Today In History
Historical Events
1875 – 9th Belmont: Bobby Swim aboard Calvin wins in 2:42.25
1916 – US National Championship Women’s Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Defending champion Molla Bjurstedt outclasses Louise Hammond Raymond 6-0, 6-1
1950 – The first of two Air France DC-4 aircraft flying the same route from Saigon to Paris crashes near Bahrain, killing 46 passengers and crew, while 6 survive; a second DC-4 on the same route crashes two days later a few miles away under similar circumstances
1990 – Orioles Cal Ripken plays in his 1,308th consecutive game to move past Everett Scott into 2nd place on the all-time list
2007 – Russian novelist and historian Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn receives the State Prize of the Russian Federation from President Putin for his humanitarian work
Famous Birthdays
1861 – William Attewell, English cricket bowler (England in 10 Tests 1884-1891), born in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, England (d. 1927)
1911 – Milovan Djilas, Yugoslavian politician and writer (The New Class), born in Podbišće, Montenegro (d. 1995)
1941 – Roy Harper, British folk-rock singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Folkjokeopus; Work of Heart), born in Rusholme, Manchester, England
1947 – Ron Freeman, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x400m, bronze 400m 1968), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey
1979 – Robyn [Robin Carlsson], Swedish pop and dance music singer-songwriter, and record producer (“Show Me Love”; “Dancing On My Own”), born in Stockholm, Sweden
Famous Deaths
1020 – Lyfing, Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Wells and Archbishop of Canterbury during the Viking raids on England (1013-20), dies and is buried in Canterbury Cathedral
1878 – William Cullen Bryant, American poet (Thanatopsis), dies at 83
1883 – John Randolph Tucker, American naval officer (Confederate Navy), dies at 71
2015 – Ernest Tomlinson, English light classical music composer, dies at 90
2024 – Tony Lo Bianco, American stage and screen actor (The French Connection; A View From the Bridge; Hizzoner!), dies of prostate cancer at 87
Historical Events
1775 – 1st naval battle of Revolution-Unity (US) captures Margaretta (Br)
1939 – Baseball Hall of Fame is dedicated in Cooperstown, New York
1942 – Tornado kills 35 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
1950 – The first of two Air France DC-4 aircraft flying the same route from Saigon to Paris crashes near Bahrain, killing 46 passengers and crew, while 6 survive; a second DC-4 on the same route crashes two days later a few miles away under similar circumstances
1978 – David Berkowitz sentenced in NY Supreme Court to 25 yrs to life
1993 – “Three Little Pigs” by Green Jelly hits #17
2011 – 65th Tony Awards: “The Book of Mormon” (musical) and “War Horse” (play) win
2017 – Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny sentenced to 30 days administrative arrest for organizing rallies
Famous Birthdays
1909 – Archie Bleyer, American orchestra leader (Arthur Godfrey), born in Queens, New York (d. 1989)
1933 – Marian Burros, American food writer best known for her plum torte recipe (NYT Cooking, The Summertime Cookbook), born in Waterbury, Connecticut (d. 2025)
1939 – Geoff Griffin, South African cricket fast bowler (2 Tests; first RSA Test hat-trick 1960), born in Greytown, Natal Province, South Africa (d. 2006)
1949 – Marc Tardif, Canadian ice hockey left-wing (Gordie Howe Trophy 1976, 78; Stanley Cup 1971, 73 Montreal Canadiens; WHL C’ship 1977 Quebec Nordiques), born in Granby, Quebec
1952 – Dale Krantz, American rock singer (Rossington-Collins Band), born in Michigan
1958 – Barry Michael Cooper, American screenwriter (New Jack City; Sugar Hill; Above the Rim), and journalist (Village Voice), born in Harlem, New York City (d. 2025)
1963 – Johnny Weiss, American professional wrestler (Johnny Hotbody), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1977 – Kenny Wayne Shepherd [Brobst], American blues-rock guitarist, born in Shreveport, Louisiana
1985 – Kendra Wilkinson, American Television Personality and glamour model, born in San Diego, California
1985 – Sam Thaiday, Australian professional rugby league player (Brisbane Broncos), born in Sydney, Australia
Famous Deaths
918 – Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, ruled Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia who expanded her kingdom (911-918), dies
1565 – Adrianus Turnebus, French classical scholar, dies of tuberculosis at about 53
1567 – Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1490)
1930 – Dyce Willcocks, cricketer (“Grand Old Man” of Canadian cricket), dies
1962 – John Ireland, English composer and pianist (Epic March), dies at 82
1968 – Fidelio Friedrich Finke, Bohemian German composer, dies at 76
1976 – Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ, Prime Minister of South Vietnam, dies at 68
1983 – Norma Shearer, Canadian-American actress (Escape, Romeo and Juliet), dies at 82
1994 – Nicole Brown Simpson, German-American ex-wife of O.J. Simpson, murdered at 35
2022 – Buster Welch, American cutting horse trainer (4 x NCHA World Championship; 5 x NCHA World Championship Futurity), dies at 94