REMEMBERING
May 18 birthdays
1742 LIONEL LUKIN
British inventor
Lukin paved the way for the invention of the first purposebuilt lifeboat when he designed the world’s first unsinkable boat, for which he obtained a patent in 1785. A coachbuilder by trade, Lukin was interested in improving the safety of boats.
1868 NICHOLAS II
Tsar of Russia
Nicholas was the last Emperor of Russia, a position he held from 1894 until his abdication in 1917. After the Bolsheviks took power in Russia, Nicholas and his family were in Yekaterinburg. They were all executed on July 17, 1918.
1897 FRANK CAPRA
American director
Born in Italy and raised in
Los Angeles from the age of five, Capra was one of the US’S most influential directors of the 1930s. He won three Best Director Oscars from six nominations, along with another three Oscars in other categories.
1951 RODGER DAVIS
Australian golfer
Davis was ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for 29 weeks between 1987 and 1992. He led the 1987 Open Championships by three strokes after the opening round, but finished one stroke behind winner Nick Faldo.
1960 YANNICK NOAH
French tennis player
Noah won 23 singles titles and 16 doubles titles, reaching a career-high world ranking of number three in 1986. Noah won the 1983 French Open, defeating Mats Wilander in three sets in the final.
1975 JOHN HIGGINS
Scottish snooker player
Since turning professional in 1992, Higgins has won for World Championships, three UK Championships, and two Masters titles. He has compiled more than 800 century breaks and 12 maximum breaks.
1975 JACK JOHNSON
American musician
Johnson achieved commercial success with his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales, in 2001. Since then, he has topped the US album charts four times. Johnson’s 2013 album, In Between Dreams, peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Johnson is an advocate for ocean conservation.