(Encyclopedia) Benjamin, Walter, 1892–1940, German essayist and critic. He is known for his synthesis of eccentric Marxist theory and Jewish messianism. In particular, his essays on Charles…
astronautDied: May 3, 2007 (San Diego, California) Best Known as: astronaut in three of NASA's earliest manned space programs The only astronaut to fly…
business executiveBorn: 5/11/1889Birthplace: San Francisco, Calif. Haas began his lifelong affiliation with Levi Strauss & Co. in 1914 when he married the grand-niece of its founder. The…
entrepreneur, philanthropistBorn: 1897Birthplace: Chicago, Ill. An industrialist who is largely credited with having turned Aspen, Colorado into a cultural mecca and winter playground for the…
Born: Sept. 8, 1907Baseball 1B won Negro League championship nine years in a row with the Homestead Grays; hit .391 in 1948 to lead the league; usually batted cleanup behind Josh Gibson; retired at…
Born: 1911Birthplace: San Francisco, Calif. Radio distance and direction indicator—Alvarez was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1968. He helped design a ground-controlled radar system for…
Born: 1902Birthplace: Amoy, China Transistor—Bardeen, Shockley and Brattain shared the 1956 Nobel Prize for Physics for the invention of the transistor. The transistor replaced the vacuum tube and…
musicianBorn: Oct. 4, 1927Birthplace: New York City A pianist during the bebop era, he played and recorded with many jazz greats, including Art Blakey, Charlie Parker, Oscar Pettiford, and Miles…
Born: Sept. 25, 1905Sportswriter for newspapers in Philadelphia and New York from 1936-82 won Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1976.Died: Jan. 15, 1982
