1793 – John Hunter, Scottish surgeon and founder of pathological anatomy in England, dies at 65
1817 – Manuel C Piar, Curacaos/Venezulian freedom writer, dies
1946 – Joachim von Ribbentrop, Nazi foreign minister and war criminal, hanged at 53
1948 – Henry Foley, New Zealand cricket batsman (1 Test; NZ’s first Test match; Wellington CA), dies at 42
1966 – George O’Hara, American silent era screenwriter and actor (The Sea Beast, The Grapes of Wrath), dies at 67
1972 – Leo G. Carroll, British actor (Topper; Strangers On A Train; The Man From U.N.C.L.E.), dies at 85
1983 – Kelso, American racehorse (b. 1957)
2006 – Tommy Johnson, American orchestral and session tuba player (theme to “Jaws”), dies from cancer and kidney failure at 71
2013 – Ed Lauter, American actor (The Artist, The Number 23), dies from mesothelioma at 74
2015 – Mikhail Burtsev, Soviet sabre fencer (Olympic gold 1976, 1980), dies at 59
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 16th October 2026
1551 – English Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and former Lord Protector, is rearrested for treason and executed three months later
1852 – Dutch government recognizes Catholics’ right to organize
1913 – George Bernard Shaw’s play “Pygmalion” premieres at the Hofburg Theatre in Vienna, Austria
1967 – 13th General Conference on Weights and Measures in Paris ends after redefining the second using a cesium-beam atomic clock
1969 – New York Mets’ Cleon Jones is awarded first base when shoe polish on the ball proves he is hit by a pitch; he then scores on a home run in the World Series
1972 – Two members of the Official Irish Republican Army are shot dead by the British Army in County Tyrone
1995 – Allan Donald takes 8-71 as South Africa defeats Zimbabwe
2021 – NASA probe Lucy launches on a mission to fly by eight Trojan asteroids circling the Sun
Today in History for 16th October 2026
Historical Events
1690 – English demand the surrender of Quebec, and French Governor Louis de Buade de Frontenac replies, “I have no reply to make to your general other than from the mouths of my cannon and muskets”
1775 – Portland, Maine, is burned by the British
1875 – First Quebec vs. Ontario football game; Ontario wins
1882 – The Nickel Plate Railroad opens for business
1968 – Americans Tommie Smith (gold, 19.83, WR) and John Carlos (bronze) famously give the Black Power salute on the 200 m medal podium during the Mexico City Olympics to protest racism and injustice against African Americans
Famous Birthdays
1890 – Michael Collins, Irish revolutionary leader and leading figure in the struggle for Irish independence in the early 20th century, born in Clonakilty, Ireland (d. 1922)
1897 – Harrison Kerr, American composer, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1978)
1913 – Cesar Bresgen, Austrian organist and composer, born in Florence, Italy (d. 1988)
1938 – Yevgeny Petrov, Russian sports shooter (Olympic gold Skeet 1968; silver 1972), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 2025)
1975 – Kellie Martin, American actress (Life Goes On, Cristy), born in Riverside, California
Famous Deaths
1750 – Silvius Leopold Weiss, German composer and lutenist, dies at 64
1755 – Saint Gerard Majella, Catholic saint, dies at 29
1814 – Juan Jose Landaeta, Venezuelan composer, killed at 34
1992 – Shirley Booth, American Tony Award-winning stage and screen actress (Come Back, Little Sheba; Hazel), dies of natural causes at 94
2000 – Mel Carnahan, American politician, 51st Governor of Missouri (1993-2000), dies in an airplane crash at 66
Famous Deaths for 15th October 2026
1512 – Antoon Keldermans, Brabant builder (Middelburg town hall), dies at 72
1715 – Humphry Ditton, English mathematician, dies at 40
1817 – Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, Swiss traveller and orientalist, 1st European to discover Petra and Abu Simbel, dies at 32
1819 – Sergey Vyazmitinov, Russian general and statesman, dies at 75
1833 – Michał Ogiński, Polish diplomat, violinist, balalaika player, and composer (Farewell to My Homeland), dies at 68
1900 – Zdeněk Fibich, Czech classical composer (Šárka; Hippodamia; Moods, Impressions, and Reminiscences), dies at 49
1955 – Fumio Hayasaka, Japanese film score composer (Rashomon; Seven Samurai), dies of tuberculosis at 41
1993 – Ken E. Jones, musician (New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra), dies of AIDS at 34
2008 – Jack Narz, American TV game show host (Dotto, Video Village), dies at 85
2018 – Shelley Hamlin, American golfer (US Open runner-up 1973), dies of breast cancer at 69
Historical Events for 15th October 2026
1815 – Napoleon Bonaparte arrives on the island of Saint Helena to begin his exile
1923 – Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat NY Giants 6-4 in Game 6 at the Polo Grounds for a 4-2 series win; the Yankees’ first World Series victory
1965 – WEMT (now WVII) TV channel 7 in Bangor, ME (ABC) begins broadcasting
1986 – MLB American League Championship: Boston Red Sox beat California Angels, 4-3
1992 – Howard Stern Radio Show begins broadcasting on WLUP-AM in Chicago, Illinois
2001 – NASA’s Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles of Jupiter’s moon Io
2007 – Fox Business Network (FBN), an American financial cable network, is launched
2008 – MLB National League Championship: Philadelphia Phillies beat Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1
Today in History for 15th October 2026
Historical Events
1654 – Prince William of Orange appointed viceroy of Overijssel
1904 – The Russians are driven back by the Japanese in the Battle of Shaho; both sides suffer heavy casualties: Japanese (16,000) and Russians (60,000)
1956 – William J. Brennan, Jr. is appointed to the US Supreme Court
1979 – Military coup in El Salvador: President Carlos Romero flees
2024 – Google signs a deal with Kairos Power to use small nuclear reactors to generate power to supply its artificial intelligence data centres
Famous Birthdays
1926 – Ed McBain [Evan Hunter], American writer (Blackboard Jungle), born in New York City (d. 2005)
1937 – Linda Lavin, American Tony Award-winning stage and screen actress (Alice; Barney Miller, 1975-76; Broadway Bound), born in Portland, Maine (d. 2024)
1953 – Joe Klecko, American Pro Football HOF defensive lineman (NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1981; First-team All-Pro 1981, 85; 4 × Pro Bowl; New York Jets), born in Chester, Pennsylvania
1971 – Annbjørg Lien, Norwegian folk fiddler and nyckelharpa player, born in Ålesund, Norway
1975 – Glen Little, English footballer, born in London, England
Famous Deaths
912 – Abdullah ibn Muhammad, 7th Emir of Córdoba (888-912), dies at 68
1715 – Humphry Ditton, English mathematician, dies at 40
1891 – William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, American Major General (Confederate Army), dies at 54
1980 – Apostolos Nikolaidis, Greek footballer and volleyball player (b. 1896)
1987 – Thomas Sankara, Burkinabé revolutionary and politician, President of Burkina Faso (1983-87), assassinated in a coup at 37
Famous Deaths for 14th October 2026
1895 – Elisha P. Ferry, American politician (Governor of Washington, 1872-80, 1889-93), dies at 70
1969 – Arnie Herber, American Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (NFL C’ship 1930, 31, 36, 39; First-team All-Pro 1932, 35, 36; Green Bay Packers, NY Giants), dies at 59
1977 – Bing Crosby [Harry Lillis Crosby], American singer (“White Christmas”, “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy”) and actor (“Going My Way”), dies of a heart attack at 74
1988 – Vic Raschi, American baseball pitcher (4 × MLB All-Star; 6 × World Series; AL strikeout leader 1951; NY Yankees), dies of a heart attack at 69
2006 – Gerry Studds, American politician (Rep-D-MA, 1973-97), first openly gay member of US Congress, dies at 69
2008 – Martin Peake, 2nd Viscount Ingleby, British peer, businessman and Conservative party politician Member of Parliament for North Leeds, 1929-56), dies at 82
2010 – Benoît Mandelbrot, Polish-French-American mathematician (proved Zipf’s law, discovered the Mandelbrot set), dies at 85
2011 – Chuck Ruff, American rock drummer (Edgar Winter Group – “Frankenstein”), dies after a long illness at 60
2018 – Al Fann, American actor (Alvin-He’s the Mayor), dies at 93
2020 – Rhonda Fleming [Marilyn Louis], American actress and singer nicknamed the “Queen of Technicolor” (Spellbound), dies at 97
Historical Events for 14th October 2026
1834 – In Philadelphia, Whigs and Democrats stage a gun, stone, and brick battle for control of a Moyamensing Township election, resulting in one death, several injuries, and the burning of a block of buildings
1920 – Part of Petsamo province ceded by Soviet Union to Finland
1940 – Balham tube station in London is bombed by the German Luftwaffe during the Blitz, killing 64-66 people
1942 – Japanese battleship strikes Henderson Field, Guadalcanal
1958 – Malagasy Republic becomes autonomous republic in French Community
1970 – USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1979 – NHL New York Rangers retire Rod Gilbert’s uniform number 7, the first number to be retired by the team
2017 – Film producer Harvey Weinstein is expelled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after historical revelations of sexual harassment and rape
Today in History for 14th October 2026
Historical Events
1882 – University of the Punjab is founded in Lahore in present-day Pakistan
1942 – German assault on Tractor factory, 1000s killed
1962 – USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
1983 – Grenada Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard launches a leftist coup within the revolutionary government and takes power for 3 days
2024 – Russian man is rescued after 67 days adrift in an inflatable boat after his brother and nephew die in the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia’s Far East
Famous Birthdays
1789 – Constant van Crombrugghe, Flemish monastery founder, born in Geraardsbergen, Belgium (d. 1865)
1909 – Dorothy Kingsley, American screenwriter (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), born in New York City (d. 1997)
1928 – Mary Tsingou Menzel, American mathematician and programmer who worked on the Mathematical Analyzer, Numerical Integrator and Computer (MANIAC), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2026)
1934 – Rose Wylie, British artist, born in Hythe, Kent England
1953 – Greg Evigan, American actor (BJ and the Bear: Melrose Place), born in South Amboy, New Jersey
Famous Deaths
1619 – Samuel Daniel, English poet (b. 1562)
2008 – Barrington J. Bayley, English sci-fi author (Collision Course), dies at 71
2012 – Arlen Specter, American Senator (Republican-PA, 1981- 2011), dies at 82
2019 – Sulli [Choi Jin-ri], South Korean K-pop singer (f(x)) and actress (Fashion King), takes her own life at 25
2023 – Park Seo-Bo, South Korean artist (Ecritures series), dies of cardiopulmonary arrest at 91
Famous Deaths for 13th October 2026
1815 – Joachim Murat, French soldier, Marshal of France and King of Naples (1808-15), executed by firing squad at 48
1971 – Stafford Smythe, Canadian NHL executive (President Toronto Maple Leafs 1961–69, 1970-71), dies from an acute stomach ulcer at 50
1987 – Walter Houser Brattain, American physicist (transistors, Nobel 1956), dies at 85
1990 – Hans Namuth, German-born photographer (Todos Santos, Guatemala), dies at 75
1996 – Henri Nannen, German journalist (Der Stern), dies at 82
2001 – Peter Doyle, Australian pop singer (The New Seekers – “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing”), dies of throat cancer at 52
2009 – Al Martino [Jasper Cini], American pop singer (“Here in My Heart”), and actor (The Godfather), dies of a heart attack at 82
2019 – Steve Cash, American country-rock vocalist, songwriter, and harmonica player (Ozark Mountain Daredevils – “Jackie Blue”, “If You Wanna Get To Heaven”), and author (Meq trilogy), dies at 73
2025 – Yvonne Brewster, Jamaican-British actress, director and founder of the Talawa Theatre Company, dies at 87
2025 – Wazir Mohammad, Pakistan cricket batsman (20 Tests, 2 x 100; eldest of Pakistan’s 4 Mohammad brothers), dies at 95