Today in History for 9th July 2023

Historical Events

1401 – Turko-Mongol ruler Tamerlane (Timur) destroys Baghdad, killing 20,000
1609 – Emperor Rudolf II grants Bohemian protestants freedom of religion
1914 – 1st US duplicate auction bridge championship held, Lake Placid, NY
1916 – 1st cargo submarine to cross Atlantic arrives in US from Germany
1986 – Attorney General’s Commission on pornography links hard-core porn to sex crimes
2016 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Serena Williams beats Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3, equalling Steffi Graf’s 22 Grand Slam singles tiles

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Famous Birthdays

1898 – Marcel Delannoy, French composer, born in La Ferté-Alais, Essonne, France (d. 1962)
1942 – Paul B. Henry, American professor of political science and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1993)
1944 – Joe Miceli, American drummer (John Fred and His Playboy Band – “Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)”), born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (d. 2019)
1945 – Root Boy Slim [Foster MacKenzie III], American entertainer, born in Asheville, North Carolina (d. 1993)
1968 – Paolo Di Canio, Italian football player
1982 – Sakon Yamamoto, Japanese race-car driver

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Famous Deaths

1882 – Ignacio Carrera Pinto, Chilean war hero (b. 1848)
1951 – Jorgen Bentzon, Danish composer, dies at 54
1967 – Eugen Fischer, Nazi physician (Kaiser Wilhelm Institute), dies at 93
1974 – Sonia Gaskell, Russian-Dutch choreographer (Diaghilev), dies at 70
2005 – Kevin Hagen, American actor (Little House on the Prairie), dies at 77
2022 – Davie Robb, Scottish soccer forward (5 caps; Aberdeen FC 251 games), dies at 74

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Famous Deaths for 8th July 2023

1895 – Johann Josef Loschmidt, Austrian scientist (b. 1821)
1913 – Louis Hémon, French novelist (Maria Chapdelaine), dies at 32
1930 – Joseph Ward, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (1906-12), dies at 74
1967 – Vivien Leigh, English actress (Gone With The Wind; A Streetcar Named Desire), dies of tuberculosis at 53
1986 – Skeeter Webb, American baseball player (b. 1909)
1987 – Gerardo Diego, Spanish poet (Versos humanos), dies at 90
1987 – Lionel Chevrier, Canadian politician (Canadian Member of Parliament), dies at 84
1995 – Elizabeth Adams, American Beverly Hills madame and mentor to Heidi Fleiss, dies at 65
2001 – Ernst Baier, German figure skater (Olympic gold 1936), dies at 95
2007 – Chandra Shekhar, Indian politician, 8th Prime Minister of India (1990-91), dies at 80

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Historical Events for 8th July 2023

1891 – 61°F, highest temperature for July 1891, in Baltimore and Philadelphia
1905 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: May Sutton becomes first American player to win the singles title at Wimbledon; beats Dorothea Chambers 6-3, 6-4
1912 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Anthony Wilding makes it 3 straight Wimbledon singles crowns beating Arthur Gore 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
1949 – Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson, 1st black players for New York Giants, 4-3 loss to Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field
1960 – Fidel Castro ends Havana’s International League team, Sugar Kings move to New Jersey
1961 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: In an all-British final Angela Mortimer wins her 3rd Grand Slam singles title; beats Christine Truman 4–6, 6–4, 7–5
1968 – Israeli-Egyptian artillery duel along Suez Canal
1969 – IBM CICS is made generally available for the 360 mainframe computer
1973 – NY Mets are 12½ games back in NL and go on to win pennant
1978 – Pioneer-Venus 2 Multi-probe launched to Venus

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Today in History for 8th July 2023

Historical Events

1870 – US Congress authorizes registration of trademarks
1919 – US President Woodrow Wilson returns to NYC from Versailles Peace Conference
1923 – Walter Mittelholzer flies a Junkers F-13 to Spitsbergen/Oostland
1948 – 500th anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated in Moscow
1956 – US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak
1963 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Australian Margaret Smith wins her first of 3 Wimbledon titles beating Billie Jean Moffitt 6-3, 6-4

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Famous Birthdays

1528 – Emanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (1553-1580, regained lands of Savoy), , born in Chambéry, France (d. 1580)
1821 – Jozef Lies, Flemish painter, born in Antwerp (d. 1865)
1857 – Alfred Binet, French child psychologist who invented the first practical IQ test (Binet–Simon test), born in Nice, France (d. 1911)
1910 – Govan Mbeki, South African leader (Head of the ANC, imprisoned with Mandela, father of Thabo Mbeki), born in Nqamakwe district, Transkei (d. 2001)
1952 – Ulrich Wehling, German Nordic skier (3 Olympic golds 1972, 76, 80), born in Halle an der Saale, Germany
2001 – Riele Downs, Canadian actress (Henry Danger), born in Toronto, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1943 – Harry Oakes, Canadian-British prominent businessman in Bahamas, murdered under mysterious circumstances at 68
1973 – Harry F. V. Edward, British 100m/200m runner (Olympic bronze 1920), dies at 75
1985 – Gardner Cowles Jr., American publisher (Look Magazine), dies at 82
1991 – Lotte Palfi Andor, German-American actress (Lovesick, All That Jazz), dies at 87
2016 – William H. McNeill, Canadian-born historian (Rise of the West), dies at 98
2017 – Elsa Martinelli, Italian actress (Indian Fighter), dies at 82

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Famous Deaths for 7th July 2023

1537 – Madeleine of Valois, French princess who briefly became Queen of Scotland after marrying James V, dies only six months after the wedding at 16
1898 – Lucien Petipa, French dancer/choreograph/ballet leader, dies
1907 – James McGranahan, American composer, dies at 67
1939 – Deacon White, American Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (NL batting champion, RBI leader 1877; Boston Red Stockings), dies from heat stroke at 91
1968 – Leo Sowerby, American organist and composer (Pulitzer Prize for Music, 1946), dies at 73
1987 – Tibor Frešo, Slovak composer (Fanfares of Peace; A Beetle was Born), and conductor (Slovak National Theatre Opera), dies at 68
1992 – Juanita Jackson Mitchell, American lawyer (1st African American to practice law in Maryland, NAACP), dies at 79
2005 – Al Downing, American rockabilly piano player and singer (Big Al and The Chartbusters), dies at 65
2016 – Rokusuke Ei, Japanese author and lyricist (Sukiyaki), dies at 83
2021 – Chick Vennera, American actor (Thank God It’s Friday; High Risk; Milagro Beanfield War; Animaniacs), dies of lung cancer at 74

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Historical Events for 7th July 2023

1438 – King Charles VII issues the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges stating that a General Church Council with superior power to the Pope must be held every 10 years
1585 – King Henri III and Duke De Guise signs Treaty of Nemours: French Huguenots lose all freedoms
1799 – Ranjit Singh’s men take up their positions outside Lahore
1801 – Toussaint Louverture declares Haitian independence
1868 – Surrey wicket-keeper Ted Pooley completes a then-1st class cricket record 12 dismissals (8 caught, 4 stumped) in a County match against Sussex at The Oval
1923 – University of Delaware invents “junior year abroad” (at Sorbonne)
1993 – Guntis Ulmanis elected president of Latvia
1996 – Space Shuttle STS 78 (Columbia 20), lands
2002 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Lleyton Hewitt of Australia wins his only Wimbledon singles title beating David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-1, 6-3, 6-2
2019 – Copa América Final, Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro: Home team Brazil win their 9th title, beating Peru, 3-1; first title since 2007

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Today in History for 7th July 2023

Historical Events

1912 – American athlete Jim Thorpe wins 4 of 5 events to win the Pentathlon gold medal at the Stockholm Olympics, medal stripped 1913 (played pro baseball), reinstated 1982
1950 – British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Troon: Bobby Locke of South Africa retains title by 2 strokes from Roberto De Vicenzo of Argentina
1957 – Heavy storm ravages Belgian coast
1986 – Jordan government shuts al-Fatah offices
2006 – Cleveland Indians first baseman Travis Hafner becomes first player in MLB history to hit 5 grand slams before the All-Star break when he homers off Baltimore’s Kris Benson
2011 – Roof of a stand in De Grolsch Veste Stadium in Enschede which was under construction collapses, one killed and 14 injured.

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Famous Birthdays

1861 – Nettie Stevens, American geneticist (discovered sex chromosomes), born in Cavendish, Vermont (d. 1912)
1901 – Vittorio De Sica, Italian actor and director (Bicycle Thieves, Sciuscià), born in Sora, Lazio (d. 1974)
1925 – Wally Phillips, American radio personality (d. 2008)
1954 – Steve Gilchrist, Canadian politician (Cabinet Minister and Member of Provincial Parliament, in Ontario), born in Toronto, Ontario
1966 – Neil Tobin, American magician, born in Chicago, Illinois
1983 – D. Woods, American singer (Danity Kane), born in Anaheim, California

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Famous Deaths

1932 – Alexander Grin, Russian novelist (Jessie and Morgiana), dies at 51
1971 – Claude Gauvreau, Canadian writer (b. 1925)
1972 – Athenagoras, 268th patriarch of Constantinople, dies
2017 – Egil Monn-Iversen, Norwegian pianist, composer, and conductor (Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, 1981-96), dies at 89
2020 – Dannes Coronel, Ecuadorian soccer defender (27 caps; El Nacional), dies from a heart attack at 47
2021 – Robert Downey, Sr [Elias Jr], American filmmaker (Putney Swope; Rittenhouse Square), and actor (You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It or You’ll Lose That Beat), dies of complications from Parkinson’s disease at 85

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Famous Deaths for 6th July 2023

1480 – Antonio Squarcialupi [Giovanni], Italian composer and organist (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, 1432-80), dies at 64
1918 – Count von Mirbach, German ambassador to Moscow, dies
1950 – Harold Weekes, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Columbia University; All American 1901), dies at 70
1979 – Van McCoy, American musician and songwriter (The Hustle), dies of a heart attack at 39
1980 – Gail Patrick [Margaret Fitzpatrick], American actress (My Man Godfrey, Love Crazy), dies of leukemia at 69
1990 – Paul Wynne, KGO-TV SF reporter, dies of AIDS at 46
1994 – Cameron Mitchell, American actor (The High Chaparral), dies of lung cancer at 75
2014 – Alan J. Dixon, American politician (Sen-D-Illinois, 1981-93), dies at 86
2014 – Kathy Stobart, British jazz tenor saxophonist, bandleader, and teacher, dies of a stroke at 89
2022 – Bryan Marchment, Canadian NHL defenseman, 1989-2006 (Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, and 7 other teams), dies at 53

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Historical Events for 6th July 2023

1641 – Battle at La Marfée Sedan: Earl Soisson beats French government army
1932 – Cubs’ future All Star shortstop Billy Jurges is shot twice in Chicago hotel room by a spurned girlfriend, Violet Popovich Valli; no charges laid
1933 – 1st MLB All Star Game: AL wins 4-2 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Babe Ruth hits first All Star home run
1945 – Abbott and Costello’s film “The Naughty Nineties” released; features longest version of their “Who’s on First?” routine
1957 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Althea Gibson becomes the first black female athlete to win Wimbledon beating Darlene Hard 6-3, 6-2
1969 – Frente Obrero y Liberacion (FOL) forms in Curacao
1977 – France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
1984 – New Zealand sisters Liz and Rose Signal become the first twins to play in the same cricket Test match, v England at Headingley
2013 – 3 people are killed and 181 are injured after a Boeing 777 crash lands at San Francisco Airport
2020 – Zoonotic diseases, which jump from animals to humans, are increasing due to unsustainable farming and climate change according to new report by the UN

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Today in History for 6th July 2023

Historical Events

1969 – Frente Obrero y Liberacion (FOL) forms in Curacao
1987 – USSR performs nuclear test
1990 – “Jetsons the Movie” by Hanna-Barbera with Tiffany Darwish, premieres
1996 – In a 2-0 win v Brewers, New York Yankees closer John Wetteland sets MLB record 20 consecutive saves en route to 24
2010 – “Incubus” singer Brandon Boyd announces the release of his debut solo album, “The Wild Trapeze”
2017 – France announces it will ban petrol and diesel cars by 2040

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Famous Birthdays

1632 – Albert Schop, German composer, born in Hamburg (d. 1667)
1818 – Adolf Anderssen, German World Chess Champion (1851-66), born in Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1879)
1883 – Ralph Morgan [Wupperman], American actor (Creeper, Imposter, Jack London), born in NYC, New York (d. 1956)
1938 – Franco Luambo [Makiadi], Congolese jazz and rumba guitarist, composer, and bandleader (TPOK Jazz), born in Sona Bata, Belgian Congo (d. 1989)
1949 – Michael Shrieve, American drummer, percussionist, and composer (Santana), born in San Francisco, California
1971 – Kenya D. Williamson, American actress and author (Depth of Focus: A Novel), born in Levittown, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1961 – Cuno Amiet, Swiss painter and illustrator, dies at 93
2000 – Rederic Coote, British Anglican Bishop (Colchester), dies at 85
2002 – Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman (b. 1932)
2004 – Syreeta Wright, American singer (b. 1946)
2019 – Cameron Boyce, American actor (Mirrors, Jessie), dies from an epileptic seizure at 20
2019 – Martin Charnin, American Broadway stage singer, dancer (West Side Story), director, and lyricist (Annie), dies after a heart attack at 84

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