Almanac - Thursday March 14, 2024

Sylvia Beach, an American-born bookseller and publisher, was born today in 1887. She was perhaps best known for her Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company.

Ada Louise Huxtable, an architecture critic and writer on architecture, was born today in 1921. She was awarded the first ever Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

Simone Arianne Biles, an American artistic gymnast, was born today in 1997. She is the 2016 Olympic individual all-around, vault and floor gold medalist, and balance beam bronze medalist. She was part of the gold medal-winning team dubbed the "Final Five" at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

1923 – Diane Arbus, American photographer (d. 1971)

Also on this day of history…

1900 – The Gold Standard Act is ratified, placing the United States currency on the gold standard.

1931 – Alam Ara, India's first talking film, is released.

1942 – Anne Miller becomes the first American patient to be treated with penicillin, under the care of Orvan Hess and John Bumstead.

1995 – Norman Thagard becomes the first American astronaut to ride to space on board a Russian launch vehicle

2008 – A series of riots, protests, and demonstrations erupt in Lhasa and subsequently spread elsewhere in Tibet.

…and if today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You share your special day with…

1804 – Johann Strauss I, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1849)

1822 – Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies (d. 1889)

1833 – Lucy Hobbs Taylor, American dentist and educator (d. 1910)

1836 – Isabella Beeton, English author of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (d. 1865)

1854 – Paul Ehrlich, German physician and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1915)

1864 – Casey Jones, American engineer (d. 1900)

1879 – Albert Einstein, German-American physicist, engineer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1955)

1887 – Sylvia Beach, American-French bookseller and publisher, who founded Shakespeare and Company (d. 1962

1904 – Doris Eaton Travis, American actress and dancer (d. 2010)

1908 – Maurice Merleau-Ponty, French philosopher and academic (d. 1961)

1912 – Les Brown, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2001)

1914 – Lee Hays, American singer-songwriter (d. 1981)

1920 – Hank Ketcham, American author and cartoonist, created Dennis the Menace (d. 2001)

1920 – Dorothy Tyler-Odam, English high jumper (d. 2014)

1921 – Ada Louise Huxtable, American author and critic (d. 2013)

1922 – Les Baxter, American pianist and composer (d. 1996)

1923 – Diane Arbus, American photographer (d. 1971)

1932 – Naina Yeltsina, Russian wife of Boris Yeltsin, First Lady of Russia

1933 – Michael Caine, English actor

1933 – Quincy Jones, American producer

1938 – Eleanor Bron, English actress and screenwriter

1942 – Rita Tushingham, English actress

1943 – Anita Morris, American actress and singer (d. 1994)

1948 – Billy Crystal, American actor, comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter

1950 – Rick Dees, American actor and radio host

1959 – Laila Robins, American actress

1959 – Tamara Tunie, American actress

1960 – Heidi Hammel, American astronomer and academic

1966 – Elise Neal, American actress and producer

1968 – Megan Follows, Canadian-American actress

1969 – Larry Johnson, American basketball player and actor

1973 – Betsy Brandt, American actress

1975 – Grace Park, American-Canadian actress and model

1982 – Kate Maberly, English actress, writer, director, and musician

1986 – Jessica Gallagher, Australian skier and cyclist

1988 – Stephen Curry, American basketball player

1997 – Simone Biles, American gymnast

2008 – Abby Ryder Fortson, American actress