Author: gil7

Today in History for 26th July 2023

Historical Events

1755 – Giacomo Casanova is arrested in Venice for affront to religion and common decency and imprisoned in the Doge’s Palace
1931 – 25th Tour de France won by Antonin Magne of France
1945 – After Labour landslide in general election, Clement Attlee becomes British Prime Minister
2009 – British Senior Open Men’s Golf, Sunningdale: American Loren Roberts wins his second Open Senior title in a playoff with Mark McNulty and Fred Funk
2018 – Sir Paul McCartney performs a “secret” gig at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, where the Beatles began
2021 – Dominant British breaststroke swimmer Adam Peaty successfully defends his 100m title at the Tokyo Olympics beating Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands and Italian Nicolò Martinenghi

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Famous Birthdays

1801 – John Drake Sloat, 1st Military Governor of California (Union Navy), born in Sloatsburg, New York (d. 1867)
1863 – Jāzeps Vītols, Latvian composer, born in Valmiera, Russian Empire (d. 1948)
1928 – Peter Lougheed, Canadian politician (10th Premier of Alberta), born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (d. 2012)
1931 – Patti Bown, American jazz pianist and composer (Gene Ammons, Quincy Jones), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2008)
1957 – Nana Visitor, American actress (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), born in NYC, New York
1974 – Dean Sturridge, English football striker, born in Birmingham, England

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Famous Deaths

1471 – Pope Paul II [Pietro Barbo], Italian Pope (1464-71), dies at 54
1926 – Robert Todd Lincoln, American politician, lawyer, Captain (Union Army), diplomat, businessman, and son of President Abraham Lincoln, dies in his sleep at 82
1941 – Benjamin Lee Whorf, American linguist (the relation of language to thinking and cognition), dies at 44
1992 – Mary Wells, American pop and soul singer (“My Guy”), dies of laryngeal cancer at 49
2005 – Betty Astell, British actress (b. 1912)
2012 – Franz West, Austrian artist, dies at 65

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Famous Deaths for 25th July 2023

1681 – Urian Oakes, English-born President of Harvard University (b. 1631)
1790 – Johann Bernhard Basedow, German educational reformer, dies at 66
1955 – Isaak Iosifovich Dunayevsky, Soviet operetta and film composer, dies at 55
1991 – Lazar Kaganovich, Soviet politician and one of the main associates of Joseph Stalin, dies at 97
1998 – Sal Santen, Dutch writer (You Are Jewish People), dies at 82
1998 – Tal Farlow, American jazz guitarist, dies at 77
2007 – Jesse Marunde, American Strongman competitor, dies at 27
2008 – Hiram Bullock, American jazz, funk, and fusion guitarist (The World’s Most Dangerous Band), dies of cancer at 52
2014 – Carlo Bergonzi, Italian operatic tenor, dies at 90
2020 – Lou Henson, American College Basketball Hall of Fame coach (all-time leader in victories University of Illinois and New Mexico State), dies of lymphoma at 88

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Historical Events for 25th July 2023

1901 – Emily Hobhouse addresses public meetings in Britain on the concentration camps during the South African War
1907 – Korea becomes a protectorate of Japan
1942 – German troops strike at Tsym Lyanskaja
1943 – 1st warship named after an African American launched – USS Leonard Roy Harmon, a Buckley class destroyer
1964 – Race riot in Rochester, NY
1966 – Yankee manager Casey Stengel elected to Hall of Fame
1970 – Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s song “(They Long to Be) Close to You” as sung by the Carpenters reaches #1
1993 – US Open Women’s Golf, Crooked Stick GC: Lauri Merten fires a final round 68 (−4) to win her lone major title, 1 stroke ahead of runners-up Donna Andrews and Helen Alfredsson
1997 – Carroll O’Connor found not guilty of slandering Harry Perzigian
2018 – Liquid lake found on Mars under its South Pole by European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter reported in “Science”

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Today in History for 25th July 2023

Historical Events

1940 – American John Sigmund begins swimming for 89 hours, 46 minutes from St. Louis to Caruthersville, Missouri in the Mississippi River; 292 miles, longest solo swim of all time
1943 – 1st warship named after an African American launched – USS Leonard Roy Harmon, a Buckley class destroyer
1961 – Roger Maris hits home runs 37, 38, 39 and 40 off of 4 Chicago White Sox pitchers in a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, NYC
1990 – Nadezhda Ryashkina of USSR sets 10K walk woman’s record (41:56.23)
1997 – Howard Stern is fired from radio station, KEGL Dallas
2014 – Both Israel and Hamas review US Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposal for an immediate ceasefire and meetings in Cairo

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Famous Birthdays

1865 – Jac[obus] P. Thijsse, Dutch biologist and educator (Contact with Plants), born in Maastricht, Netherlands (d. 1945)
1930 – Maureen Forrester, Canadian operatic contralto (Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2010)
1944 – Molly Bennett Aiken, American foundation administrator (riding for the handicapped), born in Hollywood, California
1954 – Walter Payton, American Pro Football HOF running back (NFL MVP 1977; 9 x Pro Bowl; 5 x First Team All Pro; Chicago Bears), born in Columbia, Mississippi (d. 1999)
1957 – Daniel W. Bursch, NASA astronaut (STS 51, 68, 77), born in Bristol, Pennsylvania
1971 – Billy Wagner, American MLB pitcher (Houston Astros), born in Tannersville, Virginia

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Famous Deaths

1580 – Baltazar Alvarez, Spanish Jesuit and writer, dies at 47
1759 – Johann Christoph Altnikol, German organist, bass singer, composer, and J.S. Bach’s son-in-law and copyist, dies at 39
1870 – Pierre Dupont, French songwriter (“Les Bœufs”; “Le Chant du pain”), dies at 49
2013 – Mike Shipley, Australian audio engineer, and record producer of rock and country music (Paper Airplane), dies of an apparent suicide at 56
2014 – Carlo Bergonzi, Italian operatic tenor, dies at 90
2016 – Benito Wogatzki, German radio and TV writer (My Best Friends), dies at 83

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Famous Deaths for 24th July 2023

446 – St Proclus, patriarch and archbishop of Constantinople, dies
1846 – Joseph Leopold Eybler, Austrian composer/choir master, dies at 81
1862 – Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United States (Democrat: 1837-41), dies of heart failure at 79
1990 – Alan Clarke, director (Elephant, Road, Scum, Firm), dies at 54
1997 – Andrew Cunanan, American serial killer (Gianni Versace), commits suicide at 27
2000 – Anatoli Firsov, Russian ice hockey left wing (Olympic gold 1964, 68, 72; 8 x World C’ship gold), dies at 59
2008 – Norman Dello Joio [Nicodemo DeGioio], American classical composer (Choreography: Three Dances for Strings), dies at 95
2012 – John Atta Mills, Ghanaian President, dies at 68
2020 – Naazim Richardson, American boxing trainer (Bernard Hopkins, “Sugar” Shane Mosley), dies of stroke complications at 55
2020 – Eric Sweeney, Irish contemporary composer (The Green One), dies at 72

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Historical Events for 24th July 2023

1701 – French trade rand soldier Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founds trading post at Fort Pontchartrain, later becomes the city of Detroit
1905 – International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Wimbledon: Laurence Doherty and Reggie Doherty beat Holcombe Ward and Beals Wright 8-10, 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 8-6 to give British Isles an unassailable 3-0 lead over US (ends 5-0)
1927 – The Menin Gate war memorial is unveiled at Ypres
1929 – NY to San Francisco foot race ends (2½ months) winner is 60 year old Monteverde
1946 – 9 Spokane baseball players (Western League) die in a bus crash
1949 – 36th Tour de France won by Fausto Coppi of Italy
1974 – American newscaster Christine Chubbuck is the first person to commit suicide during a live TV broadcast at WXLT-TV
1979 – US President Jimmy Carter names Paul Volcker as Chairman of the Federal Reserve
1994 – Bodo kills 37 Muslims in Bashbari NE India
2013 – 80 people are killed and 140 are injured after a high-speed train derails in Santiago de Compostela, Spain

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Today in History for 24th July 2023

Historical Events

1911 – Cleve’s League Park hosts 1st unofficial ML All Star game (benefit game for Addie Joss’ family). Cleveland Naps lose to All Stars 5-3
1923 – Allied Powers and Turkey sign peace treaty, Lausanne
1960 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Firestone CC: Jay Hebert wins his only major title by 1 stroke from Australian Jim Ferrier
1982 – “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” closes at E O’Neill NYC after 63 performances
1989 – Paula Gwynn, 22, crowned 21st Miss Black America
2005 – British Senior Open Men’s Golf, Royal Aberdeen: Tom Watson wins his second Open Senior title in a playoff with Ireland’s Des Smyth

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Famous Birthdays

1924 – Edward Digby, 12th Baron Digby, British Army (Coldstream Guards) officer (d. 2018)
1934 – Jimmy Holiday, American soul singer (“How Can I Forget”; Baby I Love You”), and songwriter (“Put A Little Love In Your Heart”), born in Sallis, Mississippi (d. 1987)
1935 – Pat Oliphant, Australian cartoonist (7 Pres: The Art of Oliphant)
1947 – Michael Coveney, English drama critic (The Observer, The Daily Mail), born in London, England
1954 – Philippe Alliot, French Formula One race driver, born in Voves, France
1961 – Paul Geary, American heavy metal drummer (Extreme), born in Medofrd, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

1712 – Cornelis earl of Nassau, general-major/mister of Woudenberg, dies
1756 – George Vertue, engraver, dies
1826 – Jacob Kimball, American pioneering composer and musician, dies at 65
1842 – John Sell Cotman, landscape painter, dies
1996 – Howard Vernon, Swiss actor (Love and Death, Delicatessen), dies at 82
1997 – Andrew Cunanan, American serial killer (Gianni Versace), commits suicide at 27

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Famous Deaths for 23rd July 2023

1773 – George Edwards, English naturalist and ornithologist (father of British ornithology), dies at 79
1844 – Christian Gobrecht, 4th US chief engraver (1840-44), dies in office
1951 – Philippe Pétain, French marshal and Chief of the French State (1940-44), dies at 95
1996 – Jean Muir, American actress (Fugitive in the Sky, The Aldrich Family) and the 1st performer to be blacklisted for being an alleged communist sympathizer, dies at 85
1996 – John Corner, scientist, dies at 80
2004 – Mehmood [Ali], Indian actor, singer, director and producer (Do Phoo!, Vardaan), dies at 71
2006 – Jean-Paul Desbiens, Quebec writer and journalist (b. 1927)
2014 – Heinz Martin Lonquich, German pianist, conductor, composer (The Silence of John of Nepomuk; Where year and day don’t count), and clergyman, dies at 77
2020 – Jean Brankart, Belgian cyclist (Tour de France 1955, Giro d’Italia 1958 runner-up; Belgium national track pursuit champion 1956, 58, 59), dies at 90
2020 – Benjamin Mkapa, Tanzanian politician, President of Tanzania (1995-2005), dies at 81

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Historical Events for 23rd July 2023

636 – Arabs gain control of most of Palestine from the Byzantine Empire
1558 – Battle of Grevelingen: Lamoraal, Count of Egmont beat France
1902 – Dutch Excelsior soccer club is established in Rotterdam (Eerste Divisie winners 1973-4, 78-79, 2005-06)
1960 – US Open Women’s Golf, Worcester CC: Betsy Rawls wins her 4th Open title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Joyce Ziske
1962 – The International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos is signed
1967 – -27] 43 die in race riot in Detroit (2,000 injured, 442 fires)
1974 – Greek military dictatorship collapses
1994 – American dancer, actor, and director Gene Kelly suffers a mild stroke
2018 – Japan records its highest ever temperature at 41.1 degrees (105.98F) in Kumagaya
2019 – At least 36 people killed by a mud landslide in Shuicheng county, Guizhou province, China

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Famous Deaths for 22nd July 2023

1461 – Charles VII, King of France (1422-61), dies at 58
1525 – Richard Wingfield, English diplomat
1786 – Vaclav Kalous [Simon à Scto Bartholomaeo], Czech composer, dies at 71
1920 – William Kissam Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (b. 1849)
1952 – August Balthazar, Belgian politician, dies at 58
1970 – George Johnston, Australian journalist and novelist (b. 1912)
1988 – Duane Jones, American actor (Night of the Living Dead), and theater director, dies of cardiopulmonary arrest at 51
1992 – Souleiman Franjieh, president Lebanon (1970-76), dies
2004 – (Jean-Baptiste) Illinois Jacquet, American jazz saxophonist (“Flying Home”), dies of a heart attack at 81
2018 – Rene Portland, American college basketball coach (Penn State 1980-2007), dies of cancer at 65

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