Mary Travers, Mary of Peter, Paul & Mary, would have been 75 today. She died in 2009.
Carl Sagan would have been 77 today. He died in 1996.
Whitey Herzog is 80.
Whitey Herzog, former Rangers, Angels, Royals and Cardinals manager, won six division titles, three National League pennants and the 1982 World Series during his career as skipper. Herzog led the Royals to three straight American League West titles from 1976-78, then landed with the Cardinals in 1980. He led the Cardinals to NL pennants in 1982, 1985 and 1987 – leading the Redbirds to the ’82 World Series title in a classic seven-game series against the Brewers. Herzog was named the 1985 NL Manager of the Year by the BBWAA. He finished with a career record of 1,281-1,125 for a .532 winning percentage. His 1,281 wins rank 32nd on the all-time list.
Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson is 76.
Over 17 seasons with the Cardinals, Bob Gibson won 20 games five times and established himself as the very definition of intimidation, competitiveness, and dignity. One of the best athletes to ever play the game, the ex-Harlem Globetrotter posted a 1.12 ERA in 1968, the lowest figure since 1914, and was named the National League Cy Young Award winner and Most Valuable Player. Known as a premier big-game pitcher, Gibson posted World Series records of seven consecutive wins and 17 strikeouts in a game, and was named World Series MVP in 1964 and 1967.
Tom Weiskopf is 69. His one major win was The Open Championship in 1973.
The Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, is 60.
Eric Dane is 39.
The actress Hedy Lamarr was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler on November 9th in 1913. Married six times, first to a Austrian armaments manufacturer, arrested for shoplifting in 1965, and co-holder of a 1942 patent that, according to Wikipedia is “a basis for modern spread-spectrum communication technology, such as COFDM used in Wi-Fi network connections and CDMA used in some cordless and wireless telephones.”
Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731, in Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland.
Largely self-taught, Banneker was one of the the first African Americans to gain distinction in science. His significant accomplishments and correspondence with prominent political figures profoundly influenced how African Americans were viewed during the Federal period.
Banneker spent most of his life on his family’s 100-acre farm outside Baltimore. There, he taught himself astronomy by watching the stars and learned advanced mathematics from borrowed textbooks. In 1752, Banneker garnered public acclaim by building a clock entirely out of wood. The clock, believed to be the first built in America, kept precise time for decades. Twenty years later, Banneker began making astronomical calculations that enabled him to successfully forecast a 1789 solar eclipse. His estimate, made well in advance of the celestial event, contradicted predictions of better-known mathematicians and astronomers.
Gail Borden, the inventor of condensed milk, was born on this date in 1801. His timing was perfect. He patented the milk just before the civil war when it’s use as part of the field ration made it a success. Borden was also instrumental in requiring dairy farmers to maintain clean facilities if they wanted to sell their milk to his company — Eagle Brand.
The first of seven African-Americans to be nominated for a best actress Oscar, Dorothy Dandridge was born on this date in 1922. She was nominated for Carmen Jones in 1955.
And 72 years ago the Holocaust began:
Today is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night in 1938 when Hitler ordered a series of supposedly spontaneous attacks on Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues. The idea was to make the attacks look random, and then accuse the Jews of inciting the violence. In all, more than 1,000 synagogues were burned or destroyed. Rioters looted about 7,500 Jewish businesses and vandalized Jewish hospitals, homes, schools, and cemeteries. The event was used to justify barring Jews from schools and most public places, and forcing them to adhere to new curfews. In the days following, thousands of Jews were sent to concentration camps. The event was called Kristallnacht, which means, “Night of Broken Glass.” It’s generally considered the official beginning of the Holocaust. Before that night, the Nazis had killed people secretly and individually. After Kristallnacht, the Nazis felt free to persecute the Jews openly, because they knew no one would stop them.
The Atlantic began publication 154 years ago today; Rolling Stone began 44 years ago today.
Bob Gibson is a boss. Love that guy. Started three World Series game 7s in his career. Almost says it all right there but the man was even badder than that.