22 November 2006

This day in history: 22 Nov

498: Symmachus and Laurentius were elected pope following the death of Anastasius II.

1718: Edward Teach (or Thatch) - the infamous Blackbeard - was killed in action after attacking HMS Ranger, commanded by Lt Robert Maynard, RN.

1922: Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon* opened Tutankhamun's tomb.

1935: Trans-Pacific mail service began when the Martin 130 China Clipper took off from Alameda, California, bound for Manila.


1943: FDR, Winston Churchill and Chiang Kai-Shek met in Cairo to discuss strategy for the Pacific war.

1944: HM submarine Stratagem (P234) was sunk in the Straits of Malacca by a Japanese destroyer. Eight men successfully escaped to the surface and were picked up by the Japanese; only three survived until the end of the war.

1963: JFK was assassinated in Dallas. By someone.

1975: Juan Carlos was declared King of Spain, following the death of Francisco Franco.

In addition to Blackbeard (ca 1680-1718) and JFK (1917-1963), Sir Martin Frobisher (ca 1535-1594), Robert Clive, KB, Baron Clive of Plassey (1725-1774), Sir Arthur S Sullivan (1842-1900), Jack London (1876-1916), Shemp Howard (1895-1955), C S Lewis (1898-1963), Mae West (1893-1980), Scatman Crothers (1910-1986), Charles Upham, VC and Bar (1908-1994) and Mark Lenard (1924-1996) died on this date.

And happy birthday to Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (1428-1471), Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784), Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), Wiley Post (1898-1935), Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), Rodney Dangerfield (1921-2004), Robert Vaughn (1932-TBD) and Terry Gilliam (1940-TBD).


* George Herbert, fifth Earl of Carnarvon.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nice to read about the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. I am trying to collect as much information about him as I can -- being at the moment reading "The untold story" (of King Tut) by Thomas Hoving. The 6th Earl of Carnarvon famously said, "I would not enter Tut's tomb even if they paid me a million pounds". But I'm trying to locate photos of the fifth earl in his youth, of his family seat, records of his apparently many sporting achievements, etc. etc.

Any information gratefully received at my snail-mail address below.

All best,

J. L.

J. L. Speranza, Esq.
The Anglo-Argentine
Attic of Eccentricities

St. Michael & St. George Hall
Calle 58, No. 611
La Plata B1900PBY
Buenos Aires, Argentina.