Famous Birthday Thread

[Scott]

My local newspaper publishes a "cake list" of celebrity and noteworthy birthdays. The subjects include pop culture, hollywood stars, sports, notorious characters, historical names, etc. Thus, the inspiration for this new game!

Be creative, but give a few meaningful clues - this isn't stump-the-dummy, and should be fun. I'll phrase the introduction in a first-person manner, but feel free to choose your format! Winner chooses the next birthday. If nobody guesses correctly, please be courteous and give the answer within 24 hours or so!

November 7: I was a famous female scientist who made discoveries of something not easily seen, tasted, or heard. European born, my last name reflects that of my husband. What is my name??

 

[plumsmum2005]

Is it Marie Sklodowska Curie, Scott?

 

[Scott]

Is it Marie Sklodowska Curie, Scott?

Yes it is, K!!!! Great job solving this right away!! An absolutely brilliant scientist who discovered Radium and Polonium. (named after her native Poland) First woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person and only woman to win the Nobel twice!

Your turn!!

 

[plumsmum2005]

March 3rd - I was a Scottish scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator. My mother and wife were deaf. My family was long associated with the teaching of elocution. For my 11th birthday my father allowed me after much pleading to adopt a middle name like my brothers. Who am I?

 

[Allee]

Alexander Graham Bell?

 

[plumsmum2005]

Yay, it is Allee.

Yes indeed AG Bell, he is credited with patenting the first practical telephone.

Your turn now ...

 

[Allee]

I would love to know what AG Bell might think of our current technology!

***

I was born on November 9, 1934 in Brooklyn, New York. I was an academic, astronomer and a very popular scientist in the 1970s and 1980s. I was named director of Cornell's Laboratory for Planetary Studies in 1968 and worked with NASA on several projects. I was an antinuclear activist and introduced the idea of "nuclear winter" in 1983. I co-founded The Planetary Society, an international non-profit organization focusing on space exploration. Who am I?

 

[GaleriaGila]

The Rival's Hero... Carl Sagan! There's a poster with birth-death date, in his man-cave...

 

[Allee]

Correct! My hero too! I have all his books!

Your turn...

 

[GaleriaGila]

YAYYYYYYY!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeek............ pressure's on.................

 

[GaleriaGila]

I was a pioneering natural history artist (my parrots were the first to be drawn from life, not skins/taxidermy). Even so, I am better remembered for my whimsical nonsense poems and limericks. "The Owl and the *****-cat went to sea. In a beautiful pea-green boat". Lived... May 12, 1812 to January 29, 1888 (London, England native). I'm Gail's idol; she has my portrait of a Rickeybird. Who am I?

 

[GaleriaGila]

OMG... make that "the owl and the kitty-cat"?!

 

[Scott]

Edward Lear?

 

[GaleriaGila]

You got it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your turn...

 

[Scott]

I was a famous aeronautical engineer whose talents produced aircraft from pre-WW2 to the modern era. Two of my most famous aircraft performed the same task; one was slow, the other extraordinarily fast. The slow one is still in use today and once sparked a well known international incident.* Who was I?


*The subject of books and film.

 

[Scott]

I was a famous aeronautical engineer whose talents produced aircraft from pre-WW2 to the modern era. Two of my most famous aircraft performed the same task; one was slow, the other extraordinarily fast. The slow one is still in use today and once sparked a well known international incident.* Who was I?


*The subject of books and film.

It has been 24 hrs, so you will now know me as Clarence "Kelly" Johnson of Lockheed Aircraft fame. I designed a wide variety of aircraft from the WW2 twin-tailed P-38 Lightning to the two subjects of this post. The Lockheed U-2 spyplane was developed early in the cold war and resembles a glider. Slow but high-flying, one was shot down* over the USSR in 1960 and created a huge uproar and embarrassment for President Eisenhower. Francis Gary Powers survived, was held and tried, and eventually released. That was the last publicly known surveillance flight over the USSR until the advent of the second aircraft. The SR-71 "Blackbird" was one of my final designs and remains the fastest jet aircraft known. The Soviets tried to down them in vain, but they flew too high and were blindingly fast. Interestingly, the SR-71 was retired and relegated to museums while advanced versions of the U-2 are still flown.

The next person to stumble on this thread can have the honor of posting a new entry!


*Several books and movies have been made of this event.

 

[Allee]

Thanks for all the interesting history lessons in this thread!

I was born on November 11, 1885 in San Gabriel, California. I attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. I was considered one of the most successful combat generals in U.S. history. During WWII I lead the allies to victory in the invasion of Sicily. I was instrumental to the liberation of Germany from the Nazis. I was both loved and despised. Who was I?

 

[GaleriaGila]

Loved George C. Scott in the movie...

General George Patton!

 

[Allee]

So did I, Gail! George C. Scott is one of my favorite actors!

Your turn M'Lady!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Loved him in "The Changeling" too.

Okay, this will be