Historical Events
1818 – Russia’s Tsar Alexander I has his delegation submit a petition to the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle calling for greater civil rights for Jews in Europe, an effort driven by English activist Lewis Way
1953 – WKJG TV channel 33 in Ft Wayne, IN (NBC) begins broadcasting
1967 – Vietnam War: American General William Westmoreland tells news reporters: “I am absolutely certain that whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing.”
2002 – NATO invites Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members.
2013 – “Happy” single is released by Pharrell Williams (Billboard Song of the Year 2014, Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance 2015)
Famous Birthdays
1870 – Joe Darling, Australian cricket batsman and captain (34 Tests, 21 as captain; 3 x 100s, TS 178; South Australia CA), born in Glen Osmond, Australia (d. 1946)
1934 – Fairuz [Nouhad Haddad], Lebanese singer (“Habbaytak Bissayf”; “Bektob Ismak Ya Habibi”), born in Zuqaq al-Blat, Beirut, State of Greater Lebanon
1941 – David Porter, American producer, arranger and songwriter (“Soul Man”; “Hold On, I’m Coming”), born in Memphis, Tennessee
1942 – Tweety [Pie], Warner Bros. cartoon character created by Bob Clampett and Friz Freleng (Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series), first debuts in “A Tale of Two Kitties”
2000 – Isabel May, American actress (Katie Cooper-Alexa and Katie; Veronica Duncan-Young Sheldon), born in Santa Monica, California
Famous Deaths
1963 – Pierre Blanchar, Algerian actor and director (Magnificent Sinner; Wooden Crosses; Pastoral Symphony), dies from a brain tumor at 71
1969 – Norman Lindsay, Australian artist and novelist (The Magic Pudding), dies at 90
2000 – Manfred Langer, Austrian-Dutch owner of the Amsterdam discotheque iT, dies of cancer at 42
2010 – Margaret Taylor-Burroughs, American visual artist and co-founder of DuSable Museum of African American History, dies at 95
2017 – Rodney Bewes, English actor (The Likely Lads), dies at 79