Anniversaries

Births: Giovanni Battista Morgagni, pathologist, 1682; Giovanni Morelli (Ivan Lermolieff), art critic, 1816; Pierre-Firmin-Auguste Renoir, painter, 1841; Karl May, writer, 1842; Benedetto Croce, philosopher, 1866; Zeppo (Herbert) Marx, comedian and actor, 1901.

Deaths: Sir Christopher Wren, architect, 1723; Thomas Moore, poet and musician, 1852; Paul Julius, Freiherr von Reuter, founder of the news agency, 1899; Anton Stepanovich Arensky, composer, 1906; Henri-Desire Landru, multi- murderer, executed 1922; James Boyd, novelist, 1944; Alexander Archipenko, sculptor, 1965; Mark Rothko, painter, 1970; Tennessee (Thomas Lanier) Williams, playwright, 1983.

On this day: the rules of cricket were formulated in the 'Star and Garter', Pall Mall 1774; paper currency, 'greenbacks', was first issued in the US by Abraham Lincoln, 1862; federal income tax was introduced into the US, 1913; meat and butter were rationed in southern England, 1918; the US spacecraft Pioneer X was launched, destination Jupiter, 1972.

Today is the Feast Day of St Caesarius of Nazianzen, St Calixto Caravario, St Ethelbert of Kent, St Gerland, St Louis Versiglia, St Tarasius, St Victorinus of Corinth and his Companions and St Walburga.