Author: gil7

Historical Events

1528 – England and France declare war on Emperor Charles V
1924 – KGO-AM in San Francisco CA begins radio transmissions
1940 – 1st radio broadcast of “Road to Happiness” on CBS
1964 – World’s largest cheese (15,723 kg) manufactured in Wisconsin for New York’s World Fair
1994 – 45th NHL All-Star Game, Madison Square Garden, NYC: East beats West, 9-8; MVP: Mike Richter, NY Rangers, G
2017 – Chile declares a State of Emergency and requests international assistance as wildfires rage out of control

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Famous Birthdays

1654 – Richard Blackmore, English physician and writer (d. 1729)
1921 – André Hodeir, French classical and jazz violinist, and composer, born in Paris (d. 2011)
1925 – Leslie Silver, English paint manufacturer, Chairman of Leeds United, born in London, England (d. 2014)
1952 – Ace Vergel, Filipino actor (d. 2007)
1955 – Thomas David Jones, United States astronaut (STS 59, 68, 80, sk: 98), born in Baltimore, Maryland
1973 – George Noga, CFL linebacker (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)

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Famous Deaths

1536 – Bernhard Knipperdolling, German religious leader (b. 1495)
1954 – Princess Margaret of Prussia, Queen consort-elect of Finland, dies at 81
1978 – Oliver Leese, British World War II general, dies at 83
1988 – Parker Fennelly, actor (Kettles on Old MacDonald’s Farm), dies at 96
2005 – Rose Mary Woods, American secretary to Richard Nixon (claimed to have erased part of Watergate tapes by accident), dies at 87
2021 – Tony Jones, American NFL tackle (Super Bowl 1997, 98; Second-team All-Pro 1994; Pro Bowl 1998; Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos), dies at 54

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Historical Events

1749 – Verona Philharmonic Theatre destroyed by fire. Rebuilt 1754.
1900 – The second contingent of Canadian troops sails from Halifax to fight in South Africa against the Boers
1948 – Three of the greats of cricket make their debut in a drawn 1st Test match at Bridgetown, Barbados; Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Everton Weekes for the West Indies, and Jim Laker for England
1972 – Mizoram, formerly part of Assam, creates an Indian union territory
1978 – Bee Gees’ album “Saturday Night Fever” goes #1 for 24 weeks
1990 – 41st NHL All-Star Game, Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA: Wales beats Campbell, 12-7; MVP: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins, C

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Famous Birthdays

1878 – Egon Friedell, Austrian journalist, actor and writer (Kleine Portratgalerie, Der Partylowe), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1938)
1888 – Herbie Collins, Australian cricket all-rounder and captain (19 Tests, 1,352 runs @ 45.06, 4 x 100s), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1959)
1937 – George Flynn, American pianist, composer (Trinity), and teacher (Columbia; DePaul), born in Miles City, Montana
1971 – Tommy Puett, actor (Tyler-Life Goes On, America’s Top 10), born in Gary, Indiana
1980 – Aubrie Rippner, tennis star (1995 USTA National Girls 18), born in Los Angeles, California
1988 – Felipe Neto, Brazilian vlogger (YouTube), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Famous Deaths

1118 – Pope Paschal II, born Raniero (1099-1118), dies
1519 – Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Spanish explorer executed on charges of treason at about 42 [birthdate undocumented, born c. 1475; exact death date uncertain, may have been as early as 15 January)
1815 – Matthias Claudius, German poet (Death and the Maiden), and journalist (Der Wandsbecker Bote), dies at 74
1881 – Wilhelm Matthias Naeff, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1802)
1942 – Henryk Opieński, Polish violinist, conductor, choral director, composer (Zygmunt August and Barbara), and musicologist (Moniuszko), dies at 72
2005 – John L. Hess, American journalist (b. 1917)

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Historical Events

1356 – Edward Balliol abdicates as King of Scots
1919 – International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Double Bay, Sydney: Gerald Patterson beats Algernon Kingscote 6-4, 6-4, 8-6 to retain title for Australasia over the Great Britain, 3-1; ends 4-1
1968 – US female Figure Skating championship won by Peggy Fleming
1990 – Black January – crackdown of Azerbaijani pro-independence demonstrations by Soviet army in Baku
2013 – AFC Championship, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough: Baltimore Ravens beat New England Patriots, 28-13
2017 – Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States of America and Mike Pence as the 48th Vice President

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Famous Birthdays

1880 – Walter W. Bacon, American politician (d. 1962)
1907 – Paula Wessely, Austrian actress and producer (Masquerade), born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (d. 2000)
1952 – Patrick Smith, Australian sports journalist (The Age, The Australian, SEN; Walkley Award 1997, 2002, 04), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2023)
1955 – Hiromi Ōta, Japanese pop singer (Momen no handkerchief), born in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
1956 – Maria Larsson, Swedish politician, born in Långasjö, Sweden
1975 – Kati Agócs, American-Canadian composer (The Debrecen Passion), and educator (New England Conservatory), born in Windsor. Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1707 – Humphrey Hody, English theologian (b. 1659)
1936 – George V, King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India (1910-36), dies at 70 after being euthanized by his doctor
1979 – Gustav Winckler, Danish pop singer (“Skibet skal sejle i nat”- “The Ship Is Leaving Tonight”), dies in a car crash at 53
1994 – Aar van de Werfhorst [pseudonym for Pieter Gerhardus Jansen], Dutch writer, dies at 87
2007 – Anatol Rapoport, Ukrainian-American mathematician and biologist (game theory), dies at 95
2018 – John Coleman, American journalist, co-founder of The Weather Channel and broadcaster (1953-2014), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1511 – Italian city Mirandola surrenders to the French
1806 – United Kingdom re-occupies the Cape of Good Hope following victory in the Battle of Blaauwberg over French vassal, the Batavian Republic. Establishes British rule in South Africa.
1949 – Cuba recognises Israel.
1966 – British composer Michael Tippett’s cantata “Vision of St Augustine” premieres in London
1994 – -36°F (-38°C) in New Whiteland, Indiana (state record)
2001 – Cult film “Donnie Darko” written and directed by Richard Kelly, starring Jake Gyllenhaal premieres at the Sundance Film Festival

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Famous Birthdays

1848 – Matthew Webb, English long distance swimmer who was first to swim unassisted across the English Channel, born in Dawley, England (d. 1883)
1924 – Jean Francois Revel, French philosopher and author (Ni Marx ni Jesus), born in Marseille, France (d. 2006)
1931 – Ron Packard, American politician (Rep-R-CA, 1983-2001), born in Meridian, Idaho
1936 – Elliott Schwartz, composer, born in New York City
1936 – Ziaur Rahman, Bangladeshi military officer and President of Bangladesh (1977-81), born in Bagbari, Bengal Presidency, British India (d. 1981)
1974 – Walter Jones, American football offensive tackle (Seattle Seahawks), born in Aliceville, Alabama

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Famous Deaths

1647 – Johan van Beverwijck, Dutch physician (Treas of Ongesontheyt), dies at 52
1956 – Charles Dingle, American actor (The Little Foxes), dies at 68
1969 – Alcide “Slow Drag” Pavageau, American jazz guitarist and double-bassist, dies at 80
1970 – Hal March [Harold Mendelson], American comedian, actor and TV host ($64,000 Question; Outrage), dies of lung cancer at 49
1997 – Adriana Caselotti, voice of Snow White in Disney’s animated film, dies at 70
2008 – Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (The Birds; The Bob Newhart Show – “Emily”), dies at 70

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