Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1936 – International communist conference members in Prague arrange create International Brigades to help the Republican Government in the Spanish Civil War
1953 – Cuban pirate radio station’s first transmission in Santiago de Cuba
1963 – US Syncom 2, the first geosynchronous communications satellite, launches
1965 – Republic of Maldives gains independence from Britain (National Day)
1978 – 11th San Diego Comic-Con International opens at El Cortez Hotel

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Famous Birthdays

1829 – Auguste Beernaert, 14th Prime Minister of Belgium (1884-94) and Nobel Peace Prize laureate 1909, born in Ostend, Belgium (d. 1912)
1909 – Vivian Vance [Jones], American stage and screen actress (I Love Lucy – “Ethel Mertz”; The Lucy Show – “Viv”), born in Cherryvale, Kansas (d. 1979)
1917 – Bertil Nordahl, Swedish soccer midfielder and manager (15 caps; Atalanta; Olympic gold 1948), born in Hörnefors, Sweden (d. 1998)
1944 – Rimantas Stankevičius, Lithuanian cosmonaut, born in Marijampolė, Lithuania (d. 1990)
1969 – Jonty Rhodes, South African cricket batsman (brilliant fielder), born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

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Famous Deaths

1728 – John Friend, physician/politician, dies
1925 – Gottlob Frege, German mathematician and logician (Begriffsschrift), dies at 76
1960 – Maud Menten, Canadian biochemist known for the Michaelis–Menten equation for enzyme kinetics, dies at 81
1996 – Arthur McDonald, Royal Air Force officer and radar pioneer, dies at 93
2012 – Franz West, Austrian artist, dies at 65

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Historical Events

306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman Emperor by his troops
1987 – USSR launches Kosmos 1870, a 15-ton Earth observation satellite
1988 – Mindy Duncan, 16, of Oregon, crowned 6th Miss Teen USA
2000 – Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde supersonic passenger jet, F-BTSC, crashes just after takeoff from Paris, killing all 109 aboard and four on the ground
2012 – Ivica Dačić is sworn in as Prime Minister of Serbia

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Famous Birthdays

1639 – Thomas Tompion, English clockmaker (cylinder tunnel), born in Northill, Bedfordshire, England (d. 1713)
1943 – Jim McCarty, English rock drummer, and songwriter (Yardbirds – “For Your Love”; Renaissance, 1969-70), born in Liverpool, England
1948 – Ray Wheatley, Australian boxer (NSW featherweight champion), official (IBF supervisor, referee and judge; VP IBF 2000-12) and broadcaster (Sky Channel, ESPN, 9 Network), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 2023)
1948 – Claude Noel, Tobagonian boxer (WBA Lightweight title 1981), born in Roxborough, Trinidad and Tobago (d. 2023)
1962 – David Korevaar, American concert pianist and educator (University of Colorado), born in Madison, Wisconsin

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Famous Deaths

1471 – John Soreth, French Carmelite friar, dies at about 77
1988 – David Tobey, American Basketball Hall of Fame referee (1918-45; first game with a 3-man officiating crew), dies at 90
2017 – Hywel Bennett, Welsh, actor (Family Way, Shelley), dies at 73
2021 – Robert Parris “Bob” Moses, American civil rights activist (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)), and educator (The Algebra Project), dies at 86
2023 – Julian Barry [Mendelsohn], American playwright and screenwriter (Lenny; Rhinoceros), dies of congestive heart failure at 92

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Historical Events

1863 – Battle of Battle Mountain, Virginia
1927 – The Menin Gate war memorial is unveiled at Ypres
1966 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Firestone CC: American Al Geiberger wins his only major title by 4 shots from Dudley Wysong
1973 – 44th MLB All-Star Game: NL wins 7-1 at Royals Stadium, Kansas City; MVP: Bobby Bonds (SF Giants)
2018 – First bison born in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, in 140 years after being reintroduced

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Famous Birthdays

1903 – Robert Mills Delaney, American composer, born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1956)
1919 – Peter Zinner, Austrian-American film editor (The Godfather; The Deer Hunter), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2007)
1961 – Paul Geary, American heavy metal drummer (Extreme – “Nore Than Words”), born in Medford, Massachusetts
1965 – Kadeem Hardison, American actor (A Different World, The Sixth Man), born in Brooklyn, New York
1981 – Nayib Bukele, Salvadoran politician (President of El Salvador 2019-), born in San Salvador, El Salvador

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Famous Deaths

1819 – Sophie Gail, French singer and composer, dies at 43
1846 – Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, French King of the Netherlands (1806-10), dies at 67
1936 – Georg Michaelis, German lawyer and politician (Chancellor of German Empire and Prime Minister of Prussia, July-November 1917), dies at 78
2007 – Albert Ellis, American psychologist, dies at 93
2011 – Dan Peek, American rock vocalist and guitarist (America), dies at 60

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Historical Events

1955 – NY Yankees Bob Cerv and E Howard are first to hit consecutive pinch home runs
1968 – PLO’s first hijacking of an El Al plane
1994 – Don Mattingly becomes the sixth New York Yankee to get 2,000 hits
1995 – Tour de France: Miguel Induráin of Spain wins fifth consecutive Tour, 4 minutes and 35 seconds ahead of Alex Zülle; Laurent Jalabert points winner
1999 – Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan is crowned King Mohammed VI of Morocco on the death of his father

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Famous Birthdays

1886 – Arthur Whitten Brown, British aviator (first nonstop airplane crossing of the Atlantic with John W. Alcock), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 1948)
1898 – Jacob Marschak, Ukrainian-American economist (econometrics), born in Kiev, Russia (d. 1977)
1925 – Pierre Baugniet, Belgian pairs ice skater (Olympic gold 1948), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1981)
1958 – Ken Green, American golfer (5 PGA Tour titles), born in Danburry, Connecticut
1961 – André Ducharme, Canadian (Québécois) humorist (Rock et Belles Oreilles) and author, born in Montreal, Quebec

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Famous Deaths

1859 – Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, French poet (Bouquets et prières), dies at 73
1980 – Keith Godchaux, American pianist, and singer (Grateful Dead, 1971-79 – “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away”), dies in a car accident at 32
1995 – Bob Rundick, American poet and DJ, dies at 52
1998 – Vladimir Dudintsev, Ukrainian Soviet writer (Not by Bread Alone), dies at 79
2006 – Jean-Paul Desbiens, Quebec writer and journalist, dies at 79

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Historical Events

1443 – Battle of St. Jakob an der Sihl: Army of the Old Swiss Confederacy defeats an allied force of Zurich and Habsburg troops at the gates of Zurich; without means to lay siege to the city, they withdraw
1951 – General Francisco Craveiro Lopes appointed President of Portugal
1955 – Richard Nixon becomes the first US Vice President to preside over a cabinet meeting
1972 – 2 Catholics are abducted, beaten, and shot dead in a Loyalist area of Belfast
2024 – Mudslides from heavy rains kills at least 229 people in Kencho Shacha Gozdi district, southern Ethiopia

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Famous Birthdays

1535 – Katarina Stenbock, Swedish third wife of Gustav I of Sweden, born in Torpa Castle, Sweden (d. 1621)
1831 – Kōmei [Osahito], 121st Emperor of Japan (1846-67) during the final years of the Edo period, born in Kyōto, Japan (d. 1867)
1848 – Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, born in Neustrelitz, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz(d. 1914)
1977 – Gustavo Nery, Brazilian footballer, 1995-2012 (Santos, São Paulo, Corinthians) , born in Nova Friburgo, Brazil
1992 – Selena Gomez, American actress (Wizards of Waverly Place; Hotel Transylvania), and singer (“Wolves”; “Lose You To Love Me”), born in Grand Prairie, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1387 – French Ackerman, Ghent rebel/leader of Reisers, murdered at about 57
1869 – John Roebling, German-American civil engineer (Brooklyn Bridge), dies of tetanus as the result of an accident at 63
1996 – Robert Collins, keyboard player, dies at 33
2003 – Uday Hussein, Iraqi politician, administrator, murderer, and eldest son of Saddam Hussein, killed by US military during Iraq War at 39
2004 – (Jean-Baptiste) Illinois Jacquet, American jazz saxophonist (“Flying Home”), dies of a heart attack at 81

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Historical Events

1960 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike becomes the world’s first female elected head of government, as Prime Minister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)
1972 – Bloody Friday: within the space of 75 minutes, the Provisional Irish Republican Army explode twenty-two bombs in Belfast; six civilians, two British Army soldiers and one UDA volunteer were killed, 130 injured
1976 – 9th San Diego Comic-Con International opens at El Cortez Hotel
1976 – Christopher Ewart-Biggs, British Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, and his secretary Judith Cook are assassinated by a bomb planted by the Provisional IRA in his car in Dublin
1977 – Sanjiva Reddy is elected sixth President of India unopposed

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Famous Birthdays

1895 – H G “Nummy” Deane, South African cricket batsman (17 Tests [12 as captain], 3 x 50; Natal, Transvaal), born in Eshowe, South Africa (d. 1939)
1926 – Queenie Watts [Mary Spenton], British singer and actress (Up the Junction, Holiday on the Buses), born in London, England (d. 1980)
1935 – Julian Pettifer, English TV journalist, born in Malmesbury, Wiltshire
1947 – Jimmy Duncan, American politician (Rep-R-Tennessee 1988-2019), born in Lebanon, Tennessee
1963 – Giant Silva [Paulo Silva], Brazilian mixed martial artist and 7ft 2in professional wrestler, born in São Paulo, Brazil

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Famous Deaths

1880 – Hiram Walden, American politician, dies at 79
1979 – Ludwig Renn, German writer, dies at 90
1986 – Virginia Hewitt, American actress (Carol-Space Patrol), dies of cancer at 60
1995 – Edwin “Russell” House, American saxophonist, dies at 65
2010 – Luis Corvalán, Chilean communist leader (b. 1916)

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Historical Events

1304 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle – King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold of the war
1925 – Treaty of Nettuno between Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia) is signed but is only ratified in 1928
1942 – Legion of Merit Medal authorized by US congress
1948 – Lou Thesz beats Bill Longson, to become NWA wrestling champion
2015 – Hacker group Impact Team announces they have hacked the married dating site Ashley Madison

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Famous Birthdays

1803 – Jakob Zeugheer, Swiss composer, born in Zürich, Switzerland (d. 1865)
1933 – José Vicente Asuar, Chilean electronic music composer, born in Santiago, Chile (d. 2017)
1934 – M. Stanton Evans, American cultural commentator, chairman of the American Conservative Union (1971-77) and writer (The Sharon Statement), born in Kingsville, Texas (d. 2015)
1945 – Jake Scott, American College Football Hall of Fame safety (Uni of Georgia; 5×Pro Bowl; 2×First-team All-Pro; Super Bowl 1972 [MVP], 73; Miami Dolphins), born in Greenwood, South Carolina (d. 2020)
1973 – Haakon Magnus, Crown Prince of Norway, born in Oslo, Norway

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Famous Deaths

1156 – Toba, 74th Emperor of Japan (1107-23), dies at 53
1927 – Ferdinand I [Meinrad], King of Romania (1914-27), dies of cancer at 61
2005 – James Doohan, Canadian actor (Star Trek), dies from Pulmonary fibrosis at 85
2007 – Bill Flemming, American journalist and sportscaster (ABC’s Wide World of Sports), dies at 80
2019 – Sheila Dikshit (née Kapoor), Punjabi politician (Chief Minister of Delhi, 1998-2013), dies of multiple cardiac arrests at 81

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Historical Events

1914 – Boston Braves begin drive from last to the NL pennant with a 3-2 win against the 2nd placed Cincinnati Reds
1942 – Transport #7 departs Drancy, France with 999 French Jews sent to Auschwitz Concentration camp; 17 survive until the war’s end
1980 – XXII Summer Olympic Games open in Moscow, Russia; led by United States, 66 nations boycott event because of Soviet-Afghan war
1998 – British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: Mark O’Meara wins his 2nd major championship of the year (Masters) and first Open title by 2 in a 4-hole aggregate playoff with fellow American Brian Watts
2001 – Michael Brunet discovers the skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis in the Djurab Desert, Chad, one of the oldest known species in the human family tree and 6-7 million years old

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Famous Birthdays

1742 – Jean-Baptiste Davaux, French classical composer, born in La Côte-Saint-André, France (d. 1822)
1877 – Arthur Fielder, English cricket fast bowler (6 Tests 1903-08), born in Plaxtol, Tonbridge, Kent (d. 1949)
1894 – Joris van Severen, Flemish politician and founder of the Alliance of Dietsche National Solidarists, born in Wakken, Belgium (d. 1940)
1929 – Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, French historian (Carnival in Romans; Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error), born in Les Moutiers-en-Cinglais, France (d. 2023)
1961 – Maria Filatova, Soviet gymnast (Olympic 1976, 80 Gold), born in Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia

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Famous Deaths

1545 – George Carew, English admiral, drowns
1625 – Samuel Besler, German-Polish composer, dies at 50
1939 – Rose Hartwick Thorpe, American poet (Curfew Must Not Ring) and writer, dies at 89
1989 – Kazimierz Sabbat, President of the Republic of Poland in Exile (1986-89), dies at 76
2013 – Poncie Ponce, American actor (Hawaiian Eye), dies of heart failure at 80

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Historical Events

1882 – MLB Louisville Eclipse pitcher Tony Mullane is first to pitch right-handed and then left-handed
1944 – Hideki Tojo resigns the position of Prime Minister of Imperial Japan, after losing the support of Emperor Hirohito
1972 – 200,000 attend Mt Pocono rock festival in Penns
2018 – Kawhi Leonard is traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Pöltl, and a protected 2019 first-round draft pick
2023 – City of Phoenix, Arizona breaks a five decade heat record recording 19 consecutive days of temperature at or above 110°F (43.3°C); overnight low of 97°F (36.1°C) highest since 1989

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Famous Birthdays

1850 – Rose Hartwick Thorpe, American poet (Curfew Must Not Ring) and writer, born in Mishawaka, Indiana, Kansas (d. 1939)
1884 – Alberto di Jorio, Italian Cardinal and former head of the Vatican Bank, born in Rome (d. 1979)
1903 – Victor Gruen [Viktor Grünbaum], Austrian-American architect known for his pioneering work designing shopping centers (Northland Shopping Center in Michigan), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1980)
1912 – Harry Levin, American literary scholar, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 1994)
1946 – Leo Madder, Belgian actor (Spoed), born in Lier, Flanders, Belgium

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Famous Deaths

1817 – Jane Austen, English novelist (Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility), dies at 41
1948 – Herman Gummerus, Finnish historian and politician (b. 1877)
1992 – Jan Pelleboer, Dutch meteorologist, and first television weatherman in the Netherlands, dies at 64
2009 – Henry Allingham, oldest male British supercentenarian (born 1896) and World War I veteran, dies at 113 years, 42 days
2018 – Wolfgang Hufschmidt, German church musician, academic, and composer, dies at 84

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Historical Events

1841 – British humorous and satirical magazine “Punch” is first published; it closes in 2002
1856 – The Great Train Wreck of 1856 between Camp Hill and Fort Washington, Pennsylvania kills over 60 people
1925 – Tris Speaker, is 5th to get 3,000 hits
1958 – US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands
2023 – Typhoon Talim, makes landfall on China’s Guandong coast with winds of nearly 140km/h (87mph), forcing the evacuation of nearly 230,000 people

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Famous Birthdays

1889 – Erle Stanley Gardner, American detective writer (Perry Mason), born in Malden, Massachusetts (d. 1970)
1908 – (Alfons) “Fud” Candrix, Belgian jazz saxophonist, violinist, and bandleader, born in Tongeren, Belgium (d. 1974)
1918 – Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, Guatemalan army colonel and President of Guatemala (1970-74), born in Barberena, Guatemala (d. 2003)
1942 – Don Kessinger, American baseball shortstop (6 x MLB All Star; Gold Glove 1969, 70; Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago WS), born in Forrest City, Arkansas
1969 – Tommy Soderstrom, Swedish NHL goalie (Sweden, NY Islanders), born in Stockholm, Sweden

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Famous Deaths

1894 – Josef Hyrtl, Austrian anatomist, dies at 83
2005 – Geraldine Fitzgerald, Irish actress (Pawnbroker, Easy Money), dies of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at 91
2010 – Fred F. Carter Jr., American country session guitarist, singer, producer and composer (Nashville’s “A-Team”), dies of a stroke at 76
2015 – Jules Bianchi, French auto racer (Marussia Formula 1 Racing Team), dies from injuries during accident at 2014 Japanese F1 GP, at 25
2024 – Cheng Pei Pei, Hong Kong actress, cinema’s 1st female action star (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), dies at 78

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