Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1860 – -18] Chicago: Republican convention selects Abraham Lincoln as candidate
1916 – 41st Preakness: Linus McAtee aboard Damrosch wins in 1:54.8
1932 – Yanks 4th straight shutout to equal record set by Cleveland and Boston
1938 – 1st animal breeding society forms (NJ)
1941 – Italian army under Aosta surrenders to Britain at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia
1981 – 106th Preakness: Jorge Velásquez aboard Pleasant Colony wins in 1:54.6

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1659 – Campegius Vitringa, Dutch theologist
1917 – Geraint Jones, Welsh conductor and organist, born in Porth, Wales (d. 1998)
1949 – Rick Reuschel, pitcher (NY Yankees)
1961 – Kevin McDonald, Canadian comedian and actor
1969 – Tucker Carlson, American television commentator (Tucker Carlson Tonight), born in San Francisco, California
1974 – Adam Richman, American TV personality (Man v Food), born in Brooklyn, New York

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1669 – Reyer Anslo, writer/poet, dies at about 42
1768 – Cornelis Writer, fleet supervisor, dies at about 81
1910 – Henri E Cross [Delacroix], French painter, dies at 53
1944 – Leone Sinigaglia, Italian composer, dies at 75
2000 – William Ferris, American composer and conductor (William Ferris Chorale, 1971-2000), dies while conducting a rehearsal of Verdi’s Requiem at 63
2021 – Rildo da Costa Menezes, Brazilian soccer defender (38 caps; Santos, CEUB, New York Cosmos), dies at 79

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1856 – 2nd San Francisco Vigilance Committee organized
1897 – The Scientific-Humanitarian Committee is founded in Berlin by Magnus Hirschfeld, the first-ever LGBT rights organization
1918 – 43rd Preakness: Johnny Loftus aboard War Cloud wins in 1:53.6
1941 – Joe DiMaggio starts 56-game hitting streak; Yanks lose 13-1
2010 – Jessica Watson at age 16 becomes the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world
2018 – Taliban forces attack and claim to has seized control of the western city of Farah, Afghanistan

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1893 – Stanley Lupino, English comic (Cheer Up; Over She Goes), born in London (d. 1942)
1907 – Sukhdev Thapar, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1931)
1911 – Herta Oberheuser, Nazi doctor (d. 1978)
1939 – Brian Hartley, British mathematician (group theory) (d. 1994)
1961 – Melle Mel [Melvin Glover], American rapper (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five), born in The Bronx, New York
1965 – Dan Stryzinski, NFL punter (Atlanta Falcons)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1740 – Ephraim Chambers, English encyclopaedist (b. 1680)
1948 – Edward Flanagan, American priest and founder of Boys Town (b. 1886)
1952 – Italo Montemezzi, Italian composer (L’amore dei tre re), dies at 76
1987 – Wynne Gibson, actor (Night After Night, Aggie Appleby), dies
1992 – Barbara Lee, American singer (Chiffons, He’s So Fine), dies at 44
1996 – Claus Bremer, German dramatist, dies at 71

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1842 – Illustrated London News; the world’s first illustrated weekly newspaper, begins publication
1921 – Mussolini’s fascists obtain 29 parliamentary seats in Italian elections
1927 – Cap Arcona is launched at the Blohm and Voss shipyard in Hamburg
1948 – Golda Meir (Meyerson) is one of the signatories of Israel’s independence declaration
1951 – Ernie Kovacs Show, TV Variety debut on NBC
1970 – NYC local newspaper “Our Town” begins publishing

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1900 – Edgar Wind, German art historian (d. 1971)
1916 – Lance Dossor, British-born concert pianist (d. 2005)
1948 – Walter Olkewicz, actor (Last Resort, Wizards and Warriors), born in Bayonne, New Jersey
1972 – Chad Cascadden, American NFL linebacker, 1995-99 (New York Jets), s), Two Rivers, Wisconsin
1973 – Natalie Appleton, Canadian pop singer (All Saints -“Never Ever”), born in Mississauga, Ontario
1975 – Salim Iles, Algerian swimmer

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1863 – Emile Racine Gauthier Prudent, composer, dies at 46
1938 – Jacobus C J “Jacques” Hermans, actor (Ghetto), dies at 81
1940 – Eddy [Charles E] du Platform, writer/poet, dies
1983 – Roger J. Traynor, American judge (b. 1900)
1991 – Aladár Gerevich, Hungarian fencer (7 Olympic gold 1932, 36, 48, 52, 56, 60), dies at 81
1996 – Qazaleh Alizadeh, writer, dies at 48

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1874 – Pope Pius IX encyclical “On Greek-Ruthenian rite”
1876 – Amersfoort-Zutphen railway in the Netherlands opens
1877 – Caesar Franck’s symphonic poem “Lesson Eolides” premieres
1882 – Toba indians kill 20 members of French expedition in Argentina, including explorer Jules Nicolas Crevaux
1966 – US Federal education funding is denied to 12 school districts in the South because of violations of the 1964 Civil Rights Act
2004 – The final episode of “Frasier” on NBC is watched by 33 million people

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1928 – Jim Shoulders, American champion rodeo cowboy, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma (d. 2007)
1941 – Senta Berger, Austrian stage and screen actress (Cast a Giant Shadow), born in Vienna, Austria
1947 – Robert “Rab” Noakes, Scottish folk-country singer-songwriter (“Turn A Deaf Ear”), born in St Andrews, Fife
1954 – Johnny Logan [Seán Sherrard], Irish celtic-pop singer and songwriter (“Hold Me Now”), born in Frankston, Australia
1966 – Darius Rucker, American rock singer (Hootie and the Blowfish – “Only Wanna Be With You”), born in Charleston, South Carolina
1993 – Debby Ryan, American actress (The Suite Life on Deck), born in Huntsville, Alabama.

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1864 – Junius Daniel, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 35
1866 – Nikolai Brashman, Russian mathematician, dies at 69
1971 – Valerian Mikhaylovich Bogdanov-Berezovsky, Russian composer, dies 67
1982 – Gara Garayev [Kara Karayev], Soviet-Azerbaijani composer (Seven Beauties), dies at 64
2002 – Valeri Lobanovsky, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1939)
2021 – Nelson Marcenaro, Uruguayan soccer defender (8 caps; Mundialito 1980; Progreso, Portuguesa, Peñarol, Emelec), dies from a heart attack at 68

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1894 – Ludwig Englander’s musical “Passing Show” premieres in NYC
1958 – US and Canada form North American Air Defense Command (NORAD)
1962 – Grevelingen dam closes in major project to protect the southwest of the Netherlands from flooding
1973 – 6th ABA championship: Indiana Pacers beat Ky Colonels, 4 games to 3
1981 – NY Islanders tie their own record with two shorthanded playoff goals in a period vs Minnesota North Stars
2006 – A major rebellion occurs in São Paulo as members of criminal organization Primeiro Comando da Capital attack police officers and stations, eventually escalating to several prisons in Brazil leaving around 130 dead

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1915 – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics (d. 2001)
1958 – Kim Greist, American actress (CHUD, Brazil, Payoff, Manhunter), born in Stamford, Connecticut
1958 – Andreas Petroulakis, Greek political caricaturist
1966 – Rafael Bournigal, Dominican infielder (Oakland A’s), born in Azua, Dominican Republic
1978 – Jason Biggs, American actor (American Pie), born in Pompton Plains, New Jersey
1979 – Andre Carter, American football player and coach, born in Denver, Colorado

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1825 – Elias Mann, American composer, dies at 75
1845 – János Bacsanyi, Hungarian poet (b. 1763)
1876 – Henri-François-Alphonse Esquiros, French poet and writer (Evangile du peuple), dies at 63
1996 – Hubert William Dean, British air armaments specialist, dies at 84
2000 – Adam Petty, American race car driver (b. 1980)
2001 – Didi (Waldyr Pereira), Brazilian soccer midfielder (68 caps; Fluminense), dies at 72

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1858 – Minnesota admitted as 32nd US state
1862 – Confederates scuttle CSS Virginia off Norfolk, Virginia
1949 – Siam renames itself Thailand
1975 – Natalie Cole releases her debut album “Inseparable” (wins 2 Grammys)
1998 – India conducts three underground nuclear tests in Pokhran, including a thermonuclear device
2018 – Most popular names in the US for 2017 revealed as Emma for girls, Liam for boys

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1838 – Walter Goodman, British painter, illustrator and author (d. 1912)
1905 – Marjorie Sykes, peace campaigner
1947 – Butch Trucks, American drummer (The Allman Brothers – “Whipping Post”), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2017)
1964 – Tim Blake Nelson, American actor (O Brother, Where Art Thou?; The Ballad of Buster Scruggs; Watchmen), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
1974 – Stanley Gene, Papua New Guinean rugby league footballer
1986 – Ronny, Brazilian footballer

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1304 – Maḥmūd Ghāzān, 7th Mongol Empire ruler in Iran, dies at 32
1938 – Arnold Sauwen, Flemish poet (Hours of Solitude), dies at 81
1996 – Bruce Boyce, Canadian-born American singer and teacher, dies at 85
2013 – Oliver “Ollie” Mitchell, American musician and bandleader (The Wrecking Crew), dies of cancer at 86
2017 – Yale Lary, American NFL safety Hall of Famer (Detroit Lions), dies at 86
2020 – John “Moon” Martin, American rockabilly singer-songwriter and guitarist (“Bad Case Of Loving You”), dies at 74

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1267 – Vienna’s church orders all Jews to wear a distinctive garb
1643 – Essex County, Massachusetts is founded, which contains the town of Salem in which the notorious witch-trials will occur in 1692
1893 – 19th Kentucky Derby: Eddie Kunze aboard Lookout wins in 2:39.25
1906 – Russian Duma (Parliament) meets for 1st time
1969 – US troops begin attack on Hill 937 (“Hamburger Hill”), Vietnam
2003 – The May 2003 tornado outbreak sequence takes place.

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1911 – Alexander Goode, American US Navy chaplain and rabbi (The Four Chaplains), born in Brooklyn, NYC (d. 1943)
1923 – Herb Carneal, American sports broadcaster (Minnesota Twins 1962-2006; Ford C. Frick Award 1996), born in Richmond, Virginia (d. 2007)
1943 – Andrzej Badeński, Polish athlete (400 metres) (d. 2008)
1944 – Jackie Lomax, English singer-songwriter (Is This What You Want), born in Liverpool, England (d. 2013)
1958 – Ellen Ochoa, PhD/Astronaut (STS 56, 66), born in Los Angeles, California
1968 – Al Murray, British comedian

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1290 – Duke Rudolph II of Austria (b. 1271)
1950 – Belle da Costa Greene, American librarian, bibliographer and archivist, dies at 66
1974 – Hal Mohr [Harold Leon Mohr], American Cinematographer and husband of Evelyn Venable (Captain Blood), dies at 74
2000 – Dédé Fortin, Quebec singer and songwriter (Les Colocs) (b. 1962)
2003 – Milan Vukcevich, Yugoslavian chemist and a grandmaster of chess problem composition, dies at 66
2017 – Geoffrey Bayldon, British stage and screen actor (Catweazle; Worzel Gummidge – “Crowman”), dies at 93

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1971 – Elizabeth Bonner runs female world record marathon (3:01:42)
1977 – Hotel Poland in Amsterdam destroyed by fire, 33 killed
1980 – Slasher horror film “Friday the 13th” is released in US cinemas
1986 – NHL Prince of Wales Conference Final: Montreal Canadians beat New York Rangers, 4 games to 1
1997 – 1st US ambassador since Saigon fell arrives in Vietnam
2019 – Pope Francis introduces new rules on reporting sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, criticized for not going far enough

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1783 – Alexander Ross, Canadian fur trader, born in Morayshire, Scotland (d. 1856)
1941 – Pete Birrell, British rock bassist (Freddie and The Dreamers – “I’m Telling You Now”) born in Wythenshawe, Cheshire, England
1951 – Alley Mills, actress (Norma Arnold-Wonder Years), born in Chicago, Illinois
1953 – Ron Jackson, baseball player
1960 – Iain Butchart, cricket all-rounder (Zimbabwe, Test v Pak 1995)
1979 – Rosario Dawson, American actress

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1785 – Franz Xaver Schnitzer, German composer, dies at 44
1850 – Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French physicist and chemist, dies at 71
1952 – Canada Lee [Leonard Canegata], African-American actor (Lost Boundaries), dies of a heart attack at 45
2009 – Turner Stephen Bruton, American country songwriter and musician (Crazy Heart), dies of throat cancer at 59
2013 – Andrew Simpson, British sailor, dies after a yacht capsize at 36
2017 – Qian Qichen, Chinese diplomat and vice premier, dies at 89

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1821 – Greek War of Independence: Greeks defeat the Turks in Gravia
1895 – China cedes Taiwan to Japan under Treaty of Shimonoseki
1924 – Memel territories given to Lithuania
1942 – Aircraft carrier USS Lexington sunk by Japanese air attack in Coral Sea
1989 – US space shuttle STS-30 lands
1994 – President Clinton announces US will no longer repatriate boat people

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1786 – Thomas Hancock, British engineer, founded British rubber industry, born in Malborough, Wilshire (d. 1865)
1893 – Francis Ouimet, American golfer (US Open 1913, US Amateur 1914, 31), born in Brookline, Massachusetts (d. 1967)
1921 – Graham Leonard, Bishop of London, most senior Anglican to convert to Catholicism since the reformation (d. 2010)
1932 – Phyllida Law, Scottish actress (Much Ado About Nothing, The Time Machine), born in Glasgow, Scotland
1977 – Joe Bonnamassa, American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter (“Dust Bowl”; “Redemption”), born in New Hartford, New York
1981 – Stephen Amell, Canadian actor (Arrow), born in Toronto, Ontario

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1941 – Heinrich Zöllner, German composer, dies at 86
1974 – Graham Bond, British RandB musician, dies jumping under a train at 36
1976 – Ulrike Meinhof, German journalist who lead Germany Red Army Faction ( “Baader-Meinhof gang”), dies in uncertain circumstances in prison at 41
1976 – Fred McLeod, Scottish golfer (US Open 1908), dies at 94
1992 – Richard Derr, American actor (When Worlds Collide), dies at 74 of cancer
2004 – John Peel, British politician (C), dies at 91

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1908 – Emperor Franz-Joseph celebrates his golden jubilee with festivities throughout the Austro-Hungarian empire
1965 – WAOW TV channel 9 in Wausau, WI (ABC) begins broadcasting
1980 – Yugoslav President Josip Tito is buried
1982 – Californian federal jury rules NFL violates antitrust laws in preventing Oakland Raiders move to Los Angeles Coliseum
1995 – Twins beat Indians 10-9 in 17 innings, 6 hours and 36 minutes
2003 – Arsenal thrash Southampton, 6-1 at Highbury to start Gunners’ amazing English Premier League record 49-game unbeaten streak; ends 24 October, 2004 with 2-0 defeat at Manchester United

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1883 – Martin Albertz, German theologist (Jesus Christ’s Church) and resistance fighter against the Nazi regime, born in Halle (Saale), Germany (d. 1956)
1900 – Ralph Truman, British actor (Henry V, Treasure Island, Web of Evidence), born in London, England (d. 1977)
1938 – Johnny Caldwell, Irish flyweight boxer (Olympic bronze 1956), born in Belfast, Ireland (d. 2009)
1959 – Barbara Yung Mei-ling, Hong Kong actress, born in Hong Kong (d. 1985)
1980 – Johan Kenkhuis, Dutch swimmer
1986 – Mark Furze, Australian actor (Home and Away), born in Orange, New South Wales

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1928 – Alexander Spendiaryan, Russian-Soviet composer, dies at 56
1950 – Bertha “Chippie” Hill, American blues and vaudeville singer (King Oliver’s Jazz Band), struck and killed by a car in New York City at 45
1968 – Lurleen Wallace, American politician (46th Governor of Alabama, 1967-68), dies at 41
1986 – Gaston Defferre, French Socialist politician, dies at 75
1996 – Henry Diamond, Irish Nationalist MP, dies at 87
2005 – Peter W. Rodino, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey (1949-89), dies at 95

More Famous Deaths »