1805 – Thomas Pownall, British colonial statesman (b. 1722)
1902 – Carl Ignaz Franz Umlauf, Austrian zither player and composer, dies at 77
1906 – Anton Arensky, Russian composer and conductor, dies of tuberculosis at 44
1966 – James D. Norris, American sports businessman (Chicago Black Hawks), dies at 59
1983 – John Cowles Sr, American newspaper and magazine publisher (Minneapolis Star, Harper’s Magazine), dies at 84
1988 – Amapola Del Vando, actress (Cowboy), dies at 78
1998 – Luigi Veronesi, Italian abstract artist (Campo Grafico), dies at 90
2003 – Tom O’Higgins, Irish Chief Justice (b. 1916)
2006 – Darren McGavin [Richardson], American actor (Murphy Brown, The Night Stalker, A Christmas Story), dies of cardiovascular disease at 83
2023 – Fred Miller, American football defensive tackle (Super Bowl 1970 Baltimore Colts; Pro Bowl 1967, 68, 69), dies at 82
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 25th February 2024
1907 – US proclaims protectorate over Dominican Republic
1944 – Alexander Gretchaninov’s “Missa Oecumenica” (Ecumenical Mass) premieres in Boston with Serge Koussevitzky conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra; the composer wrote the work in memory of the conductor’s wife Natalie (1880-1942)
1956 – Nikita Khrushchev denounces Joseph Stalin at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1971 – Northern Ireland Prime Minister James Chichester-Clark holds a meeting with Catholic Cardinal of Ireland William Conway, the first such meeting between men holding these offices since 1921
1980 – Coup ousts PM Henck Arron of Suriname
1981 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1981 – NY Islanders give up their most goals (11) vs Calgary Flames
1988 – Bruce Springsteen’s “Tunnel of Love” Tour begins in Worcester, Massachusetts
1990 – On a BBC taped interview, rock star Stevie Nicks breaks down, saying that she will never have children and no man can stand her for long
1996 – “Father” closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 52 performances
Today in History for 25th February 2024
Historical Events
1623 – Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria becomes monarch of Palts
1921 – The Living Buddha, Hutuktu, is crowned King of Mongolia as the country declares independence from China
1964 – Muhammad Ali [Cassius Clay] wins his first world heavyweight boxing title when Sonny Liston fails to come out for round 7 at the Convention Center, Miami Beach
1996 – “Father” closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 52 performances
1998 – Pamela Lee has husband Tommy Lee arrested on battery charges
2017 – Tom Perez is elected Chair of the Democratic National Committee
Famous Birthdays
1398 – Xuande, 5th Ming Emperor of China (1425-35) (d. 1435)
1940 – George Paul, CEO (Norwich Union Insurance Group)
1954 – Steve Rixon, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (1977-85)
1957 – Stuart “Woody” Wood, Scottish pop guitarist (Bay City Rollers – “Saturday Night”), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
1962 – Birgit Fischer, German kayaker (Olympic 4 x gold GDR 1988; 5 x gold FRG 1992, 96, 2000, 04; World C’ship gold x 17 GDR, 10 x FRG), born in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany
1970 – Dave Brown, NFL quarterback (NY Giants)
Famous Deaths
1850 – Daoguang, 7th Emperor of Qing Dynasty, dies at 67
1964 – Alexander Archipenko, Ukrainian-American sculptor and water colors painter, dies at 76
1992 – John E Allen Jr, actor (1 2 3), dies
1998 – Luigi Veronesi, Italian abstract artist (Campo Grafico), dies at 90
2005 – Peter Benenson, Britsh founder of Amnesty International, dies at 83
2018 – Penny Vincenzi [Hannaford], British novelist (An Absolute Scandal, Spoils of Time trilogy), dies at 78
Famous Deaths for 24th February 2024
1588 – Johann Weyer, Dutch physician and occultist
1806 – John Nieuwenhuijzen, Dutch theologist (co-founder Foundation ‘t Nut), dies at 81
1919 – Josephine McGill, composer, dies at 41
1925 – Karl Hjalmar Branting, Swedish statesman, Prime Minister of Sweden, recipient of the 1921 Nobel Peace Prize, dies at 64
1943 – Fred Tate, English cricket spin bowler (1 Test, 2 wickets; Sussex CCC) and coach (Derbyshire CCC), dies at 75
1967 – Franz Waxman [Wachsmann], German-American film score composer (Rebecca; Sunset Boulevard; A Place In The Sun), dies of cancer at 60
1976 – Charles Wilfred Orr, English pianist and composer (settings of A.E. Housman poems), dies at 82
1991 – Héctor Rial, Spanish soccer striker (Real Madrid, 5 straight Euro Cup C’ships 1956-60), dies at 62
2006 – Denis Twitchett, Cambridge scholar, and Chinese historian (b. 1925)
2011 – Anant Pai, Indian educationalist and creator of comics (b. 1929)
Historical Events for 24th February 2024
1797 – Colonel William Tate and his force of 1,000-1,500 soldiers surrender after the Last Invasion of Britain (according to legend, to Welsh women in tall black hats, mistaken for elite guards regiment)
1949 – Israel and Egypt sign an armistice agreement
1968 – Gary Unger begins NHL consecutive game record of 914 games
1970 – 29 Swiss Army officers die in avalanche (Reckingen, Switzerland)
1982 – Boston Celtics begin an 18 NBA game winning streak
1991 – English-Yiddish musical revue “Those Were The Days” closes at Edison Theater, NYC, after 126 performances
2013 – 55th Daytona 500: Jimmie Johnson wins 2nd Great American Race; Danica Patrick first female to start from pole position; also best-ever finish by a woman at Daytona (8th)
2018 – Japanese speed skater Nana Takagi wins her 2nd gold medal of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the women’s mass start event; also member Japan’s successful pursuit team
2019 – 91st Academy Awards: Best Picture “Green Book”, Best Director Alfonso Cuarón, Best Actor Rami Malek, Best Actress Olivia Colman
2020 – Scientists identify the first animal that doesn’t need oxygen to breathe – a tiny parasite living in salmon tissue, reported in journal PNAS
Today in History for 24th February 2024
Historical Events
1855 – US Court of Claims forms for cases against government
1857 – 1st perforated US postage stamps delivered to government
1920 – NSDAP begins at Hofbrauhaus Munich
1938 – Du Pont begins commercial production of nylon toothbrush bristles
1968 – Gary Unger begins NHL consecutive game record of 914 games
1980 – US ice hockey team clinches gold medal with 4-2 win over Finland at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics; comes after 4-3 “Miracle on Ice” victory against hot favorite Soviet Union
Famous Birthdays
1885 – Bert Lytell, American actor (One Man’s Family), born in New York City (d. 1954)
1939 – George Bain, principal (London Business School)
1951 – Derek Randall, English cricket batsman (47 Tests, 7 x 100, HS 174; Nottinghamshire CCC, Suffolk CCC), born in Retford, England
1968 – John Velddman, soccer player (Sparta)
1970 – Jonathan Ward, American actor (Doug-Charles in Charge; Beans Baxter), born in Baltimore, Maryland
1973 – Chris Fehn, American heavy metal percussionist (Slipknot, 1998-2019), born in Des Moines, Iowa
Famous Deaths
1975 – Nikolai A Bulganin, Soviet-Russian marshal and 6th Premier of the Soviet Union (1955-58), dies at 79
1986 – Rukmini Devi Arundale (née Sastri), Indian dancer, educator (co-founder of Kalakshetra Academy), politician (Member or Parliament, 1952-62), and animal rights activist, dies at 81
1997 – Isabelle Harriet Lucas, Canadian-born British actress and singer (Outland, Comics), dies at 69
2006 – Octavia E. Butler, American sci-fi author (Hugo, Wild Seed), dies at 58
2020 – Ben Cooper, American western actor (The Rose Tattoo; Outcast; Arizona Raiders), dies at 86
2021 – Peter Ostroushko, American fiddler, mandolin player, and composer (A Prairie Home Companion), dies of heart failure at 67
Famous Deaths for 23rd February 2024
1718 – Francois Fagel, Dutch field marshal (War of the Spanish Succession), dies at 63
1719 – Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg, German Lutheran missionary to India, dies at 36
1806 – John Alcock, English composer and organist, dies at 90
1851 – Joanna Baillie, Scottish poet and playwright, dies at 88
1904 – Mahendralal Sarkar, Indian homeopath doctor and founder of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, dies at 70
1930 – Horst Wessel, German nazi lyricist (Fahne Hoch), dies at 22
1995 – Melvin Franklin (né English), American RandB bass vocalist (The Temptations, 1960-94 – “Ball of Confusion”), dies of heart failure at 52
2004 – Carl Anderson, American singer (b. 1945)
2021 – Sergiu Natra [Nadler], Romanian-Israeli composer (Symphony in Red, Blue, Yellow and Green), and music professor (Tel Aviv University, 1975-85), dies at 96
2023 – John Motson, British football broadcaster (10 x FIFA World Cups; 10 x UEFA European C’ships; 29 x FA Cup finals; BBC, Talksport), dies at 77
Historical Events for 23rd February 2024
1660 – Charles XI becomes king of Sweden
1934 – Coronation of King Leopold III of Belgium
1947 – US General Eisenhower opens drive to raise $170M in aid for European Jews
1967 – Noam Chomsky’s anti-Vietnam war essay “The Responsibility of Intellectuals” is published by the New York Review of Books
1969 – 11th Daytona 500: LeeRoy Yarbrough driving for Junior Johnson, catches Charlie Glotzbach on final lap to win; first Daytona 500 won on a last lap pass
1980 – Olympic giant slalom champion Hanni Wenzel of Liechtenstein wins the women’s slalom, her second gold medal of the Lake Placid Winter Games
1986 – Despite losing, Boston Red Sox Wade Boggs gets largest arbitration in MLB history, $1.35M
2001 – 32nd NAACP Image Awards: “Remember the Titans” wins Outstanding Motion Picture
2012 – A series of bomb attacks across 12 Iraqi cities kills 60 and injures 200
2013 – 51 people are killed and 62 are injured in conflict between rival tribes in Darfur, Sudan
Today in History for 23rd February 2024
Historical Events
1792 – Joseph Haydn’s 94th Symphony in G premieres
1943 – German troops pull back through Kasserine-pass Tunisia
1945 – US Marines raise American flag on top of Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima. Pulitzer Prize winning photo of which by Joe Rosenthall later became iconic, inspiring the Marine Corps War Memorial sculpture
1975 – In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly two months early in the United States.
1986 – Despite losing, Boston Red Sox Wade Boggs gets largest arbitration in MLB history, $1.35M
1992 – The Socialist Labour Party is founded in Georgia
Famous Birthdays
1417 – Pope Paul II [Pietro Barbo], Italian Pope (1464-71), born in Venice, Republic of Venice (d. 1471)
1700 – Wilhelmus Schortinghuis, Dutch theologist (Profound Christianity), born in Winschoten (d. 1750)
1904 – William L. Shirer, American journalist and historian (Rise and Fall of 3rd Reich), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1993)
1914 – Mike Tresh, American baseball catcher (MLB All Star 1945; Chicago White Sox), born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania (d. 1966)
1922 – Bill Chappell Jr., American politician (Rep-D-FL, 1969-89), born in Kendrick, Florida (d. 1989)
1983 – Emily Blunt, English-American actress (The Girl on the Train, The Quiet Place), born in London
Famous Deaths
1011 – Willigis, Archbishop of Mainz
1464 – Zhu Qizhen, Chinese Emperor Yingzong of Ming (1435-49 and 1457-64), dies at 36 but not before giving an order to end the practice of burying alive concubines and palace maids so that they could follow emperors to the next world
1669 – Lieuwe van Aitzema, Dutch historian (Matters of State and War), dies at 68
1976 – L. S. Lowry, British painter of industrial scenes, dies at 88
1996 – Freddie Stocks, cricket (cent on debut and wkt on 1st ball, Notts), dies
1998 – Philip Abbott, American character actor (The FBI, Sweet Bird of Youth), dies at 73
Famous Deaths for 22nd February 2024
1471 – John of Rokycan, Czech Catholic archbishop dies at about 74 [birthdate uncertain]
1838 – Friedrich Johann Eck, German violinist and composer (Concertos pour violon), dies at 70
1914 – Valliamma Mudaliar, took part in Indian passive resistance, dies of a fever contracted in prison
1958 – Theo Harych, German writer, commits suicide at 54
1968 – Peter Arno, American cartoonist (New Yorker), dies at 64
1978 – Phyllis McGinley, American children’s author and poet (Pulitzer Prize 1961), dies at 72
1998 – Jose Maria de Areilza, Sp minister of foreign affairs (1975-76), dies
1999 – Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (b. 1964)
2005 – Zdzisław Beksiński, Polish artist (b. 1929)
2006 – Hilde Domin [Hilde Palm], German writer and poet, dies at 96