Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1744 – Austrian forces pillage and kill Jews of Prague
1912 – Socialist International rejects that world war is coming
1947 – The 1st systematic Hollywood blacklist is instituted, denying employment to American entertainment professionals due to alleged Communist ties or sympathies
1969 – KC outfielder Lou Piniella is voted AL Rookie of Year
1973 – US cuts maximum speed limit cut to 55 MPH as an energy conservation measure
2012 – 11 people are killed and 30 are wounded by twin car bombs hitting a Protestant church in Nigeria

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Famous Birthdays

1914 – Joe DiMaggio, American Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder (13 × MLB All-Star; 9 x World Series; 3 x AL MVP; MLB record 56-game hitting streak; NY Yankees), born in Martinez, California (d. 1999)
1933 – Ramiro Cortés Jr., American composer, born in Dallas, Texas (c. 1984)
1977 – Guillermo Cañas, Argentine tennis player
1980 – Josh Lomberger, American professional wrestling backstage interviewer
1981 – Jenna Bush Hager, American author, news personality (Today with Hoda and Jenna) and twin daughter of US President George W. Bush, born in Dallas, Texas
1981 – Barbara Bush, American activist (Global Health Corps) and twin daughter of US President George W. Bush, born in Dallas, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1785 – Richard Glover, British poet, dies at about 73
1950 – Johannes V. Jensen, Danish novelist and poet (The Fall of the King; Nobel Prize for Literature, 1944), dies at 77
1967 – Ossip Zadkine [Zadkin], Russian French sculptor (Destroyed City), dies at 77
1974 – Nick Drake, English singer-songwriter (Pink Moon), dies of a drug overdose at 26
1983 – Anton Dolin [Sydney Francis Patrick Chippendall Healey-kay], British dancer (Girl From Petrovka), dies at 79
1989 – Alva R. Fitch, American World War II and Korean soldier (b. 1907)

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Historical Events

1542 – Battle of Solway Moss: English beat Scottish King James V
1926 – Sri Aurobindo retires to lead life of seclusion, hands responsibility for followers to Mirra Alfassa (founding of Sri Aurobindo ashram)
1949 – British steel and iron industry nationalised
1971 – American “Dan Cooper” hijacks plane, extorts $200,000 ransom before jumping out of plane over Washington State, never seen again
2018 – Cruise boat sinks on Lake Victoria near Kampala, Uganda, killing at least 29
2019 – Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announces a late-bid to be the US Democratic presidential candidate

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Famous Birthdays

1615 – Philipp Wilhelm, Elector of Palatine (d. 1690)
1849 – Frances Hodgson Burnett, British-American playwright and children’s author (“The Secret Garden”; “Little Lord Fauntleroy”), born in Manchester (d. 1924)
1912 – Bernard Delfgaauw, Dutch philosopher (Johnson murderer!), born in Amsterdam (d. 1993)
1968 – Bülent Korkmaz, Turkish footballer
1973 – Donny Brady, defensive back (Baltimore Ravens)
1983 – Karine Vanasse, Quebec actress

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Famous Deaths

654 – Emperor Kōtoku of Japan (b. 596)
1985 – “Big” Joe Turner, American blues and RandB singer (“Shake, Rattle and Roll”), dies of heart failure at 74
1990 – Bulent Arel, Turkish-born electronic composer, dies at 72
1992 – Mary Smithuysen, Dutch dancer and actress (Bridge Too Far), dies at 85
1994 – Ivo Perilli, Italian screenplay/director (Ragazzo), dies at 92
2021 – Guillermo Echevarría, Mexican swimmer (1,500m WR 16:28.1 1968), dies at 73

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Historical Events

1897 – Portable pencil sharpener patented by American inventor John Lee Love
1923 – Germany’s Gustav Stresemann’s government falls to the SPD
1947 – Washington Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh passes for 6 touchdowns vs. Chicago Cardinals (45-21)
1954 – For the first time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the peak it reached just before the 1929 crash
1989 – Xenophon Zolotas is sworn in as premier of Greece
2008 – 97th Davis Cup: Spain beats Argentina in Mar del Plata (3-1)

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Famous Birthdays

1815 – William Dennison, American politician (US postmaster general, Governor of Ohio), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1882)
1887 – Boris Karloff [William H. Pratt], English actor (The Mummy, Frankenstein), born in Camberwell, London (d. 1969)
1924 – Paula Raymond, American actress and model (The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2003)
1929 – Hal Lindsey, American evangelist and Christian Zionist writer, born in Houston, Texas
1946 – Bobby Rush, American politician (Rep-D-Illinois 1993-), born in Albany, Georgia
1963 – Dale Sveum, American MLB player and coach, born in Richmond, California

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Famous Deaths

1682 – Claude Lorrain, French painter known for his landscapes (b. 1604)
1804 – Richard Graves, English writer (The Spiritual Quixote), dies at 89
1940 – Catharina van Rennes, Dutch composer, dies at 82
1964 – Jan Fabricius, Dutch-English playwright (Dolle Hans), dies at 93
1994 – Erick Frederick Hawkins, US dancer/wed to Martha Graham, dies at 85
2012 – Larry Hagman, American actor (I Dream of Jeannie, JR-Dallas), dies of complications from throat cancer at 81

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Historical Events

1924 – Britain orders Egyptians out of Sudan
1931 – 1st performance of Ferde Grofé’s “Grand Canyon Suite” given by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra at Studebaker Theater, Chicago
1934 – “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” 1st heard on Eddie Cantor’s show
1975 – Drummuckavall Ambush: 3 British Army soldiers are killed and one captured when the Provisional Irish Republican Army attack a watchtower in South Armagh, North Ireland
1989 – Eastern Airlines pilots and flight attendants end their strike, but most are not rehired
1991 – “Phool Aur Kaante”, the film debut of famous Indian actor Ajay Devgan, is released

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Famous Birthdays

1888 – Tarzan of the Apes date of birth, according to author Edgar Rice Burroughs
1917 – Jean-Etienne Marie, French composer of microtonal music and electroacoustics, born in Pont-l’Évêque, France (d. 1989)
1961 – John Schnatter, American businessman (founder of Papa John’s Pizza), born in Jeffersonville, Indiana [or November 23]
1977 – Devyn Puett, actress (Kids Incorporated)
1983 – Corey Beaulieu, American guitarist (Trivium)
1986 – Oscar Pistorius, South African paralympic athlete

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Famous Deaths

365 – Felix II, Italian anti-pope, dies after failing to regain position as Pope from Liberius
1286 – Eric V of Denmark, Danish King (b. 1249)
1758 – Richard Edgcumbe, 1st Baron Edgcumbe, British politician (b. 1680)
1900 – Arthur Sullivan, British composer (The Golden Legend; Onward, Christian Soldiers), major-generally remembered for his comic operas with W.S. Gilbert (The Pirates of Penzance:, H.M.S Pinafore; The Mikado), dies of heart failure at 58
1996 – Terence Donovan, English fashion photographer, film and video director, commits suicide at 60
2008 – MC Breed, American hip hop artist (b. 1971)

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Historical Events

1852 – Duke University founded in 1838 as Union Institute, chartered as Normal College
1942 – Adolf Hitler names field marshal Erich von Manstein commander of the newly-created Army Group Don (Heeresgruppe Don)
1980 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono pose nude for photographer Allan Tannenbaum
1986 – Central African Republic adopts constitution
1999 – 51st NASCAR Sprint Cup: Dale Jarrett wins
2004 – CFL Grey Cup, Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa: Toronto Argonauts defeat BC Lions, 27-19; first Grey Cup game played on next-generation FieldTurf surface

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Famous Birthdays

1567 – Anne de Xainctonge, French saint and founder of the Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin, born in Dijon, France (d. 1621)
1924 – Milka Planinc, Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (1982-86), born in Drniš, Yugoslavia (d. 2010)
1940 – Richard Marcinko, American author
1943 – Viktor Sidjak, Russian fencer
1979 – Kim Dong Wan, Korean singer (Shinhwa)
1983 – Nikki Bella, American pro wrestler, one half of The Bella Twins and reality TV star (Total Divas), born in San Diego, California

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Famous Deaths

1481 – Ikkyu Sojun, Zen head of Daitokuji temple, dies in Kyoto, Japan at 87
1580 – Willem Van Hoorn, baron of Heze, governor of Brussels, executed
1916 – Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia (1848-1916), dies of pneumonia at 86 after catching a cold taking a walk
1942 – J. B. M. Hertzog [Barry Hertzog], South African General and Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa (1924-39), dies at 76
1986 – Jerry Colonna, American actor (Jerry Colonna Show, Alice in Wonderland, Road to Singapore), dies at 82
1993 – Bill Bixby, American actor, director and producer (Incredible Hulk; The Courtship of Eddie’s Father; My Favorite Martian), dies from cancer at 59

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Historical Events

1168 – Giovanni di Struma elected anti-Pope
1719 – Sweden and Hannover sign for peace Treaty of Stockholm
1959 – WABC fires Alan Freed over payola scandal
1980 – United Nations Gulf War mediator Olof Palme makes first unsuccessful peace shuttle between Tehran and Baghdad
1993 – 5th College Football Holy War: Boston College beats Notre Dame 41-39 in South Bend (Boston College’s first win in the series)
2016 – South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s controversial friend Choi Soon-sil charged with abuse of authority and coercion amid calls to also impeach the President

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Famous Birthdays

1766 – John Wall Calcott, English composer, born in Kensington, London (d. 1821)
1851 – Margherita of Savoy, Queen consort of the Kingdom of Italy by marriage to Umberto I (1878-1900), born in Palazzo Chiablese, Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia (d. 1926)
1891 – Reginald Denny, English actor (Rebecca, Cat Ballou, Batman), born in Richmond, Surrey, England (d. 1967)
1917 – Pam Henning [Cornelia Catharina Pamela Ingenegeren], Indonesian-Dutch cabaret dancer and actress, born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (d. 2008)
1949 – Thelma Drake, American politician, US Rep, Virginia (2005-09), born in Elyria, Ohio
1959 – James P. McGovern, American politician (Rep-D-Mass 1997-), born in Worcester, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

1527 – Wendelmoet “Weyntjen” Claesdochter, 1st Dutch woman burned as heretic
1662 – Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands (b. 1614)
1882 – Henry Draper, American amateur astronomer (photos of the Moon, Orion Nebula), dies of pleurisy at 45
1984 – Alexander Moyzes, Slovak composer, dies at 78
2016 – Kostis Stephanopoulos, Greek conservative politician (President of Greece, 1995-2005), dies at 90
2019 – Wataru “Wat” Misaka, American professional basketball player, first non-white player, and first player of Asian descent in BAA (later known as NBA) (New York Knicks, 1947-48), dies at 95

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Historical Events

1894 – Dutch troops occupy and plunders palace of Tjakra Negara, Lombok
1923 – Béla Bartòk’s “Tancsuite” premieres
1950 – US General Eisenhower becomes supreme commander of NATO-Europe
1955 – KXMB TV channel 12 in Bismarck, North Dakota (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting
1958 – First 2 F-27 Fokker’s Friendships delivered on Aer Lingus
2020 – Inquiry find “credible evidence” elite Australian troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan civilians

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Famous Birthdays

1906 – Jacques Leguerney, French composer, born in LeHarve, France, (d. 1997)
1907 – Jack Schaefer, American author (Shane), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1991)
1927 – Joe Hunter, American pianist and bandleader of Motown’s house band – The Funk Brothers (1959-64), born in Jackson, Tennessee (d. 2007)
1944 – Dennis Hull, Canadian ice hockey player
1954 – Annette Guest, American pop singer (First Choice – “Smarty Pants”), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1971 – Alice Peacock, American folk singer, born in White Bear Lake, Minnesota

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Famous Deaths

1557 – Bona Sforza, Queen of Sigismund I of Poland (b. 1494)
1915 – Joe Hill [Joel Hägglund], Swedish-American labor activist and protest songwriter “The Preacher and the Slave”; “There Is Power in a Union”), executed at Sugar House Prison in Salt Lake City, Utah for murder at 36
1940 – Charles W. Woodworth, American entomologist, dies at 75
1967 – Charles J. Watters, US Army chaplain, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1927)
1990 – Sun Li-jen, Chinese general (best known for his leadership in the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War), dies at 89
1995 – Bruce Trent [William Butters], British singer and actor (The Passing Show, Band Waggon), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1905 – Prince Carl of Denmark becomes King Haakon VII of Norway
1943 – U-211 sinks in Atlantic Ocean
1989 – Pennsylvania is first to restrict abortions after US Supreme Court gave states the right to do so
2001 – Phillips Petroleum and Conoco merge into a new company as ‘ConocoPhillips’, the third-largest oil and natural gas company in the US
2003 – The congress of the Communist Party of Indian Union (Marxist-Leninist) decides to merge the party into Kanu Sanyal’s CPI(ML).
2021 – US judge exonerates two men for the killing of Malcolm X in 1965, saying they were “wrongly convicted”

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Famous Birthdays

1861 – Dorothy Dix [Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer], American journalist and columnist, born in Woodstock, Tennessee (d. 1951)
1900 – Constantin Alajalov, Armenian-American illustrator (The New Yorker; Saturday Evening Post; Dithers and Jitters), and painter, born in Rostov-on-Don, Russia (d. 1987)
1901 – Craig Wood, American golfer (US Masters, US Open 1941), born in Lake Placid, New York (d. 1968)
1912 – Jaap Meijer, Dutch historian and rabbi in Paramaribo, born in Winschoten, Netherlands (d. 1993)
1925 – Yvonne Bryceland, South African stage actress (Road to Mecca), born in Cape Town, South Africa (d. 1992)
1934 – Vassilis Vassilikos, Greek writer (Z) and diplomat, born in Kavala, Greece

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Famous Deaths

1919 – Ferdinand Domela Newenhouse, anarchist (free socialist), dies
1946 – Donald Meek, Scottish-American actor (You Can’t Take It with You, Stagecoach), dies at 86
1966 – Bela Tardos, Hungarian composer, dies at 56
1980 – Conn Smythe, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame team owner (Toronto Maple Leafs 1927-61; Stanley Cup x 8), dies of heart failure at 85
1996 – Douglas Guest, British organist (For the Fallen), dies at 80
2009 – Jeanne-Claude [Denat de Guillebon], French artist who worked with Christo (Running Fence, Wrapped Reichstag), dies at 74

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Historical Events

1853 – Street signs authorized at San Francisco intersections
1928 – Boston Garden officially opens
1968 – Alexandros Panagoulis is condemned to death for attempting to assassinate Greek dictator George Papadopoulos
1973 – Greek regime attacks students with tanks, 100s killed
1980 – WHHM Television in Washington, D.C., becomes the first African-American public-broadcasting television station
1982 – Dale Murphy wins NL MVP

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Famous Birthdays

1917 – Jack Lescoulie, American TV host (Jackie Gleason Show), born in Sacramento, California (d. 1987)
1963 – Pedro Luis Estrada, American murderer (FBI Most Wanted List), born in Brooklyn, New York
1965 – Grant Connell, Canadian tennis player who was the world’s #1 doubles player in the 1990s, born in Regina Saskatchewan
1966 – Daisy Fuentes, model/MTV veejay (America’s Funniest Videos)
1966 – Jeff Buckley, American musician and singer (“Hallelujah”), Anaheim, California (d. 1997)
1980 – [Clarke] Isaac Hanson, American pop singer and guitarist (Hanson – “MMMbop”), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma

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Famous Deaths

1512 – Kempo Roeper, Frisian rebel, quartered
1770 – Gian Francesco de Majo, Italian composer, dies at 38
1922 – Robert Comtesse, Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1899-1912), dies at 75
1986 – Georges Besse, French president-director of Renault, murdered
1990 – Robert Hofstadter, American atomic physicist and Nobel laureate (electron scattering in atomic nuclei), dies at 75
2017 – Earle Hyman, American stage and screen actor (The Cosby Show – “Russell Huxtable”; ThunderCats; Coriolanus), dies at 91

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Historical Events

1519 – City of Havana moved to its current location to avoid mosquito infestations
1916 – Russian La Satannaya ammunition factory explodes, killing 1,000
1918 – Hungarian People’s Republic declared
1990 – Manuel Noriega claims US denied him a fair trial
2019 – 500th anniversary of the founding of Havana, Cuba
2019 – Samoa declares state of emergency over measles epidemic closing all schools after six deaths

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Nnamdi Azikiwe, 1st President of Nigeria (1963-66), born in Zungeru, Northern Nigeria Protectorate (d. 1996)
1922 – Gene Amdahl, American computer scientist who designed the IBM mainframe, born in Flandreau, South Dakota (d. 2015)
1938 – Robert Nozick, American philosopher (Anarchy, State, and Utopia), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2002)
1938 – Toni Brown, American guitarist, singer and keyboardist (Joy of Cooking)
1967 – Craig Arnold, American poet
1973 – Sedrick Shaw, running back (New England Patriots)

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Famous Deaths

1512 – Jemme Herjuwsma, Fries rebel, beheaded
1548 – Caspar Cruciger, German church reformer, dies at 44
1934 – Carl von Linde, German engineer and chemist who invented mechanical refrigeration, dies at 92
1943 – Marcel Verhamme, Belgian resistance fighter, executed
1994 – Dino Valenti [Chester “Chet” Powers], American rock guitarist/vocalist (Quicksilver Messenger Service), dies at 57
2016 – Jay Forrester, American engineer, invented random-access magnetic core memory, dies at 98

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