521 – Magnus Felix Ennodius, bishop and Latin poet (b. 474)
1763 – Wenzel Raimund Birck, Austrian organist and composer at the court of Marie Theresa, dies at 45
1859 – Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, German-born Queen of Portugal (1858-59), dies of diphtheria at 22
1918 – Alexei Trupp, Russian footman and assistant of Tsar Nicholas II, executed at 62
1970 – Juano Hernandez, Puerto Rican stage and film actor (St Louis Blues; Stars In My Crown), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 73
1994 – Sutan Takdir Alishahbana, Indonesian linguist and writer (Poedjangga Baroe), dies at 86
2011 – David Ngoombujarra, Australian actor (b. 1967)
2016 – Gary S. Paxton [Larry Wayne Stevens], American musician and songwriter (“Monster Mash”; “Alley Oop”), dies at 77
2023 – Nicholas Goodison, British businessman (CEO of TSB Group; Chairman of London Stock Exchange, 1976-86), and arts supporter (Chairman of the Courtauld Institute of Art, 1982-2002; Chair and of the National Art Collections Fund, 1986 -2002), dies at 97
2025 – Claude Teisseire, French rugby league centre (17 Tests; AS Carcassonne, FC Lézignan), dies at 94
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 17th July 2026
1245 – Pope Innocent IV declares Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II deposed and excommunicated at the First Council of Lyon amid their struggle over papal and imperial authority
1393 – Osmanen occupy Turnovo, Bulgaria
1740 – Prospero Lambertini chosen Pope Benedictus XIV
1863 – Māori forces are defeated by British troops at Koheroa, Waikato, in the New Zealand Wars between Maori tribes and British colonials
1863 – Battle of Honey Springs – largest battle in Indian Territory
1981 – Glasdrumman ambush: the Provisional Irish Republican Army attack a British Army post in South Armagh, killing 1 soldier and injuring another
2023 – Russia pulls out of a deal allowing the export of Ukrainian grain past their naval blockade, threatening to push world food prices higher
2024 – US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro officially exonerates all 258 Black sailors who protested work conditions after the Port Chicago Disaster in 1944; none of them are alive for the ruling
Today in History for 17th July 2026
Historical Events
1841 – British humorous and satirical magazine “Punch” is first published; it closes in 2002
1856 – The Great Train Wreck of 1856 between Camp Hill and Fort Washington, Pennsylvania kills over 60 people
1925 – Tris Speaker, is 5th to get 3,000 hits
1958 – US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands
2023 – Typhoon Talim, makes landfall on China’s Guandong coast with winds of nearly 140km/h (87mph), forcing the evacuation of nearly 230,000 people
Famous Birthdays
1889 – Erle Stanley Gardner, American detective writer (Perry Mason), born in Malden, Massachusetts (d. 1970)
1908 – (Alfons) “Fud” Candrix, Belgian jazz saxophonist, violinist, and bandleader, born in Tongeren, Belgium (d. 1974)
1918 – Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, Guatemalan army colonel and President of Guatemala (1970-74), born in Barberena, Guatemala (d. 2003)
1942 – Don Kessinger, American baseball shortstop (6 x MLB All Star; Gold Glove 1969, 70; Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago WS), born in Forrest City, Arkansas
1969 – Tommy Soderstrom, Swedish NHL goalie (Sweden, NY Islanders), born in Stockholm, Sweden
Famous Deaths
1894 – Josef Hyrtl, Austrian anatomist, dies at 83
2005 – Geraldine Fitzgerald, Irish actress (Pawnbroker, Easy Money), dies of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at 91
2010 – Fred F. Carter Jr., American country session guitarist, singer, producer and composer (Nashville’s “A-Team”), dies of a stroke at 76
2015 – Jules Bianchi, French auto racer (Marussia Formula 1 Racing Team), dies from injuries during accident at 2014 Japanese F1 GP, at 25
2024 – Cheng Pei Pei, Hong Kong actress, cinema’s 1st female action star (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), dies at 78
Famous Deaths for 16th July 2026
1890 – Gottfried Keller, German-Swiss novelist and poet, dies at 70
1897 – Levin Goldschmidt, German business law expert, dies at 1897
1972 – Max Zehnder, Swiss composer, dies at 70
1976 – Carmelo Soria, Spanish diplomat assassinated in 1976 by the Chilean DINA
1982 – Patrick Dewaere, French actor (Les Valseuses, Get Out Your Handkerchiefs), commits suicide at 35
1991 – Robert Motherwell, American painter (Elegies to Spanish Rep), dies at 76
1999 – John F. Kennedy Jr, American magazine publisher (George), lawyer and son of JFK, dies in a plane crash at 38
2001 – Terry Gordy, American professional wrestler, dies at 40
2007 – Tom Brooks, Australian cricket umpire (23 Tests 1970-78), dies at 88
2022 – Hobie Billingsley, American ISHOF diving coach (Indiana University 1959-89; 6 x NCAA team championships; US Olympic team 1968, 72, 76), dies from myasthenia gravis at 95
Historical Events for 16th July 2026
1439 – Kissing is banned in England to stop the spread of the Black Death
1863 – Utrecht-Swells railway opens
1897 – The South African Committee, investigating the Jameson Raid releases its report finding that it was conducted almost implicitly through the support and encouragement of Cecil Rhodes and the mining houses in the Transvaal
1920 – General Amos Fries is appointed as the first U.S. Army Chemical Warfare Service Chief
1950 – Single-day 16-team home run record set at 37 (NL-25, AL-12)
1960 – 205,000 (record sports attend) see Brazil-Uruguay World Cup soccer
1994 – Wendy Wasserstein’s stage play “The Sisters Rosensweig,” starring Madeline Kahn, closes at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, NYC, after 556 performances
2023 – Jam rock band Dead and Company, an outgrowth of the Grateful Dead, plays the final show of its final concert tour, at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California
Today in History for 16th July 2026
Historical Events
1548 – La Paz, Bolivia, is founded
1945 – Australian Services win third Victory Test Cricket by four wickets
1967 – LPGA Championship Women’s Golf, Pleasant Valley CC: Kathy Whitworth wins by 1 stroke from Shirley Englehorn
1990 – Bridgette LeAnn Wilson, 17, of Oregon, 8th crowned Miss Teen USA
2004 – Martha Stewart is sentenced to five months in prison plus five months in home confinement for lying to federal investigators
Famous Birthdays
1715 – Charles de Rohan, Prince de Soubise, Marshal of France, born in Paris (d. 1787)
1919 – Choi Kyu-hah, President of South Korea, born in Wŏnju, South Korea (d. 2006)
1950 – Dennis Priestley, English darts player (PDC World Champion 1994), born in Mexborough, England
1967 – Roger Duffy, American NFL guard and center (NY Jets), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1977 – Jamie Kern Lima, American entrepreneur, co-founder of IT Cosmetics, and first female chief executive officer of a L’Oréal brand (Forbes’ list of “America’s Richest Self-Made Women”), born in Seattle, Washington
Famous Deaths
1342 – King Charles I of Hungary and Croatia, dies at about 53 (exact birth date unknown, 1288)
1879 – Edward Deas Thomson, British-Australian politician, chancellor of the University of Sydney, and member of the Legislative Council of NSW, dies at 79
1981 – Harry Chapin, American folk-rock singer-songwriter (“Taxi”; “Cat’s In The Cradle”), dies in car crash at 38
1991 – Frank Rizzo, American politician (Mayor-D-Philadelphia, 1972-80), dies of a heart attack at 70
2025 – Barrie Robran, Australian Football HOF forward (AFL Legend Status; North Adelaide FC 201 games; Magarey Medal 1968, 70, 73), dies at 77
Famous Deaths for 15th July 2026
1411 – Johannes Parvus [Jean Petit], French theologist, dies
1782 – Robert Wainwright, English composer and church organist, dies at 33
1857 – Carl Czerny, Czech-Austrian pianist, composer (Schule der Virtuosen), student of Ludwig van Beethoven, and teacher of Franz Liszt, dies at 66
1940 – Robert Wadlow, American who was world’s tallest known person (8’11.1″), dies at 22
1982 – Bill Justis, American musician and producer (Raunchy), dies of cancer at 58
1986 – Florence Halop, American actress (Night Court, 1985-86 -“Florence”; St Elsewhere, 1984-85), dies of lung cancer at 63
1992 – Johnny Martin, Australian cricketer (NSW and Australian bowler), dies at 60
1993 – Bobby Kent, alleged Florida bully murdered by his friends (b. 1973)
2003 – Elisabeth Welch, American born British-based singer (“Stormy Weather”, “Over the Moon”), and actress, dies at 99
2011 – Googie Withers, English actress and dancer (The Lady Vanishes), dies at 94
Historical Events for 15th July 2026
971 – According to legend, English saint Swithun is reburied inside Winchester Cathedral against his wishes, and a terrible storm proceeds to rain for 40 days and 40 nights
1500 – Baglione family massacre at the “Blood Wedding” of Astorre Baglione and Lavinia Colonna in Perugia
1926 – VPRO (Free-thinking Protestant Radio Broadcast) forms
1928 – 22nd Tour de France: Defending champion Nicolas Frantz of Luxembourg holds yellow jersey from start to finish; his Alcyon team has all 3 podium positions
1945 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Moraine CC: Byron Nelson wins his fifth and final major title and second PGA title; he defeats former MLB player Sam Byrd 4 and 3
1971 – US President Richard Nixon announces he will visit the People’s Republic of China
1979 – Morarji Desai resigns as Prime Minister of India
2018 – Senior Players Championship Men’s Golf, Exmoor CC: Fijian Vijay Singh wins in a playoff with Jeff Maggert on second extra hole
Today in History for 15th July 2026
Historical Events
1939 – Clara Adams is the first woman to complete a commercial round-the-world flight from New York, lasting 16 days and 19 hours
1945 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Moraine CC: Byron Nelson wins his fifth and final major title and second PGA title; he defeats former MLB player Sam Byrd 4 and 3
1974 – American TV news reporter Christine Chubbuck shoots herself live on WXLT-TV in Sarasota, Florida; first person to commit suicide in a live broadcast
1994 – Gyula Horn sworn in as premier of Hungary
2018 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Novak Đoković wins his fourth Wimbledon title beating South African Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2, 7-6
Famous Birthdays
1837 – Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, German-born Queen of Portugal (1858-59), born in Krauchenwies Castle, Sigmaringen (d. 1859)
1904 – Dorothy Fields, American lyricist (“I’m In The Mood For Love”; “The Way You Look Tonight”), born in Allenhurst, New Jersey (d. 1974)
1959 – Vincent Lindon, French actor (The Measure of a Man), born in Paris, France
1961 – Lolita Davidovich, Canadian actress (Blaze, Jungle2Jungle), born in London, Ontario
1968 – Eddie Griffin, American comedian (Black Dynamite), born in Kansas City, Missouri
Famous Deaths
1411 – Johannes Parvus [Jean Petit], French theologist, dies
1798 – Gaetano Pugnani, Italian violinist and composer, dies at 66
1959 – Ernest Bloch, Swiss-American composer (Schelomo; Israel; Avodath Hakodesh), and educator (UC Berkeley, 1941-52), dies of cancer at 78
1992 – Hammer DeRoburt, First President of Nauru, dies at 69
2022 – Herbert W. Franke, Austrian scientist, writer, and computer art pioneer, dies at 95
Famous Deaths for 14th July 2026
664 – Deusdedit of Canterbury, Archbishop of Canterbury (655-664), 1st Anglo-Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury
1762 – Cornelis Hop, Amsterdams regent and diplomat, dies at 77
1789 – Bernard-René de Launay, French governor of the Bastille prison, murdered during the storming of the Bastille (b.1740)
1876 – Thomas Hazlehurst, English Methodist chapel builder, dies at 60
1902 – William Still, African-American abolitionist, businessman and conductor of the Underground Railroad, dies at 80
1953 – Richard von Mises, Austrian scientist and mathematician (probability theory), dies at 70
1980 – Felix Berezin, Russian physicist and mathematician (Berezin integral), dies at 49
1984 – Ernest Tidyman, American author and screenwriter (Shaft; The French Connection), dies at 56
2000 – Meredith MacRae, American actress (Petticoat Junction. 1966-70- “Billie Jo”; My Three Sons, 1964-66 – “Sally”), and talk show host, dies of brain cancer at 55
2022 – Pleun Strik, Dutch soccer defender (8 caps, FIFA World Cup 1974 runner-up; PSV Eindhoven 270 games), dies at 78