April 8th

April 8 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. If the ancient Mayans were correct, there are 257 days remaining until the end of time.

1820 The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Melos. For your appreciation, here is the Butt de Milo.

1879 Milk is sold in glass bottles for 1st time

1939 King Zog I of Albania flees. Cool name for a king, though.

1986 Clint Eastwood is elected mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

1992 Retired tennis great Arthur Ashe announces that he has AIDS, acquired from blood transfusions during one of his two heart surgeries.

 

1918 Betty Ford, cool US first lady/former alcoholic 

 

1920 Carmen McRae, bisexual US jazz singer/pianist 

1923 Edward Mulhare, maybe gay Irish actor 

1931 John Gavin, US actor/ambassador to Mexico 

1943 Michael Bennett, bisexual US stage director/choreographer 

1951 Mel Schacher, US musician/Grand Funk Railroad 

1960 John Schneider, US actor/Bo Duke/Smallville 

1961 Richard Hatch, First Survivor winner/US tax evader

1978 Mario Pestano, Spanish discus thrower 

1980 Ben Freeman, English actor 

1981 Taylor Kitsch, Canadian actor/model

1981 Ofer Shechter, Israeli actor 

1982 Adrian Bellani, US-Salvadoran actor/equestrian

1983 Allu Arjun, Indian actor

1861 Elisha G Otis, US elevator builder, has his ups and downs – mainly downs

1950 Vaslav Nijinsky, gay Polish-born Russian ballet dancer, pliés but does not relevé

1981 Omar Bradley, last US 5-star general, can see Him in the watchfires of a hundred circling camps

1990 Ryan White, heroic US AIDS advocate, succumbs to the disease at 18. May light perpetual shine on him.   

2008 Stanley Kamel, gay US actor (MacGuyer, Star Trek: Next Generation, Monk), boldly goes

2010 Jack Agnew, 88, American soldier, member of the Filthy Thirteen, inspiration for The Dirty Dozen, doesn't make it out alive.