November 24 Dateline

Birthdays

1632 - Baruch Spinoza (or Benedictus de Spinoza), Dutch philosopher of Portuguese Sephardi origin. One of the early thinkers of the Enlightenment and modern biblical criticism, including modern conceptions of the self and the universe, he came to be considered one of the great rationalists of 17th-century philosophy. (Philosophy - Baruch Spinoza. Uploaded by The School of Life. Accessed November 24, 2018.)

1849 - Frances Hodgson Burnett, British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels Little Lord Fauntleroy, A Little Princess, and The Secret Garden. During the serialization of Little Lord Fauntleroy in St. Nicholas in 1885, readers looked forward to new installments. The fashions in the book became popular, with velvet Fauntleroy suits being sold; other Fauntleroy merchandise included velvet collars, playing cards, and chocolates. Sentimental fiction was then the norm; in time, Little Lord Fauntleroy though still popular, was overtaken by The Secret Garden in popularity. Several of Burnett's novels for adults were also very popular in their day. A Lady of Quality was second in 1896, The Shuttle was fourth in 1907 and fifth in 1908, T. Tembarom was tenth in 1913 and sixth in 1914, and The Head of the House of Coombe was fourth in 1922. (15 Facts on Frances  H. Burnett / Author Facts - here. The Secret Garden, her famous book - here.)

1864 - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa), French post-Impressionist painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist and illustrator whose immersion in the colorful and theatrical life of Paris in the late 19th century allowed him to produce a collection of enticing, elegant, and provocative images of the modern affairs of those times. Toulouse-Lautrec is among the best-known painters of the Post-Impressionist period, with Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Georges Seurat. In a 2005 auction at Christie's auction house, La Blanchisseuse, his early painting of a young laundress, sold for US$22.4 million and set a new record for the artist for a price at auction.

1868 - Scott Joplin, African-American composer and pianist, known as the "King of Ragtime" because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, music that was born out of the African-American community. He wrote over 100 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the "Maple Leaf Rag", became ragtime's first and most influential hit, and has been recognized as the archetypal rag. In 1976, he was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize. His talents and a combination of gospel hymns, spirituals, dance music, classical music and work songs contributed significantly to the invention of a new style called “Ragtime” in his day. (The Best of Scott Joplin. YouTube, uploaded by Jazz & Blues Experience. Accessed Nov. 24, 2018. Scott Joplin: Complete Works (Rags, Marches, Waltzes & Songs). YouTube, uploaded by Majestic George. Accessed Nov. 24, 2023.) 

1888 - Cathleen Nesbitt CBE (born Kathleen Mary Nesbitt), English actress of stage, film and television. She is most likely popular as the grandmother of Cary Grant in the romantic film "An Affair to Remember" starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Nesbitt lived for many years in the United States, but returned to the United Kingdom where she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1978. Her autobiography, A Little Love and Good Company, was published in 1973.

Lefties: 
None known

 

 

More birthdays and historical events, November 24 - On This Day

 

 



Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" was used as theme music for the movie The Sting starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.

Historical Events

1642 - Abel Tasman sights Tasmania (one of Australia's present states) from his ship, the first European to do so. On November 25, he named the island "Anthony van Dieman's Land, in honour of the Hon. Governor General our high Superior, who has sent us out to make this discovery."

1859 - Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection is published. It is an immediate and controversial bestseller putting forward the evolution theory that challenges the idea of Biblical creation.

1938 - Jussi Bjoerling makes his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in La Boheme.

1945 - Elie Siegmeister's Western Suite is first played by the NBC Orchestra with Arturo Toscanini conducting.

1963 - Lee Harvey Oswald, charged with killing U.S. President John Kennedy, is being moved between jails when nightclub owner Jack Ruby leaps from the crowds of reporters and shoots him.
 


Video Credit:
Ragtime Piano: Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer".  YouTube, uploaded by Steven Eliya. Accessed November 24, 2023.



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 November 24, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.