(Encyclopedia) Benjamin, Walter, 1892–1940, German essayist and critic. He is known for his synthesis of eccentric Marxist theory and Jewish messianism. In particular, his essays on Charles…
Indira Gandhi (1917–1984) The Permanent Mission of India to the UN
1984 Bell System broken up (Jan. 1). France gets first deliveries of Soviet natural gas (Jan. 1). Syria frees…
astronautDied: May 3, 2007 (San Diego, California) Best Known as: astronaut in three of NASA's earliest manned space programs The only astronaut to fly…
business executiveBorn: 5/11/1889Birthplace: San Francisco, Calif. Haas began his lifelong affiliation with Levi Strauss & Co. in 1914 when he married the grand-niece of its founder. The…
entrepreneur, philanthropistBorn: 1897Birthplace: Chicago, Ill. An industrialist who is largely credited with having turned Aspen, Colorado into a cultural mecca and winter playground for the…
Born: Sept. 8, 1907Baseball 1B won Negro League championship nine years in a row with the Homestead Grays; hit .391 in 1948 to lead the league; usually batted cleanup behind Josh Gibson; retired at…
Born: 1911Birthplace: San Francisco, Calif. Radio distance and direction indicator—Alvarez was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1968. He helped design a ground-controlled radar system for…
Born: 1902Birthplace: Amoy, China Transistor—Bardeen, Shockley and Brattain shared the 1956 Nobel Prize for Physics for the invention of the transistor. The transistor replaced the vacuum tube and…
musicianBorn: Oct. 4, 1927Birthplace: New York City A pianist during the bebop era, he played and recorded with many jazz greats, including Art Blakey, Charlie Parker, Oscar Pettiford, and Miles…
