Birthdays
1457 - Henry VII, the Father of the Tudor house produces Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, is born in Pembroke, Wales. His eldest son, Arthur dies in 1502, allowing Henry VIII to become king.
1884 - Auguste Antoine Piccard, Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer, twin brother of Jean Felix Piccard. August is known for his record-breaking helium-filled balloon flights, with which he studied the Earth's upper atmosphere. Auguste was also known for his invention of the first bathyscaphe, FNRS-2, with which he made a number of unmanned dives in 1948 to explore the ocean's depths.His brother Jean Felix is also a notable figure in the annals of science and exploration, as are a number of their relatives, including Jacques Piccard, Bertrand Piccard, Jeannette Piccard and Don Piccard.
1884 - Jean Felix Piccard, Swiss-born American chemist and explorer, aeronaut and balloonist, engineer, professor and high-altitude balloonist. Twin brother of August Piccard. He invented clustered high-altitude balloons, and with his wife Jeannette, the plastic balloon. Piccard's inventions and co-inventions are used in balloon flight, aircraft and spacecraft.
1887 - Arthur Rubinstein (Polish: Artur Rubinstein), Polish-born American pianist. He received international acclaim for his performances of the music written by a variety of composers and many regard him as the greatest Chopin interpreter of his time. He has been described as one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. He played in public for eight decades. (Arthur Rubinstein - Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2 & Polonaise Op.53 - Israel P. O. - Z. Mehta (1968). Youtube, uploaded by Vladivostok 1969. Accessed January 28, 2018.)
1912 - Paul Jackson Pollock, American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement, widely noticed for his technique of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a horizontal surface ("drip technique"), enabling him to view and paint his canvases from all angles. It was also called All-over painting and "action painting", since he covered the entire canvas and used the force of his whole body to paint, often in a frenetic dancing style. Some praised the immediacy of the creation, while others derided the random effects. In 2016, Pollock's painting titled Number 17A was reported to have fetched US$200 million in a private purchase.
1933 - Susan Sontag, American writer, filmmaker, philosopher, teacher, and political activist. She mostly wrote essays, but also published novels; she published her first major work, the essay "Notes on 'Camp'", in 1964. Her best-known works include the critical works Against Interpretation, Styles of Radical Will , On Photography, and Illness as Metaphor, as well as the fictional works The Way We Live Now, The Volcano Lover, and In America. Sontag was active in writing and speaking about, or travelling to, areas of conflict, including during the Vietnam War and the Siege of Sarajevo. Although her essays and speeches sometimes drew controversy, she has been described as "one of the most influential critics of her generation."
1936 - Alan Alda (born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo), American actor. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he played Hawkeye Pierce in the war television series M*A*S*H. He has received critical acclaim for films, and his directorial debut film The Four Seasons opposite Carol Burnett. Alda has had performances in Woody Allen's dramedy film Crimes and Misdemeanors, David O. Russell's comedy Flirting with Disaster, Steven Spielberg's Cold War drama film Bridge of Spies, and Noah Baumbach's relationship drama Marriage Story. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Martin Scorsese's Hollywood epic The Aviator. He received three Tony Award nominations for his performances in The Apple Tree, Jake's Women, and Glengarry Glen Ross. In 2019, Alda received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
1944 - Sir John Kenneth Tavener, English composer, known for his extensive output of religious works. Tavener first came to prominence with his cantata The Whale, premiered in 1968. During his career he became one of the best known and popular composers of his generation, most particularly for The Protecting Veil, which as recorded by cellist Steven Isserlis became a best-selling album, and Song for Athene which was sung at the funeral of Princess Diana. The Lamb featured in the soundtrack for Paolo Sorrentino's film The Great Beauty. Tavener was knighted in 2000 for his services to music and won an Ivor Novello Award. (John Taverner - The Protecting Veil for Cello and Orchestra. Marin Kliegel cello - Ulster Orchestra - conducted by Takuo Yuasa. Uploaded by giuseppe fucci. Accessed January 28, 2020.) Even for those not religious, John Tavener's works evoke some of the most beautiful soul-stirring music. (Here's a video of his take on Wolfgang Mozart: Sir John Tavener on Mozart. Uploaded by iforgetti. Accessed January 28, 2011. This is actually his Foreword in a small book Coffee with Mozart by Julian Rushton. Duncan Baird Publishers. 2007.)
Leftie:
Physicist August Piccard
More birthdays and historical events, January 28 - On This Day
Featuring Aaron Copland's "A Quiet City" incidental music for the Irwin Shaw play Quiet City.
(YouTube, uploaded by Richard Lewis. Accessed January 28, 2018)
Historical Events
1547 - King Henry VIII of England dies and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son, Edward.
1916 - Louis D. Brandeis becomes the first Jewish judge appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
1935 - Iceland becomes the first country to legalize abortion.
1941 - Aaron Copland's "A Quiet City," a suite from the film, is first performed, in New York City.
1944 - Leonard Bernstein's Symphony No. 1, "Jeremiah," premieres with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, with the composer himself conducting.
1961 - The Republic of Rwanda is proclaimed.
1986 - Space Shuttle Challenger disaster as it explodes 73 seconds after lift-off, killing all seven astronauts onboard. The photo shows the Challenger's snake plume after its in-flight break-up.
Space shuttle Challenger flew 9 successful missions before this final lift-off, the first flight of the Teacher in Space Program, carrying Christa McAuliffe as one of the astronauts. Lift-off was delayed 6 times before it finally took off at 11.38 A.M. unfortunately, just 73 seconds into the mission, the shuttle exploded, killing the entire crew.
1998 - Gunmen hold at least 400 children and teachers hostage for several hours at an elementary school in Manila, Philippines.
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 28, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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