Today In History
Historical Events
1724 – Tumult of Thorn – religious unrest was followed by the execution of nine Protestant citizens and the mayor of Thorn (Toruń) by Polish authorities.
1902 – Britain and Germany issue an ultimatum to Venezuela demanding that President Cipriano Castro pay claims for damages caused during his takeover of the government in 1899
1931 – After scoring 226 in 1st Test in Brisbane, Don Bradman belts 219 for NSW against the visiting South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground
1932 – 1st gyro-stabilized vessel to cross Atlantic arrives in NY
1971 – An off-duty member of the Ulster Defence Regiment is shot dead by members of the Irish Republican Army in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
2017 – Unrest in West Bank and Gaza, schools closed and a general strike in response to America’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
Famous Birthdays
1869 – Frank Laver, Australian cricket medium pace bowler (15 Tests, 37 wickets, BB 8/31) and baseball player (first Australian national team), born in Castlemaine, Australia (d. 1919)
1909 – Jacob Kainen, American painter and curator, born in Waterbury, Connecticut (d. 2001)
1924 – Bent Fabric [Fabricius-Bjerre], Danish pianist and composer (Alley Cat), born in Frederiksberg, Denmark (d. 2020)
1971 – Stephanie D’Abruzzo, American actress, puppeteer (Avenue Q; Sesame Street), and cabaret singer, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1979 – Jennifer Carpenter, American actress (Debra Morgan-Dexter), born in Louisville, Kentucky
1987 – Aaron Carter, American singer, rapper and songwriter, born in Tampa, Florida (d. 2022)
Famous Deaths
1870 – Mykhailo Verbytsky, Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest and composer (Prostachka; The State Anthem of Ukraine), dies at 55
1917 – [Aloysius] Ludwig Minkus, Austrian violinist, and ballet composer (St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, 1871-86; La Bayadère), dies at 91
1990 – Peter Mieg, Swiss composer, dies at 84
1990 – Horst Bienek, German writer and director (The First Polka), dies at 60
2018 – Belisario Betancur, Colombian politician, President of Colombia (1982-86), dies at 95
2019 – Denis Lalanne, French sports journalist (‘Le grand combat du XV de France’; ‘Rugbymania: French flair attitude’), dies at 93
Historical Events
1876 – NY Mutuals and Philadelphia A’s expelled from NL for not completing sked
1889 – W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s comic opera “The Gondoliers” premieres at the Savoy Theatre, London
1941 – Adolf Hitler issues “Nacht und Nebel Erlass” (Night and Fog Directive), against anti-Nazi resistance fighters in occupied territories; targets sent to concentration camps and/or murdered
1968 – Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 launched into Earth orbit
1972 – Apollo 17 launched, the final manned lunar landing mission where the crew takes the famous “blue marble” photo of the entire Earth
1988 – 6.9 earthquake in Spitak, Armenia kills 25,000-50,000 people and leaves up to 500,000 homeless
1991 – A J Kitt, US, wins World Skiing Cup
1992 – Galileo spacecraft passes North Pole of Moon (Peary Crater)
2018 – Comedian Kevin Hart steps down as 2019 Oscars host after his history of homophobic statements is revealed
2020 – Bob Dylan sells his entire songwriting catalog of more than 600 songs to the Universal Music Publishing Group for over $300 million
Famous Birthdays
1751 – Jurriaan François de Friderici, governor-general of Suriname, born in Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, South Africa (d. 1812)
1801 – Johann Nestroy, Austrian actor, singer and playwright (Judith und Holofernes), born in Ratibor, Silesia (d. 1862)
1835 – Dom Joseph Pothier, French monk and musicologist, born in Bouzemont, France (d. 1923)
1908 – Jacques Gans, Dutch author and journalist, born in Hilversum, Netherlands (d. 1972)
1909 – Arch Oboler, American director, screen and radio writer, and producer (Lights Out, Bwana Devil), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1987)
1952 – Georges Corraface, Greek-French actor and president of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, born in Paris, France
1959 – Saleem Yousuf, Pakistani cricket wicket-keeper (32 Tests, 5 x 50, 104 dismissals; Karachi, Sindh), born in Karachi, Pakistan
1962 – Grecia Colmenares, Venezuelan actress (Estefanía), born in Valencia, Venezuela
1963 – Theo Snelders, Dutch soccer goalkeeper (1 cap; FC Twente, Aberdeen 227 games, Rangers), born in Westervoort, Netherlands
1987 – Baran Kosari, Iranian actress, born in Tehran, Iran
Famous Deaths
1383 – Wenceslaus, Duke of Brabant, dies
1793 – Joseph Bara, French revolutionary (b. 1780)
1839 – Jan August Vitasek, Bohemian composer working in Prague, dies at 69
1938 – Harry Moses, cricketer (6 Tests for Australia 1887-95), dies
1979 – Mari Andriessen, Dutch sculptor (Dock Worker), dies at 82
1985 – Robert Graves, English writer and poet (King Jesus), dies at 90
1992 – Ruth Corbett Thom, dies after long illness at 78
2004 – Frederick Fennell, American conductor (Time and Winds), dies at 90
2018 – Belisario Betancur, Colombian politician, President of Colombia (1982-86), dies at 95
2020 – Chuck Yeager, American test pilot who was the 1st man to break the sound barrier, dies at 97