Author: gil7

Historical Events

1564 – Liege Prince-Bishop Robert van Bergen resigns
1868 – The Shogunate is abolished in Japan
1972 – Fantasy Records releases “Mardi Gras”, the seventh and final studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival
1999 – Neil Jenkins converts a Scott Gibbs try to give Wales a famous, 32-31 win over England at Wembley Stadium; allows Scotland to win final Five Nations Rugby Championship; reverts to 6 teams in 2000
2019 – Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft, the first privately-funded mission to the moon, crashes on the moon

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Famous Birthdays

1838 – Joseph Leopold Röckel, German-British composer, music publisher, and teacher, born in London, England (d. 1908)
1920 – Emilio Colombo, Italian Prime Minister (1970-72), born in Potenza, Basilicata (d. 2013)
1930 – Joseph Burnett-Stuart, British CEO (Robert Fleming Holdings), born in the UK (d. 2010)
1951 – Françoise Hampson, British academic and human rights lawyer, born in Bolton, England (d. 2025)
1955 – Michael Callen, American AIDS activist, singer-songwriter, and author, born in Rising Sun, Indiana (d. 1993)

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Famous Deaths

1839 – John Galt, Scottish novelist (Annals of the Parish), dies at 59
1961 – Francis de Bourguignon, Belgian pianist (accompanist to Nellie Melba), and contemporary classical composer, dies at 70
1985 – Enver Hoxha, Albanian post-war communist leader and dictator of Albania (1944-85), dies at 76
1991 – Tom Rosqui, American stage and screen character actor (The Godfather – “Rocco Lampone”), dies of cancer at 62
2016 – Emile Ford, Caribbean-born British singer and engineer (first black male singer to top UK charts), dies at 78

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Historical Events

1916 – The Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) is founded in New York City
1962 – Houston Colt .45s make their MLB debut with an 11-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Colt Stadium; outfielder Román Mejías hits a pair of 3-run homers
1974 – Golda Meir resigns as Israel’s Prime Minister
2005 – At 16 years, 271 days James Vaughan scores for Everton in a 4-0 win against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park; becomes youngest goalscorer in EPL history
2010 – Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashes near Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board including President Lech Kaczyński

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Famous Birthdays

1569 – Emilia van Nassau, daughter of William I of Orange and Anna of Saxony, born in Cologne, Germany (d. 1629)
1704 – Benjamin Heath, English classical scholar, born in Exeter, Devon, England (d. 1766)
1833 – James Edward Rains, American lawyer and Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 1862)
1970 – Enrico Ciccone, Canadian NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks), born in Montreal, Quebec
1987 – Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano and UNICEF ambassador, born in Christchurch, New Zealand

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Famous Deaths

1956 – Clarence Beaumont, 1st batter in 1st World Series, dies at 75
1968 – Gustavs Celmins, Latvian politician, dies at 69
1989 – Joan Barry, dies at 85
1992 – Cecil “Cec” Linder, Polish-Canadian actor (Goldfinger, Quatermass and the Pit), dies at 71
2010 – Ryszard Kaczorowski, Polish statesman is killed in the crash of a Polish Air Force Tu-154 at 90

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Historical Events

1595 – Spanish Mendaña and Queirós Expedition departs Callao, Peru, led by Alvaro de Mendan accompanied by 378 men, women and children in four ships to colonise the Solomon Islands (find Marquesas instead)
1914 – “World, the Flesh and the Devil,” the first color film, is shown in London
1973 – Otto Kerner, former governor of Illinois, convicted for his role in an illegal racetrack scheme
2017 – Suicide car bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia kills at least 17, Al-Shabaab group claim responsibility
2024 – Simon Harris becomes Ireland’s youngest taoiseach at 37 after the resignation of Leo Varadkar

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Famous Birthdays

1773 – Étienne Aignan, French writer, born in Beaugency, France (d. 1824)
1895 – Rudolf Kattnigg, Austrian composer, born in Carinthia, Austria (d. 1955)
1917 – Vincent O’Brien, Irish racehorse trainer (6 x Epsom Derby; 2 x British champion trainer; only British Triple Crown winner, Nijinsky 1970), born in Churchtown, Ireland (d. 2009)
1946 – Alan Knott, English cricket wicket-keeper (1967-81), born in Belvedere, Kent
1967 – Graeme Lloyd, Australian baseball pitcher (World Series 1996, 98 NY Yankees; Olympic silver 2004), born in Geelong, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1865 – Thomas Alfred Smyth, Irish/US Union general-major, dies at 32
1879 – Ernst Richter, German musical theorist and composer, dies at 70
1882 – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English Pre-Raphaelite poet and painter, dies at 53
1992 – Ruth Hammond, American Broadway actress, dies in her sleep at 96
2020 – Jocelyn Barrow, British race relations campaigner (Card) and 1st black female governor of the BBC, dies at 90

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Historical Events

1796 – Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, proves the quadratic reciprocity law (the ability to determine the solvability of any quadratic equation in modular arithmetic)
1963 – Detroit Tigers claim young pitcher Denny McLain on waivers from the Chicago White Sox; McLain goes on the win Cy Young Award 1968, 69 and American League MVP 1968
1964 – Unmanned Gemini 1 launched
1966 – American Football League votes in 36-year-old Al Davis as commissioner after Joe Foss resigns; appointment lasts 3 months when AFL merges with NFL
2007 – 71st US Masters Tournament: Zach Johnson wins his first major title, 2 strokes ahead of Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini and Tiger Woods

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Famous Birthdays

1902 – Arthur Wellard, English cricket all-rounder (2 Tests, 7 wickets, BB 4/81; Somerset CCC), born in Southfleet, England (d. 1980)
1921 – Jan Novák, Czech classical composer and contemporary Latin poet, born in Nová Říše, Moravia, First Czechoslovak Republic (d. 1984)
1944 – Hywel Bennett, Welsh, actor (Family Way, Shelley), born in Garnant, Wales (d. 2017)
1966 – Mark Blundell, British auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1992), born in London, England
1984 – Kirsten Storms, American actress (General Hospital; Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century), born in Orlando, Florida

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Famous Deaths

1537 – Willem Aerts, Flemish architect and sculptor (Bruges School), dies
1942 – Alfred Mombert, German poet, dies at 70
1994 – François Rozet, French Canadian actor (b. 1899)
1997 – Charles Hayes, American politician (Rep-D-IL, 1983-93), dies at 79
1997 – Laura Nyro, American singer-songwriter (“Wedding Bell Blues”; “Stoned Soul Picnic”; “And When I Die”), dies of ovarian cancer at 49

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