Today In History
Historical Events
1912 – British Open Men’s Golf, Muirfield: Ted Ray wins wire-to-wire by 4 shots from defending champion Harry Vardon
1919 – Revolt of Spartacus in Hamburg
1934 – NY Yankee Lou Gehrig hits for the cycle beating White Sox 11-2
2018 – Californian Governor Jerry Brown declares State of Emergency for wildfire spread over 8,200 acres in Lake County
2023 – Greek voters re-elect Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy Party by a landslide
Famous Birthdays
1612 – John Albert Vasa, Polish bishop, born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1634)
1863 – Émile Francqui, Belgian soldier and diplomat, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1935)
1942 – Joe Chambers, American jazz drummer, vibraphonist, and composer, born in Chester, Pennsylvania
1964 – Dell Curry, American basketball guard and broadcaster (NBA Sixth Man of The Year 1994; Charlotte Hornets all-time points leader [9,839]), born in Harrisonburg, Virginia
2004 – Mikhail Shaidorov, Kazakhstani figure skater (2026 Olympic Champion, World silver medalist, Four Continents champion), second Kazakhstani athlete to win gold at a Winter Olympics, born in Almaty, Kazakhstan
Famous Deaths
1514 – Berta Jacobsdr [Suster Bertken], Dutch hermit, dies at 87
1960 – Tommy Corcoran, American baseball shortstop (MLB shortstop game assist record 14), dies at 91
1978 – Barry Brown, American actor (Frederick Winterbourne-Daisy Miller), dies at 27
2009 – Michael Jackson, American recording artist, dancer and King of Pop (“Thriller”; “Billie Jean”; “Bad”), dies of cardiac arrest at 50
2022 – Bill Woolsey, American swimmer (Olympic gold men’s 4×200m freestyle relay 1952, silver 1956), dies at 87
Historical Events
1483 – The House of Lords and Commons declares King Edward V of England as illegitimate based on his parent’s alleged bigamous marriage
1788 – Virginia becomes 10th state to ratify US constitution
1950 – Israeli airline El Al begins transatlantic service form Israel to New York City’s Idlewild Airport
1962 – İnönü government forms in Turkey
1978 – First use of the rainbow flag, symbol of gay pride, made by Gilbert Baker at a march in San Francisco
1982 – Greece abolishes headshaving of recruits in the military
1984 – Lydia Garrett, 24, crowned 17th Miss Black America
2018 – Californian Governor Jerry Brown declares State of Emergency for wildfire spread over 8,200 acres in Lake County
Famous Birthdays
1813 – William High Keim, American politician and Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Reading, Pennsylvania (d. 1862)
1897 – Hans Barth, German-born American composer, born in Leipzig, German Empire (d. 1956)
1937 – Obuchi Keizo, Prime Minister of Japan (1998-2000), born in Nakanojō, Empire of Japan
1940 – Mary Beth Peil, American operatic soprano (Summer and Smoke), stage and screen actress (The Stepford Wives; Dawson’s Creek – “Grams”; The Good Wife), born in Davenport, Iowa
1962 – Dan Turk, American footballer, NFL center (Washington Redskins), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2000)
1966 – Richard Matt, American murderer who escaped prison, born in Tonawanda, New York (d. 2015)
1970 – Ariel Gore, American journalist and author, born in Carmel, California
1972 – Carlos Delgado, Puerto Rican infielder (Toronto Blue Jays), born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
1974 – Jim LaMarca, American bass guitarist (Chimaira), born in Strongsville, Ohio
1981 – Pooja Umashankar, Indian-Sri Lankan actress (Asai Man Piyabanna), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Famous Deaths
1634 – John Marston, English poet and playwright known for “The Malcontent”, dies at 57
1671 – Giovanni Riccioli, Italian astronomer (Almagestum Novum), dies at 73
1673 – Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d’Artagnan, Captain of the Musketeers under Louis XIV of France (b. 1611)
1822 – Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, German Romantic writer, judge and composer (Undine), dies at 46
1876 – John Patton, American trumpeter, dies at the Battle of the Little Bighorn at 24 or 25
1884 – Hans Rott, Austrian composer, dies at 25
1984 – Michel Foucault, French philosopher and historian (History of Sexuality), dies of AIDS at 57
1988 – Hillel Slovak, Israeli musician (Anthym/What Is This?, Red Hot Chili Peppers) (b. 1962)
2023 – John B. Goodenough, American materials scientist (lithium-ion battery), solid-state physicist and Nobel laureate in chemistry, dies at 100
2024 – Jewel Brown, American jazz and blues singer (Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong’s All-Stars), dies of colon cancer at 86