Today In History
Historical Events
1918 – Electrical fire kills 38 mental patients at Oklahoma State Hospital
1944 – Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Canadiens beat Chicago Blackhawks, 5-4 in overtime for a 4-0 series sweep; Canadiens’ first SC triumph since 1931
1960 – The US Department of Defense places “Transit 1B,” the first navigational satellite, in orbit around Earth
1981 – Washington Post journalist Janet Cooke wins Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing; she later admits story was a hoax and returns the prize
2014 – Kenyan Wilson Kipsang wins the London Marathon
Famous Birthdays
1570 – Guy Fawkes, English Catholic conspirator who was convicted in the “Gunpowder Plot” to blow up the British Parliament, born in York, England (d. 1606)
1937 – John Contiguglia, American concert pianist (as duo with his identical twin, Richard), born in Auburn, New York
1939 – Barbara-Rose Collins, American politician (Rep-D-Michigan), born in Detroit, Michigan
1954 – Niels Olsen, Danish singer and songwriter (The Olsen Brothers; Eurovision Song Contest, 2000), born in Odense, Denmark
1971 – Jeroen Thesseling, Dutch death metal fretless bassist (Pestilence; Obscura), born in the Netherlands
Famous Deaths
1826 – Franz Danzi, German composer and cellist, dies at 62
1827 – Hugh Clapperton, Scottish explorer of Africa, dies at Sokoto, at 38
1936 – Milton Brown, American swing bandleader, dies at 32
1997 – Foffie Williams, West Indian cricket all-rounder (4 Tests; 9 wickets, 1 x 50; Barbados), dies at 83
2016 – Jeremy Steig, American jazz flutist (“Howlin’ for Judy”; “Wayfaring Stranger”), dies of cancer at 73
Historical Events
1882 – Anti-Semitic League forms in Prussia
1909 – In Constantinople the primarily Albanian First Army Corps seizes the parliament building and telegraphs offices, forcing the Ottoman statesman Hilmi Pasha to resign
1928 – 1st trans atlantic flight Europe-US (Fitzmaurice-von Hunefeld-Köhl)
1964 – 36th Academy Awards: “Tom Jones” (Best Film), Patricia Neal (Hud), and Sidney Poitier (Lilies of the Field) win; Poitier is the first Black actor in a leading role to win a competitive Oscar
1975 – Christian Falange kills 27 Palestinians, begins Lebanese civil war
1983 – Undefeated middleweight boxer Tony Ayala gets 35 years on sex assault
1990 – Final episode of Pat Sajak’s late night TV show on CBS
1997 – Rare double doubleheader played in the same city Giants vs Mets and Oakland A’s vs Yankees in NY after rain previous day
Famous Birthdays
1748 – Joseph Bramah, British inventor and locksmith who invented the beer pump, born in Stainborough, Yorkshire, England (d. 1814)
1762 – Charles Frederick Horn, German-English composer, arranger, and organist, born in Imperial City of Nordhausen (d. 1830)
1784 – Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, Prussian field marshal, born in Stettin, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1877)
1822 – Leroy Augustus Stafford, Confederate American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born near Cheneyville, Rapides Parish, Louisiana (d. 1864)
1832 – James Wimshurst, British designer and inventor (electrostatic generator), born in Poplar, England (d. 1898)
1915 – Roderic Coote, British Anglican bishop of Colchester (1966-87), born in Woking, England (d. 2000)
1927 – Maurice Ronet, French film actor, director, and writer (Frantic, Sphinx, Circle of Love), born in Nice, France (d. 1983)
1938 – Frederic Rzewski, American concert pianist and composer (Spacecraft), born in Westfield, Massachusetts (d. 2021)
1951 – Max Weinberg, American rock drummer (E Street Band; Conan O’Brien Show – Max Weinberg 7), born in Newark, New Jersey
1970 – Gerry Creaney, Scottish footballer, born in Coatbridge, Scotland
Famous Deaths
1517 – Tuman bay II, last Mamelukken sultan of Egypt, dies at 40
1728 – Johann Christoph Schmidt, German composer, dies at 63
1794 – Nicolas Chamfort, French writer, dies at 53
1855 – Henry De la Beche, English geologist, dies at 59
1864 – Johann Schneider, German composer and organist, dies at 74
1882 – Bruno Bauer, German theologian, dies at 72
1911 – John McLane, American politician, dies at 59
1970 – William H. Johnson, African-American artist of the Harlem Renaissance (Flowers; Training for War), dies of pancreatic hemorrhage at 67
1997 – Foffie Williams, West Indian cricket all-rounder (4 Tests; 9 wickets, 1 x 50; Barbados), dies at 83
1997 – Ann Craft, British social worker, scholar, and advocate for disability rights (Ann Craft Trust), dies at 53