Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1595 – Pope Clemens VIII recognizes Henry IV as King of France
1863 – Pope Pius IX encyclical On persecution in New Grenada
1935 – Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina chosen 2nd President of Philippines
1980 – Oak A’s Rick Langford is removed with 2 outs in 9th inning ending his consecutive complete-game streak at 22
1980 – “Divine Madness” starring Bette Midler, premieres
1993 – Last Russian troops leave Poland.

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Famous Birthdays

1815 – Halfdan Kjerulf, Norwegian composer (Brudefaerden i Hardanger), born in Christiania, Norway (d. 1868)
1930 – Lalgudi Jayaraman, Indian violinist
1945 – Phil Jackson, American basketball player and coach (Knicks/Bulls/Lakers), born in Deer Lodge, Montana
1979 – Billy Miller, actor (The Young and the Restless), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
1980 – Danny Haren, American baseball player
1981 – Bakari Koné, Ivorian footballer

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Famous Deaths

1702 – Olof Rudbeck, Swedish scientist, writer and composer, dies at 71
1864 – Walter Savage Landor, English poet and writer (Imaginary Conversations), dies at 89
1877 – William Henry Fox Talbot, English photographic pioneer, dies at 77
1899 – Charles Alfred Pillsbury, American industrialist (b. 1842)
1972 – Akim Tamiroff, Armenian-Russian actor (Touch of Evil, For Whom the Bell Tolls), dies at 72
1994 – Vitas Gerulaitis, Lithuanian American tennis star (Davis Cup 1979), dies of carbon monoxide poisoning at 40

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Historical Events

1949 – KABC TV channel 7 in Los Angeles, CA (ABC) begins broadcasting
1962 – Brian Kilby wins marathon: (2:23:18.8)
1963 – Federation of Malaysia formed by Malaya, Singapore, British North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak
1979 – Catfish Hunter Day at Yankee Stadium
1979 – USSR performs nuclear test
1996 – Space Shuttle STS 79 (Atlantis 17), launches into space

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Famous Birthdays

1818 – Francis Seymour Haden, English surgeon and etcher, born in London (d. 1910)
1929 – Dale E Kildee, (Rep-D-Michigan, 1977- )
1933 – George Chakiris, Norwood Ohio, actor (West Side Story)
1934 – Eva Clayton, (Rep-D-North Carolina)
1967 – Hiroya Oku, Japanese Manga-ka
1984 – Sabrina Bryan, American actress and singer

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Famous Deaths

1542 – Diego de Almagro, Spanish captain-general of Peru, beheaded
1589 – Michael Baius, Flemish theologian (b. 1513)
1652 – Dirck Janszoon Sweelinck, Dutch composer, dies at 61
1936 – Karl Buresch, Austrian lawyer and politician, dies at 57
1945 – Johannes “Pa” van der Steur, Dutch missionary and philanthropist (Java), dies at 80
1990 – Loretta Tupper, radio/TV entertainer, dies of cancer at 84

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Historical Events

1644 – Giambattista Pamfili replaces Pope Urban VII as Innocent X
1928 – Alfred “Tich” Freeman becomes the only bowler to take 300 wickets in an English cricket season.
1938 – British PM Neville Chamberlain visits Adolf Hitler at Berchtesgaden
1982 – Israeli forces began pouring into west Beirut
1994 – “Sound of Motown” premieres in Rotterdam
2015 – EU Migrant Crisis: Hungary seals its border with Serbia with a razor-wire fence, stranding thousands of migrants

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Famous Birthdays

1913 – John Mitchell, Nixon’s attorney general who went to jail
1921 – Norma MacMillan, Canadian voice actress (Casper the Ghost), born in Vancouver (d. 2001)
1934 – Fred Nile, Australian politician
1946 – Fighting Mack, [Edwin Alberto], Antillian welterweight boxer
1946 – Tommy Lee Jones, American actor (Executioner’s Song, Bloody Monday, The Fugitive), born in San Saba, Texas
1972 – Amanda Lynn Granrud, Miss America-Montana (1996), born in Great Falls, Montana

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Famous Deaths

1500 – John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury
1707 – George Stepney, English poet and diplomat (b. 1663)
1963 – Fred Hillebrand, American actor (Martin Kane, Moon Over Manhattan), dies at 69
1978 – Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft builder, dies at 80
1994 – Haywood Frank Henry, sax player, dies at 81
2006 – Pablo Santos, Mexican actor (b. 1987)

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Historical Events

1515 – Battle at Marignano ends in French/Venetian victory
1814 – Francis Scott Key pens the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry”, later known as “The Star-Spangled Banner” while witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry from a ship in Baltimore harbor
1929 – A’s clinch AL pennant with a 5-0 win over White Sox
1951 – Giant’s Bob Niemans homers on his 1st 2 at bats
1957 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1996 – 21st Toronto International Film Festival: “Shine” directed by Scott Hicks wins the People’s Choice Award

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Famous Birthdays

1543 – Claudio Aquaviva, Italian Jesuit (d. 1615)
1898 – Ernest Nash, German-born archaeologist (d. 1974)
1913 – Jacobo Árbenz, President of Guatemala (1951-54); overthrown by CIA, born in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala (d. 1971)
1947 – Jon “Bowser” Bauman, singer (Sha Na Na), born in Queens, New York
1957 – Kepler Wessels, Bloemfontein South Africa, South African cricketer who played for both Australia and South Africa, the latter as captain.
1965 – Troy Neel, baseball player

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Famous Deaths

1972 – Kornelis Posthumus, chemist, dies at 70
1974 – Warren Hull, American actor (Strike it Rich, Who in the World), dies from heart failure at 71
1982 – Bashir Gemayel, falangist Lebanon’s president-elect, assassinated by a bomb
1990 – Wime de Craene, Flemish singer and composer, dies at 40
2006 – Esme Melville, Australian actress (b. 1918)
2013 – Stefan Wewerka, German architect and sculptor, dies at 84

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Historical Events

1953 – KGTV TV channel 10 in San Diego, CA (ABC/NBC) begins broadcasting
1969 – Plastic Ono Band’s (John, Yoko and Eric Clapton) 1st live performance
1981 – Jan Stephenson wins LPGA United Virginia Bank Golf Classic
2015 – Evian Championship, Evian Resort: Lydia Ko of New Zealand wins by 6 from Lexi Thompson to become youngest major winner, 18yrs, 142 days
2017 – UN Secretary-General António Guterres says Rohingya refugee crisis now “catastrophic” as 370,000 confirmed to have fled Myanmar
2017 – Martin Shkreli’s bail revoked after he judged risk to community for posting $5,000 bounty for a strand of Hillary Clinton’s hair

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Famous Birthdays

1830 – Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian writer (The Child of the Parish), born in Zdislavič, Moravia (d. 1916)
1853 – Sophia Perovskaya, Soviet icon, aristocrat, and socialist revolutionary (Narodnaya Volya), who helped orchestrate the successful assassination of Alexander II of Russia, born in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire (d. 1881)
1907 – Victor Reinganum, artist
1928 – Ernest L Boyer, educator/chancellor (NY’s State Universities-SUNY)
1973 – Brian Evans, NBA forward (Orlando Magic)
1978 – Megan Henning, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1806 – Charles James Fox, English politician (b. 1749)
1904 – Raden Ayu Kartini, Indonesian national heroine (b. 1879)
1931 – Lili Elbe [born Einar Wegener], Danish transgender woman, former painter, and 1st identifiable recipient of sex reassignment surgery (autobiography: Man into Woman), dies from complications involving a uterus transplant at 48
1971 – Lin Biao, Chinese Communist Marshal during the Civil War and party leader, dies in a plane crash at 63, possibly while fleeing from a botched coup against Mao
1994 – John William Stevens, jazz drummer, dies at 54
2001 – Dorothy McGuire, American actress (Gentlemen’s Agreement, Old Yeller, Summer Magic), dies of cardiac arrest following a short illness at 85

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Historical Events

1733 – Polish Landowners select Stanislaw Lesczynski king
1876 – King Leopold II opens Congo-conference
1920 – 7th Olympic games close in Antwerp Belgium
1944 – US Army troops entered Germany for 1st time
1993 – Wang Junxia runs a women’s 3000 m world record (8:12.29) at the Chinese National Games
1997 – NY Met John Olerud hits for the cycle

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Famous Birthdays

1492 – Lorenzo II de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino, born in Florence, Italy (d. 1519)
1856 – Johann Heinrich Beck, American composer, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1924)
1937 – Wes Hall, Barbadian former cricketer and politician, born in Glebe Land, Station Hill, Barbados
1948 – Luis Lima, Argentinian tenor
1962 – Amy Yasbeck, Blue Ash, Ohio, American actress (Casey Davenport-Wings, Mask)
1976 – Bizzy Bone (Bryon Anthony McCane), American rapper, (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)

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Famous Deaths

413 – Marcellinus of Carthage, Christian saint
1672 – Tanneguy Lefebvre, French classical scholar (b. 1615)
1861 – George N. Briggs, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of Massachusetts, dies at 65
1947 – Harry Rowe Shelley, American composer (known for his hymn music), dies at 89
1995 – Jeremy Brett, [Peter Huggins], English actor (Sherlock Holmes), dies at 61
2001 – Victor Wong [Yee Keung Victor Wong], American actor (Big Trouble in Little China), dies of a heart attack at 74

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Historical Events

1875 – 1st newspaper cartoon strip
1919 – US Marines again send troops to Honduras
1940 – Hitler begins operation Seelöwe (Sealion – aborted invasion England)
1943 – Jewish ghettos of Minsk and Lida Belorussia liquidated
2002 – Through extreme and coordinated effort, The Pentagon is rededicated after repairs are completed, exactly one year after the attack on the building.
2013 – 12 Alawite sect members are killed by rebel fighters in central Syria

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Famous Birthdays

1681 – Johann Gottlieb Heineccius, German jurist, born in Eisenberg, Germany (d. 1741)
1723 – Johann Bernhard Basedow, German educational reformer, born in Hamburg, Germany (d. 1790)
1899 – Nelly “Nell” Knoop, Dutch actress (Jenny, Driestuivers Opera), born in Batavia, Batavia, Dutch East Indies (d. 1971)
1908 – Everhardus J van Romondt, physician/Dutch Antillean minister of Eco
1960 – Neal X [Whitmore], English musician (Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Love Missile F-111), born in Henley-on-Thames, England
1962 – Kristy McNichol, actress (Buddy-Family, Barbara-Empty Nest), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1677 – James Harrington, English political philosopher (b. 1611)
1721 – Rudolph J Camerarius, German physician (sexuality plans), dies
1851 – Sylvester Graham, American nutritionist and minister (Graham cracker) (b. 1794)
1946 – Arthur van Schendel, writer (Holland Drama), dies at 72)
1991 – Ernst Herbeck, German Poet (b. 1920)
2001 – John P. O’Neill, American anti-terrorism FBI agent (b. 1952)

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Historical Events

1913 – Lincoln Highway opens as 1st paved coast-to-coast highway
1942 – RAF drops 100,000 bombs on Dusseldorf
1972 – US Open Men’s Tennis: Ilie Năstase of Romania beats Arthur Ashe 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 for his first Grand Slam title
1990 – 1st time since 1966 that all 8 grand slam tennis champs are different
1994 – Chong Hey swims female record 400m medley (4:01.67)/100m backstroke
2016 – US Open Women’s Tennis: Angelique Kerber beats Karolína Plíšková 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to become first German player to win the event since Steffi Graf in 1996

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Famous Birthdays

1169 – Alexios II Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1183)
1588 – Nicholas Lanier, composer
1934 – Vasil Kazandzhiev, composer
1956 – Johnny Hickman, American musician
1971 – Brandon Harrison, NFL wide receiver (San Diego Chargers)
1979 – Jacob Young, American actor and singer

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Famous Deaths

1759 – Ferdinand Konščak, Croatian explorer (b. 1703)
1862 – Carlos A Lopez, president of Paraguay (1844-62), dies at 71
1971 – Bella Darvi [Bajla Węgier], Polish actress (The Egyptian, Hell and High Water, Racers), commits suicide at 42
1985 – Alexa Kenin, actress (Mousie-Coed Fever), dies at 23
1991 – Sarah Sally Lawrence, entertainer, dies at 61
1994 – Charles Drake [Ruppert], American actor (Harvey, Air Force, Glenn Miller Story), dies of heart attack at 92

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Historical Events

1914 – Meeting held at Gaelic League headquarters between Irish Republican Brotherhood and other extreme republicans; initial decision made to stage an uprising while Britain is at war
1944 – US 113th cavalry passes Belgian-Dutch borders
1956 – 76th U.S. Men’s National Championship: Ken Rosewall beats Lew Hoad (4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3)
1960 – Denver Broncos beat Boston Patriots, 13-10 in the American Football League’s first game before 21,597 fans at Nickerson Field in Boston
1985 – President Reagan orders sanctions against South Africa
2007 – US Open Men’s Tennis: Roger Federer wins 4th consecutive US title; beats Novak Đoković (7-6, 7-6, 6-4

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Famous Birthdays

1923 – Clifford “Cliff” Robertson, American actor (Charly, Spider-Man) and spokesman for ATandT, born in La Jolla, California (d. 2011)
1941 – Karin von Aroldingen, German ballet dancer (NYC Ballet Co), born in Griez, Germany (d. 2018)
1959 – Eric Serra, French composer
1972 – Miriam Oremans, Berlicum Neth, tennis star
1976 – Juan A. Baptista, Venezuelan actor
1978 – Mariano Puerta, Argentine tennis player

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Famous Deaths

1680 – Henry Marten, English regicide (b. 1602)
1683 – Algernon Sidney, English Whig politician/plotter, beheaded
1866 – Gergely Czuczor, Hungarian/Czech poet/translator, dies at 65
1952 – Joseph Allen Sr, American actor, dies at 79
1959 – O’Neil Gordon “Collie” Smith, West Indian cricket all-rounder, dies in a car crash at 26
1966 – Antonio Massana, composer, dies at 76

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Historical Events

1919 – Babe Ruth hits his 26th HR off Jack Quinn in NY, breaking Buck Freeman’s 1899 HR mark of 25
1967 – Uganda abolishes traditional tribal kingdoms, becomes a republic
1969 – Suleiman Maghrabi appointed premier of Libya
1995 – Cleveland Indians clinch 1st AL Central Division title
2001 – US Open Women’s Tennis: Venus Williams successfully defends title; beats younger sister Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4
2013 – 11 people are killed after a minibus collides with a train in Lasi, Romania

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Famous Birthdays

1918 – Derek Barton, British chemist (Nobel 1969)
1934 – Peter Maxwell Davies, composer (Prolation, Taverner), born in Manchester, England (d. 2016)
1941 – Donald “Dante” Drowty, American singer (The Evergreens), born in Los Angeles, California
1942 – Brian Cole, rock vocalist/bassist (Association), born in Tacoma, Washington
1975 – Lee Eul-Yong, South Korean footballer
1977 – Maria Helena Selin, ice hockey right wing (Finland, Olympics 1998)

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Famous Deaths

1811 – Peter S Pallas, German geologist/zoologist, dies at 69
1990 – Denys Watkins-Pitchford, British writer and illustrator (The Little Grey Men), dies at 85
1991 – Brad Davis, American actor (Midnight Express, Chariots of Fire), dies at 41
1992 – Quentin N Burdick, (Sen-D-ND, 1960-91), dies at 84
1995 – Olga Ivinskaya, mistress of Boris Pasternak, dies of cancer at 83
1995 – Safa Khulusi, Iraqi writer and historian, dies at 78

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