Today In History
Historical Events
1601 – First expedition of the English East India Company to the Spice Islands of the Moluccas departs Torbay
1988 – Women are allowed to compete in Little 500 bicycle race (Indiana)
1990 – Lebanon release US hostage Robert Polhill after 39 months
1993 – Pete Townshend’s rock musical “The Who’s Tommy” adapted for theatrical stage, opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 899 performances, winning 5 Tony Awards, and a Grammy Award
1994 – Schelto Patijn appointed Mayor of Amsterdam
Famous Birthdays
1729 – Michael Hillegas, American merchant and first Treasurer of the United States (1775-89), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1804)
1863 – C. A. J. van Dishoeck, Dutch publisher, born in Zierikzee, Netherlands (d. 1931)
1919 – Donald J. Cram, American biochemist (development and use of molecules with structure-specific interactions of high selectivity – Nobel 1987), born in Chester, Vermont (d. 2001)
1935 – Mario Machado, Chinese-American eight-time Emmy Award-winning television and radio broadcaster, first Chinese-American on-air news anchor in Los Angeles, born in Shanghai (d. 2013)
1950 – (Jesse) “Pete” Carr, American guitarist and session musician (Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section; LeBlanc and Carr), born in Daytona Beach, Florida (d. 2020)
Famous Deaths
1865 – Francis Washburn, US Union colonel/gen major, dies of injuries
1992 – Billy Wayne White, American murderer, executed in Texas at 34
1996 – Erma Bombeck, American humorist (The Grass is Greener over the Septic Tank), dies at 69
2003 – Felice Bryant [Matilda Scaduto], American songwriter, with husband Boudleaux (“Bye Bye Love”; “Wake Up Little Susie”), dies of cancer at 77
2011 – Moin Akhter, Pakistani actor, dies at 60
Historical Events
1728 – Pierre de Marivaux’s play “Le Triomphe de Plutus” premieres in Paris
1823 – Baltic Club (Exchange) forms in London
1848 – Captain James Fitzjames and 105 surviving crew depart their ice-trapped ships for safety in Arctic Canada; all later perish as part of John Franklin’s doomed Northwest Passage expedition
1957 – All NL baseball teams integrate, John Irwin Kennedy becomes the 1st Black player for the Philadelphia Phillies
1969 – Robin Knox-Johnston ends 312 days of non-stop sailing to become the 1st person to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe
1971 – Soyuz 10 launches as the world’s first mission to the first-ever space station (the Salyut 1) however the docking was unsuccessful and the cosmonauts returned to Earth
1998 – 33rd Academy of Country Music Awards: Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and George Strait win
2006 – Nepalese security forces open fire on pro-democracy protesters demonstrating against King Gyanendra, injuring hundreds. The protesters secure the restoration of parliament and a federal state
Famous Birthdays
1518 – Antoine of Navarre [de Bourbon], King of Navarre, 1555-62), born in La Fère, Picardy, France (d. 1562)
1912 – Miguel Querol Gavalda, Spanish musicologist and composer, born in Ulldecona, Spain (d. 2002)
1915 – Dick Dudley, American TV host (Village Barn), born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 2000)
1926 – Charlotte Rae [Lubotsky], American character actress (Diff’rent Strokes, 1978-79, and The Facts Of Life, 1978-86 – “Mrs. Garrett”), comedienne, singer, and dancer, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2018)
1935 – Dick Conway, New Zealand rugby union flanker/#8 (10 Tests; Otago RFU, Bay of Plenty RU), born in Whakatāne, New Zealand (d. 2022)
1945 – Alan Dukes, Irish Fine Gael politician, born in Drimnagh, Dublin, Ireland
1958 – Ken Olandt, American actor (April Fool’s Day, Imposter, Leprechaun), born in Richmond, California
1979 – Zoltan Gera, former Hungarian footballer and current manager of Vasas SC (Hungarian Player of the Year 2002, 04, 05), born in Pécs, Hungary
1987 – David Luiz Moreira Marinho, Brazilian football player (Chelsea, Brazil national team), born in Diadema, Brazil
1990 – Machine Gun Kelly [Colson Baker], American singer-songwriter and actor (Tickets to My Downfall), born in Houston, Texas
Famous Deaths
835 – Kūkai, Japanese Buddhist monk and poet (founded Shingon school of Buddhism), dies at 60
1951 – Horace Donisthorpe, British entomologist (British Ants), dies at 81
1976 – Frutuoso de Lima Viana, Brazilian pianist and composer, dies at 79
1982 – Melville Bell Grosvenor, American photographer and president of National Geographic Society, dies at 80
1989 – Emilio G. Segrè, Italian physicist and Nobel laureate (discovered the elements technetium, astatine and the sub-atomic antiparticle antiproton), dies at 84 of a heart attack
2003 – Martha Griffiths, U.S. Congresswoman, dies at 91
2005 – (John) Norman Bird, British stage, wireless, and screen character actor (Worzel Gummidge, 1979–81 – “Mr Braithwaite”), dies at 80
2009 – Jack Cardiff, British cinematographer (Black Narcissus), dies at 94
2022 – Guy Lafleur, Canadian Hockey HOF right wing (5 x Stanley Cup, 2 x NHL MVP, NHL Playoff MVP Montreal Canadiens; NY Rangers, Quebec Nordiques), dies of lung cancer at 70
2025 – Keith Stackpole, Australian cricket batsman (43 Tests, 7 x 100, 14 x 50, HS 207; Victoria), dies at 84