Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1868 – 1st Memorial Day parade held in Ironton, Ohio
1880 – League of American Wheelmen (1st US bicycle association), forms in Newport, Rhode Island
1953 – Lebanese president Camille Shamun disbands government
1961 – US President John F. Kennedy visits Charles de Gaulle in Paris
1992 – 46th Tony Awards: “Dancing at Lughnasa” (play) and “Crazy For You” (musical) win
2018 – Danish government bans garments that cover the face, including the niqab and burqa

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Famous Birthdays

1921 – Robert Arthur Ley, English sci-fi author (Telepath, Power of X) (d. 1968)
1955 – Joe Longthorne, English singer, impressionist, and television presenter, born in Kingston upon Hull, England (d. 2019)
1962 – Sebastian Koch, German actor
1983 – David Hernandez, American pop singer (American Idol), born in Phoenix, Arizona
1984 – Nate Robinson, American basketball player (first three-time slam dunk champion), born in Seattle, Washington
1986 – Sopho Khalvashi, Georgian pop-electronic singer, born in Batumi, Adjara, Georgian SSR

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Famous Deaths

1848 – Eugénie de Guérin, French writer (b. 1805)
1981 – Barbara Ward, English economist and writer (Only One Earth), dies at 67
2010 – William A. Fraker, American cinematographer (b. 1923)
2010 – Merata Mita, New Zealander filmmaker (Mauri, Patu!), dies at 67
2013 – Tim Samaras, American tornado chaser, dies from tornado injuries at 55
2020 – Bob Bennett, American College Baseball Hall of Fame coach (Fresno State 1970-2002; record 1,302-759-4), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1868 – “Decoration Day”, later called Memorial Day is first observed in Northern US states
1913 – Treaty of London signed by the Great Powers, the Ottoman Empire and the victorious Balkan League (Serbia, Greece, Kingdom of Bulgaria, and Montenegro) bringing an end to the First Balkan War
1933 – Patent on invisible glass installation
1954 – Hector Villa-Lobos’ “Odisseia de Uma Raca” premieres
1981 – Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman is shot by group of rebel officers
1993 – Indianapolis 500: Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi passes reigning F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell with 16 laps to go for his second race win

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Famous Birthdays

1901 – Cornelia Otis Skinner, American actress and writer (When Our Hearts Were Young and Gay), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1979)
1902 – Seton Lloyd, English Archaeologist (Arzawa civilization, Turkey), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1996)
1910 – Inge Meysel, German actress (None, Ida Rogalski), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2004)
1926 – Edouard Van Remoortel, Belgian conductor (1958-62 St Louis Symphony), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1977)
1963 – Helen Patricia Sharman, Great Britain, cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-12)
1964 – Andrea Montermini, Italian racing driver

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Famous Deaths

1940 – Y de Smit-Rog, oldest citizen of Netherlands, dies at 104
1989 – Zinka Milanov, Croatian soprano (Ljubljana Opera 1927, NY Metropolitan Opera), dies of a stroke at 83
1992 – Daniel Addes, actor (Victor-Sunst Grill), dies at 59
1995 – Lofty England, English automotive engineer and race team manager (b.1911)
1997 – West Arkeen, American musician, best known for co-writing several Guns N’ Roses songs (It’s So Easy, The Garden), dies of a drug overdose at 36
2019 – Leon Redbone [Dickran Gobalian], American blues and jazz musician (“Seduced”; Theme to Mr. Belvedere), dies at 69

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Historical Events

1576 – Spanish army under Cristóbal de Mondragón conquers Zierik sea
1721 – South Carolina formally incorporated as a royal colony
1971 – “Court Room” by Clarence Carter hits #61
1983 – Yuri Dumchev of USSR throws discus a record 71.86 m
2018 – Heatwave in Karachi, Pakistan, kills 65 as temperatures soar above 110 degrees Fahrenheit
2019 – Transgender no longer classified as a mental health illness by the World Health Organization

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Hubert Opperman, Australian road cyclist, politician (multi-distance world records), born in Rochester, Victoria (d. 1996)
1907 – Desmond Shawe-Taylor, British critic and writer (co-author of The Record Guide), born in Dublin (d. 1995)
1911 – James Marjoribanks, British ambassador to the European Economic Community, born in Colinton, Scotland (d. 2002)
1953 – Big Daddy Graham [Edward Gudonis], American comedian, writer, actor, recording artist, and radio personality, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2021)
1975 – Mel B {Melanie Brown], English pop singer “Scary Spice” (Spice Girls), and television personality (America’s Got Talent; X-FActor), born in Leeds, England
1978 – Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player (Davis Cup 2001; world #4 2002), born in Marseille, France

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Famous Deaths

1968 – Jacques Chardonne [Boutelleau], French writer (l’Epithalame), dies at 84
1977 – Ba Maw, Burmese politician (b. 1893)
1979 – John H. Wood, Jr., American federal judge (b. 1916)
1994 – Erich Honecker, German politician, Head of State of East Germany (1971-89), dies in Chile at 81
2003 – David Jefferies, British motorcycle racer, dies at 30
2004 – Archibald Cox, American lawyer and special prosecutor (Watergate), dies at 92

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Historical Events

1937 – Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opens to vehicular traffic
1953 – Premier of 1st animated 3-D cartoon in Technicolor-“Melody”
1961 – Amnesty International founded in London (Nobel Peace Prize 1977)
1974 – 26th Emmy Awards: M*A*S*H, Alan Alda and Mary Tyler Moore win, 1st Daytime Award presentation and “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” wins 5 awards, including Cicely Tyson for Dramatic Performance
1989 – Indianapolis 500: Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil first foreign winner since 1966; completes final lap under caution after crashing with Al Unser Jr
1993 – 200,000 demonstrate against mafia terror

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Famous Birthdays

1851 – Dick Barlow, English cricket all-rounder (17 Tests, 2 x 50, 34 wickets, BB 7/40; Lancashire CCC), born in Bolton, England (d. 1919)
1928 – Arno Marsh, American jazz saxophonist (Woody Herman), and band leader, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan (d. 2019)
1957 – Ben Howland, American college basketball coach, born in Lebanon, Oregon
1959 – Bernardine Evaristo, English writer (“Girl, Woman, Other” – 1st woman of Black heritage to win the Booker Prize), born in London, England
1970 – Glenn Quinn, Irish actor (d. 2002)
1986 – Seth Rollins [Colby Lopez], American professional wrestler (WWE), born in Buffalo, Iowa

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Famous Deaths

1672 – John Trevor, English politician (b. 1626)
1685 – Pieter de la Court, economist/historian, dies at about 67
1787 – Leopold Mozart, Austrian violinist, composer, father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, dies at 67
1996 – Julian Krein [Yulian Kreyn], Russian composer (Razrusheniye (Destruction)), and musicologist, dies at 83
2006 – Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian author and ski jumper (b. 1920)
2008 – David Mitton, Scottish-born director (b. 1938)

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Historical Events

308 – Marcellus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope, serving until his death in 309
1960 – Military coup overthrows democratic government of Turkey
1965 – 10th European Cup Final, San Siro, Milan: Jair da Costa scores winner as defending champions Internazionale beat Benfica, 1-0
1967 – James Lipton and Laurence Rosenthal’s musical “Sherry!”, based on George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s play “The Man Who Came to Dinner” closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 72 performances
1981 – 34th Cannes Film Festival: “Man of Iron” directed by Andrzej Wajda wins the Palme d’Or
2018 – IPL Cricket Final, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai: Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets; Shane Watson top scores, 117 no (57); SK’s 3rd IPL title

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Famous Birthdays

1861 – Victoria Earle Matthews, American author and activist, born in Fort Valley, Georgia (d. 1907)
1884 – Max Brod, Czech-born Israeli composer, writer, and biographer of Kafka, born in Prague (d. 1968)
1911 – Torolf Elster, Norwegian journalist and writer (Frihet och demokrati), born in Kristiania, Norway (d. 2006)
1947 – Liana Alexandra, Romanian pianist and composer, born in Bucharest, Romania (d. 2011)
1967 – Doug West, NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves)
1970 – Tim Farron, British politician

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Famous Deaths

1580 – Jonker Barthold Entens van Mentheda until Middelstum, dies
1902 – Jan Ferguut [Jan van Droogenbroeck], Belgian poet, dies at 67
1972 – Roy K. Marshall, American astronomer and TV scientist (Nature of Things), dies at 64
2007 – Izumi Sakai, Japanese pop singer (Zard – “Makenaide (Please Don’t Lose)”), dies from head injuries after a fall, while undergoing cancer treatments at 40
2009 – Clive Granger, Welsh-born British economist (Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences 2003), dies at 74
2011 – Margo Dydek, Polish basketball player (b. 1974)

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Historical Events

1906 – Archaeological Institute of America forms
1923 – Socialist Workers Youth International forms in Hamburg
1941 – American Flag House (Betsy Ross’ Home) given to city of Philadelphia
1967 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1972 – Joe Frazier TKOs Ron Stander in 5 for heavyweight boxing title
1996 – “Midsummer Night’s Dream” closes at Lunt-Fontanne NYC after 66 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1825 – Felipe Gutiérrez Y Espinosa, Puerto Rican composer, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico (d. 1899)
1846 – Arthur Coquard, French composer, born in Paris (d. 1910)
1890 – Kurt Edzard, German sculptor (nudes/portraits), born in Bremen, Germany (d. 1972)
1908 – Robert Morley, British actor (Marie Antoinette, The Young Ones, How the Other Half Loves), born in Semley, Wiltshire, England (d. 1992)
1949 – Pam Grier, American actress (The Big Bird Cage; Jackie Brown; The L-Word), born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1952 – David Meece, American contemporary Christian singer-songwriter, and piano player, born in Humble, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1907 – Ida McKinley, US First Lady (1897-1901) and wife of the 25th US President William McKinley, dies at 59
1924 – Johann Heinrich Beck, American composer, dies at 67
1939 – Cornelis Jacobus Snijders, Supreme commander of Dutch Navy (1910-18), dies at 86
1944 – Robert van Spaendonck, Dutch resistance fighter, dies at 27
1977 – Jim Boles, American actor (The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, One Man’s Family), dies of cardiac arrest at 63
2007 – J Edward Oliver, cartoonist and composer (b. 1942)

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Historical Events

1720 – The Ship “Le Grand St Antoine” reaches Marseille, bringing Europe’s last major plague outbreak. Kills around 100,000.
1842 – Christian Doppler presents his idea, now known as the Doppler Effect (through the changing colors of binary stars), to the Royal Bohemian Society, Prague
1949 – Chinese Red army occupies Shanghai
1994 – Emmy 21st Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci not nominated
2000 – 53rd Cannes Film Festival: “Dancer in the Dark” directed by Lars von Trier and starring Björk (Best Actress) wins the Palme d’Or
2014 – Senior PGA Championship, GC at Shore Harbor: Colin Montgomerie of Scotland wins first of 3 Champions Tour majors by 4 strokes from Tom Watson

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Famous Birthdays

1818 – Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss cultural historian, born in Basel, Switzerland (d. 1897)
1865 – John Mott, American evangelist and organizer (YMCA, Nobel 1946), born in Livingston Manor, Sullivan County, New York (d. 1955)
1945 – Dave Lee Travis [David Griffin], British DJ and presenter (Top of the Pops], convicted of indecent assault, born in Buxton, Derbyshire
1952 – Al Sarrantonio, American writer (999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense), born in NYC, New York
1961 – Hiro Saito, Japanese professional wrestler (All-Japan/NJPW/Calgary), born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
1979 – Sam Sodje, Nigerian footballer, born in Greenwich, London

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Famous Deaths

1917 – Maksim Bahdanovič, Belarusian poet, dies at 25
1934 – Gustav Holst, English composer (The Planets; Ode to Death), dies at 59
1945 – Demjan Bednyi, Russian writer and satirist, dies at 62
1954 – Robert Capa, Hungarian war photographer and photojournalist, dies of injuries from a landmine explosion at 40
1966 – Ricardo Castillo, Guatemalan composer, dies at 71
2020 – Marvin Luster, American CFL Hall of Fame defensive back (6 x CFL All Star; Toronto Argonauts, Montreal Alouettes), dies at 82

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Historical Events

1832 – The First Kingdom of Greece is declared in the London Conference
1923 – Stanley Baldwin succeeds Andrew Bonar Law as British Prime Minister
1988 – Power outage in Boston Garden in NHL’s Stanley Cup finals
1993 – Kim Basinger files for bankruptcy to avoid paying $7.4M settlement
2018 – Record US fentanyl seizure of 120lbs (54kg) confirmed by police in Nebraska in April, enough to kill 26 million people, one of largest drug busts in US history
2020 – Millions of cicadas in a once in 17-year event about to emerge from the earth in the US south posing crop danger and noise issues, according to scientists from Virginia Tech

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Famous Birthdays

1840 – Frederick Walker, British social realist painter, born in London (d. 1875)
1945 – Priscilla Presley, American actress (Jenna-Dallas, Naked Gun), born in Brooklyn, New York
1963 – Vivian Trimble, American alt-rock keyboardist (Luscious Jackson; Dusty Trails), born in New York City (d. 2023)
1965 – Shinichirō Watanabe, Japanese anime director (Samurai Champloo), born in Kyoto, Japan
1976 – Catherine Cox, Australian netballer, born in Whangarei, New Zealand
1979 – Tracy McGrady, American Basketball Hall of Fame forward (NBA All-Star 2001–07; NBA scoring champion 2003, 04; Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets), born in Bartow, Florida

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Famous Deaths

1136 – Hugues de Payens, French co-founder of The Knights Templar and its first Grand Master, dies at about 66
1826 – Friedrich Fesca, German violinist and composer, dies of tuberculosis at 37
1956 – Guy Kibbee, American actor (Capt Blood, Babes in Arms), dies at 74
2002 – Wallace Markfield, American writer (b. 1926)
2010 – Ray Alan, English ventriloquist and television entertainer (Lord Charles), dies at 79
2022 – Thomas Ulsrud, Norwegian curler (World C’ship gold [skip] 2014; Olympics silver 2010), dies from cancer at 50

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Historical Events

1894 – William Love hosts groundbreaking ceremonies for Love Canal
1926 – Chicago Cub’s Hack Wilson is 1st to hit a home run off Wrigley Field scoreboard
1962 – OAS leader general Raoul Salan sentenced to life
1991 – San Diego Sockers win 4th consecutive Major Soccer League championship
1997 – “King David” closes at New Amsterdam Theater NYC
2018 – Hamburg, Germany, becomes the first city to ban diesel cars on some roads

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Famous Birthdays

1710 – François Gaspard Adam, French sculptor (garden sculptures), born in Nancy, France (d. 1761)
1756 – Nicolas-Joseph Hüllmandel, Alsatian composer, born in Strasbourg, France (d. 1823)
1906 – Hellmuth Christian Wolff, German composer, teacher, musicologist and painter, born in Zürich, Switzerland (d. 1988)
1910 – Hugh Casson, English architect (Festival of Britain director, President of the Royal Academy), born in London, England (d. 1999)
1928 – Jeannie Carson [Shufflebottom], British-born comedian, actress, singer and dancer (As Long as They’re Happy; An Alligator Named Daisy), born in Yorkshire, England
1980 – Chrisl Gethard, American comedian, writer, talk show host and podcaster (Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People), born in West Orange, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1423 – Benedict XIII [Pedro the Luna], Spanish Pope (1394-1423), dies
1648 – Luis de Nain, painter, dies
1701 – William Kidd, Scottish pirate legend, hanged at London’s Execution Dock at about 56
1941 – Slavko Osterc, Slovenian composer (Iz Satanovega Dnevnika (From Satan’s Diary); Illusions), and pedagogue, dies at 45
1996 – Patrick Cargill, British actor (Help!, No Wreath for the General, Hammerhead), dies of a brain tumor at 77
2008 – David Mitton, British television director (b. 1939)

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Historical Events

1690 – San Francisco De Los Tejas Mission founded by the Spanish on San Pedro Creek – first Spanish mission in East Texas (later relocated)
1930 – Yankees’ future Baseball Hall of Fame 1st baseman Lou Gehrig becomes first to hit 3 HRs three times as NY outscores Philadelphia A’s, 20-13; teams combine for then-record 10 homers
1939 – Germany’s Adolf Hitler and Italy’s Benito Mussolini sign the “Pact of Steel” formalizing the 1936 alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis
1957 – South Africa’s government approves race separation in universities
1965 – Mad Dog Vachon beats Igor Vodic in Omaha, to become NWA champ
1974 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

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Famous Birthdays

1821 – Alfred Sully, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1879)
1924 – Charles Aznavour [Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian], French-Armenian singer (Monsieur Carnavel; She; Tin Drum), born in Paris, France (d. 2018)
1940 – E. A. S. Prasanna, Indian cricketer (one of India’s big four spinners), born in Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore, British India
1973 – Julian Tavarez, Santiago Dom Rep, pitcher (Cleveland Indians)
1977 – Dre Bly, American Football Player
1989 – Christian Sands, American jazz pianist and composer, born in New Haven, Connecticut

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Famous Deaths

748 – Empress Genshō of Japan (b. 680)
1455 – Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, English commander (killed in battle) (b. 1406)
1856 – Jacques-Nicolas-Augustin Thierry, French historian, dies at 61
1880 – Heinrich von Gagern, German liberal politician, dies at 80
1885 – Victor Hugo, French author (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Les Miserables), dies at 83
1910 – Jules Renard, French writer (Le plaisir the rompre), dies at 46

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