Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1860 – Comanche, Iowa, completely destroyed by one of a series of tornadoes
1950 – French expedition reaches top of Himalayan peak of Annapurna in Nepal
1964 – Ringo Starr collapses from tonsillitis and pharyngitis
1967 – 99th Belmont: Bill Shoemaker aboard Damascus wins in 2:28.8
1974 – Yitzhak Rabin forms a new Israeli government
2018 – Guatemala’s Fuego volcano erupts killing at least 110, with 332 missing and forcing the evacuation of over 3,100

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1771 – Charles Bernard Desormes, Dijon, French Physicist and Chemist who determined the ratio of the specific heats of gases as well as the exact composition of carbon monoxide and carbon disulphide
1864 – Ransom Eli Olds, American auto (Oldsmobile) and truck (REO) manufacturer, born in Geneva, Ohio (d. 1950)
1911 – Olaf Okern, Norwegian Nordic skier (Olympic-medal-1948)
1922 – Alain Resnais, French director (Muriel, Hiroshima mon amour), born in Brittany, France (d. 2014)
1926 – Hamilton Fish Jr, (Rep-R-NY, 1969- )
1974 – Arianne Zuker, American actress

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1864 – Peter A Porter, US Union colonel (8th NY), dies in battle
1877 – Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of Netherlands as wife of William III, dies at 58
1964 – Frans Eemil Sillanpää, Finnish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
1967 – Arthur Mitchell Ransome, critic/children’s book author, dies
1994 – Roger Wolcott Sperry, physicist, dies at 89
2009 – David Carradine, American actor (Kung Fu, Mean Streets, Kill Bill V.1 and 2), dies at 72

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1869 – Cleveland’s Forest City play their 1st game (vs Cincinnati Red Stockings)
1960 – Broadway theaters close (labor dispute between owners and Actors Equity)
1973 – “Nash at Nine” closes at Helen Hayes Theater NYC after 21 performances
1986 – NYC transit system issues a new brass with steel bullseye token
1994 – Sharon Stone files $12m lawsuit against her jeweler
1996 – 9th Children’s Miracle Network Telethon

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1857 – Edward Elgar, English composer (Coronation Ode, Pomp and Circumstance), born in Lower Broadheath, Worcestershire (d. 1934)
1929 – Norton Juster, American author, architect and children’s author (The Dot and the Line), born in New York City
1946 – Roger Freed, baseball player
1967 – Mike Stanton, American pitcher (NY Yankees, Boston Red Sox), born in Houston, Texas
1973 – Jayantha Silva, cricketer (Sri Lankan Test left-arm spinner 1995)
1976 – Josef Marha, Havl-brod Cze, NHL center (Colorado Avalanche)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1968 – R Norris Williams, American tennis player, survivor RMS Titanic sinking (US Nat C’ship 1914, 16), dies of emphysema at 77
1990 – Shriram Sharma, Indian spiritual leader and founder of “All World Gayatri Pariwar”, dies at 78
1994 – David Stove, Australian philosopher (b. 1927)
2001 – Imogene Coca, American comedienne (Your Show of Shows, Grindl), dies at 92
2004 – Nicolai Ghiaurov, Bulgarian opera singer, dies at 74
2013 – Mario Bernardi, Canadian pianist and conductor, dies at 82

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1866 – General Dutch Typographer Union forms
1935 – Driving test and license plates introduced in England
1958 – Belgian christian-democrats win parliamentary election
1962 – SS officer Adolf Eichmann is executed in Israel after being found guilty of war crimes
1968 – 100th Belmont: Gus Gustines aboard Stage Door Johnny wins in 2:27.2
2018 – Law professor Giuseppe Conte is sworn in as Italian Prime Minister as head of a populist coalition

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1549 – Allesandre Spontone, composer
1881 – Charles Kay Ogden, English writer and linguist (d. 1957)
1955 – Ralph Morse, British actor, singer and writer of historical dramas
1970 – Alexi Lalas, American soccer defender (96 caps; NE Revolution, LA Galaxy), born in Birmingham, Michigan
1972 – Daniel Casey, English actor (Midsomer Murders), born in Stockton-on-Tees, England
1973 – Adam Garcia, Australian actor

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1710 – David Mitchell, Scottish admiral in the British Royal navy (b. 1642)
1846 – Gregory XVI [Bartolomeo Alberto Mauro Cappellari], Pope (1831-1846), dies at 80
1943 – Wilfrid B. Israel, Jewish activist
1959 – Sax Rohmer [Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward], English author (Dr Fu Manchu novels), (b. 1883)
1980 – Rube Marquard, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (NL wins leader 1912; NL strikeout leader 1911; no-hitter 1915; NY Giants), dies at 93
2014 – Ann B. Davis, American actress, dies from a subdural hematoma from a fall at 88

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1659 – Netherlands, England and France sign Treaty of The Hague
1880 – League of American Wheelmen (1st US bicycle association), forms in Newport, Rhode Island
1902 – Australia Cricket all out 36 v England, Edgbaston, their lowest ever
1905 – Emperor Wilhelm II lands in Tanger
1927 – Tiger 1st baseman Johnny Neun makes an unassisted triple play
1941 – -June 1) 32.0 cm rain falls on Burlington Kansas (state record)

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1640 – Michał Wiśniowiecki, King of Poland (1669-73), born in Biały Kamień, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (d. 1673)
1882 – Sándor Graf Festetics, Hungarian nobleman and politician, born in Dég, Fejér county, Hungary (d. 1956)
1930 – William Taylor, British Chairman of Convocation (London University)
1939 – Charles Drain, American soul singer, born in Eupora, Mississippi (d. 1995)
1955 – Tommy Emmanuel, Australian Guitarist CGP
1962 – Henry Williams, CFL receiver (Edmonton Eskimos)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1880 – Hippolyte Mège-Mouriés, French chemist and inventor of margarine, dies at 62
1906 – Victoria von Battenberg, assassinated in Madrid
1928 – Manuel de Oliveira Lima, Brazilian historian, dies at 60
1955 – Bill Vukovich, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1953-4), dies in crash in Indianapolis 500 at 36
1974 – Adelle Davis, US nutrionalist (Let’s stay healthy), dies at 70
2006 – Lula Mae Hardaway, American songwriter, mother of singer Stevie Wonder (b. 1930)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1416 – Jerome of Prague burned at the stake for heresy by church Council of Constance
1584 – Earl Adolf of Nieuwenaar and Meurs becomes viceroy of Gelderland
1901 – Hall of Fame for Great American on NYU campus dedicated
1906 – Hersheypark, founded by Milton S. Hershey for the exclusive use of his employees, is opened
1934 – Indianapolis 500: Bill Cummings wins in 4:46:05.254 (168.761 km/h)
1949 – East German constitution approved

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1653 – Claudia Felicitas of Austria, Empress consort of Germany, born in Florence, Tuscany (d. 1676)
1719 – Roger Newdigate, British politician (sat in the House of Commons 1742-80), born in Arbury, Warwickshire (d. 1806)
1871 – Olga Engl, Austrian actress (Phantom), born in Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (d. 1946)
1912 – Joseph Stein, American dramatist and playwright (Fiddler on the Roof), born in NYC, New York (d. 2010)
1927 – Dick Noel, American TV host (It’s a Small Wonder), born in Brooklyn, New York
1950 – Bertrand Delanoë, French politician

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1640 – Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish Baroque painter, dies at 62
1865 – William Clarke Quantrill, criminal/Confederate bushwhacker, dies at 27
1967 – Claude Rains, British actor (Invisible Man, Casablanca), dies at 77
1975 – Michel Simon, Swiss actor (Panic, Plague, Two of Us), dies at 80
1977 – Paul Desmond, American jazz alto saxophonist (Dave Brubeck Quartet – Take Five), dies of lung cancer at 52
1995 – Philip Owen A Sherrard, scholar theologian poet/translator, dies at 72

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1765 – Patrick Henry’s historic speech against the Stamp Act, answering a cry of “Treason!” with, “If this be treason, make the most of it!”
1913 – Igor Stravinsky’s ballet score “The Rite of Spring” premieres in Paris, provoking a riot
1932 – The Bonus Army of World War I veterans begins to assemble in Washington, D.C. to request cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in 1945.
1948 – French Championships Men’s Tennis: Frank Parker wins 1st of 2 straight French titles; beats Jaroslav Drobný 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 8-6
1965 – French Championships Women’s Tennis: Australian Lesley Turner Bowrey wins her 2nd French singles crown; upsets doubles partner Margaret Smith 6-3, 6-4
1982 – 1st papal visit to Britain since 1531

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1810 – Solomon Meredith, American politician and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Guilford County, North Carolina (d. 1875)
1880 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (Decline of West), born in Blankenburg, Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire (d. 1936)
1903 – Bob Hope [Leslie Townes Hope], British born American entertainer, born in London, England (d. 2003)
1950 – Talat Ali, Pakistani cricket batsman (Pakistan 10 Tests), born in Lahore, Punjab
1955 – Jerry Dengler, Colo Springs, singer (Mason Dixon-Karen Comes Around)
1974 – Myf Warhurst, Australian radio presenter on Triple J and TV personality on Spicks and Specks

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1691 – Cornelis Tromp, Dutch naval officer and son of Maarten Tromp, dies at 61
1833 – William Marshall, Scottish fiddle composer ( strathspeys The Marchioness of Huntly), dies at 84
1905 – Leon Francis Victor Caron, composer, dies at 55
1956 – Albert H Edelkoort, theologist (Christusverwachting), dies at 65
1987 – Alain Vincx, Belgian stuntman, dies in an accident at 40
1996 – Tamara Toumanova, dancer, dies at 77

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1900 – In China, rioters provoked by Boxers burn the Fengtai Railway Station, where many Belgians work
1938 – Hindemiths opera “Mathis der Maler” premieres in Zurich
1971 – USSR Mars 3 launched, 1st spacecraft to soft land on Mars
1979 – European Market accepts Greece as member
1997 – 5th UEFA Champions League Final: Borussia Dortmund beats Juventus 3-1 at Munich
2017 – Indianapolis 500: Takuma Sato wins in 3:13:03.3584

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1764 – Edward Livingston, American jurist and statesman, born in Columbia County, New York (d. 1836)
1818 – P. G. T. Beauregard, American Confederate general (Hero of Sumter), born in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (d. 1893)
1841 – Giovanni Sgambati, Italian pianist and composer, born in Rome (d. 1914)
1883 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian independence activist and writer (The Indian War of Independence), born in Bhagur, India ( (d. 1966)
1947 – Lynn Johnston, Canadian cartoonist
1979 – Monica Keena, American actress

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1864 – Henry H Giesy, US Union-brigadier general, dies in battle
1878 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, British Prime Minister (Whig: 1846-52 and 1865-66), dies at 85
1973 – Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, German composer and conductor (Hassan), dies at 73
1994 – Rita Gillespie, British pioneering TV Director, dies at 65
2004 – Umberto Agnelli, Italian automobile executive (Fiat), dies at 69
2007 – Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japanese politician (b. 1945)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1937 – Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opens to pedestrians
1948 – Arabs blow up Jewish synagogue Hurvat Rabbi Yehudah he-Hasid
1957 – Toronto’s CHUM-AM, (1050 kHz) becomes Canada’s first radio station to broadcast only top 40 Rock n’ Roll music format
1985 – Inaugural bands parade for President Reagan
1987 – 31st European Cup: Porto beats Bayern Munich 2-1 at Vienna
2007 – 60th Cannes Film Festival: “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” directed by Cristian Mungiu wins the Palme d’Or

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1863 – Arthur Mold, English cricket fast bowler (England 3 Tests; 1,673 1st class wickets), born in Middleton Cheney, Northamptonshire (d. 1921)
1925 – John Moberly, British diplomat, dies at 79
1942 – Lee Baca, American law enforcement official
1947 – Branko Oblak, Slovenian footballer and coach, born in Ljubljan, FPR Yugoslavia
1960 – Ray Armsetad, 4X400 runner (Olympic gold 1984), born in Kirksville, Missouri
1965 – Pat Cash, Australian tennis player (Wimbledon 1987), born in Melbourne, Victoria

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1508 – Ludovico Sforza [il Moro], Italian duke of Milan, dies at 55
1970 – Emmy van Lokhorst, author, dies at 78
1988 – Renato Salvatori, actor (Burn, Luna, 2 Women), dies
1988 – Melvin J “Cy” Oliver, US jazz composer/orchestra leader, dies at 77
1994 – Robert Chudnick [Red Rodney], American jazz trumpeter, dies from lung cancer at 66
2017 – Gregg Allman, American musician and songwriter (The Allman Brothers Band), dies of cancer at 69

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1896 – Last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, crowned
1919 – The Supreme Council of Allies, meeting at Versailles, decides to recognize two White Russian leaders, Admiral Kolchak and General Denikin, and support them against the Bolsheviks
1923 – Inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race for cars starts through public roads around Le Mans, France; inaugural winners: André Lagache and René Léonard (France) for Chenard and Walcker
1942 – Tank battle at Bir Hakeim: Afrika Korps vs British army
1946 – Patent filed in US for H-Bomb
2013 – The Mumbai Indians defeat the Chennai Super Kings to win the Indian 20/20 Premier League

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1886 – Al Jolson [Asa Yoelson], American-Lithuanian jazz singer and silent actor (Mamie, Swanee), born in Seredžius, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1950)
1898 – Gérard Bertouille, Belgian composer, born in Tournai, Belgium (d. 1981)
1915 – Antonia Forest [Patricia Giulia Caulfield Kate Rubinstein], British children’s author (The Marlows), born in Hampstead, London (d. 2003)
1926 – Miles Davis, American jazz musician, trumpeter and composer, born in Alton, Illinois (d. 1991)
1937 – Yehuda Yannay, Romanian composer, born in Timișoara, Romania
1970 – Nobuhiro Watsuki, Japanese manga artist (Rurouni Kenshin), born in Tokyo, Japan

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1055 – Margrave Adalbert of Austria
1907 – Ida McKinley, US First Lady (1897-1901) and wife of the 25th US President William McKinley, dies at 59
1944 – Cyril Francois, South African cricket all-rounder (5 Tests, 252 runs, 6 wickets), dies in a motor accident at 46
1951 – Lincoln Ellsworth, Arctic explorer, dies at 71
2003 – Kathleen Winsor, American writer (b. 1919)
2018 – Ted [Samuel Frederick] Dabney, American electrical engineer and founder of Atari (Pong), dies at 81

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1632 – Albrecht von Wallenstein recaptures Prague on Saksen
1943 – Trident conference in Washington, D.C. (operation plan ’43 against Japan)
1967 – John Lennon takes delivery of his psychedelically painted Rolls Royce
1991 – Stanley Cup Final, Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, MN: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Minnesota North Stars, 8-0 for a 4-2 series win; Penguins’ first Final series appearance
1992 – Oscar Luigi Scalfaro elected President of Italy
2003 – 56th Cannes Film Festival: “Elephant” directed by Gus Van Sant wins the Palme d’Or

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1847 – John Alexander Dowie, Scottish-American evangelist (founded the city of Zion, Illinois), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1907)
1946 – David A. Hargrave, role-playing games (RPGs) designer (d. 1988)
1956 – Lincoln Barrington “Sugar” Minott , Jamaican singer (The African Brothers), born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 2010)
1960 – Amy Klobuchar, American politician (D), senator for Minnesota (2007-), born in Plymouth, Minnesota
1967 – Poppy Z. Brite [Billy Martin], American author (Lost Souls, Drawing Blood), born in Bowling Green, Kentucky
1984 – Marion Raven, Norwegian singer and songwriter (M2M), born in Lørenskog, Norway

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1937 – Henry Ossawa Tanner, American artist, dies at 77
1985 – Robert Nathan, American writer/poet (Portrait of Jennie), dies at 91
1996 – John Morrison, 1st Baron Margadale, British politician and landowner, last non-royal to be raised to the peerage in UK and landowner, dies at 89
2004 – Roger W. Straus, Jr., American publisher (b. 1917)
2007 – Charles Nelson Reilly, American actor, comedian and gameshow panelist (Match Game, Ghost and Mrs Muir), dies at 76
2010 – Alexander Belostenny, Ukrainian basketball player (b. 1959)

More Famous Deaths »