Today LI

Birthdays:

• Carl August Nielsen, conductor, violinist, and the most internationally known composer from Denmark, June 9, 1865 – October 3, 1931


• Cole Albert Porter, composer and songwriter, June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964


• Fredrick Malcolm Waring, musician, bandleader, and radio and TV personality, June 9, 1900 - July 29, 1984


• Lester William Polsfuss, aka Les Paul, guitarist, inventor, and one of the most important figures in the development of modern electric instruments and recording techniques, a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar [designer of the Gibson Les Paul], multitrack recording, and various reverb and echo


• John KEITH Laumer, science fiction author, best known for his Bolo stories and his Retief series; pior to becoming a full time writer, he was an officer in the US Air Force and a US diplomat, June 9, 1925 – January 23, 1993


• Jacob Maza, aka Jackie Mason, comedian and actor, 1931


• William Charles BILL Virdon, former MLB outfielder, manager and coach; 1955 National League Rookie of the Year, 1974 AL Manager of the Year, 1931


• Jack Leroy JACKIE Wilson, soul and R&B singer, June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984


• Ilena Cotrubaş, operatic soprano, 1939


• Jon Douglas Lord, Hammond organ and piano player, co-founder of Deep Purple, 1941


• Joe William Haldeman, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning science fiction author, 1943


• David Gene Parker, former MLB outfielder; 1978 NL MVP; 7-time All-Star, 1951


• George Pérez, illustrator and writer of comic books, 1954


• Michael Andrew Fox, aka Michael J. Fox, actor, famous for his roles as Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties for which he won three Emmy awards, and as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy, 1961


• Gloria Reuben, actress, 1964


• Natalie Hershlag, aka Natalie Portman, Academy Award-nominated actress, 1981

RIP:

• Charles John Huffam Dickens, novelist; the popularity of his novels and short stories during his lifetime and to the present is demonstrated by the fact that none has ever gone out of print, February 7, 1812 – June 9, 1870


• Adolf Georg Wilhelm Busch, violinist and composer, August 8, 1891 – June 9, 1952


• Jean-Marie CAMILLE Guérin, veterinarian, bacteriologist, and immunologist who, together with Albert Calmette developed the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a vaccine for immunization against tuberculosis, December 22, 1872 - June 9, 1961


• Claudio Arrau León, pianist, who gave his first concert at age 5; student of Martin Krause, who had studied under Franz Liszt, pupil of Carl Czerny, student of Beethoven, February 6, 1903 – June 9, 1991