Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1865 – Raleigh, North Carolina, captured by Union forces
1941 – Heavy German assault on Tobruk
1957 – 11th NBA Championship: Bost Celtics beat St Louis Hawks, 4 games to 3
1970 – Greek composer Mikis Theordorakis freed
1981 – Pulitzer prize awarded to Beth Henley for “Crimes of the Heart”
1990 – NY Rangers beat NY Islanders 6-5, Rangers win preliminary, 4-1

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Famous Birthdays

1519 – Catherine de’ Medici, Italian born Queen consort to Henry II of France and later regent to her sons, born in Florence (d. 1589)
1764 – Laurent, 1st Marquis of Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French marshal, born in Toul, Three Bishoprics, France (d. 1830)
1895 – Olga Rudge, American concert violinist, born in Youngstown, Ohio (d. 1996)
1937 – Lanford Wilson, American playwright (Hot L Baltimore), born in Lebanon, Missouri
1952 – Jonjo O’Neill, Irish racehorse trainer, born in Cork, Ireland
1972 – Mariusz Czerkawski, Polish NHL right wing (Edmonton Oilers), born in Radomsko, Poland

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Famous Deaths

1882 – Bruno Bauer, German theologian, dies at 72
1912 – Ishikawa Takuboku, Japanese author, dies at 26
1984 – Dionyssis Papayannopoulos, Greek actor, dies at 71
2000 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball utility (World Series 1941; Brooklyn Dodgers), dies at 90
2013 – Frank Bank, American actor (Lumpy-Leave it to Beaver), dies at 71
2018 – Miloš Forman, Czech-American award-winning director (One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Amadeus, The Firemen’s Ball), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1782 – Battle at Les Saintes: British fleet under Admiral George Rodney defeats the French fleet under Comte de Grasse off Dominica in the West Indies. Prevents a planned French and Spanish invasion of Jamaica.
1905 – Hippodrome arena opens (NYC)
1955 – 1st game in KC, KC A’s beat Detroit Tigers, 6-2
1973 – France recognizes North Vietnam
1975 – Linda Ronstadt releases “When Will I Be Loved”
1992 – Earthquake rocks Germany

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Famous Birthdays

1840 – Edmond Audran, French composer, born in Lyon, France (d. 1901)
1892 – Johnny Dodds, American early jazz clarinetist, born in Waveland, Mississippi (d. 1940)
1932 – Henri Lazarof, Bulgarian composer, born in Sofia, Bulgaria (d. 2013)
1950 – Kari Palaste, Finnish architect, born in Kajaani, Finland
1967 – Donna Andrews, American golfer (Nabisco Dinah Shore 1994), born in Lynchburg, Virginia
1979 – Jennifer Morrison, American actress (Once Upon a Time, House), born in Chicago, Illinois

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Famous Deaths

1550 – Claude of Lorraine, duke of Guise, dies at 53
1690 – Miguel Gomez Camargo, composer, dies at 71
1795 – Rainieri de Calzabigi, Italian librettist and poet, dies at 80
1947 – Christian F L Leipoldt, South African writer (Die Moormansgat), dies
1959 – Ernest Willem Mulder, composer, dies at 60
2016 – Alan Loveday, New Zealand and British violinist, dies at 88

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Historical Events

1713 – Great Britain, Spain, the Netherlands, Prussia, Savoy, Portugal and France agree the Treaty of Utrecht; France cedes Maritime provinces in North America to Britain
1830 – Robert Schumann hears the violinist Paganini play in Frankfurt
1948 – 12th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Claude Harmon shoots a record-tying 279 (−9) to finish 5 strokes ahead of runner-up Cary Middlecoff
1951 – US President Harry Truman relieves General Douglas MacArthur of command in Korea
1957 – Britain agrees to Singaporean self-rule.
2002 – An attempted coup d’état takes place in Venezuela against President Hugo Chávez.

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Famous Birthdays

1779 – Louise Reichardt, German composer, born in Berlin, Prussia (d. 1826)
1862 – Charles Evans Hughes, American statesman, Republican politician and 11th Chief Justice of Supreme Court (1930-41), born in Glens Falls, New York (d. 1948)
1906 – Dale Messick [Dalia Messick], American cartoonist (Brenda Starr, Reporter), born in South Bend, Indiana (d. 2005)
1919 – Sir Raymond Carr, English historian and warden (St Antony’s College Oxford), born in Bath, Somerset
1935 – Richard Berry, African-American singer and musician (Louie Louie), born in Extension, Louisiana (d. 1997)
1971 – Oliver Riedel, German musician (Rammstein), born in Schwerin, Germany

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Famous Deaths

1900 – Seth Barton, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 70
1936 – Mitya Stillman, composer, dies at 44
1976 – Liam Dunn, American actor, dies at 59
1990 – Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist, Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1904)
1991 – Walker Cooper, American baseball catcher (MLB All-Star 1942–44, 46–50; World Series 1942, 44; St. Louis Cardinals), dies at 76
2006 – Proof, American rapper (D12) (b. 1973)

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Historical Events

1816 – Samuel Taylor Coleridge recites his poem “Kubla Khan” to fellow poet Lord Byron, who persuades him to publish it
1863 – Confederate General Earl Van Dorn attacks at Franklin, Tennessee
1930 – Brilliant West Indian cricket batsman George Headley scores patient 223 in drawn 4th Test against England at Kingston, Jamaica
1967 – 39th Academy Awards: “A Man For All Seasons,” Best Picture, Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Scofield best actress/actor
1968 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1993 – Ottawa Senators win 1st road game (Islanders) after 38 straight loses

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Famous Birthdays

1864 – Tully Marshall, American actor (Let’s Go, Red Dust), born in Nevada City, California (d. 1943)
1908 – Aidan Crawley, British journalist and politician (Labour MP 1945-51), born in Benenden, Kent (d. 1993)
1913 – Steven Nagy, American bowler (first televised perfect game [300}, 1954; ABC Hall of Fame 1963), born in Shoaf, Pennsylvania (d. 1966)
1936 – John Madden, NFL coach (Oakland Raiders) and sports commentator (CBS, FOX), born in Austin, Minnesota
1940 – Gloria Hunniford [Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford], British broadcaster and actress (Old Curiosity Shop), born in Portadown, Northern Ireland
1946 – Anne Boyd, Australian composer, born in Sydney

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Famous Deaths

947 – Hugo van Arles, count of Arles/king of Italy, dies
1640 – Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer, dies at 61
1712 – Yusuf Nabi, Turkish poet (Hayriye), dies at about 77
1988 – Cliff Gladwin, cricketer (8 Tests for England 1947-49), dies
2005 – Norbert Brainin, Austrian-British violinist (Amadeus Quartet, 1947-87), dies at 82
2011 – Homer Smith, American football coach (b. 1931)

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Historical Events

1816 – African Methodist Episcopal Church organizes (Philadelphia)
1866 – Civil Rights Bill passes over President Andrew Johnson’s veto
1939 – Marian Anderson sings before 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
1944 – Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Orientals Ecclesiae
1990 – World’s largest bunny hop at Radio City Music Hall (NYC)
2003 – Baghdad falls to U.S. forces, ending the invasion of Iraq, but resulting in widespread looting

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Famous Birthdays

1627 – Johann Kaspar Kerll, German composer, born in Adorf, Germany (d. 1693)
1917 – Vincent O’Brien, Irish racehorse trainer (6 x Epsom Derby; 2 x British champion trainer; only British Triple Crown winner, Nijinsky 1970), born in Churchtown, Ireland (d. 2009)
1930 – Nathaniel Branden, Canadian-American psychotherapist, born in Brampton, Ontario, Canada (d. 2014)
1932 – Vladimir Aleksandrovich Degtyaryov, Russian cosmonaut, born in Voronezh, Russia
1972 – Brian DeMarco, NFL tackle (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Berea, Ohio
1974 – Ben Bordelon, American football tackle (San Diego Chargers), born in Mathews, Louisiana

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Famous Deaths

1765 – Maria Louise van Hessen-Kassel, princess of Orange-Nassau, dies at 77
1926 – Zip the Pinhead, American freak show performer famous for his tapered head, dies at about 83
1948 – George Carpenter, 5th General of The Salvation Army, dies at 75
1980 – Kathleen Burke, American actress (Island of Lost Souls), dies at 66
1991 – Forrest Towns, American athlete (Olympic gold 110m hurdles 1936), dies at 77
1994 – Marcel Ichac, French alpinist/director (Karakoram), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1962 – Accords of Evian (Algeria) accepted by referendum in France
1991 – Jockey Bill Shoemaker paralyzed in a car accident
1992 – After 151 years Britain’s “Punch Magazine” publishes its final issue
1992 – “5 Guys Named Moe” opens at Eugene O’Neill Theater NYC for 445 performances
1993 – Indians’ Carlos Baerga is 1st to switch hit HRs in same inn (vs Yanks)
1993 – STS-56 (Discovery) launches into orbit

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Famous Birthdays

1541 – Michele Mercati, Italian physician and gardener, born in Rome, Italy (d. 1593)
1831 – Allard Pierson, Dutch theologist, philosopher and art historian, born in Amsterdam (d. 1896)
1920 – Erik Pausin, Austrian figure skating pairs (Olympic silver 1936)
1935 – Albert G. Bustamante, American politician (Rep-D-TX, 1985-93), born in Asherton, Texas
1947 – Steve Howe, English rock guitarist (Asia, Yes-Roundabout), born in London, England
1989 – Matty Healy [Matthew Healy], British vocalist and guitarist (The 1975), born in London, England

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Famous Deaths

1938 – Harold Baumgartner, South African cricketer (took 2-99 lefty in test for South Africa), dies at 54
1987 – Francis C. Denebrink, US Naval officer (WW I, WW II, Korea) dies at 90
1991 – Dead (musician), Swedish metal singer (b. 1969)
1993 – Arleen Whelan, American film actress (Kidnapped) dies of a stroke at 78
1996 – (Charles) Donald Adams, British bass-baritone opera singer (D’Oyly Carte Opera Company,; Gilbert and Sullivan For All), dies of a brain tumor at 67
2014 – The Ultimate Warrior [James Brian Hellwig], American Hall of Fame professional wrestler, dies from a heart attack at 54

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Historical Events

1896 – American athlete Robert Garrett wins the throwing double at the Athens Olympics by taking out the shot putt (11.22m); wins the discus the previous day
1933 – University Bridge, Seattle opens for traffic
1946 – Part of East Prussia incorporated into Russian SFSR
1953 – UN General Assembly begins session that will elect Dag Hammarskjöld of Sweden as Secretary-General
1956 – 10th NBA Championship: Philadelphia Warriors beat Ft Wayne Pistons, 4 games to 1
1990 – BPAA US Open by Ron Palombi Jr

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Famous Birthdays

1934 – Swami Shantananda, Hindu Saint, Philosopher, Disciple of Swami Sivananda, Founder of Temple of Fine Arts
1940 – Jan Wilhelm Morthenson, Swedish composer, born in Örnsköldsvik
1943 – Dennis Amiss, cricketer (prolific English batsman)
1967 – Steve Wisniewski, NFL guard (Oakland Raiders)
1968 – Duncan Armstrong, Australian swimmer (Olympic gold 200m freestyle 1988), born in Rockhampton, Queensland
1975 – Ronnie Belliard, American baseball player

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Famous Deaths

1747 – Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, Prussian field marshal, dies at 70
1950 – Walter Huston, Canadian actor (Maltese Falcon, Treasure of Sierra Madre), dies from an aneurysm at 67
1967 – Anne Morrison Chapin, dies in West Hollywood
2001 – David Graf, American actor (Police Academy- Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry), dies of a heart attack at 50
2002 – John Agar, American actor (Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache), dies at 81
2003 – David Greene, British television director (b. 1921)

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Historical Events

1893 – Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City dedicated
1903 – In Holland, railroad and dock workers go out on strike, but the government passes anti-strike bills, calls out troops, and promptly ends the strike on the 13th April
1978 – Karnataka beat Uttar Pradesh by inn and 193 to win Ranji Trophy
1992 – 1st game at Camden Field, Balt-Orioles beat Indians 2-0
1993 – Florida Marlins 1st lost ever (4-2 to LA Dodgers)
2012 – US F-18 Hornet crashes into side of apartment building in Virginia with no fatalities

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Famous Birthdays

1892 – Donald Wills Douglas, American aircraft industrialist (McDonnell Douglas) and aviation pioneer (Douglas DC-3), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1981)
1900 – Leo Robin, American writer (Thanks For the Memory)
1929 – Art Taylor, American jazz drummer (Bud Powell, Red Garland, John Coltrane, Donald Byrd), band leader (Taylor’s Wailers), and writer (Notes and Tones), born in New York City (d. 1995)
1936 – Manfred Schoof, composer
1948 – Patrika Darbo, American actress
1988 – Fabrice Muamba, Anglo-Congolese footballer

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Famous Deaths

1252 – Peter of Verona [Peter Martyr], Italian inquisitor/st, dies at 45
1931 – Giuseppi Radiciotti, composer, dies at 73
1947 – Herbert Backe, German Nazi politician (Reich Minister for Food and Agriculture), dies at 50
1983 – Ana Maria, Salvador guerilla leader, murdered
1996 – Greer Garson, British actress (Goodbye Mr Chips, Mrs Miniver), dies at 92
2018 – Daniel Akaka, American educator and politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii), dies at 93

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Historical Events

1648 – Spanish troops and feudal barons strike down people’s uprising in Naples
1911 – Waldorf W Aster acquires Daily Observer
1963 – Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II becomes chief of Western Samoa
1979 – Ex-premier Pol Jar flees out of Cambodia
1992 – “Search and Destroy” closes at Circle in Sq Theater NYC after 46 performances
2019 – OKC guard Russell Westbrook becomes first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for the third consecutive season during the Thunder’s 123-110 win at home over Detroit Pistons

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Famous Birthdays

1816 – Samuel Freeman Miller, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, born in Richmond, Kentucky (d. 1890)
1827 – Joseph Lister, British surgeon (pioneer of antiseptic surgery), born in Upton House, West Ham, England (d. 1912)
1857 – Alexander-Jozef von Battenberg, Prince of Bulgaria (1879-86), born in Verona, Lombardy–Venetia (d. 1893)
1900 – Spencer Tracy, American actor (Woman of the Year, Adam’s Rib), born in Milwaukee (d. 1967)
1906 – Guy Clutton-Brock, English social worker (declared as national hero in Zimbabwe), born in Northwood, Middlesex (d. 1995)
1933 – Larry Felser, American sports columnist, born in Buffalo, New York (d. 2013)

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Famous Deaths

1258 – Julian of Cornillon/Liege, Flemish visionary/saint, dies
1811 – Robert Raikes, founder of Sunday Schools, dies
1976 – Howard Hughes, American reclusive billionaire, filmmaker and aviator, dies at 72
1984 – Robert Adams, English sculptor and designer, dies at 67
1991 – John Tower, (Sen-R-Tx), dies in a plane crash at 65
2005 – Debralee Scott, American actress (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman – “Cathy”; Angie), dies at 52

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Historical Events

1945 – The Holocaust: US forces liberate the Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany, the first such camp to be liberated by the US Army
1988 – Mets set Opening Day record with 6 HRs
1991 – “Lucifer’s Child” opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 28 performances
1991 – Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania and six others are killed when a helicopter collides with their plane over an elementary school in Merion, Pennsylvania.
1998 – NFL Europe (Formerly WLAF), kicks off season
2020 – WrestleMania XXXVI, WWE Performance Center, Orlando FL, Part 1: The Undertaker defeats AJ Styles in a Boneyard match; Becky Lynch beats Shayna Baszler to retain Raw Women’s C’ship

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Famous Birthdays

1836 – Charles Jerome Hopkins, American composer, born in Burlington, Vermont (d. 1898)
1876 – Maurice de Vlaminck, Fauvist painter (Village in the Snow), born in Paris, France (d. 1958)
1933 – Frits Bolkestein, Dutch politician (People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy), born in Amsterdam
1949 – Michael Fennelly, American musician (The Millennium, Crabby Appleton), born in New York, New York
1957 – Aki Kaurismäki, Finnish film director (The Other Side of Hope), born in Orimattila, Finland
1977 – Stephen Mulhern, English TV presenter, born in Stratford, London

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Famous Deaths

1617 – John Napier, Scottish mathematician and inventor (logarithms), dies from effects of gout at 67
1661 – Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven, Scottish soldier (b. circa 1580)
1774 – Oliver Goldsmith, Irish novelist and dramatist (She Stoops to Conquer), dies at 45
1862 – Harmen S Sytstra, Dutch poet/editor (Iduna), dies at 45
1919 – William Crookes, English chemist and physicist (Crookes-pipe, thallium), dies at 86
1986 – Frank Mortelmans, Belgian painter, dies at 87

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