1310 – Fifty-four members of the Knights Templar are burned at the stake in France for being heretics
1911 – The United States becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty
1926 – Airship Norge leaves Spitsbergen for 1st air crossing of Arctic Ocean
1950 – Belgium mine disaster at Borinage, 39 die
1968 – Toronto Transit Commission opens the largest expansion of its Bloor-Danforth Line, going to Scarborough in the east, Etobicoke in the west
1970 – Henry Marrow is murdered in a violent racially-motivated crime in Oxford, North Carolina.
1988 – France performs nuclear test
1991 – NHL Prince of Wales Conference Final: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Boston Bruins, 4 games to 2
2015 – Record price for a work of art at auction: Picasso’s The Women of Algiers (Version ‘O’) sells for US$179.3 million at Christies in New York
2018 – Mass murder-suicide in Margaret River, Australia, grandfather shoots six members of his family and himself
Author: gil7
Today in History for 11th May 2024
Historical Events
1887 – 13th Kentucky Derby: Isaac Lewis aboard Montrose wins in 2:39.25
1927 – England’s football team beat Belgium 9-1
1956 – Pinky Lee Show last airs on NBC-TV
1975 – Israel signs an agreement with European Economic Market
2013 – English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (86,254): Wigan Athletic upsets Manchester City, 1-0; Ben Watson scores 90+1′ winner
2022 – First ever US government report into Indian boarding school deaths released (not complete), documents more than 500 deaths across 400 schools and 50 gravesites over 150 years
Famous Birthdays
1731 – Johann Gottfried Seyfert, German composer and violinist, born in Augsburg, Electorate of Bavaria (now Germany) (d. 1772)
1752 – Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, German anthropologist (d. 1840)
1954 – Lubomir Stoykov, Bulgarian journalist and broadcaster
1967 – Eric Young, infielder (Colorado Rockies), born in New Brunswick, New Jersey
1987 – Louis Murphy, American college football player
1997 – Coi Leray [Collins], American rapper (No More Parties), born in Boston, Massachusetts
Famous Deaths
1778 – William Pitt the Elder, British Prime Minister (Whig, 1756-61, 66-68) known as the `Great Commoner’, dies at 69
1881 – Henri-Frédéric Amiel, Swiss writer (Journal Intime), dies at 59
1907 – John Albert Delany, Australian composer, dies at 54
1916 – Karl Schwarzschild, German astronomer (Schwarzschild effect), dies on the Eastern front at 42, mere months after working out a solution to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
2019 – Harold Lederman, American boxing judge and analyst (HBO), dies of cancer at 79
2022 – Henk Groot, Dutch soccer attacking midfielder/forward (39 caps; Ajax, Feyenoord), dies at 84
Famous Deaths for 10th May 2024
1849 – Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese painter and printmaker (The Great Wave off Kanagawa), dies at 89
1869 – Wilhelm Bernhard Molique, German composer and violonist, dies at 66
1885 – Ferdinand Hiller, German pianist, composer and conductor, dies at 73
1909 – Johannes de Koo, Dutch journalist and playwright, dies at 67
1971 – Shukichi Mitsukuri, Japanese composer (10 Haikai de Basho), dies at 75
1988 – Shen Congwen, Chinese writer (Long River), dies at 85
1994 – Lucebert [Jacobus Swaanswijk], Dutch poet and cartoonist (PC Hooft prize 1967), dies at 69
2002 – George Cates, American composer and orchestra leader (Lawrence Welk Show), dies at 90
2006 – Soraya [Lamilla], Colombian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, arranger and record producer (“Amor En Tus Ojos / Love In Your Eyes”‘; “Casi”), dies of breast cancer at 37
2007 – Brian Wolfson, British CEO (Wembley Stadium Ltd), dies at 71
Historical Events for 10th May 2024
1559 – Scottish Protestants under John Knox uprise against queen mother Mary
1775 – American Revolution: Green Mountain Boys capture Fort Ticonderoga, New York
1913 – Yanks commit 8 errors and still beat Tigers 10-9 in 10 innings
1932 – Government declares “Wilhelmus” as the Netherlands’ national anthem
1933 – Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF) forms
1936 – Manuel Azaña elected the second President of the Spanish Republic
1941 – 66th Preakness: Eddie Arcaro wins aboard Whirlaway, 2nd leg of successful Triple Crown
1972 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1973 – 27th NBA Championship: NY Knicks beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 1
2021 – NBC says it will not televise the 2022 Golden Globes because of criticism of its lack of diversity
Today in History for 10th May 2024
Historical Events
1676 – Bacon’s Rebellion begins, frontiersmen vs Virginia government
1905 – 31st Kentucky Derby: Jack Martin aboard Agile wins in 2:100.75
1915 – Canadian physician Cluny Macpherson first presents his gas mask invention to the British War Office
1993 – Bill Walton is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
1994 – Barbra Streisand’s begins 1st concert tour in 30 years, at the Capitol Centre in Landover, Maryland (after “warm-up” shows in Las Vegas and London)
2003 – The May 2003 tornado outbreak sequence takes place.
Famous Birthdays
1705 – Gallus Zeiler, German composer, born in Kempten (d. 1755)
1760 – Johann Peter Hebel, German writer (Allemannische Gedichte), born in Basel (d. 1826)
1951 – Steve Gunderson, American politician (Rep-R-WI, 1981-97), born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
1969 – Dennis Bergkamp, Dutch football player (Ajax; Netherlands), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1970 – Perry Blake, Irish singer-songwriter (The Hunchback of San Francisco), born in Sligo, Ireland
1981 – Katori Hall, American playwright and actress (The Hot Wing King), born in Memphis, Tennessee
Famous Deaths
1691 – Colonel John Birch, English soldier (b. 1615)
1891 – Karl Wilhelm von Nägeli, Swiss botanist (famous for his work on plant cells), dies at 74
1995 – Jimmy Raney, American jazz guitarist, dies at 67
2010 – Frank Frazetta [Frazzetta], American fantasy illustrator of comic book, paperback, album cover art, dies of a stroke at 82
2020 – John Teerlinck, American NFL defensive end (SD Chargers) and coach (annual award for NFL best defensive line coach named after him), dies at 69
2021 – Néstor Montelongo, Uruguayan soccer utility (36 caps; Montevideo Wanderers, Peñarol, Nacional, Racing), dies at 66
Famous Deaths for 9th May 2024
1938 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish industrialist, dies at 72
1955 – Kate Booth, English Salvationist and evangelist, dies at 97
1967 – Elmar Berkovich, Hungarian-Dutch industrial designer (Eindhoven theater), dies at 69
1976 – Raymond Chevreuille, Belgian composer, dies at 74
1982 – Ab Visser, Dutch poet and writer (Man Without a Head), dies at 69
1993 – Penelope Gilliatt, British author, dies at 61
1994 – Elias Motsoaledi, South African freedom fighter and anti-apartheid activist, dies at 69
2005 – Nasrat Parsa, Afghani singer, dies at 36
2007 – Jacob Gilboa, Israeli composer, dies at 87
2016 – John Warr, English cricket fast-medium bowler (2 Tests, 1 wicket; Middlesex CCC, University of Cambridge CC) and executive (president MCC 1987-88), dies at 88
Historical Events for 9th May 2024
1901 – Cleveland’s Earl Moore no-hits Chicago White Sox 9 inn but loses in 10th 4-2
1914 – J.T. Hearne becomes the first bowler to take 3000 first-class wickets.
1916 – Disastrous wind-blown fire in Ellendale, North Dakota destroys three blocks of businesses, a church, and 21 homes
1945 – Czechoslovakia liberated from Nazi occupation (National Day)
1958 – “Vertigo”, American film noir psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, is released
1974 – US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee begins formal hearings on Nixon impeachment
1980 – 35 motorists die when roadway collapses after Liberian freighter ‘Summit Venture’ rams Sunshine Skyway Bridge, during a squall (Tampa Bay, Florida)
1992 – America Cup finals begin in San Diego
1992 – Salem Village Witchcraft Victims’ Memorial dedicated in Danvers (formally Salem Village) to mark 300 year anniversary of trials
2018 – Walmart takes a majority stake in Indian online retailer Flipkart for 16 billion
Today in History for 9th May 2024
Historical Events
1967 – 1st flight of Fokker F-28 Fellowship
1980 – 35 motorists die when roadway collapses after Liberian freighter ‘Summit Venture’ rams Sunshine Skyway Bridge, during a squall (Tampa Bay, Florida)
1988 – Belgium: 8th government of Martens forms
1993 – Paraguay holds its first presidential and parliamentary elections in 50 years
1997 – San Diego Padres retire #35 worn by pitcher Randy Jones
2016 – Rodrigo Duterte wins Philippine presidential election, promising war on drug trade and killing of criminals
Famous Birthdays
1796 – August Pauly, German writer (Real Encyclopedia), born in Benningen am Neckar, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (d. 1845)
1850 – Edward Weston, English-born American electrical engineer who invented the portable voltmeter, born in Wolverhampton, England (d. 1936)
1888 – Rolf de Maré, Swedish art collector and museum director, born in Stockholm (d. 1964)
1922 – Sheila Burrell, British actress (Black Orchid, Paranoiac, Laughter in Dark), born in Blackheath, London (d. 2011)
1975 – Tamia [Washington], Canadian RandB, hiphop, and pop singer, born in Windsor, Ontario
1980 – Tony Schmidt, German racing driver
Famous Deaths
1791 – Francis Hopkinson, American judge, signer of the Declaration of Independence, author, flag designer (first American flag), and composer (The Battle of the Kegs), dies from an apoplectic seizure at 53
1958 – Bill Goodwin, American television announcer (Jolson Story, Burns and Allen), dies at 47
1968 – Harold Gray, American comic strip artist (Little Orphan Annie), dies at 74
1970 – Percy Brier, Australian composer, dies at 84
1986 – Dirk de Vroome, Dutch campaigner and Limbourg activist, dies at 60
2011 – Wouter Weylandt, Belgian cyclist, dies at 26
Famous Deaths for 8th May 2024
535 – John II [Mercurius], Roman Catholic Pope (533-35), dies at about 60 [birth date uncertain]
1079 – Stanislaus, Polish clergyman (Bishop of Kraków, 1072-79), martyr, and Catholic saint, murdered by of King Bolesław II the Bold, at 48 [date observed in Poland, exact date disputed, some sources say April, some May 7]
1278 – Emperor Duanzong of China (b. 1268)
1945 – Bernhard Rust, German Nazi politician and Minister of Science, Education and National Culture (1934-45), reportedly commits suicide at 61
1985 – Karl Marx, German composer and conductor, dies at 87
1985 – Adolphus “Dolph” Sweet, American actor (Gimme a Break, Which Way is Up), dies of cancer at 64
1991 – Jean Langlais, French organist, and composer (Missa Salve Regina), dies at 84
1996 – Garth Williams, American illustrator (Charlotte’s Web), dies at 84
1998 – Jack Heslop-Harrison, English botanist, Director of Kew Gardens (1970-76), dies at 78
2006 – Viola Mae Wilkerson, American pop singer (“Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now”), dies of cancer at 69
Historical Events for 8th May 2024
1885 – Sarah Ann Henley survives 76-m jump from Clifton Bridge in Bristol, England
1942 – German summer offensive opens in Crimea
1946 – Estonian school girls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial that preceded the Bronze Soldier in Tallinn
1954 – 1st shot-put throw over 60′ (18.29 m) by American Parry O’Brien, Los Angeles, California
1957 – South Vietnamese President, Ngô Đình Diệm, arrives in the United States on a state visit
1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental
1970 – Beatles release 12th, and final, studio album, “Let It Be”, in conjunction with the film of the same name
1971 – Courtney, Courtney, and Link’s musical “Earl of Ruston” closes at Billy Rose Theater, NYC, after 5 performances
1994 – Jose Maria Figueres becomes president of Costa Rica
2022 – US first lady Jill Biden visits Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska at a school in Uzhhorod, Ukraine