Today in History for 5th May 2024

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Historical Events

1854 - British Commodore James Plumridge attacks Finnish settlements in Gulf of Bothnia, killing civilans and destroying British-owned goods.
1864 - Battle of Wilderness, Virginia (Germanna Ford, Wilderness Tavern)
1955 - West Germany is granted full sovereignty by its three occupying powers
1979 - Masterpiece Radio Theater begins broadcasting
2002 - Jacques Chirac wins the French Presidential election for a second term defeating Jean-Marie Le Pen leader of the far-right National Front
2015 - "Traveller" debut album by Chris Stapleton is released (Grammy Award Best Country Album, 2016; Billboard Album of the Year, 2016)

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Famous Birthdays

1749 - Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French composer, born in Strasbourg, France (d. 1794)
1854 - Antonio Smareglia, Italian composer, born in Pola, Austrian Empire (now Pula, Croatia) (d. 1929)
1911 - Norman Oldfield, English cricketer (Engl batsman one Test v WI 1939, 80 and 19), born in Dukinfield, Cheshire, England (d. 1996)
1938 - Michael Murphy, American actor (McCabe and Mrs Miller, Unmarried Woman), born in Los Angeles, California
1972 - Ronald Snook, Australian rower (Olympics bronze 1996), born in Dalwallinu, Western Australia
1977 - Choi Kang-hee, South Korean actress (Sweet Buns), born in Seoul, South Korea

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Famous Deaths

1582 - Charlotte de Bourbon, Princess of Orange, dies
1947 - Ty LaForest, Canadian baseball player, dies at 30
1957 - Mikhail Gnesin, Russian composer (Vrubel; The Youth Of Abraham), dies at 74
1992 - Dick Yarmy, American character actor (Get Smart; Kentucky Fried Movie; Mork and Mindy), dies of lung cancer at 58
2011 - Arthur Laurents, American playwright (West Side Story: Gypsy), and screenwriter (Rope; Anastasia), dies at 93
2023 - Terry Lewis, Australian disgraced police officer (Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service, 1976-87), and convict (corruption, forgery), dies at 95

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