Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1478 – George, Duke of Clarence, convicted of treason against his older brother Edward IV of England, is privately executed in the Tower of London (allegedly by being drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine).
1899 – 80°F recorded in San Francisco, California
1922 – Kenesaw Mountain Landis resigns his federal judgeship to give full attention to job as Major League Baseball Commissioner
1936 – NHL record 32 points scored, NY Americans (28) and Mont Maroons (24)
2007 – 49th Daytona 500: Kevin Harvick wins by 0.02s over Mark Martin in the closest finish since the first race at Daytona in 1959
2013 – $50 million worth of diamonds is stolen in an armed robbery at Brussels Airport, Belgium

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1771 – Friedrich Christian Ruppe, composer and violinist, brother of Christian Friedrich Ruppe
1819 – Joseph Philbrick Webster, composer
1922 – Helen Gurley Brown, American author/publisher and editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, born in Green Forest, Arkansas, (d. 2012)
1943 – Graeme Garden, Scottish writer (The Goodies), born in Aberdeen, Scotland
1945 – Judy Rankin, American golfer (US Open, Titleholders C’ship 1972 runner-up; 26 LPGA Tour wins), born in St Louis, Missouri
1956 – Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer, born in Sollentuna Municipality, Sweden (d. 1997)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1925 – James Lane Allen, American writer (Choir Invisible), dies at 75
1949 – Niceto Alcalá-Zamora, 1st Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic and President of Spain (1931-36), dies at 71
1959 – Eric Zeisl, Austrian-American composer (Requiem Ebraico), dies of a heart attack at 53
1976 – Anton Betzner, writer, dies at 81
1981 – John Knudsen Northrop, American aircraft designer (Northrop Air), dies at 85
2001 – Balthus [Balthazar Klossowski], French Polish painter, dies at 92

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1600 – Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de’ Fiori in Rome, charged with heresy by the Roman Inquisition
1634 – Puritan author William Prynne tried in Star Chamber for publishing “Histrio-masti”, criticising the theatre
1946 – Humanistic Covenant forms in Amsterdam
1978 – 11 civilians and 1 RUC officer are killed and 30 wounded by a Provisional Irish Republican Army incendiary bomb at the La Mon Restaurant near Belfast
1987 – Don Mattingly wins highest salary arbitration ($1,975,000 per year)
2002 – 44th Daytona 500: Ward Burton’s win first for Dodge since Richard Petty’s victory in the 1974 race

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1796 – Giovanni Pacini, Italian composer of opera (Saffo), born in Catania, Sicily (d. 1867)
1820 – Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Catholic cardinal (d. 1898)
1905 – Orville “Hoppy” Jones, American bass singer and cellist (The Ink Spots – “If I Didn’t Care”), born in Chicago, Illinois (1944)
1908 – Staats Cotsworth, American actor (Hamlet, Peyton Place), born in Oak Park, Illinois (d. 1979)
1952 – Karin Büttner-Janz, German artistic gymnast (Olympic gold GDR vault, uneven bars 1968; World C’ships gold uneven bars 1970), born in Lübben, Germany
1967 – Robert Massey, American NFL cornerback (Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions) and coach, born in Rock Hill, South Carolina

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1680 – Jan Swammerdam, Dutch anatomist and entomologist (Bible of Nature), dies at 43
1688 – Rev James Renwick, hanged in Scotland for being a Presbyterian
1993 – Leslie Townsend, English cricket all-rounder (England in 4 Tests 1930-34), dies at 89
1998 – Bob Merrill, American composer and lyricist (People, Mambo Italiano), commits suicide at 72
2001 – Bob Geary, Canadian football player and manager (b. 1933)
2018 – Arno Motulsky, German-born founder of medical genetics, known as the “father of pharmacogenomics,” dies at 94

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1892 – Opera “Werther” by Jules Massenet premieres in Vienna
1905 – 1st US Esperanto club organizes in Boston
1975 – 17th Daytona 500: Benny Parsons wins after Cale Yarborough sends race leader David Pearson spinning on the backstretch; Parsons avoids the accident and takes the victory
1986 – 28th Daytona 500: Geoff Bodine wins on fuel mileage after Dale Earnhardt forced to pit for gas with 3 laps to go, then blows engine leaving the pits
1989 – Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and North Yemen form common market
2014 – At age 36, American Bode Miller becomes the oldest medalist in Olympic alpine skiing history when he ties for bronze in the super-G in Sochi

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1075 – Ordericus Vitalis, French monk/historian/poet
1926 – Jack Levy, English mechanical engineer, born in London, England (d. 2017)
1960 – Chris Schultz, Canadian football offensive tackle (NFL Dallas Cowboys; CFL All Star 1987, 88; Toronto Argonauts) and sportscaster (The Sports Network), born in Burlington, Ontario (d. 2021)
1964 – Mark Price, American NBA guard (Cleveland Caveliers) and coach, born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma
1980 – Ashley Lelie, American football player
1985 – Stacy Lewis, American golfer (ANA Inspiration 2011, Women’s British Open 2013), born in Toledo, Ohio

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1957 – Leslie Hore-Belisha, British politician (Minister of Transport, 1934-37; War Secretary, 1937–40), dies at 63
1980 – Erich Hückel, German physicist and physical chemist, dies at 83
1996 – Kenneth Robinson, politician/businessman, dies at 84
1999 – Necil Kazım Akses, Turkish classical composer, dies at 90
2000 – Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-born engineer and inventor (b. 1911)
2000 – Lila Kedrova, Russian-born actress (Zorba the Greek (1964), Sword of the Valiant, The Tenant), dies of congestive heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease at 81

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1775 – Angelo Braschi chosen as Pope Pius VI
1852 – Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, London, admits 1st patient
1932 – As a member of gold medal winning US 4-man bobsleigh team at Lake Placid, Eddie Eagan (boxing gold Antwerp 1920) becomes only Olympian to win gold medals at both summer and winter Games in different sports
1958 – Sjafroeddin Prawiranegara forms anti-government of Middle Sumatra
1996 – NFL coaching maestro Bill Belichick is fired by Cleveland, finishing his Browns coaching career with a record of 36-44
2018 – Denver’s Serbian center Nikola Jokić records fastest triple double in NBA history (14 minutes, 33 seconds) in the Nuggets’ 134-123 win at Milwaukee; Jokić finishes with 30 points, 17 assists, 15 rebounds

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1620 – Francois Charpentier, French scholar and archaeologist, born in Paris, France (d. 1702)
1760 – Jean-Francois Le Sueur, French composer during the revolution, born in Drucat-Plessiel, France (d. 1837)
1823 – Li Hung-Tshang, Chinese rebel leader/viceroy of Tsheli Canton
1931 – W K Reid, British ombudsman
1937 – Gregory Mcdonald, American author
1947 – David Brown, American guitarist (Santana), born in NYC, New York (d. 2000)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1503 – Henry Deane, Archbishop of Canterbury (1501-03), dies
1847 – Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician (geometry), dies at 52
1988 – Neil R. Jones, American sci-fi writer (Space War, Twin Worlds), dies at 78
2005 – Pierre Bachelet, French singer and songwriter (b. 1944)
2009 – Joe Cuba, Puerto-Rican musician (b. 1931)
2012 – Charles Anthony [Caruso], American tenor, dies from kidney failure at 82

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1689 – English parliament places Mary Stuart and Prince William III on the throne
1934 – NHL Ace Bailey Benefit Game: Toronto beats All-Stars 7-3 in Toronto
1980 – Soviet cross-country skier Nikolay Zimyatov wins first of 3 gold medals at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics when he takes out 30k event; also wins relay and 50k gold
1981 – Stardust Disaster: A fire in a Dublin nightclub kills 48 people
1989 – African National Congress (ANC) opens office in Amsterdam
1992 – Cease fire in Somalia begins

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1701 – Enrique Florez, Spanish historian, born in Valladolid, Spain (d. 1773)
1932 – Alexander Kluge, German author and film director (Yesterday Girl), born in Halberstadt, Province of Saxony
1942 – Margaret Wright, chief commissioner (Guide Association)
1943 – Bob Murphy Jr, American golfer (PGA C’ship 1970 runner-up; 11 Senior PGA Tour titles), born in Brooklyn, New York
1945 – Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, Uruguayan soccer goalkeeper (36 caps; Atlético Mineiro), born in Piriápolis, Uruguay (d. 2013)
1987 – David Wheater, English footballer, born in Redcar, United Kingdom

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1676 – Abraham Bosse, French engraver and artist
1989 – Vincent Crane [Cheesman], British rock Hammond organist, and songwriter (The Crazy World of Arthur Brown – “Fire”), dies of deliberate painkiller overdose at 45
1991 – Carlo L. Golino, Italian-American scholar, dies at 77
1993 – Buddy Pepper, composer, dies of heart failure at 70
2015 – Alan Howard, British actor (Royal Shakespeare Company), dies at 77
2015 – Pamela Cundell, British stage and screen character actress (Dad’s Army – “Mrs. Fox”), dies at 95

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1575 – Henry III of France is crowned at Rheims
1895 – Moving picture projector patented
1955 – KRCG TV channel 13 in Jefferson City, MO (CBS) begins broadcasting
1983 – 33rd NBA All-Star Game, The Forum, Inglewood, CA: East beats West, 132-123; MVP: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers, F
1985 – Polish police arrests 7 Solidarity leaders
1996 – Howard Stern announces he will be making the film “Private Parts”

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1805 – David Dudley Field II, American lawyer, law codifier, born in Haddam, Connecticut (d. 1894)
1820 – (Albert) Béla Kéler, Hungarian composer, and conductor, born in Bártfa, Kingdom of Hungary (now Bardejov, Slovakia) (d. 1882)
1867 – Harold Mahony, Scottish tennis player (Wimbledon 1896), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1905)
1936 – Leamon King, Tulare California, 4X100m relayer (Olympic gold 1956)
1967 – Eddie Pye, American baseball infielder (LA Dodgers), born in Columbia, Tennessee
1976 – Dave Padden, Canadian musician (Annihilator), born in Canada

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1693 – Johann Kaspar von Kerll, German composer, dies at 65
1724 – Francisco Jose Coutinho, composer, dies at 43
1845 – Henrik Steffens, Norwegian-German philosopher, dies at 71
1987 – M L “Curly” Page, cricketer (NZ Test capt 1933), dies
1994 – Theo Bitter, Dutch painter/set designer, dies at 79
2017 – Seijun Suzuki, Japanese cult film director, dies at 93

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1962 – Bus boycott starts in Macon, Georgia
1964 – US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Allen
1964 – End of Richie Benaud’s 63-Test cricket career in drawn 5th Test v South Africa in Sydney
1965 – Nuclear test at Pacific Ocean
2001 – NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touchdown in the “saddle” region of 433 Eros becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
2018 – Portait paintings of Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley and Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald are unveiled at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1913 – Pedro Gastao de Orleans e Braganca, grandson of Emperor Pedro I
1926 – Paul Hamlyn, English publisher/multi-millionaire (Octopus)
1944 – Marian “Moe” Bandy, American country vocalist (Just Good Ol’ Boys), born in Meridian, Mississippi
1972 – Dulip Samaraweera, Sri Lankan cricketer (Sri Lankan Test opening batsman 1993-), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
1983 – Lavinia Meijer, Dutch harpist (Metamorphosis / The Hours), born in South Korea
1991 – Faisal bin Hamad Al Khalifa, prince of Bahrain, born in Riffa, Bahrain (d. 2006)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1712 – Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy, mother of Louis XV of France, dies at 26
1728 – Agostino Steffani, Italian-German diplomat and composer, dies at 73
1763 – Pierre de Marivaux, French writer (b. 1688)
1979 – Jean Renoir, French film director (Madame Bovary, Nana, Grand Illusion) and actor (Rules of the Game), dies at 84
1997 – Walter Ritchie, British sculptor (Man’s Struggle), dies at 77
2016 – Johnny Lattner, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Heisman Trophy 1953, Notre Dame; Pro Bowl 1954, Pittsburgh Steelers), dies from mesothelioma at 83

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1889 – Meiji constitution of Japan adopted; 1st Diet convenes in 1890
1896 – Oscar Wilde’s “Salome” premieres in Paris
1922 – US intervention army leaves Honduras
1968 – Jeffrey Kramer survives 76-m jump, Washington Bridge, Hudson River New York
1968 – Madison Square Garden III closes Madison Square Garden IV opens (NYC)
1979 – Iran’s premier Bakhtiar resigns, Ayatollah Khomeini seizes power

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1847 – Thomas Edison, American inventor (lightbulb, phonograph, motion picture camera), born in Milan, Ohio (d. 1931)
1873 – Feodor Chaliapine, Russian author/novelist (Pages from My Life)
1943 – Iain Cameron, British brigadier
1969 – Joe Valerio, American NFL outside corner/tackle (KC Chiefs), born in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
1971 – Damian Lewis, British actor, born in St John’s Wood, London
1975 – Andrew “Andy” Lally, American sports car and stock car racing driver, born in Northport, New York

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

824 – Paschal I, Italian Pope (817-24), dies
1894 – Pasqual Juan Emilio Arrieta y Corera, composer, dies at 70
1961 – Kate Carew [Mary Williams], American caricaturist, dies at 91
1989 – George O’Hanlon, american actor and director (Bop Girl, Zamba), dies at 71
1991 – Oscar Nitzchke, German architect (Alcoa building, Centre Pompidou), dies at 90
2004 – Ryszard Kukliński, Polish colonel and Cold War spy for NATO, dies at 73

More Famous Deaths »

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 »