July 23 Dateline

Birthdays

1796 - Franz Berwald,  Swedish Romantic composer and orthopedic surgeon (I'm sharing a favourite Piano Concerto in D-major by Berwald. YouTube, uploaded by KuhlauDilfeng2. Accessed July 23, 2018.)

1823 - Coventry Kersey Dighton Patmore, English poet and critic best known for The Angel in the House, his narrative poem about an ideal happy marriage. As a young man, Patmore found employment in the British Museum. Upon the publication of his first book of poems in 1844, he became acquainted with members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Patmore is today one of the least-known but best-regarded Victorian poets.

1888 - Raymond Thornton Chandler, American-British novelist and screenwriter. At the age of forty-four, he became a detective fiction writer. His first novel, The Big Sleep, was published in 1939. In addition to his short stories, Chandler published seven novels during his lifetime; have been made into motion pictures. Three of Chandler's novels have been regarded as masterpieces: Farewell, My Lovely, The Little Sister, and The Long Goodbye. The Long Goodbye was praised in an anthology of American crime stories as "arguably the first book since Hammett's The Glass Key, ... to qualify as a serious and significant mainstream novel that just happened to possess elements of mystery".

1938 - Romy Schneider (born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach), German-French actress. She began her career in the German Heimatfilm genre in the early 1950s when she was 15. From 1955 to 1957, she played the central character of Empress Elisabeth of Austria in the Austrian Sissi  trilogy, and later reprised the role in a more mature version in Visconti's Ludwig. The trilogy was also condensed into a popular film "Forever My Love" with  Karlheinz Böhm, Magda Schneider, and Vilma Degischer. Schneider moved to France, where she made successful films with most notable film directors of the era.  A musical about Schneider, Romy – Die Welt aus Gold (Romy – The Golden World) was premiered in 2009 at the Theater Heilbronn. The film 3 Days in Quiberon by Emily Atef describes a 1981 episode in Schneider's life in the French town of Quiberon. On 23 September 2020, Google celebrated her 82nd birthday with a Google Doodle in Germany, France, Austria, Iceland and Ukraine. (The Pain Behind the Smile: Romy Schneider. YouTube, uploaded by Historical Figures. Accessed July 23, 2025. Sissi-Forever my love (English version) part one; part two.uploaded by Lucky Starat. Accessed July 23, 2018.)

 

1961 - Woody Tracy Harrelson, Actor, American actor and playwright. He first became known for his role as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom Cheers, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series from a total of five nominations. He has received three Academy Award nominations: Best Actor for The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) and Best Supporting Actor for The Messenger and for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Marty Hart in the first season of the HBO crime anthology series True Detective.

1989 - Daniel Jacob Radcliffe, English actor and producer. He is known for playing the titular protagonist in the Harry Potter film series, based on the novels by J. K. Rowling. During this period, Radcliffe became one of the highest-paid actors in the world, gained worldwide fame, and received many accolades for his performances in the series. Following the success of the Harry Potter films, Radcliffe portrayed lawyer Arthur Kipps in the horror film The Woman in Black; the poet Allen Ginsberg in the film Kill Your Darlings; Victor Frankenstein's assistant, Igor, in the science fiction fantasy Victor Frankenstein; and more ... e.g., FBI agent Nate Foster in the critically acclaimed thriller Imperium. Radcliffe began to branch out to stage acting in 2007, and in the 2011 Broadway revival of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Since 2018, Radcliffe has starred in the TBS anthology television series Miracle Workers.

Lefties:
None known

 

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 23 July - On This Day.

Historical Events

1745 - Bonnie Prince Charlie (Charles Stewart) lands in Scotland at Eriksay with only eight supporters. The army he raises is defeated by English forces at the Battle of Culloden on April 16, 1746.  He finally returned to France on September 26, evading capture.

1903 - The Ford Motor Company of Detroit sells its first car, the Ford Model A, designed by Henry Ford.

July 22 Dateline

Birthdays

1766 -  Franz Xaver Süssmayr (also Süßmayr, or Suessmayr in English), Austrian composer and conductor, popularly known as the composer who completed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's unfinished Requiem. Also, there have been performances of Süssmayr's operas at Kremsmünster, and his secular political cantata (1796), Der Retter in Gefahr, SmWV 302, received its first full performance in over 200 years in June 2012 in a new edition by Mark Nabholz, conducted by Terrence Stoneberg. There are also CD recordings of his unfinished clarinet concerto (completed by Michael Freyhan), one of his German requiems, and his Missa Solemnis in D.

 

1822 - Gregor Johann Mendel, Austrian monk and scientist, an Augustinian friar and Abbot of St. Thomas' Abbey in Brno, Margraviate of Moravia. He was born in a German-speaking family in the Silesian part of the Austrian Empire and gained posthumous recognition as the founder of the modern science of genetics. (Gregor Mendel. Uploaded by Teacher's Pet. Accessed July22, 2016.)

1882 - Edward Hopper, American realist painter. He later became a prolific artist whose works depict urban loneliness, disappointment, even despair. Hopper continues to be regarded as an important painter of the “American Imagination”, a phenomenon which his urban paintings capture. (Edward Hopper: the artist who evoked urban loneliness and disappointment with beautiful clarity. Written by James Peacock. The Conversation. Accessed January 22, 2020. Edward Hopper - Painter of Alienation. Uploaded by Colin Wingfield. Accessed January 22, 2017.)

1938 - Terence Henry Stamp, English actor. He has been referred to as the “master of the brooding silence” by The Guardian. His performance in the title role of Billy Budd, his film debut, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer. Associated with the Swinging London scene of the 1960s – during which time he was in high-profile relationships with actress Julie Christie and supermodel Jean Shrimpton.

1947 - Albert Brooks (born Albert Lawrence Einstein),  American actor, comedian, writer, and director. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 1987's Broadcast News. He has written, directed, and starred in several comedy films, such as Modern Romance (1981), Lost in America, and Defending Your Life (1991). He is also the author of 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America.

1973 - Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright, American-Canadian singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded nine albums of original music and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set Shakespeare sonnets to music for a theater piece by Robert Wilson. (Rufus Wainwright - Going To A Town. YouTube, (c) 2007 Geffen Records. Accessed July 22, 2010.)

2013 - Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis), Member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales. George is the eldest grandchild of King Charles III and is second in the line of succession to the British throne behind his father. George was born at St Mary's Hospital in London during the reign of his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. His birth was widely celebrated across the Commonwealth realms due to the expectation that he will eventually become king. 

Lefties:
Actor and director Albert Brooks
Actor Terence Stamp

 

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 22 July - On This Day.

Historical Events 

1793 - Sir Alexander MacKenzie and his party arrive at the Pacific Ocean on this day, making them the first European to cross Canada. They traveled on foot and by canoe.

1812 - In Spain, the Battle of Salamanca takes place. The Duke of Wellington at first intended to pull back to Portugal after six weeks of sparring with French forces under Marshal Marmont. But when he sees a gap open on Marmont's left flank, he orders an attack. The victory is a crucial step in the Napoleonic wars.