The Weekly Birthdays

Okay, so I've fallen behind for an entire week on the daily birthday list. My apologies, mea culpa, etc.! Real life has been intervening all too often of late. Here is a (somewhat) brief recap of the birthday celebrators from the past week.

When I was growing up, Pops always challenged us to "learn something new every day, and you will never stop growing." I pass that challenge on to you, along with this birthday list. Some are just for fun, some are intriguing, and some are actually worth learning about. Find someone you know little or nothing about, follow the link, and learn something new today!

The Daily Birthdays - October 31

• 1795 – John Keats – poet
• 1887 – Chiang Kai-shek – former military and political leader of China and then Taiwan
• 1896 – Ethel Waters – singer
• 1912 – Dale Evans – actress, singer, Queen of the Cowgirls
• 1920 – Dick Francis – writer
• 1922 – Illinois Jacquet – jazz saxophonist (grew up in Houston)
• 1931 – Dan Rather – news anchor
• 1936 – Michael Landon – actor
• 1942 – David Ogden Stiers – actor
• 1950 – John Candy – actor, comedian
• 1964 – Darryl Worley – singer

The Daily Birthdays - October 30

• 1735 – John Adams – 2nd President of the United States (1797-1801)
• 1750 – Salem Poor – patriot, American Revolution soldier
• 1888 – Tim Moore – actor
• 1893 – Charles Atlas – bodybuilder
• 1930 – Clifford Brown – jazz trumpeter
• 1945 – Henry Winkler – actor

The Daily Birthdays - October 29

• 1891 – Fanny Brice – comedienne, entertainer
• 1934 – Eddie Harris – jazz musician
• 1947 – Richard Dreyfuss – actor
• 1949 – Kate Jackson – actress

The Daily Birthdays - October 28

• 1798 – Levi Coffin – abolitionist, Underground Railroad President
• 1921 – Chico O'Farrill – jazz trumpeter, composer, bandleader
• 1936 – Charlie Daniels – singer
• 1944 – Dennis Franz – actor
• 1949 – Bruce Jenner – Olympic athlete
• 1955 – Bill Gates – co-founder of Microsoft
• 1967 – Julia Roberts – actress
• 1972 – Terrell Davis – pro football player

The Daily Birthdays - October 27

• 1782 – Niccolo Paganini – classical composer
• 1858 – Theodore Roosevelt – 26th President of the United States (1901-1909)
• 1908 – Charles "Teenie" Harris – photographer
• 1923 – Roy Lichtenstein – artist
• 1927 – Kyle Rote – pro football player
• 1939 – John Cleese – actor, comedian
• 1943 – Lee Greenwood – singer
• 1967 – Matt Drudge – Internet news journalist

The Daily Birthdays - October 26

• 1899 – William "Judy" Johnson – pro baseball player (Negro League)
• 1911 – Mahalia Jackson – singer
• 1913 – Charlie Barnet – jazz musician, bandleader
• 1946 – Pat Sajak – game show host
• 1947 – Hillary Rodham-Clinton – US Senator, former First Lady
• 1947 – Jaclyn Smith – actress

The Daily Birthdays - October 25

• 1342 – Geoffrey Chaucer – poet
• 1825 – Johann Strauss – classical composer
• 1881 – Pablo Picasso – artist
• 1888 – Admiral Richard E. Byrd – explorer, former US Navy officer
• 1889 – Smokey Joe Wood – pro baseball player
• 1912 – Minnie Pearl – actress, entertainer
• 1928 – Marion Ross – actress
• 1940 – Bobby Knight – basketball coach

The Daily Birthdays - October 24

• 1896 – Marjorie Joyner – inventor, businesswoman
• 1911 – Sonny Terry – blues musician
• 1915 – Bob Kane – comic book artist, creator of Batman

The Daily Birthdays - October 23

• 1916 – Capt. James A. Verinis – WWII USAF pilot, co-pilot of the Memphis Belle)
• 1925 – Johnny Carson – television host
• 1935 – Chi-Chi Rodriguez – pro golfer
• 1940 – Pelé – pro soccer player
• 1942 – Michael Crichton – writer
• 1956 – Dwight Yoakum – singer
• 1959 – "Weird Al" Yankovic – comedian

The Daily Birthdays - October 22

• 1807 – James Pennington – clergyman, author, abolitionist
• 1811 – Franz Liszt – classical composer
• 1928 – Clare Fischer – jazz musician, composer
• 1938 – Christopher Lloyd – actor
• 1942 – Annette Funicello – actress
• 1952 – Jeff Goldblum – actor
• 1963 – Brian Boitano – pro figure skater

As always, give me a shout in the comments section if you know of someone who should be added (for next year).