Today In History
Historical Events
1984 – East German luger Steffi Martin wins the first of 2 consecutive women’s singles gold medals at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics; also wins in Calgary (1988)
1988 – US Navy frigate USS Yorktown bumped by Russian frigate Bezzavetny in the Black Sea in dispute over right of innocent passage
2007 – A gunman opens fire in a mall in Salt Lake City, killing five people in the Trolley Square shooting
2017 – 70th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): “La La Land” Best Film, Damien Chazelle Best Director, Best Actors Casey Affleck / Emma Stone
2023 – India opens the first part of what will be its longest expressway linking Mumbai with New Delhi over 1,386-kilometer (861 mile)
Famous Birthdays
1830 – Stephen Wilcox, American inventor of steam generators for power stations and ships (Babcock and Wilcox), born in Westerly, Rhode Island (d. 1893)
1904 – Ted Mack, American TV host (The Original Amateur Hour), born in Denver, Colorado (d. 1976)
1914 – Nello Celio, Swiss politician, born in Quinto, Switzerland (d. 1995)
1945 – Roman Tam [Pak-sin], Hong Kong singer knownn as the “Grand Godfather of Cantopop”, born in Baise, Guangxi, China (d. 2002)
1980 – Enver Gjokaj, American actor (Dollhouse; Agent Carter), and inventor, born in Orange County, California
Famous Deaths
1837 – Ludwig Borne [Loeb Baruch], German-Jewish writer, dies at 50
1896 – Isaac Murphy, American jockey, 628 wins on 1,412 mounts (44.5%), dies at 35
2000 – Oliver [William Swofford], American pop singer (“Good Morning Starshine”), dies of cancer at 54
2022 – William Kraft, American timpanist, percussionist (Los Angeles Percussion Ensemble), conductor, and composer (The Demise of Suriyodhaya; Avalanche), dies at 98
2025 – Patrick Barclay, English sportswriter (The Times, The Guardian-Observer, Sunday Telegraph, The Independent; Sky Sports), dies at 77
Historical Events
1901 – Dutch Penitentiary children’s law proclaimed
1954 – The UK government establishes an organisation to control atomic energy in the country under The Atomic Energy Authority Bill
1955 – Soviets decides space center to be built in Baikonur, Kazakhstan
1964 – The Beatles first NYC concerts, two shows at Carnegie Hall
1985 – 37th NHL All-Star Game, Olympic Saddledome, Calgary: Wales Conference beats Campbell Conference, 6-4; MVP: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins, C
1994 – “The Scream” by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1893 pastel version) is stolen in Oslo
1995 – Susan Auch skates female world record 500m (38.94 sec)
2019 – Trial of 12 Catalonia independence leaders begins in Madrid
Famous Birthdays
1865 – Kazimierz Tetmajer, Polish writer and poet (Young Poland), born in Ludźmierz, Galicia (d. 1940)
1910 – Lee Byung Chull, Korean industrialist, founder of Samsung, born in Uiryeong County, Korean Empire (d. 1987)
1925 – Joan Mitchell, American painter and printmaker, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1992)
1939 – John D Hancock, American actor and director (Black Marble, Traxx, Houston Knights), born in Kansas City, Missouri
1945 – Don Wilson, American baseball pitcher (2 x no-hitters 1967, 69; MLB All Star 1971; Houston Astros), born in Monroe, Louisiana (d. 1975)
1948 – Raymond Kurzweil, American inventor and author (Kurzweil reading machine, text-to-speech synthesis), born in New York City
1955 – Daniele Masala, Italian athlete (Olympic gold modern pentathlon individual and team 1976), born in Rome, Italy
1965 – Brett Kavanaugh, American lawyer and US Supreme Court Justice (2018-), born in Washington, D.C.
1977 – Jimmy Conrad, US soccer player, born in Arcadia, California
1982 – Onil Joseph, Dominican baseball player, born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Famous Deaths
1128 – Toghtekin, Turkoman atabek and military leader of Damascus (fought during First Crusade), founded Burid Dynasty, dies
1590 – François Hotman/Hotomanus, French lawyer and diplomat (Anti-Tribonien), dies at 65
1907 – Muriel Robb, British tennis player (Wimbledon 1902), dies of lymphadenoma at 28
1933 – Henri Duparc, French composer (L’invitation au voyage), and visual artist, dies at 85
1957 – Eric Alfred Knudsen, American Hawaiian folklorist, dies at 84
1986 – Guy Warrack, Scottish composer, dies at 86
1991 – Edward A. Blatt, Polish-born American director (Between 2 Worlds), dies at 88
1994 – Donald Judd, American minimalist sculptor and artist, dies of cancer at 65
2025 – Holmes Rolston III, American environmental philosopher and Templeton Prize laureate (2003), dies at 92
2025 – Tommy Hunt, American soul singer (Flamingos, 1956-60 – “I Only Have Eyes For You”; “Lovers Never Say Goodbye”), dies at 91