April 15 Dateline

Birthdays

1452 - Leonardo Da Vinci (born Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci), known as Leonardo da Vinci, Italian artist and scientist, a polymath of the Renaissance whose areas of interest included invention, drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, paleontology, and cartography. (Leonardo da Vinci: The Genius (Full Documentary, uploaded by NWO Documentary Channel, accessed April 15, 2018; Edison, Nobel, and Leonardo da Vinci; Mona Lisa: The Lady with a Smile)

1682 - Jan van Huysum (also spelled Huijsum), Dutch painter best known for his still lifes. He was the eldest son of Justus van Huysum, a versatile painter whose subjects included landscapes, seascapes, battle scenes, portraits, and flowers. He studied under his father but soon surpassed him in skill. The precision and delicacy of his work were widely esteemed. His use of colour was especially fine, and he was one of the first artists to use a light-coloured background for his still lifes. (2014 Display: An Impossible Bouquet: Four Masterpieces by Jan van Huysum. Dulwich Picture Gallery. Accessed April 15, 2016.)

1684 - Catherine I of Russia, 15 April [O.S. 5 April], second wife and Empress consort of Peter the Great, and Empress regnant of Russia from 1725 until her death in 1727.

1809 - Hermann Günther Grassmann, German polymath, known in his day as a linguist and now also as a mathematician. He was also a physicist, general scholar, and publisher. His mathematical work was little noted until he was in his sixties.

1843 - Henry James, OM, American-British author regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James. He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. His late works have been compared to Impressionist painting. (Henry James Life & Works. Uploaded by Literature forever. Accessed April 15, 2019.)
 
1924 - Neville Marriner, CH, CBE, English conductor and violinist, Founder of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, viewed by some as one of the world's greatest conductors. He founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and his partnership with them is the most recorded of any orchestra and conductor. Marriner was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1979. He was created a Knight Bachelor in 1985. In the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH).  He was appointed an officer of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His recordings of Mozart were honoured with two Gemeinde Awards from the Austrian Music Academy.

1933 - Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery, American film, stage, and television actress. She is best remembered for her leading role as Samantha Stephens on the television series Bewitched. Her work on the series earned her five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations. After Bewitched ended its run in 1972, Montgomery continued her career with roles in numerous television films, including A Case of Rape (1974), as Ellen Harrod, and The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975) in the title role. Both roles earned her additional Emmy Award nominations. Montgomery was involved in various forms of political activism and charitable work.

1940 - Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare is an English novelist, former politician, convicted perjurer, and peer of the realm. Before becoming an author, Archer was a Member of Parliament (1969–1974). He is a best-selling novelist; his books have sold more than 320 million copies worldwide. Archer became deputy chairman of the Conservative Party (1985–86), before resigning after a newspaper accused him of paying money to a prostitute. In 1987, he won a court case and was awarded large damages because of this claim. He was made a life peer in 1992 and became Conservative candidate to be the first elected Mayor of London. He had to resign his candidacy in 1999 after it emerged that he had lied in his 1987 libel case. He was imprisoned (2001–2003) for perjury and perverting the course of justice. (An Evening with Jeffrey Archer, with some of his fans to celebrate the release of his penultimate Clifton Chronicles novel, Cometh the Hour. Uploaded by Book Break. Accessed August 15, 2017.)

1959 - Emma Thompson, DBE, English actress, screenwriter, activist, author and comedian. She is one of Britain's most acclaimed actresses and is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, three BAFTA Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. (Top 10 Emma Thompson Performances. Uploaded by WatchMojoUK. Accessed April 15, 2019.)

Lefties:
Artist and scientist Leonardo Da Vinci
Actress Emma Thompson 

More birthdays and historical events today, 15 April - On This Day.
 

Historical Events

1755 - A Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson is published in London. 

1865 - Andrew Johnson becomes 17th President of the United States after Abraham Lincoln dies of a gunshot wound.

1912 - The "unsinkable" luxury cruise liner RMS Titanic sinks after hitting an iceberg.

1915 - Manuel de Falla's ballet El Amor Brujo is first staged in Madrid. 

1945 -  British troops liberate the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen, with thousands upon thousands of dead bodies , alongside diseased inmates.

1959 - Fidel Castro visits the U.S. just months after a revolution in Cuba is staged. He was invited by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. 

1983 - Disneyland opens in Tokyo.

1989 - Former Secretary General Hu Yaobang dies, sparking the Tiananmen Square protests in China.



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 Timestables of History, New 3rd Revised Ed. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (1991)

6. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org

(c) Posted June 2007. Updated April 15, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.