Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1499 – Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier (Brittany). Breton-French-Latin dictionary written in 1464 by Jehan Lagadeuc was first Breton and French dictionary
1811 – El Salvador’s 1st battle against Spain for independence
1873 – Due to the fallout from the Pacific Scandal, John A. Macdonald resigns as Prime Minister of Canada
1973 – Arab producers announce 25 percent cut in oil production
1992 – “Revenge Match of the 20th century” American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer defeats Russian Boris Spassky to win an unofficial match in Belgrade
2000 – Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie is laid to rest 25 years after his death after a funeral procession through Addis Ababa

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Famous Birthdays

1885 – Will Durant, American author and historian (The Story of Philosophy, The Story of Civilization), born in North Adams, Massachusetts (d. 1981)
1911 – Roy Rogers, American cowboy actor and singer (“Happy Trails”; Roy Rogers Show), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1998)
1920 – Douglass North, American economist, (Nobel Prize Economic Sciences 1993), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 2015)
1930 – Clifford Irving, American novelist and investigative reporter (hoax autobiography of Howard Hughes), born in NYC, New York (d. 2017)
1951 – Tony Evers, American politician, Governor of Wisconsin (2019-), born in Plymouth, Wisconsin
1974 – Chris Sununu, American politician, Governor of New Hampshire (2017-), born in Salem, New Hampshire

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Famous Deaths

1680 – Gillis Valckenier, mayor of Amsterdam (1665..80), dies at about 57
1828 – Maria Feodorovna of Russia, second wife of Tsar Paul I of Russia, dies at 69
1860 – Carl Binder, Austrian composer, dies at 43
1989 – Barry Sadler, American singer (“Ballad Of The Green Berets”), dies from complications of being shot at 49
1990 – Herbert Berghof, Austrian actor (Belarus File, Harry and Tonto, Target), dies of heart failure at 81
1991 – Robert Maxwell, Czech-British billionaire publisher, politician and fraudster (Mirror Group, NY Daily News), drowns at sea at 68

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Historical Events

1501 – Philip de Blank and Juana “la Loca” depart to Spain
1929 – John L. Balderston’s play “Berkeley Square” starring Leslie Howard premieres in NYC
1981 – Beth Henley’s “Crimes of the Heart” premieres in NYC
1990 – Iraq says it is preparing for a “dangerous war”
2008 – Barack Obama becomes the first African-American to be elected President of the United States, defeating Republican candidate John McCain
2009 – Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat Philadelphia Phillies, 7-3 in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium to win Bronx Bombers’ record 27th title; MVP: NY outfielder Hideki Matsui

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Famous Birthdays

1590 – Gerard van Honthorst, Dutch painter, born in Utrecht, Netherlands (d. 1656)
1790 – Carlos Antonio López, 1st President of Paraguay (1844-62), born in Asunción, Paraguay (d. 1862)
1927 – Vittorio Fellegara, Italian composer, born in Milan (d. 2011)
1968 – Domingo Cedeno, Dominican infielder (Toronto Blue Jays), born in La Ramona, Dominican Republic
1969 – Tommy Henry, American CFL defensive back (Edmonton Eskimos)
1977 – Tonicha Jeronimo, British actress (Emmerdale), born in Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1968 – Paul JM Lindemans, Flemish agricultural engineer and author, dies at 78
1984 – Merie Earle [Ireland], American film and television character actress (The Waltons – “Maude Gormley”), dies of uremic poisoning at 95
2003 – Charles Causley, Cornish writer and poet (b. 1917)
2006 – Torolf Elster, Norwegian journalist and writer (Frihet och demokrati), dies at 95
2020 – Ken Hensley, British rock songwriter, keyboardist, and singer (Uriah Heep, 1970-80 – “Easy Livin'”; Blackfoot, 1982-84), dies at 75
2021 – (Henry) Lionel Blair [Ogus], Canadian-British choreographer, tap dancer, actor, and television presenter, dies at 92

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Historical Events

644 – Umar ibn al-Khattab, second Muslim caliph, is killed in Medina by Lu’lu, an enslaved Persian captive
1937 – Howie Morenz Memorial Game, Montreal Forum: NHL All-Stars beat Montreal All Stars, 6-5
1943 – P-47D Thunderbolt shot down above North Holland
1964 – For 1st time since 1800, residents of Washington, D.C. permitted to vote
1980 – Walter Hass Jr becomes CEO of Oakland A’s
1989 – 100s of Bulgarian demonstrate in Sofia for democratic rights

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Famous Birthdays

1831 – Ignatius Donnelly, American politician, writer, and amateur scientist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1901)
1863 – Eugène Samuel-Holeman, Belgian composer, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1942)
1918 – Dean Riesner, American film and television screenwriter (Bill and Coo), born in New Rochelle, New York (d. 2002)
1934 – Derek Richardson, English cricket batsman (1 Test; Worcestershire 383 first class games), born in Hereford, Herefordshire
1938 – Jean Rollin, French director and screenwriter
1995 – Kendall Jenner, American model and TV personality (Keeping Up with the Kardashians), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1787 – Robert Lowth, British Bishop of the Church of England and grammarian (A Short Introduction to English Grammar), dies at 76
1864 – Antonio Goncalves Dias, Brazilian national poet, dies at sea
1890 – Ulrich Ochsenbein, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1811)
1914 – Georg Trakl, Austria poet (Totentag, Cocaine Overdose), dies at 27
1929 – Olav Aukrust, Norwegian poet (b. 1883)
1986 – Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis [Edward F. Davis], American jazz saxophonist (Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band), dies of cancer at 65

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Historical Events

1698 – Scottish settlers make landfall in Panama, establishing the ill-fated ‘Darien Venture’ colony
1852 – Franklin Pierce elected as President of US
1944 – Canadian troops occupy Knokke
1968 – “Her First Roman” closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 17 performances
1995 – Spanish Broadcasting System buys NY radio station WPAT-FM for $83.5M
2002 – Mark Messier plays his 1,616th NHL game, a 3-2 Rangers loss against the St. Blues, to move into 2nd place on the all-time games played list; passes Larry Murphy and ends career with 1,756 games, just 11 shy of Gordie Howe

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Famous Birthdays

1528 – Peter Lotichius Secundus [Peter Lotz], Neo latin poet (Collected Works), born in Schlüchtern, Hesse, Germany (d. 1560)
1899 – Edgar du Perron, Dutch author and poet (Land of Origin), born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (d. 1940)
1924 – David Bauer, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame player and builder (priest, school coach; National Team manager), born in Kitchener, Ontario (d. 1988)
1947 – Dave Pegg, British folk and rock bassist and producer (Fairport Convention 1969-79 and 1985-present; Jethro Tull, 1980-85), born in Birmingham, England
1962 – Simon Hill, English-Australian football commentator, born in Manchester
1963 – Ines Diers, German swimmer (GDR Olympic gold 400m, 4x100m relay 1980), born in Rochlitz, Sachsen, Germany

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Famous Deaths

1863 – Theodore Judah, American railroad engineer (b. 1826)
1882 – Cenobio Paniagua, Mexican composer, dies at 61
1950 – George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist (Pygmalion, Nobel Prize for Literature 1925), dies at 94
1980 – Edith Bunker, character on “All in the Family”, dies
1994 – David Feinberg, American AIDS activist and author, dies at 37
2012 – Milt Campbell, American decathlete (Olympic gold 1956), dies from prostate cancer and diabetes at 78

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Historical Events

1943 – Dim-out ban lifted in San Francisco Bay area
1976 – “Don’t Step on My Olive Branch” opens at Playhouse NYC for 16 performances
1979 – Tanker Burmah Agate off Galveston Bay, Texas, spills 10.7 m gallons of oil, in US’s worst oil spill disaster
1993 – After playing 12 Tests for Australia, fast bowler Michael Whitney plays his final day in 1st class cricket for NSW in a tour match loss v New Zealand in Newcastle
1993 – Atlantic Radio (20 radio stations) becomes American Radio Systems
2009 – British Mercedes driver Jenson Button finishes 3rd in inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit to win his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 11 points from Sebastian Vettel

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Famous Birthdays

1351 – Leopold III, Duke of Austria (1365-68), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1386)
1526 – Catherine Jagellion, Polish princess and queen of Sweden as the wife of John III of Sweden, born in Kraków, Poland (d. 1583)
1530 – Étienne de La Boétie, French judge and writer, born in Sarlat-la-Canéda, Périgord, France (d. 1563)
1897 – Naomi Mitchison, Scottish author (African Heroes, Return to Fairy Hill), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1999)
1911 – Henri Troyat, Russian-French author and historian, born in Moscow (d. 2007)
1934 – Umberto Agnelli, Italian automotive executive (Fiat, 1965-2004), born in Lausanne, Switzerland (d. 2004)

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Famous Deaths

1596 – Pierre Pithou, French lawyer and scholar (Les Libertés de l’église gallicane), dies at 57
1678 – William Coddington, first Governor of Rhode Island (b. 1601)
1985 – Arnold Pihlak, Estonian soccer forward (44 caps; FK Austria Wien), dies at 83
1995 – Desmond Shawe-Taylor, British critic and writer (co-author of The Record Guide), dies at 88
2006 – William Styron, American novelist (Confess of Nat Turner, Sophie’s Choice), dies at 81
2012 – Pascual Pérez, Dominican baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1983; Atlanta Braves), dies during apparent home robbery at 55

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Historical Events

802 – Empress Irene of Byzantium driven out
1887 – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral work “Capriccio Espagnol” premieres in St Petersburg
1917 – World War I: Battle of Beersheba in southern Palestine – “last successful cavalry charge in history” performed by the 4th Australian Light Horse
1973 – Tom Seaver wins NL Cy Young Award
1981 – 1st live US radio drama in 25 years (Halloween Story on NBC)
2003 – Bethany Hamilton, aged 13, has her arm bitten off by a shark while surfing in Hawaii

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Famous Birthdays

1838 – Luís I, King of Portugal (1861-89), born in Necessidades Palace, Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1889)
1887 – William Whysall, British cricketer (4 Tests for England 1924-30) (d. 1930)
1912 – Ollie Johnston, American animator and the last living member of Disney’s Nine Old Men, born in Palo Alto, California (d. 2008)
1914 – Joe Carcione, American consumer advocate (The Green Grocer) (d. 1988)
1970 – Craig Kelly, English actor (Queer as Folk, Coronation Street), born in Lytham St Annes, England
1970 – Nicholas “Nicky” Wu, Taiwanese singer, actor and martial arts expert (Xiao Hu Dui/Little Tiger Team), born in Taipei, Taiwan

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Famous Deaths

1917 – Tibby Cotter, Australian cricket fast bowler and soldier (21 Tests, 49 wickets), dies in world’s last successful cavalry charge, 4th Light Horse Brigade at Beersheba at 33
1926 – Harry Houdini [Erich Weiss], Famous magician and escape artist, dies at 52 in Detroit of gangrene and peritonitis that developed after his appendix ruptured
1939 – Otto Rank [Rosenfeld], Austria psychoanalyst (Trauma of Geburt), dies
1991 – Johan Schmitz, actor (Gysbregt van Aemstel/Soldat van Orange), dies
1996 – Andrew Hutchings, British trade union leader, dies at 88
2014 – Käbi Laretei, Estonian-Swedish concert pianist, dies at 92

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Historical Events

1503 – Queen Isabella of Spain bans violence against Indians in the Americas
1944 – Aaron Copland’s ballet score “Appalachian Spring” premieres in Washington, D.C. with Martha Graham dancing lead role
1947 – Darius Milhaud’s 3rd Symphony “Hymnus Ambrosianus,” premieres in Paris
1967 – Dolly Parton releases her debut single with Porter Wagoner “The Last Thing On My Mind”
2011 – “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” based on the book by Stephenie Meyer, directed by Bill Condon, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, premieres at the Rome Film Festival
2021 – World Leader agree historic corporate tax agreement of at least 15% at G20 summit in Rome

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Famous Birthdays

1739 – Grigory Potemkin, Russian military leader, statesman and favorite of Catherine the Great, born in Chizhovo near Smolensk (d. 1791)
1840 – William Graham Sumner, American sociologist (Folkways), born in Paterson, New Jersey (d. 1910)
1904 – Alfred Gradstein, Polish composer, born in Częstochowa, Poland (d. 1954)
1961 – Hans Segers, Dutch soccer goalkeeper and coach (Wimbledon), born in Eindhoven, Netherlands
1970 – James Pedro, American lightweight judoka (Olympic bronze 1992, 96), born in Danvers, Massachusetts
1979 – Yukie Nakama, Japanese actress, born in Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1932 – Paul S Methuen, English baron/fieldmarshal/gov of Natal, dies at 87
1969 – George “Pops” Foster, American jazz double bassist, tuba player, and trumpeter (Louis Armstrong; Sidney Bechet; Earl Hines), dies at 77
1979 – Donna Rachele Mussolini, wife of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, dies at 89
1991 – Johan Mekkink, painter, dies
2007 – John Woodruff, American athlete (Olympic gold 1936), dies at 92
2017 – M V Sridhar, Indian cricketer (scored 366 for Hyderabad v Andhra Pradesh 1994), dies of a heart attack at 51

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Historical Events

1921 – The Link River Dam, a part of the Klamath Reclamation Project, is completed in northern California and Oregon
1932 – French liner Normandie is launched
1945 – Happy Chandler resigns as US Senator, remains as baseball commissioner
1982 – Car maker John DeLorean indicted for drug trafficking, later acquitted
1988 – First scheduled Soviet shuttle launch (postponed)
2017 – British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finishes a distant 9th in Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez; good enough to clinch his 4th F1 World Drivers Championship

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Famous Birthdays

1704 – John Byng, English admiral executed by firing squad at 52 for neglecting his duty in defence of Minorca, born in Southill, Bedfordshire, England (d. 1757)
1853 – Josephine Beall Bruce, African-American activist (NACW) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1923)
1882 – Jean Giraudoux, French writer and playwright (The Madwoman of Chaillot), born in Bellac, Haute-Vienne, France (d. 1944)
1923 – Dietrich Manicke, German composer, born in Wurzen, Saxony, Germany (d. 2013)
1937 – Sonny Osborne, American bluegrass banjo player (The Osborne Brothers – “Rocky Top”), born in Roark, Kentucky (d. 2021)
1938 – Ralph Bakshi, Krymchak-American animator and film maker (Fritz the Cat; Lord of the Rings (1978); Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures), born in Haifa, Mandatory Palestine

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Famous Deaths

1677 – Charles Coypeau Dassoucy, French poet and singer, dies at 72
1919 – A. B. Simpson, Canadian preacher (b. 1843)
1965 – Bill McKechnie, American Baseball HOF manager (World Series 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1940 Cincinnati Reds) and coach (World Series 1948 Cleveland Indians), dies at 79
1979 – Ramon “Tiki” Fulwood, American funk drummer (Parliament-Funkadelic; Miles Davis), dies of stomach cancer at 35
1983 – Sten Broman, Swedish composer, dies at 81
2011 – Jimmy Savile, British entertainer and suspected sexual predator, dies at 84

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Historical Events

1619 – Japanese Keichō Embassy headed by Hasekura Tsunenaga leaves Sendai aboard the Japanese-built Date Maru galleon for Acapulco
1886 – Statue of Liberty dedicated by US President Grover Cleveland, celebrated by first confetti (ticker tape) parade in New York City
1915 – Richard Strauss’ Alpensymfonie, premieres in Berlin
1916 – Australian government holds a national referendum seeking support for the proposal of compulsory conscription; it is rejected
1959 – Jean Genet’s play “Les Negres” premieres in Paris
1995 – Breeders’ Cup Horse Racing, Belmont Park; winners: Cigar, Desert Stormer, Inside Information, My Flag, Northern Spur, Ridgewood Pearl, Unbridled’s Song

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Famous Birthdays

1703 – Antoine Deparcieux, French mathematician, born in Portes, Gard, France (d. 1768)
1930 – John Mayer, Indian violinist and composer (Indo-Jazz Fusions), born in Calcutta, Bengal, British India (d. 2004)
1948 – Telma Hopkins, American singer (Tony Orlando and Dawn – “Tie A Yellow Ribbon”), and actress (Family Matters), born in Louisville, Kentucky
1958 – Manzoor Hussain, Pakistani field hockey striker (Olympic gold 1986; World Cup gold 1978, 82; 175 caps, 86 goals), born in Sialkot, Pakistan (d. 2022)
1966 – Aris Spiliotopoulos, Greek politician
1985 – Richard Smith, American entrepreneur

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Famous Deaths

1639 – Stefano Landi, Italian composer (b. 1587)
1897 – Hercules Robinson, British colonial administrator (Ceylon, Fiji, New Zealand, South Africa), dies at 72
1929 – Bernhard von Bülow, Chancellor of the German Empire (1900-09), dies at 80
1994 – Sjlomo Goren, Polish/Israeli supreme rabbi, dies
2005 – Raymond Hains, French artist (b. 1926)
2010 – Jonathan Motzfeldt, Greenlander statesman (b. 1938)

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Historical Events

312 – Roman Emperor Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross
1946 – Georgi Domitrovs National Front wins Bulgaria elections (78%)
1950 – Paul Creston’s 3rd Symphony, “Triumph of St Joan” premieres
1962 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1985 – Anthony Carter begins NFL streak of 100+ consecutive game receptions
2001 – Breeders’ Cup Horse Racing, Belmont Park; winners: Tiznow, Johannesburg, Unbridled Elaine, Fantastic Light, Val Royal, Banks Hill, Tempera, Squirtle Squirt

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Famous Birthdays

1763 – William Maclure, Scottish-American Geologist (first geological map), born in Ayr, Scotland (d. 1840)
1932 – Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor (Trout), born in Paris, France (d. 2007)
1938 – Elliot del Borgo, American music educator (SUNY/Crane School of Music, 1966-95) and composer (1980 Winter Olympics), born in Port Chester, New York (d. 2013)
1946 – Peter Martins, Danish dancer and choreographer, born in Copenhagen, Denmark
1964 – Mary T. Meagher, American swimmer (3 x Olympic gold 100/200m butterfly, 4x100m medley 1984; WR 100/200m butterfly 1981), born in Louisville, Kentucky
1967 – Jaren Jackson, American NBA guard and forward (Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs), born in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Famous Deaths

1955 – Clark Griffith, American Baseball HOF pitcher (MLB ERA leader 1898 Chicago Colts/Orphans) and manager (Chicago WS, NY Highlanders, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Sens [owner]), dies at 85
1966 – Nigel Haig, English cricket all-rounder (5 Tests; 1,000 runs and 100 wickets 1921, 27, 29 Middlesex), dies at 78
1977 – Peg Leg Sam [Arthur Jackson], American country blues harmonica player, singer and comedian, dies at 65
2004 – Lester Lanin, American orchestra leader (40 Beatle Hits), dies at 97
2006 – Joe Niekro, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1979; NL wins leader 1979; Houston Astros; World Series 1987; NY Yankees), dies from a brain aneurysm at 61
2010 – Néstor Kirchner, Argentine politician, President of Argentina (2003-2007), dies of heart failure at 60

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