Today In History
Historical Events
1857 – LA Vineyard Society organized
1950 – Labour wins UK parliamentary election by 5 seats
1956 – Walter Piston’s 5th Symphony, commissioned by the Juilliard School of Music for their 50th anniversary, premiere performance by the Juilliard Orchestra, conducted by Jean Morel
1999 – State of Arizona executes convicted murderer and bank robber, German national Karl LaGrand, despite international legal action by Germany to save him
2020 – Scientists identify the first animal that doesn’t need oxygen to breathe: a tiny parasite living in salmon tissue, reported in the journal PNAS
Famous Birthdays
1910 – Clyde Hart, American swing and bebop jazz piano player and arranger (Stuff Smith; Lionel Hampton; Roy Eldridge), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1945)
1917 – Myra Taylor (née Render), American jazz singer (“Spider and the Fly”; Wild Women of Kansas City), songwriter, and actress, born in Bonner Springs, Kansas (d. 2011)
1940 – Denis Law, Scottish soccer striker (55 caps; Manchester United 309 games; Ballon d’Or 1964; World Soccer World XI 1964), born in Aberdeen, Scotland (d. 2025)
1956 – Eddie Murray, American MLB Hall of Fame first baseman, 8x All-star, 3x Golden Glove (Baltimore Orioles, 1977-88 and 96; L.A. Dodgers, 1989-91 and 97, and three other teams), born in Los Angeles, California
1981 – Mohammad Sami, Pakistani cricket fast bowler (36 Tests, 85 wickets, BB 5/36; Karachi, Kent CCC, Sussex CCC), born in Karachi, Pakistan
Famous Deaths
1856 – Nikolai Lobachevsky, Russian mathematician (Lobachevskian geometry), dies at 63
1919 – Josephine McGill, composer, dies at 41
1990 – Malcolm Forbes, American publisher of Forbes magazine, politician, and son of B.C. Forbes, dies of a heart attack at 70
2011 – Anant Pai, Indian educationalist and creator of comics (b. 1929)
2012 – Jan Berenstain [Janice Marian Grant], American children’s literature author (The Berenstain Bears), dies from a stroke at 88
Historical Events
1826 – The signing of the Treaty of Yandaboo marks the end of the First Burmese War
1927 – John Golden Theater (Theatre Masque) opens at 252 W 45th St NYC
1969 – Northern Ireland Stormont parliament elections are held; the Unionist party fragments into ‘Official Unionist’ and ‘Unofficial Unionist’
1969 – Mariner 6 launched for Mars flyby to study planet’s atmosphere
1982 – Boston Celtics begin an 18 NBA game winning streak
1988 – US Supreme Court votes 8-0 Jerry Falwell cannot collect for Hustler parody
1988 – South African apartheid regime bans the UDF
2018 – Japanese speed skater Nana Takagi wins her 2nd gold medal of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the women’s mass start event; also member Japan’s successful pursuit team
Famous Birthdays
1501 – Sixt Birck [Xystus Betulius], German writer and humanist (Suzanna), born in Augsburg (d. 1554)
1905 – Eric Boyland, English biochemist (Cancer research), born in Manchester (d. 2002)
1912 – Július Kowalski, Slovak composer, born in Ostrava, Austrian Silesia (d. 2003)
1944 – Nicky Hopkins, British rock session pianist (Rolling Stones (1967-75); The Who – “Getting In Tune”; The Kinks – “Sunny Afternoon”; Beatles – “Revolution”; John Lennon – “Jealous Guy”; Quicksilver Messenger Service), born in Perivale, Middlesex (d. 1994)
1948 – Luis Galván, Argentine soccer centre back (37 caps; Talleres de Córdoba 267 games), born in Fernández, Argentina (d. 2025)
1968 – Mitch Hedberg, American stand-up comedian, born in St. Paul, Minnesota (d. 2005)
1973 – Alexei Kovalev, Russian ice hockey right wing (MVP NHL All-Star Game 2009; Stanley Cup 1994 NY Rangers; Olympic gold 1992), born in Tolyatti, Russia
1976 – Matt Skiba, American punk rock singer-songwriter (Blink-182, 2015-22; Alkaline Trio; Heavens), born in Chicago, Illinois
1980 – Shinsuke Nakamura, Japanese professional wrestler (WWE), born in Mineyama, Japan
1989 – Daniel Kaluuya, British actor and writer (Get Out), born in London, England
Famous Deaths
1525 – Guillaume Gouffier, seigneur de Bonnivet, French soldier
1969 – Kenneth Green, actor (Penrod), dies of a heart attack at 61
1984 – Uwe Johnson, writer, dies at 59
1991 – John Charles Daly, American, newscaster and TV game show host (What’s My Line), dies at 77
1994 – Donald Phillips, pianist and composer, dies at 80
1998 – Henny Youngman, American comedian and violinist (Take my wife … please), dies at 91
2020 – Jan Kowalczyk, Polish equestrian rider (Olympics gold show jumping individual; silver team 1980), dies at 78
2020 – Ben Cooper, American western actor (The Rose Tattoo; Outcast; Arizona Raiders), dies at 86
2020 – Mario Bunge, Argentine-Canadian philosopher and physicist (pioneering work in epistemology), dies at 100
2024 – Kenneth Mitchell, Canadian actor (Star Trek: Discovery), dies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 49