November 14 Dateline

Birthdays

1650 - William of Orange, King of England, (born Nov 14 [N.S.] and Nov 4, [O.S.]William III, William Henry; Dutch: Willem Hendrik), sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the 1670s and King of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1689 until his death. As King of Scotland, he is known as William II. He is sometimes informally known as "King Billy" in Ireland and Scotland. His victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is commemorated by unionists by displaying orange colours in his honour. William's reputation as a staunch Protestant enabled him and his wife to take power. Popular histories usually refer to his joint reign with his wife, Queen Mary II, as that of William and Mary.

1719 - Johann Georg Leopold Mozart, German composer, conductor, violinist, music teacher and father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart, nicknamed "Nannerl". Leopold Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.

1778 - Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Austrian virtuoso pianist and composer, whose music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era. (J. N. Hummel: Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra - Mathis Kaspar Stier, Bassoon. Final of Prague Spring Competition 2014 Komorní filharmonií Pardubice, Marko Ivanovič - Director. Accessed November 14, 2015.)

1797 - Charles Lyell, Sir Charles Lyell, 1st Baronet, FRS, Scottish geologist who demonstrated the power of known natural causes in explaining Earth's history. He is best known for his book Principles of Geology which presented the idea that Earth was shaped by the same natural processes still in operation today, at similar intensities. The combination of evidence and eloquence in Principles convinced a wide range of readers of the significance of "deep time" for understanding the Earth and environment. Lyell's scientific contributions included a pioneering explanation of climate change, in which shifting boundaries between oceans and continents could be used to explain long-term variations in temperature and rainfall. He also gave influential explanations of earthquakes and developed the theory of gradual "backed up-building" of volcanoes.

1805 - Fanny [Cäcilie] Mendelssohn Bartholdy (after marriage, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel), German composer and pianist, sister of Felix Mendelssohn. She composed over 460 pieces of music. Her compositions include a piano trio and several books of solo piano pieces and songs. A number of her songs were originally published under her brother, Felix Mendelssohn's, name in his opus 8 and 9 collections. Her piano works are often in the manner of songs, and many carry the name Lieder für das Pianoforte (Songs for the piano, a parallel to Felix's Songs without Words).  In Hamburg, the Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn Museum is dedicated to the lives, her work and her brother Felix Mendelssohn. (Pianist Heather Schmidt interpreting Fanny's Notturno in G minor. Accessed November 14, 2018. Fanny Mendelssohn's Piano Sonata in C minor. uploaded by Classical Music11. Accessed November 14, 2019.)

1840 - Claude Monet, French Painter, founder of French Impressionist Painting (Claude Oscar Monet. Source: Claude Monet Gallery Org.) He is considered the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein air landscape painting. The term "Impressionism" is derived from the title of his painting Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), which was exhibited in 1874 in the first of the independent exhibitions mounted by Monet and his associates as an alternative to the Salon de Paris. Monet's ambition of documenting the French countryside led him to adopt a method of painting the same scene many times in order to capture the changing of light and the passing of the seasons. From 1883, Monet lived in Giverny, where he purchased a house and property and began a vast landscaping project which included lily ponds that would become the subjects of his best-known works.   (650+ Greatest Monet Paintings (HD 1080p) Claude Monet Impressionist Silent Slideshow & Screensaver. Uploaded by Soothing SCenery: Instant Decor! Accessed November 14, 2019.)

1889 - Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian independence activist and, subsequently, the first Prime Minister of India. He was a central figure in Indian politics both before and after independence. He emerged as an eminent leader of the Indian independence movement, serving India as Prime Minister from its establishment in 1947 as an independent nation, until his death in 1964. He was also known as 'Pandit Nehru' due to his roots with the Kashmiri Pandit community, while Indian children knew him better as 'Chacha Nehru' (Hindi: Uncle Nehru).

1891 - Sir Frederick Grant Banting, KBE MC FRS FRSC, Canadian medical scientist, physician, painter and Nobel Laureate noted as the first person who used insulin on humans. In 1923 Banting and John James Rickard Macleod received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. He shared the honours and award money with his colleague, Dr. Charles Best. As of November 2018, Banting, who received the Nobel Prize at age 32, remains the youngest Nobel laureate in the area of Physiology/Medicine. In 1923 the government of Canada granted Banting lifetime annuity to continue his work. In 1934 he was knighted by King George V.

1900 - Aaron Copland, American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Composers". The open, slowly changing harmonies in much of his music are typical of what many people consider to be the sound of American music, evoking the vast American landscape and pioneer spirit. His works include the ballets Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid and Rodeo, his Fanfare for the Common Man and Third Symphony. He also produced music in many other genres, including chamber music, vocal works, opera and film scores. (A Copland and Ballet Suite Appalachian Spring) 

1907 - Astrid Lingren, Swedish witer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for children's book series, featuring Pippi Longstocking, Emil i Lönneberga, Karlsson-on-the-Roof, and the Six Bullerby Children (Children of Noisy Village in the US), and for the children's fantasy novels Mio, My Son, Ronia the Robber's Daughter, and The Brothers Lionheart. In January 2017, she was calculated to be the world's 18th most translated author, and the fourth most translated children's writer after Enid Blyton, Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm.  In 1994, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for "her unique authorship dedicated to the rights of children and respect for their individuality."

1921 - Brian Keith, American film, television and stage actor. He gained recognition for his movies such as the Disney family film The Parent Trap, the comedy The Russians Are Coming, and the adventure saga The Wind and the Lion, in which he portrayed President Theodore Roosevelt. On television two of his best-known roles were those of bachelor-uncle-turned-reluctant-parent Bill Davis in the 1960s sitcom Family Affair, and a tough retired judge in the 1980s lighthearted crime drama Hardcastle and McCormick. He starred in The Brian Keith Show, which aired on NBC, where he portrayed a pediatrician who operated a free clinic on Oahu, and in the CBS comedy series Heartland.

1948 - King Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George), King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and, at age 73, became the oldest person to accede to the British throne following the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, on 8 September 2022. Prince Charles' coronation as King Charles III took place at Westminster Abbey, 6th May 2023. Charles founded The Prince's Trust in 1976, sponsors The Prince's Charities, and is a patron, president and a member of over 400 other charities and organisations. As an environmentalist, he raises awareness of organic farming and climate change which has earned him awards and recognition from environmental groups. He supports alternative medicine, including homeopathy, and his views on the role of architecture in society and the conservation of historic buildings have received considerable attention from British architects and design critics. (Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Inspired Pen Web.)

 

1954 -  Condoleezza "Condi" Rice, American diplomat, political scientist, civil servant, author, and professor who served as the 66th U.S. Secretary of State, and as the 20th U.S. National Security Advisor. Dr. Rice was the first female African-American Secretary of State and the first woman to serve as National Security Advisor. She later pursued an academic fellowship at Stanford University. She chaired the Millennium Challenge Corporation's board of directors. In March 2009, Dr. Rice returned to Stanford University as a political science professor and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution. The following year, she became a faculty member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a director of its Global Center for Business and the Economy. She is director of the Hoover Institution from September 1, 2020. Dr. Rice has received several honorary degrees from various American universities. She is also a talented classical pianist, with knowledge of Russian, French, German and Spanish. (The Sec of State, the Instructor, and the Piano. YouTube, uploaded by Hoover Institution. Condoleezza Rice playing the piano for Queen Elizabeth II. Uploaded by iconic. Accessed Nov 15, 2015.)   

Lefties:
Prince Charles of Wales
Actor Brian Keith

 

More birthdays and historical events, November 14 - On This Day

 

Historical Events

1666 - English diarist Samuel Pepys writes about the first successful blood transfusion - between two dogs conducted at a meeting of the Royal Society. The dog that received the blood survived, the donor didn't. 

1914 - The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire recently allied with Germany, declares jihad (holy war) on Britain, Russia, and France and enters World War I.

1940 - The Coventry bombing takes place. After the breakthrough of decrypting the German Enigma code machine, UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill had advance warning of the attack and could have evacuated the city. But had he done so, he would have revealed that the Allies had broken the code. Therefore he made a hard decision by not warning the city. Up to a thousand people died. The Germans remained unaware  that their Enigma code in fact had been cracked until the end of the war.

1943 - Leonard Bernstein makes his conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, as substitute for the ailing Bruno Walter. 

1991 - Prince Norodom Sihanouk returns to Cambodia after 13 years in exile.


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 November 14, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.