Today in History for 8th December 2022

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Historical Events

1914 - Boers rebelling against the British in South Africa suffer several defeats, with one of their leaders, General Beyers, accidentally drowning
1952 - French troops shoot on demonstrators at Casablanca, 50 die
1963 - Frank Sinatra, Jr is kidnapped at Harrah's Lake Tahoe (Nevada)
1972 - United Airlines crashes at Chicago's Midway Airport killing 45
1990 - Indians agree to a lease new ballpark in Gateway (Jacobs Field)
2018 - US President Donald Trump announces John Kelly will be stepping down as White House Chief of Staff at the end of the year

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Famous Birthdays

1795 - Peter Andreas Hansen, Danish-German astronomer (Hansen hypothesis), born in Tønder, Schleswig, Denmark (d. 1874)
1905 - Charles Cushing, American composer, born in Oakland, California (d. 1982)
1908 - John Volpe, American politician (61st and 63rd Governor of Massachusetts) and U.S. Secretary of Treasury (1969-73), born in Wakefield, Massachusetts (d. 1994)
1942 - Bobby Elliott, British rock drummer (The Hollies), born in Burnley, Lancashire
1949 - Mary Gordon, American author
1959 - Jim Yong Kim, South Korean-American physician, anthropologist and President of the World Bank, born in Seoul, South Korea

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Famous Deaths

1907 - Oscar II Frederick, King of Sweden (-1907)/Norway (-1905), dies
1940 - George Exton Lloyd, Anglican Bishop and theologian (b. 1861)
1952 - Charles Lightoller, English second officer on the Titanic (b. 1874)
1958 - Tris Speaker, American Baseball HOF outfielder (World Series 1912, 15, 20; AL MVP 1912; career batting average .345 [6th all-time]; Cleveland Indians) and manager (Cleveland Indians 1919-26), dies at 70
1982 - Harald Riedewald, Suriname attorney, murdered
1984 - Luther Adler, American actor (D.O.A., The Desert Fox), dies at 81

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