1905 – The steamer “Hilda” sinks in the English Channel (100 people drown)
1919 – US Senate rejects the Treaty of Versailles by a vote of 55 to 39; Congress two years later approves resolution ending hostilities with Germany and Austria-Hungary
1942 – Joseph Goebbels visits “German Theatre in the Netherlands”
1969 – Apollo 12’s Charles Conrad and Alan Bean become the 3rd and 4th humans on the Moon
1977 – Egyptian President Anwar Sadat arrives in Israel
1983 – Robert Whitney (79) conducts his final concert, leading the Louisville Orchestra at the opening of the Whitney Concert Hall at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts in Louisville, Kentucky
1994 – Aishwarya Rai, 21, of India, crowned 44th Miss World
2023 – Brazil records its highest-ever temperature – 44.8C (112.6F) in Araçuaí, Minas Gerais state
Author: gil7
Today in History for 19th November 2025
Historical Events
1816 – Warsaw University is established
1879 – National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders determines what “is” a trotter
1976 – George Harrison releases his single “This Song” on the album “Thirty Three and 1/3” as a direct and humorous response to the “My Sweet Lord”copyright lawsuit
1989 – US beats Trinidad, 1-0 qualifing for 1990 world soccer cup finals it was US’ 1st qualification since 1950
1991 – Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken wins his second American League MVP
Famous Birthdays
1722 – Benjamin Chew, Chief Justice of colonial Pennsylvania, born in Anne Arundel County, Maryland (d. 1810)
1946 – Joe Correro, American rock drummer (Paul Revere and The Raiders, 1967-71), born in Greenwood, Mississippi
1971 – Andy Sheets, American MLB infielder (Seattle Mariners), born in Baton Rouge, Louisana
1976 – Stylianos Venetidis, Greek soccer player, born in Orestiada, Greece
1977 – Davina Windsor [Lady], English daughter of Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and member of the Royal family, born in London, England
Famous Deaths
1951 – Pete Hill, American Baseball HOF outfielder (NgL lifetime batting average: .326) and manager (Detroit Stars, Baltimore Black Sox), dies at 69
1983 – Reinout Willem van Bemmelen, Dutch geologist, dies at 79
2001 – Marcelle Ferron, Canadian painter, stained glass artist, and major figure in the Quebec contemporary art scene, dies at 77
2012 – Warren Rudman, American politician (Sen-R-NH, 1980-93), dies at 82
2023 – Joss Ackland, British actor (To Kill a Priest, White Mischief), dies at 95
Famous Deaths for 18th November 2025
1154 – Adélaide de Maurienne, wife of Louis VI of France (b. 1092)
1559 – Cuthbert Tunstall, English churchman (b. 1474)
1785 – Louis Philip I, Duke of Orléans, French soldier and writer (b. 1725)
1814 – Aleijadinho ‘the Cripple’ [Antônio Francisco Lisboa], Brazilian architect and sculptor (São Francisco de Assis), dies at 76
1887 – Eduard Marxsen, German pianist and composer, dies at 81
1904 – Justus van Maurik, Dutch author and cigar manufacturer, dies at 58
1946 – Johnny Lush, American MLB baseball pitcher, 1904-10 (Philadelphia Phillies, St . Louis Cardinals 2 no-hitters – 1 official, 1 rain-shortened), dies at 61
1986 – Lajos Bárdos, Hungarian conductor, composer, musicologist and professor, dies at 87
1996 – Douglas Guest, British organist, choir master (Westminster Abbey, 1963-81), conductor, and composer (For the Fallen), dies at 80
2024 – Karl Kohn, Austrian-American pianist, composer, and educator (Pomona College), dies at 98
Historical Events for 18th November 2025
1105 – Maginulf is elected Antipope Sylvester IV
1494 – French King Charles VIII occupies Florence
1750 – The original Westminster Bridge across the River Thames in London is opened in a midnight ceremony
1958 – 1st true reservoir in Jerusalem opens
1959 – “Ben-Hur” directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston premieres in New York City (Academy Awards Best Picture 1960)
1970 – Russia lands self propelled rover on Moon
1997 – FBI says no evidence of foul play in 1996 TWA 800 crash
2012 – Brad Keselowski driving for Penske Racing finishes 5th in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway to clinch the Nascar Sprint Cup
Today in History for 18th November 2025
Historical Events
1958 – 1st true reservoir in Jerusalem opens
1966 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1971 – China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
1984 – CFL Grey Cup, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton: Winnipeg Blue Bombers beat Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 47-17; Winnipeg scores final 44 points of the game
2006 – 71st Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 22-15 in Tuscaloosa
Famous Birthdays
1736 – Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch, German composer, born in Zerbst, Anhalt-Zerbst, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1800)
1909 – Johnny Mercer, American singer, Academy Award-winning lyricist (“Moon River”; “That Old Black Magic”; “And the Angels Sing”: Come Rain Or Come Shine”), and record label executive (Capitol Records), born in Savannah, Georgia (d. 1976)
1923 – Ted Stevens, American politician (U.S. Senator from Alaska, 1968-2009), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 2010)
1945 – Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan politician, Prime Minister (2018-22) and President (2005-15), born in Weeraketiya, British Ceylon
1953 – Kevin Nealon, American actor (SNL, Hot Shot, Coneheads), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Famous Deaths
1904 – Justus van Maurik, Dutch author and cigar manufacturer, dies at 58
1969 – Léon Jongen, Belgian organist, composer, and academic, dies at 85
1972 – Danny Whitten, American rock guitarist and songwriter (Crazy Horse; Rod Stewart – “I Don’t Want To Talk About It”), dies of a methaqualone overdose at 29
1986 – Gia Carangi, American model (AIDS) (b. 1960)
1990 – Peter Schilperoort, saxophonist/clarinetist, dies
Famous Deaths for 17th November 2025
594 – St Gregory of Tours, Gallo-Roman chronicler and bishop (History of the Franks), dies at 55
1302 – St. Gertrude the Great, German Benedictine nun (b. 1256)
1905 – Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and son of Leopold I, dies at 68
1917 – Auguste Rodin, French sculptor (Baiser, Thinker), dies at 77
1943 – Paul Charles Rene Landormy, French musicologist, music critic, and composer, dies at 74
1947 – Victor Serge, Russian anarchist, novelist, and historian (b. 1890)
1986 – Georges Besse, French president-director of Renault, murdered
1991 – Kelly Jean Van Dyke-Nance, American actress, adult film performer and Jerry Van Dyke’s daughter, commits suicide at 33
1994 – G Waller, German/Swiss movie journalist (NRC/Variety), dies at 82
2018 – Richard Baker, English broadcaster (newsreader for BBC News, 1954-1982), dies at 93
Historical Events for 17th November 2025
1785 – Church of England organizes in New England
1798 – Beginning of a 5 day New England Blizzard that covers thousands of houses and kills hundreds
1863 – Abraham Lincoln begins first draft of his Gettysburg Address
1953 – St Louis Browns officially become the Baltimore Baseball Club Inc
1960 – New MLB Washington franchise is awarded to Elwood Quesada
2001 – 66th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 31-7 in Auburn
2013 – 50 people are killed after a Boeing 737 aircraft crashes in Kazan, Russia
2021 – Garbiñe Muguruza becomes first Spanish player to win WTA Finals defeating Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6–3, 7–5 in Zapopan, Mexico
Today in History for 17th November 2025
Historical Events
1917 – Vladimir Lenin defends “temporary” removal of freedom of the press
1966 – Leonids meteor shower peaks at over 150,000 per hour for 20 minutes, a storm so intense that some people think it is the end of the world
1980 – WHHM Television in Washington, D.C., becomes the first African-American public-broadcasting television station
1993 – General Sani Abacha leads a military coup against Ernest Shonekan’s transitional administration and returns the Nigerian government to military control
2001 – 66th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 31-7 in Auburn
Famous Birthdays
1899 – Douglas Shearer, Canadian film engineer, made technological sound advances in film at MGM, born in Quebec Westmount, Quebec, born in Westmount, Quebec (d. 1971)
1925 – Libby Newman, American artist, born in Rockland, Delaware (d. 2023)
1929 – Sumner White, US yachtsman (Olympic gold 1952), born in New York City (d. 1988)
1938 – Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk singer (“Sundown”; “The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald”), born in Orillia, Ontario (d. 2023)
1983 – Ryan Braun, American baseball player (Milwaukee Brewers), born in Los Angeles, California
Famous Deaths
1934 – Joachim Ringelnatz [Hans Bötticher], German writer and artist, dies at 51
1941 – Ernst Udet, German WWI pilot and notable flying ace who helped develop the Luftwaffe under the Nazi Party, commits suicide at 45
1992 – Audre Lorde, American writer, feminist and activist (Black Unicorn), dies of cancer at 58
2006 – Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian soccer forward (Hungary 85 caps, Spain 4; Real Madrid, Budapest Honvéd) and manager (Panathinaikos), dies of pneumonia at 79
2021 – Dave Frishberg, American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and lyricist (“I’m Just A Bill”; “Van Lingle Mungo”), dies at 88
Famous Deaths for 16th November 2025
1808 – Mustapha IV, sultan of Turkey (1807-08), dies at 29
1869 – Hamiora Pere is hanged for treason at the Terrace Gaol, Wellington – only New Zealander ever to be executed for treason
1884 – František Chvostek, Czech-Austrian military physician and medicinal lecturer, dies at 49
1980 – O. V. [Overton Vertis] Wright, American blues singer, dies at 41
1987 – Zubir Said, Singaporean composer who composed Singapore’s national anthem, dies at 80
1994 – John Boylan, American actor (Twin Peaks, Sleepless in Seattle), dies at 82
1994 – Dino Valenti [Chester Powers, Jr.], American rock guitarist and singer (Quicksilver Messenger Service – “Fresh Air”), dies at 57
1997 – Georges Marchais, French political leader (French Communist Party), dies at 77
2007 – Gene Golub, American mathematician known for his work on numerical analysis, dies at 75
2010 – Wyngard Tracy, Filipino talent manager (b. 1952)
Historical Events for 16th November 2025
1839 – US diplomat John Lloyd Stephens and British artist Frederick Catherwood first reach the ruins of the Maya city of Copan (modern Honduras)
1925 – American Association for Advancement of Atheism forms (NY)
1973 – Skylab 4 launched into Earth orbit
1978 – Major Indoor Soccer League holds its 1st draft
1990 – Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega claims the US denied him a fair trial
1995 – Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother undergoes hip surgery
2008 – 60th NASCAR Sprint Cup: Jimmie Johnson wins
2013 – Sachin Tendulkar plays his very last cricket match before retiring in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium against the West Indies