Historical Events
1664 – France and Saxony sign alliance
1782 – Rama I succeeds King Taksin of Siam (modern day Thailand), who is overthrown in a coup d’état
1916 – German parliament approves unrestricted submarine warfare
1955 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1968 – Gas and gunpowder explosions at sporting goods store, downtown Richmond, Indiana, kills 41 and injures more than 150
1987 – Al Campanis appears on Niteline saying blacks may not be equiped to be in baseball management, sparking a racial controversy
Famous Birthdays
1752 – Johann Friedrich Kranz, composer
1947 – Jan-Kees Wiebenga, Dutch politician (VVD), born in Haarlem, Netherlands
1947 – John Ratzenberger, American actor (Cliff Clavin in Cheers), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
1957 – Maurizio Damilano, Italian speed walker (30K World Record)
1969 – Paul Rudd, American actor (Clueless, The 40-Year-Old Virgin), born in Passaic, New Jersey
1973 – Gina Yashere, English comedian
Famous Deaths
1252 – Peter of Verona, [Peter Martyr], Italian inquisitor/st, dies at 45
1489 – Hans Waldmann, Swiss military/mayor (Zurich), beheaded
1551 – Joachim Vadianus, Swiss physician/mayor of Sankt Gallen, dies at 66
1605 – John Stow, English historian (Survey of London), dies
2005 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (1949-2005), dies at 81
2010 – Corin Redgrave, British actor and political activist (b. 1939)