Today in History for 15th August 2023

Historical Events

1940 – Heavy dogfights above England: 75 German aircraft damaged
1944 – Allied air raid on train in North Netherlands, 32 killed
1960 – CFL’s Calgary Stampeders move into McMahon Stadium
1990 – Phils Terry Mulholland no-hits Giants 6-0 (8th no hitter of 1990)
2008 – German swimmer Britta Steffen beats Australian Libby Trickett by 0.04 to win the blue ribband 100m freestyle gold medal at the Beijing Olympics
2021 – Petrol tanker explosion kills 27 and injures 79 in al-Tleil, Lebanon, amid the country’s continuing economic crisis

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Famous Birthdays

1907 – Paul Vincze, Jewish-Hungarian designer of coins and medal, born in Galgagyörk, Hungary (d. 1994)
1917 – Oscar Romero, El Salvador Roman catholic priest who was murdered, born in Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador (d. 1980)
1926 – Georgann Johnson, American actress (Marge-Mr Peepers, Star Trek, Midnight Cowboy), born in Decorah, Iowa (d. 2018)
1927 – Wesley Mouzon, American boxer / trainer (Roy Jones Jr), born in Kingstree, South Carolina (d. 2003)
1965 – Rob Thomas, American writer, screenwriter and director (Veronica Mars), born in Sunnyside, Washington
1974 – Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress (Species), born in Springdale, Newfoundland and Labrador

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Famous Deaths

1918 – Heinrich Köselitz [Peter Gast], German composer, dies at 64
1975 – Clay Shaw, American businessman and alleged John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracist, dies of lung cancer at 61
2007 – Richard Bradshaw, British opera conductor (Canadian Opera Company, 1989-2007), dies of a heart attack at 63
2010 – James J. Kilpatrick, American newspaper journalist and columnist (60 Minutes), dies at 89
2017 – Vernon “Vern” Ehlers, American politician (Michigan House of Representatives), dies of complications from Alzheimers disease at 83
2020 – Henk Wullems, Dutch soccer manager (NAC Breda, SBV Vitesse, Go Ahead Eagles, AZ; Indonesia 1996-98), dies from a Cerebral infarction at 84

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Famous Deaths for 14th August 2023

1785 – John William Fletcher, evangelist, dies
1870 – David Farragut, American Admiral (“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”), dies at 69
1905 – Mohammed Abdoe, Egyptian writing expert (Al’Oerwah al-Woethka), dies
1955 – Herbert Putnam, American Librarian of Congress, dies at 93
1963 – Clifford Odets, American playwright (1961 Award of Merit-Golden Boy), dies at 57
1992 – Norah Phillips, Baroness Phillips, British politician (1st female Whip – UK House of Lords), dies at 82
1992 – Flora Benson, American wife of Ezra Taft Benson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies at 91
1992 – Tony Williams, American singer (The Platters, 1953-59 – “Only You”; “Great Pretender”), dies at 64
2012 – Ron Palillo, American actor (Arnold Horshack-Welcome Back Kotter), dies from a heart attack at 63
2020 – Thomas Forsyth, Scottish soccer defender (22 caps; Motherwell, Rangers), dies at 71

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Historical Events for 14th August 2023

1040 – King Duncan I of Scotland killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth (not murdered in his sleep as in Shakespeare’s play). The latter does succeed him as King.
1820 – 1st US eye hospital, the NY Eye Infirmary, opens in NYC
1848 – Oregon Territory created
1885 – British Criminal Law Amendment Act raises age of consent from 13 to 16, protects against child prostitution
1971 – British begin internment without trial in Northern Ireland
1971 – Cards Bob Gibson, 35, no-hits Pirates, 11-0
1975 – Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich is buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow
1995 – Shannon Faulkner becomes 1st woman to attend the Citadel
2020 – Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda breaks Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele’s 16-year-old 5,000m world record with a run of 12:35.36 at the Diamond League meet in Monaco
2021 – Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Tyler Gilbert throws a no-hitter in his MLB debut, defeating San Diego Padres, 7-0 in Phoenix; record equalling 8th no-hitter of the season

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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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