Drewsky1211

Betico Croes died on this day 37 years ago, aged 48. - Born in the Aruban town of Santa Cruz, Croes entered politics in 1967 as a member of the island council. He would serve in this role until resigning in 1970. - Croes would found the pro-independence People's Electoral Movement party in 1971, and the party won a majority of Aruba's seats in the Netherlands Antilles parliament. - Croes would start planning Aruba's independence from the Netherlands by designing its flag, coat of arms, and co-writing its anthem in 1976: The following year, he organized an independence referendum which the Dutch government considered illegitimate. 95% of voters were in favor of independence. - Following a general strike, Croes managed to start dialogues with Dutch PM Joop den Uyl, and it was agreed that Aruba would become a constituent country of the Netherlands on New Year's Day 1986, with a potential independence referendum in 1995. Afterwards, Croes would kickstart Aruba's economy by investing in tourism. - The day before Aruba became a constituent country, Croes was in a car crash that put him into a coma which he never woke up from, dying eleven months later. The Aruban independence movement soon fell apart, and the island remains under Dutch jurisdiction to this day. - He is remembered in Aruba as the "Libertador", having his birthday (January 25) being made an island holiday, and several urban centers and statues dedicated to him.

DJ Khaled is 48.

11/25/2023 55 Fatboy Slim — Right Here, Right Now +3 55 Stardust — Music Sounds Better With You 41 Natalie Imbruglia — Big Mistake  41 Madonna — Beautiful Stranger 40 The Corrs — Runaway 38 Madonna — Ray Of Light 36 Terrorvision — Tequila 33 DJ Jurgen Presents Alice DeeJay — Better Off Alone +1 32 Phats & Small — Turn Around 31 Spice Girls — Stop 28 Blur — Tender 26 T-Spoon — Sex On The Beach 26 Ann Lee — 2 Times 22 Jay-Z — Hard Knock Life 20 Pras Michel ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard & Mya — Ghetto Superstar 20 Artful Dodger ft. Craig David — Re-Rewind 19 Brandy ft. Mase — Top Of The World 17 Busta Rhymes — Turn It Up / Fire It Up 15 Tin Tin Out ft. Emma Bunton — What I Am 9 Shaft — (Mucho Mambo) Sway -2 6 Brandy & Monica — The Boy Is Mine -2 6 The Wiseguys — Ooh La La -2

Hastings Banda died on this day 26 years ago, aged ~99. - Banda's year of birth is contested between 1898 and 1906- he claimed the latter, but the tribe he belonged to claimed the former (and he would accept the former later in his life). - Banda received his education overseas (earning a medical degree), returning to Malawi (then Nyasaland) in 1958. He would be arrested the following year for anticolonial activity, being released after a year. - Banda was the one who gave Malawi its post-independence name, naming it after a lake. - After becoming Malawi's first president in 1964, Banda immediately showed dictatorial tendencies by firing cabinet ministers who proposed limiting his power. His Malawi Congress Party became the only legal political party in the country, and he was made president for life in 1971. - Under the Banda regime, all businesses had to have an official picture of him (nothing could be hung higher than it), movies were not allowed to show acts of love (and all of them began with a preshow of Banda waving while Malawi's anthem played), and books about the history of colonial Malawi were burned. - Banda's 30-year presidency ended after he allowed the country to transition to democracy in 1993- he was easily defeated in the 1994 elections by Bakili Muluzi of the newly-formed United Democratic Front Party. - Banda would be arrested in 1995, charged with the murder of four political dissidents in 1983, but was acquitted due to a lack of evidence. - Banda made four appearances on the DeathList (from 1994 until his death), and was the ninth and final hit of 1997.

Jenna Bush Hager is 42.

11/24/2023 52 Fatboy Slim — Right Here, Right Now +2 50 Stardust — Music Sounds Better With You 48 Madonna — Ray Of Light 46 Natalie Imbruglia — Big Mistake 44 DJ Jurgen Presents Alice DeeJay — Better Off Alone +1 39 Madonna — Beautiful Stranger 35 Spice Girls — Stop 32 Phats & Small — Turn Around 32 Terrorvision — Tequila 30 Blur — Tender 30 Jay-Z — Hard Knock Life +1 28 The Corrs — Runaway 27 Tin Tin Out ft. Emma Bunton — What I Am 26 T-Spoon — Sex On The Beach 24 Ann Lee — 2 Times 20 Pras Michel ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard & Mya — Ghetto Superstar 20 Artful Dodger ft. Craig David — Re-Rewind 19 Brandy ft. Mase — Top Of The World 17 Busta Rhymes — Turn It Up / Fire It Up 13 Shaft — (Mucho Mambo) Sway  12 Brandy & Monica — The Boy Is Mine -3 10 The Wiseguys — Ooh La La -3

Freddie Mercury died on this day 32 years ago, aged 45. - Mercury was born as "Farrokh Bulsara" in what is now Tanzania to Indian parents- his family fled to England during the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution. Freddie got his nickname while attending an English boarding school, and legally changed his surname to Mercury in the early 1970s (inspired by a line from his song "My Fairy King"). - Before Queen, Mercury played in bands such as Ibex (later renamed Wreckage) and Sour Milk Sea. After joining Queen, he designed the band's logo, basing it off of the Zodiac signs of each member (lions (Leo) for Roger Taylor and John Deacon, a crab (Cancer) for Brian May, and two fairies (Virgo) for himself). - Mercury was known for his love of cats- he owned ten over his life (six at the time of his death), and his favorite was named Delilah. - Mercury may have shown signs of HIV by 1982 (a white lesion on his tongue was seen). He had his blood tested in 1986 and officially diagnosed with AIDS in April of 1987. Due to anti-gay stigma at the time, Mercury would hide his diagnosis from the public. Rumors about his illness were everywhere by the time of The Miracle's release in 1989, with his appearances in music videos (for instance the ones for "Scandal" and "I Want It All") providing fuel for them. His last music video was for "These Are The Days Of Our Lives"- this was shot in black in white to hide his frail appearance: - Mercury would announce his diagnosis a day before he died, with his last picture being taken that same day:

Dwight Schultz is 76. Besides being the A-Team's Murdock, he's also known for voicing Mung Daal on Chowder:

Thanksgiving 2023 48 Madonna— Beautiful Stranger 48 Fatboy Slim — Right Here, Right Now +2 46 Natalie Imbruglia — Big Mistake 45 Stardust — Music Sounds Better With You 44 Madonna — Ray Of Light 41 DJ Jurgen Presents Alice DeeJay — Better Off Alone +1 36 Spice Girls — Stop 33 Blur — Tender 32 Phats & Small — Turn Around 32 Terrorvision — Tequila 27 Artful Dodger ft. Craig David — Re-Rewind 26 Jay-Z — Hard Knock Life +1 25 Tin Tin Out ft. Emma Bunton — What I Am 24 T-Spoon — Sex On The Beach 24 Ann Lee — 2 Times 24 The Corrs — Runaway 21 Pras Michel ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard & Mya — Ghetto Superstar 20 Busta Rhymes — Turn It Up / Fire It Up 20 Brandy ft. Mase — Top Of The World 18 Brandy & Monica — The Boy Is Mine 16 Shaft — (Mucho Mambo) Sway 14 Sash! ft. Tina Cousins — Mysterious Times 14 The Wiseguys — Ooh La La 12 The Offspring — Why Don't You Get A Job? -6

Perkin Warbeck died on this day 524 years ago, aged 25. - Warbeck was born in modern-day Belgium (in the city of Tournai), and he would become a travelling cloth merchant. - Around 1490, Warbeck would begin to lie about being a claimant to the English throne. He pretended he was Edward IV's son Richard (the younger Prince of the Tower), and claimed that Edward V had been killed but he was spared due to his younger age and by agreeing to hide his identity for several years. - Warbeck would try to legitimize his claim by meeting with European leaders, which included Charles VIII of France, and Edward IV's sister Margaret believed him to be her nephew. Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I would recognize him as "Richard IV of England" when inviting him to his father's funeral in 1493. - King Henry VII would execute several of Warbeck's supporters in January of 1495, and Warbeck himself would arrive in England with a small army in July of that year; Warbeck would flee to Scotland to garner James IV's support. James would initially support him, but made him leave in 1497 following a thwarted attempt to invade England. - Warbeck would then attempt to fight English forces in Cornwall, but he would be captured and imprisoned. He was initially treated well, and was allowed to attend royal banquets while under watch once confessing to being an impostor. Warbeck would only be executed two years after capture due to multiple escape attempts.

Miley Cyrus is 31.

11/22/2023 45 Fatboy Slim — Right Here, Right Now +1 44 Madonna — Beautiful Stranger 43 Stardust — Music Sounds Better With You 42 Madonna — Ray Of Light 41 Natalie Imbruglia — Big Mistake 36 DJ Jurgen Presents Alice DeeJay — Better Off Alone 33 Artful Dodger ft. Craig David — Re-Rewind 31 Blur — Tender 30 Spice Girls — Stop 29 Tin Tin Out ft. Emma Bunton — What I Am 28 Jay-Z — Hard Knock Life 28 Terrorvision — Tequila 28 Phats & Small — Turn Around 24 Ann Lee — 2 Times 24 The Corrs — Runaway 22 Shaft — (Mucho Mambo) Sway 22 T-Spoon — Sex On The Beach 21 Pras Michel ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard & Mya — Ghetto Superstar 20 Busta Rhymes — Turn It Up / Fire It Up 20 Brandy ft. Mase — Top Of The World 20 The Wiseguys — Ooh La La 19 Brandy & Monica — The Boy Is Mine 18 Whitney Houston — My Love Is Your Love 16 Eminem — My Name Is +3 14 The Offspring — Why Don't You Get A Job? -2 14 Sash! ft. Tina Cousins — Mysterious Times 6 911 — More Than A Woman -2 6 Another Level ft. Ghostface Killah — I Want You For Myself -2 6 Backstreet Boys — All I Have To Give

Blackbeard died on this day 305 years ago, aged 38. - Blackbeard's real name is often given as "Edward Teach"- however, pirates would often use aliases to cover their tracks, and there is a lack of records of his childhood. It's probable that this was not his actual identity. - Blackbeard was born in England and would later move to Jamaica. He would move to the island of New Providence (in the modern-day Bahamas), having heard of the confederation of pirates that had made it their base of operations. He joined the crew of Benjamin Hornigold, taking charge once Hornigold retired from piracy. - In November of 1717, Blackbeard seized a French slave ship named "La Concorde", renaming it to the famous "Queen Anne's Revenge". His fleet of ships would increase throughout 1718, and he would ally with other pirate fleets. He appointed himself as a commodore. - Blackbeard notoriously blockaded Charleston in what is now South Carolina, pillaging the city until hearing that the British government had sent warships. He would sail north, notably getting stuck on a sandbar off the coast of North Carolina. - Blackbeard accepted his Act of Grace pardon in June of 1718, but was soon spotted back at sea. A group led by Robert Maynard would be sent to capture and arrest him; Blackbeard would fire upon their boats as they approached. Blackbeard would end up being killed by one of Maynard's men (getting his throat slit by their cutlass) in the ensuing battle once they boarded. His head was reportedly severed and then displayed upon the bowsprit of Maynard's ship:

Terry Gilliam is 83.

11/21/2023 44 Fatboy Slim — Right Here, Right Now +2 43 Stardust — Music Sounds Better With You 40 Madonna — Ray Of Light 37 DJ Jurgen Presents Alice DeeJay — Better Off Alone 35 Natalie Imbruglia — Big Mistake 31 Madonna — Beautiful Stranger 30 Jay-Z — Hard Knock Life 29 Artful Dodger ft. Craig David — Re-Rewind 28 Phats & Small — Turn Around 28 Tin Tin Out ft. Emma Bunton — What I Am 28 Blur — Tender 27 Eminem — My Name Is +2 26 Spice Girls — Stop 25 Brandy & Monica — The Boy Is Mine 24 Terrorvision — Tequila 24 Ann Lee — 2 Times 24 The Corrs — Runaway 22 Shaft — (Mucho Mambo) Sway 21 Pras Michel ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard & Mya — Ghetto Superstar 21 Five — Everybody Get Up 20 Busta Rhymes — Turn It Up / Fire It Up 20 T-Spoon — Sex On The Beach 20 Brandy ft. Mase — Top Of The World 20 Another Level ft. Ghostface Killah — I Want You For Myself 20 The Wiseguys — Ooh La La 19 Whitney Houston — My Love Is Your Love 17 911 — More Than A Woman 14 Sash! ft. Tina Cousins — Mysterious Times 14 Backstreet Boys — All I Have To Give 13 The Offspring — Why Don't You Get A Job? -4 6 E-17 — Each Time -2

David Cassidy died on this day 6 years ago, aged 67. - Cassidy was a nepo baby, the son of actors Jack Cassidy and Evelyn Ward. They divorced in 1956, and Jack remarried to actress Shirley Jones the same year. - Cassidy's father would help him enter the acting industry, and he made his Broadway debut in 1969's The Fig Leaves Are Falling. He would soon sign with Universal, and appeared in episodes of Bonanza and Adam-12. - The following year, he would have a breakout role- Keith Partridge on The Patridge Family, which he starred in alongside his stepmother. Cassidy became an A-list celebrity, constantly being followed by paparazzi. - The show also netted him a Billboard number 1- "I Think I Love You", which he sang, topped the chart in December of 1970: Cassidy also had a solo musical career, and got a UK number one in 1971 with his double A-side "Daydreamer"/"The Puppy Song". He became internationally popular, and it got to the point where in 1974, almost 800 people were injured in a crowd stampede at Wembley Stadium (one died; Cassidy talked to and sent flowers to the victim's family). - Outside of The Partridge Family, Cassidy would also make guest appearances in shows ranging from The Love Boat to Malcolm in the Middle to Kim Possible to CSI. He also competed in the 11th season of The Apprentice, being the first celebrity contestant Donald Trump fired. - Cassidy had a drinking problem throughout his life- a fall at a 2017 concert of his led to him announcing he had dementia (in actuality a case of alcohol poisoning). He died nine months after that performance from liver and renal failure.

Bjork is 58.

Why not both? Considering past presidential runner-up picks like Bob Dole and John McCain, I suggest Michael Dukakis (both 90 years old and a US politician).

Mars Williams dead at 68.

11/20/2023 42 Fatboy Slim — Right Here, Right Now +2 39 Stardust — Music Sounds Better With You 39 Madonna — Ray Of Light 39 Madonna — Beautiful Stranger 35 Blur — Tender 33 DJ Jurgen Presents Alice DeeJay — Better Off Alone 29 Brandy & Monica — The Boy Is Mine 29 Artful Dodger ft. Craig David — Re-Rewind 27 Natalie Imbruglia — Big Mistake 26 Tin Tin Out ft. Emma Bunton — What I Am 24 Jay-Z — Hard Knock Life 24 Ann Lee — 2 Times 24 Phats & Small — Turn Around 24 Whitney Houston — My Love Is Your Love 24 Spice Girls — Stop 24 911 — More Than A Woman 23 Eminem — My Name Is +2 22 Shaft — (Mucho Mambo) Sway 21 Pras Michel ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard & Mya — Ghetto Superstar 21 Five — Everybody Get Up 20 Backstreet Boys — All I Have To Give 20 Busta Rhymes — Turn It Up / Fire It Up 20 Sash! ft. Tina Cousins — Mysterious Times 20 T-Spoon — Sex On The Beach 20 Brandy ft. Mase — Top Of The World 20 Another Level ft. Ghostface Killah — I Want You For Myself 20 The Corrs — Runaway 20 The Wiseguys — Ooh La La 20 Terrorvision — Tequila 17 The Offspring — Why Don't You Get A Job? -5 14 Steps — Love's Got A Hold Of My Heart 13 The Beautiful South — Perfect 10 -1 11 E-17 — Each Time 8 DJ Jean — The Launch

Allan Sherman died on this day 50 years ago, aged 48. - Sherman's birth name was "Allan Copelon"- his parents divorced when he was 7, and he took his mother's maiden name. - Sherman came up with the concept of the game show I've Got a Secret when he was 27 years old, and became the show's executive producer. He was fired from the show in 1958 due to not being able to produce enough scripted content for the show. - Sherman was more known for his musical career- he was effectively the Weird Al Yankovic of his day, making song parodies by adding or changing lyrics over the instrumentals of Broadway songs and classical music- these would often be topical satire ranging from the Space Race, to suburbanization, to the still relevant topic of job automation. - Sherman's biggest hit was 1963's "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah"- a child's letter from summer camp set to "Dance of the Hours": The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, kept from the top by Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips" and The Angels' "My Boyfriend's Back". - Sherman would return to TV, starting off by guest hosting Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show, and singing the song "The Dropouts' March" for That Was the Week That Was: Sherman was also the voice of the Cat in the Hat for two TV specials in 1971 and 1973, the latter being his final work. - Sherman had a multitude of health problems, including Type 2 diabetes, asthma, and emphysema. He died ten days before turning 49.

Rodger Bumpass is 72.

1987: Ozzy Osbourne (1/31) 1989: Frank Bruno, Mike Ditka, Ozzy Osbourne, Brian Wilson, David Jenkins (5/32) 1990: Mike Ditka, Rex Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Terry Waite (4/42) 1991: Leo Beenhakker (1/40)  1992: Shaun Ryder (1/37) 1993: Henry Kissinger, George Lineker (2/56) 1994: Edmund White, Holly Johnson, Peter Shilton (3/50) 1995: Holly Johnson (1/50) 1996: Mr T (1/50) 1997: (0/50) 1998: (0/50) 1999: Nick Leeson, Carly Simon (2/50) 2000: Louis Farrakhan (1/50) 2001: Liza Minnelli (1/50) 2002: (0/50)  2003: (0/50) 2004: (0/50) 2005: Hamed Karzai (1/50) 2006: (0/50)  2007: Tim Johnson, Louis Farrakhan (2/50) 2008: Russell Watson, Hamed Karzai, Charles Taylor (3/50) 2009: (0/50) 2010: (0/50) 2011: Ali Khamenei, Dick Cheney, Michael Douglas (3/50) 2012: Henry Kissinger, Dick Van Dyke, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi (3/50) 2013: Henry Kissinger (1/50) 2014: Dick Van Dyke (1/50)  2015: Henry Kissinger, Jake Roberts (2/50) 2016: Prunella Scales, Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Tommy Chong, Sandy Gall, Paul Gascoigne (6/50) 2017: Jimmy Carter, Sandy Gall, Emperor Akihito (3/50) 2018: Linda Nolan, Prunella Scales, Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Dick Van Dyke, Stanley Baxter, Mel Brooks, Louis Farrakhan, Ronnie Wood, Joni Mitchell, Paul Gascoigne (11/50) 2019: Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Emperor Akihito, Alan Greenspan, Dick Van Dyke, Vanessa Redgrave, Cleo Laine, Prunella Scales, Shane MacGowan (9/50) 2020: Dick Van Dyke, Emperor Akihito, Alan Greenspan, Henry Kissinger, Jimmy Carter, Prunella Scales, Jacques Delors, Willie Nelson, Shane MacGowan, Dick Cheney, Imelda Marcos, Joanne Woodward, Jean-Marie Le Pen, David Attenborough (14/50) 2021: Dick Van Dyke, Emperor Akihito, Alan Greenspan, Henry Kissinger, Jimmy Carter, Jacques Delors, Ali Khamenei, Prunella Scales, Rosalynn Carter, Dick Cheney, Bob Newhart, Imelda Marcos, Yoko Ono, Linda Nolan, Joanne Woodward, Mel Brooks, Willie Nelson, Jean-Marie Le Pen, Raul Castro, Stanley Baxter, Vanessa Redgrave, Shane MacGowan, Shannen Doherty (22/50) 2022: Dick Van Dyke, Henry Kissinger, Alan Greenspan, Nigel Starmer-Smith, Jimmy Carter, Dick Cheney, Mel Brooks, David Attenborough, Emperor Akihito, Rosalynn Carter, Sandy Gall, Desmond Morris, Jean-Marie Le Pen, James Whale, Cleo Laine, Jacques Delors, Denis Law, Prunella Scales, Stanley Baxter, Noam Chomsky, Norman Tebbit, Douglas Hurd, Marianne Faithfull, Linda Ronstadt, Joss Ackland, Shane MacGowan (25/50) Updated for Rosalynn Carter.

RIP. Seems to mirror what happened with Barbara Bush a few years ago- she also died two days after entering hospice care.

11/19/2023 43 Madonna— Beautiful Stranger 40 Fatboy Slim — Right Here, Right Now +1 40 Stardust — Music Sounds Better With You 39 Madonna — Ray Of Light 34 The Beautiful South — Perfect 10 29 DJ Jurgen Presents Alice DeeJay — Better Off Alone 29 Artful Dodger ft. Craig David — Re-Rewind 29 Brandy & Monica — The Boy Is Mine 27 Natalie Imbruglia — Big Mistake 26 Blur — Tender 24 Jay-Z — Hard Knock Life 24 Ann Lee — 2 Times 24 Phats & Small — Turn Around 24 Tin Tin Out ft. Emma Bunton — What I Am 22 Spice Girls — Stop 22 Shaft — (Mucho Mambo) Sway 21 Pras Michel ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard & Mya — Ghetto Superstar 21 Five — Everybody Get Up 20 Backstreet Boys — All I Have To Give 20 Busta Rhymes — Turn It Up / Fire It Up 20 Sash! ft. Tina Cousins — Mysterious Times 20 T-Spoon — Sex On The Beach 20 Brandy ft. Mase — Top Of The World 20 911 — More Than A Woman 20 Another Level ft. Ghostface Killah — I Want You For Myself 20 The Corrs — Runaway 20 The Offspring — Why Don't You Get A Job? 20 The Wiseguys — Ooh La La 20 Whitney Houston — My Love Is Your Love 20 Steps — Love's Got A Hold Of My Heart 20 Terrorvision — Tequila 19 Eminem — My Name Is +3 14 E-17 — Each Time 14 DJ Jean — The Launch 14 Five — If Ya Gettin' Down 7 Steps — Better Best Forgotten 0 Five — Until The Time Is Through... Which Is Now -6