Today In History
Historical Events
1845 – Texas Congress votes almost unanimously for annexation to US
1904 – International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Wimbledon: Laurence Doherty and Reggie Doherty beat Paul de Borman and William le Maire de Warzée 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 to give British Isles an unassailable 3-0 lead over Belgium (ends 5-0)
1912 – Jack Johnson beats “Fireman” Jim Flynn by disqualification in 9 in Las Vegas to retain world heavyweight boxing title
1944 – Allied forces in Normandy fire a coordinated Fourth of July salute against German lines, using 1,100 American guns
2025 – MLB Chicago Cubs belt franchise record 8 home runs in 11-3 win over visiting St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field
Famous Birthdays
1753 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard, French ballonist (1st balloon flights in England and U.S.), born in Les Andelys, France (d. 1809)
1845 – Thomas John Barnardo, Irish-born British social worker, and philanthropist (established Barnardo homes for children), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1905)
1921 – Gérard Debreu, French-American economist (Nobel Prize, 1983), born in Calais, France (d. 2004)
1931 – Duncan Lamont, Scottish jazz and session trumpet and saxophone player, arranger, and songwriter (“I Told You So”), born in Greenock, Scotland (d. 2019)
1948 – Jeremy Spencer, British rock guitarist (Fleetwood Mac – “Oh Well”), born in Hartlepool, County Durham, England
Famous Deaths
943 – Taejo of Goryeo, ruler of Korea (918 to 943), unified the Later Three Kingdoms, dies at 70
973 – Ulrich of Augsburg, Prince-Bishop of Augsburg and first saint to be canonized by a Pope, dies at 82 or 83 (b. 890)
1826 – John Adams, Second US President (1797-1801), Vice President (1789-97) and Founding Father, dies at 90
1976 – Yonatan Netanyahu, Israel commander killed freeing Israeli hostages during Operation Entebbe in Uganda, at 30 years
2021 – Richard Lewontin, American geneticist (The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm), dies at 92
Historical Events
993 – Saint Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized
1636 – Providence, Rhode Island, is founded by Roger Williams after his exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony
1672 – States of Holland declare the “Eternal Edict” void and appoint William III as stadholder
1876 – First public exhibition of electric light in San Francisco
1894 – Republic of Hawai’i is proclaimed, Sanford B Dole as serves as the first and only elected president
1914 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Dorothea Chambers wins her 7th and last Wimbledon singles title beating Ethel Larcombe 7-5, 6-4
1968 – Lowest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in July at 41°F
1980 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley beats Chris Evert 6-1, 7-6 for her 3rd Wimbledon singles crown
Famous Birthdays
1799 – Oscar I [Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte], French-Swedish noble, through adoption (King of Sweden and Norway, 1844-59), born in Paris, France (d. 1859)
1841 – Edward Gailliard, Flemish linguist and archaeologist, born in Bruges, Belgium (d. 1922)
1868 – Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer (period-luminosity relation), born in Lancaster, Massachusetts (d. 1921)
1905 – Irving Johnson, American sail training pioneer and adventurer, born in Hadley, Massachusetts (d. 1991)
1921 – Gérard Debreu, French-American economist (Nobel Prize, 1983), born in Calais, France (d. 2004)
1937 – Roosevelt Taylor, American football safety (Pro Bowl 1963, 68; First Team All-Pro 1963; Chicago Bears, SF 49ers, Washington Redskins), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2020)
1940 – Karolyn Grimes, American actress (It’s a Wonderful Life; The Bishop’s Wife), born in Hollywood, California
1951 – John Alexander, Australian tennis player, politician (Australian Open doubles 1975, 82), born in Sydney, Australia
1968 – Jack Frost [John Dempsey], American heavy metal guitarist (Seven Witches), born in Jersey City, New Jersey
1971 – Andy Creeggan, Canadian keyboardist, accordion player, and drummer (Barenaked Ladies, 1989-95 – “If I Had $1000000”; The Creegan Brothers), born in Scarborough, Ontario
Famous Deaths
1780 – Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Imperial Army field marshal, dies at 67
1826 – Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States (1801-09), dies at 83
1910 – Louis Bourgault-Ducoudray, French Breton composer, dies at 70
1938 – Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (French C’ships 1925-26, Wimbledon 1919-23, 25), dies of anemia at 39
1990 – Ludi Claire, American actress, dies at 70
1999 – Leo Garel, American artist and cartoonist (b.1917)
2002 – Laurent Schwartz, French mathematician, 1950 Fields Medal for his theory of distributions, dies at 87
2011 – Otto von Habsburg, last crown prince of Austria-Hungary and MEP (1979-1999), dies at 98
2021 – Dicky Maegle [born Moegle], American College Football HOF halfback (Rice Uni; Pro Bowl 1955, SF 49ers) and broadcaster (color announcer Houston Oilers), dies at 86
2022 – Richard J. Bernstein, American philosopher (The Abuse of Evil, The Pragmatic Turn), dies of heart and lung disease at 90