By StephanieLee Elliott
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Shelton Jackson “Spike” Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. Lee has won numerous accolades for his work, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and two Peabody Awards. He has also been honored with an Honorary BAFTA Award in 2002, an Honorary César in 2003, and the Academy Honorary Award in 2015.
His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut with She’s Gotta Have It (1986). He has since written and directed such films as School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Malcolm X (1992), Crooklyn (1994), Clockers (1995), 25th Hour (2002), Inside Man (2006), Chi-Raq (2015), BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Da 5 Bloods (2020). Lee also acted in eleven of his feature films. He is also known for directing numerous documentary projects including the 4 Little Girls (1997), the HBO series When the Levees Broke (2006), the concert film American Utopia (2020), and NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021½ (2021).
His films have featured breakthrough performances from actors such as Denzel Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, Delroy Lindo and John David Washington. Lee’s films Do the Right Thing, Bamboozled, Malcolm X, 4 Little Girls and She’s Gotta Have It were each selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.[1][2][3] He has received a Gala Tribute from the Film Society of Lincoln Center as well as the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Question of the Day
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Died
- King Henry IV of England –
- Sir Thomas Seymour (brother of Queen Jane, uncle to Prince Edward) –
- Sir Isaac Newton (physicist) –
Born
- Henrik Ibsen (poet & playwright) –
- Charles William Eliot (educator) –
- Ozzie Nelson (actor) –
- Sir Michael Redgrave (actor) –
- Jack Barry (game show host) –
- Carl Reiner (actor & director) –
- Ray Goulding (comedian) –
- Fred Rogers (educator, minister, host of children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) –
- Jerry Reed (actor) –
- Bobby Orr (hockey player) –
- William Hurt (actor) –
- Carl Palmer (musician) –
- Spike Lee (director) –
- Holly Hunter (actress) –
- Christy Carlson Romano (actress) –
Events
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was published–
- American Bell Telephone Co. was organized–
- The first Farm Bureau in U.S. formed in Binghamton, N.Y.–
- First U.S. figure skating championship in international style took place in New Haven, Connecticut–
- The first flight between England and South Africa was completed by Col. H.A. van Rejneveld and Maj. C.J. Brand of the South African Air Force–
- USS Midway launched, Newport News, Virginia–
- British troops captured Japanese-held Mandalay (WWII)–
- The peace treaty restoring Japanese sovereignty was ratified by U.S. Senate, ending American occupation of Japan–
- John Lennon and Yoko Ono were married in a civil ceremony in Gibraltar–
- Communications satellite NATO 1 launched–
- Libby Riddles of Teller, AK, became the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Dog Race, from Anchorage to Nome–
- Skier Lauren Woolstencroft won her 5th gold medal of the Winter Paralympic Games–
- A magnitude-7.6 earthquake located 120 miles east of Acapulco shook southern Mexico–
Weather
- Snowstorm in Oklahoma dropped nearly a foot in Tulsa–
- Juneau, Alaska, had 32.5 inches of snow–
- 38” snow fell in Morgantown, Pennsylvania–
COURTESY www.almanac.com
