Facts

1828: Andreas Miaoulis, by order of Ioannis Kapodistrias, clears the Sporades islands of pirates.

1929: The establishment of the Oscars, to be awarded on May 16, is announced in Hollywood.

1952: The Greek Parliament ratifies the agreement of our country’s accession to NATO, with the only negative votes being the eight of EDA and the one of Michalis Kyrkos.

1957: The 7th Plenary Session of the KE and KKE of the KKE meets in Romania (February 18 – 24, 1957), during which Nikos Zachariadis is deposed as a member of the KE, while he is also removed from being a member of the KKE. Kostas Koligiannis emerges strengthened from the process.

2015: Prokopis Pavlopoulos is elected President of the Republic, with 233 votes, against 30 for the constitutionalist Nikos Alivizatos. 32 deputies voted “present” and 5 were absent.

2016: The popular songwriter Pantelis Pantelidis dies in a car accident on Vouliagmenis Avenue in Athens.

Births

1849: Armand Pezo, French businessman, founder of the eponymous automobile industry. (D. 4/2/1915)

1883: Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek writer. (“Zorbas”) (D. 26/10/1957)

1896: Dimitris Mitropoulos, Greek chief musician and composer. (D. 2/11/1960)

1909: Dido Sotiriou, Greek writer. (“Bloody Soils”) (Died 9/23/2004)

Deaths

1546: Martin Luther, German theologian, who with his 95 theses divided Europe into Catholics and Protestants. (Born 10/11/1483)

1564: Michelangelo, Italian painter. (Born 6/3/1475)

2004: Despo Diamantidou, Greek actress. (Born 13/7/1916)