Facts

1809: The prince Metternichthe man who would play a dominant role in European affairs for the next four decades, becomes foreign minister of the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg Empire.

1865: His “Hymn to Freedom”. Dionysios Solomos is established as the national anthem of Greece.

1936: THE Ioannis Metaxas imposes a dictatorship on Greece, which will go down in history as the “August 4th Regime”.

1960:After the intervention of the Greek embassy in Paris, the interpretations of the entry grec (Greek) as a fraudster, thief, scumbag are removed from a well-known French dictionary.

1984: Dimitris Thanopoulos wins the silver medal in the 82 kg category of Greco-Roman wrestling at the Los Angeles Olympics. In the same event, Babis Holidis wins the bronze medal in the 57 kg category.

1992: Morpho Drosidou wins the bronze medal in taekwondo at the Barcelona Olympics.

Births

1792: Percy Shelley, English romantic poet. (“Prometheus Lyomenos”) (D. 8/7/1822)

1821:Louis Vuitton, French businessman, founder of the eponymous company of travel goods and women’s accessories (Louis Vuitton). (D. 27/2/1892)

1901:Louis Armstrong, American trumpeter, one of the most important figures in jazz. (D. 6/7/1971)

Deaths

1875:Hans Christian Andersen, Danish storyteller. (Born 2/4/1805)

1990:Etore Maserati, Italian businessman. Together with his four brothers, they founded the car company that bears their name. (Born 1894)

1991: Nikiforos Vrettakos, Greek poet. (Born 19/12/1911)