Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1957 – The British Medical Research Council publishes a report suggesting a direct link between smoking and lung cancer.
1959 – Players vote Henry Aaron unanimously for the All-Star Game
1983 – Mariners bat out of order against White Sox in 2nd inning
1988 – Mike Tyson KOs Michael Spink in 91 seconds, in Atlantic City ($67m)
2001 – NBA Draft: Glynn Academy center Kwame Brown first pick by Washington Wizards
2007 – Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

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Famous Birthdays

1717 – Louis Guillaume Lemonnier, French botanist and contributor to the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, born in Paris (d. 1799)
1859 – Mildred J. Hill, American composer and musician (Happy Birthday To You), born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 1916)
1900 – Otto Passman, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana (1947-77), born in Franklinton, Washington Parish Louisiana (d. 1988)
1946 – Janice Giteck, American composer (Thunder, Like a White Bear Dancing), born in New York
1949 – Vera Wang, American fashion designer (Vera Wang Fashions), born in New York City
1975 – Bianca del Rio [Roy Haylock], American drag queen , comedian, actor and costume designer (RuPaul’s Drag Race season 6 winner), born in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Famous Deaths

1627 – John Hayward, English historian
2005 – Shelby Foote, American author and historian (b. 1917)
2009 – Fayette Pinkney, African American singer (The Three Degrees) (b. 1948)
2011 – Betty Callaway, figure skating trainer (coached Torvill and Dean), dies at 83
2013 – Alain Mimoun, Algerian/French distance runner (Olympic marathon gold 1956), dies at 92
2016 – Bud Spencer, Italian actor (Aladdin, Extralarge, Go For It), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1924 – Ziegfeld Follies opens on Broadway
1962 – WSEC (now WLRN) TV channel 17 in Miami, FL (PBS) begins broadcasting
1964 – 14th Berlin International Film Festival: “Dry Summer” wins the Golden Bear
1972 – IRA proclaims resistant in North-Ireland
1973 – On Plesetsk Cosmodrome, USSR, 9 people are killed in an explosion of a Cosmos 3-M rocket.
2003 – NBA Draft: St. Vincent–St. Mary HS (Akron, Ohio) small forward LeBron James first pick by Cleveland Cavaliers

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Famous Birthdays

1901 – William Busch, British composer, born in London (d. 1945)
1911 – Edward H. Levi, American law professor (Intro to Legal Reasoning), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2000)
1922 – Eleanor Parker, American actress (Caged, Detective Story, Hans Brinker), born in Cedarville, Ohio (d. 2013)
1974 – Dieter Kalt, Austrian ice hockey forward (Team Austria 1998), born in Klagenfurt, Austria
1980 – Jason Schwartzman, American actor (The Darjeeling Limited), born in Los Angeles, California
2005 – Alexia Juliana Marcela Laurentien, Princess of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, second daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, born in HMC Bronovo, The Hague, Netherlands

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Famous Deaths

1856 – Max Stirner [Johann Kaspar Schmidt], German philosopher (Der Einzige), dies at 49
1965 – Johan C T Kikkert, painter/etcher/critic, dies at 82
1965 – Reginald Beckwith, actor/writer (39 Steps, Dr in Love), dies at 56
1982 – Andre Tchaikowsy, pianist/composer, dies
1997 – Don Hutson, American College, Pro Football Halls of Fame wide receiver (Green Bay Packers), dies at 84
2000 – Logan Ramsey, American actor (Head, Joy Sticks, Say Yes), dies of a heart attack at 79

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Historical Events

1903 – Yanks and White Sox end deadlocked at 6-6 in 18
1925 – Military putsch under General Theodorus Pangulos in Greece
1941 – Germans invade Dubno Poland, giving permission to Ukrainians to do whatever they want to 12,000 Jews living there
1960 – South Africa beats New Zealand 13-0 in the first rugby test of the series in Johannesburg
1984 – Prince releases his “Purple Rain” album
1990 – Anti-government riots break out in Lusaka, Zambia

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Famous Birthdays

1878 – Jean Gallon, French composer, born in Paris (d. 1959)
1893 – Charlotte Greenwood, American actress (Oklahoma, Moon over Miami), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1978)
1935 – Kurt Schwertsik, Austrian composer, born in Vienna, Austria
1942 – Michel Tremblay, Canadian novelist and playwright (Les Belles-Sœurs), born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
1943 – Chris Huston, British-born record engineer and guitarist, born in North Wales
1973 – Milan Hnilicka, Czech hockey goaltender (Team Czech Olympic gold 1998), born in Litoměřice, Czechoslovakia

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Famous Deaths

1830 – Ephraim McDowell, American Physician (pioneered abdominal surgery), dies at 58
1912 – Louis Antoine, Belgian miner/sect leader, dies at about 65
1916 – Thomas Eakins, American artist, dies at 71
1961 – John Alexander Douglas McCurdy, Canadian aviator, dies at 74
2011 – Goff Richards, British brass band music composer/arranger
2016 – Jim Hickman, American baseball player (Mets, Dodgers, Cubs), dies at 79

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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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