Historical Events
1840 – William Henry Lane (“Juda”) perfects tap dance
1883 – US prospector Alfred Packer convicted of manslaughter though accused of cannibalism
1926 – Cyclists without bicycle-tax-stamp rounded up in Amsterdam
1961 – UN General Assembly condemns South-Africa’s apartheid
1994 – Presidential guard at Kigali, Rwanda, chops 1,200 church members to death
2009 – US record producer Phil Spector is found guilty of second-degree murder of actress Lana Clarkson in 2003
Famous Birthdays
1762 – Charles Frederick Horn, English musician and composer, born in Nordhausen, Germany (d. 1830)
1872 – Alexander Roda Roda, Austrian writer, born in Drnowitz, Moravia (d. 1945)
1920 – Liam Cosgrave, Irish politician (Fine Gael Party), born in Castleknock, Dublin (d. 2017)
1924 – Stanley Donen, American film director and producer (Singin’ in the Rain, Bedazzled, Damn Yankees), born in Columbia, South Carolina (d. 2019)
1938 – Frederic Rzewski, American concert pianist and composer (Spacecraft), born in Westfield, Massachusetts (d. 2021)
1964 – Page Hannah, American actress (Fame – “Kate Riley”), born in Chicago, Illinois
Famous Deaths
1635 – Fakhr-al-Din II, Druze Prince of Lebanon, dies at 62
1944 – Paul Hazard, French critic and literature historian, dies at 65
1984 – Richard Hurndall, British actor (Doctor Who, The Inheritors, It’s Murder But Is It Art), dies from a heart attack at 73
2001 – Jimmy Logan, British comedian (Mad Death), dies at 73
2005 – Johnny Loughrey, Irish singer, dies at 59
2007 – Don Selwyn, Māori actor and film director, dies at 71