Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1230 – Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II defeats Theodore of Epirus near the village of Klokotnitsa
1496 – Jews are expelled from Carintha, Austria
1947 – US Ladies’ Figure Skating championship won by Gretchen Merrill
1959 – The Coasters’ single “Charlie Brown” peaks at #2 on the Billboard Top 100
1977 – Adm Stansfield Turner, USN (Ret), becomes 12th director of CIA replacing acting director Knoche
2006 – Liquid water is discovered on Enceladus, the sixth largest moon of Saturn

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Famous Birthdays

1911 – Ramon Campbell Batista, Chilean physician, composer, and ethno-musicologist (traditional music of the Rapanui people), born in Quilpué, Chile (d. 2000)
1934 – Jim Landis, American MLB outfielder, 1957-67, 5X Gold Glove, 2X All-Star (Chicago White Sox, and 5 other teams), born in Fresno, California (d. 2017)
1952 – Ekkehard Fasser, Swiss bobsledder (Olympic gold, four-man 1988; World C’ship gold 1983; World Cup champion 1985-86), born in Glarus, Switzerland (d. 2021)
1960 – Linda Fiorentino, American actress (Jade, Last Seduction, Moderns), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1977 – Radek Dvořák, Czech ice hockey left wing (World C’ship gold 1999, 2001, 05; Florida Panthers, NY Rangers), born in Tábor, Czech Republic
1983 – Clint Dempsey, American footballer, born in Nacogdoches, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1688 – Claude Mellan, French engraver, cartoonist and painter, dies at 89
1709 – Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu, English diplomat, dies at 70
1851 – Hans Christian Ørsted, Danish physicist (discovered electromagnetism), dies at 73
1975 – Joseph Dunninger, NYC, mentalist (Amazing Dunninger), dies at 82
1992 – Menachem Begin, 6th Prime Minister of Israel (1977-80, 81-83) and 1979 Nobel Peace Prize winner, dies of a heart attack at 85
2020 – Lorenzo Brino, American actor (7th Heaven – “Sam”), dies in single vehicle car crash at 21

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Historical Events

1862 – Naval Engagement at Hampton Roads, VA CSS Virginia, Jamestown and Yorktown vs USS Cumberland, Congress and Monitor
1924 – Coal mine explosion kills 171 at Castle Gate, Utah
1954 – Herb McKinley sets quarter mile record of 0:46.8 in Melbourne, Australia
1979 – 1st extraterrestrial volcano discovered on Jupiter’s satellite Io
1979 – China withdraws invasion troops from Vietnam
1986 – 27th SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament: Kentucky beats Alabama, 83-72

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Famous Birthdays

1879 – Otto Hahn, German physicist and chemist (Nobel 1944, radiothorium/actinium), born in Frankfurt, Germany (d. 1968)
1889 – Oscar Ewing, US government official (Everybody’s Business), born in Greensburg, Indiana (d. 1980)
1892 – Mátyás Rákosi, Hungarian party leader and Prime Minister (1952-53), born in Ada, Serbia (d. 1971)
1916 – Robert Wolfgang Schnell, German writer, born in Barmen, Germany (d. 1986)
1920 – Eileen Herlie [Herlihy], Scottish-American actress (All My Children, The Angel with the Trumpet), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2008)
1925 – Darwin Vargas [-Wallis], Chilean composer

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Famous Deaths

1920 – Rafael Obligado, Argentine writer (Santos Vega), dies at 69
1971 – Harold Lloyd sr, American silent film actor, comedian, and director (Why Worry, Safety Last!), dies of cancer at 77
1976 – Alfons Rebane, Estonian military commander (b. 1908)
1999 – Hans Eklund, Swedish composer, dies at 71
2006 – Brian Barratt-Boyes, New Zealand heart surgeon (b. 1924)
2021 – Julien-François Zbinden, Swiss jazz pianist, and jazz and classical composer (Monophrases), dies at 103

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Historical Events

1801 – Massachusetts enacts first state voter registration law
1866 – 28th Grand National: 1852 winner Alec Goodman wins his second GN aboard Irish 40/1 outsider Salamander
1925 – American Negro Congress organizes
1969 – USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1970 – WXOW TV channel 19 in La Crosse, WI (ABC) begins broadcasting
2017 – 19 girls killed in a fire at a government-run care center in San José Pinula, Guatemala

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Famous Birthdays

1866 – Paul Ernst, German writer, born in Elbingerode, Kingdom of Hanover (d. 1933)
1915 – Jacques Chaban-Delmas, French politician, French Prime Minister and President of the National Assembly, born in Paris, France (d. 2000)
1936 – Georges Perec, French writer (Seire Noire, Retour a la bien-aimee)
1940 – Viktor Savinykh, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz T-4, T-13, TM-5), born in Berezkiny, Kirov
1944 – Elton Gallegly, American politician (Rep-R-California 1987-2013), born in Huntington Park, California
1954 – Matt Frenette, Canadian rock drummer (Loverboy)

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Famous Deaths

851 – Nominoe, first Duke of Brittany “father of the country” (Tad ar Vro)
1928 – Robert Abbe, American surgeon and radiologist, dies at 76
1955 – Tom Dugan, Irish actor (Circus Clown, Drag, Skyway), dies at 66
1966 – Mike Millward, English musician (The Fourmost), dies of leukemia at 23
2006 – Ansen [Nancy Ann] Dibble, Dutch sci-fi author (Summerfair), dies at 63
2013 – Peter Banks [Brockbanks], British rock guitarist and singer-songwriter described as “the architect of progressive music” (Yes, the Syn, Flash), dies of heart failure at 65

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Historical Events

1886 – 1st US alternating current power plant starts, Great Barrington, Massachusetts
1945 – Erich Honnecker and Erich Hanke flee Nazis
1951 – Trial of Julius Rosenberg and his wife Ethel Rosenberg begins for providing top-secret information to the Soviet Union
1967 – Former union leader Jimmy Hoffa enters Lewisburg Federal Prison
1974 – An unnamed Italian industrialist loses a record $1,920,000 at roulette over 5 hours in Monte Carlo Casino
1994 – Referendum in Moldova results in the electorate voting against possible reunification with Romania.

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Famous Birthdays

1918 – Howard McGhee, American be-bop jazz trumpeter, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma (d. 1987)
1941 – Ann Winterton, British MP
1951 – Gerrie Knetemann, Dutch road cyclist (World Road Race Champion 1978; Amstel Gold Race 1974, 85), born in Amsterdam, New Holland (d. 2004)
1962 – Alison Nicholas, English golfer (US Open 1997), born in Gibraltar
1971 – Roger Salkeld, pitcher (Cincinnati Reds), born in Burbank, California
1977 – Marcus Thames, American baseball player

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Famous Deaths

1836 – Davy Crockett, American frontiersman, adventurer and politician, killed at the Battle of the Alamo at 49
1878 – Julius Caesar, English cricket batsman (first English tours to North America 1859-60, Australia and NZ 1864-5; Surrey CCC), dies from dropsy at 47
1962 – Rezső Kókai, Hungarian pianist, composer, musicologist, and pedagogue, dies at 56
1984 – Ian Cromb, New Zealand cricketer (5 Tests for NZ, 123 runs, 8 wkts), dies at 78
1994 – Tengiz Abuladze, Soviet Georgian filmmaker (Repentence), dies at 70
1996 – Stanley Booth-Clibborn, British Anglican Bishop of Manchester, dies at 71

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Historical Events

1820 – Dutch city of Leeuwarden forbids Jews to go to synagogues on Sundays
1912 – Italian forces are the first to use airships for military purposes, using them for reconnaissance behind Turkish lines.
1935 – 1st premature baby health law in US (Chicago)
1936 – Spitfire makes its 1st flight (Eastleigh Aerodrome in Southampton)
1985 – 38th British Film and Television Awards (BAFTAs): “The Killing Fields” Best Film, Wim Wenders Best Director
1994 – PBA National Championship won by David Traber

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Famous Birthdays

1870 – Frank Norris, journalist and writer (McTeague, Octopus), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1902)
1897 – Soong Mei-ling [Madame Chiang Kai-shek], Chinese political figure and First Lady of the Republic of China (1948-75), born in Shanghai (d. 2003)
1922 – James Noble, American actor (Benson, 1776, Airplane II: The Sequel), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 2016)
1939 – Terry Curry, English multi-millionaire
1942 – Felipe González, Prime Minister of Spain, 1982-96, born in Seville
1946 – Richard Bell, Canadian musician (Full Tilt Boogie Band), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2007)

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Famous Deaths

1576 – Don Luis de Requesens y Zuniga, viceroy of Neth (1573-76), dies at 70
1611 – Shimazu Yoshihisa, Japanese warlord and samurai (b. 1533)
1873 – Marie-Alexis Castillon de Saint-Victor, French composer, dies at 34
1955 – Antanas Merkys, President of Lithuania (b. 1888)
1991 – Trijntje Jansma-Boskma, oldest person in Netherland, dies at 109
2018 – Kjerstin Dellert, Swedish opera singer, dies at 92

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Historical Events

1863 – Territory of Idaho established
1925 – US President Coolidge’s inauguration broadcast live on 21 radio stations
1968 – Orbiting Geophysical Observatory 5 launched
1979 – US Voyager I photo reveals Jupiter’s rings
1980 – Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) comes to power, winning the parliamentary election in Zimbabwe, making Mugabe Zimbabwe’s first black prime minister
2019 – US Democrats announce a wide-ranging corruption investigation into President Donald Trump

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Famous Birthdays

1900 – Herbert Biberman, American screenwriter (d. 1971)
1931 – Wally Bruner, American broadcast journalist (ABC News), and TV host (What’s My Line?, 1968-72), born in Ames, Iowa (d. 1997)
1936 – Jim Clark, Scottish auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1965; F1 World Champion 1963, 65), born in Kilmany, Fife, Scotland (d. 1968)
1948 – James Ellroy, American crime writer (L.A. Confidential), born in Los Angeles, California
1962 – Brant Ian Woodward, New Zealand trap shooter (Olympics 1996), born in Hurstville, New Zealand
1966 – Grand Puba [Maxwell Dixon], American rapper (Grand Nubian), born in New Rochelle, New York

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Famous Deaths

1866 – Alexander Campbell, Irish-American clergyman and Founder of Disciples of Christ, dies at 77
1915 – William Willett, British inventor of Daylight Saving Time, dies of influenza at 58
1945 – Mark Sandrich [Goldstein], American film director, writer and producer (The Gay Divorcee; Top Hat; Holiday Inn), dies of a heart attack at 44
1977 – Toma Caragiu, Romanian actor (b. 1925)
2009 – George McAfee, American football player, NFL halfback (Chicago Bears), dies at 90
2011 – Arjun Singh, Indian politician (b. 1930)

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Historical Events

1638 – Duke Bernard of Saxe-Weimar occupies Rheinfelden
1821 – American tailor and inventor Thomas L. Jennings (30) receives US patent for his “dry-scouring” process. the forerunner of today’s modern dry-cleaning
1959 – San Francisco Giants rename their stadium Candlestick Park
1962 – British Antarctic Territory forms
1985 – “Moonlighting” with Cybill Shepard and Bruce Willis premieres on ABC TV in the US
1991 – United Airlines 737 crashes near Colorado Springs, kills 25

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Famous Birthdays

1886 – (Reginald Owen) R.O. Morris, British composer and music teacher, born in York, England (d. 1948)
1920 – James Doohan, Canadian actor (Star Trek), born in Vancouver, British Columbia (d. 2005)
1933 – Alfredo Landa, Spanish actor (The Crach, Sinatra), born in Pamplona, Spain (d. 2013)
1940 – Germán Castro Caycedo, Colombian writer and journalist
1951 – Lindsay Cooper, British bassoonist, oboe player, and composer (Henry Cow; News from Babel), born in Hornsey, North London, England (d. 2013)
1981 – Sung Yu Ri, South Korean singer and actress

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Famous Deaths

1965 – Carlo Gatti, Italian musicologist (Verdi), dies at 88
1988 – Lois Wilson, American silent and sound screen actress (Miss Lulu Bett; The Great Gatsby; The Covered Wagon: Bright Eyes), dies of pneumonia at 72
1993 – Carlos Montoya, American flamenco guitarist (Suite Flamenco 1966), dies at 89
2004 – Cecily Adams, American actress and casting director (b. 1958)
2012 – Leonardo Cimino, Italian-American actor (The Monster Squad, V, Dune, Waterworld, Hudson Hawk), dies from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 94
2012 – Alex Webster, American football coach (NY Giants), dies at 80

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Historical Events

1121 – Dirk VI becomes count of Holland
1903 – Martha Washington Hotel, catering to women only, opens in NYC
1941 – World War II: First German military units enter Bulgaria after it joined the Axis Pact.
1946 – Kingman Douglass becomes deputy director of CIA
1959 – Ceremony to mark the start of construction of the Sydney Opera House at Bennelong Point, Sydney
1970 – American Airlines’ 1st flight of a Boeing 747

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Famous Birthdays

1481 – Franz von Sickingen, German knight, born in Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg, Germany (d. 1523)
1908 – Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov, Yakut-born Soviet sniper (d. 1968)
1917 – John Gardner, English classical composer, born in Manchester, England (d. 2011)
1963 – Tanyu Kiryakov, Bulgarian pistol shooter (Olympic gold 10m air pistol 1988, 50m pistol 2000), born in Ruse, Bulgaria
1970 – Alexander Armstrong, British comedian, TV presenter and baritone singer (Armstrong and Miller, Pointless), born in Rothbury, Northumberland
1982 – Henrik Lundqvist, Swedish ice hockey goaltender (Olympic gold 2006; NHL Vezina Trophy 2012; NY Rangers), born in Åre, Sweden

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Famous Deaths

986 – Lotharius, King of France (954-86), dies at 44
1797 – Horace Walpole, British horror writer (Castle of Otranto), dies at 79
1822 – Friedrich Christian Hermann Uber, composer, dies at 40
1868 – Carl Eberwein, German composer and violinist, dies at 81
1970 – Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Quebec painter (b. 1888)
1975 – Jean Kurt Forest, German composer, dies at 65

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Historical Events

1780 – Pennsylvania becomes 1st US state to abolish slavery (for newborns only)
1886 – The Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore is founded by Bishop William Oldham.
1953 – KTNT (now KSTW) TV channel 11 in Tacoma-Seattle, WA (IND) begins
1974 – Watergate grand jury indicts 7 presidential aides
1980 – Commonwealth Trade Union Council established
1999 – Daryll Cullinan scores South African cricket record 275no in the drawn 1st Test against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland; Gary Kirsten 128

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Famous Birthdays

1924 – Donald “Deke” Kent Slayton, Sparta Wisc, Major USAF/astro (Apollo 18)
1933 – Joan Hackett, American stage and screen actress (Will Penny; Only When I Laugh; Mourning Becomes Electra), born in East Harlem, NYC (d. 1983)
1952 – Steven Barnes, American writer
1966 – Paul Hollywood, English baker and TV judge (The Great British Bake Off), born in Wallasey, England
1974 – Mark-Paul Gosselaar, actor (Zack-Saved by the Bell)
1990 – Harry Eden, English actor, born in Old Harlow, Essex

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Famous Deaths

1244 – Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr, son of Welsh leader Llywelyn the Great, dies trying to escape from the Tower of London (b. 1200)
1788 – Orazio Mei, Italian organist, and composer, dies at 56
1859 – Josef Theodor Krov, Bohemian composer, singer and teacher, dies at 61
1928 – Jacob Adolf Hägg, Swedish composer, dies at 77
1932 – Frank Teschemacher, American jazz clarinetist and alto-saxophonist, killed in a car accident at 25
2022 – Warner Mark [McPherson], American country music singer-songwriter (Sittin’ on a Rock (Cryin’ in a Creek)); Talkin’ to the Wall), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1784 – John Wesley charters Methodist Church
1933 – Pacifist and anti fascist writer Carl Von Ossietzky arrested, sent to Esterwegen-Papenburg concentration camp
1959 – Chicago Cardinals trade running back Ollie Matson to the LA Rams for an unprecedented 9 players
1981 – Calvin Murphy (Hou), sets NBA record with 78 consecutive free throws
1993 – 7th American Comedy Award: Jerry Seinfeld
2005 – Lebanon’s pro-Syrian prime minister, Omar Karami, resigns amid large anti-Syria street demonstrations in Beirut.

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Famous Birthdays

1820 – John Tenniel, English cartoonist and illustrator (Punch, Alice in Wonderland), born in London, England (d. 1914)
1865 – Arthur Symons, Welsh poet and critic (co-founder Savoy magazine), born in Milford Haven, Wales (d. 1945)
1957 – Ian Stanley, British rock keyboardist and songwriter (Tears For Fears, 1981-87 – “Shout”; “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”), born in Bath, England
1982 – Natalia Vodianova, Russian supermodel, born in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
1986 – Alex Tanas, Canadian pop-reggae drummer (Magic! -“Rude”), born in Toronto, Ontario
1996 – Karsten Warholm, Norwegian athlete (Olympic gold 400m hurdles WR 45.94 2021; World C’ship gold 2017, 19), born in Ulsteinvik, Møre og Romsdal, Norway

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Famous Deaths

1929 – Clemens Freiherr von Pirquet, Austrian artist (React of P), dies at 54
1956 – Emile Buisson, French murderer executed (b. 1902)
1963 – Rajendra Prasad, Indian independence activist and 1st President of India (1950-62), dies at 78
1977 – Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, American comedian and actor (The Jack Benny Program), dies at 71
1986 – Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden (1969-76, 1982-86), assassinated at 59 while walking home from the cinema with his wife
1986 – William Dollar, American ballet dancer and choreographer, dies at 79

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