Today In History
Historical Events
1920 – 1st brothers oppose each other in World Series, Cleveland’s Wheeler Johnston pinch-hits as brother Jimmy plays 3rd base for Brooklyn
1942 – Allied assault on oil installations of Bula Ceram
1945 – Memorial for the executed unveiled in Terbregge, Netherlands
2013 – Presidents Cup Golf, Muirfield Village GC: US wins for 5th successive time with an 18½–15½ victory over the International team
2018 – Oil tanker collision with a car leaves at least 50 people dead and one hundred with serious burns near Kisantu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Famous Birthdays
1459 – Martin Behaim, German navigator and geographer, designed the Erdapfel, the oldest terrestrial globe in the world, born in Nuremberg, Germany (d. 1507)
1618 – Miguel Gómez Camargo, Spanish Baroque composer, born in Avila, Spain (d. 1690)
1946 – Millie Small, Jamaican ska singer, and songwriter (“My Boy Lollipop”), born in Clarendon, Jamaica (d. 2020)
1974 – Walter Centeno, Costa Rican footballer, born in Palmar Sur, Costa Rica
1988 – Maki Horikita, Japanese model and actress known for ” Nobuta wo Produce”, born in Tokyo, Japan
Famous Deaths
1861 – Elias Canneman, Dutch liberal politician and minister of Finance (1813-14), dies at 84
1992 – Denholm Elliott, British actor (Alfie; A Room with a View; Raiders of the Lost Ark), dies of tuberculosis at 70
2004 – (Hillegonda) “Hilly” Axwijk, Suriname-Dutch social worker and women’s rights activist, dies at 69
2006 – Eduardo Mignogna, Argentinian film director (b. 1940)
2011 – Brad Felt, American jazz tuba and euphonium player, composer, and bandleader, dies of pancreatic cancer at 55
Historical Events
1903 – The High Court of Australia sits for the first time
1949 – US President Harry Truman signs the Mutual Defense Assistance Act to strengthen NATO allies especially Greece and Turkey
1965 – William Goodhart’s “Generation” premieres in New York City
1967 – Haight-Ashbury (San Francisco) hippies hold a funeral for “Hippie” to signify the end of “the Summer of Love”
1973 – Yom Kippur War begins as Syria and Egypt attack Israel
1986 – Russian nuclear submarine K-291 sinks in the Atlantic Ocean
2012 – New Zealand wins the inaugural Rugby Championship with a 32-16 victory over South Africa in Johannesburg; the undefeated All Blacks score four tries to one, with Dan Carter kicking three conversions, a penalty, and a drop goal
2023 – Imprisoned Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting the oppression of women in Iran
Famous Birthdays
1824 – Henry Chadwick, English-American Baseball HOF pioneer (1st rule book; created game stats eg. BA, ERA; box scores), born in Exeter, England (d. 1908)
1913 – Meret Oppenheim, German born Swiss surrealist artist and photographer (Object: Le Déjeuner en fourrure), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1985)
1921 – Joseph E. Lowery, American activist, co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the minister who gave the benediction at President Barack Obama’s inauguration, born in Huntsville, Alabama (d. 2020)
1927 – Phil Maloney, Canadian ice hockey center (NHL: Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Black Hawks) and coach (Vancouver Canucks), born in Ottawa, Ontario (d. 2020)
1931 – Fred Graham, American newscaster and journalist (CBS News, Court TV), born in Little Rock, Arkansas (d. 2019)
1935 – Vicente Cantatore, Argentine soccer manager (Chile, Real Valladolid, Colo Colo, Real Betis, Sevilla, Sporting de Gijón), born in Rosario, Argentina (d. 2021)
1951 – Gavin Sutherland, Scottish folk-soft rock bassist and vocalist, (Sutherland Brothers and Quiver – “Arms of Mary”; “(I Don’t Want to Love You But) You Got Me Anyway”), born in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
1951 – Kevin Cronin, American rock vocalist (REO Speedwagon), born in Champaign Illinois
1959 – Brian Higgins, American politician (US Representative for New York, 2005-present), born in Buffalo, New York
1988 – Kayky Brito, Brazilian actor known for “O Beijo do Vampiro”, born in São Paulo, Brazil
Famous Deaths
1536 – William Tyndale, English Protestant bible translator and scholar, is strangled and burned at the stake at 41 or 42 (born c. 1494)
1891 – Charles Stewart Parnell, English-Irish Home Rule Party leader, dies of pneumonia at 45
1919 – Ricardo Palma, Peruvian writer and poet (Tradiciones Peruanas), dies at 86
1956 – Walter Herlihy, announcer (Music at Meadowbrook), dies at 42
1983 – Terence Cooke, American Roman Catholic Cardinal, Archbishop of New York, dies of leukemia at 62
2006 – Wilson Tucker, American sci-fi writer, dies at 91
2006 – Eduardo Mignogna, Argentinian film director (b. 1940)
2008 – Kim Ji-hoo, South Korean actor and model (b. 1985)
2022 – Ivy Jo Hunter, American RandB songwriter, record producer Motown – “Dancing in the Street”), and singer, dies at 82
2024 – Johan Neeskens, Dutch soccer midfielder (49 caps; Ajax, Barcelona, NY Cosmos) and manager (FC Zug, NEC), dies from a heart attack at 73