On August 23rd these people were born ...
1754 Louis XIV, King of France.
1869 Edgar Lee Masters, US poet and novelist.
1912 Gene Kelly, US singer and dancer.
1929 Peter Thompson, Australian golfer.
1930 Vera Miles, actress.
1947 David Robb, actor.
1947 Keith Moon, British rock drummer.
1947 Willy Russell, English playwright.
1949 Christopher Blake, actor.
1949 Geoff Capes, shot putter.
1949 Rick Springdfield, actor, singer.
1949 Shelley Long, actress.
1951 Queen Noor of Jordan.
1962 Shaun Ryder, rock singer (The Happy Mondays).
1970 River Phoenix, actor.
1976 Scott Caan, actor. (Dano - five O).
... and these people died ...
1305 William Wallace, Scottish patriot.
1806 Charles Auguste de Coulomb, French physicist.
1926 Rudolph Valentino, Italian born Hollywood star.
1927 Nicola Sacco and Bartolemeo Vanzetta, Italian-Americans executed
by mistake, accused of robbery and murder.
1960 Oscar Hammerstein II, US lyricist.
1987 Didier Peroni, French racing driver.
2005 Robert A Moog, produced the first synthesizer keyboards. (71)
2011 John Howard Davies, produced comedy classics (Fawlty Towers and The Good Life). (72)
... and these things happened - On August 23rd
Romania, National Day.
1793 France started first national conscription, unmarried 18-25 men.
1813 French were driven back by the Prussians, Battle of Grossbeeren.
1833 Britain abolishes slavery in colonies; 700,000 slaves freed
1839 Hong Kong was taken by the British.
1873 The Albert Bridge across the Thames at Chelsea was opened.
1909 British counter espionage unit formed, later to become MI5.
1911 Mona Lisa (Da Vinci 1503) stolen from the Louvre in Paris.
1919 "Gasoline Alley" cartoon strip premiers in Chicago Tribune
1921 Emir Feisal, formerly King of Syria, crowned King of Iraq.
1939 USSR and Germany signed a non-aggression pact.
1940 The German blitz of London began with an all-night bombing raid.
1947 First Edinburgh Festival of Music and Drama held.
1948 The World Council of Churches was founded.
1957 Digital Equipment Corp. founded
1966 Lunar Orbiter 1 takes first photograph of earth from the moon
1973 First Intelsat communications satellite launched
1977 Elvis Presley buried in Memphis, Tenesee.
1977 First man-powered flight (Bryan Allen in Gossamer Condor)
1994 China's Zhejiang province hit by typhoon, 700 dead.
2000 Bass sold 223 year old beer brewery to Interbrew for £2.3 bn.
2001 A 5 year old boy youngest ever to pass a GCSE exam, maths grade D
2001 GCSE results released, boys catching up with girls.
2001 Lennon's white piano went back on display at the Beatles Museum.
2001 Robertson's controversial Gollywog logo dropped after 91 years.
2002 Business editor of the NY Times fell to his death from 15th floor
2002 Caroline Corr (of the Corrs) married Frank Woods in Majorca.
2003 Directory enquiries 192 number, started in 1966, ceased to exist
2003 Notting Hill Carnival weekend.
2003 Staff quit British embassy in Baghdad after a "credible threat" of attack.
2004 Cherie Blair named most powerful woman in Britain by Forbes mag.
2004 Royal Bank of Scotland survey found Students spend £1bn pa on alcohol
2005 Liz Hurley launched her own range of organic baby foods.
2005 Maria Sharapova became the first Russian at WTA Tours No 1 rank.
2005 The Modesto was top of US car theft list.
2006 International Astronomical Union voted Pluto out of the planets club - reason - it's too small.
2006 World speed record for diesel powered cars was broken at Bonneville - 350 mph by Andy Green in JCB Dieselmax
2007 French Pres Sarkozy presented Best Apprentice in France to Oliver Watson, who lives in England but trained in Marseilles.
2007 Google Sky stargazing software was launched as a free download on the web.
2007 Worlds' most expensive hearing aid went on sale at £25k, it is encrusted with 200 diamonds and 24 carat gold plated.
2008 Leeds and Reading music festivals started, Leeds in mud and Reading in sunshine.
2008 The tiny South Pacific nation of Niue became the first nation in the world to issue laptop computers to all its children.
2009 More than two thirds of people in Britain believe UK troops should pull out of Afghanistan, according to a Mail on Sunday opinion poll.
2009 The annual Birdman contest took place at Worthing pier, no-one won the £30k prize for flying over 100 m in an unmanned glider.
2009 The Church of England was coating all the lead on its' church roofs with invisible "nanopaint" to deter theives.
2010 Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard contacted independent candidates trying form a government after an inconclusive general election.
2010 Van Gogh painting Poppy Flowers worth $50 million was cut from its' frame and stolen from The Mahmoud Khalil Museuma in Cairo.
2011 Over 2,200 people were killed since the start of mass anti-government protests in Syria in mid-March.
2011 Richard Bransons luxury 8 bedroom home on his private Necker Island in the Caribbean was struck by lightning and was completely destroyed.
2012 St James's Palace contacted the Press Complaints Commission over the use of naked photos of Prince Harry in a Las Vegas hotel room with a young lady.
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A chrysanthemum by any other name would be easier to spell.
William J Johnston Readers Digest
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