Today In History
Historical Events
1883 – Edward Harrigan’s musical farce “Cordelia’s Aspirations” premieres at Theatre Comique, NYC
1883 – Battle at El Obeid Sudan: Mahdi’s army destroys Egyptian army
1989 – 20th NYC Marathon won by Juma Ikangaa in 2:08:01
1997 – Davey Johnson is named AL Manager of Year two hours after resigning from the Baltimore Orioles
2025 – Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin becomes first NHL player to score 900 career goals in a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Famous Birthdays
1666 – Attilio Ariosti, Italian baroque composer (Court of Kingdom of Prussia, 1697-1703), viola d’amore player, and harpsichordist, born in Bologna, Papal States (d. 1729)
1851 – Charles Dupuy, 3 times Prime Minister of France, born in Le Puy-en-Velay, France (d. 1923)
1906 – Fred Lawrence Whipple, American astronomer (dirty-snowball theory), born in Red Oak, Iowa (d. 2004)
1977 – Tuula Puputti, Finnish ice hockey goalie (Finland, Olympics 1998), born in Kuopio, Finland
1984 – Tobias Enstrom, Swedish NHL hockey player (Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets), born in Nordingrå, Sweden
Famous Deaths
1942 – George M. Cohan, American father of musical comedy (Phantom President; Give My Regards to Broadway), dies of cancer at 64
1951 – Bedrich Antonin Wiedermann, Czech organist and composer, dies at 67
1954 – Oran “Hot Lips” Page, American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader, dies at 46
2009 – Félix Luna, Argentine historian and lyricist, dies at 84
2021 – Charlie Burns, Canadian ice hockey forward (world champion Whitby Dunlops 1958) and coach (Minnesota North Stars), dies at 85
Historical Events
1953 – First CinemaScope technology film, “How to Marry a Millionaire” directed by Jean Negulesco, starring Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable, and Marilyn Monroe release is delayed to allow “The Robe” to debut the format
1953 – Terence Rattigan’s play “The Sleeping Prince” premieres in London starring Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier
1954 – Montreal Canadien center Jean Béliveau scores 3 goals in 44 seconds on future Hall of Fame goaltender Terry Sawchuk in 4-2 win v Boston Bruins; 2nd fastest NHL hat trick
1994 – Yak-40 accident in north of Peru, 8 killed
1994 – Tony Rominger bicycles a world record for distance covered in one hour for the second time (55.291 km)
1994 – Space probe Ulyssus completes the first passage behind the Sun
2021 – Breeders’ Cup Horse Racing, Del Mar Racetrack; Day 1 winners: Twilight Gleaming, Echo Zulu, Pizza Bianca, Corniche, Modern Games
2022 – 37th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo; Duran Duran; Eminem; Eurythmics; Dolly Parton; Lionel Richie; Carly Simon; Judas Priest; Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; Harry Belafonte; Elizabeth Cotten; Allen Grubman; Jimmy Iovine; and Sylvia Robinson
Famous Birthdays
1883 – Ernie Parker, Australian tennis player (Australasian C’ship 1913), born in Perth, Western Australia (d. 1918)
1901 – Eddie Paynter, English cricketer (England batting hero in Bodyline series), born in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, England (d. 1979)
1919 – Hasan Askari, Pakistani philosopher, critic and writer, born in Bulandshahr Uttar Pradesh, British India (d. 1978)
1922 – Violet Barclay, American illustrator, born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2010)
1947 – Peter Noone, British pop-rock singer, sometimes known as “Herman” (Herman’s Hermits – “I’m Into Something Good”; “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter”), born in Davyhulme, Lancashire, England
1974 – Ryan Adams, American musician, singer and songwriter (Whiskeytown – “Don’t Be Sad”; solo -“New York, New York”), born in Jacksonville, North Carolina
1980 – Jaime Camara, Brazilian racing driver, born in Goiânia, Brazil
1980 – Christoph Metzelder, German footballer, born in Haltern, West Germany
1985 – Tanaka Koki, Japanese idol and singer (member of KAT-TUN), born in Chiba, Japan
1988 – Virat Kohli, Indian cricketer, star batsman and captain of India (2013-), born in Delhi, India
Famous Deaths
1559 – Kanō Motonobu, Japanese painter and calligrapher (Kanō school of painting), dies at 83
1960 – Johnny Horton, American country and rockabilly singer (“The Battle of New Orleans”), dies in a car accident at 33
1964 – Lansdale Sasscer, U.S. Congressman for Maryland’s 5th District (b. 1893)
1968 – Estelle Hemsley, American actress (Leech Woman, Take a Giant Step), dies at 81
1969 – Itih Walracen, Sudanese widow of author William Walraven, dies
2000 – Bibi Titi Mohammed, Tanzanian politician (b.1926)
2006 – LaMar Clark, American boxer (record most consecutive knockouts 44, including unsanctioned bouts), dies at 71
2009 – Félix Luna, Argentine historian and lyricist, dies at 84
2011 – Bhupen Hazarika, Indian folk and film music singer-songwriter (Bistirno Parore; Rudaali), filmmaker, and politician, dies of multiple organ failure at 85
2024 – Eileen Diss, British theatrical designer (August, Secret Places, Betrayal), dies at 93