1935 – John Hartley, English tennis player (Wimbledon 1879-80), dies at 86
1940 – Ernest Thayer, American poet who wrote the famous baseball poem “Casey”, dies at 77
1979 – Giuseppe Meazza, Italian footballer, dies at 68
1980 – Jack Cheetham, South African cricket batsman and captain (24 Tests; Western Province), dies at 60
1994 – Danitra Vance, American comedienne (SNL, 1985), and actress (Jumpin’ At The Boneyard), dies of breast cancer at 40
1995 – Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Indian physicist (Nobel Prize 1983 for work on structure and evolution of the stars), dies at 84
1999 – Leo Castelli, Italian-American art dealer, dies at 91
2007 – Siobhan Dowd, English-Irish writer known for “Bog Child”, dies of cancer at 47
2013 – Sid Bernstein, American music producer, and concert promoter (Beatles; Rolling Stones), dies at 95
2022 – David Armstrong, English soccer midfielder (3 caps; Middlesbrough 359 games, Southampton 222 games), dies at 67
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 21st August 2026
1968 – After five years, the Soviet Union once again jams Voice of America radio
1975 – Three-truck pile-up kills 10 and injures 26 on French highway
1977 – American water skier Donna Patterson Brice sets women’s high speed record 111.11 mph at Long Beach, California
1986 – Red Sox Spike Owen scores 6 runs in a 24-5 rout of the Cleveland Indians
1994 – Royal Air Maroc ATR-42 crashes at Agadir, killing 44
2008 – American pair Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh dominate China’s Tian Jia and Wang Jie 21-18, 21-18 in the beach volleyball final to repeat their gold medal from Athens; they don’t lose a set in the competition
2019 – 74,155 fires caused by land clearing are burning in the Amazon rainforest, the most ever recorded, according to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research
2023 – Saudi border guards are accused of killing hundreds of migrants, shooting them as they try to cross into the country from Yemen in a report by Human Rights Watch
Today in History for 21st August 2026
Historical Events
1573 – Spain begins the siege of Alkmaar in the Netherlands
1598 – Deed of Transfer proclaims the Netherlands’ independence
1942 – Transport #22 departs with French Jews to Nazi-Germany
1968 – After five years, the Soviet Union once again jams Voice of America radio
2017 – Chile’s Constitutional Court approves a bill to ease the country’s total abortion ban
Famous Birthdays
1908 – M. M. Kaye, British writer (The Far Pavilions), born in Shimla, India (d. 2004)
1913 – Diana Churchill, English actress (Spider, Sally Bishop, Housemaster), born in Wembley, England (d. 1994)
1951 – Char Margolis, American psychic medium, television personality and podcast host (CharVision), born in Detroit, Michigan
1975 – Simon Katich, Australian cricketer, born in Middle Swan, Australia
1984 – Alizée Jacotey, French pop singer (“Moi… Lolita”), born in Ajaccio, France
Famous Deaths
1919 – Laurence Doherty, British tennis player (Wimbledon 1902-06, US Nationals 1903), dies of toxemia at 43
1952 – Isaac Sadeh, Polish-born leader of Jewish commando force (Palmach), dies at 62
1963 – John Gunn, English cricket medium pace bowler (6 Tests, 18 wickets, BB 5/76; Nottinghamshire CCC), dies at 87
1971 – George Jackson, American criminal, author, and Black Guerrilla Family gang founder, shot to death during attempted San Quentin, California prison escape at 29
1991 – Oswald von Nell-Breuning, German theologist and philosopher, dies at 101
Famous Deaths for 20th August 2026
1153 – Bernard of Clairvaux, French monk and saint (founded Clairvaux abbey, preached famous sermon advocating for the Second Crusade), dies (b. 1090)
1823 – Pius VII [Luigi Barnaba Gregorio Chiaramonti], Italian bishop of Imola and Pope (1800-23), dies at 81
1905 – David Wark, Irish-born Canadian senator (1867-1905) who served almost 38 years in office, dies at 101
1961 – Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist (Nobel 1946 – physics of high pressure), dies at 79
1972 – A. M. Klein, Canadian modernist Jewish poet (Hath Not a Jew), dies at 63
1994 – Kalman Kahana, Polish co-founder of state Israel, dies at 81
1995 – Vladimír Škutina, Czechoslovakian writer and actor (Hvezda jede na jih), dies of cancer at 64
2013 – Richard Angas, British operatic bass singer (English National Opera, 1980-2000), dies at 71
2013 – Marian McPartland, British jazz pianist, and radio host (Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz), dies at 95
2017 – Fredell Lack, American concert violinist, and teacher (University of Houston, 1959-2009), dies at 95
Historical Events for 20th August 2026
1945 – Soviet troops occupy Harbin and Mukden
1964 – US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Economic Opportunity Act, an anti-poverty measure totaling nearly $1 billion
1979 – The East Coast Main Line rail route between England and Scotland is restored with the opening of the Penmanshiel Diversion
1989 – American Janet Evans swims the women’s 800 m freestyle world record of 8:16.22 at the Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, Japan
2006 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Medinah CC: Tiger Woods wins his 3rd PGA C’ship by 5 strokes from Shaun Micheel
2008 – Spanair Flight 5022 from Madrid to Gran Canaria skids off the runway and crashes at Barajas Airport, killing 146 people in the crash and 8 more afterward. Only 18 people survive
2016 – Star British runner Mo Farah wins the men’s 5000 m in 13:03.30 at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and wraps up the 5k/10k double, which he also completed in London 2012
2016 – N. K. Jemisin is the first African American author to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel with her work “The Fifth Season”
Today in History for 20th August 2026
Historical Events
1900 – Japan’s primary school law is amended to provide four years of mandatory schooling
1915 – Chicago White Sox acquire “Shoeless” Joe Jackson from Cleveland for Robert Roth, Larry Chappell, Ed Klepfer, and $31,500; Jackson becomes involved in the “Black Sox Scandal” in 1919
1958 – Chicago Cubs use first baseman Dale Long as their first major league lefty catcher since 1906
2011 – Senior Players Championship Men’s Golf, Westchester CC: Fred Couples wins the first of two Champions Tour major titles with a birdie on the third playoff hole against John Cook
2023 – Guatemala’s presidential election is won by anti-corruption candidate Bernardo Arévalo, who defeats former first lady Sandra Torres
Famous Birthdays
1811 – Gilman Marston, American Brigadier General (Union Army) and politician (R-NH), born in Orford, New Hampshire (d. 1890)
1832 – Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, American aeronaut and inventor, born in Jefferson Mills, Coos County, New Hampshire (d. 1913)
1937 – George Thoma, German cross country ski jumper (Olympic gold 1960), born in Newstadt, Germany
1968 – Klas Ingesson, Swedish footballer and manager, born in Ödeshög, Sweden (d. 2014)
1987 – Zakir Khan, Indian comedian (On Air with AIB), born in Indore, India
Famous Deaths
1672 – Cornelis de Witt, Dutch politician and naval commander (Raid on the Medway – Chatham Dockyard), lynched at 49
1707 – Nicolas Gigault, French Baroque organist and composer, dies at about 80
1986 – Donn Bennett, TV host (The Big Idea), dies at 76
1994 – Kalman Kahana, Polish co-founder of state Israel, dies at 81
2005 – Krzysztof Raczkowski, Polish heavy metal drummer, dies of heart failure at 34
Famous Deaths for 19th August 2026
1506 – Alexander Jagiellon, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1492-1506) and King of Poland (1501-6), dies at 45
1680 – Jean Eudes, French catholic priest, founder of the Eudists, dies at 78
1795 – Friedrich Hartmann Graf, German composer, dies at 67
1889 – Auguste Villiers de l’Isle-Adam, French writer (Contes cruels), dies at 60
1959 – Claude Grahame-White, English aviation pioneer who was the 1st to make a night flight, dies at 79
1962 – Kerstin Hesselgren, Swedish politician, 1st woman in Swedish parliament, dies at 90
1963 – Kathleen Parlow, Canadian violinist, and educator, dies at 72
1970 – Paweł Jasienica, Polish historian, dies at 60
2008 – Marguerite Empey [Diane Webber], American model and Playboy playmate (May 1955, Feb 1956), dies at 76
2017 – Janusz Glowacki, Polish novelist (Give Us This Day), playwright (Cinders) and screenwriter (Hunting Flies), dies at 78
Historical Events for 19th August 2026
1768 – Empress Catherine II commissions a new version of Saint Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
1911 – MLB New York Giants pitcher Christy Mathewson loses against the Cincinnati Reds after 22 consecutive wins against the team
1939 – 37.6 cm of rainfall in Tuckerton, NJ (state record)
1969 – Film adaptation of Arlo Guthrie’s song “Alice’s Restaurant,” directed by Arthur Penn and starring Guthrie, premieres
1979 – Soviet Cosmonauts Vladimir Lyakhov and Valery Ryumin return to Earth aboard Soyuz 34 after a record 175 days in space
2001 – German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring to clinch his fourth F1 World Drivers’ Championship and equal Alain Prost’s record of 51 Grand Prix victories
2013 – 37 pilgrims are killed in a train accident in India
2020 – Golfing dinner termed #GolfGate, appearing to flout COVID-19 restrictions and attended by Irish political figures, prompts two politicians to later resign
Today in History for 19th August 2026
Historical Events
1745 – Jacobite Rising 1745: Bonnie Prince Charlie raises his standard at Glenfinnan, Scotland, igniting the second Jacobite rebellion
1897 – First electric taxis drive in London
1931 – Lefty Grove wins an AL record-tying 16th consecutive game
1962 – Homer Blancos plays his finest round in golf, shooting a 55
2018 – Two more earthquakes hit Lombok in Indonesia, killing 14 people two weeks after previous earthquakes
Famous Birthdays
1824 – Georg Goltermann, German cellist and composer, born in Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover, German Confederation (d. 1898)
1963 – John Stamos, American actor (General Hospital; Full House; ER) and musician, born in Cypress, California
1972 – Elizabeth Wolfgramm, American singer (The Jets), born in Salt Lake City, Utah
1977 – Callum Blue, English actor (Dead Like Me, The Tudors), born in London, England
1982 – Melissa Fumero [Gallo], American actress (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), born in Lyndhurst, New Jersey
Famous Deaths
1900 – Jean-Baptiste Accolay, Belgian composer, dies at 67
1967 – Isaac Deutscher, Polish-English historian (Stalin/Trotsky biography), dies at 60
1987 – Hayden Rorke, American actor (I Dream of Jeannie, When Worlds Collide), dies from multiple myeloma at 76
1992 – Norvel Lee, American boxer (Olympic gold 1952), dies at 67
2016 – Jack Riley, American actor (The Bob Newhart Show – “Mr. Carlin”; Rugrats -“Stu Pickles”), dies of pneumonia at 80
Famous Deaths for 18th August 2026
1642 – Guido Reni, Italian Baroque painter, dies at 66
1803 – James Beattie, Scottish poet and philosopher (Essay on Truth), dies at 67
1896 – Frederick Crouch, British-American cellist, composer (“Kathleen Mavourneen”), Confederate soldier, and music teacher, dies at 88
1980 – Norman Cazden, American composer, educator, and music theorist, dies at 65
1989 – Luis Carlos Galan, Colombian presidential candidate, murdered
2004 – Hiram Fong, American businessman and politician (U.S. Senator from Hawaii), dies at 97
2009 – Kim Dae-jung, 8th President of South Korea (1998-2003) and 2000 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, dies at 85
2010 – Kenneth “Kenny” Edwards, American musician and singer-songwriter (The Stone Poneys, Bryndle), dies of cancer and a blood disorder at 64
2023 – Garry Adey, English rugby union number 8 (2 Tests; Leicester Tigers 381 games) and businessman (Executive Chairman The Adey Group), dies at 78
2025 – Vivian Ayers Allen, American cultural activist, novelist and poet (Hawk, Spice of Dawns), dies at 102