Book 3,352 Posted August 17, 2013 30 years ago, on the 17th of August 1983, Ira Gershwin died at age 86. He was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother George (1898-1937) to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th Century, e.g. I got rhythm, Embraceable you, The man I love, songs from Porgy & Bess etc. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Zorders 1,269 Posted August 17, 2013 On August 17th 1987, Rudolf Hess, Hitler's former deputy, and the last remaining inmate of Spandau Prison in Germany, which housed convicted Nazi war criminals, committed suicide by strangling himself with the electrical cord from a heater. He was 93 and had been the sole remaining inmate since 1966. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
charon 4,938 Posted August 17, 2013 On August 17th 1987, Rudolf Hess, Hitler's former deputy, committed suicide by strangling himself with the electrical cord from a heater. Or so it is said........... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Zorders 1,269 Posted August 17, 2013 I know there's still faintly lingering "conspiracy theories" about it. But who would kill a 93 year old former Nazi (who was not always considered to be the brightest bulb in the pack anyway, if my brief skimming of the subject hasn't led me to the wrong conclusion). I'm kinda struggling to understand what there is to gain, other than perhaps some property developer wanted the land that Spandau was on (because the prison was demolished after it became empty with Hess' death). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted August 18, 2013 One year ago Scott McKenzie died. I'm sure that he has got some flowers in his hair now. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted August 19, 2013 Also one year ago, British film director Tony Scott, younger brother of Ridley, committed suicide by jumping off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean 5,999 Posted August 19, 2013 The Labour MP Mo Mowlam who was the Northern Irish Secretary under the Blair Government which oversaw the Good Friday Agreement died 8 years ago today aged 55 following a long battle with a brain tumour. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted August 20, 2013 French-American singer Joe Dassin died of a heart attack at age 41 on August 20, 1980 in Tahiti during his vacation. His best known song (internationally) is possibly “Les Champs-Élysées” from 1969/70. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted August 22, 2013 Comedian, humorist, actor, director, writer and cartoonist Loriot died 2 years ago, on the 22nd of August 2011. Born as Bernhard Victor Christoph Carl von Bülow in 1923, Loriot became the most famous and most respected comedian in Germany. He influenced “German humor in television” like no other before. A large number of phrases from his sketches were adopted into the German everyday speech. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spade_Cooley 9,025 Posted August 23, 2013 Italian anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti were executed by the American state today in 1927. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted August 25, 2013 R&B singer Aaliyah died in a plane crash on August 25, 2001 aged 22. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean 5,999 Posted August 25, 2013 Neil Armstrong the American astronaut who became the first man on the moon in July 1969 died a year ago today following complications from heart surgery aged 82. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RichardFeynman 16 Posted August 25, 2013 On August 17th 1987, Rudolf Hess, Hitler's former deputy, and the last remaining inmate of Spandau Prison in Germany, which housed convicted Nazi war criminals, committed suicide by strangling himself with the electrical cord from a heater. He was 93 and had been the sole remaining inmate since 1966. I have never understood why he didn't just wait to die, I mean the dude was 93 ffs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted August 26, 2013 Nine years ago, on August 26 2004, American pop singer Laura Branigan died in her sleep of a previously undiagnosed cerebral aneurysm. She was 47 years old. Laura Branigan is well known for songs like “Gloria” and “Solitaire” but best known for her global smash hit “Self Control”, which (for example) was the record of the year 1984 in Germany and Switzerland. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted August 28, 2013 (edited) American actress and writer Ruth Gordon was 88 years old when she died on August 28, 1985. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1969 for her part in “Rosemary’s Baby” and was also 3 times nominated for her screenplays. In 1971 she played in “Harold and Maude”, one of her most significant roles. Edited August 28, 2013 by Magere Hein Image fixed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Magere Hein 1,397 Posted August 28, 2013 Today in 1645 Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius died, aged 62, after being shipwrecked in the Baltic. regards, Hein Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted August 29, 2013 I really like the fact that Ingrid Bergman died on her birthday. I think it’s absolutely consistent and I wish that I will close my eyes on my birthday, too. Not yet please, but much later. By the way, Ingrid Bergman was 67 years old when she passed away on the 29th of August 1982. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Magere Hein 1,397 Posted August 29, 2013 Another Swedish bint, Princess Astrid of Sweden and Queen of the Belgians, died in a car crash on this day in 1935, aged 29. regards, Hein Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted August 30, 2013 Actor Charles Bronson died of pneumonia on August 30, 2003 aged 81. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted August 31, 2013 (edited) Director John Ford, famous for his Westerns and adaptations of American novels, died on the last day of August in 1973 (aged 79). He holds the record for getting the most Academy Awards for Best Director: 1935 – The Informer, 1940 – The Grapes of Wrath, 1941 – How Green Was My Valley and 1952 – The Quiet Man. Edited August 31, 2013 by Book Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
themaninblack 2,112 Posted August 31, 2013 Quiet Man... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted August 31, 2013 Quiet Man... Thank you for reading my posting attentively. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted September 2, 2013 The author of “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings”, J.R.R. Tolkien, died on the 2nd of September 1973 aged 81. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean 5,999 Posted September 3, 2013 The charity campaigner Jane Tomlinson died 6 years ago today after a long batlle with cancer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Book 3,352 Posted September 4, 2013 American country singer and songwriter Dottie West died on September 4, 1991 during a liver operation. 5 days earlier she was involved in a car crash from where she suffered severe internal injuries. Dottie West was well known for her duets with Kenny Rogers, her "sexy style" and her financial problems during the mid to late 80s. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
