Almanac - Thursday March 21, 2024

Mary Dixon Kies (March 21, 1752 – 1837) was an American inventor. In 1809, her patent for a new technique of weaving straw with silk and thread to make hats was signed by President James Madison. She was one of the first woman to receive a US Patent

Nirmala Srivastava (née Nirmala Salve; 21 March 1923 – 23 February 2011), also known as Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, was the founder and guru of Sahaja Yoga, a new religious movement.She claimed to have been born fully realised and spent her life working for peace by developing and promoting a simple technique through which people can achieve their self-realization.

Dorothea Beale LL.D. (21 March 1831 – 9 November 1906) was a suffragist, educational reformer and author. As Principal of Cheltenham Ladies' College, she became the founder of St Hilda's College, Oxford.

1844 – The Baháʼí calendar begins. This is the first day of the first year of the Baháʼí calendar. It is annually celebrated by members of the Baháʼí Faith as the Baháʼí New Year or Náw-Rúz.

1925 – The Butler Act prohibits the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee.

1928 – Charles Lindbergh is presented with the Medal of Honor for the first solo trans-Atlantic flight.

1935 – Shah of Iran Reza Shah Pahlavi formally asks the international community to call Persia by its native name, Iran.

1946 – The Los Angeles Rams sign Kenny Washington, making him the first African American player in professional American football since 1933.

1952 – Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio.

1960 – Apartheid: Sharpeville massacre, South Africa: Police open fire on a group of black South African demonstrators, killing 69 and wounding 180.

1963 – Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closes.

1965 – Martin Luther King Jr. leads 3,200 people on the start of the third and finally successful civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

1970 – The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by Joseph Alioto, Mayor of San Francisco.

1970 – San Diego Comic-Con, the largest pop and culture festival in the world, hosts its inaugural event.

1986 – Debi Thomas became the first African American to win the World Figure Skating Championships

1990 – Namibia becomes independent after 75 years of South African rule.

1994 – The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change enters into force.

2006 – The social media site X (former Twitter) is founded.

Today’s birthdays also include….

1474 – Angela Merici, Italian educator and saint (d. 1540)

1501 – Anne Brooke, Baroness Cobham, English noble (d. 1558)

1557 – Anne Howard, Countess of Arundel, English countess and poet (d. 1630)

1685 – Johann Sebastian Bach, German Baroque composer and musician (d. 1750)

1752 – Mary Dixon Kies, American inventor (d. 1837)

1802 – Augusta Waddington, Welsh writer and patron of the arts (d. 1896)

1806 – Benito Juárez, Mexican lawyer and politician, 25th President of Mexico (d. 1872)

1831 – Dorothea Beale, English suffragist, educational reformer and author (d. 1906)

1839 – Modest Mussorgsky, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1881)

1859 – Daria Pratt, American golfer (d. 1938)

1880 – Broncho Billy Anderson, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1971)

1887 – Clarice Beckett, Australian painter (d. 1935)

1894 – Hannah Ryggen, Norwegian textile artist (d. 1970)

1902 – Son House, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1988)

1904 – Forrest Mars, Sr., American candy maker, created M&M's and Mars bar (d. 1999)

1905 – Phyllis McGinley, American author and poet (d. 1978)

1906 – John D. Rockefeller III, American philanthropist (d. 1978)

1910 – Julio Gallo, American businessman, co-founded E & J Gallo Winery (d. 1993)

1916 – Bismillah Khan, Indian shehnai player (d. 2006)

1920 – Éric Rohmer, French director, film critic, journalist, novelist and screenwriter (d. 2010)

1921 – Arthur Grumiaux, Belgian violinist and pianist (d. 1986)

1921 – Antony Hopkins, English pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2014)

1922 – Russ Meyer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)

1923 – Nirmala Srivastava, Indian religious leader, founded Sahaja Yoga (d. 2011)

1930 – James Coco, American actor (d. 1987)

1930 – Otis Spann, American blues pianist, singer and composer (d. 1970)

1931 – Catherine Gibson, Scottish swimmer (d. 2013)

1933 – Michael Heseltine, Welsh businessman and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

1936 – Ed Broadbent, Canadian pilot and politician (d. 2024)

1937 – Ann Clwyd, Welsh journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales (d. 2023)

1939 – Kathleen Widdoes, American actress

1940 – Solomon Burke, American singer-songwriter (d. 2010)

1940 – Andrea Elle, German bicyclist

1942 – Françoise Dorléac, French actress (d. 1967)

1942 – Amina Claudine Myers, American singer-songwriter and pianist

1944 – Marie-Christine Barrault, French actress

1944 – Janet Daley, American-English journalist and author

1944 – David Lindley, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 2023)

1945 – Rose Stone, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player

1949 – Eddie Money, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2019)

1949 – Slavoj Žižek, Slovenian sociologist, philosopher, and academic

1955 – Jair Bolsonaro, Brazilian politician and retired military officer, 38th President of Brazil

1955 – Bärbel Wöckel, German sprinter

1956 – Ingrid Kristiansen, Norwegian runner

1958 – Marlies Göhr, German sprinter

1958 – Gary Oldman, English actor, filmmaker, musician, and author

1959 – Sarah Jane Morris, English singer-songwriter

1961 – Kassie DePaiva, American actress

1962 – Matthew Broderick, American actor

1962 – Kathy Greenwood, Canadian actress and screenwriter

1962 – Rosie O'Donnell, American actress, producer, and talk show host

1963 – Shawn Lane, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 2003)

1965 – Cynthia Geary, American actress

1967 – Mirela Rupic, American costume and fashion designer

1968 – Andrew Copeland, American singer and musician

1969 – Jonah Goldberg, American journalist and author

1970 – Cenk Uygur, Turkish-American political activist

1973 – Ananda Lewis, American television host

1974 – Laura Allen, American actress

1976 – Rachael MacFarlane, American voice actress and singer

1978 – Sally Barsosio, Kenyan runner

1978 – Charmaine Dragun, Australian journalist (d. 2007)

1978 – Kevin Federline, American dancer and television personality

1978 – Joyce Jimenez, Filipino movie and TV actress

1980 – Marit Bjørgen, Norwegian skier

1980 – Lee Jin, South Korean singer and actress

1982 – Maria Elena Camerin, Italian tennis player

1982 – Ejegayehu Dibaba, Ethiopian runner

1985 – Sonequa Martin-Green, American actress

1990 – Mandy Capristo, German singer-songwriter and dancer

1992 – Chiney Ogwumike, American basketball player

1992 – Karolína Plíšková, Czech tennis player

1992 – Kristýna Plíšková, Czech tennis player

1994 – Jasmin Savoy Brown, American actress

1997 – Martina Stoessel, Argentine actress

2003 – Abbi Pulling, English racing driver

Almanac - Thursday March 21, 2024

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