Today In History
Historical Events
439 – The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take the city of Carthage in North Africa
1948 – “My Romance” opens at the Shubert Theatre in New York City for 95 performances
1967 – Mariner 5 makes a flyby of Venus
2007 – Bomb explosion rocks Glorietta 2, a shopping mall in Makati, Philippines, killing 11 and injuring more than 100 people
2019 – UK Parliament votes for the Letwin amendment in a special Saturday sitting, forcing Boris Johnson to ask the EU for an extension and delaying the vote on his Brexit deal
Famous Birthdays
1720 – John Woolman, American Quaker preacher and abolitionist, born in Province of New Jersey (d. 1772)
1834 – Francis Channing Barlow, American lawyer and Union general during the US Civil War (met General John B. Gordon at Gettysburg), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1896)
1911 – Hilde Spiel, Austrian writer, born in Vienna (d. 1990)
1915 – Farid al-Atrash [El-Atrache], Syrian composer, musician, virtuoso oud player, and actor (Akher kedba), born in Jebel Ed-Druz, Southern Syria (d. 1974)
1936 – Tony Lo Bianco, American stage and screen actor (The French Connection; A View From the Bridge; Hizzoner!), born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2024)
Famous Deaths
1335 – Elisabeth Richeza of Poland, Queen consort of Bohemia and Poland, dies at 47
1960 – Günter Raphael, German composer (Busskantate), dies at 57
1972 – Dr. Fredrick Arthur Willius, American cardiologist and medical historian, dies from bladder cancer at 83
1994 – Martha Raye [Margaret Reed], American comedienne and actress (Waikiki Wedding The Martha Raye Show), dies at 78
2020 – Spencer Davis [Davies], English guitarist (Spencer Davis Group – “Gimme Some Lovin'”), dies of pneumonia at 81
Historical Events
1031 – Abbot Humbert of Echternach Abbey opens the grave of Saint Willibrord, founder of the abbey in the 7th century
1900 – South African President of Transvaal Paul Kruger departs for Europe
1950 – Bird Building at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is dedicated in Cleveland, Ohio
1958 – Stirling Moss wins the season-ending Moroccan Grand Prix at Ain-Diab, but fellow Brit Mike Hawthorn takes the World Drivers’ Championship from Moss by just 1 point by finishing second; he becomes the first British world champion
1968 – West Germany beats Australia by just 0.9 seconds to win the men’s eights rowing gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
2003 – Mother Teresa of Calcutta is beatified by Pope John Paul II
2005 – MLB National League Championship: Houston Astros beat St. Louis Cardinals 4-2
2018 – “Halloween” film reboot starring Jamie Lee Curtis makes a record $77 million for a horror film with a female lead, the biggest debut for any film with a female lead over 55 in the US
Famous Birthdays
1433 – Marsilio Ficino, Italian philosopher of the Italian Renaissance, born in Figline Valdarn, near Florence (d. 1499)
1582 – Dmitry Ivanovich [Dmitry of Uglich], Russian Tsarevich and son of Ivan IV “the Terrible”, born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1591)
1824 – Rufus Saxton, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Greenfield, Massachusetts (d. 1908)
1925 – Victor Zorza, Polish journalist and specialist on the Soviet Union, born in Kołomyja, Poland (d. 1996)
1930 – Thomas ap Rees, British botanist, born in Frome, England (d. 1996)
1944 – Keith Adrian [Johnson], British-Dutch stage and screen actor, director, and playwright, born in New Delhi, British India (d. 2004)
1963 – Sinitta [Malone], British-American singer (“So Macho”; “Toy Boy”), born in Seattle, Washington
1965 – Frankie Paul [Paul Blake], Jamaican reggae musician, born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 2017)
1977 – Louis-José Houde, Canadian stand-up comic, born in Saint-Apollinaire, Quebec
1995 – Myki Meeks [Mikey Reichert], American drag queen and performer (RuPaul’s Drag Race season 18 winner), born in Tampa, Florida
Famous Deaths
1187 – Pope Urban III [Uberto Crivelli](1185-87)
1547 – Pierino del Vaga, Italian painter, dies at about 46
1897 – George Pullman, American industrialist and inventor (railway sleeping car), dies at 66
1943 – Camille Claudel, French bronze and marble sculptor (The Waltz, The Mature Age), subject of the Camille Claudel Museum, dies at 78
1959 – Stanley Bate, English composer, dies at 45
1995 – Don Cherry, American jazz trumpeter (Ornette Coleman), dies from liver cancer at 58
1997 – Glen Buxton, American guitarist (Alice Cooper) and composer, dies at 49
2006 – James Glennon, American cinematographer, dies at 64
2010 – Tom Bosley, American actor (Howard-Happy Days, Murder She Wrote, Fiorello!), dies at 83
2020 – Tony Lewis, British rock singer-songwriter and bass player (The Outfield – “Your Love”), dies at 62