October 21 is the birthday of American illustrator and animator MARY BLAIR (1911-1978). She was an American artist who was prominent in producing art and animation for The Walt Disney Company, drawing concept art for such films as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Song of the South and Cinderella. Blair also created character designs for enduring attractions such as Disneyland's It's a Small World, the fiesta scene in El Rio del Tiempo in the Mexico pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase, and an enormous mosaic inside Disney's Contemporary Resort. Several of her illustrated children's books from the 1950s remain in print, such as I Can Fly by Ruth Krauss. Blair was inducted into the prestigious group of Disney Legends in 1991. To see samples of her art, CLICK HERE.
October 21 is the birthday of the Hugo Award-winning author of science fiction and fantasty URSULA K. LEGUIN (1929-2018). Among her many works are "The Left Hand of Darkness," "The Lathe of Heaven" and "The Earthsea Trilogy." To learn more, CLICK HERE.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On October 21, 1858, the operetta ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD by Jacques Offenbach had its premiere in Paris. This is the work that introduced Offenbach's famous Can-Can. To kick your heels up with the Can-Can from the 1952 film “Moulin Rouge,” CLICK HERE.
October 21 is the birthday of puzzle expert, magician, mathematician and skeptic MARTIN GARDNER (1914-2010). Gardner was the long-time "Mathematical Games" columnist for Scientific American, introducing generations to the wonder of math and mind-bending puzzles. He wrote countless book and magazine articles, among his most popular being "The Annotated Alice in Wonderland." To see a short but mind-bending documentary on Gardner, CLICK HERE.
October 21 is the birthday of Italian painter DOMENICHINO (1561-1641). Domenico Zampieri known by the diminutive Domenichino after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. To see samples of his art, CLICK HERE.