Author: gil7

Historical Events

1829 – Dutch parliament accepts new press laws
1848 – Slavery abolished in French colonies
1922 – WOI (Ames, Iowa) country’s 1st licensed educational radio station
1940 – Glenn Miller records “Pennsylvania 6-5000”
1952 – Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Supreme Commander of NATO
1969 – Charles de Gaulle resigns as president of France

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Famous Birthdays

1825 – James Winning McMillan, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Clark County, Kentucky (d. 1903)
1897 – Ye Jianying, Chinese communist general and politician (Head of State of the People’s Republic of China 1978-83), born in Jiaying, Guangdong, Qing Empire (d. 1986)
1900 – Maurice Thorez, French politician and secretary-general (French Communist Party), born in Noyelles-Godault, Pas-de-Calais, France (d. 1964)
1906 – Bart [Bartholomeus Jan] Bok, Dutch-American astronomer (Milky Way), born in Hoorn, Netherlands (d. 1983)
1930 – James Baker, American Secretary of the Treasury (1985-88), Secretary of State (1989-92), born in Houston, Texas
1961 – Futoshi Matsunaga, Japanese serial killer, born in Kitakyūshū, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1918 – Gavrilo Princip, Bosnian-Serb assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, dies of tuberculosis at 23
1945 – Benito Mussolini [Il Duce], Fascist Italian dictator (1922-43), shot by communist partisans at 61
1982 – Nobby Clark, English cricketer (32 wickets in 8 Tests 1929-34), dies at 81
1996 – William Colby, American intelligence officer (CIA Director, 1973-76), dies at 76
1997 – Susan Seddon Boulet, American artist, dies of cancer at 45
2021 – Michael Collins, American Major General USAF and astronaut (Gemini 10, Apollo 11), dies of cancer at 90

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Historical Events

1841 – Imakita Kosen, 1st Zen teacher of D.T. Suzuki, found the awakening
1877 – Rutherford B. Hayes removes Federal troops from Louisiana, Reconstruction ends
1990 – Villanova’s women set a 6,000 m relay world record of 17:18:10
1990 – 50th annual barbershop quartet singing convention held (Mich)
1994 – Graeme Obree bicycles world record time (52,713 km)
1995 – “Indiscretions” opens at Ethel Barrymore Theatre NYC for 221 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1903 – Frank Belknap Long, American writer (Rim of the Unknown), born in New York City (d. 1994)
1929 – Nina Ponomaryova, Russian athlete (Olympic gold USSR discus 1952, 60; bronze 1956), born in Smychka, Russia (d. 2016)
1938 – Earl Anthony, American professional bowler (PBA money champ 1974-6, 1981-3), born in Tacoma, Washington (d. 2001)
1939 – Jerry Mercer, Canadian rock drummer (April Wine), born in Montreal, Quebec
1969 – Tyrone Rodgers, American football defensive linebacker (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), born in Longview, Texas
1970 – Mikiko Hagiwara, Japanese basketball player, born in Fukushima, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1695 – John Trenchard, English radical Whig politician and statesman, dies at 46
1876 – George Aiken, American playwright and actor famous for writing the most popular stage adaptation of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, dies at 45
1902 – Julius Sterling Morton, American politician (3rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture) and founder of Arbor Day, dies at 70
1977 – Stanley Adams, American character actor (Star Trek – “Cyrano Jones”; Breakfast at Tiffany’s; Lilies of the Field), commits suicide at 62
1991 – Marcus Heeresma, Dutch author (Anna, Son of a Whore), dies at 55
2015 – Gene Fullmer, American boxer (World Middleweight title 1957; NBA [WBA] World Middleweight title 1959-62), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1926 – Germany and Russia sign neutrality peace treaty
1931 – Lou Gehrig hits a HR but is called out for passing a runner, mistake costs him AL home run crown; he and Babe Ruth tie for season
1986 – France performs nuclear test
1991 – Soccer star Diego Maradona, suspended for using cocaine, arrested in Argentina for possession and distribution of illegal narcotics
1993 – NBC announces Conan O’Brien to replace David Letterman on “Late Night”
2022 – World Bank warns the war in Ukraine will cause the “largest commodity shock” since the 1970s, with large economic and humanitarian effects

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Famous Birthdays

1538 – Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter and poet (Trattato), born in Milan (d. 1600)
1917 – Sal Maglie, American baseball pitcher (World Series 1954; MLB All Star 1951, 52; NY Giants; no-hitter 1956 Cleveland Indians), born in Niagara Falls, New York (d. 1992)
1926 – Michael Mathias Prechtl, German illustrator, born in Amberg, Bavaria (d. 2003)
1930 – Roger Moens, Belgian middle distance runner (800m world record 1955), born in Aalst, Belgium
1931 – Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent, manager and producer (The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2008)
1977 – Kosuke Fukudome, Japanese baseball player (Hanshin Tigers, Chicago Cubs), born in Osaki, Kagoshima, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1476 – Simonetta Vespucci, Italian noblewoman and inspiration of Botticelli, dies at 23
1785 – Karl Siegmund von Seckendorff, German composer, dies at 40
1956 – Edward Arnold, American actor (Mr Smith Goes to Washington), dies at 66
1982 – Celia Johnson, British actress (Jean Brodie), dies of stroke at 73
1994 – Manuel Enríquez, Mexican composer, dies at 67
2017 – Raj Bagri, Indian-British merchant in metal, dies at 86

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Historical Events

1846 – Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican–American War
1926 – Persian cossack officer Reza Chan crowns himself Shah Palawi
1946 – Christopher Fry’s “Phoenix too Frequent” premieres in London
1961 – Belgium government of Gaston Eyskens falls over the Unitary Law
1961 – Robert Noyce patents integrated circuit
1990 – 25th Academy of Country Music Awards: George Strait, Clint Black, and Kathy Mattea win

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Famous Birthdays

1502 – Georg Major, German Protestant theologian, born in Nuremberg, Germany (d. 1574)
1882 – Fred McLeod, Scottish golfer (US Open 1908), born in North Berwick, Scotland (d. 1976)
1901 – Ernst Gernot Klussmann, German composer, born in Hamburg, GermanyGerman Empire (d. 1975)
1906 – Zoltán Gárdonyi, Hungarian composer, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1986)
1921 – Jean Mogin, Belgian poet (Pastures of Silence), and playwright, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1986)
1981 – Anja Pärson, Swedish alpine skier, born in Umeå, Sweden

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Famous Deaths

1264 – Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester, English crusader, dies at about 69 [birthdate uncertain c. 1195]
1605 – Naresuan, King of Siam (b. 1555)
1926 – Ellen Key, Swedish author and feminist (Courageous Woman), dies at 76
1976 – Margaret Bannerman, actress (Great Defender), dies at 79
2019 – Manuel Lujan Jr., American politician (Rep-R-NM, 1969-89), dies at 90
2023 – Harry Belafonte, Jamaican-American Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning calypso singer (“Banana Boat Song”), actor (Buck and the Preacher), and human rights activist, dies of congestive heart failure at 96

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