Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1925 – George S. Kaufman and Irving Berlin’s musical “The Cocoanuts” starring the Marx Brothers opens at the Lyric Theatre, NYC; runs for 276 performances
1973 – 39th Heisman Trophy Award: John Cappelletti, Penn State (RB)
1974 – Soyuz 16 returns to Earth
2007 – 73rd Heisman Trophy Award: Tim Tebow, Florida (QB)
2022 – Canadian pop singer Celine Dion reveals via Instagram that she has been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), a rare neurological disorder

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Famous Birthdays

1741 – Maximilien Gardel, French ballet dancer and choreographer (Menuet Reine), born in Mannheim, Electorate of the Palatinate, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1787)
1822 – Luther Prentice Bradley, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1910)
1965 – Carina Lau, Hong Kong actress and singer (Days of Being Wild), born in Suzhou, China
1967 – Ron George, American linebacker (Minnesota Vikings), born in Heidelberg, Germany
1989 – Drew Doughty, Canadian hockey defenseman (Stanley Cup 2012, 14 LA Kings; Olympic gold 2010, 14; Norris Trophy 2016), born in London, Canada

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Famous Deaths

1625 – Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen consort of Sweden as the wife of King Charles IX, dies at 52
1680 – Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, English politician (b. 1606)
1989 – Hans Hartung, German-French painter, dies at 85
2008 – Oliver Postgate, English animator, puppeteer and writer, dies at 83
2021 – Lars Høgh, Danish soccer goalkeeper (8 caps; OB 603 games) and GK coach (Denmark, Brøndby IF), dies from pancreatic cancer at 62

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Historical Events

1703 – Great storm of 1703 hits Southern England – thousands killed, Royal Navy losses 13 ships and around 1,500 seamen
1924 – German election (Social Democrats win, Nazis and Communists lose)
1941 – The Imperial Japanese Navy, with 353 planes, attacks the US fleet at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii, killing 2,403 people
1964 – George Harrison changes his music publishing company’s name from Mornyork to Harrisongs
2020 – Australian states celebrate “Freedom Day” easing COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria and New South Wales

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Famous Birthdays

1557 – Girolamo Trombetti [Cavallari], Italian singer, trombonist, composer (Sustinuimus pacem), and maestro di cappella (San Giovanni de Monti, 1591-1628), baptized in Bologna, Papal States (d. 1628)
1830 – Luigi Cremona, Italian mathematician (grafostatica), born in Pavia, Italy (d. 1903)
1935 – Jean-Claude Casadesus, French conductor (Orchestre national de Lille, 1976-2016), born in Paris, France
1954 – Bertín Osborne, Italian entertainer, born in Madrid, Spain
1988 – Emily Browning, Australian actress (Ghost Ship), born in Melbourne, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1498 – Alexander Hegius, German humanist and pioneering teacher of Erasmus and Pope Adrian VI, dies at about 65
1775 – Charles Saunders, British admiral, First Lord of the Admiralty, dies at about 60
1956 – Huntley Gordon, Canadian actor, dies at 77
1996 – Jose Donoso, Chilean writer (The Place Without Limits), dies at 72
2019 – Denis Lalanne, French sports journalist (‘Le grand combat du XV de France’; ‘Rugbymania: French flair attitude’), dies at 93

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Historical Events

1060 – Béla I is crowned King of Hungary in Székesfehérvár
1969 – Oscar Brown, Jr’s musical “Buck White”, starring Muhammad Ali, closes at George Abbott Theatre, NYC, after 7 performances
1990 – Baseball player “Shoeless” Joe Jackson’s signature sells for $23,100 at auction
2008 – 4th ACC Championship Game: Virginia Tech beats #18 Boston College, 30-12
2017 – Skirball wildfire near Los Angeles closes the Interstate 405 as thousands forced to evacuate

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Famous Birthdays

1822 – John Eberhard Faber, German-American pencil manufacturer and built 1st large-scale pencil factory in US, born in Stein Bavaria, Germany (d. 1879)
1919 – Willis Whitfield, American physicist and inventor of the clean room, born in Rosedale, Oklahoma (d. 2012)
1949 – Peter Willey, English cricketer (England batsman late 70’s early 80’s), born in Sedgefield, County Durham, England
1955 – Steven Wright, American stand-up comedian (Steven Wright Live), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
1971 – Naozumi Takahashi, Japanese singer and voice actor, born in Ōshū, Iwate Prefecture, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1959 – Len Doyle, American actor (Harrington-Mr District Attorney), dies at 66
1983 – Lucienne Boyer, French singer (Parlez-moi d’amour), dies at 82
1989 – Frances Bavier, American Emmy Award-winning stage and screen actress (The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry, RFD – “Aunt Bee”), dies of congestive heart failure at 86
1995 – James Reston, American journalist (New York Times), dies at 86
1997 – Eliot Daniel, American composer (I Love Lucy theme), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1914 – CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Toronto Argonauts win first Championship; beat U of Toronto Blues, 14-2
1941 – Soviet anti-offensive in Moscow drives out Nazi army
1982 – Dutch judoka Ingrid Berghmans retains judo’s world championship
1991 – “Catskills on Broadway” opens at Lunt-Fontanne NYC for 452 performances
2006 – Audrey Hepburn’s Givenchy little black dress from film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is auctioned for charity for a record £467,200 ($923,187) at Christie’s, London

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Famous Birthdays

1855 – Clinton Hart Merriam, American zoologist and ornithologist, born in New York City (d. 1942)
1901 – Hanns Jelinek, Austrian composer, born in Vienna (d. 1969)
1936 – James Lee Burke, American writer (Dave Robicheaux series), born in Houston, Texas
1960 – Brian Bromberg, American jazz bass player (You Know That Feeling), born in Tucson, Arizona
1969 – Morgan J. Freeman, American film director (Hurricane Streets), born in Long Beach, California

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Famous Deaths

1955 – Paul Harvey, American actor (Spellbound, Calamity Jane, Heldorado, Jamboree), dies at 73
1958 – Ferdinand Bruckner [Theodor Tagger], Austrian-German playwright (Races), dies at 67
1979 – Sonia Delaunay, Russian-born French artist (Orphism), dies at 94
1991 – Jill Browne, dies at 54
2024 – Bill Melton, American baseball third baseman. 1968-77 (MLB All-Star and AL home run leader, 1971; Chicago White Sox, and 2 other teams) and broadcaster,1998-2020 (NBC, Comcast, Chicago White Sox), dies at 79

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Historical Events

1909 – Oldest still-operating NHL franchise is officially established as J. Ambrose O’Brien and Jack Laviolette create the “Club de Hockey Canadien,” known today as the Montreal Canadiens
1920 – 1st Pro football playoff game Buffalo-7, Canton-3 at Polo Grounds, NYC
1948 – Heitor Villa-Lobos’ folk operetta “Magdalena” closes at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC, after 88 performances
1964 – Test Cricket debut of Ian Chappell, v Pakistan MCG, 11, 0-49, 0-31
1968 – Following a civil rights march in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, there is a violent clash between Loyalists and those who are taking part in the march

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Famous Birthdays

1908 – Alfred Hershey, American biologist, worked with bacteriophages (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1969), born in Owosso, Michigan (d. 1997)
1920 – Jeanne Manford, American gay rights activist, born in Flushing, New York (d. 2013)
1938 – Yvonne Minton, Australian-British soprano, born in Sydney, Australia
1955 – Cassandra Wilson [née Fowlkes], American jazz singer-songwriter, born in Jackson, Mississippi
1961 – Frank Reich, American NFL quarterback (Buffalo Bills) and coach (Indianapolis Colts 2018-20), born in Freeport, New York

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Famous Deaths

1807 – Prince Hall, activist/Masonic leader, dies in Boston
1959 – Rosetta Duncan, American vaudevillian (Duncan Sisters), actress (Topsy and Eva), and songwriter (Remeberin’). dies in an auto accident at 65
1976 – W. F. McCoy, Northern Irish politician (b. 1886)
2000 – H. C. Artmann, Austrian writer, dies at 79
2019 – Bob Willis, English cricket fast bowler and captain (90 Tests, 325 wickets; 64 ODIs; Surrey CCC, MCC, Warwickshire CCC, Northern Transvaal), dies of prostate cancer at 70

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Historical Events

1914 – Dutch army opens fire on interned Belgian soldiers: 8 killed
1923 – First Congressional open session broadcast via radio (Washington, D.C.)
1953 – Robert Wright and George Forrest’s musical “Kismet” opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC; runs for 583 performances, wins Tony Award for Best Musical
1978 – “King of Hearts” closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 48 performances
1984 – Bhopal disaster: A Union Carbide pesticide plant leaks 45 tons of methyl isocyanate and other toxic compounds in Bhopal, India, officially killing 2,259 – other estimates are as high as 16,000 (including later deaths) and over half a million injured

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Famous Birthdays

1755 – Gilbert Stuart, American portrait painter (unfinished portrait of George Washington), born in Saunderstown, Rhode Island (d. 1828)
1908 – Edward Underdown, British actor (Beat the Devil, Thunderball), born in London, England (d. 1989)
1914 – Edward “Corky” Cornelius, American jazz trumpeter (Benny Goodman; Gene Krupa), born in Cicero, Indiana (d. 1943)
1918 – Abdul Haris Nasution, Indonesian army general, born in Koetanopan, North Sumatera, Dutch East Indies (d. 2000)
1933 – Rosalind Knight, British stage and screen actress (Friday Night Dinner – “Horrible Grandma”), born in Marylebone (now Westminster), England (d. 2020)

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Famous Deaths

1973 – Emile Christian, American jazz trombonist, dies at 78
1999 – John Archer [Ralph Bowman], American actor (Destination: Moon, White Heat, Blue Hawaii), dies of lung cancer at 84
2004 – Shiing-Shen Chern, Chinese mathematician (b. 1911)
2016 – Gigliola Frazzoni, Italian operatic soprano, dies at 93
2023 – Myles Goodwyn, Canadian rock guitarist, singer and songwriter (April Wine – “You Could Have Been a Lady”), and record producer, dies at 75

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Historical Events

1961 – Fidel Castro declares he’s a Marxist and will lead Cuba to Communism
1973 – Capital Centre (USAir Arena) opens in Landover Maryland; NBA’s Washington Bullets beat Seattle SuperSonics, 98-96 in opening game; arena demolished 2002
1984 – Miami quarterback Dan Marino breaks NFL single-season touchdown pass record when he throws his 37th in the Dolphins’ 45-34 loss to the Raiders; finishes season with 48 TD passes
2014 – Hong Kong pro-democracy activists clash with police as they try to surround the government’s headquarters in some of the worst violence since the protests began
2020 – The UK becomes the first western country to authorize a vaccine for COVID-19, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine

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Famous Birthdays

1920 – Robert Moevs, American composer, born in La Crosse, Wisconsin (d. 2007)
1927 – Jim David, American NFL defensive back (Pro Bowl 1954-59; NFL Champion 1952-53, 57; Detroit Lions), born in Florence, South Carolina (d. 2007)
1931 – Masaaki Hatsumi, Japanese founder and head of the Bujinkan Organization, born in Noda, Chiba, Japan
1939 – Harry Reid, American attorney and politician (U.S. Senator from Nevada, 1987-2017; U.S. House of Representatives, 1983-87), born in Searchlight, Nevada (d. 2021)
1947 – Ntare V [Charles Ndizeye], final King of Burundi (1966), born in Gitega, Burundi, Ruanda-Urundi (d. 1972)

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Famous Deaths

1831 – Traugott Maximilian Eberwein, German composer, and Kapellmeister (Court of Schwartzberg-Rudolstadt, 1817-31), dies at 56
1918 – Edmond Rostand, French poet and dramatist (Cyrano de Bergerac), dies during the flu epidemic at 50
1935 – James Henry Breasted, American Egyptologist and anthropologist, dies at 70
2020 – Pamela Tiffin, American actress (One, Two, Three; Viva Max!), dies at 78
2020 – Rafer Johnson, American decathlete (Olympic gold 1960), dies from stroke complications at 86

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Historical Events

1918 – Yugoslavia declares independence with a monarchy proclaimed in Belgrade
1956 – Australian women’s 4 x 100m relay team of Norma Croker, Betty Cuthbert, Fleur Mellor and Shirley Strickland de la Hunty run world record 44.65 to win the gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics; Cuthbert’s 3rd gold of the Games
1975 – US President Gerald Ford visits People’s Republic of China
1984 – 50th Heisman Trophy Award: Doug Flutie, Boston College (QB)
2014 – “U2 Minus 1” performs at Times Square, NYC for World AIDS Day; Bruce Springsteen and Chris Martin of Coldplay each sing two songs in place of injured frontman Bono

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Famous Birthdays

1921 – Ralph Manza, American actor (Banacek, Mama Malone, Newhart), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2000)
1929 – Emily McLaughlin, American actress (Jessie Brewer in “General Hospital”), born in White Plains, New York (d. 1991)
1929 – Dick Shawn [Richard Schulefand], American character actor and comedian (Producers, Maid to Order, Angel), born in Buffalo, New York (d. 1987)
1979 – Angelique Bates, American Actress (All That), born in Los Angeles, California
1982 – Riz Ahmed, British-Pakistani actor (The Night Of), rapper (Swet Shop Boys), and social activist, born in Wembley, London

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Famous Deaths

1602 – Kobayakawa Hideaki, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1582)
1943 – Damrong Rajanubhab, Thai prince, son of King Mongkut and brother of King Chulalongkorn and historian, dies at 81
1974 – Teddy Knox, British comedian (The Cromwells; Nervo and Knox), dies at 78
1996 – Irving Gordon, American songwriter (“Unforgettable”; “Me, Myself, And I”), dies of multiple myeloma cancer at 81
2010 – Alojz Srebotnjak, Slovenian composer, dies at 79

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Historical Events

1922 – First speed test of the first genuine Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō
1955 – “Pipe Dream” opens at Shubert Theater, NYC; runs for 245 performances
1966 – Barbados gains independence from Great Britain (National Day)
1988 – Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co. buys RJR Nabisco for $25 billion
2014 – Australia experiences its hottest spring and second-hottest November recorded

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Famous Birthdays

1813 – Louise-Victorine Ackermann, French poet (works characterized by a deep sense of pessimism), born in Paris (d. 1890)
1920 – Virginia Mayo [Jones], American actress (The Best Years of Our Lives, Out of the Blue, White Heat), born in St Louis, Missouri (d. 2005)
1953 – (Alphonso) Mike Espy, American lawyer and politician (US Representative for Mississippi, 1987-93 (D); Secretary of Agriculture, 1993-94), born in Yazoo City, Mississippi
1970 – Yayuk Basuki, Indonesian tennis player and politician, born in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia
1974 – Marcellus Wiley, American football defensive end (Pro Bowl and Second-team All-Pro 2001 Buffalo Bills) and broadcaster (ESPN, Fox, Dan Patrick Podcast Network), born in Compton, California

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Famous Deaths

1996 – Tiny Tim [Herbert Khaury], American musician (“Tiptoe Through The Tulips”), dies of a heart attack at 64
2000 – Scott Smith, Canadian rock bassist (Loverboy – “Working for the Weekend”), drowns in sailing accident near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco at 45
2007 – Engin Arık, Turkish nuclear physicist, dies at 59
2011 – William L. Waller, American politician and ex-Governor of Mississippi, dies at 85
2022 – Murray Halberg, New Zealand athlete (Olympic gold 5000m 1960; WR 2 miles: 8:30.0 1961; WR 3 miles: 13.10.0 1961), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1864 – Battle of Spring Hill: Confederate troops under John Bell Hood fail to attack Union forces under John M. Schofield
1897 – First motorcycle race in Surrey, England, is won by Charles Jarrot
1966 – First NBA game at Oakland Coliseum Arena; San Francisco Warriors defeat Chicago Bulls 108-101
1995 – US President Bill Clinton lifts ban on exports of oil from the Alaskan North Slope; the ban was imposed after the oil embargo by Arab oil producers in 1973
1998 – In a classic all-Spanish final, Àlex Corretja puts on a stunning comeback to beat Carlos Moyá 3–6, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, 7–5 and win his only ATP Tour World Championship tennis title in Hanover, Germany

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Famous Birthdays

1872 – Anna von Mildenburg, Austrian Wagnerian soprano, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1947)
1874 – Antonio Egas Moniz, Portuguese neurosurgeon (Nobel Prize 1949 for developing lobotomy procedure), born in Avanca, Portugal (d. 1955)
1891 – Julius Raab, Austrian politician (Chancellor 1953-61), born in Sankt Pölten, Austria (d. 1964)
1891 – Richard Frank Donovan, American composer, born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1970)
1899 – Genevieve Tobin, American actress (Zaza, Great Gambini, Uncertain Lady), born in New York City (d. 1995)

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Famous Deaths

917 – Radboud, bishop of Utrecht/Deventer (900-17)/saint, dies
1997 – Heikki Savolainen, Finnish pommel horse gymnast (Olympic medalist, 1928-52, including gold, 1948), and medical doctor, dies at 90
2003 – Larry Booker (Moondog Spot), American pro wrestler (WWF Tag Team champion 1981), dies of a heart attack at 51
2007 – Roger Smith, American Chairman and CEO of General Motors), dies at 82
2017 – Heather North, American actress (The Barefoot Executive; voice of Velma in “Scooby-Doo”), dies of bronchiolitis at 71

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