Today in History for 20th December 2016:
Historical Events
1626 – Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and Prince of Transylvania Gabor Bethlen sign Peace of Pressburg (Bratislava)
1864 – -Dec 27th] Battle of Ft Fisher, NC
1883 – Intl cantilever railway bridge opens at Niagara Falls
1963 – Berlin Wall opens for 1st time to West Berliners
1981 – Harry Krieger/Tom Eyen’s musical “Dreamgirls” opens at Imperial Theater NYC for 1522 performances
1986 – White teenagers beat blacks in New York City’s Howard Beach
Famous Birthdays
1870 – Pieter C Boutens, Dutch poet (Voices, Carmina)
1884 – Marius HLW “Max” Blokzijl, Dutch nazi collaborator/traitor
1949 – Soumaïla Cissé, Malian politician
1955 – Pierre Bokma, Dutch actor (Avonden, Leedvermaak)
1957 – Anna Vissi, Greek-Cypriot singer
1975 – Jaydy Michel, Mexican model
Famous Deaths
860 – King Ethelbald of Wessex
1821 – Gian Francesco Fortunati, composer, dies at 75
1921 – Hans Hartwig von Beseler, German general (b. 1850)
1953 – Henry Horatio Dixon, Irish Biologist (cohesion-tension theory in plants), dies at 84
1997 – Dawn Steel, American filmmaker, 1st woman to head Hollywood studio, dies of cancer at 51
2001 – Léopold Sédar Senghor, first President of Senegal (b. 1906)