● Sept 8 in History
1504 — Michelangelo’s 5.17m marble statue of David is unveiled outside the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. Michelangelo was 26 when he got the commission in 1501 and started carving the statue on September 13. Intended for a position along the roofline of Florence Cathedral, it was clear the more than 6-ton David would not make it onto the roof. It stays at the Palazzo entrance until 1873 when it is moved to the nearby Galleria dell’Accademia.
1727 — A barn fire during a puppet show (owned by Richard Shepherd) in Burwell, Cambridgeshire, England, kills 78 people (51 children). Passing through the village with his wife, daughter and two servants, Shepherd rented the barn for an unscheduled show. Richard Whitaker, who tended Shepherd’s two horses but couldn’t gain access to the show, climbed into the hayloft with a lantern where the fire starts. He escapes, but the audience is trapped because the door was nailed shut to prevent more people from entering the barn. About 125 people in total are burnt. Only one servant of the Shepherd party survives. Whitaker is acquitted of arson on March 27 1728. 1930 — The marketing begins for Scotch transparent cellophane adhesive tape, invented by 3M engineer Richard Drew (he invented masking tape in 1925). 1933 — Faisal I, the first king of Iraq, 48, dies of a heart attack while in Bern, Switzerland, for his general medical checkup. He is succeeded by Ghazi I.
1941 — German forces begin the 872-day Siege (blockade) of Leningrad — one of the longest, most destructive in history and the costliest in casualties. An estimated 1.5-million plus Soviet soldiers and civilians die due to bombardments, starvation, disease and freezing winter conditions.
1951 — The Treaty of Peace with Japan is signed by 48 nations and Japan in San Francisco, officially ending the US-led Allied occupation of Japan.
1957 — Pope Pius XII posts his encyclical letter about motion pictures, radio and television.
1966 — “Star Trek”, created by Gene Roddenberry, premieres on NBC with the episode “The Man Trap”. 1972 — Os (Jacobus Petrus) du Randt, Springbok loosehead prop (1994-2007, 80 appearances) is born in Elliot, Eastern Cape. He is the only South African dual World Cup winner (1995 and 2007) among 14 All Blacks and five Wallabies.
1973 — The first Whitbread Round the World Race for yachts starts at Portsmouth, England. During the race three sailors — Paul Waterhouse and Dominique Guillet (never seen again) and Bernie Hosking — are swept overboard and die. Sayula II, skippered by Mexican Ramón Carlin, wins in 133 days and 13 hours.