Today in History for 1st November 2022:
Historical Events
1943 – Dim-out ban lifted in San Francisco Bay area
1976 – “Don’t Step on My Olive Branch” opens at Playhouse NYC for 16 performances
1979 – Tanker Burmah Agate off Galveston Bay, Texas, spills 10.7 m gallons of oil, in US’s worst oil spill disaster
1993 – After playing 12 Tests for Australia, fast bowler Michael Whitney plays his final day in 1st class cricket for NSW in a tour match loss v New Zealand in Newcastle
1993 – Atlantic Radio (20 radio stations) becomes American Radio Systems
2009 – British Mercedes driver Jenson Button finishes 3rd in inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit to win his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 11 points from Sebastian Vettel
Famous Birthdays
1351 – Leopold III, Duke of Austria (1365-68), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1386)
1526 – Catherine Jagellion, Polish princess and queen of Sweden as the wife of John III of Sweden, born in Kraków, Poland (d. 1583)
1530 – Étienne de La Boétie, French judge and writer, born in Sarlat-la-Canéda, Périgord, France (d. 1563)
1897 – Naomi Mitchison, Scottish author (African Heroes, Return to Fairy Hill), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1999)
1911 – Henri Troyat, Russian-French author and historian, born in Moscow (d. 2007)
1934 – Umberto Agnelli, Italian automotive executive (Fiat, 1965-2004), born in Lausanne, Switzerland (d. 2004)
Famous Deaths
1596 – Pierre Pithou, French lawyer and scholar (Les Libertés de l’église gallicane), dies at 57
1678 – William Coddington, first Governor of Rhode Island (b. 1601)
1985 – Arnold Pihlak, Estonian soccer forward (44 caps; FK Austria Wien), dies at 83
1995 – Desmond Shawe-Taylor, British critic and writer (co-author of The Record Guide), dies at 88
2006 – William Styron, American novelist (Confess of Nat Turner, Sophie’s Choice), dies at 81
2012 – Pascual Pérez, Dominican baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1983; Atlanta Braves), dies during apparent home robbery at 55