Death Anniversary Thread

[diego 1,984]

2/February

Borivoi II died 900 years ago in Prague and died in Hungary, he was a Bohemian duke, he ruled twice, the first between 1101 and 1107 and the second time again between 1117 and 1120

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was born in Palestrina and died 430 years ago in Rome, he was an Italian composer of the Renaissance. All of his production is vocal, but according to the customs of the time, voices could be doubled by instruments. Masterfully mastering the polyphony inherited from the Franco-Flemish school, but moving towards greater intelligibility of texts and the creation of clearer and more fluent musical textures, he exerted a great influence on the development of sacred music in the Catholic Church, and for a long time was considered the sum of perfection in this field

Wendell Phillips (72 years) was born in Boston and died in the same city 140 years ago. Phillips' claim was that racial injustice was the source of all of society's ills. Like Garrison, Phillips denounced the U.S. Constitution for tolerating slavery

Jean Absil was born in Péruwelz (BEL), and died in Uccle (BEL) at the age of 80 50 years ago, he was a composer, In 1922 Absil won the Belgian Prize in Rome and in 1934 the Rubens Prize, which allowed him to travel to Paris. Here, he met other contemporary composers Ibert, Milhaud and Honegger. Absil gained international prominence with the premiere of his first piano concerto (op. 30), composed for the 1938 Queen Elizabeth Piano Competition (Ysaye)

 

[Drewsky1211 4,740]

Woodrow Wilson died on this day 100 years ago, aged 67.

- Wilson's actual first name was Thomas, and he went by his middle name- derived from his mother's maiden name. While his grandfather James was an abolitionist, his father Joseph supported the Confederacy during the Civil War.

- Wilson is the only US president to receive a PhD degree, awarded to him by Johns Hopkins University in 1886. He would later serve as a professor of history and political science, and would be promoted to the president of Princeton University in 1902. For these reasons, he has been nicknamed "The Schoolmaster" by some.

- Wilson's tenure at Princeton got New Jersey's Democratic Party officials to encourage him to run for governor, and he won the 1910 election. Wilson quickly became a rising star in the party, and was the Democratic nominee for president in 1912- winning in a landslide due to the Republicans splitting between Theodore Roosevelt and the incumbent William Howard Taft.

- Wilson's presidency is known for introducing the Federal Reserve, failing to stay out of World War I after three years of isolationism (leading to the League of Nations, which earned him the 1920 Nobel Peace Prize), and screening the first movie shown at the White House- The Birth of a Nation (Wilson was horribly racist and openly tried to remove Black people from federal jobs).

- In 1919, Wilson suffered a severe stroke that left him bedbound- his wife Edith would determine which documents would be given to him, and some jest she was the first female US president. By 1920, news of his condition reached the public, and although he wished to seek a third term, his political party quickly disassociated with him to find a healthier candidate. He was unable to attend Warren G. Harding's inauguration, although the two of them had tea together the day before. His health would not improve over the last three years of his life.

[Hell 1,334]

Al Lewis died on this day 18 years ago, aged 82. He was an American actor and activist, best known for his role as Count Dracula-lookalike Grandpa on the television series The Munsters from 1964 to 1966 and its film versions. He previously also co-starred with The Munsters's Fred Gwynne in the television show Car 54, Where Are You? from 1961 to 1963. Later in life, he was a restaurant owner, political candidate, and radio broadcaster. In 1967, Lewis played the part of Zalto the magician in the Lost in Space episode "Rocket to Earth". His first role in a movie was as Machine Gun Manny in Pretty Boy Floyd (1960). He appeared as Hanging Judge Harrison in Used Cars (1980), played a security guard on an episode of Taxi, and had a minor role in Married to the Mob (1988). His last film role was in Night Terror (2002). Lewis was a recurring guest on The Howard Stern Show. In 1991, he appeared as Grandpa in an episode of Hi Honey, I'm Home on ABC. Lewis appeared in an episode of The American Experience where he recalled his experiences at Coney Island, which he frequently visited and worked at as a game barker. He was featured in the Atari 7800 videogame Midnight Mutants, an action-adventure title with a Halloween theme.

 

[Salmon Mousse 473]

6 hours ago, Drewsky1211 said:

Woodrow Wilson died on this day 100 years ago, aged 67.

- Wilson's actual first name was Thomas, and he went by his middle name- derived from his mother's maiden name. While his grandfather James was an abolitionist, his father Joseph supported the Confederacy during the Civil War.

- Wilson is the only US president to receive a PhD degree, awarded to him by Johns Hopkins University in 1886. He would later serve as a professor of history and political science, and would be promoted to the president of Princeton University in 1902. For these reasons, he has been nicknamed "The Schoolmaster" by some.

- Wilson's tenure at Princeton got New Jersey's Democratic Party officials to encourage him to run for governor, and he won the 1910 election. Wilson quickly became a rising star in the party, and was the Democratic nominee for president in 1912- winning in a landslide due to the Republicans splitting between Theodore Roosevelt and the incumbent William Howard Taft.

- Wilson's presidency is known for introducing the Federal Reserve, failing to stay out of World War I after three years of isolationism (leading to the League of Nations, which earned him the 1920 Nobel Peace Prize), and screening the first movie shown at the White House- The Birth of a Nation (Wilson was horribly racist and openly tried to remove Black people from federal jobs).

- In 1919, Wilson suffered a severe stroke that left him bedbound- his wife Edith would determine which documents would be given to him, and some jest she was the first female US president. By 1920, news of his condition reached the public, and although he wished to seek a third term, his political party quickly disassociated with him to find a healthier candidate. He was unable to attend Warren G. Harding's inauguration, although the two of them had tea together the day before. His health would not improve over the last three years of his life.

 

one of history's greatest monsters

[The Ashes Urn 1,356]

English architect, teacher and writer Albert Richardson died on this day 60 years ago, aged 83.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,740]

Pope Sisinnius died on this day 1316 years ago, aged 58.

- Sisinnius was born in what is now modern-day Syria, and his father's name was John. Not much else is known of his life before he became pope.

- After Pope John VII's death in October of 707, Sisinnius was elected pope. However, there was a three-month delay between his election and consecration due to the Byzantine Empire's representative needing to confirm him to the emperor.

- Sisinnius would consecrate a bishop for the island of Corsica, and ordered Rome's walls to be reinforced with limestone due to past raids.

- The above two actions were Sisinnius' only things he did as pope, because he died after a three-week papacy (the fifth-shortest of any pope). Sisinnius had suffered from severe gout that affected his ability to feed himself, and during that time period, 58 was considered to be old age (instead of mid-life nowadays).

- Sisinnius would be succeeded as pope by Pope Constantine.

[Hell 1,334]

Daniel arap Moi died on this day 4 years ago, aged 95. He was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country’s longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the third vice president of Kenya from 1967 to 1978 under President Jomo Kenyatta, becoming the president following Kenyatta’s death. Initially popular both nationally and in Western countries, who saw his regime as countering against influences from the Eastern Bloc-aligned governments of Ethiopia and Tanzania, Moi's popularity fell around 1990 as the economy stagnated after the end of the Cold War. Following the agitation and external pressure, he was forced to allow multiparty elections in 1991; he then led his party, KANU, to victory in the 1992 and 1997 elections, both of which have generally been regarded as neither free nor fair by independent observers. Constitutionally barred from seeking a third term, Moi chose Uhuru Kenyatta as his successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition leader Mwai Kibaki in the 2002 general election and Kibaki replaced Moi as president. Kenyatta would eventually win the presidency in the 2013 election. Moi's regime was deemed dictatorial and autocratic, especially before 1992, when Kenya was a one-party state. During this time Moi’s close confidant was tycoon business man Tahir Sheikh Said famously known as TSS, who was the first to import large grain consignments to Kenya during Moi’s regime, which was a huge milestone for Kenya’s grain economy. Tahir Sheikh Said also controlled local politics (Nation, 2014) for Moi in the coast region lining the pockets of hundreds, building schools, and contributing philanthropic acts. The Billionaire businessman was known for his kindness and to his demise in 2017, he succumb to illness, at his height TSS accumulated total net worth of over $1.5 billion USD. His legacy lives on, running school in Mombasa and the famous TSS mosque. In October 2019, Moi was hospitalised under critical condition due to complications of pleural effusion. He developed respiratory complications and underwent a tracheotomy. A month later, he suffered from gastrointestinal hemorrhage which led to multiple organ failure and was placed on life-support. He was #5 on DeathList 2020.

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,356]

Irish-born American actress Una O'Connor died on this day 65 years ago, aged 78.

 

[Sir Creep 7,070]

Still hurts, hard to believe it’s been 15 years.  
 

[Drewsky1211 4,740]

Pervez Musharraf died on this day a year ago, aged 79.

- Musharraf was born in Delhi in then-British India, but his family moved to what would imminently become Pakistan a few days before its independence in 1947 (they were Muslims, and they sought to leave the Hindu-majority India). They would move to Turkey shortly after, with Musharraf returning to Pakistan in 1957.

- Musharraf served as a soldier, serving in the Second Kashmir War (1965) and Indo-Pakistani War (1971). By the late 1980s, he had received the nickname "Cowboy" due to his love of Western culture, particularly rock music and American clothing brands.

- In the 1990s, Musharraf had become a four-star general, and following the Kargil Conflict in 1999, he led a coup that ousted Nawaz Sharif as president, and became the leader of Pakistan's military junta government.

- Musharraf would hold a parliamentary election in 2002, but remained in complete control of the presidency. He would attempt to improve relations with both India and would support the US during the War on Terror, but his administration would soon by marred by attempts at nuclear proliferation. Several assassination attempts were also made on his life.

- In 2007, Musharraf declared a state of emergency to keep himself in power, but this eventually faltered and he resigned in August 2008 when impeachment proceedings against him began. He would exile himself to the UK, but returned to Pakistan in 2013.

- By that time, Musharraf had become a suspect in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, and he was also charged with treason for the arrests of federal judges during the 2007 state of emergency. He escaped to the United Arab Emirates in 2016, and was sentenced to death in absentia in 2019 (which was voided the following year).

- Musharraf was diagnosed with amyloidosis in 2018, and died from the disease five years later. He had debuted on the DeathList in 2004 (and was that year's last survivor), and made a total of three appearances on the list.

[Hell 1,334]

Kirk Douglas died on this day 4 years ago, aged 103. He was an American actor and filmmaker. He made his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Douglas played an unscrupulous boxing hero in Champion (1949), which brought him his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. His other early films include Out of the Past (1947); Young Man with a Horn (1950), playing opposite Lauren Bacall and Doris Day; Ace in the Hole (1951); and Detective Story (1951), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. He received his second Oscar nomination for his dramatic role in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), opposite Lana Turner, and earned his third for portraying Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), a role for which he won the Golden Globe for the Best Actor in a Drama. He also starred with James Mason in the adventure 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). In September 1949, he established Bryna Productions, which began producing films as varied as Paths of Glory (1957) and Spartacus (1960). In those two films, he collaborated with the then relatively unknown director Stanley Kubrick, taking lead roles in both films.  He produced and starred in Lonely Are the Brave (1962) and Seven Days in May (1964), the latter opposite Burt Lancaster, with whom he made seven films. In 1963, he starred in the Broadway play One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a story that he purchased and later gave to his son Michael Douglas, who turned it into an Oscar-winning film. Douglas continued acting into the 1980s, appearing in such films as Saturn 3 (1980), The Man from Snowy River (1980), Tough Guys (1986), a reunion with Lancaster, and in the television version of Inherit the Wind (1988) plus in an episode of Touched by an Angel in 2002, for which he received his third nomination for an Emmy Award. He suffered a stroke in 1996. He also made 18 appearances on the DeathList.

 

[Sir Creep 7,070]

‘C is for Casket, that’s good enough for me,’ said Joe Raposo on this day 35 years ago (51).

 

The composer for the Sasame Steeet theme song and other show favourites like C is for Cookie, Bein’ Green, and Sing (later a hit for The Carpenters). He also wrote tunes for Dr Seuss shows.

 

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,356]

American blues guitarist Buddy Scott died on this day 30 years ago, aged 59.

 

[Sir Creep 7,070]

Joseph Priestley ran out of oxygen 220 years ago (70).

 

 

[Drewsky1211 4,740]

Falco died on this day 26 years ago, aged 40.

- 1957: Vienna, February 19th, Johann "Falco" Holzel is born.

- 1981: At the age of 24 Falco is signed to a record label. He sings his breakout single "Der Kommissar":

 - 1985: Falco releases his chart-topping single "Rock Me Amadeus", becoming the first German-language song to top the Billboard Hot 100 the following year:

- 1992: Falco's final album during his lifetime, Nachtflug, is released.

- 1996: "Rock Me Amadeus" is parodied as "Dr. Zaius" on the Simpsons episode "A Fish Called Selma":

- 1998: Falco plans his comeback album Out of the Dark (Into the Light). On February 6th of that same year, Falco dies in a car crash.

- ...You may have noticed I formatted these facts in a similar vein to the American version of "Rock Me Amadeus":

 

[Hell 1,334]

George VI died on this day 72 years ago, aged 56. He was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death on 6 February 1952. He was also the last Emperor of India from 1936 until the British Raj was dissolved in August 1947, and the first head of the Commonwealth following the London Declaration of 1949. In September 1939, the British Empire and most Commonwealth countries—but not Ireland—declared war on Nazi Germany, following the invasion of Poland. War with the Kingdom of Italyand the Empire of Japan followed in 1940 and 1941, respectively. George VI was seen as sharing the hardships of the common people and his popularity soared. Buckingham Palace was bombed during the Blitz while the King and Queen were there, and his younger brother the Duke of Kent was killed on active service. George became known as a symbol of British determination to win the war. Britain and its allies were victorious in 1945, but the British Empire declined. Ireland had largely broken away, followed by the independence of India and Pakistanin 1947. George relinquished the title of Emperor of India in June 1948 and instead adopted the new title of Head of the Commonwealth. He was beset by smoking-related health problems in the later years of his reign and died from coronary thrombosis.
 

[The Ashes Urn 1,356]

American book artist Jack Kirby died on this day 30 years ago, aged 76.

 

[John "요한" Sulu 419]

On this day 1 year ago, Czechoslovakian prime minister Lubomír Štrougal, who served his term from 1970 to 1988, passed away at the age of 98.

 

Photo Credit: Tatransky per Creative Commons license

[Drewsky1211 4,740]

Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden died on this day 187 years ago, aged 58.

- Gustav was the son of King Gustav III, and acceded to the throne when he was 13 following his father's assassination in 1792.

- In 1796, 15-year old Gustav was sent to Russia to arrange a marriage between him and soon-to-be emperor Paul's daughter Alexandra- this failed due to Gustav's insistence to allow Alexandra to continue worshipping the Russian Orthodox Church. He would end up marrying Frederica of Baden in 1797, and they had four children together.

- Gustav would wage war against Napoleon and his forces in 1805, ultimately losing Pomerania to them. In 1808, Russia would invade Finland (then owned by Sweden) after forming an alliance with France, and he had to cede a third of the territory to the former.

- Because of the loss of Finland, disgruntled soldiers led a coup against Gustav in 1809 and arrested him- Gustav voluntarily abdicated in favor of his son (also named Gustav), but the Swedish Parliament declared he forfeit the throne for his descendants as well (many members were also soldiers). He would be succeeded by his uncle (and former regent) Charles XIII, and would then be exiled to Germany.

- After divorcing Frederica in 1812, Gustav moved to Switzerland, where he lived in a hotel for the remained of his life under the alias "Colonel Gustafsson".

[Hell 1,334]

Albert Finney died on this day 5 years ago, aged 82. He was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining fame for movie acting during the early 1960s, debuting with The Entertainer (1960), directed by Tony Richardson, who had previously directed him in theatre. He is known for his roles in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), Tom Jones (1963), Two for the Road (1967), Scrooge (1970), Annie (1982), The Dresser (1983), Miller's Crossing (1990), A Man of No Importance (1994), Erin Brockovich (2000), Big Fish (2003), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), and the James Bond movie Skyfall (2012). A recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe, Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, Silver Bear and Volpi Cup awards, Finney was nominated for an Academy Award five times, as Best Actor four times, for Tom Jones (1963), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), The Dresser (1983), and Under the Volcano (1984), and as Best Supporting Actor for Erin Brockovich (2000). He received several awards for his performance as Winston Churchill in the 2002 BBC–HBOtelevision biographical movie The Gathering Storm.
 

[Drewsky1211 4,740]

Charles Curtis died on this day 88 years ago, aged 76.

- Curtis was 3/8 Native American, having ancestors who belonged to the Osage, Potawatomi, and Kaw tribes.

- Curtis was admitted to the bar in 1881 and started a law firm, and in 1892 he would be elected to the US House of Representatives, representing Kansas' 4th and 1st congressional districts.

- In 1906, Curtis would be elected by the Kansas legislature to replace the resigned Joseph Burton in the Senate, serving out his term. He ran for Kansas' other seat in 1914 and won, and became the Senate Majority Leader when Republicans won the Senate in the 1924 election. Among his actions was introducing an early prototype for an Equal Rights Amendment.

- Curtis would run for president in the 1928 election. He lost to Herbert Hoover in the Republican primary, who chose him as his running mate- they won 444-87 in the Electoral College. Curtis was the only non-White Vice President until Kamala Harris was inaugurated in 2021, and remains the only Native American VP to this day.

- Among the things Curtis did as Vice President was open the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles:

- After his vice presidency, Curtis remained in Washington, DC to continue his work as a lawyer, dying 3 years after leaving office. At 69, he was the oldest incoming VP at the time (and would be succeeded  in this feat by 71-year-old Alben W. Barkley in 1949).

[wannamaker 1,407]

Del Shannon died on this day 34 years ago, aged 55.

 

 

 

[Hell 1,334]

John von Neumann died on this day 67 years ago, aged 53. He was a Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist, engineer and polymath. He had perhaps the widest coverage of any mathematician of his time, integrating pure and applied sciences and making major contributions to many fields, including mathematics, physics, economics, computing, and statistics. He was a pioneer in building the mathematical framework of quantum physics, in the development of functional analysis, and in game theory, introducing or codifying concepts including cellular automata, the universal constructor and the digital computer. His analysis of the structure of self-replication preceded the discovery of the structure of DNA. During World War II, von Neumann worked on the Manhattan Project. He developed the mathematical models behind the explosive lenses used in the implosion-type nuclear weapon. Before and after the war, he consulted for many organizations including the Office of Scientific Research and Development, the Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory, the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. At the peak of his influence in the 1950s, he chaired a number of Defense Department committees including the Strategic Missile Evaluation Committee and the ICBM Scientific Advisory Committee. He was also a member of the influential Atomic Energy Commission in charge of all atomic energy development in the country. He played a key role alongside Bernard Schrieverand Trevor Gardner in the design and development of the United States' first ICBM programs. At that time he was considered the nation's foremost expert on nuclear weaponry and the leading defense scientist at the Pentagon.

 

[Bibliogryphon 9,579]

21 minutes ago, Hell said:

John von Neumann died on this day 67 years ago, aged 53. He was a Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist, engineer and polymath. He had perhaps the widest coverage of any mathematician of his time, integrating pure and applied sciences and making major contributions to many fields, including mathematics, physics, economics, computing, and statistics. He was a pioneer in building the mathematical framework of quantum physics, in the development of functional analysis, and in game theory, introducing or codifying concepts including cellular automata, the universal constructor and the digital computer. His analysis of the structure of self-replication preceded the discovery of the structure of DNA. During World War II, von Neumann worked on the Manhattan Project. He developed the mathematical models behind the explosive lenses used in the implosion-type nuclear weapon. Before and after the war, he consulted for many organizations including the Office of Scientific Research and Development, the Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory, the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. At the peak of his influence in the 1950s, he chaired a number of Defense Department committees including the Strategic Missile Evaluation Committee and the ICBM Scientific Advisory Committee. He was also a member of the influential Atomic Energy Commission in charge of all atomic energy development in the country. He played a key role alongside Bernard Schrieverand Trevor Gardner in the design and development of the United States' first ICBM programs. At that time he was considered the nation's foremost expert on nuclear weaponry and the leading defense scientist at the Pentagon.

 

 

A name that is frequently referenced in Science Fiction works when referring to machines that are capable of self-replication which are often called Von Neumann machines

 

[Drewsky1211 4,740]

Princess Margaret died on this day 22 years ago, aged 71.

- Margaret's birth registration was delayed due to the fact she would've been #13 on the parish register. Her mother (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) considered naming her Ann, but her father (George VI) didn't like it- but approved of "Margaret", the original second name.

- Margaret was known for her love of parties, and was known to often sing and tell jokes while attending them. She also had many romantic interests, including Michael of Romania, future Canadian PM John Turner, and American singer Eddie Fisher (father of Carrie Fisher). These dates were often reported by the British press.

- Margaret would marry Antony Armstrong-Jones (the Earl of Snowdon) in 1960, and they had two children (David and Sarah). Both Margaret and Antony had affairs during their marriage (Margaret allegedly had affairs with Mick Jagger and Peter Sellers during this time), and the two eventually divorced in 1978.

- Margaret was known for being a chronic smoker, and had part of her left lung removed in 1985. She suffered a stroke in 1998, and had several more over the coming years. Her last public appearance was at her aunt Alice's 100th birthday celebration in December of 2001, and she would die of yet another stroke just over a month later. She died just seven weeks before her mother did.

- Margaret would appear on the DeathList only once, in 2001 (at spot #26).