Today CXXX

Birthdays:

• Johann Wolfgang Goethe, polymath: poet, novelist, dramatist, humanist, scientist, philosopher, and painter, whose influence spread across Europe, and for the next century his works were a primary source of inspiration in music, drama, poetry, and philosophy; his poetic work served as a model for an entire movement in German poetry; his words inspired a number of compositions by, among others, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Berlioz, and Wolf; author of the drama Faust, August 28, 1749 – 22 March 22, 1832


• Benjamin Louis Paul Godard, composer, best known as a writer of salon music; also composed other symphonic work, ballets, concertos, and overtures, August 18, 1849 – January 10, 1895


• Vladimir Grigorievich Shukhov, engineer, renowned for his pioneering works on new methods of analysis for civil engineering that led to breakthroughs in industrial design of oil reservoirs, pipelines, boilers, ships, and barges; known for his original designs of hyperboloid towers, August 28, 1853 - February 2, 1939


• Umberto Giordano, composer, mainly of opera, August 28, 1867 - November 12, 1948


• George Hoyt Whipple, physician, biomedical researcher, and medical school educator and administrator, the 1934 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine George Richards Minot and William Parry Murphy for their discoveries concerning liver therapy in cases of anemia, August 28, 1878 – February 1, 1976


• Karl Böhm, conductor, Principal Conductor, Dresden Staatskapelle, from 1934 to 1943, and Director, Vienna State Opera from 1943 to 1945 and 1954 to 1956, August 28, 1894 – August 14, 1981


• Charles John CHARLIE Grimm, MLB first baseman and manager, August 28, 1898 - November 15, 1983


• Charles Boyer, actor, starred in Gaslight, Algiers, in which he did NOT say "Come with me to the casbah," and in a musical version of Lost Horizon, August 28, 1899 – August 26, 1978


• Bruno Bettelheim, writer and child psychologist, known for his theories on autism, which were later discredited, August 28, 1903 - March 13, 1990


• Secondo Campini, engineer and one of the pioneers of the jet engine, August 28, 1904 - February 7, 1980


• Roger Tory Peterson, naturalist, ornithologist, artist, and educator, one of the founding inspirations for the 20th century environmental movement; in 1934, published his seminal Guide to the Birds, the first modern field guide; received every major American award for natural science, ornithology, and conservation, as well as numerous honorary medals, diplomas, and citations, including the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom, August 28, 1908 – July 28, 1996


• Tjalling Charles Koopmans, economist, shared the 1975 Nobel Prize in Economics with Leonid Kantorovich, August 28, 1910 – February 26, 1985


• William ROBERTSON Davies, CC, FRSC, FRSL, novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor, one of Canada's best-known and most popular authors, and one of its most distinguished "men of letters;" the founding Master of Massey College, a graduate college at the University of Toronto; participated in theatrical productions as a child, where he developed a lifelong interest in drama; during his tenure as editor of the Examiner, from 1942 to 1955, and when he was publisher from 1955 to 1965, published 18 books, produced several of his own plays, and wrote articles for various journals, August 28, 1913 - December 2, 1995


• Ruvn RICHARD Tucker, tenor singer, whose first job was as a boy alto at the Lower East Side Manhattan Synagogue; sang for weddings and Bar Mitzvahs and eventually became a cantor; his Met debut was as Enzo in La Gioconda in 1945, which led to a long and illustrious career with the Met, where he performed over 30 roles, August 28, 1913 – January 8, 1975


• John Holbrook JACK Vance, fantasy and science fiction author, most of whose work has been published under the name Jack Vance; has written 11 mysteries as John Holbrook Vance and three as Ellery Queen; among his awards are: Hugo Awards in 1963 for The Dragon Masters and in 1967 for The Last Castle, a Nebula Award in 1966 for The Last Castle, the Jupiter Award in 1975; the World Fantasy Award in 1984 for life achievement and in 1990 for Lyonesse: Madouc, and an Edgar for the best first mystery novel in 1961 for The Man in the Cage; in 1990, he was named an SFWA Grand Master; a prolific author - read his books!, 1916


• Jacob Kurtzberg, aka Jack Kirby, comic book artist, writer, and editor; with cartoonist and editor Joe Simon, created Captain America, produced the first complete comic book starring Captain Marvel, and created The Challengers of the Unknown; created and co-created many of the original characters and titles for Marvel Comics; created the Fourth World characters and titles for DC; returned to Marvel and created The Eternals; the awards that he has won and the influence he has had on generations of comic book artists and writers are impossible to enumerate, August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994


• Sir Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield, electrical engineer, shared the 1979 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Allan McLeod Cormack for his part in developing the diagnostic technique of Computerized Axial Tomography; the Hounsfield scale, a quantitative measure of radiodensity used in evaluating CAT scans, is named after him, August 28, 1919 – August 12, 2004


• Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor, singer, dancer, and actor, appeared in a series of movies in which he co-starred with Francis the Talking Mule; best known for his performance in the movie musical Singin' in the Rain, had a separate Hollywood career in the late 1930's, in which he played such roles as Beau Geste; during World War II, he was re-invented as a star of musical films, August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003


• István Kertész, orchestral and operatic conductor, August 28, 1929 – April 16, 1973


• Biagio Anthony BEN Gazzara, actor and director, starred in various Broadway productions in the 1950's; his most formidable appearances were as characters he portrayed for his friend, director John Cassavetes, in the 1970's; in the 1990's, he appeared in 38 films, among these many TV productions, 1930


• John Shirley-Quirk CBE, bass-baritone singer and educator, appears regularly with major orchestras and opera companies throughout the world, and has a large recording catalgue, 1931


• Andrew James ANDY Bathgate, former NHL centre, played for 17 seasons, 1932


• Donald Anton DON Denkinger, former MLB umpire, worked in the American League from 1968 to 1998, 1936


• The Rt. Hon. Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC, MP, BA, LLB, the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, 1938


• Holmes STERLING Morrison, Jr., one of the founding members of The Velvet Underground, playing lead, rhythm, and bass guitar, and singing backing vocals, August 28, 1942 – August 30, 1995


• David Richard Solberg, aka David Soul, actor and singer, Hutch in Starsky and Hutch, 1943


• Louis Victor LOU Piniella, former MLB left fielder and manager, most recently the manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 2003 to 2005; the American League Rookie of the Year in 1969; AL Manager of the Year in 1995 and 2001; recently become a color commentator for Fox Sports, calling postseason baseball games; on October 17, 2006, he signed a 3-year contract as manager of the Chicago Cubs, 1943


• Daniel DANNY Seraphine, drummer and producer, played with a band named The Big Thing, which became Chicago; co-wrote some of Chicago's songs; left the band in 1991; alhough he still played and never left the music business, managing acts and producing, The California Transit Authority, which debuted in 2006, is his first band since Chicago, and this is the first time in 15 years that he has played live with a band, 1948


• Daniel Stern, television and film actor and director, was in the City Slickers movies and the first two Home Alone movies; was the voice of the narrator on The Wonder Years, and the title character of the animated series Dilbert, 1957


• Emma Samuelson, aka Emma Samms, actress, 1960


• Amanda Tapping, actress, has performed in several stage productions, appeared in several TV commercials, and played a variety of roles in television series, such as The Outer Limits and The X-Files; known as Samantha Carter on Stargate SG-1, 1965


• Billy Boyd, actor, known for playing Peregrin Took in the Lord of the Rings films, 1968


• Mary Anna McCartney Donald, photographer, first child born of Paul and Linda McCartney, 1969


• Linda Miles, aka Shaniqua, professional wrestler and wrestling manager, 1978


• Theodore Lester [T.J.] Beam, MLB relief pitcher for the New York Yankees, made his major league debut on June 17, 2006, 1980


• Margaret LeAnn Rimes, country music singer, has won an American Music Award, two Grammy Awards, three Academy of Country Music Awards, and four Billboard Music Awards, 1982


• Gilad Shalit, corporal in the Israel Defense Forces, the first Israeli soldier captured by Palestinians since 1994, 1986

RIP:

• Ruth Gordon Jones, aka Ruth Gordon, actress and screenwriter, known for her role as the neighbor in Roman Polanski's film of Rosemary's Baby, for which she won the 1968 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, October 30, 1896 – August 28, 1985


• John Marcellus Huston, film director, actor, and painter, August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987


• Willy Vandersteen, comic book artist, whose most famous creation is the Spike and Suzy series, February 15, 1913 - August 28, 1990


• Lawrence Curtis LARRY Jackson, MLB right-handed pitcher from 1955 to 1968, an NL All-Star in 1957, 1958, 1960, and 1963; had the most total chances among pitchers with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 1957, 1964, 1965, and 1968, June 2, 1931 - August 28, 1990


• Michael Ende, writer of fantasy novels and children's books, known for The Neverending Story, whose works have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 20 million copies, November 12, 1929 - August 29, 1995


• Esther Klein Szekeres, mathematician, February 20, 1910 – 28 August 2005


• George Szekeres, mathematician, May 29, 1911 — August 28, 2005