Author: gil7

Today in History for 20th May 2025

Historical Events

1217 – Second Battle of Lincoln fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
1498 – Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrives at Calicut, India becoming the first European to reach India by sea
1868 – Republican National Convention, meets in Chicago, nominates Grant
1959 – Japanese-Americans regain their citizenship
1972 – “Hard Job Being God” closes at Edison Theater NYC after 6 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1822 – Emile Erckmann [co-wrote with Alexandre Chatrian using penname Erckmann-Chatrian], French writer (Waterloo), born in Meurthe, France (d. 1899)
1917 – Richard Cobb, British historian, born in Frinton-on-Sea (d. 1996)
1925 – D. French Slaughter Jr, American politician (Rep-R-VA, 1985-91), born in Culpeper, Virginia (d. 1998)
1943 – Iain Vallance [Baron Vallance of Tummel], CEO of British Telecom and member of the House of Lords (2004-20), born in Kent, England
1984 – Kenny Vasoli, American rock singer-songwriter, and musician (Vacationer), born in Abington, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1923 – Hans Goldschmidt, German chemist, dies
1925 – Elias Ammons, American politician (Governor of Colorado, 1913-15), who sent the National Guard to settle coalminer strikes, precipitating the Ludlow Massacre, die at 64
1939 – Joe Carr, American Pro Football HOF contributor (NFL President 1921-39), dies from a heart attack at 59
1996 – Julius Marmur, American biochemist and geneticist (DNA research), dies at 70
2007 – Stanley Miller, American chemist (created ‘primordial soup’ experiment to show how life might have originated on earth), dies at 77

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Famous Deaths for 19th May 2025

1319 – Prince Louis, Count of Évreux, son of King Philip III of France, dies at 43
1786 – John Stanley, English blind composer and organist, dies at 74
1921 – Edward Douglass White, American politician and jurist (9th Chief Justice of the United States), dies at 75
1954 – Aart A. van Schelven, Dutch church historian (Willem of Orange), dies at 73
1970 – Ray Schalk, American Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (World Series 1917; Chicago White Sox) and manager (Chicago White Sox 1927-28), dies from cancer at 78
1988 – Virginia Farmer, actress (Cyrano de Bergerac), dies at 90
2002 – John Gorton, Australian politician, 19th Prime Minister of Australia (1968-71), dies at 90
2011 – Tom West, American technologist featured in “The Soul of a New Machine”, dies at 71
2014 – Sante Kimes ‘Dragon Lady’, American convicted con artist and murderess, dies at 79
2016 – (Angus) “Alan” Young, British-Canadian-American actor (Mister Ed – “Wilbur”), and voice actor (Scrooge McDuck), dies of natural causes at 96

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Historical Events for 19th May 2025

1957 – Adone Zoli forms Italian government
1958 – Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” soundtrack album goes #1 and stays #1 for 31 weeks
1962 – “John Birch Society” single by Chad Mitchell Trio hits #99
1968 – 20th Emmy Awards: “Get Smart”, “Mission Impossible” and Barbara Bain win
1974 – Valeri Giscard d’Estaing wins French presidential election
1995 – World’s youngest doctor, Balamurali Ambati, 17, graduates from Mount Sinai
2007 – English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (89,826): Chelsea beats Manchester United, 1 – 0 (a.e.t.); Didier Drogba scores 116′ winner for Blues’ 4th title
2012 – UEFA Champions League Final, Munich: Chelsea beats Bayern Munich, 4-3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw at the end of extra time; Blues’ first title
2018 – 71st Cannes Film Festival: Japanese film “Shoplifters” by Hirokazu Kore-eda wins the Palme d’Or
2161 – Syzygy: Eight of nine planets are forecast to align on the same side of the Sun

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Today in History for 19th May 2025

Historical Events

1547 – Capitulation of Wittenberg: John Frederick I, Protestant Elector of Saxony, resigns after his capture by Catholic Hapsburg forces of Charles V at the Battle of Mühlberg,
1932 – Revival of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s musical “Show Boat” opens at the Casino Theater, NYC; runs for 180 performances
1935 – English Cardinal John Fisher and statesman Thomas More, both executed by Henry VIII, canonized as saints by Pope Pius XI
1962 – US performs nuclear test at Christmas Island (atmospheric)
1995 – World’s youngest doctor, Balamurali Ambati, 17, graduates from Mount Sinai

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Famous Birthdays

1812 – Felix Zollicoffer, American journalist and Confederate Brigadier General who was killed in the Battle of Mill Springs, born in Maury County, Tennessee (d. 1862)
1938 – James Bilbray, American lawyer and politician (Rep-D-Nevada 1987-95), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
1948 – Boet van Dulmen, Dutch motorcycle racer (84 starts, 1 win, 4 podiums,1 pole; Finnish 500cc GP 1979), born in Ammerzoden, Netherlands (d. 2021)
1962 – Iain Harvie, Scottish rock guitarist and songwriter (Del Amitri – “Roll To Me”, “Nothing Ever Happens”), born in Glasgow, Scotland
1968 – Jeanne Basone, American actor and professional wrestler (Hollywood in “GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling”), born in Glendale, California

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Famous Deaths

1319 – Prince Louis, Count of Évreux, son of King Philip III of France, dies at 43
1872 – Johan Hendrik van Dale, Dutch schoolmaster and lexicographer(Van Dale’s Great Dictionary of the Dutch Language), dies of smallpox at 44
1984 – John Betjeman, poet (Mount Zion) and English Poet Laureate (1972-1984), dies at 77
2009 – Nicholas Maw, British composer, dies at 73
2009 – Herbert York, American physicist (b. 1921)

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Famous Deaths for 18th May 2025

1812 – John Bellingham, English merchant who assassinated British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval, executed by hanging at 42 or 43
1913 – Otto Reubke, German organist, conductor, and composer, dies at 70
1936 – Alexander “Alick” Maclean, British composer and conductor (Scarborough Spa Orchestra, 1912-35), dies at 63
1993 – Heinrich Albertz, German theologist and mayor of Berlin (1966-67), dies at 78
1995 – Elisha Cook Jr, American actor (Maltese Falcon, Shane, Magnum PI), dies at 91
1999 – Augustus Pablo, Jamaican musician (King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown), dies at 44
2000 – Steve Wolownik, American ethnomusicologist, balalaika player, arranger, and co-founder of the Balalaika and Domra Association of America, dies at 54
2003 – Anna Santisteban, Puerto Rican beauty contest organizer, dies at 89
2017 – Jim McElreath, American auto racer (California 500, 1970), dies at 89
2024 – Jon Wysocki, American drummer (Staind, 1995-2011 – “It’s Been Awhile”; “Eyes Wide Open”), dies of liver issues at 53

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Historical Events for 18th May 2025

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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