Drewsky1211

60 a-ha – The Sun Always Shines on TV 43 The Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don’t Leave Me This Way 35 Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin 35 Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls 27 Rick Astley — Never Gonna Give You Up +4 26 Bee Gees - You Win Again -6 20 Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves me)

Shirley Temple died on this day 9 years ago, aged 85. - Temple was arguably the most successful child star of the 1930s. She retired from film in 1950, when she was 22 years old- but would eventually return to acting on television during the 1960s. - During the height of her popularity, detractors claimed that she was actually a 30-year old with dwarfism, that she either wore a wig or was not naturally blonde, and that she had all of her adult teeth, which were filed to look like baby teeth. - Temple ran as an independent candidate in the 1967 special election to fill California's 11th congressional seat. She received 3.5% of the vote. - Temple became a diplomat when Henry Kissinger overheard her talking about her knowledge of South West Africa (modern-day Namibia) when the two were at a party. - As Chief of Protocol of the United States (the first female one, too), she was responsible for the arrangement of Jimmy Carter's inaugural ball. - Temple was a member of the board of directors for several prominent companies, including Bank of America, UNESCO, and Disney. - Temple was not a fan of the non-alcoholic cocktail named after her, finding its taste too sweet. - Temple was a chronic smoker, but did not do it in public as she did not want to set a bad example for her fans. She died from COPD.

Roberta Flack is 86. Given her ALS diagnosis, this could very well be her last birthday.

60 a-ha – The Sun Always Shines on TV 40 Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin 39 The Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don’t Leave Me This Way 34 Pet Shop Boys — West End Girls 27 Rick Astley — Never Gonna Give You Up +3 25 Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) 25 Bee Gees — You Win Again 20 Madonna — La Isla Bonita -4 15 Falco – Rock Me Amadeus +1 5 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I Knew You Were Waiting For Me -2

Osamu Tezuka died on this day 34 years ago, aged 60. - Tezuka is nicknamed "The Japanese Walt Disney" due to his massive contributions to anime and manga- he created Astro Boy (1952) and Kimba the White Lion (1950)- the latter is suspected to have been a major influence on Disney's very own The Lion King. - Speaking of Disney, Tezuka became enamored with Disney films when his father showed them to him- he famously saw Bambi 80 times in theaters. - Tezuka considered his manga Phoenix to be his magnum opus- he worked on it from 1954 but never completed the story, with the last issue being released in February of 1988, a year before his death. - When he sold the American distribution rights to his shows to NBC, Tezuka was forced to follow strict censorship rules. Astro Boy was forced to hide that it was made in Japan (signs were changed from Japanese to English), and was not allowed to have a serialized story (something that many American cartoons in the 2010s now have). NBC also nearly made them put clothes on the animal characters of Kimba the White Lion (even though they were not anthropomorphic). - Tezuka was a distant descendant of the famous ninja Hattori Hanzo on his mother's side. - Tezuka died of stomach cancer, and his last words were "I'm begging you, let me work", directed to a nurse that tried to take away his drawing equipment.

Joe Pesci is 80.

59 A-ha – The Sun Always Shines on TV 47 The Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don’t Leave Me This Way 45 Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin 31 Madonna — La Isla Bonita 29 Falco – Rock Me Amadeus 25 Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) 24 Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up +4 23 Bee Gees - You Win Again 23 Pet Shop Boys — West End Girls 19 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I Knew You Were Waiting For Me -3 9 Starship — Nothing`s Gonna Stop Us Now 6 Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach -3

Charles Curtis died on this day 87 years ago, aged 76. - Curtis was the first (and so far only) Native American US Vice President- he was 3/8 Native, and a member of the Kaw Nation. Here's a video that goes into more detail: - Curtis was a polyglot whose mother taught him French and the Kansa language. - Before getting into politics, Curtis was a horse racing jockey. - Curtis was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1892, and served there until being elected to the US Senate during a seat vacancy. He was not reelected when Kansas' state legislature became a Democrat-majority, but was re-elected in 1914 after the passage of the 17th Amendment, and served until becoming Herbert Hoover's VP. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 1924 to 1929. - Curtis inaugurated the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles.

John Williams is 91.

56 a-ha – The Sun Always Shines On TV 46 Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don’t Leave Me This Way 46 Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin 32 Rick Astley — Never Gonna Give You Up +4 30 Madonna – La Isla Bonita 27 Bee Gees - You Win Again 26 Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now 26 Falco – Rock Me Amadeus 23 Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) 21 Pet Shop Boys — West End Girls 21 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I Knew You Were Waiting For Me 12 Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach 12 Berlin - Take My Breath Away 8 Mel & Kim — Respectable -3 8 T’Pau – China In Your Hand -3

Pope Pius IX died on this day 145 years ago, aged 85. - Pius' non-papal name was Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti- his full baptismal name was Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai Ferretti. - Pius was elected pope after the death of Pope Gregory XVI- with a 31 year and 8 month reign, Pius has the longest verifiable papacy (Peter, the first pope, allegedly ruled for 34-38 years). - Pius was against the Roman Republic, and undid their religious freedom laws when France defeated them. This included re-institutionalizing Rome's Jewish ghetto (they were free to live elsewhere in the republic's borders). - Pius was the first pope to be photographed. (This particular one was from 1871) - Pius initiated the Vatican I ecumenical council in 1868. It defined papal infallibility as that the pope is always correct when teaching morals or lessons of faith. - Pius ordered the preservation of the Colosseum and Roman Christian catacombs. - After Italy annexed the Papal States in 1870, Pius refused to recognize the new kingdom, and excommunicated King Victor Emmanuel II. He would recommunicate Victor Emmanuel shortly before his death in January 1878- Pius died a month later. - Pius consecrated the first American cardinal, John McCloskey, in 1875. - Pius suffered from seizures throughout his entire life, and one of those is what killed him. - Pius was made a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

Chris Rock is 58.

57 A-ha – The Sun Always Shines On TV 44 Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin +2 38 Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don’t Leave Me This Way 34 Madonna – La Isla Bonita 30 Rick Astley — Never Gonna Give You Up +3 27 Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now 26 Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) 26 Bee Gees - You Win Again 24 Pet Shop Boys — West End Girls 23 Mel & Kim – Respectable 21 Berlin – Take My Breath Away 21 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I Knew You Were Waiting For Me 19 T’Pau – China In Your Hand -2 18 Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach 18 Falco – Rock Me Amadeus +1 9 Wham – Edge of Heaven 6 Los Lobos - La Bamba 3 George Michael – A Different Corner -2 2 Jackie Wilson – Reet Petite -2

King George VI died on this day 71 years ago, aged 56. - George's birth name was Albert, and he was born on the 34th death anniversary of his namesake great-grandfather (Prince Albert- Queen Victoria's husband). Victoria was pleased by the name; his mother Mary did not like it. His nickname was "Bertie". - In 1917, George was excused from combat in World War I due to an intestinal ulcer. - George was called "The Industrial Prince" as he often represented his father (King George V) on visits to factories and mines. - George and the future Queen Mother went big game hunting in Africa in 1925- among the animals they shot were a gazelle and a cape buffalo. - George was once considered for the role of Governor-General of Canada by the prime minister in 1931- George V rejected this offer. - World War II and Indian independence were the major events of his 15-year reign. Besides India/Pakistan/Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar) and Palestine/Israel also achieved independence. - George was a heavy smoker, and his left lung was removed when a malignant tumor was found. Despite pulmonary disease, George died from a coronary thrombosis.

Mamie Van Doren is 92.

Was also the voice of Victor the gargoyle in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

55 A-ha – The Sun Always Shines On TV 44 Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin 40 Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) 36 Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don’t Leave Me This Way 33 Rick Astley — Never Gonna Give You Up +4 28 Madonna — La Isla Bonita 26 Falco – Rock Me Amadeus 25 Mel & Kim – Respectable 25 Pet Shop Boys — West End Girls 23 Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now 23 Bee Gees – You Win Again 22 Berlin – Take My Breath Away 21 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I Knew You Were Waiting For Me 15 T’Pau – China In Your Hand -3 15 Wham – Edge of Heaven 15 Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach 12 George Michael – A Different Corner 12 Jackie Wilson – Reet Petite 12 Los Lobos – La Bamba 6 Diana Ross – Chain Reaction -3 6 Ben E. King – Stand By Me 4 MARRS - Pump Up the Volume

Rolf Harris.

Kirk Douglas died on this day 3 years ago, aged 103. Douglas starred in films such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Lust for Life, and most notably 1960's Spartacus. Later in life, he starred in movies that included Saturn 3, Tough Guys, and The Man from Snowy River- and in 1997, guest starred as Chester J. Lampwick, the original creator of Itchy, in The Simpsons' episode "The Day the Violence Died". In 1991, Douglas survived a helicopter crash and began to reembrace his Jewishness- he was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants (his birth name was Issur Danielovitch, AKA Izzy Demsky) who wanted him to become a rabbi when he grew up (which he did not want, instead making his dream of becoming an actor come true). In 1996, he suffered a severe stroke that nearly led to him losing the ability to speak. Despite that, Douglas lived another 24 years, making 18 appearances on the DeathList- the most ever as of now (three times at number 1, from 2017 to 2019). His last words were an endorsement for Mike Bloomberg's 2020 presidential run: "Mike can get it done".

Nolan Bushnell, founder of both Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, is 80.

50 a-ha – The sun always shines on TV 42 Pet Shop Boys – It´s a sin 39 Rick Astley — Never gonna give you up +4 36 Whitney Houston – I wanna dance with somebody (who loves me) 36 Falco – Rock me Amadeus 32 Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don´t leave me this way 32 M/A/R/R/S - Pump up the volume 24 Pet Shop Boys — West End Girls 24 Madonna – La isla bonita 24 Bee Gees - You Win Again 22 T´Pau – China in your hand 23 Starship – Nothing´s gonna stop us now 22 Berlin – Take my breath away 21 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I knew you wait’n (fo me) 21 Jackie Wilson – Reet Petite 21 Mel & Kim – Respectable 16 Los Lobos – La Bamba 16 Madonna – Papa don´t preach 14 George Michael – A different corner -2 13 Ben E. King – Stand by me 12 Wham – The edge of heaven 7 Madonna – True Blue -2 7 Diana Ross – Chain Reaction -2

Pope Sisinnius died on this day 1315 years ago, aged 57. Sisinnius was born in Tyre in modern-day Lebanon in 650- less than 20 years after the Rashidun Caliphate subjugated it. It is unknown when or how he got to Rome. Sisinnius was selected as pope following the death of Pope John VII in October of 707, with the papacy being vacant for three months. However, Sisinnius' reign was extremely short- at three weeks, Sisinnius has the fifth-shortest pontificate, dying from gout because the disease left him unable to feed himself. One of the few things he did was order the restoration of walls erected by the Romans, and consecrating a bishop of Corsica. Sisinnius was succeeded by Pope Constantine, who some believe was his younger brother.

Dan Quayle is 76.

43 a-ha – The sun always shines on TV 37 Pet Shop Boys – It´s a sin 35 Whitney Houston – I wanna dance with somebody (who loves me) 32 Falco – Rock me Amadeus 32 Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don´t leave me this way 30 Rick Astley — Never gonna give you up +4 29 Starship – Nothing´s gonna stop us now 28 Pet Shop Boys — West End Girls 25 Los Lobos – La Bamba 24 Bee Gees - You Win Again 24 MARRS - Pump up the volume 23 T´Pau – China in your hand 23 Madonna – Papa don´t preach 22 Berlin – Take my breath away 22 Madonna – La isla bonita 21 Jackie Wilson – Reet Petite 21 Mel & Kim – Respectable 19 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I knew you were waiting (for me) 19 Diana Ross – Chain Reaction 18 George Michael – A different corner 17 Ben E. King – Stand by me 14 Wham – The edge of heaven 9 The Housemartins – Caravan of love -3 9 Madonna – True Blue 9 Billy Ocean – When the going gets tough, the tough gets going 8 Steve ´Silk` Hurley – Jack your body 3 Boy George - Everything I Own -3

Woodrow Wilson died on this day 99 years ago, aged 67. Decided that I liked doing fast facts for self-explanatory figures (28th US President), so here's some about Wilson. - Wilson went by his middle name- his first name was Thomas. - Only president with a PhD (in political science), and would later become president of Princeton University. These accomplishments earned him the nickname "The Schoolmaster". - Won in a landslide in the 1912 election due to a split Republican vote between the Taft and (more progressive) Roosevelt wings (leaves me wondering if it will repeat itself with Trump and DeSantis in 2024). - Was incredibly racist, seeking to decrease the amount of Black people in the federal government, segregated the US Navy (when it wasn't before), and had the first movie screened in the White House be The Birth of a Nation- he openly praised the KKK. This may be due to the fact that his childhood was spent in Confederate Virginia and that the first memory he could remember was news about Lincoln's election leading to war. - Had a flock of sheep graze on the White House lawn during World War I to save money, and to give their sheared wool to the Red Cross to help make medical supplies. - Suffered a severe stroke in October of 1919. His wife Edith would be the one to bring him papers regarding state affairs. - Only president to be interred in Washington, DC (in the National Cathedral).