Randy Jackson Re-Reads Steve Gerber's Howard the Duck

[Randy Jackson]

With everyone else dipping their toes into the water--and given that lately it seems I'm more snarky than appreciative of comics--I thought I'd dip my own toes into the water with a reading project. So I'll be covering Steve Gerber's Howard the Duck. The comics I'll be covering specifically are (Adventure Into) Fear #19, Man-Thing #1, Giant-Sized Man-Thing #4-5, Howard the Duck #1-27, Howard the Duck Annual #1, and Max Howard the Duck #1-6.

Because of the nature of the comic, I'm also going to attempt to give some background on what was happening in the world when Gerber wrote these stories. We'll see how that goes.

So, let's get started.

(Adventure Into) Fear #19 - "The Land Between Night and Day"
Cover Date: December 1973
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Val Mayerik

As the story begins, the Man-Thing is on a plain where several forces are gathered--WWII era American soldiers, Ancient barbarians, Bi-Planes and Rocket Ships. There's also a castle hanging in the sky. As the forces fight, a bridge of light comes from the castle to the Man-Thing, and the sorceress Jennifer Kale. She leads the Man-Thing up to the castle, but they are pursued by the barbarian army led by one Korrek. The light bridge is dissolved, killing Korrek's companions.  He attempts to attack the Man-Thing, but walks right through him.  He keeps going to attack Jennifer...

And she wakes up from a dream screaming. Her brother and Grandfather come to see what's the matter, then attempt to coax Jennifer back to sleep. Her brother Andy and her Grandfather meet in the kitchen, and her Grandfather is worried that the severing of the psychic link between Jennifer and the Man-Thing might be causing her to have horrible nightmares--and that there might be an occult reason as well.

After they leave, Korrek materializes in the kitchen out of a jar of peanut butter and a butter knife.  He pursues Jennifer and attacks her in her bed.  When her brother and Grandfather turn up, Korrek jumps out the window in retreat. Suddenly Dakimh the Enchanter appears hovering in Jennifer's room.

Dakimh explains about the Nexus of all realities, and how the Nexus is eroding because of construction in the swamp upsetting the balance.  He's there to acquire Jennifer as his apprentice. The two of them disappear.

Meanwhile, Korrek is in the swamp, and he's confused and depressed by his current surroundings. The Man-Thing, drawn by Korrek's despair, approaches.  For some reason, Korrek is happy about this. He attacks the Man-Thing with zero effectiveness. His inabilty to do any harm to the Man-Thing depresses Korrek further. Believing the Man-Thing to be a demon sent to kill him, Korrek surrenders himself, and then...

A talking duck wearing a coat, a hat, spats and smoking a cigar steps out of the brush, lamenting how absurd it is to be stuck on a planet of talking hairless apes.

Back in Dakimh's castle, he and Jennifer are having a discussion when they are attacked by a combination of US soldiers and barbarians.  Dakimh disappears, and the army takes her away by balloon.

Having created an unsteady alliance, Howard and Korrek join together.  Hearing voices, they move towards them, only to find demons battling construction workers.  Apparently the demons have been sent to kill the Man-Thing.

7/10

This is actually a good start to something that would be an ultra-mega-end-of-the-world-24-issue-crossover were it written today, but here it's just the start to a fairly normal Marvel comic epic--albeit one with an anthropomorphic duck.  The dialogue is pretty simple to follow, but there's also the trademark Gerber absurdity as well. Hearing the GI's talking like Sgt. Rock and having F.A. Schist own the construction company just adds a little something extra to the story, and Korrek's transformation from a blob of peanut butter sweetens the deal.

We don't see much of Howard here, but he is definitely part of the story.  I think I'd forgotten about the spats.

Given the normal 3 month turnaround from story submission to publication, this was likely written somewhere around September of 1973.  Here's a few things that were happening courtesy of HistoryOrb.com:

1st - 74-year-old Hafnia Hotel burns, killing 35 (Copenhagen, Denmark)
1st - George Foreman KOs Jose "King" Roman in 1 for heavyweight boxing title
2nd - Billy Martin fired as manager of Tigers
2nd - Netherlands wins hockey world's championship
2nd - Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Charity Golf Classic
3rd - General Walters, ends term as acting director of CIA
3rd - Jerry Lewis' 8th Muscular Dystrophy telethon
4th - William E Colby, becomes 10th director of CIA
5th - "Desert Song" opens at Uris Theater NYC for 15 performances
5th - 1st one-day Cricket international for WI (v Eng) - lose by 1 wicket
6th - NY Times reports almost all Superfectas run at Yonkers, Roosevelt & Monticello from Jan-Mar of 1973 were fixed
7th - Jackie Stewart becomes Formula 1 world champion
7th - Mike Storen becomes American Basketball Association's 4th commissioner
8th - 87th US Womens Tennis: M S Court beats E Goolagong Cawley (76 57 62)
8th - Billy Martin named manager of Texas Rangers
8th - Hank Aaron sets record of most HRs in 1 league (709)
8th - Rebecca Ann King (Colo), 23, crowned 46th Miss America 1974
8th - "Star Trek - Animated Series" premieres on TV
9th - 93rd US Mens Tennis: John Newcombe beats Jan Kodes (64 16 46 62 62)
Baseball Player Hank AaronBaseball Player Hank Aaron 9th - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Dallas Civitan Golf Open
10th - Muhammad Ali defeats Ken Norton
10th - NY Jets trade pro footballs leading receiver Don Maynard to St Louis
11th - Chile's President Salvador Allende deposed in a military coup
12th - 2 bettors win largest US Daily Double ($19,909.60 in Detroit)
12th - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
13th - ABC announces it obtained TV rights for 1976 Olympics
13th - Congress passes & sends a bill to Nixon to lift football's blackout
13th - Syrian/Israeli dogfight over Mediterranean Sea
14th - Indianapolis is awarded a WHA franchise
14th - Israel shoots down 13 Syrian MIG-21s
14th - Pres Nixon signed into law a measure lifting pro football's blackout
15th - Dutch Guilder devalued 5%
15th - Ohio State's Archie Griffith begins record 31 cons 100 yd rushing
15th - Secretariat wins Marlboro Cup in world record 1:45 2/5 for 1¼ miles
Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad AliHeavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali 16th - "Desert Song" closes at Uris Theater NYC after 15 performances
16th - Buff Bill OJ Simpson rushes 250 yards (2 TDs), beating NE Pats 31-13
16th - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Southgate Ladies Golf Open
18th - German FR & German DR admitted to UN
19th - Carl XVI Gustaf, becomes King of Sweden
19th - Frank Robinson homers in record 32nd ML park (Arlington Tx)
19th - NL refuses to allow San Diego Padres move to Washington DC
19th - Pirate Radio Free America (off Cape May NJ) forms
19th - USSR performs underground nuclear test
20th - Billy Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in battle-of-sexes tennis match
20th - Willie Mays announces retirement at end of 1973 season
21st - Jackson Pollocks painting "Blue Poles" sold for $2,000,000
21st - NY Mets go into 1st place (at .500) after trailing 12½ games
21st - Nate Archibald signs 7 yr contract with NBA KC Kings for $450,000
22nd - "Little Night Music" opens at Majestic Theater on Broadway
NFL Running Back and Convicted Criminal OJ SimpsonNFL Running Back and Convicted Criminal OJ Simpson 22nd - 20th Ryder Cup: US, 19-13 at Muirfield, Scotland
22nd - Balt Oriole Al Bumbry hits 3 triples vs Milwaukee Brewers
22nd - Henry Kissinger, sworn in as America's 1st Jewish Secretary of State
23rd - Former Argentine President Juan Peron returns to power
23rd - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Portland Ladies Golf Open
23rd - Largest known prime, 2 ^ 132,049-1, is discovered
24th - Guinea-Bissau declares independence from Portugal
24th - St Louis Cards Jim Bakken sets NFL record kicking 7 field goals
25th - 3-man crew of Skylab 3 make safe splashdown in Pacific after 59 days
25th - Mets beat Expos 2-1 on Willie Mays Night at Shea Stadium
26th - Concorde flies from Washington DC to Paris in 3h33m
26th - Turkey's state of siege ends (after 2½ years)
26th - Wilt Chamberlain signs with ABA San Diego Conquistadors
26th - Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time.
27th - Nolan Ryan strikes out 16 in 11 innings, for record 383 of season
Politician, statesman Henry KissingerPolitician, statesman Henry Kissinger 27th - Soyuz 12 carries 2 cosmonauts into Earth orbit (2 days)
27th - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
28th - Palestinian Terrorists hijack Austrian train
28th - ITT Building in New York City bombed to protest ITT's involvement in the September 11 1973 coup d'état in Chile.
29th - "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne" by Looking Glass peaks at #33
29th - "We're An American Band" by Grand Funk peaks at #1
29th - Balt Orioles pull their 5th triple play (5-4-3 vs Detroit)
29th - Insurance ind announces auto racers get into more highway accidents
29th - Soyuz 12 returns to Earth
30th - 3rd NYC Women's Marathon won by Nina Kuscsik in 2:57:07
30th - 4th NYC Marathon won by Tom Fleming in 2:21:54
30th - Mel Gray begins NFL streak of 121 consecutive game receptions
30th - Sandra Palmer wins LPGA Cameron Park Golf Open
30th - USSR performs underground nuclear test
30th - Yanks close 50th year at Yankee Stadium losing 8-5, Ralph Houk
30th - resigns as manager

[Mark S. Ogilvie]

One thing I think Gerber got about Howard was that despite being a duck Howard was a normal guy. He got scared and he ran and he made mistakes. But when push came to shove and Howard saw something wrong he'd say or do something about it, even when doing so was dangerous.

[ClarkKent_DC]

Fred W. Hill said:

I was 14 when I starting buying Howard the Duck and I don't even remember what prompted me to get it as at the time I usually didn't stray far from standard Marvel superhero fare, but I did and HTD became one of my favorite comics right away.  Essentially the beginning of my tastes in comics growing more diverse.  Howard, btw, was cool because Gerber wrote him so well, and it certainly helped to have such great artists as Frank Brunner, John Buscema and especially Gene Colan on hand too.

I don't know what prompted me to get Howard the Duck; it certainly wasn't because of Man-Thing, because I wasn't reading it. Nonetheless, I have the entire four-color run, and used to have all the black-and-white issues. It's Randy's choice, of course, not to include them in this stroll down Memory Lane, but I wish he might reconsider.

Apart from the ending of issue #1 -- a misstep that should never have seen print -- I thought the series wasn't too far off the mark. There were interesting moments worth discussing, like the explanation for why Howard must wear pants and his return to Duckworld. It's not like every word Steve Gerber wrote was golden, anyway.

[Randy Jackson]

Man-Thing #1 - "Battle for the Palace of the Gods!"
Cover Date: Jan. 1974
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Val Mayerik

All of the assorted demons, soldiers, etc. attack the Man-Thing, hoping to destroy him for the Overmaster. Korrek charges into the battle, but Howard is more cautious. Korrek finds that while he can chop the demons into pieces, each piece can function autonomously.  

Howard runs in to save a construction worker in trouble. He grabs a pistol and shoots a demon, but it doesn't do anything.

Man-Thing fights back, grabbing one of the demons and using it as a club to battle the others.  suddenly Dakimh the Enchanter appears and creates a vortex carrying the demons away. Having dispatched the demons, Dakimh then gathers Korrek, Howard and the Man-Thing together and spirits them away for a pow-wow.

The scene is switched to the Congress of Realities, which is a group of beings from different realities who aspire to godhood. To achieve this, they plan to kill Jennifer Kale. The Overmaster appears, and he's a guy in a suit, seemingly out of place with everyone else there. He orders Jennifer's death, and a firing squad gathers.  Before they can kill Jennifer, Daredevil and the Black Widow come crashing through realities and knock out the firing squad on their way through.  

Jennifer's body begins to turn into water. It's a spell of transference that Dakimh has cast, and soon she's with the others. Dakimh explains that they have to fix reality.

The group begins a journey on a long staircase, which turns into a ribbon, which turns into stepping stones. Dakimh tells Howard and Korrek that they could both die here as they are not protected by sorcery. Of course, Howard slips and falls away.  At this point, Dakimh decides to cast a spell that will protect Korrek, and laments not doing so for Howard.

Finally, they arrive at their destination, a large red arrow.  They endeavor to put it right, but are interrupted by the Congress of Realities. The Congress beats them on their way to Therea. Dakimh casts a spell that gives them all wings.  Korrek asks why he didn't do so before for Howard. Dakomh replies that he simply didn't think of it, as he is gettig older.

The Overmaster shows up and confronts the group. Dakimh tells him he cannot win until he defeats the Man-Thing.  The Overmaster pulls off his skin, revealing the Nether-Spawn. Oooh!

They battle, and the Man-Thing forces the Nether-Spawn into the moat around the castle, destroying him. Both Jennifer and Korrek wonder why the gods they are attempting to defend are not defending themselves. Dakimh finally explains that the gods are not the all-powerful, almighty beings that people conceive of, but much simpler in nature.  He reveals two farmers with two dogs, and shows that the dogs are the actual gods. The Man-Thing touches one of the dogs, and all of the characters are returned to their rightful places and realities.

7/10

While it would have been nice to see more of Howard in this issue, at the same time we do begin to see the initial outlining of who he is.  He doesn't want to get involved in the fight, yet he does when someone else is in danger.  He's far from fallible, as his missteps prove.  It's a good start.

as for the rest of the story, it's not too bad.  Perhaps it could have used a little more fleshing out, but for it's time it's just fine.

Presumed time of submission is October 1973.  Here's what was going on:

1st - Leo Durocher resigns as Houston Astro manager
1st - USSR-West Germany gas tunnel opens
3rd - Willi Stoph succeeds Walter Ulbricht as East German party leader
4th - Hans of Manens ballet "Adagio Hammerklavier" premieres in Amsterdam
5th - Signature of the European Patent Convention.
6th - Yom Kippur War begins as Syria & Egypt attack Israel
7th - Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Lincoln-Mercury Golf Open
8th - NLCS game 3 brawl between Cins' Pete Rose & NY Met Bud Harrelson
8th - Spyris Markezinis forms government in Greece
9th - 1st general striking in Luxembourg since 1942
9th - Israel announces loss of Bar-Lev defense line in Suez Canal
9th - Warriors-Cavalier game in Cleveland postponed because of wet floors
10th - NY Mets beat Cin Reds in Game 5 of the NLCS
10th - VP Spiro T Agnew pleads no contest to tax evasion & resigns
11th - Oakland beats Baltimore 3 games to 2 to win AL pennant
12th - Israeli counter offensive in southern Syria
12th - Juan Peron elected president of Argentina
12th - Nixon nominates Gerald Ford to replace Spiro Agnew as VP
13th - Jordan enters Yom Kippur war
38th US President Gerald Ford38th US President Gerald Ford 13th - Teri Garr appears on Bob Newhart Show in "Emily in for Carol"
14th - Egyptian tanks move further into Israel
14th - Judy Rankin wins LPGA GNA Golf Classic
14th - Willie Mays last hit, as Mets beat A's in World Series game 2 A's Mike Andrews makes 2 errors, prompting owner Finley to remove him
15th - 7th Country Music Association Award: Roy Clark wins
15th - Tanks attack Thailand demonstrating students, 300 killed
16th - Israeli tanks under Gen Sharon move through Suez Canal
16th - Kissinger & Le Duc Tho jointly awarded Nobel peace prize
16th - Maynard Jackson elected 1st black mayor of Atlanta
16th - Monks Heng Yo & Heng Ju, start 1000 mile SF to Seattle pilgrimage
17th - 5-mo oil embargo by Arab states against US & Netherlands begins
17th - Arabs decrease oil production
18th - "Raisin" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 847 performances
18th - Congress authorizes bi-centennial quarter, half-dollar & dollar coin
18th - Judd Woldon & Robert Brittens musical "Raisin," premieres in NYC
18th - Nobel prize for economy awarded to Wassily Leontief
19th - Ringo releases "Photograph"
20th - Mariette Hartley appears on Bob Newhart in "Have You Met Miss Dietz"
20th - OPEC oil embargo begins
Versatile Athlete Jim ThorpeVersatile Athlete Jim Thorpe 20th - President Nixon proclaims Jim Thorpe greatest athlete of 1st ½ century
20th - Queen Elizabeth II opens Sydney Opera House
20th - US president Nixon fires Watergate accuser Archibald Cox
20th - Solicitor Gen Bork, AG Richardson & Deputy AG Ruckelshaus resigned
20th - The Family Station Inc buys shortwave Radio Station WNYW, changes calls to WYFR & moves station from NYC to Scituate Mass
21st - A's manager Dick Williams quits after A's beat Mets in World Series
21st - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Waco Tribune Herald Ladies Golf Classic
21st - Fred Dryer of the then Los Angeles Rams becomes the first player in NFL history to score two safeties in the same game.
22nd - Israeli troops reconquer mountain Hermon
22nd - Security Council Resolution 338-cease fire to Yom Kippur War
23rd - Nixon agrees to turn over White House tape recordings to Judge Sirica
23rd - UN's revised International Telecommunication Convention adopted
23rd - Yankee GM & pres Lee MacPhail named AL president
24th - Heavy fog causes 65 car collision killing 9 on NJ Turnpike
24th - John Lennon sues US government to admit FBI is tapping his phone
Queen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth IIQueen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II 24th - Yom Kippur War ends, Israel 65 miles from Cairo, 26 from Damascus
25th - Chris Wills wins 1st National hang-gliding championship
25th - Cubs trade Ferguson Jenkins to Rangers for Bill Madlock & Vic Harris
25th - SF Giants trade Willie McCovey to SD Padres for pitcher Mike Caldwell
26th - Israeli forces reach Suez, trapping Egyptian army
26th - President Nixon released 1st White House tapes on Watergate scandal
26th - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
26th - Wings release "Helen Wheels"
27th - 1st time Islanders beat Rangers-3-2
27th - Alabama sets offensive record (828 yds), beats Virginia Tech 77-6
28th - Elmore Smith of Lakers blocks 17 shots in a game (NBA record)
28th - Sharon Miller wins LPGA Corpus Christi Civitan Golf Open
30th - Tom Seaver becomes 1st non-20-game winner to win Cy Young award
30th - The Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey is completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosporus for the first time.
31st - Tom Seaver wins NL Cy Young Award

[Captain Comics]

Not knowing that Howard would be a breakout star, what I took from this was that Dakimh was incompetent!

[Randy Jackson]

I'd probably use the euphemism "over the hill" to describe Dakimh.  Also frustrating and irritating come to mind as well.

Captain Comics said:

Not knowing that Howard would be a breakout star, what I took from this was that Dakimh was incompetent!

[Captain Comics]

Wasn't Jennifer Kale in some sort of Red Sonja-like outfit throughout, as well? That might also have distracted me.

[Randy Jackson]

Yup. That's her standard garb.



Captain Comics said:

Wasn't Jennifer Kale in some sort of Red Sonja-like outfit throughout, as well? That might also have distracted me.

[Mark S. Ogilvie]

Dakimh was never a really power player, sort of a Dr. Strange for the minor leagues.

[Richard Willis]

According to GCD, the original story in the Howard the Duck Treasury Edition was included in the Essential Howard volume:

http://www.comics.org/issue/29394/

Randy Jackson said:

I think so.  If I missed it, I'll make sure it gets added.

ClarkKent_DC said:

Hey, Randy, aren't you going to include the Marvel Treasury Edition of Howard the Duck? It wasn't all-reprint; the lead story was a new tale created for that volume.

[Richard Willis]

I have the Essential. I'll pull it our so I can follow along.

[Randy Jackson]

Giant-Sized Man-Thing #4 - "Frog Death!"
Cover Date: May 1975
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Frank Brunner

Howard has been falling, apparently for months (since his last appearance, I'm guessing). He finally lands in a vacant lot in Cleveland. He's initially joyful, but then realizes he's still on our Earth, as he runs into two young boys. He decides the first thing he needs is a cigar. The boys take him to a store to get some. He attempts to buy some, but the only money he has is from his homeworld, and it's not recognized as legal tender. The store owner allows him to take the cigars anyway--I think he was freaked out by the fact that Howard's a duck(the phrase "you're a duck!" is oft-repeated throughout the run).

The boys tell Howard that all of the adults in the neighborhood have been acting sort of strangely ever since a strange man with a strange jar moved in. His name is Garko, and he sits in a window all day, staring at his jar and shouting threats about ruling the world. The boys tell Howard that they wish Garko would jump to his death so he could stop bringing down property values.

Garko starts talking to the jar, which contains some sort of potion. He asks himself if it's worthwhile ruling the world. Why would he want more power when he's already got all of the power. However, he decides he likes the idea of rather than ruling the world, simply drinking the potion and killing people. He drinks the potion and transforms into...

Garko the Man-Frog. That's right, a giant frog.

He starts chasing Howard and the kids. Howard tells them to run away, that he'll distract Garko while they call the cops. Howard finds a stick with a nail in it and a trashcan lid and decides to make a stand.

As Howard fights back, the potion continues changing Garko, turning him into a real, normal-sized frog. He hops away to find a pond.

Meanwhile, Howard continues to thrash blindly at the now no-longer there Man-Frog, when the police arrive. Howard accidentally hits one of the officers and they arrest him. Garko is run over by a car.

8/10

This is a fun, but short little story. It does a great job of illustrating Howard's character as well as foreshadowing the situations he's going to run into as time goes by. Garko is a fun, absurd villain, and the reaction of the police is also fun.

Brunner's depiction of Howard is much closer to his classic look. His head is less round and his eyes are bigger.

The presumed date of submission is February 1975. Here's what was happening:

1st - "Hoppy, Gene & Me" by Roy Rogers peaks at #65
1st - "Men on the Moon" closes at Little Theater NYC after 5 performances
1st - 1st successful Wash Cap penalty shot, Ken Lockett vs Vancouver Canucks
1st - Lorne Henning scores on 3rd Islander penalty shot
1st - Otis Francis Tabler is 1st open homosexual to get security clearance to work for the Defense Department
2nd - Army offensive against rebels in Eritrea
2nd - Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA Burdine's Golf Invitational
2nd - US female Figure Skating championship won by Dorothy Hamill
2nd - US male Figure Skating championship won by Gordon McKellen Jr
3rd - Billy Herman, Earl Averill, & Bucky Harris elected to Hall of Fame
4th - Haicheng earthquake, M 7.3, occurred in Haicheng, Liaoning, China.
6th - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
7th - NBA New Orleans Jazz end a 28 game road losing streak
8th - 1800 Unification church couples' wed in Korea
8th - Caps only got one shot in a period against Islanders
9th - Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Naples Lely Golf Classic
9th - Soyuz 17 returns to Earth
10th - William "Judy" Johnson selected to baseball Hall of Fame
11th - Margaret Thatcher defeats Edward Heath for leadership of the British Conservative Party
British Prime Minister Margaret ThatcherBritish Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher 13th - Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash procliams Turkish-Cypriot Federation
14th - Bomb explodes at annex of Amsterdam metro station
16th - Washington Capitals 1st NHL shutout, beating KC Scouts 3-0
18th - 2nd American Music Award: Olivia Newton-John & John Denver win
18th - Italy broadens abortion law
20th - Leonard Baichan scores 105* on Test Cricket debut, v Pakistan Lahore
20th - Margaret Thatcher elected leader of British Conservative Party
20th - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
21st - John Lennon releases "Rock 'n' Roll" album
21st - John Mitchell, HR Haldeman & John D Ehrlichman sentenced to 2½-8 yrs
23rd - Amy Alcott wins LPGA Orange Blossom Golf Classic
23rd - In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly two months early in the United States.
25th - Ewen Chatfield flattened by Peter Lever & seriously injured
26th - "Night... Made America Famous" opens at Barrymore NYC for 75 perfs
26th - 1st televised kidney transplant (Today Show)
Musician and Beatle John LennonMusician and Beatle John Lennon 27th - CDU-politician Peter Lorentz kidnapped in West Berlin
27th - House of Reps pass $21.3 billion anti-recession tax-cut bill
28th - 41 killed in London Underground, as train speeds past final stop
28th - EG signs accord of Lome with 46 developing countries
28th - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
28th - A major tube train crash at Moorgate station, London kills 43 people.
Famous Birthdays

Birthdays 1 - 88 of 88

1st - Martijn Reuser, Dutch soccer player (Ajax)
1st - Big Boi, American musician (Outkast)
2nd - Macey Brooks, wide receiver (Dallas Cowboys)
2nd - Todd Bertuzzi, Sudbury, NHL right wing (NY Islanders)
2nd - Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer
2nd - Vaggelis Koutsoures, Greek footballer
4th - Elana Eve Chomiszak, Providence RI, Miss America-Rhode Island (1997)
4th - Miriam Ruppert, Miss Universe-Germany (1996)
4th - Konstantinos Nebegleras, Greek footballer
5th - Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Dutch soccer player (Feyenoord)
5th - Jan l'Ami, Dutch soccer player (Willem II)
5th - Adam Carson, American musician (AFI)
6th - Chad Allen, Dallas Tx, baseball outfielder (Olympics-bronze-96)
6th - Leo Insam, hockey defenseman (Team Italy 1998)
6th - Svend-Allan Sørensen, Danish artist
6th - Tomoko Kawase, Japanese singer
7th - Alexandre Daigle, Montreal, NHL center (Ottawa Senators)
7th - Marika Lehtimaki, ice hockey center (Finland, Oly-98)
7th - Wes Borland, American guitarist (Limp Bizkit)
8th - Damon Denson, guard (New England Patriots)
8th - Joshua Morrow, Juneau Alaska, actor (Nicholas Newman-Young & Restless)
9th - Viktor Chistiakov, Russian-born Australian athlete
9th - Clinton Grybas, Australian Football commentator (d. 2008)
10th - Tina Thompson, WNBA forward (Houston Comets)
10th - Amber Frey, American witness in the Scott Peterson case
10th - Kool Savas, German rapper
10th - Hiroki Kuroda, Japanese born baseball player
11th - Chuck Watanabe, kayak (alt-Olympics-96)
11th - Jacque Vaughn, NBA guard (Utah Jazz)
11th - Kim Weir, Miss USA-Nebraska (1997)
11th - Andy Lally, American race car driver
12th - Chris Szarka, CFL full back (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
12th - Matt Finkes, linebacker (NY Jets)
12th - Scot Pollard, NBA center (Detroit Pistons)
12th - Seth Payne, defensive tackle (Jacksonville Jaguars)
13th - Mark Gerald Keddell, Christchurch NZ, 200m (Olympics-96)
13th - Iván González, Puerto Rican writer and musician
13th - Ben Collins, English racing car driver (ASCAR-2003)
14th - Jennifer Michelle Roberts, Greensboro NC, Miss America-NC (1997)
14th - Yul Kwon, American Survivor contestant
15th - Robert Fuchs, soccer player (PSV)
15th - Brendon Small, American comedian and animator
16th - Casey Barrett, Montreal Quebec, 200m Butterfly (Olympics-96)
16th - Marty Murray, Deloraine, NHL center (Calgary Flames)
16th - Nanase Aikawa, Japanese singer
16th - Vanina Ickx, Belgian racing driver
16th - Don Jeffcoat, American actor
17th - Sung-Hee Park, Pusan Korea, tennis star (1993 Futures-Seoul)
17th - Todd Harvey, Hamilton, NHL center (Dallas Stars)
17th - Vaclav Prospal, NHL forward (Team Czech Oly-Gold-1998, Philadelphia)
17th - Wish Bone, American rapper
17th - Harisu, South Korean singer, model and actress
18th - Scott Tucker, Birmingham Ala, 400m/800m freestyle relay (Olympics-96)
18th - Gary Neville, English footballer
19th - Paul Frey, Boston MA, dance skater (& Ponte-1995 Eastern Jr champ)
19th - Raymond Graanoogst, Suriname/Dutch soccer player (FC Utrecht)
19th - Mikko Kavén, Finnish footballer
19th - Daewon Song, Korean professional skateboarder
20th - Brendan Witt, Humboldt, NHL defenseman (Washington Capitals)
20th - Brian Littrell, singer (Backstreet Boys)
20th - Ismael Kirui, Marakwet Kenya, 5k runner
20th - Liván Hernández, Cuban baseball player
21st - Scott Miller, Sydney NSW Australia, swimmer (Olympics-silver-96)
21st - Troy Slaten, actor (Jerry-Parker Lewis Can't Lose)
22nd - Charles O'Bannon, NBA guard (Detroit Pistons)
Actress Drew BarrymoreActress Drew Barrymore (22nd) 22nd - Drew Barrymore, Los Angeles California, actress (ET, Firestarter, Poison Ivy)
22nd - Gregory Maddalone, Schenectady NY, dance skater (& Demkowski)
23rd - Bohdan Utihrach, Czech, tennis star
23rd - Chris Garner, NBA guard (Toronto Raptors)
23rd - Michael Tricario, actor (Randy-Wonder Years)
23rd - Pat Barnes, quarterback (KC Chiefs)
23rd - Michael Cornacchia, American actor
23rd - Robert Lopez, American composer
23rd - Natalia Verbeke, Argentine actress
24th - Ashley MacIsaac, Canadian fiddler
24th - Maurizio Giuliano, writer and traveller
25th - Hercules Kyvelos, Montreal Quebec, boxer (Olympics-96)
25th - Chelsea Handler, American comedian and actress
26th - Cindy Werley, Allentown PA, field hockey forward/midfielder (Oly-96)
26th - Mike Wilson, Brampton, NHL defenseman (Buffalo Sabres)
27th - Christina Nigra, actress (Out of This World)
27th - Dana Marie Lane, Cheyenne Wyoming, Miss America-Wyoming (1996)
27th - Duce Staley, running back (Philadelphia Eagles)
27th - Marcus Robinson, wide receiver (Chicago Bears)
27th - Prodromos Korkizoglou, Greek decathlete
27th - Shelby Walker, American mixed martial artist (d. 2006)
28th - Azhar Mahmood, cricket pace bowler (Pakistani ODI 1996)
28th - Mike Rucker, American football player
Famous Deaths

Deaths 1 - 35 of 35

1st - Richard Wattis, actor (Dick & Duchess, Liberace), dies at 62
3rd - John Secondari, newscaster (Open Hearing), dies at 55
3rd - Robert Evett, composer, dies at 52
3rd - William D. Coolidge, American physicist and inventor (b. 1873)
3rd - Umm Kulthum, Egyptian singer (b. 1904)
4th - Louis Jordan, American musician (b. 1908)
4th - Howard Hill, American archer (b. 1899)
7th - Brendan Fay, actor (Hustler, Man on a Swing), dies at 54
8th - Martyn Green, actor (Gilbert & Sullivan, Mikado), dies at 75
8th - Robert Robinson, British chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1886)
9th - Constant Burniaux, Belgian art historian (L'amour Vivre), dies at 82
10th - Nikos Kavvadias, Greek poet and writer (b. 1910)
11th - Richard Ratsimandrava, Malagasy soldier and statesman, assassinated (b. 1931)
13th - Dagmar Godowsky, actress (Common Law, Red Lights), dies at 78
13th - Eric Harding Thiman, composer, dies at 74
13th - Henry P Van Dusen, US protestant theologist, dies at 77
14th - Heintje Davids, [Hendrika David], Dutch cabaret artist, dies at 87
14th - Julian S Huxley, English scholar/dir-gen (UNESCO), dies at 87
14th - Pelham G Wodehouse, English/US writer (Piccadilly Jim), dies at 93
Musician Louis JordanMusician Louis Jordan (4th) 15th - Julian Huxley, biologist, dies
15th - Pelham G Wodehouse, writer, dies
16th - Morgan Taylor, American athlete (b. 1903)
16th - Norman Treigle, American bass-baritone (b. 1927)
18th - Chivu Stoica, [Stoica Chivu), premier of Romania (1955-61), dies at 66
18th - Luigi Dallapiccola, composer, dies
18th - Raymond Moley, US advisor to pres Roosevelt "Brain Trust", dies at 88
18th - Syed Nazir Ali, cricketer (2 Tests for India, 4 wickets), dies
19th - Luigi Dallapiccola, Italian 12-tone composer, dies at 71
20th - Edgar "Cookie" Fairchild, bandleader (Jerry Colonna Show), dies at 76
20th - Lillian Fontaine, actress (Suddenly it's Spring), dies at 88
20th - Robert Strauss, actor (Sgt Gruzewsky-Mona McCluskey), dies at 61
24th - Nikolai A Bulganin, marshal/premier of USSR (1955-58), dies at 79
25th - Elijah Muhammad, leader of Nation of Islam, dies in Chicago at 78
27th - Neville Cardus, writer/cricketer, dies
28th - Istvan Kardos, composer, dies at 83

[Captain Comics]

Ahhhhh, Frank Brunner. Them was the days.