Historical Events
1788 – Prussia joins the Anglo-Dutch alliance to form the Triple Alliance to prevent the spread of the Russo-Swedish War of 1788-90
1963 – Warren Spahn sets the left-hander strikeout record at 2,382
1985 – South African Defence Force soldiers, traveling in a convoy of more than ten armored vehicles, surround the Thaba-Jabula High School in Soweto and arrest 200 students during a clampdown on school boycotts
1997 – MLB San Diego Padres trade outfielder Rickey Henderson to Anaheim Angels
2014 – Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani is the first woman to win the Fields Medal in mathematics
Famous Birthdays
1898 – Regis Toomey, American actor (Burke’s Law, Petticoat Junction), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1991)
1914 – “Cap’n Jack” McCarthy, American television broadcaster (NYC’s St. Patrick Day Parade, 1949-89; kiddie show host (Popeye)), born in New York City (d. 1996)
1953 – Kristalina Georgieva, Bulgarian economist, Head of the IMF (2019-), born in Sofia, Bulgaria
1973 – Sherman Williams, American NFL running back (Dallas Cowboys), born in Mobile, Alabama
1979 – Román Colón, Dominican baseball player, born in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic
Famous Deaths
1721 – Jacques Lelong, French bibliographer, dies at 56
1933 – Paul Hillemacher, French classical pianist, and composer, dies at 80
1974 – Hugo Yarnold, English cricketer (Umpire in 3 Tests for England), dies at 57
1996 – David Randall, British priest and founder of AIDS/HIV center Cara, dies of AIDS at 49
2021 – Nanci Griffith, American singer (“From A Distance”), and songwriter (“Once in a Very Blue Moon”; “Love at the Five and Dime”), dies at 68