Category: On This Day

Historical Events

955 – Bishop Ratherius of Luik flees
1639 – Suzuki Shosan, Samurai monk of Zen Buddhism, found awakening
1861 – Secretary of US Navy authorizes enlistment of slaves
1979 – “Evita” opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 1568 performances
1980 – USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1988 – Pope John Paul II beatifies Friar Junípero Serra (founder of 1st Californian missions)

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Famous Birthdays

1683 – Jean-Philippe Rameau, French composer (Traite), baptized in Dijon, France (d. 1764)
1902 – Ernst von Salomon, German writer (Kette Der Tausend Kraniche), born in Kiel, Germany (d. 1972)
1927 – Sir Colin Davis, British conductor (Covent Garden, 1970-85; Bavarian Radio Symphony, 1983-93; London Symphony, 1995-2006), born in Weybridge, Surrey (d. 2013)
1939 – Leon Brittan, British politician, Home Secretary and member of the European Commission, born in London (d. 2015)
1946 – Gil Morgan, American golfer (7 PGA Tour titles, 3 Champions Tour majors), born in Wewoka, Oklahoma
1947 – John Fiddler, English rock vocalist and guitarist (British Lions), born in Darlaston, Wednesbury, England

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Famous Deaths

1792 – Adam Gottlob Moltke, Danish statesman, dies at 81
1970 – Erich Maria Remarque, German novelist (All Quiet on the Western Front), dies at 72
1980 – Lewis Milestone, Moldovan film director (b. 1895)
1980 – John Bonham, English rock drummer (Led Zeppelin), dies from asphyxiation after heavy alcohol intake at 32
2003 – Aquila al-Hashimi, Iraqi politician (b. 1953)
2019 – Paul Badura-Skoda, Austrian pianist (Mozart interpretation), dies at 91

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Historical Events

1951 – USSR performs nuclear test
1965 – Belgium Victor Leemans elected chairman of European Parliament
1971 – Eyskens-Cools disbands Belgium parliament
1974 – Al Kaline, Detroit Tiger, is 12th to get 3,000 hits
1990 – East Germany leaves Warsaw Pact
1990 – Supreme Soviet gives approval to switch to free market

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Famous Birthdays

1564 – William Adams, English navigator and 1st ever Western Samurai, born in Gillingham, Kent, England (d. 1620)
1892 – Adélard Godbout, Canadian politician (15th Premier of Québec), born in Saint-Éloi, Quebec, Canada (d. 1956)
1898 – Howard Florey, Australian pathologist and pharmacologist who purified penicillin (Nobel 1945), born in Adelaide, South Australia (d. 1968)
1923 – Theodore “Fats” Navarro, American jazz trumpet player, born in Key West, Florida (d. 1950)
1979 – Ross Mathews, American television personality and comedian (The Tonight Show), born in Mount Vernon, Washington
1984 – Szilvia Molnar, Swedish writer

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Famous Deaths

1180 – Manuel I Komnenos, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (1143-80), dies at 61
1896 – Percy McDonnell, Australian cricket batsman (19 Tests, 3 x 100s), dies of cardiac failure at 35
1945 – Hans Geiger, German physicist (co-inventor of the Geiger counter), dies at 62
1968 – Harry Robert Wilson, American composer, dies at 67
1990 – Jay Currin, stuntman/actor (Back to the Beach, Serial), dies at 34
2008 – Irene Dailey, American actress (Another World, Grissom Gang), dies of colon cancer at 88

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Historical Events

1889 – Nintendo Koppai (Later Nintendo Company, Limited) founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce and market the playing card game Hanafuda
1961 – 1st movie to become a TV series, “How to Marry a Millionaire” premieres
1979 – Jane Fonda and 200,000 attend anti-nuke rally in Battery Park, NYC
1982 – Amin Gemayel sworn in as President of Lebanon
2019 – US police officer fired after arresting two six-year-olds at a school on charges of misdemeanour battery in Florida
2020 – President Donald Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power after the US November election at a White House press conference

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Famous Birthdays

1895 – Miron Merzhanov, Soviet architect (d. 1975)
1920 – Gerard W Taylor, South African/British surgeon
1934 – John Mortimore, English soccer defender (Chelsea 249 games) and manager (Portsmouth, Benfica, Real Betis), born in Farnborough, England (d. 2021)
1975 – Jaime Bergman, American model and actress
1977 – Matthieu Descoteaux, Canadian ice hockey player
1979 – Red, rapper (Another Bad Creation), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1974 – Robbie Mcintosh, Scottish drummer (Average White Band), overdoses at 24
1987 – Louis Kentner, Hungarian-British pianist and composer, dies at 87
1994 – Dalton Reed, American soul singer, dies of heart failure at 42
1994 – Alec Dickson, founder of VSO, dies at 80
1997 – Abe Gibron, head coach (Chicago Bears), dies at 72
2002 – Vernon Corea, Sri Lankan pioneer radio broadcaster, died at 75

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Historical Events

1905 – US Open Men’s Golf, Myopia Hunt GC: Willie Anderson wins his 3rd consecutive Open title, and his record 4th overall, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Alex Smith
1910 – Saskatchewan Rugby Football Union forms with an initial 9 team competition
1958 – KTVK TV channel 3 in Phoenix, AZ (ABC) begins broadcasting
1969 – China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
2002 – Solheim Cup Women’s Golf, Interlachen CC: US regains Cup 15½-12½; Rosie Jones gains winning point in her 3 and 2 victory over Karine Icher
2004 – “Lost” created by J.J. Abrams and starring Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly debuts on ABC in the US

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Famous Birthdays

1864 – Lodewijk van Deyssel, Dutch writer (A Love Affair), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1952)
1870 – Charlotte Cooper, British tennis player (1st female Olympic champion 1900; Wimbledon 1895-96, 98, 1901, 08), born in Ealing, England (d. 1966)
1953 – Richard Fairbrass, English singer and bassist (Right Said Fred), born in Kingston upon Thames, England
1956 – Debby Boone, American singer (You Light Up My Life), born in Hackensack, New Jersey
1961 – Catherine Oxenberg, American actress (Dynasty; Overexposed), born in NYC, New York
1969 – Marian Chlad, Czech soccer player (FC Groningen), born in Teplice, Czechoslovakia

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Famous Deaths

1840 – Anne Lister, English diarist ‘the 1st modern lesbian’, dies of a fever at 49
1956 – Frederick Soddy, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate, dies at 79
1975 – Patricia Doyle, actress (Wuthering Heights), dies at 60
1994 – Leonard Feather, British jazz critic and musician, dies at 80
1997 – Eric William Hunter Christie, barrister, dies at 77
2021 – Orlando Martínez, Cuban boxer (Olympic gold bantamweight 1972), dies at 77

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Historical Events

1921 – A storage silo at a BASF fertiliser producing plant explodes in Oppau, Germany, 500—600 killed
1950 – George Marshall sworn in as the 3rd Secretary of Defense of the United States
1951 – Emil Zatopek runs 15,000m in record 44 min, 54.6 sec
1970 – “Monday Night Football” created by Roone Arledge, premieres on ABC – Browns 31, Jets 21
1973 – Jackson Pollocks painting “Blue Poles” sold for $2,000,000
1988 – Mike Tyson smashes TV camera outside his Bernardsville, New Jersey home

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Famous Birthdays

1866 – H. G. Wells, English sci-fi author (War of the Worlds, Kipps), born in Bromley, Kent (d. 1946)
1898 – Tushar Kanti Ghosh, Indian journalist and world’s oldest and longest serving newspaper editor
1941 – Tony Moon, American doo-wop singer, arranger, guitarist (Dante and the Evergreens – “Alley Oop”), producer, and songwriter (“Soldier of Love”), born in Los Angeles, California
1969 – Jason Christiansen, pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Omaha, Nebraska
1970 – Michael O’Shea, Canadian CFL linebacker (Toronto Argonauts), born in North Bay, Ontario
1973 – Oswaldo Sanchez, Mexican footballer

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Famous Deaths

1974 – Jacqueline Susann, American author (Valley of the Dolls), dies of cancer at 56
1988 – Robert Gwathmey, artist, dies at 85
1993 – Fernand Ledoux, Belgian-French actor (L’Homme de Londres), dies at 96
1996 – Sabine Zlatin, Polish-born French nurse, who tried save Izieu children from Nazis, dies at 89
2000 – Bryan Smith, Man who ran over Stephen King (b. 1957)
2011 – Troy Anthony Davis, American high-profile death row inmate and human rights activist (executed) (b. 1968)

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Historical Events

1792 – French defeat Prussians at Valmy
1854 – Battle of the Alma: British, French and Ottoman alliance defeat the Russian Empire in the 1st major battle of the Crimean War
1873 – Panic sweeps NY Stock Exchange (railroad bond default/bank failure) NY shut banks for 10 days due to a bank scandal
1983 – Cryptographic Communications System and Method (RSA) patented
1986 – Wichita State Shockers blow a 35-3 lead; lose 36-35 to Morehead State
2011 – The United States ends its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, allowing gay men and women to serve openly for the first time.

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Famous Birthdays

1832 – Johann Joseph Abert, German composer, born in Gastorf, Bohemia (d. 1915)
1920 – Jay Ward, American cartoonist (Rocky and his Friends, Bullwinkle), born in Berkeley, California (d. 1989)
1927 – Clarice Taylor, American actress (Nurse Bailey-Nurse), born in Buckingham County, Virginia (d. 2011)
1950 – James P[aul] Blaylock, American sci-fi author (Elfin Ship, Homunculus), born in Long Beach, California
1990 – John Tavares, Canadian ice hockey player (New York Islanders), born in Mississauga, Ontario
1995 – Sammi Hanratty, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1639 – John Meursius [van Meurs], historian, dies at 60
1773 – Pieter de Swart, architect (Delfts Port Rotterdam), dies at 63
1939 – Paul Bruchési, French Canadian Catholic archbishop of Montreal, dies at 83
1973 – Glenn Strange, American actor (Sam the Bartender-Gunsmoke), dies at 74
1995 – Walter Haas Jr., American businessman and sports team owner (Levi Strauss and Co, Oakland A’s), dies of prostate cancer at 79
2009 – John Hart, American actor (The Lone Ranger, The Adventures of Captain Africa), dies from complications of dementia at 91

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Historical Events

1888 – One of first known modern beauty contests held in Spa, Belgium
1939 – Wehrmacht (German regular army) murders 100 Jews in Lukov Poland
1940 – Witold Pilecki is voluntarily captured and sent to Auschwitz in order to smuggle out information and start a resistance
1960 – “LIFE” magazine celebrates artist Anna Mary “Grandma” Moses’ 100th birthday by putting her on their cover
1992 – Demolition begins of JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; built in 1926 as Sesquicentennial Stadium, also known as Municipal Stadium, it hosted the 1926 Tunney-Dempsey fight, 41 Army-Navy football games, The Beatles; The Rolling Stones; victory rallies for The NHL Flyers and MLB Phillies; and the US portion of Live-Aid
2004 – 56th Emmy Awards: The Sopranos, Arrested Development, James Spader and Allison Janney win

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Famous Birthdays

1811 – Orson Pratt, American mathematician and religious leader, born in Hartford, New York (d. 1881)
1946 – Michael Elphick, British stage and screen actor (Gorky Park; Boon), born in Chichester, Sussex, England (d. 2002)
1951 – Richard Dashut, American record producer (Bob Welch; Fleetwood Mac: Lindsey Buckingham), born in West Hollywood, California
1959 – Marshall Jefferson, American musician ‘father of house music’ (Move your Body), born in Chicago, Illinois
1962 – Ken Rosenthal, American sportswriter and reporter, born in Oyster Bay, Long Island
1966 – Soledad O’Brien, American journalist (Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien), born in St. James, New York

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Famous Deaths

1339 – Go-Daigo, 96th Emperor of Japan (1318-39), dies at 50
1710 – Ole Rømer, Danish astronomer, dies at 65
1993 – Richard Landau, American screenwriter (Back to Bataan), dies at 79
1995 – Walter Shlomo Gross, journalist, dies at 83
1996 – Timothy Nicholson, journalist, dies at 32
2006 – Roy Schuiten, Dutch cyclist (b. 1950)

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Historical Events

1846 – Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning exchange their last letters before they move to Italy
1962 – Rwanda, Burundi, Jamaica and Trinidad admitted (105th-108th) to UN
1964 – TV series “The Addams Family”, starring John Astin, Carolyn Jones, Ted Cassidy, and Jackie Coogan, premieres on ABC
1975 – Heiress-turned-bank robber Patricia Campbell Hearst captured by FBI in San Francisco
1997 – Ted Turner gives $1 billion to the United Nations, creating the public charity, the United Nations Foundation
2006 – “Watching You” single released by Rodney Atkins (Billboard Song of the Year 2007)

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Famous Birthdays

1943 – Michael Vetter, German composer, born in Oberstdorf, Germany (d. 2013)
1966 – Ian “Spike” Spice, English guitarist (IBreathe, Flash Cadillac) (d. 2000)
1968 – Cappadonna [Darryl Hill], American rapper (Wu-Tang Clan), born in Staten Island, New York
1970 – Mike Compton, American NFL center and guard (Detroit Lions), born in Richlands, Virginia
1975 – Kanstantsin Lukashyk, Belarusian pistol shooter (OLympic gold 1992), born in Hrodna, Belarus
1981 – Jennifer Tisdale, American actress and model, born in Neptune, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1684 – Joannes Antonides van der Goes, Dutch poet (Ystroom), dies at 37
1939 – Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Polish writer, painter, and photographer (b. 1885)
1966 – Fernand Lamy, French composer, dies at 85
1975 – Fairfield Porter, American painter, dies at 68
1991 – Rob Tyner [Robert Derminer], American hard rock singer (MC5 – Kick Out The Jams), dies of a heart attack at 46
2013 – Richard C. Sarafian, American director and actor (Foley Square), dies from complications from pneumonia at 83

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Historical Events

1957 – KETV TV channel 7 in Omaha, NB (ABC) begins broadcasting
1978 – 30th Emmy Awards: “All in the Family”; Ed Asner and Sada Thompson win
1980 – South Korea opposition leader Kim Dae-jung sentenced to death
1988 – Jeff Reardon becomes 1st to record 40 or more saves in both AL and NL
1989 – Hurricane Hugo begins 4 day sweep through Caribbean, killing 62
2019 – Indonesia raises the female marriage age to 19, in line with males, to curb child marriages

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Famous Birthdays

1834 – Edouard Pailleron, French attorney, poet and stage writer, born in Paris, France (d. 1899)
1859 – Frank Dawson Adams, Canadian geologist, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1942)
1908 – Franz Grothe, German composer, born in Berlin (d. 1982)
1922 – Ursula Howells, British actress (Hard Times, Girly, Murder is Announced), born in London, England (d. 2005)
1963 – Amy Roloff, American reality star (Little People, Big World), born in Michigan
1995 – Patrick Mahomes, American NFL quarterback (Super Bowl MVP 2020; KC Chiefs), born in Tyler, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1604 – Lucas Osiander, German composer, dies at 69
1621 – Roberto Bellarmino, Italian saint (Doctor of the Church), dies at 78
1986 – Patricia “Pat” Phoenix, British actress (Coronation Street, L Shaped Room), dies of lung cancer at 62
1994 – Vitas Gerulaitis, Lithuanian/American tennis player (Australian Open 1977; Wimbledon doubles 1975), dies of carbon monoxide poisoning at 40
1996 – Spiro Agnew, American politician (Vice President, 1969 until resignation over corruption allegations in 1973), dies of leukemia at 77
2019 – Harold Mabern Jr., American post-bop jazz pianist and composer, dies at 83

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Historical Events

1920 – The “Wall Street bombing” occurs at 12:01 when a horse-drawn wagon explodes on Wall Street, New York, killing 38 and injuring 143
1940 – FDR signs Selective Training and Service Act (1st peacetime draft)
1954 – CKLW TV channel 9 in Windsor, ON (CBC) begins broadcasting
1960 – Milwaukee Braves’ future HOF pitcher Warren Spahn no-hits Philadelphia Phillies, 4-0 at County Stadium
1962 – USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1999 – 1st ever season of “Big Brother” reality show begins on the Veronica channel in The Netherlands

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Famous Birthdays

1875 – James Cash Penney, American department store founder (J C Penney), born in Hamilton, Missouri (d. 1971)
1916 – M.S. [Madurai Shanmukhavadivu] Subbulakshmi, Indian singer (1st singer to be awarded the Bharat Ratna), born in Madurai, Madras Presidency (d. 2004)
1968 – Marc Anthony [Marco Antonio Muñiz], American sala singer-songwriter, born in NYC, New York
1969 – Justine Frischmann, English musician (Elastica), born in Kensington, London
1973 – Clint Peay, American soccer defender (Olympic gold 1996), born in Columbia, Maryland
1978 – Nick Cordero, Canadian Broadway actor (Bullets Over Broadway), born in Hamilton, Canada (d. 2020)

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Famous Deaths

1916 – Basil W. Duke, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 78
1925 – Alexander Alexandrovich Friedman, Russian physicist (b. 1888)
1926 – Rudolf C Eucken, German philosopher (Nobel 1908), dies at 80
1932 – Ronald Ross, British pathologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, dies at 75
1996 – Andrew MacElhone, bar owner, dies at 73
2005 – Harry Freedman (Henryk Frydmann), Canadian composer, dies at 83

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