286: Madonna Ciccone The Queen of Pop Born: 16 August 1958, Bay City, Michigan, United States of America Singer, songwriter, actress, and liberal activist. Madonna has had multiple songs hit the top of the pop charts including Vogue, Papa Don’t Preach, and Like a Prayer. She is also remembered for acting in films like A…
285: Kathryn Bigelow Film Director, Producer, and Screenwriter Born: 27 November 1951, San Carlos, California, United States of America Before arriving in Hollywood Kathryn was a painter, studying at the San Francisco Art Institute. Kathryn has helmed epic films like Zero Dark Thirty, Point Break (the original one) and The Hurt Locker—for which she received…
284: Karen Carpenter Singer and Drummer Born: 2 March 1950, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America Died: 4 February 1983, Downey, California, United States of America Karen who performed with her brother in The Carpenters duo, with hits songs including “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Superstar.” In all, they had seventeen top twenty hits…
283: Julie d’Aubigny Opera Singer and Swordswoman Born: 1670, Paris, France Died: 1707, Provence, France Also Known As: La Maupin Julie ran away from her life (literally) after being forced into a marriage by her father and decided to wander the French countryside looking for trouble instead. She started dressing in men’s clothing and performing…
282: Cherilyn Sarkisian But You Know Her as Cher Born: 20 May 1946, El Centro, California, United States of America Singer and actress who is remembered for her songs like Believe and If I Could Turn Back Time and for her film roles in Moonstruck, Burlesque, and most recently, Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go…
281: Mariya Oktyabrskaya Soviet Tank Driver During World War II Born: 16 August 1905, Crimean Peninsula Died: 15 March 1944, Smolensk, USSR (Present-day Smolensk, Russia) Mariya was the first female tank driver to be awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union accolade—the highest honor bestowed for bravery during combat. She was a Sergeant in the…
280: Adrienne de Noailles La Fayette La Fayette’s Wife (the famous Revolutionary War one—yes) Born: 2 November 1759, Paris, France Died: 24 December 1807, Auvergne, France Original Name: Marie Adrienne de Noailles She was the Marquise de La Fayette. Adrienne and Gilbert married when she was fourteen and he was sixteen. Together they purchased two…
279: Janis Joplin Musician and Member of the Twenty-Seven Club Born: 19 January 1943, Port Arthur, Texas, United States of America Died: 4 October 1970, Los Angeles, California, United States of America Before going solo, Janis was a part of the bands Kosmic Blues Band and Big Brother & the Holding Company. Janis performed solo…
278: Aretha Franklin Musician Remembered for Her Soulful Voice Born: 25 March 1942, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America Died: 16 August 2018, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America Aretha received eighteen Grammy awards in her lifetime and was the first woman ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Arguably her most…
277: Rebecca Nurse Salem Witch Born: 21 February 1621, Norfolk, England (Present-day United Kingdom) Died: 19 July 1692, Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Present-day Massachusetts, United States of America) Rebecca was hanged at seventy-one years of age despite being a fervent churchgoer and grandmother. According to sources she was known for her piety but also occasionally…