Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1963 – NBC expands “The Huntley–Brinkley Report”, their evening television news program, from 15 to 30 minutes
1967 – 1st successful Test flight of a Saturn V
1969 – US Open Men’s Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Rod Laver beats fellow Australian Tony Roche 7-9, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 to claim his record second Grand Slam
1971 – John Lennon releases his “Imagine” album
2017 – 74th Venice Film Festival: “The Shape of Water” directed by Guillermo del Toro wins the Golden Lion
2021 – 17 hospital patients die after heavy rainfall and flooding in Tula, central Mexico

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Famous Birthdays

1687 – Jean-Baptiste-Maurice Quinault, French composer, born in Verdun, France (d. 1745)
1809 – William Radford, U.S. Navy rear admiral, born in Fincastle, Virginia (d. 1890)
1907 – Truman “Pinky” Tomlin, American singer and actor (Sing While You’re Able, With Love and Kisses), born in Eros, Arkansas (d. 1987)
1946 – Doug Ingle, American rock vocalist and keyboard player (Iron Butterfly – “In A Gadda Da Vida”), born in Omaha, Nebraska
1976 – Juan A. Baptista, Venezuelan actor, born in Caracas, Venezuela
1976 – Emma de Caunes, French film actress, born in Paris, France

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Famous Deaths

546 – St. Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, Irish bishop
1960 – Jussi Björling, Swedish operatic tenor, dies from cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) complications at 49
1975 – John McGiver, American actor (Patty Duke Show, Jimmy Stewart Show; Fitzwilly), dies from a heart attack at 61
1993 – David Tendlar, animator (Betty Boop), dies
1994 – Patrick O’Neal, American actor (Under Siege, The Stepford Wives, King Rat, Night of the Iguana), dies at 66
1996 – Jack Pepys, immunologist, dies at 82

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Historical Events

1847 – US under General Scott defeat Mexicans at Battle of Molino del Rey
1907 – Pope Pius X publishes encyclical Pasceni dominici gregis (anti-modernism)
1946 – US National Championship Women’s Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: In an all-American final Pauline Betz Addie beats Patricia Canning Todd 11-9, 6-3 for her 4th and last US singles title
1957 – Juan Manuel Fangio confirms his F1 World Drivers Championship, finishing 2nd in the season ending Italian GP at Monza; takes record 5th title by 15 points from Stirling Moss
1963 – US National Championship Men’s Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Rafael Osuna of Mexico beats Frank Froehling 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 for his lone major singles title
1978 – Iranian army fires on Khomeini followers in Tehran, 100s killed

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Famous Birthdays

1914 – Dimitrios I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (1973-91), born in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (d. 1991)
1925 – Denise Darcel, French actress (Dangerous When Wet), born in Paris, France (d. 2011)
1942 – Brian Cole, American rock vocalist and bassist (Association), born in Tacoma, Washington (d. 1972)
1966 – Raymond Atteveld, Dutch soccer player (Waregem, Roda JC), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1969 – Lars Bohinen, Norwegian footballer (Nottingham Forest), born in Vadsø, Norway
1972 – Tomokazu Seki, Japanese voice actor, born in Kōtō, Tokyo

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Famous Deaths

1613 – Don Carlo Gesauldo, Italian composer, dies at 47
1947 – Victor Horta, Belgium architect, founder of Art Nouveau movement (Hôtel Tassel), dies at 86
1955 – Johannes de Young, Dutch cardinal and archbishop of Utrecht, dies at 69
1983 – Willem C “Wim” Kan, Dutch cabaret performer, dies at 72
1991 – Brad Davis, American actor (Midnight Express, Chariots of Fire), dies at 41
2014 – Magda Olivero, Italian soprano (Adriana Lecouvreur; La Voix Humaine), dies at 104

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Historical Events

1596 – Dutch fleet bombards Banten, Java
1902 – In Australia, the whole nation observes a ‘day of humiliation’ and prays for rain, as a terrible drought kills livestock and threatens crops; rain begins to appear on 10 September
1940 – Beginning of the Blitz as the German Luftwaffe bomb London for the 1st of 57 consecutive nights losing 41 bombers as the Nazis prepare to invade Britain
1942 – First flight of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator
1956 – Bell X-2 sets Unofficial manned aircraft altitude record 126,000’+
1980 – Cape Verde adopts its constitution

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Famous Birthdays

1889 – Bruce Frederick Cummings, English author (Journal of a Disappointed Man), born in barnstaple, England (d. 1919)
1936 – Joe Simon, American RandB singer (“Power of Love”), born in Simmesport, Louisiana (d. 2021)
1946 – Alfa Anderson, American RandB vocalist (Chic – “Le Freak”), born in The Bronx, New York
1975 – Norifumi Abe, Japanese motorcycle road racer (3 x 500cc wins), born in Setagaya, Japan (d. 2007)
1982 – Andre Dirrell, American boxer (IBF interim super middleweight 2017-18), born in Flint, Michigan
1986 – Jodie Turner-Smith, English actress (Nightflyers), born in Peterborough, England

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Famous Deaths

1657 – Arvid Wittenberg, Swedish count, field marshal and privy councilor (b. 1606)
1731 – Yevdokiya Lopukhina, Tsarina of Russia as the first wife of Peter I of Russia, dies at 62
1972 – Jacques Pirenne, Belgian historian and honorary secretary of King Leopold III of Belgium, dies at 81
1995 – Gordon DeMarco, American writer and activist, dies at 51
2005 – Hope Garber, Canadian actress, dies at 81
2005 – Sergio Endrigo, Italian singer Marianne), dies at 72

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Historical Events

1819 – Thomas Blanchard patents lathe
1876 – Race riot in Charleston, South Carolina
1899 – US minister of Foreign affairs John Hay publishes his “Open Through Note”
1954 – US plane shot down above Siberia
1971 – Jerry Lewis’ 6th Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $8,125,387
1986 – Michael Spinks TKOs Steffen Tangstad in 4 for heavyweight boxing title

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Famous Birthdays

1633 – Sebastian Knupfer, German composer, born in Aš, Czech Republic (d. 1676)
1900 – Julien Green, American-French writer (Frere Francois), born in Paris (d. 1998)
1901 – John Erik Jonsson, American businessman and Mayor of Dallas, born in NYC, New York (d. 1995)
1906 – John Meulenhoff, Dutch publisher, born in Amsterdam (d. 1978)
1947 – Bruce Rioch, Scottish footballer and coach, born in Aldershot, England
1981 – Mark Teahen, American-Canadian baseball player, born in Redlands, California

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Famous Deaths

957 – Liudolf, Duke of Swabia
1962 – Hanns Eisler, Austrian composer (East German National Anthem), dies at 64
1970 – Gerard Smithson, cricketer (Eng batsman against W Indies 1948), dies
1978 – Tom Wilson, American record producer (Sun Ra; Bob Dylan; Simon and Garfunkel; Mothers of Invention; Velvet Underground), dies of a heart attack at 47
2007 – Alex, African Grey parrot “student” of Dr. Irene Pepperberg (b. 1976)
2020 – Mike Sexton, American poker player (World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions 2006; Poker Hall of Fame) and commentator (WPT), dies from prostate cancer at 72

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Historical Events

1661 – Nicolas Fouquet, French Superintendent of Finances under Louis XIV is arrested for maladministration of state funds; he died in 1680, never seeing freedom again.
1915 – Tsar Nicholas II, distressed by increasing Russian losses, assumes personal command of his nation’s military forces; clearly a symbolic act and devastating for his leadership
1958 – “The Huckleberry Hound Show” by Hanna-Barbera featuring Yogi Bear premieres on US TV
1986 – Hijacking of aircraft Pan Am 73 at Karachi airport, Pakistan, 20 passengers killed
2012 – 54 people are killed and 50 injured after a firecracker factory explodes in Nadu
2021 – Tour Championship, Men’s Golf, East Lake GC, GA: Patrick Cantlay claims richest prize in golf ($15m) with 1 stroke win over Jon Rahm; runner-up Rahm pockets $5m

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Famous Birthdays

1319 – Peter IV, King of Aragon (1336-87), born in Perpignan, France (d. 1387)
1918 – Luis Alcoriza, Mexican screenwriter, film director, and actor, born in Badajoz, Mexico (d. 1992)
1920 – Fons Rademakers, Dutch director (Assault) and actor (Daughter of Darkness), born in Roosendaal, Netherlands (d. 2007)
1926 – Carmen Petra-Basacopol, Romanian composer and educator Bucharest Conservatory (1962-2003), born in Sibiu, Transylvania, Romania
1939 – Claudette Colvin, American civil rights activist who was arrested at age 15 for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a crowded, segregated bus (nine months before Rosa Parks), born in Montgomery, Alabama, born in Montgomery, Alabama
1982 – Sondre Lerche, Norwegian musician, born in Bergen, Norway

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Famous Deaths

1808 – John Home, Scottish writer (b. 1722)
1978 – Joe Negroni, American rock vocalist (Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 37
1993 – Willem Wagter, actor (Ghetto, Medic Center West), dies at 60
2002 – David Todd Wilkinson, American astronomer, author of the first study of the Cosmic microwave background radiation (b. 1935)
2003 – Moe Biller, American labor union officer (AFL-CIO, Postal Workers), dies at 87
2021 – Ivan Patzaichin, Romanian canoeist (Olympic gold C-2 1000m 1968, 80, 84; C-1 1000m 1972; World C’ship gold x 8), dies from lung cancer at 71

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Historical Events

1282 – King of Aragon Pedro III annexes Sicily
1940 – CBS begins broadcasting TV as station W2XAB
1957 – Governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, calls out National Guard to prevent 9 black students from entering a Little Rock’s Central High School
1993 – Mats Wilander beats fellow Swede Mikael Pernfors in a US Open marathon 7-6, 3-6, 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 in 4 hours, 1 minute; match ends at 2:26am
1994 – Bulgarian government of Lyuben Berov falls
1995 – Cult TV series “Xena: Warrior Princess” starring Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor debuts in the US

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Famous Birthdays

1853 – Hermann Wissmann, German African explorer and governor of East-Africa, born in Frankfurt, Germany (d. 1905)
1913 – Stanford Moore, American biochemist (Nobel 1977), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1982)
1916 – Robert A. W. Lowndes, American sci-fi author (Puzzle Planet) (d. 1988)
1949 – Dado Topić, Croatian musician (Time; Dragonfly), born in Nova Gradiška, Croatia
1967 – Darrin Murray, New Zealand cricket batsman (8 Tests), born in Christchurch, Canterbury
1970 – Luis Lopez, Puerto Rican baseball infielder (San Diego Padres), born in Cidra, Puerto Rico

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Famous Deaths

1916 – José Echegaray, Spanish politician and dramatist (Nobel Prize for Literature 1904), dies at 84
1994 – Louis Myers, American blues guitarist and harmonica player, dies at 64
1997 – Natko Devčić, Croatian composer, dies at 83
2007 – John Scott, Duke of Buccleuch, Scottish peer, then largest landowner in Scotland, 1st MP in a wheelchair, dies at 83
2009 – Iain Cuthbertson, Scottish actor (Guilty, Scandal, Rep, Danger UXB), dies at 79
2020 – Gary Peacock, American jazz bassist (Keith Jarrett Trio), dies at 85

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Historical Events

1812 – World’s first cannery (Donkin, Hall and Gamble) opens in London, England to supply food to the Royal Navy
1940 – Dutch government in exile of Gerbrandy forms in London
1966 – Future Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Orr signs his first NHL contract with the Boston Bruins; 2 year deal paying a then record $70,000 plus signing bonus
1967 – Final episode of “What’s My Line?” hosted by John Charles Daly on CBS TV
1989 – American tennis star Chris Evert beats 15-year-old Monica Seles 6-0, 6-2 in a 4th round match for her 101st and last US Open singles victory
1995 – eBay (Electronic Bay) founded by Pierre Omidyar

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Famous Birthdays

1781 – Eugène de Beauharnais, stepson of Napoleon I (son of Alexandre de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la Pagerie), born in Paris (d. 1824)
1915 – Knut Nystedt, Norwegian organist, choral composer, and conductor, born in Kristiania, Norway (d. 2014)
1926 – Irene Papas, Greek actress (Zorba the Greek, Attila The Hun, The Guns of Navarone), born in Chiliomodi, Corinth, Greece
1947 – Michael Huffington, American oil millionaire and politician (Rep-R-California, 1992-94), born in Dallas, Texas
1948 – Tara Singh Varma, Dutch politcian (1st black woman in Dutch 2nd Chamber), born in Springlands, British Guiana
1964 – Ernest Givins, American NFL wide receiver (Pro Bowl 1990, 92; Houston Oilers), born in St. Petersburg, Florida

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Famous Deaths

1860 – Aleksey Stepanovich Khomyakov, Russian poet, dies at 56
1903 – Joseph Skipsey, British poet (b. 1832)
1962 – E. E. Cummings, American poet (Tulips and Chimneys), dies at 67
1994 – Nikos Ghika, Greek artist, dies at 88
1995 – Donald Cuthbert Coleman, British economic historian, dies at 75
2015 – Adrian Cadbury, British confectionery manufacturer (Cadbury) and author of report on Corporate Governance, dies at 86

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Historical Events

1839 – Salon of Varietes opens in Amsterdam
1924 – US National Championship Men’s Tennis, Forest Hills NY: Bill Tilden wins 5th straight US singles title; beats Bill Johnston for 3rd consecutive year 6-1, 9-7, 6-2
1963 – Alabama Governor George Wallace prevents integration of Tuskegee High School
1978 – John McClain performs 180 outside loops in an airplane over Houston
1988 – Amnesty International’s Human Rights Now! tour begins in Wembley Stadium, London
2021 – At least 43 people die as the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the US Northeast with record rains, tornadoes and flooding with New York and New Jersey declaring state of emergency

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Famous Birthdays

1856 – Yang Hsiu-ch’ing, commander in chief of Taiping Rebellion
1866 – Hiram Johnson, Progressive politician, US Senator, Governor of California (1911-17), born in Sacramento, California (d. 1945)
1939 – Sam Gooden, American soul vocalist (The Impressions – “People Get Ready”; “It’s All Right”), born in Chattanooga, Tennessee (d. 2022)
1944 – Claude Nicollier, Swiss astronaut (STS 61-K, 46, 61, 75), born in Vevey, Switzerland
1963 – Sam Mitchell, NBA forward (Minn Timberwolves)
1987 – Spencer Smith, American rock drummer (Panic! at the Disco), born in Denver, Colorado

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Famous Deaths

1384 – Louis I, Duke of Anjou and King of Naples (Battle of Poitiers), dies at 45
1870 – Arthur Saint-Leon, French composer and dancer, dies at 48
1944 – Manfred Freiherr von Killinger, German ambassador to Romania, commits suicide after Romanian coup
1982 – Tom Baker, American actor, dies of a drug overdose in New York at 42
1984 – Manos Katrakis, Greek actor (Antigone, Marinos Kontaras), dies at 79
2006 – Bob Mathias, American decathlete (Olympic gold 1948, 52) and congressman, dies of cancer at 75

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Historical Events

1638 – -4] French queen-mother Maria de’ Medici visits Amsterdam
1911 – M Fourny sets world aircraft distance record of 720 km
1925 – Pierre de Coubertin steps down as chairman of International Olympic Committee; replaced by Henri de Baillet-Latour of Belgium
1957 – WAVY TV channel 10 in Portsmouth-Norfolk, VA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1972 – Australian swimmer Shane Gould wins the 200m freestyle in world record 2:03.56 at the Munich Olympics; her 3rd gold medal and 3rd world record of the Games
1998 – American harness trainer/driver Dave Palone wins his 6,000th race, driving Oompa’s Terminator to victory at The Meadows Racetrack in Pennsylvania

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Famous Birthdays

1758 – Wilhelmus Kist, writer/director of Dutch Staatscourant
1899 – Richard Arlen, American actor (Apache Uprising, Wings), born in St. Paul, Minnesota (d. 1976)
1937 – Ron O’Neal, actor (Superfly), born in Utica, New York
1937 – Al Geiberger, American golfer (PGA C’ship 1966; first sub-60 PGA Tour round 1977; Players Tour C’ship 1975), born in Red Bluff, California
1977 – Shoshana Bean, American stage actress
1996 – Zendaya [Coleman], American actress (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Euphoria), singer and dancer, born in Oakland, California

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Famous Deaths

1955 – Philip Loeb, actor (Jake-Goldbergs), dies at 61
1972 – Kees Posthumus, Dutch chemist, dies at 70
1983 – Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson, American politician (Sen-D-Wash), dies at 71
2007 – Viliam Schrojf, Slovak soccer goalkeeper (39 caps Czechoslovakia; Slovan Bratislava 240 games), dies at 76
2020 – Jerzy Szczakiel, Polish speedway rider (World Individual C’ship 1973; World Pairs C’ship 1971), dies at 71
2021 – Juan Rodríguez Vega, Chilean soccer defender (26 caps; Universidad de Chile, Atlético Español), dies at 77

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Historical Events

1310 – German king Heinrich VII makes his son Johan king of Bohemia
1940 – German occupiers in Netherlands begin soap rationing
1940 – US National Guard assembles
1987 – Curtis Strange sets golf’s earning for year record ($697,385)
1990 – Dennis Eckersley saves his 40th game of the season
2017 – Indications that Neanderthals were the first to make glue out of tar strengthened by research published in “Scientific Reports”

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Famous Birthdays

1884 – George Al Sarton, Belgian-American chemist and historian, born in Ghent, Belgium (d. 1956)
1895 – Joseph Moiseyevich Schillinger, composer
1905 – Sal Tas, Dutch journalist and CIA agent (Het Parool) [or 1897]
1941 – Emanuel Nunes, Portuguese composer, born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 2012)
1975 – James Black, Canadian singer-songwriter (Finger Eleven), born in Ontario, Canada
1977 – Jeff Hardy, American professional wrestler

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Famous Deaths

1864 – Ferdinand Lassalle, French socialist and political activist (Allgemeiner), dies at 39
1869 – Mary Ward, Irish scientist, first automobile accident victim (b. 1827)
1948 – Andrei A Zjdanov, Russian politician (against kosmopolitism), dies at 52
1985 – Frank Macfarlane Burnet, Australian virologist (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for tissue grafting), dies at 85
1995 – Beant Singh, Prime Minister of Punjab province of India, assassinated at 73
1996 – David Pollock, Viscount Hanworth, British barrister, dies at 80

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