Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1907 – Association of Football Players’ and Trainers’ Union (English Professional Football Players’ Association) is formed by Charlie Roberts and Billy Meredith in Manchester, England
1972 – “Via Galactica” closes at Uris Theater NYC after 7 performances
1985 – NFL quarterback legends Dan Marino and John Elway (Denver Broncos) face each other for the first time, a 30-26 win for Marino’s Miami Dolphins (390 yards and 3 TDs)
1988 – STS-27 Atlantis launched (Secret military mission)
1988 – UN votes 151-2 (Israel and US) to move PLO debate to Geneva, Great Britain abstains
1990 – US 69th manned space mission STS 35 (Columbia 11) launches into orbit

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Famous Birthdays

1868 – Francis Jammes, French poet and writer (Jammisme), born in Tournay, Hautes-Pyrénées, France (d. 1938)
1902 – Horace Hildreth, American politician (Gov-Maine, 1945-49) and U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan (1953-57), born in Gardiner, Maine (d. 1988)
1910 – Bob Newson, South African cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 4 wickets; Transvaal; Rhodesia), born in Sea Point, Cape Province, South Africa (d. 1988)
1960 – Rick Savage, English bass player (Def Leppard-Hysteria, Rock of Ages), born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
1962 – Kardam, Prince of Turnovo, eldest son of King Simeon II of Bulgaria and his wife Doña Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela, born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2015)
1968 – Lucy Liu, American actress (Ally McBeal), born in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York

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Famous Deaths

537 – Saint Silverius, Italian Pope (536-37) till deposed in March 537, starves to death in exile
1552 – Francis Xavier, Spanish Catholic missionary (b. 1506)
1748 – Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, English politician, dies at 86
1814 – Marquis de Sade, French philosopher and writer (Justine) and where the words sadism and sadist are derived from, dies at 74
1888 – Franz Xaver Witt, German church musician, composer, and priest, dies at 54
2005 – Van Tuong Nguyen, Australian drug smuggler (hanged) (b. 1980)

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Historical Events

1824 – US House of Representatives begins to decide outcome of election deadlock between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson (Adams wins)
1974 – South Africa is awarded the Davis Cup tennis title after India refuses to travel to South Africa for the final in protest of the South African government’s apartheid policies
1984 – American tennis icon Chris Evert wins her 1,000th career professional match; beats Pascale Paradis of France 6-1, 6-7, 6-2 in the round of 16 at the Australian Open; Evert goes on to win the event
1989 – Romanian 5-time Olympic gold medal winning gymnast Nadia Comăneci arrives in NYC requesting political asylum to the United States; granted
1994 – Jim Bakker, American televangelist and convicted fraud is released from jail
2015 – After finishing the season with the largest payroll in MLB history at $298.3 million, the Los Angeles Dodgers are assigned the largest luxury tax bill ever, $43.7 million

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Famous Birthdays

1945 – Ross Edwards, Australian cricket batsman (20 Tests @ 40.37, top score 170no; 9 ODIs), born in Perth Western Australia
1954 – Bob Goen, American TV host (Wheel of Fortune, Entertainment Tonight), born in Long Beach, California
1955 – Pat Spillane, Irish Gaelic football left half forward and broadcaster (8 x All Ireland titles; Kerry), born in Templenoe, County Kerry, Ireland
1971 – Rob Waldrop, American College Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle (Outland Trophy 1993 Arizona; CFL, Toronto Argonauts), born in Atlanta, Georgia
1976 – Konerak Sinthasomphone, Jeffrey Dahmer’s victim, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1988 – Zoë Kravitz, American actress (Big Little Lies), daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz, born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

660 – Eligius [Eloy], French patron saint of horses, goldsmiths and metalworkers who as bishop of Tournay-Noyon spent 20 years converting the pagan population of Flanders to Christianity, dies at around 72
1925 – Vicente Arregui Garay, Spanish composer, dies at 54
1958 – Patricia “Boots” Mallory, American dancer and actress (Handle With Care), dies from chronic throat disease at 45
1970 – Frank Smailes, English cricket all-rounder (1 Test; 8 County C’ships, Yorkshire), dies at 60
1984 – Roelof Frankot, Dutch painter (b. 1911)
2019 – Shelley Morrison, American actress (General Hospital, Will and Grace), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1886 – First commercially successful AC electric power plant opens, Buffalo, NY
1924 – National Football League Championship: Cleveland Bulldogs (7-1-1) [formerly Canton] win first past the post title
1956 – 1st use of videotape on TV (Douglas Edwards and the News)
1981 – NY Yankee Dave Righetti wins AL Rookie of Year Award
2009 – Canada begins its recovery from the recession; economic growth is at 0.4% after 14 months of economic stagnation
2017 – World’s longest recorded rainbow – 8 hrs 58 min in Taipei’s Yangmingshan mountain range

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Famous Birthdays

1726 – Jacques Aliamet, French etcher and engraver, born in Abbeville, France (d. 1788)
1828 – Jedediah Hotchkiss, American topographer and cartographer, born in Windsor, New York (d. 1899)
1890 – John Tasker Howard, American composer and music historian, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1964)
1968 – Des’ree [Desirée Annette Weeks], English singer (“Feel So High”; “You Gotta Be”; “Life”)
1971 – Heath Davis, New Zealand cricket bowler (NZ open v England 1994), born in Wellington, New Zealand
1981 – Rich Harden, Canadian baseball player

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Famous Deaths

1864 – John Adams, US Confederate brigadier general, dies in the Battle of Franklin at about 39
1967 – Patrick Kavanagh, Irish screenwriterr (Great Hunger), dies
1985 – Phil Tucker, American film director (Robot Monster), dies at 58
1993 – Bob Wolf, agent (New Kids on the Block, Larry Bird), dies
2010 – Peter Hofmann, Czech-born German operatic tenor (b. 1944)
2021 – Ray Kennedy, English soccer midfielder, forward (17 caps; Arsenal, Liverpool), dies from Parkinson’s disease at 70

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Historical Events

1830 – November Uprising: An armed rebellion against Russia’s rule beings in Poland begins
1980 – 45th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 34-18 in Birmingham
1987 – New Orleans Saints win, assuring their 1st winning NFL season
1989 – 8th Largest wrestling crowd UFW U-Cosmos (60,000-Tokyo Dome)
1995 – CNNfn, a financial network by Turner Enterprises is launched
1997 – OPEC agrees to an increase in its production ceiling. OPEC has raised the ceiling to 27.5 million barrels per day for the first half of 1998

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Famous Birthdays

1770 – Peter Hänsel, German-Austrian violinist and composer, born in Leppe, Silesia Province (d. 1831)
1904 – Piet Ketting, Dutch pianist, conductor and composer (Glorify Kokila), born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 1984)
1908 – N. S. Krishnan, Tamil film comedian (d. 1957)
1929 – Jackie Stallone, American astrologer and mother of Sylvester Stallone, born in Washington, D.C.
1952 – Dusty Hare, English rugby union player, born in Newark-on-Trent, England
1959 – Rich Camarillo, American NFL punter, 1981-96, 5X Pro Bowl (New England Patriots, Phoenix Cardinals, and 3 other teams), born in Whittier, California

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Famous Deaths

1643 – Claudio Monteverdi, Italian composer and pioneer in development of opera (L’Orfeo,espro della Beata Vergine), dies at 76
1939 – Philipp Scheidemann, German politician (SPD) and Mayor of Kassel, dies at 74
1997 – Isabelle Kelley, American social worker credited with instigating the US Federal Food Stamp Program, dies at 80
2001 – Mic Christopher, Irish rock singer and songwriter (The Mary Janes; solo – “Heyday”;”Skylarkin'”), dies of head injury after a fall at 32
2017 – Slobodan Praljak, Bosnian Croat general and war criminal, commits suicide at 72
2019 – Seymour Siwoff, American sports statistician (president and CEO Elias Sports Bureau 1952-2019), dies at 99

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Historical Events

1901 – Gustav Mahler conducts premiere of his 4th Symphony in G, at Kaim-Saal concert hall in Maxvorstadt, Munich, Germany to mixed reviews
1938 – 4th Heisman Trophy Award: Davey O’Brien, Texas Christian (QB)
1955 – 1956 NFL Draft: Gary Glick from University of Colorado AandM first pick by Pittsburgh Steelers
1962 – Telegraph between Netherlands and Indonesia restored
1971 – CFL Grey Cup, Empire Stadium, Vancouver: Calgary Stampeders beat Toronto Argonauts, 14-11 on a slick, rain-covered field
2020 – Joe Biden injures his foot playing with his dog Major

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Famous Birthdays

1854 – Gottlieb Haberlandt, Austrian botanist, born in Mosonmagyaróvár (d. 1945)
1864 – Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, Dutch lithographer and wood carver, born in Amsterdam (d. 1945)
1967 – Anna Nicole Smith [Vickie Hogan], American model, Playboy playmate (May 1992, Playmate of the Year 1993) and tabloid fixture, born in Houston, Texas (d. 2007)
1972 – Paulo Figueiredo, Angolan footballer
1977 – Angela Stanford, American golfer (Evian C’ship 2018), born in Fort Worth, Texas
1997 – Thor! [Salden], Belgian pop singer, born in Antwerp, Belgium

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Famous Deaths

1794 – Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, Prussian-American military officer (major general of the Continental Army), dies at 64
1852 – Ludger Duvernay, French printer and newspaper publisher (b. 1799)
1859 – Washington Irving, American author (Legend of Sleepy Hollow), dies of a heart attack at 76
1867 – John Drake Sloat, 1st Military Governor of California (Union Navy), dies at 86
1983 – Christopher George, American actor (Chisum, Heist), dies of a heart attack at 52
2010 – Leslie Nielsen, Canadian actor (Spy Hard, Forbidden Planet, Naked Gun), dies of pneumonia at 84

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Historical Events

1295 – English King Edward I calls what later became known as “The Model Parliament” extending the authorities of its representatives
1956 – Al Oerter wins first of 4 consecutive men’s discus gold medals when he throws Olympic record 56.36m to lead an American medal sweep at the Melbourne Games; Fortune Gordien silver, Desmond Koch bronze
1970 – Carl Morton (18-11 for last-place Expos), receives NL Rookie of Year
1992 – Part of Vienna Hofburg destroyed by fire
2017 – North Korean ghost ship washes up Akita prefecture beach, Japan with 8 skeletons on board, 4th boat in a month
2019 – Ghana celebrates the “year of return” marking 300 years since 1st African slave sold in America, by granting 125 people citizenship in special ceremony

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Famous Birthdays

1879 – Adam Tadeusz Wieniawski, Polish composer, born in Warsaw, Russian Empire (d. 1950)
1907 – L. Sprague de Camp, American sci-fi author (Goblin Tower, Hand of Zei), born in NYC, New York (d. 2000)
1941 – Eddie Rabbitt, American songwriter (“Kentucky Rain”), and country singer (“I Love a Rainy Night”), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1998)
1944 – Trevor Ward-Davies ‘Dozy’, British rock bassist (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich), born in Enford, Wilshire (d. 2015)
1951 – Kathryn Bigelow, American director, producer and writer (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty), born in San Carlos, California
1981 – Matthew Taylor, English footballer

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Famous Deaths

1971 – Jekabs Medinš, Latvian composer, dies at 86
1980 – F. Burrall Hoffman, American architect (b. 1882)
1982 – Filip Kutev, Bulgarian composer (State Ensemble for Folk Song and Dance), dies at 79
1985 – Harry Harvey Sr, American actor (It’s a Man’s World), dies at 84
1994 – Fernando Lopes-Graça, Portuguese composer and musicologist (b. 1906)
2015 – Gwyn Jones Francis, Welsh UK Forestry commissioner, dies at 85

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Historical Events

1476 – Vlad III Dracula defeats Basarab Laiota with the help of Stephen the Great and Stephen V Bathory and becomes the ruler of Wallachia for the third time.
1917 – NHL forms with Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Maroons, Toronto Arenas, Ottawa Senators and Quebec Bulldogs; National Hockey Association disbands
1956 – Egil Danielsen of Norway sets a new world record throw of 85.71m to win the men’s javelin gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics
1975 – US Federal jury finds Lynette Fromme guilty of attempted assassination
1979 – Intl Olympic Committee votes to readmit China after 21 years
1995 – New Zealand score 8-348 in 49 overs v India in Nagpur ODI

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Famous Birthdays

1850 – Henricus van de Wetering, Archbishop of Utrecht (1895-1929), born in Hoogland, Netherlands (d. 1929)
1873 – Fred Herd, Scottish golfer (US Open 1898), born in St. Andrews, Scotland (d. 1954)
1925 – Eugene Istomin, American pianist (Leventritt Award-1943), born in NYC, New York (d. 2003)
1939 – David White, American singer and songwriter (Danny And The Juniors – “At The Hop”: Leslie Gore – “You Don’t Own Me”), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2019)
1970 – Dave Hughes, Australian comedian (Hughesy, We Have a Problem), born in Warrnambool, Victoria
1986 – Trevor Morgan, American actor (Genius), born in Chicago, Illinois

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Famous Deaths

1326 – Hugh the younger Despenser, English knight (b. 1286)
1719 – John Hudson, British classical scholar (b. 1662)
1836 – John Loudon McAdam, Scottish engineer and road builder who created macadam road surface (asphalt), dies at 80
1966 – Harold Burrage, American RandB singer, pianist, and songwriter (“Got to Find a Way”), dies of heart failure at 35
1995 – David Briggs, American record producer (Neil Young; Nils Lofgren), dies of lung cancer at 51
2013 – Araucaria [John Galbraith Graham], British crossword compiler (The Guardian) and priest, dies at 92

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Historical Events

1744 – Austrian forces pillage and kill Jews of Prague
1912 – Socialist International rejects that world war is coming
1947 – The 1st systematic Hollywood blacklist is instituted, denying employment to American entertainment professionals due to alleged Communist ties or sympathies
1969 – KC outfielder Lou Piniella is voted AL Rookie of Year
1973 – US cuts maximum speed limit cut to 55 MPH as an energy conservation measure
2012 – 11 people are killed and 30 are wounded by twin car bombs hitting a Protestant church in Nigeria

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Famous Birthdays

1914 – Joe DiMaggio, American Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder (13 × MLB All-Star; 9 x World Series; 3 x AL MVP; MLB record 56-game hitting streak; NY Yankees), born in Martinez, California (d. 1999)
1933 – Ramiro Cortés Jr., American composer, born in Dallas, Texas (c. 1984)
1977 – Guillermo Cañas, Argentine tennis player
1980 – Josh Lomberger, American professional wrestling backstage interviewer
1981 – Jenna Bush Hager, American author, news personality (Today with Hoda and Jenna) and twin daughter of US President George W. Bush, born in Dallas, Texas
1981 – Barbara Bush, American activist (Global Health Corps) and twin daughter of US President George W. Bush, born in Dallas, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1785 – Richard Glover, British poet, dies at about 73
1950 – Johannes V. Jensen, Danish novelist and poet (The Fall of the King; Nobel Prize for Literature, 1944), dies at 77
1967 – Ossip Zadkine [Zadkin], Russian French sculptor (Destroyed City), dies at 77
1974 – Nick Drake, English singer-songwriter (Pink Moon), dies of a drug overdose at 26
1983 – Anton Dolin [Sydney Francis Patrick Chippendall Healey-kay], British dancer (Girl From Petrovka), dies at 79
1989 – Alva R. Fitch, American World War II and Korean soldier (b. 1907)

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Historical Events

1542 – Battle of Solway Moss: English beat Scottish King James V
1926 – Sri Aurobindo retires to lead life of seclusion, hands responsibility for followers to Mirra Alfassa (founding of Sri Aurobindo ashram)
1949 – British steel and iron industry nationalised
1971 – American “Dan Cooper” hijacks plane, extorts $200,000 ransom before jumping out of plane over Washington State, never seen again
2018 – Cruise boat sinks on Lake Victoria near Kampala, Uganda, killing at least 29
2019 – Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announces a late-bid to be the US Democratic presidential candidate

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Famous Birthdays

1615 – Philipp Wilhelm, Elector of Palatine (d. 1690)
1849 – Frances Hodgson Burnett, British-American playwright and children’s author (“The Secret Garden”; “Little Lord Fauntleroy”), born in Manchester (d. 1924)
1912 – Bernard Delfgaauw, Dutch philosopher (Johnson murderer!), born in Amsterdam (d. 1993)
1968 – Bülent Korkmaz, Turkish footballer
1973 – Donny Brady, defensive back (Baltimore Ravens)
1983 – Karine Vanasse, Quebec actress

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Famous Deaths

654 – Emperor Kōtoku of Japan (b. 596)
1985 – “Big” Joe Turner, American blues and RandB singer (“Shake, Rattle and Roll”), dies of heart failure at 74
1990 – Bulent Arel, Turkish-born electronic composer, dies at 72
1992 – Mary Smithuysen, Dutch dancer and actress (Bridge Too Far), dies at 85
1994 – Ivo Perilli, Italian screenplay/director (Ragazzo), dies at 92
2021 – Guillermo Echevarría, Mexican swimmer (1,500m WR 16:28.1 1968), dies at 73

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Historical Events

1897 – Portable pencil sharpener patented by American inventor John Lee Love
1923 – Germany’s Gustav Stresemann’s government falls to the SPD
1947 – Washington Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh passes for 6 touchdowns vs. Chicago Cardinals (45-21)
1954 – For the first time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the peak it reached just before the 1929 crash
1989 – Xenophon Zolotas is sworn in as premier of Greece
2008 – 97th Davis Cup: Spain beats Argentina in Mar del Plata (3-1)

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Famous Birthdays

1815 – William Dennison, American politician (US postmaster general, Governor of Ohio), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1882)
1887 – Boris Karloff [William H. Pratt], English actor (The Mummy, Frankenstein), born in Camberwell, London (d. 1969)
1924 – Paula Raymond, American actress and model (The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2003)
1929 – Hal Lindsey, American evangelist and Christian Zionist writer, born in Houston, Texas
1946 – Bobby Rush, American politician (Rep-D-Illinois 1993-), born in Albany, Georgia
1963 – Dale Sveum, American MLB player and coach, born in Richmond, California

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Famous Deaths

1682 – Claude Lorrain, French painter known for his landscapes (b. 1604)
1804 – Richard Graves, English writer (The Spiritual Quixote), dies at 89
1940 – Catharina van Rennes, Dutch composer, dies at 82
1964 – Jan Fabricius, Dutch-English playwright (Dolle Hans), dies at 93
1994 – Erick Frederick Hawkins, US dancer/wed to Martha Graham, dies at 85
2012 – Larry Hagman, American actor (I Dream of Jeannie, JR-Dallas), dies of complications from throat cancer at 81

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