Author: gil7

Today in History for 17th July 2025

Historical Events

1948 – Israeli army captures Nazareth
1956 – MGM releases film “High Society”, a musical re-working of “The Philadelphia Story” set in Newport, Rhode Island; starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra, with songs by Cole Porter
1964 – Don Campbell sets a record for a turbine vehicle at 690.91 kph (429.31 mph)
1987 – Iran and France break diplomatic relations
1988 – Florence Griffith Joyner of the USA sets 100 m woman’s record (10.49)

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Famous Birthdays

1878 – Henri Zagwijn, Dutch composer and musicologist, born in Nieuwer-Amstel, Netherlands (d. 1954)
1883 – Mauritz Stiller [Moshe Stiller], Swedish actor and director (The Saga of Gösta Berling, Erotikon), born in Helsinki, Finland (d. 1928)
1941 – Morimichi Takagi, Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman (NPB All-Star 1966–67, 73, 79; Chunichi Dragons), born in Gifu, Japan (d. 2020)
1947 – Abraham Laboriel, Sr, Mexican-American session and jazz bassist, born in Mexico City
1949 – Charlie Steiner, American sports broadcaster, born in Malverne, New York

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Famous Deaths

1709 – Robert Bolling, English settler in Virginia and politician, dies at 62
1928 – Giovanni Giolitti, 5x Prime Minister of Italy (1892-93, 1903-05, 1906-09, 1911-14, 1920-21), dies at 85
1943 – Sir Patrick Duncan, Governor-general of the Union of South Africa (1937 to 1943), dies at 72
1995 – Carlos Sánchez Málaga, Peruvian composer, dies at 91
2020 – Derek Ho, American surfer (World C’ship 1993; Hawaiian Triple Crown 1984, 86, 88, 90), dies from a heart attack at 55

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Famous Deaths for 16th July 2025

1482 – John van Schaffelaar, Gelders knight, dies
1947 – Horatio Mbelle, South African interpreter, community leader and politician, dies in Pretoria at 77
1979 – Alfred Deller, English countertenor (b. 1912)
1990 – Sidney Torch, English composer, conductor and theater organist, dies from an intentional medication overdose at 82
1995 – Peter Francis de Sautoy, publisher, dies at 83
1995 – Patsy Ruth Miller, American actress (Quebec, Wide Open, Sap, Twin Beds), dies at 91
1997 – Dora Maar [Markovitch], French photographer, painter, poet, model, and lover of Pablo Picasso, dies at 89
2004 – George Busbee, Governor of Georgia (b. 1927)
2022 – Michel David-Weill, French investment banker (Lazard Frère), dies at 89
2022 – Hobie Billingsley, American ISHOF diving coach (Indiana University 1959-89; 6 x NCAA team championships; US Olympic team 1968, 72, 76), dies from myasthenia gravis at 95

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Historical Events for 16th July 2025

1857 – Sir Henry Havelock arrives at Battle of Cawnpore
1888 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: 3-time runner-up Ernest Renshaw wins his lone major title; beats defending champion Herbert Lawford 6-3, 7-5, 6-0
1902 – John McGraw officially becomes manager of MLB New York Giants; 30 year tenure begins (1902-32)
1950 – FIFA World Cup Final, Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Alcides Ghiggia scores a 79th minute winner as Uruguay beats Brazil, 2-1
1956 – Detroit Tigers and Briggs Stadium sold for then record $5.5 million
1961 – Ralph Boston of US, sets then long jump record at 27′ 2″
1970 – Cincinnati Reds spoil Pirates debut in Pittsburgh’s new Three Rivers Stadium, 3-2
1988 – San Antonio (Texas League) beats Jackson 1-0 in 26 innings
1990 – The ANC send a report on police violence to President F. W. de Klerk and demand an end to “the shocking inhumanity” of police action in rural areas of South Africa
1993 – President Lissouba calls emergency rule in Congo-Brazzaville

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Today in History for 16th July 2025

Historical Events

1790 – Congress declares the city of Washington in the District of Columbia, the permanent capital of the United States
1924 – NY Giants George Kelly is 1st to hit HRs in 6 cons games
1942 – French police arrest 13,152 Jews in Paris
1995 – Red Buttons’ one-man show “Buttons on Broadway” closes at Ambassador Theater, NYC, after 33 performances
2017 – Kawhi Leonard re-signs with the San Antonio Spurs to a five-year, $90 million contract

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Famous Birthdays

1925 – Cal Tjader, American Latin jazz vibraphonist, born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1982)
1948 – Rubén Blades, Panamanian singer and actor, born in Panama City, Panama
1949 – Ray Majors, British rock guitarist (Mott the Hoople, 1975-76; British Lions, 1977-78), born in the UK (d. 2022)
1966 – Mike Horn, South African explorer, 1st to reach North Pole without dog or motorized transport, born in Johannesburg, South Africa
1980 – Adam Scott, Australian golfer (US Masters 2013), born in Adelaide, South Australia

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Famous Deaths

1736 – Thomas Yalden, poet/fable writer, dies
1879 – Edward Deas Thomson, British-Australian politician, chancellor of the University of Sydney, and member of the Legislative Council of NSW, dies at 79
1979 – James F Mcintyre, archbishop of Los Angeles, dies at 93
1991 – Dwight Weist, Radio actor and film narrator (Radio Days), dies at 81
2019 – John Paul Stevens, American lawyer and 103rd Supreme Court Justice (1975-2010), dies from complications of a stroke at 99

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Famous Deaths for 15th July 2025

1381 – John Ball, English priest who played a prominent role in the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, hung, drawn and quartered at about 42 or 43
1750 – Vasily Tatishchev, Russian statesman, dies at 73
1782 – Farinelli [Carlo Broschi], Italian castrato (considered one of the great opera singers), dies at 77
1930 – Leopold von Auer, Hungarian-American violinist, dies at 85
1957 – James M. Cox, American politician, 46th and 48th Governor of Ohio (1913-15, 1917-21) and Representative, dies at 87
1979 – Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Mexican politician (President of Mexico 1964-70), dies of cancer at 68
1986 – Billy Haughton, American harness driver and trainer (Hambletonian x 4; Little Brown Jug x 5; Messenger Stakes x 7), dies from head injuries in fall at Yonkers Raceway at 62
1992 – Henk van der Molen, Dutch guitarist, composer, and writer (Martine Bijl), dies
1992 – Chingiz Mustafayev, Azerbaijan’s most noted journalist (b. 1960)
1993 – Bobby Kent, alleged Florida bully murdered by his friends (b. 1973)

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Historical Events for 15th July 2025

1240 – A Novgorodian army led by Alexander Nevsky defeats the Swedes in the Battle of the Neva
1901 – NY Giant Christy Mathewson no-hits St Louis, 5-0
1939 – Clara Adams is the first woman to complete a commercial round-the-world flight from New York, lasting 16 days and 19 hours
1944 – Greenwich Royal Observatory in London damaged by WW II flying bomb
1954 – 110°F (43°C) at Balcony Falls, Virginia (state record)
1957 – Dutch Super Constellation crashes near New Guinea, 56 die
1969 – Cincinnati Red Lee May hits 4 HRs in a doubleheader
1972 – British Open Men’s Golf, Muirfield: Lee Trevino claims his second straight Claret Jug; first to successfully defend his title since Arnold Palmer in 1962; wins by 1 stroke from Jack Nicklaus
1983 – Film version of “The Pirates of Penzance”, starring Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt, and Angela Lansbury premieres in US
2014 – 85th MLB All-Star Game: AL wins 5-3 at Target Field, Minnesota

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Today in History for 15th July 2025

Historical Events

1815 – Napoleon surrenders to Captain Frederick Maitland of HMS Bellerophon at Rochefort after his earlier defeat at the Battle of Waterloo
1946 – British North Borneo Company transfers its rights to modern day Sabah to the British Crown
1954 – 110°F (43°C) at Balcony Falls, Virginia (state record)
1968 – NJ Americans moved to Comack and become NY Nets (ABA)
1982 – Senate confirms George P. Shultz as US 60th Secretary of State by vote of 97-0

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Famous Birthdays

1914 – Akhtar Hameed Khan, Pakistani pioneer of Microcredit in developing countries, born in Agra, British India (d. 1999)
1924 – Jeremiah Denton, American politician (Senator-R-Alabama, 1981-86), born in Mobile, Alabama (d. 2014)
1949 – WiIlliam Faure, South African film producer (Shaka Zulu), born in South Africa (d. 1994)
1956 – Kathy Kreiner, Canadian alpine skier (Olympic gold giant slalom 1976), born in Timmins, Ontario
1961 – Forest Whitaker, American actor and director (“The Last King of Scotland”; “Platoon”), born in Longview, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1871 – Tad Lincoln, youngest son of US President Abraham Lincoln, dies at 18
1919 – [Hermann] Emil Fischer, German chemist, discovered Fischer esterification (Nobel Prize 1902), commits suicide at 66
1931 – Ladislaus Bortkiewicz, Russian mathematician (Poisson distribution) and economist, dies at 62
1939 – Percy Scott Worthington, architect, dies
1961 – John E. Brownlee, Canadian politician (b. 1884)

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Famous Deaths for 14th July 2025

664 – Deusdedit of Canterbury, Archbishop of Canterbury (655-664), 1st Anglo-Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury
1723 – Claude Fleury, French priest and historian, dies at 82
1780 – Charles Batteux, French philosopher, dies at 67
1959 – Grock [Adrien Wettach], Swiss clown and circus director, dies at 79
1974 – Carl Spaatz, American World War II general and 1st Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, dies at 83
1983 – Jack MacBryan, English cricket batsman (1 Test; Cambridge University CC, Somerset CCC) and field hockey player (Olympic gold GB and Ireland 1920), dies at 90
1989 – Herman D. Koppel, Danish pianist and composer, dies at 89
1994 – Robert Jungk, Austrian writer, journalist and peace campaigner (The Nuclear State), dies at 81
2000 – Meredith MacRae, American actress (Petticoat Junction. 1966-70- “Billie Jo”; My Three Sons, 1964-66 – “Sally”), and talk show host, dies of brain cancer at 55
2008 – Hugh Lloyd, British actor (Hugh and I, Punch and Judy Man), dies at 85

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Historical Events for 14th July 2025

1911 – 46″ of rain begins to fall in Baguio, Philippines
1941 – Cease fire of Joan of Arc (ends combat in Lebanon and Syria)
1946 – Cleveland’s Lou Boudreau hits 4 doubles and HR, but Red Sox win 11-10 on Ted Williams 3 HR with 8 RBIs
1960 – Fire rages through a Guatemala City insane asylum killing 225 and severely injuring 300
1965 – Israeli Jordanian border fights
1969 – A 67-year-old Catholic civilian dies after being attacked by RUC officers in Dungiven; many consider this the first death of ‘the Troubles’
1986 – 10 killed and 60 injured at ETA-bomb attack in Madrid
2019 – Senior Players Championship Men’s Golf, Firestone CC: Retief Goosen of South Africa birdies final 2 holes to secure his first Champions Tour win by 2 strokes from Jay Haas and Tim Petrovic
2019 – First Ebola case on Goma, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, city of 1 million, as toll of outbreak reaches 1600 victims
2024 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: At just 21, Carlos Alcaraz wins his fourth major title beating 7-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6

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Today in History for 14th July 2025

Historical Events

1966 – 53rd Tour de France won by Lucien Aimar of France
1985 – Last USFL game-Baltimore Stars defeats Oakland Invaders, 28-24
1990 – Sara Martin, of Illinois, crowned America’s Junior Miss
1996 – NY Yankees sweep complete season series in Baltimore for first time
2013 – US Senior Open Men’s Golf, Omaha CC: Kenny Perry wins by 5 strokes ahead of runner-up Fred Funk

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Famous Birthdays

1921 – Geoffrey Wilkinson, English chemist (1973 Nobel Prize – organometallic compounds), born in Todmorden, England (d. 1996)
1928 – Nancy Olson, American actress (Sunset Boulevard; The Absent-Minded Professor; Pollyanna), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1952 – Jerry Houser, American actor (Slapshot, Summer of ’42, Class of ’44), born in Los Angeles, California
1959 – Susana Martinez, American politician (Governor of New Mexico) 1st female Hispanic US governor, born in El Paso, Texas
1966 – Matthew Fox, American actor (Party of 5, Lost), born in Abington, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1614 – Camillus de Lellis, Italian Roman Catholic saint (founder of the Ministers of the Sick), dies at 64
1744 – Immanuel J. Pyra, German poet (Temple of True Poetry), dies at 28
1789 – Jacques de Flesselles, French provost, shot and killed in the early days of the French Revolution at 58
1816 – Francisco de Miranda, Venezuela freedom fighter, dies at 66
1984 – Ernest Tidyman, American author and screenwriter (Shaft; The French Connection), dies at 56

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