today.nukz.net: Almanac July 18

Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and director.

Odets was born in Philadelphia to Louis Odets (born Gorodetsky) and Pearl Geisinger, Russian- and Romanian-Jewish immigrants, and raised in Philadelphia and the Bronx, New York. He dropped out of high school after two years to become an actor. In 1931, he became a founding member of the Group Theatre, a highly influential New York theatre company that utilized an acting technique new to the United States. This technique was based on the system devised by the Russian actor and director Constantin Stanislavski. It was further developed by Group Theatre director Lee Strasberg and became known as The Method. Odets eventually became the Group's primary playwright.

Events

390 BCE – Roman-Gaulish Wars: Battle of the Allia – a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, leading to the subsequent sacking of Rome.
362 – Roman-Persian Wars: Emperor Julian arrives at Antioch with a Roman expeditionary force (60,000 men) and stays there for nine months to launch a campaign against the Persian Empire.
1290 – King Edward I of England issues the Edict of Expulsion, banishing all Jews (numbering about 16,000) from England; this was Tisha B'Av on the Hebrew calendar, a day that commemorates many Jewish calamities.
1334 – The bishop of Florence blesses the first foundation stone for the new campanile (bell tower) of the Florence Cathedral, designed by the artist Giotto di Bondone.
1389 – Kingdom of France and Kingdom of England agree to the Truce of Leulinghem, in inaugurating a 13-year peace; the longest period of sustained peace during the Hundred Years War.
1391 – Tokhtamysh-Timur War: Battle of the Kondurcha River – Timur defeats Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde in present day southeast Russia.
1555 – The College of Arms was reincorporated by Royal Charter signed by Queen Mary I of England and King Philip II of Spain.
1656 – Polish-Lithuanian forces clash with Sweden and its Brandenburg allies in the start of what is to be known as The Battle of Warsaw which ends in a decisive Swedish victory.
1812 – The Treaties of Orebro end both the Anglo-Russian and Anglo-Swedish Wars.
1857 – Louis Faidherbe, French governor of Senegal, arrives to relieve French forces at Kayes, effectively ending El Hajj Umar Tall's war against the French.
1862 – First ascent of Dent Blanche, one of the highest summits in the Alps.
1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Fort Wagner/Morris Island – the first formal African American military unit, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, fails in their assault on Confederate-held Battery Wagner.
1870 – The First Vatican Council decrees the dogma of papal infallibility.
1914 – The U.S. Congress forms the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, giving definite status to aircraft within the U.S. Army for the first time.
1925 – Adolf Hitler publishes his personal manifesto Mein Kampf.
1942 – World War II: the Germans test fly the Messerschmitt Me-262 using only its jet engines for the first time.
1944 – World War II: Hideki Tojo resigns as Prime Minister of Japan due to numerous setbacks in the war effort.
1955 – The first Disneyland theme park, in Anaheim, California, officially opens to the public.
1966 – Human spaceflight: Gemini 10 is launched from Cape Kennedy on a 70-hour mission that includes docking with an orbiting Agena target vehicle.
1968 – The Intel Corporation is founded in Santa Clara, California.
1969 – After a party on Chappaquiddick Island, Senator Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts drives an Oldsmobile off a bridge and his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, dies.
1976 – Nadia Comaneci became the first person in Olympic Games history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
1982 – 268 campesinos ("peasants" or "country people") are slain in the Plan de Sánchez massacre in Ríos Montt's Guatemala.
1984 – McDonald's massacre in San Ysidro, California: in a fast-food restaurant, James Oliver Huberty opens fire, killing 21 people and injuring 19 others before being shot dead by police.
1986 – A tornado is broadcast live on KARE television in Minnesota when the station's helicopter pilot makes a chance encounter.
1992 – The ten victims of the La Cantuta massacre disappear from their university in Lima.
1994 – The bombing of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (Argentinian Jewish Communal Center) in Buenos Aires kills 85 people (mostly Jewish) and injures 300.
1995 – On the Caribbean island of Montserrat, the Soufriere Hills volcano erupts. Over the course of several years, it devastates the island, destroying the capital and forcing most of the population to flee.
1996 – Storms provoke severe flooding on the Saguenay River, beginning one of Quebec's costliest natural disasters ever: the Saguenay Flood.
1996 – Battle of Mullaitivu. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam capture the Sri Lanka Army's base, killing over 1200 Army soldiers.

Births

1501 – Isabella of Burgundy, wife of Christian II of Denmark (d. 1526)
1504 – Heinrich Bullinger, Swiss religious reformer (d. 1575)
1552 – Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1612)
1634 – Johannes Camphuys, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1695)
1635 – Robert Hooke, English scientist (d. 1703)
1659 – Hyacinthe Rigaud, French painter (d. 1743)
1670 – Giovanni Bononcini, Italian composer (d. 1747)
1718 – Saverio Bettinelli, Italian writer (d. 1808)
1720 – Gilbert White, English ornithologist (d. 1793)
1724 – Duchess Maria Antonia of Bavaria, German composer, singer, harpsichordist and patron (d. 1780)
1797 – Immanuel Hermann Fichte, German philosopher (d. 1879)
1811 – William Makepeace Thackeray, English author (d. 1863)
1818 – Louis De Geer, 1st Swedish Prime Minister (d. 1896)
1821 – Pauline Viardot, French mezzo-soprano and composer (d. 1910)
1837 – Vasil Levski, Bulgarian revolutionary (d. 1873)
1845 – Tristan Corbière, French poet (d. 1875)
1848 – W. G. Grace, English cricketer (d. 1915)
1850 – Rose Hartwick Thorpe, American poet (d. 1939)
1853 – Hendrik Lorentz, Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
1862 – Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich, Russian general (d. 1933)
1864 – Phillip Snowden, British politician (d. 1937)
1867 – Margaret Brown, American activist, philanthropist, and RMS Titanic passenger (d. 1932)
1871 – Sada Yacco, Japanese stage actress (d. 1946)
1881 – Larry McLean, baseball player (d. 1921)
1884 – Alberto di Jorio, former head of the Vatican Bank and secretary of the 1958 conclave (d. 1979)
1886 – Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr., American general (d. 1945)
1887 – Vidkun Quisling, Norwegian soldier, politician and convicted traitor (d. 1945)
1890 – Frank Forde, 15th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1983)
1892 – Arthur Friedenreich, Brazilian football player (d. 1969)
1895 – George "Machine Gun Kelly" Barnes, American gangster (d. 1954)
1895 – Olga Spessivtseva, Russian ballerina (d. 1991)
1897 – E. A. D. Eldridge, British racing driver (d. 1935)
1898 – John Stuart, Scottish actor (d. 1979)
1899 – Ernst Scheller, German Nazi politician (d. 1942)
1900 – Nathalie Sarraute, French writer (d. 1999)
1902 – Jessamyn West, American writer (d. 1984)
1903 – Chill Wills, American actor (d. 1978)
1906 – S. I. Hayakawa, American semanticist and politician (d. 1992)
1906 – Clifford Odets, American writer (d. 1963)
1908 – Lupe Vélez, Mexican actress (d. 1944)
1908 – Mildred Lisette Norman, American peace activist, earned the moniker Peace Pilgrim (d. 1981)
1909 – Andrei Gromyko, Soviet diplomat and President (d. 1989)
1909 – Mohammed Daoud Khan, President of Afghanistan (d. 1978)
1909 – Harriet Nelson, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
1910 – Diptendu Pramanick, Indian film personality (d.1989)
1911 – Hume Cronyn, Canadian actor (d. 2003)
1912 – Max Rousié, French rugby footballer (d. 1950)
1913 – Red Skelton, American actor and comedian (d. 1997)
1914 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (d. 2000)
1916 – Johnny Hopp, baseball player (d. 2003)
1917 – Henri Salvador, French singer (d. 2008)
1918 – Nelson Mandela, South African politician, President (1994-1999); Nobel Peace Prize laureate
1920 – Eric Brandon, British racing driver (d. 1982)
1921 – Richard Leacock, documentary filmmaker, Pioneer of Cinéma Vérité (d. 2011)
1921 – John Glenn, American astronaut and politician
1922 – Thomas Kuhn, American philosopher (d. 1996)
1923 – Jerome H. Lemelson, American inventor (d. 1997)
1924 – Inge Sørensen, Danish swimmer (d. 2011)
1925 – Shirley Strickland, Australian athlete (d. 2004)
1925 – Hubert Doggart, English cricketer
1926 – Robert Sloman, writer (d. 2005)
1926 – Margaret Laurence, Canadian writer (d. 1987)
1927 – Kurt Masur, Silesian-born conductor
1929 – Dick Button, American figure skater
1929 – Screamin' Jay Hawkins, American singer (d. 2000)
1930 – Burt Kwouk, English actor
1932 – Robert Ellis Miller, American film director
1933 – Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Russian poet
1933 – Syd Mead, American industrial and conceptual designer
1933 – Jean Yanne, French film actor and director (d. 2003)
1934 – Darlene Conley, American actress (d. 2007)
1934 – Roger Reynolds, American composer and teacher
1935 – Jayendra Saraswathi, Hindu religious leader
1936 – Ted Harris, Canadian ice hockey player
1937 – Roald Hoffman, Polish-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
1937 – Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author (d. 2005)
1938 – Paul Verhoeven, Dutch film director
1938 – Ian Stewart, Scottish pianist (d. 1985)
1939 – Dion DiMucci, American singer
1939 – Brian Auger, British musician
1939 – Edward Gramlich, American economics professor (d. 2007)
1939 – Jerry Moore, American football coach
1940 – James Brolin, American actor
1940 – Joe Torre, American baseball player and manager
1941 – Frank Farian, German music producer
1941 – Lonnie Mack, American guitarist and singer
1941 – Martha Reeves, American singer
1942 – Adolf Ogi, Swiss politician
1942 – Bobby Susser, American songwriter and record producer
1942 – Giacinto Facchetti, Italian footballer (d. 2006)
1944 – David Hemery, British athlete
1946 – Leo Madder, Belgian actor
1946 – Doug McFarland, American politician
1947 – Steve Forbes, American entrepreneur and politician
1947 – Steven W. Mahoney, Canadian politician
1948 – Hartmut Michel, German chemist, Nobel laureate
1948 – Carlos Colón, Sr., Puerto Rican professional wrestler
1949 – Dennis Lillee, Australian cricketer
1950 – Jerome Barkum, American football player
1950 – Sir Richard Branson, British entrepreneur
1950 – Glenn Hughes, American singer (Village People) (d. 2001)
1950 – Jack Layton, Canadian politician (d. 2011)
1950 – Kostas Eleftherakis, Greek footballer
1950 – Mark Udall, American politician
1951 – Elio Di Rupo, Belgian politician
1951 – Margo Martindale, American actress
1953 – Warren Wiebe, American singer (d. 1998)
1954 – Ricky Skaggs, American country/bluegrass musician
1955 – Terry Chambers, English drummer (XTC)
1955 – Bernd Fasching, Austrian painter and sculptor
1956 – Razor Shines, American baseball player, manager and coach
1957 – Sir Nick Faldo, English golfer
1957 – Keith Levene, English musician (Public Image Limited)
1960 – Anne-Marie Johnson, American actress
1961 – M.J. Alexander, American author and photographer
1961 – Elizabeth McGovern, American actress
1961 – Alan Pardew, English football manager
1962 – Lee Arenberg, American actor
1962 – Jensen Buchanan, American actress
1962 – Jack Irons, American drummer
1962 – Shaun Micallef, Australian comedian
1963 – Martín Torrijos Espino, President of Panama
1963 – Mike Greenwell, baseball player
1963 – Al Snow, American professional wrestler
1964 – Wendy Williams, radio host
1965 – Jim Bob Duggar, Arkansas politician and patriarch of the Duggar family
1965 – Vesselina Kasarova, Bulgarian opera singer
1966 – Lori Alan, American actress
1967 – Vin Diesel, American actor
1968 – Grant Bowler, Australian actor
1968 – Alex Désert, Haitian-American actor and musician
1969 – Masanori Murakawa, Japanese professional wrestler
1970 – Cheryl Casone, American news anchor
1971 – Penny Hardaway, American basketball player
1971 – Sarah McLeod, New Zealand actress
1974 – Alan Morrison, British poet
1975 – Torii Hunter, baseball player
1975 – Daron Malakian, American guitarist (System of a Down, Scars on Broadway)
1975 – M.I.A., hip hop/world music singer songwriter
1976 – Valerie Cruz, American actress
1976 – Elsa Pataky, Spanish actress
1977 – Dylan Lane, American television host
1977 – Kelly Reilly, English actress
1977 – Alfian bin Sa'at, Singaporean writer, poet and playwright
1978 – Shane Horgan, Irish rugby player
1978 – Ben Sheets, American baseball player
1978 – Mélissa Theuriau, French newscaster
1978 – Verónica Romeo, Spanish singer
1978 – Annie Mac, British DJ
1979 – Deion Branch, American football player
1979 – Jared Hess, American film director and screenwriter
1979 – Joey Mercury, American professional wrestler
1979 – Jermaine Paul, American musician
1979 – Jason Weaver, American actor
1980 – Kristen Bell, American actress
1980 – Ryoko Hirosue, Japanese actress and singer
1982 – Ryan Cabrera, American musician and TV host
1982 – Priyanka Chopra, Indian actress and beauty queen
1982 – Dominika Luzarová, Czech tennis player
1983 – Carlos Diogo, Uruguayan footballer
1983 – Jan Schlaudraff, German footballer
1985 – Chace Crawford, American actor
1985 – Hopsin, American rapper
1985 – Panagiotis Lagos, Greek footballer
1988 – César Villaluz, Mexican footballer
1988 – Änis Ben-Hatira, German-born Tunisian footballer
1989 – Sebastian Mielitz, German footballer
1989 – Yohan Mollo, French footballer
1991 – Karina Pasian, American singer and pianist
1993 – Lee Taemin, South Korean singer, dancer and actor (Shinee)
2004 – Giuliano Stroe, Romanian weightlifter and bodybuilder

Deaths

715 – Muhammad bin Qasim (b. 695)
1100 – Godfrey of Bouillon, Protector of the Holy Sepulcher
1300 – Gerard Segarelli, founder of the Apostolic Brethren
1488 – Alvise Cadamosto, Italian explorer (b. 1432)
1591 – Jacobus Gallus, Slovenian composer (b. 1550)
1608 – Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1546)
1610 – Caravaggio, Italian artist (b. 1573)
1639 – Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, German general (b. 1604)
1695 – Johannes Camphuys, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (b. 1634)
1698 – Johann Heinrich Heidegger, Swiss theologian (b. 1633)
1721 – Antoine Watteau, French painter (b. 1684)
1730 – François de Neufville, duc de Villeroi, French soldier (b. 1644)
1756 – Pieter Langendijk, Dutch dramatist and poet (b. 1683); other date proposed is July 9 (see)
1792 – John Paul Jones, American naval commander (b. 1747)
1817 – Jane Austen, English novelist (b. 1775)
1863 – Robert Gould Shaw, American military officer (b. 1837)
1872 – Benito Juárez, President of Mexico (b. 1806)
1884 – Ferdinand von Hochstetter, Austrian geologist (b. 1829)
1892 – Thomas Cook, English travel agent (b. 1808)
1899 – Horatio Alger, Jr., American writer (b. 1832)
1916 – Benjamin C. Truman, American journalist and author (b. 1835)
1918 – Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna (b. 1864)
1925 – Louis Nazaire Bégin, Roman Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Quebec (b. 1840)
1937 – Julian Bell, British poet (b. 1908)
1938 – Queen Marie of Romania (b. 1875)
1944 – Thomas Sturge Moore, English poet and author (b. 1870)
1948 – Herman Gummerus, Finnish historian and politician (b. 1877)
1949 – Vítezslav Novák, Czech composer (b. 1870)
1952 – Paul Saintenoy, Belgian architect (b. 1862)
1952 – Jack Earle, American actor and sideshow performer (b. 1906)
1953 – Lucy Booth, daughter of William and Catherine Booth (b. 1868)
1954 – George "Machine Gun Kelly" Barnes, American gangster (b. 1895)
1966 – Bobby Fuller, American rock singer (b. 1942)
1968 – Corneille Heymans, Belgian physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
1969 – Mary Jo Kopechne, American Robert F. Kennedy campaign worker (b. 1940)
1973 – Jack Hawkins, English film actor (b. 1910)
1982 – Lionel Daunais, French-Canadian singer and composer (b. 1902)
1985 – Shahnawaz Bhutto, son of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (b. 1958)
1985 – Louisa Ghijs, Belgian stage actress and wife of Johannes Heesters (b. 1902)
1988 – Nico, German model and singer (b. 1938)
1988 – Joly Braga Santos, Portuguese composer and conductor (b. 1924)
1989 – Donnie Moore, American baseball player (b. 1954)
1989 – Marika Nezer, Greek actress (b. 1906)
1989 – Rebecca Schaeffer, American actress (b. 1967)
1990 – Yoon Boseon, President of South Korea (b. 1897)
1990 – Karl Menninger, American psychiatrist (b. 1896)
1990 – Gerry Boulet, Quebec rock singer (b. 1946)
1990 – Johnny Wayne, Canadian comedian (b. 1918)
1995 – Srinagarindra, Mother of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand (b. 1900)
1995 – Fabio Casartelli, Italian cyclist (b. 1970)
1997 – Eugene Merle Shoemaker, American astronomer (b. 1928)
1999 – Meir Ariel, Israeli singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
2001 – Mimi Farina, American singer (b. 1945)
2001 – James Hatfield, American author (b. 1958)
2001 – Fabio Taglioni, Italian motorcycle designer and engineer (b. 1920)
2002 – Victor Emery, British theoretical physicist (b. 1933)
2004 – Paul Foot, British journalist (b. 1937)
2004 – Émile Peynaud, French oenologist (b. 1912)
2005 – William Westmoreland, American military officer (b. 1914)
2005 – Bill Hicke, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1938)
2007 – George Caiazzo, American professional wrestler (b. 1969)
2007 – Jerry Hadley, American opera singer, (b. 1952)
2007 – Kenji Miyamoto, Japanese politician (b. 1908)
2008 – Khosrow Shakibai, Iranian actor (b. 1944)
2009 – Henry Allingham, British supercentenarian and World War I veteran (b. 1896)
2009 – Jill Balcon, British actress (b. 1925)