1685 – David Teniers III, Flemish painter, dies at 46
1927 – Joel Engel, Russian musicologist (Jewish Folksongs), composer (“Numi, Numi”), and music publisher, dies at 58
1943 – Bess Houdini, American-German stage assistant and wife of Harry Houdini, dies from heart attack at 67
1950 – Kiki Cuyler, American Baseball HOF right fielder (World Series 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates; 4 × NL stolen base leader; MLB All Star 1934 Chicago Cubs), dies at 51
1954 – Adolph M. Christianson, justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court, dies at 76
1971 – Whitney Young Jr, National Urban League director, drowns in Nigeria
1972 – Jan Wils, Dutch architect (Olympian Stadium, Amsterdam), dies at 80
1985 – Ben Abruzzo, American businessman and balloonist (b. 1930)
1997 – Don Porter, American actor (Gidget), dies at 84
2005 – Jack L. Chalker, American sci-fi author (Saga of Well World), dies at 60
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 11th February 2026
1908 – Heemskerk’s government begins in Holland
1948 – Billy Griffith scores cricket century on debut Eng v WI, out for 140
1985 – Kent Hrbek signs 5-year $6 million contract with Minnesota Twins
1986 – Australia beat India 2-0 to win cricket’s World Series Cup, David Boon scores the most runs in the series (418)
1992 – F-16 jet crashes at residential district of Hengelo, Netherlands (No deaths)
2007 – 60th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): “The Queen” Best Film, Paul Greengrass Best Director
2013 – Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation effective February 28, becoming the first pope to resign since 1415
2021 – World’s second oldest person, French nun Sister André, celebrates her 117th birthday after surviving COVID-19 in Toulon
Today in History for 11th February 2026
Historical Events
1928 – II Winter Olympic Games open in St Moritz, Switzerland
1949 – “Lovesick Blues” single is released by Hank Williams (Cashbox “Best Hillbilly Record of the Year,” Billboard Song of the Year 1949)
1953 – J. Styne and Bob Hilliard’s musical “Hazel Flagg” opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 190 performances
1975 – TV drama “Sarah T: Portrait of A Teenage Alcoholic” starring Linda Blair, premieres on US network NBC
1984 – Wayne Gretzky sets NHL short handed season scoring record at 11
Famous Birthdays
1557 – John Wtenbogaert, Dutch theologist (Kerckelicke history), born in at Utrecht (d. 1644)
1917 – Richard Jock Kinneir, British graphic designer (modern road signs), born in Hampshire, England (d. 1994)
1918 – Margaret Heldt, American hairdresser who created the beehive hairstyle, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2016)
1933 – Mildred Sampson, New Zealand distance runner (world marathon record 3:19:33 1964), born in Auckland, New Zealand
1956 – Raoul Björkenheim, American avant-garde jazz guitarist, born in Los Angeles, California
Famous Deaths
1797 – Antoine Dauvergne, French composer, dies at 83
1943 – Bess Houdini, American-German stage assistant and wife of Harry Houdini, dies from heart attack at 67
1967 – A. J. Muste, Dutch-born American pacifist and labor activist, dies at 82
1975 – Richard Ratsimandrava, Malagasy soldier and statesman, assassinated (b. 1931)
1999 – Jaki Byard, American jazz pianist (Charlie Mingus), saxophonist, drummer, composer, arranger, and educator, dies from an unsolved gunshot at 76
Famous Deaths for 10th February 2026
1163 – Baldwin III, King of Jerusalem (1143-63), son of Princess Melisende and Fulco of Anjou, husband of Theodora, dies of consumption at about 33 [birthday uncertain]
1772 – Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein and general, dies at 75
1774 – Florian Leopold Gassmann, Bohemian composer, dies at 44
1822 – Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen and Governor of the Austrian Netherlands, dies at 83
1852 – Samuel Prout, British water color painter, dies at 68
1876 – August Söderman, Swedish composer, dies at 43
1987 – Ray Colignon (sometimes none as “Coco”), Belgian jazz and easy listening pianist, Hammond organist, and bandleader, dies at 80
2004 – Margaret Stacey, English sociologist who helped shape the distinctively British genre of empirical sociology, dies at 81
2005 – Jack Segal, American pianist and songwriter (“Scarlet Ribbons (for Her Hair)”, “When Sunny Gets Blue”, “Here’s to the Losers”), dies at 86
2010 – Max Schubel, American composer (Opus One Records), dies at 77
Historical Events for 10th February 2026
1535 – Twelve nude Anabaptists run through the streets of Amsterdam
1713 – Netherlands and Britain sign accord concerning anti-French Barrier [OS=Jan 31]
1879 – 1st electric arc light used (California Theater)
1923 – Ink paste manufactured for 1st time by Standard Ink Company
1966 – “Valley of the Dolls” by Jacqueline Susann is published by Bernard Geis Associates in the US – sold over 31 million copies
1968 – “Spooky” by Classics IV hits #3
1992 – Mike Tyson convicted of raping Desiree Washington in Indiana
2013 – 66th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): “Argo”, Ben Affleck (Director); Daniel Day-Lewis and Emmanuelle Riva win
Today in History for 10th February 2026
Historical Events
1878 – Pact of Zanjón signed between Cubans rebels and the Spanish bringing the 10 Years War to an end
1933 – -54°F (-48°C), Seneca, Oregon (state record)
1939 – “Stagecoach” western film directed by John Ford, starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne, premieres in Miami
1974 – Judy Ikenberry wins 1st Us women’s marathon (2:55:17)
1993 – “Michael Jackson Talks to Oprah Winfrey” airs on ABC and draws an astounding 39.3 rating/56 share, with 90 million people watching
Famous Birthdays
1937 – Ronnie Rondell Jr., American stuntman known for appearing on the cover of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”, born in Hollywood, California (d. 2025)
1942 – Alfred Gager, Austrian soccer midfielder (6 caps; Austria Wien, FC Wacker Wien), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2022)
1942 – Howard Mudd, American football OL (Pro Bowl 1966–68; All-Pro 1967-68; SF 49ers, Chicago Bears) and coach (Super Bowl 2006; OL Indianapolis Colts), born in Midland, Michigan (d. 2020)
1951 – Zeudi Araya, Eritrean actress (Hearts and Armour, La peccatrice), born in Dekemhare, British Eritrea
1987 – Yuja Wang, Chinese-American award-winning pianist known for her charismatic stage presence (Rachmaninoff Marathon), born in Beijing, China
Famous Deaths
1127 – William IX, the Troubadour, Frankish nobleman (Duke of Aquitaine, Gascony, Count of Poitou, 1086-1127), Crusader, and poet, dies at 55
1887 – Ellen Wood, English author (Pomeroy Abbey), dies at 73
1917 – Émile Pessard, French pianist, concert and comic opera composer, and teacher (Maurice Ravel, Jacques Ibert), dies at 73
1951 – Joseph Bovet, Swiss composer and conductor (Fribourg folk music), dies at 71
1995 – Kenton Kilmer, American writer, dies of cancer at 85
Famous Deaths for 9th February 2026
1802 – Thomas Graves, 1st Baron Graves, British admiral (Seven Years’ War, American War of Independence), dies at 76
1875 – Cecil De Vere, English chess player (1st official British chess champion (1866), dies from tuberculosis at 28
1943 – World War II: Dutch fascist official Hermannus Reydon and his wife are shot by resistance members, his wife dies immediately and he dies six months later
1949 – Poul Schierbeck, Danish organist and composer, dies at 60
1994 – Jarmila Novotná, Czech-American soprano (Metropolitan Opera, 1940-56), and actress (The Search), dies at 86
2010 – Chaskel Besser, Polish-American Orthodox rabbi, dies at 86
2013 – Kåre Valebrokk, Norwegian journalist and director of TV 2, dies at cancer at 72
2018 – Jóhann Jóhannsson, Icelandic theatre, dance, and film score composer (The Theory of Everything), dies from a combination of cocaine and prescription medication at 48
2019 – Patricia Nell Warren, American novelist (The Front Runner, The Fancy Dancer), dies of cancer at 82
2023 – Lewis Spratlan, American classical composer and Pulitzer Prize winner (Life Is A Dream), dies at 82
Historical Events for 9th February 2026
1870 – US President Ulysses S Grant signs law resulting in US Army Signal Service’s establishment of its “Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce”, later known as the National Weather Service
1934 – Balkan Entente alliance forms (Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey and Romania)
1955 – Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts crematory law
1972 – British government declares a state of emergency after a month-long coal miners’ strike
1979 – New York City premiere of Paul Schrader’s allegedly fact based film “Hardcore”
1984 – Finnish cross-country skier Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen wins the 10k gold medal at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics; first of 3 individual medal sweep, also winning 5k and 20k events
1995 – Augustus and Ruth Goetz’ stage drama “The Heiress” opens at Cort Theater, NYC; runs for 340 performances
2000 – 50th Berlin International Film Festival: “Magnolia” wins the Golden Bear
Today in History for 9th February 2026
Historical Events
1682 – Thomas Otway’s “Venice Preserved” premieres in London
1979 – Walter Hill’s crime drama film “The Warriors”, based on Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel, is released in the United States, sparking gang violence at many theaters and a halt to the film’s marketing campaign
1990 – Spacecraft Galileo flies by Venus at an altitude of 10,000 miles (16,000 km) in a gravity assist maneuver to gain speed on its way to Jupiter
1990 – “Bradys” return to TV for 6 episodes on CBS TV
2021 – WHO team investigating origin of COVID-19 in Wuhan say it is “extremely unlikely” that it leaked from a local research lab
Famous Birthdays
1900 – Walter Page, American jazz double bassist, saxophonist, tuba player, and bandleader (Blue Devils; Count Basie Orchestra), born in Gallatin, Missouri (d. 1957)
1903 – Georg Trexler, German composer, choirmaster, and organist (St. Trinitatis, Leipzig, 1930-70), born in Pirna, Germany (d. 1979)
1927 – Joe Maneri, American jazz composer, saxophone and clarinet player (Boston Microtonal Society), born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2009)
1944 – Alice Walker, American novelist (The Color Purple, Meridian), born in Putnam County, Georgia
1964 – Rachel Bolan [James Southworth], American musician and songwriter (Skid Row), born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey
Famous Deaths
1583 – Jeseph Sanalbo, Jewish convert in Rome, burned at stake
1916 – Hynek Vojáček, Czech composer, dies at 90
1973 – Max Yasgur, American dairy farmer, and owner Woodstock Festival site in Bethel, New York, dies of a heart attack at 53
2001 – Reginald Marsh, British actor (Sicilians: It Happened Here), dies at 74
2002 – Margaret Rose, British princess and Countess of Snowdon, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, dies of a stroke at 71
Famous Deaths for 8th February 2026
1691 – Carlo Rainaldi, Italian architect and composer, dies at 79
1750 – Aaron Hill, English playwright and poet (Tragedy of Zara), dies at 65
1772 – Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, Princess of Wales by marriage to Frederick, Prince of Wales, dies at 52
1910 – Hans Jæger, Norwegian writer and political activist as leader of the Kristiania Bohemians, dies at 55
1924 – Gee John, Chinese-American gangster (1st person in US to be executed by lethal gas in Nevada), executed at 29
1973 – Herbie Taylor, South African cricket batsman and captain (42 Tests; 2,936 runs @ 40.77; 7 x 100s), dies at 83
1993 – N. Shanmugathasan, Sri Lankan communist leader
2007 – Ian Stevenson, Canadian-American parapsychologist and reincarnation expert, dies at 88
2015 – Filipe Pires, Portuguese pianist, composer (Portugaliae Genesis), and educator, dies at 81
2019 – Robert Ryman, American minimalist painter and visual artist known for his white-on-white works, dies at 88