Historical Events
1917 – Vladimir Lenin defends “temporary” removal of freedom of the press
1966 – Leonids meteor shower peaks at over 150,000 per hour for 20 minutes, a storm so intense that some people think it is the end of the world
1980 – WHHM Television in Washington, D.C., becomes the first African-American public-broadcasting television station
1993 – General Sani Abacha leads a military coup against Ernest Shonekan’s transitional administration and returns the Nigerian government to military control
2001 – 66th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 31-7 in Auburn
Famous Birthdays
1899 – Douglas Shearer, Canadian film engineer, made technological sound advances in film at MGM, born in Quebec Westmount, Quebec, born in Westmount, Quebec (d. 1971)
1925 – Libby Newman, American artist, born in Rockland, Delaware (d. 2023)
1929 – Sumner White, US yachtsman (Olympic gold 1952), born in New York City (d. 1988)
1938 – Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk singer (“Sundown”; “The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald”), born in Orillia, Ontario (d. 2023)
1983 – Ryan Braun, American baseball player (Milwaukee Brewers), born in Los Angeles, California
Famous Deaths
1934 – Joachim Ringelnatz [Hans Bötticher], German writer and artist, dies at 51
1941 – Ernst Udet, German WWI pilot and notable flying ace who helped develop the Luftwaffe under the Nazi Party, commits suicide at 45
1992 – Audre Lorde, American writer, feminist and activist (Black Unicorn), dies of cancer at 58
2006 – Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian soccer forward (Hungary 85 caps, Spain 4; Real Madrid, Budapest Honvéd) and manager (Panathinaikos), dies of pneumonia at 79
2021 – Dave Frishberg, American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and lyricist (“I’m Just A Bill”; “Van Lingle Mungo”), dies at 88