Today In History
Historical Events
1646 – The first public library in the Americas is established when Bishop Palafox y Mendoza donates his personal library of 5,000 volumes to Tridentine colleges in Puebla, Mexico
1882 – 10,000 workers march in the first Labor Day parade in New York City
1937 – Spanish Civil War: Llanes falls
1991 – 8th MTV Video Music Awards: REM wins
2025 – US President Donald Trump deploys ten F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico to take part in military action against drug cartels in the Caribbean region
Famous Birthdays
1908 – Cecilia Seghizzi, Italian composer, born in Gotizia, Austria-Hungary (d. 2019)
1967 – India Hicks, British model, interior designer and author (Island Life, A Slice of England), born in London
1970 – Willie Clay, American NFL safety (Detroit Lions), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1971 – Carlester Crumpler, American NFL tight end (Seattle Seahawks), born in Greenville, North Carolina
1991 – Skandar Keynes, English actor (The Chronicles of Narnia film series), born in London, England
Famous Deaths
1566 – Suleiman the Magnificent, Ottoman Sultan and the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1530-1566), dies at 71 [or Sep 6]
1910 – Franz Xaver Haberl, German priest and musicologist (Magister choralis), dies at 70
1998 – Leo Penn, American actor and film director, dies at 77
2021 – Ivan Patzaichin, Romanian canoeist (Olympic gold C-2 1000m 1968, 80, 84; C-1 1000m 1972; World C’ship gold x 8), dies from lung cancer at 71
2025 – José María Tojeira, Spanish-Salvadoran priest and provincial of the Jesuits in Central America (1988-95), dies of a heart attack at 78
Historical Events
1907 – King Edward VII of Great Britain meets Russia’s Foreign Minister Alexander Izvolsky in an attempt to strengthen Russia’s relationship with Britain
1914 – Proclamation prohibits Canadian mint from issuing gold coins
1922 – 17th Davis Cup: USA beats Australasia in New York (4-1)
1938 – International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Philadelphia, PA: US retains title as Don Budge beats Australian Adrian Quist 8-6, 6-1, 6-2 for an unbeatable 3-1 lead; ends 3-2
1955 – WKRG TV channel 5 in Mobile, AL (CBS) begins broadcasting
1955 – Dodger Don Newcombe hits a National League pitcher record seventh home run of the season
1972 – Eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and later killed by the Palestinian group Black September at the Munich Olympics
2024 – China confirms it is ending its foreign adoption program following a suspension that began with the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020
Famous Birthdays
1874 – Napoleon “Nap” Lajoie, American Baseball HOF second baseman (Triple Crown 1901; AL batting champion 1901–04, 10; Philadelphia A’s, Cleveland Naps), born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island (d. 1959)
1877 – Albert Roelofs, Dutch painter and etcher, born in Schaarbeek, Brussels, Belgium (d. 1920)
1941 – Julian Hunt, Lord Hunt of Chesterton, British meteorologist and director general of the Met Office (1992-97), born in Ootacamund, India (d. 2026)
1965 – Chris Gore, American film critic and director (My Big Fat Independent Movie), born in Big Rapids, Michigan
1967 – India Hicks, British model, interior designer and author (Island Life, A Slice of England), born in London
1969 – Mark Ramprakash, English cricketer, born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England
1982 – Alexandre Geijo, Spanish-Swiss footballer, born in Geneva, Switzerland
1983 – Eugen Bopp, Ukrainian-German footballer, born in Kyiv, Ukraine
1987 – Pierre Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline of Monaco, born in Princess Grace Hospital Centre, Monaco
1993 – Gage Golightly, American actress (The Troop), born in Penn Valley, California
Famous Deaths
1201 – Constance, Duchess of Brittany and Countess of Richmond, dies at about 40 (b. circa 1161)
1859 – Friedrich von Olivier, German landscape painter, dies at 68
1922 – Sarah Winchester, American businesswoman, heiress, and philanthropist, dies at 83
1924 – Karel Komzák III, Austrian conductor and composer, dies at 46
1976 – Arthur Gilligan, British cricket all-rounder (11 Tests, 34 wickets; England captain 1924-25; Sussex CCC), dies at 81
1982 – Douglas Bader, English RAF fighter pilot in World War II, dies at 72
1996 – Clem Thomas, Welsh rugby union flanker (26 Tests, 9 as captain; Cambridge Uni RFC, Brynamman, Swansea, London Welsh, Harlequins) and journalist (The Observer), dies at 67 dies at 67
2015 – Setsuko Hara, Japanese actress (Late Spring, Tokyo Story), dies of pneumonia at 95
2016 – Duane Graveline, American doctor and astronaut, dies at 85
2021 – Sarah Harding, British pop singer (Girls Aloud – “Sound of the Underground,” “Love Machine”), dies of breast cancer at 39