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On this day in 2023

On this day in 2022

• EVENTS
• US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the first speaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years, prompting condemnation from the Chinese Communist Party.
• 48% of Mexico's states experiencing drought, conditions acute in Monterrey where authorities deliver nine million liters of water daily to 400 neighborhoods after taps have run dry.
• DEATHS
• Andrejs Rubins, Latvian soccer midfielder (117 caps; FC Skonto, Crystal Palace, Spartak Moscow, Inter Baku FC), who died at 43.
• Villiam Vecchi, Soccer Coach.
• TV SERIES
• Trainwreck: Woodstock '99: Season 1 is released. The three-part documentary series features interviews with those involved in the disastrous revival of the 1969 festival including Korn's Jonathan Davis, Jewel, Fatboy Slim, Bush's Gavin Rossdale, and the late Woodstock organizer Michael Lang.
• Reservation Dogs: Season 2 is released. The journey continues for Elora (Devery Jacobs), Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Cheese (Lane Factor) and Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis).
• GAMING: PC
• Hooked on You: A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim for PC is released. Welcome to Murderer’s Island. Your companions: four dead-sexy Killers who, underneath their murderous exteriors, just want a little romance. Flirt your way into their hearts, uncovering dark twists along the way. Will you find true love, forge friendships… or get hacked to death?
• GAMING: SWITCH
• South of the Circle for Switch is released. Antarctica,1964.A crashed aircraft, tail to the sky.Cambridge academic Peter stumbles from the wreckage in search of help, fighting the cold. As his attempts to escape the ice grow more desperate, the lines between his past and present begin to blur.A love story between colleagues Peter and Clara, set against the backdrop of the Cold War, South of the Circle is a narrative adventure game about memory, survival, and the consequences of not dealing with the past.

On this day in 2021

• EVENTS
• Singer Tony Bennett celebrates his 95th birthday with Lady Gaga in the first of 2 "farewell" performances at Radio City Music Hall, NYC.
• Hawaii's largest wildfire on record, Mana Road Fire in South Kohala, finally being brought under control after burning through 40,000 acres.
• 132 wildfires in Turkey's southern coastal Manavgat district have burnt 118,789 hectares of land in six days, killing eight people.
• DEATHS
• Jocelyne Bourassa, Canadian golfer (LPGA Rookie of the Year 1972; Canadian Open 1973), who died at 74.
• MOVIES: PG13
• Pray Away is released. In the 1970s, five men struggling with being gay in their Evangelical church started a Bible study to help each other leave the "homosexual lifestyle."They quickly received over 25,000 letters from people asking for help and formalized as Exodus International, the largest and most controversial conversion therapy organization in the world. But leaders struggled with a secret: their own “same-sex attractions” never went away. After years as Christian superstars in the religious right, many of these men and women have come out as LGBTQ, disavowing the very movement they helped start. Focusing on the dramatic journeys of former conversion therapy leaders, current members, and a survivor, Pray Away chronicles the “ex gay"movement’s rise to power, persistent influence, and the profound harm it causes.
• TV SERIES
• Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union: Season 1 is released. The three-part documentary directed by Peter Kunhardt features interviews with friends, colleagues, and journalists as well as archival footage about Obama's challenges and his path to become the first Black president of the United States.
• GAMING: PC
• The Ramp for PC is released. You crave for flow? You just want to shred through a halfpipe without all the boring stuff? Say no more, The Ramp is your jam!The Ramp captures the unparalleled feeling of real life vert skateboarding and that's pretty much it. There is a lot this game doesn't feature. What it offers you are the 15 minutes of flow that make a boring day great, at the price of a medium sized cinnamon pistachio latte to go.
• GAMING: SWITCH
• Dragon Star Varnir for Switch is released. In a world where the bones of an ancient beast tower over the land... The knight Zephy is part of an order whose role is to hunt down witches -- people seen as cursed beings for giving birth to dragons. When he is almost killed on one of these missions, two mysterious witches save him from the brink of death by feeding him dragon blood. Granted new magic abilities by their efforts, he soon finds his fate intertwined with the witches and reluctantly joins them to fight against an Empire out to destroy his kind, ruthless dragon hunters, and a witch more powerful than any in existence. Can they fight all this and save themselves, or will his new allies succumb to the dragon's curse?
• SEPERATIONS
• Singer Kelly Clarkson divorces talent manager Brandon Blackstock after 7 years of marriag.
• SPORTS
• New Zealand canoeist Lisa Carrington wins her third straight Olympic K-1 200m title at the Tokyo Games; also wins K-2 500m for her 4th career Olympic gold medal.
• Karsten Warholm of Norway runs first ever sub-46 second 400m hurdles 45.94 WR to claim gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
• Jamaican athlete Elaine Thompson Herah wins 200m gold in Tokyo to become the first female to claim the 100/200m double at consecutive Olympic Games.

On this day in 2020

• EVENTS
• Spain's former King Juan Carlos announces he will go into exile abroad amid his implication in a corruption inquiry.
• DEATHS
• Ralph Barbieri, American sports radio personality (KNBR San Francisco; 'The Razor and Mr. T'1996-2012), who died of Parkinson's disease at 74.
• Ernesto Brambilla, Race Car Driver.
• TV SERIES
• Immigration Nation is released. The six-part documentary series about America's current immigration system directed by Christina Clusiau and Shaul Schwarz features candid interviews with agents of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and detainees as well as footage of raids and the detentions centers.
• GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
• Relicta for PlayStation 4 is released. Relicta is a first-person puzzle game whose main mechanics combine magnetism and gravity. The player is equipped with a pair of special gloves that allow them to change the magnetic and gravitational properties of experimental cubes scattered around each level. These cubes can be moved by the player, either carrying them bodily or using magnetism or gravity. They can also be placed on teleporting machines to warp them to another teleporter and help solve puzzles. Mechanics really come alive when combined in ingenious ways. For instance, magnetism can be used to repel or attract cubes, but repelling a cube that has previously “anti-gravitated” gives you a frictionless device that will retain inertia until it collides against something solid, like a wall (or your skull). It can even be used as a means of transport for the player to reach new places. Cubes can also be used to power up some devices, in order to operate doors and force fields. As the player progresses towards more complex puzzles, they will encounter other devices - magnetic plates, elevators, buttons or even drones capable of nullifying magnetic and gravitational fields as well as stealing cubes.
• GAMING: XBOX ONE
• Project CARS 3 for Xbox One is released. Project CARS 3 is the third instalment in the best-seller racing franchise that brings all the intense thrills, emotions and fun from the vibrant world of motor racing to vivid life as players undertake a whole new exciting career journey that sees them rise from weekend warrior to racing legend.Also new to the franchise is a deeply engaging metagame that challenges players to race hard and earn in-game Credits with which to buy and own hundreds of cars from the world's most elite brands and race them all on dynamic and spectacular circuits around the globe featuring stunning all-weather, all-seasons conditions.Race-won Credits and XP will also entice players to buy authentic performance upgrades and customisation options for their stable of exclusive cars, including wheels, tyres, body kits, rims, as well as personalisation options to create their own racing hero personas.With a completely redesigned and unrivalled controller experience, an even more accurate and fun handling model, adjustable skill settings for every level of driver and every element of weather-affected races, Project CARS 3 is the biggest, most exciting and authentic evolution to the definitive racing franchise.
• POLITICS
• Number of Iranian COVID-19 pandemic deaths triple that of government tally, showing 42,000 have died instead of 14,405, according to BBC Persian Service investigation.
• John Hume, Northern Irish politician (jointly awarded Nobel Peace Prize for Good Friday Agreement), who died at 83.

On this day in 2019

• EVENTS
• Gunman kills nine and injures 27 at a bar in Dayton, Ohio, in 2nd mass shooting in 24 hours in the US.
• Suspected domestic terrorist shoots and kills 22 and injures 24 at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas.
• DEATHS
• Henri Belolo, French disco music producer and songwriter (The Village People; The Ritchie Family), who died at 82.
• SPORTS
• Cliff Branch, American Pro Football HOF wide receiver (Super Bowl 1976,80,84 Oakland/LA Raiders; 3 × First-team All-Pro; 4 × Pro Bowl), who died at 71.
• Mike Troy, American swimmer (Olympics 2 x gold 200m butterfly,4×200m freestyle relay 1960), who died at 78.

On this day in 2018

• DEATHS
• Moshe Mizrahi, Israeli film director (Madame Rosa), who died of pneumonia at 86.
• MOVIES: NOT RATED
• Never Goin' Back is released. Angela (Maia Mitchell) and Jessie (Camila Morrone) dream of escaping their waitressing jobs at a low-rent Texas diner, even if it's only to Galveston. Taking place over just a few days, the film follows their hilarious and unpredictable misadventures on the streets of suburban Dallas as they attempt increasingly madcap and wild schemes to try and raise some cash.
• Night Comes On is released. Angel LaMere is released from juvenile detention on the eve of her 18th birthday. Haunted by her past, Angel embarks on a journey with her 10 year-old sister to avenge her mother’s death.
• Cocote is released. Alberto, a kind-hearted gardener, returns home to attend his father’s funeral in the Dominican Republic. When he discovers that a powerful local figure is responsible for his father’s death, Alberto realizes that he’s been summoned by his family to avenge the murder. It’s an unthinkable act — especially for him, an Evangelical Christian. But as pressure mounts, he sees few ways out. Questions of faith, tradition and honor course through this electrifying film, which, seemingly at the speed of thought itself, jumps between film formats, colors, and aspect ratios, radically envisioning a community torn asunder by senseless violence. [Grasshopper Film]
• Gavagai is released. German businessman Carsten Neuer travels to Norway to finish the impossible translation of some Norwegian poems by Tarjei Vesaas into Chinese, a project of his late wife. He hires Niko, a down-on-his-luck tour guide, to drive him to the poet’s home and places of inspiration to stimulate his own translation. On the road, the ghost of Carsten’s wife appears to him, while Niko struggles with the sudden consequences of his girlfriend’s pregnancy. On this journey, two very different men come to realize the transforming power of love, the limits of language, and the human need for friendship.
• The Miseducation of Cameron Post is released. Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz) looks the part of a perfect high school girl. But after she’s caught with another girl in the back seat of a car on prom night, Cameron is quickly shipped off to a conversion therapy center that treats teens “struggling with same-sex attraction.” At the facility, Cameron is subjected to outlandish discipline, dubious “de-gaying” methods, and earnest Christian rock songs—but this unusual setting also provides her with an unlikely gay community. For the first time, Cameron connects with peers, and she’s able to find her place among fellow outcasts. [Sundance]
• 40 Years in the Making: The Magic Music Movie is released. TV writer/producer Lee Aronsohn tracks down the scattered members of a beloved early 1970s band with the hope that,40 years after they broke up, he can get them to play one last show.
• MOVIES: PG13
• The Darkest Minds is released. When teens mysteriously develop powerful new abilities, they are declared a threat by the government and detained. Sixteen-year-old Ruby, one of the most powerful young people anyone has encountered, escapes her camp and joins a group of runaway teens seeking safe haven. Soon this newfound family realizes that, in a world in which the adults in power have betrayed them, running is not enough and they must wage a resistance, using their collective power to take back control of their future.
• Death of a Nation is released. Not since 1860 have the Democrats so fanatically refused to accept the result of a free election. That year, their target was Lincoln. They smeared him. They went to war to defeat him. In the end, they assassinated him. Now the target of the Democrats is President Trump and his supporters. The Left calls them racists, white supremacists and fascists. These charges are used to justify driving Trump from office and discrediting the right "by any means necessary."But which is the party of the slave plantation? Which is the party that invented white supremacy? Which is the party that praised fascist dictators and shaped their genocidal policies and was in turn praised by them? Moreover, which is the party of racism today? Is fascism now institutionally embodied on the right or on the left? [Quality Flix]
• MOVIES: R
• The Spy Who Dumped Me is released. Audrey (Mila Kunis) and Morgan (Kate McKinnon), two thirty-year-old best friends in Los Angeles, are thrust unexpectedly into an international conspiracy when Audrey’s ex-boyfriend shows up at their apartment with a team of deadly assassins on his trail. Surprising even themselves, the duo jump into action, on the run throughout Europe from assassins and a suspicious-but-charming British agent, as they hatch a plan to save the world.
• MOVIES: TVMA
• Like Father is released. When a workaholic young executive (Kristen Bell), is left at the altar, she ends up on her Caribbean honeymoon cruise with the last person she ever expected: her estranged and equally workaholic father (Kelsey Grammer). The two depart as strangers, but over the course of a few adventures, a couple of umbrella-clad cocktails and a whole lot of soul-searching, they return with a renewed appreciation for family and life.
• ALBUMS
• Living in Extraordinary Times was released by James. The 15th full-length studio release for the British rock band was produced by Charlie Andrew and Beni Giles.
• Qualm was released by Helena Hauff. The second full-length release for the German DJ/electronic producer features less layers and instruments than previous releases.
• Physical was released by Gabe Gurnsey. The debut full-length solo release for the Factory Floor artist is a concept release with the 14 tracks forming a story about a night out to a dance club.
• Swimming was released by Mac Miller. The fifth full-length release for the Pittsburgh rapper features guest appearances from Dam-Funk, Dicaprio, Dev Hynes, Snoop Dogg, Syd, and Thundercat.
• Someday Everything Will Be Fine was released by Spider Bags. The fifth full-length release for the garage punk band features guest appearances from Matthew Hoopengardner of the Golden Boys, Jana Misener, Seth Moody, Jack Oblivian, Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus, John Whittemore, and Krista Wroten-Combest of the Memphis Dawls.
• Stay Dangerous was released by YG. The third full-length studio release for the Southern California rapper features guest appearances by 2 Chainz, A$AP Rocky, Big Sean, Jay 305, Nicki Minaj, Mozzy, Quavo, Ty Dolla $ign, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again.
• Among the Ghosts was released by Lucero. The ninth full-length studio release for the Memphis alt-country band was recorded live in studio with Matt Ross-Sprang.
• Astroworld was released by Travis Scott. The third solo release for the rapper features guest appearances and contributions from such artist as 21 Savage, James Blake, Drake, John Mayer, Frank Ocean, Pharrell, Quavo, Swae Lee, Tame Imapala, Sevn Thomas, Thundercat, and The Weeknd.
• Bell House was released by Shy Boys. Kyle Little and Ross Brown join Collin Rausch, Kyle Rausch and Konnor Ervin for to the group for Kansas City indie rock band's second full-length release.
• hej! was released by Felicita. The full-length debut studio release for the London-based producer features a guest appearance from Chairlift's Caroline Polachek.
• To the Sunset was released by Amanda Shires. The sixth full-length solo release for the singer-songwriter was produced by Dave Cobb.
• The Nature of Imitation was released by Dorian Concept. The second full-length release for electronic producer Oliver Johnson as Dorian Concept was inspired by '60s jazz, '70s fusion, '80s neo prog-rock, and ‘90s electronica.
• GAMING: 3DS
• WarioWare Gold for 3DS is released. The infamous schemer, Wario, is back!Play his brand-new microgame collection, where you'll have seconds to complete 300 different microgames. Better think fast to succeed! You'll use the touchscreen, tilt the system, push buttons, and rock the mic as you laugh through fully voiced stories featuring new and classic characters!

On this day in 2017

• EVENTS
• Camila Cabello releases her single "Havana" (biggest song worldwide 2018,19 million copies sold).
• Rapper Kidd Creole arrested and charged for stabbing to death a homeless man in New York City.
• Massachusetts woman Michelle Carter sentenced to 2 1/2 years for urging her boyfriend to commit suicide.
• DEATHS
• Robert Hardy, British actor (Harry Potter, All Creatures Great and Small), who died at 91.
• Theodore "Ted" Stanley, American anesthesiologist and medical entrepreneur (created the fentanyl lollipop), who died at 77.
• Ty Hardin [Orison Hungerford Jr.], American actor (Riptide, Bronco), who died at 87.
• TV SERIES
• The Guest Book: Season 1 is released. Guests staying at a mountain vacation home is at the center of this anthology comedy series from Greg Garcia.
• What Would Diplo Do?: Season 1 is released. The comedy series executive produced by Diplo features James Van Der Beek as a fictionalized version of the electronic/dance music DJ.
• GAMING: SWITCH
• Infinite Minigolf for Switch is released. Create and play on an unlimited amount of minigolf courses in Infinite Minigolf, a never ending minigolf experience from the experts at Zen Studios! Take part in competitive tournaments and challenges, unlock and utilize powerups, and experience unique gameplay, amazing graphics, and more wrapped up in the coolest minigolf game available. Infinite Minigolf crafts an astounding minigolf experience with accurate physics, dazzling graphics and detailed environments, each one with a distinct visual theme and gameplay features. Use the gam'es robust toolset to create your own amazing minigolf courses and share them with the community, showcasing your creative abilities to other players worldwide. Create, share and play with the Infinite Minigolf community now.
• POLITICS
• Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is elected for his second term as President.

On this day in 2016

• DEATHS
• Chris Amon, New Zealand Formula 1 racer, who died at 73.
• GAMING: XBOX ONE
• Overcooked! for Xbox One is released. Overcooked is a chaotic couch co-op cooking game for one to four players. Working as a team, you and your fellow chefs must prepare, cook and serve up a variety of tasty orders before the baying customers storm out in a huff. Sharpen your knives and dust off your chef’s whites, there isn’t mushroom for error and the steaks are high in these crazy kitchens. [Xbox.com]
• SPORTS
• International Olympic Committee approves baseball/softball, karate, sport climbing, surfing and skateboarding to be included in the sports program for 2020 Games only; total number of sports,33.

On this day in 2015

• EVENTS
• Former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pleaded not guilty to breaching the conditions of his current home detention by drinking alcohol. Rudd had been under house detention since being sentenced for drug possession and making threats to kill in July of this year. The 61-year-old could face further sanctions, including jail time, if the judge decided he did violate his conditions..
• The Athens Stock Exchange re-opens after a month and falls by 22%.
• BIRTHS
• Arsam Mahmoudi, Instagram Star, born in Iran.
• DEATHS
• Adam Walacinski, Polish composer, who died at 86.
• Coleen Gray [Doris Bernice Jensen], American actress (Apache Drums, The Killing), who died at 92.
• Robert Conquest, English historian and poet (The Great Terror), who died at 98.
• Les Munro, New Zealand WWII pilot (Dambusters), who died at 96.
• Mel Farr, American NFL running back (Pro Bowl 1967,70; Detroit Lions), who died of a massive heart attack at 70.
• GAMING: PC
• Submerged for PC is released. Submerged is a 3rd-person, combat-free game in which the gamer explores a mysterious, flooded city and discovers the beauty of desolation in vast outdoor environments. She takes on the role of Miku, a young girl who has brought her wounded brother to the city in their small fishing boat. [Uppercut Games]
• POLITICS
• Chilean-born author Isabel Allende receives the US Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama.
• SEPERATIONS
• Singer Gwen Stefani and musician Gavin Rossdale announce their intention to divorce after nearly 13 years of marriage.

On this day in 2014

• EVENTS
• At least 13 Palestinians reported killed in ongoing air raids and tank shelling by Israel.
• The Israeli Defence Force remove much of its ground forces from the Gaza Strip following the destruction of 32 tunnels built by Hamas and other militants.
• DEATHS
• Layman Utsman, Race Car Driver.
• GAMING: PC
• Nom Nom Galaxy for PC is released. Nom Nom Galaxy is a sandbox-styled mix of platforming, base building, tower defense, and good old fashioned monster-stomping! You'll create huge factory-bases where you'll experiment with tons of ingredients, make hundreds of types of soups to feed the galaxy, and rise in the ranks of the Soup Co.! Each planet will have it's own challenges, from poisons gas to killer tomatoes. Only the most adept of Soup Meisters will succeed.

On this day in 2013

• EVENTS
• 80 people are killed in a wave of insurgency across Iraq.
• Super Rugby Final, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton: Chiefs successfully defend title with a 27-22 over ACT Brumbies.
• 9 children are killed by a suicide bombing in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
• WEDDINGS
• Actor and model Kevin Zegers at the age of 28 weds talent agent Jaime Feld in New Jersey.
• DEATHS
• Farman Fatehpuri [Syed Dildar Ali], Urdu scholar, linguist, critic and author, who died of natural causes at 87.
• Mike Stevens, Race Car Driver.