October 2 birthdays

1452 RICHARD III King of England

Richard III was the King of England from 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last of the kings from the House of York. His defeat and death at the battle of Bosworth Field marked the end of the Middle Ages in England.

1869 MAHATMA GANDHI Indian independence activist

Gandhi, a lawyer, politician, social activist and writer, used nonviolent resistance to lead a successful campaign for India’s independence from the British rule. He lived in South Africa for 21 years, but returned to India in 1945 to lead the campaign for independence.

1890 GROUCHO MARX American comedian

Marx made 13 films as a team with his siblings, the Marx Brothers. Groucho was the third-born of the trio. He also had a successful solo career in the entertainment industry, most notably as the host of the game show, You Bet Your Life.

1904 GRAHAM GREENE English author

Greene acquired a reputation early in his lifetime as a major writer, both of serious Catholic novels and thrillers. He was short-listed for the Nobel prize for Literature in 1966 and again the following year. He wrote more than 25 novels.

1935 ROBERT HENRY LAWRENCE American astronaut

Raised in Chicago, Lawrence was the first African American astronaut after being selected in 1967 to be part of the Air Force’s Manned Orbital Laboratory program. He was 32 when he died in an aircraft crash.

1949 ANNIE LEIBOVITZ American photographer

Leibovitz is best known for her portrait photographs of celebrities. Her Polaroid picture of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, taken just five hours before Lennon’s death, is considered one of Rolling

Stone magazine’s most famous covers.

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ

1951 STING British musician

Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting, became famous as the frontman of The Police. The band’s song Every Breath You Take won a Grammy, and he has also won Brit Awards, a Golden Globe and an Emmy.