Born in 1952 – Maurice Lucas, American basketball player and coach.

Born in 1929 – Chaim Potok, American rabbi and author.

“A man is born into this world with only a tiny spark of goodness in him. The spark is God, it is the soul; the rest is ugliness and evil, a shell. The spark must be guarded like a treasure, it must be nurtured, it must be fanned into flame." 
–Reb Saunders, speaking to Reuven in Potok’s novel The Chosen.

Born in 1884 – Robert J. Flaherty, American director and producer.

Above: Allakariallak as Nanook in Flaherty’s 1922 film, Nanook of the North.

In 1859, Oregon was admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.

Born in 1866 – Lev Shestov, Russian philosopher.

“The very moment man ate from the forbidden fruit he gained knowledge and lost his freedom. That man needs to know, to ask, to beg questions, to require proofs, answers, means that he is not free. To know means to know necessity. Knowledge means that man is not free.”

Born in 1926 – Leslie Nielsen, Canadian-American actor and producer.

Above: Nielsen as as Dr. Rumack in the 1980 film, Airplane!

Born in 1890 – Boris Pasternak, Russian poet, novelist.

“…the reign of numbers was at an end….Individual human life became the life story of God and its contents filled the vast expanse of the universe." 

–from Dr. Zhivago

Born in 1932 – Gerhard Richter, German painter and photographer.

Above: Richter’s 1982 painting, Two Candles.

Born in 1867 – Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author.

“We who live in quiet places have the opportunity to become acquainted with ourselves, to think our own thoughts and live our own lives in a way that is not possible for those keeping up with the crowd.”