Category: On This Day

Historical Events

374 – Comet 1P/374 E1 (Halley) approaches within 0.0884 AUs of Earth
1930 – Chicago Cubs catcher Leo Hartnett breaks the altitude record for a catch by gloving a baseball dropped from the Goodyear blimp 800 feet over Los Angeles, California
1931 – Jackie Mitchell becomes the second female (after Lizzie Arlington 1898) in organised baseball when she signs with the Chattanooga Lookouts Baseball Club
1978 – 132nd Grand National: Bob Davies aboard 14/1 chance Lucius wins by half a length from Sebastian V
2012 – Plane crash in Western Siberia kills at least 31 people (UTair Aviation ATR-72)
2019 – China announces new laws against fentanyl-related substances to come into effect 1 May

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Famous Birthdays

1909 – Abner Biberman, American director and actor (His Girl Friday, The Leopard Man), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1977)
1924 – Čkalja [Miodrag Petrović], Serbian actor and one of the most popular comedians of former Yugoslavia, born in Kruševac, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (d. 2003)
1946 – Arrigo Sacchi, Italian soccer coach (Italy 1991-96 FIFA World Cup silver 1994; Serie A 1987-88, European Cup 1989, 90 AC Milan; Atlético Madrid, Parma), born in Fusignano, Italy
1955 – Gregg Jarrett, American television anchor
1961 – Sergio Scariolo, Italian basketball coach (NBA: assistant Toronto Raptors; head coach Spain; World Cup gold 2019), born in Brescia, Italy
1973 – Stephen Fleming, New Zealand cricket batsman and captain (111 Tests; 9 x 100, HS 274no; 280 ODIs; Canterbury, Yorkshire CCC, Chennai Super Kings) and coach (Chennai Super Kings), born in Christchurch, New Zealand

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Famous Deaths

1204 – Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of King Louis VII of France and King Henry II of England, mother to Richard the Lionheart, Henry the Young King and King John, dies at around 81
1548 – Sigismund I the Old, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1506-48), dies at 81
1814 – Jozef de Ferraris, French-Austrian general and cartographer, dies at 87
1991 – Frankie Gustine, American Major baseball infielder (MLB All-Star 1946, 47, 48; Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 71
1998 – Rozz Williams, American musician (Christian Death), dies at 34
2004 – Carrie Snodgress, American actress (Diary of Mad Housewife), dies at 58

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Historical Events

1906 – GB Shaw’s German version of “Caesar and Cleopatra” premieres in Berlin
1909 – Gustav Mahler conducts New York Philharmonic for his 1st time
1972 – Official Beatles Fan Club closes down
1983 – Popayán Earthquake (5.5 Mw Depth) in Colombia kills 267 people, injuring some 7,500
1995 – Federal judge Sonia Sotomayor of US District Court in NYC issues an injunction against Major League Baseball owners in move that effectively ends 232-day strike
2004 – Australian swimmer Lisbeth Lenton breaks Inge de Bruijn’s 4-year old 100m freestyle women’s world record in 53.66s at the Australian Olympic trials in Sydney

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Famous Birthdays

1723 – Frederick V, King of Denmark-Norway (1746-66), born in Copenhagen Castle, Copenhagen (d. 1766)
1747 – Johann Abraham Peter Schulz, German composer (The Moon Has Risen), born in Lüneburg, Germany (d. 1800)
1809 – Edward FitzGerald, British poet, writer, and translator (Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam), born in Bredfield, Sussex, England (d. 1883)
1884 – Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer (d. 1946)
1916 – Lucille Bliss, American voice actress (Cinderella, The Secret of NIMH), born in NYC, New York (d. 2012)
1982 – Chloé Zhao, Chinese filmmaker and director (The Rider, Nomadland), born in Beijing, China

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Famous Deaths

1389 – Everhard Tserclaes, sheriff of Brussels, murdered
1547 – King Francis I of France (1515-47), dies complaining about the weight of the crown at 52
1881 – Gaetano Gaspari, composer, dies at 73
2002 – Barry Took, British comedian (b. 1928)
2003 – H.S.M. Coxeter, English-born geometer (b. 1907)
2010 – Shirley Mills, American actress (b. 1926)

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Historical Events

1837 – Canada gives its black citizens the right to vote
1880 – Tobacco Growers’ Mutual Insurance Company incorporates in CT
1936 – Detroit Red Wings beat Montreal Maroons, 1-0 in 16:30 of 6th period of OT; record Stanley Cup playoff game lasts 9 periods (176 minutes)
1967 – University of Michigan holds 1st “Teach-in” after bombing of North Vietnam
1979 – Columbia flown on carrier aircraft lands at Kennedy Space Center
2002 – PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Unheralded New Zealander Craig Perks chips-in twice on the final 3 holes for his only PGA Tour career win, 2 strokes ahead of Stephen Ames

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Famous Birthdays

1188 – Ferrand, Count of Flanders, son of Sancho I, born in Coimbra, Portugal (d. 1223)
1911 – Herman W. “Fritz” Liebert, American rare books scholar and librarian (Yale University), born in New York City (d. 1994)
1947 – Meiko Kaji [Masako Ohta], Japanese film actress and singer (Lady Snowblood), born in Kanda, Tokyo, Japan
1970 – Marques Bragg, NBA forward (Minnesota Timberwolves)
1973 – Jim Parsons, American actor (The Big Bang Theory), born in Houston, Texas
1975 – Julia Bikbova, dance skater (with partner John Lee), born in Kyiv, Ukraine

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Famous Deaths

1284 – Hugh III of Cyprus, King of Cyprus and Jerusalem (b 1235)
1381 – Saint Catharine of Sweden, Swedish saint
1644 – Archduchess Cecilia Renata of Austria, Queen of Poland, dies at 32
1995 – Trevor Oswald Ling, English religious Studies Professor, dies at 75
1996 – Maria Lucia Beltran Alcayaga, singer, dies at 66
1999 – Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, German women’s activist (b. 1902)

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Historical Events

1858 – Streetcar patented (E A Gardner of Philadelphia)
1886 – Tchaikovsky’s “Manfred” symphony premieres in Moscow, Russia, conducted by Max Erdmannsdörfer
1896 – Umberto Giordano’s opera “Andrea Chénier” premieres in Milan
1920 – Perserikatan Communist of India (PKI) political party forms
1995 – Dollar equals 88.41 yen (record)
2019 – More than 130 Fulani people killed in Ogossagou, Mali, in attack by Dogon hunters, prompting government ban on the hunters

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Famous Birthdays

1881 – Roger Martin du Gard, French novelist (Les Thibault, 1937 Nobel Prize for Literature), born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France (d. 1958)
1929 – James Maxwell, American actor and director (The Portrait of a Lady, The Shadow of the Tower, The Evil of Frankenstein), born in Worcester, Massachusetts (d. 1995)
1934 – Fernand Gignac, Canadian singer and actor, born in Montréal, Québec (d. 2006)
1952 – Kim Stanley Robinson, American sci-fi author (Mars Trilogy), born in Waukegan, Illinois
1957 – Teresa Ganzel, actress (Teachers Only, Duck Factory), born in Toledo, Ohio
1960 – Oscar Michael Moore, journalist

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Famous Deaths

59 – Agrippina the Younger [Julia Agrippina], Roman Empress (sister of Caligula, wife of Claudius, mother of Nero), dies at 43 (circumstances of her death vary, but suggest she was murdered by her son, the Emperor Nero)
1559 – Emperor Gelawdewos of Ethiopia (killed in battle) (b. 1521/1522)
1669 – Philipp Buchner, German composer, dies at 54
1816 – Ignaz Vitzthumb, Austrian musician, composer, and conductor, dies at 91
1977 – Bennie Green, American swing jazz and soul trombonist (Earl Hines), dies at 53
1980 – Arthur Melvin Okun, American economist (Misery Index), dies of a heart attack at 51

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Historical Events

1862 – San Marino and Italy conclude treaty of friendship and cooperation
1943 – Dutch SS police chief Hans Albin Rauter threatens to kill half Jewish children
1957 – Earthquake shakes San Francisco
1960 – 1st patent for lasers granted to Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes
1975 – “Letter for Queen Victoria” opens at ANTA Theater NYC for 18 performances
1991 – Law enforcement officers raid fraternities at University of Virginaa, seizing drugs

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Famous Birthdays

1909 – Gabrielle Roy, French Canadian author (The Tin Flute, Street of Riches), born in St. Boniface, Manitoba (d. 1973)
1915 – Forest ‘Bud’ Sagendorf, American cartoonist (Popeye), born in Wenatchee, Washington (d. 1994)
1922 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (Rebel Without A Cause), born in New York City (d. 2015)
1941 – Jeremy Clyde, English pop singer and guitarist (Chad and Jeremy – “A Summer Song”) and actor (The Iron Lady), born in Dorney, Buckinghamshire
1947 – Patrick Olive, Grenadian percussionist (Hot Chocolate – “You Sexy Thing”), born in Grenada
1970 – Andreas Johnson, Swedish singer-songwriter

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Famous Deaths

1661 – Hendrick Uylenburgh, Dutch art dealer who launched Rembrandt and others, buried at about 73
1824 – Johann Melchior Dreyer, German composer, dies at 76
1923 – Théophile Delcassé, French statesman (Entente Cordiale), dies at 71
2003 – Terry Lloyd, English reporter (b. 1952)
2005 – Rod Price, British rock and blues guitar and slide guitar player (Foghat, 1971-80 – “Slow Ride”), dies of a heart attack at 57
2020 – Stan Bronstein, American rock saxophonist (Elephant’s Memory), dies at 81

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Historical Events

1943 – Assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler fails
1946 – UN set up temporary HQ at Hunter (now Lehman) College (Bronx)
1955 – Brooklyn Bulletin ask Dodger fans not to call their team “Bums”
1959 – 113th Grand National: Michael Scudamore wins aboard 8/1 second favourite Oxo; only 4 of 32 starters finish the race
1961 – Art Modell purchases Cleveland Browns for then record sum ($3,925,000)
1996 – “Night of the Iguana” opens at Criterion Theater NYC for 68 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1909 – Uno “Miff” Görling, Swedish jazz trombonist, arranger, bandleader, and composer, bjorn in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1988)
1924 – Karl Heinz Fussl, Austrian composer, musicologist, publisher, and music critic, born in Jablonec, Czechoslovakia (d. 1992)
1929 – Maurice Catarcio, wrestler
1936 – Marek Stachowski, Polish composer (Neusis II; Thakurian Chants), and pedagogue, born in Piekary Śląskie, Poland (d. 2004)
1946 – Ray Dorset, British rock guitarist, and singer-songwriter (Mungo Jerry – “In The Summertime”), born in Ashford, England
1985 – Adrian Peterson, American Football player

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Famous Deaths

1201 – Absalon, Danish statesman and archbishop (built Copenhagen’s first fortifications), dies (b. c. 1128)
1487 – Nicholas of Flue, Swiss hermit and saint (b. 1417)
1891 – Joseph E. Johnston, American military officer (senior officer in Confederate Army and United States Army), dies at 84
2017 – Martin McGuinness, Irish Sinn Féin politician and IRA member, dies of the rare heart condition amyloidosis at 66
2021 – Nawal el-Saadawi, Egyptian feminist writer and activist (Women at Point Zero), dies at 89
2022 – Fevzi Zemzem, Turkish soccer striker (18 caps; AS Göztepe 356 games) and manager (Orduspor), dies at 80

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Historical Events

1616 – Walter Raleigh released from Tower of London to seek gold in Guyana
1932 – Kara-Kalpak Autonomous Region in RSFSR becomes Kara-Kalpak ASSR
1954 – 16th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: La Salle beats Bradley, 92-76; Explorers’ small forward Tom Gola is named tournament Most Outstanding Player
1982 – France beats Ireland, 22-9 at the Parc des Princes, Paris but the Irish take the Five Nations Rugby Championship with a 3-1 record and also their 5th Triple Crown
1987 – FDA approves sale of AZT (AIDS treatment)
2000 – Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a former Black Panther once known as H. Rap Brown, is captured after a gun battle that leaves a Georgia sheriff’s deputy dead

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Famous Birthdays

1469 – Princess Cecily of York (d. 1507)
1873 – Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian-American piano virtuoso, conductor, and composer (Aleko; Piano Concerto No. 3), born in Oneg or Semyonovo, Russian Empire (d. 1943) [NS=Apr 1]
1883 – Karl Hasse, German composer, born in Dohna (d. 1960)
1922 – Larry Elgart, American big band jazz alto saxophonist, and bandleader (“Bandstand Boogie”; “Hooked On Swing”), born in New London, Connecticut (d. 2017)
1948 – John de Lancie, American actor (Star Trek Next Generation – “Q”; Days of Our Lives), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1986 – Dean Geyer, South African-Australian singer-songwriter (Australian Idol), and actor (Neighbours; Glee), born in Johannesburg, South Africa

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Famous Deaths

1937 – Harry Vardon, Jersey golfer (6 time British Open champion, US Open 1900), dies of lung cancer at 66
1969 – Henri Longchambon, French politician, dies at 72
1982 – Hendrik L van Beek, Dutch vice-admiral, dies at 52
1983 – Ivan Vinogradov, Russian mathematician (analytic number theory), dies at 91
1994 – Lewis Grizzard, American humorist (b. 1946)
2010 – Stewart Udall, American politician, environmentalist (b. 1920)

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Historical Events

1918 – US Congress authorizes time zones and approves daylight saving time
1973 – Dean tells Nixon, “There is a cancer growing on the Presidency”
1989 – Wales beats England, 12-9 at Cardiff Arms Park to allow France to claim it’s 9th outright Five Nations Rugby Championship
1995 – Bonnie Blair skates female world record point total (156.450)
2001 – The Bank of Japan issued a monetary policy known as quantitative easing, which stimulated the Japanese economy after the burst of the dot-com bubble.
2018 – Mississippi signs into law the US’s strictest abortion laws, no termination after 15 weeks

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Famous Birthdays

1668 – Francesco Gasparini, Italian baroque composer (Ambleto; Missa Canonica), born in Camaiore, Lucca (now Italy) (d. 1727)
1813 – David Livingstone, Scottish explorer who was famously found by Henry Morton Stanley in Africa, born in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland (d. 1873)
1914 – Jiang Qing [Madame Mao], Chinese communist and wife of Mao Zedong, born in Zhucheng, Shandong, China (d. 1991)
1929 – Herman van San, composer
1972 – Nate Quarry, American mixed martial arts fighter (The Ultimate Fighter; co-host MMA Uncensored Live), born in Arcata, California
1979 – Hee-Seop Choi, Korean baseball player

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Famous Deaths

1556 – Lieven van der Maude [Ammonius], South Netherlands poet, dies at 70
1897 – Antoine T. d’Abbadie, French explorer (Ethiopia), dies at 87
1939 – Lloyd L. Gaines, American civil rights activist
1994 – Giuseppe Diana, Italian anti-mafia priest, murdered
2007 – Luther Ingram, American soul singer and songwriter (b. 1937)
2008 – Raghuvaran, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam actor (b. 1948)

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Historical Events

1859 – Vera Cruz besieged by Miramon (Cons) in Mexican War of Reform
1913 – King George I of Greece is assassinated in the recently liberated city of Thessaloniki
1939 – England beats Scotland, 9-6 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh to force a share of the Home Nations Rugby Championship with Wales and Ireland
1966 – General Suharto forms government in Indonesia
1994 – South Africa Goldstone committee reveals existence of secret police
2021 – US Senate confirms William Joseph Burns as new CIA Director

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Famous Birthdays

1909 – Ernest Gallo, American winemaker (d. 2007)
1910 – Chiang Ching-huo, Chinese politician (son of Chinese president Chiang Kai-shek, President of Taiwan 1978-88), born in Fenghua, Zhejiang, China (d. 1988)
1914 – César Guerra-Peixe, Brazilian violinist and composer (Brasilia Symphony), born in Petrópolis, Brazil (d. 1993)
1925 – James Pickles, English judge and columnist, born in Halifax, West Yorkshire (d. 2010)
1926 – Peter Graves [Aurness], American actor (Mission Impossible, Airplane!, Stalag 17), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 2010)
1996 – Madeline Carroll, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1886 – Leopold Zunz, German Jewish scholar (Science of Judaism), dies at 91
1944 – Benjamin Delmonte, theater director and actor (Black Haired Whore), dies at 79
1947 – William C. Durant, American automobile pioneer (General Motors), dies at 85
1958 – Sigve Lie, Norwegian sailor (Olympic gold dragon class 1948, 52), dies at 51
1983 – Kenneth E. Boulding, English economist (b. 1910)
2022 – John Clayton, American sports journalist/reporter (The Pittsburgh Press, The News Tribune; ESPN), dies at 67

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Historical Events

1756 – St. Patrick’s Day is first celebrated in NYC at the Crown and Thistle Tavern
1884 – John Joseph Montgomery makes 1st glider flight at Otay, California
1950 – Belgian government of Gaston Eyskens resigns due to constitutional crisis
1990 – Scotland beats England, 13-7 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh for it’s 14th outright Five Nations Rugby Championship, 3rd Grand Slam title and 10th Triple Crown
1994 – Iran transport aircraft crashes in Azerbaijan (32 killed)
2013 – 10 people are killed by a car bombing in Basra, Iraq

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Famous Birthdays

1781 – Dominique Jacques de Eerens, Dutch general and politician (Governor-General of Dutch East Indies 1836-40), born in Alkmaar, Dutch Republic (d. 1840)
1934 – Q T Macon, blues vocal/guitar
1939 – Shahid Mahmoud, Pakistani cricketer (opener scored 16 and 9 in only Pak Test)
1956 – Patrick McDonnell, American cartoonist (Mutts), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey
1973 – Caroline Corr, Irish Celtic folk rock singer, drummer, and bodhrán player (The Corrs – “What Can I Do”), born in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland
1979 – Nicole “Coco” Austin, American glamor model

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Famous Deaths

1516 – Giuliano de’ Medici, ruler of Florence, dies at 37
1967 – Richard Reeves, American character actor (The Adventures of Superman; Date With an Angel), dies from cirrhosis of the liver at 54
1970 – Fernand Crommelynck, Belgian playwright (Chaud et Frois), dies at 83
1971 – Ernst Bachmeister, German writer, dies at 96
1982 – Koos Koster, Dutch newscaster (IKON), murdered in El Salvador
2015 – Bob Appleyard, English cricketer (superb England off-spinner, brief career), dies at 90

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