… of Frank Langella. The 2009 Oscar-nominee is 74.
… of Country Joe McDonald. Give me an “F”… He’s 70.
… of Grandmaster Flash. The rapper is 54. He was born Joseph Saddler.
… of the very wealthy Elin Nordegren. The former Mrs. Woods is 32.
Also born on New Year’s Day:
William Fox (of Fox Pictures) in 1879.
“Wild Bill” Donovan in 1883. Donovan directed the American Office of Strategic Service during World War II, precursor to the CIA.
J. Edgar Hoover, in 1895.
Barry Goldwater in 1909.
Hyman “Hank” Greenberg in 1911. Greenberg was twice American League MVP, hit 58 homeruns in 1938, and is considered by most the first Jewish sports superstar.
Jerome David Salinger in 1919.
Doak Walker in 1927. Walker won the Heisman in 1948 while at SMU, where he was three times All-American. He played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions (when they were good). Walker is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The award for the best college running back each year is called the Doak Walker Award. That’s how good of a running back Walker was. Rick Reilly said of Walker, “He was so shifty you couldn’t have tackled him in a phone booth, yet so humble that he wrote the Associated Press a thank-you note for naming him an All-American.” Walker died in 1998 from injuries in a skiing accident.
Betsy Ross was born on this date in 1752, but that was before the British Empire accepted the Gregorian calendar so it wasn’t New Year’s Day.
Paul Revere was born on January 1st in 1735 (but the calendar on the wall read December 21, 1734).