Drewsky1211

Gene Shalit is 98.

3/24/2024 55 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +4 38 Kelis — Milkshake 36 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 29 Manic Street Preachers — The Love Of Richard Nixon 29 Manic Street Preachers — Empty Souls 28 Kelis — Trick Me 26 Kylie Minogue — I Believe In You 25 The Libertines — Can’t Stand Me Now -3 20 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound  18 Destiny’s Child — Lose My Breath -3

Queen Elizabeth I died on this day 421 years ago, aged 69. - Elizabeth's education comprised of her reading classical literature and learning many languages- among which is the now critically endangered Cornish language. - Elizabeth's older half-sister Mary I would imprison her in the Tower of London in 1554 on baseless accusations that she was involved in Wyatt's Rebellion. She would be freed the following year, and her half-brother-in-law Philip II of Spain would mentor her in preparation of her succession to the throne, which occurred upon Mary's death in 1558. - Elizabeth's early reign consisted of church reforms to compromise with England's Catholic population, and also took measures to separate church and state by making the clergy follow her laws, and repeal some laws against heresy. - While Elizabeth is called the "Virgin Queen", she did go on many dates, and was engaged twice. Some doubt her virginity claims to be 100% true, however- albeit she did not have any children of her own. - The "Elizabethan Era" largely refers to her later reign, particularly the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, the rise and mysterious fall of the Roanoke colony, and the writing of many of Shakespeare's greatest plays. An often overlooked aspect of this time was the establishment of relations between England and the Ottoman Empire, and England hoped the Ottomans would help them in their war against Spain. - Elizabeth is believed to have died from a fatal bout of pneumonia- in the days before her death, she would sit on cushions and refuse to get into bed, possibly due to the realization of what being bedbound symbolized. - With Elizabeth's death, the Tudor dynasty came to an end, and the Stuart dynasty began when James I and VI was declared king.

Nena is 64.

3/23/2024 51 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +4 37 Manic Street Preachers — The Love Of Richard Nixon 36 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 35 Kylie Minogue — I Believe In You +4 34 Kelis — Milkshake  31 Manic Street Preachers — Empty Souls 30 Kelis — Trick Me 29 The Libertines — Can’t Stand Me Now 26 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound 22 Destiny’s Child — Lose My Breath 8 Rachel Stevens — Some Girls -6 3 Jojo — Leave (Get Out)

Paul I of Russia died on this day 223 years ago, aged 46. - Paul was the son of Peter III and Catherine II (the Great). He was put in the care of his great-aunt Elizabeth soon after he was born, and his mother took the throne when he was 7 years old. He had little contact with Queen Catherine. - When he turned 18 in 1772, Catherine would take measures to stay queen, particularly by trying to find him a wife. Catherine would also give him mansions to placate his desire to become tsar. - Paul finally became emperor upon his mother's death in 1796, and ordered the destruction of her will so he could take the throne (Catherine favored her grandson Alexander over Paul). He would also establish an absolute male primogeniture law, and reversed many policies his mother had instated. - Following a joint invasion of the Netherlands in 1799, Paul fell out with the UK, when the latter's government refused to give Malta to the Order of St. John, and also attacked a Danish ship (Denmark was a Russian ally at the time). He would seize British ships moored in Russian ports and held their crews hostage - Paul had a fixation with parades, ordering them to be held every day for his entertainment. He was strict and ordered those who made mistakes while marching to be flogged. - Paul was disliked by the nobility by trying to force them to be loyal to him, and for issuing reforms favorable to serfs. A group of nobles conspired to oust him, and had the support of Alexander- but ended up strangling Paul to death after he resisted abdication. The new emperor Alexander I did not punish the assassins, but did believe they went too far by killing his father.

Chaka Khan is 71.

3/22/2024 47 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +4 41 Manic Street Preachers — The Love Of Richard Nixon 35 Kelis — Trick Me 34 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 33 The Libertines — Can’t Stand Me Now 33 Kylie Minogue — I Believe In You 33 Manic Street Preachers — Empty Souls 28 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound 25 Jojo — Leave (Get Out) 24 Destiny’s Child — Lose My Breath 24 Kelis — Milkshake 23 Rachel Stevens — Some Girls 0 Christina Milian — Dip It Low -6

Walter Lantz died on this day 30 years ago, aged 94. - Despite his surname, Lantz was of Italian descent- his immigrant father had it nonconsensually anglicized from "Lanza". - Lantz became inspired to become an animator after seeing Winsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur, and then got a job as a comic strip artist. - Lantz' first cartoon was 1924's Dinky Doodle series, which made live action/animation hybrids of fairy tales: - Lantz then got work on the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series (in 1928, after Universal had taken control of the character from Walt Disney), and he became head writer of the shorts in 1933. - Lantz would leave Oswald in 1935, and had another successful cartoon series after creating Andy Panda in 1939. The following year, the Andy Panda short "Knock Knock" featured the first appearance of Lantz' most popular character by far... Woody Woodpecker: ' (Woody Woodpecker is still extremely popular in Brazil and is known as "Pica-Pau" there) Woody got his own series in 1941, and his theme song topped Billboard's best-selling singles chart for six weeks in 1948. - Lantz would continue making theatrical shorts until 1972. After retiring, he would make money by selling drawings of Woody Woodpecker, and licensing his IPs to other media companies such as Universal. Lantz would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986.

William Shatner is 93. Obligatory Rocket Man repost:

3/21/2024 44 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +4 41 Manic Street Preachers — The Love Of Richard Nixon 36 Manic Street Preachers — Empty Souls 35 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 34 Kylie Minogue — I Believe In You 34 Jojo — Leave (Get Out) 34 The Libertines — Can’t Stand Me Now 32 Kelis — Trick Me 28 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound 27 Kelis — Milkshake 25 Rachel Stevens — Some Girls 24 Destiny’s Child — Lose My Breath 12 Christina Milian — Dip It Low 5 Girls Aloud — The Show -6 1 D12 — My Band At this point saving My Band is impossible, but I don't want to eliminate Eminem.

William Utermohlen died on this day 17 years ago, aged 73. - Utermohlen was a figurative painter- albeit he was a largely unknown figure. He had six art periods- "Mythological" (1962-1963), "Dante" (1964-1966; largely revolved around painting scenes from Dante's Inferno), "Mummers" (1969-1970; refers to Philadelphia's Mummers Parade- a favorite childhood event of his), "War" (1972-1973), "Nudes" (1973-1974), and "Conversation" (1989-1991). - During his "Conversation" phase, Utermohlen began to suffer from memory loss, forgetting where his home was and what time it was. Utermohlen would then be diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's in 1995 (when he was 61 years old). - Following his diagnosis, his nurse would encourage him to paint self-portraits of himself- which have since become his most famous works, particularly after his death- due to the clear display of the progression of his deteriorating state: By 2002 he had lost the ability to draw, and he entered a nursing home in 2004. Utermohlen died after 12 years with Alzheimer's.

Michael Heseltine is 91.

3/20/2024 41 Manic Street Preachers — The Love Of Richard Nixon 40 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +1 36 Kylie Minogue — I Believe In You 35 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 34 Manic Street Preachers — Empty Souls 32 The Libertines — Can’t Stand Me Now 32 Jojo — Leave (Get Out) 30 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound 25 Kelis — Trick Me 25 Girls Aloud — The Show 24 Destiny’s Child — Lose My Breath 24 Rachel Stevens — Some Girls 23 Kelis — Milkshake 23 Christina Milian — Dip It Low 11 D12 — My Band +3 7 Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx — Gold Digger 0 Sean Paul — We Be Burnin’ -6

Chet Huntley died on this day 50 years ago, aged 62. - After graduating from university with speech and drama degrees in 1934, Huntley would get his job as a radio newscaster the same year. - Huntley would be hired by NBC in 1955, and the network viewed him in a similar vein to fellow newscaster Ed Murrow. At this time, Walter Cronkite was becoming a popular figure, and so NBC would pair him with David Brinkley to cover the 1956 presidential nominating conventions. Huntley's typical newsman behavior was contrapuntal to Brinkley's quick jokes, and the two soon got their own TV show with The Huntley-Brinkley Report, one of the biggest news programs of the 1960s- only for Cronkite to surpass them due to his coverage of the Vietnam War and US space program. - Huntley would also get a solo show called Outlook- which was later renamed to Chet Huntley Reporting. Huntley primarily covered the civil rights movement on this show. - Huntley would retire in 1970, causing The Huntley-Brinkley Report to end. He died from lung cancer only four years later.

Lois Lowry, author of The Giver and Number the Stars, is 87.

3/19/2024 41 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +2 40 Manic Street Preachers — The Love Of Richard Nixon  35 The Libertines — Can’t Stand Me Now  33 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound 31 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 30 Manic Street Preachers — Empty Souls 30 Jojo — Leave (Get Out)  28 Daniel Powter — Bad Day 28 Kylie Minogue — I Believe In You 26 Kelis — Milkshake 25 Christina Milian — Dip It Low 25 Girls Aloud — The Show 24 Destiny’s Child — Lose My Breath 24 Rachel Stevens — Some Girls 18 D12 — My Band +2 17 Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx — Gold Digger 14 Kelis — Trick Me -2 9 Sean Paul — We Be Burnin’ -4

Alexander III of Scotland died on this day 738 years ago, aged 44. - Alexander was the son of king Alexander II, and acceded to the throne upon the elder Alexander's death in 1249- Alexander was 7 when he became king, and a regency was needed. - Alexander was given full control of royal affairs when he turned 21 in 1262, and among his first acts was an attempt to get the Western Isles from Norway. The Norwegian king Haakon IV sent a fleet to negotiate, and when affairs became hostile, he waged war in Largs- but a storm soon damaged many of his ships, and he would acquiesce. In 1266, king Magnus VI gave the Western Isles and the Isle of Man to Scotland for money to help rebuild their navy, which Alexander accepted. - The rest of Alexander's reign was largely uneventful, but he would outlive all three of his children, leading to a succession crisis. He named his granddaughter Margaret as his heir apparent. Alexander would die in 1286 after he and his horse fell from a steep hill while riding in the dark- he was planning to go see his second wife Yolande for her 23rd birthday, which was the day after. After this, Scotland would enter a regency period until 1292.

Bruce Willis is 69.

3/18/2024 42 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +1 35 Manic Street Preachers — The Love Of Richard Nixon  35 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 33 Daniel Powter — Bad Day 32 Jojo — Leave (Get Out)  32 The Libertines — Can’t Stand Me Now 31 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound 30 Manic Street Preachers — Empty Souls 29 Kylie Minogue — I Believe In You  27 Kelis — Milkshake 25 Girls Aloud — The Show +4 24 Christina Milian — Dip It Low 24 Destiny’s Child — Lose My Breath 24 Kelis — Trick Me 24 Rachel Stevens — Some Girls 18 D12 — My Band +3 18 Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx — Gold Digger 16 Girls Aloud — Love Machine  15 Sean Paul — We Be Burnin’ 0 Charlotte Church — Crazy Chick -6

Johnny Appleseed died on this day 179 years ago, aged 70. - Appleseed's real name was "John Chapman". When he was 18 years old (in 1792), he decided to move west and bring his younger half-brother Nathaniel along with him to Ohio, where his father and the rest of his family met up with them in 1805. - Appleseed then became an apprentice to an apple orchard owner, which inspired him to start his own apple tree nurseries; the primary reason he planted apple trees wherever he went was to provide food for pioneers who were also travelling westward. - Appleseed was also a missionary for the Swedenborgian Church, and his westward mission would soon catch the church heads' attention. They were the first to give him his moniker in an 1822 letter to members. - While Appleseed is primarily known for planting apple trees, he also planted the dogfennel weed across Ohio believing it had medicinal purposes- it is now considered an invasive plant. - Reasons why Appleseed is considered a folk hero is largely due to his love of nature- he was kind to every animal he came across, reportedly taming an injured wolf after healing its leg and refusing to build a fire because it could kill mosquitoes (as a very religious man, he considered even them to be creatures of God's creation); Appleseed was also a vegetarian.

Queen Latifah is 54.

St. Patrick's Day 2024 41 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +2 34 Manic Street Preachers — The Love Of Richard Nixon  33 Jojo — Leave (Get Out) 31 Daniel Powter — Bad Day 30 Girls Aloud — The Show +3 30 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound 30 The Libertines — Can’t Stand Me Now 29 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 28 Kylie Minogue — I Believe In You 28 Manic Street Preachers — Empty Souls 26 Rachel Stevens — Some Girls 24 Girls Aloud — Love Machine +1 24 Kelis — Milkshake 24 Destiny’s Child — Lose My Breath 23 Christina Milian — Dip It Low 21 Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx — Gold Digger 20 Kelis — Trick Me 19 D12 — My Band +2 17 Sean Paul — We Be Burnin’ -1 14 Charlotte Church — Crazy Chick -3 14 Rihanna — Pon De Replay 6 U2 — City Of Blinding Lights -2

Harold Harefoot died on this day 984 years ago, aged ~25. - Harold was the son of the Danish king Cnut the Great, who seized the English throne when Harold was a baby. - Cnut died in 1035- Harold was still heir apparent after his younger half-brother Harthacnut, but the latter was unable to come to England due to wanting to defend Denmark from Norway and Sweden. Harold would be named as "acting king" in Harthacnut's absence- while there was some opposition from the elites, by 1037 he was accepted as a legitimate ruler. - In 1036, Harold's stepbrothers Alfred and Edward (the Confessor) came to England, possibly in an attempt to wrest the throne back to the House of Wessex. Edward left after seizing treasure from Southampton, while Harold's supporters managed to capture Alfred, who was blinded and died soon after. - Harold died after a 5-year reign due to unknown causes. One contemporary source claims it was divine judgment due to taking land from monks (he "turned black" as they bargained with him), while another states he was plagued by elves (there was a superstition that elves shooting invisible arrows at people caused disease at this time). - Harold would be succeeded as king of England by Harthacnut, who was able to arrive in England this time. - Harold's epithet is attributed to his alleged agility, derived from the Anglo-Saxon "Harefoh", which meant "swift of foot".

Kurt Russell is 73.