Jun 02 2026
On June 2, 1904, British painter Frank Runacres was born into a world of art that would change almost beyond recognition during his lifetime. Modernism was already challenging academic traditions, abstraction would soon transform European painting, and British artists would spend much of the 20th century negotiating the space between experiment and observation. Runacres found …
Jun 01 2026
Born on this day, June 1, 1921, Nelson Riddle became one of the most influential arrangers and conductors in American popular music. His name appeared behind some of the most famous singers of the 20th century, including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, and, decades later, Linda Ronstadt. Riddle was …
May 31 2026
Born on this day, May 31, 1923, in Newburgh, New York, Ellsworth Kelly became one of the most recognizable abstract artists of the 20th century. His paintings can appear astonishingly simple: a brilliant red curve, a blue rectangle, a green panel, a black form against white, or several colors arranged across a wall. Yet Kelly’s …
May 30 2026
Born on this day, May 30, 1945, in Gainesville, Florida, Gladys Horton became one of the voices that helped launch the Motown era. As a teenager, she helped form the group that became the Marvelettes, then stepped to the microphone for their 1961 debut single, “Please Mr. Postman.” The record did something no Motown single …
May 29 2026
Born on this day, May 8, 1940, in Teaneck, New Jersey, Ricky Nelson grew up in one of the most famous families in American entertainment. Millions of television viewers watched him move from childhood into adolescence on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and when he began singing rock and roll on the family sitcom, …
May 28 2026
On May 28, 1966, Disneyland opened one of the most recognizable attractions ever created: “it’s a small world.” Guests boarded small boats and sailed through an impossibly colorful world populated by singing children, spinning flowers, playful animals, geometric buildings, and hundreds of tiny details set to a melody almost guaranteed to remain in their heads …
May 27 2026
On May 27, 1957, Brunswick Records released a single credited to a young Texas group called the Crickets. The title was “That’ll Be the Day,” and although the musicians could not have known it at the time, the record would become one of the foundational recordings of early rock and roll. At the microphone was …
May 26 2026
Born on this day, May 26, 1920, in Jamestown, North Dakota, Peggy Lee became one of the most distinctive voices in American popular music. She could sing so quietly that listeners instinctively leaned closer, transforming restraint into something far more compelling than sheer volume. Her voice was intimate, smoky, cool, and extraordinarily controlled. She could …
May 25 2026
Born on this day, May 25, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York, Mitch Margo was barely into his teens when he became part of one of the most recognizable vocal groups of the early 1960s. As a member of the Tokens, he helped create the soaring harmonies behind “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” a record whose unforgettable …
May 24 2026
Born on this day, May 24, 1905, in Spokane, Washington, George Katsutoshi Nakashima became one of the most influential American furniture makers and woodworkers of the 20th century. His tables, chairs, benches, cabinets, and architectural spaces are immediately recognizable for their extraordinary respect for the materials from which they were made. A Nakashima table might …
