Today In History
Historical Events
1795 – King of Hawaiʻi Kamehameha I defeats Kalanikupule and conquers island of Oʻahu at Battle of Nuʻuanu [approx. date]
1957 – Vanguard TV-1 booster test reaches an altitude of 121 miles (195 km)
1967 – Anastasio Somoza Debayle becomes President of Nicaragua
1969 – Houston Astros hurler Don Wilson blanks Reds, 4-0 for second career no-hitter, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati
2007 – The Los Angeles May Day mêlée occurs, in which the Los Angeles Police Department’s response to a May Day pro-immigration rally becomes a matter of controversy
Famous Birthdays
1831 – Emily Stowe, Canadian suffragist and first woman licensed to practise medicine in Canada, born in Norwich Township, Oxford County, Ontario (d. 1903)
1924 – Enriko Josif, Serbian composer and pedagogue (Lyric Symphony), born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (d. 2003)
1927 – Greta Andersen, Danish swimmer (Olympic gold 100m freestyle, silver 4×100m freestyle 1948), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2023)
1955 – András Törőcsik, Hungarian soccer forward (45 caps; Újpest Dozsa FC, Montpellier), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2022)
1970 – Damon Diletti, Australian field hockey goal keeper (Olympic silver 1992; Champions Trophy gold 1999), born in Perth, West Australia
Famous Deaths
1679 – Esaias Reusner, German lutenist and composer, dies at 43
1913 – John Barclay Armstrong, Texas Ranger and U.S. Marshal (b. 1850)
1957 – Grant Mitchell, American actor (Great Lie, Laura, Cairo, Conflict), dies at 82
2018 – Chuck Missler, American evangelist and author, dies at 83
2021 – Al Jamison, American football offensive lineman (AFL All Star 1961, 62; AFL C’ship 1960, 61; Houston Oilers), dies at 83
Historical Events
1850 – John Geary becomes the first mayor of San Francisco
1951 – Dutch Reformed Church introduces a new church choir
1967 – Bernard Malamud wins the Pulitzer Price in Fiction for “The Fixer”
1988 – Two IRA attacks in and near Roermond, Netherlands, kills three British servicemen and wounds three more
2002 – Padres closer Trevor Hoffman sets MLB record for saves for one team (321) in 4-3 win v Chicago Cubs in San Diego
2009 – Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden
2014 – Hundreds march through Nigerian capital calling for the release of schoolgirls abducted by Islamic militants, Boko Haram, who oppose Western education
2019 – US Attorney General William Barr testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee, defending his handling of the Mueller Report
Famous Birthdays
1238 – Magnus VI Lagabuter, King of Norway (1263-80), born in Tønsberg, Norway (d. 1280)
1577 – François de Kinschot, Dutch jurist and chancellor of Brabant, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1654)
1872 – Sidónio Pais, Portuguese politician (4th President of Portugal, 66th Prime Minister of Portugal), born in Caminha, Portugal (d. 1918)
1884 – Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, British politician, naval officer and auto racer (1931 Le Mans), born in Mayfair, London (d. 1964)
1913 – Balraj Sahni [Yudhishthir], Indian Bollywood actor (Dharti Ke Lal), born in Rawalpindi, Punjab (d. 1973)
1924 – Enriko Josif, Serbian composer and pedagogue (Lyric Symphony), born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (d. 2003)
1924 – Big Maybelle [Mabel Smith], American RandB singer (“A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”, “Candy”), born in Jackson, Mississippi (d. 1972)
1951 – Linda Hoover, American singer-songwriter (“I Mean to Shine”), born in Oakland, New Jersey
1955 – Nick Feldman, British pop-new wave musician (Wang Chung – “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”), born in London
1957 – Paul D Ronney, American aeronautical engineer and NASA astronaut (STS 83 alt), born in Los Angeles, California
Famous Deaths
1859 – John Walker, English inventor and chemist who invented the friction match, dies at 77
1903 – Luigi Arditi, Italian violinist and composer, dies at 80
1941 – Howard Johnson, American lyricist (“When the Moon Comes over the Mountain”, “M-O-T-H-E-R”), dies at 53
1976 – Alexandros Panagoulis, Greek poet and politician who fought the military junta in Greece, dies in a car accident at 36
1984 – Jüri Lossmann, Estonian athlete (Olympic silver marathon 1920), dies at 93
1989 – Sally Kirkland, American fashion editor (Vogue magazine) and manager (Lord and Taylor), dies at 76
1989 – Antonio Janigro, Italian cellist (Zagreb Soloists), dies at 71
2003 – Miss Elizabeth [Hulette], pro wrestling valet (Randy Savage), dies of overdose at 42
2012 – Charles “skip” Pitts, American soul and blues guitarist, dies from lung cancer at 65
2015 – Geoff Duke, English motorcycle racer (world 500cc champion 1951, 1953-55), dies at 92