Author: gil7

Historical Events

1776 – In a bar decorated with bird tail in Elmsford, New York, a customer requests a glassful of “those cock tails” from bartender Betsy Flanagan
1878 – Anti-socialist laws are ratified in Germany
1919 – Belvin Maynard wins the first transcontinental air race in round trip of nine days, four hours, 25 minutes and 12 seconds, race costs nine lives with 54 crashes or forced landings
1924 – Harold “Red” Grange, finest collegiate football game (4 long TD runs)
1968 – Police find 219 grains of cannabis resin in John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s apartment, they are fined £150 for marijuana possession
1974 – 1st ABA regular season game at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana – Pacers lose to San Antonio Spurs 129-121 in double overtime before 7,473 fans

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Famous Birthdays

1865 – Arie de Jong, Dutch linguist who reformed the constructed language Volapük, born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (d. 1957)
1890 – Agathe Henriette Trip-de Beaufort, Dutch writer (Rembrandt. Olympics 1928), born in Baarn, Netherlands (d. 1982)
1925 – Wim van Gennep, Dutch dance band singer and keyboardist (De Heikrekels – “Waarom heb jij me laten staan?”), born in the Netherlands (d. 2012)
1939 – Flavio Cotti, Swiss politician, President of the Swiss Federal Council (1991) advocate to join the EU, born in Muralto, Switzerland (d. 2020)
1975 – Alex Cora, Puerto Rican MLB baseball infielder, 1998-2011 (Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and 4 other teams), and manager, 2018-19 and 2021- (Boston Red Sox), born in Caguas, Puerto Rico
1985 – Yoenis Céspedes, Cuban baseball outfielder (MLB All-Star 2014, 16; Gold Glove Award 2015 Detroit Tigers; Silver Slugger Award 2016; Boston Red Sox, NY Mets), born in Campechuela, Cuba

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Famous Deaths

1141 – Margrave Leopold IV of Austria
1545 – John Taverner, English composer (Western Wynde), dies at about 55
1987 – Theodore Brameld, author (Use of Explosive Ideas), dies at 83
1995 – Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, American lawyer and civil rights activist (challenged University of Oklahoma segregation laws in Supreme Court and won), dies at 67
2002 – Roman Tam, Hong Kong singer (b. 1950)
2020 – Sid Hartman, American sports journalist (Minneapolis Star Tribune; WCCO 830 AM), dies at 100

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Historical Events

732 – Battle of Tours: Umayyad army led by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi defeated by Frankish Aquitainian force led by Charles Martel during Umayyad invasion of Gaul
1982 – Pope John Paul II canonizes Rev Maximilian Kolbe, who volunteered to die in place of another inmate at Auschwitz concentration camp, a saint
1994 – Value of Russian ruble decreases, 3081 rubles per dollar
1995 – Robert E Lucas awarded Nobel Prize in economics
2003 – Shirin Ebadi is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, making her the 1st Iranian Muslim women to receive the prize
2018 – Hurricane Michael makes landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, as a category 4 hurricane with winds of 155 mph (250 km/h), going on to kill 27, having killed 15 in Central America

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Famous Birthdays

1344 – Mary Plantagenet, English princess, daughter of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, born in Waltham, Hampshire (d. 1362)
1847 – Gheorghe Dima, Romanian composer, born in Șcheii Brașovului, Romania (d. 1925)
1870 – Louise Mack, Australian poet and novelist, born in Hobart, Tasmania (d. 1935)
1887 – Rie Cramer, Dutch writer and illustrator, born in Sukabumi, Dutch East Indies (d. 1977)
1936 – Judith Chalmers, English TV hostess (Wish You Were Here), born in Stockport, Cheshire, England
1965 – Steve Scalise, American politician (Representative-R-Louisiana 2008-), born in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Famous Deaths

1797 – Carter Braxton, American plantation owner and signer of the US Declaration of Independence, dies at 61
1875 – Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Russian novelist, poet and dramatist (Prince Serebrenni), dies of morphine toxicity at 58
1939 – Eleanor Rigby, a real person whose name may have suggested the title to The Beatles song (b. 1895)
1989 – Joe Techner, American jazz trumpeter (Elliot Lawrence Band – “Elevation”), dies at 63
1993 – Djillali Belkhenchir, Algerian doctor, murdered at 52
2022 – Sergio Brighenti, Italian soccer forward (9 caps; Modena, Internazionale, Triestina, Padova, Sampdoria), dies at 90

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Historical Events

1571 – -13] Synod of Emden, Calvinist leaders establish the Dutch Reformed Church.
1917 – British assault on Broodseinde, France
1918 – Musical “Sometime” with Mae West premieres in NYC
2001 – Brendan Shanahan scores a hat trick in Red Wings 4-3 OT win at San Jose; becomes second player in NHL history to score an opening-night hat trick twice in his career
2015 – American rock band Van Halen’s final public performance takes place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California.
2019 – Fuel subsidies end in Ecuador after four decades, prompting nationwide protests and President Lenín Moreno to declare 60-day state of emergency

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Famous Birthdays

1807 – Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, French Canadian politician (Prime Minister of the Province of Canada), born in Boucherville, Lower Canada (d. 1864)
1872 – Ernest Blood, American Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach (Passaic HS, NJ, 200-1 record, 1915-24), born in Manchester, New Hampshire (d. 1955)
1936 – Charlie Hurley, Irish soccer centre half (40 caps Republic of Ireland; Sunderland 402 games), born in Cork, Ireland (d. 2024)
1942 – Jenny Arean [Joanna Klarenbeek], Dutch actress, cabaret and theatre singer (“Vluchten kan niet meer”), born in Lisse, Netherlands
1948 – Tom Webster, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings) and coach (NY Rangers, LA Kings), born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario (d. 2020)
1949 – Armand Assante, American actor (Private Benjamin, Unfaithfully Yours), born in New York City

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Famous Deaths

1590 – Cujacius [Jacques Cujas], French lawyer, dies at about 68
1946 – Barney Oldfield, American auto racer (International Motorsports Hall of Fame; first to drive at 60mph on circular track), dies of a heart attack at 67
1948 – Arthur Whitten Brown, British aviator (first nonstop airplane crossing of the Atlantic with John W. Alcock), dies at 62
1970 – Curtis Turner, American auto racer (184 NASCAR races over 17 years, 17 wins), dies in aeroplane crash at 46
1974 – Anne Sexton, American poet (Live or Die; Pulitzer 1967), dies at 45
2013 – Võ Nguyên Giáp, Vietnamese general (Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam War) and politician, dies at 102

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Historical Events

1889 – In Colorado, Nicholas Creede strikes it rich in silver during the last great silver boom of the American Old West.
1950 – Bob Shaw of Chicago Cardinals sets NFL record with 5 TD receptions in 55-13 win against Baltimore Colts; Cardinals quarterback Jim Hardy tosses 6 touchdown passes
1975 – Four Ulster Volunteer Force members killed after a bomb they are carrying prematurely explodes in Farrenlester, near Coleraine
1989 – TV true life drama “A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story” premieres on NBC in the US
2005 – The Ethan Allen tour boat capsizes on Lake George in Upstate New York, killing twenty people
2016 – Ryder Cup Golf, Hazeltine National GC: US regains Cup; beats Europe, 17-11; Americans Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker and Patrick Reed each win 3 matches

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Famous Birthdays

1646 – Guillaume Poitevin, French composer and teacher, born in Boulbon, France (d. 1706)
1930 – Jayasinghrao Ghorpade, Indian cricket batsman (8 Tests @ 15.26; Baroda), born in Panchgani, Maharashtra (d. 1978)
1947 – (Frank) “Skip” Konte, American keyboardist, songwriter (The Blues Image – “Ride Captain Ride”; Three Dog Night, 1973-76), and record producer, born in Canon City, Oklahoma
1948 – Yuri Vasenin, Russian soccer midfielder (9 caps USSR; FC Zorya Voroshylovhrad), born in Chernyakhovsk, Russia (d. 2022)
1948 – Chris LeDoux, American country singer (“Ridin’ for a Fall”), born in Biloxi, Mississippi (d. 2005)
1950 – Michael Rutherford, British rock bassist and guitar player (Genesis; Mike and the Mechanics – “Living Years”), born in Chertsey, Surrey, England

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Famous Deaths

1863 – Justinus van de Brugghen, lawyer/minister of Justice, dies
1988 – Alec Issigonis, Greek-British automotive designer who designed the Mini, dies at 81
1991 – Jan H Christianse, political chairman (CDA), dies
1994 – Harriet (Hilliard) Nelson [Peggy Lou Snyder], American singer and actress (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet; Follow the Fleet), dies of heart failure at 85
2006 – Milly Vitale, Italian actress (7 Little Foys, War and Peace, Juggler), dies at 73
2006 – Tamara Dobson, American actress (Amazons; Cleopatra Jones), dies of complications from pneumonia and multiple sclerosis, at 59

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