553 – Moon Jaguar becomes the 10th ruler of the Maya city of Copán (modern Honduras), will reign for 25 years
1647 – Alse Young becomes the first person executed as a witch in the American colonies, when she is hanged in Hartford, Connecticut
1942 – Belgium Jews are required by Nazis to wear a Jewish star
1955 – Musical adaptation of the 1927 silent film “7th Heaven”, starring Gloria DeHaven and Ricardo Montalbán, opens at ANTA Theater, NYC; runs for 44 performances
1963 – French Championships Men’s Tennis: Australian Roy Emerson beats home favourite Pierre Darmon 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
1972 – The British state-owned travel firm Thomas Cook and Son is sold to a consortium of private businesses headed by the Midland Bank
1987 – US Supreme Court ruled dangerous defendants could be held without bail
1987 – Cecilia Bolocco, 22, of Chile, crowned 36th Miss Universe
2002 – Indianapolis 500: Defending champion Hélio Castroneves of Brazil becomes fifth driver in Indy 500 history to win back-to-back races for his second of 4 race victories
2012 – Pope Benedict XVI’s butler is arrested for allegedly leaking confidential documents
Author: gil7
Today in History for 26th May 2024
Historical Events
961 – German King Otto II crowned
1951 – Vaughan Williams’ “Pilgrim’s Progress” premieres in London
1969 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin their 2nd bed-in for peace at Hotel La Reine Elizabeth, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
1984 – Floods kill 14 in Tulsa, Oklahoma
1997 – NHL Western Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings beat Colorado Avalanche, 4 games to 2
2000 – Arthur C. Clarke is knighted “for services to literature” at a ceremony in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Famous Birthdays
1863 – Bob Fitzsimmons, English boxer (first 3-division world champion; Middleweight 1981-96, Light Heavyweight 1903, Heavyweight 1897-99), born in Helston, England (d. 1917)
1923 – Roy Dotrice, British actor (A Moon for the Misbegotten, Amadeus) and narrator (A Song of Ice and Fire), born in Guernsey, Channel Islands (d. 2017)
1931 – Jim Frey, American MLB manager (Kansas City Royals, American League C’ship 1980; Chicago Cubs), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2020)
1941 – Imants Kalniņš, Latvian classical, choral and rock composer (“Hey, You There!”), born in Riga, Latvian SSR
1957 – Kristina Olsen, American folk singer-songwriter (“I’m Keeping This Life of Mine”), and session musician, born in San Francisco, California
1981 – Eda-Ines Etti, Estonian pop singer (Eurovision), born in Haapsalu, Estonia
Famous Deaths
1864 – Charles Sealsfield, Austrian-American writer, dies at 71
1907 – Ida McKinley, US First Lady (1897-1901) and wife of the 25th US President William McKinley, dies at 59
1959 – Joe Kelly, American radio and television host (Quiz Kids, 1949-53), dies at 57
1977 – William Powell, American RandB singer (O’Jays – “Love Train”; “Backstabbers”), dies of cancer at 35
1979 – George Brent, American actor (Baby Face, Dark Victory, 42nd St), dies at 75
1995 – Friz Freleng, American animator for Warner Bros cartoons (Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies), dies at 88
Famous Deaths for 25th May 2024
992 – Mieszko I, Grand Duke and ruler of Poland (960-992), dies at around 61
1934 – Gustav Holst, English composer (The Planets; Ode to Death), dies at 59
1935 – Sir Frank Watson Dyson, English astronomer, dies at 71
1965 – Sonny Boy Williamson II [Aleck Miller], American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, dies at 65
1974 – Donald Crisp, British actor and director (How Green Was My Valley, Pollyana), dies at 91
2007 – Bill Johnston, Australian cricket fast/spin bowler (40 Tests, 160 wickets @ 23.91; Victoria), dies at 85
2008 – Georgette Amowitz, French choreographer and educator, dies at 78
2008 – J. R. Simplot, American potato farmer (b. 1909)
2009 – Haakon Lie, Norwegian politician (b. 1905)
2023 – Frank Handlen, American artist of marine subjects, dies at 106
Historical Events for 25th May 2024
1660 – King Charles II of England lands at Dover harbour on his way to London during the Restoration
1787 – Constitutional convention opens at Philadelphia, George Washington presiding
1810 – In the May Revolution, citizens of Buenos Aires expel the Spanish Viceroy Cisneros during Semana de Mayo
1904 – 38th Belmont: George Odom aboard Delhi wins in 2:06.6
1973 – 26th Cannes Film Festival: “The Hireling” directed by Alan Bridges and “Scarecrow” directed by Jerry Schatzberg jointly awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
1983 – 1st US National Missing Children’s Day is proclaimed
1992 – Jay Leno becomes permanent host of US talk show “The Tonight Show”
1992 – Oscar Luigi Scalfaro elected President of Italy
1995 – The Bosnian Serb Army kills 72 youngsters in the Bosnian city of Tuzla
2002 – Super Rugby Final, Jade Stadium, Christchurch: Crusaders win 4th title with a 31-13 thumping of the ACT Brumbies; flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens boots 3 penalties, 2 conversions and a dropped goal for the winners
Today in History for 25th May 2024
Historical Events
1948 – 30th PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Norwood Hills CC: Ben Hogan scores a convincing 7 and 6 win over Mike Turnesa in the Tuesday final for his 2nd PGA crown
1956 – Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Haurietis aquas
1981 – Daniel Goodwin scales outside of Chicago’s Sears Tower in 7 hours
1991 – Stanley Cup Final, Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, MN: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Minnesota North Stars, 8-0 for a 4-2 series win; Penguins’ first Final series appearance
2000 – 53rd Cannes Film Festival: “Dancer in the Dark” directed by Lars von Trier and starring Björk (Best Actress) wins the Palme d’Or
2011 – 46th Academy of Country Music Awards: Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert and Brad Paisley win
Famous Birthdays
1865 – Frederick Augustus III, King of Saxony (1904-18), born in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony (d. 1932)
1883 – Elsa Maxwell, American writer (Jack Paar Show), born in Keokuk, Iowa (d. 1963)
1932 – John Gregory Dunne, American writer (Up Close and Personal, True Confessions), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2003)
1937 – Mark Shields, American political journalist and commentator (PBS NewsHour, 1988-2020; CNN Capitol Gang, 1998-2005), born in Weymouth, Massachusetts (d. 2022)
1937 – (Trevor) Tom Phillips, English visual artist, printmaker and collagist, born in Clapham, England (d. 2022)
1959 – Cathryn Harrison, English actress (Old Woman in Black Moon), born in London, England
Famous Deaths
1914 – Paolo Giorza, Italian-Australian composer, dies at 81
1981 – Roy Brown, American RandB singer, songwriter (“Good Rockin’ Tonight”), dies of a heart attack at 55
1981 – Fredric Warburg, British publisher (Animal Farm) and author, dies at 82
1996 – Bernard Sendall, British deputy director general of British Independent Television Authority and author (Independent Television in Britain), dies at 83
2003 – Sloan Wilson, American novelist (“The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit”; “A Summer Place”), dies at 83
2011 – Leonora Carrington, British-Mexican Surrealist artist, dies aged 94
Famous Deaths for 24th May 2024
1670 – Ferdinand II, ruler of Toscane, dies at 59
1681 – Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, Swedish architect (Drottningholm Palace), dies at 65
1843 – Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician, dies at 78
1850 – Jane Porter, novelist (Scottish Chiefs), dies at 74
1994 – Jean-Pierre Plooij, Dutch writer and playwright (Duvelsmoer verhalen; Patience; Bird House), dies at 48
1994 – John Barrington Wain, English author and poet (Hurry on Down), dies at 69
2005 – Arthur Haulot, Belgian journalist (b. 1913)
2010 – Paul Gray, American heavy metal bassist (Slipknot), dies of a drug overdose at 38
2010 – Ray Alan, English ventriloquist and television entertainer (Lord Charles), dies at 79
2022 – Thomas Ulsrud, Norwegian curler (World C’ship gold [skip] 2014; Olympics silver 2010), dies from cancer at 50
Historical Events for 24th May 2024
1866 – Berkeley, California named (for George Berkeley, Bishop of Cloyne)
1895 – Henry Irving becomes the first actor to receive a knighthood
1909 – Bristol University granted Royal Charter
1918 – British officer General Poole lands at Murmansk, the Russian port on the Barents Sea
1944 – Icelandic voters severe all ties with Denmark
1970 – The drilling of the Kola Superdeep Borehole begins in the Soviet Union
1978 – American management consultant Marilyn Loden first coins the term “glass ceiling” to describe invisible career barriers for women
1986 – Margaret Thatcher becomes 1st British Prime Minister to visit Israel
1997 – Telstar-5 Proton Launch, Successful
2018 – World’s largest cat-proof fence (44 km / 27.3 miles) completed at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, central Australia to protect endangered species
Today in History for 24th May 2024
Historical Events
1890 – Tivoli Theater of Varieties opens in London
1895 – Henry Irving becomes the first actor to receive a knighthood
1941 – German battleship Bismarck sinks the British battle cruiser HMS Hood; 1,416 die, 3 survive
1980 – “Rock Lobster” by B-52s hits #56
2009 – 62nd Cannes Film Festival: “The White Ribbon” directed by Michael Haneke wins the Palme d’Or
2018 – Record US fentanyl seizure of 120lbs (54kg) confirmed by police in Nebraska in April, enough to kill 26 million people, one of largest drug busts in US history
Famous Birthdays
1816 – Emanuel Leutze, American painter (Washington Crossing the Delaware), born in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Württemberg, German Confederation (d. 1868)
1854 – John Riley Banister, American law officer and cowboy, born in Banister Hollow, Camden County, Missouri (d. 1918)
1899 – Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (French C’ships 1925-26, Wimbledon 1919-23, 25), born in Paris, France (d. 1938)
1941 – Konrad Boehmer, German-Dutch composer, born in Berlin, Germany (2014)
1970 – Tommy Page, American pop singer (“I’ll Be Your Everything”), born in Glenridge, New Jersey (d. 2017)
1981 – Penny Taylor, Australian basketball forward (World C’ship gold 2006; Olympic silver 2004, 08; WNBA C’ship 2007, 09, 14 Phoenix Mercury; 3 x WNBA All-Star), born in Melbourne, Australia
Famous Deaths
1681 – Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, Swedish architect (Drottningholm Palace), dies at 65
1919 – Amado Nervo [Juan Crisóstomo Ruiz de Nervo], Mexican writer and poet, dies at 48
2004 – Milton Shulman, Canadian author and critic (b. 1913)
2010 – Paul Gray, American heavy metal bassist (Slipknot), dies of a drug overdose at 38
2010 – Tapen Chatterjee, Bengali actor from India (b. 1937)
2021 – Samuel E. Wright, American stage and screen actor and singer (Jesus Christ Superstar; Ball Four; The Little Mermaid; The Lion King), dies of prostate cancer at 74
Famous Deaths for 23rd May 2024
1841 – Franz Xaver von Baader, German philosopher and theologist, dies at 76
1893 – Anton von Schmerling, Austrian statesman, dies at 87
1934 – Bonnie Parker, American outlaw of Bonnie and Clyde fame, killed in police ambush in Louisiana at 23
1941 – Slavko Osterc, Slovenian composer (Iz Satanovega Dnevnika (From Satan’s Diary); Illusions), and pedagogue, dies at 45
1969 – Diane Aubrey, actress (Haunted Strangler), dies of a heart attack at 79
1998 – Andreas Liebenberg, South African military commander, dies at 60
2006 – Lloyd Bentsen, American politician (Senator-D-Texas, 1971-93, 1989 Democrat VP nominee), dies at 85
2008 – (Bruce) “Utah” Phillips, American folk singer-songwriter (“Green Rolling Hills”; “The Goodnight-Loving Trail”) storyteller, poet, and labor organizer, dies of heart disease at 73
2022 – Eric Schneider, Dutch actor (Drop Out, Family, Flanagan), dies at 87
2023 – Sheldon Reynolds, American soul and funk guitarist (Commodores, 1983-87; Earth, Wind and Fire, 1987-2002), dies at 63
Historical Events for 23rd May 2024
1568 – The Netherlands declares independence from Spain
1861 – Virginia citizens vote 3 to 1 in favor of secession from the Union
1865 – Flag flown at full mast over White House for the first time since Lincoln was shot
1915 – Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary during WW I
1928 – Bomb attack on Italian embassy in Buenos Aires, 22 die
1958 – US schools 1st use Cliff’s Notes
1965 – Franz Jonas elected President of Austria
1989 – 3rd American Comedy Award: Paula Poundstone
2013 – Patrick Roy is named head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, his former team where he won two Stanley Cups
2014 – “Pauline” a chamber opera by Margaret Atwood and Tobin Stokes premieres at the York Theatre in Vancouver