Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1741 – Charles Albert of Bavaria invades Upper Austria and Bohemia.
1809 – First practical US railroad track is laid in Philadelphia. It is made of wood and designed for horse-drawn cars.
1852 – Hottest July in Netherlands since at least 1783 (68.4°F (20.2°C) avg)
1978 – Gunman shoots his way into Iraqi Embassy in Paris
1988 – Oakland DH Jose Canseco smacks 2 home runs off Scott Bankhead in A’s 6-2 win over Seattle Mariners; becomes first MLB player to hit 30 HRs in first 3 years
1992 – Three world record swims on final night session at the Barcelona Olympics; Australian Kieren Perkins 1,500m (14:43.4); Tamás Darnyi of Hungary 200m backstroke (1:59.36); China’s Yang Wenyi women’s 50m freestyle (24.79)

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Famous Birthdays

1916 – Billy Hitchcock, American baseball infielder, manager, official (Detroit Tigers; president Double-A Southern League 1971–80), born in Inverness, Alabama (d. 2006)
1919 – Hemu Adhikari, Indian cricket batsman (21 Tests; HS 114 1st Test v WI 1948), born in Pune, Maharashtra (d. 2003)
1922 – Lucy Killea, American Californian politician who supported pro-choice, born in San Antonio, Texas (d. 2017)
1944 – Sherry Lansing, American actress (China Syndrome, Black Rain), born in Chicago, Illinois
1967 – Tony Massenburg, American NBA forward who played for 12 different teams, born in Sussex, Virginia
1976 – Marty Booker, American NFL wide receiver (Pro Bowl 2002, Chicago Bears), born in Jonesboro, Louisiana

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Famous Deaths

1508 – Na’od, Emperor of Ethiopia (b. 1494)
1566 – Bartholome de Casas, Spanish historian/bishop of Chiapa, dies at 92
1940 – Whitey Krakow [or Krakower], American gangster and hitman (Murder Inc), murdered by “Bugsy” Siegel
1994 – G de Ru, chairman of Dutch Reformed Synode, dies
1998 – Barbara Giuranna, Italian pianist and composer, dies at 98
2003 – John Aston Sr., English soccer striker (17 caps; Manchester United 253 games), dies at 81

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Historical Events

1946 – 1st rocket attains 100 mi (167 km) altitude, White Sands, New Mexico
1955 – 42nd Tour de France: French cyclist Louison Bobet claims last of his 3 straight general classification victories
1971 – US Apollo 15 (Scott and Irwin) lands on Mare Imbrium on the Moon
1984 – Alvenus tanker at Cameron Louisiana, spills 2.8 million gallons of oil
1988 – Harry Drake shoots arrow record 1873m
2017 – Russian President Vladimir Putin announces American diplomats in Russia cut by 755 in response to American sanctions

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Famous Birthdays

1875 – James W. Tate, English composer, born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England (d. 1922)
1931 – Joan Vohs, American model and actress (Fort Ti, Vice Squad, Sabrina), born in St Albans, New York (d. 2001)
1964 – Alek Keshishian, Lebanese-American film director (Madonna: Truth or Dare), born in Beirut, Lebanon
1970 – Joe Montford, American CFL linebacker (Hamilton Tiger Cats), born in Beaufort, North Carolina
1973 – Sonu Nigam, Indian playback singer, born in Haryana, India
1981 – Nicky Hayden, American motorcycle racer (MotoGP Champion 2006), born in Owensboro, Kentucky (d. 2017)

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Famous Deaths

1889 – Charles Absolom, English cricketer (Test for England), dies in a port accident at 43
1957 – Sem Dresden, Dutch composer and conductor, dies at 76
1979 – Beppie Nooij, Dutch actress and director (Red Sien, Zeemansvrouwen), dies at 60
1995 – Harry Shorto, British philologist and linguist (A Dictionary of the Mon Inscriptions), dies at 75
2005 – (Eli) “Lucky” Thompson, American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist (Stan Kenton – Cuban Fire!; Milt Jackson; Miles Davis – Walkin’), dies of Alzheimer’s disease at 81
2007 – Ingmar Bergman, Swedish stage and film director (Cries and Whispers), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1967 – The Doors’ single “Light My Fire” hits #1 in the US
1969 – Mariner 6 begins transmitting far-encounter photos of Mars
1990 – LPGA Championship Women’s Golf, Bethesda CC: Beth Daniel wins her only major title by 1 stroke from fellow American Rosie Jones
1990 – Boston Red Sox set major league record with 12 doubles in a game
1995 – Monica Seles beats Martina Navratilova in her return to tennis after she was stabbed in an on-court attack in 1993
2021 – Russian backstroke swimmer Evgeny Rylov wraps up the 100/200m double with OR 1:53.27 in the longer event at the Tokyo Olympic Games

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Famous Birthdays

1907 – Melvin Belli, American lawyer known as “The King of Torts” and “Melvin Bellicose”, born in Sonora, California (d. 1996)
1933 – Robert Fuller, American actor (Laramie, Wagon Train), born in Troy, New York
1943 – Roz Kelly, American actress (Owl and Pussycat, Happy Days), born in Mt Vernon, New York
1957 – Fumio Kishida, Japanese politician (Prime Minister of Japan 2021-), born in Tokyo, Japan
1969 – Alison Dunlap, American cyclist (UCI Mountain Bike Cross Country World C’ship gold 2001), born in Denver, Colorado
1970 – John Rennie, Zimbabwean cricketer (pace bowler 1993)

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Famous Deaths

1886 – Adolf Muller Sr., Austrian composer of operettas, dies at 84
1958 – Charles O’Malley, American actor in silent westerns (Iron Horse), dies at 61
1982 – Vladimir Zworykin, Russian-American inventor who developed the cathode ray tube for television, dies at 94
1983 – Luis Buñuel, Spanish surrealist film director (Monk), dies of cirrhosis of liver at 83
2000 – Edgar Beck, English civil engineer (led firm Mowlem that reconstructed Downing St, built new London Bridge and NatWest Tower), dies at 89
2013 – Christian Benítez, Ecuadorian soccer striker (58 caps; El Nacional, Santos Laguna, América), dies from heart failure at 27

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Historical Events

1828 – First theatrical performance of Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein” as “Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein” by Richard Brinsley Peake, starring Thomas Potter Cooke at Covent Garden
1957 – Rock and roll piano player-singer Jerry Lee Lewis makes his 1st TV appearance with a raucous rendition of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” on the “Steve Allen Show”
1978 – Price of gold tops $200-an-oz level for 1st time
1991 – Buffalo Bills beat Philadelphia Eagles, 17-13 in American Bowl in Wembley
1994 – Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers throws the only perfect game in franchise history, against the California Angels
2022 – Final episodes of TV soap “Neighbours”, after 37 years, screens in Australia

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Famous Birthdays

1165 – Ibn al-‘Arabi, Muslim mystic and philosopher (The Meccan Revelations), born in Murcia, Spain (d. 1240)
1925 – Bruce Matthews, Australian newspaper executive who worked for Rupert Murdoch, born in Sydney, New South Wales (d. 1996)
1937 – Francis Veber, French film director and screenwriter, born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
1947 – Barbara Ferrell, American runnerr (Olympic gold 1968), born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi
1949 – Vida Blue, American baseball pitcher (6 x MLB All-Star; Cy Young Award and AL MVP 1971; World Series 1972, 73, 74 Oakland A’s; SF Giants, KC Royals), born in Mansfield, Louisiana (d. 2023)
1995 – Anna Lapwood, British classical organist, music director (Pembroke College, Cambridge), and radio presenter (BBC), born in England

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Famous Deaths

1101 – Su Tung-p’o, Chinese poet, essayist, painter and calligrapher, dies at 64
1128 – William Clito, Count of Flanders (1127-28), dies at 25
1230 – Duke Leopold VI of Austria (b. 1176)
1983 – Alec Marks, Australian cricketer (good NSW batsman 1928-37), dies at 72
2009 – Peter Richard Tahourdin, English-Australian composer, dies at 80
2021 – Ron Popeil, American inventor and TV personality who popularized the phrase “But wait, there’s more!”, dies at 86

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Historical Events

1918 – Socony 200, 1st concrete barge in US, launched to carry oil, NY
1932 – Paul Gorgoulov, assassin of French president Doumer, sentenced to death
1976 – Japanese ex-premier Tanaka arrested (Lockheed Affair)
1983 – 104°F (40.3°C) in Garmersdorf (German record)
1997 – “Candide” closes at Gershwin Theater NYC after 103 performances
2006 – The Federal Republic of Germany is deemed guilty in the loss of Bashkirian 2937 and DHL Flight 611, because it is illegal to outsource flight surveillance

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Famous Birthdays

1612 – Murad IV, Sultan of Turkey (1623-40) who conquered Baghdad, born in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (d. 1640)
1881 – Hans Fischer, German organic chemist (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1930), born in Hoechst, Germany (d. 1945)
1906 – Herbert Jasper, Canadian physiologist and neurologist, born in La Grande, Oregon (d. 1999)
1906 – Leo Durocher, American Baseball HOF shortstop (MLB All Star 1936, 38, 40; World Series 1928, 34; NY Yankees, St.Louis Cardinals), manager (World Series 1954 NY Giants) and coach (World Series 1963 LA Dodgers), born in West Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 1991)
1933 – Nick Reynolds, American folk singer, tenor guitarist, and bongo player (The Kingston Trio, 1957-67 – “Tom Dooley”; “M.T.A.”), born in San Diego, California (d. 2008)
1968 – Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Italian actress (Postman), born in Messina, Italy

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Famous Deaths

1227 – Otto II van Lippe, bishop of Utrecht (1216-27), dies
1924 – Ferruccio Busoni, Italian piano prodigy, composer (Fantasia Contrappuntistica; Arlecchino), conductor, and pedagogue, dies of heart failure at 58
1961 – Theodore Chanler, American composer, dies at 59
1998 – William McChesney Martin, American Chairman of Federal Reserve Bank (1951-70), dies at 91
2000 – Val Dufour, American actor (Eugenie Grandet, Another World), dies at 73
2003 – Bob Hope [Leslie Townes Hope], English-born American actor, comedian and entertainer, dies at 100

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Historical Events

1803 – The Surrey Iron Railway, arguably the world’s first public railway, opens in south London
1926 – Philippines government asks USA for a plebiscite on independence
1928 – In only his second and final defense of his world heavyweight boxing title, Gene Tunney scores an 11-round TKO win over Tom Heeney at Yankee Stadium, NYC
1959 – Chicago White Sox Larry Doby plays final MLB game; retires in 1962 after playing for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan
1967 – Twins beat Yanks 3-2 in 18
1990 – US President George H. W. Bush signs Americans With Disabilities Act

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Famous Birthdays

1891 – Jacques Pirenne, Belgian historian and honorary secretary of King Leopold III of Belgium, born in Ghent, Belgium (d. 1972)
1934 – Mauri, Spanish soccer midfielder (5 caps; Athletic Bilbao 246 games), born in Gernika, Spain (d. 2022)
1949 – Roger Taylor, English rock drummer (Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”), born in Norfolk, England
1950 – Nelinho, Brazilian soccer right back (21 caps; Cruzeiro EC 410 games; Atlético Mineiro), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1953 – Robert Phillips, American classical guitarist, born in New York City
1980 – Lee Dong-gun, South Korean actor, born in Gangnam District, Seoul

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Famous Deaths

1667 – Michael Franck, German composer, poet and baker, dies at 58
1723 – Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English statesman
1863 – Sam Houston, 1st President of Republic of Texas (1836-38, 1841-44) who helped bring Texas into the United States as a constituent state, dies at 70
1964 – Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, British politician, naval officer and auto racer (1931 Le Mans), dies at 80
1977 – Hans-Otto Borgmann, German film score composer under the Third Reich, dies at 75
2021 – Joey Jordison, American drummer (Slipknot, 1995-2013 – “All Hope Is Gone”), dies at 46

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Historical Events

864 – The Edict of Pistres of Charles the Bald orders defensive measures against the Vikings
1360 – Jews are expelled from Breslau, Silesia
1853 – Joaquin Murrieta, the famous Californian bandit known as “Robin Hood of El Dorado”, is killed by California Rangers
1866 – David Faragut appointed as 1st admiral in US Navy
1914 – Last day of club cricket for English legend W. G. Grace at age 66: makes unbeaten 69 runs for Eltham against Grove Park
1993 – Israeli offensive against terrorist bases in South Lebanon

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Famous Birthdays

1908 – Bill Bowes, English cricket fast bowler (15 Tests, 68 wickets, BB 6/33; Bodyline series; Yorkshire CCC), born in Elland, England (d. 1987)
1917 – Whipper Billy Watson, Canadian professional wrestler, born in East York, Ontario, Canada (d. 1990)
1918 – Jane Frank, American artist, born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1986)
1920 – Rosalind Franklin, English chemist and co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, born in London (d. 1958)
1930 – Alice Parizeau, Polish-born Quebec writer and essayist, born in Łuniniec, Poland (d. 1990)
1985 – Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazilian auto racer (Formula E champion 2014-15), born in Heidelberg, West Germany

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Famous Deaths

1883 – William Beall, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army, relief efforts for prisoners), dies at 58
1911 – Filippo Capocci, Italian organ virtuoso and composer, dies at 71
1981 – Ian Martin, American actor (Uncle Bill-O’Neills), dies at 69
1983 – Jerome Moross, American composer (Frankie and Johnny), dies at 69
2014 – Bel Kaufman, American author (Up the Down Staircase), dies at 103
2022 – David Trimble, Northern Irish politician (First Minister of Northern Ireland, 1998 to 2002; Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader, 1995 to 2005; Member of Parliament for Upper Bann, 1990-2005), dies at 77

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Historical Events

1701 – French trade rand soldier Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founds trading post at Fort Pontchartrain, later becomes the city of Detroit
1952 – US President Harry Truman settles 53-day steel strike
1991 – Universityof Manchester scientist announce finding a planet outside of solar system
1994 – Federation Cup Women’s Tennis, Frankfurt, Germany: Spain retains title with 3-0 win over US; Arantxa Sánchez Vicario clinches victory with 6-2, 6-1 win over Lindsay Davenport
2017 – Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner says he did not collude with Russia after meeting with Senate investigators
2019 – Special counsel Robert Mueller reports to the US Senate that President Trump was not exonerated of obstruction of justice and that Russia interfered in US election to benefit Trump

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Famous Birthdays

1803 – Alexander Jackson Davis, American architect (gothic revivalist), born in New York City (d. 1892)
1867 – Edward Frederic Benson, English novelist, born in Wellington College, Berkshire, England (d. 1940)
1888 – Arthur Richardson, Australian cricket all-rounder (9 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 100, 12 wickets; South Australia, Western Australia), born in Sevenhill, Clare, Australia (d. 1973)
1930 – Boris Nikolayevich Belousov, Soviet cosmonaut, born in Khotimsk, Mogilyov Oblast (d. 1998)
1934 – Sante Kimes ‘Dragon Lady’, American convicted con artist and murderess, born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (d. 2014)
1943 – Lyudmila Bragina, Russian athlete (Olympic gold USSR 1500m 1972 WR 4:01.38), born in Yekaterinburg, Russia

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Famous Deaths

1758 – John Dyer, Welsh painter and poet (Grongar Hill), dies at 58
1900 – Ferdinand Hamet, Dutch missionary in Mongolia, murdered at 59
1992 – Sam Berger, Canadian football owner (b. 1900)
1995 – Jerzy Bonawentura Toeplitz, Ukrainian-Polish filmmaker and film educator (Polish Film School), dies at 94
2014 – Ik-Hwan Bae, South Korean-American violinist (Bargemusic, 1982-95) and educator (Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, 1999-2014), dies of cancer at 57
2023 – Trevor Francis, British soccer forward (52 caps; Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Sampdoria, Sheffield Wed) and manager (QPR, Sheffield Wed, Birmingham City, Crystal Pal), dies of a heart attack at 69

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Historical Events

1848 – Battle of Custoza-Italian War of Independence, starts
1966 – Frank Sinatra’s album “Strangers In The Night” hits #1 on the US charts, (Grammy for Record Of The Year and Best Male Vocal Performance)
1966 – Napoleon XIV releases “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha! Ha!”
1969 – USSR performs nuclear Test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
1982 – International Whaling Commission votes for total ban on commercial whaling (starting 1985)
1993 – NY Yankee Mark Hutton is 1st Australian to be a starting pitcher, He beats Angels 5-2; Yanks, Red Sox, Blue Jays 3 way tie for 1st

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Famous Birthdays

1851 – Charles Bannerman, Australian cricket batsman (3 Tests; first centurion in Test history 165* 1877), born in Woolwich, Kent, England (d. 1930)
1937 – Dave Webster, American football player (led his football team to a National Championship in 1958), born in Atlanta, Texas (d. 2006)
1968 – Stephanie Seymour, American model (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover-1988), born in San Diego, California
1969 – Fernanda Ribeiro, Portuguese 10k runner (Olympic gold 1996), born in Penafiel, Portugal
1982 – Schottzie Schott, dog mascot of Cincinnati Reds (d. 1991)
1994 – Kelvin Harrison Jr., American actor (Cyrano), born in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Famous Deaths

1920 – Conrad Kohrs, German-born cattle rancher in Montana, dies at 84
1927 – William Ashley, English economic historian (The Economic Organisation of England), dies at 67
1980 – Mollie Steimer, American political prisoner and anarchist agitator, dies at 82
1983 – Georges Auric, French composer (one of Les Six), dies at 84
1996 – John Corner, scientist, dies at 80
2011 – Amy Winehouse, British singer-songwriter (“Stronger Than Me”; “Rehab”), dies from alcohol poisoning at 27

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Historical Events

1793 – Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first Euro-American to complete a transcontinental crossing of Canada
1940 – Dutch Prime minister Dirk Jan De Geer meets Adolf Hitler seeking peace talks
1950 – Frank Worrell completes 261 v England at Trent Bridge
1959 – Ed Wood’s cult classic “Plan 9 From Outer Space”, called one of the worse films ever, premieres
1973 – 60th Tour de France won by Luis Ocana of Spain
2013 – Mike Babcock is again named head coach of Team Canada, this time for the 2014 Winter Olympics (they would repeat as gold medalists)

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Famous Birthdays

1889 – Frederick Preston Search, American cellist, composer and conductor (Bridge Builders), born in Pueblo, Colorado (d. 1959)
1930 – Ray Pohlman, American session upright and electric bass guitarist and arranger (The Wrecking Crew), and jazz guitarist, born in Baker Township, Iowa (d. 1990)
1956 – Mick Pointer, British rock drummer (Marillion), born in Brill, Buckinghamshire, England
1972 – Colin Ferguson, Canadian actor known for “Eureka”, born in Montreal, Quebec
1979 – Lucas Luhr, German racing driver, born in Mülheim-Kärlich, West Germany
1997 – Field Cate, American actor (Pushing Daisies), and rock guitarist (Fencer), born in Burlington, Vermont

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Famous Deaths

1789 – Joseph-François Foulon, French politician, dies at 74
1852 – Auguste Marmont, French marshal, dies at 77
1958 – Mikhail Zoshchenko, Russian author and satirist, dies at 62
1992 – Wayne McLaren, American stuntman, rodeo performer, model and actor best known for playing the Marlboro Man, dies of lung cancer at 51
1995 – Percy Humphrey, American jazz trumpet player and bandleader in New Orleans, Louisiana, dies at 90
2012 – George A. Miller, American psychologist, dies at 92

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