On this day
Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.
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MOSCOW, July 9 (U.P.) -- The German battleship Tirpitz, damaged by two torpedoes from a Russian submarine, made off to the west at 10 knots, one-third of her top speed, while escorting warships clustered around her, according to crew members of the Allied convoy the Germans were about to attack.
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Brit bomb Wilhelmshaven; lose 4 planes; down 2 Ger bombers, Chartres and Evreux; raid Abbeville area; Ger plane raids Eng south coast area; Gers rept Wesermuende bombed by Brit; claim 6 merchant ships sunk off Eng coast by torpedoboats
1942Ronnie James Dio, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2010)[†]
Ronald James Padavona, known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell.
1942Pyotr Klimuk, Belarusian general, pilot, and astronaut[†]
Pyotr Ilyich Klimuk is a former Soviet cosmonaut and the first Belarusian to perform space travel. Klimuk made three flights into space. From 1991 to 2003, he headed the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
1942Sixto Rodriguez, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2023)[†]
Sixto Diaz Rodríguez, mononymously known as Rodríguez, was an American musician from Detroit, Michigan.
1942Lopo do Nascimento, Angolan politician; 1st Prime Minister of Angola[†]
Lopo Fortunato Ferreira do Nascimento is an Angolan retired politician. He served as the first Prime Minister of Angola from 11 November 1975 to 9 December 1978 and was Secretary-General of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA).
1942World War II: An American pilot spots a downed, intact Mitsubishi A6M Zero on Akutan Island (the "Akutan Zero"), which the US Navy then uses to learn the aircraft's flight characteristics.[†]
The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-capable fighter aircraft that was manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, which was part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the Mitsubishi Navy Type 0 carrier fighter , or the Mitsubishi A6M Rei-sen. The A6M was usually referred to by its pilots as the Reisen, "0" being the last digit of the imperial year 2600 (1940) when it entered service with the IJN. The official Allied reporting name was "Zeke", although the name "Zero" was used more commonly.