Today In History
Historical Events
1914 – US signs treaty of commerce with Ethiopia
1999 – Tony Hawk is the first skateboarder to land a “900” (a 2½-revolution aerial spin) at the X Games in San Francisco, California
2003 – Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: Radiohead, Moby, and R.E.M. headline; other performers include David Gray, The Polyphonic Spree; Jimmy Cliff, Sigur Rós, Los Lobos, and Yes
2018 – Democrat Representative Joseph Crowley is defeated in New York Primary election by liberal challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
2023 – Archaeologists in Roman city of Pompeii uncover a “pizza” painting in a fresco from house next to a bakery (more likely flatbread as lacks essential ingredients tomatoes and mozzarella)
Famous Birthdays
1884 – Gaston Bachelard, French philosopher (La psychanalyse du feu), born in Bar-sur-Aube, France (d. 1962)
1889 – Alfred Courtens, Belgian sculptor, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1967)
1905 – Ruby Middleton Forsythe, African-American teacher who taught for 50 years in one-room schoolhouse in South Carolina, born in Charleston, South Carolina (d. 1992)
1959 – Dan Jurgens, American comic book writer (The Death of Superman), born in Ortonville, Minnesota
1966 – J. J. Abrams, American writer, producer and director (Lost; Star Wars: the Force Awakens; Mission Impossible III), born in New York City
Famous Deaths
1917 – Karl Allmenröder, German World War I flying Ace, dies at 21
2010 – Dolph Briscoe, American businessman and 41st Governor of Texas (1973-79), dies at 87
2011 – Elaine Stewart, American actress and model (The Bad and the Beautiful, Take the High Ground), dies at 81
2016 – Alvin Toffler, American author (Future Shock, Power Shift, The Third Wave), dies at 87
2025 – Audrey Shakir, American jazz vocalist (Jazz at the Lincoln Center Big Band), dies at 73
Historical Events
1580 – Duke of Alva’s army occupies Portugal
1890 – Canadian boxer George Dixon becomes the first Black world champion when he stops English bantamweight champion Edwin “Nunc” Wallace in 18 rounds in London
1898 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Charlotte Cooper beats Louisa Martin 6-4, 6-4 for her 3rd Wimbledon singles championship
1934 – Federal Savings and Loan Association created
1962 – NASA civilian pilot Joseph A. Walker takes X-15 to 6,606 kph, 37,700 m
1976 – In South Africa, the National President of the Black People’s Convention, Kenneth Hlaku Rachidi, declares that riots in Soweto have lead to a new era of political consciousness
1984 – Late Night’s 1st Tower Drop
2018 – Complex carbon-based molecules are found by the Cassini spacecraft on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, previously found only on Earth and in meteorites, in research published in Nature
Famous Birthdays
1833 – Władysław Zaremba, Polish pianist and composer, born in Dunajowce, Podolia Governorate of the Russian Empire (d. 1902)
1838 – Paul Mauser, German weapon designer, born in Oberndorf am Neckar, Kingdom of Württemberg (d. 1914)
1952 – Madan Kumar Bhandari, Nepalese politician (Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist)), born in Taplejung, Nepal (d. 1993)
1970 – Jim Edmonds, American MLB baseball outfielder, 1993-2010, 4X All-Star, 8X Gold Glove (California/Anaheim Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, and 4 other teams), born in Fullerton, California
1974 – Christian Kane, American actor (Leverage, The Librarians), born in Dallas, Texas
1975 – Porter Collins, American rower (World C’ship gold 1995 M4+, 1998-99 M8+), born in New York City
1976 – Johnny Estrada, American baseball player, born in Hayward, California
1983 – Alsou, Russian singer (Solo), born in Bugulma, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
1984 – Khloé Kardashian, American reality television star (Keeping Up with the Kardashians), born in Los Angeles, California
1988 – Kate Ziegler, American swimmer, born in Fairfax, Virginia
Famous Deaths
1543 – Agnolo Firenzuola, Italian poet and litterateur, dies at 49
1729 – Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, French harpsichordist, organist, singer, and composer (Les pièces de clavessin; Céphale et Procris), dies at 64
1785 – Egbert de Free Temminck, Amsterdam regent, dies at 84
1961 – Paul Guilfoyle, American actor and director (White Heat, Cyrano de Bergerac), dies of a heart attack at 58
1966 – Arthur D Waley [Schloss], British sinology/poet (Monkey), dies
2008 – Violet Cane, British pioneering female statistician, dies at 92
2011 – Gisèle Rabesahala, Malagasy politician (1st female minister) and human righter activist, dies at 82
2015 – Chris Squire, British progressive rock bassist, founding and longest serving member of Yes, 1969-2014 (“The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)”), dies of acute erythroid leukemia at 67
2017 – Suh Yun-bok, Korean marathon runner (Boston Marathon, 1947), dies at 94
2020 – Martha Nierenberg [née Weiss de Csepel], Hungarian-American biochemist, furniture designer and co-founder of Dansk Designs, dies at 96