Today in History for 21st June 2024

Historical Events

1792 – British George Vancouver meets Spanish ships Sutil and Mexicana off Vancouver, British Columbia
1824 – Greek War of Independence: Egyptian forces capture Psara in the Aegean Sea
1826 – Maniots defeat Egyptians under Ibrahim Pasha in the Battle of Vergas
1957 – Louis St. Laurent resigns as Prime Minister of Canada, ending the longest uninterrupted run at the federal level in Canadian history
1987 – US Open Men’s Golf, Olympic Club: Scott Simpson passes and holds off 1982 champion Tom Watson on the Lake Course to win his only major title by 1 stroke
1991 – New York Islanders Denis Potvin and Mike Bossy are elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame

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Famous Birthdays

1817 – James Brewerton Ricketts, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in New York City (d. 1887)
1906 – Lluís Maria Millet, Catalan composer, born in Barcelona, Spain (d. 1990)
1921 – Jane Russell, American actress and leading sex symbol in 1940s-50s (The Outlaw), born in Bemidji, Minnesota (d. 2011)
1935 – Françoise Sagan (née Quoirez), French novelist (Bonjour Tristesse), born in Cajarc, France (d. 2004)
1947 – Shirin Ebadi, Iranian lawyer, human rights activist and 1st Iranian Muslim woman to receive a Nobel Peace Prize (2003), born in Hamadan, Iran
1996 – Scottie Scheffler, American golfer (US Masters 2022, 24; Players C’ship 2023; world #1 2022, 23, 24), born in Ridgewood, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1205 – Enrico Dandolo, Doge of Venice (b. 1107)
1527 – Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian statesman and author (The Prince), dies at 57
1945 – Josef Hora, Czech writer and poet (Sinking Shadows), dies at 53
1964 – Michael Schwerner, American civil rights activist, murdered at 21
1997 – Shintaro Katsu, Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director (Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman), dies at 65
2001 – John Lee Hooker, American blues guitarist (“Boom Boom”; “Boogie Chillen”), dies at 83

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Famous Deaths for 20th June 2024

451 – Theodoric I, King of the Visigoths (418-451), killed fighting the Huns. at the Battle of Châlons, dies at 60 or 61 [birth date uncertain]
1870 – Jules de Goncourt, French writer, wrote with his brother Edmond de Goncourt, dies at 39
1922 – Vittorio Monti, composer, dies at 54
1963 – Gordon Jones, American character actor (The Green Hornet; Flying Tigers; Abbott and Costello), dies from a heart attack at 52
1963 – Raphaël Salem, Greek mathematician, dies at 64
1998 – Conrad Schumann, East German border guard, committed suicide at 56
2007 – Trevor Henry, New Zealand Justice (b. 1902)
2012 – Andrew Sarris, American movie critic (Village Voice), dies at 83
2017 – Prodigy [Albert Johnson], American rapper (Mobb Deep), dies at 42
2018 – Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi, Pakistani satirical and humor writer, dies at 94

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Historical Events for 20th June 2024

1837 – Queen Victoria at 18 ascends British throne following death of uncle King William IV. She rules for 63 years till 1901.
1864 – Battle of Kinston, North Carolina and Battle of Abingdon, Virginia
1970 – Oriole’s Brooks Robinson get his 2,000 career hit, a 3 run HR
1976 – Disney’s River Country opens at Bay Lake (closed 2001)
1980 – Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán takes WBC welterweight title from Sugar Ray Leonard at Olympic Stadium in Montreal by unanimous points decision
1981 – Guitarist Gerry Cott quits Boomtown Rats
1987 – Chuti Tiu, 17, of Wisconsin, crowned America’s Junior Miss
1987 – 1st Rugby World Cup Final, Eden Park, Auckland: New Zealand fly-half Grant Fox lands 4 penalties, a conversion and drop goal as the All Blacks beat France, 29-9
2017 – Tiger Woods checks into a clinic to manage his pain medication and sleep disorder, following his arrest for driving under the influence
2020 – 152nd Belmont Stakes: Tiz the Law with Manuel Franco aboard becomes first New York-bred winner of the event since 1882

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Today in History for 20th June 2024

Historical Events

1894 – French bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin discovers bacillus responsible for the bubonic plague in Hong Kong (Yersinia pestis named in his honor)
1946 – NYC transit begins using PA system – Car # 744 on 8th Ave IND line
1976 – UEFA European Championship Final, Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia: Czechoslovakia upsets West Germany, 5-3 on penalties following 2-2 draw a.e.t
1981 – Mudjahedin uprises against Iran regime
1986 – Jim Fregosi replaces Tony La Russa as White Sox manager
2020 – 152nd Belmont Stakes: Tiz the Law with Manuel Franco aboard becomes first New York-bred winner of the event since 1882

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Famous Birthdays

1916 – Johnny Morris, British broadcaster and actor (Once in a Lifetime), born in Newport, Wales (d. 1999)
1924 – Rainer Barzel, German politician (CDU-CSU) and minister, born in Braunsberg, East Prussia, Free State of Prussia (d. 2006)
1927 – John M Dengler, American jazz multi-instrumentalist – bass sax/trumpet/trombone (The Intensely Vigorous Jazz Band), born in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania (d. 1994)
1928 – William Berger, Austrian American actor (Face to Face, Adventure of Hercules), born in Innsbruck, Austria (d. 1993)
1945 – James Buchli, American marine and astronaut (STS 51C, 61A, 29, 48), born in New Rockford, North Dakota
1951 – Tress MacNeille, American voice actress (Daisy Duck), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

840 – Louis the Pious (also the Fair, and the Debonaire), Holy Roman Emperor (814-840), dies at 62
1597 – Willem Barents [Barentsz], Dutch navigator and arctic explorer (Barents Sea named after him), dies at sea in the Arctic at about 47
1869 – Hijikata Toshizō, Japanese military leader, dies at 34
1994 – Louis Benjamin, British showman, organized Royal Variety performances, dies at 71
2005 – Jack Kilby, American electrical engineer (Nobel Prize in Physics, 2000 – handheld calculator, integrated circuit), dies at 81
2016 – James Victor, Dominican-American actor (Boulevard Night, Streets of LA), dies at 76

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Famous Deaths for 19th June 2024

1584 – François, Duke of Anjou (b. 1555)
1844 – Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, French naturalist, dies at 72
1956 – (Luise) “Lulu” von Strauss und Torney, German poet (Erde der Väter – Our Forefathers’ Soil), and novelist (Der jüngste Tag – Judgment Day), dies at 82
1995 – Peter Townsend, British RAF officer, war hero, courtier and writer (had romance with Princess Margaret), dies at 80
1996 – Ande Anderson, English opera director, dies at 78
1996 – Edvin Wide, Swedish runner (Olympic silver 1924 and world record holder), dies at 100
2010 – Ursula Thiess [Schmidt], German actress (Monsoon, Bengal Brigade, Americano), dies at 86
2010 – Angela Rumbold, British politician (C), dies at 78
2013 – Filip Topol, Czech singer-songwriter (Psí vojáci – Dog Soldiers), dies at 48
2016 – Götz George, German actor (Tatort), dies at 77

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Historical Events for 19th June 2024

1306 – The Earl of Pembroke’s army defeats Robert the Bruce’s Scottish army at the Battle of Methven
1963 – Charter members of Canadian Football Hall of Fame chosen
1963 – Valentina Tereshkova 1st woman in space returns to Earth
1968 – 50,000 participate in Solidarity Day March of Poor People’s Campaign
1973 – “The Rocky Horror Show” stage production first opens in London written by Richard O’Brian and directed by Jim Sharman and starring Tim Curry
1977 – US Open Golf, Southern Hills CC: Hubert Green shoots 2-under 278 to beat Lou Graham by 1 stroke
1978 – Garfield, created by Jim Davis, 1st appears as a comic strip
1991 – Two of actress Mia Farrow’s daughters are arrested for shoplifting lingerie
2009 – “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” directed by Michael Bay and starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox is released
2013 – Jerry Sloan returns to the Utah Jazz as an adviser and scouting consultant

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Today in History for 19th June 2024

Historical Events

1770 – Swedish theologian and philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg reports the completion of the Second Coming of Christ in his work True Christian Religion
1943 – NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers merge, (dissolves on Dec 5)
1944 – Japanese troops conquer Changsha China
1974 – Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) suspends constitution
1990 – Gary Carter catches his 1,862nd career game breaks Al López’s NL mark
2020 – Australian government and companies suffer a months-long state-based cyber attack according to PM Scott Morrison

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Famous Birthdays

1741 – Reinier Vinkeles, Dutch engraver and art collector, born in Amsterdam (d. 1816)
1903 – Hans Litten, German lawyer, workers’ rights advocate, anti-Nazi antagonist, and educator, born in 1903 Halle an der Saale, German Empire (d. 1938)
1928 – Barry Took, English comedy writer (d. 2002)
1935 – Tommy Devito, American rock baritone vocalist and guitarist (Four Seasons – “Sherry”), born in Montclair, New Jersey (d. 2020)
1947 – Salman Rushdie, British-Indian novelist (Midnight’s Children, Satanic Verses), born in Mumbai, India
1954 – Jim Cooper, American politician (Rep-D-TN, 1983- ), born in Nashville, Tennessee

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Famous Deaths

1936 – John Sharpe, cricketer (1-eyed fast bowler for England 1891-92), dies
1962 – Frank Borzage, American director (7th Heaven, Strange Cargo), dies at 69
1986 – Coluche [Michel Colucci], French comedian (My Best Friend’s Girl), dies at 41
2012 – Richard Lynch, American actor, dies at 76 (body found on this date)
2013 – Bojidar Dimov, Bulgarian pianist and composer (Die Hochzeit von Susa), dies at 61
2016 – Anton Yelchin, Russian-born American actor (Star Trek), dies in an accident at 27

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Famous Deaths for 18th June 2024

1234 – Emperor Chūkyō, 85th emperor of Japan, dies at 15
1580 – Juliana van Stolberg, German countess, mother of William of Orange and Jan Nassau, dies at 74
1704 – Thomas “Tom” Brown, English translator and writer of satire (Amusements Serious and Comical, calculated for the Meridian of London), dies at 41
1749 – Ambrose Philips, English poet (b. 1674)
1866 – Jacob Abels, Dutch painter, dies at 62
1964 – Alexander Shamil’yevich Melik-Pashayev, Georgian conductor and composer (Bol’shoy Theatre, 1931-62), dies at 58
1967 – Beat Fehr, Swiss racing driver, killed in crash at Caserta, Italy at 23
1971 – Paul Karrer, Swiss organic chemist (Nobel 1937), dies at 82
1971 – Thomas Gomez, American actor (Force of Evil, Key Largo, Kim, Sellout), dies after a car accident at 65
1986 – Frances Scott Fitzgerald, Daughter of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre. (b. 1921)

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Historical Events for 18th June 2024

1894 – Premier Roseberry declares Uganda a British protectorate
1898 – Steel Pier, 1st amusement pier opens in Atlantic City, New Jersey
1943 – SS Police in Amsterdam sentence 12 resistance fighters to death for the fire-bombing at the census records bureau in March
1944 – Farewell concert of conductor Willem Mengelberg in Paris, France
1948 – National Security Council authorizes covert operations for 1st time
1949 – “Along Fifth Avenue” closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 180 performances
1955 – “3 for Tonight” closes at Plymouth Theater NYC after 85 performances
1982 – Voting Rights Act of 1965 extended by Senate by 85-8 vote
2019 – England cricket captain Eoin Morgan smashes a ODI world record 17 sixes against Afghanistan in his side’s 150-run World Cup victory at Old Trafford; Morgan, 148 from 71 balls
2022 – Attacks in Oromia, western Ethiopia, targeting the Amhara people leave a reported 250 dead, killed by Oromo rebels amid worsening ethnic conflict in the country

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Today in History for 18th June 2024

Historical Events

1821 – Carl Maria von Weber’s opera “Der Freischutz” (“The Marksman”) premieres at Schauspielhaus, Berlin, Germany
1912 – The Chicago national Republican Convention splits between President Taft and Theodore Roosevelt; after Taft is nominated, Roosevelt and progressive elements of the Party form the Progressive Party (also known as the ‘Bull Moose Party’)
1972 – 3 members of the British Army are killed by an Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb in a derelict house near Lurgan, County Down
1983 – Space shuttle Challenger 2 launches the first American woman into space, astronaut Sally Ride
1996 – Ted Kaczynski, suspected of being the Unabomber, is indicted on ten criminal counts
2013 – Russia passes a law banning foreign same-sex couples from adopting children

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Famous Birthdays

1934 – Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Japanese manga artist (d. 2004)
1942 – Hans Vonk, Dutch conductor (The Hague Philharmonic, 1980-1991; St. Louis Symphony, 1996-2002), born in Amsterdam (d. 2004)
1952 – Idriss Déby, Chadian politician and military officer (President of Chad, 1990–2021), born in Berdoba, Chad (d. 2021)
1962 – Jan[ice] Merrill, track star (US record long distance holder 1979)
1969 – Vito LoGrasso, American professional wrestler
1991 – Willa Holland, American actress (Arrow), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1629 – Piet Heyn, Dutch privateer who captured a Spanish silver fleet and admiral who became a folk hero, shot by cannonball during a skirmish with privateers at 51
1937 – Al Boasberg, American vaudeville, radio and film comedy writer (Jack Benny; Bob Hope; The Marx Brothers), dies of a heart attack at 44
1939 – Frans “Sas” van Aerschot, Flemish operetta actor (Paljas), dies at 73
1982 – Roberto Calvi, Italian banker and director (Banco Ambrosiano), hangs himself at 62
2016 – Paul Cox, Dutch-born Australian director (Lonely Hearts), dies at 76
2020 – Arturo Chaires, Mexican soccer defender (22 caps; C.D. Guadalajara), dies at 83

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