Today in History for 15th May 2024

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Historical Events

1864 - Battle of New Market, Virginia
1911 - The Georgios Averof cruiser is bought by Greece
1943 - Joseph Stalin dissolves the Comintern (or Third International) to avoid upsetting his Western allies with claims he was trying to foment revolution globally
1988 - 2nd American Comedy Award: Robin Williams and Tracey Ullman
2018 - Controversial Kerch bridge linking Russia and annexed Crimea opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin. At 19km the longest bridge in Europe.
2018 - Flyover collapses in Varanasi, India, killing at least 18

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Famous Birthdays

1795 - Adolf Bernhard Marx [Samuel Moses Marx], German music theorist and pedagogue, born in Halle, Duchy of Magdeburg, Holy Roman Empire (now Germany) (d. 1866)
1891 - Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian playwright and novelist (The Master and Margarita, Black Snow), born in Kiev, Russian Empire (d. 1940)
1911 - Leo Fuchs, Polish-born Jewish American actor (The Six Million Dollar Man, Avalon), born in Lemberg, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (d. 1994)
1914 - Pierre Froidebise, Belgian organist, composer, and musicologist, born in Chey, Belgium (d. 1962)
1939 - Dudley Wysong, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1966 runner-up), born in McKinney, Texas (d. 1998)
1940 - Álvaro Mejía, Colombian athlete (Boston Marathon 1971 2:18:45), born in Medellín, Colombia (d. 2021)

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Famous Deaths

1685 - Henri Otto, Spanish marquis of Caretto/Savona/Grana, dies
1773 - Alban Butler, English Catholic priest and writer, dies at 62
1824 - Alexander Campbell, Scottish composer and writer (associate of Walter Scott), dies at 60
1886 - Emily Dickinson, American poet (Collected Poems), dies of nephritis at 55
1972 - Nigel Green, South African-born British character actor (Zulu, Skull, Tobruk, Ipcress File), dies of an accidental barbiturate overdose at 47
1998 - Earl Manigault, American basketball player (b. 1944)

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