Today in History for 3rd October 2023

Historical Events

1143 – Cardinal Guido elected Pope Coelestinus II
1569 – Battle of Montcontour: Duke of Anjou beats Huguenots
1918 – Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria abdicates the throne in favour of his eldest son Tsar Boris III
1940 – France Vichy government proclaims end to Jewish status
1990 – Kansas City 3rd baseman George Brett becomes first in MLB history to win a batting title in 3 different decades; goes 1 for 1 in Royals, 5-2 loss v Cleveland to win AL batting title with .329 average; AL batting champion 1976, 80
2018 – Most expensive whisky ever sold at auction for $1.1 million, the Macallan Valerio Adami 1926, in Edinburgh, Scotland

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Famous Birthdays

1867 – Pierre Bonnard, French painter and illustrator, born in Fontenay-aux-Roses, Hauts-de-Seine, France (d. 1947)
1888 – Claud Allister, British actor (Kiss Me Kate, Quartet, Bulldog Drummond), born in London, England (d. 1970)
1934 – Harold Henning, South African golfer (2 PGA Tour titles; 3 senior PGA titles; World Cup 1965), born in Johannesburg, South Africa (d. 2004)
1946 – Tristan Keuris, Dutch composer (Sinfonia), born in Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands (d. 1996)
1978 – Gerald Asamoah, German soccer forward (43 caps; Schalke 04 279 games, 44 goals), born in Mampong, Ghana
1996 – Adair Tishler, American child actress

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Famous Deaths

1777 – Jeremias van Riemsdijk, Dutch administrator (Governor-General of Dutch East Indies 1775-77), dies at 64
1903 – Benedetto Junck, Italian composer, dies at 51
1907 – Alfred Reisenauer, German pianist and composer, dies at 43
1967 – Pinto Colvig, American animation voice actor (Goofy, Pluto), dies at 75
2008 – Zulfiqar Ahmed, Pakistani cricket pace bowler (9 Tests, 20 wickets; Punjab, Bahawalpur), dies at 81
2017 – Michel Jouvet, French neuroscientist and medical researcher who discovered the region of the brain that controls rapid eye movement (REM sleep), dies at 91

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Famous Deaths for 2nd October 2023

1678 – Wu San-kuei, gen, invited Manchus to China, dies trying to expel them
1708 – Anne Jules de Noailles, French general under Louis XIV (marshal of France), dies at 58
1746 – Josiah Burchett, English Secretary of the Admiralty
1764 – William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, 5th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1756-57), dies at 44
1919 – Ernest Halliwell, South African cricket wicketkeeper (8 Tests), dies at 55
1931 – George Bradley, American baseball pitcher (first no-hitter in MLB history 1876; NL ERA leader 1876), dies at 79
1991 – Dimitrios I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (1973-91), dies at 77
1994 – Faith Davis, American triplets, world’s oldest surviving triplets (Charity and Hope survive), dies at 95
2007 – Lady Katherine Brandram, Princess of Greece, the last surviving great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, dies at 94
2018 – Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabian dissident, author, Washington Post columnist and editor in chief (Al-Arab News Channel), assassinated in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul at 59, reportedly on the orders of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

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Historical Events for 2nd October 2023

1899 – Orange Free state mobilizes
1924 – League of Nations approves protocols of Geneva
1943 – New York Yankees sweep 14th MLB doubleheader of year, beating St. Louis Browns, 5-1 and 7-6 at Yankee Stadium
1949 – USSR recognizes People’s Republic of China
1955 – “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” premieres on CBS television in the US
1976 – “Let My People Come” closes at Morosco Theater NYC after 106 performances
1990 – Radio Berlin International’s final transmission (links to Deutsche Welles of West Germany); final song is “The End” by Doors
1998 – With his team struggling at 28 for 3, Australian cricket batsman Steve Waugh smashes a brilliant 157 to guide the tourists to an innings and 99 run win over Pakistan in the 1st Test in Rawalpindi
2011 – TV spy drama “Homeland” starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis premieres on Showtime
2012 – 20 students are gunned down in Mubi, Nigeria

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Today in History for 2nd October 2023

Historical Events

1939 – Prototype for the Ilyushin Il-2, world’s most-produced military airplane designed by Sergey Ilyushin, takes it first flight. Over 36,000 made for Soviet airforce in WWII.
1950 – 1st strip of Charlie Brown, “Li’l Folks”, later “Peanuts”, by Charles M. Schulz published in seven nationwide papers
1960 – Mickey Wright becomes first player in LPGA Tour history to average fewer than 74 strokes per round to win the Vare Trophy after a season average of 73.25; first of 5 consecutive Vare Trophies for Wright
1967 – All Grateful Dead members arrested by narcotic agents for possession of marijuana in San Francisco, California
2016 – Ryder Cup Golf, Hazeltine National GC: US regains Cup; beats Europe, 17-11; Americans Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker and Patrick Reed each win 3 matches
2019 – Two politicians in Peru claim to be the country’s leader for a day until Mercedes Aráoz resigns so the constitutional court can rule on the matter

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Famous Birthdays

1833 – William Corby, American Catholic priest and President of the University of Notre Dame, born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1897)
1928 – Anthony Tippet, British Royal Navy officer and Chief of Fleet Support (d. 2006)
1936 – Dick Barnett, American basketball guard (NBA All Star 1968; NBA C’ship 1970, 73 NY Knicks), born in Gary, Indiana
1946 – Jo-El Sonnier, American country singer (Louisiana), born in Rayne, Louisiana
1951 – Sting [Gordon Sumner], British singer-songwriter and bassist (The Police – “Every Breath You Take”; solo – “Fragile”) and actor (Dune), born in Wallsend, Northumberland
1981 – Toro [Alvan Guo Yi Jun], Taiwanese pop singer (Energy)

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Famous Deaths

1944 – Rudolf Schmundt, German gen/Hitlers army adjunct, dies from injuries
1971 – Bola de Nieve [Ignacio Jacinto Villa Fernández], Cuban singer, pianist and songwriter, dies at 60
1988 – Alec Issigonis, Greek-British automotive designer who designed the Mini, dies at 81
1989 – Liesbeth Ribbius Peletier, Neth’s 1st female advisor of State, dies
1996 – Robert Bourassa, Prime Minister of Quebec province (1970-76, 85-93), dies at 63
2007 – Tex Coulter, American NFL defensive lineman (All Pro 1948, 51-52; Pro Bowl 1951-52; NY Giants), dies at 82

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Famous Deaths for 1st October 2023

1795 – Robert Bakewell, English cattle breeder, dies at about 70
1868 – Mongkut [Rama IV], King of Thailand (1851-68), opened country to the West (model for musical “The King and I”), dies at 63
1929 – Lee Richmond, American baseball pitcher (first ever MLB perfect game, 1880), dies at 72
1943 – Johan Kalshoven, resistance fighter, executed at 20
1943 – Johan van Mierlo, resistance fighter, executed at 35
1965 – Edward E “Doc” Smith, American sci-fi writer (Subspace encounter), dies at 75
1972 – Louis Leakey, British paleoanthropologist and archaeologist (Olduvai Gorge; 1964 Richard Hooper Medal), dies at 68
1984 – Billy Goodman, American baseball infielder (MLB All-Star 1949, 53; AL batting champion 1950; Boston Red Sox), dies of cancer at 58
2010 – Audouin Dollfus, French Astronomer (discovered Janus, a moon of Saturn), dies at 85
2018 – Charles Aznavour [Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian], French-Armenian singer-songwriter (“She”; “Monsieur Carnavel”; “Tin Drum”), dies at 94

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Historical Events for 1st October 2023

1189 – Gerard de Ridefort, grandmaster of the Knights Templar since 1184, is killed in the Siege of Acre
1890 – Germany’s anti-socialist laws lapse
1898 – Dutch railway Alkmaar-Receiver opens
1936 – Generalissimo Francisco Franco establishes state of Spain
1960 – Nigeria gains independence from Great Britain (National Day)
1964 – WTSJ TV channel 18 in San Juan, PR (NBC) begins broadcasting
1975 – “The Thrilla in Manila”; Muhammad Ali stops Joe Frazier in 14 rounds in Quezon City, the Philippines to retain his WBC/WBA heavyweight title
1981 – USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya
2011 – Martin Dempsey is appointed US Joint Chiefs of Staff by President Obama
2019 – Indian government bans the export of onions, an important food staple to control prices, causing shortages in Bangladesh and Nepal

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Today in History for 1st October 2023

Historical Events

1942 – Bell P-59 Airacomet fighter, 1st US jet, makes maiden flight
1944 – Newspaper editor Alejandro Córdova assassinated in Guatemala
1951 – 1st treaty signed by woman ambassador-Eugenie Anderson (US ambassador to Denmark)
1953 – KYTV TV channel 3 in Springfield, MO (NBC) begins broadcasting
1999 – In a blockbuster NBA trade, the Houston Rockets move All Star forward Scottie Pippen to Portland Trail Blazers for Kelvin Cato, Stacey Augmon, Walt Williams, Carlos Rogers, Ed Gray and Brian Shaw
2000 – United States wins the most medals (97), and the most gold medals (40) in Summer Olympics held in Sydney, Australia

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Famous Birthdays

1577 – Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Swiss friar, martyr, and saint, born in Sigmaringen, Germany (d. 1622)
1934 – Neil Castles, American auto racer (NASCAR Grand National East Series Champion 1972; NASCAR Cup Series 51 x top 5, 178 x top 10 finishes), born in Charlotte, North Carolina (d. 2022)
1950 – Mihai Romilă, Romanian soccer midfielder (19 caps; Politehnica Iași 367 games), born in Huși, Romania (d. 2020)
1957 – Stelios Mainas, Greek actor
1967 – Geraldine Heaney, Canadian ice hockey defense (Olympics gold 1998), born in Lurgan, Northern Ireland
1967 – Scott Young, US Hockey Hall of Fame right wing (1,181 NHL games; Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche), born in Clinton, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

1770 – Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, French composer and violinist, dies at 64
1878 – Mindon, King of Burma (1853-1878) penultimate ruler of the Konbaung dynasty and founder of Mandalay, dies at 70
1943 – Johan van Mierlo, resistance fighter, executed at 35
1975 – Al Jackson Jr., American session drummer, known as “The Human Time Keeper” (Stax; Booker T. and MGs – “McLemore Avenue”), murdered by an intruder in his home at 39
1990 – Curtis LeMay, American air force general (WWII) and VP candidate, dies at 83
2007 – Ronnie Hazlehurst, English conductor and TV theme song composer (Are You Being Served?), dies at 79

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Famous Deaths for 30th September 2023

1877 – Toohoolhoolzote, prophet of Nez Perce indians, dies in battle
1885 – Maria Gartmann, Dutch actress, dies at 60
1888 – Elizabeth Stride “Long Liz”, English woman murdered by Jack the Ripper at 45
1955 – Arnold Struycken, Dutch lawyer, dies at 55
1978 – Edgar Bergen, American ventriloquist (Charlie McCarthy), dies at 75
1988 – Chick Chandler [Fehmer Chandler], American actor (Seven Doors to Death, One Happy Family), dies at 83
1990 – Liesbeth de Uyl, Dutch feminist and wife of PM Joop du, dies at 66
1996 – Elizabeth Gille, French writer, translator and editor, dies at 59
2004 – Michael Relph, British film producer and director (b. 1915)
2012 – Turhan Bey [Sahultavy], Austrian-born actor dubbed “The Turkish Delight” (Arabian Nights, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves), dies from Parkinson’s disease at 90

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Historical Events for 30th September 2023

1619 – Remonstrant Society forms in Antwerp
1903 – New Gresham’s School officially opened by Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood in Norfolk, England (expansion of original school founded 1555)
1937 – Ryder Cup Golf, Southport and Ainsdale GC: US wins 8-4; first time the host team loses the competition
1949 – Pirates Ralph Kiner hits his 54th HR and NL record 16th in September
1950 – WSM TV channel 4 in Nashville, TN (NBC) begins broadcasting
1966 – Bechuanaland, in southern Africa, gains independence from Great Britain, becomes Republic of Botswana
1968 – AL and NL umpires form a new Association of Major League Umpires
1977 – Ringo Starr releases album “Ringo the 4th”
1977 – USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
2021 – Canada observes its first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, honoring victims and survivors of residential schools for indigenous children

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Today in History for 30th September 2023

Historical Events

1659 – Robinson Crusoe is shipwrecked (according to Daniel Defoe’s famous novel)
1943 – Pope Pius XII encyclical on Divine spirit
1946 – Twenty-two Nazi leaders, including Joachim von Ribbentrop and Hermann Goering, are found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to death or prison at the Nuremberg war trials
1949 – Pirates Ralph Kiner hits his 54th HR and NL record 16th in September
1968 – The Supremes release single “Love Child”
1992 – 26th Country Music Association Award: Garth Brooks wins

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Famous Birthdays

1700 – Stanisław Konarski, Polish political writer and Catholic priest who influenced education reform in Poland, born in Żarczyce Duże, Poland (d. 1773)
1732 – Jacques Necker, French finance minister of Louis XVI whose decisions contributed to the outbreak of the French Revolution, born in Geneva, Switzerland (d. 1804)
1898 – Princess Charlotte of Monaco, illegitimate daughter of Louis II and mother of Prince Rainier III born in Constantine, French Algeria (d. 1977)
1917 – Chung Hee Park, Korean general and President of South Korea (1961-79), assassinated in office, born in Gumi, Japanese Korea (d. 1979)
1932 – Shintaro Ishihara, Japanese author and politician (Governor of Tokyo), born in Suma-ku, Kobe, Japan (d. 2022)
1959 – Ettore Messina, Italian basketball coach (Olimpia Milano), born in Catalania, Italy

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Famous Deaths

1581 – Hubert Languet, French diplomat and reformer (b. 1518)
1803 – Charles Broche, French composer, dies at 51
1910 – Maurice Lévy, French engineer (b. 1838)
1961 – Onésime Gagnon, Canadian politician, 20th Lieutenant Governor of Québec, dies at 72
1990 – Alice Parizeau, Polish-born Quebec writer and journalist, dies at 60
2012 – Turhan Bey [Sahultavy], Austrian-born actor dubbed “The Turkish Delight” (Arabian Nights, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves), dies from Parkinson’s disease at 90

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