Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1864 – Battle of Mobile Bay won by the Union Navy, led by Rear Admiral David Farragut with the cry “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”
1975 – Stevie Wonder signs a 7-year, 7-album contract with a $13 million advance with Motown Records
1994 – British rocker Billy Idol admitted to the hospital after drug overdose in Los Angeles, California
2005 – Discovery of Skull 5, the earliest complete Homo erectus skull aged 1.8 million years, at Dmanisi, Georgia, by archaeologist David Lordkipanidze, site of the first known hominins to leave Africa
2024 – British graffiti artist Banksy begins a series of animal artworks around London with a goat near Kew Bridge

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Famous Birthdays

1704 – William Allen, American loyalist, Chief Justice of the Province of Pennsylvania and Mayor of Philadelphia, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1780)
1900 – Bodi Rapp [Johanna Goetmakers], Dutch mezzo-soprano and teacher, born in Almelo, Netherlands (d. 1977)
1914 – Anita Colby, American model, author and actress (Mary of Scotland, Cover Girl, Pepsi Cola Playhouse), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1992)
1963 – Mark Strong [Marco Salussolia], English stage and screen actor (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; A View from a Bridge; 1917), born in Islington, London
1997 – Yungblud [Dominic Harrison], English singer-songwriter (Weird!) and actor, born in Doncaster, England

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Famous Deaths

1977 – Charles Carson, British actor (Cry the Beloved Country), dies at 91
1991 – Soichiro Honda, Japanese engineer who founded Honda Motor Company, dies of liver cancr at 84
2005 – Raul Roco, Philippine senator (b. 1941)
2022 – Jô Soares, Brazilian comedian, late night television talk show host, author (O Xangô de Baker Street – A Samba for Sherlock), and jazz musician, dies at 84
2022 – Michael Howard, 21st Earl of Suffolk and 14th Earl of Berkshire (House of Lords, 1956-99), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1347 – English troops under Edward III conquer Calais, becomes strategic town for the English during Hundred Years’ War
1636 – Johan Maurits is appointed governor of Dutch Brazil
1936 – American athlete Jesse Owens wins his second gold medal at the Berlin Olympics, defeating German Luz Long in the long jump final with an Olympic record
1964 – North Vietnam purportedly engages US Navy ships in the Gulf of Tonkin for a second time, resulting in US Congress passing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, granting authority to assist any Southeast Asian nation facing “communist aggression”; a later investigation deems the second attack never happened as shipboard communications were misinterpreted
2019 – Gunman kills 9 and injures 27 at a bar in Dayton, Ohio, in the second mass shooting in 24 hours in the US

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Famous Birthdays

1805 – William Rowan Hamilton, Irish astronomer and mathematician, born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1865)
1932 – (Calvin) “Scotty” Stoneman, American bluegrass fiddler (The Stoneman Family; The Kentucky Colonels), born in Galax, Virginia (d. 1973)
1943 – Laura Biagiotti, Italian fashion designer known as the “Queen of Cashmere”, born in Rome, Italy (d. 2017)
1955 – Charles D. Gemar, American former NASA astronaut (STS-38, 48, 62) and lieutenant colonel (United States Army), born in Yankton, South Dakota
1962 – Joey Huffman, American rock keyboard and organ player (Soul Asylum), born in Pikeville, Kentucky

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Famous Deaths

1204 – Boniface of Montferrat, margrave of Montferrat, murdered
1578 – Sebastian, King of Portugal (1557-78), assumed killed at the Battle of Three Kings in Morroco at 24
1904 – Arnold Krug, German composer, dies at 54
1995 – Dick Bartell, American baseball shortstop (MLB All Star 1933, 37; Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants), dies from Alzheimer’s disease at 87
1996 – Geoff Hamilton, English gardener and journalist (BBC Gardener’s World), dies of a heart attack at 59

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Historical Events

1778 – Teatro alla Scala opens in Milan
1798 – Battle of the Nile: British Admiral Horatio Nelson forces the remnants of the French fleet to surrender, concluding a decisive victory for the British, who capture or destroy 11 French ships of the line and 2 frigates
1936 – American sprinter Jesse Owens wins the 100 m in 10.3 seconds in front of Adolf Hitler in a famous race at the Berlin Olympics, the first of four gold medals he wins at the Games
1970 – The second NFL work stoppage ends with NFL and Players’ Association agreeing to a 4-year, $19.1 million deal
1979 – Sam Snead, at 67 years, 2 months, and 7 days, sets the record for the oldest player to make the cut in a major – PGA Championship at Oakland Hills CC

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Famous Birthdays

1938 – Terry Wogan, British broadcaster (Eurovision Song Contest, Blankety Blank), born in Limerick, Ireland (d. 2016)
1964 – Kevin Elster, American baseball infielder (Texas Rangers), born in San Pedro, California
1976 – Troy Glaus, American baseball infielder (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Tarzana, Los Angeles
1979 – Kris Jenkins, American NFL defensive tackle (Pro Bowl (20-03, 06, 08; All-Pro 2002-03; Carolina Panthers, New York Jets), born in Ypsilanti, Michigan
1986 – Charlotte Casiraghi, Daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco, born in Princess Grace Hospital Centre, La Colle, Monaco

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Famous Deaths

1993 – James Donald, Scottish actor (Bridge on River Kwai, Vikings, In Which We Serve, Way Ahead), dies of stomach cancer at 76
1994 – Hidalgo Moya, American architect and designer (Skylon), dies at 74
2006 – Warren Barker, American Emmy Award-winning composer (My World and Welcome To It), dies at 83
2018 – Moshe Mizrahi, Israeli film director (Madame Rosa), dies of pneumonia at 86
2021 – Jocelyne Bourassa, Canadian golfer (LPGA Rookie of the Year 1972; Canadian Open 1973), dies at 74

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Historical Events

1057 – Frederick of Lorraine elected as the first Belgian Pope Stephen IX [X]
1914 – German and Ottoman empires sign a secret treaty of alliance after the outbreak of WWI
1948 – Italians Adolfo Consolini and Giuseppe Tosi go 1-2 in the men’s discus final at the London Olympics
1990 – 23rd San Diego Comic-Con International opens at Holiday Inn
2015 – British Open Women’s Golf, Turnberry: Inbee Park of South Korea shoots final found 65 (−7) to win her 7th major title, 3 strokes ahead of compatriot Ko Jin-young

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Famous Birthdays

1945 – John T. Ward Jr., American racehorse trainer (Kentucky Derby 2001 Monarchos; Breeders’ Cup Distaff 1999 Beautiful Pleasure), born in Lexington, Kentucky (d. 2021)
1955 – Tim Dunigan, American actor (Captain Jonathan Power in “Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future”), born in St. Louis, Missouri
1955 – Anne Lacaton, French architect (Lacaton and Vassal; Pritzker Prize, 2021), born in Saint-Pardoux-la-Rivière, France
1957 – Jacky Rosen, American politician (Senator-D-Nevada 2019-), born in Chicago, Illinois
1958 – Arshad Ayub, Indian cricketer (Indian off-spinner of the late 1980’s), born in Hyderabad, India

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Famous Deaths

1849 – Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Albanian-born Pasha and viceroy of Egypt (founder of modern Egypt), dies at 80
1859 – Horace Mann, American educator, author, abolitionist and politician who pioneered public schools, dies at 63
1979 – Victor Raúl Haya de la Torre, Peruvian politician and author (founder of Peruvian Aprista Party), dies at 84
2022 – Buddy Arrington, American auto racer (NASCAR Winston Cup Series 103 x top 10 finishes), dies at 84
2025 – Gregory C. O’Connell, American police detective and property developer known for revitalizing the Red Hook area, dies of cancer at 83

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Historical Events

1498 – Christopher Columbus lands for the first time in South America near the mouth of the Orinoco River in modern-day Venezuela
1883 – Amsterdam’s Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky integrates modern electric lighting
1987 – Music video channel MTV Europe launches with Elton John throwing the switch; “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits is the first video presented
1992 – NBC’s “Saturday Today” premieres, extending the Today franchise to broadcasting seven days a week
2020 – Egypt tells Elon Musk its pyramids were not built by aliens after Musk tweets in support of a conspiracy theory that they were

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Famous Birthdays

1909 – Nigel Henderson, British Royal Navy officer, 1927-71 (Admiral, 1964-71; Chairman of NATO Military Committee ,1968-71), born in the UK (d. 1993)
1932 – Ron Friedman, American screenwriter (The Transformers: The Movie; Fantasy Island), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2025)
1957 – (Brad) “Taylor” Negron, American actor and writer (Fast Times at Ridgemont High; Easy Money; Punchline), born in Glendale, California (d. 2015)
1982 – Caroline Shaw, American violinist, singer, and Pulitzer Prize winning composer (Partita for 8 Voices), born in Greenville, North Carolina
1986 – Anton Strålman, Swedish ice hockey player, born in Tibro, Sweden

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Famous Deaths

1190 – Floris III, Count of Holland, dies at about 49 [born c. 1141]
1743 – Richard Savage, English poet and playwright, dies at about 46
1918 – John Riley Banister, American law officer and cowboy, dies at 64
1993 – Ewing Kaufman, founder/owner (KC Royals), dies of lung cancer at 76
2012 – Joan Bernard, British army officer in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and founding principal of Trevelyan College (1966-78), dies due to ill-health at 94

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Historical Events

1932 – German election (NSDAP gets 37.3%)
1967 – Rolling Stones’ singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards are released from jail in England after serving 1 month on drug charges
1970 – Black Tot Day: the last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy, which started in 1740
1980 – Crew of Soyuz 37 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 36
2022 – Women’s Euro 2022: England defeats Germany 2-1 in extra time in front of the biggest-ever Euro crowd of 87,192 at Wembley, London

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Famous Birthdays

1929 – José Santamaría, Uruguayan soccer defender (Uruguay 20, Spain 16 caps; Nacional, Real Madrid) and manager (Español, Spain), born in Montevideo, Uruguay (d. 2026)
1932 – John Searle, American philosopher (Chinese Room Argument), born in Denver, Colorado (d. 2025)
1951 – Gerald Anthony, American actor (Marco Dane in “One Life to Live” and “General Hospital”), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2004)
1981 – M. Shadows [Matthew Sanders], American singer (Avenged Sevenfold), born in Huntington Beach, California
1988 – A. J. Green [Adriel Jeremiah Green], American NFL player (Cincinnati Bengals), born in Summerville, South Carolina

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Famous Deaths

1972 – Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian politician (Prime Minister of Belgium, Secretary-General of NATO, 1957-61), dies at 73
1988 – André Navarra, French concert cellist (Jolivet’s Cello Concerto), and educator (Paris Conservatoire, 1947-88), dies at 76
1997 – Edith Fore, American pitchwoman (ad for LifeCall alarm – I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!), dies at 81
2015 – Howard W. Jones Jr., American physician who oversaw the birth of the first American ‘test tube’ baby and helped open the first sex-change clinic in a US hospital, dies at 104
2022 – Mo Ostin [Ostrofsky], American record company executive (Verve; Reprise; Warner Bros; Dreamworks), dies at 95

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Historical Events

1653 – Johan de Witt is sworn in as the Grand Pensionary of Holland
1864 – Battle of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Confederate forces under McCausland burn the town of Chambersburg
1870 – Staten Island Ferry “Westfield” burns, killing 100
1907 – Filipinos elect their first legislature, which will meet on 16 October
1984 – Hollie Roffey, aged 10 days, is the youngest person to ever receive a heart transplant and survives 28 days

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Famous Birthdays

1824 – Eugenio Terziani, Italian composer, born in Rome, Papal States (d. 1889)
1837 – Elon John Farnsworth, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Green Oak, Michigan (d. 1863)
1906 – Ľudovít Rajter, Slovak composer and conductor, born in Pezinok, Kingdom of Hungary (d. 2000)
1927 – Victor Wong, American actor (Big Trouble in Little China), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2001)
1974 – Jason Robinson, English dual-code rugby player, born in Leeds, United Kingdom

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Famous Deaths

1566 – Guillaume Rondelet, French naturalist famous for his study of marine animals, dies at 58
1966 – Edward Gordon Craig, British modernist actor, director and theorist (On the art of theatre), dies at 94
1976 – Emil Solomon “Solly” Sachs, South African socialist, dies in London
1983 – Lynn Fontanne, British Emmy Award-winning stage, screen, and radio actress, dies of pneumonia at 95
1993 – Frank L. Howley, American general (Commander of American sector of Berlin after WWII), dies at 90

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Historical Events

1560 – Turkish fleet recaptures Djerba from Spaniards
1751 – First international world title prizefight: Jack Stack of England defeats challenger M. Petit of France in 29 minutes in England
1983 – MLB San Diego Padres first baseman Steve Garvey ends his National League record of 1,207 consecutive games streak
2013 – 44 people are killed in a wave of car bombings in Iraq
2022 – Rebekah Vardy loses her UK libel trial against Coleen Rooney in the so-called Wagatha Christie trial over Rooney accusing Vardy of leaking stories to The Sun newspaper

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Famous Birthdays

1933 – Cammie Smith, West Indian cricket batsman (5 Tests, 1 x 50; Barbados), born in Saint Michael, Barbados
1937 – Marian Robinson (née Shields), American ‘First Grandma” of the Obama White House, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2024)
1973 – Wanyá Morris, American RandB and soul singer (Boyz II Men – “I’ll Make Love to You”; “End Of The Road”), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1977 – Danger Mouse [Brian Burton], American alternative rock and electronic hip-hop musician, songwriter and Grammy Award-winning record producer (The Grey Album; Gnarls Barkley; Black Keys), born in White Plains, New York
1984 – Chad Billingsley, American MLB baseball pitcher (Los Angeles Dodgers), born in Defiance, Ohio

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Famous Deaths

1573 – John Caius, English physician, dies at 62
1984 – Woodrow Parfey, American actor (Time Express), dies at 61 of a heart attack
1994 – James Herman Barrett Jr, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel killed by anti-abortion extremist Paul Hill at 74
2001 – Alex Nicol, American actor (The Screaming Skull, Man From Laramie, Air Cadet), dies of natural causes at 85
2005 – Pat McCormick, American comedy writer (Red Skeleton; Get Smart; The Tonight Show; Don Rickles Show), and actor (Smokey and the Bandit), dies at 78

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Historical Events

1635 – Spanish marshal Piccolomini conquers Schenkenschans
1939 – Fifth Dutch government of Prime Minister Hendrikus Colijn falls
1943 – US President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces the end of coffee rationing in the US
1983 – NASA launches Telstar-3A
1988 – Jordan cancels $1.3 billion development plan in West Bank

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Famous Birthdays

1456 – Jacopo Sannazaro, Italian poet (Arcadia), born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples (now Italy) (d. 1530)
1745 – Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen, Baltic German courtier, general and military governor of St Petersburg, born in Palmse, Estonia (d. 1826)
1900 – Maurice Johnstone, British brass band composer, born in Manchester, England (d. 1976)
1942 – Marty Brennaman, American sportscaster, born in Portsmouth, Virginia
1954 – Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela (1998-2013), born in Sabaneta, Barinas State, Venezuela (d. 2013)

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Famous Deaths

1960 – Enrique Amorim, Uruguayan author (La victoria no viene sola), dies at 60
1990 – Jill Esmond, English actress (13 Women, My Pal Wolfe, FP 1), dies at 82
1994 – Bernard Delfont, Russian-British impresario (Thorn EMI), dies at 84
2007 – Karl Gotch, Belgian professional wrestler (b. 1924)
2013 – William Scranton, American Republican Party politician and diplomat, dies from a cerebral hemorrhage at 96

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Historical Events

1924 – VIII Summer Olympic Games close at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Paris, France
1929 – Construction of the Dike of Wieringermeerpolder, Netherlands, is finished
1997 – Revival of Leonard Bernstein’s operetta “Candide” closes at the Gershwin Theatre in NYC after 103 performances
1997 – British Senior Open Men’s Golf, Royal Portrush GC: Gary Player of South Africa wins with birdie on second playoff hole against countryman John Bland
2003 – 90th Tour de France: no winner (Lance Armstrong disqualified)

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Famous Birthdays

1849 – John Hopkinson, British physicist and electrical engineer (Hopkinson’s Law), born in Manchester (d. 1898)
1886 – Ernst May, German architect and city planner (New Frankfurt), born in Frankfurt am Main (d. 1970)
1936 – J. Robert Hooper, American politician, born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2008)
1971 – Lehlo Ledwaba, South African boxer (IBF super bantamweight title 1999-2001), born in Soweto, South Africa (d. 2021)
1977 – Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Irish actor (Mission: Impossible III; The Tudors: Elvis), born in Cork, Ireland

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Famous Deaths

1863 – William Lowndes Yancey, American politician who defended slavery, diplomat for the Confederacy, dies at 48
1883 – Albert Franz Doppler, Austrian flautist and composer, dies at 61
1963 – George “Hooks” Dauss, American MLB baseball pitcher, 1912-26 (Detroit Tigers), dies at 73
1965 – Henri Daniel-Rops, French writer and historian (b. 1901)
2025 – Don Elbaum, American boxing promoter (matchmaker for over 10,000 fights, promoted over 1,000 cards), dies at 94

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