Historical Events
1731 – Charles Farnese becomes Duke of Parma and Piacenza
1799 – Friedrich von Schiller’s “Die Piccolomini” premieres in Weimar
1901 – Oil discovered at Spindletop, Beaumont, marking the start of the Texas oil boom (gusher age)
1927 – Fritz Lang’s silent film “Metropolis” premieres in Berlin
1993 – “My Favorite Year” closes at Vivian Beaumont NYC after 37 performances
2015 – Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Poland’s Agnieszka Radwańska and Jerzy Janowicz beat American pair Serena Williams and John Isner 7-5, 6-3 to clinch a 2-1 win; earlier Radwańska defeats Williams 6-4, 6-7, 6-1
Famous Birthdays
1683 – Gasparo Visconti, Italian composer and violinist, born in Cremona, Italy (d. ~1713)
1883 – Aleksei Tolstoi, Russian poet/writer (Pjotr Peroyj), born in Pugachyov, Russia (d. 1945)
1916 – Don Metz, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Wilcox, Canada (d. 2007)
1939 – David Horowitz, American author and political commentator, born in New York City, New York
1948 – Mischa Maisky, Latvian cellist, born in Riga, Latvia
1972 – Brian Lawler, American professional wrestler, born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2018)
Famous Deaths
976 – John I Tzimisces/Tzimiskes, Byzantine Emperor (969-76), dies at 51
1276 – Pope Gregory X, (Tedaldo Visconti), dies. (bc. 1210)
1662 – Prince Honoré II of Monaco (b. 1597)
1982 – Lazar Weiner, Russian-born American composer, dies at 84
1990 – Yvonne Peattie Marquard, actress (Donovan’s Reef), dies
2005 – Metropolitan Wasyly Fedak, primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (b. 1909)