1778 Milan's La Scala Theater (Teatro alla Scala) inaugurated; the opera was Antonio Salieri's Europa riconosciuta [Europa Revealed], written especially for the occasion (it was not performed again until the gala re-opening of house after three years of renovations in 2004).
1795 Paris Conservatory (Conservatoire de Paris) founded by the National Revolutionary Council; in 1946, it was split into two schools, one for music and dance, and one for the dramatic arts.
1829 premiere of Gioacchino Rossini's William Tell at the Paris Opéra; the composer’s last stage work, even though he lived for nearly 40 more years; the Overture's finale, March of The Swiss Soldiers, has been linked in pop culture to The Lone Ranger since that hero's debut on radio in 1933.
1884 Louis Gruenberg – Russian-born American composer and pianist (d.1964); in 1933 the Met produced his expressionistic opera The Emperor Jones, based on the play by Eugene O'Neill; it was the subject of a cover story in Time Magazine.
1959 Simon Keenlyside – English baritone (65 years old); quote: "It is possible to make the Faustian pact of beefing up your voice young. You might survive, but many talented young voices have been ruined."
1970 Itamar Golan – Lithuanian-born Israeli pianist (54 years old); distinguished chamber music performer.