Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1900 – British garrison of Reddersberg surrenders to Boer general De Wet
1905 – Earthquake in Kangra India, kills 20,000
1974 – Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth’s home-run record by hitting his 714th
1989 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s last NBA game in Seattle
2005 – 67th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: North Carolina beats Illinois, 75-70; Tar Heels’ 4th national championship
2019 – US Mormon church pledges to roll back anti-LGBT policies, including not baptizing children of gay parents

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Famous Birthdays

1755 – Vincenc Mašek, Bohemian composer, born in Zvíkovec, Czech Republic (d. 1831)
1853 – Tad Lincoln, youngest son of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln, born in Springfield, Illinois (d. 1871)
1896 – Tristan Tzara [Samuel Rosenfeld] Romanian-French poet (Approximate Man), born in Moinești, Romania (d. 1963)
1935 – Trevor Griffiths, English playwright (Absolute Beginners), born in Manchester
1958 – Cazuza, Brazilian poet, singer and composer, born in Rio de Janeiro (d. 1990)
1963 – Nigel Preston, British drummer (The Cult), born in Birmingham (d. 1992)

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Famous Deaths

1900 – Edward VII, King, assassinated
1944 – Karel Weis, Czech composer and folk song collector, dies at 82
1959 – Stanley Snooke, cricketer (bro of S J, duck in South African Test), dies
1991 – Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (b. 1920)
1992 – Karl Tunberg, US scriptwriter (Ben Hur), dies
2002 – Harry L. O’Connor, Czech film stuntman

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Historical Events

1935 – Yasuo Ikenada runs world record marathon (2:26:44)
1955 – Baltimore Orioles pull their 1st triple play (3-6-2 vs KC Athletics)
1971 – 125th Grand National: John Cook aboard 28/1 chance Specify wins a close finish between the leading 5 in the final furlong
1989 – 51st NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Michigan beats Seton Hall, 80-79 (OT); Wolverines first title; small forward Glen Rice named tournament MOP
1994 – 1st roster of Silver Bullets (all-female pro baseball team) announced
1997 – Thalit massacre begins in Algeria; all but 1 of the 53 inhabitants of Thalit are killed by guerrillas

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Famous Birthdays

1907 – Iron Eyes Cody [Espera Oscar de Corti], Italian-American actor (Keep America Beautiful, Black Gold, Ernest Goes to Camp), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma (d. 1999)
1929 – Dennis Farr, Museum director (Courtauld Institute Galleries) and art historian, born in Luton, Bedfordshire (d. 2006)
1934 – Jim Parker, American football player, NFL guard and tackle (Baltimore Colts), born in Macon, Georgia (d. 2005)
1950 – Curtis Stone, American singer (Highway 101-Cry Cry Cry), born in Hollywood, California
1960 – Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Dutch singer and songwriter, born in Hilversum, Netherlands
1965 – Nazia Hassan, Pakistani pop singer-songwriter, lawyer and social activist known as “Queen of Pop” in South Asia, born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan (d. 2000)

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Famous Deaths

1822 – Friedrich Bertuch, writer, dies
1826 – Reginald Heber, bishop and hymn writer, dies
1972 – Ferde Grofé American composer (Grand Canyon Suite), dies at 80
1989 – Norman Wooland, German actor (Ivanhoe, Quo Vadis, Hamlet), dies at 79
2007 – Eddie Robinson, American football coach (b. 1919)
2010 – Dusan Radic, Serbian composer, dies at 80

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Historical Events

1513 – Explorer Juan Ponce de León claims Florida for Spain as the first known European to reach Florida
1902 – “Electric Theatre”, the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles, California
1942 – LPGA Titleholders Championship Women’s Golf, Augusta CC: Dorothy Kirby retains title by 5 strokes ahead of Eileen Stulb
1980 – Montreal right wing Guy Lafleur scores twice to become the first player in NHL history to record 6 straight 50-goal seasons, as the Canadiens beat the Red Wings, 7-2 at Detroit
1995 – North and Western Colorado begins using new area code 970
2000 – WrestleMania XVI, Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, CA: Triple H beats The Rock, Mick Foley and The Big Show in a 4-way elimination match for the WWF Heavyweight tile

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Famous Birthdays

1602 – Maria de Jesus de Agreda [Maria Coronel], Spanish franciscan, born in Agreda, Spain (d. 1665)
1781 – Bhagwan Swaminarayan, Indian yogi and religious leader, born in Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, India (d. 1830)
1946 – Richard Collinge, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (35 Tests, 116 wickets), born in Wellington, New Zealand
1947 – Emmylou Harris, American country singer (Together Again), born in Birmingham, Alabama
1949 – Joseph “Joe” Vitale, American singer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist (Roller Coaster Weekend), born in Canton, Ohio
1953 – Jim Allister, Northern Irish politician, born in Listooder, Crossgar, Northern Ireland

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Famous Deaths

1720 – Joseph Dudley, colonial Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1647)
1872 – Samuel Morse developer of electric telegraph, dies at 80
1892 – Willem J d’Ablaing van Giessenburg, Dutch baron and genealogist, dies at 79
1979 – Carroll Rosenbloom, American businessman and NFL team owner (Baltimore Colts, LA Rams), dies of a heart attack at 72
1995 – Hannes Alfven, physicist (Nobel prize), dies at 86
2013 – Milo O’Shea, Irish character actor (Barbarella, Staircase and Mass Appeal, Romeo and Juliet), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1340 – Niels Ebbesen kills Gerhard III of Holstein in his bedroom, ending the 1332-1340 interregnum in Denmark.
1850 – San Francisco County government established
1867 – Singapore, Penang and Malacca become British crown colonies
1938 – World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis KOs Harry Thomas in 5th round of their title bout in Chicago; 3rd defence by Louis
1955 – Armed military action taken against bureaucratic strike in Amsterdam
1958 – Marshal Nikolai Bulganin becomes director of Soviet State Bank

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Famous Birthdays

1898 – Pola Gojawiczynska, Polish writer (Stolica)
1924 – Čkalja [Miodrag Petrović], Serbian actor and one of the most popular comedians of former Yugoslavia, born in Kruševac, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (d. 2003)
1940 – Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmentalist and political activist, founder of the Green Belt Movement, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (2004) and Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (2006), born in Ihithe village, Kenya (d. 2011)
1945 – Kenny Buttrey, American influential drummer, born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 2004)
1957 – Donnie Hammond, American golfer (2 PGA Tour titles), born in Frederick, Maryland
1964 – Erik Breukink, Dutch road cyclist (Tour de France 1990 3rd) and manager (Rabobank), born in Rheden, Netherlands

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Famous Deaths

1528 – Francisco de Peñalosa, Spanish composer
1922 – Charles I, emperor (Austria)/King of Hungary (Charles IV), dies
1991 – Martha Graham, American choreographer (Appalachian Spring), dies at 96
1994 – Leon Degrelle, Belgium general, dies
1997 – Norman Carr, British conservationist working in Central and Southern Africa, dies at 84
2004 – Paul Atkinson, British rock guitarist and record company executive (The Zombies-Never Even Thought), dies of liver and kidney disease at 58

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Historical Events

1571 – Catholic Italian businessman Roberto Ridolfi leaves England
1947 – Last day of Test cricket for Walter Hammond (v NZ, Christchurch)
1961 – “Gypsy” closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 702 performances
1966 – US Supreme court rules “poll tax” unconstitutional
1992 – Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev returns to Earth after a 10-month stay aboard the Mir space station.
2018 – First scheduled non-stop flight between Australia and the UK, leaves Perth for Heathrow airport in London, arrives after 17 hours

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Famous Birthdays

1867 – Arturo Toscanini, Parma Italy, temperamental conductor (NBC)
1882 – Haydn Wood, English composer, born in Slaithwaite (d. 1959)
1899 – Jacques Audiberti, French poet (Race of Men)
1941 – Gudmund Hernes, Norwegian politician
1958 – James McDaniel, actor (Arthur Fancy-NYPD Blue), born in Washington, D.C.
1969 – Guy Newman, Australian water polo goalie (Olympics 1996)

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Famous Deaths

1924 – John Reedman, cricketer (Test for Aust 1894, 17 and 4, 1 for 24), dies
1957 – Max Ophüls, German director (The Earrings of Madame de…), dies at 54
1966 – Colin Campbell, Scottish actor (High Bright Sun, Leather Boys), dies at 83
1969 – Billy Cotton, British bandleader and entertainer, dies at 69
1969 – Norman Gallichan, cricketer (one Test for NZ, 30 and 2, 3-113), dies
2009 – Yukio Endo, Japanese gymnast (4 Olympic gold 1960, 64), dies of Esophageal cancer at 72

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Historical Events

1925 – KSL-AM in Salt Lake City UT begins radio transmissions
1981 – “Nightline with Ted Koppel” premieres on ABC
1993 – Ezer Weizman elected president of Israel
2006 – Pope Benedict XVI adds 15 men to the College of Cardinals, in the first consistory of his Pontificate
2010 – The World Health Organization appoints Craig David as a Goodwill Ambassador against tuberculosis on World Tuberculosis Day
2018 – American conducts it first ever drone strike against Qaeda militants in southern Libya

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Famous Birthdays

1740 – John Antes, American composer and missionary, born in Frederick, Pennsylvania (d. 1811)
1937 – Billy Stewart, US RandB singer (I Do Love You)
1944 – R. Lee Ermey, American actor (Full Metal Jacket- Gunnery Sergeant Hartman), born in Emporia, Kansas (d. 2018)
1947 – Meiko Kaji, Japanese singer and actress
1962 – Angèle Dubeau, Canadian violinist
1965 – Angela Zuckerman, speed skater (Olympics 1994), born in St Louis, Missouri

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Famous Deaths

1471 – Thomas Malory, author (Le Morte d’Arthur), dies at 55
1899 – Billy Barnes, English cricketer (725 runs in 21 Tests for England), dies at 46
1915 – Karol Olszewski, Polish scientist (b. 1846)
1921 – Larry McLean, Canadian baseball player, dies at 39
2012 – Jocky Wilson, Scottish darts player (BDO World Champion 1982, 89), dies of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 62
2016 – Earl Hamner Jr., American creator and narrator of TV show “The Waltons”, dies at 92

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Historical Events

1832 – British Parliament, led by Charles Grey, passes the Reform Act, introducing wide-ranging changes to electoral system of England and Wales, increasing electorate from about 500,000 voters to 813,000
1895 – Auguste and Louis Lumiere show their 1st movie to an invited audience
1929 – 88th Grand National: Robert W. H. Everett wins aboard 100/1 outsider Gregalach
1936 – “The Great Ziegfeld” directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring William Powell and Luise Rainer premieres in Los Angeles (Best Picture 1937
1963 – Beatles release 1st album, “Please Please Me”
1968 – Jarmila Novotna resigns presidency of Czechoslovakia

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Famous Birthdays

841 – Bernard Plantapilosa, Count of Auvergne (d. 885)
1946 – Laraine Ashton, fashion models’ agent (London)
1958 – Joyce Lester, Australian softball catcher (Olympic bronze 1996)
1970 – Jason Rouser, 200m/400m runner, born in Tucson, Arizona
1972 – John Farquhar, tight end (New Orleans Saints)
1982 – Constance Wu, Taiwanese-American actress (Fresh Off the Boat), born in Richmond, Virginia

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Famous Deaths

1758 – Richard Leveridge, English bass singer and composer, dies at 87
1934 – Theophilos Hatzimihail, Greek painter (b. 1870)
1955 – Ivan Šubašić, Kingdom of Yugoslavia prime minister and last ban of Croatia (b. 1892)
1994 – Dan Hartman, American singer-songwriter (Love Sensation), dies of an AIDS-related brain tumor at 43
2001 – William Hanna, American animator and studio founder, dies at 90
2019 – Scott Walker [Noel Scott Engel], American-born British singer-songwriter and composer (The Walker Brothers), dies of cancer at 76

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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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