1669 – Reyer Anslo, writer/poet, dies at about 42
1691 – Jacob Leisler, becomes 1st American colonist hanged for treason
1703 – Charles Perrault, French author and fairy tale writer (Tales of Mother Goose), dies at 75
1782 – Daniuel Charles Solander, botanist, dies
1805 – Christiaan Brunings, Dutch hydraulic engineer, dies at 68
1938 – Joseph Strauss, American civil engineer (chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge), dies at 68
1952 – Frances Benjamin Johnston, American pioneering female photographer
1996 – Jeremy Boorda, U.S. Navy admiral (25th Chief of Naval Operations), commits suicide at 56
2013 – Paul Shane, English comedian and actor, dies at 72
2020 – Arthur Summons, Australian rugby union fly-half (10 Tests; Gordon RFC) and rugby league five-eighth (9 Tests; Western Suburbs RLFC), dies at 84
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 16th May 2023
1763 – Samuel Johnson 1st meets his future biographer James Boswell in London
1938 – Australian cricketer Donald Bradman scores 278 vs MCC in 349 mins with 35 fours and 1 six
1940 – Nazis forbid non-professional auto workers
1958 – Eli Beeding experiences 83 g deceleration on a rocket sled, New Mexico
1961 – 13th Emmy Awards: Jack Benny Show, Raymond Burr and Barbara Stanwyck win
1969 – Barbra Streisand appears at a Friars Club Tribute
1977 – Muhammad Ali beats Alfredo Evangelist in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
1984 – Guinea-Bissau adopts constitution
1994 – Jacqueline Onassis admitted to hospital for cancer treatment
2019 – Brooks Koepka fires tournament record equalling, and course record 63 (-7) to lead the PGA Championship by 1 stroke after the 1st round at Bethpage Black, NY
Today in History for 16th May 2023
Historical Events
1571 – German astronomer Johannes Kepler, by his own calculations, is conceived at 4:37 AM
1605 – Camillo Borghese elected to succeed Pope Leo XI, becomes Pope Paul V
1914 – Ewing Field baseball park opens near Masonic Street, San Francisco. Relocated a year later.
1940 – Nazis forbid non-professional auto workers
1968 – Earthquake kills 47 in Japan
1983 – Chinese American architect I. M. Pei is awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in New York
Famous Birthdays
1824 – Levi Parsons Morton, American ambassador and politician (R) (Vice President of the United States 1889-93, Governor of New York 1895-96), born in Shoreham, New York (d. 1920)
1904 – Hugh Plaxton, Canadian ice hockey left wing (Olympic gold 1928; Montreal Maroons) and politician (House of Commons of Canada 1935-40), born in Barrie, Ontario (d. 1982)
1916 – Adriana Caselotti, voice of Snow White in Disney’s animated film, born in Bridgeport, Connecticut (d. 1997)
1946 – Roger Earl, British drummer (Foghat – “Slow Ride”), born in Hampton Court Palace, London, England
1972 – Keith Burns, American NFL linebacker (Denver Broncos-Super Bowl 32), born in Greeleyville, South Carolina
1975 – Tonéx, American singer
Famous Deaths
1265 – Saint Simon Stock, English saint (b. 1165)
1835 – Felicia Dorothea Hemans, English-Welsh poet (“The boy stood on the burning deck”, “The stately homes of England”), dies of dropsy at 41
1971 – Barney Stanley, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame forward (Stanley Cup 1915, Vancouver Millionaires; coach Chicago Black Hawks 1927-28), dies at 77
1983 – Carel Brons, Dutch composer, dies at 52
2001 – Brian Pendleton, English musician (The Pretty Things) (b. 1944)
2020 – Tony Yates, American college basketball point guard (National C’ship 1961, 62; Cincinnati Bearcats) and head coach (Cincinnati 1983-89), dies at 82
Famous Deaths for 15th May 2023
1698 – Marie Champmeslé, French actress (Fête de Vénus), dies at 56
1782 – Richard Wilson, Welsh landscape painter, dies at 67
1940 – Willem Adriaan Bonger, Dutch criminologist (Race and Crime), suicide at 63
1967 – Jaromír Fiala, Czech composer, dies at 74
1977 – Modibo Keïta, 1st President of Mali (1960-68), dies at 61
1994 – Frederik von Pallandt, Danish-Dutch pop singer and guitarist (Nina and Frederik), murdered in the Philippines at 60
1998 – John Hawkes, American writer (2nd Skin), dies at 72
2010 – Diether de la Motte, German composer and music theorist, dies at 82
2011 – Bob Flannigan, American jazz singer (The Four Freshmen), dies at 84
2012 – Jean Craighead George, American writer (Julie of the Wolves), dies at 92
Historical Events for 15th May 2023
1882 – May Laws: Russian Tsar Alexander III bans Jews from living in rural Romania
1912 – 37th Preakness: Clarnence Turner on Colonel Holloway wins in 1:56.6
1948 – 73rd Preakness: Eddie Arcaro wins aboard Citation, 2nd leg of successful Triple Crown
1951 – First vaginoplasty procedure (sex reassignment surgery) in the UK performed on Roberta Cowell by Harold Gillies
1966 – 1st day of Sunday play in County Cricket, Essex v Somerset
1988 – 2nd American Comedy Award: Robin Williams and Tracey Ullman
2005 – Laureus World Sports Awards, Casino Estoril, Portugal: Sportsman: Roger Federer; Sportswoman: Kelly Holmes; Team: Greece Men’s National Football team
2008 – California becomes the second U.S. state after Massachusetts in 2004 to legalize same-sex marriage after the state’s own Supreme Court rules a previous ban unconstitutional.
2010 – English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (88,335): Chelsea beats Portsmouth,1-0; Didier Drogba scores 59′ winner; Blues’ 6th title
2010 – 135th Preakness: Martin Garcia aboard Lookin At Lucky wins in 1:55.47
Today in History for 15th May 2023
Historical Events
1941 – British attack Halfaya-pass and Fort Capuzzo in Egypt and Libya
1960 – KHVO TV channel 13 in Hilo, HI (ABC) begins broadcasting
1961 – Pope John XXIII publishes encyclical Mater et Magistra
1981 – SCTV Network 90, sequel to Second City Television, debuts on NBC
1982 – 107th Preakness: Jack Kaenel aboard Aloma’s Ruler wins in 1:55.4
2007 – 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards: Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley win
Famous Birthdays
1773 – Klemens von Metternich, Austrian leading statesman (Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs 1809-48, host Congress of Vienna 1814-15), born in Coblenz, Archbishopric of Trier (d. 1859)
1903 – Maria Reiche, German-born mathematician and archaeologist (d. 1998)
1914 – Norman “Norrie” Paramor, British composer, arranger, pianist, bandleader, and record producer (Cliff Richard: The Shadows; Helen Shapiro), born in London, England (d. 1979)
1922 – Enrico Berlinguer, Italian communist/Secretary-General (CPI) [or May 25]
1931 – James Mitchell, American session baritone saxophone (The Memphis Horns; Stax Records), born in Memphis, Tennesee (d. 2000)
1980 – Josh Beckett, American baseball player
Famous Deaths
1855 – Jan Mazereeuw, Frisian farmer/sect leader, dies at 75
1899 – Francisque Sarcey, French writer (Le Temps), dies at 70
1996 – Claus Bremer, German dramatist, dies at 71
1996 – George Tindley, American soul singer and songwriter, dies at 58
2003 – June Carter Cash, American Grammy Award-winning country singer (The Carter Family; Johnny Cash Show), songwriter (“Ring Of Fire”), and actress, dies from complications after heart valve replacement surgery at 73
2021 – Fred Martinelli, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Ashland University 1959-93), dies at 92
Famous Deaths for 14th May 2023
1873 – Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and writer (b. 1797)
1887 – Lysander Spooner, American philosopher (b. 1808)
1889 – Volney E. Howard, American politician, dies at 79
1935 – Magnus Hirschfeld, German physician and gay rights advocate, dies of a heart attack at 67
2001 – Gil Langley, Australian cricketer (Australian wicket-keeper 1951-56), dies at 81
2006 – James Botten, South African cricketer (all-rounder in 1965 South African series v England), dies at 67
2010 – Goh Keng Swee, former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore (b. 1918)
2012 – Derek Hammond-Stroud, English operatic baritone, dies at 86
2021 – Ester Mägi, Estonian composer ‘First Lady of Estonian music’, dies at 99
2021 – Sándor Balassa, Hungarian composer (Requiem for Lajos Kassák; The Third Planet), and educator (Liszt Ferenc Academy, 1981-95), dies at 86
Historical Events for 14th May 2023
1861 – The Canellas meteorite, an 859-gram chondrite-type meteorite, strikes the earth near Barcelona, Spain
1862 – Adolphe Nicole of Switzerland patents chronograph
1897 – Oldest continuously operating movie theater in the world, the State Theatre first opens in Washington, Iowa (Guinness World Records)
1948 – US grants Israel de facto recognition
1966 – A Lover’s Concerto by Mrs Miller hits #95
1976 – Lowell Thomas ends 46 years as radio network reporter
1995 – Dalai Lama proclaims 6-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima 11th reincarnation of Panchen Lama, Tibet’s 2nd most senior spiritual leader
1997 – Baseball’s Executive Council suspends NY Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for his suing other team owners
2000 – “Yi Yi” Taiwanese film by Edward Yang debuts at Cannes
2012 – Stanford University scientists develop prototype bionic eye
Today in History for 14th May 2023
Historical Events
1804 – Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s expedition commissioned by Thomas Jefferson sets out from St Louis for Pacific Coast
1913 – Frans Hals museum opens in Haarlem, Netherlands
1945 – Physician Joseph G. Hamilton injects misdiagnosed cancer patient Albert Stevens (CAL-1) with 131 kBq (3.55 µCi) of plutonium without his knowledge. Stevens lives another 20 years, surviving the highest known accumulated radiation dose in any human
1975 – US forces raid Cambodian island of Koh Tang to free Mayaguez ship
1989 – Final TV episode of “Family Ties” airs on NBC with a 36 million audience
1990 – Dow Jones average hits a record 2,821.53
Famous Birthdays
1867 – Kurt Eisner, German socialist politician, revolutionary and journalist (President of the People’s State of Bavaria 1918-19), born in Berlin, Prussia (d. 1919)
1883 – Jan Olieslagers, Belgian aviation and motorcycle pioneer (WWI flying ace, Antwerp Devil), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1942)
1922 – Agha Hasan Abedi, banker
1933 – Lajos Kovacs, Hungarian actor (Wings of Desire)
1933 – John Mortimore, cricketer (England off-spinner 1959-64)
1972 – Mark Ruskell, England-born Scottish politician
Famous Deaths
1470 – Charles VIII of Sweden, King of Sweden (1448–57, 1464–65 and 1467-70) and Norway (1449–50), dies at 60
1565 – Nicolaus von Amsdorf, German reformation theologist, dies at 81
1574 – Guru Amar Das, third Sikh Guru, dies at 95
1864 – William N Green Jr, Union brigadier general, dies
1945 – Heber J. Grant, 7th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies at 88
2006 – Lewis “Lew” Anderson, American actor and musician (The Howdy Doody Show), dies of prostate cancer at 84
Famous Deaths for 13th May 2023
1619 – Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Dutch lawyer and statesman, beheaded at 71
1732 – Theodor Schwartzkopff, German composer, dies at 72
1831 – Christian Gottfried Körner, German lawyer, dies at 74
1939 – Stanislaw Lesniewski, Polish logician and mathematician (Warsaw School of Logic), dies at 53
1962 – Frank Jenks, American stage and screen actor (Colonel Flack, Zombies on Broadway), dies of cancer at 59
1962 – Franz Kline, American abstract expressionist painter, dies of heart failure at 51
1971 – Valerian Mikhaylovich Bogdanov-Berezovsky, Russian composer, dies 67
1994 – Duncan Hamilton, Irish racing driver, dies at 74
1999 – Meg Greenfield, American Pulitzer Prize winning editorial writer (Washington Post; Newsweek), dies of cancer at 68
2005 – Eddie Barclay, French record producer (b. 1921)