Today In History Basic Datebook-January 8th

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People on January 8th: birthdates

Jeff Abercromble: 1969 (is 42 in 2011, 43 in 2012)
Rock & Roll Musician, of Fuel
Dame Shirley Bassey: 1937 (is 74 in 2011, 75 in 2012)
Singer, Wales, b. in Cardiff; Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, Moonraker
Kathlyn Elizabeth Bening-Beatty: 1992 (is 19 in 2011, 20 in 2012)
Celebrity Daughter, Annette & Warren's girl
Amber Benson: 1977 (is 34 in 2011, 35 in 2012)
Actress, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Tara Maclay
David Bowie: 1947 (is 64 in 2011, 65 in 2012)
HALL OF FAMER, Rock & Roll Performer, Music Producer, Songwriter, Singer/Guitarist, Vegetarian, Movie Actor, Saxophonist, English, Protestant, b. in London; RN:David Robert Heywood Jones; soloist, the Tin Machine; Laughing Gnome, Major Tom, Fame, Let's Dance, Ziggy Stardust, The Prestige; Iman's hubby
Andrew Caple-Shaw: 1980 (is 31 in 2011, 32 in 2012)
Soap Actor, Days of Our Lives' Marc Adams
Keifer Jack Convertino: 2000 (is 11 in 2011, 12 in 2012)
Celebrity Son, Elizabeth Keifer and Bobby's son
Noah Lindsey Cyrus: 2000 (is 11 in 2011, 12 in 2012)
Celebrity Son, Tish and Billy Ray's son
Ami Dolenz: 1968 (is 43 in 2011, 44 in 2012)
TV/Movie Actress, Soap Actress, Mickey's daughter; General Hospital's Melissa
Bob Eubanks: 1938 (is 73 in 2011, 74 in 2012)
Game Show Host, Radio Disc Jock, Newlywed Game; music promoter & manager who was a disc jock at KRLA in Los Angeles and brought the Beatles to the Hollywood Bowl.
Vladimir Feltsman: 1952 (is 59 in 2011, 60 in 2012)
Pianist, Russian
Ryan Francis: 1977 (is 34 in 2011, 35 in 2012)
TV Actor, of Sisters
Peter "Pedro" "Ged" Gill: 1963 (is 48 in 2011, 49 in 2012)?
Rock & Roll Drummer, British, of Frankie Goes to Hollywood; some say b. Mar 8, 1960 (is 51 in 2011), b. Jan 8, 1964 (is 47 in 2011), or b. Mar 8, 1964 (is 47 in 2011)
"Little" Anthony Gourdine: 1941 (is 70 in 2011, 71 in 2012)
Rhythm and Blues Singer, Songwriter, with The Imperials, soloist; some say 1940
Harriet Sansom Harris: 1955 (is 56 in 2011, 57 in 2012)
Actress, Frasier's Bebe Glazer
Stephen Hawking: 1942 (is 69 in 2011, 70 in 2012)
Scientist, English, Astrophysicist; Black Holes & Baby Universes
Patricia Healy: yr unknown
Soap Actress, General Hospital's Tammy Carson
Gaby Hoffmann: 1982 (is 29 in 2011, 30 in 2012)
TV/Movie Actress, Sleepless in Seattle, Someone Like Me's Gaby, Now and Then, Everyone Says I Love You
Marcus Hutson: 1943 (is 68 in 2011, 69 in 2012)
Rhythm and Blues Singer, of The Whispers
Zahara Marley Jolie-Pit: 2005 (is 6 in 2011, 7 in 2012)
Celebrity Daughter, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's daughter
January Jones: 1978 (is 33 in 2011, 34 in 2012)
Actress
R. Kelly: 1967 (is 44 in 2011, 45 in 2012)
Singer, some say b. 1969
Paul King: 1948 (is 63 in 2011, 64 in 2012)?
Guitarist, Banjoist, Jugblower; of Mungo Jerry; Blue Oyster Cult; some say b. Jan 9, 1948 (is 63 in 2011)
Yvonna Kopacz: yr unknown
Soap Actress, MaN: Wright; Days Of Our Lives' Wendy Reardon, Guiding Light's Mel Bordeaux Bauer
Robby Kreiger: 1946 (is 65 in 2011, 66 in 2012)
HALL OF FAMER, Rock & Roll Guitarist, Songwriter, RFN:Robert Alan; of The Doors
Cristy Lane: 1940 (is 71 in 2011, 72 in 2012)
Country Singer, Gospel Singer, RN:Eleanor Johnston
Jessica Leccia: 1976 (is 35 in 2011, 36 in 2012)
Actress, Guiding Light's Natalia Rivera
Jenny Lewis: 1976 (is 35 in 2011, 36 in 2012)
Actress, Life with Lucy, Shannon's Deal's Neala, Brooklyn Bridge's Katie Monahan
Disashi Lumumbo-Kasongo: 1983 (is 28 in 2011, 29 in 2012)
Actress, of Gym Class Heroes
Erin McCarley: 1979 (is 32 in 2011, 33 in 2012)
Singer, Songwriter
Danielle McClure: yr unknown
Actress, Guiding Light's Natalia Rivera
John McTiernan: 1951 (is 60 in 2011, 61 in 2012)
Movie Director, Die Hard, Hunt for Red October, Last Action Hero
Tift Merritt: 1975 (is 36 in 2011, 37 in 2012)
Country Singer
Nolan Miller: 1935 (is 76 in 2011, 77 in 2012)
Fashion Designer, Dynasty, Love Boat
Yvette Mimieux: 1939 (is 72 in 2011, 73 in 2012)
TV/Movie Actress, Businessperson, b. in Hollywood, CA; some say b. 1941 or 1942, AP says 1939; Time Machine, Where the Boys Are
Ron Moody: 1924 (is 87 in 2011, 88 in 2012)
Actor, Comedian, English, Nobody's Perfect's Det. Insp. Roger Hart; Oliver!'s Fagin; RN:Ronald Moodnick
Rachel Nichols: 1980 (is 31 in 2011, 32 in 2012)
Actress
Kathleen Noone: 1946 (is 65 in 2011, 66 in 2012)
TV/Soap Actress, All My Children's Ellen Shepherd Dalton Chandler, Knots' Landing's Claudia Whittaker, L.A. Law's Fran Hendrickson, Party Of Five's Ellie Bennett, Sunset Beach's Aunt Bette, Party of Five's Elle Bennett, Days of Our Lives' Dame Witty, Passions' Mrs. Wallace
Charles Osgood: 1933 (is 78 in 2011, 79 in 2012)
HALL OF FAMER, Newscaster, Journalist, Author, CBS News poet in residence
Norm Pattiz: 1943 (is 68 in 2011, 69 in 2012)
Executive, Westwood One Networks Chief
Sean Paul: 1973 (is 38 in 2011, 39 in 2012)
Reggae Singer
Ron Pederson: 1977 (is 34 in 2011, 35 in 2012)
Comedian, Actor, of MAD TV
John Peters: 1945 (is 66 in 2011, 67 in 2012)
Drummer, of Harpers Bizarre
John Peterson: 1942 (is 69 in 2011, 70 in 2012)?
Drummer, Singer, of Beau Brimmels, Harpers' Bizarre; some say b. Jan 8, 1945 (is 66 in 2011)
Maria Pitillo: 1966 (is 45 in 2011, 46 in 2012)?
TV Actress, Partners' Alicia; Godzilla; some say b. Jan 8, 1965 (is 46 in 2011)
Sarah Polley: 1979 (is 32 in 2011, 33 in 2012)
Actress
Melvin "Mel" Pritchard: 1948 (is 63 in 2011, 64 in 2012)?
Drummer, English, of Barclay James Harvest; some say b. Jan 20, 1948 (is 63 in 2011)
Mike Reno: 1955 (is 56 in 2011, 57 in 2012)
Rock & Roll Singer, Musician, Canadian, of Loverboy; some say b. 1954
Andy Ross: 1985 (is 26 in 2011, 27 in 2012)
Dramatist/Playwright, Lyricist, Writer, Host of H2R radio show on the Internet
William Ruffley: 1942 (is 69 in 2011, 70 in 2012)
Music Figure, of the Famous Flamingos and the Big Three
Ann Schedeen: yr unknown
TV Actress, Marcus Welby MD's Sandy Porter, Paper Dolls, Alf's Kate Tanner
Ron Sexsmith: 1964 (is 47 in 2011, 48 in 2012)
Singer, Songwriter
Larry Storch: 1923 (is 88 in 2011, 89 in 2012)
Actor, Comedian, Cartoon Voicist, Larry Storch Show, F Troop's Cpl. Randolph Agarn, The Queen & I, Brady Kids' Marlon the wizard & Moptop the dog
Terry Sylvester: 1947 (is 64 in 2011, 65 in 2012)
Rock & Roll Singer/Guitarist, Songwriter, English, of The Hollies, Swinging Blue Jeans
Bobby Tucker: 1922 (is 89 in 2011, 90 in 2012)
Singer, Arranger
Sander Vanocur: 1928 (is 83 in 2011, 84 in 2012)
Newscaster, Columnist, Journalist, NBC News, Washington Post
Laurie Walters: 1947 (is 64 in 2011, 65 in 2012)
TV Actress, Eight is Enough's Joannie Bradford; some say b. 1952 or b. 1956, but a Crook and Chase show confirmed it's 1947
Scott Whyte: 1978 (is 33 in 2011, 34 in 2012)
Actor
Beckett Robert Lee Willis: 2008 (is 3 in 2011, 4 in 2012)
Celebrity Son, Stella McCartney and Alasdhair's son

Mouse over any name and click it for more information about most of the people celebrating birthdays, courtesy of Amazon.

People on January 8th: birth anniversaries

Peter Arno: 1904=d.Feb 22, 1968 (was 64)
Editorial Cartoonist, RN:Curtis Arnoux Peters Jr.; Urban Characterizations, New Yorker Magazine
Richard Benedict: 1920=d.Apr 25, 1984 (was 64)
Actor
Walter Bothe: 1891=d.Feb 8, 1957 (was 66)
Physicist, German, subatomic particle physicist (Nobel 1954)
John Carroll: 1735=d.Dec 3, 1815 (was 80)
Religious Leader, First Roman Catholic bishop in the United States and the first archbishop of Baltimore. Under his leadership the Roman Catholic church became firmly established in the United States.
Graham Chapman: 1941=d.Oct 4, 1989 (was 48)
Comedian, TV/Movie Actor, Screen/Scriptwriter, English, Monty Python's Flying Circus's founding member
William "Wilkie" Collins: 1824=d.Sep 23, 1889 (was 65)
Novelist, English
Richard Cromwell: 1910=d.Oct 11, 1960 (was 50)
Actor, Angela Lansbury's ex-
Wendell Culley: 1906=d.1983
Trumpeter, worked with Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton and Count Basie principally as a section player
Frank Nelson Doubleday: 1862=d.Jan 30, 1934 (was 72)
Publisher, founder of Doubleday & Co.; not to be confused with Abner Doubleday
Sir Frank Dyson: 1868=d.Jan 9, 1961 (was 93)
Astronomer, British, proved Einstein right about light bent by gravity; b. 1867?
Jose Ferrer: 1912=d.Jan 26, 1992 (was 80)
TV/Movie/Stage Actor, Producer/Director, Writer, Singer, Pianist, Puerto Rican, b. in Santurce; RN:Jose Vincente Ferrer Otero y Cintron; Rosemary Clooney's ex-hubby; some say 1909 or 1919
Archer Gordon: 1921=d.Sep 18, 1994 (was 73)
Scientist, father of CPR
Bill Graham: 1931=d.Oct 25, 1991 (was 60)
HALL OF FAMER, Music Producer, German, RN:Wolfgang Grajonca; rock impresario and promoter
William Hartnell: 1908=d.Apr 24, 1975 (was 67)
TV Actor, English, of Dr. Who (the first actor to play the Doctor)
Paul Hester: 1959=d.Mar 25, 2005 (was 46)
Rock & Roll Drummer, of Split Enz & Crowded House
King Henry V Of Germany And Holy Roman Empire: 1081=d.May 23, 1125 (was 44)
King, ruled 1099-
Roy Kinnear: 1934=d.Sep 20, 1988 (was 54)
Actor, English, Help!, TW3
James Longstreet: 1821=d.Jan 2, 1904 (was 82)
General, Confederate who fought in the battle of Gettysburg.
Lowell Mason: 1833=d.Aug 11, 1872 (was 39)
Composer, Educator, Organist, Boston Academy of Music founder; hymnwrtier; b. 1792?
Reuben Mattus: 1913=d.Jan 27, 1994 (was 81)
Businessperson, who parlayed the nonsensical name Haagen-Dazs into a multimillion-dollar ice cream fortune
Luther Perkins: 1928=d.Aug 5, 1968 (was 40)
Country Singer
William Piper: 1881=d.Jan 15, 1970 (was 89)
Manufacturer, Airplanes: The Henry Ford of Aviation for manufacturing small aircraft, the Piper Cub, a two-seater for family aircraft.
Elvis Presley: 1935=d.Aug 16, 1977 (was 42)
HALL OF FAMER, Country-Rock Performer, Movie Actor, Singer/Guitarist, Composer/Songwriter, Music Producer, b. in Tupelo, MS; MN:Aron; changed to Aaron; The first real star of rock and roll, aka the King of Rock & Roll; Priscilla's ex-; too many notable hits to list here!; d. at Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee; Billboard ranks him as the top pop recording artist of all time with 17 No. 1 songs. The 1956 two-sided hit ``Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog'' stays at No. 1 for 11 weeks, a record for the rock era that stands until 1992. HofF in country and r&roll
Jesse Garon Presley: 1935=d.Jan 8, 1935 (was 0)
Celebrity Relative, Elvis's stillborn twin brother
Alexandra Ripley: 1934=d.Jan 20, 2004 (was 70)
Writer
Soupy Sales: 1926=d.Oct 22, 2009 (was 83)
Comedian, Radio Disc Jock, TV Host, Author, Panelist, b. in Franklinton, N.C.; World's Leading Authority on Pie Throwing! Soupy Sales Show host; What's My Line; Sha Na Na reg; RN:Milton Soupbone Hines Supman
Alfred Russell Wallace: 1823=d.Nov 7, 1913 (was 90)
Scientist, Naturalist, British, Zoologist, co-discoverer of evolution
Thomas Jr. Watson: 1914=d.Dec 31, 1993 (was 79)
Businessperson, IBM CEO, IBM founder's son

Mouse over any name and click it for more information about most of the people celebrating birthdays, courtesy of Amazon.

People on January 8th: death anniversaries

Georgie Auld: 1990 (was 70)/b.May 19, 1919
Tenor-sax, Alto-sax, of Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw bands
Lord Robert Baden-Powell: 1941 (was 83)/b.Feb 22, 1857
Philanthropist, British, founded Boy Scouts & Girl Guides
"Stymie" Jr. Beard: 1981 (was 56)/b.Jan 1, 1925
Movie Actor, Our Gang's Stymie 1930-35; RFN:Matthew
Jay S. Blackton: 1994 (was 84)/b.Mar 25, 1909
Bandleader, Composer, Stage Director, Arranger, Conductor, a Broadway top musical dir., Oklahoma!, Annie Get Your Gun, George M.
Pat Buttram: 1994 (was 78)/b.Jun 19, 1917
TV/Movie/Stage Actor, Comedian, Comedy Writer, Country Singer, Cowboy Actor; Gene Autry's sidekick, Green Acres' Mister Eustace Charleton Haney; a favorite Hollywood toastmaster
Melvin Calvin: 1997 (was 85)/b.Apr 8, 1911
Chemist, Mr. Photosynthesis
Carole Carr: 1997 (was 68)/b.Mar 26, 1928
Singer, Actress
Sara Dougherty Carter: 1979 (was 80)/b.Jul 21, 1898
HALL OF FAMER, Country Singer, Guitarist, of The Carter Family; some say b. 1899
Woody Chamblis: 1981 (was 63)/b.Oct 9, 1917
Actor, Gunsmoke's Mr. Lathrop
Chao En-Lai: 1976 (was 78)/b.1898
Statesman, Chinese, ruled 1949-76
Steve Clark: 1991 (was 30)/b.Apr 23, 1960
Heavy Metal Guitarst, Songwriter, English, of Def Leppard
Art Clokey: 2010 (was 88)/b.Oct 12, 1921
Animator, Gumby creator & Claymation inventor & patenter
Arcangelo Corelli: 1713 (was 59)/b.Feb 17, 1653
Composer, Violinist, Italian
Yvonne De Carlo: 2007 (was 84)/b.Sep 1, 1922
TV/Movie Actress, Canadian, b. in Vancouver, B.C.; RN:Peggy Yvonne Middleton; The Munsters' Lily Munster, Ten Commandments
Galileo Galilei: 1642 (was 77)/b.Feb 15, 1564
Astronomer, Physicist, Mathematician, Inventor, Italian, b. in Pisa; 1st Telescope; d. in Arcetri, Italy; developed the astronomical telescope with which he discovered craters on the moon and the satellites of Jupiter.
Don Galloway: 2009 (was 71)/b.Jul 27, 1937
Actor, Game Show Host, Arrest & Trial, General Hospital's Buzz Stryker, Ironside's Det. Sgt. Ed Brown, The Guiness Game
John A. Gambling: 2004 (was 73)/b.1930
Radio Disc Jock
Louis Gaste: 1995 (was 86)/b.Mar 18, 1908
Composer, wrote the song known in English as How Much Is That Doggy In The Window; d. was 88?
Kenneth McMillan: 1989 (was 56)/b.Jul 2, 1932
TV/Movie/Stage Actor, Rhoda's Jack Doyle, Our Family Honor's Comm. Patrick McKay
Francois Mitterand: 1996 (was 79)/b.Oct 26, 1916
Head of State, French, French prez 1981-95
Greenleaf Whittier Pickard: 1956 (was 78)/b.Feb 14, 1877
Engineer, invented the crystal detector (one of the first devices widely used for receiving radio broadcasts) and who was also one of the first scientists to demonstrate the wireless electromagnetic transmission of speech.
Jesse Garon Presley: 1935 (was 0)/b.Jan 8, 1935
Celebrity Relative, Elvis's stillborn twin brother
Mae Questel: 1998 (was 89)/b.Sep 13, 1908
Cartoon Voicist, voice of Betty Boop; d. Jan 4?
Reta Shaw: 1982 (was 69)/b.Sep 13, 1912
TV/Movie Actress, Comedienne, Mr. Peepers' Aunt Lil, Betty White Show, Ann Sothern Show's Flora Macauley, Tab Hunter Show's Thelma, Ichabod & Me's Aunt Lavinia, Cara Williams Show, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir's Martha Grant
Iwao Takamoto: 2007 (was 81)/b.Apr 29, 1925
Animator, a leading animator with Walt Disney and then Hanna-Barbera on cartoons and designed Scooby Doo; contributed to the Disney classics Cinderella, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, and 101 Dalmations; influenced almost all of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon output including The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Hong Kong Phooey, and others
Richard Tauber: 1948 (was 55)/b.May 16, 1892
Opera Singer, Tenor, Austrian
Terry-Thomas: 1990 (was 78)/b.Jul 14, 1911
Movie/Stage Actor, Radio Actor, Comedian, English, b. in London; RN:Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines
Dave Thomas: 2002 (was 69)/b.Jul 2, 1932
Businessperson, Wendy's Restaraunts founder; not the SCTV comedian
Sir Michael Tippett: 1998 (was 93)/b.Jan 2, 1905
Composer, Conductor, English, His works include, the oratorio, "A Child of our Time," and the operas, "The Midsummer Marriage" and "King Priam."
Paul Verlaine: 1896 (was 51)/b.Mar 30, 1844
Poet, French, Gay
Jesse White: 1997 (was 78)/b.Jan 3, 1919
Actor, Comedian, RMLN:Marc Wiedenfeld; Private Secretary's Cagey Calhoun, Danny Thomas Show's Jesse Leeds, Ann Sothern Show's Oscar Pudney; Bedtime for Bonzo, Million Dollar Mermaid; Lonely Maytag Repairman commercials 60-80s; some say b. in 1918
Eli Whitney: 1825 (was 59)/b.Dec 8, 1765
Inventor, The Cotton Gin and the concept of mass production of interchangable parts
Lois Wilson: 1983 (was 88)/b.Jun 28, 1894
Actress, The Aldrich Family's Mrs. Alice Aldrich

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