Author: gil7

Today in History for 1st April 2026

Historical Events

1064 – The body of the first bishop of Tournai, Saint Eleutherius of Tournai, is translated (moved)
1924 – The Royal Canadian Air Force officially forms
1973 – Despite a final round, 5-3 loss to Montreal, Boston Bruins center Phil Esposito wins his third consecutive NHL scoring title with 130 points from 55 goals and 75 assists in the 78-game season
1995 – Carlson Wagonlit Travel Agency begins charging a $15 service fee
1999 – Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown wins his 900th pro game with an 88-84 win over Miami Heat; Brown record: 671-547 NBA, 229-107 ABA, combined 900-654

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Famous Birthdays

1858 – Arnold Aletrino, Dutch physician, criminologist, and author (From Life), born in Amsterdam (d. 1916)
1947 – Norm Van Lier, American basketball point guard (NBA All-Star 1974, 76, 77; Chicago Bulls) and broadcaster (Comcast SportsNet), born in East Liverpool, Ohio (d. 2009)
1952 – Bernard Stiegler, French philosopher and founder of the Institute of Research and Innovation (2006), born in Villebon-sur-Yvette, France (d. 2020)
1974 – Richard Christy, American heavy metal drummer (Charred Walls of the Damned), and radio personality (The Howard Stern Show), born in Fort Scott, Kansas, U.S.
1987 – Ding Junhui, Chinese snooker player (Masters 2011; Shanghai Masters 2013, 16; UK C’ships 2005, 09, 19), born in Yixing, Jiangsu, China

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Famous Deaths

1799 – Narciso Casanovas, composer, dies at 52
1901 – François-Marie Raoult, French physicist and chemist (Law of Raoult), dies at 70
1987 – Henri Cochet, French tennis player (French Open 1926, 28, 30, 32; Wimbledon 1927, 29; US Open 1928), dies at 85
1990 – Russell Vis, American Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold freestyle lightweight 1924), dies at 89
2020 – Adam Schlesinger, American rock musician (Fountains Of Wayne) and songwriter (That Thing You Do), dies of COVID-19 complications at 52

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Famous Deaths for 31st March 2026

1631 – John Donne, Metaphysical poet, dies (birth date unknown)
1917 – Emil Adolf von Behring, German physician, won the first Nobel Prize for Physics (1901) for his serum to cure diphtheria, dies at 63
1934 – Franz Ehrle, German Jesuit and Vatican librarian (modernised the Vatican Library), dies at 88
1945 – Maurice Rose, American army officer (WWI; WWII), highest-ranking American killed by enemy fire in Europe, dies at 45
1957 – Gene Lockhart, American actor (Going My Way), dies at 65
1968 – Grover Lowdermilk, American MLB baseball pitcher (St. Louis Browns, Detroit Tigers, and 4 other teams), dies at 83
1995 – Carl Story, American bluegrass musician (Rambling Mountaineers), dies at 78
1996 – Dante Giacosa, Italian engineer and automobile designer (Fiat), dies at 91
1997 – Friedrich Hund, German physicist who worked on atoms and molecules (Hund’s Law), dies at 101
2023 – John Brockington, American football running back (First-team All-Pro 1971, 73; Pro Bowl 1971, 72, 73; Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs), dies at 74

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Historical Events for 31st March 2026

1084 – Anti-pope Clement crowns German King Hendrik IV as Holy Roman Emperor
1862 – Civil War action at Island #10 on Mississippi River
1909 – National Baseball Commission rules players who jump contracts to be suspended for 5 years; players joining outlaw organizations suspended for 3 years
1951 – US tanks exceed 38° of latitude in Korea
1966 – 25,000 anti war demonstrators march in NYC
1978 – Wings release “London Town” album
1982 – Arkas tanker at Montz La, spills 1.47 million gallons of oil
1985 – El Salvador’s President José Napoleón Duarte’ Christian Democratic Party wins election

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Today in History for 31st March 2026

Historical Events

1969 – George Harrison and Pattie Boyd are fined £250 each for possession of illegal drugs
1970 – Federal bankruptcy court allows Seattle Pilots to be sold to Milwaukee
1997 – “Daytime to Remember” a series showing old soaps premieres on ABC-TV
2004 – In Fallujah, Iraq, 4 American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed and their bodies mutilated after being ambushed
2020 – British pensioner Robert Weighton becomes the world’s oldest man at 112 years

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Famous Birthdays

1891 – Victor Varconi, Hungarian actor (Divine Lady; King of Kings; Big City), born in Kisvárda, Austria-Hungary (d. 1976)
1893 – Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor (Vienna State Opera; Berlin State Opera), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1954)
1945 – Edwin Catmull. American computer scientist and film animator (co-founder of Pixar; President of Walt Disney Animation Studios, 2006-18), born in Parkersburg, West Virginia
1947 – John Poulos, American drummer (The Buckinghams – “Kind Of A Drag”), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1980)
1982 – Tal Ben Haim, Israeli soccer defender (Israel 96 caps), born in Rishon LeZion, Israel

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Famous Deaths

1703 – Johann Christoph Bach, German harpsichordist and composer, dies at 60
1997 – Laxmishankar Pathak, Indian-born British food retailer (Pataks foods), dies at 62
2003 – George Conner, American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame tackle / linebacker (Pro Bowl 1950–53; First-team All-Pro 1950–53, 55; Chicago Bears), dies at 78
2009 – Jarl Alfredius, Swedish news anchor (b. 1943)
2024 – Barbara Rush, American stage and screen actress (Peyton Place – “Marsha”; It Came From Outer Space; Flamingo Road), dies at 97

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Famous Deaths for 30th March 2026

1202 – Joachim of Fiore, Italian Catholic mystic and Christian theologian who founded the Abbey of San Giovanni di Fiore and wrote prophecies of the three ages of human history, dies at about 66 or 67
1949 – Dattaram Hindlekar, Indian cricket wicketkeeper (4 Tests, 3 dismissals; Bombay), dies at 40
1966 – Erwin Piscator, German theater and film director (Nathan the Wise; Revolt of the Fishermen), dies at 72
1967 – Jean Toomer, American poet and novelist (Cane, Blue Meridian), dies at 72
1972 – Peter Whitney, American actor (Rough Riders), dies at 55
1979 – José María Velasco Ibarra, Ecuadorian politician, who served as president 5 times (1934-72), dies at 86
1984 – Peter Yarrall, strongest Englishman (weighed 826 lb (374.7 kg), dies
1984 – Hollis Frampton, American photographer and experimental filmmaker (Zorns Lemma, Critical Mass), dies of cancer at 48
1998 – Ramsay Ames [Phillips], American actress, model and dancer (The Mummy’s Ghost; Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves), dies of lung cancer at 79
2004 – Hubert Gregg, British broadcaster (b. 1914)

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Historical Events for 30th March 2026

1814 – Joachim Murat issues the Rimini Declaration, which later inspires Italian unification
1864 – Skirmish at Mount Elba, Arkansas
1900 – 62nd Grand National: Algy Anthony wins aboard Ambush II; owner is Prince Of Wales (King Edward VII)
1942 – SS murders 200 inmates of Trawniki concentration camp
1983 – New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) begins trading in crude oil future
1992 – CBS TV premieres overnight news program “Up To The Minute”
2012 – American Mega Millions lottery hits a world record lottery amount of 640 million dollars
2022 – State memorial service held for Australian cricketing great Shane Warne at Melbourne Cricket Ground, attended by 50,000

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Today in History for 30th March 2026

Historical Events

1909 – New York’s Queensboro Bridge opens, linking Manhattan and Queens
1922 – KGY-AM in Olympia WA begins radio transmissions
1945 – World War II: a defecting German pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1 to Americans
1946 – Last Test Cricket appearance of Bill O’Reilly (5-14 and 3-19)
1997 – TV network Channel 5 begins broadcasting in the UK

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Famous Birthdays

1835 – Bernhard Scholz, German composer, conductor, and pedagogue, born in Mainz, Grand Duchy of Hesse (d. 1916)
1906 – Max Tishler, American organic chemist at Merck who synthesized Vitamin B2 and developed antibiotic for poultry, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1989)
1926 – Lord Rayner [Derek Rayner], British businessman and chief executive (Marks and Spencer), born in Norwich, Norfolk (d. 1998)
1948 – Justin Deas, American actor (As The World Turns, Santa Barbara), born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania
1964 – Vlado Bozinovski, Yugoslavian-Australian footballer, born in Ohrid, SFR Yugoslavia

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Famous Deaths

1959 – Riccardo Zanella, president of Free State of Fiume (b. 1875)
1969 – Lucien Bianchi, Italian-Belgian auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1968), dies during Le Mans testing accident at 34
1976 – Jacqueline Royaards-Sandberg, Dutch actress (Hostage Rights), dies at 99
2003 – Valentin Pavlov, Russian politician and Prime Minister of the Soviet Union (1991), dies at 65
2010 – Martin Sandberger, German military officer (b. 1911)

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Famous Deaths for 29th March 2026

1629 – Jacob de Gheyn II, Dutch artist (b. 1565)
1788 – Charles Wesley, British Methodist leader (brother of John Wesley) and hymn writer (Hark! The Herald Angels Sing), dies at 80
1792 – Gustav III, King of Sweden (1771-92), dies of septicemia at 46 after being shot by an assassin thirteen days earlier
1945 – Ferenc Csik, Hungarian swimmer (Olympics gold medal 100m freestyle 1936), dies of war wounds at 31
1956 – Infante Alfonso of Spain, younger brother of King Juan Carlos, dies from an accidental gunshot at 14
1959 – Sara Wennerberg-Reuter, Swedish composer, dies at 84
1979 – Ray Ventura, French jazz pianist and big band bandleader (“Tout va très bien, Madame la Marquise”), dies at 69
1994 – Bill Travers [William Inge Lindon-Travers], British actor, director, officer and animal rights activist (Born Free, Gorgo), dies at 72
2003 – Carlo Urbani, Italian physician (SARS) (b. 1956)
2014 – Hobart “Hobie” Alter, American surf and sailing entrepreneur (created the Hobie Cat catamaran), dies of cancer at 80

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Historical Events for 29th March 2026

1798 – Republic of Switzerland forms
1809 – King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden abdicates after a coup d’état. At the Diet of Porvoo, Finland’s four Estates pledge allegiance to Alexander I of Russia, commencing the secession of the Grand Duchy of Finland from Sweden.
1867 – British North America Act (Canadian constitution) is given Royal Assent
1960 – Darius Milhaud’s 9th Symphony, premieres by the Fort Lauderdale Symphony Orchestra and with conductor Mario di Bonaventura
1986 – Records by The Beatles officially go on sale in Russia more than two decades after their release in the West
1993 – Queensland all out for 75 v NSW in Sheffield Shield Final
1998 – Nabisco Dinah Shore Women’s Golf, Mission Hills CC: Pat Hurst wins her only major title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Helen Dobson after sinking a 5-foot birdie putt at the final green
2007 – Rihanna releases her hit single “Umbrella” featuring Jay-Z, goes to No. 1 on US Billboard Hot 100 for 7 weeks

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Today in History for 29th March 2026

Historical Events

1867 – British North America Act (Canadian constitution) is given Royal Assent
1951 – 23rd Academy Awards: “All About Eve”, Judy Holliday and José Ferrer win
1988 – US Congress discontinues aid to Nicaraguan contras
1989 – 9th Golden Raspberry Awards: “Cocktail” wins
2015 – WrestleMania XXXI, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA (76,976): Seth Rollins beats Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns in impromptu triple threat match to capture WWE Heavyweight title

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Famous Birthdays

1891 – Ivan Goll, French-German writer (the Landless John), born in Saint-Dié (d. 1950)
1909 – Yvonne Waegemans, Flemish writer (Gnome Patjoepelke), born in Flanders (d. 1991)
1944 – Nana Akufo-Addo [William Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo], Ghanaian politician, President of Ghana (2017-), born in Accra, Gold Coast
1960 – Annabella Sciorra, American actress (The Sopranos), born in Brooklyn, New York
1973 – Marc Overmars, Dutch soccer winger (86 caps; Ajax, Arsenal, FC Barcelona) and executive (director of football Royal Antwerp FC), born in Emst, Netherlands

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Famous Deaths

1800 – Marc René, Marquis de Montalembert, French military engineer and writer, dies at 85
1911 – Alexandre Guilmant, French organist (La Trinitié, 1871-901), composer and pedagogue (Schola Cantorum, 1894-1911), dies at 74
1945 – Karl Sapper, German traveller, explorer, and natural historian, dies at 79
1955 – Zlatko Baloković, Croatian-American concert violinist, dies at 69
1985 – Gerhard Stöck, German athlete (Olympic gold javelin, bronze shot put 1936), dies at 73

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