May 23 Dateline

Birthdays

1734 - Franz Mesmer (born Franz Friedrich Anton Mesmer), German physician and hypnotist, with an interest in astronomy who theorized that there was a natural energy transference that occurred between all animated and inanimate objects that he called animal magnetism, sometimes later referred to as mesmerism. ("Mozart, Mesmer, and Medicine", by James L. Franklin. Accessed May 23, 2008.)

1883 - Douglas Fairbanks, American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including: The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro but spent the early part of his career making comedies. Fairbanks was a founding member of United Artists.

1908 - John Bardeen, American scientist (physicist and electrical engineer) and Nobel Laureate (twice). He is the only person to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics twice: first in 1956 with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for the invention of the transistor; and again in 1972 with Leon N Cooper and John Robert Schrieffer for a fundamental theory of conventional superconductivity known as the BCS theory

1923 - Alicia de Larrocha, Spanish pianist and interpreter of Spanish music. She is considered the greatest Spanish pianist in history and one of the greatest in her time. (Alicia de Larrocha plays Mozart - Piano Sonata in Bb major, K.570. There are also links of her recording within the page below the video. Uploaded by AdL Channel. Accessed  May 23, 2015.)

1951 - Anatoli Karpov (born Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov), Russian chess grandmaster and former world champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. Karpov played five matches against Kasparov for the title from 1984 to 1990 without ever defeating him in a match, later becoming FIDE World Champion once again after Kasparov broke away from FIDE in 1993. He held the title until 1999, when he resigned his title in protest against FIDE's new world championship rules.

1958 - Drew Carey (born Drew Allison Carey), American actor, comedian, sports executive, and Game Show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, he gained stardom in his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and as host of the U.S. version of the improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, both of which aired on ABC. He then appeared in several films, television series, music videos, a made-for-television film, and a computer game.

Leftie:
Actor and Game Show Host Drew Carey

 

More birthdays and historical events today, May 23 - On This Day

 

Historical Events

1785 - Benjamin Franklin writes to a friend announcing his invention of bifocals.

1814 - Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, is staged successfully in Vienna, after its third and final revision.

1826 - Wolfgang A. Mozart's famous opera Don Giovanni has its American premiere at New York's Park Theater.   

1949 - The Federal Republic of [West] Germany officially comes into existence with Bonn as the capital. 

1958 - Mao Zedong starts his ironically titled "Great Leap Forward" movement in China.

1990 - Neil Bush, son of former U.S. President (George W.H. Bush) and brother of another former U.S. President (George W. Bush), testifies about the collapse of the Silverado Savings and Loan. The main reason for the company's demise is believed to be the fact that two of Bush's associates failed to repay loans totaling more than $130 million.  

1996 - South Korean officials confirm that a North Korean pilot flew his unarmed MIG-19 jet to South Korea, becoming the first North Korean pilot to defect since 1983.      

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) June 2007. Updated May 23, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.