Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1850 – City of San Francisco incorporated
1878 – Harley Procter introduces Ivory Soap
1915 – NY Giant Rube Marquard no-hits Bkln, 2-0
1929 – 33rd Boston Marathon won by Canadian Johnny Miles in 2:33:08.6; his second win in the event
1957 – Congress gives Post Office $41M; restoring Saturday mail delivery
1997 – America On Line begins service in Japan

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1707 – Leonhard Euler, Swiss mathematician (Euler’s Constant), born in Basel, Switzerland (d. 1783)
1889 – Thomas Hart Benton, Missouri, painter/muralist (Lonesome Road)
1932 – Nikolai Stepanovich Porvatkin, Russian cosmonaut
1944 – Dave Edmunds, Welsh singer and guitarist (Rockpile – Girls Talk), born in Cardiff, Wales
1968 – Stacey Williams, model (SI Swimsuit 1996), born in Philadelphi, Pennsylvania
1980 – Natalie Casey, British actress

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1881 – Sophia Perovskaya, Soviet icon, aristocrat, and socialist revolutionary (Narodnaya Volya), who helped orchestrate the successful assassination of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, executed by hanging at 27
1975 – John B McKay, US test pilot (X-15), dies
1976 – Gerald Smith, antisemite/catholic (National Christian Crusade), dies at 78
1988 – Han G. Hoekstra, Dutch poet (Zandloper), dies at 81
1990 – Greta Garbo, Swedish actress (Anna Karenina, Camille), dies at 84
2012 – Murray Rose, Australian Olympic gold winning swimmer, dies from leukemia at 73

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1935 – Black Sunday: Severe sandstorm ravages the US Midwest, creating the “Dust Bowl”
1943 – Gen Alexander/Eisenhower/Anderson/Bradley discuss assault on Tunis
1954 – Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov asks for politics asylum in Canberra
1955 – Elston Howard becomes the 1st black to wear the Yankee uniform
1955 – Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings win back-to-back titles; beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 for a 4-3 series victory
1992 – “Guys and Dolls” opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 1143 performances

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1738 – William Cavendish-Bentinck, British 3rd Duke of Portland, Whig Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1783, 1807-09), born in Nottinghamshire, (d. 1809)
1913 – John Howard, American actor (The Philadelphia Story, My Three Sons), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1995)
1926 – Frank Daniel, Czech-born writer, director and teacher (d. 1996)
1951 – Julian Lloyd Webber, English cellist
1957 – Richard Jeni, American comedian (d. 2007)
1975 – Veronika Zemanová, Czech model, born in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1574 – Christoffel Palts, German general strategist, dies in battle
1934 – Gerald du Maurier, British actor (Power, Escape!, Masks and Faces), at 61
1949 – Joseph A Cushman, US paleontologist, dies at 68
1953 – Emmanuel de Bom, Flemish writer (Scheldelucht), dies at 84
1960 – Archibald McIndoe, plastic surgeon, dies
1983 – Nina Dumbadze, Russian discus thrower (Olympic bronze 1952), dies at 64

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

989 – Battle at Abydos: Byzantine emperor Basilius II beats Bardas Phocas
1741 – Royal Military Academy forms at Woolwich, England
1969 – 33rd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: George Archer wins his only major title, 1 stroke ahead of runners-up Billy Casper, George Knudson, and Tom Weiskopf
1978 – NY Yanks defeat White Sox 4-2 in home opener on Reggie Candy Bar Day
1990 – 4th largest NBA crowd (45,458) see Orlando play at Minneapolis
2014 – Kenyan Wilson Kipsang wins the London Marathon

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1841 – Louis-Ernest Barrias, French sculptor, born in Paris (d. 1905)
1849 – Enrique José Varona, Cuban author, born in Puerto Principe, Cuba (d. 1933)
1892 – Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish physicist and developer of the radar and radio direction finding in WWII, born in Brechin, Scotland (d. 1973)
1907 – Harold Stassen, American politician (25th Governor of Minnesota) and perennial presidential candidate, born in Saint Paul, Minnesota (d. 2001)
1920 – Claude Cheysson, French politician (Minister of Foreign Affairs), born in Paris (d. 2012)
1920 – Liam Cosgrave, Irish politician (Fine Gael Party), born in Castleknock, Dublin (d. 2017)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1952 – [Rosalie] Julia Cuypers, Flemish actress (Adelaarsjong), dies at 79
1959 – Eduard van Beinum, Dutch musician and conductor, dies at 57
1966 – Georges Duhamel, French writer (b. 1884)
1981 – Prince Asaka Yasuhiko of Japan (b. 1887)
1984 – Ralph Kirkpatrick, American musician, musicologist and harpsichordist (Domenico Scarlatti), dies at 72
2009 – Mark Fidrych, American baseball player (b. 1954)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1883 – French troops under lt-colonel Borgnis-Desbordes occupy Bamako Senegal
1945 – Richard Strauss completes his “Metamorphosis”
1953 – KFDX TV channel 3 in Wichita Falls, TX (NBC) begins broadcasting
1961 – Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person to orbit Earth (Vostok 1)
1992 – Matt Young no-hits Cleveland, but loses 2-1
2016 – Breakthrough Starshot: Scientists and internet entrepreneurs, including Yuri Milner, Stephen Hawking and Mark Zuckerberg, announce interstellar project to send robot spacecraft to Alpha Centauri

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1904 – Harald Penrose, British test pilot, born in Hereford, England (d. 1996)
1924 – Peter Safar, Austrian physician (pioneered cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2003)
1934 – Heinz Schneiter, Swiss football player and manager, born in Thun, Switzerland (d. 2017)
1967 – Mellow Man Ace, Cuban-American rapper and actor (Only the Strong), born in Pinar del Río, Pinar del Río, Cuba
1971 – Tyrone Chatman, CFL linebacker (BC Lions)
1972 – Şebnem Ferah, Turkish singer (Volvox), born in Yalova, Turkey

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

238 – Gordian II, Roman co-Emperor with his father Gordian I, killed in battle at Carthage
1782 – Metastasio, Italian poet and librettist (b. 1698)
1942 – Johannes E Akkeringa, Dutch painter/etcher, dies at 80
1974 – Carl Jaffe, German actor (1st Man in Space, Escapement), dies at 72
1981 – Joe Louis, [Brown bomber], US heavyweight boxing champion (1937-49), dies of cardiac arrest at 66
1988 – Alan Paton, South African author (Cry, the Beloved Country, Too Late the Phalarope) and anti-apartheid activist, dies at 85

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1921 – KDKA broadcast 1st radio sporting event, a boxing match (Ray-Dundee)
1939 – Hungary leaves League of Nations
1945 – US captures Tsugen Shima
1951 – US President Harry Truman relieves General Douglas McArthur of command in Korea
1981 – Race riot in London area of Brixton
1986 – Dodge Morgan sailed solo nonstop around world in 150 days

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1682 – Jean-Joseph Mouret, French composer, born in Avignon, France (d. 1738)
1919 – Sir Raymond Carr, English historian and warden (St Antony’s College Oxford), born in Bath, Somerset
1930 – Kazuo Fukushima, Japanese composer, born in Tokyo
1966 – Lisa Stansfield, English pop singer (Around the World), born in Manchester, England
1970 – Joe Vitiello, infielder (KC Royals), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
1984 – Kelli Garner, American actress (Dreamland), born in Bakersfield, California

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1947 – Louise Peete, American convicted serial killer, dies at 66
1977 – Jacques Prévert, French poet and screenwriter (b. 1900)
1992 – Eve Merriam, poet (Inner City Mother Goose), dies of cancer at 75
1996 – Edwin Clarke, historian/neurologist, dies at 76
2006 – Proof, American rapper (D12) (b. 1973)
2007 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor (McCoy, Saunders-Soap), dies at 81

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

837 – Comet 1P/837 F1 (Halley) approaches within 0.0334 AUs of Earth
847 – St Leo IV begins his reign as Catholic Pope
879 – Louis III becomes King of West Francia
1863 – Confederate General Earl Van Dorn attacks at Franklin, Tennessee
1939 – Colijn’s Dutch government opens camp Westerbork for German Jews
1982 – LA Kings losing 5-0 to Edmonton in 3rd period, win in OT 6-5

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1741 – Basílio da Gama, Portuguese poet (O Uraguai), born in Tiradentes, Minas Gerais, Colony of Brazil (d. 1795)
1837 – Forceythe Willson, American poet (The Old Sergeant), born in Little Genesee, New York (d. 1867)
1903 – Clare Boothe Luce, American politician and U.S. ambassador to Italy, born in NYC, New York (d. 1987)
1926 – Junior Samples, American comedian and country singer (Hee Haw), born in Cumming, Georgia (d. 1983)
1940 – Gloria Hunniford [Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford], British broadcaster and actress (Old Curiosity Shop), born in Portadown, Northern Ireland
1976 – Sara Renner, Canadian cross-country skier, born in Golden, British Columbia, Canada

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1945 – Charles Nordhoff, English-born writer (b. 1887)
1956 – Clarence Beaumont, 1st batter in 1st World Series, dies at 75
1992 – Ken Ward, dies at 37
2010 – Maria Kaczyńska, Polish economist and First Lady of Poland, is killed in the crash of a Polish Air Force Tu-154 at 67
2011 – Mikhail Rusyayev, Russian footballer (b. 1964)
2013 – Robert Edwards, British physiologist, IVF pioneer, and Nobel laureate, dies at 87

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1833 – 1st US tax-supported public library in Peterborough, Noew Hampshire
1935 – Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Maroons beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1 for 3-0 series sweep; Maroons last defunct team to win the Cup
1969 – Chic Cub Billy Williams hits 4 consecutive doubles beat Phillies 11-3
1975 – 24 OECD members sign an agreement to establish a $25 billion lending facility to provide assistance to industrial nations hurt by high oil prices
1992 – Record 18 golfers shoot in 60s in Masters round 1 (old record 12)
1997 – NFL announces it will give $3M to CFL and possible “World Classic Bowl”

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1716 – Johann Georg Zechner, Austrian composer, born in Gleisdorf, Austria (d. 1778)
1901 – Paul Willis, American actor (The Little Lumberjack, Little Kaintuck), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1960)
1932 – Cheetah [Cheeta, Cheta, Chita], chimpanzee actor (1930s Tarzan franchise), is born (d. 2011)
1939 – Michael Learned, American actress (Olivia in The Waltons, Nurse), born in Washington, D.C.
1949 – Chico [David-Allen] Ryan, American rock vocalist (Sha Na Na), born in Arlington, Massachusetts (d. 1998)
1990 – Kristen Stewart, American actress (Bella Swan-The Twilight Saga), born in Los Angeles, California

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1137 – William X, Duke of Aquitaine (b. 1099)
1886 – Joseph V von Scheffel, German writer (Ekkehard), dies at 60
1944 – Boleslaw Wallek-Walewski, Polish composer and conductor, dies at 59
1945 – Hans von Dohnanyi, “July 20th plotter”, hanged
1961 – Zog I [Ahmed Zogu], King of Albania (1928-39), dies at 65
2010 – Aladár Kovácsi, Hungarian pentathlete and Olympic champion (1952, Helsinki), dies at 77

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1149 – Pope Eugene III takes refuge in the castle of Ptolemy II of Tusculum
1783 – Catherine II of Russia annexes the Crimea
1973 – Thirty-two terrorist bombings in Cyprus
1991 – Major league umpires and baseball reach a 4-year agreement
2000 – Nineteen US Marines are killed when a V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft crashes near Marana, Arizona
2001 – 65th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Tiger Woods wins his 2nd Masters and 6th major title, 2 strokes ahead of David Duval

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1928 – Eric Porter, British actor (Antony and Cleopatra, 39 Steps), born in London, England (d. 1995)
1938 – Mohammad Farooq, cricketer (Pakistani pace bowler in 7 Tests 1960-65)
1944 – Christoph Hein, writer
1966 – Bobby Ologun, Nigerian television personality
1982 – Gennady Golovkin, Kazakh boxer (undisputed world middleweight champion), born in Karaganda, Kazakhstan
1989 – Hitomi Takahashi, Japanese singer

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1461 – Georg Purbach, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1423)
1931 – Eric Axel Karlfeldt, poet, dies
1950 – Albert Ehrenstein, Austria writer (Strum), dies at 63
1965 – Lars Hanson, Swedish actor (Flesh and Devil), dies after illness at 78
1996 – Ben Johnson, American actor (Chisum, Battle Force, Dillinger), dies of heart attack at 77
2010 – Jack Agnew, American World War II veteran (b. 1922)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1963 – Yugoslavia proclaimed a Socialistic republic
1990 – Farm Aid IV concert
1990 – Fire kills 110 on a ferry in Norway, in an unrelated event, 30 die in a ferry flip over in Burma
1996 – Kelly Robbins wins Sacramento 12 Bridges LPGA Golf Classic
1999 – The World Trade Organisation rules in favor of the United States in its long-running trade dispute with the European Union over bananas
2016 – Longest-ever captured python found on Penang in Malaysia (26ft/8m)

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1882 – Kurt von Schleiger, German chancellor (12/2/32-1/28/33)
1897 – Harald Sigurd Johan Saeverud, composer [OS]
1924 – Nick Perito, orchestra leader (Don Knotts Show, Big Show), born in Denver, Colorado
1937 – Charlie Thomas, singer (Drifters), born in Lynchburg, Virginia
1944 – Gerhard Schröder, Chancellor of Germany
1978 – Vladimir Voltchkov, Belarusian tennis player

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1816 – Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, Empress of Austria and queen of Hungary and Bohemia, dies at 28
1933 – Jan Erik/Eric Jan Hanussen, Berlin astrologist/illusionist, murdered
1943 – Alexandre Millerand, President of France (b. 1859)
1972 – Victor Wong, American actor (Mission to Moscow, War Correspondent, King Kong), dies at 65
1992 – Clovis Ruffin, American fashion designer (T shirt dress), dies of AIDS at 46
2013 – John St Aubyn, 4th Baron St Levan, English peer (St Michael’s Mount), dies at 94

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1664 – France and Saxony sign alliance
1782 – Rama I succeeds King Taksin of Siam (modern day Thailand), who is overthrown in a coup d’état
1916 – German parliament approves unrestricted submarine warfare
1955 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1968 – Gas and gunpowder explosions at sporting goods store, downtown Richmond, Indiana, kills 41 and injures more than 150
1987 – Al Campanis appears on Niteline saying blacks may not be equiped to be in baseball management, sparking a racial controversy

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1752 – Johann Friedrich Kranz, composer
1947 – Jan-Kees Wiebenga, Dutch politician (VVD), born in Haarlem, Netherlands
1947 – John Ratzenberger, American actor (Cliff Clavin in Cheers), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
1957 – Maurizio Damilano, Italian speed walker (30K World Record)
1969 – Paul Rudd, American actor (Clueless, The 40-Year-Old Virgin), born in Passaic, New Jersey
1973 – Gina Yashere, English comedian

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1252 – Peter of Verona, [Peter Martyr], Italian inquisitor/st, dies at 45
1489 – Hans Waldmann, Swiss military/mayor (Zurich), beheaded
1551 – Joachim Vadianus, Swiss physician/mayor of Sankt Gallen, dies at 66
1605 – John Stow, English historian (Survey of London), dies
2005 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (1949-2005), dies at 81
2010 – Corin Redgrave, British actor and political activist (b. 1939)

More Famous Deaths »