Today In History
Historical Events
1608 – The Protestant Union is founded in Auhausen
1975 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1977 – KC Royals Jim Colborn no-hits Texas Rangers, 6-0
1986 – NHL Clarence Campbell Conference Final: Calgary Flames beat St. Louis Blues, 4 games to 3
1997 – FC Barcelona of Spain win 37th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Paris Saint-Germain of France 1-0 in Rotterdam
Famous Birthdays
1867 – Kurt Eisner, German socialist politician, revolutionary and journalist (President of the People’s State of Bavaria 1918-19), born in Berlin, Prussia (d. 1919)
1901 – Robert Ritter, German child psychologist who classified the Roma and Sinti populations for persecution under the Third Reich, born in Aachen, German Empire (d. 1951)
1929 – Barbara Branden, Canadian writer and lecturer (The Passion of Ayn Rand, Who is Ayn Rand?), born in Winnipeg (d. 2013)
1965 – Dave Widell, NFL center/guard (Jacksonville Jaguars)
1973 – Anais Granofsky, American-Canadian actress, screenwriter, and director (Lucy Fernandez in “Degrassi”), born in Springfield, Ohio
Famous Deaths
1906 – Carl Schurz, German revolutionary and statesman (b. 1829)
1983 – Roger J. Traynor, American judge (b. 1900)
1984 – Elmer Riddle, American baseball pitcher (NL wins leader 1943; Cincinnati Reds), dies at 69
2001 – Gil Langley, Australian cricketer (Australian wicket-keeper 1951-56), dies at 81
2003 – William Jackson [Pepper LaBeija], American drag queen and fashion designer, dies of a heart attack at 54
Historical Events
1920 – Washington Senator Walter Johnson wins his 300th game vs Detroit
1935 – Plebiscite in the Philippines ratifies independence agreement
1942 – US Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) forms
1944 – General Rommel, Speidel and von Stulpnagel attempt to assassinate Hitler
1988 – Carrollton bus collision: a drunk driver going the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky, United States hits a converted school bus carrying a church youth group. The crash and ensuing fire kill 27.
1991 – Winnie Mandela is sentenced to six years and is freed pending appeal for complicity in the kidnapping and beating of four youths, one of whom dies
1993 – The 1,000th episode of “The Arsenio Hall Show” airs, featuring a retrospective
2023 – Cyclone Mocha makes landfall on Rakhine coast, Myanmar, near southern border of Bangladesh with at least 400 killed. Second strongest storm on record in the North Indian Ocean.
Famous Birthdays
1752 – Albrecht Thaer, German agronomist and founder of modern scientific agriculture (Principles of Rational Agriculture), born in Celle, Electorate of Hanover (d. 1828)
1899 – Stelios Perpiniadis, Greek folk singer, songwriter and guitarist, born in Tinos, Greece (d. 1977)
1926 – Čestmír Gregor, Czech composer, born in Brno, Czechoslovakia (d. 2011)
1937 – Vic Flick, British studio guitarist (“James Bond Theme”; George Martin Orchestra; John Barry Seven), film score composer, and arranger, born in Worcester Park, Surrey, England (d. 2024)
1940 – William F. Murphy, Disgraced American Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church (Vicar General to Cardinal Bernard Law, 1993-2001), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2026)
1943 – Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, Icelandic politician (President of Iceland, 1996-2016; Minister of Finance, 1988-91), born in Ísafjörður, Iceland
1952 – Donald R McMonagle, Mjr USAF/astronaut (STS 39, 54, 66), born in Flint, Michigan
1960 – Carlyle Best, cricketer (WI batsman late 80’s)
1973 – Voshon Lenard, NBA guard (Miami Heat)
1983 – Tom Welham, British guitarist (Thirteen Senses; The Story), born in the UK
Famous Deaths
1608 – Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (1545-1608), known as “the Great”, dies at 65
1754 – Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French writer (L’École des Mères), dies at 62
1938 – Jacobus C J “Jacques” Hermans, actor (Ghetto), dies at 81
1962 – Florence Auer, American actress (b. 1880)
1977 – Robert Maynard Hutchins, American educational philosopher (University of Chicago), dies at 78
1982 – Mariel-Henri Jaspar, Belgian minister who unsuccessfully attempted to establish a Belgian government in London during World War II, dies at 80
2002 – Derek Birley, English founding Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ulster and sports writer, dies at 75
2006 – Lewis “Lew” Anderson, American actor and musician (The Howdy Doody Show), dies of prostate cancer at 84
2007 – Ülo Jõgi, Estonian freedom fighter and war historian, dies at 86
2020 – Pepper Rodgers, American football coach (University of Kansas, UCLA, Georgia Tech; USFL: Memphis Showboats), dies at 88