Died On This Date

May 21
Cartland, Barbara
b. July 9, 1901 d. May 21, 2000
Author. Aviation pioneer. British political and society figure. Dame Barbara Cartland was born into a middle class family, and showed writing talent from an early age; her first job as a gossip columnist for The Daily Express was followed by her first novel, "Jigsaw", in 1923. By the time her career ended, she had published 657 books, making her, according to the 1983 edition of "The Guinness Book of World Records", the largest selling author on earth.

Gielgud, John
b. April 14, 1904 d. May 21, 2000
Actor. Born Arthur John Gielgud in South Kensington, London to Frank Gielgud, a stockbroker, and his wife, Kate Terry-Lewis. He attended Hillside preparatory school, where he first appeared onstage in a production of Shakespeare's ‘Merchant of Venice'. At 17 he made his professional debut at the Old Vic in 1921 in a minor role in ‘Henry V.' He studied his craft at Lady Benson's Dramatic Academy and attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Monroe, Vaughn
b. October 7, 1911 d. May 21, 1973
Singer, Orchestra Leader, Actor. One of the most successful radio and recording artists of the 1940s and 1950's, he had dozens of top selling records, including "There, I've Said it Again", "Let it Snow", "Dance Ballerina" and "Ghost Riders in the Sky". As a result of his popularity Camel Cigarettes signed him for the Saturday night radio show "The CBS Caravan". He received parts in several motion pictures, including "Singing Guns" and "The Toughest Man in Arizona".