February 28 Dateline

Birthdays

1895 - Guiomar Novaes, Brazilian Pianist noted for individuality of tone and phrasing, singing line, and a subtle and nuanced approach to her interpretations. (Novaes plays Chopin: Ballade in F minor, Op. 52, No.4)

1901 - Linus Pauling, American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author, educator, a scientist and Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry and peace. He's husband of American human rights activist Ava Helen Pauling. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific topics. New Scientist called him one of the 20 greatest scientists of all time, and as of 2000, he was rated the 16th most important scientist in history. For his scientific work, Pauling was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954. For his peace activism, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. He is one of four individuals to have won more than one Nobel Prize (the others being Marie Curie, John Bardeen and Frederick Sanger). Of these, he is the only person to have been awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes, and one of two people to be awarded Nobel Prizes in different fields, the other being Marie Curie. Pauling was one of the founders of the fields of quantum chemistry and molecular biology. (Linus Pauling - Conversations with History. Uploaded by UCTV. Accessed February 28, 2017.)

1903 - Vincente Minnelli, American stage director and film director. He directed the classic movie musicals Meet Me in St. Louis, An American in Paris, The Band Wagon, and Gigi. An American in Paris and Gigi both won the Academy Award for Best Picture, with Minnelli winning Best Director for Gigi. In addition to having directed some of the best known musicals of his day, Minnelli made many comedies and melodramas. He was married to Judy Garland from 1945 until 1951; the couple were the parents of Liza Minnelli. (Heartwarming interview of Liza Minelli on her father. Uploaded by Elisabet Petersen. Accessed February 28, 2017.)

1909 - Sir Stephen Spender, CBE, British poet, novelist, essayist and critic, whose work concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the United States Library of Congress in 1965.

1923 - Charles Edward Durning, American actor who appeared in over 200 movies, TV shows and plays. Durning's best-known films include The Sting, Dog Day Afternoon, True Confessions, Tootsie, Dick Tracy, among others. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not to Be (1983). Prior to his acting career, Durning served in World War II and was decorated for valor in combat.

1948 - Bernadette Peters (née Lazzara), American actress, singer, and children's book author. She has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released recordings. She is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received seven nominations for Tony Awards, winning two (plus an honorary award), and nine nominations for Drama Desk Awards, winning three. Four of the Broadway cast albums on which she has starred have won Grammy Awards. Regarded by many as the foremost interpreter of the works of Stephen Sondheim, Peters is particularly noted for her roles on the Broadway stage.(B. Peters - Not a Day Goes By. Youtube, uploaded by neergecyt. Accessed February 28, 2021.)

1948 - Mercedes J. Ruehl, an American screen and stage actor. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, two Obie Awards, and two Outer Critics Circle Awards. Ruehl is known for her leading performance in the play Lost in Yonkers and supporting performance in the film The Fisher King. Her other film credits include Big, Married to the Mob, Last Action Hero, Roseanna's Grave, and Hustlers.

1969 - Robert Sean Leonard (born Robert Lawrence Leonard), American actor. He is known for playing Dr. James Wilson in the TV series House (2004–2012) and Neil Perry in the film Dead Poets Society. Leonard won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in The Invention of Love. His other theater credits include Candida, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Breaking the Code, The Music Man, Born Yesterday, and To Kill a Mockingbird. From 2013 to 2014, Leonard had a recurring role as Dr. Roger Kadar on the television series Falling Skies. He also starred as the leading role in Swing Kids playing Peter Muller.

Death:

2019 - Andre Previn, German-American pianist, conductor, and composer. Winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings.

Lefties:

• Scientist Linus Pauling - American chemist, 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and 1962 Nobel Peace Prize for Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
• Actress Mercedes Ruehl - American theater, television and film actress.
• Cartoonist Milt Caniff - American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.
• Actor Robert Sean Leonard - He regularly starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. He has played the role of Dr. James Wilson on the TV series House. He played Neil Perry in the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society.

More birthdays and historical events, February 28 - On This Day

 

Historical Events

0364 - Valentinian I is appointed Roman Emperor.

1862 - Charles Gounod's opera La Reine de Saba (The Queen of Sheba), is first staged, in Salle le Peletier, Paris.  

1883 - The first vaudeville theater is opened in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

1900 - The relief of Ladysmith takes place, during the 2nd Boer war in south Africa. The British forces were besieged by the dutch Boers for 118 days and lost almost 200 dead. On this day, Lt. Gen. George White, the British commander, greets the relief force with the words, "Thank God we kept the flag flying."

1940 - Basketball is televised for the first time.

1948 - The last British troops leave India.

1983 - The final episode of the popular TV series M*A*S*H is broadcast in the U.S.. It is the most watched television episode in history.

1986 - The Prime Minister of Sweden, Olaf Palme, is shot dead walking home from a Stockholm cinema.

1993 - The Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, is raided by U.S. law enforcement agents, in an effort to arrest cult leader David Koresh.

2004 - Over one million Taiwanese participates in the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally form a 300 mile (500 km) human chain to commemorate the 1947 massacre of 30,000 civilians. 

Resources:

1. Asiado, Tel. The World's Movers and Shapers. New Hampshire: Ore Mountain Publishing House (2005)
2. Britannica. www.britannica.com
3. Chambers Biographical Dictionary, 19th Ed. London: Chambers Harrap, 2011
4. Dateline. Sydney: Millennium House, (2006)
5. Grun, Bernard. The Timetables of History, New 3rd Revised Ed. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (1991)
6. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org.


 

(c) June 2007. Updated February 28, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.