July 6th

Feast Day of  Saint Romulus of Fiesole.  Romulus was probably a local deacon, priest, or bishop of the 1st century, According to tradition, he was a disciple of Saint Peter and had been converted to Christianity by the apostle. Like the Romulus of ancient Roman legend, this Romulus was also abandoned, suckled by a wolf, and captured and raised and baptized by Saint Peter and Peter's companion Justin. Romulus then evangelized much of central Italy and was put to death by the governor Repertian.

 

Birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama, Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, born Lhamo Dondrub. He is the longest lived incumbent. Dalai Lamas are the head monks of the Gelug school, the newest of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism.He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, and is also well known for his lifelong advocacy for Tibetans inside and outside Tibet.

 
^{1189 Richard I accedes to the throne of England.}
He  was known as Richard Cœur de Lion, or mainly Richard the Lionheart, even before his accession, because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior.  The Muslims called him Melek-Ric (King Richard) or Malek al-Inkitar (King of England).  He was also known in occitan as Oc e No (Yes and No), because of his ability to change his mind. He lived in his Duchy of Aquitaine in the southwest of France and while the king spent very little time, perhaps as little as six months, in England, preferring to use his kingdom as a source of revenue to support his armies. He was seen as a pious hero by his subjects. He remains one of the few kings of England remembered by his epithet, rather than regnal number, and is an enduring iconic figure in England and France.

 

 

1483 King Richard III  is crowned King of England. He was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 in the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat at Bosworth Field, the last decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, symbolises the end of the Middle Ages in England. He is the subject of the play Richard III by William Shakespeare.

 
 
1535 Sir Thomas More is executed for treason. More is known to Roman Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII and Lord Chancellor from October 1529 to 16 May 1532. More opposed the Protestant Reformation, in particular the theology of Martin Luther and William Tyndale, whose books he burned and whose followers he persecuted. More also wrote Utopia, published in 1516, about the political system of an ideal and imaginary island nation. More later opposed the King's separation from the Catholic Church and refused to accept him as Supreme Head of the Church of England because it disparaged papal authority and Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Tried for treason, More was convicted on perjured testimony and beheaded.

 
 
1893 French author Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant died in the private asylum of Esprit Blanche at Passy, in Paris where he had been committed after he developed a constant desire for solitude, an obsession for self-preservation, and a fear of death and paranoia of persecution caused by the syphilis he had contracted in his youth and on January 2, 1892, Maupassant had  tried to commit suicide by cutting his throat.

 

1925 William John Clifton Haley is born at Highland Park, Michigan. Better known as rock and roll musician Bill Haley , he has sold over 25 million records worldwide including  "Rock Around the Clock", "See You Later, Alligator", "Shake, Rattle and Roll", "Skinny Minnie", and "Razzle Dazzle".

 

 

1927 Australian-English radio host Alan Freeman was born in New South Wales, Australia. Freeman started his British career as a summer relief disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg, and continued to present late-evening programmes on the station until the early 1970s. Moving to the BBC he presented various programmes including the iconic "Pick of the Pops".



In March 1994 Freeman revealed on breakfast television that he had become celibate in 1981, but had been bisexual. He was memorably described by Graham Chapman as being "...keen on motor bikes and leather and men".



In later years, Freeman suffered from arthritis and asthma from a 60-a-day smoking habit, and he used a Zimmer Frame or motorised wheelchair. He lived at Brinsworth House, a retirement home for actors and performers run by the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, until his death.

 
 
1927 American actress and singer Janet Leigh was born in Merced, California as Jeanette Helen Morrison. Best known for her role in "Psycho" for which she was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and received an Academy Award nomination. After two brief marriages at an early age, Leigh married actor Tony Curtis in 1951. During their high-profile marriage, the couple starred in five films together: Houdini (1953), The Black Shield of Falworth (1954), The Vikings (1958), The Perfect Furlough (1958) and Who Was That Lady? (1960). Leigh played mostly dramatic roles during the latter half of the 1950s, in films such as Safari (1955), and Touch of Evil (1958). She continued to appear occasionally in films and television, including The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and Bye Bye Birdie (1963), as well as two films with her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis: The Fog (1980) and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998).

 




 
1932 Scottish author Kenneth Grahame died aged 73yo  at  Pangbourne in Berkshire. Most famous for The Wind in the Willows (1908), one of the classics of children's literature. He also wrote The Reluctant Dragon; both books were later adapted into Disney films.

 

 

1936  A major breach of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal in England sends millions of gallons of water cascading 200 feet into the River Irwell.

 



1936 David Tynan O'Mahony is born in Firhouse, Dublin. As irreverent comedian Dave Allen he made regular television appearances in the United Kingdom in the later 1960s and 1970s. His career had a major resurgence during the late 1980s and early 1990s. At the height of his career he was Britain's most controversial comedian, regularly provoking indignation at his frequent highlighting of political hypocrisy and his disregard for religious authority. He also became known in the United States and Canada through broadcasts of his shows on television there.

 





1946  American actor and former football defensive end in the National Football League Fred Dryer was born in Hawthorne, Los Angeles County, California. Following his retirement from football, Dryer had a successful career as a film and television actor, notably starring in the series Hunter. His height (6'6") and physique were useful for his action roles.



 

1946 American actor, director, and screenwriter Sylvester Stallone is born as Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone in New York City. Stallone is well known for his Hollywood action roles. Two notable characters he has portrayed are the boxer Rocky Balboa and soldier John Rambo. He wrote every episode of the two eponymous franchises, and directed some of their installments as well.

 

 


 
1947 English actor Richard Beckinsale was born at Carlton. Nottinghamshire. Best known for his roles as Lennie Godber in the popular BBC sitcom Porridge (along with its sequel series Going Straight) and Alan Moore in the British sitcom Rising Damp.
 He is the father of actresses Samantha Beckinsale and Kate Beckinsale.

 

 


 
1957 Althea Gibson wins the Wimbledon championships, becoming the first black athlete to do so. In all she won 11 Grand Slam tournaments, including six doubles titles.

 


 
1958 English actress, singer, and screenwriter Jennifer Saunders is born at Sleaford, Lincolnshire. She first found widespread attention in the 1980s when she became a member of the Comic Strip after graduating from the Central School of Speech and Drama. With her comedy partner Dawn French, she wrote and starred in their eponymous sketch show, French and Saunders, for which she and French received a BAFTA fellowship in 2009. She received worldwide acclaim through the early to mid-1990s for writing and playing the lead role of Edina Monsoon in the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.

 




 
1960 Welsh politician Aneurin Bevan died from stomach cancer at his home Asheridge Farm, Chesham, Buckinghamshire. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people. He was a long-time Member of Parliament (MP), representing Ebbw Vale in southern Wales for 31 years. He was one of the chief spokesmen for the Labour party’s left wing, and of left-wing British thought generally. His most famous accomplishment came when, as Minister of Health, he spearheaded the establishment of the National Health Service, which was to provide medical care free at point-of-need to all Britons. He resigned when the Attlee government decided to transfer funds from the National Insurance fund to pay for rearmament.

Are You Listening Jeremiah Cunt?

 


 
1971 American singer and trumpet player Louis Armstrong died of a heart attack in his sleep aged 69yo. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an "inventive" trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. With his instantly recognizable gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes.

Satchmo

 


 
1979 American singer-songwriter and producer Van McCoy died from a heart attack in Englewood, New Jersey aged 39yo.  was an accomplished musician, record producer, arranger, songwriter, and orchestra conductor. He is known best for his 1975 internationally successful song "The Hustle".

 



1998 American singer and cowboy actor Roy Rogers died of congestive heart failure in Apple Valley, California. Known as the "King of the Cowboys", he appeared in over 100 films and numerous radio and television episodes of The Roy Rogers Show. In many of his films and television episodes, he appeared with his wife Dale Evans, his golden palomino Trigger, and his German Shepherd dog Bullet. His show ran on radio for nine years before moving to television from 1951 through 1957. His productions usually featured a sidekick, often Pat Brady, Andy Devine, or George "Gabby" Hayes. In his later years, Rogers lent his name to the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain.

 



   
 
2003 American character actor and dancer Buddy Ebsen died aged 95yo of pneumonia at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Torrance, California. A performer for seven decades, he had starring roles as Jed Clampett in the long-running CBS television series The Beverly Hillbillies and as the title character in the 1970s detective series Barnaby Jones.
 

Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Jed
Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed
Then one day he was shooting for some food,
And up through the ground come a bubbling crude
(Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea)

Well the first thing you know old Jed's a millionaire
Kin folk said Jed move away from there
Said California is the place you oughta be
So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly
(Hills that is, swimming pools, movie stars)

 

Well now it's time to say goodbye to Jed and all his kin
They would like to thank you folks for kindly dropping in
You're all invited back again to this locality
To have a heaping helping of their hospitality
(Beverly Hillbillies, that's what they call 'em now,
Nice folks Y'all come back now, ya hear?)

 
Royal News :  At the official christening of the new aircraft carrier 'HMS Queen Elizabeth', the Queen used a bottle of Scottish whisky on the hull of the vessel. Fourteen middle-aged men were later arrested as they attempted to cling on to the ship to lick the 'wasted' whisky. One was led away muttering," Och she's a stupid woman wasting the water of life like that! Why could she not use that damned champagne!"

Scotch On The Rocks!

The Aircraftless Aircraft Carrier

Ma Poor Wee Love

Wasting ir is a sin!