Today In History
Historical Events
1610 – Parliament of Paris appoints 8-year old Louis XIII as French King, following the assassination of his father Henry IV; Louis’ mother and Henry’s widow Marie de’ Medici serves as regent until 1617
1862 – Battle of Drewry’s Bluff (Fort Darling), Virginia
1961 – 36 Unification church couples wed in Korea
2008 – Hollywood fixer Anthony Pellicano is found guilty of 76 counts, including racketeering, wiretapping and wire fraud
2022 – Pope Francis canonizes Dutch Roman Catholic priest and anti-Nazi activist Titus Brandsma (1881-1942) as a saint
Famous Birthdays
1909 – James Mason, British actor (Lolita, North by Northwest, Bloodline, Boys From Brazil), born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire (d. 1984)
1915 – Paul A. Samuelson, American economist (1970 Nobel Prize for Economics, 1947 John Bates Clark Medal), born in Gary, Indiana (d. 2009)
1923 – Johnny Walker [Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi], Indian actor (Madhumati, Chachi 420), born in Indore, British India (d. 2003)
1944 – Gunilla Hutton, Swedish-American actress (Hee Haw, Petticoat Junction), born in Gothenburg, Sweden
1959 – Andrew Eldritch, British rock singer-songwriter (Sisters of Mercy – Walk Away; Black Planet), born in Ely, England
Famous Deaths
1714 – Roger Elliott, British general and Governor of Gibraltar
1967 – Jaromír Fiala, Czech composer, dies at 74
1971 – Donald F. Duncan Sr., American entrepreneur (Duncan Toys Company), dies at 78
1984 – Lionel Charles Robbins, British economist, dies at 85
2021 – Fred Martinelli, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Ashland University 1959-93), dies at 92
Historical Events
1908 – Reich Association Law comes into force
1914 – Henri Rabaud’s opera “Mârouf, savetier du Caire” (Marouf, the Cairo Cobbler) premieres in Paris
1916 – Asiago, Italy, falls when Austrian troops attack the Italian front
1923 – Cooperation of Dutch Molen forms
1940 – Richard and Maurice McDonald open the first McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino, California
1941 – 1st British turbojet flies
1957 – Evangelist Billy Graham launches his “crusade” in front of 18,000 people at Madison Square Garden in NYC
2010 – 135th Preakness: Martin Garcia aboard Lookin At Lucky wins in 1:55.47
Famous Birthdays
1749 – Levi Lincoln, Sr., American revolutionary, statesman, politician, and Thomas Jefferson’s first attorney general, born in Massachusetts Bay, British America (d. 1820)
1862 – John Reeves Ellerman, British accountant, businessman, and shipping magnate, born in Kingston upon Hull, England (d. 1933)
1912 – Alexis Kagame, Rwandan philosopher, historian, poet and Tutsi intellectual and cultural leader, born in Kiyanza, Rwanda, German East Africa (d. 1981)
1942 – Doug Lowe, Australian politician (35th Premier of Tasmania, 1977-81), born in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
1951 – (Dennis) “Fergie” Frederiksen, American rock singerr (Toto, 1984-85), born in Grand Rapids, Michigan (d. 2014)
1953 – George Brett, American Baseball Hall of Fame third baseman (13 x MLB All Star; World Series 1985; AL MVP 1980; KC Royals), born in Glen Dale, West Virginia
1970 – Keith Tower, NBA center (LA Clippers)
1970 – Cory Philpot, CFL running back (BC Lions)
1982 – Alexandra Breckenridge, American actress (Virgin River, The Walking Dead, Family Guy), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
1995 – Ksenia Sitnik, Belarusian pop singer, born in Mazyr, Belarus
Famous Deaths
1746 – Giovanni Antonio Ricieri, Italian composer and castrato singer dies at 67
1785 – Karel Blazej Kopriva, Czech organist and composer, dies at 29
1886 – Emily Dickinson, American poet (Collected Poems) and one of the most important figures in American poetry, dies of nephritis at 55
1889 – Alfred Potocki, Austrian politician (Prime Minister, Governor, Viceroy of Galicia), dies
1937 – Phillip Snowden, British politician first Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer, dies at 72
1958 – Michael G the Boer, historian (Harbor of Amsterdam), dies at 91
1991 – Reno Browne, American Western actress, dies at 70
1994 – Ronnie Potsdammer, Dutch singer, songwriter and programmer, dies at 71
1995 – Johnny Van Derrick, British jazz violinist (Pink Panther Theme), dies at 68
2005 – Alan B. Gold, Quebec Chief Justice (b. 1917)