Today In History
Historical Events
732 – The Battle of Tours: The Umayyad army, led by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, is defeated by the Frankish-Aquitainian force led by Charles Martel during the Umayyad invasion of Gaul
1799 – Convention of Alkmaar: British-Russian invasion army departs Holland
1904 – Liberty Theatre opens at 234 W 42nd St NYC
1913 – Gamboa Dam in Panama is blown up; Atlantic and Pacific waters mix
2020 – Italian teenage computer genius Carlo Acutis, who dies of leukemia at 15, is beatified by the Catholic Church in Assisi, Italy
Famous Birthdays
1892 – Earle Dickson, American inventor (Band-Aid), born in Grandview, Tennessee (d. 1961)
1919 – Gerry Gomez, West Indian cricket all-rounder (29 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 101, 58 wickets, BB 7/55; Trinidad), born in Port of Spain, Trinidad (d. 1996)
1933 – Salome Bey (née Wideman), American-Canadian jazz singer (Andy and the Bey Sisters), and music producer, born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2020)
1943 – Roy Christian, New Zealand rugby league centre (32 Tests; Auckland RL, Otahuhu RLFC), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2024)
1944 – Stephen Scott, American composer (Bowed Piano Ensemble; Vikings of Sunrise), and educator (Colorado College), born in Corvallis, Oregon (d. 2021)
Famous Deaths
1872 – William H. Seward, American politician (Secretary of State, 1861-69, Governor of New York, 1839-42), dies at 71
1929 – Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American inventor (57 patents), dies at 86
1948 – Ted Horn, American auto racer (first to win AAA National C’ship 3 times consecutively 1946, 47, 48), dies in race accident at 38
1978 – Gesina Van der Molen, Dutch WWII resistance fighter/lawyer, dies at 86
2022 – Anita Kerr [née Grilli], American pop and country singer, composer, and producer (The Anita Kerr Singers), dies at 94
Historical Events
1845 – Naval School (now called the US Naval Academy) opens in Annapolis
1957 – US President Eisenhower apologizes to the finance minister of Ghana, Komla Agbeli Gbedemah, after he is refused service in a restaurant in Dover, Delaware
1973 – MLB National League Championship: New York Mets beat Cincinnati Reds 3-2
1994 – MPAA chief Jack Valenti holds a meeting to determine new movie ratings
1994 – NY Giants retire Lawrence Taylor’s #56
2002 – Hungarian writer and Holocaust survivor Imre Kertész is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
2003 – Shirin Ebadi is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, becoming the first Iranian Muslim woman to receive the prize
2019 – 3,500 women are allowed to attend a football match in Iran for a World Cup qualifier in Tehran for the first time since the Islamic Revolution
Famous Birthdays
1893 – Willi Apel, German-American musicologist (Harvard Dictionary of Music), born in Konitz, West Prussia (d. 1988)
1908 – Mercè Rodoreda, Catalan novelist (La plaça del diamant), born in Barcelona (d. 1983)
1918 – Bobby Byrne, American orchestra leader (Club Seven), born in Columbus, Ohio (d. 2006)
1918 – George Rhodes, American pianist, composer, arranger, and music director (Sammy Davis, Jr. Show), born in Indiana (d. 1985)
1923 – Nicholas Parsons, British presenter and actor described as “the ultimate quiz show host”, born in Grantham, England (d. 2020)
1936 – Judith Chalmers, British television hostess (Wish You Were Here), born in Stockport, England (d. 2026)
1939 – Linda McAlister, American philosopher, professor and co-founder of Hypatia, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2021)
1939 – Joe Pitts, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania), born in Lexington, Kentucky
1948 – Séverine [Josiane Grizeau], French singer (Un banc, un arbre, une rue), born in Paris
1951 – Epeli Ganilau, Fijian military commander and politician, Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs, born in Taveuni, Fiji (d. 2023)
Famous Deaths
1791 – C F D Schubart, writer, dies
1881 – Daniele Comboni, Italian Catholic missionary and Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa (1877-81), dies at 50
1901 – Lorenzo Snow, 5th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), dies at 87
1948 – Ted Horn, American auto racer (first to win AAA National C’ship 3 times consecutively 1946, 47, 48), dies in race accident at 38
1957 – Karl Genzken, Nazi physician, Chief of the Medical Office of the Waffen-SS, dies at 72
1966 – Charlotte Cooper, British tennis player (1st female Olympic champion 1900; Wimbledon 1895-96, 98, 1901, 08), dies at 96
1977 – Angelo Muscat, Maltese-born British actor (The Prisoner, Doctor Who), dies at 47
1996 – Dick Pickering, British trade unionist, dies of a heart attack at 54
1996 – John Hillaby, English writer and traveller, dies at 79
2005 – Milton Obote, first Prime Minister (1962-66) and two-time President of Uganda (1966-71, 1980-85), dies at 80