Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1840 – The transporting of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished
1966 – 18th Emmy Awards: “The Fugitive”, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore win
1967 – Egyptian President Nasser closes the Straits of Tiran to Israel
2001 – Laureus World Sports Awards, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco: Sportsman: Tiger Woods; Sportswoman: Cathy Freeman; Team: French Men’s National Football team
2018 – Stacey Abrams is the first black woman to be nominated as US state governor – for Georgia

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Famous Birthdays

1660 – Andreas Schlüter, German sculptor, baptized in Free Imperial City of Hamburg (d. 1714)
1671 – Abraham Patras, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1735-37), born in Grenoble, France (d. 1737)
1930 – Harvey Milk, American politician, gay activist and first openly gay person elected to public office, born in Woodmere, New York (d. 1978)
1936 – M. Scott Peck, American psychiatrist and writer (The Road Less Traveled), born in New York City (d. 2005)
2001 – Emma Chamberlain, American influencer (YouTube), born in San Mateo, California

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Famous Deaths

1667 – Alexander VII [Fabio Chigi], Italian Pope (1655-67), dies at 68
1958 – Julien de Valckenaere, Belgian poet, dies at 60
1991 – Catalino “Lino” Brocka, Filipino film director (Macho Dancer, Jaguar), dies in car crash at 51
2022 – Dervla Murphy, Irish bicyclist and travel author (Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle; In Ethiopia with a Mule), dies at 90
2024 – Petri Sulonen, Finnish soccer defender (10 caps; TPS 319 games), dies from ALS at 60

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Historical Events

1966 – Louie Louie by The Kingsmen reentered the chart and hits #97
1969 – Slovan Bratislava of Czechoslovakia win 9th European Cup Winner’s Cup against FC Barcelona of Spain 3-2 in Basel
1972 – “Heathen!” opens and closes at Billy Rose Theater NYC for 1 performance
1997 – Blue Jays pitcher Roger Clemens beats the Yankees for his 200th win
2018 – US Justice Department says it is expanding its internal investigation into whether FBI infiltrated Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign

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Famous Birthdays

1923 – Armand Borel, Swiss mathematician known for his work on algebraic topology and Lie groups, born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland (d. 2003)
1940 – Tony Sheridan, British singer-songwriter and guitarist who collaborated with the pre-fame Beatles (“My Bonnie”), born in Norwich, England (d. 2013)
1976 – Christopher Tin, American film, television, and video game score composer (Baba Yetu), born in Redwood City, California
1979 – Fayçal Salhi, French-Algerian jazz guitarist and oud player, born in Khenchela, Algeria
1996 – Josh Allen, American football quarterback (Buffalo Bills), born in Firebaugh, California

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Famous Deaths

1650 – James Graham, Marquis of Montrose “the Great Montrose”, Scottish general, hanged at 37
1742 – Lars Roberg, Swedish physician, natural science researcher, and educator, dies at 78
1973 – Vaughn Monroe, American singer and orchestra leader (Vaughn Monroe Show), dies at 61
1974 – Lili Kronberger, Hungarian figure skater (World C’ship gold Ladies singles 1908, 09, 10, 11), dies at 83
1992 – Elizabeth David, British cookbook writer (English Bread and Yeast Cookery), dies after a series of strokes at 72

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Historical Events

1217 – Second Battle of Lincoln fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
1498 – Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrives at Calicut, India becoming the first European to reach India by sea
1868 – Republican National Convention, meets in Chicago, nominates Grant
1959 – Japanese-Americans regain their citizenship
1972 – “Hard Job Being God” closes at Edison Theater NYC after 6 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1822 – Emile Erckmann [co-wrote with Alexandre Chatrian using penname Erckmann-Chatrian], French writer (Waterloo), born in Meurthe, France (d. 1899)
1917 – Richard Cobb, British historian, born in Frinton-on-Sea (d. 1996)
1925 – D. French Slaughter Jr, American politician (Rep-R-VA, 1985-91), born in Culpeper, Virginia (d. 1998)
1943 – Iain Vallance [Baron Vallance of Tummel], CEO of British Telecom and member of the House of Lords (2004-20), born in Kent, England
1984 – Kenny Vasoli, American rock singer-songwriter, and musician (Vacationer), born in Abington, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1923 – Hans Goldschmidt, German chemist, dies
1925 – Elias Ammons, American politician (Governor of Colorado, 1913-15), who sent the National Guard to settle coalminer strikes, precipitating the Ludlow Massacre, die at 64
1939 – Joe Carr, American Pro Football HOF contributor (NFL President 1921-39), dies from a heart attack at 59
1996 – Julius Marmur, American biochemist and geneticist (DNA research), dies at 70
2007 – Stanley Miller, American chemist (created ‘primordial soup’ experiment to show how life might have originated on earth), dies at 77

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Historical Events

1547 – Capitulation of Wittenberg: John Frederick I, Protestant Elector of Saxony, resigns after his capture by Catholic Hapsburg forces of Charles V at the Battle of Mühlberg,
1932 – Revival of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s musical “Show Boat” opens at the Casino Theater, NYC; runs for 180 performances
1935 – English Cardinal John Fisher and statesman Thomas More, both executed by Henry VIII, canonized as saints by Pope Pius XI
1962 – US performs nuclear test at Christmas Island (atmospheric)
1995 – World’s youngest doctor, Balamurali Ambati, 17, graduates from Mount Sinai

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Famous Birthdays

1812 – Felix Zollicoffer, American journalist and Confederate Brigadier General who was killed in the Battle of Mill Springs, born in Maury County, Tennessee (d. 1862)
1938 – James Bilbray, American lawyer and politician (Rep-D-Nevada 1987-95), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
1948 – Boet van Dulmen, Dutch motorcycle racer (84 starts, 1 win, 4 podiums,1 pole; Finnish 500cc GP 1979), born in Ammerzoden, Netherlands (d. 2021)
1962 – Iain Harvie, Scottish rock guitarist and songwriter (Del Amitri – “Roll To Me”, “Nothing Ever Happens”), born in Glasgow, Scotland
1968 – Jeanne Basone, American actor and professional wrestler (Hollywood in “GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling”), born in Glendale, California

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Famous Deaths

1319 – Prince Louis, Count of Évreux, son of King Philip III of France, dies at 43
1872 – Johan Hendrik van Dale, Dutch schoolmaster and lexicographer(Van Dale’s Great Dictionary of the Dutch Language), dies of smallpox at 44
1984 – John Betjeman, poet (Mount Zion) and English Poet Laureate (1972-1984), dies at 77
2009 – Nicholas Maw, British composer, dies at 73
2009 – Herbert York, American physicist (b. 1921)

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Historical Events

1927 – Bath School Disaster: Andrew Kehoe blows up Bath Consolidated School killing 38 children, 2 teachers at Bath, Michigan
1963 – “If You Wanna Be Happy” by Jimmy Soul hits #1
1964 – US Supreme Court rules it unconstitutional to deprive naturalized citizens of citizenship if they return to home country for more than 3 years
2018 – Santa Fe High School shooting; 17 year-old shooter kills 10 and injures 10 in Santa Fe, Texas
2019 – English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (85,854): Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling each score twice as Manchester City thrash Watford, 6-0, completing an unprecedented domestic treble

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Famous Birthdays

1892 – Ezio Pinza, Italian American operatic bass (NY Metropolitan Opera, 1926-48), and Tony Award-winning singer (South Pacific), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1957)
1913 – Charles Trenet, French pop singer and songwriter (“Boum!”; “La Mer”), born in Narbonne, France (d. 2001)
1939 – Gordon O’Connor, Canadian politician, born in Toronto, Ontario
1982 – Jason Brown, English-born footballer, born in London, England
1992 – Josh Phelps, Australian soccer player, born in Tamworth, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1799 – Pierre de Beaumarchais, French polymath and dramatist (The Marriage of Figaro, Barber of Seville), dies at 67
1913 – Otto Reubke, German organist, conductor, and composer, dies at 70
1985 – Harald Andersson, Swedish discus thrower (world record 52.42m 1934), dies at 78
1999 – Betty Robinson, American runner, dies at 87
2003 – Barb Tarbox, Canadian anti-smoking crusader, dies at 42

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Historical Events

1849 – Fire destroy Centrum in St Louis, Missouri
1876 – 7th US Cavalry under General George Armstrong Custer leaves Fort Lincoln
1941 – Pennsylvania declares legal holiday to honor A’s manager Connie Mack
1970 – Anonymous buyer purchases one of the pairs of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” for $15,000 at MGM Studio auction, and donates them to the Smithsonian Institution
2013 – 90 people are killed and 200 are injured after a series of bombings across Iraq

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Famous Birthdays

1923 – Michael Beetham, British Marshall of the RAF (Falklands War), born in London, England (d. 2015)
1952 – Howard Hampton, Canadian politician, Attorney General (1990-93), and Ontario MMP (1999-2011), born in Fort Frances, Ontario
1962 – Steven Honigberg, American classical cellist (National Symphony Orchestra; Potomac String Quartet), born in Chicago, Illinois
1968 – Dave Abbruzzese, American drummer (Pearl Jam), born in Stamford, Connecticut
1970 – Matt Eberflus, American NFL football coach (Chicago Bears, 2022-), born in Toledo, Ohio

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Famous Deaths

1694 – Johann Michael Bach, German composer (In Dulci Jubilo), dies at 46
1889 – William Roxby Beverly, artist, dies
1992 – George Hurrell, Hollywood photographer, dies of cancer at 87
2004 – Ezzedine Salim, leader of Iraqi Governing Council (b. 1943)
2009 – Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan journalist, novelist, and poet, dies from respiratory and intestinal problems at 88

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Historical Events

1984 – Guinea-Bissau adopts constitution
1990 – Dominican Republic President Joaquín Ricardo Balaguer re-elected
1997 – MLB Montreal Expos trailing San Francisco Giants by 9 runs comeback to win 14-13
1997 – Brandi Sherwood (Miss Idaho) replaces Brook Lee as Miss USA when Brook is crowned Miss Universe
2007 – Alex Salmond is elected First Minister of Scotland. He is first Scottish National Party leader to be elected First Minister after winning a historic victory at the Scottish general election on the 3rd May.

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Famous Birthdays

1710 – William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, English peer and Whig politician, born in Worcester, England (d. 1782)
1918 – Aubrey Bowman, British pianist, composer, and conductor (Workman’s Music Association), born in Bournemouth, England (d. 2009)
1918 – Edward Thomas, British historian and intelligence expert (Bletchley Park), born in Portsmouth, England (d. 1996)
1937 – Yvonne Craig, actress (Batgirl-Batman, Kissin Cousin), born in Taylorville, Illinois (d. 2015)
1945 – Nicky Chinn, British-American pop songwriter and producer (with Mike Chapman: Sweet – “The Ballroom Blitz”; Suzi Quatro; Toni Basel – “Mickey”; Tina Turner – “You Better Be Good To Me”), born in London, England

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Famous Deaths

1657 – Andrzej Bobola, Polish Jesuit missionary (b. 1591)
1762 – Ernst Christian Hesse, German composer, dies at 86
1924 – William “Candy” Cummings, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (credited with creating the curveball), dies at 75
1990 – Dag Drollet, Cheyenne Brando’s boyfriend killed by her brother Christian
1996 – Jeremy Boorda, U.S. Navy admiral (25th Chief of Naval Operations), commits suicide at 56

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Historical Events

756 – Abd-al-Rahman I becomes emir of Cordova, Spain
1886 – British sailor David Beatty is promoted to midshipman
1972 – The island of Okinawa, under U.S. military governance since its conquest in 1945, reverts to Japanese control.
1993 – Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas opens
2020 – Germany, Europe’s largest economy, officially in recession due to COVID-19, as figures show economy shrank 2.2% 1st 3 months of 2020

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Famous Birthdays

1819 – Thomas Leonidas Crittenden, American lawyer, politician, and Major General (Union Army), born in Russellville, Kentucky (d. 1893)
1920 – Hugh Henry Home Popham, British aviator, writer and poet, born in Beer, England (d. 1996)
1934 – David Greville, 8th Earl of Warwick who sold his castle to Madame Tussauds, born in Warwick Castle, Warwick, England (d. 1996)
1970 – Cory Philpot, CFL running back (BC Lions)
1974 – Jennifer Rizzotti, Basketball Hall of Fame point guard (Uni of Connecticut) and coach (George Washington), born in White Plains, New York

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Famous Deaths

1821 – John Wall Calcott, English composer, dies at 54
1940 – Willem Adriaan Bonger, Dutch criminologist (Race and Crime), suicide at 63
1952 – Italo Montemezzi, Italian composer (L’amore dei tre re), dies at 76
1992 – Bruce Hopkins, performer/director, dies at 44
2003 – Desmond Dreyer, British admiral (battle of the River Plate), dies at 93

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Historical Events

1888 – 14th Kentucky Derby: George Covington aboard MacBeth II wins in 2:38.00
1903 – President Theodore Roosevelt visits San Francisco
1944 – British troops occupy Kohima
1972 – In Willie Mays’ 1st game as New York Met, his homer beats San Francisco Giants, 5-4 (his former team of over 20 years), at Shea Stadium, New York
1986 – Reggie Jackson hit his 537th HR passing Mickey Mantle into 6th place

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Famous Birthdays

1930 – Edward Regan, American Republican politician and Comptroller of New York (1979-93), born in Plainfield, New Jersey (d. 2014)
1959 – Patrick Bruel [Benguigui], Algerian-French actor (Coup of Sirocco), rock vocalist (“Marre de cette nana-là” – “Fed Up With That Chick”), and world class poker player, born in Tlemcen, Algeria
1964 – Nancy Sorel, Canadian-American actress (Less Than Kind, Black Fox), born in Fall River, Massachusetts
1967 – Tony Siragusa, American football defensive tackle (Super Bowl 2000 Baltimore Ravens; Indianapolis Colts) and broadcaster (Fox, The Sopranos, Man Caves), born in Kenilworth, New Jersey (d. 2022)
1977 – Jayna Hefford, ice hockey forward (Canada, Olympics 1998)

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Famous Deaths

1947 – John Ray Sinnock, US chief engraver (1925-47), dies at 59
1969 – Walter Pitts, American logician (“A Logical Calculus of the Ideas Immanent in Nervous Activity” with Warren McCulloch), dies at 46
1996 – Edward Gurney, American attorney and politician (US Senator for Florida, 1969-74; US Representative for Florida, 1963-69), dies at 82
1998 – Frank Sinatra, American singer (“Strangers in the Night”; “My Way”; “The Summer Wind”) and actor (From Here to Eternity; Guys and Dolls, The Manchurian Candidate), known as the “Chairman of the Board” and “Ol’ Blue Eyes”, dies at 82
2006 – Stanley Kunitz, American poet, 10th US Poet Laureate, dies at 100

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Historical Events

1588 – King Henri III flees Paris
1777 – University library at Vienna opens
1960 – Phillies lose 3rd consecutive 1-0 game
1960 – WOLE TV channel 12 in Aguadillo, PR
2012 – Manchester City win the English Premier League for the first time

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Famous Birthdays

1903 – Jim Sims, English cricket spin bowler (4 Tests, 11 wickets; Middlesex), born in Leyton, England (d. 1973)
1944 – Armistead Maupin, American author (Tales of the City series), born in Washington D.C.
1967 – Melanie Thornton, American pop-dance singer (La Bouche – “Be My Lover”), born in Charleston, South Carolina (d. 2001)
1978 – Barry Zito, American baseball player (Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
1980 – Waka Inoue, Japanese gravure idol, TV personality, and actress, born in Tokyo, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1839 – Joseph Fesch, French cardinal (Archbishop of Lyon, 1802-39), diplomat, art collector (Musée Fesch), and uncle of Napoleon, dies at 76
1901 – Leopoldo Alas, Spanish novelist (La Regenta), dies at 49
1967 – Frank McGrath, American actor (The Reluctant Astronaut, Wagon Train), dies from a heart attack at 64
1999 – Gene Sarazen, American golfer (7 x major titles including Career Grand Slam; 38 PGA Tour event wins), dies of pneumonia at 97
1999 – Meg Greenfield, American Pulitzer Prize winning editorial writer (Washington Post; Newsweek), dies of cancer at 68

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