October 24, 1929

1929Hubert Aquin, Canadian activist, author, and director (died 1977)^[†]

Hubert Aquin was a Quebec writer, filmmaker and intellectual. He is particularly known for his novel Next Episode. He is also an important figure in the history of the Quebec independence movement, to which he contributed both as an activist and as an essayist. Tempted by suicide for a great part of his existence, he ended his life in 1977 in the gardens of Villa Maria College.

1929George Crumb, American composer and educator (died 2022)^[†]

George Henry Crumb Jr. was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical language which "range[s] in mood from peaceful to nightmarish". Crumb's compositions are known for pushing the limits of technical prowess by way of frequent use of extended techniques. The unusual timbres he employs evoke a surrealist atmosphere which portray emotions of considerable intensity with vast and sometimes haunting soundscapes. His few large-scale works include Echoes of Time and the River (1967), which won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for Music, and Star-Child (1977), which won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition; however, his output consists of mostly music for chamber ensembles or solo instrumentalists. Among his best known compositions are Black Angels (1970), a striking commentary on the Vietnam War for electric string quartet; Ancient Voices of Children (1970) for a mixed chamber ensemble; and Vox Balaenae (1971), a musical evocation of the humpback whale, for electric flute, electric cello, and amplified piano.

1929Rachel Douglas-Home, 27th Baroness Dacre, English wife of William Douglas-Home (died 2012)^[†]

Rachel Leila Douglas-Home, 27th Baroness Dacre was an English peer.

1929Yordan Radichkov, Bulgarian author and playwright (died 2004)^[†]

Yordan Dimitrov Radichkov was a Bulgarian writer and playwright.