RIP December 7

First on the list is Cicero, or more properly Marcus Tullius Cicero.  He was a Roman poet and politician.  He got on the wrong side of some important people, like Marc Antony.  And in the end, despite the support of a lot of Roman people, he was captured and killed.

If you've ever read "Mutiny on the Bounty", you know what a horrible sea captain William Bligh was.  If you've read any actual history, you know he was a relatively mild commander, and a terrific sailor.  When his men mutinied in order to return to the fleshpots of Tahiti.  The men set him and some others adrift in a small boat,  which he then navigated 3600 miles to Timor.  (He learned navigation as a close aide to Captain Cook on his final voyage, which Bligh completed and Cook did not).  His career wasn't too badly compromised by the Mutiny, and he continued to get promoted and take on bigger assignments.  At any rate, he survived until 1817.

Ever heard of a "Rube Goldberg Device"?  Well the idea got its name from... Rube Goldberg.  He was a cartoonist, who sometimes featured devices that were incredibly complex and designed to do incredibly simple tasks.  It's kind of interesting to see some of what he came up with.  At any rate, he died in 1970 on this date. 

One of the best things in the entire history of television is the mini-series "I, Claudius".  While the story has it that it's a memoir written by Claudius; it was actually written by Robert Graves.  It was amazingly well acted, by Derek Jacobi and Brian Blessed as Claudius and Augustus respectively.  It also features Patrick Stewart.  Anyhow, it was written by Graves, who also did some terrific work as a translator of Latin books.  He died in 1985. 

Ever use Amway stuff?  Well it was co-founded by Grand Rapids Michigan native Jay Van Andel.  He died in 2004.    Enough said. 

John Edwards, one of the sleaziest sleazeballs to ever leave a trail of sleaze on the proverbial road to the White House, which he happily never got to, got lucky on this date in 2010, when his wife Elizabeth died.  At last, he could stop pretending he gave a crap about her.  She did fight her cancer with a bit of class and dignity, which is more than he ever showed. 

And a special nod to the 2400 who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor.  And to Harry Bratsberg of Detroit (and later Muskegon) better known as Harry Morgan; who left us just today.  RIP to you all.