December 18, 2014

And no one I know

I like running down the birthdays on Wikipedia during my lunch hour. Today was a good one.
  • 1863 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (d. 1914) -if only he hadn't died in 1914
  • 1870 – Saki, Burmese-English author and playwright (d. 1916) -I like how Wiki has him listed as Saki and not H.H. Munro
  • 1878 – Joseph Stalin, Georgian-Russian marshal and politician, 4th Premier of the Soviet Union (d. 1953) -Georgian-Russian, like Georgia is all proud of its native son
  • 1879 – Paul Klee, Swiss-German painter (d. 1940) -His works are the gateway drug to modernism
  • 1886 – Ty Cobb, American baseball player and manager (d. 1961) -Even people who know nothing about baseball recognize this name
  • 1912 – Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., American pilot and general (d. 2002) -First black general.
  • 1916 – Betty Grable, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1973) -I always get her confused with Betty Rubble
  • 1917 – Ossie Davis, American actor and activist (d. 2005) -Always did the right thing
  • 1935 – Jacques Pépin, French-American chef and author -His stage shows with Julia Child are hilarious
  • 1943 – Keith Richards, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (The Rolling Stones, The Dirty Mac, and The New Barbarians) -How is he still alive?
  • 1946 – Steve Biko, South African activist, founded the Black Consciousness Movement (d. 1977) -Martyred in the fight against Apartheid
  • 1946 – Steven Spielberg, American director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded DreamWorks -Keeping Harrison Ford working
  • 1963 – Brad Pitt, American actor and producer -adopter of foreign children
  • 1964 – Stone Cold Steve Austin, American wrestler, actor, and producer -"wrestler"
  • 1980 – Christina Aguilera, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress -Actress? Really?
  • 1987 – Miki Ando, Japanese figure skater -quadruple jump

No comments: