Today In History
Historical Events
1501 – Michelangelo begins work on his statue of David, a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture
1968 – Albania withdraws from the Warsaw Pact
1988 – Gilbert is measured as the strongest hurricane ever in the Western Hemisphere, 26.13 barometer
1996 – Phil Simmons scores 171 and takes 6-14 for Leics v Durham
2023 – Rise in overdose deaths from fentanyl laced stimulants mark the “fourth wave” of the overdose crisis in the US, according to UCLA research
Famous Birthdays
1475 – Cesare Borgia, Duke of Valentinois, Italian aristocrat, born in Rome, Papal States (d. 1507)
1877 – Stanley Lord, Captain of the SS Californian the night of the Titanic disaster, born in Bolton, Lancashire, England (d. 1962)
1894 – Anton Roosjen, Dutch politician and NCRV-chairman, born in Aalsmeer, Netherlands (d. 1978)
1897 – Gaspar Cassadó, Spanish cellist and composer, born in Barcelona, Spain (d. 1966)
1942 – Béla Károlyi, Hungarian Romanian-American gymnastics coach (Nadia Comăneci, Mary Lou Retton, Kerri Strug), born in Kolozsvár, Hungary (d. 2024)
Famous Deaths
1967 – Varian Fry, American journalist and recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations”, dies at 59
1989 – Yamada Koun, Zen teacher Sanbo Kyodan line, dies at 82
1991 – Ferry Barendse, Dutch trumpeter, composer, and singer (Ramblers), dies at 80
2025 – Mary Rose Oakar, American politician and the first Arab American woman in Congress (Rep-D-Ohio 1977-93), dies at 85
2025 – Akiko Tsuruga, Japanese jazz Hammond B-3 organist, pianist, and composer, dies at 58
Historical Events
1858 – Hamburg-America steamship, SS Austria, catches fire and sinks, killing 449 passengers and crew
1944 – Amon Göth removed as head of Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp by the SS for stealing state property
1954 – MLB Cincinnati Reds first baseman Ted Kluszewski scores a run in his record 17th consecutive game in 5-4 road loss to Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field
1982 – Jim LeFebvre reaches 6 hits in one baseball game
1985 – Composer John Williams introduces the Today Show’s new theme song, “The Mission”
2005 – The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City premieres the exhibition “Rara Avis (Rare Bird): The Irreverent Iris Apfel”
2017 – Actress Rebel Wilson awarded $4.56 million in damages in libel case against Bauer Media in Melbourne, largest defamation payout in Australia
2019 – US actress Felicity Huffman sentenced to 14 days in prison for her role in the college admissions scandal
Famous Birthdays
1751 – Henry Kobell, Dutch painter and cartoonist, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1779)
1857 – Milton S. Hershey, American chocolate tycoon (The Hershey Chocolate Company) and philanthropist, born in Derry Township, Pennsylvania (d. 1945)
1877 – Wilhelm Filchner, German explorer who led the German Antarctic expedition of 1911–12, born in Munich, Germany (d. 1957)
1899 – Frank “Big Boy” Goudie, American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist, and upholsterer, born in Youngsville, Louisiana (d. 1964)
1940 – (Lionel) “Linc” Chamberland, American RandB and jazz-fusion guitarist, born in Norwalk, Connecticut (d. 1987)
1944 – Jacqueline Bisset, English actress (Class, Deep, Secrets), born in Weybridge, Surrey, England
1945 – Rick Wise, American MLB pitcher, 1964-82, 2X All-Star (Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and 3 other teams), born in Jackson, Michigan
1957 – John G. Trueschler, American politician (member of the Maryland House of Delegates), born in Baltimore, Maryland
1968 – John Roderick, American indie-rock musician, singer-songwriter (The Long Winters),and podcaster (Omnibus; Friendly Fire), born in Seattle, Washington
1993 – Ivan Schranz, Slovak footballer for Slavia Prague and Slovakia, born in Bratislava, Slovakia
Famous Deaths
1813 – Hezqeyas, Emperor of Ethiopia (1789-94), dies
1949 – August Krogh, Danish zoophysiologist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1920 for study of arterioles and capillaries), dies at 74
1967 – Varian Fry, American journalist and recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations”, dies at 59
1967 – Russell L. Rogers, American electrical engineer and astronaut (X-20), dies in explosion at 39
1969 – Charles Foulkes, Canada general and honorary citizen of Wageningen who accepted WWII Germany’s surrender in the Netherlands, dies at 66
1991 – Ferry Barendse, Dutch trumpeter, composer, and singer (Ramblers), dies at 80
1992 – Lou Jacobs, US clown (1966 US postage stamp), dies at 89
2003 – Frank O’Bannon, American politician (Governor of Indiana, 1997-2003), dies of a stroke at 73(
2007 – Neville Jeffress, Australian founder of Media Monitors Australia, dies at 87
2009 – Paul Burke, American actor (Naked City, Thomas Crown Affair, Neal-Dynasty), dies at 83