Bettie Page, American model and actress (d. 2008)
Bettie Mae Page (April 22, 1923 – December 11, 2008) was an American model who gained notoriety in the 1950s for her pin-up photos. Often referred to as the "Queen of Pinups," her shoulder-to-armpit-length jet-black hair, blue eyes, and trademark bangs have influenced artists for generations. After her death, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner called her "a remarkable lady, an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society".A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Page lived in California in her early adult years before moving to New York City to pursue work as an actress. There, she found work as a pin-up model, and she posed for dozens of photographers throughout the 1950s. Page was "Miss January 1955," one of the earliest Playmates of the Month for Playboy Magazine. After years of obscurity, she experienced a resurgence of popularity in the 1980s.
In 1959, Page converted to evangelical Christianity and worked for Billy Graham, studying at Bible colleges in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, with the intent of becoming a missionary. The latter part of Page's life was marked by depression, violent mood swings, and several years in a state psychiatric hospital while suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
1923Apr, 22
Bettie Page
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Events on 1923
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Tutankhamun
Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. - 25Jun
Aerial refueling
Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter perform the first ever aerial refueling in a DH.4B biplane - 1Jul
History of Chinese immigration to Canada
The Canadian Parliament suspends all Chinese immigration. - 12Sep
Zimbabwe
Southern Rhodesia, today called Zimbabwe, is annexed by the United Kingdom. - 29Oct
Ottoman Empire
Turkey becomes a republic following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.