Death Anniversary Thread

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@Hell Thanks for posting.  I hadnt  realised just how handsome Gregory Peck was in his younger years.

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American fashion designer Bill Blass died on this day 20 years ago, aged 79.

 

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On this day in 1818  Egwale  Seyon  the Emperor of Ethiopia,  a member of the Solomonic Dynasty better known as the House of Solomon  died  after 'ruling ' the country for around 17 yèars. I say 'ruled' because his leadership was seen as very weak , limited and largely ineffective  with him confining himself  to one city Gondar. 

 

Egwale was the son  of Hezqeyas , one of the previous  Emperors of Ethiopia who lost  power  due to both his inability to manage the regional and tribal clashes within the country and because he fell out with one of his main supporters who felt Hezqeyas had acted against his interests and was ungrateful for his support and the expectations/conditions that  went with that.

Never side in the falling out would concede or submit to the other leading to effective formal declarations  of War about how they will not submit to the wishes of the other.

  Eventually he was toppled which over time created a power vacuum  as the role of Emperor  over the following years was held by a number if different appointees all who tended to rule factionally  and  mainly pleasing only the wishes  of one tribe or province. 

Eventually this situation was seen as undesirable and unsustainable  so a handful of people who represented the three main groupings and regions in Ethiopia  decided to make Egwale Seyon  Emperor in 1801 to try and break the cycle and pattern  of short lived bad leadership. 

However some observed at the time that these three representatives  were more self interested   and perhaps wanting  stability at any price rather than proper  resolution.  In a sense wanting to try and solidify  their wealth and position and influence in the top tier of Ethiopian society. 

Infact Egwale married the sister of one of the  tribal type leaders who made him Emperor. 

Emperor Egwale Seyons reign was not the success hoped for. It was marked by a  three way civil war between   the Ras Gugas, Ras Zewde and Gojjam regions which it descended further into relatively quickly.   Whilst  few were impressed by his reign they also had the problem of not being to agree between  them who could replace him and govern in a more unified and effective  way. There were two attempts to kill him in 1804 and 1808- the latter attempt supported by one if the three regional armies in the country.  

   A year later in 1809 an intention to replace him with  a former Emperor  was thwarted because the Res Zewde army faction refused  to assist in his removal from power , most likely because they had deep doubts about the proposed replacements alignment with their interests.

Throughout  nearly all of his reign he only left Gandar  once.  His ability to exert any significant authority or control over the rest of the country was hugely limited and he did not have the capacity to change this- to all practical reality the rest of the country was controlled  governed and carved  up by  others whilst  he was too scared to leave what he felt was the closet thing to a safe retreat.  

He was regarded as diluting the prestige and reputation of royalty.  Diminishing it because his political impotence and lack of grandeur- few riches, servants and property by royal standards,  eclipsed the country and the importance of his national role.

The only real notable achievement from his reign is that he early on wasxa benefactor  to the Berhan Selassie Church which has become known for its fantastic and beautiful art collection in large measure as a result of his support. 

His death was generically put down to his weak  sickly constitution. 

 

 

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Charles Haughey died on this day 16 years ago, aged 80.

Haughey was first elected to the Teachta Dala in 1957. In 1979, Taoiseach Jack Lynch resigned, and Haughey won the leadership election 54-46%. He was sworn in on December 11.

 

During his first term as Taoiseach, Ireland faced an economic crisis, and he attempted to fix the problem by increasing public spending- this spiraled out of control, and Fianna Fail (his political party) lost their majority in the 1981 election to a coalition between the Fine Gael and Labour parties. The party regained control in 1982, and Haughey began his second term as Taoiseach. Financial mismanagement ensued, and Haughey lost an election in November of the same year. Haughey was then entrapped in a wire-tapping scandal the following year. Despite this, Haughey refused to resign, and Fianna Fail gained minority leadership in 1987, becoming Taoiseach a third time.

 

In a 1989 election, Haughey failed to achieve a majority vote for Taoiseach, and was constitutionally forced to resign- he held off on this, and instead became Acting Taoiseach. After Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrat parties formed a coalition government, Haughey was reinstated as Taoiseach. Haughey finally resigned in 1992 following the revelation that Haughey authorized the aforementioned phone scandal. More scandals regarding Haughey arose, including embezzlement in 1997, and an affair in 1999.

 

Haughey was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996, and his first appearance on the DeathList was in 2002. He would appear again in 2004 and 2006, and was the sixth death (out of thirteen) of the year.

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I liked him better in the carry on films.

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American composer and conductor Ralph Shapey died on this day 20 years ago, aged 81.

 

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On this day in 1998  british cartoonist Reg Smythe who created the famous Andy Capp  comic strip in the Daily and Sunday Mirror newspapers  died in Hartlepool  aged 80 .

 

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On this day in 1957  american athlete and double  gold  Olympic medallist Irving Baxter died aged 81.

Irving won two gold medals at the Paris Olympics  in 1900- in the mens high jump and pole vault  and a silver  medal in  the standing  long, triple and high jump .

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American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman Jimmy Dean died on this day 12 years ago, aged 81.

 

 

British actor and filmmaker who most notably played Michael Banks in the 1964 film Mary Poppins Matthew Garber died on this day 45 years ago, aged 21.

 

 

American actor Ned Beatty died on this day a year ago, aged 83.

 

 

American actress Geraldine Page died on this day 35 years ago, aged 62.

 

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US Vice President Adlai Stevenson I died on this day 108 years ago, aged 78.

In the 1850s, Stevenson began his career as a lawyer- during this time, he met both Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, and he rallied for the latter against the former in their 1858 Senate election (Douglas won). He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1874, but lost re-election in 1876 by a narrow margin. He regained his seat in Congress in 1878. Again, he lost by a narrow margin two years later, and failed to regain his seat in the 1882 election.

 

However, his political career was far from over. In 1885, Stevenson was appointed as the First Assistant Postmaster General by Grover Cleveland, serving during his first term in office. In 1892, when Cleveland ran for a nonconsecutive term as president, Stevenson was nominated as his Vice President, and their ticket beat the Harrison-Reid ticket by 132 electoral votes. His vice presidency was relatively mundane, though his is recorded as having enjoyed presiding over the Senate, and was praised for his well manners and nonpartisanship. Stevenson's term ended in 1897, as Cleveland declined to seek a third term as president.

 

Stevenson was floated as a candidate for president in 1896 in 1900, but was largely overlooked as he was in his 60s at this time (considering the life expectancy floated around 50 at the time). Stevenson's final political endeavor was a failed run for Illinois governor in 1908.

 

Stevenson was the patriarch of a political dynasty. His son, Lewis, was the Illinois Secretary of State from 1914 to 1917. Lewis' son Adlai II was the Democratic nominee for president in 1952 and 1956. His great-grandson (and Adlai II's son), the late Adlai III, was a senator from 1970 to 1981.

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Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema Sushant Singh Rajput died on this day 2 years ago, aged 34.

 

 

American actress known for more than 80 film and television roles Lisa Banes died on this day a year ago, aged 65.

 

 

Scottish inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator who demonstrated the world’s firsr live working television system on 26 January 1926 John Logie Baird died on this day 76 years ago, aged 57.

 

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American film and television actor Richard Jaeckel died on this day 25 years ago, aged 70.

 

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On this day in 1594  German  goldsmith  Jacob Kroger was executed by  hanging for stealing the jewellery  of Anne of Denmark  wife of King James Vl of Scotland and King James l of England and Ireland. 

 

Jacob was a highly skilled Goldsmith at the time who was an apprentice of some of the most  prestigious and best master  goldsmiths  at the time including Dierrsen  who was known for their Antelope Hallmark and decorative cutlery and crockery beloved of royalty and the gentry  all over Europe. 

 He lived in the principality if Luneburg  that was ruled by no other than the brother in law of Anne of Denmark-wife of King James Vl of Scotland.  So a combination of good connections and good reputation  as highly skilled at his craft  brought him into close proximity with a very impressed Anne who made him a member of her household.   He travelled back to Scotland with her and was accommodated wherever the Queen was staying  whether it be Dunfermline Palace or Holyroodhouse. 

He went on to serve as the Queens chosen jeweller  tasked with both making and maintaining her collection.

However dissatisfaction with the arrangements grew and plans for betrayal were brewing.  Both Jacob and a french footman by the name of Guillaume Martyn  decided to steal much of the Queens jewellery and flee back to their homelands after becoming increasingly angry and frustrated that their requests  to be paid properly rather than just given accommodation were totalling ignored despite much pleading and petition on their parts. 

'Very weary of their service' is how scholars describe their state of mind when they decided  to steal from the Queen..

After stealing they immediately fled Edinburgh at night,  crossed the Tweed near Kelso and made their way to the north east of England.  It was three days before their betrayal and theft was discovered and word was sent to get the message to officials   in London.  The pair  stayed several days in Newcastle  were they encountered  fugitive the Earl of Bothwell who when he quickly realised who they were and what they had done seized the Queens  poessions from them . If they hadn't  of decided to ease up their pace and spend some time in Newcastle and the north east it is likely they would never have met Bothwell and history may have turned out very different for them. 

 Instead they met their match in North Shields.  Arrests soon followed by the sheriff and Earl of Northumberland- all three arrested as  the Earl of Bothwell has fugitive status for his earlier attempts to topple the King in a planned rebellion. 

 At the time there was a clash of authority because  the King wanted all three of them returned to Scotland to face punishment  but the men were in England and a significant number of the gentry and landowners in  North England  were sympathetic  towards the fugitive Earl.  So for a time they were held at a castle in Tynemouth  until the way ahead was resolved. 

    They were eventually returned to Edinburgh  and  fugitive Earl Bothwell  who was actually an ally of the Kings wife  Anne of Denmark- and she a supporter or sympathiser  of sorts of his- believing her husband to be too harsh and unmerciful towards him- tried to argue that his seizing of the Queens jewels and saving them from falling into  foreign  hands was an act of loyalty and friendship.  In other words he was trying to bargain his way back into favour with the King  or at least  to avoid severe punishment for past actions. 

  Nothing officially  declared as to why but he was spared in a fashion by the king- the Queens intervention the explanation  favoured by most scholars.  Full reconciliation  was not to be  but at this point he was spared.

No such mercy for  Jacob Kroger and the french footman who were both hanged on this day in 1594 after a brief trial.

 

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John Connally died on this day 29 years ago, aged 76.

Connally began his political career as an aide for then-senator Lyndon Johnson, and he rallied for Johnson's 1960 presidential campaign. After LBJ was selected as JFK's vice president, he convinced Kennedy to appoint Connally to be Secretary of the Navy, which he did. Connally left the position in December of 1961 to run for Governor of Texas, and he beat Republican Jack Cox 54-46%.

 

On November 22, 1963, Connally, along with his wife Nellie, were passengers in President Kennedy's limousine- Kennedy had visited Dallas to ease Democratic infighting between Connally, senator Ralph Yarborough, and local politician Don Yarborough (no relation). As they were passing through Dealey Plaza, Connally recognized a noise as a rifle shot, and looked behind him- he was shot in the back, and Kennedy had been fatally shot in the head. Connally successfully underwent surgery. Connally did not believe that Lee Harvey Oswald was the assassin, though he denied this in public (this was revealed in a 1982 interview).

 

Connally was suggested as a potential running mate for Hubert Humphrey in 1968, but Connally accused Humphrey of being too soft on Vietnam. Connally left office in 1969. In 1971, Richard Nixon appointed him as Secretary of the Treasury in a bipartisan move- Connally accepted on behalf that George H. W. Bush (who recently lost a Senate race to Lloyd Bentsen) find a position in his administration- Nixon made him the UN Ambassador. Connally changed his political affiliation to Republican in 1973. Connally announced his 1980 presidential campaign in January of 1979, and withdrew following the South Carolina primary, endorsing Ronald Reagan. He got 82,625 votes in total during the primaries (0.64% of the total vote).

 

Following Connally's death from pulmonary fibrosis, the US Justice Department was petitioned to remove the remaining bullet fragments from his body to disprove the Warren Commission's conclusion- they declared they had no legal authority to do so, and that it was Connally's family's decision. They declined.

 

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Major League Baseball pitcher, coach, manager, front office executive and scout Eddie Lopat died on this day 30 years ago, aged 73.

 

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On this day in 2019 Italian film director  Franco  Zeffirelli died aged 96. 

Some of the films he directed include  Romeo and Juliet (1968),  Brother sun sister moon (1972) , Tea with Mussolini (1999) Endless Love (1981) ,  Jesus of Nazareth (1977) and The taming of the shrew (1967)

He also became involved in politics in his later years and served in the Italian senate between 1994 and 2001  for the right of centre Forza Italia party 

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11th President of the United States James K. Polk died on this day 173 years ago, aged 53.

 

 

American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably American Top 40 Casey Kasem died on this day 8 years ago, aged 82.

 

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On this day in 1996 legendary american  jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald  died aged 79.

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Hypocritical Apolitical rocket scientist Wernher von Braun died on this day 45 years ago, aged 65.

Gather 'round while I tell you of Wernher von Braun, a man whose allegiance was ruled by expedience.

 

Call him a Nazi, he wouldn't have frowned- Von Braun applied to join the party in 1937. Von Braun was always fascinated by the idea of space travel, and the party was in turn fascinated by his ideas. He developed the V-2, the first long-range ballistic missile, which were constructed with the help of concentration camp slave labor. The first of these was launched into Paris in 1944- other major destinations included London and Antwerp. Distrust within the party led to Von Braun being accused of being a communist sympathizer, and he was detained but released after two weeks.

 

In order to save himself from the Soviets, he chose to surrender to American forces in Austria. He was at the top of the military's "Black List"- a list of German scientists and engineers wanted for their secrets. Von Braun was among the first scientists to be transferred into the US Army in what is now known as Operation Paperclip.

 

Von Braun led the nuclear program and developed the Redstone warheads, used for the first nuclear tests. In 1956, he modified the Redstone rocket into the Jupiter-C, a predecessor to NASA's Juno program that sent the first American satellites into space. Von Braun would work for NASA's Mercury and Apollo programs, and he advocated for interplanetary travel to Mars- he also advocated for orbital strike warfare. Von Braun retired in 1972. Von Braun was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1973- albeit, his cause of death was pancreatic cancer (possible metastasis).

 

In terms of popular culture, the character of Dr. Strangelove was based off of Von Braun.

 

You may have also noticed that I used lyrics from Tom Lehrer's 1965 song regarding Von Braun's nefarious past as the introduction.

 

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On this day in 1999 the founder of the Monster Raving Loony Party   Screaming Lord Sutch,  committed suicide aged 58.

 

His party with its intentionally  bizarre policies  very much served the purpose of satirising british politics and other political parties. 

Lord  Sutch , also a musician, was an eccentric  mainstay at many a UK  parliamentary by election and added some colour to the proceedings.

 

 

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English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band The Pretenders, James Honeyman-Scott, died on this day 40 years ago, aged 25.

 

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American actor George Reeves died on this day 63 years ago, aged 45.

 

 

English aristocrat who was a well known social figure in London and Paris Lady Diana Cooper died on this day 36 years ago, aged 93.

 

 

German politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and Leader of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998 Helmut Kohl died on this day 5 years ago, aged 87.

 

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On this day in 1858  English physician and epidemiologist   John Snow  , considered one of the founders of modern epidemiology due to his research on anaesthesia and medical hygiene,  died aged 45.

 

Born and raised in one of the poorest  districts in the city of York,  Snow was the eldest of nine children and his interest and aptitude  for both maths and medicine was apparent  from a young age. Infact  aged 14 he started an apprenticeship  in Newcastle in which he didn't just gain the inevitable  experience and  knowledge as a surgeons apprentice  but dealt with a large outbreak of cholera in coal mining village  Killingworth.  Treating  the victims and arguably solidifying his interest in this  field of medicine.  He found the accepted wisdom on what the mode of transmission of cholera was as unpersuasive and lacking.  

This outbreak combined with the unsanitary  conditions in his poor neighbourhood as a child in part as a result of frequent flooding  from the River Ouse,  were instrumental in establishing his interest in this field and his determination to find a better way of preventing and managing such outbreaks. 

 He continued to show potential and progressed to the Hunterian school of medicine in London.  He became part of a small group of medics who regularly held discussions on research  to tackle the "dreadful scourge the cholera ".

  A severe outbreak of cholera in Soho London created an opportunity to prove the worth of his  research and scientific skill.  He believed the handle of a water pump was the culprit  and his removal of the pump contained indeed stopped the outbreak. He went on to argue for his findings that cholera was caused by poor water sanitation and faecal matter contaminating the water supply.  Whilst  the authorities initially accepted his intervention in order to contain the immediate  short term situation  , in the longer term there was reluctance to accept  faecal/human waste  in the water supply as being the root cause of the outbreaks  as it was regarded as too unpleasant and likely too difficult to correct countrywide.  Eventually wiser heads prevailed when the esteemed William Farr backed his findings years later in 1866 but in truth years were wasted because so many in political and scientific circles didn't want to believe it and buried their heads like ostriches. 

 Ultimately  Snows research findings were key in prompting big  changes in the water and waste systems of London,  best practice soon spreading to other cities and ultimately the world leading to an improvement in general public health. 

 

 

 

If John Snows role in public health wasn't already  enough  he also was crucial in the developing of the safe and effective use of anaesthetics  and at one point was regarded as the most accomplished  anaesthetist in Britain. 

In the more basic era of the field  his research on the inhalation of the vapor of ether and the use of chloroform  lead to the establishing of safe doses, methods of administering  anaesthetic,  understanding of the bodies reactions to them. Chloroform potency had previously been underestimated  resulting in many adverse reactions  including the death of a teenage girl  while having minor toenail surgery .

  Snow designed appropriate apparatus  to administering anaesthetic safely and effectively. 

Infact  due to anxiety  about chloroform  it's use was limited and semi taboo  until Queen Victoria asked Snow to administer it to her  her during the births of her 8th and 9th children Leopold and Beatrice.  When knowledge of this became  widespread especially in medical circles  its use also became pretty quickly  widely accepted. 

 

Public  health and medicine were revolutionised  by his contribution and talent and it is noted that his refusal to patent  his findings  that allowed it to flourish more quickly and spread the benefits more widely.

 

   

 

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Mumtaz Mahal died on this day 391 years ago, aged 38.

Mahal was born into a noble Persian family in the Mughal Empire. Her aunt, Nur Jahan, was one of the wives of the emperor Jahangir.

 

In 1607, she was betrothed to Jahangir's son, prince Khurram, and they were married five years later, once they were adults. Khurram was enamored with her- as a polygamist, Mumtaz was his favorite wife, so much that he was rarely seen with his other spouses. She became empress consort in 1628 after Khurram overthrew his brother, and took the regnal name Shah Jahan- he made Mumtaz' father the Grand Vizier. Her husband would often consult her for advice- this included the commuting of criminals' death sentences. She was a patron of the arts (particularly in the field of poetry), and enjoyed watching elephant fights.

 

Mahal died from complications of childbirth after her fourteenth pregnancy. Shah Jahan isolated himself for a year- he ordered the construction of a grand mausoleum for her. Work began on it in 1632, and it was completed in 1653. Shah Jahan was interred there following his death in 1666.

This mausoleum is the Taj Mahal- one of the world's most-visited tourist spots.

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American actress and dancer Cyd Charisse died on this day 14 years ago, aged 87.

 

 

Egyptian politician and engineer who served as the fifth president of Egypt, from 30 June 2012 to 3 July 2013, when General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi removed him from office in a coup d’etat after protests in June Mohamed Morsi died on this day 3 years ago, aged 67.

 

 

Zambian politician who served as the first President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991 Kenneth Kaunda died on this day a year ago, aged 97.