Historical Events
705 – John VII begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1954 – US explodes Castle Bravo, a 15 megaton hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll, which accidentally became the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated by the US
1973 – Pink Floyd release their album “Dark Side of the Moon”, since sold over 45 million copies
1983 – Alpine skier Tamara McKinney becomes the first American woman to top the overall World Cup standings with 225 points
1996 – Atlanta’s Lenny Wilkens becomes first coach in NBA history to reach 1,000 career victories when the Hawks beat Cleveland Cavaliers, 74-68
2016 – US primary elections: Super Tuesday – both Republican Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton win seven state races each
Famous Birthdays
1445 – Sandro Botticelli, Florentine Renaissance painter (Birth of Venus), probable date of birth
1920 – Howard Nemerov, American 3rd US poet laureate/novelist (Blue Swallows)
1926 – Cesare Danova, Italian-American actor (Tentacles, Viva Las Vegas, Garrison’s Gorillas), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1992)
1973 – Jack Davenport, English actor (Pirates of the Caribbean), born in London, England
1978 – Donovan Patton, Guamanian television star
1994 – Justin Bieber, Canadian singer and musician (Baby, Sorry, What Do You Mean?), born in London, Ontario
Famous Deaths
1233 – Thomas, Count of Savoy, dies at 55
1244 – Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr, son of Welsh leader Llywelyn the Great, dies trying to escape from the Tower of London (b. 1200)
1792 – Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1765-90) and Holy Roman Emperor (1790-92), dies at 44
1896 – Vittorio Dabormida, Italian general who fought in the Italo-Ethiopian War, dies in the Battle of Adwa at 53
1995 – Vladislav Listyev, Russian journalist, murdered at 38
1996 – Margaret McKay, British politician, dies at 85