October 16 birthdays
1758 NOAH WEBSTER American lexicographer
Webster’s name has become synonymous with dictionary in the US, especially the modern Meriam-webster dictionary, which was first published in 1828.
1841 ITO HIROBUMI Japanese samurai
Hirobumi served as the first prime minister of Japan. A London-educated samurai, he chaired the bureau that drafted the Constitution for the newly formed Empire of
Japan. Hirobumi held the tile of prime minister four times.
1854 OSCAR WILDE Irish writer
Wilde became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the 1890s, with works including The Importance of Being Earnest. He was imprisoned for two years for “gross indecency” in 1897, and died in 1900 from meningitis.
1890 MICHAEL COLLINS
Irish revolutionary
Collins was a leading figure in the battle for Irish independence in the early 20th century. He was Comander-inChief of the National Army at the time of his death in an ambush in August 1922, during the Civil War.
1916 GEORGE TURNER Australian writer
Turner is best known for his science fiction novels, which he wrote in the latter stages of his career. His first such novel, Beloved Son, was published in 1978. He had already achieved success as a novelist and was a
Miles Franklin Award winner.
1925 ANGELA LANSBURY British actor
Lansbury’s career has spanned almost eight decades, much of it in the US, where she moved in 1940 to escape the Blitz during World War II. Her appearance in the 1962 film, The Manchurian Candidate, is regarded as one of her best performances.
1962 FLEA
Australian musician Born Michael Balzary in
Melbourne, Flea is a founding member and bassist of the bad Red Hot Chili Peppers. He is also an actor, and since 1984, has appeared in more than 20 films, including My Own Private Idaho, The Big Lebowski, The Chase and Baby Driver.