1611 – Jan Huygen van Linschoten, Dutch traveller and writer (Reys-Gheschrift), dies (B. 1653)
1750 – Aaron Hill, English playwright and poet (Tragedy of Zara), dies at 65
1821 – Paul Anton Wineberger, German composer, dies at 62
1877 – Charles Wilkes, American Antarctic explorer and naval officer (Union Navy), dies at 78
1921 – Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin, Russian activist and anarchist, dies at 78
1975 – Robert Robinson, British chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1886)
1985 – William Lyons, British industrialist and automobile manufacturer (Jaguar cars), dies at 84
1994 – Jacob Firet, Dutch theologist (Agogic Moment), dies at 70
1996 – Del Ennis, American baseball outfielder (MLB All-Star 1946, 51, 55; NL RBI leader 1950; Philadelphia Phillies), dies from complications of diabetes at 70
2015 – Filipe Pires, Portuguese pianist, composer (Portugaliae Genesis), and educator, dies at 81
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 8th February 2023
1627 – Gunpowder is used in a mining operation instead of mechanical tools in present-day Slovakia, reportedly the first time explosives had been used in mining
1735 – First opera performance in North American colonies “Flora” opens in Charleston, South Carolina
1744 – French and Spanish fleet leave Toulon
1862 – Battle of Roanoke Island NC, Federals gain control of Pamlico Sound
1924 – 1st US coast-to-coast radio hookup: General John Joseph Carty speech in Chicago
1930 – “Happy Days Are Here Again” by Benny Mereoff hits #1
1960 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issued an Order-in-Council, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants will take the name “Mountbatten-Windsor”.
1963 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1967 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
2009 – Singer Rihanna cancels appearance at the Grammys after being assaulted by boyfriend Chris Brown
Today in History for 8th February 2023
Historical Events
1896 – Georges Feydeau’s “Le Dindon” premieres in Paris
1972 – Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard selected to Hall of Fame
1973 – Jean Kerrs “Finishing Touches” premieres in NYC
1983 – Wayne Gretzky sets NHL all star record of 4 goals in 1 period
1990 – “60 Minutes” commentator Andy Rooney suspended by CBS for racial remarks attributed to him by a gay magazine
1993 – Suchoi-24 crashes into Tupolev passenger flight, 134 die
Famous Birthdays
1828 – Antonio Cagnoni, Italian composer, born in Godiasco (d. 1896)
1877 – Helen Homans, American tennis player (US Nat C’ship 1906), born in Englewood, New Jersey (d. 1949)
1906 – Chester F. Carlson, American inventor (photocopy), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 1968)
1930 – Manuel Castillo, Andalusian classical pianist and composer, born in Seville, Spain (d. 2005)
1966 – Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgarian footballer
1983 – Jim Verraros, American pop singer (American Idol, 2002), born in Mount Prospect, Illinois
Famous Deaths
1611 – Jan Huygen van Linschoten, Dutch traveller and writer (Reys-Gheschrift), dies (B. 1653)
1650 – John Adriaensz, Dutch hydraulic engineer (Haarlemmermeer), dies at about 74
1909 – Edouard Silas, Dutch composer, dies at 80
1975 – Robert Robinson, British chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1886)
1979 – Nikolay Semyonovich Tikhonov, Russian poet and writer (against Pasternak), dies at 82
1994 – Raymond Scott, American composer (Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm), dies at 85
Famous Deaths for 7th February 2023
1839 – Karl August Nicander, Swedish poet (b. 1799)
1918 – Alexander Sergeyevich Taneyev, Russian composer, dies at 68
1991 – Dick Winslow, American actor (Tom Sawyer, Mutiny on the Bounty), dies at 75
1991 – Amos Yarkoni, legendary Israeli soldier (b. 1920)
1993 – W Sybout A Colenbrander, Dutch historian/journalist, dies at 82
1995 – Massimo Pallottino, Italian archaeologist (Etruscologia), dies at 86
1996 – Phillip Davidson, US Army general (b. 1915)
2008 – Tamara Desni [Brodsky], German-born British actress (The Green Finger, Hell’s Cargo), dies from natural causes at 97
2009 – Blossom Dearie, American jazz singer and pianist, dies of natural causes at 84
2015 – Billy Casper, American golfer (US Open 1959, 66; US Masters 1970), dies of a heart attack at 83
Historical Events for 7th February 2023
1550 – Giovanni Maria del Monte elected Pope Julius III
1889 – Astronomical Society of Pacific holds 1st meeting in San Francisco
1908 – Philadelphia A’s manager/owner Connie Mack sells future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Waddell to St Louis Browns for $5,000
1946 – Filibuster in US Senate kills FEPC (Fair Employment Practices Committee) bill
1969 – Al-Fatah-leader Yasser Arafat becomes president of PLO
1976 – World’s largest telescope (600 cm) begins operation (USSR)
1979 – Faoud Bacchus scores 250 for WI v India at Kanpur
1984 – American astronaut Bruce McCandless makes 1st untethered space walk
1988 – NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 15-6; MVP: Bruce Smith, Buffalo Bills, DE
2018 – DNA analysis of Chedder Man, UK’s oldest complete skeleton shows he had dark skin and blue eyes
Today in History for 7th February 2023
Historical Events
1301 – Edward of Caernarfon (later Edward II) becomes the first English Prince of Wales
1912 – 2nd Dutch 11 city skate (Coen de Koenig wins (11:40)
1943 – Shoe rationing begins in US (may purchase up to 3 more pairs in 1942)
1964 – Baskin-Robbins introduces Beatle Nut ice cream
1974 – Grenada gains independence from Britain (National Day)
1985 – Marshall U’s Bruce Morris scores a basket from 92’5″
Famous Birthdays
1899 – Arvid Pelshe, Latvian Communist leader (First Secretary of the Latvian SSR, CPSU Politburo member), born near Zālīte, Latvia (d. 1983)
1904 – Alison Leggatt, British character actress (Day of Triffids, Cows), born in Kensington, London (d. 1990)
1925 – Marius Constant, Romanian-born French composer and conductor (founded Ars Nova), born in Bucharest, Romania (d. 2004)
1931 – Gloria Talbott, American film and television actress, sometimes known as “the Scream Queen” for her work in B-movies, born in Glendale, California (d. 2000)
1960 – James Spader, American actor (Endless Love, Wall St, Mannequin), born in NYC, New York
1968 – Peter Bondra, Lutsk Ukr, NHL right wing (Washington Capitals)
Famous Deaths
1693 – Paul Pellisson, French writer, dies at 68
1994 – Richard Bissell, US under director of CIA (Pig’s Bay), dies at 84
2005 – Bob Turner, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1934)
2012 – Phil Bruns, American actor and writer (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman – “George Shumway”), dies of natural causes at 80
2018 – Mickey Jones, American musician and actor (Home Improvement, Justified), dies at 76
2019 – Frank Robinson, American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder, manager (14 x MLB All-Star; NL MVP 1961; AL MVP 1966; World Series 1966, 70; Baltimore Orioles), dies of bone cancer at 83
Famous Deaths for 6th February 2023
1515 – Aldus Manutius, Italian printer
1593 – Emperor Ōgimachi, 106th Emperor of Japan, dies at 75
1927 – Daniel François Scheurleer, Dutch musicologist and banker, dies at 71
1989 – King Tubby [Osbourne Ruddock], Jamaican sound engineer and record producer, shot to death outside his home at 48
2007 – Frankie Laine [Francesco Paolo LoVecchio], American singer (“Jezebel”; “Rawhide”; “Blazing Saddles”), songwriter (“We’ll Be Together Again”), and actor (Bring Your Smile Along), dies of heart failure at 93
2012 – Billy Bean, American jazz guitarist (John Lewis; Herbie Mann; Bud Shank), dies at 79
2017 – Alec McCowen, English actor (Frenzy), dies at 91
2018 – Joe Knollenberg, American politician (Rep-R-Michigan 1993-2009), dies at 84
2020 – Nello Santi, Italian opera conductor (Opernhaus Zürich; NY Metropolitan Opera), dies of a blood infection at 80
2021 – Ezra Moseley, Barbadian cricket fast bowler (2 Tests; 9 ODIs, West Indies; Barbados; Glamorgan), dies in a road accident at 63
Historical Events for 6th February 2023
1902 – Young Women’s Hebrew Association organizes in NYC
1934 – Far right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating a political crisis in France
1943 – Singer Frank Sinatra debuts on radio’s “Your Hit Parade”
1948 – World and European champion Barbara Ann Scott becomes the first Canadian to win a women’s figure skating Olympic gold medal at the St. Moritz Winter Games
1969 – The New Ulster Movement forms, promoting moderate and non-sectarian policies and to assist those candidates who support Northern Ireland Prime MinisterTerence O’Neill
1973 – 6th ABA All-Star Game: West 123 beats East 111 at Utah
1993 – 44th NHL All-Star Game, Montreal Forum, Montreal, QC: Wales beats Campbell, 16-6; MVP: Mike Gartner, NY Rangers, RW
1994 – NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 17-3; MVP: Andre Rison, Atlanta Falcons, WR
1995 – MLB outfielder Darryl Strawberry suspended from baseball for 60 days for positive cocaine test
2019 – Quadriga, Canada’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange is unable to get to $145 million of bitcoin assets after its CEO dies with its access passwords
Today in History for 6th February 2023
Historical Events
1760 – Niccolò Piccinni’s opera buffa “La buona figliuola” (The Good-Natured Girl) first performed at the Teatro delle Dame, Rome, Italy, with an all-male cast
1855 – British government of Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston forms
1911 – Great fire destroys downtown Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey)
1947 – Compton and Arthur Morris both complete dual tons in same Test Cricket
1979 – Supreme court of Lahore affirms death sentence against Premier Bhutto
2018 – Brazilian jockey Jorge Ricardo equals world record number of victories for a jockey – 12,844 in Rio de Janeiro
Famous Birthdays
1673 – Maximilian Dietrich Freisslich, German composer, born in Immelborn, Germany (d. 1731)
1868 – Syd Callaway, Australian cricket all-rounder (3 Tests, 6 wickets, BB 5/37, HS 41; NSW CA, Canterbury [NZ]), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1923)
1931 – Mamie Van Doren, American actress, model, singer, and sex symbol (Teacher’s Pet, The Navy vs. the Night Monsters), born in Rowena, South Dakota
1957 – Kathy Najimy, American actress and activist (Sister Act, Veronica’s Closet), born in San Diego, California
1972 – Mark Labbrook, Australian 200m/400m runner (Olympics 1996), born in Melbourne, Australia
1993 – Tinashe [Kachingwe], American actress and singer (Nightride), born in Lexington, Kentucky
Famous Deaths
1785 – Iman Willem Falck, Dutch governor of Ceylon (1765-83), dies at 48
1896 – Abraham van Stolk, Dutch art collector, dies at 82
1963 – Abd el-Krim [Mohamed ibn Abdelkrim El-Khattabi], Moroccan political and military leader (Republic of the Rif), dies at 85
1966 – Algot Haquinius, Swedish pianist, and composer, dies at 79
2012 – Billy Bean, American jazz guitarist (John Lewis; Herbie Mann; Bud Shank), dies at 79
2015 – André Brink, South African writer (Kennis van die aand – 1st Afrikaans book banned), dies at 79
Famous Deaths for 5th February 2023
1520 – Sten Sture the Younger, regent of Sweden (b. 1493)
1838 – Philippe Libon, composer, dies at 62
1947 – Hans Fallada, German writer (Little Man, What Now?), dies at 53
1956 – Savielly Tartakower, Austrian/Polish/French chess player, dies at 74
1982 – Wies Moens, Belgian writer and historian, dies at 84
1992 – Donald Zimmerman, editor, dies
1996 – Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Italian composer and conductor, dies at 86
1997 – Pamela Harriman, US Ambassador (to France), dies of stroke at 76
2011 – Brian Jacques, English author, author of the Redwall series (b. 1939)
2020 – Buddy Cage, American pedal steel guitarist (New Riders of the Purple Sage, Great Speckled Bird), dies from multiple myeloma at 73