Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1625 – Albrecht von Wallenstein appointed German supreme commander
1923 – Workers Party of America (NYC) becomes official communist party
1944 – World War II: General Montgomery speaks to generals at St. Paul’s School about his vision for the upcoming D-Day landings
1965 – Bevan Congdon makes a stumping as 12th man NZ v Pakistan
1980 – Jimmy Carter breaks relations with Iran during hostage crisis
1987 – Al Campanis, Dodger executive for more than 40 years, resigns, after making racial remarks on “Nightline”

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1897 – Walter Winchell, Harlem newscaster/columnist (Untouchables), born in NYC, New York
1926 – Johannes Rood, Dutch immunologist (Eurotransplant)
1939 – Gary Kellgren, American music producer who cofounded The Record Plant studios, born in Shenandoah, Iowa (d. 1977)
1956 – Christopher Darden, American O.J. Simpson prosecutor
1963 – Jaime de Marichalar, duke of Lugo, Spanish royalty
1972 – Shana Williams, Bridgeton NJ, long jumper/heptathlete

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1789 – Peter Camper, anatomist/animal scholar, dies at 66
1789 – Abd-ul-Hamid I, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1725)
1877 – Errico Petrella, Italian composer, dies at 63
1880 – Isaac M. St. John, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 52
1987 – Maxine Sullivan [Marietta Williams], American jazz vocalist and performer (Going Places), dies following a seizure at 75
1996 – John Evan “Jasper” Weston-Davies [pen name Berkley Mather], English writer, dies at 87

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1782 – Rama I succeeds King Taksin of Siam (modern day Thailand), who is overthrown in a coup d’état
1909 – 1st credit union forms in US
1941 – 8th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Craig Wood wins his first major title, 3 strokes ahead of runner-up Byron Nelson; Masters’ first wire-to-wire champion
1958 – 22nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Arnold Palmer wins the first of his 4 Masters titles, 1 stroke ahead of Doug Ford and Fred Hawkins; first of his 7 major titles
1965 – Intelsat 1 (“Early Bird”) 1st commercial geosynchronous communications satellite launched
1972 – The Scarman Tribunal Report, an inquiry into the causes of violence during the summer of 1969 in N Ireland, is published, finding that the Royal Ulster Constabulary had been seriously at fault

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1815 – Friedrich Robert Volkmann, German composer, born in Lommatzsch, Saxony (d. 1883)
1819 – Johann A H Scheler, Belgian librarian
1892 – Lowell Thomas, Woodington Ohio, newscaster (High Adventure)
1902 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian writer (d. 1989)
1940 – Donald Myrick, American saxophonist (“If Leaving Me Is Easy, One More Night), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1993)
1988 – Fabrice Muamba, Anglo-Congolese footballer

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

912 – Nottker “the Stamelaar”, benedictine monk/poet, dies at about 71
1605 – John Stow, English historian (Survey of London), dies
1975 – Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese political and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (1928-1975), dies at 87
1985 – Mark Lothar, German composer (The Story of the Lazy Bear), dies at 82
1993 – Divya Bharati, “Baby Doll” Indian Bollywood actress (Diwana), dies at 19 by mysteriously falling from her husband’s apartment
1996 – Greer Garson, British actress (Goodbye Mr Chips, Mrs Miniver), dies at 92

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1911 – Waldorf W Aster acquires Daily Observer
1952 – Henry Wittenberg wins his 8th AAU wrestling title
1962 – St Bernard Tunnel finished-Swiss/Italians workers shake hands
1997 – Steve Irwin’s “The Crocodile Hunter” debuts
2013 – Japan’s Nikkei 225 reaches its highest level in five years
2063 – Earth’s 1st contact with the extra-terrestrial Vulcan species in the Star Trek universe

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1853 – Alfonso Rendano, Italian composer, born in Consenza, Italy (d. 1931)
1900 – Spencer Tracy, American actor (Woman of the Year, Adam’s Rib), born in Milwaukee (d. 1967)
1907 – Jan Zeldenrust, Dutch pathologist and anatomist, born in Gronigen, Netherlands (d. 1990)
1911 – Goddard Lieberson, English composer and President of Columbia Records, born in Hanley, Staffordshire, England (d. 1977)
1923 – Michael V Gazzo, American playwright and actor (The Godfather Part II, Fear City), born in Hillside, New Jersey (d. 1995)
1990 – Haruma Miura, Japanese Actor

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

828 – Nicephorus I, Christian Byzantine writer and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (806-15), dies at about 77
1735 – William Derham, English clergyman, natural theologian and scientist, dies at 77
1765 – Edward Young, English poet (Love of Fame), dies at 81
1984 – Theo Koomen, Dutch sportscaster, dies in auto-accident at 54
1986 – Manly Wade Wellman, sci-fi author (Devil’s Planet), dies at 82
2001 – Brother Theodore, German-American comedian, dies at 94

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1900 – British garrison of Reddersberg surrenders to Boer general De Wet
1905 – Earthquake in Kangra India, kills 20,000
1974 – Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth’s home-run record by hitting his 714th
1989 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s last NBA game in Seattle
2005 – 67th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: North Carolina beats Illinois, 75-70; Tar Heels’ 4th national championship
2019 – US Mormon church pledges to roll back anti-LGBT policies, including not baptizing children of gay parents

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1755 – Vincenc Mašek, Bohemian composer, born in Zvíkovec, Czech Republic (d. 1831)
1853 – Tad Lincoln, youngest son of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln, born in Springfield, Illinois (d. 1871)
1896 – Tristan Tzara [Samuel Rosenfeld] Romanian-French poet (Approximate Man), born in Moinești, Romania (d. 1963)
1935 – Trevor Griffiths, English playwright (Absolute Beginners), born in Manchester
1958 – Cazuza, Brazilian poet, singer and composer, born in Rio de Janeiro (d. 1990)
1963 – Nigel Preston, British drummer (The Cult), born in Birmingham (d. 1992)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1900 – Edward VII, King, assassinated
1944 – Karel Weis, Czech composer and folk song collector, dies at 82
1959 – Stanley Snooke, cricketer (bro of S J, duck in South African Test), dies
1991 – Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (b. 1920)
1992 – Karl Tunberg, US scriptwriter (Ben Hur), dies
2002 – Harry L. O’Connor, Czech film stuntman

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1935 – Yasuo Ikenada runs world record marathon (2:26:44)
1955 – Baltimore Orioles pull their 1st triple play (3-6-2 vs KC Athletics)
1971 – 125th Grand National: John Cook aboard 28/1 chance Specify wins a close finish between the leading 5 in the final furlong
1989 – 51st NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Michigan beats Seton Hall, 80-79 (OT); Wolverines first title; small forward Glen Rice named tournament MOP
1994 – 1st roster of Silver Bullets (all-female pro baseball team) announced
1997 – Thalit massacre begins in Algeria; all but 1 of the 53 inhabitants of Thalit are killed by guerrillas

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1907 – Iron Eyes Cody [Espera Oscar de Corti], Italian-American actor (Keep America Beautiful, Black Gold, Ernest Goes to Camp), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma (d. 1999)
1929 – Dennis Farr, Museum director (Courtauld Institute Galleries) and art historian, born in Luton, Bedfordshire (d. 2006)
1934 – Jim Parker, American football player, NFL guard and tackle (Baltimore Colts), born in Macon, Georgia (d. 2005)
1950 – Curtis Stone, American singer (Highway 101-Cry Cry Cry), born in Hollywood, California
1960 – Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Dutch singer and songwriter, born in Hilversum, Netherlands
1965 – Nazia Hassan, Pakistani pop singer-songwriter, lawyer and social activist known as “Queen of Pop” in South Asia, born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan (d. 2000)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1822 – Friedrich Bertuch, writer, dies
1826 – Reginald Heber, bishop and hymn writer, dies
1972 – Ferde Grofé American composer (Grand Canyon Suite), dies at 80
1989 – Norman Wooland, German actor (Ivanhoe, Quo Vadis, Hamlet), dies at 79
2007 – Eddie Robinson, American football coach (b. 1919)
2010 – Dusan Radic, Serbian composer, dies at 80

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1513 – Explorer Juan Ponce de León claims Florida for Spain as the first known European to reach Florida
1902 – “Electric Theatre”, the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles, California
1942 – LPGA Titleholders Championship Women’s Golf, Augusta CC: Dorothy Kirby retains title by 5 strokes ahead of Eileen Stulb
1980 – Montreal right wing Guy Lafleur scores twice to become the first player in NHL history to record 6 straight 50-goal seasons, as the Canadiens beat the Red Wings, 7-2 at Detroit
1995 – North and Western Colorado begins using new area code 970
2000 – WrestleMania XVI, Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, CA: Triple H beats The Rock, Mick Foley and The Big Show in a 4-way elimination match for the WWF Heavyweight tile

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1602 – Maria de Jesus de Agreda [Maria Coronel], Spanish franciscan, born in Agreda, Spain (d. 1665)
1781 – Bhagwan Swaminarayan, Indian yogi and religious leader, born in Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, India (d. 1830)
1946 – Richard Collinge, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (35 Tests, 116 wickets), born in Wellington, New Zealand
1947 – Emmylou Harris, American country singer (Together Again), born in Birmingham, Alabama
1949 – Joseph “Joe” Vitale, American singer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist (Roller Coaster Weekend), born in Canton, Ohio
1953 – Jim Allister, Northern Irish politician, born in Listooder, Crossgar, Northern Ireland

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1720 – Joseph Dudley, colonial Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1647)
1872 – Samuel Morse developer of electric telegraph, dies at 80
1892 – Willem J d’Ablaing van Giessenburg, Dutch baron and genealogist, dies at 79
1979 – Carroll Rosenbloom, American businessman and NFL team owner (Baltimore Colts, LA Rams), dies of a heart attack at 72
1995 – Hannes Alfven, physicist (Nobel prize), dies at 86
2013 – Milo O’Shea, Irish character actor (Barbarella, Staircase and Mass Appeal, Romeo and Juliet), dies at 86

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1340 – Niels Ebbesen kills Gerhard III of Holstein in his bedroom, ending the 1332-1340 interregnum in Denmark.
1850 – San Francisco County government established
1867 – Singapore, Penang and Malacca become British crown colonies
1938 – World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis KOs Harry Thomas in 5th round of their title bout in Chicago; 3rd defence by Louis
1955 – Armed military action taken against bureaucratic strike in Amsterdam
1958 – Marshal Nikolai Bulganin becomes director of Soviet State Bank

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1898 – Pola Gojawiczynska, Polish writer (Stolica)
1924 – Čkalja [Miodrag Petrović], Serbian actor and one of the most popular comedians of former Yugoslavia, born in Kruševac, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (d. 2003)
1940 – Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmentalist and political activist, founder of the Green Belt Movement, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (2004) and Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (2006), born in Ihithe village, Kenya (d. 2011)
1945 – Kenny Buttrey, American influential drummer, born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 2004)
1957 – Donnie Hammond, American golfer (2 PGA Tour titles), born in Frederick, Maryland
1964 – Erik Breukink, Dutch road cyclist (Tour de France 1990 3rd) and manager (Rabobank), born in Rheden, Netherlands

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1528 – Francisco de Peñalosa, Spanish composer
1922 – Charles I, emperor (Austria)/King of Hungary (Charles IV), dies
1991 – Martha Graham, American choreographer (Appalachian Spring), dies at 96
1994 – Leon Degrelle, Belgium general, dies
1997 – Norman Carr, British conservationist working in Central and Southern Africa, dies at 84
2004 – Paul Atkinson, British rock guitarist and record company executive (The Zombies-Never Even Thought), dies of liver and kidney disease at 58

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1571 – Catholic Italian businessman Roberto Ridolfi leaves England
1947 – Last day of Test cricket for Walter Hammond (v NZ, Christchurch)
1961 – “Gypsy” closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 702 performances
1966 – US Supreme court rules “poll tax” unconstitutional
1992 – Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev returns to Earth after a 10-month stay aboard the Mir space station.
2018 – First scheduled non-stop flight between Australia and the UK, leaves Perth for Heathrow airport in London, arrives after 17 hours

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1867 – Arturo Toscanini, Parma Italy, temperamental conductor (NBC)
1882 – Haydn Wood, English composer, born in Slaithwaite (d. 1959)
1899 – Jacques Audiberti, French poet (Race of Men)
1941 – Gudmund Hernes, Norwegian politician
1958 – James McDaniel, actor (Arthur Fancy-NYPD Blue), born in Washington, D.C.
1969 – Guy Newman, Australian water polo goalie (Olympics 1996)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1924 – John Reedman, cricketer (Test for Aust 1894, 17 and 4, 1 for 24), dies
1957 – Max Ophüls, German director (The Earrings of Madame de…), dies at 54
1966 – Colin Campbell, Scottish actor (High Bright Sun, Leather Boys), dies at 83
1969 – Billy Cotton, British bandleader and entertainer, dies at 69
1969 – Norman Gallichan, cricketer (one Test for NZ, 30 and 2, 3-113), dies
2009 – Yukio Endo, Japanese gymnast (4 Olympic gold 1960, 64), dies of Esophageal cancer at 72

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1925 – KSL-AM in Salt Lake City UT begins radio transmissions
1981 – “Nightline with Ted Koppel” premieres on ABC
1993 – Ezer Weizman elected president of Israel
2006 – Pope Benedict XVI adds 15 men to the College of Cardinals, in the first consistory of his Pontificate
2010 – The World Health Organization appoints Craig David as a Goodwill Ambassador against tuberculosis on World Tuberculosis Day
2018 – American conducts it first ever drone strike against Qaeda militants in southern Libya

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1740 – John Antes, American composer and missionary, born in Frederick, Pennsylvania (d. 1811)
1937 – Billy Stewart, US RandB singer (I Do Love You)
1944 – R. Lee Ermey, American actor (Full Metal Jacket- Gunnery Sergeant Hartman), born in Emporia, Kansas (d. 2018)
1947 – Meiko Kaji, Japanese singer and actress
1962 – Angèle Dubeau, Canadian violinist
1965 – Angela Zuckerman, speed skater (Olympics 1994), born in St Louis, Missouri

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1471 – Thomas Malory, author (Le Morte d’Arthur), dies at 55
1899 – Billy Barnes, English cricketer (725 runs in 21 Tests for England), dies at 46
1915 – Karol Olszewski, Polish scientist (b. 1846)
1921 – Larry McLean, Canadian baseball player, dies at 39
2012 – Jocky Wilson, Scottish darts player (BDO World Champion 1982, 89), dies of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 62
2016 – Earl Hamner Jr., American creator and narrator of TV show “The Waltons”, dies at 92

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1832 – British Parliament, led by Charles Grey, passes the Reform Act, introducing wide-ranging changes to electoral system of England and Wales, increasing electorate from about 500,000 voters to 813,000
1895 – Auguste and Louis Lumiere show their 1st movie to an invited audience
1929 – 88th Grand National: Robert W. H. Everett wins aboard 100/1 outsider Gregalach
1936 – “The Great Ziegfeld” directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring William Powell and Luise Rainer premieres in Los Angeles (Best Picture 1937
1963 – Beatles release 1st album, “Please Please Me”
1968 – Jarmila Novotna resigns presidency of Czechoslovakia

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

841 – Bernard Plantapilosa, Count of Auvergne (d. 885)
1946 – Laraine Ashton, fashion models’ agent (London)
1958 – Joyce Lester, Australian softball catcher (Olympic bronze 1996)
1970 – Jason Rouser, 200m/400m runner, born in Tucson, Arizona
1972 – John Farquhar, tight end (New Orleans Saints)
1982 – Constance Wu, Taiwanese-American actress (Fresh Off the Boat), born in Richmond, Virginia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1758 – Richard Leveridge, English bass singer and composer, dies at 87
1934 – Theophilos Hatzimihail, Greek painter (b. 1870)
1955 – Ivan Šubašić, Kingdom of Yugoslavia prime minister and last ban of Croatia (b. 1892)
1994 – Dan Hartman, American singer-songwriter (Love Sensation), dies of an AIDS-related brain tumor at 43
2001 – William Hanna, American animator and studio founder, dies at 90
2019 – Scott Walker [Noel Scott Engel], American-born British singer-songwriter and composer (The Walker Brothers), dies of cancer at 76

More Famous Deaths »