1503 – Piero di Lorenzo de’ Medici [Piero the Unfortunate], Italian ruler of Florence (1492-94), dies at 31
1891 – Alfred Cellier, British conductor (Glibert and Sullivan) and composer (Dorothy), dies at 47
1915 – Gerrit Jan van Heek, Dutch textile manufacturer and politician, dies at 78
1919 – Johannes Rydberg, Swedish physicist (Rydberg formula), dies at 65
1976 – Katharine Byron, U.S. Congresswoman, dies at 73
1980 – Jersey calf, lived 222 days with an artificial heart
1993 – Howard Caine [Cohen], American actor (Hogan’s Heroes), dies at 67
2007 – Aidin Nikkhah Bahrami, Iran national basketball team player (b. 1982)
2015 – John “Brad” Bradbury, British ska drummer and record producer (The Specials), dies at 62
2019 – Erzsébet Szőnyi, Hungarian composer, dies at 95
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 28th December 2023
1832 – John C. Calhoun becomes 1st VP to resign (differences with President Jackson)
1914 – Turks are repulsed by the Russians after fighting in Armenia for weeks
1915 – San Francisco City Hall dedicated by Mayor James Rolph
1934 – Film “Bright Eyes” premieres starring Shirley Temple and featuring the song “On the Good Ship Lollipop”
1968 – Israeli assault on Beirut Airport
1969 – USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1970 – Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) adopts constitution
1972 – USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1984 – Creosote bush determined to be 11,700 years old
1994 – American country singer Tammy Wynette admitted to the hospital with bile duct infection
Today in History for 28th December 2023
Historical Events
1816 – American Colonization Society organizes
1904 – 1st daily wireless weather forecasts published (London)
1905 – Intercollegiate Athletic Association of US founded (becomes NCAA in 1910)
1926 – Victoria all out for 1107 against NSW at the MCG Crowd 22,348
1963 – “Jennie” closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 82 performances
2002 – LinkedIn is founded by Reid Hoffman and others in Mountain View, California
Famous Birthdays
1865 – Félix Vallotton, Swiss-French painter and writer (Chaste Suzanna), born in Lausanne, Switzerland (d. 1925)
1902 – Shen Congwen, Chinese writer (Long River), born in Zhen’gan, Hunan Province (d. 1988)
1929 – Terry Sawchuk, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender (4-time Vezina Trophy and Stanley Cup winner), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba (d. 1970)
1942 – Arild Hetleøen, Norwegian soccer central defender (4 caps; SK Brann), born in Bergen, Norway (2023)
1962 – Michel Petrucciani, French jazz pianist (100 Hearts), born in Orange, France (d. 1999)
1972 – Kevin Stitt, American politician, Governor of Oklahoma (2019-), born in Milton, Florida
Famous Deaths
1663 – Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (light defraction), dies at 45
1859 – Thomas Babington Macaulay, English poet (Ivy), historian (The History of England), and politician (British India education reform), dies of a heat attack at 59
1978 – Harry Winston, US jeweler for the “rich and famous”, dies at 82
1984 – Sam Peckinpah, American film director (The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs), dies of cardiac arrest at 59
1995 – Harold Collison, British trade unionist (agriculture workers), dies at 86
2017 – Recy Taylor, American sexual assault victim, dies at 97
Famous Deaths for 27th December 2023
975 – Balderik, bishop of Utrecht (918-75), dies
1737 – William Bowyer, English printer (b. 1663)
1800 – Hugh Blair, Scottish preacher and man of letters (b. 1718)
1914 – Charles Martin Hall, American chemist and inventor, dies at 51
1987 – Rewi Alley, New Zealand writer (Americans in China, dies at 90
1997 – Ewart Abner, American record label executive, President of Motown Records, manager of Stevie Wonder), dies at 74
2002 – George Roy Hill, American Academy Award-winning film director (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; The Sting; Slap Shot; A Little Romance; The World According to Garp), dies from complications of Parkinson’s disease at 81
2007 – Benazir Bhutto, 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan and 1st female leader of a Muslim nation, assassinated in Rawalpindi by a suicide bomber at 54
2019 – Garrett List, American classical and jazz composer and trombonist (Julliard Ensemble), dies at 76
2020 – José Luiz Carbone, Brazilian soccer midfielder (6 caps; São Paulo, Internacional, Botafogo) and coach (Fluminense, Guarani), dies from liver cancer at 74
Historical Events for 27th December 2023
1934 – Musical revue “Thumbs Up”, including music and lyrics by Vernon Duke, James Hanley, and Ira Gershwin (among others), premieres at the St. James Theatre, NYC; runs for 156 performance
1954 – Gian Carlo Menotti’s Pulitzer Prize winning opera “The Saint of Bleecker Street” opens at Broadway Theater in ,NYC; runs for 92 performances
1960 – 1961 NFL Draft: Tommy Mason from University of Tulane first pick by Minnesota Vikings
1961 – Belgium and Congo resume diplomatic relations
1981 – USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1983 – Propane gas fire devastated 16 blocks of Buffalo
1991 – Bengals hire Dave Shula as youngest NFL coach (32)
1996 – Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram air base which solidifies their buffer zone around Kabul.
2000 – Pittsburgh Penguins center and part-owner Mario Lemieux scores a goal and 2 assists in his return to the NHL after more than 3 years out with injury problems and lingering cancer issues; Penguins beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-0
2002 – Two truck bombs kill 72 and wound 200 at the pro-Moscow headquarters of the Chechen government in Grozny, Chechnya.
Today in History for 27th December 2023
Historical Events
1862 – Battle of Elizabethtown, Kentucky
1943 – Montgomery discusses Operation Overlord (D-day landings) with Eisenhower and Bedell Smith
1960 – France performs nuclear test
1960 – 1961 NFL Draft: Tommy Mason from University of Tulane first pick by Minnesota Vikings
1974 – Dear Abby show ends run on CBS radio after 11 years
1983 – Ballon d’Or: Juventus’ French midfielder Michel Platini claims first of 3 trophies for Europe’s best football player ahead of Liverpool midfielder Kenny Dalgleish and Vejle BK striker Allan Simonsen
Famous Birthdays
1748 – William Marshall, Scottish fiddle composer (The Marchioness of Huntly; The Nameless Lassie), music publisher (A Collection of Strathspey Reels), and clockmaker, born in Fochabers, Scotland (d. 1833)
1884 – Bernard van Dieren, Dutch composer (Diaphony; Chinese Symphony), critic, and music writer, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1936)
1944 – Mick Jones, English rock guitarist (Foreigner – “I Want to Know What Love Is”), born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
1972 – Charles Way, NFL fullback (NY Giants)
1985 – Logan Bailly, Belgian football goalkeeper
1985 – Paul Stastny, Canadian ice hockey center (NHL All-Rookie 2007; NHL All-Star 2011; Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, LV Golden Knights), born in Quebec City, Quebec
Famous Deaths
1812 – Joanna Southcott, an English self-described religious prophetess.
1992 – Cardew “the Cad” [Douglas] Robinson, English comedian (Alfie), dies at 75
1994 – Sadi de Gorter, Dutch author/diplomat (Abscess), dies at 82
1995 – Al Barlick, American Baseball Hall of Fame umpire (7 x World Series; 7 x MLB All Star games), dies at 80
1997 – Anthea Joseph, British music promoter, dies at 57
2020 – José Luiz Carbone, Brazilian soccer midfielder (6 caps; São Paulo, Internacional, Botafogo) and coach (Fluminense, Guarani), dies from liver cancer at 74
Famous Deaths for 26th December 2023
1679 – John van de Cappelle, Amsterdam landscape painter, dies at 53
1736 – Antonio Caldara, composer, dies
1981 – Amber Reeves, feminist writer (b. 1887)
1994 – Karl Schiller, German economist and politician (Minister of Economics), dies at 83
2002 – Herb Ritts, American fashion photographer, dies at 50
2008 – Gösta Krantz, Swedish actor (b. 1925)
2009 – Arthur McIntyre, English cricket wicket-keeper (3 Tests, 8 dismissals; Surrey CCC, MCC), dies at 91
2009 – Felix Wurman, American cellist and composer, dies of Cancer at 51
2012 – Gerry Anderson, English writer/producer/director, dies from Alzheimer’s disease at 83
2021 – Desmond Tutu, Anglican Archbishop of South Africa and 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner, dies at 90
Historical Events for 26th December 2023
1925 – 1st East-West Shrine Bowl game of college football ‘all-stars’ played before 25,000 fans at Ewing Park, San Francisco. Proceeds continue to benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children.
1940 – JA Fields/J Chodorov’s “My Sister Eileen,” premieres in NYC
1954 – “The Shadow” airs for last time on radio
1968 – Bruin Ted Green sets NHL penalty record of 3 minors, 2 majors and 2 game misconducts in a game against NY Rangers in NY’s Madison Square Garden
1968 – Led Zeppelin’s concert debut in Denver as opener for Vanilla Fudge
1972 – Ballon d’Or: Bayern Munich defender Franz Beckenbauer wins award for best European football player ahead of tied fellow German duo of Gerd Müller and Günter Netzer
1973 – Horror film “The Exorcist” based on book and screenplay by William Peter Blatty, starring Linda Blair, rated X, premieres – 1st horror film to be nominated for Best Picture
1975 – Crowd of 85,661 attend the 1st day of the Australia vs West Indies MCG cricket test
1991 – Gun of Jack Ruby, killer of Lee Harvey Oswald, sells for $220,000 at auction
2003 – A magnitude 6.6 earthquake devastates southeast Iranian city of Bam, killing tens of thousands and destroying the citadel of Arg-é Bam.
Today in History for 26th December 2023
Historical Events
1854 – Treaty of Medicine Creek signed by Nisqually, Puyallup and Coast Salish peoples with Isaac Ingalls Stevens, Governor of Washington Territory, giving up 2.5 million acres to preserve fishing and gathering rights
1870 – The 12.8-km long Fréjus Rail Tunnel through the Alps is completed.
1954 – National Football League Championship, Cleveland Municipal Stadium: Cleveland Browns thrash Detroit Lions, 56-10; Browns’ placekicker Lou Groza makes 8 extra points, a new title game record
1962 – Dmitri Shostakovich’s opera “Katerina Ismailova” premieres in Moscow
1967 – Ballon d’Or: Ferencváros forward Flórián Albert wins award for best European football player ahead of Manchester United midfielder Bobby Charlton and Celtic winger Jimmy Johnstone
1968 – Bruin Ted Green sets NHL penalty record of 3 minors, 2 majors and 2 game misconducts in a game against NY Rangers in NY’s Madison Square Garden
Famous Birthdays
1935 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma, General and President of Togo (1967-2005), born in Kozah, Togo (d. 2005)
1942 – Antonio Juliano, Italian soccer midfielder (13 caps; Napoli 394 games, Bologna), born in Naples, Italy (d. 2023)
1966 – Rickey Dixon, American College Football Hall of Fame cornerback (Jim Thorpe Award 1987; Oklahoma Sooners; Cincinnati Bengals, LA Raiders), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 2020)
1970 – Krissada Terrence, Thai-American pop singer and actor, born in Thailand
1974 – Tiffany Brissette, American actress (Vicki-Small Wonder), born in Paradise, California
1986 – Kit Harington [Christopher Catesby Harington], English actor (Game of Thrones), born in London, England
Famous Deaths
1837 – Martinus van Marum, Dutch physician and inventor (constructed largest electrostatic machine in the world), dies at 87
1916 – Bernhard Scholz, composer, dies at 81
1965 – Nico Donkersloot, Dutch literary and writer, dies at 63
1985 – Dian Fossey, American zoologist (Gorillas in the Mist), murdered in Rwanda at 53
2016 – George S. Irving [Shelasky], American broadway singer and actor (Dumplings), dies at 94
2020 – Jim McLean, Scottish soccer forward (Hamilton Academical, Clyde, Dundee) and manager (Dundee United 1971-93), dies from dementia at 83
Famous Deaths for 25th December 2023
1875 – Young Tom Morris, Scottish golfer (British Open 1868-70, 72), dies of pulmonary haemorrhage at 24
1936 – Pierre Maurice, Swiss composer, dies at 68
1950 – Neil Francis Hawkins, British fascist (b. 1903)
1977 – Charlie Chaplin, British actor and comedian (Modern Times, The Kid), dies in Switzerland at 88
1989 – Billy Martin, American baseball 2nd baseman (MLB All Star 1956; World Series 1951, 52, 53, 56; NY Yankees) and manager (World Series 1977 NY Yankees), killed in a car accident at 61
1995 – Dean Martin [Dino Paul Crocetti], American singer (“That’s Amore”; “Everybody Loves Somebody”; “Sway”), comedian and actor (Martin and Lewis, The Dean Martin Show), dies of throat cancer at 78
1996 – Rupert John, gov-gen of Grenadines (1970-76), dies
2011 – Israel Baker, American concert and session violinist (NBC Symphony; Paramount Studios Orchestra), dies at 92
2014 – Geoff Pullar, English cricket batsman (28 Tests, 4 x 100s, HS 175; Lancashire CCC, Gloucestershire CCC), dies at 79
2014 – Mary Lyon, English geneticist (X-chromosome inactivation), dies at 89