1632 – Prince Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, occupies Maastricht
1791 – Haitian Slave Revolution begins under Vodou priest Boukman
1914 – German troops execute 384 inhabitants of Tamines, Belgium
1930 – Australian cricket slow-medium bowler Percy Hornibrook takes 7-92 as England is dismissed for 251 in an innings defeat in the 5th Test at The Oval; Australia regains the Ashes 2-1
1964 – The Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go” reaches #1
1969 – The Beatles’ last official group photo session takes place at John and Yoko’s home, Tittenhurst Park, near Ascot, England
1984 – The last Volkswagen Rabbit is produced
2014 – Second Ebola death in Nigeria, Africa’s most populated country
Author: gil7
Today in History for 22nd August 2025
Historical Events
1827 – José de La Mar becomes President of Peru
1914 – Battle of Charleroi begins as General von Bülow’s troops defeat the French
1943 – Soviet troops free Kharkov
1968 – Pope Paul VI arrives in Bogota for the first papal visit to Latin America to open a Eucharistic Congress
2008 – Russia wins the women’s 4 × 100 m relay ahead of Belgium and Nigeria at the Beijing Olympics; disqualified in 2016 when reanalysis of Yulia Chermoshanskaya’s samples result in positive test for prohibited substances
Famous Birthdays
1888 – Du Yuesheng, Chinese mob boss, born in Gaoqiao, Shanghai (d. 1951)
1888 – Violet Farebrother, English actress (Downhill, Easy Virtue), born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England (d. 1969)
1928 – Tinga Seisay, Sierra Leonean diplomat and pro-democracy advocate, born in Moyamba, Sierra Leone (d. 2015)
1955 – Chiranjeevi [Konidela Siva Sankara Vara Prasad], Telugu film actor, dancer and producer, born in Mogalthur, India
1973 – Kristen Wiig, American comedian and actress (Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters), born in Canandaigua, New York
Famous Deaths
1831 – John White, English organist and violinist, dies at 52
1993 – Don Getz, American filmmaker (Playpoint), dies at 50
2003 – Generosa Ammon, American widow of Ted Ammon (b. 1956)
2004 – Daniel Petrie, Canadian television and movie director, dies at 83
2009 – Elmer Kelton, American Western novelist (b. 1926)
Famous Deaths for 21st August 2025
1614 – Elizabeth Báthory, Hungarian countess and the world’s most prolific female serial killer, dies at 54
1813 – Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, Queen consort of Sweden, dies at 67
1814 – Benjamin Thompson, American physicist and inventor (Royal Institution of Great Britain), dies at 61
1867 – Juan Álvarez, Mexican revolutionary leader (President of Mexico 1855), dies at 77
1870 – Ma Xinyi Viceroy of Liangjiang of the late Qing Dynasty in China (b. 1821)
1898 – Niccolò van Westerhout, Italian composer, dies at 40
1919 – Laurence Doherty, British tennis player (Wimbledon 1902-06, US Nationals 1903), dies of toxemia at 43
1943 – Henrik Pontoppidan, Danish writer (Peter Gelukkige, Nobel 1917), dies at 86
1995 – James Truitte, American ballet dancer (Lester Horton; Alvin Ailley), dies at 72
2015 – Anna Kashfi [Joan O’Callaghan], Welsh actress and 1st wife of Marlon Barando, dies at 80
Historical Events for 21st August 2025
1901 – Baltimore Orioles pitcher Joe McGinnity is suspended from MLB for punching and spitting on umpire Tom Connolly in the previous day’s 5-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers; the lifetime suspension is reduced to 12 days
1945 – US President Harry Truman ends Lend-Lease program
1969 – Fire in Al-Aqsa-mosque in Jerusalem
1976 – Battle, East Sussex: Mary Langdon becomes the first British firewoman
1980 – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is founded in a basement office in Takoma Park, Maryland
2008 – Japan edges the United States 3-1 for the gold medal in the final of the women’s softball tournament at the Beijing Olympics
2015 – First British unmanned drone hits a UK citizen outside a conflict: ISIS fighter Reyaad Khan in Raqqa, Syria
2021 – Flash flooding in Humphreys County, Middle Tennessee, kills 22, with dozens missing
Today in History for 21st August 2025
Historical Events
1912 – Francis Carter-Cotton is chosen as the first chancellor of the University of British Columbia
1929 – Chicago Cardinals become the first professional football team to train out of town
1963 – Jerry Lynch’s record 15th pinch-hit home run gives Pirates a 7-6 victory
1985 – American Mary Decker Slaney runs a mile in a world record time of 4:16.71 in Zurich, Switzerland; it is the third time she holds the record
1991 – Latvia declares its independence from USSR
Famous Birthdays
1789 – Augustin-Louis Cauchy, French mathematician and physicist, born in Paris (d. 1857)
1932 – Melvin Van Peebles, American stage and screen actor, director (Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song; Sophisticated Gent), composer, and novelist, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2021)
1941 – Tom Coster, American rock and jazz keyboard player and accordionist (Santana; Billy Cobham), born in Detroit Michigan
1956 – Kim Cattrall, British Canadian actress (Mannequin, Sex and the City), born in Liverpool, England
1978 – Jason Marquis, American baseball pitcher, born in Manhasset, NY
Famous Deaths
1245 – Alexander of Hales, English Scholastic philosopher at Paris, founder of the Franciscan theological school, dies
1888 – Simon Vissering, Dutch economist (Minister of Finance 1879-81), dies at 70
1994 – Anita Lizana, Chilean tennis player (US Nat C’ships 1937; first Latin American major winner), dies at 78
2004 – Arthur Hockaday, British civil servant (Defence Ministry; Director-General of Commonwealth War Graves Commission. 1982-89), dies after a fall at 78
2020 – Mohamed Ben Rehaiem, Tunisian soccer midfielder (35 caps; CS Sfaxien), dies at 69
Famous Deaths for 20th August 2025
1153 – Bernard of Clairvaux, French monk and saint (founded Clairvaux abbey, preached famous sermon advocating for the Second Crusade), dies (b. 1090)
1936 – Edward Weston, English-born American electrical engineer who invented the portable voltmeter, dies at 86
1968 – Earl Sande, American HOF jockey (Triple Crown 1930 Gallant Fox; 3 x Kentucky Derby; 5 x Belmont Stakes; 1 x Preakness Stakes; 3 x US Champion Jockey by earnings; US Champion Trainer by earnings 1938), dies at 69
1974 – Ilona Massey [Hajmássy], Hungarian-American film, stage, and radio actress and singer (Ilona Massey Show), dies of cancer at 64
1989 – George Adamson [Baba ya Simba – “Father of Lions”], British conservationist (Born Free), murdered in Kenya at 82
1991 – Lenore Strunsky Gershwin, widow of Ira Gershwin, dies at 90
2002 – Harry Wich, Dutch painter and set designer, dies at 76
2008 – Gene Upshaw, American NFL guard (Oakland Radiers) and NFLPA leader, dies at 63
2016 – Brian Rix [Lord Rix], British actor and activist (Mencap), dies at 92
2024 – Al Attles, American Basketball HOF coach (NBA C’ship 1975 GS Warriors; NBA All-Star Game HC 1975, 76) and point guard (GS Warriors), dies at 87
Historical Events for 20th August 2025
1828 – Gioachino Rossini’s opera “Le Comte Ory” premieres in Paris
1920 – First US commercial radio station, 8MK (WWJ) in Detroit, begins daily broadcasting
1953 – Russia publicly acknowledges hydrogen bomb test detonation
1972 – The USSR performs an underground nuclear test
1977 – NASA launches Voyager 2 towards Jupiter and Saturn, later reaching Uranus and Neptune
1990 – Iraq moves Western hostages to military installations as human shields
1995 – Indians’ José Mesa sets a record with his 37th consecutive save
2009 – 12th Athletics World Championships: Usain Bolt wins 200m
Today in History for 20th August 2025
Historical Events
1879 – Government Kappeijne of Coppello resigns
1930 – A week before his 22nd birthday, Australian cricket’s batting genius Don Bradman scores 232 in a fifth Test win over England at The Oval in London
1957 – Chicago White Sox Bob Keegan no-hits Washington Senators, 6-0
2008 – Spanair Flight 5022 from Madrid to Gran Canaria skids off the runway and crashes at Barajas Airport, killing 146 people in the crash and 8 more afterward. Only 18 people survive
2015 – Thirty students at West Point Military Academy are injured in a mass pillow fight
Famous Birthdays
1824 – Absalom Baird, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Rockland, Maine (d. 1905)
1904 – Jaap [Jacobus Albertus Wilhelmus] Burger, Dutch politician and chairman (PvdA), born in Willemstad, Netherlands (d. 1986)
1937 – Sky Saxon [Richard Marsh], American rocker (The Seeds – “Pushin’ To Hard”), born in Salt Lake City, Utah (d. 2009)
1966 – Courtney Gibbs, American actress (Baywatch) and Miss USA 1988, born in Dallas, Texas
2003 – Prince Gabriel of Belgium, second child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, born in Erasmus Hospital, Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium
Famous Deaths
1384 – Geert Groote, Dutch founder of the Brethren of the Common Life, dies at 43
1707 – Nicolas Gigault, French Baroque organist and composer, dies at about 80
2007 – Larry Hartsell, American martial artist, bodyguard, trainer, student of Bruce Lee and Dan Inosanto, dies at 65
2009 – Larry Knechtel, American session piano and bass player (Simon and Garfunkel; Johnny Rivers), dies of a heart attack at 69
2015 – Piotr Warzecha, Polish composer, dies at 74
Famous Deaths for 19th August 2025
1601 – Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia and Moldovia (Romanian national hero), assassinated at 42 or 43
1851 – Gioseffo Catrufo, Italian composer, dies at 80
1945 – Tomas Burgos, Chilean philanthropist (founder of Villa Lo Burgos), dies at 69
1974 – Rodger Davies, United States ambassador to Cyprus, murdered at 53 by Greek Cypriot gunmen during a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia
1981 – Jessie Matthews, English actress (Gangway, First a Girl), dies at 74
1983 – Aleksandar Ranković, Yugoslavic partisan and 1st Vice President of Yugoslavia (1963-66), dies at 73
1986 – Jaap [Jacobus Albertus Wilhelmus] Burger, Dutch politician and chairman (PvdA), dies at 81
1992 – Norvel Lee, American boxer (Olympic gold 1952), dies at 67
2010 – Michael Been, American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter (The Call – “Let the Day Begin”), dies of a heart attack at 60
2021 – Bill Freehan, American baseball catcher (11 x All Star; World Series 1968; 5 x Gold Glove; Detroit Tigers), dies from dementia at 79
Historical Events for 19th August 2025
1399 – King Richard II of England surrenders to his cousin Henry Bolingbroke at Flint Castle after promising to abdicate if his life was spared
1493 – Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I becomes Archduke of Austria on the death of his father and co-ruler Frederick III
1931 – Lefty Grove wins an AL record-tying 16th consecutive game
1990 – Dodger José Offerman hits a home run in his first at-bat
1991 – Conservative members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union attempt to depose Mikhail Gorbachev in a coup d’état
2016 – A six-way tie for first place occurs in the final of the equestrian individual jumping competition at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; Nick Skelton of Great Britain wins the gold medal jump-off
2018 – Monsoon rains finally ease in Kerala State, India, with flooding taking 350 lives and 200,000 in relief camps
2023 – MLB Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner hits two solo home runs in the same inning in a 12-3 win over the Nationals in Washington