Today in History for 15th May 2025

Historical Events

756 – Abd-al-Rahman I becomes emir of Cordova, Spain
1886 – British sailor David Beatty is promoted to midshipman
1972 – The island of Okinawa, under U.S. military governance since its conquest in 1945, reverts to Japanese control.
1993 – Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas opens
2020 – Germany, Europe’s largest economy, officially in recession due to COVID-19, as figures show economy shrank 2.2% 1st 3 months of 2020

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Famous Birthdays

1819 – Thomas Leonidas Crittenden, American lawyer, politician, and Major General (Union Army), born in Russellville, Kentucky (d. 1893)
1920 – Hugh Henry Home Popham, British aviator, writer and poet, born in Beer, England (d. 1996)
1934 – David Greville, 8th Earl of Warwick who sold his castle to Madame Tussauds, born in Warwick Castle, Warwick, England (d. 1996)
1970 – Cory Philpot, CFL running back (BC Lions)
1974 – Jennifer Rizzotti, Basketball Hall of Fame point guard (Uni of Connecticut) and coach (George Washington), born in White Plains, New York

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Famous Deaths

1821 – John Wall Calcott, English composer, dies at 54
1940 – Willem Adriaan Bonger, Dutch criminologist (Race and Crime), suicide at 63
1952 – Italo Montemezzi, Italian composer (L’amore dei tre re), dies at 76
1992 – Bruce Hopkins, performer/director, dies at 44
2003 – Desmond Dreyer, British admiral (battle of the River Plate), dies at 93

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Famous Deaths for 14th May 2025

1801 – Johann Ernst Altenburg, composer, dies at 66
1923 – Charles de Freycinet, French prime minister (b. 1828)
1969 – Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (Olympic gold 200m freestyle, 200m obstacle 1900), dies at 89
1970 – (Mary) “Billie” Burke, American radio, stage, silent and sound film actress (Zieigfield Follies; The Wizard of Oz; Merrily We Live), dies at 85
1977 – Robert Maynard Hutchins, American educational philosopher (University of Chicago), dies at 78
1996 – Edward Gurney, American attorney and politician (US Senator for Florida, 1969-74; US Representative for Florida, 1963-69), dies at 82
2006 – James Botten, South African cricketer (all-rounder in 1965 South African series v England), dies at 67
2012 – Derek Hammond-Stroud, English operatic baritone, dies at 86
2014 – Stephen Sutton, English cancer blogger (Stephen’s Story), dies at 19
2017 – Elske ter Veld, Dutch politician (State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment), dies at 72

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Historical Events for 14th May 2025

1796 – English country doctor Edward Jenner administers his revolutionary cowpox-based vaccine for smallpox in Berkeley, Gloucestershire
1832 – Felix Mendelssohn’s concert overture “Hebrides” premieres in London, England
1879 – The first group of 463 Indian indentured labourers arrive in Fiji aboard the Leonidas
1894 – Fire in Boston bleachers spreads to 170 adjoining buildings
1918 – Sunday baseball is made legal in Washington, D.C.
1942 – World premiere performance of Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” with: Andre Kostelanetz conducting the Cincinnati Symphony in Cincinnati, Ohio
1957 – Bob Merrill’s musical “New Girl in Town”, starring Gwen Verdon and Thelma Ritter, opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 432 performances and wins 2 Tony Awards
2000 – 46th British Academy Television Awards: “The League of Gentlemen” Best Comedy, “The Cops” Best Drama
2010 – The 51,700 seat Aviva Stadium is officially opened on the site of the famous old Lansdowne Road Stadium in Dublin by Irish Prime Minister, Brian Cowan
2018 – United States moves its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

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Today in History for 14th May 2025

Historical Events

1888 – 14th Kentucky Derby: George Covington aboard MacBeth II wins in 2:38.00
1903 – President Theodore Roosevelt visits San Francisco
1944 – British troops occupy Kohima
1972 – In Willie Mays’ 1st game as New York Met, his homer beats San Francisco Giants, 5-4 (his former team of over 20 years), at Shea Stadium, New York
1986 – Reggie Jackson hit his 537th HR passing Mickey Mantle into 6th place

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Famous Birthdays

1930 – Edward Regan, American Republican politician and Comptroller of New York (1979-93), born in Plainfield, New Jersey (d. 2014)
1959 – Patrick Bruel [Benguigui], Algerian-French actor (Coup of Sirocco), rock vocalist (“Marre de cette nana-là” – “Fed Up With That Chick”), and world class poker player, born in Tlemcen, Algeria
1964 – Nancy Sorel, Canadian-American actress (Less Than Kind, Black Fox), born in Fall River, Massachusetts
1967 – Tony Siragusa, American football defensive tackle (Super Bowl 2000 Baltimore Ravens; Indianapolis Colts) and broadcaster (Fox, The Sopranos, Man Caves), born in Kenilworth, New Jersey (d. 2022)
1977 – Jayna Hefford, ice hockey forward (Canada, Olympics 1998)

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Famous Deaths

1947 – John Ray Sinnock, US chief engraver (1925-47), dies at 59
1969 – Walter Pitts, American logician (“A Logical Calculus of the Ideas Immanent in Nervous Activity” with Warren McCulloch), dies at 46
1996 – Edward Gurney, American attorney and politician (US Senator for Florida, 1969-74; US Representative for Florida, 1963-69), dies at 82
1998 – Frank Sinatra, American singer (“Strangers in the Night”; “My Way”; “The Summer Wind”) and actor (From Here to Eternity; Guys and Dolls, The Manchurian Candidate), known as the “Chairman of the Board” and “Ol’ Blue Eyes”, dies at 82
2006 – Stanley Kunitz, American poet, 10th US Poet Laureate, dies at 100

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Famous Deaths for 13th May 2025

1381 – John of Chatillon, Count of Blois, dies
1673 – Jacob Aertsz Colom, Dutch publisher (Consolation of the Sea), dies at 73
1732 – Theodor Schwartzkopff, German composer, dies at 72
1839 – Joseph Fesch, French cardinal (Archbishop of Lyon, 1802-39), diplomat, art collector (Musée Fesch), and uncle of Napoleon, dies at 76
1864 – Junius Daniel, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 35
1873 – Kaspar Masek, Czech-Slovenian composer, dies at 79
1994 – Arthur Basil Cottle, British academic and medievalist, dies at 77
1996 – John “Jack” Baines, British mountaineering publisher, dies at 57
2002 – Ruth Cracknell, Australian actress (Mother and Son), dies at 76
2023 – Keiko Tanaka-Ikeda, Japanese gymnast (World C’ship gold balance beam 1954; Olympic bronze team 1964; first Japanese female to win a world title), dies at 89

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Historical Events for 13th May 2025

1559 – Exhumed corpse of heretic David Jorisz burned in Basel
1638 – Construction of the Red Fort begins at Shahjahanabad, Mughal Empire (now Dehli, India)
1884 – Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) forms in New York
1916 – Lafayette Escadrille, an American air force unit under French command comprised of volunteers to fight for France, see first combat at the Battle of Verdun
1923 – Pulitzer Prize awarded to Willa Cather for her World War I-based novel “One of Ours”
1989 – Minnesota Twin Kirby Puckett becomes 35th to hit 4 doubles in a game
1992 – Three astronauts simultaneously walk in space for the first time
1995 – Team New Zealand beats Team Dennis Conner 5-0 to win the America’s Cup for the first time
1998 – Chelsea of England win 38th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Stuttgart of Germany 1-0 in Stockholm
2001 – 47th British Academy Television Awards: “Da Ali G Show” Best Comedy, “Clocking Off” Best Drama

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Today in History for 13th May 2025

Historical Events

1588 – King Henri III flees Paris
1777 – University library at Vienna opens
1960 – Phillies lose 3rd consecutive 1-0 game
1960 – WOLE TV channel 12 in Aguadillo, PR
2012 – Manchester City win the English Premier League for the first time

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Famous Birthdays

1903 – Jim Sims, English cricket spin bowler (4 Tests, 11 wickets; Middlesex), born in Leyton, England (d. 1973)
1944 – Armistead Maupin, American author (Tales of the City series), born in Washington D.C.
1967 – Melanie Thornton, American pop-dance singer (La Bouche – “Be My Lover”), born in Charleston, South Carolina (d. 2001)
1978 – Barry Zito, American baseball player (Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
1980 – Waka Inoue, Japanese gravure idol, TV personality, and actress, born in Tokyo, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1839 – Joseph Fesch, French cardinal (Archbishop of Lyon, 1802-39), diplomat, art collector (Musée Fesch), and uncle of Napoleon, dies at 76
1901 – Leopoldo Alas, Spanish novelist (La Regenta), dies at 49
1967 – Frank McGrath, American actor (The Reluctant Astronaut, Wagon Train), dies from a heart attack at 64
1999 – Gene Sarazen, American golfer (7 x major titles including Career Grand Slam; 38 PGA Tour event wins), dies of pneumonia at 97
1999 – Meg Greenfield, American Pulitzer Prize winning editorial writer (Washington Post; Newsweek), dies of cancer at 68

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Famous Deaths for 12th May 2025

1182 – Valdemar I of Denmark, King of Denmark (1146–82), dies at 51
1876 – Georgi Benkovski, Bulgarian revolutionary, brutally killed by the Turks (b. 1843)
1908 – Melesio Morales, Mexican composer (Ildegonda; Anita; Sinfonía Vapor), conductor, and teacher, dies at 69
1971 – Johnny Taylor, Australian cricket batsman (20 Tests; 1 x 100, 8 x 50) and rugby union fly-half (2 caps), dies at 75
1981 – Benjamin Sheares, President of Singapore (1971-81), dies at 73
1986 – Elisabeth Bergner, Austrian British stage actress, dies at 85
1996 – Homer Keller, American contemporary classical composer (Quiet Music for a Tree), and educator (University of Oregon, 1958-76), dies at 81
1998 – Hermann Lenz, German writer (Swabian Chronicles), dies at 75
2004 – John LaPorta, American jazz clarinetist and composer, dies at 84
2015 – Ruth Mompati, South African politician and Secretary of Nelson Mandela, dies at 89

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Historical Events for 12th May 2025

1215 – English barons serve an ultimatum on King John which eventually leads to the creation and signing of the Magna Carta
1891 – Riot against tax increase in Paramaribo, Suriname
1908 – George Bernard Shaw’s play “Getting Married” premieres in London
1948 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands abdicates due to ill health
1956 – Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine’s throws 2nd career no-hitter, beats NY Giants, 3-0, at Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn, NYC
1965 – Israel and West Germany establish diplomatic relations with an exchange of letters
1989 – Retired British pilot Jack Mann is kidnapped by Islamic fundamentalists
1997 – Russia and Chechnya sign peace deal after 400 years of conflict
2001 – 46th Eurovision Song Contest: Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL for Estonia wins singing “Everybody” in Copenhagen
2008 – Wenchuan earthquake, measuring 7.8 in magnitude occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 87,000, injuring 374,643 and leaving homeless between 4.8 million and 11 million people

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Today in History for 12th May 2025

Historical Events

1784 – Ratified copies of the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War exchanged between US and Great Britain, in Paris
1888 – Crouching start first used in track and field by Charles Sherrill of Yale
1972 – Paul McCartney and Wings release single “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
2010 – An Afriqiyah Airways Flight crashes and kills everyone but one person on board
2017 – Former One Direction singer Harry Styles releases his self-titled debut solo album

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Famous Birthdays

1850 – Henry Cabot Lodge, U.S. statesman, born in Beverly, Massachusetts (d. 1924)
1900 – Helene Weigel, Austrian-German actress (Metropolis, Mutter Courage), born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (d. 1971)
1926 – Earl Hutto, American politician (Rep-D-Florida, 1979-95), born in Panama City, Florida (d. 2020)
1931 – Johan Fleerackers, Flemish civil servant and cultural attaché (Minister of Cutlure, 1965-77), born in Mortsel, Belgium (d. 1989)
1971 – Doug Basham, American professional wrestler, born in Louisville, Kentucky

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Famous Deaths

1641 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st earl of Strafford and Viceroy of Ireland, beheaded at 48
1737 – Cornelis van Alkemade, Dutch historian, collector of antiquities and author (Coinage of the Counts of Holland), dies at 83
1852 – John Richardson, Canadian writer (War of 1812), dies at 55
1856 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist and astronomer, dies at 70
2008 – Irena Sendler [née Krzyżanowska], Polish nurse, social worker, and WWII heroine who helped smuggle Jewish ghetto children to safety, dies at 98

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