Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1837 – Mount Holyoke Seminary in Massachusetts, the first US college for women, is founded
1873 – Ciro Pinsuti’s opera “Il mercante di Venezia”, based on William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” is first performed, at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Italy
1937 – The Nazi exhibition Der ewige Jude (“The Eternal Jew”) opens in Munich.
1962 – Canada’s government orders the nickel changed back to round shape
2017 – Louvre Abu Dhabi is inaugurated, largest art museum on Arabian peninsula

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Famous Birthdays

1657 – Thomas Bullis Jr., English organist and composer, baptized in Ely, England (d. 1712)
1934 – Doc Green, American pop baritone vocalist (The Drifters – “Under the Boardwalk”; “Up on the Roof”), born in New York City (d. 1989)
1951 – Alfredo Astiz, Argentine general, intelligence officer and war criminal, known as “the Blond Angel of Death”, born in Mar del Plata, Argentina
1965 – Mike Peluso, American NHL left wing (NJ Devils), born in Pengilly, Minnesota
1974 – Matthew Rhys, Welsh actor (The Americans, Brothers and Sisters), born in Cardiff, Wales

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Famous Deaths

1805 – Francois-Thomas de Baculard d’Arnaud, French writer, dies at 87
1952 – Claude Carter, South African cricket spin bowler (19 Tests, 28 wickets, BB 6/50; Natal, Transvaal), dies at 71
1994 – Michael O’Donoghue, American comedy writer (SNL), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 54
1998 – Lonnie Pitchford, American blues musician, dies at 43
2000 – Brian Boydell, Irish composer, dies at 83

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Historical Events

1637 – Puritan reformist preacher Anne Hutchinson is tried in Massachusetts Bay Colony as a heretic, found guilty and banished
1914 – First issue of The New Republic magazine is published
1943 – Last scoreless tie in the NFL, Detroit Lions 0, NY Giants 0
1978 – Boston Red Sox Jim Rice wins AL MVP
2020 – Rudy Giuliani holds infamous Trump Campaign press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Philadelphia to contest the US election results

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Famous Birthdays

1866 – Paul Lincke, German composer and theater conductor considered the “father” of the Berlin operetta (Frau Luna, Lysistrata), born in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1946)
1903 – Albert Helman [Lou Lichtveld], Suriname politician and novelist, born in Paramaribo, Suriname (d. 1996)
1907 – Maurits Mok, Dutch author and poet (Cheese and Bread Game; The Railroad Strike), born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 1989)
1972 – Jimmy Gary Jr., American NFL running back (Seattle Seahawks), born in Stuart, Florida
1986 – Andy Hull, American singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Manchester Orchestra – “The Gold”), born in Atlanta, Georgia

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Famous Deaths

1857 – Charles Zeuner, German-American composer and organist, dies at 62
1957 – Roy Worters, Canadian Hockey HOF goaltender (Hart Memorial Trophy 1929; Vezina Trophy 1931; NY Americans), dies at 57
1975 – John Carmel Heenan, British clergyman, Catholic Cardinal (Archbishop of Westminster, 1963-75), dies of a heart attack at 70
2006 – Bryan Pata, American football defensive tackle (University of Miami) (murdered) (b. 1981)
2017 – Roy Halladay, American Baseball HOF pitcher (8 x MLB All-Star, Cy Young Award 2003, 10; perfect game 2010; postseason no-hitter 2010; Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies), died when piloting a plane under influence of painkillers, sleeping pills at 40

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Historical Events

1928 – 59% of Cleveland voters authorize building a stadium with city bonds in the amount of US$2.5 million
1964 – WEIQ TV channel 42 in Mobile, AL (PBS) begins broadcasting
1976 – Benjamin Hooks elected to succeed Roy Wilkins as executive director of NAACP
1986 – President Reagan signs landmark immigration reform bill
2009 – President Barack Obama signs congressional resolution conferring honorary U.S. citizenship to Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski

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Famous Birthdays

1391 – Edmund de Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, English nobleman, counsellor to King Henry V and King Henry VI, born in New Forest, Westmeath, Ireland (d. 1425)
1854 – John Philip Sousa, American composer and march king (Stars and Stripes Forever), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1932)
1923 – Clay [David] Jones, Welsh gardener (BBC Gardener’s Question Time), born in Cardigan, Wales (d. 1996)
1947 – Jack Arnold, Fictional father on “The Wonder Years”, born in America (d. 1975)
1972 – Anthony Brown, American NFL tackle (Cincinnati Bengals), born in Okinawa, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1939 – Adolphe Max, Belgian politician (Mayor of Brussels – escaped German captivity WWI), dies at 69
1978 – Harry Bertoia, Italian-born American artist and modern furniture designer, dies at 63
1978 – Flora Campbell, actress (Faraway Hill, Date With Judy), dies at 67
2000 – L. Sprague de Camp, American sci-fi author (Goblin Tower, Hand of Zei), dies at 92
2024 – John Nott, British Conservative politician (Member of Parliament, 1966-83) who served as Secretary of State for Defence during Falkland War (1981-83), dies at 92

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Historical Events

1922 – Demonstration for a Dutch University in Ghent
1967 – ATS-3 launched by US to take first pictures of full Earth disc
1988 – Japan beats MLB all stars 2-1 in Tokyo (Game 1 of 7)
1988 – France performs nuclear test
2018 – BBC opens its largest news bureau outside the UK in Nairobi, Kenya with 300 journalists

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Famous Birthdays

1819 – Josef Rudolf Zavrtal, Czech composer, born in Polepy, Kingdom of Bohemia (d. 1893)
1891 – Mary Dorna [Mary Jeanette Tenkink-Stoppelman], Dutch author, born in Amsterdam (d. 1971)
1900 – Martin Dies, Jr., American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas), born in Colorado City, Texas (d. 1972)
1948 – Charles Bradley, American RandB and funk singer, known as ‘The Screaming Eagle of Soul’, born in Gainesville, Florida (d. 2017)
1983 – (Anne) Leilehua Lanzilotti, Kānaka Maoli-American violinist and contemporary classical composer, born in Honolulu, Hawaii

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Famous Deaths

1772 – Pieter Steyn, Dutch grand pensionary (1749-72), dies at 66
1914 – August Weismann, German biologist, one of the founders of the science of genetics, dies at 80
2001 – Barry Horne, a British animal liberation activist.
2005 – Rod Donald, New Zealand environmentalist (b. 1957)
2024 – Elwood Edwards, American broadcast technician, and the voice of AOL’s catchphrase “You’ve got mail”, dies of complications from a stroke at 74

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Historical Events

1783 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Symphony No. 36” premieres in Linz, Austria
1931 – Jean Genet’s play “Judith” premieres in Paris
1964 – American pianist and composer Terry Riley and musicians premiere his work “In C” at Tape Music Center, San Francisco; the piece is often cited as the first minimalist masterpiece
1984 – Nicaragua holds first free elections in 56 years; Sandinistas win 63%
2018 – Camila Cabello wins four awards at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Bilbao, Janet Jackson accepts the Global Icon award

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Walter Bauer, German Canadian writer, born in Merseburg (d. 1976)
1956 – James Honeyman-Scott, British rock guitarist (The Pretenders – “Brass in Pocket”), born in Hereford, Herefordshire, England (d. 1982)
1960 – Kathy Griffin, American comedienne (Suddenly Susan, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List), born in Chicago, Illinois
1974 – Kaws [Brian Donnelly], American artist and designer, born in Jersey City, New Jersey
1985 – Marcell Jansen, German soccer left-back (45 caps; Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayern Munich, Hamburger SV), born in Mönchengladbach, Germany

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Famous Deaths

1411 – Khalil Sultan, ruler of Transoxonia (b. 1384)
1698 – Rasmus Bartholin, Danish physician, mathematician and physicist, dies at 73
1986 – Kurt Hirsch, German mathematician (b. 1906)
2008 – Juan Camilo Mouriño, Mexican politician (Secretary of the Interior, January-November, 2008), dies in a Mexico City plane crash at 37
2015 – Melissa Mathison, American screenwriter (E.T.), dies of cancer at 65

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Historical Events

1991 – Ayrton Senna wins Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide; shortest F1 race ever run (14 laps) because of wet conditions; Senna retains his 3rd World Drivers Championship by 24 points from Nigel Mansell
1996 – San Francisco 49ers receiver Jerry Rice grabs 3 passes for 45 yards and a TD to become 1st player in NFL history to reach 1,000 career receptions in 24-17 win over New Orleans Saints; finishes career with 1,549
1997 – British TV comedy “I’m Alan Partridge” starring Steve Coogan premieres on BBC Two
2014 – New York’s 104-storey One World Trade Center officially opens 13 years after the September 11 attacks
2020 – Australia’s Melbourne Cup won by Twilight Payment

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Famous Birthdays

1801 – Vincenzo Bellini, Italian opera composer (La Sonnambula, Norma), born in Catania, Sicily (d. 1835)
1948 – Hugh Moffatt, American country music singer-songwriter (“Just in Case”), and opera composer (King of the Clouds), born in Fort Worth, Texas
1984 – Ryo Nishikido, Japanese Idol (member of the band NEWS ad Kanjani8), born in Kadoma, Japan
1988 – Angus McLaren, Australian actor known for “Packed to the Rafters”, born in Wonthaggi, Victoria, Australia
1994 – Kandy Muse [Kevin Candelario], American drag artist (RuPaul’s Drag Race), born in New York City

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Famous Deaths

1914 – Georg Trakl, Austrian poet (Totentag), dies of a cocaine overdose at 27
1949 – Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and art collector (Guggenheim Museum New York), dies at 88
1993 – William Lanteau, actor (On Golden Pond), dies at 70
2002 – Jonathan Harris [Charasuchin], American stage and screen character actor (The Bill Dana Show – “Mr. Phillips”; Lost In Space – “Dr Zachary Smith”), dies at 87
2019 – Louis Eppolito, American police officer, hitman for the Mafia and actor (Goodfellas, Lost Highway), dies at 71

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Historical Events

1898 – Austro-Hungarian Jewish activist Theodor Herzl arrives in Jerusalem
1949 – The Netherlands recognizes its former colony Indonesia as a sovereign state at conclusion of the Round Table Conference at the Hague, Netherlands
1974 – USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1995 – Spanish Broadcasting System buys NY radio station WPAT-FM for $83.5M
2017 – Jerome Powell nominated by US President Donald Trump to be next Chair of the Federal Reserve

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Famous Birthdays

1734 – Daniel Boone, American frontiersman and explorer (US Hall of Fame 1915), born in Reading, Pennsylvania (d. 1820)
1919 – Warren Stevens, American actor (Richard Boone Show), born in Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania (d. 2012)
1932 – Romano Mazzoli, American politician (Rep-D-KY, 1971-95), born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 2022)
1932 – Melvin Schwartz, American Physicist and Nobel Laureate (neutrinos – subatomic particles with no electric charge and virtually no mass), born in New York City (d. 2006)
1942 – (Roberta) “Bobbi” Gibb, American runner (unsanctioned era female winner of Boston Marathon, 1966-68), lawyer, writer, and sculptor, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

1981 – Kenneth Oakley, English Anthropologist, paleontologist and geologist whose method for the relative dating of fossils using fluorine content was instrumental in exposing the Piltdown Man hoax, dies at 70
2000 – Robert Cormier, American author known for “The Chocolate War” and “I Am the Cheese”, dies at 75
2000 – Sue Ryder, Baroness Ryder of Warsaw and Cavendish, British volunteer with Special Operations Executive in the Second World War, dies at 76
2002 – Charles Sheffield, American author and physicist (b. 1935)
2004 – Gerrie Knetemann, Dutch road cyclist (World Road Race Champion 1978; Amstel Gold Race 1974, 85), dies from a heart attack at 53

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Historical Events

1914 – Pope Benedictus Xv’s encyclical Ad beatissimi, against integrity
1914 – German-British naval battle at Coronel, Chile
1937 – Stalinists execute by shooting Pastor Paul Hamberg and seven members of Azerbaijan’s Lutheran community (including three women).
1959 – WOV-AM in NYC changes call letters to WADO
2012 – Scientists detect evidence of light from the universe’s first stars, estimated to have formed 500 million years after the Big Bang

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Famous Birthdays

1871 – Stephen Crane, American novelist (Red Badge of Courage), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1900)
1945 – Rick Grech, British rock musician (Blind Faith; Traffic), born in Bordeaux, France (d. 1990)
1967 – Tina Arena, Australian pop singer and songwriter (“Don’t Ask”), born in Melbourne, Australia
1971 – Harutyun Arzumanyan, Armenian orchestral and opera conductor, born in Yerevan, Armenian SSR
1975 – Scott “Skippy” Chapman, American musician (Code of Ethics), born in Memphis, Tennessee

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Famous Deaths

1817 – Giovanni Zanotti, Italian composer, dies at 79
1835 – William Motherwell, Scottish poet and civil servant, dies at 38
1978 – Giuseppe Berto, Italian writer (Heaven Sees Red), dies at 63
2001 – Warren Amling, American College Football Hall of Fame guard (Ohio State), dies at 76
2003 – Joji “George” Kawaguchi Japanese jazz drummer and bandleader, dies at 76

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Historical Events

1587 – Leiden University Library opens its doors after its founding in 1575
1867 – Australia’s first royal tour begins as Prince Albert, son of Queen Victoria, arrives in Adelaide, South Australia
1950 – “The Big Cat” Earl Lloyd becomes the first African-American to play a game in the NBA, scoring 6 points on debut for the Washington Capitols
1967 – Nguyễn Văn Thiệu takes oath of office to become the first President of the Second Republic of South Vietnam
1982 – Musical revue “Rock ‘n Roll!: The First 5,000 Years” closes at St James Theatre in New York City after 9 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1945 – Brian Doyle-Murray, American comedian and actor (Groundhog Day), born in Chicago, Illinois
1950 – Jane Pauley, American newscaster (Today, NBC Weekend), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
1961 – Alonzo Babers, American athlete (Olympic gold 400m, 4x400m relay 1984), born in Montgomery, Alabama
1966 – Koji Kanemoto, Japanese wrestler (NJPW/AAA/UWA, Tiger Mask, King Lee), born in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
1981 – Selina (Jiaxuan) Ren, member of Taiwanese girl-group S.H.E, born in Shilin, Taipei, Taiwan

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Famous Deaths

1733 – Eberhard Ludwig, Duke of Württemberg, dies at 57
1941 – Herwarth Walden, German art writer and critic, dies in a Soviet prison at 63
1986 – Robert S. Mulliken, American chemist and physicist (Nobel 1966), dies at 90
2007 – Edgar Ngoyi, South African anti-apartheid activist and ANC leader who spent 17 years in Robben Island Prison, dies at 81
2018 – Lord Skelmersdale [Roger Bootle-Wilbraham], British politician and horticulturalist who created Britain’s first toad tunnel, dies of a stroke at 73

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Historical Events

1953 – Dr Albert Schweitzer and US Army General George Marshall win the Nobel Peace Prize
1963 – Sandy Koufax wins the National League MVP award
1967 – USSR Kosmos 186 and 188 make the first automatic docking and Venera 13 launches
1970 – KVEW TV channel 42 in Kennewick, Washington (ABC), begins broadcasting
2023 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects calls for a ceasefire with Hamas, saying “this is a time for war” amid Israeli ground forces moving into the Gaza strip

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Famous Birthdays

1934 – Keith Barnes, Australian rugby league fullback (17 Tests, 10 as captain; Balmain RLFC), born in Port Talbot, Wales (d. 2024)
1935 – Michael Winner, English film producer and director (Big Sleep, Death Wish), born in London, England (d. 2013)
1967 – Leonidas Kavakos, Greek concert violinist and conductor, born in Athens, Greece
1970 – James Pedro, American lightweight judoka (Olympic bronze 1992, 96), born in Danvers, Massachusetts
1975 – Maria Thayer, American actress (Accepted; Strangers With Candy), born in Portland, Oregon

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Famous Deaths

1883 – Johann Vesque von Püttlingen, Austrian lawyer and composer, dies at 80
1914 – Ernst Stadler, German poet (Der Aufbruch), dies fighting in WWI at 31
1928 – Oscar Sonneck, American editor (The Musical Quarterly), musicologist, and librarian (Library of Congress, 1902-17), dies at 55
1996 – Leon Lewis, US radio talk show host (WMCA, 1970-80), dies at 81
2006 – Clifford Geertz, American anthropologist (symbolic anthropology), dies at 80

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