Today in History for 8th February 2024

[CoM Moderators]

Historical Events

1750 - Minor earthquake in London
1776 - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's play "Stella" premieres in Hamburg
1923 - Coal mine explosion at Dawson, New Mexico kills 120
1940 - Lodtz, 1st large ghetto established by Nazis in Poland
1963 - AFL's Dallas Texans become KC Chiefs
1971 - Pedro Morales beats Ivan Koloff in NY, to become WWF wrestling champ

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Famous Birthdays

1810 - Norbert Burgmüller, German composer, born in Düsseldorf, Germany (d. 1836)
1817 - Richard S. Ewell, US Army officer and Confederate General (Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Spotsylvania Court House), born in Georgetown, Washington D.C. (d. 1872)
1888 - Edith Evans, British actress (Tom Jones, David Copperfield), born in London, England (d. 1976)
1937 - David Montgomery, American born photographer known for his images of the 1960s, born in Brooklyn, New York
1943 - José Antônio Rezende de Almeida Prado, Brazilian composer, born in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil (d. 2010)
1989 - Julio Jones, American football receiver (First-team All-Pro 2015, 16; 7 × Pro Bowl; Atlanta Falcons), born in Foley, Alabama

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Famous Deaths

1623 - Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English politician, dies at 80
1942 - Fritz Todt, German construction engineer, Reich Minister for Armaments and Munitions Reichs minister and Head of the Organization Todt, dies in a plane crash at 50
2015 - Filipe Pires, Portuguese pianist, composer (Portugaliae Genesis), and educator, dies at 81
2021 - Mary Wilson, American pop vocalist (Supremes - "Where Did Our Love Go?"), dies at 76
2023 - Charlie Faulkner, Welsh rugby union prop (19 Tests Wales; British and Irish Lions 1977; Pontypool RFC, Barbarian FC) and coach (Newport RFC), dies at 81
2023 - Burt Bacharach, American Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer ("I'll Never Fall in Love Again"; "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"; "Promises, Promises"), dies at 94

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