250 – Fabianus, Pope (236-50)/saint, dies
1837 – John Soane, English architect (Book of Designs, Soane Museum), dies at 84
1973 – Amilcar Cabral, Bissau-Guinean nationalist leader, fought for Guinea Bissau independence, murdered at 51
1983 – Garrincha, Brazilian footballer, dies at 49
1993 – Audrey Hepburn, British actress (Roman Holiday), dies of colon cancer at 63
1996 – Ellis Hillman, politician, dies at 68
1998 – Zevulun Hammer, Israeli politician, minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Israel (1996-98), dies at 61
2009 – Stéphanos II Ghattas, Patriarch Emeritus of Alexandria for the Coptic Catholic Church (b. 1920)
2009 – David Newman, American jazz musician, nicknamed “Fathead” (b. 1933)
2019 – Muriel Pavlow, British actress (Murder, She Said, Reach for the Sky), dies at 97
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 20th January 2021
1265 – First English Parliament summoned other than by royal command (in this instance by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester) mets in Westminster Hall
1502 – The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro is first explored
1839 – Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats a Peruvian and Bolivian alliance
1939 – Charles Ives’ 1st Sonata “Concord” premieres
1981 – Ronald Reagan inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States of America
1986 – Military coup in Lesotho under major general Lekhanya and premier Leabua Jonathan
1989 – Reagan becomes 1st US President elected in a “0” year, since 1840, to leave office alive
1989 – Pittsburgh center Mario Lemieux becomes just the 2nd player in NHL history to score 50 goals in less than 50 games; #50 in 44th game as the Penguins lose 7-3 to the Jets in Winnipeg
1991 – “Black and Blue” closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 829 performances
1996 – 46th NHL All-Star Game, FleetCenter, Boston, MA: East beats West, 5-4; MVP: Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins, D
Today in History for 20th January 2021
Historical Events
1156 – According to legend, freeholder Lalli slays English crusader Bishop Henry with an axe on the ice of Lake Köyliönjärvi in Finland
1869 – Elizabeth Cady Stanton becomes 1st woman to testify before US Congress
1937 – -45°F (-43°C), Boca, California (state record)
1985 – Super Bowl XIX, Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA: San Francisco 49ers beat Miami Dolphins, 38-16; MVP: Joe Montana, SF, QB
1987 – UK Police crackdown on soccer hooligans in biggest operation against violence around football stadiums
1993 – Bill Clinton (D) inaugurated as 42nd US President
Famous Birthdays
1716 – Carlos III, King of Spain (1759-88) and King of Naples and Sicily (1734-59), born in Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Spain (d. 1788)
1873 – Charles A Ellwood, American sociologist/psychologist
1925 – Ernesto Cardenal, Nicaraguan Catholic priest, politician and writer, born in Granada, Nicaragua
1928 – Peter Donat, Canadian-American actor (Flamingo Road, Different Story), born in Kentville, Canada (d. 2018)
1970 – Marvin Benard, American baseball outfielder (SF Giants), born in Bluefields, Nicaragua
1981 – Crystal Lowe, Canadian actress and model, born in Vancouver, British Columbia
Famous Deaths
882 – Louis II/III the Younger, German king (876-82), dies
1156 – Bishop Henry, patron saint of Finland
1727 – John van Bylevelt, Catholic apostole, dies
1952 – Arthur Farwell, American composer, dies at 74
1988 – Philippe de Rothschild, French race-car driver and manager (Bordeaux Vineyard), dies at 86
2018 – Howard Lew Lewis, English comedian and actor (Maid Marian and Her Merry Men and Brush Strokes), dies at 76
Famous Deaths for 19th January 2021
1669 – Leo Allatios, Greek/Italian theologist/literary, dies at about 82
1747 – Johann Bode, “discoverer” of Bode’s Law, dies
1757 – Thomas Ruddiman, Scottish classical scholar (b. 1674)
1865 – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French philosopher and anarchist (b. 1809)
1874 – August Heinrich Hoffmann, German writer, dies at 75
1989 – Norma Varden, actress (Loose in London), dies
1991 – Don Beddoe, actor (Bullwhip, Loophole, Texas), dies at 87
2007 – Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow, American professional wrestler, dies of a drug overdose at 45
2009 – José Torres, Puerto Rican boxer (world light-heavyweight champion), dies of a heart attack at 72
2014 – Bert Williams, English footballer (Wolverhampton, 30 caps), dies at 93
Historical Events for 19th January 2021
1939 – Ernest Hausen of Wisconsin sets chicken-plucking record of 4.4 sec
1940 – The Three Stooges film “You Nazty Spy!” about the Nazis released with the disclaimer “Any resemblance between the characters in this picture and any persons, living or dead, is a miracle.”
1941 – British troops occupies Kassalaf, Sudan
1947 – SS Himera runs aground at Athens, kills 392
1955 – 1st presidential news conference filmed for TV (Eisenhower)
1971 – “No, No Nanette” opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 861 performances
1993 – STS-54 (Endeavour) lands
2003 – NFC Championship, Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia: Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10
2013 – Calcium deposits are discovered on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity Rover
2020 – NFC Championship, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara: San Francisco 49ers beat Green Bay Packers, 37-20
Today in History for 19th January 2021
Historical Events
1932 – Charlie Conacher becomes 1st Toronto Maple Leaf to score 5 goals in a game, 1st coming at 7 seconds of game
1952 – PGA approves allowing black participants
1958 – Canadian Football Council renamed Canadian Football League
1967 – Herr Karl Tausch writes shortest will “Vse Zene” (All to wife)
1987 – Guy Hunt becomes Alabama’s 1st Republican governor since 1874
1991 – 48th Golden Globes: Dances with Wolves, Jeremy Irons, and Kathy Bates wins
Famous Birthdays
1816 – Henry Gray, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), (d. 1892)
1837 – William Williams Keen, surgeon (brain)
1952 – Dewey Bunell, British-American musician (America-Daisy Jane), born in Borough of Harrogate, United Kingdom
1967 – Christine Tucci, American actress (Amanda Cory-Another World), born in Katonah, New York
1979 – Wiley, English Rapper (Grime), born in Bow, London
1981 – Lucho González, Argentine footballer, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Famous Deaths
1795 – Maria Teresa Agnesi, composer, dies at 74
1874 – August Heinrich Hoffmann, German writer, dies at 75
1901 – Albert, 4th duc de Broglie, Prime Minister of France (1873-74, 1977), dies at 79
1993 – William LeMassena, actor (All that Jazz), dies of lung cancer at 76
2013 – Earl Weaver, American hall of fame MLB manager, dies from a heart attack at 82
2018 – Olivia Cole, American actress (Roots, Backstairs at the White House), dies of a heart attack at 75
Famous Deaths for 18th January 2021
474 – Leo I, Byzantine Emperor (b. 401)
1769 – Hakuin Ekaku, Zen teacher (reformer of Rinzai school), dies in Japan
1919 – Prince John of the United Kingdom, youngest son of English king George V, dies at 13
1967 – Simon FHJ Berkelbach van der Sprenkel, vicar/theologist, dies at 84
1967 – Albert Conti, Austrian actor (Jazz Heaven, Doomed Battalion), dies at 79
1978 – Walter H. Thompson, English Scotland Yard detective, bodyguard of Winston Churchill (b. 1890)
1985 – Mahmoud Taha, Sudanese Muslim leader, hanged at 76
1992 – Tom Elios, entertainer, dies
1993 – Eleanor Hibbert, British author (b. 1906)
2016 – Michel Tournier, French writer (Friday, or, The Other Island), dies at 91
Historical Events for 18th January 2021
1840 – The Electro-Magnet, and Mechanics Intelligencer, 1st US electrical journal, appears
1850 – British blockade Piraeus, Greece, to enforce mercantile claims
1944 – The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosts a jazz concert for the first time. The performers were Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden.
1948 – Ted Mack’s “Original Amateur Hour” begins, DuMont (later NBC/ABC/CBS)
1951 – Mount Lamington in Papua New Guinea erupts, killing 2,942 people
1956 – German Democratic Republic (East Germany) forms own army (National People’s Army)
1961 – Zanzibar’s Afro-Shirazi party wins 1 seat by a single vote and parliament by a single seat
1965 – H L de Vries appointed Dutch governor of Suriname
1969 – United Airlines Flight 266 crashes into Santa Monica Bay, killing all 38 people on-board
2014 – 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards: Matthew McConaughey and Cate Blanchett win
Today in History for 18th January 2021
Historical Events
474 – Leo II briefly becomes Byzantine emperor
1535 – Francisco Pizarro founds the city of Lima in Peru
1919 – The Paris peace conference (aka the Versailles peace conference) opens to draw up the treaties formally ending the Great War (WWI)
1977 – Pakistan cricket all-rounder Imran Khan takes 6 for 63 in the Australian 2nd innings for a match total of 12 to lead his side to an easy 8 wicket 3rd Test win in Sydney
1991 – Longest tennis match at the Australian Open, Boris Becker beats Italy’s Omar Camporese in 5 hours and 11 mins
2004 – NFC Championship, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia: Carolina Panthers beat Philadelphia Eagles, 14-3
Famous Birthdays
885 – Daigo, 60th Emperor of Japan (897-930), born in Kyōto, Japan (d. 930)
1904 – Henri-Georges Adam, French engraver and sculptor (Grand Nude), born in Paris, France (d. 1967)
1918 – Adriano Mandarino Hypolito, Brazilian priest, born in Aracaju, State of Sergipe, Brazil (d. 1996)
1952 – R. Stevie Moore, American singer, songwriter, and home recording pioneer, born in Nashville, Tennessee
1972 – Mike Lieberthal, American MLB catcher (Philadelphia Phillies), born in Glendale, California
1975 – Derek Smith, American football linebacker (Washington Redskins), born in American Fork, Utah
Famous Deaths
1769 – Hakuin Ekaku, Zen teacher (reformer of Rinzai school), dies in Japan
1892 – Anton Anderledy, Swiss Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1819)
1977 – Carl Zuckmayer, German/Swiss/US playwright (Second Wind), dies at 80
1991 – Hamilton Fish III, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York), dies at 102
1997 – Paul Tsongas, (Sen-D-Mass), dies at 55
2000 – Jester Hairston, American actor (That’s My Mama, Amen), dies at 98
Famous Deaths for 17th January 2021
1625 – Nicolò Rubini, Italian composer and cornettist, dies at 50
1661 – Andres Malong, Philippines rebel leader, executed
1751 – Tomaso Albinoni, Italian composer (Adagio in G-minor), dies at 79
1805 – Abraham-Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron, French scholar and interpreter, dies at 73
1899 – Jedediah Hotchkiss, American topographer and cartographer, dies at 70
1965 – Hans Marchwitza, German writer and communist, dies at 75
1992 – Frank Pullen, English businessman and racehorse owner, dies at 76
1993 – Ger ter Horst, Dutch soccer trainer (Sparta), dies
2005 – Zhao Ziyang, Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1919)
2020 – Morimichi Takagi, Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman (NPB All-Star 1966–67, 73, 79; Chunichi Dragons), dies at 78