Historical Events
1849 – Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky and members of the Petrashevsky Circle are arrested in St. Petersburg
1860 – Democratic convention in Charleston, South Carolina divided over slavery
1953 – General Charles P Cabell, USAF, becomes deputy director of CIA
1955 – “Kismet” closes at Ziegfeld Theater NYC after 583 performances
2009 – Gamma ray burst (GRB) 090423 is observed for 10 seconds, the most distant object of any kind and also the oldest known object in the universe
2013 – West Indian cricketer, Chris Gayle, smashes the fastest century in history (30 balls)
Famous Birthdays
1708 – Friedrich von Hagedorn, German poet (Versuch einiger Poem), born in Hamburg, Germany (d. 1754)
1715 – Johann Friedrich Doles, German composer, pupil of J. S. Bach, born in Steinbach-Hallenberg, Germany (d. 1797)
1838 – Alfred Verwee, Flemish painter, born in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Belgium (d. 1895)
1904 – Leslie French, British actor and singer (Death in Venice, More than a Miracle), born in Bromley, Kent, England (d. 1999)
1957 – Kenji Kawai, Japanese film score composer, born in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
1970 – Sadao Abe, Japanese actor (Team Medical Dragon), born in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Famous Deaths
725 – Wihtred, King of Kent (c. 692-725)
990 – Ekkehart II, [Palatinus], monk to St-Gallen/poet, dies
1812 – Franz Sebastian Haindl, composer, dies at 85
1986 – Otto Preminger, Austrian director and producer (Advise and Consent, Anatomy of Murder), dies at 79
1996 – Jean Victor Allard, Canadian army general, dies at 82
2003 – Fernand Fonssagrives, French photographer, dies at 92