Today in History for 20th December 2023

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Historical Events

1780 - Britain declares war on Holland
1850 - Hawaiian post office established
1862 - Confederate raid on Union supplies at Holly Springs, Mississippi
1946 - Darius Milhaud's 2nd Symphony, premieres with the Boston Symphony conducted by the composer; the work was commissioned as a memorial to the wife of group's music director Serge Koussevitzky
1955 - Cardiff is proclaimed the capital city of Wales
1985 - Position of American Poet Laureate established (Robert Warren is 1st)

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Famous Birthdays

1819 - John Geary, American lawyer and politician (1st SF postmaster; 1st mayor), born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania (d. 1873)
1909 - Vakkom Majeed, Indian freedom fighter and politician, born in the Kingdom of Travancore (d. 2000)
1946 - Lesley Judd, British child actress, dancer, television presenter (Blue Peter, 1972-79), and radio host (BBC's Woman's Hour, 1982-88), born in London, England
1956 - Guy Babylon, American keyboard player (Elton John) and arranger, born in New Windsor, Maryland (d. 2009|)
1976 - Adam Powell, Welsh computer programmer and game designer (Neopets), born in Newport, Wales
1996 - Hannah Green, Australian golfer (Women's PGA C'ship 2019), born in Perth, Western Australia

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Famous Deaths

1679 - Johan Maurits, Dutch nobleman, Prince of Nassau-Siegen (1964-79), Governor of Dutch Brazil (1637-43), and military leader (Eighty Years War; Dutch-Portuguese War), dies at 75
1986 - Joe DeSa, American baseball player (b. 1959)
1991 - Helene Heigh, American actress (Undercover Woman; Teen Age Thunder; 9 to 5), dies at 86
1995 - Adone Zecchi, Italian composer and conductor (Corale Euridice; Orchestra Bolognese de Camera), dies at 91
1996 - Carl Sagan, American scientist, astronomer and author (Broca's Brain, Cosmos, Contact) known for his research on extraterrestrial life, dies of pneumonia after suffering from myelodysplasia at 62
2015 - Patricia Elliott, American actress (Renee-Empire, One Life to Live), dies at 77

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