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January
5th |
Austrian pianist, Alfred Brendel, was born in Wiesenberg, Czechoslovakia. He is considered as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. |
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January
5th |
American choreographer, Alvin Ailey, was born in Rogers, Texas. He was one of the most celebrated modern dance choreographers who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. |
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February
1st |
Russian, Boris Yeltsin, was born in the village of Butka. He was the first president of Russia and served at that post between the years 1991 and 1999. |
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February
3rd |
An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale hit New Zealand, killing 258 people. |
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March
2nd |
Russian politician, Mikhail Gorbachev, was born in Stavropol. He was the (last) leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991 and the recipient of the Nobel peace prize. |
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March
11th |
Australian born publishing mogul, Rupert Murdoch, was born in Melbourne. He is one of the world's richest man who controls a vast empire of media businesses including The Times and the New York Post newspapers. |
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March
17th |
The US state of Nevada legalized gambling. The legalization of gambling paved the way to the creation of the world's gambling capital, Las Vegas. |
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March
22nd |
Canadian actor, William Shatner, was born in Montreal, Canada. He became famous for his starring role as Captain James T. Kirk in the television show Star Trek. |
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March
26th |
American actor and director, Leonard Nimoy, was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He is best known for playing the character Spock in the TV series Star Trek. |
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March
31st |
A massive earthquake hits Managua, Nicaragua, killing over 2,000 people. |
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May
1st |
The Empire State Building opens in New York City. It was to be the tallest building in the world for 41 years, up until the construction of the World Trade Centre. |
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June
20th |
American actress, Olympia Dukakis, was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. |
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June
20th |
American actor, Martin Landau, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Although he has had a distinguished film career he is most known for the early roles of his career in the hit television series, Mission: Impossible (1966 - 1969) and Space 1999 (1975 - 1977). |
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September
11th |
Mafia gangster Charles Luciano's hit men executed the boss of bosses of the American Mafia, Salvatore Maranzano. |
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September
12th |
English actor, Sir Ian Holm, was born in Goodmayes, Essex. He is one of England's most acclaimed actors who has appeared in almost 60 motion pictures and a multitude of theatrical productions. |
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October
1st |
The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, one of the most prestigious hotels in the world, was opened in New York city. |
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October
7th |
South African archbishop, Desmond Tutu, was born in Transvaal, South Africa. He was the first black person to become the head of the Anglican Church in South Africa who had previously become known worldwide for his activism against the state of apartheid. |
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October
17th |
Mafia gangster, Al Capone, was convicted of income tax evasion. |
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October
18th |
American inventor, Thomas Edison, died at the age of 84. He is considered to have been one of the most prolific inventors of all time. |
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October
19th |
English novelist, John le Carre, was born in Dorset, England. He is one of the most prominent espionage writers of the 20th and 21st centuries. |
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October
31st |
American television journalist, Dan Rather, was born in Wharton, Texas. He was the anchor of the CBS Evening News for 24 years, becoming one of the most recognized newscasters of all time in America. |
