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Today in History for 14th December 2023
Historical Events
1903 - The Wright brothers attempt to fly the Wright Flyer for the first time at Kitty Hawk‚ North Carolina
1960 - Australia v West Indies 1st Test Cricket at the Gabba ends in a tie
1977 - Test Cricket debut of Pakistan spin bowling great Abdul Qadir v England in 1st Test at Lahore
1978 - China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor‚ PRC
1994 - Construction begins on the Three Gorges Dam‚ China
1998 - 64th Heisman Trophy Award: Ricky Williams‚ Texas (RB)
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Famous Birthdays
1681 - Giuseppe Valentini‚ Italian violinist‚ poet‚ and composer‚ born in Florence‚ Grand Duchy of Tuscany (now Italy) (d. 1753)
1853 - Henry Wood‚ English cricket wicket-keeper (4 Tests‚ 1 x 100‚ HS 134no; Kent CCC‚ Surrey CCC)‚ born in Dartford‚ England (d. 1919)
1870 - Dirk Jan de Geer‚ Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1926-29‚ 39-40)‚ born in Groningen‚ Netherlands (d. 1960)
1915 - Ruth Railton‚ British musical director (National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain‚ 1948-65)‚ born in Kent‚ England (d. 2001)
1952 - Germain Houde‚ French Canadian actor‚ born in Petit-Saguenay‚ Quebec
1966 - Carl Herrera‚ Trinidadian-born Venezuelan NBA forward‚ 1991-99 (San Antonio Spurs‚ and 2 other teams)‚ born in Trinidad and Tobago
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Famous Deaths
1417 - John Oldcastle‚ English nobleman and pro-protestant Lollard leader‚ whom Shakespeare based his Falstaff character on‚ hanged for heresy at 39
1799 - George Washington‚ American Founding Father‚ Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during War for Independence and 1st President of the United States (1789-97)‚ dies at 67
1806 - John Breckinridge‚ American lawyer (5th United States Attorney General) and politician (U.S. Senator from Kentucky)‚ dies at 46
1860 - George Hamilton-Gordon‚ 4th Earl of Aberdeen‚ Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Peelite: 1852-55) and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1841-46)‚ dies at 76
1918 - Sidónio Pais‚ Portuguese politician (4th President of Portugal‚ 66th Prime Minister of Portugal)‚ murdered at 46
2000 - George Sholty‚ American harness driver (2‚934 career wins; $20 million+ purse money)‚ dies at 68
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