1857 – Early ice hockey game played between teams from Swavesey and Over on Mare Fen, England
1863 – Samuel Clemens first uses the pen name Mark Twain in a Virginia City newspaper, the “Territorial Enterprise”
1870 – US state of Iowa ratifies the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution allowing suffrage for all races and colors
1907 – Josek Suk’s “Asreal Symphony”, dedicated to his late wife and father-in-law Antonin Dvořák, premieres at the Prague National Theatre, conducted by Karel Kovařovic
1930 – William Howard Taft resigns as US chief justice for health reasons
1971 – KTSC TV channel 8 in Pueblo-Colorado Spgs, CO (PBS) 1st broadcast
1987 – Expos trade Jeff Reardon to Twins for Neal Heaton
1998 – Stamps commemorating Diana, Princess of Wales, go on sale in Britain
2019 – Rapper 21 Savage arrested by US immigration for overstaying his visa
2020 – First Democratic caucus in Iowa won narrowly by Pete Buttigieg (most delegates) and Bernie Sanders (most votes) after lengthy delays and irregularities in reporting the results
Author: gil7
Today in History for 3rd February 2024
Historical Events
1969 – Ibuprofen launched in the UK under brand name Brufen as prescription medicine – now world’s most popular anti-inflammatory painkiller
1972 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1973 – Dr Hook’s “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone'” enters the top 40 and peaks at #6
1974 – “Pajama Game” closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 65 performances
1975 – Billy Herman, Earl Averill, and Bucky Harris elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1976 – 26th NBA All-Star Game, Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa: East beats West, 123-109; MVP: Dave Bing, Washington Bullets, PG
Famous Birthdays
1883 – Clarence E. Mulford, American writer (Hopalong Cassidy), born in Streator, Illinois (d. 1956)
1900 – Mabel Mercer, British jazz and cabaret singer whose style and phrasing influenced Frank Sinatra (“Fly Me To The Moon”), born in Burton upon Trent, England (d. 1984)
1904 – Luigi Dallapiccola, Italian 12-tone composer (Il prigioniero; Ulisse), born in Pisino d’Istria, Austrian Empire (now Pazin,Croatia) (d. 1975)
1912 – Jacques Soustelle, French anthropologist and Minister of Information (Free French forces), born in Montpellier, France (d. 1990)
1936 – Bob Simpson, Australian cricket batsman, captain and coach (62 Tests @ 46.81, 10 x 100s, HS 311, 71 wickets; Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1965; NSWCA), born in Sydney, Australia
1966 – Jimmy Thunder, New Zealand boxer (IBO heavyweight title 1994-95), born in Apia, Samoa (d. 2020)
Famous Deaths
1116 – King Coloman of Hungary (1095-1116) (b. 1070)
1895 – Theodore Dwight Weld, American abolitionist and writer (American Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses), dies at 91
1964 – Haakon Stotijn, Dutch oboist (Orkestgebouw Orchestra), dies at 49
1967 – Winifred Kingston, British silent screen actress (The Squaw Man, Davy Crockett), dies at 72
1984 – Ravindra Mhatre, Indian diplomat, murdered at 48 by Kashmiri terrorists in Birmingham, England
2022 – Tom Kiernan, Irish rugby union fullback (54 caps [captain 24]; British and Irish Lions 5 [captain 1968]; Munster RUFC), dies at 83
Famous Deaths for 2nd February 2024
1768 – Robert Smith, English mathematician (b. 1689)
1828 – Frederik Sigismund van Bylandt, Dutch count and vice-admiral, dies at 78
1987 – Edna Manley, Jamaican sculptor ‘Mother of Jamaican art’, dies at 86
1988 – G. Mennen Williams, American lawyer, politician (Governor of Michigan, 1949-61), diplomat, and jurist (Chief Justice of Michigan Supreme Court, 1983-86), dies at 76
1988 – Clive Epstein, British music artist manager, and brother of Brian Epstein, dies at 51
1994 – Zilner Randolph, American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and music educator, dies at 95
1997 – Godfrey Baseley, British radio executive, dies at 92
2008 – Earl Butz, 18th U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (1971-76), dies at 98
2016 – Intizar Hussain, Pakistani and Urdu writer and columnist, dies in his early 90s
2021 – Rudolph Pariser, American physical and polymer chemist (molecular orbital computation), dies at 97
Historical Events for 2nd February 2024
1852 – Alexandre Dumas Jr’s play, an adaptation of his novel “La Dame aux Camélias” premieres in Paris
1869 – American industrialist James Oliver invents removable tempered steel plow blade
1920 – Tarto/Dorpat peace treaty: USSR recognizes Estonian independence
1922 – James Joyce’s novel “Ulysses” first published by Sylvia Beach in Paris (1,000 copies)
1944 – Edward Chodorov’s play “Decision” premieres in NYC
1956 – Despite a severe ankle injury Tenley Albright leads an American 1-2 in the women’s figure skating at the Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics; Carol Heiss takes the silver medal
1977 – Toronto Maple Leafs Ian Turnbull scores 5 goals, NHL record for a defenseman
1980 – FBI releases details of Abscam, a sting operation that targeted 31 elected and public officials for bribes for political favors
1980 – Mexican boxer Salvador Sánchez dethrones Danny “Little Red” Lopez as WBC world featherweight champion with a 13th-round TKO in Phoenix, AZ; Lopez champion since November 1976, 8th defense
1982 – Government troops and Muslim fundamentalists battle in Hamah, Syria
Today in History for 2nd February 2024
Historical Events
1714 – Nicholas Rowe’s play “The Tragedy of Jane Shore” premieres in London
1861 – The “Organized Incorporated Territory of Nevada” is created, lasting until October 31st, 1864
1888 – Frank Sprague opens the first successful U.S. electric street railway system, the Richmond Union Passenger Railway, in Richmond, Virginia
1973 – Richard Helms, ends term as 8th director of CIA; succeeded by James R Schlesinger (until July)
1992 – IRS and Willie Nelson settle on $9M tax bill (of $16.7M)
2016 – First case of Zika contracted on US mainland (Texas) and second known sexually transmitted case confirmed in Texas
Famous Birthdays
1873 – Johan Paul van Limburg Stirum, Dutch colonial administrator and diplomat (Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies 1916–1921), born in Zwelle, Netherlands (d. 1948)
1901 – Connie Gilchrist, American actress (Cry Havoc, Letter to 3 Wives), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1985)
1927 – Richard Belmont Ray, American politician (Rep-D-GA, 1983-93), born in Fort Valley, Georgia (d. 1999)
1949 – Brent Spiner, American actor (Data-Star Trek the Next Generation), born in Houston, Texas
1973 – Radka Bobkova, Czech tennis player (quarter Bournemouth), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia
1996 – Paul Mescal, Irish actor (Normal People), born in Maynooth, Ireland
Famous Deaths
1435 – Johanna II, Queen of Naples (1414-35), dies at 61
1491 – Martin Schongauer, German painter, dies at 40
1907 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and inventor who devised the periodic table of the elements, dies at 72
1952 – Johann Babtist Thaller, German composer, dies at 79
1970 – Jaroslav Vogel, Czech composer and conductor (Brno Philharmonic, 1959-62; Ostrava Orchestra 1919- 43), dies at 76
1993 – Alexander Schneider, Lithuanian violinist (Budapest String Quartet), dies at 84
Famous Deaths for 1st February 2024
1328 – Charles IV, the Handsome, King of France (1322-28), dies at 33
1590 – Lawrence Humphrey, English clergyman and educator, dies at 63
1839 – Giuseppe Valadier, Italian architect and archaeologist, dies at 76
1873 – Matthew Maury, American oceanographer, dies at 67
1928 – Hughie Jennings, American Baseball Hall of Fame infielder (Baltimore Orioles) and manager (Detroit Tigers 1907-20), dies of meningitis at 58
1997 – Herb Caen, American columnist (SF Chronicle), dies of lung cancer, at 80
2003 – Rick D. Husband, American astronaut and member of the STS-107 Mission (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster), dies at 45
2003 – Laurel Clark, American astronaut and member of the STS-107 Mission (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster), dies at 41
2007 – Ahmad Abu Laban, Danish Muslim leader, dies at 60
2009 – Jay Uzzell, American RandB singer (Corsairs), dies at 66
Historical Events for 1st February 2024
1814 – Lord Byron’s “Corsair” sells 10,000 copies on day of publication
1892 – Mrs William Astor invites 400 guests to a grand ball at her mansion thus beginning use of “400” to describe socially elite
1918 – Russia adopts the Gregorian calendar (making the day February 14)
1937 – Stapleton, Staten Island, becomes a customs-free port
1951 – 1st X-ray moving picture process demonstrated
1972 – Reprise Records releases “Harvest”, the 4th studio album by Neil Young; becomes best selling album in US, 1972
1979 – American publishing heiress Patty Hearst is released from prison for bank robbery
1987 – NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 10-6; MVP: Reggie White, Philadelphia Eagles, DE
2005 – Arsenal’s English Premier League record 33-game unbeaten streak at home ends when the Gunners go down, 4-2 to Manchester United at Highbury
2013 – The Nigerian Army bombs a Boko Haram camp, killing 18 people
Today in History for 1st February 2024
Historical Events
1957 – 1st black pilot (PH Young) on a US scheduled passenger airline
1959 – Swiss men vote against voting rights for women
1965 – Martin Luther King Jr. and 700 demonstrators arrested in Selma, Alabama
1973 – Outfielder Monte Irvin is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues; fourth inductee through the committee
1981 – French government accord sends 60 Mirage fighter jets to Iraq
2013 – John Kerry succeeds Hillary Clinton as US Secretary of State
Famous Birthdays
1710 – Konrad Ernst Ackermann, German actor and theatre director (Die Oberpfalz), born in Schwerin, Germany (d. 1771)
1934 – Bob Shane, American folk vocalist (Kingston Trio – “Tom Dooley”), born in Hilo, Territory of Hawaii (d. 2020)
1967 – Patle Shishupal Natthu, Indian politician, born in Bhandara, India
1972 – Geoff Sanderson, Canadian ice hockey left wing (NHL All Star 1994, 97; World C’ships gold 1994, 97; Hartford Whalers, Columbus Blue jackets), born in Hay River, Canada
1989 – Hurricane Chris [Dooley], American rapper, born in Shreveport, Louisiana
1994 – Julia Garner, American Actress (Ozark), born in New York City
Famous Deaths
1922 – Yamagata Aritomo, Japanese soldier and statesman (Prime Minister of Japan 1889–91,1898–1900), dies at 83
1957 – Friedrich Paulus, German field marshal who commanded the 6th Army at Stalingrad and highest-ranking German officer to surrender, dies at 66
1967 – Ernie Bromley, Australian cricket batsman (2 Tests; first Western Australian to play Test cricket for Australia), dies at 54
2000 – Dick Rathmann, American auto racer (first Indy pole-sitter to complete no laps), dies at 74
2007 – Ahmad Abu Laban, Danish Muslim leader, dies at 60
2017 – Étienne Tshisekedi, Congolese opposition leader, dies at 84
Famous Deaths for 31st January 2024
1606 – Guy Fawkes, English Catholic conspirator convicted in the “Gunpowder Plot” to blow up the British Parliament, hanged at 35
1729 – Jacob Roggeveen, Dutch navigator and explorer (1st European to discover Easter Island), dies at 69
1794 – Marriott Arbuthnot, British admiral and naval commander during the American War for Independence, dies at 82 or 83
1844 – Henri Gratien, Comte Bertrand, French general and engineer, dies at 70
1940 – René Schickele, German-French writer, sometimes under nom de plume ‘Sascha’ (Erbe am Rhein), poet, and magazine editor (Weissen Blätter), dies at 56
2000 – Anne Cox Chambers, American media owner (Cox Enterprises) and US ambassador to Belgium (1977-81), dies at 100
2014 – Christopher Jones, American actor, dies from cancer at 72
2014 – Paul Humphrey, American jazz, RandB, and rock session and touring drummer, dies at 78
2017 – Deke [Roger] Leonard, Welsh rock musician (Man), dies at 72
2020 – Johnny Bumphus, American boxer (WBA super lightweight title 1984), dies at 59
Historical Events for 31st January 2024
1849 – Corn Laws abolished in Britain
1854 – Dutch KNMI established (Royal Meteorological Institute)
1901 – Stanley Cup, Montreal Arena, Westmount, Quebec: Winnipeg Victorias edge Montreal Shamrocks, 2-1 to sweep challenge series, 2-0
1906 – Strongest instrumentally recorded earthquake, Colombia, 8.6 Richter
1945 – Soviet troops reach the Oder River, less that 50 miles from Berlin
1948 – Magnetic tape recorder developed by Wireway
1955 – RCA demonstrates 1st music synthesizer
1966 – Australian Championships Women’s Tennis: Margaret Smith wins her 7th consecutive Australian singles title; beats American Nancy Richey in a walkover, Richey injured
1978 – “Elvis: The Legend Lives!” opens at Palace Theater NYC for 101 performances
2001 – In the Netherlands, a Scottish court convicts a Libyan and acquits another for their part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 which crashed into Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988