Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1899 – 7,000 laid-off black mine workers of South Africa reach Natal
1924 – Mecca falls without struggle to Saudi forces led by Abdulaziz Ibn Saud
1941 – Nazis kill 11,000 Jewish children and old people
1963 – The term “Beatlemania” is coined after Beatles appear at the London Palladium
1989 – Bob Quinn resigns as NY Yankee VP/GM and replaced by Harding Peterson
1993 – Captured American Pilot Mike Durant is filmed in an interview in captivity by a CNN camera crew.

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Famous Birthdays

1453 – Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales and the only son of King Henry VI of England and Margaret of Anjou, born in London (d. 1471)
1912 – Jan Peeters, Dutch watercolor painter, stained glass, tile, and monument artist, born in Amsterdam (d. 1992)
1923 – Faas Wilkes, Dutch soccer star (Xerxes, Fortuna, Inter Milan), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 2006)
1940 – (Farrell) “Pharoah” Sanders, American jazz saxophonist (John Coltrane groups; “Karma”), born in Little Rock, Arkansas (d. 2022)
1963 – Michael Lavine, American portrait photographer and contributor to several grunge rock album art packages (Nirvana; Soundgarden), born in San Francisco, California
1980 – Scott Parker, English soccer midfielder (18 caps; Charlton, West Ham, Fulham) and manager (Fulham, AFC Bournemouth), born in Lambeth, England

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Famous Deaths

1941 – GJ Berenschot, general/supreme commander Dutch East Indies army, dies
1987 – Walter Houser Brattain, American physicist (transistors, Nobel 1956), dies at 85
2000 – Jean Peters, American actress (Viva Zapata!, Apache, Deep Waters), dies at 73
2001 – Peter Doyle, Australian pop singer (The New Seekers – “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing”) dies of throat cancer at 52
2007 – Bob Denard, French mercenary (b. 1929)
2010 – Vernon Biever, American photographer (b. 1923)

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Historical Events

1891 – Astronomical Society of France is inaugurated
1898 – Establishment of the first town council in Mateur.
1907 – Baseball World Series: Chicago Cubs beat Detroit Tigers, 2-0 at Bennett Park for 4-0-1 series victory; Cubs’ first Championship
1918 – Cloquet fire kills 453 and injures or displaces 52,000 people
1969 – Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 7 is launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in southern Kazakhstan
1995 – “Patti LuPone on Broadway” opens at Walter Kerr NYC for 46 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1813 – Lyman Trumbull, U.S. Senator from Illinois (1855-73), born in Colchester, Connecticut (d. 1896)
1890 – Luis de Freitas Branco, Portuguese composer, born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1955)
1929 – Robert Coles, American author (Anna Freud, Pulitzer 1973), born in Boston, Massachusetts
1947 – George Lam, Hong Kong veteran Cantopop singer, born in Hong Kong
1952 – Danielle Proulx, French Canadian actress, born in Montreal, Quebec
1968 – Bill Auberlen, American race car driver, born in Redondo Beach, California

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Famous Deaths

1343 – Reinald II, duke of Gelre, dies
1679 – William Gurnall, English writer (b. 1617)
1969 – Sonja Henie, Norwegian figure skater (Olympic gold 1928, 32, 36), and actress (My Lucky Star), dies from leukemia at 57
1990 – Rifaat Maghub, president Egyptian MP, murdered
2017 – Grape-kun, a Humbolt penguin from Tobu Zoo, who gained fame from the anime series “Kemono Friends”, dies aged 21 (Miyashiro, Saitama Prefecture, Japan).
2018 – Takehisa Kosugi, Japanese violinist and experimental music composer (Group Ongaku; Taj Mahal Travellers), dies at 80

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Historical Events

1531 – Battle of Kappel: Swiss Roman Catholic cantons beat protestant forces of Zurich; Huldrych Zwingli Swiss reformation leader is killed
1726 – Benjamin Franklin returns to Philadelphia from England
1890 – First 100 yard dash under 10 seconds run by John Owen in 9.8 sec at Analostan Island, Washington, D.C.
1922 – First woman FBI “special investigator”, Alaska Davidson, appointed
1956 – 1st Pakistan v Australia Test 95 runs scored on 1st day
2015 – Nepal’s parliament elects Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, leader of the Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist party, as Prime Minister

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Famous Birthdays

1661 – Melchior de Polignac, French diplomat, Cardinal and poet, born in Chateau de la Ronte, Haute-Loire, France (d. 1741)
1747 – Marian Paradeiser, Austrian composer, born in Riedenthal, Austria (d. 1775)
1897 – Russell Collins, American actor (Niagara, Close Up, Shockproof), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1965)
1897 – Nathan Farragut Twining, U.S. Air Force general, born in Monroe, Wisconsin (d. 1982)
1919 – Jean Vander Pyl, American voice, radio and film actress (The Flintstones, The Jetsons), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1999)
1926 – John Dewes, British cricketer (England opener late 40’s early 50’s), born in Latchford, Cheshire, England (d. 2015)

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Famous Deaths

1666 – Henry de Fleury dee Coulan, mister of Buat/ritmeester, dies
1809 – Meriwether Lewis, American explorer, soldier and public administrator who helped lead the Lewis and Clark Expedition, dies of gunshot wounds at 35 under mysterious circumstances that could have been murder or suicide along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee at an inn called Grinder’s Stand
1896 – Anton Bruckner, Austrian composer (Te Deum, Wagner Symphony), Wagner disciple and “monumental bore”, dies at 72
1967 – Ivan Isakov [Hovhannes Ter-Isahakyan], Russian-Armenian military commander (Commander in Chief of the Soviet Navy during World War II), dies at 73
1977 – Mason Gross, professor (Think Fast, 2 for the Money), dies at 66
2005 – Edward Szczepanik, Polish economist and Prime Minister in exile (b. 1915)

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Historical Events

1854 – US Assay Office in NYC, New York opens
1904 – Liberty Theater opens at 234 W 42nd St NYC
1913 – Gamboa Dam in Panama blown up; Atlantic and Pacific waters mix
1935 – Coup under Gen Giorgios Kondylis in favor of Greek monarchy
1960 – WGTE TV channel 30 in Toledo, OH (PBS) begins broadcasting
1982 – Pope John Paul II canonizes Rev Maximilian Kolbe, who volunteered to die in place of another inmate at Auschwitz concentration camp, a saint

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Famous Birthdays

1862 – Arthur De Greef, Belgian composer, born in Louvain, Belgium (d. 1940)
1868 – Guillermo M. Tomás, Cuban composer, born in Cienfuegos, Cuba (d. 1933)
1900 – Helen Hayes [Brown], American actress (Caesar and Cleopatra, Happy Birthday), and 1st female EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1993)
1916 – Benson Fong, American character actor (Charlie Chan films; Purple Heart; Flower Drum Song), and restaurateur, born in Sacramento, California (d. 1987)
1921 – Boy Trip, Dutch minister, born in Amersfoort, Netherlands (d. 1990)
1936 – Artie Dick, New Zealand cricket wicket-keeper (NZ of 60’s), born in Middlemarch, New Zealand

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Famous Deaths

1473 – Giorgio da Sebenico, Venetian sculptor and architect (Cathedral of St James in Šibenik)
1745 – Jacobus Nozeman, Dutch composer and organist, dies at 52
1856 – Mikhail Vielgorsky, Russian composer, dies at 67
1977 – Jean Duvieusart, 36th Prime Minister of Belgium, dies at 77
1990 – Dick Jorgensen, NFL referee, dies at 56
2006 – Michael John Rogers, English ornithologist (b. 1932)

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Historical Events

1668 – Mass society storms palace of “heretics” Spanish governor Jose de Paternina
1824 – Slavery is abolished in Costa Rica
1976 – Peter Petherick takes hat-trick on cricket debut New Zealand v Pakistan Javed 1st wkt
1978 – John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical “Ballroom” premieres in NYC
1988 – 9th Rugby League World Cup: Australia beats New Zealand 25-12
2016 – Second US Presidential debate: Hostile confrontation between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton at Washington University, St. Louis

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Famous Birthdays

1823 – Mary Ann Shadd Cary, American-Canadian publisher and anti-slavery campaigner, 1st African American newspaper publisher (‘Provincial Freeman’), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1893)
1856 – Sylvain Dupuis, Belgian conductor, composer, and music educator (Le Chant de la Création), born in Liège, Belgium (d. 1931)
1939 – Pierre Mertens, French-Belgian writer (Lettres Clandestines), born in Brussels, Belgium
1954 – Scott Bakula, American actor (Quantum Leap, Gung Ho, Murphy Brown), born in St Louis, Missouri
1973 – A. J. Ofodile, American NFL tight end (Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Detroit, Michigan
1982 – António Mendonça, Angolan footballer, born in Luanda, Angola

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Famous Deaths

1960 – Howard Glenn, NY Titan, dies of injuries sustain in this day’s game
1987 – Clare Boothe Luce, American politician and U.S. ambassador to Italy, dies at 84
1997 – Arthur Tracy, American radio personality (The Street Singer), dies at 98
1998 – Ian Johnson, Australian cricket spin bowler and captain (45 Tests; 109 wickets), dies at 80
2012 – Theo Olof, German-Dutch violinist and concert master, dies at 88
2017 – Jean Rochefort, French actor (Man on the Train, The Artist and the Model), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1813 – Treaty of Ried between Bavaria and Austria
1982 – Poland bans Solidarity and all labor unions
1984 – NBC’s premiere of TV made “The Burning Bed”, based on Francine Hughes
1988 – Fire in Seattle’s Space Needle causes evacuation, $2,000 damage
1992 – Nobel Prize for literature is given to West Indies poet Derek Walcott
2018 – Major climate report by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the UN says planet will warm 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) by 2040 with dire results

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Famous Birthdays

1838 – John Milton Hay, American politician (Union), born in Salem, Indiana (d. 1905)
1919 – Mac Anderson, New Zealand cricketer (played in 1st NZ-Aust Test 1946), born in Westport, West Coast, New Zealand (d. 1979)
1924 – Alphons Egli, Swiss politcian and member of the Swiss Federal Council, born in Lucerne, Switzerland (d. 2016)
1931 – Bill Brown, Scottish soccer goalkeeper (28 caps; Dundee, Tottenham Hotspur), born in Arbroath, Angus, Scotland (d. 2004)
1971 – Monty Williams, American basketball head coach and executive (Phoenix Suns 2019; New Orleans Hornets / Pelicans 2010-15) and NBA forward/guard (San Antonio Spurs), born in Fredericksburg, Virginia
1981 – Ruby [Rania Hussein Muhammad Tawfiq], Egyptian singer (“Do You Know Why”) and actress (The Baby Doll Night), born in Cairo, Egypt

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Famous Deaths

976 – Jelena of Zadar, Croatian queen
1094 – St Mark, the Evangelist, buried in San Marcos ministry in Venice
1974 – Harry Carney, American tenor and baritone jazz saxophonist (Duke Ellington Orchestra, 1927-74), dies at 64
2008 – George E. Palade, Romanian-American cell biologist (ribosomen, Nobel 1974), dies at 95
2008 – Eileen Herlie [Herlihy], Scottish-American actress (All My Children; The Angel with the Trumpet), dies of complications from pneumonia at 90
2011 – Antonio Iglesias Álvares, Spanish pianist, composer, educator and critic, dies at 93

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Historical Events

1916 – Georgia Tech, coached by John Heisman, defeats Cumberland, 222-0; most lopsided score in the history of US college football
1928 – Paavo Nurmi runs world record 10 miles (50:15.0)
1975 – MLB American League Championship: Boston Red Sox beat Oakland Athletics, 3 games to 0
1985 – KHQ-AM in Spokane Wash’s final transmission
1991 – Child star Adam Rich (Eight Is Enough) arrested for stealing hypodermics
1996 – Rupert Murdoch launches Fox News with Roger Ailes as CEO

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Famous Birthdays

1758 – Paul Anton Wineberger, composer
1939 – Joel Brodsky, American photographer, created over 400 album covers (The Doors; Isaac Hayes; Ohio Players), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2007)
1942 – Joy Behar [Occhiuto], American actress and comedian (The View), born in Brooklyn, New York
1967 – Mariana Perez-Roldan, Argentinan tennis star, born in Tandil, Argentina
1967 – Toni Braxton, American RandB singer-songwriter (“Un-Break My Heart”), born in Severn, Maryland
1982 – Madjid Bougherra, Algerian footballer, born in Longvic, France

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Famous Deaths

1553 – Cristóbal de Morales, Spanish composer, dies at about 53
1612 – Menso Alting, Dutch reformed vicar and theologist, dies at 70
1911 – John Hughlings Jackson, English neurologist (b. 1835)
1943 – Radclyffe Hall, British author (b. 1880)
1976 – Nikolai Lopatnikoff, Estonian-American composer (Variazioni Concertanti), dies at 73
1981 – Albert Cohen, Greek-born Swiss novelist (Belle du Seigneur), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1889 – Moulin Rogue opens in Paris
1908 – Austria annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina
1948 – Paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey finds the first partial fossil skull of Proconsul africanus, an ancestor of apes and humans on Rusinga Island, Kenya
1976 – John Hathaway completes 50,600 mile bicycle tour of every continent
1991 – Orioles’ last game at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium (vs Det Tigers)
2019 – Tens of thousands of Hong Kong protesters march in defiance of a new ban on face masks

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Famous Birthdays

1744 – James McGill, Scottish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist, born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 1813)
1887 – Le Corbusier [Charles Jeanneret], Swiss French architect, city planner and artist (Urbanisme), born in La Chaux-de-Fonds (d. 1965))
1920 – Lord Donaldson of Lymington, British judge (d. 2005)
1935 – Vicente Cantatore, Argentine soccer manager (Chile, Real Valladolid, Colo Colo, Real Betis, Sevilla, Sporting de Gijón), born in Rosario, Argentina (d. 2021)
1970 – Matt Vogel, American puppeteer (Sesame Street, 1996-present; Kermit the Frog, 2017-present; Big Bird, 2018-present), born in Kansas City, Kansas
1971 – Chris Hudson, NFL strong safety (Jacksonville Jaguars)

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Famous Deaths

1585 – Luca Cambiaso, Italian painter and sculptor, dies at 57
1874 – Thomas Tellefsen, Norwegian pianist and composer, dies at 50
1892 – Alfred Tennyson, writer and British Poet Laureate (The Charge of the Light Brigade), dies at 83
1976 – Gilbert Ryle, British philosopher (b. 1900)
2002 – Claus von Amsberg, husband of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (b. 1926)
2017 – Terry Downes, British middleweight boxing champion (1961-62), dies at 81

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Historical Events

1450 – Jews are expelled from Lower Bavaria by order of Ludwig IX
1864 – Battle of Allatoona, 1/3 of Union troops die repulsing South
1957 – 11th NHL All-Star Game, Montreal Forum, Montreal, QC: All-Stars beat Montreal Canadiens, 5-3
1992 – NY senator Alphonse D’Amato filibusters for 15 hours 20 mins
1996 – Cleveland Indians strike out 23 Baltimore Orioles in 12 innings in 4-3 ALDS win at Jacobs Field; Orioles win series, 3-1
2010 – Injured Indian cricket batsman VVS Laxman is the hero with 73 not out as the home team chases down 216 to beat Australia with just 1 wicket to spare in the 1st Test at Mohali

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Famous Birthdays

1728 – Chevalier d’Éon [Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée d’Éon de Beaumont], French spy, diplomat, and transvestite, born in Tonnerre, France (d. 1810)
1840 – Fran Gerbič, Slovenian composer and tenor, born in Cerknica (d. 1917)
1894 – Bevil Rudd, South African athlete (Olympic gold 400m 1920), born in Kimberley, South Africa (d. 1948)
1906 – Leopold Kohr, Austrian social philosopher, born in Oberndorf, Austria (d. 1994)
1913 – Eugene B. Fluckey, American Navy submariner, born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2007)
1971 – Chad Lewis, American football tight end (Philadelphia Eagles), born in Fort Dix, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1813 – Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief (Battle of Thames), dies in battle at 45
1906 – Raja Ravi Varma, Indian painter, dies at 58
1933 – Nikolai Nikolayevich Yudenich, Russian WWI general, dies at 71
1993 – Karl Gordon Henize, American astronomer and NASA astronaut (STS-51-F), dies of high altitude pulmonary edema during an expedition on Mount Everest at 66
1995 – Dick Henry Jurgen, American swing bandleader, and songwriter (“Elmer’s Tune”), dies of cancer at 85
1995 – Linda Gary, American voice actress (b. 1944)

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Historical Events

1648 – Peter Stuyvesant establishes America’s 1st volunteer fire service
1916 – Market Street’s “Path of Gold” lit for 1st time
1964 – LPGA Championship Women’s Golf, Stardust CC; Mary Mills shoots final round 69 to win first of her 2 LPGA C’ships, 2 strokes ahead of defending champion Mickey Wright
1967 – St Louis Cardinals beat Boston Red Sox, 2-1 in Game 1 of Baseball World Series at Fenway Park; first Fall Classic since 1948 not to feature Yankees, Giants or Dodgers; Cards win series, 4-3
1986 – Queen Beatrice installs dam at Oosterschelde
2003 – Maxim restaurant suicide bombing in Haifa, Israel: 21 Israelis, Jews and Arabs, are killed, and 51 others wounded.

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Famous Birthdays

1276 – Margaret of Brabant, Queen of Germany (d. 1311)
1901 – [Robert] Carroll Nye, American actor (Gone With The Wind), born in Akron, Ohio (d. 1974)
1955 – John Rutherford, Scottish rugby union fly-half (42 caps; British and Irish Lions 1983), born in Selkirk, Scotland
1956 – Sherri Turner, American golfer (Women’s PGA C’ship 1988), born in Greenville, South Carolina
1967 – Ekin Cheng Yee-Kin, Hong Kong actor and Cantopop singer, born in Hong Kong
1971 – Friderika Bayer, Hungarian singer

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Famous Deaths

1862 – William Duncan Smith, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 36
1949 – Edmund Eysler, Austrian composer, mostly of operettas (Bruder Straubinger; The Golden Mistress), dies from injuries from falling off of a stage at 75
1992 – Denny Hulme, New Zealand auto racer (F1 World Drivers’ Champion 1967), dies of a heart attack driving in Bathurst 1,000 at 56
1993 – Jim Holton, Scottish soccer defender (15 caps; Manchester United, Coventry City), dies of a heart attack at 42
2002 – André Delvaux, Belgian film director and screenwriter (Benvenuta), dies at 76
2004 – Gordon Cooper, American astronaut (b. 1927)

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