Historical Events
1146 – European leaders outlaw the crossbow, intending to end war for all time
1363 – Beginning of the Battle of Lake Poyang; two Chinese rebel leaders Chen Youliang and Zhu Yuanzhang are pitted against each other in what was one of the largest naval battles in history during Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty
1873 – Austrian explorers Julius von Payer and Karl Weyprecht discover the archipelago of Franz Joseph Land in the Arctic Sea.
1939 – General Reijnders appointed supreme commander of Dutch army
1992 – “Most Happy Fella” closes at Booth Theater NYC after 229 performances
2012 – A blast in the Xiaojiawan coal mine, China, kills 26 miners with 21 missing
Famous Birthdays
1687 – Francesco Maria Vallara, Italian composer, born in Parma, Italy (d. 1740)
1818 – Alexander H. Rice, American businessman and politician, 30th Governor of Massachusetts (1876-78), born in Newton, Massachusetts (d. 1895)
1916 – John Thoday, British geneticist, born in Chinley, Derbyshire (d. 2008)
1949 – Christopher Collins, American actor (True Identity), voice actor (Cobra Commander-G.I. Joe) and comedian, born in Orange, New Jersey (d. 1994)
1953 – Robert Parish, American College/Basketball HOF center (9 x NBA All-Star; NBA C’ship 1981, 84, 86 Boston Celtics; 97 Chicago Bulls), born in Shreveport, Louisiana
1977 – Marlon Byrd, American baseball player, born in Boynton Beach, Florida
Famous Deaths
1745 – Jean-Baptiste-Maurice Quinault, French composer, dies at 57
1910 – Albert Vandal, French earl and historian (Napoleon), dies at 57
1914 – Adrian H. Stewart, British lieutenant, dies in battle in Cameroon at 26
1943 – A[braham] Merritt, American sci-fi author (The Moon Pool, Burn Witch Bun), dies from a heart attack at 58
1989 – Seymour Krim, American journalist, essayist, and literary critic (b. 1922)
2007 – Charles Vanik, American politician (b. 1918)