Poor Gabriel's Almanac

Interesting things that happened August 9th:

Birthdays on this date:

In 1593 Izaac Walton, fisherman, writer (Compleat Angler)
In 1776 Count Lorenzo Romano Amedeo Carlo Avogadro di Quaregna e Cerreto, chemist (Avogadro's Number would be named after him)
In 1825 Elisha Ferry (R), governor of Wash. terr., state (1872-80, 1889-93)
In 1896 Jean Piaget, pioneer developmental psychologist
In 1897 Ralph Wyckoff, American pioneer in x-ray crystallography
In 1911 William A. Fowler, US astrophysicist (Nobel 1983)
In 1913 Herman Talmadge, US Senator (D-GA, 1957-81)
In 1919 Ralph Houk, baseball player (1947-54) and manager (1961-84)
In 1921 J. James Exon, US Senator (D-NE, 1979-97)
In 1927 Marvin Minsky, artificial intelligence guru
In 1928 Bob Cousy, NBA star
In 1938 Rod Laver, tennis player
In 1942 David Steinberg, comedian, director
In 1943 Ken Norton, boxer (world heavyweight champ, 1978)
In 1944 Sam Elliott, actor (Mask, Road House, The Big Lebowski)
In 1957 Melanie Griffith, actor (Night Moves, Working Girl, Shade)
In 1963 Whitney Houston, singer

Events worth noting:

+ Dog Days
+ Feast of St. John-Mary Vianney
+ Feast of St. Denys
In 0 480 B.C. Persia defeats Spartan king Leonidas at Thermopylae.
In 1332 Battle of Dupplin Moor (in Scotland).
In 1638 Jonas Bronck of Holland becomes the first European settler in what is now known as the Bronx.
In 1650 English Parliament passes the Blasphemy Act, aimed at suppressing radical religious sects.
In 1778 Capt. Cook passes through Bering Strait.
In 1786 First ascent of Mt. Blanc.
In 1803 First horses arrive in Hawaii.
In 1842 The US-Canada border defined by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.
In 1848 Free-Soil Party nominates Martin Van Buren for president.
In 1849 Hungarian Republic crushed by Austria and Russia.
In 1854 Henry David Thoreau published `Walden'.
In 1862 Prelude to Second Manassas, Jackson is victorious at Battle of Cedar Mountain, however Gen. Charles S. Winder is killed.
In 1902 Edward VII of England crowned after death of his mother Victoria.
In 1925 Only time Babe Ruth was pinch hit for Bobby Veach flied out.
In 1930 Betty Boop debuts in Max Fleischer's animated cartoon Dizzy Dishes.
In 1936 Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal of the Berlin Olympics.
In 1942 Britain arrested Indian nationalist Mohandas K. Gandhi.
In 1945 US drops second atomic bomb on Japan destroying part of Nagasaki. An estimated 74,000 people died. The original target was Kokura.
In 1956 First state-wide, state-supported educational TV network debuts in Alabama.
+ South African women demonstrate against pass laws.
In 1965 Singapore gains independence from Malaysia (National Day).
In 1969 The Manson "family" murders actor Sharon Tate and several others in Benedict Canyon.
In 1973 USSR launches Mars 7.
In 1974 President Richard Nixon resigns in the wake of the Watergate scandal.
In 1978 Yankees come up with 5 runs in the bottom of 9th beat Brewers 8-7.

And remember ...

National Inventors Month
National Simplify Your Life Month
National Civility Month

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Although efforts have been taken to ensure the accuracy of this information, several errors have been found in the past. Don't place any bets on the basis of what you find here. If you spot an error, write to Poor Gabriel at poorgabriel@mystery.com .