Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1958 – 1st true reservoir in Jerusalem opens
1966 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1971 – China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
1984 – CFL Grey Cup, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton: Winnipeg Blue Bombers beat Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 47-17; Winnipeg scores final 44 points of the game
2006 – 71st Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 22-15 in Tuscaloosa

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Famous Birthdays

1736 – Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch, German composer, born in Zerbst, Anhalt-Zerbst, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1800)
1909 – Johnny Mercer, American singer, Academy Award-winning lyricist (“Moon River”; “That Old Black Magic”; “And the Angels Sing”: Come Rain Or Come Shine”), and record label executive (Capitol Records), born in Savannah, Georgia (d. 1976)
1923 – Ted Stevens, American politician (U.S. Senator from Alaska, 1968-2009), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 2010)
1945 – Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan politician, Prime Minister (2018-22) and President (2005-15), born in Weeraketiya, British Ceylon
1953 – Kevin Nealon, American actor (SNL, Hot Shot, Coneheads), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut

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Famous Deaths

1904 – Justus van Maurik, Dutch author and cigar manufacturer, dies at 58
1969 – Léon Jongen, Belgian organist, composer, and academic, dies at 85
1972 – Danny Whitten, American rock guitarist and songwriter (Crazy Horse; Rod Stewart – “I Don’t Want To Talk About It”), dies of a methaqualone overdose at 29
1986 – Gia Carangi, American model (AIDS) (b. 1960)
1990 – Peter Schilperoort, saxophonist/clarinetist, dies

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Historical Events

1917 – Vladimir Lenin defends “temporary” removal of freedom of the press
1966 – Leonids meteor shower peaks at over 150,000 per hour for 20 minutes, a storm so intense that some people think it is the end of the world
1980 – WHHM Television in Washington, D.C., becomes the first African-American public-broadcasting television station
1993 – General Sani Abacha leads a military coup against Ernest Shonekan’s transitional administration and returns the Nigerian government to military control
2001 – 66th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 31-7 in Auburn

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Famous Birthdays

1899 – Douglas Shearer, Canadian film engineer, made technological sound advances in film at MGM, born in Quebec Westmount, Quebec, born in Westmount, Quebec (d. 1971)
1925 – Libby Newman, American artist, born in Rockland, Delaware (d. 2023)
1929 – Sumner White, US yachtsman (Olympic gold 1952), born in New York City (d. 1988)
1938 – Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk singer (“Sundown”; “The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald”), born in Orillia, Ontario (d. 2023)
1983 – Ryan Braun, American baseball player (Milwaukee Brewers), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1934 – Joachim Ringelnatz [Hans Bötticher], German writer and artist, dies at 51
1941 – Ernst Udet, German WWI pilot and notable flying ace who helped develop the Luftwaffe under the Nazi Party, commits suicide at 45
1992 – Audre Lorde, American writer, feminist and activist (Black Unicorn), dies of cancer at 58
2006 – Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian soccer forward (Hungary 85 caps, Spain 4; Real Madrid, Budapest Honvéd) and manager (Panathinaikos), dies of pneumonia at 79
2021 – Dave Frishberg, American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and lyricist (“I’m Just A Bill”; “Van Lingle Mungo”), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1798 – Kentucky becomes first state to nullify an act of Congress
1957 – BBC’s 1st pop music show, the “Six-Five Special”, is broadcast from the tiny 2i’s Coffee Bar in London
1959 – Boston business executive Billy Sullivan is awarded eighth and final franchise of developing American Football League (AFL); later branded Boston Patriots
1970 – South Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky defends operations in Cambodia because communist forces could overrun South Vietnam “within 24 hours” if troops operating there were withdrawn
1972 – “Dear Oscar” opens at Playhouse Theater NYC for 5 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1896 – Joan Lindsay, Australian author (Picnic at Hanging Rock), born in St Kilda East, Victoria, Australia (d. 1984)
1908 – Sœur Emmanuelle [Madeleine Cinquin], Belgian-French and honorary Egyptian religious sister (Roman Catholic), human rights worker, and writer (Un pauvre a crié, le Seigneur l’écoute), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 2008)
1930 – Walter Cole [stage name Darcelle XV] American drag performer (Portland’s Darcelle XV Showplace, aged 85 became world’s oldest drag performer), born in Portland, Oregon (d. 2023)
1961 – Bruno Amato, American actor (The Internship), born in Orange, New Jersey
1983 – Britta Steffen, German swimmer (Olympic gold 50/100m 2008), born in Schwedt, Germany

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Famous Deaths

1328 – Prince Hisaaki, 8th Japanese shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate (1289-1308), dies at 52
1668 – Antoon Anselmo, South Netherlands lawyer, dies at about 79
1884 – František Chvostek, Czech-Austrian military physician and medicinal lecturer, dies at 49
1958 – Samuel Hopkins Adams [Warner Fabian], American journalist and muckraker (Great American Fraud), dies at 87
1965 – William Thomas Cosgrave, Irish politician and Fine Gael party leader (President of the Irish Free State, 1922-32), dies at 85

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Historical Events

1813 – Allied troops occupies Groningen
1826 – Dutch Business Me gets monopoly on opium trade in Java/Madura
1936 – Nazi-Germany and Japan sign Anti-Komintern pact
1979 – ABC-TV announces it would broadcast nightly specials on Iran hostage
2005 – 39th Country Music Association Awards: Keith Urban and Gretchen Wilson win

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Famous Birthdays

1897 – Aneurin Bevan, Welsh-British politician (Member of Parliament, 1929-60; Minister of Health, 1945-51 – launched NHS), born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Wales (d. 1960)
1902 – Jack Ingram, American actor (Law of the West), and stuntman, born in Frankfort, Illinois (d. 1969)
1954 – Ab Bryant, Canadian rock bassist (Chilliwack, 1978-81 – “My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)”), born in Canada
1967 – E-40 [Earl Stevens], American rapper * “Tell Me When to Go”), born in Vallejo, California
1968 – Ol’ Dirty Bastard [Russell Jones], American rapper (Wu Tang Clan), born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2004)

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Famous Deaths

565 – Justinian I (The Great), Byzantinian Emperor (527-565), commissioned Corpus Juris Civilis, important civil law code, dies at 82
655 – Penda of Mercia, Pagan Anglo-Saxon King of Mercia, killed at the Battle of Winwaed and his head cut off at about 49 [b. 606. exact date uncertain]
1931 – C. A. J. van Dishoeck, Dutch publisher, dies at 68
1994 – Elizabeth George Speare, American author (The Witch of Blackbird Pond), dies at 85
1996 – Alger Hiss, former alleged spy/lawyer, dies at 92

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Historical Events

1863 – Skirmish at Danville, Mississippi
1964 – “Folies Bergere” closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 191 performances
1972 – Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 1,000 for 1st time (1003.16)
1987 – Sam’s Town National Bowling Pro-Am won by Debbie Bennett
2018 – 52nd Country Music Association Awards: Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves, and Carrie Underwood win

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Famous Birthdays

1601 – Jean Eudes, French catholic priest, founder of the Eudists, born at Ri, France (d. 1680)
1740 – Johann van Beethoven, German musician, Ludwig van Beethoven’s father and first teacher, born in Mechelen, Habsburg Netherlands (d. 1792)
1948 – Charles III [Charles Philip Arthur George], King of the United Kingdom (2022-) Prince of Wales (1958-2022), born in London, England
1969 – David Lindsay-Abaire, American playwright, lyricist and screenwriter (Rabbit Hole, Kimberly Akimbo), born in Boston, Massachusetts
1972 – Lori Dupuis, Canadian ice hockey forward (Olympic gold 2002, silver 1998; World C’ship gold 1997, 1999, 2000), born in Williamstown, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1746 – Georg Steller, German naturalist and explorer (Great Northern Expedition), dies from fever at 37
1955 – Robert E Sherwood, American dramatist (Abe Lincoln in Illinois; Idiot’s Delight), dies of a heart attack at 59
1993 – Sanzo Nosaka, co-founder of Japanese Communist Party (1922), dies
1996 – Joseph Bernardin, cardinal Archbishop of Chicago, dies at 68
2014 – Glen Larson, American television producer and writer, dies from esophageal cancer at 77

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Historical Events

1907 – The Conference of Central American States, convoked in response to the war between Honduras and Nicaragua, meets in Washington, D.C. to promote unification
1942 – Minimum draft age lowered from 21 to 18 in the US
1994 – Title contenders Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill famously collide on lap 35 of the season ending Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide; Schumacher wins his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 1 point from Hill
1996 – Padres third baseman Ken Caminiti is 4th unanimous winner of NL MVP
1999 – Lennox Lewis defeats Evander Holyfield in 12 rounds by unanimous decision to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world

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Famous Birthdays

1732 – John Dickinson, American lawyer and Governor of Delaware and Pennsylvania, born in Talbot County, Maryland (d. 1808)
1882 – John Lowry, American NYC builder (Radio City Music Hall), born in Mount Vernon, New York (d. 1962)
1913 – Alexander Scourby, American actor (Jesus, Shaggy Dog, Giant), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1985)
1922 – Oskar Werner [Bschließmayer], Austrian stage and screen actor an(The Spy Who Came In from the Cold; Ship of Fools; Fahrenheit 451), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1984)
1953 – Tracy Scoggins, actress (Colbys, Gumshoe Kid), born in Galveston, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1861 – Arthur Hugh Clough, English poet, friend of Matthew Arnold, dies at 42
2001 – Marius Flothuis, Dutch composer, (Kleine Suite for 12 Harps; Espressioni Cordiali), artistic director (Concertgebouw Orchestra, 1955–74), musicologist (Mozart), and music critic, dies at 87
2004 – Thomas Foglietta, American politician and diplomat (US Representative for Pennsylvania, 1981-97; Ambassador to Italy, 1997-2001), dies from surgery complications at 75
2013 – Carlena Williams, American session and touring vocalist (Ike and Tina Turner Revue; Humble Pie; Pink Floyd; The Carpenters; Donna Summer), dies at 71
2014 – Alvin Dark, American baseball shortstop (MLB All-Star 1951, 52, 54; World Series 1954 NY Giants) and manager (World Series 1974 Oakland A’s), dies from Alzheimer’s disease at 92

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Historical Events

1912 – Spanish Prime Minister José Canalejas y Méndez is assassinated by an anarchist book shopping in Madrid
1933 – Hugh Gray takes the first known photo of the so-called Loch Ness monster
1946 – A branch of the Exchange National Bank in Chicago, Illinois opens the first ten drive-up teller windows
1960 – Mercury-Redstone 1 test launch fails at 10 cm altitude
2019 – Israeli forces kill senior commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group in the Gaza Strip with Palestinian militants setting off retaliatory rockets at Israel

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Famous Birthdays

1929 – Michael Ende, German fantasy and children’s writer (The Neverending Story), born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria (d. 1995)
1936 – Ruth Jessen, American golfer (11 LPGA Tour wins, 3-time major runner-up), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2007)
1949 – Arthur “Pooch” Tavares, American RandB musician (Taveres – “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel”), born in New Bedford, Massachusetts
1964 – Erik Howard, American NFL defensive tackle/end (NY Jets), born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
1975 – Tevin Jermod Campbell, American rapper, born in Dallas, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1202 – Canute VI, King of Denmark (1182-1202), assassinated at about 39
1720 – Peter Tordenskjold, Norwegian naval hero, dies at 30
1722 – Adriaen van der Werff, Dutch painter, engraver and architect, dies at 63
1994 – Katherine Elliott, British physician (oral rehydration therapy), dies at 75
1997 – William Matthews, American poet, dies at 55

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Historical Events

1647 – Massachusetts passes first compulsory school attendance law in the American colonies
1924 – Martin Beck Theater opens at 302 W 45th St NYC
2013 – “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” directed by Francis Lawrence starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson premieres in London
2014 – The captain of the South Korean ferry which sank in April is found guilty of gross negligence and sentenced to 36 years in prison
2021 – Near-earth asteroid Kamo`oalewa, the size of a ferris wheel, very likely a fragment of the moon, according to a new study

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Famous Birthdays

1657 – Guido Starhemberg, Austrian earl and fieldmarshal (Turkish Wars), born in Graz, Austria (d. 1737)
1909 – Robert Ryan, American actor (Billy Budd, The Dirty Dozen, The Longest Day), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1973)
1964 – Anabel Alonso, Spanish actress (7 Vidas), born in Barakaldo, Spain
1964 – Philip McKeon, American actor (Tommy-Alice, Return to Horror High), born in Westbury, New York
1981 – Natalie Glebova, Russian Canadian TV host and Miss Universe 2005, born in Tuapse, Russia

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Famous Deaths

1984 – Jan Novák, Czech classical composer and contemporary Latin poet, dies at 63
1986 – Roger C. Carmel, American actor (Star Trek – “Harry Mudd”; The Mothers-in-Law – “Roger”), dies at 54
1992 – Giulio Carlo Argan, Italian art critic/mayor of Rome, dies at 83
1994 – Elizabeth Maconchy (LeFanu), Irish-English composer, notably of string quartets, and contemporary music promoter, dies at 87
2006 – Harry Lehotsky, American Canadian pastor and activist, dies at 49

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Historical Events

1955 – James Mundy and John La Touche’s musical comedy “Vamp” opens at Winter Garden Theater, NYC; runs for 60 performances
1968 – Portuguese socialist Mário Soares released from banishment in Sao Tomé under new regieme of Marcello Caetano
1971 – US table tennis team arrived in China
1982 – IMF lends Mexico $3.8 billion due to threatened bankruptcy
1989 – Bulgarian Communist party president Todor Zhikov (78) resigns

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Famous Birthdays

1888 – Hugh Wakefield, British actor (The Man Who Knew Too Much, Blithe Spirit), born in Wanstead, England (d. 1971)
1929 – W. E. B. Griffin [William Edmund Butterworth], American best-selling author (Clandestine Operations, The Lieutenants), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2019)
1930 – Gene Conley, American baseball pitcher (4 x MLB All Star; Boston/Milwaukee Braves, Philadelphia Phillies) and basketball forward (NBA C’ship 1959–1961; Boston Celtics), born in Muskogee, Oklahoma (d. 2017)
1959 – Frank Maudsley, English rock bassist and vocalist (Flock Of Seagulls), born in Liverpool, England
1987 – Jessica Tovey, Australian actress (Belle Taylor in “Home and Away”), born in Sydney, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1779 – Joseph Hewes, American merchant/signer (Declaration of Independence), dies at 49
1964 – Jimmie Dodd, American actor (The Mickey Mouse Club; Thundering Trails; Riders of the Rio Grande), and singer-songwriter, dies of cancer at 54
1966 – Steven Nagy, American bowler (first televised perfect game [300], 1954; ABC Hall of Fame 1963), dies at 53
1998 – Mary Millar, British stage and screen actress (Keeping Up Appearances, The Phantom of the Opera on the West End), dies at 62
2006 – Jack Palance [Vladimir Palahniuk], American actor (City Slickers, Contempt, Batman), dies of natural causes at 87

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Historical Events

1965 – Several US states and parts of Canada are hit by a series of blackouts lasting up to 13 hours in the Northeast Blackout
1965 – San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays named NL MVP
1991 – Joint European Torus (JET) scientists in Culham England successfully harness nuclear fusion to produce the first large amount of controlled fusion power
2007 – Alicia Keys releases her 3rd studio album “As I Am” (Grammy Award Best Female RandB Vocal Performance 2008, 2008 Billboard Album of the Year)
2014 – Asia-Pacific countries, including China and the United States, announce plans to co-operate more closely in the fight against corruption

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Famous Birthdays

1837 – Gerrit Jan van Heek, Dutch textile manufacturer and politician, born in Enschede, Netherlands (d. 1915)
1921 – Ivo Rudolph Jarosy, German-British film scholar and exhibitor, born in Berlin (d. 1996)
1921 – Viktor Chukarin, Ukrainian gymnast (Olympic gold USSR 4 x 1952, 3 x 1956), born in Krasnoarmeyskoye, Ukraine (d. 1984)
1944 – Bill Hendon, American politician (Rep-R-NC, 1981-83, 85-87), born in Asheville, North Carolina
1959 – Sito Pons, Spanish motorbike racer, born in Barcelona, Spain

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Famous Deaths

1208 – Sancha of Castile, wife of Alfonso II of Aragon (b. 1155)
1641 – Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, Cardinal of the Holy Catholic Church and military commander during the Thirty Years’ War, dies at 32
1932 – Nadezhda Alliluyeva, Russian woman who was the 2nd wife of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, commits suicide at 31
1993 – Stanley Myers, English television and film composer (The Deer Hunter), dies of cancer at 63
2024 – Lou Donaldson, American bebop jazz saxophonist (“Blues Walk”), and bandleader, dies at 98

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