Walter H Stern - Fiscal Cliff

We have heard the expression "fiscal cliff" on numerous occasions to point out the dire economic consequences of the federal budget. The expression was dormant for decades until its use exploded in recent years.

Walter Stern, a former real estate writer for the New York Times, first used the expression on Oct 20, 1957 during a front page story in the paper. He referred to a home buyer as having the potential to be pushed off the fiscal cliff as a result of the purchase.

Sterns was with the Times from 1942-1961 before he left to pursue a career in public relations. He spent the 1970's and 80's doing media work for Mobil Oil.

He died on November 2, 2013 at the age of 88 while living in Florida.

James Vaught - Army Ranger

James Vaught was a distinguished Army commander who was a veteran of the Korean and Viet Nam wars as well as a graduate of Army Ranger school.

His biggest challenge came on April 24, 1980 when he lead an aborted rescue mission of 52 American hostages being held in Iran. It was a risky attempt and had the approval of President Jimmy Carter and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.    

Problems developed very early when a couple of helicopters became disabled. An accidental crash lead to the death of eight Americans. The mission was scrubbed after that.

The military took a big hit in the eyes of the public. As a result of the mission failure, an elite group of Navy fighters was formed to focus on counter terrorism. Thus began the history of the Navy SEALS.

Mr Vaught, 86, died on September 20, 2013 in Conway S.C. from an accidental drowning after falling out of his boat. It was revealed that he suffered from cardiac disease which most likely caused his death.

Margaret Pellegrini - Munchkin

Margaret Pellegrini parlayed a small movie bit into the roll of her life when she appeared in the 1939 classic, "The Wizard of Oz". She was one of the 124 Munchkins who appeared in the movie.

Ms. Pellegrini, 89, died on August 7, 2013 at a Phoenix area hospital after suffering a stroke two days earlier. Her passing leaves only two of the original Munchkins.

She was 16 when she appeared in the movie as a "sleepy head" youngster who wore a flower pot on her head. She spent the rest of her life doing guest appearances in her costume and telling stories about her time as a Munchkin.

Jiroemon Kimura - Oldest Man Ever

Jiroemon Kimura was recognized by Guinness World Records as being the oldest man in recorded history. He achieved that feat on December 28, 2012. He died at the age of 116 on June 12, 2013 in a Japanese hospital.

He was born on April 19, 1897 when Queen Victoria stilled reigned in the British Empire. Life expectancy in Japan was 44  years at that time. He was able to dodge tuberculosis and pneumonia, two of the bigger killers at that time.

He worked at post offices for 45 years before retiring in 1962 at the age of 65. He spent his remaining years reading and watching sumo wrestling on television. He also helped his son with his farm until he was 90.

He missed the record of the oldest person ever. Jeanne Calmet was 122 when she died in France in 1997.

Alan Wood - Provided Flag at Iwo Jima

Former US Marine Alan Wood was at Iwo Jima during the bloody conflict in the final months of World War II. He was a 22 year old Navy officer in charge of communications on a landing ship off the island's shore when he was asked by a Marine for a large flag. Wood had a 37 square foot one that he previously procured from a Pearl Harbor Navy depot.

Later that day on February 23, 1945, the flag was hoisted by five Marines and a Navy corpsman on Mt Suribachi. Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal captured the moment in the iconic picture that has become the symbol of the US Marines.

Mr Wood died on April 18, 2013 at the age of 90 of natural causes at his Sierra Madre, California home.

After the war, Mr Wood worked as a technical artist and later as the spokesperson for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge, CA.

George Lowe - Mountain Climber

George Lowe was the last surviving member of the expedition that made the first successful conquest of Mount Everest. He was one of two New Zealanders with the 1953 British group that made the historic ascent.

Lowe,89, died on March 20, 2012 at a nursing home in Ripley, England after lengthy illness.

During the climb, he helped establish the final camp 1,000 feet below the Everest summit. The next day on May 28, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the peak. Since then, over 4,000 have conquered the mountain.

He spent the rest of his life making documentaries of various climbing expeditions around the world. He directed the film "The Conquest of Everest" which was highly acclaimed.

Shadow Morton - Songwriter

Shadow Morton was a songwriter who could not read music or play an instrument. However, that never stopped him from writing hit songs in the 1960's. The all girl group the "Shangri-Las recorded hits with "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember Walking In The Rain".

Mr Morton died on February 14, 2013 from cancer at the age of 71 in Laguana Beach, California.

"Leader of the Pack" reached #1 on the hit chart and was also recorded by Bette Midler, Twisted Sister and Alvin and the Chipmunks.

He was also the producer for Janis Ian's "Society's Child" in 1967 and was involved with the three albums for Vanilla Fudge.

Andre Cassagnes - Inventor of Etch A Sketch

Andre Cassagnes was an electrical technician in the 1950's when he stumbled upon the Etch A Sketch idea. When he peeled a translucent decal from a light switch plate, he found that pencil mark images were transferred to the opposite face.

He created the toy with the gray screen, red frame and two white knobs which were twisted back and forth to create various images. He exhibited his creation at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 1959 and developed a partnership with the Ohio Art Co based in Bryan, Ohio. The toy became the biggest seller during the 1960 holiday season. Since then, over 100 million have been sold worldwide.

Mr Cassagnes died on January 16, 2013 at the age of 86 in a suburb of Paris.

The toy gained considerable attention during the 2012 Presidential election when one of Mitt Romney's  advisers made a reference to it regarding the candidate's political views.

The toys were made in Ohio until 2000 before the firm moved their production to China.