Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1724 – Jonathan Swift publishes last of Drapier’s letters
1899 – 7,000 laid-off black mine workers of South Africa reach Natal
1964 – US sweeps medals in the men’s 200m backstroke at the Tokyo Olympics; Jed Graef swims world record 2:10.3 to win gold ahead of teammates Gary Dilley and Bob Bennett
1994 – Earliest start of Sheffield Shield season (Queensland v Tasmania)
1997 – Andy Green’s Jet-powered car reaches record 749.69 MPH
2018 – Oldest known human remains from Poland at 115,000 years from revealed to be Neanderthal child from Ciemna Cave eaten by a large bird

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Famous Birthdays

1878 – Patrick Joseph Hartigan, Australian Roman Catholic priest, born in O’Connell Town, Yass, New South Wales (d. 1952)
1912 – Jan Peeters, Dutch watercolor painter, stained glass, tile, and monument artist, born in Amsterdam (d. 1992)
1923 – Faas Wilkes, Dutch soccer star (Xerxes, Fortuna, Inter Milan), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 2006)
1958 – Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabian progressive journalist, author, and editor in chief (Al-Arab News Channel), born in Medina, Saudi Arabia (d. 2018)
1968 – Tisha Campbell, American actress (Gina-Martin, House Party), born in Newark, New Jersey
1971 – Irv Smith, American NFL tight end (New Orleans Saints), born in Trenton, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1415 – Thomas FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel, English military leader (b. 1381)
1805 – Johann Christoph Kuhnau, German composer (Thomaskantor in Leipzig), dies at 70
1918 – Gerrit Engelke, German writer (Briefer der Liebe), dies fighting in WWI at 27
1947 – Sydney Webb, English socialist and economist (founded London School of Economics) and husband of Beatrice Webb, dies at 88
1970 – Julia Culp, Dutch mezzo-soprano, dies at 90
2004 – Enrique Fernando, Chief Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, dies at 89

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Historical Events

1776 – British Brigade begins guarding Throgg Necks Road in Bronx
1854 – Lincoln University founded in Pennsylvania as Ashmun Institute
1914 – The First Battle of Ypres begins
1944 – German army retreats from Athens
1976 – Hua Guo-feng succeeds Mao Zedong as chairman of Communist Party
2008 – Senior Players Championship Men’s Golf, Baltimore CC: D. A. Weibring wins his lone career major title by 1 stroke from Fred Funk

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Famous Birthdays

1832 – Walter T Watts-Dunton, English lawyer, poet and writer (Aylwin), born in St. Ives, England (d. 1914)
1884 – Godfrey Tearle, English-American actor (39 Steps, Mandy, At Dawn We Die), born in NYC, New York (d. 1953)
1895 – Alfred “Tubby” Hall, American jazz drummer (King Oliver; Louis Armstrong), born in Sellers, Louisiana (d. 1945)
1905 – Rick Ferrell, American Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (8 x MLB All Star; Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators), born in Durham, North Carolina (d. 1995)
1916 – Alice Childress, American playwright, actress and writer, born in Charleston, South Carolina (d. 1994)
1981 – Brian Kerr, Scottish football manager, born in Dublin, Ireland

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Famous Deaths

1565 – Jean Ribault, French explorer and colonizer (b. 1520)
1914 – Margaret E. Knight, American inventor (flat-bottomed paper bag), described as a “female Thomas Edison”, dies at 76
1924 – Anatole France [Jacques Anatole Thibault], French writer (Thaïs, Wickerwork Woman, Nobel 1921), dies at 80
1979 – Celia Lovsky, Austrian-American actress (Man of a Thousand Faces), dies from natural causes at 82
2008 – Karl Chircop, Maltese politician (b. 1965)
2013 – Oscar Hijuelos, American novelist (The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love), dies from a heart attack at 62

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Historical Events

1138 – Earthquake in Aleppo, Syria, kills an estimated 230,000
1923 – A pair of Babe Ruth home runs in the 4th and 5th innings is the difference; NY Yankees beat NY Giants, 4-2 at the Polo Grounds to tie World Series, 1-1
1976 – Mao Zedong’s widow Jiang Qing and the “Gang of Four” are arrested and charged with plotting a coup
1978 – Dodgers Bob Welch dramatically strikes out Reggie Jackson in 9th
1981 – Unknown rocker Prince opens for Rolling Stones at LA Coliseum
2006 – US sitcom “30 Rock” created by and starring Tina Fey alongside Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan first premieres on NBC in the US

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Famous Birthdays

1782 – Steen Steensen Blicher, Danish poet and short-story writer (E Binddstouw), born in Vium, Denmark (d. 1848)
1872 – Harlan Fiske Stone, Chief Justice Supreme Court (1941-46), born in Chesterfield, New Hampshire (d. 1946)
1914 – J. Edward Day, 55th U.S. Postmaster General (1961), born in Jacksonville, Illinois (d. 1996)
1939 – Maria Bueno, Brazilian tennis player (7 Grand Slam singles titles), born in São Paulo, Brazil (d. 2018)
1971 – Chann McRae, American cyclist (Olympics 1996), born in Albany, Georgia
1971 – Natalie Jay, English actress (Baywatch), born in Hendon, London

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Famous Deaths

1598 – Joachim Camerarius, German botanist (horticulture catalog) and physician, dies at 63
1959 – Bert Bell, NFL hall of famer, dies at 64
1960 – Richard Cromwell [LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh], American actor (Jezebel, Riot Squad), dies of cancer at 50
1967 – Ivan Isakov [Hovhannes Ter-Isahakyan], Russian-Armenian military commander (Commander in Chief of the Soviet Navy during World War II), dies at 73
1990 – Robert Tessier, actor (Nightwish, Future Force), dies at 56
1995 – Isolde Ahlgrimm, Austrian harpsichordist, fortepianist, early music and original instrument proponent, and teacher, dies at 81

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Historical Events

1787 – Amsterdam surrenders to Prussian invasion army
1868 – 1st written account of a Canadian football game
1868 – Cuba revolts for independence against Spain
1871 – The Great Chicago Fire is finally extinguished after 3 days, leaving approximately 300 dead, 100,000 homeless, and costing $222m in damage
1944 – Admiral Halsey’s Task Force 30 bombs Okinawa, 700 die
1991 – Ex-postal worker Joseph Harris kills 4 postal workers

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Famous Birthdays

1870 – Louise Mack, Australian poet and novelist, born in Hobart, Tasmania (d. 1935)
1887 – Rie Cramer, Dutch writer and illustrator, born in Sukabumi, Dutch East Indies (d. 1977)
1926 – Ralph Liguori, American auto racer (NASCAR Grand National Series 30 x Top 10; 5 x Top 5 finishes), born in NYC, NY (d. 2020)
1943 – Frederick Barthelme, American author (There Must be Some Mistake), born in Houston, Texas
1944 – Stephen Scott, American composer (Bowed Piano Ensemble), born in Corvallis, Oregon
1973 – John Mobley, American NFL linebacker (Denver Broncos-Super Bowl 32), born in Chester, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

680 – Hazrat Hussein ibn Ali (RA), Muhammad’s (SAW) grandson (b. 626) beheaded
1723 – William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1665)
1791 – C F D Schubart, writer, dies
1910 – Willem Maris, painter (Hague School), dies at 66
1973 – Ludwig von Mises, Austrian-American Economist (The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality), dies at 92
2000 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (1960-65, 1970-77 and 1994-2000) and 1st female head of state, dies of a heart attack at 84

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Historical Events

1799 – Sinking of British frigate HMS Lutine, with the loss of 240 men and cargo worth £1,200,000 off Dutch coast
1855 – American inventor Isaac Singer patents sewing machine motor
1944 – Canadian offensive in West-Zeeuws-Flanders
1975 – Emperor Hirohito of Japan visits San Francisco
2007 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at an all-time high
2019 – Turkey launches airstrikes on Kurdish forces in Northern Syria after US President Donald Trump announces decision to pull back US forces

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Famous Birthdays

1914 – Roger Goeb, American composer, born in Cherokee, Iowa (d. 1997)
1962 – Jorge Burruchaga, Argentine soccer attacking midfielder and manager (57 caps; Independiente, Nantes), born in Gualeguay, Argentina
1973 – Erin Daniels, American actress (The L Word), born in St. Louis, Missouri
1978 – Juan Dixon, American basketball player, born in Baltimore, Maryland
1982 – António Mendonça, Angolan footballer, born in Luanda, Angola
1996 – Bella Hadid [Isabella Khair Hadid], American fashion model, born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1781 – Thomas Erskine, 6th earl of Kellie, Scottish composer and musician, dies at 49
1837 – Charles Fourier, French utopian socialist (Harmony universal), dies
1868 – Howell Cobb, American politician (U.S. Secretary of Treasury), dies at 53
1963 – Thurlow Weed Lieurance, composer, dies at 85
1996 – Nigel Thomas Loveridge Fisher, politician, dies at 83
2011 – Mark Kingston, English actor (Intimate Contact), dies at 77

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Historical Events

1912 – Montenegro declares war on Turkey, beginning 1st Balkan War
1959 – “At the Drop of a Hat” opens at John Golden Theater NYC for 216 performances
1994 – BPAA US Women’s Bowling Open won by Aleta Sill
2008 – Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology awarded jointly to Harald zur Hausen (cause of cervical cancer) and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Luc Montagnier (discovery of HIV)
2012 – 35 people are killed by a Nigerian military bomb struck a convoy in Maiduguri
2018 – New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees becomes NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards; needs 201 yards to pass Peyton Manning’s record; gets 363 and 3 TD’s in Saints 43-19 win v Washington Redskins at the SuperDome

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Famous Birthdays

1883 – Dick Burnett, American musician (Man of Constant Sorrow), born in Monticello, Kentucky (d. 1977)
1924 – Alphons Egli, Swiss politcian and member of the Swiss Federal Council, born in Lucerne, Switzerland (d. 2016)
1931 – Pepper Rodgers, American football coach (University of Kansas, UCLA, Georgia Tech; USFL: Memphis Showboats), born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 2020)
1943 – R. L. Stine, American children’s book writer (Goosebumps), born in Columbus, Ohio
1955 – Bill Elliott, American auto racer (Winston Cup 1988), born in Dawsonville, Georgia
1977 – Erna Siikavirta, Finnish musician (Deathlike Silence), born in Espoo, Finland

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Famous Deaths

1613 – Sebastian de Covarrubias bon Horozco, Spanish lexicographer, dies at 74
1652 – John Greaves, English mathematician and astronomer (attempted to survey the pyramids) (b. 1602)
1897 – Martin Pluddemann, German composer, dies at 43
1940 – Robert Emden, Swiss astronomer and astrophysicist (Gaskugeln), dies at 78
1952 – Joe Adams, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals), dies at 74
1986 – Walter Burkemo, American golfer (PGA C’ship 1953), dies at 67

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Historical Events

1513 – Battle of La Motta: Spanish troops under Ramón de Cardona defeat the Venetians.
1908 – Crete revolts against Turkey and aligns with Greece
1922 – Oud-burgem of Rotterdam Zimmerman becomes High Comm’s of Austria
1922 – Landis insists Game 4 of World Series be played despite heavy rain
1929 – Ramsay MacDonald is first British Prime Minister to address US Congress
1950 – Walter Bedell Smith replaces Roscoe H Hillenkoetter as 4th CIA head

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Famous Birthdays

1881 – Mikhail Drozdovsky, Russian general (d. 1918)
1914 – Herman Keiser, American golfer (US Masters 1946), born in Springfield, Missouri (d. 2003)
1952 – Vladimir Putin, Russian politician (President and Prime Minister), born in Leningrad, Soviet Union
1953 – Christopher Norris, American actress (Summer of ’42, Eat My Dust), born in New York City, New York
1964 – Sam Brown, English singer and songwriter (Stop!), born in Stratford, United Kingdom
1987 – Jeremy Brockie, Australian footballer, born in Christchurch, New Zealand

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Famous Deaths

336 – Pope Saint Mark, bishop of Rome (336), dies of natural causes
1887 – George James Webb, English-American composer, dies at 84
1924 – Clemens Baeumker, German historian (Patristischen Philosophie), dies at 71
1925 – Hubert Main, American hymn composer, dies at 86
1999 – Rev. Bruce Ritter, American Catholic priest and controversial founder of charity New York City based Covenant House, dies of cancer at 72
2007 – George E. Sangmeister, American politician (b. 1931)

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Historical Events

1928 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Five Farms CC: Leo Diegel dominates Al Espinosa, 6 and 5 in the final to win the first of his 2 consecutive titles
1941 – German army occupies Briansk, USSR
1944 – Allied aircraft accidentally bomb Fishing, Overijssel
1979 – MLB American League Championship: Baltimore Orioles beat California Angels, 3 games to 1
1990 – Solar Polar Orbiter ‘Ulysses’ launched
2000 – President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milošević resigns

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Famous Birthdays

1884 – Lloyd Spooner, American marksman (Olympic-4 gold/1 silver/2 bronze-1920)
1925 – Shana Alexander, American journalist (60 Minutes), born in NYC, New York
1927 – Alice Bauer, American golfer (co-founder LPGA), born in Eureka, South Dakota (d. 2002)
1960 – Richard Jobson, British TV person/rocker (Skids-Scared to Dance)
1963 – Jsu Garcia, American actor
1973 – Ioan Gruffudd, Welsh actor

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Famous Deaths

1861 – Elias Canneman, liberal minister of Finance (1813-14), dies at 84
1885 – Thomas Talbot, American politician, 31st Governor of Massachusetts, dies at 67
1980 – Jean Robic, French cyclist (b. 1921)
1995 – Lillian Fuchs, American violist and composer, dies at 91
2011 – Diane Cilento, Australian actress (Agony and Ecstasy, Wicker Man), dies at 78
2011 – Brad Felt, American jazz tuba and euphonium player, composer, and bandleader, dies of pancreatic cancer at 55

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Historical Events

1813 – Battle of the Thames; American forces under General William Henry Harrison defeat Tecumseh’s Confederacy and their British allies led by Henry Procter near Chatham, Upper Canada
1923 – Edwin Hubble identifies Cepheid variable star
1944 – Suffrage is extended to women in France
1949 – WOR (now WWOR) TV channel 9 in NY-Secaucus, NY (IND) begins
2013 – New Zealand beats South Africa, 38-27 in Johannesburg to retain the Rugby Championship with an undefeated record; All Black flanker Liam Messam crosses for 2 tries
2017 – Spanish constitutional court suspends Catalan parliament to prevent declaration of independence

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Famous Birthdays

1684 – Johann Jacob de Neufville, German composer, born in Nuremberg (d. 1712)
1879 – Halfdan Cleve [née Klewe], Norwegian pianist and composer, born in Kongsberg, Norway (d. 1951)
1941 – Ricardo Hoffmann, marathon swimmer (299 miles)
1943 – Bonnie Bryant, American golfer (only left-hander to win an LPGA Tour event, Bill Branch Classic 1974), born in Tulare, California
1957 – Jeanne Evert, tennis player, Chris’ sister
1979 – Curtis Sanford, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Owen Sound, Canada

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Famous Deaths

1606 – Philippe Desportes, French poet (b. 1546)
1924 – Tom Campbell, cricketer (5 Tests for South Africa, ct 7 stp 1), dies
1986 – James H. Wilkinson, English mathematician (b. 1919)
1993 – Karl Gordon Henize, American astronomer and NASA astronaut (STS-51-F), dies of high altitude pulmonary edema during an expedition on Mount Everest at 66
1996 – Seymour Cray, American inventor (Cray Research, Cray I supercomputer), dies after a car accident at 71
2015 – Chantal Akerman, Belgian feminist filmmaker (Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, Je Tu II Elle), dies at 65

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Historical Events

1582 – Last Julian calendar day in Spain, Portugal and pontifical states. To sync to the Gregorian calendar, 10 days are skipped and the next date is Oct 15.
1883 – The Orient Express departs on its first official journey from Paris to Istanbul
1910 – Adoption of the Flag of Bermuda.
1960 – Courier 1B Launched; 1st active repeater satellite in orbit
1962 – USAF Maj Robert A Rushworth takes X-15 to 32,300m
1980 – Future Baseball Hall of Fame 3rd baseman Mike Schmidt’s 2-run homer off Stan Bahnsen in 11th inning gives Philadelphia, 6-4 win v Montreal and NL East title; Schmidt’s 48th of the season; breaks Eddie Mathews’ single-season MLB record for 3rd basemen

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Famous Birthdays

1759 – Louis François Antoine Arbogast, French mathematician (Du calcul des derivations), born in Mutzig, France (d. 1803)
1872 – Ernest Blood, American Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach (Passaic HS, NJ, 200-1 record, 1915-24), born in Manchester, New Hampshire (d. 1955)
1920 – George Tribe, Australian cricket spin bowler (3 Tests; Northamptonshire; 66 VFL games Footscray), born in Yarraville, Victoria (d. 2009)
1930 – Bill Wade, American NFL quarterback (Pro Bowl 1958, 63; LA Rams, Chicago Bears), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 2016)
1980 – Sarah Fisher, American auto racer and team owner (first woman to claim a pole position in a major American open-wheel race, IRL 2002), born in Columbus, Ohio
1981 – Juka, Japanese singer

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Famous Deaths

1912 – Gen Zeledon, Nicaraguan opponent of US occupation, is executed
1943 – Richard T. Ely, American economist and author (Ground under our feet), dies at 89
1992 – Denny Hulme, New Zealand auto racer (F1 World Drivers’ Champion 1967), dies of a heart attack driving in Bathurst 1,000 at 56
1994 – Heinz Rohmann, German actor/dir (Brave Soldier Schwejk), dies at 92
2016 – Hso Khan Pha, 1st President of the democratic and newly independent Union of Burma from 1948-52, dies at 78
2016 – Donald H. White, American composer (Lyric Suite for Euphonium and Winds; Tuba Sonata) and educator, dies at 95

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