Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1795 – British capture Capetown, South Africa, from the Dutch
1926 – Philip Dunning and George Abbott’s “Broadway” premieres in NYC
1940 – Samuel T Rayburn of Texas elected speaker of US House of Representatives
1951 – US National League umpire Frank Dascoli clears the Dodgers bench, ejecting 15 players
1990 – Iraq televises an 8 minute uncensored speech from George H. W. Bush
2007 – Federation Cup Women’s Tennis, Moscow, Russia: Svetlana Kuznetsova beats Francesca Schiavonea of Italy 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 to give Russia an unassailable 3-0 lead (ends, 4-0)

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Famous Birthdays

1881 – Clive Bell, English art critic, born in East Shefford, Berkshire (d. 1964)
1906 – Jack Churchill, British Army commando, born in Colombo, British Ceylon (d. 1996)
1906 – Johanna Sophia Hermes, Dutch singer, born in Hilversum, Netherlands (d. 1995)
1950 – David Bellamy, American singer (The Bellamy Brothers-Let Your Love Flow), born in Darby, Florida
1961 – Bilinda Butcher, British singer (My Bloody Valentine)
1971 – Amy Poehler, American comedian and actress (Saturday Night Live, Parks and Recreation), born in Newton, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

1643 – Lucas Franchoys the Elder, Belgian painter, dies at 69
1775 – Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst, English privy councillor (b. 1684)
1964 – Leo Weismantel, German writer (Das Totenliebespar), dies at 76
1996 – Andrew MacElhone, bar owner, dies at 73
2004 – Izora Rhodes Armstead, American singer (The Weather Girls), dies at 62
2006 – Floyd Curry, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1925)

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Historical Events

921 – Saint Ludmila is murdered at the command of her daughter-in-law at Tetin.
1900 – A Boer delegation issues an appeal at the Hague, Netherlands, that the major powers intervene in the war in South Africa
1969 – Cards Steve Carlton sets record by striking out 19 NY Mets in a game
1983 – Police officers beat Michael Stewart to death for graffiting NYC subway
1984 – Morocco Showcase opens
2005 – “Be Without You” single released by Mary J. Bilge (Billboard Song of the Year 2006, Grammy Award Best RandB Song, Best Female RandB Vocal Performance 2005)

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Famous Birthdays

1909 – Carlos Estrada, composer
1913 – John Mitchell, Nixon’s attorney general who went to jail
1921 – Norma MacMillan, Canadian voice actress (Casper the Ghost), born in Vancouver (d. 2001)
1937 – Robert Lucas, Jr., American economist, Nobel laureate
1967 – Dexter Carter, NFL running back (SF 49ers)
1969 – Jeffrey Schwarz, American film director and producer

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Famous Deaths

1803 – Gian Francesco Albani, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1719)
1840 – Franz Pecháček, Austrian-German composer, dies at 47
1934 – David Vaughan Thomas, Welsh musician and composer, dies at 61
1984 – Jack Ikin, English cricketer (England opener 1946-55), dies at 66
1989 – Robert Penn Warren, American poet and novelist (All the King’s Men, Pulitzer 1946), dies at 84
2016 – Rose Mofford, American politician, 1st female Governor of Arizona (1988-1991), dies at 94

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Historical Events

1752 – Britain and the British Empire (including the American colonies) adopt the Gregorian Calendar (no Sept 3 – Sept 13)
1814 – Francis Scott Key pens the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry”, later known as “The Star-Spangled Banner” while witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry from a ship in Baltimore harbor
1868 – Golf’s 1st recorded hole-in-one (Tom Morris at Prestwick’s 8th hole)
1916 – Christy Mathewson pitches and wins his final game
1968 – USSR’s Zond 5 is launched on 1st circumlunar flight
2018 – Hurricane Florence makes landfall near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, as a category 1 hurricane

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Famous Birthdays

1543 – Claudio Aquaviva, Italian Jesuit priest (5th Superior General of the Society of Jesus), born in Atri, Italy (d. 1615)
1869 – Kid Nichols, American baseball player, born in Madison, Wisconsin (d. 1953)
1882 – Harald Fryklöf, Swedish composer, born in Uppsala, Sweden (d. 1919)
1886 – Jan Masaryk, Czech statesman and Minister to London (1918-35), born in Prague, Austria-Hungary (d. 1948)
1933 – Harve Presnell, American actor (Unsinkable Molly Brown), born in Modesto, California (d. 2009)
1968 – Dan Cortese, American actor and TV host (Jess Hanson-Melrose Place), born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1605 – Jan Tarnowski, Archbishop of Krakow (b. 1550)
1763 – Johann Philipp Sack, composer, dies at 40
1916 – Josiah Royce, American philosopher (Conception of Immortality), dies at 60
1936 – Ossip Gabrilovich, composer, dies at 58
1996 – Clive Beadon, British RAF Wing Commander and pilot (WWII), dies at 77
2002 – LaWanda Page [Alberta Peal], American actress (Aunt Esther-Sanford and Sons), dies of complications from diabetes at 81

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Historical Events

1881 – America Lewis Howard Latimer invents and patents electric lamp with a carbon filament
1900 – Filipino resistance fighters defeat a small American column in the Battle of Pulang Lupa, during the Philippine-American War.
1954 – Reds Ted Kluszewski scores a run in record 17 consecutive games
1964 – 3rd sitting of 2nd Vatican council opens in Rome
1971 – 11 guards and 31 prisoners die in take over at Attica State Prison
1987 – Tampa Bay quarterback Steve DeBerg establishes a franchise record with 5 touchdown passes in the Buccaneers 48-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons

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Famous Birthdays

1814 – Nicolas Beets [Hildebrand], Dutch writer (Camera Obscura) and theologian, born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 1903)
1858 – Catherinus Elling, Norwegian composer, born in Oslo, Norway (d. 1942)
1894 – J. B. Priestly, English novelist and scriptwriter (The Good Companions, An Inspector Calls), born in Bradford, United Kingdom
1945 – Noël Godin, Belgian writer and humorist, born in Liège, Belgium
1975 – Akihiro Asai, Japanese racing driver, born in Tokyo, Japan
1979 – Ivan Miljković, Serbian volleyball player, born in Niška Banja, Serbia

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Famous Deaths

1806 – Charles James Fox, English politician (b. 1749)
1848 – María Isabella of Spain, Queen of the Two Sicilies (1825-30), dies at 59
1959 – Gilbert Adrian, costume designer, dies of heart attack at 56
1976 – Albert Tessier, French Canadian priest, historian and filmmaker (b. 1895)
1977 – Arthur Fagg, cricketer (5 Tests for England 1936-39/umpire), dies
2017 – Frank Vincent, American actor (The Sopranos), dies of a heart attack at 80

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Historical Events

1703 – Emperor Leopold I ends contacts on Spanish heritage
1934 – US National Championship Men’s Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Englishman Fred Perry retains title; beats Wilmer Allison of the US 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 8-6
1962 – Wash Senator Tom Cheney strikes out record 21 Orioles in 16 inn game
1971 – US Open Men’s Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: American Stan Smith wins first career Grand Slam event; beats Czech star Jan Kodeš 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6
1992 – Mae Jemison is the 1st African American woman to go into space (aboard Endeavour STS-47)
2001 – Article V of the NATO agreement is invoked for the first and only time in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States of America.

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Famous Birthdays

1829 – Anselm Feuerbach, German painter, born in Speyer, Germany (d. 1880)
1921 – Stanislaw Lem, Polish sci-fi author (Solaris, Invincible), born in Lwów, Second Polish Republic (d. 2006)
1945 – Maria Aitken, Irish-English actress (Fish Called Wanda), born in Dublin, Ireland
1945 – Vern Lindblad, Turkologist, born in Seattle, Washington
1956 – Leslie Cheung, Hong Kong actor, singer and composer (Farewell My Concubine), born in Hong Kong (d. 2003)
1958 – Wilfred Benítez, Puerto Rican boxer (youngest world champion at 17 years, 176 days [WBA Light Welterweight]), born in NYC, New York

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Famous Deaths

352 – Maximinus van Trier, bishop of Trier/saint, dies
1674 – Nicolaas Tulp, Mayor of Amsterdam (1654-71), dies at 80
1819 – Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Prussian general (b. 1742)
1953 – Frederick Kuys, cricketer (one Test South Africa v England 1898), dies
1977 – Steven Biko, South African anti-apartheid activist, dies in police custody at 30
2013 – Ray Dolby, sound expert/inventor (Dolby noise limiting system), dies of leukemia at 80

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Historical Events

1914 – W. C. Handy “Father of the Blues” publishes his most famous composition “St Louis Blues”
1922 – Yankees play their farewell home game in Polo Grounds win doubleheader
1939 – Iraq and Saudi Arabia declare war on Nazi Germany
1941 – Construction of the Pentagon begins in Arlington County, Virginia (completed Jan 15, 1943). Designed by architect George Bergstrom and built by contractor John McShain, construction was overseen by Leslie Groves.
1971 – US Open Women’s Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: In an all-American final Billie Jean King beats doubles partner Rosemary Casals 6-4, 7-6
1971 – Egypt adopts its constitution

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Famous Birthdays

1911 – Bola de Nieve [Ignacio Jacinto Villa Fernández], Cuban pianist, singer and songwriter, born in Guanabacoa, La Habana, Cuba (d. 1971)
1929 – David S. Broder, American journalist (Pulitzer 1973), born in Chicago Heights, Illinois (d. 2011)
1940 – Tom Gallagher, American diplomat, gay activist, and 1st Foreign Service officer to publicly come out in 1976, born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2018)
1940 – Robert Palmer, American businessman and last CEO of Digital Equipment Corporation
1970 – Taraji P. Henson, American actress and singer, born in Washington, D.C.
1980 – Antônio Pizzonia, Brazilian race car driver, born in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

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Famous Deaths

1892 – Charles-Louis-Adolphe Vogel, French composer (Les trois couleurs), dies at 84
1922 – Louis Coerne, composer, dies at 52
1971 – Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet premier, dies of a heart attack at 77
1988 – John Sylvester White, American actor (b. 1919)
2001 – Peter J. Ganci, Jr., Chief of Department, FDNY (b. 1946)
2007 – Ian Porterfield, Manager of Armenia National Football Club (b. 1946)

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Historical Events

1861 – Battle of Carnifex Ferry Virginia, 170 casualites
1910 – Great Idaho Fire destroys 3 million acres of timber
1958 – WJCT TV channel 7 in Jacksonville, FL (PBS) begins broadcasting
1989 – Five days after hitting a HR for Yankees in a 12-2 win over the Mariners, MLB and NFL player Deion Sanders returns a punt 68 yards for a touchdown, his first
1998 – 15th MTV Video Music Awards: Madonna and Will Smith win
2016 – US Open Women’s Tennis: Angelique Kerber beats Karolína Plíšková 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to become first German player to win the event since Steffi Graf in 1996

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Famous Birthdays

1897 – Nancy Keene Lancaster, designer/Collector
1920 – Egbert van Paridon, Dutch actor and director (Flodder, The Assault), born in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (d. 2011)
1929 – Arnold Palmer, American golfer (7 major titles; US Masters 1958, 60, 62, 64), born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania (d. 2016)
1943 – “Superstar” Billy Graham [Eldridge Coleman], American professional wrestler, WWF Heavyweight Champion (1977-8), born in Phoenix, Arizona
1974 – Ben Wallace, NBA forward (Wash Wizards)
1993 – Sam Kerr, Australian football player (Chicago Red Stars), born in East Fremantle, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1547 – Pierlugi Faraese, Italian son of Pope Paul III, murdered
1680 – Marco Uccellini, composer, dies
1839 – Pieter Fontijn, Dutch painter, dies at 66
1951 – Giuseppe Mulè, Italian composer, dies at 66
1971 – Bella Darvi [Bajla Węgier], Polish actress (The Egyptian, Hell and High Water, Racers), commits suicide at 42
1993 – Janice Carroll, actress (End, April Fools), dies of cancer at 61

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Historical Events

1926 – National Broadcasting Company created by Radio Corporation of America
1928 – Silvio Cator of Haiti, sets then long jump record at 26′ ½”
1964 – John Osborne’s “Inadmissable Evidence” premieres in London
1994 – Space shuttle STS 64 (Discovery 20) launches into orbit
1995 – “Broadway Limited” last train ride (began in 1902)
2006 – US Open Women’s Tennis: Maria Sharapova of Russia wins her first US title; overpowers Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4

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Famous Birthdays

384 – Flavius Honorius, Eastern Roman Republic emperor (395-423), born in Constantinople (d. 423)
1924 – Bettejane “Jane” Greer, American actress (Out of the Past, Prisoner of Zenda, Clown), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2001)
1946 – Hayato Tani, Japanese actor
1947 – David Rosenboom, composer
1973 – Todd McMillon, American football player (Saskatchewan Roughriders), born in Bellflower, California
1983 – Cleveland Taylor, English-born Jamaican footballer, born in Leicester, United Kingdom

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Famous Deaths

1876 – American Horse, Sioux chief, dies in battle
1901 – Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, French painter, dies at 36
1962 – Pat Rooney, American vaudevillian (Night club), dies at 82
1966 – Nestor Paiva, American-Portuguese actor (Zorro, The Creature from the Black Lagoon), dies of cancer at 61
1969 – Katherine Singleton, actress/Miss Universe (1926), dies at 65
2012 – Ron Taylor, Australian shark expert and cinematographer, dies from myeloid leukemia at 78

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Historical Events

1331 – Stefan Dušan declares himself king of Serbia
1380 – Battle on Kulikovo: Moscow’s great monarch Dimitri defeats the Mongols beginning the decline of the Tatars
1664 – Dutch surrender colony of New Netherlands (including New York) to 300 English soldiers
1921 – 1st Miss America crowned in Atlantic City – Margaret Gorman (16) of Washington, D.C.
1984 – Challenger moves to Vandenberg AFB for mating of STS 41G mission
1988 – NL pres Bart Giamatti is unanimously elected baseball’s 7th commissioner

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Famous Birthdays

1829 – Seth Barton, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Fredericksburg, Virginia (d. 1900)
1889 – Robert A. Taft, American politician (U.S. Senator from Ohio), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1953)
1914 – Hillary Brooke, American film actress (The Abbott and Costello Show), born in Astoria, New York (d. 1999)
1930 – Robert W. Firestone, American author and clinical psychologist, born in Brooklyn, New York
1972 – Phil Laak, Irish-American professional poker player, born in Dublin
1977 – Maria Helena Selin, Finnish ice hockey right wing (Finland, Olympics 1998), born in Helsinki, Finland

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Famous Deaths

1633 – Carlo Caraffa, Italian jesuit/religious order founder, dies at about 72
1682 – Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, Spanish writer, dies at 76
1980 – Hermann Claudius, German folk poet (Meister Bertram), dies at 101
1983 – Antonin Magne, French bicylist (won Tour de France 1931, 34), dies
2003 – Gulabrai Ramchand, Indian cricketer (valuable all-rounder in 33 Tests for India), dies at 76
2006 – Frank Middlemass, British actor (Heart Beat, As Time Goes By, Oliver Twist), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1497 – Flemish pretender Perkin Warbeck acclaimed as English King Richard IV on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall
1543 – Duke Willem of Gulik surrenders to emperor Charles V
1897 – George Davis (Giants) HR off Sport McAllister (Spiders) in DH
1952 – General Naguib forms Egyptian government and becomes Premier
1975 – US Open Men’s Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Manuel Orantes of Spain wins his only Grand Slam title; upsets #1 seed Jimmy Connors 6-4, 6-3, 6-4; played on green Har-Tru clay surface
1985 – US Open Women’s Tennis: Hana Mandlíková beats Martina Navratilova 7-6, 1-6, 7-6 for her first US title

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Famous Birthdays

1900 – Taylor Caldwell [Janet Miriam Holland Taylor Caldwell], Anglo-American novelist (Dynasty of Death, Dear and Glorious Physician), born in Manchester, England (d. 1985)
1906 – Philip Herschkowitz, Romanian composer, born in Iași, Romania (d. 1989)
1925 – Allan Blakeney, Canadian politician (10th Premier of Saskatchewan), born in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia (d. 2011)
1934 – Little Milton [James Milton Campbell], American blues singer and guitarist (Grits Ain’t Groceries), born in Inverness, Mississippi (d. 2005)
1954 – Benmont Tench, American rock keyboardist (Heartbreakers), born in Gainesville, Florida
1965 – Darko Pančev, Macedonian footballer (won European Golden Boot Award 1991), born in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

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Famous Deaths

1731 – Yevdokiya Lopukhina, Tsarina of Russia as the first wife of Peter I of Russia, dies at 62
1871 – Mehmed E Ali Pasja, Turkish statesman, dies
1925 – John Wesley Work Jr., 1st African-American collector of folk songs and spirituals, dies at 52 or 54
1992 – Henry Ephron, American screenwriter (Daddy Long Legs), dies at 81
2006 – Julien Schoenaerts, Flemish actor (Daens/Medea), dies at 81
2010 – Glenn Shadix, American Actor (b. 1952)

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