Category: On This Day

Historical Events

611 – Forces from Maya city Calakmul invade and conquer the neighbouring city of Palenque, holding it as a vassal state for five years
1865 – Battle of Farmville, Virginia
1979 – Houston Astro Ken Forsch no-hits Atlanta Braves, 6-0, becoming with his brother Bob Forsch the only MLB siblings to accomplish the feat
1983 – WIBC Championship Tournament in Las Vegas, attracts 75,480 women bowlers for 83-day event
2022 – Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi transfers power to an eight-member council to negotiate with the Houthis in attempt to end country’s seven-year civil war

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Famous Birthdays

1727 – Michel Adanson, French botanist known for his work on plant classifications, born in Aix-en Provence, France (d. 1806)
1873 – John McGraw, American Baseball Hall of Fame infielder/manager (manager NY Giants World Series champions 1905, 21-22), born in Truxton, New York (d. 1934)
1882 – Bert Ironmonger, Australian cricket spin bowler (14 Tests; 74 wickets @ 17.97; Queensland, Victoria), born in Pine Mountain, Australia (d. 1971)
1889 – Gabriela Mistral [Lucila Godoy Alcayaga], Chilean poet (Nobel Prize for Literature, 1945), educator and diplomat, born in Vicuña, Chile (d. 1957)
1909 – Robert Charroux, French writer (Legacy of the Gods, The Mysterious Past), born in Payroux, France (d. 1978)

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Famous Deaths

1880 – Diederich Krug, German pianist and composer (Le petit Chevalier), dies at 60
1986 – Leonid Kantorovich, Russian Soviet economist (Father of linear programming, Nobel Prize for Economics 1975), dies at 74
1997 – Luis Aloma, Cuban baseball player, dies at 73
2020 – Herb Stempel, American game show contestant and television industry whistleblower (Twenty-One), dies at 93
2023 – Ian Bairnson, Scottish session and touring guitarist (Alan Parsons Project; Kate Bush), dies at 69

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Historical Events

1924 – Italy fascists receives 65% of vote of parliament
1976 – 1st quadrophonic movie track: “Ladies and Gentlemen the Rolling Stones”
1977 – Judge rules Beatles 1962 Hamburg album can be released
1987 – Middleweight World Boxing Championship bout: Sugar Ray Leonard upsets Marvelous Marvin Hagler at Caesars Palace in Paradise, Nevada
1997 – The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Gil Morgan wins first of 3 Champions Tour majors by 6 strokes from Isao Aoki

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Famous Birthdays

1917 – Leonora Carrington, British-Mexican Surrealist artist, born in Clayton-le-Woods, England (d. 2011)
1928 – James Watson, American molecular biologist who co-discovered DNA’s structure, with Francis Crick (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, 1962), geneticist and zoologist, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2025)
1929 – Art Taylor, American jazz drummer (Bud Powell, Red Garland, John Coltrane, Donald Byrd), bandleader (Taylor’s Wailers), and writer (Notes and Tones), born in New York City (d. 1995)
1968 – Vanessa Lann, American composer (Dancing to an Orange Drummer), born in Brooklyn, New York
1996 – Myha’la [Herrold], American actress (Industry, Leave the World Behind), born in San Jose, California

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Famous Deaths

1348 – Laure de Noves, “Petrarch’s Laura”, Italian muse of poet Petrarch, wife of Count Hugues II de Sade, dies of the plague at about 38 (b. 1310)
1998 – Tammy Wynette [Virginia Pugh], American country singer (“Stand By Your Man”), dies at 55
2004 – Niki Sullivan, American guitarist (The Crickets), dies of a heart attack at 66
2019 – Ernest “Fritz” Hollings, American Democratic Senator from South Carolina (1966-2005) and Governor of South Carolina (1959-63), dies at 97
2020 – James Drury, American actor (The Virginian), dies of natural causes at 85

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Historical Events

1881 – Transvaal regains independence under British suzerainty
1946 – 100th Grand National: Capt. Robert Petre wins aboard 25/1 shot Lovely Cottage; first true GN since 1940 due to World War II; last on a Friday
2012 – Severe storms in Argentina kill 14 people
2012 – International internet group Anonymous hack several Chinese bureaus in opposition to censorship
2016 – 35th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut defeats Syracuse, 82–51; Huskies’ power forward Breanna Stewart, 24 points

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Famous Birthdays

1830 – Alexander Muir, Scottish-Canadian composer (The Maple Leaf Forever), born in Lesmahagow, Scotland (d. 1906)
1920 – Rafiq Zakaria, Indian politician and Islamic religious cleric, born in Nala Sopara, British India (d. 2005)
1943 – Max Gail, American Emmy Award winning actor (Barney Miller – “Wojo”; D.C. Cab: General Hospital; 42), born in Detroit, Michigan
1950 – Paul Oscher, American blues musician (Muddy Waters Blues Band), born in Brooklyn, New York
1973 – Spencer Folau, Tongan, American football offensive lineman (Baltimore Ravens), born in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga

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Famous Deaths

1723 – Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, Austrian Baroque architect under the Habsburgs (Schönbrunn Palace), dies at 66
1735 – William Derham, English clergyman, natural theologian and scientist, dies at 77
1935 – Emil Młynarski, Polish conductor and composer, dies at 64
2023 – Ian McIntosh, Zimbabwean rugby union coach (South Africa 1993-94; Natal), dies at 84
2025 – Heikki Hasu, Finnish Nordic skier (Olympic gold individual 1948, 4×10k relay 1952; silver individual 1952), dies at 99

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Historical Events

1655 – Battle of Porto Farina: English fleet defeats Barbary corsairs in Tunis
1974 – Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth’s home run record by hitting his 714th in Cincinnati against Jack Billingham
1983 – 45th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: North Carolina State beats Houston, 54-52; Wolfpack win with buzzer-beating dunk by Lorenzo Charles off a desperation 30 foot shot from Dereck Whittenburg
2022 – Economist Rodrigo Chaves elected President of Costa Rica defeating current president José María Figueres
2022 – Ukrainian government begins a war crimes investigation after 410 civilians found killed after the withdrawal of Russian forces from around Kyiv

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Famous Birthdays

1802 – Dorothea Dix, American pioneering nurse and social activist who created the first American mental asylums, born in Hampden, Maine (d. 1887)
1933 – Frits Bolkestein, Dutch politician (People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy), born in Amsterdam
1953 – Susan Alcorn, American pedal steel guitarist and avant garde composer, born in Allentown, Pennsylvania (d. 2025)
1977 – Omarr Smith, American football defensive back, born in Chicago, Illinois
1983 – Angelle Tymon, American journalist and TV game show host (PlayMania Block), born in Lutcher, Louisiana

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Famous Deaths

1994 – Olga Lowina, Dutch yodeler (Edelweisskapel), dies at 69
1999 – Early Wynn, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Cy Young Award 1959 Chicago WS; MLB wins leader 1954, 59; 9 x MLB All Star; Cleveland Indians), dies of a stroke at 79
2015 – Elmer Lach, Canadian Hockey HOF center (Stanley Cup 1944, 46, 53 Montreal Canadiens; Hart Trophy 1945; Art Ross Trophy 1948; 5 x NHL All Star), dies of a stroke at 97
2018 – Gertrude Jeannette, African American taxi driver, playwright and film and stage actress (Shaft, Cotton Comes to Harlem), dies at 103
2023 – Craig Breedlove, American auto racer (5 x world land speed record holder; first to reach 500mph (800km/h) and 600mph (970km/h), dies of cancer at 86

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Historical Events

1956 – German war criminals Hinrichsen, Ruhl, Siebens and Viebahn freed
1960 – 7.0 earthquake felt in Havre, Belgium
1964 – The Beatles hold top 6 spots on the record chart in Sydney, Australia
1989 – New York Mets win their 11th consecutive home opener 8-4 over the St. Louis Cardinals at Shea Stadium
2016 – ANA Inspiration Women’s Golf, Mission Hills CC: Lydia Ko of New Zealand wins by 1 from Charley Hull and Chun In-gee for her second major title

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Famous Birthdays

1922 – Ted Ashley [Theodore Assofsky], American talent agent and chairman of Warner Brothers (1969-80), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2002)
1941 – Joel Krosnick, American cellist and member of the Juilliard String Quartet (1974-2016), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 2025)
1941 – Carl Boenish, American father of BASE jumping, born in New Castle, Pennsylvania (d. 1984)
1944 – Barry Pritchard, British rock guitarist (Fortunes – “You’ve Got Your Troubles”; “Here It Comes Again”; “This Golden Ring”), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1999)
1960 – Marie Denise Pelletier, Canadian pop singer (Entre la tête et le cœur), born in Montréal, Québec

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Famous Deaths

1876 – Henriette Davidis, German cookery writer (Practical Cookbook), dies at 75
1993 – Pinky Lee, American children’s show host (Pinky Lee Show), dies of a heart attack at 85
2002 – Fad Gadget [Francis Tovey], English singer and musician, dies of a heart attack at 45
2007 – Marion Eames, Welsh novelist, dies at 86
2015 – Sarah Brady, American gun-control activist, dies at 73

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Historical Events

1767 – King Charles III of Spain gives orders to expel the Jesuits from the Spanish Empire
1804 – Forty merchantmen are wrecked when a convoy led by HMS Apollo runs aground off the coast of Portugal
1872 – US engineer George Brayton patents an internal combustion engine (Brayton Cycle)
1902 – Dmitry Sipyagin, Minister of Interior of the Russian Empire, is assassinated by a terrorist in the Marie Palace, St Petersburg
1977 – Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” album goes to No. 1 and stays atop the charts for 31 weeks

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Famous Birthdays

1798 – August Heinrich Hoffmann, German writer, born in Fallersleben, Electorate of Brunswick -Lüneburg (d. 1874)
1840 – Émile Zola, French novelist and critic (J’accuse – I Accuse), born in Paris, France (d. 1902)
1927 – Carmen Basilio, American boxer (World Welterweight title 1955-56; Middleweight title 1957-58), born in Canastota, New York (d. 2012)
1940 – Mike Hailwood, British motorcycle road racer (World C’ships: 250cc – 1961, 1966, 1967; 350cc – 1966, 1967; 500cc –1962-65; 76 Grand Prix wins), born in Great Milton, England (d. 1981)
1993 – Keshorn Walcott ORTT, Trinidadian athlete (Olympic gold javelin 2012, bronze 2016), born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

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Famous Deaths

1803 – Hieronymus van Alphen, Dutch poet of children’s poems (Proeve van kleine gedigen voor Kinder), dies at 56
1944 – Mikuláš Moyzes, Slovak composer (The Orphans), dies at 71
2002 – Henry Slesar, American writer and playwright (The Edge of Night), dies at 74
2013 – Milo O’Shea, Irish character actor (Barbarella, Staircase and Mass Appeal, Romeo and Juliet), dies at 86
2014 – Urs Widmer, Swiss writer, dies at 75

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Historical Events

1064 – The body of the first bishop of Tournai, Saint Eleutherius of Tournai, is translated (moved)
1924 – The Royal Canadian Air Force officially forms
1973 – Despite a final round, 5-3 loss to Montreal, Boston Bruins center Phil Esposito wins his third consecutive NHL scoring title with 130 points from 55 goals and 75 assists in the 78-game season
1995 – Carlson Wagonlit Travel Agency begins charging a $15 service fee
1999 – Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown wins his 900th pro game with an 88-84 win over Miami Heat; Brown record: 671-547 NBA, 229-107 ABA, combined 900-654

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Famous Birthdays

1858 – Arnold Aletrino, Dutch physician, criminologist, and author (From Life), born in Amsterdam (d. 1916)
1947 – Norm Van Lier, American basketball point guard (NBA All-Star 1974, 76, 77; Chicago Bulls) and broadcaster (Comcast SportsNet), born in East Liverpool, Ohio (d. 2009)
1952 – Bernard Stiegler, French philosopher and founder of the Institute of Research and Innovation (2006), born in Villebon-sur-Yvette, France (d. 2020)
1974 – Richard Christy, American heavy metal drummer (Charred Walls of the Damned), and radio personality (The Howard Stern Show), born in Fort Scott, Kansas, U.S.
1987 – Ding Junhui, Chinese snooker player (Masters 2011; Shanghai Masters 2013, 16; UK C’ships 2005, 09, 19), born in Yixing, Jiangsu, China

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Famous Deaths

1799 – Narciso Casanovas, composer, dies at 52
1901 – François-Marie Raoult, French physicist and chemist (Law of Raoult), dies at 70
1987 – Henri Cochet, French tennis player (French Open 1926, 28, 30, 32; Wimbledon 1927, 29; US Open 1928), dies at 85
1990 – Russell Vis, American Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold freestyle lightweight 1924), dies at 89
2020 – Adam Schlesinger, American rock musician (Fountains Of Wayne) and songwriter (That Thing You Do), dies of COVID-19 complications at 52

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Historical Events

1969 – George Harrison and Pattie Boyd are fined £250 each for possession of illegal drugs
1970 – Federal bankruptcy court allows Seattle Pilots to be sold to Milwaukee
1997 – “Daytime to Remember” a series showing old soaps premieres on ABC-TV
2004 – In Fallujah, Iraq, 4 American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed and their bodies mutilated after being ambushed
2020 – British pensioner Robert Weighton becomes the world’s oldest man at 112 years

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Famous Birthdays

1891 – Victor Varconi, Hungarian actor (Divine Lady; King of Kings; Big City), born in Kisvárda, Austria-Hungary (d. 1976)
1893 – Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor (Vienna State Opera; Berlin State Opera), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1954)
1945 – Edwin Catmull. American computer scientist and film animator (co-founder of Pixar; President of Walt Disney Animation Studios, 2006-18), born in Parkersburg, West Virginia
1947 – John Poulos, American drummer (The Buckinghams – “Kind Of A Drag”), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1980)
1982 – Tal Ben Haim, Israeli soccer defender (Israel 96 caps), born in Rishon LeZion, Israel

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Famous Deaths

1703 – Johann Christoph Bach, German harpsichordist and composer, dies at 60
1997 – Laxmishankar Pathak, Indian-born British food retailer (Pataks foods), dies at 62
2003 – George Conner, American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame tackle / linebacker (Pro Bowl 1950–53; First-team All-Pro 1950–53, 55; Chicago Bears), dies at 78
2009 – Jarl Alfredius, Swedish news anchor (b. 1943)
2024 – Barbara Rush, American stage and screen actress (Peyton Place – “Marsha”; It Came From Outer Space; Flamingo Road), dies at 97

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Historical Events

1909 – New York’s Queensboro Bridge opens, linking Manhattan and Queens
1922 – KGY-AM in Olympia WA begins radio transmissions
1945 – World War II: a defecting German pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1 to Americans
1946 – Last Test Cricket appearance of Bill O’Reilly (5-14 and 3-19)
1997 – TV network Channel 5 begins broadcasting in the UK

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Famous Birthdays

1835 – Bernhard Scholz, German composer, conductor, and pedagogue, born in Mainz, Grand Duchy of Hesse (d. 1916)
1906 – Max Tishler, American organic chemist at Merck who synthesized Vitamin B2 and developed antibiotic for poultry, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1989)
1926 – Lord Rayner [Derek Rayner], British businessman and chief executive (Marks and Spencer), born in Norwich, Norfolk (d. 1998)
1948 – Justin Deas, American actor (As The World Turns, Santa Barbara), born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania
1964 – Vlado Bozinovski, Yugoslavian-Australian footballer, born in Ohrid, SFR Yugoslavia

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Famous Deaths

1959 – Riccardo Zanella, president of Free State of Fiume (b. 1875)
1969 – Lucien Bianchi, Italian-Belgian auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1968), dies during Le Mans testing accident at 34
1976 – Jacqueline Royaards-Sandberg, Dutch actress (Hostage Rights), dies at 99
2003 – Valentin Pavlov, Russian politician and Prime Minister of the Soviet Union (1991), dies at 65
2010 – Martin Sandberger, German military officer (b. 1911)

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Historical Events

1867 – British North America Act (Canadian constitution) is given Royal Assent
1951 – 23rd Academy Awards: “All About Eve”, Judy Holliday and José Ferrer win
1988 – US Congress discontinues aid to Nicaraguan contras
1989 – 9th Golden Raspberry Awards: “Cocktail” wins
2015 – WrestleMania XXXI, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA (76,976): Seth Rollins beats Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns in impromptu triple threat match to capture WWE Heavyweight title

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Famous Birthdays

1891 – Ivan Goll, French-German writer (the Landless John), born in Saint-Dié (d. 1950)
1909 – Yvonne Waegemans, Flemish writer (Gnome Patjoepelke), born in Flanders (d. 1991)
1944 – Nana Akufo-Addo [William Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo], Ghanaian politician, President of Ghana (2017-), born in Accra, Gold Coast
1960 – Annabella Sciorra, American actress (The Sopranos), born in Brooklyn, New York
1973 – Marc Overmars, Dutch soccer winger (86 caps; Ajax, Arsenal, FC Barcelona) and executive (director of football Royal Antwerp FC), born in Emst, Netherlands

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Famous Deaths

1800 – Marc René, Marquis de Montalembert, French military engineer and writer, dies at 85
1911 – Alexandre Guilmant, French organist (La Trinitié, 1871-901), composer and pedagogue (Schola Cantorum, 1894-1911), dies at 74
1945 – Karl Sapper, German traveller, explorer, and natural historian, dies at 79
1955 – Zlatko Baloković, Croatian-American concert violinist, dies at 69
1985 – Gerhard Stöck, German athlete (Olympic gold javelin, bronze shot put 1936), dies at 73

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