Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1862 – -Dec 20th] Battle of Kelly’s Ford, VA
1917 – Cheka formed – Soviet state security force and forerunner to the KGB, under Felix Dzerzhinsky after decree by Lenin
1941 – Free France under adm Muselier occupies St-Pierre et Miquelon
1949 – Maurice Ravel and John Cranko’s ballet “Beauty and the Beast” premieres
1963 – “Contempt” film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Brigitte Bardot and Jack Palance, is released
1966 – Nuclear Planning Group forms in Brussels

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Famous Birthdays

1729 – Franz Xaver Thomas Pokorny, Czech composer, born in Městec Králové (d. 1794)
1894 – Robert Menzies, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (United Australia Party: 1939-41, Liberal: 1949-66) and its longest-serving, born in Jeparit, Victoria (d. 1978)
1902 – George Edward Alexander Windsor, Duke of Kent, born in York Cottage, United Kingdom (d. 1942)
1925 – Benito Lorenzi, Italian footballer, born in Buggiano, Italy (d. 2007)
1963 – Pam Casale, American tennis player (Marco Island finals 1985), born in Camden, New Jersey
1983 – Adrián Varela, Mexican singer, born in Culiacán, Mexico

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Famous Deaths

1812 – Sacagawea, Shoshone interpreter for the Lewis and Clark expedition, dies at 24
1936 – Baron De Borchgrave, Belgian ambassador, murdered in Madrid
1962 – Erik William Gustav Leidzen, Swedish American composer, dies at 68
1994 – J C “Jody” Bateman, fiddler, dies at 75
2015 – Patricia Elliott, American actress (Renee-Empire, One Life to Live), dies at 77
2017 – Bernard Francis Law, Disgraced American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church (1982-2002), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1777 – Washington settles his troops at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania for the winter
1842 – US recognizes independence of Hawaii
1862 – Skirmish at Jackson, Salem Church, Tennessee (80 casualties)
1931 – Joseph A Lyons (C) becomes premier of Australia
1948 – Cleveland Browns beats Buffalo Bills 49-7 in AAFC championship game
1993 – “Red Shoes” closes at Gershwin Theater NYC after 5 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1817 – James Jay Archer, Brigadier General (Confederate Army) (d. 1864)
1905 – (Charles) Robert Medley, English abstract and figurative style painter, born in London (d. 1994)
1925 – Robert Sherman, songwriter (Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book), born in NYC, New York (d. 2012)
1934 – Rudi Carrell [Rudolf W Kesselman], Dutch showmaster
1957 – Kevin McHale, American NBA forward (Boston Celtics), born in Hibbing, Minnesota
1960 – Mike Lookinland, American actor (Bobby-Brady Bunch), born in Mt Pleasant, Utah

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Famous Deaths

1911 – John Bigelow, American statesman and author, dies at 94
1967 – Alfred Courtens, Belgian sculptor, dies at 78
1982 – Jean-Jacques Grunenwald, French organist/composer, dies at 71
1982 – Dwight Macdonald, American social critic (b. 1906)
1990 – Massimo Amfiteatrof [Maksim Amfiteatrov], Russian-Italian classical musician, known as ‘the Cellists’ Caruso’, dies at 83
1995 – Harold Watkinson, British politician/businessman, dies at 85

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Historical Events

1813 – British take Fort Niagara in War of 1812
1917 – The Soviet government issues a decree recognizing Finland’s newly-declared independence [N.S. December 31]
1956 – Israeli flag hoisted on Mount Sinai
1963 – “The Pink Panther” film premieres directed by Blake Edwards and starring Peter Sellers and David Niven with theme by Henry Mancini
1969 – House of Lords votes to abolish the death penalty in England, Wales and Scotland (Northern Ireland 25 July 1973)
2018 – Manchester United sacks high profile Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho; United in 6th place in EPL, 19 points behind league leaders Liverpool; Ole Gunnar Solskjaer new caretaker manager

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Famous Birthdays

1734 – Jean-Baptiste Rey, French conductor (Paris Opera) and composer, born in Lauzerte, France (d. 1810)
1920 – Willis Conover, American broadcaster (Voice of America), born in Buffalo, New York (d. 1996)
1934 – Colin Baker, Welsh soccer wing half (7 caps; Cardiff City 298 games), born in Cardiff, Wales (d. 2021)
1966 – Mille Petrozza, German singer (Kreator)
1970 – Lucious Harris, NBA guard (NJ Nets, Dallas Mavericks)
1971 – Frank Pimiskern, CFL safety (BC Lions)

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Famous Deaths

1651 – Francisco the Melo, Portuguese-Spanish earl of Assumar, dies at 54
1894 – Erastus Flaval Beadle, American publisher (Beadle’s Dime Novels), dies at 73
1971 – Aleksandr Tvardovsky, Russian poet and editor in chief (Novyj Mir), dies at 61
2002 – Wayne Owens, former U.S. Congressman (D-Utah) (b. 1937)
2004 – John W. Downey, American composer, dies at 77
2007 – Jack Linkletter, American TV host (Haggis Baggis, Hootenanny), dies at 70

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Historical Events

1920 – AL votes to let spitball pitchers to continue using it
1932 – Cards trade Jim Bottomley to Reds for Estel Crabtree and Ownie Carroll
1970 – USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1986 – Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky scores 4 goals, including a natural hat trick in the 1st period and also records an assist as the Oilers win 5-3 over the visiting Quebec Nordiques; his 41st NHL career hat trick
2014 – 103-year-old Gus Andreone records the 8th ace of his career on the 113-yard, 14th hole of the Lakes Course, Palm Aire, Sarasota, FL; oldest golfer to record a hole-in-one
2019 – Young girl’s 5,700 year old DNA extracted from birch tar used as chewing gum, from Lolland Island, southern Denmark

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Famous Birthdays

1734 – Georg Peter Weimar, German cantor and composer, born in Stotternheim (d. 1800)
1908 – William Brocklesby Wordsworth, composer
1930 – Julia Meade [Kunz], American actress and TV hostess (Spotlight Playhouse), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2016)
1939 – Novella Nelson, American actress (Antwone Fisher, Purlie, Chiefs), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2017)
1943 – Dave Dee, British musician (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich), born in Salisbury, Wiltshire (d. 2009)
1967 – Pauline Maurice, Welland Ontario, softball outfielder (Olympics 1996)

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Famous Deaths

1833 – Kaspar Hauser, German son of grand duke Karel of Bathe (who claimed to have grown up in the total isolation of a darkened cell), murdered at 21
1909 – Leopold II, King of Belgium (1865-1909), dies at 74
1917 – Frank Gotch, American professional wrestler, dies at 40
1948 – Edgar Istel, German composer, dies at 68
1961 – Marion Perkins, sculptor (Man of Sorrow), dies at 53
2006 – Timmie Rogers, American comedian (The Jackie Gleason Show), actor and singer-songwriter (Back to School Again; I Love Ya, I Love Ya, I Love Ya), dies at 91

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Historical Events

1538 – King Francois I orders renewed pursuit of Protestants
1631 – Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupts, burying many villages under lava flows and killing around 3,000 people
1968 – Official revocation of the Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain at Second Vatican Council
1970 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1997 – US President Bill Clinton names his Labrador retriever “Buddy”
2019 – Drew Brees breaks Peyton Manning’s NFL record (539) for career touchdown passes as New Orleans Saints rout Indianapolis Colts, 34-7; Brees 29 of 30 for 307 yards and 4 TDs for record 96.7% pass completion

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Famous Birthdays

1742 – Gebhard Fürst Blücher von Wahlstatt, German Field Marshal (d. 1819)
1775 – Jane Austen, English novelist (Pride and Prejudice), born in Steventon, England (d. 1817)
1904 – Edward Morris Bernstein, economist
1918 – Pierre Delanoë [Leroyer], French songwriter and lyricist, born in Paris (d. 2006)
1938 – Jimmie Lee Jackson, American civil rights protester and church deacon, shot and killed by an Alabama State Trooper in 1965, born in Marion, Alabama (d. 1965)
1988 – Anna Popplewell, English actress

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Famous Deaths

1774 – Francois Quesnay, French personal physician of Louis XIV, dies at 80
1920 – Ma Yuanzhang, Chinese Muslim rebel and Sufi master, crushed to death during the 1920 Haiyuan earthquake at an unknown age
1928 – Elinor Wylie, American poet and writer (b. 1885)
1993 – Ratu Penaia Ganilau, president of Fiji (1987-93), dies at 75
2007 – Dan Fogelberg, American rocker (Same Old Lang Syne), dies at 56
2012 – Laurier LaPierre, Canadian journalist, broadcaster and senator, dies at 83

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Historical Events

1680 – Tax revolt on Terschelling due to tax on cereal
1791 – 1st US law school established at University of Pennsylvania
1936 – KVL-AM in Seattle Washington changes call letters to KEEN (now KING)
1967 – The Silver Bridge collapses over the Ohio River in the US, killing 46 people
2008 – 74th Heisman Trophy Award: Sam Bradford, Oklahoma (QB)
2018 – Egyptian Archaeologists announce discovery of 4,400 year old tomb of Fifth Dynasty priest in Saqqara pyramid complex near Cairo

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Famous Birthdays

1842 – Henry Gadsby, English musician and composer, born in Hackney, England (d. 1907)
1853 – Jean Baptiste August Kessler, Dutch entrepreneur and director of oil on Dutch Indies, born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (d. 1900)
1899 – Frank Vosper, British actor (The Man Who Knew Too Much, Rome Express), born in London, England (d. 1937)
1937 – John Sladek, American sci-fi author (Tik-Tok, Bugs), born in Waverly, Iowa (d. 2000)
1948 – Cassandra Harris, Australian actress (For Your Eyes Only), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1991)
1950 – Stjepko Gut, Serbian jazz trumpeter, flügelhorn player, and teacher, born in Ruma, Yugoslavia (now Serbia)

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Famous Deaths

1817 – Maria Walewska [Leszczinska], Polish lover of Emperor Napoleon I, dies at 31
1855 – Jacques Charles François Sturm, French mathematician (b. 1803)
1953 – Kishio Hirao, Japanese composer, dies at 46
1971 – Paul Pierre Lévy, French mathematician (b. 1886)
2005 – Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (3 PGA Tour titles), dies of heart failure at 90
2014 – Ray Steadman-Allen, British choral and brass band composer, dies at 92

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Historical Events

1575 – Polish Parliament selects Istvan Bathory as king of Poland
1918 – Sinn Féin candidates win 73 of 105 Irish seats in UK general election, though all will refuse to take seats in Westminster, instead meeting at a Dail Eireann in Dublin
1969 – Jackson Five make their 1st appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”
1971 – U.S. premiere of “Nicholas and Alexandra”, film adaptation of Robert K. Massie’s best selling novel
2012 – 28 people, including 20 children, are shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut
2020 – US Electoral College votes 306-232 to officially affirm Joe Biden’s presidential election victory

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Famous Birthdays

1915 – Ruth Railton, British musical director (National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, 1948-65), born in Kent, England (d. 2001)
1919 – Felix the Cat, anthropomorphic cartoon character created in the silent film era by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer
1950 – Vicki Michelle, English actress (Virgin Witch, Allo Allo), born in Chigwell, England
1964 – C. J. Snare, American vocalist (Firehouse-Love of a Lifetime), born in Washington, D.C.
1973 – Thuy Trang, Vietnamese-American actress (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), born in Saigon, Vietnam (d. 2001)
1977 – Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Colombian-Austrian conductor (Houston Symphony, 2014-22; Frankfurt Radio Symphony, 2005-2021), born in Medellín, Colombia

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Famous Deaths

1799 – George Washington, American Founding Father, military leader who commanded Continental Army during War for Independence, first President of the United States (1789-97), dies at 66
1823 – Vincenzo Cuoco, Italian historian (Naples Revolution 1799), dies at 53
1906 – Jean Abraham Chrétien Oudemans, Dutch geographer and astronomer, dies at 78
1956 – Juho Kusti Paasikivi, Finnish politician (7th President of Finland 1946-56), dies at 86
1966 – Verna Felton, American actress (Hilda-December Bride), dies at 76
2015 – Lillian Vernon, American founder and CEO of the Lillian Vernon Corporation (first company listed on US stock exchange started by a woman), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1823 – Gioachino Rossini arrives in London
1983 – Islander’s Butch Goring scorings 4 goals against Oilers
1989 – “Driving Miss Daisy” directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy is released (Best Picture 1990)
2010 – 76th Heisman Trophy Award: Cam Newton, Auburn (QB)
2018 – US Senate passes non-binding “war powers resolution” against long-term ally Saudi Arabia
2018 – Passenger train collides with maintenance locomotive in Ankara, Turkey, killing at least 9 and injuring 47

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Famous Birthdays

1835 – Phillips Brooks, American Episcopal bishop and composer (Little Town of Bethlehem), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1893)
1928 – Jack Tramiel, American Businessman (Amiga, Commodore 64), born in Łódź, Poland (d. 2012)
1938 – Alvin Curran, American composer, born in Providence, Rhode Island
1949 – Robert Lindsey, English actor (My Family, Citizen Smith), born in Ilkeston, England
1975 – Tom DeLonge, American guitarist (blink-182, Angels and Airwaves), born in Poway, California
2005 – Prince Nicolas of Belgium, twin and second child of Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium, born in St-Luc University Hospital, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium

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Famous Deaths

1716 – Charles de La Fosse, French painter (b. 1640)
1883 – Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic (b. 1812)
1919 – Amintore Galli, Italian composer, dies at 74
1966 – Charles Watts, actor (Lone Ranger and Lost City of Gold), dies of cancer
1981 – Pigmeat [Dewey] Markham, American comedian (Here Comes da Judge-Laugh In), dies at 75
1986 – Heather Angel, British-American actress (Night in Montmartre; The Informer; The Last of the Mohicans; Lifeboat), dies of cancer at 77

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Historical Events

1956 – Commencement of the Irish Republican Army’s Border Campaign.
1957 – Willem J Kolff and his team at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic removed the heart from a dog and replaced it with a pneumatic pump which kept the dog alive for 90 minutes, proving the viability of the artificial heart
1979 – President of Pakistan, Zia-ul-Haq, confers Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam.
1992 – Julia Kurotchkina, 18, of Russia, crowned 42nd Miss World
1997 – Florida releases Alex Arias, the last original Marlin
2017 – Democrat Doug Jones defeats Republican Roy Moore for Alabama Senate seat in upset win marked by allegations of sexual misconduct against Moore

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Famous Birthdays

1937 – Philip Ledger, British organist, composer, conductor, and academic (King’s College Cambridge), born in Bexhill-on-Sea, England (d. 2012)
1949 – Ricardo Luis Carreras, American bantamweight boxer (Olympic bronze 1972), born in NYC, New York
1970 – Mädchen Amick, American actress (Shelly Johnson-Twin Peaks), born in Reno, Nevada
1971 – Toni Hodgkinson, 800m (Olympics 1996), born in Auckland, New Zealand
1976 – Lloyd Owusu, English-Ghanaian football player, born in Slough, England
1990 – Victor Moses, Nigerian footballer, born in Lagos, Nigeria

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Famous Deaths

1858 – Jacques Viger, French Canadian politician, 1st mayor of Montreal (1833-36), dies at 71
1933 – Theodore Moses Tobani, German composer, dies at 78
1968 – Walter Robins, cricketer (19 Tests for England 64 wkts), dies
1977 – Baroness Clementine Spencer-Churchill (nee Hozier), widow of Sir Winston, dies at 92
1995 – James Altgens, JFK assassination photographer, dies at 76
2007 – Ike Turner, American musician (“Rocket 88”; Ike and Tina Turner – “A Fool in Love”; “Proud Mary”), dies of cocaine overdose at 76

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Historical Events

1908 – Frederick Delius’ orchestral work “In a Summer Garden” premieres in London
1946 – Spain suspended from UN
1951 – Joe DiMaggio announces his retirement from baseball
1970 – Start of the 1st Test match at the WACA, Australia v England
1975 – Great Yankee trade getting Willie Randolph, Dock Ellis and Ken Brett from Pirates for George “Doc” Medich
1980 – The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (known as either CERCLA or Superfund) is enacted by the U.S. Congress.

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Famous Birthdays

1838 – Emil Rathenau, German industrialist (AEG), born in Berlin (d. 1915)
1922 – Dilip Kumar [Muhammad Yusuf Khan], Indian Bollywood actor known as the “Tragedy King” and one of the greatest actors in Indian cinema (Jwar Bhata), born in Peshawar, British India
1931 – Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Indian leader of the Rajneesh movement, born in Kuchwada Village, Raisen district, Bhopal State, British India (d. 1990)
1954 – Sylvester Clarke, West Indian cricket fast bowler (11 Tests, 42 wickets), born in Christ Church, Barbados (d. 1999)
1973 – Valentina Lisitsa, Ukrainian-American concert, pianist born in Kiev, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
1979 – Rider Strong, American actor, writer and director (Boy Meets World), born in San Francisco, California

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Famous Deaths

1573 – Alardus/Eilard de Waterlant, duke of Alva, hanged
1959 – Jim Bottomley, American baseball player, dies at 59
1978 – Paul O’Dea, American baseball player (b. 1920)
2014 – Hans Wallat, German opera conductor, dies at 85
2017 – Aline Griffith, American-born Spanish aristocrat, Countess of Romanones, spy and author, dies at 94
2017 – Keith Chegwin, English television presenter and actor, dies at 60

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