1744 – Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, close friend of Queen Anne of Great Britain, dies at 84
1840 – Pierre-Gabriel Gardel, French ballet dancer and choreographer (In L’Offrande à la Liberté), dies at 82
1871 – Charles Babbage, British mathematician and inventor (calculating machine) considered the “father of the computer”, dies of renal failure at 79
1938 – Karl Kautsky, Austrian philosopher and Marxist theorist (Socialist journal Neue Zeit), dies at 83
1945 – Fred Hovey, American tennis player (US Nationals 1895), dies at 77
1972 – Esma Cannon, Australian-born actress (Sailor Beware!), dies at 66
1982 – John Robarts, Canadian politician, Premier of Ontario (b. 1917)
1983 – Vijay Manjrekar, Indian cricket batsman (55 Tests, 7 x 100, HS 189no; Bombay, Bengal, Rajasthan, Maharashtra), dies at 52
1994 – WiIlliam Faure, South African film producer (Shaka Zulu), dies of kidney failure at 45
2021 – Colin Powell, American General and 1st Black US Secretary of State (2001-05), dies from complications of COVID-19, blood cancer, and Parkinson’s disease at 84
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 18th October 2023
1889 – First all-NYC “World Championship” Baseball Series; New York Giants (NL) play Brooklyn Bridegrooms (AA); Giants go on to win series, 6-3
1921 – Charles Strite granted US patent #1,394,450 for his invention, the automatic pop-up toaster
1932 – Belgium government of Renkin falls
1968 – Polish sprinter Irena Szewińska runs a world record 22.58s to beat Australian Raelene Boyle by 0.16s and win the 200m gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
1974 – Chicago Bull Nate Thurmond becomes 1st in NBA to complete a quadruple double-22 pts, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks
1974 – Andre van de Louw appointed Mayor of Rotterdam
1979 – Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini orders mass executions to stop
1989 – East German state/party leader Erich Honecker resigns
1999 – MLB American League Championship: New York Yankees beat Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 1
2023 – At least 500 Palestinians killed in explosion on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, Gaza Strip, with local officials blaming Israeli missile attack and Israelis blaming misfired Palestinian rocket
Today in History for 18th October 2023
Historical Events
1534 – New pursuit of French protestants
1667 – English fleet plunders Suriname plantations
1941 – Soviet spy Richard Sorge arrested in Tokyo
1962 – Tony Sheridan and Beat Brothers record “Let’s Dance”
1969 – British singer Rod Stewart joins Small Faces
2012 – Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen are honoured for their work with fashion label The Row at the WSJ Magazine’s Innovator Of The Year Awards in New York City
Famous Birthdays
1405 – Pius II [Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini], Italian pope (1458-64), (Commentaries – only biography by a reigning Pope), born in Corsignano, Republic of Siena (d. 1464)
1818 – Edward Otho Cresap Ord, American engineer and Major General (Union Army), born in Cumberland, Maryland (d. 1883)
1918 – Robert “Bobby” Troup, American jazz pianist and actor (Emergency; Acapulco), born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (d. 1999)
1919 – Pierre Trudeau, 15th Canadian Prime Minister (Liberal: 1968-79, 1980-84), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2000)
1933 – Forrest Gregg, American Pro Football HOF tackle (9 x Pro Bowl; 7 × First-team All-Pro; Green Bay Packers) and coach (Cleveland Browns, Toronto Argonauts, Cincinnati Bengals, GB Packers), born in Birthright, Texas (d. 2019)
1960 – Doug Lidster, Kamloops, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
Famous Deaths
1382 – James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormonde, dies at 51
1982 – Pierre Mendès-France, French Premier (1954-55), dies at 75
1982 – Bess Truman, US First Lady (1945-52), dies of Congestive heart failure at 97
1984 – Florence Rinard, TV panelist (20 Questions), dies at 82
1997 – Bill Rotsler, cartoonist/writer, dies of cancer at 62
1997 – Roberto C Goizueta, CEO (Coca-Cola), dies of lung cancer at 65
Famous Deaths for 17th October 2023
1836 – Orest Kiprensky, Russian painter (b. 1782)
1889 – N.G. [Nikolay Gavrilovich] Chernyshevsky, Russian philosopher (What Is to Be Done?), dies at 61
1910 – Julia Ward Howe, American poet (Battle Hymn of the Republic), author, abolitionist, and women’s suffragist, dies of pneumonia at 91
1966 – Wieland Wagner, German opera director, dies
1979 – Karel Reiner, Czech pianist, composer, and Theresienstadt concentration camp survivor, dies at 69
1982 – Peterus van Doorne, Dutch industrialist, dies at 47
1992 – Herman Johannes, Indonesian professor, scientist and politician (b. 1912)
1992 – Ton Hasebos, cameraman/TV director (Gnome Hasebos), dies
2006 – Daniel Emilfork, French actor (b. 1924)
2007 – Joey Bishop [Gottlieb], American TV talk show host (Joey Bishop Show) and member of the “Rat Pack” group of entertainers, dies at 89
Historical Events for 17th October 2023
1855 – Bessemer steelmaking process patented
1918 – Yugoslavia proclaims itself a republic
1921 – Belgium’s public library law goes into force
1956 – “Around the World in 80 Days”, based on the book by Jules Verne, directed by Michael Anderson and starring David Nivon and Cantinflas, premieres in New York
1957 – French author Albert Camus awarded Nobel Prize in Literature
1964 – New York Yankees catcher fire Manager Yogi Berra
1971 – Cleveland Metroparks’ Rocky River Nature Center opens
1972 – Bob Randall’s “6 Rooms Riv Vu,” premieres in NYC
1978 – USSR performs underground nuclear test
2017 – Islamic State headquarters Raqqa declared under full control of US-led alliance by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesman Talal Sello after 4 months of fighting
Today in History for 17th October 2023
Historical Events
1899 – Sutro railroad sold to Robert F Morrow for $215,000
1957 – II Tsjoendrigar becomes premier of Pakistan
1976 – Coldest World Series game; Reds beat NY Yankees, 4-3 in Game 2 at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati; 39 degrees F (until 1997)
1995 – MLB American League Championship: Cleveland Indians beat Seattle Mariners, 4 games to 2
1998 – At Jesse, in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, a petroleum pipeline explodes killing about 1200 villagers, some of whom are scavenging gasoline.
2010 – Brother André is the first Canadian to be canonized post Federation by Pope Benedict XVI
Famous Birthdays
1704 – William Bentinck, British-born Dutch politician and prominent Orangist (d. 1774)
1734 – Grigori Orlov, Russian military officer and favorite of Catherine the Great (helped her overthrow Peter III), born in Bezhetsky Uyezd, Russia (d. 1783) [NS]
1848 – William “Candy” Cummings, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (credited with creating the curveball), born in Ware, Massachusetts (d. 1924)
1969 – Ernie Els, South African golfer (US Open 1994, 97; British Open 2002, 12), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
1977 – Bryan Bertino, American film director and screenwriter
1989 – Phoebe Tonkin, Australian actress
Famous Deaths
1660 – Adrian Scrope, English regicide (b. 1601)
1897 – Isidor Dannström, Swedish composer, dies at 84
1979 – Karel Reiner, Czech pianist, composer, and Theresienstadt concentration camp survivor, dies at 69
1993 – Criss Oliva, American musician (Savatage), dies at 30
1995 – Peter Hinchcliff, historian, dies at 66
2019 – Alicia Alonso, Cuban ballerina and founder of the National Ballet of Cuba, dies at 98
Famous Deaths for 16th October 2023
1591 – Gregory XIV [Niccolo Sfondrati], Italian Pope, dies in office from a gallstone at 56
1628 – François de Malherbe, French poet and critic (b. 1555)
1690 – Margaretha M Alacoque, French mystic/saint, dies at 43
1694 – Samuel Freiherr von Pufendorf, German lawyer, dies at 62
1791 – Grigory Potemkin, Russian military leader, statesman and favorite of Catherine the Great, dies at 52
1810 – Nachman of Breslov, Ukrainian founder of Breslov Hasidut, dies at 38
1865 – Andrés Bello, Venezuelan poet, lawmaker, philosopher, and sociologist (b. 1781)
1944 – John Eigenhuis, Dutch writer (The Dike), dies at 78
1956 – Jules Rimet, French football administrator (3rd President of FIFA 1921-54), dies at 83
1996 – Anthony Griffin, British Royal Navy admiral (Controller of the Navy, 1971–75; chairman of British Shipbuilders 1977–80). dies at 75
Historical Events for 16th October 2023
1600 – Olivier van Noorts ships reach Philippines
1775 – Portland, Maine burned by British
1849 – Avery College establishes in Allegheny, Pennsylvania
1968 – Americans Tommie Smith (gold 19.83 WR) and John Carlos (bronze) famously give the Black Power salute on the 200m medal podium during the Mexico City Olympics to protest racism and injustice against African-Americans
1976 – Soyuz 23 returns to Earth
1980 – China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
1987 – Dow Jones for 1st time falls more than 100 pts (108.35)
1990 – US forces reach 200,000 in Persian Gulf
1997 – “Side Show,” opens at Richard Rodgers Theater NYC for 91 performances
2018 – Man Booker Prize is won by Anna Burns’ “Milkman”, the first winner from Northern Ireland
Today in History for 16th October 2023
Historical Events
1903 – Homel, 1st Jewish self defense organization founded in Russia
1908 – Edmonton Rugby Foot-ball Club re-organizes as Esquimoux
1957 – USAF sends 2 aluminium bullets into space
1986 – Joe Raposa’s musical “Raggedy Ann: The Musical Adventure”, starring Ivy Austin, opens at Nederlander Theater, NYC; runs for 5 performances
1995 – Brian Lara scores 169 in Sharjah ODI versus Sri Lanka
2013 – 21 people are killed after a minibus hits a land mine in Nawa, Syria
Famous Birthdays
1888 – Paul Popenoe, American activist (d. 1979)
1945 – Roger Hawkins, American session drummer (the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section – Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin), born in Mishawaka, Indiana (d. 2021)
1949 – André Leon Talley, American fashion expert, former Vogue editor, born in Washington, D.C.
1956 – James H Newman, Trust Territory of Pacific, PhD/Astronaut (STS 51, 69)
1960 – Val Skinner, American golfer (6 LPGA Tour wins), born in Hamilton, Montana
1991 – Joshua Crumbly, American jazz bassist, born in Westlake Village, California
Famous Deaths
1822 – Eva Marie Veigel [La Violette], Austrian ballet dancer and wife of actor David Garrick, dies at 98
1946 – Fritz Sauckel, German Nazi General of Labor, hanged at 51
1946 – Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Austrian Nazi politician (Austrian Chancellor, 1938), and war criminal responsible for deportation of Dutch Jews, hanged at 54
1946 – Hans Frank, German Nazi Governor General of Occupied Poland, hanged by Allied forces after the Nuremberg war trials at 46
1973 – Gene Krupa, American jazz and swing drummer (“Sing, Sing, Sing”), dies of heart failure while battling leukemia and emphysema at 64
2004 – Pierre Salinger, American newsman (ABC) and press secretary (John F. Kennedy), dies at 79
Famous Deaths for 15th October 2023
1512 – Antoon Keldermans, Brabant builder (Middelburg town hall), dies at 72
1889 – Edward Aylesworth Perry, American soldier and politician (General under Lee for Confederate Army, 14th Governor of Florida 1885-89), dies of a stroke at 58
1891 – Gilbert Arthur à Beckett, English writer (Punch), dies at 54
1891 – William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, American Major General (Confederate Army), dies at 54
1910 – Larkin Goldsmith Mead, American sculptor who worked in Florence, dies at 75
1955 – Fumio Hayasaka, Japanese film score composer (Rashomon; Seven Samurai), dies of tuberculosis at 41
1969 – Abdirashid Shermake, President of Somali Republic, shot by one of his bodyguards at 50
1978 – W. Eugene Smith, American photojournalist (Saipan, Walk to Paradise Garden), dies of a stroke at 59
2006 – Derek Bond, British actor (Nicholas Nickelby, Armchair Theatre), dies at 86
2013 – Gloria Lynne [Wilson], American jazz vocalist (Dell Tones), dies of a heart attack at 83