Today In History
Historical Events
1192 – Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Taishōgun, the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan and de facto ruler
1862 – Federal troops occupy Helena, Arkansas
1940 – Frederick McKinley Jones receives a patent for an air conditioning unit for trucks, helping to change long-haul carriage of food and blood
1979 – “Disco Demolition Night” at Comiskey Park: fans go wild destroying disco records and cause the White Sox to forfeit the second game of a doubleheader to the Detroit Tigers
2018 – World’s longest fingernails are cut off; Indian man Shridhar Chillal’s left-hand nails measured a combined total of 909.6 cm (358.1 inches) after growing for 66 years
Famous Birthdays
1928 – Barbara Cowsill, American singer and rock band mother (The Cowsills – “Hair”; “We Can Fly”), born in Cranston, Rhode Island (d. 1985)
1933 – Brian Cant, British stage and screen actor and children’s television presenter (Play School, 1964-85), born in Ipswich, Suffolk, England (d. 2017)
1935 – Hans Tilkowski, German soccer goalkeeper (39 caps, West Germany; Westfalia Herne, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt), born in Husen, Germany (d. 2020)
1956 – Mel Harris [Mary Ellen], American actress (Hope-30 Something), born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
1978 – (Christopher) “Topher” Grace, American stage and screen actor (That ’70s Show -“Eric”; In Good Company; Home Economics), born in New York City
Famous Deaths
1073 – Johannes Gualbertus, Italian monk/saint, dies
1441 – Ashikaga Yoshinori, 6th Japanese shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate (1428-41), assassinated during an evening play by the Akamatsu family at 47
1946 – Ray Stannard Baker, American journalist (Puliter Prize 1940), dies at 76
1975 – Carl Snavely, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Bucknell, North Carolina, Cornell 180–96–16), dies at 80
2020 – Rod Bernard, American “swamp pop” singer (“Allons Danser Colinda”), dies at 79
Historical Events
1192 – Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Taishōgun, the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan and de facto ruler
1801 – Second Battle of Algeciras: British fleet beats French and Spanish (six days after losing the 1st Battle of Algeciras)
1901 – Striking Canadian salmon fishermen on the Pacific coast, resentful of the non-union Japanese who continue to fish, maroon and imprison 47
1930 – US Open Men’s Golf, Interlachen CC: Defending champion Bobby Jones wins record-tying 4th US Open title by 2 strokes from Macdonald Smith; third consecutive major title
1958 – Gene De Paul and Johnny Mercer’s musical “Li’l Abner,” adapted from Al Capp’s hillbilly comic strip, closes at St James Theater, NYC, after 693 performances and two Tony Award wins
1960 – XEWT TV Channel 12 in Tijuana-San Diego, CA (IND) begins broadcasting
1990 – Boris Yeltsin resigns from the Soviet Communist Party during its congress, strengthening his role as a leading reform figure in Russian politics
2013 – Malala Yousafzai addresses the United Nations and calls for worldwide access to education
Famous Birthdays
1859 – Peter Verigin, Russian Doukhobor leader (led Doukhobor community in Canada), born in Slavianka, Russia (d. 1924)
1904 – Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet (Residence on Earth-Nobel 1971), born in Parral, Chile (d. 1973)
1925 – Roger Smith, CEO (General Motors), born in Colombus, Ohio (d. 2007)
1925 – Yasushi Akutagawa, Japanese composer (Orpheus of Hiroshima; Ellora Symphony), born in Tokyo, Japan (d. 1989)
1928 – Sir Alastair Burnet [James William Alexander Burnet], British journalist and broadcaster (News at Ten), Born in Sheffield, England (d. 2012)
1933 – Donald E. Westlake, American author (The Hunter), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2008)
1951 – Cheryl Ladd, American actress (Charlie’s Angels, Purple Hearts), born in Huron, South Dakota
1951 – Sylvia Sass, Hungarian soprano, born in Budapest, Hungary
1958 – Tonya Williams, British-Canadian actress (Dr. Olivia Barber Winters in “The Young and the Restless”), born in London
1974 – Gregory Helms, American professional wrestler (WWE), born in Smithfield, North Carolina
Famous Deaths
1892 – Cyrus West Field, American financier noted for success of 1st transatlantic cable, dies at 72
1917 – François Fournier, Swiss-French postage stamp forger, dies at 71
1961 – Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author (b. 1879)
1983 – Chris Wood, British rock saxophone and flute player (Traffic; Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Jimi Hendrix), dies of pneumonia at 39
1988 – Joshua Logan, Broadway producer (South Pacific), dies at 79 of palsy
1994 – James Bysse Joll, British historian, dies at 76
2009 – Donald MacCormick, British broadcaster, dies at 70
2010 – Harvey Pekar, American comic book writer (American Splendor), dies at 70
2022 – Jan Wijn, Dutch classical pianist and pedagogue, dies at 88
2024 – Khalid “Billy” Ibadulla, Pakistani cricket batsman (4 Tests; 1 x 100, HS 166; Warwickshire, Otago) and broadcaster (TVNZ), dies at 88