Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1888 – 16th Preakness: F Littlefield aboard Refund wins in 2:49
1926 – Airship Norge leaves Spitsbergen for 1st air crossing of Arctic Ocean
1950 – Belgium mine disaster at Borinage, 39 die
1972 – Giants trade Willie Mays to Mets for pitcher Charlie Williams and cash
1998 – India conducts three underground nuclear tests in Pokhran, including a thermonuclear device
2019 – South African parliamentary elections return ruling Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC party to power with reduced majority (58%)

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Famous Birthdays

1654 – Cornelis van Alkemade, Dutch historian, author and collector of antiquities, (d. 1737)
1927 – Mort Sahl, American stand-up comedian, political satirist, writer, and TV personality (The Big Party), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2021)
1930 – Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Caribbean poet (Born to Slow Horses) and academic, born in Bridgetown, Barbados (d. 2020)
1938 – Carla Bley [Carla Borg], American musician (Escalator Over the Hill), born in Oakland, California
1963 – Nina Stemme [Thöldte], Swedish dramatic soprano opera singer, born in Stockholm, Sweden
1989 – Cam Newton, American football quarterback (Heisman Trophy 2010, Auburn; NFL MVP 2015; Pro Bowl 2011, 13, 15; Carolina Panthers), born in Atlanta, Georgia

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Famous Deaths

1916 – Max Reger, German composer, pianist and professor (Leipzig Univ), dies at 43
1920 – William Dean Howells, American novelist, critic and editor (A Woman’s Reason), dies at 83
1955 – Gilbert Jessop, English cricket batsman (18 Tests; Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1898), dies at 80
1994 – Alfred James Broomhall, British Protestant Christian medical missionary to China, dies at 82
1996 – Nnamdi Azikiwe, 1st President of Nigeria (1963-66), dies at 91
2017 – Jur Mellema, Dutch politician (CHU), dies at 93

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Historical Events

1915 – Canadian physician Cluny Macpherson first presents his gas mask invention to the British War Office
1959 – Giants Jim Hearn allows 2 runs against Pirates, game is suspended, Hearn is released and charged with loss 2 months after his retirement
1972 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1995 – Real Zaragoza of Spain win 35th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Arsenal of England 2-1 in Paris
2014 – The African National Congress wins the 2014 South African General Election
2022 – Tom Brady agrees to record 10-year, $375m deal to be Fox Sports’ lead analyst when he decides to finally retire; surpasses $303m the quarterback earned in salary during his NFL career

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Famous Birthdays

1866 – Léon Bakst, Russian painter and scene and costume designer, born in Grodno, Belarus (d. 1924)
1897 – Einar Gerhardsen, Prime minister of Norway (d. 1987)
1928 – Arnold Rüütel, Estonian president
1949 – Nolan Porter, American RandB singer-songwriter (“Keep On Keeping On”), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2021)
1973 – Rüştü Reçber, Turkish soccer goalkeeper (120 caps, record appearance holder, FIFA World Cup All Star Team: 2002; Fenerbahçe, Barcelona, Beşiktaş), born in Korkuteli, Turkey
1977 – Amanda Borden, American gymnast (World silver 1994, Olympic gold 1996), born in Cincinnati, Ohio

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Famous Deaths

995 – Boudouin, bishop of Utrecht
1798 – George Vancouver, British explorer, (surveyed Pacific coast from San Francisco to Vancouver Island), dies at 40
1989 – Woody Shaw, American jazz trumpeter (Rosewood), dies from complications after being stuck by a subway train at 44
1992 – Sylvia Syms [Blagman], American jazz and cabaret singer and actress (“I Could Have Danced All Night”; South Pacific – “Bloody May”), dies of a heart attack at 74
1995 – Harold Berens, comedian, dies at 92
1999 – Shel Silverstein, American writer and cartoonist (Now Here’s My Plan: A Book of Futilities; The Giving Tree) and songwriter (“A Boy Named Sue”; “The Cover Of The Rolling Stone”), dies at 68

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Historical Events

1901 – A financial panic begins in the USA following the struggle between two groups to control the railroads between the Great Lakes and the Pacific
1971 – 23rd Emmy Awards: All in the Family, Jack Klugman and Jean Stapleton win
1978 – American publishing heiress Patty Hearst returns to jail, after legal appeals to her bank robbery conviction fail
1989 – NY Mets Rick Cerone, errors after 159 errorless games as catcher
2017 – Moon Jae-in elected President of South Korea after a snap election to replace Park Geun-hye
2019 – At least 65 migrants drown off the coast of Tunisia when their boat capsizes after leaving Libya according to the UN

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Famous Birthdays

1914 – Carlo Maria Giulini, Italian conductor, born in Barletta, Italy (d. 2005)
1928 – Páll Pampichier Pálsson, Austrian-Icelandic composer, born in Graz, Austria (d. 1966)
1948 – Calvin Murphy, American basketball player
1955 – Myra Blackwelder, American golfer (LPGA Rookie of the Year 1980), born in Lexington, Kemtucky
1962 – John Corbett, American actor (Northern Exposure – “Chris Stevens”; Sex and the City – “Aidan”; My Big Fat Greek Wedding), and country music singer, born in Wheeling, West Virginia
1977 – Iñigo Landaluze, Spanish cyclist

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Famous Deaths

1822 – Charles Duquesnoy, French composer, dies at 62
1966 – Alfred Mendelsohn, Romanian composer, and conductor (Romanian National Opera, 1944-63), and teacher, dies at 56
1982 – Ab Visser, Dutch poet and writer (Man Without a Head), dies at 69
1990 – Patrick Piggott, British pianist, composer, and musicologist (The Life and Music of John Field; The Innocent Diversion – Music in the Life and Writings of Jane Austen), dies at 74
1995 – Abha Gandhi, servant to Gandhi, dies at 68
2011 – Wouter Weylandt, Belgian cyclist, dies at 26

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Historical Events

1942 – German summer offensive opens in Crimea
1950 – President of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek asks US for weapons
1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental
1971 – Courtney, Courtney, and Link’s musical “Earl of Ruston” closes at Billy Rose Theater, NYC, after 5 performances
1993 – Lennox Lewis beats Tony Tucker in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
2018 – President Trump pulls the US out of the multilateral Iran nuclear deal

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Famous Birthdays

1839 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier, French Canadian lyricist (“O! Canada”), born in Saint-Placide, Quebec (d. 1920)
1927 – Ian Denholm, Scottish shipping CEO (Murray Investment Trust), born in Kilmacolm, Scotland (d. 2018)
1968 – Chris Lighty, music executive and manager (Violator), born in The Bronx New York (d. 2012)
1969 – Akebono Taro, American born Japanese sumo wrestler (1st non Japanese to reach rank of Yokozuna), born in Waimānalo, Hawaii
1978 – Jang Woo Hyuk, Korean singer, rapper, and dancer (HOT; JTL), and actor, born in Daegu, South Korea
1987 – Felix Jones, American football player (Dallas Cowboys), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma

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Famous Deaths

1278 – Emperor Duanzong of China (b. 1268)
1788 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian-born physician and naturalist (b. 1723)
1846 – Giacomo Cordella, Italian composer, dies at 59
1864 – Leroy Augustus Stafford, Confederate American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies from injuries incurred 3 days earlier during the Battle of the Wilderness in northern Virginia, at 42
1957 – Jan Sluyters, Dutch painter (Moderne Kunstkring), dies at 75
1992 – Sergey Vladimirovich Obraztsov, Soviet puppet master, dies at 90

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Historical Events

1579 – Congress of Cologne forms in Netherlands
1913 – Plot by English suffragettes to blow up part of St Paul’s cathedral thwarted when the bomb is discovered
1960 – 86th Kentucky Derby: Bill Hartack on Venetian Way wins in 2:02.4
1979 – 5th UNCTAD-conference opens in Manila
1994 – Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream” is recovered 3 months after it was stolen
2012 – Vladimir Putin sworn in for third six-year term as President of Russia

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Famous Birthdays

1748 – Olympe de Gouges [Marie Gouze], French playwright and revolutionary (Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen), born in Montauban, France (d. 1793)
1763 – Józef Antoni Poniatowski, Polish general and marshal of France, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1813)
1873 – Clarence Dickinson, American composer, born in Lafayette, Indiana (d. 1969)
1882 – Willem Elsschot [Alfons Josephus de Ridder], Flemish writer (Mend), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1960)
1901 – Gary Cooper, American actor (Sgt York, High Noon), born in Helena, Montana (d. 1961)
1945 – Robin Strasser, American actress (Dorian-One Life to Live, Another World), born in NYC, New York

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Famous Deaths

1673 – Johannes Teellinck, Dutch vicar, dies at about 58
1884 – Judah P. Benjamin, 3rd Confederate States Secretary of State and 2nd Confederate States Secretary of War, dies at 72
1932 – Albert Thomas, French socialist politician (Minister of Armament WW1), dies at 53
1956 – Josef Hoffmann, Austrian architect (Vienna Secession Movement), dies at 85
1957 – Wilhelm Filchner, German explorer who led the German Antarctic expedition of 1911–12, dies at 79
2000 – Douglas Fairbanks Jr, American actor (Prisoner of Zenda; Gunga Din), and decorated US naval officer (WWII Beach Jumpers), dies of a heart attack at 90

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Historical Events

1889 – Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch
1941 – Joseph Stalin becomes Premier of the Soviet Union, replacing his foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov
1943 – British 1st army opens assault on Tunis
1968 – Giants reliever Lindy McDaniel sets NL record of 225th consecutive errorless game (108 chances consecutively since June 16, 1964)
2001 – During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque
2007 – “Shrek the Third” directed by Chris Miller and Raman Hui with voices by Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy premieres in Westwood Ca.

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Famous Birthdays

1800 – Ferdinand Marcucci, Italian harpist and composer, born in Florence (d. 1871)
1871 – Victor Grignard, French chemist (Nobel 1912 – development of the Grignard reaction), born in Cherbourg, France (d. 1935)
1918 – Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, 1st President of the United Arab Emirates, born in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, birth date disputed (d. 2004)
1944 – Anton Furst, American production designer (Batman), born in London (d. 1991)
1960 – Bart de Boer, Dutch guitarist (Ivy Green)
1969 – Mark Thomas, NFL defensive end (Carolina Panthers, Packers, Bears)

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Famous Deaths

1642 – Frans Francken the Younger, Flemish painter, dies on 61st birthday
1708 – François de Laval, French clergyman, 1st Roman Catholic bishop of Québec, and saint, dies at 85
1963 – Ted Weems [Wemyes], American jazz trombonist, violin player and big band leader (Somebody Stole My Girl; Heartache), dies of emphysema at 61
2014 – Farley Mowat, Canadian author, dies at 92
2015 – Errol Brown, British-Jamaican singer-songwriter (Hot Chocolate – “You Sexy Thing”), dies at 71
2022 – George Pérez, American comic book artist (The Avenger; Teen Titans), dies of pancreatic cancer at 67

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Historical Events

1905 – Robert S Abbott published 1st issue of newspaper “Chicago Defender”
1924 – Unions terminate Twentse textile strike
1925 – Yankee Everett Scott is benched, ending his 1,307-game playing streak
1951 – “Out of This World” closes at New Century Theater NYC after 157 performances
1966 – Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Montreal Canadiens earn back-to-back titles; beat Detroit Red Wings, 3-2 in OT for a 4-2 series victory
1984 – 29th Eurovision Song Contest: Herreys for Sweden wins singing “Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley” in Luxembourg

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Famous Birthdays

1906 – Ursula Jeans, British actress (Cavalcade, Over the Moon, I Lived With You), born in Simla, British India (d. 1973)
1914 – Frank Carlson, American jazz and session drummer (Woody Herman, 1937-42 – “The Golden Wedding”), born in New York City (d. 1996)
1923 – Richard Wollheim, British philosopher (deeply engaged with issues that were central to the visual arts), born in London (d. 2003)
1940 – Lucy Simon, American folk singer-songwriter (Simon Sisters), Grammy Award-winning record producer (In Harmony) and theater composer (The Secret Garden; Doctor Zhivago), born in New York City (d. 2022)
1952 – Campbell McComas, Australian impersonator and broadcaster, born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2005)
1978 – Santiago Cabrera, Venezuelan-Chilean-British actor (Isaac Mendez – Heroes), born in Caracas, Venezuela

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Famous Deaths

984 – Gerberga of Saxony, Queen of Western Francia
1964 – Howard Zahniser, American environmental activist (father of Wilderness Act), dies of heart failure at 58
1979 – Shirley O’Hara, actress (Wild Party), dies at 68
1983 – John Williams, British actor (Family Affair, Dial M for Murder), dies at 80
1995 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian influential World Chess Champion, dies at 83
2011 – Yosef Merimovich, Israeli football player, 1948-58, and manager, 1958-89, dies at 86

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Historical Events

1899 – 25th Kentucky Derby: Fred Taral aboard Manuel wins in 2:12
1910 – Canadian Currency Act, 1910, receives Royal Assent
1923 – New York state revokes its Mullan-Gage Act Prohibition law; federal Volstead Act still in place
1927 – 1st balloon flight over 40,000 feet (Scott Field, Illinois)
1968 – 94th Kentucky Derby: Ismael Valenzuela aboard Forward Pass wins
1973 – Longest baseball game in Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium, Phillies beat Braves 5-4 in 20 innings

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Famous Birthdays

1807 – Thomas Duncan, Scottish painter, born in Kinclaven, Perthshire, Scotland (d. 1845)
1882 – Wilhelm Lehmann, German writer, born in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela (d. 1968)
1902 – Cvjetko Rihtman, Bosnian composer, born in Rijeka, Croatia (d. 1989)
1909 – Howard Da Silva [Silverblatt], American actor (1776, The Lost Weekend, The Blue Dahlia), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1986)
1954 – Julie Budd, American singer (“Child of Plenty”), born in Brooklyn, New York
1976 – Ben Grieve, American baseball player, born in Arlington, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1506 – Husayn Bayqarah, ruler of Herat (b. 1438)
1992 – Gregor Mackenzie, Labour Party (UK) politician (b. 1927)
2001 – Bonnie Lee Bakley, American second wife of actor Robert Blake murdered in her car outside a Studio City, California restaurant at 44
2013 – Morgan Morgan-Giles, British Naval officer and politician, dies at 98
2018 – Paul Bloodgood, American artist, dies at 58 of Alzheimer’s disease
2018 – Luyanda Ntshangase, South African footballer (Maritzburg United), is struck by lightning and dies at 21

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Historical Events

1864 – 3rd day in Battle at Alexandria Louisiana: Confederate assault
1948 – Pulitzer prize awarded to James Michener and Tennessee Williams
1967 – African American students seize finance building at Northwestern University
1975 – Christa Vahlensieck runs female world record marathon (2:40:15.8)
1980 – Texas Ranger Ferguson Jenkins becomes 4th to win 100 games in AL and NL
1995 – “My Thing of Love” opens at Beck Theater NYC for 16 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1889 – Beulah Bondi, American actress (It’s a Wonderful Life), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1981)
1917 – James Penberthy, Australian composer, born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 1999)
1924 – Yehuda Amichai, Israeli poet (Now and In Other Days), born in Würzburg, Germany (d. 2000)
1949 – Albert Sacco Jr., American chemical engineer and astronaut (STS 73), born in Boston, Massachusetts
1969 – Karen Kraft, American rower (Olympic silver 1996), born in San Mateo, California
1983 – Márton Fülöp, Hungarian footballer and goalkeeper, born in Budapest (d. 2015)

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Famous Deaths

1763 – George Psalmanazar, British impostor (b. 1679)
1918 – Charlie Soong, Chinese Methodist missionary and key player in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, dies at 55
1964 – Diana Wynyard, British stage and film actress (Cavalcade), dies of renal disease at 58
1983 – Vaughn Taylor, American actor (Jailhouse Rock, Johnny Jupiter), dies of cerebral hemorrhage at 72
1999 – Joe Adcock, American baseball utility, manager (Milwaukee Braves; 2-time MLB All Star), dies of Alzheimer’s disease at 71
2011 – Sergo Kotrikadze, Georgian footballer (b. 1936)

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Historical Events

1703 – Portugal signs treaty with England to become a Great Covenant
1863 – South defeats North in Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia
1936 – Sergei Prokofiev’s musical “Peter and the Wolf” premieres in Moscow
1962 – OAS strikes in Algeria
1972 – 126 killed in an electrical fire in Sunshine Silver mine, Kellogg, Idaho
1975 – Apple records closes down

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Famous Birthdays

1360 – Yongle, Emperor of the Ming Empire (1402-24), born in Yingtian, Yuan Empire, China (d. 1424)
1855 – Theodore Moses Tobani, German composer, born in Hamburg, Germany (d. 1933)
1920 – Otto Buchsbaum, Austrian writer and ecological activist, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2000)
1938 – Moshoeshoe II, King of Lesotho (1966-90), born in Morija, Lesotho (d. 1996)
1947 – James Dyson, British inventor, industrial designer, and entrepreneur (bagless vacuum cleaner; bladeless fan), born in Cromer, Norfolk, England
1966 – Belinda Stronach, Canadian businesswoman and politician, born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada

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Famous Deaths

1963 – Van Wyck Brooks, American literary historian and writer (Ordeal of Mark Twain), dies at 77
2003 – George Wyle [Bernard Weissman], American composer (“The Ballad of Gilligan’s Island”; “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”), and orchestra leader (The Flip Wilson Show), dies at 87
2004 – John MacKenzie, Scottish-Canadian bagpiper and pipe-major, dies at 83
2018 – Cliff Watson, English rugby league front rower (30 Tests GB, 4 England; St Helens 373 games, Cronulla-Sutherland), dies of cancer at 78
2021 – Bobby Unser, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1968, 1975, 1981; USAC C’ship 1968, 1974), dies at 87
2022 – Yuri Vasenin, Russian soccer midfielder (9 caps USSR; FC Zorya Voroshylovhrad), dies at 73

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