Died On This Date: Mar 27

Berle, Milton
b. July 12, 1908 d. March 27, 2002
Comic Actor whose career spanned show business from vaudeville, silent films, radio, television, to Broadway and Las Vegas. Milton's career began at the age of 5 on the streets of upper Manhattan, where he did Charlie Chaplin imitations to entertain other kids. An agent saw him and found work for him as the Buster Brown boy, selling shoes. Chaplin heard about him and sent for him, and he appeared in several silent films with the great

Charlie Chaplin.
Moore, Dudley (Dudley Stuart John)
b. April 19, 1935 d. March 27, 2002
Actor, Comedian. He is most remembered for his roles in the films "10" and "Arthur." In June 2001, he was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE). Born in Dagenham, east London, England, he became a comedian because of his short height (5 feet, 2 inches) and a defective left foot (a birth defect, this was surgically corrected when he was a young boy).

Wilder, Billy
b. June 22, 1906 d. March 27, 2002
Legendary, Academy-Award winning motion picture writer, director, and producer of the 1920s thru 1980s. Won Oscars for the classic films "The Lost Weekend" (1945), "Sunset Blvd." (1950), and "The Apartment" (1950). He also wrote and directed the timeless comedy "Some Like it Hot," starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe. He was and is a true Hollywood icon.

Nofziger, Lyn
b. June 8, 1924 d. March 27, 2006
Journalst, US Government Official. He is best remembered as the spokesman and campaign political advisor for Ronald Reagan in several campaigns. Born Franklyn C. Nofziger in Bakersfield, California, he served in the U.S. Army, received a journalism degree from San Jose State College; spent 16 years as a newspaperman, including eight as a Washington Correspondent for Copley Newspapers in California and Illinois.

Adams, Harriet Stratemeyer
b. December 11, 1893 d. March 27, 1982
Author. The daughter of American publisher and author Edward Stratemeyer, she was the author of several books for young children and teens. Writing for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the book publishing firm founded by her father, she contributed stories in the "Nancy Drew" series under the firm's blanket pseudonym 'Carolyn Keene'. She also contributed stories in the "Hardy Boys" and "Bobbsey Twins" adventure and mysterious.

Hurlbut, Stephen Augustus
b. November 29, 1815 d. March 27, 1882
Civil War Union Major General, US Congressman. He was admitted to the bar in 1837, practiced law in Charleston, Florida and later served as adjutant in a South Carolina Regiment. In 1845, he went to Illinois and was a member of the State Legislature in 1859, 1861 and 1867. At the beginning of the Civil War he was appointed Brigadier General of Volunteers and commanded at Fort Donelson after its capture in February, 1862.

McCammon, William W.
b. May 28, 1838 d. March 27, 1903
Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Served as a First Lieutenant, Company E, 24th Missouri Infantry, in action at Corinth, Mississippi on October 3, 1862. Citation: While on duty as provost marshal, voluntarily assumed command of his company, then under fire, and so continued in command until the repulse and retreat of the enemy on the following day, the loss to this company during the battle being very great. Award issued July 9, 1896, he was also a Spanish American War Veteran.

Duncan, James K. L.
b. July 6, 1845 d. March 27, 1913
Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He served as an Ordinary Seaman in the Union Navy. His citation reads "Served on board the USS Hindman during the engagement near Harrisonburg, LA., 2 March 1864. Following a shellburst at one of the guns which started a fire at the cartridge tie, Duncan immediately seized the burning cartridge, took it from the gun, and threw it overboard, despite the immediate danger to himself.

Ray, Aldo
b. September 25, 1926 d. March 27, 1991
Actor. Born Aldo DaRe, he was singled out by a Hollywood scout who at first was interested in his brother Guido, but Aldo seemed to have a better voice (his mother always told this story). At the time he was Constable of the town of Crockett, California, where he lived with his family. After his screen debut in the movie "Saturday's Hero" in 1951, he became one of the leading men in Hollywood, where he was renown for his screen presence.

Meyer, Henry C.
b. April 14, 1844 d. March 27, 1935
Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Served in the Civil War as Captain and commander of Company D, 24th New York Volunteer Cavalry. He was awarded the CMOH for his bravery at Petersburg, Virginia on June 17, 1864. His citation reads "During an assault and in the face of a heavy fire rendered heroic assistance to a wounded and helpless officer, thereby saving his life and in the performance of this gallant act sustained a severe wound".

Plaster, Thomas
b. June 26, 1804 d. March 27, 1861
Plaster served for several years as postmaster at Bedias, and after annexation he was elected to the First Legislature of the state of Texas. At the battle of San Jacinto Plaster manned one of the "Twin Sisters."

Winters, Charlotte Louise
b. November 10, 1897 d. March 27, 2007
Pioneer US Military Figure. The last surviving American female veteran of World War I, and the oldest woman military veteran. In 1916, at age nineteen, Winters met with Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels and helped persuade him to allow women in the service. She enlisted immediately after America's entry into World War I and was assigned to a stateside naval gun production facility.

Lauterbur, Paul Christian
b. May 6, 1929 d. March 27, 2007
Inventor. Known as "the father of MRI," he was a chemist who made the development of magnetic-resonace-imaging possible. In 2003, he and physicist Sir Peter Mansfield were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The MRI technique gives physicians the ability to look inside the human body without using harmful radiation. It is valuable for imaging the brain and spinal cord, monitoring the progress of diseases and assessing damage to knees and joints.

Fannin, James W.
b. January 1, 1804 d. March 27, 1836
Texas Independence Army Officer. While a Colonel and commander at Goliad, Texas, he was massacred along with 341 other Texas Rebels who were captured at the Battle of Coleto on the orders of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana during the War of Texas Independence.

Ekin, James Adams
b. August 31, 1819 d. March 27, 1891
Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. A builder of ships and steamboats prior to the Civil War he entered service as 1st Lieutenant and regimental quartermaster of the 12th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He reached the rank of Colonel in the Quartermaster Department holding various posts including that of Chief Quartermaster of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac. He received the brevet of Brigadier General, US Volunteers on March 8, 1865.

Curtis, Dan
b. August 12, 1927 d. March 27, 2006
Producer, Director. Best know for producing popular television shows such as Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker, Winds of War and War & Remembrance.