79 Mount Vesuvius begins stirring, on feast day of Vulcan, Roman god of fire (goes on to destroy Pompeii) [approx date]
1305 Scottish patriot William Wallace is executed for high treason by Edward I of England at Smithfield, London
1542 Rabbi Joseph Caro completes his commentary of Tur Code
1850 1st US National Women’s Rights Convention convenes in Worcester, Massachusetts
1942 Battle of Stalingrad: 600 Luftwaffe planes bomb Stalingrad (40,000 die)
1943 50th day of Battle of Kursk, USSR: Largest tank battle in history ends with Russia’s defeat of Germany; over 10,000 tanks take part, nearly 250,,000 combatants killed
1996 Osama bin Laden issues message entitled “A declaration of war against the Americans occupying the land of the two holy places”
2005 Hurricane Katrina forms over the Bahamas, later becoming a category 5 hurricane
HISTORICAL EVENTS TODAY
TODAY IN FILM & TV
1933 First televised boxing match — 6-round exhibition at Broadcasting House in London between middleweights Archie Sexton and Lauri Raiteri; aired by BBC-TV
1946 “The Big Sleep” directed by Howard Hawks and starring Humphrey Bogart (Philip Marlowe) and Lauren Bacall, premieres
TODAY IN MUSIC
1994 Jeff Buckley releases his album “Grace”, featuring his cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”
TODAY IN SPORT
1933 First televised boxing match — 6-round exhibition at Broadcasting House in London between middleweights Archie Sexton and Lauri Raiteri; aired by BBC-TV
MORE FACTS…
1942 World War II: last cavalry charge in history takes place at Isbushenskij, Russia; the Italian Savoia Cavalleria charges Soviet infantry
1924 Mars’ closest approach to Earth since 10th century
FAMOUS WEDDINGS
1876 Sharp Shooter Annie Oakley weds traveling show marksman Frank E. Butler
1942 “King Kong” actress Fay Wray (34) weds screenwriter and playwright Robert Riskin (45)
1962 British “Beatles” musician John Lennon (21) weds Cynthia Powell (22); divorce in 1968
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