70 years ago today, a Swedish housewife in her mid-30s, Astrid Lindgren, sprained her ankle so badly that she was confined to bed and finally put pen to paper transcribing the bedtime stories she’d been telling her 10-year-old daughter Karin for years. Pippi Longstocking, the red-haired, freckled character, became a “new role model for female assertiveness” and the chapter books were translated into 76 languages from Arabic to Zulu. READ more… (1944)
Pippi was named by Lindgren’s daughter, who asked her mother for a get-well story when she was off school. Unconventional with superhuman strength—able to lift her horse one-handed—she is playful and unpredictable. She often makes fun of unreasonable adults, especially if they are pompous and condescending.
Her anger comes out in extreme cases, such as when a man ill-treats his horse. The daughter of a buccaneer captain—with adventure stories to prove it—Pippi, like Peter Pan, has no interest in growing up.
MORE Good News on this Date:
- The famed Louvre Museum opened to the public in Paris (1794)
- The state of New York abolished slavery (1799)
- A Democratic constitution went into effect in Ecuador (1929)
- Heritage Canada was incorporated in Ottawa as a national trust to promote the preservation of scenic and historic sites (1978)
- The twelfth Easter Seal Telethon raised $19.5 million (1982)
- President George H. W. Bush posthumously awarded Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal (1990)
- Christian Churches Together was launched by Roman Catholics, Evangelical, and Pentecostal denominations—34 in total—joining to create “the most inclusive fellowship of Christian churches and traditions in the United States” (2006)
Happy 82nd Birthday to the versatile and renowned bass-baritone, Samuel Ramey. Throughout his career, he has performed numerous leading roles to acclaim, such as Figaro in La Nozze di Figaro, and Atilla the Hun in Verdi’s Atilla. He is known for having an accomplished “bel canto” technique that allows him to sing the delicate parts of Handel and Mozart, but also powerful enough for more overtly dramatic roles in Verdi and Puccini. WATCH Ramey sing The Toreador Song… (1942)
Happy 52nd Birthday to the hilarious Nick Frost who together with comedic colleagues Simon Peg and Edgar Wright, unleashed a new wave of English humor upon the cinema world that many were not ready for. Starring alongside the Peg in the buddy cop comedy Hot Fuzz, in the zombie-based comedy Sean of the Dead, and The World’s End featuring a screenplay centered around a drinking bender-turned escape from an invasion of the body-snatchers situation, he became part of the most prominent English comedy team to land in America since Monty Python. WATCH a bit of Hot Fuzz, laugh, and then go watch the whole thing… (1972)
17 years ago today, the World Bank approved a plan to cancel the debt of 17 of the world’s poorest countries, forgiving some $37 billion in loans.
The organization was reacting to pressure from televised global concerts and internet organizing by the ONE campaign against extreme poverty, championed by the rockers Bono and Bob Geldorf. Financiers also agreed to a package that called for additional donor contributions over time to ensure delivery of new resources for poverty reduction. (2006)
And, 120 years ago today, Marlin Perkins, the American zoologist and television host was born.
Pursuing his passion for reptiles, he quit college to become a laborer at the zoo in St. Louis, his for hometown, working his way up to become director at various zoos in the US. He became the famed host of Wild Kingdom, a TV show that gave many Americans their first exposure to the conservation movement and the protection of endangered species. (1905)
Also, on this day 157 years ago, Denton “Cy” Young was born.
During his 22-season career as a Major League Baseball pitcher, he established multiple unbeatable records, some of which have stood for a century. Young, whose nickname was short for ‘Cyclone’, compiled 511 wins–the most in history (94 ahead of Walter Johnson)–and holds the record for most career innings pitched (7,356), most games started (815), and most complete games (749). One year after Young’s death, the Cy Young Award was created to honor the best pitcher of the season. (1867)
Happy 69th Birthday to Reba McEntire, the country music artist, and actress sometimes referred to as ‘The Queen of Country’.
One of the best-selling artists of all time, she’s sold more than 75 million records worldwide, with 29 studio albums and 42 No.1 singles. The Oklahoma native also starred in the television sitcom, Reba, for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award. She also starred in the 1990 film Tremors and in the 2001 Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun. (1955)
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