Today In History
Historical Events
1740 – Jews are expelled from Little Russia by order of Tsarina Anne
1982 – US Senior Open Men’s Golf, Portland GC: Miller Barber wins by four strokes from Dan Sykes and Gene Littler, his first of three Senior Open titles
1984 – Lucas Mangope re-elected president of Bophuthatswana
2001 – Iraq resumes oil exports, ending a 5-week halt in protest of a US and British-sponsored UN Security Council resolution
2022 – New study suggests dogs can “see” with their noses, the first documentation of a direct connection between the olfactory bulb and occipital lobe in any species
Famous Birthdays
1836 – Antônio Carlos Gomes, Brazilian opera composer, first from outside of Europe with successful career in Italy, born in Campinas, São Paulo, Empire of Brazil (d. 1896)
1915 – George Ivan Smith, Australian radio correspondent, UN diplomat and spokesman, born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1995)
1925 – Charles Chaynes, French composer (Et l’homme se vit les portes rouvrir; Ode for a Tragic Death), and radio broadcaster, born in Toulouse, France (d. 2016)
1960 – David Baerwald, American singer/songwriter (David + David – “Welcome To The Boomtown”: “Swallowed By The Cracks”), born in Oxford, Ohio
1974 – Hermann Hreiðarsson, Icelandic footballer, born in Reykjavík, Iceland
Famous Deaths
1962 – Owen D. Young, American industrialist (RCA) and diplomat (Young Plan), dies at 87
1983 – Ross Macdonald [Kenneth Millar], American-Canadian detective novelist (Goodbye Look), dies at 67
1993 – Denis Tomlinson, South African cricket leg-spinner, dies
2007 – Rod Lauren, American rocker (“If I Had a Girl”), commits suicide at 66
2014 – Tommy Ramone [Tamás Erdélyi], Hungarian-American rock drummer and bassist (Ramones), dies of bile duct cancer at 65
Historical Events
1924 – Muslim-Hindu rebellion in Delhi, India
1962 – Fred Baldasare is first to swim English Channel underwater (scuba)
1974 – US House Judiciary Committee releases evidence on Watergate inquiry
2013 – “Orange Is the New Black” starring Taylor Schilling premieres on Netflix, the first series to be nominated for both comedy and drama Emmy awards
2015 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Serena Williams becomes oldest winner in Open era (33) beating Garbiñe Muguruza 6-4, 6-4
2019 – US stock markets reach new records, the Dow tops 27,000 points for the first time, and the SandP 500 hits 3,000 points
2021 – UEFA European Championship Final, Wembley Stadium, London: Italy wins first Euro title since 1968, 3-2 on penalties over England after scores locked at 1-1 AET
2023 – Scientists select Crawford Lake, Ontario, as the reference location for the beginning of a new interval of geologic time, the human-caused Anthropocene Epoch, starting in the 1950s and ending the Holocene; the proposal is later rejected
Famous Birthdays
1892 – Thomas Mitchell, American Academy Award-winning actor (Gone With The Wind; High Noon), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey (d. 1962)
1893 – Jack Durston, English cricket fast bowler (1 Test, 5 wickets; Middlesex CCC) and soccer goalkeeper (Queens Park Rangers, Brentford), born in Clophill, England (d. 1965)
1916 – Reg Varney, English actor (On the Buses), born in London, England (d. 2008)
1929 – Chuck Rio [Daniel Flores], American rock singer, saxophonist, and songwriter (The Champs – “Tequila”), born in Santa Paula, California (d. 2006)
1937 – Adin Steinsaltz, Israeli rabbi, scholar, translator and writer (The Thirteen Petalled Rose), born in Jerusalem (d. 2020)
1966 – Kentaro Miura, Japanese manga author (Berserk), born in Chiba, Japan (d. 2021)
1972 – Jussi 69 [Vuori], Finnish drummer (The 69 Eyes), born in Helsinki, Finland
1973 – Christine Monge, female pitcher (Colo Silver Bullets), born in San Francisco, California
1982 – Chris Cooley, American football tight end (Pro Bowl 2007, 08; Washington Redskins), born in Powell, Wyoming
1989 – David Henrie, American actor (Wizards of Waverly Place), born in Mission Viejo, California
Famous Deaths
937 – King Rudolph II of Burgundy
1874 – Xavier de Mérode, Belgium minister to the Pope in Rome, dies at 54
1889 – Gyula Reviczky, Hungarian author and poet, dies at 34
1921 – Gabriel Lippmann, French physicist and inventor, dies at 75
1966 – Delmore Schwartz, American poet, short story writer and critic (Shenandoah), dies at 52
1967 – Guy Favreau, French Canadian lawyer, politician and judge, dies at 50
2002 – Bernardas Brazdzionis, Lithuanian poet, editor and critic, dies at 95
2006 – John Spencer, English snooker player (b. 1935)
2010 – Bob Sheppard, American public address announcer (MLB: NY Yankees 1951–2007; NFL: NY Giants 1956–2006), dies at 99
2022 – Víctor Benítez, Peruvian soccer centre-back / defensive midfielder (11 caps; AC Milan, Roma, Inter Milan, Boca Juniors), dies at 86