Fun with Numbers: Famous Disrupters
Updated: Aug 24, 2019
By Maria Beale Fletcher:
If you read through this month's Numerology, Astrology, and Tarotscope forecast posts, you'll see that the Flapper Press "Spirit Team" is in agreement—August 2019 is a volatile month! This got my numerology brain thinking about all the famous "disrupters" over the centuries who were born in August and who have made a huge impact on their world and ours.
I thought that if I could distinguish one such individual for each of the 31 days of August then the reader could get an idea of the impact each disrupter has made. You'd think it would be simple enough, but of course . . . it was not. There were several days of the month, 13 days in fact, that I found it impossible to choose just one individual for that day. Therefore, I decided to list them all!
Yes, I live in a world of numbers, and if you're familiar at all with my work in Chaldean Numerology, you know I prefer to focus on the light side of the Numbers and not the dark side. The numbers within our individual birth charts are important for the implications of the energies they represent. However, our names and birth dates do not predict our lives. Our destinies are not set in stone. We are given free will to choose the light over the dark or the dark choice over the light. We have only ourselves and the choices we make, moment by moment, that create our lives.
With that thought in mind, let's take a look at some of famous disrupters over the centuries—their history written, their choices made! FYI, I was fortunate to have interviewed two from the following list: Ingrid Bergman and Alfred Hitchcock! They both delighted me with their personal stories, leaving me many treasured memories as I interviewed them on different days while I co-hosted my daily hour-long TV show, The Noon Hour over the NBC affiliate WSM in Nashville, TN, in the late 1960's.
Â
August 1, 1818: MARIA MITCHELL
Maria Mitchel was the first female astronomer in the United States. Discovering a comet in 1847, she also uncovered the true nature of sunspots and became the first female member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She was the first person ever to be appointed to the faculty at Vassar College and then named the Director of the Vassar College Observatory.
Maria Mitchell was also a pioneer in equal pay: when she discovered she wasn't making as much as her less-experienced counterparts, she demanded a raise and got it!
August 2, 1754: PIERRE CHARLES L'ENFANT
Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the French-born American architect who laid out Washington, D.C., was born in Paris, France.
August 3, 1811: ELISHA OTIS
Elisha Otis, American founder of the Otis Elevator Company and inventor of a safety device that prevents elevators from falling if the hoisting cable fails, was born in Halifax, Vermont.
August 4, 1901: LOUIS ARMSTRONG
Louis Daniel Armstrong—nicknamed Satchmo, Satch, and Pops—was an American trumpeter, composer, vocalist, and occasional actor who was one of the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s, and different eras in the history of jazz. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
August 5, 1930: NEIL ARMSTRONG
Neil Alden Armstrong was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who was the first person to walk on the Moon. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor.
August 6, 1911: LUCILLE BALL
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American actress, comedian, model, entertainment studio executive, and producer. She was the star of the self-produced sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, and Life with Lucy, as well as comedy television specials aired under the title The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. Her company, Desilu, was also responsible for producing the original Star Trek television series.
August 7, 1560: Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed
A countess from the renowned Báthory family of nobility in the Kingdom of Hungary. She has been labelled the most prolific female serial killer in history. Together with four collaborators, she was accused of torturing and killing hundreds of girls between 1585 and 1610.
August 7, 1876: MATA HARI
Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, Dutch exotic dancer, courtesan, and convicted German WWI spy, born in Leeuwarden, Netherlands (d. 1917).
August 7, 1929: RUTH CARTER-STAPLETON
President Jimmy Carter's sister was an American evangelist, born in Plains, Georgia.
August 7, 1932: ABEBE BIKILA
Ethiopian Olympic marathon champion (Olympic gold, marathon 1960, '64) and Africa's first world-record-breaking athlete in any sport, she won the 1960 Olympics marathon barefoot, born in Jato, Ethiopian Empire.
August 8, 1814: ESTHER MORRIS
Esther Hobart McQuigg, American suffragist, anti-slavery activist, and 1st female justice of the peace in the U.S., born in Tioga County, New York (d. 1902).
August 9, 1819: JONATHAN HOMER LANE
American astrophysicist who mathematically analyzed the Sun as a gaseous body, born in Geneseo, New York (d. 1880).
August 9, 1905: ELIZABETH LANE
First female British supreme court justice.
August 10, 1814: HENRI NESTLE
German-Swiss industrialist (founder of Nestlé), born in Frankfurt, Germany (d. 1890).
August 10, 1856: WILLIAM WILLETT
British inventor of Daylight Saving Time, born in Farnham, Surrey, England.
August 11, 1897: ENID BLYTON
English children's writer, fifth most popular author in the world (Famous Five, Secret Seven, The Adventure), born in London, England (d. 1968).
August 11, 1900: CHARLES WILLIAM PADDOCK
American athlete and 100m record breaker (Olympic-2 gold-1920) (d. 1943).
August 12, 1670: FREDERICK AUGUSTUS1/AUGUST11, THE STRONG
Elector of Saxony and King of Poland (reputed to have sired 355 children).
August 12, 1856: "DIAMOND JIM" BRADY
American financier.
August 12, 1859: KATHARINE LEE BATES
American author (America the Beautiful).
August 13,1860: ANNIE OAKLEY
American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Her talent first came to light when, at age 15, she won a shooting match against traveling-show marksman Frank E. Butler, whom she later married. The couple joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West show a few years later. Oakley became a renowned international star, performing before royalty and heads of state.
August 13, or August 14, 1888: JOHN LOGIE BAIRD
Scottish inventor of a television system. John Logie Baird spent his early working life as an engineer for an electrical power company in his native Scotland before moving south to set up on his own and build the first television. By 1926, Baird was able to demonstrate to fellow scientists in his lab the first true television and would go on to demonstrate other firsts: a televised display between London and Glasgow in 1927 and between London and New York in 1928. He was also the first to have shown color on a television.
August 13, 1899: ALFRED HITCHCOCK
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was an English film director and producer, widely regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Known as "the Master of Suspense," he directed over 50 feature films in a career spanning six decades, becoming as well known as any of his actors thanks to his many interviews, his cameo roles in most of his films, and his hosting and producing of the television anthology Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
August 14, 1851: DOC HOLLIDAY
American gambler, dentist, and gunfighter (Gunfight at the O.K. Corral), born in Griffin, Georgia.
August 14, 1883: ERNEST EVERETT JUST
African-American embryologist known for his pioneering work in the physiology of development, especially fertilization and cell division, born in Charleston, South Carolina.
August 15, 1912: JULIA CHILD
Julia Carolyn Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which premiered in 1963.
August 16, 1897: ROBERT RINGLING
Robert Ringling co-founded the Ringling Brothers Circus.
August 17, 1786: DAVEY CROCKETT
Davy Crockett, American frontiersman, adventurer, and politician, born in Greene County, Tennessee.
August 17, 1838: LAURA de FORCE GORDON
California lawyer, a prominent suffragette, and first woman to run a daily newspaper in the U.S. (Stockton Daily Leader, 1874), born in North East, Pennsylvania (d. 1907).
August 18, 1587: VIRGINIA DARE
First English child born in New World.
August 18, 1936: ROBERT REDFORD
American actor/director (The Sting, The Candidate, The Natural, The Great Gatsby), born in Santa Monica, California.
August 19 1871: ORVILLE WRIGHT
Aviator, (Wright Brothers), born in Dayton, Ohio.
August 19,1785: SETH THOMAS
Invented the mass production of clocks.
August 20, 1561: JACAPO PERI
Italian composer and singer who wrote the first recognized opera "Dafne," born in Rome.
August 20, 1779: FABIAN GOTTLIEB VON BELLINGSHAUSEN
Russian explorer who discovered the continent of Antarctica, born in Osel, Estonia (d. 1852).
August 20, 1918: JACQUELINE SUSANN
American author (Valley of the Dolls), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
August 21, 1811: WILLIAM KELLY
American inventor (pneumatic process of steelmaking), born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
August 22, 1902: LENI RIEFENSTAHL
Born Helene Bertha Amalie Riefenstahl, Leni was a German film director, (Triumph of Will) and actress (Tiefland), born in Berlin, Germany, who lived to be 101 years old.
August 23, 1847: SARAH FRANCES WHITING
American physicist and astronomer, born in Wyoming, New York.
August 24, 1817: ALEKSEY KONSTANTINOVICH TOLSTOY
Russian novelist, poet, and playwright (Prince Serebrenni), born in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
August 25, 1841: EMIL THEODOR KOCHER
Swiss surgeon, Thyroid specialist (Nobel 1909), born in Bern, Switzerland.
August 26, 1743: ANTOINE-LAURENT LAVOISIER
Father of modern chemistry (identified oxygen and hydrogen), born in Paris, France (d. 1794).
August 27, 1910: MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA
Albanian-born missionary dedicated to the care of the poor and sick, particularly in India.
August 28, 1919: SIR GODFREY HOUNSFIELD
Nottinghamshire inventor of the EMI, computer-assisted tomography (CAT scanner), which allows detailed X-ray slices of the human body to be produced.
August 29, 1915: INGRID BERGMAN
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won many accolades, including three Academy Awards, two Prime Time Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and a BAFTA Award. She is best remembered for her roles as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca, and Alicia Huberman in Notorious.
August 29, 1958: MICHAEL JACKSON
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop," he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century and one of its greatest entertainers. Jackson's contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.
August 30, 1797: MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT SHELLY
London-born writer who authored Frankenstein years after she eloped with Percy Shelley and married him in 1816.
August 31, 1870: MARIA MONTESSORI
Famous Italian educator, founded the Montessori Schools, invented the term "spontaneous response."
August 31, 1899: PAUL E. GARBER
American founder/1st curator of National Air & Space Museum, born in Atlantic City, New Jersey (d. 1992).
August 31, 1945: ITZHAK PERLMAN
Violinist/polio victim (14 Grammys), born in Tel Aviv, Israel.