August 3 Dateline

Birthdays

1920 - P.D. James, OBE, FRSA, FRSL (Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park), English mystery & crime writer. She rose to fame for her series of detective novels featuring police commander and poet Adam Dalgliesh.

1924 - Leon Uris (born Leon Marcus Uris), American author of historical fiction who wrote many bestselling books including Exodus, Trinity, Mila 18, Topaz, and QBVII. 

1926 - Tony Bennett (born Anthony Dominick Benedetto), American singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. He is also a painter, having created works under the name Anthony Benedetto that are on permanent public display in several institutions. He is the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York. (Tony Bennett - Tender is the Night, from the movie of the same name, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel Tender is the Night. YouTube. Accessed August 3, 2018.

1940 - Martin Sheen (born Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez), American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films The Subject Was Roses and Badlands, and later achieved wide recognition for his leading role in Apocalypse Now, as United States President Josiah Bartlet in the television series The West Wing, and recently as Robert Hanson in the Netflix television series Grace and Frankie. In film, Sheen has won the Best Actor award his performance as Kit Carruthers in Badlands. Sheen's portrayal of Capt. Willard in Apocalypse Now earned a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. Sheen has directed one film, Cadence, in which he appears alongside his sons Charlie and Ramón. He has produced and directed documentary television, earning two Daytime Emmy awards. 

Leftie:
None known

 

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 3 August - On This Day.

 

Below is a video of the exciting overture finale of G. Rossini's famous William Tell.

Historical Events

215 BC - The Battle of Cannae, part of the Second Punic War, takes place. Actually the exact date can never be absolutely certain, but the battle is fought in high summer. It is considered one of the most crushing defeats endured by a Roman army. Hannibal, a Carthaginian general, and his cavalry, were superb and held the Roman horse in stalemate while the slaughter continued.

1492 - Christopher Columbus sets sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain, his first voyage. He returns with previously unknown goods such as tobacco, pineapples, the hammock, and the turkey.

1777 - Joseph Haydn's opera buffa, Il mondo della luna, Hob. 28/7 (The World of the Moon), is first performed at Eszterhaza, Hungary this day, in 1777.  Libretto is written by Carlo Goldoni in 1750, and first performed at Eszterháza, Hungary this day, in 1777. 

1783 - Mount Asama in Japan erupts, killing 35,000 people. The volcano is still active erupting again on September 1, 2004.

1829 - Gioacchino Rossini's opera William Tell is first performed,in Paris.

1946 - The National Basketball Association (NBA) is founded in the U.S.

1947 - Maria Callas makes her international operatic debut in Verona, Italy, starring in La Gioconda.

1960 - France grants Niger its independence.

2004 - The Statue of Liberty is reopened for the first time since the September 11, 2001 attack on the U.S.

2005 - King Abdullah (previously known as Crown Prince Abdullah) becomes the new king of Saudi Arabia. He ascends to the throne after the death of his half-brother King Fahd.


Video Credit:
Rossini William Tell Overture (Final). Youtube, uploaded by Earthatic. Accessed August 3, 2017.


Resources:

 
1. Asiado, Tel. The World's Movers and Shapers. New Hampshire: Ore Mountain Publishing House (2005)

2. Britannica. www.britannica.com
3. Chambers Biographical Dictionary, 19th Ed. London: Chambers Harrap, 2011
4. Dateline. Sydney: Millennium House, (2006)
5. Grun, Bernard. The Timetables of History, New 3rd Revised Ed. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (1991)
6. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org



(c) Sept 2009. Updated August 3, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.