Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1863 – Naval Engagement at Havana, Cuba: USS Henrick Hudson vs Confederate blokcade runner Wild Pigeon
1909 – Moran and MacFarland (US) wins Europe’s 1st 6 day bicycle race (Berlin)
1987 – PSV sells soccer player Ruud Gullit to AC Milan (Ÿ17 million)
1995 – New Jersey officially dedicates the Howard Stern Rest Area along Route 295
2018 – China announces greater controls over the media, including merging state-run radio and television broadcasters into a single conglomerate called “Voice of China”
2019 – Governor of Missouri Mike Parson declares a state of emergency as flooding from Nebraska and Iowa flows downstream into the state

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Famous Birthdays

1768 – Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Fourier, mathematician/Egyptologist
1901 – Richard Leslie Hill, historian
1934 – Al Freeman Jr, Tx, actor (One Life to Live, My Sweet Charlie), (d. 2012)
1955 – Jean Marie Hon, actress (Jane-Man From Atlantis), born in San Francisco, California
1962 – Matthew Broderick, American actor (WarGames, Biloxi Blues), born in NYC, New York
1975 – Mark Williams, Welsh snooker player

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Famous Deaths

1656 – Armagh James Ussher, Irish Archbishop of Armagh (claimed world began 4004 BC), dies at 76
1734 – Robert Wodrow, Scottish historian (b. 1679)
1992 – Natalie Sleeth, American composer, dies at 61
1998 – Galina Ulanova, Russian prima ballerina assoluta (b. 1910)
2007 – Drew Hayes, American writer and graphic artist (b. 1969)
2015 – Jackie Trent, English singer-songwriter (Neighbours theme) and actress, dies at 74

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Historical Events

1890 – General Federation of Womens’ Clubs founded
1902 – France and Russia issue a joint declaration that approves the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, but stipulates that they have the right to protect interests in China and Korea
1954 – 1st newspaper vending machine used (Columbia Pennsylvania)
1956 – Union workers ended a 156-day strike at Westinghouse Electric Corp
1965 – 27th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: UCLA beats Michigan, 91-80; Bruins’ back-to-back National titles; Gail Goodrich 42 points
2000 – Pope John Paul II visits Holy Land – Jordan, Israel, Palestine

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Famous Birthdays

1502 – Pierino Belli, Italian soldier and jurist (d. 1575)
1774 – John Braham, English tenor singer and composer, born in London (d. 1856)
1906 – Oswald “Ozzie” Nelson, American actor (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 1975)
1916 – Pierre Messmer, PM (France)
1945 – Pat Riley, NBA coach (Lakers, Knicks, Heat), born in Schenectady, New York
1957 – Spike Lee [Shelton Jackson Lee], American film director (Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X), born in Atlanta, Georgia

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Famous Deaths

1646 – Matthew Vossius, historian (Annales Holland Zelandiaeque), dies at 35
1866 – Rikard Nordraak, Norwegian composer, dies at 23
1925 – George N Curzon, British Foreign minister (1919-22), dies at 66
1964 – Jean Rogister, Belgian virtuoso violist and composer, dies at 84
1996 – Victor Zorza, journalist/Russian specialist, dies at 71
2012 – Mel Parnell [Melvin], American Major League Baseball pitcher, dies from cancer at 89

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Historical Events

1919 – Literary Magazine “Littérature”, edited by André Breton, Philippe Soupault, and Louis Aragon publishes its first issue
1982 – Falklands War: Argentinian forces land on South Georgia Island, precipitating war with the U.K.
1984 – John J O’Connor named 8th archbishop of New York
1987 – Fred Currey acquires Greyhound Bus Company
1989 – Men’s Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by Kurt Browning (CAN)
1995 – “Uncle Vanya” closes at Circle in Sq Theater NYC after 29 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1589 – William Bradford, English separatist, Governor of Plymouth colony for 30 years (baptized), born in Austerfield, England (d. 1657)
1817 – Lewis Henry Little, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), (d. 1862)
1819 – David Henry Williams, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (d. 1891)
1904 – Tadeusz Zygfryd Kassern, Polish composer and cultural attache, born in Lviv, Poland (d. 1957)
1955 – Bruce Willis, American actor (Moonlighting, Die Hard), born in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany
1964 – Barbara Lynch, American restaurateur (The Barbara Lynch Gruppo), born in Boston, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

1898 – João da Cruz, Brazilian poet, dies at 26
1918 – Willem H de Beaufort, Dutch historian/liberal politician, dies at 73
2004 – Mitchell Sharp, Canadian politician (b. 1911)
2008 – Paul Scofield, English actor (A Man for All Seasons and Quiz Show), dies from leukemia at 86
2008 – Hugo Claus, Belgian writer (Cool Lover, Sugar), dies at 78
2017 – Mary Maples Dunn, American college president (Smith College), dies at 85

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Historical Events

417 – Saint Zosimus begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1532 – English parliament bans payments by English church to Rome
1953 – 15th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Indiana beats Kansas, 69-68; Jayhawks’ center B. H. Born is named tournament Most Outstanding Player
1972 – Ulster Vanguard hold a rally of 60,000 people in Belfast; William Craig tells the crowd: “if and when the politicians fail us, it may be our job to liquidate the enemy”
1995 – STS 67 (Endeavour 8) lands after 16½ days
2003 – British Sign Language is recognised as an official British language

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Famous Birthdays

1548 – Cornelis Ketel, Dutch portrait painter/poet
1843 – Jules HPFX Vandenpeereboom, premier of Belgium (1899)
1927 – Lillian Vernon, founder and CEO of the Lillian Vernon Corporation (first company listed on US stock exchange started by a woman), born in Leipzig, Germany (d. 2015)
1929 – Christa Wolf, German novelist (Divided Heaven)
1966 – Jerry Cantrell, US rock guitarist (Alice in Chains-Dirt)
1982 – Chad Cordero, American baseball player

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Famous Deaths

1917 – William Shalders, South African cricket batsman (12 Tests 1895-1907), dies
1944 – Benjamin Delmonte, theater director and actor (Black Haired Whore), dies at 79
1965 – Farouk I, last King of Egypt (1936-52), dies at 45
1974 – David C Imboden, actor (King of Kings), dies at 87
1990 – Robin Harris, actor (House Party, Mo’ Better Blues), dies at 36
2016 – Jan Nemec, Czech film director (Diamonds of the Night), dies at 79

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Historical Events

1190 – Crusades complete massacre of Jews of York England
1917 – Delta Phi Epsilon is founded at New York University Law School
1950 – Element 98 (Californium) announced
1978 – Reds don green uniforms for St Patricks Day
1979 – Wales beats England, 27-3 at the National Stadium, Cardiff for its 2nd consecutive Five Nations Rugby Championship and record 21st outright title; record 4th straight Triple Crown
2019 – Flash flooding and a landslides kills at least 73 and injures about 60 in Sentani and Jayapura, Papua, eastern Indonesia

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Famous Birthdays

1883 – Urmuz, Romanian writer (d. 1923)
1915 – Henry Bumstead, American art director (d. 2006)
1925 – Jerome Lejeune, physiologist
1944 – John Sebastian, American singer (Loving Spoonful, Welcome Back Kotter), born in NYC, New York
1947 – Yury Chernavsky, Russian-born Composer and Producer
1964 – Jacques Songo’o, Cameroonian footballer

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Famous Deaths

1891 – Napoléon Bonaparte, French prince and member National Convention, dies at 68
1953 – Conrado del Campo y Zabaleta, composer, dies at 73
1988 – Nikolas Asimos, Greek counter-culture composer and singer, dies at 38
1994 – Arthur C. Jacobs, Scottish poet, dies at 57
1994 – Mai Zetterling, Swedish actress and film director (Witches, Offbeat, Jet Storm), dies of cancer at 68
2016 – Paul Daniels, British magician (The Paul Daniels Magic Show), dies at 77

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Historical Events

1527 – Battle of Khanua: Mughal Emperor Babur defeats Rajput forces led by Rana Sanga consolidating Mughal power
1861 – Confederate government appoints commissioners to Britain
1961 – 18th Golden Globes: “Spartacus”, Burt Lancaster, and Greer Garson win
1968 – General Motors produces its 100 millionth automobile, the Oldsmobile Toronado
1973 – Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Consortium members agree to nationalize all assets immediately in return for an assured 20-year supply of Iranian oil
2008 – 55th ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament: #1 North Carolina beats #22 Clemson, 86-81

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Famous Birthdays

1920 – John Addison, English composer (Tom Jones-Acad Award), born in Surrey England (d. 1998)
1940 – Chuck Woolery, Ky, TV game show host (Love Connection)
1959 – Stan Thorn, singer (Shenandoah-Sunday in the South), born in Kenosha, Wisconsin
1963 – Jimmy Degrasso, American musician, drummer
1964 – Patty Griffin, American singer and songwriter (Downtown Church), born in Old Town, Maine
1986 – T. J. Jordan, American basketball player

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Famous Deaths

1485 – Anne Neville, English queen, wife of Richard III of England, dies at 28
1899 – Joseph Medill, mayor of Chicago (b. 1823)
1985 – Jean Purdy, British embryologist and nurse (pioneer in developing IVF), dies from melanoma at 39
1985 – Eddie Shore, Canadian ice hockey player, dies of a lung infection at 82
1991 – Jan H. van Roijen, Dutch ambassador to the U.S. and Netherlands Foreign Minister, dies at 85
1996 – Peter Clemoes, Anglo-Saxon scholar, dies at 76

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Historical Events

1744 – French King Louis XV declares war on Britain
1948 – WCAU TV channel 10 in Philadelphia, PA (CBS) begins broadcasting
1964 – USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1968 – Diocese of Rome announces that it “deplored the concept”, but wouldn’t prohibit rock and roll masses at Church of San Lessio Falconieri
1997 – Pitts Penguins’ Joe Mullen, is 1st American to score 500 NHL goals
2013 – 24 people die after a double decker bus veers of a pass in Cape Town, South Africa

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Famous Birthdays

1808 – Gaetano Gaspari, composer
1830 – Élisée Reclus, French geographer (d. 1905)
1921 – Stafford Smythe, Canadian NHL executive (President Toronto Maple Leafs 1961–69, 1970-71), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 1971)
1934 – Daniel George “Danny” Apolinar, composer/songwriter
1941 – Mike Love, American vocalist (Beach Boys – “Fun, Fun, Fun”), born in Los Angeles, California
1964 – Ron Hall, NFL tight end (Detroit Lions)

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Famous Deaths

1673 – Salvatore Rosa, Italian baroque painter, poet, musician and actor, dies at 57
1889 – Melville Reuben Bissell, American inventor of the carpet sweeper, dies of pneumonia at 45
1918 – George Alexander [Samson], British actor, theatre producer and manager, dies at 59
1993 – Dennis Gregory, actor (Village of the Damn), dies of pneumonia at 40
2008 – Sarla Thakral, first Indian woman to fly an aircraft (1936), dies at about 94
2011 – Marty Marion, American baseball shortstop and manager (MLB All-Star 1943–50; NL MVP 1944; St. Louis Cardinals), dies from a heart attack at 93

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Historical Events

1908 – Stanley Cup, Montreal Arena, Westmount, Quebec: Montreal Wanderers beat Toronto Professionals, 6-4
1964 – Dallas, Texas; Jack Ruby sentenced to death for Lee Harvey Oswald’s murder
1969 – Seymour Nurse scores 258 in his last Test Cricket innings, WI v NZ
1971 – South Vietnamese troops flee Laos
1992 – NY Met Daryl Boston, Vince Coleman and Dwight Gooden accused of rape
2003 – Start of weekend of protests against war in Iraq that are attended by millions

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Famous Birthdays

1894 – Josef Schelb, German composer, born in Bad Krozingen, Germany (d. 1977)
1916 – Horton Foote, American author, playwright and screenwriter
1943 – Jim Pons, bassist (Turtles, Mothers of Invention), born in Santa Monica, California
1956 – Tessa Sanderson, British javelin thrower (Olympic gold 1984), born in Kingston, Jamaica
1972 – Clover Maitland, Australian field hockey goal keeper (Olympics 1996)
1977 – Aki Hoshino, Japanese model

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Famous Deaths

1791 – Johann Salomo Semler, German historian and Bible commentator (b. 1725)
1874 – Johann Heinrich von Mädler, German astronomer (published the most complete map of the Moon of the time, Mappa Selenographica, 4 vol. with Wilhelm Beer), dies at 79
1902 – Daniel H. Reynolds, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 69
1995 – Gerard Thomas Victory, composer, dies at 73
1995 – John Peters Humphrey, Canadian jurist and human rights advocate, dies at 89
2003 – Jean-Luc Lagardère, French publisher (b. 1928)

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Historical Events

1878 – Oxford University defeats Cambridge University in their 1st golf match
1979 – European Monetary System is established, ECU created
1980 – Eric Heiden skates world record 1000m (1:13.60)
1986 – Soyuz T-15 carries 2 cosmonauts to Soviet space station Mir
1994 – 15th Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament: Providence beats Georgetown, 74-64
2019 – California Governor Gavin Newsom announces an indefinite moratorium on the death sentence in the state, saying it discriminates against marginalized communities

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Famous Birthdays

1719 – John Griffin Whitwell, 4th Baron Howard de Walden, British field marshal, born in Oundle, Northamptonshire (d. 1797)
1947 – Tomas Hinojosa, jockey
1950 – Steve Hill, country vocalist (A Winning Hand)
1957 – John Hoeven, American politician, governor of North Dakota, born in Bismarck, North Dakota
1972 – Brian Saxton, NFL tight end (NY Giants), born in Whippany, New Jersey
1973 – David Draiman, American musician and songwriter (Disturbed), born in Brooklyn, New York

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Famous Deaths

1558 – Jean Fernel, French physician/physiologist, dies
1930 – Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman, American writer (Revolt of Mother), dies at 77
1938 – Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin, Russian politician and intellectual, dies at 49
1946 – Abraham Bredius, Dutch art historian (Rembrandt), dies at 90
1987 – Gerald Moore, English pianist (Am I Too Loud), dies at 87
1996 – Brian Hulls, British TV news cameraman, dies at 48

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Historical Events

1867 – Last French troops leave Mexico
1897 – Vincent d’Indy’s opera “Fervaal” premieres in Brussells
1945 – 30 Amsterdammers executed by nazi occupiers
1947 – Belgian government of Huysmans resigns
1981 – Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Marry Me a Little,” premieres in NYC
1994 – Church of England ordains 1st 33 women priests

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Famous Birthdays

1821 – John Abbott, 3rd Canadian Prime Minister (1891-92), born in Saint-Andre, Quebec (d. 1893)
1922 – Jack Kerouac, American Beat writer (On the Road, Mexico Blues), born in Lowell, Massachusetts (d. 1969)
1926 – Gudrun Ure, Scottish actress (Super Gran, Lady MacBeth, BBC Sorcerer), born in Campsie, Stirlingshire, Scotland
1926 – Rolv Berger Yttrehus, composer
1967 – Irvin Smith, CFL cornerback (Montreal Alouettes)
1972 – Hector Luis Bustamante, Colombian actor

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Famous Deaths

604 – Gregory I the Great, Pope (590-604), dies at 64
1925 – Sun Yat-sen, Chinese revolutionary and father of modern China, dies of liver cancer at 58
1998 – Jozef Kroner, Slovak actor (The Shop on Main Street), dies at 74
2001 – Robert Ludlum, American spy novelist (Bourne Identity), dies at 73
2001 – Henry Lee Lucas, American drifter and serial killer, dies at 64
2008 – Jorge Guinzburg, Argentine journalist, producer, humorist, and TV, theater and radio host (b. 1949)

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