Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1671 – Welsh pirate Henry Morgan lands at the gates of Panama City
1864 – Civil War skirmish at Kelly’s Ford, Virginia
1917 – Coen de Koning wins 2nd official 11 cities race (9:53) (record)
1961 – Australian Championships Men’s Tennis: Roy Emerson beats fellow Australian Rod Laver 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 for his first Grand Slam title
1996 – Australian Open Women’s Tennis: Monica Seles beats Anke Huber of Germany 6-4, 6-1 for her first and only Grand Slam victory after her stabbing

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1918 – William Seawell, American Army Brigadier General and CEO of Pan Am, born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas (d. 2005)
1936 – Barry C. Barish, American Physicist (Nobel Prize 2017, gravitational waves), born in Omaha, Nebraska
1955 – Eugene Jarvis, American video game designer (Cruis’n USA, Cruis’n World), born in Palo Alto, California
1962 – Roberto Paci Dalò, Italian writer, theater director, visual artist, and composer, born in Rimini, Italy
1965 – Alan Cumming, Scottish stage and screen actor (X2, The Good Wife), born in Aberfeldy, Scotland

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

847 – Sergius II, Pope (844-47), dies
1773 – Philippe Buache, French geographer and cartographer (pioneered use of contour lines), dies at 72
1921 – Maurice Buckley, Australian soldier and winner of the Victoria Cross, dies at 29
1970 – Lawren Harris, Canadian landscape painter (South Shore, Baffin Island; The Old Stump), and co-founder of the Group of Seven, dies at 84
1995 – Willem R “Wim” van der Zee, General Secretary of the Council of Churches of the Netherlands, dies at 64

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1930 – Cleveland’s Terminal Tower opens (52 stories)
1939 – Filming begins on the film adaptation of “Gone with the Wind”
1979 – “The Dukes of Hazzard” premieres on US TV network CBS
2020 – 62nd Grammy Awards: Billie Eilish wins 5 Grammys, including album, record and song of the year
2022 – Spotify removes Neil Young’s music from its streaming platform after the singer-songwriter’s ultimatum in objection to COVID-19 misinformation in Joe Rogan’s podcasts

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1924 – Alice Babs [Nilson], Swedish jazz singer (The Swe-Danes; Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts), and actress (Swing It, Teacher!), born in Västervik, Sweden (d. 2014)
1933 – Ercole Baldini, Italian cyclist (Olympic gold men’s road race 1956; World C’ship gold individual pursuit 1956; Giro d’Italia 1958), born in Villanova di Forlì, Italy (d. 2022)
1935 – Paula Rego, Portuguese-British artist (Cast of Characters From Snow White), born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 2022)
1942 – Souad Hosni, Egyptian actress called the “Cinderella” of Arab cinema, born in Cairo, Egypt (d. 2001)
1965 – Allison Hossack, Canadian actress (Olivia Matthews in “Another World”), born in Steinbach, Canada

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1933 – Alva Belmont, American socialite and women’s suffrage activist (co-founder and President of the National Woman’s Party), dies at 80
1947 – Gerda Neumann, Danish film actress, dies in an airplane crash at 31
1990 – Lewis Mumford, American cultural historian, city planner and writer, dies at 94
1996 – Gerrit Cornelis Berkouwer, Dutch theologist (Dogmatic Studies), dies at 92
1996 – Henry Jay Lewis, American double-bassist and conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic 1948-65), dies of a heart attack at 63

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1946 – United Mine Workers union rejoins American Federation of Labor
1955 – Russia ends state of war with Germany
1983 – Infrared telescope satellite launched into polar orbit
2001 – A 50-year-old Douglas DC-3 crashes near Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela killing 24
2013 – 50 people are killed and 90 are injured in a prison riot in Barquisimeto, Venezuela

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1814 – Francis Harrison Pierpont, American lawyer and politician (Union), born in Morgantown, West Virginia (d. 1899)
1880 – Francis George Scott, Scottish composer (Intuitions), born in Hawick, Roxburghshire, Scotland (d. 1958)
1917 – Floyd “Guitar” Smith, American jazz and blues guitarist and record producer, born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1982)
1929 – Robert Faurisson, British-born French academic, born in Shepperton, United Kingdom (d. 2018)
1947 – Ángel Nieto, Spanish motorcycle racer (World C’ships: 50cc 1969, 70, 72, 75, 76, 77; 125cc 1971, 72, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84; 90 Grand Prix victories), born in Zamora, Spain (d. 2017)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

844 – Pope Gregory IV, Italian Pope (827-844)
1871 – Jeanne Villepreux-Power, “Mother of Aquariophily,” French pioneering marine biologist and inventor of the aquarium, dies at 76
1992 – Mahmoud Riad, Egyptian diplomat, Secretary-General of Arab League (1972-79), dies at 74
1998 – Attila Zoller, Hungarian-American jazz guitarist, educator (Vermont Jazz Center, 1974-98), and inventor (bi-directional pickup), dies at 70
2009 – Kim Manners, American television producer and director (b. 1951)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1924 – Benito Mussolini disallows non-fascist work union
1930 – John Mills scores New Zealand’s 1st Test century in cricket, sharing a record 276 run opening stand with Stewie Dempster
1935 – First canned beer, “Krueger’s Cream Ale,” is sold by American company Krueger Brewing Co.
1950 – US patent is awarded to inventor Percy Spencer for the microwave oven
2018 – UK charity Presidents Club forced to close after revelations of sexual harassment at event revealed by the “Financial Times”

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1746 – Gustav III, King of Sweden (1771-92), born in Stockholm (d. 1792)
1864 – Marguerite Durand, French journalist, feminist, and publisher (La Fronde), born in Paris, France (d. 1936)
1925 – William Hudson, American actor (I Led 3 Lives), born in Gilroy, California (d. 1974)
1948 – Michael Des Barres, British rock singer (Detective; Power Station), actor (MacGyver; The New WKRP in Cincinnati), and radio DJ, born in Hove, England
1957 – Mark Eaton, American basketball center (NBA All-Star 1989; NBA Defensive Player of the Year 1985, 89; Utah Jazz), born in Westminster, California (d. 2021)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1848 – Horace Wells, American dentist (pioneered use of medical anesthesia), commits suicide after committing a crime under the influence of chloroform at 33
2008 – J. Robert Hooper, American politician, dies at 71
2015 – Toller Cranston, Canadian figure skater (Olympic bronze men’s singles 1976; World C’ship bronze 1974) and painter, dies of a heart attack at 65
2022 – Aftab Baloch, Pakistan cricket batsman (2 Tests; 7th player to pass the 400 first class run milestone, 428 for Sind 1974), dies at 68
2025 – Ellert Schram, Icelandic soccer forward (23 caps; KR) and executive (chairman Icelandic FA 1973-89), dies at 85

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1779 – French astronomer Charles Messier catalogs M56 (globular cluster in Lyra)
1789 – Georgetown, the first US Catholic college, is founded
1845 – Uniform US election day for President and VP authorized
1926 – Eugene O’Neill’s play “Great God Brown” premieres in NYC
2023 – American Richard Barnett, who was pictured with his feet on Nancy Pelosi’s desk during the Jan 6 riots, convicted on eight counts in a Washington court

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1783 – Stendhal [Marie Henri Beyle], French writer (Le Rouge et de Noir, a Chartreuse de Parme), born in Grenoble, France (d. 1842)
1936 – Cécile Ousset, French classical pianist, born in Tarbes, France
1946 – Asif Masood, Pakistani cricketer (Pakistani quick with long and erratic run-up), born in Lahore, Pakistan
1952 – Omar Henry, South African cricketer (1st colored player for South Africa 1992), born in Stellenbosch, South Africa
1967 – Robert Globb, Slovenian politician (Prime Minister of Slovenia 2022-), born in Šempeter pri Gorici, Yugoslavia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1939 – Matthias Sindelar, Austrian soccer striker (43 caps; Austria Vienna 312 games), dies under mysterious circumstances at 35
1976 – Paul Robeson, American stage and screen bass-baritone singer (“Old Man River”), actor, and civil rights activist, dies of stroke complications in Philadelphia at 77
2002 – Robert Nozick, American philosopher (Anarchy, State, and Utopia), dies at 63
2018 – Stansfield Turner, American admiral and CIA director (1977-81), dies at 94
2021 – Peter Harper, British medical geneticist known for his work on myotonic dystrophy, dies at 81

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1771 – Spain cedes the Falkland Islands to Britain
1983 – Houston is 1st NBA team to be held scoreless in an overtime Portland Trail Blazers out score them 17-0 and win 113-96
1993 – Johan Koss skates a world record 5 km in 6:38.77
2006 – Evo Morales is inaugurated as President of Bolivia, becoming the country’s first indigenous president
2021 – Lloyd Austin confirmed as defense secretary by the US Senate, and the first Black head of the Pentagon

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1871 – Léon Jessel, German light classical and operetta composer (The Parade of the Tin Soldiers; Schwarzwaldmädel (The Black Forest Girl)), born in Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland) (d. 1942)
1945 – Michael Cristofer, American actor and writer (Little Drummer Girl, Shadow Box), born in Trenton, New Jersey
1977 – Jono Gibbes, New Zealand rugby union flanker (8 caps; Chiefs) and coach (Ulster, La Rochelle), born in Henderson, New Zealand
1980 – Ben Moody, American guitarist (Evanescence, 1995-2003 -“Bring Me To Life”), born in Little Rock, Arkansas
1984 – Maceo Rigters, Dutch footballer, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1666 – Shah Jahan, 5th Mughal Emperor of India (1628-58) who built the Taj Mahal for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, dies at 74
1959 – A J Else Mauhs, German/Dutch actress (Hamlet, Nora), dies at 73
1992 – Ali Amini, Iranian politician and government official (Prime Minister, 1961-62; Ambassador to US, 1956-58; Member of Parliament, 1947-49), dies at 87
2016 – Anthony Simmons, British writer and film director (The Optimists of Nine Elms), dies at 93
2020 – John Karlen, American actor (Harvey Lacey-Cagney and Lacey), dies at 86

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1077 – German King Henry IV petitions Pope Gregory VII for forgiveness
1938 – Dutch government starts obligatory unemployment insurance
1957 – KSAT TV channel 12 in San Antonio, TX (ABC) begins broadcasting
1993 – Nigerian singer Fela Kuti arrested on suspicion of murder
2020 – World’s oldest asteroid impact at 2.2 billion years old found in Yarrabubba, Western Australia, may have ended an ice age, reported in “Nature Communications”

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1891 – Nikolai Golovanov, Russian conductor and composer (Bolshoi Opera), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1953)
1905 – “Ossie” O.S. Stevens Nock, British railway writer, born in Sutton, England (d. 1994)
1952 – Mike Krukow, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1986 SF Giants; Chicago Cubs) and broadcaster (KNBR [with Duane Kuiper] SF Giants), born in Long Beach, California
1981 – Ivan Ergić, Serbian soccer midfielder (11 caps; FC Basel 202 games), born in Šibenik, Croatia
1981 – David F. Sandberg, Swedish film director (Lights Out, Shazam!), born in Jönköping, Sweden

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1851 – (Gustav) Albert Lortzing, German Spieloper composer and actor (Zar und Zimmerman), dies at 49
1894 – Guillaume Lekeu, Belgian composer (Épithalame), dies of typhoid fever at 24
1928 – George Washington Goethals, American army general and civil engineer who supervised the construction of the Panama Canal, dies at 69
2005 – Parveen Babi, Indian actress (b. 1955)
2015 – Waldemar Kmentt, Austrian operatic tenor (Vienna State Opera, 1951-2005), dies at 85

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1947 – Nova Scotia Supreme Court rules against case of black woman Viola Desmond – ejected from a cinema seat in New Glasgow reserved for whites and arrested in landmark case (pardoned 2010)
1958 – A group attempting the 1st surface crossing of Antarctic join up at the South Pole
1965 – Generalissimo Francisco Franco meets with Jewish representatives to discuss legitimizing Jewish communities in Spain
1969 – University of Arizona reports 1st optical identification of a pulsar found in Crab Nebula
1972 – Number of people out of work and claiming unemployment benefit in UK rises to over 1 million

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1893 – Georg Åberg, Swedish athlete (Olympic silver triple jump; bronze long jump 1912), born in Norrköping, Sweden (d. 1946)
1916 – Walter Bartley, English biochemist, born in Brighton, London (d. 1994)
1920 – Peter Clemoes, British historian, born in Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom (d. 1996)
1937 – Dorothy Provine, American actress (The Roaring 20’s; That Darn Cat: Who’s Minding The Mint?), and singer, born in Deadwood, South Dakota (d. 2010)
1968 – Fantastic Negrito [Xavier Dphrepaulezz], American blues singer-songwriter (The Last Days of Oakland; Please Don’t Be Dead), born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

250 – Fabian, Pope (236-50), Bishop of Rome and saint, dies a martyr during persecutions by the Emperor Decius
1191 – Frederick VI, Duke of Swabia (b. 1167)
1838 – Pierre-Louis Hus-Desforges, French composer and cellist, dies at 64
1964 – Jan Rychlik, Czech percussionist, and composer of orchestral, jazz, and film music, dies at 47
2018 – Naomi Parker Fraley, American who inspired “Rosie the Riveter” poster, dies at 96

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1968 – Northern Ireland Prime Minister Terence O’Neill calls for “a new endeavour by organisations in Northern Ireland to cross denominational barriers and advance the cause of better community relations”
1979 – John N Mitchell (former US Attorney General) released on parole from federal prison
1984 – California Supreme Court rejects the request of quadriplegic Elizabeth Bouvia’s to starve herself to death in a public hospital
2017 – High-rise building collapses in Tehran, killing 20 firefighters
2024 – Actor Alec Baldwin indicted by a grand jury on involuntary manslaughter charges over the 2021 fatal shooting on a movie set

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1906 – Lanny Ross, American radio singer (Show Boat; The Swift Show), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 1988)
1944 – Peter Lynch, American legendary investor who coined the phrase “invest in what you know”, born in Newton, Massachusetts
1953 – Richard Legendre, Canadian tennis player and politician, born in Montreal, Quebec
1957 – Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rican politician, born in London, England
1969 – Edwidge Danticat, Haitian-American author, born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1847 – Charles Bent, American fur trader and Governor of New Mexico Territory for 100 days (1846-47), killed at 47
1915 – Anna Leonowens, Anglo-Indian travel writer, educator, social activist, and co-founder of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, dies at 83
1990 – (Alberto) Semprini, British pianist and radio broadcaster (BBC’s Semprini Serenade), dies at 81
2015 – Anne Kirkbride, English actress (Deirdre-Coronation Street), dies of breast cancer at 60
2022 – Gaspard Ulliel, French actor (Hannibal Rising; Saint Laurent), dies from head injuries suffered in helmet-less skiing accident at 37

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1775 – The West India Committee founded in London by London sugar merchants and Caribbean planters. Initially instrumental in promoting slavery, later aided campaign to end slavery.
1896 – First college basketball game with 5 players on each side is conducted by the University of Iowa; invites student athletes from University of Chicago for an experimental game; Chicago beats Iowa 15-12
1983 – Dick Motta becomes the 5th NBA coach to record 600 wins as his Dallas Mavericks defeat the Golden State Warriors, 112-102 in Oakland, California
2009 – “We Are One” concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington prior to Barack Obama’s inauguration attracts an estimated crowd of 400,000; performers include: Beyoncé, Jon Bon Jovi, Garth Brooks, Mariah Carey, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, John Legend, Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen, U2, and Stevie Wonder
2024 – US city of Lexington starts a new tourism campaign aimed at extraterrestrial travelers by beaming a welcome message into space via an infrared laser

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1872 – Paul Léautaud [Maurice Boissard], French writer and theatre critic (Petit ami), born in Paris, France (d. 1956)
1922 – Bob Bell, American clown, born in Flint, Michigan (d. 1997)
1941 – David Ruffin, American soul musician and early lead singer for The Temptations (“My Girl”; “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”), born in Whynot, Mississippi (d. 1991)
1950 – Pat Sullivan, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Heisman Trophy 1971, Auburn University; NFL: Atlanta Falcons) and coach (TUC, Samford), born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 2019)
1993 – Morgan York, American actress (Cheaper by the Dozen) and narrative podcaster (Halfmoon Chronicles), born in Burbank, California

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1918 – Bohuslav Jeremiáš, Czech composer, dies at 58
1986 – Claire James, American actress (Jack Armstrong), dies at 65
1995 – Ron Luciano, American baseball umpire in the American League (1969-79), dies at 57
1996 – Jos Kunst, Dutch composer, dies at 60
2021 – Josep Mestres-Quadreny, Spanish composer, dies at 91

More Famous Deaths »