APRIL 8 | Birthdays and Events

Notable Birthdays for April 8

David Rittenhouse (1732-1796) - Astronomer, clockmaker and inventor.

Lewis Morris (1726-1798) - Farmer who signed the Declaration of Independence.

Elizabeth Bacon Custer (1842-1933) - Author and wife of General George Custer.

William H. Welch (1850-1934) - Founder of Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Harvey Cushing (1869-1939) - Surgeon and person who Cushings Disease is named after.

Betty Ford (1918-2011) - The 40th First Lady of the U.S. (President Ford).

Carmen McRae (1920-1994) - One of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century.

Sara Northrup Hollister (1924-1997) - Second wife of Ron Hubbard and was influential in the creating Dianetics (later known as Scientology).

Henry N. Cobb (1926-2020) - Co-founder of the architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.

James Lockhart (1933-2014) - Scholar who studied colonial Latin America intensively to learn more and understand the culture.

Douglas Trumbull (1942-2022) - Special effects artist who receives credits for his work in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

John Schneider (1960-Still Living) - Actor best known for his role as Bo Duke on the series The Dukes of Hazzard.

Izzy Stradlin (1962-Still Living) - Guitarist who co-founded the rock band Guns N' Roses.

Mark Spencer (1977-Still Living) - Computer programmer who authored the GTK+-based instant messaging client Gaim (later renamed to Pidgin).

Memorable Events for April 8

1838 - The steamship the Great Western begins her voyage from Bristol, England, to New York.

1869 - The American Museum of Natural History opens in NY City.

1910 - The first race is held at the Playa Del Ray Motordrome (CA).

1960 - The U.S. Senate passes the Civil Rights Bill addressing discriminatory voting practices.

1983 - David Copperfield makes the Statue of Liberty disappear.

2022 - The first all-private space flight (Axiom-1) launches to the International Space Station.