Gary Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) was an American actor, voice artist and comedian, best known for his role as Arnold Jackson in Diff’rent Strokes (1978-1986) and for his small stature as an adult. He became the most popular fixture of Diff’rent Strokes, enhanced by his character’s catchphrase “What’chu talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” Coleman was described in the 1980s as “one of television’s most promising stars.” After a successful childhood acting career, Coleman struggled financially later in life. In 1989, he successfully sued his parents and business adviser over misappropriation of his assets, only to declare bankruptcy a decade later. Coleman died of epidural hematoma at age 42.
George Washington Carver was an American botanist and inventor. He is known for his agricultural advances and for the promotion of alternative crops to cotton, such as peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes, that would help sustain poor farmers. The most popular of his 44 practical bulletins for farmers contained 105 food recipes using peanuts. He also developed and promoted about 100 products made from peanuts that were useful for the house and farm, including cosmetics, dyes, paints, plastics, gasoline and nitroglycerin. He received numerous honors for his work, including the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. In 1941, Time magazine dubbed Carver a “Black Leonardo.” Carver was born into slavery in Missouri in the early 1860s. He died on January 5, 1943 and was buried next to longtime colleague Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee University.
Debbie Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known as the lead singer of the new wave and punk rock band Blondie. She recorded several No.1 singles with Blondie and is sometimes considered the first rapper to chart at number one in the United States as well, due to her vocals on “Rapture.” She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she recorded and performed with The Jazz Passengers. Her acting career spans over 30 film roles and numerous television appearances. She was born on July 1, 1945.
Maya Angelou was an American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays and several books of poetry, and was credited in plays, movies and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim. Her books center on themes such as racism, identity, family and travel. Angelou was active in the Civil Rights Movement, and worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. She was born on April 4, 1928 and died on May 28, 2014.
Gerald Ford (born Leslie Lynch King, Jr.) was the 38th President of the United States (1974-1977). Prior to this, was the 40th Vice President of the United States (1973-1974). Ford was the first person appointed to the Vice Presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment, after Spiro Agnew resigned. When he became president when Richard Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, he became the first and only person to have served as both vice president and president without being elected by the Electoral College. As President, Ford signed the Helsinki Accords, marking a move toward détente in the Cold War. With the conquest of South Vietnam by North Vietnam nine months into his presidency, U.S. involvement in Vietnam essentially ended. In 1976, Ford defeated Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination, but narrowly lost the presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter. Ford died on this day in 2006 at the age of 93.
Nero was the fifth Emperor of the Roman Empire, from 54 to 68, and was the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne at age 17. During his reign, Nero focused much of his attention on diplomacy, trade and enhancing cultural life through theaters and athletic games. In 64, most of Rome was destroyed in the Great Fire of Rome, which many Romans believed Nero himself had started in order to clear land for his extravagant palatial complex, the Domus Aurea. For this he is infamously known as the Emperor who “fiddled while Rome burned.” Nero is also known for many executions, including that of his mother (and possibly apostles Peter and Paul), and for being the first persecutor of Christians. He reportedly captured Christians to burn them in his garden at night for a source of light. Nero was ultimately driven from the throne and, facing assassination, committed suicide in 68 at age 30.
Note: I saved Nero for my 666th pixel art character because biblical scholars contend that the number of the beast in the Book of Revelation has a specific symbolic correlation to the Emperor Nero, whose Greek name transliterated into Hebrew has the numeric value of 666. Basically it’s a code that identifies Nero as the Antichrist. Also, today is 9/11. Everything is coming together now. Illuminati, what?
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards and the Tony Award for Best Actress. Bergman is best remembered for her starring roles in Casablanca (1942) and Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious (1946). She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute. Bergman was born on this day in 1915 and died in 1982 on her 67th birthday.
Lance Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times (1999-2005) after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer support. He was born on this day in 1971.
On August 23, 2012, Armstrong announced he will stop fighting allegations that he used banned substances during his stellar career. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said it will ban Armstrong for life and recommend he be stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles. Jim Caple said it best: “As far as I can tell no one actually won the Tour de France from 1996 to 2007” due to the rampant use of performance enhancers. “Going after athletes for something they might have done seven to 13 years ago […] does far more harm than good. USADA should have let this one go. The agency exists to police sports, not destroy them.” You don’t have to be an Armstrong apologist to believe in the principle of “innocent until proven guilty.” Throwing your hands up after years of defending yourself doesn’t prove guilt, does it? Though it does suggest evidence against Armstrong.
An American rhythm and blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He was known as “The Originator” because of his key role in the transition from the blues to rock & roll. His driving rhythms and hard-edged guitar sound were highly influential. His trademark rectangular guitar is one example of his technical innovations. He was born on this day in 1928.
The First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, FDR, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband’s death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to serve as a humanitarian and civic leader, working for the welfare of youth, black Americans, the poor, and women, at home and abroad.
An African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to form Rainbow/PUSH. He was born on this day in 1941.
An American author and poet best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre. Poe is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre and is credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. On October 3, 1849, he was found on the streets of Baltimore delirious and wearing clothes that were not his own. Poe is thought by some to have been the victim of cooping before his mysterious death. He died on this day at age 40.
Note: According to a 1906 article from The New York Times, Poe parted his hair on the right. Many photos seem to show the opposite, but that’s because the image is reversed in most daguerreotypes (the photographic process of the mid-1800s). Just saying.
An American entrepreneur and inventor. He was co-founder, chairman and former CEO of Apple. In the late 1970s, Jobs and company developed one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers, the Apple II series. In the 2000s, he led Apple’s return to profitability with the iMac, iTunes Store, iPod, iPhone and iPad. Jobs also held leadership roles at Pixar and Disney.
In memoriam: Steve Jobs passed away yesterday, on October 5, 2011. Rest in peace.
One of my three cats. The youngest, smallest and most skittish of the group. Tanuki was rescued from the feral cat colony beneath my old apartment complex. He is part-Siamese, insane and magical. I suspect that he shapeshifts. He was adopted in November 2008 as a kitten. My ex-girlfriend adopted his lunatic brother. They both turn three years old soon. His estimated birthday is September 2, 2008.
Update: Tanuki passed away on November 9, 2019, almost exactly four years after The King. He’s now buried in our backyard. Rest in peace, little buddy. On to shapeshifting in another realm. Eli is our last surviving cat, the only family pet we have left – gone are his father and his loyal, secretive little brother from another mother. Eli will turn 13 years old in March. (Thinking about the diversity of fur colors and patterns in the feral cat colony my cats came from, I’m reminded of the detailed Colour and Pattern Charts page at Messybeast.com.)
One of my three cats. Before being neutered, The King was the alpha male of the feral cat colony beneath my old apartment complex and the presumed father of Eli. He was rescued in October 2008 when I moved from the apartment to a house. This broad-shouldered, 17-pound cat is loyal, tough and possibly shamanic. He wins battles with raccoons. His estimated birthday is May 17, 2005, though he could be older.
Update: The King passed away on November 4, 2015 due to complications from feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a lifelong condition from his feral past. He had grown thinner and more feeble throughout 2015. One morning he suddenly stopped eating, and it was all over by nightfall. I’ll miss how he followed me everywhere, requesting attention with his broken meow. The King is dead, long live The King. His body will join the previous homeowner’s deceased cat Bhanti (a tiny brown tabby female) in our backyard pet cemetery. Now we are down to two cats, Eli and Tanuki.
One of my three cats. Eli was rescued from the feral cat colony beneath my old apartment complex. More accurately, he showed up at my door on Father’s Day in 2007 as a 12-week-old kitten and asked to come in. He is large (17 pounds), intelligent, affectionate and codependent. My coworker adopted Eli’s brother. His estimated birthday is March 11, 2007.
Update: Eli passed away of old age on August 6, 2021, two years after Tanuki and six years after The King. Dear Eli, good boy until the end, respectfully waited until the morning after our daughter Ramona’s eighth birthday to leave this mortal coil. Ramona was very fond of him. We all were.
The 42nd President of the United States. Born on this day in 1946, Clinton presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in U.S. history. He won a second term, but was impeached (though ultimately acquitted) in a scandal involving a White House intern. He left office with the highest approval rating of any U.S. president since World War II.
George Herman Ruth, Jr. (AKA “the Bambino” and “the Sultan of Swat”) was a Major League Baseball player from 1914-1935. He is one of the most famous sports heroes in American culture and is considered the greatest baseball player ever. He spent his career with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox and set numerous MLB records.
The first President of South Africa to be elected in a fully representative, multi-racial democratic election. Before his presidency, he was an anti-apartheid activist who served 27 years in prison and peacefully negotiated the termination of legal racial segregation in South Africa. He is 93 years old today (born in 1918) and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
P.S. “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
The Man of Steel is a DC Comics superhero and icon of American culture who was created in 1932. He was born on the planet Krypton, before being rocketed to Earth as an infant by his scientist father. After being discovered and adopted by a Kansas farmer and his wife, he was raised as Clark Kent.
Lance Armstrong – No. 508
Lance Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times (1999-2005) after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer support. He was born on this day in 1971.
On August 23, 2012, Armstrong announced he will stop fighting allegations that he used banned substances during his stellar career. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said it will ban Armstrong for life and recommend he be stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles. Jim Caple said it best: “As far as I can tell no one actually won the Tour de France from 1996 to 2007” due to the rampant use of performance enhancers. “Going after athletes for something they might have done seven to 13 years ago […] does far more harm than good. USADA should have let this one go. The agency exists to police sports, not destroy them.” You don’t have to be an Armstrong apologist to believe in the principle of “innocent until proven guilty.” Throwing your hands up after years of defending yourself doesn’t prove guilt, does it? Though it does suggest evidence against Armstrong.