Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1558 – Elizabeth I aged 25 ascends English throne upon death of her half sister Queen “Bloody” Mary
1831 – Ecuador and Venezuela separated from Greater Colombia
1877 – Russia launches a surprise night attack that overruns Turkish forces at Kars, Armenia
1905 – The Eulsa Treaty is signed between Japan and Korea.
1937 – Britain’s Lord Halifax visits Germany, beginning of appeasement
2002 – Australian Leyton Hewitt scores back-to-back season-ending Tennis Masters Cup titles with a classic 7–5, 7–5, 2–6, 2–6, 6–4 victory over Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in Shanghai, China

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Famous Birthdays

1925 – Colin Campbell Mitchell, soldier
1929 – Pieter A H Bos, Dutch lawyer/attorney general on Aruba
1943 – Lauren Hutton, [Mary], model/actress (American Gigolo), born in Charleston, South Carolina
1944 – Jim Boeheim, Hall of Fame Coach
1947 – Inky Mark, Canadian politician
1992 – Darian Weiss, American actor

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Famous Deaths

1690 – Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier, French soldier, dies at 80
1862 – Alexey Nikolayevich Verstovsky, composer, dies at 63
1902 – Hugh Price Hughes, Methodist Social reformer (b. 1847)
1905 – Adolphe of Luxembourg, (b. 1817)
1921 – John McLaren, cricketer (one Test Aust v Eng 1912), dies
1986 – Georges Besse, French president-director of Renault, murdered

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Historical Events

1805 – Battle at Schongrabern: Russian army stop French
1849 – Russian court sentences Fyodor Dostoevsky to death for anti-government activities linked to a radical intellectual group; his sentence is later commuted to hard labor
1856 – Amsterdam post office at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal opens
1950 – US President Harry Truman proclaims emergency crisis caused by communist threat
1962 – Wilt Chamberlain of NBA SF Warriors scores 73 points vs NY Knicks
1974 – John Lennon’s only solo #1 “Whatever Gets You Through the Night”

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Famous Birthdays

1603 – Augustyn Kordecki, Polish prior (d. 1673)
1609 – Henrietta Maria, French-born, Queen Consort of England (d. 1669)
1643 – Jean Chardin, French explorer (d. 1703)
1762 – Petronella Moens, Frisian author/poetess
1870 – Alfred Hill, New Zealand Australian composer (Hinemoa), born in Melbourne (d. 1960)
1970 – Jason Carthen, WLAF linebacker (Rhein Fire)

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Famous Deaths

1785 – Johan Gottschalk Wallerius, Swedish chemist and mineralogist, dies at 76
1932 – Carry van Bruggen, [de Haan], Dutch author (Eva), dies at 51
1960 – Clark Gable, actor (Gone With the Wind), dies at 59
1965 – Harry Blackstone Sr., American magician, dies at 80
1973 – Alan Watts, writer/popularizer of Zen, dies in Calif
2005 – Ralph Edwards, American TV host (This is Your Life), dies at 92

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Historical Events

1926 – 1st formal radio network, RCA takes over ATandT 25 station Network (NBC)
1935 – Commonwealth of Philippines inaugurated
1949 – KRON TV channel 4 in San Francisco, California (NBC) begins broadcasting
1964 – Sudan Premier Ibrahim Abbud resigns
1966 – Gemini XII (Lovell and Aldrin) returns to Earth
1977 – US President Jimmy Carter welcomes Shah of Iran

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Famous Birthdays

1746 – Joseph Quesnel, French Canadian composer and playwright (d. 1809)
1872 – Robert marquess of Flers, French author (Habit Vert)
1929 – Edward Asner, American actor (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant), born in Kansas City, Kansas
1932 – Petula Clark, Surrey England, rock vocalist (Downtown, My Love)
1939 – Thalmus Rasulala, [Jack Crowder], actor (Blacula, Roots), born in Miami, Florida
1991 – Shailene Woodley, American Actress (The Fault in Our Stars), born in San Bernardino County, California

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Famous Deaths

1842 – Joseph Rastrelli, composer, dies at 43
1984 – Baby Fae, who received a baboon’s heart, dies at 3 weeks
1990 – Bill E Herndon, actor (Rivals), dies at 54
1993 – Theo Huizenaar, Dutch boxing trainer (Bep van Klaveren), dies at 93
1994 – Volodymyr Ivashko, President of Ukraine (1990-91), dies
2004 – John Morgan, Canadian comedian (b. 1930)

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Historical Events

1775 – -15] Floods ravage Dutch coast provinces
1863 – Nathan Bedford Forrest is assigned to command of West Tennessee
1952 – First regular UK singles chart published by the New Musical Express
1964 – “Folies Bergere” closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 191 performances
1981 – Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant ties Amos Alonzo Stagg with 314 football wins
1989 – Padres reliever Mark Davis wins NL Cy Young Award

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Famous Birthdays

1765 – Robert Fulton, American inventor and engineer (first commercial steamboat), born in Little Britain, Pennsylvania (d. 1815)
1891 – Frederick Banting, Canadian physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, born in Alliston, Ontario (d. 1941)
1931 – Claudia Jane Archibald, parapsychologist
1935 – Gennadi Aleksandrovich Dolgopolov, cosmonaut
1960 – Tom Judson, American actor and composer
1964 – Rev Run, American rapper

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Famous Deaths

1556 – Giovanni Della Casa, Italian poet (Galateo), dies at 53
1967 – C. K. Nayudu, Indian cricketer (7 Tests for India in 30’s), dies at 72
1992 – Earnest FH Happel, East German soccer/trainer/coach, dies
1994 – John I M Stewart, detective writer (A Comedy of Terrors), dies at 88
1995 – John Lee Admiral-Barber, dies at 90
2012 – Brian Davies, Australia Rugby League player, dies at 82

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Historical Events

866 – Pope Nicholas I answers the envoys of Boris (Ad consulta vestra)
1956 – US Supreme court rules race separation on buses in Alabama unconstitutional
1965 – Director Kenneth Tynan says the word “Fuck” on BBC
1978 – NASA launches HEAO 2
1982 – Vietnam Veterans Memorial opens in Washington D.C., featuring the names of over 58,000 US soldiers killed or missing in the Vietnam War
1990 – Oakland’s Bob Welch wins AL Cy Young Award

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Famous Birthdays

1699 – Jan Zach, Czech composer, born in Čelákovice, Bohemia (d. 1773) baptism date
1732 – John Dickinson, American lawyer and Governor of Delaware and Pennsylvania, born in Talbot County, Maryland (d. 1808)
1853 – John Drew Jr., American Shakespearean actor (The Big Bonanza), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1927)
1921 – Yoshiro Irino, Japanese composer, born in Vladivostok, Russia (d. 1980)
1930 – Fred Harris, American politician (Sen-D-Okla, 1964-73), born in Walters, Oklahoma
1969 – Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Dutch author

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Famous Deaths

1829 – Sam Patch, loses his live in a 125′ dive into Genesse Falls
1939 – George Nicholls Jr, actor (Finishing School), dies at 42
1991 – Ad Kosto, Dutch state secretary (PvdA), assassinated by bomb
2007 – Montague “Monty” Westmore, American 3rd generation make-up artist (Westmore family), dies of prostate cancer at 84
2016 – Enzo Maiorca, Italian freediver (17 world records), dies at 85
2016 – Leon Russell, American musician and singer-songwriter (Carny), dies at 74

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Historical Events

1591 – Castiliaans army occupies Zaragoza
1673 – Dutch troops under Willem III occupy Bonn
1833 – The great Leonid Meteor shower was recorded
1920 – The Dalmatian coast between Italy and Yugoslavia is ceded to Yugoslavia
1938 – Hermann Goering announces he wants Madagascar as a Jewish homeland
2006 – Former Soviet republic of South Ossetia holds a second referendum on independence from Georgia

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Famous Birthdays

1676 – Giovanni Antonio Pollarolo, composer
1817 – Bahá’u’lláh, Prophet Founder of the Bahá’í Faith (d. 1892)
1906 – Bukka [Booker T. Washington] White, blues guitarist, born in Houston, Mississippi (d. 1977)
1908 – Hans Werner Richter, German author (Socially Responsible Cinema)
1984 – Sepp De Roover, Belgian footballer, born in Geel, Belgium
1988 – Russell Westbrook III, American basketball player (Oklahoma City Thunder), born in Long Beach, California

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Famous Deaths

1757 – Colley Cibber, English actor, dramatist and Poet Laureate (1730-57), dies at 86
1836 – Juan Ramón Balcarce, Argentine military leader and politician (b. 1773)
1965 – Syedna Taher Saifuddin, Bohra Spiritual Leader, dies at 77
1974 – Charles Quinlivan, American actor (Seven Guns to Mesa, Mr. Garlund), dies of a heart attack at 50
2000 – Franck Pourcel, French popular orchestra leader (b. 1913)
2003 – Jonathan Brandis, American actor (Lucas Wolenczak-seaQuest DSV), commits suicide at 27

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Historical Events

1851 – Alvan Clark patents telescope
1901 – Maurice Ravel composition “Jeux d’eau” premieres
1922 – Largest US flag displayed (150′ X 90′) expanded in 1939 (270′ X 90′)
1928 – France’s 5th government of Poincaré forms
2001 – Federation Cup Women’s Tennis, Madrid, Spain: Kim Clijsters beats Elena Dementieva 6-0, 6-4 to clinch Belgium’s first title with unassailable 2-0 lead (ends, 2-1)
2013 – 4 people are killed and 8 are injured after a building catches fire in Mumbai, India

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Famous Birthdays

1657 – Guido Starhemberg, Austria earl/fieldmarshal (Turkish Wars)
1870 – Nils Kjaer, Norwegian playwright (Det evige Savn)
1899 – Harold “Pie” Traynor, baseball hall of fame 3rd baseman (Pirates)
1933 – Marlene VerPlanck [Pampinella], American jazz and pop vocalist, born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2018)
1969 – Jeff Sydner, NFL wide receiver/punt returner (NY Jets)
1969 – Michael Owens, cricket pace bowler (NZ Test)

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Famous Deaths

1150 – Hartbert, bishop of Utrecht (1140-50), dies
1675 – Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, ninth Nanak, 9th of 10 Guru of the Sikhs, executed under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb at 54
1912 – Joseph Wieniawski, composer, dies at 75
1947 – Martin Dibelius, German theologist (That Drawer Jahwes), dies at 64
1986 – Roger C.Carmel, American actor (Mudd-Star Trek, Mothers-in-Law), dies at 54
2005 – Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield, British photographer (b. 1939)

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Historical Events

1891 – 1st Women’s Christian Temperance Union meeting held (in Boston)
1945 – Heavy battle in Surabaya between Indonesian nationalists and returning colonialists after World War II, celebrated as Heroes’ Day (Hari Pahlawan).
1946 – Communists win many seats at French parliamentary election
1977 – Amsterdam: Red Army Faction terrorists Gert Schneider and Christof Wackernagel arrested
1979 – Train detrailment in Mississauga, Ontario; a 106 car train derails causing the evacuation of 200,000 people
1988 – MLB All-Star team beats Japan 3-1 in Tokyo (Game 5 of 7)

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Famous Birthdays

1480 – Bridget of York, English princess and nun, born in Eltham Palace, London (d. 1517)
1668 – Louis III, Prince of Condé and Duke de Bourbon, born in Paris (d. 1710)
1879 – Patrick Pearse, Irish poet, nationalist and political activist, born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1916)
1924 – Russell Johnson, American television and film actor, best known for his role as “The Professor” on Gilligan’s Island, born in Ashley, Pennsylvania (d. 2014)
1975 – Jim Adkins, American musician
1977 – Josh Barnett, American Mixed Martial Artist

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Famous Deaths

1909 – George Essex Evans, Australian poet (b. 1863)
1909 – Ludvig Schytte, Danish composer, dies at 61
1966 – Evelyn Sears, American tennis player (US National 1907), dies at 91
1978 – Theo Lingen, German director and actor (M, Charm of La Boheme), dies at 75
1992 – Chuck Connors, American author, actor (The Rifleman, Branded, Cowboy in Africa), professional basketball and baseball player, dies at 71
2007 – Laraine Day [La Raine Johnson], American actress (Dr. KIldaire, Foreign Correspondent), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1851 – Kentucky marshals abduct abolitionist minister Calvin Fairbank from Jeffersonville, Indiana, and take him to Kentucky to stand trial for helping a slave escape.
1922 – Frederick Soddy wins the 1921 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (announced in 1922 due to a technicality)
1976 – UN General Assembly condemns apartheid in South Africa
1992 – Howard Stern’s radio show begins broadcast in Las Vegas Nevada (KFBI)
2005 – The Venus Express mission of the European Space Agency is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
2015 – World Anti-Doping Agency commission report recommends Russian Federation be banned from athletics competitions for running a “state-supported” doping programme

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Famous Birthdays

1854 – Joseph Miroslav Weber, Czech composer, born in Prague (d. 1906)
1877 – Allama Iqbal, Indian philosopher and poet, born in Sialkot, Punjab Province, British India (d. 1938)
1904 – Viktor Brack, German Nazi physician and war criminal, born in Haaren, Rhine Province, German Empire (d. 1948)
1921 – Pierrette Alarie, Canadian operatic soprano, born in Montreal, Canada (d. 2011)
1974 – Dah-ve Chodan, actress (Tia-Uncle Buck)
1979 – Martin Taylor, English footballer, born in Ashington, England

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Famous Deaths

1881 – Edwin Drake, American businessman who drilled 1st productive US oil well, dies at 61
1942 – Edna May Oliver, dies on 59th birthday
1952 – Philip Murray, 1st president of the United Steelworkers and longest-serving president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (b. 1886)
1957 – Peter O’Connor, Irish athlete (1st recognised world long jump record), dies at 85
1968 – Wally Grout, cricketer (successful Australian WK before Marsh), dies
2003 – Art Carney, American actor (Ed Norton-Honeymooners), dies of natural causes at 85

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Historical Events

1658 – Battle of the Sound: Swedish fleet beats Dutch during 2nd Northern War
1935 – “Mutiny on the Bounty” directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable premieres in New York (Best Production/Picture 1936)
1942 – Operation Torch; began as US and British forces under Eisenhower land in French North Africa
1959 – Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba’s Nes Destour party wins every seat
1990 – Gina Marie Tolleson of USA, 21, crowned 40th Miss World
1992 – 300,000 demonstrate against racism in Berlin

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Famous Birthdays

1863 – René [Raphael] Viviani, French historian/social premier (1914-15)
1947 – Margaret Rhea Seddon, Murfreesboro Tenn, MD/astro (STS 51D, 40, SK:58)
1952 – John Denny, American baseball player
1952 – Christie Ann Hefner, daughter of Hugh Hefner, CEO (Playboy)
1956 – Beverly Klass, LPGA golfer
1967 – Rhonda Kottke, WPVA volleyballer, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Famous Deaths

1694 – Ulrik Huber, Frisian lawyer/law historian/polemist, dies at 58
1909 – Charles Bordes, composer, dies at 46
1983 – Robert Agnew, director, dies at 84 of kidney failure
1990 – Anya Seton, US author, dies
2007 – Dulce Saguisag, Filipino politician and former DSWD Secretary, dies at 64
2012 – Lucille Bliss, American voice actress (Cinderella, The Secret of NIMH), dies from natural causes at 96

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