Category: On This Day

Historical Events

285 – Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar and co-ruler
1915 – Woodrow Wilson sends the third Lusitania note, warning Germany that future infringement of American rights will be deemed ‘deliberately unfriendly’
1952 – Premier Ghavam es-Sultaneh of Persia, resigns
1952 – “The Quiet Man” film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara is released in the UK
1975 – NY Met Félix Millán hits 4 singles; erased by Joe Torres 4 double plays
1991 – Ferguson Jenkins, Gaylord Perry, Rod Carew, Tony Lazzeri, and Bill Veeck are elected into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY

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Famous Birthdays

1664 – Matthew Prior, English poet and diplomat, born in London (d. 1721)
1826 – James Gillpatrick Blunt, American physician, abolitionist, and Major General (Union Army), born in Trenton, Maine (d. 1881)
1856 – Harry A P Eyres, British diplomat (Constantinople, Albania)
1892 – Lenore Ulric, American actress (Notorious, Better Woman), born in New Ulm, Minnesota [or 1894]
1942 – Alun Davies, Welsh touring and session guitarist (Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam), born in Wales
1978 – Kyoko Iwasaki, Japanese swimmer (Olympic gold 200m breaststroke 1992), born in Numazu, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1889 – Nelson Dewey, American politician, 1st Governor of Wisconsin (b. 1813)
1932 – Bill Gleason, American late 19th century baseball player, dies at 73
1986 – Paulo Correia, Guinee-Bissaus colonel/putschist, executed
1994 – Hugh Scott, American lawyer and politician (Senate Minority Leader 1969-77), dies at 93
1996 – Francis James Claude Piggott, soldier, dies at 85
2015 – Paul Freeman, American conductor and composer (Chicago Sinfonietta, 1987 -2011; Czech National Symphony, 1996-2007), dies at 79

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Historical Events

1914 – Armed resistance against British rule begins in Ulster
1925 – Italian-Serbian/Croatian/Slav treaty about Dalmatie
1953 – USSR/Israel recover diplomatic relations
1963 – Verne Gagne beats Crusher Lisowski in Minneapolis, to become NWA champ
1963 – US Open Women’s Golf, Kenwood CC: Mary Mills wins her first of 3 major titles by 3 strokes ahead of runners-up Louise Suggs and Sandra Haynie
1964 – 1st surfin’ record to go #1-Jan and Dean’s “Surf City”

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Famous Birthdays

1726 – William Jones, British composer and clergyman, born in Lowick, England (d. 1800)
1951 – Larry Black, 4×100 runner (Olympic gold 1972), born in Miami, Florida
1952 – Keiko Matsuzaka, Japanese actress
1965 – Jovy Marcelo, Filipino racing driver, born in Quezon City, Philippines (d. 1992)
1966 – Tracey Mcfarlane, US breaststroke swimmer (US record 100m)
1999 – Princess Alexandra of Hanover, daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco

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Famous Deaths

833 – Ansegis [Ansegius], French abbot of Fontenelle and writer, dies at about 63
1398 – Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, heir to the throne of England, dies at 24
1912 – Andrew Lang, Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and anthropologist (Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books), dies at 68
1944 – Arthur J Treadwell, English mayor of Stoke Newington, dies at about 71
1962 – George MacAulay Trevelyan, English royal historian, dies at 86
1976 – Samuel Mutendi, founder of the Zimbabwean Zion Christian Church, dies

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Historical Events

1937 – Entartete Art Fair opens in Munich
1950 – French/Vietnamese offensive against Viet Minh
1951 – “2 in the Aisle” opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 276 performances
1971 – Sudan military coup under maj Hashem al-Atta, Numeiry flees
1977 – Floods in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, kill 76
1990 – Cincinnati Red Pete Rose is sentence to 5 months for tax evasion

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Famous Birthdays

1873 – Louis Zimmermann, Dutch violinist and 1st concert master of Concert building, born in Groningen, Netherlands (d. 1954)
1883 – Max Fleischer, Polish-American animator and film producer (Betty Boop, Popeye the Sailor Man), born in Kraków, Austrian Poland (d. 1972)
1909 – Jeno Vecsey, Hungarian composer, born in Cece (d. 1966)
1958 – Robert Gibson, American professional wrestler, born in Pensacola, Florida
1969 – David Goldsmith, actor (Eric-Models Inc), born in New Brunswick, New Jersey
1990 – Steven Anthony Lawrence, American actor

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Famous Deaths

1740 – Francois van Aerssen, Dutch vice-admiral (Suriname, Algeria), dies at 71
1964 – Carol Veazie, actress (Maude-Norby), dies at 69
1992 – Bert Brugman, Dutch puppeteer (Dutch marionette theater), dies
1996 – (Emmanual Tettey) “E.T.” Mensah, Ghanaian saxophonist, known as the “King of Highlife” music (Accra Rhythmic Orchestra; The Tempos), dies at 77
2003 – Pierre Graber, Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1970–1978), dies at 94
2010 – Cécile Aubry, French actress (The Black Rose), author (Belle et Sébastien), television screenwriter and director, dies at 81

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Historical Events

1572 – Willem of Orange recognized as viceroy of Holland/Friesland/Utrecht
1944 – RAF Mosquitos attack Cologne and Berlin
1960 – Premier Kishi of Japan resigns
1960 – 1st UN troops reach Congo
1994 – Comet Shoemaker-Levy’s largest collision with Jupiter leaves black spot 12,000 km across
2019 – Children’s songs “Baby Shark” and “Raining Tacos” used by City of West Palm Beach, Florida to drive away homeless people from the waterfront

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Famous Birthdays

1635 – Robert Hooke, English scientist (Micrographia), born in Isle of Wight, England (d. 1703)
1914 – John G Bearer, writer (Metro, Drunken Canary, Fast Heartbeat)
1920 – Eric Brandon, British racing driver, born in East Ham, Essex (d. 1982)
1938 – Britt Leach, American actor (Mickey-Spencer’s Pilots), born in Gadsden, Alabama
1950 – Jack Dongarra, American computer programmer (2022 Turing award, Linpack), born in Chicago, Illinois
1956 – Audrey Landers [Hamburg], American actress and singer (Dallas; Chorus Line), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1833 – Joseph Comb, missionary to Moluccas, dies at 63
1989 – Rebecca Schaeffer, American actress (Patti-My Sister Sam), is shot by a fan at 21
1993 – Jean Negulesco, Romanian-American film director (3 Coins in a Fountain), dies at 93
2004 – Émile Peynaud, French oenologist, dies at 92
2005 – William Westmoreland, US general during the Vietnam War, dies at 91
2012 – Rajesh Khanna, Indian Bollywood actor officially titled “The First Superstar of Indian cinema”, dies of kidney problems at 69

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Historical Events

1774 – Captain James Cook arrives in the New Hebrides (Vanuatu)
1945 – Potsdam Conference: Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill hold 1st post-World War II meeting
1958 – Peter Shaffer’s musical “Five Finger Exercise” premieres in London
1974 – John Lennon is (again) ordered to leave US in 60 days, due to a 1968 marijuana charge in the UK
1975 – Four British soldiers are killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army remote-controlled bomb near Forkill, County Armagh; attack the first major breach of a February truce
1987 – Don Mattingly is 2nd to hit HRs in 7 straight AL games (en route to 8)

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Famous Birthdays

1897 – Elbert Parr Tuttle, lawyer/judge
1948 – Phillip Harris, rocker
1948 – Luc Bondy, Swiss theatre and opera director, born in Zurich Switzerland (d. 2015)
1949 – Mike Vale, American rock bassist (Tommy James and The Shondells)
1975 – Elena Anaya, Spanish actress, born in Palencia, Spain
1978 – Émilie Simon, French singer, born in Montpellier, France

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Famous Deaths

521 – Magnus Felix Ennodius, bishop and Latin poet (b. 474)
1766 – Giuseppe Castiglione, Italian Jesuit brother and missionary to China, dies at 77
1943 – Sir Patrick Duncan, Governor-general of the Union of South Africa (1937 to 1943), dies at 72
1989 – Heinz Risse, German writer, dies at 91
2009 – Leszek Kołakowski, Polish philosopher (b. 1927)
2020 – Derek Ho, American surfer (World C’ship 1993; Hawaiian Triple Crown 1984, 86, 88, 90), dies from a heart attack at 55

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Historical Events

1439 – Kissing is banned in England (to stop the Black Death from spreading)
1964 – Republican convention selects Barry Goldwater as presidential candidate
1983 – Sikorsky S-61 disaster: A helicopter crashes off the Isles of Scilly, causing 20 fatalities in Britain’s worst helicopter accident
1989 – US Open Women’s Golf, Indianwood G and CC: Betsy King wins the first of her 2 consecutive titles, 4 strokes ahead of runner-up Nancy Lopez
1990 – Civil trial by parents of Suicide victims against Judas Priest begins
1994 – Spanish fishing boats sink a French fishing boat over fishing rights

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Famous Birthdays

1928 – Ray Thornton, American politician (Democratic U.S. Representative for Arkansas), born in Conway, Arkansas (d. 2016)
1941 – George Young, Baron Young of Cookham, British minister of housing and planning, born in Oxford, England
1945 – Barry Dudleston, English cricketer and cricket umpire, born in Bebington, Cheshire
1954 – Jeanette Mott Oxford, American activist and politician, born in Eldorado, Illinois
1975 – Bas Leinders, Belgian racing car driver, born in Bree, Belgium
1976 – Carlos Humberto Paredes, Paraguyan footballer and coach, born in Asunción, Paraguay

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Famous Deaths

1796 – George Howard, British field marshal, dies at 78
1953 – Hilaire Belloc, Anglo-French author (Path to Rome), dies at 82
1972 – Giorgio Nataletti, Italian composer, dies at 65
1995 – Patsy Ruth Miller, American actress (Quebec, Wide Open, Sap, Twin Beds), dies at 91
1996 – Adolf von Thadden, German politician, (b. 1921)
2005 – Blue Barron [Harry Freidman], American “sweet music” orchestra leader (“Cruising Down The River”), dies at 91

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Historical Events

1500 – Baglione family massacre at the “Blood Wedding” of Astorre Baglione and Lavinia Colonna in Perugia
1501 – Portuguese explorer Pedro Cabral arrives back in Lisbon after successfully discovering Brazil and returning from India
1884 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: 4 consecutive Wimbledon titles for William Renshaw; beats Herbert Lawford 6-0, 6-4, 9-7
1952 – 1st transatlantic helicopter flight begins
1996 – After 2,216 consecutive games at shortstop, Cal Ripkin goes to 3rd
1996 – Southern Mexico hit with 6.5 earthquake

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Famous Birthdays

1849 – Moritz Heuzenroeder, German pianist and composer who settled in Australia, born in Ottersberg, Germany (d. 1897)
1901 – John Wesley Work III, African-American composer, musicologist and scholar of African-American folklore and music, born in Tullahoma, Tennessee (d. 1967)
1913 – Abraham Sutzkever, Yiddish language poet and memoirist.
1939 – Don Kojis, American basketball forward (NBA All-Star 1968, 69; Detroit Pistons, SD Rockets, Seattle SuperSonics), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2021)
1954 – Boris Polak, Israel, Men’s 50M Free Rifle 3 Positions (Olympic 20-1996)
1977 – Lana Parrilla, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1854 – Wincenty Studzinski, Polish violinist and composer, dies at 39
1940 – Donald Calthrop, British actor (Blackmail, Scrooge, Rome Express), dies from a heart attack at 52
1977 – Konstantin Fedin, writer, dies
1990 – Margaret Lockwood, British actress (Cast a Dark Shadow, The Lady Vanishes), dies of cirrhosis of the liver at 73
1992 – Henk van der Molen, Dutch guitarist, composer, and writer (Martine Bijl), dies
1995 – Willie George “Bill” Woodruff Sr, vocalist, dies at 66

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Historical Events

1570 – Pope Pius V introduces a standardised Roman Missal (text of the Latin mass), a reform of the Council of Trent. Will remain unchanged for 400 years.
1977 – US House establishes permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
1981 – Kevin Wade’s “Key Exchange,” premieres in London
1988 – WYHY radio offers $1M to anyone who can prove Elvis is still alive
1988 – Mike Schmidt passes Mickey Mantle with his 537th HR into 7th place
1992 – Actress Nell Carter undergoes brain surgery

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Famous Birthdays

1913 – Fritz Erler, German socialist politician (SDP), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1967)
1926 – Harry Dean Stanton, American actor, (Lucky:Alien; Cool Hand Luke; The Godfather Part II), musician, and singer, born in West Irvine, Kentucky (d. 2017)
1952 – Bob Casale, AKA Bob 2, American Musician (Devo), (d. 2014)
1971 – Marie-Chantal Toupin, French Canadian pop singer, born in Montreal, Quebec
1971 – Joey Styles, American wrestling commentator (WWE), born in The Bronx, New York
1971 – Bubba Ray Dudley [Mark LoMonaco], American professional wrestler (WWF, WWE), born in New York City

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Famous Deaths

664 – Deusdedit of Canterbury, Archbishop of Canterbury (655-664), 1st Anglo Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury
1790 – Ernst Gideon Freiherr von Laudon, Austrian field marshal, dies at 73
1930 – William Hare Ashley, South African cricketer (Test South Africa, 7 wkts), dies at 68
1984 – Ernest Tidyman, American writer (b. 1928)
2003 – Éva Janikovszky, Hungarian novelist (b. 1926)
2021 – Jeff Labar, American glam rock guitarist (Cinderella, 1985-2014 – “Nobody’s Fool”; “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)”), dies at 58

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Historical Events

1900 – Phillies beat Pittsburgh 23-8
1943 – Greatest tank battle in history ends with Russia’s defeat of Germany at Kursk, almost 6,000 tanks take part, 2,900 lost by Germany
1950 – René Pleven forms French government
1978 – Albania drops diplomatic relations with People’s Republic of China
1991 – Bob Milacki and 3 other Baltimore Oriole pitchers no-hit A’s 2-0
1997 – Senior Players Championship Men’s Golf, TPC of Michigan: Larry Gilbert wins his lone career major title by 3 strokes from Isao Aoki, Bob Dickson, Jack Kiefer and Dave Stockton

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Famous Birthdays

1913 – Carolina Gisolf, Dutch high jumper (Olympic silver, 1928), born in Holland
1932 – Antonio Roma, football goalkeeper (42 caps), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 2013)
1942 – Stephen Jo Bladd, American drummer (J Geils Band – “Centerfold”; “Freeze Frame”), born in Boston, Massachusetts
1954 – Sezen Aksu, Turkish singer
1975 – Danni Boatwright, American model/beauty queen (Miss Teen USA 1992 2nd runner-up), born in Tonganoxie, Kansas
1982 – Christopher Bauman, American professional wrestler (d. 2005)

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Famous Deaths

1399 – Peter Parler, German architect (b. 1330)
1863 – John S. Bowen, American Major General (Confederate Army), dies at 32
1947 – Warwick Armstrong, cricketer (50 Tests 1901-21, 2863 runs), dies at 68
2006 – Red Buttons [Aaron Chwatt], American comedian (The Red Buttons Show), and Academy Award-winning actor (Sayonara; The Poseidon Adventure), dies from cardiovascular disease at 87
2013 – Cory Monteith, Canadian actor and musician, dies of heroin and alcohol overdose at 31
2014 – Thomas Berger, American novelist, dies at 89

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Historical Events

927 – King Aethelstan is the first southern English king to gain control of much of the north of Britain when various local kings accept his overlordship at Eamont, Cumbria
1916 – 3rd and 4th of 4 fatal Jersey Shore shark attacks occurs at Matawan Creek when epileptic Lester Stilwell (11) is dragged into a creek and Watson Fisher (24), believing Silwell had a seizure, is bitten while retrieving the body and subsequently bleeds to death
1987 – Canadian Open Women’s Golf (du Maurier Classic), Islesmere GC: Jody Rosenthal wins by 2 from Ayako Okamoto of Japan
1987 – 1st time in 20 years a delegation from USSR lands in Israel
1990 – In Soweto, South Africa, Shanty town women strip to the waist and confront bulldozers sent by authorities to demolish their homes
1998 – FIFA World Cup Final, Stade de France, Saint-Denis: Zinedine Zidane scores twice as France wins first World Cup beating Brazil, 3-0

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Famous Birthdays

1937 – Mickey Edwards, American Republican congressman (Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee), born in Cleveland, Ohio
1944 – Denise Nicholas, American actress (Room 222, Baby I’m Back), born in Detroit, Michigan
1951 – Jamey Sheridan, American actor (Another World), born in Pasadena, California
1960 – Corynne Charby [Corinne Charbit], French model, actress and pop singer (“Pile ou face” – “Heads Or Tails”), born in Paris, France
1969 – Alan Mullally, English cricket left-arm fast bowler (19 Tests, 58 wickets; 50 ODIs, 63 wickets), born in Southend-on-Sea, England
1977 – Neil Harris, English footballer

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Famous Deaths

1693 – John Ashby, English admiral
1850 – Robert Stevenson, Scottish civil engineer (Bell Rock Lighthouse, Scotland), dies at 78
1897 – Félix Godefroid, Belgian harpist and composer, dies at 78
1995 – Alan David Marks, American concert pianist, dies of cancer at 49
2018 – Tom Gallagher, American diplomat, gay activist, and 1st Foreign Service officer to publicly come out in 1976, dies at 77
2020 – Wim Suurbier, Dutch soccer right back (60 caps; Ajax 392 games) and manager (LA Heat, TB Rowdies), dies of a cerebral haemorrhage at 75

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