1559 – Elizabeth I crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey
1586 – Battle at Boxum: Spanish troops under Tassis beat state army
1927 – Tennessee Supreme Court overturns (on a technicality) John T. Scopes’ guilty verdict for teaching evolution in the “Scopes monkey trial”, but the law itself remains in force
1935 – Clifford Odets’ first produced play “Waiting for Lefty” premieres in NYC
1936 – Nonprofit Ford Foundation incorporates
1943 – 1,000 workers complete air conditioning system for Pentagon
1965 – Soviet underground nuclear test creates the atomic lake Chagan, Kazakhstan
1972 – TV drama “Emergency” with Randolph Mantooth and Robert Fuller premieres on NBC TV
1986 – Living Seas opens (Disneyland)
2021 – Global death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic passes 2 million (true total likely much higher)
Author: gil7
Today in History for 15th January 2024
Historical Events
1552 – France signs secret treaty with German Protestants
1927 – Tennessee Supreme Court overturns (on a technicality) John T. Scopes’ guilty verdict for teaching evolution in the “Scopes monkey trial”, but the law itself remains in force
1937 – Spanish Civil War: Second Battle of the Corunna Road ends after both forces withdraw
1964 – Teamsters negotiate 1st national labor contract
1975 – Space Mountain opens at Disney World in Orlando, Florida
1997 – Space Shuttle Atlantis docks with Mir Space Station
Famous Birthdays
1885 – Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player, born in Sandborn, Illinois (d. 1968)
1888 – Joseph Henabery, American director (Cobra), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 1976)
1893 – Dragisa Cvetkovic, Serbian politician (Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia 1939-41), born in Niš, Kingdom of Serbia (d. 1969)
1905 – Torin Thatcher, British actor (Houdini, Isranbul, Lady Godiva), born in Bombay Presidency, British India (d. 1981)
1964 – Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Finnish composer, born in Suomussalmi, Finland
1974 – Mike Minter, American football safety (Carolina Panthers) and college coach (Campbell University 2013-23), born in Cleveland, Ohio
Famous Deaths
69 – Galba [Servius Sulpicius Galba], 6th emperor of Rome (68-69), lynched by his successor Otho at 70
1953 – Patrick Vretblad, Swedish composer, dies at 76
1969 – Theodor Werner, German painter, dies at 82
1981 – Emanuel Celler, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York), dies at 92
1989 – Wilf Slack, English cricketer, dies while playing cricket in Gambia at 34
2001 – Bob Braun, American TV and radio personality (Dotty Mack Show), dies at 71
Famous Deaths for 14th January 2024
1766 – Frederick V, King of Denmark-Norway (1746-66), dies at 42
1887 – Peter Donders, Dutch Roman Catholic missionary to Suriname, dies at 77
1937 – Jaishankar Prasad, Hindi poet, dramatist and novelist, dies at 47
1959 – G. D. H. Cole, English political theorist and socialist, dies at 69
1991 – Gordon Bryant, Australian politician (b. 1914)
1996 – Jacques LeBrun, French yachtsman (Olympic gold Snowbird class 1932), dies at 85
1999 – Aldo van Eyck, Dutch architect (City Hall), dies at 80
2007 – Darlene Conley, American actress (The Bold and the Beautiful), dies at 72
2008 – Judah Folkman, Surgeon that developed Angiogenesis (b. 1933)
2018 – Marlene VerPlanck [Pampinella], American jazz and pop vocalist, dies of pancreatic cancer at 84
Historical Events for 14th January 2024
1746 – “Bonnie Prince Charlie”, Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s Jacobite army leaves Glasgow, Scotland [OS=Jan 3]
1794 – Dr Jessee Bennet of Edom, Virginia, performs 1st successful Cesarean section operation in the US on his wife
1874 – I. D. Shadd elected Speaker of lower house of Mississippi legislature
1929 – Afghan King Amanullah forced to resign
1969 – Soyuz 4 launched; rendezvous with Soyuz 5 two days later
1972 – WMAU TV channel 17 in Bude, Mississippi (PBS) begins broadcasting
1976 – “The Bionic Woman” with Lindsay Wagner debuts on ABC (later NBC)
1996 – “Swinging On a Star” closes at Music Box Theater NYC after 97 performances
2001 – NFC Championship, Giants Stadium, East Rutherford: New York Giants beat Minnesota Vikings, 41-0
2013 – Mike Pence sworn in as 50th governor of Indiana
Today in History for 14th January 2024
Historical Events
1868 – North Carolina constitutional convention meets in Raleigh
1927 – Toronto Maple Leafs 1st hat trick (Hap Day) vs NY Rangers
1961 – Chicago Bear Willard Dewveall becomes 1st NFLer to join AFL
1979 – John McEnroe wins his first of 3 season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis titles 6–7, 6–3, 7–5 against fellow American Arthur Ashe at Madison Square Garden, NYC
1993 – Polish ferry boat capsizes in storm, 50 die
1998 – Charles Barkley pleads not guilty to an assault charge
Famous Birthdays
1477 – Hermann of Wied, German Catholic archbishop (d. 1552)
1914 – Gaetano Alibrandi, Italian Catholic priest and papal diplomat, born in Castiglione di Sicilia, Catania, Sicily (d. 2003)
1925 – Jean-Claude Beton, Algerian-born French businessman, entrepreneur and soft-drink manufacturer (Orangina), born in Boufarik, French Algeria (d. 2013)
1947 – Rubén Olivares, Mexican boxer (4-division world champion), born in Mexico City
1978 – Just Blaze [Justin Smith], American hip hop producer, born in Paterson, New Jersey
1980 – Byron Leftwich, American football player, born in Washington, D.C.
Famous Deaths
1676 – Pier Francesco Cavalli, Italian opera composer, dies at 73
1887 – Peter Donders, Dutch Roman Catholic missionary to Suriname, dies at 77
1890 – Francesco D’Arcais, Italian composer, dies at 59
1978 – Robert Heger, German conductor and composer, dies at 91
1993 – Elisabeth Antoinette de Vreugd, chambermaid for Dutch Queen, dies at 98
2006 – Henri Colpi, French New Wave film editor and director, dies at 84
Famous Deaths for 13th January 2024
533 – Remigius van Reims, 1st bishop of Reims (459-533) and saint, dies about 96
1735 – Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg, Queen consort of Sardinia, dies at 28
1954 – Roland Diggle, English-American composer, organist and choirmaster (St. John’s Episcopal Church of Los Angeles, California), dies at 69
1957 – Alfred Edgar Coppard, English short story writer (Black Dogs and Other Stories), dies at 79
2002 – Kurt Brüggemann, German composer, conductor, and music educator, dies at 93
2005 – Nell Rankin, American operatic mezzo-soprano (Carmen; Metropolitan Opera, 1951-76), dies at 81
2009 – Hortense Calisher, American novelist (President of the American Academy of Arts and Letters), dies at 97
2010 – Theodore “Teddy” Pendergrass, American soul singer (Turn Off the Lights), dies of respiratory failure at 59
2018 – Tzimis Panousis, Greek musician, stand-up comedian, and radio presenter, dies of a heart attack at 63
2021 – Bernd Kannenber, German race walker (Olympic gold FRG 50k 1972), dies at 78
Historical Events for 13th January 2024
1695 – Jonathan Swift ordained an Anglican priest in Ireland
1911 – South Africa cricket team’s 1st win over Australia, at Adelaide
1968 – “Hallelujah, Baby!” closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 293 performances
1978 – NASA select its first American women astronauts
1986 – ABC’s TV premiere of “The Right of The People”, whose writer and director is said to have been inspired by the 14 December 1980 massacre at Bob’s Big Boy in Los Angeles
1989 – Ruins of Mashkan-shapir (occupied 2050-1720 BC) found in Iraq
1991 – UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar meets with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
2002 – 28th People’s Choice Awards: Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts win (Dramatic Motion Picture) and Kelsey Grammer, Ray Romano and Jennifer Aniston win (TV)
2021 – President Donald Trump is impeached by the US House of Representatives voting 232-197, for “incitement of insurrection”, first time in history a US President is impeached twice
2021 – Deadliest air raid by Israel on Syria since 2018, when 10 soldiers and 47 allied fighters killed in attacks on military positions
Today in History for 13th January 2024
Historical Events
1964 – Hindu-Muslim rioting breaks out in the Indian city of Calcutta – now Kolkata – resulting in the deaths of more than 100 people.
1971 – In a high profile NHL trade, the Montreal Canadiens obtain future Hockey Hall of Fame left wing Frank Mahovlich from Detroit, in exchange for Bill Collins, Guy Charron and Mickey Redmond
1980 – Judd Woldin’s musical “King of Schnorrers”, based on Israel Zangwill’s novel, closes at Playhouse Theater, NYC, after 63 performances
1995 – 26 HNL teams unanimously ratify agreement to end NHL strike
2012 – Italian cruiseliner Costa Concordia runs aground at Isola de Giglio, Italy, causing 32 deaths
2021 – President Donald Trump is impeached by the US House of Representatives voting 232-197, for “incitement of insurrection”, first time in history a US President is impeached twice
Famous Birthdays
1808 – Salmon P. Chase, American politician and jurist (Senator and Governor of Ohio, US Chief Justice 1864-73), born in Cornish, New Hampshire (d. 1873)
1878 – Lionel Groulx, Canadian nationalist, born in Vaudreuil, Quebec, Canada (d. 1967)
1938 – Shiv Kumar Sharma, Indian santoor (100-string dulcimer-like instrument) master, and composer, born in Jammu, British India (d. 2022)
1943 – Richard Moll, American actor (Night Court – “Bull”; House – “Big Ben”; Dungeonmaster), born in Pasadena, California (d. 2023)
1968 – Chara [Miwa Watabiki], Japanese singer and actress (Swallowtail Butterfly), born in Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
1989 – Triinu Kivilaan, Estonian model, pop-rock singer and bassist (Vanilla Ninja, 2004-05 and 2020-22), born in Viljandi, Estonia
Famous Deaths
1363 – Meinhard III of Gorizia-Tyrol (b. 1344)
1797 – Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, Queen of Prussia as wife of Frederik II the Great, dies at 81
1916 – Victoriano Huerta, Mexican general who seized power in a coup and installed himself as dictator and President of Mexico (1913-14), dies cirrhosis of the liver or possibly cancer at 65
1983 – John McHugh, actor (Unspeakable), dies of a heart attack at 69
2002 – Kurt Brüggemann, German composer, conductor, and music educator, dies at 93
2016 – Brian Bedford, English actor (Anthony-Coronet Blue), dies at 80
Famous Deaths for 12th January 2024
1674 – Giacomo Carissimi, Italian organist, choral director, composer (Jephta), and priest, dies at 68-ish
1735 – John Eccles, English composer (Master of the King’s Musick for four monarchs), dies (b. 1668)
1925 – Oskar Brefeld, German botanist and founder of modern mycology, dies at 85
1965 – Porcupine, in the National Zoo, dies at 27; oldest known rodent (Washington, DC)
1991 – Vasco Pratolini, Italian writer (Le Ragazze di San Frediano), dies at 77
2000 – Bobby Phills, American basketball player (b. 1969)
2001 – William Hewlett, American engineer and businessman (co-founder Hewlett-Packard), dies of a heart attack at 87
2009 – Russ Conway, Canadian-American character actor (Richard Diamond Private Eye), dies at 95
2021 – John Ward, New Zealand cricket wicketkeeper (8 Tests; 17 dismissals), dies at 83
2022 – Everett Lee, American violinist, and theater and classical conductor (Cosmopolitan Little Symphony, 1947-55; Norrkoping Symphony, 1962-72), dies at 105
Historical Events for 12th January 2024
1924 – History of Science Society organized at Boston
1943 – Frankfurters replaced by Victory Sausages (mix of meat and soy meal)
1945 – German forces in Belgium retreat in Battle of Bulge
1950 – Swedish tanker rams British submarine Truculent in Thames, 64 die
1957 – Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) founded with Martin Luther King Jr. as leader at Ebenezer Church in Atlanta
1971 – Congressional Black Caucus organizes
1974 – “Joker” by Steve Miller Band peaks at #1
1998 – Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.
2007 – Comet McNaught reaches perihelion becoming the brightest comet in more than 40 years.
2010 – Colombia officially leaves the recession after achieving 2% economic growth in the last quarter of 2009