Drewsky1211

10/12/2023 44 DNA Ft. Suzanne Vega — Tom’s Diner 43 James — Sit Down 41 Deee-Lite — Groove is in the Heart +4 32 Alannah Myles — Black Velvet 20 Seal — Crazy -6

Quintin Hogg- better known as Lord Hailsham- died on this day 22 years ago, aged 94. - Hailsham was the son of Douglas Hogg (Viscount Hailsham), who was also a politician. The junior Hailsham succeeded his father in the House of Lords when he died in 1950. - Hailsham would be elected to Parliament in 1938, and would briefly serve in combat during World War II. He would end up waiving his peerage in 1963 to return to the House of Commons, which he was re-elected to, but his title would be given back to him in 1970. - Also in 1970, Hailsham became the Lord Chancellor- he prophetically joked about this in a 1962 newspaper interview, where he thought if the Conservative Party returned to power by 1970, “some ass might make [him] Lord Chancellor”. He would retire from this position in 1974, but would return to this role in 1979 once Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. Hailsham served until 1987 (and would be succeeded by fellow DeathList hit Michael Havers). - Hailsham debuted on the DeathList in 1991, and made four more appearances in 1992, 1998, 1999 and 2001- and was the ninth hit (of the ten) that year, dying three days after his birthday.

Hugh Jackman is 55.

10/11/2023 49 DNA Ft. Suzanne Vega — Tom’s Diner 44 James — Sit Down 37 Deee-Lite — Groove Is In The Heart +3 35 B -52's — Love Shack +1 30 Alannah Myles — Black Velvet -4 29 Seal — Crazy -2

Angela Lansbury died on this day a year ago, aged 96. - Lansbury was a nepo baby- her mother was the Irish actress Moyna Macgill. She was also cousins with stop-motion animator Oliver Postgate, a second cousin once removed of Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull, and sister-in-law of Peter Ustinov. - Lansbury's first film role was in 1944's Gaslight, and would be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for this. She then had a string of hits with National Velvet, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Harvey Girls. - In the 1960s, Lansbury was known for playing the mothers of leading actors- most notably as Eleanor in The Manchurian Candidate, and as Elvis' mom in Blue Hawaii. - Lansbury would largely act in theatrical productions, and is particularly remembered for her role as Mrs. Lovett in the original Broadway production of Sweeney Todd. - Lansbury would return to A-list celebrity status by starring as mystery writer turned crime scene detective Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, which ran from 1984 to 1996. For this, Lansbury was nominated for ten Golden Globes (winning four) and 12 Emmys. - In her later career, Lansbury would be known for voice work in movies such as The Last Unicorn, Don Bluth's Anastasia, and most notably Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast- in the latter film, she sung its title song and a verse of "Be Our Guest": - Lansbury debuted on the DeathList in 2010, and was that list's last survivor. She returned to the list in 2020 and remained on the list until her death, and was the 10th death of the 14 that year. - Lansbury died five days before her 97th birthday, and her last role was released posthumously- a cameo in Glass Onion where she plays Among Us with Daniel Craig:

Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan is 81.

10/10/2023 10th October 50 James — Sit Down 49 DNA Ft. Suzanne Vega — Tom’s Diner 42 Alannah Myles — Black Velvet 41 Deee-Lite — Groove is in the Heart +2 27 Seal — Crazy -6 26 2 Unlimited — Get Ready For This  25 B-52's — Love Shack +2

William H. Seward died on this day 151 years ago, aged 71. - In his youth, Seward went by his middle name, Henry. He entered college at the age of 15. - Seward became a politician in the 1820s, and would be elected to the New York senate in 1830. Seward would be the Whig Party of New York's nominee for governor in 1834, but lost the election by about 10,000 votes. A rematch occurred between him and incumbent governor William Marcy in 1838, and Seward defeated him by the same margin he previously lost. - Seward was eventually elected as a US senator in 1848, and switched from the Whig to Republican Party in 1855. Seward ran for president in 1860 and was considered the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, but lost to Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln ended up giving Seward a cabinet position as his Secretary of State. - Seward was a target of John Wilkes Booth's group of conspirators (specifically Lewis Powell) on April 14, 1865- he was recovering from an injury he suffered a few days before, and his cheek was severely cut by his attempted assassin (who was chased out of his home by his children and guard). - Seward is best remembered for negotiating the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867- the land was initially deemed as useless, and called "Seward's Folly", but this changed once gold was found there in the 1890s. - After serving as Secretary of State, Seward spent his retirement traveling across North America, and visited Japan and China in 1871.

Film composer Michael Giacchino is 56.

Leif Erikson Day 2023 46 Deee-Lite — Groove is in the Heart +2 45 Seal — Crazy 42 James — Sit Down 39 B-52's — Love Shack +2 37 Alannah Myles — Black Velvet 37 DNA Ft. Suzanne Vega — Tom’s Diner 34 2 Unlimited — Get Ready For This 20 KLF — Last Train To Trancentral 6 Nomad — (I Wanna Give You) Devotion -6

Pope Clement II died on this day 976 years ago, aged 80. - Clement was German- his birth name was Suidger von Morsleben, and he was the son of a count. Not much more is known of his life before entering the clergy. - In 1040, Clement became the bishop of Bamberg. In 1046, king Henry III of Germany brought him with him and his army to Italy to settle the then-disputed papacy (Pope Gregory VI, Pope Benedict IX and Sylvester III were the claimants- this would undermine Henry's coronation, as he became king that year), and in December, the Council of Sutri was initiated. - Benedict and Sylvester were deposed from their positions, and Henry successfully managed to get Gregory to resign- effectively pushing some kind of papal reset button. Henry nominated Clement to become the new pope, and the ecumenical council elected him. Clement's first action as pope was Henry's coronation. - Clement was also known for enacting decrees against simony- this was a significant problem leading to his papacy, which saw Gregory VI bribe Benedict IX with money to retract his claims to the papacy. - Clement died after a nine-month papacy- his remains were analyzed over 900 years after his death, and it was found he died from lead poisoning (it is unknown if he was murdered or if it was an ingredient in medicine he took). Afterwards, Benedict IX would be reinstated as pope.

Steve Burns (of Blue's Clues fame) is 50. (He also made the Young Sheldon theme song years before its premiere:)

10/8/2023 48 James — Sit Down 45 Seal — Crazy 42 Deee-Lite — Groove is in the Heart +2 36 Alannah Myles — Black Velvet 34 2 Unlimited — Get Ready For This 32 B-52's — Love Shack +2 32 DNA Ft. Suzanne Vega — Tom’s Diner 31 Kylie Minogue — Better The Devil You Know 17 Crystal Waters — Gypsy Woman 17 Nomad — (I Wanna Give You) Devotion  12 KLF — Last Train To Trancentral 0 Adventures Of Stevie V — Dirty Cash -6

John Hancock died on this day 230 years ago, aged 56. - Hancock inherited his uncle Thomas' shipping business- this took in English goods, and exported rum and fish back. This made Hancock among the richest men in Massachusetts at the time. - Hancock was elected as one of Boston's selectmen in 1765, and began to boycott British goods later that year following the Stamp Act. The following year, he was elected to the then-colony's House of Representatives. - One of Hancock's boats would be seized in 1768- they believed Hancock was smuggling wine (with no evidence to prove so), and so he was put on a civil trial. His charges would soon be dropped. - Hancock became the first president of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in 1774, and would soon become the state's delegate to the Continental Congress later that year. He would be elected the latter's president in 1775, and was its president when the Declaration of Independence was signed: As president of the Continental Congress, Hancock's signature was at the top and center, and also the largest of all of them. His name has since become a slang synonym for "signature". - Hancock became the first governor of Massachusetts in 1780, serving until 1785- he became the president of the Continental Congress once again that year, serving until 1786, and would be re-elected as governor that year. - Hancock was floated as a Federalist candidate in the 1789 election- despite not running due to knowing that George Washington would win no matter what, he still got four electoral votes (each elector could choose two candidates; all 69 of them chose Washington).

Sigourney Weaver is 74.

10/7/2023 41 James — Sit Down 39 Seal — Crazy 38 Deee-Lite — Groove Is In The Heart +2 36 Alannah Myles — Black Velvet 36 DNA Ft. Suzanne Vega — Tom’s Diner 35 B-52's — Love Shack +2 30 2 Unlimited — Get Ready For This 30 Kylie Minogue — Better The Devil You Know 24 Crystal Waters — Gypsy Woman 22 Adventures Of Stevie V — Dirty Cash 19 KLF — Last Train To Trancentral 19 Nomad — (I Wanna Give You) Devotion 15 Scorpions — Wind Of Change -3 6 Amy Grant — Baby Baby -3

Charles III of France died on this day 1094 years ago, aged 50. - Charles was the posthumous son of King Louis II- despite being the heir apparent after his older half-brother Carloman II's death in 884, the crown went to his cousin Charles III of Italy. - In 888, the nobility continued to snub Charles of the crown after the other Charles' death by electing Odo, the count of Paris, king (albeit Charles was only 9 years old at this time). Charles became king at the age of 19, when Odo died after a 10-year reign. - Charles is responsible for the creation of the Duchy of Normandy following a Viking attack (led by Rollo, William the Conqueror's direct great-great-great grandfather) in 911. - The French nobility would rebel against Charles due to his favoritism of his advisor, Hagano (a relative of his first wife, Frederuna). In 922, they organized a revolt led by Odo's brother Robert, whom they declared their rightful king. Charles would be captured in battle in 923, and spent the last six years of his life imprisoned. - Charles' epithet, "The Simple", stems from "simplex"- meaning either "loyal" or "without guile" (likely the latter in this case). Other demeaning epithets included "The Foolish" ("insipiens"), "The Inferior" ("minor"), and "The Stupid" ('hebes").

Oliver North is 80. (I don't agree with everything he's said/done, but it gives me an excuse to post this:)

10/6/2023 42 Deee-Lite — Groove Is In The Heart +2 35 Seal — Crazy 34 Amy Grant — Baby Baby 32 DNA Ft. Suzanne Vega — Tom’s Diner 32 Alannah Myles — Black Velvet 31 Crystal Waters — Gypsy Woman 30 B-52's — Love Shack +2 30 Kylie Minogue — Better The Devil You Know 30 James — Settle Down 29 2 Unlimited — Get Ready For This 27 Nomad — (I Wanna Give You) Devotion 22 Adventures Of Stevie V — Dirty Cash 18 Luciano Pavarotti — Nessun Dorma -6 17 KLF — Last Train To Trancentral 10 Scorpions — Wind Of Change  07 Heavy D And The Boyz — Now That We Found Love

Emperor Wang Mang died on this day 2000 years ago, aged 67. - Wang was a member of the Chinese nobility, but he was known for his thriftiness, opting to wear less-fancy clothes while studying Confucianism. - Wang would become the commander of the Chinese armed forces in 8 BCE, retiring from the position six years later. - After the death of Emperor Ai in 1 BCE, Wang became the regent of the 8-year-old Emperor Ping. Wang would use his new power to punish his political enemies by firing, exiling, or demoting them to commoners. - Wang Mang would also build a cult of personality around himself, claiming he was the second coming of the Duke of Zhou (r. 1042-1035 BCE). Wang's son Wang Yu attempted to snap him out of it in 3 CE by forging supernatural incidents; Wang would arrest his son, who killed himself. - Wang was responsible for the death of Emperor Ping in 5 CE, poisoning his wine. Wang became acting emperor as Ping had no heir (he was 14 when he died), and effectively seized the throne in 9. Thus, he became the first (and only) emperor of the Xin dynasty. - As emperor, Wang would introduce a land redistribution system that made all of China's lands publicly owned, and large landowners had to cede some land for their fellow villagers. This was met with resistance from the population, and Wang repealed these new laws in 12. - The economy during Wang's reign was wild- Chinese currency had 28 different types of coins, leading to a major counterfeit money crisis. - Wang abolished slavery in China in 17, but this would be reinstated after his death six years later. - Farmers' rebellions would continue throughout his reign, and once a Han claimant to the throne allied with them, they marched on the capital, and Wang was killed when they stormed the imperial palace two days after entering Chang'an.

Eileen Derbyshire is 92.

Dick Butkus dead at 80.

10/5/2023 41 Deee-Lite — Groove Is In The Heart +2 36 James — Sit Down 34 Crystal Waters — Gypsy Woman 33 Alannah Myles — Black Velvet 33 2 Unlimited — Get Ready For This 31 Seal — Crazy 30 B-52's — Love Shack +2 30 DNA Ft. Suzanne Vega — Tom’s Diner 30 Kylie Minogue — Better The Devil You Know 30 Amy Grant — Baby Baby 29 KLF — Last Train To Trancentral 27 Adventures Of Stevie V — Dirty Cash 24 Nomad — (I Wanna Give You) Devotion 18 Luciano Pavarotti — Nessun Dorma -6 16 Scorpions — Wind Of Change 15 Heavy D And The Boyz — Now That We Found Love 13 Diana Ross — When You Tell Me That You Love Me

King Philip III of France died on this day 738 years ago, aged 40. - Philip was initially not expected to become king, but became the heir apparent after the death of his older brother Louis in 1260. - Philip joined his father Louis IX on the Eighth Crusade, along with his brother John-Tristan. Their group, however, were victims of a dysentery outbreak, and Philip lost both of them- he survived and was proclaimed king in what is now Tunisia. His uncle Charles would soon negotiate a peace treaty with the caliph Muhammad I of Tunis, and Philip would return home for his coronation the following year. - Among the things Philip did during his reign: ) Enacted antisemitic acts by banning the construction and upkeep of synagogues and Jewish cemeteries, ordered France's Jewish population to wear badges to identify themselves, and banned Jewish bosses from employing Christian workers. ) Sent an army into Navarre to put down a rebellion and was shamed by Pope Nicholas III for the destruction they caused. ) Declared war against Aragon in 1284 and seized the city of Girona. - During the Aragonese Crusade, Philip would again catch dysentery- and died the same way as his father and younger brother fifteen years before. His son Philip IV would succeed him.

Film composer Harold Faltermeyer is 71.