William Hillman Shockley was born on September 18, 1855 in New Bedford, Massachusetts to William, a whaling captain, and Sarah Shockley. He had two younger brothers, George and Walter. Shockley graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1875. He worked for a time in Florida and California before moving to Nevada.
Notable film composer Victor Young was born on August 8, 1900 in Chicago, Illinois. Young studied under Ididor Lotto in Warsaw, Poland at the age of 10. After returning to the United States, he began performing as concertmaster in the LA Theatre and the Central Park Theater. He then joined Ted Fiorito becoming a violinist and arranger. Young directed radio programs until he moved to Los Angeles, California to create his own orchestra.