Today in History for 7th May 2024

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Historical Events

1867 - Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel patents dynamite in England, the first of three patents he would receive for the explosive material
1907 - Central American Court of Justice inaugurated in San Jose, Costa Rica - first standing tribunal for International Law in the world
1913 - Plot by English suffragettes to blow up part of St Paul's cathedral thwarted when the bomb is discovered
1954 - French surrender to Vietminh after 55-day siege at Dien Bien Phu
1955 - USSR signs peace treaty with France and Great Britain
1995 - Twins beat Indians 10-9 in 17 innings, 6 hours and 36 minutes

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Famous Birthdays

1855 - Willie Fernie, Scottish golfer (British Open 1883), born in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland (d. 1924)
1890 - Billy House, American actor (Imitation of Life; Bedlam: The Egg and I), born in Mankato, Minnesota (d. 1961)
1909 - Edwin Land, American inventor of instant photography and co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation, born in Bridgeport, Connecticut (d. 1991)
1931 - Gene Wolfe, American sci-fi author (Soldier of Arete), born in New York City
1933 - Nexhmije Pagarusha, Albanian singer ‘the Nightingale of Kosovo’ and actress, born near Malishevë, Kosovo (d. 2020)
1971 - Dave Karpa, Canadian NHL defenseman (Anaheim Mighty Ducks), born in Regina, Saskatchewan

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Famous Deaths

973 - Otto I the Great, Holy Roman Emperor (962-973), dies at 60
1667 - Johann Jakob Froberger, German organist, singer, and composer, dies at 50
1998 - Allan McLeod Cormack, South African physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1924)
2018 - Mikhail German, Russian writer, dies at 85
2020 - John Macurdy, American operatic bass (Met Opera), dies at 91
2021 - Yegor Ligachev, Soviet politician (ally then challenger to Gorbachev), dies at 100

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