Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1804 – Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s expedition commissioned by Thomas Jefferson sets out from St Louis for Pacific Coast
1913 – Frans Hals museum opens in Haarlem, Netherlands
1945 – Physician Joseph G. Hamilton injects misdiagnosed cancer patient Albert Stevens (CAL-1) with 131 kBq (3.55 µCi) of plutonium without his knowledge. Stevens lives another 20 years, surviving the highest known accumulated radiation dose in any human
1975 – US forces raid Cambodian island of Koh Tang to free Mayaguez ship
1989 – Final TV episode of “Family Ties” airs on NBC with a 36 million audience
1990 – Dow Jones average hits a record 2,821.53

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1867 – Kurt Eisner, German socialist politician, revolutionary and journalist (President of the People’s State of Bavaria 1918-19), born in Berlin, Prussia (d. 1919)
1883 – Jan Olieslagers, Belgian aviation and motorcycle pioneer (WWI flying ace, Antwerp Devil), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1942)
1922 – Agha Hasan Abedi, banker
1933 – Lajos Kovacs, Hungarian actor (Wings of Desire)
1933 – John Mortimore, cricketer (England off-spinner 1959-64)
1972 – Mark Ruskell, England-born Scottish politician

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1470 – Charles VIII of Sweden, King of Sweden (1448–57, 1464–65 and 1467-70) and Norway (1449–50), dies at 60
1565 – Nicolaus von Amsdorf, German reformation theologist, dies at 81
1574 – Guru Amar Das, third Sikh Guru, dies at 95
1864 – William N Green Jr, Union brigadier general, dies
1945 – Heber J. Grant, 7th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies at 88
2006 – Lewis “Lew” Anderson, American actor and musician (The Howdy Doody Show), dies of prostate cancer at 84

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1909 – First Giro d’Italia takes place in Milan – Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna is the winner
1922 – 47th Preakness: L Morris aboard Pillory wins in 1:51.6
1972 – Milwaukee Brewers beat Minnesota Twins, 4-3, in 22 innings (started 5/12)
1981 – Pope John Paul II is shot and critically wounded by Turkish gunman Mehemet Ali Agca in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City
2019 – China retaliates against the US as their trade war escalates, raising tariffs on $60 billion worth of goods affecting over 4,000 items
2019 – Actress Felicity Huffman pleads guilty for her part in the US college admissions scandal

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1729 – Henry William Stiegel, German-American early glassmaker (built American Flint Glassworks at Manheim which had rapid rise and fall), born near Cologne (d. 1785)
1840 – Alphonse Daudet, French writer (Tartarin of Tarascon), born in Nîmes, France (d. 1897)
1886 – Joseph Achron, Lithuanian-American concert violinist and composer (Golem Suite), born in Lozdzieje, Russian Empire (now Lazdijai, Lithuania) (d. 1943)
1930 – Mike Gravel, American politician (US Senator (D) – Alaska, 1969-81), and peace activist (Pentagon Papers), born in Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 2021)
1937 – Trevor Baylis, English inventor of the wind-up radio, born in Kilburn, London (d. 2018)
1949 – Zoe Wanamaker, American actress (Raggedy Rawney), born in NYC, New York

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1732 – Theodor Schwartzkopff, German composer, dies at 72
1925 – Boris Savinkov, Russian writer and revolutionary, dies in prison under mysterious circumstances at 46
1981 – Carl Weinrich, American organist and composer, dies at 76
2005 – Michael Ross, American serial killer (b. 1959)
2013 – Vladimir Romanovsky, Soviet sprint canoer, dies at 56
2013 – Chuck Muncie, American football running back, dies from a heart attack at 60

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1057 – The Ostromir Gospel, now the oldest surviving Russian manuscript is recorded completed by its scribe Deacon Grigory
1865 – Last land action of Civil war at Palmito Ranch, Texas
1938 – Sandoz Labs begins manufacturing LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
1970 – KTVM TV channel 6 in Butte, MT (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
1986 – Fred Markham (US), unpaced and unaided by wind, is 1st to pedal 65 mph on a level course, Big Sand Flat, California
1997 – Tornado narrowly misses downtown Miami

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1700 – Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect (Palace of Caserta), born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples (d. 1773)
1751 – Gaetano Manna, Italian composer, born in Naples (d. 1804)
1804 – Robert Baldwin, Canadian politician (popularizer of responsible government in Canada), born in York, Upper Canada (d. 1858)
1947 – Michael Ignatieff, Canadian politician (Leader of the Liberal Party), born in Toronto, Ontario
1950 – Ronnie Foster, American soul, funk, and acid jazz Hammond B-3 organist, keyboard player, and record producer, born in Buffalo, New York
2000 – Sedona Prince, American basketball player (who highlighted gender inequality in US women’s basketball), born in Hemet, California

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1649 – Isaac Doreslaer, English lawyer/diplomat, murdered
1845 – August Wilhelm Schlegel, German poet, translator and critic, dies at 77
1935 – Józef Piłsudski, Father of the Second Polish Republic who served as its Chief of State (1918-22), Marshall of Poland and later its de facto leader (1926-35), dies at 67
1973 – Art Pollard, American racecar driver (b. 1927)
1992 – Joe Burke, American baseball executive (president KC Royals 1981-92), dies from lymphatic cancer at 68
2007 – Mullah Dadullah Akhund, Taliban military leader (b. 1966?)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1888 – 16th Preakness: F Littlefield aboard Refund wins in 2:49
1926 – Airship Norge leaves Spitsbergen for 1st air crossing of Arctic Ocean
1950 – Belgium mine disaster at Borinage, 39 die
1972 – Giants trade Willie Mays to Mets for pitcher Charlie Williams and cash
1998 – India conducts three underground nuclear tests in Pokhran, including a thermonuclear device
2019 – South African parliamentary elections return ruling Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC party to power with reduced majority (58%)

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1654 – Cornelis van Alkemade, Dutch historian, author and collector of antiquities, (d. 1737)
1927 – Mort Sahl, American stand-up comedian, political satirist, writer, and TV personality (The Big Party), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2021)
1930 – Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Caribbean poet (Born to Slow Horses) and academic, born in Bridgetown, Barbados (d. 2020)
1938 – Carla Bley [Carla Borg], American musician (Escalator Over the Hill), born in Oakland, California
1963 – Nina Stemme [Thöldte], Swedish dramatic soprano opera singer, born in Stockholm, Sweden
1989 – Cam Newton, American football quarterback (Heisman Trophy 2010, Auburn; NFL MVP 2015; Pro Bowl 2011, 13, 15; Carolina Panthers), born in Atlanta, Georgia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1916 – Max Reger, German composer, pianist and professor (Leipzig Univ), dies at 43
1920 – William Dean Howells, American novelist, critic and editor (A Woman’s Reason), dies at 83
1955 – Gilbert Jessop, English cricket batsman (18 Tests; Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1898), dies at 80
1994 – Alfred James Broomhall, British Protestant Christian medical missionary to China, dies at 82
1996 – Nnamdi Azikiwe, 1st President of Nigeria (1963-66), dies at 91
2017 – Jur Mellema, Dutch politician (CHU), dies at 93

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1915 – Canadian physician Cluny Macpherson first presents his gas mask invention to the British War Office
1959 – Giants Jim Hearn allows 2 runs against Pirates, game is suspended, Hearn is released and charged with loss 2 months after his retirement
1972 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1995 – Real Zaragoza of Spain win 35th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Arsenal of England 2-1 in Paris
2014 – The African National Congress wins the 2014 South African General Election
2022 – Tom Brady agrees to record 10-year, $375m deal to be Fox Sports’ lead analyst when he decides to finally retire; surpasses $303m the quarterback earned in salary during his NFL career

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1866 – Léon Bakst, Russian painter and scene and costume designer, born in Grodno, Belarus (d. 1924)
1897 – Einar Gerhardsen, Prime minister of Norway (d. 1987)
1928 – Arnold Rüütel, Estonian president
1949 – Nolan Porter, American RandB singer-songwriter (“Keep On Keeping On”), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2021)
1973 – Rüştü Reçber, Turkish soccer goalkeeper (120 caps, record appearance holder, FIFA World Cup All Star Team: 2002; Fenerbahçe, Barcelona, Beşiktaş), born in Korkuteli, Turkey
1977 – Amanda Borden, American gymnast (World silver 1994, Olympic gold 1996), born in Cincinnati, Ohio

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

995 – Boudouin, bishop of Utrecht
1798 – George Vancouver, British explorer, (surveyed Pacific coast from San Francisco to Vancouver Island), dies at 40
1989 – Woody Shaw, American jazz trumpeter (Rosewood), dies from complications after being stuck by a subway train at 44
1992 – Sylvia Syms [Blagman], American jazz and cabaret singer and actress (“I Could Have Danced All Night”; South Pacific – “Bloody May”), dies of a heart attack at 74
1995 – Harold Berens, comedian, dies at 92
1999 – Shel Silverstein, American writer and cartoonist (Now Here’s My Plan: A Book of Futilities; The Giving Tree) and songwriter (“A Boy Named Sue”; “The Cover Of The Rolling Stone”), dies at 68

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1901 – A financial panic begins in the USA following the struggle between two groups to control the railroads between the Great Lakes and the Pacific
1971 – 23rd Emmy Awards: All in the Family, Jack Klugman and Jean Stapleton win
1978 – American publishing heiress Patty Hearst returns to jail, after legal appeals to her bank robbery conviction fail
1989 – NY Mets Rick Cerone, errors after 159 errorless games as catcher
2017 – Moon Jae-in elected President of South Korea after a snap election to replace Park Geun-hye
2019 – At least 65 migrants drown off the coast of Tunisia when their boat capsizes after leaving Libya according to the UN

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1914 – Carlo Maria Giulini, Italian conductor, born in Barletta, Italy (d. 2005)
1928 – Páll Pampichier Pálsson, Austrian-Icelandic composer, born in Graz, Austria (d. 1966)
1948 – Calvin Murphy, American basketball player
1955 – Myra Blackwelder, American golfer (LPGA Rookie of the Year 1980), born in Lexington, Kemtucky
1962 – John Corbett, American actor (Northern Exposure – “Chris Stevens”; Sex and the City – “Aidan”; My Big Fat Greek Wedding), and country music singer, born in Wheeling, West Virginia
1977 – Iñigo Landaluze, Spanish cyclist

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1822 – Charles Duquesnoy, French composer, dies at 62
1966 – Alfred Mendelsohn, Romanian composer, and conductor (Romanian National Opera, 1944-63), and teacher, dies at 56
1982 – Ab Visser, Dutch poet and writer (Man Without a Head), dies at 69
1990 – Patrick Piggott, British pianist, composer, and musicologist (The Life and Music of John Field; The Innocent Diversion – Music in the Life and Writings of Jane Austen), dies at 74
1995 – Abha Gandhi, servant to Gandhi, dies at 68
2011 – Wouter Weylandt, Belgian cyclist, dies at 26

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1942 – German summer offensive opens in Crimea
1950 – President of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek asks US for weapons
1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental
1971 – Courtney, Courtney, and Link’s musical “Earl of Ruston” closes at Billy Rose Theater, NYC, after 5 performances
1993 – Lennox Lewis beats Tony Tucker in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
2018 – President Trump pulls the US out of the multilateral Iran nuclear deal

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1839 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier, French Canadian lyricist (“O! Canada”), born in Saint-Placide, Quebec (d. 1920)
1927 – Ian Denholm, Scottish shipping CEO (Murray Investment Trust), born in Kilmacolm, Scotland (d. 2018)
1968 – Chris Lighty, music executive and manager (Violator), born in The Bronx New York (d. 2012)
1969 – Akebono Taro, American born Japanese sumo wrestler (1st non Japanese to reach rank of Yokozuna), born in Waimānalo, Hawaii
1978 – Jang Woo Hyuk, Korean singer, rapper, and dancer (HOT; JTL), and actor, born in Daegu, South Korea
1987 – Felix Jones, American football player (Dallas Cowboys), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1278 – Emperor Duanzong of China (b. 1268)
1788 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian-born physician and naturalist (b. 1723)
1846 – Giacomo Cordella, Italian composer, dies at 59
1864 – Leroy Augustus Stafford, Confederate American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies from injuries incurred 3 days earlier during the Battle of the Wilderness in northern Virginia, at 42
1957 – Jan Sluyters, Dutch painter (Moderne Kunstkring), dies at 75
1992 – Sergey Vladimirovich Obraztsov, Soviet puppet master, dies at 90

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1579 – Congress of Cologne forms in Netherlands
1913 – Plot by English suffragettes to blow up part of St Paul’s cathedral thwarted when the bomb is discovered
1960 – 86th Kentucky Derby: Bill Hartack on Venetian Way wins in 2:02.4
1979 – 5th UNCTAD-conference opens in Manila
1994 – Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream” is recovered 3 months after it was stolen
2012 – Vladimir Putin sworn in for third six-year term as President of Russia

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1748 – Olympe de Gouges [Marie Gouze], French playwright and revolutionary (Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen), born in Montauban, France (d. 1793)
1763 – Józef Antoni Poniatowski, Polish general and marshal of France, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1813)
1873 – Clarence Dickinson, American composer, born in Lafayette, Indiana (d. 1969)
1882 – Willem Elsschot [Alfons Josephus de Ridder], Flemish writer (Mend), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1960)
1901 – Gary Cooper, American actor (Sgt York, High Noon), born in Helena, Montana (d. 1961)
1945 – Robin Strasser, American actress (Dorian-One Life to Live, Another World), born in NYC, New York

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1673 – Johannes Teellinck, Dutch vicar, dies at about 58
1884 – Judah P. Benjamin, 3rd Confederate States Secretary of State and 2nd Confederate States Secretary of War, dies at 72
1932 – Albert Thomas, French socialist politician (Minister of Armament WW1), dies at 53
1956 – Josef Hoffmann, Austrian architect (Vienna Secession Movement), dies at 85
1957 – Wilhelm Filchner, German explorer who led the German Antarctic expedition of 1911–12, dies at 79
2000 – Douglas Fairbanks Jr, American actor (Prisoner of Zenda; Gunga Din), and decorated US naval officer (WWII Beach Jumpers), dies of a heart attack at 90

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1889 – Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch
1941 – Joseph Stalin becomes Premier of the Soviet Union, replacing his foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov
1943 – British 1st army opens assault on Tunis
1968 – Giants reliever Lindy McDaniel sets NL record of 225th consecutive errorless game (108 chances consecutively since June 16, 1964)
2001 – During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque
2007 – “Shrek the Third” directed by Chris Miller and Raman Hui with voices by Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy premieres in Westwood Ca.

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1800 – Ferdinand Marcucci, Italian harpist and composer, born in Florence (d. 1871)
1871 – Victor Grignard, French chemist (Nobel 1912 – development of the Grignard reaction), born in Cherbourg, France (d. 1935)
1918 – Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, 1st President of the United Arab Emirates, born in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, birth date disputed (d. 2004)
1944 – Anton Furst, American production designer (Batman), born in London (d. 1991)
1960 – Bart de Boer, Dutch guitarist (Ivy Green)
1969 – Mark Thomas, NFL defensive end (Carolina Panthers, Packers, Bears)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1642 – Frans Francken the Younger, Flemish painter, dies on 61st birthday
1708 – François de Laval, French clergyman, 1st Roman Catholic bishop of Québec, and saint, dies at 85
1963 – Ted Weems [Wemyes], American jazz trombonist, violin player and big band leader (Somebody Stole My Girl; Heartache), dies of emphysema at 61
2014 – Farley Mowat, Canadian author, dies at 92
2015 – Errol Brown, British-Jamaican singer-songwriter (Hot Chocolate – “You Sexy Thing”), dies at 71
2022 – George Pérez, American comic book artist (The Avenger; Teen Titans), dies of pancreatic cancer at 67

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1905 – Robert S Abbott published 1st issue of newspaper “Chicago Defender”
1924 – Unions terminate Twentse textile strike
1925 – Yankee Everett Scott is benched, ending his 1,307-game playing streak
1951 – “Out of This World” closes at New Century Theater NYC after 157 performances
1966 – Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Montreal Canadiens earn back-to-back titles; beat Detroit Red Wings, 3-2 in OT for a 4-2 series victory
1984 – 29th Eurovision Song Contest: Herreys for Sweden wins singing “Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley” in Luxembourg

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1906 – Ursula Jeans, British actress (Cavalcade, Over the Moon, I Lived With You), born in Simla, British India (d. 1973)
1914 – Frank Carlson, American jazz and session drummer (Woody Herman, 1937-42 – “The Golden Wedding”), born in New York City (d. 1996)
1923 – Richard Wollheim, British philosopher (deeply engaged with issues that were central to the visual arts), born in London (d. 2003)
1940 – Lucy Simon, American folk singer-songwriter (Simon Sisters), Grammy Award-winning record producer (In Harmony) and theater composer (The Secret Garden; Doctor Zhivago), born in New York City (d. 2022)
1952 – Campbell McComas, Australian impersonator and broadcaster, born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2005)
1978 – Santiago Cabrera, Venezuelan-Chilean-British actor (Isaac Mendez – Heroes), born in Caracas, Venezuela

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

984 – Gerberga of Saxony, Queen of Western Francia
1964 – Howard Zahniser, American environmental activist (father of Wilderness Act), dies of heart failure at 58
1979 – Shirley O’Hara, actress (Wild Party), dies at 68
1983 – John Williams, British actor (Family Affair, Dial M for Murder), dies at 80
1995 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian influential World Chess Champion, dies at 83
2011 – Yosef Merimovich, Israeli football player, 1948-58, and manager, 1958-89, dies at 86

More Famous Deaths »