1701 – Domenico Guidi, Italian sculptor, dies at 75
1799 – Bendix Friedrich Zinck, Danish organist and composer, dies at 83
1891 – Dick Pilling, English cricket wicketkeeper (8 Tests, 14 dismissals; Lancashire CCC), dies of tuberculosis at 35
1931 – Ban Johnson, American Baseball HOF executive (founder and president of MLB American League, 1900-27), dies after a long illness at 67
1947 – Karol Świerczewski, Polish general who served the Soviet Union and Republican Spain, assassinated at 50
1975 – Renzo Massarani, Italian composer, dies at 77
1979 – Emmett Kelly, American circus clown (Weary Willy), dies at 80
1994 – Eugene Ionesco, Romanian-French playwright (Rhinoceros, Bald Soprano), dies at 84
2006 – Proinsias Ó Maonaigh, Irish musician (b. 1922)
2015 – Miroslav Ondříček, Czech BAFTA and Academy Award winning cinematographer (Amadeus; Ragtime), dies at 80
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 28th March 2026
1902 – 27.9 cm precipitation at McMinnville, Tennessee (state record)
1922 – Stanley Cup Final, Mutual Street Arena, Toronto, ON: Toronto St Patricks (NHL) beat Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA), 5-1 for a 3-2 series win
1930 – 1st performance of Walter Piston’s Suite for orchestra (Boston)
1942 – St. Nazaire Raid (Operation Chariot): obsolete British destroyer HMS Campbeltown, rigged with explosives and flying German flags, rams gates of German occupied St Nazaire port in France, and self detonates; kills 360 Germans, and disables the dry dock for duration of the war
1950 – 12th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: CCNY beats Bradley, 71-68; City College of NY first to win NCAA and National Invitational Basketball in same year
1953 – 7th Tony Awards: “The Crucible” (Outstanding Play) and “Wonderful Town” (Outstanding Musical) win
1954 – WKAQ TV channel 2 in San Juan, PR (TM) begins broadcasting
1969 – Pope Paul VI names JGM Willebrands cardinal
Today in History for 28th March 2026
Historical Events
1566 – Foundation stone laid for the new city of La Valletta in Malta by Knights Hospitaller Grand Master Jean de Valette
1860 – First Taranaki War: Battle of Waireka begins in New Zealand between Europeans and Māori
1981 – France performs nuclear test
1993 – 13th Golden Raspberry Awards: “Shining Through” wins
2022 – Actor Will Smith issues an apology on Instagram to Oscars host Chris Rock for slapping him live on stage during the ceremony
Famous Birthdays
1741 – Johann Andre, German composer, born in Offenbach, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1799)
1902 – Jaromír Vejvoda, Czech composer (Beer Barrel Polka), born in Zbraslav, Czech Republic (d. 1988)
1922 – Joey Maxim, American boxer (World Light Heavyweight Champion 1950-52), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2001)
1947 – Bruce Gilbert, English producer (China Syndrome, 9 to 5, On Golden Pond), born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England
1975 – Will Cain, American radio and TV journalist (The Will Cain Show ), born in Sherman, Texas
Famous Deaths
1566 – Siegmund Freiherr von Herberstein, Austrian diplomat, dies at 79
1949 – Grigoras Dinicu, Romanian violin virtuoso and composer, dies at 59
1962 – Hugo Wast, Argentine writer (b. 1883)
1979 – Emmett Kelly, American circus clown (Weary Willy), dies at 80
2001 – Vlastimir Nikolovski, Macedonian composer and pedagogue, (The Serdar), dies at 74
Famous Deaths for 27th March 2026
1769 – Josef Antonin Gurecky, composer, dies at 60
1923 – James Dewar, Scottish chemist and physicist (Dewarfles/cordiet), dies at 80
1938 – William Stern, German-American philosopher (Intelligence of Children), dies at 66
1943 – Grigori Yakovlevich Bakhchivangi, Russian test pilot (world speed record in BI-1 rocket plane), but killed in its crash at 35
1972 – Sharkey Bonano, American jazz musician, dies at 67
2000 – Ian Dury, English rock musician (The Blockheads) and actor (Judge Dredd), dies at 57
2003 – Paul Zindel, American playwright and novelist (The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-theMoon Marigolds), dies from lung cancer at 66
2014 – James Schlesinger, American economist and public servant (US Secretary of Energy, 1977-79; US Secretary of Defense, 1973-75; Chair of Atomic Energy Commission, 1973-75), dies at 85
2018 – Stephane Audran, French actress (Just Before Nightfall, Babette’s Feast), dies at 85
2023 – Jocelyn Morlock, Canadian contemporary and post-modern classical composer (My Name is Amanda Todd; Bird in the Tangled Sky), and music educator, dies at 53
Historical Events for 27th March 2026
1003 – Peace deal is signed between Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and the pagan Wends (Slavs)
1709 – Dike at Hardinxveld breaks, flooding Alblasserwaard in the Netherlands
1848 – John Parker Paynard originates medicated adhesive plaster
1958 – Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet Premier as well as First Secretary of the Communist Party
1961 – Failed assassination attempt on King Saif al-Islam Achmad of Yemen
1976 – Washington, D.C. underground Metro opens
1978 – The Rutles mockumentary “All You Need is Cash” is shown on British TV
2002 – Passover Massacre: Suicide bomber kills 29 people in Netanya, Israel
Today in History for 27th March 2026
Historical Events
1957 – 29th Academy Awards: “Around World in 80 Days”, Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner win
1972 – Venera 8 launches to explore Venus
1976 – Washington, D.C. underground Metro opens
1977 – 583 die in aviation’s worst ever disaster when two Boeing 747s collide at Tenerife airport in Spain
1986 – Disney-MGM Studio Tour groundbreaking
Famous Birthdays
972 – Robert II of France [the Pious, the Wise], King of the Franks (996-1031), born in Orléans, France (d. 1031)
1809 – Georges Eugene, Baron Haussmann, French administrator and architect, born in Paris (d. 1891)
1886 – Sergey Kirov [Kostrikov], Russian Bolshevik leader and politician (First Secretary (Mayor) of Leningrad, 1926-34), born in Urzhum, Russia (d. 1934)
1957 – Billy MacKenzie, Scottish rock vocalist (The Associates – “Affectionate Punch”), born in Dundee, Scotland (d. 1997)
1985 – Ram Charan, Indian actor who works mainly in Teluga cinema (RRR, Rangasthalam), born in Tamil Nadu, India
Famous Deaths
1986 – Cass Canfield, US publisher, dies at 88
1991 – Ralph Bates, British actor (Persecution, Graveyard), dies at 50
1992 – Easley Blackwood, Sr, American expert bridge player, and writer, dies at 89
2017 – David Storey, British novelist and playwright (This Sporting Life), dies at 83
2023 – Wim de Bie, Dutch comedian, satirist, and writer (van Kooten and de Bie – The Simplistic Covenant), dies of complications from Parkinson’s disease at 83
Famous Deaths for 26th March 2026
304 – Saint Emmanuel, Christian martyr killed under Diocletian
1797 – James Hutton, Scottish geologist and father of modern geology, dies at 70
1831 – Richard Allen, 1st African American ordained by Methodist-Episcopal church, dies at 71
1865 – Thomas Hancock, English pioneer of the rubber industry (Stoke Newington), dies at 79
1892 – Anton Wallerstein, German composer, dies at 78
1986 – Bartlett Robinson, American actor (Wendy and Me, Mona McCluskey), dies at 73
1991 – Paul Gayten American RandB pianist, songwriter, bandleader, producer (Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Chuck Berry), and record company executive (Chess Records), dies at 71
1994 – Constantine Koukouchkine, Russian diplomat, murdered in Algeria at 41
2019 – Heinz Winbeck, German composer, conductor and teacher, dies at 73
2020 – Jimmy Wynn, American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 1967, 74, 75; Houston Colt 45s/Astros, LA Dodgers), dies at 78
Historical Events for 26th March 2026
1534 – Lübeck accepts free Dutch ships into East Sea
1886 – 48th Grand National: Tommy Skelton wins aboard 25/1 chance Old Joe
1945 – British Prime Minister Winston Churchill looks over at the Rhine (near Ginsberg)
1972 – LA Lakers break the NBA wins record by winning 69 of 82 games (69-13), record stands for 24 years
1996 – The International Monetary Fund approves a $10.2 billion loan for Russia
1996 – Last day of 1st-class cricket for Allan Border (Qld v Vic)
2018 – US Federal Trade Commission confirms it will investigate Facebook over privacy concerns
2023 – WPL Cricket Final, Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai: Mumbai Indians win inaugural tournament beating Delhi Capitals by 7 wickets with 3 balls to spare; Player of the match: Nat Sciver-Brunt (Mumbai Indians) 60no
Today in History for 26th March 2026
Historical Events
1940 – “The Fifth Column”, a play by Ernest Hemingway and adapted by Benjamin Glazer premieres in NYC courtesy of the Theater Guild
1954 – US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Bikini Island
2017 – Mass protests in Chile over country’s privatised pension system
2018 – US soldier receives world’s first penis and scrotum transplant at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland
2020 – American cases of COVID-19 exceed all other countries on this date, with 81,578 cases and 1,180 deaths (New York Times)
Famous Birthdays
1896 – Rudolf Dassler, German entrepreneur (founder sportswear company Puma), born in Herzogenaurach, Germany (d. 1974)
1898 – Renzo Massarani, Italian-Brazilian composer and music critic, born in Mantova, Italy (d. 1975)
1929 – Charles Dumont, French songwriter (“Non, je ne regrette rien”, “Mon Dieu”), and singer, born in Cahors, France (d. 2024)
1936 – Fred Parris, American doo-wop singer and songwriter (The Five Satins – “In The Still Of The Night”), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 2022)
1977 – Sylvain Grenier, Canadian professional wrestler (WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown!), born in Montreal, Québec
Famous Deaths
1736 – Georg Balthasar Schott, German composer, dies at 49
1857 – Wei Yuan, Chinese scholar and geographer of Qing Dynasty, dies at 62
1924 – Augusto (de Oliveira) Machado, Portuguese composer (Lauriane; Camões es os Luziadas), dies at 78
1973 – Noël Coward, English playwright (Hay Fever; Private Lives), director (In Which We Serve -1942 Academy Award), actor and singer, dies of heart failure at 73
1995 – Eazy-E [Eric Lynn Wright], American rapper (N.W.A.), dies from AIDS-related illness at 30
Famous Deaths for 25th March 2026
1712 – Nehemiah Grew, English naturalist (b. 1641)
1799 – Constantin Reindl, German composer, dies at 60
1818 – Caspar Wessel, Danish-Norwegian mathematician, dies at 72
1877 – Elkanah Brackin Greer, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 51
1924 – John Reedman, cricketer (Test for Aust 1894, 17 and 4, 1 for 24), dies
1987 – Henry Richardson LaBouisse, American diplomat (headed UNICEF (1965-79), dies at 83
1996 – John Snagge, British newsreader and commentator for the BBC (Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race), dies at 91
2021 – Stan Albeck, American basketball coach (Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls), dies from a stroke at 89
2022 – Kathryn Hays [Kay Piper], American actress (Kim Hughes in “As the World Turns”, 1972-2010), dies at 87
2025 – J. Bennett Johnston, American politician (Sen-D-LA, 1972-97), dies at 92