Hey, remember when we had a king called the Posthumous a few days ago in the birthday category? I think his name was John, and he was French. Anyhow, today is the departure of Ladislaus the Posthumous of Hungary and Bohemia. The good news is that unlike John, he at least lived long enough to enjoy his crown. For a while. But he died at 17, so maybe not.
Ever heard of Gerrymandering? Well that's a rip-off of the name Elbridge Gerry, who died on this date in 1814. He probably never got any royalties, but he did get to be vice-president, for a year and a half or so. At which point, he died, which also had the effect of removing him from any possible consideration for succeeding his former boss. Oh, and he also signed the Declaration of Independence, but then refused to sign the Constitution. So be it.
Ever heard of Walter Reed Hospital? It was named after Walter Reed, believe it or not! And he was a doctor! Shocking, no? He was the leader of the group that concluded Yellow Fever is transmitted by 'skeeters. So that was good of him.
A couple of the great books of non-fiction to come out of WWII are "A bridge too far" and "The longest day". Both were written by Cornelius Ryan, who died on this date in 1974. Wonderful books, which I consider among the gold standard for history.
Country legend Roy Acuff shuffled off on this date in 1992. He was pretty darned influential in making it a more mainstream form of music, which, given what passes for "country" music today might not be a good thing. But that's my opinion.
Lots of other singers also died on this date, but nobody quite of Acuff's stature. And I once again invoke the "wait till next year" clause. By then, something might have made them more interesting, too!
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