1412 – Joan of Arc, martyr, was born. The clip below is from the 1928 film The Passion of Joan of Arc, which was remastered and paired with Richard Einhorn’s “Voices of Light,” a choral and orchestral work that he was inspired to write after viewing the film. You can watch the whole film on youtube.

1832 – Gustave Doré, famed illustrator, is born. Below is his work “The Empyrean.”

1883 – The author of the best-selling book in Alfred A. Knopf’s publishing history: Khalil Gibran, was born in Bsharri, Lebanon. Two quotes from Gibran follow.

“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.”

“I have learned silence from the talkative, tolerance from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind. I should not be ungrateful to these teachers.”

1896 – Lyricist Ira Gershwin was born. Here is a video of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong performing his song “Summertime.”

1941 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave his “Four Freedoms” speech. You can read the entire speech online here, part here is the part of the speech from which its name comes.

In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.

The first is freedom of speech and expression — everywhere in the world.

The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way — everywhere in the world.

The third is freedom from want, which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants — everywhere in the world.

The fourth is freedom from fear, which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor — anywhere in the world.

1963 – The musical Oliver! opened  at the Imperial Theater in New York City for 774 performances. Below is Ron Moody (as Fagin) performing the song “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two.”