Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1811 – Venezuelan Declaration of Independence: 7 provinces declare themselves independent of Spain
1813 – War of 1812: Three weeks of British raids on Fort Schlosser, Black Rock and Plattsburgh, New York begin
1843 – Committee of 9 appointed to establish civil government in Oregon Country
1993 – Icelandic musician Björk releases her 1st solo album “Debut”
2018 – At least 24 killed in explosions at pyrotechnics workshops in Tultepec, Mexico
2020 – Florida reports a record 11,458 daily COVID-19 cases

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Famous Birthdays

1882 – Inayat Khan, Indian singer, musicologist, and philosopher (founder of Sufi Order – London, 1914), born in Vadodra, Bombay State, British India (d. 1927)
1928 – Warren Oates, American actor (Dillinger, East of Eden, Stoney Burke), born in Depoy, Muhlenberg County (d. 1982)
1946 – Pierre-Marc Johnson, Québéc lawyer, physician and politician (24th Premier of Quebec), born in Montreal, Quebec
1964 – Mark H Lascells, grandson of English princess Mary
1980 – Jason Wade, American singer and musician (Lifehouse), born in Camarillo, California
1984 – Yu Yamada, Ryukyuan model, actress and singer, born in Okinawa, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1773 – Francisco José Freire, Portuguese historian and philologist (b. 1719)
1833 – Nicéphore Niépce, French inventor (b. 1765)
1894 – Betty Paoli, writer, dies
1950 – Private Kenneth Shadrick becomes the first identified American soldier killed in the Korean War
1985 – Jack Robertson, South African cricket spinner (3 Tests v Aust 1935-36), dies
2005 – Shirley Goodman, American singer (b. 1936)

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Historical Events

993 – Saint Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized.
1708 – Battle of Holowczyn: Swedish King Charles XII defeats superior Russian force in surprising vctory
1968 – Arthur Kopit’s “Indians” premieres in London
1975 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Billie Jean King outclasses Evonne Goolagong 6-0, 6-1 for her 6th Wimbledon singles title
1976 – Opening ceremony of the Dai Bosatsu monastery Catskill Mt NY
1988 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Stefan Edberg of Sweden wins his first of 2 Wimbledon singles titles beating Boris Becker 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a rain-affected final

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Famous Birthdays

1912 – Virginia Graham, American TV personality (Girl Talk, Where Was I), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1998)
1920 – Norm Drucker, American basketball referee (NBA Supervisor of Officials 1977–81; ABA Supervisor of the Officials 1969–73), born in NYC, New York (d. 2015)
1928 – Patrick Tilley, British sci-fi author (1st Family, Blood River)
1965 – Jo Whiley, English radio DJ, born in Northampton, United Kingdom
1968 – Mark Lenzi, American 3m spring diver (Olympic gold 1992), born in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (d. 2012)
1972 – William Goldsmith, American drummer (Foo Fighters; Sunny Day Real Estate), born in Seattle, Washington

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Famous Deaths

1187 – Reinoud van Châtillon, French prince of Antioch, dies
1603 – Philippus the Monte, priest/bandmaster/composer, dies at 82
1902 – Swami Vivekananda, Indian Hindu spiritual leader and a key figure in the introduction of Yoga to the Western world, dies while meditating at 39
2002 – Mansoor Hekmat, Iranian politician (b. 1951)
2003 – Barry White, American singer (Love’s Theme), dies at 58
2012 – Jimmy Bivins [James], American Hall of Fame boxer, dies from pneumonia at 92

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Historical Events

1090 – Battle at Hagenoorde: German emperor beats earl Egbert II
1841 – John Couch Adams decides to determine position of an unknown planet by irregularities it causes in the motion of Uranus
1954 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Maureen Connolly wins her 3rd consecutive Wimbledon singles title beating fellow American Louise Brough 6-2, 7-5
1965 – USSR and Persia sign dam building and economic aid pact
2004 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Maria Sharapova becomes first Russian player to win Wimbledon beating defending champion Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4
2019 – Italian David-Maria Sassoli chosen as new European Parliament President

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Famous Birthdays

1567 – Samuel de Champlain, French explorer (Lake Champlain), born in Hiers-Brouage or La Rochelle, France (d. 1635)
1814 – Janis Cimze, Latvian composer, Father of Latvian choir music, born in Rauna parish, Russian Empire (d. 1881)
1928 – Evelyn Anthony, English historical writer (Poellenberg Inheritance), born in London (d. 2018)
1952 – Peter Mathebula, South African boxer (WBA flyweight title 1980-81), born in Mohlakeng, South Africa (d. 2020)
1967 – Brian Cashman, American baseball executive (World Series 1998, 99, 2000, 09 NY Yankees), born in Rockville Centre, New York
1973 – Patrick Wilson, American actor (Angels in America), born in Norfolk, Virginia

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Famous Deaths

1863 – Little Crow [Ta-oya-te-duta], Mdewakanton Dakota leader (Treaty of Mendota), shot and killed by settlers at about 53
1918 – David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda, Welsh coal-mining entrepreneur, dies at 62
1971 – Renie Riano, British-American vaudeville and screen actress (Jiggs and Maggie films; The Family Jewels) dies after long illness at 71
1992 – Marc Tannenbaum, American rabbi (only Jew to attend Vatican II), dies at 66
1998 – George Walter Selwyn Lloyd, English composer (The Serf, John Socman), dies at 85
2015 – Jacques Sernas [Jokūbas Bernardas Šernas], Lithuanian actor (La Dolce Vita, Helen of Troy), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1214 – Battle of La Roche-aux-Moines (Angers), part of King John of England’s attempt to reclaim Normandy from France
1687 – King James II disbands English parliament
1917 – Labor disputes lead to race riot in East St Louis, Illinois – Black neighborhood attacked and burned, 40-200 killed and 6000 left homeless
1943 – Gulf of Biskaje: Liberator bombers sinks U-126
2005 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Venus Williams beats fellow American Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 7-6, 9-7 for the 3rd of her 5 Wimbledon singles titles
2017 – Women’s PGA Championship, Olympia Fields CC: American Danielle Kang scores her first professional win, 1 stroke ahead of defending champion Brooke Henderson of Canada

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Famous Birthdays

1492 – Elizabeth Tudor, English princess, second daughter and fourth child of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, born in Richmond Palace, Surrey, England (d. 1495)
1927 – Ruth Berghaus, German choreographer and opera director, born in Dresden, Germany (d. 1996)
1947 – Ervin Hall, 100m hurdler (Olympic silver 1968), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1968 – Mark Tewksbury, Canadian swimmer (Olympic gold 100m backstroke 1992), born in Calgary, Alberta
1976 – Tomáš Vokoun, Czech hockey player
1984 – Vanessa Lee Chester, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1644 – William Gascoigne, English astronomer and mathematician (introduced telescopic sights), is killed in the Battle of Marston Moor at 24
1911 – Felix Mottl, Austrian conductor and composer (Agnes Bernauer), dies at 54
1929 – Gladys Brockwell, American actress (Long Pants, Oliver Twist), dies in an automobile accident at 34
1940 – Ben Turpin, American comic (Saps at Sea, His New Job), dies at 65
2004 – Mochtar Lubis, Indonesian writer and editor (Twilight in Jakarta), dies at 82
2007 – Beverly Sills [Belle Miriam Silverman], American operatic soprano, dies of lung cancer at 78

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Historical Events

1859 – Balloon covers a record 809 miles over St Louis
1896 – Wilfrid Laurier sworn in as 1st French speaking Prime Minister of Canada
1915 – Australia begins Commonwealth Lighthouse Service
1931 – Cleveland Municipal Stadium (MLB: Indians, NFL: Browns, 78,189 capacity) opens; demolished 1996
1948 – NYC subway fare goes to 10 cents, bus fare to 7 cents and combo fare at 12 cents
1978 – Former US President Richard Nixon makes 1st public speech since resigning in 1974

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Famous Birthdays

1915 – Joseph Ransohoff, American neurosurgeon and pioneer in the modern neurosurgery, born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 2001)
1916 – Olivia de Havilland, British-American Academy Award-winning actress (All the King’s Men; The Adventures of Robin Hood; Gone With The Wind; The Heiress), born in Tokyo, Japan (d. 2020)
1971 – Melissa Peterman [Melissa Margaret], American actress (Reba, Fargo), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
1976 – Patrick Kluivert, Dutch soccer striker (Netherlands 79 caps)), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1977 – Jessica Meir, American NASA astronaut and marine biologist, born in Caribou, Maine
1998 – Pa Salieu, Gambian British rapper (Frontline), born in Slough, England

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Famous Deaths

1805 – Georg Ritschel, German composer, dies at 60
1939 – Louis Davids [Simon David], cabaret performer/chorus performer, dies
1949 – Louis Davids [Simon David], cabaret artist, dies at 65
1964 – Pierre Monteux, French-American conductor (Concertgebouw Orchestra, 1924–34;, Orchestre Symphonique de Paris, 1929–38; San Francisco Symphony, 1936–52), dies at 89
2008 – Mel Galley, English guitarist (Whitesnake; Phenomena), dies of esophageal cancer at 60
2014 – Walter Dean Myers, African-American author, dies at 76

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Historical Events

1953 – 1st Chevrolet Corvette manufactured
1968 – East German Communist Party leader Walter Ulbricht receives “Order of October Revolution”
1974 – Petty thief Peter Leonard sets fire to hide his burglary at a bowling alley, fires spreads next door to “Gulliver’s” nightclub killing 24 (Port Chester, New York)
1979 – “Good Times” single released by Chic (Billboard Song of the Year 1979)
1992 – Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher joins the House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven
2019 – President Donald Trump becomes first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea in the Korean Demilitarized Zone meeting Kim Jong Un

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Famous Birthdays

1722 – Jiří Antonín Benda, Czech composer and violinist, born in Benátky nad Jizerou, Bohemia (d. 1795)
1938 – Chris Hinze, Dutch flutist (Vivat Vivaldi), born in Hilversum, North Holland, Netherlands
1956 – David Alan Grier, American actor and comedian (In Living Color, Boomerang), born in Detroit, Michigan
1962 – Tony Fernández, Dominican MLB baseball shortstop, 1983-2001, 5X All-Star, 4X Golden Glove (Toronto Blue Jays, and 6 other teams), born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic (d. 2020)
1975 – Ralf Schumacher, German Formula 1 race car driver, born in Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
1980 – Rade Prica, Swedish footballer, born in Ljungby, Sweden

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Famous Deaths

1857 – Alcide d’Orbigny, French naturalist, dies at 54
1935 – Bill Brockwell, English cricketer (British all-rounder in 7 Tests 1893-99), dies at 70
1973 – Elmer Layden, College Football Hall of Fame fullback (Notre Dame legendary 4-horsemen, 1st NFL Commissioner), dies at 70
1992 – Nico Booken, Dutch director (Jewish Labor Social), dies at 72
2003 – Buddy Hackett [Leonard Hacker], American comedian and actor (God’s Little Acre; The Music Man; The Love Bug), dies of heart disease at 78
2014 – Paul Mazursky, American film director and screenwriter, dies from pulmonary cardiac arrest at 84

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Historical Events

1755 – 515 prominent Filipinos baptized as Catholic
1863 – Very 1st First National Bank opens in Davenport, Iowa
1864 – Samuel Crowther, bishop of Niger, becomes the first Black bishop of the Church of England
1988 – Vigdís Finnbogadóttir is elected the 4th President of Iceland becoming the world’s 1st democratically elected female President
1989 – Emmy 16th Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci loses for 10th time
1997 – “London Assurance” closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 72 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1783 – August Alexander Klengel, German pianist and composer, born in Dresden, Germany (d. 1852)
1900 – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French writer, poet and pioneering aviator (The Little Prince), born in Lyon, France (d. 1944)
1902 – Carl-Heinz Schroth, German actor and director (Reaching for the Stars), born in Innsbruck, Austria (d. 1989)
1943 – Little Eva [Boyd], American pop singer (“The Loco-motion”; “Keep Your Hands Off My Baby”), born in Belhaven, North Carolina (d. 2003)
1970 – Mike Vallely, American skateboarder and singer (Black Flag), born in Edison, New Jersey
1978 – Luke Kirby, Canadian American actor (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), born in Hamilton, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1315 – Ramon Llull, Spanish philosopher (b. 1235)
1964 – Milenko Živković, Yugoslavian composer, dies at 63
1968 – Kitty Kelly, American actress (Ladies of Jury, Behind Office Doors), dies at 66
1973 – Tin-Tan [Germán Valdés], Mexican actor, singer and comedian (Spanish dubbing of The Jungle Book, The Aristocats), dies from cancer at 57
1996 – Pamela Mason [Ostrer], British actress, author and talk-show host (Lady Possessed), dies of heart failure at 78
2016 – Elechi Amadi, Nigerian novelist (The Concubine), dies at 82

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Historical Events

1897 – Marquis C de Bonchamps’ expedition reaches Gore Ethiopia
1940 – Romania cedes Bessarabia to Soviet Union
1973 – Black Sports Hall of Fame forms: Paul Robeson, Elgin Baylor, Jesse Owens, Jim Brown, Wilma Rudolph, Joe Louis and Althea Gibson elected
1993 – Jacques Lemaire is named NJ Devils 8th Head Coach
2013 – Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole’s final “Sportscentre” broadcast on TSN
2018 – Amsterdam elects its first-ever woman mayor Femke Halsema since its first mayor in 1343

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Famous Birthdays

1906 – Nancy Mayhew Youngman, English painter and educationalist, born in Maidstone, England (d. 1995)
1928 – Hans Blix, Swedish head of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission 2000-2003, born in Uppsala, Sweden
1942 – (Martin) “Chris” Hani, South African politician (Secretary-General of South African Communist Party, 1991-93), born in Cofimvaba, Transkei, South Africa (d. 1993)
1971 – Ron Mahay, American baseball player, born in Crestwood, Illinois
1975 – Jon Nödtveidt, Swedish musician (Dissection), born in Strömstad, Sweden (d. 2006)
1988 – Lacey Schwimmer, American dancer (So You Think You Can Dance), born in Redland, California

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Famous Deaths

1714 – Daniel van Papenbroeck, Flemish jesuit/historian, dies at 86
1754 – Martin Folkes, English antiquarian and mathematician, dies at 63
1776 – Thomas Hickey, American sergeant convicted of treason, hanged
1855 – Giovanni Agostino Perotti, Italian composer, dies at 86
1909 – Israel Durham, Phillies president dies
2014 – Jim Brosnan, American baseball player and writer (Long Season), dies at 84

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Historical Events

1693 – 1st sea battle of Lagos: a French fleet under Anne Hilarion de Tourville defeated an Anglo-Dutch fleet under George Rooke
1944 – Cherbourg, France liberated by Allies
1969 – Denver Pop Festival opens; 50,000 attend; Frank Zappa, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Jimi Hendrix headline; other performers include Three Dog Night, Tim Buckley, Big Mama Thornton, Johnny Winter, Joe Cocker, and Poco
1973 – Uruguayan president Juan Maria Bordaberry dissolves parliament and heads a coup d’état – beginning of the civic-military dictatorship
1975 – 25th Berlin International Film Festival: “Adoption” wins the Golden Bear
1984 – Late Night’s 1st Tower Drop

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Famous Birthdays

1787 – Thomas Say, American naturalist and father of descriptive entomology, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1834)
1872 – Paul Laurence Dunbar, American poet and novelist (Oak and Ivory), born in Dayton, Ohio (d. 1906)
1884 – Gaston Bachelard, French philosopher (La psychanalyse du feu), born in Bar-sur-Aube, France (d. 1962)
1898 – Tibor Harsányi, Hungarian composer, born in Magyarkanizsa, Kingdom of Hungary (d. 1954)
1975 – Daryle Ward, American baseball player (Houston Astros), born in Lynwood, California
1991 – Madylin Sweeten, American actress (Everybody Loves Raymond), born in Brownwood, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1848 – Heinrich Zschokke, German Swiss writer, dies at 77
1970 – Daniel Kinsey, American hurdler (b. 1902)
1986 – George Nepia, New Zealand rugby player, dies at 81
1996 – Alberto Romero “Cubby” Broccoli, American film producer (James Bond), dies at 87
2001 – Jack Lemmon, American actor (Days of Wine and Roses, Missing), dies of colon cancer and metastatic cancer of the bladder at 76
2012 – Don Grady [Agrati], American actor (Robbie Douglas-My Three Sons), dies from cancer at 68

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Historical Events

1942 – German assault on British railroad terminal at Mersa Matruh, Egypt
1959 – 9th Berlin International Film Festival: “The Cousins” wins Golden Bear
1962 – Blacks begin passive resistance in Cairo Ill
1978 – Brittany separatists bomb Palace of Versailles in France
1987 – Columbia Records releases “King’s Record Shop”, the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash, and the final of her albums produced by husband Rodney Crowell
2017 – Helicopter with rogue police pilot attacks Venezuelan Supreme Court in Caracas

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Famous Birthdays

1582 – Johannes Schultz, German composer, born in Lüneburg, Germany (d. 1653)
1902 – Antonia Brico, Dutch-American conductor and pianist, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1989)
1903 – Ashley Clarke, British diplomat to Italy and president (Venice in Peril Fund) (d. 1994)
1934 – John V Tunney, American politician (Rep/Sen-D-California), born in NYC, New York (d. 2018)
1934 – Jeremy Wolfenden, British journalist and spy, born in England (d. 1965)
1939 – Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, South African Secretary-General (Bishops’ Conference 1983-88), born in Barberton, Mpumalanga, South Africa

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Famous Deaths

1864 – Tom Hyer, American bare-knuckle boxer (American heavyweight champion 1841-51), dies of edema at 45
1922 – Albert H K, monarch of Monaco (1889-1922), dies at 73
1957 – Alfred Döblin, German writer (b. 1878)
2007 – Liz Claiborne, American fashion designer, entrepreneur and founder of Liz Claiborne Inc, dies of cancer at 78
2020 – Milton Glaser, American graphic designer (founded New York Magazine, created the I ♥ NY” logo), dies at 91
2021 – Marcelo Campo, Argentine rugby union winger (20 Tests Argentina, 6 South America; Pueyrredón SC), dies from a heart attack at 63

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