Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1901 – George Cohan’s musical “Governor’s Son” premieres in NYC
1949 – WAC Corporal rocket achieves height of 400k (record)
1977 – Oil tanker explosion west of Honolulu spills 31 million gallons
1989 – Javed Miandad scores 271 v NZ at Eden Park
1993 – Florida Marlins introduce their mascot “Billy”
1995 – Muslim fundamentalists shoot 20 Shiite mosque goers dead

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Famous Birthdays

1916 – Ralph Baldwin, harness driver (set 11 major world records)
1919 – Karl H. Pribram, Austrian neuroscientist
1926 – Harvey McGregor, QC/warden (New College-Oxford)
1953 – Garrett Glaser, entertainment correspondent (Entertainment Tonight)
1971 – Byron Dafoe, NHL goalie (LA Kings), born in Sussex, England
1974 – Detron Smith, NFL running back (Denver Broncos-Super Bowl 32)

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Famous Deaths

1536 – Berthold Haller, German-born reformer (b. 1492)
1912 – Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (b. 1852)
1947 – Friedrich Paschen, German physicist, dies at 82
1970 – Mark Rothko [Marcus Rothkovich], American abstract expressionist (Green on Blue), dies at 66
1990 – Deborra Hampton, actress (Crossroads, 2 of a Kind), dies at 30
2009 – Ivan Cameron, son of David Cameron UK politician

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Historical Events

1208 – St Francis of Assisi, 26, received his vocation in Portiuncula Italy
1881 – De Lesseps’ Company begins work on Panama Canal
1893 – The American University is chartered by an act of the Congress of the United States of America
1894 – Nicaragua captures Tegucigalpa, Honduras
1917 – German plan to get Mexican help in WW I exposed (Zimmerman telegram)
2018 – UN Security Council passes resolution for 30 day ceasefire in Syria

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Famous Birthdays

1848 – Andrew Inglis Clark, Tasmanian politician (d. 1907)
1932 – John Vernon [Adolphus Agopsowicz], Canadian actor (Animal House, Chained Heat, Dirty Harry), born in Zehner, Saskatchewan (d. 2005)
1947 – Lonnie Turner, bassist/vocalist (Steve Miller Band-Abracadabra)
1957 – Phil McConkey, NFL wide receiver (NY Giants)
1974 – Bonnie Somerville, American actress and singer
1989 – Daniel Kaluuya, British actor and writer (Get Out), born in London, England

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Famous Deaths

616 – King Ethelbert of Kent, 1st English king to convert to Christianity
1810 – Henry Cavendish, British physicist and chemist (discovery of hydrogen), dies at 78
1990 – Sandro Pertini, 7th President of Italy (1978-85), dies at 93
1991 – Jean Rogers, actress (Flash Gordon, Hot Cargo), dies at 74
2001 – Claude E. Shannon, American information theorist (b. 1916)
2007 – Damien Nash, American football player (b. 1982)

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Historical Events

1934 – Coronation of King Leopold III of Belgium
1954 – Syrian army drives out president Adib el-Shishakli
1969 – Nayif Hawatimah forms Dem People’s Front for Liberation of Palestine
1991 – Military coup in Thailand, Premier Choonhaven arrested
1995 – Antoine Nduwayo appointed Premier of Burundi
1999 – British TV drama “Queer as Folk” written by Russell T. Davies, starring Aidan Gillen, Craig Kelly and Charlie Hunnam premieres on Channel 4

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Famous Birthdays

1792 – Istvan Ferenczi, Hungarian sculptor
1824 – Herman N van der Tuuk, Dutch philologist (Tobasch’ Grammar)
1876 – Wadih Sabra, Lebanese composer (Kulluna lil Watan), born in Beirut (d. 1952)
1880 – Edgar Istel, German composer, born in Mainz (d. 1948)
1975 – Robert Lopez, American composer, born in Manhattan, New York
1983 – Aziz Ansari, Indian-American comedian and actor (Parks and Recreation, Master of None), born in Columbia, South Carolina

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Famous Deaths

155 – Polycarp, disciple of Apostle John, arrested and burned at stake
1792 – Joshua Reynolds, English portrait painter (Simplicity), dies at 68
1867 – George Thomas Smart, composer, dies at 90
1897 – Woldemar Bargiel, German composer, dies at 68
1992 – Jacquelyn Hyde, American actress (Dark, House of Terror), dies at 61
1994 – Stuart Berger, doctor (Immune Power Diet), dies from obesity at 40

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Historical Events

1861 – On a bet Edward Weston leaves Boston to walk to Lincoln’s inauguration
1900 – Battle at Wynne’s Hill, South Africa (Boers vs British army)
1907 – 1st cabs with taxi meters begin operating in London
1979 – St Lucia gains independence from Britain
1990 – 1st day India v NZ cricket at Auckland NZ 5-78 at lunch, 9-387 stumps
1994 – “Les Miserables” opens at Chunichi Theatre, Nagoya

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Famous Birthdays

1877 – Yme C Schuitmaker, Dutch potato salesman/dramatist
1944 – E. J. Peaker, American actress (That’s Life), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
1962 – Les Wallace, Scottish darts player, born in Forres, United Kingdom
1965 – Chris Dudley, American NBA center (NY Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers), born in Stamford, Connecticut
1977 – Timo Rose, German filmmaker, born in Rellingen, Germany
1986 – Rajon Rondo, American basketball player, born in Louisville, Kentucky

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Famous Deaths

1816 – Adam Ferguson, Scottish sociologist/historian, dies at 92
1957 – Harry Sothern, British actor (Blind Wives, Buck Rogers), dies at 72
1977 – Edith Barrett, actress (Molly and Me, Ghost Ship), dies at 64
1993 – Jean Lecanuet, French UDF-presidential candidate, dies at 72
1995 – Lembarek Boumaarafi, Algerian murderer of President Boudiaf, dies
2007 – Samuel Hinga Norman, Sierra Leonean alleged war criminal (b. 1940)

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Historical Events

1746 – Jacobite Rising 1745: British forces surrender Inverness Castle to Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite forces
1828 – 1st American Indian newspaper in US, “Cherokee Phoenix”, published
1942 – US male Figure Skating championship won by Bobby Specht
1960 – Biathlon debuts at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; Klas Lestander from Sweden becomes the first Olympic champion ahead of Finland’s Antti Tyrväinen and Soviet Aleksandr Privalov
1980 – British figure skater Robin Cousins wins men’s singles gold medal at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics; goes on to pro career, TV analysis and stage performance and production
1981 – “Yorkshire Ripper” Peter Sutcliffe, murderer of 13 women, captured

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Famous Birthdays

1417 – Louis IX, Duke of Bayern (University of Ingolstadt)
1710 – Willem van Haren, Frisian nobleman/poet (Human Life)
1917 – Victor G M Marijnen, Dutch premier (1963-65)
1937 – Ron Clarke, Australian runner (set 17 world records) and mayor, born in Melbourne, Victoria (d. 2015)
1946 – Alan Rickman, English actor (Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Die Hard, Harry Potter), born in Hammersmith, London (d. 2016)
1970 – Michael Slater, Australian cricketer (devastating Aust opening bat since 1993), born in Wagga Wagga, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1866 – Stephen Elliott, Jr., Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 35
1919 – Giovanni Bolzoni, composer, dies at 77
1920 – Jacinta Marto, witness of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima (b. 1910)
1945 – Eric Liddell, Scottish 400m runner (Olympic gold 1924) and Christian missionary in China, dies of an inoperable brain tumor at 43 while interned at the Weihsien Internment Camp in Weifang, Shandong, China
1965 – Malcolm X [Little], African American human rights activist and Muslim minister, assassinated in New York City at 39
2015 – Clark Terry, American jazz trumpeter, dies at 94

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Historical Events

1732 – Estates of Holland ratifies Treaty of Vienna
1872 – Luther Crowell patents a machine that manufactures paper bags
1901 – 1st territorial legislature of Hawaii convenes
1944 – US takes Eniwetok Island
1950 – WOL-AM in Washington, D.C. swaps calls with WWDC
1993 – Lisa Walters wins LPGA Itoki Hawaiian Ladies’ Golf Open

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Famous Birthdays

1844 – Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann, Austrian physicist (statistical mechanics)
1925 – Heinz Kluncker, German trade union leader
1948 – A C Fabian, astronomer
1966 – Cecilia Cummins, Clintwood Va, 5th of 5 siblings born on 2/20
1968 – Bennie Goods, CFL defensive tackle (Edmonton Eskimos)
1976 – Gail Kim, Canadian professional wrestler

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Famous Deaths

1054 – Yaroslav I, the Wise, ruler (Kiev), dies
1860 – Henry Drummond, English banker and religious leader, dies at 69
1941 – La Bolduc, French Canadian singer and songwriter (b. 1894)
1959 – Laurence Housman, English author and playwright (Victoria Regina), dies at 93
1968 – Anthony Asquith, British film director (Court Martial), dies at 65
2007 – Derek Waring [Barton-Chapple], British actor (Z-Cars, Barnacle Bill, Arthur-Heart of the Country), dies at 79

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Historical Events

1674 – Netherlands and England sign Peace of Westminster (NYC becomes English)
1929 – Medical diathermy machine 1st used, Schenectady, NY
1945 – Brotherhood Day-1st celebrated
1950 – Groundbreaking ceremony held for Mississippi Vocational College (later Mississippi Valley State University)
1961 – Albania disavows Chinese “Revisionism”
2014 – Death toll in Ukraine reaches 26 after Government crackdown on protesters

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Famous Birthdays

1891 – J C “Farmer” White, cricketer (Somerset slow lefty 1909-37)
1916 – Eddie Arcaro, American Racing Hall of Fame jockey (Triple Crown 1941 Whirlaway, 1948 Citation), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1997)
1924 – Lee Marvin, American actor (Paint Your Wagon, Cat Ballou), born in NYC, New York (d. 1987)
1950 – Andy Powell, rocker (Wishbone Ash)
1985 – Arielle Kebbel, American actress
1986 – Reon Kadena, Japanese model/actress

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Famous Deaths

1672 – Charles Chauncy, English-born president of Harvard College (b. 1592)
1790 – Jean-Baptiste Krumpholtz, Czech composer, dies at 47
1858 – Alois Basil Nikolaus Tomasini, Italian violinist and composer, dies at 78
1968 – Ralph Dunn, actor (Mr Rudge-Norby), dies at 65
1988 – André F. Cournand, French physician and physiologist (Nobel 1956), dies at 92
2012 – John Hogan, American research chemist, dies at 92

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Historical Events

1900 – Ajax soccer team forms in Amsterdam
1908 – 1st US postage stamps in rolls issued
1951 – Nepal becomes a constitutional monarchy
1968 – X Winter Olympic Games close in Grenoble, France
1990 – 32nd Daytona 500: Derrike Cope wins (165.761 MPH)
2009 – The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics announced that the Taiwanese economy has contracted an unprecedented 8.36% in the fourth quarter of 2008; thus placing the country in a technical recession

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Famous Birthdays

1924 – Humberto Fernández Morán, Venezuelan scientist (d. 1999)
1943 – Graeme Garden, Scottish writer (The Goodies), born in Aberdeen, Scotland
1952 – Juice Newton, [Judy Cohen], American vocalist (Angel of the Morning), born in Virginia
1953 – Robin Bachman, Winnipeg, guitarist (BTO-You Aint Seen Nothing Yet)
1964 – Matt Dillon, actor (The Outsiders, Crash), born in New Rochelle, New York
1966 – Kris King, Bracebridge, NHL left wing (Winnipeg Jets)

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Famous Deaths

1745 – Nicola Fago, Italian baroque composer, dies at 67
1829 – Jan Krtitel Kuchar, composer, dies at 77
1906 – John Batterson Stetson, American hat manufacturer, dies at 75
1949 – Niceto A Zamora y Torres, premier of Spain (1931-36), dies at 71
1995 – Robert “Bob” Stinson, American rock guitarist (The Replacements), dies of organ failure at 35
1996 – Brian Daley, writer, dies at 48

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Historical Events

1670 – France and Bavaria sign military assistance treaty
1926 – Avalanche buries 75 in Sap Gulch, Bingham, Utah; 40 die
1957 – A fire at a home for the elderly in Warrenton, Missouri kills 72 people.
1983 – Bob Bourne fails on 8th Islander penalty shot
1984 – Biathletes Eirik Kvalfoss of Norway and West German Peter Angerer finish 2nd and 3rd respectively in the relay at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics; both have complete sets of medals from biathlon events at the Games
1985 – Laffit Pincay Jr is third to ride 6,000th winners at Santa Anita

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Famous Birthdays

1675 – Johann Melchior Conradi, composer
1888 – Otto Stern, German/US physicist (Stern-Gerlach-experiment, Nobel 1943)
1904 – Luis A. Ferré, Puerto Rican industrialist and politician (Governor of Puerto Rico, 1969-73), born in Ponce, Puerto Rico (d. 2003)
1933 – Bobby Lewis, singer (Tossin’ and Turnin’), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
1964 – Buster Olney, American sports columnist
1973 – Drew Barry, NBA guard (Atlanta Hawks)

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Famous Deaths

1624 – Juan de Mariana, Spanish historian (b. 1536)
1943 – Konstantin Bogaevsky, Russian painter (b. 1872)
1966 – Hans Hofmann, German/US painter (Search for the Real), dies at 85
2007 – Jurga Ivanauskaitė, Lithuanian writer (b. 1961)
2016 – Tony Phillips, American MLB player (Oakland Athletics), dies at 56
2017 – Magnus Wenninger, American mathematician and author of Polyhedron models, dies at 97

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Historical Events

1852 – Studebaker Brothers wagon company, precursor of the automobile manufacturer, is established.
1899 – Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur Iceland’s first football club is founded
1962 – “La Jetée”, French film directed by Chris Marker, starring Hélène Chatelain, Davos Hanich and Jacques Ledoux, is released
1986 – Karlstad skates world record 10 km (14:12.14)
1986 – French air force bombs Ouadi Doum airport in Chad
2014 – Netherlands sweeps the medals in the women’s 1,500m speed skating at the Sochi Winter Olympics; Jorien ter Mors wins gold ahead of team mates Ireen Wüst and Lotte van Beek

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Famous Birthdays

1852 – Charles Taze Russell, religion founder (Jehovah’s Witnesses)
1911 – Hal Porter, Australia, writer (Tilted Cross, Paper Chase)
1932 – Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, President of Sierra Leone
1973 – Cathy Freeman, Australian 100m/200m/400m (Olympic silver 1992, 96), born in Mackay, Queensland
1977 – Trina Jackson, 4X200m freestyle swimmer (Olympic gold 1996)
1978 – Tia Hellebaut, Belgian athlete

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Famous Deaths

1721 – James Craggs the Younger, English politician, dies at 34
1899 – Félix Faure, 6th President of the French Third Republic (1895-99), dies at 57
1919 – Vera Kholodnaya, Russian film star (b. 1893)
1968 – Healey Willan, Anglo-Canadian composer, dies at 87
1996 – Walter Brown “Brownie” McGhee, American blues singer/guitarist, dies at 80
2011 – Justinas Marcinkevičius, Lithuanian poet and playwright (b. 1930)

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