Happy Birthday Mr. Prime Minister

Today is Prime Minister Gonzi's birthday. I wish him all the best on this day, which also happens to be his 100th day in office.

I'm most fascinated by the fact that July is a crucial month for Malta's Prime Ministers' birthdays. Fortunato Mizzi, who was Prime Minister for a short period after World War II, was born on 5 July 1844. Gorg Borg Olivier, who was Prime Minister for most of the 1960s, was born on the same day as Fortunato Mizzi, but in 1911. And Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, who became Prime Minister after Dom Mintoff resigned in the early 1980s, was born on 17 July 1933.

Interestingly enough, one former Prime Minister died in July. Paul Boffa died on 6 July 1962 at the age of 72.

I wonder how many more Maltese Prime Ministers will be born or die during the month of July.

Incidentally, don't think I'm a history buff, because I'm not. I know all this from the wonderful database at aboutmalta.com called Today in Maltese History. All this can also be sampled via email through the aboutmalta.com Newsletter; the July 2004 issue was released today.