Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1787 – English slave ship Sisters, en route from Africa to Cuba, capsizes killing hundreds
1921 – US President Warren G. Harding opens (via telephone) the 1st Valencia Orange Show in Anaheim, California
1949 – British government recognises Republic of Ireland (previously Irish Free State)
1979 – Emmy 6th Daytime Award presentation, “Ryan’s Hope” wins Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
2023 – Scientists discover comb jellies (ctenophores) are the closest relative to the very first animals that evolved half a billion years ago, by focusing on groups of genes on chromosomes

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Famous Birthdays

1908 – Sigismund Toduţă, Romanian composer, born in Simeria, Romania (d. 1991)
1934 – Earl Morrall, American NFL quarterback (Super Bowl 1970, 72, 73; Pro Bowl 1957, 68; First-team All-Pro 1968, 72; NFL MVP 1968; Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins), born in Muskegon, Michigan (d. 2014)
1936 – Lars Gustafsson, Swedish poet and novelist (The Death of a Beekeeper, The Cracks in the Wall), born in Västerås, Sweden (d. 2016)
1960 – Lou DiBella, American boxing promoter
1977 – Jere Michael, American figure skater (1994 National Jr champ), born in Aspen, Colorado

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Famous Deaths

1695 – Cornelis de Heem, Dutch painter, dies
1888 – Giacomo Zanella, Italian poet (b. 1820)
1986 – Lyudmila Pakhomova, Russian ice dancer (World C’ship gold x 6; Olympic gold USSR 1976; with Alexandr Gorshkov), dies from leukemia at 39
2002 – Joe Black, American baseball pitcher (NgL All-Star 1947, 48, 50 Baltimore Elite Giants; first black pitcher to win World Series game 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers), dies of prostate cancer at 78
2024 – Sid Going, New Zealand rugby union halfback (29 Tests; Northland RU), dies at 80

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Historical Events

1795 – Hedges Treaty: Bataafse Republic becomes French vassal state
1968 – Earthquake kills 47 in Japan
1974 – USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
2019 – British people get drunk more than any other nation, 51 times a year according to the Global Drug Survey, with English-speaking countries drinking the most
2020 – 118-year old American department store JC Penney files for bankruptcy

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Famous Birthdays

1782 – John Sell Cotman, English water color artist, born in Norwich, England (d. 1842)
1887 – Jakob van Hoddis [Hans Davidsohn], German Jewish expressionist poet, born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1942)
1964 – John Salley, NBA star (Detroit Pistons)
1968 – Chingmy Yau, Hong Kong actress (Naked Killer), born in Hong Kong
1977 – Emilíana Torrini, Icelandic singer and songwriter (“Jungle Drum”; “Gollum’s Song”), born in Kópavogur, Iceland

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Famous Deaths

1620 – William Adams, English navigator, first ever Western Samurai who life was the basis for novel “Shōgun”, dies in Japan at 55
1955 – James Agee, American author (African Queen, Death in Family), dies at 45
1977 – Edouard Van Remoortel, Belgian conductor (St Louis Symphony, 1958-62), dies at 50
2018 – Michael Slive, American college sports executive (Commissioner SEC 2002-15), dies of prostate cancer at 77
2019 – Bob Hawke, Australian politician and 23rd Prime Minister of Australia (Labor: 1983-91), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1610 – Parliament of Paris appoints 8-year old Louis XIII as French King, following the assassination of his father Henry IV; Louis’ mother and Henry’s widow Marie de’ Medici serves as regent until 1617
1862 – Battle of Drewry’s Bluff (Fort Darling), Virginia
1961 – 36 Unification church couples wed in Korea
2008 – Hollywood fixer Anthony Pellicano is found guilty of 76 counts, including racketeering, wiretapping and wire fraud
2022 – Pope Francis canonizes Dutch Roman Catholic priest and anti-Nazi activist Titus Brandsma (1881-1942) as a saint

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Famous Birthdays

1909 – James Mason, British actor (Lolita, North by Northwest, Bloodline, Boys From Brazil), born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire (d. 1984)
1915 – Paul A. Samuelson, American economist (1970 Nobel Prize for Economics, 1947 John Bates Clark Medal), born in Gary, Indiana (d. 2009)
1923 – Johnny Walker [Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi], Indian actor (Madhumati, Chachi 420), born in Indore, British India (d. 2003)
1944 – Gunilla Hutton, Swedish-American actress (Hee Haw, Petticoat Junction), born in Gothenburg, Sweden
1959 – Andrew Eldritch, British rock singer-songwriter (Sisters of Mercy – Walk Away; Black Planet), born in Ely, England

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Famous Deaths

1714 – Roger Elliott, British general and Governor of Gibraltar
1967 – Jaromír Fiala, Czech composer, dies at 74
1971 – Donald F. Duncan Sr., American entrepreneur (Duncan Toys Company), dies at 78
1984 – Lionel Charles Robbins, British economist, dies at 85
2021 – Fred Martinelli, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Ashland University 1959-93), dies at 92

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Historical Events

1608 – The Protestant Union is founded in Auhausen
1975 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1977 – KC Royals Jim Colborn no-hits Texas Rangers, 6-0
1986 – NHL Clarence Campbell Conference Final: Calgary Flames beat St. Louis Blues, 4 games to 3
1997 – FC Barcelona of Spain win 37th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Paris Saint-Germain of France 1-0 in Rotterdam

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Famous Birthdays

1867 – Kurt Eisner, German socialist politician, revolutionary and journalist (President of the People’s State of Bavaria 1918-19), born in Berlin, Prussia (d. 1919)
1901 – Robert Ritter, German child psychologist who classified the Roma and Sinti populations for persecution under the Third Reich, born in Aachen, German Empire (d. 1951)
1929 – Barbara Branden, Canadian writer and lecturer (The Passion of Ayn Rand, Who is Ayn Rand?), born in Winnipeg (d. 2013)
1965 – Dave Widell, NFL center/guard (Jacksonville Jaguars)
1973 – Anais Granofsky, American-Canadian actress, screenwriter, and director (Lucy Fernandez in “Degrassi”), born in Springfield, Ohio

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Famous Deaths

1906 – Carl Schurz, German revolutionary and statesman (b. 1829)
1983 – Roger J. Traynor, American judge (b. 1900)
1984 – Elmer Riddle, American baseball pitcher (NL wins leader 1943; Cincinnati Reds), dies at 69
2001 – Gil Langley, Australian cricketer (Australian wicket-keeper 1951-56), dies at 81
2003 – William Jackson [Pepper LaBeija], American drag queen and fashion designer, dies of a heart attack at 54

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Historical Events

1652 – Ingen Ryuki is invited to become abbot of Sofukuji Temple in Nagasaki
1864 – -16] Atlanta Campaign: Battle of Resaca, Georgia
1943 – German and Italian forces in Africa surrender
1991 – Apple releases Macintosh operating System 7, codenamed the “Big Bang”
1995 – Chelsi Smith, 21, of USA, crowned 44th Miss Universe Shanna Lynn Moakler, (19-NY), replaces Chelsi Smith as Miss USA

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Famous Birthdays

1883 – Henk Sneevliet, Dutch Communist, editor (Spartacus) and WWII resistance fighter, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1942)
1903 – Alfred Pugsley, English civil engineer (R101 airship), born in London, England (d. 1998)
1912 – Helen Craig, American actress (Snake Pit, They Live by Night), born in San Antonio, Texas (d. 1986)
1927 – Clive Barnes, British-American drama critic (NY Times, 1978-2008; NY Post, 1965-77), born in London, England (d. 2008)
1944 – Son Sook, South Korean screen and theatre actress (Volcano, Guest, Mother), radio host, and politician, born in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea

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Famous Deaths

1831 – Christian Gottfried Körner, German lawyer, dies at 74
1921 – Jean Aicard, French poet and novelist (Jeune Croyances), dies at 73
1972 – Dan Blocker, American actor (Cimarron City – “Tiny”; Bonanza – “Hoss”), dies of a pulmonary embolism at 43
1974 – Denny Shute, American golfer (British Open 1933, PGA C’ship 1936-37), dies at 69
2001 – R.K. Narayan, Indian novelist (Malguidi Days), dies at 94

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Historical Events

1898 – Louisiana adopts new constitution with “grandfather clause” designed to eliminate black voters
1915 – Franklin K. Mathiews first presents idea of “Book Week”
1961 – Russian Mikhail Botvinnik wins World Chess Championship for his third time
1978 – US Commerce Department says hurricane names will no longer be only female
2014 – Voters in Eastern Ukraine vote for self-rule in referendum

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Famous Birthdays

1700 – Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect (Palace of Caserta), born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples (now Italy) (d. 1773)
1910 – Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, British biochemist who developed protein crystallography to study molecular structure, including that of vitamin B12 (Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1964), born in Cairo, Egypt (d. 1994)
1956 – Homer Simpson, American fictional patriarchal character, and donut aficionado from the long running animated television show “The Simpsons”, born in Springfield
1959 – Ving Rhames [Irving Rameses Rhames], American actor (Mission Impossible), born in New York City
1981 – Lorena Bernal, Argentine Spanish model and actress (Miss Spain 1999), born in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina

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Famous Deaths

1918 – Abel Hoadley, Australian confectioner (Violet Crumble), dies at 73
1943 – Albert Stoessel, American violinist, conductor, composer, and educator, dies of a heart attack on the podium at 48
1957 – Alfonso de Portago, Spanish bobsledder and race car driver (b. 1928)
2007 – Mullah Dadullah Akhund, Taliban military leader (b. 1966?)
2020 – Astrid Kirchherr, German photographer, helped establish The Beatles image, dies at 81

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Historical Events

1625 – Peasants besiege Frankenburg estate in Upper Austria
1919 – Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hod Eller no-hits St Louis Cardinals, 6-0 at Redland Field, Cincinnati
1969 – British comedy troupe Monty Python forms, made up of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin
1972 – US conducts a nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site
2020 – Colombian airline Avianca, and world’s 2nd oldest, becomes 1st major airline to file for bankruptcy due to COVID-19

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Famous Birthdays

1840 – Filippo Capocci, Italian organ virtuoso and composer, born in Rome, Papal States (d. 1911)
1895 – Jan Parandowski, Polish writer and translator, born in Lwów, Austria-Hungary (now Lviv, Ukraine) (d. 1978)
1927 – Zilpha Keatly Snyder, American Newbury Award-winning children’s literature author (Headless Cupid; The Egypt Game), born in Lemoore, California (d. 2014)
1970 – Dean Capobianco, Australian 200m/400m (Olympics 1992, 96)
1988 – Marek Pospieszalski, Polish avant-garde jazz saxophonist and composer, born in Częstochowa, Poland

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Famous Deaths

1743 – Francesco Stradivari, Italian violin maker and son of Antonius, dies at 70
2016 – Jim Pothecary, South African cricket medium pace bowler (3 Tests, 9 wickets; Western Province), dies at 82
2021 – Janine Brookner [née Okun], American CIA officer and lawyer who spoke out against sexual discrimination in the CIA, dies of complications of kidney disease and cancer at 80
2023 – Hodding Carter III, American White House press secretary under Jimmy Carter (1977-80), dies after a series of strokes at 88
2024 – Mary Wells Lawrence, American businesswoman and the first woman to own a major US national advertising agency (Wells Rich Greene), dies at 95

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Historical Events

1534 – French navigator Jacques Cartier reaches Newfoundland
1933 – Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF) forms
1945 – Soviet troops occupied Prague
1992 – Revival of William Shakespeare’s stage drama “Hamlet” closes at the Criterion Theater, NYC, after 45 performances
1994 – Nelson Mandela is sworn in as South Africa’s first Black president

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Famous Birthdays

1830 – François-Marie Raoult, French physicist and chemist (law of Raoult), born in Fournes, France (d. 1901)
1877 – Roderich Mojsisovics-Mojsvar, Austrian music educator and composer, born in Graz, Austria (d. 1954)
1920 – Basil Kelly, Irish barrister, politician and judge (Lord Chief Justice), born in County Monaghan, Ireland (d. 2008)
1928 – Arnold Rüütel, Estonian agronomist and politician (President of Estonia, 2001-06), born in Pahavalla, Estonia (d. 2024)
1970 – Perry Blake, Irish singer-songwriter (The Hunchback of San Francisco), born in Sligo, Ireland

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Famous Deaths

1954 – George Hirst, English cricketer (36,323 1st-class runs, 2739 wickets), dies at 82
1968 – Scotty Beckett, American actor (Our Gang, Listen Darling, Battleground), dies from either an overdose, or as a result from a beating at 38
1972 – Rhys Gemmell, Australian tennis player (Australasian C’ships singles and doubles 1921), dies at 76
2001 – Deborah Walley, American actress (b. 1943)
2022 – Bob Lanier, American Basketball HOF center (8 x NBA All-Star; NBA All-Star Game MVP 1974; Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks), dies at 73

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Historical Events

1965 – The USSR launches Luna 5 with the goal of becoming the first spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, but it crashes during its landing attempt
1992 – 37th Eurovision Song Contest: Linda Martin for Ireland wins singing “Why Me” in Malmo
2018 – Dam bursts after heavy rains near Solai, Kenya, killing at least 41
2019 – English clubs create football history by taking all 4 final spots in Europe’s 2 major competitions; Chelsea and Arsenal qualify in Europa Cup after ‘miracle’ Champions League wins for Liverpool and Spurs
2019 – Pope Francis introduces new rules on reporting sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, criticized for not going far enough

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Famous Birthdays

1783 – Alexander Ross, Canadian fur trader, born in Morayshire, Scotland (d. 1856)
1855 – Julius Röntgen, German-Dutch composer, born in Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony (d. 1932)
1936 – Albert Finney, English actor (The Dresser, Under the Volcano), born in Salford, England (d. 2019)
1955 – Kermit the Frog, Muppet character created by Jim Henson, protagonist of “The Muppet Show”, “born” in Leland, Mississippi
1975 – Chris Diamantopoulos, Canadian actor (The Three Stooges; Silicon Valley), and cartoon Voice (Mickey Mouse, 2013-present), born in Toronto, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1745 – Tomaso Antonio Vitali, Italian composer and violinist, dies at 82
1850 – Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French physicist and chemist, dies at 71
1966 – Alfred Mendelsohn, Romanian composer, and conductor (Romanian National Opera, 1944-63), and teacher, dies at 56
1979 – Lan Adomian, Russian-born American composer, dies at 73
2019 – Alvin Sargent, American Academy Award-winning screenwriter for “Julia” (1977) and “Ordinary People” (1980), dies at 92

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Historical Events

1624 – Dutch Nassau fleet reaches port of Callao in Peru intending to ransack the annual Spanish silver ship convoy, misses them by five days
1909 – American Albert Raines runs world record marathon (2:46:04.6) in NYC
1976 – Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner’s musical “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue” closes at Mark Hellinger, NYC, after 7 performances
1988 – Brazilian musical revue “Oba Oba” closes at Ambassador Theater, NYC, after 46 performances
1989 – US space shuttle STS-30 lands

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Famous Birthdays

1906 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian film director (General della Rovere, Open City), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1977)
1911 – Robert Johnson, American blues singer-songwriter, and guitarist (King of Delta Blues Singers), born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi (d. 1938)
1945 – Arthur Docters van Leeuwen, Dutch politician, jurist and first chair of the Authority for Financial Markets (1999-2007), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 2020)
1980 – Benny Yau, Canadian TV presenter (What’s On), born in Hong Kong
1981 – Stephen Amell, Canadian actor (Arrow), born in Toronto, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1846 – Giacomo Cordella, Italian composer, dies at 59
1880 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (Madame Bovary), dies at 58
1960 – Hugo Alfvén, Swedish violinist, conductor, and composer (Midsommarvaka – Midsummer Vigil), dies at 88
1999 – Dana Plato, American actress (Kimberly-Diff’rent Strokes), dies at 34
2018 – James Scott, American boxer and felon, dies at 71

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