December 14 Dateline

Birthdays

1738 - Johann Anton Kozeluch (Jan Antonín Koželuh), Bohemian / Czech composer and choirmaster. He studied in Vienna under Christoph Willibald von Gluck and Florian Gassmann. He became a concert master in St. Vitus Cathedral for thirty years and the organist at the Strahov Monastery. Kozeluch's works includes 45 Masses, a Requiem, an oratorio, two operas, four symphonies, and several woodwind concertos. As one of the most respected Czech composers of his time, he also composed serious Italian operas: Allesandro nell' Indie, performed in 1769 and Demofoonte, in 1772. He was the teacher of (his cousin) Leopold Kozeluch, whose name was originally also Jan Antonin Koželuh but  changed his name, in 1773. (Jan Antonín Kozeluh - Bassoon Concerto in C-Dur. Uploaded by Pau NG. Accessed December 14, 2018.)

1895 - George VI, (Albert Frederick Arthur George), King of the UK and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also Emperor of India from 1936 until 1947, when the British Raj was dissolved. In September 1939, the British Empire and Commonwealth—except Ireland—declared war on Nazi Germany. War with the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Japan followed in 1940 and 1941, respectively. George was seen as sharing the hardships of the common people and his popularity soared. Buckingham Palace was bombed during the Blitz while the King and Queen were there, and his younger brother, the Duke of Kent, was killed on active service. George became known as a symbol of British determination to win the war. Britain and its allies were victorious in 1945. He was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth II.

1935 - Lee Remick, American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the 1962 film Days of Wine and Roses, and for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her Broadway theatre performance in Wait Until Dark. Remick made her film debut in 1957 in A Face in the Crowd. Her other notable film roles include Anatomy of a Murder, Wild River, The Detective, The Omen, and The Europeans. She won Golden Globe Awards for the 1973 TV film The Blue Knight, and for playing the title role in the 1974 miniseries Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill. For the latter role, she also won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress. In April 1991, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1946 - Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE, English actress, singer, songwriter, and model. She attained international fame and notability for her decade-long musical and romantic partnership with Serge Gainsbourg. She also had a prolific career as an actress in British and French cinema. She appeared in various independent films and recording numerous solo albums. In 1991, she appeared in the miniseries Red Fox, and in the American drama film A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries. In 2016, she starred in the Academy Award-nominated short film La femme et le TGV, which she said would be her final film role.

1979 - Sophie Monk (Sophie Charlene Akland Monk), Australian singer, actress, model, and media personality. Monk was a member of the girl group Bardot, winners of the first season of Popstars Australia in 2000, and later released a solo album called Calendar Girl (2003). She has appeared in films, such as Date Movie, Click, Sex and Death 101, The Hills Run Red, and Spring Breakdown. Monk was the winner of the fourth season of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia in 2015. In 2016, she was a judge on Australia's Got Talent. She starred on the third season of The Bachelorette Australia, and the following year, she became the host of Love Island Australia.

Leftie:

King George VI, father of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. 

 

King George VI whose full name was Albert Frederick Arthur George (14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the U.K. and the British Dominions from December 11, 1936 until his death. He was the last Emperor of India until 1947), the last King of Ireland (until 1949), and the first Head of the Commonwealth.

As the second son of King George V, his older brother Edward was expected to inherit the throne, but became the king instead when Edward abdicated.  King George V served in the Royal Navy during World War I, and after the war took on the usual round of public engagements.

He married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923, later known as the Elizabeth Queen Mother when her daughter became Queen Elizabeth II. They had two daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, and Princess Margaret. 

 

 

More birthdays and historical events, December 14 - On This Day

 

Historical Events

1900 - Max Planck presents a paper to the German Physical Society, proposing that energy exists in discrete packets, he called "quanta." This marks the beginning of quantum physics.

1918 - In Britain, for the first time, women exercise their rights to vote in a general election.

1924 - Ottorino Respighi's symphonic poem Pini di Roma (Pines of Rome, 1924) is first performed, in Rome.  It is considered part of the "Roman Trilogy" of symphonic poems along with Fontane di Roma (Fountains of Rome, 1916) and  Feste Romane (Roman Festivals, 1928). Here's a performance of Pines of Rome, uploaded by Zevnikov, with the Gimnazija Kranj Symphony Orchestra. Performed  in Gallus Hall, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Conductor Maestro Nejc Bečan. Accessed December 14, 2018.  

1986 - Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager embark on their first non-stop and un-refuelled flight in the pioneering Voyager aircraft. The plane is designed by the two pilots and Burt, Rutan's brother who also conducts the first successful private space launch with Space Ship One. 

1994 - The Wollemi pine is discovered in Australia. It is a relic species from the dinosaur age found growing in Sydney's Blue Mountains.

1999 - Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the top-notch Peanuts comic strip, announces he will be retiring after producing the cartoon for almost 50 years.  



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



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