Today XXVIII

Birthdays:

• Wilhelm (later William) Steinitz, the first official World Chess Champion, May 17, 1836, – August 12, 1900


• Eric Alfred Leslie "Erik" Satie, composer and pianist, May 17, 1866 – July 1, 1925


• Odd Hassel, physical chemist, awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1969, jointly with Sir Derek Barton, May 17, 1897 — May 11, 1981


• James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell, centre fielder in Negro league baseball, considered by many baseball observers to have been the fastest man ever to play the game. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, May 17, 1903 – March 7, 1991


• Jean-Alexis Moncorgé, aka Jean Gabin, actor and war hero, May 17, 1904–November 15, 1976


• Maureen Paula O'Sullivan, actress, May 17, 1911 – June 23, 1998


• Birgit Nilsson, soprano, May 17, 1918 – December 25, 2005


• Dennis Brain, [French] horn player, largely responsible for popularizing the horn as a solo instrument, May 17, 1921 - September, 1, 1957


• Dennis Hopper, actor and film-maker, 1936


• Alan Kay, computer scientist, known for his early work on object-oriented programming and user interface design, Kay plays keyboards and guitar, 1940


• Henry Saint Clair Frederick, aka Taj Mahal, blues musician, 1940


• William Scott 'Bill' Bruford, drummer, known for his highly precise, polyrhythmic style, the original drummer for Yes, 1949


• William 'Bill' Paxton, actor and film director, 1955


• Ray Charles Leonard, aka Sugar Ray Leonard, former professional boxer, 1956


• David Victor Sim, comic book writer and artist, 1956


• Pascual Gross Perez, former MLB pitcher, 1957


• Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, aka Enya [sometimes presented in the media as the Anglicized Enya Brennan], musician, 1961

RIP:

• Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, aka Sandro Botticelli ("little barrel"), painter of the Florentine school during the Early Renaissance, March 1, 1445 – May 17, 1510


• Paul Abraham Dukas, composer, October 1, 1865 – May 17, 1935


• Abe Burrows, author and stage director, December 18, 1910 – May 17, 1985


• Lawrence Welk, musician, accordion player, bandleader, and television impressario, March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992


• Hector "Toe" Blake, OC, hockey player and NHL coach, August 21, 1912 - May 17, 1995


• Dave Berg, cartoonist, most noted for his work in MAD Magazine, Brooklyn, June 12, 1920 – May 17, 2002


• Arthur Leonard Rosenberg, aka Tony Randall, comic actor, February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004


• Frank John Gorshin, Jr., actor, comedian, and impressionist, his most famous role was The Riddler in the Batman television series, April 5, 1933 – May 17, 2005

Also:

• The saxophone is patented by Adolphe Sax, 1846


• The US Army contracts with the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School to develop the ENIAC [Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer], 1943