Today In History
Historical Events
1867 – Giuseppe Garibaldi marches on Rome for the second time
1925 – Water skis are patented by Fred Waller
1946 – Georgi Domitrovs National Front wins Bulgaria elections (78%)
1961 – David Diamond’s Symphony No. 8 premieres with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Leonard Bernstein
2020 – Baseball World Series: LA Dodgers beat Tampa Bay Rays, 3-1 in Game 6 at Globe Life Field, Arlington to win first title in 32 years; MVP: Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager
Famous Birthdays
1927 – Edward Keinholz, American artist and sculptor, born in Fairfield, Washington (d. 1994)
1946 – Peter Martins, Danish dancer and choreographer, born in Copenhagen, Denmark
1950 – Fran Lebowitz, American author and actress (Resident Alien), born in Morristown, New Jersey
1972 – Maria Mutola, Mozambican 800m runner (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Lourenço Marques, Mozambique
1978 – Vanessa-Mae [Vanakorn Nicholson], Singaporean-British violinist and Olympic alpine skier, born in Singapore
Famous Deaths
1617 – Ralph Winwood, English politician (b. 1563)
1833 – Ferdinand Franzl, composer, dies at 66
1933 – Meir Shapira, rabbi/organizer (Daf Yomi), dies
1962 – Fatso Marco, American actor and comedian (Milton Berle Show), dies at 56
1999 – Lois Collier [Madelyn Earle Jones], American actress (A Night in Casablanca; Boston Blackie; Slave Girl), dies of Alzheimer’s disease at 80
Historical Events
1688 – King of England James II dismisses adviser Robert Spencer
1904 – The first section of the New York subway, running from Lower Manhattan to Broadway Harlem for a fare of one nickel and built by the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), opens
1925 – Water skis are patented by Fred Waller
1963 – Detroit Red Wings right wing Gordie Howe scores 544th career goal in 6-4 loss to Montreal Canadiens, tying Maurice Richard’s all-time NHL regular season record
1985 – 16th NYC Marathon won by Orlando Pizzolato in 2:11:34
1990 – Supreme Soviet of Kirghiz SSR chooses Askar Akayev as republic’s first president.
2018 – LA Dodgers beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-2 in Game 3 of baseball’s World Series; a record 46 players used by both teams; Boston go on to win 4 games to 1
2018 – Australian 7-year old mare Winx wins unprecedented fourth consecutive Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in Melbourne; her record 29th-straight win and her 22nd Group 1 racing success
Famous Birthdays
1924 – Alain Bombard, French biologist, physician, and politician who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in a small boat to test his theory that a shipwrecked person could survive without provisions, born in Paris (d. 2005)
1926 – H. R. Haldeman, Nixon’s White House Chief of Staff during Watergate, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1993)
1930 – Gladys Brown West (née Mae Brown), American mathematician (US Naval Weapons Laboratory, 1956–98) known for helping develop the GPS satellite system, born in Sutherland, Virginia (d. 2026)
1944 – Bob Flick, American folk musician (The Brother Four – “Greenfields”), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
1951 – Jayne Kennedy, American actress (Body and Soul), born in Washington, D.C.
1958 – Todd Skinner, American rock climber who made the first free ascents of many routes around the world (Salathe Wall), born in Pinedale, Wyoming (d. 2006)
1973 – Anthony Doerr, American writer (All the Light We Cannot See – Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2015), born in Cleveland, Ohio
1984 – Brady Quinn, American football quarterback (Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos) and broadcaster (CBS Sports HQ, Fox Sports), born in Columbus, Ohio
1986 – Matty Pattison, South African footballer (Whickham), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
1986 – David Warner, Australian cricket batsman (HS 335no 2019; 2nd highest by an Australian; “Sandpaper-gate” 2018 12-month suspension), born in Sydney, Australia
Famous Deaths
1331 – Aboe al-Fida [Aboelfeda], Arabic writer/sultan of Hama, dies
1430 – Vytautas the Great, Grand Duke of Lithuania (b. 1350)
1954 – Sydney Horler, English detective writer (Checkmate), dies at 66
1964 – Sammee Tong, actor (Bachelor Father, Mickey), dies at 63
1987 – Vijay Merchant, Indian cricket batsman (10 Tests, 3 x 100, HS 154; Bombay CC), dies at 76
1990 – Ugo Tognazzi, Italian comedy actor, director and screenwriter (La Cage Aux Folles, The Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 68
2019 – Johanna Lindsey, American romance novelist (A Loving Scoundrel, Captive Bride), dies of complications following cancer treatment at 67
2021 – Bob Ferry, American basketball forward (St. Louis Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Baltimore Bullets) and executive (GM Washington Bullets; NBA Exec of the Year 1979, 82), dies at 84
2022 – Joyce Molyneux, British chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, dies at 91
2023 – Li Keqiang, Chinese Premier of the State Council and China’s head of government, dies of a heart attack at 68