1670 – Ferdinand II, ruler of Toscane, dies at 59
1681 – Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, Swedish architect (Drottningholm Palace), dies at 65
1843 – Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician, dies at 78
1850 – Jane Porter, novelist (Scottish Chiefs), dies at 74
1994 – Jean-Pierre Plooij, Dutch writer and playwright (Duvelsmoer verhalen; Patience; Bird House), dies at 48
1994 – John Barrington Wain, English author and poet (Hurry on Down), dies at 69
2005 – Arthur Haulot, Belgian journalist (b. 1913)
2010 – Paul Gray, American heavy metal bassist (Slipknot), dies of a drug overdose at 38
2010 – Ray Alan, English ventriloquist and television entertainer (Lord Charles), dies at 79
2022 – Thomas Ulsrud, Norwegian curler (World C’ship gold [skip] 2014; Olympics silver 2010), dies from cancer at 50
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 24th May 2024
1866 – Berkeley, California named (for George Berkeley, Bishop of Cloyne)
1895 – Henry Irving becomes the first actor to receive a knighthood
1909 – Bristol University granted Royal Charter
1918 – British officer General Poole lands at Murmansk, the Russian port on the Barents Sea
1944 – Icelandic voters severe all ties with Denmark
1970 – The drilling of the Kola Superdeep Borehole begins in the Soviet Union
1978 – American management consultant Marilyn Loden first coins the term “glass ceiling” to describe invisible career barriers for women
1986 – Margaret Thatcher becomes 1st British Prime Minister to visit Israel
1997 – Telstar-5 Proton Launch, Successful
2018 – World’s largest cat-proof fence (44 km / 27.3 miles) completed at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, central Australia to protect endangered species
Today in History for 24th May 2024
Historical Events
1890 – Tivoli Theater of Varieties opens in London
1895 – Henry Irving becomes the first actor to receive a knighthood
1941 – German battleship Bismarck sinks the British battle cruiser HMS Hood; 1,416 die, 3 survive
1980 – “Rock Lobster” by B-52s hits #56
2009 – 62nd Cannes Film Festival: “The White Ribbon” directed by Michael Haneke wins the Palme d’Or
2018 – Record US fentanyl seizure of 120lbs (54kg) confirmed by police in Nebraska in April, enough to kill 26 million people, one of largest drug busts in US history
Famous Birthdays
1816 – Emanuel Leutze, American painter (Washington Crossing the Delaware), born in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Württemberg, German Confederation (d. 1868)
1854 – John Riley Banister, American law officer and cowboy, born in Banister Hollow, Camden County, Missouri (d. 1918)
1899 – Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (French C’ships 1925-26, Wimbledon 1919-23, 25), born in Paris, France (d. 1938)
1941 – Konrad Boehmer, German-Dutch composer, born in Berlin, Germany (2014)
1970 – Tommy Page, American pop singer (“I’ll Be Your Everything”), born in Glenridge, New Jersey (d. 2017)
1981 – Penny Taylor, Australian basketball forward (World C’ship gold 2006; Olympic silver 2004, 08; WNBA C’ship 2007, 09, 14 Phoenix Mercury; 3 x WNBA All-Star), born in Melbourne, Australia
Famous Deaths
1681 – Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, Swedish architect (Drottningholm Palace), dies at 65
1919 – Amado Nervo [Juan Crisóstomo Ruiz de Nervo], Mexican writer and poet, dies at 48
2004 – Milton Shulman, Canadian author and critic (b. 1913)
2010 – Paul Gray, American heavy metal bassist (Slipknot), dies of a drug overdose at 38
2010 – Tapen Chatterjee, Bengali actor from India (b. 1937)
2021 – Samuel E. Wright, American stage and screen actor and singer (Jesus Christ Superstar; Ball Four; The Little Mermaid; The Lion King), dies of prostate cancer at 74
Famous Deaths for 23rd May 2024
1841 – Franz Xaver von Baader, German philosopher and theologist, dies at 76
1893 – Anton von Schmerling, Austrian statesman, dies at 87
1934 – Bonnie Parker, American outlaw of Bonnie and Clyde fame, killed in police ambush in Louisiana at 23
1941 – Slavko Osterc, Slovenian composer (Iz Satanovega Dnevnika (From Satan’s Diary); Illusions), and pedagogue, dies at 45
1969 – Diane Aubrey, actress (Haunted Strangler), dies of a heart attack at 79
1998 – Andreas Liebenberg, South African military commander, dies at 60
2006 – Lloyd Bentsen, American politician (Senator-D-Texas, 1971-93, 1989 Democrat VP nominee), dies at 85
2008 – (Bruce) “Utah” Phillips, American folk singer-songwriter (“Green Rolling Hills”; “The Goodnight-Loving Trail”) storyteller, poet, and labor organizer, dies of heart disease at 73
2022 – Eric Schneider, Dutch actor (Drop Out, Family, Flanagan), dies at 87
2023 – Sheldon Reynolds, American soul and funk guitarist (Commodores, 1983-87; Earth, Wind and Fire, 1987-2002), dies at 63
Historical Events for 23rd May 2024
1568 – The Netherlands declares independence from Spain
1861 – Virginia citizens vote 3 to 1 in favor of secession from the Union
1865 – Flag flown at full mast over White House for the first time since Lincoln was shot
1915 – Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary during WW I
1928 – Bomb attack on Italian embassy in Buenos Aires, 22 die
1958 – US schools 1st use Cliff’s Notes
1965 – Franz Jonas elected President of Austria
1989 – 3rd American Comedy Award: Paula Poundstone
2013 – Patrick Roy is named head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, his former team where he won two Stanley Cups
2014 – “Pauline” a chamber opera by Margaret Atwood and Tobin Stokes premieres at the York Theatre in Vancouver
Today in History for 23rd May 2024
Historical Events
1898 – 1st Philippine Expeditionary Troops sail from San Francisco
1922 – Walt Disney incorporates his 1st film company Laugh-O-Gram Films
1926 – Chicago Cub’s Hack Wilson is 1st to hit a home run off Wrigley Field scoreboard
1994 – Roman Herzog elected President of Germany
2001 – Marco Siffredi becomes the first person to snowboard down Mount Everest via the Norton Couloir (some share record accreditation with Stefan Gatt)
2021 – 28th Billboard Music Awards: The Weeknd wins 10; Pop Smoke wins 5
Famous Birthdays
1795 – Charles Barry, British architect, born in London (d. 1860)
1898 – Joseph H. Hazen, Hollywood lawyer (Warner Brothers), born in Kingston, New York (d. 1996)
1934 – Malcolm Gill, deputy head (Bank for Intl Settlements)
1936 – Robert Sangster, horse owner/trainer
1946 – David Graham, Australian golfer (PGA C’ship 1979, US Open 1981), born in Windsor, NSW
1980 – Lane Garrison, American actor (Prison Break), born in Dallas, Texas
Famous Deaths
1691 – Adrien Auzout, French astronomer (b. 1622)
1785 – William Woollett, engraver, dies
1838 – Jan Willem Janssens, Dutch nobleman, military officer, and Governor-General of Cape colony and Dutch-Indies, dies at 75
1947 – Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, Swiss writer (Le Petit Village), dies at 68
1996 – Rob Hall, New Zealand high altitude climber, dies of exposure on Mount Everest at 35
2001 – Alessadro Natta, Italian political leader (Communist Party), dies at 83
Famous Deaths for 22nd May 2024
1801 – Heinrich Gottfried Reichard, German composer, and translator, dies at 58
1851 – Mordecai Manuel Noah, American writer, journalist (b. 1755)
1885 – Victor Hugo, French author (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Les Miserables), dies at 83
1904 – Georges Gilles de la Tourette, French neurologist, hysteria specialist, and namesake of Tourette’s syndrome, dies from syphilis at 46
1949 – Hans Pfitzner, German composer (Palestrina), dies at 80
1965 – Heinrich Barth, Swiss philosopher (Das Sein in der Zeit), dies
1966 – Tom Goddard, English cricket off-spin bowler (8 Tests; 22 wickets @ 26.72; Gloucestershire), dies at 65
1967 – Langston Hughes, American poet (Weary Blues), playwright (Mulatto), and librettist (Troubled Island), dies at 65
2003 – Ousmane Zongo, Burkinabé shooting victim
2008 – Robert Asprin, American author (b. 1946)
Historical Events for 22nd May 2024
1803 – 1st US public library opens in Connecticut
1903 – Launch of the White Star Liner SS Ionic.
1915 – Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, only mountain other than Mount St. Helens, to erupt in the continental US during the 20th century
1915 – Local train collides with troop train killing 226 in Gretna, Scotland
1950 – Celal Bayar elected President of Turkey
1956 – “Bob Hope Show” last airs on NBC-TV
1967 – Egyptian President Nasser closes the Straits of Tiran to Israel
1970 – Arab terrorists kill 9 children and 3 adults on a school bus
1996 – Emmy 23rd Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci loses for 16th time
2022 – Report released on sexual abuse in US Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s largest Protestant denomination, details 20 years of suppressing many allegations
Today in History for 22nd May 2024
Historical Events
1931 – 1931 George End introduces “Genuine Diamondback Rattlesnake with Supreme Sauce” in a can, by his Florida Products Corporation; the popular item ceases production in 1944 after when the owner dies, a victim of one snake’s revenge
1967 – Egyptian President Nasser closes the Straits of Tiran to Israel
1974 – “Julie and Jackie: How Sweet It Is” music and comedy variety special starring Julie Andrews and Jackie Gleason airs on ABC-TV
1977 – Final European scheduled run of the Orient Express (after 94 years)
1983 – Toronto Blue Jay Cliff Johnson hits record 18th pinch hit HR
2015 – Pakistan begin the first test-playing nation cricket tour of Zimbabwe since 2009
Famous Birthdays
1908 – Rattana Pestonji, Thai filmmaker and cinematographer (Tang), born in Bangkok, Thailand (d. 1970)
1925 – Jean Tinguely, Swiss sculptor artist (movement objects), born in Fribourg, Switzerland (d. 1991)
1928 – T. Boone Pickens, American businessperson and oil tycoon (Shamrock, Mesa Petroleum Co) known as the ‘Oracle of Oil’, born in Holdenville, Oklahoma (d. 2019)
1946 – Howard Kendall, English footballer and football manager (Everton), born in Ryton, County Durham (d. 2015)
1955 – Philip Dybvig, American economist (2022 Nobel Prize – for research on banks and financial crises)
1961 – Dana Williams, American singer (Diamond Rio – Meet in the Middle), born in Dayton, Ohio
Famous Deaths
1457 – Saint Rita of Cascia, Italian saint (b. 1381)
1961 – Joan Davis, American actress (I Married Joan), dies of a heart attack at 53
1994 – Mitacq [Michel Tacq], Belgium comic strip artist (Beaver Patrol), dies
2004 – Mikhail Voronin, Russian gymnast who won Olympic gold USSR vault, horizontal bar 1968; World C’ship gold all-round, rings 1966, dies at 59
2019 – Judith Kerr, British children’s writer and illustrator (The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Mog books), dies at 95
2020 – Mory Kanté, Guinean singer and kora harp player (Yé ké yé ké), dies at 70
Famous Deaths for 21st May 2024
1542 – Hernando de Soto, Spanish conquistador and 1st European to discover the Mississippi River, dies of a fever while searching for gold, near the Mississippi River at about 46
1954 – János Hammerschlag, Hungarian composer, dies at 68
1968 – Doris Lloyd, English American actress (Oliver Twist), dies of heart strain at 71
1973 – Ivan Konev, Russian general (Marshal of the Soviet Union – led Red Army on WWII Eastern Front, commanded Warsaw Pact forces), dies at 75
1988 – Bruno Frei [Benedikt Freistadt], Austrian Marxist journalist, dies at 91
1996 – Alfred “Lash” LaRue, American actor (Lash of the West, Wyatt Earp), dies of emphysema at 78
2013 – Frank Comstock, American big band and pop orchestral arranger (Les Brown; Doris Day; Warner Bros; Brian Setzer), film and television composer (Rocky and His Friends; Adam-12), and recording artist (Project: Comstock – Music from Outer Space), dies at 90
2019 – Rik Kuypers, Belgian director (Sea Gulls Die in the Harbor), dies at 94
2022 – Jiří Zídek Sr., Czech basketball center (considered best Czech player ever; FIBA European All-Star 1966, 67; USK Praha) and coach (USK Praha, Sparta Praha), dies at 78
2023 – Ray Stevenson, Northern Irish actor (King Arthur, Rome), dies at 58