Today In History
Historical Events
1590 – Pope Urban VII dies 13 days after being chosen as Pope, making his reign the shortest papacy in history
1919 – British troops withdraw from the North Russian town of Arkhangelsk after fighting Bolsheviks/Soviets
1974 – Rome: fourth Bishop Synod in Rome
2006 – MLB Boston Red Sox honor former player Johnny Pesky by officially naming Fenway Park’s right-field foul pole “Pesky’s Pole”
2018 – India’s Supreme Court overturns a 158-year-old rule, Section 497, decriminalizing adultery because it is discriminatory against women
Famous Birthdays
1792 – George Cruikshank, English caricaturist and illustrator (Grimms’ Fairy Tales), born in London, England (d. 1878)
1881 – Ernest Williams, American composer, born in Wayne County, Indiana (d. 1947)
1918 – Martin Ryle, English radio astronomer (Astronomer Royal 1972-82, Nobel Prize for Physics 1974), born in Brighton, England (d. 1984)
1940 – Benoni Beheyt, Belgian road cyclist (UCI World C’ship gold Road Race 1963), born in Zwijnaarde, Belgium
1949 – Jahn Teigen, Norwegian pop-rock singer (Popol Ace; Eurovison Song Contest, 1978, 1982 and 1983), born in Tønsberg, Norway (d. 2020)
Famous Deaths
1404 – William of Wykeham, chancellor/Bishop of Winchester, dies
1735 – Peter Artedi, Swedish biologist (“father of ichthyology” study of fish), accidentally falls into a canal and drowns at 30
1935 – Alan Gray, British composer, dies at 79
1986 – Cliff Burton, American rock bassist (Metallica), dies in bus crash at 24
2009 – Donald Fisher, American businessman (co-founder of The Gap), dies of cancer at 81
Historical Events
1717 – French founder of Detroit Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac is imprisoned in the Bastille for speaking “against the government of the state and the colonies ” (freed 1718)
1779 – John Adams is appointed to negotiate Revolutionary War peace terms with Great Britain
1916 – Emperor Lidj Jasu of Ethiopia flees a palace coup led by his aunt Zewditu
1953 – KOLO TV channel 8 in Reno, NV (ABC/CBS) begins broadcasting
1970 – Ken Boswell sets second baseman record of 85 games without an error
1971 – USSR performs a nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1990 – US performs a nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
2025 – Suspicious drone activity is observed at Norway’s Ørland Main Air Station, the main base of Royal Norwegian Air Force
Famous Birthdays
1911 – Peter Doig, British Labour Party politician, born in Lochgelly, Fife, Scotland (d. 1996)
1912 – Mary Grierson, Welsh botanical artist, born in Bangor, Wales (d. 2012)
1921 – Dennis Nineham, British theologian (Synod and Doctrine Commission), born in Southampton, England (d. 2016)
1927 – Jack Katz, American comic book artist and graphic novel pioneer (The First Kingdom), born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2025)
1932 – Roger C. Carmel, American actor (Harry Mudd-Star Trek, In-Laws), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1986)
1933 – Rodney Cotterill, Danish-English physicist and neuroscientist, born in Cornwall, England (d. 2007)
1935 – Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, American baseball pitcher (1st female pitcher to play in the Negro Leagues), born in Ridgeway, South Carolina (d. 2017)
1949 – Graham Richardson, Australian politician and media commentator, born in Sydney, Australia
1976 – Matt Harding, American video game developer and traveler known as ‘Dancing Matt’, born in Norwalk, Connecticut
1983 – Jeon Hye-bin, Korean actress known for “Revolutionary Sisters”, born in Namyangju, South Korea
Famous Deaths
1719 – George Smalridge, British Bishop of Bristol (Sixty Sermons Preach’d on Several Occasions), dies at 56
1891 – Ivan Goncharov, Russian novelist (Oblomov), dies at 79
1943 – Wacław Gieburowski, Polish Catholic priest, choral conductor, composer, and musicologist, dies at 65
1972 – S. R. Ranganathan, Indian mathematician (b. 1892)
1974 – Silvio Frondizi, Argentine lawyer, assassinated by the Triple A(b. 1907)
1975 – Jack Lang, Australian politician (b. 1876)
1990 – Matvey Isaakovich Blanter, Russian-Soviet composer of popular songs and film music (“Katyusha”), dies at 87
1992 – Ray Gill, American actor (Prelude to a Kiss), dies of AIDS at 42
2014 – James A Traficant Jr, American politician (Rep-D-OH, 1985-2002), dies at 73
2023 – Bob Sheridan, American boxing and MMA broadcaster (WGBS “Rumble in the Jungle”, “Thrilla in Manila”; bodogFIGHT), dies at 79