1649 – Blanche Arundell, English noblewoman (led defense of Wardour Castle during English Civil War), dies at 65 or 66
1875 – William Howard Glover, English composer, dies at 56
1899 – Grant Allen, Canadian writer (Woman Who Did), dies at 51
1965 – Ben Barka, Moroccan opposition leader, kidnapped and murdered in Paris
1984 – Knut Nordahl, Swedish soccer midfielder (26 caps; AS Roma; Olympic gold 1948), dies at 64
1984 – Giuseppe Savagnone, Italian composer, dies at 81
1986 – Eddie Waring, British rugby league broadcaster (BBC 1958-81), dies from dementia at 76
1994 – Sjlomo Goren, Polish/Israeli supreme rabbi, dies
2020 – Billy Joe Shaver, American country singer-songwriter (“When I Get My Wings”), dies of a stroke at 81
2022 – D. H. Peligro [Darren Henley], American punk rock drummer (Dead Kennedys, Red Hot Chili Peppers,1988), dies from head injury after a fall at 63
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 28th October 2025
1911 – Bill Dobbie of Calgary Tigers kicks 10 singles in a game
1918 – Czechoslovakia gains independence as Austria-Hungary breaks up
1965 – Pope Paul VI proclaims Jews are not collectively guilty for crucifixion
1966 – Belgian runner Gaston Roelants sets a new world record in the one-hour run, covering 20,664 m (12.84 mi)
1979 – Dick Howser, the best Yankees manager by win-loss percentage (.636), returns to New York, replacing Billy Martin
2001 – Indie cult hit film “Donnie Darko”, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, is released
2017 – Twin car bomb attacks in Mogadishu, Somalia, kill at least 27; Islamist militant group al-Shabab claim responsibility
2024 – UK records its lowest-ever fertility rate of 1.44 children per woman in 2023, with 591,072 births in England and Wales, the lowest in 172 years
Today in History for 28th October 2025
Historical Events
1864 – Second Battle of Newtonia (American Civil War), Newton County, Missouri
1906 – Belgian-British “Union Minière du Haut Katanga” mining company created in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo
1948 – Flag of Israel is adopted
1975 – Venezuela and foreign oil companies agree on nationalization as of January 1, 1976
2020 – Global COVID-19 cases increased by a record 500,000 for the first time, rising 25% in less than two weeks, according to Reuters
Famous Birthdays
1718 – Ignacije Szentmartony, Croatian Jesuit missionary and geographer, born in Kottori, Kingdom of Hungary (d. 1793)
1909 – Josef Gingold, Russian-American violinist (Primrose Quartet; Cleveland Orchestra, 1947-60) and pedagogue (Indiana University, 1960-95), born in Brest-Litovsk, Russian Empire (now Brest, Belarus) (d. 1995)
1949 – Caitlyn Jenner [born Bruce Jenner], American athlete (Olympic gold decathlon 1976), TV personality (‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’) and prominent transgender figure, born in Mt Kisco, New York
1967 – Kevin Macdonald, Scottish film director, known for “Touching the Void”, born in Glasgow, Scotland
1974 – Braden Looper, American baseball pitcher (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Weatherford, Oklahoma
Famous Deaths
1627 – Jahangir, 4th Mughal Emperor of India (1605-27), dies at 58
1708 – Prince George of Denmark, Prince Consort of Anne of England, dies at 55
1973 – Taha Hussein, Egyptian writer (b. 1889)
1996 – William Downie Forrest, Scottish foreign correspondent (Spanish Civil War, WWII), dies at 94
1997 – Toni Carabillo, writer (Feminist Chronicles), dies of lymphoma at 71
Famous Deaths for 27th October 2025
1743 – Christoph von Graffenried, Swiss nobleman and explorer who founded New Bern, British Province of Carolina (1710), dies at 82
1858 – Ida Laura Pfeiffer, Austrian explorer and travel writer who made two round the world trips, dies at 61
1897 – Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, granddaughter of George III, grandmother of Edward VIII and George VI and great-grandmother of Elizabeth II, dies at 63
1942 – Helmuth Hübener, German anti-Nazi activist and pamphleteer, executed for treason at 17
1975 – Rex Stout, American detective writer (Nero Wolfe), dies at 88
1977 – Peg Leg Sam [Arthur Jackson], American country blues harmonica player, singer and comedian, dies at 65
1988 – Charles Hawtrey, English actor (Carry On films), dies near London at 73
1992 – David Bohm, American-born physicist, philosopher, and neuropsychologist (b. 1917)
2002 – Charles O. Whitley, American politician (Rep-D-NC, 1977-87), dies at 75
2013 – Lou Reed, American rock singer-songwriter (Velvet Underground – “Sweet Jane”; solo -“Take A Walk On The Wild Side”), dies from liver disease at 71
Historical Events for 27th October 2025
1915 – Andrew Fisher is replaced as Labour Prime Minister by William ‘Billy’ Hughes, who will advocate a more active role for Australians in the war
1955 – “Rebel Without a Cause”, directed by Nicholas Ray, starring James Dean and Natalie Wood, is released
1957 – WOWL TV channel 15 in Florence, AL (NBC/CBS) begins broadcasting
1962 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1962 – Black Saturday during the Cuban Missile Crisis: An American spy plane is shot down over Cuba and the navy drops warning depth charges on Soviet submarines
1984 – France performs nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll
2013 – American Serena Williams wins her 4th season ending tennis title; beats Li Na of China 2–6, 6–3, 6–0 in the WTA Championship final in Istanbul, Turkey
2023 – Taylor Swift releases her “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” album, beating her own Spotify record for most streams in a day
Today in History for 27th October 2025
Historical Events
1931 – Chuhei Numbu of Japan, sets then long jump record at 26′ 2½”
1957 – WPTA TV channel 21 in Fort Wayne, IN (ABC) begins broadcasting
1986 – Paul McCartney releases single “Pretty Little Head”
1992 – Tipper Gore, wife of future Vice President Al Gore, admits to covering the clock on her VCR with black tape so she doesn’t have to watch it blink
2024 – A long-lost waltz by Frédéric Chopin is reportedly rediscovered after 200 years at the Morgan Library and Museum in Manhattan
Famous Birthdays
1842 – Giovanni Giolitti, 5x Prime Minister of Italy (1892-93, 1903-05, 1906-09, 1911-14, 1920-21), born in Mondovì, Kingdom of Sardinia (d. 1928)
1944 – Bob Flick, American folk musician (The Brother Four – “Greenfields”), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
1951 – K. K. Downing, British rock guitarist (Judas Priest – “Breakin’ The Law”), born in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England
1964 – Mary T. Meagher, American swimmer (3 x Olympic gold 100/200m butterfly, 4x100m medley 1984; WR 100/200m butterfly 1981), born in Louisville, Kentucky
1986 – Matty Pattison, South African footballer (Whickham), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
Famous Deaths
1617 – Ralph Winwood, English politician (b. 1563)
1789 – John Cook, American farmer and Governor of Delaware (b. 1730)
1935 – Ernest Eldridge, British auto racer (world land speed record 1924 at Arpajon, France; 1 mile −145.89 mph), dies from pneumonia at 40
1999 – Charlotte Perriand, French architect and furniture designer (Unité d’habitation), dies at 96
2006 – Joe Niekro, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1979; NL wins leader 1979; Houston Astros; World Series 1987; NY Yankees), dies from a brain aneurysm at 61
Famous Deaths for 26th October 2025
578 – Moon Jaguar, 10th ruler of the Maya city of Copán (in modern Honduras), dies after a reign of 25 years
1440 – Gilles de Rais, French marshal, killer of 140 children, hanged
1923 – Charles Proteus Steinmetz, German-American electrical engineer (development of alternating current), dies at 58
1944 – Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria (b. 1857)
1978 – George “Jackie” Grant, West Indian cricketer (West Indian captain 1930-35), dies at 71
1993 – H Hardenberg, writer, dies
1999 – Hoyt Axton, American songwriter, singer (“No No Song”; “Joy To The World”; “I’ve Never Been To Spain”), and actor (McCloud; Gremlins; The Rousters), dies of a heart attack at 61
2006 – Tillman Franks, American country music bassist, songwriter and artist manager (Webb Pierce), dies at 86
2011 – Daniel B. Burke, American media executive who helped spearhead the acquisition of ABC by Capital Cities, dies of complications from Type 1 diabetes at 82
2021 – Umberto Colombo, Italian soccer midfielder (3 caps; Juventus, Atalanta), dies at 88
Historical Events for 26th October 2025
1366 – Comet 55P/1366 U1 (Tempel-Tuttle) approaches within 0.0229 astronomical units of Earth
1912 – Woolwich Foot Tunnel under the Thames river in England opens
1913 – Dictator Victoriano Huerta elected president of Mexico
1957 – USSR fires Defense Minister Marshal Georgy Zhukov
1966 – US aircraft carrier Oriskany catches fire at Gulf on Tonken, 43 die
1969 – WHMA (now WJSU) TV channel 40 in Anniston, AL (CBS) 1st broadcast
2000 – Laurent Gbagbo takes over as president of Côte d’Ivoire following a popular uprising against President Robert Guéï
2015 – “Spectre”, 24th James Bond film, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig premieres in London
Today in History for 26th October 2025
Historical Events
740 – An earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing damage to city walls and buildings
1926 – Belgium stabilizes current value of franc (5 franc becomes 1 “Belga”)
1968 – KMIR TV channel 36 in Palm Springs, CA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1972 – Edwin Land introduces the first truly instant camera the Polaroid SX-70 camera at an event in Miami, Florida
1981 – British rock band Queen and David Bowie release their serendipitous collaborative single “Under Pressure”
Famous Birthdays
1886 – Hermann Unger, German composer, music journalist, pedagogue and administrator (Rheinische Musikschule), born in Kamenz, Germany (d. 1958)
1930 – John Arden, English novelist and playwright (Left Handed Liberty), born in Barnsley, England (d. 2012)
1965 – Kelly Rowan, Canadian actress (Kirsten Cohen in “The O.C.”), born in Ottawa, Ontario
1967 – Shelly Stokes, American softball catcher (Olympic gold 1996), born in Sacramento, California
1981 – Sam Brown, American comedian (The Whitest Kid U’Know), born in Sandwich, Massachusetts
Famous Deaths
1902 – Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American women’s rights activist, abolitionist and writer, dies of heart failure at 86
1975 – Herman van San, Belgian classical and electro-acoustic composer, dies at 46
1990 – Guus Jansen, Dutch pianist, Hammond organist, and popular song composer (“Net als Toen” – Eurovison, 1957), dies at 79
2004 – Bobby Ávila, Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman (MLB All-Star 1952, 54, 55; AL batting champion 1954; Cleveland Indians), dies of diabetes and lung ailment at 80
2005 – David Townsend, American session and touring RandB guitarist (Isley Brothers; Port Authority; Surface – “Shower Me With Your Love”), and songwriter, dies at 50
Famous Deaths for 25th October 2025
1907 – Edmund Hart Turpin, English composer, dies at 72
1910 – Willie Anderson, Scottish golfer (US Open 1901, 1903-05), dies of epilepsy at 31
1939 – Cornelis JK van Aalst, president Dutch Business Society, dies at 73
1968 – Rudolf Forster, Austrian actor (Threepenny Opera), dies at 83
1972 – Johnny Mantz, American auto racer (Southern 500, 1950, first 500-mile race in NASCAR history), dies in a car accident at 54
1988 – Johnnie Richardson, American RandB musician (Johnnie and Joe), dies at 53
1989 – Mary McCarthy, American novelist (Group), dies, at 77
1989 – Gerard Walschap, Flemish writer (Men of Goods), dies at 91
1992 – Roger Miller, American Grammy and Tony Award-winning country singer-songwriter (“King of the Road”; “Dang Me”), fiddler, and guitarist, dies of cancer at 56
2002 – Rene Thom, French mathematician, 1958 Fields Medal for work in topology, dies at 79