Today In History
Historical Events
1842 – American blacksmith Micah Rugg patents a nuts and bolts machine
1942 – U-boats sink and damage 131 allied ships this month (639,946 tons)
1942 – Battle at Alam Halfa: German and Italians assault
1984 – Pinklon Thomas beats Tim Witherspoon in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
1991 – Colorado Rockies bat out of order against Montreal Expos in 1st inning
2018 – 19-year old Indonesian boy rescued after 49 days afloat when his floating fish trap became adrift
Famous Birthdays
1887 – Friedrich A Paneth, Austrian-British chemist, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1958)
1912 – Ramon Vinay, Chilean operatic tenor, born in Chillán, Chile (d. 1996)
1921 – Charles “Chub” Feeney, American MLB executive (President of the National League), born in Orange, New Jersey (d. 1994)
1951 – Mario Boljat, Croatian soccer defender-midfielder (5 caps; Hajduk Split, Schalke 04), born in Split, Croatia (d. 2024)
1966 – Jan Einar Thorsen, Norwegian Alpine skier, born in Voss, Norway
1982 – Ian Crocker, American swimmer, born in Portland, Maine
Famous Deaths
1869 – Mary Ward, Irish scientist, first automobile accident victim (b. 1827)
1940 – Johanna “Annie” Bakker, Dutch revue-artist, singer and actress, dies at 58
1986 – Henry Moore, English artist and sculptor (known for Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae), dies at 88
1995 – Beant Singh, Prime Minister of Punjab province of India, assassinated at 73
1995 – John Erik Jonsson, American businessman and Mayor of Dallas, dies at 93
2020 – Pranab Mukherjee, Indian politician, 13th President of India (2012-17), dies at 84
Historical Events
1590 – Tokugawa Ieyasu enters Edo Castle (Traditional Japanese date: August 1, 1590)
1799 – Batavian fleet surrenders to British navy during Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland
1890 – President Benjamin Harrison signed the first U.S. law requiring inspection of meat products
1906 – NY Highlander Joe Doyle debuts pitching back-to-back shut-outs
1932 – Hermann Goering elected President of the German Reichstag
1933 – Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar forms secret police (PIDE)
1951 – US and Philippines sign mutual defense pact
1986 – 43rd Venice Film Festival: “Le rayon vert” directed by Eric Rohmer wins Golden Lion
2012 – A blast in the Xiaojiawan coal mine, China, kills 26 miners with 21 missing
2013 – 15 people are killed by a liquid ammonia leak at a cold storage plant in Shanghai, China
Famous Birthdays
1748 – Jacques-Louis David, French Neoclassical painter (Death of Marat), born in Paris (d. 1825)
1849 – J. M. Dent, British publisher (Everyman’s Library), born in Darlington, England (d. 1926)
1912 – Nancy Wake, New Zealand-born World War II secret agent (Special Operations Executive), born in Wellington, New Zealand (d. 2011)
1935 – Sylvia Earle, American marine biologist, born in Gibbstown, New Jersey
1944 – Molly Ivins, American political columnist and author, born in Monterey, California (d. 2007)
1947 – Allan Rock, Canadian politician and diplomat, born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
1952 – Wojtek Fibak, Polish tennis star, born in Poznan, Poland
1970 – Michael Wong, Chinese Malaysian singer, born in Ipoh, Malaysia
1983 – Jun Matsumoto, Japanese singer and actor, born in Toshima, Tokyo
1989 – Bebe Rexha, American singer-songwriter (Meant To Be), born in New York City
Famous Deaths
1159 – Adrian IV [Nicolas Breakspear], British catholic clergyman, and only English pope (1154-59), dies at about 59 (exact birthday unknown)
1666 – French Neck, portrait painter (Women Portrait), dies at about 86
1967 – Siegfried Sassoon, English poet and writer (Counterattack), dies at 80
1985 – Stefan Bellof, German race car driver (b. 1957)
1992 – Chick Harbert, American golfer (PGA C’ship 1954, Ryder Cup 1949, 55), dies of a cerebral haemorrhage at 77
1994 – Clifford Leofric Purdy Bishop, Anglican pastor and bishop, dies at 88
2005 – R. L. Burnside, American blues musician (Deep Blues), dies at 78 (b. 1926)
2007 – Roy McKenzie, New Zealand philanthropist (b. 1922)
2012 – George Jefferson, English engineer who oversaw privatisation of British Telecom, dies at 91
2013 – Tommy Morrison, American boxer (WBO heavyweight title, 1993) and actor (Rocky V), dies from sepsis, multi organ failure, and cardiac arrest at 44