Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1592 – “Ultimate Pi day”: on this day at 6.53am is the largest correspondence between calendar dates and significant digits of pi, since the introduction of the Julian calendar (3.14159265358)
1909 – Amsterdam Social-Democratic Party (SDP) forms
1967 – 1967 NFL Draft: Michigan State defensive end Bubba Smith first pick by Baltimore Colts
1985 – Michael Secrest (US) completes 24-hr ride of 516 miles, 427 yards
1987 – Worlds Ladies’ Figure Skating Champ in Cincinnati won by Katarina Witt
2010 – 57th ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament: #4 Duke beats Georgia Tech, 65-61

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Famous Birthdays

1875 – Norman O’Neill, English composer, born in Kensington, London (d. 1934)
1912 – Les Brown, American big band leader (His Band of Renown – “Sentimental Journey”), born in Reinerton, Pennsylvania (d. 2001)
1915 – Kenneth Rowntree, painter
1961 – Russell Todd, actor (Jamie Frame-Another World)
1970 – Ebru Kavaklıoğlu, Russian athlete
1978 – Ron Dayne, American College Football Hall of Fame running back (Heisman Trophy 1999, University of Wisconsin; NY Giants), born in Lynchburg, Virginia

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Famous Deaths

1860 – Louis-Antoine Jullien, French conductor, dies at 47
1973 – Rafael Godoy, Colombian composer (b. 1907)
1980 – Mohammad Hatta, Indonesian politician (b. 1902)
1988 – Willi Apel, German-American musicologist (Harvard dictionary of music), dies at 94
2002 – Cherry Wilder, New Zealand-born author (b. 1930)
2018 – Jim Bowen, British TV game show host (Bullseye) and comedian, dies at 80

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Historical Events

1852 – Uncle Sam cartoon figure made its debut in the New York Lantern weekly
1888 – Great Blizzard of 1888 rages across the east coast of the USA and Canada
1918 – Leon Trotsky gains control of the Red Army
1949 – US Ladies’ Figure Skating championship won by Yvonne C Sherman
1954 – Viet Minh General Võ Nguyên Giáp opens the assault on French forces at Dien Bien Phu, northwest Vietnam
2018 – National Geographic magazine admits its past coverage was racist in issue to mark 50 years since death of Martin Luther King Jr.

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Famous Birthdays

1822 – Moritz von Strachwitz, German poet, born in Peterwitz, Silesia (d. 1847)
1959 – Kathy Hilton, American socialite-Hilton Hotels, mother of Nikki Hilton and Paris Hilton, born in NYC, New York
1960 – Yuri Andrukhovych, Ukrainian writer, poet and political essayist, born in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
1970 – Michael Arrington, American founder of blog TechCrunch, born in Orange, California
1979 – Cedric Van Branteghem, Belgian athlete, born in Ghent, Belgium
1981 – Stephen Maguire, Scottish snooker player, born in Glasgow, Scotland

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Famous Deaths

1569 – Louis, Prince of Condé (1530-69), dies in Battle of Jarnac at 39
1778 – Charles le Beau, French historian (b. 1701)
1879 – Adolf Anderssen, German world chess champion (1851-66), dies at 60
1976 – Willy Alfredo [Willem Jue], Dutch comedian/poet, dies at 77
1994 – Sandra Paretti, German romantic novelist, dies at 59
2001 – Cranley Onslow, British politician (C, dies at 74

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Historical Events

1941 – German occupiers confiscate AVRO studios in Netherlands
1963 – Beatles perform as a trio, John Lennon is ill with a cold
1966 – Jockey Johnny Longden retires after 40 years (6,032 wins)
1967 – Indonesian congress strips President Sukarno of authority and names General Suharto as acting President
1995 – World Men’s Figure Skating Champions in Birmingham won by Elvis Stojko of Canada
2012 – China records its highest trade deficit in over a decade

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Famous Birthdays

1793 – Augustin-Philippe Peellaert, composer
1859 – Abraham H. Cannon, Mormon apostle (d. 1896)
1942 – Jimmy Wynn, American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 1967, 74, 75; Houston Astros, LA Dodgers), born in Hamilton, Ohio (d. 2020)
1950 – Wheeler Winston Dixon, American filmmaker, critic and author
1963 – Paul Way, English golfer (Ryder Cup 1983, 85), born in Kingsbury, Middlesex
1982 – Zach Miner, American baseball player

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Famous Deaths

1681 – Frans van Mieris the Elder, Dutch painter, dies at 45
1961 – Belinda Lee, English actress (Joseph and his Brethren), dies in car crash at 25
1973 – Esther Williamson Ballou, American organist, composer and educator, dies at 57
1992 – Karel Poons, father of Paul Deen, dies
1996 – Gyula Kallai, Prime Minister of Hungry (1965-67), dies at 85
2013 – Clive Burr, English drummer, dies from complications from multiple sclerosis at 56

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Historical Events

1930 – William Taft, US 27th President and Chief Justice buried in Arlington
1954 – US Army charges Senator Joseph McCarthy used undue pressure tactics
1968 – Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 12nd string quartet
1986 – 187.27 million shares traded in NY Stock Exchange
1995 – -36.8°F (-38.2°C) in Chosedachar, Komi-district, on 67°N
2014 – Refugees from Syria pour into the Kingdom of Jordan

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Famous Birthdays

1863 – Wobbe de Vries, Dutch linguist
1876 – David Wijnkoop, Dutch revolutionary socialist, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1941)
1922 – José Luis López Vázquez, Spanish actor, director and comedian (La Cabina, Travels With My Aunt), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2009)
1942 – Charles Swan, American actor
1948 – Roy Barnes, 80th Governor of Georgia
1971 – Jiri Vykoukai, Olomouc CZ, hockey player (Team Czech Rep, Olympic gold 1998)

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Famous Deaths

1857 – Manuel Jose Quintana, Spanish author and poet (A la paz), dies at 84
1897 – Henry Drummond, Scottish geologist, evangelist, dies at 45
1931 – F.W. Murnau, German film director (b. 1888)
1979 – Victor Kilian, American actor (Gentleman’s Agreement), dies at 88
1982 – Horace Gregory, American poet, dies at 83
1994 – Jacques Doucet, French painter (Mostar Sarajevo), dies at 69

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Historical Events

1920 – Home Rule Act passed by the British Parliament, dividing Ireland into two parts; it is rejected by the southern counties, where the Ango-Irish war continues for a year
1941 – Lee MacPhail, Dodger GM predicts all players will wear batting helmets
1944 – U-575 sinks British corvette HMS Asphodel in the Atlantic Ocean killing 92 of the 97 men aboard
1945 – Patton’s 3rd Army makes contact with Hodge’s 1st Army
1951 – Ireland clinches their 7th Five Nations Rugby Championship with a 3-3 draw against Wales at the National Stadium, Cardiff
2012 – 33rd Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament: Louisville beats Cincinnati, 50-44

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Famous Birthdays

1656 – Adolf H van Rechteren, Dutch diplomat/politician
1824 – Thomas James Churchill, Major General (Confederate Army), (d. 1905)
1934 – Judith Jamison, artistic director (Alvin Ailey Dance Theater)
1957 – Matt Knudsen, American actor
1976 – Kisaki, Japanese musician
1982 – Timo Glock, German racing car driver

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Famous Deaths

1940 – Louis de Vries, Dutch actor (Blokkade, Ghetto, Merchant of Venice), dies at 68
1953 – Charles Gordon Curtis, American inventor (Curtis-steam turbine), dies at 92
1977 – Pieter Jan Bouman, Dutch sociologist and historian, dies at 74
1992 – Giorgos Zampetas, Greek composer and musician (b. 1925)
1994 – Robert Shea, American author (Illuminatus!), dies of cancer at 61
2010 – Micky Jones, Welsh rock guitarist (Man), dies of a brain tumour at 63

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Historical Events

1701 – France, Cologne and Bavaria sign alliance
1765 – After a public campaign by the writer Voltaire, judges in Paris posthumously exonerate Jean Calas of murdering his son. Calas had been tortured and executed in 1762 on the charge, though his son had actually committed suicide.
1841 – US Supreme Court rules the kidnapped slaves from the Spanish schooner the Amistad are free
1860 – 1st Japanese ambassador arrives in San Francisco en route to Washington
1984 – John Lennon single “Borrowed Time” released posthumously
2013 – Bernard Hopkins defeats Tavoris Cloud to win IBF light heavyweight title

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Famous Birthdays

1877 – Emil Abderhalden, Swiss physiologist and biochemist, born in Oberuzwil, Switzerland (d. 1950)
1932 – Simon Heere Heeresma, Dutch writer and poet (Han de Wit goes in development aid), born in Amsterdam (d. 2011)
1932 – Sister Bernard Ncube, South African religious sister and anti-apartheid, born in Johannesburg (d. 2012)
1934 – Yuri Gagarin, Russian cosmonaut and 1st man into space (aboard Vostok 1), born in Klushino, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (d. 1968)
1937 – Bernard Landry, Premier of Quebec (2001-2003), born in Saint-Jacques, Quebec, Canada
1977 – Radek Dvorak, Czech NHL left wing (Florida Panthers), born in Tábor, Czech Republic

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Famous Deaths

1800 – Dominique Della-Maria, French composer, dies at 30
1975 – Gleb W. Derujinsky, Russian-American sculptor, dies at 86
1996 – Elman Ali Ahmed, peace campaigner, dies at 42
2005 – Glenn Davis, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Heisman Trophy 1946; National C’ship 1944, 45, 46; Army; NFL: LA Rams), dies of prostate cancer at 80
2006 – Geir Ivarsøy, Norwegian programmer, co-founder of Opera Software ASA (b. 1957)
2012 – Lord Wedderton of Charlton, British academic and politician, dies at 84

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Historical Events

1945 – Nazi Sicherheitsdienst (SD) intelligence agency executes 116 prisoners, and one reluctant police official, at de Woeste Hoeve, Netherlands in response to raid by resistance forces two days earlier
1966 – An IRA bomb destroys Nelson’s Column in Dublin
1986 – Japanese probe Suisei passes Halley’s Comet at 109,800 km
1986 – 27th SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament: Kentucky beats Alabama, 83-72
1987 – 17th Easter Seal Telethon raises $35,184,425
1998 – 45th ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament: #4 North Carolina beats #1 Duke, 83-68

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Famous Birthdays

1841 – Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr, US 59th Supreme Court justice (1902-32), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1935)
1922 – Cyd Charisse [Tula Finklea], American dancer and actress (Singin’ in the Rain), born in Amarillo, Texas (d. 2008)
1947 – Mike Allsup, Modesto Ca, rock guitarist (Three Dog Night)
1971 – Kit Symons, Welsh footballer
1974 – Steve Sarkisian, CFL quarterback (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
1976 – (Gareth) “Gaz” Coombes, British rock guitarist and singer-songwriter (Supergrass – “Alright”), born in Oxford, England

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Famous Deaths

1640 – Guillaume van Messaus, composer, dies at 50
1817 – Wentworth Cheswell, American auditor, teacher, Revolutionary War messenger, 1st African American elected to public office, dies of typhus fever at 70
1853 – Edward John Dent, British clockmaker to Queen Victoria and commissioned to make Big Ben, London (completed after his death by his son Frederick Dent), dies at 62
1941 – José Serrano Simeón, Spanish composer, dies at 67
1971 – Harold Lloyd sr, American silent film actor, comedian, and director (Why Worry, Safety Last!), dies of cancer at 77
1977 – Henry Hull, American actor (Werewolf of London, Boys Town), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1872 – -8°F (-22°C) in Boston, Massachusetts
1876 – Battle at Gura: Ethiopian emperor Yohannes beats Egyptians
1950 – Ice Pairs Championship at London won by K Kennedy and P Kennedy (USA)
1970 – WXOW TV channel 19 in La Crosse, WI (ABC) begins broadcasting
1977 – Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin meets US President Jimmy Carter
1999 – 46th ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament: #1 Duke beats #15 North Carolina, 96-73

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Famous Birthdays

1556 – Guillaume du Vair, French writer and thinker, born in Paris (d. 1621)
1841 – William Rockhill Nelson, founder of The Kansas City Star and patron of Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (d. 1915)
1893 – Milton Avery, American artist, born in Almar, New York (d. 1965)
1934 – Nari Contractor, Indian cricketer (Indian batsman and captain), born in Godhra, India
1946 – Peter Wolf [Blankenfeild], American rock singer (J Giels Band-Centerfold, Freeze Frame), born in the Bronx, New York
1965 – Steve Beuerlein, American NFL quarterback (Jacksonville Jaguars, Car Panthers), born in Hollywood, California

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Famous Deaths

1578 – Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, niece of Henry VIII and whose son married Mary Queen of Scots, dies at 62
1974 – Alberto Rabagliati, Italian singer and actor (b. 1906)
1975 – Francine Larrimore, French actress (John Meade’s Woman), dies at 76
1978 – Steve Bilko, American baseball player, dies at 49
1981 – Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling, German tennis player (Wimbledon 1931, 1936 runner-up), dies at 72
1997 – Edward Mills Purcell, American physicist (Nobel 1952), dies at 84

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Historical Events

1590 – Dutch and English army led by Maurice of Nassau captures heavily protected city of Breda using a small assault force hidden in a peat barge
1869 – Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table of the elements to the Russian Chemical Society
1926 – China asks for a seat on the Security council
1933 – Maxwell Anderson’s “Both your Houses” premieres in NYC
1960 – President Sukarno disbands Indonesia’s parliament
2016 – Seventh Democratic presidential candidates debate hosted by CNN and held in Flint, Michigan

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Famous Birthdays

1870 – Oscar Straus, composer (Ein Walzertraum), born in Vienna, Austria
1904 – Hugh Williams, British dramatist, actor and writer (Wuthering Heights, Bank Holiday), born in East Sussex, England (d. 1969)
1962 – Alison Nicholas, English golfer (US Open 1997), born in Gibraltar
1963 – D.L. Hughley, American comedian and actor (ComicView), born in Portsmouth, Virginia
1974 – Sebastian Siegel, British-American actor (Lost, Hawaii Five-0), born in Oxford, England
1992 – Momoko Tsugunaga, Japanese singer

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Famous Deaths

1490 – Ivan the Young, Ruler of Tver (b. 1458)
1950 – Albert Lebrun, President of France (1932-40), dies at 78
1961 – George Formby, British singer and comedian, dies at 56
1981 – George Geary, English cricket fast bowler (14 Tests, 46 wickets), dies at 87
1983 – Thelma Pelish, actress (Pajama Game), dies at 55
2018 – Shammi [Nargis Rabadi], Indian actress (Half Ticket, Dekh Bhai Dekh), dies from natural causes at 88

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Historical Events

1651 – South Sea dike in Amsterdam breaks after storm
1774 – John Hancock delivers the fourth annual Massacre Day oration, a commemoration of the Boston Massacre, and denounces the presence of British troops in Boston, enhancing Hancock’s stature as a leading Patriot
1948 – US rocket flies record 4800 kph to 126km height
1956 – “King Kong” 1st televised
1982 – Gaylord Perry (with 297 wins) signs with Seattle Mariners
1985 – NY Islander Mike Bossy is 1st to score 50 goals in 8 straight seasons

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Famous Birthdays

1935 – Billy Tubbs, American college basketball coach (Southwestern Uni, Lamar Uni, Uni of Oklahoma, Texas Christian Uni), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2020)
1948 – Richard Hickox, English musical conductor
1956 – Mark Handley, writer (Nell)
1972 – Luca Turilli, Italian musician (Rhapsody)
1972 – Hernan Gumy, tennis star, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
1988 – Bjarni Viðarsson, Icelandic footballer

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Famous Deaths

1576 – Don Luis de Requesens y Zuniga, viceroy of Neth (1573-76), dies at 70
1893 – Richard Samuel Hughes, Welsh composer, dies at 37
1955 – Antanas Merkys, President of Lithuania (b. 1888)
1967 – Georges Vanier, French-Canadian soldier and 19th Governor General of Canada, dies at 78
1998 – Donald Woods, Canadian actor (True Grit, Craig Kennedy; Criminologist), dies at 91
2013 – Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela, dies from respiratory failure at 58

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