Author: gil7

Today in History for 3rd February 2021

Historical Events

1870 – US state of Iowa ratifies the 15th Amendment of the United States Constitution allowing suffrage for all races and colour
1900 – Gubernatorial candidate William Goebel is assassinated in Frankfort, Kentucky
1944 – World War II: United States troops capture the Marshall Islands.
1989 – Military coup overthrows Alfredo Stroessner, dictator of Paraguay
1992 – Labor strike at Royal Canadian Mint ends
1993 – General Hospital’s Tristan Rogers convicted of drunk driving

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Famous Birthdays

1870 – Franklin Dyall, British actor (Easy Virtue, Atlantic), born in Liverpool, England (d. 1950)
1920 – Tony Gaze, Australian racing driver
1956 – Lee Ranaldo, American musician (Sonic Youth)
1966 – Danny Morrison, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (48 Tests, 160 wickets; 96 ODIs, 126 wickets) and broadcaster (TVNZ, Sky Sports, Radio Sport), born in Auckland, New Zealand
1969 – Retief Goosen, South African golfer (US Open 2001, 04), born in Pietersburg, Limpopo Province
1982 – Alan Gurr, Australian V8 Supercar driver

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Famous Deaths

1909 – Johann Georg Herzog, composer, dies at 86
1922 – Christiaan R de Wet, South African Boer general, dies at 67
1983 – Tullio Campagnolo, Italian racing cyclist and inventor (quick release skewer patent; founder bicycle component company Campagnolo), dies at 81
1984 – Ravindra Mhatre, Indian diplomat, murdered at 48 by Kashmiri terrorists in Birmingham, England
2015 – Sir Martin Gilbert, British historian (Winston Churchill biography), dies at 78
2015 – Charlie Sifford, American golfer (first African-American to join PGA Tour, 2 titles), dies of a stroke at 92

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Famous Deaths for 2nd February 2021

672 – Chad of Mercia, Ango-Saxon saint credited with introducing Christianity to the Mercian kingdom, dies at about 38
1822 – Jean-Baptiste Davaux, French classical composer, dies at 79
1909 – Adolf Stoecker, German conservative politician, and reformer who founded the German Christian Social Party, dies at 73
1931 – Theodor Batthynyi, Hungarian contra-revolutionary, dies at 71
1940 – Vsevolod Meyerhold [Karl Kasimir Theodor], Russian theatrical director and actor (Houligan), executed during the Great Purge at 65
1956 – Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (b. 1876)
1961 – Adolf Vogl, composer, dies at 87
1994 – John Wesley Funchess Littlejohn, blues guitarist/singer, dies at 62
2004 – Róbert Zimonyi, Hungarian-American rowing coxswain (Olympic gold 1964), dies at 85
2007 – Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (b. 1967)

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Historical Events for 2nd February 2021

1829 – Madman Jonathan Martin sets York Cathedral on fire, does £60,000 damage
1924 – International Ski Federation (FIS) forms
1931 – 1st use of a rocket to deliver mail (Austria)
1934 – Dutch RC Bishops warn against fascism and nazism
1940 – Frank Sinatra’s singing debut in Indianapolis (Tommy Dorsey Orchestra)
1942 – LA Times urges security measures against Japanese-Americans
1956 – Despite a severe ankle injury Tenley Albright leads an American 1-2 in the women’s figure skating at the Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics; Carol Heiss takes the silver medal
1965 – Joe Orton’s “Loot” premieres in Brighton
1983 – CBS’ premiere of fact based WW2 drama “The Scarlet and the Black”, based on the life of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty
2003 – 53rd NHL All-Star Game, Office Depot Centre, Sunrise, FL: West beats East, 6-5; MVP: Danny Heatley, Atlanta Thrashers, LW

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Today in History for 2nd February 2021

Historical Events

1901 – Mexican government troops are ambushed by Yaqui Indians, 100 killed
1924 – International Ski Federation (FIS) forms
1972 – Lefty Gomez, Ross Youngs and William Harridge selected for Hall of Fame
1975 – US female Figure Skating championship won by Dorothy Hamill
1980 – FBI releases details of Abscam, a sting operation that targeted 31 elected and public officials for bribes for political favors
2020 – Palindrome Day: the date 02022020 reads the same forward and backward including in the US and China (last one like this 11 November 1111)

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Famous Birthdays

1714 – Gottfried August Homilius, composer
1861 – Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and philanthropist (Guggenheim Museum NYC), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1949)
1931 – Dries van Agt, Dutch Prime Minister (CDA, 1977-82), born in Geldrop, Netherlands
1933 – Than Shwe, ruler of Myanmar
1966 – Bob Estes, American golfer (4 PGA Tour titles), born in Graham, Texas
1977 – Shakira, Colombian pop singer (Whenever Wherever, Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)), born in Barranquilla, Colombia

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Famous Deaths

1793 – William Aiton, English botanist (Kew Gardens), dies at 61
1969 – Boris Karloff [William H. Pratt], English actor (The Mummy, Frankenstein), dies of pneumonia at 81
1982 – Paul Desruisseaux, Canadian lawyer and politician (Senator for Wellington, Quebec), dies at 76
1987 – Castilho, Brazilian footballer (b. 1927)
1992 – Maurice L Kusell, dies
1995 – Alexis d’Anjou de Bourbon-Condé, French prince/Russian, dies at 47

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Famous Deaths for 1st February 2021

1878 – George Cruikshank, English caricaturist and illustrator (Grimm), dies at 85
1940 – Philip Francis Nowlan, American sci-fi writer, creator of Buck Rogers character (b. 1888)
1959 – William Hoppe, American carom billiards player (51 world titles 1906-52), dies at 71
1963 – Fleetwood Lindley, American man and last living person to see Abraham Lincoln’s face, dies at 75
1979 – Mort Marshall [Mortimer Haig Lichtenstein], American actor (Kiss Me Deadly, Dumplings), dies of coronary arrest at 60
1991 – Annie van Ommeren-Averink [Hanna Jacoba of Ommeren-Averink], Dutch politician (CPN), dies at 77
1997 – Mitchell Goodman, American writer, dies at 71
2006 – Dick Bass, American NFL running back (Pro Bowl 1962, 63, 66; LA Rams), dies at 68
2012 – Ton de Kruyf, Dutch composer, dies at 74
2012 – Gerlando Alberti, Sicilian Mafioso, dies from cancer at 88

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Historical Events for 1st February 2021

1909 – US Assay Office in Salt Lake City, Utah, opens
1947 – Aleide de Gasperi forms Italian government of christian-dems and communists
1951 – Alfred Krupp and 28 other German war criminals freed
1972 – The Ministry of Defence also issues a detailed account of the British Army’s version of events during ‘Bloody Sunday’
1992 – Defenseman Denis Potvin’s #5 becomes first number retired by NY Islanders; Potvin played entire 15 year NHL career in NY
1993 – NY Judge Sol Wachtler indicted for harassing Joy Silverman
2004 – Wardrobe malfunction: Janet Jackson’s breast is exposed during the half-time show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, resulting in US broadcasters adopting a stronger adherence to FCC censorship guidelines.
2005 – Arsenal’s English Premier League record 33-game unbeaten streak at home ends when the Gunners go down, 4-2 to Manchester United at Highbury
2009 – Super Bowl XLIII, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Arizona Cardinals, 27-23; MVP: Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh, WR
2014 – Ray Guy (Oakland/LA Raiders) becomes second pure kicker, and first pure punter to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

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Today in History for 1st February 2021

Historical Events

1810 – 1st insurance company managed by African Americans, The African Insurance Company opens in Philadelphia
1918 – Jerome Kern, Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse’s musical premieres in New York
1923 – Allied ultimatum on Lithuanian occupation of Memel
1935 – James T Farrell finishes his “Studs Lonigan” trilogy
1959 – WVUE TV channel 8 in New Orleans, LA (ABC) begins broadcasting
1967 – The 10-team American Basketball Association (ABA) with George Mikan as Commissioner is formed and lasts 9 years; its three-point shot remains a feature of the game

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Famous Birthdays

1633 – Gabriel Schutz, German composer and musician (d. 1710)
1882 – Louis St. Laurent, 12th Prime Minister of Canada (Liberal: 1948-57), born in Compton, Quebec (d. 1973)
1901 – Clark Gable, American actor (Gone With the Wind; It Happened One Night) known as ‘The King of Hollywood’, born in Cadiz, Ohio (d. 1960)
1942 – Terry Jones, Welsh comedian (Monty Python), born in Colwyn Bay, Denbighshire, Wales (d. 2020)
1968 – Mark Recchi, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame right wing (Stanley Cup 1991, 2006, 11; at 43 oldest player to score in Stanley Cup Finals Series), born in Kamloops, Canada
1974 – David Meca, Spanish open water swimmer (World C’ship gold 10k 2000, 25k 2005), born in Sabadell, Spain

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Famous Deaths

1705 – Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, 1st Queen consort of Prussia (1701-05), dies at 36
1743 – Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni, Italian composer, dies at 85
1883 – Pavel Melnikov, Russian historian and author (In the Forests), dies at 64 [NS=Feb 13]
1991 – Jimmy MacDonald, Scottish-American voice actor (Mickey Mouse), dies at 84
1996 – Clive Burton, British neuropathologist, dies at 54
2003 – Willie McCool, American astronaut and member of the STS-107 Mission (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster), dies at 41

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Famous Deaths for 31st January 2021

1580 – Henry, King of Portugal, Cardinal, Epilepticus and Regent. Reigned 1578-80 (b. 1512)
1632 – Joost Bürgi, Swiss clockmaker and mathematician (b. 1552)
1856 – Khedrup Gyatso, 11th Dalai Lama of Tibet, dies at 17
1918 – Daniël de Lange, Dutch composer, dies at 76
1922 – Heinrich Reinhardt, Austrian composer, dies at 56
1972 – Istvan Szelenyi, composer, dies at 67
1989 – Jack Douglas, English comedian (My Brother Was an Only Child), dies at 80
1995 – James Johnson, English MP (Labour, 1950..83), dies at 86
2003 – Michael Ogden, British barrister and judge (Ogden Tables), dies at 76
2020 – Johnny Bumphus, American boxer (WBA super lightweight title 1984), dies at 59

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Historical Events for 31st January 2021

1804 – British vice-admiral William Blighs fleet reaches Curacao
1905 – Carroll Wright appointed 1st Commissioner of Labor, USA
1917 – Mexican President Carranza announces a new constitution with many liberal elements; most of which his regime will not implement
1952 – Dutch Lutheran Church reunites after 1½ centuries
1978 – Israel turns 3 milt outposts in West Bank into civilian settlements
1980 – Police storm occupied Spanish embassy in Guatemala City, killing 41
1998 – Australian Open Women’s Tennis: Switzerland’s Martina Hingis retains her title; beats Conchita Martinez of Spain 6-3, 6-3 for 5th Grand Slam title
2000 – Alaska Airlines flight 261 MD-83, experiencing horizontal stabilizer problems, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, California, killing all 88 persons aboard.
2015 – Atlanta Hawks set a new NBA monthly win record as they move to 17-0 for January, with a 91-85 win against the Philadelphia 76ers
2019 – Blockbuster NBA trade: NY Knicks send Kristaps Porziņģis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke to Dallas Mavericks for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and 2 future 1st-round picks

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Today in History for 31st January 2021

Historical Events

1679 – Jean-Baptiste Lully’s opera “Bellerophon” premieres at the Palais-Royal in Paris
1941 – Anti-German demonstration in Haarlem, Netherlands
1962 – Samuel Gravely assumes command of destroyer escort “USS Falgout”, first African American to command a combat ship
1982 – NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 16-13; MVPs: Co-MVPs: Kellen Winslow, San Diego Chargers, TE; Lee Roy Selmon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, DE
1990 – 1st McDonalds in the Soviet Union opens in Moscow
2004 – Australian Open Women’s Tennis: In an all-Belgian final, Justine Henin-Hardenne beats Kim Clijsters 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to win her only Australian title

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Famous Birthdays

1830 – James G. Blaine, US Secretary of State (1881 and 1889-92) known as the “Plumed Knight”, born in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania (d. 1893)
1866 – Emil Strauss, German writer (Naked Man)
1925 – Charles Aidman, American TV narrator (New Twilight Zone), born in Frankfort, Indiana
1940 – Stuart Margolin, Davenport Iowa, actor (Love American Style)
1974 – Pavi Sald, Finnish ice hockey defenseman (Finland, Olympics 1998)
1987 – Tyler Hubbard, American country musician (Florida Georgia Line), born in Monroe, Georgia

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Famous Deaths

1615 – Claudio Aquaviva, Italian Jesuit priest (5th Superior General of the Society of Jesus), dies at 71
1788 – Bonnie Prince Charlie [Charles Edward Stuart], English pretender to throne (Jacobite rebellion), dies of a stroke at 67
1844 – Henri Gratien, Comte Bertrand, French general and engineer, dies at 70
1974 – Harry Baum, actor (Crime and Punishment), dies at 58
2000 – Gil Kane, Latvian-born comic book writer (b. 1926)
2009 – Erland von Koch, Swedish composer, dies at 98

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