April 16 birthdays
1867 WILBUR WRIGHT American aviator
Wilbur and his brother Orville were aviation pioneers who are generally credited with inventing, building and flying the world’s first successful motor-operated airplane. They made their first controlled, sustained flight on December 17, 1903.
1889 CHARLIE CHAPLIN British actor
Chaplin rose to fame in the era of silent films, becoming a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp. He initially refused to move to sound films, but relented and appeared in 1940’s The Great Dictator, which satirised Adolf Hitler.
1918 SPIKE MILLIGAN Irish actor
An actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright, Milligan was the co-creator, main writer and principal cast member of the BBC radio program The Goon Show. He crossed into TV with the surreal sketch show Q5.
1940 MARGRETHE II Queen of Denmark
On her accession to the throne in 1972, Margrethe II became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margrethe I ruled the Scandinavian kingdoms in 1375 to 1412. Her popularity and support for the monarchy in Denmark remains high.
1947 KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR
American basketballer
Abdul-Jabbar played 20 seasons in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los
Angeles Lakers. He was a member of six NBA championship teams. AbdulJabbar was NBA MVP six times.
1953 PETER GARRETT Australian musician
Garrett became the lead singer of Midnight Oil in 1973. He was president of the Australian Conservation Foundation for 10 years before being elected for the Labor Party at the 2004 election. Garrett retired from politics at the 2013 election.
1978 MATTHEW LLOYD Australian AFL player
Lloyd played for Essendon and won the Coleman Medal as the league’s leading goalkicker three times. He also won the Mark of the Year and Goal of the Year awards during his career.