Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1912 – Hobbs and Rhodes make 323 cricket opening stand v Aust at MCG
1920 – Baseball outlaws all pitches involving tampering with ball
1960 – Charles Ives’ “Lincoln, the Great Commoner” premieres
1968 – “Spooky” by Classics IV hits #3
1989 – Test Cricket debut of Aaqib Javed, Pak v NZ age 16 years 189 days
1990 – Perrier Water pulls product from shelf due to benzine in water

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1862 – W H “Gobo” Ashley, cricketer (7 wkts in 1 Test for South Africa 1889)
1906 – Henry Phelps Brown, British historian and economist, born in Calne (d. 1994)
1927 – Viscount Cowdray, British financier/multi-millionaire
1951 – Bob [Robert] Iger, American entertainment executive (CEO of The Walt Disney Company), born in NYC, New York
1971 – Louie Spicolli [Louis Mucciolo Jr.], American wrestler, born in San Pedro, California (d. 1998)
1976 – Kev Brown, American rapper and hip hop producer, born in Landover, Maryland

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1126 – William IX, Duke of Aquitaine and poet, dies at 54
1774 – Florian Leopold Gassmann, Bohemian composer, dies at 44
1822 – Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen and Governor of the Austrian Netherlands, dies at 83
1997 – Milton Cato, 1st Prime Minister of San Vincent and the Grenadines (1979-84), dies at 82
2011 – Trevor Bailey, English cricket all-rounder, writer and broadcaster (61 Tests, top score 134, 132 wickets; BBC), dies in a fire in his retirement flat at 87
2013 – Eugenio Trias, Spanish philosopher, dies at 70

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1554 – Battle at London: Sir Thomas Wyatt defeated and his rebellion against Queen Mary crushed
1934 – Balkan Entente alliance forms (Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey and Romania)
1969 – 1st flight of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet
1979 – Nigeria amends constitution
1990 – Spacecraft Galileo flies by Venus at an altitude of 10,000 miles (16,000 km) in a gravity assist maneuver to gain speed on its way to Jupiter
2020 – Solar Orbiter probe attached to an Atlas rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1789 – Franz Xaver Gabelsberger, German inventor of the stenography (d. 1849)
1911 – William Darby, American WWII Army officer (d. 1945)
1927 – Norman Adams, painter/ceramic sculptor
1929 – Bill Barrett, (Rep-R-Nebraska)
1951 – Jay Inslee, American politician, Governor of Washington (2013-), Rep-D-Washington (1993-5, 1999-2012), born in Seattle, Washington
1978 – Daniel Mann, British television commentator

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1817 – Franz Wilhelm Tausch, composer, dies at 54
1957 – Miklos Horthy von Nagybanya, Hung admiral/regent (1920-44), dies at 88
1973 – Vasiliki Maliaros, Greek actress (b. 1883)
1984 – Yuri Andropov, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1982-84) and KGB Chief (1967-82), dies of total renal failure at 69
1996 – Charles Henry “Harry” Urwin, trade unionist, dies at 80
2008 – Scott Halpin, a one time drummer of The Who.

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1690 – Lord Halifax resigns as Lord Privy Seal
1920 – Swiss men vote against women’s suffrage
1927 – Belgian-Swiss treaty signed
1936 – Pandit Jawaharlal succeeds Mahatma Gandhi as chairman of India Congress Party
1960 – US Congress opens hearings looking into payola
1974 – TV sitcom “Good Times”, spin-off from “Maude”, starring Esther Rolle, John Amos, and J.J. Walker, premieres on CBS TV

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1700 – Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-Swiss mathematician, and physicist (10 time French Award), born in Groningen, Netherlands (d. 1782)
1896 – Orville Caldwell, American actor (Patsy, French Doll, Last Warning), born in Oakland, California (d. 1967)
1914 – Bert Haas, American baseball player, born in Naperville, Illinois (d. 1999)
1944 – Sebastião Salgado, Brazilian documentary photographer
1952 – Nancy Lord, American physician and Libertarian VP candidate (1992), born in New York City
1974 – Seth Green, American actor and producer (Family Guy; Austin Powers), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots [Mary Stuart], Queen of Scotland (1560-87), beheaded at 44
1691 – Carlo Rainaldi, Italian architect and composer, dies at 79
1957 – John von Neumann, Hungarian-American mathematician and astronomer (Bocher Award 1938), dies at 53
1973 – Herbie Taylor, South African cricket batsman and captain (42 Tests; 2,936 runs @ 40.77; 7 x 100s), dies at 83
2011 – Tony Malinosky, American baseball player (b. 1909)
2021 – David Egerton, English rugby union #8 (7 caps; Bath Rugby) and broadcaster (BBC), dies from COVID-19 at 59

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1639 – Academie Française begins Dictionary of French Language
1928 – 1st solo flight from England to Australia takes off from Croydon, piloted by Australian aviator Bert Hinkler (arrives 15 ½ days later)
1940 – Walt Disney’s second feature length movie, “Pinocchio” premieres (NYC)
1965 – US begins regular bombing and strafing of N Vietnam
1971 – Switzerland votes for national women’s suffrage in a referendum
1995 – Last day of Test Cricket cricket for Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1875 – Walter Courvoisier, composer
1896 – Harold Hoffman, (Gov-NJ), born in South Amboy, New Jersey
1919 – Jock Mahoney [Jacques Joseph O’Mahoney], American actor and stuntman (Dallas, Yancy Derringer, Day of Fury), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1989)
1958 – Matt Ridley, British science writer
1958 – (Manuel) Mijares, Mexican Latin-pop, folk, and Mariachi vocalist (Maria Bonita), born in Mexico City, Mexico
1971 – Marvin Graves, CFL quarterback (Montreal Alouettes)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1609 – Ferdinand I, cardinal/ruler of Toscane, dies
1857 – Félix de Merode, Earl of Merode, Belgian minister of War and Finance, dies at 65
1931 – Ion Vidu, Romanian composer and conductor, dies at 67
1948 – Red McKenzie, American jazz singer (played comb-with-tissue-paper), dies at 48
1990 – Alfredo M. Santos, First Four-star General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, World War II hero (b. 1905)
2021 – Pedro Gomez, American sports journalist (ESPN 2003-21), dies at 58

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1862 – General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Henry in Tennessee
1894 – Bottle opener patented by William Painter
1900 – The Battle of Vaal Krantz, South Africa (Boers vs British army)
1943 – 1st Spitfire in action above Darwin, Australia, Mu Ki-46 shot down
1971 – James Saunders (22), a member of the IRA, is shot and killed by the British Army during a gun battle near the Oldpark Road, Belfast
2002 – 52nd Berlin International Film Festival: “Spirited Away” and “Bloody Sunday” win the Golden Bear (tie)

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1838 – Yisrael Meir Kagan [Chofetz Chayim], Belarusian rabbi, born in Dzyatlava, Belarus (d. 1933)
1929 – Oscar Sambrano Urdaneta, Venezuelan writer, born in Boconó, Venezuela (d. 2011)
1949 – Richie Zisk, American retired baseball player and pro scout (Chicago Cubs), born in Brooklyn, New York
1963 – Mike Hough, Canadian NHL left wing (Florida Panthers), born in Montreal, Quebec
1969 – Tim Sherwood, English footballer and manager, born in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire
1971 – Peter Tchernyshev, Russian dance skater (with Naomi Lang), born in St Petersburg, Russia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1740 – Clement XII [Lorenzo Corsini], Italian Pope (1730-40) who despite ill health and total blindness (1732) unsuccessfully stemmed decline of papal influence, dies at 87
1793 – Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright and librettist (Belisario, Servant of Two Masters), dies at 85
1976 – Ritwik Ghatak, Bengali filmmaker (Titash Ekti Nadir Naam), dies at 50
1989 – Chris Gueffroy, East German attempted defector (b. 1968)
2012 – Janice Voss, American astronaut (shuttle radar topography mission), dies from breast cancer at 55
2020 – Jan Liberda, Polish soccer forward (35 caps; Polonia Bytom), dies at 83

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1663 – Charlevoix Earthquake in Quebec, felt strongly in New England
1864 – Danish army begins its withdrawal from Danevirke to Dybbøl through driven snow, last time the Danes would occupy Danevirke, symbol of Danish identity
1919 – NL President John Heydler dismisses charges that Hal Chase bet against his team and threw games in collusion with gamblers
1962 – Suit to bar Englewood NJ from “racial segregated” schools, filed
2004 – Rebels from the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front capture the city of Gonaïves, starting the 2004 Haiti rebellion
2020 – US Senate votes to acquit President Donald Trump 52-48 on charges of abuse of power and 53-47 on obstruction of Congress

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1867 – Casper Andries Lingbeek, Dutch politician and preacher
1902 – Bronislaw Kaper, Polish film composer and Academy Award winner (Green Dolphin Street, Lili), born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1983)
1948 – Sven-Göran Eriksson, Swedish football manager and player, born in Sunne, Sweden
1959 – Glenn Dubis, American sport shooter (Olympics 1984, 88, 96), born in Lincoln, Nebraska
1981 – Mia Hansen-Løve, French film director and actress (Things to Come), born in Paris, France
1985 – Lindsey Cardinale, American singer, born in Hammond, Louisiana

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1775 – Eusebius Amort, German Roman Catholic theologian, dies at 82
1977 – Oskar Klein, Swedish physicist (b. 1894)
1977 – Izaak Boleslavski, Russian chess player, dies at 67
1982 – Wies [Aloisius CA] Moens, Flemish writer/nazi, dies at 84
1995 – Judith Fluks, Amsterdam’s activist, dies
2010 – Harry Schwarz, South African lawyer, politician and diplomat, leader of the anti-apartheid movement (b. 1924).

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1854 – Alvan Bovay proposes name “Republican Party” in Ripon, Wisconsin
1926 – Austrian chancellor Seipel wants to join Germany
1975 – Haicheng earthquake, M 7.3, strikes Haicheng, Liaoning, China
1982 – “Pump Boys and Dinettes” opens at Princess Theater NYC for 573 performances
1985 – Naval exercises canceled when US refuses to tell NZ if nuclear weapons aboard USS Buchanan
2015 – Post Malone uploads his debut single “White Iverson” to his SoundCloud account

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1746 – Tadeusz Kościuszko, Polish-Lithuanian military leader and statesman considered a national hero, born in Mereczowszczyzna, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (d. 1817)
1859 – Timofei Mikhailov, Russian revolutionary, member of Narodnaya Volya (d. 1881)
1876 – Victor Vreuls, Belgian composer and musician, born in Verviers (d. 1944)
1937 – Harry Jacobs, American football linebacker (AFL All Star 1965, 69; AFL C’ship 1964, 65 Buffalo Bills; Boston Patriots, NO Saints), born in Canton, Illinois (d. 2021)
1970 – Gabrielle Anwar, Laleham England, actress (Body Snatchers)
1975 – Konstantinos Nebegleras, Greek footballer

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

869 – Saint Cyril, Greek missionary to the Slavs (b. 827)
1921 – Xavier Mellery, Belgian painter and illustrator, dies at 75
1983 – Karen Carpenter, American pop vocalist and drummer (“We’ve Only Just Begun”; “Rainy Days And Mondays”; “Top Of The World”), dies of anorexia nervosa at 32
2005 – Peter Heine, South African cricketer (solid South African fast bowler in 1950’s), dies at 76
2010 – Kostas Axelos, Greek-French philosopher, dies at 85
2016 – Leslie Bassett, American classical composer (Variations for Orchestra – Pulitzer Prize 1966), and educator (University of Michigan, 1952-92), dies at 93

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1509 – The Battle of Diu, naval battle at port of Diu, India between Portugal and the Ottoman Empire, establishes Portuguese trading control
1931 – Arkansas legislature passes motion to pray for soul of journalist H. L. Mencken, after he calls the state the “apex of moronia”
1947 – 1st black reporter in US Congressional press gallery (Percival Prattis)
1975 – Billy Herman, Earl Averill, and Bucky Harris elected to Hall of Fame
1986 – Pixar Animation Studios (Toy Story; The Incredibles) headed by Edwin Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith, is spun off from Lucasfilm, Ltd as an independent film production company, with backing of Steve Jobs
1993 – General Hospital’s Tristan Rogers convicted of drunk driving

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1887 – Carlo Jachino, composer
1908 – Oddbjorn Hagen, Norwegian cross country jumper (Olympic gold 1936)
1946 – Stan Webb, English blues musician (Chicken Shack), born in London
1968 – Frantisek Kucera, NHL defenseman (Vanc Canucks, Olympic gold 1998), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia
1968 – Vlade Divac, Yugoslavia, NBA center (Charlotte Hornets, LA Lakers)
1969 – Terry Bradshaw, American baseball outfielder, 1995-96 (St Louis Cardinals), and hitting coach (Kansas City Royals 2018-present), born in Franklin, Virginia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1737 – Tommaso Ceva, Italian Mathematician (b. 1648)
1909 – Johann Georg Herzog, composer, dies at 86
1959 – (Charles) “Buddy” Holly [Holley], American rock and roll musician and songwriter (“Peggy Sue”; “That’ll Be the Day”; “Words Of Love”), dies in a plane crash at 22
1979 – Jody Gilbert, American actress (Willard, Shaggy, Blonde Dynamite), dies at 62
1991 – Harry Ackerman, American TV executive producer (b. 1912)
2015 – Charlie Sifford, American golfer (first African-American to join PGA Tour, 2 titles), dies of a stroke at 92

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1892 – Longest boxing match under modern rules; 77 rounds in Nameoki, Illinois between Harry Sharpe and Frank Crosby
1945 – Escape attempt at Mauthausen concentration camp
1948 – President Harry Truman urges congress to adopt a civil rights program
1976 – “Rich Little Show” debuts on NBC-TV
1977 – Burn up of Salyut 4 Space Station (USSR)
1986 – NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 28-24; MVP: Phil Simms, NY Giants, QB

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1583 – Anna Roemers Visscher, Dutch poetess
1621 – Johannes Schefferus, Alsatian-born humanist (d. 1679)
1669 – Louis Marchand, French baroque composer and organist (d. 1732)
1881 – Karl Frederick, pistol champ (Olympic gold 1920)
1925 – David Abell Wood, priest
1946 – Howard Bellamy, American pop and country vocalist (Bellamy Bros – Let Your Love Flow), born in Darby, Florida

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1435 – Johanna II, Queen of Naples (1414-35), dies at 61
1529 – Baldassare Castiglione, Italian diplomat and author, dies at 50
1580 – Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese retainer (b. 1558)
1873 – Edward Johnson, American Major General (Confederate Army), dies at 56
1878 – Josip Runjanin, Croatian Serb composer (Croatian National Anthem) and soldier, dies at 56
1989 – Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater (Olympic gold men’s singles 1972; World C’ships gold 1971, 72, 73), dies from cancer of the lymph nodes at 38

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1946 – Norwegian politician Trygve Lie becomes 1st Secretary General of the United Nations
1989 – The Western Australian towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder amalgamate to form the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
1992 – “Crazy He Calls Me” closes at Walter Kerr Theater NYC after 7 performances
2013 – 26 people are killed after a fireworks truck explodes and causes a highway to collapse in Henan, China
2013 – The Nigerian Army bombs a Boko Haram camp, killing 18 people
2017 – British MPs vote in favour of the European Union Bill, allowing the government to begin Brexit

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1869 – Johannes “Frits” Bakker Sr., Dutch actor (Holland Tooneelgezelschap), (d. 1943)
1906 – Pierre Capdevielle, French composer, conductor, music critic, and educator, born in Paris (d. 1969)
1941 – Franco Nones, Italian cross country skier (Olympic gold 30k 1968; first non-Scandinavian and Soviet/Russian male to win Olympic cross-country gold), born in Castello-Molina di Fiemme, Italy
1946 – Karen Krantzcke, Australian tennis player (Australian Open doubles 1968; Federation Cup 1970), born in Brisbane, Australia (d. 1977)
1961 – Jim Pace, American auto racer (24 Hours of Daytona 1996), born in Monticello, Mississippi (d. 2020)
1979 – Valentin Elizalde, Mexican singer, born in Navojoa, Mexico (d. 2006)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1502 – Olivier de la Marche, Flemish soldier and poet, dies at 77
1705 – Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, 1st Queen consort of Prussia (1701-05), dies at 36
1851 – Mary Shelley, English novelist (Frankenstein), dies of a brain tumour at 53
1940 – Philip Francis Nowlan, American sci-fi writer, creator of Buck Rogers character (b. 1888)
2003 – Laurel Clark, American astronaut and member of the STS-107 Mission (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster), dies at 41
2007 – Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian pianist, librettist, and composer (Amahl and Night Visitors), and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, dies at 95

More Famous Deaths »