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BIRTHDAYS



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Josephine Baker was probably the closest thing the Jazz Age had to a mega-star. The Black actress/dancer was a worldwide celebrity and devoted civil rights activist who first rose to fame by dancing in a "skirt" of artificial bananas (and very little else

Ethan Trex


Martin Scali - © 2014 - Fox Searchlight Pictures

Though he has yet to win an Oscar (despite seven nominations ... and counting), Wes Anderson is largely considered one of today’s most influential filmmakers—and a true auteur.

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Pius Utomi Expei, AFP/Getty Images

As a 17-year-old boy in South Africa, Hugh Masekela received a trumpet that had been donated by a jazz musician in America. That musician was Louis Armstrong.

Emily Petsko






Marsaili McGrath, Getty Images for KC Events

On January 14, 2016, the world lost one of its most enigmatic actors when Alan Rickman passed away following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. We’re looking back at 10 surprising facts about the beloved actor.

Jennifer M Wood


Brunswick Records, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

On February 3, 1959, musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson (along with pilot Roger Peterson) were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. The date became known as "The Day the Music Died."

Jeff Merron
John Phillips, Getty Images for Jameson

7. Kit Harington is extremely claustrophobic, which posed an issue while shooting an iconic 'Game of Thrones' scene.

Editorial Staff




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'Hamilton' creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has managed to cram a lot into his 40 years, including a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur Genius Grant. Yet he can't help thinking that Paul McCartney was much further along when he was the same age.

Erin McCarthy


Hulton Archive/Getty Images

One of artist, producer, entrepreneur, and all-around game-changer Walt Disney's last written communications was rather mysterious—and involved Kurt Russell.

Stacy Conradt


ROMAOSLO/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Whether or not you’re artistically inclined, there’s a good chance that you—like millions of other people around the world—have been captivated by Bob Ross’s instructional landscape paintings and soothing voice.

Alvin Ward
Mabel Livingstone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

More than 85 years after he first donned a vampire’s cape, Bela Lugosi's take on Count Dracula is still widely hailed as the definitive portrayal of this legendary fiend. But who was the man behind the monster?

Mark Mancini
Eleanor Roosevelt holds a Spanish-language version of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

On Eleanor Roosevelt's wedding day, then-President Theodore Roosevelt walked her down the aisle. Read on for more surprising facts about the first lady and diplomat.

Mark Mancini