Today In History
Historical Events
611 – Forces from Maya city Calakmul invade and conquer the neighbouring city of Palenque, holding it as a vassal state for five years
1865 – Battle of Farmville, Virginia
1979 – Houston Astro Ken Forsch no-hits Atlanta Braves, 6-0, becoming with his brother Bob Forsch the only MLB siblings to accomplish the feat
1983 – WIBC Championship Tournament in Las Vegas, attracts 75,480 women bowlers for 83-day event
2022 – Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi transfers power to an eight-member council to negotiate with the Houthis in attempt to end country’s seven-year civil war
Famous Birthdays
1727 – Michel Adanson, French botanist known for his work on plant classifications, born in Aix-en Provence, France (d. 1806)
1873 – John McGraw, American Baseball Hall of Fame infielder/manager (manager NY Giants World Series champions 1905, 21-22), born in Truxton, New York (d. 1934)
1882 – Bert Ironmonger, Australian cricket spin bowler (14 Tests; 74 wickets @ 17.97; Queensland, Victoria), born in Pine Mountain, Australia (d. 1971)
1889 – Gabriela Mistral [Lucila Godoy Alcayaga], Chilean poet (Nobel Prize for Literature, 1945), educator and diplomat, born in Vicuña, Chile (d. 1957)
1909 – Robert Charroux, French writer (Legacy of the Gods, The Mysterious Past), born in Payroux, France (d. 1978)
Famous Deaths
1880 – Diederich Krug, German pianist and composer (Le petit Chevalier), dies at 60
1986 – Leonid Kantorovich, Russian Soviet economist (Father of linear programming, Nobel Prize for Economics 1975), dies at 74
1997 – Luis Aloma, Cuban baseball player, dies at 73
2020 – Herb Stempel, American game show contestant and television industry whistleblower (Twenty-One), dies at 93
2023 – Ian Bairnson, Scottish session and touring guitarist (Alan Parsons Project; Kate Bush), dies at 69
Historical Events
1655 – Fabio Chigi replaces Pope Innocent X as Pope Alexander VII
1724 – Johann Sebastian Bach’s “St John Passion” premieres on Good Friday at St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig, Electorate of Saxony (now Germany)
1939 – Italy invades Albania
1978 – Guttenberg bible sells for $2,000,000 in New York City
1984 – Detroit Tiger Jack Morris no-hits Chicago White Sox, 4-0
1999 – The World Trade Organization rules in favor of the United States in its long-running trade dispute with the European Union over bananas
2012 – Joyce Banda becomes President of Malawi
2019 – Retiring NBA legends Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) and Dwyane Wade (Miami) play their final home games, both victories; Magic Johnson sensationally quits as LA Lakers president of basketball operations; Houston Rockets convert NBA record 27 three-point field goals in 149-113 win over Phoenix
Famous Birthdays
1803 – Flora Tristan, French writer and social activist, born in Paris (d. 1844)
1847 – J. P. [Jens Peter] Jacobsen, Danish writer (Niels Lyhne), born in Thisted, Jutland (d. 1885)
1848 – Randall Thomas Davidson, British Archbishop of Canterbury and advisor to Queen Victoria, born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1930)
1891 – Ole Kirk Christiansen, Danish carpenter, inventor, and toy maker (Lego Group), born in Filskov, Denmark (d. 1958)
1940 – Jan Wilhelm Morthenson, Swedish composer, born in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
1942 – Edda Barends, Dutch actress (Broken Mirrors, Oogappels), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1945 – Megas [Magnús Þór Jónsson], Icelandic rock singer-songwriter, born in Reykjavík, Iceland
1967 – Artemis Gounaki, Greek-German pop singer-songwriter, vocal coach, and music producer, born in Munich, Germany
1971 – Guillaume Depardieu, French actor (Damien in “Versailles”, Fred in “The Apprentices”), born in Paris, France (d. 2008)
1973 – Brett Tomko, American baseball player
Famous Deaths
1801 – Noël François de Wailly, French lexicographer, dies at 76
1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist and Father of Confederation, assassinated at 42
1871 – Alexander Lloyd, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
1947 – Henry Ford, American industrialist and auto maker (Ford Model T), dies at 83
1950 – Walter Huston, Canadian actor (Maltese Falcon, Treasure of Sierra Madre), dies from an aneurysm at 67
1994 – Evert Hartman, Dutch writer (War Without Friends), dies at 56
2015 – Geoffrey Lewis, American actor (Earl-Flo, Gun Shy), dies at 79
2020 – Harv Schmidt, American college basketball coach (University of Illinois 1967-74), dies at 83
2021 – Doug Holden, English soccer winger (5 caps; Bolton Wanderers, Preston North End), dies at 90
2023 – John Regan, American session and touring rock bassist (Frehley’s Comet; Peter Frampton), dies at 71