Today In History
Historical Events
1961 – Minnesota Vikings’ first NFL game; beat Chicago Bears 37-13
1977 – Dave Kingman hits his first Yankee home run, and Reggie hits two more
1994 – 19th Toronto International Film Festival: “Priest,” directed by Antonia Bird, wins the People’s Choice Award
2004 – Tamil is declared the first classical language of India
2010 – Final episode of soap opera “As the World Turns” is broadcast, ending a 54-year run
Famous Birthdays
1853 – Clemens Baeumker, German historian (Patristischen Philosophie), born in Paderborn, Germany (d. 1924)
1909 – Kenneth Darling, British Army Commander-in-chief Allied Forces, born in Bengal Presidency, British India (d. 1998)
1923 – John Rigby Hale, British linguist and historian, born in Ashford, Kent (d. 1999)
1965 – Yuji Naka, Japanese video game programmer (Sonic the Hedgehog), born in Hirakata, Japan
1983 – Jennifer Peña, American Tejano/Latin pop singer, born in San Antonio, Texas
Famous Deaths
1862 – William Edwin Starke, Confederate brigadier general, dies in battle at about 48
1984 – Richard Basehart, American actor (Voyage to Bottom of Sea, Rage), dies following several strokes at 70
1994 – Iris Adrian, American actress (Blue Hawaii, Bluebeard), dies at 82
2006 – Al Casey, American rock and session guitarist (Duane Eddy; The Wrecking Crew), dies at 69
2015 – Everett C. Parker, American activist, communications director and founder of the United Church of Christ, dies at 102
Historical Events
1906 – Playing as “Sullivan,” Columbia University junior Eddie Collins debuts with the A’s
1944 – Dutch begin railroad strike against German occupiers
1956 – Yankees clinch pennant number 22 with Mantle’s 50th home run of the year
1958 – US performs a nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1966 – Cleveland pitchers set an AL record by striking out 19 batters in the first 9 innings
2003 – Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins presents his poetry at the Art Institute of Chicago’s Rubloff Auditorium
2015 – US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports 2015 Northern Hemisphere summer hottest on record
2024 – Al-Qaeda jihadists attack the international airport complex outside Mali’s capital, Bamako, leaving at least 60 people dead
Famous Birthdays
1849 – Vaclav Juda Novotny, Czech composer and music critic, born in Vesce, Kingdom of Bohemia. Austrian Empire (d. 1922)
1854 – Hans Müller, German music historian and writer, born in Cologne, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1897)
1874 – Ben Turpin, American comic (Uncle Tom Without the Cabin), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1940)
1894 – James Anderson, Australian tennis player (Australasian C’ship 1922, 24, 25), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1973)
1931 – Lestine ‘Tess’ Johnston, American diplomat, preservationist and co-founder of Historic Shanghai, born in Charlotte, North Carolina (d. 2025)
1937 – Orlando Cepeda, Puerto Rican Baseball HOF first baseman (11 × MLB All-Star; World Series and NL MVP 1967 St. Louis Cardinals; NL Rookie of the Year 1958 SF Giants), born in Ponce, Puerto Rico (d. 2024)
1948 – John Ritter, American actor and comedian (Three’s Company, It, 8 Simple Rules), born in Burbank, California (d. 2003)
1951 – Cassandra Peterson [Elvira], American actress (Echo Park, Elvira), born in Manhattan, Kansas
1962 – Baz Luhrmann, Australian film director (Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, Elvis), born in Sydney, Australia
1964 – Karen Straker, British horse show jumper, born in County Durham
Famous Deaths
1179 – Saint Hildegard von Bingen, German Benedictine nun, magistra, writer, and 1st western composer whose works survive (Ordo virtutum), dies at 81
1791 – Tomás de Iriarte, Spanish writer (Fabulas Literarias), dies at 40
1820 – Henri Hamal, Belgian composer, dies at 76
1933 – Joseph De Piro, Maltese founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul, dies at 55
1948 – Ferruccio Giannini, Italian-American operatic tenor (one of the first to be recorded), teacher, and impresario (Verdi Opera House, Philadelphia), dies at 79
1958 – Herbie Fields [Bernfeld], American jazz saxophonist and bandleader (“Dardanella”), dies from an intentional overdose of sleeping pills at 39
1977 – Lou Hooper, Canadian jazz pianist, and educator, dies at 83
2006 – Dorothy Stratton, American coast guard officer (1st woman officer in US Coast Guard, SPARS), dies at 108
2015 – Peter Heatly, Scottish diver and Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation, dies at 91
2021 – Roger Brown, College Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle (Maryland Eastern Shore; 6 x Pro-Bowl; Detroit Lions, LA Rams), dies at 84