Author: gil7

Today in History for 7th July 2020

Historical Events

1668 – Isaac Newton receives MA from Trinity College, Cambridge
1799 – Ranjit Singh’s men take up their positions outside Lahore
1838 – Central American federation is dissolved
1939 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Bobby Riggs beats fellow American Elwood Cooke 2-6, 8-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 for Wimbledon sweep, also won doubles and mixed doubles titles
1987 – Kiwanis Clubs end men-only tradition, vote to admit women
2016 – Deadlock in battle for Aleppo broken when Russian air strikes cut rebel access to the city, 250,000 people put under siege

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Famous Birthdays

1900 – Earle E. Partridge, United States Air Force general (d. 1990)
1919 – William Moses Kunstler, defense attorney (Chicago 8)
1945 – Matti Salminen, Turku Finland, bass player (King Philipp-Don Carlos)
1957 – Jonathan Dayton, American film director, born in Alameda County, California
1963 – Vonda Shepard, American singer, born in New York
1982 – George Owu, Ghanaian footballer, born in Accra, Ghana

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Famous Deaths

1861 – John Willis Ellis, US governor of NC (1858-61), dies
1889 – Giovanni Bottesini, Italian Romantic composer, conductor and a double bass virtuoso, dies at 67
1901 – Johanna Spyri, Swiss children’s book author (Heidi), dies at 74
1945 – Salomėja Nėris [Salomėja Bačinskaitė-Bučienė], Lithuanian poet, dies of cancer at 40
1965 – Moshe Sharett, 2nd Prime Minister of Israel (1954-55), dies at 70
1975 – Ruffian, American thoroughbred racehorse (b. 1972)

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Famous Deaths for 6th July 2020

1476 – Regiomontanus [Johannes Müller von Königsberg], German mathematician and astronomer, prepares astronomic tables, dies at 40
1585 – Thomas Aufield, English Catholic martyr (b. 1552)
1863 – Strong Vincent, American army officer (fought at Battle of Gettysburg), dies at 26 fighting at the Little Round Top in Gettysburg
1901 – Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1819)
1934 – Edward Vermeulen, Flemish writer, dies at 73
1990 – Nathaniel Wyeth, American chemist and inventor (created PET plastic beverage bottle), dies at 78
1990 – Jim Samuels, comedian, dies of spinal meningitis at 41
1994 – Geoffrey McQueen, TV writer, dies at 46
2000 – Rederic Coote, British Anglican Bishop (Colchester), dies at 85
2009 – Johnny Collins, British folk and maritime music singer (b. 1938)

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Historical Events for 6th July 2020

1189 – Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England, upon the death of King Henry II
1348 – Papal bull of Pope Clement VI issued during the Black Death stating Jews not to blame and urging their protection
1560 – England and Scotland sign Treaty of Edinburgh
1853 – William Wells Brown publishes “Clotel”, 1st novel by an African American
1905 – Alfred Deakin becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the second time
1954 – Tunisian government of M’zali, resigns
1975 – Dmitri Shostakovich completes Sonate for alto opus 147
1985 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Martina Navratilova beats Chris Evert 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 for her 6th Wimbledon singles title
1987 – 1st of 3 massacres by Sikh extremists takes place in India
2010 – Brandon Boyd announces the release of his debut solo album, “The Wild Trapeze”

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Today in History for 6th July 2020

Historical Events

1495 – Battle of Fornovo, near Parma: French King Charles VIII beats Holy League
1777 – British General Burgoyne captures Fort Ticonderoga from Americans
1903 – George Wyman arrives in NYC by motorcycle 51 days out of San Francisco
1980 – Phillies starter Steve Carlton fans 7 Cardinals to reach 2,836 strikeouts, the most by a left-handed pitcher in MLB history
1987 – Pakistan cricket all-rounder Imran Khan reaches 300th Test wicket milestone, during 3rd Test vs England at Leeds
1987 – 1st of 3 massacres by Sikh extremists takes place in India

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Famous Birthdays

1911 – Laverne Andrews, American singer (Andrews Sisters), born in Mound, Minnesota (d. 1967)
1923 – Marie McDonald, American singer and actress known as “The Body Beautiful” (Promises Promises), born in Burgin, Kentucky (d. 1965)
1930 – Françoise Mallet-Joris, Belgian writer (Signs and Wonders), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 2016)
1951 – Geoffrey Rush, Australian actor (Shakespeare in Love, The King’s Speech), born in Toowoomba, Queensland
1961 – Benita Fitzgerald-Brown, American 100m hurdler (Olympic gold 1984), born in Warrenton, Virginia
1986 – Derrick Williams, American football player

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Famous Deaths

1480 – Antonio Squarcialupi, Italian composer and organist, dies at 64
1902 – Leopoldo Miguez, Brazilian composer, dies at 51
1954 – Dirk Verbeek, Dutch actor and director (Hofstad Stage), dies at 70
1970 – Marjorie Rambeau, dies at 80
1992 – Edgardo Pallero, Argentina producer (Los hijos de fierro), dies
2004 – Syreeta Wright, American singer (b. 1946)

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Famous Deaths for 5th July 2020

1472 – Charles of Artois, Count of Eu, French military leader (b. 1394)
1833 – Nicéphore Niépce, French inventor (b. 1765)
1871 – Cristina Trivulzio di Belgioioso, Italian princess and politician, dies at 63
1927 – Albrecht Kossel, German physician (Nobel 1910), dies at 73
1948 – Carole Landis [Frances Ridste], American actress (I Wake Up Screaming, One Million BC, Topper Returns), allegedly commits suicide at 29
1969 – Leo McCarey, American film director (The Awful Truth), dies at 70
1975 – Gilda dalla Rizza, Italian soprano, dies at 82
1979 – Elizabeth Ryan, American tennis player (26 Grand Slam doubles titles), dies at 87
2004 – Hugh Shearer, Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1923)
2015 – Yoichiro Nambu, Japanese-born American Physicist (Nobel Prize 2008), dies at 94

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Historical Events for 5th July 2020

1295 – Scotland and France form an alliance, the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England
1922 – Women 1st vote in Dutch elections, Christian parties win
1939 – Flash floods kill 79 in Northeast Kentucky
1943 – Liberator bombers sink U-535 in Gulf of Biskaye
1947 – Cleveland Indians rookie Larry Doby becomes 1st black player in AL when he strikes out in 6-5 loss vs Chicago WS
1952 – “Of Thee I Sing” closes at Ziegfeld Theater NYC after 72 performances
1962 – Algeria gains independence after 132 years of French rule
1970 – 20th Berlin International Film Festival cancelled due to controversy surrounding the participation of Michael Verhoeven’s anti-war film “o.k.”
1975 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Arthur Ashe becomes first African-American to win Wimbledon, beats countryman Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
1990 – Steffi Graf’s record run of 13 consecutive tennis Grand Slam singles finals ends, beaten in Wimbledon semi-finals 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 by American Zina Garrison

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Today in History for 5th July 2020

Historical Events

1610 – John Guy sets sail from Bristol with 39 other colonists for Newfoundland
1813 – War of 1812: Three weeks of British raids on Fort Schlosser, Black Rock and Plattsburgh, New York begin
1922 – Women 1st vote in Dutch elections, Christian parties win
1924 – Military revolt in Sao Paulo, Brazil
1929 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: In the first all-American final Helen Wills Moody beats Helen Jacobs 6-1, 6-2
2012 – Enrique Pena Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party is elected President of Mexico after a recount following irregularities

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Famous Birthdays

1554 – Elisabeth of Austria, Queen consort of France (1570-74), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1592)
1904 – Ernst Mayr, German-American biologist (evolutionary theory), born in Kempten, Bavaria, Germany (d. 2005)
1957 – David Hanson, British Labour politician, born in Liverpool
1972 – Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Zainichi-Korean wrestler (NJPW), born in Kyoto, Japan
1974 – Márcio Amoroso, Brazilian footballer, born in Brasília, Brazil
1991 – Jason Dolley, American actor and musician (Cory in the House), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1873 – John Robertson, American politician, dies at 87
1887 – August F Pott, German philological (That Personennamen), dies
1948 – Piet Aalberse, Dutch minister of Labor (1918-25), dies at 77
1989 – Ernesto Halffter, composer, dies at 84
1996 – Lorna Young, Scottish promoter of Fairtrade products, dies at 44
2006 – Kenneth Lay, American CEO and Chairman of Enron, dies at 64

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Famous Deaths for 4th July 2020

1336 – Elisabeth van Portugal, queen of Portugal/saint, dies at about 65
1754 – Philippe Néricault Destouches, French dramatist and author, dies at 74
1826 – John Adams, 2nd US President (1797-1801), dies at 90
1923 – Florimond Fonteyne, Flemish priest/politician (Volkseeuw), dies at 67
1938 – Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (French C’ships 1925-26, Wimbledon 1919-23, 25), dies of anemia at 39
1971 – Don McPherson, American RandB singer (The Main Ingredient) dies of leukemia at 29
1982 – Sylvestre A Guzman Fernandez, pres Dominican Rep, commits suicide
1984 – Jimmie Spheeris, American singer and songwriter, dies at 34
1995 – Eva Gabor, Hungarian-born American actress, comedian, singer and socialite (Green Acres, Gigi), dies at 76
2008 – Jesse Helms, American politician (b. 1921)

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Historical Events for 4th July 2020

1845 – Henry David Thoreau moves into his shack on Walden Pond
1879 – Battle at Ulundi: Lord Chelmsford beats Zulu King Cetshwayo
1891 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Wilfred Baddeley wins first of 3 Wimbledon singles championships; beats Joshua Pim 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, 6-0
1900 – Williams Jennings Bryan nominated as Democratic Party presidential candidate, USA
1907 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Australian Norman Brookes becomes the first non-Englishman and left-hander to win Wimbledon beating Arthur Gore 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
1914 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Dorothea Chambers wins her 7th and last Wimbledon singles title beating Ethel Larcombe 7-5, 6-4
1930 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Helen Moody wins 4th straight Wimbledon singles beating fellow American Elizabeth Ryan 6-2, 6-2
1942 – 1st American bombing mission over enemy-occupied Europe (WWII)
1969 – The Ohio Fireworks Derecho kills 18 Ohioans and destroys over 100 boats on Lake Erie.
2015 – Super Rugby Final, Westpac Stadium, Wellington: Otago Highlanders beat Wellington Hurricanes 21-14 for their first title

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Today in History for 4th July 2020

Historical Events

1301 – Battle at Breukelen: Holland vs Lichtenberg
1884 – Statue of Liberty presented to US in Paris
1938 – France-Turkish friendship treaty
1952 – Canadain Currency, Mint and Exchange Fund Act allows gold coins of $5, $10, and $20 to be minted
1980 – Nolan Ryan (Houston Astros) fans Reds’ Cesar Geronimo to become 4th pitcher to 3,000 MLB strikeouts
2004 – The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City. (This was largely a symbolic event; actual construction would not start for several weeks)

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Famous Birthdays

1826 – Stephen Foster, American composer (Oh! Susanna, Swanee River), born in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania (d. 1864)
1868 – Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer (period-luminosity relation), born in Lancaster, Massachusetts (d. 1921)
1928 – Sylvius Gerald Marie Rozendal, Premier of Netherland’s Antilles, born in Willemstad, Curacao (d. 2003)
1966 – Adrian Caldwell, American NBA forward/center (Indiana Pacers), born in Falls County, Texas
1968 – Mark Lenzi, American 3m spring diver (Olympic gold 1992), born in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (d. 2012)
1980 – Max Elliott Slade, American film actor, born in Pasadena, California

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Famous Deaths

1187 – Reinoud van Châtillon, French prince of Antioch, dies
1754 – Philippe Néricault Destouches, French dramatist and author, dies at 74
1848 – Francois Rene de Chateaubriand, French novelist (Atala), dies at 79
1910 – Louis Bourgault-Ducoudray, composer, dies at 70
1961 – William Franklin “Frank” Smith, American actor (Cowboy and Bandit, Scarlet Car, Frontier Days), dies of lung cancer at 83
1983 – Claus Adam, American composer and cellist (Juilliard Quartet), dies at 65

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