Today In History
Historical Events
1498 – Emperor Maximilian I orders appointment of a conductor, two bass singers and six choir boys, establishing the Vienna Court Music Ensemble; later includes Vienna Boys Choir
1799 – Ranjit Singh’s men take up their positions outside Lahore
1862 – Land Grant Act endows state colleges with federal land
1957 – Heavy storm ravages Belgian coast
1969 – Canada’s House of Commons approves equality of French-English language
Famous Birthdays
1929 – Hasan Abidi, Pakistani journalist and Urdu poet, born in Zafarabad, British India (d. 2005)
1931 – David Eddings, American sci-fi author (Belgariad, Malloreon), born in Spokane, Washington (d. 2009)
1943 – (Salvatore) “Toto” Cutugno, Italian pop singer-songwriter (“L’Italiano”, Eurovision, 1990; “Insieme: 1992”), born in Tendola, Tuscany, Italy (d. 2023)
1944 – Jürgen Grabowski, German footballer (44 caps West Germany; Eintracht Frankfurt 441 games), born in Wiesbaden, Germany (d. 2022)
1966 – Gundula Krause, German folk violinist, born in Göttingen, Germany
Famous Deaths
1348 – John Andreae, Italian canonist, dies
1572 – Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland (1548-72), dies at 51
1930 – Arthur Conan Doyle, British author who brought Sherlock Holmes to life twice, dies at 71
1970 – Allen Lane, English publisher and founder of Penguin Books, dies at 67
2021 – Dilip Kumar [Muhammad Yusuf Khan], Indian Bollywood actor known as the “Tragedy King” and one of the greatest actors in Indian cinema (Jwar Bhata), dies at 98
Historical Events
1754 – Kings College in NYC opens (renamed Columbia College)
1905 – 127°F (53°C), Parker, Arizona (state record until 1994)
1943 – -10] Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo visits Java
1967 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: John Newcombe outclasses Wilhelm Bungert of Germany 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 for his 1st of 3 Wimbledon singles titles
2002 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Lleyton Hewitt of Australia wins his only Wimbledon singles title beating David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-1, 6-3, 6-2
2019 – Nigeria, Africa’ biggest economy, joins the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in attempt to create world’s largest free trade area
2024 – For the first time more than 3 million passengers were recorded passing through US airport security in one day, amid an increase in air travel in the US
2025 – Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres has two singles, including his 2,000th MLB career hit in 6-3 loss to the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park
Famous Birthdays
1569 – Giovanni Francesco Anerio, Italian composer, choirmaster, and oratorio pioneer, born in Rome, Papal States (d. 1630)
1806 – Michele Amari, Sicilian patriot, Italian revolutionary and historian, born in Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily (d. 1889)
1851 – Lillien Jane Martin, American psychologist who founded the world’s 1st gerontology clinic in San Francisco, born in Olean, New York (d. 1943)
1882 – Zdzislaw Jachimecki, Polish composer and music historian, born in Lwów, Ukraine (d. 1953)
1884 – Lion Feuchtwanger, German dramatist and novelist (Der falsche Nero), born in Munich, Germany (d. 1958)
1907 – Helene Johnson, American Harlem Renaissance poet, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1995)
1927 – George Cabot Lodge, American academic and politician who lost the 1962 Senate race to Ted Kennedy, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2026)
1946 – Joe Spano, American actor (Hill Street Blues – “Lt. Henry Goldblume”; NCIS), born in San Francisco, California
1955 – Len Barker, American baseball player, born in Fort Knox, Kentucky
1970 – Erik Zabel, German cyclist, born in East Berlin, East Germany
Famous Deaths
1537 – Madeleine of Valois, French princess who briefly became Queen of Scotland after marrying James V, dies only six months after the wedding at 16
1799 – William Curtis, English botanist and publisher (Botanical Magazine), dies at 53
1889 – Giovanni Bottesini, Italian Romantic composer, conductor and a double bass virtuoso, dies at 67
1907 – James McGranahan, American composer, dies at 67
1930 – Arthur Conan Doyle, British author who brought Sherlock Holmes to life twice, dies at 71
1968 – Leo Sowerby, American organist and composer (Pulitzer Prize for Music, 1946), dies at 73
1973 – Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (Dialectic of Enlightenment, Eclipse of Reason), dies at 78
1975 – Barbara Brown, American actress dies at 73
2008 – Bruce Conner, American artist and experimental filmmaker (A Movie, America is Waiting), dies at 74
2021 – Jovenel Moïse, Haitian politician, President of Haiti (2017-21), assassinated at 53