Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1937 – Marx Brothers’ “A Day At The Races”, directed by Sam Wood, is released in the US
1958 – UN Security council sends observers to Lebanon
1980 – K-Ingleside streetcar converts to METRO service (San Francisco)
1994 – “Meet The Flintstones” by The B-52’s (stylized for this release as The B.C. 52’s) from the 1994 film The Flintstones peaks at #33
1996 – Bob Dole, (Sen-R-KS), resigns from US senate to run for president
2002 – “American Idol” created by Simon Fuller with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson premieres on Fox

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Famous Birthdays

1704 – José António Carlos de Seixas, Portuguese composer, born in Coimbra, Portugal (d. 1742)
1861 – Sigismund Vladislavovich Zaremba, Ukrainian-Russian composer, born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine (d. 1915)
1894 – Dai Vernon [David Frederick Wingfield Verner], Canadian magician, The Professor (d. 1992)
1907 – Paul Mellon, American philanthropist (Washington National Gallery of Art), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1999)
1926 – Brother Dave Gardner, American comedian, drummer and singer, born in Jackson, Tennessee (d. 1983)
1949 – Benjamin Vasserman, Estonian graphic artist, born in Sovetsky, Kirov Oblast, Russia

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Famous Deaths

1856 – Friedrich H von der Hagen, German germanist, dies at 76
1907 – John Tyler Morgan, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 82
1927 – William Attewell, English cricket bowler (England in 10 Tests 1884-1891), dies at 65
1990 – Clyde McCoy, American jazz trumpeter (“Sugar Blues”; the wah-wah sound), bandleader and co-founder of “Down Beat” magazin, dies at 86
2003 – David Brinkley, American NBC news anchor (The Huntley-Brinkley Report), dies at 82
2008 – Miroslav Dvořák, Czechoslovak ice hockey player, dies at 56

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Historical Events

1905 – 1st forest fire lookout tower placed in operation, Greenville, Maine
1966 – The Beatles release single “Paperback Writer” / “Rain” in UK; “Rain” featured experimental studio tricks of slowed down bass and drums tracks, and backwards vocals in the fade out
1973 – LPGA Championship Women’s Golf, Pleasant Valley CC: 1964 champion Mary Mills wins by 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Betty Burfeindt
1975 – Yanks sponsor Army Day at temporary home, Shea Stadium during 21-gun salute, part of fence is blown away, and another part is set afire
1991 – David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” final episode airs on ABC-TV
1996 – Variety talk show “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” hosted by Rosie O’Donnell premieres

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Famous Birthdays

1657 – James Cragg the Elder, British politician (d. 1721)
1869 – Gustave Vanzype, Belgian literary (La Gazette), born in Brussels (d. 1955)
1900 – Henri Bruning, Dutch poet and literary, born in Amsterdam (d. 1983)
1918 – Herbert “Barry” Morse, British-Canadian actor (The Fugitive, Space: 1999, Winds of War), born in Shoreditch, London (d. 2008)
1977 – Takako Matsu, Japanese singer and actress
1987 – Kelly Vitz, American actress (Sky High), born in Hollywood, California

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Famous Deaths

1424 – Duke Ernest of Austria (b. 1377)
1926 – Antoni Gaudí, Catalan-Spanish architect (Sagrada Família, Casa Milà, Casa Batlló), dies after being hit by a tram at 73
1942 – Jean François van Royen, Dutch Sect-Gen of Concentration Camp Amersfoort, dies at 63
1963 – Jack Root, Czech-American boxer (First world light heavyweight champion 1903), dies from a heart attack at 87
2009 – Barry Beckett, American keyboardist and record producer (David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, Roger Hawkins), dies from complications of a stroke at 66
2019 – Girish Karnad, Indian playwright and filmmaker (Tuglaq), dies at 81

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Historical Events

1742 – Battle of Bloody Marsh-Spanish assault on Simons Island, Georgia
1899 – American boxer James J. Jeffries KOs defending champion Bob Fitzsimmons of England in 11th round in Brooklyn, New York to win the lineal World Heavyweight title
1914 – Pittsburgh Pirate baseball shortstop Honus Wagner is 2nd player to get 3,000 hits
1963 – 1st Sunday night game in baseball SF Giants lose to Houston Colts 3-0
1983 – 56th National Spelling Bee: Blake Giddens wins spelling purim
2019 – General strike begins in Khartoum, Sudan, as a protest against ruling military generals by the Sudanese Professionals Association

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Famous Birthdays

1791 – John Howard Payne, American actor, playwright (Fair Warning), author and creator of the hit song “Home! Sweet Home!”, born in NYC, New York (d. 1852)
1893 – Irish Meusel, American baseball left fielder (World Series 1921, 22; NL RBI leader 1923; Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants), born in Oakland, California (d. 1963)
1921 – Arthur Hertzberg, American Jewish scholar (d. 2006)
1928 – Geraint Gruffydd, Welsh scholar (University of Wales), born in Tal-y-bont, Wales (d. 2015)
1948 – Nathaniel Rosen, American cellist (Tchaikovsky-gold-1978), born in Altadena California
1986 – Adamo Ruggiero, Canadian actor (Degrassi: The Next Generation), born in Mississauga, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

630 – Shahrbaraz, General and King of Sasanian Persian Empire (630), killed after 40 days in power
1717 – Jeanne Guyon, French mystic, dies at 69
1912 – Ion Luca Caragiale, Romanian actor and playwright (O Noapte Furtunoasa), dies at 60
1994 – Lloyd Lindroth, American harpist known as ‘The Liberace of the Harp’, dies at 63
2014 – Bob Welch, American baseball pitcher (AL Cy Young Award 1990; Oakland A’s; World Series 1981, 89, 2001), dies from a broken neck at 57
2017 – Adam West [William West Anderson], American actor (Batman, Last Precinct) dies from leukemia at 88

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Historical Events

1929 – Venezuelan rebel Rafael Urbina overthrows Fort Amsterdam, Curacao kidnap governor Fruytier
1940 – Last British troops leave Narvik, Norway
1944 – General Montgomery lands in Normandy, sets up HQ in Chateau de Creully
1948 – “Texaco Star Theater” premieres on NBC-TV, with “Mr. Television” Milton Berle made permanent emcee in September of the same year
1996 – French Open Women’s Tennis: Defending champion Steffi Graf beats Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-3, 6-7, 10-8 for her 5th French singles crown
2012 – A bus bombing in Pakistan kills 18 and injures 35 people

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Famous Birthdays

1814 – Charles Reade, English novelist (Cloister and Hearth), born in Ipsden, Oxfordshire (d. 1884)
1910 – Aleksandr Tvardovsky, Russian poet and editor in chief (Novyj Mir), born in Zagorye, Russian Empire (d. 1971) [NS=June 21]
1929 – V. M. Muddiah, Indian cricket spin bowler (2 Tests, 3 wickets), born in Bangalore, Mysore (d. 2009)
1939 – Bernie Casey, American actor (Boxcar Bertha, Rent-a-Cop), born in Wyco, West Virginia (d. 2017)
1950 – Kathy Whitton Baker, American actress (Right Stuff, 16 Candles), born in Midland, Texas
1966 – Julianna Margulies, American actress (ER, The Good Wife), born in Spring Valley NY

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Famous Deaths

1376 – Edward the Black Prince, English knight and heir to King Edward III, dies of dysentery at 46
1716 – Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine (1690-1716), dies at 58
1966 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer (b. 1890)
1995 – Juan Carlos Ongania, President of Argentina (1966-70), dies
2013 – Paul Cellucci, American politician, 69th Governor of Massachusetts and former United States Ambassador to Canada, dies from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 65
2018 – Anthony Bourdain, American-French celebrity chef, author, and TV personality considered one of the most influential chefs in the world (No Reservations, Parts Unknown), commits suicide by hanging at 61

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Historical Events

1909 – Cleveland Industrial Exposition opens
1929 – Vatican City becomes a sovereign state
1958 – 90th Belmont: Pete Anderson aboard Cavan wins in 2:30.2
1994 – A’s outfielder Rickey Henderson steals his 1,100th career base
2012 – A bus falls into a ravine in La Paz, Bolivia, killing 16 and injuring 32 people
2012 – 16th century archaeology remains of the Curtain Theatre, where some of Shakespeare’s plays first performed found under a pub in London

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Famous Birthdays

1778 – Beau [George Bryan] Brummel, English dandy, born in London, England (d. 1840)
1845 – Leopold von Auer, Hungarian-American violinist, born in Veszprém, Hungary (d. 1930)
1884 – Julius P. Hoste, Belgium minister and daily newspaper publisher (Last News), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1954)
1909 – Virginia Apgar, American physician and childbirth specialist, born in Westfield, New Jersey (d. 1974)
1928 – David Malcolm Lewis, English historian, expert in Greek Epigraphy, born in London (d. 1994)
1931 – (Nii Moi) “Speedy” Acquaye, Ghanaian drummer, percussionist and fire-eater (Tubby Hayes; Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames; Ginger Baker’s Airforce), born in Accra, Gold Coast (now Ghana) (d. 1993)

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Famous Deaths

1779 – William Warburton, English critic and Bishop of Gloucester (b. 1698)
1968 – Dan Duryea, American actor (Pride of the Yankees), dies of cancer at 60
1983 – Daniele Amfitheatrof [Amfiteatrov], Russian-Italian pianist, conductor, and composer of concert and Hollywood film score music (American Panorama; The Naked Jungle), dies at 81
1999 – Paco Stanley, Mexican TV entertainer, dies at 56
2003 – Trevor Goddard, English actor (b. 1962)
2015 – Michael Oliver, British cardiologist (linked cholesterol with coronary artery disease), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1752 – 3rd great fire in Moscow in 2 weeks; 1/3 of city destroyed
1971 – WHAE (now WGNX) TV channel 46 in Atlanta, Georgia (CBN) begins broadcasting
1972 – Gold hits record $60 an ounce in London
1976 – “The Omen” premieres in the UK
1982 – 30,000 Israeli troops invade Lebanon to drive out the PLO
1994 – Warwickshire score 4 for 810 declared against Durham

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Famous Birthdays

1606 – Pierre Corneille, French poet and dramatist (El Cid, Horace), born in Rouen, France (d. 1684)
1951 – Noritake Takahara, Japanese racing driver
1961 – Dee C. Lee [Diane Catherine Sealy], British rock musician (Wham!, Style Council), born in London, England
1963 – Jason Isaacs, English actor (Harry Potter films), born in Liverpool, England
1973 – Jon Hesse, NFL linebacker (Denver Broncos-Super Bowl 32)
1977 – David Connolly, Irish footballer

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Famous Deaths

1134 – Norbertus van Xanten, monastery founder, dies at about 51
1799 – Patrick Henry, American Revolutionary and Founding Father famous for his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech, dies at 63
1878 – Gottfried Herrmann, German musician and composer, dies at 70
1967 – Edward G Givens Jr, Major USAF/astronaut, dies in an car crash at 47
1994 – Mark McManus, actor (Ned Kelly), dies of pneumonia at 59
1999 – Eddie Stanky, American baseball 2nd baseman (MLB All Star 1947, 48, 50; Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves, NY Giants) and manager (St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers), dies of a heart attack at 83

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Historical Events

1945 – USA, UK, USSR, France declare supreme authority over Germany
1953 – Denmark adopts a new constitution
1953 – US Senate rejects China People’s Republic membership to UN
1959 – Bob Dylan graduates from Hibbing High School in Minnesota
1963 – Dutch Princess Marijke changes her name to Christina
2014 – MLB Draft: Cathedral Catholic HS (CA) pitcher Brady Aiken first pick by Houston Astros

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Famous Birthdays

1665 – Nicolas Bernier, French composer, born in Mantes-sur-Seine (d. 1734)
1908 – Jack Jacob, British senior master (British Supreme Court), born in Shanghai (d. 2000)
1943 – Matthew Lesko, American author, born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
1950 – Ronnie Dyson, American stage actor (Hair – “Aquarius”; Salvation), and soul singer (“(If You Let Me Make Love to You Then) Why Can’t I Touch You?”; “I Don’t Wanna Cry”), born in Washington, DC (d. 1990)
1959 – Michael Winans, American gospel singer (Winans), born in Detroit, Michigan
1995 – Troye Sivan [Mellet], South African–born Australian pop singer-songwriter (Bloom), born in Johannesburg, South Africa

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Famous Deaths

1816 – Giovanni Paisiello, Italian composer (Serva Padrona), dies at 76
1953 – Roland Young, English American actor (David Copperfield, Irene, Dulcy), dies at 65
1984 – Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Indies Sikh leader
1990 – Jan Zeldenrust, Dutch pathologist and anatomist, dies at 83
1992 – Max Lerner, American writer/columnist (NY Post), dies at 88
2002 – Curtis Amy, American jazz musician (Way Down), dies at 72

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Historical Events

1831 – National Congress selects Leopold von Saksen-Coburg as King of Belgium
1938 – 10th Walker Cup: Britain-Ireland wins 7½-4½ at the Old Course at St Andrews
1944 – U505 becomes the first German submarine captured and boarded on high seas
1987 – American hurdler Edwin Moses’ 122 race winning streak which extends to nearly 10 years ends when he is beaten by countryman Danny Harris in Madrid, Spain
1989 – Red Sox lead Blue Jays 10-0 in 7th, but lose 12-11 in 12 for Blue Jays 12th consecutive victory at Fenway
2005 – French Open Women’s Tennis: Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne wins 1st of 3 straight French titles; beats Mary Pierce of France 6-1, 6-1

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Famous Birthdays

1920 – Britt Woodman, American jazz trombonist (Duke Ellington; Charles Mingus; Lionel Hampton), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2000)
1929 – Karolos Papoulias, President of Greece (2005-15), born in Ioannina, Greece
1961 – Kym Ambrose, Australian jazz vibraphonist (The Brazilian Ensemble), born
1966 – Nick Kypreos, NHL left wing (Toronto Maple Leafs), born in Toronto, Ontario
1967 – Rick Wilkins, American baseball catcher (Houston Astros), born in Jacksonville, Florida
1970 – David Pybus, British extreme heavy metal bassist (Cradle Of Death), born in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, England

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Famous Deaths

1918 – Charles W. Fairbanks, 26th Vice President of the United States (Republican: 1905-09) and Senator, dies of nephritis at 66
1954 – Harold Hoffman, (Gov-NJ), dies at 58
1992 – Carl Stotz, founder (baseball’s little league), dies at 82
1994 – Roberto Burle Marx, Brazilian landscape gardener, dies at 84
1996 – Kudirat Abiola, wife of Moshood Abiola, is assassinated
2007 – Craig L. Thomas, United States Senator (b. 1933)

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Historical Events

1888 – Baseball poem “Casey at the Bat” 1st published by the San Francisco Examiner
1896 – British naval officer David Beatty is seconded to the Egyptian government and appointed second in command of the river flotilla
1941 – German occupiers stamp “J” on Jewish passports
1966 – Gemini 9 launched; 7th US 2-man flight (Stafford and Cernan)
1968 – Poor Peoples March on Washington, D.C.
1992 – Joan Lunden ordered to pay her ex-husband $18,000 a month support

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Famous Birthdays

1746 – James Hook, English composer, born in Norwich (d. 1827)
1773 – Michael Gottard Fischer, German composer and organist, born in Alach (d. 1829)
1866 – George Howells Broadhurst, English director (d. 1952)
1936 – David Nicholls, English Anglican priest, theologian and political theorist, born in Woking, England (d. 1996)
1966 – Bill Janovitz, American rock singer-songwriter, guitarist (Buffalo Tom), music writer, and real estate agent, born in Queens, New York City
1987 – Masami Nagasawa, Japanese actress

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Famous Deaths

1928 – Li Yüan-hung, Chinese general and political figure (b. 1864)
1967 – Arthur Tedder, British Air Marshal (WWII), dies at 76
1970 – Hjalmar Schacht, German economist, banker and politician (co-founder German Democratic Party), dies at 93
2009 – Koko Taylor [Cora Walton], American blues singer known as the “Queen of the Blues”, dies of complications from surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding at 80
2011 – Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist and right-to-die activist, dies of a thrombosis at 83
2017 – Jimmy Piersall, American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 1954, 56; his bipolar disorder subject book and film, “Fear Strikes Out”), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1633 – Prince Frederick Henry conquers fort Rhine at Cologne
1863 – Harriet Tubman leads Union guerrillas into Maryland, freeing slaves
1910 – Pygmies discovered in Dutch New Guinea
1966 – US Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum; 1st lunar soft-landing
1971 – European Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London: Ajax beats Panathinaikos, 2-0; Dutch champions begin 3-year period of domination
1997 – Liberals beat Conservatives in France

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Famous Birthdays

1835 – Pius X [Giuseppe Sarto], 257th Roman Catholic pope (1903-14)
1907 – Dorothy West, American journalist/author (Living is Easy)
1917 – Max Showalter, American actor and composer (Kansas, Niagara, Stockard Channing Show in Caldwell), born in Caldwell, Kansas (d. 2000)
1935 – Roger Brierley, English actor (d. 2005)
1955 – Dana Carvey, American comedian and actor (SNL – “George Bush”; Wayne’s World – “Garth”), born in Missoula, Montana
1981 – Nikolay Davydenko, Russian professional tennis player, born in Sievierodonetsk, Ukrainian SSR

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Famous Deaths

1944 – Vera Menchik, Russian born British chess master, 1st official women’s world chess champion (1927-39), dies in a London air raid at 38
1963 – Century Milstead, American College Football Hall of Fame tackle (Yale; NFL C’ship 1927, NY Giants), dies at 62
1979 – Jim Hutton, actor (Ellery Queen), dies of liver cancer at 45
1996 – Pilar Lorengar [Lorenza Pilar García], Aragones soprano, dies of cancer at 68
2008 – Bo Diddley [Ellas McDaniel], American rock guitarist dies of heart failure at 79
2017 – Peter Sallis, British actor (Wallace and Gromit, Last of the Summer Wine), dies at 96

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