1895 – Belmont Stakes: Fred Taral aboard Preakness winner Belmar wins in 2:11½; race run in November as NY Jockey Club closed out its affairs
1916 – Battle of Verdun: Fort Vaux reconquered from Germans by French troops without firing a shot
1954 – Charles Diggs Jr is elected Michigan’s 1st black congressman to the House of Representatives
1964 – Columbia Broadcasting System buys 80% share in the New York Yankees Baseball Club for $11.2 million; later purchases club outright
1969 – Quarterbacks Billy Kilmer of New Orleans and St Louis’ Charlie Johnson each pass for 6 touchdowns for combined NFL record of 12 passing TDs in a game; Saints beat Cardinals, 51-42 at Busch Memorial Stadium
1983 – “Thriller” single released worldwide by Michael Jackson
1993 – Dow Jones hits record 3697.64
1994 – NFL announces the expansion Carolina Panthers would play in the NFC West, while the Jacksonville Jaguars is assigned to the AFC Central
2004 – George W. Bush is re-elected as President of the United States, defeating Democrat candidate John Kerry
2012 – Breeders’ Cup Horse Racing, Santa Anita Racetrack; Day 1 winners: Hightail, Calidoscopio, Flotilla, Beholder, Zagora, Royal Delta
Author: gil7
Today in History for 2nd November 2020
Historical Events
1722 – Willem KH Friso (11) appointed viceroy of Gelderland
1813 – Treaty of Fulda signed in Germany after Battle of Leipzig
1949 – Netherland recognizes Indonesia as a sovereign state
1974 – USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1982 – Fire in Salung tunnel, Afghanistan, 1,000+ Russians die
1993 – Rudy Giuliani wins the New York mayoral election, becomes 1st Republican mayor since 1965
Famous Birthdays
1892 – Paul Abraham, Hungarian composer (Viktoria und ihr Huzar), born in Apatin, Austria-Hungary (d. 1960)
1926 – Myer Skoog, American basketball guard (NBA C’ship 1952-4; Minneapolis Lakers), born in Duluth, Minnesota (d. 2019)
1932 – Melvin Schwartz, American Physicist and Nobel Laureate (neutrinos – subatomic particles with no electric charge and virtually no mass), born in NYC, New York
1967 – Marc van Roon, Dutch improvising musician, born in The Hague, Netherlands
1980 – Diego Lugarno, Uruguayan soccer defender (95 caps; São Paulo, Fenerbahçe), born in Canelones, Uruguay
1980 – Kim So-yeon, South Korean actress, born in Seoul, South Korea
Famous Deaths
1845 – Chretien Urhan, composer, dies at 55
1937 – Maude Valérie White, French-born English composer, dies at 82
1950 – George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist (Pygmalion, Nobel Prize for Literature 1925), dies at 94
1979 – Jacques Mesrine, French “enemy of the state”, shot to death
1991 – Irwin Allen, American director (Land of the Giants, Poseidon Adventure), dies at 75
1995 – Alvaro Gomez Hurtado, Columbian politician (helped write Colombian Constitution), assassinated at 76
Famous Deaths for 1st November 2020
1588 – Jean Daurat, French poet (b. 1508)
1711 – Christian Demelius, composer, dies at 68
1750 – Gustaaf W van Imhoff, Dutch governor of Ceylon (1736-40), dies at 45
1810 – Georg Anton Kreusser, German composer, dies at 64
1935 – Émile Francqui, Belgian soldier and diplomat, dies at 72
1949 – Leslie Gay, English cricket wicket-keeper and soccer goalkeeper (1 Test; 3 caps), dies at 78
2004 – Mac Dre [Andre Louis Hicks], American rapper and hip hop pioneer, dies at 34
2007 – S. Ali Raza, Bollywood Screenwriter (b. 1922)
2010 – Charlie O’Donnell, American game show announcer (Wheel of Fortune), dies of Congestive heart failure at 78
2018 – Amal Hussain, Yemeni famine victim who raised world’s awareness, dies aged 7
Historical Events for 1st November 2020
1462 – Archduke Albrecht VI van Habsburg occupies Vienna
1765 – Stamp Act goes into effect in British colonies
1859 – The current Cape Lookout, North Carolina, lighthouse was lit for the first time. Its first-order Fresnel lens can be seen for about 19 miles (30 kilometers), in good conditions.
1950 – Celtics’ forward Chuck Cooper becomes first African American to play in the NBA in Boston’s 107-84 loss at Fort Wayne Pistons; future Hall of Famer Bob Cousy also debuts for Celtics
1962 – US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Johnston Island
1964 – Vietcong-assault on airport Bien Hoa at Saigon
1965 – Ernie Terrell retains WBA heavyweight boxing title; beats Canadian George Chuvalo in 15 round points decision in Toronto
1974 – Fire kills 189 in less than 25 min (Sao Paulo Brazil)
1985 – Nostalgia Television begins on cable
1996 – Shaquille O’Neil makes his Hollywood debut as Los Angeles Lakers beat Phoenix Suns, 96-82 at the Forum, Inglewood; O’Neil scores 23 points and pulls down 14 rebounds in 35 minutes
Today in History for 1st November 2020
Historical Events
1787 – First free school in NYC (African Free School) opens
1928 – Graf Zeppelin sets airship distance record of 6384 km
1972 – Germaoin Gagnon scores 1st Islander hat trick
1992 – New York City Marathon: Willie Mtolo of South Africa wins men’s race, 2:09:29; Australian Lisa Ondieki women’s champion, 2:24:40
2003 – University of Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald establishes a new NCAA record with a touchdown reception in his 14th straight game as Pittsburgh beats Boston College, 24-13 at Alumni Stadium
2012 – 46th Country Music Association Award: Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert wins
Famous Birthdays
1860 – Boies Penrose, American politician (U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (1897-1921)), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1921)
1896 – Edmund Blunden, English poet and critic (Undertones of War), born in London (d. 1974)
1898 – Sippie Wallace [Beulah Belle Thomas], American blues singer, (Women Be Wise), born in Plumb Bayou, Arkansas (d. 1986)
1961 – Anne Donovan, Basketball Hall of Fame center and coach (Olympic gold 1984, 88; coach 2008), born in Ridgewood, New Jersey (d. 2018)
1978 – Mary Kate Schellhardt, American actress (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape), born in Chicago, Illinois
1983 – Yuko Ogura, Japanese model, born in Mobara, Chiba, Japan
Famous Deaths
1711 – Christian Demelius, composer, dies at 68
1947 – Man o’ War, American thoroughbred racehorse (Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes 1920), dies from a heart attack at 30
1995 – Lex Hixon, religious teacher/author, dies at 53
2004 – Terry Knight, American rock producer and singer (Grand Funk Railroad), murdered at 61
2007 – S. Ali Raza, Bollywood Screenwriter (b. 1922)
2017 – Ray Robinson, American magazine editor and biographer (Lou Gehrig), dies of a stroke at 96
Famous Deaths for 31st October 2020
1661 – Mehmed Koprulu, Albanian great vizier of Turkey, dies
1913 – William Evans-Gordon, British politician (b. 1857)
1943 – Max Reinhardt [Goldmann], Austrian theatrical director (Oedipus Rex) and founder of the Salzburg Festival, dies at 70
1963 – Henry Daniell, British actor (The Great Dictator, Camille, Philadelphia Story, Body Snatchers), dies at 69
1977 – Joan Tetzel, American actress (Hell Below Zero, Joy in the Morning), dies of cancer at 56
1993 – Federico Fellini, director (La Dolce Vita), dies of stroke at 73
1995 – Wallace Edward Rowling, Prime Minister of NZ (1974-1975), dies at 68
2010 – Maurice Lucas, American basketball player, dies at 58
2015 – Gregg Palmer [Palmer Edvind Lee], American actor (Scream, To Hell and Back), dies at 88
2018 – Willie McCovey, American Baseball Hall of Fame 1st baseman (6 x MLB All Star; NL MVP 1969; NL home run leader 1963, 68, 69; SF Giants), dies of an infection at 80
Historical Events for 31st October 2020
1924 – World Savings Day announced in Milan, Italy, by the Members of the Association at the 1st International Savings Bank Congress (World Society of Savings Banks)
1949 – WOC (now KWQC) TV channel 6 in Davenport, IA (NBC) 1st broadcast
1964 – London’s notorious Windmill Theatre closes
1975 – Bob Geldof’s first appearance with The Boomtown Rats
1989 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1990 – Pakistan make 3-0 drubbing of NZ, Waqar Younis 29 series wkts
1993 – German unemployment hits national record of 3.5 million
2003 – Mahathir Mohamad resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia and is replaced by Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, marking an end to Mahathir’s 22 years in power
2015 – 8th Rugby World Cup Final, Twickenham, London: All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter lands 4 penalties and 2 conversions as New Zealand defeats Australia, 34-17
2017 – Terrorist attack in New York when a truck mows down people on a cycle lane, killing 8, injuring 10
Today in History for 31st October 2020
Historical Events
802 – Empress Irene of Byzantium driven out
1756 – Giacomo Casanova escapes from prison in Venice by climbing onto the roof
1863 – The Maori Wars resumed as British forces in New Zealand led by General Duncan Cameron began their Invasion of the Waikato
1932 – Greek government of Venizelos falls
1953 – TV broadcasting begins in Belgium
1982 – “Rock ‘n Roll!: The 1st…” closes at St James NYC after 9 performances
Famous Birthdays
1291 – Philippe de Vitry, French composer and poet, born in Paris (d. 1361)
1941 – Derek Bell, British racing driver, born in Pinner, Middlesex, England
1941 – Lucas Brown Jackson, American basketball player (Olympic gold 1964), born in San Marcos, Texas
1957 – Robert Pollard, American rocker (Guided by Voices), born in Dayton, Ohio
1970 – Craig Kelly, English actor (Queer as Folk, Coronation Street), born in Lytham St Annes, England
1994 – Spencer Achtymichuk, Canadian actor (The Final Cut)
Famous Deaths
1977 – Joan Tetzel, American actress (Hell Below Zero, Joy in the Morning), dies of cancer at 56
1994 – John Wyndham Pope-Hennessy, English art historian and director of British Museum (1974-76), dies at 80
2005 – John “Beatz” Holohan, American drummer (Bayside), dies in an auto accident at 31
2009 – Tom Wheatcroft, English businessman and car collector (Donington Grand Prix Collection ), dies at 87
2012 – Brian Cobby, British actor (Evita, The Nudist Story) and the first male voice of the British speaking clock, dies from health complications at 83
2018 – Willie McCovey, American Baseball Hall of Fame 1st baseman (6 x MLB All Star; NL MVP 1969; NL home run leader 1963, 68, 69; SF Giants), dies of an infection at 80
Famous Deaths for 30th October 2020
1654 – Emperor Go-Kōmyō, 110th emperor of Japan, dies at 21
1867 – John Albion Andrew, American politician (25th Governor of Massachusetts), dies at 49
1912 – James S. Sherman, 27th Vice President of the United States (1909-1912), dies at 57
1923 – Andrew Bonar Law, British Prime Minister (Conservative: 1922-23), dies of throat cancer at 64
1957 – Fred Beebe, baseball player (b. 1880)
1984 – June Duprez, actress (Calcutta, Tiger Fang), dies at 66
1996 – John Young, Scottish actor and TV panelist (Masquerade Party), dies at 80
2004 – Margaret O’Rene “Peggy” Ryan, American dancer and actress (Hawaii Five-0), dies at 80
2009 – Claude Lévi-Strauss, French social anthropologist and ethnologist (structuralism), dies at 100
2013 – Pete Haycock, English guitarist, dies at 62
Historical Events for 30th October 2020
1137 – Battle of Rignano between Ranulf of Apulia and Roger II of Sicily.
1389 – French King Charles VI visits pope Clemens VII
1871 – Philadelphia Athletics beat Chicago for 1st National Association baseball pennant
1944 – Scots Highlanders liberate Waalwijk
1944 – Aaron Copland’s ballet score “Appalachian Spring” premieres in Washington, D.C. with Martha Graham dancing lead role
1948 – 20 die and 6,000 made ill by smog in Donora, Pennsylvania
1974 – California Angel Nolan Ryan throws fastest recorded pitch (100.9 MPH)
1994 – Thomas Nicely reports bug in Intel’s Pentium-processor on the Internet
1997 – Shirley Allen, 51, held Illinois police off for 39 days captured
2015 – Breeders’ Cup Horse Racing, Keeneland Racetrack; Day 1 winners: Hit It A Bomb, Liam’s Map, Catch A Glimpse, Stopchargingmaria