Today in History for 23rd December 2023

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Historical Events

1690 - English astronomer John Flamsteed observes Uranus without realizing it's undiscovered
1907 - 1st all-steel passengar railroad coach completed, Altoona, Pennsylvania
1921 - Gangster Carlo Gambino enters the United States as an illegal immigrant on the SS Vincenzo Florio
1933 - Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe sentenced to death for setting the German Reichstag on fire
1946 - Highest ridership in NYC subway history (8.8 million passengers)
1970 - NYC World Trade Center reaches highest point (411 m)

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Famous Birthdays

1897 - Julien Carette, French actor (Sylvia and the Phantom), born in Paris, France (d. 1966)
1935 - Paul Hornung, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Heisman Trophy 1956, Notre Dame; Pro Bowl 1959, 60, Green Bay Packers), born in Louisville, Kentucky
1936 - Claude Albert Coppens, Belgian pianist, born in Schaerbeek, Belgium
1951 - Anthony Phillips, English guitarist (Genesis, 1967-70), born in London, England
1962 - Jerry Reynolds, NBA guard/forward (Milwaukee Bucks), born in French Lick, Indiana
1979 - Kenny Miller, Scottish football player, born in Edinburgh, United Kingdom

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Famous Deaths

1652 - John Cotton, Puritan clergyman in Massachusetts Bay colony, dies at 68
1962 - George Saiko, Austrian writer, dies at 70
1997 - Keith Bentley, English international racing cyclist, dies at 72
2010 - Fred Hargesheimer, American World War II pilot (b. 1916)
2015 - Alfred G. Gilman, American scientist (1994 Nobel Prize for G-protein discoveries), dies at 74
2022 - Txetxu Rojo, Spanish soccer forward (18 caps; Athletic Bilbao 413 games) and manager (Athletic Bilbao, Celta Vigo, Osasuna, Real Zaragoza), dies at 75

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