Fred Astaire was born on 10 May 1899 in Omaha. An American dancer, choreographer, singer and actor, Astaire is widely regarded as the greatest dancer in the history of film. Beginning on the stage with his sister Adele, he moved to Hollywood and starred with Ginger Rogers in a series of musicals in the 1930s, including Top Hat, Swing Time and Shall We Dance. His elegant, effortless style, his insistence on filming dances in long takes, and his inventive choreography set new standards. He also starred in Easter Parade, Royal Wedding and The Band Wagon, and received an honorary Academy Award. George Balanchine and Mikhail Baryshnikov admired his work.
Before and after
- 8 March 1899Founding of Eintracht Frankfurt
- 10 April 1899Birth of Vladimir Nabokov
- 29 April 1899Birth of Duke Ellington
- 8 May 1899Birth of Friedrich Hayek
- 10 May 1899Birth of Fred Astaire
- 11 June 1899Birth of Yasunari Kawabata
- 11 July 1899Founding of Fiat
- 21 July 1899Birth of Ernest Hemingway
- 29 July 1899Founding of the Permanent Court of Arbitration
More in Art, literature & culture
- 10 August 1793Construction of Louvre Museum
- 17 November 1869Construction of Suez Canal
- 1886Statue of Liberty
- 31 March 1889Construction of Eiffel Tower
- 1894Radio
- c. 1900sRise of modernism
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.