Drewsky1211

Bono is 62.

Little Richard died on this day 2 years ago, aged 87. Born Richard Penniman, Little Richard first made it big in 1955 when he signed a deal with Specialty Records. That year, he released undoubtedly his biggest hit, "Tutti Frutti": Among Little Richard's other charting singles of the 1950s include "Long Tall Sally" and "Lucille". He soon made his own band, called The Upsetters. In 1964, Jimi Hendrix joined his band, but was fired the following year due to him trying to usurp Richard's spotlight. Seeing Hendrix's success with his own band (The Jimi Hendrix Experience), Little Richard began to adopt a more flamboyant onstage persona. Later in his career (in 1994), he sang the theme song for the educational cartoon The Magic School Bus: Little Richard made his debut (and only appearance) on the DeathList in 2019 (#45), and died after a two-month battle with bone cancer the following year.

Billy Joel is 73.

Children's author Maurice Sendak died on this day 10 years ago, aged 83. Sendak wrote and illustrated Where The Wild Things Are in 1963- it initially was received poorly due to its imagery deemed too frightening for young children, but still managed to win the Caldecott Medal in 1964. Sendak would win another Caldecott Medal in 1971 for In The Night Kitchen, a book that has been commonly banned from schools due to its main character (a child) being nude for the majority of the book. Sendak wrote Seven Little Monsters in 1977. The book was based on a short for Sesame Street that Sendak had made (but never aired), and would later become an animated series that ran from 2000 to 2003: In 2009, Where The Wild Things Are was adapted into a film, directed by Spike Jonze. Jonze would often consult Sendak during the production of the film, and Sendak was credited as a producer. Jonze dedicated his 2013 film Her in Sendak's memory (as well as James Gandolfini, who voiced the character Carol in the WIld Things movie).

Enrique Iglesias is 47.

George Perez dead at 67.

Actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr. died on this day 22 years ago, aged 90. Fairbanks' career started in 1923 at the age of 13, largely due to association with his father Douglas Sr., who was also a famous actor. During the 1930s, he starred in hit movie after hit movie, including Outward Bound (1930), Little Caesar (1931), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), and Gunga Din (1939). Fairbanks was also known for his marriage to Joan Crawford from 1929 to 1933. Fairbanks was commissioned into the US Navy in World War II, where he achieved the rank of lieutenant commander. He retired from the Naval Reserve as a captain in 1954. After the war, Fairbanks starred in a string of pirate-themed movies, none of which were a financial success. He later moved to the United Kingdom, where he attended the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Kent in 1961. Around this time, Fairbanks primarily acted on TV shows. He retired from acting in 1987. Fairbanks appeared twice on the DeathList, in 1999 and 2000, where he was the sixth death of the year (out of ten).

Michael Rosen is 76.

King Edward VII died on this day 112 years ago, aged 68. Edward's birth name was Albert, and his mother, Queen Victoria, insisted that he reign as "Albert Edward" (which would have made him the first English monarch to use a double name). Edward objected to this, as he did not want to devalue his father's name (which was also Albert). On June 24, 1902, two days before his coronation, Edward was diagnosed with appendicitis, and underwent surgery. He was crowned on August 9th. Edward's 9-year reign was primarily focused on boosting foreign relations. A visit to French president Emile Loubet in 1903 secured the Entente Cordiale (negotiated 1904), ensuring the end of centuries of British-French conflict, and made the borders of the two nations' African colonies clear. The United Kingdom faced a constitutional crisis in 1910 when the "People's Budget" bill (a bill similar to the United States' 16th Amendment at the same time) was repeatedly vetoed by the House of Lords- this eventually led to the House of Lords no longer being able to veto monetary-based bills, and set terms from 7 years to 5. Edward suffered several heart attacks on May 6, 1910, and died at 11:45 PM that night. As of the time of writing this, only two or three known subjects of Edward are living (Koko Hume Lepota of South Africa (in limbo), and Ethel Caterham and Rose Eaton of the United Kingdom).

Willie Mays is 91.

Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, died on this day 201 years ago, aged 51. There are many, many things to be said about his conquest of Europe, and the Battle of Waterloo- so I'm going to delve into his seldom-talked about exile on Saint Helena. Following his famous defeat, Napoleon was sent to said island, which is located in the southern Atlantic Ocean, far from any other landmass. A troop of British soldiers were sent with him to prevent his escape, as he had done from Elba in 1814. Napoleon was sent to live at Longwood House, a dilapidated mansion that was formerly a farm of the colonial East India Company. Napoleon complained about his living situation, which was in a damp environment, and caused illness to both him and his attendants- perhaps in an attempt to get him to die faster. While on Saint Helena, Napoleon wrote memoirs about his life, and a biography about Julius Caesar. He was also taught how to read in English. To cure his boredom, he often played solitaire. Napoleon's isolation led to depression, and he confined himself to Longwood for the final few years of his life. His health rapidly deteriorated in early 1821, and he was bedridden by March of that year. The most common theory on how Napoleon died was from stomach cancer- the surgeon who performed his autopsy had found an ulcer, and his family had a history with the disease- Napoleon's father Carlo had also died from it. Arsenic poisoning was also suggested- people at the time were constantly being exposed to it via glues and dyes, the wallpaper in Longwood contained copper arsenite (for the dye), and the arsenic levels in Napoleon's body were 100 times above normal.

Pat Carroll is 95.

Adam "MCA" Yauch died on this day 10 years ago, aged 47. Now here's a little story I've got to tell, about three bad brothers you know so well. It started way back in history- specifically 1981. Yauch, alongside fellow members of his band The Young Aborigines, changed their band name to "Beastie Boys" after the departure of their bassist, Jeremy Shatan. Guitarist John Berry left soon after, then drummer Kate Schellenbach in 1984, leaving just three members: Yauch, Mike D(iamond), and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz. Their debut album, Licensed to Ill, was released in 1986, becoming the first rap album to top the Billboard Hot 200 Albums chart, and "Fight For Your Right" reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1998, under the pseudonym "Nathanael Hornblower", Yauch directed the music video for their single "Intergalactic", basing it on Japanese kaiju movies such as Godzilla. The song reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it earned them a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group the following year. The album it was featured on, Hello Nasty, gave them a second Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. Yauch was diagnosed with cancer of the parotid salivary gland in 2009, and died from the disease three years later. Beastie Boys effectively disbanded after this.

Pia Zadora is 68. Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans might know her best as Girmar from Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, a Z-movie she starred in when she was 10 years old:

Mehmed II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, died on this day 541 years ago, aged 49. Mehmed first became sultan in 1444 when his father Murad II abdicated. After Hungary began retaliatory attacks against the empire, the 12-year old sultan requested his father reclaim the throne (either him or the Grand Vizier suggested it). This occurred in 1446, following a janissary revolt. Murad died in 1451, and the now 18-year old Mehmed became Sultan for the second time. Mehmed had grand ambitions for the empire. He began bulking up its navy, and in April 1453, began his conquest of Constantinople- the capital of the once mighty Byzantine Empire. On May 29, 1453, after his forces stormed into the city, and Emperor Constantine XI having either been killed or committed suicide, Mehmed declared himself "Caesar"- Constantinople was understood to have been the rightful capital of the Roman Empire since 330. In 1454, Mehmed then set his sights on Serbia, and overtook its capital (Smederevo) in 1459. Following this were the remaining holdouts of the Byzantine Empire, Morea and Trebizond, in 1460 and 1461 respectively. Bosnia was the next kingdom to fall to the Ottomans in 1463. In 1479, they conquered Albania, and in the following year, they seized the Italian city of Otranto. Mehmed died the year after that (to much European celebration), and the Ottomans were driven out of Italy. For his accomplishments in expanding the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed was given the epithet "The Conqueror".

Frankie Valli is 88.

Leader of al-Qaeda Osama bin Laden was finally killed on this day 11 years ago, aged 54. Below is a list of some of the things found on a computer (possibly his) found at the compound he hid at for nearly 10 years: - a biography about himself and the documentary Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? - National Geographic videos - The "Charlie Bit My Finger" viral video - a video on how to crochet a flower - animated films such as Cars, Antz, and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - Tom and Jerry and Wallace and Gromit cartoons - video games such as Final Fantasy VII, Animal Crossing, and Counter-Strike (the latter is an online game- people may have played on the "terrorist" team WITH A REAL-WORLD TERRORIST) - A large collection of porn

Engelbert Humperdinck is 86. Here's a South Park quote regarding him:

Novelty musician Spike Jones died on this day 57 years ago, aged 53. Jones formed the band Spike Jones and the City Slickers around 1940. Their first major hit came in 1942 with "Der Fuehrer's Face", a song mocking Adolf Hitler. Every "heil" in the song was followed by blowing a raspberry. Jones' band continued to make songs with sound effects galore. One egregious example is his 1946 song "Cocktails for Two". Jones' most recognizable song is probably 1948's "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth": Jones was an avid smoker, and died of emphysema. Posthumously, his works were prominently featured on Dr. Demento's radio show, and director Spike Jonze's pseudonym is derived from his name.

Judy Collins is 83.

Russian Major General Andrey Simonov reportedly killed by a artillery strike in Izyum:

American politician Alben W. Barkley died on this day 66 years ago, aged 78. Barkley was first elected into Congress in 1912. In 1923, he ran in the Kentucky gubernatorial election, losing the primary to J. Campbell Cantrill (who died before the election, and the Democratic State Committee had to chose a replacement (the replacement, William J. Fields ended up winning)). In 1926, Barkley was elected to the Senate, and was the Majority Leader from 1937 to 1947. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman was re-nominated for president, and had attempted to get Supreme Court Associate Justice William O. Douglas to be his running mate- Douglas declined. At the Democratic National Convention that July, Barkley gave a speech promoting New Deal policies, and criticizing the Republican Party as a "do-nothing" party. This pleased the delegates, and Truman asked Barkley to be his running mate, to which he accepted. They won the election, and on January 20, 1949, Barkley was sworn in as the 35th Vice President (at the age of 71, he is currently the oldest elected VP). Following Truman's decision to not seek re-election in 1952, Barkley entered the Democratic primaries, but concerns about his age (then 74) and that he was a segregationist (this would alienate northern voters) caused him to withdraw. Barkley then decided to reclaim his Senate seat in 1954, defeating incumbent John Sherman Cooper. Barkley died of a heart attack while giving a speech at the Washington and Lee Mock Convention. His last words were "I'm glad to sit on the back row, for I would rather be a servant in the House of the Lord than to sit in the seats of the mighty", alluding to Psalm 84:10.

Antonio Guterres, current Secretary-General of the UN, is 73.

Albert Hofmann died on this day 14 years ago, aged 102. In November 1938, Hofmann, while studying the medical uses of chemicals in the squill plant and ergot fungus, synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide. While re-researching the chemical in April 1943, he accidentally absorbed some through his skin, causing him to hallucinate- "an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors". Three days after the incident, Hofmann then intentionally decided to ingest the substance, and asked his lab assistant to escort him home- it was via bicycle, as was customary in Basel. Hofmann began to suffer an anxiety attack, people and furniture distorted into demonic figures in his view, and came to the conclusion that LSD was poisonous. This was not the case- all his doctor noted were Hofmann's dilated pupils. Later, in 1958, Hofmann began to study the psychedelic effects of mushrooms, and discovered the chemical ethacetin- this eventually led to the synthesis of the "magic mushrooms"' psychedelic ingredient: psilocybin. In later years, Hofmann was a staple on the DeathList. He made seven consecutive appearances from his debut in 2002 to his death, all of which were in position 12 or above- he was #3 on the list when he died.

Willie Nelson is 89.