Author: gil7

Historical Events

1566 – Foundation stone laid for the new city of La Valletta in Malta by Knights Hospitaller Grand Master Jean de Valette
1860 – First Taranaki War: Battle of Waireka begins in New Zealand between Europeans and Māori
1981 – France performs nuclear test
1993 – 13th Golden Raspberry Awards: “Shining Through” wins
2022 – Actor Will Smith issues an apology on Instagram to Oscars host Chris Rock for slapping him live on stage during the ceremony

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Famous Birthdays

1741 – Johann Andre, German composer, born in Offenbach, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1799)
1902 – Jaromír Vejvoda, Czech composer (Beer Barrel Polka), born in Zbraslav, Czech Republic (d. 1988)
1922 – Joey Maxim, American boxer (World Light Heavyweight Champion 1950-52), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2001)
1947 – Bruce Gilbert, English producer (China Syndrome, 9 to 5, On Golden Pond), born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England
1975 – Will Cain, American radio and TV journalist (The Will Cain Show ), born in Sherman, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1566 – Siegmund Freiherr von Herberstein, Austrian diplomat, dies at 79
1949 – Grigoras Dinicu, Romanian violin virtuoso and composer, dies at 59
1962 – Hugo Wast, Argentine writer (b. 1883)
1979 – Emmett Kelly, American circus clown (Weary Willy), dies at 80
2001 – Vlastimir Nikolovski, Macedonian composer and pedagogue, (The Serdar), dies at 74

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Historical Events

1957 – 29th Academy Awards: “Around World in 80 Days”, Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner win
1972 – Venera 8 launches to explore Venus
1976 – Washington, D.C. underground Metro opens
1977 – 583 die in aviation’s worst ever disaster when two Boeing 747s collide at Tenerife airport in Spain
1986 – Disney-MGM Studio Tour groundbreaking

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Famous Birthdays

972 – Robert II of France [the Pious, the Wise], King of the Franks (996-1031), born in Orléans, France (d. 1031)
1809 – Georges Eugene, Baron Haussmann, French administrator and architect, born in Paris (d. 1891)
1886 – Sergey Kirov [Kostrikov], Russian Bolshevik leader and politician (First Secretary (Mayor) of Leningrad, 1926-34), born in Urzhum, Russia (d. 1934)
1957 – Billy MacKenzie, Scottish rock vocalist (The Associates – “Affectionate Punch”), born in Dundee, Scotland (d. 1997)
1985 – Ram Charan, Indian actor who works mainly in Teluga cinema (RRR, Rangasthalam), born in Tamil Nadu, India

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Famous Deaths

1986 – Cass Canfield, US publisher, dies at 88
1991 – Ralph Bates, British actor (Persecution, Graveyard), dies at 50
1992 – Easley Blackwood, Sr, American expert bridge player, and writer, dies at 89
2017 – David Storey, British novelist and playwright (This Sporting Life), dies at 83
2023 – Wim de Bie, Dutch comedian, satirist, and writer (van Kooten and de Bie – The Simplistic Covenant), dies of complications from Parkinson’s disease at 83

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Historical Events

1940 – “The Fifth Column”, a play by Ernest Hemingway and adapted by Benjamin Glazer premieres in NYC courtesy of the Theater Guild
1954 – US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Bikini Island
2017 – Mass protests in Chile over country’s privatised pension system
2018 – US soldier receives world’s first penis and scrotum transplant at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland
2020 – American cases of COVID-19 exceed all other countries on this date, with 81,578 cases and 1,180 deaths (New York Times)

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Famous Birthdays

1896 – Rudolf Dassler, German entrepreneur (founder sportswear company Puma), born in Herzogenaurach, Germany (d. 1974)
1898 – Renzo Massarani, Italian-Brazilian composer and music critic, born in Mantova, Italy (d. 1975)
1929 – Charles Dumont, French songwriter (“Non, je ne regrette rien”, “Mon Dieu”), and singer, born in Cahors, France (d. 2024)
1936 – Fred Parris, American doo-wop singer and songwriter (The Five Satins – “In The Still Of The Night”), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 2022)
1977 – Sylvain Grenier, Canadian professional wrestler (WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown!), born in Montreal, Québec

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Famous Deaths

1736 – Georg Balthasar Schott, German composer, dies at 49
1857 – Wei Yuan, Chinese scholar and geographer of Qing Dynasty, dies at 62
1924 – Augusto (de Oliveira) Machado, Portuguese composer (Lauriane; Camões es os Luziadas), dies at 78
1973 – Noël Coward, English playwright (Hay Fever; Private Lives), director (In Which We Serve -1942 Academy Award), actor and singer, dies of heart failure at 73
1995 – Eazy-E [Eric Lynn Wright], American rapper (N.W.A.), dies from AIDS-related illness at 30

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Historical Events

1863 – Skirmish at Brentwood, Tennessee
1927 – 86th Grand National: 8/1 favourite Sprig wins; ridden by jockey Ted Leader, trained by his father Tom Leader
1937 – Washington Daily News is 1st US newspaper with perfumed advertising page
1954 – 26th Academy Awards: “From Here to Eternity” best film, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn best actor, actress
1974 – Chipko forest conservation movement begins in Reni Village, Western Himalayas, India, when local woman Gaura Devi hugs a tree to prevent its logging

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Famous Birthdays

1786 – Giovanni Battista Amici, Italian astronomer, physicist and botanist, born in Modena, Duchy of Modena and Reggio (now Italy) (d. 1863)
1909 – Jay Blackton, American conductor and arranger (Guys and Dolls; Oklahoma!), born in New York City (d. 1994)
1965 – Avery Johnson, American NBA point guard, analyst for CBS Sports, and coach (1999 NBA champion, 2006 Coach of the Year), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
1973 – Anthony Barness, English footballer
1981 – Casey Neistat, American YouTube star and co-founder of Beme, born in Gales Ferry, Connecticut

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Famous Deaths

1979 – Anton Heiller, Austrian organist and composer, dies at 55
1991 – Eileen Joyce, pianist, dies at 78
2006 – Rocío Dúrcal, Spanish pop and mariachi singer, and actress, dies of uterine cancer at 61 (b. 1944)
2012 – Larry Stevenson [Richard], American skateboard innovator, dies from pneumonia and Alzheimer’s disease at 81
2022 – John Chapple, British army officer (Chief of General Staff, 1988-92), dies at 90

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