Author: gil7

Today in History for 4th May 2020

Historical Events

1303 – Flemings conquers Middelburg
1783 – Herschel reports seeing a red glow near lunar crater Aristarchus
1919 – 1st legal Sunday baseball game in NYC, 35,000 watch the Phillies beat the NY Giants 4-3
1967 – Lunar Orbiter 4 launched by US; begins orbiting Moon May 7
1981 – Rockline premieres on KLOS FM in Los Angeles
2014 – Juan Carlos Varela is elected President of Panama

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1796 – William H. Prescott, American historian, born in Salem, Massachusetts (d. 1859)
1921 – Virginia “Patsy” Garrett, American singer and actress (Nanny and the Professor, Fred Waring’s Pleasure Time), born in Atlantic City, New Jersey (d. 2015)
1954 – Marilyn Martin, American singer-songwriter (Separate Lives), born in Tennessee
1955 – Robert Ellis Orrall, American singer and songwriter, born in Winthrop, Massachusetts
1966 – Jane McGrath, British-Australian co-founder of the McGrath Foundation for breast cancer, born in Paignton, Devon (d. 2008)
1984 – Kevin Slowey, American baseball player, born in Conroe, Texas

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1471 – Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset, English military commander (executed)
1855 – Camille Pleyel, Austria piano builder/composer, dies at 66
1893 – George Washington Hewitt, composer, dies at 82
1971 – Louis de Bree [Louis Davids], actor (De man zonder hart, The Cross-Patch, Bluejackets), dies at 87
2001 – Bonnie Lee Bakley, American murder victim (b. 1956)
2018 – Barnet Fain, American businessman and artist, dies at 86

More Famous Deaths »

Famous Deaths for 3rd May 2020

1622 – Pedro Páez, Spanish Jesuit missionary (b. 1564)
1839 – Ferdinando Paer, composer, dies at 67
1863 – Elisha Franklin “Bull” Paxton, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 35
1965 – Howard Spring, British author (Heaven Lies About Us), dies at 76
1969 – Imre Vincze, Hungarian composer, dies at 42
1992 – Peter Bruni, dies of heart failure at 60
2018 – Junior Rodriguez, American politician, dies at 82
2018 – Joe Scannella, American football coach (Oakland Raiders, Montreal Alouettes, Cleveland Browns), dies at 89
2018 – Bob Prewitt, American college basketball coach (SMU Mustangs), dies at 93
2018 – Paolo Signorelli, Italian footballer, dies at 79

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events for 3rd May 2020

1715 – Edmond Halley observes total eclipse phenomenon “Baily’s Beads”
1802 – Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city
1851 – Sixth major fire in San Francisco destroys 1500-2000 buildings
1916 – Irish Nationalists Patrick Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh and Thomas Clarke are executed by firing squad following their involvement in the Easter Rising
1932 – 24 tourists begin 1st air-charter holiday (London-Basle, Switzerland)
1956 – Frank Loesser’s musical “Most Happy Fella” opens at Imperial Theater NYC for 678 performances
1959 – Tiger’s Charlie Maxwell hits 4 consecutive HRs in a doubleheader
1980 – Giants 1st baseman Willie McCovey hits his 521st and final HR
1981 – “Moony, Shapiro Songbook” opens and closes at Morosco Theater NYC
1992 – NY Met Eddie Murray is 24th to hit 400 HRs

More Historical Events »

Today in History for 3rd May 2020

Historical Events

1382 – Battle of Beverhoutsveld near Bruges in modern-day Belgium – the army of Ghent beats a drunken Bruges militia
1916 – Irish Nationalists Patrick Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh and Thomas Clarke are executed by firing squad following their involvement in the Easter Rising
1942 – Japanese troop attack Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo, Solomon Islands during WWII
1948 – 1st broadcast of “CBS Evening News” – longest running network news show in the US
1981 – “Moony, Shapiro Songbook” opens and closes at Morosco Theater NYC
1997 – 123rd Kentucky Derby: Gary Stevens aboard Silver Charm wins in 2:02.3

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1876 – Bert Hopkins, Australian cricketer (Australian pace bowler of the 1900’s), born in Young, New South Wales (d. 1931)
1898 – Septima Poinsette Clark, American educator and civil rights activist, born in CHarleston, South Carolina (d. 1987)
1905 – Albrecht Luitpold Ferdinand Michael, duke of Bavaria, born in Munich, German Empire (d. 1996)
1907 – Earl Wilson, American journalist and columnist (Midnight Earl), born in Rockford, Ohio (d. 1987)
1919 – Pete Seeger, American folk singer (The Weavers – Goodnight Irene) and activist, helped create the modern American folk music movement, born in NYC, New York (d. 2014)
1963 – Jeff Hornacek, American basketball player and coach, born in Elmhurst, Illinois

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1442 – Engelbert I, Earl of Nassau-Dillenburg, dies
1752 – Samuel Ogle, British provincial Governor of Maryland (b. c. 1692)
1792 – Carlo Zuccari, Italian composer and violinist, dies at 87
1992 – Peter Bruni, dies of heart failure at 60
1999 – Joe Adcock, American baseball utility, manager (Milwaukee Braves; 2-time MLB All Star), dies of Alzheimer’s disease at 71
2018 – H. Basil S. Cooke, South African-Canadian geologist and paleontologist, dies at 102

More Famous Deaths »

Famous Deaths for 2nd May 2020

1969 – Franz von Papen, German diplomat and chancellor (1932), dies at 89
1980 – Clarrie Grimmett, cricket (36 Tests for Australia, 216 wickets), dies
1989 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian writer (b. 1902)
1993 – Julio Gallo, wine maker (Gallo), dies in a car accident at 82
2005 – Wee Kim Wee, 4th President of Singapore (b. 1915)
2008 – Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (Iris-Another World, Guiding Light), dies at 72
2015 – Guy Carawan, American folk singer and folklorist (We Shall Overcome) dies at 87
2018 – Tony Cucchiara, Italian folk singer and songwriter (Cain and Abel), dies at 80
2018 – Harald Range, German jurist (Attorney General, 2011–2015), dies at 70
2018 – Sir Keith Williamson, British air force commander (Chief of the Air Staff, 1982–1985), dies at 90

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events for 2nd May 2020

1776 – France and Spain agreed to give weapons to American rebels
1876 – Ross Barnes hit 1st home run in National League
1943 – German troops vacate Jefna, Tunisia
1947 – Eugene O’Neill’s “Moon for the Misbegotten” premieres in NYC
1967 – Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: Terry Sawchuk makes 40 saves as Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 in Game 6 to take title, 4-2
1983 – 6.7 earthquake injures 487 in Coalinga, California
1997 – Police arrest transsexual prostitute Atisone Seiuli with Eddie Murphy
2002 – Marad massacre of eight Hindus near Palakkad in Kerala
2011 – The 2011 E. coli O104:H4 outbreak strikes Europe, mostly in Germany, leaving more than 30 people dead and many others sick from the bacteria outbreak.
2019 – Drone delivers a kidney for transplant surgery in Baltimore, Maryland, for the first time

More Historical Events »

Today in History for 2nd May 2020

Historical Events

1853 – Franconi’s Hippodrome opens in New York City
1869 – The Folies Trévise (later cabaret hall Folies Bergère) opens as an opera house in Paris, France
1972 – 126 killed in an electrical fire in Sunshine Silver mine, Kellogg, Idaho
1979 – -May 10] Vivekananda (Sri Lanka) begins nonstop ride, cycling 187 hrs, 28 min, around Vihara Maha Devi Park, Colombo, Sri Lanka
1980 – Pope John Paul II begins African tour
1988 – Baltimore Orioles sign a 15 year lease to remain in Baltimore and get a new park

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1857 – Frederic Cliffe, English composer, born in Bradford, Yorkshire (d. 1931)
1901 – Bob Wyatt, English cricketer (1927-37), born in Surrey (d. 1995)
1937 – Lorenzo Music, American writer, actor and voice actor (Carlton-Rhoda, Garfield), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2001)
1944 – Franz Innerhofer, Austrian writer (Beautiful Days), born in Krimml, Salzberg
1950 – Duncan Gay, Australian politician, Vice-President of the Executive Council (2014-17), born in Crookwell, New South Wales
1961 – Doctor Robert [Bruce Robert Howard], Scottish singer-songwriter (The Blow Monkeys), born in Haddington, Scotland

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1736 – Albert Seba, Amsterdam pharmacist, dies at 71
1969 – Franz von Papen, German diplomat and chancellor (1932), dies at 89
1979 – Giulio Natta, Italian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
1985 – Hal LeRoy, dancer/actor (Harold Teen), dies at 71 after surgery
1990 – Oleg Anatolyevich Yakovlev, Russian cosmonaut, dies at 49
2015 – Ruth Rendell, English thriller writer (Inspector Wexford novels), dies at 85

More Famous Deaths »

Famous Deaths for 1st May 2020

1118 – Matilda of Scotland [Edith], first wife of Henry I of England, dies at 38
1240 – Jacques de Vitry, Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati and dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals
1926 – Nicolaus Adriani, Dutch translator (Middle-Celebes Language), dies at 60
1968 – Jack Adams, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Vancouver Millionaires, Toronto St. Patricks; Ottawa Senators) and coach / general manager (Detroit Red Wings), dies at 73
1971 – Glenda Farrell, actress (Grand Slam, Exposed), dies at 66
1994 – Ayrton Senna, Brazilian auto racer (World F1 champion 1988, 90, 91), dies in a crash at San Marino GP at 34
2008 – Deborah Jeane Palfrey, American escort owner, commits suicide at 52
2010 – Antonio Mastrogiovanni, Uruguayan composer, dies at 73
2017 – Sam Mele, American MLB outfielder/manager (Minnesota Twins record 102 wins 1965), dies at 95
2018 – Peter Temple-Morris, Baron Temple-Morris, British politician and life peer (MP for Leominster, 1974–2001), dies at 80

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events for 1st May 2020

1751 – The New York Gazette carries the first public report of a cricket match played in America (New York)
1863 – Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled first opens its doors
1883 – Bob Rogers is acknowledged as the first American pro sports trainer when he is hired by the NY Athletic Club
1909 – Netherlands begins unity with Belgium
1961 – Fidel Castro announces there will be no more elections in Cuba
1976 – 102nd Kentucky Derby: Angel Cordero Jr wins aboard Bold Forbes, the second of 3 Derby successes
1989 – 135 acre Disney’s MGM studio officially opens to public
1994 – “Rise and Fall of Little Voice” opens at Neil Simon NYC for 9 performances
2000 – President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declares existence of “a state of rebellion”, after thousands of supporters of her arrested predecessor, Joseph Estrada, storm towards the presidential palace at height of EDSA III rebellion
2008 – The London Agreement on translation of European patents, concluded in 2000, enters into force in 14 of the 34 Contracting States to the European Patent Convention.

More Historical Events »

Today in History for 1st May 2020

Historical Events

1928 – Pitcairn Airlines (later Eastern) begins service
1947 – Lt General Hoyt S Vandenberg, USA, ends term as 2nd head of CIA
1949 – Gerard Kuiper discovers Nereid, (2nd satellite of Neptune)
1963 – 1st American (James Whittaker) conquers Mount Everest
1988 – After scoring 50 points in Game 1, NBA Eastern Conference playoff series, Michael Jordan has 55 in Chicago Bulls 106-101 win vs Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2; first to score 50+ points in consecutive playoff games
2012 – Guggenheim Partners make the largest ever purchase of a sports franchise after buying the Los Angeles Dodgers for $2.1 billion

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1692 – James Stirling, Scottish mathematician (Formula of Stirling), born in this month in Stirlingshire, Scotland (d. 1770)
1939 – Frank Beard, American golfer (11 PGA Tour titles; US Open 1965, 75 3rd), born in Dallas, Texas
1954 – Taslim Arif, Pakistan cricket wicket-keeper (6 Tests; top score 210no v Aust 1980), born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan (d. 2008)
1979 – Mauro Bergamasco, Italian rugby union flanker (Italy 106 caps; Benetton Treviso, Stade Français), born in Padova, Italy
1980 – Zaz [Isabelle Geffroy], French singer-songwriter (Je veux), born in Tours, France
1992 – Matĕj Vydra, Czech Republic soccer striker (26 caps; Watford, Derby County, Burnley), born in Chotĕboř, Czech Republic

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1308 – Albrecht I van Habsburg, German King (1298-1308), murdered
1903 – Luigi Arditi, Italian violinist and composer, dies at 80
1976 – T.R.M. Howard, civil rights leader, entrepreneur, surgeon (b. 1908)
1988 – Paolo Stoppa, actor (Garibaldi, Visit, Freedom Fighters), dies
1996 – Asher Wallfish, journalist, dies at 67
2008 – Deborah Jeane Palfrey, American escort owner, commits suicide at 52

More Famous Deaths »