Today In History
Historical Events
1942 – SS begins transporting Jews from Maastricht
1990 – Li Hui Rong of China sets the women’s triple jump record of 47 ft 8½ in (14.54 m)
1995 – Gloucestershire cricketer Andrew Symonds scores 254 against Glamorgan, including a then first-class record of 16 sixes
2004 – Gal Fridman becomes Israel’s first Olympic gold medalist when he wins the men’s Mistral One Design windsurfing event at the Athens Games
2004 – Olga Kuzenkova of Russia throws an Olympic record 75.02 m to win the women’s hammer throw gold medal at the Athens Games
Famous Birthdays
1846 – Judith Gautier, French poetess, novelist (Le Dragon Impérial) and daughter of Theophile Gautier, born in Paris (d. 1917)
1897 – Jaroslav Řídký, Czech harpist, conductor, and composer, born in Reichenberg, Kingdom of Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (d. 1956)
1903 – Arpad Elo, American chess writer and creator of the Elo rating system for two-player games such as chess, born in Egyházaskesző, Hungary (d. 1992)
1965 – Kathy Horvath, American tennis player (World #10 1984, 6 WTA titles), born in Chicago, Illinois
1988 – Raymond Quinn, British pop singer, born in Knowsley Village, Merseyside, England
Famous Deaths
1282 – Thomas Cantilupe, English saint (b. ca 1218)
1868 – Costache Negruzzi, Romanian author/poet, dies at about 60
1945 – Willis Augustus Lee, American World War II admiral (Guadalcanal), and sport shooter (5 Olympic gold medals, 1920), dies of a heart attack while being ferried out to visit his flagship USS Wyoming off the coast of Maine at 57
1996 – Sylvia Fisher, Australian operatic soprano (Albert Herring Opera), dies at 86
2008 – Pehr Henrik Nordgren, Finnish composer (The Whole World Will Lament; Kwaidan-balladit), dies at 64
Historical Events
1425 – Countess Jacoba of Bavaria escapes from jail
1814 – British forces destroy the Library of Congress, which contains 3,000 books (War of 1812)
1835 – The New York Sun publishes the Great Moon Hoax story about John Herschel, who claimed he had discovered life, landscapes, and fantastical creatures on the Moon through a powerful telescope
1936 – Three Braves hit twice in an inning, each getting two hits
1950 – “Rashomon,” a Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune and Machiko Kyō, is released (Honorary Academy Award 1952)
1960 – AFL begins placing players’ names on the backs of their jerseys
1980 – MLB Texas Rangers pitcher Ferguson Jenkins is arrested for possession of drugs
2003 – Tłı̨chǫ land claims agreement is signed between the Tłı̨chǫ First Nations and the Canadian federal government in Rae-Edzo (now called Behchokǫ̀)
Famous Birthdays
1530 – Ivan IV [Ivan the Terrible], Grand Prince of Moscow (1533-47) and 1st Tsar of Russia (1547-75 and 1576-84), born in Kolomenskoye, Russia (d. 1584)
1561 – Philippe van Lansberge, Dutch astronomer, born in Ghent, Belgium (d. 1632)
1624 – François de la Chaise, French confessor of Louis XIV of France, born in Forez, France (d. 1709)
1691 – Alessandro Galilei, Italian architect (Cappella Corsini), born in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (now Italy) (d. 1736)
1938 – Frederick Forsyth, British author (The Day of the Jackal; The Deceiver; The Odessa File), born in Ashford, England (d. 2025)
1946 – Charles Ghigna (Father Goose), American poet and children’s books author (Tickle Day: Poems from Father Goose), born in Bayside, New York
1951 – Rob Halford, English heavy metal singer-songwriter (Judas Priest – Got Another Thing), born in Sutton Coldfield, England
1970 – Robert Horry, American basketball forward (NBA C’ship 1994, 1995 Houston Rockets; 2000–02 LA Lakers; 2005, 2007 San Antonio Spurs) and broadcaster (Spectrum SportsNet), born in Harford County, Maryland
1974 – Eric Millegan, American actor known playing Zack Addy on “Bones”, born in Hackettstown, New Jersey
1992 – Kaytranada [Louis Celestin], Haitian-Canadian record producer, DJ and rapper (Bubba), born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Famous Deaths
1868 – Henry P Scholte, Dutch/US vicar (Iowa), dies at 62
1936 – Grigory Zinoviev [Hirsch Apfelbaum], Russian revolutionary, Communist International chairman (1919-26), and anti-Stalinist politician, executed on treason charges during Stalin’s ‘Great Purge’ at 52
1957 – Leo Perutz, Austrian writer and mathematician, dies at 74
1969 – Helen Blair Bartlett, American geologist credited with inventing the insulation for spark plugs, dies at 67
1995 – Doug Stegmeyer, American rock bassist (Billy Joel Band, 1976-87), dies of a self-inflicted gun wound at 43
1998 – Lewis F. Powell Jr., American Supreme Court justice (1972-87), dies at 90
2008 – Marpessa Dawn, American-French actress (Black Orpheus), dies of a heart attack at 74
2008 – John Thoday, British geneticist, dies at 91
2016 – Sonia Rykiel, French fashion designer, dies at 86
2023 – Tony Roberts, American College Football HOF broadcaster (play-by-play announcer Notre Dame Fighting Irish football 1980-2006), dies at 94