Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1779 – French astronomer Charles Messier catalogs M56 (globular cluster in Lyra)
1789 – Georgetown, the first US Catholic college, is founded
1845 – Uniform US election day for President and VP authorized
1926 – Eugene O’Neill’s play “Great God Brown” premieres in NYC
2023 – American Richard Barnett, who was pictured with his feet on Nancy Pelosi’s desk during the Jan 6 riots, convicted on eight counts in a Washington court

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Famous Birthdays

1783 – Stendhal [Marie Henri Beyle], French writer (Le Rouge et de Noir, a Chartreuse de Parme), born in Grenoble, France (d. 1842)
1936 – Cécile Ousset, French classical pianist, born in Tarbes, France
1946 – Asif Masood, Pakistani cricketer (Pakistani quick with long and erratic run-up), born in Lahore, Pakistan
1952 – Omar Henry, South African cricketer (1st colored player for South Africa 1992), born in Stellenbosch, South Africa
1967 – Robert Globb, Slovenian politician (Prime Minister of Slovenia 2022-), born in Šempeter pri Gorici, Yugoslavia

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Famous Deaths

1939 – Matthias Sindelar, Austrian soccer striker (43 caps; Austria Vienna 312 games), dies under mysterious circumstances at 35
1976 – Paul Robeson, American stage and screen bass-baritone singer (“Old Man River”), actor, and civil rights activist, dies of stroke complications in Philadelphia at 77
2002 – Robert Nozick, American philosopher (Anarchy, State, and Utopia), dies at 63
2018 – Stansfield Turner, American admiral and CIA director (1977-81), dies at 94
2021 – Peter Harper, British medical geneticist known for his work on myotonic dystrophy, dies at 81

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Historical Events

1771 – Spain cedes the Falkland Islands to Britain
1983 – Houston is 1st NBA team to be held scoreless in an overtime Portland Trail Blazers out score them 17-0 and win 113-96
1993 – Johan Koss skates a world record 5 km in 6:38.77
2006 – Evo Morales is inaugurated as President of Bolivia, becoming the country’s first indigenous president
2021 – Lloyd Austin confirmed as defense secretary by the US Senate, and the first Black head of the Pentagon

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Famous Birthdays

1871 – Léon Jessel, German light classical and operetta composer (The Parade of the Tin Soldiers; Schwarzwaldmädel (The Black Forest Girl)), born in Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland) (d. 1942)
1945 – Michael Cristofer, American actor and writer (Little Drummer Girl, Shadow Box), born in Trenton, New Jersey
1977 – Jono Gibbes, New Zealand rugby union flanker (8 caps; Chiefs) and coach (Ulster, La Rochelle), born in Henderson, New Zealand
1980 – Ben Moody, American guitarist (Evanescence, 1995-2003 -“Bring Me To Life”), born in Little Rock, Arkansas
1984 – Maceo Rigters, Dutch footballer, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Famous Deaths

1666 – Shah Jahan, 5th Mughal Emperor of India (1628-58) who built the Taj Mahal for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, dies at 74
1959 – A J Else Mauhs, German/Dutch actress (Hamlet, Nora), dies at 73
1992 – Ali Amini, Iranian politician and government official (Prime Minister, 1961-62; Ambassador to US, 1956-58; Member of Parliament, 1947-49), dies at 87
2016 – Anthony Simmons, British writer and film director (The Optimists of Nine Elms), dies at 93
2020 – John Karlen, American actor (Harvey Lacey-Cagney and Lacey), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1077 – German King Henry IV petitions Pope Gregory VII for forgiveness
1938 – Dutch government starts obligatory unemployment insurance
1957 – KSAT TV channel 12 in San Antonio, TX (ABC) begins broadcasting
1993 – Nigerian singer Fela Kuti arrested on suspicion of murder
2020 – World’s oldest asteroid impact at 2.2 billion years old found in Yarrabubba, Western Australia, may have ended an ice age, reported in “Nature Communications”

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Famous Birthdays

1891 – Nikolai Golovanov, Russian conductor and composer (Bolshoi Opera), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1953)
1905 – “Ossie” O.S. Stevens Nock, British railway writer, born in Sutton, England (d. 1994)
1952 – Mike Krukow, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1986 SF Giants; Chicago Cubs) and broadcaster (KNBR [with Duane Kuiper] SF Giants), born in Long Beach, California
1981 – Ivan Ergić, Serbian soccer midfielder (11 caps; FC Basel 202 games), born in Šibenik, Croatia
1981 – David F. Sandberg, Swedish film director (Lights Out, Shazam!), born in Jönköping, Sweden

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Famous Deaths

1851 – (Gustav) Albert Lortzing, German Spieloper composer and actor (Zar und Zimmerman), dies at 49
1894 – Guillaume Lekeu, Belgian composer (Épithalame), dies of typhoid fever at 24
1928 – George Washington Goethals, American army general and civil engineer who supervised the construction of the Panama Canal, dies at 69
2005 – Parveen Babi, Indian actress (b. 1955)
2015 – Waldemar Kmentt, Austrian operatic tenor (Vienna State Opera, 1951-2005), dies at 85

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Historical Events

1947 – Nova Scotia Supreme Court rules against case of black woman Viola Desmond – ejected from a cinema seat in New Glasgow reserved for whites and arrested in landmark case (pardoned 2010)
1958 – A group attempting the 1st surface crossing of Antarctic join up at the South Pole
1965 – Generalissimo Francisco Franco meets with Jewish representatives to discuss legitimizing Jewish communities in Spain
1969 – University of Arizona reports 1st optical identification of a pulsar found in Crab Nebula
1972 – Number of people out of work and claiming unemployment benefit in UK rises to over 1 million

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Famous Birthdays

1893 – Georg Åberg, Swedish athlete (Olympic silver triple jump; bronze long jump 1912), born in Norrköping, Sweden (d. 1946)
1916 – Walter Bartley, English biochemist, born in Brighton, London (d. 1994)
1920 – Peter Clemoes, British historian, born in Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom (d. 1996)
1937 – Dorothy Provine, American actress (The Roaring 20’s; That Darn Cat: Who’s Minding The Mint?), and singer, born in Deadwood, South Dakota (d. 2010)
1968 – Fantastic Negrito [Xavier Dphrepaulezz], American blues singer-songwriter (The Last Days of Oakland; Please Don’t Be Dead), born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

250 – Fabian, Pope (236-50), Bishop of Rome and saint, dies a martyr during persecutions by the Emperor Decius
1191 – Frederick VI, Duke of Swabia (b. 1167)
1838 – Pierre-Louis Hus-Desforges, French composer and cellist, dies at 64
1964 – Jan Rychlik, Czech percussionist, and composer of orchestral, jazz, and film music, dies at 47
2018 – Naomi Parker Fraley, American who inspired “Rosie the Riveter” poster, dies at 96

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Historical Events

1968 – Northern Ireland Prime Minister Terence O’Neill calls for “a new endeavour by organisations in Northern Ireland to cross denominational barriers and advance the cause of better community relations”
1979 – John N Mitchell (former US Attorney General) released on parole from federal prison
1984 – California Supreme Court rejects the request of quadriplegic Elizabeth Bouvia’s to starve herself to death in a public hospital
2017 – High-rise building collapses in Tehran, killing 20 firefighters
2024 – Actor Alec Baldwin indicted by a grand jury on involuntary manslaughter charges over the 2021 fatal shooting on a movie set

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Famous Birthdays

1906 – Lanny Ross, American radio singer (Show Boat; The Swift Show), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 1988)
1944 – Peter Lynch, American legendary investor who coined the phrase “invest in what you know”, born in Newton, Massachusetts
1953 – Richard Legendre, Canadian tennis player and politician, born in Montreal, Quebec
1957 – Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rican politician, born in London, England
1969 – Edwidge Danticat, Haitian-American author, born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

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Famous Deaths

1847 – Charles Bent, American fur trader and Governor of New Mexico Territory for 100 days (1846-47), killed at 47
1915 – Anna Leonowens, Anglo-Indian travel writer, educator, social activist, and co-founder of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, dies at 83
1990 – (Alberto) Semprini, British pianist and radio broadcaster (BBC’s Semprini Serenade), dies at 81
2015 – Anne Kirkbride, English actress (Deirdre-Coronation Street), dies of breast cancer at 60
2022 – Gaspard Ulliel, French actor (Hannibal Rising; Saint Laurent), dies from head injuries suffered in helmet-less skiing accident at 37

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Historical Events

1775 – The West India Committee founded in London by London sugar merchants and Caribbean planters. Initially instrumental in promoting slavery, later aided campaign to end slavery.
1896 – First college basketball game with 5 players on each side is conducted by the University of Iowa; invites student athletes from University of Chicago for an experimental game; Chicago beats Iowa 15-12
1983 – Dick Motta becomes the 5th NBA coach to record 600 wins as his Dallas Mavericks defeat the Golden State Warriors, 112-102 in Oakland, California
2009 – “We Are One” concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington prior to Barack Obama’s inauguration attracts an estimated crowd of 400,000; performers include: Beyoncé, Jon Bon Jovi, Garth Brooks, Mariah Carey, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, John Legend, Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen, U2, and Stevie Wonder
2024 – US city of Lexington starts a new tourism campaign aimed at extraterrestrial travelers by beaming a welcome message into space via an infrared laser

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Famous Birthdays

1872 – Paul Léautaud [Maurice Boissard], French writer and theatre critic (Petit ami), born in Paris, France (d. 1956)
1922 – Bob Bell, American clown, born in Flint, Michigan (d. 1997)
1941 – David Ruffin, American soul musician and early lead singer for The Temptations (“My Girl”; “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”), born in Whynot, Mississippi (d. 1991)
1950 – Pat Sullivan, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Heisman Trophy 1971, Auburn University; NFL: Atlanta Falcons) and coach (TUC, Samford), born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 2019)
1993 – Morgan York, American actress (Cheaper by the Dozen) and narrative podcaster (Halfmoon Chronicles), born in Burbank, California

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Famous Deaths

1918 – Bohuslav Jeremiáš, Czech composer, dies at 58
1986 – Claire James, American actress (Jack Armstrong), dies at 65
1995 – Ron Luciano, American baseball umpire in the American League (1969-79), dies at 57
1996 – Jos Kunst, Dutch composer, dies at 60
2021 – Josep Mestres-Quadreny, Spanish composer, dies at 91

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Historical Events

1827 – Duke of Wellington appointed British supreme commander
1863 – Civil War skirmish near Newtown, Virginia
1937 – LPGA Titleholders Championship Women’s Golf, Augusta CC: Patty Berg wins inaugural event by 3 strokes ahead of Dorothy Kirby
1972 – Section of Memphis’ Highway 51 South renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard
1983 – 10th American Music Awards: John Cougar, Rick Springfield, and Olivia Newton-John win

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Famous Birthdays

1501 – Leonhard Fuchs, German physician and botanist (Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants) for which the flowering plants and color Fuchsia is named after, born in Wemding, Bavaria (d. 1566)
1905 – Franz Schmid, German climber (1st to ascend northside of Matterhorn 1931), born in Garmisch, Germany (d. 1992)
1960 – John Crawford, American bass (Berlin-You Take My Breath Away), born in Palo Alto, California
1961 – Brian Helgeland, American screenwriter (L.A. Confidential) and director (A Knight’s Tale), born in Providence, Rhode Island
1980 – Zooey Deschanel, American actress (Almost Famous; Elf; New Girl), and singer (She and Him), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1882 – Alexander Bullock, American lawyer, politician, and 26th Governor of Massachusetts, dies at 65
1990 – Charles Hernu, French politician (Minister of Defense, 1981-85; Mayor of Villeurbanne, 1977-90), and environmental antagonist, dies at 66
1996 – Mostafa Sid Ahmed, Sudanese singer (b. 1953)
2013 – Robert F. Chew, American actor, dies from heart failure at 52
2014 – Francine Lalonde, Canadian politician (Member of Parliament for La Pointe-de-l’Île), dies of cancer at 73

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Historical Events

1943 – Red Army recaptures Pitomnik airport at Stalingrad
1955 – 5th NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 26-19; MVP: Billy Wilson, SF 49ers, WR
1977 – Cap’s H Monahan scored on 2nd penalty shot against Islanders
1989 – USSR announces plan for 2-yr manned mission to Mars
2019 – Australian Bureau of Meteorology tweets last four days were the country’s hottest on record with Tarcoola, South Australia, reaching 49 C (120 F), Port Augusta 48.5 C (119 F)

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Famous Birthdays

1672 – Francesco Mancini, Neapolitan composer, born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples, Spanish Empire (d. 1737)
1918 – Nel Benschop, Dutch poet known for “Gouddraad uit vlas”, born in the Hague, Netherlands (d. 2005)
1947 – Georgette Mosbacher, American CEO (La Prairie cosmetics), born in Highland, Indiana
1956 – Jennifer Dale, Canadian actress (Coroner, Into Invisible Light), born in Toronto, Ontario
1962 – Paul Webb, English rocker (Talk Talk – “It’s My Life”), born in Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom

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Famous Deaths

484 – Seinei, 22nd Emperor of Japan according to legend (480-484), dies at about 40 (b. 444) [dates disputed]
1263 – Shinran, Japanese Buddhist monk and founder of what became the Jōdo Shinshū sect of Japanese Buddhism, dies at 89
1979 – Ted Cassidy, American actor (Lurch-Addams Family), dies at 46
1994 – Stephen Kritsick, veterinarian (Good Morning America), dies at 42
2025 – Harry Bild, Swedish soccer striker (28 caps; IFK Norrköping, Feyenoord, Östers IF), dies from cancer at 88

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Historical Events

1759 – British Museum opens at Montagu House in London
1942 – US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sends his famed “Green Light Letter” to MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, encouraging baseball to continue playing during World War II
1970 – Nigerian civil war officially ends after 2 1/2 years of fighting when the Republic of Biafra disbands and joins Nigeria
1991 – Dean Jones (76) and Mark Taylor (71) lead Australia to 7 wicket win over New Zealand in cricket’s World Series Cup 2nd Final in Melbourne; win series, 2-0
2016 – American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan unveils newest exhibit replica skeleton of a Titanosaur dinosaur (found 2010 Argentina), largest known dinosaur at 70 tons, 37m

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Famous Birthdays

1875 – Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, Founder and first King of Saudi Arabia (1932-53), born in Riyadh, Emirate of Nejd (d. 1953)
1888 – Joseph Henabery, American director (Cobra), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 1976)
1917 – Wang Renzhong, Chinese politician (First Secretary Hubei Province), born in Jing County, Hebei (d. 1992)
1923 – Ivor Cutler, Scottish poet, musician, singer-songwriter, and humorist (John Peel Show; King Cutler), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2006)
1981 – Howie Day, American pop-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (“Collide”), born in Bangor, Maine

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Famous Deaths

1705 – Walraad, the Young, earl of Nassau-Ottweiler/gov of Nijmegen, dies
1916 – Modest Tchaikovsky, Russian writer (b. 1850)
1978 – Jack Jackson, British trumpeter, dance band bandleader, and influential BBC disc jockey, dies at 71
2008 – Brad Renfro, American actor (The Client), dies of heroin overdose at 25
2023 – Shaye Al-Nafisah, Saudi Arabian soccer forward (32 caps; Al-Kawkab FC), dies at 60

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Historical Events

1932 – 1st totalisator (to record racetrack bets) in US is installed Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida
1940 – MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis gives free agency to 91 Detroit Tigers minor league players
1945 – In Greece, Communists and the British agree to a cease-fire in the struggle to control Athens (and with it Greece)
1972 – WMAU TV channel 17 in Bude, Mississippi (PBS) begins broadcasting
2019 – Spinning disk of ice 300m wide, resembling the moon, forms in the Presumpscot river, Westbrook, Maine

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Famous Birthdays

1861 – Wilhelm von Polenz, German writer (Der Pfarrer von Breitendorf), born in Cunewalde, Germany (d. 1903)
1910 – Renier van der Velden, Belgian composer, born in Borgerhout, Belgium (d. 1993)
1911 – Djuanda Kartawidjaja, Indonesian teacher, engineer, and politician (11th and final Prime Minister of Indonesia, 1957-59), born in Tasikmalaya, West Java, Dutch East Indies (d. 1963)
1914 – Harold Russell, Canadian actor (Best Years of Our Life, Dogtown), born in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada (d. 2002)
1935 – Lucille Wheeler, Canadian alpine skier, born in Mont-Tremblant, Canada

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Famous Deaths

1822 – Franz Innocenz Joseph Kobell, German landscape painter, dies at 72
1959 – G. D. H. Cole, English political theorist and socialist, dies at 69
1978 – Robert Heger, German conductor and composer, dies at 91
2006 – Henri Colpi, French New Wave film editor and director, dies at 84
2024 – Norm Snead, American football quarterback (Pro Bowl 1962, 63, 65, 72; NFL completion % leader 1972 NY Giants; Philadelphia Eagles), dies at 84

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