Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1565 – Turgut Reis [Dragut], commander of the Ottoman Navy, dies during the Siege of Malta
1863 – Tullahoma campaign, Tennessee
1962 – Suvanna Phuma forms government in Laos
1982 – US pass the Intelligence Identities Protection Act (Public Law 97-200)
2012 – Greece proposes to slow down austerity measures by two years
2019 – Women’s PGA Championship, Hazeltine National GC: Australian Hannah Green leads wire-to-wire to win her first LPGA event by 1 stroke ahead of Park Sung-hyun

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Famous Birthdays

1887 – John Finley Williamson, American choral conductor (Westminster Choir College, 1920-58), born in Canton, Ohio (d. 1964)
1943 – Vinton (Vint) Cerf, American Internet pioneer, Turing Award laureate
1945 – John Garang, Sudanese leader and politician (d. 2005)
1955 – Pierre Corbeil, Canadian politician
1955 – Jean Tigana, French footballer
1966 – Chantal Daucourt, Swiss mountain cyclist (world-bronze-95), born in Bienne, Switzerland

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Famous Deaths

1137 – Adalbert I, archbishop of Mainz (1111-1137), dies
1878 – George Back, English sea officer and explorer (Back River), dies at 81
1956 – Reinhold Glière, Russian-Soviet composer, dies at 81
1996 – Angelo John Novarese, record company founder, dies at 72
1998 – Maureen O’Sullivan, Irish actress (Tarzan, Pride and Prejudice, Hannah and Her Sisters), dies at 87
2013 – Bobby Bland, American blues and soul singer, dies at 83

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Historical Events

1904 – Chinese laborers arrive in South Africa following a severe labor shortage
1932 – NL finally approves players wearing numbers
1969 – Aretha Franklin arrested in Detroit for creating a disturbance
1978 – James Christy’s discovery of Pluto’s moon Charon announced
1979 – Little Richard quits rock and roll a second time for religious pursuits
1980 – UEFA European Championship Final, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy: Horst Hrubesch scores a double as Germany beats Belgium, 2-1

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Famous Birthdays

1900 – Russell Vis, American Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold freestyle lightweight 1924), born in Grand Rapids, Michigan (d. 1990)
1902 – Arnold J d’Ailly, Dutch mayor of Amsterdam (1946-56), born in Franeker, Netherland (d. 1967)
1908 – George Armin Goyder, businessman and social philosopher (d. 1997)
1911 – Marie Braun, Dutch swimmer (Olympic gold 1928), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1982)
1960 – Tracy Pollan, American actress (Family Ties)/aka Mrs Michael J. Fox, born in NYC, New York
1971 – Laryssa Biesenthal, Canadian rower (Olympics 1996), born in Walkertown, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1922 – Henry H Wilson, Field Marshal, murdered in London
1954 – Don Hollenbeck, newscaster (CBS Weekend News), dies at 49
1961 – Queen Maria of Yugoslavia [Maria of Romania], Queen consort of Yugoslavia (1922-34), dies at 61
1997 – Don Henderson, British actor (The XYY Man, Strangers), dies at 65
2008 – Jane McGrath, British-Australian cancer support campaigner (wife of Australian Test cricketer Glenn McGrath), dies from cancer at 42
2015 – Joseph de Pasquale, American violist (Boston Symphony, 1949-64: Philadelphia Orchestra, 1964-96), and educator (Curtis Institutu, 1965-2015), dies at 95

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Historical Events

1849 – Battle at Waghausel: Prussian troops beat Baden rebels
1853 – Envelope-folding machine patented by Russell Hawes in Worcester, Massachusetts
1879 – Frank Winfield Woolworth opens his 1st successful “Woolworth’s Great Five Cent Store” on North Queen Street, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
1919 – The German Navy, feeling betrayed by the terms of the Versailles Treaty, scuttles most of its ships interned at Great Britain’s Scapa Flow Naval base in the Orkney Islands
1933 – 1st Great Lakes-to-Gulf of Mexico barge trip completed, New Orleans
1998 – US Open Men’s Golf, Olympic Club, SF: Lee Janzen recovers from 7 stroke deficit to win his second Open title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Payne Stewart

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Famous Birthdays

1640 – Abraham Mignon, Dutch still life painter, born in Frankfurt, Germany (d. 1679)
1944 – Corinna Tsopel, Greek actress (Man Called Horse) and Miss Universe 1964, born in Athens, Greece
1946 – Brenda Holloway, American singer and songwriter (“When I’m Gone”), born in Atascadero, California
1946 – Kate Hoey, Northern Irish MP (Labour), born in Mallusk, Northern Ireland
1947 – Dana Rohrabacher, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California), born in Coronado, California
1953 – Michael Bowen, American actor, born in Houston, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1582 – Oda Nobunaga, Japanese warlord (b. 1534)
1900 – Polibo Fumagalli, Italian composer, dies at 69
1932 – (Marshall) “Major” Taylor, American track cyclist (first African-American world champion; 1899 World Track C’ships), dies from a heart attack at 53
1972 – Seth Bingham, American organist and composer (Six Pieces for Organ), dies at 90
1981 – Gunnar Ek, Swedish composer, dies on his 81st birthday
2020 – Ahmed Radhi, Iraqi soccer striker (121 caps; 62 goals; Al-Rasheed; Asian Footballer of the Year 1988), dies of COVID-19 at 56

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Historical Events

1633 – Charter for Maryland is given to Lord Cecil Baltimore
1825 – Coronation of Charles X, the last Bourbon King of France
1969 – Georges Pompidou sworn in as President of France
1986 – Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, and Level 42 headline; other performers include: Simply Red, Madness, Ruby Turner, Amazulu, Lloyd Cole, Black Uhuru, The Wailers Band, Loudon Wainwright III, John Martyn, The Housemartins, The Waterboys, The Pogues, Gil Scott-Heron, Robert Cray Band, and Christy Moore
2004 – US Open Men’s Golf, Shinnecock Hills GC: Retief Goosen of South Africa wins his second Open title, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up and reigning Masters champion Phil Mickelson
2017 – Uber founder Travis Kalanick resigns as CEO after a shareholder revolt

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Famous Birthdays

1924 – Rainer Barzel, German politician (CDU-CSU) and minister, born in Braunsberg, East Prussia, Free State of Prussia (d. 2006)
1929 – Edith Windsor [née Schlain], American LGBT rights activist (lead plaintiff in United States v. Windsor), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2017)
1941 – Ulf D Merbold, German physicist/astronaut (STS 9, 42, Soyuz TM-19)
1941 – Stephen Frears, film director (Prick Up Your Ears, Dangerous Liaisons), born in Leicester, England
1944 – Terry Funk, pro wrestler (WWF/NWA)/actor (Paradise Alley), born in Hammond, Indiana
1958 – Dickie Thon, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, born in South Bend, Indiana

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Famous Deaths

1888 – Johannes Zukertort, German chess player, dies at 45
1925 – Wilhelm Posse, German composer, dies at 72
1953 – Hendrik de Man, sociologist (Belgian Working people Party), dies at 67
1994 – Bram Koopmans, cyclist/coach, dies at 78
1995 – Emil Mihai Cioran, Romanina born writer and aphorist, dies at 84
2000 – Karl Mickel, German writer, dies at 64

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Historical Events

1913 – Natives Land Act, Act No 27, passed in South Africa: confines Africans to hopelessly overcrowded reserves and deprives them of rights to purchase land outside the native reserves
1944 – Five of the “The Magnificent Eleven” photos taken by Robert Capa during the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach, Normandy first published in “Life Magazine”
1952 – “I’ve Got A Secret” debuts on CBS-TV with Garry Moore as host
1967 – Paul McCartney admits on TV that he took LSD
1970 – Jim Bouton’s controversial baseball diary “Ball Four” is published
1995 – NY Yankees announce agreement with Darryl Strawberry

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Famous Birthdays

1815 – John William Glover, Irish composer, born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1899)
1912 – Martin Gabel, American stage, radio and screen character actor (The Thief; Marnie; Lady In Cement), and television panelist (What’s My Line?), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1986)
1924 – Wassil Bykau, Belarusian writer, born in Bytschki, Vitebsk Region (d. 2003)
1945 – Tim Hovey, actor (Queen Bee, Toy Tiger, Man Afraid), born in Los Angeles, California
1960 – Patti Rizzo, American golfer (4 LPGA Tour wins), born in Hollywood, Florida
1966 – Joichi Ito, Japanese entrepreneur

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Famous Deaths

1652 – Louis de Geer, Neth/Swedish industrialist/millionaire, dies at 64
1811 – Samuel Chase, American judge (signed US Declaration of Independence), dies at 70
1947 – Willem H. Fly, Dutch typographer/co-founder (SDAP), dies at 84
1995 – Richard Bernard Pape, POW escaper/writer, dies at 79
2006 – Duane Roland, American southern-rock guitarist (Molly Hatchet – Flirtin’ With Disaster), dies at 53
2017 – Brian Cant, British stage and screen actor and children’s television presenter (Play School, 1964-85), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1887 – The Reinsurance Treaty between Germany and Russia is signed
1949 – “Along Fifth Avenue” closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 180 performances
1953 – Red Sox rookie Eugene Stephens is 1st player in AL history to register 3 hits in an inning; Boston score 17 runs in 7th Inning in 23-3 rout of Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park
1959 – 1st telecast transmitted from England to US
2006 – The first Kazakh space satellite, KazSat is launched
2019 – China has been forcefully harvesting organs from marginalized groups in prison camps on a significant scale according to International Tribunal in London

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Famous Birthdays

1581 – Thomas Overbury, English poet (A Wife) and essayist, born in Compton Scorpion, Warwickshire, England (d. 1613)
1906 – (James) “Kay” Kyser, American bandleader and radio personality (Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge), born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina (d. 1985)
1917 – Akhmet Jevdet Ismail Hajiyev, Azerbaijani composer, born in Nukha, Azerbaijan (d. 2002)
1921 – Wesley Lau, American actor (Lt Anderson-Perry Mason), born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin (d. 1984)
1942 – Paul McCartney, British rock singer-songwriter, bassist, piano player (The Beatles – “Yesterday”; “I Will”; Wings -“Silly Love Songs”), born in Liverpool, England
1947 – Linda Thorson [Robinson], Canadian actress (The Avengers – “Tara”, One Life To Live – “Julia”), born in Toronto, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1772 – Gerard van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian physician (Austrian Empress Maria Theresa’s personal physician), dies at 72
1799 – Johann Andre, German composer, dies at 58
1925 – Robert M. La Follette, American lawyer and presidential candidate (Progressive), dies at 70
1945 – Harold C. Roberts, American commandant 22nd regiment marines (3 Navy Crosses), dies in battle during Okinawa campaign at 46
2016 – Paul Cox, Dutch-born Australian director (Lonely Hearts), dies at 76
2017 – Hope Ryden, American wildlife activist and photographer, dies at 87

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Historical Events

1119 – Charles the Good becomes Count of Flanders
1462 – Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II (The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat from Wallachia
1535 – Trial of English Catholic Cardinal John Fischer for treason (declaring King Henry VIII not the Supreme Head of the Church in England) at Westminster Hall – found guilty and later hanged
1961 – US Open Men’s Golf, Oakland Hills CC: Gene Littler wins his sole major title, 1 stroke ahead of runners-up Bob Goalby and Doug Sanders
1976 – Indonesia annexes Portuguese East-Timor
2018 – Historic deal signed between Greece and Macedonia to end dispute over Macedonia’s name – changing to North Macedonia

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Famous Birthdays

1898 – M. C. Escher, Dutch graphic artist and lithograph carver (Praedestinatie), born in Leeuwarden, Netherlands (d. 1972)
1915 – Stringbean [David Akeman], American banjoist and comedian (Hee Haw), born in Annville, Kentucky (d. 1973)
1930 – Romuald Twardowski, Polish composer, born in Wilno/ Vilnius, Poland
1945 – Tony Roche, Australian tennis player and coach (French Open 1966; 15 x Grand Slam doubles titles; Australian Davis Cup captain), born in Wagga Wagga, NSW
1956 – Nick Cook, English cricketer (left arm slow bowler in 15 Tests 1983-89), born in Leicester
1958 – Bobby Farrelly, American film director (Dumb and Dumber), born in Cumberland, Rhode Island

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Famous Deaths

1672 – Orazio Benevoli, Franco-Italian composer, dies at 67
1815 – Rais Hamidou [Amidon], Algerian corsair (captured 400 ships during his career), dies in a battle with USS Guerriere (b. c. 1770)
1871 – Clement Vallandigham, American politician (Rep-D-Ohio, convicted of opposing civil war, exiled to Confederate States), dies after accidentally shooting himself at 50
1906 – Harry Nelson Pillsbury, American chess player, dies at 33
1970 – Matthew Henderson, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (1 Test; New Zealand’s first-ever Test match 1930), dies at 74
2015 – John David Crow, American College Football Hall of Fame back and tight end (Heisman Trophy 1957, Texas A and M; Pro Bowl 1959, 60, 62, 65; St. Louis Cardinals), dies at 79

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Historical Events

1923 – Sun Yat Sen founds Chinese military academy
1924 – South Africa all out 30 v England in 48 minutes, Gilligan 6-7
1945 – Boo Ferriss loses to Yanks 3-2 after starting his career with 8 wins
1977 – Ron Guidry’s 1st complete game, 7-0 over KC Royals
2008 – US Open Men’s Golf, Torrey Pines GC: Tiger Woods wins his 3rd US Open and 14th major title, beating Rocco Mediate on the 1st hole of sudden-death, following a Monday 18-hole playoff
2017 – US President Donald Trump reinstates Cuban travel and business restrictions after they were loosened by President Obama

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Famous Birthdays

1906 – Alan Fairfax, Australian cricket all-rounder (10 Tests, 4 x 50, 21 wickets, BB 4/31; NSWCA), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1955)
1938 – Robert Gutter, American conductor and teacher (founded International Institute for Conductors, 1996), born in New York City (d. 2017)
1946 – Tom Harrell. American jazz musician (Time’s Mirror), born in Urbana, Illinois
1965 – J. J. Birden, American NFL wide receiver (Atlanta Falcons), born in Portland, Oregon
1967 – Jürgen Klopp, German football manager (Liverpool), born in Stuttgart, West Germany
1980 – Joey Yung, Hong Kong singer

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Famous Deaths

1749 – Johann Baptista Ruffini, Italian trader (b. 1672)
1958 – José Pablo Moncayo, Mexican composer (Huapango), dies at 45
1976 – Victor Lord, American fictional character on TV soap opera “One Life to Live”, dies at 59
1979 – Liselotte Welskopf-Heinrich, German writer and historian, dies at 77
2001 – Adam Popovich, Serbian-American musician, director and composer, dies at 91
2022 – Don Neely, New Zealand cricket historian, administrator (President NZ Cricket 2006-09), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1834 – Rioters in Safed Palestine kills many Jews
1918 – 1″ of snow falls in Northern Pennsylvania
1940 – German troops occupy Paris as French resistance to the German invasion crumbles
1963 – “Sukiyaki” sung by Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto, hits #1
1972 – Rock fall inside Vierzy Tunnel (France) causes 2 train crash; 107 die
2008 – 62nd Tony Awards: “In the Heights” (musical) and “August: Osage County” (play) win

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Famous Birthdays

1888 – Ramon Lopez Velarde, Mexican poet (La Sangre Devota), born in Jerez de García Salinas, Mexico (d. 1921)
1910 – Berend Giltay, Dutch composer, born in Hilversum, Netherlands (d. 1975)
1920 – Alla Kazanskaya, Russian stage and film actress (Burnt by the Sun), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 2008)
1935 – Fernand Schokweiler, British judge
1941 – Harry Nilsson, American pop and rock singer-songwriter (“Everybody’s Talkin'”; “One”; “Without You”), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1994)
1983 – Derek Anderson, American football player

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Famous Deaths

1383 – John VI Cantacuzenus, Byzantine Emperor
1397 – Count of Eu, French knight, dies in Turkish captivity
1666 – Pieter de Bitter, Dutch admiral (Colombo, Goa), dies
1724 – Henry Sacheverell, English churchman and politician (b. 1674)
1864 – Haller Nutt, American rich Southern Plantation owner (Longwood house – largest octagonal house in the US), dies at 48
2021 – Jim Phelan, American college basketball coach (Mount Saint Mary’s University 1954–2003), dies at 92

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Historical Events

1841 – 1st Canadian parliament opens in Kingston, Ontario
1900 – Having been annexed to the USA on 12 August 1898, Hawaii is constituted as an organised territory
1967 – Mariner 5 Launch (Venus Flyby)
1967 – USSR launches Kosmos 166 for observation of Sun from Earth orbit
1983 – 5 killed in a fire at a Ramada Inn in Fort Worth, Tx
2022 – First controversial UK flight to take asylum seekers to Rwanda cancelled after last-minute legal ruling from European Court of Human Rights of “real risk of irreversible harm”

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Famous Birthdays

1691 – Jan Francisci, Slovakorganist and composer born in Neusohl, Kingdom of Hungary (now Banská Bystrica, Slovakia) (d. 1758)
1904 – Benno Ammann, Swiss composer (Missa Defensor Pacis) and conductor, born in Gersau, Sweden (d. 1986)
1917 – Katherine Rawls, American diver (Olympic silver 3m springboard 1932, 36) and swimmer (Olympic bronze 4×100m freestyle 1936), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 1982)
1939 – Steny Hoyer, American politician (Rep-D-MD, 1981-), born in NYC, New York
1940 – William P. Baker, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California), born in Oakland, California
1953 – Janet Mackey, New Zealand politician (Member of the New Zealand Parliament for East Coast), born in Auckland, New Zealand

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Famous Deaths

1544 – Antoine, Duke of Lorraine and military leader (freed the Duchy of Lorraine from the Holy Roman Empire), dies at 55
1750 – Franz Anton Maichelbeck, German composer, dies at 47
1800 – Jean-Baptiste Kléber, French general, dies at 47
1800 – Louis Charles Antoine Desaix, French military leader (b. 1768)
2004 – Eamonn McGirr, Irish-born singer and entertainer
2014 – Sam Kelly [Roger Michael Kelly], English actor (‘Allo ‘Allo!, Porridge), dies of cancer at 70

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