There isn’t a lot to do in an elevator so if you’re like me, you’ve read everything on the walls. And that means you have seen this: Otis Elevator Company. It was founded by Elisha Otis who was born on this day in 1811. He didn’t invent the elevator, of course. But he did invent a mechanism that stopped an elevator from falling when its hoisting cable fails.

The Croatian composer Ivan Zajc was born in 1832. Here is his To Battle, to Battle!

Writer of The Ox-Bow Incident, Walter Van Tilburg Clark was born in 1909.

Crime writer P. D. James is 93 today. Singer Tony Bennett is 87. I don’t know what it is about him, but I just don’t find his work that compelling. I mean, he’s a fine singer—just not very interesting. Actor Martin Sheen is 73. Martha Stewart is 72. And director John Landis is 63.

The day, however, belongs to the great Dolores del Rio who was born on this day in 1905. She was a huge star during the last days of the silent era and the early days of the talkies. She then went on to be an important part of the blossoming Mexican film industry in the 1940s and 1950s. I can’t find any good clips of her. Here is a bit of Bird of Paradise that will give you an idea:

Happy birthday Dolores del Rio!