Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1672 – Former Grand Pensionary of Holland Johan de Witt and his brother Cornelis are brutally murdered by an angry mob in The Hague
1920 – Allen Woodring wins Oympic 200 m dash wearing borrowed shoes
1944 – US and British forces destroy German 7th Army at Falaise-Argentan Gap
1949 – Las Lajas Sanctuary, a basilica built inside the Guáitara River in Colombia, is completed after 33 years
1996 – India defeat Pakistan in Under-15 World Challenge Final at Lord’s
2016 – Canoeists Max Rendschmidt and Marcus Gross part of winning German crew in K-4 100m at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; wrap up K-2 / K-4 1,000m double

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Famous Birthdays

1719 – Christian Mayer, Czech Catholic priest and astronomer, born in Modřice, Moravia (d. 1783)
1719 – Charles-François de Broglie, French soldier and diplomat, marquis de Ruffec, born in Paris (d. 1791)
1778 – Bernardo O’Higgins, Chillán, Chile, South American independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule (1817-1823 Supreme Director of Chile)
1927 – Yootha Joyce, British actress (Man About the House, George and Mildred), born in Wandsworth, London (d. 1980)
1941 – Jo Ramírez, Mexican motor racing team manager and author, born in Mexico City, Mexico
1946 – N.R. Narayana Murthy, Indian industrialist and co-founder (Infosys), born in Shidlaghatta, Kolar district, India

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Famous Deaths

1910 – Arthur Coquard, French composer, dies at 64
1990 – Marc Turfkruijer, Flemish movie journalist and writer, dies at 90
1993 – Sydney Arnold, British comic actor (The Meaning of Life, Top Secret!, Miss Jones and Son), dies at 93
1995 – William Kennedy, baseball player, dies at 76
2016 – Brian Rix [Lord Rix], British actor and activist (Mencap), dies at 92
2019 – Russ Conway, American sports journalist (Eagleson NHL scandal), dies of heart disease at 70

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Historical Events

1591 – French King Henry IV occupies Rouen
1982 – Renaldo Nehemiah of US sets record for 110 m hurdles, 12.93 sec
1983 – Dodgers trade Dave Stewart and Ricky Wright to Texas for Rick Honeycut
1985 – Following the Rubicon speech four days earlier, Archbishop Desmond Tutu snubs P. W. Botha’s invitation to attend a meeting to discuss the role and actions of the police and security forces in South Africa
1995 – Bruce Seldon TKOs Joe Hipp in 10 for heavyweight boxing title
2016 – A 6-way tie for first place in the final of the equestrian individual jumping competition at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; Nick Skelton of Great Britain wins gold medal jump-off

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Famous Birthdays

1881 – George Enesco, Romanian violinist, conductor, and composer (Romanian Dances), born in Liveni, Dorohoi, Romania (d. 1955)
1896 – Walter Lang, Swiss composer, born in Basel, Switzerland (d. 1966)
1930 – Frank McCourt, Irish-American Pulitzer Prize winning author (Angela’s Ashes), and teacher, born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2009)
1940 – Jill St John [Oppenheim], actress (Diamonds are Forever), born in Los Angeles, California
1969 – Patrick Van Horn, American actor (Swingers)
1972 – Elizabeth Wolfgramm, American singer (The Jets), born in Salt Lake City, Utah

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Famous Deaths

1650 – Abraham de Verwer, Dutch painter, buried at about 55
1963 – Kathleen Parlow, Canadian violinist, and educator, dies at 72
1981 – Jessie Matthews, English actress (Gangway, First a Girl), dies at 74
2011 – Raúl Ruiz, Chilean filmmaker (Three Sad Tigers), dies at 70
2016 – Donald Henderson, American epidemiologist, led world campaign that eradicated smallpox, dies at 82
2019 – Larry “The Mole” Taylor, American session (The Monkees) and touring rock and blues bass player (Canned Heat – “On the Road Again”; John Mayall; Tom Waits), dies of cancer at 77

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Historical Events

1612 – Pendle Witch trial begins with 10 people accused of witchcraft in Lancaster, England, key witness 9 year-old boy
1700 – Swedish, English and Dutch army lands on Seeland, Denmark
1956 – Cincinnati Reds (8) and Cubs (2) combine to hit 10 HRs in a 9 inning game
1958 – TV game show scandal investigation starts
1965 – Dutch soccer team FC Den Bosch (successor to BVV 1906 and Wilhelmina 1890) is established at ‘s-Hertogenbosch
1989 – Bucky Dent replaces Dallas Green as NY Yankee manager

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Famous Birthdays

1882 – Marcel Samuel-Rousseau, French organist and opera composer (Le Bon Roi Dagobert), born in Paris (d. 1955)
1907 – Cecilia Grace Hunt Reeves Gillie, Executive (BBC), born in Sheppey, Kent, England (d. 1996)
1919 – Walter J Hickel, (Gov-R-Alaska)/US Secretary of Interior (1969-71)
1941 – Dennis Claridge, American football quarterback (NFL C’ship 1965, Green Bay Packers; Atlantic Falcons), born in Phoenix, Arizona (d. 2018)
1956 – John Debney, American composer, born in Glendale, California
1968 – Greta Lind, American actress (Katie Kennicott-All My Children), born in Goshen, New York

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Famous Deaths

1943 – Hans Jeschonnek, German air force general/chief-staff, commits suicide
1946 – Georg Åberg, Swedish athlete (Olympic silver triple jump; bronze long jump 1912), dies at 53
1968 – Cy Walter, American jazz pianist (Three’s Company), dies of cancer at 52
2003 – Tony Jackson, British bass player (The Searchers, 1962-64 – “Sugar And Spice”), dies from a combination of diabetes, heart disease, and cirrhosis of the liver at 65
2009 – Kim Dae-jung, 8th President of South Korea (1998-2003) and 2000 Nobel Peace Prize 2000 laureate, dies at 85
2015 – (Alan) “Bud” Yorkin, American film and television producer and director (Divorce American Style; All in the Family; Sanford And Son), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1862 – Confederate troops under Kirby Smith enter Kentucky
1904 – George H Reid succeeds John Watson as Prime Minister of Australia
1936 – An unemployed worker, Neils B. Ruud, in Madison, Wisconsin, receives the first unemployment benefit check paid under a State law, for $15
1969 – Hurricane Camille strikes US coastline and kills 259 people (mainly in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana)
1988 – NYC 1st case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (9 year old Bronx boy)
2013 – 14th Athletics World Championships: Usain Bolt wins 200m

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Famous Birthdays

1720 – Charles-Dominique-Joseph Eisen, French engraver and painter (Contes de La Fontaine), born in Valenciennes, France (d. 1778)
1905 – John Hay Whitney, American diplomat and publisher (NY Herald Tribune 1961-67), born in Ellsworth, Maine (d. 1982)
1955 – Colin Moulding, English pop bassist, and songwriter (XTC – “Generals And Majors”), born in Swindon, England
1966 – Maysa [Leak], American jazz and RandB singer, born in Baltimore, Maryland
1974 – Nicola Kraus, American novelist, born in New York City
1974 – Tony Hajjar, Lebanese-American musician (At the Drive-In, Sparta), born in Beirut, Lebanon

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Famous Deaths

1875 – Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist (Father of Bantu Philology), dies at 48
1966 – Archibald Palm, South African cricketer (Test South Africa v England 1927-28), dies at 65
1988 – Victoria Shaw, Australian-American actress (Alvarez Kelly, Westworld), dies at 53
1993 – Max de Metz, Dutch publisher and translator, dies at 72
2004 – Gérard Souzay, French baritone, dies at 85
2010 – Edwin Morgan, Scottish poet (At Eighty), dies at 90

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Historical Events

1890 – Alexander Clark, journalist and lawyer, named minister to Liberia
1943 – Bulgarian Tsar Boris III visits Adolf Hitler
1956 – Adlai E Stevenson nominated as US Democratic presidential candidate
1970 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Southern Hills CC: Dave Stockton wins 1st of 2 PGA C’ships by 2 shots from Bob Murphy and Arnold Palmer
1975 – “Rodgers and Hart” closes at Helen Hayes Theater NYC after 108 performances
1984 – Largest harness racing purse ($2,161,000-Nihilator wins $1,080,500)

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Famous Birthdays

1846 – Justus van Maurik, Dutch author and cigar manufacturer, born in Amsterdam (d. 1904)
1925 – Willie Jones, American baseball third baseman (MLB All Star 1950, 51; Philadelphia Phillies), born in Dillon, South Carolina (d. 1983)
1939 – Wim Meijer, Dutch politician (PvdA)
1956 – Daniel Willems, Belgian cyclist
1962 – Steve Carell, American actor and comedian (The Office), born in Concord, Massachusetts
1983 – Nikos Zisis, Greek basketball player, born in Thessaloniki, Greece

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Famous Deaths

1893 – Jean-Martin Charcot, French neurologist, dies at 77
1951 – Du Yuesheng, Chinese mob boss, dies at 62
2006 – Alex Buzo, Australian playwright and author (b. 1944)
2007 – Max Roach, American percussionist, drummer, and composer (b. 1924)
2007 – The Missing Link, professional wrestler (b. 1939)
2018 – Yelena Shushunova, Russian gymnast (Olympic gold USSR Team, All-around 1988; World C’ship gold x 5), dies of pneumonia at 49

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Historical Events

1185 – The cave city of Vardzia is consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia
1248 – Construction of the new Cologne Cathedral in the Gothic style begins with the laying of the foundation stone by Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden (completed 1880)
1911 – Procter and Gamble unveils its Crisco shortening
1948 – US Open Women’s Golf, Atlantic City CC: Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins by 8 strokes from Betty Hicks
1965 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Laurel Valley GC: Dave Marr wins his only major title, beating Billy Casper and Jack Nicklaus by 2 strokes
1975 – Miki Takeo makes the first official pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine by an incumbent prime minister on the anniversary of the end of World War II.

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Famous Birthdays

1896 – Catherine Doherty, Russian-born Canadian activist, born in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia (d. 1985)
1902 – Jan Campert, Dutch resistance fighter and poet (Song the 18 dead), born in Spijkenisse, Netherlands (d. 1943)
1947 – Manley Lanier “Sonny” Carter Jr, American chemist and NASA astronaut (STS 33), born in Macon, Georgia (d. 1991)
1972 – Ken Walter, American NFL punter, 1997-2006 (Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, and 2 other teams), born in Cleveland, Ohio
1976 – Robert Macfarlane, English nature writer, born in Halam, England
1989 – Joe Jonas, American pop singer (Jonas Brothers), born in Casa Grande, Arizona

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Famous Deaths

1576 – (Valentin) Bálint Bakfark, Hungarian lutenist, and composer, dies of the plague at about 70
1962 – Lei Feng, Chinese soldier (became a propaganda icon after his death), dies in an accident at 21
1968 – Edward Kilenyi, Sr. [Ede Kilényi], composer and teacher (Clipped Wings; Outside the Law), dies at 84
1990 – Viktor Tsoi, Russian musician (Kino), dies in a car accident at 28
1990 – Lew DeWitt, American country singer and composer (Statler Brothers – “Flowers on the Wall”), dies of Crohn’s disease complications at 52
2014 – Jerry Lumpe, American baseball player, dies at 81

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Historical Events

1782 – Suriname forbids selling slave mothers without their babies
1936 – Rainey Bethea is hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky in the last public execution in the United States
1976 – 10,000 Northern Ireland women demonstrate for peace in Belfast
1994 – Terrorist “Carlos” arrested in Khartoum, Sudan
2016 – US Senior Open Men’s Golf, Scioto CC: Gene Sauers wins by 1 stroke ahead of Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Billy Mayfair
2019 – Pakistan PM Imran Khan strongly criticizes India for revoking Kashmir’s special status and putting it under lockdown in address in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir

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Famous Birthdays

1653 – Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle, English statesman (d. 1688)
1880 – Fred Alexander, American tennis player (Australasian C’ship 1908, 5-time US Indoor winner), born in Sea Bright, New Jersey (d. 1969)
1913 – Paul Dean, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals), born in Lucas, Arkansas (d. 1981)
1928 – Lina Wertmüller [Arcangela Braueich], Italian screenwriter, film director, and 1st woman nominated for an Academy Award for Directing (Seven Beauties), born in Rome, Italy
1943 – Terry Ellis, British record producer, artist manager (Jethro Tull; Paula Cole: Baby Animals), and label executive (co-founder of Chrysalis Records) ,born in, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England
1973 – Daisuke Ishiwatari, Japanese game developer and composer, born in Johannesburg, South Africa

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Famous Deaths

1961 – Clarke Ashton Smith, sci-fi author (Lost Worlds), dies at 68
1984 – Tigran Petrosian, Soviet Armenian World Chess Champion (1963-69), dies at 55
1992 – Flora Benson, American wife of Ezra Taft Benson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies at 91
2011 – Shammi Kapoor, Indian actor and director known as the “Elvis Presley of India” (Amaran, Brahmachari, Vidhaata), dies of chronic renal failure at 79
2012 – Ron Palillo, American actor (Arnold Horshack-Welcome Back Kotter), dies from a heart attack at 63
2013 – Lisa Robin Kelly, American actress, dies at 43

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Historical Events

1923 – Gustav Stresemann becomes premier of German coalition government
1944 – Jackie Gleason-Les Tremayne show premieres on NBC radio
1953 – US President Dwight Eisenhower establishes Government Contract Compliance Committee
1977 – Randy Bachman quits band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, they then disband
1988 – US beats Jamaica 5-1 in 2nd round of 1990 world soccer cup
1997 – San Diego Padres trade Rickey Henderson to Anaheim Angels

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Famous Birthdays

1422 – William Caxton, English printer and translator, 1st to print in the English language (Histories of Troy), born in Kent, England (d. 1492) birth date disputed
1717 – Christoph Nichelmann, German composer and harpsichordist, born in Treuenbrietzen, Germany (d. 1762)
1748 – Pieter L. van de Kasteele, Dutch politician and patriot, born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1810)
1888 – Gleb W. Derujinsky, Russian-American sculptor, born in Smolensk, Russia (d. 1975)
1926 – Fidel Castro, Cuban revolutionary, Prime Minister (1959-76) and President (1976-2008), born in Birán, Holguin Province (d. 2016)
1973 – Eric Medlen, American NHRA drag racer, born in Oakdale, California (d. 2007)

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Famous Deaths

1895 – Christian Bernhard Tauchnitz, German publisher (T Edition), dies at 79
1897 – Antonius von der Linde, Dutch German librarian, dies at 63
1900 – Collis P. Huntington, American business tycoon and railroad executive (Central Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific Railroad), dies at 78
1973 – Ben van Eysselsteijn, Dutch playwright (Arid Earth), dies at 75
1982 – Joe Tex [Joseph Arrington Jr.], American soul musician (“Hold What You’ve Got”; “I Gotcha”), dies at 49
1992 – Jan Elburg [Joannes G], Dutch poet (Geen letterheren), dies at 72

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Historical Events

3 – Venus-Jupiter in conjunction-Star of Bethlehem
1588 – Radboud Castle on Medemblik harbor in North Holland surrenders to the Spanish army
1991 – Creditors vote to support Greyhound Bus reorganization plan
1994 – Members of the Major League Baseball Players Association go on strike leading to cancellation of World Series for only the second time in MLB history (1904); labour dispute
2016 – Italian jockey Frankie Dettori aboard Predilection rides his 3,000th British winner at Newmarket
2021 – Bennu Asteroid, size of the Empire State Building, now has 1-in-1,750 chance of hitting Earth in 2182, according to data from NASA’s OSIRIS-REX spacecraft

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Famous Birthdays

1920 – Percy Mayfield, American singer (Please Send Me Someone to Love)
1922 – Lord Colinbrook, British government minister
1925 – Robin Nicholson, English metallurgist, born in Warwickshire, England
1940 – Alexander Yossifov, Bulgarian conductor and composer (Back To The Beginning), born in Sofia, Bulgaria (d. 2016)
1960 – Laurent Fignon, French cyclist (1983 and 1984 Tour de France), born in Paris (d. 2010)
1961 – Roy Hay, British guitarist (Culture Club – “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”)

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Famous Deaths

1812 – Jean-Joseph Rodolphe, Alsatian composer, dies at 81
1941 – Bobby Peel, English cricket all-rounder (20 Tests, 3 x 50, 101 wickets, BB 7/31; Yorkshire CCC), dies at 84
1985 – Marcel Mihalovici, Romanian-French composer, dies at 86
1990 – Dorothy Mackaill, actress (Love Affair), dies of kidney failure at 87
1999 – John Rigby Hale, British linguist and historian, dies at 75
2008 – Donald Erb, American composer known for large orchestral works, dies at 81

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Historical Events

1949 – 1st Naples-Capri swim, 17 miles (27 km) (Giovanni Gambi)
1960 – Chad declares Independence from France
1965 – “Help!” a musical comedy film featuring the Beatles released in the US
1970 – Future Baseball HOF pitcher Jim Bunning becomes 2nd Cy Young Award winner to win 100 games in both NL and AL; Phillies beat Houston 6-5 at Astrodome
1980 – Yanks Reggie Jackson hits his 400th HR off Chicago’s Britt Burns
1980 – Angola revises its constitution

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Famous Birthdays

1888 – Owen Nares [Ramsay], British actor and manager (Maiden Erleigh), born in Maiden Erlegh, Berks, England (d. 1943)
1925 – Robert Linn, American composer, born in San Francisco (d. 1999)
1927 – Raymond Leppard, British-American harpsichordist, conductor (Indianapolis Symphony, 1987-2001; BBC Northern Symphony, 1973-80), and composer (Lord Of The Flies), born in London, England
1956 – June Daugherty, American women’s college basketball coach (Boise State Uni, Uni of Washington, Washington State University), born in Columbus, Ohio (d. 2021)
1984 – Lucas Di Grassi, Brazilian racing driver
1985 – Grace Adams-Short, British reality television contestant

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Famous Deaths

1578 – Pedro Nunes [Nonius], Port mathematician/astronomer (nonius), dies
1614 – Lavinia Fontana, Italian painter, dies at 61
1868 – Halfdan Kjerulf, Norwegian composer (Brudefaerden i Hardanger), dies at 52
1868 – Thaddeus Stevens, US Radical Republican congressional leader (Rep-R-Pennsylvania 1849-53 1859-68), dies at 76
1919 – Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-American industrialist, steel tycoon, philanthropist and one of the richest Americans ever, dies of bronchial pneumonia at 83
1994 – Dorothy Grenfell Williams, radio producer and broadcaster, dies at 60

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