Curated playlist
2022 deaths
- James McDivittOn Gemini 4, James McDivitt had to force a jammed hatch latch back into place with his fingers.
- Jiang ZeminJiang Zemin once recited the Gettysburg Address in English to student protesters. He later led China from 1989 to 2002.
- William HurtBefore William Hurt became an Oscar winner, he studied theology. He earned that degree at Tufts University in 1972.
- Elizabeth IIElizabeth II was born only third in line to the throne. Edward VIII's abdication in 1936 made her heir.
- Mikhail GorbachevMikhail Gorbachev refused to declare a state of emergency during the August 1991 coup.
- Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis feared his own hit song was blasphemous.
- Bill RussellBill Russell won eleven NBA championships in thirteen seasons. No team has matched that record since.
- Jürgen GrabowskiJürgen Grabowski's cross set up a last-second equalizer in the 1970 World Cup semi-final. West Germany still lost 4-3.
- Pope Benedict XVIPope Benedict XVI was born Joseph Alois Ratzinger on Holy Saturday, the 16th of April 1927, and was baptised the same day. For years as a cardinal, he said what he wanted most was a quiet life in his house in Pentling, a Bavarian village…
- Jean-Luc GodardJean-Luc Godard dropped his script and wrote dialogue day by day for the film Breathless.
- Thích Nhất HạnhMartin Luther King Jr. nominated a Vietnamese monk for the Nobel Peace Prize. His name was Thich Nhat Hanh.
- Shinzo AbeShinzo Abe's killer said his motive was the Unification Church, not Abe's politics. It happened in Nara in 2022.
- Dave WolvertonDave Wolverton chose a second name partly because of where books were placed in bookstores. He was born John David Wolverton, and he published as both Dave Wolverton and David Farland. His reasoning was practical. A fantasy author needed a…
- Rodney StarkRodney Stark, once "personally incapable of religious faith," called himself an "independent Christian" in 2007.
- Leonel SánchezLeonel Sánchez knocked out an Italian defender with one punch at the 1962 World Cup.
- Meat LoafMeat Loaf was born Marvin Lee Aday in Dallas, Texas, and by his own account he was bright red for days afterward. His father took one look at the baby and said he resembled "nine pounds of ground chuck." The father then talked hospital…
- Hilary MantelHilary Mantel became the first woman to win the Booker Prize twice. Her winners were Wolf Hall and its sequel.
- John KortyJohn Korty turned a barn in Marin County into a film studio. Lucas and Coppola visited, inspired to build their own.
- Gail HalvorsenGail Halvorsen handed two sticks of gum to Berlin children in July 1948. He was a young Air Force pilot.
- PeléAt 17, Pelé passed out on the field after scoring twice in the 1958 World Cup final. His teammate Garrincha revived him.
- Robert DurstOn the 30th of November 2001, Robert Durst was caught inside a Wegmans supermarket in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was trying to steal Band-Aids, a newspaper and a chicken salad sandwich. In his pocket he had $500 in cash. Durst, an…
- Olivia Newton-JohnDame Olivia Newton-John sold more than 100 million records, a total that makes her the highest-selling female Australian recording artist of all time. She was born in Cambridge, England, in 1948 and raised in Melbourne. Her career…
- Valeri PolyakovValeri Polyakov refused a chair after 437 days in space and walked instead. It was a message about Mars.
- Correlli BarnettMichael Heseltine gave every Cabinet member a copy of Correlli Barnett's The Lost Victory.
- Joel WhitburnJoel Whitburn began writing Hot 100 chart positions on index cards in 1958. Later came more than 200 books.