Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1669 – John Locke’s Constitution of English colony Carolina is approved
1730 – States of Holland put death penalty on “sodomy”
1897 – Tate Gallery opens in England
1991 – Ferguson Jenkins, Gaylord Perry, Rod Carew, Tony Lazzeri, and Bill Veeck, Jr are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York
2013 – 15 Egyptian Army soldiers are killed after their bus crashes into a truck on the Mediterranean Coast Highway
2020 – European Union agrees huge €750 billion ($859 billion) post-COVID-19 stimulus bill

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Famous Birthdays

1899 – Hart Crane, American poet (The Bridge), born in Garrettsville, Ohio (d. 1932)
1920 – Constant [Nieuwenhuys], Dutch painter (Uprising of Homo Ludens), and sculptor, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 2005)
1934 – Edolphus Towns, American politician (Rep-D-New York, 1983-2013), born in Chadbourn, North Carolina
1945 – Lydia Shum, Hong Kong comedian and actress known as Fei-fei, born in Shanghai, China (d. 2008)
1948 – Cat Stevens [Steven Demetre Georgiou; Yusuf Islam], British singer-songwriter (“Peace Train”; “Moonshadow”), born in Marylebone, London, England
1962 – Ike Eisenmann, American actor (Scott-Fantastic Journey), born in Houston, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1160 – Peterus Lombardus, Italian theologist/bishop of Paris, dies
1403 – Henry Percy [Harry Hotspur], English Knight, killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury at 39
1938 – Owen Wister, American author, ‘father of the Western’ (The Virginian), dies at 78
2003 – John Davies, New Zealand sports executive (President NZOC 2000-03) and athlete (Olympic bronze 1500m 1964), dies of melanoma at 65
2003 – Walter M. “Matt” Jefferies, American film art director (b. 1921)
2022 – Paddy Hopkirk, Irish rally driver (Monte Carlo Rally 1964), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1619 – Gerardus Vossius resigns as Dutch regent States college leader
1943 – US Joint Chiefs of Staff question Admiral Chester Nimitz over the landing on Gilbert Island
1953 – The United Nations Economic and Social Council votes to make UNICEF a permanent agency
1956 – US performs atmospheric nuclear Test at Bikini Island
1976 – Hank Aaron hits 755th and last home run off Angels Dick Drago
2023 – India bans export of non-basmati rice, raising prospect of global price rises (more than half of rice imports for 42 countries come from India)

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Famous Birthdays

1754 – Antoine Destutt de Tracy, French Enlightenment philosopher, born in Paris (d. 1836)
1822 – Gregor Mendel, Austrian monk and geneticist (discoverer of laws of heredity), born in Heinzendorf, Austria (d. 1884)
1893 – Richard Billinger, Austrian poet and writer (From Where I Came), born in Sankt Marienkirchen, Austria (d. 1965)
1956 – Charlie Magri, Tunisian British world champ flyweight boxer (1983), born in Tunis, Tunisia
1978 – Tamsyn Lewis, Australian athlete
1980 – Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian supermodel (Victoria’s Secret), born in Horizontina, Brazil

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Famous Deaths

1573 – Lancelot van Brederode, Dutch general of the “water beggars” rebellion, beheaded by the Spanish
1898 – Yuri Karlovich Arnold, Russian composer, dies at 86
1962 – George MacAulay Trevelyan, English royal historian, dies at 86
1985 – Bruno de Finetti, Italian probabilist statistician and actuary, dies at 79
1989 – Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, French commander of the French resistance, dies at 79
2004 – Adi Lady Lala Mara, Fiji chieftainess, wife of Kamisese Mara (b. 1931)

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Historical Events

1544 – Italian War of 1542: The Siege of Boulogne begins
1914 – Boston Braves begin drive from last to the NL pennant with a 3-2 win against the 2nd placed Cincinnati Reds
1918 – World War I: German armies retreat across Marne River in France
1953 – WAKR (now WAKC) TV channel 23 in Akron, OH (ABC) begins broadcasting
1960 – Italian government of Tambroni resigns
2020 – World Formula 1 drivers champion Lewis Hamilton wins a record 8th Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of wins at a single circuit (French GP)

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Famous Birthdays

1892 – Dick Irvin, Canadian Hockey HOF center (Chicago Black Hawks) and coach (Stanley Cup 1932 Toronto Maple Leafs; 1944, 46, 53 Montreal Canadiens), born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (d. 1957)
1909 – Jeno Vecsey, Hungarian composer, born in Cece (d. 1966)
1920 – Robert Mann, American composer and violinist (String Quartet 1952), born in Portland, Oregon (d. 2018)
1941 – Natalia Bessmertnova, Soviet ballerina (Bolshoi, Lenin Prize 1970), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 2008)
1944 – Commander Cody [George Frayne], American singer and pianist (Commander Cody and Lost Planet Airmen – “Hot Rod Lincoln”), born in Boise, Idaho (d. 2021)
1963 – Marla Duncan, Miss Northern California fitness (1990), born in Fairfield, California

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Famous Deaths

1868 – Soji Okita, Japanese samurai, 1st Captain of the Shinsengumi (b. 1842 or 1844)
1893 – James T. Holtzclaw, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 59
1953 – Maurice J. Tobin, 56th Governor of Massachusetts, dies at 52
1972 – Hezekiah M. Washburn, American Presbyterian Congo missionary, dies at 88
2005 – Edward Bunker, American Crime novelist (No Beast So Fierce; Animal Factory), actor (Straight Time; Reservoir Dogs), screenwriter, and felon, dies at 71
2014 – James Garner, American actor (Rockford Files, Bret Maverick), dies of acute myocardial infarction at 86

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Historical Events

1290 – King Edward I orders expulsion of Jews from England, this edict will remain in place for 350 years
1896 – George Giffen is 1st to complete 1000/100 double, in 30th Test Cricket
1942 – Test flight of German Messerschmitt Me-262 using only its jet engines for the first time
1958 – 6th British Empire Games and Commonwealth Games open in Cardiff, Wales
1993 – British Open Men’s Golf, Royal St George’s GC: Australian Greg Norman fires final round 64 (–6) to win his 2nd Open title, 2 strokes ahead of Englishman Nick Faldo
1994 – “Kiss From a Rose” released by Seal (Grammy Record of the Year and Song of the Year)

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Famous Birthdays

1534 – Zacharias Ursinus, German theologist (Heidelberger Catechism), born in Breslau, Silesia (d. 1583)
1890 – Charles Erwin Wilson, American engineer (President and CEO of General Motors) and politician (United States Secretary of Defense 1953-57), born in Minerva, Ohio (d. 1961)
1906 – Belle Stewart, Scottish traditional singer, born in Caputh, Blairgowrie, Scotland (d. 1997)
1912 – Henry Louis Miller, American Rear Admiral (WW II-Pacific), born in Fairbanks, Alaska (d. 1993)
1969 – Masanori Murakawa [The Great Sasuke], Japanese professional wrestler, born in Morioka, Japan
1976 – Elsa Pataky [Elsa Lafuente Medianu], Spanish actress known for “Fast and Furious”, born in Madrid, Spain

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Famous Deaths

1907 – Ted Pooley, English cricket wicket-keeper (1st class records: 8 stumpings in a match 1878; 12 dismissals in a match 1868; Surrey CCC, Middlesex CCC), dies at 65
1944 – Thomas Sturge Moore, English poet (Centaurs’ Booty), dies at 74
1988 – Nico [Christa Päffgen], German model, and pop singer (Velvet Underground – “Sunday Morning”; “I’ll Be Your Mirror”), dies from a bicycle accident at 43
2002 – Victor Emery, British theoretical physicist (b. 1933)
2022 – Hans-Joachim Hespos, German avant-garde composer, dies at 84
2023 – Lew Perkins, American sports executive (athletic director USC–Aiken, Wichita State U, U of Maryland, U of Connecticut, U of Kansas), dies at 78

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Historical Events

1858 – Recovery of the bell of HMS Lutine from ship’s wreck, hung from rostrum in Lloyd’s of London’s Underwriting Room
1862 – United army officially divides corps
1878 – Nqwiliso, tribal chief of Western Pondoland and eldest son of Ndamase, signs a treaty with H.G. Elliott ceding sovereign rights and shipping in the Umzimvubu River mouth to the Cape government, Southern Africa
1924 – St Louis Card Jesse Haines no-hits Boston Braves, 5-0
2012 – 17 people are wounded in a bar shooting in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
2015 – Marvel’s “Ant-Man”, starring Paul Rudd as the titular character, is released

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Famous Birthdays

1929 – Roy McMillan, American baseball infielder, coach and manager (MLB All Star 1956-57; Gold Glove 1957-59; Cincinnati Reds), born in Bonham, Texas (d. 1997)
1960 – Jan Wouters, Dutch football player (Ajax, Bayern Munich, PSV), born in Utrecht, Netherlands
1975 – Cécile de France, Belgian actress, born in Namur, Belgium
1978 – Ricardo Arona, Brazilian mixed martial artist, born in Niterói, Brazil
1986 – Dana, Korean [Hong Sung-mi] South Korean singer and actress (TSZX), born in Seoul, South Korea
1998 – Felipe Juan Froilán de Marichalar y de Borbón, Spanish royal, born in Madrid, Spain

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Famous Deaths

1588 – Mimar Sinan, Ottoman architect and civil engineer for Sultans Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II, and Murad III, dies at 99
1826 – Joseph Graetz, German organist, composer, and music educator, dies at 65
1922 – Heinrich Rubens, German physicist (back body radiation), dies at 57
2020 – Derek Ho, American surfer (World C’ship 1993; Hawaiian Triple Crown 1984, 86, 88, 90), dies from a heart attack at 55
2022 – Francesco Rizzo, Italian soccer midfielder (2 caps; Cagliari, ACF Fiorentina, Bologna FC, Genoa CFC), dies at 79
2023 – Robert Budzynski, French soccer defender (11 caps; RC Lens, FC Nantes), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1862 – David Farragut is 1st Rear Admiral in US Navy
1966 – Nigeria becomes the first Anglophone independent state in Africa to become an associate member of European Economic Community
1967 – Prison brawl ignites barracks, killing 37 (Jay, Florida)
1985 – All star MVP: LaMarr Hoyt (San Diego Padres)
1990 – 400 die in a (7.7) earthquake in the Philippines
2023 – Taylor Swift’s re-recorded “Speak Now” album debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200, her 12th No. 1 album, surpassing Barbra Streisand’s record for #1 albums by a female artist

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Famous Birthdays

1855 – C. F. Abdy Williams, British organist, composer, and musicologist, born in Dawlish, England (d. 1923)
1882 – Edward Earle, Canadian actor (Charlie Chan-Meeting at Midnight), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 1972)
1888 – Percy Kilbride, American stage and screen actor (The Egg and I; Ma and Pa Kettle films), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1964)
1942 – Frank Field, British Labour politician, born in Edmonton, Middlesex
1945 – Barry Dudleston, English cricket batsman (Leicestershire CCC, Gloucestershire CCC, Rhodesia) and umpire (2 Tests, 4 ODIs), born in Bebington, England
1953 – Douglas J. Feith, American Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1747 – Giuseppe Maria Crespi, painter/etcher, dies
1868 – Louis François Dauprat, French composer and horn player, dies at 87
1980 – Robert Brackman, American artist, dies at 81
1982 – Patrick Dewaere, actor (Catherine and Co), shoots self at 35
2004 – George Busbee, Governor of Georgia (b. 1927)
2006 – Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas (b. 1948)

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Historical Events

1779 – American troops under General A Wayne conquer Fort Stony Point, NY
1895 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Charlotte Cooper beats Helen Jackson 7-5, 8-6 for her first of 5 Wimbledon singles titles
1898 – Camillo Golgi discovers the Golgi Apparatus (a delicate network inside cells essential for the transmission and reception of information between cells)
1941 – Howard Florey and Norman Heatley present freeze dried mold cultures (Penicillin)
1984 – John Lennon’s single “I’m Stepping Out” released posthumously
1992 – The Security Council of the UN examine violence in South Africa

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Famous Birthdays

1875 – Jean van den Eeckhoudt, Belgian painter, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1946)
1884 – Enrique Soro, Chilean composer, born in Concepción, Chile (d. 1954)
1915 – Ron Smith, English trade union leader (British Postal Workers), born in London, England (d. 1999)
1964 – Leonard Stabb, American actor (One Life to Live, 1990; Guiding Light, 1993), born in Woodside, Illinois
1966 – Stephen Dodd, Welsh golfer (British Senior Open 2021), born in Cardiff, Wales
1977 – André Nel, South African cricket fast bowler (36 Tests, 123 wickets, BB 6/32; Highveld Lions, Northamptonshire CCC, Essex CCC, Surrey CCC), born in Germiston, South Africa

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Famous Deaths

1885 – Rosalia de Castro, Spanish writer and poet in the Galician language (‘Séculos Escuros’) (b. 1837)
1933 – Irving Babbitt, American writer (Democracy and Leadership), dies at 67
1960 – Set Persson, Swedish communist politician, dies at 63
1979 – Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Mexican politician (President of Mexico 1964-70), dies of cancer at 68
1987 – Alfie Bass [Abraham Basalinsky], British actor (Moonraker, Are You Being Served), dies at 71
1992 – Henk van der Molen, Dutch guitarist, composer, and writer (Martine Bijl), dies

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Historical Events

1798 – 1st direct US federal tax on states enacted to finance military build-up; dwellings, land, and slaves are subject to tariff
1911 – 46″ of rain begins to fall in Baguio, Philippines
1955 – Two killed and many dazed by lightning strikes at Ascot racecourse in England
1958 – Pope Pius XII publishes his 39th and last encyclical Meminisse juvat
1986 – US Open Women’s Golf, NCR CC: Jane Geddes wins by 2 strokes in an 18-hole Monday playoff with South African born Sally Little
1993 – Aeroflot starts non-stop flights between Moscow and NY

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Famous Birthdays

1893 – John G. Strijdom, South African politician and nationalist, Prime Minister of South-Africa (1954-58), born in Willowmore, Cape Colony (d. 1958)
1934 – Leo Koury, American murderer (FBI Most Wanted List), born in Pittburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1991)
1952 – Eric Laneuville, American actor (Larry-Room 222, St Elsewhere), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
1965 – Reina Olea, American female jockey, born in Compton, California
1966 – Ellen Reid, Canadian keyboard and accordion player (Crash Test Dummies – “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”), born in Selkirk, Manitoba
1966 – D. J. Johnson, American NFL cornerback (Atlanta Falcons), born in Louisville, Kentucky

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Famous Deaths

1780 – Charles Batteux, French philosopher, dies at 67
1958 – René Guillou, French organist and composer (L’Autre mère), dies at 55
1983 – Jack MacBryan, English cricket batsman (1 Test; Cambridge University CC, Somerset CCC) and field hockey player (Olympic gold GB and Ireland 1920), dies at 90
1989 – Herman D. Koppel, Danish pianist and composer, dies at 89
1990 – Dallas Alinder, American actor, dies at 58
2005 – Dorothy Bolden, American civil and women’s rights activist, and founder of the National Domestic Worker’s Union of America, dies at 81

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Historical Events

1854 – US forces shell and burn San Juan del Norte, Nicaragua
1896 – Philadelphia outfielder Ed Delahanty becomes second major leaguer to hit 4 HRs in a game as Phillies lose 9-8 to Chicago Colts at the West Side Grounds, Chicago
1911 – Great Britain and Japan renew their alliance of 1902 for another four years; the reason Japan joins WWI on the Allies side
1955 – Beaux Arts Trio (Menahem Pressler, piano; Daniel Guilet, violin;
Bernard Greenhouse, cello) makes their debut at the Berkshire Music Festival (now Tanglewood Music Center), Lenox, Massachusetts, United States
1960 – US Democratic convention nominates JFK as presidential candidate
1984 – British guitarist Jeff Beck quits singer Rod Stewart’s tour after 7 shows

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Famous Birthdays

1826 – Stanislao Cannizzaro, Italian chemist (Reaction of Cannizzaro), born in Palermo, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (d. 1910)
1922 – Ken Mosdell, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2006)
1932 – Per Nørgård, Danish composer (Papalagi; Babette’s Feast), born in Gentofte, Denmark
1948 – Ronald Machtley, American politician (Rep-R-Rhode Island), born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
1954 – Ray “Candles” Bright, Australian cricket slow-left armer (1977-86)
1956 – Janet Yang, American film producer (The Joy Luck Club) and 1st Asian American President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, born in New York City

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Famous Deaths

1889 – Carli Zoeller, German composer, dies at 49
1936 – Izydor Lotto, composer, dies at 91
1997 – Alexandra Danilova, Russian-American ballerina (The Turning Point), dies at 92
1997 – Miguel Ángel Blanco, Spanish politician (b. 1968)
2013 – Laurie Ann Frink, American big band jazz trumpeter and educator, dies of cancer at 61
2015 – Gerhard Zwerenz, German writer and politician, dies at 90

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Historical Events

1878 – Fever epidemic in New Orleans begin, it will kill 4,500
1898 – Jean-Baptiste Marchand hoists French flag in Fashoda, Sudan
1949 – LA Rams sign Norm Van Brocklin
1969 – As the ‘marching season’ reaches its height there is serious rioting in Derry, Belfast and Dungiven; many families in Belfast are forced to move from their homes
2006 – Hezbollah initiates Operation True Promise.
2017 – World’s largest iceberg (later christened A68) breaks away from Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica, about 6,000 sq km in length

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Famous Birthdays

1644 – Arnold Moonen, Dutch vicar and linguist (David’s holy saint graduals), born in Zwolle, Netherlands (d. 1711)
1880 – Tod Browning, American film director (Dracula), born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 1962)
1928 – Kathy Staff [Minnie Higginbottom], British actress (Mary Reilly, Last of the Summer Wine, Open All Hours), born in Dukinfield, Cheshire, England (d. 2008)
1942 – Richard Stoltzman, American clarinetist (Tashi), born in Omaha, Nebraska
1949 – Rick Hendrick, American NASCAR team owner (Hendrick Motorsports; 7 x NASCAR Cup Series titles), born in Palmer Springs, Virginia
1966 – Allegra Curtis, model and daughter of Christine Kaufmann and Tony Curtis, born in London, England

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Famous Deaths

1897 – Félix Godefroid, Belgian harpist and composer, dies at 78
1918 – Dragutin Lerman, Croatian explorer, dies at 54
2007 – Robert Burås, Norwegian rock guitarist (Madrugada; My Midnight Creeps), dies at 31
2009 – Donald MacCormick, British broadcaster, dies at 70
2014 – Pat Costello Jr., American rower (Olympics, 1952, silver – 1956), dies at 85
2019 – Arno Marsh, American jazz saxophonist (Woody Herman), and bandleader, dies at 91

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