Death Anniversary Thread

[Grim Up North 3,565]

On 22/08/2022 at 04:57, Drewsky1211 said:

King Richard III of England died on this day 537 years ago, aged 32.

 

Richard was the younger brother of King Edward IV. When Edward died in 1483, the crown went to his pre-adolescent son Edward V- however, before Edward's coronation, his parents' marriage was declared bigamous (this is from Mrs. Eleanor Butler's reportedly legal precontract of marriage), and he and his younger brother Richard were barred from the throne. As such, Richard became king. The children lived in the Tower of London, and disappeared soon after, which has led to a plausible rumor that Richard ordered the murder of his nephews.

 

Richard's reign was very tumultuous, with a conspiracy against him arising shortly after he took the throne. The exiled Earl of Richmond, Henry Tudor, arrived with help from France in 1485, and met Richard's forces at Bosworth Field on August 22. Richard was outnumbered and was killed in battle, and as he had no legitimate heirs, the York dynasty came to an end with him. Henry soon married Richard's niece Elizabeth and became king Henry VII.

 

Richard was unceremoniously buried in Greyfriars Church in Leicester, which was demolished in 1538. Eventually, his burial location was lost...

Until 2012. Archaeologists managed to use ground-penetrating radar in 2011 to determine where Greyfriars once stood, and uncovered a skeleton underneath a parking lot in its former location. DNA testing, soil analysis, and the battle trauma concluded that these were Richard's remains (it was revealed that he had scoliosis- Shakespeare wasn't that far off with his "hunchback" depiction of Richard). In 2015, Richard was finally given a proper interment at Leicester Cathedral.

 

 

In what I consider a significant coincidence my mate's just contacted me and I'm now signed up to go and see Richard III at the RSC in Stratford early next month.

[msc 17,762]

4 minutes ago, Grim Up North said:

 

In what I consider a significant coincidence my mate's just contacted me and I'm now signed up to go and see Richard III at the RSC in Stratford early next month.

 

Ah, just in time for a Winter of Discontent too!

[Grim Up North 3,565]

1 hour ago, Bibliogryphon said:

In 1297, Wallace (along with Andrew Moray) led the Battle of Stirling Bridge against the English, whom had invaded the year before. Wallace and Moray's troops were outnumbered by about 3,000- during the battle, the bridge collapsed under the weight of the army, causing many English soldiers to drown. This caused English leader John de Warenne to lose faith in troops and retreat.

 

This is missing some important information. The bridge over the River Forth was only wide enough for horses to cross in single file. Wallace and Moray's troops allowed about half the English horses to cross before attacking effectively dividing the English forces in half and countering their overall numerical supremacy. Once the bridge had collapsed (or was brought down by the Scots - various versions) the battle was won as you state.

 

I was at Stirling Castle last month - William Wallace's sword is there - it is massive (close to 6 feet long)! 

[msc 17,762]

19 minutes ago, Grim Up North said:

 

This is missing some important information. The bridge over the River Forth was only wide enough for horses to cross in single file. Wallace and Moray's troops allowed about half the English horses to cross before attacking effectively dividing the English forces in half and countering their overall numerical supremacy. Once the bridge had collapsed (or was brought down by the Scots - various versions) the battle was won as you state.

 

I was at Stirling Castle last month - William Wallace's sword is there - it is massive (close to 6 feet long)! 

 

It was wooden and didn't stand up to the amount of people traversing it. Also, it was smaller than the Old Stirling Bridge (pictured below) which has stood since 1500, and that is bloody tiny.

 

Waiting for some of the English to cross this unstable bridge slowly and then bump them off one at a time was a tactical masterstroke, unusual for Scots to show tactical nous in battle. (See our football team.) Just as well the English were bloody minded though, history could have changed if they went "Sod this, we'll just see you at Aberfoyle instead!"

"Aww naw, no the Aberfoyle Bridge, I didnae think of that one!"

 

[Hell 1,327]

American lyricist, librettist, theoretical producer, and director in the musical theater for almost 40 years Oscar Hammerstein II died on this day 62 years ago, aged 65.

 

 

American businessman, political activist, philanthropist, and chemical engineer David Koch died on this day 2 years ago, aged 79.

 

 

American songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader David Rose died on this day 32 years ago, aged 80.

 

[MariNisia 3,496]

2 hours ago, Bibliogryphon said:

The biggest crime Braveheart committed was that it robbed Babe of the best picture Oscar that year

 

In my opinion, "Sense and Sensibility" was better than "Braveheart", too.

[Summer in Transylvania 1,618]

2 minutes ago, Hell said:

American lyricist, librettist, theoretical producer, and director in the musical theater for almost 40 years Oscar Hammerstein II died on this day 62 years ago, aged 65.

 

Intriguing fact: Hammerstein II served as a mentor and surrogate father to the late Stephen Sondheim. 

[Bibliogryphon 8,662]

13 minutes ago, MariNisia said:

 

In my opinion, "Sense and Sensibility" was better than "Braveheart", too.

 

It was a rare year where I had actually seen 4 out of the five nominated films at the cinema.

 

I would have given the Oscar to any of them above Braveheart even Il Postino (the one I didn't see)

 

Apollo 13 was very good as well

[The Ashes Urn 1,331]

American biochemist Stanford Moore died on this day 40 years ago, aged 68.

 

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,211]

 

On this day in 1926  italian actor Rudolph  Valentino died of sepsis  aged 31- probably as a result  of complications of appendicitis and stomach ulcers.

He starred in a number of silent movies in Hollywood including  The Four horsemen of the apolcalypse and The Eagle. 

He was nicknamed the Latin lover and had a huge reputation as a womaniser in  Hollywood. 

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,211]

 

On this day one year ago in 2021, English Musician  Charlie Watts AKA the legendary drummer of band The Rolling Stones, died aged 80.

[Drewsky1211 4,077]

Peggy Shippen Arnold died on this day 218 years ago, aged 44.

Peggy's family had Loyalist tendencies during the American Revolution, but were considered neutral. After the British captured Philadelphia in 1777, the Shippens invited soldiers to their home, including major John Andre, who kept close contact with Peggy after withdrawing in 1778.

 

In that same year, Peggy met Benedict Arnold, and the two fell for each other. Peggy's father Edward was skeptical of him at first (Arnold was charged with embezzlement of government funds), but he allowed Peggy and Benedict to marry, with the wedding occurring on April 8, 1779.

 

It is very likely that Peggy was what turned Benedict Arnold into a traitor, with her continued correspondence with Andre, and, according to an interview of her acquaintance Theodosia Provost (conducted by Aaron Burr- her future husband), Peggy "was disgusted with the American cause". Arnold resigned from his post shortly before his wedding and also began to communicate with Andre, whom he met in 1780. Arnold soon obtained the command of West Point in New York, weakening its defenses and giving Andre maps of the base. Andre was soon captured, the plan was exposed, and Benedict was outed as a traitor (Andre was hanged). George Washington planned to meet Arnold at his home- he fled. Peggy acted hysterical to convince Washington she had nothing to do with his betrayal, and this gave Benedict more time to make his escape to New York City, where she and their infant son Edward soon joined him.

 

After the fighting ended in 1781, the Arnolds moved to London, with Peggy accepting a 350 pound reward from George III for her service. The Arnolds would move to New Brunswick in Canada later that decade, before moving back to England in 1791. After Benedict's death in 1801, Peggy auctioned off their house and many of her belongings to pay for their debt. Peggy reportedly died of cancer.

[The Ashes Urn 1,331]

African American civil rights leader Bayard Rustin died on this day 35 years ago, aged 75.

 

[Hell 1,327]

English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur Richard Attenborough died on this day 8 years ago, aged 90.

 

 

American film and television actress best known for her role as femme fatale Kathie Moffat in the 1947 film noir Out of the Past Jane Greer died on this day 21 years ago, aged 76.

 

[The Unknown Man 560]

American actor Jay Thomas died on this day 5 years ago, aged 69.

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,211]

 

On this day 80 years ago in 1942, Prince George, Duke of Kent  died in a military air crash aged 39 in the Scottish Highlands during  World War two.

Uncle to the current  Queen  and father of the current Duke of Kent,  Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael of Kent (who was not even a few months  old at the time of his fathers death).

His wife and widow  was Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, who died herself in the late 1960s.

He and his wife were regarded  as very stylish,  modern , beautiful and charming back in the day. A bit of  a playboy widely rumoured  to be  bisexual ,  partial to many  sexual  adventure and a lover  of drink, drugs  and partying hard. During the abdication  crisis  of 1936 it is thought by many historians that some in government  ideally thought  George as King stood the best chance of preserving the monarchy  , in part because of his popularity.  He was the preferred  candidate of a great many in the upper echelons of society  with doubts about  Berties capacity to fulfill the role and Henry Duke of Gloucester regarded as a bit too simple. Alas it was only a desperate fantasy,  given his lower place in the order of succession and his scandalous private life, it was always unlikely. 

There is much speculation to this day about the exact nature  of his sudden death and whether there is was more to it and if he was on some sort of secret mission in Scotland when he died.

[Drewsky1211 4,077]

William Herschel died on this day 200 years ago, aged 83.

Born in Hanover, Herschel and his brother Jakob were sent away by their father Isaac to seek refuge in the UK during the Seven Years' War. Herschel's early astronomical work in the 1770s largely focused on what he called "double stars"- not binary stars, but stars that were visually close to each other in the night sky, and tracked them to provide evidence for their motion and calculate their distance from Earth.

 

During one such search in March of 1781, Herschel began tracking a previously unidentified celestial object he believed was a comet. Russian astronomer Anders Lexell was the one who calculated its orbit, determining it to be circular, and therefore planetary. By 1783, the object was universally considered a planet, and Herschel named his discovery "Georgium Sidus" (Latin for "George's Star") after King George III. Consensus on the name varied until 1850 when it was named "Uranus", after the Greek god of the heavens, and the father of Cronus (Saturn).

 

During this time, his sister Caroline moved to the UK, and the siblings worked together- while Caroline usually wrote down her brother's notes, she also discovered several comets, and was given a salary from King George. In 1785, William asked the king for a loan to build a 40-foot (12 meter) telescope, which he completed in 1789. He used the telescope to observe Saturn, and discovered two of its moons (currently 83 known), Mimas and Enceladus, and also two of Uranus' beforehand in 1787- Titania and Oberon, all of which were named by his son John after his father's death.

 

Herschel was also a staunch believer of extraterrestrial life- going so far as to say the interior of the sun could support life.

[Hell 1,327]

American astronaut and aeronautical engineer, and the first person to walk on the Moon Neil Armstrong died on this day 10 years ago, aged 82.

 

 

American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 to 2018 John McCain died on this day 4 years ago, aged 81.

 

 

American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 to 2009 Ted Kennedy died on this day 13 years ago, aged 77.

 

 

Austro-Hungarian American stage and film actor who grew up in Chicago Paul Muni died on this day 55 years ago, aged 71.

 

 

American cartoonist, author, and painter Carl Banks died on this day 22 years ago, aged 99.

 

[time 7,968]

Its twenty-four years since the death of journalist and writer Barbara Mandell, aged 78.

 

 

Although born in London the family emigrated to South Africa where she began her career working for the Rand Daily Mail before moving to the South Africa Broadcasting Company, working as a radio news editor. Returning to the UK via a brief stay in the US she was employed by the BBC as an editor on its Television Newsreel programme, before joining the new Independent Television in 1955. 

 

She became the first woman news presenter on British TV, presenting the Midday News, until it was scrapped in early 1956, though she continued to present weekend bulletins and report throughout the latter half of the 1950s. After retiring from presentation she continued to work as an editor, before retiring in 1980, whereupon she moved to Luxembourg and wrote travel books.

[The Ashes Urn 1,331]

American concert bass-baritone, singer and actor William Warfield died on this day 20 years ago, aged 82.

 

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,211]

 

On this day in 2001  american singer,  actress and dancer Aaliyah  died aged just 22 in a plane crash in the Bahamas. 

Despite having died at such a young  age, within such a short career  she won praise for helping to redefine contemporary rhythm and blues,  pop  and hip hop music. This earned her nicknames such as  the Queen of Urban pop  and the Princess of R+B. 

Spookily to me her last film  ,released  posthumously , was a vampire film titled  Queen of the Damned. 

In recent years there has been strong evidence revealed in court that she was sexually  abused by singer and now convicted sex offended R Kelly. 

 

[Drewsky1211 4,077]

Laura Branigan died on this day 18 years ago, aged 52.

Branigan's eponymous debut album was released in 1982, and contained the single "Gloria"- a translated cover of a song by Umberto Tozzi. While radio stations did not play it much early on, it gained traction at dance clubs, and it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November of that year, and stayed there for two weeks (Lionel Richie's "Truly" and Toni Basil's "Mickey" were the songs preventing it from getting to the top). It was, however, a number-one hit in Canada and Australia.

 

Branigan would also see major success with the 1984 song "Self Control", but not much after. Her final album was released in 1993 to little fanfare. In 2002, she would star in the off-Broadway production of Love, Janis, but quit after two shows reportedly due to the producers failing to properly file with the Actors' Equity Association.

 

Branigan died in her sleep of a brain aneurysm. Interest in her was renewed in 2019 when the St. Louis Blues NHL team played the song during each commercial break in the stadium after a club member kept requesting it be played. The team has since adopted "Gloria" as its unofficial victory song.

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,211]

 

On this day 36 years ago in 1986,  american actor Ted Knight died aged 62 from colon cancer.

He excelled in and is best known for playing comedic roles including    Ted Baxter in The Mary Tyler Moore show, Henry Rush in Too close for comfort and   Judge Elihu Smails  in movie   Caddyshack .

[Hell 1,327]

American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist Charles Lindbergh died on this day 48 years ago, aged 72.

 

 

American playwright, screenwriter and author Neil Simon died on this day 4 years ago, aged 91.

 

[Toast 14,847]

7 hours ago, Drewsky1211 said:

Laura Branigan died on this day 18 years ago, aged 52.

Branigan's eponymous debut album was released in 1982, and contained the single "Gloria"- a translated cover of a song by Umberto Tozzi. While radio stations did not play it much early on, it gained traction at dance clubs, and it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November of that year, and stayed there for two weeks (Lionel Richie's "Truly" and Toni Basil's "Mickey" were the songs preventing it from getting to the top). It was, however, a number-one hit in Canada and Australia.

 

Branigan would also see major success with the 1984 song "Self Control", but not much after. Her final album was released in 1993 to little fanfare. In 2002, she would star in the off-Broadway production of Love, Janis, but quit after two shows reportedly due to the producers failing to properly file with the Actors' Equity Association.

 

Branigan died in her sleep of a brain aneurysm. Interest in her was renewed in 2019 when the St. Louis Blues NHL team played the song during each commercial break in the stadium after a club member kept requesting it be played. The team has since adopted "Gloria" as its unofficial victory song.

 

Laura Branigan's hits were also featured in two iconic scenes in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.

@Gooseberry Crumble will enjoy the first one