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Emperor Komei died on this day 157 years ago, aged 35. - Komei was the son of Emperor Ninko, and his birth name was Osahito. He had three older brothers- but they all died while they were babies. - Komei became the emperor of Japan after the death of his father in 1846. His reign is best known for the Perry Expedition to Japan in 1853, which forced him open the country to trade with the US, the UK, and Russia. - In the middle of his reign, Komei would begin to wrestle power away from the Tokugawa clan, who were effectively the rulers of Japan since 1603. The Japanese monarchy would soon regain its power - In 1863, Komei issued an order to expel Western merchants, labeling them 'barbarians'. This led to naval battles where the Western powers seized Japan's seaways and bombard their ports: - Komei died at such a young age after contracting smallpox; some theorized at the time that he was assassinated by political enemies, but there was no evidence for this. His son Meiji would accede to the throne afterwards.

Kid Cudi is 40.

1/29/2024 30 The Kinks — Waterloo Sunset 28 The Kinks — All Day And All Of The Night -2 27 The Beach Boys-- God Only Knows 26 Barry Ryan — Eloise 25 The Spencer Davis Group — Gimme Some Lovin’ 23 The Yardbirds — Heart Full Of Soul 16 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well 16 Petula Clark — Downtown 13 The Rolling Stones — Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown 12 The Who — My Generation 11 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto 10 The Animals — We Gotta Get Out Of This Place +2 8 The Troggs — Wild Thing +2 5 Los Bravos-- Black is Black -4

Jimmy Durante died on this day 44 years ago, aged 86. - Durante dropped out of school during 7th grade to become a pianist, under the stage name "Ragtime Jimmy". He joined the Original New Orleans Jazz Band (as the only member not from New Orleans), and became the leader of the group in 1920- it was renamed to "Jimmy Durante's Jazz Band". - Durante's career during the '30s was varied. He made his Broadway debut in 1930's The New Yorkers, and in 1934 wrote the song "Inka Dinka Doo" for the movie Palooka; he employed this as his own theme song when on radio. He began to star in short movies, but MGM ended their contract due to him not living to their standards of a leading actor (instead better as the comic relief). - Regardless, he starred in many other movies in the coming decades, including The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942), Ziegfield Follies (1945), and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). - Durante's final acting role is probably the one most people recognize him for today- the narrator in the 1969 Christmas classic Frosty the Snowman, complete with his cartoon likeness: - Durante was also known for his signature large nose, which he nicknamed his "schnozzola". - Durante retired in 1972 following a stroke that left him in a wheelchair, and largely retired from public life after 1974. He died following a bout of pneumonia less than two weeks before he would've turned 87 years old.

Oprah Winfrey is 70.

1/28/2024 28 The Beach Boys — God Only Knows  24 The Spencer Davis Group — Gimme Some Lovin’ 24 The Kinks — All Day And All Of The Night 23 The Yardbirds — Heart Full Of Soul 23 Barry Ryan — Eloise 23 The Kinks — Waterloo Sunset 22 Petula Clark — Downtown 19 The Troggs — Wild Thing +1 19 The Animals — We Gotta Get Out Of This Place +2 17 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto +1 17 The Who — My Generation 17 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well 16 The Rolling Stones — Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown 12 Los Bravos — Black Is Black -6

Enery Henry VIII died on this day 477 years ago, aged 55. - Henry was originally the Duke of York, becoming heir apparent when his older brother Arthur died in 1502. He would marry Arthur's widow Catherine of Aragon seven years later, when he came of age. - Henry became king when he was 17, and during his early reign, claimed descent from King Arthur and Roman emperor Constantine the Great (the first is untrue due to being a fictional character, but the latter is indeed possible). - While Henry was on his quest for a male heir, he had five miscarried or stillborn sons- but before he had Edward VI, he had an affair with a woman named Elizabeth Blount and had a son named Henry (whom he acknowledged despite illegitimate). - Henry was known for his voracious appetite, having extravagant feasts with his court that led to him ballooning to about 400 pounds (180kg) by the time he died- he needed help in order to walk. - He was also known for his love of jousting, which began the decline of his health- he was knocked off of his horse in a January 1536 match and a wound from the fall led to a chronic leg infection. Those who verbally speculated about his health would have their ears cut off, or executed by burning (a dangerous time for deadpoolers). - Among the treatments used for Henry's 11-year infection included drinking grounded pearls and sawdust, and smearing a mix of lead, silver, ground coral, and 'dragon's blood' (resin imported from a kind of tree from the Middle East) onto the wound. - Henry's obesity led to the pulmonary embolism that ended up killing him, and his death was kept a secret for two days. The abdomen of his corpse reportedly burst during his funeral.

Alan Alda is 88.

1/27/2024 27 The Beach Boys — God Only Knows  25 The Kinks — All Day And All Of The Night 24 Petula Clark — Downtown 23 The Yardbirds — Heart Full Of Soul  23 Barry Ryan — Eloise 23 Los Bravos — Black Is Black 22 The Kinks — Waterloo Sunset 22 The Spencer Davis Group — Gimme Some Lovin’ 21 The Rolling Stones — Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown 21 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto +1 20 The Animals — We Gotta Get Out Of This Place +1 19 The Who — My Generation 17 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well 16 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance -6 14 The Troggs — Wild Thing +2

JD Salinger died on this day 14 years ago, aged 91. - When he was young, Salinger dated Oona O'Neill- they broke up once Oona started seeing Charlie Chaplin. - Salinger began writing short stories for The New Yorker in 1941. One of these was titled "Slight Rebellion off Madison", about a teenager named Holden Caulfield. This went unpublished for five years due to Holden being described as having 'pre-war jitters', and Pearl Harbor occurring the month it was supposed to be published. - Salinger was drafted into World War II, and fought in both D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. During this time, he met Ernest Hemingway (then a war correspondent in Paris), and the two authors became friends. - In 1948, Salinger published "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", the first of his short stories of the Glass family. He would write a total of eight of these stories for The New Yorker up until 1965. - Caulfield's magnum opus was 1951's The Catcher in the Rye, starring his previous Holden Caulfield character- this soon became an icon of 1950s teenage rebellion counterculture: kill John Lennon and/or Ronald Reagan - Salinger retired in 1965 after the Glass family story "Hapworth 16, 1924", and became known for his reclusiveness over the following decades. Virtually all pictures of him taken during his later years were candid shots: - Salinger debuted on the DeathList in 2006, and made a total of four appearances (every year after except 2009). He was the first hit of the 2010 list.

Alan Cumming is 59. Younger people might recognize him as Floop from Spy Kids.

1/26/2024 29 The Spencer Davis Group — Gimme Some Lovin’ 29 Petula Clark — Downtown +1 27 The Yardbirds — Heart Full Of Soul 26 The Troggs — Wild Thing +1 24 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 24 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well 24 The Who — My Generation 23 The Animals — We Gotta Get Out Of This Place +1 23 Barry Ryan — Eloise 23 The Kinks — Waterloo Sunset 23 The Kinks — All Day And All Of The Night 22 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto +1 22 The Beach Boys — God Only Knows 19 The Rolling Stones — Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown 18 Los Bravos — Black Is Black -6

David Rice Atchison died on this day 138 years ago, aged 78. - Atchison went to Transylvania University in Kentucky- among his classmates were five fellow future US Senators, including Confederate leader Jefferson Davis. - Atchison moved to Missouri in 1830 after becoming a lawyer, and was notably Mormon prophet Joseph Smith's attorney during a land dispute. - Atchison would be elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1834, and was one of the most vocal proponents of the Platte Purchase of 1836 (expanding the state to include Platte, Buchanan, Andrew, Nodaway, Holt, and Atchison counties- the latter being named after him as a result). - Atchison would be appointed as a US Senator in 1843 following the death of the incumbent Lewis Linn. In 1845, he would be named the president pro tempore of the Senate, putting him second in the line of presidential succession (now superseded by the Speaker of the House). He served until 1855, and his most notable action was coming up with the idea of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (Atchison was unfortunately pro-slavery). - In 1849, Inauguration Day fell on a Sunday. Because of that, president and vice-president elect Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore refused to take the oath of office until Monday. Because of this, Atchison has been seen by some as having been the acting president of the United States for a 24-hour period between March 4 and 5. Atchison's gravestone has this inscription on it, and the feat is by far what he is most remembered for: Atchison never actually claimed this himself; North Carolina senator Willie Mangum jokingly told him this on that day and jested about appointing him his Secretary of State.

Bob Uecker is 90.

1/25/2024 27 Petula Clark — Downtown +1 27 The Kinks — All Of The Day And All Of TheNight 27 The Kinks — Waterloo Sunset 26 The Troggs — Wild Thing +1 26 The Yardbirds — Heart Full Of Soul 25 The Spencer Davis Group — Gimme Some Lovin’ 25 The Who — My Generation 24 The Beach Boys — God Only Knows 23 Los Bravos — Black Is Black 23 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 23 Barry Ryan — Eloise 22 The Animals — We Gotta Get Out Of This Place +1 21 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto +1 20 The Rolling Stones — Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown 14 The Drifters — Save The Last Dance For Me 13 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well 11 Little Eva — The Loco-Motion 11 John Leyton — Wild Wind 6 The Small Faces — Lazy Sunday -6

Mary Tyler Moore died on this day 7 years ago, aged 80. - Moore began her career as the elf mascot for Hotpoint in the 1950s, starring in 39 commercials: - Moore auditioned to play Danny Thomas' daughter in The Danny Thomas Show, but was turned down by him because her nose was too small. However, Thomas personally recommended her to Carl Reiner, and she got cast as Laura Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke Show. - In 1969, Moore and her husband Grant Tinker founded MTM Productions to produce The Mary Tyler Moore Show- their logo was notably a parody of MGM's, featuring a cat named Mimsie (who was not owned by Moore): - In later years, Moore would make guest appearances in shows such as Ellen, That '70s Show, and Hot in Cleveland. - Moore would be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 32- which led to multiple health problems after several decades. By 2014, she was reportedly "nearly blind" due to complications from it. - Moore debuted on the DeathList in 2016, and was the first hit of the 2017 list.

Alicia Keys is 43.

1/24/2024 27 Petula Clark — Downtown +1 26 The Animals — We Gotta Get Out Of This Place +1 26 The Kinks — Waterloo Sunset 26 The Kinks — All Day And All Of The Night 26 The Yardbirds — Heart Full Of Soul 25 The Troggs — Wild Thing +1 25 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 24 Barry Ryan — Eloise  23 The Small Faces — Lazy Sunday 21 Fleetwood Mac - Oh Well 22 Los Bravos — Black Is Black 22 The Who — My Generation 22 The Spencer Davis Group — Gimme Some Lovin’ 20 The Drifters — Save The Last Dance For Me  19 The Rolling Stones — Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown 19 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto +1 18 The Beach Boys — God Only Knows 15 Little Eva — The Loco-Motion 9 Jimmy Dean -- Big Bad John -2 9 The Crystals — Then He Kissed Me 8 John Leyton — Wild Wind -4

Alfonso IV of Aragon died on this day 688 years ago, aged 36. - The son of king James II, Alfonso married when he was 14 (fortunately his wife Teresa was also that age). Their wedding was reportedly so expensive that local government put a limit on how much Alfonso could spend. - Beginning in 1323, Alfonso led an invasion of Sardinia (then owned by Pisa), which he successfully completed in 1326. - Alfonso became heir to the throne in 1319 when his older brother James became a monk. He became king of Aragon in 1327 after the death of his father- who died two weeks after his wife. Alfonso ended up remarrying to his brother's ex-wife Eleanor of Castile. - Alfonso's second wife would make him favor their kids instead of his eldest child Peter, giving them swaths of land and lordships. This caused an unrest between the royalty and nobility. Despite that, he was given the epithet "the Kind" due to these actions. - Alfonso died after an eight-year reign, and was succeeded by Peter (IV).

Phil LaMarr is 57. Among his voices include Hermes Conrad in Futurama, Wilt in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Samurai Jack's titular character, Ollie Williams in Family Guy, Bolbi Stroganovski in Jimmy Neutron, and Dracula in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy:

1/23/2024 27 Petula Clark — Downtown +1 25 The Beach Boys — God Only Knows 24 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well 24 The Yardbirds — Heart Full Of Soul 24 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 23 The Animals — We Gotta Get Out Of This Place +1 23 The Troggs — Wild Thing +1 23 The Kinks -- All Day And All Of The Night 22 John Leyton — Wild Wind 21 The Spencer Davis Group — Gimme Some Lovin’ 21 The Who — My Generation 21 Barry Ryan — Eloise 21 Los Bravos — Black Is Black 20 The Small Faces — Lazy Sunday 20 The Drifters — Save The Last Dance For Me 20 Little Eva — The Loco-Motion 20 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto +1 18 The Kinks — Waterloo Sunset 16 The Rolling Stones — Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown 15 Jimmy Dean — Big Bad John 14 Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas — Do You Want To Know A Secret? 14 The Crystals — Then He Kissed Me 8 Bobby Darin — Lazy River  2 Chubby Checker — Let’s Twist Again -6

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn died on this day 204 years ago, aged 52. - Edward was the fourth son of King George III, and was named after his late uncle. - Edward began military training in 1785, and would be transferred to Quebec in 1791 as a colonel. During his time in Canada, he would reinforce British military bases, temporarily went to the Caribbean to participate in the invasion of Martinique in 1794, and worked on construction projects- among the most notable being the garrison clock in Halifax (now called the Halifax Town Clock): - In 1799, Edward became the commander-in-chief of British forces in North America, and in 1802 he would be appointed the governor of Gibraltar. - Queen Victoria was Edward's only legitimate child. He was known to have several mistresses, and had two children with said mistresses- Adelaide and Edward. - Edward died just six days before his father did. The reason his daughter Victoria succeeded his older brothers after their reigns was because they had no legitimate children.

Mariska Hargitay is 60.

1/22/2024 (8:08 PM EST) 25 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well 22 The Troggs — Wild Thing +1 21 The Animals — We Gotta Get Out Of This Place +1 21 Petula Clark — Downtown +1 21 The Rolling Stones — Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown 21 The Kinks — Waterloo Sunset 20 Bobby Darin — Lazy River 20 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 20 Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas — Do You Want To Know A Secret? 20 The Crystals — Then He Kissed Me 20 The Yardbirds — Heart Full Of Soul 20 The Small Faces — Lazy Sunday 20 John Leyton — Wild Wind 20 Los Bravos — Black Is Black 20 The Spencer Davis Group — Gimme Some Lovin’ 20 The Drifters — Save The Last Dance For Me 20 Jimmy Dean — Big Bad John 20 The Who — My Generation 20 Barry Ryan — Eloise 20 The Kinks — All Day And All Of The Night 20 Little Eva — The Loco-Motion 18 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto +1 17 The Beach Boys — God Only Knows 14 Nina Simone — Ain’t Got No / Do What You Gotta Do 14 Chubby Checker — Let’s Twist Again -6

1/22/2024 61 Barry Ryan — Eloise 41 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto 32 Nina Simone — Ain’t Got No / Do What You Gotta Do 26 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well +2 24 The Small Faces — Lazy Sunday -6 21 Fleetwood Mac — Man Of The World 19 The Foundations — Build Me Up Buttercup +2