Facts

1812: The Battle of Berezina begins in Russia, which will last until November 29 and will end in the complete defeat of Napoleon’s French invaders.

1925: The dictator Theodoros Pangalos, through a trial of expediency, executes by hanging, in the presence of a crowd of spectators, the abusers of the State, lieutenant colonels Dionysios Drakatos and Georgios Zarifopoulos.

1942: Michael Curtiz’s legendary film Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, opens in theaters.

1956: Sprinter Giorgos Roubanis wins the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Melbourne, with a performance of 4.50 m.

1963: In the context of the establishment of free education in our country, the first registrations of students in the higher schools begin, without the payment of tuition fees.

1983: The world’s greatest theft. Gold bars, worth 40 million dollars, “make wings” from London’s Heathrow airport.

Births

1861: Ioannis Velissariou, officer of the Greek Army, hero of the Balkan Wars. (D. 12/7/1913)

1909:Eugenios Ionesco, Franco-Romanian playwright, presenter of the Theater of the Absurd. (“The Bald Singer”) (D. 28/3/1994)

1915: Maria Plyta, Greek filmmaker, the first Greek director, with 25 films to her credit. (“The Engagements”, “O Lustrakos”, “O Aniforos”) (Died 4/3/2006)

Deaths

1956: Tommy Dorsey, American conductor, trombonist and composer of the golden age of jazz. (Born 19/11/1905)

2018: Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian film director, with important work mainly in the 70s. In 1972 he directed the romantic drama “Last Tango in Paris” causing a worldwide scandal, while in 1988 he won the Oscar for best film and direction for his film “The last emperor”. (Born 16/3/1941)

2020: Eva Kotamanidou, Greek actress, protagonist of films by Theodoros Angelopoulos. (Born 16/3/1936)