Ralph Cookerly Wilson, Jr (1918 - 2014)

Hall of Fame Sports Team Owner. From 1960 until his death, he was the proprietor of the Buffalo Bills. Along with Lamar Hunt and other businessmen, Wilson formed what was nicknamed “The Foolish Club”. The group initiated the American Football League in 1960 which went on to merge with the National Football League in 1970, […]

Charles Kemmons Wilson (1913 - 2003)

Businessman. He was the founder of the Holiday Inn chain of hotels. In the 1950s he began the Holiday Inn chain in the Memphis area, which grew into a chain of thousands of hotels. Wilson was viewed as the father of the modern hotel – his hotels were built around the idea of giving travelers […]

Henry Gaylord Wilshire (1861 - 1927)

Businessman and real estate tycoon. He was the man who created famed Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.  Family links:  Parents:  George Wilshire (1816 – 1890)  Clarinda Clemons Wilshire (1825 – 1862)  Spouses:  Mary Mc Reynolds Wilshire (1880 – 1955)*  Hannah Griffith Wilshire (1861 – 1901)*  Children:  Logan Gaylord Wilshire (1906 – 1970)*  Siblings:  George P […]

John North Willys (1873 - 1935)

Willys began his career as a bicycle manufacturer. He then moved from two- wheeled-vehicles to four, and began manufacturing Willys and Overland automobiles at a plant in Toledo, Ohio. He served as U.S. ambassador to Poland from 1930-1032.  Family links:  Parents:  David Smith Willys (1840 – 1897)  Lydia Muncil North Willys (1846 – 1929)  Siblings: […]

Lionel Davidson (1922 - 2009)

Author. A writer of mystery and adventure novels, he was a three-time recipient of the Golden Dagger Award from the Crime Writers Association for “The Night of Wenceslas” (1960), “A Long Way to Shiloh” (1966) and “The Chelsea Murders” (1978). He was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England to Lithuanian-Jewish parents. While a youth, he worked […]

Jay Norwood Darling (1876 - 1962)

Political cartoonist. Experts estimate that J. N. “Ding” Darling drew 15,000 editorial cartoons chronicling the history, trends, thoughts, and politics of the United States for the first half of the twentieth century. He worked for the Sioux City Journal from 1900-1906, and subsequently worked for the Des Moines Register until his retirement 1949, and at […]

Rubén Darío (1867 - 1916)

Poet. Born in Nicaragua, he is the highest figure of the Modernism Movement. Among his best remembered books are “Prosas Profanas,” “Cantos de Vida y Esperanza,” “Epístolas y Poemas,” “Azul,” and “Los Raros.” His real name was Félix Rubén García Sarmiento. (bio by: José L Bernabé Tronchoni)

Paula Danziger (1944 - 2004)

Author. A former schoolteacher, Danziger was the author of several popular books for children and adolescents. Her best known works are “The Cat Ate My Gymsuit” and the “Amber Brown” series. (bio by: Jennifer M.)

Frederic Dannay (1905 - 1982)

Author. Co-creator with his cousin, Manfred B. Lee, of the very popular detective series, “Ellery Queen.” The detective series was published from 1929 to 1969, it consisted of 35 novels and 7 short stories. The Ellery Queen series was also made into a television series and a long-running radio program.

Samuel Daniel (1970 - 1619)

Poet, Playwright, Historian. A significant literary figure of England’s Renaissance period. His famous sonnet sequence “Delia” (1592) had an influence on the sonnets of William Shakespeare. His other works include the narrative poem “The Complaint of Rosamund” (1592); “The Civil Wars” (1595 to 1609), a verse history of the War of the Roses; the prose […]

Dan Daniel (1890 - 1981)

By 1924, Dan Daniel had settled at the New York Telegram, where he remained for the next forty years. In 1925, he won Best Story of the Year from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America for his portrayal of Walter Johnson’s loss in the seventh game of the Washington Senators/Pittsburgh Pirates World Series match-up. In the […]

Ned Dandy (1888 - 1948)

Noted Hollywood Screenwriter. He wrote several popular motion pictures, among them “Mandrake the Magician” (1939), “The Shadow” (1940), and “Laugh Your Blues Away.” (bio by: A.J. Marik)

Helen Margaret Oakley Dance (1913 - 2001)

Music Journalist and Producer. Born into a prosperous family, Helen Margaret Oakley was educated in Toronto and Switzerland. A jazz enthusiast, she was a music journalist contributing to the Chicago Herald Tribune, Down Beat magazine, Tempo, Swing, and Jazz Hot. She organized jazz concerts and produced recording sessions for the Okeh and Master/Variety record labels. […]

Richard Henry Dana (1815 - 1882)

American writer and lawyer, best known in American literature for his book “Two Years Before the Mast”, based on the diary he kept while at sea.  First published in 1841, the book describes the lives of sailors in the ports and he gives close attention to the daily life of the peoples of California: Hispanic, […]

Uri Dan (1935 - 2006)

Author. He wrote many books on Israeli history, including “Blood Libel”, “To the Promised Land”, and “Ariel Sharon: An Intimate Portrait”. For many years he was a New York Post contributor who wrote about Middle Eastern affairs. (bio by: Erik Lander)

Thomas Augustine “T.A.” Daly (1871 - 1948)

Journalist. He wrote articles for various Philadelphia newspapers from 1891 to 1929, when he wrote exclusively for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. He often wrote in humorous Italian dialects. He wrote two books “Little  Polly’s Poems” and “McAroni Ballads”.

Caroline Wells Healey Dall (1822 - 1912)

Writer, Reformer. She was born in Boston, the oldest of eight children. After attending a private girls’ school in that city, she became a Sunday school teacher and ran a nursery. She published essays while a teenager in the “Christian Register” and became involved with the Transcendentalists after hearing lectures by Ralph Waldo Emerson. At […]

Brian Daley (1947 - 1996)

Brian Daley was born in Englewood, New Jersey at Englewood Hospital, to Charles and Myra Daley. He has an older brother, David, and younger sister, Myra. He grew up in Rockleigh, New Jersey and graduated from Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan in 1965. He then joined the army and served a year-long […]

Janet Dailey (1944 - 2013)

Novelist.  Janet Dailey is best remembered as a prolific writer of romance novels, beginning in 1974 through 2010.  Born Janet Anne Haradon, she loved to read books from an early age and aspired to become a writer.  She graduated from Jefferson High School, Independence, Iowa in 1962 and worked for a construction firm owned by […]

Dr David Daiches (1912 - 2005)

Author. He was born in Sunderland, England and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland where his father was the Chief Rabbi of Scotland. He attended University of Edinburgh. He earned his Master’s Degree with first class honors in 1934 and his doctorate in 1939 from Balliol College at Oxford University in 1939. He became a Professor of […]

Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl (1801 - 1872)

Lexicographer. Author of the first dictionary of the Russian language. (bio by: Graveaddiction)  Family links:  Children:  Lev Vladimirovich Dahl (1835 – 1878)*  Yulia Vladimirovna Dahl (1838 – 1864)* *Calculated relationship

Roald Dahl (1916 - 1990)

Author. Born in Llandaff, Wales, of Norwegian parents, Harald Dahl, the joint owner of a successful shipping business and his second wife Sofie Magdalene Hesselberg. Within just a few weeks in 1920, Dahl’s seven year old half-sister, Astrid died of appendicitis and his father died of pneumonia. The family remained in Britain, however, and Dahl […]

Dorthea Dahl (1881 - 1958)

Noted author. She wrote and published collections of short stories, a novel, and two other books. She was honored by the Norwegian Society in America with its annual book award in 1918, and is recognized for the greatest contributions to Norwegian literature by a woman author. (bio by: Kit Timmons)  Family links:  Parents:  Peder Person […]

Stig Dagerman (1923 - 1954)

Poet, Writer, Essayist, Playwright. Concidered as one of the most important Swedish authors. Started as a writer for the paper ”Arbetaren,” a co-operation he maintained throughout his life. At the age of 21, 1945, he made his debut as an author with the novel ”Ormen” (The Snake). As a playwright, he made his debut at […]

Pierre Dac (1893 - 1975)

Humorist Author. Born in Chalons-sur-Main, France, he was best remembered as a French humorist author, for his uplifting positive works. During World War II, Pierre Dac was one of the speakers on the BBC’s Radio Londres service to occupied France. He produced a series of satirical songs which, helped promote the spirits of those in […]

Isaac da Costa (1798 - 1860)

Poet. He was born to a family of Portuguese-Jewish descent, converted to Calvinism and became a prolific writer and strong reactionary.

Thomas “Tom” D’Urfey (1970 - 1723)

In his time a famous poet, playwright, songwriter and wit, an d unofficial court jester to King Charles II. Always known as ‘Tom’ – including on his gravestone. Now mainly remembered for the music which Purcell wrote for his plays and odes. (bio by: David Conway)

Sir William D’Avenant (1970 - 1668)

Poet, Dramatist. Born at Oxford, England the second son of John D’Avenant, a prosperous vintner and proprietor of an inn known as the Crown. Reportedly his god-father was William Shakespeare. He attended All Saints and Lincoln College, Oxford. He left school before obtaining a degree to serve as a page to Frances, Duchess of Richmond […]

Gabriele D’Annunzio (1863 - 1938)

Poet.  Family links:  Parents:  Luisa De Benedictis (1839 – 1917)  Spouse:  Maria Hardouin d’Annunzio (1864 – 1954)Cause of death: stroke

Suso Cecchi D’Amico (1914 - 2010)

Screenwriter. In a long career, she authored the scripts for well over 100 Italian films. Born Giovanna Cecchi to a distinguished artistic family, she was quickly renamed “Susanna”, which eventually got shortened to “Suso”; after education in Switzerland and England, she worked as a government secretary and translator, and in 1938 married journalist Fedele D’Amico […]