Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1945 – The Manhattan Project’s G-5 Group, headed by Physicist’s Donald Kerst and Seth Neddermeyer, take their first betatron pictures of a nuclear implosion at the Los Alamos Laboratory
1951 – “Cloud of Death” rolls down Mount Lamington, New Guinea kills 3-5,000
1962 – 50th Australian Championships Men’s Tennis: Rod Laver takes the 1st leg of his 1st Grand Slam; beats fellow Queenslander Roy Emerson 8-6, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4
1962 – Derveni Papyrus rediscovered – Europe’s oldest surviving manuscript from c. 340 B.C., commentary on a Orphic poem, found in a tomb in Derveni, Northern Greece
1988 – 19-year-old Indian cricket leg-spinner Narenda Hirwani records best bowling figures on debut in Test history; captures 16-136 in 255 run 4th Test win v West Indies in Madras; Hirwani takes 8 wickets in each innings
2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, former Iraqi intelligence chief and half-brother of Saddam Hussein, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court, are executed by hanging in Iraq.

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Famous Birthdays

1891 – Ray Chapman, American baseball player (Cleveland Indians) and only MLB player to die from an injury received during a MLB game, born in Beaver Dam, Kentucky (d. 1920)
1911 – Cy Feuer, Broadway producer (Feuer and Martin-Chorus Line), born in New York City (d. 2006)
1930 – Michel Chapuis, French classical organist and pedagogue, born in Dole, France (d. 2017)
1961 – Yves P. Pelletier, Canadian comedian and film director, born in Laval, Canada
1971 – LeShon Johnson, American football running back (Arizona Cardinals), born in Haskell, Oklahoma
1979 – Martin Petrov, Bulgarian soccer winger (90 caps; Servette, VfL Wolfsburg, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers), born in Vratsa, Bulgaria

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Famous Deaths

1597 – Juan de Herrera, Spanish Renaissance architect and mathematician (El Escorial, Vallododid Cathedral), dies (b. c. 1530)
1781 – Marianne Victoria of Borbón, queen regent of Portugal (b. 1718)
1896 – Matthew B Brady, US photographer (Civil War), dies at about 72
1970 – Vytautas Bacevičius [Bacewicz], Lithuanian avant garde composer (Della Guerra Symphony), dies at 64
1973 – Coleman Francis, American film director (b. 1919)
2008 – Mark Haigh-Hutchinson, English Game Designer (Zombies Ate My Neighbors), dies of cancer (b. 1964)

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Historical Events

1622 – Germany and Transylvania sign Peace of Nikolsburg
1923 – Baltimore Sun warns of the Ku Klux Klan
1965 – Twin brothers are in held in custody in London charged with abduction and murder
1972 – LA Lakers defeat the Atlanta Hawks 134-90 for their 33rd straight win, the longest winning streak in major professional sports
2009 – 35th People’s Choice Awards: Will Smith and Reese Witherspoon win (Movie Star) and Hugh Laurie and Christina Applegate win (TV)
2023 – Vaccine for bees against American Foulbrood bacteria approved in the US – first vaccine in the US for any insect

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Famous Birthdays

1920 – Aubrey Brabazon, Irish jockey and horse trainer, born in The Curragh, Ireland (d. 1996)
1924 – Geoffrey Bayldon, British stage and screen actor (Catweazle; Worzel Gummidge – “Crowman”), born in Leeds, England (d. 2017)
1930 – Douglas Kiker, American NBC newsman (1970 Peabody Award), born in Griffin, Georgia (d. 1991)
1942 – Vasiliy Alekseyev, Russian weightlifter (Olympic gold 1972, 76), born in Miloslavsky District, Soviet Union (d. 2011)
1945 – Dave Cousins [Hindson], English rock singer-songwriter (Strawbs – “Part of the Union”), born in Hounslow, England
1968 – Georgi Gospodinov, Bulgarian writer (Time Shelter – 2023 International Booker prize), born in Yambol, Bulgaria

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Famous Deaths

1736 – Česlav Vaňura, Czech composer, dies at 41
1922 – Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana’ole, Prince of the Kingdom of Hawaii, dies at 50
1943 – Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American physicist, electrical engineer and inventor who developed alternating current and the Tesla Coil, dies at 86
1951 – René Guénon, French-Egyptian metaphysician, traditionalist and author, dies at 64
1990 – Gail Lucas, American entertainer, dies at 37
2000 – Gary Albright, American professional wrestler (b. 1963)

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Historical Events

1923 – Harry Tierney and Joseph McCarthy’s musical “Kid Boots,” premieres in New York City
1961 – National Football League Championship, City Stadium, Green Bay: Green Bay Packers shutout NY Giants 37-0; first of 5 NFL titles won in 7-season span by Packers and head coach, Vince Lombardi
1963 – Dear Abby show premieres on CBS radio (runs 11 years)
1977 – Revival of Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion’s musical “Man of La Mancha” starring Richard Kiley, closes at the Palace Theater, NYC, after 124 performances
2017 – Singer Lorde called a bigot in ad in Washington Post after cancelling show in Israel
2018 – Houston guard James Harden scores 43 points in Rockets’ 113-101 win over Memphis Grizzlies; 4th straight NBA game with 40+ points and 8th straight with 35+; joins Oscar Robertson as only player with at least 35 points and 5 assists in 8 straight games

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Famous Birthdays

1514 – Andreas Vesalius [Andries van Wesel], Flemish physician and anatomist (De humani corporis fabrica), born in Brussels, Habsburg Netherlands (now Belgium) (d. 1564)
1863 – Alfredo Panzini, Italian author (Dizionario Moderno), born in Senigallia, Italy (d. 1939)
1881 – Max Pechstein, German “entartet” painter and graphic artist (The Bridge), born in Zwickau, Germany (d. 1955)
1919 – Recy Taylor, American sexual assault victim, born in Abbeville, Alabama (d. 2017)
1969 – David Rawlings, American guitarist and singer, works with Gillian Welch (All the Good Times), born in North Smithfield, Rhode Island
1981 – Jason Campbell, American football quarterback (Auburn University: Music City Bowl MVP 2003, Sugar Bowl MVP 2005; Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders), born in Laurel, Mississippi

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Famous Deaths

1640 – John Francis Regis, French priest and Roman Catholic saint, dies of pneumonia at 43
1652 – Frances Cecil, 2nd wife of English earl of Shaftesbury, dies
1864 – George Mifflin Dallas, American politician (11th Vice President of the United States) and United States Minister to Russia, dies at 72
1960 – Semyon Bogatyrev, Russian and Soviet musicologist and composer (completed a symphony abandoned by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky), dies at 70
1994 – Leigh Bowery, Australian performance artist and designer, dies of AIDS at 33
2007 – Milton L. Klein, Canadian politician (b. 1910)

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Historical Events

1952 – French government of Pinay, resigns
1965 – Belgian government shuts 6 coal mines
1970 – Treblinka SS commander Franz Stangl sentenced to life imprisonment
1976 – East Germany grants rock singer Nina Hagen her request to leave the country, after refusing her stepfather re-entry
1983 – Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak meets with PLO leader Yasser Arafat
1997 – Scotty Bowman’s Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins, 4-2 giving him 200 wins with Detroit, and making him the first NHL coach to record 200 wins with 3 different teams; also Montreal and Buffalo

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Famous Birthdays

1624 – Tomas Micieres, Spanish composer and chapel master, born in Villaescusa de Ecla, Spain (d. 1662)
1832 – Edward Hatch, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Bangor, Maine (d. 1889)
1922 – Jim Wright, American Democratic politician and Speaker of the House (1987-89), born in Forth Worth, Texas (d. 2015)
1953 – David Leisner, American classical guitarist and composer, born in Los Angeles, California
1980 – Chris Carmack, American actor, born in Washington, D.C.
2000 – Joshua Bassett, American actor and singer (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), born in Oceanside, California

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Famous Deaths

1738 – Jean-Joseph Mouret, French composer, dies at 56
1917 – Frances Xavier Cabrini, Italian-American saint (1st American saint, founded Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart), dies at 67
1947 – Therese Brandl, German Nazi concentration camp guard (Auschwitz), and convicted war criminal, executed by hanging in Kraków, Poland at 45
2002 – Joe Strummer, British lead singer of the punk band “The Clash” (Rock the Casbah), dies at age 50
2020 – Claude Brasseur [Espinasse], French actor (Bande à part; La Boum; Pardon Mon Affaire), dies at 84
2022 – Ronnie Lamont, Irish rugby union #8, flanker (12 Tests Ireland; 4 Tests British and Irish Lions), dies at 81

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Historical Events

1792 – 1st life insurance policy issued in US (Philadelphia)
1874 – Henry Bergh, Eldgridge Gerry, and philanthropist John D. Wright found the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in NYC, the world’s first anti-child abuse agency. Later known as The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC).
1922 – IVVV (association) peace congress on war forms in Hague
1978 – German label Ariola Records releases eponymous debut album “Rosanne Cash”, produced by future husband Rodney Crowell
1986 – Carnegie Hall reopens after a $50 million facelift
2017 – Pakistani teenager Ahed Tamimi filmed slapping Israeli officers during protest, arrested 4 days later

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Famous Birthdays

37 – Nero, Emperor of Rome (54-68), born in Antium, Italy (d. 68)
1567 – Christoph Demantius, German composer, born in Reichenberg, Duchy of Bavaria (d. 1643)
1903 – Tamanishiki San’emon, Japanese sumo wrestler (32nd yokozuna; winner 9 top division yūshō), born in Kōchi, Japan (d. 1938)
1910 – John H. Hammond, American music producer, talent scout, promoter, and activist, “discovered” Billie Holiday, Teddy Wilson, Count Basie, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen, born in New York City (d. 1987)
1913 – Muriel Rukeyser, American poet (The Book of the Dead), born in New York City (d. 1980)
1988 – Emily Head, English actress (The Inbetweeners; Emmerdale, 2016-18), born in Fulham, London, England

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Famous Deaths

1861 – Gualtiero Sanelli, Italian composer, dies at 45
1934 – Maggie L. Walker, African-American teacher and businesswoman (1st female Bank President), dies at 69
1939 – Tom McKibbin, Australian cricket spin bowler (5 Tests, 17 wickets; NSW CA), dies at 69
1953 – Kishio Hirao, Japanese composer, dies at 46
1980 – Ben Travers, British playwright known for his farces and “The Bed Before Yesterday”, dies at 94
2005 – William Proxmire, American politician (Sen-D-WI, 1957-88), dies at 90

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Historical Events

1727 – Physician Sir Hans Soane becomes President of the Royal Society, succeeding Sir Isaac Newton
1940 – CFL Grey Cup (Game 2), Lansdowne Park, Ottawa: Ottawa beats Toronto Balmy Beach, 12-5
1954 – Japanese government of Joshida resigns
1972 – Apollo 17 launched, the final manned lunar landing mission where the crew takes the famous “blue marble” photo of the entire Earth
1992 – Galileo spacecraft passes North Pole of Moon (Peary Crater)
2021 – Chile becomes the 31st nation to legalize same-sex marriage

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Famous Birthdays

967 – Abū-Sa’īd Abul-Khayr, Persian mystic and poet, born in Mihne, Greater Khorasan (d. 1049)
1892 – Stuart Davis, American modernist painter, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1964)
1912 – Daniel Jones, Welsh composer, born in Pembroke, Wales (d. 1993)
1915 – Leigh Brackett, American sci-fi author (Ginger Star), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1978)
1947 – Johnny Bench, American Baseball HOF catcher (14 x MLB All Star; World Series 1975, 76 [MVP]; NL MVP 1970, 72; 10 x Gold Glove; Cincinnati Reds), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
1977 – Fernando Vargas, American boxer (IBF light middleweight title 1998-2000, WBA title 2001-02), born in Oxnard, California

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Famous Deaths

1969 – Lefty O’Doul, American Baseball HOF left fielder (MLB All-Star, World Series 1933; NL batting champion 1929, 32 NY Yankees), dies at 72
1979 – Nicolas Born, German writer, dies of cancer at 41
1979 – Prince Chahryar Shafik, Shah of Iran’s nephew, murdered in Paris
1997 – Billy Bremner, Scottish footballer (Leeds United), dies at 54 from a suspected heart attack
2001 – Charles McClendon, LSU Tigers head football coach (b. 1923)
2011 – Harry Morgan, American actor (December Bride; M*A*S*H, 1975-83 – “Col. Sherman Potter”; AfterMASH; Dragnet – “Bill Gannon”), dies in his sleep at 96

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Historical Events

1864 – American Civil War Battle at Griswoldville, Georgia, ends after 650 casualties
1977 – US President Jimmy Carter presents engineer Peter Goldmark with the National Medal of Science for his work communication and entertainment technology
1980 – Georgia tanker at Pilottown Louisiana, spills 1.3 million gallons of oil after an anchor chain causes a ship to leak
1996 – O.J. Simpson takes stand as hostile witness in the wrongful death lawsuit filed against him, saying it is “absolutely not true”
2002 – In Nigeria, more than 100 people are killed at an attack aimed at the contestants of the Miss World contest
2023 – Right-wing Dutch populist Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party unexpectedly wins more seats than any other party in the country’s general election

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Famous Birthdays

1897 – Paul Oswald Ahnert, German astronomer, born in Chemnitz, Kingdom of Saxony (d. 1989)
1908 – Michael Balfour, English historian, born in Oxford (d. 1995)
1938 – John Gregory, American football coach (CFL Grey Cup 1989 Saskatchewan Roughriders; South Dakota State Uni), born in Webster City, Iowa (d. 2022)
1955 – James Edwards, American basketball center (NBA C’ship 1989, 90 Detroit Pistons, 1996 Chicago Bulls), born in Seattle, Washington
1964 – Stephen Geoffreys, actor (Faternity Vacation), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1969 – Dave Sims, English rugby union lock (3 Tests; Gloucester RFC; Barbarians RFC 1995, 96, 99), born in Gloucester, England (d. 2022)

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Famous Deaths

1896 – Vicente Riva Palacio, Mexican Liberal politician, military leader and writer (Governor of the State of Mexico), dies at 64
1994 – John Michael Grimes, British set designer (Philby, Burgess and MacLean), dies at 70
1995 – Norman Potter, English cabinetmaker, designer and writer, dies at 72
1997 – Harry Kissin, Baron Kissin, British businessman and President (GPG), dies at 85
1998 – Stu Unger, American poker player (b. 1953)
2007 – Verity Lambert, English film and TV producer, 1st producer of Doctor Who, dies at 71

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Historical Events

1968 – Yale University announces it is going co-educational
1981 – Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant ties Amos Alonzo Stagg with 314 football wins
1981 – 2nd NASA Space Shuttle Mission: Columbia 2 returns to Earth
2008 – Eurozone officially slips into recession for the first time since its creation in 1999, pushed down by recessions in Germany and Italy
2014 – American harness racing trainer/driver Dave Palone sets the world record for wins when he drive Missy Tap Tina to the winner’s circle for his 16,754th career victory
2018 – Attempt to move 720,000 Rohingya back to Myanmar from Bangladesh refugee camps amid international criticism. They refuse to go.

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Famous Birthdays

1875 – Gregorio del Pilar, Filipino general known as the ‘boy general’ during the Philippine-American War, born in Bulakan, Philippines (d. 1899)
1907 – Astrid Lindgren, Swedish children book author (Pippi Longstocking), born in Vimmerby, Sweden (d. 2002)
1924 – Leonid Kogan, Soviet Russian violinist (Lenin Prize, 1952), born in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, USSR (now Ukraine) (d. 1982)
1927 – Narciso Yepes, Spanish classical guitarist (Orquesta Nacionale 1947), born in Lorca, Spain (d. 1997)
1948 – Jacob Kohnstamm, Dutch lawyer and politician (Senator, 1999-2004; Undersecretary of the Interior (1994-98; House of Representatives, 1981-82. 1986-94), born in Wassenaar, Netherlands
1972 – Josh Duhamel, American actor (Transformers, Life as We Know It), born in Minot, North Dakota

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Famous Deaths

1692 – Christoph Bernhard, German baroque composer, dies at 64
1977 – A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Indian guru, founder of International Society for Krishna Consciousness, dies at 81
1981 – Robert Bradford, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1941)
1992 – Joop Van Nellen, Dutch soccer forward (27 caps; DHC Delft), dies at 82
1994 – Jake Dengel, American actor (Ragtime, Ironweed), dies at 61
1996 – Joseph Bernardin, cardinal Archbishop of Chicago, dies at 68

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Historical Events

1620 – After a month of delays off the English coast and about two months at sea, the Mayflower spots land (Cape Cod)
1963 – Tsurumi rail accident on Tōkaidō Main Line, two passenger trains collide with derailed freight train, killing 162 people. in Yokohama, Japan
1964 – Victor Borge’s “Comedy in Music – Opus 2” opens at John Golden Theatre, NYC; runs for 192 performances
1982 – Sugar Ray Leonard retires for the first time
2015 – “Reclining Nude” by Italian artist Modigliani fetches 2nd highest auction price at $170.4m
2020 – Peru’s Congress votes to impeach and oust President Martín Vizcarra on corruption charges

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Famous Birthdays

1820 – Matthias de Vries, Dutch linguist (spelling), born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 1892)
1877 – Enrico De Nicola, Italian politician, 1st President of Italy (1948), born in Naples, Kingdom of Italy (d. 1959)
1888 – Jean Monnet, French political economist and diplomat, born in Cognac, France (d. 1979)
1922 – Raymond Devos, Belgian-French humorist, born in Mouscron, Belgium (d. 2006)
1939 – Paul Cameron, American psychologist and sex researcher, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1948 – Michel Pagliaro, Canadian rock singer, born in Montreal, Quebec

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Famous Deaths

1809 – Paul Sandby, English cartographer and landscape painter, dies at about 78 [exact birthdate uncertain, c. 1731]
1968 – Jan Johansson, Swedish jazz pianist, dies at 37
1985 – Mary MacLaren, actress (Black Swan), dies at 85 of respiratory probs
1994 – Ralph Michael, British actor (Quest, Doctor in the House), dies at 87
2000 – Hugh Paddick, English actor (Round the Horne), dies at 85
2017 – Hans Vermeulen, Dutch singer and guitarist (Sandy Coast), dies at 70

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Historical Events

1869 – 1st US college football game, players used their hands or feet, Rutgers 6 Princeton 4
1919 – 1st Dutch radio program: Soirée Musicale with “Turf in you(r) ransel” is broadcast
1962 – Edward W. Brooke (R) elected attorney general of Massachusetts
1981 – Larry Holmes TKOs Renaldo Snipes in 11 for heavyweight boxing title
1986 – Rev Donald Wildmon begins a campaign against Howard Stern
2009 – President Barack Obama signs congressional resolution conferring honorary U.S. citizenship to Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski

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Famous Birthdays

1661 – Charles II of Spain, last Habsburg King of Spain (reigns 1665-1700), born in Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Spain (d. 1700)
1822 – Gordon Granger, American Major General during the Civil War (Union Army), born in Wayne County, New York (d. 1876)
1936 – K. Schippers [Gerard Stigter], Dutch author (Een klok en profil), born in Amsterdam
1937 – Edwin Roxburgh, English composer and conductor, born in Liverpool, England
1946 – Fred Penner, Canadian children’s entertainer, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
1972 – Garry Flitcroft, English soccer midfielder, manager (Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers), born in Bolton, Lancashire

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Famous Deaths

1492 – Antoine Busnois, French composer known for his chansons, dies at about 62
1597 – Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain [Catalina Micaela de Austria], Duchess consort of Savoy (1585-97), dies at 30
1912 – Mykola Lysenko, Ukrainian composer (Taras Bulba), conductor and ethnomusicologist, dies at 70
1986 – Lili Kraus, Czech-Hungarian-British concert pianist and educator, dies at 81
1989 – Yusaku Matsuda, Japanese actor (Detective Story), dies of cancer at 40
2021 – Shawn Rhoden, Jamaican bodybuilder (Mr. Olympia 2018; IFBB British Grand Prix 2012), dies from a heart attack at 46

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