Historical Events:
• 1652: Jan van Riebeeck visits Robben Island for the first time.
• 1918: The first cases of Spanish Flu, also called ‘Great flu’ are diagnosed in Durban, starting the influenza epidemic in SA that kills 139 471 people within a few weeks. The epidemic peaked in October.
• 1991: Tropical storms in north-central Africa kill about 100 people.
• 1975: Mother Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton canonized as 1st US-born saint by Pope Paul VI.
Arts, Music, TV:
• 1863: Dr William Gill (66), SA book collector, dies in Somerset East.
• 1889: Leon Maré, SA author and winner of the Hertzog literary award, is born.
• 1964: Walt Disney awarded Medal of Freedom at White House.
• 1981: Entertainment Tonight premieres on TV.
Sports:
• 1957: Kepler Wessels, captain of the SA Springbok Cricket Team, is born in Bloemfontein.
• 2000: An Olympic opening ceremony, in which the South African team takes part, dazzle downtown Sydney, Australia.
• 2004: The soccer race has started to get "Winning Team 2010" off the ground and ready for action when South Africa hosts the World Cup.
• 1996: Dean Headley takes 3rd cricket hat-trick of season, Kent v Hampshire.
Source: historyorb.com & sahistory.org.com
Compiled by: Thandi Xaba
