Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1847 – The Liberian Declaration of Independence is signed making Liberia a sovereign nation, independent from the American Colonization Society
1908 – United States Attorney General Charles Joseph Bonaparte issues an order to immediately staff the Office of the Chief Examiner (later renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation)
1952 – King Farouk I of Egypt abdicates [Black Saturday]
1977 – USSR performs underground nuclear Test
1979 – Estimated 109 cm (43″) of rain falls in Alvin, Texas (national record)
1981 – US Open Women’s Golf, La Grange CC: Pat Bradley shoots final round 66 (−6) to finish 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Beth Daniel; second of Bradley’s 6 major titles

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Famous Birthdays

1931 – Takashi Ono, Japanese gymnast (Olympic gold 1956, 60), born in Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, Japan
1940 – Dobie Gray [Lawrence Brown], American musician and singer (Drift Away), born in Simonton, Texas (d. 2011)
1957 – Hart Hanson, American television writer and producer, born in Burlingame, California
1970 – Kenny Wilhite, CFL defensive back (Hamilton Tiger Cats)
1981 – Abe Forsythe, Australian actor and director (Down Under), born in Sydney, Australia
1983 – Roderick Strong, American professional wrestler, born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

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Famous Deaths

1954 – Hans Lodeizen, [Johan Frederik], poet (Travel to Congo), dies at 26
1969 – Raymond Walburn, American actor (Christmas in July), dies after illness at 81
1990 – Brent Mydland, American rock keyboardist and vocalist (Grateful Dead), dies of a drug overdose at 38
1994 – Thomas Davis, US movie editor/son of MGM-chief Frank D, dies at 26
1995 – Raymond Mailloux, Quebec politician (b. 1918)
2001 – Rex Barber, American WWII aviator (b. 1917)

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Historical Events

1775 – Maryland issues currency depicting George III trampling Magna Carta
1835 – Ibrahim Pasha’s army attacks Jewish settlers of Hebron Palestine
1898 – 1st US troops land and occupy Puerto Rico, at Guanica Bay
1913 – A meeting in Johannesburg, called by the South African Native National Congress, now African National Congress, is attended by a large number of people from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland
1938 – Jewish artisans not allowed in Germany
2019 – Scandal-hit Governor of Puerto Rico Ricardo Rosselló resigns

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Famous Birthdays

1901 – Walter Breedveld, Dutch writer (Een ship vergaat), born in Den Bosch, Netherlands (d. 1977)
1940 – John Pennel, American pole vaulter (James E Sullivan Award-1963), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 1993)
1943 – Roy Acuff Jr., American country musician, born in Nashville, Tennessee
1956 – Frances Arnold, American Chemist (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2018), born in Edgewood, Pennsylvania
1977 – Kenny Thomas, American basketball player, born in Atlanta, Georgia
1988 – Anthony Stokes, Irish footballer, born in Dublin

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Famous Deaths

1593 – Steven Haghen, navigator/governor of Ambon (1617-18), dies at 61
1804 – William Forsyth, English gardening expert (Forsythia), dies
1958 – Harry Warner, US movie pioneer (Warner Bros), dies at 81
1988 – Judith Barsi, American child actress (The Land Before Time), shot dead with mother by her father at 11
1993 – Nan Grey [Eschal Miller], American actress (Three Smart Girls, Dracula’s Daughters), dies of heart failure on her 75th birthday
1995 – Osvaldo Pugliese, Argentine musician and composer, dies at 89

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Historical Events

1911 – American explorer Hiram Bingham discovers Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas
1959 – US Vice President Richard Nixon argues with Nikita Khrushchev, known as “Kitchen Debate”
1983 – 70th Tour de France won by Laurent Fignon of France
1988 – US and Jamaica play scoreless tie, in 2nd round of 1990 world soccer cup
1991 – Ottawa Rough Riders Board of Directors resign
2012 – Danielle Steel’s novel “Friends Forever: A Novel” is published

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Famous Birthdays

1815 – Arnaud-Michel d’Abbadie, French explorer (Ethiopia), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1893)
1841 – Raimundo Madrazo y Garreta, Spanish Realistic painter, born in Rome (d. 1920)
1925 – Ignacio Aldecoa, Spanish writer (Gran Sol, Caballo the Pica), born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain (d. 1969)
1958 – Mick Karn [Andonis Michaelides], English musician (Japan), born in Nicosia, Cyprus (d. 2011)
1977 – Arnold Bruggink, Dutch soccer player (FC Twente)
1979 – José Valverde, American baseball player

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Famous Deaths

1971 – Alan Rawsthorne, composer, dies at 66
1973 – Mary Frasca, singer/actress, dies in NYC
1979 – Archie Duncan, Scottish actor (The Adventures of Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes), dies at 65
1997 – William J. Brennan, Jr. American Supreme Court judge (1956-90), dies at 91
2004 – Claude André François Ballif, French composer, dies at 80
2009 – E. Lynn Harris, American Author (b. 1955)

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Historical Events

1868 – All England Lawn Tennis Club is founded as The All England Croquet Club; 1877 name changed to The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club
1930 – Earthquake strikes Ariano Italy, 1,500 killed
1956 – Bell X-2 rocket plane sets world aircraft speed record of 3,050 kph
1976 – 42nd NFL Chicago All Star Game: Pittsburgh 24, All Stars 0 (52,895)
1990 – Rosie Jones (St Louis), 26, crowned 22nd Miss Black America
2019 – US Senate passes bill championed by comedian Jon Stewart to ensure 9/11 first responders fund never runs out of money

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Adone Zecchi, Italian composer, born in Bologna (d. 1995)
1931 – Guy Fournier, French Canadian author and screenwriter, born in Waterloo, Quebec
1938 – Ronny Cox, American actor (RoboCop, Total Recall), born in Cloudcroft, New Mexico
1969 – Fernanda Ribeiro, Portuguese 10k runner (Olympic gold 1996), born in Penafiel, Portugal
1975 – Seong Hyeon-ah, South Korean actress
1988 – Pippa Bennett-Warner, English actress

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Famous Deaths

1905 – Jean-Jacques Henner, French painter, dies at 76
1942 – Adam Czerniakow, Polish engineer (suicide) (b. 1880)
1943 – Emanuel Querido, Dutch author and publisher (N.V. Em. Querido Uitgeversmaatschappij), murdered in the Nazi extermination camp at Sobibor at 71
1980 – Mollie Steimer, American political prisoner and anarchist agitator, dies at 82
1986 – Jouko Paavo Kalervo Tolonen, Finnish composer, dies at 73
2007 – Tor Kamata, American/Canadian professional wrestler (b. 1937)

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Historical Events

1901 – Serbia reactivates diplomatic relations with Montenegro
1934 – Outside Chicago’s Biograph Theatre, “Public Enemy No. 1” John Dillinger is mortally wounded by FBI agents
1968 – Sir John Newsome recommends public schools should take 50% of their intake from the state school system
1983 – Angels OF Brian Downing error ends his record streak at 244 games
1990 – 77th Tour de France won by Greg LeMond of USA
2013 – Mike Babcock is again named head coach of Team Canada, this time for the 2014 Winter Olympics (they would repeat as gold medalists)

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Famous Birthdays

1804 – Victor Schoelcher, French writer (abolitionism), born in Paris (d. 1893)
1923 – Bob [Robert] Dole, American politician (Senate Republican leader, 1985-96, Presidential candidate in 1996), born in Russell, Kansas
1941 – Ron Turcotte, Canadian jockey
1944 – Guich Koock, actor (Harley Puckett-Carter Country), born in Austin, Texas
1972 – Colin Ferguson, Canadian actor
1983 – Sharni Vinson, Australian actress and model

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Famous Deaths

1461 – Charles VII, King of France (1422-61), dies at 58
1826 – Giuseppe Piazzi, Italian astronomer (found 1st asteroid-Ceres), dies at 80
1852 – Auguste Marmont, French marshal, dies at 77
1908 – William Randal Cremer, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (b. 1828)
1979 – Sándor Kocsis, Hungarian footballer (Budapest Honvéd), dies at 49
2016 – Thomas Sutherland, American hostage (Lebanon) and academic, dies at 85

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Historical Events

1825 – Java princess Dipo Negoro/Mangkubumi declare war on all non-islamics
1940 – VARA-management accepts Rost of Tonningens demands
1944 – US forces land on Guam during its recapture from the Japanese (Operation Forager)
1956 – US performs atmospheric nuclear Test at Enwetak
1972 – 2 passenger trains collide head-on killing 76 (Seville, Spain)
1984 – USSR performs underground nuclear Test

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Famous Birthdays

1797 – Franz Schoberlechner, Austrian composer, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1843)
1856 – Harry A P Eyres, British diplomat (Constantinople, Albania)
1903 – Theodore Karyotakis, Greek composer, born in Argos, Greece (d. 1978)
1905 – Diana Trilling, American critic and writer (d. 1996)
1935 – Julian Pettifer, English TV-host
1945 – Geoff Dymock, Australian cricket left-arm pace bowler (1974-80)

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Famous Deaths

1861 – Francis Stebbins Bartow, Confederate colonel, dies in battle at 44
1948 – Arshile Gorky, Armenian-American abstract painter, dies at 43
1970 – Mikhail Gerasimov, Russian anthropologist and sculptor (b. 1907)
1991 – Paul Warwick, English racing driver (b. 1969)
1993 – Piet Wielinga, TV producer (Dutch Glory), dies at 56
1996 – John Kevin Moorhouse, test pilot, dies at 50

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Historical Events

1495 – French viceroy of Naples Montpensier surrenders
1609 – Emperor Rudolf II grants Silezische protestants freedom of religion
1911 – Generals Henry Wilson/Auguste Dubail sign plan for British Expeditionary army in case of war with Germany
1944 – Violent battles in Verrieres-hill (Normandy)
2003 – France: Sixteen people are injured after two bombs explode outside a tax office in Nice.
2017 – Elon Musk tweets he has “verbal government approval” to build 29 minute Hyperloop between New York and Washington, D.C.

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Famous Birthdays

1925 – Jacques Delors, French economist/chairman European Committee (1985-95)
1975 – Erik Hagen, Norwegian footballer
1975 – Birgitta Ohlsson, Swedish politician
1976 – Alex Yoong, Malaysian racing driver
1978 – Jen Grubb, Elk Hart Indiana, soccer defender (Olympics 1996)
1999 – Princess Alexandra of Hanover, daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco

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Famous Deaths

985 – Antipope Boniface VII (974, 984–985)
1752 – John C Pepusch, English composer (Beggar’s Opera), dies at about 85
1936 – Jose Sanjurjo, Spanish general (Morocco) and high director, dies at 64
1944 – Friedrich Olbricht, German general (July 20th plotter), executed
1995 – Natalia Dmitrevna Shpiller, singer, dies at 85
1997 – Linda Stirling, college prof/B movie actress (Pretender), dies at 75

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Historical Events

1864 – Third Battle of Winchester, Virginia (Stephenson’s Depot) [->JUL 20]
1944 – Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg 1st meets Adolf Eichmann
1952 – Freddie Trueman takes 8-31, India all out 58 at Old Trafford
1960 – SF Giants Juan Marichal debuts, with a 1 hitter against Phillies
1991 – With NY Yankee victory, 10 of 14 AL teams are at .500 or better
2009 – The Wesley Impact: black spot the size of Earth discovered on Jupiter after unknown object crashed onto the planet

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Famous Birthdays

1814 – Samuel Colt, American inventor and industrialist (Colt 6 shot revolver), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 1862)
1876 – John Gunn, English cricketer (England all-rounder in 6 Tests 1901-05), born in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, England (d. 1963)
1951 – Jayson Stark, American sportswriter (The Athletic), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1958 – David Robertson, American symphony orchestra conductor, born in Malibu, California
1973 – Saïd Taghmaoui, French actor
1980 – Mark Webber, American actor

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Famous Deaths

1545 – George Carew, English admiral, drowns
1868 – Soji Okita, Japanese samurai, 1st Captain of the Shinsengumi (b. 1842 or 1844)
1888 – Yamaoka Tesshū, Japanese swordsman and master of kendo, dies at 52
1939 – Tom Hayward, English cricketer (35 Tests for England, 1999 runs), dies at 68
1994 – Christian-Jaque, [Christian Maudet], French director (Nana), dies
2005 – Edward Bunker, American writer (b. 1933)

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Historical Events

1743 – 1st half-page newspaper ad is published (NY Weekly Journal)
1861 – Battle of Blackburn’s Ford, Virginia
1947 – British seize “Exodus 1947” ship of Jewish immigrants to Palestine
1952 – KWGN TV channel 2 in Denver, Colorado (IND) begins broadcasting
1966 – Carl Sagan turns 1 billion seconds old
1996 – Storms provoke severe flooding on the Saguenay River, beginning one of Québec’s costliest natural disasters ever

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Famous Birthdays

1711 – Pierre-Joseph Le Blan, composer, born in Soignies, Belgium (d. 1765)
1864 – Phillip Snowden, British politician, 1st Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer, born Cowling, Yorkshire (d. 1937)
1880 – Otto Vrieslander, German composer, born in Münster, Germany (d. 1950)
1900 – Nathalie Sarraute [Tcherniak], French writer (Childhood, Portrait of a Man Unknown, The Golden Fruits), born in Ivanovo, Russia (d. 1999)
1962 – Jack Irons, American drummer (red Hot Chilli Peppers), born in Los Angeles, California
1967 – Jeff Lageman, NFL defensive end (Jacksonville Jaguars)

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Famous Deaths

1730 – François de Neufville, duc de Villeroi, French soldier (b. 1644)
1872 – Benito Juarez, Cuban justice/general (battle of Acapulco), dies at 66
1990 – Yoon Boseon, President of South Korea (b. 1897)
1990 – Karl Menninger, American psychiatrist (Menninger Clinic), dies at 96 of cancer
1992 – Viktor Louis, Russian journalist, dies
2015 – Alex Rocco, American actor (The Godfather, The Famous Teddy Z), dies at 79

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Historical Events

1509 – Venice recaptures Padua
1816 – “L’Argus” accidentally discovers raft holding survivors from wrecked French frigate “Méduse.” After 13 days at sea only 15 of 151 remain, the rest having been cannibalised, murdered, or committed suicide. This event was made famous by Théodore Gericault’s painting “The Raft of the Medusa”
1850 – Harvard Observatory takes 1st photograph of a star (Vega)
1919 – Finland adopts constitution
1959 – Paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey discovers partial skull of a new species of early human ancestor, Zinjanthropus boisei or ‘Zinj’ (now called Paranthropus boisei) lived in Africa almost 2 million years ago
1981 – USSR performs nuclear Test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

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Famous Birthdays

1885 – Benjamin James Dale, composer
1933 – Bruce Wells, English boxer (European amateur light middleweight champion 1953) and actor (Dr. Who 1965-73), born in Harlesden, Middlesex (d.2009)
1949 – Geezer Butler, English rock bassist (Black Sabbath), born in Birmingham, England
1950 – P.J. Soles, German-born American actress, born in Frankfurt, Germany
1960 – Scott Norwood, American NFL kicker (Buffalo Bills-Super Bowl XXV goat), born in Alexandria, Virginia
1976 – Dagmara Dominczyk, Polish actress, born in Kielce, Poland

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Famous Deaths

1571 – Georg Fabricius, German poet, historian and archaeologist, dies at 55
1704 – Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, French fur trader and explorer
1791 – Martin Dobrizhoffer, Austrian Jesuit missionary (b. 1717)
1794 – John Roebuck, English inventor and industrialist (b. 1718)
1881 – Jim Bridger, American mountain man, Indian fighter, and explorer (b. 1804)
1943 – Sir Patrick Duncan, Governor-general of the Union of South Africa (1937 to 1943), dies at 72

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