Today In History
Historical Events
1653 – Johan de Witt is sworn in as the Grand Pensionary of Holland
1864 – Battle of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Confederate forces under McCausland burn the town of Chambersburg
1870 – Staten Island Ferry “Westfield” burns, killing 100
1907 – Filipinos elect their first legislature, which will meet on 16 October
1984 – Hollie Roffey, aged 10 days, is the youngest person to ever receive a heart transplant and survives 28 days
Famous Birthdays
1824 – Eugenio Terziani, Italian composer, born in Rome, Papal States (d. 1889)
1837 – Elon John Farnsworth, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Green Oak, Michigan (d. 1863)
1906 – Ľudovít Rajter, Slovak composer and conductor, born in Pezinok, Kingdom of Hungary (d. 2000)
1927 – Victor Wong, American actor (Big Trouble in Little China), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2001)
1974 – Jason Robinson, English dual-code rugby player, born in Leeds, United Kingdom
Famous Deaths
1566 – Guillaume Rondelet, French naturalist famous for his study of marine animals, dies at 58
1966 – Edward Gordon Craig, British modernist actor, director and theorist (On the art of theatre), dies at 94
1976 – Emil Solomon “Solly” Sachs, South African socialist, dies in London
1983 – Lynn Fontanne, British Emmy Award-winning stage, screen, and radio actress, dies of pneumonia at 95
1993 – Frank L. Howley, American general (Commander of American sector of Berlin after WWII), dies at 90
Historical Events
1678 – English troops land in Flanders
1939 – Tour de France: Sylvère Maes of Belgium wins his 3rd title from Frenchman René Vietto
1942 – German occupiers set a night curfew on Jews in the Netherlands
1968 – Washington shortstop Ron Hansen makes the eighth unassisted triple play in MLB history and the first in 41 years as the Senators lose 10-1 to the Cleveland Indians
1969 – KAEC TV channel 19 in Lufkin, Texas (ABC) begins broadcasting
1982 – Atlanta Braves remove Chief Noc-A-Homa to make room for more seating
1982 – USSR performs an underground nuclear test
2003 – Toronto Rocks – SARSStock benefit with performers including The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, Justin Timberlake, The Flaming Lips, and The Isley Brothers, at Downsview Park; largest concert in Canadian history attracts 450,000 spectators
Famous Birthdays
1927 – Richard Johnson, British stage and screen actor and producer (Never So Few; Restless; Beyond the Door), born in Upminster, England (d. 2015)
1928 – Joe Nuxhall, American MLB baseball pitcher (youngest MLB player at 15 years, 316 days – Cincinnati Reds) and sportscaster, born in Hamilton, Ohio (d. 2007)
1947 – John Siomos, American session and touring rock drummer (Peter Frampton; Todd Rundgren), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2004)
1957 – Bert Oosterbosch, Dutch cyclist, born in Eindhoven, Netherlands (d. 1989)
1959 – Petra Felke, German javelin thrower (world record 1988), born in Saalfeld, East Germany
1961 – Reggie Roby, American NFL football punter (3 × Pro Bowl; NFL 1980s All-Decade Team; Miami Dolphins), born in Waterloo, Iowa (d. 2005)
1962 – Jay Feaster, American NHL hockey league executive, born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
1968 – Charles Gordon, CFL defensive back (Montreal Alouettes), born in Tampa, Florida
1973 – Markus Naslund, Swedish NHL right wing (Vancouver Canucks), born in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
1977 – Jaime Pressly, American model and actress (Mom My Name is Earl), born in Kinston, North Carolina
Famous Deaths
578 – Jacob Baradaeus, Bishop of Edessa and saint, established Syriac Orthodox Church, dies of an illness at 77 or 78
1652 – John Cloppenburg, Dutch Calvinist theologian, dies at 68
1683 – Maria Theresa of Spain, queen of Louis XIV of France, dies at 44
1947 – George Challenor, West Indian cricketer (played in 1st WI Test side 1928), dies at 59
1948 – Sophonisba Breckenridge, American professor, teacher and social activist (1st woman to graduate from Chicago Uni Law School), dies at 82
1977 – Jorgen Ponto, West German banker, murdered
1982 – Roberta Pedon, American glamour model, dies at 28
1983 – Vasantrao Deshpande, Indian Hindustani vocalist, dies at 63
2006 – Anthony Galla-Rini, American concert accordionist, and arranger, dies at 102
2025 – Michael Lydon, American music journalist and a founding editor of Rolling Stone, dies of complications of Parkinson’s disease at 82