Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1892 – US Patent Office says Joseph Swan rather than Thomas Edison, invented the electric light carbon for the incandescent lamp
1939 – 7th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 3-1 at Yankee Stadium, New York NY Yankee/AL maanager Joe McCarthy starts 6 Yankees
1943 – 7th day of battle at Kursk
1974 – World Football League plays 1st games
1991 – Nigeria Airways DC-8 crashes at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, killing all 261 passengers and crew on board
1995 – Shaggy releases his third studio album “Bombastic” (Grammy Award Best Reggae Album)

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1274 – Robert the Bruce, King of Scots (1306-1329) and national hero, born in Turnberry Castle, Ayrshire (d. 1329)
1916 – Reg Varney, English actor
1932 – Billy Davis, American music producer and songwriter (“I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke”), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2004)
1932 – Alex Hassilev, American actor and folk musician (The Limeliters), born in Paris, France
1948 – Martin Rushent, British sound engineer (Gentle Giant; Shirley Bassey), and record producer (Buzzcocks; The Human League), born in Enfield, England (d. 2011)
1956 – Sela Ward, Meridian Miss, actress (Hilary-Emerald Point NAS, Sisters)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

472 – Anthemius, Emperor of the Western Roman Empire
1914 – Julius Rodenberg [Levy], German writer (Die Deutsche Rundschau), dies at 83
1962 – Owen D. Young, American industrialist (RCA) and diplomat (Young Plan), dies at 87
1980 – Bolesław Woytowicz, Polish pianist and composer, dies at 80
1987 – Thomas F Waddell, founder (Gay Olympics), dies of AIDS at 50
2007 – Lady Bird Johnson, First Lady of the United States (b. 1912)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1376 – English “Good Parliament” ends, longest-sitting parliament at that time
1627 – English fleet under George Villiers reach La Rochelle [NS=June 20]
1943 – US, British and Canadian forces invade Sicily in WW II (Operation Husky)
1956 – 650,000 US steel workers go on strike
1973 – Bahamas declares Independence from UK and adopts constitution
1980 – Willie Jones hospitalized for heat stroke with record 46.5°C temperature

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1870 – Maurice Lugeon, Swiss geologist (nappism), born in Poissy, France (d. 1953)
1925 – Mahathir bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia (1981-2003 and 2018-), born in Alor Setar, Malaysia
1927 – William Smithers, American actor (Witness, Peyton Place, Attack!), born in Richmond, Virginia
1945 – Peter Michalica, Slovak violinist, born in Kremnica, Slovakia
1952 – Kim Mitchell, Canadian guitarist and singer, born in Sarnia, Ontario
1962 – Mike Saxon, American NFL punter (Minnesota Vikings), born in Whittier, California

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1875 – Henry L. Benning, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 61
1946 – Sidney Hillman, Lithuanian-American union leader (Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union; Congress of Industrial Organizations), dies of a heart attack at 59
1975 – Achiel H van Acker, Belgian premier (1945-46, 1954-58), dies at 77
1982 – Gustav MR von Koenigswald, German/Dutch paleontologist, dies at 79
1987 – John H. Hammond, American music producer, talent scout, promoter, and activist, “discovered” Billie Holiday, Teddy Wilson, Count Basie, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen, dies at 76
1992 – Albert Pierrepoint, last and longest serving British executioner (est. 433-608 executed), dies at 87

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1867 – An unsuccessful expedition led by E.D Young sets out to search for Dr David Livingstone (Scottish missionary and explorer)
1926 – Coup under General Sinel de Cordes in Portugal
1944 – In World War II, US troops secure Saipan as Japan falls
1951 – US President Harry Truman asks Congress to formally end state of war with Germany
1957 – 24th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 6-6 at Sportsman’s Park, St Louis
1986 – Attorney General’s Commission on pornography links hard-core porn to sex crimes

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1577 – Thomas West, 3rd and 12th Baron De La Warr, English Jamestown colonist and Governor of Virginia, born in Wherwell, Hampshire, England (d. 1618)
1905 – Clarence Campbell, Canadian 3rd president of the NHL (1946-77), born in Fleming, Saskatchewan (d. 1984)
1928 – Raúl Coloma, Chilean soccer goalkeeper (13 caps; Ferrobádminton, Municipal Santiago, Ferroviaros), born in Santiago, Chile (d. 2021)
1971 – Kevin Grant, British reggae-rock guitarist (Musical Youth – “Pass the Dutchie”), born in Birmingham, England
1985 – Paweł Korzeniowski, Polish swimmer
1986 – Kiely Williams, American singer and actress (Cheetah Girls), born in Alexandria, Virgina

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1903 – Alphonse François Renard, Belgian geologist, dies at 60
1951 – Harry Heilmann, American Baseball HOF outfielder (4 × AL batting champion, Detroit Tigers) and broadcaster (WXYZ), dies from lung cancer at 56
1969 – Gertrude Dixon, compiler of Shunryu Suzuki’s Zen Mind, dies
1974 – Earl Warren, Governor of California and 14th US Supreme Court Chief Justice (1953-69), dies at 83
2006 – Milan Williams, American keyboardist (Commodores – “Three Times A Lady”), dies of cancer at 58
2012 – Eugênio de Araújo Sales, Brazilian Roman Catholic cardinal, dies at 91

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1663 – King Charles II of England grants a charter to Rhode Island
1797 – 1st US senator (William Blount of Tennessee) expelled by impeachment
1954 – KMOX (now KMOV) TV channel 4 in Saint Louis, MO (CBS) 1st broadcast
1981 – France performs nuclear test
1984 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: John McEnroe defends his crown, thrashing fellow American Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2
2021 – MLB Padres relief pitcher Daniel Camarena gets his first hit, in his second career at bat – a grand slam – against Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer, in San Diego

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1908 – Louis Jordan, American musician, songwriter and bandleader (“Caldonia”; “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie”; “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens”), born in Brinkley, Arkansas (d. 1975)
1911 – Ken Farnes, English cricket bowler (fast England in pre-WW II years), born in Leytonstone, England (d. 1941)
1944 – Jeffrey Tambor, American character actor (Larry Sanders – “Hank”; Arrested Decelopment), born in San Francisco, California
1951 – Greg T. Walker, American rock bassist (Blackfoot)
1963 – Mike Ridley, Canadian NHL center (Vancouver Canucks), born in Winnipeg, Canada
1991 – Thuso Mbedu, South African actress (Is’Thunzi), born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1726 – John Ker, Scottish spy, (for the British government against the Jacobites), dies in a debtors prison at 52
1913 – Louis Hémon, French novelist (Maria Chapdelaine), dies at 32
1957 – Grace Goodhue Coolidge, American First Lady (1923-29), dies at 78
1987 – Lionel Chevrier, Canadian politician (Canadian Member of Parliament), dies at 84
1999 – Pete Conrad, American astronaut (b. 1930)
2003 – Kunio Toda, Japanese composer, dies at 87

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1919 – Philadelphia Phillies tie MLB record of 8 steals in an innings (9th) in a 10-5 loss vs NY Giants
1923 – Cleveland Indians set an AL record 27 runs including 13 in the 6th in 27-3 win v Boston Red Sox
1972 – 7 people are killed in separate incidents across Northern Ireland
1974 – FIFA World Cup Final, Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany: Striker Gerd Müller scores 43rd minute winner as West Germany beats the Netherlands, 2-1
1980 – The Safra massacre in Lebanon
1986 – Soviet General and spy for the US Dmitri Polyakov arrested in retirement in Russia (executed 1988)

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1586 – Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel, English statesman (d. 1646)
1926 – Nuon Chea [Lau Kim Korn], Cambodian revolutionary and Khmer Rouge leader ‘Brother Number Two’, born in Battambang, Cambodia (d. 2019)
1933 – Murray Halberg, New Zealand middle-distance runner (Olympic gold 1960), born in Eketāhuna, New Zealand
1944 – Jürgen Grabowski, German soccer midfielder/forward (44 caps West Germany; Eintracht Frankfurt 441 games), born in Wiesbaden, Germany (d. 2022)
1951 – Roz Ryan, actress (Amelia-Amen, Occupied), born in Detroit, Michigan
1967 – Alfred Jackson, American CFL receiver (BC Lions), born in Caldwell, Texas

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1572 – Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland (1548-72), dies at 51
1663 – Thomas Baltzar, German violinist
1774 – Giuseppe Maria Carretti, Italian composer, dies at 83
1932 – Henry Eyster Jacobs, American Lutheran theologian, dies at 87
1993 – Mia Zapata, American singer with The Gits (b. 1965)
2006 – Juan de Ávalos, Spanish sculptor (b. 1911)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1858 – Lyman Blake patents shoe manufacturing machine
1863 – Northern Territory passes from New South Wales to South Australia
1892 – Striking steel workers in Homestead, Pennsylvania, fire on scabs, killing 7
1957 – Harry S. Truman Library forms in Independence, Missouri
1962 – Nuclear test shot Sedan; part of Operation Plowshare
2006 – The Nathula Pass between India and China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opens for trade after 44 years

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1753 – John H Midderigh, Rotterdam patriot, baptized
1878 – Eino Leino, Finnish poet, born in Paltamo, Finland (d. 1926)
1906 – Elisabeth Lutyens, English composer, born in London (d. 1983)
1944 – Gunhild Hoffmeister, East German 800m/1500m runner (Olympic silver 1972), born in Forst, Germany
1975 – 50 Cent [Curtis James Jackson III], American rapper and businessman, born in Queens, New York
1995 – Ludwig Ahgren, American YouTuber webcaster, and gaming commentator, born in Hollis, New Hampshire

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1858 – Jan Emmanuel Doležálek, Bohemian organist and composer, dies at 78
1952 – Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, French Canadian politician (b. 1867)
1959 – George Grosz, German cartoonist and painter (Ecce Homo), dies at 65
1974 – Carlos Isamitt, Chilean composer, dies at 87
1997 – Brun Smith, New Zealand cricket batsman (4 Tests @ 47.40), dies at 75
2010 – Harvey Fuqua, American RandB singer-songwriter (The Moonglows – “Sincerely”), producer (Marvin Gaye), and record label executive (Motown), dies of a heart attack at 80

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1811 – Venezuelan Declaration of Independence: 7 provinces declare themselves independent of Spain
1813 – War of 1812: Three weeks of British raids on Fort Schlosser, Black Rock and Plattsburgh, New York begin
1843 – Committee of 9 appointed to establish civil government in Oregon Country
1993 – Icelandic musician Björk releases her 1st solo album “Debut”
2018 – At least 24 killed in explosions at pyrotechnics workshops in Tultepec, Mexico
2020 – Florida reports a record 11,458 daily COVID-19 cases

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1882 – Inayat Khan, Indian singer, musicologist, and philosopher (founder of Sufi Order – London, 1914), born in Vadodra, Bombay State, British India (d. 1927)
1928 – Warren Oates, American actor (Dillinger, East of Eden, Stoney Burke), born in Depoy, Muhlenberg County (d. 1982)
1946 – Pierre-Marc Johnson, Québéc lawyer, physician and politician (24th Premier of Quebec), born in Montreal, Quebec
1964 – Mark H Lascells, grandson of English princess Mary
1980 – Jason Wade, American singer and musician (Lifehouse), born in Camarillo, California
1984 – Yu Yamada, Ryukyuan model, actress and singer, born in Okinawa, Japan

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1773 – Francisco José Freire, Portuguese historian and philologist (b. 1719)
1833 – Nicéphore Niépce, French inventor (b. 1765)
1894 – Betty Paoli, writer, dies
1950 – Private Kenneth Shadrick becomes the first identified American soldier killed in the Korean War
1985 – Jack Robertson, South African cricket spinner (3 Tests v Aust 1935-36), dies
2005 – Shirley Goodman, American singer (b. 1936)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

993 – Saint Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized.
1708 – Battle of Holowczyn: Swedish King Charles XII defeats superior Russian force in surprising vctory
1968 – Arthur Kopit’s “Indians” premieres in London
1975 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Billie Jean King outclasses Evonne Goolagong 6-0, 6-1 for her 6th Wimbledon singles title
1976 – Opening ceremony of the Dai Bosatsu monastery Catskill Mt NY
1988 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Stefan Edberg of Sweden wins his first of 2 Wimbledon singles titles beating Boris Becker 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a rain-affected final

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1912 – Virginia Graham, American TV personality (Girl Talk, Where Was I), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1998)
1920 – Norm Drucker, American basketball referee (NBA Supervisor of Officials 1977–81; ABA Supervisor of the Officials 1969–73), born in NYC, New York (d. 2015)
1928 – Patrick Tilley, British sci-fi author (1st Family, Blood River)
1965 – Jo Whiley, English radio DJ, born in Northampton, United Kingdom
1968 – Mark Lenzi, American 3m spring diver (Olympic gold 1992), born in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (d. 2012)
1972 – William Goldsmith, American drummer (Foo Fighters; Sunny Day Real Estate), born in Seattle, Washington

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1187 – Reinoud van Châtillon, French prince of Antioch, dies
1603 – Philippus the Monte, priest/bandmaster/composer, dies at 82
1902 – Swami Vivekananda, Indian Hindu spiritual leader and a key figure in the introduction of Yoga to the Western world, dies while meditating at 39
2002 – Mansoor Hekmat, Iranian politician (b. 1951)
2003 – Barry White, American singer (Love’s Theme), dies at 58
2012 – Jimmy Bivins [James], American Hall of Fame boxer, dies from pneumonia at 92

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1090 – Battle at Hagenoorde: German emperor beats earl Egbert II
1841 – John Couch Adams decides to determine position of an unknown planet by irregularities it causes in the motion of Uranus
1954 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Maureen Connolly wins her 3rd consecutive Wimbledon singles title beating fellow American Louise Brough 6-2, 7-5
1965 – USSR and Persia sign dam building and economic aid pact
2004 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Maria Sharapova becomes first Russian player to win Wimbledon beating defending champion Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4
2019 – Italian David-Maria Sassoli chosen as new European Parliament President

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1567 – Samuel de Champlain, French explorer (Lake Champlain), born in Hiers-Brouage or La Rochelle, France (d. 1635)
1814 – Janis Cimze, Latvian composer, Father of Latvian choir music, born in Rauna parish, Russian Empire (d. 1881)
1928 – Evelyn Anthony, English historical writer (Poellenberg Inheritance), born in London (d. 2018)
1952 – Peter Mathebula, South African boxer (WBA flyweight title 1980-81), born in Mohlakeng, South Africa (d. 2020)
1967 – Brian Cashman, American baseball executive (World Series 1998, 99, 2000, 09 NY Yankees), born in Rockville Centre, New York
1973 – Patrick Wilson, American actor (Angels in America), born in Norfolk, Virginia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1863 – Little Crow [Ta-oya-te-duta], Mdewakanton Dakota leader (Treaty of Mendota), shot and killed by settlers at about 53
1918 – David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda, Welsh coal-mining entrepreneur, dies at 62
1971 – Renie Riano, British-American vaudeville and screen actress (Jiggs and Maggie films; The Family Jewels) dies after long illness at 71
1992 – Marc Tannenbaum, American rabbi (only Jew to attend Vatican II), dies at 66
1998 – George Walter Selwyn Lloyd, English composer (The Serf, John Socman), dies at 85
2015 – Jacques Sernas [Jokūbas Bernardas Šernas], Lithuanian actor (La Dolce Vita, Helen of Troy), dies at 89

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1214 – Battle of La Roche-aux-Moines (Angers), part of King John of England’s attempt to reclaim Normandy from France
1687 – King James II disbands English parliament
1917 – Labor disputes lead to race riot in East St Louis, Illinois – Black neighborhood attacked and burned, 40-200 killed and 6000 left homeless
1943 – Gulf of Biskaje: Liberator bombers sinks U-126
2005 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Venus Williams beats fellow American Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 7-6, 9-7 for the 3rd of her 5 Wimbledon singles titles
2017 – Women’s PGA Championship, Olympia Fields CC: American Danielle Kang scores her first professional win, 1 stroke ahead of defending champion Brooke Henderson of Canada

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1492 – Elizabeth Tudor, English princess, second daughter and fourth child of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, born in Richmond Palace, Surrey, England (d. 1495)
1927 – Ruth Berghaus, German choreographer and opera director, born in Dresden, Germany (d. 1996)
1947 – Ervin Hall, 100m hurdler (Olympic silver 1968), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1968 – Mark Tewksbury, Canadian swimmer (Olympic gold 100m backstroke 1992), born in Calgary, Alberta
1976 – Tomáš Vokoun, Czech hockey player
1984 – Vanessa Lee Chester, American actress

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1644 – William Gascoigne, English astronomer and mathematician (introduced telescopic sights), is killed in the Battle of Marston Moor at 24
1911 – Felix Mottl, Austrian conductor and composer (Agnes Bernauer), dies at 54
1929 – Gladys Brockwell, American actress (Long Pants, Oliver Twist), dies in an automobile accident at 34
1940 – Ben Turpin, American comic (Saps at Sea, His New Job), dies at 65
2004 – Mochtar Lubis, Indonesian writer and editor (Twilight in Jakarta), dies at 82
2007 – Beverly Sills [Belle Miriam Silverman], American operatic soprano, dies of lung cancer at 78

More Famous Deaths »