Today In History
Historical Events
1931 – British House of Commons agrees to allow sports to be played on Sunday
1934 – Heinrich Himmler is appointed chief of all German police including the Prussian secret state police
1985 – Carlos Lopes runs world record marathon (2:07:12)
1998 – German terrorist group Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, disbands after 28 years
2009 – 113th Boston Marathon: Deriba Merga of Ethiopia wins men’s event in 2:08:42; Salina Kosgei of Kenya women’s champion in 2:32:16
Famous Birthdays
1857 – Charles Louis Philippe Zilcken, Dutch painter and author (HW Knife Day), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1930)
1894 – Martinus Nijhoff, Dutch poet and linguistic (spelling), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1953)
1955 – Donald Pettit, American chemical engineer and NASA astronaut, born in Silverton, Oregon
1961 – Don Mattingly, American MLB first baseman (6 x MLB All-Star; AL MVP 1985; 9 x Gold Glove; 3 x Silver Slugger; AL batting champion 1984; NY Yankees) and manager (LA Dodgers, Miami Marlins), born in Evansville, Indiana
1971 – Mikey Welsh, American bass player (Weezer, 1998-2001 – “Island In The Sun”), born in Syracuse, New York (d. 2011)
Famous Deaths
1164 – Victor IV [Ottaviano Montecello], Italian antipope (1159-64), dies
1960 – Paul Fort, French poet (founder of Vers et Prose), dies at 88
1970 – Paul Celan [Antschell], German-Romanian poet (Collected Prose), drowns himself at 49
1994 – Jean Carmet, French actor (Cache Cash, Miss Mona, Night Magic), dies of a heart attack at 72
2003 – Ruth Hale, American playwright and actress (b. 1908)
Historical Events
1799 – Friedrich von Schiller’s play “Wallensteins Tod” premieres in Weimar
1809 – Napoleon I and French forces defeat Austria at Battle of Abensberg, Bavaria
1951 – Huge ticker-tape parade held in NYC for World War II and Korean War General Douglas MacArthur after he was relieved of Command by President Truman
1962 – OAS-leader ex-general Salan arrested in Algiers
1962 – NASA civilian pilot Neil Armstrong flies the experimental X-15 aircraft to an altitude of 63,250 meters
1991 – Mark Lenzi becomes the first diver to score more than 100 points on a single dive, earning 101.85 points
1996 – Chicago Bulls win record 72 games in a season
2012 – Plane crash near Islamabad, Pakistan, kills 127 people
Famous Birthdays
1494 – John Agricola [Schneider], German theologian, a friend of Martin Luther, born in Eisleben, Germany (d. 1566)
1723 – Cornelius Harnett, American delegate to the Continental Congress, born in Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina (d. 1781)
1909 – Guido Alberti, Italian film actor (Marco the Magnificent), born in Benevento, Italy (d. 1996)
1927 – Karl Alexander Müller, Swiss superconductivity physicist (Nobel 1987), born in Basel. Switzerland (d. 2023)
1928 – Johnny Gavin, Irish soccer winger (7 caps Rep. Ireland; Norwich City 312 games), born in Limerick, Ireland (d. 2007)
1937 – George Takei, American actor (Sulu-Star Trek, Green Berets), born in Los Angeles, California
1938 – Betty Cuthbert, Australian athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 200m, 4x100m 1956; 400m 1964), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 2017)
1951 – Luther Vandross, American soul singer, songwriter (“Endless Love”; “Dance With My Father”), and vocal arranger (David Bowie – Young Americans), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2005)
1966 – David Chalmers, Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist, born in Sydney, Australia
1997 – Alexander Zverev, German tennis player (ATP Finals 2018; US Open 2020 and French Open 2024 runner-up), born in Hamburg, Germany
Famous Deaths
1632 – Nicolas Antoine, French Protestant theologian who attempted to convert to Judaism, burned at the stake for heresy aged about 30 in Geneva, Switzerland
1769 – Pontiac, Ottawa Indian leader, murdered by a Peoria warrior at 48 or 49
1977 – Len Johnson, Australian cricket fast bowler (1 Test, 6 wickets, BB 3/8; Queensland), dies at 58
1984 – Hristo Prodanov, Bulgarian mountaineer, 13th person and 1st Bulgarian to climb Mt Everest, dies during his descent at 41 (b. 1943)
1992 – Johnny Shines, American delta blues singer and guitarist, dies at 76
1999 – “Ravishing” Rick Rude, American professional wrestler, dies at 40
2014 – Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, American boxer (famous murder conviction overturned after 19 years imprisonment), dies of prostate cancer at 76
2017 – Magdalena Abakanowicz, Polish fiber artist and sculptor, dies at 86
2018 – Avicii [Tim Bergling], Swedish musician, DJ, remixer and record producer (“Levels”; “Wake Me Up”; “Sunshine”), commits suicide at 28
2018 – Allan B. Swift, American broadcast journalist and politician (US Representative for Washington (D), 1979-95), dies at 82