Author: gil7

Today in History for 14th August 2023

Historical Events

1960 – Australian driver Jack Brabham clinches his second consecutive F1 World Drivers Championship by winning the Portuguese Grand Prix at Boavista
1967 – Radio Scotland and Radio Swinging Holland go off the air
1990 – Denver vote for a 1% sales tax to pay for a baseball franchise
2008 – A popular Chinese 1-2 in the 200m butterfly at the Beijing Olympics with Liu Zige swimming world record 2:04.18 to beat teammate Jiao Liuyang
2018 – Italy’s Morandi Bridge collapses in Genoa, taking 30 vehicles with it and killing 43
2021 – Calder Fire, near Lake Tahoe, begins in California, goes on to destroy 1000 structures and over 218,000 acres

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Famous Birthdays

1552 – Paolo Sarpi, Italian church historian and statesman, born in Venice (d. 1623)
1882 – Gisela Richter, English art historian, born in London (d. 1972)
1937 – Brian Curvis, Welsh boxer and British welterweight champion (1960-1964), born in Swansea, Wales (d. 2012)
1946 – Marga van Praag, Dutch radio hostess, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1960 – Cecilia Gasdia, Italian soprano, born in Verona, Italy
1983 – Elena Baltacha, Ukrainian-British tennis player, born in Kyiv, Ukraine (d. 2014)

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Famous Deaths

1928 – Klabund [Alfred Henschke], German writer (Spuk, Rasputin), dies at 37
1961 – Guido Alberto Fano, Italian composer and pianist, dies at 86
1972 – Pierre Brasseur [Espinasse], French actor (Eyes Without a Face, Children of Paradise), dies from a heart attack at 66
1996 – Sergiu Celibidache, Romanian conductor (Berlin Philharmonic, 1945-57; Munich Philharmonic, 1979-96), and educator, dies at 84
2008 – Lita Roza, British singer (“How Much is That Doggie in the Window”), dies at 82
2021 – R. Murray Schafer, Canadian composer (Patria), music educator, and environmentalist, dies of complications Alzheimer’s disease at 88

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Famous Deaths for 13th August 2023

1744 – John Cruger, Dutch-born Mayor of New York (b. 1678)
1900 – Collis P. Huntington, American business tycoon and railroad executive (Central Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific Railroad), dies at 78
1953 – Dmitri Arakishvili, Soviet and Georgian composer, dies at 80
1971 – W. O. Bentley, English engineer and motoring pioneer who founded Bentley Motors Limited, dies at 82
1974 – (Harold) “Tina” Brooks, American hard-bop jazz saxophonist, and composer (“True Blue”), dies of liver failure at 42
1974 – Hugo Yarnold, English cricketer (Umpire in 3 Tests for England), dies at 57
2000 – Nazia Hassan, Pakistani pop singer-songwriter, lawyer and social activist known as “Queen of Pop” in South Asia, dies of lung cancer at 35
2007 – Phil Rizzuto, American Baseball HOF shortstop (5 x MLB All-Star; 7 x World Series; AL MVP 1950; NY Yankees) and broadcaster (WCBS radio, WPIX-TV), dies at 89
2010 – Edwin Newman, American broadcast journalist (b. 1919)
2019 – Kip Addotta, American stand-up comic, dies at 75

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Historical Events for 13th August 2023

1704 – Battle of Blenheim (Second Battle of Höchstädt): A combined British, German and Dutch army led by John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, decisively beats the French and Bavarians
1918 – Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) established as a public company in Germany
1920 – Flag designed by Marcus Garvey consisting of three horizontal stripes of red, black and green is adopted as the pan-African flag
1931 – Cincinnati Reds second baseman Tony Cuccinello goes 6 for 6 in 17-3 rout of Boston at Braves Field
1952 – Blues singer Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton records “Hound Dog” song, written a day earlier especially for her by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, at Radio Recorders Studio in Los Angeles, California
1967 – WQLN TV channel 54 in Erie, Pennsylvania (PBS) begins broadcasting
1972 – Dutch KRO-TV transmits 440th and last episode of American western series “Bonanza”
2008 – Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice wraps up the medley double at the Beijing Olympics when she swims world record 2:08.45 to win the 200m I/M gold medal
2011 – Farm Aid (25th Anniversary) held in Kansas City, Kansas; performers include Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, Jason Mraz, Jamey Johnson, Jakob Dylan, and Billy Joe Shaver
2016 – American swimmer Michael Phelps ends his career at the Rio Olympics as part of the winning 4×100 medley relay, his record 23rd gold medal

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Today in History for 13th August 2023

Historical Events

1415 – King Henry V of England lands his army at the mouth of Seine River in France
1942 – The ‘Manhattan Project’ commences, under the direction of US General Leslie Groves: its aim – to deliver an atomic bomb
1988 – Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit opens
2004 – 28th Olympic Games opens at Athens, Greece
2006 – Canadian Open Women’s Golf, London Hunt CC: Christie Kerr wins by 1 shot from Angela Stanford
2017 – Gunmen kill at least 18 at a cafe in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Islamic extremists blamed

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Famous Birthdays

1655 – Johann Christoph Denner, German musician and inventor (clarinet), baptized in Leipzig, Germany (d. 1707)
1662 – Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, English politician, born in Wiltshire, England (d. 1748)
1934 – Gary Davidson, American sports league founder (ABA, WHA, WFL)
1938 – Dave “Baby” Cortez [Clowney], American pop keyboardist (“The Happy Organ”; “Rinky Dink”), born in Detroit, Michigan
1943 – Gary Ilman, American 100m freestyle (Olympic-4th-1964), born in Glendale, California
1954 – Nico Assumpção, Brazilian bass player, born in São Paulo, Brazil (d. 2001)

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Famous Deaths

662 – Maximus Confessor, Greek theologian and court secretary to the Emperor, dies soon after his conviction for heresy when his hand and tongue were cut off (b. c. 580)
1278 – Daikaku, Zen teacher Rinzai line/head of Kenchoji, dies in Japan at 65
1744 – John Cruger, Dutch-born Mayor of New York (b. 1678)
1826 – René Laënnec, French physician who invented the stethoscope, dies of tuberculosis at 46
1965 – Ikeda Hayato, Japanese politician, Prime Minister of Japan (1960-64), dies at 65
1971 – W. O. Bentley, English engineer and motoring pioneer who founded Bentley Motors Limited, dies at 82

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Famous Deaths for 12th August 2023

1158 – Anselm of Havelberg, Brandenburg bishop of Havelberg (1129-55), dies at about 58
1750 – Rachel Ruysch, Dutch painter (portrait of of sovereign Johan von de Pfalz), dies at 86
1810 – Etienne Louis Geoffroy, French pharmacist and entomologist, dies at 84
1857 – William Conybeare, English geologist (fossils of plesiosaur dinosaur), dies at 70
1904 – William Renshaw, British tennis player (Wimbledon, 1881-86, 1889 (singles); 1884-86, 1888-89 (doubles, with twin brother Ernest), dies of epileptic convulsions at 43
1982 – Salvador Sánchez, Mexican boxer (WBC, lineal featherweight title 1980-82), dies in a traffic accident at 23
1985 – Marcel Mihalovici, French composer, dies at 86
1990 – Piotr Perkowski, Polish composer, dies at 89
2000 – Patrick Peter Sacco, American composer, dies at 71
2020 – Don Edmunds, American auto racer and car builder (National Sprint Car HOF; built Evel Knievel’s Snake River Canyon Sky cycle), dies at 89

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Historical Events for 12th August 2023

1121 – Battle of Didgori: the Georgian army under King David the Builder wins a decisive victory over the famous Seljuk commander Ilghazi
1499 – First engagement of the Battle of Zonchio between Venetian and Ottoman fleets
1876 – Madeline (US) beats Countess Dufferin (Canada) in 4th America’s Cup
1884 – Bill Murdoch scores 1st Test Cricket double-century, 211 at The Oval
1966 – Last Beatle concert tour of North America begins with two shows at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois
1973 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Canterbury GC: Jack Nicklaus wins 3rd of 5 PGA C’ships by 4 from Bruce Crampton of Australia
1978 – China and Japan sign peace treaty
2016 – Joseph Schooling of Singapore sets Olympic record 50.39 to win men’s 100m butterfly gold at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; rare 3-way tie for silver at 51.14, Michael Phelps (USA), Chad le Clos (South Africa) and László Cseh (Hungary)
2018 – More than 200 Afghan soldiers reported killed after 3 days of attacks by taliban insurgents over multiple fronts including Ghazni city
2019 – Hong Kong International Airport cancels all departures as thousands of anti-government protesters occupy the terminals

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Today in History for 12th August 2023

Historical Events

1831 – Dutch troops conquer Leuven
1952 – Hussein ibn Talal proclaimed King of Jordan
1984 – Carlos Lopes of Portugal wins the men’s marathon at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2:09:21, an Olympic record that stands for 24 years
1995 – Lara completes 6th Test Cricket century, 152 at Trent Bridge
2008 – Russo-Georgian War: Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France, negotiates ceasefire agreement between Russia and Georgia, ending a brief war hostilities after 5 days
2020 – Yemen authorities say at least 172 people died in floods caused by torrential rains, which have also destroyed historic buildings in Sanaa, a Unesco World Heritage Site

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Famous Birthdays

1720 – Konrad Ekhof [Hans Konrad Dieterich Eckhof], German actor and director, born in Hamburg, Germany (d. 1778)
1852 – Fr. Michael J. McGivney, Irish-American Catholic priest, and founder the Knights of Columbus fraternal organization, born in Waterbury, Connecticut (d. 1890)
1881 – Václav Vačkář, Czech composer, known for his marches, conductor, and musicologist, born in Dobřejovice, Bohemia (now Czech Republic) (d. 1954)
1904 – Alexei Nikolaevich, son of Tsar Nicholas II, and last Tsarevich of Russia, born in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire (d. 1918)
1924 – Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistani military officer and politician (President of Pakistan 1978-88) (d. 1988)
1957 – Amanda Redman, British stage and screen actress (At Home with the Braithwaithes; New Tricks; The Good Karma Hospital (2017–present), borne in Brighton, Sussex, England

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Famous Deaths

1158 – Anselm of Havelberg, Brandenburg bishop of Havelberg (1129-55), dies at about 58
1809 – Mikhail Kamensky, Russian field marshal, dies at 71
1812 – Jean-Joseph Rodolphe, Alsatian composer, dies at 81
1900 – James Edward Keeler, American astronomer (rings of Saturn), dies at 42
1934 – Hendrik P. Berlage, Dutch architect (Stock exchange Amsterdam), dies at 78
1982 – Henry Fonda, American stage and screen actor (Mr. Roberts; 12 Angry Men; On Golden Pond), dies of heart disease at 77

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Famous Deaths for 11th August 2023

1949 – Karl Weigl, Austrian-American pianist, composer (Apocalyptic Symphony), and educator, dies of bone marrow cancer at 68
1956 – Jackson Pollock, American expressionist painter (Lavender Mist), dies at 44 in a car accident in East Hampton
1984 – Paul Felix Schmidt, Estonian-German chess player, dies at 67
1987 – Clara Peller, Russian-American manicurist and commercial spokesperson (Wendy’s – “Where’s the beef?”), dies of congestive heart failure at 85
1994 – Gordon Cullen, architect, dies at 80
2007 – Franz Antel, Austrian filmmaker (Der Bockerer), dies at 94
2010 – Dan Rostenkowski, American politician (Rep-D-Il, 1959-94), convicted of mail fraud, dies at 82
2014 – Robin Williams, American actor and comedian (Mork and Mindy, Jumanji, Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting), commits suicide by hanging himself at 63
2020 – Gordon J. Brand, English golfer (British Open 1986 runner-up), dies at 65
2022 – Darius Danesh, Scottish pop, opera, and swing singer-songwriter (Colourblind; Live Twice) and stage actor, dies of respiratory arrest at 41

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Historical Events for 11th August 2023

1909 – SOS 1st used by an American ship, Arapahoe, off Cape Hatteras, NC
1950 – In a 4 for 38 slump, New York Yankees great Joe DiMaggio is benched for first time; replacement Cliff Mapes hits a HR in 7-6 win over Philadelphia Athletics
1963 – Four ANC political detainees escape from Pretoria Central prison in South Africa
1971 – Construction begins on Louisiana Superdome
1971 – 4 people are shot dead in separate incidents in Belfast; three of them by the British Army, as violence continues following the introduction of Internment and Operation Demetrius
1976 – Race riot in Cape Town, South Africa; 17 die
1992 – Oakland A’s rip Jose Canseco for leaving stadium before end of game
2008 – Abhinav Bindra wins men’s 10m air rifle at the Beijing Olympics, the first ever individual Olympic gold medal for India, and India’s first gold medal in any Olympic event since 1980
2015 – Japan’s Sendai Nuclear Power Plant restarts the first nuclear reactor since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
2020 – President Vladimir Putin in a propaganda stunt announces Russia has become the 1st country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine, called “Sputnik V”, despite no scientific data being published or phase 3 trials having even begun

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Today in History for 11th August 2023

Historical Events

1949 – Gaston Eyskens forms Belgian government
1952 – Hussein Ibn Talal I, proclaimed King of Jordan
1965 – “Help!” a musical comedy film featuring the Beatles released in the US
1984 – A British 1-2 in the 1,500m at the Los Angeles Olympics with Sebastian Coe edging teammate Steve Cram to become the only man to successfully defend his Olympic 1,500m title
2015 – Greek Debt crisis: European Commission announces a bailout with Greece and its creditors has been agreed “in principle”
2016 – A Greenland shark declared oldest vertebrate animal in the world at 392 years by international team of scientists

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Jess Stacy, American jazz pianist (Benny Goodman, 1935-39; the Great Gatsby), born in Bird’s Point, Missouri (d. 1995)
1912 – Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (d. 1954)
1928 – Richard Barratt, former Chief Inspector of Constabulary
1947 – Catherine Collard, French concert pianist (Schumann; Brahms), and teacher, born in Paris (d. 1993)
1961 – Craig Ehlo, American NBA basketball guard (Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and 2 other teams), born in Lubbock, Texas
1968 – Alan Kelly, England-born Irish footballer

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Famous Deaths

1857 – Marshall Hall, English physician, physiologist and early neurologist (physiology of reflex function), dies of a throat infection at 67
1868 – Thaddeus Stevens, US Radical Republican congressional leader (Rep-R-Pennsylvania 1849-53 1859-68), dies at 76
1954 – Santo Trafficante, Sr., Sicilian-American mobster, dies at 68
1975 – Howard Wendell, American actor (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Murder Your Wife), dies at 67
1991 – Jef Contryn, Flemish pioneer puppet theatre, dies at 89
2015 – Harald Nielsen, Danish soccer forward (14 caps; Olympic silver 1960; Frederikshavn fI, Bologna FC), dies at 73

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