Today is the birthday
… of former Secretary of State George Schultz. He is 91 today.
… of Dick Van Dyke. Rob Petrie is 86. Nine Emmy nominations, four wins.
… of Christopher Plummer. Captain Georg von Trapp is 82. More recently Plummer has been in A Beautiful Mind, Syriana, The Lake House and the voice of the bad guy in Up. Six films in 2005, a couple more in 2006, four in 2007, three more in 2008, seven in 2009 counting voice-overs, and Oscar nomination for The Last Station in 2010. Keep up the good work, young man.
… of Ferguson Jenkins. The baseball hall-of-famer is 68.
Canada’s first Hall of Fame member, Fergie Jenkins used pinpoint control and effectively changed speeds to win 284 games. Cast in the same mold as finesse artists like Catfish Hunter and Robin Roberts, Jenkins forged an impressive 3.34 ERA despite playing 12 of his 19 seasons in hitters’ ballparks – Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. A diligent workhorse, Jenkins used an easy, uncomplicated motion to reach the 20-win mark seven times and capture the National League Cy Young Award in 1971.
… of Herman Cain, 66.
… of Ted Nugent, 63.
… of Wendie Malick. Just shoot her, she’s 61.
… of Ben Bernanke. The chairman of the Federal Reserve is 58.
… of Steve Buscemi. The actor who portrayed the creepy Tony Blundetto (Tony Soprano’s cousin) and the even creepier Carl Showalter in Fargo is 54.
… of Johnny Whitaker. That would be Buffy’s brother Jody on Family Affair. He’s 52. Kathy Garver, the actress who played his older sister Cissy on that show, is 66 today.
… of coaches and twin brothers Rex and Rob Ryan. They are 98 today.
… of sportscaster Mike Tirico, 45 today.
… of Jamie Foxx. The Oscar-winner is 44.
… of Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini, also 44 today.
… of Taylor Swift, 22.
Mary Ann Todd was born on this date in 1818. After she married in 1842, she was Mary Todd Lincoln. Mrs. Lincoln had four sons; three died at ages 3 (1850), 11 (1862) and 18 (1871). Her husband was murdered while sitting next to her. By 1875 she was committed to a mental institution due to her grief and erratic behavior, and though released in 1876, her relationship with son Robert (by then an attorney in his thirties) was estranged. Mary Todd Lincoln died in 1882, age 63.