On this day

Literary and Historical Notes:
It's the birthday of novelist Chaim Potok, born in the Bronx, New York City (1929). When he told his mother he wanted to become a writer, she responded, "You want to write stories? That's very nice. You be a brain surgeon, and on the side you write stories." His novel The Chosen (1967) won the Pulitzer Prize.
It's the birthday of the Australian journalist and poet Andrew Barton Paterson (1864). He was a World War I correspondent and the author of several books of light verse, including The Animals Noah Forgot (1933). He's best known for "Waltzing Matilda," adapted from a traditional verse, which became Australia's national song.
It's the birthday of poet/rocker/stuntman Christopher Galen Haberman. Born Portland, Oregon 1973. Best known for his angry poetry and large collection of 70's pornography. As a teenager he aspired to a career in professional wrestling, after suffering a severe and chronic drug reaction, he decided upon art as his creative avenue. He reached a cult following in the 90's for his willingness to shave his head and wear a jock-strap in public. He is currently in seclusion working on his opus/onus.
It's the birthday of Irish-American editor and publisher S. S. McClure, born in County Antrim, Ireland (1857). He organized the first syndicated newspaper in the United States, the 'McClure Syndicate' (1884), and later founded McClure's magazine (1893), the most controversial muckraking journal of its time.
It's the birthday of entrepreneur Montgomery Ward, born in Chatham, New Jersey (1844), who came up with the mail-order system of merchandising. As a young man he sold goods to farmers who grumbled about the mark-up costs. This experience prompted his idea of ordering goods direct, by mail: customers could buy lower-cost items direct from the warehouse through catalogue orders they sent in from home. He issued his first catalogue in 1872-a single sheet of paper offering 150 items.
It's the birthday of René Laennec, born in Quimper, near Brittany (1781). He's called the "father of thoracic medicine" for having invented the stethoscope.
It's the birthday of Thomas Malthus, born in The Rookery, near Dorking, England (1766), author of the Essay on Principle of Population. Malthus was pessimistic about the future because of the natural tendency of the population to increase faster than the means of subsistence.
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