REMEMBERING
May 13 birthdays
1901 WITOLD PILECKI Polish resistance fighter
Pilecki was a co-founder of the secret Polish Army, formed to resist the occupying Germans. In 1940, he volunteered to be captured in order to infiltrate Auschwitz concentration camp, where he organised resistance and documented atrocities.
1914 JOE LOUIS American boxer
Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis competed professionally from 1934 until 1951. He reigned as the world heavyweight champion with 25 consecutive title defences, a record for all weight classes.
1922 BEA ARTHUR American actor
Arthur is best known for her portrayal of Dorthy Zbornak on the comedy series the Golden Girls, which ran from 1985 until 1992. Earlier, she won a Tony Award for her stage performance in Mame.
1931 JIM JONES
American cult leader Jones led the Peoples Temple, a religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. Jones and his inner circle orchestrated a mass murdersuicide at his remote jungle commune in Guyana that left more than 900 people dead from cyanide poisoning. Several were shot.
1950 STEVIE WONDER American musician
Blind since shortly after birth, Wonder was a child prodigy who signed with Motown’s Tamla label at the age of 11. He had his first No. 1 hit single with Fingertips at the age of 13. Wonder has won 25 Grammy Awards, the most by a solo artist.
1961 DENNIS RODMAN American basketballer
Rodman played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks during his NBA career. He led the NBA in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years.
1968 SCOTT MORRISON Australian Prime Minister
Morrison was first elected to Parliament as the Member for Cook at the 2007 election. He became Australia’s 30th prime minister in August 2018, replacing sitting prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.