Died On This Date

May 10
Revere, Paul
b. January 1, 1735 d. May 10, 1818
Revolutionary War Patriot. A talented silversmith and member of the Revolutionary movement in Massachusetts, his attempts to warn prominent Massachusetts patriot members Samuel Adams and John Hancock, as well as the Lexington countryside of the impending approach of British Regular troops on April 18, 1775 was popularized by poet William Wadsworth Longfellow's highly fictionalized poem "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere".

Jackson, Thomas Jonathan 'Stonewall'
b. January 21, 1824 d. May 10, 1863
Civil War Confederate Major General. Born in what is now the state of West Virginia, in the town of Clarksburg to parents who unable to secure medical attention died literally as the result of extreme poverty. Orphaned, he was taken in and raised by an uncle. Desiring an education, Thomas Jackson applied to West Point, realizing acceptance meant a free education. Though, ill-prepared, he applied himself and his grades improved each year resulting graduating 17th in a class of 59. Cause of death: Pneumonia.

Crawford, Joan (Lucille Fay LeSueur)
b. March 23, 1905 d. May 10, 1977
Actress. Born Lucille Fay Le Sueur in San Antonio, Texas, but christened Joan Crawford by Hollywood, she exemplified the 1920s carefree "flapper" era to a 'T'. Her beauty and vivacity catapulted her to stardom in the late 1920s in the hugely popular silent classic "Our Dancing Daughters". Ever since that point, the resilient actress with the ever expressive eyes, the famous overpainted lips and the will of steel created for herself one of the most legendary and enduring Hollywood personae Cause of death: Cancer and acute coronary occlusion.

Michael, Moina Belle
b. August 15, 1869 d. May 10, 1944
Educator, "Poppy Lady." Moina Michael established the poppy as a universal symbol of tribute and support for veterans. Flanders Field is a United States military cemetery near Waregem, Belgium which contain the bodies of 368 Americans who died in World War I. It was the source for the famous poem, "In Flanders Field" by Canadian poet John McCrae.

Willcox, Orlando Bolivar
b. April 16, 1823 d. May 10, 1907
Civil War Union Brigadier General, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he graduated 8th in the United States Military Academy class of 1847. After his graduation, he served in garrisons in Mexico, New Mexico Territory, Massachusetts, and Florida. In 1857 he resigned his commission, returned to his hometown, and became a lawyer. Reenlisting in military service on May 1, 1861, with the rank of Colonel of the 1st Michigan Volunteer Infantry.

Kelly, George E.M.
b. 1878 d. May 10, 1911
United States Army Officer. 2nd Lieutenant Kelly was the first U.S. military pilot to lose his life while flying a military aircraft. Kelly was attempting to land his aricraft when a front strut collapsed, causing his aircraft to veer toward an encampment of the 11th Infantry. To avoid crashing into the tents, Kelly banked sharply and was killed when his plane smashed into the ground. San Antonio's Kelly Air Force Base was named in his honor.

Weber, Joe
b. August 11, 1867 d. May 10, 1942
Comedian, Theatrical Producer. Joe Weber was the "business smart" half of Weber and Fields, a 19th century comedy team that ended up revolutionizing the 20th century musical theater. In 1877, Weber teamed with his Bowery, NY neighbor and friend, Lew Fields, to develop a knockabout comedy act to play the local saloons. Both Joe and Lew were nine years old. They based their characters, Mike and Meyer, on caricatures of the Dutch German immigrants they saw on the streets in the Bowery.

Silverstein, Shel
b. September 25, 1930 d. May 10, 1999
Poet, Writer, Humorist, Cartoonist, Composer, Recording artist. Born Sheldon Allan Silverstein, he was the son of Nathan and Helen Silverstein. As early as age twelve, Silverstein was drawing and writing works of strange and wondrous humor. He claimed that it was his only real talent and joked that he sometimes was more interested in it than in girls. He was quoted as saying that he had no real influences for his art and did not even see works by those he would come to admire. Cause of death: Heart attack.

Halyburton Jr., William David
b. October 2, 1924 d. May 10, 1945
WW II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Served as a Pharmacist's Mate Second Class, U.S. Naval Reserve with a Marine Rifle Company in the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. During action against Japanese forces on May 10, 1945 at Okinawa, he dashed across an open fire-swept field where the company was pinned down to assist casualties. Moving steadily forward he reached a wounded Marine and shielded the fallen fighter with his own body.

Walley, Deborah
b. August 12, 1943 d. May 10, 2001
She was the perky young actress that succeeded Sandra Dee in the "Gidget" sequel. She starred in several beach frolic movies of the 1960s. A fan favorite from the beginning, the petite red head was chosen Photoplay Magazine's Most Popular Actress in 1961. She may have created her best legacy away from Hollywood. Moving to Arizona to rear her three sons, she co-founded two children's theater companies, Pied Piper Productions and the Sedona Children's Theatre. Cause of death: Esophageal cancer.

Padgett, Benjamin Lewis
b. March 20, 1894 d. May 10, 1951
United States Army Officer. Gained the sobrequet "Gadget Padgett" after he invented a simple wooden machine that allowed the shifting of colored paper to represent statistical trends in motion. He was paid a large sum for the Graph Device from a major business machine company of this century. Joined the United States Army in World War I and soon found himself working for future President Herbert Hoover on the American Relief Effort to ease the plight of more than 120,000 Americans stranded .

Beckett, Scotty
b. October 4, 1929 d. May 10, 1968Actor. He is best-known for his role as Scotty, one of the cutest of "The Little Rascals". Born in Oakland, California, Beckett had already made his film debut (at age three) when producer Hal Roach signed him up for his "Our Gang" series in 1934. Clad in an oversized sweater and a baseball cap worn sideways, he was always watchable but never really developed his own personality among the gang. Scotty was most often paired with Spanky to provide wry commentary about the bigger kids. Cause of death: Drug overdose.

Stevens, Craig
b. July 8, 1918 d. May 10, 2000
Actor. An American motion picture and television figure, he was best known as television's "Peter Gunn". Cause of death: Cancer.