On this day in History - Dec. 13

• 0872 - Pope John VIII is elected. 108th Pope.
• 1048 - Al-Biruni dies (b. 0973). Persian mathematician.
• 1124 - Pope Callixtus II dies.
• 1126 - Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria dies.
• 1204 - Maimonides dies (b. 1135). Spanish rabbi and philosopher. He was the foremost intellectual figure of medieval Judaism, whose works, written in Hebrew and Arabic, influenced both Jewish and non-Jewish scholars.
• 1250 - Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor dies (b. 1194).
• 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months; Celestine hoped to return to his previous life as an ascetic hermit.
• 1404 - Albert, Count of Holland dies (b. 1336).
• 1466 - Donatello (Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi) dies (b. 1386). Florentine artist and sculptor.
• 1516 - Johannes Trithemius dies (b. 1462). German cryptographer.
• 1521 - King Manuel I of Portugal dies (b. 1469).
• 1521 - Pope Sixtus V was born (d. 1590) . Religious leader.
• 1533 - King Eric XIV of Sweden was born (d. 1577).
• 1545 - Council of Trent begins.
• 1550 - The city of Ferreñafe is founded in Perú.
• 1553 - King Henry IV of France was born (d. 1610).
• 1557 - Niccolo Fontana Tartaglia dies. Italian mathematician
• 1565 - Conrad Gessner dies (b. 1516). Swiss naturalist.
• 1577 - Sir Francis Drake sets out with five ships from Plymouth, England, on a nearly three-year journey that would take him around the world.
• 1585 - William Drummond of Hawthornden was born (d. 1649). Scottish poet.
• 1603 - D. Antonio de Meneses was born (d. 1675). Portuguese militar, 1st Marquis of Marialva and 3rd Count of Cantanhede.
• 1603 - François Viète dies (b. 1540). French mathematician.
• 1621 - Katarina Stenbock dies (b. 1535). Queen of Gustav I of Sweden.
• 1636 - The Massachusetts Bay Colony organizes three militia regiments to defend the colony against the Pequot Indians. This organization is recognized today as the founding of the United States National Guard.
• 1640 - Robert Plot was born (d. 1696). English naturalist.
• 1642 - Abel Janszoon Tasman reaches New Zealand.
• 1643 - English Civil War: The Battle of Alton takes place in Hampshire.
• 1662 - Francesco Bianchini was born (d. 1729). Italian philosopher and scientist.
• 1678 - Yongzheng Emperor of China was born (d. 1735).
• 1716 - Charles de La Fosse dies (b. 1640). French painter.
• 1720 - Carlo Gozzi was born (d. 4 Apr 1806). Italian poet and dramatist.
• 1721 - Alexander Selkirk dies (b. 1676). Scottish sailor and castaway.
• 1724 - Franz Aepinus was born (d. 1802). German scientist.
• 1729 - Anthony Collins dies (b. 1676). English philosopher.
• 1730 - Sir William Hamilton was born (d. 6 Apr 1803). English diplomat and archaeologist.
• 1754 - Mahmud I dies (b. 1696). Ottoman Sultan.
• 1769 - Dartmouth College founded by the Rev. Eleazar Wheelock, with a Royal Charter from King George III, on land donated by Royal Governor John Wentworth.
• 1769 - Christian Fürchtegott Gellert dies (b. 1715). German poet.
• 1783 - Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin dies (b. 1717). Swedish astronomer.
• 1784 - Samuel Johnson dies in London (b. 1709). British writer and lexicographer, regarded as one of the greatest figures of 18th-century life and letters for his biographies and essays.
• 1784 - Archduke Louis of Austria was born (d. 1864).
• 1789 - The National Guard was created in France.
• 1797 - Heinrich Heine was born in Dusseldorf (d. 1856). German poet. "Onde livros são queimados, seres humanos estão destinados a ser queimados também". Leia em português «Com Mirtos e Rosas...».
  
• 1804 - Joseph Howe was born (d. 1873). Canadian statesman and publisher.
• 1807 - Almirante Tamandaré (Joaquim Marques Lisboa) was born in Rio Grande-RS (d. 20 Mar 1897). Brazilian almirant.
• 1814 - Ana Nery was born in Cachoeira de Paraguaçu- Bahia (d. 20 May 1880). Brazilian nurse.
• 1814 - Charles Joseph, Prince de Ligne dies (b. 1735). Belgian-born Austrian field marshal
• 1816 - Ernst Werner von Siemens was born (d. 1892). German engineer, inventor and industrialist.
• 1818 - Mary Todd Lincoln was born (d. 1882). First Lady of the United States.
  
• 1835 - John Storm dies (b. 1760). American Revolutionary soldier.
• 1836 - Franz von Lenbach was born (d. 1904). German painter.
• 1837 - Herman of Alaska dies (b. 1756). Russian Orthodox hermit.
• 1839 - Pedro Luís (P. L. Pereira de Sousa)was born in Araruama, RJ (d. 16 Jul 1884). Brazilian poet, journalist and politician.
• 1854 - Thomas Watson was born (d. 1934). American assistant to Alexander Graham Bell , telephone pioneer.
• 1856 - Svetozar Boroević was born (d. 1920). Austro-Hungarian field marshal.
• 1856 - Lawrence Lowell was born (d. 6 Jan 1943). American lawyer, educator, and president of Harvard University (1909-1933).
• 1860 - Lucien Guitry was born (d. 1925). French actor.
• 1862 - American Civil War: At the Battle of Fredericksburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee defeats the Union Major General Ambrose E. Burnside.
• 1863 - Christian Friedrich Hebbel dies (b. 1813). German writer.
• 1864 - Emil Seidel was born (d. 1947). Mayor of Milwaukee.
• 1867 - Kristian Birkeland was born (d. 1917). Norwegian explorer and scientist.
• 1868 - Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius dies (b. 1794). German botanist.
• 1870 - Edward LeSaint was born (d. 1940). American actor and director.
• 1871 - Emily Carr was born (d. 1945). Canadian artist.
• 1874 - Josef Lhévinne was born (d. 1944). Russian-born pianist.
• 1881 - August Senoa dies (b. 1838). Austro-Hungarian writer.
• 1883 - Belle da Costa Greene was born (d. 1950). American librarian, bibliographer and archivist.
• 1883 - Victor de Laprade dies (b. 1812). French poet and critic.
• 1884 - first performance of any of Richard Strauss's compositions in the United States (Symphony in f, New York Philharmonic).
• 1886 - Diego Rivera was born (d. 1957). Mexican painter and muralist (d. 1957).
• 1887 - George Polya was born (d. 1985). Hungarian-born mathematician.
• 1887 - Alvin York was born (d. 1964). American military hero of World War.
• 1890 - Marc Connelly was born (d. 21 Dec. 1980). American playwright and journalist.
• 1895 - Premiere of Gustav Mahler's Resurrection Symphony in Berlin.
• 1895 - Anyos Jedlik dies (b. 1800). Hungarian physicist.
• 1897 - Drew Pearson was born (d. 1969). American journalist.
• 1902 - Talcott Parsons wasborn (d. 1979). American sociologist.
• 1903 - Italo Marcioni patented the first ice-cream cone, in New Jersey, USA.
• 1903 - Carlos Montoya was born (d. 1993). Spanish guitarist.
• 1903 - Ella Baker was born in Norfolk, Virginia (d. 13 Dec 1986). American civil rights activist.
• 1903 - John Piper was born. English writer and painter.
• 1906 - Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent was born (d. 1968).
• 1906 - Sir Laurens van der Post was born (d. 1996). Afrikaner-born South African author.
• 1910 - Van Heflin was born (d. 1971). American actor.
• 1911 - Trygve Haavelmo was born (d. 1999). Norwegian economist and Nobel Prize laureate.
• 1911 - Kenneth Patchen was born (d. 1972). American poet and painter.
• 1912 - Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento was born. Brazilan musician and popular composer known as "rei do baião".
• 1913 - Lu Marival was born in São Paulo. Brazilian actress.
• 1913 - Archie Moore was born (d. 1998). American boxer and World Light-Heavyweight from 1952 to 1962.
• 1913 - Arnold Brown was born (d. 2002). The 11th General of The Salvation Army.
• 1915 - Curd Jürgens was born (d. 1982). German-born Austrian actor.
• 1915 - Ross Macdonald was born (d. 1983). American-born author.
• 1915 - B. J. Vorster was born (d. 1983). Prime Minister of South Africa 1966-1978.
• 1917 - John Hart was born. American actor.
• 1918 - President Wilson arrived in France, becoming the first U.S. president to visit Europe while in office.
• 1918 - Bill Vukovich was born in Fresno, California (d. 30 May 1955). American F-Indy car racer.
• 1919 - Hans-Joachim Marseille was born (d. 1942). German Fighter Ace of World War II.
• 1919 - Woldemar Voigt dies (b. 1850). German physicist.
• 1920 - League of nations established the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
• 1920 - George Shultz was born. United States Secretary of State 1982-1989.
• 1921 - The Four-Power Pact was signed during the Washington Conference by the United States, Great Britain, Japan, and France, stipulating that all the signatories would be consulted in the event of a controversy between two of them over “any Pacific question.”
• 1922 - Hannes Hafstein dies (b. 1861). Icelandic politician and poet.
• 1923 - Philip Warren Anderson was born. American physicist and Nobel Prize laureate.
• 1923 - Larry Doby was born (d. 2003). American baseball player.
• 1924 - Samuel Gompers dies (b. 1850). American labor and political leader, founder of AFL
• 1925 - Dick Van Dyke was born in West Plains, Missouri. American actor and comedian whose film credits include 'Mary Poppins' (1964) and 'Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang' (1968).
• 1926 - George Rhoden was born. Jamaican athlete and Olympic gold medalist.
• 1926 - Simões de Almeida dies (b. 1884). Portuguese sculptor.
• 1928 - George Gershwin's musical work "An American in Paris" had its premiere, at Carnegie Hall in New York. The debut was performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Walter Damrosch.
• 1929 - Christopher Plummer was born. Canadian actor (The Sound of Music' (1965) and 'The Man Who Would be King' (1975).
• 1930 - Buck White was born. Country singer.
• 1930 - Robert Prosky was born. American actor.
• 1930 - Fritz Pregl dies (b. 1869). Austrian chemist who was Nobel Prize laureate.
• 1931 - Gustave le Bon dies (b. 1840). French psychologist.
• 1932 - Georgios Jakobides dies (b. 1853). Greek painter.
• 1933 - Lou Adler was born. Music-movie producer.
• 1934 - British astronomer J.P.M. Prentice discovered Nova Herculis, one of the brightest novas of the 20th century.
• 1934 - Richard D. Zanuck was born. American film producer.
• 1934 - Tião Carreiro was born (d. 15 Oct 1993). Brazilian singer, musician.
• 1934 - Thomas A. Watson dies (b. 1854). American assistant to Alexander Graham Bell.
• 1935 - Adélia Prado was born. Brazilian writer.
• 1935 - Joe Christopher was born. American baseball player.
• 1935 - Ken Hall was born. American football player.
• 1935 - Lindy McDaniel was born. American baseball player.
• 1935 - Victor Grignard dies (b. 1871). French chemist and Nobel Prize laureate.
• 1936 - His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan (Prince Karim El Husseni) was born. (49th) Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims since July 11, 1957.
• 1936 - J. C. Martin was born. American baseball playern.
• 1937 - Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanjing - Nanjing, defended by the National Revolutionary Army under the command of General Tang Shengzhi, falls to the Japanese, leading to the Nanjing Massacre, in which up to 300,000 Chinese may have been killed.
• 1937 - Nanjing Massacre. Japanese troops begin carrying out several weeks of raping and killing of civilians and suspected Chinese resistance after the fall of Nanjing.
• 1937 - Ron Taylor was born. Canadian baseball player.
• 1938 - The Holocaust: 100 deportees from Sachsenhausen build the Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg.
• 1938 - Alvin Curran was born. American composer.
• 1938 - Heino was born. German folk singer.
• 1939 - World War II: Battle of the River Plate - Captain Hans Langsdorff scuttles the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee after battle with Royal Navy cruisers HMS Exeter, HMS Ajax and HMNZS Achilles.
• 1939 - Eric Flynn was born (d. 2002). British actor and singer.
• 1940 - Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval dies (b. 1851). French physicist.
• 1941 - World War II: Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States.
• 1941 - John Davidson was born. American actor and game show host.
• 1942 - Anna Eshoo was born. American politician.
• 1942 - Wlodimir Ledochowski dies (b. 1866). Polish-Austrian director of the Society of Jesus.
• 1943 - World War II: 710 Bombers of U.S. 8th Air Force attack Kiel, Germany.
• 1943 - Ferguson Jenkins was born. Canadian baseball player.
• 1943 - Gösta Winbergh was born (d. 2002). Swedish tenor.
• 1944 - During World War II, the U.S. cruiser Nashville was badly damaged in a Japanese kamikaze suicide attack that claimed 138 lives.
• 1944 - Hwang Jang Lee was born. Korean martial artist and film actor.
• 1944 - Lupe Vélez dies (b. 1908). Mexican actress.
• 1944 - Wassily Kandinsky dies (b. 1866). Russian-born French artist.
• 1945 - Brian McGuire was born (d. 1977). Australian racing driver.
• 1945 - Kathy Garver was born. American actress.
• 1945 - Irma Grese dies (b. 1923). Nazi war criminal.
• 1945 - Josef Kramer dies (b. 1906). Commandant of Bergen Belsen concentration camp.
• 1945 - Elisabeth Volkenrath dies (b. 1919). Supervisor at concentration camps.
• 1947 - Darlene Cates was born. American actress
• 1947 - Dave Hamilton was born. American baseball player
• 1947 - Nicholas Roerich dies (b. 1874). Russian-born painter.
• 1948 - Brian Wilson was born. Scottish politician.
• 1948 - Jeff Baxter was born. American guitarist (Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers).
• 1948 - Lillian Board was born (d. 1970). British athlete.
• 1948 - Ted Nugent was born. American guitarist.
• 1948 - Ron Getman was born. Country singer (The Tractors).
• 1949 - The Knesset votes to move the capital of Israel to Jerusalem.
  
• 1949 - Paula Wilcox was born. English actress.
• 1949 - Robert Lindsay was born. British actor, who became known for the title role in the television series 'Citizen Smith' (1973-7).
• 1949 - Tom Verlaine was born. American singer/guitarist of Television.
• 1949 - Randy Owen was born. Country singer-musician (Alabama).
• 1950 - Tom Vilsack was born. Governor of Iowa.
• 1950 - Wendie Malick was born. American actress.
• 1950 - Abraham Wald dies (b. 1902). Hungarian mathematician.
• 1951 - Margaret Thatcher (Roberts) marries Denis Thatcher at City Methodist in London.
• 1952 - Sylvester Ritter was born (d. 1998). Professional wrestler better known as Junkyard Dog.
• 1953 - Ben Bernanke was born. American economist and current United States Chairman of the Federal Reserve.
• 1953 - Bill Castro was born. Dominican baseball player.
• 1953 - Bob Gainey was born. Canadian ice hockey player.
• 1954 - John Anderson was born. American country musician.
• 1954 - Tamora Pierce was born. American author.
• 1954 - Steve Forbert was born. Rock singer.
• 1954 - John Raymond Hubbell dies (b. 1879). American writer.
• 1955 - Sporting Cristal is founded. Peruvian football club.
• 1955 - Egas Moniz dies (b. 1874). Portuguese physician and Nobel Prize laureate.
• 1956 - Dale Berra was born. American baseball player.
• 1956 - Majida El Roumi was born. Lebanese singer.
• 1957 - Jean-Marie Messier was born. French businessman.
• 1957 - Morris Day was born. American singer (The Time).
• 1957 - Steve Buscemi was born. American actor.
• 1958 - The UN rejects a call for Algerian independence.
• 1958 - Lynn-Holly Johnson was born. American figure skater and actress.
• 1958 - Tim Moore dies (b. 1887). American actor.
• 1959 - Archbishop Makarios becomes the first President of Cyprus.
• 1959 - Nadia Russ was born. Soviet-born artist.
• 1959 - Jim Barrell was born. American professional wrestler.
• 1959 - Johnny Whitaker was born. American actor.
• 1960 - Daggubati Venkatesh was born. Indian actor.
• 1960 - José Eduardo Águalusa was born in Huambo. Angolan writer.
• 1961 - Gary Zimmerman was born. American football player.
• 1961 - Harry Gregson-Williams was born. British composer.
• 1961 - Irene Sáez was born. Venezuelan, Miss Univers 1981 and politician.
• 1961 - Grandma Moses dies (b. 1860). American painter.
• 1962 - NASA "Relay 1" launch, first active repeater communications satellite in orbit.
• 1963 - Jake White was born. South African rugby union coach.
• 1964 - Matsumoto Hideto was born (d. 1998). Japanese musician.
• 1965 - Marko Mäetamm was born. Estonian artist.
• 1966 - Premiers bombardements américains sur la ville de Hanoï.
• 1966 - Don Roff was born. American writer and filmmaker.
• 1966 - Ross Burden was born. New Zealand celebrity chef.
• 1967 - Constantine II of Greece attempts an unsuccessful counter-coup against the Regime of the Colonels.
  
• 1967 - Bo Pelini was born. American football coach.
• 1967 - Jamie Foxx was born. American actor.
• 1968 - Brazilian president Artur da Costa e Silva decrees the AI-5 (or the fifth Institutional Act), which lasts until 1978 and marks the beginning of the hard times of Brazilian military dictatorship.
• 1968 - Tony Curran was born. Scottish actor.
• 1969 - Murat Nasyrov was born (d. 2007). Russian singer.
• 1969 - Sergei Fedorov was born. Russian hockey player.
• 1969 - Raymond A. Spruance dies (b. 1886). American admiral.
• 1969 - Spencer Williams, Jr. dies (b. 1893). American actor.
• 1972 - A chartered Spanish airliner crashes on takeoff from the Canary Islands, killing 155.
• 1972 - Apollo program: Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt begin the sixth and final Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) or "Moonwalk" of Apollo 17. This was the last manned mission to the moon of the 20th century.
• 1972 - Mauricio Solís was born. Costa Rican football player.
• 1973 - Rael, leader of the Raelian Movement claims to meet an ET he says is named Yahweh, during an alleged UFO encounter in Puy de Lassolas, France.
• 1973 - Christie Clark was born. American actress.
• 1973 - Henry Green dies (b. 1905). English author.
• 1974 - Malta becomes a republic.
• 1974 - The Detroit Wheels of the WFL are established.
• 1974 - Nicholas McCarthy was born. British-born guitarist (Franz Ferdinand).
• 1974 - Sara Cox was born. TV and Radio presenter.
• 1975 - Bates Battaglia was born. American ice hockey player.
• 1975 - Matthew LeCroy was born. American baseball player.
• 1975 - Tom DeLonge was born. American guitarist (blink-182, Angels & Airwaves).
• 1976 - Josh Fogg was born. American baseball player.
• 1976 - Radoslaw Sobolewski was born. Polish football player.
• 1976 - Søren Friis was born. Danish footballer.
• 1977 - A United States government aircraft DC-3 crashes near Evansville Regional Airport, killing 29, including the University of Evansville basketball team.
• 1977 - Christopher Hudgens was born. American painter.
• 1977 - Peter Stringer was born. Irish rugby union footballer.
• 1977 - Sascha Kindred was born. British Paralympic swimmer.
• 1978 -The U.S. Mint began stamping the Susan B. Anthony dollar, the first U.S. coin honoring a woman.
• 1978 - BJ Penn was born. American mixed martial artist.
• 1978 - Ryo Kawakita was born. Japanese guitarist (Maximum the Hormone).
• 1979 - The Canadian Government of Prime Minister Joe Clark is defeated in the House of Commons, prompting the 1980 Canadian election.
• 1979 - Jon Hall dies (b. 1915). American actor.
• 1980 - Doug Stepina dies (b. 1980). Musician, American rock band, Dialogue.
• 1981 - The Brazilian club Flamengo wins the Intercontinental Cup in football (soccer) beating Liverpool by 3-0.
• 1981 - General Wojciech Jaruzelski declares martial law in an attempt to crush the Solidarity movement.
• 1981 - Amy Lee was born. American singer (Evanescence).
• 1981 - Chelsea Hertford was born. Actress (''Major Dad'').
• 1981 - Pigmeat Markham dies (b. 1904). American entertainer.
• 1982 - Um terramoto no Iêmen resulta em cerca de 3000 mortos e 2000 feridos.
• 1982 - Anthony Callea was born. Australian singer/songwriter.
• 1982 - Dominik Werling was born. German footballer.
• 1982 - Freddie Weinke was born. American football player.
• 1982 - Ricky Nolasco was born. American baseball player.
• 1982 - Tuka Rocha was born. Brazilian racing driver.
• 1983 - The Denver Nuggets and the Detroit Pistons play in the highest scoring NBA game in history, with the Pistons winning 186-184 in triple overtime. In addition to most points in a game, this game also set the record for most field goals made (136), and most assists (93).
• 1983 - Matt Deis was born. American bassist.
• 1983 - Otylia Jędrzejczak was born. Polish swimmer, FINA World Champion and Olympic gold medalist .
• 1983 - Nichita Stanescu dies (b. 1933). Romanian poet.
• 1983 - Alexander Schmemann dies (b. 1921). Orthodox Christian priest and theologian.
• 1983 - Mary Renault dies (b.1905 in Forest Gate, London). English novelist, whose books often deal with life in Ancient Greece.
• 1984 - Alina Vacariu was born. Romanian supermodel.
  
• 1987 - FC Porto were World Champions winning in Tokyo, by the first time in their historial, the Intercontinental Cup (the second time was on 12 Dec 2005 in Yokohama).
• 1987 - Belgium Christian Democrats (CVP) loses parliamentary election.
• 1988 - PLO chairman Yasser Arafat addressed the U.N. General Assembly in Geneva, where it had reconvened after the United States refused to grant Arafat a visa to visit New York.
• 1988 - Agreement is reached between the US, South Africa, Angola and Cuba for Namibian independence and the withdrawal of Cuban forces from Angola.
• 1988 - Darcy Blake was born. Welsh footballer.
• 1989 - The last issue of Gnistan (The Spark), the organ of the Solidaritetspartiet, is published in Sweden.
• 1989 - South African President F.W. de Klerk met for the first time with imprisoned African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela, at de Klerk's office in Cape Town.
• 1989 - Taylor Swift was born. American singer/songwriter.
• 1991 - Jay Greenberg was born. American composer.
• 1991 - La Corée du Nord et la Corée du Sud signent un traité de non agression et de réconciliation après 46 ans de conflit.
• 1991 - Jay Greenberg was born. American composer.
• 1992 - Foootball: São Paulo F.C., Brazilian club, wins Intercontinental Cup beating Barcelona (2-1).
• 1992 - Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney dies (b. 1899). American businessman and heir.
  
• 1992 - K.C. Irving dies (b. 1899). Canadian industrialist.
• 1993 - Vanessa Duriès dies (b. 1972). French novelist.
• 1994 - Norman Beaton dies. Guyanese actor.
• 1996 - Kofi Annan of Ghana chosen to become Secretary-General of The United Nations.
• 1998 - Puerto Rico voters rejected statehood by a vote of 50.2% to 46.5%. The winning option was none of the above, but interpreted as a decision to remain as commonwealth, a US territory with local autonomy.
• 1998 - Baron Lew Grade dies (b.1906 in Odessa, Ukraine). Theatrical impresario, who headed several large British film entertainment and communications companies.
• 1999 - Lysâneas Maciel dies (b. 1927). Brazilian politician, human rights activist.
• 2000 - The "Texas 7" escape from the John Connally Unit near Kenedy, Texas and go on a robbery spree, during which police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot and killed.
• 2000 - Republican George W. Bush claimed the presidency 36 days after Election Day; Democrat Al Gore conceded defeat. American Vice President Al Gore delivers his concession speech ending his hopes of becoming the 43rd President of the United States.
• 2001 - the Indian Parliament Sansad is attacked by Terrorists, killing 15 people, including all the terrorists. Tensions escalate in South Asia, with nuclear war likelihoods.
• 2001 - The Pentagon released a captured videotape of Osama bin Laden in which the al-Qaida leader said the deaths and destruction achieved by the Sept. 11 attacks exceeded his ''most optimistic'' expectations.
• 2001 - In Belgium some 80,000 antiglobalization protesters rallied in Brussels against an EU summit set to start the next day.
• 2001 - Chuck Schuldiner dies (b. 1967). American guitarist, singer and songwriter (Death)
• 2002 - Enlargement of the European Union: The European Union announces that Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia will become members from May 1, 2004.
• 2002 - Zal Yanovsky dies (b. 1945). American musician (The Lovin' Spoonful).
• 2003 - Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is captured near his home town of Tikrit.
• 2003 - In the most-attended basketball game in history, 78.129 watch Michigan State University lose 79-74 to the University of Kentucky at Ford Field.
• 2003 - William V. Roth, Jr. dies (b. 1921). U.S. Senator.
• 2004 - Former Chilean dictator, General Augusto Pinochet is put under house arrest, after being sued under accusations over 9 kidnapping actions and manslaughter. The house arrest is lifted the same day on appeal.
• 2004 - Andre Rodgers dies (b. 1934). Bahamian baseball player.
• 2004 - David Wheeler dies (b. 1927). British computer scientist.
• 2004 - A moderate 5.4 Richter Scale earthquake hits Portugal.
• 2005 - Crips gang co-founder Stanley Tookie Williams, whose supporters argued he had redeemed himself inside prison, was executed in California for killing four people in robberies.
• 2005 - Prince Aymeric of Belgium and Prince Nicolas of Belgium were born.
• 2005 - Stanley Williams dies (b. 1953). Co-founder of the Crips and convicted murderer.
• 2005 - Timothy Jordan II dies (b. 1981). American musician (The All American Rejects, Jonezetta).
• 2006 - The Baiji, or Chinese River Dolphin, announced as extinct.
• 2006 - Lamar Hunt dies (b. 1932). American sports executive.
• 2007 - EU Treaty of Lisbon which reformulates the European Union is signed in Portugal.
• 2007 - The Mitchell Report is publicly released listing the names of 89 Major League Baseball players that have presumably used anabolic steroids and human growth hormones. Notable players to be named include Roger Clemens and Miguel Tejada.
• 2007 - Floyd Red Crow Westerman dies (b. 1936). American actor.
• 2007 - Mark Partridge dies (b. 1922). Rhodesian politician.
• 2008 - John Drake dies (b. 1959). New Zealand rugby union footballer.
• Catholicism - Saint Lucy's day.
• Malta - Republic Day (since 1974).
• St. Lucia Day in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and some regions of Italy, mainly Sicily, Veneto and Trentino. Also in Póvoa de Varzim (Portugal) "Santa Luzia".

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Um Jovem Camarada - Alberto de Serpa

Rua de Alberto de Serpa, Ramalde, Porto foto daqui

Meu Camarada moço,
— Lidos os teus poemas,
Dizer-te que não temas
Dar-lhes fogo, a morte, o esquecimento,

Se queres a Poesia,vai para ela
Puro, desnudo, de ímpeto violento,
Como para a mulher
Em que parou teu sonho, — se és o seu.

Vai, como ela te quer.
Mas se outra chama inflama o teu amor,
Se outro sonho tão belo te rendeu,
Tem a coragem nobre de depor
Os versos que não são teu instrumento.
Toma outras armas mais condizentes.
Não, a Poesia não a violentes!
Deixa os versos ao vento ...

Alberto de Serpa Esteves de Oliveira (nasceu no Porto a 12-12-1906, m. 8 de Outubro de 1992)

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Happy birthday - Bridgett Hall

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On this day in History - Dec. 12

• 0627 - Battle of Nineveh.
• 0884 - Carloman dies. King of the West Franks.
• 1098 - Massacre of Ma'arrat al-Numan: Crusaders breach the town's walls and massacre about 20,000 inhabitants. After finding themselves with insufficient food, they resort to cannibalism.
• 1198 - Averroes Ibn Rushd dies (b. 1126).
• 1212 - Geoffrey, Archbishop of York dies.
• 1254 - Alexander IV is elected Pope.
• 1298 - Archduke Albert II of Austria was born (d. 1358).
• 1408 - Order of the Dragon: The Order of the Dragon was first created on December 12, 1408 by Emperor Sigismund, then King of Hungary, and his wife Queen Barbara of Celje following the battle for possession of Bosnia.
• 1418 - Archduke Albert VI of Austria was born (d. 1463).
• 1531 - Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City.
• 1569 - Metropolitan Philip of Moscow dies (b. 1507).
• 1574 - Anne of Denmark was born (d. 1619). Queen consort of James I of England.
• 1574 - Selim II dies (b. 1524).Ottoman Sultan.
• 1586 - Stefan Batory dies (b. 1533). King of Poland.
• 1610 - Saint Vasilije was born (d. 1671).
• 1659 - Francesco Galli-Bibiena was born (d. 1739). Italian architect / designer.
• 1685 - John Pell dies (b. 1610). English mathematician.
• 1712 - Prince Charles of Lorraine was born (d. 1780). Austrian military leader.
• 1719 - The Boston Gazette is published for the first time.
• 1724 - Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood was born (d. 1816). British admiral.
• 1736 - D. António Manuel de Vilhena dies (b. 28 May 1663). Gran-Master of Order of Malta.
• 1745 - John Jay was born (d. 1829). Chief Justice of the United States.
• 1751 - Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke dies (b. 1678). English statesman and philosopher.
• 1754 - Wu Jingzi dies (b. 1701). Chinese writer.
• 1766 - Johann Christoph Gottsched dies (b. 1700). German writer.
• 1779 - Madeleine Sophie Barat was born (d. 1865). French saint.
• 1781 - A Royal Navy squadron, commanded by Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt in HMS Victory, defeated a French fleet in the Second Battle of Ushant during the American Revolutionary War.
• 1783 - Ner Alexander Middleswarth was born (d. 1865). American politician.
• 1786 - William L. Marcy was born (d. 1857). American statesman.
• 1787 - Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the United States Constitution five days after Delaware became the first.
• 1789 - John Ponsonby dies (b. 1713). Irish politician.
• 1790 - Mikhail Shcherbatov dies (b. 1733). Russian philosopher and writer.
• 1791 - Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria was born (d. 1847). Second wife of Napoleon.
• 1799 - Karl Briullov was born (d. 1852). Russian painter.
• 1805 - Henry Wells was born (d. 1878). Founder of American Express.
• 1805 - William Lloyd Garrison was born (d. 1879). American abolitionist.
• 1806 - Stand Watie was born (d. 1871). American Confederate general and Cherokee leader.
• 1812 - French invasion of Russia comes to an end.
• 1817 - Emperor Tekle Giyorgis I of Ethiopia dies (b. about 1751).
• 1821 - Gustave Flaubert was born in Rouen (d. 1880). French novelist.
• 1843 - King William I of the Netherlands dies (b. 1772).
• 1845 - Bruce Price was born (d. 1903). American architect.
• 1849 - William Kissam Vanderbilt was born (d. 1920). Member of the Vanderbilt family.
• 1858 - Jacques Viger dies (b. 1787). Antiquarian and archeologist, first mayor of Montreal
• 1862 - USS Cairo sunk on the Yazoo River, becoming the first armored ship to be sunk by an electrically detonated mine.
• 1863 - Edvard Munch was born (d. 1944). Norwegian painter.
• 1864 - Paul Elmer More was born (d. 1937). American critic and essayist.
• 1866 - Alfred Werner was born (d. 1919). German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate.
• 1870 - Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the first black U.S. congressman.
• 1870 - Walter Benona Sharp was born (d. 1912). American oil baron.
• 1872 - A meteorite struck earth near the town of Banbury, England.
• 1875 - Gerd von Rundstedt was born (d. 1953). German field marshal.
• 1876 - Alvin Kraenzlein was born (d. 1928). American athlete.
• 1887 - Kurt Atterberg was born (d. 1974). Swedish composer.
• 1877 - José de Alencar dies (b. 1829). Brazilian writer (O Guarani) and politician.
• 1889 - Robert Browning dies (b. 1812). English poet.
• 1889 - Viktor Bunyakovsky dies (b. 1804). Russian mathematician.
• 1892 - Herman Potočnik Noordung was born (d. 1929). Slovenian rocket engineer.
• 1893 - Edward G. Robinson was born (d. 1973). American actor.
• 1894 - Sir John Thompson dies (b. 1845). Fourth Prime Minister of Canada.
• 1897 - Belo Horizonte, the first planned city of Brazil, is founded.
• 1900 - US Steel formed.
• 1900 - Sammy Davis, Sr. was born. American dancer.
• 1901 - Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.
• 1902 - Koloman Sokol was born (d. 2003). Slovak painter.
• 1903 - The City of Fairfield,California is incorporated.
• 1903 - Dagmar Nordstrom was born (d. 1976). American composer, pianist, one of The Nordstrom Sisters.
• 1903 - Yasujiro Ozu was born (d. 1963). Japanese film director.
• 1904 - Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg was born (d. 1981). Magazine editor, socialite.
• 1905 - Mànes Sperber was born (d. 1984). Austrian-born writer.
• 1906 - Alberto de Serpa was born in Porto (d. 8 Oct 1992). Portuguese poet.
• 1907 - Roy Douglas was born. British composer and orchestrator.
• 1908 - Gustav Ernesaks was born (d. 1993). Estonian composer and conductor.
• 1909 - Karen Morley was born (d. 2003). American actress.
• 1911 - The capital of India is shifted to New Delhi from Calcutta.
• 1913 - The Mona Lisa was recovered in Florence after having been stolen two years earlier (August 1911) from the Louvre.
• 1913 - Emperor Menelek II of Ethiopia dies (b. 1844).
• 1914 - Portugal: Victor Hugo de Azevedo Coutinho succeeds to Bernardino Luís Machado Guimarães on the seat of Prime-Minister.
• 1914 - Patrick O'Brian was born (d. 2000). British author.
• 1914 - José Sebastião e Silva was born in Mértola (d. 25 May 1972). Portuguese mathematician.
• 1914 - The largest one-day percentage drop in the history of Dow Jones Industrial Average, down 24.39%.
• 1915 - President of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai, reinstates the monarchy and proclaims himself Emperor of China.
• 1915 - Frank Sinatra was born (d. 1998). American singer and actor.
• 1917 - In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys (in 1979 it was opened to girls as well).
• 1918 - Joe Williams was born (d. 1999). American singer.
• 1919 - Joel Serrão was born in Funchal, Madeira. Portuguese historian and essayst.
• 1919 - Dan DeCarlo was born (d. 2001). American cartoonist.
• 1919 - Olivia Barclay was born (d. 2001). British astrologer.
• 1920 - Fred Kida was born. American comics artist.
• 1923 - Bob Barker was born. American television game show host.
• 1923 - Ken Kavanagh was born. Australian racing driver
• 1923 - Raymond Radiguet dies (b. 1903). French author.
• 1924 - Ed Koch was born. Mayor of New York City.
• 1924 - Spanish troops are pushed out of Morocco by Abd el Krim.
• 1925 - The Majlis of Iran votes to crown Reza Khan as the new Shah of Persia.
• 1925 - Vladimir Shainsky was born. Soviet and Russian composer.
• 1925 - Ahmad Shamlou was born (d. 2000). Iranian poet.
• 1926 - Jean Richepin dies (b. 1849). French poet.
• 1927 - Honor Blackman was born. English actress.
• 1927 - Robert Noyce was born (d. 1990). American inventor.
• 1928 - Chinghiz Aitmatov was born. Kyrgyz writer.
• 1929 - John Osborne was born (d. 1994). British dramatist .
• 1929 - Toshiko Akiyoshi was born. Japanese musician.
• 1929 - Charles Goodnight was born (d. 1836). American cattle baron.
• 1930 - Bill Beutel was born (d. 2006). American Journalist.
• 1931 - Lionel Blair was born. British actor, choreographer, tap dancer and television presenter.
• 1932 - Bob Pettit was born. American basketball star.
• 1934 - Miguel de la Madrid was born. President of Mexico.
• 1936 - Xi'an Incident: The Generalissimo of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang.
• 1937 - Panay incident Japanese aircraft sank the U.S. gunboat "Panay" on China’s Yangtze River. (Japan apologized, and paid $2.2 million in reparations).
• 1938 - Connie Francis was born. American singer.
• 1939 - Finland defeated the Soviet Union in the Battle of Tolvajärvi, their first major victory in the Winter War.
• 1939 - HMS Duchess (H64) sinks after a collision with HMS Barham off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men.
• 1939 - Douglas Fairbanks dies (b. 1883). American actor.
• 1940 - Approximately 70 people are killed in the Marples Hotel, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield as a result of a German air raid.
• 1940 - Sociedade Portuguesa de Matemática is founded.
• 1940 - Arnaldo Jabor was born. Brazilian cineast, critic and writer.
• 1940 - Sharad Pawar was born. Indian politician.
• 1940 - Dionne Warwick was born. American singer.
• 1941 - Fifty four Japanese A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines. Jesus Villamor and four Filipino fighter pilots fend them off; Cesar Basa is killed.
• 1941 - World War II: Great Britain declares war on Bulgaria. Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States. India declares war on Japan.
• 1941 - World War II: USMC F4F "Wildcats" sink the first 4 major Japanese ships off Wake Island.
• 1941 - Adolf Hitler announces extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery.
• 1942 - A fire in a hostel in St. John's, Newfoundland kills 100 people.
• 1943 - Dickie Betts was born. American musician (The Allman Brothers).
• 1943 - Grover Washington Jr. was born (d. 1999). American musician.
• 1944 - Jean Doré was born. Quebec politician, mayor of Montreal.
• 1944 - Kenneth Cranham was born. Scottish born actor.
• 1946 - A fire at a New York, New York ice plant spreads to a nearby tenement killing 37 people.
• 1946 - Emerson Fittipaldi was born. Brazilian racing driver.
• 1946 - Paula Wagner was born. American film executive.
• 1947 - The United Mine Workers union withdrew from the American Federation of Labor
• 1948 - Malayan Emergency: Batang Kali Massacre - 14 members of the Scots Guards stationed in Malaysia allegedly massacre 24 unarmed civilians and set fire to the village.
• 1948 - Tom Wilkinson was born. English actor.
• 1949 - Bill Nighy was born. English actor.
• 1949 - Rajnikanth (Shivaji Rao Gaekwad) was born. Indian actor.
• 1950 - Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services.
• 1950 - Billy Smith was born. National Hockey League goaltender.
• 1951 - Mildred Bailey dies (b. 1907). American jazz singer.
• 1952 - Cathy Rigby was born. American gymnast and actress.
• 1952 - Herb Dhaliwal was born. Canadian politician.
• 1952 - Bedřich Hrozný dies (b. 1879). Czech orientalist and linguist.
• 1953 - Bruce Kulick was born. American guitarist (KISS).
• 1954 - Liz Claman was born. American television anchor.
• 1955 - Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki was born. Greek businesswoman.
• 1956 - Commencement of the Irish Republican Army's Border Campaign.
• 1956 - Johan Van der Velde was born. Dutch cyclist.
• 1957 - Sheila E. was born. American musician.
• 1957 - José Lins do Rego dies (b. 1901). Brazilian writer.
• 1957 - Robert Lepage was born. French Canadian playwright.
• 1958 - Guiné is admited as UN member.
• 1962 - Mike Golic was born. American football player.
• 1962 - Tracy Austin was born. American tennis player.
• 1963 - Kenya gained its independence from Britain.
• 1963 - Yasujiro Ozu dies (b. 1903). Japanese film director.
• 1964 - Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta became the first President of the Republic of Kenya.
• 1964 - Sabu was born. American professional wrestler.
• 1966 - Royce Gracie was born. Brazilian martial artist.
• 1967 - John Randle was born. American football player.
• 1967 - Yuzo Koshiro was bor. Japanese composer.
• 1967 - Takenobu Mitsuyoshi was born. Japanese composer.
• 1967 - John Randle was born. American football player.
• 1968 - Kate Humble was born. English television presenter.
• 1968 - Rory Kennedy was born. American documentarian.
• 1968 - Laurie Williams was born (d. 2002). Jamaican West Indies cricketer.
• 1968 - Tallulah Bankhead dies (b. 1902). American actress.
• 1969 - Strategia della tensione: Piazza Fontana bombing - The offices of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana, Milan, are bombed.
• 1970 - Jennifer Connelly was born. American actress.
• 1970 - Madchen Amick was born. American actress.
• 1970 - Regina Hall was born. American actress.
• 1970 - Doris Blackburn dies (b. 1889). Australian politician.
• 1971 - David Sarnoff dies (b. 1891). Russian-born radio and television pioneer.
• 1972 - Two million people filled the streets of Azadi Square (Then Shahyad Square) in Tehran to protest against the Shah.
• 1972 - Hank Williams III was born. Grandson of Hank Williams.
• 1972 - Nicky Eaden was born. English football player.
• 1972 - Kevin Parent was born. Quebec singer and songwriter.
• 1972 - Brandon Teena was born (d. 1993). American hate crime victim.
• 1972 - Wilson Kipketer was born. Danish middle-distance runner.
• 1972 - Yeoryios Theodoridis, Greek sprinter.
• 1973 - William Hutton wa born. American engineer.
• 1973 - Walter Otta was born. Argentine footballer.
• 1974 - Rey Mysterio, Jr. was born. American wrestler.
• 1974 - Nolberto Solano was born. Peruvian footballer.
• 1975 - Sara Jane Moore pleaded guilty to a charge of trying to kill President Ford in San Francisco the previous September.
• 1975 - Mayim Bialik was born. American actress.
• 1975 - Craig Moore was born. Australian football player.
• 1976 - Dan Hawkins was born. English musician (The Darkness).
• 1976 - Keiko was born. Orca Whale in Free Willy.
• 1976 - Vinko Zganec dies (b. 1890). Croatian ethnomusicologist.
• 1977 - Orlando Hudson was born. American baseball player.
• 1977 - Colin White was born. Canadian ice hockey player.
• 1977 - Nicole, Erica and Jaclyn Dahm were born. American triplet Playboy models.
• 1977 - Bridgett Hall was born in Springdale, Arkansas. American supermodel.
• 1977 - Oxana Fedorova was born. Russian Miss Univers 2002, whose title would be retired.
• 1977 - Lady Spencer Churchill dies (b. 1885). Wife of Winston Churchill.
• 1978 - Evren Genis was born. Turkish composer.
• 1978 - Monica Barladeanu was born. Romanian actress.
• 1979 - Coup d'état of December Twelfth: South Korean military officer Chun Doo-hwan orders the arrest of Army Chief of Staff General Jeong Seung-hwa without authorization from President Choi Kyu-ha, alleging involvement in the assassination of ex-President Park Chung Hee.
• 1979 - President of Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq confers Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam.
• 1979 - Rhodesia changes its name to Zimbabwe.
• 1979 - Garrett Atkins was born. Baseball player.
• 1979 - Nate Clements was born. American football player.
• 1979 - Sharin Foo was born. Danish singer and bassist.
• 1980 - Jean Lesage dies (b. 1912). Politician, premier of Quebec.
• 1981 - The Chaos Computer Club was founded in Berlin.
• 1981 - Jeret Peterson was born. American aerial skier.
• 1981 - Ronnie Brown was born. American football player.
• 1981 - Pedro Ríos was born. Spanish football player.
• 1981 - Yuvraj Singh was born. Indian cricketer.
• 1981 - Stephen Warnock was born. English football player.
• 1982 - Women's peace protest at Greenham Common - 30,000 women hold hands and form a human chain around the 14.5 km (9 mi) perimeter fence.
• 1982 - Dmitry Tursunov was born. Russian tennis player.
• 1983 - Dallos is the first OAV (Original Animation Video) ever released.
• 1983 - Katrina Elam was born. American singer.
• 1983 - Brad Smith was born. American football player.
• 1984 - Maaouiya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya become the third president of Mauritania after coup d'etat against Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla while the later was attending a summit. Taya was ousted in March 2005 by Ely Ould Mohamed Vall in another coup.
• 1984 - Daniel Agger was born. Danish football player.
• 1984 - Daniel Merrett was born. Australian rules footballer.
• 1985 - Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland killing 256, including 248 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division.
• 1985 - Anne Baxter dies (b. 7 May 1923). American actress.
• 1985 - Ian Stewart dies (b. 1938). Scottish musician.
• 1986 - Perparim Hetemaj was born. Finnish footballer.
• 1986 - Thomas Wansey was born. English television actor.
• 1987 - Kate Todd was born. Canadian actress.
• 1987 - Enrique Jorrín dies (b. 1926). Cuban musician and composer.
• 1988 - Clapham Junction rail crash killed 35 and injured 100's after two collisions of three commuter trains. One of the worst train crashes in Britain.
• 1989 - Harry Eden was born. British actor.
• 1989 - Max Grundig dies (b. 1908). German industrialist.
• 1990 - Pakistan became the 37th country in the world to send an expedition to Antarctica.
• 1990 - Victor Moses was born. English footballer of Nigerian descent.
• 1991 - Russian Federation gains independance from the USSR.
• 1991 - Maastricht Treaty signed to create a European Community.
• 1991 - Daniel Magder was born. Canadian actor.
• 1992 - Suzanne Lilar dies (b 1901). Belgian esssayist, novelist and playwright.
• 1993 - József Antall dies (b. 1932). Hungarian politician.
• 1994 - The Brazilian Supreme Court acquitted former President Fernando Collor de Mello of the corruption charges that had forced him to resign in 1992.
• 1994 - Stuart Roosa dies (b. 1933). American astronaut.
• 1996 - Vance Packard dies (b. 1914). American author.
• 1996 - Uday Hussein is seriously injured in an assassination attempt.
• 1997 - Yevgeniy Landis dies (b. 1921). Russian mathematician.
• 1998 - The House Judiciary Committee approved a fourth and final article of impeachment against President Clinton.
• 1998 - Lawton Chiles dies (b. 1930). U.S. Senator from Florida and Governor of Florida.
• 1999 - Joseph Heller dies (b. 1923). American author.
• 2000 -The U.S. Supreme Court stopped the presidential election recount in Florida.
• 2000 - George Montgomery dies (b. 1916). American actor.
• 2001 - Yasir Arafat closed the offices of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
• 2001 - Jean Richard dies (b. 1921). French actor.
• 2002 - Jay Wesley Neill dies (b. 1965). American convicted murderer.
• 2002 - Brad Dexter dies (b. 1917). American actor.
• 2002 - Dee Brown dies (b. 1908). American author.
• 2003 - Geidar Aliev dies. President of Azerbaijan.
• 2003 - Joseph Anthony Ferrario dies (b. 1926). American Catholic prelate.
• 2003 - Paul Martin, Jr. is sworn-in as the 21st Prime Minister of Canada.
• 2003 - Keiko (Orca) dies. Willy in Free Willy.
• 2004 - FC Porto becomes World Champions in soccer (futebol, fútbol, football, fussball) in Yokohama, Japan, beatting Once Caldas on penalties decision (8-7) after a match null.
• 2005 - Annette Vadim dies (b. 1936). Danish actress.
• 2005 - Gebran Tueni dies (b. 1957). Lebanese politician.
• 2005 - Robert F. Newmyer dies (b. 1946). American film producer.
• 2006 - Peugeot produce their last car at the Ryton Plant signalling the end of mass car production in Coventry, formerly a major centre of the British motor industry.
• 2006 - Al Shugart dies (b. 1930). Pioneering American computer engineer and co-founder of Seagate Technology.
• 2006 - Kenny Davern dies (b. 1935). American jazz clarinetist.
  
• 2006 - Paul Arizin dies (b. 1928). American basketball player.
• 2006 - Peter Boyle dies (b. 1935). American actor.
• 2006 - Raymond P. Shafer dies (b. 1917). 38th Governor of Pennsylvania.
• 2007 - Francois Hajj (b. 1953), the Lebanese army's chief of operations, is assassinated.
• 2007 - Ike Turner dies (b. 1931). American singer, former husband of Tina Turner.
• Kenya Jamhuri Day :Independence Day from Britain (1963).
• Bahá'í Faith - Feast of Masá'il (Questions) - First day of the 15th month of the Bahá'í Calendar.
• Roman Catholic - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
• Turkmenistan - Neutrality Day.

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Manoel de Oliveira - Centenário do mais «jovem» cineasta em actividade

Manoel de Oliveira faz 100 anos. Desde Douro faina fluvial (o seu primeiro filme em 1931) e Aniki-Bóbó (a sua primeira longa metragem e apontado como pioneiro do neo-realismo em Portugal) a Singularidades de Uma Rapariga Loura (em produção), Manoel de Oliveira tem uma carreira excepcional, internacionalmente reconhecida, ainda que em Portugal o espectador comum não partilhe (por via dos longos planos fixos e sem grande acção, de que os seus filmes são impregnados) entusiasmadamente os encómios da crítica especializada.

Nascido no Porto, a 11 de Dezembro de 1908, Oliveira, doutorado honoris causa pela Univerdidade do Algarve, um dos maiores cineastas do mundo pode ser apontado como um expoente da cultura portuguesa, com uma marca singular na história do cinema, porque usando as suas próprias palavras «Qualquer coisa que eu filme, deixa de ser o que é para se tornar o que eu filmo».

A Zon Lusomundo lançou uma edição especial (e numerada) que nesta época natalícia pode constituir uma oferta excepcional.

Mais sobre Manoel de Oliveira

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A velocidade da luz (excerto) - Manuel Gusmão

Corpo feminino daqui

Há uma rotação do teu corpo
ou de uma parte dele que está pelo todo
e fora dos eixos do mundo.
Rodas a partir da cintura, estendes um braço,
há um músculo que se ilumina, uma onda
vertical em que tu própria te subisses;
então uma perna flecte-se, e o outro pé fica em ponta
oblíquo sobre o mundo que nesse instante
se suspende.

Há uma rotação do teu corpo –
Andas pela casa: és um leve rumor sob o silêncio
um rumor que alumia a sombra silenciosa;
na sala, o homem quase surdo quase cego
ouve-te, julga reconhecer-te: vens aí.

Estás aqui. O intervalo de tempo já começou:
há uma rotação no teu corpo
que me exclui do mundo e
entretanto é feita para mim; atinge-me
à velocidade da luz.
E eu o homem quase surdo quase cego
sou tomado pelo vento do fogo que me consome
até ser apenas a última brasa: pequenas ravinas de luz
o incêndio restante sob a exausta crosta da terra

Estavas, estiveste ali.
O tempo recomeça.
Apareces e desapareces.
Como a luz do farol disparando no céu sobre as casas
ou como o anúncio luminoso do prédio em frente
que varre intermitente a obscuridade do quarto no filme.
Quando voltará?

É como se soubesses
que voltará, sim, e que não, não poderá voltar.
Quando, e se voltar, serei eu talvez
quem já lá não está. Quando
é quando?
Quanto tempo ainda poderá o mundo voltar
à possibilidade dessa forma?

Manuel Gusmão (nasceu em Évora a 11 de Dezembro de 1945).

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International Mountain Day 2008

The United Nations General Assembly in its 78th plenary meeting, adopted a resolution to designate 11 December as International Mountain Day, as from 11 December 2003.

International Mountain Day is an opportunity to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build partnerships that will bring positive change to the world's mountains and highlands.

photo from here

Each year the International Mountain Day focuses on a specific theme that represents challenges and opportunities to mountain people and environments. This year, the theme for International Mountain Day will focus on Food Security in Mountains.

International Mountain Day 2008, with its theme of Food security in mountains, is an apt occasion to reflect on how hard it is for mountain people to consistently get adequate and nutritious food to lead healthy and active lives.

Never forget that mountains are the source of most of the world's freshwater and harbour some of the world's richest biodiversity.

Hint: If you have some time free take a walk on a moutain near your place of residence and breathe some clean air.

Know more about The International Mountain Day 2008

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