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Today in history

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In Hong Kong

1961: A large gathering including personalities from stage and screen, prominent members of Chinese literary circles and businessmen, filled the Astor Theatre to pay tribute to Mei Lan-fang, the international stage actor who had died on August 8.

1963: A jobless man who went 20 times to a food stall for a cup of coffee - and each time stole two $2 tins of condensed milk - was sentenced to nine months in jail. The 31-year-old could not give a satisfactory explanation for his actions.

1966: Interest was waning in the Maiden Festival as roadside offerings had all but vanished on its eve. The day commemorated the romance between the legendary cowherd Niu Lang and the heavenly weaver Zhi Nu. Unmarried Chinese girls would pray to the mystical couple that they would find an ideal husband.

Around the world

1911: Leonardo da Vinci's painting the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in Paris by an Italian waiter, Vicenzo Perruggia. It was recovered in 1913.

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