Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1841 – Dion Boucicault’s stage comedy “London Assurance” opens at Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, London
1845 – James K. Polk inaugurated as 11th US President
1970 – Jacksonville is 1st college basketball team to avg 100+ pts per game
1995 – Replacement NY Yankees beat NY Mets 2-1
2023 – Andrew Tate’s legal team states he has a dark spot on his lung, sparking rumors about lung cancer

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Famous Birthdays

1889 – Oren E. Long, American politician and 10th Territorial Governor of Hawai’i (1951-3), born in Altoona, Kansas (d. 1965)
1907 – Maria Branyas, 2nd oldest American-Catalan supercentenarian (117 years, 168 days), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2024)
1909 – Harry B. Helmsley, American billionaire real estate developer (purchased Empire State Building, 1961), born in New York City (d. 199)
1938 – Alpha Condé, Guinean politician (President of Guinea, 2010-21), born in Boke, Lower Guinea
1973 – Jasper Somsen, Dutch jazz double bassist, composer and producer, born in was born Bennekom, Netherlands

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Famous Deaths

1193 – Saladin, 1st Sultan of Egypt and Syria and the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, dies of fever at about 55
1868 – Jesse Chisholm, American pioneer of the Chisholm Trail (b. 1805)
1927 – Ira Remsen American chemist, Johns Hopkins first Chemistry professor, dies at 81
1945 – Lucille La Verne, American actress (b. 1872)
2007 – Natalie Bodanya [Bodanskaya], American soprano, dies at 98

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Historical Events

1838 – Rebellion at Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada
1851 – Congress authorizes smallest US silver coin (3 cent piece)
1863 – Free city delivery replaces zone postage; 449 letter carriers hired
1939 – Mahatma Gandhi begins a fast in Bombay to protest against autocratic rule in India
2020 – World Bank pledges $12 billion in emergency aid for developing countries dealing with COVID-19

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Famous Birthdays

1838 – George William Hill, American astronomer (calculated Moon’s orbit) and considered to be the greatest master of celestial mechanics of his time, born in New York (d. 1914)
1851 – Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author (The Murderess), born in Skiathos, Greece (d. 1911)
1911 – Jean Harlow [Harlean Carpentier], American actress and 1930s’ sex goddess (Dinner at 8; Bombshell), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 1937)
1923 – (Arthel) “Doc” Watson, American Grammy Award-winning bluegrass, folk, and blues guitarist, songwriter, and singer, born in Deep Gap, North Carolina (d. 2012)
1929 – Jim Tunney, American football official (Super Bowl VI, XI, XII; record 29 post-season assignments), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2024)

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Famous Deaths

1806 – Heinrich Christian Boie, German author and editor, dies at 61
1926 – Cyril Metodej Hrazdira, Czech composer and conductor, dies at 58
1994 – Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, Polish-Israeli composer and music editor, dies at 75
2008 – Norman “Hurricane” Smith, British sound engineer (The Beatles, 1962-65), producer (Pink Floyd; The Pretty Things), and musician (“Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?”; “Don’t Let It Die”), dies at 85
2014 – William R. Pogue, American astronaut, dies at 84

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Historical Events

1121 – Dirk VI becomes count of Holland
1968 – USSR launches space probe Zond 4; fails to leave Earth orbit
1988 – The flaming basketball is adopted as NBA franchise Miami Heat’s official logo from over 13,000 entries; Mark Henderson submits the winning entry
1998 – Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter’s moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice
2024 – Brit Music Awards: Raye wins a record six Brits, including album and song of the year, with Kylie Minogue awarded Global Icon

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Famous Birthdays

1927 – John Romanides, Greek Eastern Orthodox priest and professor, born in Piraeus, Greece (d. 2001)
1929 – Sir Donald Gosling, British entrepreneur (Central Car Parks; National Car Parks), yachtsman, and WWII Royal Navy veteran, born in South London, England (d. 2019)
1941 – John Cornell, Australian screenwriter (Paul Hogan Show; Crocodile Dundee), and director (Crocodile Dundee II), born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia (d. 2021)
1956 – Eusebio Pedroza, Panamanian boxer (WBA featherweight champion 1978-85), born in Panama City, Panama (d. 2019)
1962 – Morioka Hiroyuki, Japanese science fiction writer, born in Kobe, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1074 – Yorimichi Fujiwara, Japanese imperial courtier and regent for three emperors (1016-68), dies at about 82 (b. 992)
1829 – Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, conspirator and supporter of the Mexican War of Independence (b. 1768)
1921 – Champ Clark, American politician (b. 1850)
1974 – Salvador Puig Antich, Spanish anarchist (b. 1948)
1981 – Tony Gulotta, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1927 3rd), dies at 78

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Historical Events

1859 – Present seal of San Francisco adopted (its 2nd)
1903 – Major League Baseball Rules Committee rule that pitcher’s mound must not be more than 15 inches higher than the baselines or home plate
1970 – Kreisky’s Social Democrats win Austrian parliamentary election
1995 – 37th Grammy Awards: “All I Want to Do” by Sheryl Crow; “Streets of Philadelphia” by Bruce Springsteen win
1999 – Daryll Cullinan scores South African cricket record 275no in the drawn 1st Test against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland; Gary Kirsten 128

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Famous Birthdays

1835 – Matthias Joseph Scheeben, German theologist (Natur und Gnade), born in Meckenheim (d. 1888)
1923 – Péter Kuczka, Hungarian writer, poet, and editor of science fiction, born in Székesfehérvár, Hungary (d. 1999)
1944 – Mike D’Abo, British rock vocalist (Manfred Mann – “Mighty Quinn”; Jesus Christ Superstar – “Herod”), and songwriter (“Handbags and Gladrags”), born in Betchworth, Surrey, England
1970 – Yolanda Griffith, American Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame center (Olympic gold 2000, 04; WNBA Finals MVP 2005, Sacramento Monarchs; 8 × WNBA All-Star), born in Chicago, Illinois
1977 – Esther Cañadas, Spanish supermodel who has worked with Donna Karen and Balenciaga, born in Alicante, Spain

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Famous Deaths

1898 – George Bruce Malleson, English officer in India and author, dies at 72
1950 – Alfred Korzybski, Polish-American scientist and philosopher, dies at 70
1952 – Mariano Azuela, Mexican novelist (The Flies, The Bosses), dies at 79
1972 – Violet Trefusis, English writer and socialite who had a famous affair with writer Vita Sackville-West, dies at 77
2019 – Eusebio Pedroza, Panamanian boxer (WBA featherweight champion 1978-85), dies of pancreatic cancer at 62

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Historical Events

1870 – The Bulgarian Exarchate (Orthodox Church) is established by decree of Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz of the Ottoman Empire
1974 – US and Egypt re-form diplomatic relations after 7 years
1981 – Calvin Murphy (Hou), sets NBA record with 78 consecutive free throws
1998 – First flight of the RQ-4 Global Hawk, the first unmanned aerial vehicle certified to file its own flight plans and fly regularly in US civilian airspace
2024 – Ghana passes new legislation making it illegal to identify as LGBTQ+

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Famous Birthdays

1704 – Louis Godin, French astronomer and seismologist who travelled to Peru, born in Paris (d. 1760)
1854 – Juliusz Zarębski, Polish pianist, composer, and pedagogue, born in Zhytomyr, Kingdom of Poland, Russian Empire (d. 1885)
1930 – Frank Malzone, American baseball third baseman (8 × MLB All-Star; 3 × Gold Glove Award; Boston Red Sox), born in the Bronx, New York (d. 2015)
1957 – John Turturro, American actor (Brain Donor, Color of Money, Jungle Fever), born in Brooklyn, New York
1957 – Ainsley Harriott, English celebrity chef (Read Steady Cook), born in London

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Famous Deaths

1737 – Hercule Brehy, Flemish composer and organist, dies at 63
1796 – Friedrich Wilhelm Rust, German violinist and composer, dies at 56
1979 – Jane Hylton [Audrey Gwendolene Clark], British actress (Adv of Sir Lancelot, Daybreak), dies of a heart attack at 52
1994 – Buster Holmes, American chef and New Orleans restaurateur, dies at 88
1999 – Bill Talbert, American tennis player (9 x Grand Slam doubles titles; US Open singles 1944, 45 runner-up; International Tennis HOF), dies at 80

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Historical Events

1816 – Dutch regain Suriname from the French after the defeat of Napoleon
1973 – American Indian Movement occupy Wounded Knee in South Dakota
1996 – First appearance of Pokémon in the role-playing video game “Pocket Monsters Red and Green” for Game Boy in Japan
1998 – 12th Soul Train Music Awards: Puff Daddy, Whitney Houston win
2003 – Rowan Williams is enthroned as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.

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Famous Birthdays

1867 – Irving Fisher ‘ America’s greatest economist’ (Fisher’s Theory of Interest, Monetarism), born in Saugerties, New York (d. 1947)
1901 – Horatio Luro, American horse trainer (43 x stakes winners; Decidedly, Northern Dancer), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1991)
1950 – Julia Neuberger, British rabbi, born in Hampstead, United Kingdom
1957 – Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, screenwriter and creator of “Ed, Edd n Eddy”, born in Toronto, Ontario
1970 – David White, American NFL linebacker (Buffalo Bills), born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee

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Famous Deaths

1942 – Karel Doorman, Dutch rear-admiral (Java Sea), KIA at 52
1977 – Allison Hayes, American model and actress (Attack of the 50 Foot Woman), dies of leukemia or lead poisoning at 47
1995 – Philip Sherrington, opus Dei Priest, dies at 51
1998 – J. T. Walsh, American actor (Good Morning, Vietnam, Pleasantville), dies of a heart attack at 54
2025 – Boris Spassky, Russian chess player (world champion 1969-72), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1929 – US President Calvin Coolidge establishes Grand Teton National Park
1941 – Cowboys’ Amateur Association of America organized (California)
1954 – First typesetting machine (photo engraving) used in Quincy, Massachusetts
2013 – A rocket launched from the Gaza strip into Israel ends the ceasefire since November 2012
2025 – First death from measles in the US occurs in Texas in a decade, and the first child to die in 22 years amid an outbreak affecting 124 people

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Famous Birthdays

1939 – Josephine Tewson, British actress (Keeping Up Appearances; Last Of The Summer Wine, 2003-10), born in Hampstead, England (d. 2022)
1945 – Peter Brock, Australian auto racer (3 x Australian Touring Car C’ship; 9 x Bathurst 500/1000; 9 x Sandown Endurance), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2006)
1950 – Billy Steinberg, American lyricist and songwriter (with Tom Kelly – “Like A Virgin”; “True Colors”; “I Touch Myself”), born in Palm Springs, California (d. 2026)
1957 – David Muldrow Beasley, American politician, born in Darlington, South Carolina
1959 – Rolando Blackman, American basketball guard (NBA All-Star 1985, 86, 87, 90; Dallas Mavs, NY Knicks; Italian Cup MVP 1996 Olimpia Milano), born in Panama City, Panama

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Famous Deaths

1802 – Esek Hopkins, American Revolutionary War admiral and Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy, dies at 83
1933 – Princess Thyra, Danish princess, daughter of Christian IX of Denmark, dies at 79
1960 – Aleksandar Belic, Serbian linguist, dies at 83
2008 – Glory Mukwati, Zimbabwean politician
2023 – Fred Shabel, American basketball coach (Connecticut Huskies 1963-67) and executive (AD University of Pennsylvania 1967-75; Comcast Spectacor), dies at 90

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Historical Events

1925 – US Men’s Figure Skating championship won by Nathaniel Niles
1961 – Paul Bikle in glider climbs from 1,208 m at release to record altitude of 1,410m
1961 – Niagara ends St Bonaventura’s 99-game home college basketball win streak
1968 – 10th Daytona 500: Cale Yarborough driving for Wood Brothers Racing wins by less than a second from LeeRoy Yarbrough; grid set exclusively by qualifying times
1995 – PBA National Championship Won by Scott Alexander

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Famous Birthdays

1735 – Ernst Wilhelm Wolf, German composer, born in Grossen Behringen, Thuringia, Electorate of Saxony (d. 1792)
1902 – Max Kommerell, German literary critic (Die Gefangenen), born in Münsingen, Germany (d. 1944)
1966 – Nancy O’Dell, American reporter and television personality (Entertainment Tonight), born in Sumter, South Carolina
1980 – Christy Knowings, American actress and member of the “All That” sketch comedy show (1997-2000), born in the Bronx, New York
1985 – Benji Marshall, New Zealand rugby league halfback-five eighth (31 Tests; Wests Tigers, St. George, South Sydney) and coach (Wests Tigers), born in Whakatane, New Zealand

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Famous Deaths

1655 – Daniel Heinsius, Flemish scholar and poet (Poetics), dies at 74
1860 – Chauncey Allen Goodrich, American clergyman, educator and lexicographer (edited Webster’s Dictionary), dies at 69
1953 – Jesus Garcia Leoz, Spanish orchestral and film composer (The Sun Comes Out Every Day), dies at 49
1996 – Marion Farouk Political scientist-Sluglett, dies at 59
2009 – Ian Carr, Scottish jazz musician (Nucleus), dies after suffering Alzheimer’s disease at 75

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Historical Events

1857 – LA Vineyard Society organized
1950 – Labour wins UK parliamentary election by 5 seats
1956 – Walter Piston’s 5th Symphony, commissioned by the Juilliard School of Music for their 50th anniversary, premiere performance by the Juilliard Orchestra, conducted by Jean Morel
1999 – State of Arizona executes convicted murderer and bank robber, German national Karl LaGrand, despite international legal action by Germany to save him
2020 – Scientists identify the first animal that doesn’t need oxygen to breathe: a tiny parasite living in salmon tissue, reported in the journal PNAS

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Famous Birthdays

1910 – Clyde Hart, American swing and bebop jazz piano player and arranger (Stuff Smith; Lionel Hampton; Roy Eldridge), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1945)
1917 – Myra Taylor (née Render), American jazz singer (“Spider and the Fly”; Wild Women of Kansas City), songwriter, and actress, born in Bonner Springs, Kansas (d. 2011)
1940 – Denis Law, Scottish soccer striker (55 caps; Manchester United 309 games; Ballon d’Or 1964; World Soccer World XI 1964), born in Aberdeen, Scotland (d. 2025)
1956 – Eddie Murray, American MLB Hall of Fame first baseman, 8x All-star, 3x Golden Glove (Baltimore Orioles, 1977-88 and 96; L.A. Dodgers, 1989-91 and 97, and three other teams), born in Los Angeles, California
1981 – Mohammad Sami, Pakistani cricket fast bowler (36 Tests, 85 wickets, BB 5/36; Karachi, Kent CCC, Sussex CCC), born in Karachi, Pakistan

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Famous Deaths

1856 – Nikolai Lobachevsky, Russian mathematician (Lobachevskian geometry), dies at 63
1919 – Josephine McGill, composer, dies at 41
1990 – Malcolm Forbes, American publisher of Forbes magazine, politician, and son of B.C. Forbes, dies of a heart attack at 70
2011 – Anant Pai, Indian educationalist and creator of comics (b. 1929)
2012 – Jan Berenstain [Janice Marian Grant], American children’s literature author (The Berenstain Bears), dies from a stroke at 88

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Historical Events

1854 – Great Britain and Orange Free state sign Convention of Bloemfontein
1966 – Military coup in Syria ends Bitar government
2007 – A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, England, killing one person and injuring 22. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents.
2014 – 56th Daytona 500: Dale Earnhardt Jr. breaks a 55-race winless streak to win his 2nd Great American Race
2019 – Sri Lanka becomes first Asian cricket team to clinch a Test series in South Africa chasing down 197 in the 2nd Test in Port Elizabeth; Kusal Mendis 84no, Oshada Fernando 75no

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Famous Birthdays

1615 – Nicolas Fouquet, French politician and Superintendent of Finances (1653-61) who became fabulously wealthy and later imprisoned for maladministration of state funds, born in Paris (d. 1680)
1744 – Mayer Amschel Rothschild, German Jewish banker and founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty, born in Frankfurt (d. 1812)
1803 – John Sutter, German-Swiss-American colonist who established Sutter’s Fort in what is now Sacramento and where gold was first discovered in California, born in Kandern, Margraviate of Baden, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1880)
1933 – Donna J. Stone, American poet (Wielder of Words), born in Ohio (d. 1994)
1947 – Shakira Caine, British-Guyanese actress and model (Man Who Would Be King), born in St. Cuthbert’s Mission, British Guiana

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Famous Deaths

1792 – Joshua Reynolds, English portrait painter (Simplicity), dies at 68
1974 – Florence Rice, American actress (Fast Company, Double Wedding, Riding on Air), dies from lung cancer at 67
2012 – Bruce Surtees, American cinematographer (Dirty Harry, Lenny), dies at 74
2016 – Lennie Baker, American rock saxophonist musician (Sha Na Na, 1970-99), dies at 69
2020 – Stefan Florenski, Polish soccer defender (11 caps; Górnik Zabrze), dies at 86

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