1430 – Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy visits Brussels
1907 – Canadian Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU) plays its first game; Montreal defeats Toronto 17-8 in Montreal
1915 – Detroit Tigers speedster Ty Cobb steals his 96th base of the season in a 5-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians; it stands as an MLB record until 1962 (Maury Wills, 104)
1945 – “Meet the Press” premieres on radio
1957 – Yugoslav dissident Milovan Djilas is sentenced to 7 years
1965 – Chuck Linster performs 6,006 consecutive push-ups
2001 – Barry Bonds hits his 71st and 72nd home runs in an 11-10 loss against the LA Dodgers at Pacific Bell Park, breaking Mark McGwire’s MLB single-season home run record
2015 – Floods in South Carolina, a “1,000-year storm,” result in 12 deaths and the failure of 9 dams
Author: gil7
Today in History for 5th October 2025
Historical Events
1908 – Chicago White Sox pitcher Ed Walsh beats the Detroit Tigers 6-1 for his 40th victory of the MLB season, forcing the AL pennant race to the final day
1963 – Little Richard joins the Everly Brothers’ tour
1963 – Hyde St Pier reopens as a State Historical Park
1964 – KIXE TV channel 9 in Redding, CA (PBS) begins broadcasting
2001 – MLB’s Atlanta Braves become the first professional sports team to win 10 consecutive division titles after defeating the Marlins 20-3 to clinch the NL East title; NBA’s Boston Celtics (1957-65) and LA Lakers (1982-90) both win 9 in a row
Famous Birthdays
1758 – Thomas Greatorex, English composer, born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England (d. 1831)
1894 – Bevil Rudd, South African athlete (Olympic gold 400m 1920), born in Kimberley, South Africa (d. 1948)
1935 – Jimmy Binks, English cricket wicket-keeper (England twice v India 1964), born in Hull, Yorkshire, England
1942 – Richard Street, American RandB musician (The Temptations, 1971-93 – “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2013)
1952 – Imran Khan, 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan (2018-2022) and cricket all-rounder (88 Tests, 3,807 runs, 362 wickets), born in Lahore, Pakistan
Famous Deaths
1805 – Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British general and colonial administrator (leading British general in the American War of Independence), dies of fever at 66
1954 – Oscar Charleston, American Baseball HOF CF (NgL Triple Crown 1921 St. Louis Giants, 1924, 25 Harrisburg Giants) and manager (NgL WS 1933, 35, 36 Pittsburgh Crawfords), dies of a stroke at 57
1997 – Brian Pillman, American professional wrestler, dies at 35
2001 – Lou Zara, American writer (Stump the Authors), dies at 91
2006 – Jennifer Moss, English Actress (b. 1945)
Famous Deaths for 4th October 2025
1838 – Eleanore Sophia Maria Westenholz, German composer, dies at 79
1862 – William Duncan Smith, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 36
1952 – Keith Murdoch, Australian journalist and newspaper owner, founded Murdoch media, dies at 67
1966 – Sherman Billingsley, American bootlegger and nightclub owner (Stork Club – NYC), dies at 66
1979 – Christina Spierenburg, Dutch singer, dies at 56
1996 – Silvio Piola, Italian soccer striker (34 caps, 30 goals; Lazio), dies at 83
2004 – Rio Diaz, Filipino actress and TV hosts (b. 1959)
2021 – Eddie Robinson, American baseball first baseman (MLB All Star 1949, 51–53; Washington Sens, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia A’s) and executive (GM Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves), dies at 100
2023 – Giannis Ioannidis, Greek basketball coach (12 × Greek League C’ship; 6 × Greek Cup winner; GS Larissas, Aris, Olympiacos, AEK, Greece 1982–90), dies at 78
2024 – Jack Colwell, Australian pop singer-songwriter, vocal arranger and music director (Polyphony Choir), dies at 34
Historical Events for 4th October 2025
1910 – Adoption of the Flag of Bermuda.
1943 – Corsica liberated from Italian occupation by General Charles de Gaulle’s Free France resistance forces
1964 – 3 cars of a commuter train derails in South Africa killing 81
1979 – USSR performs nuclear test
1985 – Shi’ite Muslims claim to have killed hostage William Buckley
1992 – Solheim Cup Women’s Golf, Dalmahoy CC: Europe beats US, 11½-6½; Laura Davies of England wins all her 3 matches
1998 – Australian motorcycle racer Mick Doohan wins the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island to clinch his 5th world 500cc championship; all 5 titles are won with Honda
2001 – Siberia Airlines Flight 1812: a Sibir Airlines Tupolev TU-154 crashes into the Black Sea after being struck by an errant Ukrainian S-200 missile. 78 people are killed.
Today in History for 4th October 2025
Historical Events
1777 – Battle of Germantown: Gen George Washington’s troops attack and are defeated by the British at Germantown, Pennsylvania
1944 – British troops land on Greek mainland
1992 – Bijlmer Air Disaster: El Al cargo plane crashes into an apartment building in Bijlmer, Amsterdam, killing at least 47 people
1994 – Soyuz TM-20 launches
2003 – Red Raiders’ quarterback B.J. Symons sets a Big 12 Conference record with 8 touchdown passes, leading Texas Tech to a convincing 59-28 win over Texas A and M
Famous Birthdays
1880 – Damon Runyon, American journalist and writer (Guys and Dolls-based on his work), born in Manhattan, Kansas (d. 1946)
1887 – Francis Bull, Norwegian writer (Norsk literature historian), born in Oslo, Norway (d. 1974)
1895 – Giovanni Brunero, Italian road cyclist (Giro d’Italia General classification 1921, 22, 26), born in San Maurizio Canavese, Italy (d. 1934)
1903 – Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Austrian nazi (SS/SD), born in Ried im Innkreis, Austria-Hungary (d. 1946)
1952 – Anita Luceete Defrantz, American rower (Olympic bronze 1976; first female vice-president IOC executive committee), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Famous Deaths
1749 – Franz von der Trenck, Austrian soldier whose unit is considered one of the worst in European history due to insubordination and plundering, dies in captivity at 38
1904 – Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, French sculptor (designed the Statue of Liberty), and painter, dies of tuberculosis at 70
1943 – Richard T. Ely, American economist and author (Ground under our feet), dies at 89
1993 – Fran Carlon, dies of cancer at 80
2018 – Hamiet Bluiett, American jazz baritone saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer (World Saxophone Quartet – “Hattie Wall’), dies at 78
Famous Deaths for 3rd October 2025
1862 – Pleasant Adam Hackleman, Union brigadier general, dies in battle at 47
1929 – Gustav Stresemann, German chancellor (1923) who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1926, dies of a stroke at 51
1936 – John Heisman, American football coach (legalised forward pass, originated the center-snap; Heisman Trophy named after him), dies from pneumonia at 66
1967 – Woody Guthrie [Woodrow Wilson], American folk singer-songwriter (“This Land Is Your Land”), peace activist, and father of Arlo, dies of Huntington’s disease at 55
1983 – Kurt Kusenberg, German writer (Wein Auf Lebenszeit), dies at 79
1989 – Hans Deutgen, Swedish archer (World C’ship gold individual 1947, 48, 49, 50; team 1948), dies at 72
2012 – (Kathryn) “Kathi” McDonald, American blues and rock singer (Ike and Tina Turner Revue; Big Brother and The Holding Company), and songwriter, dies at 64
2016 – Joan Marie Johnson, American pop singer (The Dixie Cups – “Chapel Of Love”; “Iko Iko”), dies of congestive heart failure at 72
2016 – Ljupka Dimitrovska, Macedonian-Croat pop singer (“Adio”), dies at 70
2023 – Bob Wagner, American college football coach (University of Hawaiʻi 1988-95), dies at 76
Historical Events for 3rd October 2025
1683 – Qing Dynasty naval commander Shi Lang reaches Taiwan (under the Kingdom of Tungning) to receive the formal surrender of Zheng Keshuang and Liu Guoxuan after the Battle of Penghu
1913 – US federal income tax at 1% is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson
1941 – French right-wing Mouvement Social Révolutionnaire (MSR) blows up six synagogues in Paris with Nazi-provided explosives
1943 – British 8th Army lands at Termoli, East Italy
1974 – Future Basketball Hall of Fame guard Jerry West (“Mr. Clutch”) retires after 14 NBA seasons with the LA Lakers; West scores 25,192 career points and averages 29.1 ppg in 153 playoff games
2004 – Seattle Mariners’ Japanese right fielder Ichiro Suzuki adds two more singles in a 3-0 defeat to Texas to finish the season with an MLB record of 262 hits
2017 – Nobel Prize for Physics is awarded to Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish, and Kip S. Thorne “for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves”
2021 – MLB Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Hector Neris strikes out three Miami Marlins, setting a new franchise record of 520 in his last game before becoming a free agent
Today in History for 3rd October 2025
Historical Events
1974 – Future Basketball Hall of Fame guard Jerry West (“Mr. Clutch”) retires after 14 NBA seasons with the LA Lakers; West scores 25,192 career points and averages 29.1 ppg in 153 playoff games
1993 – Battle at TV station Ostankino, Moscow town hall; about 25 killed
2004 – New England Patriots win their 18th consecutive NFL game, beating the Buffalo Bills 31-17 at Ralph Wilson Stadium; Tom Brady goes 17-for-30 for 298 yards and two touchdowns
2015 – Host nation England crashes out of the Rugby World Cup in the pool stage, losing to Australia 33-13 at Twickenham; Bernard Foley scores 2 tries and kicks 4 penalties and 3 conversions for the Wallabies
2021 – Pandora Papers investigation reveals secret wealth of 30 current and former world leaders including Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Czech PM Andrej Babis and former UK PM Tony Blair
Famous Birthdays
1938 – Dave Obey, American politician (US Representative from Wisconsin, 1969-2011), and lobbyist, born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma
1939 – Velibor Vasović, Serbian soccer sweeper (32 caps Yugoslavia; Partizan Belgrade, Ajax) and manager (Partizan, PSG, Red Star Belgrade), born in Požarevac, Serbia (d. 2002)
1944 – Roy Horn, German-American Las Vegas entertainer (Siegfried and Roy), born in Nordenham, Germany (d. 2020)
1946 – (Richard) “Biff” Henderson, American television personality (Late Night/Late Show with David Letterman), born in Durham, North Carolina
1950 – Pamela Hensley, American actress (Buck Rogers in 25th Century), born in Glendale, California
Famous Deaths
1703 – Pieter van Wooden, Amersfoorts rebel leader, beheaded
1919 – Daniel Brink Towner, American hymn composer (“He’s A Friend of Mine”; “Though the Fig Tree Shall Not Blossom”), and music director, dies at 69
1990 – Stefano Casiraghi, Italian speedboat racer, businessman and husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco, dies in a motor boat race at 30
2022 – Charles Fuller, American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (A Soldier’s Play; Zooman and the Sign; The Brownsville Raid), and screenwriter (A Soldier’s Story; A Gathering of Old Men), dies at 83
2023 – Bob Wagner, American college football coach (University of Hawaiʻi 1988-95), dies at 76
Famous Deaths for 2nd October 2025
1729 – Arnold Boonen, Dutch portrait painter, dies at 60
1901 – Rudolph Koenig, German physicist, dies at 68
1902 – John Whiteaker, American farmer, soldier (Mexican-American War), goldminer, politician (1st Governor of Oregon, 1859-62; US Representative, 1879-81), and judge, dies at 82
1919 – Ernest Halliwell, South African cricket wicketkeeper (8 Tests), dies at 55
1931 – Thomas Lipton, Scottish yachtsman (5-time America’s Cup challenger) and tea merchant (Lipton Tea), dies at 81
1985 – (Georgios) “George” Savalas, Greek-American actor (Kojak; Kelly’s Heroes), dies of leukemia at 58
1998 – D. French Slaughter Jr, American politician (Rep-R-VA, 1985-91), dies at 73
2003 – John T. Dunlop, U.S. Secretary of Labor (b. 1914)
2005 – August Wilson [né Kittel], American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (Fences; The Piano Lesson), dies of liver cancer at 60
2020 – Bob Gibson, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (NL Cy Young Award 1968, 70; NL MVP 1968; 9 x MLB All Star; St. Louis Cardinals), dies from pancreatic cancer at 84
Historical Events for 2nd October 2025
1134 – Storm flood ravages Zeeland County
1941 – Germany launches an attack on Moscow
1942 – WWII: British Royal Navy boards floundering German U-boat U-559, retrieving abandoned Enigma code machine before it sinks; two British sailors go down with the sub
1974 – Future Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder Hank Aaron hits his final home run as a member of the Atlanta Braves in a 13-0 drubbing of the Cincinnati Reds, Aaron’s 733rd career home run in his last NL at-bat
1979 – Pope John Paul II visits New York City and at the UN denounces all concentration camps and torture
1983 – Green Bay Packers erupt for an NFL record 49 points in the first half (35 in the second quarter) to clobber the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 55-14 at Tampa Stadium
1990 – Radio Berlin International’s final transmission links to Deutsche Welle of West Germany; the final song is “The End” by The Doors
1998 – With his team struggling at 28 for 3, Australian cricket batsman Steve Waugh smashes a brilliant 157 to guide the tourists to an innings and 99-run win over Pakistan in the first Test in Rawalpindi