Historical Events
1961 – Fidel Castro declares he’s a Marxist and will lead Cuba to Communism
1973 – Capital Centre (USAir Arena) opens in Landover Maryland; NBA’s Washington Bullets beat Seattle SuperSonics, 98-96 in opening game; arena demolished 2002
1984 – Miami quarterback Dan Marino breaks NFL single-season touchdown pass record when he throws his 37th in the Dolphins’ 45-34 loss to the Raiders; finishes season with 48 TD passes
2014 – Hong Kong pro-democracy activists clash with police as they try to surround the government’s headquarters in some of the worst violence since the protests began
2020 – The UK becomes the first western country to authorize a vaccine for COVID-19, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
Famous Birthdays
1920 – Robert Moevs, American composer, born in La Crosse, Wisconsin (d. 2007)
1927 – Jim David, American NFL defensive back (Pro Bowl 1954-59; NFL Champion 1952-53, 57; Detroit Lions), born in Florence, South Carolina (d. 2007)
1931 – Masaaki Hatsumi, Japanese founder and head of the Bujinkan Organization, born in Noda, Chiba, Japan
1939 – Harry Reid, American attorney and politician (U.S. Senator from Nevada, 1987-2017; U.S. House of Representatives, 1983-87), born in Searchlight, Nevada (d. 2021)
1947 – Ntare V [Charles Ndizeye], final King of Burundi (1966), born in Gitega, Burundi, Ruanda-Urundi (d. 1972)
Famous Deaths
1831 – Traugott Maximilian Eberwein, German composer, and Kapellmeister (Court of Schwartzberg-Rudolstadt, 1817-31), dies at 56
1918 – Edmond Rostand, French poet and dramatist (Cyrano de Bergerac), dies during the flu epidemic at 50
1935 – James Henry Breasted, American Egyptologist and anthropologist, dies at 70
2020 – Pamela Tiffin, American actress (One, Two, Three; Viva Max!), dies at 78
2020 – Rafer Johnson, American decathlete (Olympic gold 1960), dies from stroke complications at 86
