Drewsky1211

Johan de Witt died on this day 352 years ago, aged 46. - De Witt was appointed the pensionary of the city of Dordrecht in 1650, and then in 1653 he would be appointed as the Grand Pensionary of the Netherlands- the highest civil service position within the country at the time (he was not a prime minister, as some think he was, but he was the de facto state leader of the Netherlands). - In 1654, De Witt would co-author the Treaty of Westminster, which ended the First Anglo-Dutch War. He would build up the Dutch Navy, and was prepared for the Second Anglo-Dutch War when it broke out in 1665 (the Great Plague and Great Fire of London in 1666 largely led to the war's end). Despite the wars, De Witt would form an alliance with England (as well as Sweden) should France decide to attack any of them. - De Witt was responsible for largely dismantling the Orange dynasty's power within the country (though he had planned for the future William III to have a role in a future administration). In 1672, England would betray the alliance by attacking the Netherlands with France, and De Witt was injured by an assassin, and resigned due to the war. - Soon after, De Witt's brother Cornelis was arrested on charges of treason (by Orangist supporters), and sentenced to exile. When Johan came to help ensure a safe departure for his brother, the two were soon ambushed and lynched by a local militia- who then proceeded to cannibalize their livers (which is somehow what De Witt is most well-known for).

Fred Durst is 54.

8/19/2024 67 The Bangles - Walk Like an Egyptian 67 Queen - A Kind of Magic 66 The Damned - Eloise 39 Heart - Alone 29 Michael Jackson - Bad +4 24 The Housemartins — Happy Hour -3 06 Cameo - Word Up! -3

8/19/2024 40 Kay Starr — Comes A-Long A-Love 40 Mantovani & His Orchestra — The Song From Moulin Rouge +4 38 Perry Como & The Ramblers — Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes 38 Frankie Laine — I Believe 26 Frankie Laine — Hey Joe! 22 Guy Mitchell — Look At That Girl 18 Frankie Laine — Answer Me 10 Guy Mitchell — She Wears Red Feathers 0 Al Martino — Here In My Heart -6

Groucho Marx died on this day 47 years ago, aged 86. - Groucho's real name was Julius, and was the third-born of the Marx Brothers- albeit his family group was not his first act; that was as a singer in a group called The Leroy Trio. - While Groucho and his brothers were popular vaudeville acts, they would achieve celebrity status with the advent of film- in which he would often sing: This song would effectively become Marx's signature song, which he used for the theme song of You Bet Your Life on TV- which he was equally-famous for hosting. - Marx's iconic mustache and glasses were initially used for comedic cosmetics- however, he would later on grow a real mustache, and his eyesight weakened to where he needed prescription lenses. His look also inspired one of the most famous novelty disguises- the Groucho glasses: - In later life, Marx would form friendships with a surprising amount of rock musicians, which included the likes of Alice Cooper, Queen (the A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races albums were named after two of his films), and Elton John; John would name his 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player after a conversation he had with Marx, where he pointed finger guns at him: - Marx's death was overshadowed by that of Elvis Presley's- Elvis died three days before Groucho.

John Deacon is 73.

8/18/2024 70 Queen - A Kind of Magic 64 The Damned - Eloise 63 The Bangles - Walk Like an Egyptian 42 Heart - Alone 31 Michael Jackson - Bad +4 29 The Housemartins — Happy Hour -2 29 Cameo - Word Up! -4

8/18/2024 28 Frankie Laine — I Believe 28 Kay Starr — Comes A-Long A-Love 26 Mantovani & His Orchestra — The Song From The Moulin Rouge +4 25 Perry Como & The Ramblers — Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes 24 Frankie Laine — Hey Joe! 22 Guy Mitchell — Look At That Girl 20 Jo Stafford — You Belong To Me 18 Frankie Laine — Answer Me -1 18 Guy Mitchell — She Wears Red Feathers 15 David Whitfield — Answer Me -1 14 Lita Roza — How Much Is That Doggie In The Window -4 13 Eddie Fisher — Outside Of Heaven 10 Al Martino — Here In My Heart 09 Eddie Fisher ft. Sally Sweetland — I’m Walking Behind You

Sultan Ibrahim died on this day 376 years ago, aged 32. - Ibrahim was the youngest child of Ottoman sultan Ahmed I, and was initially unlikely to take the throne. However, his older brother Murad IV executed several of his brothers- with his life being spared thanks to his mother (and Murad's, for that instance). - Ibrahim acceded to the throne in 1640 following Murad's death. Possibly due to his paranoia-filled childhood (which led to chronic stress-induced migraines), Ibrahim would often seclude himself in his palace with his harem. It is also possible Ibrahim was a fat fetishist (considering his preference for overweight concubines). A likely apocryphal story says that he ended up drowning all 280 women in his harem after one of them had a relationship with another man. - Ibrahim was also known for his lavish lifestyle, decorating his rooms in soft furs and mirrors, and putting on an exorbitant amount of jewelry and perfume. - In 1644, Ibrahim began a war against Venice after ships carrying pilgrims to Mecca were seized by Maltese corsairs (declaring war on them due to the fact the Maltese ship docked in Crete, then a Venetian territory)- which would last for over 20 years. The Venetians would block the Dardanelles Strait, leading to food and supply scarcities and then a revolt. This ended with Ibrahim's ousting and subsequent execution by strangulation, and his son Mehmed IV succeeded him.

Robert Redford is 88.

8/17/2024 41 Gotye ft. Kimbra — Somebody That I Used To Know +4 15 Harry Styles — Sign Of The Times -6 12 OneRepublic — Counting Stars

8/17/2024 71 The Bangles - Walk Like an Egyptian 66 Queen - A Kind of Magic +1 62 The Damned - Eloise 44 Heart - Alone  39 The Housemartins — Happy Hour 37 Michael Jackson - Bad +3 36 Cameo - Word Up! 04 Mental as Anything - Live It Up -3 03 Alison Moyet - Is This Love? -3

Ray Chapman died on this day 104 years ago, aged 29. - Chapman's first major league baseball team was the Cleveland Naps, which he was drafted to in 1912, renamed to the Cleveland Indians in 1914 (and now known as the Cleveland Guardians). - Chapman became very well known for his stealing base and sacrifice bunt techniques, with a total batting average of .303. Rumors spread that he was planning to retire after the 1920 season to focus on his new marriage and starting a family. However, a tragic accident prevented this: - On August 16, 1920, Chapman was playing against the New York Yankees, when pitcher Carl Mays threw a pitch that accidentally hit him in the head. Chapman started bleeding from the ear, and players from both teams (and a doctor) rushed to aid him, before he lost consciousness shortly thereafter. Chapman died the following morning due to a skull fracture. Chapman's death led to people rallying for players to be required to wear helmets- albeit it took over three decades for that rule to be instated.

Robert De Niro is waiting 81.

Richard Williams died on this day 5 years ago, aged 86. - Williams became inspired to become an animator after seeing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs when he was five years old. He would get his first job as an advertisement artist. - In 1958, Williams would produce his first film, The Little Island: He would soon become an animator for other films' title sequences, such as What's New Pussycat? and A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum. - Williams began work on his magnum opus The Thief and the Cobbler in 1964- the film was notorious for its extremely lengthy period of development hell, and it ended up being released by Miramax in 1993 (under the name Arabian Knight). The finished product had an extreme amount of studio meddling (such as originally mute characters having speaking voices, and added musical numbers)- and fans of his work have attempted to stitch together Williams' original vision through what is known as "The Recobbled Cut": - Williams was also known for being the chief animator for Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1988- he was initially reluctant to do a live action-animation hybrid film, but would soon declare it one of his greatest achievements. Williams won two Oscars for his work on the film. - Williams' final film was 2015's Prologue, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film the following year.

James Cameron is 70.

8/16/2024 40 Gotye ft. Kimbra — Somebody That I Used To Know +4 33 Harry Styles — Sign Of The Times 24 OneRepublic — Counting Stars 03 Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne — Rather Be -6

8/16/2024 75 The Bangles - Walk Like an Egyptian 63 The Damned - Eloise 61 Queen - A Kind of Magic +2 43 The Housemartins — Happy Hour 42 Cameo - Word Up! 40 Michael Jackson - Bad +2 37 Heart - Alone  22 Alison Moyet - Is This Love? 13 Mental as Anything - Live It Up  0 Bananarama - Love In The First Degree -6 ...And I'm back.

Just boarded a weeklong cruise to Bermuda with my family (this was planned 8 months ago). Last post until I get back (or sooner if I connect to wifi on the island).

8/9/2024 38 Gotye ft. Kimbra — Somebody That I Used To Know +1 36 Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne — Rather Be 32 Years & Years — King 31 David Guetta ft. Sia — Titanium 30 Cee Lo Green — Forget You 30 Harry Styles — Sign Of The Times 27 OneRepublic — Counting Stars +1 26 Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams — Get Lucky +2 24 Ella Henderson — Ghost 16 Lil Nas X — Old Town Road 14 John Newman — Love Me Again -6

8/9/2024 52 The Bangles - Walk Like an Egyptian 44 Queen - A Kind of Magic +2 32 The Damned - Eloise 31 Michael Jackson - Bad +2 29 Sly Fox - Let’s Go All The Way 26 Mental as Anything - Live It Up 26 Alison Moyet - Is This Love? 26 Cameo - Word Up! 26 Heart - Alone 24 Janet Jackson - What Have You Done For Me Lately 23 Mel and Kim - Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend) 22 The Housemartins — Happy Hour 20 Bronski Beat - Hit That Perfect Beat 20 Robbie Nevil - C’est la Vie 20 Curiosity Killed The Cat - Down to Earth 20 Jackie Wilson - I Get the Sweetest Feeling 20 The Proclaimers - Letter From America 20 Michael Jackson - The Way You Make Me Feel 19 Bananarama - Love In The First Degree 18 Five Star - System Addict 16 Rick Astley - Whenever You Need Somebody 14 Owen Paul - My Favourite Waste of Time 13 Peter Cetera - Glory of Love 10 Atlantic Starr - Always 09 Level 42 - Lessons in Love  0 Janet Jackson - Let’s Wait Awhile -6

Hieronymus Bosch died on this day 508 years ago, aged 66. - Bosch's surname was originally "van Aken", but took 'Bosch' as a toponym from his hometown of 's'-Hertogenbosch. His grandfather and uncle were also painters. - Bosch was most well known for his triptychs (paintings with three scenes in them, kind of like a comic), often basing them on religious scenes, such as the life of 3rd century St. Anthony, the martyrdom of St. Wilgefortis, and most notably his own 1505 work The Garden of Earthly Delights, named after the second panel: The vividly surreal imagery in this painting (centuries before the surrealist movement) led some to believe Bosch may have been on some sort of psychedelic substance while creating it- some go further by hypothesizing that he inadvertently and continuously ate rye tainted with the ergot fungus, known to have caused hallucinations.

Bob Cousy is 96.

8/8/2024 35 Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams — Get Lucky +1 35 David Guetta ft. Sia — Titanium +1 31 Gotye ft. Kimbra — Somebody That I Used To Know +1 31 Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne — Rather Be 30 Years & Years — King 30 Harry Styles — Sign Of The Times 26 Ella Henderson — Ghost 25 OneRepublic — Counting Stars +1 23 John Newman — Love Me Again -3 22 Lil Nas X — Old Town Road 22 Cee Lo Green — Forget You 16 Pitbull ft. Kesha — Timber 06 Clean Bandit ft. Zara Larsson — Symphony -3 06 Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg — California Gurls

8/8/2024 43 The Bangles - Walk Like an Egyptian 38 Queen - A Kind of Magic +2 28 Michael Jackson - Bad +2 26 The Damned - Eloise 25 Cameo - Word Up! 25 Sly Fox - Let’s Go All The Way 25 Heart - Alone 24 Alison Moyet - Is This Love? 24 Mental as Anything - Live It Up 23 Mel and Kim - Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend) 20 The Housemartins - Happy Hour 20 Bronski Beat - Hit That Perfect Beat 20 Five Star - System Addict 20 Janet Jackson - What Have You Done For Me Lately 20 Owen Paul - My Favourite Waste of Time 20 Robbie Nevil - C’est la Vie 20 Curiosity Killed The Cat - Down to Earth 20 Jackie Wilson - I Get the Sweetest Feeling 20 Atlantic Starr - Always  20 Bananarama - Love In The First Degree 20 The Proclaimers - Letter From America 20 Michael Jackson - The Way You Make Me Feel 18 Rick Astley - Whenever You Need Somebody 16 Janet Jackson - Let’s Wait Awhile 15 Level 42 - Lessons in Love 15 Peter Cetera - Glory of Love 14 Club Nouveau - Lean On Me 06 Samantha Fox - Touch Me (I Want Your Body)  05 Sigue Sigue Sputnik — Love Missile F1-11 0 Cliff Richard - Some People -6