1170 – Thomas Becket, English Archbishop of Canterbury (1162-70), assassinated by 4 knights of King Henry II at 52
1737 – Joseph Saurin, French mathematician (b. 1659)
1871 – Ferdinand Marcucci, Italian harpist and composer, dies at 71
1891 – Leopold Kronecker, German mathematician (Tensor of Kronecker), dies at 68
1915 – C. B. Hawley, American organist and composer, dies at 57
1993 – Yvonne Desportes, French composer (Seven Abstract Poems), dies at 86
1997 – Pat Clarke, British cyclist, dies at 82
2003 – Dinsdale Landen, British actor (The Mask of Janus), dies at 71
2014 – Ivor Richardson, New Zealand judge (NZ Court of Appeals), dies at 84
2020 – Phyllis McGuire, American pop vocalist (McGuire Sisters – “Sincerely”; “Sugartime”), dies at 89
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 29th December 2023
1782 – 1st nautical almanac in US published by Samuel Stearns, Boston
1812 – The USS Constitution under the command of Captain William Bainbridge, captures the HMS Java off the coast of Brazil after a three hour battle
1837 – Canadian militia destroy Caroline, a US steamboat docked at Buffalo
1899 – British fleet seizes German Imperial Mail Steamer Bundesrath accused of carrying contraband
1900 – General Viljoen surprise attack British garrison to Helvetia
1940 – Worst German air raid on London as over 10,000 bombs including the 1st incendiary bombs are dropped on the city as part of the Blitz
1949 – 1st UHF television station operating regular basis Bridgeport, Connecticut
1974 – AFC Championship, Oakland Coliseum: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Oakland Raiders, 24-13
1983 – Indian cricket opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar scores an unbeaten 236 in drawn 6th Test v West Indies at Chennai; his 4th Test double century and 30th century, surpassing Don Bradman’s record of 29
1989 – Riots break-out after Hong Kong decides to forcibly repatriate Vietnamese refugees.
Today in History for 29th December 2023
Historical Events
1922 – Dutch Constitution proclaimed
1939 – First flight of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber prototype
1944 – Belgian Walloon Nazi collaborator Léon Degrelle sentenced to death
1968 – AFL Championship, Shea Stadium, NYC: New York Jets beat Oakland Raiders 27-23; Joe Namath 3 TD passes sparks Jets to win
1994 – Bangladesh government of Zia resigns
1997 – Cricket Women’s World Cup: Australia defeats New Zealand by 5 wickets
Famous Birthdays
1809 – William Ewart Gladstone, British statesman and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Liberal: 1868-74, 1880-86, 1892-94), born in Liverpool, England (d. 1898)
1936 – Eduard Martsevich, Soviet-Russian actor and People’s Artist of the RSFSR, born in Tbilisi, USSR (d. 2013)
1947 – Vincent Winter, Scottish child actor, born in Aberdeen, United Kingdom (d. 1998)
1963 – Ulf Kristersson, Swedish politician (Prime Minister of Sweden 2022-), born in Lund, Sweden
1977 – Jimmy Journell, American baseball player, born in Springfield, Ohio
1978 – Kieron Dyer, English football player, born in Ipswich, United Kingdom
Famous Deaths
1919 – William Osler, Canadian physician and author (circulatory system), dies at 70
1982 – Sol C Siegel, American film producer (A Letter To Three Wives, High Society, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), dies of a heart attack at 79
1995 – Philip Idenburg, Dutch statistician, dies at 94
1996 – Pennar Davies, Welsh poet, author and theologian, dies at 85
2001 – Takashi Asahina, Japanese conductor (b. 1908)
2016 – Chris Cannizzaro, American baseball player, dies at 78
Famous Deaths for 28th December 2023
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
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