Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1746 – “Bonnie Prince Charlie”, Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s troops occupy Stirling, Scotland [NS=Jan 19]
1798 – 11th Amendment ratified, judicial powers construed
1902 – New York state assemblyman Francis G. ​Landon gets a bill passed to criminalize men turning around on a street and “looking at a woman in that way”
1949 – “Make Mine Manhattan” closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 429 performances
1971 – 29 pilot whales beach themselves and die at San Clemente Island, California
1993 – NBC offers “The Tonight Show” to David Letterman

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Famous Birthdays

1788 – Archduke Rudolph of Austria, Austrian clergyman and noble, born in Florence, Tuscany (d. 1831)
1830 – Hans von Bülow, German pianist and composer, born in Dresden, Germany (d. 1894)
1836 – Lawrence Alma Tadema, Dutch-British painter, husband of Laura Epps, born in Dronryp, the Netherlands (d. 1912)
1912 – Rudolf George Escher, Dutch composer (True Face of Peace), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1980)
1928 – May Wynn [Donna Lee Hickey], American actress (Caine Mutiny, Noah’s Ark), born in NYC, New York
1940 – Cristy Lane, American country music and gospel singer, born in Peoria, Illinois

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Famous Deaths

1456 – St. Laurence Justinian [Lorenzo Giustiniani], Italian catholic bishop and 1st Patriarch of Venice, dies at 74
1651 – Giovanni Battista Gagliano, Italian composer, dies at 56
1986 – Mansel Treharne Thomas, Welsh composer, dies at 76
1993 – Hakija Turajlic, Bosnian vice-premier, murdered
2008 – Clyde Otis, American songwriter and music producer (b. c. 1924)
2010 – Monica Maughan, Australian actor (b. 1933)

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Historical Events

1610 – Galileo Galilei discovers the first three moons of Jupiter: Io, Europa and Ganymede
1890 – African American inventor William Purvis receives a patent for the fountain pen
1933 – 1st edition of People and Fatherland published in Netherlands
1964 – Bahamas becomes self-governing
1985 – Revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical “The King and I”, still starring Yul Brynner opens at Broadway Theater, NYC; runs for 191 performances
1994 – South Africa beat Australia in the Sydney Test by 5 runs

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Famous Birthdays

1903 – Vladimir Alexandrovich Vlasov, Russian composer and conductor, born in Moscow (d. 1986)
1911 – (Thelma) “Butterfly” McQueen, American actress (Gone With The Wind; Flame of Barbary Coast), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 1995)
1925 – Gerald Durrell, British naturalist, zoologist and writer (My Family and other Animals), born in Jamshedpur, British India (d. 1995)
1929 – Mario Bergamaschi, Italian soccer midfielder (5 caps; Calcio Como, A.C. Milan, U.C. Sampdoria), born in Crema, Italy (d. 2020)
1949 – Marshall Chapman, American country singer, born in Spartanburg, South Carolina
1962 – Aleksandr Dugin, Russian politician, born in Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

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Famous Deaths

1721 – Rochus Aerts, Flemish sculptor, dies [or 1739]
1743 – Anne Sophie Reventlow, Queen of Denmark and Norway (1721-30), dies at 49
1767 – Thomas Clap, American academic, 1st president of Yale University, dies at 63
1922 – Antonio Scontrino, Italian composer, dies at 71
1935 – Alfred Ewing, Scottish Physicist (magnetic properties of metals, hysteresis), dies at 79
1943 – Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American physicist, electrical engineer and inventor who developed alternating current and the Tesla Coil, dies at 86

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Historical Events

1017 – Cnut the Great crowned King of England in London by Lyfing, Archbishop of Canterbury
1617 – English court favorite George Villiers is made Earl of Buckingham by King James I
1781 – Battle of Jersey: Major Francis Peirson and his men defeat invading French troops
1896 – 1st US women’s 6-day bicycle race starts, Madison Square Garden
1929 – Alexander I establishes a royal dictatorship in Yugoslavia
2009 – Israel begins an assault on the Gaza Strip

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Famous Birthdays

1811 – Charles Sumner, American leading Reconstruction senator, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1874)
1916 – Vincent Serventy, Australian writer and conservationist, born in Armadale, Australia (d. 2007)
1936 – Ebo Taylor, Ghanaian highlife and Afrobeat musician and composer, born in Cape Coast, Gold Coast
1952 – Larry Booker (Moondog Spot), American pro wrestler (WWF Tag Team champion 1981), born in Louisiana, United States (d. 2003)
1969 – Nick A’Hern, Australian 20k walker (Olympics 22-92, 96), born in Swansea, United Kingdom
1978 – Nikki Einfeld, Canadian coloratura soprano, born in Manitoba

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Famous Deaths

1849 – Hartley Coleridge, English poet, dies at 52
1960 – Erik Lindahl, Swedish economist (Theory of Money and Capital), dies at 68
1993 – Elisabeth, arch duch of Austria/princess of Liechtenstein, dies at 70
1997 – Ian Peter Leslie Smith, British journalist, dies at 52
2007 – Roberta Wohlstetter, military historian and strategist (b. 1912)
2021 – Bobby Few, American jazz pianist and vocalist, dies at 85

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Historical Events

1925 – James Gleason and Richard Tabers “Is zat so?” premieres in NYC
1942 – 55 German tanks reach North-Africa
1969 – Creedence Clearwater Revival release their second album “Bayou Country”, featuring singles “Good Golly, Miss Molly” and “Proud Mary”
1972 – US President Nixon signs a bill for NASA to begin research on a manned space shuttle
1976 – In retaliation for the Reavey and O’Dowd killings, the South Armagh Republican Action Force shoot dead 10 Protestant civilians after stopping their minibus in County Armagh
1995 – Bill Fitch becomes the 5th coach in NBA history to register 850 career victories with the LA Clippers’ 95-93 home win over Philadelphia 76’ers at the LA Memorial Sports Arena

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Famous Birthdays

1888 – George “Rube” Foster, American baseball pitcher (World Series 1915, 16; no-hitter 1916; Boston Red Sox), born in Lehigh, Oklahoma (d. 1976)
1932 – Umberto Eco, Italian philosopher and author (Name of the Rose), born in Alessandria, Piedmont (d. 2016)
1938 – Leo Avery, Abbot of Quarr Abbey, born in Wakefield, United Kingdom (d. 1996)
1969 – Marilyn Manson [Brian Warner], American shock-rock singer-songwriter (Marilyn Manson – “The Dope Show”; “Tainted Love”), artist and actor, born in Canton, Ohio
1973 – Phil Joel, Australian bassist (Newsboys), born in Auckland, New Zealand
1987 – Kristin Cavallari, American actress, born in Denver, Colorado

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Famous Deaths

1740 – Antonio Lotti, Italian opera composer, dies at about 72
1858 – Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, Czech field marshal, dies at 91
1904 – Karl Alfred Ritter von Zittel, German geologist and paleontologist (Libya), dies at 64
1986 – Ilmari Salminen, Finnish athlete (Olympic gold 10,000m 1936), dies at 83
2003 – Massimo Girotti, Italian actor (Last Tango in Paris, In the Name of the Law), dies of a heart attack at 84
2006 – Lord Merlyn-Rees, British politician (b. 1920)

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Historical Events

871 – Battle at Reading: Ethelred of Wessex defeated by Danish invasion army
1932 – State of siege proclaimed in Honduras
1947 – “Show Boat” closes at Ziegfeld Theater NYC after 417 performances
1968 – Leo Fender sells Fender Guitars for $13 million to CBS
1970 – Walter Cronkite ends hosting weekly documentary
2001 – Rapper Vanilla Ice spends night in jail after allegedly ripping out some of his wife’s hair during a row

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Famous Birthdays

1807 – Baltasar Saldoni, Spanish composer and musicologist, born in Barcelona, Spain (d. 1889)
1901 – C. L. R. James [Cyril Lionel Robert James], Trinidadian historian (The Black Jacobins), journalist, intellectual and socialist, born in Tunapuna, Trinidad (d. 1989)
1925 – Johnny Lujack, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Heisman Trophy 1947; National C’ship 1943, 46-47; Notre Dame; Pro Bowl 1950-51; Chicago Bears), born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania
1944 – Alan Sutherland, New Zealand rugby union number 8 (10 caps; Marlborough), born in Blenheim, New Zealand (d. 2020)
1968 – Mike Wilpolt, American football player and coach, born in Broomfield, Colorado
1986 – Steve Slaton, American football player, born in Levittown, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1874 – Thomas Gregson, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1798)
1931 – Roger Connor, American Baseball Hall of Fame 1st baseman (career HR record 138 stood for 23 years; NL batting champion 1885; NL RBI leader 1889; NY Giants), dies of a stomach illness at 73
1931 – Arthemus “Art” Acord, American silent film actor and rodeo champion (Arizona Kid, Hard Fists), commits suicide by poison at 40
1991 – Berry Kroeger, actor (Demon Seed), dies of kidney failure at 78
2007 – Gren, Welsh newspaper cartoonist (b. 1934)
2021 – Gregory Sierra, American stage and screen actor (Barney Miller – “Chano”), dies of cancer at 83

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Historical Events

1746 – “Bonnie Prince Charlie”, Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s army leaves Glasgow, Scotland [NS=Jan 14]
1825 – Scottish factory owner Robert Owen buys 30,000 acres in Indiana as site for New Harmony utopian community
1952 – “Dragnet” with Jack Webb premieres on NBC TV
1979 – Australian Open Men’s Tennis: Guillermo Vilas of Argentina wins 3rd Grand Slam title; beats Australian John Marks 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
1993 – “The Comeback”, QB Frank Reich leads Buffalo Bills back from a 32-point deficit, to defeat the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime in a wild card playoff game, the greatest comeback ever in NFL history
2013 – 42nd Fiesta Bowl: #5 Oregon beats #7 Kansas State, 35-17

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Famous Birthdays

1916 – Antonio Estévez, Venezuelan composer and conductor (Cantata Criolla), born in Calabozo, Guárico, Venezuela (d. 1988)
1921 – John Russell, American actor (Pale Rider, Rio Bravo), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1991)
1973 – Dan Harmon, American voice actor, producer and writer (Rick and Morty, Community), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1975 – Thomas Bangalter, French DJ (Daft Punk – “Get Lucky”), born in Paris, France
1989 – Kōhei Uchimura, Japanese gymnast (Olympic gold all-round 2012; team, all-round 2016; World C’ships 10 x gold), born in Kitakyushu, Japan
1989 – Anya Rozova [Anya Kop], Russian American model and America’s Next Top Model contestant, born in Leningrad, USSR

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Famous Deaths

1501 – Ali Sjir Neva’i [Fani], Turkish poet/author, dies at 59
1931 – Joseph J C Joffre, French marshal, dies at 78
1943 – Sir Walter James, Premier of Western Australia, dies at 79 (b. 1863)
1988 – William Cagney, American producer and actor (Torrid Zone), brother of James Cagney, dies of a heart attack at 82
2014 – Saul Zaentz, American record company executive (Fantasy), and film producer (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest; Amadeus; The Unbearable Lightness Of Being; The English Patient), dies of Alzheimer’s disease complications at 92
2018 – Konrad Ragossnig, Austrian classical guitarist and lutenist, dies at 85

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Historical Events

1890 – Record 19.2 feet alligator shot in Louisiana by American businessman Edward Avery McIlhenny
1909 – 1st official Dutch 11 city skate (Minne Hoekstra in 13:50)
1939 – 5th Sugar Bowl: #1 TCU beats #6 Carnegie Tech, 15-7
1941 – World War II: German bombing severely damages the Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales
1961 – 27th Sugar Bowl: #2 Mississippi beats Rice, 14-6
1985 – Nevada Las Vegas basketball gives coach Jerry Tarkanian his 600th career victory with a 142-140 win over Utah State in triple overtime; total of 282 points breaks NCAA men’s record of 275 set in 1976

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Famous Birthdays

1873 – Thérèse de Lisieux, French Roman-Catholic nun (d. 1897)
1907 – Salvador Ley, Guatemalan pianist, composer, and educator (National Conservatory; Westchester Conservatory), born in Guatemala City, Guatemala (d. 1985)
1928 – Vaughn Beals, CEO (Harley Davidson motorcycle), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
1945 – Slobodan Praljak, Bosnian Croat general and war criminal, born in Čapljina, Independent State of Croatia (d. 2017)
1954 – Henry Bonilla, American politician (US House of Representatives (R) from Texas, 1993-2007), born in San Antonio, Texas
1965 – Greg Swindell, American baseball pitcher (World Series 2001; MLB All Star 1989; Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, Arizona Diamondbacks), born in Fort Worth, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1918 – Sybe Kornelis Bakker, Dutch Christian socialist and reformed preacher, dies at 42
1923 – Sam Carter, African American resident of Rosewood Florida, lynched in the Rosewood Massacre
1971 – Lloyd Hall, African-American chemist and pioneer in food chemistry (science of food preservation), dies at 76
1994 – Sammy Taft, Canadian businessman (coined term “hat trick”), dies at 81
2012 – Gordon Hirabayashi, American sociologist and opponent to Japanese-American internment, dies after Alzheimer’s disease at 93
2020 – Grant Weatherstone, Scotland rugby union winger (16 caps; Edinburgh District), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1801 – The Irish Parliament votes to join the Kingdom of Great Britain, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
1911 – Belgian Mining law introduces 9½ hour work day
1935 – 1st Sugar Bowl: Tulane beats Temple, 20-14
1940 – 6th Orange Bowl: #16 Georgia Tech beats #6 Missouri, 21-7
1972 – “On the Town” closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 65 performances
2020 – 106th Rose Bowl: #6 Oregon beats #8 Wisconsin, 28-27; MVPs: Justin Herbert (QB, Oregon) and Brady Breeze (S, Oregon)

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Famous Birthdays

1431 – Alexander VI [Rodrigo Borgia], Spanish born Pope controversial for acknowledging his children (1492-1503), born in Xàtiva, Spain (d. 1503)
1735 – Paul Revere, American silversmith and patriot who alerted the colonial militia to the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1818)
1938 – Bill Emerson, American politician (Rep-R-MO, 1981-96), born in Saint Louis Missouri (d. 1996)
1955 – Mary Beard, English classical scholar (University of Cambridge), born in Much Wenlock, England
1969 – Christi Paul, American news anchor
1978 – Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda, Indian spiritualist

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Famous Deaths

1982 – Paul Belmondo, French sculptor (Bathing Woman, Orleans), dies at 83
1990 – Joe Hardstaff Jr., English cricket batsman (23 Tests, 1,636 runs @ 46.74; Nottinghamshire CCC), dies at 78
2002 – Julia Phillips, American film producer, dies at 57
2007 – Julius Hegyi, American conductor, dies at 83
2015 – Donna Douglas, American actress (Elly May Clampett-The Beverly Hillbillies), dies of pancreatic cancer at 82
2015 – Mario Cuomo, American Democratic Party politician and the 52nd Governor of New York (1983-95), dies of a heart condition at 82

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Historical Events

1917 – Dutch Social-democratic trade union NVV counts 159,450 members
1962 – Ohio ends suit against Reds when they agree to stay in Cin for 10 yrs
1972 – Leap second day; also in 1973-79, 1987
1978 – “Magic Show” closes at Cort Theater NYC after 1859 performances
1995 – “Having Our Say” closes at Booth Theater NYC after 308 performances
1998 – US movie box office hits record $6.24 billion for year

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Famous Birthdays

1714 – Yoriyuki Arima, Japanese mathematician (approximated the value of pi and its square, pi^2), born in Kurume, Kyūshū, Japan (d. 1783)
1885 – Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein, born in Province of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1970)
1894 – Ernest John Moeran, English composer, born in London Borough of Hounslow, United Kingdom (d. 1950)
1904 – Chuck Gardiner, Canadian NHL goalie (Vezina winner), born in Edinburgh, United Kingdom (d. 1934)
1937 – Nicolas Born, German writer, born in Duisburg (d. 1979)
1966 – Paula Barbieri, American model and actress (Dangerous), born in Panama City, Florida

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Famous Deaths

192 – Commodus, Emperor of Rome (180-192), murdered at 31
1950 – Charles Koechlin, French composer (The Jungle Book), dies at 83
1980 – Arthur Wellard, English cricket all-rounder (2 Tests, 7 wickets, BB 4/81; Somerset CCC), dies at 78
1991 – Georges Poulet, French-Belgian critic (Temps Humain), dies at 89
1996 – Philip Manson-Bahr, English zoologist and specialist in tropical medicine, dies at 85
1997 – Floyd Cramer, American Country Music Hall of Fame pianist (“Last Date”; “On the Rebound”), dies of cancer at 64

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Historical Events

1926 – Chicago Tribune reports the Tigers threw a 4-game series to the White Sox in 1917 to help Chicago win the pennant (never substantiated)
1929 – Cole Porter’s musical “Wake Up And Dream” opens at the Selwyn Theatre, NYC; runs for 136 performances
1956 – National Football League Championship, Yankee Stadium, NYC: New York Giants beat Chicago Bears, 47-7; Giants’ 4th NFL title
1990 – 11th United Negro College Fund raises $10,000,000
2005 – Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic Ocean, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin
2017 – 84th Orange Bowl: #6 Wisconsin beats #11 Miami (Florida), 34-24

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Famous Birthdays

1859 – Josef Bohuslav Foerster, Czech composer, born in Prague, Bohemia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (d. 1951)
1897 – Alfredo Bracchi, Italian author (d. 1976)
1921 – Rashid Karami, Lebanon, 10 time PM: 1955..87 of Lebanon
1940 – Jerry Granelli, American-Canadian jazz drummer (Vince Guaraldi Trio; Mose Allison), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2021)
1963 – Milan Srejber, Czech tennis star
1969 – Michelle McGann, American golfer (7 LPGA Tour wins), born in West Palm Beach, Florida

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Famous Deaths

1525 – Jacob Fugger, German banker/merchant, dies at 66
1591 – Pope Innocent IX [Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti], 230th Catholic pope (1591), dies at 72
1899 – James Paget, English surgeon (disease of Paget), dies at 85
1952 – Ivan Olbracht, writer, dies
1986 – Era Bell Thompson, American journalist (b. 1905)
1998 – George Webb, British actor (Keeping Up Appearances), dies of natural causes at 86

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