Who Hated Jane Austen So Much?
Was it Rudyard Kipling? Or Mark Twain? Which popular author hated Jane Austen so much? Jane Austen’s 200th deathday is July 18th, and The New York Times is celebrating with a Jane Austen quiz. …..
Posts tagged: Landmark Deathdays
Happy 400th Deathday (Maybe) to William Shakespeare!
William Shakespeare, the Immortal Bard, proved all too mortal on this day 400 years ago. Or close to this day: he died on or about April 23, 1616. The exact day of Shakespeare’s …..
Steve Jobs Remembered, One Year Later
The Apple computer pioneer died last October. Yes, a year already.
How Long Do Carter, Clinton or the Bushes Have to Live to Pass Gerald Ford?
Gerald Ford was America’s longest-lived president, but a few of the younger boys are nipping at his heels.
Christopher Hitchens: Obituary First Lines
Troublemaker, charmer, provocateur, polemicist… that’s what the obituaries are calling Christopher Hitchens. He died yesterday in a Houston hospital at age 62.
Ernest Hemingway: Epic Self-Destruction or Just Plain Old Suicide?
“It’s hard to shake off the feeling that what he was doing wasn’t bravery, but psychotic self-dramatisation. And when you inspect the image of Hemingway-as-hero, you uncover an extraordinary sub-stratum of self-harming.
Happy 100th Deathday, Gustav Mahler!
The great Viennese composer and conductor Gustav Mahler died in his beloved Vienna on this day in 1911. Mahler had a weak heart, and he had been struggling with a bacterial infection of the heart tissues for several weeks. The New York Times obituary noted that his death “was precipitated by the spread of his heart affliction to his lungs, which developed a fatal pneumonic weakness during the last few days.” He was only 50, for pete’s sakes.
Jack Wild, Happy Fifth Deathday to You
Actor Jack Wild died on this day in 2006. Cancer of the mouth was the cause; he’d had most of his tongue and larynx removed in 2004, but the disease got him at age 53.
Happy 30th Deathday, Bill Haley!
Wow: It’s been 30 years since the death of Bill Haley, Mr. Rock-Around-the-Clock himself. Haley was only 55 when he died of a brain tumor (or a heart attack, depending on who’s talking) in 1981.
Mary Shelley +160 Years
The mother of Frankenstein died 160 years ago today.It’s been closer to 200 years since she first published Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus in 1818.
Dashiell Hammett + 50 Years
Mystery writer Dashiell Hammett died on this day 50 years ago.
Erwin Schrodinger +50 Years
Happy 50th deathday to you, genius physicist Erwin Schrödinger. You died on this day in 1961.
Charles Rocket +5
Charles Rocket, the former TV news anchor who joined the cast of Saturday Night Live only to be fired in 1981, killed himself five years ago today.Some think Rocket was a victim of the Saturday Night Live curse.
Janis Joplin +40
Rock and blues singer Janis Joplin died on this day in 1970.
Jean Piaget +30
Psychologist Jean Piaget died 30 years ago today.He was a specialist — a pioneer, really — in child development. See our full Piaget profile.
Jerry Garcia’s Autopsy, Depicted with Lunchmeat
Jerry Garcia, leader of The Grateful Dead, died 15 years ago today — on 9 August 1995 — while trying to detox at a Marin County rehab clinic.
Robert Wadlow, Happy 70th Deathday!
Robert Wadlow died 70 years old today, in 1940, aged 22 and heighted 8 feet and 11.1 inches tall.
Happy 45th Deathday, Edward R. Murrow!
Edward R. Murrow, journalist extraordinaire, died 45 years ago today.We offered a two-word salute to Murrow on his centennial in 2008.(Edward R. Murrow seen through an office window at CBS News in 1957.)
Guy Walks Into a Bar…
A drunk was in front of a judge. The judge says “You’ve been brought here for drinking.” The drunk says, “Okay, let’s get started.” A man goes to a psychiatrist. The doctor says, “You’re crazy.” The man says, “I want a second opinion!” “Okay, you’re ugly too!” The food on the plane was fit for a king. “Here, King!”Happy 12th deathday to the “king of the one-liners,” Henny Youngman.
Patricia Highsmith, Happy 15th Deathday!
Patricia Highsmith, the creepy and sophisticated author of The Talented Mr. Ripley, died 15 years ago today.(Aside: When did 1995 get to be 15 years ago?)