Today CXV

Birthdays:

• Anders Jonas Ångström, physicist, one of the founders of the science of spectroscopy, whose combination of the spectroscope with photography resulted in proof that the sun's atmosphere contains hydrogen, among other elements; the ångström units for the measurement of the wavelength of light is named for him, August 13, 1814 – June 21, 1874


• Lucy Stone, suffragist, the first woman of Massachusetts to earn a B.A., August 13, 1818 – October 18, 1893


• Sir George Gabriel Stokes, 1st Barone, mathematician and physicist, made contributions to fluid dynamics, optics, and mathematical physics, August 13, 1819 – February 1, 1903


• Sir George Grove, writer about music, known for Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, August 13, 1820 – May 28, 1900


• Phoebe Ann Mosey, aka Annie Oakley, sharpshooter, exhibition shooter, and philanthropist, starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, August 13, 1860-November 3, 1926


• Richard Martin Willstätter, chemist, awarded the 1915 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his study of the structure of chlorophyll and other plant pigments, August 13, 1872 – August 3, 1942


• John Nicholson Ireland, composer and teacher, August 13, 1879 – June 12, 1962


• Julius Freed, banker, mechanical engineer, and amateur pigeon racer, inventor of the Orange Julius, August 13, 1887 – April 23, 1952


• John Logie Baird, engineer and television pioneer, inventor of the first working electromechanical television system; he demonstrated the first colour television and true stereoscopic television [1928]; he was the first to demonstrate ultra-short wave transmission [1932]; he demonstrated a 600 line HDTV colour system [1941], August 13, 1888 – June 14, 1946


• Irving Lahrheim, aka Bert Lahr, burlesque, vaudeville, Broadway, and film comic actor, remembered today for his role as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, the inspiration for the cartoon character Snagglepuss, August 13, 1895 – December 4, 1967


• Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE, director and producer, directed more than fifty feature films in a career spanning six decades; won the Academy Award for Best Picture for 1940's Rebecca; awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1967; host and producer of the television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents from 1955 to 1965, August 13, 1899 – 29 April 29, 1980


• Prof. Dr. Felix Heinrich Wankel, engineer and animal rights activist, inventor of the Wankel rotary engine, a type of internal combustion engine, which uses a rotor instead of reciprocating pistons, August 13, 1902–October 9, 1988


• Charles BUDDY Rogers, actor and jazz musician, remembered for his performance opposite Clara Bow in Wings, the first film ever honoured with the Oscar for Best Picture; talented trombonist who performed with his own jazz band in motion pictures and on radio; married Mary Pickford in 1937, August 13, 1904 - April 21, 1999


• William BEN Hogan, professional golfer, August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997


• Salvador [Salvatore] Edward Luria, microbiologist, pioneer in molecular biology, shared the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Max Delbrück and Alfred Hershey, August 13, 1912 – February 6, 1991


• Fred Davis, MBE , professional snooker and billiards player, won the World Billiards Championship in 1980 and 1981, August 13, 1913 - April 16, 1998


• Frederick Sanger, OM, CH, CBE, FRS, biochemist, awarded the 1958 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for proving that the protein insulin had a precise amino acid sequence, and shared the 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Paul Berg and Walter Gilbert for successfully sequencing the genome of the Phage Φ-X174; the first fully sequenced genome, 1918


• George Shearing, blind jazz pianist, known for his work with his quintet, with singers, and as a solo performer; has written many jazz arrangements of hymn tunes for the organ in collaboration with organist Dale Wood, 1919


• Neville Brand, television and movie actor, and decorated WWII veteran, played Al Capone on the TV series The Untouchables; starred in the TV series Laredo; insatiable reader with a collection of 30,000 books, August 13, 1920 – April 16, 1992


• Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, current President of Cuba, if he's still alive, 1926


• Donald Ho Tai Loy, musician and entertainer, 1930


• Wilmer David "Vinegar Bend" Mizell, MLB left-handed pitcher from 1949 to 1963, minus his time in the U.S> army in 1953 and 1954; served three terms as a Republican U.S. congressman from North Carolina between 1969 and 1975, August 13, 1930 - February 21, 1999


• James Timothy "Mudcat" Grant, former MLB pitcher from 1958 to 1971, now involved in studying and promoting the history of blacks in baseball, 1935


• Tony Lee Cloninger, former MLB starting pitcher, played from 1961 to 1972; on July 3, 1966, hit two grand slams and drove in nine runs, 1940


• Kevin Tighe, actor, 1944


• Kathleen Battle, soprano; her reputation for being difficult took tangible form in 1994 when Battle was summarily and publicly fired by the Metropolitan Opera, 1948


• Daniel Grayling Fogelberg, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and activist, I first heard him on his 1978 album Twin Sons of Different Mothers, the first of two collaborations with jazz flutist Tim Weisberg, 1951


• Dante Daniel DANNY Bonaduce, child actor, actor, disc jockey, and game show host, 1959


• Tom Niedenfuer, former MLB pitcher, primarily as a relief pitcher from 1981 to 1990, 1959


• Jay Campbell Buhner, former MLB outfielder from 1987 to 2001, had his best years with the Seattle Mariners; hit for the cycle on June 23, 1993; 1996 AL All-Star; 1996 Gold Glove Award winner, 1964


• Midori Ito, figure skater, 1969


• Michelle Carmel Barry, aka Brittany Andrews, actress and exotic dancer, 1973


• Joe Perry, professional snooker player, 1975

RIP:

• Francesco Durante, composer and teacher, March 31, 1684 - August 13, 1755


• René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec, physician, inventor of the stethoscope, February 17, 1781- August 13, 1826


• Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix, Romantic painters, shaped the work of the Impressionists, and inspired the artists of the Symbolist movement, April 26, 1798 – August 13, 1863


• Florence Nightingale, OM, pioneer of modern nursing and noted statistician, May 12, 1820 – August 13, 1910


• Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet, composer, best known for his operas, May 12, 1842–August 13, 1912


• Eduard Buchner, chemist and zymologist, awarded the 1907 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on fermentation, May 20, 1860 – August 13, 1917


• Herbert George [H. G.] Wells, writer, best known for his science fiction novels, wrote works in nearly every genre, including short stories and nonfiction; outspoken socialist, most of whose works contain some political or social commentary, September 21, 1866 – August 13, 1946


• Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian, former World Chess Champion, June 17, 1929 – August 13, 1984


• Elias Canetti, novelist, awarded the 1981 Nobel Prize in Literature, July 25, 1905 – August 14, 1994


• Mickey Charles Mantle, MLB right fielder, played his entire 18-year major-league professional career for the New York Yankees; sixteen-time All-Star; named American League MVP; in 1956, won the Triple Crown, leading the majors with a .353 batting average, 52 HR, and 130 RBI; inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995


• David Eugene Tudor, pianist and composer of experimental music, January 20, 1926 - August 13, 1996


• Ed Townsend, singer/songwriter and producer, April 16, 1929–August 13, 2003


• Julia Child, cook, author, and television personality, introduced French cuisine and cooking techniques to the American mainstream through her many cookbooks and television programmes; received the French Legion of Honor in 2000, and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003; received honorary doctorates from Harvard University, Smith College, and several other universities, August 15, 1912–August 13, 2004