Today In History
Historical Events
1498 – Christopher Columbus lands for the first time in South America near the mouth of the Orinoco River in modern-day Venezuela
1883 – Amsterdam’s Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky integrates modern electric lighting
1987 – Music video channel MTV Europe launches with Elton John throwing the switch; “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits is the first video presented
1992 – NBC’s “Saturday Today” premieres, extending the Today franchise to broadcasting seven days a week
2020 – Egypt tells Elon Musk its pyramids were not built by aliens after Musk tweets in support of a conspiracy theory that they were
Famous Birthdays
1909 – Nigel Henderson, British Royal Navy officer, 1927-71 (Admiral, 1964-71; Chairman of NATO Military Committee ,1968-71), born in the UK (d. 1993)
1932 – Ron Friedman, American screenwriter (The Transformers: The Movie; Fantasy Island), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2025)
1957 – (Brad) “Taylor” Negron, American actor and writer (Fast Times at Ridgemont High; Easy Money; Punchline), born in Glendale, California (d. 2015)
1982 – Caroline Shaw, American violinist, singer, and Pulitzer Prize winning composer (Partita for 8 Voices), born in Greenville, North Carolina
1986 – Anton Strålman, Swedish ice hockey player, born in Tibro, Sweden
Famous Deaths
1190 – Floris III, Count of Holland, dies at about 49 [born c. 1141]
1743 – Richard Savage, English poet and playwright, dies at about 46
1918 – John Riley Banister, American law officer and cowboy, dies at 64
1993 – Ewing Kaufman, founder/owner (KC Royals), dies of lung cancer at 76
2012 – Joan Bernard, British army officer in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and founding principal of Trevelyan College (1966-78), dies due to ill-health at 94
Historical Events
1883 – A papyrus is offered to the British Museum for £10,000, later revealed to be a forgery
1941 – Luftwaffe bombs German 23rd Infantry Division
1944 – Polish resistance fighters of the Home Army launch the Warsaw Uprising, the largest military effort undertaken by a resistance movement in occupied Europe
1957 – Gil Hodges hits his 13th MLB career grand slam, a National League record and the last by a Brooklyn Dodgers player
2014 – USA and UN announce a 72-hour ceasefire between Israel and Palestine, though it quickly breaks down
2014 – Indiana Pacers NBA superstar Paul George suffers a gruesome compound fracture of his lower right leg during a Team USA scrimmage
2018 – Australian Rugby League’s “Immortals” tally increases to 13 as pre-war stars Dally Messenger, Frank Burge, and Dave Brown, along with latter-day giants Norm Provan and Mal Meninga, are added
2024 – Tunisian human rights activist Sihem Bensedrine is arrested and imprisoned for “conspiracy against state security”
Famous Birthdays
1899 – William Steinberg, German-American conductor (Boston Symphony 1969-71), born in Cologne, Germany (d. 1978)
1922 – Maria Cole [née Hawkins], American jazz singer and wife of Nat King Cole, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2012)
1930 – Geoffrey Holder, Trinidadian-American actor, choreographer, singer, director (Annie; The Wiz), and painter, born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (d. 2014)
1940 – Mervyn Kitchen, English cricketer and umpire, born in Nailsea, Somerset
1940 – Co Hoedeman, Dutch-Canadian animator and director (The Sand Castle, Oddball), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 2025)
1947 – Rick Coonce, American rock drummer (Grass Roots), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2011)
1956 – Tom Leykis, American radio personality (The Tom Leykis Show), born in The Bronx, New York
1962 – Gertjan Verbeek, Dutch soccer player (SC Heerenveen), born in Deventer, Netherlands
1973 – Eduardo Noriega, Spanish actor (Open Your Eyes), born in Santander, Cantabria, Spain
1990 – Landry Allbright, American actress (How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Bold and the Beautiful), born in San Dimas, California
Famous Deaths
1580 – Albrecht Giese, German politician and diplomat, dies at 55
1589 – Jacques Clément, French assassin of Henry III of France (b. 1567)
1812 – Yakov Kulnev, Russian general (killed in battle) (b. 1763)
1884 – Heinrich Laube, writer, dies
1911 – Edward Austin Abbey, American painter (Quest of the Holy Grail mural at Boston Public Library), dies at 59
1963 – Theodore Roethke, American poet (Praise to the end!), dies at 55
1971 – John McDermott, American golfer (US Open, 1911-12), dies of heart failure at 79
1994 – Gerard van de Groenekan, furniture maker/designer, dies at 90
1997 – Svyatoslav Richter, Russian pianist, dies of a heart attack at 82
2016 – Franciszek Macharski, Polish Cardinal, Archbishop of Kraków (1978-2005), dies at 87