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July 27, 1949

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Headlines from July 27, 1949

Notable Births

Maury Chaykin

1949Maury Chaykin, American-Canadian actor (died 2010)[†]

Maury Alan Chaykin was an American-Canadian actor. Described as "one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian cinema," he was best known for his portrayal of Rex Stout's detective Nero Wolfe on the television series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001–2002), as well as for his work as a character actor in many films and television programs.

1949André Dupont, Canadian ice hockey player and coach[†]

André Dupont is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers and Quebec Nordiques. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups while a member of Philadelphia's "Broad Street Bullies" teams in the mid-1970s. He is most often referred to by his nickname "Moose".

1949Rory MacDonald, Scottish singer-songwriter and bass player[†]

Roderick (Rory) MacDonald is a Scottish songwriter and musician. He was bassist, and a primary song writer, for Celtic rock band Runrig, alongside his younger brother, Calum Macdonald. Generally, Rory wrote the melodies, and Calum the lyrics. After former lead singer Donnie Munro left the band in 1997, Rory took lead vocal duties on songs in the band's catalogue written in the Scottish Gaelic language, as the band's new lead singer, Bruce Guthro, was not a Gaelic speaker.

Maureen McGovern

1949Maureen McGovern, American singer and actress[†]

Maureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her renditions of the songs "The Morning After" from the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure; "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1974; and her No. 1 Billboard adult contemporary hit "Different Worlds", the theme song from the television series Angie. She performed on Broadway in The Pirates of Penzance, Nine, The Threepenny Opera, and Little Women.

Robert Rankin

1949Robert Rankin, English author and illustrator[†]

Robert Fleming Rankin is a prolific British author of comedic fantasy novels. Born in Parsons Green, London, he started writing in the late 1970s, and first entered the bestsellers lists with Snuff Fiction in 1999, by which time his previous eighteen books had sold around one million copies. His books are a mix of science fiction, fantasy, the occult, urban legends, running gags, metafiction, steampunk and outrageous characters. According to the biography printed in some Corgi editions of his books, Rankin refers to his style as 'Far Fetched Fiction' in the hope that bookshops will let him have a section to himself. Many of Rankin's books are bestsellers.

Historical Events

De Havilland Comet

1949Initial flight of the de Havilland Comet, the first jet-powered airliner.[†]

The de Havilland DH.106 Comet is a four-engine narrow body aircraft developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom. The world's first commercial jet airliner, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It features an aerodynamically clean design with four de Havilland Ghost turbojet engines located in the wing roots, a pressurised cabin, and large windows. For the era, it offered a relatively quiet, comfortable passenger cabin and was commercially promising at its debut in 1952.