Birthdays
1832 - Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Bonickhausen dit Eiffel), French Civil Engineer. A graduate of the prestigious École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures of France, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway network, most famously the Garabit viaduct. He is best known for the world-famous Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, and his contribution to building the Statue of Liberty in New York. Eiffel focused on research into meteorology and aerodynamics after his retirement from engineering, making significant contributions in both fields.
1892 - Jean Paul Getty, known widely as J. Paul Getty, American-born British Petrol-Industrialist, and the patriarch of the Getty family. He founded the Getty Oil Company, and in 1957 Fortune magazine named him the richest living American, while the 1966 Guinness Book of Records named him as the world's richest private citizen, worth an estimated $1.2 billion (approx. $7.4 billion in 2019). At his death, he was worth more than $6 billion (approximately $21 billion in 2019). A book published in 1996 ranked him as the 67th richest American who ever lived, based on his wealth as a percentage of the concurrent gross national product. Getty was infamously frugal, notably negotiating his grandson's Italian kidnapping ransom in 1973. Getty was an avid collector of art and antiquities. His collection formed the basis of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California, and more than $661 million of his estate was left to the museum after his death. He established the J. Paul Getty Trust in 1953. The trust is the world's wealthiest art institution, and operates the J. Paul Getty Museum Complexes.
1932 - Josephine Edna O'Brien, DBE, Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short story writer. Former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, cited her as "one of the great creative writers of her generation". Her works often revolve around the inner feelings of women, and their problems in relating to men, and to society as a whole. Her first novel, The Country Girls, is often credited with breaking silence on sexual matters and social issues during a repressive period in Ireland following World War II. The book was banned, burned and denounced from the pulpit. O'Brien received the Irish PEN Award in 2001. Saints and Sinners won the 2011 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the world's richest prize for a short story collection. Faber and Faber published her memoir, Country Girl, in 2012. In 2015, she was bestowed Saoi by the Aosdána. O'Brien lives in London.
1949 - Don Johnson (Donnie Wayne Johnson), American actor, film producer and director, singer, and songwriter. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series Miami Vice, winning a Golden Globe for his work in the role. He also had the eponymous lead role in the 1990s cop series Nash Bridges. Johnson has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Lefties:
None known
1892 - Jean Paul Getty, known widely as J. Paul Getty, American-born British Petrol-Industrialist, and the patriarch of the Getty family. He founded the Getty Oil Company, and in 1957 Fortune magazine named him the richest living American, while the 1966 Guinness Book of Records named him as the world's richest private citizen, worth an estimated $1.2 billion (approx. $7.4 billion in 2019). At his death, he was worth more than $6 billion (approximately $21 billion in 2019). A book published in 1996 ranked him as the 67th richest American who ever lived, based on his wealth as a percentage of the concurrent gross national product. Getty was infamously frugal, notably negotiating his grandson's Italian kidnapping ransom in 1973. Getty was an avid collector of art and antiquities. His collection formed the basis of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California, and more than $661 million of his estate was left to the museum after his death. He established the J. Paul Getty Trust in 1953. The trust is the world's wealthiest art institution, and operates the J. Paul Getty Museum Complexes.
1932 - Josephine Edna O'Brien, DBE, Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short story writer. Former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, cited her as "one of the great creative writers of her generation". Her works often revolve around the inner feelings of women, and their problems in relating to men, and to society as a whole. Her first novel, The Country Girls, is often credited with breaking silence on sexual matters and social issues during a repressive period in Ireland following World War II. The book was banned, burned and denounced from the pulpit. O'Brien received the Irish PEN Award in 2001. Saints and Sinners won the 2011 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the world's richest prize for a short story collection. Faber and Faber published her memoir, Country Girl, in 2012. In 2015, she was bestowed Saoi by the Aosdána. O'Brien lives in London.
1949 - Don Johnson (Donnie Wayne Johnson), American actor, film producer and director, singer, and songwriter. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series Miami Vice, winning a Golden Globe for his work in the role. He also had the eponymous lead role in the 1990s cop series Nash Bridges. Johnson has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Lefties:
None known
More birthdays and historical events, December 15 - On This Day
Historical Events
1791 - The Bill of Rights becomes part of the U.S. Constitution.
1809 - Emperor Napoleon divorces Josephine for her failure to produce an heir. Reportedly, the divorce causes great anguish for both of them. He marries Marie Louise of Austria in 1811 and has a son with her soon after.
1878 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the U.S. will recognize Communist China and sever ties with Taiwan, reversing the stance it had held since Mao Zedong's revolution in 1949.
1893 - Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" is first performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, with Anton Seidl conducting.
1938 - Silvestre Revueltas's Sensemaya, for voicee and orchestra, is first performed, in Mexico City.
1965 - The Gemini 6 manned space mission makes rendezvous with Gemini 7, staying in close proximity during an entire orbit.
2005 - Ten million Iraqis take part in the first democratic elections since the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
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 December 15, 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 December 15, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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