Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1753 – Ferdinand VI of Spain and Pope Benedictus XIV sign concord
1758 – Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East-Prussia [NS=Jan 22]
1759 – 1st American life insurance company incorporated, Philadelphia
1879 – Anglo-Zulu War begins as British Lt-General Chelmsford invades Zululand in South Africa
1892 – Hawaiian Historical Society founded
1976 – US male Figure Skating championship won by Terry Kubicka

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Famous Birthdays

1755 – Alexander Hamilton, US Founding Father and 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury (1789-95), born in Charlestown, Nevis, West Indies (d. 1804)
1930 – Rod Taylor, Australian actor (The Birds, Time Machine), born in Sydney, New South Wales (d. 2015)
1943 – William Albert Penn, composer
1946 – Naomi Judd, [Diana Ellen], Ashland Ky, singer (Judds-Why Not Me)
1951 – Willie Maddren, English former footballer (d. 2000)
1974 – Jens Nowotny, German footballer, born in Malsch, Germany

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Famous Deaths

844 – Michael I Rhangabes, Byzantine Emperor
1494 – Domenico Ghirlandaio, Italian artist (b. 1449)
1943 – Agustín Pedro Justo, President of Argentina (1932-38) during the Infamous Decade, dies at 66
1988 – Florence Knapp, American, one-time oldest person in the world (b. 1873)
1994 – Roger “Ram” Ramirez, jazz piano player/composer, dies at 80
2010 – Miep Gies, Dutch Humanitarian, discoverer of Anne Frank’s diary (b. 1909)

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Historical Events

1920 – Silver reaches record $1.37 an ounce
1928 – Soviet Union orders exile of Leon Trotsky
1932 – “Mickey Mouse” and “Silly Symphony” comics syndicated
1964 – “Introducing the Beatles” released 1st Beatles album released in the US
1973 – For the first time graduates studying from home with ‘the Open University’ receive their degrees
1996 – Israel frees hundreds of Palestinian prisoners

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Famous Birthdays

1916 – Bob Hamilton, American golfer (PGA C’ship 1944), born in Evansville, Indiana (d. 1990)
1916 – Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist and Nobel laureate, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 2004)
1937 – Thomas Penfield Jackson, American judge, born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2013)
1955 – Luci Martin, American vocalist (Chic), born in the Bronx, New York
1956 – Antonio Muñoz Molina, Spanish writer (Royal Spanish Academy), born in Úbeda, Jaén, Spain
1974 – Jemaine Clement, New Zealand actor and musician (Flight of the Conchords), born in Masterton, New Zealand

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Famous Deaths

1542 – Gerardus Noviomagus, [Gerrit Geldenhauer], Dutch theologist, die at 59
1698 – Louis-Sébastien Le Nain de Tillemont, French ecclesiastical historian, dies at 60
1883 – Dr Samuel A. Mudd, American medical doctor (b. 1833)
1997 – Alvinio Misciano, Italian tenor, killed in a fall from a window
2000 – Sam Jaffe, American music and film producer (Born Free, The Fighting Sullivans), dies at 98
2017 – Tony Rosato, Italian-born Canadian comedian (SCTV, Saturday Night Live), dies at 63

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Historical Events

1957 – Dutch Newspaper Society expels communist daily paper “Truth”
1977 – Super Bowl XI, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA: Oakland Raiders beat Minnesota Vikings, 32-14; MVP: Fred Biletnikoff, Oakland, WR
1979 – Bobby Orr’s #4 jersey is retired by the Boston Bruins
1990 – US Supreme Court strikes down Dallas’ ordinance imposing strict zoning on sexually oriented businesses
1995 – Ecuador and Peru involved in boundary fight
1996 – First episode of “Third Rock from the Sun” screened on NBC

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Famous Birthdays

1894 – Henryk Stazewski, Polish abstract painter and graphic artist
1940 – Barbara Buczek, Polish composer, born in Kraków, Poland (d. 1993)
1948 – Bill Cowsill, American singer and musician (The Cowsills – We Can Fly), born in Newport, Rhode Island
1959 – Cristi Minculescu, Romanian musician, born in Pitești, Romania
1967 – Dave Matthews, South African singer and musician (Dave Matthews Band), born in Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa
1972 – Angie Martinez, American radio and television personality, born in Brooklyn, New York

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Famous Deaths

1863 – Ferdinand Huber, Swiss composer, dies at 71
1971 – Elmer Flick, baseball player (b. 1876)
1979 – Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian engineer and architect (Nuove Struttura), dies at 87
2008 – Mehran Ghassemi, Iranian journalist (b. 1977)
2016 – Ed Stewart, British DJ and broadcaster (Crackerjack), dies of a stroke at 74
2018 – Odvar Nordli, 21st Prime Minister of Norway (Labour: 1976-81), dies at 90

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Historical Events

1610 – Simon Marius. a German astronomer, independently discovers the first three moons of Jupiter one day after Galileo
1968 – Jacques Cousteau’s 1st undersea special on US network TV
1972 – Dmitri Shostakovich’ 15th Symphony premieres in Moscow
1984 – NCAA announces that basketball tournament will have 64 teams
1989 – Boeing 737-400 crashes at Kegworth, England, 46 die
2018 – US record year for cost of natural disasters announced – $306 billion in 2017

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Famous Birthdays

1556 – Uesugi Kagekatsu, Japanese samurai and warlord (d. 1623)
1836 – Lawrence Alma Tadema, Dutch/British painter/husband of Laura Epps
1883 – Pavel Filonov, Russian painter (d. 1941)
1906 – Jan A H J S Bruins Slot, Dutch founder illegal Trouw/MP (ARP)
1965 – Eric Wohlberg, Canadian cyclist (Olympics 1996), born in Greater Sudbury, Canada
1980 – Rachel Nichols, American actress, born in Phoenix, Arizona

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Famous Deaths

1713 – Arcangelo Corelli, Italian composer and violinist (Concerti Grossi), dies at 59
1811 – Samuel Story, Dutch rear admiral (Battle of Kamperduin), dies at 58
1858 – Friedrich Karl Kuhmstedt, composer, dies at 48
1975 – John Gregson, British actor (Gideon CID, The Longest Day, Shirley’s World), dies from a heart attack at 55
1981 – Woody Chamblis, actor (Mr Lathrop-Gunsmoke), dies at 66
2017 – Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, 4th President of Iran (1989-97) and de facto commander-in-chief of the Iranian military during the Iran-Iraq War, dies of a heart attack at 82

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Historical Events

1842 – Gioacchino Rossini’s cantata “Stabat Mater” premieres in Paris
1868 – Mississippi constitutional convention meets in Jackson
1903 – Vincent d’Indy’s opera “L’etranger” premieres in Brussells
1940 – Winter War: The Finish 9th Division defeats the Soviet forces on the Raate-Suomussalmi road despite being significantly outnumbered
1993 – Bosnian War: Bosnian Army launches a surprise attack on Kravica, a village in Srebrenica
2003 – “In Da Club” single is released by 50 Cent (MTV Video Music Award Best Rap Video and Best New Artist 2003, Billboard Song of the Year 2003)

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Famous Birthdays

1612 – Paul de La Pierre, composer
1718 – Israel Putnam, American Revolutionary War general (d. 1790)
1892 – Rudolf Moser, composer
1910 – Alain JG de Rothschild, French banker/baron
1929 – Terry Moore [Helen Luella Koford], American actress (Little Sheba), born in Los Angeles, California
1967 – Mark Lamarr, British comedian and broadcaster, born in Swindon, United Kingdom

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Famous Deaths

1943 – Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American physicist (tesla motor), dies at 86
1957 – Al White, choreographer (NBC Comedy Hour), dies
1964 – Cyril Davies, American musician (b. 1932)
1970 – Robert [Harriot] Barrat, American actor (Bad Lands, Go West, Distant Drums), dies at 80
1992 – Jhean Burton, entertainer, dies
2015 – Rod Taylor, Australian actor (Time Machine, The Birds), dies at 84

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Historical Events

1896 – 1st US women’s 6-day bicycle race starts, Madison Square Garden
1938 – Bronze memorial statue of Henry Hudson erected in Bronx
1972 – US female Figure Skating championship won by Janet Lynn
1984 – Last day of Test cricket for Chappell, Marsh and Lillee
1992 – Sachin Tendulkar completes 148* v Australia at the SCG
1995 – A chemical fire in an apartment complex in Manila, Philippines, leads to the discovery of plans for Project Bojinka, a mass-terrorist attack.

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Famous Birthdays

1868 – Vittorio Monti, Italian composer, born in Naples, Italy (d. 1922)
1870 – Gustav Bauer, Chancellor of Germany, born in Ozyorsk, Russia (d. 1944)
1911 – Billy Sands, American actor (Phil Silvers Show, McHale’s Navy), born in Bergen, New York (d. 1984)
1921 – Lou Harris, American pollster (Lou Harris Poll), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 2016)
1934 – Tassos Papadopoulos, Cypriot politician and barrister (President, 2003–2008), born in Nicosia, Cyprus (d. 2008)
1953 – Malcolm Young, Scottish guitarist (AC/DC-Highway to Hell), born in Glasgow, Scotland

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Famous Deaths

664 – Amr ibn al-A’as, Arab general (bc. 583)
1275 – Raymundus of Penafort, Spanish church law scholar, dies
1541 – Bernard van Orley, Flemish royal painter of Hungary, dies at about 52
1693 – Mehmed IV, sultan (Turkey), dies at 51
2012 – Ellen Pence, social activist, dies from cancer at 63
2014 – H. Owen Reed, American composer, dies at 103

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Historical Events

1349 – Margaretha of Bavaria names her son Willem V Earl of Holland and Zealand
1896 – Isaac Albéniz’ opera “Pepita Jiminez” premieres in Barcelona
1949 – US President Harry Truman labels his administration the “Fair Deal”
1968 – Alexander Dubček succeeds Antonín Novotný as communist party leader of Czechoslovakia
1969 – Bollingen prize for poetry presented to John Berryman and Karl Shapiro
1994 – Aleksandr Popov swims world record 100m free style (47.82)

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Famous Birthdays

1885 – Humbert Wolfe, Italian-born British poet, born in Milan, Italy (d. 1940)
1910 – Ed Widseth, American College Football Hall of Fame tackle (University of Minnesota; Pro Bowl 1938; NY Giants), born in Gonvick, Minnesota (d. 1998)
1910 – Jack Lovelock, New Zealand athlete (Olympic gold 1,500m 1936), born in Crushington, New Zealand (d. 1949)
1928 – Imtiaz Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer (Pakistan wicket-keeper in 41 Tests 1952-62), born in Lahore, Pakistan (d. 2016)
1947 – Mercury Morris, American football player, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1950 – Ioan Petru Culianu, Romanian historian, born in Iași, Romania (d. 1991)

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Famous Deaths

1960 – Pavel P Parenago, Russian cosmonaut, dies at 53
1979 – Charles Mingus, American jazz bassist (Pithecanthropus Erectus), dies at 56
1990 – Bart LaRue, entertainer, dies
1991 – Vasko Popa, Yugoslavia-Serbian poet (Heaven is a Side Issue), dies at 68
1995 – Somerset de Chair, British writer, politician and poet, dies at 83
2007 – Chih Ree Sun, Chinese-American physicist and poet (b. 1923)

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Historical Events

274 – St Eutychian begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1884 – The Fabian Society is founded in London.
1903 – Topsy the elephant is electrocuted by her owners at Luna Park, Coney Island and filmed by Edison Manufacturing movie company
1907 – George Bernard Shaw’s “Don Juan in Hell” premieres in London
1976 – “Candide” closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 740 performances
1976 – AFC Championship, Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Oakland Raiders, 16-10

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Famous Birthdays

1805 – Stephan Hale Alonzo Marsh, composer
1869 – Tommy Corcoran, American baseball shortstop (MLB shortstop game assist record 14), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1960)
1893 – Manuel Palau Boix, composer
1930 – Don Shula, American NFL coach (Miami Dolphins), born in Grand River Ohio
1942 – Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait (2011-present), born in Kuwait City, Kuwait
1979 – Jeph Howard, American musician (The Used), born in Orem, Utah

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Famous Deaths

1891 – Antoine Labelle, Quebec catholic priest (b. 1833)
1908 – Antony Winkler Prins, writer (Groiller Encyclopaedia), dies at 70
1955 – G. G. van der Hoeven, Dutch editor-in-chief (NRC newspaper), dies at 82
1991 – Leo Wright, American saxophonist (I Left My Heart in San Francisco), dies at 57
1995 – Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor (Improvisaciones), dies in air crash at 52
2004 – Jeff Nuttall, English writer (b. 1933)

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Historical Events

1777 – General George Washington’s revolutionary army defeats British forces at Battle of Princeton, New Jersey
1852 – 1st Chinese arrive in Hawaii
1900 – Gerhart Hauptmann’s play “Schluck und Jau,” premieres in Berlin
1943 – 1st missing persons telecast (NYC)
1947 – William Dawson becomes 1st black to head congressional committee
2014 – Cambodian garment workers go on strike demanding a wage increase

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Famous Birthdays

1828 – Karl Collan, Finnish composer
1886 – Arthur Mailey, Australian cricket spin bowler (21 Tests, 99 wickets; 10/66 v Gloucestershire 1921), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1967)
1904 – Boris Kochno, Russian ballet dancer (La Chatte)
1939 – Janice Crosio, Australian politician
1970 – Matt Ross, American actor
1980 – Liya Kebede, Ethiopian model

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Famous Deaths

1795 – Josiah Wedgwood, English pottery designer and manufacturer (Wedgwood), dies at 64
1931 – Joseph J C Joffre, French marshal, dies at 78
1943 – Sir Walter James, Premier of Western Australia (b. 1863)
1956 – Joseph Wirth, 5th Chancellor of the Weimar Republic, Germany (Stalin Peace Prize), dies at 76
1972 – Frans Masereel, Flem WWII resistance fighter (Le Soleil), dies at 82
2011 – Fadil Hadžić, Croatian film director (b. 23 April 1922)

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Historical Events

1918 – Montreal Arena in Westmount, Quebec, the home rink of 4-time NHL Stanley Cup winners the Montreal Wanderers burns down leading to the club disbanding
1943 – University of Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team begins 129 home game winning streak that only ends in 1955; incorporates NCAA titles in 1948, 1949 and 1951
1945 – Radio Orange ends cooperation at Liese-Aktion
1972 – AFC Championship, Miami Orange Bowl: Miami Dolphins beat Baltimore Colts, 21-0
2014 – 80th Sugar Bowl: #11 Oklahoma beats #3 Alabama, 45-31
2019 – Two women become the first to ever enter India’s Sabarimala shrine in Kerala State, after law change, prompting protests

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Famous Birthdays

1866 – Prof Gilbert Murray, Australian classical scholar (d. 1957)
1904 – James Melton, Moultrie Ga, opera tenor (Ford Festival)
1915 – John Hope Franklin, historian
1947 – Jack Hanna, American zoologist
1959 – Kirti Azad, Indian cricket all-rounder (7 Tests; 25 ODIs) and politician, born in Darbhanga, India
1981 – Maxi Rodríguez, soccer midfielder (57 caps; Atlético Madrid, Newell’s Old Boys), born in Rosario, Argentina

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Famous Deaths

1921 – Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, Chancellor of the German Empire (1909-17), dies at 64
1946 – Joe Darling, Australian cricket batsman and captain (34 Tests, 21 as captain), dies following a gall bladder operation at 75
1971 – Richard Maxwell (Dick) Haldane, South African trade unionist, dies at 62
1980 – Larry Williams, rocker, dies at 44
2006 – Osa Massen [Aase Madsen Iversen], Dutch actress (Jack London, Rocketship X-M), dies at 91
2007 – Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, American historian (b. 1941)

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