Today in History for 4th August 2024

[CoM Moderators]

Historical Events

1666 - St James' Day naval battle is an English victory against the Dutch during Second Anglo-Dutch War off the Kent coast
1929 - Jones Beach in NY opens
1946 - An earthquake of magnitude 8.0 hits northern Dominican Republic. 100 are killed and 20,000 are left homeless.
1976 - England beats Australia by 8 wickets in the limited overs cricket international at Lord's; first time women are permitted to play on the main square at 'the home of cricket'
1986 - After winning only token damages in antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, USFL owners vote to suspend operations for 1986 season; folded before 4th season
2010 - On 3rd anniversary of his 500th MLB career home run, Alex Rodriguez reaches the 600 HR mark in the NY Yankees 5-1 win v Toronto; 7th and youngest to reach milestone

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Famous Birthdays

1222 - Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, English soldier (d. 1262)
1888 - Philip Greeley Clapp, American composer and educator (University of Iowa, 1919-54), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1954)
1918 - Iceberg Slim (a.k.a. Robert Beck), African-American author, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1992)
1931 - Narendra Tamhane, Indian cricket wicket-keeper (1950's), born in Bombay, India
1959 - Laurence Anholt, British children's author, born in London, England
1967 - Michael Lawrence Marsh, American sprinter (Olympic 200m gold 1992, silver 1996), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1584 - John van Hembyze, Flemish Calvinist, dies at 71
1873 - Viktor Hartmann, Russian architect and painter, dies at 39
1938 - Pearl White, American actress/stunt woman (Perils of Pauline), dies at 49
1980 - Diego Fabbri, Italian playwright and leader (Vatican movie bureau), dies at 69
1992 - Ralph Cooper, American master-of-ceremonies (creator of Amateur Night at the Apollo), actor, dancer, and choreographer, dies of cancer at 84
2013 - Art Donovan, American NFL HOF defensive tackle, 1950-61 (4 x Pro Bowl, 2 x Champion - Baltimore Colts and 2 other teams), and US Marine (WWII - Iwo Jima), dies from a respiratory ailment at 89

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