Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1959 – US President Eisenhower routes Canadian premier Diefenbaker a message off the Moon
1962 – Air France Boeing 707 crashes on takeoff from Paris, kills 130
1965 – 1st US Space walk made by NASA astronaut Ed White during the Gemini 4 mission (23 minutes)
1967 – French Championships Men’s Tennis: Roy Emerson beats fellow Australian Tony Roche 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 for his 12th and final Grand Slam title
1968 – Canada announces it will replace silver with nickel in coins
1970 – Ray Davies of The Kinks travels round trip NY-London to change 1 word in “Lola,” (Coca-Cola to Cherry Cola) because of BBC commercial reference ban

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Famous Birthdays

1685 – Cornelis Hop, Amsterdam regent/diplomat
1723 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian-born naturalist (d. 1788)
1804 – Richard Cobden, English founder of the Anti-Corn-Law League
1900 – Gerard den Brabander [Jan G Jofriet], Dutch poet (Nothing New) (d. 1968)
1931 – Lindy Remigino, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m 1952), born in Elmhurst, Queens, New York (d. 2018)
1970 – Peter Newton, Kailua Hawaii, sprint kayaker (Olympics 1996)

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Famous Deaths

1898 – Nikolai Afanisev, Russian composer, dies at 77
1955 – Barbara Graham, American criminal convicted of murder, dies at 31
1991 – Eva Le Gallienne, English-American actress and director (Resurrection), dies at 92
1996 – Peter Glenville, English actor and director (Hotel Paradiso, Becket), dies at 82
2000 – William E. Simon, American businessman, US Secretary of Treasury under Nixon, dies at 72
2006 – Johnny Grande, American accordion and piano player (The Saddlemen; Bill Haley’s Comets), and songwriter (“Birth of the boogie”), dies of cancer at 76

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Historical Events

1619 – England and the Netherlands sign treaty about trading in the Indies
1883 – 1st night baseball under lights, Fort Wayne Indiana
1943 – German assault on Sebastopol, Crimea, begins
1959 – Allen Ginsberg writes his poem “Lysergic Acid”, San Francisco
1999 – The Bhutan Broadcasting Service brings television transmissions to the Kingdom for the first time
2017 – “Wonder Woman” directed by Patty Jenkins released, earns over $100 million in North American in its opening weekend – domestic record for a female director

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Famous Birthdays

1883 – Bokke R S Pollema, Dutch Frisian journalist/author (Lock of Hair)
1917 – Max Showalter, American actor and composer (Kansas, Niagara, Stockard Channing Show in Caldwell), born in Caldwell, Kansas (d. 2000)
1930 – Charles Pete Conrad Jr, USN/astro (Gem 5 11, Ap 12, Skylab 2), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1938 – Kevin Brownlow, English film historian and author
1951 – Gilbert Baker, American gay activist who designed the rainbow flag, born in Chanute, Kansas (d. 2017)
1971 – Kateřina Jacques, Czech politician

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Famous Deaths

1785 – Jean Paul de Gua de Malves, French mathematician (b. 1713)
1865 – Johannes Elias Feisser, Dutch theologist and founder of 1st Dutch baptist church, dies at 59
1948 – Viktor Brack, German Nazi physician and war criminal, dies at 43
1951 – Alain [Emile-Auguste Chartier], French philosopher, dies at 83
1968 – R. Norris Williams, American tennis player (US Nat C’ship 1914, 16) who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic, dies of emphysema at 77
2006 – Keith Smith, English professional rugby player (b. 1952)

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Historical Events

1638 – 1st earthquake recorded in US, at Plymouth, Massachusetts
1880 – The first pay telephone service in the United States is installed in New Haven, Connecticut
1918 – Excelsior Maassluis soccer team forms in Maassluis
1920 – Adolfo de la Huerta becomes President of Mexico
1923 – New York Giants rout Philadelphia Phillies, 22-5 at the Baker Bowl; first time in 20th century a MLB team has scored in every inning
1940 – Major General Bernard Montgomery returns to London

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Famous Birthdays

1844 – Galusha Pennypacker, Bvt Major General (Union Army), (d. 1916)
1890 – Frank Morgan [Francis P Wupperman], American actor (The Wizard of Oz), born in NYC, New York (d. 1949)
1909 – Szymon Goldberg, Polish/US violinist/conductor (Neth Chamber Orchestra)
1940 – Kip Thorne, American Physicist (Nobel Prize 2017, LIGO), born in Logan, Utah
1947 – Jonathan Pryce, Welsh stage and film actor (Brazil, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Two Popes), born in Carmel, Flintshire, Wales
1987 – Yarisley Silva, Cuban pole vaulter (World C’ship gold 2015; Olympic silver 2012), born in San Luis, Cuba

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Famous Deaths

1699 – Jean Rousseau, French composer and viol player, dies at 54
1846 – Gregory XVI [Bartolomeo Alberto Mauro Cappellari], Pope (1831-1846), dies at 80
1872 – James Gordon Bennett, Sr., American newspaper publisher (New York Herald), dies at 76
1941 – Hugh S Walpole, British novelist and playwright (Jeremy, Maradick at 40), dies at 57
1942 – Ernest Pingoud, Finnish composer, dies at 53
1991 – David Ruffin, American soul musician and early lead singer for The Temptations (My Girl, Ain’t Too Proud to Beg), dies of drug overdose at 50

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Historical Events

1790 – US copyright law enacted
1913 – Alexis Ahlgren runs world record maraton (2:36:06.6)
1921 – Boston Red Sox 1st baseman John “Stuffy” McInnis begins an errorless string of 1,700 chances
1930 – British Amateur Championship, Men’s Golf, St. Andrews Links: Bobby Jones scores a 7 and 6 win over Englishman Roger Wethered for the first leg of his Grand Slam
1949 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Hermitage CC: Sam Snead beats fellow American Johnny Palmer, 3 and 2; first time reigning Masters champion wins PGA Championship in the same calendar year.
1977 – Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani becomes heir apparent to throne of Qatar

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Famous Birthdays

1699 – Alexander Cruden “Alexander the Corrector”, Scottish biblical scholar and eccentric, compiler of a concordance to King James Bible, born in Aberdeen, Scotland (d. 1770)
1818 – John Albion Andrew, American politician (25th Governor of Massachusetts), born in Windham, Massachusetts (d. 1867)
1919 – Emmanual Tettey Mensah, musician
1931 – Steve Horn, (Rep-R-California)
1940 – August “Augie” Meyers, American singer-songwriter, producer, and record label owner (Sir Douglas Quintet, Texas Tornados), born in San Antonio, Texas
1945 – Bernard Goldberg‎, American journalist

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Famous Deaths

1091 – Hendrik van Verdun, bishop of Luik (1075-91), dies
1665 – Pieter J Saenredam, Dutch architectural painter, dies at 67
1849 – Leonard PJ du Bus de Gisignies, gov-gen of Neth-Indies, dies at 69
1957 – Leopold Staff, Polish poet (b. 1878)
1961 – Walter Little, Canadian politician (b. 1877)
1994 – Doug Freeman, New Zealand cricket spin bowler (2 Tests, 1 wicket; Wellington), dies at 79

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Historical Events

1854 – Kansas-Nebraska Act repeals Missouri Compromise creating the territories of Kansas and Nebraska
1909 – Reuben Siegel laid cornerstone of 1st home in Tel-Aviv
1921 – Lord Dunsany’s “If” premieres in London
1955 – Tunisia begins domestic self governing
1964 – Giants sweep Mets 5-3 and 8-6 in 23 inn, records include elapsed time of 9:50, 47 strikeouts, 7:22 for 2nd game and NY’s 22 K’s in 2nd games
1966 – US launches Surveyor 1 to Moon

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Famous Birthdays

1829 – Levin Goldschmidt, German business law expert, born in Gdańsk, Poland (d. 1897)
1835 – Alfred Austin, English poet laureate of England (Garden), born in Headingley, Yorkshire, England (d. 1913)
1928 – John Keith Wright, English economist, Assistant Secretary of State (1971-84)
1956 – David-Maria Sassoli, Italian politician and journalist, European President (2019-), born in Florence, Italy
1958 – Michael E Lopez-Alegria, Lt Cmdr/astro (STS 73, sk 92), born in Madrid, Spain
1962 – Tonya Pinkins, actress (Livia Frye-All My Children), born in Chicago, Illinois

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Famous Deaths

1574 – Charles IX, King of France (1560-74), dies of tuberculosis at 23
1864 – James Barbour Terrill, US attorney/Confederate brigadier general, dies at 26
1967 – Claude Rains, British actor (Invisible Man, Casablanca), dies at 77
1976 – Vic Ghezzi, American golfer (PGA C’ship 1941), dies of cancer at 65
2006 – Marius van Amelsvoort, Dutch politician (CDA), dies at 75
2020 – Bob Hammond AM, Australian rules key defender (AFL Hall of Fame; North Adelaide; SA) and coach (Sydney Swans 1984), dies from Parkinson’s disease at 78

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Historical Events

1922 – US Supreme Court rules organized baseball is a sport and not a business and thus not subject to antitrust laws
1924 – AEK Athens FC is established on the anniversary of the siege of Constantinople by the Turks
1954 – British runner Diane Leather becomes first woman to run the mile in under 5 minutes; 4:59.6 at Alexander Sports Ground in Birmingham, England
1987 – “Twilight Zone: The Movie” director John Landis found innocent of involuntary manslaughter in death of actor Vic Morrow and 2 child actors during filming
2005 – Indianapolis 500: Dan Wheldon wins in 3:10:21.0769 (253.637 km/h)
2018 – Death toll on Puerto Rico 70 times higher than official figure, likely 4,600 died from Hurricane Maria according to Harvard University study

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Famous Birthdays

1910 – Ralph Metcalfe, American athlete, politician (Rep-D-Ill; joint world record 100m, Olympic gold 4x100m relay 1936), born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 1978)
1948 – Linda Esther Gray, Scottish operatic soprano (Isolde), born in Greenock
1954 – Pankaj Kapoor, Indian actor (Ek Doctor Ki Maut, Raakh), born in Ludhiana, Punjab
1958 – Ivar Sisniega, Mexican pentathlete, politician (Sports Minister 1994-2000), born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
1982 – Ana Beatriz Barros, Brazilian model (Sports Illustrated), born in Itabira, Brazil
1989 – Riley Keough, American actress and model, grand daughter of Elvis Presley, born in Santa Monica, California

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Famous Deaths

1405 – Philippe de Mézières, advisor to Charles V of France
1899 – Frantz Jehin-Prume, Canadian violinist and composer, dies at 60
1942 – John Barrymore, American actor (Beloved Rogue, Dinner at 8), dies from cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure at 60
1942 – Akiko Yosano, Japanese poet (Tangled Hair), dies at 63
1951 – Dimitrios Levidis, Greek composer, dies at 66
2009 – Karine Ruby, French snowboarder and Olympic champion (b. 1978)

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Historical Events

1156 – Battle at Brindisi: Norman-Sicillian King William beats Byzantine fleet under John Doukas and Alexios Bryennios
1918 – Azerbaijan gains independence and declares itself a Democratic Republic
1960 – 59th Women’s French Championships: Darlene Hard beats Yola Ramirez (6-3, 6-4)
1983 – “Ricky”, parody song by Weird Al Yankovic hits #63
2016 – Harambe, a gorilla at Cincinnati Zoo, is shot after dragging a 3 year old boy who had slipped into its enclosure (Cincinnati, Ohio)
2018 – One million French smokers quit in one year after anti-smoking measures introduced according to Public Health France

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Famous Birthdays

1807 – Jan van Swieten, Dutch general and governor of West-Sumatra, born in Mainz, Germany (d. 1888)
1831 – Eliza Ann Gardner, African-American abolitionist and religious leader, born in NYC, New York (d. 1922)
1858 – Carl Richard Nyberg, Swedish inventor (blowtorch), born in Arboga, Sweden (d. 1939)
1935 – Kenneth Kleinwort, English banker/multi-millionaire
1943 – Elena Souliotis, Greek soprano, born in Athens (d. 2004)
1944 – Billy Vera, American rock singer-songwriter (Billy and The Beaters – “At This Moment”; “Into the Night”), born in Riverside, California

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Famous Deaths

1940 – Walter Connolly, American actor (It Happened One Night, Good Earth), dies from a stroke at 53
1940 – Friedrich Karl von Hessen (b. 1868)
1948 – Unity Mitford, English fascist sympathizer and one of the Mitford sisters, dies from the effects of a bullet in her head at 33
1963 – Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin, Soviet composer, dies at 60
1995 – Jean Muir, British fashion designer, dies at 66
2018 – Cornelia Frances [Zulver], British-Australian actress (Home and Away), dies from bladder cancer at 77

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Historical Events

1903 – 37th Belmont: John Bullman aboard Africander wins in 2:21.75
1937 – Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opens to pedestrians
1955 – Red Buttons Show, last airs on NBC-TV
1956 – US performs nuclear test at Enwetak (atmospheric tests)
2009 – NHL Western Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings beat Chicago Black Hawks, 4 games to 1
2020 – America’s COVID-19 death toll passes 100,000 (Johns Hopkins figures) equal to number of US servicemen and women killed in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan put together

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Famous Birthdays

1836 – Edwin Gray Lee, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Shepherdstown, Virginia (d. 1870)
1891 – Claude Champagne, Canadian composer, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1965)
1910 – Daniel Greenway, CEO (Daniel Greenway and Sons)
1923 – Sumner Redstone, American media mogul (ViacomCBS), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2020)
1935 – Mal Evans [Malcolm Frederick Evans], British Beatles roadie and assistant, born in Liverpool, England (d. 1976)
1951 – John Conteh, British boxer, WBC Light Heavyweight crown (1974-77), born in Liverpool

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Famous Deaths

366 – Procopius, Roman usurper (b. 326)
1939 – Joseph Roth, Austria journalist (Fluctuate ohne Ende), dies at 44
1992 – John Myhers, director/actor (Billion Dollar Hobo), dies at 70
1993 – Roger MacDougall, Scottish playwright and screenwriter (The Man in the White Suit), dies at 82
1996 – Ivan Sutton, British concert promoter (City Music Society), dies at 82
2019 – Bill Buckner, American MLB 1st baseman (1986 World Series infamous fielding error; NL batting champ 1980), dies of dementia at 69

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Historical Events

1913 – US Actors’ Equity Association forms (NYC)
1915 – H. H. Asquith forms a coalition government in the United Kingdom
1925 – Future Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder Ty Cobb is first to collect 1,000 extra-base hits when he doubles in Detroit Tigers’ 8-1 win against the Chicago WS at Comiskey Park
1933 – 2nd emergency Dutch government of Colijn forms
1958 – Union Square, San Francisco becomes state historical landmark
1965 – Revised International Convention on Safety of Life at Sea takes effect

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Famous Birthdays

1883 – Mamie Smith, American vaudeville singer, dancer and actress (Crazy Blues), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1946)
1907 – John Wayne [Marion Robert Morrison], American actor (Green Berets, True Grit), born in Winterset, Iowa (d. 1979)
1909 – Richard Maibaum, American screenwriter (Goldfinger), born in NYC, New York (d. 1991)
1910 – Laurance Rockefeller, American CEO (Chase Manhattan Bank) and philanthropist, born in NYC, New York (d. 2004)
1926 – Miles Davis, American jazz musician, trumpeter and composer, born in Alton, Illinois (d. 1991)
1959 – Ole Bornedal, Danish film director, actor and producer

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Famous Deaths

1653 – Robert Filmer, English writer (b. 1588)
1831 – Georg Hermes, German philosopher and theologist (Hermenianen), dies
1840 – Sidney Smith, British admiral, dies at 75
1969 – Paul Hawkins, Australian racing driver (b. 1937)
2010 – Jean Constantin, Romanian actor (b. 1928)
2011 – Arisen Ahubudu, Sri Lankan scholar, author and playwright (b. 1920)

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Historical Events

1738 – A treaty between Pennsylvania and Maryland ends the Conojocular War with settlement of a boundary dispute and exchange of prisoners.
1810 – The Primera Junta (local government) is established in Argentina
1955 – Series of 19 twisters destroy Udall Kansas and most of Blackwell Okla
1967 – European Cup Final, Estádio Nacional, Lisbon: Glasgow Celtic beats Internazionale, 2-1; first British team to win the Cup
1985 – Allan Border scores 4th successive 1st class 100 (v Derbyshire)
2013 – UEFA Champions League Final, London: Arjen Robben scores twice as Bayern Munich beats Borussia Dortmund, 2-1 in first all-German final

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Famous Birthdays

1898 – Bennett Cerf, American publisher (Random House) and panelist (What’s My Line), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 1971)
1914 – Dorothy Sarnoff, American operatic soprano, Broadway actress (Rosalinda), author and pioneer of the self-help movement (Speech Can Change Your Life, Speech Dynamics), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2008)
1936 – Tom T. Hall, American country singer and writer (Harper Valley PTA), born in Olive Hill, Kentucky
1944 – John Bunnell, former Sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon and TV personality (World’s Wildest Police Videos), born in Pendleton, Oregon
1949 – Lalith Kaluperuma, Sri Lankan cricketer (two Tests for Sri Lanka 1982), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
1953 – Eve Ensler, American playwright (The Vagina Monologues), born in NYC, New York

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Famous Deaths

1924 – Theodore F. Morse, American composer, dies at 51
1926 – Symon Petliura, Ukrainian socialist leader (pogroms), assassinated in Paris at 47 by Sholom Schwartzbard
1958 – Rolland Beaumont, cricketer (5 Tests for South Africa), dies
1996 – David W Howe, test pilot, dies at 77
2010 – Gabriel Vargas, Mexican cartoonist (b. 1915)
2012 – Edoardo Mangiarotti, Italian fencer, dies at 93

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