1922 – Johnny Weissmuller swims 100 meters freestyle in 58.6 seconds, breaking the world swimming record and the ‘minute barrier’. Wissmuller was one of the fastest swimmers in the world from 1920-1930, winning five gold medals at the Olympic Games in the sport of swimming and a bronze medal for water polo.
1944 – During the Sino-Soviet War, Finland wins the Battle of Tali-Ihantala, the largest battle ever fought in Northern Europe. The Red Army, meanwhile, withdraws its troops from Ihantala and digs into a defensive position, ending a several-day military offensive in Vyborg-Petrozavodsk.
1955 – The Russell – Einstein Manifesto calls for a reduction in the risk of nuclear war. She underlined the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and called on world leaders to seek peaceful resolutions of international conflicts. Two of the most famous key signatories were, Bertrand Russell, and Albert Einstein.
1956 – Born in California, Tom Hanks. Hanks, is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for his comic and dramatic roles, Hanks is one of the most recognizable movie stars worldwide, and is widely regarded as an American cultural icon. Hanks movies have amassed more than $ 5 billion.
1957 – Born in Tirana, Ardian Klosi was an Albanian publicist, translator, opinionist and activist. From 1981 to 1986 he worked as an editor and translator at the publishing house “Naim Frashëri”, translating authors such as Th. Mann, S. Zweig, H. Böll, M. Twain et al. From 1986 to 1990 he studied German Studies and Comparative Literature at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. He received his PhD on “Myth and its development in the Modern Literature of the countries of South-Eastern Europe”. From 1993-1998 he stayed in Germany. In 1998 he returned to Albania where he was appointed by the socialist government as General Director of the Albanian Radio and Television. Since 2004 he headed the German-Albanian cultural association “Robert Schwartz”. Ardian Klosi ended his life on April 26, 2012.
1962 – Starfish Prime tests the effects of a nuclear test at an orbital altitude. A Thor rocket carrying a W49 thermonuclear cap (designed by Los Alamos Science Laboratory) and an Mk. 2 reentry vehicles were launched from Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, about 900 miles (1500 km) southwest of the Hawaiian Islands.
1982 – A Pan Am 759 civilian plane crashes in Kenner, Louisiana, killing all 145 people on board and eight others on the ground. This flight was planned to cross the airline between Miami and San Diego. The collision had the highest aviation casualties in 1982.
1993 – The Canadian Parliament passes the Nunavu Act, which led to the creation of the Nunavu in 1999, dividing northwestern territories into Arctic and sub-Arctic (Dene) lands based on a large popular plebiscite. This was the first large plebiscite of a Canadian region, conducted in the history of the Northwest Territories.
1997 – In Gostivar, Northern Macedonia, protests of the Albanian population took place after the arrest of the mayor Rufi Osmani, who raised the Albanian flag in the municipal building in this city. On July 8, 1997, in the late hours of the night, the Macedonian Parliament approved the law, which officially allowed the limited use of national flags, including the Albanian flag, but only for use in the private and cultural dimension. . The protest started as a result of the removal of the Albanian national flag by the special police forces at 01:30 in the morning, on July 9th. Two hours after the flag was removed, police forces arrested about 30 Albanian political activists, including the then mayor of Gostivar, Rufi Osmani. The consequences of the bloody events of July 9 were tragic and bloody, three Albanians were killed, Dr. Shpend Iseini, Nazmi Saliu and Milaim Dauti, hundreds of others were injured, every non-Macedonian citizen moving through the streets was mercilessly mistreated. Albanian citizens of Gostivar gathered in front of the municipal building to protest peacefully against the removal of the Albanian flag, a challenge which was accompanied by the use of violence, force and state oppression against the Albanian population.
2002 – Rod Steiger dies at the age of 77. Steiger, was an American actor, notable for his portrayal of bad characters, often fickle and crazy. Some of his films are, Charlie On the Waterfront, The Pawnbroker, Oklahoma, Heat of Night, Doctor Zhivago, Waterloo, Last Days of Mussolini, End of Days, etc.
