Drewsky1211

James Monroe died on this day 192 years ago, aged 73. - Monroe dropped out of college to fight in the American Revolution, and served under William Washington (George's second cousin once removed). Monroe would ambush Hessian reinforcements in the Battle of Trenton, and nearly died in battle due to a severed artery. He can be seen in the famous "Washington Crossing the Delaware" painting, behind Washington and holding the flag: - After the end of the fighting, Monroe would be elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1782. He would be elected to the Congress of the Confederation (the precursor to the US House of Representatives) in 1783, and as a US senator in 1790. In 1799, he became the governor of Virginia- he served until 1802, and would become governor again in 1811, quitting after four months after president James Madison appointed him his Secretary of State. - Monroe won the 1816 presidential election against Rufus King in a landslide. His tenure was best known for buying Florida from Spain, the Compromise of 1820 (in which Missouri became a slave state if Maine became a free state), and the Monroe Doctrine (a declaration stating that the US would act against further European colonization of the Americas). - Monroe was a supporter of the American Colonization Society, encouraging freed slaves to form their own nation in Africa- this soon became the country of Liberia, and its capital city, Monrovia, is named after him. - In 1820, Monroe became the only other US president to run unopposed besides George Washington. A single elector cast a vote for John Quincy Adams- many believe that this was so that George Washington could remain the only unanimously elected (in the Electoral College) president. - Monroe died on the 55th anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence, and exactly five years after John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. He is the most recent US president to die on the 4th of July.

Eva Marie Saint is 99.

7/3/2023 30 Kylie Minogue- Can’t Get You Out Of My Head 29 Spiller- Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) 28 All Saints- Pure Shores 28 Fragma- Toca’s Miracle 28 Roger Sanchez- Another Chance 28 Manic Street Preachers- The Masses Against the Classes 28 Melanie C- I Turn to You 27 Eminem ft. Dido- Stan 26 Sonique- It Feels So Good 24 Britney Spears- Oops!... I Did It Again 24 Rui da Silva ft. Cassandra- Touch Me 23 S Club 7- Don’t Stop Movin’ 22 Afroman- Because I Got High 22 Oxide & Neutrino- Bound 4 da Reload (Casualty) 22 So Solid Crew - 21 Seconds 22 Modjo- Lady (Hear Me Tonight) 22 Melanie C ft. Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes- Never Be The Same Again 22 S Club 7- Have You Ever 22 Daniel Bedingfield- Gotta Get Thru This 22 Madison Avenue- Don’t Call Me Baby 21 Shaggy ft. Rayvon- Angel 20 Eminem- The Real Slim Shady +4 20 Gabrielle- Rise 20 Chicane ft. Bryan Adams- Don’t Give Up 20 Geri Halliwell- Bag It Up 20 Westlife- Fool Again 20 Craig David- Fill Me In 20 Billie Piper- Day & Night 20 Kylie Minogue- Spinning Around 20 The Corrs- Breathless 20 Craig David- 7 Days 20 Robbie Williams- Rock DJ 20 A1- Take On Me 20 Mariah Carey ft. Westlife- Against All Odds 20 All Saints- Black Coffee 20 Steps- Stomp  20 Spice Girls- Holler/Let Love Lead The Way 20 Westlife- My Love 20 A1- Same Old Brand New You 20 LeAnn Rimes- Can’t Fight the Moonlight 20 Destiny’s Child- Independent Women Part 1 20 S Club 7- Never Had A Dream Come True 20 Jennifer Lopez- Love Don’t Cost A Thing 20 Atomic Kitten- Whole Again 20 Shaggy ft. RikRok- It Wasn’t Me 20 Hear’Say- Pure and Simple 20 Emma Bunton- What Took You So Long? 20 Destiny’s Child- Survivor 20 Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya & Pink- Lady Marmalade 20 Atomic Kitten- Eternal Flame 20 Five- Let’s Dance 20 Blue- Too Close 20 Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman- Somethin’ Stupid 20 DJ Pied Piper and the Masters of Ceremonies- Do You Really Like It? 18 Blue- If You Come Back 17 Hear’Say- The Way to Your Love 17 Ronan Keating- Life Is A Rollercoaster 16 Madonna- American Pie 16 Westlife- Queen of My Heart 16 Robbie Williams- Eternity/The Road to Mandalay 14 Britney Spears- Born To Make You Happy 14 Five + Queen- We Will Rock You 14 DJ Ötzi- Hey Baby 14 Madonna- Music 11 Black Legend- You See The Trouble With Me  10 U2- Beautiful Day 9 Bob the Builder — Can We Fix It -6

7/3/2023 39 Elvis Presley — Suspicious Minds 34 The Jackson 5 — I Want You Back +4 30 The Moody Blues — Question 30 Peter, Paul & Mary — Leavin’ On A Jet Plane 30 Deep Purple — Black Night 29 T. Rex — Ride A White Swan 28 R Dean Taylor — Indiana Wants Me 26 Free — All Right Now 26 Sweet — Co-Co 26 Canned Heat — Let’s Work Together 25 The Kinks — Lola 24 Paul McCartney — Another Day 23 Clarence Carter — Patches 23 Redbone — The Witch Queen Of New Orleans 22 T. Rex — Jeepster 19 McGuinness Flint — When I’m Dead And Gone 18 The Rolling Stones — Brown Sugar/Bitch/Let It Rock 18 Tony Christie — I Did What I Did For Maria b 4 Mary Hopkin — Knock Knock Who’s There -6

Jim Backus died on this day 34 years ago, aged 76. - Backus' career began in the 1940s on radio, with one of his earliest roles being the millionaire Dexter Hayes on Society Girl. - Backus would make appearances in movies such as Pat and Mike, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and most notably Rebel Without a Cause as James Dean's father. - Beginning in 1949, Backus would voice Mr. Magoo, who he would voice in theatrical shorts and TV series until his death. One anecdote states that during the production of Don't Bother to Knock, Marilyn Monroe beckoned him to her dressing room- just to have him talk in-character as Mr. Magoo. - Backus was also well-known for his role as Thurston Howell III in Gilligan's Island, with his final time portraying the character being in commercials for Orville Redenbacher popcorn: - Outside of acting, Backus was known for his affinity for golf, and participated in the 1964 Bing Crosby National Pro-Amateur tournament.

Yeardley Smith is 59.

7/2/2023 30 Peter, Paul & Mary — Leavin’ On A Jet Plane 30 Elvis Presley — Suspicious Minds 30 The Moody Blues — Question 28 Free — All Right Now 28 Sweet — Co-Co 27 Deep Purple — Black Night 26 Canned Heat — Let’s Work Together 25 The Jackson 5 — I Want You Back 25 T. Rex — Ride A White Swan 24 R Dean Taylor — Indiana Wants Me 22 Paul McCartney — Another Day 22 The Rolling Stones — Brown Sugar/Bitch/Let It Rock 21 Clarence Carter — Patches 21 The Kinks — Lola  20 T. Rex — Jeepster 20 McGuinness Flint — When I’m Dead And Gone 20 Tony Christie — I Did What I Did For Maria 19 Redbone — The Witch Queen Of New Orleans 16 The New Seekers — Never Ending Song Of Love 16 Mr Bloe — Groovin’ With Mr Bloe  14 Mary Hopkin — Knock Knock Who’s There 13 The Beatles — Let It Be +4 12 Desmond Dekker And The Aces — You Can Get It If You Really Want It  11 Middle Of The Road — Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum -6

7/2/2023 28 Kylie Minogue- Can’t Get You Out Of My Head 26 Bob the Builder — Can we fix it 24 Melanie C- I Turn to You 24 Oxide & Neutrino- Bound 4 da Reload (Casualty) 24 Sonique- It Feels So Good 24 All Saints- Pure Shores 24 Fragma- Toca’s Miracle 22 Melanie C ft. Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes- Never Be The Same Again 22 Eminem ft. Dido- Stan 21 Spiller- Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) 20 Eminem- The Real Slim Shady +4 20 Manic Street Preachers- The Masses Against the Classes 20 Britney Spears- Born To Make You Happy 20 Gabrielle- Rise 20 Madonna- American Pie 20 Chicane ft. Bryan Adams- Don’t Give Up 20 Geri Halliwell- Bag It Up 20 Westlife- Fool Again 20 Craig David- Fill Me In 20 Britney Spears- Oops!... I Did It Again 20 Madison Avenue- Don’t Call Me Baby 20 Billie Piper- Day & Night 20 Black Legend- You See The Trouble With Me 20 Kylie Minogue- Spinning Around 20 The Corrs- Breathless 20 Ronan Keating- Life Is A Rollercoaster 20 Craig David- 7 Days 20 Robbie Williams- Rock DJ 20 Madonna- Music 20 A1- Take On Me 20 Modjo- Lady (Hear Me Tonight) 20 Mariah Carey ft. Westlife- Against All Odds 20 All Saints- Black Coffee 20 Steps- Stomp  20 Spice Girls- Holler/Let Love Lead The Way 20 Westlife- My Love 20 A1- Same Old Brand New You 20 LeAnn Rimes- Can’t Fight the Moonlight 20 Destiny’s Child- Independent Women Part 1 20 S Club 7- Never Had A Dream Come True 20 Rui da Silva ft. Cassandra- Touch Me 20 Jennifer Lopez- Love Don’t Cost A Thing 20 Atomic Kitten- Whole Again 20 Shaggy ft. RikRok- It Wasn’t Me 20 Hear’Say- Pure and Simple 20 Emma Bunton- What Took You So Long? 20 Destiny’s Child- Survivor 20 S Club 7- Don’t Stop Movin’ 20 Geri Halliwell- It’s Raining Men 20 DJ Pied Piper and the Masters of Ceremonies- Do You Really Like It? 20 Shaggy ft. Rayvon- Angel 20 Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya & Pink- Lady Marmalade 20 Hear’Say- The Way to Your Love 20 Roger Sanchez- Another Chance 20 Atomic Kitten- Eternal Flame 20 So Solid Crew- 21 Seconds 20 Five- Let’s Dance 20 Blue- Too Close 20 DJ Ötzi- Hey Baby 20 Afroman- Because I Got High 20 Blue- If You Come Back 20 S Club 7- Have You Ever 20 Daniel Bedingfield- Gotta Get Thru This 20 Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman- Somethin’ Stupid 18 Oasis- Go Let It Out 18 Westlife- Queen of My Heart 18 Robbie Williams- Eternity/The Road to Mandalay 14 Five + Queen- We Will Rock You 14 U2- Beautiful Day 9 Bob the Builder- Mambo No. 5 2 Westlife- Uptown Girl -6

King Adolf of Germany died on this day 725 years ago, aged 43. - Adolf was the son of count Walram II of Nassau. When his father died in 1276, Adolf became the count; a title he would hold until his own death. - In the late 13th century, Adolf became a member of the royal court of king Rudolf I. Rudolf provided him with lordship over several castles. He would also become involved in the local politics of the towns his castles were in. - Rudolf died in 1291, wishing for his son Albert to succeed him (at this time, Germany elected its kings, rather than it being fully hereditary). However, Albert was unpopular among the electors (largely due to territorial disputes), and Adolf would be elected king in May of 1292. He was largely chosen so the electors would have more power amongst themselves. - In 1294, Adolf would form an alliance with king Edward I of England against France (due to their attempts to conquer the kingdoms of Burgundy and Flanders). He would issue a declaration of war against king Philip IV of France later that year, but forfeited in 1295 when Pope Boniface VIII threatened to excommunicate him should war break out. - Adolf was also known for seizing the Margravate of Meissen from its margrave, Albert II (the direct 19x-great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II), considering it to have been abandoned to to the death of a cadet branch of the House of Wettin. - In 1298, the electors turned against Adolf in favor of Albert (largely due to his activities in Thuringia), and he would be deposed in late June of 1298. Adolf believed that only the pope had the authority to depose a king, and thus gathered troops to fight Albert. Eleven days after being dethroned, Adolf met Albert's forces in battle at Gollheim, and would be killed:

Imelda Marcos, number 33 on this year's list, is 94.

Since we're at the halfway point of the year, here's my first hypothetical 2024 DeathList (if nothing were to change): 1. Jimmy Carter (100, Ex US President; 6) 2. June Spencer (105, Archers' Peggy Woolley; NEW) 3. Bob Barker (101, The Price Is Right; 3) 4. Henry Kissinger (101, Diplomat; 2) 5. James Whale (73, Broadcaster; -) 6. Rob Burrow (42, Rugby player; NEW) 7. William Russell (100, Actor; NEW) 8. Tony Bennett (98, Crooner; 7) 9. Rosalynn Carter (97, Ex-FLOTUS; 15) 10. Glynis Johns (101, Actress; NEW) 11. Alan Greenspan (98, Economist; 4) 12. Joanne Woodward (94, Actress; 17) 13. Jacques Delors (99, French Politician; 11) 14. Nigel Starmer-Smith (80, Rugby Commentator; 5) 15. Roberta Flack (87, Singer; NEW) 16. Mel Brooks (98, Comedian/Director; 10) 17. Linda Nolan (65, Nolan Sister; 47) 18. David Graham (99, Actor; NEW) 19. Milan Kundera (95, Author; 23) 20. Shannen Doherty (53, 90210 Actor; -) 21. Stanley Baxter (98, Comedian; 20) 22. Norman Lear (102, TV Producer; 28) 23. Jean-Marie Le Pen (96, French Neo-Nazi; 22) 24. Eva Marie Saint (100, Actress; NEW) 25. Joss Ackland (96, Actor; 21) 26. Ethel Kennedy (96, Kennedy Family; 18) 27. Cleo Laine (97, Jazz Singer; 24) 28. Pete Murray (99, British radio presenter; 36) 29. Esther Rantzen (84, TV presenter; NEW) 30. James Watson (96, Social Darwinist; NEW) 31. Sandy Gall (97, TV news reporter; 16) 32. Tom Lehrer (96, Comedic singer; NEW) 33. David Attenborough (98, Broadcaster and Natural Historian; -) 34. Bob Newhart (95, Comedian; 37) 35. Noam Chomsky (96, Intellectual; -) 36. Norman Tebbit (93, Politician; 14) 37. Dick Van Dyke (99, Actor; 1) 38. Douglas Hurd (94, Politician; -) 39. Dianne Feinstein (91, US Senator; NEW) 40. Dennis Skinner (92, Politician; 41) 41. Julie Goodyear (82, Corrie's Bet Lynch; NEW) 42. Thelma Barlow (95, Corrie's Mavis Wilton; NEW) 43. Raul Castro (93, Former Cuban Leader; -) 44. Liza Minnelli (78, Entertainer; -) 45. Bobby Charlton (87, Footballer; 12) 46. Louis Farrakhan (91, Nutter; -) 47. Pope Francis (88, The Pope; NEW) 48. Rex Williams (91, Snooker player; -) 49. Vanessa Redgrave (87, Actress; -) 50. Clint Eastwood (94, Dirty Harry; NEW)

7/1/2023 28 Peter, Paul & Mary — Leavin’ On A Jet Plane 27 Elvis Presley — Suspicious Minds 25 Free — All Right Now 25 The Kinks — Lola 24 Sweet — Co-Co 24 Mr Bloe — Groovin’ With Mr Bloe 23 The Moody Blues — Question 23 R Dean Taylor — Indiana Wants Me 23 The Rolling Stones — Brown Sugar/Bitch/Let It Rock 23 T. Rex — Ride A White Swan 22 Paul McCartney — Another Day 21 Middle Of The Road — Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum 20 Canned Heat — Let’s Work Together 20 Mary Hopkin — Knock Knock Who’s There 20 Desmond Dekker And The Aces — You Can Get It If You Really Want It 20 Deep Purple — Black Night 20 Clarence Carter — Patches 20 McGuinness Flint — When I’m Dead And Gone 20 Tony Christie — I Did What I Did For Maria 20 The New Seekers — Never Ending Song Of Love 20 Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood — Did You Ever 18 The Jackson 5 — I Want You Back +4 18 Redbone — The Witch Queen Of New Orleans 14 Hotlegs — Neanderthal Man 14 T. Rex — Jeepster 14 The Beatles — Let It Be 12 Tom Jones — Till 11 Hurricane Smith — Don’t Let It Die -3 5 The Mixtures — The Pushbike Song -3

Marlon Brando died on this day 19 years ago, aged 80. - Brando got his start on stage, and was known for a 1947 role in the Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire- he reprised his role as Stanley Kowalski in the 1951 film adaptation, earning him his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor. - He would eventually win two Oscars for Best Actor- one in 1955 for On the Waterfront, and another in 1973 for arguably his most famous role as Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather- he declined to accept the latter award. - Brando was childhood friends with fellow actor Wally Cox. When Cox died in 1973, Brando stole his ashes from his widow- she planned to sue him for their return, but she decided he needed them more. - Brando saw continued success in the late '70s, starring in movies such as Apocalypse Now and the first Christopher Reeve Superman film. - However, his career took a negative turn in the 1990s, with films such as Christopher Columbus: The Discovery, Free Money, and especially the 1996 version of The Island of Dr. Moreau (whose infamous production is the stuff of legends). His role as the titular character in the latter film also led to the creation of now seldom-seen South Park character Dr. Mephisto, who shares many of his mannerisms: - Brando's last role was a voice acting role in the unreleased film Big Bug Man- you can read more about it here. - Brando was known for his poor health in later years- by the 1990s, he was diabetic and weighed over 300 pounds (140 kilos). During this time, he also became close friends with Michael Jackson, and the latter would give him a portable oxygen tank and personal golf card to tour Neverland Ranch. - Brando made 2 appearances on the DeathList, in 1996 and 1997.

Jean Marsh is 89.

Yitzhak Shamir died on this day 11 years ago, aged 96. - Shamir's birth surname was Yezernitsky. "Shamir" was initially an alias he used on a forged ID card. - Shamir's parents and sisters were murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust; he escaped this terrible fate by emigrating to Palestine in 1935. - Shamir soon joined the Lehi paramilitary group that opposed British control of the Zionist state, becoming one of its leaders in 1943. He took the nickname "Michael" after IRA leader Michael Collins, and orchestrated the assassination of Baron Moyne (Walter Guinness) in 1944. - To avoid arrest, Shamir would disguise himself, but was detained when an officer recognized his signature bushy eyebrows. He would then be deported to a prison in British Eritrea; Lehi troops would soon murder the officer who arrested him. Shamir would break out of prison in 1947 and gained asylum in France. After Israel gained its independence in 1948, he would return there. - Shamir would join Israel's Mossad (its equivalent of the CIA/MI6) in 1955, and directed the assassination of German scientists working on Egypt's missile program. He would resign from it in 1965. - In 1973, Shamir was elected to the Knesset, becoming its speaker in 1977. In 1983, he was elected Prime Minister, though he was removed from the position in 1984 when a coalition government was formed. He would regain his role once Shimon Peres swapped back with him in 1986. He would be defeated by Yitzhak Rabin in the 1992 election, and stepped down from the Knesset in 1996. - Shortly after, Shamir would be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease- he survived about 15 years with it, and would be moved to a nursing home in 2004. - Shamir made 9 appearances on the DeathList between 1994 and 2012 (consecutively since 2007)- he was the sixth hit of 2012.

Murray Cook, the original red Wiggle, is 63.

Technically the score should be -3. I'm very satisfied with the winner. Fits well with the site's theme considering the song is about grief.

6/29/2023 40 The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black +4 13 The Four Tops – Reach Out I´ll Be There 13 The Kinks – You Really Got Me -6 10 The Animals – House Of The Rising Sun 6 Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Steve Ditko died on this day 5 years ago, aged 90. - Ditko became inspired to draw comics because of Batman artist Jerry Robinson, and he enrolled in NYC's School of Visual Arts when he found out he was teaching there. While attending, he also met Stan Lee. - Ditko's professional comic-making career began in 1953, and soon found work at the studio of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. - In 1955, Ditko began working at Atlas Comics, which became Marvel Comics in 1961. In 1962, Ditko helped co-create Spider-Man with the aforementioned Lee, and was the chief artist for many of the comics. - Ditko was also the sole creator of Doctor Strange, who debuted in 1963. - Ditko would also work at Marvel's competitor DC Comics from 1968 to 1969, and return in 1975. He would retire from the comics business in 1998. - After the release of The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012, Ditko claimed that he received no income from it nor the Sam Raimi trilogy; a neighbor, however, accidentally received one of his royalty checks. During the production of the 2016 Doctor Strange film, those involved purposely did not contact him, thinking he would disapprove of the movie. - Ditko would get an "in memoriam" card in the credits of the 2018 Spider-Man PS4 game, as well as in those of the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (the latter was released after Lee's death in November of that year):

Nicole Scherzinger is 45.

6/28/2023 31 The Rolling Stones — Paint It, Black +3 28 The Four Tops – Reach Out I´ll Be There 24 The Kinks – You Really Got Me -6 21 Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine 15 The Animals – House Of The Rising Sun +1 11 The Rolling Stones – (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

James Madison died on this day 187 years ago, aged 85. - One of Madison's second cousins was another US president- that being Zachary Taylor (served 1849-1850). - Madison is both the shortest and lightest president- he was 5'4" (1.6m) and weighed just 100 pounds (45 kg), meaning his BMI was 17.2 (very underweight). He was also known for his weak and shrill voice, so much that those who transcribed his debates often left [...]'s in the transcripts. - One of his classmates at Princeton was future Vice President Aaron Burr. - Madison served in the Second Continental Congress, and would be instrumental in the ratification of the Constitution in 1787 (so much that he is called the "Father of the Constitution"). In 1790, Madison also drafted its first ten amendments, better known as the Bill of Rights. - Madison was a member of the inaugural Congress, elected to Virginia's 5th and 15th congressional districts. He served 4 terms in the House of Representatives. - Afterwards, he was Thomas Jefferson's Secretary of State. During this time, he won the case of Marbury v. Madison, which ruled that courts can strike down laws that they deem to violate the Constitution. - Madison won the 1808 election against Charles C. Pinckney with 122 electoral votes (to Pinckney's 47). - Madison's presidency is largely defined by the War of 1812- in 1814, British troops burned the White House after Madison fled the city. Madison and his wife Dolley would take residence at the Octagon House while the White House was being rebuilt. - Madison was reportedly bedridden in 1831 and 1832 (must've been a number 1 pick for deadpoolers back then). When on his deathbed, his doctors offered him medication to try to extend his life to July 4 (so he could die on the same day as presidents Adams, Jefferson, and Monroe). Madison refused. - Despite his abolitionist views, Madison inherited over 100 slaves from his father after he died in 1801. This number dwindled to 36 at the time of Madison's death, and his wife Dolley had to sell them to pay off their family's debts. One slave, Paul Jennings, later wrote that he had been taught how to read and write, that Madison ordered his overseers never to harm them, and that they got Sundays off.

Mel Brooks is 97. May the Schwartz be with him on his special day.

6/27/2023 39 Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine 32 The Rolling Stones — Paint It, Black +2 29 The Four Tops – Reach Out I´ll Be There 26 The Kinks – You Really Got Me 23 The Animals – House Of The Rising Sun +2 18 The Rolling Stones – (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction 11 The Supremes – Baby Love 4 Dusty Springfield – You Don´t Have To Say You Love Me -6