536 – St. Agapetus I, Bishop of Rome (535-36), dies at 46
1355 – Eleonora Plantagenet, daughter of King Edward II, dies at 36
1616 – Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra, Spanish author (Don Quixote), dies of likely diabetes at 68
1844 – Henri-Montan Berton, French composer, dies at 76
1933 – Henry Royce, English industrialist and automobile founder (Rolls-Royce), dies at 70
1976 – Frutuoso de Lima Viana, Brazilian pianist and composer, dies at 79
1983 – Earl “Fatha” Hines, American jazz pianist and bandleader (Deep Forest), dies at 79
1994 – Jack Bently, English trombonist, dies at 80
1996 – Harold “Jug” McSpaden, American golfer, course designer (17 PGA Tour wins), dies of carbon monoxide poisoning at 87
2023 – Mike Coulman, English rugby union prop (9 Tests England, 1 British and Irish Lions; Moseley RUFC) and rugby league front rower (3 Tests GB, 5 England; Salford RLFC), dies at 78
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 22nd April 2024
1164 – Raynald of Dassel names Guido di Crema as anti-pope Paschalis III
1793 – President Washington attends opening of Rickett’s, 1st circus in US
1823 – Baltic Club (Exchange) forms in London
1969 – Robin Knox-Johnston ends 312 days of non-stop sailing to become the 1st person to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe
1977 – Shimon Peres becomes Acting Prime Minister of Israel
1983 – Stern mag announces major historical find-discovery of 60 volume personal diaries written by Adolf Hitler (turned out to be a hoax)
1986 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1992 – Plane crash at Perris Valley Airport California, kills 16 parachutists
1993 – Seattle Mariner Chris Basio no-hits Boston Red Sox
2000 – In a pre-dawn raid, federal agents seize six-year-old Elián González from his relatives’ home in Miami, Florida.
Today in History for 22nd April 2024
Historical Events
1893 – Francis Dhanis army occupies Kasongo
1959 – Yankee Whitey Ford strikes out 15, beating Senators, 1-0 in 14 innings
1962 – Stanley Cup Final, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: Dick Duff scores the winner as Toronto Maple Leafs beat Chicago Blackhawks, 2-1 for a 4-2 series victory
1977 – Shimon Peres becomes Acting Prime Minister of Israel
1981 – USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
1990 – NFL Draft: University of Illinois quarterback Jeff George first pick by Indianapolis Colts
Famous Birthdays
1864 – Phil May, English cartoonist, born in Wortley, Leeds (d. 1903)
1920 – Jos de Haes, Flemish philological and poet (Misery of the Word), born in Leuven, Belgium (d. 1974)
1926 – Charlotte Rae, American character actress, (Facts Of Life – “Edna”), comedian, singer and dancer, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2018)
1933 – Anthony Llewellyn, Welsh-American scientist and NASA astronaut, born in Cardiff, Wales (d. 2013)
1943 – Steve Dunne, New Zealand cricket umpire (39 Tests; 100 ODIs), born in Dunedin. Otago
1955 – Arthur Baker, American music producer (Afrika Banbaataa; Planet Rock; New Order), born in Boston, Massachusetts
Famous Deaths
1648 – Catharina Belgica of Nassau and Countess and Regent of Hanau-Münzenberg, Dutch daughter of William I of Orange, dies at 69
1827 – Thomas Rowlandson, English artist and caricaturist, dies at 70
1896 – Thomas Meik, Scottish civil engineer, dies at 84
2003 – Martha Griffiths, U.S. Congresswoman, dies at 91
2008 – Cameron Argetsinger, American auto racing executive (created Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course; F1 US Grand Prix 1961-80), dies from a stroke at 87
2019 – Dave Samuels, American vibraphonist (Spyro Gyra-Morning Dance), dies at 70
Famous Deaths for 21st April 2024
1898 – Louis Théodore Gouvy, French-German composer, dies at 78
1910 – Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens], American author (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer), dies at 74
1981 – Harry Lee, cricketer (scored 18 and 1 in only Test for England), dies
1982 – Joe Sawyer [Sauers], Canadian actor (Adventures of Rin Tin Tin – “Sgt. Biff O’Hara”), dies of liver cancer at 75
1985 – Rudi Gernreich, Austrian-American fashion designer (monokini, miniskirt), dies of cancer at 62
1992 – Robert Harris, American criminal and murderer, executed in a gas chamber at 39 in San Quentin State Prison, California
2000 – Neal Matthews, Jr., American singer (The Jordanaires), dies at 70
2005 – Gerry Marshall, British auto racer (625 x overall and class saloon wins), dies from heart failure at 63
2013 – Leopold Engleitner, Austrian Holocaust survivor, dies at 107
2013 – Chrissy Amphlett, Australian singer- songwriter (Divinyls – “I Touch Myself”), dies of breast cancer at 53
Historical Events for 21st April 2024
1922 – The first Aggie Muster is held as a remembrance for fellow Aggies who had died in the previous year
1940 – 1st $64 Question, “Take It or Leave It,” on CBS Radio
1967 – Evangelical Broadcasting begins in Netherlands
1975 – 79th Boston Marathon: American Bill Rodgers wins men’s section in race record 2:09:55; Liane Winter of West Germany women’s champion in 2:42:24 (female world record)
1976 – Swine Flu vaccine, for non-epidemic, enters testing
1977 – Billy Martin pulls Yankee line-up out of a hat, beats Blue Jays 8-6
1987 – Milwaukee Brewers lose after 13th straight victory to start season
1989 – Thousands of Chinese crowd into Beijing’s Tiananmen Square cheering students demanding greater political freedom
1995 – British sitcom “Father Ted” written by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, starring Dermot Morgan premieres on Channel 4
1997 – Ashes of psychologist and author Timothy Leary and “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry launched into space orbit
Today in History for 21st April 2024
Historical Events
1892 – Black longshoremen strike for higher wages in St Louis, Missouri
1930 – “All Quiet on the Western Front” based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, directed by Lewis Milestone, starring Louis Wolheim and Lew Ayres premieres in Los Angeles (Academy Awards Outstanding Production 1930)
1976 – Swine Flu vaccine, for non-epidemic, enters testing
1982 – Dr Michael E Bakey performs 1st successful heart implant
1984 – “Nightline” reverts from 1 hour to ½ hour format
2020 – Health Secretary Matt Hancock and UK government come under criticism for lack of personal protective equipment and testing for COVID-19 (despite pledge to test 100,000 a day only 19,000 done April 20th)
Famous Birthdays
1912 – Marcel Camus, French film director (Orfeu Negro), born in Chappes, France (d. 1982)
1959 – Michael Timmins, Canadian musician (Cowboy Junkies), born in Montreal
1966 – Judy Diduck, ice hockey defenseman (Canada, Olympics 1998)
1971 – Samantha Druce, British swimmer, youngest woman to swim English Channel
1978 – Branden Steineckert, American drummer (Rancid; The Used), born in Pocatello, Idaho
1980 – Jeff Keppinger, American baseball player
Famous Deaths
1910 – Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens], American author (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer), dies at 74
1958 – Manuel Infante, Spanish composer and conductor, dies at 74
1989 – James Kirkwood, American actor, author and playwright (A Chorus Line, P. S. Your Cat Is Dead!), dies of cancer at 64
1996 – Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder, sportscaster, LV bookmaker (The NFL Today; fired for racist remarks), dies of a heart attack at 77
2001 – David Hollestelle, Dutch baritone singer (Dutch Radio Chorus), dies at 84
2013 – Shakuntala Devi, Indian writer and mental calculator known as the “Human Computer”, stops calculating at 83 due to complications from severe respiratory problems
Famous Deaths for 20th April 2024
1662 – Gerard Terborch, the elder, Dutch painter, dies
1874 – Alexander H. Bailey, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York), dies at 56
1918 – Karl Ferdinand Braun, German inventor, co-developed wireless telegraphy (Nobel 1909), dies at 67
1951 – Ivanoe Bonomi, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1873)
1977 – Wilmer Allison, American tennis player (US Nat C’ship 1935), dies at 72
1979 – Peter Donald, British-born American actor and radio host dubbed “one of radio’s great dialecticians” (Masquerade Party), dies at 60
1982 – Archibald MacLeish, American poet (Conquistador) and playwright (J.B.), dies at 89
1992 – Marjorie Gestring, American springboard diver (Olympic gold 1936), dies at 69
2008 – VL Mike [Michael Allen], American rapper, shot to death by unknown assailant at 32
2013 – Howard Phillips, American politician, dies from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease at 72
Historical Events for 20th April 2024
1818 – Napoleon Bonaparte bids emotional farewell to his old guard at Palace of Fontainebleau
1896 – John Philip Sousa’s operetta “El Capitan” premieres on Broadway at Broadway Theatre, NYC
1912 – Tiger Stadium in Detroit opens, Tigers beat Cleveland Indians 6-5
1936 – 40th Boston Marathon won by Ellison Brown in 2:33:40.8
1982 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army explode bombs in Belfast, Derry, Armagh, Ballymena, Bessbrook and Magherafelt; 2 civilians are killed and 12 injured
1987 – US deports Karl Linnas to USSR, charged with Nazi war crimes
1997 – “Gin Game” opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 144 performances
2004 – In Iraq, 12 mortars are fired on Abu Ghraib Prison by insurgents, killing 22 detainees and wounding 92.
2007 – Johnson Space Center Shooting: A man with a handgun barricades himself in NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas before killing a male hostage and himself.
2023 – Colombian President Gustavo Petro meets with US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington
Today in History for 20th April 2024
Historical Events
1818 – Napoleon Bonaparte bids emotional farewell to his old guard at Palace of Fontainebleau
1914 – US President W Wilson, having dispatched more naval ships to Mexico, asks a joint session of Congress to approve armed force if necessary; Congress approves
1947 – Frederik IX becomes King of Denmark
1962 – NASA civilian pilot Neil Armstrong takes X-15 to 63,250 m
1963 – -30] All Africa Conferences of Churches opens in Kampala Uganda
1975 – 29th Tony Awards: “Equus” (play) and “The Wiz” (musical) win
Famous Birthdays
1904 – Bruce Cabot, American actor (Diamonds are Forever, King Kong), born in Carlsbad, New Mexico (d. 1972)
1919 – Richard Hillary, Australian Spitfire pilot and author (The Last Enemy), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1943)
1924 – Leslie Phillips, British stage and screen, screen, and radio actor (Carry On; Harry Potter films), born in Tottenham, England (d. 2022)
1936 – Pauli Ellefsen, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (1981-85), born in Miðvágur, Vágar, Faroe Islands (d. 2012)
1943 – Edie Sedgwick, American actress (Ciao Manhattan) and socialite, born in Santa Barbara, California (d. 1971)
1971 – Terry Smith, NFL wide receiver (Indianapolis Colts), born in Clemson, South Carolina
Famous Deaths
1912 – Bram Stoker, Irish theater manager and author (Dracula), dies at 64
1935 – Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, English fashion designer, dies at 71
1951 – Ivanoe Bonomi, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1873)
1968 – Mabel Stark, American tiger trainer “crazy Mabel”, found dead after her suicide at 79
1998 – Trevor Huddleston, English Anglican bishop in South Africa and anti-apartheid activist (wrote Naught for Your Comfort), dies at 84
2015 – Bob St. Clair, American NFL football player, 1953-63 (San Francisco 49ers), known as “The Geek”, dies at 84
Famous Deaths for 19th April 2024
1916 – Ephraim Shay, American inventor of Shay type of geared steam locomotive, dies at 76
1923 – Thomas Payne Westendorf, American songwriter (“I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen”), dies at 75
1943 – Alexander Schmorell, German resistance fighter, beheaded
1992 – Deacon Lunchbox [Timothy Tyson Ruttenber], American poet and performance artist, dies in car crash with a drunk driver at 41
1993 – George Mickelson, American politician (Governor of South Dakota 1987-93), dies in a plane crash at 52
1997 – El Duce [Eldon Wayne Hoke], American singer and drummer (The Mentors), dies from a “misadventure” on a train-track at 39
2005 – George Pan Cosmatos, Greek film director (b. 1941)
2010 – Carl Williams, Australian criminal (b. 1970)
2016 – Walter Kohn, Austrian-born American scientist (Nobel Prize Chemistry 1998), dies at 93
2018 – Graciela Agudelo, Mexican pianist and avant garde composer (Celebration of Wine), dies at 72