On this day, October 9, 2003, the deputy information attaché of the Spanish Embassy in Iraq, First Sergeant José Antonio Bernal Gómez, was murdered by a shot to the back of the head in Baghdad. He was shot dead at 7:30 in the morning at the doors of his house, in the Al Mansur neighborhood of Baghdad. According to witnesses, three men got out of a car and took positions next to the house where Bernal lived, in one of the safest neighborhoods in Baghdad. Two gunmen pointed their guns at unarmed neighborhood security guards and threatened them with death if they interfered. An assailant, dressed like a Shiite cleric and speaking Arabic with a southern Iraqi accent, knocked on the door. Bernal, upon opening the door, recognized the clergyman, argued with him and then tried to flee down the street. The Spaniard was killed a few meters from reaching a busy avenue. The Spanish secret services confirmed that the deceased, 34 years old, father of a girl, belonged to the CNI and came from the rank of non-commissioned officers of the Air Force.
On October 9, 1986, “The Phantom of the Opera” premieres in London, one of the most successful shows on Broadway. The Phantom of the Opera was released at Her Majesty’s Theater in London. Based on the novel of the same name by Gastón Leroux, its authors are Andrew Lloyd Webber (book and music), Richard Stilgoe (book) and Charles Hart (lyrics). The original production was directed by Harold Prince, and the cast of the London premiere included Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton. Two years later he made the leap to Broadway with the same leading trio. The Phantom of the Opera won four Olivier Awards in London and seven Tony Awards in New York.
Do you want to know more? Discover the anniversaries of October 9 and see what happened, who was born and who died on a day like today. Also don’t miss what is celebrated, the horoscope and today’s saints.
What happened on October 9?
1547.- Miguel de Cervantes is baptized in Santa María la Mayor in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid).
1919.- The working day in Spain is regulated at 8 hours.
1967.- “Che” Guevara, a leader of the Cuban Revolution, is executed by the Bolivian Army one day after his capture.
2000.- The chief prosecutor of the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia, Luis Portero, is murdered by ETA in Granada (Spain).
2006.- Google acquires the free video website YouTube for 1.65 billion dollars.
2009.- The president of the United States, Barack Obama, Nobel Peace Prize winner for his diplomatic initiatives in favor of nuclear disarmament.
2012.- Malala Yusufzai, a 14-year-old Pakistani activist who defends girls’ education, is injured when she is shot by a Taliban terrorist.
2022.- Carlos Lesmes, president of the Supreme Court and CGPJ, resigns.
Who was born on October 9?
1859.- Alfred Dreyfus, French soldier.
1908.- Jacques Tati, French filmmaker.
1940.- John Lennon, cantante de The Beatles.
1964.- Guillermo del Toro, Mexican film director.
1966.- David Cameron, British politician.
1996.- Bella Hadid, American model.
Who died on October 9?
1958.- Pope Pius XII.
1967.- Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Argentine-Cuban revolutionary.
1974.- Oskar Schindler, German businessman who saved more than a thousand Jews from the Holocaust.
1999.- Joao Cabral de Mello, Brazilian poet.
2004.- Jacques Derrida, French philosopher.
2019.- Andrés Gimeno, Spanish tennis player.
What is celebrated on October 9?
Today, October 9, is celebrated the Day of the Valencian Community, World Postal Mail Day and European Rock Art Day.
Horoscope for October 9
Those born on October 9 belong to the zodiac sign of Libra.
Saints of October 9
Today, October 9, the saints Dionysus, Abraham, Hector, Innocent and Luis Beltrán are celebrated.
