Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1861 – Tennessee becomes 11th (and last) state to secede from Union
1947 – Jackie Robinson swipes home for 1st of 19 times in his career
1966 – Period of relative peace following WW II exceeds that following WW I
1968 – Joe Frazier TKOs Manuel Ramos in 2 for heavyweight boxing title
1972 – Danie Malan, South African athlete, sets a new world record in the 1000m event in Munich
1987 – Salt Lake City Trappers begin pro baseball record 29 consecutive win streak

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Famous Birthdays

1774 – François Nicolas Benoît, Baron Haxo, French general (d. 1838)
1910 – Denis Dowling, baritone
1924 – Brian Bevan, Australian rugby league footballer (d. 1991)
1944 – Jeff Beck, Surrey England, singer/guitarist (Jeff Beck Group)
1978 – Juan Román Riquelme, Argentine footballer
1986 – Stuart Broad, English cricketer

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Famous Deaths

1924 – Willie Fernie, Scottish golfer (British Open 1883), dies at 69
1969 – Willey Ley, US science writer, dies at 62
1971 – John Dunning, cricketer (4 Tests for NZ 1933-37), dies
1973 – Mary Carr, actress (Forbidden Trail, 2nd Wife), dies at 99
2002 – Miles Fitzalan-Howard, British army general and peer (Duke of Norfolk), dies at 86
2012 – John Morgan, British ambassador (to Mexico), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1890 – In an effort to solve the “Uitlander” grievances regarding voting rights, President of Transvaal Paul Kruger institutes a Second Volksraad, responsible for controlling local matters
1900 – 14th U.S. Women’s National Championship: Myrtle McAteer beats Edith Parker (6-2, 6-2, 6-0)
1933 – Don McNeill’s Pepper Pot (Breakfast Club) begins 35½ year run on NBC
1950 – Yanks and Tigers hit record 11 HRs, Tigers win 10-9
1956 – “Jimmy Durante Show” last airs on NBC-TV
1977 – Violence erupts in Soweto, South Africa, again and the police make at least 146 arrests

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Famous Birthdays

1799 – John Milton Bernhisel, American physician (d. 1881)
1859 – Florentinus M Wibaut, Amsterdams social alderman (building of houses)
1943 – James Levine, American conductor, (director of the Metropolitan Opera), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1948 – Clarence Thomas, 108th US Supreme Court Justice (1991- ), born in Savannah, Georgia
1968 – Kent Steffes, beach volleyballer (Olympic gold 1996), born in Ann Arbor, Michigan
1977 – Miguel Ángel Angulo, Spanish footballer

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Famous Deaths

1945 – Lt Gen Ushijima, Japanese commander, commits suicide at Okinawa
1986 – Nigel Stock, British actor (Lost Continent, Young Sherlock Holmes), dies at 66
1991 – Antonio Jacinto, Angolan poet, dies at 66
2006 – Luke Graham, American wrestler, dies at 66
2015 – Magali Noël [Guiffray], French actress and singer, dies at 83
2018 – Donald Hall, American writer, literary critic and Poet Laureate of the United States, dies at 89

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Historical Events

1915 – BMT, then Brooklyn Rapid Transit, begins subway service
1942 – Jewish Brigade attached by British Army in WW II, forms
1944 – British 14th Army frees Imphal, Assam from the Japanese
1959 – “Along Came Jones” by Coasters peaks at #9
1969 – The Derry Housing Action Committee (DHAC) stage a protest by blocking the Lecky Road in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland
1982 – Prince Charles and Princess Diana take new-born son Prince William home from hospital

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Famous Birthdays

1943 – Ralph Molina, American musician (Crazy Horse, Neil Young’s backing band), born in Puerto Rico
1952 – Graham Greene, Canadian actor
1956 – Derek Forbes, rocker (Simple Minds-Water Front)
1964 – Dan Brown, American author of thriller fiction (The Da Vinci Code), born in Exeter, New Hampshire
1974 – Donald Faison, American actor
1979 – Thomas Voeckler, French road cyclist

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Famous Deaths

1699 – Josiah Child, English Governor of the East India Company (b. 1630)
1940 – Wladimir Köppen [Vladimir Köppen], German Meteorologist and Climatologist who developed the Köppen climate classification system for the regions of the world, dies at 93
1987 – Fred Astaire, American tap dancer, presenter and actor (Easter Parade, Swingtime), dies at 88
1997 – Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer (b. 1956)
2006 – Moose (dog actor), dog actor popular for role on Frasier (b. 1990)
2018 – Grigory Barenblatt, Russian mathematician, dies at 90

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Historical Events

1792 – Vancouver meets Spanish ships Sutil and Mexicana off Vancouver, British Columbia
1849 – Battle at Waghausel: Prussian troops beat Baden rebels
1915 – Anti-British revolt in South Africa ends with arrest of General De Law
1969 – John Pennel pole vaults world record (5.45 m)
1975 – Elton John, The Eagles and The Beach Boys play Wembley Stadium
1993 – “Camelot” opens at Gershwin Theater NYC for 56 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1818 – Joseph Abel Haskin, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Troy, New York (d. 1874)
1864 – Heinrich Wölfflin, Swiss art historian, born in Basel, Switzerland (d. 1945)
1927 – Carl Burton Stokes, African American politician (51st mayor of Cleveland) and TV newscaster, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1996)
1928 – Judith Raskin, American soprano (Susanna-Le Nozze di Figaro), born in NYC, New York
1937 – Anna Davies, prof of Comparative Philology (Oxford U)
1953 – Benazir Bhutto, 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan and 1st female leader of a Muslim nation, born in Karachi, Pakistan (d. 2007)

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Famous Deaths

1884 – Alexander, Prince of Orange, heir apparent to the Netherlands, dies of typhus at 32
1993 – Ticho Parly, Danish tenor, dies at 64
1997 – Fidel Velázquez Sánchez, Mexican labour leader (b. 1900)
1999 – Karl Krolow, German poet and translator, dies at 84
2000 – Alan Hovhaness, Armenian-American composer (Lousadzak, Ukiyo), dies at 89
2011 – Robert Kroetsch, Canadian author (b. 1927)

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Historical Events

1782 – Congress approves Great Seal of the United States of America and the bald eagle as its symbol
1874 – 1st US Lifesaving Medal awarded (Lucian Clemons)
1912 – NY Giants lead Bost Braves 14-2 into 9th, Giants win 21-12
1944 – US attacks Japanese fleet in Philippines Sea
1949 – Central Intelligence Agency Act passes
1994 – O.J. Simpson arraigned on murder of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman

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Famous Birthdays

1875 – Othenio Able, Austrian paleontologist
1934 – Brian Barder, British high commissar (Australia)
1934 – Rossana Podestà, Italian actress (Helen of Troy), (d. 2013)
1945 – [Morna] Anne Murray, Springhill Nova Scotia Canada, singer (Snow Bird)
1958 – Chuck Wagner, actor (Automan), born in Nashville, Tennessee
1972 – Jozef Stumpel, Nitra CZE, NHL forward (Team Slovakia, Boston)

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Famous Deaths

840 – Louis de Vrome, emperor of French rich, dies
885 – Bernard Plantapilosa, Count of Auvergne (b. 841)
1800 – Abraham Gotthelf Kästner, German mathematician, dies at 80
1960 – Mahlon Hamilton, American actor (Peg O’My Heart, High School Girl), dies at 80 (b. 1880)
1972 – Horst Salomon, writer, dies
2018 – Peter Thomson, Australian golfer and 5-time Open Championship winner, dies of Parkinson’s disease at 88

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Historical Events

1940 – Hermann Goering orders seizure of Dutch horses, car, buses and ships
1961 – US Supreme Court struck down a provision in Maryland’s constitution requiring state office holders to believe in God
1988 – World’s then largest sausage completed at 13 1/8 miles long
1992 – “Batman Returns”, starring Michael Keaton as Batman, Danny DeVito as the Penguin, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, is released
1994 – Tigers tie record of hitting HRs in 25th consecutive games
2005 – Michael Schumacher wins controversial United States Formula 1 Grand Prix where only 6 of 20 cars complete the race amongst ridicule of F1 safety and tyre rules

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Famous Birthdays

1893 – Adriaan F Dussenbroek, Dutch family dr/co-founder (Union National Arubano)
1905 – Taneli Kuusisto, composer
1921 – Howell T Heflin, (Sen-D-Alabama, 1979- )
1933 – Viktor Ivanovich Patsayev, USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz 11), born in Aktobe, Kazakhstan (d. 1971)
1954 – Kathleen Turner, American actress (Accidental Tourist, Jewel of Nile), born in Springfield, Missouri
1960 – Luke Morley, British guitarist

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Famous Deaths

1956 – Thomas J. Watson, Sr., American businessman (Chairman and CEO of IBM, 1914-1956), dies at 87
1968 – James Joseph Sweeney, American Catholic prelate (b. 1898)
1995 – Peter Townsend, RAF officer (b. 1914)
2007 – Terry Hoeppner, American football coach (b. 1947)
2011 – Don Diamond, American actor (b. 1921)
2013 – Filip Topol, Czech singer-songwriter (Psí vojáci – Dog Soldiers), dies at 48

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Historical Events

1892 – Macadamia nuts 1st planted in Hawaii
1940 – German occupiers slaughter cattle, pigs and chickens
1941 – Joe Louis KOs Billy Conn in 13 for heavyweight boxing title
1959 – New York City premiere of the film version of Kathryn Hulme’s “The Nun’s Story”
1986 – Papua New Guinea score 9-455 in 60 overs v Gibraltar, ICC Trophy
1995 – US Open Men’s Golf, Shinnecock Hills GC: Corey Pavin wins his only major championship, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Greg Norman of Australia

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Famous Birthdays

1581 – Thomas Overbury, poet (baptized)
1896 – Blanche Sweet, American actress (Home Sweet Home, Avenging Conscience), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1986)
1920 – Ian Carmichael, British actor (Private’s Progress, I’m All Right Jack), born in Hull, England (d. 2010)
1947 – Douglas Young, composer
1969 – Vito LoGrasso, American professional wrestler
1986 – Richard Madden, Scottish actor (Games of Thrones, Cinderella), born in Elderslie, Scotland

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Famous Deaths

1815 – Guillaume Philibert Duhesme, French general (b. 1766)
1853 – Branko Radicevic, Serbian poet (1st Serbian Uprising), dies
1955 – Willy Burkhard, composer, dies at 55
1998 – Charles Korvin [Geza Korvin Karpathi], Austrian actor (Berlin Express, Ship of Fools), dies at 90
2002 – Jack Buck, American baseball announcer, dies at 77
2017 – Lord Joffe [Joel Goodman Joffe], South African-born British lawyer (instructing solicitor for Nelson Mandela’s defence team) and businessman, dies at 85

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Historical Events

1902 – US Congress pass the New Lands Reclamation Act, which establishes a fund from sale of public lands to build irrigation dams for arid Western lands
1927 – US Open Men’s Golf, Oakmont CC: American-based Scotsman Tommy Armour defeats Harry Cooper by 3 strokes in an 18-hole playoff to win the first of his 3 major titles
1970 – Led Zeppelin begins their last European tour
1997 – NHL announces it will add Nashville in 1998, Atlanta in 1999 and Minneapolis-St Paul and Columbus, Ohio in 2000
2012 – US Open Men’s Golf, Olympic Club, SF: American Webb Simpson wins his first major title, 1 stroke ahead of runners-up Graeme McDowell and Michael Thompson
2015 – US Treasury announced that the image of Alexander Hamilton will be replaced from the US $10 bill by an image of a woman

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Famous Birthdays

1903 – Michail Swetlow, writer
1919 – Galina Ivanova Ustvol’skaya, composer
1936 – Ken Loach, British film director (The Wind That Shakes the Barley), born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire
1943 – Barry Manilow [Barry Alan Pincus], American singer/pianist (Mandy, I Write the Songs), born in New York City
1958 – Derek Lee Ragin, American countertenor
1967 – Keith Sims, NFL guard (Miami Dolphins)

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Famous Deaths

1821 – Martín Miguel de Güemes Argentine military leader (b. 1785)
1906 – Harry Nelson Pillsbury, American chess player, dies at 33
1957 – Esme Percy, British actor (Murder!, Pygmalion, Old Spanish Custom), dies at 69
1973 – Luis Van Rooten, Mexican-born, American actor, author and translator (One Man’s Family), dies at 66
1981 – Richard O’Connor, British general (b. 1889)
1992 – Dewey Balfa, American Cajun fiddler and singer, dies at 65

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Historical Events

1881 – Austria-Hungary and Serbia sign military treaty
1904 – Bloomsday (date of events in James Joyce’s Ulysses)
1923 – Sun Yat Sen founds military academy
1951 – US Open Men’s Golf, Oakland Hills CC: Ben Hogan wins his second consecutive US Open title, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Clayton Heafner.
1977 – Fianna Fail party wins Irish elections
1979 – Carl Yastrzemski hits his 1,000th extra base hit

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Famous Birthdays

1139 – Emperor Konoe of Japan (d. 1155)
1890 – Stan Laurel, [Arthur Stanley Jefferson], English comedian (Laurel and Hardy films), born in Ulverston, England (d. 1965)
1897 – Elaine Hammerstein, American actress (The Midnight Express), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1948)
1929 – Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 5th Emir of Kuwait (2006-present), Commander of the Kuwait Military Forces, born in Kuwait City, Kuwait
1931 – Robert Freeman Smith, American politician (Rep-R-Oregon), born in Portland, Oregon
1981 – Miguel Villalta, Peruvian footballer

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Famous Deaths

1622 – Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline, Chancellor of Scotland (b. 1555)
1752 – Joseph Butler, English philosopher, dies at 60
1939 – Chick Webb, American jazz drummer and big band leader (b. 1905)
1947 – Jean-Francois Capart, Belgian egyptologist (Memphis), dies at 86
1969 – Karl Hubert Rudolf Schiske, composer, dies at 53
1979 – Nicholas Ray, American film director (b. 1911)

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Historical Events

1908 – World congress for Women’s rights opens in Amsterdam
1915 – US government mints 1st $50 gold pieces, for Panama Pacific Expo
1954 – Great Britain’s 2 biggest steel factories nationalized
1979 – 1st space shuttle SRB qualification test firing; 122 seconds
2001 – Indian epic “Laagan” directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, starring Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh premieres
2012 – Five Dutch banks, including ING, receive credit rating downgrades of one or two notches

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Famous Birthdays

1864 – Guy Ropartz [Joseph Guy Marie Ropartz], French composer, born in Guingamp, France (d. 1955)
1898 – Willem Scheps, Dutch journalist
1920 – Amy Clampitt, American poet (The Kingfisher), born in Iowa (d. 1994)
1943 – Aron Kincaid, actor (Warren-Bachelor Father, Ski Party), born in Los Angeles, California
1969 – Ice Cube [O’Shea Jackson], American rapper and actor (Boyz in the Hood, Anaconda), born in Los Angeles, California
1977 – Michael Doleac, American basketball player

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Famous Deaths

1397 – Count of Eu, French knight, dies in Turkish captivity
1839 – Hans Skramstad, composer, dies at 41
1958 – François de Vries, Dutch economist, dies at 74
1996 – Jean Gimpel, French author and medievalist, dies at 77
2014 – Daniel Keyes, American author (Flowers for Algernon), dies from complications from pneumonia at 86
2015 – Mighty Sam McClain, American soul and blues singer-songwriter, dies at 72

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