Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1379 – First War of the Guelderian Succession ends when Matilda and the Heeckerens are defeated by the Duchy of Jülich, forcing her to resign her rights to the Duchy of Guelders to her half-sister Maria’s son, William
1853 – Anti-slavery newspaper “The Provincial Freeman” first published in Windsor, Ontario, edited by Samuel Ringgold Ward and Mary Ann Shadd Cary, first black woman publisher in North America
1876 – 38th Grand National: Joe Cannon aboard 25/1 chance Regal wins by a neck from Congress
1933 – Peter I Island incorporated as a Norwegian dependency
1944 – 76 Allied officers escape Stalag Luft 3 (Great Escape)

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Famous Birthdays

1848 – Honoré Beaugrand, French Canadian journalist, newspaper publisher (La Patrie), and politician (Mayor of Montreal, 1885-87), born in Saint-Joseph-de-Lanoraie, Quebec, Canada East (d. 1906)
1850 – Silas K. Hocking, British novelist and Methodist preacher (Her Benny), born in Cornwall, England (d. 1935)
1866 – Jack McAuliffe, Irish-American boxer and undefeated World Lightweight champion (1886-93), born in Cork, Ireland, United Kingdom (d. 1937)
1909 – Clyde Barrow, American bank robber and outlaw (Bonnie and Clyde), born in Ellis County, Texas (d. 1934)
1923 – Murray Hamilton, American character actor (Rich Man Poor Man, Anatomy of a Murder), born in Washington, North Carolina (d. 1986)

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Famous Deaths

1455 – Nicholas V [Tommaso Parentucelli], Italian Pope (1447-55), dies at 57
1955 – John W. Davis, American politician and United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, dies at 81
1993 – Erik Andriesse, Dutch painter (skulls, skeletons, flowers), dies at 35
2007 – Henson Cargill, American country music singer (“Skip a Rope”, “The Most Uncomplicated Goodbye I Ever Heard”), dies while undergoing surgery at 66
2021 – Richard Stoker, British pianist and composer (Antic Hay; Ecco homo), dies at 82

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Historical Events

1857 – Elisha Otis installs his first elevator at 488 Broadway in New York City
1939 – 1st performance of Béla Bartók’s 2nd Violin Concerto at the Concertgebow, Amsterdam with Zoltán Székely on violin and Willem Mengelberg conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra
1988 – Geffen Records releases “Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm”, Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell’s 13th studio album
2007 – After some initial hesitation, Emma Watson signs on to appear as Hermione in the final three Harry Potter films
2020 – New York confirmed as new center of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US with 20,875 cases (5,707 in the last day) and 157 deaths

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Famous Birthdays

1919 – Carl Graffunder, American mid-century modernist architect in Minnesota, born in Rock Island, Illinois (d. 2013)
1933 – Hayes Jenkins, American figure skater (Olympic gold singles 1956; World C’ship gold 1953-56), born in Akron, Ohio
1937 – Craig Breedlove, American auto racer (5 x world land speed record holder; first to reach 500mph (800km/h) and 600mph (970km/h), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2023)
1944 – George Scott, MLB first baseman, 1966-79 (Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and 2 other teams), born in Greenville, Mississippi, (d. 2013)
1972 – Jonas Bjorkman, Swedish tennis player (World #1 doubles 2001; 9 x Grand Slam doubles titles; Davis Cup 1994, 97, 98; Tour Finals 1994, 2006), born in Vaxjo Sweden

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Famous Deaths

1680 – Nicolas Fouquet, French politician and Superintendent of Finances (1653-61) who became fabulously wealthy and later imprisoned for maladministration of state funds, dies in jail in Pinerolo at 65
1881 – Nikolay Rubinstein, Russian pianist, conductor, and composer, dies at 45
1979 – Philip Bourneuf, actor (Big Night, Frankenstein), dies at 71
2006 – Sarah Caldwell, American conductor/opera director (Flagstaff), dies at 82
2015 – Lil’ Chris [Hardman], British rock singer (Checkin’ It Out), takes his own life at 24

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Historical Events

1692 – Emperor Leopold I names Duke Earnest August of Braunschweig, king
1929 – 88th Grand National: Robert W. H. Everett wins aboard 100/1 outsider Gregalach
1975 – AIAW Women’s Basketball Tournament, Delta State beats Immaculata 90-81 in Harrisonburg
1992 – Herb Gardner’s stage drama “Conversations with My Father”, starring Judd Hirsch and Tony Shalhoub, opens at Royale Theatre, NYC, runs for 462 performances and a Tony Award for Hirsch
2024 – British runner Jasmin Paris is the first woman and 20th person to complete one of the world’s hardest ultramarathons, the Barkley Marathons in Tennessee, with one minute and 39 seconds to spare

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Famous Birthdays

1459 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1508-19, established Hapsburg dynasty in Spain), born in Wiener Neustadt, Austria (d. 1519)
1908 – Jack Crawford, Australian tennis player (6 Grand Slam singles titles), born in Urangeline, NSW (d. 1991)
1921 – Wilhelmus Norbert Schmelzer, Dutch foreign minister (KVP), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 2008)
1931 – Billy Vessels, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Heisman Trophy 1952, University of Oklahoma), born in Cleveland, Oklahoma (d. 2001)
1932 – Leo “Bud” Welch, American gospel and Delta blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (“You Can’t Hurry God”; “Cadillac Baby”), born in Sabougla, Mississippi (d. 2017)

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Famous Deaths

1838 – Hendrik Fagel de Jonge, Dutch-English baron and diplomat (Fagel collection National Library of the Netherlands and Trinity College), dies at 73
2009 – Jade Goody, English reality TV Star and Entrepreneur, dies of cancer at 27
2016 – Eli Louw, South African politician (Minister of Transport), dies at 88
2017 – Francine Hughes Wilson, American domestic abuse victim “The Burning Bed” who changed pubic perceptions, dies at 69
2020 – Stan Bronstein, American rock saxophonist (Elephant’s Memory), dies at 81

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Historical Events

1925 – Tennessee Governor Austin Peay passes the “Butler Act,” making Tennessee the first state to outlaw teaching the theory of evolution (repealed in 1967)
1934 – Fire destroys Hakodate, Japan, killing about 1,500
1948 – “Stop the Music” with Bert Parks premieres on ABC radio
1953 – NBA record 106 fouls and 12 players foul out (Boston-Syracuse)
1985 – Canadian Rick Hansen sets off on his ‘Man in Motion’ world tour in his wheelchair raising money for spinal research, from Oakridge Mall, Vancouver (successfully completes May 1987)

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Famous Birthdays

927 – Taizu [Zhao Kuangyin], Founder and 1st Emperor of the Song Dynasty (960-976) who reunified most of China by conquering the states of Southern Tang, Later Shu, Southern Han and Jingnan, born in Luoyang, Henan, China (d. 976)
1768 – Joseph Fourier, French mathematician (mathematical theory of heat conduction) and Egyptologist, born in Auxerre, France (d. 1830)
1887 – Edwin Scharff, German sculptor, and educator, deemed “entartete” (degenerate) by Nazi regime, born in Neu-Ulm, Gemrany (d. 1955)
1915 – Dude Martin [John Stephen McSwain], American country and Western swing singer, bandleader, radio and early television personality, born in Plainsburg, California (d. 1991) [Note: some sources cite date as 11, and some as 15]
1939 – Tommy Davis, American baseball utility (3 x MLB All Star; World Series 1963; NL batting champion 1962, 63 LA Dodgers), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2022)

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Famous Deaths

1801 – Andrea Lucchesi, Italian organist, composer, and Kapellmeister for the Court of Bonn (1774-94), dies at 59
1864 – Luke Howard, British manufacturing chemist and meteorologist (nomenclature system for clouds), dies at 91
2014 – Jack Fleck, American golfer (US Open 1955), dies at 92
2017 – Chuck Barris, american TV game show producer and host (Gong Show), dies at 87
2024 – Ron Harper, American actor (Planet of the Apes (TV series); Wendy and Me), dies at 91

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Historical Events

1934 – Rudolf Kuhnold demonstrates radar in Kiel Germany
1937 – England beats Scotland, 6-3 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh to clinch the Home Nations Rugby Championship and Triple Crown
1942 – Convoy PQ13 departs Reykjavik Iceland to Russia
1951 – Fujiyoshida, a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, in the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū is founded
1973 – NBC TV premiere of pilot episode of “Police Story”, based on Los Angeles Police Dept. Joseph Wambaugh’s writings

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Famous Birthdays

1823 – Ned Buntline [Edward Judson Sr.], American publisher, journalist, and writer, born in Harpersfield, New York (d. 1886)
1833 – Henry Southwick Perkins, American composer, educator, and founder of Music Teachers’ National Association, born in Stockbridge, Vermont (d. 1914)
1940 – Gianpiero Moretti, steering wheel designer (Momo), born in Milan, Italy (d. 2012)
1951 – Curt Smith, American author, media host, speech writer for President George H. W. Bush, and authority on baseball broadcasting (The History of Baseball and the White House), born in Caledonia, New York
1974 – Andrzej Pilipiuk, Polish humoristic fantasy and science fiction writer (Pan Samochodzik series, Ivanov the Wizard), born in Warsaw, Poland

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Famous Deaths

457 – Siyah Chan K’awil, 11th ruler of the Maya city of Tikal, dies
1866 – Rikard Nordraak, Norwegian composer, dies at 23
1963 – Karl Otten, German Expressionist writer, dies at 73
1990 – Maurice Cloche, French film director and screenwriter, dies at 82
2020 – Borislav Stanković, Serbian Basketball Hall of Fame administrator (International Basketball Federation secretary general 1976-2002), dies at 94

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Historical Events

1914 – Stanley Cup, Arena Gardens, Toronto ON: Toronto HC (NHA) defeat Victoria Aristocrats (PCHA), 2-1 for a 3-0 series sweep; final series of the “challenge” era
1956 – Biggest NBA margin of victory – Minn Lakers-133, St Louis Hawks-75
1984 – STS 41-C vehicle moves to launch pad
1995 – Arizona begins using new telephone area code 520, outside of Phoenix
1995 – Finnish Social Democratic Party wins parliamentary election

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Famous Birthdays

1914 – Fred Clark, American actor (Burns and Allen, Auntie Mame, Hazard), born in Lincoln, California (d. 1968)
1933 – Renee Taylor [Wexler], American actress (Jack Paar Show; The Nanny – “Sylvia”), born in New York City
1953 – Lord Blair of Boughton [Ian Blair], British police officer who was Metropolitan police commissioner during the 7/7 London terror attacks, born in Chester, England (d. 2025)
1971 – Dalton James, American actor (My Father, The Hero; Beverly Hills 90201 – “Mark”), born in Sacramento, California
1983 – Matt Sydal [Matthew Korklan], American professional wrestler (WWE Raw, AEW Dark), born in St. Louis, Missouri

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Famous Deaths

1263 – Hugo of St-Cher/a S Caro, French cardinal, dies
1623 – Uesugi Kagekatsu, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1556)
1717 – John Campbell, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Scottish royalist
1969 – Theodor Schaefer, Czech composer, dies at 65
2003 – Michael Mathias Prechtl, German illustrator, dies at 76

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Historical Events

1582 – Prince William I of Orange injured in attack at Antwerp
1933 – US Ladies’ Figure Skating championship won by Maribel Vinson
1961 – 6th Eurovision Song Contest: Jean-Claude Pascal for Luxembourg wins “Nous les amoureux” in Cannes
1963 – “Tovarich” opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 264 performances
1989 – Dino Ciccarelli sets Washington Capital record of 7 pts in a game

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Famous Birthdays

1877 – Clem Hill, Australian cricket batsman and captain (49 Tests, 7 x 100, HS 191; South Australia CA), born in Adelaide, Australia (d. 1945)
1886 – Marianne Philips, Dutch author (Between Heaven and Earth), born in Amsterdam (d. 1951)
1946 – Michael Reagan, American conservative talk show host and adopted son of Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2026)
1950 – Frank O’Keefe, American southern rock bassist (The Outlaws, 1968-76), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1995)
1986 – Abdennour Cherif El Ouazzani, Algerian footballer

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Famous Deaths

1907 – Marcellin Berthelot, French chemist (Thomsen–Berthelot principle of thermochemistry), dies at 79
1918 – Willem Coenen, Dutch pianist and composer, dies at 81
1982 – George Lampe, Dutch painter and director (Free Academy), dies at 60
1983 – Kenneth E. Boulding, English economist (b. 1910)
1999 – Elizabeth Huckaby, American educator, dies at 93

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Historical Events

1929 – Spanish dictator Primo de Rivera closes university of Madrid
1973 – St. Patrick’s Day marchers carry 14 coffins commemorating Bloody Sunday
2008 – Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York resigns after scandal involving a high-end prostitute; David Paterson becomes acting governor
2013 – Toyo Ito wins the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize
2018 – China’s National People’s Congress appoints Wang Qishan as vice-president

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Famous Birthdays

1877 – Albert Hahn, Dutch political cartoonist (Het Volk), born in Groningen, Netherlands (d. 1918)
1880 – Guillermo Uribe Holguin, Colombian composer, born in Bogotá, Colombia (d. 1971)
1881 – Kristian Elster, Norwegian author (Less bror Harris), born in Trondheim, Norway (d. 1947)
1931 – Lorraine Ellison, American soul singer (“Stay with Me”; “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)”), and songwriter, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1983)
1987 – Rob Kardashian, American television personality and only son of Robert Kardashian and Kris Jenner (Keeping Up with the Kardashians), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1801 – Juan de Sesé y Balaguer, Aragonese composer, dies at 64
1910 – Joaquin Valverde Durán, Spanish composer, dies at 64
1956 – Irene Joliot-Curie, French chemist and physicist (Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1935) and daughter of Marie Curie, dies of leukemia at 58
1992 – George Lovi, American columnist (Sky and Telescope’s “Ramblings”), dies
2025 – John A. Hemingway, Irish Royal Air Force pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain during World War Ⅱ, dies at 105

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Historical Events

1322 – The Battle of Boroughbridge takes place in the First War of Scottish Independence
1802 – US Army Corps of Engineers established (2nd time)
1830 – London’s re-organised police force (Scotland Yard)
1865 – Battle of Averasboro North Carolina (1,500 casualties)
1958 – LPGA Titleholders Championship Women’s Golf, Augusta CC: Beverly Hanson wins by 5 strokes ahead of Betty Dodd

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Famous Birthdays

1581 – Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Dutch historian, poet and playwright (Grandida; Nederduytsche Historiën / History of the Netherlands), born in Amsterdam, Dutch Republic (d. 1647)
1776 – Johan Gijsbert Verstolk van Soelen, Dutch minister of Foreign Affairs, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1845)
1929 – Nadja Tiller, Austrian actress (Ich suche Dich, Rosemary), and beauty queen (Miss Austria, 1949), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2023)
1964 – Gore Verbinski, American movie director (Pirates of the Caribbean films; Rango), born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
1991 – Wolfgang Van Halen, American rock bassist son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen and actress Valerie Bertinelli, born in Santa Monica, California

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Famous Deaths

1977 – Kamal Jumblatt, Lebanese politician and founder of the Progressive Socialist Party, assassinated by unknown gunmen at 59
2015 – Andy Fraser, English bass guitarist (Free), dies at 62
2021 – Erhan Önal, Turkish soccer central defender (12 caps; FC Bayern Munich, Standard Liège, Galatasaray), dies at 63
2022 – Bobby Weinstein, American songwriter (with Teddy Randazzo – “I’m on the Outside Looking In”, “Goin’ Out of My Head”, “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle”), and music executive, dies at 82
2025 – Doug Laughton, English rugby league lock (15 Tests GB; St. Helens, Wigan, Widnes) and coach (Widnes 504 games), dies at 80

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Historical Events

221 – Liu Bei, a Chinese warlord and member of the Han royal house, declares himself Emperor of Shu-Han, claiming legitimate succession to the Han Dynasty
1906 – Britons Henry Rolls, Charles Royce and Claude Johnson formalize their existing partnership as Rolls Royce Ltd
1913 – 1st US presidential press conference, held by Woodrow Wilson
1954 – “CBS Morning Show” premieres with Walter Cronkite and Jack Paar
2023 – Another atmospheric river creates a storm across California, bringing widespread flooding and power outages, with Monterey County issuing a 25 mile evacuation order

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Famous Birthdays

1831 – Edward Aylesworth Perry, American soldier and politician (General under Lee for Confederate Army, 14th Governor of Florida 1885-89), born in Richmond, Massachusetts (d. 1889)
1831 – Daniele Comboni, Italian Catholic missionary and Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa (1877-81), born in Limone sul Garda, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia (d. 1881)
1838 – Alice Cunningham Fletcher, American ethnologist and anthropologist who studied native American culture (advocated for Dawes Act), born in Havana, Cuba (d. 1923)
1969 – Yutaka Take, Japanese jockey (Japan Cup x 5; JRA Grand Prize Jockey 1997-2000, 02-06; Japanese Triple Crown 2005), born in Kyoto, Japan
1974 – Vaughan Gething, Welsh first minister (2024-) Labour and Co-operative politician, born in Usaka, Zambia

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Famous Deaths

1842 – Luigi Cherubini, Italian musical prodigy, composer (Médée; Requiem in D minor), and educator (Conservatoire de Paris, 1822-42), dies at 81
1987 – W. Sterling Cole, American politician (Rep-R-NY, Director International Atomic Energy Agency), dies at 82
2015 – Mike Porcaro, American rock bassist (Toto, 1982-2007 “Stranger In Town”), dies from Lou Gehrig’s disease at 59
2018 – Robert Grossman, American illustrator, dies of heart failure at 78
2020 – Suzy Delair, French singer and actress (The Murderer Lives at Number 21; Utopia; White Paws), dies at 102

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