Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1956 – Indian states of Punjab, Patiala and most of the East Punjab States Union merge as the Punjab State
1962 – USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1976 – “Don’t Step on My Olive Branch” opens at Playhouse NYC for 16 performances
1977 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1986 – Fire in Sandoz factory in Basel, 30 tons of chemicals in the Rhine
2007 – 5-time Grand Slam tennis winner Martina Hingis admits testing positive for cocaine during Wimbledon; maintains innocence; retires from tennis; no desire for fight with anti-doping authorities

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Famous Birthdays

1351 – Leopold III, Duke of Austria (1365-68), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1386)
1815 – Douglas H. Cooper, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Amite County, Mississippi (d. 1879)
1825 – Joseph B. Palmer, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Rutherford County, Tennessee (d. 1890)
1961 – Louise Boije af Gennäs, Swedish writer and novelist (Stjärnor utan svindel)
1977 – Steve Hutchinson, American NFL offensive guard (7 x Pro Bowl; 5 First Team All Pro), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
1978 – Manju Warrier, Indian actress (How Old Are You?), born in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India

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Famous Deaths

1814 – Alexander Samoylov, Russian general and statesman (b. 1744)
1879 – Zachariah Chandler, American merchant and politician (found Republican Party), dies at 65
1964 – Clifford “Doc” Carlson, American Basketball Hall of Fame coach (Pittsburgh 367–248 [.597]), dies at 70
1975 – Doro Merande, actress (That Was The Week That Was), dies at 77
1995 – Lex Hixon, religious teacher/author, dies at 53
2015 – Fred Thompson, US senator (R-Tenn)/actor (In the Line of Fire), dies at 73

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Historical Events

1649 – John Wallis, newly appointed Savilian Professorof Geometry at Oxford University, gives his Inaugural lecture
1864 – Nevada admitted as 36th state of the Union
1905 – Great revolutionary demonstration for amnesty in St Petersburg
1959 – Lee Harvey Oswald announces in Moscow he will never return to USA
1968 – US President Lyndon B. Johnson orders a halt to all bombing of North Vietnam
1993 – 25 people killed during Ghana-Ivory Coast soccer match

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Famous Birthdays

1902 – Eduard Franz, American actor (Zorro), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1983)
1920 – Fritz Walter, German footballer, born in Kaiserslautern, Germany (d. 2002)
1930 – Ray Crane, English trumpeter, born in Skegness, Lincolnshire (d. 1994)
1947 – Russ Ballard, English rocker (Argent), born in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, England
1960 – Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran, born in Tehran, Iran
1966 – Koji Kanemoto, Japanese wrestler (NJPW/AAA/UWA, Tiger Mask, King Lee), born in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1556 – John Sleidanus, German humanist/historian (Commentary), dies at 50
1664 – Willem Frederik of Nassau-Dietz, viceroy of Friesland, dies at 51
1969 – Hugo Pfister, Swiss composer, dies at 55
1987 – Joseph Campbell, mythologist (Mythic Image), dies at 83
1995 – Henry A Walter Richard Percy, 11th Duke of Northumberland, dies at 42
1995 – Alan Bush, English composer pianist and teacher, dies at 94

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Historical Events

1943 – Soviet forces under Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin commenced offensive on the 4th Ukranian Front
1944 – Scots Highlanders liberate Waalwijk
1967 – Ferdinand Bracke bicycles world record time (48,093 km)
1990 – Britain and France complete the “Chunnel” under the English Channel
1993 – Toronto Maple Leafs lose 1st game of season after going 10-0-0
2016 – Canada and the EU sign free trade deal after opposition by Belgium

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Famous Birthdays

1963 – Todd Sand, pairs skaters (Olympics 1994), born in Burbank, California
1964 – Howard Lederer, American poker player
1970 – Ekaterini Voggoli, Greek discus thrower
1983 – Trent Edwards, American Football Player
1984 – Eva Pigford, American model
1988 – Janel Parrish, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1680 – Antoinette Bourignon, Flemish mystic (b. 1616)
1936 – Teddy Wynyard, cricketer (three Tests for England 1896-1906), dies
1958 – Rose Macaulay, English writer (The Towers of Trebizond), dies at 77
1968 – Conrad Richter, American writer (Light in the Forest), dies at 78
1993 – Hernan Heleno Castro, El Salvadorian guerilla leader, murdered
2007 – Linda Stein, Ramones manager and real estate broker (b. 1945)

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Historical Events

1889 – Queen Victoria grants Cecil Rhodes rights to Zambezia
1950 – British Chancellor of the Exchequer (Minister of Finance) Stafford Cripps resigns
1967 – Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni and James Rado’s musical “Hair” premieres in NYC
1977 – “Act” opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 233 performances
1994 – Antonov AN-12 having an accident at Ust-Ilimsk Kaluga, 21 killed
2005 – Breeders’ Cup Horse Racing, Belmont Park; winners: Saint Liam, Stevie Wonderboy, Pleasant Home, Shirocco, Intercontinental, Folklore, Artie Schiller, Silver Train

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Famous Birthdays

1815 – Ľudovít Štúr, Slovak politician, author of Slovak language (d. 1856)
1920 – Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Didymos I, Indian Catholic
1940 – José Ulises Macías Salcedo, Catholic bishop
1957 – Dan Castellaneta, American voice actor, Best known as the voice of Homer Simpson
1967 – Greg Gohr, pitcher (Detroit Tigers), born in Santa Clara, California
1985 – Severino Jefferson, Brazilian football player

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Famous Deaths

1666 – James Shirley, English dramatist (b. 1596)
1856 – Carel Sirardus Willem van Hogendorp, Dutch colonial director, dies at 68
1873 – Johan N M J, king of Saxon (1854-73), dies
1947 – Frances Cleveland Preston, former 1st lady (1885-89 93-97), dies at 83
1962 – Siegfried Salomon, Danish composer, dies at 77
1992 – Kenneth MacMillan, British choreographer (Manon, Judas Tree), dies

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Historical Events

1882 – Athletics reveal $22,000 profit in their 1st season in the American Association
1954 – N Richard Nash’ “Rainmaker” premieres in NYC
1961 – “Fiorello!” closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC starring Tom Bosley after 796 performances and a Pulitzer Prize
1979 – Dick Howser (best Yank mngr win-lost pct .636) replaces Billy Martin
1989 – Oakland A’s beat San Francisco, 9-6 at Candlestick Park to sweep Giants in earthquake affected “Bay Bridge” Baseball World Series; A’s pitcher Dave Stewart MVP
2016 – Disney and Alessia Cara release the sing “How Far I’ll Go” for the film “Moana”

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Famous Birthdays

1846 – Auguste Escoffier, French chef and culinary writer, ‘king of chefs and chef of kings’, born in Villeneuve-Loubet, France (d. 1935)
1946 – Wim Jansen, Dutch footballer and coach
1947 – Tom Fitzsimmons, actor (Franklin-Paper Chase), born in San Francisco, California
1968 – Shawna Molcak, Cardston Alberta, basketball guard (Olympics 1996)
1972 – Chad Folk, CFL cornerback (Toronto Argonauts)
1981 – Milan Baroš, Czech footballer

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Famous Deaths

1627 – Jahangir, 4th Mughal Emperor of India (1605-27), dies at 58
1708 – Prince George of Denmark, Prince Consort of Anne of England, dies at 55
1754 – Friedrich von Hagedorn, German poet (Versuch einiger Poem), dies at 46
1929 – Hermann Ungar, Moravian writer, dies at 36
1986 – John Braine, English novelist (Life at the Top), dies at 64
1991 – John Korbal, film historian (Marlene Dietrich), dies at 51

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Historical Events

1920 – Westinghouse radio station in East Pittsburgh, KDKA begins
1945 – 1st edition of Elseviers Weekly newspaper (Elseviers Magazine)
1970 – “Light, Lively and Yiddish” opens at Belasco Theater NYC for 87 performances
1982 – IBM ROM is capable of EGA graphics
1990 – Breeders’ Cup Horse Racing, Belmont Park; winners: Bayakoa, Fly So Free, In The Wings, Meadow Star, Royal Academy, Safely Kept, Unbridled
2014 – Taylor Swift releases her 5th studio album “1989” (2015 Billboard Album of the Year, Grammy Award for Album of the Year 2016)

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Famous Birthdays

1156 – Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse (1194-1222), born in Saint-Gilles, Gard, France (d. 1222)
1942 – Anita Roddick, English cosmetic manufacturer (Body Shop), born in Littlehampton, West Sussex
1956 – Jaq D. Hawkins, British author, occultist and lecturer, born in California
1970 – Vernon Lewis, NFL cornerback (NE Patriots), born in Houston, Texas
1971 – Jorge Soto, Peruvian soccer midfielder (101 caps; Sporting Cristal), born in Lima, Peru
1981 – Kristi Richards, Canadian freestyle skier, born in Penticton, British Columbia

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Famous Deaths

1542 – Abraham ben Avigdor, rabbi/author (commentary on Tur), dies
1833 – Ferdinand Franzl, composer, dies at 66
1848 – Alexander Egorovich Varlamov, composer, dies at 46
1980 – Steve Peregrin Took, English musician (Tyrannosaurus Rex), dies of a drug overdose at 31
1990 – Princess Sophie von Hohenberg, daughter of assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (b. 1901)
2006 – Brad Will, American anarchist and independent journalist (b. 1970)

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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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