Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1774 – British close port of Boston to all commerce
1881 – Southern University opens in New Orleans
1940 – Montreal Canadiens lose record tying NHL 15th straight game at home
1955 – 7th Emmy Awards: Make Room for Daddy, Danny Thomas and Loretta Young win
1963 – John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman recorded their self-titled album “John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman” at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
1982 – NCAA Tournament Selection televised live for 1st time

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Famous Birthdays

148 – Lucilla, Rome, Roman noblewoman (daughter of Marcus Aurelius and sister of Commodus) (between 148-150 AD), born in Rome
1682 – Johan Willem, Duke of Ripperda, Dutch political adventurer, born in Oldehove, Groningen, Netherlands (d. 1737)
1707 – Stephen Hopkins, American politician and signed Declaration of Independence, born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 1785)
1944 – Townes Van Zandt, Texas, singer/songwriter (Kathleen, Loretta), (d. 1997)
1953 – Kathleen Sullivan, newscaster (E!), born in Pasadena, California
1959 – Donna Murphy, American actress

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Famous Deaths

203 – Perpetua and Felicitas, Christian martyrs (perhaps after 209)
1111 – Bohemund I of Tarente, French ruler of Antioch, dies
1761 – Antonio Palella, Italian composer and harpsichordist, dies at 68
1810 – Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood, British admiral, dies at 61
1979 – Klaus Egge, Norwegian composer (Fanitullen), dies at 72
2018 – Jacques Clemens, Dutch Catholic priest, dies at 108

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Historical Events

1889 – German firm Bayer patents the medicine aspirin
1924 – British Labour government cuts military budget
1929 – Turkey and Bulgaria sign friendship treaty
1976 – 23rd ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament: Virginia beats North Carolina, 67-62
1976 – Ice Pairs Championship at Gothenburg won by Rodnina and Zaitsev (Soviet Union)
2015 – NASA’s Dawn space probe enters orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres

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Famous Birthdays

1710 – Giuseppi Antonio Paganelli, composer
1893 – Kathleen Smoothy, housewife (last link to Siege of SIdney Street)
1900 – Robert “Lefty” Grove, baseball pitcher (300 game winner)
1916 – Rochelle Hudson, American actress (Les Misérables, Imitation of Life, That’s My Boy), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (d. 1972)
1921 – Ross Hunter, American film producer (Airport, Madame X, Pillow Talk), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1996) date of birth disputed)
1983 – Andranik Teymourian, Iranian soccer player

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Famous Deaths

1881 – Horatia Nelson, the illegitimate daughter of Emma Hamilton and Horatio Nelson (b. 1801)
1936 – Rubin Goldmark, American composer, dies at 63
1983 – Thelma Pelish, actress (Pajama Game), dies at 55
2006 – Dana Reeve, American actress, wife of Christopher Reeve and activist (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation), dies of lung cancer at 44
2008 – Peter Poreku Cardinal Dery Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Tamale, Ghana
2017 – Robert Osborne, American film historian (Turner Classic Movies), dies at 84

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Historical Events

1623 – 1st American temperance law enacted, Virginia
1746 – Jacobite troops leave Aberdeen
1795 – Amsterdam celebrates Revolution on the Dam; Square of Revolution
1858 – Abolitionists establish “Crispus Attucks Day” in Boston
1864 – 1st track meet between Oxford and Cambridge
1927 – 1,000 US marines land in China to protect American property

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Famous Birthdays

1887 – Heitor Villa-Lobos, composer (Salon Waltz), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1910 – Momofuku Ando, Taiwanese-Japanese inventor of instant noodles and cup noodles, born in Wu Baifu, Chiayi County, Taiwan (d. 2007)
1914 – Ursula Reit [Reith], German actress (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), born in Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (d. 1998)
1934 – James B Sikking, CA, actor (Hill St Blues, Star Trek 3, Doogie Howser)
1951 – Giorgos Ninios, Greek actor
1988 – Bjarni Viðarsson, Icelandic footballer

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Famous Deaths

1815 – Franz Mesmer, Austrian developer of hypnotism (b. 1734)
1953 – Joseph Stalin, Dictator and leader of the Soviet Union (1922-53), dies of a stroke at 73
1963 – Cowboy Copas, American singer (b. 1913)
1980 – Winifred Wagner-William, German World Festival organizer, dies at 82
1984 – Michael Sklar, California, comedian (Laugh-in, Sha Na Na), dies at 39
1986 – Teddy Hoad, cricketer (West Indian captain 1930), dies

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Historical Events

1351 – Ramathibodi becomes King of Siam
1861 – Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th US President
1876 – US Congress decides to impeach Minister of War Belknap
1964 – Jimmy Hoffa convicted of jury tampering
1972 – Abercorn Restaurant bombing: a bomb explodes in a crowded restaurant in Belfast, killing two civilians and wounding 130
1973 – 15th Grammy Awards: 1st Time Ever I Saw Your Face, America

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Famous Birthdays

1875 – Alberto Vaccari, Italian jesuit/old testament scholar/interpreter
1922 – Dina Pathak [Ghandi], Indian Gujarati theatre actress, director and activist (President-National Federation of Indian Women), born in Amreli, Gujarat, India (d. 2002)
1927 – Philip Batt, 29th Governor of the U.S. state of Idaho
1962 – Greg Kragen, NFL nose tackle (GB Packers, Carolina Panthers)
1965 – Jonathan Shearer, Scottish castaway
1982 – Mariano Altuna, Argentine racing driver

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Famous Deaths

1977 – Andrés Caicedo, Colombian writer (b. 1951)
1999 – Karel van het Reve, Dutch writer (b. 1921)
2001 – Jim Rhodes, Governor of Ohio (b. 1909)
2002 – Eric Flynn, British actor/singer (b. 1939)
2006 – Edgar Valter, Estonian illustrator/cartoonist (b. 1929)
2008 – Semka Sokolovic-Bertok, Yugoslavian-born Croatian actress (b. 1935)

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Historical Events

1812 – US passes 1st foreign aid bill (aids Venezuela earthquake vicitims)
1838 – Rebellion at Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada
1911 – 1st US federal cemetery with Union and Confederate graves opens, Missouri
1956 – Dutch swimmer Cockie Gastelaars breaks 20-year old world record for 100m freestyle (1:04.2)
1976 – 5 workers are killed by the police in a demonstration in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
1979 – 26th ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament: North Carolina beats Duke, 71-63

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Famous Birthdays

1907 – Aar van de Werfhorst, [Pieter G Jansen], Dutch writer
1921 – Diana Barrymore, American actress (Nightmare, Lady Courageous, Fired Wife), born in NYC, New York (d. 1960)
1949 – Bonnie J Dunbar, Sunnyside Wash, PhD/astro (STS 61-A, 32, 50, 71, 89)
1953 – Aleksandr Viktorovich Borodin, Russian cosmonaut
1968 – Scott Radinsky, Simi Valley CA, pitcher (LA Dodgers)
1979 – Alex Zane, English comedian

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Famous Deaths

1927 – J.G. Parry-Thomas, Welsh motor-racing driver (b. 1884)
1966 – Alice Pearce, American comedienne and actress (On the Town, Bewitched), dies from ovarian cancer at 48
1969 – Fred Alexander, American tennis player (Australasian C’ship 1908, 5-time US Indoor winner), dies at 88
1994 – Mauritius van Haegendoren, Flemish historian and senator, dies at 90
1999 – Gerhard Herzberg, German-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
2017 – Misha Mengelberg, Dutch jazz pianist and composer (Reconstruction), dies at 81

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Historical Events

1799 – Congress standardizes US weights and measures
1882 – Queen Victoria narrowly escapes assassination when Roderick Maclean shoots at her while boarding a train in Windsor
1949 – 1st automatic street light (New Milford, Ct)
1977 – Libya amends constitution
1981 – Discovery of minor planet 5020 Asimov, named after sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov
2012 – Major League Baseball confirms the postseason will be expanded from 8 to 10 teams, with an extra wild card team in each league

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Famous Birthdays

1917 – Desi Arnaz, Cuban-American actor (Ricky Ricardo-I Love Lucy), born in Santiago de Cuba (d. 1986)
1928 – Father John Romanides, Greek priest and professor (d. 2001)
1930 – Emma Penella, Spanish actress, born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2007)
1943 – Peter Straub, American author
1978 – Giannis Skopelitis, Greek footballer
1985 – Luke Pritchard, British singer (The Kooks)

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Famous Deaths

1122 – Floris II, the fat one, count of Holland, dies
1127 – Charles, the Good, Count of Flanders, murdered
1921 – Henryk Pachulski, Polish composer, dies at 61
1953 – Jim Lightbody, American runner (b. 1882)
2004 – Cormac McAnallen, Northern Irish Gaelic footballer (b. 1980)
2005 – Rick Mahler, American baseball player (b. 1953)

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Historical Events

1866 – Paraguayan canoes sink 2 Brazilian ironclads on Rio Parana
1940 – Richard Wright’s novel “Native Son” is published
1941 – 1st US commercial FM radio station goes on the air, Nashville, Tennessee
1954 – 4 Puerto Ricans open fire in US House of Representatives injuring 5 members
1973 – Robert Joffrey Dance Company opens
2007 – Tornadoes swarm across the southern United States, killing at least 20; eight of the deaths were at a high school in Enterprise, Alabama.

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Famous Birthdays

1880 – Lytton Strachey, English biographer and critic (Benson Medal 1923), born in London, England
1923 – Kuczka Péter, Hungarian writer and editor (d. 1999)
1943 – Akinori Nakayama, Japanese gymnast (6 Olympic gold 1968, 72), born in Nagoya, Japan
1967 – Aron Winter, Surnamese/Dutch soccer star (Ajax, Lazio)
1971 – Zahoor Elahi, cricketer (Pakistan opening batsman v NZ 1996)
1983 – Daniel Carvalho, Brazilian footballer

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Famous Deaths

1693 – Benedict Schultheiss, German composer, dies at 39
1757 – Edward Moore, English writer (b. 1712)
1859 – Josef Theodor Krov, composer, dies at 61
1984 – Jackie Coogan, American actor (Addams Family, The Kid, Oliver Twist), dies of a heart attack at 69
1991 – Edwin Land, American inventor of instant photography and co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation, dies at 81
1994 – Sandro Fuga, Italian composer and pianist, dies at 87

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Historical Events

1904 – Vincent d’Indy’s 2nd Symphony in B, premieres
1950 – “Alive and Kicking” closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 46 performances
1957 – Jockey Johnny Longden’s 5,000th career victory
1982 – ATandT looses a record $7 BILLION for the fiscal year ending on this day
2013 – 28 people are killed and 60 are injured after a series of bombings across Baghdad, Iraq
2016 – Explosion at Severnaya coal mine in Vorkuta, Russia kills 36, including 5 rescuers

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Famous Birthdays

1771 – French Jozef Kinsoen, Flemish portrait painter
1929 – Frank O Gehry, architect (Galleria-Oklahoma City)
1950 – Ilene Graff, American actress (Marsha-Mr Belvedere), born in Brooklyn, New York
1958 – Christine Lathan-Brehmer, German DR, 400m runner (Olympic gold 1976)
1963 – Claudio Chiappucci, Italian cyclist
1970 – Daniel Handler, American writer, better known as Lemony Snicket

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Famous Deaths

1746 – Hermann von der Hardt, German historian (b. 1660)
1908 – Pauline Lucca, Austrian operatic soprano, dies at 66
1968 – Juanita Hall, actress (Capt Billy), dies at 66
1991 – Guillermo Ungo, member of El Salvador junta (1979-80), dies
1999 – William Talbert, American tennis doubles champ (US 1942, 45, 46, 48), dies at 80
2013 – Bruce Reynolds, English criminal, dies at 81

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Historical Events

1670 – Jews expelled from Austria by order of Leopold I
1865 – Civil War skirmish near Sturgeon, Missouri
1900 – Battle at Pietershoogte during the Boer War
1912 – Lord Kitchener opens Khartoum-El Obeid (Nyala) railway
1961 – The first congress of the Spanish Trade Union Organisation is inaugurated
1987 – Donald Regan resigns as White House chief of staff

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Famous Birthdays

1850 – Henry Edwards Huntington, American railroad exec
1881 – Luitzen [Bertus] Brouwers, Dutch mathematician
1913 – Frank Allaun, British MP (L)
1927 – Michael Butler, Pro-Provost/chairman (Royal College of Art)
1936 – Chuck Glaser, American singer (Glaser Bros-Getting to Me Again), born in Spalding, Nebraska
1937 – Donald MacKay, CEO (Scottish Enterprise), born in Griffith, Australia (d. 1977)

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Famous Deaths

1167 – Robert of Melun, English philosopher/bishop of Hereford, dies
1805 – Stefan Paluselli, composer, dies at 57
1892 – Louis Vuitton, French founder of the Louis Vuitton brand of leather goods now owned by LVMH, dies at 70
1992 – Marinus Ruppert, Dutch trade union leader (CNV), dies at 80
1993 – Jose Duval, actor (Juan Valdez), dies at 72
1995 – Bernard Cornfield, financier, dies at 67

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Historical Events

1881 – -27] Natal: British troops under Major General Colley occupy Majuba Hill
1918 – Stands at Hong Kong Jockey Club collapse and burn, killing 604
1987 – USSR resumes nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1991 – Signs of Iran crude now an option for US refiners, but no imports from Iran likely in near future
2012 – 61st NBA All-Star Game, Amway Centre, Orlando, FL: West beats East, 152-149; MVP: Kevin Durant, OKC Thunder, F
2013 – A flexible battery capable of being charged wirelessly and folded and stretched is developed

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Famous Birthdays

1564 – Christopher Marlowe, English poet and dramatist (Dr Faustus), born in Canterbury, England (d. 1593) baptism date
1887 – Stefan Grabinski, Polish writer (d. 1936)
1909 – King Talal of Jordan (d. 1972)
1913 – George G Barker, English poet (Calamiterror, Anno Domini)
1970 – Meeno Peluce, Dutch actor (Bad News Bears), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1970 – Katie O’Neill, American actress (Together We Stand), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1814 – Johan Tobias Sergel, Swedish sculptor, dies at 73
1981 – FC Terborgh, [Reijnier Flaes], lawyer/writer (Turkish War), dies at 79
1994 – William Melvin “Bill” Hicks, American stand-up comedian and social critic, dies of pancreatic cancer at 32
1996 – Daniel John Chapman Cunningham, physiologist, dies at 76
1996 – Mieczysław Weinberg [Moisey Samuilovich Vaynberg], Polish-Soviet composer, dies from Crohn’s disease at 77
2017 – Dimiter Khristov, Bulgarian composer, dies at 83

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