Drewsky1211

Stephen Hillenburg died on this day 4 years ago, aged 57. Hillenburg was a marine biologist who used a comic he created, called The Intertidal Zone, to educate his students. Among its characters was "Bob the Sponge": In 1987, Hillenburg left his job to pursue a career in animation- Hillenburg would direct many episodes of Rocko's Modern Life during its run from 1993 to 1996. After production on the show ended, Hillenburg pitched his own show to Nickelodeon- originally under the working title of Spongeboy Ahoy!, it got greenlit, and in 1999, premiered on the network as SpongeBob SquarePants. Hillenburg would occasionally provide voices, most notably as Potty, the puppet parrot of Patchy the Pirate, the president of the SpongeBob Fan Club (below). Hillenburg served as the showrunner from SpongeBob's inception until 2004, following the release of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (that was intended to be the series finale). Hillenburg would eventually return to the show in 2014, and worked on the story to The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, released in 2015. In March of 2017, Hillenburg announced that he was diagnosed with ALS, and he died after a 20-month battle. SpongeBob's 20th anniversary special ("SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout") and the third SpongeBob movie (The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run) were dedicated in his memory.

Natasha Bedingfield is 41.

87 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody +2 79 David Bowie – Space Oddity +2 67 ABBA – Waterloo 46 10CC – I’m Not in Love 38 Barry White – You`re the first, the last, my everything 36 Suzi Quatro – Devil Gate Drive 30 Bay City Rollers – Bye bye baby 28 Ken Boothe – Everything I own 11 Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – Make me smile (Come up and see me) -2 7 The Three Degrees – When will I see you again -4

Cuban dictator Fidel Castro died on this day 6 years ago, aged 90. Castro survived 638 assassination attempts by the CIA while he was in power (1959 to 2006- the last attempt was reportedly in 2001). Some highlights include the following: - poisoning a box of his cigars with botulinum toxin, another rigged with explosives - scuba diving related: hiding explosives in a seashell they painted- another was putting a fungus in his diving suit - a female contract killer who seduced him (she couldn't do it, and they later had sex) - a pen with a lethal injection within it - poisoned ice cream/milkshake Castro stepped down due to surgery for major intestinal bleeding, handing power to his younger brother Raul (who served until 2018). Castro would end up dying of natural causes. Castro also made a total of 13 DeathList appearances between 1994 and 2016, and was the ninth hit that year.

Ben Stein is 78.

Keep 1. Henry Kissinger 2. Bob Barker 3. Jimmy Carter 4. Nigel Starmer-Smith 5. Alan Greenspan 6. Dick Van Dyke 7. Tony Bennett 8. Harry Belafonte 9. Mel Brooks 10. Jacques Delors 11. Cleo Laine 12. David Attenborough 13. Rosalynn Carter 14. Jean-Marie Le Pen 15. Pele 16. Stanley Baxter 17. Noam Chomsky 18. Sandy Gall 19. Bobby Charlton 20. James Whale 21. Norman Tebbit 22. Milan Kundera 23. Burt Bacharach 24. Ted Kaczynski 25. Douglas Hurd Return 26. Pope Benedict XVI 27. Joanne Woodward 28. Barbara Walters 29. Bob Newhart 30. Linda Nolan 31. Shannen Doherty 32. Nigel Lawson 33. Yoko Ono 34. Rex Williams Debut 35. Rolf Harris 36. June Spencer 37. Glynis Johns 38. Eva Marie Saint 39. William Russell 40. David Graham 41. Roberta Flack 42. Gudrun Ure 43. Jonnie Irwin 44. Robert Wagner 45. Winnie Ewing 46. Dennis Skinner 47. Tom Lehrer 48. James Earl Jones 49. Kenneth Cope 50. Vladimir Putin (this was mostly copied from my most recent hypothetical list- I replaced some debut names)

82 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody +4 73 David Bowie – Space Oddity 67 ABBA – Waterloo 48 10CC – I’m Not in Love 41 Barry White – You`re the first, the last, my everything 33 Ken Boothe – Everything I own 30 Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – Make me smile (Come up and see me) 27 Bay City Rollers – Bye bye baby 25 Suzi Quatro – Devil Gate Drive 20 The Three Degrees – When will I see you again -2 16 George McCrae – Rock your baby -3 0 Tammy Wynette – Stand by your man -1

Freddie Mercury died on this day 31 years ago, aged 45. Mercury is a person who needs no introduction, so I'm going to discuss his battle with AIDS. He was diagnosed with the disease in 1987, although symptoms may have been present as early as 1982. Mercury kept his illness hidden due to the homophobic stigma associated with the disease at the time, only disclosing it to his bandmates and close ones, who denied any accusations. By the release of The Miracle, the media began to notice Mercury's gaunt appearance, particularly in music videos such as the one for "Scandal": By 1990, rumors about Mercury's health were persistent. Mercury's final album released during his lifetime, Innuendo, was released in 1991, and featured two songs that have been considered Freddie's swan song- "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" and "The Show Must Go On". While the latter's music video recycled footage from old ones, the former was the final original music video made for the band during Mercury's lifetime. He appeared with a lot of makeup applied to hide scars and further deterioration. Mercury released a statement confirming his illness on November 23, 1991, and died one day later from pneumonia associated with the disease. Mercury's final recordings with Queen were released on the 1995 album Made in Heaven, and the band formally disbanded in 1997 following the release of their tribute "No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)" (which also led to John Deacon's seclusion).

Pete Best, Beatles drummer replaced by Ringo Starr in 1962, is 81.

71 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody +2 67 David Bowie – Space Oddity +1 63 ABBA – Waterloo +1 50 10CC – I’m Not In Love 48 Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel Make me smile (Come up and see me) 46 Barry White – You`re the first, the last, my everything 30 Ken Boothe – Everything I own 29 Suzi Quatro – Devil Gate Drive 25 Bay City Rollers – Bye bye baby 23 The Three Degrees – When will I see you again 22 George McCrae – Rock your baby 16 Tammy Wynette – Stand by your man 10 Typically Tropical – Barbados -2 0 Johnny Nash – Tears on my pillow -4

Mary Whitehouse died on this day 21 years ago, aged 91. Whitehouse was a conservative leader who crusaded against certain things on television with her group, the Clean Up TV Campaign- specifically, things on the BBC. Among the things she complained about on the channel are as follows: - Footage of the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp because it was footage of war ("bound to shock and offend") - Swearing on shows such as Till Death Us Do Part (the show later mocked Whitehouse by burning a book she wrote in one episode) - Licentious dancing on The Benny Hill Show and sex jokes on The Dave Allen Show - Dennis Potter's Son of Man (claimed it was blasphemous) - Alice Cooper's "Schools Out" on Top of the Pops (she successfully campaigned to have it denied- Cooper would send Whitehouse flowers stating the publicity helped it top the UK Singles Chart) - Violence and peril on Doctor Who (particularly The Brain of Morbius and The Seeds of Doom respectfully) Whitehouse made four appearances on the DeathList between 1990 and 2001, and died of "terminal whinging" according to the committee.

Miley Cyrus is 30.

Cecilia "Cissy" Marshall, widow of Thurgood (the first African-American Supreme Court justice), has died at 94. Noting that she was 20 years his junior.

66 David Bowie – Space Oddity +1 65 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody +3 62 ABBA - Waterloo 57 10CC - I’m Not In Love 51 Barry White - You`re the first, the last, my everything 48 Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Make me smile (Come up and see me) 28 Suzi Quatro - Devil Gate Drive 26 The Three Degrees – When will I see you again 24 Bay City Rollers – Bye bye baby 24 Ken Boothe - Everything I own 22 Tammy Wynette – Stand by your man 22 George McCrae – Rock your baby 18 Typically Tropical – Barbados -4 15 Johnny Nash - Tears on my pillow 5 Pilot – January -2

Aldous Huxley died on this day 59 years ago, aged 69. Born into a prominent British family, Huxley was an author best known for his 1932 novel Brave New World. Set in the year 2540, the book describes a dystopian future where people are set into an intelligence-based caste system, with "savages" exiled, and the protagonist Bernard discovers the "brave new world" after visiting a "Savage Reservation". This has been compared to George Orwell's book Nineteen Eighty-Four. Huxley would move to the United States in 1937, and would become a screenwriter on films such as Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. In 1953, Huxley experimented with the hallucinogen mescaline, and wrote The Doors of Perception writing about his experiences. He would later become an advisor to Timothy Leary, but distanced himself from him when Leary started promoting the drugs in public. Huxley was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in 1960, and the last thing he did was make his wife inject him with LSD on his deathbed. Certainly no other deaths on the day of November 22, 1963 could've overshadowed his... *cough* *cough*

Terry Gilliam is 82.

61 David Bowie – Space Oddity +1 61 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody +3 56 10CC - I’m Not In Love 54 Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Make me smile (Come up and see me) 51 ABBA - Waterloo 49 Barry White - You`re the first, the last, my everything 38 Tammy Wynette – Stand by your man 28 Ken Boothe - Everything I own 28 Bay City Rollers – Bye bye baby 26 The Three Degrees – When will I see you again 26 Suzi Quatro - Devil Gate Drive 22 George McCrae – Rock your baby 20 Typically Tropical – Barbados 18 Johnny Nash - Tears on my pillow 13 Pilot – January -2 10 The New Seekers – You won't find another fool like me 9 Rod Stewart – Sailing 7 Mud - Oh Boy 0 Bay City Rollers – Give a little love -4

Bill Bixby died on this day 29 years ago, aged 59. Bixby would star as incidental characters in shows such as The Twilight Zone and The Andy Griffith Show, before co-starring in My Favorite Martian in 1963, as Tim O'Hara, who takes in the titular alien. After the show ended in 1968, he turned down the role of Marlo Thomas' boyfriend in That Girl to star in The Courtship of Eddie's Father, playing the title widowed father, in which his child son tries to set him up with dates because he wants a new mother. It wasn't until 1977 that Bixby starred in perhaps his biggest role- Dr. David Banner in The Incredible Hulk- where he transforms into a green Lou Ferrigno when tense or angry. Bixby was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1991. He made his diagnosis public in 1993- I believe noticeable deterioration in 1992 was what caused the committee to put him on the 1993 DeathList at spot number 14. Bixby was the fifth and final death of 1993.

Marlo Thomas is 85.

I'm more fascinated by the obscured Mike Wazowski on the right...

58 David Bowie – Space Oddity 56 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody +3 51 Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Make me smile (Come up and see me) 50 ABBA - Waterloo +1 49 10CC - I’m Not In Love 44 Tammy Wynette – Stand by your man 43 Barry White - You`re the first, the last, my everything 32 Ken Boothe - Everything I own 30 Bay City Rollers – Bye bye baby 26 The Three Degrees – When will I see you again 24 Suzi Quatro - Devil Gate Drive 22 George McCrae – Rock your baby 21 Johnny Nash - Tears on my pillow 19 Typically Tropical – Barbados 19 Rod Stewart – Sailing 13 Pilot – January 13 The New Seekers – You won't find another fool like me 9 The Rubettes – Sugar Baby Love 9 Bay City Rollers – Give a little love 8 Mud - Oh Boy 5 The Tymes - Miss Grace -1 0 Terry Jacks - Seasons in the Sun -5 As for my favorites: Queen- These Are The Days of Our Lives, Radio Ga Ga, Don't Stop Me Now, Breakthru, Headlong- the list goes on Led Zeppelin- Immigrant Song David Bowie- Starman, Lazarus, Heroes, Ashes to Ashes, Life on Mars, Magic Dance Rolling Stones- Paint It Black, I Can't Get No Satisfaction Barry White- You're The First, The Last, My Everything

Allan Sherman died on this day 49 years ago, aged 48. Sherman was born as Allan Copelon, taking his mother's maiden name when his parents divorced. Sherman would go into the television business, and came up with a show concept called "I Know a Secret"- this soon became I've Got a Secret, and he was made the show's producer. Sherman is best known for his parody music, taking the melodies of classic songs and writing his own lyrics over them. These include "Crazy Downtown", parodying Petula Clark's "Downtown", with the lyrics describing parents getting increasingly worried as their children don't come home from a trip to the city, "Automation", a topical satire on automation in the workplace set to the tune of the waltz "Fascination" (similar to the works of his contemporary Tom Lehrer), and his most famous song- "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah", about a boy writing to his parents about his terrible experience at summer camp, but is relieved when he sees the other kids playing outside. Set to the tune of "Dance of the Hours", the song won a Grammy for Best Comedy Performance in 1964, and would be adapted into a board game (seen here). It would later be played frequently on The Dr. Demento Show, and Weird Al Yankovic cites Sherman as one of his inspirations. Sherman also acted, mostly in Westerns, but is best remembered as the voice of the Cat in the Hat in the 1971 TV special. Sherman suffered from obesity, which led to diabetes and lung disease- he died of respiratory failure shortly before his 49th birthday.

Mike D of the Beastie Boys is 57.

49 Barry White - You`re the first, the last, my everything 49 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody +2 48 David Bowie – Space Oddity +1 47 Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – Make me smile (Come up and see me) 46 10CC - I’m Not In Love 46 Tammy Wynette – Stand by your man 46 ABBA - Waterloo +1 39 Ken Boothe - Everything I own 27 Bay City Rollers – Bye bye baby 24 George McCrae – Rock your baby 24 Suzi Quatro – Devil Gate Drive 24 The Three Degrees – When will I see you again 23 Johnny Nash - Tears on my pillow 20 Mud – Oh boy 19 Typically Tropical – Barbados -1 19 Rod Stewart – Sailing 16 The New Seekers – You won't find another fool like me 14 Bay City Rollers – Give a little love 13 Pilot – January -3 12 The Tymes - Miss Grace 14 The Rubettes – Sugar Baby Love  10 John Denver - Annie's Song 8 Terry Jacks - Seasons in the Sun -2 08 Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting

I bring you a tale of two popes tonight. First, Pope Gelasius I, who died on this day 1526 years ago, aged ~86. Gelasius was known for his writings- these included the Gelasian Decree, determining which Bible books were canon and which were apocryphal. Gelasius succeeded Pope Felix III in 492, less than 20 years after the Western Roman Empire fell. He inherited the ongoing problems of the Acacian schism- the Western and Eastern Roman churches were growing further apart. Gelasius exacerbated the problem by wanting to remove the name of Patricarch Acacius of Constantinople removed from all church diptychs that commemorated him. Gelasius also took an Augustinian approach to the festival of Lupercalia, ending the Roman tradition and replacing it with Candlemas. After Gelasius' death in 496, he was succeeded by... Pope Anastasius II, who died on this day 1524 years ago, aged ~53. Anastasius sent bishops to Constantinople to meet with Emperor Anastasius I, and attempted to reconcile with the Byzantine church by allowing communion to be given to Acacius' followers. This angered Christians in Rome, who boycotted communion from Anastasius. After a two-year papacy, Anastasius unexpectedly died and was succeeded by Pope Symmachus- the emperor Anastasius supported an antipope named Laurentius instead, widening the schism.