Today In History
Historical Events
1955 – NY Yankees Bob Cerv and E Howard are first to hit consecutive pinch home runs
1968 – PLO’s first hijacking of an El Al plane
1994 – Don Mattingly becomes the sixth New York Yankee to get 2,000 hits
1995 – Tour de France: Miguel Induráin of Spain wins fifth consecutive Tour, 4 minutes and 35 seconds ahead of Alex Zülle; Laurent Jalabert points winner
1999 – Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan is crowned King Mohammed VI of Morocco on the death of his father
Famous Birthdays
1886 – Arthur Whitten Brown, British aviator (first nonstop airplane crossing of the Atlantic with John W. Alcock), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 1948)
1898 – Jacob Marschak, Ukrainian-American economist (econometrics), born in Kiev, Russia (d. 1977)
1925 – Pierre Baugniet, Belgian pairs ice skater (Olympic gold 1948), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1981)
1958 – Ken Green, American golfer (5 PGA Tour titles), born in Danburry, Connecticut
1961 – André Ducharme, Canadian (Québécois) humorist (Rock et Belles Oreilles) and author, born in Montreal, Quebec
Famous Deaths
1859 – Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, French poet (Bouquets et prières), dies at 73
1980 – Keith Godchaux, American pianist, and singer (Grateful Dead, 1971-79 – “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away”), dies in a car accident at 32
1995 – Bob Rundick, American poet and DJ, dies at 52
1998 – Vladimir Dudintsev, Ukrainian Soviet writer (Not by Bread Alone), dies at 79
2006 – Jean-Paul Desbiens, Quebec writer and journalist, dies at 79
Historical Events
1794 – Alexandre de Beauharnais, the first husband of Joséphine de Beauharnais, is executed for treason during the Reign of Terror
1877 – First telephone and telegraph line in Hawaii is completed
1925 – NY Yankee Lou Gehrig hits his first of 23 career grand slams
1934 – Australian cricket batting legend Don Bradman completes 304 in drawn 4th Test vs England at Leeds; 430 minutes, 43 x fours, 2 x sixes
1948 – Progressive party convention nominates Henry Wallace for US President
1958 – First four women named to peerage in House of Lords (UK)
1969 – 40th MLB All-Star Game, RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.: NL defeats AL, 9-3; MVP: Willie McCovey, SF Giants, 1B
1975 – LA Dodgers W. Crawford and Lee Lacy are 5th to hit consecutive pinch HRs
Famous Birthdays
1827 – Pieter Caland, Dutch hydraulic engineer (New Waterway), born in Zierikzee, Zeeland, Netherlands (d. 1902)
1921 – Calvert DeForest, American comedian (Larry “Bud” Melman), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2007)
1947 – Spencer Christian, American TV weatherman (Good Morning America), born in Newport News, Virginia
1949 – Clive Rice, South African cricket all-rounder (WSC 1978-79, ODI 1991; Nottinghamshire), born in Johannesburg, Transvaal Province (d. 2015)
1950 – Egon Pajenk, Austrian soccer defender (3 caps; SK Rapid Wien 266 games), born in Fohnsdorf, Austria (d. 2022)
1950 – Alan Turner, Australian cricket batsman (14 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 136; NSWCA), born in Sydney, Australia
1954 – Saúl Lorenzo Rivero, Uruguayan soccer midfielder (9 caps; Liverpool de Montevideo, Atlético Español México), born in Montevideo, Uruguay (d. 2022)
1958 – Ken Green, American golfer (5 PGA Tour titles), born in Danburry, Connecticut
1979 – Michelle Williams, American singer and member of RandB girl group Destiny’s Child (“Say My Name”), born in Rockford, Illinois
1985 – Matthew Murphy, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Wombats), born in Liverpool, England
Famous Deaths
1844 – Christian Gobrecht, 4th US chief engraver (1840-44), dies in office
1932 – Frank Rankin, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame rover (Toronto Eatons, Toronto St. Michael’s Majors) and coach (Toronto Granites-Canada Olympic gold 1924), dies at 41
1976 – Martin Wickramasinghe, Sri Lankan author (Gamperaliya – The Uprooted/Changing Village), dies at 85
1977 – René de Vos, Dutch actor and composer (Jij Bent Mijn Leven), dies at 79
1980 – Keith Godchaux, American pianist, and singer (Grateful Dead, 1971-79 – “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away”), dies in a car accident at 32
1985 – Mickey Shaughnessy, American actor and comedian (Chicago Teddy Bears, Jailhouse Rock, The Boatniks), dies at 64
2004 – Serge Reggiani, Italian-French actor (Paris Blues), chanson singer (“Les loups sont entrés dans Paris”; “Sarah”), and painter, dies of a heart attack at 82
2016 – Thorbjorn Falldin, Swedish politician, Prime Minister (1976-78, 79-82) and sheep farmer, dies at 90
2018 – Mai Skaf, Syrian activist and actress (Echoes of Slides, The Last Days of Al Yamama), dies at 49
2020 – Benjamin Mkapa, Tanzanian politician, President of Tanzania (1995-2005), dies at 81