December 30th

The penultimate day of the year is the birthday

… of Russ Tamblyn. Riff, “a Jet to his dying day,” is 75.

… of Sandy Koufax. The most dominant pitcher in the game in the early 1960s, the man who threw four no-hitters including a perfect game is 74.

… of Paul (Noel actually) Stookey. Paul of Peter, Paul & Mary is 72.

… of James Burrows. The director of “Taxi,” “Cheers” and “Will and Grace” is 69.

… of Fred Ward. The actor (Gus Grissom in The Right Stuff and Earl Bassett in the greatest movie ever, Tremors) is 67.

… of Monkees Michael Nesmith (67) and Davy Jones (64).

… of Patti Smith. Punk rock’s poet laureate is 63.

… of Meredith Viera and of Matt Lauer. The Today show hosts are 56 and 52.

… of Tracey Ullman. She’s 50.

… of Eldrick Woods. Tiger is 34.

… of LeBron James. He’s 25 today.

Have a Coke and a smile today.

It’s the birthday of the man who introduced us to Coca-Cola, Asa Griggs Candler, born in Villa Rica, Georgia (1851). He grew up during the Civil War and wanted to be a doctor, but his family was so poor that he could only receive an elementary school education before becoming a pharmacist’s apprentice. But Candler proved to be business savvy, slowly building his own drugstore empire, and in 1886 he bought sole rights to John Pemberton’s original formula of Coca-Cola and formed the Coca-Cola Company in 1890. Candler understood the importance of advertising. He used calendars, billboards, and posters to keep the Coca-Cola trademark prominent in the public’s mind. After selling the patent in 1919, he went on to serve as Atlanta’s mayor and funded a teaching hospital for Emory University’s Medical School.

The Writer’s Almanac from American Public Media (2007)

The Genius Among Geniuses, Alfred Einstein, was born on December 30, 1880.

Bo Diddley was born on this date in 1928.

Music historian Robert Palmer has described Bo Diddley as “one of the most original and fertile rhythmic intelligences of our time.” He will forever be known as the creator of the “Bo Diddley beat,” one of the cornerstone rhythms of rock and roll. He employed it in his namesake song, “Bo Diddley,” as well as other primal rockers like “Mona.” This distinctive African-based rhythm pattern (which goes bomp bomp bomp bomp-bomp) was picked up from Diddley by other artists and has been a distinctive and recurring element in rock and roll through the decades.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame