Today In History
Historical Events
1443 – Battle of St. Jakob an der Sihl: Army of the Old Swiss Confederacy defeats an allied force of Zurich and Habsburg troops at the gates of Zurich; without means to lay siege to the city, they withdraw
1951 – General Francisco Craveiro Lopes appointed President of Portugal
1955 – Richard Nixon becomes the first US Vice President to preside over a cabinet meeting
1972 – 2 Catholics are abducted, beaten, and shot dead in a Loyalist area of Belfast
2024 – Mudslides from heavy rains kills at least 229 people in Kencho Shacha Gozdi district, southern Ethiopia
Famous Birthdays
1535 – Katarina Stenbock, Swedish third wife of Gustav I of Sweden, born in Torpa Castle, Sweden (d. 1621)
1831 – Kōmei [Osahito], 121st Emperor of Japan (1846-67) during the final years of the Edo period, born in Kyōto, Japan (d. 1867)
1848 – Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, born in Neustrelitz, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz(d. 1914)
1977 – Gustavo Nery, Brazilian footballer, 1995-2012 (Santos, São Paulo, Corinthians) , born in Nova Friburgo, Brazil
1992 – Selena Gomez, American actress (Wizards of Waverly Place; Hotel Transylvania), and singer (“Wolves”; “Lose You To Love Me”), born in Grand Prairie, Texas
Famous Deaths
1387 – French Ackerman, Ghent rebel/leader of Reisers, murdered at about 57
1869 – John Roebling, German-American civil engineer (Brooklyn Bridge), dies of tetanus as the result of an accident at 63
1996 – Robert Collins, keyboard player, dies at 33
2003 – Uday Hussein, Iraqi politician, administrator, murderer, and eldest son of Saddam Hussein, killed by US military during Iraq War at 39
2004 – (Jean-Baptiste) Illinois Jacquet, American jazz saxophonist (“Flying Home”), dies of a heart attack at 81
Historical Events
1901 – Serbia reactivates diplomatic relations with Montenegro
1944 – Soviets set up Polish Committee of National Liberation
1958 – US performs atmospheric nuclear Test at Bikini Island
1962 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Aronimink GC: Gary Player of South Africa wins by 1 stroke from Bob Goalby
1969 – Spanish dictator Francisco Franco’s choice of Prince Juan Carlos as his successor is ratified by the Spanish Parliament
1992 – Soyuz TM-15 launches
1997 – “One Piece,” world’s best-selling manga and comic series, written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, first appears serialized in “Weekly Shōnen Jump” in Japan
2003 – Members of US 101st Airborne, aided by Special Forces, attack a compound in Mosul, Iraq, killing Uday Hussein and Qusay Hussein, sons of Saddam Hussein, along with Mustapha Hussein, Qusay’s 14-year old son, and a bodyguard
Famous Birthdays
1559 – Lawrence of Brindisi [Giulio Cesare Russo], Italian theologian, Capuchin monk, and Roman Catholic saint, born in Brindisi, Kingdom of Naples (d. 1619)
1644 – Arnold Moonen, Dutch vicar, linguist (Nederduitsche Spraekkunst), poet, and lexicographer, born in Zwolle, Netherlands (d. 1711) [O.S. birthday July 12]
1894 – Oskar Maria Graf, German-American writer (Wir sind Gefangene (We Are Prisoners)), born in Berg, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire (d. 1967)
1919 – Angus Tait, New Zealand electronics innovator and businessman, born in Oamaru, New Zealand (d. 2007)
1924 – Bill Perkins, American cool jazz tenor saxophonist (Woody Herman; Stan Kenton; Bud Shank; The Tonight Show Band, 1970-82), and recording engineer, born in San Francisco, California, (d. 2003)
1927 – George Hunter, South African boxer (Olympic gold light heavyweight 1948), born in Brakpan, South Africa (d. 2004)
1944 – Guich Koock, actor (Harley Puckett-Carter Country), born in Austin, Texas
1963 – Emilio Butragueno, Spanish soccer striker (69 caps; Real Madrid 341 games), born in Madrid, Spain
1973 – Daniel Jones, Australian rock musician (Savage Garden – “Truly, Madly, Deeply”), born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England
1978 – Damien Bonnard, French actor (Les Misérables, Block Pass), born in Alès, France
Famous Deaths
1789 – Joseph-François Foulon, French politician, dies at 74
1852 – Auguste Marmont, French marshal, dies at 77
1908 – William Randal Cremer, British politician and pacifist (International Arbitration League, 1903 Nobel Peace Prize), dies at 80
1972 – Hugo Kauder, Austrian composer, dies at 84
1979 – Mikhail Soschtschenko, Soviet Russian writer (The Regained Youth; Before the Dawn), dies at 83
1995 – Percy Humphrey, American jazz trumpet player and bandleader in New Orleans, Louisiana, dies at 90
2001 – Indro Montanelli, Italian journalist and historian (History of the Greeks), dies at 92
2016 – Thomas Sutherland, American hostage (Lebanon) and academic, dies at 85
2023 – Hassan Amcharrat, Moroccan soccer forward (39 caps; Africa Cup of Nations gold 1976; SC Chabab Mohammédia, Raja Casablanca), dies at 75
2025 – Lawrence A. Bossidy, American businessman and chief executive of Allied Signal (1991-99), dies of a heart attack at 90