Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1888 – One of first known modern beauty contests held in Spa, Belgium
1939 – Wehrmacht (German regular army) murders 100 Jews in Lukov Poland
1940 – Witold Pilecki is voluntarily captured and sent to Auschwitz in order to smuggle out information and start a resistance
1960 – “LIFE” magazine celebrates artist Anna Mary “Grandma” Moses’ 100th birthday by putting her on their cover
1992 – Demolition begins of JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; built in 1926 as Sesquicentennial Stadium, also known as Municipal Stadium, it hosted the 1926 Tunney-Dempsey fight, 41 Army-Navy football games, The Beatles; The Rolling Stones; victory rallies for The NHL Flyers and MLB Phillies; and the US portion of Live-Aid
2004 – 56th Emmy Awards: The Sopranos, Arrested Development, James Spader and Allison Janney win

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Famous Birthdays

1811 – Orson Pratt, American mathematician and religious leader, born in Hartford, New York (d. 1881)
1946 – Michael Elphick, British stage and screen actor (Gorky Park; Boon), born in Chichester, Sussex, England (d. 2002)
1951 – Richard Dashut, American record producer (Bob Welch; Fleetwood Mac: Lindsey Buckingham), born in West Hollywood, California
1959 – Marshall Jefferson, American musician ‘father of house music’ (Move your Body), born in Chicago, Illinois
1962 – Ken Rosenthal, American sportswriter and reporter, born in Oyster Bay, Long Island
1966 – Soledad O’Brien, American journalist (Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien), born in St. James, New York

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Famous Deaths

1339 – Go-Daigo, 96th Emperor of Japan (1318-39), dies at 50
1710 – Ole Rømer, Danish astronomer, dies at 65
1993 – Richard Landau, American screenwriter (Back to Bataan), dies at 79
1995 – Walter Shlomo Gross, journalist, dies at 83
1996 – Timothy Nicholson, journalist, dies at 32
2006 – Roy Schuiten, Dutch cyclist (b. 1950)

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Historical Events

1846 – Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning exchange their last letters before they move to Italy
1962 – Rwanda, Burundi, Jamaica and Trinidad admitted (105th-108th) to UN
1964 – TV series “The Addams Family”, starring John Astin, Carolyn Jones, Ted Cassidy, and Jackie Coogan, premieres on ABC
1975 – Heiress-turned-bank robber Patricia Campbell Hearst captured by FBI in San Francisco
1997 – Ted Turner gives $1 billion to the United Nations, creating the public charity, the United Nations Foundation
2006 – “Watching You” single released by Rodney Atkins (Billboard Song of the Year 2007)

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Famous Birthdays

1943 – Michael Vetter, German composer, born in Oberstdorf, Germany (d. 2013)
1966 – Ian “Spike” Spice, English guitarist (IBreathe, Flash Cadillac) (d. 2000)
1968 – Cappadonna [Darryl Hill], American rapper (Wu-Tang Clan), born in Staten Island, New York
1970 – Mike Compton, American NFL center and guard (Detroit Lions), born in Richlands, Virginia
1975 – Kanstantsin Lukashyk, Belarusian pistol shooter (OLympic gold 1992), born in Hrodna, Belarus
1981 – Jennifer Tisdale, American actress and model, born in Neptune, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1684 – Joannes Antonides van der Goes, Dutch poet (Ystroom), dies at 37
1939 – Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Polish writer, painter, and photographer (b. 1885)
1966 – Fernand Lamy, French composer, dies at 85
1975 – Fairfield Porter, American painter, dies at 68
1991 – Rob Tyner [Robert Derminer], American hard rock singer (MC5 – Kick Out The Jams), dies of a heart attack at 46
2013 – Richard C. Sarafian, American director and actor (Foley Square), dies from complications from pneumonia at 83

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Historical Events

1957 – KETV TV channel 7 in Omaha, NB (ABC) begins broadcasting
1978 – 30th Emmy Awards: “All in the Family”; Ed Asner and Sada Thompson win
1980 – South Korea opposition leader Kim Dae-jung sentenced to death
1988 – Jeff Reardon becomes 1st to record 40 or more saves in both AL and NL
1989 – Hurricane Hugo begins 4 day sweep through Caribbean, killing 62
2019 – Indonesia raises the female marriage age to 19, in line with males, to curb child marriages

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Famous Birthdays

1834 – Edouard Pailleron, French attorney, poet and stage writer, born in Paris, France (d. 1899)
1859 – Frank Dawson Adams, Canadian geologist, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1942)
1908 – Franz Grothe, German composer, born in Berlin (d. 1982)
1922 – Ursula Howells, British actress (Hard Times, Girly, Murder is Announced), born in London, England (d. 2005)
1963 – Amy Roloff, American reality star (Little People, Big World), born in Michigan
1995 – Patrick Mahomes, American NFL quarterback (Super Bowl MVP 2020; KC Chiefs), born in Tyler, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1604 – Lucas Osiander, German composer, dies at 69
1621 – Roberto Bellarmino, Italian saint (Doctor of the Church), dies at 78
1986 – Patricia “Pat” Phoenix, British actress (Coronation Street, L Shaped Room), dies of lung cancer at 62
1994 – Vitas Gerulaitis, Lithuanian/American tennis player (Australian Open 1977; Wimbledon doubles 1975), dies of carbon monoxide poisoning at 40
1996 – Spiro Agnew, American politician (Vice President, 1969 until resignation over corruption allegations in 1973), dies of leukemia at 77
2019 – Harold Mabern Jr., American post-bop jazz pianist and composer, dies at 83

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Historical Events

1920 – The “Wall Street bombing” occurs at 12:01 when a horse-drawn wagon explodes on Wall Street, New York, killing 38 and injuring 143
1940 – FDR signs Selective Training and Service Act (1st peacetime draft)
1954 – CKLW TV channel 9 in Windsor, ON (CBC) begins broadcasting
1960 – Milwaukee Braves’ future HOF pitcher Warren Spahn no-hits Philadelphia Phillies, 4-0 at County Stadium
1962 – USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1999 – 1st ever season of “Big Brother” reality show begins on the Veronica channel in The Netherlands

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Famous Birthdays

1875 – James Cash Penney, American department store founder (J C Penney), born in Hamilton, Missouri (d. 1971)
1916 – M.S. [Madurai Shanmukhavadivu] Subbulakshmi, Indian singer (1st singer to be awarded the Bharat Ratna), born in Madurai, Madras Presidency (d. 2004)
1968 – Marc Anthony [Marco Antonio Muñiz], American sala singer-songwriter, born in NYC, New York
1969 – Justine Frischmann, English musician (Elastica), born in Kensington, London
1973 – Clint Peay, American soccer defender (Olympic gold 1996), born in Columbia, Maryland
1978 – Nick Cordero, Canadian Broadway actor (Bullets Over Broadway), born in Hamilton, Canada (d. 2020)

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Famous Deaths

1916 – Basil W. Duke, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 78
1925 – Alexander Alexandrovich Friedman, Russian physicist (b. 1888)
1926 – Rudolf C Eucken, German philosopher (Nobel 1908), dies at 80
1932 – Ronald Ross, British pathologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, dies at 75
1996 – Andrew MacElhone, bar owner, dies at 73
2005 – Harry Freedman (Henryk Frydmann), Canadian composer, dies at 83

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Historical Events

921 – Saint Ludmila is murdered at the command of her daughter-in-law at Tetin
1777 – George Washington, on authorization of Congress, appoints Casimir Pulaski as brigadier general in Continental Army cavalry
1830 – First passenger to be killed by a railway train (William Huskisson in England)
1910 – Boers and Afrikaners win 1st general elections in Union of South-Africa
1950 – US troop land on Wolmi-Do island off of Seoul
2003 – ISO/Columbia Records releases David Bowie’s 23rd studio album, “Reality”; he supports it with what becomes his final concert tour

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Famous Birthdays

1908 – Gerd Gaiser, German writer (Ship in the Mountain)
1926 – Shohei Imamura, Japanese film director (d. 2006)
1951 – Pete Carroll, American NFL coach (Super Bowl 2013, Seattle Seahawks 2010-20; New York Jets, New England Patriots; USC), born in San Francisco, California
1960 – Scott Thompson Baker, American actor (Gen Hosp, All My Children), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
1962 – Dina Lohan, American television personality, mother and manager of actress Lindsay Lohan, born in NYC, New York
1964 – Andrew Landenberger, Australian tornado sailor (Olympic bronze 1992, 96)

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Famous Deaths

921 – Ludmilla, wife of 1st christian Bohemian king Borijov I/saint, dies
928 – Louis III, the Blind Proveneaals king of Lombardije/Germany, dies at 48
1707 – George Stepney, English poet and diplomat (b. 1663)
1842 – Pierre Baillot, French violinist and composer, dies at 70
1956 – Henry Clough-Leiter, American composer, dies at 82
2003 – Josef Hirsal, Czech novelist (b. 1920)

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Historical Events

1900 – There are now 62,000 foreign troops in Peking and nearby cities, still defeating Boxer Rebels.
1984 – 1st MTV Video Music Awards: The Cars win with “You Might Think”, and David Bowie wins with “China Girl”
1987 – Cal Ripken’s streak of 8,243 consecutive innings (908 games) is broken
1992 – 1st subway car completed to be exported from US (to Taiwan)
1996 – NY Met Todd Huntley sets record of 41 HRs by a catcher
1996 – 21st Toronto International Film Festival: “Shine” directed by Scott Hicks wins the People’s Choice Award

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Šrom, Karel, Czech composer, musicologist, and critic, born in Pilsen, Bohemia (d. 1981)
1933 – Zoe Caldwell, Australian actress (Prime of Miss Jean Brodie), born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1937 – Renzo Piano, Italian architect (Whitney Museum of American Art, The Shard), born in Genoa, Italy
1942 – Oliver Lake, American jazz saxophonist and composer, born in Marianna, Arkansas
1947 – Joan Thirkettle, British journalist, born in Kent, England (d. 1996)
1965 – Dmitry Medvedev, Russian politician (President and Prime Minister of Russia), born in Leningrad, Soviet Union

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Famous Deaths

891 – Stephen V [VI], Italian Pope (885-91), dies
1435 – John Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford, English prince, general (Hundred Years’ War) and statesman, dies at 46
1851 – James Fenimore Cooper, American author (Last of Mohicans), dies of dropsy at 61
1886 – Hubert Reis, German composer, dies at 84
1962 – Marcel Delannoy, French composer, dies at 64
1965 – J. W. Hearne, English cricket all-rounder (24 Tests, 30 wickets, 1 x 100; Middlesex), dies at 74

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Historical Events

1850 – The main-belt asteroid “12 Victoria” is discovered by J R Hind
1890 – Cecil Rhodes’ colonists hoist the Union Jack in Mashonaland and Salisbury (modern Zimbabwe)
1925 – Bkln Dodger Dazzy Vance no-hits Phillies, 10-1
1928 – San Felipe Segundo/Okeechobee hurricane makes landfall in Puerto Rico as a category 5 storm, killing over 300, leaving 500,000 homeless, and causing $50M in damages (about $790M in 2020 dollars)
1942 – Cubs shortstop Leonard Merullo makes 4 errors in 1 inning
1970 – Palestine guerillas conquer Irbid Jordania

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Famous Birthdays

1475 – Cesare Borgia, Duke of Valentinois, Italian aristocrat, born in Rome, Papal States (d. 1507)
1938 – Judith Martin, American author, journalist and columnist (Miss Manners), born in Washington, D.C.
1942 – Vladislav Zolotaryov, Soviet Russian bayanist (button accordion player), and composer (Six Children’s Suites), born in De-kastri, Khabarovsk Krai, USSR (d. 1975)
1967 – Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens, American singer (Iced Earth; Judas Priest), born in Akron, Ohio
1980 – Ben Savage, American actor (Little Monsters, Wild Palms), born in Chicago, Illinois
1999 – Destiny Rogers, American pop and RandB singer (“Tomboy”), born in Lodi, California

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Famous Deaths

81 – Titus [Flavius Vespasianus], Emperor of Rome (69-81) who captured Jerusalem and completed the Colesseum, dies of a fever at about 42
1657 – Jacob van Campen, Dutch painter and architect (Amsterdam Townhall), dies at 62
1938 – Samuel Alexander, English philosopher (Space, time and deity), dies at 79
1939 – Eugene Foss, American politician (45th Governor of Massachusetts), dies at 80
1976 – Armand Mondou, French Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1905)
2011 – DJ Mehdi [Favéris-Essadi], French hip hop and electro producer, dies from falling through a skylight at his home at 34

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Historical Events

1918 – WWI: US forces launch an attack on German-occupied St Mihiel
1932 – German government of Papen falls/Reichstag dissolved
1959 – Janos Kádár becomes premier of Hungary
1994 – American country singer-songwriter George Jones undergoes successful triple bypass surgery
2009 – The 9-12 Project organized multiple marches and demonstrations across the USA to protest government spending.
2012 – Apple unveils its iPhone 5 and iOS 6

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Famous Birthdays

1884 – Bob Groom, American baseball pitcher (Washington Senators; no-hitter 1917 St. Louis Browns), born in Belleville, Illinois (d. 1948)
1909 – Lawrence Brooks, American US Army soldier, 1940-45 (91st Engineer Battalion – New Guinea, The Philippines), and longest-living American World War II veteran, born in Norwood, Louisiana (d. 2022)
1913 – Jesse Owens, American athlete (4 Olympic gold 1936), born in Oakville, Alabama (d. 1980)
1935 – Allan B. Swift, American politician (Rep-D-Washington, 1979-95), born in Tacoma, Washington
1950 – Cynthia Myers, American Playmate (Dec 1968) and actress (Beyond Valley of Dolls), born in Toledo, Ohio
1977 – James McCartney, British musician son of Paul and Linda McCartney, born in London, England

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Famous Deaths

1362 – Innocent VI [Etienne Aubert], Pope (1352-62), dies
1819 – Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Prussian general (b. 1742)
1956 – Sándor Graf Festetics, Hungarian nobleman and politician, dies at 74
1992 – Anthony Perkins, American actor (Psycho; Friendly Persuasion; Fear Strikes Out; Pretty Poison), and singer, dies from AIDs at 60
1996 – James Gulliver, Scottish businessman (Argyll Foods), dies at 66
2009 – Willy Ronis, French photographer (b. 1910)

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Historical Events

1909 – German astronomer Max Wolf rediscovers Halley’s comet
1916 – German troops conquer Kavalla, Greece
1940 – 54th US Postmaster General: Frank C. Walker of Pennsylvania takes office
1950 – 1st typesetting machine to dispense with metal type exhibited
1956 – Vladimir Kuts runs world record 10k (28:42.8)
1971 – “2 by 2” closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 343 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1584 – Thomas Erpenius [van Erpe], Dutch orientalist and Arabist (grammar), born in Gorinchem, Netherlands (d. 1624)
1859 – Vjenceslav Novak, Croatian Realist writer (Pavao Šegota), born in Senj, Croatia (d. 1905)
1926 – Eddie Miksis, American baseball player, born in Burlington, New Jersey (d. 2005)
1969 – Eduardo Perez, American baseball player, born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1977 – Ludacris [Christopher Bridges], American rapper (“Stand Up”; “Act A Fool”), and actor (The Ride; Fast and Furious franchise), born in Champaign, Illinois
1987 – Elizabeth Henstridge, English actress (Jemma Simmons-Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

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Famous Deaths

1891 – Antero Tarquínio de Quental, Portuguese poet (Beatrice), dies at 49
1911 – William R. Boggs, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army) and chief of engineers, dies at 82
1946 – Arthur van Schendel, Dutch writer (Holland Drama), dies at 72)
1978 – Georgi Markov, Bulgarian dissident (b. 1929)
2004 – Patriarch Peter VII of Alexandria, Greek Orthodox Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, dies at 55
2011 – Christian Bakkerud, Danish racing driver (b. 1984)

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Historical Events

1872 – Karl Marx speaks in Amsterdam
1880 – Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza signs treaty with King Makoko of Congo
1943 – German troops occupy Rome and take took over the protection of Vatican City
1990 – 1st time in NY Yankee history they are completely swept season series, Oakland A’s beat them 12 games to 0
1998 – 15th MTV Video Music Awards: Madonna and Will Smith win
2001 – Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan is awarded Actor of the Century at the Alexandria Film Festival

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Famous Birthdays

1585 – Ercole Porta, Italian church composer, born in Bologna (d. 1630)
1714 – Niccolò Jommelli, Italian composer, born in Aversa, Kingdom of Naples (d. 1774)
1788 – Jacques Boucher de Crèvecœur de Perthes, French archaeologist (discovered flint tools in the gravels of the Somme valley), born in Rethel, Ardennes, France (d. 1868)
1939 – Topham Brinton, English carpet magnate/multi-millionaire
1948 – Tony Gatlif, Algerian-born French film director, born in Algiers, French Algeria
1983 – Joey Votto, Canadian baseball first baseman (NL MVP 2010; 6 × MLB All-Star; Cincinnati Reds), born in Toronto, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1749 – Émilie du Châtelet, French mathematician and physicist (translation of Newton’s Principia), dies in childbirth at 42
1922 – Arpad Szendy, Hungarian composer, dies at 59
1966 – Emil Gumbel, German mathematician and pacifist (b. 1891)
1991 – Jack Crawford, Australian tennis player (6 Grand Slam singles titles), dies at 83
2015 – Franco Interlenghi, Italian actor (I Vitelloni, Ulysses, Sciuscià), dies at 83
2017 – Harry Landers [Sorokin], American actor (Star Trek, Ben Casey, Drive a Crooked Road), dies at 96

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