Today In History
Historical Events
1635 – The Great Colonial Hurricane affects the Virginia Colony at Jamestown
1921 – British airship R-38 crashes into the River Humber, killing 44 people
2008 – XXIX Summer Olympic Games close at the Beijing National Stadium
2008 – Samuel Wanjiru becomes the first Kenyan to win the men’s Olympic marathon in Beijing, winning in an Olympic record time; silver medalist Jaouad Gharib of Morocco is also faster than the Olympic record, yet finishes 44 seconds behind
2022 – South Korea records the world’s lowest fertility rate at 0.81 (advanced economies average 1.6, population replacement needs 2.1)
Famous Birthdays
1561 – Bartholomeus Pitiscus, German mathematician (Trigonometry), born in Zielona Góra, Poland (d. 1613)
1879 – Rentaro Taki, Japanese pianist and composer, born in Tokyo, Japan (d. 1903)
1903 – Claude Hopkins, American jazz stride pianist, arranger, bandleader, and musical director (Josephine Baker), born in Alexandria, Virginia (d. 1984)
1934 – Roger Donald Dickerson, American pianist, composer (New Orleans Concerto), and educator, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
1945 – Ronee Blakley, American actress (Nashville), and singer-songwriter, born in Nampa, Idaho
Famous Deaths
1647 – Nicholas Stone “Elder”, English sculptor and architect, dies at about 61
1712 – Thomas Bullis, Jr. English organist and composer, dies at 54 (burial date)
1870 – Edwin Gray Lee, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 34
2002 – Ted Ashley [Theodore Assofsky], American talent agent and chairman of Warner Brothers (1969-80), dies at 80
2016 – Michel Butor, French novelist and essayist (La Modification), dies at 89
Historical Events
1908 – Canadian champion Tommy Burns KOs Bill Squires in the 13th round at Sydney Stadium, Australia, to retain the world heavyweight boxing title; Burns’ third KO of Squires
1914 – German troops occupy Namur, Belgium
1940 – WWII: German Luftwaffe bombs London
1971 – India beats England by 4 wickets in their first win against the English
1979 – UN’s Vienna office begins issuing postage stamps
2004 – Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia vaults 4.91 m to break her own pole vault world record and wins the gold medal from teammate Svetlana Feofanova at the Athens Olympics
2012 – Yangmingtan Bridge collapses in China, killing three people
2018 – Scott Morrison becomes Prime Minister of Australia after defeating Peter Dutton in a leadership spill, replacing Malcolm Turnbull
Famous Birthdays
1580 – John Taylor, English poet (An Arrant Thief), born in Gloucester, England (d. 1654)
1694 – Theodor A Freiherr von Neuhoff, German adventurer and King of Corsica [or 8/25], born in Cologne, Germany (d. 1756)
1847 – Charles Follen McKim, American Beaux-Arts architect (McKim Building of the Boston Public Library), born in Chester County, Pennsylvania (d. 1909)
1929 – Betty Dodson, American feminist, sexologist and writer (Sex for One), born in Wichita, Kansas (d. 2020)
1952 – Bob Corker, American politician (Senator from Tennessee), born in Orangeburg, South Carolina
1962 – Craig Kilborn, American television host (ESPN’s SportsCenter, 1993-96; The Daily Show, 1996-98; The Late Late Show, 1999-2004), born in Kansas City, Missouri
1964 – Oteil Burbridge, American bassist (Allman Brothers Band, 1997-2014; Dead and Company, 2015-23), born in Washington, D.C.
1965 – Marlee Matlin, American actress and the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award (Children of Lesser God), born in Morton Grove, Illinois
1977 – Per Gade, Danish footballer, born in Nibe, Denmark
1988 – Rupert Grint, English actor (Harry Potter), born in Harlow, Essex, England
Famous Deaths
1801 – Jacques-Denis Antoine, French builder (La Monnaie Paris), dies at 68
1833 – Adrian Hardy Haworth, English entomologist and botanist, dies at 65
1958 – John G. Strijdom, South African politician and nationalist, Prime Minister of South Africa (1954-58), dies at 65
1962 – Henry George Ley, British organist, and choral composer, dies at 74
1978 – Louis Prima, American jazz and pop singer, trumpeter, and bandleader (“That Old Black Magic”; “Oh, Marie”), dies at 67
2001 – Bettejane “Jane” Greer, American actress (Out of the Past, Prisoner of Zenda, Clown), dies at 76
2012 – Pauli Ellefsen, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (1981-85), dies at 76
2019 – Arun Jaitley, Indian politician and lawyer, leader of the opposition (2009-14), and MP (2000-19), dies at 66
2020 – Tony Colton [Chalk], British singer-songwriter, and record producer (Head, Hands, and Feet), dies of kidney failure at 68
2020 – Pascal Lissouba, Congo politician, 1st democratically-elected President of the Republic of the Congo (1992-97), dies at 88