Today In History
Historical Events
1057 – Frederick of Lorraine elected as the first Belgian Pope Stephen IX [X]
1914 – German and Ottoman empires sign a secret treaty of alliance after the outbreak of WWI
1948 – Italians Adolfo Consolini and Giuseppe Tosi go 1-2 in the men’s discus final at the London Olympics
1990 – 23rd San Diego Comic-Con International opens at Holiday Inn
2015 – British Open Women’s Golf, Turnberry: Inbee Park of South Korea shoots final found 65 (−7) to win her 7th major title, 3 strokes ahead of compatriot Ko Jin-young
Famous Birthdays
1945 – John T. Ward Jr., American racehorse trainer (Kentucky Derby 2001 Monarchos; Breeders’ Cup Distaff 1999 Beautiful Pleasure), born in Lexington, Kentucky (d. 2021)
1955 – Tim Dunigan, American actor (Captain Jonathan Power in “Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future”), born in St. Louis, Missouri
1955 – Anne Lacaton, French architect (Lacaton and Vassal; Pritzker Prize, 2021), born in Saint-Pardoux-la-Rivière, France
1957 – Jacky Rosen, American politician (Senator-D-Nevada 2019-), born in Chicago, Illinois
1958 – Arshad Ayub, Indian cricketer (Indian off-spinner of the late 1980’s), born in Hyderabad, India
Famous Deaths
1849 – Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Albanian-born Pasha and viceroy of Egypt (founder of modern Egypt), dies at 80
1859 – Horace Mann, American educator, author, abolitionist and politician who pioneered public schools, dies at 63
1979 – Victor Raúl Haya de la Torre, Peruvian politician and author (founder of Peruvian Aprista Party), dies at 84
2022 – Buddy Arrington, American auto racer (NASCAR Winston Cup Series 103 x top 10 finishes), dies at 84
2025 – Gregory C. O’Connell, American police detective and property developer known for revitalizing the Red Hook area, dies of cancer at 83
Historical Events
1819 – First parachute jump in US by Frenchman Louis-Charles Guille over Jersey City
1870 – Tower Subway, the world’s first underground tube railway, opens in London
1920 – Marcus Garvey presents his “Back to Africa” program in NYC
1941 – Thousands of Jews are expelled from Subcarpathian Ruthenia
1967 – US Lunar Orbiter 5 is launched and enters lunar orbit on August 5
1975 – 104°F (40°C) in Providence, Rhode Island (state record)
2013 – 40 people are killed after an ammunition depot explodes in Homs, Syria
2015 – British Open Women’s Golf, Turnberry: Inbee Park of South Korea shoots final found 65 (−7) to win her 7th major title, 3 strokes ahead of compatriot Ko Jin-young
Famous Birthdays
1875 – Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Russian-Lithuanian artist, born in Veliky Novgorod, Russia (d. 1957)
1884 – Rómulo Gallegos, 48th President of Venezuela (1948), born in Caracas, Venezuela (d. 1969)
1892 – John Kieran, American columnist and author (Natural History of NYC), born in New York City (d. 1981)
1910 – Truus van Aalten [Geertruida van Aalten], Dutch silent and sound screen actress (Flaming Youth; The Beggar Student; The Girl in the Blue Hat), born in Arnhem, Netherlands (d. 1999)
1915 – Johan Limpers, Dutch sculptor and resistance fighter, born in Heemstede, Netherlands (d. 1944)
1919 – John Pinkerton, English computer scientist who designed the first business computer in England, the LEO computer, born in London (d. 1997)
1935 – John MacIvor Perkins, American composer, born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2010)
1947 – Lawrence Wright, American author and journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize for his book “The Looming Tower” (2007), born in Oklahoma City
1952 – Les Dudek, American guitarist and singer (Steve Miller Band), born in Quonset Point Naval Air Station, Rhode Island
1969 – Richard Hallebeek, Dutch guitarist, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Famous Deaths
1100 – William II [William Rufus], King of England (1087-1100), killed by an arrow shot by Sir Walter Tyrell while hunting in the New Forest at 44
1222 – Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse (1194-1222), dies at 65
1849 – Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Albanian-born Pasha and viceroy of Egypt (founder of modern Egypt), dies at 80
1978 – Carlos Chávez, Mexican conductor and composer (Sinfonía India), dies at 79
1978 – Totie Fields [Sophie Feldman], American comedienne, dies at 48
2004 – Don Tosti, American musician (“Pachuco Boogie”), dies at 81
2008 – Fujio Akatsuka, Japanese cartoonist, dies of pneumonia at 72
2017 – Ara Parseghian, American College Football HOF coach (Northwestern; NCAA C’ship 1966, 73 Notre Dame), dies at 94
2020 – Bob Ryland, American tennis player (first African-American to play professionally) and coach (Harold Solomon, Arthur Ashe, Venus and Serena Williams), dies of aspiration pneumonia at 100
2025 – Kelley Mack (née Klebenow), American actress (Addy in “The Walking Dead”), dies of cancer at 33