King gives his final speech in Memphis (1968), and British expedition makes first flight over Mount Everest (1933). Born on this day: Marlon Brando, Helmut Kohl and Eddie Murphy. Died: Johannes Brahms, Graham Greene and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.
31 events, 65 births and 59 deaths on this date.
King spoke at a church in Memphis in support of striking sanitation workers, telling the crowd he might not reach the promised land with them. He was shot dead the following evening, and the speech is now among his best known.
Associated Press · Public domainA team led by the Marquis of Clydesdale, backed financially by Lady Houston, flew over the world's highest mountain for the first time. It showed that aircraft could reach that height over the Himalayas, which had long seemed beyond them.
Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' took the throne of Calakmul, a city that rivalled Tikal for power in the Maya Lowlands during the Classic period. The two cities were the region's great rivals, and their contest shaped politics across much of it.
Eddie Murphy is an American comedian and actor whose fame began on Saturday Night Live before he became a leading man in films such as Beverly Hills Cop. He voices Donkey in the Shrek films and won a Golden Globe for Dreamgirls.
David Shankbone · Public domain
Doris Day began as a big band singer in 1937 and became one of the most popular singers of her era. She then became a leading Hollywood star, known for comedies such as Pillow Talk and her signature song Que Sera, Sera.
Los Angeles Times · CC BY 4.0
Several sudden floods swept through the northeast of Buenos Aires Province, leaving at least 100 people dead. The disaster, driven by torrential rain, showed how exposed the region's towns were to rapid flooding.
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Marlon Brando was an American actor who helped bring the Stanislavski method to mainstream audiences. He won two Academy Awards, for On the Waterfront and The Godfather, and is remembered as one of cinema's most influential performers.
None visible/Paramount Pictures · Public domain
Helmut Kohl led West Germany as chancellor for sixteen years, the longest tenure of any elected German chancellor. He presided over German reunification in 1990 and pushed hard for closer European integration.
Christian Lambiotte · CC BY 4.0
Eddie Murphy is an American comedian and actor, best known for his stand-up and sketch work on Saturday Night Live and for starring roles in films such as Beverly Hills Cop and Coming to America. He is also the voice of Donkey in the Shrek films.
David Shankbone · Public domain
Hamburg-born composer who wrote four symphonies, four concertos and a Requiem, while also touring Europe as a pianist. He never married and is remembered for music that kept to traditional forms while stretching harmony with freer dissonance.
C. Brasch , Berlin ( biography ) · Public domain
Greene wrote serious Catholic novels such as The Power and the Glory alongside gripping thrillers, which he called entertainments. He also co-wrote the screenplay for The Third Man, the 1949 film that became a classic.
FOTO:Fortepan — ID 84697 : Adományozó/Donor: Magyar Hírek folyóirat. archive copy at the Wayback Machine · CC BY-SA 3.0
Spanish Baroque painter best known for religious works, though he also produced many lively portraits of ordinary women and children. His pictures of street sellers and the poor offer a vivid record of daily life in his time.
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo · Public domain
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