1277 – Stefanus IV Uros I de Great, King of Serbia (1243-76), dies
1813 – Jean-Baptiste Bessières, French marshal (killed in combat) (b. 1768)
1979 – Taisto Mäki, Finnish athlete (WR 2 miles, 5,000m and 10,000m simultaneously 1939-42), dies at 68
1984 – Jüri Lossmann, Estonian athlete (Olympic silver marathon 1920), dies at 93
1986 – Hylda Baker, English comedy actress (b. 1905)
1991 – Richard Thorpe, American director (Jailhouse Rock, Night Must Fall), dies at 95
1994 – Imre Gyöngyössy, Hungarian filmmaker (The Revolt of Job), dies of a heart attack at 64
2008 – Anthony Mamo, Malta’s first President (b. 1909)
2018 – Robert B. Kennedy, American politician (Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1975–1979), dies at 78
2022 – Régine [Zylberberg], French singer and nightclub owner, dies at 92
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 1st May 2024
1776 – Adam Weishaupt founds secret society of Illuminati
1864 – -8] Battle at Alexandria, Louisiana (Red River Campaign)
1912 – The Beverly Hills Hotel opens on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California
1940 – Summer Olympics (scheduled for Helsinki) are cancelled by the Finnish OC because of WWII
1945 – About 1,000 citizens of Demmin in Germany, commit suicide provoked by occupation by Soviet Red Army
1950 – Mayor of Brussels reluctantly bans May Day parade
1979 – Home rule introduced to Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland)
1982 – 108th Kentucky Derby: Ed Delahoussaye wins aboard Gato Del Sol, the first of consecutive Derby victories (1983 Sunny’s Halo)
1984 – Mick Fleetwood (of Fleetwood Mac) files for bankruptcy
1992 – Oakland outfielder Rickey Henderson steals his 1,000th MLB career base in A’s 7-6 win at Detroit
Today in History for 1st May 2024
Historical Events
1919 – “L’Ordine Nuovo” Italian socialist weekly newspaper established in Turin by Antonio Gramsci, Angelo Tasca and Palmiro Togliatti
1928 – Drunken fascist Erich Wichman attacks VARA-radio transmitter
1954 – The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form the American Motors Corporation
1963 – Indonesia takes control of Irian Jaya (west New Guinea) from the Netherlands
1996 – “Ideal Husband” opens at Barrymore Theater NYC for 308 performances
2000 – Barry Bonds is first MLB player to hit a homer into San Francisco Bay as Giants beat Mets, 10-3; hits 35 there during his SF career
Famous Birthdays
1924 – Terry Southern, American writer and screenwriter (Dr. Strangelove, Easy Rider), born in Alvarado, Texas (d. 1995)
1954 – Ray Parker Jr, American rock guitarist and vocalist (Ghostbusters), born in Detroit, Michigan
1966 – Johnny Colt [Charles Brandt], American rock bassist (Black Crowes), born in Cherry Point, North Carolina
1966 – Armando Reynoso, Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks), born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico
1967 – Yael Arad, Israeli middleweight judoka (first Israeli to win an Olympic medal – silver 1996), born in Tel Aviv, Israel
1984 – David Backes, American ice hockey center (NHL All Star 2011; Olympic silver 2010; St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Famous Deaths
1971 – Glenda Farrell, American actress (Golddiggers of 1935: Grand Slam; Exposed), dies of lung cancer at 66
1982 – Gene Sheldon, actor (Bernardo-Zorro), dies at 72
1986 – Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and record producer, dies at 69
1989 – Antonio Janigro, Italian cellist (Zagreb Soloists), dies at 71
1996 – Ivo Rudolph Jarosy, German-British film scholar and exhibitor, dies at 74
2017 – Janet Pilgrim, American early playmate model for Playboy (July 1955, Dec 1955, Oct 1956), dies at 82
Famous Deaths for 30th April 2024
1660 – Peter Scriverius, Dutch lawyer and historian, dies at 84
1758 – François d’Agiçncourt, French composer (b. 1684)
1865 – Robert Fitzroy, English admiral and scientist, dies at 59
1982 – Taisen Deshimaru, Japanese founder of several Zen centers in France, dies at 67
1994 – Richard Scarry, American children’s book writer and illustrator (What Do People Do All Day?), dies at 74
2003 – Mark Berger, University of Kentucky professor (b. 1955)
2007 – Kevin Mitchell, American football player (b. 1971)
2009 – Ron Richards, British record producer (Gerry and The Pacemakers; The Hollies), dies at 80
2010 – Gerry Ryan, Irish radio broadcaster (b. 1956)
2023 – Jock Zonfrillo, Scottish chef (Masterchef Australia judge), dies at 46
Historical Events for 30th April 2024
1695 – William Congreve’s Restoration comedy “Love for Love” premieres in London
1808 – 1st practical typewriter finished by Italian Pellegrini Turri
1897 – English physicist and head of the Cavendish laboratory J. J. Thomson announces his discovery of the electron in a lecture to the Royal Institution
1911 – Portugal approves female suffrage
1978 – British film “The Stud” starring Joan Collins, based on the book by her sister Jackie Collins premieres in UK
1980 – Terrorists seize Iranian Embassy in London
1986 – Bill Elliott sets all-time NASCAR qualifying record, winning pole for the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway; 212.809 mph (342.483 km/h; 44.998 seconds)
1989 – Pope John Paul II beatifies Victoire Rasoamanarivo of Madagascar
2013 – Willem-Alexander becomes the first male Monarch of Netherlands in 123 years, following the abdication of his mother, Queen Beatrix
2020 – South Korea reports no new domestic cases of COVID-19 for 1st time, their virus cases peaked Feb 29
Today in History for 30th April 2024
Historical Events
1506 – Philip of Burgundy and England sign trade agreement
1900 – The “Hawaiian Organic Act” is enacted by US Congress making Hawaii a US territory
1944 – NY Giant Phil Weintraub gets 11 RBIs
1971 – 25th NBA Championship: Milwaukee beat Baltimore Bullets in 4 games
1984 – Strong winds cause a 30 min delay in Toronto Blue Jays game
1985 – “Shoah”, French documentary about the Holocaust, directed by Claude Lanzmann, starring Richard Glazar and Raul Hilberg, premieres in Paris
Famous Birthdays
1651 – Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, French priest and saint of the Catholic Church, born in Reims, Champagne, Kingdom of France (d. 1719)
1723 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and naturalist (Ornithologie), born in Fontenay-le-Comte (d. 1806)
1857 – Eugen Bleuler, Swiss psychiatrist (introduced the term schizophrenia to describe the disorder previously known as dementia praecox), born in Zollikon, Switzerland (d. 1940)
1858 – Mary Dimmick Harrison, US First lady (1889-93) as second wife of the 23rd President Benjamin Harrison, born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania (d. 1948)
1941 – Johnny Farina, American rocker (Santo and Johnny), born in Brooklyn, New York
1997 – Ayaan Chawla, Indian entrepreneur
Famous Deaths
1630 – Ercole Porta, Italian composer, dies at 44
1792 – John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, British statesman who claimed to have invented the sandwich, dies at 73
1792 – Hans Adolf Friedrich von Eschstruth, composer and lawyer, dies at 36
1926 – Bessie Coleman, American aviator and 1st African-American woman and Native American to hold a pilot license, dies in a plane crash at 34
1983 – Muddy Waters [McKinley Morganfield], American blues singer and guitarist (“Mannish Boy”; “Got My Mojo Working”), dies of heart failure, while fighting cancer, at 70
2006 – Lawrence Patrick, Biomechanics Professor, crash test subject
Famous Deaths for 29th April 2024
1768 – Georg Brandt, Swedish chemist and minerologist, dies at 73
1943 – Sidney Keyes, English poet (Foreign Gate), dies fighting during WWII at 20
1951 – Jules Verstraete [Julien Gustave de Graef], Flemish actor (rubber, The Three Wishes), dies at 67
1959 – Kenneth Anderson, British general (Operation Torch – North Africa), dies at 67
1964 – Albert Saverys, Flemish painter, dies at 77
2011 – David Mason, British orchestral, solo and session trumpet player (The Beatles “Penny Lane”), dies of leukemia at 85
2014 – Bob Hoskins, English actor (Who Framed Roger Rabbit), dies from pneumonia at 71
2020 – Denis Goldberg, South African anti-apartheid activist (convicted alongside Mandela), dies at 87
2021 – Courtney Hall, American NFL center (San Diego Chargers), dies at 52
2021 – Zhang Enhua, Chinese soccer defender (65 caps; Dalian Wanda FC, Grimsby Town), dies from cardiac arrest at 48
Historical Events for 29th April 2024
1540 – Emperor Charles declares all privileges of Ghent ended
1670 – Clemens X [Emilio Bonaventura Altieri] elected Pope
1864 – -30] Skirmish at Jenkins’ Ferry, Arkansas
1903 – Limestone slide at Turtle Mountain drops 30 million cubic metres (82 million tons) on to town of Frank, Alberta, Canada, kills 70-90 residents
1953 – The first U.S. experimental 3D-TV broadcast showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV
1982 – 17th Academy of Country Music Awards: Alabama, Merle Haggard, and Barbara Mandrell win
1985 – 17th NASA Space Shuttle Mission (51-B): Challenger 7 launches
1995 – Longest sausage ever, at 28.77 miles, made in Kitchener, Ontario
2015 – German Measles is declared eradicated from North and South America – 1st world region to do so
2016 – Iranian run-off elections give moderates and reforms a majority in parliament
Today in History for 29th April 2024
Historical Events
1956 – WLUC TV channel 6 in Marquette, MI (CBS/NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
1982 – Alfredo Magana elected President of El Salvador
1986 – Boston Red Sox Roger Clemens strikes out 20 Seattle Mariners
1991 – Earthquake in Georgia, kills 100
2006 – NFL Draft: North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams first pick from Houston Texans
2007 – 2nd Republic protest in support of state secularism held in Istanbul, Turkey
Famous Birthdays
1863 – Mary Theresa Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian Catholic nun (founded the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver), born in Loosdorf, Lower Austria, Austrian Empire (d. 1922)
1899 – (Karl) Yngve Sköld, Swedish organist, pianist, and composer, born in Vallby, Södermanland County, Sweden (d. 1992)
1935 – Otto Zykan, Austrian composer, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2006)
1940 – Brian Taber, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (16 Tests, 60 dismissals; NSW), born in Wagga Wagga, Australia (d. 2023)
1957 – Timothy Treadwell, American bear enthusiast (d. 2003)
1960 – Joseph Guzaldo, American actor (Stir Crazy), born in Chicago, Illinois
Famous Deaths
1380 – Catherine of Siena, Italian Dominican saint and Doctor of the Church (The Dialogue of Divine Providence), dies at 33
1798 – Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus, Austrian entomologist, dies at 74
1990 – Floyd Butler, American soul singer (Friends of Distinction – “Grazin’ in the Grass”), dies of a heart attack at 52
2007 – Ivica Račan, former Prime Minister of Croatia (b. 1944)
2021 – Johnny Crawford, American actor (The Mickey Mouse Club; The Rifleman – “Mark”), singer (“Sandy”), and bandleader (JCO), dies at 75
2023 – Yuri Korolyov, Russian artistic gymnast (World All-Around Champion 1981, 85; World Cup All-Around Co-Champion 1986), dies at 60
Famous Deaths for 28th April 2024
1498 – Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, English politician, dies at 40
1865 – Samuel Cunard, Canadian-British shipping magnate and founder (1st regular Atlantic steamship line), dies at 77
1964 – Rolf de Maré, Swedish art collector and museum director, dies at 75
1983 – Ron James, Australian cricketer (NSW’s Sheffield Shield captain 1949-50), dies at 62
1984 – Glen H. Taylor, American senator, dies at 80
2002 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general, dies at 52
2002 – Lou Thesz, American professional wrestler, dies at 86
2016 – Conrad Burns, American politician (Senate-R-Montana 1989-2007), dies at 81
2021 – Michael Collins, American Major General USAF and astronaut (Gemini 10, Apollo 11), dies of cancer at 90
2023 – Taini Jamison (née Royal), New Zealand netball coach (New Zealand 1967-71; World C’ship 1967), dies at 95