Today In History
Historical Events
1823 – United Provinces of Central America declares itself independent of Mexico and Spain
1847 – First US postage stamps go on sale, 5 cent Franklin and 10 cent Washington, NYC
1862 – US Internal Revenue Law imposes first federal taxes on inheritance, tobacco, and incomes over $600 (progressive rate)
1960 – Robert Bolt’s “A Man For All Seasons” premieres in London
1978 – Former US President Richard Nixon makes his first public speech since resigning in 1974
Famous Birthdays
1879 – Leon Jouhaux, French socialist and co-founder UN’s ILO (Nobel 1951), born in Paris (d. 1954)
1896 – Pavel Antokolsky, Russian poet and theatre director (Syn), born in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire (d. 1978)
1915 – Joseph Ransohoff, American neurosurgeon and pioneer in the modern neurosurgery, born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 2001)
1953 – Mike Haynes, American College-Pro Football HOF cornerback (Super Bowl XVIII LA Raiders; First-team All-Pro 1984, 85; 9 x Pro Bowl; NE Patriots), born in Denison, Texas
1955 – Li Keqiang, Chinese Premier of the State Council and China’s head of government, born in Dingyuan County, Anhui Province (d. 2023)
Famous Deaths
1614 – Isaac Casaubon, English classical scholar (Atheneaus), dies at 55
1860 – Charles Goodyear, American chemist and manufacturing engineer who invented the vulcanization process for rubber, dies at 59
1931 – Alice Mary Robertson, American educator, social worker and 2nd woman in US Congress, dies at 77
1943 – C Bakker, Dutch resistance fighter (census bureau), executed
2017 – Norman Dorsen, American lawyer, human rights advocate and president of the American Civil Liberties Union, dies of complications from a stroke at 86
Historical Events
1535 – Thomas More goes on trial in England on charges of treason for refusing to accept Henry VIII’s supremacy over the Pope
1858 – First Canadian coins minted (1, 5, 10 and 20 cent) at the Royal Mint in London, England
1861 – US War Department decrees that Kansas and Tennessee are to be canvassed for volunteers
1889 – US mint at Carson City, Nevada, officially reopens after a four-year hiatus
1916 – Pittsburgh shortstop Honus Wagner, at 42 and 4 months, connects at Cincinnati to become the oldest to hit an inside-the-park HR; Pirates beat Reds, 2-1
1925 – Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs is created in UK
1932 – NY Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated for president at Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois
1981 – Prince Willem-Alexander opens the C. Veerling designed 318-meter cable-stayed Willemsbrug Bridge in Rotterdam
Famous Birthdays
1534 – Frederick II, King of Denmark and Norway (1559-88), born in Haderslevhus Castle, Haderslev, Denmark (d. 1588)
1869 – William Strunk Jr., American grammarian and author (The Elements of Style), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1946)
1911 – Sergey Sokolov, Russian-Soviet marshal and Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union (1984-87), born in Yevpatoria, Russian Empire (d. 2012)
1939 – Karen Black, American actress (5 Easy Pieces, Pyx), born in Park Ridge, Illinois (d. 2013)
1943 – Jeff Wayne, American-British musician and composer (Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds), born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City
1949 – Denis Johnson, American short story writer and novelist (Jesus’ Son, Tree of Smoke), born in Munich, Germany (d. 2017)
1951 – Victor Willis, American disco singer-songwriter and “cop/naval officer” in the Village People (“In the Navy”, “Y.M.C.A”), born in Dallas, Texas
1963 – Edward Tsang Lu, American physicist and NASA astronaut (STS 84), born in Springfield, Massachusetts
1976 – Hannu Tihinen, Finnish soccer defender (76 caps; KePS, HJK Helsinki, Viking FK, RSC Anderlecht, FC Zürich), born in Keminmaa, Finland
1980 – Nelson Cruz, Dominican baseball designated hitter, right fielder (7 x MLB All Star; ALCS MVP 2011 Texas Rangers), born in Las Matas de Santa Cruz, Dominican Republic
Famous Deaths
1943 – Johan Brouwer, Dutch writer, Hispanist, and anti-Nazi resistance fighter, executed at 45
1963 – Camille Chautemps, French politician (Prime Minister of France, 1930, 1933-34, and 1937-38), dies at 78
1982 – Ray Scarborough, American MLB pitcher (All Star 1950), dies at 64
1989 – Chauncey Haughton, American jazz clarinetist, and saxophonist (Blanche Calloway; Chick Webb; Cab Calloway), dies at 80
1994 – Johanna Ader-Appels, resistance fighter/author, dies
2005 – Luther Vandross, American soul singer, songwriter (“Endless Love”; “Dance With My Father”), and vocal arranger (David Bowie – Young Americans), dies of a heart attack at 54
2014 – Jean Garon, Quebec economist and politician, dies at 76
2017 – Heathcote Williams [John Henly Heathcote Williams], British poet, actor and political activist, dies at 75
2020 – Everton Weekes, West Indian cricket batsman (48 Tests; 4,455 runs @ 58.61, 15 x 100s), dies at 95
2025 – Brian Clarke, British artist known for his work with stained glass (World Without End), dies of cancer at 71