Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1878 – British frigate Eurydice sunk; 300 lost
1899 – 61st Grand National: George Williamson aboard 1897 winner Manifesto wins by 4 lengths from Ford Of Fyne
1933 – Peter I Island incorporated as a Norwegian dependency
1970 – Dutch cartoonist Frans Piet ends “Sjors and Sjimmie” strip
1980 – Capitol Records releases some rare Beatles tracks on the LP “Rarites”
1991 – WrestleMania VII in LA Memorial Sports Arena, CA: Hulk Hogan beats Sgt Slaughter for WWF Heavyweight title

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Famous Birthdays

1607 – Michiel A de Ruyter, Dutch rear admiral (St Vincent, Dune)
1725 – Samuel Ashe, Governor of North Carolina (d. 1813)
1855 – Andrew Mellon, American banker (Mellon Bank), industrialist and Secretary of the Treasury (1921-32), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1947)
1895 – Leo “Syd” Sailor, American actor (Arizona Days, Waterfront), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1962)
1907 – Paul Sauvé, Quebec politician (d. 1960)
1983 – T. J. Ford, American basketball player

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Famous Deaths

1915 – Karol Olszewski, Polish scientist (b. 1846)
1916 – Enrique Granados, Spanish opera composer (Goyescas), drowns while crossing the English Channel in a torpedo attack at 48
1956 – Edmund Taylor Whittaker, British mathematician (applied mathematics and the theory of special functions), dies at 82
1991 – Sir John Kerr, Australian politician and the Governor General who dismissed the Whitlam Government, dies at 76
1995 – Trevor Oswald Ling, English religious Studies Professor, dies at 75
2016 – Garry Shandling, American comedian (It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Larry Sanders Show), dies at 66

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Historical Events

1848 – The ship John Wickliffe arrives at Port Chalmers carrying the first Scottish settlers for Dunedin, New Zealand. Otago province is founded.
1908 – American diplomat Durham Stevens is attacked by Korean assassins Jeon Myeong-un and Jang In-hwan, leading to his death in hospital two days later
1919 – 8th Congress of the Russian Communist Party re-establishes a five-member Politburo which becomes the center of political power in the Soviet Union. Original members Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Joseph Stalin, Lev Kamenev and Nikolai Krestinsky
1951 – Wages in France increase 11%
2003 – 75th Academy Awards: “Chicago Best Picture,” Adrien Brody and Nicole Kidman win
2013 – 20 people are killed and 200 are injured by a tornado in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh

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Famous Birthdays

1881 – Hermann Staudinger, German chemist/plastics researcher (Nobel ’53)
1887 – Anthony van Hoboken, Dutch musicologist (Haydn-catalog)
1922 – Ugo Tognazzi, Italian comedy actor, director and screenwriter (La Cage Aux Folles, The Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man), born in Cremona, Italy (d. 1990)
1934 – Teresa Proccacini, Italian organist and composer (Clown Music), born in Cerignola, Italy
1963 – Ana Quirot, Cuba, 800m runner (Olympics-bronze/silver-92, 96)
1973 – Naoko Sawamatsu, Nishinomiya Japan, tennis star (1994 Singapore)

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Famous Deaths

1618 – James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Abercorn, Scottish politician
1946 – Gilbert N. Lewis, American Chemist (atomic theory), dies at 70
1958 – Florian Znaniecki, Polish/US sociologist/philosopher, dies at 76
1993 – Hans Werner Richter, German writer/founder (Gruppe 47), dies at 84
2007 – Paul Joseph Cohen, American mathematician (Cohen forcing, Continuum hypothesis), dies at 72
2007 – Paul J. Cohen, American mathematician, Fields Medal winner (b. 1934)

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Historical Events

1960 – 1st patent for lasers granted to Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes
1964 – LPGA Western Open Women’s Golf, Scenic Hills CC: Carol Mann her 1st of 2 major titles by 2 shots from Ruth Jessen and Judy Kimball
1968 – Student riot in Nanterre near Paris
1969 – “Come Summer” closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 7 performances
1981 – Soyuz 39 carries 2 cosmonauts (1 Mongolian) to Salyut 6
1990 – The ML umpires announce that they will boycott exhibition games

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Famous Birthdays

1903 – James Sargent Russell, US pilot and admiral (WW II Pacific Ocean), born in Tacoma, Washington (d. 1996)
1907 – James Gavin, US 82nd Airborne Division General (Sicily/Normandy), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1990)
1937 – Angelo Badalamenti, American film composer (Twin Peaks, The Straight Story, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive), born in Brooklyn, New York
1948 – Randy Hobbs, American rock musician (Johnny Winter Band, McCoys), born in Winchester, Indiana (d. 1993)
1969 – Russell Maryland, American NFL defensive tackle (Dallas Cowboys, Oak Raiders), born in Chicago, Illinois
1974 – Marcus Camby, American NBA forward (Toronto Raptors), born in Hartford, Connecticut

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Famous Deaths

1685 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (b. 1638)
1906 – Martin Wegelius, Finnish musicologist and composer, dies at 59
1993 – Tim Crews, pitcher (Cleveland Indians), drowns at 31
2001 – William Hanna, American animator and studio founder, dies at 90
2003 – Terry Lloyd, English reporter (b. 1952)
2019 – Carlo Franci, Italian composer and conductor, dies at 91

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Historical Events

1962 – Philadelphia retires pitcher Robin Roberts’ # 36
1993 – Pope John Paul II beatifies Duns Scotus, a philosopher-theologian of the Middle Ages
1994 – Wayne Gretzky ties Gordie Howe’s NHL record of 801 goals
1997 – Ice Dance Championship in Lausanne, Switzerland won by Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov (Rus)
2014 – Russia formally annexes Crimea amid international condemnation
2019 – Former Brazilian President Michel Temer is arrested in São Paulo as part of a large corruption investigation

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Famous Birthdays

1820 – Frank Mori, English composer, born in London (d. 1873)
1921 – Joe Sutter, American engineer and head of the Boeing 747 program, born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2016)
1928 – James W Kinnear, CEO (Texaco), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1944 – David Lindley, American musician (The Kaleidoscope), born in San Marino, California
1962 – Matthew Broderick, American actor (WarGames, Biloxi Blues), born in NYC, New York
1963 – Ronald Koeman, Dutch soccer star (Ajax, PSV, Barcelona, Feyenoord)

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Famous Deaths

1844 – Leopold van Sasse van Ysselt, Dutch nobleman and politician, dies at 65
1969 – Gerhard Fritsch, Austrian writer, dies at 44
1980 – Peter Stoner, American mathematician, astronomer and Christian apologist (b. 1888)
1999 – Edward Playfair, British senior civil servant, dies at 89
1999 – Ernie Wise, British comedian (Morecambe and Wise), dies at 73
2011 – Pinetop Perkins, Member of the Blues Hall of Fame (b. 1913)

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Historical Events

1891 – 53rd Grand National: Irish jockey, trainer Harry Beasley wins aboard 4/1 Come Away
1943 – German U-384 bombed and sinks
1968 – Military intervene in South-Yemen (leftist ministers resign)
1980 – US appeals to International Court on hostages in Iran
1982 – France beats Ireland, 22-9 at the Parc des Princes, Paris but the Irish take the Five Nations Rugby Championship with a 3-1 record and also their 5th Triple Crown
2000 – Pope John Paul II visits Holy Land – Jordan, Israel, Palestine

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Famous Birthdays

1739 – Eligio Celestino, composer
1890 – Lauritz Melchior, Danish-American baritone tenor (National Symphony), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1973)
1951 – Tanya Boyd, actress (Celeste-Days of our Life), born in Detroit, Michigan
1971 – Janis Kelly, volleyball player (Olympics 1996), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
1976 – Arno Knapen, Dutch soccer player (Holten, FC Twente)
1987 – Rollo Weeks, English actor

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Famous Deaths

1703 – Johann Kunckel/Kunkel, German alchemist/ambassador to Sweden, dies
1983 – Ivan Vinogradov, Russian mathematician (analytic number theory), dies at 91
1994 – Don Goddard, American news anchor (ABC Evening News 1958-59), dies at 89
1995 – Sidney Kingsley, US playwright (Pulitzer prize 1934), dies at 88
1995 – John Minton [Big John Studd], American pro wrestler (Royal Rumble 1989), dies from liver cancer and Hodgkin’s disease at 47
2018 – Bobby Mitchell, American golfer (US Masters runner-up 1972), dies of a heart attack at 75

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Historical Events

1571 – Spanish troops occupy Manila
1864 – Opera “Mireille” premieres in Paris
1883 – Jan Matzeliger invents first machine to manufacture entire shoes
1987 – Yvonne van Gennip skates ladies world record 3 km (4:16.85)
1989 – Boeing V-22 Osprey VTOL aircraft makes maiden flight
1997 – Major League Baseball announces 5 year/$50M deal with Pepsi

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Famous Birthdays

1817 – Lewis Henry Little, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), (d. 1862)
1928 – Patrick McGoohan, American-born Irish actor, writer, and director (The Prisoner, Secret Agent/ Danger Man), born in Queens, New York (d. 2009)
1970 – Rick Mirer, NFL quarterback (Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears)
1971 – Marty Moore, NFL inside linebacker (NE Patriots)
1972 – Maria Maunder, St John’s New Foundland, rower (Olympics 1996)
1979 – Hedo Türkoğlu, Turkish basketball player

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Famous Deaths

1687 – René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, French explorer (Louisiana), killed by his men at 43
1816 – Philip Mazzei, Italian physician (b. 1730)
1918 – Willem H de Beaufort, Dutch historian/liberal politician, dies at 73
1924 – Charles Villiers Stanford, Irish composer/author, dies at 71
1976 – Albert Dieudonné, French actor and novelist (Backbiters, Napoleon), dies at 86
2008 – Arthur C. Clarke, English sci-fi author (2001: A Space Odyssey, Childhood’s End), dies of post-polio syndrome at 90

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Historical Events

37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius’ will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (aka Caligula = Little Boots) emperor
1438 – Albrecht II of Habsburg becomes king of Germany
1532 – English parliament bans payments by English church to Rome
1937 – Gas explosion in school in New London, Texas: 294 die
1959 – US President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs Hawaii statehood bill
1967 – Beatles’ “Penny Lane” single goes #1

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Famous Birthdays

1609 – Frederick III, King of Denmark and Norway (1648-70), born in Haderslev, Denmark (d. 1670)
1685 – Ralph Ersine, Scottish minister (d. 1752)
1838 – Randal Cremer, Britain, trade unionist, pacifist (Nobel 1903)
1916 – Jody Gilbert, American actress (Willard, Shaggy, Blonde Dynamite), born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 1979)
1927 – John Kander, composer (Cabaret, Funny Lady, Kramer vs Kramer), born in Kansas City, Missouri
1969 – Vassily Ivanchuk, Ukrainian chess player

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Famous Deaths

1745 – Robert Walpole, 1st British Prime Minister (Whig: 1721-42), dies at 68
1924 – Frederick Bridge, English organist and composer, dies at 79
1963 – Wanda Hawley, American actress (b. 1895)
1967 – Jimmy Blaine, singer (Stop the Music), dies at 42
1976 – Robert de Roos, composer, dies at 69
1980 – “Grishata” Grigor Vachkov, Bulgarian actor (At Each Kilometer), dies at 47

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Historical Events

1190 – Crusades complete massacre of Jews of York England
1776 – British forces evacuate Boston to Nova Scotia during Revolutionary War
1800 – British warship Queen Charlotte catches fire; 700 die
1943 – F Hugh Herbert’s “Kiss and Tell” premieres in NYC
1976 – Rubin “Hurricane” Carter is retried
2019 – Facebook removes 1.5 million videos of the Christchurch mosque shootings in first 24 hrs after the attack, although only 1.2 million blocked at upload

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Famous Birthdays

1777 – Roger Brooke Taney, 5th Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court (Dred Scott decision), born in Calvert, Maryland (d. 1864)
1908 – Radie Britain, American composer, born near Silverton, Texas (d. 1994)
1932 – Dick Curless, singer/songwriter
1945 – Michael Hayden, General USAF, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
1951 – Donald Findlay, Scottish lawyer
1965 – Caitlin Bilodeaux, US fencer (Olympic-92), born in Boston, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

1425 – Ashikaga Yoshikazu, 5th Japanese shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate, dies at 17
1861 – Petter Conrad Boman, Swedish composer, dies at 56
1902 – George William Warren, composer, dies at 73
1974 – Louis I Kahn, Estonia/US architect, dies at about 73
1990 – Rick Grech, British musician (Blind Faith, Traffic), dies at 44
2005 – George F. Kennan, American Cold War strategist and historian (b. 1904)

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Historical Events

1929 – WHP-AM in Harrisburg PA begins radio transmissions
1950 – 1st annual National Book Awards
1957 – 9th Emmy Awards: Phil Silvers Show, Robert Young and Loretta Young win
1969 – Viasa DC-9 crashes at Maracaibo’s Grano de Oro airport, killing 155
2003 – 44th SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament: Kentucky beats Mississippi State, 64-57
2012 – Turkish NATO helicopter crashes into a house killing ten people in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan

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Famous Birthdays

1774 – Matthew Flinders, English navigator/cartographer (coast Australia)
1878 – Henry B Walthall, American actor (The Birth of a Nation, Klondike), born in Shelby City, Alabama (d. 1936)
1883 – Ethel Anderson, Australian poet (d. 1958)
1920 – Reginald “Leo” McKern, Australian actor (Blue Lagoon, Help, Mouse that Roared), born in Sydney, New South Wales (d. 2002)
1937 – Amos Tversky, Israeli cognitive and mathematical psychologist, born in Haifa, Mandatory Palestine (d. 1996)
1955 – Bruno Barreto, Brazilian film director

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Famous Deaths

1914 – Gaston Calmette, editor (Le Figaro), killed by Mme Caillaux at 55
1933 – Alfred Haar, Hungarian mathematician, dies at 47
1988 – Dorothy Adams Foulger, actress (Laura, Devil Commands), dies at 88
2005 – Allan Hendrickse, South African politician (b. 1927)
2008 – Ola Brunkert, Swedish pop, rock and jazz drummer (ABBA), dies from injuries after a fall at 61
2008 – Bill Brown, Australian cricketer (Australian opener of the 30’s and 40’s), dies at 95

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Historical Events

1360 – French attack English south coast, raiding Winchelsea
1962 – Richard Rodger’s musical “No Strings” opens at 84th St Theater NYC for 580 performances
1972 – NASA selects 3 part configuration for Space Shuttle
1991 – 4 officers of the Los Angeles Police Department are charged with excessive force over the beating of Rodney King
1994 – 8th Soul Train Music Awards: Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston win
2004 – Announcement of the discovery of 90377 Sedna, the farthest natural object in the Solar system so far observed.

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Famous Birthdays

938 – Romanos II, Byzantine emperor (d. 963)
1811 – Robert Allen, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in West Point, Ohio (d. 1886)
1844 – Bransby Cooper, cricketer (in Dhaka Batsman in Australia’s 1st Test)
1950 – Jørgen Olsen, Danish singer
1958 – Laura Carrington, American actress (Louisa-Alphabet City, General Hospital), born in NYC, New York
1969 – Kim Raver, American actress

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Famous Deaths

493 – Odoacer [Odiaker] German army leader, King of Italy (476-93), murdered by Theodoric the Great at about 60
1881 – Emory Upton, Bvt Major General (Union Army), commits suicide at 41
1891 – Théodore de Banville, French writer, dies at 67
1918 – Lili [Marie-Juliette Olga] Boulanger, French composer (first female winner of the Prix de Rome composition prize), dies at 24
2006 – Red Storey, Canadian football player and hockey referee (b. 1918)
2007 – Charles Harrelson, American hitman and father of Woody Harrelson (b. 1938)

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