Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1301 – Edward of Caernarfon (later Edward II) becomes the first English Prince of Wales
1912 – 2nd Dutch 11 city skate (Coen de Koenig wins (11:40)
1943 – Shoe rationing begins in US (may purchase up to 3 more pairs in 1942)
1964 – Baskin-Robbins introduces Beatle Nut ice cream
1974 – Grenada gains independence from Britain (National Day)
1985 – Marshall U’s Bruce Morris scores a basket from 92’5″

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Famous Birthdays

1899 – Arvid Pelshe, Latvian Communist leader (First Secretary of the Latvian SSR, CPSU Politburo member), born near Zālīte, Latvia (d. 1983)
1904 – Alison Leggatt, British character actress (Day of Triffids, Cows), born in Kensington, London (d. 1990)
1925 – Marius Constant, Romanian-born French composer and conductor (founded Ars Nova), born in Bucharest, Romania (d. 2004)
1931 – Gloria Talbott, American film and television actress, sometimes known as “the Scream Queen” for her work in B-movies, born in Glendale, California (d. 2000)
1960 – James Spader, American actor (Endless Love, Wall St, Mannequin), born in NYC, New York
1968 – Peter Bondra, Lutsk Ukr, NHL right wing (Washington Capitals)

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Famous Deaths

1693 – Paul Pellisson, French writer, dies at 68
1994 – Richard Bissell, US under director of CIA (Pig’s Bay), dies at 84
2005 – Bob Turner, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1934)
2012 – Phil Bruns, American actor and writer (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman – “George Shumway”), dies of natural causes at 80
2018 – Mickey Jones, American musician and actor (Home Improvement, Justified), dies at 76
2019 – Frank Robinson, American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder, manager (14 x MLB All-Star; NL MVP 1961; AL MVP 1966; World Series 1966, 70; Baltimore Orioles), dies of bone cancer at 83

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Historical Events

1760 – Niccolò Piccinni’s opera buffa “La buona figliuola” (The Good-Natured Girl) first performed at the Teatro delle Dame, Rome, Italy, with an all-male cast
1855 – British government of Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston forms
1911 – Great fire destroys downtown Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey)
1947 – Compton and Arthur Morris both complete dual tons in same Test Cricket
1979 – Supreme court of Lahore affirms death sentence against Premier Bhutto
2018 – Brazilian jockey Jorge Ricardo equals world record number of victories for a jockey – 12,844 in Rio de Janeiro

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Famous Birthdays

1673 – Maximilian Dietrich Freisslich, German composer, born in Immelborn, Germany (d. 1731)
1868 – Syd Callaway, Australian cricket all-rounder (3 Tests, 6 wickets, BB 5/37, HS 41; NSW CA, Canterbury [NZ]), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1923)
1931 – Mamie Van Doren, American actress, model, singer, and sex symbol (Teacher’s Pet, The Navy vs. the Night Monsters), born in Rowena, South Dakota
1957 – Kathy Najimy, American actress and activist (Sister Act, Veronica’s Closet), born in San Diego, California
1972 – Mark Labbrook, Australian 200m/400m runner (Olympics 1996), born in Melbourne, Australia
1993 – Tinashe [Kachingwe], American actress and singer (Nightride), born in Lexington, Kentucky

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Famous Deaths

1785 – Iman Willem Falck, Dutch governor of Ceylon (1765-83), dies at 48
1896 – Abraham van Stolk, Dutch art collector, dies at 82
1963 – Abd el-Krim [Mohamed ibn Abdelkrim El-Khattabi], Moroccan political and military leader (Republic of the Rif), dies at 85
1966 – Algot Haquinius, Swedish pianist, and composer, dies at 79
2012 – Billy Bean, American jazz guitarist (John Lewis; Herbie Mann; Bud Shank), dies at 79
2015 – André Brink, South African writer (Kennis van die aand – 1st Afrikaans book banned), dies at 79

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Historical Events

1818 – Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway
1870 – 1st motion picture shown to a theater audience, Philadelphia
1885 – News of the fall of Khartoum reaches London
1962 – French President de Gaulle calls for Algeria’s independence
1970 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1991 – Howard Stern kisses NY Giant Leonard Marshall’s ass over bet, Stern lost claiming the Giants would lose the Super Bowl

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Famous Birthdays

1804 – Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet (Finland’s national anthem “Maamme”), born in Jakobstad, Finland (d. 1877)
1923 – Doris Bohrer [Sharrar], American WWII spy, born in Basin, Wyoming (d. 2016)
1948 – Sven-Göran Eriksson, Swedish football manager and player, born in Sunne, Sweden
1953 – Valerie Carter, American folk-rock singer-songwriter, and session vocalist, born in Winter Haven, Florida (d. 2017)
1968 – Nir Kabaretti, Israeli conductor, born in Tel Aviv, Israel
1980 – Brad Fitzpatrick, American programmer (LiveJournal), born in Iowa, United States

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Famous Deaths

1807 – Pasquale Paoli, Corsican freedom fighter, dies at 80
1892 – Emilie Flygare-Carlén, Swedish novelist (b. 1807)
1946 – George Arliss, British Academy Award-winning actor (Disraeli; Devil; Green Goddess), dies at 77
1977 – Izaak Boleslavski, Russian chess player, dies at 67
1979 – Eddie Paynter, English cricketer (20 Tests for England, avg 59.23), dies at 77
2003 – Helge Boes, American Central Intelligence Agency officer

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Historical Events

1555 – Reformer and bible translator John Roger is the first protestant martyr under Mary I, when he is burnt at the stake at Smithfield, London
1847 – 1st US telegraph company established in Maryland
1866 – Mary Baker Eddy reportedly cures her injuries by opening a bible
1973 – “No, No Nanette” closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 861 performances
2016 – Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison knighted by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace
2020 – Charles McGee, American retired US Air Force officer and fighter pilot of the Tuskegee Airmen promoted from colonel to brigadier general

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Famous Birthdays

1808 – Josef Kajetán Tyl, Czech playwright, writer and author of the Czech national anthem (Kde domov můj), born in Kutná Hora, Bohemia, Austrian Empire (d. 1856)
1841 – Clément Ader, French aviation pioneer (d. 1926)
1903 – Edwin Denby, American dance critic and poet (Snoring in N, Horse Eats Hat), born in Tientsin China (d. 1924)
1943 – Cheryl Miller, American actress (Daktari – “Paula”; Born Free), born in Sherman Oaks, California
1960 – Siobhan Dowd, British/Irish author (d. 2007)
1961 – Denis Savard, Canadian NHL centre (Chicago Blackhawks) named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players’ in history, born in Pointe Gatineau, Canada

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Famous Deaths

1781 – Willem Crul, British admiral (West-Indies), dies in battle during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War at 59
1946 – Margarete Boie, writer, dies
1957 – Miguel Covarrubias, Mexican illustrator, dies
1982 – Alex Harvey, Scottish singer (The Electric Cowboys), dies of a heart attack at 46
2002 – George Nader, American actor (Robot Monster, Away All Boats), dies at 80
2013 – Donald Byrd, American jazz trumpeter (Black Byrd), dies at 80

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Historical Events

1809 – Territory of Illinois organizes (including present-day Wisconsin)
1894 – 1st US steel sailing vessel, Dirigo, launched at Bath, Maine
1916 – Tristan Tzara publishes the Dada manifesto in Zurich, Switzerland
1929 – Revolutionary Socialist Party forms in Amsterdam
1975 – Billy Herman, Earl Averill, and Bucky Harris elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1982 – Columbia Shuttle moves to Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center (Florida) for mating for STS-3 mission

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Famous Birthdays

1736 – Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, Austria organist and composer (trained Beethoven), born in Klosterneuburg Austria-Hungary (d. 1809)
1824 – George Thomas “Tige” Anderson, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Covington, Georgia (d. 1901)
1824 – Ranald MacDonald, Canadian-born Scottish educator and interpreter (d. 1894)
1919 – (Eugene) “Snooky” Young, American jazz trumpeter who mastered the plunger mute, born in Dayton, Ohio (d. 2011)
1959 – Molly Killingbeck, Jamaica, 4X400m relayer (Olympic silver 1984)
1971 – Eric Owens, Danville VA, outfielder (Cincinnati Reds)

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Famous Deaths

1116 – King Coloman of Hungary (b. 1070)
1919 – Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, Queen of Bavaria, dies at 69
1979 – Jody Gilbert, American actress (Willard, Shaggy, Blonde Dynamite), dies at 62
2009 – Max Neuhaus, American classical musician and experimental percussionist (sound sculptures), dies of cancer at 69
2015 – William Thomas McKinley, American composer and jazz pianist, dies at 76
2018 – Leon “Ndugu” Chancler, American pop, funk and jazz session and touring drummer, (Michael Jackson -“Billie Jean”; George Duke; Herbie Hancock), composer, and producer, dies of prostate cancer at 65

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Historical Events

1119 – Guido di Borgogna elected Pope Callistus II
1869 – James Oliver invents removable tempered steel plow blade
1962 – USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1972 – Lefty Gomez, Ross Youngs and William Harridge selected for Baseball Hall of Fame
1973 – Richard Helms, ends term as 8th director of CIA; succeeded by James R Schlesinger (until July)
1992 – IRS and Willie Nelson settle on $9M tax bill (of $16.7M)

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Famous Birthdays

1522 – Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician (d. 1565)
1926 – Miguel Cardinal Obando y Bravo, 1st Cent American cardinal (Nicaragua)
1968 – Sean Elliott, NBA forward (San Antonio Spurs)
1970 – Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer
1975 – Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer
1983 – Alex Westaway, British rock singer (Gunship; Fightstar), born in Northamptonshire, England

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Famous Deaths

1688 – Abraham Duquesne, French naval officer (b. 1610)
1970 – Jaroslav Vogel, Czech composer and conductor, dies at 76
1980 – William H. Stein, American biochemist (Nobel 1972), dies at 68
1981 – Louise Lorraine, actress (Adventures of Tarzan), dies
1988 – Clive Epstein, British music artist manager, and brother of Brian Epstein, dies at 51
2005 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (world heavyweight champion 1930-32), dies at 99

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Historical Events

1862 – Ralph Waldo Emerson and Charles Sumner meet with President Abraham Lincoln at The White House, Washington
1937 – Stapleton, Staten Island, becomes a customs-free port
1948 – Important South African anti-apartheid novel “Cry the Beloved Country” by Alan Paton is published in the US
1975 – “Men on the Moon” closes at Little Theater NYC after 5 performances
2009 – Australian Open Men’s Tennis: Spanish ace Rafael Nadal wins his first Australian title; beats Roger Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2
2013 – 26 people are killed after a fireworks truck explodes and causes a highway to collapse in Henan, China

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Famous Birthdays

1635 – Marquard Gude, German archaeologist and classical scholar famous for his collection of Greek and Latin inscriptions, born in Rendsburg, Holstein (d. 1689)
1801 – Adolf Fredrik Lindblad, Swedish lieder and classical composer, born in Skänninge, Sweden (d. 1878)
1920 – Kenneth Bond, former vice-chairman
1955 – Virginia Leng, British equestrian rider (World C’ship individual 1986; Olympic silver x 2, bronze x 2 1984, 88), born in Malta
1971 – Michael C. Hall, American actor (Dexter, Six Feet Under), born in Raleigh, North Carolina
1984 – Lee Thompson Young, American actor, born in Columbia, South Carolina (d. 2013)

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Famous Deaths

1981 – Nils Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian composer, dies at 72
1986 – Dick James [Leon Vapnick], British dance band vocalist and Beatles’ music publisher (Northern Songs), dies of a heart attack at 65
1992 – Irving Kaufman, American federal judge (Rosenberg Case), dies at 81
2003 – Kalpana Chawla, American astronaut (STS 87) and the first woman of Indian descent to go to space, dies in Space Shuttle Columbia disaster at 40
2003 – Michael P. Anderson, American astronaut and member of the STS-107 Mission (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster), dies at 43
2007 – Ahmad Abu Laban, Danish Muslim leader, dies at 60

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Historical Events

1679 – Jean-Baptiste Lully’s opera “Bellerophon” premieres at the Palais-Royal in Paris
1982 – NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 16-13; MVPs: Co-MVPs: Kellen Winslow, San Diego Chargers, TE; Lee Roy Selmon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, DE
1988 – Super Bowl XXII, Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, CA: Washington Redskins beat Denver Broncos, 42-10; MVP: Doug Williams, Washington, QB
1990 – Jushin “Thunder” Liger beats Naoki Sano to become New Japan IWGP champ
2012 – Leonard Cohen releases his album “Old Ideas”, becomes No.1 in 10 countries
2013 – 36 people are killed and 126 are injured in an explosion at Torre Ejecutiva Pemex, Mexico

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Famous Birthdays

1902 – Julian Steward, American anthropologist (cultural ecology), born in Washington D. C. (d. 1972)
1916 – Frank Parker, American tennis player (4-time Grand Slam winner), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1997)
1946 – Subroto Guha, Indian cricketer (right arm swing bowler for India 1967-69), born in India
1960 – Grant Morrison, British comic book author, born in Glasgow, United Kingdom
1971 – Patrick Kielty, Northern Irish comedian, born in Dundrum, United Kingdom
1972 – Reinier Robbemond, Dutch soccer player (Dordrecht ’90), born in Dordrecht, Netherlands

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Famous Deaths

1615 – Claudio Aquaviva, Italian Jesuit priest (5th Superior General of the Society of Jesus), dies at 71
1974 – Harry Baum, actor (Crime and Punishment), dies at 58
1976 – Buster Brown, American blues singer and harmonica player (Fannie Mae), dies at 64
1999 – Shohei Baba, Japanese professional wrestler
2004 – Eleanor Holm, American 100m backstroke swimmer (Olympic gold 1932), dies at 90
2018 – Anne Gillis [Alma Conner], American actress (Faline-Bambi, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Men), dies at 90

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Historical Events

1818 – John Keats composes his sonnet “When I Have Fears”
1933 – Australian Championships Women’s Tennis, Melbourne: Joan Hartigan Bathurst beats Coral McInnes Buttsworth 6-4, 6-3
1956 – Australian Championships Women’s Tennis: Mary Carter Reitano beats fellow Australian Thelma Coyne Long 3-6, 6-2, 9-7 for her 1st Australian singles title
1977 – 8th (final) part of “Roots” is most-watched US entertainment show ever (100 million)
1982 – WBC super welterweight champion Wilfred Benitez of Puerto Rico defeats boxing legend Roberto Durán of Panama in a 15-round unanimous decision at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas
1982 – US female Figure Skating championship won by Rosalynn Sumners

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Famous Birthdays

1911 – Roy Eldridge, American jazz trumpet player (Gene Krupa, Artie Shaw), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1989)
1912 – Barbara Tuchman, American historian and author (Pulitzer, Guns of August), born in New York (d. 1989)
1938 – Marlies van Alcmaer [Smal], Dutch actress and director (Bridge too Far)
1944 – Lynn Harrell, American cellist, born in New York City, New York (d. 2020)
1951 – Trevor Laughlin, Australian cricketer (Australian all-rounder 1978-79), born in Nyah West, Australia
1994 – Amelia Dimoldenberg, English comedian and journalist (Chicken Shop Date), born in London, England

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Famous Deaths

1649 – Charles I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1625-49), beheaded for treason by Parliament at 48
1703 – Kiva Yoshinaka, Japanese retainer for the Shogun, murdered in the revenge of the 47 rōnin
1867 – Emperor Kōmei of Japan (b. 1831)
1945 – William Busch, British composer, dies at 43
1956 – Jane Seymour [Marjorie S Fitz-patrick], Canadian-American actress (Tom, Dick and Harry, Young Mr Bobbin), dies at 62
1963 – Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer (Concert champêtre; Les Biches), dies of a heart attack at 64

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Historical Events

1840 – First Governor of New Zealand and co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi Captain William Hobson arrives in the Bay of Islands, NZ
1966 – Neil Simons, Coleman and Fields’ musical “Sweet Charity” premieres at Palace Theater in NYC for 608 performances
1968 – Australian Championships Women’s Tennis: American Billie Jean King beats home favourite Margaret Court 6-1, 6-2 for her 13th Grand Slam singles title
1972 – 5th ABA All-Star Game: East 142 beats West 115 at Louisville, Kentucky
1974 – 1974 NFL Draft: Ed Jones from Tennessee State first pick by Dallas Cowboys
2019 – US Postal Service suspends deliveries to ten states due to severity of the polar vortex

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Famous Birthdays

1632 – Johann Georg Graevius, German classical scholar and critic (d. 1703)
1937 – Bobby Scott, American composer, arranger and jazz singer (“He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”), born in Mt Pleasant, New York (d. 1990)
1950 – Jody Scheckter, South African auto racer (World F1 Champion 1979), born in East London, South Africa
1955 – John Tate, American heavyweight boxer (Olympic bronze 1968)
1975 – Sara Gilbert, American actress (Darlene Conner-Roseanne), born in Santa Monica, California
1985 – Rag’n’Bone Man [Rory Charles Graham], English singer-songwriter (Human), born in Uckfield, England

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Famous Deaths

1993 – Michel Renault, French ballet dancer (Giselle), dies at 65
2004 – Otto Wilhelm Fischer, Austrian actor (Helden, Ich suche dich), dies of kidney disease at 88
2011 – Milton Babbitt, American mathematician, composer of serial and electronic music (Correspondences), and teacher (Princeton; Juilliard), dies at 94
2015 – Colleen McCullough, Australian author (Tim, Indecent Obsession, The Thorn Birds), dies at 77
2021 – Grady Gaines, American jazz, blues, and RandB tenor saxophonist (Little Richard; Sam Cooke, James Brown, Jackie Wilson), dies at 86
2022 – Rashid Byramji, Indian thoroughbred trainer (3,170 winners/230 classics; Elusive Pimpernel 22/23 starts; Squanderer 18/19 starts; Indian Derby x 10), dies at 88

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