Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1861 – Fort Sumter in South Carolina is attacked by the Confederacy, beginning the American Civil War
1877 – Catcher’s mask 1st used in a baseball game
1986 – 20,000 mine workers protest closing of Hasselt Belgium mines
1989 – Peter Ueberroth deal to purchase Eastern Airlines falls through
2002 – Pedro Carmona becomes interim President of Venezuela during the military coup against Hugo Chávez.

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Famous Birthdays

1705 – William Cookworthy, English chemist, born in Kingsbridge, Devon (d. 1780)
1942 – Bill Bryden, Scottish stage director (National Theatre), film director, and screenwriter, born in Greenock, Scotland (d. 2022)
1945 – Doug Riley, Canadian jazz keyboard player (Dr. Music), and musical director (Famous People Players), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2007)
1949 – Scott Turow, American lawyer and author (Presumed Innocent), born in Chicago, Illinois
1979 – Elena Grosheva, Russian gymnast (Olympic 1996), born in Yaroslavl, Russia

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Famous Deaths

238 – Gordian II, Roman co-Emperor with his father Gordian I, killed in battle at Carthage
1550 – Claude of Lorraine, duke of Guise, dies at 53
2007 – Kevin Crease, Australian TV anchor (b. 1936)
2019 – Forrest Gregg, American Pro Football HOF tackle (9 x Pro Bowl; 7 × First-team All-Pro; Green Bay Packers) and coach (Cleveland Browns, Toronto Argonauts, Cincinnati Bengals, GB Packers), dies of Parkinson’s disease at 85
2020 – Stirling Moss, British auto racer (16 x F1 Grand Prix; World F1 Drivers C’ship runner-up 1955-58; 12 Hours of Sebring 1954) and broadcaster (ABC F1, NASCAR), dies at 90

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Historical Events

1876 – Sir Charles Gordon ends religious tolerance in Sudan
1907 – New York Giants future Baseball Hall of Fame backstop Roger Bresnahan becomes first catcher to wear shin guards
1939 – Hungary leaves League of Nations
1991 – UN Security Council issues formal cease fire with Iraq declaration
2019 – Ex-Pope Benedict XVI claims Catholic sexual abuse caused in part by 1960s sexual revolution

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Arthur Ernest Mourant, British hematologist, born in La Hougue Bie, Jersey (d. 1994)
1906 – Dalia “Dale” Messick, American cartoonist (Brenda Starr, Reporter), born in South Bend, Indiana (d. 2005)
1918 – Richard Wainwright, English politician, Liberal MP for Colne Valley (1966–70), born in Leeds (d. 2003)
1925 – Viola Liuzzo (née Gregg), American civil rights activist, murdered by Ku Klux Klan, born in California, Pennsylvania (d. 1965)
1932 – Max Schubel, American composer (Opus One Records), born in New York (d. 2010)

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Famous Deaths

1648 – Matthäus Appelt, German composer, dies at 53
1842 – John England, bishop of Charleston Carolina, dies
1981 – Marie Ney, British character actress (The Lavender Hill Mob), dies at 85
1990 – Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist, Prime Minister of Greece, dies at 86
1998 – Rodney Harvey, American actor and model (Salsa), dies of a drug overdose at 30

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Historical Events

1500 – France captures Duke Ludovico Sforza of Milan
1815 – Austria declares war on Kingdom of Naples
1898 – First Navy Law is passed by the German Reichstag
1925 – Scribners publishes “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
1961 – 25th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: South African Gary Player beats defending champion Arnold Palmer and amateur Charles Coe by 1 stroke to become first international champion; Monday finish because of rain
2024 – South Korea’s liberal opposition party wins landslide majority in the country’s general election – a defeat for President Yoon Suk Yeol, amid claims he was brought down by a spring onion

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Famous Birthdays

1847 – Joseph Pulitzer, Hungarian-American publisher (St Louis Post-Dispatch, NY World) and Democratic politician whose bequest founded the Columbia School of Journalism and the Pulitzer Prize, born in Makó, Kingdom of Hungary (d. 1911)
1930 – Shujauddin Butt, Pakistani cricket all-rounder (19 Tests, 20 wickets; Combined Services, Bahawalpur), born in Lahore, Pakistan (d. 2006)
1953 – David Moorcroft, British athlete (WR 5,000m 13:00.41 1982-85) and broadcaster (BBC), born in Coventry, England
1965 – Tim Alexander, American funk metal drummer (Primus-Pork soda), born in Cherry Point, North Carolina
1970 – Enrico Ciccone, Canadian NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks), born in Montreal, Quebec
1982 – Damián Lanza, Ecuadorian footballer, born in Cuenca, Ecuador

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Famous Deaths

1807 – Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, German princess and composer (patron of Classical Weimar court), dies at 67
1883 – Emilie Mayer, German composer of Romantic music, dies at 70
1972 – Henech Kon, Polish composer and cabaret performer, dies at 81
1981 – Howard Thurman, African-American theologian and author (Deep River, Deep is the Hunger), dies at 81
2007 – Dakota Staton, American jazz singer (“Where Flamingos Fly”; “Sex Is A Misdemeanor”), dies at 76
2022 – Philippe Boesmans, Belgian pianist, and composer (Upon La-Mi; Reigen), dies at 85

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Historical Events

1935 – Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Maroons beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1 for 3-0 series sweep; Maroons last defunct team to win the Cup
1947 – Atomic Energy Commission confirmed
1954 – 7th Cannes Film Festival: “Gate of Hell” directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
1976 – “All the President’s Men”, directed by Alan J. Pakula, based on the non-fiction book by journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward detailing their Watergate investigation, starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford, is released
2022 – Joel Embiid is named the NBA scoring champion, averaging 30.6 points per game
2024 – A group of older Swiss women win a landmark climate change case at the European Court of Human Rights, ruling the women’s rights had been violated by not fully addressing climate change

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Famous Birthdays

1806 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel, British engineer (SS Great Britain, Great Western Railway), born in Portsmouth, England (d. 1859)
1915 – Albert Rémy, French actor (Grand Prix, The 400 Blows, The Train), born in Sèvres, Seine, France (d. 1967)
1933 – Gian Maria Volontè, Italian actor (Fistful of Dollars), born in Milan, Italy (d. 1994)
1939 – Michael Learned, American actress (Olivia in The Waltons, Nurse), born in Washington, D.C.
1943 – Terry Knight [Knapp], American rock singer, manager, and record producer (Grand Funk Railroad), born in Lapeer, Michigan (d. 2004)
1966 – Oliver Barnett, American NFL defensive end (SF 49ers), born in Louisville, Kentucky

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Famous Deaths

1553 – Francois Rabelais, French author (Gargantua, Pantagruel), dies at 49
1914 – Eben Sumner Draper, American businessman and politician (44th Governor of Massachusetts), dies at 55
1994 – Keith Watson, British comic strip artist (Dan Dare), dies at 59
2001 – Willie Stargell, American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder/1st baseman (7 x MLB All Star; World Series 1971, 79 [MVP]; Pittsburgh Pirates), dies from a stroke at 61
2006 – Robin Orr, Scottish composer, dies at 96
2021 – Ramsey Clark, American lawyer, US Attorney General (1967-69) and activist, dies at 93

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Historical Events

1766 – 1st fire escape patented, wicker basket on a pulley and chain
1869 – American Museum of Natural History opens in New York City
1979 – 205th and final episode of “All in the Family”; followed by “Archie Bunker’s Place” for 4 seasons
1993 – Indians’ Carlos Baerga is 1st to switch hit HRs in same inn (vs Yanks)
2000 – 153rd Grand National: Irish 10/1 shot Papillon, ridden by jockey Ruby Walsh and trained by his father Ted Walsh wins by 1¼ lengths from Mely Moss
2016 – 31st Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Chicago, Cheap Trick, Deep Purple, Steve Miller, and N.W.A

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Famous Birthdays

1756 – Joseph Gehot, Belgian composer, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1820)
1865 – Ted Wainwright, English cricket all-rounder (5 Tests; Yorkshire CCC), born in Sheffield, England (d. 1919)
1893 – Grace Cunard, American silent screen actress (Untamed, Resurrection), born in Columbus, Ohio (d. 1967)
1905 – George Baxter, French actor (Flying Saucer, Lili, Caged), born in Paris, France (d. 1976)
1955 – Barbara Kingsolver, American novelist (The Poisonwood Bible), born in Annapolis, Maryland
1972 – Katrina Powell, Australian field hockey striker (252 caps; Olympic gold 1996, 2000; World Cup gold 1998; Champions Trophy gold 1997, 99, 2003) and coach (Australia women), born in Canberra Australia

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Famous Deaths

1931 – Eric Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish poet (Nobel Prize for Literature 1931), dies at 66
1969 – Arthur Walter Kramer, American composer, dies at 78
1981 – Omar Bradley, American WWII General (Invasion of Normandy) and 1st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1949-53), dies of cardiac arrhythmia at 88
1982 – Katherine Rawls, American diver (Olympic silver 3m springboard 1932, 36) and swimmer (Olympic bronze 4×100m freestyle 1936), dies from cancer at 64
1992 – Daniel Bovet, Swiss-Italian pharmacologist (1957 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, discovered chemotherapeutic agents including antihistamines0, dies at 85
1993 – Arleen Whelan, American film actress (Kidnapped), dies of a stroke at 78

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Historical Events

1118 – Pope Gelasius II is excommunicated by Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, forcing him to flee Rome and rule in exile
1584 – Ieper surrenders to Duke of Parma
1933 – University Bridge, Seattle opens for traffic
1959 – Radar 1st bounced off Sun, Stanford Calif
1963 – Yugoslavia proclaimed a Socialistic republic
1970 – MLB Milwaukee Brewers (former Seattle Pilots) 1st game, lose to Angels 12-0

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Famous Birthdays

1775 – Francis Cabot Lowell, American mill owner (founded 1st raw cotton-to-cloth textile mill), born in Newburyport, Massachusetts (d. 1817)
1916 – Anthony Caruso, American character actor best known for playing villains (The Desperate Mission, The Wonderful County), born in Frankfort, Indiana (d. 2003)
1929 – “Crazy” Joe Gallo, American mobster, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1972)
1960 – Tracy Silverman, American contemporary classical and jazz acoustic and electric 6-string violinist (Turtle Island String Quartet), composer, and pedagogue, born in Peekskill, New York
1964 – Joe Durant, American golfer (4 PGA Tour titles), born in Pensacola, Florida
1972 – Lovett Purnell, American NFL football wide receiver, 1996-2001 (New England Patriots, and 2 other teams), born in Seaford, Delaware

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Famous Deaths

1614 – El Greco, Greek-born artist working in Spain (b. 1541)
1651 – Lennart Torstenson, Swedish soldier and engineer (b. 1603)
1920 – Karl Binding, German jurist whose writings were used to justify the Holocaust, dies at 79
1936 – Marilyn Miller [Mary Ellen Reynolds], American Broadway dancer, singer, and actress (Ziegfeld Follies), dies from complications of nasal surgery at 37
1997 – Sam Parks Jr., American golfer (US Open 1935), dies at 87
2021 – James Hampton, American actor (F Troop – “Bugler Dobbs”; Teen Wolf), writer, and director, dies from Parkinson’s disease complications at 84

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Historical Events

1896 – First modern Summer Olympic Games open in Athens, Greece; American athlete James Connolly becomes the first modern Olympic champion when he wins the triple jump (then 2 hops and a jump); later places 3rd in long jump and 2nd in high jump
1903 – In Holland, railroad and dock workers go out on strike, but the government passes anti-strike bills, calls out troops, and promptly ends the strike on the 13th April
1939 – US and UK agree on joint control of Canton and Enderbury Is (Pacific)
1954 – US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Bikini Island
1986 – Soccer ball juggled non-stop for 14:14 hrs
1987 – 22nd Academy of Country Music Awards: Hank Williams Jr, Randy Travis, and Reba McEntire win

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Famous Birthdays

1773 – James Mill, Scottish philosopher and historian (History of British India), born in Angus, Scotland (d. 1836)
1886 – “Smokey” Joe Williams, American Baseball HOF pitcher (NgL, Mexico, Caribbean 1905-32; no-hitter 1919 NY Lincoln Giants), born in Seguin, Texas (d. 1951)
1890 – André-Louis Danjon, French astronomer (invented Danjon astrolabe), born in Caen, France (d. 1967)
1924 – Charlie Rouse, American hard bop tenor saxophonist (Thelonious Monk Quartet; Sphere), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1988)
1960 – Warren Haynes, American rock and blues guitarist (The Allman Brothers Band), born in Asheville, North Carolina
1965 – Rica Reinisch, German DR, 100m/200m backstroke (Olympic gold 1980)

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Famous Deaths

912 – Nottker “the Stamelaar”, benedictine monk/poet, dies at about 71
1605 – John Stow, English historian (Survey of London), dies
1902 – Gleb Uspensky, Russian author (Power of the Soil), dies at 58
1989 – Elizabeth Becker-Pinkston, American diver (Olympic gold 3m springboard 1924; 10m platform 1928), dies at 86
2014 – Jacques Castérède, French composer and pianist (Pandora’s Box), dies at 87
2016 – Dennis Davis, American jazz, rock and funk drummer (Roy Ayers; David Bowie, 1975-80; Stevie Wonder), dies of cancer at 66

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Historical Events

1975 – American tennis #1 Chris Evert wins her 3rd WTA Tour Championship at the Los Angeles Sports Arena; beats Martina Navratilova 6-4, 6-2
1990 – NY Rangers beat NY Islanders 2-1 in 1st game of preliminary
1991 – Space Shuttle STS 37 (Atlantis 8) launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida
1992 – The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Lee Trevino win his second Champions Tour major by 1 stroke from Jack Nicklaus
1996 – John Bobbitt is put under house arrest in Las Vegas for 120 days
2009 – Kraft Nabisco Championship Women’s Golf, Mission Hills CC: Brittany Lincicome eagles the final hole to win her first major title, 1 stroke ahead of fellow American Cristie Kerr

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Famous Birthdays

1882 – Don Blackie, Australian cricket spin bowler (3 Tests, 14 wickets, BB 6/94; Victoria), born in Bendigo, Australia (d. 1955)
1886 – Jacques Handschin, Swiss musicologist (Der Toncharakter), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1955)
1901 – Alexander Alexeieff, Russian-French painter and graphic artist, born in Kazan, Russia (d. 1982)
1906 – Grady Sutton, American actor (The Bank Dick; The Pruitts of Southhampton), born in Chattanooga, Tennessee (d. 1995)
1917 – Richard Yardumian, American composer (Come Creator Spirit), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1985)
1956 – Diamond Dallas Page, American professional wrestler, born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1617 – Alonso Lobo, Spanish composer (Versa est in luctum), dies at 62
1908 – Gaetano Coronaro, Italian conductor, pedagogue, and composer (La Creola), dies at 55
1969 – Shelby Storck, American television producer, dies at 52
1994 – Marlon Riggs, American writer, director and producer (Ethnic notions), dies at 37
2005 – Dale Messick [Dalia Messick], American comic strip artist (Brenda Starr, Reporter), dies at 98
2011 – Baruch Samuel Blumberg, American scientist, (1976 Nobel Laureate for Physiology or Medicine, for work on Hepatitis B), dies at 85

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Historical Events

1552 – Maurice, Elector of Saxony begins an alliance with Russian Anikey Stroganov
1833 – St Etienne-Lyons railway fully opens in France
1862 – Peninsular Campaign, launched in southeastern Virginia, aimed at capturing Richmond during US Civil War begins, Confederate victory (US Civil War)
1900 – Assassination attempt on Prince of Wales, later British King Edward VII when shot by Jean-Baptiste Sipido in protest over Boer war
1969 – Haskell Karp receives the 1st temporary artificial heart, implanted by surgeon Denton Cooley at Texas Heart Institute in Houston
1975 – British sitcom “The Good Life” starring Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Paul Eddington and Penelope Keith debuts on BBC One

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Famous Birthdays

1740 – Wolfgang Nicolaus Haueisen, German organist, composer, and pedagogue, born in Oehrenstock, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1804)
1945 – Bryan Andrews, New Zealand cricketer (NZ medium-pacer, toured Australia 1973-74), born in Christchurch, New Zealand
1949 – Larry Lingle, American rock guitarist (The Four Seasons, 1979-93), born in Kansas City, Missouri
1952 – Gregg Hansford, Australian motorcycle racer (10 x GP wins) and touring car racer (Bathurst 1993), born in Brisbane, Australia (d. 1995)
1957 – Kelso, American racehorse, born in Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky (d. 1983)
1963 – David Gavurin, English pop guitarist and songwriter (The Sundays – “Here’s Where the Story Ends”; “Summertime”), born in the UK

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Famous Deaths

1617 – John Napier, Scottish mathematician and inventor (logarithms), dies from effects of gout at 67
1734 – Johann C van Erckel, old Catholic theologist, dies at about 79
1947 – William O’Donnell, Irish politician (Teachta Dála, 1943-47), dies at 71
1951 – Al Christie, Canadian-born pioneering film director and producer (Nestor Film Company), dies at 69
1987 – C. L. Moore, American science fiction and fantasy writer (Judgment Night), dies at 76
1988 – Ludwig Stiel, German pianist, composer, and conductor, dies at 86

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Historical Events

1834 – The generals in the Greek War of Independence stand trial for treason.
1860 – Start of the Pony Express, delivers mail by horse and rider relay teams between St Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California
1965 – 1st atomic powered spacecraft (snap) launched
1976 – 130th Grand National: John Burke wins aboard Rag Trade; equal record 4th winner trained by Fred Rimell and 2nd winner owned by Pierre Raymond Bessone
2000 – 62nd NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Michigan State beats Florida, 89-76; Spartans only top-4 seed to advance to the Final Four
2004 – Islamic terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks are trapped by the police in their apartment and kill themselves

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Famous Birthdays

1485 – Lieven van der Maude [Livius Ammonius], South Netherland poet and Carthusian monk, born in Ghent, Habsburg Netherlands (d. 1556)
1918 – Sixten Ehrling, Swedish pianist, conductor (Royal Opera of Stockholm, 1953-60; Detroit Symphony, 1963-73), and educator (Juilliard, 1973-87), born in Malmö, Sweden (d. 2005)
1926 – Andrew Keir, Scottish character actor (Rob Roy, Absolution, Blood Hunt, Catholics), born in Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland (d. 1997)
1963 – Tsuyoshi Sekito, Japanese video game composer, born in Osaka, Japan
1988 – Peter Hartley, English footballer (Motherwell), born in Hartlepool, England
2003 – Elsie Fisher, American actress (Eighth Grade), born in Riverside, California

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Famous Deaths

1990 – Sarah Vaughan, American jazz and pop singer (“Body and Soul; “Broken Hearted Melody”), often known as “Sassy” and “The Divine One”, dies of lung cancer at 66
1990 – Katharine Balfour, American actress (Love Story), dies of ALS at 69
2007 – Marion Eames, Welsh novelist, dies at 86
2007 – Eddie Robinson, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Grambling 408 wins), dies of Alzheimer’s disease at 88
2015 – Andrew Porter, British organist, opera director, music critic, and librettist, dies at 86
2020 – Tom Dempsey, American NFL kicker (Pro Bowl, First-team All-Pro 1969; New Orleans Saints; longest winning field goal, 63 yards), dies of COVID-19 complications at 73

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