Today in History for 12th June 2024

Historical Events

1772 – Marion du Fresne is killed at Tacoury’s Cove, Bay of Islands, New Zealand, by local Māori
1933 – Financial and Economy World conference opens (66 countries)
1950 – 2 Air France DC-4s crash near Bahrain, about 100 die
1963 – “Cleopatra” directed by Joseph Mankiewicz and starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton premieres in NYC, then most expensive film ever made
2002 – 1st CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards: Dixie Chicks, Martina McBride, and Kenny Chesney win
2020 – African American Rayshard Brooks shot dead in drive-through carpark in Atlanta leading to further protests at police violence and the resignation of city’s police chief

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Famous Birthdays

1835 – George Atzerodt, American conspirator who failed to attempt an assassination of Vice President Andrew Johnson on the night Abraham Lincoln was murdered, born in Dorna, German Confederation (d. 1865)
1878 – James Oliver Curwood, American journalist and writer (Kazan the wolfdog), born in Owosso, Michigan (d. 1927)
1942 – Bert Sakmann, German cell physiologist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1991), born in Stuttgart, Germany
1945 – Alfred Gell, British social anthropologist (d. 1997)
1963 – Philippa Baker, New Zealand rower (World C’ship gold LW1x 1991; W2x 1993, 94), born in Wanganui, New Zealand
1973 – Jason Caffey, American NBA forward (Chicago Bulls), born in Mobile, Alabama

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Famous Deaths

1687 – Jurriaen van Streeck, Dutch still life painter, buried
1761 – Meinrad Spiess, German composer, dies at 77
1888 – Carel Vosmaer, Dutch poet and art critic (Netherlands Spectator), dies at 62
1994 – Ron Goldman, waiter, murdered with wife of O.J. Simpson at 27
1995 – Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian classical pianist, dies at 75
2022 – Phil Bennett, Welsh rugby union fly-half (29 Tests Wales, 8 British and Irish Lions; Barbarians FC; Llanelli RFC 414 games and 2,535 points), dies at 73

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Famous Deaths for 11th June 2024

1698 – Balthasar Bekker, Dutch theologist (helped end persecution of witches), dies at 64
1859 – Klemens von Metternich, Austrian statesman, Minister of Foreign Affairs (1809-48) and host of the Congress of Vienna (1814-15), dies at 86
1903 – King Alexander I of Serbia assassinated during a coup d’etat at 26
1956 – Ralph Morgan [Wupperman], American actor (Creeper, Imposter, Jack London), dies at 73
1970 – Frank Silvera, Jamaican-American actor (High Chaparral, Killer’s Kiss, Fear and Desire), accidentally electrocutes himself at 55
1991 – Vlastimil Fisar, Czech actor/pres (Intl Actors Federation), dies
1993 – Bernard Bresslaw, English comedian (Carry On team), dies of a heart attack at 59
1994 – Kitty Muggeridge, British author and translator, dies at 90
2001 – Timothy McVeigh, American Oklahoma City bomber and terrorist, executed for bombing Oklahoma City at 33
2003 – William Marshall, American stage and screen actor, director, and operatic singer (Frederick Douglass: Slave and Statesman; Blacula; Scream Blacula Scream), dies from Alzheimer’s disease at 78

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Historical Events for 11th June 2024

1898 – Emperor De Zong proclaims reforms in Peking
1927 – Future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Babe Ruth hits 19th and 20th homers of MLB season record 60 HRs in New York’s 6-4 win over Cleveland Indians at Yankees Stadium
1938 – French Championships Women’s Tennis: In an all-French final Simonne Mathieu wins first of consecutive titles; beats Nelly Adamson 6-0, 6-3
1941 – 2nd great raid on Jews of Amsterdam
1980 – K-Ingleside streetcar converts to METRO service (San Francisco)
1981 – Cannibal Issei Sagawa kills Dutch student
1984 – US Supreme Court declares illegally obtained evidence may be admitted at trial if it could be proved that it would have been discovered legally
2006 – 60th Tony Awards: “Jersey Boys” (musical) and “The History Boys” (play) win
2009 – Texas mother hit by lightning while standing in her kitchen in her Texas home. Witnesses say lightning came through a light fixture, struck her chest and exited her foot. Survived after three days in hospital.
2012 – US territory Puerto Rico votes to become a US State

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Today in History for 11th June 2024

Historical Events

1594 – Philip II recognizes the rights and privileges of local nobles and chieftains in the Philippines, creating a ruling class of native nobility known as the Principalía
1987 – Margaret Thatcher is 1st British Prime Minister in 160 years to win a third consecutive term
1988 – Freedom Fest: Anti-apartheid benefit and Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert addresses his continued imprisonment; performers include Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Dire Straits, Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba, Youssou N’Dour, Peter Gabriel, Al Green, Joan Armatrading; Jessye Norman, and The Eurythmics at Wembley Stadium, London; broadcast to 67 countries with estimated audience of 600 million
1992 – US Olympic baseball team plays 1st exhibition game, beat Venezuela 20-0
1994 – 126th Belmont: Pat Day aboard Tabasco Cat wins in 2:26.8
2020 – Bodies of 46 migrants recovered off the coast of Tunisia after a boat capsized a few days before

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Famous Birthdays

1908 – George Paine, English cricket spin bowler (4 Tests, 17 wickets; Warwickshire CCC), born in London, England (d. 1978)
1914 – Jack Mann, British fighter pilot and hostage, kidnapped by Islamists in Lebanon in May 1989, born in Northampton, England (d. 1995)
1920 – Bir Bikram Shah Deva Mahendra, King of Nepal (1955-72), born in Narayanhity Royal Palace, Kathmandu, Kingdom of Nepal (d. 1972)
1931 – Margarita Pracatan [Figueroa], Cuban-American novelty singer (BBC’s Saturday Night Clive), born in Santiago, Cuba (d. 2020)
1949 – Frank Beard, American blues-rock drummer (ZZ Top – “Legs”), born in Frankton, Texas
1964 – Kim Gallagher, American athlete (Olympic silver 800m 1984; bronze 1988), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2002)

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Famous Deaths

1879 – William, Prince of Orange, Dutch crown prince of the Netherlands, dies of typhus at 39
1975 – Floro Ugarte, Argentine composer (From My Land; Saika), and educator, dies at 90
1976 – Folke Eriksberg [Eriksberger], Swedish jazz and session guitarist and composer, dies at 65
2005 – Ghena Dimitrova, Bulgarian operatic soprano, dies of cancer at 64
2008 – Võ Văn Kiệt, former prime minister of Vietnam (b. 1922)
2015 – Jim Ed Brown, American country music singer-songwriter (“Here Today and Gone Tomorrow”; “Pop a Top”), and radio and television host (Nashville on the Road), dies of lung cancer at 81

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Famous Deaths for 10th June 2024

1580 – Luis Vaz de Camoes, Portugal’s national poet (Os Lusiados), dies
1607 – John Popham, English politician (Speaker of the House, Lord Chief Justice), dies at 75 or 76
1849 – Friedrich Kalkbrenner, German-French pianist and composer, dies at 63
1849 – Thomas Robert Bugeaud, Marshal of France and duke of Isly, dies at 64
1955 – Margaret Abbott, American golfer (1st American woman to win Olympic event, golf 1900), dies at 76
1968 – Yury Sergeyevich Milyutin, Russian composer, dies at 65
1996 – Norman Lambert, British restaurateur, dies at 63 (b. 1933)
2016 – Gordie Howe, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame right wing (23-time NHL All Star; NHL: Detroit Red Wings; WHA: Houston Aeros), dies of a stroke at 88
2020 – Harry Glickman, American journalist, promoter and sports executive (co-founder NBA Portland Trail Blazers, President 1987-94), dies at 96
2023 – Giannis Markopoulos, Greek composer (Zavara-Katra-Nemia; 24 Dances), dies of cancer at 84

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Historical Events for 10th June 2024

1942 – Nazis kill all inhabitants of Lidice, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (now Czech Republic) which had been implicated in the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, Nazi controller of Bohemia and Moravia, to “teach the Czechs a final lesson of subservience and humility”; over 170 adult men were executed by firing squad on site, women and children were sent to concentration camp gas chambers, and the village was burned down and plowed under
1954 – KQED TV channel 9 in San Francisco, California (PBS) begins broadcasting
1957 – John Diefenbaker (C) elected Prime Minister of Canada
1966 – The Beatles release single “Paperback Writer” / “Rain” in UK; “Rain” featured experimental studio tricks of slowed down bass and drums tracks, and backwards vocals in the fade out
1967 – 15,000 attend Fantasy Faire and Magic Mountain Music Festival, California
1967 – American pole vaulter Bob Seagren sets a world record mark of 17’7″ in San Diego, California
1974 – “Feel Like Makin’ Love” single released by Roberta Flack (Billboard Song of the Year 1974)
1991 – David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” final episode airs on ABC-TV
2013 – Superman film “Man of Steel” directed by Zack Snyder, starring Henry Cavill and Amy Adams premieres in New York City
2019 – New DNA research on grapes shows one French wine Savagnin Blanc has been grown for 900 years in Jura published in “Nature Plants”

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Today in History for 10th June 2024

Historical Events

1865 – Richard Wagner’s opera “Tristan und Isolde” premieres in Munich, Germany
1916 – Great Arab Revolt begins against ruling Ottoman turks
1990 – French Open Men’s Tennis: Andres Gomez of Ecuador wins his 1st and only career Grand Slam title; beats American Andre Agassi 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
1995 – French Open Women’s Tennis: Steffi Graf beats Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 7-5, 4-6, 6-0 with pivotal 32-point game in 3rd set; Graf’s 4th French title
1996 – 30th Music City News Country Awards: Alan Jackson wins
2018 – Actor Vince Vaughn arrested for drunk driving and resisting arrest near Los Angeles

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Famous Birthdays

1861 – Pierre Duhem, French naturalist, philosopher and historian, born in Paris (d. 1916)
1861 – Joseph Cuypers, Dutch architect (St Bavo, Haarlem), born in Roermond, the Netherlands (d. 1949)
1863 – Louis Couperus, Dutch poet and writer (Eline Vere), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1923)
1929 – Edward O. Wilson, American sociobiologist, world’s leading authority on ants, born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 2021)
1934 – Nicolas Roussakis, American composer, born in Athens, Greece (d. 1994)
1979 – Lee Brice, American country singer and songwriter (Love Like Crazy, Hard to Love), born in Sumter, South Carolina

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Famous Deaths

1247 – Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada, Spanish Archbishop of Toledo and advisor to Alfonso VIII, dies (b. c. 1170)
1967 – Frank Butler, American actor and screenwriter (Road to Bali, China), dies at 76
1986 – Merle Miller, American biographer (b. 1919)
2008 – Dieuwke de Graaff-Nauta, Dutch politician (State Secretary for the Interior 1986-94), dies at 78
2009 – Norma Shaw, English lawn bowler (World Outdoor C’ship gold 1981; Indoor C’ship gold 1997), dies at 72
2021 – Neno, Portuguese soccer goalkeeper (9 caps; Vitória de Guimarães, Benfica), dies from a heart attack at 59

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Famous Deaths for 9th June 2024

1870 – Charles Dickens, English writer (Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol), dies of stroke at 58
1900 – Birsa Munda, Indian tribal freedom fighter, religious leader and folk hero of the Munda tribe who led an uprising in Bengal against the British Raj, dies in jail awaiting trial at 24
1964 – [William Maxwell] Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Canadian British newspaper owner (Leatherhead), dies at 85
1978 – Chief Tahachee [Jeff Davis Tahchee Cypert], Cherokee stage and film actor, dies from a heart attack at 74
1991 – Charles Loloma, painter/sculptor, dies
1994 – Dhirendra Bhramachari [Flying Swami], hindu leader, dies at 70
2001 – David Sheinfeld, American violinist and composer, dies at 94
2014 – Bob Welch, American baseball pitcher (AL Cy Young Award 1990; Oakland A’s; World Series 1981, 89, 2001), dies from a broken neck at 57
2018 – Lorraine Gordon [Stein], American jazz music advocate and owner of Village Vanguard jazz club, dies at 95
2022 – Oleg Moliboga, Ukrainian volleyball player (Olympic gold USSR 1980, silver 1976; World C’ship gold 1978, 82), dies at 69

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Historical Events for 9th June 2024

1772 – 1st naval attack of Revolutionary War takes place in Providence, Rhode Island
1803 – British explorer Matthew Flinders arrives in Sydney becoming the first person to circumnavigate Australia, proving it is one continent
1902 – 1st Automat restaurant opens at 818 Chestnut St, Philadelphia
1931 – First rocket-powered aircraft design patented by Robert Goddard
1942 – Adipatie Ario Soejono becomes minister in Gerbrandy government
1988 – “Bloodsport (1987)” premieres in Germany
2010 – 9th CMT Video Music Awards: Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, and Keith Urban win
2016 – Elizabeth Warren formally endorses Hillary Clinton for president
2019 – 95 people killed in attack on Dogon village Sobame Da in central Mali by suspected Fulani group
2021 – US President Joe Biden begins his first foreign trip, arriving in the UK to attend a G7 summit

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Today in History for 9th June 2024

Historical Events

1908 – King Edward VII of Great Britain visits Tsar Nicholas II at Reval, Russia, where the two discuss the growing power of Germany and British plans for reform in Macedonia
1960 – Roy Orbison releases single “Only the Lonely”; it becomes his 1st major hit – peaking at #2 in the US and topping the UK charts
1975 – Tony Orlando and Dawn receives gold record for “He Don’t Love You”
1984 – Jurgen Hingsen of West Germany sets record for decathlon, 8,798 pts
1984 – NASA suffers a launch vehicle failure launching Intelsat 509
2013 – The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, Shoal Creek GandCC: David Frost of South Africa wins his lone career major title by 1 stroke from Fred Couples

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Famous Birthdays

1898 – Luigi Fagioli, Italian auto racer (oldest to win F1 race at 53), born in Osimo, Ancona, Italy (d. 1952)
1901 – George Price, American cartoonist (The New Yorker), born in Fort Lee, New Jersey (d. 1995)
1938 – Gary Starkweather, American engineer and inventor of the laser printer, born in Lansing, Michigan (d. 2019)
1942 – Ossie Clark, British fashion designer of the Swinging Sixties, born in Oswaldtwistle, England (d. 1996)
1973 – Orlondo Steinauer, American CFL cornerback (Hamilton Tiger Cats) and coach, born in Seattle, Washington
1973 – Tedy Bruschi, American linebacker (New England Patriots), born in San Francisco, California

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Famous Deaths

1825 – Pauline Bonaparte, Corsican duchess of Parma and Guastalla, sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, dies at 44
1892 – William Grant Stairs, Canadian-British explorer and adventurer with leading role controversial African expeditions, dies of malaria at 28
1960 – René Maran, French writer (Batouala, 1st black writer to win Prix Goncourt), dies at 72
1976 – Sybil Thorndike, English actress (Melba, Major Barbara), dies at 93
1996 – Edward Morris Bernstein, American economist (US negotiator at Bretton Woods conference and establishment of IMF), dies at 91
2019 – Gerlind Reinshagen, German novelist, children’s book author, and playwright (Himmel und Erde (Heaven and Earth)), dies at 93

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