Birthdays
1750 - Antonio Salieri, Italian opera composer, accused of trying to poison his rival, the younger Wolfgang Mozart, but likely untrue. Pushkin wrote a drama based on this rumour, which composer Rimsky-Korsakov set to music. (And there's the famous Peter Shaffer's film, Amadeus, winner of eight 1984 Academy Awards.) Listen to Salieri's Requiem - here.
1936 - Robert Redford (born Charles Robert Redford Jr., American actor and director, best known for his many Hollywood films. Over his more than 60 year career, he has won several film awards, including an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2002. He is also the founder of the Sundance Film Festival. In April 2014, Time magazine included Redford in their annual Time 100 as one of the "Most Influential People in the World", declaring him the "Godfather of Indie Film". In 2016, he was honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
1952 - Patrick Swayze (born Patrick Wayne Swayze), American actor, dancer, singer, and songwriter. He became popular for playing tough and romantic male leads. He was named by People magazine as its Sexiest Man Alive in 1991. Swayze received three Golden Globe Award nominations, for Dirty Dancing, Ghost, and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. He wrote and recorded the popular song "She's Like the Wind" and was posthumously awarded the Rolex Dance Award in 2012.
1969 - Christian Slater (born Christian Michael Leonard Slater, American actor, voice actor, and producer. He made his film debut with a leading role in The Legend of Billie Jean and gained wider recognition as Jason "J.D." Dean, a sociopathic high school student, in the satire Heathers. He has received critical acclaim for his title-role in the USA Network television series Mr. Robot (2015–2019), for which he earned the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2016, with additional nominations in 2017 and 2018.
Lefties:
Actor and director Robert Redford
Christian Slater, actor
More birthdays and historical events today, 18 August - On This Day.
1887 - A "manifesto" in which five young novelists fiercely critique Emile Zola's novel La Terre is published in Le Figaro.
1946 - John Henry Antill's suite from the ballet Corroboree is given its premiere by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sir Eugene Goossens conducting.
1958 - Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in the U.S.
1963 - James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
1964 - The International Olympic Committee bans South Africa from the Tokyo Games because of the country's refusal to condemn apartheid.
1971 - Australia and New Zealand announce they will withdraw their troops from Vietnam.
2005 - Java, an Indonesian island, experiences a massive power blackout affecting some 100 million people.
Addendum:
Though the date is not absolutely certain, this day in 1227, Genghis Khan dies, aged 55, after falling from a horse. Legends has it that he was stabbed by a woman and lost to much blood to stay in the saddle. Much of his image as ruthless comes from history written by those he conquered. Khan conquered an area 4 times larger than those gained by the Alexander the Great. He is considered the heroic father of a nation in Mongolia. His sons enlarged his empire; with his grandson, Kublai Khan, becoming emperor of a united China in Kublai's time.
Historical Events
1887 - A "manifesto" in which five young novelists fiercely critique Emile Zola's novel La Terre is published in Le Figaro.
1946 - John Henry Antill's suite from the ballet Corroboree is given its premiere by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sir Eugene Goossens conducting.
1958 - Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in the U.S.
1963 - James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
1964 - The International Olympic Committee bans South Africa from the Tokyo Games because of the country's refusal to condemn apartheid.
1971 - Australia and New Zealand announce they will withdraw their troops from Vietnam.
2005 - Java, an Indonesian island, experiences a massive power blackout affecting some 100 million people.
Addendum:
Though the date is not absolutely certain, this day in 1227, Genghis Khan dies, aged 55, after falling from a horse. Legends has it that he was stabbed by a woman and lost to much blood to stay in the saddle. Much of his image as ruthless comes from history written by those he conquered. Khan conquered an area 4 times larger than those gained by the Alexander the Great. He is considered the heroic father of a nation in Mongolia. His sons enlarged his empire; with his grandson, Kublai Khan, becoming emperor of a united China in Kublai's time.
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 August 18, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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 August 18, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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