January 20 birthdays
1888 LEAD BELLY American musician
A folk and blues singer, Lead Belly usually played a 12-string guitar, but he also played the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin and windjammer. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
1910 JOY ADAMSON Austrian naturalist
Adamson is best known for her novel, Born Free, which describes her experiences raising a lion cub named Elsa. The book was translated into several languages and was made into an Academy Awardwinning film of the same name.
1920 FEDERICO FELLINI Italian film director
Fellini was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning four in the Best Foreign Language Film category, the most for any director in the history of the Academy. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 65th Academy Awards.
1930 BUZZ ALDRIN
American astronaut
Aldrin made three space walks as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 12 mission. Then, as Lunar Module Eagle pilot on the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, he and Neil Armstrong were the first two people to land on the Moon.
1952 PAUL STANLEY American musician
Stanley was co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist for the rock band Kiss. He established The Starchild character as his Kiss persona. Stanley was the writer or co-writer of many of the band’s most popular songs.
1959 JOEL RIFKIN American serial killer
Rifkin was sentenced to 203 years in prison for the murders of nine women between 1989 and 1993, though he is thought to have killed up to 17 women. He was arrested after police pulled him over for a missing number plate and found a body under a tarpaulin.
1970 SKEET ULRICH American actor
Ulrich is best known for his roles in popular 1990s films including Scream, The Craft and As Good as it Gets. Since 2017, he has appeared in the television series Riverdale. Other TV roles include the series Jericho and the Law and Order franchise.