April 15th

April 15 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. If the ancient Mayans were correct, there are 250 days remaining until the end of time.

1738 Bottle opener is invented by a guy without front teeth

1865 Lincoln dies and Andrew Johnson becomes the 17th President of the United States (see yesterday). And, because nothing in life is as certain as death and taxes, Americans honor Lincoln’s death every year by paying their taxes.

1878 Harley Procter introduces Ivory Soap, and, by extension, Marilyn Chambers who is definitely not 99 and 44/100  pure.

1912 HMS Titanic sinks at 2:27 AM off Newfoundland as band plays on, but not that annoying Celine Dion song

1955 Ray Kroc starts McDonald's chain of fast food restaurants in Des Plaines, Illinois, and thus begins the decline of American culture (such as it is)

1990 "In Living Color" premieres on FOX-TV

1997 Major League Baseball honors Jackie Robinson by retiring #42 for all teams

2010 Volcanic ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull (try saying that fast 3 times) in Iceland leads to the closure of airspace over most of Europe.

1452 Leonardo da Vinci, under-achieving gay Italian scientist/painter/writer/inventor 

1843 Henry James, gay US-born British author 

1894 Bessie Smith, bisexual US blues singer 

 

1917 Hans Conried, US actor (for my friend, Stevil)

1940 Robert Walker, Jr., US actor 

1949 Craig Zadan, gay US producer/writer/Hairspray movie 

1965 Linda Perry, gay US singer/songwriter/producer/4 Non-Blondes 

1966 Samantha Fox, gay English Page 6 Girl/model/singer/Naughty Girl/Sa-sa-sa-sa-SamanthaFox 

1971 Jason Sehorn,US football player 

1972 Arturo Gatti, Italian-Canadian boxer 

1974 Danny Pino, US actor

1974 Douglas Spain, US actor 

1982 Seth Rogen, Canadian actor 

1988 Yann David, French rugger/Dieux du Stade model 

1925 John Singer Sargent, gay US portrait painter, draws his last breath

1986 Jean Genet, gay French criminal/novelist/dramatist (Querelle), only sleeps with the boy angels

1988 Kenneth Williams, gay English actor/comedian, finds nothing funny about this

1990 Greta Garbo, bisexual Swedish actress (Anna Karenina, Camille), is left alone

1994 John Curry, gay English 1976 Olympics gold medal figure skater, succumbs to AIDS at 44

2003 Her Imperial Highness Regina Fong (Reg Bundy), English performer/tv presenter, earns a real crown

2010 Jack Herer, US cannabis activist, also goes up in smoke.