AUGUST 8TH:
On this day in 1900, Alexis Minotis, the celebrated Greek actor and director, was born in Chania, Crete. He began his theatrical career in the early 1920s and later worked closely with renowned actress Marika Kotopouli, performing major Shakespearean roles including The ‘Merchant of Venice’, ‘King Lear’, ‘Macbeth’, and ‘Hamlet’. Minotis and his wife, acclaimed stage and film actress Katina Paxinou, were members of the first acting company of the National Theatre of Greece when it was re-established in 1932. In 1946, Minotis appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Notorious’ alongside Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains, and that same year appeared in ‘The Chase’ with Robert Cummings and Michèle Morgan. After returning to Greece, Minotis and Paxinou became towering figures of the Greek stage, earning international acclaim for productions of ancient Greek drama, including ‘Hecuba’, ‘Oedipus Rex’, and ‘Medea’.
AUGUST 10TH:
On this day in 1920, the Treaty of Sèvres was signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Allied powers following World War I. The treaty would have dramatically reduced Ottoman territory, recognizing an independent Armenia and providing for Kurdish autonomy with the possibility of eventual independence. Greece was awarded Eastern Thrace and several Aegean islands, while Smyrna and its surrounding region were placed under Greek administration for five years, after which a plebiscite was envisioned to determine their permanent status. The Ottoman government of Sultan Mehmed VI accepted the treaty, but the Turkish nationalist movement led by Mustafa Kemal rejected it. The treaty was never ratified or implemented, and Turkish nationalist military victories – including against Greek forces in Asia Minor – fundamentally altered the balance of power. The Treaty of Sèvres was ultimately superseded by the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, which established the international boundaries of modern Turkey.
AUGUST 13TH:
On this day in 2004, the Summer Olympic Games officially opened in Athens under the motto “Welcome Home,” marking the return of the Olympics to the country where the ancient Games originated and to the city that hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, commonly known as Athens 2004, brought more than 10,000 athletes from around the world to Greece and featured 301 medal events in 28 sports. At their conclusion, IOC President Jacques Rogge praised Athens for hosting “unforgettable, dream Games.” The preparations also accelerated a major modernization of the Greek capital’s infrastructure, including expansions to its metro and suburban railway networks and the completion of the Attiki Odos highway, alongside other transportation and urban improvements.
