2015 Event Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei emphasizes that the country's recent nuclear agreement with the West does not change its opposition to the U.S. and to American policies in the Middle East 2015 Event An outbreak of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) continues to spread in South Korea, where 11 people have died, 126 have been diagnosed, and over 3,000 people have been quarantined in an attempt to stop the epidemic 2015 Event U.S. President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union address, promoting free community college education, increased capital gains taxes on the rich, more paid time off for employees, and greater tax credits for the middle class 2014 Event The British government raises its terror threat level to 'severe' due to concern over the number of participants in Middle Eastern conflicts who have been traveling to and from the U.K. and who may seek to instigate terrorist actions inside the country 2013 Event Britain, France and Germany close embassies in Yemen; Canada closes its embassy in Bangladesh; the U.S. closes 22 embassies in the Middle East and North America due to intelligence of an impending Al-Qaeda attack 2013 Event The first case of the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome conavirus is announced in Italy 2013 Event An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, causes 15 deaths and major damage to nearby buildings, residences, a nursing home and middle school 2012 Event Anthony Shadid, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and the Middle East correspondent for the New York Times, dies at 43 of an acute asthma attack 2011 Event Heavy rain in Pennsylvania causes 1,000 Hershey Middle School students in the Derry Township School District to be stranded 2010 Event Raul Castro, head of the Cuban government, declares they will lay off half a million state workers to improve their economy by the middle of 2011 1997 Death Pananayiotis Taki Vatikiotis, middle east scholar, dies at 69 1988 Event Shroud of Turin, revered by many Christians as Christ's burial cloth, is shown by carbon-dating tests to be a fake from the Middle Ages 1986 Event AIDS patient Ryan White returns to classes at Western Middle School 1985 Birthday Frankie Muniz, born in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, actor, racecar driver, competed in Atlantic Championship, appeared on 'Malcolm in the Middle' television sitcom 1978 Event Israel's top negotiators broke away from Middle East peace talks 1972 Birthday Danielle Scott, born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, volleyball middle blocker 1996 Olympics 1972 Birthday Jeff Nygaard, born in Madison, Wisconsin, volleyball middle blocker 1996 Olympics 1972 Birthday Ethan Watts, Philadelphia, volleyball middle blocker 1996 Olympics 1971 Birthday Stephanie Thater, born in Kirkwood, Missouri, volleyball middle blocker 1996 Olympics 1971 Birthday Tom Sorensen, born in Racine, Wisconsin, volleyball middle blocker 1996 Olympics 1971 Birthday Bev Oden, born in Millington, Tennessee, volleyball middle blocker, 1996 Olympics 1971 Birthday James Hammerstrand, born in LaMesa California, volleyball middle blocker, 1996 Olympics 1970 Birthday Barry Minter, NFL middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears 1969 Birthday Bryan Ivie, Torrance California, volleyball middle blocker, Bronze Medals 1992, 1996 Olympics 1967 Birthday Brett Winslow, born in Santa Barbara, California, volleyball middle blocker 1996 Olympics 1967 Birthday Elaina Oden, born in Orange California, volleyball middle blocker, Olympics bronze-92, 96 1966 Birthday Lisa Lightfoot, Australian middle distance runner 1996 Olympics 1966 Birthday Eric Hill, NFL middle linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals 1966 Birthday Dan Truman, St. George Utah, singer, Diamond Rio-Meet in the Middle 1963 Birthday Garth Jax, NFL middle linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals 1963 Birthday Ramon Andersson, born in Middle Swan Australia, canoeist, Olympics-br-92, 96 1961 Birthday Jimmy Olander, Palos Verdes Cal, singer, Diamond Rio-Meet in Middle 1961 Birthday Dana Williams, Dayton Ohio, singer, Diamond Rio-Meet in the Middle 1960 Birthday Marty Roe, Lebanon Ohio, singer, Diamond Rio-Meet in the Middle 1959 Birthday Mike Singletary, NFL middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears 1958 Event Sjafroeddin Prawiranegara forms anti-government of Middle Sumatra 1956 Birthday Sebastian Coe, born in Chiswick, England, politician, Conservative party, former athlete, Olympic gold medalist 1980 and 1984, considered greatest middle distance runner ever 1956 Event 7 Army trucks loaded with dynamite explode in middle of Cali, Columbia killing 1,100-1,200, destroying 2,000 buildings 1955 Birthday Brian Prout, Troy, New York, singer, Diamond Rio-Meet in the Middle 1951 Birthday Tatyana Kazankina, U.S.S.R., middle distance runner, Gold Medal 1976 Olympics 1949 Birthday Gene Johnson, born in Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania, singer, Diamond Rio-Meet in the Middle 1940 Event Amsterdam time becomes MET (Middle European Time) 1936 Birthday Phil Sharpe, cricketer, England middle order batsman during 60's 1932 Birthday Vidiadhar S Naipaul, Trinidad, novelist, Middle Passage 1928 Birthday Pananayiotis Taki Vatikiotis, middle east scholar 1926 Birthday Cranley Onslow, born in England, politician, Conservative Member of Parliament for Woking, called for lower middle class taxes, life peer as Baron Onslow of Working in Surrey County 1924 Birthday Arkady Vorobyev, Middle heavyweight, Gold Medal 1956, 1960 Olympics 1924 Birthday Norbert Schemansky, USA, middle heavyweight 1952 Olympics gold 1922 Birthday Fyvush Finkel, actor, Middle Ages, Picket Fences 1922 Event Cubs swap Max Flack for Cards Cliff Heathcote during middle of doubleheader. Both play for both teams that day 1920 Birthday Sugar Ray Robinson, Walter Smith, middle/welterweight boxer, champ 1917 Birthday Andrew Wyeth, born in Pennsylvania, realist painter, one of the best-known artists of the middle 20th century 1909 Birthday Glenn Cunningham, U.S. middle distance runner, 1930's 1881 Birthday Charlie Dell, New York City, actor, Pickle in the Middle 1862 Event Battle of Big Sandy River, Kentucky (Middle Creek) 1848 Birthday Samuel Muller Fzn, Dutch historian/archivist, Middle Ages 70 Event Titus and his Roman legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem
