Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1956 – Margaret Towner becomes the first woman to be ordained into the Presbyterian Church in the US (PCUSA)
1957 – Cincinnati Redlegs decline to move to Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City
1958 – USSR lends Egypt 400 million rubles to build the Aswan High Dam across the Nile river
1973 – John Lennon sues US government to admit FBI is tapping his phone; they deny doing so
2004 – Manchester United beats Arsenal 2-0 at Old Trafford, ending Arsenal’s English Premier League record 49-game unbeaten streak

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Famous Birthdays

1808 – Bernhard von Cotta, German geologist, born in Meiningen, Germany (d. 1879)
1885 – Ernest Claes, Belgian author (De Witte – Whitey), born in Zichem, Belgium (d. 1968)
1920 – Julius Youngner, American scientist, helped develop Salk polio vaccine, born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2017)
1939 – F. Murray Abraham, American actor (All the President’s Men and Amadeus), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1965 – Vernice Smith, American NFL guard (Phoenix Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, St Louis Rams), born in Orlando, Florida

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Famous Deaths

1679 – Barent Avercamp, Dutch landscape painter, dies at about 66
1785 – Jean-Jacques Robson, Flemish composer, dies at 64
1935 – Otto “Aba Daba” Berman, American gangster (accountant for Dutch Schultz), murdered at 44
1955 – Alfred Radcliffe-Brown, British Anthropologist (Structural Functionalism and studies of Andaman Islanders and Australian Aborigines), dies at 74
1993 – Tonino Nardi, Italian cinematographer (Porte Manifest), dies at 54

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Historical Events

1934 – Jean Piccard and Jeanette Ridlon attain a record balloon height of 10.9 miles (17.5 km) over Lake Erie
1973 – Arab oil embargo extended to the Netherlands
2006 – “Irreplaceable” single released by Beyonce (Soul Train Music Awards Best RandB/Soul Single 2007, Billboard Song of the Year 2007)
2018 – Freddie Mercury bio film “Bohemian Rhapsody” directed by Bryan Singer, starring Rami Malek (Best Actor Academy Awards 2019) premieres in London
2019 – All Star point guard Kyrie Irving pours in 50 points, setting a new NBA record for points on debut with a new team as his Brooklyn Nets go down 127-126 at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves

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Famous Birthdays

1869 – John Heisman, American football coach (legalised forward pass, originated the center-snap; Heisman Trophy named after him), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1936)
1921 – Betty Bennett, American jazz and big band singer (Claude Thornhill, Charlie Ventura, Benny Goodman), born in Lincoln, Nebraska (d. 2020)
1928 – June Bacon-Bercey, American weatherwoman credited as the first trained African-American female meteorologist to appear on television (WGR-TV), born in Wichita, Kansas (d. 2019)
1933 – Hans Weilbächer, German soccer midfielder (1 cap West Germany; Eintracht Frankfurt e.V 241 games), born in Hattersheim am Main, Germany (d. 2022)
1949 – Nick Tosches, American writer (bio of Jerry Lee Lewis), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2019)

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Famous Deaths

1782 – Joseph Riepel, Austrian-born German composer, dies at 73
1928 – François Victor Alphonse Aulard, French historian, dies at 79
1949 – Bill Traylor, African-American artist of folk and modern art, dies at 95
1997 – Bert Haanstra, Dutch filmmaker and director (Fanfare; Glass), dies at 81
2002 – Elizabeth Pakenham, Countess of Longford, British historian, dies at 96

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Historical Events

1708 – Great Alliance occupies Rijsel
1906 – Henry Ford becomes President of Ford Motor Company
1928 – Herbert Hoover speaks of the “American system of rugged individualism”
1951 – Earthquake hits Formosa, 100 killed
1977 – International Sun-Earth Explorers 1 and 2 launched into Earth orbit

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Famous Birthdays

1915 – Yitzḥak Shamir, Israeli Prime Minister (1983–84, 1986–1992) and Zionist, born in Ruzinoy, Belarus, Russian Empire (d. 2012)
1939 – Tony Roberts, American stage and screen actor (Annie Hall; The Edge of Night: The Lucie Arnaz Show), born in New York City (d. 2025)
1947 – Neil Rolnick, American electronic music composer and educator (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – iEAR Studios, 1981-2013), born in Dallas, Texas
1959 – Arto Salminen, Finnish cult writer, born in Helsinki (d. 2005)
1972 – D’Lo Brown [Accie Julius Connor], American professional wrestler, born in Burlington, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1725 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian baroque composer (Tigrane), dies at 65
1895 – Oliver Ames, American politician (35th Governor of Massachusetts, 1887-90), dies at 64
1989 – Jacob Wetterling, American kidnapping victim, is kidnapped, assaulted and murdered at 11 by Danny Heinrich. His abduction and murder would remain a mystery for 30 years.
2012 – Wilson Whineray, New Zealand rugby union prop (32 Tests [30 as captain]; Auckland RFU), dies at 77
2019 – Ramon Zupko, American classical and electro-acoustic composer (Fluxus), and educator (Western Michigan University, 1971-96), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1917 – First Americans to see action on front lines of WWI: US troops enter front lines at Sommervillier under French command
1942 – Film musical “For Me and My Gal,” starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly in his screen debut, and directed by Busby Berkeley, premieres in New York City
1979 – Bill Rodgers wins his fourth consecutive men’s title in the New York City Marathon with a time of 2:11:42; defending champion Grete Waitz of Norway wins the women’s event in 2:27:33
1984 – Welsh runner Steve Jones runs the Chicago Marathon in a world record time of 2:08:05, in his first race at this distance
2024 – The “Great Cheese Robbery”: A scam is reported to police involving the theft of rare English Cheddar worth about 300,000 pounds from Neal’s Yard Dairy in London

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Famous Birthdays

1762 – Herman Willem Daendels, Dutch military leader (Brigadier-General) and Governor-General (Dutch-East Indies, 1808-11; Dutch Gold Coast, 1811-15), born in Hattem, Gelderland, Dutch Republic (d. 1818)
1790 – Alphonse de Lamartine, French writer (Poetical Mediations) and politician (briefly led the Second Republic 1848), born in Mâcon, France (d. 1869)
1942 – Christopher A. Sims, American economist known for his work on macroeconomics and Nobel Prize recipient (2011), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2026)
1944 – Tommy Wright, English soccer right-back (12 caps; Everton 308 games), born in Liverpool, England (d. 2026)
1971 – Jade Jagger, English jewelry designer and daughter of Mick and Bianca Jagger, born in Paris, France

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Famous Deaths

1773 – Johann Conrad Schlaun, German baroque architect, dies at 78
1953 – Muirhead Bone, Scottish etcher and painter (WWI and WWII war artist), dies at 77
1961 – Nils Johan Einar Ferlin, Swedish poet (Barfotabarn), dies at 62
1980 – Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician and eponym of Asperger syndrome, dies at 74
1998 – Alan Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury, British business executive, dies at 96

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Historical Events

1905 – Great General Strike in Russia begins and lasts 11 days
1935 – Anti-fascist People’s Front forms in Brussels
1955 – MLB New York Yankees begin a 16-game exhibition tour in Japan
1990 – Baseball World Series: Cincinnati beats A’s 2-1 at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum to sweep Oakland and win Reds’ fifth title; MVP: Reds’ pitcher José Rijo
2025 – Demolition crews remove facade of the East Wing of the White House for construction of a new ballroom, despite initial announcement that the existing building would not be touched

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Famous Birthdays

1901 – Adelaide Hall, American-English musical theatre, cabaret, and jazz singer (Cotton Club; “Creole Love Call” with Duke Ellington), born in Brooklyn, NYC (d. 1993)
1920 – Janet Jagan [née Rosenberg], America-born Guyanese politician and the first female president of Guyana (1997-99), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2009)
1943 – Dunja Vejzović, Croatian soprano, born in Zagreb, Croatia
1967 – Susan Tully, British television director and actress (Michelle Fowler in “EastEnders”), born in London
1981 – Willis McGahee, American football running back (Pro Bowl 2007, 11; Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos), born in Miami, Florida

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Famous Deaths

1970 – Patrick Wymark [Cheeseman], British actor (Skull; Tomb of Ligeia), dies of a heart attack at 44
1994 – Ivan Sviták, Czech philosopher and poet, dies at 69
1995 – Jack Rose, American screenwriter (The Seven Little Foys), dies at 83
2006 – Frank Vicari, American jazz, session, and touring saxophonist (Maynard Ferguson; Woody Herman; Tom Waits; Saturday Night Live), dies at 75
2020 – Bruno Martini, French soccer goalkeeper (31 caps; Auxerre, Nancy, Montpellier), dies from heart failure at 58

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Historical Events

439 – The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take the city of Carthage in North Africa
1948 – “My Romance” opens at the Shubert Theatre in New York City for 95 performances
1967 – Mariner 5 makes a flyby of Venus
2007 – Bomb explosion rocks Glorietta 2, a shopping mall in Makati, Philippines, killing 11 and injuring more than 100 people
2019 – UK Parliament votes for the Letwin amendment in a special Saturday sitting, forcing Boris Johnson to ask the EU for an extension and delaying the vote on his Brexit deal

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Famous Birthdays

1720 – John Woolman, American Quaker preacher and abolitionist, born in Province of New Jersey (d. 1772)
1834 – Francis Channing Barlow, American lawyer and Union general during the US Civil War (met General John B. Gordon at Gettysburg), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1896)
1911 – Hilde Spiel, Austrian writer, born in Vienna (d. 1990)
1915 – Farid al-Atrash [El-Atrache], Syrian composer, musician, virtuoso oud player, and actor (Akher kedba), born in Jebel Ed-Druz, Southern Syria (d. 1974)
1936 – Tony Lo Bianco, American stage and screen actor (The French Connection; A View From the Bridge; Hizzoner!), born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2024)

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Famous Deaths

1335 – Elisabeth Richeza of Poland, Queen consort of Bohemia and Poland, dies at 47
1960 – Günter Raphael, German composer (Busskantate), dies at 57
1972 – Dr. Fredrick Arthur Willius, American cardiologist and medical historian, dies from bladder cancer at 83
1994 – Martha Raye [Margaret Reed], American comedienne and actress (Waikiki Wedding The Martha Raye Show), dies at 78
2020 – Spencer Davis [Davies], English guitarist (Spencer Davis Group – “Gimme Some Lovin'”), dies of pneumonia at 81

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Historical Events

1805 – 45 women meet at Mrs. Silas Lee’s home in Wiscasset, Maine, and organize the Female Charitable Society, one of the earliest women’s clubs in America
1925 – French General Sarrail bombs Damascus (ends October 20)
1954 – Hurricane Hazel becomes the most severe to ever hit the US, killing 195 in the US and Canada
2000 – Zack de la Rocha announces he is leaving the rock band Rage Against the Machine
2020 – Bolivia elects Luis Arce President and his party, Movement for Socialism back into government

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Famous Birthdays

1818 – Edward Otho Cresap Ord, American engineer and Major General (Union Army), born in Cumberland, Maryland (d. 1883)
1878 – James Truslow Adams, American historian (Pulitzer Prize 1921, popularized phrase “American Dream”), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1949)
1898 – Lotte Lenya [Karoline Wilhelmine Charlotte Blamauer], Austrian-American singer, muse and wife of Kurt Weill, and actress (The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone; From Russia with Love), born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (d. 1981)
1956 – Jim Talent, American politician (Rep-R-Missouri), born in Des Peres, Missouri
1990 – Brittany Griner, American basketball center (Olympic gold 2016, 20; WNBA C’ship 2014 Phoenix Mercury; 8 × WNBA All-Star; WNBA scoring champion 2017, 19; detained in Russia for drug smuggling Feb-Dec 2022), born in Houston, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1459 – Jan of Heinsberg, Bishop of Liège (1419-56), dies
1977 – Andreas Baader, German left-wing militant and leader of the Red Army Faction, commits suicide along with other RAF leaders at 34
2013 – Mary Carver [Carvellas], American actress (Simon and Simon, Star Trek: Enterprise), dies at 89
2016 – Phil Chess [Fiszel Czyż], Polish-American record company executive (Chess Records), and jazz record producer, dies at 95
2023 – Dwight Twilley, American power pop singer-songwriter (“I’m On Fire”; “Girls”), dies of complications from a stroke at 72

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Historical Events

1941 – USS Kearny becomes the first US destroyer torpedoed in World War II while the country is still officially neutral
1964 – US swimmers go 1-2-3 in the women’s 400 m individual medley at the Tokyo Olympics; Donna de Varona wins gold in an Olympic record of 5:18.7 ahead of teammates Sharon Finneran and Martha Randall
1985 – Lou Piniella is named NY Yankees manager
2008 – Iran attempts to create the world’s largest sandwich (1,500 meters) but fails when crowds eat it before it can be measured
2017 – Islamic State headquarters in Raqqa is declared under full control of the US-led alliance by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesperson Talal Sello after four months of fighting

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Famous Birthdays

1720 – Maria Teresa Agnesi, Italian harpsichodist, singer, and composer, born in Milan, Habsburg Empire (d. 1795)
1890 – Roy Kilner, English cricket all-rounder (9 Tests, 2 x 50, 24 wickets, BB 4/58; Yorkshire CCC), born in Low Valley, Wombwell, England (d. 1928)
1892 – Theodor Eicke, German Nazi official who developed the concentration camps, born in Hampont, German Empire (d. 1943)
1909 – (William) “Cozy” Cole, American jazz drummer (“Topsy I”; “Topsy II”), and educator, born in East Orange, New Jersey (d. 1981)
1957 – Steve McMichael, American College-Pro Football HOF defensive tackle (University of Texas; Super Bowl XX; First-team All-Pro 1985, 87; Pro Bowl 1986, 87; Chicago Bears), born in Houston, Texas (d. 2025)

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Famous Deaths

1174 – Queen Petronila of Aragon (b. 1135)
1836 – Orest Kiprensky, leading Russian portrait painter in the Age of Romanticism, dies from pneumonia at 54
1958 – Charlie Townsend, English cricketer (2 Tests for England 1899), dies at 81
1972 – Walter “Turk” Broda, Canadian ice hockey goaltender, 5x Stanley Cup, 2x Vezina Trophy (Toronto Maple Leafs, 1935-51), dies of a heart attack at 58
2015 – Danièle Delorme [Gabrielle Girard], French actress (Pardon My Affair), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1690 – English demand the surrender of Quebec, and French Governor Louis de Buade de Frontenac replies, “I have no reply to make to your general other than from the mouths of my cannon and muskets”
1775 – Portland, Maine, is burned by the British
1875 – First Quebec vs. Ontario football game; Ontario wins
1882 – The Nickel Plate Railroad opens for business
1968 – Americans Tommie Smith (gold, 19.83, WR) and John Carlos (bronze) famously give the Black Power salute on the 200 m medal podium during the Mexico City Olympics to protest racism and injustice against African Americans

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Famous Birthdays

1890 – Michael Collins, Irish revolutionary leader and leading figure in the struggle for Irish independence in the early 20th century, born in Clonakilty, Ireland (d. 1922)
1897 – Harrison Kerr, American composer, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1978)
1913 – Cesar Bresgen, Austrian organist and composer, born in Florence, Italy (d. 1988)
1938 – Yevgeny Petrov, Russian sports shooter (Olympic gold Skeet 1968; silver 1972), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 2025)
1975 – Kellie Martin, American actress (Life Goes On, Cristy), born in Riverside, California

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Famous Deaths

1750 – Silvius Leopold Weiss, German composer and lutenist, dies at 64
1755 – Saint Gerard Majella, Catholic saint, dies at 29
1814 – Juan Jose Landaeta, Venezuelan composer, killed at 34
1992 – Shirley Booth, American Tony Award-winning stage and screen actress (Come Back, Little Sheba; Hazel), dies of natural causes at 94
2000 – Mel Carnahan, American politician, 51st Governor of Missouri (1993-2000), dies in an airplane crash at 66

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Historical Events

1654 – Prince William of Orange appointed viceroy of Overijssel
1904 – The Russians are driven back by the Japanese in the Battle of Shaho; both sides suffer heavy casualties: Japanese (16,000) and Russians (60,000)
1956 – William J. Brennan, Jr. is appointed to the US Supreme Court
1979 – Military coup in El Salvador: President Carlos Romero flees
2024 – Google signs a deal with Kairos Power to use small nuclear reactors to generate power to supply its artificial intelligence data centres

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Famous Birthdays

1926 – Ed McBain [Evan Hunter], American writer (Blackboard Jungle), born in New York City (d. 2005)
1937 – Linda Lavin, American Tony Award-winning stage and screen actress (Alice; Barney Miller, 1975-76; Broadway Bound), born in Portland, Maine (d. 2024)
1953 – Joe Klecko, American Pro Football HOF defensive lineman (NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1981; First-team All-Pro 1981, 85; 4 × Pro Bowl; New York Jets), born in Chester, Pennsylvania
1971 – Annbjørg Lien, Norwegian folk fiddler and nyckelharpa player, born in Ålesund, Norway
1975 – Glen Little, English footballer, born in London, England

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Famous Deaths

912 – Abdullah ibn Muhammad, 7th Emir of Córdoba (888-912), dies at 68
1715 – Humphry Ditton, English mathematician, dies at 40
1891 – William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, American Major General (Confederate Army), dies at 54
1980 – Apostolos Nikolaidis, Greek footballer and volleyball player (b. 1896)
1987 – Thomas Sankara, Burkinabé revolutionary and politician, President of Burkina Faso (1983-87), assassinated in a coup at 37

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