Author: gil7

Historical Events

1888 – Harry Moses 297 not out for NSW against Victoria
1939 – Adolf Hitler threatens Jews during his speech to the German Reichstag (Parliament)
1959 – Danish ocean liner MS Hans Hedtoft sinks on maiden voyage after striking an iceberg off the coast of Greenland;, 95 die
1977 – Edward W Stack replaces Paul Kerr president of Hall of Fame
1995 – Workers from the National Institutes of Health announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease.
2000 – Super Bowl XXXIV, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA: St. Louis Rams beat Tennessee Titans, 23-16; MVP: Kurt Warner, St. Louis, QB

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Famous Birthdays

1859 – Tony Mullane, Irish-American baseball player, born in Cork, Ireland (d. 1944)
1922 – Pal Jardanyi, Hungarian composer, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1966)
1927 – Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden (1969-76, 1982-86) assassinated, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1986)
1937 – Boris Spassky, Russian chess player (world champion 1969-72, born in Leningrad, Russia
1950 – Trinidad Silva, American character actor (Hill Street Blues -“Jesus Martinez”), born in Mission, Texas (d. 1988)
1975 – Juninho Pernambucano, Brazilian footballer, born in Pernambuco, Brazil

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Famous Deaths

1774 – Jean-Pierre Guignon [Giovanni Pietro Ghignone], Italian-French violinist and composer, dies at 71
1945 – William Busch, British composer, dies at 43
1987 – Angelo Rutherford, American actor (Willie-Gentle Ben), dies at 32
2002 – Ellis Larkins, American classically trained (1st Black student at Peabody Institute) jazz pianist (Ruby Braff), and accompanist (Ella Fitzgerald; Eartha Kitt, Mildred Bailey), dies at 79
2011 – John Barry [Prendergast], English film score composer (James Bond films; Born Free), dies at 77
2016 – Ken Sailors, professional basketball player (popularized and may have invented the jump shot), dies at 95

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Historical Events

1944 – World War II: About 38 men, women, and children die in the Koniuchy massacre in Poland
1959 – Smog pollution with readings higher than the 1952 ‘Great Smog of London’ hits London, with many suffering chest and lung-related illnesses
1984 – 34th NBA All-Star Game, Denver: East beats West, 154-145 (OT); MVP: Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons, G; first All-Star Saturday; Legends Classic, West wins, 64-63; first Slam-Dunk winner, Larry Nance
1985 – Oxford University refuses to award Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher an honorary degree
1986 – Yoweri Museveni sworn in as President of Uganda
1988 – United Airlines Boeing 747SP, circles world in 36h54m15s

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Famous Birthdays

1689 – Hubert K. Poot, Dutch poet (d. 1733)
1866 – Romain Rolland, French writer (Jean-Christophe, Nobel Prize for Literature 1915), born in Clamecy, France (d. 1944)
1898 – Karl Bjarnhof, Danish blind journalist and writer (The Stars Grow Pale), born in Vejle, Denmark (d. 1980)
1906 – Frans Hin, Dutch yachtsman (Olympic gold 12′ Dinghy 1920; aged 14 years 163 days), born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 1968)
1930 – John Junkin, British actor and scriptwriter (A Hard Day’s Night), born in Ealing, Middlesex (d. 2006)
1949 – Tommy Ramone [Tamás Erdélyi], Hungarian-American rock drummer and bassist (Ramones), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2014)

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Famous Deaths

1763 – Louis Racine, French poet (La Religion), dies at 70
1888 – Edward Lear, English poet and author (famous for his nonsense poems – The Owl and the Pussycat), dies at 75
1942 – Bion J. Arnold, American electrical engineer and inventor (railroad electrification), dies at 80
1965 – Jack Hylton, English orchestra leader and impresario (Crazy Passage Show), dies at 72
2012 – François Migault, French auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1976 runner-up; 16 F1 GP), dies from cancer at 67
2023 – Barrett Strong, American RandB vocalist (“Money (That’s What I Want)”), piano player, and songwriter (“I Heard It Through the Grapevine”; “Just My Imagination”;”Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone”; “War”), dies at 81

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Historical Events

1932 – Japanese forces attack Shanghai.
1943 – Chic Blackhawks beats NY Rangers 10-1, Max Bentley scores 4 goals
1951 – “La Vie Commence Demain” the 1st X-rated movie, depicting artificial insemination, opens in London
1979 – Pope John Paul II addresses the Third General Conference of Latin American Episcopate in Puebla, Mexico
2006 – Australian Open Women’s Tennis: Amélie Mauresmo of France wins her first Grand Slam title; beats Justine Henin 6-1, 2-0; Henin retires from stomach cramps
2017 – US President Donald Trump and Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull have a contentious phone call over deal for US to take 1,250 refugees

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Famous Birthdays

1600 – Clement IX [Giulio Rospigliosi], Italian Pope (238th: 1667-69), born in Pistoia, Italy (d. 1669)
1825 – George Edward Pickett, Major General (Confederate Army), (d. 1875)
1884 – Lucien d’Azambuja, French astronomer (studied the solar chromosphere), born in Paris, France (d. 1970)
1886 – Marthe Bibesco, Romanian writer (d. 1973)
1905 – Luther Simjian, Armenian-American Inventor (teleprompter and first self-posing portrait camera), born in Aintab, Ottoman Empire (d. 1997)
1951 – William “Billy Bass” Nelson Jr, American funk-rock-soul bassist (Funkadelic), born in Plainfield, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1895 – François Certain Canrobert, French marshal and parliament member, dies at 85
1898 – Alexandru Flechtenmacher, Romanian composer, violinist and teacher, dies at 74
1965 – Tich Freeman, English cricket leg-spin bowler (12 Tests, 66 wickets; Kent CCC), dies at 76
1986 – Ellison Onizuka, American Air Force Major and astronaut (STS 51C, 51L), dies in the Challenger space shuttle disaster at 39
2004 – Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch, American NFL halfback and end (LA Rams), dies at 80
2021 – Cicely Tyson, American stage and screen actress (Roots; The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman), dies at 96

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Historical Events

1880 – Thomas Edison patents electric incandescent lamp
1924 – The Natal Indian Congress and the Natal Indian Association jointly organise a mass meeting in Durban, South Africa in opposition to the Class Areas Bill
1936 – Australian Championships Women’s Tennis, Adelaide: Joan Hartigan Bathurst wins her 3rd Australian singles title; beats Nancye Wynne Bolton 6-4, 6-4
1956 – NFL’s New York Giants move their home from the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan to Yankee Stadium in The Bronx
1973 – UCLA’s basketball team wins 61st consecutive game (NCAA record)
1980 – Robert Mugabe returns to Rhodesia after 5 years in exile

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Famous Birthdays

1858 – Neel Doff, Dutch born Belgian writer (Days of Hunger and Distress)and artist’s model, born in Buggenum, Netherlands (d. 1842)
1901 – Art Rooney, NFL Pittsburgh Steelers [Pirates] team founder,owner, and chairman, 1933-88, born in Coulterville, Pennsylvania (d. 1988)
1908 – William Randolph Hearst, Jr., American newspaper magnate (Hearst Newspapers) and 1955 Pulitzer Prize winner, (d. 1993)
1934 – Federico Mayor Zaragoza, UNESCO director (1987- ), born in Barcelona, Spain
1969 – Michael Kulas, Canadian singer-songwriter (James, 1997-2001), and record producer, born in Oakville, Ontario
1972 – Guillermo, Mexican-born American TV personality

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Famous Deaths

1688 – Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, Empress of Manchu (1643-62), dies at 74
1773 – Philippe Buache, French geographer and cartographer (pioneered use of contour lines), dies at 72
1921 – Maurice Buckley, Australian soldier and winner of the Victoria Cross, dies at 29
1992 – Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, British actress (Eliza Dolittle), dies at 101
1996 – Tommy Mitchell, English cricket spin bowler (5 Tests, 8 wickets; Derbyshire CCC), dies at 93
2022 – Diego Verdaguer [Miguel Boccadoro], Argentine-Mexican singer-songwriter, bandoneón player, and trumpeter (“Volveré”; “Voy a Conquistarte”), dies of COVID-19 complications at 70

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