Historical Events
1893 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s final opera “Iolanta”, is first performed outside of Russia in Hamburg, Germany
1945 – British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visits France
1984 – Syria frees captured US pilot after appeal from Jesse Jackson
1993 – “Catskills on Broadway” closes at Lunt-Fontanne NYC after 452 performances
2004 – Panthers kicker John Kasay ties NFL-playoff record with 5 field goals to lead Carolina to a 29-10 win over Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round of playoffs in Charlotte, North Carolina
2022 – Scotsman Peter Wright wins his second PDC World Darts Championship; beats Michael Smith of England, 7-5 at the Alexandra Palace in London
Famous Birthdays
1698 – Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet (d. 1782)
1900 – Maurice Jaubert, French composer, born in Nice (d. 1940)
1932 – Mara Corday [Marilyn Joan Watts], American actress, model and Playboy Playmate (Foxfire, Black Scorpion), born in Santa Monica, California
1950 – Rick MacLeish, Canadian ice hockey center (Stanley Cup 1974, 75; Philadelphia Flyers; NHL All Star 1977, 78), born in Lindsay, Ontario (d. 2016)
1969 – Nikki Nelson, American country singer (Highway 101 – “Cry Cry Cry”; “Whose Lonely Now”), born in La Mesa, California
1980 – Liya Kebede, Ethiopian model
Famous Deaths
1761 – Willem de Fesch, Dutch violinist and composer (Joseph), dies at 73
1965 – Julius Tannen, American vaudeville comedian, dies at 84
1975 – Milton Cross, American radio announcer (Metropolitan Opera’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, 1931-75), dies of a heart attack at 87
1995 – Gerard W. Taylor, South African-British surgeon, dies at 74
2002 – Al Smith, American baseball outfielder and third baseman (3-time MLB All Star; Cleveland Indians), dies at 73
2014 – Phil Everly, American rock and roll singer-guitarist (The Everly Brothers – “Bye, Bye Love”; “Wake Up Little Susie”; “When WIll I Be Loved”), dies of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 74