Today in History for 20th September 2023

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Historical Events

1871 - Bishop John Coleridge Patteson martyred on the island of Nukapu, a Polynesian outlier island now in the Temotu province of the Solomon Islands. He was the first bishop of Melanesia.
1877 - Chase National Bank opens in NYC (later merges into Chase Manhattan)
1944 - Polish forces free Terneuzen Neth
1948 - Mexican Baseball league disbanded
2000 - The British MI6 Secret Intelligence Service building is attacked by a Russian-built Mark 22 anti-tank missile.
2019 - Researchers for SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) propose that aliens may have bugged earths co-orbitals (nearby orbiting rocks) in "The Astronomical Journal"

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Famous Birthdays

1653 - Benedict Schultheiss, German composer, born in Free Imperial City of Nuremberg, Holy Roman Empire (now Germany) (d. 1693)
1886 - Charles Williams, British poet and writer, born in London (d. 1945)
1935 - Keith Roberts, English writer (Irish Encounter, Ladies from Hell), born in Kettering, Northamptonshire (d. 2000)
1938 - George J. Hochbrueckner, American politician (Rep-D-NY), born in Queens, New York
1951 - Javier Marías, Spanish translator and novelist (Corazón Tan Blanco - A Heart So White), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2022)
1966 - Nuno Bettencourt, Portuguese-American rock guitarist (Extreme - "More Than Words"), born in Praia da Vitória, Terceira, Azores, Portugal

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Famous Deaths

1932 - Max Slevogt, German painter, dies at 63
1973 - Maurice T. "Maury" Muehleisen, American musician and songwriter (Jim Croce), dies in a plane crash at 24
1996 - Paul Erdos, Hungarian mathematician, dies of a heart attack at 83
1999 - Raisa Gorbacheva, Russian philanthropist and wife of Mikhail Gorbachev, dies at 67
2006 - Sven Nykvist, Swedish cinematographer (Cries and Whispers), dies at 83
2010 - Leonard Skinner, American high school gym teacher; namesake of rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, dies at 77

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