Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1515 – Thomas Wolsey appointed Lord Chancellor of England
1832 – 1st US Negro hospital founded by whites chartered, Savannah, Georgia
1953 – René Coty elected president of France
1960 – Dutch bishops question papacy values
1999 – Opening of St Peter’s Holy Door by Pope John Paul II in approach of 3rd millennium
2001 – “Time Magazine” names New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani ‘Person of the Year’, for leadership after 9/11 attacks

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Famous Birthdays

1879 – Émile Nelligan, Canadian francophone poet, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1941)
1930 – Robert Joffrey [Abdullah Jaffa Anver Bey Khan], American dancer, born in Seattle, Washington
1940 – Anthony Fauci, American immunologist (White House Coronavirus COVID-19 taskforce), born in Brooklyn, New York City
1949 – Warwick Brown, Australian racing driver, born in Sydney, Australia
1962 – Kate Spade, American fashion designer, born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 2018)
1974 – Ryan Seacrest, American television host, born in Dunwoody, Georgia

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Famous Deaths

1914 – John Muir, Scottish naturalist and discoverer (glacier in High Seirras), dies of pneumonia at 76
1952 – Henry A “Hans” Kramers, Dutch theoretical physicist, dies at 58
1993 – Alexander Mackendrick, American-born Scottish director (Lady Killers), dies at 81
1994 – John Keith Wright, English Asst Sect of State (1971-84), dies at 66
2007 – Akbar Radi, Iranian dramatist and playwright (b. 1939)
2012 – Richard Rodney Bennett, English composer, dies at 76

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Historical Events

1920 – Government of Ireland Act / Home Rule Act passed partitioning Ireland
1921 – Visva-Bharati University is inaugurated in Santiniketan, West Bengal, India, founded by Rabindranath Tagore
1941 – Japan begins assault on Rangoon, Burma
1961 – Train accident in Italy, 70 die
1968 – 82 members of US intelligence ship Pueblo released by North Korea
1973 – 6 Persian Gulf nations double their oil prices

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Famous Birthdays

1544 – Anna, duchess of Saxson/wife of prince Willem of Orange (1561-71)
1613 – Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish soldier (d. 1676)
1914 – Dezider Kardos, Slovak composer, born in Nadlice, Slovakia (d. 1991)
1921 – Gerald S O’Loughlin, American actor and director (Storefront Lawyer, Rookies, Wheels), born in NYC, New York (d. 2015)
1973 – Tony Graziani, American football quarterback (Atlanta Falcons), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
1975 – Sky Lopez, American actress, born in Stillwater, Minnesota

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Famous Deaths

558 – Childebert, king of France (511-58), dies at about 62
1805 – Pehr Osbeck, Swedish explorer and naturalist (b. 1723)
1930 – Johannes H. Been, Brielle archivist, dies at 71
1972 – Andrej Tupolev, Russian aircraft builder, dies at 84
1982 – Norman Dinerstein, American composer, dies of a heart attack at 45
1995 – David Land, impresario and theatre producer, dies at 77

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Historical Events

1919 – US deports 250 alien radicals, including anarchist Emma Goldman
1931 – Retrospective show of Mexican artist Diego Rivera opens at The Museum of Modern Art in New York
1965 – “Doctor Zhivago” based on the novel by Boris Pasternak, directed by David Lean and starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie premieres in NYC
1976 – “Your Arm’s Too Short…” opens at Lyceum NYC for 429 performances
1983 – Islanders score 3 shorthanded goals against Caps
1997 – Hunter Tylo awarded $4 million in Melrose Place breach of contract

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Famous Birthdays

1684 – Johann J Dillenius [Dillen], German botanist (Historia Muscorum), born in Darmstadt, Germany (d. 1747)
1903 – Marc Lavry, Israeli composer, born in Riga, Latvia (d. 1967)
1945 – Joris J. C. Voorhoeve, Dutch Defense minister (1994-, VVD), born in the Hague, Netherlands
1947 – Dilip Doshi, Indian cricketer (India’s main slow lefty post-Bedi), born in Rajkot, India
1970 – Ted Cruz [Rafael Edward], Canadian-born US politician (Senate-R-Texas 2013-), born in Calgary. Alberta
1977 – Joanna Hughes, Australian gymnast (Olympics 1996), born in Victoria, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1867 – Théodore Rousseau, French painter, dies at 55
1873 – Charles Lenox Remond, African-American orator and abolitionist, dies at 63
1940 – Nathanael West [Weinstein], American writer (Cool Million), dies at 37
1942 – Franz Boas, German-American anthropologist and linguist (Mind of Primitive Man), dies 84
1990 – Cecil Effinger, composer, dies at 76
2018 – Paddy Ashdown, British MP, leader of Liberal Democrats (1988-1999), dies of bladder cancer at 77

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Historical Events

1582 – Flanders adopts Gregorian calendar, tomorrow is Jan 1 1583
1946 – Morton Gould’s “Minstrel Show” premieres in Indianapolis
1962 – US and Cuba accord, releases bay of pigs captive
1972 – Soviet Union signs a separate peace with East Germany
1987 – Soyuz TM-4 launches 3 cosmonauts to space station Mir
1988 – Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov return to earth (a year) with Chretien

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Famous Birthdays

1891 – John W. McCormack, American politician (D) Speaker of House (1962-70), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1980)
1915 – Werner von Trapp, Austrian singer (Trapp Family Singers), born in Zell am See, Austria (d. 2007)
1943 – Walter Spanghero, French rugby player, born in Payra-sur-l’Hers, France
1948 – Dave Kingman, American baseball player (Mets, NY Yankees, Giants), born in Pendleton, Oregon
1960 – Roger McDowell, American baseball pitcher (NY Mets, Baltimore Orioles), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1960 – Louis Demetrius Alvanis, English classical pianist, born in London, United Kingdom

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Famous Deaths

1900 – Roger Wolcott, American political figure, 39th Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1847)
1965 – Claude Champagne, Canadian composer, dies at 74
1974 – Richard Long, American actor (Prof-Nanny and the Professor), dies at 47
1997 – Bruce Woodcock, English boxer, European Heavyweight Champion, dies at 76
2017 – Wolfgang Ludewig, German composer, dies at 91
2019 – Sam Strahan, New Zealand rugby union lock (17 caps; Manawatū), dies at 74

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Historical Events

1944 – Terence Rattigan’s “O Mistress Mine” premieres in London
1981 – Harry Krieger and Tom Eyen’s musical “Dreamgirls” opens at Imperial Theater NYC for 1522 performances
1983 – NY Islanders score their most goals (11) vs Pitts Penguins
1988 – Premier Ranasinghe Premadasa elected President of Sri Lanka
2002 – US Senator Trent Lott resigns as majority leader.
2002 – “Gangs of New York”, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz, is released

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Famous Birthdays

1890 – Yvonne Arnaud, French-born pianist, singer and actress (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre), born in Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, France (d. 1958)
1924 – Errol John, Trinidadian actor and playwright (A Man from the Sun, The Nun’s Story, Assault on a Queen), born in Port of Spain, Trinidad (d. 1988)
1951 – Gilbert Montagné, French musician, born in Paris, France
1956 – Blanche Baker, American actress, Carroll Baker’s Daughter (French Postcard), born in NYC, New York
1967 – Duncan Kennedy, American luger (Olympics 1994), born in Burlington, California
1972 – Scott Slutzker, American football tight end (Indianapolis Colts), born in Oakland, California

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Famous Deaths

1539 – Johannes Lupi, Flemish composer
1991 – Thomas Newman, actor/composer (Cape Fear), dies of heart attack at 60
1991 – Andries D Copier, Dutch glass designer (Guild glass), dies
1998 – Irene Hervey, American actress (b. 1910)
2001 – Léopold Sédar Senghor, Senegalese poet and 1st President of Senegal (1960-80), dies at 95
2019 – Junior Johnson, American auto racer and team owner (Daytona 500 1960; NASCAR Hall of Fame), dies from Alzheimer’s disease at 88

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Historical Events

1551 – Dutch west coast hit by hurricane
1952 – Queen Juliana unveals statue “Docker”
1957 – “Music Man” opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 1375 performances
1986 – “Platoon” directed by Oliver Stone and starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe is released (Academy Awards Best Picture 1987)
1993 – “Red Shoes” closes at Gershwin Theater NYC after 5 performances
2009 – Former Welsh and Lions captain Gareth Thomas is the first international rugby player to reveal he is gay

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Famous Birthdays

1896 – John Seldon Whale, theologian
1926 – Jeanne Kirkpatrick, US ambassador to UN
1934 – Casper R. Taylor, Jr., American politician
1948 – Ken Brown, Canadian ice hockey player
1966 – Eric Weinrich, Roanoke, NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks)
1967 – Frankie Lam, Hong Kong actor

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Famous Deaths

1807 – Friedrich Melchior, baron von Grimm, German writer (b. 1723)
1813 – James McGill, Scottish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist, dies at 69
1867 – Jean-Georges Kastner, French composer, dies at 57
1989 – Dorothea “Stella” Gibbons, English journalist and author (Cold Comfort Farm), dies at 87
1996 – Yuli Borisovich Khariton, scientist, dies at 82
2005 – Vincent Gigante, Italian-American mafioso, dies at 77

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Historical Events

1773 – A skirmish at Grass Cove in Queen Charlotte Sound results in the deaths of two Māori and nine members of James Cook’s expedition, New Zealand
1858 – Passy, at Paris: 1st “Samedi soir” i/d villa of lovers Rossini
1962 – USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1971 – US dollar devalued 7.9% in Holland ($1=Ÿ3,245)
1980 – IRA’s Sean McKenna becomes critically ill, ends hunger strike
1990 – NL announces Buffalo, Denver, Miami, Orlando, Tampa-St Petersburg, and Washington, D.C. as 6 finalist for 1993 expansion (Miami and Denver win)

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Famous Birthdays

1811 – Alexander Sandor Asboth, Hungarian-American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Keszthely, Hungary (d. 1868)
1816 – Alfred Elzey Jones, Major General (Confederate Army), (d. 1871)
1867 – Antoon van Welie, Dutch painter
1916 – Betty Grable, American singer, dancer, pin-up girl and actress (I Wake Up Screaming, How to Marry a Millionaire, Gay Divorcee), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1973)
1931 – Alison Plowden, English historian (d. 2007)
1974 – Kari Byron, artist and television personality

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Famous Deaths

1577 – Anna, duchess of Saxon/wife of prince Willem of Orange, dies at 32
1879 – Charley Parkhurst, American stagecoach driver who disguised herself as a women for 30 years, dies at 67
1932 – Eduard “Ede” Bernstein, German marxist/revisionist, dies at 82
1973 – Julio César Brero [or Giulio Cesare], Italian-born Argentine composer and lawyer (Novella), dies at 64
2004 – John W. Downey, American composer, dies at 77
2010 – Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, Italian banker and economist (b. 1940)

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Historical Events

1933 – Spain’s 2nd government of Lerroux forms
1965 – Astrodome opens, 1st event is Judy Garland and The Supremes concert
1986 – American mafia hitman Richard Kuklinski is arrested at a roadblock
1988 – USS Tennessee, 1st sub to carry Trident 2 missiles, commissioned
1996 – “In My Bed” single released by Dru Hill (Billboard Song of the Year 1997)
2017 – “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” takes more than $450m worldwide in its opening weekend, 2nd largest opening in North America ($220m)

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Famous Birthdays

1824 – Thomas Starr King, NY, Unitarian clergyman (Christianity and Humanity)
1892 – Sam Barry, American basketball coach (d. 1950)
1911 – William Roerick, American actor (The Wasp Woman, Guiding Light), born in Hoboken, New Jersey (d. 1995)
1936 – Frank Martinus Arion [F Efraim M], Antilles, writer (Double Play)
1975 – Nick Farrell, boxer (Olympics 1996), born in East York, Ontario
1992 – Thomas Law, British Actor

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Famous Deaths

1957 – Dorothy L. Sayers, English novelist (The Nine Tailors), dies at 66
1975 – Noble Sissle, jazz musician, dies at 86
1982 – Philipp Jarnach, French composer, dies at 90
1996 – Wayne Barlow, American composer, dies at 84
1999 – Rex Allen, American actor and singer-songwriter known as the “the Arizona Cowboy” (Dr Baxter-Frontier Doctor), dies at 78
2009 – Jennifer Jones [Phyllis Isley], American actress (Farewell to Arms), dies of natural causes at 90

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Historical Events

755 – An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion during Chinese Tang Dynasty
1392 – Nanboku-chō – Emperor Go-Kameyama abdicates in favor of rival claimant Go-Komatsu.
1850 – Ships the Charlotte-Jane and the Randolph bring the first of the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton, New Zealand
1950 – “Let’s Make an Opera” closes at John Golden Theater NYC after 5 performances
1956 – “Fanny” closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 888 performances
1993 – “Red Shoes” opens at Gershwin Theater NYC for 5 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1485 – Catherine of Aragon, Spanish princess, 1st wife of Henry VIII, Queen of England (1509-33), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 1536)
1775 – Jane Austen, English novelist (Pride and Prejudice), born in Steventon, England (d. 1817)
1819 – Robert Selden Garnett, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), (d. 1861)
1916 – Udom Patpongsiri, property developer
1930 – Bill Young, American politician (Congress, 1993-2013), born in Harmarville, Pennsylvania (d. 2013)
1947 – Vincent Matthews, American 400m dash (Olympic gold 1972)

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Famous Deaths

1914 – Ivan Zajc, Croatian composer and conductor, dies at 82
1926 – William Larned, American tennis player (US Nationals 1901-02, 07-11), dies of a self inflicted gun shot wound at 53
1973 – Syd Barnes, cricketer (13 Tests for Australia 1938-48), dies
1998 – William Gaddis, American writer (b. 1922)
2007 – Dan Fogelberg, American rocker (Same Old Lang Syne), dies at 56
2010 – Melvin E. Biddle, American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1923)

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Historical Events

1935 – National Football League Championship, University of Detroit Stadium: Detroit Lions beat New York Giants, 26-7; Lions first title
1944 – Bandleader, Major Glenn Miller, lost over English Channel
1967 – The Silver Bridge collapses over the Ohio River in the US, killing 46 people
1969 – San Francisco Fire Department replaces leather helmets with plastic ones
1982 – Sao Tome and Principe constitution approved
2017 – Anita Hill is appointed to lead a Hollywood commission on sexual harassment, spearheaded by Kathleen Kennedy

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Famous Birthdays

1848 – Edwin Blashfield, American painter who decorated the dome of Library of Congress, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1936)
1862 – Jack ‘The Nonpareil’ Dempsey, Irish boxer (first holder of World Middleweight Championship 1886-90), born in Curran, County Kildare (d. 1895)
1949 – Ton Sijbrands, Dutch world checkers champion, born in Amsterdam
1954 – Justin Ross, American actor (Sinatra, Chorus Line, Fan, Quick Change), born in Brooklyn, New York
1959 – Heidi Bohay, Somerset NJ, actress (Megan-Hotel)
1978 – Henrietta Nagyova, Nove Zamky Slovakia, tennis star (ITF/Cali-COL)

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Famous Deaths

1230 – Ottokar I, king of Bohemia (1197-1230), dies
1892 – Charles Balmer, German composer, dies at 75
1901 – Elias Álvares Lobo, Brazilian composer, dies at 67
1951 – Eric Drummond, British 1st Secretary-General of the League of Nations (1919-33), dies at 75
1972 – Edward Earle, Canadian actor (Charlie Chan-Meeting at Midnight), dies at 90
2005 – Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (3 PGA Tour titles), dies of heart failure at 90

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