Today In History
Historical Events
1876 – The April Uprising breaks out in Bulgaria
1878 – US stops minting the 20-cent coin due to public confusion with the quarter
1887 – Hannibal Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film (used in Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope)
1953 – Hussein I installed as King of Jordan
1998 – 124th Kentucky Derby: Kent Desormeaux aboard Real Quiet wins in 2:02.20
Famous Birthdays
1660 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian baroque composer (Tigrane), born in Palermo, Sicily, Viceroyalty of the Spanish Empire (d. 1725)
1860 – Theodor Herzl, Austrian journalist and father of modern political Zionism (World Zionist Organization), born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary (d. 1904)
1910 – Laurie Nash, Australian cricket fast-bowler (2 Tests, 10 wickets) and VFL player and coach (South Melbourne), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 1986)
1954 – Elliot Goldenthal, American concert, theater, and Academy Award-winning film score composer (Frida; Juan Darién – A Carnival Mass), born in Brooklyn, New York City
1984 – Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer, born in Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR
Famous Deaths
2001 – Gina Mastrogiacomo, American actress (Goodfellas), dies at 39
2012 – Junior Seau, American Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker (12 x Pro Bowl; 6 × First-team All-Pro; NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1992; SD Chargers), commits suicide at 43
2013 – Jeff Hanneman, American haevy metal guitarist (Slayer), dies from liver failure at 49
2017 – Abelardo Castillo, Argentine writer and novelist, dies at 82
2018 – Wang Danfeng, Chinese actress, dies at 93
Historical Events
1598 – France and Spain sign the Peace of Vervins
1923 – MLB Washington Senator Walter Johnson pitches his 100th shutout, beats New York Yankees 3-0
1941 – Nazi occupied Netherlands lays off Jewish journalists
1943 – German troops vacate Jefna, Tunisia
1950 – Dutch PM Malan recognizes South-Africa but not People’s Republic of China
1969 – British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth II departs Southampton on its maiden voyage to New York
1982 – Argentine cruiser General Belgrano is sunk by British submarine HMS Conqueror with the loss of more than 350 men during the Falklands War
1983 – 6.7 earthquake injures 487 in Coalinga, California
Famous Birthdays
1821 – Abram Sanders Piatt, American farmer, publisher, poet, politician, and Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1908)
1860 – William Maddock Bayliss, British physiologist, co-discoverer of hormones, born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire (d. 1924)
1901 – Willi Bredel, German anti-Nazi communist writer (Die Prüfung), born in Hamburg, German Empire (d. 1964)
1924 – Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American stage and screen singer and actor (The Sound of Music; Fiddler On The Roof; The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming; 200 Motels), folk singer (co-founder Newport Folk Festival), and political activist, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2015)
1938 – Moshoeshoe II, King of Lesotho (1966-90), born in Morija, Lesotho (d. 1996)
1945 – Goldy McJohn [John Goadsby], Canadian rock keyboard and Hammond B-3 organ player (Steppenwolf – “Magic Carpet ride”; ‘Born To Be Wild”), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2017)
1946 – Lesley Gore [Goldstein], American pop singer (“It’s My Party”; “You Don’t Own Me”), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2015)
1972 – Jill Savery, American synchronized swimmer (Olympic gold 1996), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
1973 – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, German film director and screenwriter (The Lives of Others), born in Cologne, Germany
1980 – Miloš Glogovac, Serbian football player, born in Serbia
Famous Deaths
373 – Athanasius, Greek early church Father, theologian and Patriarch of Alexandria (298-373) (b. 298)
1488 – Jacob van Horne, Burgundy statesman, dies
1963 – Van Wyck Brooks, American literary historian and writer (Ordeal of Mark Twain), dies at 77
1985 – Larry Clinton, American trumpeter and bandleader, dies at 75
1986 – Henri Toivonen, Finnish rally driver (3 x World Rally C’ship round wins for Talbot, Opel, Porsche, Lancia), dies in a rally accident at 29
1993 – Will Weng, American journalist (New York Times, 1930-69), crossword puzzle editor (New York Times, 1969-77), and WWII veteran, dies of throat cancer at 86
2012 – Zvi Zeitlin, Russian-American classical violinist and music professor (Eastman School, 1967-2012), dies at 90
2018 – Cliff Watson, English rugby league front rower (30 Tests GB, 4 England; St Helens 373 games, Cronulla-Sutherland), dies of cancer at 78
2021 – Bobby Unser, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1968, 1975, 1981; USAC C’ship 1968, 1974), dies at 87
2023 – Tori Bowie, American athlete (Olympic gold 4×100 m relay, silver 100m, bronze 200m 2016; World C’ship gold 100m, 4x100m relay 2017), dies at 32