Historical Events
1811 – Cartagena Colombia declares independence from Spain
1957 – Demolition begins on cable car barn at California and Hyde, San Francisco
1971 – Man-made earthslide at Kawasaki Japan, kills 15
1996 – Atlanta Braves starting pitcher John Smoltz wins NL Cy Young Award; Pat Hentgen of the Toronto Blue Jays claims AL Award
2014 – An Italian appeals court overturns a manslaughter conviction against 6 scientists for failing to give adequate warning of a deadly earthquake
2020 – UK becomes the first European country to record over 50,000 Covid-19 related 50,000; 5fth country, after the US, Brazil, India, and Mexico
Famous Birthdays
1696 – Andrea Zani, Italian composer and violinist, born in Casalmaggiore, Cremona Province (d. 1757)
1731 – Carl Joseph Toeschi, German composer, born in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (d. 1788)
1743 – Carl Peter Thunberg, Swedish naturalist, born in Jönköping, Sweden (d. 1828)
1945 – Chris Dreja, British rock guitarist and bass player (Yardbirds – “For Your Love”), born in Surbiton, Surrey, England
1978 – Lou Vincent, New Zealand cricketer, born in Warkworth, New Zealand
1980 – Willie Parker, American football running back (Pro Bowl 2006, 07; Super Bowl 2005, 08; Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Clinton, North Carolina
Famous Deaths
683 – Yazid I [Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwiya Lanatullah], second Umayyad caliph (680–683), dies at 36
1968 – Janet Sobel [Jennie Olechovsky], Ukrainian-American abstract expressionist and drip-paint pioneering artist (Milky Way), dies at 75
1994 – John Volpe, American politician (61st and 63rd Governor of Massachusetts) and U.S. Secretary of Treasury (1969-73), dies at 85
1999 – Jacobo Timmerman, Argentine writer and journalist (b. 1923)
2012 – Rex Hunt, British diplomat and Governor of the Falkland Islands (1982-1985), dies at 86
2013 – Eddie McGrady, Northern Irish politician (SDLP) unseated Enoch Powell, dies at 78