They're checking out

Today marks the end of the line for Malcolm III of Scotland.  You probably know him for his role in dealing with Macbeth.  Yup, they all existed in real life- though I doubt everything Shakespeare said about them is quite right, historically speaking.  But it's still fun to read.  I saw a version of Macbeth in the park once- they staged it all as kind of a "Roaring 20s" theme.  It wasn't as bad as it sounds, and Shakespeare is always better watched than it is read.

Another interesting person died today.  Which is actually the whole point of this exercise, right?  Anyhow, it was Prince Henry The Navigator.  Despite his name, he wasn't actually much of a sailor.  But he did pay lots of other people to explore on his behalf, and also ordered the development of the type of ship known as the caravel. 

In music news, RIP Gioachino Rossini.  He composed "The Barber of Seville" and "William Tell" (or "Guillame Tell", if you're more pretentious.)

In 1954, Field Marshal Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist died.  Guess which side he was on in the War?  He was actually not a bad guy, by the standards of the German leadership.  He was a successful panzer commander, though he did try to fire General Guderian.  For the move that basically defeated the French.  So that's not exactly one of the things he would have bragged about in his memoirs, had he lived to write them.  But alas, he was in prison in Russia, and didn't make it out.

Hey, it seems like Hee Haw week here!  Twas 1983 when Junior Samples left us.  I presume he did things other than that one show, but I'm not interested enough to look them up.  I'm not surprised he was almost 60 when he died- I saw a clip of Hee Haw on you tube a couple years ago (I admit, I was looking for something related to the show, but I don't recall what); and I thought he looked a lot older than the role he was playing.  His phone number for a sketch on the show was BR-549.  It later was taken as the name of a band.  They played old-timey country music (Think Hank Sr).  Their first album was awesome.  The second one was decent.  Beyond that, I have no idea.  But if you can find that debut album (it features "Little Ramona" and "Even if it's wrong"), pick it up. 

Antal Dorati also died on this date, in 1988.  He was a well-known conductor, who led the Detroit Symphony Orchestra among others.  So you know what that means, right?  Yup.  He was pretty cool.  Oh, and he studied piano under Béla Bartok.

In 1999, Donald Mills died.  He was one of the Mills Brothers.  Yeah, he was probably that one in all their pictures.  You know that one guy who always stood in the one spot?

And that's about it.  Wasn't that fun?  And totally worth the wait?