1814 – Joachim Murat issues the Rimini Declaration, which later inspires Italian unification
1864 – Skirmish at Mount Elba, Arkansas
1900 – 62nd Grand National: Algy Anthony wins aboard Ambush II; owner is Prince Of Wales (King Edward VII)
1942 – SS murders 200 inmates of Trawniki concentration camp
1983 – New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) begins trading in crude oil future
1992 – CBS TV premieres overnight news program “Up To The Minute”
2012 – American Mega Millions lottery hits a world record lottery amount of 640 million dollars
2022 – State memorial service held for Australian cricketing great Shane Warne at Melbourne Cricket Ground, attended by 50,000
Author: gil7
Today in History for 30th March 2026
Historical Events
1909 – New York’s Queensboro Bridge opens, linking Manhattan and Queens
1922 – KGY-AM in Olympia WA begins radio transmissions
1945 – World War II: a defecting German pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1 to Americans
1946 – Last Test Cricket appearance of Bill O’Reilly (5-14 and 3-19)
1997 – TV network Channel 5 begins broadcasting in the UK
Famous Birthdays
1835 – Bernhard Scholz, German composer, conductor, and pedagogue, born in Mainz, Grand Duchy of Hesse (d. 1916)
1906 – Max Tishler, American organic chemist at Merck who synthesized Vitamin B2 and developed antibiotic for poultry, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1989)
1926 – Lord Rayner [Derek Rayner], British businessman and chief executive (Marks and Spencer), born in Norwich, Norfolk (d. 1998)
1948 – Justin Deas, American actor (As The World Turns, Santa Barbara), born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania
1964 – Vlado Bozinovski, Yugoslavian-Australian footballer, born in Ohrid, SFR Yugoslavia
Famous Deaths
1959 – Riccardo Zanella, president of Free State of Fiume (b. 1875)
1969 – Lucien Bianchi, Italian-Belgian auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1968), dies during Le Mans testing accident at 34
1976 – Jacqueline Royaards-Sandberg, Dutch actress (Hostage Rights), dies at 99
2003 – Valentin Pavlov, Russian politician and Prime Minister of the Soviet Union (1991), dies at 65
2010 – Martin Sandberger, German military officer (b. 1911)
Famous Deaths for 29th March 2026
1629 – Jacob de Gheyn II, Dutch artist (b. 1565)
1788 – Charles Wesley, British Methodist leader (brother of John Wesley) and hymn writer (Hark! The Herald Angels Sing), dies at 80
1792 – Gustav III, King of Sweden (1771-92), dies of septicemia at 46 after being shot by an assassin thirteen days earlier
1945 – Ferenc Csik, Hungarian swimmer (Olympics gold medal 100m freestyle 1936), dies of war wounds at 31
1956 – Infante Alfonso of Spain, younger brother of King Juan Carlos, dies from an accidental gunshot at 14
1959 – Sara Wennerberg-Reuter, Swedish composer, dies at 84
1979 – Ray Ventura, French jazz pianist and big band bandleader (“Tout va très bien, Madame la Marquise”), dies at 69
1994 – Bill Travers [William Inge Lindon-Travers], British actor, director, officer and animal rights activist (Born Free, Gorgo), dies at 72
2003 – Carlo Urbani, Italian physician (SARS) (b. 1956)
2014 – Hobart “Hobie” Alter, American surf and sailing entrepreneur (created the Hobie Cat catamaran), dies of cancer at 80
Historical Events for 29th March 2026
1798 – Republic of Switzerland forms
1809 – King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden abdicates after a coup d’état. At the Diet of Porvoo, Finland’s four Estates pledge allegiance to Alexander I of Russia, commencing the secession of the Grand Duchy of Finland from Sweden.
1867 – British North America Act (Canadian constitution) is given Royal Assent
1960 – Darius Milhaud’s 9th Symphony, premieres by the Fort Lauderdale Symphony Orchestra and with conductor Mario di Bonaventura
1986 – Records by The Beatles officially go on sale in Russia more than two decades after their release in the West
1993 – Queensland all out for 75 v NSW in Sheffield Shield Final
1998 – Nabisco Dinah Shore Women’s Golf, Mission Hills CC: Pat Hurst wins her only major title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Helen Dobson after sinking a 5-foot birdie putt at the final green
2007 – Rihanna releases her hit single “Umbrella” featuring Jay-Z, goes to No. 1 on US Billboard Hot 100 for 7 weeks
Today in History for 29th March 2026
Historical Events
1867 – British North America Act (Canadian constitution) is given Royal Assent
1951 – 23rd Academy Awards: “All About Eve”, Judy Holliday and José Ferrer win
1988 – US Congress discontinues aid to Nicaraguan contras
1989 – 9th Golden Raspberry Awards: “Cocktail” wins
2015 – WrestleMania XXXI, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA (76,976): Seth Rollins beats Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns in impromptu triple threat match to capture WWE Heavyweight title
Famous Birthdays
1891 – Ivan Goll, French-German writer (the Landless John), born in Saint-Dié (d. 1950)
1909 – Yvonne Waegemans, Flemish writer (Gnome Patjoepelke), born in Flanders (d. 1991)
1944 – Nana Akufo-Addo [William Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo], Ghanaian politician, President of Ghana (2017-), born in Accra, Gold Coast
1960 – Annabella Sciorra, American actress (The Sopranos), born in Brooklyn, New York
1973 – Marc Overmars, Dutch soccer winger (86 caps; Ajax, Arsenal, FC Barcelona) and executive (director of football Royal Antwerp FC), born in Emst, Netherlands
Famous Deaths
1800 – Marc René, Marquis de Montalembert, French military engineer and writer, dies at 85
1911 – Alexandre Guilmant, French organist (La Trinitié, 1871-901), composer and pedagogue (Schola Cantorum, 1894-1911), dies at 74
1945 – Karl Sapper, German traveller, explorer, and natural historian, dies at 79
1955 – Zlatko Baloković, Croatian-American concert violinist, dies at 69
1985 – Gerhard Stöck, German athlete (Olympic gold javelin, bronze shot put 1936), dies at 73
Famous Deaths for 28th March 2026
1701 – Domenico Guidi, Italian sculptor, dies at 75
1799 – Bendix Friedrich Zinck, Danish organist and composer, dies at 83
1891 – Dick Pilling, English cricket wicketkeeper (8 Tests, 14 dismissals; Lancashire CCC), dies of tuberculosis at 35
1931 – Ban Johnson, American Baseball HOF executive (founder and president of MLB American League, 1900-27), dies after a long illness at 67
1947 – Karol Świerczewski, Polish general who served the Soviet Union and Republican Spain, assassinated at 50
1975 – Renzo Massarani, Italian composer, dies at 77
1979 – Emmett Kelly, American circus clown (Weary Willy), dies at 80
1994 – Eugene Ionesco, Romanian-French playwright (Rhinoceros, Bald Soprano), dies at 84
2006 – Proinsias Ó Maonaigh, Irish musician (b. 1922)
2015 – Miroslav Ondříček, Czech BAFTA and Academy Award winning cinematographer (Amadeus; Ragtime), dies at 80
Historical Events for 28th March 2026
1902 – 27.9 cm precipitation at McMinnville, Tennessee (state record)
1922 – Stanley Cup Final, Mutual Street Arena, Toronto, ON: Toronto St Patricks (NHL) beat Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA), 5-1 for a 3-2 series win
1930 – 1st performance of Walter Piston’s Suite for orchestra (Boston)
1942 – St. Nazaire Raid (Operation Chariot): obsolete British destroyer HMS Campbeltown, rigged with explosives and flying German flags, rams gates of German occupied St Nazaire port in France, and self detonates; kills 360 Germans, and disables the dry dock for duration of the war
1950 – 12th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: CCNY beats Bradley, 71-68; City College of NY first to win NCAA and National Invitational Basketball in same year
1953 – 7th Tony Awards: “The Crucible” (Outstanding Play) and “Wonderful Town” (Outstanding Musical) win
1954 – WKAQ TV channel 2 in San Juan, PR (TM) begins broadcasting
1969 – Pope Paul VI names JGM Willebrands cardinal
Today in History for 28th March 2026
Historical Events
1566 – Foundation stone laid for the new city of La Valletta in Malta by Knights Hospitaller Grand Master Jean de Valette
1860 – First Taranaki War: Battle of Waireka begins in New Zealand between Europeans and Māori
1981 – France performs nuclear test
1993 – 13th Golden Raspberry Awards: “Shining Through” wins
2022 – Actor Will Smith issues an apology on Instagram to Oscars host Chris Rock for slapping him live on stage during the ceremony
Famous Birthdays
1741 – Johann Andre, German composer, born in Offenbach, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1799)
1902 – Jaromír Vejvoda, Czech composer (Beer Barrel Polka), born in Zbraslav, Czech Republic (d. 1988)
1922 – Joey Maxim, American boxer (World Light Heavyweight Champion 1950-52), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2001)
1947 – Bruce Gilbert, English producer (China Syndrome, 9 to 5, On Golden Pond), born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England
1975 – Will Cain, American radio and TV journalist (The Will Cain Show ), born in Sherman, Texas
Famous Deaths
1566 – Siegmund Freiherr von Herberstein, Austrian diplomat, dies at 79
1949 – Grigoras Dinicu, Romanian violin virtuoso and composer, dies at 59
1962 – Hugo Wast, Argentine writer (b. 1883)
1979 – Emmett Kelly, American circus clown (Weary Willy), dies at 80
2001 – Vlastimir Nikolovski, Macedonian composer and pedagogue, (The Serdar), dies at 74
Famous Deaths for 27th March 2026
1769 – Josef Antonin Gurecky, composer, dies at 60
1923 – James Dewar, Scottish chemist and physicist (Dewarfles/cordiet), dies at 80
1938 – William Stern, German-American philosopher (Intelligence of Children), dies at 66
1943 – Grigori Yakovlevich Bakhchivangi, Russian test pilot (world speed record in BI-1 rocket plane), but killed in its crash at 35
1972 – Sharkey Bonano, American jazz musician, dies at 67
2000 – Ian Dury, English rock musician (The Blockheads) and actor (Judge Dredd), dies at 57
2003 – Paul Zindel, American playwright and novelist (The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-theMoon Marigolds), dies from lung cancer at 66
2014 – James Schlesinger, American economist and public servant (US Secretary of Energy, 1977-79; US Secretary of Defense, 1973-75; Chair of Atomic Energy Commission, 1973-75), dies at 85
2018 – Stephane Audran, French actress (Just Before Nightfall, Babette’s Feast), dies at 85
2023 – Jocelyn Morlock, Canadian contemporary and post-modern classical composer (My Name is Amanda Todd; Bird in the Tangled Sky), and music educator, dies at 53
Historical Events for 27th March 2026
1003 – Peace deal is signed between Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and the pagan Wends (Slavs)
1709 – Dike at Hardinxveld breaks, flooding Alblasserwaard in the Netherlands
1848 – John Parker Paynard originates medicated adhesive plaster
1958 – Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet Premier as well as First Secretary of the Communist Party
1961 – Failed assassination attempt on King Saif al-Islam Achmad of Yemen
1976 – Washington, D.C. underground Metro opens
1978 – The Rutles mockumentary “All You Need is Cash” is shown on British TV
2002 – Passover Massacre: Suicide bomber kills 29 people in Netanya, Israel