Only after his death colleagues discovered Dr Barry had been assigned female at birth
Dr James Miranda Stuart Barry died on this day in 1865. During a distinguished career as a military doctor, he travelled throughout the British Empire and is remembered for improving conditions for wounded soldiers and advancing public health initiatives in many of the places where he served.
Barry rose to the rank of Inspector General, the second-highest position within the army’s medical service. It was only after his death that colleagues discovered he had been recorded as female at birth according to historical records and had lived his entire adult life as a man.
Barry is believed to have been about 75 years old when he died, although his exact birth date remains uncertain. Many historians believe he was born Margaret Ann Bulkley in Cork, Ireland. He began living as a man shortly before entering the University of Edinburgh in 1809 and adopted his mother’s maiden name.
He qualified as a doctor in 1812 before moving to London to continue training as a surgeon. In 1815 he joined the army and was posted to South Africa, where he became personal physician to Governor Lord Somerset, who promoted him to the rank of Colonial Medical Inspector.
During 10 years of service in Cape Town, Barry is credited with improving sanitation and water systems, advocating for enslaved people, prisoners and people with mental illness, and supporting those affected by leprosy. He also performed one of the earliest documented caesarean sections in which both the mother and child survived.
In 1827 he was promoted to Surgeon to the Forces and transferred to Mauritius the following year. In 1829 he went absent without leave after learning that Lord Somerset had fallen ill. Barry returned to England to treat him and remained there until Somerset’s death in 1831.
Barry later served in Jamaica, Saint Helena, the Leeward Islands, the Windward Islands and Corfu. In 1851 he was transferred to Malta and in 1857 to Canada.
Throughout his career, Barry was recognised for advocating better conditions for soldiers, prisoners, families and people with chronic illnesses. Contemporary accounts often described him as blunt and tactless, but he was also widely praised for his medical care and bedside manner.
Barry was a vegetarian who avoided alcohol. He also retained the same servant throughout his career. South African man John Joseph Danson accompanied him around the world and remained in his service until Barry’s death.
Poor health and advancing age forced Barry to retire from the army in 1859. He spent the final six years of his life in London.
Barry’s life has inspired numerous books, plays and songs. Historians continue to debate how his experiences would be understood using modern concepts of gender identity.
Rachael Holmes’s book Scanty Particulars: The Scandalous Life and Astonishing Secret of Queen Victoria’s Most Eminent Military Doctor provides a detailed account of Barry’s life and suggests he may have been intersex at a time when such conditions were poorly understood.
Author E. J. Levy’s novel The Cape Doctor is inspired by Barry’s life, while actor Rachel Weisz has previously spoken about developing a film project based on his story.
A Chorus Line opened on Broadway in 1975
The musical A Chorus Line opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on this day in 1975. It ran for 6,137 performances before closing 15 years later in 1990, making it one of Broadway’s most successful and influential musicals.
It won nine Tony Awards in 1975, including Best Musical, and in 1976 received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
In 1984 it was awarded a special Tony Award after becoming Broadway’s longest-running musical. Its longevity record was later surpassed by a number of productions including The Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Cats, Wicked and The Lion King.
With music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante, A Chorus Line tells the story of performers auditioning for roles in a Broadway musical.
After reducing the field to 17 hopefuls, the director announces there are only eight roles available: four male and four female. To decide who receives the jobs, the dancers are asked to share stories about their lives and backgrounds.
The musical provides an intimate glimpse into each performer’s journey from childhood to the stage.
One of the dancers, Greg Gardner, speaks about being gay, while Paul San Marco recounts his start in entertainment as a drag performer and his parents’ reaction when they discovered what he did for a living.
Among the show’s best-known songs are What I Did for Love and the finale One.
A film adaptation of A Chorus Line was released in 1985. Directed by Sir Richard Attenborough, it starred Michael Douglas.
In 1985 Rock Hudson confirmed he was living with HIV
Rock Hudson was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars of the 1950s and 1960s. The heart-throb actor kept his homosexuality hidden because he feared it would destroy his career.
In the early 1950s, his agent worked to keep reports about Hudson’s sexuality out of the press, at times diverting media attention towards less successful clients. Shortly afterwards, Hudson married his agent’s secretary in an effort to preserve the public image that he was heterosexual.
One of Hudson’s most beloved films is the 1959 romantic comedy Pillow Talk, in which he starred opposite Doris Day. His other well-known films include Giant, A Farewell to Arms and Ice Station Zebra.
In the 1970s he moved into television, starring in the series McMillan and Wife and later appearing on the hit drama Dynasty.
In 1985 speculation about the actor’s health intensified after he appeared at public events looking noticeably gaunt. On 16 July, Hudson appeared alongside Doris Day to promote a television project the pair had recently worked on together.
His publicist denied reports that the actor had AIDS. While scientists had already identified the virus responsible for the disease, public understanding remained limited and effective treatments had not yet been developed.
A few days later, Hudson collapsed in his room at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. His representatives initially announced that he had inoperable liver cancer. Then, on 25 July 1985, it was revealed that the actor had AIDS.
Hudson died in October 1985 at the age of 59. He became one of the first high-profile public figures to die from an AIDS-related illness.
His public acknowledgement of the disease is widely regarded as a turning point in the fight against AIDS. Following his diagnosis and death, celebrities became increasingly willing to support fundraising efforts, while public donations to AIDS research rose significantly.
Nightclub impresario Steve Rubell died in 1989
Steve Rubell found fame as the co-founder of the legendary New York nightclub Studio 54.
Rubell and his business partner, Ian Schrager, opened the iconic disco in a former television studio on West 54th Street in Manhattan in 1977. Rubell became known for controlling entry to the club, making snap decisions about who was fashionable enough to come inside.
Studio 54 quickly became one of the world’s most famous nightspots. Regular guests included Andy Warhol, Bianca Jagger, Truman Capote, Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli and designer Halston.
The venue became synonymous with the disco era and was celebrated for attracting celebrities, artists, musicians and members of New York’s LGBTQIA+ community.
In 1978, Studio 54 was raided by authorities investigating tax evasion. Prosecutors alleged that Rubell and Schrager had concealed millions of dollars in nightclub income.
Both men were sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison but ultimately served 13 months before being released.
Following their release, the pair launched Morgans Hotel in New York. Schrager would later build a major international hotel business, while Rubell went on to open the nightclub Palladium alongside promoter Peter Gatien.
Rubell kept his sexuality private for much of his life. In 1985 he learned he had contracted HIV and was later diagnosed with AIDS.
He died on this day in 1989. His cause of death was listed as hepatitis and septic shock complicated by AIDS.
Actor Mike Myers portrayed Rubell in the 1998 film 54.e Myers portrayed Rubell in 1998 drama 54.
