1545 – The first landing of French troops onto the coast of the Isle of Wight during the French invasion
1853 – Central Park in New York created when New York State Legislature puts aside more than 750 acres of land on Manhattan Island
1865 – In market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots and kills Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first true western showdown
1944 – British premier Winston Churchill flies to France, meets Montgomery
1952 – 7.8 earthquake shakes Kern County California, 14 killed
1954 – Geneva Accords for Indochina signed, dividing French colonial territories into the countries of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), the State of Vietnam (South Vietnam), Cambodia, and Laos
1969 – Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to step on the Moon at 2:56:15 AM (GMT)
1973 – France performs nuclear Test at Mururoa Atoll in the Pacific
1975 – Soyuz 19 returns to Earth
1997 – NY Yank Mike Whiton held in Milwaukee on charges of sexual assault
Author: gil7
Today in History for 21st July 2023
Historical Events
1919 – Dirigible crashes through bank skylight killing 13 in Chicago, Illinois
1964 – Last Dutch whaling ship Willem Barents Sea sold to Japan
1975 – NY Met Félix Millán hits 4 singles; erased by Joe Torres 4 double plays
1975 – Soyuz 19 returns to Earth
1991 – British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: Australian 1-2 with Ian Baker-Finch winning his only major championship, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Mike Harwood
1996 – British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Lytham and St. Annes: American Tom Lehman wins his only major championship by 2 strokes from Mark McCumber and Ernie Els; first American to win at Lytham since Bobby Jones 70 years earlier
Famous Birthdays
1856 – Louise Blanchard Bethune, 1st American woman architect, born in Waterloo, New York (d. 1915)
1928 – Sky Low Low [Marcel Gauthier], Canadian professional wrestler, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1998)
1931 – Plas Johnson, American be-bop jazz and session saxophonist (sax solo on “The Pink Panther Theme”), born in Donaldsonville, Louisiana
1956 – Michael Connelly, American crime writer (Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch novels), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1961 – Amar Singh Chamkila [Dhanni Ram], Punjabi folk singer “The Elvis of Punjab”, born in Dugri, Punjab, India (d. 1988)
1963 – Paulo Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional wrestler
Famous Deaths
1544 – René of Chalon [Renatus of Nassau], prince of Orange, slain in battle
1993 – Robert Glass, American film sound engineer (ET), is murdered at 53
1998 – Robert Young, American actor (Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby, M.D.), dies at 91
2003 – Walter M. “Matt” Jefferies, American film art director (b. 1921)
2004 – Jerry Goldsmith, American pianist and composer (The Twilight Zone; Planet Of The Apes), dies of colon cancer at 75
2004 – Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (b. 1918)
Famous Deaths for 20th July 2023
1897 – Philip Dale Roddey, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 71
1959 – William D. Leahy, American admiral and chief of staff during WWII, dies at 84
1964 – Anna Vyrubova, Russian lady-in-waiting, the best friend and confidante of Tsaritsa Alexandra Fyodorovna, dies at 80
1986 – Helen Craig, American actress (Snake Pit, They Live by Night), dies at 74
1989 – Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, commander (French resistance), dies
1995 – Natalia Dmitrevna Shpiller, Czech-Russian lyric soprano, dies at 85
1998 – June Byers, American professional wrestler (b. 1922)
2008 – Artie Traum, American folk guitarist, songwriter, producer, and filmmaker, dies of ocular cancer at 65
2017 – Chester Bennington, American singer and songwriter (Linkin Park), commits suicide at 41
2021 – Chuck E. Weiss, American blues and rock songwriter, vocalist, and muse (Rickie Lee Jones; Tom Waits), dies of cancer at 76
Historical Events for 20th July 2023
1858 – Fee 1st charged to see a baseball game (50 cents) (NY beats Bkln 22-18)
1878 – 1st telephone introduced in Hawaii
1944 – US 15th Air Force attacks Friedrichshaven Memmingen
1975 – India expels three reporters from “The Times”, “The Daily Telegraph”, and “Newsweek” because they refuse to sign a pledge to abide by government censorship
1982 – Hyde Park and Regent’s Park bombings: 11 British soldiers and 7 military horses killed in Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb attacks during military ceremonies in London
2002 – Bartenders doing tricks with fire start a major fire in a night club in Lima, Peru that kills 25 and injures 100
2005 – Canada becomes the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, after the bill C-38 receives its Royal Assent
2008 – 16th ESPY Awards: Tiger Woods, Candace Parker win
2014 – The Israeli Defence Force enter Shuja’iyya, a populous neighbourhood of Gaza City, as part of their ground offensive focused on destroying tunnels crossing the Israel border
2020 – Announcement that a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) is able to trigger immune response and antibodies
Today in History for 20th July 2023
Historical Events
1712 – The Riot Act takes effect in Great Britain.
1940 – Billboard publishes its 1st singles record chart – “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey, with vocal by Frank Sinatra is #1
1942 – Time magazine puts Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich on its cover
1944 – Flying Fortresses of US 8th Air Force attack Leipzig/Dessau
1948 – Lou Thesz beats Bill Longson, to become NWA wrestling champion
1977 – Flash flood hits Johnstown, Pennsylvania, kills 80 and causes $350 million damage
Famous Birthdays
1744 – Henri Hamal, Belgian organist and composer, born in Liège (d. 1820)
1895 – László Moholy-Nagy, Hungarian painter, photographer, and sculptor (d. 1946)
1908 – [Vincent] Mad Dog Coll, Irish-American mob hitman, born in Gweedore, Ireland (d. 1932)
1918 – Cindy Walker, American songwriter (“Dream Baby”; “You Don’t Know Me”) and country singer, born in Mart, Texas (d. 2006)
1924 – Hans Lodeizen [Johannes A. Frederik], Dutch poet (Inner Self), born in Naarden, Netherlands (d. 1950)
1945 – Paul Valéry [Ambroise Paul Toussaint Jules Valéry], French author, philosopher and poet (La Jeune Parque), born in Sète, Hérault (d. 1945)
Famous Deaths
1160 – Peter Lombard, French theologian
1636 – John Oldham, English-born Puritan settler in Massachusetts, murdered by Indians at 44
1908 – Federico Chueca, Spanish composer, dies at 62
1940 – Y G Van de Peat, Dutch director of employment, commits suicide
1944 – Claus von Stauffenberg, German antifascist colonel (attempted to assassinate Hitler), dies by firing squad at 36
1968 – Joseph Keilberth, German conductor (Bayreuther Festival), dies at 60
Famous Deaths for 19th July 2023
1906 – Ferdinand Brunetière, French writer and critic, dies at 57
1940 – Samuel H Chang, US newspaper magnate, murdered in Shanghai
1944 – Carl Bock, Danish Gestapo agent, liquidated
1951 – Max Ettinger, Jewish-German composer (Jiddische Requiem), dies at 77
1972 – Hezekiah M. Washburn, American Presbyterian Congo missionary, dies at 88
1992 – Allen Newell, American computer scientist (Logic Theory Machine, General Problem Solver, Turing Award), dies at 65
2007 – A. K. Faezul Huq, Lawyer, politician, and freelance journalist (b. 1945)
2007 – Roberto Fontanarrosa, Argentine cartoonist (b. 1944)
2010 – Andy Hummell, American rock bassist (Big Star, 1971-73), dies of cancer at 59
2015 – Sybren Polet [Sijbe Minnema], Dutch writer and poet (Mannekino), dies at 91
Historical Events for 19th July 2023
1864 – Third Battle of Winchester, Virginia (Stephenson’s Depot) [->JUL 20]
1941 – British PM Winston Churchill launches his “V for Victory” campaign
1952 – Freddie Trueman takes 8-31, India all out 58 at Old Trafford
1955 – 1st performance of Gerald Finzi’s Cello Concerto, his last major work; John Barbirolli leading the Hallé Orchestra, with soloist Christopher Bunting at Cheltenham Music Festival in Gloucestershire, England
1967 – 1st air conditioned NYC subway car (R-38 on the F line)
1978 – New York Yankees start historic 14 game comeback with 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, MN
1990 – Dave Righetti pitches in his 499th game as a NY Yankee, passing Whitey Ford in most appearances as a NY Yankee
1992 – 30th Tennis Fed Cup: Germany beats Spain in Frankfurt Germany (2-1)
2009 – The Wesley Impact: black spot the size of Earth discovered on Jupiter after unknown object crashed onto the planet
2021 – UK lifts most COVID-19 restrictions on so-called “Freedom Day” despite 50,000 new daily infections
Today in History for 19th July 2023
Historical Events
1875 – Emma Abbott, a floating hospital for sick children, makes trial trip, NYC
1937 – Joris Ivens’ “Spanish Earth” premieres in Hollywood
1952 – India all out 82 in 2nd innings after making 52 earlier in the day
1967 – US launches Explorer 35 for lunar orbit (800/7400 km)
1992 – 30th Tennis Fed Cup: Germany beats Spain in Frankfurt Germany (2-1)
2017 – Investigators using DNA identify 16 year-old James Byron Haakenson as a victim of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, 41 years after his disappearance
Famous Birthdays
1895 – Xu Beihong, Chinese painter, born in Yixing, China (d. 1953)
1922 – George McGovern, American politician and Presidential candidate (D-1972), born in Avon, South Dakota (d. 2012)
1924 – Arthur Rankin, Jr, American director, producer, and screenwriter (Rankin/Bass Productions -The Year Without A Santa Claus; Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer; Frosty The Snowman), born in New York City (d. 2014)
1963 – Sandor Wladar, Hungarian 200m backstroke swimmer (Olympic gold 1980), born in Budapest, Hungary
1964 – Gina Procaccio, American long and middle distance runner, born in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
1982 – Jared Padalecki, American actor (Supernatural), born in San Antonio, Texas
Famous Deaths
1545 – George Carew, English admiral, drowns
1986 – Alfredo Binda, Italian road cyclist (first to win Giro d’Italia x 5; World Road Race C’ship 1927, 30, 32), dies at 83
2001 – Judy Clay [Guions], American soul and gospel singer, dies from complications from a car accident at 62
2002 – Spec Shea, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star, World Series 1947; NY Yankees, Washington Sens), dies after heart surgery at 81
2014 – Skye McCole Bartusiak, American actress, dies at 21
2016 – Garry Marshall, American TV writer (The Dick Van Dyke Show), TV producer (The Odd Couple; Happy Days; Laverne and Shirley), and film director (Pretty Woman; Runaway Bride; The Princess Diaries), dies at 81
Famous Deaths for 18th July 2023
1814 – Matthew Flinders, English explorer, navigator and cartographer who was 1st to circumnavigate Australia, dies from kidney disease at 40
1938 – Fernando Canon, Filipino revolutionary general, poet, and the Philippines 1st National Chess Champion, dies at 77
1952 – Paul Saintenoy, Belgian architect (b. 1862)
1958 – John Gobau, Flemish actor (Electricity, Hostage Rights, The Cross-Patch), dies at 67
1961 – Kit Guard, Danish actor (El Diablo Rides, Kid Courageous), dies of cancer at 67
1963 – A H C Cooper, South African cricketer (Test v England 1914), dies
1982 – Lionel Daunais, French Canadian singer and composer, dies at 80
1985 – Shahnawaz Bhutto, son of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
1986 – Stanley Rous, British soccer official, 6th President of FIFA (1961-74), dies at 91
2004 – Paul Foot, British journalist (b. 1937)
Historical Events for 18th July 2023
1334 – Bishop of Florence blesses the first foundation stone for new campanile (bell tower) of the Florence Cathedral, designed by artist Giotto di Bondone
1801 – HMS Investigator sets off on a voyage to determine if New Holland (Australia) is one island or two, under command of Matthew Flinders, with botanist Robert Brown and artists Ferdinand Bauer and William Westall aboard
1896 – George Giffen is 1st to complete 1000/100 double, in 30th Test Cricket
1951 – Uruguay accepts its constitution
1959 – 46th Tour de France won by Federico Bahamontes of Spain
1970 – Willie Mays becomes 10th baseball player to get 3,000 hits
1977 – Hugh Leonard’s “Da” premieres in London
1982 – British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Troon: American Tom Watson wins his 4th Open Championship, 1 stroke clear of Peter Oosterhuis and Nick Price
2012 – Syrian suicide bombing kills three high profile government officials, including Syria’s Minister of Defence
2015 – “The Sun” newspaper in Britain controversially publishes old picture and video of Queen Elizabeth giving Nazi salute in 1933