AUGUST 26 | Birthdays and Events
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Notable Birthdays for August 26
Lee de Forest (1873-1961) - Inventor of the the Audion tube, enabling the development of the electronic oscillator, which led to radio broadcasting and long distance telephone lines possible.
Zona Gale (1874-1938) - Novelist who became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Margaret Utinsky (1900-1970) - Nurse and recipient of the Medal of Freedom (1946) for her work to provide medicine, food, and other items to aid Allied POWs in the Philippines during World War II.
Katherine Johnson (1918-2020) - Physicist and mathematician of orbital mechanics for NASA who helped with the first (and more after) spaceflight.
Brant Parker (1920-2007) - Co-creator of The Wizard of Id comic strip.
Naomi Parker Fraley (1921-2018) - WWII assembly line worker who is said to have inspired the Rosie the Riveter poster.
Jay Pritzker (1922-1999) - Co-founder of Hyatt Hotels.
Robert Vickrey (1926-2011) - Painter who specialized in the ancient medium of egg tempera (use of pigments, water and egg to create paintings).
Valerie Simpson (1946-Still Living) - Singer-songwriter and half of the musical duo Ashford and Simpson.
Melissa McCarthy (1970-Still Living) - Contemporary actress and comedian (Mike & Molly, Bridesmaids, Tammy, Identity Thief.
Macaulay Culkin (1980-Still Living) - Child star actor best known for his role as Kevin in Home Alone, Home Alone 2, and My Girl.
Memorable Events for August 26
1843 - Charles Thurber patents his version of a typewriter.
1873 - Susan Blow starts the first free kindergarten in the U.S.
1907 - Harry Houdini escapes from chains underwater in 57 seconds.
1920 - The 19th Amendment is certified, giving women the right to vote.
1939 - The first MLB game (Cincinnati Reds vs. Brooklyn Dodgers) is broadcast on t.v. station W2XBS.
1973 - A 10-year-old Mary Boitano becomes the first woman to win 6.8-mile Dipsea Race, beating 1,500 runners.
2009 - Kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard is discovered alive in California after being missing for over 18 years.
2019 - The environmental organization Earth Alliance (Leonardo Dicaprio) donates $5 million to fighting fires in the Amazon.