Today In History
Historical Events
1914 – Lemberg, the capital of Galicia, is taken after a three-day battle in which the Russians rout the Austrians
1947 – New York Yankees total 18 hits, all singles, to rout the Boston Red Sox 11-2 at Fenway Park
1950 – Giuseppe “Nino” Farina wins the inaugural Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship by winning the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in an Alfa Romeo, finishing three points ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio
1972 – Finnish runner Lasse Virén scores a famous victory in the 10,000 m at the Munich Olympics in world record 27:38.35
2017 – Stacy Lewis wins the Cambia Portland Classic and donates her winnings of $195,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts
Famous Birthdays
1921 – Thurston Dart, English harpsichordist and conductor, born in Surbiton, London (d. 1971)
1933 – Tompall Glaser, American country music singer (Tompall and the Glaser Brothers – “Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)”, “Put Another Log on the Fire”), born in Spalding, Nebraska (d. 2013)
1944 – Alan Strachan, Scottish theatre director known for his work on the West End (Just Between Ourselves, The Immortal Haydon), born in Dundee, Scotland (d. 2025)
1950 – Aaron “A-Train” Smith, American drummer (The Temptations; Romeo Void), born in Nashville, Tennessee
1966 – Bennie Blades, American NFL safety (Pro Bowl 1991; Detroit Lions), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Famous Deaths
1662 – William Lenthall, English politician (b. 1591)
1720 – Henri de Massue, Marquis de Ruvigny, 1st Viscount Galway, French soldier and diplomat, dies at 72
1871 – Václav Emanuel Horák, Czech composer, chiefly of liturgical music, organist, and kapellmeister, dies at 71
1935 – Johannes Aengenent, Bishop of Haarlem (1928-35), dies at 62
1956 – O. Louis Guglielmi, American ‘social surrealist’ painter (One Third of a Nation), dies of a heart attack at 50
Historical Events
1861 – Confederate forces enter Kentucky, ending its neutrality
1936 – For the first time in the history of the Walker Cup golf event, there is a shutout as the United States defeats Great Britain 9-0 at Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey
1940 – Dutch government-in-exile of Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy forms in London, England
1943 – Italy and the Allies sign the Armistice of Cassibile, the Italian instrument of surrender, signed by Italian General Giuseppe Castellano and US General Walter Bedell Smith at Cassibile in Sicily and made public five days later
1971 – Watergate team breaks into Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office in Los Angeles but fails to find his file
1978 – Bernard Slade’s stage comedy “Same Time, Next Year” closes at the Ambassador Theatre in New York City after 1,453 performances and a Tony Award
2020 – Actor Robert Pattinson tests positive for COVID-19, shutting down production of “The Batman”
2024 – MLB Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber hits three home runs, becoming the first player in franchise history to do so twice in a season, in a 10-8 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto
Famous Birthdays
1835 – William Gaston Lewis, American engineer and general in the Confederate Army, born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina (d. 1901)
1865 – Wilhelm Bousset, German theologist and historian, born in the Free Imperial City of Lübeck (d. 1920)
1875 – Ferdinand Porsche, German automotive engineer (Volkswagen Beetle, Mercedes-Benz SS) and founder of the Porsche car company, born in Maffersdorf, Bohemia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (d. 1951)
1926 – Alison Lurie, American novelist (Pulitzer Prize – Foreign Affairs), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2020)
1935 – Otto Ketting, Dutch trumpeter and composer (Passacaglia), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 2012)
1947 – Dick Buerkle, American athlete (WR 1 mile indoor 3:54.93 1978), born in Rochester, New York (d. 2020)
1965 – Vaden Todd Lewis, American musician (Toadies), born in Fort Worth, Texas
1980 – (Jason) “Cone” McCaslin, Canadian punk rock bassist (Sum 41), born in North York, Ontario
1981 – Fearne Cotton, British television presenter (Top of the Pops, Radio 1), born in London, England
1982 – Kaori Natori, Japanese J-pop, hip-hop, and reggae singer (Spontania), and model, born in Tokyo, Japan
Famous Deaths
1971 – Percy Holmes, English cricket batsman (7 Tests, 4 x 50; Yorkshire CCC), dies at 84
1980 – Fabian von Schlabendorff, German resistance fighter/judge, dies at 73
1984 – Arthur Schwartz, American composer (“I Guess I’ll Have To Change My Plans”; “That’s Entertainment”), dies at 83
1987 – Viktor Nekrasov, Ukrainian journalist and novelist (V okopakh Stalingrada – Front-line Stalingrad; Kira Georgijevna), dies at 76
1988 – Riccardo Torriani, Swiss ice hockey player, luger (Olympic bronze 1928, 48; took the Olympic oath 1948), dies at 76
2007 – Steve Fossett, American adventurer (1st person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon,) disappears while flying at 63
2010 – Cyril Smith, British Liberal Member of Parliament and alleged serial sex offender, dies at 82
2013 – Ariel Castro, Puerto Rican-born American criminal famous for kidnapping 3 women between 2002-4, commits suicide 1 month into his life sentence at 53
2016 – Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor, American actress (Beloved), commentator (NPR) and food writer (Vibration Cooking or, The Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl), dies at 79
2025 – Keith Hodiak [Hodiak Hampden Sears], Guyanese-British dancer, actor and member of the Ballet Rambert (1972-75), dies at 75