Today In History
Historical Events
1915 – British naval officer David Beatty is confirmed in the rank of vice-admiral
1944 – WWII: US Army 79th and 90th divisions enter Le Mans, France
1978 – USSR performs an underground nuclear test
1987 – LA Rams beat Dallas Cowboys 28-27 in London (NFL expo)
2020 – Brazil surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, the world’s second highest, with over 3 million recorded cases
Famous Birthdays
1847 – Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, Queen consort of Spain (1870-73), born in Paris (d. 1876)
1888 – Hans Oster, German major general, spy and “July 20th” plotter, born in Dresden, German Empire (d. 1945)
1935 – George Leotsakos, Greek composer and musicologist, born in Athens, Greece (d. 2024)
1938 – Dick Anthony Williams, American actor (Our Family Honor), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2012)
1972 – Robert Peal, American dance skater (with Margot Contois), born in Chicago, Illinois
Famous Deaths
1613 – Giovanni Righi, Italian composer, dies at 36
1890 – Eduard von Bauernfeld, Austrian comedic playwright, dies at 88
1969 – George Preston Marshall, American Pro Football HOF team owner (Washington Redskins 1933-69), dies at 72
1982 – Alexandre Alexeieff, Russian-French filmmaker (pinscreen animation) and artist, dies at 81
2023 – (Jaime Royal) “Robbie” Robertson, Canadian-Mohawk singer-songwriter and rock guitarist (The Band – “The Weight”; “Up On Cripple Creek”), and soundtrack composer (Martin Scorsese films), dies of prostate cancer at 80
Historical Events
1726 – Netherlands accedes to the Covenant of Hanover, creating an alliance of Great Britain, the Electorate of Hanover, France, and the Kingdom of Prussia united against the Austro-Spanish powers
1936 – Hungarian swimmer Ferenc Csik wins the 100 m freestyle gold medal in 57.6 seconds at the Berlin Olympics, beating Japanese pair Masanori Yusa and Shigeo Arai
1941 – Winston Churchill reaches Newfoundland for talks with Franklin D. Roosevelt
1946 – First time all Major League Baseball games (8) are played at night
1965 – Fire in Titan II silo in Searcy, Arkansas, kills 53 people
1984 – STS 41-D vehicle moves out to the launch pad
1988 – Just one day after 8/8/88, the number 888 pops up as the winning lottery combination in New York
2016 – Chinese weightlifter Deng Wei sets a world record of 147 kg in the clean and jerk and another for a total score of 262 kg to win the women’s 63 kg gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics
Famous Birthdays
1593 – Izaak Walton, English biographer and author (The Compleat Angler), born in Stafford, England (d. 1683)
1677 – Jacob Campo Weyerman, Dutch painter and writer active during the Dutch Enlightenment, born in Charleroi, Belgium (d. 1747)
1789 – Nicolas-Charles Bochsa, French harpist, composer, forger, and bigamist, born in Montmédy, France (d. 1856)
1797 – Charles Robert Malden, British naval officer (discoverer of Malden Island, central Pacific), born in Putney, Surrey (d. 1855)
1899 – Armand Salacrou, French playwright, born in Rouen, France (d. 1989)
1958 – Greg Chaisson, Canadian heavy metal bassist (Badlands – “Dreams in the Dark”), born in Toronto, Ontario
1971 – Davide Rebellin, Italian road cyclist, born in San Bonifacio, Italy
1975 – Mike Lamb, American baseball player, born in West Covina, California
1985 – Luca Filippi, Italian racing driver, born in Savigliano, Italy
1991 – Alexa Bliss [Alexis Cabrera], American professional wrestler (WWE), born in Columbus, Ohio
Famous Deaths
1738 – Pierre Drevet, French engraver, dies at 75
1848 – Frederick Marryat, English captain and author (Mr Midshipman Easy), dies
1898 – Gardner Quincy Colton, American lecturer who was the first to use nitrous oxide as an anesthetic in dentistry, dies at 84
1985 – (Bo) “Fred” Åkerström, Swedish folk singer, social activist, and stage actor, dies at 48
1994 – Mien van ‘t Sant, Dutch author (Mieke serial), dies at 93
2006 – Philip E. High, English sci-fi author, dies at 92
2013 – Johnny Logan, American baseball shortstop (World Series 1957 Boston / Milwaukee Braves; MLB All Star 1955, 57, 58, 59²), dies of a kidney infection at 86
2019 – Altair, Brazilian soccer defender (18 caps; Fluminense 551 games), dies at 91
2023 – Brice Marden, American painter (Grove Group, Moss Sutra With the Seasons), dies of cancer at 84
2025 – John Cruickshank, Scottish WWII war hero (Victoria Cross) and banker, dies at 105