Today In History
Historical Events
1914 – NL’s Boston Braves start their climb from last place to a World Series sweep
1948 – Palmiro Togliatti, leader of the Italian Communist Party, is shot near to the Italian Parliament in an assassination attempt
1963 – 50th Tour de France: French cyclist Jacques Anquetil wins his 3rd consecutive general classification event; first rider to win Tour 4 times
1969 – A 67-year-old Catholic civilian dies after being attacked by RUC officers in Dungiven; many consider this the first death of “The Troubles”
1986 – US Open Women’s Golf, NCR CC: Jane Geddes wins by two strokes in an 18-hole Monday playoff with South African-born Sally Little
Famous Birthdays
924 – Murakami, 62nd Emperor of Japan (946-67) who fathered 19 Imperial sons and daughters, born in Heian Kyō, Japan (d. 967)
1893 – Spencer Williams, American director, writer and actor (The Amos ‘n’ Andy Show), born in Vidalia, Louisiana (d. 1969)
1952 – George E. Lewis, American trombonist avant-garde jazz, electronic and contemporary classical composer, born in Chicago, Illinois
1970 – Mark Brandenburg, American baseball pitcher (Texas Rangers), born in Houston, Texas
1977 – Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, born in Solna, Sweden
Famous Deaths
1614 – Camillus de Lellis, Italian Roman Catholic saint (founder of the Ministers of the Sick), dies at 64
1789 – Bernard-René de Launay, French governor of the Bastille prison, murdered during the storming of the Bastille (b.1740)
1923 – Louis Ganne, French conductor and operetta composer (Les saltimbanques (The Acrobats)), dies at 61
2008 – Henki Kolstad, Norwegian actor (b. 1915)
2023 – Nick Benedict, American actor (Days of Our Lives, 1993-2001 – “Curtis”; The Pistol: Birth of a Legend; All My Children – “Phillip”), dies from complications of spinal surgery on his 77th birthday
Historical Events
1535 – Emperor Charles V conquers Tunis
1876 – British battleship HMS Thunderer boiler explodes during full-power sea trial near Portsmouth, England; 45 sailors killed and 40 injured
1927 – First commercial airplane flight in Hawaii
1949 – Czech tennis stars Jaroslav Drobný and Vladimir Černík defect while playing in a tournament in Gstaad, Switzerland; Drobny accepts Egyptian citizenship
1955 – Two killed and many dazed by lightning strikes at Ascot racecourse in England
1987 – Rookie of the Year Award is renamed to honor Jackie Robinson
2008 – “The Dark Knight” directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, premieres in New York
2019 – Senior Players Championship Men’s Golf at Firestone CC: Retief Goosen of South Africa birdies the final two holes to secure his first Champions Tour win by two strokes over Jay Haas and Tim Petrovic
Famous Birthdays
1893 – Clarence J. Brown, American newspaper publisher and politician (US Rep-R-Ohio 1939-65), born in Blanchester, Ohio (d. 1965)
1904 – Zita Johann, Austrian-American actress (The Mummy, Raiders of the Living Dead), born in Deutschbentschek, Austria-Hungary (d. 1993)
1927 – Joan Tisch [née Hyman], American billionaire, philanthropist and volunteer with the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2017)
1947 – Claudia Kennedy, U.S. Army officer (first female three star general in US army), born in Frankfurt, Germany
1947 – Steve Stone, American sportscaster (Monday Night Baseball), born in Cleveland, Ohio
1952 – Stan Shaw, American actor (Mississippi, Roots Next Generation), born in Chicago, Illinois
1952 – George E. Lewis, American trombonist avant-garde jazz, electronic and contemporary classical composer, born in Chicago, Illinois
1954 – Jos Zoomer, Dutch rock drummer (Vandenberg), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1966 – Ellen Reid, Canadian keyboard and accordion player (Crash Test Dummies – “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”), born in Selkirk, Manitoba
1967 – Leonardo Lavalle, Mexican tennis player (Wimbledon doubles 1991 runner-up), born in Mexico City, Mexico
Famous Deaths
664 – Deusdedit of Canterbury, Archbishop of Canterbury (655-664), 1st Anglo-Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury
1762 – Cornelis Hop, Amsterdams regent and diplomat, dies at 77
1789 – Bernard-René de Launay, French governor of the Bastille prison, murdered during the storming of the Bastille (b.1740)
1876 – Thomas Hazlehurst, English Methodist chapel builder, dies at 60
1902 – William Still, African-American abolitionist, businessman and conductor of the Underground Railroad, dies at 80
1953 – Richard von Mises, Austrian scientist and mathematician (probability theory), dies at 70
1980 – Felix Berezin, Russian physicist and mathematician (Berezin integral), dies at 49
1984 – Ernest Tidyman, American author and screenwriter (Shaft; The French Connection), dies at 56
2000 – Meredith MacRae, American actress (Petticoat Junction. 1966-70- “Billie Jo”; My Three Sons, 1964-66 – “Sally”), and talk show host, dies of brain cancer at 55
2022 – Pleun Strik, Dutch soccer defender (8 caps, FIFA World Cup 1974 runner-up; PSV Eindhoven 270 games), dies at 78