May 29th in History Up To The Minute - Pope Innocent VIII condemned cats as evil and thousands of cats were burned

Abramovich is latest Russian oligarch to move to Israel

By ARON HELLER

1 hour ago

JERUSALEM (AP) — The sudden immigration to Israel of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich makes him the latest in a string of Jewish Russian oligarchs who have made a home in the country in recent years. Abramovich received his Israeli citizenship Monday upon arriving in Israel on his private jet, immediately becoming the country’s richest person, with an estimated net worth of more than $11 billion. Israel grants automatic citizenship to anyone of Jewish descent.

The Chelsea football club owner made the move after his British visa was not renewed, apparently as part of British authorities’ efforts to crack down on associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin.   https://apnews.com/a0d4be6b2d334d9ab4560d29b43fcf2a

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY:  provided by The Free Dictionary  Archive >>

Iannis Xenakis (1922) Xenakis was a Romanian-born French composer, architect, and mathematician. He started out studying engineering and music in Greece but was forced to flee in 1947 when he was denounced as a communist. He moved to Paris and, for the next 12 years, worked with the architect Le Corbusier. In his 30s, he began seriously studying composition with Olivier Messiaen and others and earned acclaim for his use of mathematical models in musical composition. What computerized composition tool did he develop?

THIS DAY IN HISTORY  provided by The Free Dictionary  Archive >>

Bing Crosby Records "White Christmas," Best-Selling Single of All Time (1942) Composed by legendary songwriter Irving Berlin, "White Christmas" has been recorded by numerous singers. By far, the best-known version is performed by Crosby. However, it is not his 1942 recording that American audiences hear endlessly during Christmastime, but rather the re-recording he made in 1947. The song was further popularized by the film of the same name—starring Crosby—released in 1954. How many copies is Crosby's "White Christmas" single estimated to have sold worldwide?

FACT OF THE DAY:

During the time of the Spanish Inquisition, Pope Innocent VIII condemned cats as evil and thousands of cats were burned. Unfortunately, the widespread killing of cats led to an explosion of the rat population, which exacerbated the effects of the Black Death. - Provided by FactRetriever.com