1890 – John Henry Newman, British thologian (Tract 90), educator, poet (Dream of Gerontius), Anglican priest, Catholic priest, cardinal and saint, dies of pneumonia at 89
1942 – Richard Heinrich Stein, German composer, and music theorist (La musica moderna), dies at 60
1952 – Riccardo Martin, American tenor and composer, dies at 77
1965 – Ethel Larcombe, British tennis player (Wimbledon 1912), dies at 86
1969 – Miriam Licette [Lycett], British operatic soprano, voice teacher, and arts patron, dies at 83
1974 – Maria Maksakova (née Sidorova), Soviet Russian operatic mezzo-soprano (Bolshoi Theatre, 1923–1953), dies at 72
1991 – Rodolfo Cornejo, Filipino classical pianist, composer, and conductor, dies at 82
1991 – Helmut Walcha, blind German organist (church music), dies at 83
2008 – Fred Sinowatz, Austrian politician (Chancellor of Austria, 1983-86; Vice-Chancellor, 1981-83; Minister of Education 1971-83), dies at 79
2015 – Harald Nielsen, Danish soccer forward (14 caps; Olympic silver 1960; Frederikshavn fI, Bologna FC), dies at 73
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 11th August 2026
117 – Roman army proclaims Hadrian as Roman Emperor in Syria after news reaches them of Trajan’s death
1888 – California Theatre in San Francisco closes, built in 1869, it was replaced by a more modern facility in 1889 (later destroyed in the 1907 earthquake)
1937 – “The Life of Émile Zola,” directed by William Dieterle and starring Paul Muni, premieres in New York (Best Picture 1938)
1949 – Gaston Eyskens forms the Belgian government
1951 – New York Giants (NFL) beat Ottawa Rough Riders (CFL) 38-6 in Ottawa
1971 – Construction begins on the Louisiana Superdome
1990 – Egyptian and Moroccan troops land in Saudi Arabia to prevent an Iraqi invasion
2015 – Japan’s Sendai Nuclear Power Plant restarts the first nuclear reactor since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
Today in History for 11th August 2026
Historical Events
1929 – Russian-Chinese border fights
1950 – 17th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: All-Stars 17, Philadelphia 7 (88,885 attendees)
1978 – Funeral of Pope Paul VI is held in Vatican
1980 – Mohammed Ali Radjai is appointed premier of Iran
1982 – The South African Defence Force (SADF) raids Southern Angola
Famous Birthdays
1833 – Kido Takayoshi, Japanese politician, samurai and leader of the Meiji Restoration, born in Chōshū, Nagato province, Japan (d. 1877)
1837 – Marie François Sadi Carnot, President of France (1887-94), born in Limoges, France (d. 1894)
1900 – Philip Phillips, American archaeologist focusing on the Lower Mississippi Valley, born in Buffalo, New York (d. 1994)
1913 – Paul Dupuis, French Canadian actor (The Fortress; Passport to Pimlico), born in Montréal, Québec (d. 1976)
1950 – Glenn Jarrett, American auto racer (67 x NASCAR starts) and broadcaster (TNN, Speed Channel. MRN), born in Conover, North Carolina
Famous Deaths
1589 – Maarten Schenck van Nydeggen, military commander for the Dutch Republic, dies in an assault on Nijmegen at about 49
1844 – Jernej Kopitar, Slovene philologist and linguist (Slavic Grammatica), dies at 63
1951 – Ebbe Hamerik, Danish opera composer (Stepan; Marie Grubbe), drowns in a sailing accident at 52
1995 – Alonzo Church, American mathematician whose work provided foundation for computer science, dies at 92
2003 – Diana Mitford, British biographer, famous beauty, wife of Oswald Mosley and one of the Mitford sisters, dies at 93
Famous Deaths for 10th August 2026
1589 – Maarten Schenck Nideggen, Dutch army leader, drowned at about 49
1730 – Sebastien de Brossard, French composer and music theorist, dies at 74
1910 – Joe Gans, American boxer (world lightweight champion 1902–08; International Boxing HOF), dies of tuberculosis at 35
1973 – Douglas Kennedy, American actor (Dark Passage, The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold), dies of cancer at 57
1987 – I W Able, CEO (United Steel Workers of America, 1965-77), dies at 87
1996 – Rex Tucker, British TV writer and director of early “Doctor Who”, dies at 83
1996 – Adriano Mandarino Hypolito, priest, dies at 78
1999 – Padma Bhushan Acharya Baldev Upadhyaya, Eminent Sanskrit Scholar in India (b. 1899)
2022 – Abdul Wadud [Ronald DeVaughn], American jazz, avant-garde, and classical cellist (Camille; By Myself), dies at 75
2022 – Fernando Chalana, Portuguese soccer winger (27 caps; Benfica, Bordeaux), dies from degenerative disease at 63
Historical Events for 10th August 2026
1512 – Battle of Saint-Mathieu (also called the Battle of Brest): an English fleet of 25 ships commanded by Sir Edward Howard and a Franco-Breton fleet of 22 ships commanded by René de Clermont
1885 – Leo Daft opens America’s first commercially operated electric streetcar in Baltimore
1893 – Rudolf Diesel’s prototype internal combustion engine, a single 10-foot iron cylinder with a flywheel at its base, runs on its own power for the first time in Augsburg, Germany
1971 – During the internment round-up operation in West Belfast, the Parachute Regiment kills 11 unarmed civilians in what becomes known as the Ballymurphy Massacre
1985 – Uno Lindström of Sweden juggles a soccer ball 13.11 miles (21.09 km)
1993 – Charlotte Anne Lopez, 16, of Vermont is crowned the 11th Miss Teen USA
1997 – Atlanta Braves sign Greg Maddux to a then-record 5-year, $57.5 million deal
2019 – Monsoon flooding in southern and western India kills at least 150, with 40 dead in Kerala state and 100,000 in emergency relief camps
Today in History for 10th August 2026
Historical Events
1566 – Protestant Iconoclasm “Beeldenstorm” (Iconoclastic Fury) begins in the European Low Countries
1897 – Automobile Club of Great Britain is established (now called the Royal Automobile Club)
1980 – Canadian Open Women’s Golf (Peter Jackson Classic), Richelieu Valley GC: Pat Bradley wins by one from JoAnn Carner for her first of six major titles
1984 – Ian Ferguson of New Zealand wins two canoeing gold medals in the one day, winning the K-1 500 and K-2 500 with Paul MacDonald at the Los Angeles Olympics; he wins K-4 1000 the next day
2014 – Israeli and Palestinian officials agree to a 72-hour ceasefire proposed by Egypt
Famous Birthdays
1645 – Eusebio Kino, Italian Catholic missionary and explorer in Mexico and Arizona, born in Segno, Bishopric of Trent (d. 1711)
1654 – Bernard Nieuwentyt, Dutch philosopher and physician, born in West-Graftdijk, North Holland (d. 1718)
1794 – Leopold Zunz, German Jewish scholar (Science of Judaism), born in Detmold (d. 1886)
1893 – Douglas Moore, American organist, pianist, songwriter (“Goodnight Harvard”), and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer (Giants in the Earth; The Ballad of Baby Doe), born in Cutchogue, Long Island, New York (d. 1969)
1957 – Fred Ho [Houn], American jazz baritone saxophonist, composer (Year of the Tiger), playwright, writer and social activist, born in Palo Alto, California (d. 2014)
Famous Deaths
1911 – Carl Lumbye, Danish composer, dies at 70
1948 – Andrew Brown, Scottish football coach (b. 1870)
1960 – Oswald Veblin, mathematician
1976 – Ray “Crash” Corrigan, American actor (Crash Corrigan’s Ranch), dies at 74
1987 – Raquel Torres, actress (Duck Soup, Sea Bat), dies
Famous Deaths for 9th August 2026
1738 – Pierre Drevet, French engraver, dies at 75
1848 – Frederick Marryat, English captain and author (Mr Midshipman Easy), dies
1898 – Gardner Quincy Colton, American lecturer who was the first to use nitrous oxide as an anesthetic in dentistry, dies at 84
1985 – (Bo) “Fred” Åkerström, Swedish folk singer, social activist, and stage actor, dies at 48
1994 – Mien van ‘t Sant, Dutch author (Mieke serial), dies at 93
2006 – Philip E. High, English sci-fi author, dies at 92
2013 – Johnny Logan, American baseball shortstop (World Series 1957 Boston / Milwaukee Braves; MLB All Star 1955, 57, 58, 59²), dies of a kidney infection at 86
2019 – Altair, Brazilian soccer defender (18 caps; Fluminense 551 games), dies at 91
2023 – Brice Marden, American painter (Grove Group, Moss Sutra With the Seasons), dies of cancer at 84
2025 – John Cruickshank, Scottish WWII war hero (Victoria Cross) and banker, dies at 105
Historical Events for 9th August 2026
1726 – Netherlands accedes to the Covenant of Hanover, creating an alliance of Great Britain, the Electorate of Hanover, France, and the Kingdom of Prussia united against the Austro-Spanish powers
1936 – Hungarian swimmer Ferenc Csik wins the 100 m freestyle gold medal in 57.6 seconds at the Berlin Olympics, beating Japanese pair Masanori Yusa and Shigeo Arai
1941 – Winston Churchill reaches Newfoundland for talks with Franklin D. Roosevelt
1946 – First time all Major League Baseball games (8) are played at night
1965 – Fire in Titan II silo in Searcy, Arkansas, kills 53 people
1984 – STS 41-D vehicle moves out to the launch pad
1988 – Just one day after 8/8/88, the number 888 pops up as the winning lottery combination in New York
2016 – Chinese weightlifter Deng Wei sets a world record of 147 kg in the clean and jerk and another for a total score of 262 kg to win the women’s 63 kg gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics
Today in History for 9th August 2026
Historical Events
1915 – British naval officer David Beatty is confirmed in the rank of vice-admiral
1944 – WWII: US Army 79th and 90th divisions enter Le Mans, France
1978 – USSR performs an underground nuclear test
1987 – LA Rams beat Dallas Cowboys 28-27 in London (NFL expo)
2020 – Brazil surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, the world’s second highest, with over 3 million recorded cases
Famous Birthdays
1847 – Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, Queen consort of Spain (1870-73), born in Paris (d. 1876)
1888 – Hans Oster, German major general, spy and “July 20th” plotter, born in Dresden, German Empire (d. 1945)
1935 – George Leotsakos, Greek composer and musicologist, born in Athens, Greece (d. 2024)
1938 – Dick Anthony Williams, American actor (Our Family Honor), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2012)
1972 – Robert Peal, American dance skater (with Margot Contois), born in Chicago, Illinois
Famous Deaths
1613 – Giovanni Righi, Italian composer, dies at 36
1890 – Eduard von Bauernfeld, Austrian comedic playwright, dies at 88
1969 – George Preston Marshall, American Pro Football HOF team owner (Washington Redskins 1933-69), dies at 72
1982 – Alexandre Alexeieff, Russian-French filmmaker (pinscreen animation) and artist, dies at 81
2023 – (Jaime Royal) “Robbie” Robertson, Canadian-Mohawk singer-songwriter and rock guitarist (The Band – “The Weight”; “Up On Cripple Creek”), and soundtrack composer (Martin Scorsese films), dies of prostate cancer at 80
Famous Deaths for 8th August 2026
1553 – Girolamo Fracastoro, Italian physician (b. 1478)
1824 – Friedrich August Wolf, German philologist (Prolegomena), dies at 65
1879 – Immanuel Hermann Fichte, German philosopher, dies at 83
1897 – Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss cultural historian, dies at 79
1934 – Wilbert Robinson, American Baseball HOF catcher (Philadelphia A’s, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals) and manager (Baltimore Orioles, Brooklyn Robins), dies at 71
1984 – Ellen Raskin, American author (b.1928)
1988 – Alan Napier, British actor (The Sword in the Stone, Batman), dies at 85
1997 – Duncan Swift, English jazz pianist, dies at 74
2008 – Joseph Gelineau, French Catholic Jesuit priest and composer, dies at 87
2025 – Peter Lester, New Zealand sailor (Admiral’s Cup 1987 helmsman ‘Propaganda’; OK Dinghy World C’ship 1977) and broadcaster, dies after a heart attack at 70