Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1867 – Howard University, Washington, D.C., chartered
1893 – Diplomatic Appropriation Act, authorizes the US rank of ambassador
1937 – US Steel raises workers’ wages to $5 a day
1954 – Future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Ted Williams fractures his collarbone on the first day of Boston Red Sox spring training; injury keeps him out of Boston lineup until May 15
1963 – 200,000 French mine workers strike
1997 – 5th annual ESPY Awards shown on TV

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Famous Birthdays

1810 – Frederic Chopin, Polish-French pianist and composer (Concert in F Minor), born in Żelazowa Wola, Duchy of Warsaw (d. 1849) (baptismal records 22nd Feb)
1905 – Doris Hare, Welsh actress, born in Bargoed, Glamorgan, Wales (d. 2000)
1921 – Cameron Argetsinger, American auto racing executive (created Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course; F1 US Grand Prix 1961-80), born in Youngstown, Ohio (d. 2008)
1973 – Chris Webber, American basketball forward (NBA All-Star 1997, 2000–2003; Washington Bullets/Wizards, Sacramento Kings) and broadcaster (NBA Gametime Live; TNT), born in Detroit, Michigan
1983 – Daniel Carvalho, Brazilian soccer winger (3 caps; Internacional, CSKA Moscow), born in Pelotas, Brazil
1987 – Sammie Bush, Boyton Beach Florida, American RandB singer (“I Like It”)

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Famous Deaths

1884 – Isaac Todhunter, English mathematician (b. 1820)
1928 – Jacob Adolf Hägg, Swedish composer, dies at 77
1929 – Royal H. Weller, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York), dies at 47
1970 – Lucille Hegamin, American singer and entertainer (b. 1894)
1995 – Vladislav Listyev, Russian TV-journalist, murdered at 38
2015 – Minnie Minoso, Cuban baseball left-fielder (9-time MLB All Star; Gold Glove Award 1957, 59, 60; Chicago WS), dies of heart disease at 92

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Historical Events

1892 – St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated
1892 – Britain and US sign treaty on seal hunting in Bering Sea
1964 – “Rugantino” closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 28 performances
1968 – National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (Kerner Comm) reports against racism and demands aid given to blacks
1976 – American driver Richard Petty wins the only Winston Cup race run on Leap Day, taking the Carolina 500 at Rockingham by 2 laps over Darrell Waltrip
1976 – ABC-TV broadcast premiere of 1965’s hit “The Sound of Music”

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Famous Birthdays

1728 – Robert Bage, English writer (Criticism by Peter Faulkner)
1792 – Karl Ernst von Baler, Russian naturalist (discovered human ovum)
1884 – Alfred Sendrey, American composer and musicologist, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1976)
1904 – Jimmy Dorsey, American orchestra leader (Stage Show), born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania
1944 – Dennis Farina, American actor (Get Shorty, Law and Order, Crime Story), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2013)
1972 – Dave Williams, American singer (Drowning Pool) (d. 2002)

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Famous Deaths

468 – Pope St. Hilarius (461-468), calendar reformer, dies (birth date unknown)
1744 – John Theophilus Desaguliers, French-British natural philosopher and freemason, dies at 60
1944 – Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, President of Finland (b. 1861)
1992 – Johnny Mack, British actor (Time Lord-Dr Who), dies at 70
2000 – Dennis Danell, American artist (b. 1961)
2016 – Edward M. Lawson, Canadian trade unionist and politician, dies at 86

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Historical Events

1838 – Robert Nelson, leader of the Patriotes, proclaims the independence of Lower Canada (today Québec)
1888 – Vincent d’Indy’s Wallenstein-trilogy, premieres
1988 – Pat Verbeek becomes 1st NJ Devil to score 4 goals in an NHL game
2001 – The US Environmental Protection Agency announces that it intends to proceed with implementation of tighter restrictions on sulfur content in diesel fuel; the rule is opposed by many in the refining industry
2016 – 36th Razzies Awards: “Fifty Shades of Grey” wins worst film, worst actor and actress
2019 – YouTube announces it will stops all comments on videos featuring children because of paedophiles leaving inappropriate comments

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Famous Birthdays

1261 – Margaret of Scotland, queen of Norway (d. 1283)
1938 – Martin Olav Sabo, (Rep-D-MN, 1979- )
1945 – Charles “Bubba” Smith, Tx, NFLer (Balt Colts)/actor (Police Academy)
1957 – Ainsley Harriott, British celebrity chef
1973 – Denard Walker, cornerback (Tennessee Oilers)
1979 – Michael Bisping, English mixed martial artist, born in Nicosia, Cyprus

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Famous Deaths

1844 – Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of State, dies in explosion on USS Princeton
1991 – Guillermo Ungo, member of El Salvador junta (1979-80), dies
1993 – Franco Brusati, Italian dir/writer (Bread and Chocolate), dies at 70
1996 – Daniel Chipenda, Angolan politician and field commander, dies at 64
2004 – Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian, writer, and Librarian of Congress (b. 1914)
2014 – Hugo Brandt Corstius, Dutch essayist and mathematician, dies at 78

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Historical Events

1869 – John Menard is 1st African American to make a speech in the US Congress
1956 – Female suffrage granted in Egypt
1962 – South Vietnam President Ngô Đình Diệm’s palace bombed by dissident air pilots in a failed assassination attempt
1965 – France performs Underground nuclear test at Ecker Algeria
1966 – Ice Dance Championship at Davos won by Diane Towler and Bernard Ford of great Britain
1984 – WRC-AM in Washington, D.C. changes call letters to WWRC

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Famous Birthdays

1877 – Walter O Briggs, American entrepreneur and sports team owner (Detroit Tigers 1935-52), born in Ypsilanti, Michigan (d. 1952)
1897 – Marian Anderson, American contralto and celebrated singer (My Lord, What a Morning), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1993)
1907 – Mildred Bailey [Rinker], American jazz singer known as “The Queen of Swing” (Rockin’ Chair, Please Be Kind), born in Teoka, Washington (d. 1951)
1930 – Peter Stone, American writer (d. 2003)
1954 – Neal Schon, American rock guitarist (Journey-Open Arms, Bad English), born in Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma
1973 – Roderick “Pooh” Clark, American RandB singer (High-5)

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Famous Deaths

1706 – John Evelyn, English writer and diarist (Life of Mrs Godolphin), dies at 85
1874 – Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Cuban revolutionary hero, dies at 54
1921 – Schofield Haigh, cricketer (Eng all-rounder 11 Tests 1898-1912), dies
1968 – Frankie Lymon, American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer (The Teenagers), dies at 25 of a heroin overdose
1974 – Pat Brady [Robert Ellsworth O’Brady], American actor (The Roy Rodgers Show, Man from Music Mountain), dies at 57
1991 – Robert-Jan Akkerman, Dutch diplomat (to Tunis), murdered

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Historical Events

1887 – George Lohmann took 1st 8-wkt haul in test cricket, 8-35 at SCG
1942 – German battle cruiser Gneisenau deactivated by bomb
1943 – German assault moves to Beja North Tunisia
1974 – Gold hits record $188 an ounce in Paris
1981 – 3 Anglican missionaries detained in Iran since Aug 1980 are released
1982 – Test Cricket debut of batsman Martin Crowe, playing for New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, run out for 9

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Famous Birthdays

1675 – Johann Philipp Treiber, composer
1845 – Aleksander Rozycki, composer
1852 – John Harvey Kellogg, surgeon, inspired flaked cereal industry
1882 – Walter Lucht, German artillery general (WW I/WW II)
1887 – Benegal Narsing Rau, India, President of UN Security Council (1950)
1907 – Dub Taylor [Walter Clarence Taylor Jr], American character actor (Gunsmoke), born in Richmond, Virginia (d. 1994)

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Famous Deaths

1538 – Worp van Thabor, Frisian abbott of Thabor (Chronicon Frisiae), dies
1686 – Godefroi L Comte d’Estrades, French diplomat/marshal, dies at about 78
1839 – Sybil Ludington, American revolutionary heroine (rode to alert militia), dies at 77
1943 – Theodor Eicke, Nazi official (b. 1892)
1977 – Maxime Jacob, composer, dies at 71
2003 – Christian Goethals, Belgian racing driver, dies at 74

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Historical Events

1836 – Showman P. T. Barnum exhibits African American slave Joice Heth, claiming she was the 161 year-old nursemaid to George Washington
1968 – 430 Unification Church couples wed in Korea
1969 – West Germany gives $5 million to an Arab terrorist as ransom for the passengers and crew of a hijacked jumbo jet
1974 – Veronica and Colin Scargill (England) begin tandem bicycle ride a record 18,020 miles around the world, completed on August 27, 1975
1993 – Florida Marlins introduce their mascot “Billy”
1996 – “Father” closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 52 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1591 – Friedrich von Spee, German writer (d. 1635)
1731 – Simon Stijl, Frisian physician/writer
1952 – Joey Dunlop, Irish motorcycle racer (d. 2000)
1961 – Davey Allison, American auto racer (Daytona 500 1992), born in Hollywood, Florida (d. 1993)
1974 – Tamarick Vanover, NFL wide receiver (KC Chiefs)
1985 – Benji Marshall, New Zealand rugby player

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Famous Deaths

1805 – Thomas Pownall, British colonial statesman (b. 1722)
1982 – J K Irani, cricket wicket-keeper (2 Tests for India 1947-48), dies
1992 – Ollie O’Toole, dies after long illness at 79
1992 – Guy Deghy, actor (Matter of Who, 1 Eyed Soldiers), dies at 79
1997 – Andrei Donatovich Sinyavsky, Russian writer and critic, dies at 71
2005 – Edward Patten, American soul singer (Gladys Knight and the Pips), dies of a stroke at 65

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Historical Events

1786 – Charles Cornwallis appointed governor-general of India
1955 – 12th Golden Globes: “On The Waterfront”, Marlon Brando, and Judy Garland win
1982 – Wayne Gretzky scores NHL-record 78th goal of season en route to 92
1987 – LA Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores his 36,000th NBA point
1989 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
2008 – 80th Academy Awards: “No Country for Old Men”, Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard win

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Famous Birthdays

1811 – Daniel A Payne, Bishop/reformer/educator of AME Church
1877 – Ettie Rout, New Zealand activist (d. 1936)
1923 – David Soyer, American cellist
1932 – Andrew Jacobs Jr, American politician (Rep-D-IN, 1965-73, 75-97), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 2013)
1946 – John Stapleton, English television presenter
1970 – Jeff Garcia, CFL quarterback (Calgary Stampeders)

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Famous Deaths

1563 – Francois Guise, French general/duke, assassinated at 44
1686 – Ferdinando Tacca, Italian painter/son of Pietro Tacca, dies at 66
1919 – Josephine McGill, composer, dies at 41
2006 – Don Knotts, American actor (Andy Griffth Show, 3’s Company), died of lung cancer at 81
2007 – Bruce Bennett, American actor (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre), dies from complications of a broken hip at 100
2018 – Durward Knowles, Bahamas yachtsman (Olympic gold, Star class 1968), dies at 100

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Historical Events

1904 – United States acquires control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million
1910 – George Bernard Shaw’s “Misalliance” premieres in London
1916 – US Congress authorizes McKinley Memorial $1 gold coin
1960 – Carol Heiss wins the women’s figure skating gold medal at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; US takes the singles double after David Jenkins wins men’s event
1985 – Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight throws a chair during a game
1994 – Indians owner Richard Jacobs announces he will pay $10 million to name baseball field (Jacobs Field) at Gateway (becomes official 3/23)

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Famous Birthdays

1865 – Barney Dreyfuss, baseball owner (Pittsburgh Pirates)
1923 – Gery Florizoone, Flemish poet
1933 – Lee Calhoun, Laurel, Mississippi, American 110m hurdler (Olympic gold 1956, 60)
1941 – Robin Bynoe, cricketer (WI opening batsman in 4 Tests 1959-67)
1949 – Terry “Tex” Comer, English bassist and guitarist (ACE), born in Burnley, England
1964 – John Norum, Swedish rocker (Europe), born in Vardø, Norway

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Famous Deaths

1526 – Diego Colón, Spanish Viceroy of the Indies
1572 – Pierre Certon, French composer
1603 – Andrea Cesalpino, Italian philosopher, physician and botanist, dies at 83
1766 – Stanislaw Leszcynski, duke of Lutherans/king of Poland, dies
1859 – Zygmunt Krasiński, Polish Romantic poet (b. 1812)
1945 – Aubrey Cousins, Canadian sergeant (Victoria Cross), dies in battle

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Historical Events

1915 – Germany begins “unrestricted” submarine war
1957 – Jockey Ted Atkinson, 3,500th win
1969 – Barbara Jo Rubin becomes 1st female jockey to win at a major US track
1972 – US President Richard Nixon, meets with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing
1984 – Brothers Anton and Peter Stastny score 8 pts each for NHL Quebec
1996 – “Bus Stop” opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC for 29 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1882 – Eric Gill, England, sculptor/engraver/typographer (Perpetua)
1896 – Paul Van Ostaijen, Flemish poet/writer/critic (Occupied City)
1942 – Christine Keeler, British model and showgirl (Profumo affair), born in Uxbridge, England (d. 2017)
1969 – Shawn Jefferson, American NFL wide receiver (San Diego Chargers, NE Patriots), born in Jacksonville, Florida
1971 – Gilbert Brown, American NFL defensive tackle (Green Bay Packers-Super Bowl 31), born in Farmington, Michigan
1977 – Timo Rose, German filmmaker, born in Rellingen, Germany

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Famous Deaths

1824 – John Davy, English composer, dies at 60
1961 – George de Cuevas, Chilean-born ballet impresario and choreographer (Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas), dies at 75 or 76
2002 – Jonas Savimbi, Angolan rebel leader (b. 1934)
2005 – Simone Simon, French actress (All Money Can Buy, Ladies in Love), dies from natural causes at 94
2016 – Douglas Slocombe, British cinematographer (Kind Hearts and Coronets, Raiders of the Lost Ark), dies at 103
2016 – Sonny James [James Loden], American country music singer-songwriter (Young Love), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1173 – Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury
1431 – Joan of Arc’s first day of interrogation during her trial for heresy
1764 – John Wilkes thrown out of English House of Commons for “Essay on Women”
1878 – World’s 1st telephone directory issued, 50 subscribers (New Harbor, Connecticut)
1907 – SS Berlin sinks off the Hook of Holland (142 dead)
1970 – Jackson 5 make TV debut on “American Bandstand”

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Famous Birthdays

1674 – Johann Augustin Kobelius, composer
1814 – Nicolo Gabrielli, composer
1855 – Alice Freeman Palmer, educator (Hall of Fame)
1964 – Scott Kelly, American astronaut, born in Orange, New Jersey
1967 – Patrick Lodewijks, Dutch soccer player (PSV, FC Groningen), born in Eindhoven, Netherlands
1984 – Karina, Japanese model and actress, born in Shōwa-ku, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1926 – Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Dutch physicist (liquid helium, Nobel 1913), dies at 72
1956 – Edwin Franko Goldman, composer, dies at 78
1991 – Roger Swaybill, actor/writer (Porky’s II, Breaking Point), dies at 47
2003 – Eddie Thomson, Australian soccer coach (Socceroos 1990-96), dies of cancer at 55
2008 – Sunny Lowry, First British woman to swim the English Channel (b. 1911)
2017 – Kenneth Arrow, American economist, (Nobel Prize 1972), dies at 95

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