Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1889 – In Colorado, Nicholas Creede strikes it rich in silver during the last great silver boom of the American Old West.
1950 – Bob Shaw of Chicago Cardinals sets NFL record with 5 TD receptions in 55-13 win against Baltimore Colts; Cardinals quarterback Jim Hardy tosses 6 touchdown passes
1975 – Four Ulster Volunteer Force members killed after a bomb they are carrying prematurely explodes in Farrenlester, near Coleraine
1989 – TV true life drama “A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story” premieres on NBC in the US
2005 – The Ethan Allen tour boat capsizes on Lake George in Upstate New York, killing twenty people
2016 – Ryder Cup Golf, Hazeltine National GC: US regains Cup; beats Europe, 17-11; Americans Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker and Patrick Reed each win 3 matches

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1646 – Guillaume Poitevin, French composer and teacher, born in Boulbon, France (d. 1706)
1930 – Jayasinghrao Ghorpade, Indian cricket batsman (8 Tests @ 15.26; Baroda), born in Panchgani, Maharashtra (d. 1978)
1947 – (Frank) “Skip” Konte, American keyboardist, songwriter (The Blues Image – “Ride Captain Ride”; Three Dog Night, 1973-76), and record producer, born in Canon City, Oklahoma
1948 – Yuri Vasenin, Russian soccer midfielder (9 caps USSR; FC Zorya Voroshylovhrad), born in Chernyakhovsk, Russia (d. 2022)
1948 – Chris LeDoux, American country singer (“Ridin’ for a Fall”), born in Biloxi, Mississippi (d. 2005)
1950 – Michael Rutherford, British rock bassist and guitar player (Genesis; Mike and the Mechanics – “Living Years”), born in Chertsey, Surrey, England

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1863 – Justinus van de Brugghen, lawyer/minister of Justice, dies
1988 – Alec Issigonis, Greek-British automotive designer who designed the Mini, dies at 81
1991 – Jan H Christianse, political chairman (CDA), dies
1994 – Harriet (Hilliard) Nelson [Peggy Lou Snyder], American singer and actress (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet; Follow the Fleet), dies of heart failure at 85
2006 – Milly Vitale, Italian actress (7 Little Foys, War and Peace, Juggler), dies at 73
2006 – Tamara Dobson, American actress (Amazons; Cleopatra Jones), dies of complications from pneumonia and multiple sclerosis, at 59

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1688 – Louis-Armand de Lom d’Arce leaves Michillimakinac on a mysterious journey of exploration about which he later writes he discovered a ‘Long’ river
1706 – Treaty of Altranstädt: Charles XII of Sweden and August II of Saksen; Augustus renounces his claims to the Polish throne and his alliance with Russia
1964 – Ringo Starr forms Brikley Building Company Ltd
1964 – Willi Stoph succeeds Otto Great as Prime Minister of German Democratic Republic
2018 – Pakyong Airport, India’s 100th airport, is opened in the Himalayan mountains at 1,400 meters by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
2020 – David Attenborough breaks Jennifer Aniston’s record as the fastest person to reach 1 million followers on Instagram

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1667 – Jean-Louis Lully, French composer and son of Jean-Baptiste Lully, born in Paris, France (d. 1688)
1833 – Henry Alanson Barnum, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Jamesville, New York (d. 1892)
1924 – Jean-Pierre Warner, British high court judge (d. 2005)
1950 – Mohinder Amarnath, Indian cricket batsman (69 Tests, 11 x 100, 24 x 50, HS 138; Punjab, Delhi, Baroda), born in Patiala, India
1966 – Bernard Gilkey, American MLB outfielder (NY Mets), born in St Louis, Missouri
1971 – Peter Salisbury, English drummer (The Verve), born in Chippenham, England

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1180 – Manuel I Komnenos, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (1143-80), dies at 61
1517 – Frederik IV, of Baden, bishop of Utrecht, dies
1976 – Romney Brent, Mexican-American actor and writer (Dinner at the Ritz), dies at 74
2001 – Peter Shore, British politician (Labour), dies at 77
2004 – Joep Straesser, Dutch composer (Blossom songs, Ramasasiri), dies at 70
2019 – Jimmy Nelson, American ventriloquist (Nestles – Farfel the Dog), dies at 90

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1922 – US National Championship Men’s Tennis, Germantown CC, Philadelphia: Bill Tilden wins third straight US singles title; beats fellow American Bill Johnston 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
1979 – Louis LaRusso II’s stage drama “Knockout”, starring Danny Aiello, closes at the Helen Hayes Theater, NYC, after 154 performances
1982 – Massacre of 1000+ Palestinian refugees at Chatila and Sabra begins
1999 – 1st ever season of “Big Brother” reality show begins on the Veronica channel in The Netherlands
2000 – 25th Toronto International Film Festival: “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” directed by Ang Lee wins the People’s Choice Award
2021 – Idaho Department of Health and Wellness says whole state now in a hospital resource crisis, will ration healthcare, due to COVID-19 surge

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1823 – Michael Obrenovic, ruler of Serbia (1839-42,1860-68), born in Kragujevac, Serbia (d. 1868)
1889 – Claude Albert Barnett, American journalist and founder (Associated Negro Press), born in Sanford, Florida (d. 1967)
1933 – Jim Gilbert, British artist and criminal, born in London (d. 1995)
1943 – David Wilshire, British MP (C) (Section 28, Parliamentary expenses scandal), born in Bristol, England
1962 – Roger Ross Williams, American director (1st African American director to win an Oscar for “Music by Prudence”), born in Easton, Pennsylvania
1963 – Richard Marx, American rock musician (“Hold on to the Night”), born in Chicago, Illinois

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1936 – Karl Buresch, Austrian lawyer and politician, dies at 57
1992 – Lee Tully, entertainer, dies
2001 – Samuel Z. Arkoff, American film producer and co-founder of American International Pictures, dies at 83
2003 – Sheb Wooley, American vocalist (Purple People Eater, Hee Haw), dies at 82
2004 – Izora Rhodes Armstead, American disco singer (Two Tons O’ Fun; The Weather Girls – “It’s Raining Men”), dies of heart failure at 62
2023 – Lionel Morgan, Australian rugby league winger (3 Tests; first Indigenous Australian to play in a recognised RL Test), dies at 85

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1713 – Pope Clemens XI publishes decree “Unigenitus” against Jansenism
1863 – -10] Federal troops reconquer the Cumperland Gap, Tennessee
1946 – San Francisco 49ers play 1st AAFC game, lose to NY Yankees 21-7
1985 – 7 die in a car and train crash in San Jose, California
2002 – Rookie quarterback David Carr throws for 2 TDs as the Houston Texans beat Dallas Cowboys 19-10 to become only the 2nd expansion team (1961 Minnesota Vikings) to win their inaugural game
2013 – 11 people are killed after a minibus collides with a train in Lasi, Romania

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1902 – Nico Donkersloot, Dutch literary and writer, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1965)
1930 – Mario Adorf, German actor (The Tin Drum, Bachelor, Abyssinia), born in Zurich, Switzerland
1931 – Marion Brown, American jazz alto saxophonist, (Marion Brown Quartet; John Coltrane -“Ascension”; Artie Schepp), avant garde composer, writer, and ethnomusicologist, born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 2010)
1945 – Kelly Groucutt, English musician (Electric Light Orchestra), born in Coseley, England (d. 2009)
1950 – Will Lee, American session bassist (Late Show with David Letterman; The Fab Faux), born in San Antonio, Texas
1964 – Raven [Scott Levy], American professional wrestler, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1660 – Daniel von Czepko, German poet, dies at 54
1947 – Victor Horta, Belgium architect, founder of Art Nouveau movement (Hôtel Tassel), dies at 86
2016 – The Lady Chablis [Benjamin Knox], American transgender entertainer (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), dies at 59
2020 – Gene A. Budig, American baseball executive (last American League [AL] president 1994-99), dies from liver disease at 81
2021 – Art Metrano, American comedian (Amy Prentiss, Joanie Loves Chachi), dies at 84
2022 – Gwyneth Powell, British actress (Grange Hill – “Mrs. McClusky”, dies of surgical complications at 76

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1842 – American blacksmith Micah Rugg patents a nuts and bolts machine
1942 – U-boats sink and damage 131 allied ships this month (639,946 tons)
1942 – Battle at Alam Halfa: German and Italians assault
1984 – Pinklon Thomas beats Tim Witherspoon in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
1991 – Colorado Rockies bat out of order against Montreal Expos in 1st inning
2018 – 19-year old Indonesian boy rescued after 49 days afloat when his floating fish trap became adrift

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1887 – Friedrich A Paneth, Austrian-British chemist, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1958)
1912 – Ramon Vinay, Chilean operatic tenor, born in Chillán, Chile (d. 1996)
1921 – Charles “Chub” Feeney, American MLB executive (President of the National League), born in Orange, New Jersey (d. 1994)
1951 – Mario Boljat, Croatian soccer defender-midfielder (5 caps; Hajduk Split, Schalke 04), born in Split, Croatia (d. 2024)
1966 – Jan Einar Thorsen, Norwegian Alpine skier, born in Voss, Norway
1982 – Ian Crocker, American swimmer, born in Portland, Maine

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1869 – Mary Ward, Irish scientist, first automobile accident victim (b. 1827)
1940 – Johanna “Annie” Bakker, Dutch revue-artist, singer and actress, dies at 58
1986 – Henry Moore, English artist and sculptor (known for Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae), dies at 88
1995 – Beant Singh, Prime Minister of Punjab province of India, assassinated at 73
1995 – John Erik Jonsson, American businessman and Mayor of Dallas, dies at 93
2020 – Pranab Mukherjee, Indian politician, 13th President of India (2012-17), dies at 84

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1922 – Albert von Tilzer and Neville Fleesons musical “The Gingham Girl” premieres in NYC
1952 – Yakov Malik succeeds Valerian Zorin as Soviet Foreign Minister
1960 – White Sox Ted Kluzewski’s 3-run HR is disallowed as umpire called time
1984 – USSR performs underground nuclear test
1986 – Largest wrestling crowd in Canada (69,300) at Toronto Stadium
2017 – Matt Vogel makes his debut as the voice of Kermit the Frog in “Muppet Thought of the Week” video

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1612 – Marcus Zuerius van Boxhorn, Dutch scholar, born in Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands (d. 1653)
1824 – Carel van Nispen of Sevenaer, Dutch Catholic politician, born in Zevenaar, Netherlands (d. 1884)
1840 – Alexander Cameron Sim, Scottish merchant, born in Aberlour, Scotland (d. 1900)
1841 – Louis Le Prince, French artist and original inventor of the motion picture camera sometimes called “the father of cinematography”, born in Metz, France (d. 1890)
1884 – Peter Fraser, British-born New Zealand statesman and 24th Prime Minister of New Zealand (1940-49), born in Hill of Fearn, Scotland (d. 1950)
1989 – Trixie Mattel [Brian Firkus], American drag queen, singer-songwriter, comedian, and television personality (The Trixie and Katya Show), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1646 – Fulvio Testi, Italian poet (Poesie liriche), dies at 53
1680 – Joan Cererols, Catalan musician, composer and monk, dies at 57
1910 – Paolo Mantegazza, Italian neurologist and anthropologist, dies at 78
1916 – Francis Warre-Cornish, English writer and scholar, dies at 77
1990 – Larry Jackson, American baseball pitcher (5 × MLB All-Star; MLB wins leader 1964; St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies), dies from cancer at 59
2010 – William P. Foster, notable band director and founder of the Marching 100 of Florida AandM University

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1942 – Cuba declares war on Germany, Japan and Italy
1972 – Operation Lion’s Den: US Navy bombards Haiphong Harbor, North Vietnam from the sea, firing over 700 rounds in 33 minutes
1979 – Warrenpoint ambush: 18 British Army soldiers killed when Provisional IRA explode two roadside bombs as a British convoy passes Narrow Water Castle
1988 – Dodger Tommy Lasorda wins 1,000th game as manager tops Philadelphia, 4-2
2004 – Timothy Mack vaults an Olympic record 5.95m to win the pole vault gold medal from fellow American Toby Stevenson (5.90m) at the Athens Olympics
2015 – Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos names top Supreme Court judge, Vassiliki Thanou caretaker Prime Minister – Greece’s 1st female Prime Minister

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1665 – John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol, English politician, born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk (d. 1751)
1871 – Theodore Dreiser, American novelist (Sister Carie, American Tragedy), born in Terre Haute, Indiana (d. 1945)
1911 – Kathleen “Kay” Walsh, British actress (The Horse’s Mouth, Oliver Twist), born in Chelsea, London, England (d. 2005)
1941 – Cesária Évora, Cape Verdean Grammy Award-winning morna singer (Voz d’Amor), known as “the Barefoot Diva”, born in Mindelo, Cape Verde (d. 2011)
1959 – Juan Fernando Cobo, Colombian artist, born in Cali, Colombia (d. 2024)
1972 – The Great Khali [Dalip Singh], Indian-born American professional wrestler (WWE), born in Dhiraina, Himachal Pradesh, India

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1521 – Josquin Des Prez, French composer, dies between 66 and 71 [birthdate uncertain]
1963 – W. E. B. Du Bois, American civil rights activist, writer (Souls of Black Folk) and co-founder of the NAACP, dies in Accra, Ghana, at 95
1980 – Douglas Kenney, American humorist (co-founded the magazine National Lampoon), dies at 33
1987 – Scott La Rock [Sterling], American hip-hop DJ (Boogie Down Productions), shot to death at 25
1991 – Vince Taylor [Brian Holden], British rock and roll singer (Brand New Cadillac), dies of lung cancer at 52
2023 – Pat Corrales, American baseball catcher (Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, SD Padres) and manager (Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians), dies at 82

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1874 – 16 blacks kidnapped from Gibson County Jail and lynched in Trenton, Tennessee
1916 – Philadelphia Athletic’s Bullet Joe Bush no-hits Cleveland, 5-0
1966 – Baltimore Orioles Roznovsky and B.Powell are 4th to hit consecutive pinch HRs
1971 – MLB Baltimore Orioles’ Don Buford struck out 5 times in a game
1985 – French government denies knowledge of bombing of the Greenpeace flagship the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland New Zealand
1986 – Rosa Mota of Portugal wins the women’s Stuttgart marathon (2:28:38)

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1891 – Ferdinand Bruckner [Theodor Tagger], Austrian-German playwright (Races), born in Sofia, Bulgaria (d. 1958)
1901 – Jimmy Rushing, American jump blues singer, known as “Mr. Five By Five” (Count Basie Orchestra, 1935-48), and pianist, born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (d. 1972)
1919 – Ronny Graham [Stringer], American composer, lyricist, screenwriter (M*A*S*H (TV series), and actor (Chico and the Man; Mel Brooks films), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1999)
1942 – Keith Alison, American session and touring guitarist (Paul Revere and The Raiders, 1968-75), and songwriter, born in Coleman, Texas (d. 2021)
1953 – David Hurley, Australian politician (Governor General of Australia 2019-, Governor of New South Wales 2014-19), born in Wollongong, Australia
1960 – Ola Ray, American model, Playboy playmate (Jun, 1980) and actress (girlfriend in Thriller music video), born in St Louis, Missouri

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1770 – Domingos dos Reis Quita, Portuguese playwright and poet, dies at 42
1813 – Theodor Körner, German soldier and poet (Zriny, Sword Song), dies fighting in the Napoleonic wars at 21
1813 – Daniel Gottlob Turk, German composer, dies at 63
1921 – Ludwig Thoma, German writer, dies at 54
1981 – Walter “Foots” Thomas, American saxophonist, flutist, and arranger (Cab Calloway Orchestra), dies from cancer at 74
1995 – Olimi III, African king of Toro (Uganda), dies at 49

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1835 – New York Sun publishes Moon hoax story about John Herschel
1960 – XVII Summer Olympic Games open at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy
1971 – Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party Gerry Fitt presents a number of allegations of brutality by the security forces in Northern Ireland to representatives of the United Nations
1986 – A’s Mark McGwire hits his 1st major league home run
2001 – Singer Aaliyah and 8 others killed in an air crash in the Bahamas
2022 – California votes to ban the sale of all new gasoline-powered cars by 2035

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1919 – George Wallace, American politician (Gov-D-Ala) and presidential candidate, born in Clio, Alabama (d. 1998)
1936 – Hugh Hudson, English film director (Chariots of Fire), born in London, England (d. 2023)
1946 – Charlie Sanders, American football player (Detroit Lions), born in Richlands, North Carolina (d. 2015)
1955 – Vijayakanth, Tamil actor and politician, born in Thirumangalam, India
1962 – Mazzi Rawd, [Clifford Lewis], American heavy metal guitarist (Femme Fatale), and physicist, born in the USA
1966 – Michael Cohen, American lawyer to Donald Trump, born on Long Island, New York

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1282 – Thomas Cantilupe, English saint (b. ca 1218)
1868 – Costache Negruzzi, Romanian author/poet, dies at about 60
1957 – Leo Perutz, Austrian writer and mathematician, dies at 74
1967 – Paul Muni, American actor (Angel on My Shoulder, Juarez), dies after a lengthy illness of heart disease at 71
1972 – Juan Carlos Paz, composer, dies at 71
2016 – Rudy Van Gelder, American recording engineer (Miles Davis, John Coltrane), dies at 91

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1511 – Afonso de Albuquerque of Portugal conquers Malacca, the capital of the Sultanate of Malacca
1572 – St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of Protestants by Roman Catholics begins in Paris and later spreads to the French provinces
1968 – Northern Ireland’s first civil rights march held; many more marches would be held over the following year and Loyalists organized counter-demonstrations to get the marches banned
1975 – Davey Lopes steals his 38th consecutive base, then thrown out stealing
1992 – Diplomatic relations are established between the People’s Republic of China and South Korea.
2023 – BRICS meeting of emerging nations in South Africa agrees to invite six new nations to join, in attempt to balance global power of the US and Europe

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1552 – Lavinia Fontana, Italian painter, born in Bologna, Papal States (now Italy) (d. 1614)
1889 – Simon Kimbangu/Kibangu, Congolese religious leader and founder of Kimbanguism, born in Nkamba, Congo (d. 1951)
1943 – Pini Zahavi, Israeli football agent, born in Ness Ziona, Israel
1965 – Reggie Miller, American NBA guard, 1987-2005 (Indiana Pacers; Olympic gold, 1996), born in Riverside, California
1972 – Todd Young, American politician (Senator-R-Indiana 2017-), born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
1979 – (Katherine) “Kaki” King, American guitarist, lap steel guitar player and composer, born in Atlanta, Georgia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1939 – William Moule, Australian lawyer, politician and cricketer (Australia v England 1880), dies at 81
1988 – Max Shulman, American author (Dobie Gillis, Tender Trap), dies at 69
1992 – André Donner, Dutch jurist (2nd President European Court of Justice), dies at 74
1994 – Jason McRoy, English mountain bike racer, dies in a motorcycle accident at 23
1996 – John Christopherson, English artist and collector, dies at 75
1998 – E. G. Marshall [Everett Eugene Grunz], American actor (12 Angry Men, The Defenders), dies of lung cancer at 84

More Famous Deaths »