Death Anniversary Thread

[diego 1,980]

Reg Parnell was born in Derby and died in the same city at the age of 52 60 years ago, he was a British racing driver born in England who participated in 6 Formula 1 Grands Prix in: 1950-1952 and 1954. His best result was 3rd place in the Grand Prix. -1950s Britain.

 

[Hell 1,334]

Nikola Tesla died on this day 81 years ago, aged 86. He was a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist. He is best-known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. Attempting to develop inventions he could patent and market, Tesla conducted a range of experiments with mechanical oscillators/generators, electrical discharge tubes, and early X-ray imaging. He also built a wirelessly controlled boat, one of the first ever exhibited. Tesla became well known as an inventor and demonstrated his achievements to celebrities and wealthy patrons at his lab, and was noted for his showmanship at public lectures. Throughout the 1890s, Tesla pursued his ideas for wireless lighting and worldwide wireless electric power distribution in his high-voltage, high-frequency power experiments in New York and Colorado Springs. In 1893, he made pronouncements on the possibility of wireless communication with his devices. Tesla tried to put these ideas to practical use in his unfinished Wardenclyffe Tower project, an intercontinental wireless communication and power transmitter, but ran out of funding before he could complete it.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,729]

Galileo Galilei died on this day 382 years ago, aged 77.

- Before he was an astronomer, Galileo followed in the footsteps of his father Vincenzo as a lute player.

- Galileo would almost always refer to himself in the third person (just by his first name), although would sometimes add the epithet "Linceo" to showcase that he was a member of the prestigious Accademia dei Lincei science organization.

- One of the first scientific projects Galileo worked on was determining how big Hell was, according to Dante's Inferno- he did this in 1588.

- One of Galileo's less-appreciated achievements in astronomy was that he was one of the first people to observe the planet Neptune in 1612 (234 years before its official discovery), noting it as a dim star.

- Galileo received permission from Pope Urban VIII (who was once his friend) to publish Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems on the basis that he did not blatantly promote heliocentrism- the character of Simplicio alienated Urban, leading to him being put under trial for heresy.

- After Galileo died in 1642, he would be reinterred in 1737 once a monument to him had been erected- three of his fingers and a tooth were removed from him; one finger wouldn't be found until an auction in 2009.

- On an incidental note, I own a t-shirt with this design:

[lilham 752]

2 hours ago, Drewsky1211 said:

Galileo Galilei died on this day 382 years ago, aged 77.

- Before he was an astronomer, Galileo followed in the footsteps of his father Vincenzo as a lute player.

- Galileo would almost always refer to himself in the third person (just by his first name), although would sometimes add the epithet "Linceo" to showcase that he was a member of the prestigious Accademia dei Lincei science organization.

- One of the first scientific projects Galileo worked on was determining how big Hell was, according to Dante's Inferno- he did this in 1588.

- One of Galileo's less-appreciated achievements in astronomy was that he was one of the first people to observe the planet Neptune in 1612 (234 years before its official discovery), noting it as a dim star.

- Galileo received permission from Pope Urban VIII (who was once his friend) to publish Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems on the basis that he did not blatantly promote heliocentrism- the character of Simplicio alienated Urban, leading to him being put under trial for heresy.

- After Galileo died in 1642, he would be reinterred in 1737 once a monument to him had been erected- three of his fingers and a tooth were removed from him; one finger wouldn't be found until an auction in 2009.

- On an incidental note, I own a t-shirt with this design:

I used to live next to his burial place Basilica di Santa Croce in Firenze/Florence, where Michelangelo and Machiavelli are also buried.

[The Ashes Urn 1,354]

American professional baseball left-handed pitcher and pitching coach Harvey Haddix died on this day 30 years ago, aged 68.

 

 

 

 

[diego 1,980]

Marco Polo was born and died in Venice, his date of death is uncertain, it could be January 8 or 9, but it occurred in 1324, he was a Venetian merchant, ambassador and explorer whose adventures are recorded in The Travels of Marco Polo, a book that describes for Europeans, the wonders of China, its capital Beijing and other cities and countries in Asia.

William Carr Beresford died in Kent aged 86 150 years ago, was the 1st Viscount Beresford (1st Viscount Beresford) baron and viscount of Albuera and Dungarvan, Earl of Trancoso, 1st Marquess of Campo Maior and Duke of Elvas, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and politician who served as a general in the British Army and marshal in the Portuguese Army, having fought alongside Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War. He then served as master of ordinances in the Wellington government in 1828.

Delfín Benítez Cáceres was born in Asunción and died in Caracas 20 years ago, he was a Paraguayan football player and played in the 1930 World Cup, he played for Libertad, Boca jr among other teams

[Hell 1,334]

American animator, director, producer, screenwriter and voice actor Art Clokey died on this day 13 years ago, aged 88. He he was pioneer in the popularization of stop-motion clay animation, best known as the creator of the character Gumby and the original voice of Gumby's sidekick, Pokey. Clokey's career began in 1953 with a film experiment called Gumbasia, which was influenced by his professor, Slavko Vorkapich, at the University of Southern California. Clokey and his wife Ruth subsequently came up with the clay character Gumby and his horse Pokey, who first appeared in the Howdy Doody Show and later got their own series The Adventures of Gumby, from which they became a familiar presence on American television. The characters enjoyed a renewal of interest in the 1980s when American actor and comedian Eddie Murphy parodied Gumby in a skit on Saturday Night Live.

 

[One shot Paddy 1,205]

35 years since the Kegworth disaster, one of the 47 killed was a friend of my Dad's, I remember how much of a shock it was.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,729]

Bob Saget died on this day 2 years ago, aged 65.

- Saget attended film school at Temple University, where his student film Through Adam's Eyes received a Student Academy Award in 1978.

- Before being cast as Danny Tanner in Full House, Saget made guest appearances in shows such as Bosom Buddies and The Greatest American Hero.

- Saget hosted America's Funniest Home Videos for its first eight seasons (1989 to 1997)- he appeared in one episode less there than he did in Full House (191 to 192 episodes).

- Saget was also known for narrating the sitcom How I Met Your Mother as the older version of the main character, Ted Mosby- set in 2030.

- Saget occasionally did voice work, which included an episode of Robot Chicken, the TV movie Casper's Scare School, and his parody of March of the Penguins, Farce of the Penguins.

- In 2020, Saget competed in the fourth season of (the American version of) The Masked Singer as the Squiggly Monster, being eliminated after two performances (and sixth overall):

- Saget died in his sleep following a fall that led to bleeding in his brain- his last photo was taken mere hours before his death:

[Hell 1,334]

Napoleon III died on this day 151 years ago, aged 64. He was the first president of France from 1848 to 1852, and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 until he was deposed in absentia on 4 September 1870. He was born in Paris as the son of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland, and his wife, Hortense de Beauharnais. Napoleon I was Louis Napoleon's paternal uncle, and one of his cousins was the disputed Napoleon II. Louis Napoleon was the first and only president of the French Second Republic, elected in 1848. He seized power by force in 1851 when he could not constitutionally be reelected. He later proclaimed himself Emperor of the French and founded the Second Empire, reigning until the defeat of the French Army and his capture by Prussia and its allies at the Battle of Sedan in 1870.

 

[diego 1,980]

Anne, Duchess of Brittany was born in Nantes and died in Blois at the age of 36 510 years ago, she was the titular Duchess of Brittany from 1488 until her death, and twice queen consort of France between 1491 and 1498 and from 1499 until your death. She was the only one in France to hold the title of queen consort twice. During the Italian Wars, Anne also became queen consort of Naples (1501-1504), and duchess consort of Milan (1499-1500/1500-1512).

Dale Mortensen was born in Enterprise, Oregon and died in Wilmette, Illinois at age 74. Ten years ago, he received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2010 for "his analysis of markets with demand frictions." He was one of those who signed a petition asking the American government not to bail out the banks in 2008

[Drewsky1211 4,729]

David Bowie died on this day 8 years ago, aged 69.

- As a child, Bowie's favorite singer was Little Richard- he once stated that he "heard God" after hearing "Tutti Frutti" for the first time. Other musical influences included Elvis Presley, Charles Mingus, and Fats Domino.

- When he was 15, one of Bowie's pupils was left permanently dilated after getting into a fight with his friend, when he punched him in the eye:

Contrary to popular belief, his irises were not different colors- the dilation made it seem that way.

- Bowie's first band was named "Davie Jones with The King Bees"- he adopted "Bowie" as his stage name after Davy Jones of The Monkees gained worldwide fame.

- Outside of music, Bowie was known for his acting roles- most notably in The Man Who Fell to Earth, the Broadway version of The Elephant Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Lord Royal Highness in the SpongeBob episode "Atlantis SquarePantis", and most famously Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth:

Bowie was also planned to have been cast as Niander Wallace in Blade Runner 2049- after his death, the role was given to Jared Leto.

- Bowie approved of Nirvana's cover of "The Man Who Sold the World", but was annoyed that people thought the band made the original. Bowie sang his version 23 years before Kurt Cobain did:

- Bowie was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2014, but kept his battle a secret- though the music video for "Lazarus" definitely caused speculation:

(it was released 3 days before he died)

[The Ashes Urn 1,354]

American front office executive in Major League Baseball Chub Feeney died on this day 30 years ago, aged 72.

 

[diego 1,980]

Pope Melquíades died 1710 years ago at the age of 44, he was Pope from July 2, 311 until January 10, 314, in 313, Melquíades convened the first Lateran Council in Rome, which exonerated Caecilius and condemned Donato the Great as a schismatic

Almostancir of Cairo (64 years) died 930 years ago. He was declared successor to his father Ali Azair when he was eight months old and ascended the throne at the age of seven. In the first years of his reign, governmental affairs were handled by his mother. His caliphate lasted more than sixty years and was the earliest Islamic caliphate. During his reign, the Fatimid Caliphate fell into chaos and was dominated by the Turkish mercenaries of Nácer Adaulá ibn Hamadan.

 

Victor Emanuel I of Sardinia was born and died in Turin at the age of 64, he died 200 years ago, he was the King of Sardinia from 1802 until his abdication in 1821 in favor of his younger brother Carlos Félix. He was the son of King Vítor Amadeu III of Sardinia and his wife Infanta Maria Antônia of Spain, having ascended the throne after the abdication of his older brother King Carlos Emanuel IV.

Marly Marley was born in Três Lagoas and died 10 years ago, she was an actress, theater director, music critic, musical judge and former star of the golden age of Brazilian radio and television, a prominent personality in the national artistic and musical culture scene for several decades. She was a member of the judging panel for the Raul Gil Program for many years.

 

[Hell 1,334]

Buffalo Bill died on this day 107 years ago, aged 70. He was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous and well-known figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend when he was only 23. Shortly thereafter he started performing in shows that displayed cowboy themes and episodes from the frontier and Indian Wars. He founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1883, taking his large company on tours in the United States and, beginning in 1887, in Great Britain and continental Europe. Buffalo Bill started working at the age of 11, after his father's death, and became a rider for the Pony Express at age 15. During the American Civil War, he served the Union from 1863 to the end of the war in 1865. Later he served as a civilian scout for the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars. While he was initially awarded the Medal of Honor in 1872 for his actions in the Indian Wars, he was among 910 recipients to have the award rescinded in 1917.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,729]

Ariel Sharon died on this day 10 years ago, aged 85.

- Sharon's birth name was "Arik Scheinerman", and he was the son of Georgian (the country then a part of the USSR, not the state) emigrants to Mandatory Palestine.

- Sharon joined a militia when he was 14, and participated in the 1948 War. He was reportedly captured by Jordanian troops and subsequently released, which he denied.

- Sharon also fought for the Israeli military during the Suez War (1956), Six-Day War (1967), and Yom Kippur War (1973). He retired after the latter war.

- Sharon was the co-founder of the Likud Party (with Menachem Begin), becoming an aide to Yitzhak Rabin before becoming a member of Begin's cabinet as his Minister of Agriculture, then Defense. In 1982, Sharon initiated the Israeli invasion of Lebanon following their ambassador to the UK being shot (by orders of an Iraqi militant group).

- Sharon was elected as Prime Minister of Israel in 2001 with 62% of the vote. During his premiership, the wall along the West Bank border began construction, became the first Israeli PM to visit India, and began the de-occupation of the Gaza Strip (...which ended up leading to Hamas gaining power).

- The removal of Israeli soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip was viewed as very unpopular within his party, and he survived a vote of no confidence (led by Benjamin Netanyahu) by just 52%. He ended up resigning as head of the Likud Party in November of 2005, and founded the Kadima Party. Around this time, however, it was found that Sharon's sons had been bribed by construction developers, leading to a political scandal.

- Sharon was known for his obesity (having a BMI of 39.8), having his staff car stocked with snacks and constantly making jokes about his weight (once joking his fat meant he didn't need a bulletproof vest).

- Sharon suffered a stroke in December of 2005 (during the scandal), and had another one two weeks later. This rendered him comatose, and Ehud Olmert became acting PM until being rightfully elected in May of 2006. Sharon would remain in a coma for the last 8 years of his life before dying due to the complication of renal failure.

- Sharon appeared on the DeathList six times (consecutively between 2007 and 2012), peaking at no. 2 on the 2007 list.

[The Ashes Urn 1,354]

American film and stage actor Jack La Rue died on this day 40 years ago, aged 81.

 

[diego 1,980]

Domenico Ghirlandaio died in Florence 530 years ago, was an Italian Renaissance painter who was a contemporary of Botticelli and Filippino Lippi. He formed a whole generation of excellent artists. Michelangelo was one of his apprentices.

Carl Jacobsen (71 years) was born in Copenhagen and died 110 years ago in Frederiksberg, was a Danish brewer, art collector and philanthropist, son of Jacob Christian Jacobsen, founder of Carlsberg

Galeazzo Ciano (40 years) was born in Livorno and died 80 years ago in Verona, he was an Italian politician, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari, son-in-law of the dictator Benito Mussolini, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, from 1936 to 1943.

Oscar Straus was born in Vienna and died 70 years ago in Bad Ischl, aged 83, was an Austrian composer of operettas and film music.

 

Muhammad Habibur Rahman was born in Murshidabad, British India and died in Dhaka, Bangladesh 10 years ago at the age of 85. He was a former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in 1995. He was also the chief advisor to the 1996 interim government, which oversaw the seventh parliamentary elections in Bangladesh

[Handrejka 1,903]

Broadcaster Ray Moore became an early DL hit on this day in 1989.

 

 

[Drewsky1211 4,729]

Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor died on this day 505 years ago, aged 59.

- Maximilian was the son of Emperor Frederick III, who named him after Saint Maximilian of Tebessa (Frederick claimed the saint warned him of danger in a dream he had once).

- Maximilian became the ruler of different regions under Habsburg control gradually- Burgundy in 1477, Germany in 1486, and Austria after his father's death in 1493.

- During the Italian Wars (lasted from 1494 to 1559), Maximilian conquered the Duchy of Milan in 1500, and failed to capture Venice in 1508. His campaigns were largely seen as a waste of resources, leading to the pejorative epithet of "Maximilian the Moneyless".

- Maximilian would enact antisemitic policies in contrast to his parents, who were favorable about Jews- he expelled them from the state of Styria, and ordered all Jewish prayer books (except the Old Testament) to be confiscated. His opinion changed in 1510 following a scholar's advice that the Jewish books were of intellectual intrigue, and in 1514 hired a Jewish convert to Christianity named Paolo Riccio to translate the Talmud from Hebrew to Latin (Ricco also served as Maximilian's physician).

- Maximilian was also known for his reforms of 1495, notably establishing the empire's Supreme Court, and that nobles within the empire could no longer settle claims by battle, but now via arbitration.

- Maximilian severely injured his leg after falling off his horse in 1501, and reportedly became depressed from the lifelong pain it caused. Maximilian also had a grip on his mortality in the coming years, notably carrying the coffin prepared for him wherever he went throughout 1514. He suffered a stroke in December of 1518, but his cause of death has been disputed between the stroke, a kind of cancer (either stomach or intestinal), syphilis, or pneumonia.

- Maximilian would be succeeded by his grandson Charles V- his only legitimate son, Philip, had predeceased him in 1506.

- Maximilian's tomb was heavily damaged during World War II, but his sarcophagus was found unscathed. He was given a second interment in 1950.

[The Ashes Urn 1,354]

American tennis player Juliette Atkinson died on this day 80 years ago, aged 70.

 

[diego 1,980]

Giacomo Carissimi was born in Marino, Rome and died 350 years ago at the age of 68, he was an Italian composer and music teacher. He is one of the most celebrated masters of the early Baroque or, more precisely, the Roman School of music

William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville was born in Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire, and died in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, 190 years ago at the age of 74, was a British Whig politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Grenville studied at Eton College, was the son by Prime Minister George Grenville, was elected to the House of Commons in 1782

Patricia de Connaught was born in London and died at the age of 74 50 years ago in Windlesham, she was a member of the British royal family, being the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
She gave up her royal title of British princess and her address as "Her Royal Highness" after her marriage

Olga Ladyzhenskaya was born in Kologriv, Kostroma oblast and died in Saint Petersburg 20 years ago at the age of 81. She was a Russian mathematician, known for her work on partial differential equations (especially Hilbert's nineteenth problem) and fluid dynamics, and provided the first mathematical proof of the convergence of a finite difference method for the Navier-Stokes equations. She was a student of Ivan Petrovsky and awarded the Lomonosov Gold Medal in 2002.

 

[Hell 1,334]

Ronnie Spector died on this day 2 years ago, aged 78. She was an American singer who co-founded and fronted the girl group the Ronettes. She is sometimes referred to as the original "bad girl of rock and roll". Ronnie formed the singing group with her older sister, Estelle Bennett, and their cousin, Nedra Talley, in the late 1950s. They were signed to Phil Spector's Philles label in 1963 and he produced the majority of their recording output. The Ronettes had a string of hits in the 1960s, including "Be My Baby" (1963), "Baby, I Love You" (1963), "(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up" (1964), "Do I Love You?" (1964), and "Walking in the Rain" (1964). Ronnie married Phil in 1968. Following the couple's divorce in 1974, Ronnie reformed the Ronettes and began performing again. In 1980, Spector released her debut solo album Siren. Her career revived when she was featured on Eddie Money's song and video "Take Me Home Tonight" in 1986, a Billboard top five single. She went on to release the albums Unfinished Business (1987), Something's Gonna Happen (2003), Last of the Rock Stars (2006) and English Heart (2016). She also recorded one extended play, She Talks to Rainbows (1999). In 1990, Ronnie Spector published a memoir, Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, Or, My Life as a Fabulous Ronette.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,729]

Hubert Humphrey died on this day 46 years ago, aged 66.

- Humphrey's career began working at his family's pharmacy, though he did not enjoy it. He became an instructor at the University of Minnesota in 1940, where he hoped to earn a doctorate in political science.

- Humphrey attempted to enter service in World War II, but was rejected because he was colorblind.

- Humphrey unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Minneapolis in 1943, but won in 1945, serving until 1948 when he was elected to the US Senate. He would be ostracized by Southern Democrats who disagreed with his pro-civil rights opinions, but some would accept him as a party member when Lyndon B. Johnson (then the Senate Majority Leader) took a liking to him.

- Humphrey introduced failed bills that would eventually lead to big things- these included prototypes for Medicare in 1949, and the Peace Corps in 1957. Humphrey was also responsible for most of the text in the (successful) Civil Rights Act of 1964.

- Humphrey was chosen as LBJ's running mate in 1964, and would be sworn in as vice president in 1965. One of his first acts as such was attending Winston Churchill's funeral when Johnson was too sick to go- Johnson replied "Hubert who?" when asked to send him in his place, leading to the creation of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C11ZNuVSBMU

- Humphrey was chosen as the Democratic Party's nominee in 1968 over Eugene McCarthy due to delegates who supported Robert F. Kennedy backing him after the latter's assassination. He chose Edmund Muskie as his running mate- they lost the electoral vote to the Nixon-Agnew ticket 191-301 (George Wallace had split the Democratic vote).

- Humphrey would be re-elected to the US Senate in 1970, and served until his death. He ran in the 1972 Democrat primaries and lost to George McGovern, declining to be his running mate when asked by him.

- Humphrey announced he had terminal bladder cancer in August of 1977, and died in office five months later. His widow, Muriel, would be appointed to his seat by the governor of Minnesota, until the special election was held.

[Sir Creep 7,070]

German physicist Georg Quincke died exactly 100 years ago today (89).

Quincke's ‘Interference Tube’ is an apparatus that Quincke built in 1866 which demonstrates destructive interference of sound waves.  This would lead to our modern day automobile muffler, well after his death obvs.