1521 – Pope Leo X signs treaty with Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
1941 – 1st night game at Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C. (NY Yankees pip the Senators 6-5)
1955 – Indianapolis 500: Bob Sweikert wins; defending champion Bill Vukovich killed in a crash while seemingly on his way to an unprecedented third consecutive Indy 500
1956 – Eisenhower signs farm bill allows government to store agricultural surplus
1972 – Four Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and four civilians killed when a bomb they were preparing exploded prematurely at a house in Belfast
1984 – George Soros founds the Soros Foundation Budapest to help countries free themselves from communism
1991 – Ethiopian rebels seize Addis Ababa
1995 – White Sox (5) and Tigers (7) combine for record 12 HRs at Tiger Stadium
2011 – UEFA Champions League Final, London: FC Barcelona beats Manchester United, 3-1; 4th title for Barça
2022 – At least 31 people, mostly children, die in a stampede during a church giveaway event in Port Harcourt, southern Nigeria
Author: gil7
Today in History for 28th May 2025
Historical Events
1937 – Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1963 – Estimated 22,000 die in a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal (India)
1964 – Jawaharlal Nehru cremated in New Delhi
1983 – Rock guitarist Slash first hears Axl Rose singing with the band Rapidfire at Gazzarri’s On The Sunset Strip, in Los Angeles, California
2008 – The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty.
Famous Birthdays
1858 – Carl Richard Nyberg, Swedish inventor (blowtorch), born in Arboga, Sweden (d. 1939)
1863 – Georg Adler, Polish state economist, born in Poznań, Poland (d. 1908)
1892 – Minna Gombell, American actress (Bad Girl, Thin Man, Hello Sister), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1973)
1944 – Gary Stewart, American country singer (“She’s Actin’ Single”), born in Jenkins, Kentucky (d. 2003)
1971 – Isabelle Carré, French actress (Angélique Delange in “Romantics Anonymous”, Anna M. in “Anna M.”), born in Paris, France
Famous Deaths
1805 – Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (Minuet), dies at 62
1878 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, British Prime Minister (Whig: 1846-52 and 1865-66), dies at 85
1990 – Giorgio Manganelli, Italian writer and journalist (Gruppo 63 movement), dies at 67
2010 – Jacob Kistemaker, Dutch nuclear physicist (ultra centrifuge), dies at 93
2024 – Butch Johnson, American archer (Olympic gold team 1996, bronze 2000), dies at 68
Famous Deaths for 27th May 2025
1564 – John Calvin [Jehan Cauvin], Protestant religious reformer and theologian (Calvinism), dies at 54 (b. 1509)
1708 – Jacques Danican Philidor, French composer, dies at 51
1831 – Jedediah Smith, American explorer (b. 1799)
1939 – Joseph Roth, Austrian-Jewish journalist (Fluctuate ohne Ende), dies of pneumonia at 44
1963 – Lambrakis, Greek EDA-parliament leader, murdered
1969 – Jeffrey Hunter, American actor (Star Trek Cage, The Searchers), dies of an intracranial hemorrhage at 43
1986 – Isma’il Raji’ al-Faruqi, Palestinian-born philosopher (b. 1921)
2006 – Paul Gleason, American actor (Breakfast Club, Die Hard), dies of lung cancer at 67
2011 – Jeff Conaway, American actor and singer (Taxi – “Bobby”; Grease – “Kenickie”; Babylon 5 – “Zack”), dies of pneumonia and sepsis at 60
2011 – Gill Scott-Heron, American writer, poet and singer (“Whitey on the Moon”), dies at 62
Historical Events for 27th May 2025
1660 – Denmark and Sweden sign the Treaty of Copenhagen, ending the Second Northern War
1864 – Skirmish at Salem Church (Haw’s Shop), Virginia
1910 – Reform of Prussian three-class voting system fails
1916 – Groundbreaking begins on Hugh J. Grant Circle, a park in the Bronx, named for the youngest mayor of New York City (1899-92)
1933 – Austrian communist party banned
1942 – Dorie Miller awarded navy cross for deeds at Pearl Harbor
1966 – Six French fighter jets crash over Spain
1975 – Stanley Cup Final, The Aud, Buffalo, NY: Philadelphia Flyers win back-to-back titles; shutting out Buffalo Sabres, 2-0 for a 4-2 series win; goaltender Bernie Parent wins 2nd consecutive Conn Smyth trophy as playoff MVP
2005 – DreamWorks releases computer-animated film “Madagascar” with voices by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett-Smith
2019 – Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz removed from office after a no-confidence vote in parliament, Vice Chancellor Hartwig Löger appointed interim chancellor
Today in History for 27th May 2025
Historical Events
1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as prince two weeks before his untimely death
1529 – 30 Jews of Posing, Hungary, charged with blood ritual, burned at stake
1878 – 6th Preakness: C. Holloway aboard Duke of Magenta wins in 2:41.75
1895 – British inventor Birt Acres patents film camera/projector
1958 – Ernest Green becomes the 1st African-American to graduate from Little Rock’s Central High School
Famous Birthdays
1332 – Ibn Khaldūn, North African Islamic scholar, philosopher and historian (Muqaddimah), born in Tunis (d. 1406)
1823 – John Gray Foster, American Major General (Union Army), born in Whitefield, New Hampshire (d. 1874)
1887 – Kazimierz Fajans, Polish-American physical chemist (Fajans’ rules), born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1975)
1975 – André 3000 [Benjamin], American rapper (Outkast), and actor, born in Atlanta, Georgia
1981 – Miloy [Marcos Henriques], Angolan footballer, born in Luanda, Angola
Famous Deaths
1596 – Tibaldi II, Italian painter/sculptor/architect, dies
1708 – Jacques Danican Philidor, French composer, dies at 51
1797 – Gracchus Babeuf, French utopian socialist and revolutionary, guillotined for planning an insurrection at 36
1994 – Norman Cook, British museum curator at the Guildhall, dies at 87
2010 – John William Finn, American US Navy sailor, awarded the 1st Medal of Honor of WWII for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor, dies at 100
Famous Deaths for 26th May 2025
1824 – Capel Lofft, English writer (b. 1751)
1881 – Jakob Bernays, German philologist (b. 1824)
1883 – Abdelkader El Djezairi, Algerian leader, scholar and national hero (b.1808)
1948 – Theodore Morell, German doctor, Hitler’s personal physician, dies at 61
1955 – Alberto Ascari, Italian auto racer (World F1 champion 1952, 53), dies in a testing accident at 36
1959 – Joe Kelly, American radio and television host (Quiz Kids, 1949-53), dies at 57
1967 – Antoon Spinoy, Belgian politician, dies at 60
1976 – Martin Heidegger, German philosopher (Being and Time), dies at 86
1996 – Halka Grossman, Israeli resistance fighter and politician, dies at 76
2022 – Ray Liotta, American actor (Goodfellas; Field of Dreams: Cop Land), dies of heart failure at 67
Historical Events for 26th May 2025
1596 – England, France and Netherlands sign Drievoudig Covenant against Spain
1864 – Battle of Dallas, begins near Paulding County, Georgia (Atlanta Campaign), Union victory (US Civil War)
1955 – Conservatives led by Anthony Eden win British parliamentary election
1959 – MLB Pittsburgh Pirates Harvey Haddix pitches 12 perfect innings, loses in 13th to Braves at Milwaukee County Stadium
1967 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1973 – British composer Michael Tippett’s 3rd Piano Sonata premieres
1973 – Bahrain adopts its constitution
2014 – Narendra Modi becomes the 15th Prime Minister of India
2019 – Ken Wyatt becomes Australia’s first Aboriginal minister in government as the minister for indigenous Australians
2019 – Indianapolis 500: 2016 IndyCar Series champion Simon Pagenaud of France finishes just two-tenths of a second ahead of Alexander Rossi for Team Penske’s record-extending 18th victory in the event
Today in History for 26th May 2025
Historical Events
1796 – French garrison of Fort Charlotte on island of St Lucia surrenders to British forces, 2780 mostly black prisoners of war board ships to England
1930 – Supreme Court rules buying liquor does not violate the Constitution
1948 – South Africa elects a nationalist government under D. F. Malan with an apartheid policy
2012 – Pope Benedict XVI’s butler is arrested for allegedly leaking confidential documents
2014 – Protests across Thailand in response to military coup; General Prayuth warns of a crackdown in demonstrations continue
Famous Birthdays
1914 – Archie Duncan, Scottish actor (The Adventures of Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 1979)
1925 – Alec McCowen, English actor (Never Say Never Again), born in Tunbridge Wells (d. 2017)
1926 – Miles Davis, American jazz musician, trumpeter and composer (Kinda Blue; Cookin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet; Sketches of Spain), born in Alton, Illinois (d. 1991)
1938 – Jaki Liebesit, German drummer (Can), born in Dresden, Germany (d. 2017)
1943 – John “Poli” Palmer, British Progressive rock keyboardist, and vibraphone player (Family -“In My Own Time”), born in Worcester, England
Famous Deaths
1946 – Friedrich German prince, last ruler of Waldeck and Pyrmont, dies at 81
1969 – Kathryn Minner (née White), American character actress (Little Old Lady from Pasadena), dies of a heart attack at 77
1978 – Cybele, Greek actress (b. 1887)
1993 – Carleton Morse, American radio dramatist (One Man’s Family), dies at 91
2010 – Jean Constantin, Romanian actor (b. 1928)
Famous Deaths for 25th May 2025
709 – Aldhelm, Abbot of Malmesbury, Bishop of Sherborne. English poet and scholar (b. cica 639)
1632 – Adam Tanner, Austrian mathematician and philosopher, dies at 60
1927 – Payne Whitney, American businessman (b. 1876)
1954 – Robert Capa, Hungarian war photographer and photojournalist, dies of injuries from a landmine explosion at 40
1964 – Vasily Andreyevich Zolotaryov, Russian composer (Rhapsodie hébraïque; Prince Lake), and teacher, dies at 92
1996 – David W. Howe, American test pilot (X-14) and WWII flying ace, dies at 77
2004 – Roger W. Straus, Jr., American publisher (b. 1917)
2006 – Otto Zykan, Austrian pianist and composer, dies at 71
2010 – Alexander Belostenny, Ukrainian basketball player (b. 1959)
2012 – Edoardo Mangiarotti, Italian fencer (6x Olympic gold, 1936-1960), dies at 93
Historical Events for 25th May 2025
1900 – Retired London fire master Eyre Massey Shaw aged 70 reputedly becomes oldest gold medalist in Olympics for sailing (disputed)
1915 – A British Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street on the failure of the Dardanelles offensive sacks Lord Kitchener as head of munitions and Winston Churchill as Lord of the Admiralty
1943 – Agnes Moorehead appears in “Sorry, Wrong Number” on the radio program “Suspense”, her most successful appearance
1964 – Frank Gilroy’s dramatic play “The Subject Was Roses”, starring Jack Albertson and Martin Sheen, opens at Royale Theatre, NYC; runs for 832 performances; wins Pulitzer Prize, and 2 Tony Awards
1966 – Peru and Argentina soccer fans fight in Lima; 248 die
1966 – “Au Hasard Balthazar”, French film directed by Robert Bresson, starring Anne Wiazemsky and François Lafarge, is released
1970 – 3rd ABA Championship: Indiana Pacers beat LA Stars, 4 games to 2
1972 – Heavyweight Joe Frazier KOs Ron Stander
1982 – Iranian troops reconquer Khorramshar
2011 – Oprah Winfrey airs her last show, ending her twenty five year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show