In A.D. 752, Pope Stephen II was elected to succeed Pope Zacharias; however, Stephen died only two days later.
In 1743, George Frideric Handel's oratorio "Messiah" had its London premiere. During the "Hallelujah Chorus", a captivated King George II rose to his feet. The audience followed suit, and the tradition of standing during the Chorus was born.
In 1775, in a speech to the Virginia Provincial Convention, Patrick Henry made his famous plea for American independence from Britain, saying, "Give me liberty, or give me death!"
In 1806, explorers Lewis and Clark, having reached the Pacific Coast, began their journey back east.
In 1919, Benito Mussolini founded his Fascist political movement in Milan, Italy.
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Film director Akira Kurosawa (1910)
Comedian Marty Allen (1922)
Actress Amanda Plummer (1957)
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"The secret of successful management is to keep the five guys who hate you away from the five guys who haven't made up their minds."
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Casey Stengel, American baseball manager (1891-1975)