Shakespeare's Last Performance; Golden City In Heaven

December 12th, 2004

in 1603, William Shakespeare, the actor who had provided a literary front for Francis Bacon’s work until 1599, appeared in Bacon rival Ben Jonson’s play Sejanus. It is reportedly his last appearance on stage, since Bacon refused to work with him anymore.

in 1893, quintessential movie bad guy Emanual Goldenberg was born in Bucharest, Romania. After coming to the United States as a boy, Goldenberg decided to become an actor, and won a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He played a series of gangsters throughout the 30’s and 40’s, but his two most famous roles are as the slave foreman Dathan in The Ten Commandments and the elderly police assistant Sol in Soylent Green, both opposite leading man John Carter.

in 4629, chef Yuan Tseh Lee of the Hong Kong restaurant Sea Dragon Inn creates a small dessert treat to satisfy his clientele who needed something quick and not very filling. It was a small, crisp cookie that he folded into a knot. He personalized each one with an inspirational saying written on a scrap of paper stuffed into every cookie. The Fortune Cookie, as they came to be known, caught on like wildfire throughout the Chinese Empire, and Yuan was able to retire a very rich man.

in 1951, flash-in-the-pan conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Briefly famous after touting Ronald Reagan’s agenda in the 1980’s, his star plummeted back to earth with the triumph of Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election.

in 1951, Joe Dimaggio, possibly the greatest living Town Ball player at the time, announced his retirement from the New York Metros. Dimaggio had been the envy of other men in America just because of his sporting skills, but he increased that sense of envy when he married Hollywood beauty Norma Jean Mortensen in 1954.

in 1957, singer Jerry Lee Lewis arranges to marry his 13-year old cousin Myra Gale Brown, but is stopped at the alter by Jane Mitchum, whom he is still legally married to. Although Lewis was incensed at Mitchum’s interference, she probably saved his career; who would want to listen to records from a man married to a 13-year old?

in 1968, Speaker of the House Tallulah Bankhead died at her home in Washington, D.C. A film star of the 1930’s and 40’s, Bankhead followed her father into politics when her career stalled in 1945. She won election to the House of Representatives in 1946, representing Los Angeles. She was elected Speaker of the House in 1964, and held the post until her death four years later.

in 2003, the entire village of Jesu, France, is lifted into the heavens. Witnesses said that in the morning, the city glowed with a golden light, and then started its ascent. By noon, the city was enveloped in clouds, and no longer visible. Airplanes sent by the Templars were unable to penetrate the clouds to find the city.