Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1863 – City of Dublin leases part of Cattle Market for 100,000 years
1947 – “Sweethearts” opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 288 performances
1952 – William Shawn succeeds Harold Ross as editor of “The New Yorker”
1995 – 52nd Golden Globes: “Forrest Gump”, Tom Hanks, and Jessica Lange win
1997 – An inquiry in North Wales names more than 80 child abusers
2013 – 18 people are killed and 24 are injured after a bus falls down a ravine in Yungas, Bolivia

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Famous Birthdays

1338 – King Charles V, (Charles the Wise), of France (1364-80)
1812 – Moses Hess, Jewish socialist and nationalist, born in Bonn, Germany (d. 1875)
1904 – Joseph Ford McGuinn, American director and actor (Dick Tracy’s G-Men), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1971)
1947 – Jimmy Ibbotson, Penn, country singer (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
1951 – Eric Holder, American lawyer and judge (1st African American US Attorney General 2009-2015), born in The Bronx, New York
1978 – Faris al-Sultan, German-Iraqi triathlete

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Famous Deaths

1884 – Auguste Franchomme, French cellist and composer, dies at 75
1901 – Elisha Gray, American inventor (b. 1835)
1914 – Theodor Kittelsen, Norwegian artist (b. 1857)
1971 – Richard B Russell, (Sen-D-Ga), dies at 73
1985 – Eddie Graham, American professional wrestler and promoter (b. 1930)
1998 – Jack Lord, American actor (Hawaii FIVE-O), dies at 77

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Historical Events

1943 – Operation Weiss: German, Italian, Bulgarian and Croatian troops attempt to retake land liberated by Tito’s partisans
1965 – The US Jet Propulsion Laboratory proposes modified Apollo flight to fly around Mars and return
1975 – 25th NFL Pro Bowl, Miami Orange Bowl: NFC beats AFC, 17-10; MVP: James Harris, LA Rams, QB
1991 – “Shogun – The Musical” closes at Marquis Theater NYC after 72 performances
1993 – Bill Clinton (D) inaugurated as 42nd US President
2006 – TV movie “High School Musical” released starring Zac Efron and Vanessa Hugdens, becomes Disney Channel’s most successful TV movie

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Famous Birthdays

1761 – Giovanni Domenico Perotti, composer
1806 – Nathaniel Willis, writer/editor/founder (American Monthly Mag)
1898 – U Razak, Burmese politician (d. 1947)
1939 – Paul Coverdell, American politician, born in Des Moines, Iowa (d. 2000)
1940 – Carol Heiss Jenkins, American figure skater (Olympic gold singles 1960; silver 1956; World C’ship gold 1956–1960), born in NYC, New York
1981 – Owen Hargreaves, English football player and television pundit, born in Calgary, Canada

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Famous Deaths

1957 – James Connolly, 1st Oly winner (1896) since Barasdates (369 CE), dies
1984 – Johnny Weissmuller, American actor (Tarzan), swimmer (5 Olympic gold 1924, 28), dies of pulmonary edema at 79
1990 – Miloslav Istvan, composer, dies at 61
1996 – Sidney Korshak, lawyer, dies at 87
1997 – Curt Flood, centerfielder (Cards), dies of throat cancer at 59
2019 – Dumisani Kumalo, South African anti-apartheid activist and UN ambassador, dies at 71

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Historical Events

1419 – French city of Rouen surrenders to Henry V in Hundred Years War
1899 – Anglo-Egyptian Sudan forms
1922 – Geological survey says US oil supply would be depleted in 20 years
1949 – Cuba recognises Israel.
1988 – “48 Hours” premieres on CBS-TV
1991 – Jumbo Tsuruta beats Stan Hansen to win All Japan Triple Crown title

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Famous Birthdays

1679 – Girolamo Chiti, Italian composer and music theorist, born in Siena (d. 1759)
1902 – Heinrich Schmist-Barrien, German author (Moorkeerl)
1909 – Hans Hotter, German bass-baritone (d. 2003)
1924 – Nicholas Colasanto, American actor (Cheers, Family Plot, The Counterfeit Killer), born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 1985)
1970 – Udo Suzuki, Japanese comedian, born in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
1977 – Nicole, Chilean singer, born in Chile

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Famous Deaths

1934 – Armand Parent, composer, dies at 70
1948 – Tony Garnier, French architect (b. 1869)
1992 – Manabendra Mukhopadhyay, Bengali singer and composer (Ei Ganga ei Padda), dies at 60
2000 – Bettino Craxi, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1934)
2011 – Ernest McCulloch, Canadian stem cell research pioneer, dies at 84
2013 – Earl Weaver, American hall of fame MLB manager, dies from a heart attack at 82

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Historical Events

1951 – 1951 NFL Draft: Kyle Rote from SMU first pick by New York Giants
1962 – US begins spraying foliage in Vietnam to reveal Viet Cong guerrillas
1973 – John Cleese’s final episode on “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” on BBC TV
1981 – Swedish tennis star Björn Borg claims his second straight ATP Masters Grand Prix title with a 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 win over Ivan Lendl at Madison Square Garden, NYC
2009 – AFC Championship, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Baltimore Ravens, 23-14
2013 – Brandon Boyd announces his new band, Sons of the Sea

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Famous Birthdays

1921 – Robert Glaser, American educational psychologist (National Assessment of Educational Progress), born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 2012)
1922 – Yehezkel Braun, Israeli composer (Shir ha-shirim), born in Breslau, Germany (d. 2014)
1933 – Jean Vuarnet, French alpine skier (Olympic gold downhill 1960; World C’ship gold 1960), born in Le Bardo, Tunisia (d. 2017)
1967 – MC Tab [Sharon Richard], American rapper, born in NYC, New York
1971 – Jonathan Davis, American singer (Korn), born in Bakersfield, California
1973 – Regilio Vreede, Dutch football player (Blue White, RKC), born in Paramaribo, Suriname

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Famous Deaths

1659 – Benedikt Lechler, German composer, dies at 64
1677 – Jan van Riebeeck, Dutch founder of Cape Colony (Cape Town), dies at 57
1913 – Edmond Robert Hubert Regout, Dutch industrialist and politician, dies at 49
1977 – Carl Zuckmayer, German/Swiss/US playwright (Second Wind), dies at 80
2002 – Alex Hannum, American Basketball Hall of Fame coach (1st ABA, NBA winning coach), dies at 78
2017 – Roberta Peters, American operatic soprano (NY Met), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1882 – 1st Dutch female physician Aletta Jacobs opens her office
1915 – Battle of Sarikamish ends with a Russian victory over Ottoman forces led by Enver Pasha with loss of over 30,000 men of the Turkish Third Army during Caucasus Campaign
1923 – Origin of Brown lunation numbers
1939 – Ed Barrow is elected Yankee president succeeding deceased J Ruppert
1962 – Roy Harris’ 8th Symphony, premieres in San Francisco
1976 – “I Write the Songs” by Barry Manilow hits #1

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Famous Birthdays

1903 – Warren Hull, American actor (Strike it Rich, Who in the World), born in Gasport, New York (d. 1974)
1917 – Ulysses Simpson Kay, American composer, born in Tucson, Arizona (d. 1995)
1922 – Luis Echeverria Alvarez, president Mexico
1926 – Newton N. Minow, American lawyer and statesman
1949 – Andy Kaufman, American comedian and actor (Latka Gravas-Taxi), born in New York City, New York
1981 – Ray J [William Ray Norwood Jr.], American singer and actor (Everything You Want), born in McComb, Mississippi

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Famous Deaths

1598 – Fyodor I Tsar of Russia (b. 1557)
1884 – Hermann Schlegel, German ornithologist, dies at 79
1968 – Julis Deutsch, Austria politician/general Spanish rep army, dies at 83
1970 – Billy Stewart, singer (I Do Love You), dies in auto-accident at 32
2006 – Pierre Grondin, French Canadian cardiac surgeon (b. 1925)
2011 – Donald “Don” Kirshner, American rock and roll producer known as “The Man With the Golden Ear” (invented bubblegum music), dies at 76

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Historical Events

1863 – -Aug 23rd) Cruise of CSS Florida
1887 – Cliff House damaged when powder cargo of schooner “Parallel” explodes
1908 – Pinnacles National Monument, California established
1938 – 1st jazz concert held at Carnegie Hall (Benny Goodman)
1958 – William Gibson’s “Two for the Seesaw” premieres in NYC
1960 – Detroit right wing Gordie Howe scores a goal and assist in his 888th career game, a 3-1 win at home over Chicago; becomes NHL’s all time leading scorer, with 947 points passing Montreal’s Maurice Richard

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Famous Birthdays

1910 – David McCampbell, US Navy captain, fighter pilot, and Medal of Honor recipient (WW II, Pacific theatre, downed 34 Japanese planes), born in Bessemer, Alabama (d. 1996)
1928 – John William Fozard, aircraft designer
1956 – Martin Jol, Dutch football manager, born in The Hague, Netherlands
1964 – Trevor Barsby, Australian cricketer (Queensland opening batsman since 1984-85), born in Brisbane, Australia
1973 – Josie Davis, American actress (Sarah-Charles in Charge) [or Jun 19], born in Los Angeles, California
1980 – Lin-Manuel Miranda, American composer and playwright (In The Heights, Hamilton), born in New York City

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Famous Deaths

1750 – Ivan Trubetskoy, Russian field marshall, dies at 82
1817 – Alexander J. Dallas, American statesman and financier, dies at 57
1981 – Bernard Lee, British actor (M in James Bond movies, Fallen Idol, Dr No), dies at 73
1992 – Roselle Novelle, silent film actress, dies at 95
2007 – Thornton James “Pookie” Hudson, American vocalist (The Spaniels- “Goodnite Sweetheart Goodnite”), dies of cancer at 72
2018 – Dave Holland, English heavy metal rocker (Judas Priest-Breakin’ the Law), dies at 69

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Historical Events

1861 – Steam elevator patented by Elisha Otis
1935 – Clifford Odets’ “Waiting for Lefty” premieres in NYC
1971 – Aswan Dam official opens in Egypt
1985 – CBS’ premiere of TV made teen drug abuse drama, “Not My Kid”, based on the previous year’s book by Beth Polson
1989 – Cerberal Palsy telethon raises 22,600,000
1992 – Supreme Court rules 5-3 that Joseph Doherty isn’t entitled to asylum

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Famous Birthdays

1845 – Heinrich Vogl, German operatic heldentenor, born in Munich, Germany (d. 1900)
1900 – Caesar Domela, Dutch painter (Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis son), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1992)
1908 – Roberta Bitgood, American organist and composer, born in New London, Connecticut (d. 2007)
1920 – Steve Gromek, American baseball player, born in Hamtramck, Michigan (d. 2002)
1949 – Howard Twitty, American golfer, course designer (3 PGA Tour titles), born in Phoenix, Arizona
1960 – Tim Curtis, English cricketer (England righty batsman in 5 Tests 1988-89), born in Chislehurst, United Kingdom

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Famous Deaths

1781 – Marianne Victoria of Borbón, queen regent of Portugal (b. 1718)
1788 – Gaetano Latilla, composer, dies at 77
1911 – Wilhelm Berger, German composer, pianist and conductor, dies at 49
1950 – Gen Henry “Hap” Arnold, U.S. General of the Air Force (b. 1886)
1962 – Kenneth MacKenna, American actor and director (Judgment at Nuremberg, Those We Love), dies of cancer at 62
1987 – Ray Bolger, American actor and dancer (The Wizard of Oz), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1911 – Roald Amundsen’s South Pole expedition lands on the Ross Ice Shelf
1924 – Allies direct Fiume (Rijeka) in Italy
1943 – World War II: Japan begins Operation Ke, withdrawal of its troops from Guadalcanal
1963 – George Wallace sworn in as Governor of Alabama, his address states “segregation now; segregation tomorrow; segregation forever!”
1971 – John Snow takes 7-40 for England to beat Australia by 299 runs
1974 – World Football League founded

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Famous Birthdays

1798 – Isaac da Costa, Jewish poet, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1860)
1804 – John Park, Scottish composer and minister, born in Greenock, Renfrewshire (d. 1865)
1806 – Sir Charles Hotham, Governor of Victoria, born in Dennington, United Kingdom (d. 1855)
1857 – Alice Pike Barney, American painter, born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1931)
1963 – Steven Soderbergh, American producer, director, writer (Ocean’s Eleven, Traffic), born in Atlanta, Georgia
1994 – Samir Patel, American spelling bee winner

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Famous Deaths

1819 – John Wolcot, English satirist (Peter Pindar), dies at 80
1929 – Cornelis W Lely, Dutch Governor of Suriname (1902-05), dies at 74
1948 – Anna “Ans” van Dike, Dutch Jewish Nazi-collaborator, executed at 42
1977 – Peter Finch, actor (Network, The Nun’s Story, Judith), dies at 60
1978 – Harold Abrahams, British athlete (Olympic gold and silver 1924), dies at 78
1996 – Eric Briault, educationalist, dies at 84

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Historical Events

1893 – British Independent Labour Party forms (Keir Hardie as its leader)
1895 – Oscar Wilde’s “Ideal Husband” premieres in London
1976 – American inventor Ray Kurzweil and the National Federation of the Blind unveil the Kurzweil Reading Machine, the first omni-font optical character recognition system
1985 – Playing in his 436th career game, Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky scores his 400th career NHL goal and adds 2 assists in a 5-4 Oilers’ win over the Sabres in Buffalo
2001 – Earthquake measuring magnitude 7.6 strikes El Salvador, killing more than 840 people
2004 – Harold Shipman, a British GP who is believed to have killed more than 200 of his patients in Manchester, is found hanged in his prison cell

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Famous Birthdays

1734 – Luca Sorkocevic, composer
1749 – Friedrich Müller, painter and dramatist (d. 1825)
1805 – Thomas Dyer, Mayor of Chicago (d. 1862)
1898 – Pedro DE Teixeira de Mattos, Dutch diplomat
1909 – Marinus van der Lubbe, Dutch communist
1963 – Felita Carr, dance skater (and Komarov-1995 Pac Champ), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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Famous Deaths

1924 – Georg Hermann Quincke, German physicist (Test of Quincke), dies at 89
1930 – Auguste Rateau, French mining engineer and inventor (Rateau steam turbine), dies at 66
1996 – Willian Myuon Bany Guerrilla leader, dies
2008 – Johnny Podres, American baseball player (b. 1932)
2010 – Theodore “Teddy” Pendergrass, American singer (Turn Off the Lights), dies of respiratory failure at 59
2015 – Trevor Leonard Ward-Davies ‘Dozy’, English musician (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich), dies at 70

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Historical Events

1806 – French evacuate Vienna
1820 – Astronomical Society of London (now the Royal Astronomical Society) founded in England
1899 – Lynmouth Lifeboat rescues 18 people from the stricken schooner Forest Hall off the coast of Devon
1908 – A long-distance radio message is sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time.
2001 – Downtown Disney opens to the public in Anaheim
2006 – During an emotional ceremony, Mark Messier’s #11 jersey is retired by the New York Rangers

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Famous Birthdays

1591 – José Ribera/Jusepe de Ribera, Spanish painter and printmaker, nicknamed Lo Spagnoletto (d. 1652)
1821 – Nikolai Afanisev, composer
1910 – Patsy Kelly, American actress (Rosemary’s Baby, North Ave Irregulars), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1981)
1920 – Prof Jerzy Zubrzycki, Polish-born Australian sociologist, born in Kraków, Poland (d. 2009)
1972 – Dominique Ross, American NFL running back (Dallas Cowboys), born in Jacksonville, Florida
1987 – Naya Rivera, American actress (Glee), born in Santa Clarita, California

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Famous Deaths

689 – Benedict Biscop, English saint, dies
1962 – Richard de Guide, composer, dies at 52
1962 – Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian writer and feminist, dies at 92
1992 – Walt Morey, US children’s book writer (Gentle Ben), dies at 84
1999 – Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1961)
1999 – Betty Lou Gerson, American voice actress (101 Dalmatians, Cinderella), dies of a stroke at 84

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