Category: On This Day

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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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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