Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1922 – Italian government resigns under pressure from fascists and Benito Mussolini
1962 – JFK warns Russia that the USA will not allow Soviet missiles to remain in Cuba
1964 – Eric Edgar Cooke becomes last person in Western Australia to be executed.
1987 – Dow Jones down 156.83 points
2012 – Hurricane Sandy makes landfall in the Bahamas killing 2 people and causing over $300 million in damage
2015 – “Spectre”, 24th James Bond film, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig premieres in London

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Famous Birthdays

1881 – Margaret Wycherly, British actress (Keeper of the Flame), born in London, England (d. 1956)
1930 – John Arden, English novelist and playwright (Left Handed Liberty), born in Barnsley, England (d. 2012)
1945 – Jaclyn Smith, American actress (Charlie’s Angels, The Bourne Identity), born in Houston, Texas
1946 – Pat Sajak, American TV host (Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak Show), born in Chicago, Illinois
1957 – Bob Golic, American football player, born in Cleveland, Ohio
1973 – Brian Smith, American speed skater (Olympics 1994), born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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Famous Deaths

1132 – Floris the Black, brother of earl Dirk VI of Holland, murdered
1658 – Francisco de Borja y Aragon Esquilache, Spanish poet, dies
1848 – Vissarion G Belinski, Russian literature critic, dies
1864 – “Bloody Bill” Anderson, American Civil War Pro-Confederate rebel guerrilla leader, killed by union troops at 24 or 25
1968 – Erich Von Stroheim Jr, American actor and director (Napoleon, Sunset Boulevard), dies of cancer at 52
2007 – Khun Sa, Burmese warlord (b. 1934)

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Historical Events

1885 – Johannes Brahms’ 4th Symphony in E premieres
1984 – Rangers beat Devils 11-2
1984 – West German Chancellor Rainer Barzel resigns due to corruption
1987 – Minnesota Twins win their 1st World Series championship beating St Louis Cards, 4 games to 3 in 84th World Series
1994 – Susan Smith claims her 2 kids were carjacked (she actually killed them)
2005 – Then longest Baseball World Series game in time (5 hours, 41 mins) and tied longest in innings (14, tied with Game 2, 1916 WS and Game 1, 2015 WS); Cubs beat Astros, 7-5 in Game 3 at Minute Maid Park, Houston

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Famous Birthdays

1683 – Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, British politician, born in London (d. 1757)
1884 – Eduardo Barrios, Chilean novelist (The Love-Crazed Boy), born in Valparaíso, Chile (d. 1963)
1925 – Yakov Rylsky, USSR sabre team (Olympic bronze 1956), born in Aleksandrovka, Verkhubinsky District, Kazakhstan (d. 1999)
1926 – William “Biff” McGuire, American actor (Serpico, Heart is Lonely Hunter), born in New Haven, Connecticut
1948 – Dave Cowens, American NBA forward (Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks), born in Newport, Kentucky
1970 – Ed Robertson, Canadian musician (Barenaked Ladies), born in Scarborough, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1400 – Geoffrey Chaucer, British author known as the “Father of English literature” (The Canterbury Tales), dies at 56 or 57
1415 – Robert of Bar, French knight, dies in battle
1604 – Claude de la Tremoille, French duke of Thouars/huguenot, dies
1806 – Henry Knox, American general (Continental Army and later the United States Army), dies at 56
1895 – Charles Hallé, Anglo-German pianist, conductor and founder (Halle Orchestra), dies at 76
2001 – Yoritsune Matsudaira, Japanese composer, dies at 94

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Historical Events

1818 – Felix Mendelssohn aged 9 performs his first public concert in Berlin
1900 – General Redvers Buller returns to England
1939 – Joe DiMaggio wins AL MVP, Jimmie Foxx is runner-up
1963 – Sandy Koufax is unanimous winner of Cy Young Award
1973 – Yom Kippur War ends, Israel 65 miles from Cairo, 26 from Damascus
1993 – “Wonderful Tennessee” opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 9 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1815 – John Edwards, American politician (US Representative Arkansas) Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 1894)
1930 – Sultan Ahmad Shah, 7th King of Malaysia (1979-84), born in Pekan, Pahang, Federated Malay States, British Malaya (d. 2019)
1936 – David Nelson, American actor, director, and producer (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), born in NYC, New York (d. 2011)
1937 – Miguel Ángel Coria, Spanish composer of classical music, born in Madrid (d. 2016)
1968 – Adrian Dale, South African cricketer (prolific Glamorgan and England A batsman), born in Germiston, Transvaal, South Africa
1987 – Charlie White, American ice dancer

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Famous Deaths

1537 – Jane Seymour, 3rd wife of Henry VIII and Queen of England (1536-7), dies of postnatal complications at 28
1667 – Gabriel Metsu, Dutch painter, buried
1672 – John Webb, English architect (b. 1611)
1949 – Joaquin Nin y Castellanos, composer, dies at 70
1970 – Richard Hofstadter, American historian, dies at 54
1971 – Fernand Quinet, Belgian composer/conductor (Guerre), dies at 73

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Historical Events

1668 – Jews of Barbados forbidden to engage in retail trade
1690 – Revolt in Haarlem after public ban on smoking
1813 – The Pacific Fur Company trading post in Astoria, Oregon is turned over to the rival British North West Company (the fur trade in the Pacific Northwest was dominated for the next three decades by the United Kingdom).
1920 – African demonstrators shot in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
1953 – France grants Laos’ sovereignty
1974 – Cubs trade Billy Williams to A’s for Manny Trillo, Knowles and Locker

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Famous Birthdays

1820 – James Monroe Goggin, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), (d. 1889)
1852 – Jean-Louis Forain, French etcher/lithographer
1919 – Manolis Andronikos, Greek archaeologist who discovered ancient royal Macedonian tombs in northern Greece, born in Bursa, Ottoman Empire (d. 1992)
1923 – Frank Sutton, American actor (Marty, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.), born in Clarksville, Tennessee (d. 1974)
1938 – Jordan Christopher, actor (Secrets of Midland Heights), born in Youngstown, Ohio
1981 – Ben Francisco, American baseball player

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Famous Deaths

1602 – Franciscus Junius, French-Dutch calvinist theologist and vicar, dies at 57
1753 – Columban Praelisauer, composer, dies at 50
1782 – Joseph Riepel, Austrian-born German composer, dies at 73
1872 – Théophile Gautier, French writer, historian and poet (Albertus, La Chanson de Roland, Émaux et camées), dies at 61
2000 – Rodney Anoa’i aka Yokozuna, Samoan-American professional wrestler (b. 1966)
2014 – Alvin Stardust, English singer, dies at 72

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Historical Events

1575 – Foundation of Aguascalientes (one of 32 Federal Entities of Mexico)
1721 – Tsar Peter the Great becomes “All-Russian Imperator”
1987 – Nobel prize for literature awarded to Joseph Brodsky
1997 – Second longest 9 inning World Series game (4:12) as Marlins and Indians were tied 7-7 going into the 9th, Mariners win 14-11
2008 – India launches its first unmanned lunar mission Chandrayaan-1.
2012 – 6 Italian scientists are convicted of manslaughter for their failure to predict the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake

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Famous Birthdays

1844 – Louis Riel, Canadian politician, founder of the province of Manitoba and leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies, born in Red River Colony, Rupert’s Land, British North America (d. 1885)
1847 – Jacobus Herculas [Uncle Koos] de la Rey, South African politician
1904 – Paul Arma, Hungarian-French composer, born in Budapest (d. 1987)
1908 – John Gould, American humorist, essayist, and columnist (d. 2003)
1949 – Arsène Wenger, French football manager (Arsenal 1996-2018), born Strasbourg, France
1952 – Jeff Goldblum, American actor (Fly, Jurassic Park, Independence Day), born in West Homestead, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1954 – Oswald de Andrade, Brazilian author (one of the modernist Group of Five), dies at 64
1954 – Jibanananda Das, Bengali poet (b. 1899)
1966 – Hewlett Johnson [Red Dean of Canterbury], English bishop, dies at 92
1989 – Ewan MacColl [James Miller], Scottish folk singer-songwriter (The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face), dies at 74
1994 – Rollo May, American psychologist (Love and Will), dies at 85
1994 – David Buchan, ethno-Musicologist, dies at 55

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Historical Events

1601 – Memorial service for Daitokuji’s Shinju held for Ikkyu Sojun in Kyoto
1727 – Russian and Chinese accord to correct boundaries
1917 – Petrograds garrison accepts Revolutionary Military Committee
1925 – Sidney Howards “Lucky Sam McGarver” premieres in NYC
1987 – Senate debate begins rejecting Robert Bork’s Supreme Ct nomination
1990 – Esther Canseco calls Oakland A’s manager Tony La Russa a “punk” for not starting husband Jose in the World Series

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Famous Birthdays

1898 – Amedeo duke of Aosta, viceroy of Ethiopia/gov-gen of Italian East-Africa
1927 – Nadine Judd, [Nadia Moore/Nerina], South African/British ballerina
1941 – Marina Ripa, countess/writer (My First 40 Years), born in Rome, Italy
1949 – Masao Ohba, Japanese boxer (WBA flyweight champion), born in Tokyo, Japan (d. 1973)
1952 – Allen Hoey, American poet and novelist
1984 – Marvin Mitchell, American football player

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Famous Deaths

1873 – Johann Sebastian Welhaven, Norwegian poet (b. 1807)
1967 – Ejnar Hertzsprung, Danish astronomer (Hertzsprung-Russell diagram), dies at 94
1970 – John T. Scopes, American teacher convicted for teaching evolution (Scopes “monkey trial” 1925), dies at 70
1993 – Scott Heiser, US photographer (Interview), dies at 44
1995 – Linda Goodman, Morgantown, West Virginia, American astrologer and poet, dies from complications of diabetes at 70
1999 – John Bromwich, Australian tennis player (Australian C’ship 1939, 46 / 13 Grand Slam doubles titles), dies at 80

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Historical Events

1877 – Franz Schubert’s 2nd Symphony in B premieres
1910 – Soccer team KFC forms in Alkmaar
1964 – Riot at Rolling Stones show in Paris (150 arrested)
1975 – Soviet orbiter Venera 9 becomes the 1st spacecraft to orbit Venus
1990 – Cincinnati beats A’s, 2-1 in Game 4 at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum to sweep Oakland and win Reds’ 5th Baseball World Series; Reds’ pitcher José Rijo MVP
1995 – Sri Lanka beat West Indies to win Sharjah Champions Trophy final

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Famous Birthdays

1897 – Jevsei G Liberman, Ukrainian economist (Plan, profit, bonuses)
1900 – Rodolfo Halffter, composer
1955 – Thomas Newman, American composer
1955 – Robert ten Brink, Dutch TV host/cabaret artist
1957 – Chris Cowdrey, English cricketer (captain of England 1988) and son of Colin, born in Farnborough, London
1966 – Fred Coury, Johnston NY, rocker (Cinderella-Heartbreak Station)

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Famous Deaths

1268 – Conrad Hohenstaufen/Conradin, last Duke of Swabia, beheaded in Naples aged 16
1570 – João de Barros, Portuguese historian (b. 1496)
1900 – Naim Frashëri, Albanian poet and writer, dies at 54
1936 – Anne Sullivan [Johanna Macy], American teacher who educated Helen Keller, dies at 70
1994 – Eberhard Feik, German actor (Tatort), dies at 50
2007 – Max McGee, American football player (Green Bay Packers), dies at 75

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Historical Events

1924 – General Christian Worker’s union demands 8 hr work day in Belgium
1944 – US forces land in Philippines
1959 – Florence Henderson joins Today Show panel
1974 – Australian tennis star Evonne Goolagong wins her first WTA Tour Championship; beats Chris Evert 6-3, 6-4 in the final at the Los Angeles Sports Arena
1981 – MLB National League Championship: Los Angeles Dodgers beat Montreal Expos, 3 games to 2
1988 – South African anti-apartheid leader Sisulu wins $100,000 Human Rights prize

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Famous Birthdays

1858 – George Albert Boulenger, Belgian naturalist (d. 1937)
1878 – Hermann Claudius, German folk poet (Meister Bertram), born in Langenfelde near Hamburg (d. 1980)
1882 – Vincas Kreve-Mickievicius, Lithuania, poet/philologist/playwright
1901 – Arleigh A Burke, Colo, admiral (WW II, Solomon Islands, Navy Cross)
1931 – John le Carré, English novelist
1946 – Kenneth Washington, African-American actor (Sgt Richard Baker-Hogan’s Heroes, Westworld)

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Famous Deaths

1793 – Francesc Morera i Cots, Valencian composer, dies at 62
1894 – James Darmesteter, French author and antiquarian (translations of the Avesta, the sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism), dies at 45
1970 – Unica Zürn, German writer and artist, dies at 54
1994 – Martha Raye [Margaret Reed], American actress (Waikiki Wedding, Martha Raye Show), dies after illness at 78
1994 – Oldrich Cernik, Czechoslovakia premier (1968-70), dies at 72
2007 – Michael Maidens, English footballer with Hartlepool United (b. 1987)

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Historical Events

1534 – New pursuit of French protestants
1685 – French King Louis XIV revokes Edict of Nantes cancelling rights of French Protestants
1941 – Soviet spy Richard Sorge arrested in Tokyo
1967 – Soviet Venera 4 becomes 1st probe to send data back from Venus
1967 – AL votes to allow Athletics to move from KC to Oakland and expand league to 12 teams in 1971 with KC and Seattle teams
1989 – Hungary revises its constitution after the fall of its Communist regime

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Famous Birthdays

1668 – Johan Georg IV, elector of Saxony (1691-94)
1891 – 1891 Václav Kálik, Czech composer, born in Opava; (d. 1951)
1902 – Pascual Jordan, German physicist (d. 1980)
1925 – Wim van Gennep, Dutch singer/keyboardist (Heikrekels)
1956 – Craig Bartlett, American animator
1966 – Angela Visser, Neth, Miss Universe (1989)

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Famous Deaths

1876 – Francis Preston Blair, American journalist and newspaper editor (Washington Globe), dies at 85
1893 – Lucy Stone, American abolitionist (US Woman’s Suffrage Association), dies at 75
1921 – King Ludwig III of Bavaria (b. 1845)
1955 – José Ortega y Gasset, Spanish philosopher and author (The Revolt of the Masses), dies at 72
1982 – Paul Lebeau, Flemish writer (Last Rose, Xanthippe), dies at 74
2005 – Bill King, American sports broadcaster (b. 1927)

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Historical Events

1662 – Charles II of Great Britain sells Dunkirk to France for 2.5 million livres (320,000 English pounds)
1691 – New royal charter for Massachusetts, now including Maine, Plymouth
1940 – German occupiers issue identity cards
1991 – MLB National League Championship: Atlanta Braves beat Pittsburgh Pirates, 4 games to 3
1992 – 1st World Series with non-US team, Toronto loses 3-1 to Braves
2018 – Student shoots and detonates a bomb killing 20 with 40 injured at Kerch polytechnic college, Crimea

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Famous Birthdays

1577 – Cristofano Allori, Italian painter (Judith)
1844 – Miguel Nieto, composer
1917 – Marsha Hunt, actress (Jennifer-Peck’s Bad Girl, Jigsaw), born in Chicago, Illinois
1956 – Robin LO Linschoten, Dutch ass. secretary of Social Affairs (VVD)
1966 – Tommy Kendall, American race car driver and television personality
1966 – Doug McMillon, American CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (2014-), born in Memphis, Tennessee

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Famous Deaths

33 – Agrippina the Elder, Roman noblewoman (mother of Caligula), dies of starvation at 47
1972 – Turk Broda, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1914)
1991 – Piet van Est, The Vuurbal, cyclist (7x Tour de France), dies at 57
1999 – Ralph Grey, Baron Grey of Naunton, Governor of Northern Ireland (1968-73), dies at 89
2001 – Rehavam Zeevi, Israeli politician (b. 1926)
2002 – Aileen Riggin, American springboard diver (Olympic gold 1920, 24), dies at 96

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