Death Anniversary Thread

[Drewsky1211 4,763]

1 hour ago, Toast said:

 

Are we allowed to see a picture of the cat?

I was considering adding a picture of a cat as a joke while making the post.

Here's a picture of an Arabian Mau, which could've been the breed.

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7th president of the united states Andrew Jackson died on this day 177 years ago, aged 78.

 

 

American celebrity chef, author and travel documentarian who starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the human condition Anthony Bourdain died on this day 4 years ago, aged 61.

 

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American professional baseball pitcher Satchel Paige died on this day 40 years ago, aged 75.

 

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On this day in 1042  Harthacnut  otherwise known as Canute lll King of Denmark and King of England  died aged 23/24 under circumstances that lead to some suspicion of poisoning by his younger half brother  and his successor  Edward the confessor.

         Harthacnut  was the King of Denmark from 1035-1042 and King of England from 1040-1042. He was actually the result of a second marriage  but  his father King Cnut insisted probably  at the insistence of his ambitious wife Emma  that their children take precedence over any previous children. 

Son of King Cnut the great who ruled Denmark, Norway and England,  Harthacnut  struggled to fully hold onto his fathers  kingdom and possessions  upon his death. He lost Norway to King Magnus l but held onto Denmark and England. 

 Because of the difficult circumstances and battles in Denmark  he wasn’t able initially  to leave Denmark and visit England so his half brother  Harold  Harefoot  was appointed to rule as regent on his behalf.  Unfortunately  for Harthacnut  his half brother came to be seen as the actual rightful monarch  because  he had acted as regent for several years without  an appearance  from the actual  monarch.  As some notable person said "forsaken because he was too long in Denmark "

 

Harthacnut  was determined to right this situation and travel  to England and exert his authority and claim to rule.  Adding further  fuel to the fire  Harold  who was Harthacnut  half brother through his father had murdered one of Harthacnuts  other ambitious half brothers through his mother's side! 

His mother Emma was baying for blood and planted to join  her son Harthacnut in a bloody invasion of England to exact revenge and have her sons murderer killed in revenge. 

However word reached them that Harold was dying and a full blown expensive invasion was not necessary as upon his older half  brothers  death he would be invited to take the throne.  Upon his arrival to claim the throne his mother insisted they should still take revenge on his dead half brother for the murder and insisted his body was dug up and beheaded and thrown in the Thames! Absolutely gruesome  although his torso was later retrieved and buried in a churchyard. 

 

Harthacnut reign as King  was short and in truth he was pretty unpopular after dramatically  increasing taxes to pay for military might to secure his kingdom and throne against an invasion from Norway or Denmark.  He was also very autocratic when previously England had become used to being ruled by a council system and team of advisors on behalf of the monarch as opposed to dictatorial rule.   Such was the resistance to his taxes that he introduced a hurrying punishment system threatening to burn down districts or villages that were resisting paying up. This lead to the  murder of some 'tax gatherers ' as they were called.  One area that tried to continue  as semi independent in its governance  Northumbria  found  its Earl of Northumbria murdered  for defying the grudge bearing King who tricked him into thinking  he was being offered safe passage  but was actually being set up to be ambushed and killed on the Kings orders.

Harthacnut  died at the toasting of a newly wedded  couple at a wedding reception  and while this remains unproven  it is suspected by some that his younger half brother Edward the  confessor  had him poisoned  not just because he directly  benefitted from his sudden collapse and death at the party event but because  Edwards father in law the Earl of Wessex died in similar circumstances  in the future. On the other hand Harthacnut  wa known to be extremely  gluttonous  and a heavy drinkers and the sudden stroke killing him theory is not without merit.

Many of the finer details of this era are debated by historians  but the broad  details and game of thrones dynastic savagery is well established. 

 

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On this  day in 1981  american  actor , singer and game show host  Allen Ludden  died aged 63.

He was most famous for hosting the television gameshow  Password on  ABC and CBS.  He was also the husband  of legendary actress and 'Golden Girl'  Betty White. 

[Drewsky1211 4,763]

Charles Dickens died on this day 152 years ago, aged 58.

Dickens is a person who needs no introduction- you've almost certainly read or heard of some of his works: A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations come to mind. So, here's how he died:

 

Dickens was an alcoholic, and would often perform public readings of his stories all by himself while in a drunken state. His overconsumption of alcohol led to kidney stones, an altered gait where he would walk in circles when he wanted to go straight, temporary paralysis, and eventually, gout. He suffered a stroke in 1869, and suspended his farewell tour after he collapsed following a reading a few days after, on doctor's orders. His final public appearance was at a Royal Academy banquet, with the future King Edward VII in attendance. Dickens died from a second stroke.

 

In all, Dickens created over 13,000 characters for his novels- the most famous of which is A Christmas Carol's Ebenezer Scrooge, the epitome of a stingy miser character (who then goes through a redemption arc).

 

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American stage, film and TV actress Madge Kennedy died on this day 35 years ago, aged 96.

 

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Its eight years since comedy writer & performer (& DL avatar) Rik Mayall died before he got old. He was 56 and died from a heart attack following a jog.

He'd escaped death some years earlier when he was seriously injured in a quad bike accident, which doctors feared he might not recover from.

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American actor Adam West died on this day 5 years ago, aged 88.

 

 

Canadian born American actress and singer Alexis Smith died on this day 29 years ago, aged 72.

 

 

fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD54 until his death in AD 68 Nero died on this day 1954 years ago, aged 30.

 

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21 minutes ago, Hell said:

American actor Adam West died on this day 5 years ago, aged 88.

 

Thanks for the new pfp ima use

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On this day in 1923 Princess Helena of the United Kingdom,  third daughter and fifth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert,  died aged 77 in Pall Mall  London .

  Princess Helena was born in Buckingham Palace on the 25th May 1846.She spent all of her life living in the UK despite marrying a foreign Prince because Queen Victoria  liked to have most of  her daughters living nearby and often stipulated that as a condition when marriage proposals  for her daughters were in the offing. 

As a young woman Helena had a brief flirtation with her father Prince Alberts German librarian  who was promptly dismissed from his job when the Queen found out and earnt her lifetime enmity and hostility as a result.  

She went on to marry a Danish born minor German prince  - Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. This was a marriage that caused splits and controversy within the royal family and among some of the european royal houses. Essentially Prince Christian was a Prince of a realm that had a bitter and contested territorial history between  Prussia and Denmark and some saw marrying into that family as taking  sides or making a stance one way or the other. It was certainly  particularly  awkward that her sister in law and future Queen of the United Kingdom was Princess Alexandra of Denmark- Helenas marriage being something she never really accepted or reconciled herself too.

However as more or less a middle daughter  , despite Queen Victorias best efforts to find her daughter a suitable  husband, it became apparent that Princess Helen was extremely unlikely to  marry into a major european royal family and form a powerful alliance  - so the union with minor Prince Christian was permitted. 

          Helena was it could be argued the Princess Anne of her era, she was the busiest and most active member of the royal family year after year with numerous public engagements and charity patronages. One of her best achievements being one of the founding members of the British Red Cross,  founding President of the Royal school of needlework and nursing- something she took a very passionate and special interest in ,lead her to become  a President of the Royal British Nurses association.  In this role she became a keen supporter of nurse registration ,something surprisingly that Florence Nightingale advised against. 

  After her father Prince Albert died Helena  ,along with some of her royal siblings,  moved with their mother Queen Victoria to Osborne house on the Isle of Wight.

Her sister Princess Alice was Queen Victorias unofficial  secretary  but needed support in the role but Helena, who Queen Victoria  regarded  unreliable because she was  too emotional and prone to bursting into tears, was overlooked initially as someone who could provide this support . But after Alice  married and her priorities changed , Helena  became what many regarded as her mother's crutch and main support in latter years despite her being far from her mothers favourite or first choice.

   Personality wise they would clash  often  for example because  Queen Victoria disapproved of Helenas support for womens rights.

After her mother Queen Victoria died Helena  still performed  royal duties but far fewer as her brother King Edward Vll was not close to most of his siblings and his wife Princess Alexandra had never taken to Helena after her controversial choice of husband.Indeed for a time  Helena devoted some time to actual nursing once her brother ascended the throne. 

Helena had six children, two died in infancy and her reportedly favourite son died of enteric fever after contracting  malaria in South Africa while fighting in the second boer war in his thirties. 

She spent her final years living in Pall Mall and is a great aunt to the current monarch  Queen Elizabeth who was born just under three years after Princess Helena died.

      

[Drewsky1211 4,763]

Ray Charles died on this day 18 years ago, aged 73.

Charles was blind by 7 years old, possibly due to glaucoma. His school music teacher taught him how to use Braille music.

 

His first major hit single, "I Got A Woman", was released in 1954. In 1960, his version "Georgia on My Mind" earned him four Grammys, and his following song, "Hit the Road Jack", is considered to be his most famous song.

 

Once rock and roll came around, Charles' career was in decline. However, interest in him spiked when he appeared in 1980's The Blues Brothers, singing "Georgia on My Mind". In 1985, he was one of the singers for Live Aid's "We Are The World", and in 1989, he provided the lead vocals for Quincy Jones' "I'll Be Good to You".

 

During the production of his biopic Ray, Charles met the actor who would portray him on the big screen, Jamie Foxx, once. He planned to attend a screening of the film, but died of liver failure before the film's release, which occurred four and a half months after his death. The following year, Foxx would sing the chorus of "I Got a Woman" as backing vocals for Kanye West's chart-topper "Gold Digger".

 

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One of Britain's finest comedians and pianists died on this day 29 years ago.

 

His TV debut came in 1967 as an entrant on Opportunity Knocks, and he was a regular on TV thereafter, as a panellist in Jokers' Wild, his own TV shows, guest appearances on other TV shows and latterly as presenter of Blankety Blank, replacing Terry Wogan.

 

He almost died on two occasions, once from a failing prostrate gland, and once from a heart attack, before a final fatal heart attack in 1993, whilst undergoing a medical check-up at hospital. He was 62.

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American actor Spencer Tracy died on this day 55 years ago, aged 67.

 

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On this day in 2002 John  Gotti,  head of one of the  americas most notorious crime familys the Gambinos - a hugely powerful  organised  crime syndicate,  died aged 61 from throat cancer.

He became the boss of the organisation in 1985  after ordering the killing of  the former boss  Paul Castellano  in an unauthorised hit.

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Canadian professional ice hockey player Gordie Howe died on this day 6 years ago, aged 88.

 

 

American singer Christina Grimmie was assassinated 6 years ago, aged 22.

 

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On this day in 1906  Richard  Seddon , the 15th and to this date the longest serving Prime Minister of New Zealand   died aged 60.

Born in  England  in Eccleston  Lancashire  near to St Helens  Seddon arrived in New Zealand in 1866 during the gold rush on the west coast. He very quickly became active in local politics and made a name for himself due to his strong and imposing personality and entered national politics via the house of representatives .

  By 1879 he was a key member of the opposition Liberal party  but was often at political odds with John Ballance his partys  leader who was far more progressive in his politics than socially conservative  Seddon.

  Nevertheless when a Liberal party government was elected in 1891his confrontational and ambitious  personality helped ensure a quick rise  in his political  career in part because he was viewed as someone who could get things done and talked of as exhibiting natural leadership qualities. Minster for public works being among his early promotions. 

When party leader and prime minister  John Ballance  died suddenly aged 54 in 1893, Seddon was in prime position to succeed him. Infact at the time he seemed like the obvious candidate and the strongest.  So much so he managed to persuade  colleagues to avoid a leadership contest as it would cause serious three or four way splits in the Liberal party and ultimately  make the party weaker.  They bought this line and Seddon became New Zealands 15th Prime minister.   As PM he inherited a womens suffrage Bill that he had previously  opposed  and despite some underhand trickery on his part to get the bill blocked from passing into law  it did ultimately pass.

Seddon was a politician whose personal popularity trumped that of his party,  combined with his charisma and strength/force of personality  meant he could mostly overcome cabinet dissent to get his way. 

However  a political ally of the late former leader John Ballance  ,Robert Stout,  who was his preferred successor and from the progressive wing of the party  launched a leadership challenge against him which was ultimately unsuccessful.  Seddon win in the leadership  contest further strengthened him  and  seemed to cause him to push his own policies and ideas more zealously. 

Domestically he oversaw some big changes such as the introduction of the old age pension  but also more contentiously regional alcohol  licensing  giving different regions the power to be more strict or Liberal with their licensing laws  with it being a key issue that could be put to local politicians and alcohol laws renewed or tightened/relaxed after each election. 

In terms of foreign policy  he believed New Zealand should be more imperialist and try to be the Britain of the South Pacific Islands even unsuccessfully trying to have Fiji incorporated into New Zealand. He was however successful in his aim to have the Cook Islands annexed as British overseas  territory  part of the colony be reclassified as part of New Zealands colonial boundary. 

   Essentially as Prime minister Richard Seddon  was a nationalist Conservative and was successful in making this the dominant  political creed of New Zealand at the time and for some time to come. 

The key criticisms of his premiership  include that he was highly regionalism, biased in favour of the west coast and not showing much interest or understanding in the wider issues in New Zealand beyond his home patch. He loathed having to work in Wellington and did so with great reluctance.  Also his treatment of the Maori people and the seizure of their land is a major historical  blot on his record.

His increasingly autocratic style and loud manner earned him the nickname  King Dick!

He sought to diminish  New Zealands strong  grouping  and presence  of independent mps  not aligned to any party  in the 1899 general election with much success. 

However paradoxically this helped set the scene for his party to struggle to find a leader to replace him after he died in office in 1906. The Liberal party went through a series of unsuccessful leaders which eventually helped to path the way for political realignment in New Zealand and the now strong two party system  that he would not have supported instinctively as desirable.  However his zealous pursuit to weaken the number and strength of independent mps  many argue paved the way for this long term change taking root.

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On this  day in 1998 best selling British novelist  Catherine  Cookson died aged 91.

  Catherine was a hugely successful  author who sold around 123 million books and is in the top 20 of the most widely read british novelists.  Her romantic historical novels were indeed are a  firm favourite  at british libraries were even after her death she featured very highly in the annual  most borrowed authors chart.

Many of her books have been adapted for television. 

Her novels  are set in the north east of England were Catherine was born  and  where she returned to in her senior years to live out her final chapters and reportedly she was still writing or rather creating novels dictating story into a tape recorder in her bed just days before she died.

The Silent lady, The Bondage of love,  The Solace of sin,  The Unsuitable match, Feathers in the fire are the names of  just some of her nearly 100 books.

 

Despite her huge success,  popularity and acclaim  ,Catherine  kept an unusually low profile for famous writers . She gave very few interviews and was content to let  her books do most of the talking and speak for themselves. 

[Drewsky1211 4,763]

David Brinkley died on this day 19 years ago, aged 82.

 

Brinkley began his news career in 1943 when he moved to Washington, DC, in search of a job, and NBC hired him- he soon became their White House correspondent. He first appeared on television in 1952 for Camel News Caravan (a news show sponsored by Camel Cigarettes). Four years later the host, John Swayze, was dismissed, and Brinkley became the host. Network executives paired him with fellow newscaster Chet Huntley, and they began hosting the Huntley-Brinkley Report.

Huntley's cheerful demeanor was contrapuntally matched by Brinkley's wry humor- one famous quote of his was about Boulder Dam being renamed to Hoover Dam, in which he said that former president Herbert Hoover should change his last name to "Boulder". The show was a success, and ran for fourteen years. Both of them ranked higher in polls during the 1960s asking people to identify celebrities, which included John Wayne and The Beatles. The show ended when Huntley left the show in 1970, dying four years later.

 

Brinkley would continue reporting for NBC Nightly News, co-hosting with Frank McGee and John Chancellor. In the broadcast's early years, it failed to achieve the ratings of the Huntley-Brinkley Report, and Brinkley left NBC in 1981. ABC immediately hired him after, and he began hosting This Week. This show was notable for innovating the roundtable discussion format.

 

In 1996, Brinkley retired- this was following an incident in which he criticized Bill Clinton, thinking that he was on commercial break. During his career, he earned ten Emmys and three Peabody Awards.

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American actor and filmmaker who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood’s Golden Age, especially in Western and war movies John Wayne died on this day 43 years ago, aged 72.

 

 

English actor, composer, singer and writer Ron Moody died on this day 7 years ago, aged 91.

 

 

6th vice president of the United States Daniel D. Tompkins died on this day 197 years ago, aged 50.

 

 

Canadian born American actress in film, radio, and television Ann Rutherford died on this day 10 years ago, aged 94.

 

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On this day in 1927 English cricketer  William Attewell  died aged 65 in Derbyshire. 

He played both for Nottinghamshire  County cricket club  and for the England team.

His first opportunity to play  professionally came about when senior players at Nottinghamshire  went on strike. From there on steadily he developed his aptitude and skill further sport  .

   Williams best  aspect of play  at his peak was as a medium pace bowler  well known for his extraordinary accuracy  and economy. He was much easier outwitted as a batsmen and was the first cricketer to be dismissed from a game for a 'king pair ' - a rare fate in cricket only experienced by 22 players in test cricket including Adam Gilchrist, James Anderson  and Gary Troup.

 

However in terms of bowling he was effectively the reason the term 'off theory' was created-  deliberately and carefully  bowling wide off the cricket stump to a packed offside field   to the frustration of many a batsmen.

In his later years he served as a cricket umpire and was regarded as first class at it.

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American professional golfer Ralph Guldahl died on this day 35 years ago, aged 75.

 

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On this day  in 1992 , exactly thirty  years ago,  australian actress  Gerda Nicolson,  died aged 54  after collapsing from a brain haemorrhage  in her  theatre  dressing room  a few weeks earlier and never regaining consciousness. 

Gerda  was primarily a theatre actress but she was best known for her role as steely but reforming prison governor  Ann Reynolds  in cult australian  television soap Prisoner  Cell Block H.  She played the role from 1983 until the end of 1986 when the show was axed.

Gerda was also well known  in Australia for previously starring in long running hit TV drama Bellbird. 

[Drewsky1211 4,763]

Pope Leo III died on this day 1206 years ago, aged 66.

Leo was elected pope in late December of 795 following the death of Pope Adrian I, and he chose to keep his birth name as his papal name. In 799, some of Adrian's relatives sent hitmen to attempt to remove Leo's tongue and eyes. This attack badly injured him and left him unconscious (though his sensory organs intact)- two Frankish envoys rescued him, and the pope was sheltered by the Duke of Spoleto. Leo and the duke, Winiges, traveled to modern-day Germany to meet the King of the Franks, Charlemagne, who led him back to Rome, and he set up a council between Leo's supporters and enemies. The enemies were exiled from Rome. On Christmas Day in 800, two days after the council's conclusion, Leo crowned Charlemagne as the first Holy Roman Emperor.

Leo and Charlemagne's friendship lasted until Charlemagne's death in 814. In 808, Leo declared Corsica to be Frankish property, but the island (as well as Sardinia) were occupied by the Muslim Emirate of Cordoba in 810. Also in 808, he and Charlemagne helped reinstate king Eardwulf of Northumbria to the throne following his ousting in 806.

 

Leo's reign as pope lasted for 20 and a half years, and he was succeeded by Pope Stephen IV.

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American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s Gregory Peck died on this day 19 years ago, aged 87.

 

 

Japanese Supercentenarian Jiroemon Kimura died on this day 9 years ago, aged 116.

 

 

Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through 1942 Norma Shearer died on this day 39 years ago, aged 80.