Drewsky1211

Laura Bush is 77.

11/3/2023 39 Natalie Imbruglia — Torn 32 Underworld — Born Slippy 30 Chumbawamba — Tubthumping 29 Blur — Song 2 28 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony +2 28 Sash! ft. Rodriguez — Ecuador 26 Mark Snow — The X-Files 25 Sash! — Encore Une Fois 24 Kula Shaker — Hush 24 Manic Street Preachers — A Design For Life 23 The Cardigans — Lovefool 23 Robert Miles — Children 23 The Bluetones — Slight Return 22 Toni Braxton — Un-Break My Heart 22 Supergrass — Richard III 21 George Michael — Spinning The Wheel 21 Gala — Freed From Desire 21 George Michael — Star People '97 21 Dario G — Sunchyme 20 Kula Shaker — Hey Dude 20 Warren G ft. Adina Howard — What's Love Got To Do With It 20 Backstreet Boys — Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) 20 No Mercy — Where Do You Go 20 Sash! ft. La Trec — Stay 19 Warren G — I Shot The Sheriff 15 Robbie Williams — Old Before I Die 12 Los Del Río — Macarena +2 11 Boyzone — Baby Can I Hold You / Shooting Star -5 11 Boyzone — Isn't It A Wonder  10 Fugees - No Woman No Cry 9 Robbie Williams — Freedom -1 8 3T ft. Michael Jackson — Why 8 3T — Anything 8 George Michael — You Have Been Loved / The Strangest Thing '97

Emperor Constantius II died on this day 1662 years ago, aged 44. - The son of Constantine the Great, Constantius became emperor when he was 20 years old. - Constantius and his brothers decided to split the Roman Empire amongst themselves, and Constantius would receive the eastern part. The empire ended up reunifying in 350 after the death of his brother Constans, with Constantius as the sole ruler- he would, however, have to fight a usurper, Magnentius, and came out victorious. - Constantius was known for furthering the Christian policies of his father. Among the laws introduced included death penalties for participating in pagan sacrifices, and banning interfaith marriages between Jews and Christians. - In 360, his cousin Julian was proclaimed emperor by his soldiers, and Constantius went to confront him- however, he died from an unspecified illness on the way, and reportedly named Julian his rightful successor on his deathbed.

Michael Dukakis is 90. (the picture on the right (with Dukakis on the right) was him back in February)

11/2/2023 32 Natalie Imbruglia — Torn 25 Blur — Song 2 +1 25 Chumbawamba — Tubthumping +1 24 Underworld — Born Slippy 24 Sash! ft. Rodriguez — Ecuador 22 Mark Snow — The X-Files 22 Kula Shaker — Hush  21 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony +1 20 The Bluetones — Slight Return 20 3T — Anything 20 Robert Miles — Children 20 Manic Street Preachers — A Design For Life 20 George Michael — Spinning The Wheel 20 Kula Shaker — Hey Dude 20 Warren G ft. Adina Howard — What's Love Got To Do With It 20 Fugees — No Woman, No Cry 20 Toni Braxton — Un-Break My Heart 20 Backstreet Boys — Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) 20 No Mercy — Where Do You Go 20 Warren G — I Shot The Sheriff 20 Sash! — Encore Une Fois 20 Boyzone — Isn't It A Wonder 20 Supergrass — Richard III 20 Robbie Williams — Old Before I Die 20 George Michael — Star People '97 20 The Cardigans — Lovefool 20 Gala — Freed From Desire 20 Dario G — Sunchyme 20 Oasis — Stand By Me 20 Sash! ft. La Trec — Stay 20 Boyzone — Baby Can I Hold You / Shooting Star 16 Robbie Williams — Freedom -4 15 Los Del Río — Macarena +1 14 3T ft. Michael Jackson — Why 14 Peter Andre — Mysterious Girl 14 George Michael — You Have Been Loved / The Strangest Thing '97 14 Boyzone — Picture Of You -2

11/2/2023 (12:02 AM EST) 64 Supergrass — Alright / Time 63 Kylie Minogue — Confide In Me 63 Pulp — Common People 30 Ace Of Base — The Sign +4 23 Pulp — Mis-Shapes / Sorted For E's And Wizz 3 Corona — The Rhythm Of The Night -6 (Just trying to get it over with so I can vote again when I wake up in the morning)

Ngo Dinh Diem died on this day 60 years ago, aged 62. - Diem had an upbringing in Vietnam's minority Catholic populace, and would serve as a colonial official (France occupied Vietnam at the time). - Diem would leave Vietnam in 1950 during the First Indochina War, returning only after the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu. - The US would help install Diem as Prime Minister at the beginning of the Vietnam War, and he would become South Vietnam's first president in 1955. - Diem was the one who coined the term "Viet Cong"- initially referring to South Vietnamese communists, Diem would soon label any of his dissidents as such. - While the US would paint Diem as a leader trying to preserve democracy in South Vietnam, Diem was very authoritarian. He would order travelling squads to execute those suspected of being communist. Diem would also only allow the South Vietnamese governmental flag to be flown, and when Buddhists flew different flags to celebrate the Buddha's birthday in 1963, he ordered his secret police to arrest them- 9 were killed, and this culminated in a Buddhist monk (Thich Quang Duc) lighting himself on fire in protest of his regime a month later: The above image quickly circulated around the world, and was a public relations disaster for Diem- this led to the Kennedy administration to become disillusioned with him. - Several scheming generals soon plotted a coup against him- the US government allowed them to go along with it (thinking that Diem was secretly negotiating with North Vietnam), and Diem would be arrested and shot dead; this assassination occurred just three weeks before JFK's.

David Schwimmer is 57.

With 2 months left in the year, here's another hypothetical 2024 list of mine: 1. Jimmy Carter (100, Ex US President, 6) 2. Henry Kissinger (101, Diplomat, 2) 3. David Graham (99, Actor, NEW) 4. Glynis Johns (101, Actress, NEW) 5. Nigel Starmer-Smith (80, Rugby Commentator, 5) 6. William Russell (100, Actor, NEW) 7. Jacques Delors (99, French Politician, 11) 8. Alan Greenspan (98, Economist, 4) 9. Mel Brooks (98, Comedian/Director, 10) 10. Rosalynn Carter (97, Ex-FLOTUS, 15) 11. Joanne Woodward (94, Actress, 17) 12. Eva Marie Saint (100, Actress, NEW) 13. Joss Ackland (96, Actor, 21) 14. Stanley Baxter (98, Comedian, 20) 15. Shannen Doherty (53, 90210 Actor, -) 16. Norman Lear (102, TV Producer, 28) 17. Ethel Kennedy (96, Kennedy Family, 18) 18. Sidney Cooke (97, Pedophile/Possible serial killer, NEW) 19. Pete Murray (99, British radio presenter, 36) 20. Roberta Flack (87, Singer, NEW) 21. Jean-Marie Le Pen (96, French Neo-Nazi, 22) 22. James Whale (73, Broadcaster, -) 23. Cleo Laine (97, Jazz Singer, 24) 24. Sandy Gall (97, TV news reporter, 16) 25. Esther Rantzen (84, TV presenter, NEW) 26. Linda Nolan (65, Nolan Sister, 47) 27. David Attenborough (98, Broadcaster and Natural Historian, -) 28. Douglas Hurd (94, Politician, -) 29. Dick Van Dyke (99, Actor, 1) 30. Tom Lehrer (96, Comedic singer, NEW) 31. Desmond Morris (96, Zoologist, 19) 32. Norman Tebbit (93, Politician, 14) 33. Bob Newhart (95, Comedian, 37) 34. Vanessa Redgrave (87, Actress, -) 35. Shane MacGowan (67, Pogue, 50) 36. Noam Chomsky (96, Intellectual, -) 37. Patricia Routledge (95, Actress, NEW) 38. Bruce Willis (69, Actor, NEW) 39. Dennis Skinner (92, Politician, 41) 40. Gene Hackman (94, Actor, NEW) 41. Imelda Marcos (95, Former First Lady of the Philippines, 33) 42. James Earl Jones (93, Vader's Voice, NEW) 43. Franz Beckenbauer (79, Footballer, NEW) 44. Raul Castro (93, Former Cuban Leader, -) 45. Rex Williams (91, Snooker player, -) 46. Yoko Ono (91, Mrs Lennon, 27) 47. Michael Aspel (91, Presenter, NEW) 48. Sophia Loren (90, Actress, NEW) 49. Rupert Murdoch (93, News Exec, NEW) 50. Clint Eastwood (94, Dirty Harry, NEW)

11/1/2023 60 Supergrass — Alright / Time 59 Pulp — Common People 47 Kylie Minogue — Confide In Me 36 Ace Of Base — The Sign +3 24 Pulp — Mis-Shapes / Sorted For E's And Wizz -1 18 Corona — The Rhythm Of The Night +1 17 Queen — Heaven For Everyone 9 Crash Test Dummies- Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm -2 8 U2 — Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me -3

Charles II of Spain died on this day 323 years ago, aged 38. - Charles became king when he was 3 years old, following the death of his father Philip IV. His mother Mariana would serve as his regent- however, Charles' very poor health and mental disability effectively left her in charge of royal decisions up until her death in 1696. - Charles' family tree explains exactly what caused said poor health: incest. Because of this severe inbreeding, Charles was rendered infertile and was the last Habsburg king of Spain. His death would cause the War of the Spanish Succession, which lasted from 1701 to 1714, and saw Spain decline as a world power. - Charles earned the epithet "The Bewitched" thanks to a legend that grew during his lifetime that he was cursed by a witch when he was 14. In modern times, this moniker is still valid due to said inbreeding causing his very ugly appearance and how he defied expectations just by surviving for so long. - After his death, the physician who performed his autopsy made the following remarks: "his body did not contain a single drop of blood, his heart was the size of a peppercorn, his lungs corroded, his intestines rotten and gangrenous, he had a single testicle, black as coal, and his head was full of water". In life, Charles was also known to have suffered from chronic diarrhea, epilepsy, and a skeletal deformity.

Gary Player is 88.

Halloween 2023 59 Pulp — Common People 59 Supergrass — Alright / Time 43 Kylie Minogue — Confide In Me 39 Ace Of Base — The Sign +3 34 Crash Test Dummies — Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm 23 Queen — Heaven For Everyone 19 Pulp — Mis-Shapes/ Sorted For E's And Wizz 17 The Stone Roses — Love Spreads 15 Corona — The Rhythm Of The Night +1 14 U2 — Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me 0 Annie Lennox — No More Of This Song -6

Peter Stumpp died on this day 434 years ago, aged 54. (I remember I told his story last Halloween- so here we go again for those not here a year ago:) - Peter Stumpp's name might not have even been that- one of the names attributed to him was "Abel Griswold", and some believe that "Stumpp" refers to the fact that his left hand had been cut off (which was witness evidence used in his trial that I'm about to talk about). - In 1589, Stumpp was put on trial for allegations of werewolfery. During it, Stumpp confessed (probably after being tortured) that he had been willingly transforming since 1564, when he was given a magical belt by Satan (wearing it turned him into a voracious, bloodthirsty werewolf, and him removing it changed him back into his normal human self). He is sometimes referred to as the "Werewolf of Bedburg": - Stumpp stated that he first feasted on livestock such as goats and sheep, and then moved on to consuming human flesh. He reportedly devoured 14 children and tearing the fetuses of 2 pregnant women out, particularly stating that he enjoyed eating their hearts. Stumpp also claimed to have eaten the brain of his own son. - Stumpp was also accused of having committed incest with his daughter Sybil, who would be executed alongside him. - Stumpp's execution was quite grisly- he was tied to a wheel and flayed, his arms and legs were smashed, then he was beheaded and his body burned. His head would be put on top of a pike with his breaking wheel and a small statue of a wolf as a warning to others potential werewolves.

"Lumberjack DJ" Ad-Rock (of the Beastie Boys) is 57. Here's a mashup of one of his songs that's fitting for today (the ending is a bit weird):

10/30/2023 58 Pulp — Common People 57 Supergrass — Alright / Time 49 Kylie Minogue — Confide In Me 46 Ace Of Base — The Sign +3 37 Crash Test Dummies — Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm 21 U2 — Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me 21 Corona — The Rhythm Of The Night +1 19 The Stone Roses — Love Spreads 15 Pulp — Mis-shapes/ Sorted for E’s and Wizz 15 Queen — Heaven For Everyone 12 Annie Lennox — No More 'I Love You's' 8 Bon Jovi — Always -6

Bonar Law died on this day 100 years ago, aged 65. - Law was named after Andrew Bonar (pronounced "bonner") if you're wondering why someone would give their child such an unfortunate name. Earlier on, he went by "AB Law". Law was born in New Brunswick, moving from Canada to the UK with his aunt when he was 12. - Law would first be elected to Parliament in 1900, serving for four different constituencies over the next 23 years. Law was known for his advocacy for reforming tariffs. - Law became the leader of the opposition in 1911 after Arthur Balfour's resignation, and the head of the Tories in 1916. During World War I, he served in David Lloyd George's wartime cabinet as the Chancellor of the Exchequer. - After Lloyd George's resignation, Law became prime minister, though resigned as PM and from Parliament seven months- he was the shortest-serving British PM of the 20th century. - The reason for Law's resignation was him being diagnosed with terminal throat cancer, dying five months afterwards. - Law is sometimes referred to by the nickname "The Unknown Prime Minister"- this is not because of his short tenure, but HH Asquith's remarks at his funeral: "[they] were burying the Unknown Prime Minister next to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier".

Henry Winkler is 78. ...Ayyy.

10/29/2023 56 Pulp — Common People 55 Kylie Minogue — Confide In Me 53 Supergrass — Alright / Time 48 Ace Of Base — The Sign +3 41 Crash Test Dummies — Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm 31 U2 — Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me 30 The Stone Roses — Love Spreads 29 Corona — The Rhythm Of The Night +1 19 Queen — Heaven For Everyone 17 Pulp — Mis-Shapes / Sorted For E's And Wizz 16 Annie Lennox — No More 'I Love You's' 9 Bon Jovi — Always -6

King Gustaf V of Sweden died on this day 73 years ago, aged 92. - Gustaf was the son of King Oscar II, and became king upon his death in 1907. Gustaf opted not to have a coronation, and his precedent stands in the Swedish monarchy to this day (with his son and great-grandson successors). - Gustaf would quickly reform the Swedish monarchy in that he gave the country's parliament more power, albeit he wanted to handpick his own government. This was compromised by allowing Gustaf to nominate ministers, but the Swedish Parliament needed to have a vote whether to accept or reject them. - Gustaf was an avid tennis player, often competing in tournaments under the pseudonym "Mr. G". Having first seen the sport on a trip to the UK in 1876, he founded Sweden's first tennis club once he got back home. - Gustaf sympathized with Germany during both World Wars due to his wife Victoria having hailed from there. He infamously tried to send a congratulatory letter to Hitler for his persecution of communists, but the Prime Minister stopped it from happening. He did, however, try to convince him to stop persecuting Jews (Gustaf was friends with famous Jewish tennis player Daniel Prenn). - There have been rumors that Gustaf was bisexual, allegedly having had sexual relations with a man named Kurt Haijby between 1936 and 1947 (his wife had died in 1930). - Gustaf was Sweden's oldest king, and reigned for 43 years. He was succeeded by his son Gustaf VI Adolf. - In popular culture, Gustaf was mentioned in Cab Calloway's signature song "Minnie the Moocher" (released in 1931): "She had a dream about the king of Sweden He gave her things, that she was needin' He gave her a home built of gold and steel A diamond car, with the platinum wheels"

Ralph Bakshi is 85.

10/28/2023 54 Pulp — Common People 53 Kylie Minogue — Confide In Me 48 Supergrass — Alright / Time 44 Crash Test Dummies — Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm 40 Ace Of Base — The Sign +3 33 U2 — Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me 28 Corona — The Rhythm Of The Night +1 26 Pulp — Mis-Shapes / Sorted For E's And Wizz 25 The Stone Roses — Love Spreads 25 Queen — Heaven For Everyone 22 Bon Jovi — Always 19 Annie Lennox — No More 'I Love You's' 15 Alex Party — Don't Give Me Your Life 12 MC Sar & The Real McCoy — Another Night -6

Jerry Lee Lewis died on this day a year ago, aged 87. - Lewis was cousins with Mickey Gilley and (later famous televangelist) Jimmy Swaggart, and the three of them would play piano together, often performing songs for their church. - Lewis went professional in 1952, and signed with Sun Records in 1956. He was a member of the Million Dollar Quartet alongside Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins. - Lewis achieved monumental stardom in 1957 with his songs "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire", and he is considered to be a pioneer of rock and roll: - Lewis' career, however, would almost be ended when he married his 13-year old cousin in 1958. Despite this controversy, Lewis would become a successful country artist, with his song "Another Place, Another Time" peaking at number 4 on Billboard's Country Chart in 1968. Over the next nine years, 16 more songs of his would reach the top ten on said chart, with four of them reaching number one. - Lewis would infamously be arrested in 1976 for showing up at Graceland, intending to shoot Elvis. The following decade would see him start frequent drug use, and rack up millions of dollars in debt. - Lewis first appeared on the DeathList in 1993, likely due to his reckless habits. He would suffer a significant stroke in 2019, and returned to the list in 2022 after a 29-year absence. He was the 11th hit of the 14 that year; his death was erroneously reported two days before it actually occurred.

Cleo Laine is 96.

10/27/2023 46 Kylie Minogue — Confide In Me 45 Pulp — Common People 43 Supergrass — Alright / Time 41 Ace Of Base — The Sign +3 38 U2 — Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me 37 Crash Test Dummies — Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm 31 N-Trance — Set You Free 28 Corona — The Rhythm Of The Night +1 26 Pulp — Mis-Shapes / Sorted For E's And Wizz 25 The Stone Roses — Love Spreads 25 Queen — Heaven For Everyone 24 Bon Jovi — Always 24 MC Sar & The Real McCoy — Another Night 23 Alex Party — Don't Give Me Your Life -1 22 Annie Lennox — No More 'I Love You's' 6 Let Loose — Crazy For You -5