Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1857 – Atlantic Monthly magazine 1st published
1900 – China has resumed nominal control of Manchuria, but in a secret agreement the Chinese governor of Manchuria grants Russia such rights as keeping troops along the railroad lines and controlling civil administration
1912 – Ottoman garrison surrenders Thessaloniki / Salonika to the Greek army (OS Oct 27)
1996 – 8th College Football Holy War: Notre Dame beats Boston College 48-21 in Chestnut Hill
1999 – TAESA Flight 725, crashes a few minutes after leaving the Uruapan airport en-route to Mexico City. 18 people were killed in the accident.
2019 – YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul’s second boxing match; KSI wins by split decision

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1879 – Milan Šufflay, Croatian historian and politician, born in Lepoglava, Croatia (d. 1931)
1903 – Leon-Etienne Duval, French prelate and cardinal of the Catholic Church in Algeria, born in Chênex, Haute-Savoie, France (d. 1996)
1909 – H. M. van Randwijk, Dutch author and founder (Vrij Netherland), born in Gorinchem, Netherlands (d. 1966)
1919 – Sol K. Bright, Hawaiian steel-guitar player, singer (Hollywaiians), and songwriter (“Hawaiian Cowboy”), born in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii (d. 1992)
1925 – Bill Bruton, American baseball outfielder (NL stolen bases leader 1953-55 Milwaukee Braves), born in Penola, Alabama (d. 1995)
1984 – French Montana [Karim Kharbouch] American rapper, born in Casablanca, Morocco

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1829 – Jean Xavier Lefevre, composer, dies at 66
1911 – Howard Pyle, American author (b. 1853)
1952 – Philip Murray, 1st president of the United Steelworkers and longest-serving president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, dies at 66
1956 – Aino Kallas, Finnish writer (White Ship, Estonian Tales), dies at 78
2002 – William Schutz, American psychologist (b. 1925)
2012 – Bill Tarmey, English actor (Coronation Street), dies at 71

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1900 – David Beatty takes part in the successful relief of the naval brigade and is promoted to captain
1935 – “Mutiny on the Bounty” directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable premieres in New York (Best Production/Picture 1936)
1942 – Vichy-France drops diplomatic relations with US
1988 – Arco Arena in Sacramento, California, opens, Sac Kings lose to Seattle, 97-75
2018 – CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s White House clearance revoked after continuing to question President Donald Trump while an intern tried to wrestle the microphone off him
2018 – Mass grave of 200 people discovered on border of Somali and Oromia regions, Ethiopia, in investigation into atrocities by former regional president Abdi Mohammed

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1879 – King Baggot, American actor and director (Tumbleweeds), born in St Louis, Missouri (d. 1948)
1938 – Murtala Mohammed, Nigerian military ruler, born in Bendel State, Colonial Nigeria (d. 1976)
1967 – Frantisek Kaberle, Czech ice hockey forward (Team Czech Rep), born in Kladno, Czechia
1967 – Jay Taylor, American NFL cornerback (KC Chiefs), born in San Diego, California
1983 – Blanka Vlašić, Croatian high jumper, born in Split, Croatia
1986 – Aaron H. Swartz, computer programmer and internet activist (Demand Progress), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2013)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1171 – Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut (1120-71), dies at about 63
1880 – Jacob Edvard Gille, Swedish composer, dies at 66
1992 – Kees [Cornelis] Broekman, Dutch speed skater (Olympic silver 1952), dies at 65
1995 – Country Dick Montana [Daniel McLain], American rock drummer and vocalist (The Beat Farmers – “Happy Boy”), dies on stage during a performance in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada at age 40
2010 – Jack Levine, American social realist painter, dies at 95
2011 – Bil Keane, American cartoonist (The Family Circus), dies at 89

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1918 – Kurt Eisner overthrows the Wittelsbach dynasty in the Kingdom of Bavaria as a revolutionary uprising spreads throughout Germany
1929 – Museum of Modern Art opens in Hecksher Building in New York
1942 – Italian cyclist Fausto Coppi establishes world hour record 45.798km in Vigorelli, Milan, Italy
1963 – New York Yankee catcher Elston Howard is first African-American to be voted AL MVP
1997 – “Bean” film directed by Mel Smith and starring Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean opens in the US
2017 – Danica Roem becomes the first US transgender person to be elected to a state legislature in the US in North Virginia

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1955 – Detlef Ultsch, German judoka (Olympic bronze 1980), born in Sonneberg, Bezirk Suhl, East Germany
1969 – Tanya Dubnicoff, Canadian cyclist (Olympic 6th 1992, 96), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
1970 – Morgan Spurlock, American director and documentary producer (Super Size Me), born in Parkersburg, West Virginia
1981 – Muhammad Hassan, American professional wrestler, born in Syracuse, New York
1990 – Courtney Marie Andrews, American singer-songwriter (Old Flowers), born in Phoenix, Arizona
1995 – Bethany Mota, American video blogger, born in Merced County, California

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1802 – Johann Georg Joseph Spangler, Austrian composer, dies at 50
1960 – Alvin Carter, vocalist (Carter Family), dies at 69
1967 – Juan Tomas Perez, composer, dies at 71
1974 – Sandra Rivett, English nanny to John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, allegedly bludgeoned to death by Mr Lucan at 29 before he mysteriously disappeared
1979 – Paolo Carlini, Italian actor (It Started in Naples), dies at 53
2006 – Johnny Sain, American baseball pitcher, dies at 89

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1928 – Colonel Jacob Schick patents 1st electric razor
1939 – WGY-TV (Schenectady, NY), 1st commercial TV station, begins service
1941 – USA lends Soviet Union $1 million
1941 – Einsatz Gruppe kills 15,000 Jews of Rovno Ukraine
1950 – King Tribhuvana of Nepal flees to India
1983 – Turkey Turgut Özals Moederland party wins elections

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1753 – Mikhail Kozlovsky, Russian sculptor, born in St. Petersburg, Russia (d. 1802)
1906 – James D. Norris, American sports businessman (Chicago Black Hawks), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1966)
1955 – Maria Shriver, American newscaster (Sunday Today) and ex-wife of Arnold Schwarzenegger, born in Chicago, Illinois
1961 – Daniele Gatti, Italian conductor, born in Milan, Italy
1970 – Ethan Hawke, American actor and author (Dead Poets Society, Before trilogy), born in Austin, Texas
1982 – Sowelu, Japanese pop singer, born in Tokyo, Japan

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1795 – Jiří Antonín Benda, Czech composer and violinist, dies at 73
1922 – Morgan Bulkeley, American politician (US Senator – Connecticut 1905-11) and Baseball HOF administrator (NL President 1876), dies at 84
1997 – Annie Llewelyn-Davies, Baroness Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe, British Labour Party politician, dies at 82
2004 – Fred Dibnah, English steeplejack and television personality, dies at 66
2007 – Sayed Mustafa Kazemi, Afghan politician, killed in a bomb attack at 47 or 48
2018 – Hugh McDowell, British cellist (Electric Light Orchestra – “Strange Magic”; “Evil Woman”), dies of cancer at 65

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1499 – Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier (Brittany). Breton-French-Latin dictionary written in 1464 by Jehan Lagadeuc was first Breton and French dictionary
1811 – El Salvador’s 1st battle against Spain for independence
1873 – Due to the fallout from the Pacific Scandal, John A. Macdonald resigns as Prime Minister of Canada
1973 – Arab producers announce 25 percent cut in oil production
1992 – “Revenge Match of the 20th century” American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer defeats Russian Boris Spassky to win an unofficial match in Belgrade
2000 – Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie is laid to rest 25 years after his death after a funeral procession through Addis Ababa

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1885 – Will Durant, American author and historian (The Story of Philosophy, The Story of Civilization), born in North Adams, Massachusetts (d. 1981)
1911 – Roy Rogers, American cowboy actor and singer (“Happy Trails”; Roy Rogers Show), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1998)
1920 – Douglass North, American economist, (Nobel Prize Economic Sciences 1993), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 2015)
1930 – Clifford Irving, American novelist and investigative reporter (hoax autobiography of Howard Hughes), born in NYC, New York (d. 2017)
1951 – Tony Evers, American politician, Governor of Wisconsin (2019-), born in Plymouth, Wisconsin
1974 – Chris Sununu, American politician, Governor of New Hampshire (2017-), born in Salem, New Hampshire

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1680 – Gillis Valckenier, mayor of Amsterdam (1665..80), dies at about 57
1828 – Maria Feodorovna of Russia, second wife of Tsar Paul I of Russia, dies at 69
1860 – Carl Binder, Austrian composer, dies at 43
1989 – Barry Sadler, American singer (“Ballad Of The Green Berets”), dies from complications of being shot at 49
1990 – Herbert Berghof, Austrian actor (Belarus File, Harry and Tonto, Target), dies of heart failure at 81
1991 – Robert Maxwell, Czech-British billionaire publisher, politician and fraudster (Mirror Group, NY Daily News), drowns at sea at 68

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1501 – Philip de Blank and Juana “la Loca” depart to Spain
1929 – John L. Balderston’s play “Berkeley Square” starring Leslie Howard premieres in NYC
1981 – Beth Henley’s “Crimes of the Heart” premieres in NYC
1990 – Iraq says it is preparing for a “dangerous war”
2008 – Barack Obama becomes the first African-American to be elected President of the United States, defeating Republican candidate John McCain
2009 – Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat Philadelphia Phillies, 7-3 in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium to win Bronx Bombers’ record 27th title; MVP: NY outfielder Hideki Matsui

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1590 – Gerard van Honthorst, Dutch painter, born in Utrecht, Netherlands (d. 1656)
1790 – Carlos Antonio López, 1st President of Paraguay (1844-62), born in Asunción, Paraguay (d. 1862)
1927 – Vittorio Fellegara, Italian composer, born in Milan (d. 2011)
1968 – Domingo Cedeno, Dominican infielder (Toronto Blue Jays), born in La Ramona, Dominican Republic
1969 – Tommy Henry, American CFL defensive back (Edmonton Eskimos)
1977 – Tonicha Jeronimo, British actress (Emmerdale), born in Jersey

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1968 – Paul JM Lindemans, Flemish agricultural engineer and author, dies at 78
1984 – Merie Earle [Ireland], American film and television character actress (The Waltons – “Maude Gormley”), dies of uremic poisoning at 95
2003 – Charles Causley, Cornish writer and poet (b. 1917)
2006 – Torolf Elster, Norwegian journalist and writer (Frihet och demokrati), dies at 95
2020 – Ken Hensley, British rock songwriter, keyboardist, and singer (Uriah Heep, 1970-80 – “Easy Livin'”; Blackfoot, 1982-84), dies at 75
2021 – (Henry) Lionel Blair [Ogus], Canadian-British choreographer, tap dancer, actor, and television presenter, dies at 92

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

644 – Umar ibn al-Khattab, second Muslim caliph, is killed in Medina by Lu’lu, an enslaved Persian captive
1937 – Howie Morenz Memorial Game, Montreal Forum: NHL All-Stars beat Montreal All Stars, 6-5
1943 – P-47D Thunderbolt shot down above North Holland
1964 – For 1st time since 1800, residents of Washington, D.C. permitted to vote
1980 – Walter Hass Jr becomes CEO of Oakland A’s
1989 – 100s of Bulgarian demonstrate in Sofia for democratic rights

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1831 – Ignatius Donnelly, American politician, writer, and amateur scientist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1901)
1863 – Eugène Samuel-Holeman, Belgian composer, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1942)
1918 – Dean Riesner, American film and television screenwriter (Bill and Coo), born in New Rochelle, New York (d. 2002)
1934 – Derek Richardson, English cricket batsman (1 Test; Worcestershire 383 first class games), born in Hereford, Herefordshire
1938 – Jean Rollin, French director and screenwriter
1995 – Kendall Jenner, American model and TV personality (Keeping Up with the Kardashians), born in Los Angeles, California

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1787 – Robert Lowth, British Bishop of the Church of England and grammarian (A Short Introduction to English Grammar), dies at 76
1864 – Antonio Goncalves Dias, Brazilian national poet, dies at sea
1890 – Ulrich Ochsenbein, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1811)
1914 – Georg Trakl, Austria poet (Totentag, Cocaine Overdose), dies at 27
1929 – Olav Aukrust, Norwegian poet (b. 1883)
1986 – Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis [Edward F. Davis], American jazz saxophonist (Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band), dies of cancer at 65

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1698 – Scottish settlers make landfall in Panama, establishing the ill-fated ‘Darien Venture’ colony
1852 – Franklin Pierce elected as President of US
1944 – Canadian troops occupy Knokke
1968 – “Her First Roman” closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 17 performances
1995 – Spanish Broadcasting System buys NY radio station WPAT-FM for $83.5M
2002 – Mark Messier plays his 1,616th NHL game, a 3-2 Rangers loss against the St. Blues, to move into 2nd place on the all-time games played list; passes Larry Murphy and ends career with 1,756 games, just 11 shy of Gordie Howe

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1528 – Peter Lotichius Secundus [Peter Lotz], Neo latin poet (Collected Works), born in Schlüchtern, Hesse, Germany (d. 1560)
1899 – Edgar du Perron, Dutch author and poet (Land of Origin), born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (d. 1940)
1924 – David Bauer, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame player and builder (priest, school coach; National Team manager), born in Kitchener, Ontario (d. 1988)
1947 – Dave Pegg, British folk and rock bassist and producer (Fairport Convention 1969-79 and 1985-present; Jethro Tull, 1980-85), born in Birmingham, England
1962 – Simon Hill, English-Australian football commentator, born in Manchester
1963 – Ines Diers, German swimmer (GDR Olympic gold 400m, 4x100m relay 1980), born in Rochlitz, Sachsen, Germany

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1863 – Theodore Judah, American railroad engineer (b. 1826)
1882 – Cenobio Paniagua, Mexican composer, dies at 61
1950 – George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist (Pygmalion, Nobel Prize for Literature 1925), dies at 94
1980 – Edith Bunker, character on “All in the Family”, dies
1994 – David Feinberg, American AIDS activist and author, dies at 37
2012 – Milt Campbell, American decathlete (Olympic gold 1956), dies from prostate cancer and diabetes at 78

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1943 – Dim-out ban lifted in San Francisco Bay area
1976 – “Don’t Step on My Olive Branch” opens at Playhouse NYC for 16 performances
1979 – Tanker Burmah Agate off Galveston Bay, Texas, spills 10.7 m gallons of oil, in US’s worst oil spill disaster
1993 – After playing 12 Tests for Australia, fast bowler Michael Whitney plays his final day in 1st class cricket for NSW in a tour match loss v New Zealand in Newcastle
1993 – Atlantic Radio (20 radio stations) becomes American Radio Systems
2009 – British Mercedes driver Jenson Button finishes 3rd in inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit to win his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 11 points from Sebastian Vettel

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1351 – Leopold III, Duke of Austria (1365-68), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1386)
1526 – Catherine Jagellion, Polish princess and queen of Sweden as the wife of John III of Sweden, born in Kraków, Poland (d. 1583)
1530 – Étienne de La Boétie, French judge and writer, born in Sarlat-la-Canéda, Périgord, France (d. 1563)
1897 – Naomi Mitchison, Scottish author (African Heroes, Return to Fairy Hill), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1999)
1911 – Henri Troyat, Russian-French author and historian, born in Moscow (d. 2007)
1934 – Umberto Agnelli, Italian automotive executive (Fiat, 1965-2004), born in Lausanne, Switzerland (d. 2004)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1596 – Pierre Pithou, French lawyer and scholar (Les Libertés de l’église gallicane), dies at 57
1678 – William Coddington, first Governor of Rhode Island (b. 1601)
1985 – Arnold Pihlak, Estonian soccer forward (44 caps; FK Austria Wien), dies at 83
1995 – Desmond Shawe-Taylor, British critic and writer (co-author of The Record Guide), dies at 88
2006 – William Styron, American novelist (Confess of Nat Turner, Sophie’s Choice), dies at 81
2012 – Pascual Pérez, Dominican baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1983; Atlanta Braves), dies during apparent home robbery at 55

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

802 – Empress Irene of Byzantium driven out
1887 – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral work “Capriccio Espagnol” premieres in St Petersburg
1917 – World War I: Battle of Beersheba in southern Palestine – “last successful cavalry charge in history” performed by the 4th Australian Light Horse
1973 – Tom Seaver wins NL Cy Young Award
1981 – 1st live US radio drama in 25 years (Halloween Story on NBC)
2003 – Bethany Hamilton, aged 13, has her arm bitten off by a shark while surfing in Hawaii

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1838 – Luís I, King of Portugal (1861-89), born in Necessidades Palace, Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1889)
1887 – William Whysall, British cricketer (4 Tests for England 1924-30) (d. 1930)
1912 – Ollie Johnston, American animator and the last living member of Disney’s Nine Old Men, born in Palo Alto, California (d. 2008)
1914 – Joe Carcione, American consumer advocate (The Green Grocer) (d. 1988)
1970 – Craig Kelly, English actor (Queer as Folk, Coronation Street), born in Lytham St Annes, England
1970 – Nicholas “Nicky” Wu, Taiwanese singer, actor and martial arts expert (Xiao Hu Dui/Little Tiger Team), born in Taipei, Taiwan

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1917 – Tibby Cotter, Australian cricket fast bowler and soldier (21 Tests, 49 wickets), dies in world’s last successful cavalry charge, 4th Light Horse Brigade at Beersheba at 33
1926 – Harry Houdini [Erich Weiss], Famous magician and escape artist, dies at 52 in Detroit of gangrene and peritonitis that developed after his appendix ruptured
1939 – Otto Rank [Rosenfeld], Austria psychoanalyst (Trauma of Geburt), dies
1991 – Johan Schmitz, actor (Gysbregt van Aemstel/Soldat van Orange), dies
1996 – Andrew Hutchings, British trade union leader, dies at 88
2014 – Käbi Laretei, Estonian-Swedish concert pianist, dies at 92

More Famous Deaths »