Historical Events
1515 – Conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar founds Havana in modern day Cuba, on the southern coast of the island. Moved to its current location in 1519.
1926 – Pavlos Koundouris becomes president of Greece
1951 – Cleveland Indians win 16th straight home game
2004 – Greek athlete Fani Chalkia comes out of retirement to compete in her home Olympics in Athens; wins 400m hurdles gold medal in 52.82
2006 – Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko is sentenced to 9 years in federal prison for money laundering, wire fraud, and extortion
2013 – 41 people are killed in a wave of bomb attacks across Iraq
Famous Birthdays
1530 – Ivan IV [Ivan the Terrible], 1st tsar of Russia (1533-84), born in Kolomenskoye, Russia (d. 1584)
1880 – Robert E. Stolz, Austrian composer and conductor, born in Graz, Austria (d. 1975)
1906 – Jim Smith, English cricket all-rounder (5 Tests), born in Corsham, Wiltshire (d. 1979)
1954 – Marty Jourard, American keyboardist and vocalist (Motels – “Only the Lonely”), born in Atlanta, Georgia
1971 – Quintis “Chico” Ristie, Suriname radio host
1978 – Kel Mitchell, American actor
Famous Deaths
1942 – W van Daalen, opposition leader on Celebes, beheaded
1989 – Gunnar Johnsen Berg, composer, dies at 80
1997 – Robert Pinget, French novelist (The Interrogation) and playwright, dies at 78
2008 – Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian mountaineer (b. 1959)
2008 – Pehr Henrik Nordgren, Finnish composer (The Whole World Will Lament; Kwaidan-balladit), dies at 64
2013 – Gilmar, Brazilian football player, dies from complications from a heart attack at 83