1864 – Danish army begins its withdrawal from Danevirke to Dybbøl through driven snow, last time the Danes would occupy Danevirke, symbol of Danish identity
1897 – Marcel Proust meets Jean Lorrain in a pistol duel
1917 – The last of the American troops commanded by General John Pershing leave Mexico; President Carranza will be assassinated within the next year
1933 – Crew of Dutch “7 Provinces” mutiny after pay cuts
1967 – Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Robert Penn Warren
1969 – Vince Lombardi, becomes part owner, vice-president, general manager, and head coach of NFL Washington Redskins
1970 – Test Cricket debut of John Traicos, South Africa v Australia, Durban
1978 – Fred Newman makes 88 consecutive basketball free throws blindfolded
1994 – 68 killed and 200 wounded after a mortar bomb is set off in Sarajevo
1997 – Japan’s Ministry of Finance announces plans to cut import tariffs on crude oil and most petroleum products
Author: gil7
Today in History for 5th February 2023
Historical Events
1818 – Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway
1870 – 1st motion picture shown to a theater audience, Philadelphia
1885 – News of the fall of Khartoum reaches London
1962 – French President de Gaulle calls for Algeria’s independence
1970 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1991 – Howard Stern kisses NY Giant Leonard Marshall’s ass over bet, Stern lost claiming the Giants would lose the Super Bowl
Famous Birthdays
1804 – Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet (Finland’s national anthem “Maamme”), born in Jakobstad, Finland (d. 1877)
1923 – Doris Bohrer [Sharrar], American WWII spy, born in Basin, Wyoming (d. 2016)
1948 – Sven-Göran Eriksson, Swedish football manager and player, born in Sunne, Sweden
1953 – Valerie Carter, American folk-rock singer-songwriter, and session vocalist, born in Winter Haven, Florida (d. 2017)
1968 – Nir Kabaretti, Israeli conductor, born in Tel Aviv, Israel
1980 – Brad Fitzpatrick, American programmer (LiveJournal), born in Iowa, United States
Famous Deaths
1807 – Pasquale Paoli, Corsican freedom fighter, dies at 80
1892 – Emilie Flygare-Carlén, Swedish novelist (b. 1807)
1946 – George Arliss, British Academy Award-winning actor (Disraeli; Devil; Green Goddess), dies at 77
1977 – Izaak Boleslavski, Russian chess player, dies at 67
1979 – Eddie Paynter, English cricketer (20 Tests for England, avg 59.23), dies at 77
2003 – Helge Boes, American Central Intelligence Agency officer
Famous Deaths for 4th February 2023
1222 – William I, earl of Holland (1203-22), dies
1640 – Hendrick C Vroom, Dutch seascape painter, dies
1854 – Carl Ludwig Cornelius Westenholz, German composer, dies at 66
1944 – Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian writer, dies at 72
1954 – Václav Vačkář, Czech composer and conductor, dies at 72
1989 – Kenneth “Jethro” Burns, American country singer (Homer and Jethro), dies at 69
2007 – José Carlos Bauer, Brazilian World Cup footballer (b. 1925)
2016 – Maurice White, American singer-songwriter (Earth, Wind and Fire – “Shining Star”), dies at 74
2017 – Gervase de Peyer, British clarinetist, dies at 89
2020 – Benito Sarti, Italian soccer defender (6 caps; Juventus, Sampdoria), dies at 83
Historical Events for 4th February 2023
1600 – Astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler meet for the first time near Prague
1846 – Mormons leave Nauvoo, Illinois, for settlement in the west
1855 – Soldiers shoot Jewish families in Coro, Venezuela
1922 – WGY-AM in Schenectady NY begins radio transmissions
1945 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin meet at Yalta in the Crimea to discuss the final phase of World War II
1982 – Indoor distance record for a paper airplane (47m) Tacoma Wash
1982 – Musical “Pump Boys and Dinettes” opens at Princess Theater, NYC; runs for 573 performances
1990 – NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 27-21; MVP: Jerry Gray, LA Rams, DB
1991 – Alex Trebek becomes first person to host three American game shows at the same time (Jeopardy!, Classic Concentration, To Tell the Truth)
2014 – Same-sex marriage is legalized in Scotland
Today in History for 4th February 2023
Historical Events
1555 – Reformer and bible translator John Roger is the first protestant martyr under Mary I, when he is burnt at the stake at Smithfield, London
1847 – 1st US telegraph company established in Maryland
1866 – Mary Baker Eddy reportedly cures her injuries by opening a bible
1973 – “No, No Nanette” closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 861 performances
2016 – Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison knighted by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace
2020 – Charles McGee, American retired US Air Force officer and fighter pilot of the Tuskegee Airmen promoted from colonel to brigadier general
Famous Birthdays
1808 – Josef Kajetán Tyl, Czech playwright, writer and author of the Czech national anthem (Kde domov můj), born in Kutná Hora, Bohemia, Austrian Empire (d. 1856)
1841 – Clément Ader, French aviation pioneer (d. 1926)
1903 – Edwin Denby, American dance critic and poet (Snoring in N, Horse Eats Hat), born in Tientsin China (d. 1924)
1943 – Cheryl Miller, American actress (Daktari – “Paula”; Born Free), born in Sherman Oaks, California
1960 – Siobhan Dowd, British/Irish author (d. 2007)
1961 – Denis Savard, Canadian NHL centre (Chicago Blackhawks) named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players’ in history, born in Pointe Gatineau, Canada
Famous Deaths
1781 – Willem Crul, British admiral (West-Indies), dies in battle during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War at 59
1946 – Margarete Boie, writer, dies
1957 – Miguel Covarrubias, Mexican illustrator, dies
1982 – Alex Harvey, Scottish singer (The Electric Cowboys), dies of a heart attack at 46
2002 – George Nader, American actor (Robot Monster, Away All Boats), dies at 80
2013 – Donald Byrd, American jazz trumpeter (Black Byrd), dies at 80
Famous Deaths for 3rd February 2023
1895 – Theodore Dwight Weld, American abolitionist and writer (American Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses), dies at 91
1903 – Frederick E Kitziger, composer, dies at 59
1945 – Roland Freisler, German Nazi judge (July 20th plotter case) and politician, dies at 51
1950 – Karl Seitz, President of Austria (1920), dies at 80
1956 – Émile Borel, French mathematician (b. 1871)
2006 – Lou Jones, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x400m relay 1956), dies at 74
2014 – Louise Brough, American tennis player (Wimbledon 1948-50, 55), dies at 90
2018 – Leon “Ndugu” Chancler, American pop, funk and jazz session and touring drummer, (Michael Jackson -“Billie Jean”; George Duke; Herbie Hancock), composer, and producer, dies of prostate cancer at 65
2020 – Eric Parkin, British classical pianist and champion of British composers, dies at 95
2021 – Tony Trabert, American tennis player (Wimbledon 1955; US Open 1953, 55; French Open 1954, 55), dies at 90
Historical Events for 3rd February 2023
1930 – William Howard Taft resigns as US chief justice for health reasons
1945 – Walt Disney’s “3 Caballeros” released
1964 – French sisters Marielle Goitschel (gold) and Christine Goitschel (silver) repeat (in reverse order) their top-2 finish in the slalom 2 days earlier, in the giant slalom at the Innsbruck Winter Olympics
1974 – “Pajama Game” closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 65 performances
1975 – Billy Herman, Earl Averill, and Bucky Harris elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1976 – 26th NBA All-Star Game, Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa: East beats West, 123-109; MVP: Dave Bing, Washington Bullets, PG
1980 – 30th NBA All-Star Game, Capital Centre, Landover, Md: East beats West, 144-136 (OT); MVP: George Gervin, San Antonio Spurs, SF
1989 – Baseball’s National League announces Yanks’ broadcaster Bill White will its 1st African American President
1997 – Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Detroit MI on WKRK 97.1 FM
1999 – In Jammu and Kashmir the political party Democratic Janata Dal (Jammu and Kashmir) is revived.
Today in History for 3rd February 2023
Historical Events
1809 – Territory of Illinois organizes (including present-day Wisconsin)
1894 – 1st US steel sailing vessel, Dirigo, launched at Bath, Maine
1916 – Tristan Tzara publishes the Dada manifesto in Zurich, Switzerland
1929 – Revolutionary Socialist Party forms in Amsterdam
1975 – Billy Herman, Earl Averill, and Bucky Harris elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1982 – Columbia Shuttle moves to Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center (Florida) for mating for STS-3 mission
Famous Birthdays
1736 – Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, Austria organist and composer (trained Beethoven), born in Klosterneuburg Austria-Hungary (d. 1809)
1824 – George Thomas “Tige” Anderson, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Covington, Georgia (d. 1901)
1824 – Ranald MacDonald, Canadian-born Scottish educator and interpreter (d. 1894)
1919 – (Eugene) “Snooky” Young, American jazz trumpeter who mastered the plunger mute, born in Dayton, Ohio (d. 2011)
1959 – Molly Killingbeck, Jamaica, 4X400m relayer (Olympic silver 1984)
1971 – Eric Owens, Danville VA, outfielder (Cincinnati Reds)
Famous Deaths
1116 – King Coloman of Hungary (b. 1070)
1919 – Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, Queen of Bavaria, dies at 69
1979 – Jody Gilbert, American actress (Willard, Shaggy, Blonde Dynamite), dies at 62
2009 – Max Neuhaus, American classical musician and experimental percussionist (sound sculptures), dies of cancer at 69
2015 – William Thomas McKinley, American composer and jazz pianist, dies at 76
2018 – Leon “Ndugu” Chancler, American pop, funk and jazz session and touring drummer, (Michael Jackson -“Billie Jean”; George Duke; Herbie Hancock), composer, and producer, dies of prostate cancer at 65
Famous Deaths for 2nd February 2023
1580 – Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese retainer (b. 1558)
1648 – George Abbot, English writer
1750 – Johann Graf, German composer, dies at 65
1940 – Vsevolod Meyerhold [Karl Kasimir Theodor], Russian theatrical director and actor (Houligan), executed during the Great Purge at 65
1959 – Frank DeCaires, West Indian cricket batsman (3 Tests, 2 x 50; British Guiana), dies at 49
1976 – Erling Kjellsby, Norwegian organist, educator and composer, dies at 75
1992 – Bert Parks [Jacobson], American TV host (Miss America), dies of lung cancer at 77
1995 – David Kindersley, British stone letter-carver and typeface designer, dies at 79
2003 – Lou Harrison, American composer (La Koro Sutro), dies of a heart attack at 85
2022 – Roy Purdon, New Zealand harness-racing trainer (21 x NZ trainers premierships; 4 x NZ cup winners; 54 x Group One wins), dies at 94
Historical Events for 2nd February 2023
1349 – By this date at least 200 people a day were being buried in London as a result of the Black Death
1823 – Gioachino Rossini’s opera “Semiramide” premieres in Venice
1848 – Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican–American War: US acquires Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona for $15 million
1878 – Greece declares war on Turkey
1925 – Belgian episcopacy rejects liberalism, communism and socialism
1941 – US male Figure Skating championship won by Eugene Turner
1959 – Vince Lombardi signs a 5 year contract to coach NFL Green Bay Packers
1977 – Burn up of Salyut 4 Space Station (USSR)
1982 – Government troops and Muslim fundamentalists battle in Hamah, Syria
2003 – NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 45-23; MVP: Ricky Williams, Miami Dolphins, RB