Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1831 – British explorer James Clark Ross discovers the magnetic North Pole on the west coast of Boothia peninsula
1888 – California gets its 1st seismograph
1941 – Germany occupies Crete after Allied evacuation
1975 – LPGA Championship Women’s Golf, Pine Ridge GC: Kathy Whitworth wins her 3rd LPGA C’ship by 1 stroke from Sandra Haynie
1979 – Los Angeles passes its first homosexual rights bill

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Famous Birthdays

1804 – Mikhail Glinka, Novosspaskoye Russian composer (Kamarinskaya; Ruslan and Ludmilla), born in Novospasskoye, Smolensk, Russian Empire (d. 1857) [birth OS=May 20]
1952 – Şenol Güneş, Turkish soccer goalkeeper (31 caps; Trabzonspor) and manager (Trabzonspor, Bursaspor, Beşiktaş, Turkey), born in Trabzon, Turkey
1968 – Larry Centers, American NFL fullback (Pro Bowl 1995, 96, 2001; All-Pro 1996; Super Bowl 2003; Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, NE Patriots), born in Tyler, Texas
1974 – Alanis Morissette, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and musician (Jagged Little Pill, “Ironic”; “You Oughta Know”), born in Ottawa, Ontario
1975 – James Storm, American pro wrestler (TNA World Heavyweight Champion 2011; record 7 x TNA World Tag Team Champion), born in Franklin, Tennessee

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Famous Deaths

1710 – David Mitchell, Scottish admiral in the British Royal navy (b. 1642)
1740 – Samuel Werenfels, Swiss theologian (reasonable orthodoxy), dies at 83
1769 – Edward Holyoke, American academic and 9th President of Harvard University, dies at 79
1841 – David Wilkie, British painter, dies at 55
1992 – Howard Ralston, actor (Pollyana), dies

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Historical Events

1879 – Madison Square Garden opens in New York, named after 4th President James Madison
1902 – Australia Cricket all out 36 v England, Edgbaston, their lowest ever
1931 – 36th French Championships Men’s Tennis: Jean Borotra wins his only home title; beats fellow Frenchman Christian Boussus 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4
1942 – 25th PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Seaview CC: Sam Snead beats Jim Turnesa, 2 and 1 for his first PGA Tour major title
1983 – 37th NBA Championship: Philadelphia 76ers sweep LA Lakers in 4 games

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Otto “Toby” Hardwicke, American jazz alto saxophone player (The Washingtonians, 1923-28; Duke Ellington Orchestra, 1932-46 – “Sophisticated Lady”; “In A Sentimental Mood”), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1970)
1916 – Bert Haanstra, Dutch filmmaker and director (Fanfare; Glass), born in Holten, Netherlands (d. 1997)
1950 – Edward Barker, English cartoonist, born in Birmingham, England
1989 – Justine Lupe, American actress (Nobody Wants This), born in New York City
1989 – Marco Reus, German football player (Borussia Dortmund, German national team), born in Dortmund, West Germany

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Famous Deaths

1665 – Pieter Janz Saenredam, Dutch architectural painter, dies at 67
1983 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer (world heavyweight champion 1919-26), dies of heart failure at 87
1993 – John Granger, American actor (Advise and Consent), dies at 69
1994 – Sidney Gilliat, English screenwriter (Night Train to Munich) and director, dies at 86
2020 – Brother Ah [Robert Northern], American jazz and world music French hornist, band leader (Gil Evans, John Coltrane, Sun Ra, World Music Ensemble), educator, and radio deejay, dies of respiratory failure at 86

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Historical Events

1904 – The Japanese Army capture the City of Dairen after landing troops along the south coast of Manchuria
1946 – United flight 521 crashes on takeoff at LaGuardia Airport (NY) 42 die
1959 – Indianapolis 500: Rodger Ward earns first of 2 career Indy 500 victories as a record 16 cars complete full 500 miles; for the first time all cars required to have roll bars
1972 – 3 Japanese PFL terrorists kills 24, wound 72 at Tel Aviv’s Lod Intl airport
2010 – Indianapolis 500: Scotsman Dario Franchitti driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing wins his 2nd Indy title ahead of Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti

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Famous Birthdays

1812 – John Alexander McClernand, American politician and Major General (Union Army), born in Breckinridge County, Kentucky (d. 1900)
1938 – Lone Koppel, Danish operatic soprano (Danish Royal Theatre, 1962-93) and avant garde rock singer (Savage Garden), born in Copenhagen, Denmark
1949 – P.J. Carlesimo, American basketball coach (Seton Hall University; Portland TBs, GS Warriors, OKC), born in Scranton, Pennsylvania
1950 – Paresh Rawal, Indian Bollywood actor (Woh Chokri, Woh Chokri), born in Bombay, India
1984 – Matt Maguire, Australian rules footballer (St Kilda Football Club, Brisbane Lions), born in Victoria, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1770 – François Boucher, French painter (b. 1703)
1923 – Camille Chevillard, French composer, dies at 63
1978 – Jean Deslauriers, Canadian violin prodigy, conductor (CBC, 1935-78), and composer, dies at 68
1989 – Claude Pepper, American politician (Rep-D-FL, 1963-89), dies at 88
2006 – David Lloyd, New Zealand botanist, dies from apparent poisoning by acrylamide, a common laboratory chemical, at 68

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Historical Events

1919 – Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, that when light passes a large body, gravity will bend the rays confirmed by Arthur Eddington’s expedition to photograph a solar eclipse on the island of Principe, West Africa
1943 – Algiers Allied Planning Conference between Winston Churchill, George C. Marshall and General Dwight D. Eisenhower finalizes the plan for the Italian Campaign
1969 – Britain’s Trans-Arctic expedition makes 1st crossing of Arctic Sea ice
1970 – Soviet dissident Zhores Medvedev is arrested and taken to a psychiatric hospital in Kaluga sparking protests
1983 – Indianapolis 500: Tom Sneva wins his first Indy 500; represents record 7th Indy victory for chief mechanic George Bignotti

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Famous Birthdays

1929 – Peter Higgs, English theoretical physicist (Nobel Prize for Physics, 2013), born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England (d. 2024)
1946 – Fernando Buesa Blanco, Spanish politician, member of the Basque Parliament (1984-2000) and Deputy General of Álava (1987-91), born in Bilbao, Spain (d. 2000)
1962 – Eric Davis, American baseball outfielder (World Series 1990 Cincinnati Reds; MLB All-Star 1987, 89; Gold Glove 1987, 88, 89), born in Los Angeles, California
1970 – Natarsha Belling, Australian news presenter, born in Mudgee, Australia
1983 – Richard Jackson, American actor (Ryan Meyers-Saved by the Bell), born in Redlands, California

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Famous Deaths

1973 – P. Ramlee, Malaysian film actor, director, singer and songwriter, dies of a heart attack at 44
1996 – Jeremy Sinden, English actor (Chariots of Fire, Ascendancy, Harem), dies at 45
1998 – Eric Atkinson, West Indian cricket fast bowler (8 Tests, 25 wickets, BB 5/42; Barbados), dies at 70
2021 – Keith Mullings, American boxer (WBC and lineal light middleweight titles 1998), dies at 53
2024 – Manfred Wolke, German boxer (Olympic gold GDR welterweight 1968), dies at 81

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Historical Events

1946 – First night game at Yankee Stadium (Senators 2, Yankees 1)
1968 – MLB: NL grants San Diego Padres a franchise
1975 – Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is established by the Treaty of Lagos
1990 – David Robilliard achieves the longest bicycle wheelie at with 5 hours, 12 minutes, and 33 seconds
2002 – NHL Eastern Conference Final: Carolina Hurricanes beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 games to 2

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Famous Birthdays

1760 – Alexandre de Beauharnais, French politician, general of the revolution and first husband of Joséphine de Beauharnais, born in Fort-Royal, Martinique, France (d. 1794)
1883 – Luigi Perrachio, Italian pianist, composer (Nove Poemetti; 25 Preludi), and pedagogue (Liceo Musicale Torino), born in Turin, Italy (d. 1966)
1925 – Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German baritone (Doktor Faust), born in Zehlendorf, Germany (d. 2012)
1946 – K. Satchidanandan, Indian bilingual poet, writer, editor, and translator (While I Write, Words Matter), born in Pulloot, India
1967 – Glen Rice, American basketball guard and forward (3-time NBA All Star; NBA C’ship 2000; Charlotte Hornets, NY Knicks), born in Jacksonville, Arkansas

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Famous Deaths

1891 – Winfield Scott Featherston “Old Swet”, American politician and Army Brigadier General (Confederate), dies at 70
1983 – Erastus Corning 2nd, American politician, longest serving mayor of a major American city as Mayor of Albany (1941-83), dies at 73
2007 – Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japanese politician (b. 1945)
2008 – Robert Justman, American television producer (b. 1926)
2014 – Maya Angelou [Marguerite Johnson], American author (“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”), poet and actress (Nyo-Roots), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1930 – Richard Drew invents masking tape
1949 – MLB Cleveland Indians start 12-17, owner Bill Veeck arranges a “Second Opening Day”
1956 – US performs nuclear test at Enewetak Atoll (atmospheric tests)
1984 – Beth Henley’s “Miss Firecracker contest” premieres in NYC
2001 – Indianapolis 500: race rookie Hélio Castroneves of Brazil leads for the final 52 laps to win first of 4 Indy 500s; Penske Racing sweeps 1st-2nd with Gil de Ferran the runner-up

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Famous Birthdays

1863 – Arthur Mold, English cricket fast bowler (England 3 Tests; 1,673 1st class wickets), born in Middleton Cheney, Northamptonshire (d. 1921)
1867 – Arnold Bennett, English novelist (Anna of the Five Towns), born in Hanley, Staffordshire, England (d. 1931)
1909 – Isador Goodman, South African-Australian pianist and composer (New Guinea Fantasy), born in Cape Town, South Africa (d. 1982)
1926 – Kees Rijvers, Dutch soccer midfielder (33 caps; NAC Breda, Saint-Étienne, Feyenoord) and manager (FC Twente, PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), born in Breda, Netherlands (d. 2024)
1962 – Ray Borner, Australian basketball center (Olympics 1984, 88, 92, 96)

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Famous Deaths

366 – Procopius, Roman usurper (b. 326)
1770 – Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Queen consort of Denmark and Norway (1730-46), dies at 69
1975 – Ezzard Charles, American world heavyweight boxing champion (1949-51), dies of ALS at 53
2017 – Gregg Allman, American Hammond organist, guitarist and vocalist (The Allman Brothers Band – “Whipping Post”), dies of cancer at 69
2018 – Connie Kurtz, American Gay Rights advocate, dies at 81

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Historical Events

1896 – James Dunham murders six people in Campbell, California
1943 – British PM Winston Churchill and US General George C. Marshall fly from the US to North Africa
1977 – George Willig climbs the South Tower of NYC’s World Trade Center, famously fined 1 cent for each of 110 stories he climbed
1982 – 26th European Cup: Aston Villa beats Bayern Munich 1-0 at Rotterdam
2004 – 12th UEFA Champions League Final: Porto beats AS Monaco 3-0 at Gelsenkirchen

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Famous Birthdays

1893 – Eugene Goossens, British conductor and composer (Perseus), born in London, England (d. 1962)
1895 – Paul Lukas, Hungarian actor (Watch on the Rhine, Sphynx), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1971)
1895 – Dorothea Lange, American documentary photographer, born in Hoboken, New Jersey (d. 1965)
1913 – Peter Cushing, English actor (Dracula, Star Wars, Dr Who), born in Kenley, Surrey, England (d. 1994)
1946 – Neshka Robeva, Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast (World C’ship 3 x silver, 1 x bronze 1969) and coach (World, European and Olympic competition, 294 medals), born in Rousse, Bulgaria

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Famous Deaths

1944 – Cyril Francois, South African cricket all-rounder (5 Tests, 252 runs, 6 wickets), dies in a motor accident at 46
1947 – Nellie Neilson, PhD, American historian, first woman published in the American Historical Review, and the first female president of the American Historical Association, dies at 74
2002 – Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian marathoner (Olympic gold 1968), dies at 69
2017 – Zbigniew Brzezinski, Polish-American national security advisor to President Carter (1977-1981), dies at 89
2020 – Richard Herd, American actor (V: The Final Battle), dies of cancer at 87

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Historical Events

1936 – The Remington Rand strike, led by the American Federation of Labor, begins
1941 – Ted Williams raises his batting average over .400 for 1st time in 1941
1965 – Muhammad Ali KOs Sonny Liston at 2:12 of round 1 at Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston to retain his WBC/WBA heavyweight boxing title
2013 – 17 children are killed by a gas cylinder explosion on a school bus in Gujrat, Pakistan
2018 – Barbados elects its first female Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who leads the Barbados Labour Party to victory

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Famous Birthdays

1917 – Theodore Hesburgh, American Catholic priest and president of the University of Notre Dame (1952-87), born in Syracuse, New York (d. 2015)
1931 – John Gabriel [Jack Monkarsh], American stage and screen actor (Ryan’s Hope), singer, lyricist, and producer, born in Niagara Falls, New York (d. 2021)
1938 – Lyudmila Buldakova, Russian volleyball player (Olympic gold USSR 1968, 72), born in Saint Petersburg, Russia (d. 2006)
1946 – David A. Hargrave, American game designer and writer known as The Dream Weaver (Arduin), born in United States (d. 1988)
1978 – Adam Gontier, Canadian rock singer-songwriter (Three Days Grace), born in Peterborough, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1555 – Henry II of Navarre (1517-55), dies at 52
1667 – Gustaf Bonde, Swedish statesman and regent for Charles XI, dies at 47
2000 – Nicholas Clay, English actor (Lady Chatterley’s Lover), dies at 53
2004 – Roger W. Straus Jr., American publisher and co-founder of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, dies at 87
2020 – Balbir Singh Sr., Indian field hockey centre forward (Olympic gold 1948, 52, 56) and coach (World Cup gold 1975), dies at 96

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Historical Events

1954 – German airline Lufthansa forms
1964 – The Beatles’ 4th appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”, features an interview and pre-recorded performance of “You Can’t Do That”
1968 – American boxer Bob Foster defeats holder Dick Tiger for the world light-heavyweight Championship at Madison Square Gardens, New York (goes on to defend title x 14)
1981 – Hostage situation ends at the Central Bank in Barcelona, Spain
2004 – North Korea bans mobile phones

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Famous Birthdays

1881 – Mikuláš S chneider-Trnavský, Slovak composer (Missa pastoralis), born in Trnava, Slovakia (d. 1958)
1925 – Pedro Gonzales-Gonzalez, American actor (Rio Bravo), born in Aguilares, Texas (d. 2006)
1932 – Graham Arnold, British artist (Brotherhood of Ruralists), born in Sydenham, London (d. 2019)
1950 – Jo Ann Washam, American golfer (3 LPGA Tour titles), born in Auburn, Washington
1978 – Brian Ching, American footballer (U.S. National Team), born in Hale’iwa, Hawaii

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Famous Deaths

1918 – Evan Williams, American oratorio tenor, dies at 50
1972 – Ismail Yasseen, Egyptian comedian and actor (Isamil Yassine as Tarzan, Ibn Hamidu), dies of a heart attack at 59
1987 – Hermione Ferdinanda Gingold, British actress (Gigi; The Music Man), dies at 89
1991 – Miriam di San Servolo, Italian actress (b. 1912)
2025 – Susan Brownmiller, American activist and feminist author (Against Our Wills), dies at 90 due to complications after a fall

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Historical Events

1943 – -24] 826 Allied bombers attack Dortmund
1944 – Chinese counter offensive at Hunan front
1970 – A fire breaks out in the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Straits in north Wales contributing to its partial destruction and causing approximately £1,000,000 worth of fire damage
1974 – Italian Red Brigade officer Mario Sossi freed
2019 – Fifty children rescued from an international paedophile ring on the dark web in Thailand, Australia and the US by Interpol under Operation Blackwrist, main organizer sentenced to 146 years

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Famous Birthdays

1734 – Franz Anton Mesmer, Austrian physician and hypnotist (Mesmerism), born in Iznang, Germany (d. 1815)
1933 – Joan Collins, British actress (Dynasty – “Alexix”; The Bitch), and writer, born in Paddington, London
1951 – Don Warrington [Donald Williams], Trinidadian-born British actor (Rising Damp), born in Trinidad
1958 – François Feldman, French pop singer and songwriter (Petit Frank), born in Paris, France
1964 – Staci Greason, American actress (Isabella Toscando in “Days of Our Lives”), born in Denver, Colorado

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Famous Deaths

1498 – Girolamo Savonarola, Italian Dominican friar who helped expel Medici from Florence, becoming the city’s de facto ruler (1494-98), and preached against papal corruption, hanged at 45
1857 – Augustin Louis Cauchy, French mathematician and physicist, dies at 67
1926 – Hans Koessler, German composer, conductor and music teacher, dies at 73
1947 – Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, Swiss writer (Le Petit Village), dies at 68
2025 – Barbara Ferris, British stage and screen actress (Nice Girl Like Me, Having a Wild Weekend), dies at 85

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