BETTINA VON ARNIM, German writer was born (d. 1859); No one knows exactly what passed between this willowy creature out of Sturm-und-Drang German romanticism and the poet Karoline von Günderode. Bettina devoted one of her books to this intense friendship, but since the letters she published as being from Goethe to herself have turned out to be largely fictitious, how much can we believe?

Bettina and Karoline had apparently been lovers. When Bettina overheard a handsome young man talking of his love for Karoline, she jealously reprimanded him for daring to speak of the poet as if he had a right to her love. So pronounced was her outrage that all present were aware that she was speaking as if she had a right to Karoline’s love. Shortly thereafter the two women quarreled, and Karoline, selecting a beautiful, romantic spot, unobtrusively blew her brains out. She was 26. Ah, love.

ANTHONY PERKINS, American actor (d. 1992); Academy Award-nominated American stage and screen actor best known for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and its three sequels. Perkins was, as they say, bisexual, having had affairs with a number of men, including 1950s and 1960s film stars Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, dancer Rudolf Nureyev, composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim and dancer-choreographer Grover Dale, with whom Perkins had a six-year relationship prior to his marriage to Berry Berenson. He claimed to have been exclusively Gay until his late 30s, when he met actress Victoria Principal. However you slice it, Anthony had a pretty good time.

Perkins died in 1992, at age 60 from complications of HIV/AIDS. Perkins' widow, Berenson, died on American Airlines Flight 11, during the 9-11 attacks. He had two sons: actor Osgood “Oz” and musician Elvis.

GRAHAM NORTON, Irish talk show host, born; an Irish actor, comedian and television presenter. In his autobiography, So Me, Graham Norton noted that it was "easier to be gay than Protestant in Ireland". He achieved fame as a broadcaster on Britain’s Channel 4 and also through his role as Father Noel Furlong in the critically acclaimed Irish television series Father Ted.

Though he only appeared in three episodes, Norton's performance as Father Noel proved extremely popular with viewers. Norton is out Gay, and is one of the UK's most famous Gay personalities. He has since moved from Channel 4 and done much work for the BBC, with various shows for BBC One and BBC Two, and work on BBC Radio 2. He is also the co-owner of SO Television: the company which produces his various shows.

CHARLES ARTHUR RUSSELL JR. experimental American musician, died (b: 1952) Professionally known as Arthur Russell, he was an American cellist, composer, singer and disco artist who found the most success in dance music, Russell's career bridged New York's downtown, rock, and dance music scenes; his collaborators ranged from Philip Glass to David Byrne to Nicky Siano. Relatively unknown during his life, a series of reissues and compilations raised his profile in the 2000s.

Russell was born and raised in Oskaloosa, Iowa, where he studied the cello and began to write his own music. When he was eighteen he moved to San Francisco, where he lived in a Buddhist commune and studied North Indian music at the Ali Akbar College of Music. He met Allen Ginsberg, with whom he began to work, accompanying him on the cello while Allen sang or read his poetry.

In 1973, Russell moved to New York and began study at the Manhattan School of Music. He contributed to The Flying Hearts in studio work and, occasionally, in performance with David Byrne, Rhys Chatham, Jon Gibson, Peter Gordon and many others. In 1975 to 1979 this ensemble, together with Glenn Iamaro, Bill Ruyle and Jon Sholle, performed and recorded the orchestral composition of Instrumentals (Disques du Crepescule, 1984, Belgium).

In 1980, Russell started a relationship with Tom Lee that lasted until Russell's death. Lee is the executor of Russell's estate. In 1979, Russell wrote and produced 'Kiss Me Again,' under the name Dinosaur. It was the first disco single to be released by Sire Records, and the first of many of Russell's innovative dance tunes. This was followed by ‘Is It All Over My Face?' by Loose Joints, released in 1980. In 1981, Russell and the entrepreneur William Socolov founded Sleeping Bag Records and their first release was his 24-24 Music. The number 'Go Bang', which originated from this album, was re-mixed as a 12" single by Francois Kevorkian. These songs were all frequently played at Larry Levan's Paradise Garage; in particular, Levan's remix of "Is It All Over My Face" (one of his earliest remixes) has been recognized as a prototype of garage music.

Russell died of HIV/AIDS in 1992, at the age of forty. Kyle Gann of The Village Voice wrote: "His recent performances had been so infrequent due to illness, his songs were so personal, that it seems as though he simply vanished into his music."

MARTIN LUTHER KING is assassinated by a white Christian terrorist at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee.