1895 -Born, Ahmet Muhtar bej Zogolli in the Prisons of Mat, known after 1922 simply Zogu, and during the years 1928-1939 as His Highness Zogu I, King of the Albanians, was the Albanian politician who served in the year as Minister of Interior, then as Prime Minister, President and King. He received his first lessons in his hometown from private teachers Hysen efendi Çeka from Elbasan for the Albanian language and from Hafiz Muharremi from Dibra for the Turkish language, until the age of 13. In 1903, he left for Istanbul with Lalë Krosi, and began his studies at “Numenu Tereki”, and then continued his officer training. After being promoted to officer, he also attended and graduated from the French high school Gallatasaraj in the imperial capital. He remained in Istanbul until the end of the spring of 1912, when school hours were closed for the summer holidays. The bird swore on the Qur’an and the Bible:
“I, Zogu, King of the Albanians, at the moment when I am stepping on the Throne of the Albanian King and taking the Royal Power in my hands, I swear before the power of God to maintain the National Union, the Independence of the State and the Lands. I also swear to remain faithful to the Statute and to act according to its points and according to the laws that are in force, always keeping in mind the good of the people. “God help me.”
1912 – The First Balkan War begins when the Principality of Montenegro, led by Prince Nikola, declares war on Turkey. This regional conflict would involve countries such as Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Montenegro versus the Ottoman Empire. The loss would be significant for both sides, as Turkey would lose 350,000 troops and the Balkan coalition about 110,000. The territories that would be most affected by this war would be the Albanian ones which were occupied by the neighbors.
1952 – At Harrow and Wealdstone Rail Station on the outskirts of London, one of the worst rail tragedies in British history occurs. Exactly two trains of this line collided between them, causing the death of 112 people. The injured would be 340. The reasons for this collision would be, non-compliance with the technical rules of travel, and significant depreciation of the railways in this part of London.
1970 – Famous actor Matt Damon is born in Cambridge, USA. Damon would become famous in the movie world with his roles in the films, Saving Private Ryan, The Talented Mr Ripley, Ocean’s Eleven, and the Bourne series. He would be honored with 94 nominations and out of these 27 won in national and international cinematographic competitions. It would also make a significant contribution to humanitarian aid in various parts of the world.
1978 – Australian speedboat pilot Ken Warby sets a new record in the sport. Equipped with a motorboat with powerful jet engines, it would cross the water surface at 510 km per hour. This record was broken by former champion Donald Campbell who accidentally died during an accident at 480 km per hour. His speed vehicle would be called the Spirit of Australia, and he would compete in the Boering water-collector.
1992 – West German Chancellor Willi Brandt dies at the age of 78 in Unkel. He would serve in this post from 1969 to 1974. Brandt will be remembered for the so-called Ostpolitik project, otherwise known as the political and economic opening of West Germany to East Germany, as well as to other communist states. He would win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971, for his merits in creating a unified Europe.
2001 – Milan’s Linate Airport is hit by the worst plane crash in the country’s history. Exactly one Scandinavian Airlines 686 aircraft would collide with a Cessna Citation CJ2. As a result of the 114 board members would remain dead, including those of the private Cessna aircraft. The accident would occur as a result of malfunctioning signaling systems of both aircraft. Another major contributor to this accident would be the dense fog.
2005 – A magnitude 7.6 earthquake shakes Kashmir, Pakistan. As a result, approximately 88,000 people would lose their lives and 75,000 would be injured. The homeless would exceed the figure of 100,000. About 1000 other aftershocks of magnitude up to 4, would occur after it. This would be one of the most devastating earthquakes in Pakistan’s history since 1935.
