SRN13's Day of Days Blogosphere

July 4th

Feast Day of St Bertha of Artois.
Bertha was a Frankish and Anglo-Saxon abbess of noble birth.
When her husband Siegfried died in 672, after nearly twenty years of marriage and five daughters, Bertha was determined to become a Religious. In the year 682 or 685 Bertha had founded a convent at Blangy, Artois (now Blangy-sur-Ternoise). She retreated there with her two eldest daughters, Deotila and Gertru Later, her daughter Deotila succeeded her as Abbess, when Bertha retired to live the life of a recluse, solely devoted to prayer. St Bertha died at an advanced age of natural causes on July 4, 725. She is the Patron Saint of Widows.

1826 The 2nd President of the United States John Adams died aged 90yo. He served as President from 1797-1801, having served as the first Vice President under George Washington. Adams was also the first President to reside in the Washington mansion that would become known as The White House.

1826 Coincidentally the 3rd President of the USA Thomas Jefferson also died aged 83yo. He served from 1801-1809 having served as Adams' vice president earlier. Under his presidency the United States doubled in size.

1826 "Father of American Music" Stephen Foster was born in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania. Foster wrote over 200 songs including "Oh Susannah", " Camptown Races", "Old Folks At Home" and "Beautiful Dreamer".

1831 Amazingly the 5th President of the US, James Monroe, the final Founding Father of the United States, died aged 73yo. The third of the first five presidents to die on Independence Day he was born of French and Scottish descent he was elected President in 1816 with over 80% of the electorate vote. As President he bought Florida from Spain.

1862 Clergyman Charles Dodgson tells Alice Liddell the story that will grow into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels.

1872 A change hurrah! American President Calvin Coolidge was born at Plymouth Notch ,Vermont, he served between 1923, when he succeeded upon the death of incumbent Warren G. Harding until 1929, having won the election of 1924 in his own right.

1898 English singer, dancer and musical comedy artiste Gertrude Lawrence was born in London as Gertrude Alice Dagmar Klasen. Best known for her performances in London's West End and on Broadway in New York. In 1950 she became the first " Anna" to Yul Brynner's King of Siam in Rodgers and Hammerstein's "King And I", before ill health forced her to stand down.

1904 English actress Angela Baddeley was born in London. She was best known for her role as the curmudgeonly Mrs Bridges in ITV's 'Upstairs Downstairs'.

1910 African- American heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white former undefeated Champion Jim Jeffries when Jeffries' corner throws in the white towel during Round 15. The result sparked a series of race riots across the country.

1911 American oboist, conductor and musical producer Mitch Miller was born in Rochester, New York. Miller was in the 1950s and '60s a popular recording artist with such hits as " The Yellow Rose of Texas", " Tzena, Tzena, Tzena" and " The Children's Marching Song".

1924 American actress Eva Marie Saint is born at Newark, New Jersey. Best known for her starring roles in "Along the Waterfront" in 1954 and "North By Northwest" in 1959.

1927 Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida is born in Subiaco, Italy. She starred in many Hollywood films of the 1950s, " Beat the Devil" (1953), " Beautiful But Dangerous" (1954), "Trapeze" (1955), " The Hunchback of Notre Same" and " Solomon and Sheba" (1959).

1929 Author and screenwriter Neil Simon is born in The Bronx as Marvin Neil Simon. Best known for his Broadway plays "Barefoot in the Park" and "The Odd Couple" both of which he adapted for the cinema.

1931 Irish American actor Stephen Boyd was born at Glengormley, County Antrim. Boyd will always be remembered for his role as "Messala" in William Wyler's 1959 version of "Ben-Hur".

1934 Polish chemist and physicist Marie Curie died at Sancellemoz Sanatorium in Passy in Haute-Savoie from aplastic anaemia believed to have been contracted during her long term exposure to radiation. At the time they did not know the dangers of ionising radiation, Curie even carried test tubes of radioactive isotopes in her pocket! She was 66yo.

1938 Eminent American singer/songwriter Bill Withers is born in Slab Fork, West Virginia. Remembered for such songs as " Ain't No Sunshine", "Lovely Day" and "Lean On Me".

1960 American wrestler Sidney Raymond Rudy is born in West Memphis, Arkansas. Rudy better known under his ring names of Sid Justice, Sid Vicious and of course Sycho Sid! is a five time wrestling World Champion.

1960 Coincidentally Barry Clinton Windham was born in Sweetwater, Texas. Windham was the son of " Black Jack Mulligan" In the 1990s he was part of WCW's "Four Horsemen" alongside Arn Anderson, Ric Flair and Sid Vicious.

1962 Bob the Builder is born in Stafford! Well his alter-ego Neil Morrissey was! Besides being the voice of Bob the Builder Morrissey also starred in "Men Behaving Badly" as Tony and also alongside Michael Elphick in the ITV series"Boon" as his sidekick Rocky.

1965 English Radio 1 DJ Jo Whiley is born in Northampton. Whilst being a major contributed to the BBC's musical output Whitley's presenting style is not universally admired, Times' journalist Caitlin Moran stating "It's her on screen style that inspires the main rage. A decades long squirming awkwardness that makes her look as if she is about to corkscrew right off her chair and start drilling into the ground."

1989 English comedic character actor Jack Haig died from cancer in London aged 73yo. Best known for his guest and supporting roles in comedies such as Dad's Army, Terry and June, Hugh And I, Are You Being Served, though possibly he's best remembered for his role as Le Clerc in "Allo Allo".

" It is I, Le Clerc!"

2003 American R&B great Barry White died in hospital in Los Angeles whilst awaiting a kidney transplant, he was 58yo. Considered to be one of the pioneers of the early 1970s Disco Explosion his biggest hit was " You're the First, My Last, My Everything" a Number One hit in 1974.

2012 Comedian, writer, actor and director Eric Sykes died in Esher, Surrey following a short illness aged 89yo. He regularly wrote for and appeared with the leading comedy performers of the second half of the 20th Century including Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Tommy Cooper, Peter Sellers, etc. He was a TV star in his own right through his BBC series "Sykes" in which he starred opposite Hattie Jacques. In 2001 he had a notable success in a straight role playing a servant in the blockbuster supernatural thriller "The Others" alongside Nicole Kidman.

2013 Irish singer and actress Bernadette Nolan died in Weybridge, Surrey from cancer aged 52yo.

Second youngest of the singing Nolan Sisters, having three big hits in the late 1970s and early 80s including the 1979 mega-hit "I'm In The Mood For Dancing". Later she took up acting roles in Brookside and The Bill. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 she underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy and was declared cancer free. However in October 2012 she announced the cancer had returned and was incurable. The cancer had metastasised to her brain, lung, liver and bones. She died peacefully in her sleep at home.

Conservative News: The closeted summer dinner party for Conservative supporting businessman and lobbyists has again caused controversy about the buying of government interests and access to ministers forming government policies. Though the guest list is a closely guarded secret we can reveal that a number of guests have been leaked to us by people working at the event . President Bashar-Al-Assad of Syria was a surprise guest at William Hague's table alongside disgraced Ukrainian President Victor Yankovych. Health secretary Jeremiah Cunt was lavishly entertaining a group of American health care providers and lawyers, the PM Camoron had a busy time romancing Rebekah Brooks and talking with several Arab looking businessmen and arms dealers. Meanwhile American Tea Party favourite Sarah Palin was seen comparing kitten heel styles with home Secretary Theresa May. Senior representatives of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia were seen deep in conversation with Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond. Gideon Osborne was seen quaffing bottles of champagne with Banking Bosses whilst a certain Miss Natalie Rowe waited, whip in hand for him. The only absentees were Lord Duncan Smith and his protoge Miss McVey, it was announced they were otherwise occupied sucking the lifeblood from the country's poor, sick, disabled and needy!