Today In History
Historical Events
1708 – Great Alliance occupies Rijsel
1906 – Henry Ford becomes President of Ford Motor Company
1928 – Herbert Hoover speaks of the “American system of rugged individualism”
1951 – Earthquake hits Formosa, 100 killed
1977 – International Sun-Earth Explorers 1 and 2 launched into Earth orbit
Famous Birthdays
1915 – Yitzḥak Shamir, Israeli Prime Minister (1983–84, 1986–1992) and Zionist, born in Ruzinoy, Belarus, Russian Empire (d. 2012)
1939 – Tony Roberts, American stage and screen actor (Annie Hall; The Edge of Night: The Lucie Arnaz Show), born in New York City (d. 2025)
1947 – Neil Rolnick, American electronic music composer and educator (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – iEAR Studios, 1981-2013), born in Dallas, Texas
1959 – Arto Salminen, Finnish cult writer, born in Helsinki (d. 2005)
1972 – D’Lo Brown [Accie Julius Connor], American professional wrestler, born in Burlington, New Jersey
Famous Deaths
1725 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian baroque composer (Tigrane), dies at 65
1895 – Oliver Ames, American politician (35th Governor of Massachusetts, 1887-90), dies at 64
1989 – Jacob Wetterling, American kidnapping victim, is kidnapped, assaulted and murdered at 11 by Danny Heinrich. His abduction and murder would remain a mystery for 30 years.
2012 – Wilson Whineray, New Zealand rugby union prop (32 Tests [30 as captain]; Auckland RFU), dies at 77
2019 – Ramon Zupko, American classical and electro-acoustic composer (Fluxus), and educator (Western Michigan University, 1971-96), dies at 86
Historical Events
1862 – Confederate troops reconquer Cumperland Gap, Tennessee
1895 – David Belasco’s “Heart of Maryland” premieres in NYC
1929 – James H Scullin forms Australia government
1932 – Film “Red Dust” directed by Victor Fleming, starring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Mary Astor premieres
1992 – Atlanta Braves become 1st American team to win a Baseball World Series game outside of United States; beat Toronto Blue Jays, 7-2 in Game 5 at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario
1994 – “Philadelphia, Here I Come” closes at Criterion NYC after 52 performances
2005 – Tropical Storm Alpha forms in the Atlantic Basin, making the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season the most active Atlantic hurricane season on record with 22 named storms.
2019 – Japanese Emperor Naruhito alongside Empress Masako formally declares his ascension to the throne of the world’s oldest monarchy
Famous Birthdays
1511 – Erasmus Reinhold, German mathematician (calculated planetary table), born in Saalfeld, Electorate of Saxony (d. 1553)
1870 – Ivan Bunin, Russian poet and novelist (Gentleman from San Francisco-Nobel 1933), born in Voronezh, Russian Empire (d. 1953)
1898 – Dámaso Alonso, Spanish linguist and poet (Hijos de la ira), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 1952)
1913 – Hans-Peter Tschudi, Swiss Federal Councilor, President of Switzerland (1970), born in Basel, Switzerland (d. 2002)
1927 – Ray Stern (née Schiffman), American homemaker and mother of radio personality Howard Stern, born in New York City
1937 – Tadeáš Salva, Slovak composer, born in Lúčky, Slovakia (d. 1997)
1937 – Alan Ladd Jr., American producer (Braveheart) and president of 20th Century Fox (1976–79), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2022)
1942 – Robin John Maconie, New Zealand pianist, electro-acoustic film and concert composer, and musicologist (Stockhausen), born in Auckland, New Zealand
1978 – Ed Droste, American indie-rock singer-songwriter (Grizzly Bear – “Two Weeks”), born in Massachusetts
1978 – Chaswe Nsofwa, Zambian soccer striker (33 caps; Zanaco FC), born in Lusaka, Zambia (d. 2007)
Famous Deaths
741 – Charles Martel, ruler of the Franks and grandfather of Charlemagne, dies at 63
1674 – Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, Dutch painter, dies at 53
1926 – Jules van den Heuvel, Belgian lawyer, politician (Minister of Justice, 1899-1907), and diplomat (Ambassador to the Vatican, 1915-18), dies at 71
1927 – Ross Youngs, American Baseball HOF right fielder (World Series 1921, 22; NY Giants), dies of Bright’s disease at 30
1935 – Komitas [Soghomon Soghomonian], Armenian priest, composer (Patarag), and musicologist, dies at 66
1965 – Paul Tillich, German-American theologist (Courage To Be), dies at 79
1981 – Michael Granger, actor (Creature with Atom Brain, Pier 5 Havana), dies
1986 – Jane Dornacker, American stand-up comic, songwriter, rock vocalist (The Tubes), and ill-fated traffic reporter, dies in a helicopter crash at 39
2006 – Choi Kyu-hah, President of South Korea, dies at 87
2021 – Peter Scolari, American stage and screen Emmy Award-winning actor (Newhart – “Michael”; Girls – “Tad”; Bosom Buddies – “Henry”), dies of cancer at 66