today.nukz.net: December 21

Frank Zappa 1940-1993

Events

69 – The Roman Senate declares Vespasian as Roman emperor, the last in the Year of Four Emperors.
1140 – Conrad III of Germany besieged Weinsberg.
1598 – Battle of Curalaba: The revolting Mapuche, led by cacique Pelentaru, inflict a major defeat on Spanish troops in southern Chile.
1620 – Plymouth Colony: William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
1826 – American settlers in Nacogdoches, Mexican Texas, declare their independence, starting the Fredonian Rebellion.
1832 – Egyptian–Ottoman War: Egyptian forces decisively defeat Ottoman troops at the Battle of Konya.
1844 – The Rochdale Pioneers commence business at their cooperative in Rochdale, England, starting the Cooperative movement.
1861 – Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.
1872 – Challenger expedition: HMS Challenger, commanded by Captain George Nares, sails from Portsmouth.
1879 – World première of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen.
1883 – The first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army are formed: The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment.
1907 – The Chilean Army commits a massacre of at least 2,000 striking saltpeter miners in in Iquique, Chile.
1910 – An underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pit in Over Hulton, Westhoughton, England, kills 344 miners.
1913 – Arthur Wynne's "word-cross", the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World.
1919 – American anarchist Emma Goldman is deported to Russia.
1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world's first full-length animated feature, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theater.
1941 – World War II: A formal treaty of alliance between Thailand and Japan is signed in the presence of the Emerald Buddha in Wat Phra Kaew.
1946 – An 8.1 M_w earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Nankaido, Japan, kill over 1,300 people and destroy over 38,000 homes.
1962 – Rondane National Park is established as Norway's first national park.
1967 – Louis Washkansky, the first man to undergo a heart transplant, dies in Cape Town, South Africa, after living for 18 days after the transplant.
1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans.
1969 – The Gay Activists Alliance is formed in New York City.
1969 – The United Nations adopts the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
1973 – The Geneva Conference on the Arab-Israeli conflict opens.
1979 – Lancaster House Agreement: An independence agreement for Rhodesia is signed in London by Lord Carrington, Sir Ian Gilmour, Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and S.C. Mundawarara.
1988 – A bomb explodes on board Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, killing 270.
1992 – A Dutch DC-10, flight Martinair MP 495, crashes at Faro Airport, killing 56 people.
1994 – Mexican volcano Popocatepetl, dormant for 47 years, erupts gases and ash.
1995 – The city of Bethlehem passes from Israeli to Palestinian control.
1999 – The Spanish Civil Guard intercepts a van loaded with 950 kg of explosives that ETA intended to use to blow up Torre Picasso in Madrid.
2004 – Iraq War: A suicide bomber killed 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul, the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers.

Births

1118 – Thomas Becket, Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1170)
1401 – Tommaso Masaccio, Italian painter (d. 1428)
1596 – Petru Movila, Moldovan religious figure (d. 1646)
1603 – Roger Williams, English theologian and colonist (d. 1684)
1682 – Calico Jack Rackham, English pirate (d. 1720)
1714 – John Bradstreet, Canadian-born soldier (d. 1774)
1778 – Anders Sandøe Ørsted, Danish politician (d. 1860)
1795 – Leopold von Ranke, German historian (d. 1886)
1795 – John Russell, English parson and dog breeder (d. 1883)
1804 – Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1881)
1805 – Thomas Graham, British chemist (d. 1869)
1811 – Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1882)
1815 – Thomas Couture French painter and teacher (d. 1879)
1818 – Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece (d. 1875)
1832 – John H. Ketcham, American politician (d. 1906)
1840 – Namik Kemal, Turkish nationalist poet (d. 1888)
1843 – Thomas Bracken, Irish-born New Zealand poet (d. 1898)
1850 – Zdenek Fibich, Bohemian composer (d. 1900)
1850 – William Wallace Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln (d. 1862)
1851 – Thomas Chipman McRae, American politician (d. 1929)
1859 – Gustave Kahn, French poet (d. 1936)
1866 – Maud Gonne, Irish activist (d. 1953)
1872 – Sidney Ainsworth, British actor (d. 1922)
1872 – Don Lorenzo Perosi, Italian composer (d. 1956)
1872 – Albert Payson Terhune, American author (d. 1942)
1873 – Blagoje Bersa, Croatian composer (d. 1934)
1876 – Jack Lang, Australian politician (d. 1975)
1878 – Jan Lukasiewicz, Polish philosopher and mathematician (d. 1956)
1885 – Frank Patrick, Canadian hockey player (d. 1960)
1889 – Sewall Wright, American biologist (d. 1988)
1890 – Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist and Nobel laureate (d. 1967)
1891 – John William McCormack, American politician (d. 1980)
1892 – Amy Key Clarke, English mystical poet (d. 1980)
1892 – Walter Hagen, American golfer (d. 1969)
1892 – Rebecca West, British writer (d. 1983)
1896 – Leroy Robertson, American composer (d. 1971)
1905 – Anthony Powell, British author (d. 2000)
1908 – Herbert Hutner, American banker and attorney (d. 2008)
1909 – Seicho Matsumoto, Japanese mystery writer and journalist (d. 1992)
1911 – Josh Gibson, American baseball player (d. 1947)
1913 – Arnold Friberg, American illustrator (d. 2010)
1914 – Frank Fenner, Australian microbiologist (d. 2010)
1914 – Ivan Generalic, Austro-Hungarian-born Croatian painter (d. 1992)
1915 – Joe Mantell, American actor d.2010
1915 – Werner von Trapp, member of the Trapp Family Singers (d. 2007)
1917 – Heinrich Böll, German writer and Nobel laureate (d. 1985)
1917 – Sophie Masloff, American politician
1918 – Donald Regan, American civil servant (d. 2003)
1918 – Kurt Waldheim, Austrian politician and diplomat (d. 2007)
1920 – Alicia Alonso, Cuban ballerina
1920 – Bob Bindig, American cartoonist (d. 2006)
1920 – Jean Gascon, Canadian actor (d. 1988)
1921 – Robert Lipshutz/a>, American attorney and counsel to the Carter Adminisrtation (d. 2010)
1921 – John Severin, American comics artist
1922 – Itubwa Amram, Nauruan pastor and politician (d. 1989)
1922 – Paul Winchell, American ventriloquist (d. 2005)
1923 – Intizar Hussain, Urdu writer and columnist
1924 – Rita Reys, Dutch jazzsinger
1926 – Arnošt Lustig, Czech author
1926 – Joe Paterno, American football coach
1928 – Ed Nelson, American actor
1932 – Edward Hoagland, American essayist
1935 – John G. Avildsen, American film director
1935 – Lorenzo Bandini, Italian racecar driver (d. 1967)
1935 – Yusuf Bey, American activist (d. 2003)
1935 – Phil Donahue, American talk show host
1935 – Edward Schreyer, Canadian politician, Premier of Manitoba
1937 – Jane Fonda, American actress
1937 – Donald F. Munson, American politician
1938 – Larry Bryggman, American actor
1938 – Frank Moorhouse, Australian author
1939 – Lloyd Axworthy, Canadian politician
1940 – Arvi Lind, Finnish news broadcaster
1940 – Ray Hildebrand, American singer (Paul & Paula)
1940 – Frank Zappa, American musician (d. 1993)
1942 – Hu Jintao, Chinese president
1942 – Reinhard Mey, German singer
1942 – Carla Thomas, American singer
1943 – André Arthur. Canadian radio host
1943 – Albert Lee, English guitarist
1943 – Jack Nance, American actor (d. 1996)
1944 – Bill Atkinson, English footballer
1944 – Michael Tilson Thomas, American conductor
1944 – Zheng Xiaoyu, Chinese bureaucrat (d. 2007)
1946 – Christopher Keene, American conductor (d. 1995)
1946 – Carl Wilson, American musician (The Beach Boys) (d. 1998)
1947 – Bryan Hamilton, Northern Irish footballer
1947 – Paco de Lucía, Spanish musician
1948 – Samuel L. Jackson, American actor
1948 – Dave Kingman, American baseball player
1948 – Willi Resetarits, Austrian musician
1949 – Thomas Sankara, Burkinabé military figure (d. 1987)
1949 – Nikolaos Sifounakis, Greek politician
1950 – Jeffrey Katzenberg, American film producer
1950 – Lillebjørn Nilsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter
1951 – Nick Gilder, English musician (Sweeney Todd)
1952 – Joaquín Andújar, Dominican baseball player
1953 – Betty Wright, American singer
1954 – Chris Evert, American tennis player
1955 – Jane Kaczmarek, American actress
1955 – Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, Japanese musician
1957 – Tom Henke, American baseball player
1957 – Ray Romano, Italian-American comedian
1959 – Florence Griffith Joyner, American sprinter (d. 1998)
1960 – Louis Demetrius Alvanis, British pianist
1960 – Roger McDowell, American baseball player
1960 – Andy Van Slyke, American baseball player
1961 – Francis Ng, Hong Kong actor
1961 – Ryuji Sasai, Japanese video game composer
1961 – Del Wilkes, American pro wrestler
1963 – Govinda Ahuja, Indian actor and politician
1964 – Rob Kelly, English football manager
1964 – Fabiana Udenio, Argentine actress
1964 – Joe Kocur, Canadian hockey player
1965 – Andy Dick, American actor and comedian
1965 – Anke Engelke, German comedian
1965 – Stuart Mitchell, Scottish Composer
1966 – Adam Schefter, American sports journalist
1966 – Kiefer Sutherland, British-born Canadian actor
1966 – Karri Turner, American actress
1967 – Ervin Johnson, American basketball player
1967 – Fritz Karl, Austrian actor
1967 – Terry Mills, American basketball player
1967 – Mikhail Saakashvili, Soviet-born President of Georgia
1969 – Julie Delpy, French actress
1969 – Jack Noseworthy, American actor
1969 – Mihails Zemlinskis, Latvian footballer
1971 – Matthieu Chedid, French musician
1971 – Fenton Keogh, Australian celebrity chef
1971 – Brett Scallions, American singer (Fuel)
1972 – Gloria De Piero, English journalist
1972 – Latroy Hawkins, American baseball player
1972 – Dustin Hermanson, American baseball player
1972 – Claudia Poll, Costa Rican swimmer
1972 – Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Indian politician
1972 – Erwin Schrott, Uruguayan opera singer
1973 – Irakli Alasania, Georgian politician and diplomat
1973 – Mike Alstott, American football player
1973 – Karmen Stavec, German-born Slovenian singer
1974 – Karrie Webb, Australian golfer
1975 – Paloma Herrera, Argentine ballet dancer
1976 – Mirela Manjani, Greek javelin thrower
1976 – Lukas Rossi, Canadian rock singer (Rock Star Supernova)
1977 – Toby Rand, Australian singer (Juke Kartel)
1978 – Emiliano Brembilla, Italian swimmer
1978 – Mike Vitar, American actor
1979 – Tuva Novotny, Swedish actress and singer
1980 – Royce Ring, American baseball player
1981 – Frankie Abernathy, American actress (d. 2007)
1981 – Lynda Thomas, Mexican singer
1981 – Cristian Zaccardo, Italian football player
1982 – Charlie Cox, English actor
1982 – Mike Gansey, American basketball player
1982 – Erica Hayden, American journalist and radio personality
1982 – Philip Humber, American baseball player
1982 – Iljo Keisse, Belgian cyclist
1982 – Tom Payne, British actor
1984 – Darren Potter, Irish football player
1985 – James Stewart Jr., American motorcycle racer
1987 – Valerie Concepcion, Filipino actress
1987 – Brad Howard, Australian footballer
1988 – Alexa Goddard, British R&B singer
1988 – Yasmin, British DJ and Singer
1989 – Tamannaah Bhatia, Indian actress
1989 – Mark Ingram Jr., American football player

Deaths

72 – Thomas the Apostle
882 – Hincmar, French bishop (b. 806)
1295 – Marguerite Berenger of Provence, wife of Louis IX of France (b. c.1221)
1308 – Henry I of Hesse (b. 1244)
1375 – Giovanni Boccaccio, Italian writer (b. 1313)
1504 – Bertold von Henneberg-Römhild, German archbishop and elector (b. 1442)
1549 – Marguerite of Navarre, wife of Henry II of Navarre (b. 1492)
1579 – Vicente Masip, Spanish painter
1597 – Petrus Canisius, Dutch Jesuit (b. 1521)
1799 – Philip Affleck, British Admiral and First Lord of the Admiralty (b. 1726)
1807 – John Newton, English cleric and hymnist (b. 1725)
1824 – James Parkinson, English physician and paleontologist (b. 1755)
1869 – Friedrich Ernst Scheller, German jurist and politician (b. 1791)
1873 – Francis Garnier, French explorer (b. 1839)
1889 – Friedrich August von Quenstedt, German geologist (b. 1809)
1900 – Roger Wolcott, American politician (b. 1847)
1920 – Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, Somalian nationalist leader (b. 1856)
1933 – Knud Rasmussen, Greenlandic polar explorer and anthropologist (b. 1879)
1935 – Kurt Tucholsky, German journalist and satirist (b. 1890)
1937 – Frank B. Kellogg, American diplomat, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1856)
1940 – F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer (b. 1896)
1945 – George Smith Patton Jr., American military commander (b. 1885)
1957 – Eric Coates, English-born American composer (b. 1886)
1958 – Lion Feuchtwanger, German writer (b. 1884)
1959 – Rosanjin, Japanese calligrapher, restaurateur and ceramicist (b. 1883)
1964 – Carl Van Vechten, American writer and photographer (b. 1880)
1963 – Jack Hobbs, English cricketer (b. 1882)
1965 – Claude Champagne, Canadian composer (b. 1891)
1967 – Stuart Erwin, American actor (b. 1903)
1974 – James Henry Govier, British artist (b. 1910)
1974 – Richard Long, American actor (b. 1927)
1983 – Paul de Man, Belgian-born literary critic (b. 1919)
1986 – Bill Simpson, Scottish actor (b. 1931)
1987 – John Spence, American musician (No Doubt) (b. 1969)
1988 – Nikolaas Tinbergen, Dutch ornithologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1907)
1989 – Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Nigerian-born British photographer (b.1955)
1990 – Clarence Johnson, American aeronautical engineer (b. 1910)
1992 – Albert King, American blues musician (b. 1924)
1992 – Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian violinist (b. 1903)
1997 – Amie Comeaux, American country music singer (b. 1976)
1998 – Roger Avon, Durham actor (b. 1914)
1998 – Karl Denver, Scottish singer (b. 1931)
1998 – Ernst-Günther Schenck, German physician (b. 1904)
2001 – Dick Schaap, American sports journalist (b. 1934)
2003 – Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Spanish businessman (b. 1924)
2004 – Autar Singh Paintal, Indian medical scientist (b. 1925)
2005 – Elrod Hendricks, American baseball player and coach (b. 1940)
2006 – Scobie Breasley, Australian jockey (b. 1914)
2006 – Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistanian politician (b. 1940)
2007 – Ken Hendricks, American businessman (b. 1941)
2010 – Enzo Bearzot, Italian football player and manager (b. 1927)