On August 10, 1865, Zef Skiroi, the Arbëresh poet, publicist and folklorist, was born in the Arbëresh village of Piana degli Albanesi, in Italy. He studied law, but took up literature as a student. He founded the magazine “Arbëri i ri” /The New Albania/ and the notebook “Flamuri i Shqipërise” /Flag of Albania/. He was head of the Department of the Albanian Language Chair in Naples. It has a rich literary creativity, which interspersed with scholarly publications too. He passd away in Naples, at the age of 62, on February 1927.

On August 10, 1882, the poet, publicist and democratic patriot Risto Siliqi was born in Shkodër. He was a member of the “Albanian Committee” that led the Albanian uprising of 1911. After the Declaration of Independence, together with Hil Mosi, in 1913 the newspaper “Shqypnia e re” /The New Albania/ was published in Shkodër. He completely withdrew from political life after the failure of the June 1924 Revolution. Afterwards, he worked as a lawyer, until he passed away at the age of 54, on May 1, 1936.

On August 10, 1922, the outstanding footballer, Loro Borici was born in Shkodër. His football activity started in 1937 with the “Vllaznia” team of Shkodër. The year 1942 finds him in Italy, playing for Lazio. The WWII forced him to return to his homeland, and in 1946 he was the “engine” of the Albanian team that was declared the winner of the Balkan Cup. Then he played with the Partizani team and the National team too, whose victories are associated with the name of the great master. Loro Borici, died at the age of 62, in Tirana, on May 4, 1984

The illustrated monthly Minerva, a major literary magazine of modern life, was a liberal organ published in Tirana from August 1932 to 1936.

On August 10, 1995, Baba Rexhepi, a prominent figure of Bektashism, passed away. He was born in the city of Gjirokastër in October 1901. In 1943 he was sentenced to death in absentia, which forced him to leave with a group of patriots to Italy. The year 1948 finds him in Egypt in a Tekke near Cairo. After 4 years, he emigrated to the United States of America, and with the help of the Archibishop of the Albanian Orthodox Church, Fan Noli, he founded the first Bektashian Tekke in Detroit, where passed away at the age of 94.

/a.p./