Today In History
Historical Events
1905 – King Leopold II opens Antwerp Central Station in Belgium
1936 – American diver Marjorie Gestring wins the 3 m springboard gold at the Berlin Olympics, becoming the youngest Olympic gold medalist at 13 years and 268 days
1979 – “Whoopee!” closes at ANTA Theatre in New York City after 204 performances
1988 – Boston Red Sox beat Tigers 9-4 for an AL record 23rd consecutive win at home
2014 – World Health Organization (WHO) gives its ‘cautious blessing’ to the use of experimental drugs to treat the Ebola virus
Famous Birthdays
1887 – Erwin Schrodinger, Austrian physicist and Nobel Laureate (wave mechanics), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1961)
1910 – Heinrich Sutermeister, Swiss opera composer (Romeo und Julia; Raskolnikov; Das Flaschenteufel), born in Feuerthalen, Switzerland (d. 1995)
1925 – George Wetherill, American scientist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2006)
1946 – Ken Caillat, American record producer and audio engineer (Fleetwood Mac), born in the USA
1982 – Alexandros Tzorvas, Greek soccer goalkeeper (16 caps; Panathinaikos, Apollon Smyrnis), born in Athens, Greece
Famous Deaths
1849 – Albert Gallatin, Swiss-American politician and diplomat (4th US Secretary of the Treasury1801-14), dies at 88
1991 – Irene Campbell, British actress/dancer (Wicker Man, St Justice), dies
2004 – George Yardley III, American Basketball Hall of Fame forward (6 × NBA All-Star 1955–60; first player to score 2,000 points in a season; Fort Wayne Pistons), dies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 75
2020 – Melvin F. Stute, American thoroughbred racehorse trainer (Preakness Stakes 1986, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies 1986, Breeders’ Cup Sprint 1987), dies at 93
2023 – Atanas Golomeev, Bulgarian basketball center (FIBA EuroBasket Top Scorer 1973 Academic Sofia, 1975 Levski Sofia; FIBA European Selection 1971, 73, 75, 77), dies at 76
Historical Events
1813 – Robert Southey is appointed British Poet Laureate by King George III
1863 – First cargo of lumber leaves Burrard Inlet, Vancouver, BC
1959 – First ship firing of a Polaris missile from Observation Island
1977 – For the second consecutive day, Oakland’s Manny Sanguillen foils a no-hit bid
2007 – Bulk carrier M/V New Flame collides with oil tanker Torm Gertrud at the southernmost tip of Gibraltar and ends up partially submerged
2008 – American super-swimmer Michael Phelps wins his third of eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics when he wins the 200 m freestyle in a world record time of 1:42.96
2015 – Former US President Jimmy Carter reveals that he has cancer
2020 – Yemeni authorities say at least 172 people died in floods caused by torrential rains, which also destroy historic buildings in Sanaa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Famous Birthdays
1626 – Giovanni Legrenzi, Venetian Baroque organist and composer, born in Clusone, Republic of Venice (d. 1690)
1781 – Robert Mills, American engineer and architect (Washington Monument on the National Mall), born in Charleston, South Carolina (d. 1855)
1860 – Klara Hitler (née Pölzl), Austrian mother of German dictator, Adolf Hitler, born in Weitra, Austrian Empire (d. 1907)
1920 – Peter West, British sports broadcaster (BBC; editor Playfair Cricket Annual), born in Cranbrook, England (d. 2003)
1930 – Ron Herron, British architect (Archigram), and educator, born in London (d. 1994)
1960 – Laurent Fignon, French road cyclist (Tour de France 1983, 84; Giro d’Italia 1989; FICP World #1 1989), born in Paris, France (d. 2010)
1972 – Del The Funky Homosapien [Teren Delvon Jones], American rapper (Mistadobalina), born in Oakland, California
1975 – Regan Upshaw, American NFL football player (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), born in Berrien Springs, Michigan
1998 – Rudy Pankow, American actor (Outer Banks), born in Ketchikan, Alaska
2001 – Dixie D’Amelio, American singer (“Be Happy”) and TikTok star, born in Norwalk, Connecticut
Famous Deaths
1158 – Anselm of Havelberg, Brandenburg bishop of Havelberg (1129-55), dies at about 58
1885 – Georg Curtius, German classical linguist, dies at 65
1944 – Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., brother of President John F. Kennedy, killed in action in plane explosion over Blythburgh, East Suffolk, England at 29
1955 – James B. Sumner, American chemist (Nobel 1946 – discovered that enzymes can be crystallized), dies at 67
1988 – Jean-Michel Basquiat, American artist (Gray, SAMO), dies of a drug overdose at 27
1996 – Victor Ambartsumian, Russian astronomer (Stalin Prize 1946, 50), dies at 87
2008 – Donald Erb, American composer known for large orchestral works, dies at 81
2010 – Paul Ryan Rudd, American stage and screen actor (Beacon Hill; Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye), dies at 70
2010 – Guido de Marco, 6th president of Malta, 45th President of the United Nations General Assembly (b. 1931)
2020 – Bill Yeoman, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (University of Houston 1962-86; record 160–108–8), dies from kidney failure and pneumonia at 92