Today in History for 4th December 2021:
Historical Events
1489 – Battle of Baza – Spanish army captures Baza from Moors
1954 – The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida, USA
1955 – Bernardus Johannes Alfrink installed as Archbishop of Utrecht
1986 – US launches its Fleet Satellite Communications System (Fltsatcom-7)
1993 – Johann Koss skates world record 5K (6:35.53)
2014 – Mosconi Cup nine-ball pool, Blackpool, England: Team Europe beats US, 11-5 for 5th straight title; MVP: Niels Feijen (Netherlands)
Famous Birthdays
1713 – Gasparo Gozzi, Italian critic and dramatist, born in Venice (d. 1786)
1913 – Robert Adler, Austrian-American inventor (remote control for television), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2007)
1944 – Dennis Wilson, American drummer and vocalist (Beach Boys), born in Hawthorne, California (d. 1983)
1956 – Blagoi Blagoyev, Bulgarian weightlifter (World C’ship gold – 90kg 1991, 92, 93; Olympic silver – 82.5kg 1976), born in Veliki Preslav, Bulgaria
1974 – Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball second baseman and manager (first Japanese position player to win World Series 2005, Chicago White Sox; Chiba Lotte Marines), born in Tokyo, Japan
1975 – Marci Miller [Jobson], American soccer midfielder and coach (17 caps; coach Baylor), born in St. Charles, Illinois
Famous Deaths
1371 – Reinald III, the Fat Duke, duke of Gelre (1343-61), dies at 38
1954 – Nina Vasar, wife of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, dies
1994 – Robert Jesse Charleston, museum curator, dies at 78
1996 – Willard Parker, American actor (Kiss Me Kate, What A Woman), dies at 84
1997 – Richard Vernon, British actor (Gandhi, Hard Days Night), dies at 72
2007 – Friedrich Zehm, German pianist and composer, dies at 85