Today CXVIII

Birthdays:

• Gabriel Jonas Lippmann, physicist, awarded the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physics for his method of reproducing colours photographically; invented an electrometer that was used in the first ECG machine, August 16, 1845 – July 13, 1921


• Hugo Gernsback, inventor, magazine publisher, and science fiction writer, whose publications included the first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories, founded in 1926; the Science Fiction Achievement Award, given each year by vote of the members of the World Science Fiction Society, is named the Hugo after him; was one of 1996's inaugural inductees into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, August 16, 1884 – August 19, 1967


• Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO, Legion of Honour, aka Lawrence of Arabia, soldier and writer, August 16, 1888 – May 19, 1935


• Armand John [A.J.] Piron, jazz violinist, band leader, and composer, August 16, 1888–February 17, 1943


• Otto Messmer, animator, known for his work on the Felix the Cat cartoons and comic strip, August 16, 1892 - October 28, 1983


• Albert Cohen, novelist, August 16, 1895 - October 7, 1981


• Wendell Meredith Stanley, Ph.D., biochemist, awarded the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, August 16, 1904 – June 15, 1971


• Menachem Volfovich Begin, first Likud Prime Minister of Israel, shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize with Anwar Sadat, August 16, 1913 – March 9, 1992


• Millôr Fernandes, aka Millôr, cartoonist, humorist, and playwright, 1923


• Fess Elisha Parker, Jr., American film and television actor, known for his roles as Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone; owns and operates a family winery, Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard, and two hotels, 1924


• Willie Edward Jones, MLB third baseman, in a 15-season career, was an All-Star in 1950 and 1951; hit four straight doubles in a game on April 28, 1949; had six career grand slams, August 16, 1925 – October 18, 1983


• Ann Marie Blyth, actress and singer, cast in both musicals dramatic roles, 1928


• Jack Barton Adkisson, aka Fritz Von Erich, professional wrestler and wrestling promoter, August 16, 1929 - September 10, 1997


• Robert Culp, film and television actor, known for roles such as the lead in the 1957 western series Trackdown, the co-star of I Spy, and in the recurring role on Everybody Loves Raymond as Warren, Ray's father-in-law, 1930


• Edith Gormezano, aka Eydie Gormé, [bilingual English and Spanish] singer, 1931


• Julia Chalene Newmeyer, aka Julie Newmar, actress, dancer, and singer, one of the brides in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, her Broadway appearance as Stupefyin' Jones in Li'l Abner led to a reprise in the film version; appeared on Broadway in The Marriage-Go-Round, winning a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress; starred as Rhoda the Robot in TV's My Living Doll; had a recurring role on Batman as the Catwoman, 1933


• Bruce Beresford, film director, writer, and producer, 1940


• Lesley Ann Warren, ballet dancer and stage, film, and television actress, 1946


• Michael MIKE Jorgensen, MLB first baseman from 1968 to 1985, won the 1973 NL Gold Glove Award at first base; briefly managed the Cardinals in 1995 to a 42-54 win-loss record, 1948


• Reginald VelJohnson, film and television actor, famous for his roles as Carl Winslow on Family Matters and as Sgt. Al Powell in Die Hard and Die Hard 2: Die Harder, 1952


• Kathryn Lee Epstein, aka Kathie Lee Gifford, singer, songwriter, and actress, famous as the co-host of Live with Regis and Kathie Lee for 15 years, 1953


• James Cameron, film director, won the Academy Award for Best Director in 1997 for Titanic, 1954


• Timothy William TIM Farriss, musician, guitarist for INXS, 1957


• Angela Bassett, actress, earned an Image Award for her portrayal of Betty Shabazz in Malcolm X; received a Golden Globe and was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It?, 1958


• Timothy Hutton, actor, producer, and director, won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1980 for Ordinary People, 1960


• Emily Erwin Robison, (neé ), country songwriter, recording artist and musician, founding member of the Dixie Chicks, in which she plays banjo, dobro, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, papoose, accordion, and sitar, and sings background vocals, 1972


• Damian Jacques Jackson, MLB second baseman for the Washington Nationals, 1973


• Roger Leandro Cedeño, former MLB switch-hitting right fielder, 1974


• George Sheehy Stults, actor, Kevin Kinkirk on TV's 7th Heaven, 1975


• Taylor Rain, actress, 1981

RIP:

• Loyset Compère, Renaissance composer of motets and chansons, and one of the first musicians to bring the light Italianate Renaissance style to France, c. 1445 – August 16, 1518


• Jean-Martin Charcot, neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology, whose work greatly impacted the developing fields of neurology and psychology, November 29, 1825 - August 16, 1893


• Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, chemist, perfected the burner [invented by Michael Faraday] that was named after him, and worked on emission spectroscopy of heated elements; discovered the elements cesium and rubidium with his spectroscope, March 31, 1811 – 16 August 16, 1899


• Robert Leroy Johnson, blues musician, recorded only 29 songs on a total of 41 tracks in two recording sessions, May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938


• George Herman BABE Ruth, baseball legend, Babe Ruth Link, February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948



• Margaret Lauren Mitchell, author, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her novel Gone with the Wind, November 8, 1900 – August 16, 1949


• Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó, aka Béla Lugosi, actor, best known for his portrayal of Dracula in the Broadway stage production, and subsequent film, of Bram Stoker's novel , October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956


• Irving Langmuir, chemist and physicist, invented the gas filled incandescent lamp and the hydrogen welding technique; awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work in surface chemistry, January 31, 1881 - August 16, 1957>/li>
  
• Wanda Landowska, harpsichordist, July 5, 1879 – August 16, 1959


• Selman Abraham Waksman, biochemist, famous for his research into organic substances and their decomposition, which in 1943 led to the discovery of streptomycin; awarded the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his lifetime of achievements, July 22, 1888 – August 16, 1973


• Elvis Aaron Presley, "The King of Rock 'n' Roll," singer, musician, and actor, January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977


• John George Diefenbaker, CH, PC, QC, BA, MA, LL.B, LL.D, DCL, FRSC, FRSA, D.Litt, DSL, 13th Prime Minister of Canada, September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979


• Howard EARL Averill, MLB centre fielder from 1929 to 1941; six-time All-Star from 1933 to 1938; inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975, May 21, 1902 - August 16, 1983


• Beverly Louise Neill, aka Amanda Blake, actress, known for her 19-year stint as Kitty [Miss Kitty] Russell, owner-operator of the Long Branch Saloon, on TV's Gunsmoke, February 20, 1929 - August 16, 1989


• Patrick PAT O'Connor, professional wrestler and booker, held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from 1959 to 1961, 1925 - August 16, 1990


• Joesph Henry JOE Ranft, storyboard artist and voice actor, worked for Pixar and Disney, March 13, 1960 – August 16, 2005