1103 – Eudes I, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1058)
1555 – Julius III [Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte], Counter-Reformation Pope (1550-55), dies at 67
1862 – Karl Robert von Nesselrode, German-Russian chancellor, dies at 81
1952 – Klaas Schilder, Dutch vicar and theologist (Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (liberated)), dies at 61
1977 – Bennie Green, American swing jazz and soul trombonist (Earl Hines), dies at 53
1994 – Alvara del Portillo, Spanish Opus Dei bishop, dies at 80
1995 – Alan Barton, English singer (Smokie, Black Lace), dies in a bus crash at 41
1995 – Davie Cooper, Scottish soccer winger (22 caps; Clydebank, Rangers 376 games, Motherwell), dies of a subarachnoid haemorrhage at 39
1999 – Luis María Argaña, Paraguayan politician and high court judge, Vice President of Paraguay, assassinated by armed gunmen at 66
2015 – Roy Douglas, English composer and arranger (Tomorrow We Live – At Dawn We Die), dies at 107
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 23rd March 2026
1867 – Congress passes 2nd Reconstruction Act over President Andrew Johnson’s veto
1880 – Flour rolling mill patent is issued to John Stevens of Wisconsin
1919 – Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, designated as the first autonomous republic of Soviet Russia
1972 – Geoge Harrison and Friends’ “The Concert for Bangladesh” concert film, directed by Saul Swimmer released in the US
1998 – 70th Academy Awards: “Titanic”, Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt win
2016 – GPR investigation of Shakespeare’s tomb at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford concludes the Bard’s skull probably has been stolen
2019 – More than 130 Fulani people killed in Ogossagou, Mali, in attack by Dogon hunters, prompting government ban on the hunters
2021 – Brazil’s daily COVID-19 death toll passes 3,000 (3,251) for the first time (298,676 total deaths reported) as country’s Supreme Court blocks President Jair Bolsonaro overturning local restrictions
Today in History for 23rd March 2026
Historical Events
1857 – Elisha Otis installs his first elevator at 488 Broadway in New York City
1939 – 1st performance of Béla Bartók’s 2nd Violin Concerto at the Concertgebow, Amsterdam with Zoltán Székely on violin and Willem Mengelberg conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra
1988 – Geffen Records releases “Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm”, Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell’s 13th studio album
2007 – After some initial hesitation, Emma Watson signs on to appear as Hermione in the final three Harry Potter films
2020 – New York confirmed as new center of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US with 20,875 cases (5,707 in the last day) and 157 deaths
Famous Birthdays
1919 – Carl Graffunder, American mid-century modernist architect in Minnesota, born in Rock Island, Illinois (d. 2013)
1933 – Hayes Jenkins, American figure skater (Olympic gold singles 1956; World C’ship gold 1953-56), born in Akron, Ohio
1937 – Craig Breedlove, American auto racer (5 x world land speed record holder; first to reach 500mph (800km/h) and 600mph (970km/h), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2023)
1944 – George Scott, MLB first baseman, 1966-79 (Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and 2 other teams), born in Greenville, Mississippi, (d. 2013)
1972 – Jonas Bjorkman, Swedish tennis player (World #1 doubles 2001; 9 x Grand Slam doubles titles; Davis Cup 1994, 97, 98; Tour Finals 1994, 2006), born in Vaxjo Sweden
Famous Deaths
1680 – Nicolas Fouquet, French politician and Superintendent of Finances (1653-61) who became fabulously wealthy and later imprisoned for maladministration of state funds, dies in jail in Pinerolo at 65
1881 – Nikolay Rubinstein, Russian pianist, conductor, and composer, dies at 45
1979 – Philip Bourneuf, actor (Big Night, Frankenstein), dies at 71
2006 – Sarah Caldwell, American conductor/opera director (Flagstaff), dies at 82
2015 – Lil’ Chris [Hardman], British rock singer (Checkin’ It Out), takes his own life at 24
Famous Deaths for 22nd March 2026
1832 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and social philosopher (Faust), dies at 82
1840 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician, dies at 41
1871 – Johnny Cuzens, Australian aboriginal cricketer (1st Australian indigenous tour to UK 1868), dies
1913 – Song Jiaoran, Chinese Nationalist and revolutionary (Leader of Kuomintang party 1912-13), assassinated at 30
1937 – Mary Russell, Duchess of Bedford, English aviator and ornithologist, dies at 71
1963 – Cilly Aussem, German tennis player (French C’ships, Wimbledon 1931), dies of liver failure at 54
1969 – Ernst Deutsch [Dorian], Jewish-Austrian actor (3rd Man, Golem), dies at 78
1986 – Mark Dinning, American singer (“Teen Angel”), dies of a heart attack at 52
2007 – ]Uppaluri Gopala] U.G. Krishnamurti, Indian philosophe and lecturer, dies of injuries after a fall at 88
2013 – Pietro Mennea, Italian sprinter (200m world record), dies from cancer at 60
Historical Events for 22nd March 2026
1865 – Wilson’s Raid: 13,480 cavalry troops led by Union General James H. Wilson destroys most of Confederate Alabama and Georgia’s arms-manufacturing and rail capabilities; raid lasts through mid-April
1896 – Charilaos Vasilakos of Greece wins the first modern marathon in 3:18 at the Panhellenic Games
1985 – NASA launches Intelsat VA F-10
1989 – Pete Rozelle announces retirement as NFL commissioner after 29 years
1992 – US Air NY to Cleveland crashes on take off at LaGuardia, 27 die
2003 – 23rd Golden Raspberry Awards: “Swept Away” wins
2013 – 37 people are killed and 200 are injured in a refugee camp fire in Ban Mae, Thailand
2018 – Musical “Frozen” opens on Broadway, based on the film and starring Patti Murin and Caissie Levy
Today in History for 22nd March 2026
Historical Events
1692 – Emperor Leopold I names Duke Earnest August of Braunschweig, king
1929 – 88th Grand National: Robert W. H. Everett wins aboard 100/1 outsider Gregalach
1975 – AIAW Women’s Basketball Tournament, Delta State beats Immaculata 90-81 in Harrisonburg
1992 – Herb Gardner’s stage drama “Conversations with My Father”, starring Judd Hirsch and Tony Shalhoub, opens at Royale Theatre, NYC, runs for 462 performances and a Tony Award for Hirsch
2024 – British runner Jasmin Paris is the first woman and 20th person to complete one of the world’s hardest ultramarathons, the Barkley Marathons in Tennessee, with one minute and 39 seconds to spare
Famous Birthdays
1459 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1508-19, established Hapsburg dynasty in Spain), born in Wiener Neustadt, Austria (d. 1519)
1908 – Jack Crawford, Australian tennis player (6 Grand Slam singles titles), born in Urangeline, NSW (d. 1991)
1921 – Wilhelmus Norbert Schmelzer, Dutch foreign minister (KVP), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 2008)
1931 – Billy Vessels, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Heisman Trophy 1952, University of Oklahoma), born in Cleveland, Oklahoma (d. 2001)
1932 – Leo “Bud” Welch, American gospel and Delta blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (“You Can’t Hurry God”; “Cadillac Baby”), born in Sabougla, Mississippi (d. 2017)
Famous Deaths
1838 – Hendrik Fagel de Jonge, Dutch-English baron and diplomat (Fagel collection National Library of the Netherlands and Trinity College), dies at 73
2009 – Jade Goody, English reality TV Star and Entrepreneur, dies of cancer at 27
2016 – Eli Louw, South African politician (Minister of Transport), dies at 88
2017 – Francine Hughes Wilson, American domestic abuse victim “The Burning Bed” who changed pubic perceptions, dies at 69
2020 – Stan Bronstein, American rock saxophonist (Elephant’s Memory), dies at 81
Famous Deaths for 21st March 2026
1801 – Andrea Lucchesi, Italian organist, composer, and Kapellmeister for the Court of Bonn (1774-94), dies at 59
1917 – Alfred Einhorn, German chemist (created Novocain), dies at 61
1934 – Lilyan Tashman, American actress (Millie; Bulldog Drummond), dies following cancer surgery at 34
1941 – Robert Liefmann, German economist (Kartelle und Trusts), dies at 67
1975 – Joe Medwick, American Baseball HOF left fielder (World Series 1934, Triple Crown and NL MVP 1937 St. Louis Cardinals; 10 x MLB All Star), dies at 63
1989 – Milton Frome, actor (Family Jewels), dies
1995 – Etienne Martin, French sculptor, dies at 82
1996 – Frank Murray, Northern Ireland police officer and superintendent (RUC Special Branch), known as the “Bionic Man”, dies at 51
2008 – Patti Bown, American jazz pianist and composer (Gene Ammons, Quincy Jones), dies at 77
2016 – Robert McNeill Alexander, British zoologist (estimated speed of dinosaurs), dies at 81
Historical Events for 21st March 2026
1931 – US Ladies’ Figure Skating championship won by Maribel Vinson
1939 – Nazi Germany demands the return of Danzig (Gdańsk) from Poland
1958 – Dr. Ernest Lawrence, nuclear scientist and Nobel laureate, receives first West Point Sylvanus Thayer Award, presented to an outstanding US citizen whose service in the national interest exemplifies devotion to ideals of West Point motto: “Duty, Honor, Country”
1978 – San Francisco passes the most comprehensive homosexual rights bill in US history
1995 – NYC agrees to sell its 2 owned radio stations (WNYC AM and FM)
2012 – Sergio Agüero and Samir Nasri score to give Manchester City 2-1 win over Chelsea at City of Manchester Stadium; EPL record 20th consecutive home win; streak ends with 3-3 draw v Sunderland 31/3
2018 – English TV presenter Ant McPartlin charged with drink driving following an accident in London
2019 – Emilia Clarke reveals she suffered two brain aneurysms while filming “Games of Thrones” in an article for “The New Yorker”
Today in History for 21st March 2026
Historical Events
1925 – Tennessee Governor Austin Peay passes the “Butler Act,” making Tennessee the first state to outlaw teaching the theory of evolution (repealed in 1967)
1934 – Fire destroys Hakodate, Japan, killing about 1,500
1948 – “Stop the Music” with Bert Parks premieres on ABC radio
1953 – NBA record 106 fouls and 12 players foul out (Boston-Syracuse)
1985 – Canadian Rick Hansen sets off on his ‘Man in Motion’ world tour in his wheelchair raising money for spinal research, from Oakridge Mall, Vancouver (successfully completes May 1987)
Famous Birthdays
927 – Taizu [Zhao Kuangyin], Founder and 1st Emperor of the Song Dynasty (960-976) who reunified most of China by conquering the states of Southern Tang, Later Shu, Southern Han and Jingnan, born in Luoyang, Henan, China (d. 976)
1768 – Joseph Fourier, French mathematician (mathematical theory of heat conduction) and Egyptologist, born in Auxerre, France (d. 1830)
1887 – Edwin Scharff, German sculptor, and educator, deemed “entartete” (degenerate) by Nazi regime, born in Neu-Ulm, Gemrany (d. 1955)
1915 – Dude Martin [John Stephen McSwain], American country and Western swing singer, bandleader, radio and early television personality, born in Plainsburg, California (d. 1991) [Note: some sources cite date as 11, and some as 15]
1939 – Tommy Davis, American baseball utility (3 x MLB All Star; World Series 1963; NL batting champion 1962, 63 LA Dodgers), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2022)
Famous Deaths
1801 – Andrea Lucchesi, Italian organist, composer, and Kapellmeister for the Court of Bonn (1774-94), dies at 59
1864 – Luke Howard, British manufacturing chemist and meteorologist (nomenclature system for clouds), dies at 91
2014 – Jack Fleck, American golfer (US Open 1955), dies at 92
2017 – Chuck Barris, american TV game show producer and host (Gong Show), dies at 87
2024 – Ron Harper, American actor (Planet of the Apes (TV series); Wendy and Me), dies at 91
Famous Deaths for 20th March 2026
1501 – Jean Carondelet, lawyer/chancellor of Burgundy (1480-96), dies at 72
1848 – Abraham des Amorie van der Hoeven, Dutch theologist/poet, dies at 27
1873 – Adolphe Fétis, Belgian-French pianist and composer, dies at 52
1878 – Julius Robert von Mayer, German physician and physicist (first law of thermodynamics), dies at 63
1953 – Graciliano Ramos, Brazilian author (Vidas Secas), dies at 60
1987 – Rita Streich, Russian-German soprano, dies at 66
1993 – Polykarp Kusch, American nuclear physicist (1955 Nobel Prize for Physics – for determining the magnetic moment of the electron), dies at 82
1997 – V. S. Pritchett, British literary critic and writer (Myth Makers), dies at 96
2016 – Anker Jørgensen, Danish politician, Prime Minister of Denmark (1972-3, 75-82), dies at 93
2018 – Bobby Mitchell, American golfer (US Masters runner-up 1972), dies of a heart attack at 75