December 16 birthdays
1485 CATHERINE OF ARAGON Queen of England
Catherine was the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage in June, 1509, until their annulment in May, 1533. She was previously Princess of Wales as the wife of Henry’s elder brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales.
1770 LUDWIG VON BEETHOVEN
German composer
Beethoven’s musical talent was obvious at an early age and he was initially harshly and intensively taught by his father, Johann von Beethoven. His first major orchestral work, First Symphony, premiered in 1800.
1775 JANE AUSTEN English novelist
Austen achieved success as a published writer with the novels Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma. Two more novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published posthumously in 1818.
1946 BENNY ANDERSSON Swedish musician
Andersson is a member of the Swedish pop group ABBA. He also co-composed the musicals Chess and Mamma Mia! Andersson worked as executive producer on the film version of Mamma Mia! and its sequel.
1952 JOEL GARNER West Indies cricketer
Garner appeared in 58 Test matches between 1977 and 1987, taking 259 wickets at an average of 20.97. In 98 ODIs for West Indies, he took 146 wickets at an average of 18.84.
1967 MIRANDA OTTO Australian actor
Otto began her acting career at the age of 18 in 1986, appearing in a variety of Australian films. She came to the attention of Hollywood with supporting roles in The Thin Red Line and What Lies Beneath. Otto played Eowyn in the Lord of the Rings movies.
1994 STEPHEN SUTTON
English cancer blogger
Sutton was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at the age of 15. He became known for his blog Stephen’s Story and his fundraising efforts for the Teenage Cancer Trust. By the second anniversary of his death, more than $10m had been raised.