Historical Events
1836 – Showman P. T. Barnum exhibits African American slave Joice Heth, claiming she was the 161 year-old nursemaid to George Washington
1968 – 430 Unification Church couples wed in Korea
1969 – West Germany gives $5 million to an Arab terrorist as ransom for the passengers and crew of a hijacked jumbo jet
1974 – Veronica and Colin Scargill (England) begin tandem bicycle ride a record 18,020 miles around the world, completed on August 27, 1975
1993 – Florida Marlins introduce their mascot “Billy”
1996 – “Father” closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 52 performances
Famous Birthdays
1591 – Friedrich von Spee, German writer (d. 1635)
1731 – Simon Stijl, Frisian physician/writer
1952 – Joey Dunlop, Irish motorcycle racer (d. 2000)
1961 – Davey Allison, American auto racer (Daytona 500 1992), born in Hollywood, Florida (d. 1993)
1974 – Tamarick Vanover, NFL wide receiver (KC Chiefs)
1985 – Benji Marshall, New Zealand rugby player
Famous Deaths
1805 – Thomas Pownall, British colonial statesman (b. 1722)
1982 – J K Irani, cricket wicket-keeper (2 Tests for India 1947-48), dies
1992 – Ollie O’Toole, dies after long illness at 79
1992 – Guy Deghy, actor (Matter of Who, 1 Eyed Soldiers), dies at 79
1997 – Andrei Donatovich Sinyavsky, Russian writer and critic, dies at 71
2005 – Edward Patten, American soul singer (Gladys Knight and the Pips), dies of a stroke at 65