Today In History
Historical Events
1890 – The Delta Chi fraternity is founded by 11 law students at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
1972 – Uruguay to Chile plane crashes in Andes Mountains, (passengers eat crash victims to survive, 16 of 45 rescued 2 months later)
1999 – Canadian Robert Mundell is named the winner of the 1999 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics
2012 – “I Won’t Give Up,” a single by Jason Mraz, is certified 4x multi-platinum
2012 – Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild sells for $34 million, the highest-selling artwork by a living artist
Famous Birthdays
1878 – Patrick Joseph Hartigan, Australian Roman Catholic priest, born in O’Connell Town, Yass, New South Wales (d. 1952)
1933 – Raynald Fréchette, Quebec politician and judge, born in Asbestos, Quebec (d. 2007)
1955 – Frans van Oostrom, Dutch jazz and blues guitarist, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1956 – Anura Ranasinghe, Sri Lankan cricketer (Sri Lankan batsman in 3 Tests 1982), born in Kalatura, Sri Lanka
1980 – Magne Hoseth, Norwegian soccer midfielder (22 caps; Molde FK 284 games), born in Averøy, Norway
Famous Deaths
1673 – Kristoffer Gabel, Danish statesman (b. 1617)
1987 – Kishore Kumar, Indian singer and actor, dies at 58
1995 – Golfredo Corradetti, Canadian conductor, dies at 79
2003 – Anne Ziegler [Irené Eastwood], British singer of light opera, known with husband Webster Booth as the “Sweethearts in Song”, dies at 93
2025 – Tony Caunter, British actor (Roy Evans in “EastEnders”), dies at 88
Historical Events
1483 – Rabbi Issac Abarbanel starts his exegesis on Bible
1652 – Prince of Condé flees Paris
1941 – Nazis kill 11,000 Jewish children and old people, in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine; additional murders continue on the 14th
1969 – Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 8 is launched
1973 – “Badlands” directed by Terrence Malick and starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek premieres at the New York Film Festival
1973 – Jordan enters Yom Kippur war
1978 – Swaziland’s new constitution promulgated bans political parties
2013 – 109 people are killed in a stampede on a bridge in Datia district, Madhya Pradesh, India
Famous Birthdays
1862 – Mary Kingsley, English ethnographer and explorer who became the first European to enter parts of Gabon, Africa, born in London (d. 1900)
1936 – Cliff Gorman, American actor (Boys in the Band, Angel), born in Queens, New York (d. 2002)
1941 – John Snow, English cricket fast bowler (49 Tests, 202 wickets, BB 7/40, 2 x 50; Sussex CCC, Warwickshire CCC), born in Peopleton, England
1946 – Dorothy Moore, American blues, gospel, and RandB singer (“Misty Blue”), born in Jackson, Mississippi
1946 – Edwina Currie, British politician (C), born in Liverpool, England
1949 – Tom Mees, American sports broadcaster, born in Springfield, Pennsylvania (d. 1996)
1965 – Johan Museeuw, Belgian road racing cyclist, born in Varsenare, Belgium
1973 – Matt Hughes, American mixed martial artist, born in Hillsboro, Illinois
1977 – Paul Pierce, American Basketball HOF small forward (NBA C’ship and Finals MVP 2008; 10 × NBA All-Star; Boston Celtics) and broadcaster (ESPN, Fox Sports 1), born in Oakland, California
1980 – Ashanti [Douglas] American singer (“Always On Time”), born in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York
Famous Deaths
1815 – Joachim Murat, French soldier, Marshal of France and King of Naples (1808-15), executed by firing squad at 48
1971 – Stafford Smythe, Canadian NHL executive (President Toronto Maple Leafs 1961–69, 1970-71), dies from an acute stomach ulcer at 50
1987 – Walter Houser Brattain, American physicist (transistors, Nobel 1956), dies at 85
1990 – Hans Namuth, German-born photographer (Todos Santos, Guatemala), dies at 75
1996 – Henri Nannen, German journalist (Der Stern), dies at 82
2001 – Peter Doyle, Australian pop singer (The New Seekers – “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing”), dies of throat cancer at 52
2009 – Al Martino [Jasper Cini], American pop singer (“Here in My Heart”), and actor (The Godfather), dies of a heart attack at 82
2019 – Steve Cash, American country-rock vocalist, songwriter, and harmonica player (Ozark Mountain Daredevils – “Jackie Blue”, “If You Wanna Get To Heaven”), and author (Meq trilogy), dies at 73
2025 – Yvonne Brewster, Jamaican-British actress, director and founder of the Talawa Theatre Company, dies at 87
2025 – Wazir Mohammad, Pakistan cricket batsman (20 Tests, 2 x 100; eldest of Pakistan’s 4 Mohammad brothers), dies at 95