Historical Events
1551 – Dutch west coast hit by hurricane
1952 – Queen Juliana unveals statue “Docker”
1957 – “Music Man” opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 1375 performances
1986 – “Platoon” directed by Oliver Stone and starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe is released (Academy Awards Best Picture 1987)
1993 – “Red Shoes” closes at Gershwin Theater NYC after 5 performances
2009 – Former Welsh and Lions captain Gareth Thomas is the first international rugby player to reveal he is gay
Famous Birthdays
1896 – John Seldon Whale, theologian
1926 – Jeanne Kirkpatrick, US ambassador to UN
1934 – Casper R. Taylor, Jr., American politician
1948 – Ken Brown, Canadian ice hockey player
1966 – Eric Weinrich, Roanoke, NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks)
1967 – Frankie Lam, Hong Kong actor
Famous Deaths
1807 – Friedrich Melchior, baron von Grimm, German writer (b. 1723)
1813 – James McGill, Scottish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist, dies at 69
1867 – Jean-Georges Kastner, French composer, dies at 57
1989 – Dorothea “Stella” Gibbons, English journalist and author (Cold Comfort Farm), dies at 87
1996 – Yuli Borisovich Khariton, scientist, dies at 82
2005 – Vincent Gigante, Italian-American mafioso, dies at 77