Today In History
Historical Events
1882 – British General Garnet Wolseley occupies Cairo, Egypt
1902 – Chicago Cubs infielders Tinker, Evers, and Chance turn their first double play together in a 6-3 win over Cincinnati
1983 – The first Costco store opens in Seattle, Washington
1984 – Sharlene Wells (20) of Utah is crowned 58th Miss America 1985
1995 – St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith sets record of 1,554 double plays
Famous Birthdays
1909 – Carlos Estrada, Uruguayan composer and conductor, born in Montevideo, Uruguay (d. 1970)
1912 – Gisela Hernández [Gonzalo], Cuban composer (Diálogo), and music educator, born in Cardenas, Cuba (d. 1971)
1923 – David Kraehenbuehl, American composer (March of the Trolls), pianist, teacher (Yale), and music theorist (Journal of Music Theory), born in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois (d. 1997)
1925 – Erika Köth, German operatic coloratura soprano (Salzburg Festival, 1955–64), born in Darmstadt, Germany (d. 1989)
1925 – Gösta Jonsson, Swedish saxophonist, accordion player and bandleader, born in Kungsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1984)
Famous Deaths
1893 – Thomas Hawksley, English civil engineer (Nottingham Gas Light and Coke Company; Nottingham Waterworks Company), dies at 86
1984 – Jack Ikin, English cricketer (England opener 1946-55), dies at 66
2001 – Fred de Cordova, American film and TV producer (Tonight Show), dies at 90
2010 – Arrow [Alphonsus Cassell], Montserratian soca singer-songwriter (“Hot, Hot, Hot”), dies of cerebral cancer at 60
2025 – Marilyn Knowlden, American child actress (A Woman Rebels, David Copperfield), dies at 99
Historical Events
1590 – Giambattista Castagna is elected as Pope Urban VII
1916 – First use of tanks in warfare, Britain’s Mark I “Little Willies” at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, part of the Battle of the Somme
1943 – Benito Mussolini forms a rival anti-monarchist fascist government in Italy and soon returns to power as a German puppet state
1970 – Officers of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in Northern Ireland vote narrowly in favour of remaining unarmed
1991 – Canadian Open Women’s Golf (du Maurier Classic), Vancouver GC: Nancy Scranton wins by 3 shots from Debbie Massey
2005 – Marc Quinn’s controversial statue “Alison Lapper Pregnant” is unveiled in Trafalgar Square in England
2015 – EU Migrant Crisis: Hungary seals its border with Serbia with a razor-wire fence, stranding thousands of migrants
2021 – US gymnasts, including Simone Biles, testify against former team doctor Larry Nassar at a Senate Committee hearing, criticizing a system that allowed it to happen
Famous Birthdays
1744 – Georg Ritschel, German composer, born in Mannheim, Electorate of the Palatinate, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1805)
1877 – Jakob Ehrlich, Austrian politician and Zionist, born in Bystřice pod Hostýnem, Czech Republic (d. 1938)
1894 – Oskar Klein, Swedish theoretical physicist known for Kaluza–Klein theory, born in Mörby, Sweden (d. 1977)
1894 – Jean Renoir, French film director (Madame Bovary, Nana, Grand Illusion) and actor (Rules of the Game), born in Paris, France (d. 1979)
1908 – Gerd Gaiser, German writer (Ship in the Mountain), born in Oberriexingen, Germany (d. 1976)
1915 – Helmut Schoen, football coach (manager of West Germany (1964-1978, 1974 World Cup), born in Dresden, German Empire (d. 1996)
1919 – Nelson Gidding, American screenwriter (The Andromeda Strain), born in New York (d. 2004)
1938 – Gaylord Perry, American Baseball HOF pitcher (5 x MLB All Star; Cy Young winner 1972, 78; no-hitter 1968; SF Giants, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, SD Padres), born in Williamston, North Carolina (d. 2022)
1945 – Carmen Maura, Spanish actress (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), born in Madrid, Spain
1986 – Heidi Montag, American reality television star (The Hills), born in Crested Butte, Colorado
Famous Deaths
668 – Constans II, Emperor of Byzantium (641-668), known as “the Bearded”, assassinated in his bath at 37 (some sources cite July 15)
1701 – Edmé Boursault, French writer (b. 1638)
1893 – Thomas Hawksley, English civil engineer (Nottingham Gas Light and Coke Company; Nottingham Waterworks Company), dies at 86
1924 – Frank Chance, American Baseball HOF first baseman (World Series 1907, 1908; 2 x NL stolen base leader; NL runs leader 1906 Chicago Orphans/Cubs) and manager (Chicago Cubs, NY Yankees, Boston RS), dies at 47
1927 – Herman Gorter, Dutch socialist and poet (May, Tiny Hero’s Poem), dies at 62
1947 – Richard Le Gallienne, English writer (had affair with Oscar Wilde, father of actress Eva Le Gallienne), dies at 81
1996 – Peter Michael Grayson, British showman, dies at 70
2003 – Garner Ted Armstrong, American television evangelist (The World of Tomorrow), dies of complications of pneumonia at 73
2003 – Josef Hirsal, Czech novelist (b. 1920)
2016 – Rose Mofford, American politician, 1st female Governor of Arizona (1988-1991), dies at 94