Today In History
Historical Events
1492 – Spain announces it will expel all Jews
1945 – Concentration camp Munchen-Allag freed
1977 – Revival of musical revue “A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green” closes at Little Theatre, NYC after 92 performances
1997 – Big Ben stops at 12:11 PM for 54 minutes
2012 – Manchester City defeats Manchester United 1-0 in what is claimed to be the biggest match in English Premier League history
Famous Birthdays
1723 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and naturalist (Ornithologie), born in Fontenay-le-Comte (d. 1806)
1909 – Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands (1948-80), born in Noordeinde Palace, The Hague, Netherlands (d. 2004)
1913 – Bernard Sendall, British deputy director general of the Independent Television Authority and author (Independent Television in Britain), born in Malvern, England (d. 1996)
1936 – Bernie Clifton [Quinn], British comedian (Oswald the Ostrich), born in St Helens, Lancashire, England
1982 – Kirsten Dunst, American actress (Interview with the Vampire, Spider-Man), born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey
Famous Deaths
1848 – Friedrich Freiherr Gagern, German Dutch army commandant, dies at 53
1942 – J. C. Arthur, American botanist (studied parasitic fungi rusts), dies at 92
1983 – Joel H. Hildebrand, American chemist and educator (research led to new treatments for divers with the ‘bends’ through the use of helium and oxygen breathing mixtures), dies at 101
1998 – Nizar Qabbani, Syrian poet (b. 1926)
2007 – Gordon Scott [Werschkul], American actor (Tarzan series), dies at 80
Historical Events
1803 – Chancellor Robert Livingston and James Monroe sign Louisiana Purchase Treaty in Paris at a cost of 15 million dollars, doubles the size of the USA
1871 – The Camp Grant Massacre of Apache Indians in Arizona Territory is committed by white and Mexican adventurers, 144 die
1939 – Lou Gehrig sets a MLB record playing his 2,130th consecutive and final game for the New York Yankees.
1972 – “Arthur Godfrey Time” ends a 27 year run on radio
1973 – Women’s tennis groups end disputes over sanctioning tournaments
1995 – After 120 years the last 15 A and S department stores close
1997 – Tajik Prest Imomali Rakhmonov wounded in assassination attempt
2019 – New type of dementia identified and named limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (Late) after misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease
Famous Birthdays
1245 – Philip III “the Bold”, King of France (1270-85), born in Poissy, France (d. 1285)
1767 – Jean Henri Appelius, Dutch lawyer and politician (Minister of Finance), born in Middelburg, Netherlands (d. 1828)
1902 – Rudolf Wittelsbach, Swiss pianist and composer, born in Constantinople, Turkey (d. 1972)
1909 – F. E. McWilliam [Frederick Edward], Northern-Irish surrealist sculptor (Four Seasons Group), born in Banbridge, County Down (d. 1992)
1923 – Al Lewis [Alexander Meister], American actor (Car 54, Where Are You?; The Munsters; Used Cars), born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2006)
1927 – Lars Hall, Swedish pentathlete (Olympic gold 1952), born in Karlskrona, Sweden (d. 1991)
1947 – Robert Scott, American politician, Rep-D-Virginia (1993-), born in Washington D.C.
1949 – Phil Garner, American baseball infielder (World Series 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates; 3 x MLB All-Star; Oakland A’s, Houston Astros) and manager (Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros), born in Jefferson City, Tennessee (d. 2026)
1977 – Pell James, American actress (Zodiac, The Lincoln Lawyer), born in Virginia
1983 – Yamini, Tamil singer, born in India
Famous Deaths
1642 – Dmitry Pozharsky, Russian prince (known for his military leadership during the Polish–Muscovite War 1611-12), dies at 63
1758 – François d’Agiçncourt, French composer (b. 1684)
1879 – Emma Smith, Inaugural President of the Women’s Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies at 74
1945 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian-born German dictator and Führer of Nazi Germany (1936-45), commits suicide by shooting himself at 56
1963 – Bryant Washburn, American actor (Exposure, Millionaire Kid, Nabonga), dies at 74
1977 – Clive Douglas, Australian composer (Kaditcha; Carwoola), conductor (Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1938-68, and educator, dies at 73
1983 – Joel H. Hildebrand, American chemist and educator (research led to new treatments for divers with the ‘bends’ through the use of helium and oxygen breathing mixtures), dies at 101
1996 – Jeanne Bal, American actress (Pat-Love and Marriage, Star Trek- The Man Trap), dies at 67
1999 – Darrell Sweet, British hard rock drummer (Nazareth – “Love Hurts”), dies of a heart attack at a concert soundcheck at 51
2016 – Phil Ryan, Welsh keyboardist and composer (Man; Pete Brown), dies at 69