Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1862 – Battle of Hatchie Bridge, Tennessee; confederate forces avoid capture by Union army
1892 – Dalton Gang ends in shoot-out in Coffeville, Kansas bank holdup
1919 – Norwegian population agrees to prohibition
1958 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1993 – China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
1997 – Federation Cup Women’s Tennis, Den Bosch, Netherlands: Sandrine Testud wins both her singles to lead France to 4-1 win over the Netherlands; France’s first title

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Famous Birthdays

1684 – Johann Jacob de Neufville, German composer, born in Nuremberg (d. 1712)
1808 – Winand Staring, Dutch geologist (Geology of Netherlands), born in Wildenborch, Vorden, Netherlands (d. 1877)
1924 – Jose Donoso, Chilean writer (The Place Without Limits), born in Santiago (d. 1996)
1925 – Bob Thaves, American cartoonist (Frank and Ernest), born in Burt, Iowa (d. 2006)
1957 – Bernie Mac, American comedian (d. 2008)
1966 – Jan Verhaas, Dutch snooker referee

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Famous Deaths

1285 – Philip III “the Bold”, King of France (1270-85), dies of dysentery at 40
1787 – Thomas Stone, US attorney and signer of the US Declaration of Independence, dies at about 44
1967 – Clifton Williams, American major and NASA astronaut, dies at 35, in T-38 jet crash
1992 – Eddie Kendricks, American singer-songwriter (The Temptations), dies of lung cancer at 52
1998 – Michal Kováč, President of Slovakia (1993-98), dies at 86
2002 – Chuck Rayner, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1920)

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Historical Events

1906 – Chicago Cubs beat Pittsburg Pirates, 4-0 to end MLB season at 116-36 with .763 winning percentage; unmatched since
1928 – 25th World Series begins at Yankee Stadium with Bronx Bombers beating St Louis Cardinals, 4-1; sweep series for 2nd consecutive year
1970 – WFYI TV channel 20 in Indianapolis, IN (PBS) begins broadcasting
1996 – BPAA US Women’s Bowling Open won by Liz Johnson
2017 – UK Prime Minister Theresa May suffers a nightmare speech at Conservative National Conference as her voice fails, a prankster interrupts and the set collapses
2019 – Fuel subsidies end in Ecuador after four decades, prompting nationwide protests and President Lenín Moreno to declare 60-day state of emergency

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Famous Birthdays

1585 – Anna of Tyrol, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia (1611-18), born in Innsbruck, Austria (d. 1618)
1787 – François Guizot, French historian and politician (17th Prime Minister of France), born in Nîmes, France (d. 1874)
1841 – Stephen Albert Emery, American composer and pianist, born in Paris, Maine (d. 1891)
1918 – Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1998)
1935 – Jimmy Orr, American NFL wide receiver (Pro Bowl 1959, 65; Super Bowl 1971; Baltimore Colts), born in Seneca, South Carolina
1978 – Ko Soo, South Korean television and movie actor

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Famous Deaths

1072 – Sancho II, king of Castile/bro of Alfonso VI, murdered at about 35
1893 – Pieter J Elout van Soeterwoude, MP (AR), dies at 88
1902 – Lionel Pigot Johnson, British poet and critic (Ireland and Other Poems), dies of a stroke at 35
1903 – Otto Weininger, Austrian philosopher (b. 1880)
1972 – Colin Gordon, British actor (The Pink Panther, Casino Royale), dies at 61
2002 – William “Buddy” Lester, American comedian and actor (Barney Miller, Phil Silvers Show), dies at 85

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Historical Events

1942 – Launch of 1st A-4/V-2 rocket to altitude of 53 miles (85 km)
1952 – 1st British nuclear test during Operation Hurricane at Monte Bello Island, Australia, UK becomes the world’s third nuclear nation
1980 – 4 die in attack on a synagogue in Paris
1986 – Baltimore loses 6-3 to Detroit Tigers, assuring Orioles of club’s first ever last-place finish in AL East standings
1988 – Lebanese kidnappers release Mithileshwar Singh (held for 30 months)
1989 – Panamanian Defense Force attempted coup of Manuel Noriega fails

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Famous Birthdays

1797 – Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, born in Florence (d. 1870)
1914 – Nel Rose, Dutch dance teacher (d. 1970)
1929 – Bert Stern, American photographer, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2013)
1947 – Ben Cauley, American musician (The Bar-Kays) and plane crash survivor, born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2015)
1951 – Jack Grondin, rock drummer (.38 Special)
1981 – Zlatan Ibrahimović, Swedish soccer striker (116 caps, Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, PSG, Man Utd, LA Galaxy), born in Malmö, Sweden

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Famous Deaths

1959 – William Bishop, American actor (Black Eagle, Adventures in Silverado, It’s a Great Life), dies of cancer at 42
1993 – Sgt. First Class Randy Shughart, American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient, dies at 35
1994 – Harriet Nelson, American actress (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), dies at 80
1994 – Heinz Rühmann, German actor and director (Der Hauptmann von Köpenick), dies at 92
1999 – Akio Morita, Japanese businessman (b. 1921)
2004 – John Cerutti, American baseball pitcher and broadcaster (Toronto Blue Jays, Rogers Sportsnet), dies of ventricular arrhythmia at 44

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Historical Events

1936 – New York Yankees score Baseball World Series record 18 runs in an 18-4 rout of rival NY Giants in Game 2 at the Polo Grounds; Yankees win series 4-2
1951 – 1st Netherland TV broadcast (Toverspiegel)
1982 – The Portland Building, designed by Michael Graves, considered the 1st postmodern building is opened in Portland Oregon
1990 – WW2 Allied nations cede any remaining rights as occupiers of Germany
1996 – 30th Country Music Association Award: Brooks and Dunn win
2010 – 20th College Football Holy War: Notre Dame beats Boston College 31-13 in Chestnut Hill

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Famous Birthdays

1873 – Sir Pelham Warner, English cricket batsman, tour manager and administrator (15 Tests; MCC chairman of selectors), born in The Hall, Port of Spain, Trinidad (d. 1963)
1917 – Christian de Duve, British cytologist and biochemist (Nobel 1974), born in Thames Ditton, Surrey (d. 2013)
1938 – Rex Reed, American movie critic and actor (Myra Breckinridge), born in Fort Worth, Texas
1943 – Anna Ford, British broadcaster and actress (Secret Policeman’s Ball), born in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England
1955 – Philip Oakey, English rock vocalist (The Human League-Only Human), born in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England
1959 – Luis Fernández, French soccer defensive midfielder (60 caps; PSG), born in Tarifa, Spain

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Famous Deaths

1517 – John Murmelius, humanist/theory/school book writer, dies at about 37
1860 – Louis Hersent, painter, dies
1988 – Alec Issigonis, Greek-British car designer, developer of the Mini, dies at 81
1994 – Harriet (Hilliard) Nelson [Peggy Lou Snyder], American singer and actress (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet; Follow the Fleet), dies of heart failure at 85
1996 – Sybil Marion Rosenfeld, theatre historian, dies at 93
2007 – Tex Coulter, American NFL defensive lineman (All Pro 1948, 51-52; Pro Bowl 1951-52; NY Giants), dies at 82

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Historical Events

1746 – Bonnie Prince Charlie flees to France
1837 – “Racer’s” Hurricane (Gulf of Mexico)
1948 – California Supreme Court voids state statute banning interracial marriages
1950 – South Korean troops cross the 38th parallel into North Korea
1950 – US Open Women’s Golf, Rolling Hills CC: Babe Zaharias ties Open scoring record, -9 291 to beat amateur Betsy Rawls by 9 strokes
1979 – Pope John Paul II begins his first papal visit to the USA in Boston

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Famous Birthdays

1685 – Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor (1711-40), born in Hofburg Palace, Vienna (d. 1740)
1924 – Jimmy Carter, American politician, 39th US President (D) (1977-81), born in Plains, Georgia
1927 – Sandy Gall, Malaysian-born British journalist and newscaster
1928 – Willy Mairesse, Belgian auto racer (13 F1 GP; Nürburgring 1000km 1963; GT Spa GP 1965; Targa Florio 1966), born in Momignies, Wallonia (d. 1969)
1931 – Sylvano Bussotti, Italian composer
1949 – Isaac Bonewits, American author

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Famous Deaths

1310 – Beatrice of Burgundy, Lady of Bourbon (b. 1257)
1633 – Filaret, [Fjodor N Romanov], patriarch of Moscow, dies
1943 – Antoon Pleyte, resistance fighter, executed at 26
1994 – Scott Dunbar, American blues vocalist and guitarist, dies at 90
1996 – Joonas Kokkonen, Finnish composer, dies at 74
2017 – Samuel I Newhouse Jr., American magazine publisher (Parade, Vogue, Vanity Fair), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1949 – American chemist Percy L. Julian at the Glidden Company announces an improved method for producing cortisone
1962 – JFK routes 3,000 federal troops to Mississippi
1984 – Bowie Kuhn ends career as Baseball Commissioner
1984 – California Angel Mike Witt, pitches a perfect game over Texas Rangers, 1-0
1986 – Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed details of Israel covert nuclear program to British media, is kidnapped in Rome, Italy
1997 – “Too Close” single released by Next (Billboard Song of the Year 1998)

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Famous Birthdays

1929 – Leticia Ramos-Shahani, Filipino Senator, lawmaker and women’s rights activist who led the drafting of the international women’s bill of rights, born in Lingayen, Philippine Islands (d. 2017)
1942 – Sture Pettersson, Swedish cyclist (Olympic silver 1968)
1961 – Eric van de Poele, Belgian racing driver
1964 – Michael McKay, Australian rower (Olympics 1996)
1979 – Clio-Danae Othoneou, Greek actress, musician and pianistn born in Thessaloniki, Greece
1983 – Andreea Răducan, Romanian gymnast, born in Bârlad, Romania

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Famous Deaths

1772 – James Brindley, English engineer (canals and watermills), dies at about 76
1788 – Matthäus Günther, German painter, dies at 83
1925 – Philip Hutchinson, cricketer (2 Tests for South Africa 1889), dies
1987 – Alfred Bester, sci-fi author (Dark Side of Earth), dies at 73
2012 – César Bolaños, Peruvian musician and composer, dies at 81
2019 – Jessye Norman, American opera singer (sang at two presidential inaugurations), dies at 74

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Historical Events

1961 – “Detectives” TV Crime Drama; moves to NBC-TV
1971 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1973 – “We’re An American Band” by Grand Funk peaks at #1
2001 – The Syracuse Herald-Journal, a U.S. newspaper dating back to 1839, ceases publication.
2004 – The asteroid 4179 Toutatis passes within four lunar distances of Earth.
2019 – In Austrian general election conservative People’s Party led by Sebastian Kurz the leading party with 38% of the vote

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Famous Birthdays

1571 – Caravaggio [Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio], Italian painter, (Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy), born in Milan [d. 1610] [date disputed]
1925 – Steve Forrest, Huntsville, Texas, American actor (Ben-Dallas, SWAT), (d. 2013)
1931 – James Cronin, nuclear physicist (Physics Nobel Prize 1980), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2016)
1933 – Samora Machel, president Mozambique (1975-86)
1941 – Frederick “Fred” West, British contractor and serial killer (12 charges of murder), born in Herefordshire, England (d. 1995)
1976 – Darren Byfield, English football player

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Famous Deaths

1598 – Floris I van Pallandt, earl of Culemborg, dies at about 61
1950 – Balthazar Huibrecht Verhagen, Dutch dramatist and writer, dies at 69
1981 – Bill Shankly, Scottish football manager (Liverpool, 1959-74) dies of a heart attack at 68
1993 – Gordon Douglas, director (Call Me Mr Tibbs, Our Gang), dies at 85
1996 – Leslie Crowther, entertainer, dies at 63>>
2005 – Austin Leslie, American chef, the “Godfather of Fried Chicken” (b. 1934)

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Historical Events

351 – Battle at Mursa: emperor Constantine II beats emperor Magnentius
1867 – Toronto becomes capital of Ontario
1928 – NY Yanks clinch pennant #6
1942 – Luftwaffe bombs Stalingrad
1962 – “Brighter Day” last airs on CBS-TV daytime
1964 – 53rd Davis Cup: Australia beats USA in Cleveland (3-2)

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Famous Birthdays

1871 – Pietro Badoglio, 41st Prime Minister of Italy (1943-44) and Italian General (1922-43), born in Grazzano Monferrato, Italy (d. 1956)
1895 – Charles Petrie, historian, born in Liverpool, England
1917 – Michael [George] Somes, England, dancer (Royal Ballet)
1969 – Mark Everett, American fugitive
1975 – Mandy Barnett, country singer (Maybe, Rainy Days)
1982 – Emeka Okafor, American basketball player

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Famous Deaths

1618 – Joshua Sylvester, English poet (b. 1563)
1884 – Fred Morley, cricket lefty quick (16 wkts in 4 Tests for Eng), dies
1899 – Giovanni Segantini, Italian painter (Become his fare), dies
1918 – Georg Simmel, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1858)
1966 – Eric Fleming, American actor (Gil-Rawhide), drowns at 41
1973 – Wystan H Auden, British/American writer (Spain/Platonic Blow), dies at 66

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Historical Events

1921 – American swimmer Johnny Weismuller sets his first 2 world records in the 100m and 150yd freestyle events the A.A.U. Nationals meet in Brighton Beach, NY
1946 – King George II of Greece returns from exile to Athens
1953 – KOLO TV channel 8 in Reno, NV (ABC/CBS) begins broadcasting
1996 – The Julie N. tanker skip crashes into the Million Dollar Bridge in Portland, Maine spilling thousands of gallons of oil.
1996 – Baltimore Oriole Roberto Alomar spits in face of umpire John Hirschbeck
2014 – Hawthorn Football Club defeats the Sydney Swans in the 2014 AFL Grand Final 137-74

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Famous Birthdays

1919 – Jayne Meadows, American actress (Dark Delusion, David and Bathsheba) and wife of Steve Allen, born in Wuchang, Hubei, China (d. 2015)
1932 – Mario Bertoncini, Italian composer, born in Rome, Italy (d. 2019)
1935 – John Stanford, American college baseball coach/administrator (Middle Tennessee), born in Opelousas, Louisiana (d. 2013)
1948 – Tom Braidwood, Canadian actor
1949 – Graham Richardson, Australian politician
1976 – Francesco Totti, Italian footballer

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Famous Deaths

1808 – Gaétan Vestris, French ballet dancer, dies at 79
1868 – Alexander Walewski, French earl and Foreign Minister, dies at 58
1943 – Willoughby Hamilton, Irish tennis, soccer player (Wimbledon 1890; Ireland 1 cap), dies at 78
2005 – Ronald Golias, Brazilian comedian and actor (A Família Trapo), dies at 76
2012 – R. B. Greaves, American singer, dies from prostate cancer at 68
2015 – Frank Tyson, England Test cricket fast bowler/broadcaster (17 Tests, 76 wickets @ 18.56), dies at 85

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Historical Events

1629 – Sweden and Poland signs Peace of Altmark
1783 – Fayette County, Pennsylvania created
1917 – British assault on Menin-street, France
1948 – Boston Braves win 1st NL championship since 1914
1953 – KERO TV channel 23 in Bakersfield, CA (CBS/NBC) begins broadcasting
1997 – Seattle Mariner Ken Griffey Jr hits his 56th HR of 1997

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Famous Birthdays

1774 – Johnny Appleseed [John Chapman], American pioneer nurseryman (introduced apple trees to Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois), born in Leominster, Massachusetts (d. 1845)
1821 – Alvin Peterson Hovey, American judge, 21st Governor of Indiana (1889-1891), andBrevet Major General (Union Army), born in Mount Vernon, Indiana (d. 1891)
1907 – Anthony Blunt, British art historian and spy for USSR, born in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England (d. 1983)
1934 – Dick Heckstall-Smith, English jazz-blues saxophonist, born in Ludlow, Shropshire (d. 2004)
1940 – Frank Maloney, American football coach (Syracuse University 1974-1980), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2020)
1972 – Beto O’Rourke, American politician (Rep (D) Texas 2013-19), born in El Paso, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1871 – Cipriani Potter, English pianist and composer, dies at 78
1951 – Hans Cloos, German geologist and pioneer in the study of granite tectonics (the deformation of crystalline rocks), dies at 65
1966 – Helen Kane, actress (Heads Up, Pointed Heels), dies of cancer at 62
1976 – Leopold Ružička, Croatian-Swiss chemist (Nobel 1939), dies at 89
1979 – Arthur Hunnicutt, American actor (El Dorado, Big Sky, Apache Uprising), dies from mouth cancer at 69
1983 – Tino Rossi, French singer and actor (Destins, Belle Menuniere), dies at 76

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