Died On This Date

July 22

Shepard, Alan Bartlett
b. November 18, 1923 d. July 22, 1998
American Astronaut. The first American into space, he is currently the oldest man to have walked on the moon. Born in Derry, New Hampshire, the son of Army Lieutenant Colonel Alan B. Shepard and Renza Emerson Shepard, Alan Jr graduated from the Admiral Farragut Academy (military high school) in 1941, and received a BS degree in Engineering from the US Naval Academy in 1944.

Getty, Estelle
b. July 25, 1923 d. July 22, 2008
Actress. Best known for her role as sassy Italian octogenarian "Sophia Petrillo", on the hit sitcom "The Golden Girls." Estelle was born in New York to Polish immigrants. In 1947, she married Arthur Gettleman. The couple had two sons together. Estelle Gettleman began her acting career under the stage name Estelle Getty in 1978 playing a teacher in the film "Team Mates." She had small walk on roles in the Films "Tootsie" in 1982 and "Mask" in 1985.

Sandburg, Carl
b. January 6, 1878 d. July 22, 1967
Author. Poet. Carl Sandburg was born in Galesburg, Illinois. He was born the son of Swedish immigrants, August and Clara Anderson Sandburg. He was the second of seven children and was called Charlie by his family. He quit school after graduating from the eighth grade in 1891. The next few years he worked a variety of jobs. He spent some time traveling as a hobo while honing his writing and political views. He volunteered for service in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Cause of death: Heart Attack.