Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1566 – Danish student and future astronomer Tycho Brache loses part of his nose in a sword duel over who is the better mathematician (he wore a prosthetic nose the rest of his life)
1926 – Victoria (1107) beat NSW (221 and 230) by an innings 656 runs
1947 – Ship carrying Jewish immigrants driven away from Palestine
1978 – Spain constitution goes into effect
1997 – Carquest Bowl 8: Georgia Tech beats West Virginia, 35-30
2013 – Chaparrastique volcano erupts in El Salvador

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Famous Birthdays

1859 – Jack Simpson, Scottish golfer (British Open 1884), born in Earlsferry, Fife (d. 1895)
1903 – Clyde McCoy, American jazz trumpeter (“Sugar Blues”; the wah-wah sound), bandleader and co-founder of “Down Beat” magazine, born in Ashland, Kentucky (d. 1990)
1950 – Géza Csapó, Hungarian sprint canoeist (6 x World C’ship gold; Olympic silver K-1 1000m 1976, bronze 1972), born in Szolnok, Hungary (d. 2022)
1955 – Neil “Spyder” Giraldo, American rock guitarist, arranger, and producer (Pat Benatar Band), born in Cleveland, Ohio
1979 – Diego Luna, Mexican actor, born in Toluca, Mexico
1989 – Jane Levy, American actress (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1661 – Antoine Gérard de Saint-Amant, French poet (b. 1594)
1929 – Wilhelm Maybach, German automobile designer (b. 1846)
1967 – Paul Whiteman “The King of Jazz”, American orchestra leader (Gershwin’s “Rhapsody In Blue”; Fabulous Dorseys), dies at 77
1975 – Euell Gibbons, American outdoorsman and proponent of natural diets (b. 1911).
1995 – Schlomo Joffe, Polish-Israeli folk and classical musician and composer, dies at 86
2008 – Daniel Nagrin, American modern dancer and choreographer, dies at 91

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Historical Events

801 – Louis the Vrome occupies Barcelona
1912 – National Council of Young Israel convenes
1918 – Montreal’s Georges Vezina becomes the first NHL goalie to record an assist during the Canadiens’ 6-3 win over the Toronto Arenas
1975 – Gary Cosier scores 109 v West Indies at MCG on Test Cricket debut
2007 – Nepal declared a federal democratic Republic by interim parliament, abolishing the monarchy.
2018 – UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes of Brazil moves up in weight and KOs dominant featherweight Cris “Cyborg” Justino just 51 seconds into the opening round at the Forum, Inglewood, CA; first female to win UFC titles in multiple weight classes

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Famous Birthdays

1914 – Bernard Youens [Popley], British actor (Coronation Street, Somewhere in Politics), born in Hove, East Sussex, England (d. 1984)
1971 – Melvin Nieves, Puerto Rican professional baseball outfielder (Detroit Tigers), born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
1979 – Senna Guemmour, German singer-songwriter (Monrose), born in Frankfurt, Germany
1980 – Lomana LuaLua, Congolese football player, born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
1980 – Vanessa Ferlito, American actress, born in Brooklyn, New York City
1989 – Mackenzie Rosman, American actress, born in Charleston, South Carolina

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Famous Deaths

1795 – Eugenio Espejo, Ecuadorian scientist (b. 1747)
1915 – Gerrit Jan van Heek, Dutch textile manufacturer and politician, dies at 78
1962 – Kathleen Clifford, American actress (b. 1887)
1963 – Paul Hindemith, German composer (Composer’s World), dies at 68
1976 – Katharine Byron, U.S. Congresswoman, dies at 73
2016 – Gregorio Alvarez, Uruguayan dictator and President of Uruguay (1981-85), dies in prison at 91

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Historical Events

1845 – Ether 1st used in childbirth in US in Jefferson, Georgia
1884 – Netherlands recognizes King Leopold II’s Congo Free State
1972 – LA Kings start Islanders on 12 game losing streak
1983 – Ballon d’Or: Juventus’ French midfielder Michel Platini claims first of 3 trophies for Europe’s best football player ahead of Liverpool midfielder Kenny Dalgleish and Vejle BK striker Allan Simonsen
1992 – “Tommy Tune Tonite! Song and Dance Act” opens at Gershwin Theatre, NYC; runs for 10 performances
2002 – “Chicago” (Best Picture 2003), based on John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical, directed by Rob Marshall, starring Renée Zellweger, Richard Gere, and Catherine Zeta-Jones released.

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Famous Birthdays

1829 – James Clay Rice, American lawyer and Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Worthington, Massachusetts (d. 1864)
1936 – José Pérez Francés, Spanish road racing cyclist (Tour de France 1963 overall 3rd), born in Peñacastillo, Spain (d. 2021)
1948 – Martin Birch, British sound engineer and record producer (Whitesnake; Fleetwood Mac; Iron Maiden), born in Woking, Surrey, England (d. 2020)
1950 – Roberto Bettega, Italian soccer forward (42 caps; Juventus 326 games, 129 goals), born in Turin, Italy
1973 – Kristoffer Zegers, Dutch composer
1975 – Heather O’Rourke, American actress (Happy Days, Poltergeist), born in San Diego, California (d. 1988)

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Famous Deaths

975 – Balderik, bishop of Utrecht (918-75), dies
1707 – Jean Mabillon, French palaeograopher and diplomat (b. 1632)
1836 – Stephen F. Austin, Founded and helped colonize the US state of Texas, dies of pneumonia at 43
1858 – Alexandre Pierre François Boëly, French composer, dies at 73
1982 – John Leonard Swigert Jr., American astronaut (Apollo 13), dies of cancer at 51
1988 – Fox Harris, actor (Alienator, Warlords, Sid and Nancy), dies

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Historical Events

1860 – Major Robert Anderson, under cover of darkness, concentrates his small force at Ft Sumter
1877 – Socialist Labor Party of North America holds 1st national convention
1965 – Paul McCartney is interviewed on pirate radio station Radio Caroline
1996 – Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey is found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado
1997 – The Soufriere Hills volcano on the island of Montserrat explodes, creating a small tsunami offshore.
1999 – Severe weather in France kills over 100 people and causes extensive damage to property, trees and the French national power grid (see Lothar).

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Famous Birthdays

1921 – Steve Allen, American comedian, composer, writer and TV host (Tonight Show, Steve Allen Show), born in NYC, New York (d. 2000)
1940 – Ray Sadecki, American MLB player (St. Louis Cardinals), born in Kansas City, KS, (d. 2014)
1942 – Ernie Cate, American country singer and guitarist (Cate Bros – Fire on the Tracks), born in Fayetteville, Arkansas
1961 – Tahnee Welch [La Tahn Renee Welch], American actress (Cocoon), born in San Diego, California
1965 – Ben Husaby, American cross country skier (Olympics 1994), born in Eden Prairie, Minnesota
1985 – Steven Hartman, American actor (Rick Forrester in Bold and Beautiful), born in Westlake, California

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Famous Deaths

1574 – Charles Guise, archbishop/cardinal of Reims, dies at 50
1969 – Johannes Gerard van Dillen, Dutch economic historian (Of Wealth and Oligarchists), dies at 86
1978 – Fritz Büchtger, German composer, educator, and modern music proponent (Association for Contemporary Music; Studio for New Music), dies at 75
1985 – Dian Fossey, American zoologist (Gorillas in the Mist), murdered in Rwanda at 53
1992 – Nikita Magaloff, Russian/Swiss pianist, dies at 80
2019 – Elbert Dubenion, American football wide receiver and running back (AFL All Star 1964; Buffalo Bills), dies from complications related to Parkinson’s disease at 86

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Historical Events

352 – 1st definite date Christmas was celebrated on Dec 25th
1066 – William the Conqueror is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, completing the Norman conquest of England
1862 – 40,000 watch Union army men play baseball at Hilton Head, South Carolina
1957 – Richard Starkey (later better known as Ringo Starr) receives his first drum set
1969 – India all out for 163 at Madras v Aust, Ashley Mallett 5-91
1973 – “The Sting” directed by George Roy Hill, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford and music inspired by Scott Joplin premieres in Los Angeles and New York (Best Picture 1974)

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Famous Birthdays

1757 – Benjamin Pierce, U.S. politician (d. 1839)
1908 – Helen Twelvetrees, American actress (State’s Attorney, Painted Desert), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1958)
1942 – Barry Goldberg, American blues musician (The Rides), born in Chicago, Illinois
1949 – Sissy Spacek, American Actress (Carrie, Badlands, Coal Miner’s Daughter), born in Quitman, Texas
1961 – Ingrid Betancourt, Colombian senator
1964 – Peter Hanson, English/Sierra Leone/Dutch actor (Darling How Could You)

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Famous Deaths

1513 – Johannes Amerbach, Swiss publisher/printer, dies at about 70
1953 – Lee Shubert, American theatre producer (theatres in NY and LA named after him), dies at about 80
1979 – Joan Blondell, American actress (Real McCoys), dies of leukemia at 73
1985 – George Rhodes, American pianist, composer, arranger, and music director (Sammy Davis, Jr. Show), dies of a heart attack at 66
1992 – Garrison H Davidson, US lt-gen commandant (West Point), dies
2009 – Vic Chesnutt, American singer-songwriter, dies of an overdose of muscle relaxants at 46

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Historical Events

1715 – Swedish troops occupy Norway
1851 – Fire devastates US Library of Congress in Washington, destroys 35,000 volumes
1951 – 1st opera commissioned for television – “Amahl and the Night Visitors” by Gian Carlo Menotti premieres on NBC with the NBC Opera Theater
1996 – Ballon d’Or: Borussia Dortmund’s German sweeper Matthias Sammer is named best football player in Europe ahead of PSV/Barcelona striker Ronaldo and Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer
2000 – The Texas 7 hold up a sports store in Irving, Texas. Police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot during the robbery
2001 – “Time Magazine” names New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani ‘Person of the Year’, for leadership after 9/11 attacks

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Famous Birthdays

1945 – Lemmy [Ian Fraser Kilmister], British heavy metal musician (Motörhead), born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire (d. 2015)
1950 – Peter te Bos, Dutch singer (Claw Boys Claw), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1958 – Munetaka Higuchi, Japanese drummer, born in Nara Prefecture, Japan
1959 – Lee Daniels, American director (“Precious”, “Empire”), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1978 – Yıldıray Baştürk, Turkish footballer, born in Herne, Germany
1982 – Aiba Masaki, Japanese singer and actor, born in Chiba, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1907 – Isidor Feinstein “Izzy” Stone, journalist (IF Stone’s Weekly), dies
1979 – Dirk Uipko Stikker, Dutch politician, diplomat (Ambassador to Great Britain, 1952-58; Secretary General of NATO, 1961-64), and CEO (Heineken), dies at 82
1993 – Alexander Mackendrick, American-born Scottish director (Lady Killers), dies at 81
1994 – John Osborne, English playwright (Entertainer, Look Back in Anger, Luther, dies at 65
1999 – Zeke Carey, American RandB singer (The Flamingos – “Goodnight Sweetheart”; “I Only Have Eyes For You”), dies of a heart attack at 66
2011 – Cheetah [Cheeta, Cheta, Chita], chimpanzee actor (1930s Tarzan franchise), dies of kidney failure at 80

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Historical Events

1862 – Union General Ben “Beast” Butler is proclaimed a “felon, outlaw and common enemy of mankind” by Jefferson Davis
1939 – South Australia score 7-821 against Queensland
1941 – British troops overrun Benghazi, Libya
1948 – “Cinderella” the first full-length ballet by Frederick Ashton with music by Sergei Prokofiev is first presented by Sadler’s Wells Ballet at Covent Garden, London
1953 – Dodgers 2nd baseman Jim Gilliam wins NL Rookie of Year
1990 – Slovenians vote to secede from Yugoslavia

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Famous Birthdays

1699 – Joseph Gibbs, English composer and organist, born in Colchester (d. 1788)
1869 – Hugh Allen, British organist, conductor (Bach Choir; Leeds Festival), and educator (Oxford, 1918-46-; Royal College of Music, 1918-37), born in Reading, Berkshire, England (d. 1946)
1903 – Fredericka “Fredi” Washington, American actress (Black and Tan), born in Savannah, Georgia (d. 1994)
1918 – Kumar Pallana, Indian character actor and vaudevillian (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore), born in Indore, India (d. 2013)
1946 – Edita Gruberova, Slovak operatic soprano, born in Bratislava, Slovakia (d. 2021)
1970 – Shannon Bream [DePuy], American Journalist (Fox News) Miss Virginia (1991), born in Lynchburg, Virginia

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Famous Deaths

1575 – Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese warrior (hanged) (b. 1531)
1789 – Charles-Michel de l’Épée, French philanthropist and developer of ‘Signed French’, dies at 77
1805 – Pehr Osbeck, Swedish explorer and naturalist (b. 1723)
1925 – A S C Wallis [Adele von Antal-Opzoomer], Dutch writer (Vorstengunst), dies at 69
1967 – Ruth Fuller Sasaki, American Zen teacher (1st Zen Institute of America), dies at 75
1973 – Gerard Kuiper, Dutch-American astronomer after whom the Kuiper belt is named, dies at 68

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Historical Events

1135 – Norman nobles recognize Stefanus van Blois as English king
1688 – Earl of Danby occupies York for King William III, Prince of Orange
1935 – Yaeko Iwasaki, student of D S Harada Roshi, 1st awakening in Kamakura
1967 – “The Graduate”, American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, premieres (Best Director, 1968)
1971 – UN General Assembly ratifies former Austrian President Kurt Waldheim as Secretary-General
1977 – 36 die as grain elevator at Continental Grain Company plant explodes

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Famous Birthdays

1546 – Kuroda Yoshitaka, Japanese daimyō, born in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan (d. 1604)
1929 – Leonard “Red” Balaban, American jazz tuba and sousaphone player, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2013)
1945 – Joris J. C. Voorhoeve, Dutch Defense minister (1994-, VVD), born in the Hague, Netherlands
1948 – Steve Garvey, American baseball player (LA Dodgers, San Diego Padres), born in Tampa, Florida
1963 – Giuseppe Bergomi, Italian footballer, born in Milan, Italy
1972 – Mike Thompson, NFL defensive tackle (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Portage, Wisconsin

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Famous Deaths

1660 – André Tacquet, Flemish mathematician (b. 1612)
1809 – William Cooper, American judge and developer (founded Cooperstown, New York), dies at 55
1986 – Celius Dougherty, American pianist and composer, dies at 84
1987 – Leonidas Zoras, Greek conductor and composer, dies at 82
2002 – Kenneth Tobey, American actor (The Thing from Another World, Innerspace, Whirlybirds), dies of natural causes at 85
2006 – Galina Ustvolskaya, Russian composer, dies at 87

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Historical Events

1933 – Newfoundland reverts to being a crown colony of Great Britain
1976 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1980 – Harold Carmichael ends NFL streak of 127 consecutive game receptions
1983 – NCAA rules rescinded last 2-minute men’s basketball free throw rule
1988 – Lockerbie disaster: A terrorist bomb destroys Pan Am Flight 103 mid-air, over Scotland; kills all 259 passengers and crew on board, and 11 people on the ground
1997 – Detroit Lions linebacker Reggie Brown, knocked unconscious in game

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Famous Birthdays

1928 – Thomas Rajna, British-Hungarian pianist, and composer (Amarantha; Stop All The Clocks), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2021)
1935 – Edward Schreyer, Canadian politician (Premier of Manitoba), born in Beausejour, Canada
1937 – Jane Fonda, American stage and screen Academy and Emmy Award-winning actress (Barbarella; Klute, 9 to 5), exercist (Jane Fonda’s Workout), and political activist, born in NYC, New York
1940 – Paul [Ray Hildebrand], American singer (Paul and Paula), born in Joshua, Texas
1944 – Hwang Jang Lee, Korean martial artist and film actor, born in Aomori, Japan
1969 – Mihails Zemļinskis, Latvian footballer, born in Riga, Latvia

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Famous Deaths

1824 – James Parkinson, English physician (First description of Parkinson’s disease) and political activist, dies at 69
1979 – Mac Anderson, New Zealand cricketer (Test for NZ 1946, scored five and one), dies at 60
1997 – Juzo Itami, film director/actor (Lord Jim, Yuuguremade), dies at 64
2006 – Sydney Wooderson, English athlete dubbed “The Mighty Atom” (world record 1937), dies at 92
2017 – Roswell Rudd ,American free-jazz trombonist (Archie Shepp), and avant-garde composer (New York Art Quartet), dies of prostate cancer at 82
2020 – K. T. Oslin, American country singer (80’s Ladies), dies at 78

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Historical Events

1900 – Giacobini discovers a comet (will be 1st comet visited by spacecraft)
1939 – Radio Australia begins overseas shortwave service
1985 – Sportscaster Howard Cosell retires from television sports after 20 years with ABC
1992 – Northwest and KLM introduce a new joint logo “Worldwide Reliability”
1995 – Revival of Phillip Hayes Dean’s drama “Paul Robeson” opens at Longacre Theater, NYC; runs for 14 performances
2019 – United States Space Force founded, an armed forces branch dedicated to space warfare

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Famous Birthdays

1906 – Irving Krick, American meteorologist and inventor, born in San Francisco, California (d. 1996)
1922 – Charita Bauer, American actress (The Guiding Light, Aldrich Family), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1985)
1944 – Jean Fergusson, English actress, born in Wakefield, United Kingdom
1961 – Mohammad Fouad, Arab singer and actor, born in Ismailia Governorate, Egypt
1972 – Jonathan Wyatt, New Zealand 5000m runner (Olympics 1996), born in Wellington, New Zealand
1998 – Dylan Wang [Wang Hedi], Chinese actor and singer (Meteor Garden), born in Chengdu, Sichuan

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Famous Deaths

1494 – Matteo Maria Boiardo, Italian poet
1749 – Pakubuwono II, susuhunan of Mataram Java, dies
1876 – Hannah Omish, at 12 is youngest ever hanged in US
1986 – Joe DeSa, American baseball player (b. 1959)
2012 – Eagle Keys, American Canadian Football Hall of Fame linebacker and coach (Grey Cup champion 1949, 54-56, 66; Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatchewan R’riders), dies at 89
2015 – Patricia Elliott, American actress (Renee-Empire, One Life to Live), dies at 77

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