1785 – Johann Christoph Richter, composer, dies at 84
1892 – Monty Bowden, English cricket wicketkeeper and captain (2 Tests; youngest England captain at 23 years, 144 days), dies of epilepsy at 26
1942 – Frank Abbandando, American gangster (executed) (b. 1910)
1943 – Lynne Overman, American actor (Reap the Wild Wind), dies from a heart attack at 55
1994 – Georges Watin, Algerian/French officer (OAS), dies at 71
1995 – Shlomo Averbach, Israeli ultra-orthodox rabbi, dies at 84
1997 – Deng Xiaoping, Chinese revolutionary and paramount leader of China (1978-92), dies of a lung infection and Parkinson’s disease at 92
2007 – Celia Franca, Canadian ballet dancer, founder of National Ballet of Canada, dies at 85
2019 – Karl Lagerfeld, German fashion designer (Fendi, Chanel), dies at 85 (age disputed)
2020 – Heather Couper, British astronomer and presenter (The Sky at Night), dies at 70
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 19th February 2021
1582 – Francis of Valois becomes Duke of Brabant
1959 – Britain, Turkey and Greece sign agreement granting Cyprus independence
1960 – Swedish cross country skier Sixten Jernberg follows his 50k gold medal in Cortina d’Ampezzo (1956) with victory in 30k event at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics
1971 – Paul McCartney releases “Another Day” in UK
1976 – Frente Polisario forms Democratic Republic of Sahara
1981 – George Harrison is ordered to pay ABKCO Music $587,000 for “subconscious plagiarism” of his song “My Sweet Lord” with Ronnie Mack’s song “He’s So Fine”
2002 – NASA’s Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.
2006 – 48th Daytona 500: Jimmie Johnson driving from Hendrick Motorsports wins 203 lap race; goes on to win his first championship
2007 – Blogging website Tumblr is founded by David Karp in New York
2018 – Nigeria says 110 girls missing, presumed kidnapped by Boko Haram after attack on school in Dapchi, Yobe state
Today in History for 19th February 2021
Historical Events
1920 – Netherlands joins League of Nations
1950 – Groundbreaking ceremony held for Mississippi Vocational College (later Mississippi Valley State University)
1987 – Minnesota sheriff’s office arrest FBI’s most wanted, Thomas G. Harrelson
1995 – Michael Tippett’s “Rose Lake,” premieres
2007 – Three Salvadoran deputies to the Central American Parliament and their driver are murdered in Guatemala
2007 – Blogging website Tumblr is founded by David Karp in New York
Famous Birthdays
1894 – Herb Pennock, hall of fame pitcher (Yankees, 243 career wins)
1903 – Sadiq Hidajat, Persian writer (Blind Person Owl), (d. 1951)
1912 – Adolf Rudnicki, Polish writer (Niekochana)
1944 – Jan Bart Klaster, mythologist (Slogan)
1961 – Justin Fashanu, English footballer (d. 1998)
1975 – Raymond Graanoogst, Suriname/Dutch soccer player (FC Utrecht)
Famous Deaths
1957 – Maurice Garin, Italian-born French road bicycle racer (winner of Tour de France in 1903), dies at 85
1968 – Ralph Dunn, actor (Mr Rudge-Norby), dies at 65
1985 – Elizabeth Julesberg, author (Dick and Jane), dies
2001 – Stanley Kramer, American producer/director (Inherit the Wind), dies at 87
2007 – Celia Franca, Canadian ballet dancer, founder of National Ballet of Canada, dies at 85
2008 – Teo Macero [Attilio Joseph Macero], American jazz saxophonist, composer and record producer (Miles Davis), dies at 82
Famous Deaths for 18th February 2021
806 – Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 730)
1564 – Michelangelo, Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance (David, Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel), dies at 88
1799 – Maurus Haberhauer, Czech composer, dies at 52
1895 – Archduke Albrecht of Austria, Duke of Teschen (Battle at Custozza), dies at 77
1957 – Henry Norris Russell, American astronomer (Hertzsprung-Russell diagram), dies at 79
1963 – Todd “Hugh” Gaitskell, leader British Labour Party, dies at 56
1980 – Gale Robbins [Betty Gale Murphy], American singer and actress (Fuller Brush Girl, Mr Hex), dies of lung cancer at 58
1999 – Noam Pitlik, American actor and director (Sanford and Son, Bob Newhart), dies at 66
2001 – Eddie Mathews, American hall of fame third baseman (Milwaukee Brave) who hit 512 home runs, dies at 69
2013 – Kevin Ayers, British progressive rocker (Soft Machine; Joy of a Toy), dies at 68
Historical Events for 18th February 2021
1503 – Henry Tudor (later Henry VIII) created Prince of Wales
1688 – Quakers conduct 1st formal protest of slavery in Germantown, Pa
1857 – Chinese residents in the fledging state of Sarawak rebel against the “White Rajah” James Brooke
1878 – John Tunstall is murdered by outlaw Jessie Evans, sparking the Lincoln County War in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
1885 – Mark Twain publishes the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in the US
1908 – 1st US postage stamps in rolls issued
1944 – 15-year-old Joe Nuxhall signs a contract to play baseball with the Cincinnati Reds just one day after playing in a high school basketball game; debuts later that year
1952 – Norwegian speed skater Hjalmar Anderson wins his 3rd gold medal of the Oslo Winter Olympics when he claims the 10,000m in Olympic record 16:45.8; also wins gold in 1,500m and 5,000m
1975 – 2nd American Music Awards: Olivia Newton-John and John Denver win
2003 – Comet C/2002 V1 (NEAT) makes perihelion, seen by SOHO.
Today in History for 18th February 2021
Historical Events
1849 – 1st regular steamboat service to California starts (or 02/28)
1915 – Germany begins a blockade of Britain
1930 – Luigi Pirandello’s “Come Tu Mi Vuoi” premieres in Milan
1951 – Netherlands Radio School forms
1960 – VIII Winter Olympic Games open in Squaw Valley, California
1973 – Belgian Emiel Puttemans runs 3,000m indoor record 7:39.2
Famous Birthdays
1920 – Bill Cullen, Pitts, TV game show host (over 20 different games)
1925 – Marcel Barbeau, Quebec artist
1934 – Skip Battin, American singer-songwriter (The Byrds), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2003)
1946 – Michael Buerk, British newsreader
1954 – John Travolta, American actor (Grease, Pulp Fiction), born in Englewood, New Jersey
1970 – Susan Egan, American actress, born in Seal Beach, California
Famous Deaths
1745 – Nicola Fago, Italian baroque composer, dies at 67
1788 – John Whitehurst, English clockmaker and scientist, dies at 75
1906 – John Batterson Stetson, American hat manufacturer, dies at 75
1993 – Edward S “Ted” Haworth, US set designer (Sayonara, Marty), dies at 76
1997 – Eric Fenby, English composer and president (Delius Society), dies at 90
2008 – Mickey Renaud, Canadian professional ice hockey player (b. 1988)
Famous Deaths for 17th February 2021
1780 – Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian, dies at 73
1856 – John Braham, English tenor singer and composer, dies at 81
1909 – Geronimo [one who yawns], Apache chief, dies at 79
1932 – Franz Gailliard, Belgian painter and graphic artist (Egina), dies at 70
1933 – Henri Viotta, Dutch conductor and composer (Handbook of Music), dies at 84
1934 – Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player (b. 1862)
1954 – Evert Gorter, Dutch children’s pioneering paediatrician, dies at 72
1966 – Gail Kane, American actress (White Sister, Arizona), dies at 81
1966 – Hans Hofmann, German American painter (Search for the Real), dies at 85
1997 – Zein Isa, Palestinian militant imprisoned in the United States for the honor killing of his daughter
Historical Events for 17th February 2021
1461 – Wars of the Roses: Second Battle of St Albans – Lancastrian army defeats Yorkists and recaptures King Henry VI
1818 – Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbrun patents “draisine” (early bicycle)
1905 – Frances Willard becomes 1st women honored in National Statuary Hall
1926 – Avalanche buries 75 in Sap Gulch, Bingham, Utah; 40 die
1940 – Altmark Incident: Crew of the British destroyer “Cossack” board German “Altmark” in Jøssingfjord, Norway, releasing 299 British prisoners after hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets and the last recorded Royal Naval action with cutlass
1943 – NY Yankee Joe DiMaggio enlists into the US army
1976 – “Rockabye Hamlet” opens at Minskoff Theater NYC for 7 performances
1989 – 6-week study of Arctic atmosphere shows no ozone “hole”
2002 – 44th Daytona 500: Ward Burton’s win first for Dodge since Richard Petty’s victory in the 1974 race
2013 – 62nd NBA All-Star Game, Toyota Centre, Houston, TX: West beats East, 143-138; MVP: Chris Paul, LA Clippers, G
Today in History for 17th February 2021
Historical Events
1865 – -18] Battle of Charleston, South Carolina
1878 – 1st telephone exchange in San Francisco opens with 18 phones
1885 – Bismarck gives Carl Peters’ firm management of East-Africa
1905 – Frances Willard becomes 1st women honored in National Statuary Hall
1931 – 1st telecast of a sporting event in Japan (baseball)
1996 – 1st full ODI for the Netherlands, v NZ, cricket World Cup Nolan Clarke makes ODI debut for Netherlands at age 47
Famous Birthdays
1796 – Philipp Franz von Siebold, German physician (d. 1866)
1821 – Lola Montez, Irish dancer and courtesan, born in Grange, Ireland (d. 1861)
1848 – Louisa Lawson, Australian suffragist and writer (d. 1920)
1908 – Staats Cotsworth, American actor (Hamlet, Peyton Place), born in Oak Park, Illinois (d. 1979)
1916 – Raf Vallone, Italian actor (El Cid, 2 Women, Greek Tycoon), born in Tropea, Italy (d. 2002)
1972 – Valeria Mazza, Argentinian model and businesswoman, born in Rosario, Argentina
Famous Deaths
1841 – Ferdinando Carulli, Italian composer, dies at 70
1854 – John Martin, English painter and engraver, dies at 64
1987 – Hal K. Dawson, American actor (Another Language, Wells Fargo), dies at 90
1990 – Marc Clement, actor (Career Opportunities, Sluggers Wife), dies at 39
2007 – Maurice Papon, French Nazi collaborator, dies at 92
2018 – Beatricce “Beebe” Freitas [nee Botty], American pianist, organist, and voice teacher (Hawaii Opera Theatre), dies at 79
Famous Deaths for 16th February 2021
1899 – Félix Faure, 6th President of the French Third Republic (1895-99), dies at 57
1912 – Edgar Evans, British explorer (Antarctica), dies
1934 – Eduard Bagritsky, Russian-Soviet poet and journalist (South-West), dies at 38
1936 – James Harvey Robinson, American historian (Ordeal of Civilization), dies at 72
1938 – Otto zur Linde, German author (Lieder of the Leids), dies at 64
1951 – Henri Velge, 1st chairman (Belgian Council of State), dies at 65
1980 – Erich Hückel, German physicist and physical chemist, dies at 83
1999 – Necil Kazım Akses, Turkish classical composer, dies at 90
2010 – Wan Chi Keung, Hong Kong soccer player and actor. (b. 1956)
2017 – Dick Bruna, Dutch illustrator (Miffy books), dies at 89