Author: gil7

Historical Events

732 – The Battle of Tours: The Umayyad army, led by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, is defeated by the Frankish-Aquitainian force led by Charles Martel during the Umayyad invasion of Gaul
1799 – Convention of Alkmaar: British-Russian invasion army departs Holland
1904 – Liberty Theatre opens at 234 W 42nd St NYC
1913 – Gamboa Dam in Panama is blown up; Atlantic and Pacific waters mix
2020 – Italian teenage computer genius Carlo Acutis, who dies of leukemia at 15, is beatified by the Catholic Church in Assisi, Italy

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Famous Birthdays

1892 – Earle Dickson, American inventor (Band-Aid), born in Grandview, Tennessee (d. 1961)
1919 – Gerry Gomez, West Indian cricket all-rounder (29 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 101, 58 wickets, BB 7/55; Trinidad), born in Port of Spain, Trinidad (d. 1996)
1933 – Salome Bey (née Wideman), American-Canadian jazz singer (Andy and the Bey Sisters), and music producer, born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2020)
1943 – Roy Christian, New Zealand rugby league centre (32 Tests; Auckland RL, Otahuhu RLFC), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2024)
1944 – Stephen Scott, American composer (Bowed Piano Ensemble; Vikings of Sunrise), and educator (Colorado College), born in Corvallis, Oregon (d. 2021)

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Famous Deaths

1872 – William H. Seward, American politician (Secretary of State, 1861-69, Governor of New York, 1839-42), dies at 71
1929 – Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American inventor (57 patents), dies at 86
1948 – Ted Horn, American auto racer (first to win AAA National C’ship 3 times consecutively 1946, 47, 48), dies in race accident at 38
1978 – Gesina Van der Molen, Dutch WWII resistance fighter/lawyer, dies at 86
2022 – Anita Kerr [née Grilli], American pop and country singer, composer, and producer (The Anita Kerr Singers), dies at 94

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Historical Events

1855 – American inventor Isaac Singer patents the sewing machine motor
1877 – American Humane Association organizes in Cleveland
1932 – Soviet leader Joseph Stalin expels Lev Kamenev and Grigory Zinoviev from the Communist Party after a power struggle
1959 – Lee Harvey Oswald arrives in Southampton, England
1999 – The last flight of the US aircraft Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird”

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Famous Birthdays

1942 – Shukri Ghanem, Libyan Prime Minister (2003-2006), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2012)
1954 – James Fearnley, British celtic-punk accordionist (The Pogues – “The Irish Rover”), born in Worsley, Greater Manchester, England
1957 – Don Garber, American sports executive (Commissioner USMLS 1999- ), born in New York City
1974 – Kavika Pittman, American defensive end (Dallas Cowboys), born in Frankfurt, Germany
1981 – Zachery Ty Bryan, American actor (Brad-Home Improvement), born in Aurora, Colorado

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Famous Deaths

1963 – Thurlow Lieurance, American composer (By the Waters of Minnetonka; Sad Moon on Falling Leaf), ethnomusicologist (Indigenous peoples), and educator, dies at 85
1995 – Alec Douglas-Home, British Prime Minister (Conservative: 1963-64), dies at 92
1999 – Akhtar Hameed Khan, Pakistani pioneer of Microcredit in developing countries, dies at 85
2022 – Margie Masters, Australian golfer (Western Open runner-up 1966), dies at 87
2023 – (Charles) “Buck” Trent, American country and bluegrass banjoist, dobro player, and singer (Hee Haw), dies at 85

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Historical Events

1806 – British forces lay siege to the French port of Boulogne using Congreve rockets, invented by Sir William Congreve
1813 – Treaty of Ried between Bavaria and Austria
1973 – Spyros Markezinis forms a government in Greece
1988 – Fire in the Space Needle causes evacuation and results in damages of $2,000 in Seattle, Washington
1990 – Israeli police kill 17 Palestinian protesters

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Famous Birthdays

1789 – John Ruggles, American politician, born in Westborough, Massachusetts (d. 1874)
1927 – César Milstein, Argentine biochemist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1984), born in Bahía Blanca, Argentina (d. 2002)
1944 – Ray Handley, American football coach (HC New York Giants 1991-92; Super Bowl XXI, XXV NY Giants assistant coach), born in Artesia, New Mexico (d. 2026)
1959 – Tony Eason, American football quarterback (New England Patriots), born in Blythe, California
1965 – Martin Mayhew, American NFL cornerback (Tampa Bay Bucs), born in Daytona Beach, California

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Famous Deaths

1728 – Anne Danican Philidor, French composer (Concert Spirituel), dies at 47
1985 – Malcolm Ross, American balloonist and atmospheric physicist, dies at 65
2001 – Javed Iqbal, Pakistani serial killer (murderer of 100 boys), commits suicide in prison at 45
2011 – Antonio Iglesias Álvares, Spanish pianist, composer, educator and critic, dies at 93
2023 – Alcides Báez, Paraguayan soccer goalkeeper (16 caps; FC Cerro Porteño, FC Libertad), dies at 76

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Historical Events

1828 – The Greek city of Patras is liberated by the French expeditionary force in Peloponnese under General Maison
1919 – KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij), Royal Dutch Airlines, is founded in Amsterdam, making it one of the world’s oldest airlines
1928 – Paavo Nurmi runs a world record 10 miles (50:15.0)
1957 – “How to Marry a Millionaire,” the first movie to become a TV sitcom, premieres
1993 – Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to American writer Toni Morrison

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Famous Birthdays

1912 – Fernando Belaúnde, Peruvian politician (President of Peru 1963–68, and 1980–85), born in Lima, Peru (d. 2002)
1937 – Dino Valenti [Chester Powers, Jr.], American rock guitarist and singer (Quicksilver Messenger Service – “Fresh Air”), born in Danbury, Connecticut (d. 1994)
1941 – Larry Young [aka Khalid Yasin], American hard-bop and jazz-fusion Hammond B-3 organist (Unity), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1978)
1946 – Bernard Lavilliers [Oulion], French jazz singer and songwriter, born in Saint-Étienne, France
1976 – Santiago Solari, Argentinian footballer, born in Rosario, Argentina

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Famous Deaths

929 – Charles III, “The Simple”, King of West Francia (893-923), granted Vikings the Duchy of Normandy, dies dethroned and in prison at 50
1577 – George Gascoigne, English poet
2004 – Hildy Parks, American stage and screen actress, and Emmy Award-winning producer and writer (Tony Award presentations), dies of complications from a stroke at 78
2008 – Peter Copley, British actor (Victim, Kingdom of Heaven, King and Country), dies at 93
2008 – Leslie Hardman, Jewish Orthodox rabbi (b. 1913)

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