American yachtsman (died 1985)

Robert Halperin

Robert Sherman "Bob" Halperin, nicknamed "Buck", was an American business executive, decorated WWII naval officer and Star class yacht racer, who became an Olympic bronze medalist and Pan American Games gold medalist in the sport in the 1960s. He is best known professionally as co-founder of Lands' End, and chairman of Chicago's Commercial Light Company, founded by his father. He had formerly been a college and National Football League (NFL) football quarterback for the Brooklyn Dodgers. As a Naval officer and beach reconnaissance scout who observed, maintained, and guided critical beach landings throughout WWII, he became one of Chicago's most-decorated veterans.

Born

1908

January 26

Died

1985

Era

1900s

Country

—

About

Robert, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1908 Born
1985 Died

Also on January 26

What else happened on this day, through history

661 The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph.
1531 The 6.4–7.1 Mw Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people.
1564 The Council of Trent establishes an official distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
1564 The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Tsardom of Russia in the Battle of Ula during the Livonian War.

See all of January 26 →

The world in 1908

When Robert arrived

april 1 The Territorial Force (renamed Territorial Army in 1920) is formed as a volunteer reserve component of the British Army.
april 11 SMS Blücher, the last armored cruiser to be built by the Imperial German Navy, is launched.
april 14 Hauser Dam, a steel dam on the Missouri River in Montana, fails, sending a surge of water 25 to 30 feet (7.6 to 9.1 m) high downstream.
april 16 Natural Bridges National Monument is established in Utah.

Read the year 1908 →

Same-day contemporaries

Also born on January 26

Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964 American general (born 1880) Jack Youngblood 1950– American football player Juan Pablo Duarte 1813– Dominican philosopher and poet, founding father of the Dominican Republic (died 1876) Jules Feiffer 1929–2025 American cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, and educator (born 1929) Lucinda Williams 1953– American singer-songwriter and guitarist Mercedes Moné 1992– American wrestler Oscar Ruggeri 1962– Argentine footballer and manager Paul Newman 1925–2008 American actor, activist, director, race car driver, and businessman, co-founded Newman's Own (died 2008) Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza 1852–1905 Italian-French explorer (died 1905)

See everything on January 26 →

Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1908

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. 1908–1972 American pastor and politician (born 1908) Alistair Cooke 1908–2004 English-American journalist and author (born 1908) Annemarie Schwarzenbach 1908–1942 Swiss author and photographer (died 1942) Bette Davis 1908–1989 American actress (died 1989) Bill Bowes 1908–1987 English cricketer (died 1987) Billy Werber 1908–2009 American baseball player (born 1908) Eddie Tolan 1908–1967 American sprinter and educator (born 1908) Elizabeth Alexander 1908–1958 English geologist, academic, and physicist (died 1958) Enver Hoxha 1908–1985 Albanian educator and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Albania (born 1908)

Read about the year 1908 →

Keep going

More to explore

Robert's birthday January 26 Robert's zodiac Aquarius When Robert arrived 1908