Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1877 – General strike brings US railroad to a stand still
1985 – US Open Women’s Golf, Baltusrol GC: Kathy Baker (later Guadagnino) wins her first LPGA Tour event and only major title, 3 strokes ahead of runner-up Judy Clark (later Dickinson)
1988 – 200,000 demonstrate in Soviet Armenia for incorporation of Nagorno-Karabak
1996 – “How To Succeed in Business…” closes at R Rodgers NYC after 548 performances
1998 – Violence erupts in Richmond, South Africa, reflecting underlying political tensions between supporters of the ANC and Inkatha Freedom Party
2014 – The Egyptian government propose a cease fire in the Israel–Gaza conflict

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Famous Birthdays

1804 – Ludwig A Benedek, Austrian general
1930 – Eric Norman Stokes, composer
1951 – Judi Brown, American 400m hurdler (Olympic silver 1984), born in East Lansing, Michigan
1966 – Brian Selznick, American author and illustrator
1974 – Erick Dampier, NBA center (SF Warriors)
1995 – Kim Hyo-joo, South Korean golfer (Evian C’ship 2014), born in Seoul, South Korea

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Famous Deaths

1298 – Jacob de Voragine, Italian bishop/writer (Golden Legend), dies
1876 – Thomas Hazlehurst, English Methodist chapel builder, dies at 60
1908 – William Mason, composer, dies at 79
1918 – Quentin Roosevelt, youngest son of United States President Theodore Roosevelt, killed in aerial combat over France on Bastille Day at 20
1942 – Neel [Cornelia H] Doff, Neth/French/Belgian painter’s model, dies
1975 – Madan Mohan, Hindi Film’s Melodious Music director (b. 1924)

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Historical Events

1881 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: William Renshaw beats defending champion John Hartley 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 for first of his 7 Wimbledon singles titles
1900 – Phillies beat Pittsburgh 23-8
1930 – 1st-ever football World Cup competition begins in Uruguay
1953 – Battle of the Kumsong River begins – last major battle of the Korean war
2013 – #BlackLivesMatter created in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman on trial for the murder of Trayvon Martin
2019 – After Atlantic League-MLB partnership rule changes, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs’ outfielder Tony Thomas becomes first player in professional baseball history to steal first base in 7-2 win v Lancaster Barnstormers

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Famous Birthdays

1895 – Sidney Blackmer, American actor (played Ted Roosevelt in 7 movies, Rosemary’s Baby), born in Salisbury, North Carolina (d. 1973)
1901 – Tillie Ehrlich Lewin, leading industrialist (tomato queen)
1906 – Harry Sosnik, American orchestra leader (Jack Carter Show, Your Hit Parade), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1996)
1948 – Linda Ann Simon, airline capt
1967 – Dean Barnett, American Conservative blogger
1982 – Christopher Bauman, American professional wrestler (d. 2005)

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Famous Deaths

1755 – Edward Braddock, British general, dies in battle at Pittsburgh
1859 – Rufus Choate, American lawyer (Hall of Fame), dies at 59
1946 – Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer/art dealer (Camera Work), dies at 82
1982 – Michael Blankfort, American writer, producer and director, dies at 74
1992 – Carla van Neste, Belgian violinist, dies at 78
2002 – Yousuf Karsh, Turkish-born Armenian photographer (b. 1908)

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Historical Events

1912 – 1st foreign feature film exhibited in US – “Queen Elizabeth” in NYC
1934 – Willy de Supervise swims world record 400m (5:16.0)
1952 – East German SED decides to form German DR army
1979 – “Disco Demolition Night” at Comiskey Park: fans go wild destroying disco records and cause the White Sox to forfeit second game of a doubleheader to the Detroit Tigers
1988 – USSR launches Phobos II for Martian orbit
1993 – Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Sunset Promenade” opens in London

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Famous Birthdays

1813 – Claude Bernard, French physiologist involved in the founding of modern physiology (blind experiments), born in Saint-Julien, Rhône (d. 1878)
1935 – Barrie Wilson, British religious scholar (How Jesus Became Christian) (d. 1995)
1941 – Joseph Whipp, American actor (Escape from Alcatraz), born in San Francisco, California
1943 – Paul Silas, American basketball player and coach (Boston Celtic, Seattle SuperSonic), born in Prescott, Arkansas
1977 – Francesca Lubiani, Italian tennis star (Futures-Amadora-POR), born in Bologna, Italy
1980 – Tina Tharp, rhythmic gymnast (Olympics 1996), born in Jacksonville, Florida

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Famous Deaths

1633 – Simon Besler, German composer, dies at 49
1845 – Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian poet (Creation, Humanity, and Messiah) and author, dies at 37
1953 – Joseph Jongen, Belgian composer, dies at 79
1983 – Chris Wood, rocker (Traffic), dies at 39
1993 – Gusti Huber, Mother of Bibi Besch, dies of heart failure at 78
2002 – Edward Lee Howard, CIA Case Officer and alleged Soviet spy, dies at 50 after breaking his neck during a fall

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Historical Events

1740 – Jews are expelled from Little Russia by order of Tsarina Anne
1906 – The Gillette-Brown murder inspires Theodore Dreiser’s “An American Tragedy”
1930 – Bradman scores 309 in a day vs England at Leeds, goes on to 334
1974 – World Football League plays 1st games
1984 – All star MVP: Gary Carter (Mont Expos) awarded for 2nd time
2001 – Iraq resumes oil exports, ending a 5-week halt in protest of a US and British-sponsored UN Security Council resolution

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Famous Birthdays

1914 – Ahti Sonninen, Finnish composer (Pessi and Illusia, Rauhaa, vain rauhaa), born in Kuopio, Finland (d. 1984)
1939 – Larry Laoretti, American golfer (US Senior Open 1992), born in Mahopac, New Jersey
1953 – Peter Bergman, Guantanamo Bay Cuba, actor (Eat or Be Eaten)
1965 – Ernesto Hoost, Dutch kickboxer
1970 – Pubudu Dissanayake, Sri Lanka cricket wicket-keeper (1993)
1973 – Konstantinos Kenteris, Greek athlete

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Famous Deaths

1686 – Michel Anguier, French sculptor, dies at 75
1774 – Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet, Irish-born New York pioneer
1929 – Billy Mosforth, English footballer (b. 1857)
1959 – Charlie Parker, English cricketer (legend Gloucs SLA, but 2-32 in only Test), dies at 76
1993 – Deng Yingchao, high ranking communist China official, dies at 88
2015 – Satoru Iwata, Japanese CEO of Nintendo (Nintendo DS and Wii), dies of cancer at 55

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Historical Events

1645 – Battle at Langport, Somerset: Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army beats Royalists
1936 – 112°F (44°C) at Martinsburg, West Virginia (state record)
1942 – Himmler orders sterilization of all Jewish woman in Ravensbruck Camp
1974 – USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1979 – Chuck Berry sentenced to 4 months for $200,000 in tax evasion
1990 – Final day of Test Cricket for Richard Hadlee as New Zealand go down by 114 runs in 3rd Test v England at Edgbaston

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Famous Birthdays

1883 – Johann Blaskowitz, German general (surrendered at Wageningen), born in Peterswalde, Germany (d. 1948)
1917 – Don Herbert, American scientist and TV host (Watch Mr Wizard), born in Waconia, Minnesota (d. 2007)
1933 – Chuan-Kwang Yang, Taiwanese decathlete (Olympic silver 1960), born in Taitung, Taiwan (d. 2007)
1936 – Jan Wincenty Hawel, Polish composer, born in Pszów, Poland
1941 – Jake Eberts, film producer (Chariots of Fire, Dances with Wolves), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2012)
1949 – Sunil Gavaskar, Indian cricket batsman and captain (125 Tests, 10,122 runs @ 51.12; 34 Test centuries), born in Bombay, India

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Famous Deaths

1690 – Jan van Brakel, Dutch vice admiral (Chatham), dies in battle at 48
1806 – George Stubbs, British animal painter (Horse Frightened by Lion), dies at 81
1884 – Paul Charles Morphy, US lawyer/chess wizard, dies at 47
1943 – Arthur Nevin, American composer, dies at 72
1989 – Mel Blanc, American voice actor, comedian best known for his Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons (Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd and Porky Pig), dies at 81
2008 – Mike Souchak, American golfer (15 PGA Tour titles; Ryder Cup 1959, 61), dies of a heart attack at 81

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Historical Events

1900 – The Commonwealth of Australia is established by the British House of Commons
1950 – 13.15″ (33.40 cm) of rainfall, York, Nebraska (state 24-hour record)
1968 – Wilt Chamberlain becomes the first reigning NBA MVP to be traded the next season when he moves from Philadelphia 76’ers to LA Lakers
2000 – Police fired tear gas at fans during a World Cup qualifying soccer game between Zimbabwe and South Africa, setting off a stampede that killed twelve people in Harare, Zimbabwe
2015 – Chuck Blazer receives a lifetime ban from FIFA and all football related activity due to corruption
2019 – Northern Ireland MPs vote to extend same-sex marriage and make abortion legal to bring it in line with rest of UK

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Famous Birthdays

1925 – Peter Ludwig, German businessman and art collector, born in Koblenz, Germany (d. 1996)
1929 – Jesse McReynolds, American singer and mandolinist (Grand Ole Opry), born in Coeburn, Virginia
1930 – Roy McLean, South African cricketer (prolific South African batsman played 40 Tests), born in Pietermaritzberg, Natal, South Africa
1942 – Hermann Burger, Swiss poet and writer, born in Menziken, Switzerland (d. 1989)
1974 – Nikola Sarcevic, Swedish bassist and singer (Millencolin)
1977 – Ben McAdoo, American football coach (New York Giants, 2016-7), born in Homer City, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1828 – Gilbert Stuart, American portrait painter (unfinished portrait of George Washington), dies at 72
1856 – Amedeo Avogadro, Italian scientist who contributed to molecular theory, including what is known as Avogadro’s law (6.022 x 10 ^ 23), dies at 79
1909 – Kasimir Felix Badeni, Premier of Polish/Austria (1895-97), dies at 62
2004 – Paul Klebnikov, American journalist (b. 1963)
2005 – Kevin Hagen, American actor (Little House on the Prairie), dies at 77
2018 – Hans Günter Winkler, German equestrian (5 x Olympic gold 1956 [2], 60, 64, 72), dies at 91

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Historical Events

1862 – Theodore R. Timby is granted a US patent for discharging guns in a revolving turret, using electricity
1947 – Reports are broadcast that a UFO has crash landed in Roswell, New Mexico
1950 – General Douglas MacArthur named commander-in-chief of UN forces in Korea
1963 – US bans all monetary transactions with Cuba
1990 – Brewers beat Angels 20-7, including 13 in 5th inning
1994 – St Maarten “Godfather” Claude Wathey sentenced to 1½ years

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Famous Birthdays

1819 – Vatroslav Lisinski, composer
1898 – Melville Ruick, American actor (Sun Valley Serenade, City Hospital), born in Boise, Idaho (d. 1972)
1919 – Walter Scheel, German politician, West German Foreign Minister and President, born in Solingen (d. 2016)
1969 – Sugizo [Yasuhiro Sugihara], Japanese guitarist and singer, born in Hadano, Kanagawa
1970 – Lisa Powell, Australian field hockey forward (Olympics 1996), born in Sydney, New South Wales
1983 – Jaroslav Janiš, Czech racing car driver

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Famous Deaths

1496 – Benedetto Bonfiglio, Italian painter, dies
1870 – John D Zocher Jr, architect (Soestdijk Palace), dies at 79
1941 – Philippe Gaubert, French musician and composer, dies at 62
1971 – Charlie Shavers, American jazz trumpet player, dies at 50
1979 – Robert B. Woodward, American organic chemist (Nobel 1965), dies at 62
2016 – William H. McNeill, Canadian-born historian (Rise of the West), dies at 98

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Historical Events

1668 – Isaac Newton receives MA from Trinity College, Cambridge
1799 – Ranjit Singh’s men take up their positions outside Lahore
1838 – Central American federation is dissolved
1939 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Bobby Riggs beats fellow American Elwood Cooke 2-6, 8-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 for Wimbledon sweep, also won doubles and mixed doubles titles
1987 – Kiwanis Clubs end men-only tradition, vote to admit women
2016 – Deadlock in battle for Aleppo broken when Russian air strikes cut rebel access to the city, 250,000 people put under siege

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Famous Birthdays

1900 – Earle E. Partridge, United States Air Force general (d. 1990)
1919 – William Moses Kunstler, defense attorney (Chicago 8)
1945 – Matti Salminen, Turku Finland, bass player (King Philipp-Don Carlos)
1957 – Jonathan Dayton, American film director, born in Alameda County, California
1963 – Vonda Shepard, American singer, born in New York
1982 – George Owu, Ghanaian footballer, born in Accra, Ghana

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Famous Deaths

1861 – John Willis Ellis, US governor of NC (1858-61), dies
1889 – Giovanni Bottesini, Italian Romantic composer, conductor and a double bass virtuoso, dies at 67
1901 – Johanna Spyri, Swiss children’s book author (Heidi), dies at 74
1945 – Salomėja Nėris [Salomėja Bačinskaitė-Bučienė], Lithuanian poet, dies of cancer at 40
1965 – Moshe Sharett, 2nd Prime Minister of Israel (1954-55), dies at 70
1975 – Ruffian, American thoroughbred racehorse (b. 1972)

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Historical Events

1495 – Battle of Fornovo, near Parma: French King Charles VIII beats Holy League
1777 – British General Burgoyne captures Fort Ticonderoga from Americans
1903 – George Wyman arrives in NYC by motorcycle 51 days out of San Francisco
1980 – Phillies starter Steve Carlton fans 7 Cardinals to reach 2,836 strikeouts, the most by a left-handed pitcher in MLB history
1987 – Pakistan cricket all-rounder Imran Khan reaches 300th Test wicket milestone, during 3rd Test vs England at Leeds
1987 – 1st of 3 massacres by Sikh extremists takes place in India

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Famous Birthdays

1911 – Laverne Andrews, American singer (Andrews Sisters), born in Mound, Minnesota (d. 1967)
1923 – Marie McDonald, American singer and actress known as “The Body Beautiful” (Promises Promises), born in Burgin, Kentucky (d. 1965)
1930 – Françoise Mallet-Joris, Belgian writer (Signs and Wonders), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 2016)
1951 – Geoffrey Rush, Australian actor (Shakespeare in Love, The King’s Speech), born in Toowoomba, Queensland
1961 – Benita Fitzgerald-Brown, American 100m hurdler (Olympic gold 1984), born in Warrenton, Virginia
1986 – Derrick Williams, American football player

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Famous Deaths

1480 – Antonio Squarcialupi, Italian composer and organist, dies at 64
1902 – Leopoldo Miguez, Brazilian composer, dies at 51
1954 – Dirk Verbeek, Dutch actor and director (Hofstad Stage), dies at 70
1970 – Marjorie Rambeau, dies at 80
1992 – Edgardo Pallero, Argentina producer (Los hijos de fierro), dies
2004 – Syreeta Wright, American singer (b. 1946)

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Historical Events

1610 – John Guy sets sail from Bristol with 39 other colonists for Newfoundland
1813 – War of 1812: Three weeks of British raids on Fort Schlosser, Black Rock and Plattsburgh, New York begin
1922 – Women 1st vote in Dutch elections, Christian parties win
1924 – Military revolt in Sao Paulo, Brazil
1929 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: In the first all-American final Helen Wills Moody beats Helen Jacobs 6-1, 6-2
2012 – Enrique Pena Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party is elected President of Mexico after a recount following irregularities

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Famous Birthdays

1554 – Elisabeth of Austria, Queen consort of France (1570-74), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1592)
1904 – Ernst Mayr, German-American biologist (evolutionary theory), born in Kempten, Bavaria, Germany (d. 2005)
1957 – David Hanson, British Labour politician, born in Liverpool
1972 – Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Zainichi-Korean wrestler (NJPW), born in Kyoto, Japan
1974 – Márcio Amoroso, Brazilian footballer, born in Brasília, Brazil
1991 – Jason Dolley, American actor and musician (Cory in the House), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1873 – John Robertson, American politician, dies at 87
1887 – August F Pott, German philological (That Personennamen), dies
1948 – Piet Aalberse, Dutch minister of Labor (1918-25), dies at 77
1989 – Ernesto Halffter, composer, dies at 84
1996 – Lorna Young, Scottish promoter of Fairtrade products, dies at 44
2006 – Kenneth Lay, American CEO and Chairman of Enron, dies at 64

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