Historical Events
1792 – French defeat Prussians at Valmy
1854 – Battle of the Alma: British, French and Ottoman alliance defeat the Russian Empire in the 1st major battle of the Crimean War
1873 – Panic sweeps NY Stock Exchange (railroad bond default/bank failure) NY shut banks for 10 days due to a bank scandal
1983 – Cryptographic Communications System and Method (RSA) patented
1986 – Wichita State Shockers blow a 35-3 lead; lose 36-35 to Morehead State
2011 – The United States ends its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, allowing gay men and women to serve openly for the first time.
Famous Birthdays
1832 – Johann Joseph Abert, German composer, born in Gastorf, Bohemia (d. 1915)
1920 – Jay Ward, American cartoonist (Rocky and his Friends, Bullwinkle), born in Berkeley, California (d. 1989)
1927 – Clarice Taylor, American actress (Nurse Bailey-Nurse), born in Buckingham County, Virginia (d. 2011)
1950 – James P[aul] Blaylock, American sci-fi author (Elfin Ship, Homunculus), born in Long Beach, California
1990 – John Tavares, Canadian ice hockey player (New York Islanders), born in Mississauga, Ontario
1995 – Sammi Hanratty, American actress
Famous Deaths
1639 – John Meursius [van Meurs], historian, dies at 60
1773 – Pieter de Swart, architect (Delfts Port Rotterdam), dies at 63
1939 – Paul Bruchési, French Canadian Catholic archbishop of Montreal, dies at 83
1973 – Glenn Strange, American actor (Sam the Bartender-Gunsmoke), dies at 74
1995 – Walter Haas Jr., American businessman and sports team owner (Levi Strauss and Co, Oakland A’s), dies of prostate cancer at 79
2009 – John Hart, American actor (The Lone Ranger, The Adventures of Captain Africa), dies from complications of dementia at 91