Awards, and a BAFTA Award. Her introduction to Americans came in the English-language remake of
Intermezzo. Aside from her Best Picture Academy Award-winning
Casablanca opposite Humphrey Bogart, her notable performances include the dramas
For Whom the Bell Tolls,
Gaslight,
The Bells of St. Mary's, and
Joan of Arc, all of which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress; she won the award for
Gaslight. She made three films with Alfred Hitchcock including
Spellbound, with Gregory Peck, and
Notorious. In 1950, she starred in Roberto Rossellini's
Stromboli, following the revelation that she was having an extramarital affair with the director, who she eventually married. The subsequent scandal affected her US career, and she remained in Europe, starring in Rossellini's now acclaimed
Journey to Italy. She returned to Hollywood for
Anastasia, winning her second Academy Award for Best Actress. She won a third Academy Award for a small role in
Murder on the Orient Express. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Bergman as the fourth-greatest female screen legend of Classic Hollywood Cinema.
1923 -
Richard Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, CBE, English actor, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and politician. He was the President of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). Attenborough joined the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and served in the film unit. He went on several bombing raids over Europe and filmed action from the rear gunner's position. He was the older brother of Sir David Attenborough, a naturalist, documenter, and broadcaster.
1938 -
Elliott Gould, (né Goldstein), American actor. In addition to his performance in the comedy
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Gould is best known for his significant leading roles in Robert Altman films, starring in
M*A*S*H,
The Long Goodbye and
California Split. Other notable film roles include
Little Murders,
Capricorn One,
The Silent Partner,
Bugsy, and
American History X.
1939 -
Joel T. Schumacher, American film Director, screenwriter, and producer who was active from the 1970s to the 2010s. He first entered filmmaking as a production and costume designer before gaining writing credits on
Car Wash,
Sparkle, and
The Wiz. He rose to prominence after directing the blockbuster movies
St. Elmo's Fire,
The Lost Boys, and
The Client.
1958 -
Michael Jackson, Dubbed the "King of Pop", American singer, songwriter, dancer. (An all-time favourite with Michael Jackson singing "Ben" at the 45th Annual Academy Awards (1973) -
here. He is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest entertainers. He made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers as a member of the Jackson 5. He began his solo career in 1971 while at Motown Records, and became a dominant figure in popular music. His music videos, including those for "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" from his 1982 album
Thriller, are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. He continued to innovate throughout the 1990s. Jackson popularized complicated dance techniques such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name.
