1351 – Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali, Sultan of Morocco (b. circa 1297)
1749 – Graf Valentin Potocki, Polish nobleman
1843 – Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician, dies at 78
1861 – Elmer E. Ellsworth, American soldier who was the 1st Union officer killed in the American Civil War, dies at 24
1948 – Jacques Feyder, Belgian director and screenwriter (b. 1885)
1966 – Jim Barnes, English golfing pioneer (4 major wins), dies at 80
1966 – Emil Fahrenkamp, German architect (Shell-Haus in Berlin), dies at 80
1976 – Melle Oldeboerrigter, Dutch painter and cartoonist, dies at 65
1996 – Joseph Mitchell, American writer (Joe Gould’s Secret), dies at 87
1996 – Jacob Druckman, American composer, dies at 67
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 24th May 2020
1658 – Battle of Dunes (Spanish-French War) fought
1689 – English Parliament guarantees freedom of religion for Protestants
1873 – Alexandra Palace opens on Queen Victoria’s 54th birthday with a grand celebration including concerts, recitals and fireworks
1921 – Bulhoek Massacre: police commissioner Colonel Theodore Truter leads 6 squadrons and artillery detachment against Israelite religious sect collected at annual gathering on land of leader Enoch Mgijima at Ntabalanga; 190 killed
1923 – Stanley Baldwin succeeds Andrew Bonar Law as British Prime Minister
1943 – Admiral Donitz stops U-boat in Atlantic Ocean
1954 – 1st rocket attains 150 mi (241 km) altitude, White Sands, New Mexico
1960 – 1 millionth Dutch telephone installed
1968 – Haiti closes down shortwave station 4VEH for 40 days
1988 – John Moschitta set record for fast talking: 586 words per minute
Today in History for 24th May 2020
Historical Events
1899 – 1st auto repair shop opens (Boston)
1901 – Seventy-eight miners die in the Caerphilly pit disaster in South Wales
1953 – Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Doctor Mellifluus
1957 – Anti-American riots breakout in Taipei, Taiwan
1966 – “Mame” opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 1508 performances
2008 – 53rd Eurovision Song Contest: Dima Bilan for Russia wins singing “Believe” in Belgrade
Famous Birthdays
1891 – William F. Albright, American old testament scholar and archaeologist, born in Coquimbo, Chile (d. 1971)
1899 – Henri Michaux, Belgian-born French poet and writer (Miserable Miracle), born in Namur, Belgium (d. 1984)
1917 – Derek Hodgson, British high court judge, born in Whitefield, Manchester (d. 2002)
1963 – Rich Rodriguez, American football coach, born in Grant Town, West Virginia
1974 – Maria Alejandra Vento, Venezuelan tennis star (1995 Futures-Braz), born in Caracas
1984 – Sarah Hagan, American actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), born in Austin, Texas
Famous Deaths
1749 – Graf Valentin Potocki, Polish nobleman
1861 – Elmer E. Ellsworth, American soldier who was the 1st Union officer killed in the American Civil War, dies at 24
1872 – Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter and designer who figured importantly in the German Nazarene movement, dies at 78
1953 – Cor Hermus, Dutch actor, director and writer (Bleeke Bet, William of Orange, Jantes), dies at 63
1972 – Asta Nielsen, actress (Joyless Street), dies at 88
1986 – Stephen D Thorne, Lt Cmdr USN/astronaut, dies in a plane crash at 33
Famous Deaths for 23rd May 2020
1498 – Girolamo Savonarola, Italian preacher and dictator of Florence (1494-98), hanged at 45
1648 – Luis de Nain, painter, dies
1897 – Aleko Konstantinov, Bulgarian writer (To Chicago and Back), dies at 34
1967 – Sanne Sannes, photographer, dies at 30
1969 – Jimmy McHugh, American composer (Can’t Give You Anything But Love), dies at 74
1991 – Jean van Houte, Belgian premier, dies
1992 – Atahualpa Yupanqui, Argentine singer, composer, and guitarist, dies at 84
1994 – Ray Candy, American professional wrestler, dies from a heart attack at 42
2002 – Sam Snead, American golfer ((7 PGA Tour major titles; US Masters 1949, 52, 54), dies of a stroke at 89
2009 – Roh Moo-hyun, 16th President of the Republic of Korea (b. 1946)
Historical Events for 23rd May 2020
1568 – The Netherlands declares independence from Spain
1611 – Matthias von Habsburg chosen King of Bohemia
1922 – Harry Greb gives Gene Tunney his only professional boxing defeat
1947 – PC Hooft prize forms for literature
1975 – 28th Cannes Film Festival: “Chronicle of the Years of Fire” directed by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina wins the Palme d’Or
1980 – Horror film “The Shining” released directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, based on book by Stephen King
1982 – BBC warns Britain will bomb Argentina
1989 – Lincoln Square in Bronx named
2001 – 9th UEFA Champions League Final: Bayern Munich beats Valencia (1-1, 5-4 on penalties) at Milan
2016 – Chinese archaeologists announce findings of earliest use of barley in China to make beer, Shaanxi province 3400-2900 BC
Today in History for 23rd May 2020
Historical Events
1774 – Chestertown tea party occurs (tea dumped into Chester River)
1883 – Baseball game between one-armed and one-legged players at Recreation Park, Philadelphia, Snorkeys defeat the Hoppers 33-17
1967 – Government bans submarines near South Africa
1970 – San Diego Padres beat SF Giants 17-16 in 15 innings
2019 – Prototype of new high-speed train that will float above the track, capable of travelling 600km an hour (370 mph), unveiled by Chinese Railway Rolling Stock Corporation in Qingdao
2019 – More than 170 tornadoes reported in a week in US states of Missouri, Oklahoma and Iowa, killing seven and causing widespread damage
Famous Birthdays
1929 – Joe Modise, South African commandant of Umkhonto we Sizwe (1965- )
1929 – Ulla Jacobsson, Swedish actress (Zulu, One Summer of Happiness), born in Gothenburg, Sweden (d. 1982)
1944 – Ramon “Tiki” Fulwood, US drummer (Funkadelic, Knee Deep)
1965 – Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo, Real Madrid footballer
1971 – Issac Booth, NFL cornerback/safety (Cleveland Browns)
1971 – Joseph Rogers, CFL receiver (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
Famous Deaths
1691 – Adrien Auzout, French astronomer (b. 1622)
1891 – Ignace Leybach, French pianist and composer, dies at 73
1941 – Slavko Osterc, Slovenian composer, dies at 45
1988 – Andreas Liebenberg, South African military commander, dies at 60
2010 – Leonida Georgievna, Grand Duchess Of Russia (b. 1914)
2015 – John Nash, American mathematician (subject of movie “A Beautiful Mind”) and Nobel laureate, dies in a car crash at 86
Famous Deaths for 22nd May 2020
1688 – Johann A Quenstedt, German Lutherian theologist, dies at 70
1868 – Julius Plucker, German mathematician/physicist (formula of P), dies
1880 – Heinrich von Gagern, German liberal politician, dies at 80
1978 – Bjarne Brustad, Norwegian composer, dies at 83
1984 – John Marley, actor (Cat Ballou), dies at 77 following heart surgery
1989 – Steven DeGroote, South African classical pianist (b. 1953)
1990 – Max Wall, actor (Jabberwocky), dies
2017 – Dina Merrill, American actress (Operation Petticoat, Butterfield 8), dies at 93
2017 – Nicky Hayden, American motorcycle racer (MotoGP Champion 2006), dies after being hit by a car at 35
2018 – Dave Garcia, MLB manager (California Angels, Cleveland Indians), dies at 97
Historical Events for 22nd May 2020
1819 – 1st steam propelled vessel to cross Atlantic (Savannah leaves Ga)
1915 – Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, only mountain other than Mount St. Helens, to erupt in the continental US during the 20th century
1950 – Dutch poet Gerrit Achterberg wins PC Hooft prize
1962 – Roger Maris walks 5 times (record 4 intentionally) in a 9 inning game
1963 – European Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London: José Altafini scores twice as AC Milan edge Benfica, 2-1 for first title to an Italian club
1979 – Commencement of 1st ICC Trophy (PNG v East Africa and Singapore v Argentina)
1990 – Microsoft releases Windows 3.0
1990 – Dow Jones avg hits a record 2,852.23
2005 – 58th Cannes Film Festival: “The Child” directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne wins the Palme d’Or
2016 – Independent Alexander Van der Bellen defeats Freedom Party’s Norbert Hofer by just 31,000 votes to become President in Austrian elections
Today in History for 22nd May 2020
Historical Events
1883 – Cubs’ Billy Sunday’s 1st at bat, begins 14 consecutive strikes out
1902 – 36th Belmont: John Bullman aboard Mastermam wins in 2:22.6
1936 – Aer Lingus (Aer Loingeas) is founded by the Irish government as the national airline of the Republic of Ireland
1945 – NSB-Fuhrer Rost van Tonningen makes failed suicide attempt
1945 – 6th US Marine division reaches suburbs of Naha Okinawa
1946 – First US rocket (WAC Corporal) to reach edge of space fired from White Sands Missile Range New Mexico
Famous Birthdays
1865 – Enric Morera i Viura, Spanish musician and composer, born in Barcelona (d. 1942)
1927 – Michael Constantine, American actor (Room 222, Don’t Drink the Water), born in Reading, Pennsylvania
1936 – George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (helped invent LCD displays), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2014)
1941 – Sebastian Forbes, British conductor, composer and music professor (The Aeolian Singers), born in Buckinghamshire, England
1942 – Malika Sabirova, Soviet Tajik ballet dancer, born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (d. 1982)
1974 – Sean Gunn, American actor
Famous Deaths
1802 – Martha Washington, 1st US First Lady (1789-97), dies at 70
1868 – Julius Plucker, German mathematician/physicist (formula of P), dies
1965 – Heinrich Barth, Swiss philosopher (Das Sein in der Zeit), dies
1972 – Cecil Day-Lewis, Irish poet (British Poet Laureate 1968-72) and detective writer (Nicholas Blake), dies of cancer at 68
2012 – Wesley Brown, 1st African American US Naval Academy graduate, dies at 85
2013 – Henri Dutilleux, French composer (Tout un monde lointain, L’arbre des songes), dies at 97
Famous Deaths for 21st May 2020
1690 – John Eliot, English missionary in Massachusetts, dies at 85
1810 – Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée d’Éon de Beaumont, French spy, dies at 81
1965 – Geoffrey de Havilland, British aircraft designer, dies at 82
1981 – Raymond Mccreesh, Irish hunger striker (b. 1957)
1990 – Franklyn Seales, actor (Silver Spoon, Onion Field), dies of AIDS at 37
1992 – Elizabeth David, British cookbook writer, dies
1996 – Alfred “Lash” LaRue, American actor (Lash of the West, Wyatt Earp), dies of emphysema at 78
1996 – Peter Fletcher, music teacher, dies at 60
2000 – Mark R. Hughes, American entrepreneur (b. 1956)
2013 – Trevor Bolder, British rock musician and record producer (Uriah Heep, The Spiders from Mars), dies from cancer at 62