Waldina

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith" - Lux Radio Theatre - June 9, 1941

Today is the 154th birthday of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. He was my first introduction to the concept that buildings and interiors can be simple, beautiful, functional, and unique. That surroundings can be inspiring. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.

Today is the 88th birthday of the bold, brash, and brave entertainer Joan Rivers. She broke down barriers, shattered walls, reinvented herself, diversified, and redefined career longevity. Her long list of accomplishments is hard to choose a favorite, but I really do love Girl Most Likely To, the 70s TV movie she co-wrote.  The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.

Seventy-two years ago today, the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was published. It has become a classic literary example of political and dystopian fiction. It also popularized the term “Orwellian” as an adjective, with many terms used in the novel entering common usage, including “Big Brother”, “doublethink”, “Thought Police”, “thoughtcrime”, “Newspeak”, “memory hole”, “2 + 2 = 5”, “proles”, “Two Minutes Hate”, “telescreen”, and “Room 101”. Time included it on its 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005. It was placed on the Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels, reaching No. 13 on the editors’ list and No. 6 on the readers’ list. In 2003, the novel was listed at No. 8 on The Big Read survey by the BBC. Parallels have been drawn between the novel’s subject matter and real life instances of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and violations of freedom of expression among other themes.

"The Thin Man" - Lux Radio Theatre - June 8, 1936

Staring:  William Powell, Myrna Loy, Minna Gombell, Porter Hall, William Henry, and Thomas Jackson

Today is the 173rd birthday of the artist Paul Gauguin. He art is primitive and modern and colorful and brings a smile to the viewer’s face. Years ago, I was on Moorea in Tahiti, there were little signs about a house where he lived or stayed for a while. I loved finding history in a place that I was only expecting to find white sand and blue water. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.

Today is the 104th birthday of the poet Gwendolyn Brooks. She is the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize. Her work is incredible. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.

"Deadly Darling Dolores" - CBS Radio Mystery Theater - June 6, 1974

Today is the 109th birthday of the actress and “Queen of Technicolor” Maria Montez. Her life was a classic Hollywood story, full of glamour, travel, and maybe even a bit of scandal. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.

Today is the 422nd birthday of the “painter’s painter” Diego Velázquez. Widely admired by generations of artists and rightly so, his work is so very alive. It captures snapshots of time beautifully. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.