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Andrew Jackson died on this day 178 years ago, aged 78. - Jackson was fatherless- Andrew Sr. died three weeks before his birth in a logging accident. - When he was 13 years old, Jackson served in the American Revolution with his brothers Hugh and Robert, and he was a courier and scout. Andrew and Robert were captured by British troops in 1781; he famously refused to polish a British officer's boots, leading to him striking him with a sword and leaving scars on his hand and face. - Jackson was also well known for his service in the War of 1812 (particularly as the commanding American general at the Battle of New Orleans) and the Creek War. - Jackson also survived at least 13 duels- historians suggest that all the bullets lodged in his body made Jackson rattle when he walked. - Jackson won the electoral and popular vote in the 1824 election, but since he did not receive 50% of the votes, the House of Representatives voted to elect John Quincy Adams. Jackson would defeat him in a rematch in 1828. - Jackson is considered the founder of the modern Democratic Party, alongside Martin Van Buren (who would serve as his Vice President from 1833 to 1837, and who he handpicked as his successor). - In 1835, Jackson became the only US president to pay off the US's national debt, a task which is virtually impossible almost 200 years later (31 trillion dollars and counting). - Jackson was the first US president to have had an assassination attempt made against them: in 1835, a man named Richard Lawrence tried to shoot Jackson twice, but both of his pistols backfired. Jackson then beat Lawrence with his cane. - In his post-presidency, Jackson advocated for the admission of Texas to the union, arguing that the British could use it as a base to threaten the US. - Jackson's death was caused by a combination of heart failure, tuberculosis, and edema. His deathbed regrets were that he didn't kill Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun (the latter being his first VP from 1829 to 1832). His pet parrot, Poll, would be brought to his funeral, but had to be removed because she wouldn't stop swearing (a habit she took from him). - Jackson first appeared on the $20 bill in 1928 (with its current variant being made in 2003). In recent years, there have been calls to have him removed due to him being a slaveowner and his cruel treatment towards Native Americans (particularly during the Indian Wars and his initiation of the Trail of Tears). Harriet Tubman is expected to replace him on the bill by 2030 at the earliest, although he is expected to remain on the reverse side.

Nancy Sinatra is 83.

6/7/2023 62 The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black 33 The Four Tops – Reach Out I´ll Be There 27 Dusty Springfield – You Don´t Have To Say You Love Me 27 The Spencer Davis Group – Keep On Running 27 The Monkees — I’m A Believer +4 18 Nancy Sinatra — These Boots Are Made For Walkin' 18 The Kinks — Sunny Afternoon 16 Procol Harum – A Whiter Shade Of Pale 12 The Walker Brothers – The Sun Ain´t Gonna Shine Anymore 11 Scott McKenzie – San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) -6

Christopher Lee died on this day 8 years ago, aged 93. - One of Lee's great-grandparents was the opera singer Marie Carandini. - Lee's first film role came in 1948's Corridor of Mirrors as Charles- the character had only one spoken line. - Lee's breakout roles came when he became a mainstay of Hammer Films' horror movies, starring in The Curse of Frankenstein, The Mummy, and seven Dracula films, all as the leading monsters. - Lee soon became fearful of being typecast, so in the 1970s he starred in the James Bond film The Man With the Golden Gun as Francisco Scaramanga, and also made an appearance in Airport '77. Lee also provided his voice to 1982's The Last Unicorn as the villainous King Haggard. - Lee's career had a renaissance in the early 2000s, and many of his best known roles come from this period- for example, Saruman in The Lord of the Rings films and Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (a role he reprised for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show): - Lee would also often collaborate with Tim Burton during this time, having roles in his films like Sweeney Todd, Corpse Bride, the live-action Alice in Wonderland remake, and the 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. - Lee would be knighted during the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2009. - Lee made three appearances on the DeathList; in 2009, 2014 and 2015, where he was the fifth death of the fourteen that year. - Lee died 11 days after his 93rd birthday; his wife delayed the public announcement of his death until four days after it happened.

Man vs. Wild host (and serial piss-drinker) Bear Grylls is 49.

6/6/2023 (one of the 12 days of the year that reads the same in the US and UK) 64 The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black 35 The Spencer Davis Group – Keep On Running 31 The Monkees — I’m A Believer +4 29 Dusty Springfield – You Don´t Have To Say You Love Me 29 The Four Tops – Reach Out I´ll Be There 28 The Kinks – Sunny Afternoon 25 Nancy Sinatra – These Boots Are Made For Walkin' 22 The Walker Brothers – The Sun Ain´t Gonna Shine Anymore 20 Procol Harum — A Whiter Shade Of Pale 12 Scott McKenzie – San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) -6

Robert F. Kennedy died on this day 55 years ago, aged 42. - Robert is often known by his initials or "Bobby"; his older brother JFK called him "Black Robert" due to his prude nature. - RFK served in the Navy during World War II from 1944 to 1946. - In 1950, he married Ethel Skakel (#18 on the list), and they had 11 children between 1951 and 1968- their youngest, Rory, was born after RFK's death. - RFK served on Adlai Stevenson II's 1956 presidential campaign, but was dissatisfied with him and voted for Dwight D. Eisenhower. - After helping his older brother's campaign, he would be made the US Attorney General; during his tenure he prosecuted Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters. - While he was a supporter of the civil rights movement, RFK authorized the FBI to wiretap MLK's phone after accusations of the latter's association with communists. - Many people were in favor of RFK becoming LBJ's running mate in 1964- this did not happen due to their mutual dislike of each other, and Johnson ultimately chose Hubert Humphrey. - RFK instead ran for the US Senate for New York in 1964, winning by a landslide 700,000 votes. He would then declare his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination for president in March of 1968. - On June 5, 1968, RFK was shot three times at the Ambassador Hotel in LA, and died from his wounds the next day. Like his older brother's assassination, there are conspiracy theories surrounding it- his own son, Robert Kennedy Jr., believes that Sirhan Sirhan was not the assassin and that a second gunman was involved. On the other hand, the initial report states that Sirhan- who is Palestinian- shot RFK for his support of Israel in the Six-Day War. - RFK wished to be buried in his native Massachusetts, but was interred near his brother at Arlington National Cemetery. His younger brother Ted would also be interred there after his death in 2009:

(Abdicated) King Albert II of Belgium is 89.

6/5/2023 64 The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black 36 The Spencer Davis Group – Keep On Running 36 Dusty Springfield – You Don´t Have To Say You Love Me 31 The Monkees — I’m A Believer 27 Nancy Sinatra – These Boots Are Made For Walkin' 27 The Walker Brothers – The Sun Ain´t Gonna Shine Anymore 27 Procol Harum — A Whiter Shade Of Pale 26 The Four Tops – Reach Out I'll Be There 26 The Kinks – Sunny Afternoon 20 Scott McKenzie – San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) -6 15 The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations +4

Ray Bradbury died on this day 11 years ago, aged 91. - Bradbury's middle name, Douglas, was given to him as his parents were fans of actor Douglas Fairbanks Sr. - Bradbury wrote his first science fiction stories at the age of 12, taking inspiration from HG Wells, Jules Verne, and Edgar Rice Burroughs- he wrote a sequel fanfiction to the latter's The Warlord of Mars from the John Carter books. Bradbury also wrote short horror, using Edgar Allan Poe as a muse. - Bradbury earned his first money for writing when he was 14- he sold a joke to George Burns for him to use on his radio show; he had met him due to living near Hollywood and roller skating there almost daily. - Bradbury's first published story was made when he was 17, and the sci-fi magazine that published it would sponsor his trip to the 1st World Science Fiction Convention in New York in 1939. - Among Bradbury's most well-known novels were The Martian Chronicles (1950), Something Wicked this Way Comes (1962), and most notably the Orwellian Fahrenheit 451 (1953). - Bradbury was known to have been friends with Walt Disney and Ray Harryhausen, and the latter was the best man at his wedding in 1947. In 1965, Bradbury suggested that he help work on Tomorrowland at Disneyland- Walt responded with "You’re a genius, and I’m a genius. After two weeks, we’d kill each other." - Bradbury hosted The Ray Bradbury Theater on HBO and USA Network from 1985 to 1992, with each episode based on a short story he wrote. - Bradbury was appointed the screenwriter for the film Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland in 1982, but dropped out of the film's production in 1985- it was released in Japan in 1989 after an 8-year production period (and 1992 in the US). - Bradbury was known for his conservative political views- he praised Ronald Reagan (who he coincidentally shares a death anniversary with) as the best president, and called Bill Clinton a shithead. The only time he voted Democrat after 1968 was Jimmy Carter in 1976. - Bradbury suffered a stroke in 1999, before retiring from appearing at sci-fi conventions in 2009. - Bradbury would make three appearances on the DeathList beginning in 2010, and was the fifth hit (out of 12) of 2012.

Joe Clark, prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980, is 84.

6/4/2023 58 The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black 39 Procol Harum — A Whiter Shade Of Pale 34 The Monkees — I’m A Believer +2 32 The Walker Brothers – The Sun Ain´t Gonna Shine Anymore 31 The Four Tops – Reach Out I´ll Be There 31 Dusty Springfield – You Don´t Have To Say You Love Me 30 The Kinks – Sunny Afternoon 26 The Spencer Davis Group – Keep On Running 25 Nancy Sinatra – These Boots Are Made For Walkin' 24 Scott McKenzie – San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) -1 17 The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations +2 15 The Beatles – Hello, Goodbye 11 The Bee Gees – Massachusetts 6 The Foundations – Baby, Now That I´ve Found You -5

Emperor Shomu died on this day 1267 years ago, aged 54. - Shomu's father, Emperor Monmu, died when he was 5 years old- before he became king in 724, his grandmother and aunt served as empresses in a regency period. - Shomu's reign, which lasted from 724 to 749, is known as the Jinki era (insert Velma from Scooby-Doo here). - Probably the most notable event to occur during his reign was a smallpox epidemic that lasted from 735 to 737. The plague killed 1 million (about a third of Japan's population at the time). After it ended, Shomu commissioned the Tōdai-ji Buddhist temple (which opened in 752). - Shomu's wife Empress Komyo (whom he married in 729) was the first Japanese consort to not have been born into the imperial family- she was a member of the Fujiwara clan. - Shomu moved Japan's capital several times. The first was in 741, from Heijō-kyō (Nara) to Kuni-kyō (Kizugawa), then in 744 to Naniwa-kyō (Osaka), the following year to Shigaraki-kyō (Koka) and then back to Nara. - Shomu abdicated after a 25-year reign in favor of his daughter Takano (regnal name Koken). He and his wife would become Buddhist monks afterwards.

Keith David is 67.

6/3/2023 58 The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black 39 The Walker Brothers – The Sun Ain´t Gonna Shine Anymore 37 Dusty Springfield – You Don´t Have To Say You Love Me 34 Procol Harum – A Whiter Shade Of Pale 33 Nancy Sinatra – These Boots Are Made For Walkin' 33 The Monkees – I´m A Believer +1 32 The Beatles – Hello, Goodbye 29 The Kinks – Sunny Afternoon 26 The Spencer Davis Group – Keep On Running 25 The Four Tops – Reach Out I´ll Be There 24 Scott McKenzie – San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) -3 21 The Bee Gees – Massachusetts 19 The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations +3 10 The Foundations – Baby, Now That I´ve Found You 7 The Small Faces – All Or Nothing -3