Category: On This Day

Historical Events

835 – Chinese Emperor Wenzong conspires with chancellor Li Xun and general Zheng Zhu to kill all the eunuchs, but the plot is foiled. Also known as the Sweet Dew Incident
1814 – The Battle of Lake Borgne in Louisiana: British victory over the United States
1894 – Test Cricket debut of Joe Darling, Ernie Jones, Archie MacLaren
1924 – Respighi’s symphony “Pini di Roma” premieres in Paris
1944 – Beginning of Liese-Aktion: Germany tries to recruit Dutch men for the Germany labor force
1987 – Chrysler pleads no contest to selling driven vehicles as new

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Famous Birthdays

1917 – Wilf Ferguson, West Indian cricket leg-spinner (West Indian of post-WWII years), born in Longdenville, Trinidad (d. 1961)
1927 – Richard Cassilly, American tenor, born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1998)
1932 – Étienne Tshisekedi, Congolese opposition leader, born in Luluabourg, Central Congo (d. 2017)
1935 – Butch [David William] White, English cricketer (England opening attack Brown and White v Pak 1961), born in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire
1976 – Leland Chapman, American bounty hunter, born in Groom, Texas
1985 – Ren Yagami, Japanese actor and singer, born in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1942 – Eduard C “Edo” Fimmen, Dutch trade union leader, dies at 61
1965 – Hermann Sandby, Danish cellist and composer, dies at 84
1973 – Yitzhak Edel, Israeli composer, dies at 77
1979 – Nirode Ranjan Chowdhury, Indian cricketer (2 Tests for India, avg 205), dies at 56
1997 – Kurt Winter, Canadian musician (The Guess Who), dies of kidney failure at 51
2005 – Trevanian [Rodney William Whitaker], American film scholar and author, dies at 74

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Historical Events

1577 – Sir Francis Drake sets sail from England on a circumnavigation of the world
1642 – Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sights the South Island of present day New Zealand; initially he calls it Staten Landt and changes it a year later to Nieuw Zeeland
1936 – National Football League Championship, Polo Grounds, NYC: Green Bay Packers beat Boston Redskins, 21-6; Packers 4th title
1977 – 14 University of Evansville basketball players die in plane crash
1987 – Belgium Christian Democrats (CVP) loses parliamentary election
2007 – The Mitchell Report is publicly released listing the names of 89 Major League Baseball players that have presumably used anabolic steroids and human growth hormones. Notable players named include Roger Clemens and Miguel Tejada.

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Famous Birthdays

1860 – Lucien Guitry, French actor (La Dame aux camélias), born in Paris, France (d. 1925)
1886 – Lambertus Johannes van Apeldoorn, Dutch lawyer (martial law), born in IJlst, Netherlands (d. 1979)
1917 – Dave Street [Patrick Devlin], American actor and singer (Moonrise, I Surrender Dear, Broadway Open House), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1971)
1948 – Ted Nugent, American guitarist (Cat Scratch Fever, Damn Yankees) and right-wing gun advocate,, born in Detroit, Michigan
1962 – Kendra Slawinski, English netball player
1965 – Marko Mäetamm, Estonian artist, born in Viljandi, Estonia

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Famous Deaths

1124 – Callistus/Callixtus II [Guido di Borgogna], Italian Pope (1119-24), dies
1621 – Katarina Stenbock, Queen of Gustav I of Sweden (b. 1535)
1930 – Fritz Pregl, Slovenian/Austrian chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1869)
1992 – Bernard Drukker, Dutch pianist/orchestra leader (duivelswiel), dies
1995 – Evangeline Bruce, hostess, dies at 81
1996 – Charles Edwin Molnar, computer pioneer, dies at 61

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Historical Events

1694 – The Royal Society censures Edmond Halley for suggesting in a paper titled ‘Some considerations about the cause of the universal deluge’ that the story of Noah’s flood could be an account of a cometary impact
1925 – Arthur Heinman coins term “motel”; opens Motel Inn, San Luis Obispo
1959 – UN Committee on Peaceful Use of Outer Space is established
1992 – 6.8-7.5 earthquake strikes Flores Island (tsunami kills 3,000)
1997 – SWAT team shoots John E Armstrong in Florida, freeing 2 young hostages
2003 – Paul Martin becomes Prime Minister of Canada after resignation of Jean Chretien

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Famous Birthdays

1845 – Bruce Price, American architect, born in Cumberland, Maryland (d. 1903)
1887 – Kurt Magnus Atterberg, Swedish composer, born in Gothenburg, Sweden (d. 1974)
1909 – Armand Boni, Flemish poet and writer, born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1991)
1961 – Dale Sanderson, CFL guard (Hamilton Tiger Cats), born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1963 – Ai Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer, born in Tokyo
1972 – Jamal Willis, American NFL running back (SF 49ers), born in Lawton, Oklahoma

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Famous Deaths

1112 – Tancred, monarch of Galilea/Edessa/Antioch, dies
1872 – Willem Anne Schimmelpenninck van der Oye, Dutch politician, dies at 72
1987 – Truman “Pinky” Tomlin, American singer and actor (Sing While You’re Able, With Love and Kisses), dies from a heart attack at 80
1993 – Jeremiah Sullivan, actor (Soldier, Double-Stop), dies of AIDS at 58
1994 – Herman H Felderhof, radio-announcer/head (NRU/NOS Radio), dies at 83
2006 – Raymond P. Shafer, 38th Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1917)

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Historical Events

1878 – Anglo-Zulu War: British high commissioner Henry Bartle Frere presents an ultimatum to the Zulu Kingdom to submit to British rule or face war
1967 – “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”, directed by Stanley Kramer, starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn, premieres in NYC (Hepburn – Academy Award for Best Actress 1968)
1989 – Mark Davis signs record $3.25 million per year KC Royals contract
2016 – Bombing at a chapel in Cairo, Egypt, kills 25 and wounds 45
2018 – US President Donald Trump says he would be “proud” to shut down the government in contentious meeting at The White House with Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer
2019 – Climate activist Greta Thunberg is named Time magazine’s Person of the Year

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Famous Birthdays

1856 – Georgy Valentinovich Plekhanov, Russian revolutionary theorist, born in Gudalovka, Russia (d. 1918)
1904 – Marge, American cartoonist (created Little Lulu), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1993)
1910 – Robert Grieve, Scottish civil servant and planner, born in Glasgow (d. 1995)
1927 – John Buscema, American comics artist (Conan the Barbarian), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2002)
1942 – Derek Parfit, British philosopher who specialized in problems of personal identity, rationality and ethics, born in Chengdu, China (d. 2017)
1962 – Kim Linehan, American swimmer (1979 1500m World record), born in Bronxville, New York

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Famous Deaths

1532 – Pietro Accolti, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1455)
1718 – Charles XII, King of Sweden (1697-1718), shot dead invading Norway at Fortress of Fredriksten at 36
1737 – John Strype, English historian and biographer, dies at 94
1941 – John Gillespie Magee, Jr., American poet and aviator (b. 1922)
2008 – Ron Carey, American labor leader (International Brotherhood of Teamsters), dies of lung cancer at 72
2012 – Ravi Shankar [Chowdhury], Bengali Brahmin sitar master and Indian classical music composer (West Meets East; Concert for Bangladesh), dies at 92

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Historical Events

1510 – Muslim ruler of Goa, Yusuf Adil Shah and his Ottoman allies surrender to Portuguese forces led by Afonso de Albuquerque who puts the Muslim population to the sword
1904 – King Peter I of Serbia named nationalist regime
1956 – Establishment of MPLA in Angola
1966 – Nobel for chemistry awarded to Robert S. Mulliken
1988 – Washington Capitals 1st NHL scoreless tie, vs Montreal Canadiens
2012 – Google begins selling US$99 laptops

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Famous Birthdays

1821 – Nikolay Alekseyevich Nekrasov, Russian poet, writer and publisher (Russkije Zjenjshiny), born in Nemyriv, Russian Empire (d. 1877)
1872 – Johann Babtist Thaller, German composer, born in Röhrmoos, Germany (d. 1952)
1906 – Walter Zinn, Canadian-American nuclear physicist (invented the breeder reactor), born in Kitchener, Ontario (d. 2000)
1937 – Don Sebesky, American orchestra leader (Jimmy Dean Show), born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey
1961 – Mark McKoy, Canadian track star (world record 50m indoor, Olympic gold 1992), born in Georgetown, British Guiana
1963 – Doug Henry, American baseball pitcher (NY Mets), born in Sacramento, California

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Famous Deaths

1890 – Ludolph Anne Jan Wilt Sloet van de Beele, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1861-66), dies at 84
1958 – Adolfo Camarillo, American horse breeder (b.1864)
1982 – Freeman Gosden, American writer and actor (The Amos ‘n’ Andy Show, Calvin and the Colonel), dies at 83
1986 – Kate Wolf, folksinger (Back Roads), dies of leukemia at 44
1993 – Maroun Bagdadi, director/writer (Little Wars, Veiled Man), dies at 42
1995 – John Francis Boyd, journalist, dies at 85

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Historical Events

1861 – American Civil War: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War is established by the U.S. Congress.
1926 – USGA legalizes steel shaft golf clubs
1968 – The Derry Citizen’s Action Committee (DCAC) calls for a halt to all marches and protests for a period of one month
1992 – Operation Restore Hope: US Marines land in Somalia
1995 – 61st Heisman Trophy Award: Eddie George, Ohio State (RB)
2012 – 13 people are killed and 10 are injured after a bus rolls of a cliff and falls 100 meters in Taiwan

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Famous Birthdays

1728 – Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi, Italian opera composer, born in Massa, Tuscany, Italy (d. 1804)
1898 – Emmett Kelly, American circus clown (Weary Willie), born in Sedan, Kansas (d. 1979)
1928 – André Milhoux, Belgian racing driver, born in Bressoux, Belgium (d. 1956)
1953 – World B. Free [Lloyd Bernard Free], American NBA guard (Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors), born in Atlanta, Georgia
1974 – Canibus [Germaine Williams], American rapper, born in Kingston, Jamaica
1982 – Vincent Accardi, American guitarist (Brand New), born in Wantagh, New York,

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Famous Deaths

1706 – Pedro II, King of Portugal (1683-1706), dies at 58
1718 – Vincenzo Coronelli, Italian cartographer and encylopedist, dies at 68
1930 – Jim Slight, cricketer (represented Australia at Oval 1880), dies
1938 – Johannes van Laar, Dutch chemist (thermodynamics), dies at 78
1982 – Leon Jaworski, American Watergate scandal special prosecutor, dies at 77
2009 – Gene Barry [Eugene Klass], American actor (The Atomic City, Bat Masterson), dies of congestive heart failure at 90

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Historical Events

1915 – John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields” appears anonymously in “Punch” magazine
1923 – Labour/Liberals win British parliament
1930 – Cole Porter’s musical “NYCers” premieres in NYC
1955 – 21st Heisman Trophy Award: Howard Cassady, Ohio State (HB)
1966 – US and USSR sign treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons in outer space
1993 – Dow-Jones hits record 3734.53

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Famous Birthdays

1574 – Maria Anna of Bavaria, Empress consort of the Holy Roman Empire, born in Munich, Bavaria, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1616)
1822 – Luther Prentice Bradley, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1910)
1894 – James Thurber, American humorist (Men, Women and Dogs), born in Columbus, Ohio (d. 1961)
1919 – Hans-Dieter Hosalla, German composer, born in Erfurt, Germany (d. 1995)
1961 – Ann Coulter, American author, political commentator, and attorney
1982 – Dee Dee Trotter, American athlete, born in California, United States

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Famous Deaths

1596 – Luis de Carabajal, 1st Jewish author in America, executed in Mexico
1958 – Tris Speaker, American baseball player, hit more doubled than Pete Rose, dies at 70
1982 – Andre Kamperveen, Suriname minister, murdered
1984 – Robert Jay Mathews, White Nationalist (b. 1953)
1991 – [Wilbur] Buck Clayton, American jazz trumpet player and bandleader, dies at 80
1995 – John Gillett, British film critic and researcher, dies at 70

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Historical Events

1912 – Bust of Queen Nefertiti found in El-Amarna, Egypt
1949 – Chiang Kai-shek flees to Taiwan
1964 – George Harrison changes his company’s name from Mornyork to Harrisongs
1980 – 69th Davis Cup: Czechoslovakia beats Italy in Prague (4-1)
1988 – PLO delegation lead by Yasser Arafat proclaims the State of Palestine, recognizing the existence of the State of Israel for the first time
2013 – 9th ACC Championship Game: #1 Florida State beats #20 Duke, 45-7

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Famous Birthdays

967 – Abū-Sa’īd Abul-Khayr, Persian mystic and poet, born in Mihne, Greater Khorasan (d. 1049)
1909 – Jacob Kainen, American painter and curator, born in Waterbury, Connecticut (d. 2001)
1915 – Eli Wallach, American actor (Magnificent 7, The Misfits, People Next Door), born in Brooklyn New York, (d. 2014)
1935 – Jean-Claude Casadesus, French conductor, born in Paris, France
1948 – Mads Vinding, Danish jazz double-bassist, born in Copenhagen, Denmark
1988 – Nathan Adrian, American swimmer (Olympic gold 100m freestyle 2012), born in Bremerton, Washington

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Famous Deaths

1941 – Iida, Japanese pilot/lt, dies in battle at 28
1947 – Tristan Bernard, French playwright and novelist, dies at 81
1979 – Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, British-American astronomer and astrophysicist who proposed that stars are composed largely of hydrogen and are not glowing balls of molten rock, dies at 79
1989 – William Calhoun, professional wrestler (b. 1934)
1990 – Horst Bienek, German writer and director (The First Polka), dies at 60
2011 – Harry Morgan, American actor (M*A*S*H, Dragnet), dies in his sleep at 96

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Historical Events

1862 – US President Abraham Lincoln orders hanging of 39 Santee Sioux Indians
1906 – The British grant Transvaal self-government
1925 – Italy, Britain and Egypt sign Jaghbub accord (Italy)
1980 – NASA launches Intelsat V satellite, no. 502
1988 – Yasser Arafat meets prominent American Jews in Stockholm, Sweden
2013 – Pope Francis gives his ascent to a proposal to create a permanent post on the Pontifical Commission on cases of sin and sexual abuse of minors

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Famous Birthdays

1913 – Eleanor Holm, American 100m backstroke swimmer (Olympic gold 1932), born in NYC, New York (d. 2004)
1922 – John Brunt, English soldier and Victoria Cross holder, born in Priest Weston, Shropshire, England (d. 1944)
1948 – Yoshihide Suga, Japanese politician, Prime Minister of Japan (2020-), born in Yuzawa, Japan
1959 – Satoru Iwata, President and CEO of Nintendo (Nintendo DS and Wii), born in Sapporo, Hokkaido (d. 2015)
1972 – Sarah Rafferty, American actress (Suits), born in New Canaan, Connecticut
2000 – Pablo Nicolás Urdangarín y de Borbón, Spanish royal, born in Barcelona

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Famous Deaths

1865 – Sebastian de Iradier, Spanish composer (Arreglito), dies at 56
1943 – Firmin Baes, Flemish painter, dies at 69
1988 – Bill Harris, American guitarist (Clovers-Love Potion No 9), dies at 63
1989 – Frances Beauvier, actress (Aunt Bee, Mayberry), dies at 86
2000 – Werner Klemperer, German-American actor (Judgment at Nuremberg, Hogan’s Heroes), dies of cancer at 80
2010 – Hugues Cuénod, Swiss tenor and musical educator, dies at 108

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Historical Events

1892 – Anti-semite Hermann Ahlwardt elected to Germany’s Reichstag
1925 – Hans Luther forced to resign as Chancellor and head of the German Weimar government
1928 – Wilhelm Miklas elected president of Austria
1933 – Prohibition ends in the US when 21st Amendment to the US Constitution ratified, 18th Amendment repealed (5:32 PM EST)
1972 – Australia Labour party wins parliamentary election
1987 – 53rd Heisman Trophy Award: Tim Brown, Notre Dame (WR)

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Famous Birthdays

1844 – Frederick Bridge, English organist and composer, born in Oldbury, Worcestershire (d. 1924)
1852 – Thomas Laub, Danish organist and composer, born in Langå, Denmark (d. 1927)
1932 – Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet, novelist and journalist who helped develop Dagestani in Russian literature, born in Khunzakhsky District, Soviet Union (d. 2016)
1932 – Sheldon Lee Glashow, American theoretical physicist (Electroweak theory, Georgi–Glashow model), born in NYC, New York
1959 – Shirley Furlong, American golfer (ANA Inspiration runner-up 1990), born in San Antonio, Texas
1985 – Nico Verdonck, Belgian racing driver, born in Brussels, Belgium

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Famous Deaths

1791 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian musical prodigy and composer (Figaro), dies at 35
1902 – Henry Stephen Cutler, American composer, dies at 78
2001 – Franco Rasetti, Italian physicist (b. 1901)
2005 – Frits Philips, Dutch engineer and CEO (Philips), dies at 100
2011 – Gennady Logofet, Russian footballer (b. 1942)
2016 – Jayaram Jayalalitha, Indian actress and politician, chief minister of Tamil Nadu, dies of a heart attack at 68

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