Today In History
Historical Events
1940 – Franklin D. Roosevelt re-elected US President
1991 – “Moscow Circus Cirk Valentin” opens at Gershwin NYC for 32 performances
1991 – Maximus 2.0 BBS released
2012 – Green Moon wins the Melbourne Cup race at Flemington
2021 – Billie Jean King Cup Women’s Tennis, Prague: Daria Kasatkina and Liudmila Samsonova win their singles matches to guide RTF to a 2-0 win over Switzerland in inaugural BJKC version of Federation Cup
Famous Birthdays
1558 – Thomas Kyd, English dramatist (The Spanish Tragedy), born in London (d. 1594)
1822 – Gordon Granger, American Major General during the Civil War (Union Army), born in Wayne County, New York (d. 1876)
1931 – Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Bulgarian composer, born in Sofia, Bulgaria (d. 1982)
1949 – Nigel Havers, English actor (Don’t Wait Up), born in London, England
1964 – Corey Glover, American rock guitarist and singer (Living Colour), born in Brooklyn, New York City
Famous Deaths
1597 – Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain [Catalina Micaela de Austria], Duchess consort of Savoy (1585-97), dies at 30
1865 – Thérèse Wartel, French pianist and composer, dies at 51
1980 – Mary Michael, American actress (Biridie-Wonderful John Acton), dies at 77
2005 – Minako Honda, Japanese singer and musical actress, dies of leukemia at 38
2021 – Peter Aykroyd, Canadian actor, comedian, and writer (SNL, 1980; PSI Factor), dies of septicemia caused by an untreated abdominal hernia at 65
Historical Events
1905 – Swedes start a tradition of eating Gustavus Adolphus pastries to commemorate the king (or 1909)
1919 – 1st Dutch radio program: Soirée Musicale with “Turf in you(r) ransel” is broadcast
1928 – Colonel Jacob Schick patents a “shaving implement” that he later incorporates into the first electric razor
1942 – Indonesian independence movement Empat Serangkai founded by Sukarno, Mohammed Hatta, Ki Hajar Dewantara and Mas Mansur
1968 – Psychedelic feature film “Head” starring the Monkees, and co-written by Jack Nicholson, a premieres in New York City
1975 – Revival of Jerry Herman’s musical “Hello, Dolly!” starring Pearl Bailey, opens at Minskoff Theater, NYC; runs for 51 performances
1991 – Keck II, biggest telescope in use at Mauna Kea Hawaii
2022 – US Powerball jackpot rises to a world record of $1.9 billion after no winners for more than three months
Famous Birthdays
1753 – Jean-Baptiste Bréval, French cellist, composer, and pedagogue, born in Paris, France (d. 1823)
1918 – Bodil Schmidt-Nielsen, Danish-born American physiologist who was the first female president of the American Physiological Society, born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2015)
1923 – Clay [David] Jones, Welsh gardener (BBC Gardener’s Question Time), born in Cardigan, Wales (d. 1996)
1929 – June Squibb, American stage and screen actress (Nebraska; Thelma; Marjorie Prime), born in Vandalia, Illinois
1936 – Jacques Charrier, French actor (Les Tricheurs, Babette Goes to War), born in Metz, France (d. 2025)
1941 – Georges Perroud, Swiss soccer forward (18 caps; FC Sion, Servette FC), born in Fribourg, Switzerland (d. 2023)
1954 – Catherine Crier, American journalist and author (The Case Against Lawyers, A Deadly Game), born in Dallas, Texas
1958 – Trace Beaulieu, American actor (Mystery Science Theater 3000), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
1966 – Paul Gilbert, American guitarist and singer (Mr. Big), born in Carbondale, Illinois
1968 – Kelly Rutherford, American actress (Generations, Gossip Girl), born in Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Famous Deaths
1893 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer of the late-Romantic period (1812 Overture; The Nutcracker; Swan Lake), dies of suspected cholera at 53
1907 – James Hector, Scottish-New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon, dies at 73
1922 – Morgan Bulkeley, American politician (US Senator – Connecticut 1905-11) and Baseball HOF administrator (NL President 1876), dies at 84
1970 – Agustín Lara, Mexican composer and singer-songwriter of popular ballads and boleros (Granada; Solamente Una Vez), dies at 73
1983 – Robert Gross, American composer and violinist, dies at 69
1996 – Tommy Lawton, British soccer centre-forward (23 caps; Burnley, Everton, Chelsea, Notts County, Brentford, Arsenal), dies at 80
2006 – Jance Garfat, American bassist (Dr. Hook, 1972-85 – “The Cover of the Rolling Stone”, “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman”), dies in a motorcycle accident at 62
2010 – Robert Lipshutz, American attorney and counsel to the Carter Adminisrtation (b. 1921)
2021 – Angelo Mosca, American CFL football defensive tackle (All-Star, 1963, 1970; Hamilton Tiger-Cats), and pro wrestler, dies from Alzheimer’s disease at 84
2022 – Peter McNab, Canadian ice hockey center (Boston Bruins and 3 other teams) and broadcaster (New Jersey Devils, 1987-95; Colorado Avalanche, 1995-2022), dies of cancer at 70