1745 – Battle of Fontenoy (Doornik): Austrian Succession war
1800 – French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck give a lecture first outlining his theories of evolution at the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle in Paris, France
1820 – Launch of HMS Beagle, the ship that would later take a young Charles Darwin on his famous scientific voyage
1888 – 16th Preakness: F Littlefield aboard Refund wins in 2:49
1931 – “M” Fritz Lang’s first sound film starring Peter Lorre premieres in Berlin
1960 – Israeli soldiers capture Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires
1962 – US sends troops to Thailand
1963 – “Puff (The Magic Dragon)” by Peter, Paul and Mary hits #2
1995 – More than 170 countries agree to extend the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty indefinitely and without conditions to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons
2013 – 43 people are killed in two car bombings in Reyhanlı, Turkey
Author: gil7
Today in History for 11th May 2021
Historical Events
1310 – Fifty-four members of the Knights Templar are burned at the stake in France for being heretics
1925 – Communist Party of Holland splits
1942 – Japanese troops conquer Kalewa
1965 – West Indies becomes 1st holders of the Frank Worrell Cricket Trophy
1976 – Last broadcast of “Marcus Welby, MD” on ABC-TV
1983 – Aberdeen of Scotland win 23rd European Cup Winner’s Cup against Real Madrid of Spain 2-1 in Gothenburg
Famous Birthdays
1733 – Victoire of France, daughter of king Louis XV (d. 1799)
1858 – Carl Hauptmann, German writer, born in Obersalzbrunn (d. 1921)
1905 – Marjorie Sykes, peace campaigner
1940 – Juan Downey, Chilean video artist (d. 1993)
1954 – John Gregory, English football manager
1973 – Dean Pullar, Cobram Victoria Australia, diver (Olympics 1996)
Famous Deaths
1779 – John Heart, American farmer (signed US Declaration of Independence), dies at about 68
1924 – Moses Walker, American baseball catcher (first African-American open about his heritage to play MLB; Toledo Blue Stockings), dies at 66
1935 – Edward Herbert Thompson, American archaeologist (Mayan civilization), dies at 78
1960 – John D. Rockefeller Jr., American financier and philanthropist, dies of pneumonia at 86
1981 – Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist (Nobel 1969 – the study of the three-dimensional geometric structure of molecules), dies at 83
1986 – Fritz Pollard, American football player, dies at 92
Famous Deaths for 10th May 2021
1566 – Leonhard Fuchs, German physician and botanist (Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants) for which the flowering plants and color Fuchsia is named after, dies at 65
1641 – Johan Banér, Swedish soldier (b. 1596)
1764 – Picander [Christian Henrici], German writer (Die Weiberprobe), dies
1798 – George Vancouver, British explorer, (Voyage of Discovery), dies at 40
1807 – Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, French military leader (commander of the French Expeditionary Force that assisted the Thirteen Colonies), dies at 81
1826 – Giuseppe Sigismondo, Italian historian and composer, dies at 86
1897 – Andrés Bonifacio, Filipino revolutionary leader of 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, dies at 33
1915 – Albert Weisgerber, German painter and graphic artist, dies in battle at 37
2006 – Raizo Matsuno, Japanese politician (b. 1917)
2020 – John Teerlinck, American NFL defensive end (SD Chargers) and coach (annual award for NFL best defensive line coach named after him), dies at 69
Historical Events for 10th May 2021
1534 – French navigator Jacques Cartier reaches Newfoundland
1862 – Battle of Plum Run Bend, Tennessee
1941 – 66th Preakness: Eddie Arcaro wins aboard Whirlaway, 2nd leg of successful Triple Crown
1945 – Allies capture Rangoon from the Japanese
1950 – 1st Netherlands-US telex sent
1956 – French government sends 50,000 reservists to Algeria
1970 – Stanley Cup Final, Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Bobby Orr scores famous OT winner as Boston beats St. Louis Blues, 4-3 for 4-0 series sweep; Bruins its first title since 1941
1972 – An Irish Republican Army bomb starts a fire that destroys the Belfast Co-operative store
1985 – Challenger transports back to Kennedy Space Center via Kelly AFB
1986 – “Rock Me Amadeus” by Falco hits #1 on UK pop chart
Today in History for 10th May 2021
Historical Events
1768 – John Wilkes is imprisoned for writing an article for “The North Briton” severely criticizing King George III. This action provokes rioting in London.
1967 – Rolling Stones Keith Richards, Brian Jones and Mick Jagger arrested on drug charges
1973 – Establishment of Frente Polisario in Mauritania
1985 – Challenger transports back to Kennedy Space Center via Kelly AFB
1993 – Premier Lubbers opens Terminal West on Schiphol
2018 – New record auction price for a Latin American artwork of $9.76 million for Diego Rivera’s “The Rivals”
Famous Birthdays
1931 – Ettore Scola, Italian director and screenwriter (A Special Day), born in Trevico, Campania (d. 2016)
1938 – Merritt Ranew, baseball player
1965 – Rony Seikaly, NBA center (Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors)
1970 – Gabriela Montero, Venezuelan-American pianist, born in Caracas
1977 – Henri Camara, Senegalese footballer
1993 – Charice Pempengco, Filipino singer
Famous Deaths
995 – Boudouin, bishop of Utrecht
1864 – James Clay Rice, lawyer/Union brigadier general, dies in battle at 34
1864 – Thomas Greeley Stevenson, Union brigadier general, dies at about 27
1982 – Jean C M Picart le Doux, French designer, dies
1992 – Sylvia Syms [Blagman], American jazz singer (Hello Dolly, Flower Drum Song), dies of a heart attack at 74
1995 – Harold Berens, comedian, dies at 92
Famous Deaths for 9th May 2021
1443 – Niccolo d’Albergati, Italian cardinal, dies at 70
1884 – Hermanus Willem Witteveen, Dutch theologist, dies at 69
1977 – James Jones, American novelist (Bad Blood, From Here to Eternity), dies at 55
1986 – Dirk de Vroome, Dutch campaigner and Limbourg activist, dies at 60
2001 – William T. Stearn, British botanist, dies at 90
2001 – James E. Myers, American songwriter (Rock Around the Clock) and producer, dies at 81
2007 – Dwight Wilson, second-to-last Canadian WWI veteran, dies at 106
2008 – Nuala O’Faolain, Irish journalist, dies at 68
2015 – Christopher Wood, English screenwriter and novelist (Confessions), dies at 79
2018 – Omar Daoud, Libyan footballer, dies in a traffic collision at 35
Historical Events for 9th May 2021
1726 – Three men arrested during a February raid on Mother Clap’s molly-house (a coffee house catering to homosexuals) in London are executed by hanging at Tyburn, England
1738 – Britain sends fleet to the Mediterranean Sea and West Indies
1862 – Battle of Farmington, Mississippi
1882 – Telegraph Hill RR Co (Cable Cars) in San Francisco organized
1944 – Dutch resistance fighter Gerard Musch arrested
1950 – French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman calls for European community EGKS
1962 – US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island
1967 – Gijs van Hall resigns as mayor of Amsterdam
1992 – Final episode of “Golden Girls” airs on NBC-TV
2012 – United States President Barack Obama officially states his support for same-sex marriage
Today in History for 9th May 2021
Historical Events
1766 – John Byron back in England after trip around the world
1966 – China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
1977 – Patty Hearst let out of jail
1989 – NY Mets Kevin Elster, errors after 88 errorless games at shortstop
1992 – Armenian forces capture Shusha, marking a major turning point in the Karabakh War
1994 – Mass murderer Joel Rifkin found guilty in New York
Famous Birthdays
1540 – Maharana Pratap, Rajput king of Mewar (1572-1597), born in Kumbhargal Fort, Mewar (d. 1597)
1924 – Gerard Wernars, Dutch graphic designer (Library stamps 1991)
1939 – Bruce Mather, Canadian pianist and composer, born in Toronto, Ontario
1944 – Richard Furay, American singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Buffalo Springfield; Poco), born in Yellow Springs, Ohio
1957 – John Stuper, baseball pitcher (St Louis Cardinals)
1969 – Amber [Marie-Claire Cremers], Dutch-born German singer-songwriter, born in Ubbergen, the Netherlands
Famous Deaths
1884 – Hermanus Willem Witteveen, Dutch theologist, dies at 69
1915 – Anthony Wilding, New Zealand tennis player (Wimbledon 1910-13), dies on the Western Front at 31
1942 – Graham McNamee, American early sportscaster (1st Rose Bowl), dies at 53
1970 – Andrew Watson Myles, Canadian politician, dies at 86
1987 – Obafemi Awolowo, Nigerian statesman and nationalist, dies at 78
1995 – Marshall Royal, American jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist (Count Basie Orchestra), dies at 82
Famous Deaths for 8th May 2021
1788 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian-born physician and naturalist (b. 1723)
1846 – Giacomo Cordella, Italian composer, dies at 59
1925 – Frank L. Gillespie, American founder of Supreme Life Insurance Company, dies at 48
1957 – Johannes C B “Jan” Sluyters, Dutch painter, dies at 75
1985 – Redmond “Edmond” O’Brien, American actor (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Sam Benedict, Johnny Midnight), dies of Alzheimer’s at 69
1991 – Lloyd Ford, stuntman, dies at 79
1992 – Gul Mahomed, Pakistani cricketer (8 Tests for India and one for Pakistan), dies at 70
1996 – Luis Miguel Domiguin, bullfighter, dies at 69
2012 – Nicholas Katzenbach, American Attorney General, dies at 90
2018 – Mahmoud Hammoud, Lebanese politician and diplomat, dies at 82 or 83
Historical Events for 8th May 2021
1871 – British-US treaty ends Alabama dispute
1895 – China cedes Taiwan to Japan under Treaty of Shimonoseki
1899 – Ernest Rutherford publishes his discovery of two different kinds of radiation (Alpha and Beta Particles)
1942 – German summer offensive opens in Crimea
1957 – South Vietnamese President, Ngô Đình Diệm, arrives in the United States on a state visit
1974 – 50 MPH speed limit in Britain lifted
1994 – Ernesto Perez Balladares elected president of Panama
2013 – Sir Alex Ferguson announces his retirement as Manchester United’s manager at the end of the season
2019 – Governor of Georgia Brian Kemp signs new abortion law, the so-called “heart-beat bill” (comes into effect Jan 2020)
2019 – Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes argues that Facebook should be split up and regulated in “New York Times” Op-Ed essay