Today In History
Historical Events
1868 – Major General E. R. S. Canby removes mayor of Columbia, South Carolina
1914 – British Open Men’s Golf, Prestwick GC: Harry Vardon of Jersey wins a record 6th Open Championship, 3 strokes ahead of defending champion J.H. Taylor
1976 – US Viking 1 goes into Martian orbit after 10-month flight from Earth
1977 – Pope Paul VI makes 19th-cen bishop John Neumann 1st US male saint
2017 – Record 65.6 million people displaced around the world in 2016 reported by UN refugee agency
Famous Birthdays
1919 – Pauline Kael, American film critic (NY Times, For Keeps), born in Petaluma, California (d. 2001)
1925 – Alfred Nzo, South African General Secretary of the ANC (1969-91), born in Benoni, Transvaal, South Africa (d. 2000)
1964 – Bill Barretta, American puppeteer, producer, writer, and actor (Sesame Street; Pepe the King Prawn, The Swedish Chef, and Rowlf the Dog in “The Muppet Show”), born in Yardley, Pennsylvania
1967 – Bjørn Dæhlie, Norwegian cross-country skier and 8x Olympic gold medalist, born in Elverum, Norway
1978 – Garfield, American fictional cat created by Jim Davis (Garfield comic strip), born in Mamma Leoni’s Italian Restaurant
Famous Deaths
1650 – Matthäus Merian, Swiss engraver (b. 1593)
1820 – Joseph Banks, British botanist and naturalist who accompanied James Cook on board the Endeavour, dies at 77
1984 – Lee Krasner [Lena Krassner], American abstract expressionist painter, dies at 75
1994 – Jocelyn Hambro, British financier (Hambros Bank), dies at 75
1996 – Vivian Ellis, English composer, dies at 91
Historical Events
1269 – King Louis IX of France decrees all Jews must wear a yellow badge in public or be fined 10 livres of silver
1778 – George Washington’s Continental Army troops finally leave Valley Forge, their winter encampment
1926 – DeFord Bailey is 1st African American to perform on Nashville’s “Grand Ole Opry”
1937 – Francisco Franco’s Nationalist troops take Bilbao during their victorious Biscay Campaign in the Basques region during the Civil War
1940 – German 7th Armoured division under command of Rommel occupies Cherbourg
1960 – Loretta Lynn records “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl”
1992 – Evander Holyfield beats Larry Holmes in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
2016 – NBA Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers win first title beating defending champion Golden State Warriors, 93-89 in Game 7; first team to overcome 3–1 deficit; MVP: LeBron James
Famous Birthdays
1764 – John Barrow, 1st Baronet, English statesman and founder of the Royal Geographical Society, born in Ulverston, Lancashire, England (d. 1848)
1909 – Edwin Gerschefski, American pianist, composer, and teacher (Saugatuck Suite), born in Meriden, Connecticut (d. 1992)
1909 – Osamu Dazai [pseudonym of Tsushima Shūji, Japanese novelist (Tsugaru, No Longer Human), born in Kanagi, Japan (d. 1948)
1916 – Pat Buttram, American actor (Mr Haney in “Green Acres”; Gene Autry’s film sidekick), born in Addison, Alabama (d. 1994)
1926 – Rod Coleman, New Zealand Grand Prix motorcyclist and first New Zealander to win the Isle of Man TT (1954), born in Whanganui, New Zealand
1949 – Jerry Reuss, American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher (St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers; 2x All-Star, 1981 World Series champion), born in St. Louis, Missouri
1957 – Anna Lindh, Swedish Social Democratic politician and Minister for Foreign Affairs (1998-2003), born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 2003)
1965 – Luc Donckerwolke, Belgian automotive designer (Lamborghini, SEAT, Bentley, Hyundai), born in Lima, Peru
1970 – Quincy Dushawn Watts, American athlete (Olympic gold 400m, 4x400m relay 1992), born in Detroit, Michigan
1982 – Joe Cheng, Taiwanese model and actor (Mischievous Kiss, Chinese Partner), born in Taichung, Taiwan
Famous Deaths
1768 – Benjamin Tasker, Governor of Maryland (b. 1690)
1953 – Julius Rosenberg, 1st American civilian executed for espionage after he and his wife were convicted of passing secret radar, jet and nuclear information to the Soviet Union, executed at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, NY at 35
1962 – Will Wright, American actor (Adam’s Rib, Living Christ Story), dies of cancer at 68
1965 – James Collip, Canadian biochemist and physiologist (insulin), dies at 72
1993 – William Golding, English author (Lord of the Flies, Nobel Prize for Literature 1983), dies at 81
1996 – Henry Ralph Carr, English WWII soldier (A Sapper’s War), dies at 82
2008 – Bennie Swain, American basketball player (b. 1930)
2012 – Gerhard Kallmann, German-American academic and architect best known for helping design Boston City Hall, dies at 97
2013 – (Ottis) “Slim” Whitman, American country singer (“Rose Marie”; “Guess Who”), dies from heart failure at 90
2016 – Anton Yelchin, Russian-born American actor (Star Trek), dies in an accident at 27