Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1882 – University of the Punjab is founded in Lahore in present-day Pakistan
1942 – German assault on Tractor factory, 1000s killed
1962 – USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
1983 – Grenada Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard launches a leftist coup within the revolutionary government and takes power for 3 days
2024 – Russian man is rescued after 67 days adrift in an inflatable boat after his brother and nephew die in the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia’s Far East

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Famous Birthdays

1789 – Constant van Crombrugghe, Flemish monastery founder, born in Geraardsbergen, Belgium (d. 1865)
1909 – Dorothy Kingsley, American screenwriter (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), born in New York City (d. 1997)
1928 – Mary Tsingou Menzel, American mathematician and programmer who worked on the Mathematical Analyzer, Numerical Integrator and Computer (MANIAC), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2026)
1934 – Rose Wylie, British artist, born in Hythe, Kent England
1953 – Greg Evigan, American actor (BJ and the Bear: Melrose Place), born in South Amboy, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1619 – Samuel Daniel, English poet (b. 1562)
2008 – Barrington J. Bayley, English sci-fi author (Collision Course), dies at 71
2012 – Arlen Specter, American Senator (Republican-PA, 1981- 2011), dies at 82
2019 – Sulli [Choi Jin-ri], South Korean K-pop singer (f(x)) and actress (Fashion King), takes her own life at 25
2023 – Park Seo-Bo, South Korean artist (Ecritures series), dies of cardiopulmonary arrest at 91

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Historical Events

1890 – The Delta Chi fraternity is founded by 11 law students at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
1972 – Uruguay to Chile plane crashes in Andes Mountains, (passengers eat crash victims to survive, 16 of 45 rescued 2 months later)
1999 – Canadian Robert Mundell is named the winner of the 1999 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics
2012 – “I Won’t Give Up,” a single by Jason Mraz, is certified 4x multi-platinum
2012 – Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild sells for $34 million, the highest-selling artwork by a living artist

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Famous Birthdays

1878 – Patrick Joseph Hartigan, Australian Roman Catholic priest, born in O’Connell Town, Yass, New South Wales (d. 1952)
1933 – Raynald Fréchette, Quebec politician and judge, born in Asbestos, Quebec (d. 2007)
1955 – Frans van Oostrom, Dutch jazz and blues guitarist, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1956 – Anura Ranasinghe, Sri Lankan cricketer (Sri Lankan batsman in 3 Tests 1982), born in Kalatura, Sri Lanka
1980 – Magne Hoseth, Norwegian soccer midfielder (22 caps; Molde FK 284 games), born in Averøy, Norway

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Famous Deaths

1673 – Kristoffer Gabel, Danish statesman (b. 1617)
1987 – Kishore Kumar, Indian singer and actor, dies at 58
1995 – Golfredo Corradetti, Canadian conductor, dies at 79
2003 – Anne Ziegler [Irené Eastwood], British singer of light opera, known with husband Webster Booth as the “Sweethearts in Song”, dies at 93
2025 – Tony Caunter, British actor (Roy Evans in “EastEnders”), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1798 – Peasants’ War begins in the Southern Netherlands against French Republican occupation
1961 – USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
1976 – MLB National League Championship: Cincinnati Reds beat Philadelphia Phillies, 3 games to 0
1992 – Arecibo radio telescope begins Microwave Observing Project search for occupied planets
2023 – Roman scrolls burned in Mt. Vesuvius eruption at Herculaneum are read for the first time after a computer science student develops a machine-learning algorithm; the first word deciphered is “purple”

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Famous Birthdays

1903 – Josephine Hutchinson, American actress (Story of Louis Pasteur), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 1998)
1928 – Al Held, American painter and sculptor (hard edge-style), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2005)
1934 – Albert Shiryaev, Russian mathematician, known for his work in probability theory, statistics and financial mathematics, born in Shchyolkovo, Russia
1950 – Kaga Takeshi [Shigekatsu Katsuta], Japanese actor, born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
1983 – Alex Brosque, Australian footballer (Sydney FC), born in Sydney, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1320 – Michael IX Palaeologus, co-ruling Byzantine Emperor (1295-1320), eldest son of Andronikos II Palaiologos and Anna of Hungary, dies at 43
1590 – Kano Eitoku, Japanese painter during the Azuchi–Momoyama period (Views in and around Kyoto), dies at 47
1915 – Edith Cavell, British nurse, executed by German firing squad in Belgium during World War I at 49
1945 – Jesse James Payne, a sharecropper, lynched in Madison County, Florida
2009 – Ian Wallace, British buffo bass-baritone opera and concert singer (“Gendarmes’ Duet”), and broadcaster (BBC’s My Music, 1964-97), dies at 90

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Historical Events

1531 – Battle of Kappel: Swiss Roman Catholic cantons beat protestant forces of Zurich; Huldrych Zwingli Swiss reformation leader is killed
1634 – Burchardi flood, known as the second “Grote Mandrenke,” kills about 15,000 people in North Friesland, Denmark, and Germany
1958 – Musical “Goldilocks” opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in NYC for 161 performances
1969 – Soyuz 6 launches; Soyuz 7 and 8 follow in the next two days as part of a triple spacecraft missile
1979 – East Germany frees political dissidents Rudolf Bahro and Nico Hübner

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Famous Birthdays

1821 – Angelo Mariani, Italian composer, born in Ravenna, Papal States (d. 1873)
1844 – Henry John Heinz, German-American entrepreneur who founded prepared-foods company (H.J. Heinz Company-57 varieties), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1919)
1903 – Charles P. Cabell, American military and intelligence officer (US Air Force general; Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, 1953–1962), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 1971)
1956 – Nicanor Frutos, Paraguayan politician (47th President of Paragua, 2003-08), born in Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay
1966 – Rikishi [Solofa F. Fatu Jr.], Samoan American professional wrestler, born in San Francisco, California

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Famous Deaths

1303 – Boniface VIII [Benedetto Gaetani], Italian pope and ruler of the Papal States (1294-1303), dies at 72 or 73
1811 – Johann Conrad Ammann, Swiss physician, naturalist, and instructor of non-verbal deaf persons, dies at 86
1970 – Anis Fuleihan, Lebanese-American classical pianist, composer (Theremin Concerto), conductor, and pedagogue, dies at 70
2007 – Werner von Trapp, Austrian singer (Trapp Family Singers), dies at 91
2008 – Neal Hefti, American jazz trumpeter, arranger (Woody Herman; Count Basie); bandleader (Kate Smith Show) and composer (“Li’l Darlin”; The Odd Couple; Batman theme), dies at 85

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Historical Events

732 – The Battle of Tours: The Umayyad army, led by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, is defeated by the Frankish-Aquitainian force led by Charles Martel during the Umayyad invasion of Gaul
1799 – Convention of Alkmaar: British-Russian invasion army departs Holland
1904 – Liberty Theatre opens at 234 W 42nd St NYC
1913 – Gamboa Dam in Panama is blown up; Atlantic and Pacific waters mix
2020 – Italian teenage computer genius Carlo Acutis, who dies of leukemia at 15, is beatified by the Catholic Church in Assisi, Italy

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Famous Birthdays

1892 – Earle Dickson, American inventor (Band-Aid), born in Grandview, Tennessee (d. 1961)
1919 – Gerry Gomez, West Indian cricket all-rounder (29 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 101, 58 wickets, BB 7/55; Trinidad), born in Port of Spain, Trinidad (d. 1996)
1933 – Salome Bey (née Wideman), American-Canadian jazz singer (Andy and the Bey Sisters), and music producer, born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2020)
1943 – Roy Christian, New Zealand rugby league centre (32 Tests; Auckland RL, Otahuhu RLFC), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2024)
1944 – Stephen Scott, American composer (Bowed Piano Ensemble; Vikings of Sunrise), and educator (Colorado College), born in Corvallis, Oregon (d. 2021)

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Famous Deaths

1872 – William H. Seward, American politician (Secretary of State, 1861-69, Governor of New York, 1839-42), dies at 71
1929 – Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American inventor (57 patents), dies at 86
1948 – Ted Horn, American auto racer (first to win AAA National C’ship 3 times consecutively 1946, 47, 48), dies in race accident at 38
1978 – Gesina Van der Molen, Dutch WWII resistance fighter/lawyer, dies at 86
2022 – Anita Kerr [née Grilli], American pop and country singer, composer, and producer (The Anita Kerr Singers), dies at 94

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Historical Events

1855 – American inventor Isaac Singer patents the sewing machine motor
1877 – American Humane Association organizes in Cleveland
1932 – Soviet leader Joseph Stalin expels Lev Kamenev and Grigory Zinoviev from the Communist Party after a power struggle
1959 – Lee Harvey Oswald arrives in Southampton, England
1999 – The last flight of the US aircraft Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird”

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Famous Birthdays

1942 – Shukri Ghanem, Libyan Prime Minister (2003-2006), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2012)
1954 – James Fearnley, British celtic-punk accordionist (The Pogues – “The Irish Rover”), born in Worsley, Greater Manchester, England
1957 – Don Garber, American sports executive (Commissioner USMLS 1999- ), born in New York City
1974 – Kavika Pittman, American defensive end (Dallas Cowboys), born in Frankfurt, Germany
1981 – Zachery Ty Bryan, American actor (Brad-Home Improvement), born in Aurora, Colorado

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Famous Deaths

1963 – Thurlow Lieurance, American composer (By the Waters of Minnetonka; Sad Moon on Falling Leaf), ethnomusicologist (Indigenous peoples), and educator, dies at 85
1995 – Alec Douglas-Home, British Prime Minister (Conservative: 1963-64), dies at 92
1999 – Akhtar Hameed Khan, Pakistani pioneer of Microcredit in developing countries, dies at 85
2022 – Margie Masters, Australian golfer (Western Open runner-up 1966), dies at 87
2023 – (Charles) “Buck” Trent, American country and bluegrass banjoist, dobro player, and singer (Hee Haw), dies at 85

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Historical Events

1806 – British forces lay siege to the French port of Boulogne using Congreve rockets, invented by Sir William Congreve
1813 – Treaty of Ried between Bavaria and Austria
1973 – Spyros Markezinis forms a government in Greece
1988 – Fire in the Space Needle causes evacuation and results in damages of $2,000 in Seattle, Washington
1990 – Israeli police kill 17 Palestinian protesters

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Famous Birthdays

1789 – John Ruggles, American politician, born in Westborough, Massachusetts (d. 1874)
1927 – César Milstein, Argentine biochemist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1984), born in Bahía Blanca, Argentina (d. 2002)
1944 – Ray Handley, American football coach (HC New York Giants 1991-92; Super Bowl XXI, XXV NY Giants assistant coach), born in Artesia, New Mexico (d. 2026)
1959 – Tony Eason, American football quarterback (New England Patriots), born in Blythe, California
1965 – Martin Mayhew, American NFL cornerback (Tampa Bay Bucs), born in Daytona Beach, California

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Famous Deaths

1728 – Anne Danican Philidor, French composer (Concert Spirituel), dies at 47
1985 – Malcolm Ross, American balloonist and atmospheric physicist, dies at 65
2001 – Javed Iqbal, Pakistani serial killer (murderer of 100 boys), commits suicide in prison at 45
2011 – Antonio Iglesias Álvares, Spanish pianist, composer, educator and critic, dies at 93
2023 – Alcides Báez, Paraguayan soccer goalkeeper (16 caps; FC Cerro Porteño, FC Libertad), dies at 76

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Historical Events

1828 – The Greek city of Patras is liberated by the French expeditionary force in Peloponnese under General Maison
1919 – KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij), Royal Dutch Airlines, is founded in Amsterdam, making it one of the world’s oldest airlines
1928 – Paavo Nurmi runs a world record 10 miles (50:15.0)
1957 – “How to Marry a Millionaire,” the first movie to become a TV sitcom, premieres
1993 – Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to American writer Toni Morrison

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Famous Birthdays

1912 – Fernando Belaúnde, Peruvian politician (President of Peru 1963–68, and 1980–85), born in Lima, Peru (d. 2002)
1937 – Dino Valenti [Chester Powers, Jr.], American rock guitarist and singer (Quicksilver Messenger Service – “Fresh Air”), born in Danbury, Connecticut (d. 1994)
1941 – Larry Young [aka Khalid Yasin], American hard-bop and jazz-fusion Hammond B-3 organist (Unity), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1978)
1946 – Bernard Lavilliers [Oulion], French jazz singer and songwriter, born in Saint-Étienne, France
1976 – Santiago Solari, Argentinian footballer, born in Rosario, Argentina

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Famous Deaths

929 – Charles III, “The Simple”, King of West Francia (893-923), granted Vikings the Duchy of Normandy, dies dethroned and in prison at 50
1577 – George Gascoigne, English poet
2004 – Hildy Parks, American stage and screen actress, and Emmy Award-winning producer and writer (Tony Award presentations), dies of complications from a stroke at 78
2008 – Peter Copley, British actor (Victim, Kingdom of Heaven, King and Country), dies at 93
2008 – Leslie Hardman, Jewish Orthodox rabbi (b. 1913)

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Historical Events

1920 – 1st brothers oppose each other in World Series, Cleveland’s Wheeler Johnston pinch-hits as brother Jimmy plays 3rd base for Brooklyn
1942 – Allied assault on oil installations of Bula Ceram
1945 – Memorial for the executed unveiled in Terbregge, Netherlands
2013 – Presidents Cup Golf, Muirfield Village GC: US wins for 5th successive time with an 18½–15½ victory over the International team
2018 – Oil tanker collision with a car leaves at least 50 people dead and one hundred with serious burns near Kisantu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Famous Birthdays

1459 – Martin Behaim, German navigator and geographer, designed the Erdapfel, the oldest terrestrial globe in the world, born in Nuremberg, Germany (d. 1507)
1618 – Miguel Gómez Camargo, Spanish Baroque composer, born in Avila, Spain (d. 1690)
1946 – Millie Small, Jamaican ska singer, and songwriter (“My Boy Lollipop”), born in Clarendon, Jamaica (d. 2020)
1974 – Walter Centeno, Costa Rican footballer, born in Palmar Sur, Costa Rica
1988 – Maki Horikita, Japanese model and actress known for ” Nobuta wo Produce”, born in Tokyo, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1861 – Elias Canneman, Dutch liberal politician and minister of Finance (1813-14), dies at 84
1992 – Denholm Elliott, British actor (Alfie; A Room with a View; Raiders of the Lost Ark), dies of tuberculosis at 70
2004 – (Hillegonda) “Hilly” Axwijk, Suriname-Dutch social worker and women’s rights activist, dies at 69
2006 – Eduardo Mignogna, Argentinian film director (b. 1940)
2011 – Brad Felt, American jazz tuba and euphonium player, composer, and bandleader, dies of pancreatic cancer at 55

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Historical Events

1907 – Canadian Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU) plays its first game; Montreal defeats Toronto 17-8 in Montreal
1942 – Budy Massacre at Auschwitz sub-camp, 90 French-Jewish women are beaten to death by prison guards
1947 – Brooklyn Dodgers outfielder Al Gionfriddo makes a famous catch off Joe DiMaggio in Game 6 of the Baseball World Series; Dodgers beat Yankees 8-6; the catch inspires the “back-back-back” expression
1994 – Magnitude 7.9 earthquake strikes the Kuril Islands, killing at least 10 people
2020 – Nobel Prize for Medicine awarded jointly to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M. Rice for the discovery of hepatitis C virus

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Famous Birthdays

1703 – Jonathan Edwards, Christian preacher, philosopher, and theologian (Original Sin), born in East Windsor, Connecticut Colony (d. 1758)
1795 – Alexander Keith, Scottish-Canadian politician (4th Mayor of Halifax) and brewer (founder of the Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery), born in Halkirk, Caithness, Highland, Scotland (d. 1873)
1917 – Robert Adams, English sculptor and designer, born in Far Cotton, Northampton (d. 1984)
1932 – Richard Lamparski, American interviewer and author (Whatever Became Of…?), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2025)
1942 – Maureen Waaka, first Māori Miss World contestant, second Māori woman to win Miss New Zealand (1962), and council politician (1998–2013), born in Ohinemutu, New Zealand (d. 2013)

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Famous Deaths

1056 – Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor (1046-56), dies at 38
1883 – Joachim Barrande, French paleontologist and geologist (fossils in Bohemia, opposed Darwin’s Theory of Evolution), dies at 84
1892 – Bob Dalton, American outlaw of the Old West (leader of the Dalton Gang), killed in failed bank robbery attempt in Coffeyville, Kansas at 23
1954 – Oscar Charleston, American Baseball HOF CF (NgL Triple Crown 1921 St. Louis Giants, 1924, 25 Harrisburg Giants) and manager (NgL WS 1933, 35, 36 Pittsburgh Crawfords), dies of a stroke at 57
2003 – Denis Quilley, British actor (Anything Goes, The Lady’s Not For Burning, Masada), dies from liver cancer at 75

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