Historical Events
1564 – Liege Prince-Bishop Robert van Bergen resigns
1868 – The Shogunate is abolished in Japan
1972 – Fantasy Records releases “Mardi Gras”, the seventh and final studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival
1999 – Neil Jenkins converts a Scott Gibbs try to give Wales a famous, 32-31 win over England at Wembley Stadium; allows Scotland to win final Five Nations Rugby Championship; reverts to 6 teams in 2000
2019 – Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft, the first privately-funded mission to the moon, crashes on the moon
Famous Birthdays
1838 – Joseph Leopold Röckel, German-British composer, music publisher, and teacher, born in London, England (d. 1908)
1920 – Emilio Colombo, Italian Prime Minister (1970-72), born in Potenza, Basilicata (d. 2013)
1930 – Joseph Burnett-Stuart, British CEO (Robert Fleming Holdings), born in the UK (d. 2010)
1951 – Françoise Hampson, British academic and human rights lawyer, born in Bolton, England (d. 2025)
1955 – Michael Callen, American AIDS activist, singer-songwriter, and author, born in Rising Sun, Indiana (d. 1993)
Famous Deaths
1839 – John Galt, Scottish novelist (Annals of the Parish), dies at 59
1961 – Francis de Bourguignon, Belgian pianist (accompanist to Nellie Melba), and contemporary classical composer, dies at 70
1985 – Enver Hoxha, Albanian post-war communist leader and dictator of Albania (1944-85), dies at 76
1991 – Tom Rosqui, American stage and screen character actor (The Godfather – “Rocco Lampone”), dies of cancer at 62
2016 – Emile Ford, Caribbean-born British singer and engineer (first black male singer to top UK charts), dies at 78