Author: gil7

Today in History for 12th October 2025

Historical Events

1861 – Confederate ironclad Manassas attack Union’s Richmond on Mississippi
1901 – Theodore Roosevelt renames the “Executive Mansion” as “The White House”
1970 – Rock Memorabilia Auction at Filmore East
1994 – Iranian Fokker F28 explodes between Isfahan and Tehran, killing 66
1999 – Pervez Musharraf takes power in Pakistan from Nawaz Sharif through a bloodless coup

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Famous Birthdays

1897 – Inez Courtney, American stage and screen actress (The 13th Man; Crime Ring; The Raven), born in Amsterdam, New York (d. 1975)
1928 – Al Held, American painter and sculptor (hard edge-style), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2005)
1950 – Dave Freudenthal, American economist and politician (31st Governor of Wyoming), born in Thermopolis, Wyoming
1969 – Dave Chaytors, CFL defensive tackle (British Columbia Lions), born in Calgary, Alberta
1975 – Lex Lang, American actor (Power Rangers), born in Hollywood, California

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Famous Deaths

1924 – Anatole France [Jacques Anatole Thibault], French writer (Thaïs, Wickerwork Woman, Nobel 1921), dies at 80
1996 – Trevor Illtyd williams, scientific writer, dies at 75
2001 – Quintin Hogg, British politician, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, dies at 94 (b. 1907)
2015 – Eugene Louw, South African minister of Internal affairs and Defense, dies at 84
2015 – Joan Leslie, American actress (High Sierra, Yankee Doodle Dandy), dies at 90

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Famous Deaths for 11th October 2025

1617 – Franchois Vranck, economist/writer (Deduction), dies at about 62
1850 – Louise of Orléans, Queen of Belgium (1832-50), Wife of Leopold I, dies of TB at 38
1891 – Irish nationalist Charles Stewart Parnell’s funeral held at Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, attended by more than 200,000
1940 – Vito Volterra, Italian mathematician and physicist, dies at 80
1942 – Leonid Nikolayev, Russian-Soviet pianist and composer, dies at 64
1977 – Mason Gross, professor (Think Fast, 2 for the Money), dies at 66
1984 – K. M. Rangnekar, Indian cricketer (33 runs at 5 50 for India), dies at 67
1990 – Douglas Edwards, American newscaster (CBS Evening News, FYI), dies of cancer at 73
1996 – Lars Ahlfors, Finnish mathematician (b. 1907)
2021 – Tony DeMarco, American boxer (NBA, NYSAC, The Ring welterweight titles 1955), dies at 89

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Historical Events for 11th October 2025

1634 – Burchardi flood, known as the second “Grote Mandrenke,” kills about 15,000 in North Friesland, Denmark, and Germany
1902 – Commencement of 1st Test Cricket between South Africa and Australia
1954 – Revival of George Abbott, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s musical “On Your Toes” opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 64 performances
1962 – 1st appearance of a Gabor sister on Merv Griffin Show
1982 – Riot in Amsterdam as tram catches fire
2007 – Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to British novelist Doris Lessing
2013 – 10 people are killed and a hospital fire in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan
2019 – NBA YoungBoy releases the album mixtape “AI YoungBoy 2” which debuts at #1 on the US Billboard 200

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Today in History for 11th October 2025

Historical Events

1873 – Toronto Argonaut Football Club 1st game losing to U of Toronto
1943 – Baseball World Series: NY Yankees become first team to win 10 Championships; beat St. Louis Cardinals, 2-0 at Sportsman’s Park for 4 games to 1 series triumph
1958 – “Goldilocks” opens at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC for 161 performances
1969 – American blues musician Muddy Waters involved in a car crash that kills 3
1972 – MLB National League Championship: Cincinnati Reds beat Pittsburgh Pirates, 3 games to 2

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Famous Birthdays

1902 – Jayaprakash Narayan, Indian freedom fighter and political leader, born in Sitab Diyara, British India (d. 1979)
1926 – Jean Alexander, British actress (Hilda Ogden in “Coronation Street”), born in Liverpool, England (d. 2016)
1940 – Bruce McTavish, New Zealand boxing referee (World Boxing Council Referee of the Year 2013, 15, 17), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2025)
1950 – Patty Murray, American politician (U.S. Senator from Washington), born in Bothell, Washington
1968 – Claude Lapointe, Canadian NHL center (Calgary Flames), born in Lachine, Quebec, Canada

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Famous Deaths

1960 – Richard Cromwell [LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh], American actor (Jezebel, Riot Squad), dies of cancer at 50
1994 – Maja Bulgakova, Ukrainian actress (Krylja), dies in auto-accident at 62
2013 – Erich Priebke, German Nazi SS commander and war criminal responsible for the Ardeatine massacre of 335 Italians in Rome, dies in prison of natural causes at 100
2015 – Dean Chance, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1964, 67; Cy Young Award 1964; no-hitter 1967; LA / California Angels, Minnesota Twins), dies at 74
2024 – Kevin Bowring, Welsh rugby union coach (Wales 1995-98), dies from a heart attack at 70

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Famous Deaths for 10th October 2025

732 – Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, Arab Tihamite Governor of Andalusia, killed in combat at the Battle of Tours
1659 – Abel Tasman, Dutch seafarer and explorer (1st European to sight Tasmania, New Zealand and Fiji), dies around the age of 55
1691 – Isaac de Benserade, French poet, dies at 77
1938 – Lord Hawke [Martin Hawke], English cricket batsman (5 Tests; Yorkshire CCC, Cambridge Uni CC, MCC), dies at 78
1983 – Ralph Richardson, English actor (Anna Karenina, Doctor Zhivago), dies of a stroke at 80
1993 – Catherine Collard, French concert pianist (Schumann; Brahms), and teacher, dies of cancer at 46
1993 – Owen Saunders, English mathematician and mechanical engineer, dies at 89
2021 – Luis de Pablo, Spanish composer, and musicologist, dies at 91
2023 – Terry Dischinger, American College Basketball HOF guard (Purdue; 3 x NBA All-Star; NBA Rookie of the Year 1963 Baltimore Bullets; Detroit Pistons; Olympic gold 1960), dies at 82
2024 – Gunnar Eggen, Norwegian harness racer (Oslo Grand Prix, Olympiatravet, March of Dimes Trot 1988), dies at 78

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Historical Events for 10th October 2025

1888 – Teetotalers’ excursion train crashes, killing 64 at Mud Run, Pennsylvania
1911 – Chinese revolutionaries begin an armed rebellion against the ruling Qing dynasty in Wuchang, causing the Viceroy of Huguang to flee the city (Taiwan National Day)
1913 – British passenger ship Volturno catches fire in the Atlantic, killing 136
1968 – George Harrison forms the music publishing company Singsong Ltd, though it only ever publishes one song, “Old Brown Shoe”
1985 – US fighter jets force an Egyptian plane carrying the hijackers of the Italian ship Achille Lauro to land in Italy, and the gunmen are placed in custody
1987 – Giants’ Jeffrey Leonard hits a playoff record home run in his fourth consecutive game
1990 – Mexican singer and actress Thalía releases her debut album “Thalía”
2015 – Bombing at a peace rally in Ankara, Turkey kills at least 95 and injures 200

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Today in History for 10th October 2025

Historical Events

1902 – American outlaw Tom Horn’s murder trial begins, and he is eventually found guilty and sentenced to death
1911 – The KCR East Rail commences service between Kowloon and Canton
1938 – Germany completes its annexation of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland
1977 – Amnesty International wins the Nobel Peace Prize, recognizing its significant role in human rights activism
1981 – Anwar Sadat’s funeral service held in Cairo

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Famous Birthdays

1738 – Benjamin West, Anglo-American painter (Death of General Wolfe), born in Springfield, Province of Pennsylvania (d. 1820)
1854 – Gerónimo Giménez, Spanish composer, born in Seville, Spain (d. 1923)
1905 – Jane Winton, American actress (Hell’s Angel, Patsy, Don Juan), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1959)
1913 – Johnny Downs, American stage and screen actor, dancer, singer, and TV host, (Our Gang; Swing, Sister, Swing!; The Mad Monster), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1994)
1973 – Zach Thornton, American soccer goalkeeper (8 caps; MLS GK of the Year: 1998, 2009), born in Baltimore, Maryland

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Famous Deaths

1723 – William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1665)
1930 – Adolf Engler, German botanist who worked on plant taxonomy and phytogeography (The Natural Plant Families), dies at 86
1991 – Stephen J Falat, dies after long illness at 34
2016 – Donn Fendler, American author and public speaker, who survived a week in the wilderness aged 12, dies at 90
2023 – Terry Dischinger, American College Basketball HOF guard (Purdue; 3 x NBA All-Star; NBA Rookie of the Year 1963 Baltimore Bullets; Detroit Pistons; Olympic gold 1960), dies at 82

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Famous Deaths for 9th October 2025

1562 – Gabriel Fallopius [Fallopio], Italian anatomist and early advocate for the use of condoms (Observationes anatomicae), dies at 39
1747 – David Brainerd, American missionary to the Native Americans, dies at 29
1793 – Jean Joseph Marie Amiot, French missionary (b. 1718)
1831 – Ioannis Kapodistrias, Greek diplomat, first head of state of independent Greece (1828-31) and founding father of modern Greece, assassinated at 55
1868 – Howell Cobb, American politician (U.S. Secretary of Treasury), dies at 53
1940 – Wilfred Grenfell, British medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador, dies at 75
1955 – Alice Joyce, American actress (Song O’ My Heart), dies at 65
1972 – Miriam Hopkins, actress (Carrie, Barbary Coast), dies at 69
1998 – Ian Johnson, Australian cricket spin bowler and captain (45 Tests; 109 wickets), dies at 80
2016 – Andrzej Wajda, Polish film director (Ashes and Diamonds, Man of Iron), dies at 90

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Historical Events for 9th October 2025

1876 – First two-way telephone conversation over outdoor wires
1910 – Nap Lajoie challenges Ty Cobb’s batting average with eight hits, six of which are bunts, as Browns’ third baseman Red Corriden plays deep, but Cobb still wins
1921 – Babe Ruth hits 1st World Series home run; only Sunday game ever pitched by Carl Mays
1968 – 2,000 students from Queen’s University Belfast try to march to Belfast City Hall in protest against “police brutality” but are blocked by loyalists led by Ian Paisley, leading to the formation of the student civil rights group People’s Democracy
1983 – Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar) bombing: North Korean agents attempt to assassinate the South Korean President, resulting in 21 deaths, including 9 South Korean government officials, presidential advisors, security team members, and 3 reporters
1986 – Stage musical “The Phantom of the Opera,” written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and starring Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, premieres in London and runs for 13,629 performances
1992 – An estimated 13-kilogram meteorite lands in the driveway of the Knapp residence in Peekskill, New York, destroying the family’s 1980 Chevrolet Malibu
2012 – Women’s rights and education activist Malala Yousafzai is shot by a Taliban gunman as she tries to board her school bus in the Swat district of northwest Pakistan

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Today in History for 9th October 2025

Historical Events

1986 – US Senate convicts US District Judge Harry E. Claiborne, making him the fifth federal official to be removed from office through impeachment after he is criminally convicted of tax evasion
1991 – San Jose Sharks beat Calgary 4-3 for their first NHL win
1992 – Action thriller film “Under Siege,” directed by Andrew Davis and starring Steven Seagal in his most famous role, is released
2014 – Patrick Modiano wins the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature
2017 – American economist Richard Thaler is awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics

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Famous Birthdays

1823 – Mary Ann Shadd Cary, American-Canadian anti-slavery campaigner, suffragist and 1st African American newspaper publisher (“The Provincial Freeman”), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1893)
1884 – Helene Deutsch [Rosenbach], Polish-American psychoanalyst, born in Przemyśl, Poland (d. 1982)
1904 – Carl Parrish, American composer, born in Plymouth, Pennsylvania (d. 1965)
1966 – David Cameron, British Prime Minister (Conservative: 2010-16), born in London, England
1972 – Roman Oben, American football tackle (NY Giants), born in Cameroon

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Famous Deaths

1047 – Clemens II [Suitger], Pope (1046-47), dies (b. 1005)
1962 – Lulu McConnell, American vaudeville, radio, and television comedienne (It Pays To Be Ignorant), dies at 80
1983 – Suh Seok-jun, South Korea Deputy Prime Minister, killed (one of 21 victims) in Rangoon bombing at about 45
2011 – Pavel Karelin, Russian ski jumper (b. 1989)
2014 – Carolyn Ashley Kizer, American writer, dies from complications of dementia 89

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