Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1861 – US Postmaster General Blair announces end of postal connection with South
1941 – German occupiers begin youth labor
1942 – Anglo-Soviet Treaty signed in London
1942 – Belgium Jews are required by Nazis to wear a Jewish star
1942 – Tank battle at Bir Hakeim: Afrika Korps vs British army
2001 – Super Rugby Final, Canberra: Fullback Andrew Walker kicks 5 penalties and 3 conversions as the ACT Brumbies win their first title; beat Coastal Sharks (Durban), 36-6

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Famous Birthdays

1650 – John Churchill, 1st duke of Marlborough, English general strategist, born in Ashe, England (d. 1722)
1915 – Sam Edwards, American actor (Captain Midnight, Twelve O’Clock High), born in Macon, Georgia (d. 2004)
1923 – Horst Tappert, German director, actor and former SS member (Derrick), born in Elberfeld, Germany (d. 2008)
1948 – Geoff Greenidge, West Indian cricket batsman (5 Tests; last white player to play for WI), born in St Michael, Barbados
1966 – Anthony Edwards, NFL wide receiver (Arizona Cardinals)
1967 – Phil Doyle, Australian writer

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Famous Deaths

1926 – S V Petlura, Ukrainian ataman, assassinated by Shalom Schwarzbard
1933 – Horatio Bottomley, British financier and politician (b. 1860)
1976 – Martin Heidegger, German philosopher (Being and Time), dies at 86
1991 – Tom Eyen, playwright (Dreamgirls), dies of cardiac arrest at 50
1995 – Severn Darden, American actor (Luv, President’s Analyst, Saturday the 14th), dies at 65
1996 – Halka Grossman, Israeli resistance fighter and politician, dies at 76

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Historical Events

1904 – 38th Belmont: George Odom aboard Delhi wins in 2:06.6
1943 – Agnes Moorehead appears in “Sorry, Wrong Number” on the radio program “Suspense”, her most successful appearance
1967 – European Cup Final, Estádio Nacional, Lisbon: Glasgow Celtic beats Internazionale, 2-1; first British team to win the Cup
1968 – BPAA US Women’s Bowling Open won by Dotty Fothergill
1991 – “People Are Still Having Sex” by LaTour hits #35
1995 – The Bosnian Serb Army kills 72 youngsters in the Bosnian city of Tuzla

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Famous Birthdays

1783 – Philip Pendleton Barbour, American politician and U.S. Supreme Court justice, born in Gordonsville, Virginia (d. 1841)
1925 – Rosario Castellanos, Mexican poet (Balún Canán), born in Mexico City (d. 1974)
1938 – Raymond Carver, American poet and short story writer (Furious Season), born in Clatskanie, Oregon (d. 1988)
1960 – Wallace Roney, American post-bop jazz trumpeter, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2020)
1968 – Kendall Gill, American NBA guard and forward (NJ Nets), born in Chicago, Illinois
1993 – Norman Powell, American NBA player (Toronto Raptors), born in San Diego, California

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Famous Deaths

992 – Mieszko I, Grand Duke and ruler of Poland (960-992), dies at around 61
1401 – Maria, Queen of Sicily and Duchess of Athens and Neopatria, dies at 37
1595 – Valens Acidalius, German critic and poet (b. 1567)
1985 – Robert Nathan, American poet and novelist (Portrait of Jennie), dies at 91
2006 – Otto Zykan, Austrian pianist and composer, dies at 71
2020 – Marvin Luster, American CFL Hall of Fame defensive back (6 x CFL All Star; Toronto Argonauts, Montreal Alouettes), dies at 82

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Historical Events

1086 – Abbott Dauferio/Desiderius becomes Pope Victor III
1276 – Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral
1595 – Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library
1870 – Memoria of Jackson Kemper, 1st Missionary Bishop in US
1940 – Dutch Queen Wilhelmina speaks on BBC radio
1983 – Supreme Court rules government can deny tax breaks to schools that racially discriminated against students

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Famous Birthdays

1794 – William Whewell, English polymath and philosopher (History of Inductive Science), born in Lancaster, Lancashire, England (d. 1866)
1803 – Alexander von Nordmann, Finnish zoologist, born in Kotka, Finland (d. 1866)
1942 – Ali Bacher, South African cricketer (South African batsman and captain in 60’s), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
1945 – Priscilla Presley, American actress (Jenna-Dallas, Naked Gun), born in Brooklyn, New York
1975 – Maria Lawson, British soul and RandB singer (Ti.Pi.Cal.), born in London
1986 – Mark Ballas, American professional dancer (Dancing with the Stars), born in Houston, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1826 – Friedrich Fesca, German violinist and composer, dies of tuberculosis at 37
1871 – Francisco Salvador Daniel, French composer, and ethno-musicologist, dies at 40
1919 – Amado Nervo [Juan Crisóstomo Ruiz de Nervo], Mexican writer and poet, dies at 48
2003 – Rachel Kempson, English actress (b. 1910)
2010 – Raymond V. Haysbert, African-American business executive and civil rights leader (b. 1920)
2010 – Morrie Martin, American MLB baseball pitcher, 1949-59 (Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Athletics, and 5 other teams), and double Purple Heart Army veteran, dies at 87

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Historical Events

1917 – Dutch 2nd Chamber approves 1908 conscription draft
1920 – Pope Benedictus XV publishes encyclical Pacem Dei
1948 – Future Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder Joe DiMaggio hits 3 consecutive HRs as the New York Yankees edge the Indians, 6-5 at Cleveland Stadium
1984 – “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, 2nd in the film series, directed by Stephen Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford, opens in the US
2006 – 41st Academy of Country Music Awards: Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans and Keith Urban win
2017 – UK raises terror threat level to critical following Manchester bombing

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Famous Birthdays

1696 – Johann Caspar Vogler, German composer and organist, born in Hausen, Schwarzburg-Arnstadt (d. 1763)
1902 – Mark Lothar, German composer (The Story of the Lazy Bear), born in Berlin (d. 1985)
1938 – Graham “Johnny” Ball, British TV personality and mathematics educator (Play School), born in Bristol, England
1939 – Michel Colombier, French composer and songwriter (d. 2004)
1956 – Buck Showalter, American baseball manager (AL Manager of the Year 1994, 2004, 14; NY Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles) and analyst (ESPN, YES network), born in DeFuniak Springs, Florida
1979 – Brian Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player

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Famous Deaths

1813 – Geraud Duroc, French general (b. 1772)
1851 – Lucas Pieter Roodbaard, architect, dies at 69
1991 – Jean Van Houtte, Belgian politician (Prime Minister of Belgium, 1952-56; Finance Minister, 1950-52 and 1958-61), dies at 84
1994 – Carl Althoff, German circus director, dies at 82
2020 – Saturn, American-born alligator that escaped Berlin Zoo during WWII, dies at about 84 in Moscow Zoo (Moscow, Russia)
2021 – Cristóbal Halffter, Spanish conductor, and composer (Yes, speak out, yes; Lazarus), dies at 91

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Historical Events

1176 – Murder attempt by “Assassins” on Saladin near Aleppo
1746 – Russia and Austria sign treaty of cooperation
1766 – Istanbul earthquake with estimated magnitude of 7.1, causes widespread extensive damage, followed by a significant tsunami
1947 – 1st US ballistic missile fired
1960 – Tsunami generated by a magnitude 9.4-9.6 earthquake in Chile strikes Hilo, Hawaii at 01:04 AM, severely damaging virtually all coastal towns between the 37th and 44th parallels
1961 – 1st revolving restaurant (Top Of The Needle in Seattle) opens

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Famous Birthdays

1897 – Marcelle Meyer, French contemporary classical (Les Six) and Baroque revivalist (Bach; Rameau) concert pianist, born in Lille, France (d. 1958)
1941 – Martha Langbein, German athlete (Olympic silver 1960), born in Heidelberg, Germany
1955 – Iva Davies, Australian rock guitarist and vocalist (Icehouse), born in Wauchope, New South Wales, Australia
1959 – [Steven] Morrissey, British rock vocalist (The Smiths), born in Davyhulme, Lancashire
1976 – Christian Vande Velde, cyclist (Olympics 1996), born in Chicago, Illinois
1978 – Ginnifer Goodwin, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1939 – Ernst Toller, German playwright, commits suicide at 45
1965 – Christopher Stone, first disc jockey in the United Kingdom (b. 1882)
2005 – Julia Randall, American poet (b. 1924)
2011 – Ze’ev Wolfgang Steinberg, Israeli violist and composer, dies at 92
2013 – Henri Dutilleux, French composer (Tout un monde lointain, L’arbre des songes), dies at 97
2017 – (Granville) “Mickey” Roker, American jazz drummer (Art Farmer; Milt Jackson; Dizzy Gillespie), dies suffering from diabetes and lung cancer at 84

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Historical Events

1881 – American Red Cross founded by Clara Barton
1886 – 14th Preakness: S Fisher aboard Bard wins in 2:45
1943 – Fastest 9 inning AL baseball night game (89 mins), Chicago White Sox beat visiting Washington Senators, 1-0
1968 – Nuclear-powered sub USS Scorpion, with 99 men, reported missing and is later found at the bottom of the ocean off Azores
1971 – Chelsea win 11th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Real Madrid 2-1 in Athens (replay)
1987 – Xignals PC Board BBS begins in Alabama

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Famous Birthdays

1680 – Frederich Karl Erbach, German composer, born in Odenwald (d. 1731)
1850 – Giuseppe Mercalli, Italian volcanologist (d. 1914)
1903 – Pedro Aramburu, Argentine army leader, President and Dictator of Argentina (1955-58), born in Río Cuarto, Argentina (d. 1970)
1923 – Bettye Danoff, American golfer (co- founder LPGA Tour), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 2011)
1941 – Ronald Isley, American singer (Isley Brothers – “Twist and Shout”; “This Old Heart Of Mine”), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1985 – Mark Cavendish MBE, British road cyclist (UCI Road World C’ships 2011; Points classification winner Tour de France 2011, 21; Giro d’Italia 2013; Vuelta a España 2010), born in Douglas, Isle of Man

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Famous Deaths

1254 – Conrad IV, King of Germany, Jerusalem and Sicily, dies at 26
1481 – Christian I, king of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, dies at 55
1719 – Pierre Poiret, French mystic, dies at 73
1790 – Thomas Warton, English critic and poet (Pleasures of Melancholy) British Poet Laureate (1785-90), dies at 62
1915 – Leonid Gobyato, Russian general (designed the portable mortar), dies in combat at 40
1996 – Mary Perot Nichols, American journalist, dies at 79

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Historical Events

1972 – “Different Times” closes at ANTA Theater NYC after 24 performances
1978 – 3 PFLP members kill a police officer near El Al airlines in Orly Airport, Paris
1980 – Drummer Peter Criss quits rock band Kiss
1989 – 114th Preakness: Pat Valenzuela aboard Sunday Silence wins in 1:53.8
1990 – Hubble Space Telescope sends its 1st photographs from space
1995 – CBS News fires co-anchor Connie Chung

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Famous Birthdays

1547 – Melchior Bischoff, German composer, born in Pößneck, Germany (d. 1614)
1883 – Paul Arntzenius, Dutch painter, graphic artist and etcher, born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1965)
1905 – Harry Campion, statistician/founder (British Central Statistical Office)
1911 – Annie M G Schmidt, writer (Fam Doorsnee, Jip and Janneke)
1930 – Robert Bunyard, Commandant (British Police Staff College)
1990 – Josh O’Connor, English actor (The Crown), born in Southampton, England

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Famous Deaths

1648 – Władysław IV Vasa, King of Poland (1632-48), dies of kidney stones at 52
1713 – Thomas Sprat, English writer (b. 1635)
1782 – William Emerson, British mathematician (b. 1701)
1961 – Josef “Pips” Priller, German fighter ace (b. 1915)
1988 – Harry Babasin, American jazz bassist and cellist (Dodo Marmarosa Trio), and archivist (Los Angeles Theaseum), dies of emphysema at 67
1999 – Robert Rhodes James, British politician historian (Gallipoli), dies at 66

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Historical Events

715 – St Gregory II begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1973 – “Smith” opens at Eden Theater, NYC: runs for 17 performances
1976 – Senate establishes permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
1990 – “Elvis” TV Drama about early life of Elvis Presley last airs on ABC
1993 – Boeing 727 crashes into mountain at Medellin Colombia, kills 132
2021 – BBC investigation finds their 1995 Princess Dianna interview was secured through ‘deceitful behavior’ by journalist Martin Bashir

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Famous Birthdays

1771 – Rahel Varnhagen von Ense-Levin, German literary hostess, born in Berlin, Prussia (d. 1833)
1925 – Guy Provost, French Canadian actor (d. 2004)
1930 – Hans Kox, Dutch composer (Dorian Gray; Symphony No. 4 – “Tasmanian”), and educator, born in Arnhem, Netherlands (d. 2019)
1939 – Tomasz Sikorski, Polish minimalist composer (Solitude of Sounds), born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1988)
1951 – Dick Slater, American professional wrestler
1983 – Jessica Fox, British actress

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Famous Deaths

1795 – Josiah Bartlett, American physician and statesman (signed US Declaration of Independence), dies at 65
1845 – Maria EJ Versfelt, mistress of general Moreau/marshal Ney, dies at 68
1898 – William Ewart Gladstone, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Liberal: 1868-74, 1880-86, 1892-94), dies of heart failure at 88
1903 – Arthur Shrewsbury, English cricket batsman (23 Tests [7 captain]; 1277 runs @ 35 47; Nottinghamshire), dies at 47
1904 – Auguste Molinier, French historian (b. 1851)
1994 – Henry Morgan, American comedian and TV panelist (I’ve Got a Secret, Arena), dies of cancer at 74

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Historical Events

1900 – Britain proclaims protectorate over Kingdom of Tonga
1918 – TNT explosion in chemical factory in Oakdale, Pennsylvania, kills 200
1974 – Novelty song “The Streak” by Ray Stevens hits #1
1986 – David Goch finishes swimming 55,682 miles in a 25-yd pool
1997 – “King David” opens at New Amsterdam Theater NYC
2008 – NHL Eastern Conference Final: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Philadelphia Flyers, 4 games to 1

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Famous Birthdays

1886 – Ole Windingstad, Norwegian composer (The Tide), born in Sandefjord, Norway (d. 1959)
1918 – Massimo Girotti, Italian actor (Last Tango in Paris, In the Name of the Law), born in Mogliano, Marche, Italy (d. 2003)
1919 – Margot Fonteyn, English ballerina considered the 1st lady of British Ballet (Giselle), born in Reigate, England (d. 1991)
1929 – John Nicolaas Block, Dutch aviation pioneer (Martinair, Transavia, Air Holland), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1994)
1958 – Ray Donaldson, NFL center (Dallas Cowboys), born in Rome, Georgia
1967 – Karl Dunbar, American NFL defensive tackle (Arizona Cardinals), born in Opelousas, Louisiana

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Famous Deaths

1918 – Toivo Kuula, Finnish composer, dies after being shot in a quarrel at 34
1922 – Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, French physician (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1907), dies at 76
1926 – Lucien Herr, French intellectual and librarian (École Normale Supérieure), dies at 62
1995 – Elisha Cook Jr, American actor (Maltese Falcon, Shane, Magnum PI), dies at 91
2003 – Barb Tarbox, Canadian anti-smoking crusader, dies at 42
2013 – Steve Forrest, American actor (SWAT), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1933 – Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling, the national-socialist party of Norway
1948 – Soviet Union recognizes Israel
1959 – Sanctuary of Christ the King inaugurated, a 28 meter (92 ft) high monument and shrine overlooking Lisbon, Portugal by sculptor Francisco Franco de Sousa
1973 – Five British Army soldiers are killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army booby-trap bomb in Omagh, County Tyrone
1992 – LPGA Championship Women’s Golf, Bethesda CC: Betsy King wins her 5th major title, 11 strokes ahead of runners-up JoAnne Carner, Liselotte Neumann and Karen Noble
1996 – Venezuelan Alicia Machado, aged 18, crowned 45th Miss Universe

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Famous Birthdays

1803 – Robert Smith Surtees, British novelist (Jorrocks’s Jaunts and Jollities), born in The Riding, England (d. 1864)
1889 – Alfonso Reyes, Mexican writer (Simpatías y diferencias) and diplomat (Higenia Cruel), born in Monterrey, Mexico (d. 1959)
1943 – Vicky Moscholiou, Greek singer (d. 2005)
1945 – Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Indian cricketer (brilliant Indian leggie 1964-79), born in Mysore, Karnataka
1966 – Mark Schmocker, US team handball goalie (Olympics 1996)
1971 – Bill Lindsay, Big Fork, NHL left wing (Florida Panthers)

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Famous Deaths

1809 – Leopold Auenbrugger, Austrian physician (invented percussion as a diagnostic technique), dies at 86
1838 – René Caillé, French explorer and the first European to return alive from the town of Timbuktu, dies at 38
1947 – George William Forbes, Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1869)
2000 – Donald Coggan, 101st Archbishop of Canterbury (1974-80), dies at 90
2007 – Lloyd Alexander, author (b. 1924)
2014 – Gerald Edelman, American biochemist (Nobel 1972), dies from natural causes at 84

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