Historical Events
1572 – Spanish troops begin siege of Haarlem
1862 – Battle of Fredricksburg in Virginia begins between Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major General Ambrose Burnside
1913 – “Mona Lisa” recovered two years after it was stolen from the Louvre Museum
1937 – Italy withdraws from League of Nations
1975 – MLB New York Yankees make great trade getting Willie Randolph, Dock Ellis and Ken Brett from Pittsburgh Pirates for George “Doc” Medich
2004 – 70th Heisman Trophy Award: Matt Leinart, USC (QB)
Famous Birthdays
1904 – Joe Coral [Joseph Kagarlitski], British bookmaker (Gala Coral Group), born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1996)
1926 – Richard Devon, American character actor (Magnum Force, Battle of Blood Island), born in Glendale, California (d. 2010)
1948 – Chester Thompson, American session and touring drummer and percussionist (Frank Zappa; Genesis; Chester Thompson Trio), born in Baltimore, Maryland
1957 – Mike Mesaros, American bassist (The Smithereens, 1980-2005 and 2016-present – “Only A Memory”), born in New Jersey
1973 – Ralph Intranuovo, Canadian NHL center (Edmonton Oilers), born in East York, Toronto, Ontario
1978 – Celine Sciamma, French film director (Tomboy), born in Paris, France
Famous Deaths
1857 – Castil-Blaze [Francois Henri Joseph Blaze], French composer and music critic, dies at 73
1941 – Charles Émile Picard, French mathematician, died at 85
1971 – Maurice “Mac” McDonald, American fast-food pioneer (b. 1902)
1983 – Szymon Laks, Polish composer (head of prisoners orchestra at Auschwitz), dies at 82
2009 – Richard O’Brien, British Industrial relations expert (Manpower Services Commission), dies at 89
2013 – Barbara Branden, Canadian writer, dies from a lung infection at 84