1783 – Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier makes the first tethered balloon ascent
1877 – First session of the US 45th Congress (1877-79) convenes in Washington, D.C.
1919 – Fourteen horses begin a 300-mile race from Vermont to Massachusetts for a $1,000 prize
1940 – Heavy German air raid on London kills 400 people
1967 – The Motherland Calls, a monumental statue commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad, is completed in Volgograd, Russia, and is then the world’s tallest statue, designed by Yevgeny Vuchetich
1968 – Al Oerter of the US wins the men’s discus with an Olympic record of 64.78 m at the Mexico City Games, achieving his unprecedented fourth consecutive Olympic discus title
1970 – Anwar Sadat is elected as the third President of Egypt, succeeding the late Gamal Abdel Nasser
1987 – Lanford Wilson’s play “Burn This” premieres in New York City
Author: gil7
Today in History for 15th October 2025
Historical Events
1660 – Asser Levy is granted a butcher’s license for kosher meat in New Amsterdam
1968 – American sprinter Wyomia Tyus wins her second consecutive Olympic 100 m title with a world record of 11.08 seconds, beating teammate Barbara Ferrell by 0.08 seconds for the gold medal at the Mexico City Games
1979 – The NY Knicks retire Walt Frazier’s number 10, the second number retired by the Knicks
1987 – The Great Storm of 1987 hits France and England
2000 – Larry David’s comedy show “Curb Your Enthusiasm” debuts on HBO
Famous Birthdays
1934 – N. Ramani, Indian flutist, born in Tiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, British India (d. 2015)
1935 – Bobby Morrow, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay 1956), born in Brownsville, Texas (d. 2020)
1953 – Larry Miller, American comedian and actor (Larry-Pursuit Of Happiness), born in New York City
1968 – Didier Deschamps, French footballer and manager who won the World Cup for France both as captain (1988) and as manager (2018), born in Bayonne, France
1980 – Tom Boonen, Belgian cyclist (2005 World Road Race Champion), born in Mol, Belgium
Famous Deaths
1891 – William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, American Major General (Confederate Army), dies at 54
1910 – Larkin Goldsmith Mead, American sculptor who worked in Florence, dies at 75
1991 – Hotze de Roos, Dutch children’s book writer (Chameleon series), dies at 81
1993 – Ken E. Jones, musician (New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra), dies of AIDS at 34
2003 – Ben Metcalfe, Canadian environmental activist (helped found Greenpeace), dies at 83
Famous Deaths for 14th October 2025
1619 – Samuel Daniel, English poet (b. 1562)
1909 – Gottfred Matthison-Hansen, Danish composer, dies at 76
1960 – Abram F. Joffe, Russian physicist (crystal), dies at 79
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
1971 – Norman Steenrod, American mathematician (algebraic topology), dies at 61
2006 – Maurice Grosse, British paranormal investigator known for the ‘Enfield Haunting’ case, dies at 87
2015 – Mathieu Kérékou, Dictator and President of Benin (1973-91, 1996-2006), 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
2020 – Fred Dean, American Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end (Pro Bowl 1979–81, 83; First-team All-Pro 1980, 81; Super Bowl 1981, 84; SD Chargers, SF 49ers), dies from COVID-19 at 68
2022 – Robbie Coltrane [Anthony Robert McMillan], Scottish comedian and BAFTA Award-winning actor (Cracker; Harry Potter films; Nuns on the Run), dies at 72
Historical Events for 14th October 2025
1863 – Battle at Bristoe Station, Virginia (about 2000 casualties)
1954 – Israeli act of revenge in Qibiya Jordan, kills 53
1958 – District of Columbia Bar Association votes to accept black Americans as members
1978 – NY outfielder Reggie Jackson causes World Series controversy; interferes with a throw to 1st, deflects ball away during Yankees, 4-3 Game 4 win over LA Dodgers at Yankee Stadium
1979 – TV adaptation of Helen Keller’s life story “The Miracle Worker” premieres on NBC, starring Melissa Gilbert in title role and Patty Duke, who played Keller in earlier stage and film productions, as teacher Anne Sullivan
1984 – Barbara Damashek’s musical “Quilters” closes at Jack Lawrence Theater, NYC, after 24 performances
2012 – 20 people are gunned down in a mosque in Dogo Dawa, Nigeria
2014 – Utah State University receives terrorist threats pertaining to Anita Sarkeesian’s planned lecture the following day
Today in History for 14th October 2025
Historical Events
1865 – Cheyennes and Arapahos sign “peace treaty” then chased out Colorado
1911 – Largest baseball crowd ever 38,281 (Polo Grounds) see Giants beat A’s, 2-1 (gate is record $77,379)
1947 – Dutch Queen Wilhelmina gives golden award to general Eisenhower
1975 – US President Gerald Ford escapes injury when his limousine is struck broadside
2017 – Spanish government says it will impose direct rule on Catalonia after the region voted for independence in a referendum
Famous Birthdays
1907 – Allan Jones, American actor and singer (A Day at the Races, Showboat), born in Old Forge, Pennsylvania (d. 1992)
1918 – Thelma Long, Australian tennis player (Australian C’ship singles 1952, 54; 12 x doubles; 4 x mixed doubles; French C’ship mixed doubles 1956), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 2015)
1927 – Roger Moore, British actor (The Saint, James Bond), born in London (d. 2017)
1944 – Udo Kier, German actress (Warhol Dracula, Warhol Frankenstein), born in Lindenthal, Cologne, Germany
1991 – Shona McGarty, British singer and actress (Whitney Dean in “EastEnders”), born in Hertfordshire, England
Famous Deaths
1256 – Kujō Yoritsugu, 5th Japanese shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan (1244-52), dies at 16
1669 – Antonio Cesti, Italian composer, singer and musician, dies at 46
1919 – Wilhelm von Siemens, German industrial/son of Werner, dies
2006 – Maurice Grosse, British paranormal investigator known for the ‘Enfield Haunting’ case, dies at 87
2023 – Andy Bean, American golfer (PGA C’ship 1980, 89 runner-up; British Open 1983 runner-up; 11 x PGA Tour titles), dies from complications of double lung transplant surgery at 70
Famous Deaths for 13th October 2025
1652 – Abraham Verhoeven, Flemish printer/newspaper publisher, dies
1890 – Samuel Freeman Miller, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, dies at 74
1917 – Florence La Badie, American silent film actress, dies of injuries from automobile accident at 29
1938 – E. C. Segar, American cartoonist (Popeye), dies at 43
1948 – Samuel S. Hinds, American actor (Raven, Test Pilot), dies at 73
1966 – Clifton Webb [Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck], American actor (Razor’s Edge, Laura), dies of a heart attack at 76
1970 – Julia Culp, Dutch mezzo-soprano, dies at 90
1979 – Rebecca Clarke, British-American violist and classical composer (Morpheus), dies at 93
2009 – Daniel Melnick, American television and film producer (Get Smart; Ages of Man; Roxanne), and studio executive, dies at 77
2011 – Barbara Kent, Canadian born – U.S. silent film actress and WAMPAS Baby Stars (b.1907)
Historical Events for 13th October 2025
1483 – Rabbi Issac Abarbanel starts his exegesis on Bible
1960 – Opponents of Fidel Castro executed in Cuba
1968 – Tinker Creek Gorge of Cleveland Metroparks is dedicated
1971 – First ever Baseball World Series night game; Pittsburgh Pirates edge Baltimore Orioles, 4-3 in Game 4 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh
1975 – 9th Country Music Association Awards: John Denver wins
1988 – Concert at Masada ends Israel’s 40th-anniversary festival
1989 – Dow Jones Industrial Average down 190.58 points
2007 – 17th College Football Holy War: Boston College beats Notre Dame 27-14 in South Bend
Today in History for 13th October 2025
Historical Events
1812 – Battle of Queenstown Heights: British forces defeat United States forces attempting to invade Canada
1903 – Victor Herbert and by Glen MacDonough’s operetta “Babes in Toyland” premieres at Majestic Theater, New York City
1993 – MLB National League Championship: Philadelphia Phillies beat Atlanta Braves, 4 games to 2
2005 – English playwright Harold Pinter is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature
2012 – 15 people are killed by a market suicide bombing in Darra Adam Khel, Pakistan
Famous Birthdays
1794 – Anselm Hüttenbrenner, Austrian composer, born in Graz, Austria (d. 1868)
1881 – George Bacovia [Vasiliu], Romanian poet and composer (Plumb), born in Bacău, Romania (d. 1957)
1903 – Jens Bjerre Jacobsen, Danish organist, and composer (Mosaïque musicale), born in Aarhus, Denmark (d. 1986)
1958 – Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabian progressive journalist, author, and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab News Channel who was brutally murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, born in Medina, Saudi Arabia (d. 2018)
1960 – Peter Keisler, American lawyer and acting Attorney General of the United States (2007), born in Hempstead, New York
Famous Deaths
1959 – Rudolf Mengelberg, Dutch composer and musicologist (Concert Amsterdam), dies at 67
1990 – Lê Ðức Thọ, Vietnamese revolutionary general, politician and negotiator in Paris (1975), dies at 78
2005 – Vivian Malone Jones, American civil rights activist (b. 1942)
2008 – Guillaume Depardieu, French actor (Damien in “Versailles”, Fred in “The Apprentices”), dies of pneumonia at 37
2011 – Barbara Kent, Canadian born – U.S. silent film actress and WAMPAS Baby Stars (b.1907)
Famous Deaths for 12th October 2025
1679 – William Gurnall, English writer (b. 1617)
1685 – Gerard Brandt, Dutch theologist, poet and historian, dies at 59
1685 – Christoph Ignaz Abele, Austrian jurist (b. 1628)
1817 – Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel, German organist, pianist, kapellmeister, composer, and priest, dies at 66
1938 – Hugh Massie, Australian cricket batsman and captain (9 Tests; NSW), dies at 84
1954 – George Welch, American World War II flying ace (Medal of Honor nominee) and test pilot, dies in a plane crash of his experiential F-100 Super Sabre at 36
1969 – Sonja Henie, Norwegian figure skater (Olympic gold 1928, 32, 36), and actress (My Lucky Star), dies from leukemia at 57
1989 – Franco Luambo [Makiadi], Congolese jazz and rumba guitarist, composer, and bandleader (TPOK Jazz), dies from AIDS at 51
2008 – Marta Pan, Hungarian-French sculptor (Great spiral), dies at 85
2015 – Armin Kircher, Austrian organist, composer, and conductor, dies of heart failure at 48
Historical Events for 12th October 2025
1773 – America’s first asylum opens for ‘Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds’ in Virginia
1931 – Christ the Redeemer statue opens, standing 30 meters high (98 ft) on top of Mount Corcovado, overlooking Rio de Janeiro, built by engineer Heitor da Silva Costa
1958 – CVP wins municipal elections in Belgium
1970 – Rock Memorabilia Auction at Filmore East
1975 – American Jacqueline Hansen runs women’s world record marathon 2:38:19 in the Nike OTC Marathon, Eugene, Oregon
1992 – 5.8 earthquake at Cairo (at least 510 die)
2003 – FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, Home Depot Center, Carson, CA: Nia Künzer scores winner in sudden death extra time as Germany beats Sweden, 2-1
2023 – Roman scrolls burned in Mt. Vesuvius eruption at Herculaneum are read for the first time after a computer science student develops a machine-learning algorithm; the first word deciphered is “purple”