Today In History
Historical Events
1954 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Czech Jaroslav Drobný beats Ken Rosewall of Australia 13-11, 4-6, 6-2, 9-7 for his only Wimbledon singles title
1990 – TV cooking competition show “MasterChef” presented by Loyd Grossman, and created by Franc Roddam, first airs in the UK
1995 – LA Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo is first Japanese player to be selected for a MLB All-Star Game when he is named in the NL squad
2019 – Virginie Viard presents her first haute couture collection as designer at Chanel after the death of Karl Lagerfeld at the Grand Palais
2020 – Funeral for slain Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa in Ambo amid nationwide unrest at his death that has killed over 80 people
Famous Birthdays
1363 – Maria, Queen of Sicily and Duchess of Athens and Neopatria, born in Catania, Kingdom of Sicily (d. 1401)
1589 – Guillaume Messaus, Flemish composer, born in Antwerp, Dutch Republic (d. 1640)
1903 – Alec Douglas-Home, British Prime Minister (Conservative: 1963-64), born in London (d. 1995)
1949 – Hanno Pöschl, Austrian actor (“Exit…But No Panic”; “Tales from the Vienna Woods”), born in Vienna, Austria
1958 – Thomas Bickerton, American Methodist bishop, born in Glen Dale, West Virginia
Famous Deaths
1778 – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French philosopher, political theorist, and writer (Confessions) whose works inspired French Revolution leaders and Romantic academics, dies of cerebral bleeding from a stroke at 66
1917 – Herbert Beerbohm Tree, British actor and theatre manager (King John, Trilby), dies at 64
1963 – Seth Barnes Nicholson, American astronomer who discovered four satellites of Jupiter, dies at 71
2013 – Fawzia Fuad, Egyptian princess who became Queen of Iran as the first wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, dies at 91
2020 – Betsy Ancker-Johnson, American physicist (plasmas), inventor (high-frequency signal generator), first woman Presidential appointee to the Department of Commerce and first woman VP in the automotive industry, dies at 93
Historical Events
706 – Remains of Chinese Emperor Gaozong, his wife Empress Wu Zetian and family members interred in Qianling Mausoleum by Emperor Zhongzong, outside Chang’an on Mount Liangshan
1858 – Russia implements partial emancipation of serfs
1902 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Muriel Robb wins her only major title with a 7-5, 6-1 defeat of fellow Briton Charlotte Cooper
1926 – US Army Air Corps created; Distinguished Flying Cross authorized, to award “heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight”
1979 – First US coin to honor a woman is issued with Susan B. Anthony
2005 – Live 8 concert in front of Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; performers include Stevie Wonder, Bon Jovi, The Black-Eyed Peas, Keith Urban, Dave Matthews Band, Maroon 5, and Linkin Park
2020 – Funeral for slain Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa in Ambo amid nationwide unrest at his death that has killed over 80 people
2022 – Largest ever exhibition on African fashion “Africa Fashion” opens at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London
Famous Birthdays
1819 – Charles-Louis Hanon, French composer and piano pedagogue (The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises), born in Renescure, France (d. 1900)
1857 – Francesco Spetrino, Italian conductor and composer, born in Palermo, Italy (d. 1948)
1865 – Lily Braun [Amalie von Kretschmann], German feminist writer (Im Schatten Titanen), and socialist politician, born in Halberstadt, Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1916)
1889 – Cor Hermus, Dutch actor, director, and writer (Bleeke Bet; William of Orange; De Jantjes; A Mother), born in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (d. 1953)
1927 – Charlie White American professional baseball catcher (Philadelphia Stars; Milwaukee Braves), born in Kinston, North Carolina (d. 1998)
1939 – Paul Williams, American baritone singer and choreographer (The Temptations – “Cloud Nine”), born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 1973)
1954 – Wendy Schaal, American actress (It’s a Living, Julie-Fantasy Is), born in Chicago, Illinois
1961 – James McNichol, American actor (Fitzpatricks, California Fever), born in Los Angeles, California
1969 – Jenni Rivera, Mexican-American singer-songwriter (Jenni, 2008), born in Long Beach, California (d. 2012)
1984 – Maarten Martens, Belgian footballer and coach (AZ Alkmaar), born in Eeklo, Belgium
Famous Deaths
1298 – Adolf, German Count of Nassau, King of the Roman (1292-98), dies in the battle of Göllheim at about 43
1911 – Felix Mottl, Austrian conductor and composer (Agnes Bernauer), dies at 54
1918 – Mehmed V Resjad, Sultan of Turkey (1909-18), dies at 73
1946 – Anthony Overton, publisher/cosmetics manufacturer/banker, dies at 81
1949 – Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian Communist leader (Prime Minister 1946-49), dies at 67
1975 – James Robertson Justice, British actor (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Moby-Dick), dies from complication following a stroke at 68
1987 – Michael Bennett, American theater director and choreographer (Chorus Line), dies of AIDS at 44
1994 – Marion Williams, American gospel singer (Stars of Faith), dies of diabetes at 66
1995 – Krissy Taylor, American model (17 Mag), dies of respiratory problems at 17
2022 – Saúl Lorenzo Rivero, Uruguayan soccer midfielder (9 caps; Liverpool de Montevideo, Atlético Español México), dies at 67