Author: gil7

Historical Events

311 – Roman Emperor Galerius issues Edict of Toleration, ending persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire
1492 – Christopher Columbus is given royal commission by Spanish monarchs Isabella I and Ferdinand II to equip his fleet to the New World
1506 – Philip of Burgundy and England sign trade agreement
1789 – George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States of America at Federal Hall in NYC
1947 – Boulder Dam renamed in honor of Herbert Hoover
1958 – Ted Williams is 10th major league player to get 1,000 extra-base hits

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Famous Birthdays

1919 – Valeer van Kerkhove, Flemish writer (De Bungalow), born in Sleidinge, Belgium (d. 1982)
1949 – Phil Garner, American baseball player and manager (Astros), born in Jefferson City, Tennessee
1959 – Stephen Harper, 22nd Prime Minister of Canada (2006-15), born in Toronto, Ontario
1963 – Steve Smith, NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks), born in Glasgow, Scotland
1977 – Pell James, American actress, born in Virginia
1980 – Sam Heughan, Scottish actor (Outlander), born in Balmaclellan, Scotland

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Famous Deaths

65 – Lucan, Roman poet (Bellum Civile), forced to commit suicide after taking part in attempt to overthrow Emperor Nero dies at 25
1942 – Catherine Murphy Urner, American composer, dies at 51
1970 – Jacob Presser, Dutch historian and writer (Ashes in the Wind), dies at 71
1973 – Josie Sedgwick, American actress (The Best Man, Queen of the Round-Up), dies of stroke at 75
1974 – Agnes Moorehead, American actress (Endora in Bewitched), dies of uterine cancer at 73
2005 – Ron Todd, TGWU General Secretary (1985 – 1992) (b. 1927)

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Historical Events

1922 – 1st official International Weightlifting Federation Champ in Tallinn, Estonia
1991 – Earthquake in Georgia, kills 100
1992 – Sheena Easton collapses on stage while performing in “Man of LaMancha”
2006 – NFL Draft: North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams first pick from Houston Texans
2019 – Sports Illustrated features a Muslim model, Halima Aden, in a Burkini for the first time in their swimsuit edition
2019 – Indonesia is plans to relocate its capital from Jakarta due to the city sinking, according to a government minister

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Famous Birthdays

1896 – Walter Mehring, German writer (Die Gedichte, Lieder und Chansons des Walter Mehring), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1981)
1927 – (Cecil James) “Big Jay” McNeely, American RandB saxophonist, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2018)
1929 – [John] Jeremy Thorpe, British politician, Leader of the Liberal Party (Norman Scott scandal), born in London, England (d. 2014)
1929 – April Stevens [Caroline LoTempio], American vocalist (“Deep Purple” – the song, not the band), born in Niagara Falls, New York (d. 2023)
1960 – Joseph Guzaldo, American actor (Stir Crazy), born in Chicago, Illinois
1978 – Bob Bryan, American professional tennis player (23 x Grand Slam Doubles titles; Olympic gold 2012; 4 x ATP Tour Finals; Davis Cup 2007), born in Oxnard, California

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Famous Deaths

852 – Amalarius [Fortunatus] Frankish Bishop of Metz and Lyon, dies at 76
1943 – Karl Adrian Wohlfart, Swedish composer, dies at 68
1996 – David William Eric Davis, broadcaster, dies at 87
2010 – Johannes Fritsch, German composer, dies at 68
2015 – Calvin Peete, American golfer (12 PGA Tour titles), dies of lung cancer at 71
2020 – Irrfan Khan, Indian film producer and actor (Paan Singh Tomar, Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi), dies of cancer at 53

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Historical Events

1253 – -May 7th) Utrecht destroyed by fire
1865 – Giacomo Meyerbeer’s opera “L’Africaine” premieres in Paris
1901 – Cleveland’s Bock Baker gives up a record 23 singles as White Sox beat Blues (Cleveland Blues!) 13-1
1919 – American stuntman and parachute developer Leslie Irvin (23) makes first premeditated free-fall parachute jump from a plane above US the Army Air Service’s McCook Field near Dayton, Ohio
1971 – Dutch social democratic party/D’66/DS’70 win parliamentary election
1988 – Baltimore Orioles lose AL record 21 games in a row

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Famous Birthdays

1753 – Franz K. Achard, German physicist and chemist, born in Berlin (d. 1821)
1902 – Johan Borgen, Norwegian author (Lillelord), born in Kristiana, Norway (d. 1979)
1944 – Elizabeth LeCompte, American theater director (founding member of The Wooster Group), born in New Jersey
1964 – Noriyuki Iwadare, Japanese video game music composer, born in Matsumoto City, Nagano, Japan
1979 – Bahram Radan, Iranian actor (The Passion of Love), born in Tehran, Iran
1986 – George [Nozuka], Canadian-Japanese RandB singer-songwriter (“Talk To Me”), born in New York City

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Famous Deaths

1109 – Saint Hugh of Cluny, 6th abbot of Cluny, dies at 84
1974 – Paul Page, American actor (Girl From Havana, Moth), dies at 70
1993 – Jim Valvano, American basketball coach (NC State), dies of cancer at 47
1997 – Ann Lane Petry, American journalist and author (Street), dies at 88
2000 – Jerzy Einhorn, Polish-Swedish doctor, researcher and politician, dies at 74
2016 – Jenny Diski, English writer (Stranger on a Train), dies of cancer at 68

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Historical Events

1942 – Belgian Jews are forced to wear stars
1950 – South Africa passes Group Areas Act segregating races
1973 – KC Royals pitcher Steve Busby no-hits Detroit Tigers, 3-0
1983 – Nolan Ryan becomes strikeout king (3,509), passing Walter Johnson
2018 – German leader Angela Merkel has a 1-day trip to Washington, DC, meeting US President Donald Trump
2019 – Pope Francis donates $500,000 for migrants stranded in Mexico trying to reach the US

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Arthur F. Burns, American economist and chairman (Federal Reserve Board), born in Stanislau, Austria-Hungary (d. 1987)
1942 – John Shrapnel, English actor, born in Birmingham, Warwickshire
1962 – Edvard Moser, Norwegian psychologist and neuroscientist (2014 Nobel Prize for Physiology for discovery of place cells), born in Ålesund, Norway
1976 – Isobel Campbell, Scottish singer and composer, born in Glasgow, Scotland
1984 – Frank Carter, British musician (Gallows) and tattooist, born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England
1987 – William Moseley, British actor (The Chronicles of Narnia – Peter Pevensie), born in Sheepscombe, Gloucestershire, England

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Famous Deaths

630 – King Ardashir III of Persia, Sasanian shah of Iran, dies at 9
1873 – William Charles Macready, British actor, manager, and diarist, dies at 80
1937 – Antonio Gramsci, Italian philosopher and Marxist theorist, dies at 46
1988 – David Scarboro, British actor, dies at 20
1999 – Cyril Washbrook, English cricket batsman (37 Tests, 6 x 100, HS 195; Lancashire CCC), dies at 84
2022 – Judy Henske, American folk singer (High Flying Bird), dies at 85

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