1441 – Jan van Eyck, Flemish painter (The Ghent Altarpiece), dies
1639 – Entonius Walaeus, Dutch Calvinist theologist, dies at 65
1893 – William Scotton, English cricketer (wicket in 15 Tests for Eng), commits suicide at 37
1948 – James Baskett, American actor (Song of the South) 1st African American male to receive an Oscar, dies of heart failure related to diabetes at 44
1967 – Douglas MacLean, silent film comedian turned producer, dies at 77
1977 – Alice Paul, American suffragist who founded the National Woman’s Party (NWP), dies at 92
1979 – Betty Evans Grayson, American softball pitcher (National Softball Hall of Fame 1959; Chicago Queens), dies at 53
1996 – Melvin Belli, American lawyer known as “The King of Torts” and “Melvin Bellicose”, dies at 88
2021 – Boris Dmitriyevich Andreyev, Russian cosmonaut, dies at 80
2023 – Luis Suárez, Spanish soccer midfielder (32 caps; Barcelona, Inter Milan, Sampdoria) and manager (Spain 1988-91; Cagliari, SPAL, Como, Inter Milan, Deportivo La Coruña), dies at 88
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 9th July 2025
1815 – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord takes office as the first Prime Minister of France
1914 – First US duplicate auction bridge championship held in Lake Placid, NY
1917 – British battleship HMS Vanguard explodes at Scapa Flow due to an internal explosion caused by faulty cordite, killing 804 crew members
1933 – Philadelphia-based NFL team Frankford Yellow Jackets is sold and rebranded as Philadelphia Eagles
1953 – Phillies Robin Roberts ends streak of 28 consecutive complete games
1957 – Discovery of element 102 (Nobelium) announced by an international team at Nobel Institute of Physics in Stockholm, named after Alfred Nobel
1966 – British Open Men’s Golf, Muirfield: Jack Nicklaus beats Doug Sanders and Dave Thomas by 1 stroke to become only 4th in history to win all 4 majors
1970 – In Atlanta, Chief-No-ka-homa is joined by cousin Chief Round-the-Horn
1979 – Dr Walter Massey named director of Argonne National Laboratory
1989 – Wimbledon men’s tennis: Boris Becker of Germany beats Sweden’s Stefan Edberg 6-0, 7-6, 6-4 for his third and last Wimbledon title
Today in History for 9th July 2025
Historical Events
1800 – Mt Vernon Gardens becomes site of first summer theater in US
1900 – The Commonwealth of Australia is established by the British House of Commons
1914 – Boston Red Sox purchase future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Babe Ruth’s contract from minor league Baltimore Orioles
1994 – Russian spacecraft Soyuz TM-18 lands after successful trip to Mir spacestation
2024 – Ariane 6, the European Space Agency’s new heavy-lift rocket, blasts off from French Guiana
Famous Birthdays
1879 – Carlos Chagas, Brazilian sanitary physician, born in Oliveira, Minas Gerais, Empire of Brazil (d. 1934)
1901 – Jester Hairston, American actor (That’s My Mama, Amen), born in Belews Creek, North Carolina (d. 2000)
1929 – (Barton) Lee Hazlewood, American pop-country songwriter, singer, and producer (“Summer Wine”; Nancy Sinatra -“These Boots Are Made For Walkin'”; Frank and Nancy – “Something Stupid”), born in Mannford, Oklahoma (d. 2007)
1941 – Takehide Nakatani, Japanese lightweight judoka (Olympic gold 1964), born in Hiroshima, Japan
1945 – Dean Koontz, American sci-fi author (Star Quest, Beastchild), born in Everett, Pennsylvania
Famous Deaths
1893 – George Christopher Cato, Natal pioneer and first mayor of Durban South Africa, dies at 79
1909 – Kasimir Felix Badeni, Premier of Polish/Austria (1895-97), dies at 62
1951 – Egbert Van Alstyne, American popular music songwriter and ragtime pianist (“In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree”; “For Your Boy and My Boy”), dies after a stroke at 73
1972 – Robert Weede [Wiedefeld], American operatic and musical theater baritone (Metropolitan Opera, 1937-48; The Most Happy Fella), dies at 69
2005 – Rafiq Zakaria, Indian politician and Islamic religious cleric, dies at 86
Famous Deaths for 8th July 2025
1716 – Robert South, English churchman (b. 1634)
1850 – Adolphus Frederick, British prince and field marshal, 1st Duke of Cambridge, 7th son of George III, dies at 76
1949 – Antun Sa’ada [Antoun Saadeh], Syrian politician (Syrian Social Nationalist Party), executed by firing squad in Lebanon at 45
1949 – Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli, Italian composer, dies at 66
1950 – Othmar Spann, Austrian economist and sociologist (Wahre State), dies at 71
1962 – Georges Bataille, French writer known for ” Story of the Eye” and philosopher, dies at 64
1994 – Christian-Jaque [Christian Maudet], French film director (Fearless Little Soldier, Race for Life, The Pearls of the Crown), dies at 89
2002 – Ward Kimball, American animator (one of Disney’s Nine Old Men), dies at 88
2012 – Ernest Borgnine [Ermes Borgnino], American Academy Award-winning actor (Marty; From Here To Eternity; ; McHale’s Navy; The Poseidon Adventure), dies from renal failure at 95
2015 – Ernie Maresca, American singer and songwriter (“Runaround Sue”; “The Wanderer”), dies at 76
Historical Events for 8th July 2025
1778 – George Washington headquarters at West Point for his Continental Army
1874 – The Mounties (North West Mounted Police) begin their March West from Fort Dufferin
1935 – 3rd MLB All-Star Game: AL wins 4-1 at Municipal Stadium, Cleveland
1956 – US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enewetak Atoll
1989 – Carlos Saul Menum becomes President of Argentina
1991 – Pitts Pirate President Carl Barger becomes 1st President of Florida Marlins
1999 – Allen Lee Davis is executed by electrocution by the state of Florida, the last use of the electric chair for capital punishment in Florida
2007 – US Senior Open Men’s Golf, Whistling Straits: Brad Bryant wins by 3 strokes from Ben Crenshaw
2014 – FIFA World Cup: Germany defeat Brazil by a record 7-1 in the semi-finals to make it to the final; Miroslav Klose of Germany breaks the World Cup goal scoring record with 16 goals
2022 – Former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe assassinated while giving a speech in Nara, Japan
Today in History for 8th July 2025
Historical Events
1099 – First Crusade: 15,000 starving Christian soldiers march in religious procession around Jerusalem as its Muslim defenders look on
1663 – King Charles II of England approves the Rhode Island Royal Charter giving royal recognition to the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and freedoms to its colonists, among them Roger Williams
1950 – 33.4 cm rainfall at York, Nebraska (state record)
2014 – Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu instructs his defence forces to “take their gloves off” against Hamas and to take any means necessary to “restore peace” to Israeli citizens
2021 – US President Joe Biden says US troops will withdraw from Afghanistan by August 31, despite increased Taliban gains across the country
Famous Birthdays
1819 – Alexander Hays, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Franklin, Pennsylvania (d. 1864)
1838 – Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German general and inventor (rigid dirigibles) who founded the Zeppelin airship company, born in Konstanz, Grand Duchy of Baden, Germany (d. 1917)
1859 – Hank O’Day, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher/umpire/manager (umpire 10 World Series), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1935)
1898 – Alec Waugh, English novelist (Island in the Sun); brother of Evelyn, born in London, England (d. 1981)
1951 – Greg T. Walker, American rock bassist (Blackfoot), born in Florida [some sources give birthday as Sept. 12]
Famous Deaths
1496 – Benedetto Bonfiglio, Italian painter, dies
1930 – Joseph Ward, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (1906-12), dies at 74
1973 – Harry F. V. Edward, British 100m/200m runner (Olympic bronze 1920), dies at 75
1986 – Hyman G. Rickover, US Admiral (father of modern nuclear navy, at 63 years the longest serving US naval officer), dies at 86
1999 – Pete Conrad, American US Navy pilot and NASA astronaut (Gemini 5, Gemini 11, Apollo 12, Skylab 2), dies injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident at 59
Famous Deaths for 7th July 2025
1865 – David Herold, American pharmacist’s assistant who was part of the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, executed by hanging at 23
1907 – James McGranahan, American composer, dies at 67
1925 – Clarence Hudson White, American photographer, dies at 54
1932 – Henry Eyster Jacobs, American Lutheran theologian, dies at 87
1973 – Veronica Lake [Constance Ockleman], American actress (Sullivan’s Travels, I Married a Witch), dies from hepatitis and acute kidney injury at 50
1976 – Walter Giesler, American soccer coach (b. 1910)
1982 – Bep Bakhuys, Dutch soccer striker (23 caps, 28 goals; Metz), dies at 73
1997 – Jerry Doggett, American sportscaster, 1956-87 (Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers), dies at 80
2017 – Lala Rukh, Pakistani activist and abstract artist (Women’s Action Forum), dies at 69
2020 – Dannes Coronel, Ecuadorian soccer defender (27 caps; El Nacional), dies from a heart attack at 47
Historical Events for 7th July 2025
1754 – Kings College in NYC opens (renamed Columbia College)
1802 – First comic book “The Wasp” is published in Hudson, New York, criticizing Republican politicians
1892 – Katipunan: the Revolutionary Philippine Brotherhood is established leading to the fall of the Spanish Empire in Asia
1912 – American athlete Jim Thorpe wins 4 of 5 events to win the Pentathlon gold medal at the Stockholm Olympics, medal stripped 1913 (played pro baseball), reinstated 1982
1916 – The New Zealand Labour party is formed
1943 – Liberator bombers sinks U-517
1943 – -10] Japanese premier Hideki Tojo visits Java
1997 – Tower, Minnesota temperature dips to 24°F
2021 – Stanley Cup Final, Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL: Defending champions Tampa Bay Lightning beat Montreal Canadiens, 1-0 in Game 5; retain title, 4-1
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
Today in History for 7th July 2025
Historical Events
1534 – European colonization of the Americas: first known exchange between Europeans and natives of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in New Brunswick
1814 – Walter Scott’s novel “Waverley” published
1967 – EMI/Parlophone releases The Beatles single “All You Need Is Love” in the UK; it had been introduced to a global audience as part of the BBC’s “Our World” television broadcast 12 days earlier
1980 – The Safra massacre in Lebanon
2002 – A scandal breaks out in the United Kingdom when news reports accuse MI6 of sheltering Abu Qatada, supposed European Al Qaeda leader
Famous Birthdays
1928 – Ali Sadikin, Indonesian politician and governor of Jakarta (1966-77), born in Sumedang, West Java, Dutch East Indies (d. 2008)
1944 – Tony Jacklin, English golfer (British Open 1969, US Open 1970), born in Scunthorpe, England
1947 – Rob Townsend, British drummer (Family; The Blues Band), born near Frog Island, Leicester, England
1972 – Manfred Stohl, Austrian rally driver, born in Vienna, Austria
1978 – Leonardo Morales, Venezuelan soccer goalkeeper (26 caps; Carabobo, Zulia), born in El Tigre, Venezuela
Famous Deaths
1925 – Clarence Hudson White, American photographer, dies at 54
1975 – Ruffian, American thoroughbred racehorse (b. 1972)
1982 – Bep Bakhuys, Dutch soccer striker (23 caps, 28 goals; Metz), dies at 73
2017 – Egil Monn-Iversen, Norwegian pianist, composer, and conductor (Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, 1981-96), dies at 89
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
Famous Deaths for 6th July 2025
1758 – George Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe, British general
1961 – Scott LaFaro, American jazz bassist (Bill Evans Trio), dies in a car accident at 25
1972 – Vincent Valentine, West Indian cricket pace bowler (England 1933), dies
1986 – Jagjivan Ram, Indian independence activist and politician, dies at 78
1992 – Bryan Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne and Guinness brewing heir, dies at 86
1994 – Geoffrey McQueen, English TV writer (The Bill), dies at 46
1996 – Kathy Ahern, American golfer (Women’s PGA C’ship 1972), dies of breast cancer at 47
2005 – Richard Verreau, Canadian tenor (b. 1926)
2009 – Johnny Collins, British folk and maritime music singer (b. 1938)
2017 – Heinz Schneiter, Swiss soccer defender (44 caps; BSC Young Boys) and manager (FC Thun, BSC Young Boys), dies at 82