Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1187 – Battle of Horns of Hattin: Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, destroys Jerusalem’s crusader army
1886 – In Germany, Karl Benz drives 1st automobile
1967 – “News at 10” premieres on British TV
1986 – US President Reagan presides over relighting of renovated Statue of Liberty
1994 – The deadliest day in Texas traffic history, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Forty six people killed in crashes.
2004 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Maria Sharapova becomes first Russian player to win Wimbledon beating defending champion Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4

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Famous Birthdays

1871 – Vicente Arregui Garay, Spanish composer, born in Madrid, Spain (d. 1925)
1940 – Lance Larson, American 100m freestyle swimmer (Olympic silver 1960), born in Monterey Park, California
1949 – Susan Penhaligon, British actress (Dracula, Nasty Habits), born in Manila, Philippines
1952 – Laura Branigan, American singer-songwriter (Gloria), born in Mount Kisco, New York (d. 2004)
1956 – Eddie Edwards, South African tennis star, born in Johannesburg, South Africa
1957 – Danny Heep, American MLB outfielder, born in San Antonio, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1863 – William Barksdale, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies in the Battle of Gettysburg while leading his brigade’s attack at 41
1891 – Stefano Golinelli, Italian composer, dies at 72
1916 – Henrietta “Hetty” Green, American businesswoman and financier whose wealth and miserliness saw her known as the “Witch of Wall Street”, dies of a stroke at 81
2008 – Larry Harmon, American entertainer and TV producer (Bozo the Clown), dies at 83
2018 – Robby Müller, Dutch cinematographer (Breaking the Waves, Dead Man, Korczak), dies at 78
2020 – Leonardo Villar, Brazilian actor (The Given Word), dies at 96

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Historical Events

626 – Incident at Xuanwu Gate: in fear of assassination, Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng
1816 – French frigate “La Méduse” runs aground under incompetent leadership of Viscount of Chaumareys, 400 passengers evacuated. 150 men, 1 woman are left on “la Machine,” a poorly provisioned raft. 13 days later only 15 survivors remain, inspires Théodore Géricault’s painting “The Raft of the Medusa”
1864 – General Early and Confederate forces reach Winchester en route to Washington, D.C.
1964 – Grand jury indicts Byron De La Beckwith in murder of Medger Evers
1966 – 1st France nuclear test on Mururoa atoll
2018 – 270,000 people now displaced by fighting in south-western Syria says UN since assault on rebel-held area two weeks ago

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Famous Birthdays

1667 – Pietro Ottoboni, Italian cardinal and grandnephew of Pope Alexander VIII, born in Venice (d. 1740)
1865 – Lily Braun, German feminist and socialist writer (Im Schatten Titanen), born in Halberstadt, Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1916)
1910 – H. G. Adler, German writer (The Journey), born in Prague, Austria-Hungary (d. 1988)
1959 – Eduardo Bengoechea, Argentina, tennis star
1975 – Erik Ohlsson, Swedish guitarist (Millencolin)
1979 – Sam Hornish, Jr., American race car driver

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Famous Deaths

1746 – Thomas Baker, English antiquarian, dies at 89
1973 – Ferdinand Schörner, German field marshal, dies at 81
1973 – George Macready, American actor (Martin Peyton-Peyton Place), dies at 73
1982 – Poul Rovsing Olsen, Danish composer, dies at 59
1992 – Edith Valckaert, Belgian violinist and educator, dies of cancer at 42
2010 – Beryl Bainbridge, Author (b. 1932)

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Historical Events

1917 – In contravention of state law, Robins (Dodgers) play their 1st Sunday MLB game in Brooklyn; owner and manager arrested but escape with a fine; Robins edge Philadelphia, 3-2
1936 – AVRO radio broadcast studios in Hilversum opens
1945 – 55th Postmaster General: Robert E Hannegan of Mo takes office
1966 – NASA launches spacecraft Explorer 33
1977 – East German sprinter Marlies Göhr sets world record for 100m (10.88) in Dresden, Germany
2002 – Bashkirian Airlines (flight 2937) Tupolev TU-154 and a DHL (German cargo) Boeing 757 collide in mid-air over Ueberlingen, southern Germany, killing 71

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Famous Birthdays

1506 – Louis II, King of Hungary and Bohemia (1516-26), born in Buda, Kingdom of Hungary (d. 1526)
1872 – Louis Blériot, French aviator and 1st man to fly an airplane across English Channel, born in Cambrai, France (d. 1936)
1899 – Charles Laughton, English actor (Mutiny on Bounty, Spartacus), born in Scarborough, England (d. 1962)
1901 – Sylvia Mary Paget Chancellor, English philanthropist (Prisoners’ Wives Service), born in London (d. 1996)
1916 – Bob Prince, American sportscaster (Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1985)
1942 – Geneviève Bujold, Canadian actress (King of Hearts, Choose Me, Coma), born in Montreal, Quebec

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Famous Deaths

1589 – Christophe Plantin, French/Belgian book publisher, dies
1961 – Louis-Ferdinand Céline, French writer (Die Nacht), dies at 67
1965 – Claude Thornhill, composer, dies at 55
1974 – Juan Perón, Argentine military officer and President of Argentina (1946-55, 73-74), dies of a heart attack at 78
2000 – Sarah Payne, British murder victim (b. 1992)
2014 – Jean Garon, Quebec economist and politician, dies at 76

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Historical Events

1722 – Hungarian Parliament condemns Emperor Charles VI’s Pragmatic Sanctions
1905 – The crew of the Russian battleship “Georgei Pobiedonosets” mutinies in support of the “Potemkin”, which mutinied three days earlier
1905 – Conservative Australian Prime Minister George H. Reid is forced to resign and Alfred Deakin returns to power on July 5
1936 – Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie asks the League of Nations for sanctions against Italy
1958 – “No Chemise, Please” by Gerry Grenahan peaks at #24
2013 – US Open Women’s Golf, Sebonack GC: Inbee Park of South Korea wins her second US title, 4 strokes ahead of compatriot I.K. Kim

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Famous Birthdays

1929 – Micki Grant [Minnie Perkins], American theater singer, actress, and composer (Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope; Your Arms Are Too Short To Box With God), born in Chicago, Illinois
1944 – Ron Swoboda, American baseball outfielder and sportscaster (NY Yankees, NY Mets), born in Baltimore, Maryland
1950 – Leonard Whiting, English actor and singer (Romeo and Juliet), born in London, England
1983 – Katherine Ryan, Canadian Irish comedian, born in Sarnia, Ontario
1984 – Fantasia [Barrino], American singer (Back to Me), born in High Point, North Carolina
1991 – Kaho [Indō], Japanese actress (A Gentle Breeze in the Village), born in Tokyo, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1792 – Francesco Antonio Rosetti, Bohemian composer, dies
1934 – Gregor Strasser, German political activist and NSDAP-Reich organization leader, murdered during the Night of the Long Knives at 42
1969 – Jan Evangelista Zelinka, Czech composer (Meluzina), dies at 76
1971 – Vladislav Volkov, Soviet cosmonaut (Soyuz 7, 11), dies in outer space aboard Soyuz 11 at 35
1971 – Viktor Ivanovich Patsayev, USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz 11), dies in outer space aboard Soyuz at 38
2014 – Bob Hastings, American actor, dies from prostate cancer at 89

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Historical Events

1858 – Treaty of Algun, China cedes north bank of Amur River to Russia
1880 – France annexes Otaheite (Tahiti)
1881 – Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Diuturnum illud
1946 – British mandatory government of Palestine arrests 100 leaders of Yishnuv
1949 – US troops withdraw from Korea after WW II
1984 – Pete Rose plays in record 3,309th game, surpassing Carl Yastrzemski

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Famous Birthdays

1902 – Carl-Heinz Schroth, German actor and director (Reaching for the Stars), born in Innsbruck, Austria (d. 1989)
1911 – Bernhard, German Prince (Consort to Queen Juliana of Netherlands), born in Jena, Germany (d. 2004)
1942 – Bas van der Vlies, Dutch politician (SGP), born in Sliedrecht, Netherlands
1953 – Colin Hay, Scottish-Australian guitarist and singer (Men At Work), born in Saltcoats, Scotland
1961 – Greg Hetson, American punk-rock guitarist (Circle Jerks), born in Brooklyn, New York
1970 – Troy Drayton, American NFL tight end (Miami Dolphins), born in Steelton, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1941 – Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Polish statesman and pianist, dies in NY at 80
1964 – Eric Dolphy, American jazz musician (b. 1928)
1966 – Arthur Meulemans, Belgian composer, dies at 82
1990 – Irving Wallace, author (Book of Lists, Peoples Almanac), dies at 74
1996 – Bobby Keetch, English footballer and entrepreneur, dies at 54
2019 – Gary Duncan [Grubb], American guitarist (Quicksilver Messenger Service) dies of cardiac arrest at 72

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Historical Events

1924 – Test cricket umpire debut for Frank Chester, v South Africa at Lord’s
1941 – German and Romanian soldiers kill 11,000 Jews in Kishinev
1970 – Around 500 Catholic workers at the Harland and Wolff shipyard are forced to leave their work by Protestant employees as serious rioting continues in Belfast
1990 – Emmy 17th Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci loses for 11th time
1992 – LA Police commissioner Daryl Gates steps down
2019 – 3,400 year old Bronze Age palace from the Mittani Empire uncovered on the banks of the Tigris River, due to lack of rainfall dropping the water level in the Mosul Dam reservoir

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Famous Birthdays

1875 – Henri Lebesgue, French mathematician (Lebesgue integration), born in Beauvais, Oise, France (d. 1941)
1888 – George Challenor, West Indian cricketer (pioneering West Indian batsman), born in St. Michael, Barbados (d. 1947)
1895 – Kazimierz Sikorski, Polish composer, born in Zurich, Switzerland (d. 1986)
1932 – Noriyuki ‘Pat’ Morita, American actor (Happy Days, Karate Kid), born in Isleton, California (d. 2005)
1952 – Alan Pasqua, American jazz and rock pianist, composer and educator (Standards; Twin Bill), born in New Jersey
1976 – Shinobu Asagoe, Japanese tennis player, born in Hyōgo, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1857 – Joseph Fischhof, Czech-Austrian pianist and composer, dies at 53
1950 – Henry Balfour Gardiner, English composer and musician, dies at 72
1981 – Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, Iran Islamic Rep Party founder, bombed
2009 – Billy Mays, American television pitchman (b. 1958)
2016 – Scotty Moore, American guitarist (for Elvis), dies at 84
2020 – Marián Čišovský, Slovak soccer defender (15 caps; Inter Bratislava, Viktoria Plzeň), dies of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis at 40

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Historical Events

1902 – US National Championship Women’s Tennis, Newport, RI: Marion Jones wins her second US singles title; beats Elisabeth Moore 6-1, 1-0 when the defending champion is forced to retire
1939 – Brilliant West Indies batsman George Headley scores 107 to follow his 106 in the 1st innings in 1st cricket Test v England at Lord’s; England still wins by 8 wickets
1943 – Elly Dammers throws Dutch record spear (41,43m)
1969 – 50,000 attend Denver Pop Festival
1975 – 25th Berlin International Film Festival: “Adoption” wins the Golden Bear
1983 – Mariners bat out of order against White Sox in 2nd inning

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Famous Birthdays

1889 – Moroni Olsen, American actor (Annie Oakley, Black Gold, Snow White), born in Ogden, Utah (d. 1954)
1908 – David Davis, British radio broadcaster (BBC Children’s Hour), born in Malvern, Worcestershire, England (d. 1996)
1912 – Audrey Christie, American actress (Splendor in the Grass, Fair Exchange), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1989)
1931 – Ryszard Kwiatkowski, Polish composer (Polyphonic Music), born in Jaranów, Włocławek, Poland (d. 1993)
1932 – Anna Moffo, American soprano (Adventurers), born in Wayne, Pennsylvania (d. 2006)
1943 – Kjersti Døvigen, Norwegian actress (Offshore), born in Oslo, Norway

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Famous Deaths

1961 – Harry Hooton, Australian poet, dies of cancer at 52
1974 – Cliff Friend, American pianist and songwriter, dies at 80
1986 – (Otis W.) “Joe” Maphis, American session and country music guitarist (“Dim Lights”), dies of lung cancer at 75
1986 – Zoltán Gárdonyi, Hungarian composer, dies at 80
2007 – Dragutin Tadijanović, Croatian poet (b. 1905)
2009 – Fayette Pinkney, African American singer (The Three Degrees) (b. 1948)

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Historical Events

1910 – US National Championship Women’s Tennis, Philadelphia CC: Defending champion Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman beats Louise Hammond 6-4, 6-2
1960 – British Somaliland (now Somalia) gains independence from Britain
1992 – NYC’s MTA votes to ban cigarette ads on Jan 1, 1993
2008 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in District of Columbia v. Heller that the ban on handguns in the District of Columbia is unconstitutional.
2018 – Quriyat, Oman, registers highest “low” temperature for a day ever recorded of 42.5 degrees
2019 – Former Gambian beauty queen Fatou “Toufah” Jallow says she was raped by former President Yahya Jammeh as part of a Human Rights Watch and Trial International report

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Famous Birthdays

1934 – John V Tunney, American politician (Rep/Sen-D-California), born in NYC, New York (d. 2018)
1938 – Neil Abercrombie, American politician (Rep-D-Hawaii, 1986-88), born in Buffalo, New York
1943 – Allen Strange, American composer (Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, and Controls), born in Calexico, California
1980 – Jason Schwartzman, American actor (The Darjeeling Limited), born in Los Angeles, California
1988 – King Bach Andrew B. Bachelor, Canadian American internet personality (most watched in Vine), born in Toronto, Ontario
1992 – Jennette McCurdy, American actress (iCarly), born in Long Beach, California

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Famous Deaths

1863 – Andrew Hull Foote, American Rear Admiral (Union Navy), dies at 56
1965 – Bertil Lindblad, Swedish astronomer (Milky Way system), dies at 69
1986 – Laurie Fishlock, cricketer (4 Tests for England), dies
1993 – Willy C of Hemert, director/(text)poet (Small Truth), dies at 81
2012 – Nora Ephron, American author/screenwriter, dies from pneumonia at 71
2015 – Ash Brownridge, American conservationist (National Wildlife Federation) creator of Ranger Rick, dies at 98

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Historical Events

1672 – 1st recorded monthly Quaker meeting in US held at Sandwich, Massachusetts
1894 – American Railway Union under Eugene V Debs goes on strike
1950 – North Korea invades South Korea, beginning the Korean War
1961 – Iraq announces that Kuwait is a part of Iraq (Kuwait disagrees)
1973 – Russian communist party leader Leonid Brezhnev visits France
1982 – Greece abolishes headshaving of recruits in the military

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Famous Birthdays

1940 – Mary Beth Peil, American actress and singer (Mirrors, Dawson’s Creek, The Stepford Wives), born in Davenport, Iowa
1954 – Daryush Shokof, Iranian filmmaker (Hitler’s Grave), born in Tehran, Iran
1962 – Dan Turk, American footballer, NFL center (Washington Redskins), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2000)
1968 – Oleg Taktarov, Russian martial artist, born in Arzamas-16, Gorky Oblast, Russian SFSR
1971 – Neil Lennon, Northern Irish footballer, born in Lurgan, Northern Ireland
1972 – Amy Wickus, American 800m/1500m runner

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Famous Deaths

1579 – Hatano Hideharu, Japanese warlord and samurai (b. 1541)
1767 – Georg Philipp Telemann, German late baroque composer, dies at 86
1929 – Georges Courteline [Moineau], French playwright, dies at 71
1942 – Hans Lietzman, German theologist and church historian, dies at 67
2002 – Jean Corbeil, Canadian politician (b. 1934)
2008 – Alla Kazanskaya, Russian stage and film actress (Burnt by the Sun), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1658 – French fleet recaptures Duinkerk
1885 – British government of Salisbury forms
1961 – “Happiest Girl in the World” closes at Martin Beck NYC after 97 performances
1986 – In Britain, Foreign Office Minister Lynda Chalker, meets Oliver Tambo, president of the African National Congress to discuss means of ending Apartheid without violence
1989 – Cards Vince Coleman steals record 39th and 40th consecutive bases
2004 – Capital punishment is declared unconstitutional in New York

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Famous Birthdays

1286 – John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey, English politician and the last Warenne earl of Surrey (d. 1347)
1747 – Johann Melchior Dreyer, German composer, born in Röttingen, Württemberg (d. 1824)
1771 – Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, French-American chemist and industrialist (E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company), born in Paris (d. 1834)
1938 – Don Mincher, Huntsville, Alabama, Major League Baseball 1st baseman, (d. 2012)
1978 – Ariel Pink, American musician
1979 – Petra Němcová, Czechoslovakian-born model, born in Karviná, Czechoslovakia

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Famous Deaths

1572 – Cornelis van Diest, lay brother, hanged
1913 – Frank Lynes, American composer, dies at 55
1991 – Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-born American novelist (b. 1917)
1997 – Brian Keith, American actor (Family Affair, Loneliest Runner, The Parent Trap), commits suicide at 75
2009 – Ed Thomas, well-known high school football coach from Iowa (b. 1951)
2011 – Tomislav Ivić, Croatian football manager (b. 1933)

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