Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1771 – French astronomer Charles Messier adds M46-M49 to his catalog (galactic clusters in Puppis and Hydra and galaxy in Virgo)
1819 – British explorer William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands, and claims them in the name of King George III
1945 – US 5th Fleet launches invasion of Iwo Jima against the Japanese with 30,000 US Marines
1985 – Canned and bottled Cherry Coke introduced by Coca-Cola
1992 – In a blockbuster NHL trade, Pittsburgh Penguins send Mark Recchi, Brian Benning and LA’s 1st round 1992 pick (Jason Bowen) to the Philadelphia Flyers for Kjell Samuelsson, Rick Tocchet and Ken Wregget
2014 – Death toll in Ukraine reaches 26 after Government crackdown on protesters

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Famous Birthdays

1920 – Jaan Kross, Estonian writer (d. 2007)
1923 – Donald Lybbert, American composer (Zap; Lines for the Fallen), and educator (Hunter College, 1954-80), born in Cresco, Iowa (d. 1981)
1940 – [William] Smokey Robinson, American soul singer-songwriter (The Miracles – “You Really Got A Hold On Me”; “Tears Of A Clown”; “My Girl”), born in Detroit, Michigan
1979 – Mariska [Anna Maria Rahikainen], Finnish rapper, born in Helsinki, Finland
1981 – Ronnie Arniell, Canadian professional wrestler
1993 – Victoria Justice, American Actress (The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody, Lola Martinez in Nickelodeon show Zoey 101)

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Famous Deaths

1545 – Pierre Brully [Peter Brulius], Calvinist minister, burned to death for teaching Protestant doctrine in Tournai
1878 – Charles-François Daubigny, French painter of the Barbizon school, dies at 61
1948 – Bob Groom, American baseball pitcher (Washington Senators; no-hitter 1917 St. Louis Browns), dies at 63
1957 – Maurice Garin, Italian-born French road bicycle racer (winner of Tour de France in 1903), dies at 85
1993 – Michael Morrison, actor (Caleb-As the World Turns), dies at 33
1994 – Derek Jarman, English filmmaker (The Tempest), artist and gay rights activist, dies of AIDS at 52

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Historical Events

1896 – Cave of Winds at Niagara Falls goes almost dry for first time in 50 yrs
1957 – Dedan Kimathi, a Kenyan freedom fighter is executed by the British colonial government.
1967 – Softball pitcher Eddie Feigner strikes out 6 straight major leaguers
1980 – East German cross country skier Barbara Petzold wins first of 2 gold medals at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics in women’s 10k; also takes gold as part of 4 x 5k relay team
1992 – American amateur astronomer Peter Collins discovers Nova Cygni 1992, observed from Boulder, Colorado
2022 – Johannes Thingnes Bø of Norway wins his 4th biathlon gold medal of the Beijing Winter Olympics when he takes out the men’s mass start

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Famous Birthdays

1770 – Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck, German composer, born in Elgersburg (d. 1846)
1867 – Hedwig Courths-Mahler, German Romantic novelist whose novels sold 80 million copies (Warbride), born in Nebra (d. 1950)
1909 – Wallace Stegner, American novelist and critic (Pulitzer-1972 for Angle of Repose), born in Lake Mills, Iowa (d. 1992)
1936 – Jozef Vengloš, Slovak soccer manager (Australia, Czechoslovakia, Malaysia, Fenerbahçe, Aston Villa, Celtic, Slovakia), born in Ružomberok, Slovakia (d. 2021)
1955 – Miles Tredinnick, English playwright, born in Warrington, United Kingdom
1967 – Colin Jackson, Welsh 100m hurdler (Olympic silver 1988), born in Cardiff, Wales

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Famous Deaths

1546 – Martin Luther, German theologian and key figure in the Protestant Reformation, dies at 62
1743 – Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, last of the Medicis (b. 1667)
1957 – Dedan Kimathi, Kenyan freedom fighter, dies by execution at 36
1963 – Monte Blue, American silent film actor (Apache), dies of a heart attack at 73
1980 – Gale Robbins [Betty Gale Murphy], American singer and actress (Fuller Brush Girl, Mr Hex), dies of lung cancer at 58
1996 – Jack Thieuloy, French writer, dies at 64

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Historical Events

1621 – Myles Standish is elected as the first commander of the Plymouth Colony
1905 – Frances Willard becomes 1st women honored in National Statuary Hall
1954 – WAST (now WNYT) TV channel 13 in Albany-Troy, NY (NBC) 1st broadcast
1995 – Colin Fergusson found guilty of killing 6 people on the Long Island Rail Road in NY
1995 – Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson takes unpaid leave due to baseball strike
2021 – South Africa, Africa’s worst-affected country begins COVID-19 vaccinations with the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine in Cape Town

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Famous Birthdays

1796 – Philipp Franz von Siebold, German physician (d. 1866)
1821 – Lola Montez, Irish dancer and courtesan, born in Grange, Ireland (d. 1861)
1850 – Anton Urspruch, German composer, born in Frankfurt (d. 1907)
1895 – Anita Stewart, American silent film actress (South of Hell Mountain), producer, and mystery novelist, born in Brooklyn, NYC (d. 1961)
1913 – Oskar Danon, Yugoslav conductor (Belgrade Opera, 1944-65), born in Sarajevo, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Bosnia and Herzegovina) (d. 2009)
1963 – Larry the Cable Guy [Daniel Lawrence Whitney], American comedian (Blue Collar Comedy Tour), born in Pawnee City, Nebraska

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Famous Deaths

1841 – Ferdinando Carulli, Italian classical guitar composer (Méthode, Op. 27), dies at 71
1924 – Henry Bacon, American architect (Lincoln Memorial), dies at 57
1976 – Jean Servais, Belgian actor (Le Plaisir, Every Man is My Enemy), dies from heart failure at 65
1982 – Lee Strasberg, Austrian acting coach and actor (The Godfather: Part II, Somewhere in the Night), dies at 80
2013 – Mindy McCready, American country singer, commits suicide by gunshot at 37
2019 – Ethel Ennis, American jazz singer (If Women Ruled The World), dies of a stroke at 86

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Historical Events

1512 – Battle at Valeggio: French troops beat Venetianen
1559 – Pope Paul IV calls for deposition of sovereigns supporting heresy
1916 – The German ambassador in Washington announces that Germany will pay an indemnity for American lives lost on the Lusitania
1931 – Extreme right wing politician Pehr Evind Svinhufvud becomes President of Finland
1952 – Ian Craig makes NSW cricket debut aged 16 years 249 days (NSW record)
2016 – Former French President Nicholas Sarkozy is placed under investigation for campaign funds

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Famous Birthdays

1868 – Wilhelm Schmidt, German anthropologist and linguist (Anthropos), born in Hörde, Germany (d. 1954)
1900 – Vincent Coleman, American actor (For the Freedom of Ireland, Salome), born in Louisiana (d. 1971)
1934 – Harold “Hal” Kalin, American singer (Kalin Twins), born in Port Jervis, New York (d. 2005)
1945 – Julio Morales, Uruguayan soccer striker (24 caps; Racing Montevideo, Nacional, Austria Wien), born in Montevideo, Uruguay (d. 2022)
1971 – Marco Sas, Dutch soccer player (NAC)
1980 – Agim Kaba, American actor and film producer

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Famous Deaths

1823 – Pierre-Paul Prud’hon, French Romantic painter and draughtsman – allegorical paintings and portraits, dies at 64
1907 – Giosuè Carducci, Italian writer and Nobel Prize Laureate 1906 regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy, dies at 71
1932 – Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1841)
1944 – Edmund von Borck, German composer, dies fighting in Italy in WWII at 37
1966 – Hendrik Tilanus, Dutch artillery officer and political leader (CHU 1939-63), dies at 81
1987 – Dmitri Kabalevsky, Russian pianist and composer (In the Fire), dies at 82

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Historical Events

1799 – 1st US printed ballots authorized, Pennsylvania
1895 – 23 cm (9 inches) of snow falls on New Orleans
1986 – National Assembly of the Philippines proclaims Ferdinand Marcos President for six more years after rigged elections against Corazon Aquino, supercharging the EDSA people power revolution
1987 – 29th Daytona 500: Bill Elliott leads for 104 of 200 laps including the last 3; had won pole with record speed of 210.364 mph
1995 – Burundi premier Anatole Kanyenkiko resigns
2009 – 58th NBA All-Star Game, US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ: West beats East, 146-119; MVPs: Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers, F; Shaquille O’Neal, LA Lakers, C

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Famous Birthdays

1885 – Richard Würz, German composer, and music critic, born in Munich, Germany (d. 1965)
1921 – Radha Krishna Choudhary, Indian historian and writer (d. 1985)
1923 – Justice Drake, British justice
1937 – Terry Everett, American politician (Rep-R-Alabama 1993-2009), born in Dothan, Alabama
1947 – John Adams, American composer (Nixon In China), born in Worcester, Massachusetts
1979 – Kaj-Erik Eriksen, Canadian actor (Quarantine), born in Vancouver, British Columbia

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Famous Deaths

1503 – Henry Deane, Archbishop of Canterbury (1501-03), dies
1891 – Claudius W. Sears, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 74
1994 – Maria Britneva, Russian actress (A Room with a View, Maurice), dies of heart failure 72
2005 – Samuel Francis, American journalist (b. 1947)
2010 – Art Van Damme, American jazz accordionist (Chicago Jazz), dies at 89
2022 – P. J. O’Rourke, American journalist and satirist (Parliament of Whores; National Lampoon), dies of lung cancer at 74

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Historical Events

1912 – Arizona was admitted to the Union as the 48th state
1921 – Little Review faces obscenity charges for publishing “Ulysses,” in New York
1936 – Karl Schäfer of Austria wins his 2nd consecutive men’s figure skating Olympic gold medal at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Winter Games in Germany
2005 – Seven people are killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected Al-Qaeda-linked militants that hit the Philippines’ Makati financial district in Metro Manila, Davao City, and General Santos City.
2010 – America’s Cup: Team USA defeats Alinghi 2-0 to win in Spain
2014 – Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta resigns after less than a year in office

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Famous Birthdays

1572 – Hans Christoph Haiden, German composer, organist and poet (d. 1617)
1858 – Joseph Thomson, Scottish geologist and early African explorer (Thomson’s Gazelle), born in Penpont, Dumfries, Scotland (d. 1895)
1903 – Fritz Büchtger, German composer, educator, and modern music proponent (Association for Contemporary Music; Studio for New Music), born in Munich, Germany (d. 1978)
1926 – Alfred Körner, Austrian soccer striker (47 caps; Rapid Wien), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2020)
1945 – Gregory Hines, American actor and dancer (White Nights, Taps), born in NYC, New York (d. 2003)
1977 – Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer, born in Ladysmith, South Africa (d. 2007)

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Famous Deaths

1760 – François Colin de Blamont, French composer, dies at 69
1922 – Heikki Ritavuori, Finnish lawyer and politician (Minister of the Interior), assassinated at 41
1929 – Tom Burke, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 400m 1896), dies at 53
1990 – Jean Wallace [Walasek], actress (Big Combo), dies of hemorrhage at 66
1998 – Claude Prey, French composer, dies at 72
2003 – Dolly the sheep, first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell, dies young from a progressive lung disease aged 6

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Historical Events

1706 – Battle at Fraustadt: Swedish army beats Russia and Saxon forces, one of Swedish’s Greatest victories in the Great Northern War
1864 – Miridian Campaign fighting at Chunky Creek and Wyatt, Mississippi
1915 – The French try to drive the Germans forces back into the Champagne region
1948 – Wright Flyer, 1st plane to fly, returns to US from England
1970 – 16th National Film Awards (India): “Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne” wins the Golden Lotus
1970 – Man-eating tiger is reported to have killed 48, 80 km from New Delhi

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Famous Birthdays

1879 – Sarojini Naidu, Indian freedom fighter and poet, born in Hyperbad, India (d. 1949)
1895 – Fred Essler, Austrian actor (Unsinkable Molly Brown, Saratoga Trunk), born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (d. 1973)
1944 – Sal Bando, American baseball third baseman (4 x MLB All-Star; World Series 1972, 73, 74 Oakland A’s) and executive (GM Milwaukee Brewers 1991-99), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2023)
1953 – Suleiman Nyambui, Tanzanian runner (world record 5k indoor), born in Tanzania
1956 – Princess Alia bint Al Hussein, Jordanian Royal Family member, born in Amman, Jordan
1974 – Jeff Duran, US radio personality, born in Arcadia, California

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Famous Deaths

1787 – Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, French statesman and diplomat, dies at 67
1959 – William Axt, American film scores composer (The Prisoner of Zenda), dies at 70
1980 – David Janssen, American actor (The Fugitive, Harry O), dies at 49
1992 – Dorothy Tree [Triebitz], American actress (Abe Lincoln in Illinois; Confessions Of A Nazi Spy; The Asphalt Jungle), dies of heart failure at 85
1995 – Azeddine Medjoubi, head Algerian nationally theater, murdered at 49
2006 – Peter Strawson, British philosopher (Oxford University), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1855 – Michigan State University established
1938 – Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg visits Adolf Hitler in Berchtesgaden
1949 – “Annie Get Your Gun” closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 1147 performances
1958 – Boston Celtic Bill Russell grabs 41 rebounds to beat Syracuse Nationals, 119-101
1962 – Bus boycott starts in Macon, Georgia
2006 – A powerful winter storm blankets the Northeastern United States dumping 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington, D.C. up to Boston, Massachusetts. The storm dumped a record 26.9 inches of snow in New York City.

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Famous Birthdays

1778 – Franz Joseph Volkert, Austrian composer, conductor and organist, born in Vienna (d. 1845)
1857 – Bobby Peel, English cricket all-rounder (20 Tests, 3 x 50, 101 wickets, BB 7/31; Yorkshire CCC), born in Churwell, England (d. 1941)
1900 – Fred Emney, British actor (Let the People Sing, Adventures of a Private Eye, Lilac Domino), born in London, England (d. 1980)
1924 – Hans Berghuis, Dutch author/poet (3 Women, Adam)
1946 – Ajda Pekkan, Turkish singer and actress, born in Istanbul, Turkey
1965 – Brett Kavanaugh, American judge, born in Washington, D.C.

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Famous Deaths

1889 – Andrew Greenwood, English cricket batsman (2 Tests, HS 49; Yorkshire CCC), dies from tuberculosis at 41
1896 – Isaac Murphy, American jockey, 628 wins on 1,412 mounts (44.5%), dies at 35
1960 – Bobby Clark, American vaudevillian, clown and actor (in comedy act with Paul McCullough), dies at 71
1973 – Benjamin Frankel, British composer, dies at 67
2005 – Rafael Vidal, Venezuelan athlete (b. 1964)
2011 – Gino Cimoli, American baseball player, dies at 81

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Historical Events

1837 – American Physiological Society organizes in Boston
1895 – -17°F (-27.2°C) in Braemar, Grampian (UK record)
1899 – -15°F (-26°C), Washington, D.C. (district record)
1908 – Australia regain the Ashes with a 308 run cricket victory vs England
1964 – Beatles 1st live appearance in US; Washington, D.C. Coliseum
1977 – 20.2-kg lobster caught off Nova Scotia (heaviest known crustacean)

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Famous Birthdays

1377 – King Ladislas of Naples (d. 1414)
1897 – Yves de La Casiniere, French composer, born in Angers, France (d. 1971)
1908 – Vivian Fuchs, English geologist and explorer (led Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1st to cross Antarctica via South Pole), born in Freshwater, Isle of Wight (d. 1999)
1941 – Glenn Randall Jr, stuntman (Species, Mrs Soffel, Return of the Jedi)
1967 – Derek King, Canadian NHL left wing (NY Islanders), born in Hamilton, Canada
1969 – Mark Atkinson, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (Tasmanian batsman), born in Sydney, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1879 – Willem Josephus van Zeggelen, Dutch author, dies at 67
1931 – Charles Algernon Parsons, British inventor (steam turbine), dies at 76
1982 – Takashi Shimura, Japanese actor (Rashomon, 7 Samurais), dies at 76
1993 – Joy Garrett, American actress (Jo Johnson-Days of Our Lives), dies of liver failure at 47
1994 – Sorrell Booke, American actor (Boss Hogg in Dukes of Hazard), dies of colorectal cancer at 64
2017 – Harvey Lichtenstein, American head of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, dies at 87

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Historical Events

1535 – 12 nude anabaptists run through Amsterdam streets
1882 – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “Snyegurochka” premieres in St Petersburg
1927 – US President Calvin Coolidge asks for 2nd disarmament conference
1962 – Jim Beatty sets American indoor mile record (3:58.9) in LA
2014 – German alpine skier Maria Höfl-Riesch retains her Olympic combined title (Vancouver 2010) when she Nicole Hosp beats of Austria by 0.4s
2019 – 72nd British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): “Roma” Best Film, Alfonso Cuarón Best Director, Olivia Coleman, Rami Malek best actors

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Famous Birthdays

1741 – Franz Adam Veichtner, German violinist and composer, baptized in Regensburg, Bavaria (d. 1822)
1927 – Nigel Bagnall, British field marshal
1940 – Peter Middleton, CEO (Lloyd’s)
1961 – Eva Pfaff, German tennis player (Australian Open doubles 1982 runner-up), born in Königstein im Taunus, Germany
1970 – Nobushige Kumakubo, Japanese racing driver, born in Fukushima, Japan
1981 – Holly Willoughby, British TV presenter, born in Brighton, United Kingdom

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Famous Deaths

1774 – Florian Leopold Gassmann, Bohemian composer, dies at 44
1836 – Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier, French chemist (worked with husband Antoine Lavoisier), dies at 78
1918 – Abdul Hamid II, 34th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1876-1909), dies at 75
1993 – Fred Hollows, New Zealand ophthalmologist (b. 1929)
2007 – Ned Austin, American character actor (b. 1925)
2022 – Nikolai Manoshin, Russian soccer midfielder (8 caps; FC Torpedo Moscow, CSKA Moscow) and manager (Somalia, Yemen, Mali), dies at 83

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