1096 – Crusaders massacre Jews of Worms
1869 – Surrender and dissolution of the Ezo Republic to Japan
1896 – US Supreme court affirms legitimacy of racial separation (Plessy v Ferguson), a doctrine that came to be known as “separate but equal”
1929 – MLB record 50 runs for a doubleheader: Brooklyn Robins beat Philadelphia Phillies, 20-16 in first game, Phillies win 8-6 in nightcap, at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1964 – David Frost interviews Paul McCartney on BBC-TV
1980 – People’s Republic of China launches 1st intercontinental rocket
1985 – Murray Head’s “One Night In Bangkok” single (written by Tim Rice, and Abba’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus) hits #3 in US
1992 – US Supreme Court rules states could not force mentally unstable criminal defendants to take anti-psychotic drugs
2008 – “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford, and produced by George Lucas’ Lucasfilms, premiers at the Cannes Film Festival
2019 – Australian federal elections won by Scott Morrison’s coalition government in a surprise result
Author: gil7
Today in History for 18th May 2025
Historical Events
1927 – Bath School Disaster: Andrew Kehoe blows up Bath Consolidated School killing 38 children, 2 teachers at Bath, Michigan
1963 – “If You Wanna Be Happy” by Jimmy Soul hits #1
1964 – US Supreme Court rules it unconstitutional to deprive naturalized citizens of citizenship if they return to home country for more than 3 years
2018 – Santa Fe High School shooting; 17 year-old shooter kills 10 and injures 10 in Santa Fe, Texas
2019 – English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (85,854): Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling each score twice as Manchester City thrash Watford, 6-0, completing an unprecedented domestic treble
Famous Birthdays
1892 – Ezio Pinza, Italian American operatic bass (NY Metropolitan Opera, 1926-48), and Tony Award-winning singer (South Pacific), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1957)
1913 – Charles Trenet, French pop singer and songwriter (“Boum!”; “La Mer”), born in Narbonne, France (d. 2001)
1939 – Gordon O’Connor, Canadian politician, born in Toronto, Ontario
1982 – Jason Brown, English-born footballer, born in London, England
1992 – Josh Phelps, Australian soccer player, born in Tamworth, Australia
Famous Deaths
1799 – Pierre de Beaumarchais, French polymath and dramatist (The Marriage of Figaro, Barber of Seville), dies at 67
1913 – Otto Reubke, German organist, conductor, and composer, dies at 70
1985 – Harald Andersson, Swedish discus thrower (world record 52.42m 1934), dies at 78
1999 – Betty Robinson, American runner, dies at 87
2003 – Barb Tarbox, Canadian anti-smoking crusader, dies at 42
Famous Deaths for 17th May 2025
1464 – Thomas de Ros, 9th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, English politician, executed at 36
1809 – Leopold Auenbrugger, Austrian physician (invented percussion as a diagnostic technique), dies at 86
1822 – Armand-Emmanuel, Duc de Richelieu, Prime Minister of France (1815-18, 1820-21), dies at 55
1950 – Eduardo Fabini, composer, dies at 67
1955 – Camilla Wedgwood, English anthropologist (Malekula: A Vanishing People in the New Hebrides), dies of cancer at 54
1985 – Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) killed off on television soap opera “Dallas”
1992 – George Hurrell, Hollywood photographer, dies of cancer at 87
2001 – Ikuma Dan, Japanese composer (Yūzuru), dies at 77
2004 – Ezzedine Salim, leader of Iraqi Governing Council (b. 1943)
2016 – Guy Clark, American folk and country singer-songwriter (Heartbroke), dies of lymphoma at 74
Historical Events for 17th May 2025
1631 – Earl Johann Tilly attacks Maagdenburg
1689 – English King William III declares war on France in support of the Dutch Republic (Nine Years’ War)
1824 – The diaries of Lord Byron are burnt by six of the poet’s friends at the office of John Murray in London, sometimes described as “the greatest crime in literary history”
1848 – Gerrit, Count Schimmelpenninck resigns as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Netherlands
1895 – W. G. Grace completes his 100th 100 v Somerset at Bristol
1898 – Camp Merritt forms in Presidio [see 0503]
1948 – Soviet Union recognizes Israel
1974 – Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) explode four bombs in Republic of Ireland, killing 33 civilians, wounding 300 (highest number of casualties in a single incident during “The Troubles”)
1975 – 100th Preakness: Darrel McHargue aboard Master Derby wins in 1:56.4
2014 – English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (89,345): Arsenal beats Hull City, 3–2 (a.e.t.); Aaron Ramsey scores 109′ winner
Today in History for 17th May 2025
Historical Events
1849 – Fire destroy Centrum in St Louis, Missouri
1876 – 7th US Cavalry under General George Armstrong Custer leaves Fort Lincoln
1941 – Pennsylvania declares legal holiday to honor A’s manager Connie Mack
1970 – Anonymous buyer purchases one of the pairs of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” for $15,000 at MGM Studio auction, and donates them to the Smithsonian Institution
2013 – 90 people are killed and 200 are injured after a series of bombings across Iraq
Famous Birthdays
1923 – Michael Beetham, British Marshall of the RAF (Falklands War), born in London, England (d. 2015)
1952 – Howard Hampton, Canadian politician, Attorney General (1990-93), and Ontario MMP (1999-2011), born in Fort Frances, Ontario
1962 – Steven Honigberg, American classical cellist (National Symphony Orchestra; Potomac String Quartet), born in Chicago, Illinois
1968 – Dave Abbruzzese, American drummer (Pearl Jam), born in Stamford, Connecticut
1970 – Matt Eberflus, American NFL football coach (Chicago Bears, 2022-), born in Toledo, Ohio
Famous Deaths
1694 – Johann Michael Bach, German composer (In Dulci Jubilo), dies at 46
1889 – William Roxby Beverly, artist, dies
1992 – George Hurrell, Hollywood photographer, dies of cancer at 87
2004 – Ezzedine Salim, leader of Iraqi Governing Council (b. 1943)
2009 – Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan journalist, novelist, and poet, dies from respiratory and intestinal problems at 88
Famous Deaths for 16th May 2025
1830 – Joseph Fourier, French mathematician (mathematical theory of heat conduction) and Egyptologist, dies at 62
1862 – Lev Mej, Russian dramatist and poet (The Tsar’s Bride), dies at 40 [O.S. 5/16]
1955 – James Agee, American author (African Queen, Death in Family), dies at 45
1956 – H. B. Reese, American businessman, candy maker, and inventor (Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups), dies of a heart attack at 76
1958 – Jeroom Verten [Jozef Frans Vermetten], Flemish playwright, dies at 49
1963 – Oleg Penkovsky, Soviet military intelligence (GRU), dies at 44
1969 – Johnny Jordan, English cameraman (You Only Live Twice), dies at 44
1989 – Hassan Khaled, sheik of Lebanon, murdered
2004 – Marius Constant, Romanian-born French composer and conductor (founded Ars Nova), dies at 79
2021 – Rildo da Costa Menezes, Brazilian soccer defender (38 caps; Santos, CEUB, New York Cosmos), dies at 79
Historical Events for 16th May 2025
1902 – 2 deaf-mutes face each other for 1st time as Dummy Hoy leads off for the Reds against Dummy Taylor of the Giants, Reds win 5-3
1943 – Operation Chastise: No. 617 Squadron RAF begins the famous Dambusters Raid, bombing the Möhne and Eder dams in the Ruhr valley with bouncing bombs
1945 – Violent battles around Sugar Loaf and Half Moon, Okinawa
1955 – Rocky Marciano beats Don Cockell by TKO in the 9th round at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco to retain his world heavyweight boxing title
1956 – Great Britain performs nuclear Test at Monte Bello Is Australia
1956 – England cricket spin bowler Jim Laker takes 10-88 for Surrey v Australia in tour match at The Oval, London
1989 – Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping meet in Beijing and formally end a 30-year rift
1990 – Eugene Stoner and Mikhail Kalashnikov, the creators of the M16 rifle and the AK-47 rifle respectively, meet in Washington, D.C.
1993 – Farmer Sugeng finds 1.2 million year old Pithecanthropus IX skull
2023 – ChatGPT developer OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, supports oversight of AI, in appearance before US Senate Committee saying they “might consider a combination of licensing and testing requirements”
Today in History for 16th May 2025
Historical Events
1984 – Guinea-Bissau adopts constitution
1990 – Dominican Republic President Joaquín Ricardo Balaguer re-elected
1997 – MLB Montreal Expos trailing San Francisco Giants by 9 runs comeback to win 14-13
1997 – Brandi Sherwood (Miss Idaho) replaces Brook Lee as Miss USA when Brook is crowned Miss Universe
2007 – Alex Salmond is elected First Minister of Scotland. He is first Scottish National Party leader to be elected First Minister after winning a historic victory at the Scottish general election on the 3rd May.
Famous Birthdays
1710 – William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, English peer and Whig politician, born in Worcester, England (d. 1782)
1918 – Aubrey Bowman, British pianist, composer, and conductor (Workman’s Music Association), born in Bournemouth, England (d. 2009)
1918 – Edward Thomas, British historian and intelligence expert (Bletchley Park), born in Portsmouth, England (d. 1996)
1937 – Yvonne Craig, actress (Batgirl-Batman, Kissin Cousin), born in Taylorville, Illinois (d. 2015)
1945 – Nicky Chinn, British-American pop songwriter and producer (with Mike Chapman: Sweet – “The Ballroom Blitz”; Suzi Quatro; Toni Basel – “Mickey”; Tina Turner – “You Better Be Good To Me”), born in London, England
Famous Deaths
1657 – Andrzej Bobola, Polish Jesuit missionary (b. 1591)
1762 – Ernst Christian Hesse, German composer, dies at 86
1924 – William “Candy” Cummings, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (credited with creating the curveball), dies at 75
1990 – Dag Drollet, Cheyenne Brando’s boyfriend killed by her brother Christian
1996 – Jeremy Boorda, U.S. Navy admiral (25th Chief of Naval Operations), commits suicide at 56
Famous Deaths for 15th May 2025
913 – Hatto I, Archbishop of Mainz
1621 – Henrick de Keyser, Dutch architect and sculptor (master builder of Amsterdam, Zuiderkerk church), dies at 56
1821 – John Wall Calcott, English composer, dies at 54
1873 – Alexandru Ioan Cuza, 1st Prince of united Romania (land reform, emancipated peasants), dies in exile at 53
1892 – Arthur Hodister, British ivory seller (Heart of Darkness), murdered at 44
1969 – Joe Malone, Canadian Hockey HOF center (only player in NHL history to score 7 goals in a single game 1920; Stanley Cup 1912, 13 Quebec Bulldogs; 1924 Montreal Canadiens), dies at 79
1986 – Elio de Angelis, Italian race car driver (b. 1958)
1994 – Frederik von Pallandt, Danish-Dutch pop singer and guitarist (Nina and Frederik), murdered in the Philippines at 60
2007 – Jerry Falwell, American TV evangelist, founder of Liberty University, dies at 73
2020 – Fred Willard, American comedian and character actor (Fernwood 2-Night; Best In Show: Everyone Loves Raymond; Modern Family), dies at 86
Historical Events for 15th May 2025
1876 – 2nd Kentucky Derby: Bobby Swim aboard Vagrant wins in 2:38.25
1940 – German armoured division moves into Northern France
1941 – New York Yankees Joe DiMaggio starts 56-game hitting streak, with the only RBI, in a 13-1 loss to visiting Chicago White Sox
1943 – Halifax bombers sinks U-463
1953 – Osip Zadkine’s monument to “The destroyed city” unveiled in Rotterdam
1957 – Evangelist Billy Graham launches his “crusade” in front of 18,000 people at Madison Square Garden in NYC
1964 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1991 – US President George H. W. Bush takes Queen Elizabeth to Oakland A’s-Baltimore Oriole game
1992 – Part of Cruger Avenue in Bronx renamed Regis Philbin Avenue
1995 – China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC