The ephemeris of the day: what happened on August 13 | Events in Argentina and around the world

In ephemeris of August 13 These events that happened on a day like today in Argentina and around the world stand out:

● 1876. In Bayreuth, near Munich, an opera is inaugurated: the Festspielhaus, intended to play the music of a single composer: Richard Wagner. On this day, the cycle of four operas begins to be performed at the rate of one opera per day. The Ring of Nibelung, the most ambitious musical project in history. Wagner took a quarter of a century to compose the four works, which last a total of about fifteen hours. Rhine gold Yes La Valquiria, the first two parts, had already been presented separately a few years earlier. But it is at the opening of the theater that the complete work sounds with the creation of the two remaining operas, Siegfried Yes The sunset of the gods.

● 1899. Alfred Hitchcock was born in London. The English filmmaker, considered the magician of suspense, began his career in England during the era of silent films. With sound, and with the approach of World War II, he shot films focused on espionage issues, such as the man who knew too much, The 39 steps Yes The lady disappears. In Hollywood he made his debut with Rebeca, which won the Oscar for best picture, although he will never take a statuette as a director. The following years illuminated works such as The shadow of a doubt, Eight adrift, Famous Yes The rope. In the 1950s, he filmed a series of masterpieces, including: Strangers on a train, The rear window, the remake of the man who knew too much, Vertigo e International intrigue. With Psychosis achieved its biggest box office success. Then they would arrive The birds Yes Marnie. His last films were Frenzy Yes Macabre plot. One of the most influential directors in the history of cinema, his opinions are reflected in Cinema according to Hitchcock, a long interview with François Truffaut. He died in 1980.

● 1925. Carlitos Balá was born, perhaps the emblem of humor for boys on television. It started in the radial cycle The dislocated magazine. Later, he formed a comedy trio with Alberto Locati and Jorge Marchesini. He goes on television and then in the cinema with the character of Canuto Cañete. He collaborated in cinema with Palito Ortega and conquered the youngest with The Carlitos Balá show.

● 1926. In Birán, Cuba, was born Fidel Castro, one of the icons of the 20th century. He witnessed the Bogotazo in Colombia on April 9, 1948. He had visited the Colombian capital for the Inter-American Student Conference. Already received as a lawyer, he led the fight against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. He stormed the Moncada barracks in 1953. He failed, was imprisoned and then went into exile in Mexico, where he met Ernesto Guevara. In November 1956 he traveled to the Granny with a handful of men to fight Batista. On January 1, 1959, the Cuban Revolution triumphed and joined the USSR a year later. He defeated CIA-funded troops during the Bay of Pigs invasion. He remained in power despite vicissitudes such as the “special period” following the fall of the wall. In July 2006, shortly after a trip to Argentina, he delegated power to his brother Raúl due to health problems. He formalized his departure from power in February 2008. He died on November 25, 2016, at the age of 90, a few months after the historic visit of US President Barack Obama.

● 1946. Herbert George Wells dies in London, a month before his 80th birthday. Considered one of the great precursors of the science fiction novel, and admired among others by Jorge Luis Borges, he was the author of classics such as The time machine, Doctor Moreau Island, The invisible Man Yes War of the Worlds. His work has been brought to the cinema on a recurring basis.

● 1961. The government of the Democratic Republic of Germany is erecting a wall dividing Berlin in two. He thus intends to prevent the inhabitants of the eastern part of the city from fleeing to West Berlin, outside the Communist orbit. The Berlin Wall becomes the symbol of the Cold War. It is estimated that more than 200 people died trying to cross it. The opening of the borders, within the framework of the political changes in Eastern Europe, brings about the fall of the Wall on November 9, 1989. A year later, the reunification of Germany takes place.

● 1988. President Raúl Alfonsín attends the inauguration of the Argentine Rural Society Exhibition, in the Palermo estate, and faces a persistent whistle from agricultural producers. The whistles had accompanied the speech of the Secretary of Agriculture, Ernesto Figueras. When the president speaks, millions of people watch on national television the confrontation of the first president of the rediscovered democracy against those who do not agree with his policy of set aside. This is the third time of his presidency that Alfonsín has left the screenplay in a public act, after responding to Ronald Reagan in the gardens of the White House, in 1985; and from the chair to the military vicar, in 1987.

● 1989. Hugo del Carril dies at the age of 76. Singer, actor and director, he was the voice of the Peronist March. Due to his activism, he was persecuted after 1955. He made classics such as The waters are flowing cloudy Yes Beyond oblivion. Without the occupants knowing who had lived there, a basic unit was operating in his birthplace on Avenida San Pedrito.

Plus, it’s International Left-Handed Day.