1660 – Isaack B Fubine of Savoy, in The Hague, patents macaroni
1756 – Burmese King Alaungphaya sends his Golden Letter on rolled gold to King George II of Great Britain detailing trade proposals
1862 – Much of Enschede, Netherlands, destroyed by fire
1969 – 2nd ABA championship: Oakland Oaks beat Indiana Pacers, 4 games to 1
1995 – Revival of Budd Schulberg’s stage drama “On the Waterfront”, adapted from his screenplay for the 1954 film, closes at the Atkinson Theater, NYC, after 8 performances
2002 – A China Northern Airlines MD-82 plunges into the Yellow Sea, killing 112 people.
2012 – Paeleoclimatological research claims dinosaur flatulence may have warmed the earth
2015 – British General Elections: Conservative Party win outright majority and David Cameron returns as Prime Minister
2021 – Former police officer and suspected serial killer Hugo Ernesto Osorio Chávez arrested in Chalchuapa, El Salvador, after a mass grave of 15-40 bodies found at his house
2023 – Syria is readmitted into the influential Arab League, more than ten year after being thrown out for repressing pro-democracy protesters
Author: gil7
Today in History for 7th May 2024
Historical Events
1867 – Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel patents dynamite in England, the first of three patents he would receive for the explosive material
1907 – Central American Court of Justice inaugurated in San Jose, Costa Rica – first standing tribunal for International Law in the world
1913 – Plot by English suffragettes to blow up part of St Paul’s cathedral thwarted when the bomb is discovered
1954 – French surrender to Vietminh after 55-day siege at Dien Bien Phu
1955 – USSR signs peace treaty with France and Great Britain
1995 – Twins beat Indians 10-9 in 17 innings, 6 hours and 36 minutes
Famous Birthdays
1855 – Willie Fernie, Scottish golfer (British Open 1883), born in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland (d. 1924)
1890 – Billy House, American actor (Imitation of Life; Bedlam: The Egg and I), born in Mankato, Minnesota (d. 1961)
1909 – Edwin Land, American inventor of instant photography and co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation, born in Bridgeport, Connecticut (d. 1991)
1931 – Gene Wolfe, American sci-fi author (Soldier of Arete), born in New York City
1933 – Nexhmije Pagarusha, Albanian singer ‘the Nightingale of Kosovo’ and actress, born near Malishevë, Kosovo (d. 2020)
1971 – Dave Karpa, Canadian NHL defenseman (Anaheim Mighty Ducks), born in Regina, Saskatchewan
Famous Deaths
973 – Otto I the Great, Holy Roman Emperor (962-973), dies at 60
1667 – Johann Jakob Froberger, German organist, singer, and composer, dies at 50
1998 – Allan McLeod Cormack, South African physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1924)
2018 – Mikhail German, Russian writer, dies at 85
2020 – John Macurdy, American operatic bass (Met Opera), dies at 91
2021 – Yegor Ligachev, Soviet politician (ally then challenger to Gorbachev), dies at 100
Famous Deaths for 6th May 2024
523 – Thrasamund, King of Vandals and Alans (496-523)
1757 – Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, British politician, dies at 73
1852 – Charles-Louis-Joseph Hanssens, Belgian composer, dies at 75
1950 – Agnes Smedley, writer, dies
1960 – Paul Abraham, Hungarian composer (Blume von Hawaii), dies at 67
1960 – Vern Bickford, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1949; no-hitter 1950; Boston / Milwaukee Braves), dies from cancer at 39
1984 – Bonner Pink, Conservative Party politician
2002 – Otis Blackwell, American songwriter (“Fever”; “Don’t Be Cruel”; “Great Balls Of Fire”; All Shook Up”), dies of a heart attack at 70
2009 – Valentin Varennikov, Soviet-Russian general and statesman, dies at 85
2020 – Steve Blackmore, Welsh rugby union prop (4 caps; Cardiff RFC), dies from a brain tumour at 58
Historical Events for 6th May 2024
1864 – Battle of Port Walthall Junction, fought in Virginia begins (Battle of Port Walthall Junction), Union victory (US Civil War)
1913 – King Nikita I of Montenegro vacates Skoetari, northern Albania
1916 – Belgian troops march into Kigali, German East Africa
1933 – 59th Kentucky Derby: Don Meade aboard Brokers Tip wins in 2:06.8
1966 – Most runs scored in 11th inning (9) Phils score 5 to beat Pirates 8-7
1974 – Bundy victim Roberta Parks disappears from OSU, Corvallis, Ore
1974 – Oakland A’s pitcher Paul Lindblad makes an errant throw in 1st inning of 6-3 loss to Baltimore, ending his record streak of 385 consecutive errorless games
1974 – Smallest attendance at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium (4,149)
1986 – France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
1991 – Phillie Lenny Dykstra slams his sports car into 2 trees
Today in History for 6th May 2024
Historical Events
878 – Battle of Edington: Alfred the Great and his West Saxon army defeat Viking army of Guthrum the Old [earliest possible date]
1541 – King Henry VIII orders a bible in English be placed in every church in England
1907 – 33rd Kentucky Derby: In muddy conditions and against a reduced field Andy Minder aboard Pink Star wins in a slow 2:12.6
1935 – British King George V and Queen Mary celebrate silver jubilee
1967 – 400 students seize administration building at Cheyney State College, Pennsylvania
1975 – Bundy victim Lynette Culver disappears from Pocatello, Idaho
Famous Birthdays
1638 – Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell, English politician and First Lord of the British Admiralty, born in Hadham Parva, Hertfordshire (d. 1696)
1926 – Johnny Bragg, American doo-wop singer-songwriter (The Prisonaires – “Just Walkin’ in the Rain”), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 2004)
1951 – Samuel Doe, President of Liberia (d. 1990)
1956 – Tim Simpson, American golfer (4 PGA Tour titles, born in Atlanta, Georgia
1970 – Emerson Martin, NFL guard (Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, Packers)
1977 – Christophe Brandt, Belgian cyclist
Famous Deaths
1836 – Christian Ignatius Latrobe, English clergyman and composer (Selection of Sacred Music), dies at 78
1840 – Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian president and independence leader (b. 1792)
1890 – Hubert Léonard, Belgian violinist, and pedagogue (Brussels Conservatoire, 1848-67), dies at 71
1995 – Hilda Toledano [Maria Pia de Braganca], Portuguese journalist and writer who claimed to be the bastard daughter of King Carlos I of Portugal, dies at 88
2004 – Philip Kapleau, American Zen teacher and founder (Rochester Zen Center in New Haven), dies at 91
2013 – Giulio Andreotti, Italian Prime Minister, dies at 94
Famous Deaths for 5th May 2024
1811 – Robert Mylne, Scottish architect (b. 1734)
1864 – Alexander Hays, US Union-general-major, dies in battle at 44
1902 – Bret Harte, American author (Outcasts of Poker Flat), dies at 65
1951 – Leo Diegel, American golfer (PGA C’ship 1928-29), dies of throat and lung cancer at 52
1976 – Thomas Burnett Swann, American sci-fi author (Day of Minotaur), dies of cancer at 47
2011 – Arthur Laurents, American playwright (West Side Story: Gypsy), and screenwriter (Rope; Anastasia), dies at 93
2012 – Raman Surendranath, Indian cricket fast bowler (11 Tests, 26 wickets), dies at 75
2017 – Adolph Kiefer, American swimmer (Olympic gold 100m backstroke 1936), dies at 98
2020 – Millie Small, Jamaican ska singer, and songwriter (“My Boy Lollipop”), dies of a stroke at 72
2021 – Del Crandall, American baseball catcher (11 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1957; 4 × Gold Glove Award; Boston/Milwaukee Braves) and manager (Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners), dies at 91
Historical Events for 5th May 2024
1640 – English Short Parliament rises
1854 – British Commodore James Plumridge attacks Finnish settlements in Gulf of Bothnia, killing civilans and destroying British-owned goods.
1900 – “The Billboard” began weekly publication
1925 – Yankee Everett Scott is benched, ending his 1,307-game playing streak
1940 – Norwegian government-in-exile forms in London
1966 – Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Montreal Canadiens earn back-to-back titles; beat Detroit Red Wings, 3-2 in OT for a 4-2 series victory
1987 – Detroit Tigers are 11 games back in AL, but go on to win AL East
1994 – North-Yemen air force bombs Aden South Yemen
2015 – “Traveller” debut album by Chris Stapleton is released (Grammy Award Best Country Album, 2016; Billboard Album of the Year, 2016)
2021 – A week of mass protests and demonstrations against government tax reform and poverty in Colombia leaves 24 dead
Today in History for 5th May 2024
Historical Events
1854 – British Commodore James Plumridge attacks Finnish settlements in Gulf of Bothnia, killing civilans and destroying British-owned goods.
1864 – Battle of Wilderness, Virginia (Germanna Ford, Wilderness Tavern)
1955 – West Germany is granted full sovereignty by its three occupying powers
1979 – Masterpiece Radio Theater begins broadcasting
2002 – Jacques Chirac wins the French Presidential election for a second term defeating Jean-Marie Le Pen leader of the far-right National Front
2015 – “Traveller” debut album by Chris Stapleton is released (Grammy Award Best Country Album, 2016; Billboard Album of the Year, 2016)
Famous Birthdays
1749 – Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French composer, born in Strasbourg, France (d. 1794)
1854 – Antonio Smareglia, Italian composer, born in Pola, Austrian Empire (now Pula, Croatia) (d. 1929)
1911 – Norman Oldfield, English cricketer (Engl batsman one Test v WI 1939, 80 and 19), born in Dukinfield, Cheshire, England (d. 1996)
1938 – Michael Murphy, American actor (McCabe and Mrs Miller, Unmarried Woman), born in Los Angeles, California
1972 – Ronald Snook, Australian rower (Olympics bronze 1996), born in Dalwallinu, Western Australia
1977 – Choi Kang-hee, South Korean actress (Sweet Buns), born in Seoul, South Korea
Famous Deaths
1582 – Charlotte de Bourbon, Princess of Orange, dies
1947 – Ty LaForest, Canadian baseball player, dies at 30
1957 – Mikhail Gnesin, Russian composer (Vrubel; The Youth Of Abraham), dies at 74
1992 – Dick Yarmy, American character actor (Get Smart; Kentucky Fried Movie; Mork and Mindy), dies of lung cancer at 58
2011 – Arthur Laurents, American playwright (West Side Story: Gypsy), and screenwriter (Rope; Anastasia), dies at 93
2023 – Terry Lewis, Australian disgraced police officer (Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service, 1976-87), and convict (corruption, forgery), dies at 95
Famous Deaths for 4th May 2024
1615 – Adriaan van Roomen, Flemish mathematician (b. 1561)
1804 – Simon Stijl, Frisian physician and writer, dies at 73
1953 – T. Tertius Noble, English composer, dies at 85
1970 – Allison Beth Krause, American student, killed by soldiers of the Ohio Army National Guard at Kent State University while protesting against US military at 19
1973 – Jane Bowles, American writer and playwright, dies at 56
1984 – Larry Stock, American singer-songwriter (“Blueberry Hill”; “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You”), dies at 87
1990 – Don Appell, American writer and director, dies at 70
1996 – Rowley Israel Arenstein, South African attorney, communist and activist (under house arrest for 18 years), dies at 77
2010 – Zvonimir Levačić – Ševa, Croatian humorist and entertainer (b. 1943)
2018 – BN Vijaya Kumar, Indian politician, dies at 59 of a heart attack
Historical Events for 4th May 2024
1783 – William Herschel reports seeing a red glow near lunar crater Aristarchus
1858 – War of Reform (Mexico); Liberals establish capital at Vera Cruz
1866 – Woodward’s Gardens opens to the public in San Francisco
1931 – Mustafa Kemal Pasja becomes Turkish president
1964 – Pulitzer prize for General Non-Fiction awarded to Richard Hofstadter for “Anti-intellectualism”
1970 – Pulitzer prize for General Non-Fiction awarded to Erik H. Erikson for “Gandhi’s Truth”
1972 – “The Don’t Make A Wave Committee,” a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changes its name to the “Greenpeace Foundation”
1973 – Wings release “Red Rose Speedway” in UK
1990 – Latvia’s parliament votes 138-0 (1 abstention) for Independence
2013 – Harper Lee files a lawsuit against a literary agent over the copyright of “To Kill a Mockingbird”