Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1585 – English Queen Elizabeth I signs Treaty of Nonsuch: Aid for Netherlands
1877 – Battle of the Big Hole: US Army led by Colonel John Gibbon fights the Nez Perce led by Chief Joseph and Looking Glass in Montana, both sides suffer heavy casualties causing the Nez Perce to continue their long fighting retreat
1949 – Ezzard Charles TKOs Gus Lesnevich in 8 for heavyweight boxing title
1960 – Los Angeles premiere of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh
1977 – Phillies and Expos play a doubleheader that ends at 3:23 AM
2008 – British cyclist Nicole Cooke wins the road race at the Beijing Olympics; Great Britain’s 200th gold in the modern Olympics

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Famous Birthdays

1708 – Johannes Stinstra, Dutch Mennonite preacher, born in Harlingen, Friesland (d. 1790)
1856 – William Willett, British inventor of Daylight Saving Time, born in Farnham, Surrey, England (d. 1915)
1940 – Richard Wells, British Chief Constable (South Yorkshire – in charge after Hillsborough disaster)
1943 – Ronnie Spector [Veronica Bennett], American pop singer (The Ronettes -“Be My Baby”), born in New York City (d. 2022)
1957 – Fred Ho [Houn], American jazz baritone saxophonist, composer (Year of the Tiger), playwright, writer and social activist, born in Palo Alto, California (d. 2014)
1962 – Dan Donovan, English rock keyboardist (Big Audio Dynamite), born in London, England

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Famous Deaths

1628 – Hans Jonsson, Swedish fleet commander, drowned
1717 – Nicolaas Witsen, Dutch statesman and mayor of Amsterdam, dies at 76
1843 – Jakob F. Fries, German philosopher, dies at 69
1861 – Nathaniel Lyon, American Brigadier-General (Union Army), 1st Union General to die in battle at 43
1974 – Ivor Dean, British stage and screen actor (Treasure Island; The Saint – “Inspector Teal”), dies at 56
1994 – Leendert-John Schalm, Dutch banker on Curacao, murdered at 58

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Historical Events

1378 – Cardinals declare pope Urbanus VI lawless (anti christian/devil)
1778 – Captain James Cook reaches Cape Prince of Wales, Bering Straits
1848 – US Barnburners (anti-slavery) party merges with Free Soil Party nominating Martin Van Buren for president
1952 – General strike against overtime conscription in Belgium
1965 – Fire in Titan II silo in Searcy, Arkansas, kills 53
1977 – Military-controlled Government of Uruguay announces the return to civilian rule through general elections in 1981 to democratically elect a President and Congress

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Famous Birthdays

1603 – Johannes Cocceius, Dutch reformed theologist, born in Bremen (d. 1669)
1819 – Jonathan Homer Lane, American astrophysicist who mathematically analyzed the Sun as a gaseous body, born in Geneseo, New York (d. 1880)
1944 – Terry Jenner, Australian cricket spin bowler (9 Tests, 24 wickets; WA CA, SA CA), born in Mount Lawley, Australia (d. 2011)
1967 – Deion Sanders, American College/Pro Football Hall of Fame corner-back (Super Bowl 1995, 96; 8 x Pro Bowl; Dallas Cowboys) and MLB outfielder (NY Yankees; Atlanta Braves), born in Fort Myers, Florida
1970 – Arion Salazar, American rock bassist (Third Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life”), born in Oakland, California
1983 – Shane O’Brien, Canadian hockey player, born in Port Hope, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1957 – Carl Clauberg, German Nazi doctor (gynecologist, specializing in mass sterilization and other experiments on humans at Auschwitz concentration camp), dies at 58
1969 – Jay Sebring, American hair stylist, murdered by Manson family at 35
1969 – Steven Parent, American student, murdered by the Manson family at 18
1977 – Edward Chapman, British actor (Things to Come, Promoter, Rembrandt), dies at 75
1979 – Allan Frank, American actor (Charade Quiz), dies at 64
1987 – Kees de Galan, Dutch economist, dies at 55

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Historical Events

1911 – The millionth patent is filed in the United States Patent Office by Francis Holton for a tubeless vehicle tire.
1918 – World War I: The Allies launch the Hundred Days Offensive, beginning with the Battle of Amiens where 500 tanks and 10 Allied divisions attacked German lines
1929 – German airship Graf Zeppelin begins the first round-the-world flight by airship, leaving Lakehurst, New Jersey
1981 – At a summit South African Trade Unions resolve to defy apartheid and labour laws
1988 – Jennifer Levin’s parents file $25M suit against Dorrian Red Hand Bar
2018 – Malaysia charges former prime minister Najib Razak with three counts of money laundering

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Famous Birthdays

1861 – William Bateson, English biologist (originator of term “genetics”), born in Whitby, England (d. 1926)
1911 – Rosetta LeNoire, American actress (Family Matters, The Brother from Another Planet), born in New York City (d. 2002)
1928 – Ken Scowcroft, English insurance magnate (Swinton) (d. 2018)
1930 – Joan Mondale (née Adams;), American artist, author, and wife of US vice-president Walter Mondale, born in Eugene, Oregon (d. 2014)
1944 – John Renbourn, British jazz and folk guitarist and songwriter (Pentangle), born in Marleylebone, London, England (d. 2015)
1981 – Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player (20 x Grand Slam singles titles; Olympic gold doubles 2008; Davis Cup 2014; 6 x Tour Finals), born in Bottmingen, Switzerland

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Famous Deaths

1940 – Johnny Dodds, American early jazz clarinetist, dies at 48
1944 – Juliusz Kaden-Bandrowski, Polish novelist and satirist (Black Wings), dies of wounds received during the Warsaw Uprising at 59
1997 – Duncan Swift, English jazz pianist, dies at 74
2005 – Ahmed Deedat, Islamic scholar (b. 1918)
2009 – Daniel Jarque, Spanish football player, dies of a heart attack at 26
2010 – Jack Parnell, British jazz drummer, and orchestra leader (The Benny Hill Show; The Englebert Humperdick Show; Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments), dies of cancer at 87

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Historical Events

659 – Forces from the Mayan city of Palenque, under its leader Pakal, defeat nearby Santa Elena and take its ruler captive
1885 – Five German warships anchor off Zanzibar
1964 – Turkey begins air attack on Greek Cypriots
1991 – Courts rules Manuel Noriega, may access some secret US documents
2010 – Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, John Randle, Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, Floyd Little and Dick LeBeau are inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
2016 – American swimmer Katie Ledecky sets a new world record with a time of 3:56.46 to win the gold medal in the women’s 400m freestyle at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics

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Famous Birthdays

1925 – M. S. Swaminathan, Indian agricultural scientist, leader of the green revolution in India, born in Kumbakonam, Madras Presidency (d. 2023)
1929 – Don Larsen, American MLB pitcher (only perfect game in World Series history, Game 5 1956; World Series MVP 1956; NY Yankees), born in Michigan City, Indiana (d. 2020)
1942 – Carlos Monzón, Argentine boxer (Undisputed world middleweight champion 1970-74, 76-77), born in San Javier, Argentina (d. 1995)
1975 – Gaahl [Kristian Eivind Espedal], Norwegian black metal vocalist (Gorgoroth), born in Sunnfjord, Norway
1978 – Vanness Wu, Taiwanese-American singer (F4, Kangta and Vanness), born in Santa Monica, California
1988 – Melody Oliveria, American internet blogger (bowiechick)

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Famous Deaths

1942 – Janusz Korczak [Henryk Goldszmit], Polish-Jewish educator and pedagogue (ran an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto), is gassed at Treblinka extermination camp along with the residents of his orphanage at 64
2011 – Hugh Carey, American politician and attorney (Gov-D-NY), dies at 92
2017 – David Maslanka, American composer (Angel Of Mercy; Sea Dreams), and educator, dies of colon cancer at 73
2018 – Stan Mikita, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Stanley Cup 1961; Hart Memorial Trophy [MVP] 1967, 68; 6 x NHL First All-Star Team), dies of Lewy body dementia at 78
2022 – David McCullough, American author (Truman; John Adams), popular historian, TV documentary host and narrator (Seabiscuit; The Civil War), dies at 89
2023 – William Friedkin, American film director, producer, writer (The Exorcist; The French Connection), dies of heart failure at 87

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Historical Events

695 – Maya King Jasaw Chan K’awill I of Tikal defeats Yich’aak K’ahk’ (‘Claw of Fire’), his long-standing rival and king of Calakmul
1815 – US flotilla ends piracy by Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli
1951 – The National Museum of Racing opens in Congress Park at Saratoga Springs, N.Y
1966 – US citizens demonstrate against war in Vietnam
1982 – Three ANC members are sentenced to death in South Africa
2015 – Eqyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi inaugurates the Suez Canal Expansion at a ceremony in Ismaïlia

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Famous Birthdays

1908 – William “Will” Lee, American actor (They Live by Night, Melody Lane), born in New York City (d. 1982)
1938 – Igor Mikhailovich Luchenok, Belarusian composer and teacher, born in Minsk, Belarus (d. 2018)
1955 – Gordon J. Brand, English golfer (British Open 1986 runner-up), born in Cambridge, England (d. 2020)
1966 – Regina Carter, American jazz and classical violinist, and composer, born in Detroit, Michigan
1981 – Leslie Odom Jr., American actor and singer (Hamilton), born in New York City
1995 – Amy Forsyth, Canadian actress (The Gilded Age, CODA), born in Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1414 – King Ladislas of Naples (b. 1377)
1965 – Nancy Carroll, actress (Alice-Aldrich Family), dies at 60
1969 – Theodor W. Adorno, German philosopher and sociologist (Dialectic of Enlightenment, Negative Dialectics), dies at 65
1979 – Kurt Kaszner [Serwicher], Austrian actor (Kiss Me Kate, Lili, Casino Royale), dies of cancer at 65
2009 – Willibrordus S. Rendra, Indonesian poet (Ballad orang-orang tertjina), dies at 73
2012 – Sir Bernard Lovell, English radio astronomer, dies at 98

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Historical Events

1552 – Battle of Ponza: Ottoman naval fleet led by Dragut defeats Genoese fleet under Andrea Doria capturing seven galleys
1944 – US 79th/90th division occupy Laval (Mayenne), southwest of Paris
1964 – Congo rebellion: Christopher Gbenye and Pierre Mulele conquer Stanleyville
1966 – West Indies cricket captain Garfield Sobers scores 174 including a century between lunch and tea to set up a 4th Test win v England at Headingley
1969 – Pirates outfielder Willie Stargell smashes first and longest home run ever hit out of Dodger Stadium; the incomparable shot off Alan Foster, measures 506 feet
1985 – Establishment of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is announced

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Famous Birthdays

1947 – Bernie Carbo, American MLB player, born in Detroit, Michigan
1953 – Samantha Sang [Cheryl Lau Sang], Australian pop singer (Emotion), born in Melbourne
1963 – James Wilder, American actor (Scorchers, Zombie High, Murder 1), born in Cleveland, Ohio
1968 – Tokimitsu Ishizawa, Japanese professional wrestler
1970 – Travis Moore, American CFL receiver (Grey Cup 1998 2001; 3 x CFL All Star; Calgary Stampeders), born in Santa Monica, California
1972 – Aaqib Javed, Pakistani cricketer and pace bowler (1989-98), born in Sheikhupura, Pakistan

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Famous Deaths

1579 – Stanislaus Hosius, Polish Catholic cardinal (b. 1504)
1901 – Victoria, Empress of Germany and Queen of Prussia by marriage to German Emperor Frederick III, dies at 60
1997 – Don Steele, LA radio personality (KRTH), dies of cancer at 61
2000 – Otto Buchsbaum, Austrian writer and ecological activist, dies at 80
2001 – Otema Allimadi, Prime Minister of Uganda (b. 1929)
2011 – Andrzej Lepper, Polish politician (Deputy Prime Minister of Poland), dies at 57

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Historical Events

1666 – St James’ Day naval battle is an English victory against the Dutch during Second Anglo-Dutch War off the Kent coast
1929 – Jones Beach in NY opens
1946 – An earthquake of magnitude 8.0 hits northern Dominican Republic. 100 are killed and 20,000 are left homeless.
1976 – England beats Australia by 8 wickets in the limited overs cricket international at Lord’s; first time women are permitted to play on the main square at ‘the home of cricket’
1986 – After winning only token damages in antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, USFL owners vote to suspend operations for 1986 season; folded before 4th season
2010 – On 3rd anniversary of his 500th MLB career home run, Alex Rodriguez reaches the 600 HR mark in the NY Yankees 5-1 win v Toronto; 7th and youngest to reach milestone

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Famous Birthdays

1222 – Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, English soldier (d. 1262)
1888 – Philip Greeley Clapp, American composer and educator (University of Iowa, 1919-54), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1954)
1918 – Iceberg Slim (a.k.a. Robert Beck), African-American author, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1992)
1931 – Narendra Tamhane, Indian cricket wicket-keeper (1950’s), born in Bombay, India
1959 – Laurence Anholt, British children’s author, born in London, England
1967 – Michael Lawrence Marsh, American sprinter (Olympic 200m gold 1992, silver 1996), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1584 – John van Hembyze, Flemish Calvinist, dies at 71
1873 – Viktor Hartmann, Russian architect and painter, dies at 39
1938 – Pearl White, American actress/stunt woman (Perils of Pauline), dies at 49
1980 – Diego Fabbri, Italian playwright and leader (Vatican movie bureau), dies at 69
1992 – Ralph Cooper, American master-of-ceremonies (creator of Amateur Night at the Apollo), actor, dancer, and choreographer, dies of cancer at 84
2013 – Art Donovan, American NFL HOF defensive tackle, 1950-61 (4 x Pro Bowl, 2 x Champion – Baltimore Colts and 2 other teams), and US Marine (WWII – Iwo Jima), dies from a respiratory ailment at 89

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Historical Events

1852 – America’s first intercollegiate sporting event takes place as the Harvard heavyweight rowing crew beats Yale by 2 lengths over 2 miles on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
1952 – Italian Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari clinches Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by winning German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring
1962 – 29th Chicago College All-Star Game: Green Bay 42, All-Stars 20, 65,000 at Soldier Field
2001 – The Real IRA detonate a car bomb in Ealing, London, injuring 7 people
2001 – US President George W. Bush signs into law the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA) Extension Act of 2001
2004 – St. Louis 1st baseman Albert Pujols becomes first player in MLB history to hit at least 30 HRs in each of his first 4 seasons as Cardinals beat Montreal, 10-6

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Famous Birthdays

1692 – John Henley, English clergyman, born in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England (d. 1759)
1895 – Marguerite Nichols, American actress (An Old Man’s Folly), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1941)
1924 – Max van der Stoel, Dutch politician and Minister of Foreign Affairs (PvdA), born in Voorschoten, Netherlands (d. 2011)
1972 – John Lilley, American hockey forward (Olympics 1994), born in Wakefield, Massachusetts
1973 – Stephen Graham, English actor (This is England, Boiling Point), born in Kirby, England
1977 – Tómas Lemarquis, Icelandic actor (Nói Albínói), born in Reykjavík, Iceland

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Famous Deaths

1779 – Henry Kobell, Dutch painter and cartoonist, dies at 27
1877 – Karl Georg Lickl, Austrian pianist, physharmonica (type of harmonium) player, and composer, dies at 75
1916 – Roger Casement, Irish diplomat, ardent Irish nationalist (Easter uprising 1916) and poet, hanged after conviction for treason by the British at 51
1986 – Paul de Groot, Dutch communist politician (CPN) and editor (The Truth), dies at 87
1998 – Alfred Schnittke, Russian composer and musicologist, dies after a series strokes at 63
2005 – Françoise d’Eaubonne, French feminist (b. 1920)

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Historical Events

1581 – Leiden University names Rudolph Snellius as math professor
1959 – Milwaukee Braves outfielder Bill Bruton hits 3 triples in 11-5 win v St. Louis Cardinals; 2 of them bases loaded, first time in 20th Century
1987 – Michael Andretti runs fastest Indy car race in history (171.49mph) in winning the Marlboro 500 at the Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan
1991 – Pan Am games open in Havana
2017 – New crypto-currency Bitcoin Cash is created via a hard-fork of Bitcoin’s blockchain technology and brand
2018 – Pope Frances declares the death penalty unacceptable in all cases, reversing church teachings and adding to Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church

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Famous Birthdays

1788 – Leopold Gmelin, German chemist (Gmelin’s test), born in Göttingen, Germany (d. 1853)
1886 – John Alexander Douglas McCurdy, Canadian aviator, born in Baddeck, Nova Scotia (d. 1961)
1910 – Roger MacDougall, Scottish playwright and screenwriter (The Man in the White Suit), born in Glasgow (d. 1993)
1923 – Shimon Peres [Szymon Perski], Polish-Israeli Labor Party politician (President. 2007-14; Prime Minister, 1984-86 and 1995-96; Foreign Minister, 1986-88, 1992-95, and 2001-02), and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1994), born in Wiszniewo, Poland (now Vishnyeva, Belarus) (d. 2016)
1944 – Juvenal “Naná’ Vasconcelos, Brazilian jazz and world music percussionist, and berimbau player (Pat Metheny; Björk; Milton Nascimento), born in Recife, Brazil (d. 2016)
1970 – Elijah Alexander, American NFL linebacker (Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos), born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 2010)

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Famous Deaths

1075 – John VIII Xiphilinus, theologian and patriarch of Constantinople, dies
1100 – William II [Rufus], king of England, shot hunting in the New Forest at 44
1788 – Thomas Gainsborough, English leading portrait painter (Blue Boy), dies at 61
1994 – Bhagwatpersad Ausan, commandant Suriname military police, dies at 38
2007 – Kay Dotrice [Katherine Newman], British actress (Cheech and Chong’s The Corsican Brothers), dies of a heart attack at 78
2022 – Hans Bangerter, Swiss football administrator (General Secretary UEFA 1960-89), dies at 98

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Historical Events

1914 – British Grand Fleet reaches Scapa Flow
1958 – US 1st class postage up to 4 cents (had been 3 cents for 26 years)
1985 – Emmy 12th Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci loses for 6th time
1988 – Deep Rover 1-man research submarine unveiled at Crater Lake, Oregon
2010 – British Open Women’s Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: 21-year-old Yani Tseng of Taiwan becomes youngest-ever winner of 3 major championships, 1 stroke ahead of Katherine Hull of Australia
2021 – Australian swimmer Emma McKeon claims gold in 50m freestyle and 4x100m medley relay for total 7 medals at Tokyo Olympics; equals record set by Russian gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya in 1952

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Famous Birthdays

1847 – Guido Papini, Italian violinist and composer, born in Camaiore, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (now Italy) (d. 1912)
1906 – Nathan Perelman, Soviet Russian pianist and pedagogue, born in Zhitomir, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) (d. 2002)
1940 – Mervyn Kitchen, English cricketer and umpire, born in Nailsea, Somerset
1957 – Glen Gorbous, Canadian MLB outfielder (record for longest throw of a regulation baseball [445′ 10″]), born in Drumheller, Alberta (d. 1990)
1962 – Joetta Clark, American 800m runner (Olympic-1992), born in East Orange, New Jersey
2001 – Scottie Barnes, American basketball forward (NBA Rookie of the Year 2022; Toronto Raptors), born in West Palm Beach, Florida

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Famous Deaths

1630 – Federico Cesi, Italian naturalist and founder of the first modern scientific society, the Accademia dei Lincei, dies at 45
1743 – Richard Savage, English poet and playwright, dies at about 46
1996 – Mohamed Farrah Aidid, President (ANS-CUS)/Somalia, dies
2001 – Korey Stringer, American NFL football tackle, 1995-2000 (Minnesota Vikings), dies of complications from heat stroke at 27
2010 – Robert F. Boyle, American production designer and art director, dies at 100
2020 – Vitold Kreyer, Russian athlete (Olympic bronze, triple jump 1956, 60) and coach (Soviet athletics team 1967–80; head Russian team 2000 Olympics), dies at 87

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