Today In History
Historical Events
1699 – Pirate Captain William Kidd is captured in Boston
1907 – Tom Reece takes 5 weeks to compile the highest recorded billiards break in a match (499,135) in London, his ‘cradle’ cannon method is soon banned
1956 – Cleveland outfielder Jim Busby hits a second grand slam on consecutive days during Indians 4-2 win v Kansas City A’s
2012 – Gunmen kill 18 people in Turbat, Pakistan
2016 – African American Philando Castile is shot by police in St Paul, Minnesota after being pulled over for a broken rear light, killing is filmed
Famous Birthdays
1885 – Ernst Busch, German field marshal (WWII), born in Essen, German Empire (d. 1945)
1916 – Unica Zürn, German writer and artist, born in Berlin (d. 1970)
1948 – Wadih Sa’adeh, Lebanese-Australian poet (Laysa Lil Massa’ Ikhwah), born in Lebanon
1960 – Lauri Merten, American golfer (US Open 1993), born in Waukesha, Wisconsin
1967 – Heather Nova [Frith], Bermudian singer-songwriter (Oyster), born in Bermuda
Famous Deaths
1218 – Eudes III, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1166)
1974 – Carlos Isamitt, Chilean composer, dies at 87
2000 – Akira Miyazawa, Japanese jazz saxophonist, dies at 72
2010 – Harvey Fuqua, American RandB singer-songwriter (The Moonglows – “Sincerely”), producer (Marvin Gaye), and record label executive (Motown), dies of a heart attack at 80
2020 – Ennio Morricone, Italian trumpeter, and composer of classical music and film scores (“The Mission”; “Cinema Paradiso”; “The Hateful Eight”), dies at 91
Historical Events
1863 – Northern Territory passes from New South Wales to South Australia
1863 – Battle of Williamsport, Maryland [-Jul 07]
1912 – V Summer (Modern) Olympic Games officially open Stockholm, Sweden; events conducted prior to the ceremony dating back to 5 May
1939 – German Nazis close last Jewish enterprises
1975 – Dmitri Shostakovich completes Sonate for alto, opus 147
1977 – France performs nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll
1983 – 54th MLB All-Star Game: AL wins 13-3 at Comiskey Park, Chicago; MVP: outfielder Fred Lynn (LA Angels) who hit a grand slam off Atlee Hammaker
1987 – Pakistan cricket all-rounder Imran Khan reaches 300th Test wicket milestone, during 3rd Test vs England at Leeds
Famous Birthdays
1793 – Jacob de Kempenaer, Dutch lawyer and Minister of Internal Affairs (1848-49), born in Amsterdam (d. 1870)
1832 – Maximilian I of Mexico, Austrian archduke and the 1st and only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire (1864-67), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1867)
1838 – Vatroslav Jagić, Croatian scholar of Slavic studies, born in Varaždin, Austrian Empire (d. 1923)
1918 – Bert Voeten, Dutch journalist and poet (Crossing), born in Breda, Netherlands (d. 1992)
1923 – Joseph Strick, American screenwriter and director (Interviews With My Lai Veterans, Ulysses), born in Braddock, Pennsylvania (d. 2010)
1925 – Merv Griffin, American TV host (Merv Griffin Show), born in San Mateo, California (d. 2007)
1927 – Pat Paulsen, American comedian (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour), actor, and frequent, presidential candidate, born in South Bend, Washington (d. 1997)
1945 – Rodney Matthews, English fantasy artist and illustrator, born in Paulton, England
1969 – Brian Van Holt, American actor (House of Wax, Cougar Town), born in Waukegan, Illinois
1979 – Nic Cester, Australian musician (Jet), born in Dingley, Melbourne, Australia
Famous Deaths
1017 – Genshin [Eshin Sōzu], Japanese scholar-monk of the Buddhist Tendai sect (Ōjōyōshū -“Essentials of Birth in the Pure Land”), dies at around 75
1950 – Theodore “Fats” Navarro, American jazz trumpet player, dies from poor health following long-term heroin addiction, tuberculosis, and a weight problem, at 26
1962 – George, Duke of Mecklenburg, head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, dies at 63
1971 – Louis Armstrong, American jazz trumpeter and singer (Hello Dolly; What A Wonderful World), dies of a heart attack at 69
1992 – Edgardo Pallero, Argentine film producer (Los hijos de fierro), dies at about 56
1993 – Ruth Lady Fermoy, maternal grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, dies at 84
2000 – Władysław Szpilman, Polish pianist, classical and popular music composer, memoirist, and subject of the film “The Pianist”, dies at 88
2004 – Syreeta Wright, American singer (b. 1946)
2017 – Thomas E. Sanders, American aerial cameraman (Living Daylights), dies at 63
2019 – Cameron Boyce, American actor (Mirrors, Jessie), dies from an epileptic seizure at 20