Birthdays
1600 - Don Pedro Calderon de la Barca, Spanish dramatist and poet, writer and a knight of the Order of Santiago. He was known primarily for being one of the most distinguished Baroque writers and foremost dramatists of the Spanish Golden Age especially for its theater. During certain periods of his life he served as soldier and a Roman Catholic priest. Born when the Spanish Golden Age theatre was being defined by Lope de Vega, he developed it further, his work being regarded as the culmination of the Spanish Baroque theatre. As such, he is regarded as one of Spain's fiinest playwrights of world literature.
1706 - Benjamin Franklin, FRS FRSA FRSE (born January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705]), American polymath - inventor, statesman, and philosopher - and one of the founding Fathers of the United States. Franklin was a leading writer, printer, political philosopher, politician, Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire department and the University of Pennsylvania.
1820 - Anne Brontë, English novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Bronte literary family. (Brontë Country: The Story of Emily, Charlotte & Anne Brontë. Uploaded by The Great British Channel. Accessed January 17, 2019.) Brief profile of Anne Brontë: Writing under the masculine pen name of Acton Bell, Anne Brontë published a volume of poetry with her sisters (Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell), 1846) and two novels. Agnes Grey, based upon her experiences as a governess, was published in 1847. Her second and last novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which is considered to be one of the first feminist novels, appeared in 1848.Anne's life was cut short when she died of what is now suspected to be pulmonary tubercolosis at the age of 29. Partly because the re-publication of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was prevented by Charlotte Brontë after Anne's death, she is not as well known as her sisters. However, her novels, like those of her sisters, have become considered classics of English literature. (Source: Wikipedia)
1877 - Cecilia May Gibbs, English-Australian Children's author, cartoonist, and illustrator, known as Australia's "Mother of the Gumnuts." She published under the pen name May Gibbs. She is best known for her gumnut babies (also known as "bush babies" or "bush fairies"), and the book Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. In addition to her children's books, Gibbs was also an accomplished botanical artist whose work is said to have inspired other artists interested in indigenous flora. Gibbs bequeathed the copyright from the designs of her bush characters and her stories to Northcott Disability Services (formerly The NSW Society for Crippled Children) and Cerebral Palsy Alliance (formerly The Spastic Centre of NSW). The residue of her estate was left to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. In 1985 a postage stamp honouring Gibbs, or her best known creations, was issued by Australia Post as part of a set of five commemorating children's books. A street in the Canberra suburb of Richardson was named May Gibbs Close in her honour. ("Meet Snugglepot and Cuddlepie." Uploaded by Rockin Ree Ree Reads. Accessed January 17, 2018.)
1922 - Betty White (Betty Marion White Ludden), American actress and comedian. White has worked longer in TV medium the longest. A pioneer of television, she was one of the first women to exert control in front of and behind the camera and is recognized as the first woman to produce a sitcom (Life with Elizabeth), which contributed to her receiving the honorary title Mayor of Hollywood in 1955. White is known for her award-winning roles on TV as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls – The Writers Guild of America has included both sitcoms in its list of the 101 Best-Written TV Series of All Time. White is a staple panelist of American game shows and has been dubbed as "the first lady of game shows", and became the first woman to receive an Emmy Award for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in 1983 for the show Just Men! She has received eight Emmy Awards in various categories, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is a 1985 Television Hall of Fame inductee, and a 2009 Disney Legend.
1931 - James Earl Jones, American actor. Jones has won three Tony Awards (out of five nominations), two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1985. Jones was presented with the National Medal of the Arts by President George H.W. Bush in 1992. He received the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002. Jones was invited by President Barack Obama to perform Shakespeare at the White House Evening for Poetry in 2009. That same year he also received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. He received an Honorary Academy Award on November 12, 2011. Jones received an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Harvard University on May 25, 2017. He was honored with a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre in 2017.
1942 - Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.), American professional boxer, activist and philanthropist. Nicknamed "the Greatest", he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated figures of the 20th century and as one of the greatest boxers of all time. He has been rnked the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, and as the greatest athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated, the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC, and the third greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN SportsCentury. He was involved in several historic boxing matches and feuds, most notably his fights with Joe Frazier, such as the Fight of the Century and the Thrilla in Manila, and his fight with George Foreman, known as The Rumble in the Jungle, which has been called "arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century".
1952 - Ryuichi Sakamoto (Sakamoto Ryūichi), Japanese composer, singer, songwriter, record producer, activist, and actor with a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates, he influenced and pioneered a number of electronic music genres. His first major success came in 1978 as co-founder of YMO; concurrently pursued a solo career, releasing the experimental electronic fusion album Thousand Knives, then the album B-2 Unit. It included the track "Riot in Lagos", which was significant in the development of electro and hip hop music. Sakamoto composed music for the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and his composition "Energy Flow" was the first instrumental number-one single in Japan's Oricon charts history. As a film-score composer, he has won an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Grammy, and 2 Golden Globe Awards. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence marked his debut as both an actor and a film-score composer; its main theme was adapted into the single hit "Forbidden Colours". His most successful work as a film composer was The Last Emperor. Sakamoto has also worked as a composer and a scenario writer on anime and video games. In 2009, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Ministry of Culture of France for his contributions to music. (Ryuichi Sakamoto-Energy Flow. YouTube, yamahaU3. Accessed January 17, 2017.)
1962 - Jim Eugene Carrey - Canadian-American actor and comedian and writer. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognitionafter landing a regular role in the American sketch comedy television series In Living Color. His first leading roles came with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, as well portraying the Riddler in Batman Forever, and the lead role in Liar Liar. In the 2000s, he gained further notice for his portrayal of the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and for the comedy Me, Myself & Irene, among others. He reprised his role as Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber To. He portrayed Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog.
Lefties:
Actor Jim Carrey
Inventor, statesman, and philosopher Benjamin Franklin
More birthdays and historical events, January 17 - On This Day
Feature:
1942 - Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.), American professional boxer, activist and philanthropist. Nicknamed "the Greatest", he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated figures of the 20th century and as one of the greatest boxers of all time. He has been rnked the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, and as the greatest athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated, the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC, and the third greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN SportsCentury. He was involved in several historic boxing matches and feuds, most notably his fights with Joe Frazier, such as the Fight of the Century and the Thrilla in Manila, and his fight with George Foreman, known as The Rumble in the Jungle, which has been called "arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century".
1952 - Ryuichi Sakamoto (Sakamoto Ryūichi), Japanese composer, singer, songwriter, record producer, activist, and actor with a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates, he influenced and pioneered a number of electronic music genres. His first major success came in 1978 as co-founder of YMO; concurrently pursued a solo career, releasing the experimental electronic fusion album Thousand Knives, then the album B-2 Unit. It included the track "Riot in Lagos", which was significant in the development of electro and hip hop music. Sakamoto composed music for the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and his composition "Energy Flow" was the first instrumental number-one single in Japan's Oricon charts history. As a film-score composer, he has won an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Grammy, and 2 Golden Globe Awards. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence marked his debut as both an actor and a film-score composer; its main theme was adapted into the single hit "Forbidden Colours". His most successful work as a film composer was The Last Emperor. Sakamoto has also worked as a composer and a scenario writer on anime and video games. In 2009, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Ministry of Culture of France for his contributions to music. (Ryuichi Sakamoto-Energy Flow. YouTube, yamahaU3. Accessed January 17, 2017.)
1962 - Jim Eugene Carrey - Canadian-American actor and comedian and writer. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognitionafter landing a regular role in the American sketch comedy television series In Living Color. His first leading roles came with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, as well portraying the Riddler in Batman Forever, and the lead role in Liar Liar. In the 2000s, he gained further notice for his portrayal of the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and for the comedy Me, Myself & Irene, among others. He reprised his role as Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber To. He portrayed Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog.
Lefties:
Actor Jim Carrey
Inventor, statesman, and philosopher Benjamin Franklin
More birthdays and historical events, January 17 - On This Day
Feature:
This day in 1919, concert pianist Ignace Jan Paderewski becomes premier of Poland. Listen to his Romantic 'Polonia' Symphony in B minor. Youtube, uploaded by winkle522000, accessed January 17,
2018. Performed by Symphony Orchestra Of Pomerania with Bohdan Wodiczko, conducting.
Historical Events
1773 - Captain James Cook becomes the first explorer to cross the Antarctic Circle.
1893 - Queen Liliuokalani is deposed and the Kingdom of Hawaii becomes a republic.
1919 - Ignace Jan Paderewski, concert pianist, becomes premier of Poland where he participates in the Versailles peace conference later.
1929 - Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar first appears in the comic strip Thimble Theatre.
1945 - Soviet forces help liberate the almost completely destroyed Polish city of Warsaw from the Nazis during World War II.
1946 - The United Nations Security Council's first session is held at the Methodist Central Hall in London, opposite Westminster Abbey. The five permanent members are Great Britain, U.S.A., Russia, China, and France. The other ten seats are temporary appointments for two years at a time.
1995 - A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hits near Kobe, Japan, causing property damage and killing over 6,000 people.
Image Credit:
Captain Cook. en.wikipedia.org, public domain.
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 January 17, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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