July 12 Dateline

Birthdays

100 B.C.E. - Gaius Julius Caesar, Roman statesman. He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. An accomplished author and historian, much of his life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns. Other contemporary sources include the letters and speeches of Cicero and the historical writings of Sallust, and later biographies of him by Suetonius and Plutarch. Caesar is considered by many historians to be one of the greatest military commanders in history. His cognomen was subsequently adopted as a synonym for "Emperor"; the title "Caesar" was used throughout the Roman Empire, giving rise to modern cognates such as Kaiser and Tsar. His political philosophy, known as Caesarism, inspired politicians into the modern era.

1730 - Josiah Wedgwood, English potter and entrepreneur. He founded the Wedgwood company. Leader in the industrialisation of the manufacture of European pottery, he developed improved pottery bodies by a long process of systematic experimentation.

1817 - Henry David Thoreau, American writer, essayist, poet and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, Thoreau is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay "Civil Disobedience", an argument for disobedience to an unjust state. (Political Theory - Henry David Thoreau. Uploaded by The School of Life. Accessed July 12, 2016. Thoreau and Civil Disobedience. Uploaded by The School of life. Accessed July 12, 2018.)

1861 - Anton Arensky (born Anton Stepanovich Arensky), Russian composer of Romantic classical music, a pianist and a professor of music. Tchaikovsky was the greatest influence on Arensky's musical compositions. Especially popular are the Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky for string orchestra, Op. 35a - arranged from the slow movement of Arensky's 2nd string quartet, and based on one of Tchaikovsky's Songs for Children, Op. 54.  Arensky was perhaps at his best in chamber music, in which genre he wrote two string quartets, two piano trios, and a piano quintet.

1884 - Amedeo Clemente Modigliani, Italian Jewish painter and sculptor, worked mainly in France. He is known for portraits and nudes in a modern style characterized by elongation of faces, necks, and figures that were not received well during his lifetime but later found acceptance. (A Collection of Modigliani's 281 Paintings. YouTube, uploaded by LearnFromMasters. Accessed July 12, 2017.)

1885 - George Butterworth, MC (born George Sainton Kaye Butterworth), English composer who was best known for the orchestral idyll The Banks of Green Willow and his song settings of A. E. Housman's poems from A Shropshire Lad, amongst the best known. Butterworth destroyed many works he did not care for, before and during the war. Of those that survive, his collection of poems A Shropshire Lad are among the best known. Many English composers of Butterworth's time set Housman's poetry also, including Ralph Vaughan Williams. (George Butterworth - A Shropshire Lad: Rhapsody for Orchestra (1912). YouTube, uploaded by AntPDC. Accessed July 12, 2018.)

 
1895 - Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II, American lyricist, librettist, theatrical director and producer, most especially known for his partnership with Richard Rodgers. He was director in the musical theatre for almost 4o years. Hammerstein II is widely considered the most influential lyricist and librettist of the American theater. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Many of his songs are standard repertoire for vocalists and jazz musicians. He co-wrote 850 songs. He is best known for his collaborations with composer Richard Rodgers, as the duo Rodgers and Hammerstein, whose major musicals include Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. He also collaborated with Jerome Kern (with whom he wrote Show Boat), Vincent Youmans, Rudolf Friml, Richard A. Whiting, and Sigmund Romberg.

1904 - Pablo Neruda (born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto), Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old, and wrote in a variety of styles, including surrealist poems, historical epics, overtly political manifestos, a prose autobiography, and passionate love poems such as the ones in his collection Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair. Neruda is often considered the national poet of Chile. Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez called him "the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language". (Poetry by Pablo Neruda. Leaning into the Afternoons) YouTube, Poetry in Motion. Accessed July 12, 2020. (Pablo Neruda - If You Forget Me (read by Madonna). YouTube, uploaded by Cleitus T. Accessed July 12, 2020. 

1934 - Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr., American concert pianist, first American to win the Tchaikovsky Prize. At the age of 23, he achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958, during the Cold War. Cliburn's mother, a piano teacher and an accomplished pianist in her own right, discovered him playing at age three, mimicking one of her students and arranged for him to start taking lessons. Cliburn developed a rich, round tone and a singing-voice-like phrasing, having been taught from the start to sing each piece. One of Cliburn's contributions to society was the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. (1958 Van Cliburn Tchaikovsky Competition Moscow Newsreel. Uploaded by PublicDomainFootage.com. Accessed July12, 2013. 'Russians Conquered My Heart': Pianist Van Cliburn Reflects on 50 Years of Music Making. Uploaded by PBS NewsHour. Accessed July 12, 2018. Finals Round Concerto 4 - 2022 Cliburn Competition. YouTube, uploaded by The Cliburn. Accessed June 19, 2022.)

Lefties:
None known

 

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 12 July - On This day. 

Historical Events

1543 - King Henry VIII of England marries his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, who survives him and marries again.

1776 - Captain James Cook sets sail from Plymouth on the Resolution, beginning his third and final voyage of discovery.

July 11 Dateline

Birthdays

1274 - Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland. He didn't do well against Edward I, but won the Battle of Bannockburn against the English king's son, Edward II.

1561 - Luis de Góngora y Argote (born Luis de Argote y Góngora), Spanish Baroque Lyric Poet, best known for The Solitudes. Góngora and his lifelong rival, Francisco de Quevedo, are widely considered the most prominent Spanish poets of all time. His style is characterized by what was called culteranismo, also known as Gongorismo. This style existed in stark contrast to Quevedo's conceptismo.

1767 - John Quincy Adams, American Statesman, Diplomat, Lawyer, and Diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States Secretary of State from 1817 to 1825.

1834 - James Abbott McNeill Whistler, American Artist, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He was averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, and was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake".  (The Complete Works of James Abbott McNeill Whistler. 1st Art Gallery com. Accessed July 11, 2011.)

1857 - Alfred Binet, French Psychologist, Inventor of the first practical IQ test, the Binet–Simon Scale/Test. (Alfred Binet and the Origin of Intelligence Testing. Uploaded by Not So Obvious. Accessed  July 11, 2019.)  

1899 - E.B. White (born Elwyn Brooks White), American Writer. He was the author of several highly popular books for children, including Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, and The Trumpet of the Swan. In a 2012 survey of School Library Journal readers, Charlotte's Web came in first in their poll of the top one hundred children's novels. He was also a contributor to The New Yorker magazine, and a co-author of the English language style guide The Elements of Style.

1916 - Gough Edward Whitlam AC QC, 21st Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. He led the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to power for the first time in 23 years at the 1972 election. He won the 1974 election before being controversially dismissed by the Governor-General of Australia, Sir John Kerr, at the climax of the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis. Whitlam remains the only Australian prime minister to have been removed from office in this manner.

1934 - Giorgio Armani, Fashion Designer, Italian fashion designer. He first came to notice, working for Cerruti and then for many others, including Allegri, Bagutta and Hilton. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually diversified into music, sport and luxury hotels. By 2001 Armani was acclaimed as the most successful designer of Italian origin, and is credited with pioneering red-carpet fashion.

1939 - Louise Marie Lasser, American Actress, TV Writer, Performing Arts Teacher and Director. She is known for her portrayal of the title character on the soap opera satire Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. She was married to Woody Allen and appeared in several of his early films. She is also a life member of The Actors Studio.

1958 - Mark Lester (born Mark A. Letzer), English former Child Actor, and later, as Osteopath and Acupuncturist. He starred in a number of British and European films in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1968 he played the title role in the blockbuster film Oliver!, a musical version of the Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist. Lester also made several appearances in a number of British television series. In 1977, after appearing in the all-star international action adventure film The Prince and the Pauper, he retired from acting. In the 1980s, he trained as an osteopath specialising in sport injuries. (Tribute to Lionel Bart/Carol Reed's OLIVER! 1968. Mark Lester, Oliver Reed, Shani Wallis. YouTube, uploaded by CARSONART. Accessed July 11, 2013. Eyewitness [Malta]. Youtube, uploaded by mab077. Accessed July 11, 2013.)

Lefties:
Actress Louise Lasser

 

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 11 July - On This Day.

Historical Events

1786 - Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf's opera Doktor und Apotheker is first performed, in Vienna. 
Doktor und Apotheker (Doctor and Apothecary) is a German-language two-act singspiel by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, with a libretto by Johann Gottlieb Stephanie the Younger, based on the anonymous French comedy L'apothicaire de Murcie (The Apothecary of Murcie). It is considered the composer's masterpiece and premiered on 11 July 1786 at the k.u.k. National-Theater in Vienna. (Doktor & Apotheker. Youtube video uploaded by Musikacademie Rheinsberb. Accessed July 11, 2020.)  

1893 - Kokichi Mikimoto extracts the first cultured pearl at his pearl farm. The pearl was imperfect and took another 10 years a spherical one.

1960 - Harper Lee publishes her all-time bestseller novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a book on racism in the Southern U.S.  It went on to win a Pulitzer Prize, becoming one of the best-selling books in history. (Theme music: here) 

July 10 Dateline

Birthdays

1509 - John Calvin,  French religious leader, theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism, aspects of which include the doctrines of predestination and of the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation of the human soul from death and eternal damnation, in which doctrines Calvin was influenced by and elaborated upon the Augustinian and other Christian traditions. In addition to his seminal Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible, confessional documents, and various other theological treatises. Various Congregational, Reformed and Presbyterian churches, which look to Calvin as the chief expositor of their beliefs, have spread throughout the world.

1830 -  Camille Pissarro, Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter. His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Pissarro studied from great forerunners, including Gustave Courbet and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot.

1835 - Henryk Wieniawski, Polish violin virtuoso and composer. At the invitation of Anton Rubinstein, Wieniawski moved to St. Petersburg, where he lived from 1860 to 1872, taught many violin students, and led the Russian Musical Society's orchestra and string quartet. He replaced Henri Vieuxtemps as violin professor at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles in 1875. In London, he was player in the Beethoven Quartet Society, and also performed on viola. (Henryk Winiawski's Polonaise in D major, Op 4. Uploaded by Akademia filmu i Telewizji. Accessed March 24, 2020. 

1856 - Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. His work fell into relative obscurity following his death, until 1960, when the General Conference on Weights and Measures named the SI unit of magnetic flux density 'the tesla' in his honor. There has been a resurgence in popular interest in Tesla since the 1990s. (The Amazing Life of Nikola Testa (Documentary). YouTube, uploaded by Integza. Accessed July 10, 2025) 

 

1871 - Marcel Proust,  French novelist, critic and essayist, best known for his monumental novel À la recherche du temps perdu (translated in English by C.K. Scott Moncrieff as In Search of Lost Time; earlier rendered as Remembrance of Things Past), published in seven parts between 1913 and 1927. Proust is considered by critics and writers to be one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. (Literature - Marcel Proust. Uploaded by The School of Life. Accessed July 10, 2017.)

1895 - Carl Orff, German composer and music educator. He is best known for his cantata Carmina Burana (1937). The concepts of his Schulwerk were influential for children's music education. The Orff Schulwerk, or simply the Orff Approach, is a developmental approach used in music education. It combines music, movement, drama, and speech into lessons that are similar to child's world of play. It was developed by Carl Orff and colleague Gunild Keetman during the 1920s.

1903 - John Wyndham (born John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris), English science fiction writer. Aside from his pen name as John Wyndham, he also used other combinations of his names, such as John Beynon and Lucas Parkes. Some of his works were set in post-apocalyptic landscapes. His best known works include The Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos, the latter filmed twice as Village of the Damned. His writings examined the human struggle for survival when catastrophic natural phenomena suddenly invade a comfortable English setting.

1931 - Alice Munro, Canadian short story writer and Nobel Prize Laureate. She won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013. Munro's work has been described as having revolutionized the architecture of short stories, especially in its tendency to move forward and backward in time, and with integrated short fiction cycles. Her stories explore human complexities in an uncomplicated prose style. Her writing established her reputation as a great author in the vein of Anton Chekhov. Munro received the Man Booker International Prize in 2009 for her lifetime body of work. A three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for Fiction, she also received the Writers' Trust of Canada's 1996 Marian Engel Award and the 2004 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize for Runaway. She mostly stopped writing around 2013 and died at her home in 2024. 

 
1931 - Gerald Sheldon "Jerry" Herman, American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He was nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage aux Folles. (Barbra Streisand - Hello, Dolly! and Barbra Streisand - "I'd Rather Be Blue". Uploaded by oweena29. Accessed July 10, 2011.)  

1943 - Arthur Robert Ashe Jr., American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam singles titles. He was the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. He retired in 1980. He was ranked world No. 1 by Harry Hopman in 1968 and by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and World Tennis Magazine in 1975. In the ATP computer rankings, he peaked at No. 2 in May 1976.

1958 - Béla Anton Leoš Fleck, American banjo player. An innovative and technically proficient banjo player, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. Fleck has won 15 Grammy Awards and been nominated 33 times.

Leftie:
Musician Bela Fleck

 

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 10 July - On This Day. 

 

 

Featured Celebrity: 

 

MARCEL PROUST (10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922), French novelist, critic, and essayist who is considered one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. He wrote the monumental novel 'In Search of Lost Time' (À la recherche du temps perdu; with the previous English title translation of Remembrance of Things Past), originally published in French in a 7-volume book between 1913 and 1927. 

 

First translated into English as 'Remembrance of Things Past', 'In Search of Lost Time' is known both for its length and its theme of involuntary memory. The most famous example of this is the "episode of the madeleine", which occurs early in the first volume. The novel gained fame in English in translations by C. K. Scott Moncrieff and Terence Kilmartin as 'Remembrance of Things Past', first published in 1989, but the title In Search of Lost Time, a literal rendering of the French, became ascendant after D. J. Enright adopted it for his revised translation published in 1992. 

 

'In Search of Lost Time' remains to be one of the most impactful novels I've read. I plan to reread it the seven volumes; this time not in paperback but in Kindle. It's long, and like any literary masterpiece, 'In Search of Lost Time' is a quest whose structure resembles that of a symphony for throughout the book, the novel's major themes - love, art, memory, and time - are carefully and brilliantly captured like a harmonious orchestra.

 

Volume One: Swann's Way (see notes from video below). The narrator's thoughts about his own life lead him to the past of the character, Charles Swann, a family friend the narrator knew as a child. By remembering and imaginatively inhabiting Swann's love affair with the coquette Odette, the narrator gains insight into his life and the nature of love itself. 

Swann's Way - Sparknotes' Swann's Way  

Also, Reading Proust / Swann's way

Volume Two: In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower

Volume Three: The Guermantes Way

Volume Four: Sodom and Gomorrah

Volume Five: The Prisoner

Volume Six: The Fugitive

Volume Seven: Time Regained (Finding Time Again). This final volume chronicles the years of World War I, when, as M. de Charlus reflects on a moonlit walk, Paris threatens to become another Pompeii. The Past Recaptured. 

 

Historical Events

1553 - Lady Jane Grey, at the age of 15, is proclaimed Queen of England after the death of Edward VI. The attempt to take the crown is arranged by the Duke of Northumberland, whose son, Lord dudley, is married to Lady Jane Grey. She was deposed 9 days later by Mary Tudor, and executed for treason on February 12, 1554, alongside her husband. Lady Jane Grey is the granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister.

1929- Charles Kingsford Smith and his aircrew arrive in England in the Southern Cross after flying from Australia in 12 days, 21 hours, and 18 minutes - a record time.

July 9 Dateline

Birthdays

1858 - Franz Uri Boaz, German-born American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology". His work is associated with the movements known as Historical Particularism and Cultural Relativism.

1819 - Elias Howe, Jr., American inventor, best known for his creation of the modern lock stitch sewing machine. Although Howe was not the first to conceive of the idea of a sewing machine (many others had formulated the idea of such a machine before him, one as early as 1790, and some had even patented their designs and produced working machines, in one case at least 80 of them, but Howe originated significant refinements to the design concepts of his predecessors, and on September 10, 1846, he was awarded the first United States patent (U.S. Patent 4,750) for a sewing machine using a lockstitch design.

1879 - Ottorino Respighi, Italian composer, violinist and musicologist, famous for his "Roman Trilogy" of orchestral tone poems: Fountains of Rome (1916), Pines of Rome (1924), and Roman Festivals (1928). (Here is Fountains of Rome.)  Respighi's musicological interest in 16th-, 17th- and 18th-century music led him to compose pieces based on the music of these periods. He also wrote several operas, the most famous being La fiamma.

1901 - Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland, DBE, CStJ, English novelist. She wrote romance novels, one of the best-selling authors of the 20th century. Her 723 novels were translated into 38 languages and she continues to be referenced in the Guinness World Records for the most novels published in a single year in 1976. As Barbara Cartland she was known for writing numerous romantic novels but she had also written books under her married name of Barbara McCorquodale and under the pseudonym of Marcus Belfry. She wrote more than 700 books, as well as plays, music, verse, drama, magazine articles and operetta, and was a prominent philanthropist.

1906 - Agnes Elisabeth Lutyens, CBE, English composer. A combative and idiosyncratic character and a composer of music that has been described as "sensuously beautiful", Lutyens struggled to earn her place among the composers of classical 20th century musical canon, and her music is still seldom heard or recorded. She was one of the models for Henry Reed's satirical depiction of Dame Hilda Tablet in a series of 1950s radio plays. (E. Lutyens' "En Voyage" suite for full orchestra, conducted by Simon Joly).

1933 - Oliver Wolf Sacks, CBE FRCP,  British neurologist, naturalist, historian of science, and author. He spent his career in the United States. He believed that the brain is the "most incredible thing in the universe". He explored the phenomena of the brain in his books like Musicophilia and Seeing Voices. He became widely known for writing best-selling case histories about both his patients' and his own disorders and unusual experiences, with some of his books adapted for plays by major playwrights, feature films, animated short films, opera, dance, fine art, and musical works in the classical genre.

1956 - Tom Hanks, American actor, director and producer. Known for his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. His films have grossed more than $4.9 billion in North America and more than $9.96 billion worldwide, making him the fifth-highest-grossing actor in North America. Hanks' accolades include two Academy Awards out of six nominations. He has received the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2004. In 2014, he received a Kennedy Center Honor, and in 2016, he received a Presidential Medal of Freedom, as well as the French Legion of Honor.

Lefties:
Inventor Elias Howe

More birthdays and historical events today, 9 July - On This Day.

Historical Events

1893 - Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, the only African American surgeon in the American College of Surgeons, performs the world's first successful open-heart surgery in Chicago on a man who had been stabbed.     

1900 - Queen Victoria gives her consent to the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (already passed by the British Parliament), that unites the Australian colonies under a federal government.

July 8 Dateline

Birthdays

 

1593 - Artemisia Lomi or Artemisia Gentileschi, Italian Baroque painter, considered one of the most accomplished seventeenth-century artists, initially working in the style of Caravaggio. She was producing professional work by the age of fifteen. In an era when women had few opportunities to pursue artistic training or work as professional artists, Artemisia was the first woman to become a member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence and she had an international clientele. (Artemisia Gentileschi in 8 paintings, National Gallery. Artemisia Gentileschi: A collection of 79 paintings (HD), LearnFromMasters. YouTube, Accessed October 18, 2020.)

 

1621 - Jean de la Fontaine, French fabulist, one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his Fables, which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Europe and numerous alternative versions in France, as well as in French regional languages. After a long period of royal suspicion, he was admitted to the French Academy and his reputation in France has never faded since. Evidence of this is found in the many pictures and statues of the writer, later depictions on medals, coins and postage stamps.

1819 - Vatroslav Lisinski (born Ignatius Fuchs to a German Jewish family), Croatian composer.The name he adapted is a Croatian calque of his original name. He composed the first Croatian opera, Love and Malice. The Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall is named after him.Lisinski was one of the founders of Illyrism, a movement that advocated the importance of Croatian and more generally South Slavic cultural heritage, as a reaction to Magyarisation during the Austro-Hungarian rule. The international train EN 498/499 connecting Zagreb and Munich is named Lisinski.

1838 - Count Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin (born Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin),  German general, airship inventor, later inventing the Zeppelin rigid airships. He founded the company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin.

1839 - John Davison Rockefeller, Sr.,  American oil tycoon and philanthropist, business magnate.  He is widely considered the wealthiest American of all time, and the richest person in modern history. He founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870. He ran it until 1897, and remained its largest shareholder.
 
1882 - Percy Grainger (born George Percy Aldridge Grainger), Australian-born pianist, composer and Arranger, who lived in the United States from 1914 on and became a citizen in 1918. He played a prominent role in the revival of interest in British folk music in the early years of the 20th century. Although much of his work was experimental and unusual, the piece with which he is most generally associated is his piano arrangement of the folk-dance tune "Country Gardens". (Martin Jones performs Percy Grainger's "Country Gardens". YouTube, uploaded by NimbusRecords TV. Accessed July 8, 2014.)

1900 - George Antheil, Experimental American avant-garde composer (who also wrote film scores), Pianist, Author, and Inventor.  Spending much of the 1920s in Europe, he returned to the US in the 1930s, and spent much time composing music for films, and television. Antheil was constantly reinventing himself. He wrote magazine articles (one accurately predicted the development and outcome of World War II), an autobiography, a mystery novel, and newspaper and music columns.  In 1941, Antheil and the actress Hedy Lamarr developed a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes that used a code (stored on a punched paper tape) to synchronise random frequencies, known as 'frequency hopping', with a receiver and transmitter. This technique is known as 'spread spectrum' and is widely used in telecommunications. In 2014, Antheil and Lamarr were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

1908 - Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, American businessman, philanthropist, and politician. He was 41st vice president of the U.S. from 1974 to 1977, and previously, the 49th governor of New York from 1959 to 1973. A grandson of billionaire John D. Rockefeller and a member of the wealthy Rockefeller family, he was a noted art collector and served as administrator of Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York City.

1926 - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Swiss-American psychiatrist, a pioneer in near-death studies, and author of the internationally best-selling book, On Death and Dying, where she first discussed her theory of the five stages of grief, known as the "Kübler-Ross model". She was a 2007 inductee into the National Women's Hall of Fame, was named by Time (magazine) as one of the "100 Most Important Thinkers" of the 20th Century and was the recipient of nineteen honorary degrees. By July 1982, Kübler-Ross taught 125,000 students in death and dying courses in colleges, seminaries, medical schools, hospitals, and social-work institutions.

1958 - Kevin Norwood Bacon, American actor and musician. His films include musical-drama film Footloose, the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller JFK, the legal drama A Few Good Men, the historical docudrama Apollo 13, and the mystery drama Mystic River. Bacon is known for taking on darker roles and for hit comedies. He is equally prolific on television. For the HBO original film Taking Chance, he won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, also receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Bacon portrayed the title character/series lead, Amazon Prime web television series I Love Dick, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

Leftie:
Nelson A. Rockefeller, former U.S. Vice-President

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 8 July - On This Day.

In Memoriam, Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882-1961):  The composer plays piano solo of his "Molly on the Shore." Recorded in 1927.

 

Historical Events

1497 - Vasco da Gama sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, to find a sea route to the East Indies. 

1791 - Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 92, "Oxford" is first performed, in the Sheldonian Theatre; he is awarded Doctor of Music by Oxford University.

July 7 Dateline

Birthdays

1860 - Gustav Mahler, Austro-Bohemian late-Romantic composer and conductor, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. While in his lifetime his status as a conductor was established beyond question, his own music gained wide popularity only after periods of relative neglect which included a ban on its performance in much of Europe during the Nazi era. After 1945 his compositions were rediscovered by a new generation of listeners; Mahler then became one of the most frequently performed and recorded of all composers, a position he has sustained into the 21st century. In 2016, a BBC Music Magazine survey of 151 conductors ranked three of his symphonies in the top ten symphonies of all time.

1887 - Marc Zakharovich Chagall, Russian-French painter of Belarusian Jewish origin. An early modernist, he was associated with several major artistic styles and created works in virtually every artistic format, including painting, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramic, tapestries and fine art prints.

1911 - Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian opera composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera Amahl and the Night Visitors, along with over two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular taste. He won a Pulitzer Prize twice, for The Consul (1950) and for The Saint of Bleecker Street (1955). He founded the noted Festival dei Due Mondi (Festival of the Two Worlds) in Spoleto in 1958 and its American counterpart, Spoleto Festival USA, in 1977. In 1986 he commenced a Melbourne Spoleto Festival in Australia, although he withdrew after three years.  (Amahl and the Night Visitors - Ash Lawn Opera. Dress Rehearsal. Uploaded by Cherokee Rose Productions. Accessed July 7, 2017.)

1915 - Yul Brynner (born Yuliy Borisovich Briner), Russian-American actor, singer, and director, considered one of the first Russian-American film stars. He became widely known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical The King and I, for which he won two Tony Awards, and later won an Academy Award for the film adaptation. He played the role 4,625 times on stage and became known for his shaved head, which he maintained as a personal trademark long after adopting it for The King and I. Brynner also starred as Ramesses II in the epic The Ten Commandments. He played General Bounine in the film Anastasia, the gunman Chris Adams in The Magnificent Seven and its first sequel Return of the Seven, and the android "The Gunslinger" in Westworld and its sequel Futureworld. Brynner also worked as a model, television director and photographer, and was the author of several books.

1922 - Pierre Cardin (born Pietro Cardin), Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for his avant-garde style and his Space Age designs. He prefers geometric shapes and motifs, often ignoring the female form. He advanced into unisex fashions, sometimes experimental, and not always practical. He founded his fashion house in 1950 and introduced the "bubble dress" in 1954.
He was designated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1991 and FAO Goodwill Ambassador on 16 October 2009.

1940 - Ringo Starr, MBE (nee Richard Starkey), English musician, member drummer of The Beatles group, singer, songwriter and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the Beatles group. He occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, usually for one song on each album, including "Yellow Submarine", "With a Little Help from My Friends" and their cover of "Act Naturally". He also wrote and sang the Beatles' songs "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden", and is credited as a co-writer of others.

1941 - Bill Edgar Oddie, OBE, English writer, comedian, composer, musician, artist, birder, conservationist, television presenter and actor. He became famous as one of The Goodies.
A birder since his childhood, Oddie has established a reputation as a naturalist, conservationist, and television presenter on wildlife issues. Some of his books are illustrated with his own paintings and drawings. His wildlife programmes for the BBC include: Springwatch/Autumnwatch, How to Watch Wildlife, Wild in Your Garden, Birding with Bill Oddie, Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie and Bill Oddie Goes Wild.

Leftie:
Ringo Starr, Musician 

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 7 July - On This Day.

 

 

Historical Events

1898 - The U.S. formally annexes Hawaii at the invitation of members of the Republic of Hawaii when US President William McKinley signs the Newlands Resolution.

1967 - Sir Francis Chichester is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, after completing his single-handed voyage around the world. It should be noted that Sir Francis Drake was also knighted in the same way by Queen Elizabeth I. Her Majesty used the same sword, recognising the historical significance.

July 6 Dateline

Birthdays

1781 - Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, FRS, founder of Singapore, British statesman, Lieutenant-Governor of the Dutch East Indies (1811–1816) and Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen (1818–1824), best known for his founding of modern Singapore and the Straits Settlements. He was heavily involved in the capture of the Indonesian island of Java from the Dutch during the Napoleonic Wars and the running of day-to-day operations on Singapore. He also wrote The History of Java (1817).

1865 - Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, Austrian-Swiss composer, creator of a system of rhythmic movements. This system, 'eurythmics,' contributed to modern ballet development

1898 - Hanns Eisler, Austrian composer, became Hollywood assistant to Charlie Chaplin. (Eisler's father was Austrian, and Eisler fought in a Hungarian regiment in World War I). He is best known for composing the national anthem of East Germany, for his long artistic association with Bertolt Brecht, and for the scores he wrote for films. The Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" is named after him.

1907 - Frida Kahlo (born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón), Surrealist Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, post-colonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her paintings had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist. (F. Kahlo (film) Soundtrack)

1927 - Janet Leigh (born Jeanette Helen Morrison), American actress, singer, dancer, and author. She was discovered at 18 by actress Norma Shearer, who helped her secure a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Leigh had her first formal foray into acting, appearing in radio programs before making her film debut in the drama The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947).  She also wrote four books between 1984 and 2002, two of which were novels.

1935 - 14th Dalai Lama, Spiritual Leader of Tibet, His Holiness, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. Awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize; born Lhamo Dhondrub, renamed Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Compassionate, Defender of the Faith, Ocean of Wisdom) upon being officially recognized as the Dalai Lama. Tibetans often refer to him as Yeshe Norbu, the "Wishfulfilling Gem" or just Kundun - "The Presence."

1937 - Vladimir Ashkenazy, Russian pianist and conductor, internationally recognized solo pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. He has held Icelandic citizenship since 1972 and lived in Switzerland since 1978. Aside from collaboring with well-known orchestras and soloists, he has recorded classical and romantic works. His recordings have earned him five Grammy awards plus Iceland's Order of the Falcon. (Vladimir Ashkenazy: Chopin - Two Nocturnes Opus No. 1 & 3 / Polonaise. Uploaded by allegrofilms. Accessed July 6, 2019.  Ashkenazy Observed (Documentary of 1987 about Vladimir Ashkenazy). Uploaded by AllegroFilms. Accessed April 2, 2020.) 

1946 - George W. Bush, 43rd U.S. President from 2001 to 2009. American politician and businessman, George Walker Bush is a member of the Republican Party and had previously served as the 46th governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. He is the second president to have been the son of a former president, the first having been John Quincy Adams.

1951 - Geoffrey Rush, AC (born Geoffrey Roy Rush), Australian actor. He is amongst 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting: an Academy Award for film, a Primetime Emmy Award for television, and a Tony Award for theatre.  In film, he won an Academy Award for Shine, and was nominated for his performances in Shakespeare in Love, Quills, and The King's Speech. He is particularly known for his role as Captain Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, and has appeared in films including Elizabeth, Les Miserables, Frida, Munich, and The Book Thief.

1958 - Jennifer Jane Saunders, English comedian, screenwriter, actress,  screenwriter and singer. She first found attention in the 1980s when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with her best friend and comedy partner, Dawn French. With French, she co-wrote and starred in their eponymous sketch show, French and Saunders, for which they jointly received a BAFTA Fellowship in 2009. Saunders later received acclaim in the 1990s for writing and playing her character Edina Monsoon in her sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.

Lefties:
Jennifer Saunders, actress

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 6 July - On This Day. 

Historical Events

1535 - Sir Thomas More, advisor to King Henry VIII of England, is beheaded in the Tower of London for treason. He had refused to accept Henry VIII as the head of the Church of England or the King's marriage to Anne Boleyn. More was made a saint in 1886, and later canonised in 1935 on the 400th anniversary of his martyrdom. A play A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt is a great examination of the characters and arguments involved in Thomas More's political and religious convictions.

1885 - Louis Pasteur tests his vaccine for rabies on Joseph Meister, a nine year old boy who had been beaten by a rabid dog. Joseph is saved and later becomes the director of the Pasteur Institute.

July 5 Dateline

Birthdays

1810 - P.T. Barnum (born Phineas Taylor Barnum), American showman, circus operator, politician, author, publisher, philanthropist and businessman remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus. He is widely credited with coining the adage "There's a sucker born every minute", although no proof can be found of him saying this.

1879 - Dwight F. Davis, (born Dwight Filley Davis, Sr.), American tennis player. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition. He was the Assistant Secretary of War from 1923 to 1925 and Secretary of War from 1925 to 1929.

1879 - Wanda Aleksandra Landowska, Polish-French harpsichordist whose performances, teaching, recordings, and writings played a large role in reviving the popularity of the harpsichord in the early 20th century. She was the first person to record Johann Sebastian Bach's "Goldberg Variations" on the harpsichord. (J.S.Bach, Wanda Landowska, Harpsichord Goldberg Theme & Variations BWV 988. Uploaded by Poesia & Musica por Xavier-Perez. Accessed July 5, 2016. Wanda Landowska Plays Mozart Sonata KV332 in F Major, Recorded 1939. Accessed July 5, 2017.)

1880 - Jan Kubelik, Czech violinist, father of conductor Rafael Kubelik. Around the turn of the century, considered the greatest violinists were Ysaye, Kubelik, Joachim, Sarasate, and Kreisler. This times were before Heifetz, Huberman, and Prihoda. (Listen to Jan Kubelic play his cadenza to Paganini's Concerto No. 1. Uploaded by rareviolintreasures. Accessed July 5, 2013.)

1889 - Jean Cocteau, French writer, poet, playwright, designer, visual artist, filmmaker and critic. He is best known for his novels Le Grand Écart, Le Livre Blanc, and Les Enfants Terribles; the stage plays Le Voix Humaine (1930), La Machine Infernale (1934), Les Parents terribles, La Machine à écrire, and L'Aigle à deux têtes; and the films The Blood of a Poet, Les Parents Terribles, from his own eponymous piéce, Beauty and the Beast, Orpheus, and Testament of Orpheus, which alongside Blood of a Poet and Orpheus constitute the so-called Orphic Trilogy. He was described as "one of [the] avant-garde's most successful and influential filmmakers" by AllMovie. (J.Cocteau Documentary #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6. YouTube, uploaded by Hershel Layton. Accessed July 5, 2018.)

1891 - John Howard Northrop, American biochemist, Nobel laureate. He shared with James Batcheller Sumner and Wendell Meredith Stanley the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The award was given for these scientists' isolation, crystallization, and study of enzymes, proteins, and viruses. Northrop was was a Professor of Bacteriology and Medical Physics, Emeritus, at University of California, Berkeley. For his 1939 book, Crystalline Enzymes: The Chemistry of Pepsin, Trypsin, and Bacteriophage, Northrop was awarded the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the National Academy of Sciences. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1949.

1929 - Katherine Marie Helmond, American actress. Over her five decades of television acting, she was known for her starring role as ditzy matriarch Jessica Tate on the sitcom Soap and her co-starring role as feisty mother Mona Robinson on Who's the Boss?. She also played Doris Sherman on Coach and Lois Whelan (the mother of Debra Barone) on Everybody Loves Raymond.

Lefties:
Founder of the Davis Cup Dwight Davis
Actress Katherine Helmond

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 5 July - On This Day.
 

 

Featuring: Jean Cocteau (1889-1963)

Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) is best known for his novel Les Enfants Terribles, and the films The Blood of a Poet, Les Parents Terribles, Beauty and the Beast and Orpheus. His circle of friends and associates included:  Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, Gertrude Stein, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Yul Brynner, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Erik Satie, Igor Stravinsky, Edith Piaf, Colette, Jean Genet, Raymond Radiguet, and other famous people from the arts, classical music, literary and film industry.

Durey: Le Printemps au Fond de la Mer - Poeme of Cocteau (1920). Composer: Louis Durey (1920). Librettist: Jean Cocteau.  (Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises. Durey: Le Printemps au Fond de la Mer - Poeme Of Cocteau (1920) · Louis Durey · Jean Cocteau & Les Six.) Accessed July 5, 2018.

Historical Events

1865 - William Booth holds the first meeting of the East London Christian Mission in a tent in London's Whitechapel. In May 1878, he changes the mission's name to what is now famously known as the Salvation Army.

1946 - The Bikini is first shown at a fashion show at a Paris swimming pool. Louis Reard, its creator stated that it would cause a stir as big as an atomic bomb explosion and named it the "bikini" coined after the Pacific atoll where the U.S. detonated an atoamic bomb previously.

July 4 Dateline

Birthdays

1790 - Colonel Sir George Everest CB FRS FRAS FRGS, British surveyor and geographer who served as Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843. He is best known for having Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, named in his honour.

1804 - Nathaniel Hawthorne (born Nathaniel Hathorne), American novelist and short story writer, famous for The Scarlet Letter. His writings center on New England, and works featuring moral metaphors with an anti-Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic movement and, specifically, dark romanticism. His themes often focus on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. His published works include novels, short stories, and a biography of his college friend Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States.(Time, Life & Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Uploaded by Zane Education. Accessed July 4, 2016. The Scarlet Letter. Uploaded by YouTube Movies. Accessed July 4, 2017. Mojo Notes: The Scarlet Letter. Uploaded by WatchMojo.com. Accessed July 4, 2018)

1826 - Stephen C. Foster, American song composer, known as "father of American music" (Sharing "Beautiful Dreamer" (1864), with Leslie Guinn, baritone, and Gilbert Kalish, piano. It's an all-time favourite work by S. Foster, a song I've loved and sung since in my teens. Thank you, Stephen Foster. Uploaded by oppie47. Accessed July 4, 2015. Beautiful things always have a place in the heart.)   

1884 - Louis Burt Mayer (born Lazar Meir), American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became the film industry's most prestigious movie studio, accumulating the largest concentration of leading writers, directors and stars in Hollywood.

1900 - Louis Daniel Armstrong, nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", American jazz trumpeter, composer, vocalist, and actor. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s, and different eras in the history of jazz. Armstrong was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.

1924 - Eva Marie Saint, American actress, best known for starring in Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront  and Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest; the former won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She received Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations for A Hatful of Rain and won a Primetime Emmy Award for the television miniseries People Like Us. Her film career also includes roles in Raintree County, Exodus, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, Grand Prix, Nothing in Common (1986), Because of Winn-Dixie, Superman Returns, and Winter's Tale.

1927 - Marvin Neil Simon, American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote numerous plays and movie screenplays, mostly adaptations of his plays. He has received more combined Oscar and Tony Award nominations than any other writer. His first produced play was Come Blow Your Horn (1961). It was followed by two more successes, Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple, winning a Tony Award for the latter. It made him a national celebrity and "the hottest new playwright on Broadway." His style ranged from farce to romantic comedy to more serious dramatic comedy. Overall, he garnered 17 Tony nominations and won three awards. In 1966, he had four successful productions running on Broadway at the same time, and in 1983 he became the only living playwright to have a New York theatre, the Neil Simon Theatre, named in his honor.

1927 - Gina Lollobrigida (born Luigina Lollobrigida), Italian actress and since retirement, photojournalist. She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s, and an international sex symbol. In the 1970s, as a photojournalist, she achieved a scoop by gaining access to Fidel Castro for an exclusive interview.  She is an active supporter of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), receiving the NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award at the Foundation's Anniversary Gala in 2008. She sold her jewelry collection, and donated the nearly $5 million from the sale for stem cell therapy research benefit.

Lefties:
Actress Eva Marie Saint 

 

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 4 July - On This Day.

Historical Events

1776 - This day, 4TH OF JULY, the American Declaration of Independence prepared by U.S. statesman Thomas Jefferson, is signed and approved by John Hancock, the President of the Continental Congress of America. Delegates from the 12 colonies sign on August 2, making the U.S. the world's oldest existing republic. However, the treaty with Great Britain is not signed until another five years. 

1826 - On the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, its author and signatory, and John Adams, signatory, and second President of the U.S., both die of natural causes.

July 3 Dateline

Birthdays

1854 - Leoš Janáček (Leos Janacek), Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. His "Sinfonietta" is widely considered his finest orchestral work, most vibrant and life-affirming music. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research. Janáček's later works are his most celebrated. They include operas such as Káťa Kabanová and The Cunning Little Vixen, the Sinfonietta, the Glagolitic Mass, the rhapsody Taras Bulba, two string quartets, and other chamber works. Along with Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana, he is considered one of the most important Czech composers. (Leoš Janáček "Sinfonietta", interpreted by Jiří Bělohlávek, uploaded by HarpsichordA6, Accessed July 3, 2019. Sinfonietta performed by Hallé Orchestra with Sir Mark Elder, conductor Live recording. London, Proms 2011. YouTube, uploaded by Classical Vault 1. Accessed July 3, 2022.)

1878 - George Michael Cohan, American song composer, entertainer, playwright, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudeville act known as "The Four Cohans". Known in his time and before WWI as "the man who owned Broadway", he is considered the father of American musical comedy. His life and music were depicted in the Oscar-winning film Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and the 1968 musical George M!. His statue in Times Square New York City commemorates his contributions to American musical theatre.

1883 - Franz Kafka,  German-speaking Bohemian Jewish novelist and short-story writer, regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His strange and disturbing tales have had great influence. His work, which fuses elements of realism and the fantastic, typically features isolated protagonists facing bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible socio-bureaucratic powers, and has been interpreted as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity. His best known works include "Die Verwandlung" ("The Metamorphosis"), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle). The term Kafkaesque has entered the English language to describe situations like those found in his writing.  (Literature: Franz Kafka. Uploaded by The School of Life. Accessed July 3, 2017.  Here's a brilliantly illustrated presentation of The Metamorphosis by Franz kafka, illustrated by Sandy Veliz, music by Dmitri Shostakovitch. Uploaded by Andrew Boswell. Accessed July 3, 2019.)

1906 - George (Henry) Sanders, British film and TV Actor, singer-songwriter, composer, and author. His upper-class English accent and bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous characters. Amongst others, he's best known as Jack Favell in Rebecca (1940),  Addison DeWitt in All About Eve (1950, for which he won an Oscar), Sir Brian De Bois-Guilbert in Ivanhoe (1952), King Richard the Lionheart in King Richard and the Crusaders (1954), and Mr. Freeze in a two-parter episode of Batman (1966). He was also Simon Templar, The Saint, in five films made in the 1930s & 1940s, before the famous 1960s TV series of the same title portrayed by the late Sir Roger Moore.

1927 - Ken Russell (born Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell), British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were  mainly liberal adaptations of existing texts, or biographies, notably of composers of the Romantic era. Russell began directing for the BBC, where he made creative adaptations of composers' lives unusual for the time. He directed feature films independently and for studios. He is best known for his Oscar-winning film Women in Love, The Devils, The Who's Tommy, and the science fiction film Altered States. Russell also directed films based on the lives of classical music composers, such as Elgar, Delius, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Liszt.

1930 - Carlos Kleiber, Austrian conductor who is widely regarded as being among the greatest conductors of all time. Kleiber's unique conducting style is preserved on video in a number of performances, including: Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 and Symphony No. 7 from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus from Munich, Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier from both Munich and Vienna, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 36th symphony and Brahms' second symphony from the Musikverein in Vienna; Mozart's 33rd symphony and Bizet's Carmen from Vienna. He led the New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic in 1989 and 1992, both preserved on video.

 
1937 - Tom Stoppard, Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter, prolifically writing for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, The Invention of Love, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. He co-wrote the screenplays for Brazil, The Russia House, and Shakespeare in Love. He has received an Academy Award and four Tony Awards. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship and political freedom, often delving into the deeper philosophical thematics of society. One of the most performed dramatists of his generation, he has been a key playwright of the National Theatre. In 2008, The Daily Telegraph ranked him number 11 in their list of the "100 most powerful people in British culture". (The Hard Problem - An interview with Tom Stoppard. Uploaded by LincolnTheaterCentre. Accessed July 3, 2019.) 

1943 - Judith Durham AO (born Judith Mavis Cock), Australian singer, songwriter and musician who became the lead singer of the Australian popular folk music group the Seekers in 1963.The group became the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the U.K. and the U.S. selling over 50 million records worldwide. (The World of The Seekers (1968 TV Special). YouTube, uploaded by Phildy65. Accessed July 3, 2022.) Judy Durham left the group in mid 1968 to pursue her solo career however made sporadic recordings and performances with the Seekers, though she remained primarily a solo performer. On 1 July 2015, she was named Victorian of the Year for her services to music and a range of charities. (The Seekers - The Carnival is over. Youtube, uploaded by rich963. Accessed August 5, 2022. Seekers - I'll never find another you. Youtube. uploaded by Seeker Keeper. Accessed August 5, 2022.)

 

1957 - Laura (Ann) Branigan, American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single "Gloria", stayed on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking at No. 2. It also reached number one in Australia and Canada. In 1984, she reached number one in Canada and Germany with the U.S. No. 4 hit "Self Control". In the UK, both "Gloria" and "Self Control" made it to Top 10 in the Singles Chart.

1962 - Tom Cruise (born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV), American actor and producer. He has received various accolades for his work, including three Golden Globe Awards and three nominations for Academy Awards. With a net worth of $570 million as of 2020, he is one of the highest-paid actors in the world. In addition, his films have grossed over $4 billion in North America and over $10.1 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing box office stars of all time.

1970 - Audra Ann McDonald, American actress and singer. Her melodious soprano voice and expressive stage presence made her a primary figure on Broadway in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win all four acting categories. She has performed in musicals, operas, and dramas such as A Moon for the Misbegotten, 110 in the Shade, Carousel, Ragtime, Master Class and Porgy and Bess. (I'll be Here, Audra McDonald. Provided by NoneSuch. Accessed July 3, 2016. A. McDonald - Somewhere Over the Rainbow. YouTube, uploaded by ljcisner. Accessed July 3, 2020.)

Lefties:
Author and Columnist Dave Barry
Actor Tom Cruise

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 3 July - On This Day.

Featured: 

Franz Kafka, a Grieving Girl and her Doll 

A story about Franz Kafka and his gift to a grieving girl.

There are many versions of this story. I've chosen two from my readings and searches: One from The Charlotte Observer (Reading Matter) written by Dannye Romine Powell entitled "Kafka's gift to a grieving girl"; the other, from HUFFPOST by May Benatar entitled "Kafka and the Doll: The Pervasiveness of Loss".

Related link:  Where Franz Kafka lived, 1923/24: Berlin-Steglitz (Ševčik -- Bratza). (Uploaded by jurek46pink. Accessed July 3, 2016.)  Kafka's laryngeal tuberculosis worsened and in March 1924 he returned from Berlin to Prague, where members of his family, principally his sister Ottla and Dora Diamant, took care of him. He went to Dr. Hoffmann's sanatorium in Kierling just outside Vienna for treatment on 10 April, and died there. I'm sharing this related video, "Where Franz Kafka lived, 1923/24: Berlin-Steglitz (Ševčik -- Bratza)", and where the experience must have transpired.

Historical Events

1608 - The settlement of Quebec is founded by Samuel de Champlain, marking the beginning of European settlement of Canada.

1886 - Inventor and car manufacturer, Karl Benz, demonstrates in Mannheim his automobile in public. The vehicle travels at 10 miles per hour (16 km/h).

July 2 Dateline

Birthdays

1714 - Christoph Willibald Gluck, German opera composer and harpsichord & voice teacher of French queen Marie Antoinette. He gained prominence at the Habsburg court at Vienna where he brought about the practical reform of opera's dramaturgical practices for which many intellectuals had been campaigning. With a series of radical new works in the 1760s, among them Orfeo ed Euridice and Alceste, he broke the stranglehold that Metastasian opera seria had enjoyed. Gluck introduced more drama by using simpler recitative and cutting the usually long da capo aria. (Iphigénie en Tauride, Pinchgut Opera Production. Accessed February 11, 2015. Iphigénie en Tauride. Grand Théâtre de Genève, 2015 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5). Uploaded by Lukas Hemleb. Accessed March 24, 2020.)  

1877 - Hermann Hesse (born Hermann Karl Hesse), German-born poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include Demian, Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game, each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

1956 - Jerry Hall, American model and actress. Hall had been on 40 magazine covers including Italian Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Her long blonde hair and height of six feet quickly made her one of the most visible and photographed models of the day. In 2016, Hall won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fashion Group International Dallas. She was a muse for artists Francesco Clemente, Ed Ruscha and Lucian Freud. Hall modeled for Andy Warhol many times. Hall also appeared in movies and London West End stage.

1990 - Margot Elise Robbie, Australian actress and film producer. She has received nominations for two Academy Awards and five BAFTA Awards. Robbie gained critical praise and nominations for the BAFTA Award and Academy Award for Best Actress for portraying the disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding in the biopic I, Tonya (2017). This acclaim continued for her roles as Queen Elizabeth I in the period drama Mary Queen of Scots, Sharon Tate in the comedy-drama Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and a fictional Fox News employee in the drama Bombshell. She received BAFTA Award nominations for all three and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the lattermost. In 2017, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2019, she was ranked among the world's highest-paid actresses.

Lefties:
None known 

 

More birthdays and historical today, 2 July - On This Day.

 

 

Historical Events

1644 - The Battle of Marston Moor is fought. It is the first major batttle of the English Civil War between the King Charles I and forces of Parliament. The victory is for the Roundheads, the parliamentary forces under Cromwell.

1819 - In Great Britain, the Factory Act is passed, banning children under 9 years old from working in cotton mills, and limiting children between the ages of 9 and 16 to 12 hours work a day.

1881 - The 20th U.S. President James Garfield, is shot in the back while waiting for a train. He dies from the wounds on September 19. Charles Guiteau, his assassin, is hanged on June 30, 1882.

July 1 Dateline

Birthdays

1646 - Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz (sometimes spelled Leibnitz), German polymath, logicians, mathematician and natural philosopher of the Enlightenment. His most prominent accomplishment was conceiving the ideas of differential and integral calculus, independently of Isaac Newton's contemporaneous developments. Mathematical works have consistently favored Leibniz's notation as the conventional expression of calculus. It was only in the 20th century that Leibniz's law of continuity and transcendental law of homogeneity found mathematical implementation (by means of non-standard analysis). He became one of the most prolific inventors in the field of mechanical calculators. In philosophy, Leibniz is most noted for his optimism, i.e. his conclusion that our universe is, in a restricted sense, the best possible one that God could have created, an idea that was often lampooned by others such as Voltaire. Leibniz, along with René Descartes and Baruch Spinoza, was one of the three great 17th-century advocates of rationalism.  He made major and significant contributions to science and technology especially in applied science, linguistics, and computer science. (Gottfried Biography. mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk. Accessed July 1, 2010.) 

1804 - George Sand (Amandine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin), French novelist and memoirist, equally well-known for her romantic affairs with with artists, including the composer and pianist Frédéric Chopin and the writer Alfred de Musset.  (George Sand: Life and Works. Uploaded by Literature forever. Accessed July 1, 2017. The Novel & Idealism: George Sand's 'Francois le champi' - Professor Belinda Jack. Uploaded by Gresham College. Accessed July 1, 2019.)

1899 - Charles Laughton, English stage and film actor. He played a wide range of classical and modern parts, making an impact in Shakespeare at the Old Vic. His film career took him to Broadway and then Hollywood, but he also collaborated with Alexander Korda on notable British films of the era, including The Private Life of Henry VIII, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the title character. Among Laughton's biggest film hits were The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Mutiny on the Bounty, Ruggles of Red Gap, Jamaica Inn, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Big Clock, and Witness for the Prosecution. In his later career, he took up stage directing.in which he also starred.

1916 - Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland, DBE, American-British-French actress whose film career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films, was one of the leading actors of her time, a movie star of the "Golden Age" of Classical Hollywood. (Olivia de Havilland - Documentary. Uploaded by WikiVidi Documentaries. Accessed July 1, 2018.)

1931 - Leslie Caron (born Leslie Claire Margaret Caron), French-American actress and dancer. Her autobiography, Thank Heaven, was published in 2010 in the UK and US, and in 2011 in a French version. Veteran documentarian Larry Weinstein's Leslie Caron: The Reluctant Star premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 28 June 2016. Caron is best known for the musical films An American in Paris her film debut, Lili, Daddy Long Legs, and Gigi, and for the nonmusical films Fanny, The L-Shaped Room, and Father Goose. She received two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. In 2006, her performance in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit won her an Emmy for guest actress in a drama series.

1952 - Dan Edward Akroyd, Canadian actor, producer, comedian, musician, and filmmaker who was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on Saturday Night Live. A musical sketch he performed with John Belushi on SNL, the Blues Brothers, turned into an actual performing band and into the film The Blues Brothers. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the film Driving Miss Daisy. He starred in his own sitcom, Soul Man.

1961 - Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, the heir apparent to the British throne, and the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry. Diana's activism and glamour made her an icon worldwide and earned her an enduring popularity as well as an unprecedented public scrutiny, exacerbated by her tumultuous private life.

Leftie:
Actor Dan Aykroyd

More birthdays and historical events today, 1 July - On This Day.

Historical Events

1796 - Edward Jenner inoculates 8-year-old James Phipps with smallpox. The boy had been previously vacinated with cowpox and so was immune to the deadly smallpox virus.

1801 - Ludwig van Beethoven writes his friend Carl Amenda: "... you should know that my most precious gift, my hearing, has much deteriorated ..." He passed away 26 years later,  in 1827, March 26.

June 30 Dateline

Birthdays

1685 - John Gay, English poet and playwright, member of the Scriblerus Club, an informal association of authors based in London, that came together in the early 18th century. The club members were prominent figures in the Augustan Age of English letters. The nucleus of the club included the satirists Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope. John Gay is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera, a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peachum, became household names. ("Over the Hills and Far Away" with Laurence Olivier as Captain Macheath and Dorothy Tutin in Peter Brook's 1953 version of John Gay's "Beggar's Opera". Uploaded by Allan Janus. Accessed June 30, 2010.)

1722 - Georg Anton Benda (Czech: Jiří Antonín Benda), Czech composer, violinist and Kapellmeister of the classical period. His most important contribution lies in the development of the German melodramas, a form of musical stage entertainment which influenced Mozart. Ariadne auf Naxos is generally considered his best work. At its debut in 1775, the opera received enthusiastic reviews in Germany and afterwards, in the whole of Europe, with music critics calling attention to its originality, sweetness, and ingenious execution. Benda also wrote instrumental pieces including sinfonias, keyboard sonatas & concertos, violin concertos and a smaller number of trio sonatas, violin and flute sonatas. (Benda : Sonatina in A minor for Piano. YouTube, uploaded by Sheetmusic2print. Accessed June 30, 2021.)
 

1917 - Lena Horne, American singer, dancer, actress. Her career spanned over 70 years, appearing in film, television, and theater. Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of 16 and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood.

1919 - Susan Hayward (born (born Edythe Marrenner), American actress and model. She was best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model, Hayward traveled to Hollywood in 1937 to audition for the role of Scarlett O'Hara. She secured a film contract and played several small supporting roles over the next few years. By the late 1940s, she achieved recognition for her dramatic abilities with the first of five Academy Award for Best Actress nominations for her performance as an alcoholic in Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman. Her success continued through the 1950s as she received nominations for My Foolish Heart, With a Song in My Heart,  and I'll Cry Tomorrow, winning the award for her portrayal of death row inmate Barbara Graham in I Want to Live!. For her performance in I'll Cry Tomorrow she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. (With a Song in my Heart (1952) Theatrical Trailer - Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, David Wayne. YouTube, uploaded by Biggest Trailer Database. Accessed June 30, 2019). The movie is a biographical film which tells the story of actress and singer Jane Froman.

 
1926 - Paul Berg, American Nobel Prize-winning biochemist and Professor Emeritus at Stanford University. He was the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1980, along with Walter Gilbert and Frederick Sanger. The award recognized their contributions to basic research involving nucleic acids.

1942 - Robert Duane Ballard, American oceanographer, retired United States Navy Officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology: maritime archaeology and archaeology of shipwrecks.

Leftie:
Oceanographer Robert D. Ballard

 

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 30 June - On This Day.

Historical Events

1905 - Albert Einstein publishes the article "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies". It is the first paper to mention special relativity, the theory that will change modern physics.

1934 - Adolf Hitler, German Fuehrer, orders the murder of hundreds of senior Nazis in the Night of the Long Knives.

1936 - The book Gone with the Wind by American author Margaret Mitchell is published by Macmillan. (Movie soundtrack suite - here)