Today in History for 18th January 2022

Historical Events

1884 – Dr. William Price attempts to cremate the body of his infant son, Iesu Grist (Welsh for Jesus Christ) Price, setting a legal precedent for cremation in the United Kingdom
1902 – Despite reports that favor the US building a route through Nicaragua for a canal, a ‘supplementary report’ recommends the route through Panama
1980 – Gold reaches $1,000 an ounce
1987 – 3rd Soap Opera Digest Awards – Days of Our Lives wins
1991 – US acknowledges CIA and US Army paid Manuel Noriega $320,000 over his career
1996 – Baseball owners unanimously approve interleague play in 1997

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Famous Birthdays

1829 – Louis van Haecke, Flemish chaplain and author (Blood to Bridge)
1904 – Henri-Georges Adam, French engraver and sculptor (Grand Nude), born in Paris, France (d. 1967)
1912 – Wilhelm Herz, German motorcycle racer (first to 200mph), born in Lampertheim, Germany (d. 1998)
1935 – Jon Stallworthy, English poet, born in London, United Kingdom (d. 2014)
1953 – Brett Hudson, American comedian (Bonkers, Hudson Brothers Show), born in Portland, Oregon
1970 – Leo Araguz, American football punter (Oakland Raiders, Rhein Fire), born in Pharr, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1659 – Benedikt Lechler, German composer, dies at 64
1940 – Kazimierz P. Tetmajer, Polish writer and poet (Young Poland), dies at 74
1993 – Eleanor Hibbert, British author (b. 1906)
2015 – Piet van der Sanden, Dutch journalist and politician (CDA), dies at 90
2019 – Glen Wood, American auto racer, team owner (Wood Bros Racing), dies at 93
2020 – Peter Mathebula, South African boxer (WBA flyweight title 1980-81), dies at 67

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Famous Deaths for 17th January 2022

1468 – Skanderbeg, Albanian leader (b. 1405)
1887 – William Giblin, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1840)
1991 – Olav V, King of Norway (1957-91), dies at 87
1992 – Bill Walker, actor (Big Mo, Mask, Harlem Globetrotters), dies at 95
1992 – Charlie Ventura, American jazz tenor saxophonist (Bop for the people), dies of cancer at 75
1994 – Han Jansen, Dutch journalist (Volkskrant), dies at 61
1995 – Isador Caplan, British lawyer and Aldeburgh Festival pioneer, dies at 82
1997 – Bert Kelly, Australian politician (b. 1912)
2004 – Noble Willingham, American actor (Walker, Texas Ranger), dies at 72
2020 – Bapu Nadkarni, Indian cricket all-rounder (41 Tests; top score 122; 88 wickets), dies at 86

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Historical Events for 17th January 2022

1827 – Duke of Wellington appointed British supreme commander
1852 – British recognize independence of Transvaal (in South Africa)
1873 – A group of Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, a part of the Modoc War
1893 – Franco-Russian Alliance is signed
1938 – Joseph P. Kennedy becomes the 44th United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
1960 – 10th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 38-21; MVPs: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts, QB; Eugene Lipscomb, Baltimore Colts, DL
1970 – John M Burgess installed as bishop of Protestant Episcopals (Mass)
1989 – Gunman opens fire in California schoolyard; 5 students slain, 30 wounded
1989 – Phoenix Suns cancel game at Miami Heat, due to racial unrest in Miami
1991 – Operation Desert Storm begins, with US-led coalition forces bombing Iraq, during the Gulf War

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Today in History for 17th January 2022

Historical Events

1945 – Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews from the Nazis, arrested by Soviet secret police in Hungary
1947 – Ammunition factory explodes in Muiden, Netherlands, 16 die
1974 – Asylum Records releases “Court and Spark”, Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell’s 6th studio album; features the songs “Help Me” and “Free Man In Paris”, it becomes her biggest seller
1988 – NFC Championship, RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.: Washington Redskins beat Minnesota Vikings, 17-10
2003 – 8th Critics’ Choice Movie Awards: Chicago Best Picture
2010 – A dragon boat from Chung Ling High School capsizes and collides with a tugboat amid strong currents in Penang, Malaysia, killing 6 people and injuring 12

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Famous Birthdays

1706 – Benjamin Franklin, US Founding Father, inventor, ambassador and writer (Poor Richards Almanac), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1790)
1905 – Franz Schmid, German ascended northside of Matterhorn (1931)
1920 – George Handy [Hendleman], American bebop jazz arranger, pianist and composer (Handyland, U.S.A.), born in New York City (d. 1997)
1959 – Susanna Hoffs, American actress and musician (Bangles-Walk Like an Egyptian), born in Los Angeles, California
1975 – Tom Jenkinson, English musician (Squarepusher), born in Chelmsford, United Kingdom
1980 – Zooey Deschanel, American actress (Almost Famous; Elf; New Girl), and singer (She and Him), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1863 – Horace Vernet, French painter of battles and Orientalist subjects, dies at 73
1874 – Chang and Eng Bunker, Chinese/Thai Siamese twins, die at 62
1917 – Hendrik Goeman Borgesius, Dutch politician, dies at 70
1994 – Grady “Fats” Jackson, tenor Sax Player, dies at 66
1995 – Urias Nooteboom, Dutch journalist/critic (The Time), dies at 54
2012 – Marty Springstead, American Major League baseball umpire and umpire supervisor, dies of heart attack at 74

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Famous Deaths for 16th January 2022

1886 – Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer (La Gioconda), dies at 51
1898 – Charles Pelham Villiers, longest-serving MP in the British House of Commons (b. 1802)
1907 – Alfred Shaw, cricketer (seven Tests for England 1877-82), dies at 64
1934 – Annie Patterson, Irish organist, composer, and musicologist, dies at 65
1957 – Arturo Toscanini, Italian US conductor (NBC), dies in NYC at 89
1975 – Thor Johnson, American conductor (Cin Symph 1958), dies at 61
1986 – Herbert W. Armstrong, American evangelist, author, and publisher (b. 1892)
1992 – Roselle Novelle, silent film actress, dies at 95
1996 – Marcia Davenport, American author and music critic (b. 1903)
2012 – Gustav Leonhardt, Dutch harpsichordist, organist and conductor, dies at 87

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Historical Events for 16th January 2022

1219 – Floods in Northern Netherlands after storm, thousands killed
1547 – Ivan IV the Terrible (17) crowns himself first tsar of Moscow
1765 – Charles Messier catalogs M41 (galactic cluster in Canis Major)
1776 – Continental Congress approves enlistment of free blacks
1938 – 1st jazz concert held at Carnegie Hall, performed by Benny Goodman and his band
1941 – US vice admiral Bellinger warns of an assault on Pearl Harbor
1945 – Scottish 52nd land division and 1st Commando brigade-assault at Heinsberg
1968 – Jay Allen’s “Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” premieres in NYC
2016 – First ever flower grown in space – a zinnia aboard the International Space Station using NASA Veggie system
2021 – 10 Nepali climbers become the first to reach the summit of K2 in winter on the China-Pakistan border

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Today in History for 16th January 2022

Historical Events

1556 – Holy Roman Emperor Charles V appoints his son Philip II, King of Spain
1921 – Eleftherios Venizelos becomes Prime Minister of Greece (4th time)
1970 – Curt Flood files a civil lawsuit challenging baseball’s reserve clause
1974 – L A Landslide kills 9 in Canyonville, Oregon
1984 – Paul and Linda McCartney arrested in Barbados-possession of cannabis
2006 – 63rd Golden Globes: Brokeback Mountain, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Felicity Huffman win

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Famous Birthdays

1675 – Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French writer (Mémoires), born in Paris (d. 1755)
1728 – Niccolo Piccinni, Italian composer (Buona Figliuola)
1870 – Wilhelm Normann, German chemist (hardening of oils)
1911 – Roger Lapébie, French cyclist (d. 1996)
1952 – Roberta Baskin, American correspondent (48 Hours), born in New York, United States
1969 – Roy Jones Jr., American boxer (4 x weight divisions world champion), born in Pensacola, Florida

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Famous Deaths

1919 – Jaroslav Jeremiáš, Czech pianist and composer, dies at 19
1967 – Robert J Van De Graaff, US nuclear physicist, dies at 65
1978 – Virginia Pope, American fashion editor (New York Times), dies at 92
1981 – Bernard Lee, British actor (M in James Bond movies, Fallen Idol, Dr No), dies at 73
1993 – Glenn Corbett, American actor (Shenandoah, Chisum, Midway), dies at 63
1993 – Freddie Cochrane, American boxer (World Welterweight champion 1941-1946), dies at 77

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Famous Deaths for 15th January 2022

1595 – Murat III, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1546)
1781 – Marianne Victoria of Borbón, queen regent of Portugal (b. 1718)
1926 – Enrico Toselli, Italian pianist and composer, dies at 42
1978 – Jack Jackson, British trumpeter, dance band leader, and influential BBC disc jockey, dies at 71
2005 – Walter Ernsting, German author (b. 1920)
2007 – David Vanole, American soccer player (b. 1963)
2013 – Mario Kuri-Aldana, Mexican composer, and teacher, dies at 81
2013 – Jennings Michael Burch, American writer (They Cage the Animals at Night), dies at 71
2021 – Vicente Cantatore, Argentine soccer manager (Chile, Real Valladolid, Colo Colo, Real Betis, Sevilla, Sporting de Gijón), dies at 85
2021 – Bruce Headley, American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner (Breeders’ Cup Sprint 2000 Kona Gold), dies from a stroke at 86

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Historical Events for 15th January 2022

1552 – France signs secret treaty with German Protestants
1559 – Elizabeth I crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey
1833 – HMS Beagle anchors at Goeree Tierra del Fuego
1861 – Steam elevator patented by Elisha Otis
1908 – Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority: first Greek-letter organization established by African American college for women
1956 – 6th NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Eastern Conference beats Western Conference, 31-30; MVP: Ollie Matson, Baltimore Colts, RB
1961 – Berry Gordy signs The Supremes with Motown Records
1978 – Super Bowl XII, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: Dallas Cowboys beat Denver Broncos, 27-10; MVP: Harvey Martin, Dallas, DE and Randy White, Dallas, DT
1988 – NFL analyst Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder makes several questionable comments about African Americans during a lunchtime interview on CBS’ NFL Today; fired the next day
1994 – Lawrence Taylor announces his retirement from the NFL

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Today in History for 15th January 2022

Historical Events

1785 – Mozart’s string quartet opus 10 premieres
1910 – Constructions ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming
1962 – 50th Australian Championships Women’s Tennis: Margaret Smith beats Jan Lehane O’Neill in the final for 3rd straight year 6-0, 6-2
1974 – TV sitcom “Happy Days” begins an 11 year run on ABC, starring Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross and Ton Bosley
1975 – Space Mountain opens at Disneyland
2005 – An intense solar flare blasts X-rays across the solar system

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Famous Birthdays

1795 – Alexandr Griboyedov, Russian playwright, born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1829)
1877 – Lewis Terman, American psychologist (developed Stanford-Binet IQ test), born in Johnson County, Indiana (d. 1956)
1929 – Eva Badura-Skoda, German-Austrian composer, born in Munich, Germany
1966 – Betsy Mitchell, American 100m backstroke swimmer, born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1975 – Edith Bowman, Scottish television and radio presenter, born in Anstruther, United Kingdom
1979 – Ken Chu, Taiwanese singer-actor and taichi champ, born in Taiwan

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Famous Deaths

1804 – Dru Drury, English entomologist (b. 1725)
1909 – Ernest Reyer, composer, dies at 85
1967 – Albert Szirmai, Hungarian operetta composer, dies at 86
2000 – Arkan [Željko Ražnatović], Serbian paramilitary leader, dies at 47
2005 – Ruth Warrick, American actress and singer (Citizen Kane, All My Children), dies of complications from pneumonia at 88
2020 – Rocky Johnson, Canadian pro wrestler (father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; with Tony Atlas first black champions in WWE history), dies of a pulmonary embolism at 75

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