On this day in 1947, The Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short‘s body was found in the Leimert Park district of Los Angeles, the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder, at the age of 22. Born Elizabeth Short on 29 July 1924 in Boston, Massachusetts. Short acquired the nickname posthumously by newspapers in the habit of nicknaming crimes they found particularly colorful. Short’s unsolved murder has been the source of widespread speculation, leading to many suspects, along with several books and film adaptations of the story. 
The Final Footprint – Short was buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California. A 1975 TV movie, “Who Is the Black Dahlia?” featured Lucie Arnaz in the role of Elizabeth. James Ellroy wrote The Black Dahlia in 1987. It was a fictionalized account of Elizabeth, the events in her life eventually leading to her death, and two obsessed cops who attempt to find her killer. A fictionalized account of Black Dahlia murder was featured in the program American Horror Story: Murder House in episode 9 Spooky Little Girl. She was portrayed by actress Mena Suvari. In the episode, Elizabeth was murdered by a young doctor who resided in the show’s haunted house. Short is portrayed in the episode as a ghost who has lost her memory and is doomed to linger on the house’s premises. True Confessions, a 1981 film starring Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall was loosely based on the murder case. The film was adapted from a 1977 novel of the same name by John Gregory Dunne. A movie titled The Black Dahlia, based on Ellroy’s book, was released in September 2006 directed by Brian De Palma and starred Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank. Mia Kirshner played Elizabeth.
#RIP #OTD in 1955 surrealist painter, husband of Kay Sage, Yves Tanguy died from astroke at Woodbury, Connecticut, aged 55. His cremated remains were kept until Sage’s death in 1963. Their remains were scattered by his friend Pierre Matisse on the beach at Douarnenez in Brittany
On this day in 1983, major organized crime figure, the “Mob’s Accountant”, Meyer Lansky died of lung cancer at the age of 80 in Miami Beach. Born Meyer Suchowlansky in Grodno (then in Russian Empire, now in Belarus) on 4 July 1902. Along with his associate Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Lansky was instrumental in the development of the “National Crime Syndicate” in the United States. For decades he was thought to be one of the most powerful individuals in the country. Lansky developed a gambling empire which stretched across the seas. He was said to own points in casinos in Las Vegas, Cuba, The Bahamas and London. Although a member of the Jewish Mob, Lansky undoubtedly had strong influence with the Italian Mafia and played a large role in the consolidation of the criminal underworld (although the full extent of this role has been the subject of some debate, as he himself denied many of the accusations against him). Despite all the reports, the U.S. Justice Department never found Lansky guilty of anything more serious than illegal gambling. 
The Final Footprint – Lansky is interred in Mount Nebo Miami Memorial Gardens in West Miami. The character Hyman Roth, portrayed by Lee Strasberg, and certain aspects of the main character Michael Corleone from Francis Ford Coppola‘s film The Godfather Part II (1974), appear to be based on Lansky. Shortly after the premiere in 1974, Lansky phoned Strasberg and congratulated him on a good performance (Strasberg was nominated for an Oscar for his role), but added “You could’ve made me more sympathetic.” Roth’s statement to Michael Corleone that “We’re bigger than U.S. Steel” was actually a direct quote from Lansky, who said the same thing to his wife while watching a news story on the Cosa Nostra. The Godfather character Johnny Ola is similar to Lansky’s associate Vincent Alo. Additionally, the character Moe Greene, who was a friend of Roth’s, appears to be modeled upon Bugsy Siegel. The film reflects real life in that Lansky was denied the Right of Return to Israel and returned to the U.S. to face criminal charges, but fabricated details regarding Roth’s attempts to bribe Latin American dictators for entry to their countries, as well as Roth’s ultimate fate. Maximilian “Max” Bercovicz, the gangster played by James Woods in Sergio Leone’s opus Once Upon A Time In America, appears to be inspired by Lansky. Mark Rydell played Lansky in the 1990 Sydney Pollack film Havana, starring Robert Redford. The film Bugsy (1991), a biography of Siegel, included Lansky as a major character, played by Ben Kingsley, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. In the 1991 film Mobsters, he is played by Patrick Dempsey. Lansky is portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the 2005 film The Lost City, which presents a fictionalized account of Lansky’s involvement in Cuba.
On this day in 1993, lyricist, songwriter and musician, multiple Academy Award-winner, Sammy Cahn, died in Los Angeles, California at the age of 79 from heart failure. Born Samuel Cohen on 18 June 1913 in The Lower East Side of Manhattan. My favorite Cahn songs are; “(Love is) The Tender Trap”, “Come Fly with Me” and “My Kind of Town”. Cahn and composer Jimmy Van Heusen wrote many songs for Frank Sinatra. Cahn was married twice; Gloria Delson and Virginia “Tita” Curtis. 
The Final Footprint – Cahn is interred at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary (a Dignity Memorial® provider) in Los Angeles. His grave is marked by a full ledger granite marker inscribed with his name, birth and death years and; SLEEP WITH A SMILE. Other notable final footprints at Westwood include; Ray Bradbury, Truman Capote, James Coburn, Rodney Dangerfield, Janet Leigh, Farrah Fawcett, Hugh Hefner, Brian Keith, Don Knotts, Burt Lancaster, Peter Lawford, Peggy Lee, Jack Lemmon, Karl Malden, Dean Martin, Walter Mathau, Marilyn Monroe, Carroll O’Connor, Roy Orbison, George C. Scott, Dorothy Stratten, Natalie Wood, and Frank Zappa.
#RIP #OTD in 1994 singer (“Everybody’s Talkin'”, “Without You”), songwriter (“One”) Harry Nilsson died of heart failure in his Agoura Hills, California, home at the age of 52. Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, Westlake Village, California
#RIP #OTD in 1998 blues singer (“Messin’ with the Kid”, Hoodoo Man Blues), harmonica player, Junior Wells died in Chicago, aged 63. Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago
On this day in 2018, musician, singer and songwriter Dolores O’Riordan died as a result of accidental drowning in a bathtub due to sedation by alcohol intoxication at the London Hilton on Park Lane hotel in Mayfair, London, at the age of 46. Born Dolores Mary Eileen O’Riordan on 6 September 1971 in Ballybricken, County Limerick, Ireland. She was the vocalist for rock band The Cranberries from 1990 until their break-up in 2003, later reuniting with her band in 2009, which she led until her death in 2018.
O’Riordan’s first solo album, Are You Listening?, was released in May 2007 and was followed up by No Baggage in 2009. O’Riordan was known for her lilting mezzo-soprano voice, her emphasised use of keening, and her strong Limerick accent.
On 18 July 1994, O’Riordan married Don Burton, the former tour manager of Duran Duran, at Holy Cross Abbey in Co. Tipperary. The couple divorced in 2014.
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Funeral plans included a service reserved for extended family and close friends. A three-day memorial in her hometown, with O’Riordan lying in repose, lasted from 20–22 January at St Joseph’s church. O’Riordan’s songs were played, while photographs of the singer performing and one of her with Pope John Paul II were placed along the walls.
She was buried on 23 January after a service at Saint Ailbe’s Roman Catholic Church, Ballybricken, County Limerick; it began with the studio recording of “Ave Maria” as sung by O’Riordan and Luciano Pavarotti. At the end of the service the Cranberries’ song “When You’re Gone” was played. O’Riordan was buried alongside her father at Caherelly Cemetery in Hebertstown, County Limerick.
On this day in 2019, actress, singer, dancer, and comedian Carol Channing died of natural causes at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, at the age of 97. Born Carol Elaine Channing on January 31, 1921 in . Perhaps best known for starring in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, whether singing or for comedic effect.
Channing began as a Broadway musical actress starring in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1949 and Hello, Dolly! in 1964, and winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the latter. She revived both roles several times throughout her career, playing Dolly on Broadway for the final time in 1995. She was nominated for her first Tony Award in 1956 for The Vamp, followed by a nomination in 1961 for Show Girl. She received her fourth Tony Award nomination for the musical Lorelei in 1974.
As a film actress, she won the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Her other film appearances include The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) and Skidoo (1968). On television, she appeared as an entertainer on variety shows, from The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1950s to Hollywood Squares. She performed The White Queen in the TV production of Alice in Wonderland (1985), and she had the first of many TV specials in 1966, entitled An Evening with Carol Channing.
Channing was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1981 and received a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 1995. She continued to perform and make appearances well into her 90s, singing songs from her repertoire and sharing stories with fans, cabaret-style. She released her autobiography Just Lucky I Guess in 2002, and Larger Than Life was released in 2012, a documentary film about her career.
Channing in 2009
Channing was married four times. Her first husband was Theodore Naidish, whom she married when she was 20 in 1941. He was a writer, who in 1944 wrote Watch Out for Willie Carter. Her second husband Alexander F. Carson, known as Axe, or “The Murderous Ax”, played center for the Ottawa Rough Riders Canadian football team and was also a private detective. They married in 1950 and divorced in September 1956.
In September 1956, following the entry of the divorce decree from Carson, Channing married her manager and publicist Charles Lowe. Channing filed for divorce from Lowe in 1998, but her estranged husband died before the divorce was finalized. After Lowe’s death and until shortly before her fourth marriage, the actress’s companion was Roger Denny, an interior decorator. In 2003, while recording the audiobook of her autobiography Just Lucky, I Guess, at VideoActive Productions, NYC, produced and directed by Steve Garrin, she rekindled her romance with her junior high school sweetheart, Harry Kullijian, and they married on May 10, 2003. They later performed at their old junior high school in a benefit for the school. They also promoted arts education in California schools through their Dr. Carol Channing and Harry Kullijian Foundation. The couple resided in both Modesto, California, and Rancho Mirage, California. Harry Kullijian died on December 26, 2011, the eve of his 92nd birthday.
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On January 16, the lights on Broadway were dimmed in her honor. A crowd congregated outside the St. James Theater, as it had also been the anniversary of the opening of the original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!. She was cremated and her cremated remains were scattered between the Curran theater and the Geary theater in San Francisco.
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On this day in 1957, U.S. Navy veteran, Academy Award-winning actor and American icon, Bogie, Humphrey Bogart, died from cancer at his home in Holmby Hills, California at the age of 57. Born Humphrey DeForest Bogart on 25 December 1899 in New York City. Bogart is a Dutch name meaning orchard. His acting breakthrough came in 1941, with High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon. The next year, his performance in Casablanca raised him to the peak of his profession and cemented his trademark film persona; the hard-boiled cynic who ultimately shows his noble side. Bogart’s other notable movies included; To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), Key Largo (1948), with his wife Lauren Bacall; The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); The African Queen (1951), for which he won his only Academy Award; Sabrina (1954) and The Caine Mutiny (1954). His last movie was The Harder They Fall (1956). During a film career of almost thirty years, he appeared in 75 feature films. Bogart was married four times; Helen Menken (1926 – 1927 divorce), Mary Phillips (1928 – 1937 divorce), Mayo Methot (1938 – 1945 divorce), Bacall (1945 – 1957 his death).
On this day in 1977, author Anaïs Nin died in Los Angeles, California after a three year battle with cancer, at the age of 73. Born Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell on 21 February 1903 in Neuilly, France to a Cuban father and a French/Danish mother. Nin wrote journals (which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death), novels, critical studies, essays, short stories, and erotica; including Delta of Venus (1977), Little Birds (1979) and Henry and June (1986). On 3 March 1923, in Havana, Cuba, Nin married her first husband, Hugh Parker Guiler (1898–1985), a banker and artist, later known as “Ian Hugo” when he became a maker of experimental films in the late 1940s. According to her diaries, Vol.1, 1931–1934, Nin shared a bohemian lifestyle with writer Henry Miller during her time in Paris. The diaries tell that her union with Miller was very passionate and physical, and that she believed that it was a pregnancy by him that she aborted in 1934. In 1947, at the age of 44, she met former actor Rupert Pole in a Manhattan elevator on her way to a party. The two ended up dating and traveled to California together; Pole was sixteen years her junior. On 17 March 1955, she married him at Quartzsite, Arizona, returning with Pole to live in California. Guiler remained in New York City and was unaware of Nin’s second marriage until after her death in 1977, or chose not to know. Nin referred to her simultaneous marriages as her “bicoastal trapeze”. In 1966, Nin had her marriage with Pole annulled, due to the legal issues arising from both Guiler and Pole having to claim her as a dependent on their federal tax returns. Though the marriage was annulled, Nin and Pole continued to live together as if they were married, up until her death in 1977. Nin often cited authors Djuna Barnes and D. H. Lawrence as inspirations. 
On this day in 1986, actress Donna Reed died 
On this day in 2006, actress Shelley Winters died from heart failure at the Rehabilitation Center of Beverly Hills, at the age of 85. Born Shirley Schrift on August 18, 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her career spanned almost six decades.
Winters was married four times. Her husbands were:
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On this day in 2009, actor Ricardo Montalbán died from congestive heart failure at his home in Los Angeles at age 88. Born Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino on November 25, 1920 in Mexico City. His career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for many different performances in a variety of genres, from crime and drama to musicals and comedy.
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On this day in 2016, actor and director Alan Rickman died in London 
On this day in 2010, singer Teddy Pendergrass died from respiratory failure with his wife Joan by his side, at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania at the age of 59. Born Theodore DeReese Pendergrass on March 26, 1950 in Philadelphia. He initially rose to musical fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. After leaving the group over monetary disputes in 1976, Pendergrass launched a successful solo career under the Philadelphia International label, releasing four consecutive platinum albums, then a record for an African-American R&B artist. Pendergrass’ career was suspended after a near-fatal car crash in March 1982 that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Pendergrass continued his successful solo career until announcing his retirement in 2007. Pendergrass died from respiratory failure in January 2010.
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On this day in 2001, thoroughbred racehorse, Champion Two-Year-Old Colt (1977), Champion Three-Year-Old Male (1978), Two-X Horse of the Year (1978, 1979) and 11th Triple Crown Winner (1978), Affirmed, died at Jonabell Farm near Lexington, Kentucky, age 25. Affirmed was euthanized after falling seriously ill with laminitis, a circulatory hoof disease. The same disease led to the death of fellow Triple Crown winner Secretariat. Foaled on 21 February 1975 at Harbor View Farm near Fellowship, Florida. Affirmed was the great-great-grandson of Triple Crown winner War Admiral through damsire Crafty Admiral, and thereby the great-great-great grandson of Man o’ War who won two of the three Triple Crown races himself. Affirmed was also known for his famous rivalry with Alydar, whom he met ten times, including in all three Triple Crown races and where Alydar became the first racehorse to finish second in all three Triple Crown races. I remember watching all three of those races that year. I fell in love with both of these beautiful chestnut horses. Affirmed was trained by Hall of Fame trainer Laz Barrera. Barrera once said: “Affirmed is greater than Secretariat, or any Triple Crown winner, because only Affirmed had to face Alydar.” During the Triple Crown races, Affirmed was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Steve Cauthen. 
On this day in 2003, musician, singer, songwriter Maurice Gibb died unexpectedly due to complications of a twisted intestine, with his wife, children, and brothers at his side at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida at the age of 53. Born Maurice Ernest Gibb on 22 December 1949 in Douglas, Isle of Man. He achieved fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his brothers Barry and Robin Gibb were the group’s main lead singers, most of their albums included at least one or two compositions by Maurice, including “Lay It on Me”, “Country Woman”, and “On Time”. Gibb’s role in the group focused on melody and arrangements, providing backing vocal harmony and playing a variety of instruments.
On this day in 2007, jazz musician and composer, and swamini, Alice Coltrane died of respiratory failure at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in suburban Los Angeles, aged 69. Born Alice McLeod on August 27, 1937 in Detroit. Also known by her adopted Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda or Turiya. One of the few harpists in the history of jazz, she recorded many albums as a bandleader, beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s for Impulse! and other major record labels. She was the second wife and the widow of jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane.
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On this day in 1843, lawyer, author, and poet, Francis Scott Key, died at the home of his daughter Elizabeth Howard in Baltimore, Maryland at the age of 63. Born on 1 August 1779 in Carroll County Maryland. During the War of 1812, Key dined aboard the British ship HMS Tonnant, as a guest of the British. Key was there to negotiate the release of prisoners. Key was not allowed to return to his own sloop: he had become familiar with the strength and position of the British units and with the British intent to attack Baltimore. As a result, Key was unable to do anything but watch the bombarding of the American forces at Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore on the night of 13 September – 14 September 1814. When the smoke cleared, Key was able to see an American flag still waving and reported this to the prisoners below deck. On the way back to Baltimore, he was inspired to write a poem describing his experience, “The Defence of Fort McHenry”, which he published in the Patriot on 20 September 1814. He intended to fit the words to the rhythms of composer John Stafford Smith‘s “To Anacreon in Heaven”. It became known as “The Star Spangled Banner”. Under this name, the song was adopted as the American national anthem, first by an Executive Order from President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 (which had little effect beyond requiring military bands to play it) and then by a Congressional resolution in 1931, signed by President Herbert Hoover. In 1832, Key served as the attorney for Sam Houston during his trial in the U.S. House of Representatives for assaulting another Congressman. Key was a distant cousin and the namesake of F. Scott Fitzgerald whose full name was Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. Scott was married to Mary Tayloe “Polly” Lloyd (1784 – 1843 his death). 
On this day in 2015, actress Anita Ekberg died at the clinic San Raffaele in Rocca di Papa in Castelli Romani, Italy, at the age of 83. Born Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg on 29 September 1931 in Malmö, Skåne, Sweden. She is best known for her role as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita (1960). Ekberg worked primarily in Italy, where she became a permanent resident in 1964.
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On this day in 1917, soldier, Medal of Honor recipient, bison hunter and showman, Buffalo Bill Cody, died surrounded by family and friends at his sister’s house in Denver, Colorado, at the age of 70. Born William Frederick Cody on 26 February 1846 near LeClaire, Iowa. One of the most colorful figures of the American Old West, mostly famous for the shows he organized with cowboy themes. At one time or another, the wild west shows Cody appeared in or founded featured, James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok, Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane and the great Lakota Sioux holy man and war chief Sitting Bull. He was instrumental in founding the city of Cody, Wyoming. Cody established the TE Ranch located on the South Fork of the Shoshone River about thirty-five miles from Cody. The spread eventually included 8,000 acres for a grazing operation that ran about 1,000 head of cattle. Cody was married to Louisa Maud Frederici (1866 – 1917 his death). My heroes have always been Cowboys.
The Final Footprint – Cody is interred in the Cody private estate on Lookout Mountain in Golden, Colorado. Louisa was interred next to him when she passed in1921. The estate is marked by a stone monument with a bronze plaque with their names and birth and death years. Underneath Louisa’s name is the inscription, AT REST HERE BY HIS REQUEST. Cody’s grave is marked by a bronze individual marker inscribed with his name and birth and death dates and the following; MEDAL OF HONOR INDIAN SCOUT 3 US CAV INDIAN WARS.
On this day in 1971, fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand, Coco Chanel died at the Hotel Ritz in Paris, where she had resided for more than 30 years, at the age of 87. Born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel on 19 August 1883 to an unmarried mother, Eugénie Jeanne Devolle – known as Jeanne – a laundrywoman, in the charity hospital run by the Sisters of Providence (a poorhouse) in Saumur, France. Her father, Albert Chanel was an itinerant street vendor who peddled work clothes and undergarments. Chanel is the only fashion designer listed on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Along with Paul Poiret, Chanel was credited with liberating women from the constraints of the “corseted silhouette” and popularizing the acceptance of a sportive, casual chic as the feminine standard in the post-World War I era. A prolific fashion creator, Chanel’s influence extended beyond couture clothing. Her design aesthetic was realized in jewelry, handbags, and fragrance. Her signature scent, Chanel No. 5, has become an iconic product. Chanel was known for her lifelong determination, ambition, and energy which she applied to her professional and social life. She achieved both success as a businesswoman and social prominence thanks to the connections she made through her work. These included many artists and craftspeople to whom she became a patron. However, Chanel’s life choices generated controversy, particularly her behaviour during the German occupation of France in World War II. Chanel was the mistress of some of the most influential men of her time, but she never married. She had significant relationships with the poet Pierre Reverdy and the illustrator and designer Paul Iribe. During the German occupation of France, Chanel resided at the Hotel Ritz, which was also noteworthy for being the preferred place of residence for upper echelon German military staff. Her romantic liaison with Hans Gunther von Dincklage, a German officer who had been an operative in military intelligence since 1920, facilitated her arrangement to reside at the Ritz.
On this day in 1976, blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and harmonica player Howlin’ Wolf died from complications of kidney disease at the Hines VA Hospital in Hines, Illinois at the age of 65. In my opinion, one of the greatest blues artists of all-time. A number of songs written or popularized by Burnett, such as “Smokestack Lightnin'”, “Back Door Man”, “Killing Floor” and “Spoonful”, have become blues and blues rock standards. Born Chester Arthur Burnett on 10 June 1910 in West Point, Mississippi in an area now known as White Station. 
On this day in 1858, doctor, fourth and final President of the Republic of Texas and Architect of Annexation, Anson Jones, died from a self inflicted gunshot wound, in the Capitol Hotel (now the Post Rice Lofts, formerly the Rice Hotel) in Houston, Texas at the age of 59. Born on 20 January 1798 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Before becoming president Jones served as Texas congressman, Minister to the United States under Sam Houston, Texas senator and Secretary of State under Houston. On 19 February 1846, a formal ceremony was held in Austin to bring Texas into the United States. Jones delivered a speech that he concluded by declaring, “The final act in this great drama is now performed. The Republic of Texas is no more.” In his final official act as president, Jones lowered the Texas flag from its pole; Houston, with tears in his eyes, stepped from the crowd to gather the flag in his arms. Jones had hoped to be selected as one of Texas’ two U.S. senators, however, Houston and Thomas Rusk were chosen. 
On this day in 1923, writer Katherine Mansfield died from a 
On this day in 1324 merchant traveler Marco Polo died at his home in Venice at the age of 69. Born 0n 16 September 1254 in Venice, possibly in the former contrada of San Giovanni Crisostomo. His travels are recorded in Livres des merveilles du monde, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. Polo learned the mercantile trade from his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, who travelled through Asia, and apparently met Kublai Khan. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, returning after 24 years to find Venice at war with Genoa; Marco was imprisoned, and dictated his stories to a cellmate. He was released in 1299, became a wealthy merchant, married and had three children. Polo was not the first European to reach China, but he was the first to leave a detailed chronicle of his experience. Polo influenced European cartography, leading to the introduction of the Fra Mauro map.
http://thefinalfootprint.com/2025/01/08/on-this-day-8-january/The Final Footprint – Due to the Venetian law stating that the day ends at sunset, the exact date of Marco Polo’s death cannot be determined, but according to some scholars it was between the sunsets of January 8 and 9, 1324. Biblioteca Marciana, which holds the original copy of his testament, dates the testament in January 9, 1323, and gives the date of his death at some time in June 1324. Polo was either entombed in the San Lorenzo church in the sestiere of Castello (Venice), or perhaps in the no longer extant San Sebastiano in Venice.
On this day in 1642, astronomer, physicist, engineer, and polymath Galileo Galilei died in Arcetri, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Italy at the age of 77. Born on 15 February 1564 in Pisa (then part of the Duchy of Florence), Italy. Galileo is perhaps the father of observational astronomy, the father of modern physics, the father of the scientific method, and the father of modern science.
On this day in 1896, French poet associated with the Symbolist movement, Paul Verlaine died in Paris at the age of 51. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry. One of my favorite poets. Verlaine married Mathilde Mauté de Fleurville but later left her and their son to begin a love affair with the poet Arthur Rimbaud. The French painter Henri Fantin-Latour depicted Rimbaud and Verlaine in his 1872 painting Around the Table (Writers). Born Paul-Marie Verlaine on 30 March 1844 in Metz, France. 
On this day in 1958 architect and designer Mary Colter died in Santa Fe, aged 88. Born Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter on 4 April 1869 in Pittsburgh.
On this day in 2007, actress, dancer, and singer Yvonne De Carlo died of heart failure in Los Angeles at the age of 84. Born Margaret Yvonne Middleton on September 1, 1922 in Vancouver. A brunette with blue-grey eyes, she became an internationally famous Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 1950s, made several recordings, and later acted on television and stage.
She gained a new generation of fans as a star of the CBS sitcom The Munsters (1964–1966), playing Herman Munster’s glamorous vampire wife, Lily, a role she reprised in the feature film Munster, Go Home! (1966) and the television film The Munsters’ Revenge (1981). In 1971, she played Carlotta Campion and introduced the popular song “I’m Still Here” in the Broadway production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies. Yvonne, her best-selling autobiography, was published in 1987. A stroke survivor, De Carlo died of heart failure in 2007. She was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to motion pictures and television.
On this day in 2020, 
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On this day in 1536, Princess of Wales as the wife of Prince Arthur, as the wife of King Henry VII, Queen of England from 1509 until 1533, Catherine of Aragon died at Kimbolton Castle at the age of 50. Born at the Archbishop’s Palace in Alcalá de Henares near Madrid, on the night of 16 December 1485. She was the youngest surviving child of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Catherine was three years old when she was betrothed to Prince Arthur, heir apparent to the English throne. They married in 1501, and Arthur died five months later. In 1507, she held the position of ambassador for the Spanish Court in England, becoming the first female ambassador in European history. Catherine subsequently married Arthur’s younger brother, the recently succeeded Henry VIII, in 1509. For six months in 1513, she served as regent of England while Henry VIII was in France. During that time the English won the Battle of Flodden, an event in which Catherine played an important part. By 1525, Henry VIII was infatuated with his mistress, Anne Boleyn, and dissatisfied that his marriage to Catherine had produced no surviving sons, leaving their daughter, the future Mary I of England, as heiress presumptive at a time when there was no established precedent for a woman on the throne. He sought to have their marriage annulled, setting in motion a chain of events that led to England’s schism with the Catholic Church. When Pope Clement VII refused to annul the marriage, Henry defied him by assuming supremacy over religious matters. In 1533 their marriage was declared invalid and Henry married Anne on the judgement of clergy in England, without reference to the Pope. Catherine refused to accept Henry as Supreme Head of the Church of England and considered herself the King’s rightful wife and queen, attracting much popular sympathy. Despite this, she was acknowledged only as Dowager Princess of Wales by Henry.
The Final Footprint – Catherine was entombed in Peterborough Cathedral with the ceremony due to a Dowager Princess of Wales, not a queen. Henry did not attend the funeral and forbade Mary to attend. Catherine’s English subjects held her in high esteem, and her death set off tremendous mourning among the English people. The controversial book The Education of Christian Women by Juan Luis Vives, which claimed women have the right to an education, was commissioned by and dedicated to her. Such was Catherine’s impression on people that even her enemy, Thomas Cromwell, said of her, “If not for her sex, she could have defied all the heroes of History.” 
On this day in 1899, Texas Ranger, Big Foot Wallace, died in Big Foot, Texas at the age of 82. Born William Alexander Anderson Wallace on 3 April 1817 in Lexington, Virginia. Wallace was a famous Texas Ranger who took part in many of the military conflicts of the Republic of Texas and the United States in the 1840s, including the Mexican-American War. Reportedly a descendant of Scottish hero William Wallace. Larry McMurtry included a fictionalized version of Wallace in his Lonesome Dove prequel, Dead Man’s Walk. In this book, Wallace is one of the Rangers who signs on with 
he Final Footprint – Wallace was originally interred in Devine, Texas, but the Texas legislature appropriated the necessary funds to have him disinterred and reinterred in a place of honor in the Texas State Cemetery, Austin, Texas. His grave is marked by a large granite marker inscribed with his name and birth and death dates and the following; HERE LIES HE WHO SPENT HIS MANHOOD DEFENDING THE HOMES OF TEXAS. BRAVE HONEST AND FAITHFUL. Other notable final footprints at Texas State Cemetery include; Stephen F. Austin, John B. Connally, Nellie Connally, J. Frank Dobie, Barbara Jordan, Tom Landry (cenotaph), James A. Michener (cenotaph), Ann Richards, Edwin “Bud” Shrake, and Walter Prescott Webb.
On this day in 2018, 
On this day in 2020, musician, songwriter, author, drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush, The Professor, Neil Peart died 
On this day in 1993, jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, Dizzy Gillespie died from pancreatic cancer in Englewood, New Jersey at the age of 75. Born John Birks Gillespie on 21 October 1917 in Cheraw, South Carolina. In my opinon Gillespie’s had an important influence on jazz and was one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time. Gillespie was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser and added layers of harmonic complexity previously unknown in jazz. His beret and horn-rimmed spectacles, his scat singing, his bent horn, pouched cheeks and his light-hearted personality were essential in popularizing bebop. In the 1940s Gillespie, together with Charlie Parker, became a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. Gillespie was married to Lorraine Willis (1940 – 1993 his death). 
On this day in 1993, ballet and contemporary dancer and choreographer, Lord of the Dance, Rudolf Nureyev died from AIDS complications at the hospital Notre Dame du Perpétuel Secours in Levallois-Perret, at the age of 54. Born Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev on 17 March 1938 on a Trans-Siberian train near Irkutsk, Siberia, Soviet Union. He was director of the Paris Opera Ballet from 1983 to 1989 and its chief choreographer until October 1992. In my opinion, Nureyev is the greatest male ballet dancer of his generation.
On this day in 2006, singer, songwriter, actor, voice actor, and record producer Lou Rawls died from lung cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 72. Born Louis Allen Rawls on December 1, 1933 in Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his song “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine”. He worked as a film, television, and voice actor. He was also a three-time Grammy-winner, all for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
