What Happened in December 1928

Historical Events

Bottomley NL MVP

Dec 2 St. Louis Cardinals future Baseball HOF first baseman Jim Bottomley is voted NL MVP

Dec 4 Walter Donaldson & Gus Kahn's musical "Whoopee!", starring Eddie Cantor, premieres on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre, NYC; runs for 407 performances
Dec 5 England defeats Australia by record 675 runs at Brisbane
Dec 5 Wilhelm Miklas elected president of Austria

Attempt on Hoover Thwarted

Dec 11 Buenos Aires police thwart assassination attempt on President-elect Herbert Hoover - prevent anarchists from bombing his train

Dec 12 Robert Nichols and Maurice Browne's play "Wings over Europe" premieres in New York City
Dec 13 Clip-on tie designed

An American In Paris

Dec 13 George Gershwin's "An American In Paris" symphonic poem premieres at Carnegie Hall, NYC, performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Walter Damrosch

Dec 16 National Football League Championship: Providence Steam Roller (8-1-2) win first past the post title
Dec 17 John McGraw backs NL President John Heydler's designated hitter idea
Dec 19 1st autogyro flight in US
Dec 20 1st international dogsled mail leaves Minot, Maine for Montreal, Quebec
Dec 20 Ethel Barrymore Theatre opens at 243 W 47th St NYC
Dec 23 NBC sets up a permanent, coast-to-coast radio network
Dec 24 George Abbott Theater (Adelphi, 54 St) opens at 152 W 54th St NYC
Dec 25 NSW (v Vic) go from 8-74 to 9-113 to be 9-367 at stumps

Weissmuller Retires

Dec 26 Johnny Weissmuller announces his retirement from amateur swimming

Dec 26 World record 10th wicket stand 307 (Kippax / Hooker) NSW v Vic
Dec 28 Ma Rainey, "Mother of the Blues" makes her last record - "Big Feelin' Blues"

Events in 1928

Famous Birthdays

Dec 2 Dan Jenkins, American author, sportswriter (Sports Illustrated), born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 2019)
Dec 2 Jörg Wolfgang Demus, Austrian classical pianist and composer, born in St. Pölte, Austria (d. 2019)
Dec 3 Jack McMahon, American basketball guard and coach (player Rochester Royal, St. Louis Hawks; coach Cincinnati Royals, San Diego Rockets, Pittsburgh Condors), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1989)
Dec 4 Dena Dietrich, American actress ("Mother Nature" in Chiffon margarine commercials), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2020)
Dec 4 Frank Tiberi, American jazz saxophonist, bassoonist (Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman), band leader, and educator (Berklee), born in Camden, New Jersey
Dec 4 Hebe de Bonafini, Argentine human rights activist (co-founded Mothers of Plaza de Mayo), born in Ensenada, Argentina (d. 2022)
Dec 6 Bert Geoffrey Achong, Trinidadian pathologist and inventor (electron microscopist), born in Port of Spain, Trinidad (d. 1996)
Dec 6 Bobby Van [Stein], American stage and screen musical singer and actor (The Affairs of Dobie Gillis; Small Town Girl), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 1980)

Noam Chomsky (95 years old)

Dec 7 American linguist (founded transformational grammar), philosopher and political activist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dec 7 Raymond Warren, British composer (Cello Requiem; Variations on a Gloucester Chime), and educator (Queen's University - Belfast, 1955-72), born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England
Dec 8 Ulric Neisser, America psychologist (Intelligence: Knowns and Unknowns, Bell Curve task force head), born in Kiel, Germany (d. 2012)
Dec 9 André Milhoux, Belgian racing driver, born in Bressoux, Belgium
Dec 9 Richard "Dick" Van Patten, American actor, businessman, and animal welfare advocate (Tom Bradford in 8 is Enough), born in Queens, New York (d. 2015)
Dec 10 Barbara Nichols, American actress (Dear Heart, Disorderly Orderly), born in Queens, New York (d. 1976)
Dec 10 Dan Blocker, American actor Cimarron City - "Tiny"; Bonanza - "Hoss"), born in DeKalb, Bowie County, Texas (d. 1972)
Dec 10 John Colicos, Canadian actor (Battlestar Galactica), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2000)
Dec 11 Peter Firmin, British children's book illustrator and puppet maker (The Saga of Noggin the Nog; Clangers), born in Harwich, Essex, England (d. 2018)
Dec 11 Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Cuban filmmaker (Muerte de un burócrata), born in Havana, Cuba (d. 1996)
Dec 12 (Henry) Lionel Blair [Ogus], Canadian-British choreographer, tap dancer, actor, and television presenter., born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2021)
Dec 12 Chinghiz Aitmatov, Soviet-Kyrgyz author and best-known figure in Kyrgyzstan's literature (Jamila), born in Kirghiz ASSR, Soviet Union (d. 2008)
Dec 12 Helen Frankenthaler, American abstract expressionist artist (Arden), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2011)
Dec 12 Lionel Blair [Ogus], Canadian choreographer (Give Us a Clue), born in Montréal, Québec
Dec 12 Lonesome Sundown [Cornelius Green III], American blues singer and guitarist, born in Donaldsonville, Louisiana (d. 1995)
Dec 13 Jack Tramiel, American Businessman (Amiga, Commodore 64), born in Łódź, Poland (d. 2012)
Dec 13 Joe Messina, American soul, jazz, and R&B session guitarist (Soupy Sales; The Funk Brothers), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2022) [1]
Dec 13 Jutta Müller, German figure skating coach (GDR 3 x Olympic gold, 10 x World C'ship gold), born in Chemnitz, Germany (d. 2023)
Dec 13 W. Gordon Smith, Scottish playwright, born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1996)
Dec 15 Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian-New Zealand artist and architect (Hundertwasserhaus) known for his work in environmental protection, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2000)
Dec 15 Ida Haendel, Polish-British-Canadian child prodigy violinist, teacher, and author (Woman with Violin), born in Chelm, Poland (d. 2020)
Dec 15 Jerry Wallace, American country and pop singer ("Primrose Lane"; "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry"), born in Guilford, Missouri (d. 2008)
Dec 15 Jimmy Nelson, American ventriloquist (Nestles - Farfel the Dog), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2019)
Dec 16 Doug Ford, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (successful NSW of 50's), born in Maryville, New South Wales (d. 2019)
Dec 16 Peter Nailor, British civil servant, historian, and academic, born in UK (d. 1996)
Dec 16 Philip K. Dick, American sci-fi author (Hugo-1963; Blade Runner), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1982)
Dec 17 Eli Beeding, Sherman, TX, Air Force Captain and rocket test pilot, (d. 2013)
Dec 17 Marilyn Beck, American newspaper columnist and entertainment reporter, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2014)
Dec 18 Józef Glemp, Polish cardinal, born in Inowrocław, Poland (d. 2013)
Dec 19 Andrés Prieto, Chilean soccer forward (16 caps; Universidad Católica, Español) and manager (Universidad Católica, Liverpool FC, Bolívar, Real Santa Cruz), born in Santiago, Chile (d. 2022)
Dec 19 Galt MacDermot, Canadian composer (Hair), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2018)
Dec 19 Michael Hurd, British composer and musicologist known for his choral music (Jonah-Man Jazz), born in Gloucester, England (d. 2006)
Dec 19 Morris "Moose" Charlap, American Broadway composer (Peter Pan; Kelly), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1974)
Dec 19 Nathan Oliveira, American painter (Seated Figure with Pink Background), sculptor, and printmaker, born in Oakland, California (d. 2010)
Dec 19 Rubens Minelli, Brazilian soccer manager (SC Internacional, SE Palmeiras, SC Corinthians, Santos FC, Al-Hilal SFC, Saudi Arabia), born in São Paulo, Brazil (d. 2023)
Dec 20 Charles Donald Adams, British bass-baritone opera singer (D'Oyly Carte Opera Company,; Gilbert and Sullivan For All), born in Bristol, United Kingdom (d. 1996)
Dec 20 Jack Christiansen, American NFL football player. 1951-58 (Detroit Lions - 3 x Champion, 5 X Pro Bowl), NFL and college coach (San Francisco 49ers, Stanford University), born in Sublette, Kansas (d. 1986)
Dec 21 Edwin "Ed" Nelson, American actor (Peyton Place, Along Came a Spider), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2014)
Dec 21 Thomas Rajna, British-Hungarian pianist, and composer (Amarantha; Stop All The Clocks), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2021)
Dec 22 Piero Angela, Italian science journalist and television host (Quark), born in Turin, Italy (d. 2022)
Dec 23 (Murrey) "Buddy" Harman, American country music session drummer (Grand Ole Opry; Elvis Presley; Patsy Cline; Brenda Lee; Ween), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 2008)
Dec 23 Chronis Aidonidis, Greek folk and traditional music singer, born in Karoti, Greece (d. 2023)
Dec 25 Harry Klein, English jazz saxophonist, born in London (d. 2010)
Dec 25 Irish McCalla, American actress and artist (Sheena Queen of Jungle), born in Pawnee City, Nebraska (d. 2002)
Dec 28 Kamilló Lendvay, Hungarian composer (Pezzo Concertanto), conductor, and educator, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2016)
Dec 28 Moe Koffman, Canadian jazz saxophonist and flautist (Cool and Hot Sax), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2001)
Dec 29 Bernard Cribbins, British character actor (Old Jack’s Boat; Doctor Who – “Wilfred Mott”; The Railway Children), voice-over artist (The Wombles; Jackanory), and novelty song singer (Right Said Fred), born in Oldham, Lancashire, England (d. 2022)
Dec 29 John Kennedy Sr., Australian Rules Football coach (Australian Football Hall of Fame legend; VFL Premiership 1961, 71, 76; Hawthorn FC; North Melbourne FC), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2020)

Bo Diddley (1928-2008)

Dec 30 American rock `n' roll pioneer guitarist (Bo Diddley), born in McComb, Mississippi

Dec 30 Jack Montrose, American "cool jazz" tenor saxophonist and arranger, born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2006)
Dec 31 Amarillo Slim [Thomas Preston], American hall of fame professional poker player (1971 World Series main event), born in Amarillo, Texas (d. 2012)
Dec 31 Hugh McElhenny, American Pro/College Football HOF halfback (University of Washington; 5 × First-team All-Pro; 6 × Pro Bowl; Minnesota Vikings, SF 49ers), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2022)
Dec 31 Ross Barbour, American singer (4 Freshmen), born in Columbus, Indiana (d. 2011)
Dec 31 Siné [Maurice Sinet], French cartoonist, born in Paris, France (d. 2016)
Dec 31 Veijo Meri, Finnish writer (Private Jokinen’s Marriage Leave), born in Viipuri, Finland (now Vyborg, Russia) (d. 2015)

Born in 1928

Famous Deaths

Dec 1 Arthur Gore, British tennis player (Wimbledon 1901, 08-09), dies at 60
Dec 1 José Eustasio Rivera, Colombian poet and novelist (Vortex), dies after falling into a coma at 40
Dec 5 Johannes "Johan" Bakker Sr, Dutch actor and husband of Truus Soete, dies at 61
Dec 10 Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Scottish architect, designer, and illustrator, dies at 60
Dec 11 Lewis Howard Latimer, American inventor (carbon filament lightbulb), dies at 80
Dec 14 Theodore Roberts, American actor (Roaring Road, 10 Commandments), dies at 77
Dec 16 Elinor Wylie, American poet and writer (b. 1885)
Dec 18 Lucien Capet, French composer and violinist, dies at 55
Dec 21 Harry Butt, English cricket wicket-keeper (3 Tests, 2 dismissals; Sussex CCC, MCC), dies at 62
Dec 21 Luigi Cadorna, Italian fieldmarshal (WW I, Caporetto), dies at 78