Shimla, Aug 16 Keekli Bureau
2018
American singer Aretha Franklin, who defined the golden age of soul music of the 1960s and was known as the “Queen of Soul,” died at age 76.
2016
Brazilian businessman and sports official João Havelange—who served as president (1974–98) of FIFA, the governing body of football (soccer), and transformed it into one of the world’s largest and most powerful sports organizations but was later implicated in a massive corruption scandal—died at age 100.
2003
Ugandan military officer Idi Amin—who assumed the country’s presidency (1971–79) following a coup and became known as the “Butcher of Uganda” for his brutality—died in Saudi Arabia.
1977
American singer Elvis Presley, known as the “King of Rock and Roll,” died of a heart attack brought on largely by drug abuse.
1960
The island of Cyprus became an independent republic.
1954
Canadian filmmaker James Cameron—who was known for his expansive vision and innovative special-effects movies, notably Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009)—was born.
1948
American baseball legend Babe Ruth died at age 53.
1913
Menachem Begin—prime minister of Israel (1977–83) who was the corecipient, with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, of the 1978 Nobel Prize for Peace—was born in Russia.
1888
British archaeological scholar and military strategist T.E. Lawrence—who was best known for his legendary activities in the Middle East during World War I, which earned him the nickname “Lawrence of Arabia”—was born in Wales.
1819
A meeting of radicals held on St. Peter’s Fields in Manchester, England, was dispersed with violence, an event that became known as the Peterloo Massacre.
1780
An American force was beaten by British troops under Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess and 2nd Earl Cornwallis, in the Battle of Camden during the American Revolution.
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