On This Day

[IceWizard]

George Leslie Goebel
(May 20, 1919 – February 24, 1991)

was an American humorist, actor, and comedian. He was best known as the star of his
own weekly comedy variety television series, The George Gobel Show, on NBC from
1954 to 1959 and on CBS from 1959 to 1960
(alternating in its last season with The Jack Benny Program).
He was also a familiar panelist on the NBC game show Hollywood Squares.












Dinah Shore
(born Frances ‘Fanny’ Rose Shore;
March 01, 1916 – February 24, 1994)

was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist
of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during the Big Band era. She achieved
even greater success a decade later, in television, mainly as the host of a series of variety programs
for the Chevrolet automobile company.












Henry "Henny" Youngman
(16 March 1906 – 24 February 1998)

was a British-born American comedian and musician famous for his mastery of the "one-liner",
his best known being "Take my wife... please".

In a time when many comedians told elaborate anecdotes, Youngman's routine consisted of
telling simple one-liner jokes, occasionally with interludes of violin playing. These depicted
simple, cartoon-like situations, eliminating lengthy build-ups and going straight to the punch line.
Known as "the King of the One-Liners", a title conferred to him by columnist Walter Winchell,
a stage performance by Youngman lasted only 15 to 20 minutes
but contained dozens of jokes in rapid succession.












William Dennis Weaver
(June 4, 1924 – February 24, 2006)

was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, best known for his work in
television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006. Weaver's two most
famous roles were as Marshal Matt Dillon's trusty partner Chester Goode/Proudfoot on the CBS western
Gunsmoke and as Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama McCloud. He starred in the
1971 television film Duel, the first film of director Steven Spielberg. He is also remembered for his role
as the twitchy motel attendant in Orson Welles's film Touch of Evil (1958).












Jesse Donald Knotts
(July 21, 1924 – February 24, 2006)

was an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife
on The Andy Griffith Show, a 1960s sitcom for which he earned five Emmy Awards. He also played
Ralph Furley on the highly rated sitcom Three's Company from 1979 to 1984. He starred in
multiple comedic films, including the leading roles in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) and
The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964). In 2004, TV Guide ranked him number 27 on its
50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.












Robert Fulton
(November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815)

was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first
commercially successful steamboat, the North River Steamboat (also known as Clermont). In 1807,
that steamboat traveled on the Hudson River with passengers from New York City to Albany and
back again, a round trip of 300 nautical miles (560 kilometers), in 62 hours. The success of his
steamboat changed river traffic and trade on major American rivers.

In 1800, Fulton had been commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte, leader of France, to attempt to
design a submarine; he produced Nautilus, the first practical submarine in history. Fulton is also
credited with inventing some of the world's earliest naval torpedoes for use by the Royal Navy.











Thomas Clement Douglas PC CC SOM
(20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986)

was a Canadian politician who served as the seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961
and Leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Baptist minister, he was elected to
the House of Commons of Canada in 1935 as a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
(CCF). He left federal politics to become Leader of the Saskatchewan Co-operative Commonwealth
Federation and then the seventh Premier of Saskatchewan. His government introduced the continent's
first single-payer, universal health care program.











Malcolm Stevenson Forbes
(August 19, 1919 – February 24, 1990)

was an American entrepreneur and politician most prominently known as the publisher of Forbes magazine,
founded by his father B. C. Forbes. He was known as an avid promoter of capitalism and free market economics
and for an extravagant lifestyle, spending on parties, travel, and his collection of homes, yachts, aircraft, art,
motorcycles, and Fabergé eggs.