Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1895 – George Brownell patents a machine to make paper twine (Mass)
1907 – Ugyen Wangchuck became 1st hereditary king of Bhutan
1960 – “La Plume de Ma Tante” closes at Royale Theater NYC after 835 performances
1978 – Referendum approves new constitution of Rwanda
1989 – 78th Davis Cup: Germany beats Sweden in Stuttgart (3-2)
1991 – Soap opera “One Life To Live” airs its 6,000th episode

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Famous Birthdays

1778 – Hunphry Davy, English chemist (discovered some elements)
1820 – Frederick Tracy Dent, American General (Union Army), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1892)
1947 – Wes Studi, actor (Last of the Mohicans)
1948 – Jim Bonfanti, rocker (Raspberries-Go All the Way)
1964 – Frank Musil, Pardubice Cze, NHL defenseman (Ottawa Senators)
1965 – Scott Edward Gump, American PGA golfer (1991 International-2nd), born in Rockledge, Florida

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Famous Deaths

695 – Begga, ancestress of the Carolingians/saint, dies [or 693]
1962 – Thomas Mitchell, American academy award winning actor (Gone with the Wind, High Noon), dies of bone cancer at 70
1996 – Wayne Barlow, American composer, dies at 84
1996 – Elizabeth Hill, Russian-English teacher of Salvonic languages, dies at 96
2003 – Otto Graham, NFL Quarterback, dies of a heart aneurysm at 82
2008 – Sammy Baugh, American football player, dies at 94

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Historical Events

1598 – Seven Year War: Battle of Noryang Point – in the final battle of the war Korean navy decisively defeats the Japanese
1918 – German troops evacuate Finland, give over Kiev in the Ukraine to revolutionary forces and pull back from Estonia as Bolshevik forces move in
1927 – Don Bradman makes his cricket 1st-class debut for NSW v South Australia
1959 – Snow falling in Lowarai Pass West Pakistan kills 48
1960 – TWA 266 and United 826 collide over Staten Island, kills 134
1989 – Commencement of 1st Test Cricket play at Bellerive Oval, Hobart (v SL)

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Famous Birthdays

1734 – Georg Peter Weimar, composer
1830 – John Frederick Hartranft, American politician, 17th Governor of Pennsylvania (1873-1879), and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in New Hanover Township, Pennsylvania (d. 1889)
1895 – Lidj Jasu, emperor of Ethiopia
1938 – Liv Ullmann, Norwegian actress and director (The Emigrants, Persona), born in Tokyo, Japan
1950 – Roy Schuiten, Dutch cyclist (d. 2006)
1972 – Željko Kalac, Australian soccer player

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Famous Deaths

1379 – John Fitzalan, Marshal of England
1870 – Stanisław Duniecki, Polish composer, dies at 31
1914 – Ivan Zajc, Czech composer and conductor, dies at 82
1978 – Blanche Calloway, US singer/dancer/radio hostess, dies at 76
1985 – Merv Waite, cricketer (2 Tests for Aust 1938, 1 wkt avg 190), dies
1993 – Bentri Seddik, Algerian court judge, murdered at 46

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Historical Events

1667 – Brandenburg declares himself neutral in Devolutie War
1899 – Battle at Colenso, South Africa (Boers-British army)
1953 – WJHG TV channel 7 in Panama City, FL (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
1961 – JFK visits Puerto Rico
1969 – San Francisco Fire Department replaces leather helmets with plastic ones
2015 – Fifth Republican presidential candidates debate in Las Vegas, Nevada

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Famous Birthdays

1793 – Henry Charles Carey, American economist (Principles of Poli Economy), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1879)
1857 – Eugeniusz Pankiewicz, Polish composer, born in Siedlce, Poland (d. 1898)
1943 – Kathleen Blanco, American politician
1977 – Catherine Fox, 400m freestyle relay (Olympic gold 1996)
1981 – Roman Pavlyuchenko, Russian football player
1991 – Eunice Cho, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1576 – Joachim Hopperus, [Hoppers], Frisian lawyer/politician, dies at 53
1673 – Margaret Cavendish, English writer (b. 1623)
1892 – Charles Balmer, German composer, dies at 75
1944 – Glenn Miller, American bandleader and jazz composer (Glenn Miller Orchestra-In the Mood), dies in a suspected plane crash at 40
1980 – Rudolph Cleveringa, Dutch anti-nazi lawyer and professor of Law at Leiden University, dies at 86
2010 – Blake Edwards, American writer and director (10, SOB, Breakfast at Tiffany’s), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1708 – Prosper Jolyot’s “Electre” premieres in Paris
1953 – Brooklyn Dodgers sign pitcher Sandy Koufax
1977 – Red Sox trade Fergie Jenkins to Rangers for John Poloni and cash
1978 – China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
1980 – Minnesota Vikings pass for 456 yards against Cleveland Browns, winning 28-24
2017 – US media regulator the Federal Communications Commission votes to end net neutrality

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Famous Birthdays

1546 – Tycho Brahe, Danish astronomer (Golden nose), born in Knudstrup, Denmark (d. 1601)
1916 – Shirley Jackson, American writer (Road Through the Wall), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1965)
1926 – Frank King, West Indian cricketer (WI fast bowler in 14 Tests in 50’s, 29 wkts), born in Delamere Land, Brighton, St Michael, Barbados (d. 1990)
1932 – Étienne Tshisekedi, Congolese opposition leader, born in Luluabourg, Central Congo (d. 2017)
1934 – Petrus van Doorne, Dutch industrialist
1941 – Barry Hadlee, cricketer (bro of Dayle and Richard, NZ World Cup 1975)

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Famous Deaths

1754 – Mahmud I, Sultan of Ottoman Empire (1730-54) who fought Austria and Russia, dies at 58
1900 – Jean B A Kessler, director of oil on Dutch Indies, dies at 46
1965 – Hermann Sandby, composer, dies at 84
1980 – Elston Howard, MVP catcher (NY Yankees), dies at 59
2012 – Kenneth Kendall, British broadcaster (BBC News, Treasure Hunt), dies from a stroke at 88
2014 – Bess Myerson, 1st Jewish Miss America (1945), dies at 90

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Historical Events

1545 – Council of Trent (19th ecumenical council) opened by Pope Paul III
1920 – Netherland breaks contact with Kingdom of Serbia, Croatia and Slavia
1966 – Test debut of Clive Lloyd, v India Bombay, 82 and 78
1993 – Dow Jones hits record 3764.43
2001 – “A Beautiful Mind” based on the bio by Sylvia Nasar, directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe premieres in Los Angeles (Best Picture 2002)
2001 – Indian Parliament Sansad attacked by terrorists. 15 people killed, including all terrorists

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Famous Birthdays

1918 – Bill Vukovich, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1953-4), born in Fresno, California (d. 1955)
1923 – Antoni Tapies, painter, sculptor, and theorist (Dau al Set), born in Barcelona, Spain (d. 2012)
1925 – Dick Van Dyke, West Plains Mo, actor (Rob Petrie-Dick Van Dyke Show)
1943 – Margaret “Marti” Webb, British actress and singer (Evita, Tell Me on a Sunday), born in Hampstead, London
1959 – John Whitaker, actor (Family Affair, Snowball Expr), born in Van Nuys, California
1972 – GiGi Gordon, Butler PA, Miss America-Pennsylvania (1997)

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Famous Deaths

1693 – Dodoftei, Romanian metropolitan of Moldavia/writer (Saint Lives), dies
1814 – Charles Joseph Prince of Ligne, Belgium fieldmarshal/author, dies at 79
1932 – Georgios Jakobides, Greek painter (b. 1853)
1945 – Robert van Genechten, Dutch Nazi (NSB), commits suicide
1958 – Ahmed Mukhtar Baban, premier of Iraq, executed
1974 – John G. Bennett, British scientist and author, dies at 77

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Historical Events

1915 – Russian troops overrun Hamadan, Persia
1939 – Russ Indigirka capsizes in blizzard off Japanese coast; 750 die
1946 – Ice plant collapses, shearing a tenement building and burying 38
1958 – Fergie Gupte takes 9-102 with leggies v W Indies at Kanpur
1967 – US launches Pioneer 8 into solar orbit
1995 – Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres addresses both houses of the US Congress

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Famous Birthdays

1731 – Erasmus Darwin, influential English physician, poet, philosopher, and botanist (grandfather of Charles Darwin), born in Newark-on-Trent, England (d. 1807)
1745 – John Jay, US statesman and 1st US Chief Justice, born in NYC, New York (d. 1829)
1907 – Frederik van Heek, Dutch sociologist, born in Enschede, Netherlands (d. 1987)
1924 – Nevit Kodali, composer
1946 – Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian auto racer (World F1 Champion 1972, 74, Indy 500 1989, 93), born in São Paulo, Brazil
1964 – Haywood Jeffires, NFL wide receiver (Houston Oilers)

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Famous Deaths

1934 – Thorleif Haug, Norwegian Nordic skier (b. 1894)
1938 – James McNeill, Irish politician, 2nd Governor-General of the Irish Free State, dies at 69
1970 – Louis Zimmer, Flemish astronomer and clock maker (Jubelklok, Wonder Clock), dies at 82
1996 – Michael Geoffrey Corcos, medical researcher, dies at 77
2003 – Heydər Əliyev, President of Azerbaijan (b. 1923)
2007 – Ike Turner, American singer, former husband of Tina Turner (b. 1931)

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Historical Events

1909 – Canadian Football exhibition game played in Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, Hamilton Tigers beat Ottawa Rough Riders, 11-6 before 15,000
1934 – 1935 All-Star Game is assigned to Cleveland
1940 – Russian general Georgy Zhukov warns of German assault
1948 – WMC TV channel 5 in Memphis, Tennessee (NBC) begins broadcasting
1961 – “Please, Mr. Postman” by Marvelettes released
1992 – Nor’easter storm hits NY, doing $ Billion worth of damage

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Famous Birthdays

1676 – Johann Georg Weichenberger, Austrian composer, born in Graz, Austria (d. 1740)
1917 – Dámaso Pérez Prado, Cuban bandleader and musician, born in Matanzas, Cuba (d. 1989)
1919 – Marie Windsor [Emily Marie Bertelson], American actress (The Bounty Hunter, Double Deal), born in Marysvale, Utah (d. 2000)
1927 – John Buscema, American comics artist (d. 2002)
1966 – Gary Dourdan, American actor, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1996 – Hailee Steinfeld, American actress and singer (True Grit, Pitch Perfect), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1840 – Emperor Kokaku of Japan (b. 1771)
1942 – Franz C. Schmelkes, Czech-born Chemist who discovered azochloramid (chlorazodin), a disinfectant, dies of a heart attack at 43
1955 – Franz Adolf Syberg, Danish composer, dies at 51
1968 – Nadine Riga, dies of cerebral hemorrhage at 59
2000 – David Lewis, American actor (b. 1916)
2008 – Bettie Page, American pinup model considered the ‘Queen of Pinups’ and the ‘Dark Angel’, dies at 85

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Historical Events

1520 – Martin Luther publicly burns papal edict demanding he recant
1936 – Stockholm: physicist PBJ Debije receives Nobel prize for chemistry
1974 – European Economic Community calls for a European Parliament
1976 – Wings release triple album “Wings Over America”
1987 – “Nightline” is seen in USSR for 1st time
2013 – Mary Barra of General Motors becomes the first female CEO of a major automotive company

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Famous Birthdays

1907 – Michael Blankfort, American writer/producer/director
1918 – Anatoli Tarasov, Russian ice hockey coach (d. 1995)
1925 – Jean Byron [Imogene Audette Burkhart], American actress (The Patty Duke Show), born in Paducah, Kentucky (d. 2006)
1947 – Zinaida Voronina, Russian and Soviet gymnast (1968 Olympics: 4 medals including 1 gold), born in Yoshkar-Ola, Russia (d. 2001)
1969 – Todd Furdyk, CFL tackle (BC Lions)
1983 – Katrin Siska, Estonian singer

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Famous Deaths

1618 – Giulio Caccini, Italian composer
1917 – Mackenzie Bowell, 5th Prime Minister of Canada (1894-96), dies of pneumonia at 93
1921 – Viktor Jacobi, composer, dies at 38
1991 – Greta Kempton, American artist (b. 1901)
1999 – Lex Goudsmit, Dutch actor (Fiddler on the Roof, Thomas en Senior op het spoor van Brute Berend), dies at 86
2014 – Ziad Abu Ein, Palestinian government minister, killed in confrontation with Israeli troops at protest on West Bank

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Historical Events

1851 – 1st Young Men’s Christian Association in North America set up in Montreal
1922 – 15th Women’s Australasian Championships (1st for women): Margaret Molesworth beats Esna Boyd (6-3, 10-8)
1968 – KRNE TV channel 12 in Merriman, NB (PBS) begins broadcasting
1973 – “Pajama Game” opens at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC for 65 performances
1980 – 61°F in Boston at 1 AM
1990 – Gunda Niemann skates ladies world record 3k ladies (4:10.80)

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Famous Birthdays

1594 – Gustavus II Adolphus, king who made Sweden a major power (1611-32)
1847 – George Grossmith, British actor, comedian and writer (The Diary of a Nobody, A Society Clown), born in London, England (d. 1912)
1906 – Grace Hopper, American computer scientist and US Navy admiral who invented the first compiler for a universal computer programming language and is credited with coining the phrase ‘debugging’, born in NYC, New York (d. 1992)
1932 – Donald Byrd, American jazz trumpeter (Black Byrd), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2013)
1944 – Ki Longfellow, American novelist
1973 – Tony Batista, infielder (Oakland A’s), born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

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Famous Deaths

1565 – Pius IV, [Gianangelo de’ Medici], Italian Pope (1559-65), dies at 66
1916 – Natsume Sōseki, Japanese novelist (b. 1867)
1948 – Sir Timothy O’Brien, cricketer (Bart 5 Tests England 1884-96), dies
1957 – Carswell Adams, sportscaster (Your Sports Special), dies
1964 – Edith Sitwell, English poet and author (Wheels), dies at 77
1996 – Ivor Roberts-Jones, British sculptor (known for sculpted heads of Yehudi Menuhin and George Thomas), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1857 – 1st production of Dion Boucicault’s “Poor of New York”
1951 – “Tree Grows in Brooklyn” closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 267 performances
1985 – 74th Women’s Australian Open: Martina Navratilova beats Chris Evert-Lloyd 6-2, 4-6, 6-2)
1985 – 74th Men’s Australian Open: Stefan Edberg beats Mats Wilander (6-3, 6-3, 6-3)
1993 – 30 killed at religious rebellion in Algeria
2008 – Kirsty Williams elected as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. The first female leader of a political party in Wales.

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Famous Birthdays

1903 – Kathleen (Kitty) Rosalind Muggeridge, author
1939 – Jerry Butler, Sunflower Miss, rock vocalist (Never Give You Up)
1966 – Jeff Tremaine, American television and film director
1971 – Garvin Alston, pitcher (Colorado Rockies), born in Mt Vernon, New York
1975 – Kevin Harvick, American auto racer (NASCAR Cup Series Champion 2014), born in Bakersfield, California
1977 – Sébastien Chabal, French rugby union footballer

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Famous Deaths

1830 – H Benjamin Constant, French politician/writer, dies at 63
1969 – Vincenzo Davico, composer, dies at 80
1982 – Kenneth Goncalves, Deacon of Surinamese order of advocate, murdered
1995 – Ernest LeRoy Boyer, educator, dies at 67
2009 – Luis Días, Dominican Composer (b. 1952).
2016 – Joseph Mascolo, American actor (Days of Our Lives), dies at 87

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