Author: gil7

Historical Events

1250 – Kublai is acclaimed the Great Khan by a Mongol Great Council
1502 – Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres, new Governor of the Indies, lands in Hispaniola, replacing Christopher Columbus
1900 – An early 50 mile race is won by an electric car in over 2 hrs
1960 – Guy Carawan sings “We Shall Overcome” to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Raleigh, popularizing the song as a protest anthem
1989 – Hillsborough disaster: 96 people are crushed to death and 766 are injured at Hillsborough Football Stadium in Sheffield, England, during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1469 – Guru Nanak, Founder of the religion of Sikhism and the 1st Sikh Guru, born in Rai-Bhoi-Di-Talwandi, Punjab, Pakistan (d. 1539)
1766 – Friedrich Bouterwek, German philosopher and critic, born in Oker, Hanover, Germany (d. 1828)
1922 – Harold Washington, 1st African American Mayor of Chicago (Democrat: 1983-87), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1987)
1959 – Emma Thompson, British actress (Henry V, Howards End, Oscar 1992), born in London, England
1982 – Seth Rogen, Canadian actor and writer (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Interview), born in Vancouver, British Columbia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1962 – Esther Minciotti, Italian actress, dies at 73
1974 – Giovanni D’Anzi, Italian pianist and songwriter (with Alfredo Bracchi – “Malinconia d’amore”, “El Biscella”), dies at 68
1991 – Marjorie Warfield, American stage, radio, and silent film actress, dies of pneumonia at 88
1991 – Martin Ashe, American actor, dies at 81
2002 – William Leonard “Will” Reed, British pianist and composer, dies at 91

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1828 – Noah Webster registers the copyright for the publication of the first American dictionary titled “An American Dictionary of the English Language”
1917 – Chicago White Sox pitcher Ed Cicotte no-hits St Louis Browns, 11-0
1941 – King Peter leaves Yugoslavia
1950 – Doorne’s Auto factory opens in Netherlands
1972 – Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz’s musical review “That’s Entertainment” opens at Edison Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1889 – James Stephenson, British actor (Letter, Espionage Agent, Nancy Drew), born in Selby, Yorkshire, England (d. 1941)
1900 – Salvatore Baccaloni, Italian opera singer and actor (Merry Andrew; Rock-a-Bye Baby), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1969)
1925 – Abel Muzorewa, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1979-80), born in Umtali, Manicaland, Southern Rhodesia (d. 2010)
1951 – Julian Lloyd Webber, English cellist (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire), born in London
1977 – Rob McElhenney, American actor, screenwriter and producer known for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Welcome to Wrexham”, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1922 – Cap Anson, American Baseball HOF first baseman (NL batting champion 1881, 88; 8 × NL RBI leader; Chicago White Stockings/Colts) and manager (Philadelphia A’s, Chicago White Stockings/Colts, NY Giants), dies from a glandular ailment at 69
1935 – Emmy Noether, German mathematician known for her contributions to abstract algebra, dies at 53
1988 – Herbert Reynolds Inch, American composer and teacher, dies at 83
2008 – Miguel Galvan, Mexican actor/comedian. (b. 1957)
2012 – John Herbert “Jonathan” Frid, Canadian actor (Barnabas Collins-Dark Shadows), dies of pneumonia at 87

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1918 – Electrical fire kills 38 mental patients at Oklahoma State Hospital
1944 – Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Canadiens beat Chicago Blackhawks, 5-4 in overtime for a 4-0 series sweep; Canadiens’ first SC triumph since 1931
1960 – The US Department of Defense places “Transit 1B,” the first navigational satellite, in orbit around Earth
1981 – Washington Post journalist Janet Cooke wins Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing; she later admits story was a hoax and returns the prize
2014 – Kenyan Wilson Kipsang wins the London Marathon

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1570 – Guy Fawkes, English Catholic conspirator who was convicted in the “Gunpowder Plot” to blow up the British Parliament, born in York, England (d. 1606)
1937 – John Contiguglia, American concert pianist (as duo with his identical twin, Richard), born in Auburn, New York
1939 – Barbara-Rose Collins, American politician (Rep-D-Michigan), born in Detroit, Michigan
1954 – Niels Olsen, Danish singer and songwriter (The Olsen Brothers; Eurovision Song Contest, 2000), born in Odense, Denmark
1971 – Jeroen Thesseling, Dutch death metal fretless bassist (Pestilence; Obscura), born in the Netherlands

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1826 – Franz Danzi, German composer and cellist, dies at 62
1827 – Hugh Clapperton, Scottish explorer of Africa, dies at Sokoto, at 38
1936 – Milton Brown, American swing bandleader, dies at 32
1997 – Foffie Williams, West Indian cricket all-rounder (4 Tests; 9 wickets, 1 x 50; Barbados), dies at 83
2016 – Jeremy Steig, American jazz flutist (“Howlin’ for Judy”; “Wayfaring Stranger”), dies of cancer at 73

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1943 – Allies conquer Soussa, North-Africa
1954 – Belgian Van Houtte government resigns
1982 – 3 CBS employees shot to death in NYC parking lot
2002 – Pedro Carmona becomes interim President of Venezuela during the military coup against Hugo Chávez.
2024 – Music festival Coachella kicks off, headlined by Lana Del Ray, Tyler The Creator, Doja Cat and No Doubt

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1777 – Henry Clay, American politician known as “the Great Compromiser”, Speaker of the House, Senator and Secretary of State (1825-29), born in Hanover County, Virginia (d. 1852)
1839 – Nikolay Przhevalsky, Russian naturalist and explorer (East and Central Asia), born in Kimborovo, Russia (d. 1888) (OS 31 March)
1899 – Chief Thundercloud [Victor Daniels], Cherokee actor (The Lone Ranger; Colt .45), born in Muskogee, Indian Territory (d. 1955)
1912 – Harold Maguire, British air marshal, born in Kilkishen, Ireland (d. 2001)
1953 – Tony James, English rock bassist (Sigue Sigue Sputnik – Love Missile F-111), born in Shepherds Bush, London

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

352 – Julius I, pope (337-52), dies
1788 – Carl Joseph Toeschi, German composer, dies at 56
1898 – Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Roman catholic cardinal, Archbishop of Quebec, dies at 78
1981 – Hans Chemin-Petit, German composer, dies at 78
1996 – Marthe Robert, French essayist and translator who influenced Sigmund Freud, dies at 82

More Famous Deaths »