Today in History for 16th April 2024

Historical Events

1949 – Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: 3-peat for Toronto Maple Leafs as they beat Detroit Red Wings, 3-1 for a 4 game series sweep
1972 – Two British soldiers are shot dead by the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) in separate incidents in Derry
1987 – British Conservative MP Harvey Proctor appears at Bow Street Magistrates’ Court in London charged with gross indecency
2003 – Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting 10 new member states to the European Union
2018 – Kendrick Lamar is the first rapper and non-classical or jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music with his album “Damn”
2020 – 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment in 4 weeks (5.2 million in the last week), wiping out 9 1/2 years of job gains

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1927 – Peter Mark Richman, American actor (Andrew-Dynasty), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1948 – Robert Kirby, British music arranger (Nick Drake), born in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire (d. 2009)
1963 – Hu Na, Chinese tennis star, born in Chengdu, Sichuan, China
1979 – Sixto Peralta, Argentine footballer, born in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina
1984 – Claire Foy, English actress (The Crown), born in Stockport, England
1994 – Midori Francis, American actress (Dash and Lily), born in Lakewood, New Jersey)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1090 – Sikelgaita, Lombard princess, wife of Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, who often went into battle, armed, dies at about 50
1915 – Nelson W. Aldrich, U.S. Senator from Rhode Island, dies at 73
1981 – Eric Hollies, English cricket spin bowler (13 Tests, 44 wickets; dismissed Donald Bradman for 0 in his final Test innings), dies at 68
1991 – David Lean, English film director (Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Ryan’s Daughter), dies of pneumonia at 83
2010 – Daryl Gates, LAPD Chief, dies at 83
2023 – Eddie Colquhoun, Scottish soccer centre back (11 caps; Sheffield United 363 games), dies at 78

More Famous Deaths »

Famous Deaths for 15th April 2024

1754 – Jacopo Riccati, Italian mathematician (Riccati equation), dies at 77
1863 – Jan Nepomuk Kanka, Czech composer, dies at 90
1965 – Sydney Chaplin, English actor, half brother of Charlie Chaplin and his business manager, dies at 80
1980 – Marshall Reed, American actor (The Madmen of Mandoras, Mysterious Island), dies from a massive hemorrhage at 62
1982 – Arthur Lowe, British actor (Dad’s Army, Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Ruling Class), dies following a stroke at 66
1989 – Nesuhi Ertegün, Turkish–American jazz record producer and label executive (Atlantic Records; Warner Music), dies from complications of cancer surgery at 71
1994 – John Curry, British figure skater (Olympic gold, World C’ship gold, European C’ship gold 1976), dies from AIDS at 44
2007 – Brant Parker, American cartoonist (co-creator of “The Wizard of Id”), dies at 86
2009 – Clement Freud, British writer, broadcaster and former liberal MP, dies at 84
2013 – Sal Castro, Mexican-American activist, dies from thyroid cancer at 79

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events for 15th April 2024

1450 – Battle of Formigny: French defeat the English decisively in the Hundred Years’ War, paving the way for the capture of English strongholds in Normandy
1621 – Hugo Grotius arrives in France after escaping prison in a book chest
1912 – 16th Boston Marathon won by Mike Ryan in race record 2:21:18.2
1915 – Manuel de Falla’s ballet “El Amor Brujo” premieres in Madrid
1945 – British Army liberates Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen
1947 – Operations begin at Radio Netherlands World radio
1963 – Steve Allen’s musical “Sophie”, based on the life of American singer, and comic actress Sophie Tucker, opens at Winter Garden Theater, NYC; runs for 8 performances
1991 – Sacramento Kings set NBA record, losing 35th consecutive game on road
1997 – America Online (AOL) begins service in Japan
2012 – TV comedy drama “Girls” created by and starring Lena Dunham premieres on HBO

More Historical Events »

Today in History for 15th April 2024

Historical Events

1902 – Pope Leo XIII encyclical “On Church in US”
1921 – Black Friday in Britain: leaders of transport and rail unions announce a decision not to call for strike action in support of the miners; despite widespread feeling decision a breach of solidarity and a betrayal of the miners
1923 – 1st sound on film public performance shown at Rialto Theater (NYC)
1941 – 1st helicopter flight of 1 hr duration, Stratford, Ct
1972 – Barbra Streisand, James Taylor, Carole King, and Quincy Jones perform benefit concert for George McGovern for President campaign at the Forum in Inglewood, California
1988 – Meteorite explode above Indonesia

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1588 – Claudius Salmasius [Claude Saumaise], French linguist, born in Semur-en-Auxois, France (d. 1653)
1772 – Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, French naturalist, born in Étampes, France (d. 1844)
1894 – Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1953-64), born in Kalinovka, Russia (d. 1971)
1908 – Eden Ahbez [George Aberle], American songwriter (“Nature Boy”; “Lonely Island”), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1995)
1937 – Conrad Russell, 5th Earl Russell, British historian, born in Harting, West Sussex (d. 2004)
1955 – Jeff Golub, American jazz guitarist (Avenue Blue; Rod Stewart), born in Copley Township, Ohio (d. 2015)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1754 – Jacopo Riccati, Italian mathematician (Riccati equation), dies at 77
1863 – Jan Nepomuk Kanka, Czech composer, dies at 90
1865 – Abraham Lincoln, 16th US President (Republican: 1861-65), dies from gunshot wounds at 56
1984 – Tommy Cooper, British comedian and magician, collapses and dies on stage at 61
1991 – Marjorie Warfield, American stage, radio, and silent film actress, dies of pneumonia at 88
2010 – Jack Herer, American author and cannabis activist, dies at 70

More Famous Deaths »

Famous Deaths for 14th April 2024

1322 – Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Lord Badlesmere, English soldier (b. 1275)
1471 – Richard Neville [16th Earl of Warwick], English nobleman and military commander known as Warwick the Kingmaker, slain in battle at 42
1983 – Pete Farndon, English rock bassist (The Pretenders – “Brass In Pocket”), drowns in his bathtub after a drug overdose at 30
1983 – Willem Frederik Bon, Dutch composer (Les Prédictions) and pedagogue, dies at 42
1984 – Dioniysis Papagiannopoulos, Greek stage and screen actor, dies of a stroke at 71
1986 – Horst Bastian, German writer and screenwriter, dies at 46
1993 – Jo Boer, Dutch painter and author (Catharina and the Magnolias), dies at 85
2010 – Peter Steele [Petrus Ratajczyk], American heavy metal singer-songwriter, and bassist (Type O Negative), dies of sepsis at 48
2012 – John Herbert “Jonathan” Frid, Canadian actor (Barnabas Collins-Dark Shadows), dies of pneumonia at 87
2023 – Ken Archer, Australian cricket batsman (5 Tests; Queensland CA), dies at 95

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events for 14th April 2024

1570 – Polish Calvinists, Lutherans and Hernhutters unify against Jesuits
1756 – Governor Glen of South Carolina protests against 900 Acadia indians
1841 – 1st detective story published, Edgar Allan Poe’s “Murders in Rue Morgue” (April 1841)
1861 – Formal Union surrender of Fort Sumter (US Civil War)
1890 – Pan American Day-1st conference of American states (Washington, D.C.)
1950 – 1st edition of British comic “Eagle”
1956 – Ampex Corp demonstrates 1st commercial videotape recorder
1958 – Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 with space dog Laika aboard burns up during reentry into Earth’s atmosphere
1992 – UN imposes embargo against Libya takes effect
1994 – Turner Classic Movies cable channel launches; media mogul Ted Turner hosts ceremony in NYC’s Times Square district at 6PM marking “the exact centennial anniversary of the first public movie showing in New York City”

More Historical Events »

Today in History for 14th April 2024

Historical Events

1915 – Dutch merchant navy ship Katwijk sunk by Germany torpedo
1978 – David Hare’s play “Plenty” premieres in London
2021 – Former Minnesota police officer who shot Daunte Wright with a gun instead of a taser is arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter,
2021 – Chicago White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodón no-hits the Cleveland Indians, 8-0 at Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago
2021 – Coinbase becomes the first major cryptocurrency company to trade shares on the New York Stock Exchange
2021 – Human cells grown in monkey cells for 20 days reported by US-Chinese team at the Salk Institute in “Cell”

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1721 – William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, English army leader, born in London (d. 1765)
1827 – Augustus Pitt Rivers, English archaeologist, born in Bramham cum Oglethorpe, Wetherby, Yorkshire (d. 1900)
1931 – John Clarke, American actor (Days of Our Lives -“Mickey”), born in South Bend, Indiana (d. 2019)
1933 – Morton Subotnick, American electronic music composer (Silver Apples of the Moon; A Sky of Cloudless Sulphur), born in Los Angeles, California
1946 – Tom Monteleone, American writer (Dark Star and Illumination)
1966 – David Justice, American baseball player (Atlanta Braves), born in Cincinnati, Ohio

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1685 – Thomas Otway, English playwright and poet (Venice Preserv’d), dies at 33
1813 – Joachim Nicolas Eggert, Swedish violinist and composer, dies of tuberculosis at 34
1924 – Roland Napoléon Bonaparte, French prince and president of the Société de Géographie, dies at 65
1964 – Rachel Carson, American marine biologist, conservationist and author (Silent Spring), dies of a heart attack at 56
1978 – Joe Gordon, American Baseball HOF 2nd baseman (World Series 1938, 39, 41, 43 NY Yankees; 1948 Cleveland Indians; AL MVP 1942; 9 x MLB All Star), dies of a heart attack at 63
2007 – Don Ho, Hawaiian-American pop and Hawaiian music singer (“Tiny Bubbles”; “Ain’t No Big Thing!”), dies of heart failure at 76

More Famous Deaths »

Famous Deaths for 13th April 2024

1517 – Tuman bay II, last Mamelukken sultan of Egypt, dies at 40
1635 – Fakhr-al-Din II, Druze Prince of Lebanon, dies at 62
1722 – Charles Leslie, Irish Anglican priest, dies at 71
1918 – Lavr Georgevich Kornilov, Russian military officer, dies at 47
1967 – Luis Somoza Debayle, President of Nicaragua (1956-63), dies at 44
1996 – George Mackay Brown, Scottish poet and playwright, dies at 74
2005 – Philippe Volter, Belgian actor, dies at 46
2009 – Bruce Snyder, American college football coach (Utah State, California, Arizona State), dies from melanoma at 69
2015 – Günter Grass, German writer, playwright (The Tin Drum) and Nobel Prize laureate (1999), dies at 87
2022 – Gloria Parker [Rosenthal], American marimbist, glasspiel player, songwriter (Clap Your Hands and Shake Your Blues Away), and bandleader, dies at 100

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events for 13th April 2024

1055 – Bishop Gebhard van Eichstattt named Pope Victor II
1560 – Giovanni, son of Italian mathematician Girolamo Cardano is executed for poisoning his wife, despite his father’s efforts to save him
1908 – Groundbreaking for Philadelphia’s Shibe Park, home of MLB Athletics (AL), 1909-54, MLB Phillies (NL), 1938-70, and NFL Eagles, 1940-57
1921 – Foundation of the Spanish Communist Workers’ Party.
1934 – 4.7 million US families report receiving welfare payments
1976 – 1st NBA playoff game for Cleveland Cavliers, they lose 100-95 to Washington
1992 – Great Chicago Flood – Chicago’s underground tunnels flood
1992 – Lou Carnesecca retires as coach of St John’s basketball team
1996 – Ottawa Senators eliminate Stanley Cup Champs NJ Devils from playoff
1997 – 61st US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Tiger Woods wins his first major title, a record 12 strokes ahead of Tom Kite; 4-round total 270 (−18) is tournament record

More Historical Events »

Today in History for 13th April 2024

Historical Events

1346 – Pope Clemens VI declares German emperor Louis of Bavaria, envoy
1834 – HMS Beagle anchors at river mouth of Rio Santa Cruz, Patagonia
1911 – Polo Grounds grandstand and left field bleachers go up in flames in Manhattan, New York City
1939 – The Hindustani Lal Sena (Indian Red Army) is formed and vows to engage in armed struggle against the British.
1965 – 1st US Senate black page, Lawrence W Bradford Jr, 16, appointed by New York Senator Jacob Javits
1995 – Yankees beat the Mets 2-0

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1891 – Nellallitea “Nella” Larsen [Nellie Walker], African-American Harlem Renaissance novelist (Quicksand, Passing), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1964)
1935 – Lyle Waggoner, American actor (The Carol Burnett Show; Wonder Woman), born in Kansas City, Kansas (d. 2020)
1939 – Wijnie Jabaaij, Dutch politician (PvdA), born in Dordrecht, Netherlands (d. 1995)
1952 – Jonjo O’Neill, Irish racehorse trainer, born in Cork, Ireland
1964 – Bill D’Angelo, American heavy metal guitarist (Femme Fatale), born in Albuquerque, New Mexico (d. 2005)
1971 – Dina Korzun, Russian actress, born in Smolensk, Russia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1886 – Károly Thern, Hungarian composer, pianist, and arranger, dies at 68
1966 – Georges Duhamel, French author (Vie et aventures de Salavin, 5 vol.), dies at 81
1975 – François Tombalbaye, Dictator and 1st President of Chad (1960-75), dies at 56
1992 – Brian Oulton, English character actor, dies at 84
2000 – Inglis Gundry, British composer, musicologist and novelist, dies at 94
2009 – Bruce Snyder, American college football coach (Utah State, California, Arizona State), dies from melanoma at 69

More Famous Deaths »