Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1673 – Edmund Halley enters The Queen’s College, Oxford, as an undergraduate
1915 – Excursion ship Eastland capsizes in Lake Michigan, killing 852 people
1964 – Race riot in Rochester, New York, kills 4
1966 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Firestone CC: American Al Geiberger wins his only major title by 4 shots from Dudley Wysong
2022 – Pope Francis arrives in Edmonton, Canada, to begin a penitential trip to meet with and apologize to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities for their treatment at church-run residential schools

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Famous Birthdays

1929 – Alfred Binns, West Indian cricket wicket-keeper (5 Tests, 17 dismissals; Jamaica), born in KIngston, Jamaica (d. 2017)
1944 – Jim Armstrong, Irish rock guitarist (Them – “Here Comes The Night”), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
1961 – Kerry Dixon, English footballer, 1979-97, and manager, born in Luton, England
1965 – Joe Oliver, American MLB catcher (Cincinnati Reds), born in Memphis, Tennessee
1982 – Anna Paquin, Canadian-born New Zealand Oscar-winning actress (The Piano, True Blood), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba

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Famous Deaths

1240 – Konrad von Thüringen, German fifth Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights
1908 – Vicente Acosta, Salvadoran poet, dies at 41 (b. the same day 1867)
1936 – Georg Michaelis, German lawyer and politician (Chancellor of German Empire and Prime Minister of Prussia, July-November 1917), dies at 78
1980 – Uttam Kumar, Indian actor (b. 1926)
2023 – Leny Andrade, Brazilian samba, bossa nova and jazz singer, dies of Lewy body dementia at 80

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Historical Events

1777 – King Louis XVI of France and his Foreign Minister clandestinely agree to supply the United States with munitions during the American Revolution
1777 – Polish military leader Casimir Pulaski arrives in Marblehead, Massachusetts, to volunteer in the Continental Army cavalry
1858 – Jewish Disabilities Removal Act passes in British Parliament
1870 – Emperor Napoleon III appoints Empress Eugénie de Montijo as Regent of France
2015 – Supreme Court rejects Bill Cosby’s petition against a civil case of his alleged sexual assault of 15-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1974

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Famous Birthdays

1825 – Richard Hol, Dutch composer, organist and conductor, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1904)
1921 – Peter Twiss, British test pilot (breaking the World Air Speed Record and being the first person to exceed 1,000 mph in flight), born in Lindfield, Sussex (d. 2011)
1950 – Kaity Tong, Chinese-American news anchor (WPIX), born in Qingdao, China
1979 – Perro Aguayo, Jr., Mexican professional wrestler (CMLL), born in Mexico City (d. 2015)
1986 – Reece Ritchie, English actor (The Outpost), born in Lowestoft, England

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Famous Deaths

1932 – Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian balloonist, airship builder, and aviator (1st plane flight in Europe), dies by suicide at 59
1948 – D.W. Griffith, American film director and producer (Birth of a Nation, Intolerance), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 73
1964 – Jan de Vries, Dutch scholar of Germanic linguistics and Germanic mythology, dies at 74
1996 – Hamilton Fish IV, American politician (Rep-R-NY, 1969-95), dies at 70
2011 – Amy Winehouse, British singer-songwriter (“Stronger Than Me”; “Rehab”), dies from alcohol poisoning at 27

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Historical Events

259 – Saint Dionysius elected as Pope, succeeding Sixtus II
1950 – Frank Worrell completes 261 v England at Trent Bridge
1950 – King Leopold returns to Belgium after 6 years in exile
1960 – Cuba nationalizes all US-owned sugar factories
1991 – Jeffrey Dahmer confesses to killing 17 men in 1978

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Famous Birthdays

1844 – William Archibald Spooner, English Oxford Don and reverend and inventor (spoonerisms), born in London, England (d. 1930)
1878 – Lucien Febvre, French historian (Un destin: Martin Luther), born in Nancy, France (d. 1956)
1882 – Edward Hopper, American painter (Nighthawks, House by the Railroad), born in Upper Nyack, New York (d. 1967)
1967 – Rhys Ifans [Evans], Welsh actor (Notting Hill; The Replacements; Enduring Love), and rock singer (The Peth), born in Haverfordwest, Wales
1972 – Colin Ferguson, Canadian actor known for “Eureka”, born in Montreal, Quebec

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Famous Deaths

1794 – Jean-Benjamin de La Borde, French composer, dies at 59
1826 – Giuseppe Piazzi, Italian astronomer (found 1st asteroid-Ceres), dies at 80
1864 – William H. T. Walker, American Major General (Confederate Army), killed in action at 47 during the Atlanta Campaign
2005 – Eugene Record American songwriter and singer (The Chi-Lites) (b. 1940)
2008 – Joe Beck, American session and jazz guitarist (Don Sebesky; Gil Evans; Gato Barbieri; Esther Phillips), and bandleader, dies of lung cancer at 62

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Historical Events

1941 – 200 Jewish Torahs are burned in Ukraine
1952 – “The Quiet Man” film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara is released in the UK
1964 – Race riots in Singapore between Chinese and Malay groups, 23 killed, 454 injured
1973 – France performs nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll in the Pacific
1991 – British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: Australian 1-2 with Ian Baker-Finch winning his only major championship, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Mike Harwood

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Famous Birthdays

1810 – Henri V. Regnault, French physicist and chemist, born in Aachen (d. 1878)
1909 – Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards, English Egyptologist, born in London (d. 1996)
1920 – Constant [Nieuwenhuys], Dutch painter (Uprising of Homo Ludens), and sculptor, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 2005)
1926 – Rahimuddin Khan, Pakistani general and Governor of Balochistan (1978-84), born in Qaimganj, British India (d. 2022)
1989 – Rory Culkin, American actor (Signs), born in New York City

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Famous Deaths

1910 – Johan Peter Selmer, Norwegian composer, dies at 66
1970 – Mikhail Gerasimov, Russian anthropologist and sculptor (b. 1907)
1986 – Virginia Hewitt, American actress (Carol-Space Patrol), dies of cancer at 60
2010 – Ralph Houk, American baseball catcher, coach, manager and executive (World Series champion 1947, 52-53, coach, 58; mgr 1961-62; NY Yankees), dies at 90
2022 – Uwe Seeler, German soccer striker (72 caps West Germany; Hamburger SV 476 games, 404 goals), dies at 85

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Historical Events

514 – St Hormisdas elected as Pope succeeding Pope Sympowerus
1942 – Barbados dismiss Trinidad for 16 in 69 minutes, Derek Sealy taking 8-8; West Indian cricket domestic first class record
1961 – Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley’s musical “Stop The World – I Want To Get Off” premieres at Queen’s Theater in London’s West End
1963 – US Open Women’s Golf, Kenwood CC: Mary Mills wins her first of 3 major titles by 3 strokes ahead of runners-up Louise Suggs and Sandra Haynie
2015 – British Open Men’s Golf, St. Andrews: American Zach Johnson wins in a 4-hole play-off with Australian Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa

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Famous Birthdays

1513 – Gaspar Schetz, Dutch nobleman and financier (royal treasurer general of the Habsburg Netherlands), born in Antwerp, Duchy of Brabant, Holy Roman Empire (now Belgium) (d. 1580)
1663 – Pierre Drevet, French engraver, born in Loire-sur-Rhône, Lyon (d. 1738)
1945 – John Lodge, British bassist, vocalist, and songwriter (The Moody Blues – “I’m Just A Singer”; “Gemini Dream”), born in Birmingham, England
1973 – Peter Forsberg, Swedish NHL center (Colorado Avalanche), born in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
1976 – Andrew Stockdale, Australian rock musician (Wolfmother), born in Brisbane, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1964 – Anna Vyrubova, Russian lady-in-waiting, the best friend and confidante of Tsaritsa Alexandra Fyodorovna, dies at 80
1984 – Gail Kubik, American composer (Gerald McBoing Boing), dies at 69
1999 – Sandra Gould, American actress (b. 1916)
2015 – Elio Fiorucci, Italian fashion designer, dies at 80
2022 – Douglas Mitchell, Canadian Football Hall of Fame executive (CFL Commissioner 1984-88), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1936 – Spanish premier Casares Quiroga succeeded by Jose Giral
1982 – David S Dodge becomes 1st American hostage in Lebanon
2013 – 20 people are killed by a suicide bombing in Diyala, Iraq
2018 – Largest intact sarcophagus of its kind ever found (2000 years old) opened in Alexandria, contains 3 skeletons, not a curse as feared
2023 – Scientists discover metals can self-heal after observing metals cracking and fusing back together, paving the way for future self-healing structures and vehicles

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Famous Birthdays

1822 – Princess Augusta of Cambridge, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and granddaughter of George III, born in Palace of Montbrillant, Hanover (d. 1916)
1823 – George Henry Gordon, American lawyer and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1886)
1894 – Percy Spencer, American physicist and inventor of the microwave, born in Howland, Maine (d. 1970)
1974 – Vincent Spadea, American tennis player, born in Chicago, Illinois
1981 – Didz Hammond, British bassist and backing vocalist (Dirty Pretty Things; The Cooper Temple Clause), born in Reading, England

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Famous Deaths

1054 – Bernold[us] Benno/Bernulphus, bishop of Utrecht (1027-54)/saint, dies
1913 – Clímaco Calderón, President of Colombia for one day in 1882, dies at 60
1969 – Pavel I Apostolov, Russian military bandmaster, dies
1974 – Ernő Schwarz, Hungarian-American soccer forward (2 caps Hungary; Ferencváros, NY Giants, NY Americans) and coach (United States [men] 1953-56), dies at 69
2013 – Poncie Ponce, American actor (Kazuo Kim-Hawaiian Eye), dies from heart failure at 80

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Historical Events

1768 – Boston Gazette publishes “Liberty Song,” America’s first patriotic song
1925 – Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf, original title was the catchy “Four and a Half Years (of Struggle) Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice”
1960 – 1st UN troops reach Congo
1968 – Intel Corporation is founded in Santa Clara, California
1976 – Stockhausens “Sirius” premieres in NYC

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Famous Birthdays

1823 – Leonard Fulton Ross, American lawyer, probate judge, and Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Lewistown, Illinois (d. 1901)
1848 – W. G. Grace, English cricket batsman and captain (22 Tests; 2 x 100, HS 170; 54,896 runs over record 44 FC seasons; Gloucestershire CCC), born in Bristol, England (d. 1915)
1888 – Sydney Horler, English detective writer (Checkmate), born in Leytonstone, Essex (d. 1954)
1927 – Carlo Franci, Italian composer and conductor, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 2019)
1969 – Elizabeth Gilbert, American author (Eat Pray, Love), born in Waterbury, Connecticut

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Famous Deaths

1695 – Johannes Camphuys, Governor-General of Dutch-Indies (1684-91), dies at 61
1902 – John White, American organist and composer based in Germany, dies at 47
2009 – Henry Allingham, oldest male British supercentenarian (born 1896) and World War I veteran, dies at 113 years, 42 days
2021 – Tom O’Connor, British comedian and TV game show host, dies from complications of Parkinson’s disease at 81
2022 – Claes Oldenburg, Swedish-American pop artist (Clothespin; Alphabet; Good Humor), dies at 93

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Historical Events

1948 – Israeli army captures Nazareth
1956 – MGM releases film “High Society”, a musical re-working of “The Philadelphia Story” set in Newport, Rhode Island; starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra, with songs by Cole Porter
1964 – Don Campbell sets a record for a turbine vehicle at 690.91 kph (429.31 mph)
1987 – Iran and France break diplomatic relations
1988 – Florence Griffith Joyner of the USA sets 100 m woman’s record (10.49)

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Famous Birthdays

1878 – Henri Zagwijn, Dutch composer and musicologist, born in Nieuwer-Amstel, Netherlands (d. 1954)
1883 – Mauritz Stiller [Moshe Stiller], Swedish actor and director (The Saga of Gösta Berling, Erotikon), born in Helsinki, Finland (d. 1928)
1941 – Morimichi Takagi, Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman (NPB All-Star 1966–67, 73, 79; Chunichi Dragons), born in Gifu, Japan (d. 2020)
1947 – Abraham Laboriel, Sr, Mexican-American session and jazz bassist, born in Mexico City
1949 – Charlie Steiner, American sports broadcaster, born in Malverne, New York

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Famous Deaths

1709 – Robert Bolling, English settler in Virginia and politician, dies at 62
1928 – Giovanni Giolitti, 5x Prime Minister of Italy (1892-93, 1903-05, 1906-09, 1911-14, 1920-21), dies at 85
1943 – Sir Patrick Duncan, Governor-general of the Union of South Africa (1937 to 1943), dies at 72
1995 – Carlos Sánchez Málaga, Peruvian composer, dies at 91
2020 – Derek Ho, American surfer (World C’ship 1993; Hawaiian Triple Crown 1984, 86, 88, 90), dies from a heart attack at 55

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Historical Events

1790 – Congress declares the city of Washington in the District of Columbia, the permanent capital of the United States
1924 – NY Giants George Kelly is 1st to hit HRs in 6 cons games
1942 – French police arrest 13,152 Jews in Paris
1995 – Red Buttons’ one-man show “Buttons on Broadway” closes at Ambassador Theater, NYC, after 33 performances
2017 – Kawhi Leonard re-signs with the San Antonio Spurs to a five-year, $90 million contract

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Famous Birthdays

1925 – Cal Tjader, American Latin jazz vibraphonist, born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1982)
1948 – Rubén Blades, Panamanian singer and actor, born in Panama City, Panama
1949 – Ray Majors, British rock guitarist (Mott the Hoople, 1975-76; British Lions, 1977-78), born in the UK (d. 2022)
1966 – Mike Horn, South African explorer, 1st to reach North Pole without dog or motorized transport, born in Johannesburg, South Africa
1980 – Adam Scott, Australian golfer (US Masters 2013), born in Adelaide, South Australia

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Famous Deaths

1736 – Thomas Yalden, poet/fable writer, dies
1879 – Edward Deas Thomson, British-Australian politician, chancellor of the University of Sydney, and member of the Legislative Council of NSW, dies at 79
1979 – James F Mcintyre, archbishop of Los Angeles, dies at 93
1991 – Dwight Weist, Radio actor and film narrator (Radio Days), dies at 81
2019 – John Paul Stevens, American lawyer and 103rd Supreme Court Justice (1975-2010), dies from complications of a stroke at 99

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Historical Events

1815 – Napoleon surrenders to Captain Frederick Maitland of HMS Bellerophon at Rochefort after his earlier defeat at the Battle of Waterloo
1946 – British North Borneo Company transfers its rights to modern day Sabah to the British Crown
1954 – 110°F (43°C) at Balcony Falls, Virginia (state record)
1968 – NJ Americans moved to Comack and become NY Nets (ABA)
1982 – Senate confirms George P. Shultz as US 60th Secretary of State by vote of 97-0

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Famous Birthdays

1914 – Akhtar Hameed Khan, Pakistani pioneer of Microcredit in developing countries, born in Agra, British India (d. 1999)
1924 – Jeremiah Denton, American politician (Senator-R-Alabama, 1981-86), born in Mobile, Alabama (d. 2014)
1949 – WiIlliam Faure, South African film producer (Shaka Zulu), born in South Africa (d. 1994)
1956 – Kathy Kreiner, Canadian alpine skier (Olympic gold giant slalom 1976), born in Timmins, Ontario
1961 – Forest Whitaker, American actor and director (“The Last King of Scotland”; “Platoon”), born in Longview, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1871 – Tad Lincoln, youngest son of US President Abraham Lincoln, dies at 18
1919 – [Hermann] Emil Fischer, German chemist, discovered Fischer esterification (Nobel Prize 1902), commits suicide at 66
1931 – Ladislaus Bortkiewicz, Russian mathematician (Poisson distribution) and economist, dies at 62
1939 – Percy Scott Worthington, architect, dies
1961 – John E. Brownlee, Canadian politician (b. 1884)

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