Author: gil7

Historical Events

1824 – First free press (without government approval) founded in Australia – the Hobart Town Gazette by ex-convict Andrew Bent
1850 – Empire Engine Company No. 1 organized, in San Francisco, California
1928 – French Championships Men’s Tennis: Henri Cochet wins his 2nd of 4 home titles; beats countryman René Lacoste 5-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3
1963 – First broadcast of “Pop Go the Beatles” on BBC radio
2024 – US President Joe Biden introduces immediate restrictions on the southern border, limiting illegal migrant crossings to 2,500 a day

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Famous Birthdays

1922 – Irwin Bazelon, American composer (Duo for Viola), born in Evanston, Illinois (d. 1995)
1928 – Lloyd Lambert, American bassist (Guitar Slim), born in Thilbodaux, Louisiana (d. 1995)
1929 – Karolos Papoulias, President of Greece (2005-15), born in Ioannina, Greece (d. 2021)
1970 – Gary Lynagh, Australian rower (World C’ship gold Lwt quad scull 1991, Lwt double scull 1992, 93), born in Brisbane, Australia
1972 – Derian Hatcher, American ice hockey defenseman (NHL All Star 1997 Dallas Stars), born in Sterling Heights, Michigan

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Famous Deaths

1809 – Nicolai Arbraham Abildgaard, Danish painter/architect, dies at 65
1997 – Johnny “Hammond” Smith, American jazz and bop organist (Wild Horses Rock Steady), dies of cancer at 63
2007 – Freddie Scott, American singer and songwriter (“Cry To Me”), dies at 74
2013 – Cornelius “Nini” Harp, American doo-wop singer (The Marcels – “Blue Moon”), dies at 73
2018 – Georgann Johnson, American actress (Marge-Mr Peepers, Star Trek, Midnight Cowboy), dies at 91

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Historical Events

1906 – Belgian King Leopold II claims Congo as his private possession
1932 – John McGraw, who came to NY in 1902, resigns as manager of Giants
1968 – Poor Peoples March on Washington, D.C.
2010 – Canadian sportscaster Ron MacLean saves a man from drowning in the Delaware River in Philadelphia
2019 – US President Donald Trump begins a three-day visit to the UK by calling London Mayor Sadiq Khan “a stone cold loser” after Khan called Trump’s language that of a 20th century fascist

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Famous Birthdays

1540 – Charles II Archduke of Austria, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1590)
1910 – Paulette Goddard [Marion Levy], American actress (Great Dictator), born in Whitestone Landing, Long Island (d. 1990)
1931 – Raúl Castro, Cuban revolutionary, politician (First Secretary 2011-21) and brother of Fidel Castro, born in Biran, Holguin, Cuba
1958 – Ibrahim Hussein, Kenyan marathon runner (Boston Marathon-1988, 91, 92), born in Kapsabet, Kenya
1968 – Saffron [Samantha Sprackling], Nigerian-British singer (Republica), born in Lagos, Nigeria

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Famous Deaths

1898 – Samuel Plimsoll, English politician and social reformer (invented Plimsoll line for ships), dies at 74
1992 – William Gaines, American publisher (Mad Magazine), dies at 70
2004 – Quorthon [Thomas Forsberg], Swedish heavy and Viking metal musician, and record producer (Bathory), dies of a congenital heart issue at 38
2011 – Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist and right-to-die activist, dies of a thrombosis at 83
2018 – Miguel Cardinal Obando y Bravo, Nicaraguan clergyman (Archbishop of Managua, 1970-2005; 1st Central American cardinal, 1985), dies at 92

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Historical Events

1625 – Prince Frederick Henry sworn in as viceroy of Holland/Zealand
1881 – Haarlem-Zandvoort Railway opens
1901 – Benjamin Adams arrested for playing golf on Sunday (NY)
1953 – Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey, London, England
2018 – Ringo Starr’s thirteenth All-Starr Band debuts in concert; members include: Steve Lukather, Gregg Rolie, Colin Hay, Graham Gouldman, Gregg Bissonette, and Warren Ham

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Famous Birthdays

1940 – John O’Shea, Welsh rugby union prop (5 Tests Wales, 1 British and Irish Lions; Cardiff RFC 213 games), born in Weston-Super-Mare, England (d. 2024)
1940 – Christopher Bernau, actor (Guiding Light), born in Santa Barbara, California
1948 – Jerry Mathers, American actor (Leave It To Beaver – “Theodore ‘Beaver’ Cleaver”; The Trouble with Harry), born in Sioux City, Iowa
1967 – Kenny Atkinson, American basketball head coach (Brooklyn Nets 2016-19; Director Player Development, Houston Rockets 2007–08), born in Huntington, New York
1970 – Karen Mok, Hong Kong actress and singer (Around the World in 80 Days), born in Hong Kong

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Famous Deaths

1968 – R. Norris Williams, American tennis player (US National C’ship 1914, 16; survived sinking of RMS Titanic), dies of emphysema at 77
1996 – Amos Tversky, Israeli psychologist (b. 1937)
2003 – Fred Blassie, American professional wrestler (b. 1918)
2004 – Loyd Sigmon, American radio broadcaster, sound engineer, and inventor (“Sig Alert” for traffic and emergency notices), dies from complications of Parkinson’s disease at 95
2023 – Kaija Saariaho, Finnish electro-acoustic and contemporary classical composer (L’Amour de loin (Love from Afar); Circle Map), dies of brain cancer at 70

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Historical Events

1864 – Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia (Gaines’ Mill, Gaines’ Farm)
1967 – Mayor-council form of government instituted for Washington, D.C.
1980 – First transmission of the Cable News Network or CNN
1982 – Oakland A’s left fielder Rickey Henderson steals 2 bases in 3-2 win over Boston Red Sox to become fastest to reach 50 stolen bases in a MLB season
1985 – West Indian cricket batsman Viv Richards scores 300 in a day on the way to 322 in a tour match against Warwickshire at Taunton; 42 fours and 8 sixes of 258 balls

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Famous Birthdays

1858 – William Wilfred Campbell, Canadian poet (Beyond the Hills of Dream, Ian of the Orcades), born in Newmarket, Ontario (d. 1918)
1903 – Percy Whitlock, English composer and organist, born in Chatham, England (d. 1946)
1917 – William Standish Knowles, American chemist and winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, born in Taunton, Massachusetts (d. 2012)
1942 – Tom Mankiewicz, screenwriter (Diamonds are Forever), born in Los Angeles, California
1969 – Ari Sulander, Finnish ice hockey goaltender (World C’ship gold 1995; Olympic bronze 1998), born in Helsinki, Finland

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Famous Deaths

1340 – Jan van Diest, Bishop of Utrecht (1322-40), dies
1713 – Johan Runius, Swedish poet (Dudaim), dies at 34
1951 – Rafael Altamira Crevea, Spanish lawyer and historian, dies at 85
1991 – David Ruffin, American soul musician and early lead singer for The Temptations (My Girl; Ain’t Too Proud to Beg), dies of a drug overdose at 50
2018 – Eddy Clearwater [Edward Harrington], American blues musician (West Side Strut), dies of heart failure at 83

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