Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1885 – Lord Randolph Churchill makes a speech in Ulster in opposition to Home Rule e.g. “Ulster will fight and Ulster will be right”
1915 – Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas) holds its 1st class
1921 – Music Box Theater opens at 239 W 45th St NYC
1925 – New York left fielder Ben Paschal hits 2 inside-the-park-home runs as the Yankees score an 11-6 home victory over Chicago White Sox
1931 – Coalition Government forms in New Zealand to combat the Depression (their lack of success led to the election of the First Labour Government in 1935)
1965 – India and Pakistan cease-fire goes into effect, ending the Indo-Pakistani War

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Famous Birthdays

1717 – Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin, Swedish astronomer (d. 1783)
1917 – Peter Adams [James H Adams II], American actor (Zorro, Kraft Mystery Theater, Alternative), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1987)
1940 – Anna Karina, Danish French ‘New Wave’ actress (Alphaville), born in Solbjerg, Denmark (d. 2019)
1957 – Pete Jones, English rocker (Public Image Ltd.), born in Watford
1958 – Andrea Bocelli, Italian tenor (The Prayer), born in Lajatico, Italy
1970 – Mystikal, American rapper

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Famous Deaths

1959 – Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside, British fieldmarshal, dies at 79
1975 – Franz Salmhofer, composer, dies at 75
1981 – Harry Warren, American composer and lyricist (b. 1893)
1994 – Forest Cowles Bud Forrest Sagendorf, cartoonist, dies at 79
2007 – Bodinho, Brazilian footballer (b. 1928)
2007 – Marcel Marceau, French mime artist (b. 1923)

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Historical Events

1965 – O Kommissarova (USSR) sets women’s longest parachute jump (46,250′)
1973 – Nate Archibald signs 7 yr contract with NBA KC Kings for $450,000
1986 – SD Padre Jimmy Jones pitchs 1-hitter in his major league debut
2001 – University of Roorkee, becomes India’s 7th Indian Institute of Technology, rechristened as IIT Roorkee
2003 – Galileo mission terminated by sending the probe into Jupiter’s atmosphere, where it is crushed by the pressure at the lower altitudes
2009 – Macedonia officially enters the recession after experiencing a drop in GDP of 0.9% in the first quarter, followed by 1.4% in the second quarter

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Famous Birthdays

1756 – John Loudon McAdam, Scottish engineer and road builder who created macadam road surface (asphalt), born in Ayr, Scotland (d. 1836)
1840 – Murad V, 33rd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1876), born in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire (d. 1904)
1899 – Luc Haesaerts, Flemish art critic (Flandre), born in Antwerp (d. 1962)
1934 – Leonard Cohen, Canadian writer and singer-songwriter (“Hallelujah”; Death of Ladies Man), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2016)
1944 – Fannie Flagg, American actress and comediene (Candid Camera), born in Birmingham, Alabama
1945 – Richard Childress, NASCAR team owner

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Famous Deaths

1558 – Charles V, King of Spain (1516-56) and Holy Roman Emperor (1519-56), dies of malaria at 58
1719 – Johann Heinrich Acker, German writer (b. 1647)
1963 – Paulino Masip, Spanish playwright (b. 1899)
1966 – Paul Reynaud, Premier of France (May-June 1940), dies at 87
1985 – Gu Long, Taiwanese writer of wuxia novels (b. 1937)
1995 – Peter Shankland, filmmaker/writer, dies at 94

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Historical Events

1530 – Luther advises protestant monarch compromise
1917 – Paraguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
1948 – Mexican Baseball league disbanded
1961 – USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1990 – South Ossetia declares its independence from Georgia
2016 – Black American Keith Lamont Scott is shot dead by a black police officer in Charlotte, North Carolina, provoking violent protests in the city

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Famous Birthdays

1873 – Robert Wrenn, American tennis player (US Open 1893-94, 1896-97), born in Highland Park, Illinois (d. 1925)
1910 – Jacques-Baptiste LeBrun, French finn yachtsman (Olympic gold 1932), born in Paris (d. 1996)
1936 – Dany Carrel, French actress (Passionate Summer), born in Tourane, Annam, French Indochina
1938 – Jane Manning, English soprano, born in Norwich
1967 – Catherine Bond-Mills, Woodstock Ontario, heptathlete (Olympics 1996)
1971 – Henryk Larsson, Swedish soccer player (Feyenoord), born in Helsingborg, Sweden

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Famous Deaths

1803 – Robert Emmet, Irish nationalist, executed
1884 – Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist, dies at 82
1968 – Frank Pelleg, Czech-Israeli composer, dies at 57
1984 – Steve Goodman, American folk singer and songwriter (Somebody Elses Trouble), dies at 36
1994 – Jimmy Hamilton, American jazz saxophonist, dies at 77
2010 – Leonard Skinner, American high school gym teacher; namesake of rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd (b. 1933)

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Historical Events

1796 – George Washington’s farewell address as president
1940 – Nazi decree forbids gentile woman to work in Jewish homes
1945 – Kim Il-sung arrives in harbor of Wonsan, Korea
1952 – “Adventures of Superman” TV series starring George Reeves premieres in syndication in the US
1955 – Hurricane Hilda, kills 200 in Mexico
1973 – Frank Robinson homers in record 32nd ML park (Arlington Tx)

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Famous Birthdays

1902 – Pieter Jan Bouman, Dutch sociologist and historian, born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (d. 1977)
1911 – William Golding, English novelist (Lord of the Flies, Nobel Prize for Literature 1983), born in Newquay, Cornwall (d. 1993)
1965 – Alexandra Vandernoot, Belgian actress (Highlander: The Series), born in Brussels, Belgium
1969 – Tapio Wilska, Finnish singer (Sethian), born in Savonlinna, Finland
1973 – Jeremy Jordan, American singer and actor, born in Hammond, Indiana
1981 – Damiano Cunego, Italian cyclist (Nippo–Vini Fantini team), born in Cerro Veronese, Italy

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Famous Deaths

1356 – Jean de Clermont, French marshal, dies in battle
1836 – Carl Friedrich Ebers, composer, dies at 66
1936 – Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, Indian musician (b. 1860)
1957 – Reginald Aldworth Daly, Canadian-American Geologist who independently developed the theory of magmatic stopping, dies at 86
1962 – Nikolai Pogodin, Soviet playwright, dies at 61
1987 – Einar Gerhardsen, Prime Minister of Norway (b. 1897)

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Historical Events

1502 – Christopher Columbus lands at Costa Rica on his 4th and last voyage
1635 – Emperor Ferdinand II declares war on France
1793 – US President George Washington lays the cornerstone of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
1915 – Boston Braves trounce St Louis Cardinals 20-1
2003 – The United Kingdom’s Local Government Act 2003, repealing controversial Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, receives Royal Assent
2017 – 69th Emmy Awards: hosted by Stephen Colbert, “The Handmaid’s Tale”, Elisabeth Moss, Sterling K Brown, Julia Dreyfus, Donald Glover win

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Famous Birthdays

1636 – Pietro Sanmartini, Italian composer, born in Florence, Italy (d. 1701)
1875 – Tomas Burgos, Chilean philanthropist (founder of Villa Lo Burgos), born in Osorno, Chile (d. 1945)
1906 – Semjon I Kirsanov, Ukrainian poet (Semj Dnej Nedeli), born in Odessa, Ukraine [OS=Sept 5]
1908 – Victor Ambartsumian, Russian astronomer (Stalin Prize 1946, 50), born in Tiflis, Russian Empire (d. 1996)
1973 – Ami Onuki, Japanese singer (Puffy AmiYumi), born in Tokyo, Japan
1973 – Mark Shuttleworth, South African entrepreneur (founder and CEO of Canonical Ltd.), born in Welkom, Orange Free State, South Africa

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Famous Deaths

31 – Sejanus, Roman head of praetorian guard, executed
1684 – Joannes Antonides van der Goes, Dutch poet (Ystroom), dies at 37
1860 – Joseph Locke, English railway and civil engineer, dies at 55
1904 – Herbert von Bismarck, German politician/son of Otto, dies
1929 – Hermann Gradener, German composer, dies at 85
1966 – Jeno Vecsey, Hungarian composer, dies at 57

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Historical Events

1900 – USA, Anthracite coal miners go out on strike for better wages until the October 25, by which time the owners are persuaded that their stand is harming President McKinley’s campaign
1939 – US National Championship Men’s Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Reigning Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs beats fellow American Welby van Horn 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
1941 – World War II: A decree issued by the Soviet State Committee of Defense, restoring Vsevobuch “Universal compulsory military training of the citizens of the USSR” in the face of the “Great Patriotic War”
1959 – Typhoon kills 2,000 in Japan and Korea
1992 – NFL decides to suspend World League Football
2004 – SF Giants outfielder Barry Bonds hits his 700th career MLB home run, off San Diego’s Jake Peavy

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Famous Birthdays

1825 – Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, American politician and U.S. Supreme Court Justice, born in Eatonton, Georgia (d. 1893)
1929 – Patricia “Pat” Crowley, American actress (Money from Home, There’s Always Tomorrow), born in Olyphant, Pennsylvania
1938 – Francisco Aritmendi, Spanish athlete (International Cross Country Championships 1964), born in Cogolludo, Spain (d. 2020)
1965 – Bryan Singer, American director
1980 – Asashoryu Akinori, Mongolian sumo wrestler (born as Dolgorsuren Dagvador)
1986 – Dimitrios Regas, Greek sprinter

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Famous Deaths

1823 – Abraham L Breguet, French clock maker, dies at 76
1862 – William Edwin Starke, Confederate brigadier general, dies in battle at about 48
1948 – Ruth Benedict, American anthropologist (Patterns of Culture), dies at 61
1983 – Humberto Madeiros, US cardinal to Boston, dies at 67
1991 – Zino Francescatti, French violinist (NY Phil-1939), dies at 89
1998 – Ted Binion, Las Vegas casino heir (b. 1943)

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Historical Events

1858 – 1st overland mail for California
1951 – US National League umpire Frank Dascoli clears the Dodgers bench, ejecting 15 players
1960 – Amos Alonzo Stagg retires as a football coach at 98
1996 – Space Shuttle STS 79 (Atlantis 17), launches into space
2007 – 59th Emmy Awards: The Sopranos, 30 Rock, James Spader and Sally Field win
2019 – Guantánamo Bay is the world’s most expensive prison at US$13 million per prisoner according to investigation by “The New York Times”

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Famous Birthdays

1666 – Antoine Parent, French mathematician, born in Paris (d. 1716)
1887 – Jean Arp [Hans Arp], French-Swiss sculptor, artist and poet, born in Strassburg, Germany (d. 1966)
1911 – Wilfred Burchett, Australian communist and writer (Catapult to Freedom), born in Clifton Hill, Melbourne (d. 1983)
1916 – Julius B. Richmond, 12th US Surgeon General (1977-81) created Head Start program, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2008)
1925 – Charles Haughey, Irish Taoiseach (1979-81, 82, 87-92), born in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland (d. 2006)
1930 – Anne Francis, American actress (Honey West, Forbidden Planet, Pancho Villa), born in Ossining, New York (d. 2011)

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Famous Deaths

1933 – George Gore, American baseball player, dies at 79
1945 – Johannes “Pa” van der Steur, Dutch missionary and philanthropist (Java), dies at 80
1945 – John McCormack, Irish-American tenor (Irish folksongs), dies at 61
1957 – Qi Baishi, Chinese artist, dies at 93
1993 – Willie Mosconi, American world billiards champ, dies of heart attack at 80
2005 – Harry Freedman (Henryk Frydmann), Canadian composer, dies at 83

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Historical Events

608 – St Boniface IV begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1616 – First non-aristocratic, free public school in Europe is opened in Frascati, Italy
1923 – US National Championship Men’s Tennis, Germantown CC, Philadelphia: Bill Tilden wins 4th of 6 straight US singles titles; beats Bill Johnston 6-4, 6-1, 6-4
1941 – Nazis kill 800 Jewish women at Shkudvil, Lithuania
1949 – WJXT TV channel 4 in Jacksonville, FL (CBS) begins broadcasting
1970 – Officers of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in Northern Ireland vote narrowly in favour of remaining unarmed

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Famous Birthdays

1911 – Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-born American golf entrepreneur (d. 2000)
1922 – Jackie Cooper, American actor and director (Skippy, Superman), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2011)
1940 – Frank Linzy, American baseball player, born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma
1962 – Aubrey Matthews, NFL wide receiver (Detroit Lions)
1971 – Myron Bell, NFL safety (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1979 – Amy Davidson, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1654 – Cornelis Bicker, merchant/mayor of Amsterdam, dies at 61
1916 – Isidore Edouard Legouix, composer, dies at 82
1972 – Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Turkish composer, one of “The Turkish Five” (Köçekçe – Dance Rhapsody for Orchestra), dies from a stroke at 66
1983 – Prince Far I, reggae deejay, producer and Rastafarian
2003 – Josef Hirsal, Czech novelist (b. 1920)
2007 – Brett Somers, Canadian-born American actress and Match Game panelist (b. 1924)

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Historical Events

1876 – Henry Morton Stanley’s expedition leaves Rwanda
1938 – Graf Zeppelin II, world’s largest airship, makes its maiden flight
1954 – Hurricane Edna (2nd of 1954) hits NYC, $50 million damage
1972 – West Germany and Poland establish diplomatic relations
1985 – 10th Toronto International Film Festival: “The Official Story” directed by Luis Puenzo wins the People’s Choice Award
1986 – Saskatchewan and Hamilton play 1st CFL regular-season overtime game

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Famous Birthdays

1547 – Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Dutch lawyer and statesman, born in Amersfoort, Netherlands (d. 1619)
1721 – Eliphalet Dyer, American statesman and judge, born in Windham, Connecticut (d. 1807)
1910 – Jack Hawkins, British actor (Lawrence of Arabia, Ben-Hur Just Men, Zulu, Malta Story), born in London, England (d. 1973)
1915 – Douglas Kennedy, American actor (Dark Passage, The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold), born in NYC, New York (d. 1973)
1959 – Morten Harket, Norwegian rocker (Aha-Take on Me), born in Kongsberg, Norway
1965 – Troy Neel, American baseball player, born in Freeport, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1321 – Dante Alighieri, Italian poet and author (Dante’s Inferno, Divina Commedia), dies at 56
1538 – Henry of Nassau-Dillenburg and Dietz, viceroy of Holland, dies
1715 – Dom Pérignon, French-Benedictine monk who helped improve the quality of champagne, dies at 76 or 77
1926 – Johan LE Dreyer, Danish astronomer (Catalog of Nebulae), dies at 74
1965 – Lydia Mei, Estonian artist who specialized in watercolors and still lifes, dies at 69
1990 – Wime de Craene, Flemish singer and composer, dies at 40

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Historical Events

1791 – France’s King Louis XVI accepts constitution
1961 – Unmanned Mercury-Atlas 4 launched into Earth orbit
1983 – US mint strikes 1st gold coin in 50 years (Olympic Eagle)
1993 – Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres and PLO official Mahmoud Abbas sign the Oslo I peace accord
2001 – Civilian aircraft traffic resumes in the U.S. after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
2015 – Evian Championship Women’s Golf, Evian Resort GC: Lydia Ko of New Zealand wins by 6 from Lexi Thompson to become youngest major winner, 18yrs, 142 days

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Famous Birthdays

1813 – John Sedgwick, American Major General (Union Army), who is best remembered for his famous last words “they couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance” before being shot in battle, born in Cornwall, Connecticut (d. 1864)
1938 – Judith Martin, American author, journalist and columnist (Miss Manners), born in Washington, D.C.
1966 – Maria Furtwängler, German physician and TV actress, born in Munich, Germany
1970 – Yuki Matsuoka, Japanese voice actress, born in Hirano-ku, Osaka, Japan
1970 – Louise Lombard, British actress (The House of Eliott), born in Redbridge, London, England
1975 – Sean McClain, fencer-foil (Olympics 1996), born in Dayton, Ohio

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Famous Deaths

81 – Titus Flavius Vespasianus, emperor of Rome (69-81), dies of a fever at about 42
1506 – Andrea Mantegna, Italian painter
1948 – Paul Wegener, German actor and director (The Golem, The Student of Prague), dies at 73
1976 – Armand Mondou, French Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1905)
1991 – Joe Pasternak, Hungarian-American film producer (Spinout, Big City), dies of Parkinson’s at 73
1996 – Anthony Nicholas Maria Wahl, American historian, dies at 68

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