1799 – Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed
1832 – Johannes van den Bosch appointed governor general of Dutch East Indies
1915 – Antoni van Leeuwenhoek’s Hospital in Amsterdam opens
1953 – Australian Championships Men’s Tennis: In an all-Australian final Ken Rosewall wins his first Grand Slam title; beats Mervyn Rose 6-0, 6-3, 6-4
1966 – B-52/KC-135 tankers crash near Spanish coast at Palomares, 7 die
1979 – USSR performs underground nuclear test
1982 – “Cold Sunday” in the United States would see temperatures fall to their lowest levels in over 100 years in numerous cities
1985 – Azharuddin scores second Test century in second Test (v England)
2011 – “Sure Thing” single released by Miguel (Billboard Song of the Year 2011)
2013 – 4 people are killed and over 2,000 are evacuated after a massive flood hits Jakarta, Indonesia
Author: gil7
Today in History for 17th January 2021
Historical Events
1864 – General James Longstreet’s command ends heavy fighting at Dandridgem, Tennessee
1882 – 1st Dutch female physician Aletta Jacobs opens her office
1954 – 4th NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Eastern Conference beats Western Conference, 20-9; MVP: Chuck Bednarik, Philadelphia Eagles, LB
1982 – Czech tennis star Ivan Lendl scores a 6–7, 2–6, 7–6, 6–2, 6–4 win over American Vitas Gerulaitis to claim his first of 5 ATP Masters Grand Prix titles at Madison Square Garden, NYC
1986 – 2nd Sundance Film Festival: “Smooth Talk” wins Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
1991 – Iraq fires 8 Scud missiles on Israel
Famous Birthdays
1789 – August Neander, German theologian (d. 1850)
1806 – James Madison Randolph, Jefferson’s grandson and the 1st to be born in the White House, born in Washington, D.C.
1891 – Marjorie Gateson, American actress (One Man’s Family), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1977)
1927 – Michael Herford Wooller, TV/film producer
1969 – Lukas Moodysson, Swedish film writer and director, born in Lund, Sweden
1985 – Simone Simons, Dutch singer (Epica), born in Hoensbroek, Netherlands
Famous Deaths
1617 – Pieter C Bockenberg, Dutch historian, dies at 68
1911 – Francis Galton, British anthropologist and geneticist (eugenics), dies at 88
1917 – Hendrik Goeman Borgesius, Dutch politician, dies at 70
1996 – Charles Henry Madge, English poet and founder of Mass-Observation, dies at 83
2003 – Balint Vazsonyi, Hingarian pianist (b. 1936)
2020 – Morimichi Takagi, Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman (NPB All-Star 1966–67, 73, 79; Chunichi Dragons), dies at 78
Famous Deaths for 16th January 2021
1545 – George Spalatin, German humanist, reformer and important figure in the Reformation, dies at 60
1659 – Charles Annibal Fabrot, French lawyer, dies at 78
1907 – Alfred Shaw, cricketer (seven Tests for England 1877-82), dies at 64
1935 – Ma Barker, American criminal (b. 1871)
1988 – Andrija Artuković, Croatian war criminal (b. 1899)
1989 – Trey Wilson, actor (Bull Durham, Twins, Raising Arizona), dies
1995 – William Dillard, American jazz trumpeter and Broadway singer dies from complications of Lupus, at 83
2002 – Ron Taylor, American actor (b. 1952)
2017 – Cuthbert Johnson, English musician and Benedictine abbot, dies at 70
2017 – Eugene Cernan, American NASA astronaut (12th person on the moon), dies at 82
Historical Events for 16th January 2021
1756 – Britain and Prussia sign Treaty of Westminster
1832 – Charles Darwin lands at Porto Prayo in the Cape Verde islands, the first landing of his HMS Beagle voyage
1896 – Defeat of Cymru Fydd at South Wales Liberal Federation AGM, Newport, Monmouthshire.
1905 – Stanley Cup, Dey’s Arena, Ottawa, ON: Ottawa Senators rout Dawson City (Yukon), 23-2 for 2-0 series sweep; most lopsided challenge playoff game in history; Frank McGee 14 goals
1945 – Adolf Hitler moves into the Fuhrerbunker, his underground bunker in Berlin
1947 – Vincent Aurial elected President of France
1972 – Super Bowl VI, Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, LA: Dallas Cowboys beat Miami Dolphins, 24-3; MVP: Roger Staubach, Dallas, QB
1979 – Bakhtiar government established by the Shah in Iran, will preside until unrest in the country subsides
2001 – Congolese President Laurent-Désiré Kabila is assassinated by one of his own bodyguards.
2013 – A four day occupation of an Algerian BP facility by Amenas militants begins, killing 48 hostages
Today in History for 16th January 2021
Historical Events
1581 – English parliament passes laws against Catholicism
1749 – Hoax article advertising fictitious theatrical performer “The Bottle Conjuror” drew huge crowds to the Haymarket Theatre, London, whose inevitable non-appearance caused a riot. It’s alleged the Duke of Montagu perpetrated the fiasco to win a bet
1900 – The United States Senate accepts the Anglo-German treaty of 1899 in which the United Kingdom renounces its claims to the Samoan islands
1941 – War Department forms first Army Air Corps squadron for black cadets
1980 – Paul McCartney is arrested at Tokyo International Airport for possession of marijuana; he is sent to jail for nine days before being deported
1990 – 2 Bank of Credit and Commerce members plea guilty to money laundering
Famous Birthdays
1853 – Vladimir Sergeyevich Solovyov, Russian philosopher, born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1900)
1941 – Richard Bohringer, French actor (Diva, I Married a Shadow), born in Paris, France
1947 – Magdalen Nabb, British author, born in Lancashire, United Kingdom (d. 2007)
1964 – Gail Graham, Canadian golfer (2 LPGA Tour titles), born in Vanderhoof, British Columbia
1971 – Josh Evans, American actor (Ricochett, The Doors), and film producer, born in New York City
1980 – Albert Pujols, Dominican MLB 1st baseman (NL MVP 2005, 2008-9)), born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Famous Deaths
1919 – Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, President of Brazil (b. 1848)
1942 – Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Governor General of Canada (1911-16), dies at 91
1962 – Emanuel Stickelberger, Swiss writer (Holbein in England), dies at 77
1988 – Andrija Artuković, Croatian war criminal (b. 1899)
2005 – Marjorie Williams, American journalist (b. 1958)
2018 – Dave Holland, English heavy metal rocker (Judas Priest-Breakin’ the Law), dies at 69
Famous Deaths for 15th January 2021
1904 – Eduard Lassen, Belgian-Danish composer, dies at 73
1947 – Elizabeth Short, American victim in the Black Dahlia case, murdered at 22
1950 – Gen Henry “Hap” Arnold, U.S. General of the Air Force (b. 1886)
1952 – Ned Hanlon, Premier of Queensland (b. 1887)
1965 – Pierre Ngendandumwe, premier of Burundi, murdered
1968 – Bill Masterson, Canadian American NHL player, first to be fatally injured during a game (Jan 13), dies at 29
1971 – John Dall, actor (Corn is Green, Rope), dies of heart attack at 50
1973 – Jef Alpaerts, Flemish pianist/conductor, dies at 68
1974 – Karel Salmon, Israeli composer, dies at 76
1988 – Seán MacBride, Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army and founder of Amnesty International (Nobel 1974), dies at 83
Historical Events for 15th January 2021
1908 – Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority: first Greek-letter organization established by African American college for women
1956 – Dmitri Shostakovich appointed honorary member of Academia Santa Cecilia
1970 – Riots break out in the Ardoyne area of Belfast
1972 – TV drama “Emergency” with Randolph Mantooth and Robert Fuller premieres on NBC TV
1974 – 24th NBA All-Star Game, Seattle Center Coliseum: West beats East, 134-123; MVP: Bob Lanier, Detroit Pistons, C
1984 – Martina Navratilova’s 54-match winning streak ends when beaten by Hana Mandlíková 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 in the final of the Virginia Slims of California tennis event in Oakland; after loss Navratilova wins next 74 matches for new record
1990 – Golden State coach Don Nelson becomes 2nd man in NBA history to appear in 1,000 games both as a player and coach (joining Lenny Wilkens) as the Warriors lose to the Indiana Pacers, 144-105
1993 – 7.5 earthquake strikes northern Japan, killing 2 people
1997 – San Francisco head coach George Seifert announces his resignation after 8 highly-successful NFL seasons with the 49ers: winningest coach in team history at 108-35; 2 Super Bowl titles
2019 – LGBTQ activists accuse the Russian republic of Chechnya of a new gay purge with 40 detained and two killed
Today in History for 15th January 2021
Historical Events
1943 – 1st transport of Jews from Amsterdam to concentration camp Vught
1944 – European Advisory Commission decides to divide Germany
1970 – Riots break out in the Ardoyne area of Belfast
1987 – Police officer who mistakenly shot and paralysed an innocent woman in Brixton, UK, is cleared of all criminal charges
1990 – Golden State coach Don Nelson becomes 2nd man in NBA history to appear in 1,000 games both as a player and coach (joining Lenny Wilkens) as the Warriors lose to the Indiana Pacers, 144-105
1997 – Seattle’s Sam Perkins ties Jeff Hornacek’s NBA single-game record by connecting on 8 straight 3-point field goals during Sonics’ 122-78 win over visiting Toronto; Seattle also sets an NBA steals record with 27
Famous Birthdays
1892 – Frank Hutchens, New Zealand-born composer working in Australia, born in Leeston, New Zealand (d. 1965)
1897 – Xu Zhimo, Chinese poet (d. 1931)
1909 – Gene Krupa, American jazz and big band drummer (Benny Goodman, Sing Sing Sing), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1973)
1912 – Michel Debré, French politician, born in Paris, France (d. 1996)
1913 – Alexander Marinesko, captain of the S-13 submarine, which sank the German ship Wilhelm Gustloff (d. 1963)
1975 – Greg Loveridge, New Zealand cricketer (NZ leg-spinner, did not bowl v Zim 1996), born in Palmerston North, New Zealand
Famous Deaths
1755 – Azzolino Bernardino Della Ciaia, composer, dies at 83
1949 – Pompeo Aloisi, Italian baron, diplomat and senator, dies at 63
1998 – Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian politician and economist. temporary Prime Minister of India (1964, 1966), dies at 99
2000 – Arkan [Željko Ražnatović], Serbian paramilitary leader, dies at 47
2005 – Dan Lee, Canadian animator (b. 1969)
2018 – Joe Frank [Joseph Langermann], American radio personality (KCRW), dies of cancer at 79
Famous Deaths for 14th January 2021
1679 – Jacques de Billy, French mathematician (b. 1602)
1830 – Johann Georg Repsold, German instrument maker and astronomer, dies at 59
1892 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, British prince (b. 1864)
1902 – Cato M. Guldberg, Norwegian mathematician and chemist (law of mass action), dies at 65
1945 – Sándor Vándor, Hungarian Jewish composer, murdered in the Holocaust at 43
1991 – Sallah Kharaf [Abu Iyad], co-founder (Al-Fatah), assassinated
1995 – Alexander Gibson, British conductor and founder of the Scottish Opera, dies at 68
2004 – Valfar, Norwegian heavy metal musician (Windir), dies in a snowstorm at 25
2005 – Rudolph Moshammer, German fashion designer (b. 1940)
2017 – Zhou Youguang [Zhou Yaoping], Chinese language scholar (father of pinyin), dies at 111
Historical Events for 14th January 2021
1861 – Fort Pikens, Florida, falls into state hands (US Civil War)
1940 – 2nd NFL All Star Game, Gilmore Stadium, LA, CA: Green Bay Packers beat NFL All-Stars, 16-7
1949 – Black and Indian race rebellion in Durban, South Africa; 142 die
1964 – 14th NBA All-Star Game, Boston Garden: East beats West, 111-107; MVP: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals, PG
1973 – 2 Royal Ulster Constabulary officers are killed in Derry by a booby-trap bomb attached to their car by the Irish Republican Army
1991 – Jorge Serrano Elias sworn in as President of Guatemala
1993 – “Anna Christie” opens at Criterion Theater NYC for 54 performances, starring Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson,
1994 – Inna Lassovskaya triple-jumps ladies world record (14.61m)
1995 – 16th ACE Cable Awards: John Malone wins the Golden CableACE for outstanding achievements in advancing the development of cable programming
2015 – 63 people are killed and 70,000 are left homeless after floods devastate Mozambique and Malawi