Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1926 – 8th French government of Aristide Briand forms
1938 – Marineland opens in Florida-1st aquarium
1939 – Bronko Nagurski beats Lou Thesz in Houston, to win National Wrestling Association world heavyweight title
1961 – 11th Berlin International Film Festival: “The Night” wins the Golden Bear
1972 – Bernice Gera becomes first female umpire in US pro baseball, Geneva Senators and Auburn Twins in Geneva, New York
1975 – US Open Men’s Golf, Medinah CC: Lou Graham defeats John Mahaffey by 2 strokes in an 18-hole Monday playoff to win his only major championship

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Famous Birthdays

1433 – Francis II, Duke of Brittany (d. 1488)
1903 – Paul Joseph James Martin, Canadian politician (d. 1992)
1937 – Martti Ahtisaari, President of Finland
1948 – Darhyl S. Ramsey, American author
1955 – Maggie Greenwald, American film director and writer
1988 – Milk [Daniel Donigan], American figure skater and drag performer (RuPaul’s Drag Race), born in Syracuse, New York

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Famous Deaths

1959 – Boris Vian, French writer and musician (b. 1920)
1959 – Jean Gallon, French composer, dies at 80
1980 – V.V. [Varahagiri Venkata] Giri, Fourth President of India (1969-74), dies at 85
1997 – Betty Shabazz, American educator and civil rights activist who was the widow of Malcolm X, dies from burns suffered in a fire started by her young grandson at 63
2010 – Pete Quaife, English bass guitarist (The Kinks), dies at 66
2020 – Ryan Anthony, American trumpet player (Canadian Brass, 2000-03; Dallas Symphony, 2006-20), dies of cancer at 51

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Historical Events

1611 – Henry Hudson set adrift in Hudson Bay by mutineers on his ship Discovery and never seen again
1944 – British 14th Army frees Imphal, Assam from the Japanese
1946 – Bill Veeck purchases Cleveland Indians
1966 – South African Bishop Alphaeus Hamilton Zulu, is refused a passport and thus permission to attend an international church conference by the South African government
2010 – Danielle Steel’s novel “Family Ties” is published
2012 – Two Baghdad market bombings kill 14 people and injure 106

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Famous Birthdays

1478 – Philips de Schone, Archduke of Austrian/King of Castilia (Philips I)
1840 – Ernest Debes, German cartographer (Baedeker)
1885 – Milan Vidmar, Slovenian engineer and chess player (d. 1962)
1906 – Billy Wilder, Austrian-born American filmmaker (Some Like It Hot, Apartment, Stalag 17), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2002)
1906 – Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author and aviator (Gift from the Sea), born in Englewood, New Jersey (d. 2001)
1964 – Amy Brenneman, actress (Janice-NYPD Blue), born in New London, Connecticut

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Famous Deaths

1950 – Julio Fonseca, Costa Rican composer, dies at 65
1965 – David O Selznick, American Academy Award-winning producer (Gone With the Wind, Rebecca), dies of a heart attack at 63
1986 – Matti Rautio, Finnish classical composer (The Blue Heron), dies at 64 
1996 – Arthur “T-Boy” Ross, American songwriter, brother of Diana, found murdered at 47
2003 – Wassil Bykau, Belarusian writer, dies at 79
2004 – Bob Bemer, American computer scientist (b. 1920)

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Historical Events

1940 – German occupiers disband Dutch States-General/Council of State
1951 – LPGA Western Open Women’s Golf, Whitemarsh Valley CC: Patty Berg defeats Pat O’Sullivan, 2-up in the final
1956 – Anti-protons detected in the atmosphere
1975 – Elton John, The Eagles and The Beach Boys play Wembley Stadium
1991 – P. V. Narasimha Rao becomes Prime Minister of India as head of a Congress Party minority government
2006 – Pluto’s newly discovered moons are officially named Nix and Hydra

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Famous Birthdays

1839 – John Decatur Barry, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Wilmington, North Carolina (d. 1867)
1902 – Wilhelm Maler, German composer, born in Heidelberg, Germany (d. 1976)
1925 – Maureen Stapleton, American actress (Lonelyhearts, Airport, Coccoon, Plaza Suite), born in Troy, New York (d. 2006)
1967 – Pierre Omidyar, Iranian-American billionaire (founded eBay), born in Paris, France
1979 – Chris Pratt, American actor (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World,), born in Virginia, Minnesota
1985 – Byron Schammer, Australian AFL footballer

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Famous Deaths

1573 – Antonie van Burgundy, mayor of sealand, dies in battle
1865 – Frances Adeline Seward, wife of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward (b. 1824)
1913 – Stefan Octavian Iosif, Romanian poet (Beautiful Irine), dies at 37
1980 – Bert Kaempfert, German orchestra leader and songwriter, dies of a stroke at 56
1997 – Fidel Velázquez Sánchez, Mexican labour leader (b. 1900)
2003 – Roger Neilson, Canadian ice hockey coach (b. 1934)

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Historical Events

1782 – Congress approves Great Seal of the United States of America and the bald eagle as its symbol
1888 – Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Libertas
1921 – 11.5″ (29.2 cm) of rainfall, Circle, Montana (state record)
1955 – “Almost Crazy” opens at Longacre Theater NYC for 16 performances
1976 – US Open Men’s Golf, Atlanta AC: Tour rookie Jerry Pate wins his only major title, 2 strokes ahead of runners-up Al Geiberger and Tom Weiskopf
1987 – 1st Rugby World Cup Final, Eden Park, Auckland: New Zealand fly-half Grant Fox lands 4 penalties, a conversion and drop goal as the All Blacks beat France, 29-9

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Famous Birthdays

1389 – John Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford, English prince, general (Hundred Years’ War) and statesman, born in Kenilworth, England (d. 1435)
1771 – Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, Scottish philanthropist, born in St Mary’s Isle, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland (d. 1820)
1931 – James Tolkan, American actor (Weekend War, Leap of Faith), born in Calumet, Michigan
1931 – Olympia Dukakis, Greek-American stage and screen, Obie, Oscar, and Golden Globe award-winning actress (Man Equals Man; Moonstruck; Steel Magnolias)), born in Lowell, Massachusetts (d. 2021)
1944 – Dave Nelson, baseball player
1946 – André Watts, American-Hungarian concert pianist and educator, born in Nuremberg, Germany

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Famous Deaths

885 – Bernard Plantapilosa, Count of Auvergne (b. 841)
1794 – Félix Vicq-d’Azyr, French physician and anatomist (discover the theory of homology in biology), dies at 46
1837 – Giovanni Furno, composer, dies at 89
1888 – Johannes Zukertort, German chess player, dies at 45
1997 – Lawrence Payton, rocker (4 Tops-I’ll Be There), dies at 59
2000 – Jim De Courcy, Australian cricketer (Australian batsman 1953), dies at 73

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Historical Events

1863 – Battle at Middleburg Virginia (100+ casualties)
1914 – British Open Men’s Golf, Prestwick GC: Harry Vardon of Jersey wins a record 6th Open Championship, 3 strokes ahead of defending champion J.H. Taylor
1942 – Paul Waner is 7th to get 3,000 baseball hits
1963 – Greek government of Pipinolis forms
1987 – Supreme Court rules school teaching evolution need not teach creation
2018 – Canada’s Senate votes to legalize recreational marijuana use, first major economy to do so

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Famous Birthdays

1861 – José Rizal, Filipino nationalist, author (‘Noli Me Tángere’, ‘El Filibusterismo’) and ophthalmologist, born in Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines (d. 1896)
1914 – Harry Lauter, American actor (Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Waterfront), born in White Plains, New York (d. 1990)
1942 – Jos Brink, Dutch TV host (Op Zoek)
1945 – Robert Franklin Palmer Jr., American writer, musicologist, and musician (Deep Blues), born in Little Rock, Arkansas
1970 – Scott Brumfield, guard (Cincinnati Bengals)
1982 – Alexander Frolov, Russian hockey player

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Famous Deaths

1584 – François, Duke of Anjou (b. 1555)
1768 – Benjamin Tasker, Governor of Maryland (b. 1690)
1794 – Richard H Lee, US farmer (signed US Declaration of Independence), dies at 62
1988 – Fernand Seguin, Canadian biologist (b. 1922)
2010 – Ursula Thiess [Schmidt], German actress (Monsoon, Bengal Brigade, Americano), dies at 86
2018 – Hubert Green, American golfer (US Open 1977, PGA 1985), dies of throat cancer at 71

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Historical Events

860 – Rus Vikings attack Constantinople
1847 – American photographer Thomas Martin Easterly takes the earliest known photograph of lightning using the daguerreotype process in St. Louis, Missouri
1863 – After long neglect, Confederates hurriedly fortify Vicksburg
1943 – SS Police in Amsterdam sentence for 12 resistance fighter to death (Jewish, communists, homosexuality) at the census bureau
1963 – 3,000 blacks boycott Boston public school
1975 – Gary Gilmour takes 6-14 in Cricket World Cup semi v England

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Famous Birthdays

1466 – Ottaviano Petrucci, Italian printer, born in Fossombrone, Italy (d. 1539)
1813 – Pavel Annenkov, Russian literature historian (Zametsjatelnoje desjatileti), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1887)
1910 – Ray McKinley, American orchestra leader and jazz drummer (Glenn Miller Time), born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 1995)
1933 – [Charles] Tommy Hunt, American soul singer (Flamingos – “I Only Have Eyes For You”; “Lovers Never Say Goodbye”), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1954 – William Beard, American session and touring rock drummer (Face To Face; Sessions Americana), born in Boston, Massachusetts
1971 – Nigel Owens, Welsh rugby union referee (record holder for most Test matches refereed), born in Mynyddcerrig, Carmarthenshire

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Famous Deaths

741 – Leo III de Isaurier, Byzantine Emperor (717-41), dies
1799 – Johann Andre, German composer, dies at 58
1815 – Thomas Picton, British general (killed in battle) (b. 1758)
1942 – Arthur Pryor, American band composer and trombone player, dies at 71
1967 – William Tracy, American actor (To the Shores of Tripoli, The Shop Around the Corner), dies at 49
2020 – Tibor Benedek, Hungarian water polo player (Olympic gold 2000, 04, 08; World C’ship gold 2003) and coach (Hungary 2013-16), dies from pancreatic cancer at 47

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Historical Events

1091 – Floris II de Vette becomes earl of Holland
1863 – Travelers Insurance Co of Hartford chartered (1st accident insurer)
1930 – Continuing a rich vein of form Australian cricket icon Don Bradman scores 131 in 1st Test v England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
1944 – Resistance fighter and poet Col Blake arrives in London
1992 – Philadelphia 76ers trade Charles Barkley to Phoenix Suns
1997 – NHL announces it will add Nashville in 1998, Atlanta in 1999 and Minneapolis-St Paul and Columbus, Ohio in 2000

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Famous Birthdays

1882 – Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, born in Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany (d. 1918)
1883 – Alexandre Eugène Cellier, French organist and composer, born in Molières-sur-Cèze, France (d. 1968)
1907 – Maurice Cloche, French film director and screenwriter, born in Commercy, Meuse, France (d. 1990)
1940 – George Akerlof, American economist (The Market for Lemons) and 2001 Nobel laureate, born in New Haven, Connecticut
1960 – Thomas Haden Church, American actor (Sideways), born in Yolo, California
1962 – Michael Monroe, Finnish singer (Hanoi Rocks), born in Helsinki, Finland

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Famous Deaths

1565 – Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese 13th shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate (1546-65), dies at 29
1815 – Hammida, Algerian admiral, dies in battle
1858 – Rani Lakshmibai, queen of Jhansi in North India, one of the leading figures of the Indian rebellion of 1857 (b. 1828)
2009 – Darrell Powers, American World War II veteran of the United States 101st Airborne Division. (b. 1923)
2015 – Ron Clarke, Australian runner (set 17 world records) and mayor, dies at 78
2019 – Gloria Vanderbilt, American fashion designer, artist, heiress and socialite, dies at 95

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Historical Events

1624 – Virginia becomes an English crown colony following the bankruptcy of the London Company
1673 – Peace of Vossem: French King Louis XIV and Frederik Willem of Brandenburg
1946 – US Open Men’s Golf, Canterbury GC: World War II veteran Lloyd Mangrum defeats Byron Nelson and Vic Ghezzi in 36 playoff holes to win his only major title
1995 – “Batman Forever” opens with a record $528 million weekend starring Val Kilmer, Chris O’Donnell, Tommy Lee Jones and Nicole Kidman
2013 – “Despicable Me 2” directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud with voices by Steve Carrel and Kristen Wiig premieres at the Champs-Elysées Film Festival
2013 – US Open Men’s Golf, Merion GC: Englishman Justin Rose wins his first major title, 2 strokes ahead of runners-up Jason Day and Phil Mickelson

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Famous Birthdays

1874 – Arthur Meighen, 9th Prime Minister of Canada (C: 1920-21, 1926), born in Anderson, Ontario (d. 1960)
1928 – Sergiu Comissiona, Buch Romania, conductor (Haifa Symph 1959-64)
1930 – David Konstant, bishop (Leeds)
1935 – James Bolam, English actor (When the Boat Comes In, The Beiderbecke Trilogy), born in Sunderland, England
1940 – Hans Dorrestijn, Dutch cabaret performer
1962 – Arnold Vosloo, South African actor

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Famous Deaths

1792 – Benjamin Tupper, Continental Army officer, and pioneer to the Ohio Country (b. 1738)
1866 – Joseph Méry French poet (b. 1798)
1955 – Ozias Leduc, Canadian painter, dies at 90
1959 – George Reeves, actor (Superman, Gone with the Wind), commits suicide by shooting himself in the head at 45
1971 – Lord Reith, British broadcast executive (b. 1889)
1984 – Lew Andreas, American basketball coach (b. 1895)

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Historical Events

1842 – John C. Frémont sets off from Kansas River on his first expedition of the Oregon Trail with frontierman Kit Carson as his guide
1954 – Great Britain’s 2 biggest steel factories nationalized
1963 – “Sukiyaki” sung by Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto, hits #1
1965 – South Africa begins economic boycott of Dutch products
1982 – Riots in Argentina after Falklands/Malvinas defeat
1994 – Disney’s animated musical film “The Lion King” opens in theaters with $42 million

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Famous Birthdays

1886 – Charles Wood, Irish composer of church music, born in Armagh, United Kingdom (d. 1926)
1894 – Robert Russell Bennett, American composer and arranger (Oklahoma!), born in Kansas City, Kansas (d. 1981)
1920 – George Ernest Leslie, Scottish trade union official, born in Leith, Scotland (d. 1996)
1920 – Alla Kazanskaya, Russian stage and film actress (Burnt by the Sun), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 2008)
1927 – Hugo Pratt, Italian graphic artist, born in Rimini, Italy (d. 1995)
1971 – Jake Busey, American actor

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Famous Deaths

923 – Robert I, King of France (922-23), dies in battle
1521 – Tamás Bakócz, Hungarian Catholic cardinal and statesman (b. 1442)
1679 – Guillaume Courtois, French painter (b. 1628)
1962 – Alfred Cortot, French-Swiss pianist and teacher, dies at 84
1995 – Charles Bennett, English screenwriter, dies at 95
2001 – Julius Juzeliūnas, Lithuanian composer and organist (The Game), dies at 85

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Historical Events

1807 – Emperor Napoleon I’s French Grande Armee defeats the Russian Army at the Battle of Friedland in Prussia (modern Russian Kaliningrad Oblast) ending War of the Fourth Coalition
1916 – Democratic Convention convenes in St Louis; Woodrow Wilson campaigns on the slogan “he kept out of the war”
1936 – Oranienburg Concentration Camp opens in Germany
1965 – Beatles release album “Beatles VI”
1991 – Space Shuttle STS 40 (Columbia 12) lands
2019 – Petition to create world’s first “time free zone” on Sommaroy island which has complete daylight for 2 months, delivered to the Norwegian parliament

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Famous Birthdays

1657 – Cornelis Cruys [Niels Olsen Creutz], Norwegian Dutch admiral, commanded the Russian Baltic fleet, born in Stravanger, Denmark-Norway (d. 1727)
1844 – Édouard Naville, Swiss Egyptologist (Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut), born in Geneva, Switzerland (d. 1926)
1964 – Jamie Dukes, American NFL center (Arizona Cardinals), born in Schenectady, New York
1969 – Steffi Graf, German tennis player (Golden Slam 1988, 22 Grand Slam singles titles), born in Mannheim, Germany
1986 – Jonathan Clare, English cricketer
1989 – Courtney Halverson, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1544 – Antoine, Duke of Lorraine, dies at 55
1727 – Cornelis Cruys, Norwegian/Dutch admiral, dies at 70
1926 – Mary Cassatt, American impressionist painter (Woman Bathing), dies at 82
1946 – John Logie Baird, Scottish inventor and father of the television, dies of a stroke at 57
1994 – Denys Hay, British historian, dies at 78
2002 – June Jordan, Caribbean-American playwright and poet (His Own Where), dies at 65

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