A Brief History
On December 27, 1771, French engineer, Henri Pitot, died at the age of 76. Although you may not be familiar with him, his invention, the Pitot Tube, has probably served you well in your life, as it is the primary instrument used for measuring the speed of aircraft and boats, as well as other liquids and gases. Today, we take time to remember some of the famous folks that died on December 27th.
Digging Deeper
1834: Charles Lamb, English essayist and poet.
1836: Stephen Austin, known as “The Father of Texas” and the namesake of the state’s capital.
1923: Gustave Eiffel, architect of the Eiffel Tower.
1974: Amy Vanderbilt, author and etiquette expert.
1981: Hoagy Carmichael, Tin Pan Alley musician and actor.
2007: Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani Prime Minister.
2012: Harry Carey, Jr., actor and movie maker.
2012: Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., US Army General and leader of Operation Desert Storm.
2016: Carrie Fisher, actress and movie maker immortalized as Princess Leia.
Question for students (and subscribers): What other notable person that died on December 27th would you add to this list? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Isecke, Harriet. Stephen F. Austin: The Father of Texas. Teacher Created Materials, 2012.
Pitot, Henri. The Theory of the Working of Ships, Applied to Practice. Containing the Principles and Rules for Sailing With the Greatest Advantage Possible. Gale ECCO, 2018.
The featured image in this article, Henri Pitot, is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer.
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