Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1947 – Magnum Photos founded in Paris by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David Seymour
1953 – Ian Craig makes Test Cricket debut at 17 yrs 239 days, youngest Aussie
1978 – Snowstorm hits New England, parts of Rhode Island (54″ / 137cm)
1990 – Brett Hull becomes 1st son of NHL 50 goal scorer (Bobby Hull) to also score 50 goals
2020 – Date of the 1st COVID-19 related death in the US (confirmed by the CDC April 21)

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1848 – Luigi Mancinelli, Italian orchestral composer, born in Orvieto, Italy (d. 1921)
1866 – Karl Sapper, German traveller, explorer, and natural historian, born in Germany (d. 1945)
1905 – Władysław Gomułka, Polish communist politician, born in Krosno, Poland (d. 1982)
1982 – Alice Eve, English actress (She’s Out of My League; Star Trek Into Darkness), born in London
1986 – Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwean cricketer, born in Harare, Zimbabwe

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1899 – Alfred Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, dies at 24 in mysterious circumstances
1923 – Edward Emerson Barnard, American astronomer (5th moon Jupiter), dies at 65
1958 – David Pegg, English soccer outside left (1 cap; Manchester United 127 games), dies in Munich air disaster at 22
1991 – Marten Levendig, Dutch TV correspondent to Moscow, dies
2021 – Ken McCaffery, Australian rugby league centre (12 Tests; North Sydney; Queensland), broadcaster (9 Network) and administrator (North Sydney DRLFC), dies at 91

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1919 – NL President John Heydler dismisses charges that Hal Chase bet against his team and threw games in collusion with gamblers
1943 – Clandestine Radio Atlantiksender, Germany, 1st transmission
1970 – WSCV TV channel 51 in Fort Lauderdale, FL (IND) suspends broadcasting
1974 – John Murtha of Pennsylvania becomes the first Vietnam War veteran elected to the United States Congress
1995 – NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 41-13; MVP: Marshall Faulk, Indianapolis Colts, RB, HI

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1864 – Carl Teike, German military composer, born in Stettin-Altdamm, Pomerania (now Szczecin, Poland) (d. 1922)
1903 – Nathaniel Owings, American architect (Oak Ridge, TN; Sears Tower), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1984)
1947 – Mary Louise Cleave, American engineer and NASA astronaut (STS 61-B, STS 30), born in Southampton, New York
1968 – Eyþór Guðjónsson, Icelandic actor (Oli in “Hostel”), born in Iceland
1972 – Christina Bailey, American ice hockey defenseman (Olympics gold 1998, silver 2002; World C’ship silver 1994, 97, 99, 2000, 01), born in Marietta, New York

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1957 – Sami Ibrahim Haddad, Lebanese surgeon (b. 1890)
1975 – Åke Persson, Swedish bebop jazz trombonist (Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, 1963–71), dies at 42
1977 – Oskar Klein, Swedish theoretical physicist known for Kaluza–Klein theory, dies at 82
1998 – Timothy “Tim” Kelly, American guitarist (Slaughter), dies in a car accident at 35
2023 – Phil Spalding, English new wave and progressive rock bass player (Tovah; GTR; Mike Oldfield), and hepatitis patient support group founder, dies at 65

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1194 – Ransom of 100,000 pounds of silver is paid for the release of Richard I, King of England, to Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI
1960 – Giants move their offices to Candlestick Park
1962 – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opens in Memphis, Tennessee; funding for the cancer fighting facility led by entertainer Danny Thomas
1983 – US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton
1990 – Anders Holmertz swims world record 400 m freestyle (3:40.81)

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1549 – Eustache du Caurroy, French Renaissance composer, born in Gerberoy, France (d. 1609)
1891 – [Madabhushi Ananthasayanam] M. A. Ayyangar, Indian politician (Speaker of Lok Sabha, Governor of Bihar), born in Thiruchanoor, Madras, British India (d. 1978)
1892 – Andreu Nin, Catalan revolutionary politician during the Spanish Civil War (P.O.U.M.) and translator, born in El Vendrell, Spain (d. 1937)
1929 – Paul Burlison, American rockabilly musician (The Rock N Roll Trio), born in Brownsville, Tennessee (d. 2003)
1960 – Tim Booth, British rock singer (James – “Sit Down”), born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1909 – John Clarkson, American Baseball HOF pitcher (Triple Crown 1889; no-hitter 1885; 3 × NL wins leader; 3 × NL strikeout leader; Chicago White Stockings, Boston Beaneaters), dies of mental illness and pneumonia at 47
1940 – Nikolai Yezhov, Soviet Head of Soviet NKVD under Stalin responsible for enacting the Great Purge, executed in secret at 44
1987 – (Wladziu) Liberace, American Emmy Award-winning pianist, showman (The Liberace Show), and actor (Batman -“Evil Chandell”), dies of AIDS-related pneumonia at 67
2021 – Lord Samuel Vestey, British food magnate (Vestey Holdings) and Master of the Horse to the Royal Household (1999-2018), dies at 79
2023 – Arnold Schulman, American playwright and screenwriter (A Hole in the Head, Love with the Proper Stranger), dies at 97

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1913 – Paul A. Rubens and Arthur Wimperis’ musical “The Sunshine Girl”, with additional songs by and John Golden and Joseph Cawthorne, opens at the Knickerbocker Theatre, NYC, runs for 181 performances
1928 – Paleoanthropologist Davidson Black reports his findings on the ancient human fossils found at Zhoukoudian, China, in the journal Nature and declares them to be a new species he names ‘Sinanthropus pekinensis’ (now known as ‘Homo erectus’)
1942 – Baseball owners agree to permit each club up to 14 night games in 1942
1947 – -81°F (-63°C), Snag Yukon (North American record)
1972 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1817 – Samuel Ryan Curtis, American politician and Major General (Union Army), born in Champlain, New York (d. 1866)
1899 – Lao She, Chinese writer and playwright (Rickshaw Boy, Teahouse), born in Beijing, China (d. 1966)
1940 – Jim Hartz, American journalist and newscaster (NBC-TV Today, 1974-77; PBS – Innovations), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma (d. 2022)
1941 – Gary Bartlett, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (10 Tests, 24 wickets, BB 6/38; Central Districts, Canterbury, Marlborough), born in Blenheim, New Zealand
1977 – Daddy Yankee [Ramón Rodríguez], Puerto Rican reggaeton singer and rapper (“Despacito”; “Gasolina”), born in San Juan, Puerto Rico

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1558 – Alfonsus de Castro, Spanish theologist (Council of Trent), dies
1959 – Buddy Holly [Charles Holley], American rock and roll musician and songwriter (“Peggy Sue”; “That’ll Be the Day”; “Words Of Love”), dies in a plane crash at 22
1989 – Lionel Newman, American film music composer (Hello Dolly!, Star Wars, Cleopatra), dies from cardiac arrest at 73
1996 – Wild Jimmy Spruill, American blues guitarist, dies at 61
1998 – Karla Faye Tucker, American murderer, executed at 38

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1653 – New Amsterdam becomes a city, later renamed New York City
1900 – Gustave Charpentiers opera “Louise” premieres at the Salle Favart, in Paris France; performed by the Opéra-Comique conducted by André Messageri
1957 – Leonard Bernstein’s musical “Candide” closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 73 performances
2014 – Protests in Ukraine turn violent after parliament passes legislation that outlaws protest
2020 – Palindrome Day: the date 02022020 reads the same forward and backward including in the US and China (last one like this 11 November 1111)

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1827 – Oswald Aschenbach, German landscape painter, born in Düsseldorf, Prussia (d. 1905)
1883 – S Z Sakall [Gerö Jenö], Hungarian stage and film character actor (Dolly Sisters, Casablanca), born in Budapest Hungary (d. 1955)
1899 – Benny Rubin, American actor and comedian (Benny Rubin Show), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1986)
1907 – Bernardas Brazdzionis, Lithuanian poet, editor and critic, born in Stebeikėliai, Lithuania, Russian Empire (d. 2002)
1944 – Geoffrey Hughes, British actor (Keeping Up Appearances, Coronation Street), born in Wallasey, England, (d. 2012)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1673 – Kaspar Förster, German composer, dies at 56
1881 – Alekey Pisemski, Russian novelist and playwright (A Bitter Lot), dies at 59 (OS 21 Jan)
1993 – Alexander Schneider, Lithuanian violinist (Budapest String Quartet), dies at 84
1999 – Marie Van Brittan Brown, American nurse and co-inventor of the home security system with her husband Albert L. Brown, dies at 76
2021 – Tom Moore, English army captain knighted for raising £32 million for the NHS, dies with COVID-19 at 100

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1940 – Soviet Union begins new offensive against Finland
1954 – Australian Championships Men’s Tennis: Mervyn Rose wins his first Grand Slam title; beats fellow Australian Rex Hartwig 6-2, 0-6, 6-4, 6-2
1968 – Former US VP Richard Nixon announces candidacy for president
1980 – Sears Radio Theater moves from CBS to Mutual Broadcasting System
1985 – -61°F (-52°C), Maybell, Colorado (state record)

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1877 – Thomas Dunhill, British light classical composer (The Wind Among The Reeds; Tantivy Towers), teacher, and musicologist, born in London, England (d. 1946)
1942 – Muna Wassef, Syrian actress (The Message) and UN Goodwill ambassador, born in Damascus, Syria
1951 – (Clide) “Sonny” Landreth, American blues and zydeco slide guitar player, born in Canton, Mississippi
1962 – Takashi Murakami, Japanese artist (Superflat), born in Tokyo, Japan
1980 – Moisés Muñoz, Mexican soccer goalkeeper (19 caps; Morelia, América), born in Aguililla, Mexico

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1328 – Charles IV, the Handsome, King of France (1322-28), dies at 33
1905 – Oswald Aschenbach, German landscape painter, dies at 77
1966 – William Harrigan, American actor (Invisible Man, Girl in 419), dies at 71
1991 – Jimmy MacDonald, Scottish-American voice actor (Mickey Mouse), dies at 84
2003 – Mongo Santamaria, Cuban Latin jazz percussionist and bandleader, dies at 85

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1891 – First attempt of a republican revolution breaks out in the northern city of Porto, Portugal
1966 – Australian Championships Women’s Tennis: Margaret Smith wins her 7th consecutive Australian singles title; beats American Nancy Richey in a walkover, Richey injured
1968 – Nauru (formerly Pleasant Island) declares independence from Australia the UK and New Zealand, becoming the world’s smallest republic
1975 – Barry Manilow’s single “Mandy” goes gold
2009 – Australian Open Women’s Tennis: Serena Williams wins 10th Grand Slam singles title; outclasses Dinara Safina of Russia 6-0, 6-3

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1597 – John Francis Regis, French priest and Roman Catholic saint, born in Fontcouverte, France (d. 1640)
1919 – Jackie Robinson, American Baseball HOF second baseman (1st African-American MLB player Brooklyn Dodgers; 6 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1955; NL MVP 1949), born in Cairo, Georgia (d. 1972)
1920 – Bert Williams, English soccer goalkeeper (24 caps; Wolverhampton Wanderers 381 games), born in Bradley, Staffordshire (d. 2014)
1924 – William Bryant, American character actor (King Dinosaur, Hell Squad), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2001)
1942 – Gerald Chanberlain, American jazz trombonist (Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd), born in Refugio, Texas (d. 2007)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1815 – José Félix Ribas, Venezuelan independentist leader (b. 1775)
1865 – Aristide Farrenc, French flautist, music publisher, and musicologist (Trésor des pianistes), dies at 70
1925 – George W. Cable, American writer (Northampton Years), dies at 80
1974 – Glenn Morris, American athlete (Olympic gold decathlon 1936) and actor (Tarzan’s Revenge; Hold That Co-ed), dies of congestive heart failure at 61
1990 – Rashad Khalifa, Egyptian-American biochemist and imam, stabbed to death at 54 (b. 1935)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1820 – British explorer Edward Bransfield aboard Williams sights Trinity Peninsula, Antarctica, claiming it for Britain
1925 – Turkish government throws out Constantine VI of Constantinople
1934 – Former Australian cricket spin bowler Bert Ironmonger ends Sheffield Shield career age 51 years 298 days as Victoria draws with NSW at the Sydney Cricket Ground
1960 – US female Figure Skating championship won by Carol Heiss
1993 – 100,000 Europeans demonstrate against fascism and racism

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1617 – William Sancroft, 79th Archbishop of Canterbury, born in Fressingfield, Suffolk, England (d. 1693)
1900 – Martita Hunt, Argentine-born English actress (Man in Grey, Great Expectations), born in Buenos Aires (d. 1969)
1920 – George Skibine, Russian-American ballet dancer and choreographer (Tragedy in Verona), born in Yasnaya Polyana, Russia (d. 1981)
1951 – Trevor Laughlin, Australian cricketer (Australian all-rounder 1978-79), born in Nyah West, Australia
1956 – Jeremy Gittins, British actor (Michael the Vicar in “Keeping Up Appearances”), born in Manchester, England

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1956 – Gerrit Mannoury, Dutch mathematician and philosopher, dies at 88
1972 – Karel Boleslav Jirak, Czech composer and pedagogue, dies at 81
1999 – (Henry) “Huntz” Hall, American radio, stage, and screen actor (Dead End Kids: The Bowery Boys; Gas Pump Girls), dies from congestive heart failure at 78
2016 – Ken Sailors, American basketball point guard (popularised and may have invented the jump shot), dies at 95
2022 – Jon Appleton, American electronic and electro-acoustic music composer, educator and co-developer of the Synclavier, dies at 83

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1895 – King Koko’s Kopermannen assault on Akassa Niger, 100’s killed
1908 – Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, at Cornell University, incorporates
1982 – Wayne Garland, baseball’s first millionaire free agent, is waived by the Indians
1995 – Greg Blewett scores century on Test debut vs England, Adelaide
2011 – Australian Open Women’s Tennis: Kim Clijsters wins her 4th and final Grand Slam title; beats Li Na of China 3-6, 6-3, 6-3

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1889 – Francisco Santiago, Filipino pianist, composer (Taga-ilog Symphony), conductor, and pedagogue, born in Santa Maria, Bulacan, Philippines (d. 1947)
1940 – Katharine Ross, American actress (Graduate, Francesca-Colbys), born in Hollywood, California
1948 – Felice Taylor, American RandB singer (“I Feel Love Comin’ On”), born in Richmond, California (d. 2017)
1964 – Maarika Järvi, Estonian-American classical flautist), born in Tallinn, Estonian SSR, US
1967 – Sean Burke, Canadian ice hockey goalie (NHL All-Star 1989, 2001, 02; Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes; Canada Cup gold 1991), born in Toronto, Ontario

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1933 – Sara Teasdale, American lyric poet (Pulitzer Prize 1918 “Love Songs”), commits suicide at 48
1934 – Fritz Haber, German physicist and chemist (Nobel Prize for Chemistry – 1918, for process to synthesize ammonia), dies at 65
1999 – Lili St. Cyr [Marie Van Schaack], American dancer and strip tease performer, dies at 80
2004 – Otto Wilhelm Fischer, Austrian actor (Helden, Ich suche dich), dies of kidney disease at 88
2021 – Hilton Valentine, British rock guitarist (Animals – “House of the Rising Sun”), dies at 77

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1916 – US President Woodrow Wilson nominates Louis Brandeis for the Supreme Court of the United States
1957 – “Tonight! America After Dark” premieres, with Jack Lescoulie and Al (Jazzbo) Collins on NBC (between Steve Allen and Jack Paar)
2001 – Australian Open Men’s Tennis: Andre Agassi retains title; beats Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 for his 3rd Australian trophy
2007 – Australian Open Men’s Tennis: Swiss ace Roger Federer successfully defends his title beating Fernando González of Chile 7-6, 6-4, 6-4
2024 – 100 Ballads names “The Wandering Prince of Troy” the most popular ballad of the 17th century in a project documenting “the earliest form of commercial pop music in England”

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1784 – George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Peelite: 1852-55) and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1841-46), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1860)
1865 – Lala Lajpat Rai, Indian author, politician, and freedom fighter, born in Dhudike, British India (d. 1928)
1886 – Marthe Bibesco, Romanian-French writer, socialite, and political hostess, born in Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania (d. 1973)
1928 – Martin Sinnatt, British army Major-General (Korean War), and administrator (Secretary and CEO of the Kennel Club, 1984-93), born in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England (d. 2022)
1986 – Shruti Haasan, Indian actress and one of the highest paid South Indian cinema actresses, born in Madras, India

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1932 – Franz Xavier Arens, German-American conductor and composer (Cleveland Philharmonic), dies at 75
1939 – W. B. Yeats, Irish poet (Wild Swans at Coole-Nobel 1923), dies at 73
1947 – Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan-French singer, composer, conductor, and music critic, dies at 72
2005 – Jim Capaldi, British drummer, singer, and songwriter (Traffic – “The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys”), dies of stomach cancer at 60
2014 – Fernand Leduc, Canadian abstract expressionist painter (Les Automatistes), and teacher, dies of cancer at 97

More Famous Deaths »