Today in History for 18th October 2021

Historical Events

1009 – The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who hacks the Church’s foundations down to bedrock
1902 – 7th Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 23-0 in Birmingham
1952 – Date of the first Mad Magazine issue
1962 – US launches Ranger 5 for lunar impact; misses Moon
2012 – MLB American League Championship: Detroit Tigers beat New York Yankees, 4 games to 0
2016 – US White Houses says it is “confident” Russia behind recent email hacking and attempts to influence US election

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1569 – Giambattista Marini, Italian poet (d. 1625)
1854 – Salomon August Andrée, Swedish engineer, balloonist and polar explorer, born in Gränna, Sweden (d. 1897)
1865 – Logan Pearsall Smith, American essayist and critic (d. 1946)
1918 – James Cameron Tudor, politician
1995 – Yui Ohashi, Japanese swimmer (Olympic gold women’s 200/400m IM 2021), born in Hikone, Japan
2001 – Annelise Manojlovic, English actress

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1771 – Robert Praelisauer, German composer, music director, and priest, dies at 62
1830 – Peter I Petrovic Njegos, bishop (Montenegro), dies
1862 – James Creighton, amateur American baseball player, dies of ruptured bladder from hitting home run on Oct 14th
1982 – Bess Truman, 1st lady (1945-53), dies in Independence, Mo at 97
2002 – Nikolay Rukavishnikov, Soviet cosmonaut (Soyuz 10, 16, 33), dies at 70
2020 – Sid Hartman, American sports journalist (Minneapolis Star Tribune; WCCO 830 AM), dies at 100

More Famous Deaths »

Famous Deaths for 17th October 2021

1638 – Gilles Claesz de Hondecoeter, Flemish (?) painter, buried at about 63
1806 – Jean Jacques Dessalines, Emperor of Haiti, dies
1910 – William V Moody, American poet (Sabine Woman, Great Divide), dies
1966 – Wieland Wagner, German opera director, dies
1974 – René A de Rooy, Suriname/Antillean poet, dies at 57
1994 – Joan Barbara Grigor, artist, dies at 50
1999 – Nicholas Metropolis, Greek-American mathematician, physicist and computer scientist, dies at 84
2008 – Levi Stubbs [Stubbles], American baritone singer (The Four Tops – “It’s the Same Old Song”; “Standing In The Shadows of Love”), dies at 72
2015 – Danièle Delorme [Gabrielle Girard], French actress (Pardon My Affair), dies at 89
2019 – Márta Kurtág [née Kinsker], Hungarian classical pianist, dies at 92

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events for 17th October 2021

1483 – Tomas de Torquemada appointed inquisitor-general of Spain
1959 – “Billy Barnes Revue” closes at John Golden Theater NYC after 87 performances
1967 – USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1974 – “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope” closes at Playhouse NYC after 1065 per
1975 – 1st Space Shuttle main engine test at National Space Tech Labs, Miss
1988 – Phillip Morris announces $11 Billion tender offer for Kraft
1988 – Lyndon LaRouche pleads innocent to fraud, conspiracy indictment
1990 – “Jackie Mason – Brand New” opens at Neil Simon Theater, NYC; runs for 216 performances
1991 – News anchor Bree Walker Lampley files an FCC complaint that LA radio KFI-AM personally attacked her by discussing her having a disformed baby
2017 – American short-story writer George Saunders wins the Man Booker Prize for his first novel “Lincoln in the Bardo”

More Historical Events »

Today in History for 17th October 2021

Historical Events

1387 – Swells convent Windesheim initiated
1825 – 1st opera by Franz Liszt, “Don Sanche” premieres in Paris
1888 – Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie)
1918 – Yugoslavia proclaims itself a republic
1969 – NY Nets move from Comack to Island Garden, Hempstead NY
1984 – Nobel prize for chemistry awarded to Bruce Merrifield

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1813 – Georg Büchner, German playwright (d. 1837)
1928 – Zacharias J de Beer, South African physician/MP (DP)
1931 – Ernst Hinterberger, Austrian writer
1941 – Viden Apostolov, Bulgarian soccer defender (22 caps; PFC Botev Plovdiv 429 games), born in Novi Iskar, Bulgaria (d. 2020)
1955 – Georgios Alogoskoufis, Greek politician
1959 – Norm MacDonald, Canadian stand-up comedian, writer, and actor (Saturday Night Live, 1993-98; Dirty Work; The Norm Show), born in Quebec City, Quebec (d. 2021)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1705 – Anne “Ninon” de l’Enclos, French patron of the arts, courtesan and writer, dies at 84
1849 – Frederic Chopin, Polish-French pianist and composer (Concert in F Minor), dies of at 39
1958 – Paul Outerbridge, American photographer, dies at 63
1977 – [Robert] Cal Hubbard, American football and baseball player and umpire (only person in football and baseball Hall of Fame), dies at 77
1996 – Berthold Goldschmidt, composer/conductor, dies at 93
2005 – Franky Gee, European techno artist (b. 1962)

More Famous Deaths »

Famous Deaths for 16th October 2021

1655 – Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, Italian physician, mathematician, and music theorist (b. 1591)
1793 – Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (1774-92) who allegedly uttered the phrase “let them eat cake”, beheaded at 37
1796 – Victor Amadeus III of Savoy (b. 1726)
1810 – Nachman of Breslov, Ukrainian founder of Breslov Hasidut, dies at 38
1942 – 12, Dutch Communist Party-resistance fighter/3 NVV-hostages, executed
1946 – Joachim von Ribbentrop, Nazi foreign minister and war criminal, hanged at 53
1972 – Leo G. Carroll, British actor (Topper; Strangers On A Train; Man From U.N.C.L.E.), dies at 85
1996 – Anthony Griffin, sailor, dies at 75
1998 – Jon Postel, American Internet pioneer (b. 1943)
2002 – Angela Dawson, American murder victim

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events for 16th October 2021

1909 – In his 4th title defence Jack Johnson KOs Stanley Ketchel in the 12th round at Mission St Arena, Colma, California to retain his heavyweight boxing crown
1916 – T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) meets with Fasal Hoessein
1969 – Soyuz 6 returns to Earth
1980 – China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
1992 – 1,700th David Letterman Show
1995 – Allan Donald takes 8-71 as South Africa defeat Zimbabwe
2000 – MLB National League Championship: New York Mets beat St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 1
2005 – Renault driver Fernando Alonso wins season-ending Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit; first Spanish Formula 1 World Drivers champion; wins by 21 points from Kimi Räikkönen
2012 – Conflict in Maiduguri, Nigeria, leads to 24 militant deaths and several structures set ablaze
2013 – The United States ends its 16-day government shut down and avoids default in a Bi-partisan deal in the Senate

More Historical Events »

Today in History for 16th October 2021

Historical Events

1861 – Confederacy starts selling postage stamps
1950 – The first edition of C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” is released in London
1982 – USSR performs underground nuclear test
1984 – Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican Archbishop, wins Nobel Peace Prize
1986 – Wole Soyinka, Nigerian playwright and poet, becomes the first African to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature
1990 – “Stand Up Tragedy” closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 13 performances

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1762 – Paul Hamilton, Governor of South Carolina (1804-06) and U.S. Secretary of Navy (1809-12) (d. 1816)
1851 – James A. Ten Eyck, American champion rower and coach (Ten Eyck Trophy namesake), born in Tompkins Cove, New York (d. 1938)
1890 – Michael Collins, Irish revolutionary leader and leading figure in the struggle for Irish independence in the early 20th century, born in Clonakilty, Ireland (d. 1922)
1907 – Roger Vailland, French author (La Novice, Et Mourir de Plasir)
1962 – Flea [Michael Balzary], Australian-American bassist (Red Hot Chili Peppers), actor, and educator (Silverlake Conservatory of Music), 1962 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1962 – Laura Coenen, team handball goalie (Olymp-1988, 92, 96), born in Neenah, Wisconsin

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1906 – Varina Howell Davis, First Lady of the Confederate States (1862-65), dies at 80
1981 – Moshe Dayan, Israel’s general/minister of Defense, dies at 66
1981 – Stanley Clements, actor (Boys’ Prison, Army Bound, Hot News), dies
1982 – Jakov Gotovac, Croatian conductor and composer (Ero the Joker), dies at 87
1995 – Richard Caldicot, British actor (Horse’s Mouth, Strife, Mrs Thursday), dies at 87
2020 – Andrzej Pogorzelski, Polish motorcycle speedway rider (Speedway World Team Cup gold 1965, 66, 69), dies at 82

More Famous Deaths »

Famous Deaths for 15th October 2021

1389 – Urban VI [Bartolomeo Prignano], Italian pope (1378-89), dies
1833 – Michał Ogiński, Polish politician, violinist, the balalaika player, and composer (Farewell to My Homeland), dies at 68
1937 – James Marcus, American actor (The Eagle, The Lonely Trail), dies from a heart attack at 70
1960 – Clara Kimball Young, American actress (Return of Chandu), dies of stroke at 70
1960 – Henny Porten, German silent screen actress (Mother Love), dies at 70
1960 – Maude Eburne, Canadian actress (Ladies They Talk About, Guardsman), dies at 84
1965 – Carl Hoff, American orchestra leader (Music Hall), dies at 60
1991 – Hotze de Roos, Dutch carpenter and writer (Chameleon series), dies at 81
2001 – Zhang Xueliang, Chinese ruler of Manchuria, dies at 100
2019 – Hossein Dehlavi, Persian composer, conductor and teacher (Sarbaz; Plectrum Orchestra), dies of Alzheimer complications at 92

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events for 15th October 2021

1724 – Cornelis Steenoven is 1st archbishop of Old Catholic church in Utrecht, The Netherlands
1866 – Great fire in Quebec destroys 2,500 houses
1914 – US Clayton Anti-trust Act passed (union and strike rights)
1928 – Walter Johnson signs a 3-year contract to manage the Senators
1938 – Robert Sherwoods “Abe Lincoln in Illinois” premieres in NYC
1977 – Arkansas’ Steve Little kicks a record tying 67 yard field goal
1979 – Military coup in El Salvador: President Carlos Romero flees
1981 – Professional cheerleader Krazy George Henderson leads what is thought to be the first audience wave in Oakland, California.
2000 – Larry David’s comedy show “Curb Your Enthusiasm” debuts on HBO
2011 – Legoland Florida (the world’s largest Legoland theme park) opens in Winter Haven, Florida

More Historical Events »

Today in History for 15th October 2021

Historical Events

1777 – Mjr James Graves Simcoe appointed commandant of Queen’s Rangers (Penn)
1928 – German dirigible “Graf Zeppelin” lands in Lakehurst, New Jersey
1959 – KNDO TV channel 23 in Yakima, WA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1968 – American sprinter Wyomia Tyus wins her second consecutive Olympic 100m title with a world record 11.08s; beats teammate Barbara Ferrell by 0.08s for the gold medal at the Mexico City Games
1973 – 7th Country Music Association Award: Roy Clark wins
1992 – Howard Stern radio show begins broadcasting on WLUP-AM, Chicago

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1723 – Johann Andreas Joseph Giulini, German composer (Canticum Zacharia), baptized in Augsburg, Bavaria (d. 1722)
1784 – Thomas Hastings, American composer, born in Washington, Connecticut (d. 1872)
1831 – Helen Hunt Jackson, American author (Ramona), born in Amherst, Massachusetts (d. 1885)
1836 – James Tissot, French artist, born in Nantes, France (d. 1902)
1908 – John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian economist (Affluent Society-58 Hillman Award), born in Iona Station, Ontario (d. 2006)
1910 – Xenophon Balaskas, South Africa cricketer (South African leg-spinner of 30’s), born in Kimberley, Cape Province (d. 1994)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

912 – Abdullah ibn Muhammad, Emir of Córdoba
1326 – Walter de Stapledon, English bishop (1308-26), dies at 65
1539 – Reynier Brunt, procureur-general of Court of Holland, dies
1788 – Samuel Greig, Scottish-Russian admiral (Battle of Chesma), dies at 53
1980 – Apostolos Nikolaidis, Greek footballer and volleyball player (b. 1896)
2010 – Richard C. Miller, American photographer (b. 1912)

More Famous Deaths »