Today In History
Historical Events
1952 – American Bowling Congress approves use of an automatic pinsetter
1955 – Captiol Records releases “In the Wee Small Hours”, the ninth studio album by American vocalist Frank Sinatra; collection of melancholy ballads with arrangements by Nelson Riddle was an early example of a concept album and helped popularize the 12-inch format for non-classical recordings
1959 – St Lawrence Seaway linking Atlantic and the Great Lakes opens to shipping
1994 – Tsutomu Hata elected premier of Japan
2015 – 7.8-magnitude earthquake near Kathmandu in Nepal, killing 8000, leaving over 100,000 homeless, destroying many historic sites
Famous Birthdays
1867 – Jean Demoor, Belgian physician and physiologist, born in Etterbeek, Belgium (d. 1941)
1869 – Karl Prohaska, Austrian composer, born in Mödling, Austria (d. 1927)
1923 – Anita Björk, Swedish actress (Miss Julie, Loving Couples, Night People), born in Tällberg, Sweden (d. 2012)
1949 – Michael Brown, American musician and songwriter (Don’t Walk Away Renee), born in New York City (d. 2015)
1994 – Sam Fender, English singer-songwriter and actor (Seventeen Going Under), born in South Shields, England
Famous Deaths
1960 – Amanullah Khan, Emir and King of Afghanistan (1919-28), dies at 67
1969 – Margarita Xirgu, Catalan stage actress, director and political radical (Bloody Wedding, Mariana Pineda), dies at 80
1990 – Dexter Gordon, American jazz tenor saxophonist Go!; The Other Side of ‘Round Midnight), and actor (‘Round Midnight), dies of kidney failure at 67
2000 – Lucien le Cam, French mathematician (b. 1924)
2009 – John J. Marchi, American politician (NY Senate 1957-2006), dies at 87
Historical Events
1829 – Charles Fremantle arrives in HMS Challenger off the coast of modern-day Western Australia prior to declaring the Swan River Colony for the United Kingdom
1875 – Latest date for measurable snow in NYC (3″)
1901 – Erve Beck hits American League’s 1st home run
1950 – Chuck Cooper becomes the 1st African American to be drafted into the NBA (for Boston Celtics)
1982 – USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
1984 – USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
2012 – The United Kingdom dips back into recession after the economy shrank 0.2% in the first quarter of 2012
2018 – Danish inventor Peter Madsen found guilty of killing and desecrating body of journalist Kim Wall aboard submarine, sentenced to life imprisonment
Famous Birthdays
1677 – Guillaume Coustou Sr, French sculptor (Chevaux the Marly), born in Lyon, France (d. 1746)
1767 – Nicolas Oudinot, French marshal, born in Bar-le-Duc, France (d. 1847)
1905 – Walter Hassan, British automotive engineer, born in London (d. 1996)
1939 – Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield, British photographer who took the formal wedding portraits of King Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, born in England (d. 2005)
1969 – Nir Shental, Israeli Men’s 470 sailor (Olympic 15th-1996), born in Jaffa, Israel
1975 – Ruben Gomez, American rocker (Menudo-Cannonball), born in Brooklyn, New York City
1978 – Matt Walker, British Paralympic swimmer, born in Stockport, England
1978 – Letícia Birkheuer, Brazilian model and actress, born in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
1983 – DeAngelo Williams, American National Football League runningback, born in Wynne, Arkansas
1985 – Giedo van der Garde, Dutch racing driver, born in Rhenen, Netherlands
Famous Deaths
1295 – Sancho IV, the Brave, scholar/king of Castile/Leon, dies
1828 – Johannes Goldberg, Dutch politician and first Agent of the National Economy, dies at 64
1911 – Emilio Salgari, Italian novelist (b. 1862)
1946 – Joseph Vine, cricketer (batted in two Tests Eng v Aust 1911-12), dies
1949 – Jankel Adler, Polish painter and printmaker, dies at 53
1972 – George Sanders, Russian actor (All About Eve-Academy Award 1950), commits suicide at 65
1995 – Ginger Rogers [Virginia McMath], American vaudeville, stage and screen dancer, singer (Top Hat), and Academy Award-winning actress (Kitty Foyle; Stage Door), dies at 83
1999 – Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, Irish journalist, author, sports official and 6th President of the International Olympic Committee (1972-80), dies at 84
2023 – Sir Winfried Bischoff, German-British banker and chairman of Lloyds Banking Group, dies at 81
2023 – Vera Krepkina, Russian athlete (Olympic gold USSR long jump 1960; WR 4×100m relay 1956, tied WR 100m 11.3s 1958), dies at 90