Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1789 – Captain William Bligh and his loyal men cast off from HMS Bounty reach Timor, after sailing 5,800 km in a 6-metre launch
1916 – Representatives of eight Allied nations hold an economic conference in Paris at which they discuss ways to cripple their enemies economic power during and after the war
1962 – Albert DeSalvo, better known as the Boston Strangler, murders Anna Slesers, his first victim
1968 – “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” 2nd studio album by Iron Butterfly is released
1975 – French Open Women’s Tennis: Chris Evert beats Martina Navratilova 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 for her 2nd of 7 French singles titles
1981 – LPGA Championship, Jack Nicklaus GC: Donna Caponi Young sinks 15 foot birdie putt on 18th to beat Jerilyn Britz and Pat Meyers by 1 stroke

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Famous Birthdays

1479 – Giglio Gregorio Giraldi, Italian poet, born in Ferrara, Italy (d. 1552)
1819 – Henry Gardner, 23rd Governor of Massachusetts (1855-58), born in Dorchester, Massachusetts (d. 1892)
1903 – Arthur William Raynes McDonald, radar Pioneer/pilot
1926 – Don Newcombe, American baseball pitcher (4-time MLB All Star), born in Madison, New Jersey (d. 2019)
1950 – Bart van Lier, Dutch trombonist, born in Haarlem
1969 – Steffi Graf, German tennis player (Golden Slam 1988, 22 Grand Slam singles titles), born in Mannheim, Germany

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Famous Deaths

1978 – Theodore Karyotakis, composer, dies at 74
1982 – Marie Rambert, [Cyviam Ramberg], Polish/British ballerina, dies at 94
1994 – Denys Hay, British historian, dies at 78
1995 – Els Aarne, Estonian composer, dies at 78
2004 – Eamonn McGirr, Irish-born singer and entertainer
2008 – Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish jazz pianist (b. 1964)

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Historical Events

1611 – John Fabricius dedicates earliest sunspot publication
1918 – Phillies and Cards tie 8-8 in 19 innings
1955 – Mercedes racing car kills 77 at Le Mans, France
1962 – Norway named ombudsman
1971 – LPGA Championship, Pleasant Valley CC: Kathy Whitworth wins by 4 strokes from Kathy Ahern
1986 – US President Reagan criticizes South African state of emergency

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Famous Birthdays

1892 – Basil Rathbone, South African born British actor (Sherlock Holmes), born in Johannesburg, South Africa (d. 1967)
1901 – Tage Erlander, Swedish politician (25th Prime Minister of Sweden 1946-69), born in Ransäter, Värmland County, Sweden (d. 1985)
1954 – Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigerian economist (Minister of Finance 2011-15), born in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State
1954 – Bo [Robert] Donaldson, American rock vocalist (Billy Don’t Be a Hero), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1961 – Bob Crow, English trade union leader (National Union RMT), born in Epping, Essex, England (d. 2014)
1974 – Brande Roderick, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1636 – George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly, Scottish politician (b. 1562)
1913 – Jonathan Hutchinson, English surgeon and scientist, dies at 84
1928 – Damaso Ledesma, composer, dies at 60
1944 – Christopher Heseltine, cricketer (2 Tests for England 1895-96), dies
1973 – Alvin Derold Etler, composer, dies at 60
2005 – Lane Smith, American actor (b. 1936)

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Historical Events

1910 – PEC soccer team forms in Zwolle
1917 – US Secret Service extends protection of the President to include his family
1947 – British Amateur Women’s Golf, Gullane GC: Babe Didrikson becomes first American to win event; beats England’s Jacqueline Gordon 5 and 4
1967 – Washington Senators beat Chicago White Sox 6-5 in 22 innings
1977 – LPGA Championship, Bay Tree Plantation GC: Chako Higuchi of Japan wins her only LPGA major title by 3 from Pat Bradley, Sandra Post and Judy Rankin
2015 – Al-Qaeda’s 2nd-in-command Nasser al-Wuhayshi (Osama Bin Laden’s former private secretary) is killed in a US air strike in Yemen

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Famous Birthdays

1908 – Ronald Selby Wright, Scottish Church of Scotland minister, born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 1995)
1914 – Peter Lancelot Williams, English dance journalist, born in Burton Joyce, Nottingham (d. 1995)
1918 – Samuel Z. Arkoff, American film producer and co-founder of American International Pictures, born in Fort Dodge, Iowa (d. 2001)
1945 – Alfred Gell, British social anthropologist (d. 1997)
1964 – Lorraine Downes, New Zealand beauty queen (Miss Universe 1983), born in Auckland, New Zealand
1965 – Gwen Torrence, Lithonia GA, 100m/200m/400m (Olympics 2 gold-92, 96)

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Famous Deaths

1858 – Cornelis Smit, Dutch ship builder, dies at 74
1904 – Camille de Renesse, Belgian nobleman and entrepreneur, dies at 67
1947 – Jazeps Medins, composer, dies at 70
1957 – James F “Jimmy” Dorsey, US orchestra leader, dies at 53
1978 – Guo Moruo, Chinese writer (b. 1892)
2016 – George V. Voinovich, US politician (R), Senator and Governor of Ohio, dies at 79

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Historical Events

1594 – Philip II recognized the rights and privileges of the local nobles and chieftains in the Philippines, which paves way to the creation of the Principalía (i.e., elite ruling class of native nobility in Spanish Philippines)
1927 – Babe Ruth hits 19th and 20th of 60 HRs
1983 – “Faithfully” by Journey peaks at #12
1990 – Nolan Ryan pitches his 6th no-hitter beating Oakland, in 9th he retires Ken Phelps, Rickey Henderson and Willie Randolph (all ex Yanks)
1990 – Federal judge sentenced former national security adviser John M Poindexter to 6 months for making false statements to Congress
1996 – Exxon states that it will begin work on its $15-billion Sakhalin I oil and natural gas development in Russia’s Far East

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Famous Birthdays

1874 – Richard Stöhr, Austrian composer, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1967)
1888 – Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Italian anarchist (Sacco and Vanzetti Trial), born in Villafalletto, Italy (d. 1927)
1907 – Anton Hildebrand, Dutch children’s book writer (Man in the Moon), born in Groningen, Netherlands (d. 1977)
1920 – Bir Bikram Shah Deva Mahendra, King of Nepal (1955-72), born in Narayanhity Royal Palace, Kathmandu, Kingdom of Nepal (d. 1972)
1935 – Fazal-ur-Rehman, Pakistani cricketer (played 1 Test Pakistan v WI 1958), born in Amritsar, India
1956 – [Clarence] Ray Nagin, American politician (Mayor of New Orleans, 2002-2010), born in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Famous Deaths

1811 – Charles Frederick, liberal ruler of Baden, dies at 82
1929 – Gyula Andressy Jr, Hungarian minister of Foreign affairs, dies at 68
1986 – Chesley Bonestell, American-born engineer, architect, and artist (b. 1888)
1992 – Scotty Sachs, actor (Hanoi Hilton), dies of gunshot wounds at 39
1993 – Bernard Bresslaw, English comedian (Carry On team), dies of a heart attack at 59
2005 – VVasco Gonçalves, Portuguese army officer and 103rd Prime Minister of Portugal (1974-75), dies at 84

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Historical Events

1190 – Third Crusade: Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa drowns while crossing the Saleph River (modern Turkey) leading an army to Jerusalem
1861 – Battle of Big Bethel Virginia (Bethel Church, Great Bethal)-Union retreats
1966 – Mamas and Papas win gold record for “Monday, Monday”
1975 – Rockefeller panel reports on 300,000 illegal CIA files on Americans
1979 – Baltimore Orioles pull their 8th triple play (5-4-3 vs Cleve)
2018 – French Open Men’s Tennis: Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 for his record 11th French title (17th Grand Slam victory)

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Famous Birthdays

1822 – John Jacob Astor III, American businessman (Astor Estate holdings), born in New York (d. 1890)
1912 – William Gordon Harris, civil engineer
1926 – Willem Oltmans, Dutch journalist (Outlawed, Free as a Bird)
1927 – Michael Walsh, major-general/director (Overseas Relations)
1954 – Richard “Rich” Hall, American comedian, writer, and musician (Saturday Night Live, Fridays, Not Necessarily the News), born in Alexandria, Virginia
1980 – Francelino Matuzalem, Brazilian footballer

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Famous Deaths

1247 – Rodrigo Jimenez de Rada, archbishop Toledo/advisor Alfonso VIII, dies
1680 – Johan Göransson Gyllenstierna, Swedish statesman (b. 1635)
1902 – Jacint Verdaguer, Catalan poet (b. 1845)
1973 – William M. Inge, American playwright (Come Back Little Sheba), dies at 60
2004 – Graeme Kelling, British pop guitarist (Deacon Blue), dies at 47
2013 – Barbara Vucanovich, American politician, dies at 91

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Historical Events

1790 – 1st book copyrighted under constitution, “Philadelphia Spelling Book”
1873 – Alexandra Palace burnt down, after being open for only 16 days
1908 – King Edward VII of Great Britain visits Tsar Nicholas II at Reval, Russia, where the two discuss the growing power of Germany and British plans for reform in Macedonia
1963 – Barbra Streisand appears on “Ed Sullivan Show”
1995 – Killer (1994) premieres in UK
2001 – 133rd Belmont: Gary Stevens aboard Point Given wins in 2:26.80

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Famous Birthdays

1597 – Pieter J Saenredam, architecture painter
1884 – Johannes Clinge Doorenbos, Dutch journalist/conductor
1933 – Don Young, (Rep-R-AK, 1973- )
1942 – Richard Hutton, cricketer (son of Len, 5 Tests 1971)
1973 – Frederic Choffat, Swiss film director
1993 – Danielle Chuchran, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1681 – William Lilly, English astrologer, dies at 79
1912 – Ion Luca Caragiale, Romanian actor and playwright (O Noapte Furtunoasa), dies at 60
1989 – Piet[er J] Lieftinck, Dutch minister of Finance (1945-52), dies
2004 – Brian Williamson, Jamaican Gay Activist (b. 1945)
2013 – Iain Banks, Scottish author, dies from gallbladder cancer at 59
2014 – Rik Mayall, English actor and comedian, dies from cardiac arrest at 56

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Historical Events

1880 – Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky delivers an emotional speech at the unveiling of a monument to Pushkin in Moscow
1905 – US President Theodore Roosevelt sends identical notes to Japan and Russia urging them to negotiate and end hostilities, offering his personal services
1980 – French Open Men’s Tennis: Björn Borg of Sweden wins 3rd straight French title; beats American Vitas Gerulaitis 6-4, 6-1, 6-2
1986 – French Open Men’s Tennis: Czech star Ivan Lendl wins 3rd career Grand Slam title; beats Mikael Pernfors of Sweden 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
1992 – 26th Music City News Country Awards: Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks
2007 – Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia is hit by the State’s worst storms and flooding in 30 years resulting in the death of nine people and the grounding of trade ship, the MV Pasha Bulker

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Famous Birthdays

1814 – Charles Reade, English novelist (Cloister and Hearth), born in Ipsden, Oxfordshire (d. 1884)
1897 – John G. Bennett, British scientist and author, born in London (d. 1974)
1941 – Clarence “Fuzzy” Haskins, American pop singer (Funkadelic-Knee Deep), born in Elkins, West Virginia
1949 – Emanuel Ax, Polish American classical pianist, born in Lviv, Ukraine
1975 – Bryan McCabe, St Catherines, NHL defenseman (NY Islanders)
1983 – Mamoru Miyano, Japanese seiyuu

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Famous Deaths

1042 – Harthacnut/Harthacanute, King of Denmark and England (b. 1018) Lambeth
1611 – Jean Bertaut, French poet (b. 1552)
1809 – Thomas Paine, English American writer (Age of Reason, Common Sense), dies at 72
1947 – Tom O’Brien, American actor (Flying Fool), dies at 56
2008 – Šaban Bajramović, Serbian Romani musician (b. 1936)
2018 – Danny Kirwan, British musician, singer and songwriter (Fleetwood Mac- “Albatross”), dies at 68

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Historical Events

1832 – Asian cholera reaches Quebec, brought by Irish immigrants, and kills about 6,000 people in Lower Canada
1905 – Norway dissolves union with Sweden (in effect since 1814)
1936 – Charles “Lucky” Luciano is convicted on 62 counts of compulsory prostitution
1965 – Sony Corp introduced its home video tape recorder, priced at $995
1979 – Portugal government of Mota Pinto resigns
2009 – French Open Men’s Tennis: Roger Federer wins his only French title, outclassing Robin Söderling of Sweden 6-1, 7-6, 6-4

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Famous Birthdays

1897 – George Szell, Hungarian-born American conductor (Cleveland Orchestra, 1946-70), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1970)
1910 – Bradford Washburn, American explorer and cartographer, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 2007)
1927 – Martin Carter, Guyanese poet and political activist, born in Georgetown, Guyana (d. 1997)
1934 – Samuel Lipman, American pianist and music critic, born in Los Gatos, California (d. 1994)
1945 – Wolfgang Schüssel, Austrian People’s Party politician, born in Vienna, Austria
1946 – Jenny Jones [Janina Stronski], Canadian comedienne (Jenny Jones Show), born in Bethlehem, Palestine

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Famous Deaths

1654 – Giambattista Andreini, Italian playwright and actor (L’adamo), dies at 76
1667 – Thomas de Keyser, Amsterdam master builder/painter, buried
1847 – Adolph Gopel, German mathematician, dies at 35
1915 – Benjamin Lambord, composer, dies at 35
1961 – Robert Griffith, producer of Pajama Game, dies
1994 – Dennis Christopher George Potter, British dramatist (The Singing Detective, Karaoke, Midnight Movie), dies of cancer at 59

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Historical Events

1844 – Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) formed by George Williams in London
1919 – The Republic of Prekmurje ends
1946 – Henry Morgan is 1st to take off shirt on TV
1972 – Gold hits record $60 an ounce in London
1981 – 113th Belmont: George Martens aboard Summing wins in 2:29
1988 – 3 giant turtles found in Bronx sewage plant

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Famous Birthdays

1807 – Adrien-François Servais, Belgian composer, born in Halle, Belgium (d. 1866)
1933 – Heinrich Rohrer, Swiss physicist (tunneling microscope-Nobel 1986), born in Buchs, Switzerland (d. 2013)
1965 – Sally McDermid, Australian softball outfielder (Olympic bronze 1996)
1969 – Sunil Joshi, Indian cricketer (Indian Test left-arm spinner 1996-2001), born in Gadag, Karnataka, India
1975 – Niklas Sundstrom, Ornskoldsvik Swe, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1987 – Daniel Logan, New Zealand actor (Boba Fett-Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones), born in Auckland, New Zealand

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Famous Deaths

1730 – Alain Emmanuel de Coëtlogon, Marshal of France, dies at 83
1740 – Alexander Spotswood, British governor of Virginia Colony
1956 – Margaret Wycherly, actress (Claudia), dies at 74
1963 – William Baziotes, American painter (abstract expressionist), dies at 50
1976 – J. Paul Getty, American oil magnate and billionaire (Getty Oil), dies at 83
1996 – Jean Sinclair, teacher/campaigner, dies at 88

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Historical Events

1934 – 1st formal meeting of Baker Street Irregulars (NYC)
1937 – 69th Belmont: Charley Kurtsinger aboard War Admiral wins in 2:28.6
1944 – As part of Operation Tonga, the 1st British gliders touch down on French soil to prepare for the D-Day invasion
1969 – The International communist conference begins in Moscow.
1982 – 114th Belmont: Laffit Pincay Jr aboard Conquistador Cielo wins in 2:28
1993 – Liberian Charles Taylors rebellion kills 550 fugitives

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Famous Birthdays

1640 – Pu Songling, Qing Dynasty Chinese writer (Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio), born in Zibo, Shandong (d. 1715)
1934 – F Curtis Michel, LaCrosse Wisconsin, astronaut
1943 – Ann Craft, researcher/writer
1973 – Daniel Gildenlöw, Swedish musician and songwriter
1978 – Fernando Meira, Portuguese football player
1979 – Pete Wentz, American musician (Fall Out Boy), born in Wilmette, Illinois

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Famous Deaths

1568 – Lamoral, Count of Egmont and Philip de Montmorency executed in Brussels, fueling Dutch resistance to Spanish rule
1816 – Giovanni Paisiello, Italian composer (Serva Padrona), dies at 76
1825 – Odysseas Androutsos, hero in the Greek War of Independence
1893 – Mary Ann Shadd Cary, American-Canadian publisher and anti-slavery campaigner, 1st African American newspaper publisher, dies of stomach cancer at 69
1900 – Stephen Crane, author (Red Badge of Courage), dies at 28
2001 – Pedro Laín Entralgo, Spanish writer, medical and humanist

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