Today LXX

Birthdays:

• Pieter Pauwel (Peter Paul) Rubens, painter, proponent of an exuberant Baroque style, June 28, 1577 – May 30, 1640


• Jean-Jacques Rousseau, philosopher, whose political ideas influenced the French Revolution, the development of socialist theory, and the growth of nationalism; he wrote, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains," June 28, 1712 – July 2, 1778


• Napoléon Coste, guitarist and composer, June 27, 1805 – February 17, 1883


• Joseph Joachim, violinist, conductor, composer, and teacher, June 28, 1831 – August 15, 1907


• Luigi Pirandello, dramatist, novelist, and short story writer, awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature, June 28, 1867 – December 10, 1936


• Richard Charles Rodgers, composers of musical theater, known for his song writing partnerships with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II; wrote more than 900 published songs, and forty Broadway musicals, June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979


• Maria Göppert-Mayer, physicist, developed a model for the nuclear shell structure, work for which she received the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physics, together with Eugene Paul Wigner and J. Hans D. Jensen, June 28, 1906 - February 20, 1972


• Sergiu Celibidache, conductor, June 28, 1912 - August 14, 1996


• Melvin Kaminsky, aka Mel Brooks, comedic genius, actor, writer /director, and producer, 1926


• Franklin Sherwood Rowland chemist, and professor of chemistry, best known for his discovery that chlorofluorocarbons contribute to ozone depletion; received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Mario Molina and Paul Crutzen< 1927


• Noriyuki PAT Morita, actor, best known for the roles of Arnold on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid movies, June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005


• John Inman, actor, known as Mr. Humphries in Are You Being Served?, 1935


• Alphonso Erwin AL Downing, former MLB pitcher, played for 17 seasons from 1961-1977, currently a radio broadcaster for the LA Dodgers, 1941


• Klaus von Klitzing, physicist, awarded the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the Integer Quantum Hall Effect, 1943


• David Knights, original bass guitarist for Procol Harum, 1945


• Gilda Radner, comedian and actress; she wrote a memoir about her life and struggle with cancer, called It's Always Something, as a tribute to cancer sufferers everywhere, and she used humor to overcome tragedy and pain; in tribute to Radner, Gilda's Club was founded - it is a place where cancer patients and their families can go to be around other people in the same situation to share support, coping and wellness strategies, and has grown to multiple locations across the country, June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989


• Alice Maud Krige, actress, known for her role as the Borg Queen, in the movie Star Trek: First Contact, 1954


• Thomas Hampson, operatic baritone, 1955


• Mark Eugene Grace, former NL first baseman, played for 16 seasons, All-Star in 1993, 1995, and 1997; 1992, 1993, 1995, and 1996 Gold Glove winner, 1964


• John Paul Cusack, film actor and writer, 1966


• Mary Stuart Masterson, actress, 1966


• Danielle Brisebois, actress, recording artist, producer, and songwriter, 1969

RIP:

• Gordon Stanley MICKEY Cochrane, MLB catcher and manager, 1928 and 1934 AL MVP, April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962


• Ernest Loring RED Nichols, jazz cornettist, May 8, 1905 – June 28, 1965


• Frank Sutton, actor, known for his role as drill sergeant Vince Carter on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., October 23, 1923 - June 28, 1974


• Rodman ROD Edward Serling, screenwriter, famous for The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery, wrote movie screenplays, including Seven Days in May, Planet of the Apes, and The Man, December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975


• Sir William STANLEY Baker, actor and film producer, February 8, 1927 - June 28, 1976


• Jose Iturbi, conductor and pianist, November 28, 1895 - June 28, 1980


• Terrance Stanley TERRY Fox, CC, humanitarian, athlete, and cancer treatment activist, famous for his Marathon of Hope, July 28, 1958 – June 28, 1981


• Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, chess player, defeated Mikhail Botvinnik to become the eighth World Chess Champion, November 9, 1936 - June 28, 1992


• Mortimer Jerome Adler, philosopher and author, December 28, 1902 – June 28, 2001


• Irene JOAN Marian Sims, actress, a key cast member of the Carry On films, Madge Hardcastle on As Time Goes By, and Katryca in the Doctor Who serial The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet, May 9, 1930 – June 28, 2001