Category: On This Day

Historical Events

993 – Saint Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized.
1708 – Battle of Holowczyn: Swedish King Charles XII defeats superior Russian force in surprising vctory
1968 – Arthur Kopit’s “Indians” premieres in London
1975 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Billie Jean King outclasses Evonne Goolagong 6-0, 6-1 for her 6th Wimbledon singles title
1976 – Opening ceremony of the Dai Bosatsu monastery Catskill Mt NY
1988 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Stefan Edberg of Sweden wins his first of 2 Wimbledon singles titles beating Boris Becker 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a rain-affected final

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Famous Birthdays

1912 – Virginia Graham, American TV personality (Girl Talk, Where Was I), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1998)
1920 – Norm Drucker, American basketball referee (NBA Supervisor of Officials 1977–81; ABA Supervisor of the Officials 1969–73), born in NYC, New York (d. 2015)
1928 – Patrick Tilley, British sci-fi author (1st Family, Blood River)
1965 – Jo Whiley, English radio DJ, born in Northampton, United Kingdom
1968 – Mark Lenzi, American 3m spring diver (Olympic gold 1992), born in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (d. 2012)
1972 – William Goldsmith, American drummer (Foo Fighters; Sunny Day Real Estate), born in Seattle, Washington

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Famous Deaths

1187 – Reinoud van Châtillon, French prince of Antioch, dies
1603 – Philippus the Monte, priest/bandmaster/composer, dies at 82
1902 – Swami Vivekananda, Indian Hindu spiritual leader and a key figure in the introduction of Yoga to the Western world, dies while meditating at 39
2002 – Mansoor Hekmat, Iranian politician (b. 1951)
2003 – Barry White, American singer (Love’s Theme), dies at 58
2012 – Jimmy Bivins [James], American Hall of Fame boxer, dies from pneumonia at 92

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Historical Events

1090 – Battle at Hagenoorde: German emperor beats earl Egbert II
1841 – John Couch Adams decides to determine position of an unknown planet by irregularities it causes in the motion of Uranus
1954 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Maureen Connolly wins her 3rd consecutive Wimbledon singles title beating fellow American Louise Brough 6-2, 7-5
1965 – USSR and Persia sign dam building and economic aid pact
2004 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Maria Sharapova becomes first Russian player to win Wimbledon beating defending champion Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4
2019 – Italian David-Maria Sassoli chosen as new European Parliament President

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Famous Birthdays

1567 – Samuel de Champlain, French explorer (Lake Champlain), born in Hiers-Brouage or La Rochelle, France (d. 1635)
1814 – Janis Cimze, Latvian composer, Father of Latvian choir music, born in Rauna parish, Russian Empire (d. 1881)
1928 – Evelyn Anthony, English historical writer (Poellenberg Inheritance), born in London (d. 2018)
1952 – Peter Mathebula, South African boxer (WBA flyweight title 1980-81), born in Mohlakeng, South Africa (d. 2020)
1967 – Brian Cashman, American baseball executive (World Series 1998, 99, 2000, 09 NY Yankees), born in Rockville Centre, New York
1973 – Patrick Wilson, American actor (Angels in America), born in Norfolk, Virginia

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Famous Deaths

1863 – Little Crow [Ta-oya-te-duta], Mdewakanton Dakota leader (Treaty of Mendota), shot and killed by settlers at about 53
1918 – David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda, Welsh coal-mining entrepreneur, dies at 62
1971 – Renie Riano, British-American vaudeville and screen actress (Jiggs and Maggie films; The Family Jewels) dies after long illness at 71
1992 – Marc Tannenbaum, American rabbi (only Jew to attend Vatican II), dies at 66
1998 – George Walter Selwyn Lloyd, English composer (The Serf, John Socman), dies at 85
2015 – Jacques Sernas [Jokūbas Bernardas Šernas], Lithuanian actor (La Dolce Vita, Helen of Troy), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1214 – Battle of La Roche-aux-Moines (Angers), part of King John of England’s attempt to reclaim Normandy from France
1687 – King James II disbands English parliament
1917 – Labor disputes lead to race riot in East St Louis, Illinois – Black neighborhood attacked and burned, 40-200 killed and 6000 left homeless
1943 – Gulf of Biskaje: Liberator bombers sinks U-126
2005 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Venus Williams beats fellow American Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 7-6, 9-7 for the 3rd of her 5 Wimbledon singles titles
2017 – Women’s PGA Championship, Olympia Fields CC: American Danielle Kang scores her first professional win, 1 stroke ahead of defending champion Brooke Henderson of Canada

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Famous Birthdays

1492 – Elizabeth Tudor, English princess, second daughter and fourth child of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, born in Richmond Palace, Surrey, England (d. 1495)
1927 – Ruth Berghaus, German choreographer and opera director, born in Dresden, Germany (d. 1996)
1947 – Ervin Hall, 100m hurdler (Olympic silver 1968), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1968 – Mark Tewksbury, Canadian swimmer (Olympic gold 100m backstroke 1992), born in Calgary, Alberta
1976 – Tomáš Vokoun, Czech hockey player
1984 – Vanessa Lee Chester, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1644 – William Gascoigne, English astronomer and mathematician (introduced telescopic sights), is killed in the Battle of Marston Moor at 24
1911 – Felix Mottl, Austrian conductor and composer (Agnes Bernauer), dies at 54
1929 – Gladys Brockwell, American actress (Long Pants, Oliver Twist), dies in an automobile accident at 34
1940 – Ben Turpin, American comic (Saps at Sea, His New Job), dies at 65
2004 – Mochtar Lubis, Indonesian writer and editor (Twilight in Jakarta), dies at 82
2007 – Beverly Sills [Belle Miriam Silverman], American operatic soprano, dies of lung cancer at 78

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Historical Events

1859 – Balloon covers a record 809 miles over St Louis
1896 – Wilfrid Laurier sworn in as 1st French speaking Prime Minister of Canada
1915 – Australia begins Commonwealth Lighthouse Service
1931 – Cleveland Municipal Stadium (MLB: Indians, NFL: Browns, 78,189 capacity) opens; demolished 1996
1948 – NYC subway fare goes to 10 cents, bus fare to 7 cents and combo fare at 12 cents
1978 – Former US President Richard Nixon makes 1st public speech since resigning in 1974

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Famous Birthdays

1915 – Joseph Ransohoff, American neurosurgeon and pioneer in the modern neurosurgery, born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 2001)
1916 – Olivia de Havilland, British-American Academy Award-winning actress (All the King’s Men; The Adventures of Robin Hood; Gone With The Wind; The Heiress), born in Tokyo, Japan (d. 2020)
1971 – Melissa Peterman [Melissa Margaret], American actress (Reba, Fargo), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
1976 – Patrick Kluivert, Dutch soccer striker (Netherlands 79 caps)), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1977 – Jessica Meir, American NASA astronaut and marine biologist, born in Caribou, Maine
1998 – Pa Salieu, Gambian British rapper (Frontline), born in Slough, England

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Famous Deaths

1805 – Georg Ritschel, German composer, dies at 60
1939 – Louis Davids [Simon David], cabaret performer/chorus performer, dies
1949 – Louis Davids [Simon David], cabaret artist, dies at 65
1964 – Pierre Monteux, French-American conductor (Concertgebouw Orchestra, 1924–34;, Orchestre Symphonique de Paris, 1929–38; San Francisco Symphony, 1936–52), dies at 89
2008 – Mel Galley, English guitarist (Whitesnake; Phenomena), dies of esophageal cancer at 60
2014 – Walter Dean Myers, African-American author, dies at 76

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Historical Events

1953 – 1st Chevrolet Corvette manufactured
1968 – East German Communist Party leader Walter Ulbricht receives “Order of October Revolution”
1974 – Petty thief Peter Leonard sets fire to hide his burglary at a bowling alley, fires spreads next door to “Gulliver’s” nightclub killing 24 (Port Chester, New York)
1979 – “Good Times” single released by Chic (Billboard Song of the Year 1979)
1992 – Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher joins the House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven
2019 – President Donald Trump becomes first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea in the Korean Demilitarized Zone meeting Kim Jong Un

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Famous Birthdays

1722 – Jiří Antonín Benda, Czech composer and violinist, born in Benátky nad Jizerou, Bohemia (d. 1795)
1938 – Chris Hinze, Dutch flutist (Vivat Vivaldi), born in Hilversum, North Holland, Netherlands
1956 – David Alan Grier, American actor and comedian (In Living Color, Boomerang), born in Detroit, Michigan
1962 – Tony Fernández, Dominican MLB baseball shortstop, 1983-2001, 5X All-Star, 4X Golden Glove (Toronto Blue Jays, and 6 other teams), born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic (d. 2020)
1975 – Ralf Schumacher, German Formula 1 race car driver, born in Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
1980 – Rade Prica, Swedish footballer, born in Ljungby, Sweden

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Famous Deaths

1857 – Alcide d’Orbigny, French naturalist, dies at 54
1935 – Bill Brockwell, English cricketer (British all-rounder in 7 Tests 1893-99), dies at 70
1973 – Elmer Layden, College Football Hall of Fame fullback (Notre Dame legendary 4-horsemen, 1st NFL Commissioner), dies at 70
1992 – Nico Booken, Dutch director (Jewish Labor Social), dies at 72
2003 – Buddy Hackett [Leonard Hacker], American comedian and actor (God’s Little Acre; The Music Man; The Love Bug), dies of heart disease at 78
2014 – Paul Mazursky, American film director and screenwriter, dies from pulmonary cardiac arrest at 84

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Historical Events

1755 – 515 prominent Filipinos baptized as Catholic
1863 – Very 1st First National Bank opens in Davenport, Iowa
1864 – Samuel Crowther, bishop of Niger, becomes the first Black bishop of the Church of England
1988 – Vigdís Finnbogadóttir is elected the 4th President of Iceland becoming the world’s 1st democratically elected female President
1989 – Emmy 16th Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci loses for 10th time
1997 – “London Assurance” closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 72 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1783 – August Alexander Klengel, German pianist and composer, born in Dresden, Germany (d. 1852)
1900 – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French writer, poet and pioneering aviator (The Little Prince), born in Lyon, France (d. 1944)
1902 – Carl-Heinz Schroth, German actor and director (Reaching for the Stars), born in Innsbruck, Austria (d. 1989)
1943 – Little Eva [Boyd], American pop singer (“The Loco-motion”; “Keep Your Hands Off My Baby”), born in Belhaven, North Carolina (d. 2003)
1970 – Mike Vallely, American skateboarder and singer (Black Flag), born in Edison, New Jersey
1978 – Luke Kirby, Canadian American actor (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), born in Hamilton, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1315 – Ramon Llull, Spanish philosopher (b. 1235)
1964 – Milenko Živković, Yugoslavian composer, dies at 63
1968 – Kitty Kelly, American actress (Ladies of Jury, Behind Office Doors), dies at 66
1973 – Tin-Tan [Germán Valdés], Mexican actor, singer and comedian (Spanish dubbing of The Jungle Book, The Aristocats), dies from cancer at 57
1996 – Pamela Mason [Ostrer], British actress, author and talk-show host (Lady Possessed), dies of heart failure at 78
2016 – Elechi Amadi, Nigerian novelist (The Concubine), dies at 82

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Historical Events

1897 – Marquis C de Bonchamps’ expedition reaches Gore Ethiopia
1940 – Romania cedes Bessarabia to Soviet Union
1973 – Black Sports Hall of Fame forms: Paul Robeson, Elgin Baylor, Jesse Owens, Jim Brown, Wilma Rudolph, Joe Louis and Althea Gibson elected
1993 – Jacques Lemaire is named NJ Devils 8th Head Coach
2013 – Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole’s final “Sportscentre” broadcast on TSN
2018 – Amsterdam elects its first-ever woman mayor Femke Halsema since its first mayor in 1343

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Famous Birthdays

1906 – Nancy Mayhew Youngman, English painter and educationalist, born in Maidstone, England (d. 1995)
1928 – Hans Blix, Swedish head of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission 2000-2003, born in Uppsala, Sweden
1942 – (Martin) “Chris” Hani, South African politician (Secretary-General of South African Communist Party, 1991-93), born in Cofimvaba, Transkei, South Africa (d. 1993)
1971 – Ron Mahay, American baseball player, born in Crestwood, Illinois
1975 – Jon Nödtveidt, Swedish musician (Dissection), born in Strömstad, Sweden (d. 2006)
1988 – Lacey Schwimmer, American dancer (So You Think You Can Dance), born in Redland, California

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Famous Deaths

1714 – Daniel van Papenbroeck, Flemish jesuit/historian, dies at 86
1754 – Martin Folkes, English antiquarian and mathematician, dies at 63
1776 – Thomas Hickey, American sergeant convicted of treason, hanged
1855 – Giovanni Agostino Perotti, Italian composer, dies at 86
1909 – Israel Durham, Phillies president dies
2014 – Jim Brosnan, American baseball player and writer (Long Season), dies at 84

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Historical Events

1693 – 1st sea battle of Lagos: a French fleet under Anne Hilarion de Tourville defeated an Anglo-Dutch fleet under George Rooke
1944 – Cherbourg, France liberated by Allies
1969 – Denver Pop Festival opens; 50,000 attend; Frank Zappa, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Jimi Hendrix headline; other performers include Three Dog Night, Tim Buckley, Big Mama Thornton, Johnny Winter, Joe Cocker, and Poco
1973 – Uruguayan president Juan Maria Bordaberry dissolves parliament and heads a coup d’état – beginning of the civic-military dictatorship
1975 – 25th Berlin International Film Festival: “Adoption” wins the Golden Bear
1984 – Late Night’s 1st Tower Drop

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Famous Birthdays

1787 – Thomas Say, American naturalist and father of descriptive entomology, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1834)
1872 – Paul Laurence Dunbar, American poet and novelist (Oak and Ivory), born in Dayton, Ohio (d. 1906)
1884 – Gaston Bachelard, French philosopher (La psychanalyse du feu), born in Bar-sur-Aube, France (d. 1962)
1898 – Tibor Harsányi, Hungarian composer, born in Magyarkanizsa, Kingdom of Hungary (d. 1954)
1975 – Daryle Ward, American baseball player (Houston Astros), born in Lynwood, California
1991 – Madylin Sweeten, American actress (Everybody Loves Raymond), born in Brownwood, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1848 – Heinrich Zschokke, German Swiss writer, dies at 77
1970 – Daniel Kinsey, American hurdler (b. 1902)
1986 – George Nepia, New Zealand rugby player, dies at 81
1996 – Alberto Romero “Cubby” Broccoli, American film producer (James Bond), dies at 87
2001 – Jack Lemmon, American actor (Days of Wine and Roses, Missing), dies of colon cancer and metastatic cancer of the bladder at 76
2012 – Don Grady [Agrati], American actor (Robbie Douglas-My Three Sons), dies from cancer at 68

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Historical Events

1942 – German assault on British railroad terminal at Mersa Matruh, Egypt
1959 – 9th Berlin International Film Festival: “The Cousins” wins Golden Bear
1962 – Blacks begin passive resistance in Cairo Ill
1978 – Brittany separatists bomb Palace of Versailles in France
1987 – Columbia Records releases “King’s Record Shop”, the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash, and the final of her albums produced by husband Rodney Crowell
2017 – Helicopter with rogue police pilot attacks Venezuelan Supreme Court in Caracas

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Famous Birthdays

1582 – Johannes Schultz, German composer, born in Lüneburg, Germany (d. 1653)
1902 – Antonia Brico, Dutch-American conductor and pianist, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1989)
1903 – Ashley Clarke, British diplomat to Italy and president (Venice in Peril Fund) (d. 1994)
1934 – John V Tunney, American politician (Rep/Sen-D-California), born in NYC, New York (d. 2018)
1934 – Jeremy Wolfenden, British journalist and spy, born in England (d. 1965)
1939 – Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, South African Secretary-General (Bishops’ Conference 1983-88), born in Barberton, Mpumalanga, South Africa

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Famous Deaths

1864 – Tom Hyer, American bare-knuckle boxer (American heavyweight champion 1841-51), dies of edema at 45
1922 – Albert H K, monarch of Monaco (1889-1922), dies at 73
1957 – Alfred Döblin, German writer (b. 1878)
2007 – Liz Claiborne, American fashion designer, entrepreneur and founder of Liz Claiborne Inc, dies of cancer at 78
2020 – Milton Glaser, American graphic designer (founded New York Magazine, created the I ♥ NY” logo), dies at 91
2021 – Marcelo Campo, Argentine rugby union winger (20 Tests Argentina, 6 South America; Pueyrredón SC), dies from a heart attack at 63

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Historical Events

1798 – US passes Alien Act allowing president to deport dangerous aliens
1894 – Boer leader Paul Kruger meets British High Commissioner, Sir Henry Loch, on Pretoria station in South Africa and accompanies him to his hotel to discuss the grievances of the Uitlanders (Foreigners)
1967 – KPBS TV channel 15 in San Diego, CA (PBS) begins broadcasting
1973 – John Dean begins testifying before Senate Watergate Committee
1996 – The Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia kills 19 U.S. servicemen
1998 – New building for The British Library at Kings Cross, designed by Colin St John Wilson, is opened by Queen Elizabeth II in London

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Famous Birthdays

1328 – William Montacute, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, English military leader, born in Donyatt, Somerset, England (d. 1397)
1860 – Gustave Charpentier, French opera composer (Louise), born in Dieuze, France (d. 1956)
1937 – Marabel Morgan, American author (The Total Woman), born in Crestline, Ohio
1940 – Mary Beth Peil, American actress and singer (Mirrors, Dawson’s Creek, The Stepford Wives), born in Davenport, Iowa
1970 – Roope Latvala, Finnish musician (Children of Bodom), born in Helsinki, Finland
1988 – Therese Johaug, Norwegian cross-country skier (Olympic gold 4 x 5k relay 2010, 10k, 15k, 30k 2022; 14 x World C’ship gold), born in Os, Røros, Norway

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Famous Deaths

1673 – Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d’Artagnan, Captain of the Musketeers under Louis XIV of France (b. 1611)
1830 – Ephraim McDowell, American physician and surgeon (pioneered abdominal surgery), dies at 58
1948 – William C. Lee, U.S. general ‘Father of the US Airboure’, dies at 53
1956 – Ernest J. King, US fleet admiral, Chief of Naval Operations, dies at 77
1987 – Boudleaux Bryant, American country music and pop songwriter (“Rocky Top”; “Love Hurts”; “Bye Bye Love”), dies at 67
2002 – Jean Corbeil, Canadian politician (b. 1934)

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