Today in History for 2nd December 2021:
Historical Events
1950 – South African world bantamweight boxing champion Vic Toweel sets a record for knockdowns in a title fight against Englishman Danny Sullivan in Johannesburg; Sullivan floored 14 times in 10 rounds before fight stopped
1960 – Paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey discovers 1.4 million year old Homo erectus (Olduvai Hominid 9) in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
1970 – Michael Tippett’s opera “The Knot Garden” premieres in London
1974 – MLB Rules Committee changes long time philosophy to permit the use of cowhide, rather than just horsehide in the manufacture of baseballs
2001 – Davis Cup Tennis, Melbourne: Nicolas Escudé defeats Wayne Arthurs of Australia 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 to give France a 3-2 victory; 9th French title, despite not playing a single match on home soil
2013 – China launches its first moon rover mission
Famous Birthdays
1728 – Ferdinando Galiani, Italian economist (Della Moneta), born in Chieti, Italy (d. 1787)
1813 – Jacob Rosenhaim, Jewish-German composer, born in Mannheim, Germany (d. 1894)
1869 – Jonas Cohn, German philosopher (Theory of the Dialects), born in Görlitz, Germany (d. 1947)
1947 – Andy Rouse, British auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1981; British Saloon Car C’ship 1975, 83-85; Britcar 1985), born in Dymock, Gloucestershire, England
1948 – T. C. Boyle, American novelist (World’s End), born in Peekskill, New York
1954 – Dan Butler, American actor (Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe-Frasier), born in Huntington, Indiana
Famous Deaths
1463 – Albert VI, Archduke of Austria, dies at 44
1814 – Marquis de Sade, French philosopher and writer (Justine), dies at 74. The words sadism and sadist are derived from his name.
1980 – Romain Gary, Lithuanian-born French writer (b. 1914)
1993 – Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug lord, shot to death by Colombian Police at 44
2005 – Van Tuong Nguyen, Australian drug smuggler (hanged) (b. 1980)
2020 – Pat Patterson, Canadian pro wrestler (WWE Hall of Fame; creator Royal Rumble), dies from cancer at 79