Where There's a Will, There's a Walter - November 4, 2010

"Curse you, King Tut!"

Thursday:

We trade in coincidence again today. For example, it's the birthdays of two of the most beloved and trusted men in American history: Will Rogers (1879) and Walter Cronkite (1916). Rogers began his show business career as a vaudevillian, performing rope tricks that were soon combined with pithy comments on the day's events. He became so popular that he was signed by producer Florenz Ziegfeld to be one of the stars of his annual Follies. A film career followed, as did a national newspaper column and radio programs, where his opinions were noted for the common-sense truths behind the quips. When he was killed in an Alaskan plane crash in 1935, the nation went into mourning. His hometown of Claremore, Oklahoma, still celebrates him at its annual "Will Rogers Days," which begin today and continue through Saturday.

Cronkite began working on newspapers in high school, and translated his print journalism skills onto radio in the mid 1930s. During World War II, he served as a correspondent for the United Press, often reporting from combat zones. In 1950, he joined the news staff at CBS, and in 1962, became the managing editor and anchorman for the CBS Evening News, where his unbiased and in-depth reporting of the day’s events won him the title of the "Most Trusted Man in America."

But that's not our only birthday coincidence. On this day in 1946, both Robert Mapplethorpe and Laura Bush were born – and it's hard to imagine two people who could be less alike. Mapplethorpe was a photographer who tried to find art and beauty in what could otherwise be considered obscene. While his works were condemned for their frank sexual content, it was (and is) hard to deny the beauty of their composition and execution. 

Laura Bush is the former first lady who, despite the many polarizing opinions her husband's administration sparked, was generally respected for her championship of children's health, education, and literacy. It would be hard to imagine two people less likely to be in the same room blowing out candles on a birthday cake, though.

And tomorrow will mark the 47th birthdays of actors Andrea McArdle and Tatum O'Neal, two women who, despite their starts at child actors, took differing career paths. O'Neal began acting early, turning in an Oscar-winning performance in Paper Moon at the age of 10. It's been mostly downhill for her since, though, as she's lived through a busted marriage and various addictions. She still acts, but not at the level her beginnings promised. 

McArdle also began at the top when, at the age of 14, she was pulled out of the chorus to star in the original production of the Broadway musical Annie (losing the Tony Award to her co-star Dorothy Louden, who played Annie's nemesis, Miss Hannigan). In the years since, she's worked on- and off-Broadway, touring the country in numerous musicals and plays (and is even currently playing Miss Hannigan herself in Long Beach, California).

We’re not through, though. Thursday is King Tut Day, commemorating the 1922 discovery of the lost tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen by Egyptologist Howard Carter. The tomb itself was supposed to be cursed, meaning that all who dared to enter it would die horrible deaths, but of the 58 people who were present at the tomb's opening, only eight had died by 1934 – and Carter himself lived until 1939. So much for that "coincidence."

Finally, it's National Candy Day, and if you overindulge, you're likely to meet your dentist – not so coincidentally.

Suggested Sites...

• CBS News Almanac: Walter Cronkite - obituary and clips of the longtime anchorman.
• Will Rogers.com - biography, photos, and info about Rogers.
• The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation - promoting and advancing Mapplethorpe's work and causes.
• The Curse of King Tut's Tomb - short version: there wasn't one. 
• How Candy Causes Tooth Decay - brush, brush, brush.