1862 – Shenandoah Valley campaign, Jackson’s Battle of Woodstock, Virginia
1905 – British East African Protectorate becomes colony of Kenya
1931 – Earthquake devastate Managua Nicaragua, kills 2,000
1934 – Clyde Barrow kills two young highway patrolmen, H. D. Murphy and Edward Bryant Wheeler, at the intersection of Route 114 near Grapevine, Texas. Bonnie Parker’s role in the murders helps turn public perception against the gang for good
1948 – “Big Bang” theory proposed in scientific journal “Physical Review” by American cosmologists Ralph Alpher, Hans Bethe, and George Gamow
1957 – Trial begins in Budapest against participants of the Hungarian Uprising of October 1956
1976 – Conrail takes over operations from six bankrupt railroads in the northeastern U.S..
1983 – Anti-nuclear demonstrators link arms in 14-mile human chain in England
1999 – Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown wins his 900th pro game with an 88-84 win over Miami Heat; Brown record: 671-547 NBA, 229-107 ABA, combined 900-654
2009 – Croatia and Albania join NATO
Author: gil7
Today in History for 1st April 2024
Historical Events
1881 – Kingdom post office in Netherlands opens
1891 – The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois.
1931 – Earthquake devastate Managua Nicaragua, kills 2,000
1937 – Aden becomes a British crown colony
1990 – WrestleMania VI, Skydome, Toronto, ON (67,678): Ultimate Warrior beats Hulk Hogan for WWF Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles
2020 – All England Lawn Tennis Club cancels Wimbledon for the first time since World War II because of the COVID-19 pandemic; entire grass-court season abandoned
Famous Birthdays
1933 – Stan Weston, US toy licensing agent, had concept for G.I. Joe, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2017)
1945 – John Barbata, American drummer (Turtles – “Happy Together”; “Elenore”), born in Passiac, New Jersey
1975 – Kristine Quance, American swimmer (Olympics gold 4×100m medley relay 1996), born in Northridge, California
1978 – Jean-Pierre Dumont, Canadian ice hockey right wing (World C’ship gold 2004; Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators), born in Montreal, Quebec
1982 – Sam Huntington, American actor (Jungle 2 Jungle, Being Human), born in Peterborough, New Hampshire
1985 – Beth Tweddle, English gymnast (World C’ship gold 2006, 09, 10; Olympic bronze 2012), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
Famous Deaths
1975 – Eugeen Yoors, Flemish etcher and glass painter, dies at 95
1983 – Ken Kersey, Canadian jazz pianist, and composer (“Boogie Woogie Cocktail”), dies at 66
1984 – Marvin Gaye, American soul singer-songwriter (“It Takes Two”; What’s Going On”; “Let’s Get It On”), shot to death by his father Marvin Gay, Sr., during a domestic dispute in Los Angeles at 44
1993 – Wayne Mack, American sportscaster (New Orleans Saints, Tulane University) and actor (Storyville), dies of cancer at 68
2004 – Nilo Soruco, Bolivian singer-songwriter (“Ya la pagarán”; “Caraqueña”), dies at 76
2005 – Alexander Brott, Canadian violinist, conductor, educator, and composer (McGill Chamber Orchestra), dies at 90
Famous Deaths for 31st March 2024
1578 – Juan de Escobedo, sec of Spanish land guardian Don Juan, murdered
1944 – Mineichi Koga, admiral of Japanese fleet, dies
1957 – Gene Lockhart, American actor (Going My Way), dies at 65
1971 – Liselotte Liselot Beekmeyer, Dutch actress (Child Crying), dies at 31
1993 – Chichay [Amparo Robles Custodio], Filipino comedienne and actress (Bilangguang puso, Ngitngit ng pitong whistle bomb), dies at 75
1993 – Jose Maria Lemus, president of El Salvador (1956-60), dies
1998 – Tim Flock, American auto racer (Winston Cup 1952, 55), dies of liver and throat cancer at 73
2020 – Pape Diouf, Senegalese journalist and football agent (president Olympique de Marseille 2005-09; first black president in Europe’s top 6 leagues), dies from COVID-19 at 68
2021 – Ron Greene, American college basketball coach (Uni of New Orleans, Mississippi State, Murray State, Indiana State), dies at 82
2022 – Fred Johnson, American doo-wop bass vocalist (The Marcels – “Blue Moon”), dies at 80
Historical Events for 31st March 2024
1877 – The family with samurai antecedents who responded to the Saigo army in Ōita Nakatsu rebels.
1940 – Karelo-Finnish SSR becomes 12th Soviet republic (until 1956)
1945 – 3rd Algerian division crosses the Rhine
1955 – Merger of Chase National Bank (3rd largest bank) and Bank of the Manhattan Company (15th largest bank) forms Chase Manhattan
1969 – George Harrison and Pattie Boyd are fined £250 each for illegal drugs
1988 – Pulitzer prize awarded to Toni Morrison for her novel “Beloved”
1994 – Actor James Farentino pleads no contest to stalking ex-girlfriend Tina Sinatra
1995 – Second time in tennis history, world #1 and #2 ranked players play in the same Davis Cup team; Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi score victories in US quarter-final win against Italy in Palermo
1995 – Federal judge Sonia Sotomayor of US District Court in NYC issues an injunction against Major League Baseball owners in move that effectively ends 232-day strike
2012 – Fiji Floods kill 2 people and force thousands to be evacuated
Today in History for 31st March 2024
Historical Events
1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine are present and join the Crusade.
1917 – The Danish West Indies are officially ceded to the US for $25 million and renamed the Virgin Islands
1958 – USSR suspends nuclear weapons tests, and urges US and Britain to do same
1970 – Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere after 12 years in orbit
1984 – Mike Bossy becomes first player in NHL history to record 7 straight 50 goal seasons; scores 50th and 51st of the year in a 3-1 New York Islanders’ win at Washington
1988 – Pulitzer prize awarded to Toni Morrison for her novel “Beloved”
Famous Birthdays
1360 – Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal as wife of King John I (1387-1415), born in Leicester Castle, Leicester, England (d. 1415)
1536 – Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese 13th shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate (1546-65), born in Nanzen-ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan (d. 1565)
1651 – Karl II, Elector Palatine (d. 1685)
1960 – Anne Howard, American actress (Nicole Love-Another World), born in San Diego, California
1964 – Erik Turner, American rock guitarist (Warrant – “Cherry Pie”), born in Omaha, Nebraska
1975 – Adam Green, American film director
Famous Deaths
1928 – Medardo Rosso, Italian sculptor (portraits), dies at 69
2003 – Tommy Seebach, Danish rock keyboardist, singer (Sir Henry and His Butlers), and songwriter (Eurovision), dies at 53
2005 – Terri Schiavo, American figure in right to die case (b. 1963)
2008 – William L. Dickinson, American politician (Rep-R-AL, 1965-93), dies at 82
2014 – Charles Keating, American district attorney (Los Angeles California), dies at 90
2016 – Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German Minister of Foreign Affairs (FDP), worked to re-unify Germany, dies at 89
Famous Deaths for 30th March 2024
988 – Arnulf II, count of Flanders (965-988), dies
1953 – Roderich Mojsisovics-Mojsvar, Austrian composer, dies at 75
1961 – Philibert Melotte, British astronomer (discovered Jupiter’s 8th satellite Pasiphae), dies at 81
1968 – Bobby Driscoll, American Academy Juvenile Award-winning actor (Song Of The South; The Window), dies of heart failure at 31 [date reflects discovery of his body in a deserted NYC tenement]
1976 – Jacqueline Royaards-Sandberg, Dutch actress (Hostage Rights), dies at 99
1995 – Tony Lock, English cricket spin bowler (49 Tests, 174 wickets, BB 7/35, 2 x 50; Surrey CCC, Western Australia, Leicestershire CCC), dies from cancer at 65
1996 – Ryoei Saito, Japanese businessman (Daishowa Paper Manufacturing), dies at 79
1998 – Ramsay Ames [Phillips], American actress, model and dancer (The Mummy’s Ghost; Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves), dies of lung cancer at 79
2020 – Frank Maloney, American football coach (Syracuse University 1974-1980), dies from brain cancer at 79
2020 – Manolis Glezos, Greek politician, writer and resistance hero (took down Nazi flag from Acropolis), dies at 97
Historical Events for 30th March 2024
1822 – Congress combines East and West Florida into Florida Territory
1865 – -4] Battle at 5 Forks, Virginia
1910 – Mississippi Legislature founded The University of Southern Mississippi
1923 – Zeta Phi Beta Sorority formed at Howard U in 1920 incorporates
1939 – Heinkel He 100 fighter sets a world airspeed record of 463 mph
1963 – 117th Grand National: 19-year old jockey Pat Buckley aboard 66/1 outsider Ayala wins by 3/4 of a length from Carrickbeg
1972 – North Vietnam launches a major conventional offensive against South Vietnam
1972 – Revival of Stephen Sondheim’s musical-comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, starring Phil Silvers, opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, NYC; runs for 156 performances and wins 2 Tony Awards
2008 – WrestleMania XXIV, Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL: Kane defeats Chavo Guerrero; Randy Orton beats Triple H and John Cena in a title Triple Threat match; The Undertaker downs Edge
2022 – State memorial service held for Australian cricketing great Shane Warne at Melbourne Cricket Ground, attended by 50,000
Today in History for 30th March 2024
Historical Events
1814 – Napoleonic Wars: Sixth Coalition forces march into Paris after defeating Napoleon
1911 – Lötschberg tunnel in Switzerland (13,735 m) completed
1930 – Babberich-H soccer team forms
1966 – “Color Me Barbra”, Barbra Streisand’s second TV special and the first in color, premieres on CBS
1984 – US ends participation in multinational Lebanon peace force
2001 – At 15 years, 9 months American swimmer Michael Phelps breaks 200m butterfly world record at the US World Championship trials at Austin, Texas; becomes youngest male to set a world mark
Famous Birthdays
1902 – Brooke Astor, American philanthropist (d. 2007)
1908 – Camille Schmit, Belgian organist, composer, and educator, born in Aubangez, Belgium (d. 1976)
1935 – John Charles Eaton, American composer, born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania (d. 2015)
1942 – Graeme Edge, British rock drummer, and poet (Moody Blues – “The Dream”; “Morning Glory”), born in Rocester, Staffordshire England (d. 2021)
1943 – Ken Forssi, American bassist (Love), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1998)
1947 – Marilyn Crispell, American jazz pianist and composer (Anthony Braxton Quartet), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Famous Deaths
1903 – William Hicks “Red” Jackson, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 67
1935 – Romanos Melik’yan, Armenian composer, dies at 51
1943 – Maciej Aleksy Dawidowski, Polish activist (b. 1920)
1949 – Friedrich Bergius, German chemist (benzine from brown coal, Nobel Prize 1931), dies at 64
1978 – Larry Young [aka Khalid Yasin], American hard-bop and jazz-fusion Hammond B-3 organist (Unity), dies from several untreated illnesses, including pneumonia, at 37
1978 – Harold Gimblett, English cricket batsman (3 Tests, 1 x 50; 265 career FC sixes; Somerset CCC), dies from an overdose at 63
Famous Deaths for 29th March 2024
1368 – Emperor Go-Murakami, Emperor of Japan (b. 1328)
1625 – Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas, Spanish historian (b. 1549)
1683 – Yaoya Oshichi, a young girl burned at the stake for arson in 17th Century Japan (b. 1667)
1878 – Mark Hopkins, American business tycoon and railroad executive (Central Pacific Railroad), dies at 64
1930 – Anton Bettelheim, Austrian writer, dies at 78
1948 – Olev Siinmaa, Estonian ‘Functionalist’ architect (Pärnu Beach Hotel), dies at 66
1953 – Arthur Fields [Abraham Finkelstein], American singer-songwriter (Aba Daba Honeymoon), dies in a fire at his nursing home residence at 68
1955 – Everard Verachtert, Flemish linguist (I Can Speak Nicely pamphlet), dies at 81
1980 – Annunzio Mantovani, Italian orchestra leader (Mantovani), dies at 74
2020 – Krzysztof Penderecki, Polish composer (“Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima”), dies at 86
Historical Events for 29th March 2024
1806 – Construction is authorized of the Great National Pike, better known as the Cumberland Road, becoming the first United States federal highway
1852 – Ohio makes it illegal for children under 18 and women to work more than 10 hours a day
1867 – US Congress first approves building of Lincoln Memorial
1912 – Captain Robert Falcon Scott, storm-bound in a tent near the South Pole, makes last entry in his diary “the end cannot be far”
1960 – Darius Milhaud’s 9th Symphony, premieres
1982 – 54th Academy Awards: “Chariots of Fire”, Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn win
1992 – Ice Dance Championship in Oakland, California won by Klimova and Ponomarenko (CIS)
1993 – Actress Elizabeth Taylor presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her AIDS/HIV activism at 65th Academy Awards
1996 – NY Yankees beats NY Mets 7-3 in an exhibition game
2015 – WrestleMania XXXI, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA (76,976): Seth Rollins beats Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns in impromptu triple threat match to capture WWE Heavyweight title