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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

Telly Savalas died on this day 30 years ago, aged 72. - Savalas was the son of Greek immigrants, and his real name was "Aristotelis" ("Telly" obviously being derived from the "-telis" part). Greek was also his first language, with him learning English once he started school. - Savalas worked as a lifeguard after graduating, and promoted water safety throughout his life. He would soon be drafted into World War II, attaining the rank of corporal before being honorably discharged due to a severe injury from a car crash. - Savalas then became a radio announcer, and ended up being the person who gave Howard Cosell his first TV job. His acting career began in 1958, and he was high in demand due to his ability to produce an eastern European accent. - Savalas would be nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1963 after starring as Feto Gomez in Birdman of Alcatraz. His next major role was as Pontius Pilate in 1965's The Greatest Story Ever Told, for which he shaved his remaining head hair off (he was already mostly bald by then, and he continued to shave it when it grew back). - Savalas was also known for portraying Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service, being the third actor to play the character on screen. - In 1973, Savalas began starring as the titular character in Kojak. It ran until 1978, and he would also star in the series' TV movies from 1985 to 1990. - Savalas also delved into music; his 1975 Shatnerized rendition of "If" topped the UK charts for two weeks: - Savalas was diagnosed with bladder cancer in late 1989, and died after a four-year battle. He debuted on the DeathList at no. 49 the year he died (mistakenly believed to be turning 70), and was 1994's second death.

Guy Fieri is 56.

1/21/2023 57 Barry Ryan — Eloise 44 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto 30 Nina Simone — Ain’t Got No/Do What You Gotta Do 29 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well +2 27 The Small Faces — Lazy Sunday 27 Fleetwood Mac — Man Of The World 19 The Foundations — Build me up Buttercup +2 16 Stevie Wonder — Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday 13 The Edwin Hawkins Singers — Oh Happy Day -6

Vladimir Lenin died on this day 100 years ago, aged 53. - Lenin's real last name was "Ulyanov", and his older brother Aleksandr was executed for attempting to assassinate Tsar Alexander III in 1886. He adopted the psudonym "Lenin" in 1901, probably after Siberia's Lena River. - Lenin would be radicalized during his college years, joining a student society (banned by the monarchy) and learning about the works of Karl Marx. By 1889, he was translating the Communist Manifesto into Russian and secretly publishing it. - Lenin was first arrested in 1894 on charges of sedition. In 1897, he was sentenced to exile in Siberia for three years. After exile, he fled to Switzerland, leading a ring that smuggled a communist newspaper into Russia. - Lenin would return to Russia in 1905 after Tsar Nicholas II adopted liberal reforms in his October Manifesto. Lenin encouraged criminal behavior against what he saw as bourgeoisie organizations- banks, post offices, and railway stations. - Despite Russia being an enemy, Lenin was granted permission by the German government to return to Russia in 1917- the Germans believed he would cause political turmoil... which he did by taking charge during the October Revolution. - In the 1917 election, the Bolsheviks placed second behind the Socialist Party. Lenin did not believe this reflected the will of the people, and covertly took control from the more moderate socialists by banning all other political parties. - Lenin began suffering from migraines in 1921, and by 1923 had had three strokes which rendered him mute. He began exhibiting aphasia, and died in 1924 from "an incurable disease of the blood vessels". - Lenin's body has been continuously preserved and his mummy remains on display in Red Square to this day. Over 2.5 million people visit each year:

Billy Ocean is 74.

1/20/2024 53 Barry Ryan--Eloise +1 42 Elvis Presley-- In The Ghetto +1 34 Fleetwood Mac-- Oh Well +1 30 Stevie Wonder-- Yester-Me-Yester-You- Yesterday 30 The Foundations-- Build me up Buttercup +1 26 The Small Faces-- Lazy Sunday 22 Fleetwood Mac---Man Of The World 18 Nina Simone -- Ain't Got No/Do What You Gotta Do 15 The Edwin Hawkins Singers-- Oh Happy Day -3 12 Mary Hopkin--- Goodbye -3 12 Tom Jones--- Delilah

Johnny Weissmuller died on this day 40 years ago, aged 79. - Weissmuller was born in modern-day Hungary, but his family emigrated to the US 7 months later. - The Weissmullers ended up moving to Chicago, and Johnny took swim lessons at Lake Michigan. He developed a sense of competition, and would be admitted to a prestigious swim club as a teenager. - Weissmuller's professional swimming career began in 1921, and would set world records- most notably being the first person to swim 100 meters in less than a minute (58 seconds). Because of his prowess, he was chosen to compete in the 1924 and 1928 Olympics, winning five gold medals between the two games. - Weissmuller was also a successful actor, and in 1932 he began portraying Tarzan on screen. He starred in twelve Tarzan movies between 1932 and 1948, and created this iconic yell: Weissmuller requested this to be played at his funeral three times as he was interred- which was obliged. - Weissmuller would also become the star of the Jungle Jim movies- 13 were made between 1948 and 1954. He would also portray the character on its TV show, which ran from 1956 to 1958. - Weissmuller's final film role was a cameo appearance as a stagehand in the 1976 movie Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood.

Tom Baker is 90.

1/19/2024 45 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto +1 40 Barry Ryan — Eloise +1 33 The Small Faces — Lazy Sunday 33 Stevie Wonder — Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday 30 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well +1 26 Kenny Rogers & The First Edition — Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town 23 The Foundations — Build me up Buttercup +1 21 The Edwin Hawkins Singers — Oh Happy Day 21 Fleetwood Mac — Man Of The World 19 Mary Hopkin — Goodbye 18 Tom Jones — Delilah 12 Lou Christie — I’m Gonna Make You Mine -3 6 Nina Simone — Ain’t Got No / Do What You Gotta Do 5 The Casuals — Jesamine -3

Adriana Caselotti died on this day 27 years ago, aged 80. - Caselotti had a brief stint as a chorus girl at MGM in 1935- afterwards, Disney noticed her talent, and asked her to be the voice of Snow White: - Caselotti was paid $970 for the role, but her voice went uncredited and she had trouble finding voice work afterwards; Jack Benny asked her to come on his radio show but Walt Disney did not give him permission, stating it would spoil the illusion. - Caselotti would have more film roles in extremely influential movies. The first was in The Wizard of Oz, where she provided the voice of Juliet's "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?" during "If I Only Had a Heart". The other was in It's a Wonderful Life as a singing bar patron. - Her film career ended in 1946, and afterwards she appeared for Disney's promotional events for Snow White. In 1994, she would be named a Disney Legend. - In 1991, Caselotti was brought back by Disney to record for a restored release of Snow White for its 55th anniversary- however, after completion, Disney decided to re-dub her lines with Mary Kay Bergman (later of South Park fame) instead. Caselotti was not notified of this by Disney. - Caselotti was the last surviving voice actor of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Dolly Parton is 78.

1/18/2024 44 The Small Faces — Lazy Sunday 42 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto +1 35 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well +1 33 Barry Ryan — Eloise +1 31 Stevie Wonder — Yester-Me, Yester-You 30 The Foundations— Build me up Buttercup +1 25 Kenny Rogers & The First Edition — Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town 24 Tom Jones — Delilah 21 Fleetwood Mac — Man Of The World 21 The Edwin Hawkins Singers — Oh Happy Day 17 Lou Christie — I’m Gonna Make You Mine -4 17 Mary Hopkin — Goodbye 15 The Casuals — Jesamine 9 Nina Simone — Ain’t Got No / Do What You Gotta Do 0 The Bee Gees — Don’t Forget To Remember -2

John Tyler died on this day 162 years ago, aged 71. - During his childhood, Tyler led a student rebellion against a teacher perceived to be cruel- his father commended him for it. - Tyler was admitted to Virginia's bar at the age of 19 (the judge did not ask his age), following his father into practicing law. Two years later, he would be elected into the Virginia House of Delegates. - Tyler would be elected to the US House of Representatives in 1816, retiring after serving two terms. He returned to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1823, and was elected governor of Virginia in 1825. As governor, Tyler was best known for delivering the funeral address of Thomas Jefferson, who died during his tenure. - Tyler would then be elected to the US Senate in 1826, resigning in 1836 and again being re-elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1838. - William Henry Harrison would choose Tyler as his presidential running mate in 1840. During Harrison's month-long term, the two only met once, at a parade. Tyler was reportedly playing marbles with his children when he received news of Harrison's death. - Tyler would quickly alienate himself from the Whig Party due to his pro-slavery stance, and would be kicked out by the party; he would be the first president to have impeachment proceedings planned, in 1842. At the end of his presidency, he held a ball at the White House- simply to deliver a pun that he couldn't be "The President Without a Party" (a nickname detractors gave him, alongside others such as "His Accidency"). - Tyler's presidency is best known for the annexation of Texas, which occurred on his last full day in office- March 3, 1845. - Tyler would be the only president to join the Confederate government during the Civil War, being elected to their House of Representatives in 1861 (dying before he could take office). Because of this, he is the only US president whose death was not acknowledged by the US government. His last words were "I am going. Perhaps it is best." - Tyler had fifteen children, the most of any US president. In order of birth, they were Mary, Robert, John, Letitia, Elizabeth, Anne, Alice, Tazewell, David, John Alexander, Julia, Lachlan, Lyon, Robert Fitzwalter, and Margaret. Lyon's son Harrison is still alive at the time of writing this (at 95 years old), making Tyler the earliest-serving US president with a living grandchild.

Estelle is 44.

1/17/2024 41 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well 40 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto +3 36 The Small Faces — Lazy Sunday 32 Kenny Rogers & The First Edition — Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town 29 Stevie Wonder — Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday 27 Barry Ryan — Eloise 27 Tom Jones — Delilah 27 The Foundations — Build me up Buttercup +1 25 Fleetwood Mac — Man Of The World 24 The Edwin Hawkins Singers — Oh Happy Day 21 Lou Christie — I’m Gonna Make You Mine 21 The Casuals — Jesamine 20 Mary Hopkin — Goodbye 14 The Bee Gees — Don’t Forget To Remember 10 Nina Simone — Ain’t got no/ Do What you gotta do 5 O.C. Smith — Son Of Hickory Holler’s Tramp -3 1 Dean Martin — Gentle On My Mind -3

Clyde Tombaugh died on this day 27 years ago, aged 90. - Tombaugh's uncle Lee Tombaugh was an amateur astronomer, and sparked Clyde's interest in the matter. - Tombaugh began building his own telescopes in 1926, and would be hired by the Lowell Observatory in Arizona in 1929 after he sent his sketches of Mars and Jupiter. - Almost immediately after joining Lowell, Tombaugh began taking pictures of the night sky, and quickly found a moving object. On February 18, 1930, Tombaugh confirmed it was an object orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune- and was soon named Pluto: - Tombaugh would search for more trans-Neptunian objects, but was unable to do so during his career- he would live to see more being discovered, however, with the first being Albion in 1992. - Tombaugh would also discover 15 asteroids, naming them after family members- among them being "Patsy", "Nicky", "Ellenbeth", and "Brendalee". - Tombaugh would be cremated, and nine years after his death, some of his ashes would be loaded onto the New Horizons space probe: New Horizons would fly by his most famous discovery in 2015, and the heart-shaped region on its surface would be named "Tombaugh Regio" after him:

James Earl Jones is 93.

1/16/2024 36 Fleetwood Mac — Oh Well 36 The Small Faces — Lazy Sunday 34 Elvis Presley — In The Ghetto +3 33 Kenny Rogers & The First Edition — Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town 32 The Foundations — Build Me Up Buttercup +1 31 Fleetwood Mac — Man Of The World 28 Tom Jones — Delilah 27 Stevie Wonder — Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday 24 The Edwin Hawkins Singers — Oh Happy Day 22 Barry Ryan — Eloise 21 Lou Christie — I’m Gonna Make You Mine 21 The Casuals — Jesamine 20 Mary Hopkin — Goodbye 20 The Bee Gees — Don’t Forget To Remember 16 Dean Martin — Gentle On My Mind 16 O.C. Smith — Son Of Hickory Holler’s Tramp 11 Nina Simone — Ain’t Got No / Do What You Gotta Do 4 Leapy Lee — Little Arrows -4 0 Robin Gibb — Saved By The Bell -2