Today In History
Historical Events
306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman Emperor by his troops
1987 – USSR launches Kosmos 1870, a 15-ton Earth observation satellite
1988 – Mindy Duncan, 16, of Oregon, crowned 6th Miss Teen USA
2000 – Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde supersonic passenger jet, F-BTSC, crashes just after takeoff from Paris, killing all 109 aboard and four on the ground
2012 – Ivica Dačić is sworn in as Prime Minister of Serbia
Famous Birthdays
1639 – Thomas Tompion, English clockmaker (cylinder tunnel), born in Northill, Bedfordshire, England (d. 1713)
1943 – Jim McCarty, English rock drummer, and songwriter (Yardbirds – “For Your Love”; Renaissance, 1969-70), born in Liverpool, England
1948 – Ray Wheatley, Australian boxer (NSW featherweight champion), official (IBF supervisor, referee and judge; VP IBF 2000-12) and broadcaster (Sky Channel, ESPN, 9 Network), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 2023)
1948 – Claude Noel, Tobagonian boxer (WBA Lightweight title 1981), born in Roxborough, Trinidad and Tobago (d. 2023)
1962 – David Korevaar, American concert pianist and educator (University of Colorado), born in Madison, Wisconsin
Famous Deaths
1471 – John Soreth, French Carmelite friar, dies at about 77
1988 – David Tobey, American Basketball Hall of Fame referee (1918-45; first game with a 3-man officiating crew), dies at 90
2017 – Hywel Bennett, Welsh, actor (Family Way, Shelley), dies at 73
2021 – Robert Parris “Bob” Moses, American civil rights activist (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)), and educator (The Algebra Project), dies at 86
2023 – Julian Barry [Mendelsohn], American playwright and screenwriter (Lenny; Rhinoceros), dies of congestive heart failure at 92
Historical Events
1901 – Emily Hobhouse addresses public meetings in Britain about the concentration camps during the South African War
1913 – Pittsburgh Pirates future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Max Carey scores five runs without a hit, reaching first base on an error and four walks as the Bucs defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 12-2
1941 – US President Franklin D. Roosevelt bans sale of benzine and gasoline to Japan
1956 – 46 die in a collision between the SS Andrea Doria and the MS Stockholm off the coast of Nantucket
1985 – Spokeswoman for Rock Hudson confirms he has AIDS
1993 – Tour de France: Spaniard Miguel Induráin makes it three straight Tour titles; Djamolidine Abdoujaparov is points winner
1993 – Romantic comedy film “Sleepless in Seattle,” starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and co-written and directed by Nora Ephron, is released
2017 – Ram Nath Kovind becomes 14th President of India
Famous Birthdays
1901 – Walter Breedveld, Dutch writer (Een schip vergaat), born in Den Bosch, Netherlands (d. 1977)
1917 – Whipper Billy Watson, Canadian professional wrestler, born in East York, Ontario, Canada (d. 1990)
1924 – Frank Church, American lawyer and politician (United States Senator from Idaho), born in Boise, Idaho (d. 1984)
1935 – Adnan Khashoggi, Saudi businessman (arms dealing), born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia (d. 2017)
1941 – Nate Thurmond, American Basketball HOF center (7 x NBA All Star SF/Golden State Warriors), born in Akron, Ohio (d. 2016)
1942 – Krister Kristensson, Swedish soccer defender (38 caps; Malmö FF, Trelleborgs FF) and manager (Trelleborgs FF, Lunds BK, Höllvikens GIF), born in Malmö, Sweden (d. 2023)
1971 – Roger Creager, American country music singer-songwriter (“Bad Friend to a Good Man”), born in Corpus Christi, Texas
1973 – Kevin Phillips, English soccer striker (8 caps; EPL top scorer [30 goals] 1999–2000 Sunderland), born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England
1973 – Mur Lafferty, American podcaster and writer, born in Durham, North Carolina
1988 – Anthony Stokes, Irish soccer striker (9 caps Republic of Ireland; Celtic FC), born in Dublin, Ireland
Famous Deaths
1842 – Dominique Jean Larrey, French surgeon under Napoleon, first modern military surgeon, dies at 76
1918 – Franny zu Reventlow, German artist and writer, dies at 47
1927 – Matilde Serao, Italian writer and journalist (Land of Cockayne, 1st woman to edit Italian newspaper), dies at 71
1955 – Ilmari Hannikainen, Finnish virtuoso pianist, composer, and educator, drowns during a sailing trip at 62
1991 – Brian Haines, English actor (The Adventures of Robin Hood, It), dies at 70
2006 – Carl Brashear, first African-American U.S Navy Master Diver (b. 1931)
2018 – Guy [Gaetano] Molinari, American politician (R-House of Representatives from New York, 1981-1983), dies of pneumonia at 89
2020 – Helen Jones Woods, American jazz and swing trombone player (International Sweethearts of Rhythm), dies of COVID-19 at 96
2020 – Eddie Shack, Canadian ice hockey left wing (NHL All Star 1962, 63, 64; Stanley Cup 1962, 63, 64, 67; Toronto Maple Leafs), dies from throat cancer at 83
2025 – Sandra Grimes, American CIA officer who helped bring down Aldrich Ames, dies of complications of Alzheimer’s disease at 79