Today In History
Historical Events
1910 – German Catholic youth movement Quickborn forms
1915 – Leaders of the Armenian community in Constantinople (now Istanbul) are arrested by Ottoman authorities, and many later killed, marking the start of the Armenian Genocide
1916 – Ernest Shackleton and five men of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition launch a lifeboat from uninhabited Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean to organise a rescue for ice-trapped ship Endurance
1949 – 3rd Tony Awards: “Death of a Salesman” and “Kiss Me Kate” win
1976 – American composer Steve Reich’s “Music for 16 Musicians,” scored for four pianos, multiple percussion instruments, two clarinets, a violin, a cello, and four wordless and amplified women’s voices, a violin, has its world premiere at Town Hall in New York City
Famous Birthdays
1743 – Edmund Cartwright, English inventor (power loom), born in Marnham, Nottinghamshire, England (d. 1823)
1904 – Willem De Kooning, Dutch artist (North Atlantic Light), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1997)
1941 – Richard Holbrooke, American diplomat (Assistant Secretary of State, UN Ambassador) and author, born in New York City (d. 2010)
1948 – Paul Cellucci, American politician, 69th Governor of Massachusetts and former United States Ambassador to Canada, born in Hudson, Massachusetts (d. 2013)
1961 – Roger Mayweather, American boxer, (WBA and lineal super featherweight titles 1983-84, WBC light welterweight 1987-89; IBO light welterweight; IBO welterweight 1994-95), born in Grand Rapids, Michigan (d. 2020)
Famous Deaths
1776 – Giuseppe Paolucci, Italian composer, dies at 49
1824 – Herman Muntinghe, Dutch theologian and writer (History of Mankind), dies at 71
1948 – Rosita Marstini, actress (I Cover Waterfront, Big Parade), dies at 54
1967 – Frank Overton, American actor (Fail Safe; 12 O’Clock High (TV series, not film)), dies of a heart attack at 49
1988 – Bob Newson, South African cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 4 wickets; Transvaal; Rhodesia), dies at 87
Historical Events
1288 – Jews of Troyes France are accused of ritual murder
1910 – German Catholic youth movement Quickborn forms
1917 – NY Yankees left-handed pitcher George Mogridge no-hits Boston Red Sox, 2-1 at Fenway Park
1921 – First municipal elections for men and women in Belgium
1950 – Leonard Bernstein’s musical “Peter Pan”, starring Jean Arthur and Boris Karloff, opens at Imperial Theater, NYC; runs for 320 performances
1955 – Gaullists lose elections in France
1965 – “Comedy in Music-Opus 2” closes at John Golden NYC after 192 performances
1990 – Brian Friel’s stage drama “Dancing at Lughnasa” opens at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland; later wins Olivier Award, Tony Award, and Drama Desk Award for Best Play
Famous Birthdays
1538 – Gugliemo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat (1550-87), born in Mantua, Italy (d. 1587)
1906 – William Joyce, American-born Irish Fascist politician and NAZI propagandist, born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 1946)
1926 – Thorbjorn Falldin, Swedish politician, Prime Minister (1976-78, 79-82) and sheep farmer, born in Hogsjo (d. 2016)
1933 – Claire Davenport, English actress (The Elephant Man), born in Sale, Cheshire, England (d. 2002)
1944 – John McDonald, Australian rugby league centre (13 Tests; Queensland; Manly-Warringah RLFC), born in Toowoomba, Australia (d. 2023)
1945 – Greg McMackin, American football coach (Oregon Institute of Technology 1986-89; University of Hawaii 2008-11), born in Springfield, Oregon (d. 2023)
1954 – Vince Ferragamo, American football quarterback (LA Rams, Montreal Alouettes), born in Torrance, California
1965 – Mike Blowers, MLB infielder (NY Yankees, LA Dodgers), born in Würzburg, Germany
1984 – Tyson Ritter, American singer and songwriter (The All-American Rejects), born in Stillwater, Oklahoma
1997 – Lydia Ko, New Zealand golfer (Evian C’ship 2015, ANA Inspiration 2016, British Open 2024; Olympic gold 2024), born in Seoul, South Korea
Famous Deaths
1731 – Daniel Defoe, English novelist (Robinson Crusoe), dies at about 70
1776 – Carolus van de Abeele, Flemish Jesuit, dies at 84
1852 – Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet and leading figure in Russian literature, dies at 69
1945 – Hubert Bath, British film score and light music composer (Cornish Rhapsody), and music director, dies at 61
1957 – Andries Cornelis Dirk de Graeff, Dutch politician (Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies 1926-31), dies at 84
1961 – Lee Moran, American actor (Circus Clown), dies of heart ailment at 72 (b. 1888)
1967 – Frank Overton, American actor (Fail Safe; 12 O’Clock High (TV series, not film)), dies of a heart attack at 49
1988 – Bob Newson, South African cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 4 wickets; Transvaal; Rhodesia), dies at 87
2000 – Alma Heflin, American commercial airplane test pilot and child psychologist, dies at 89
2021 – Christa Ludwig, German soprano (Vienna State Opera, 1955-94; Metropolitan Opera, 1959-93), dies at 93