Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1594 – Philip II recognizes the rights and privileges of local nobles and chieftains in the Philippines, creating a ruling class of native nobility known as the Principalía
1987 – Margaret Thatcher is 1st British Prime Minister in 160 years to win a third consecutive term
1988 – Freedom Fest: Anti-apartheid benefit and Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert addresses his continued imprisonment; performers include Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Dire Straits, Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba, Youssou N’Dour, Peter Gabriel, Al Green, Joan Armatrading; Jessye Norman, and The Eurythmics at Wembley Stadium, London; broadcast to 67 countries with estimated audience of 600 million
1992 – US Olympic baseball team plays 1st exhibition game, beat Venezuela 20-0
1994 – 126th Belmont: Pat Day aboard Tabasco Cat wins in 2:26.8
2020 – Bodies of 46 migrants recovered off the coast of Tunisia after a boat capsized a few days before

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Famous Birthdays

1908 – George Paine, English cricket spin bowler (4 Tests, 17 wickets; Warwickshire CCC), born in London, England (d. 1978)
1914 – Jack Mann, British fighter pilot and hostage, kidnapped by Islamists in Lebanon in May 1989, born in Northampton, England (d. 1995)
1920 – Bir Bikram Shah Deva Mahendra, King of Nepal (1955-72), born in Narayanhity Royal Palace, Kathmandu, Kingdom of Nepal (d. 1972)
1931 – Margarita Pracatan [Figueroa], Cuban-American novelty singer (BBC’s Saturday Night Clive), born in Santiago, Cuba (d. 2020)
1949 – Frank Beard, American blues-rock drummer (ZZ Top – “Legs”), born in Frankton, Texas
1964 – Kim Gallagher, American athlete (Olympic silver 800m 1984; bronze 1988), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2002)

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Famous Deaths

1879 – William, Prince of Orange, Dutch crown prince of the Netherlands, dies of typhus at 39
1975 – Floro Ugarte, Argentine composer (From My Land; Saika), and educator, dies at 90
1976 – Folke Eriksberg [Eriksberger], Swedish jazz and session guitarist and composer, dies at 65
2005 – Ghena Dimitrova, Bulgarian operatic soprano, dies of cancer at 64
2008 – Võ Văn Kiệt, former prime minister of Vietnam (b. 1922)
2015 – Jim Ed Brown, American country music singer-songwriter (“Here Today and Gone Tomorrow”; “Pop a Top”), and radio and television host (Nashville on the Road), dies of lung cancer at 81

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Historical Events

1865 – Richard Wagner’s opera “Tristan und Isolde” premieres in Munich, Germany
1916 – Great Arab Revolt begins against ruling Ottoman turks
1990 – French Open Men’s Tennis: Andres Gomez of Ecuador wins his 1st and only career Grand Slam title; beats American Andre Agassi 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
1995 – French Open Women’s Tennis: Steffi Graf beats Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 7-5, 4-6, 6-0 with pivotal 32-point game in 3rd set; Graf’s 4th French title
1996 – 30th Music City News Country Awards: Alan Jackson wins
2018 – Actor Vince Vaughn arrested for drunk driving and resisting arrest near Los Angeles

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Famous Birthdays

1861 – Pierre Duhem, French naturalist, philosopher and historian, born in Paris (d. 1916)
1861 – Joseph Cuypers, Dutch architect (St Bavo, Haarlem), born in Roermond, the Netherlands (d. 1949)
1863 – Louis Couperus, Dutch poet and writer (Eline Vere), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1923)
1929 – Edward O. Wilson, American sociobiologist, world’s leading authority on ants, born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 2021)
1934 – Nicolas Roussakis, American composer, born in Athens, Greece (d. 1994)
1979 – Lee Brice, American country singer and songwriter (Love Like Crazy, Hard to Love), born in Sumter, South Carolina

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Famous Deaths

1247 – Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada, Spanish Archbishop of Toledo and advisor to Alfonso VIII, dies (b. c. 1170)
1967 – Frank Butler, American actor and screenwriter (Road to Bali, China), dies at 76
1986 – Merle Miller, American biographer (b. 1919)
2008 – Dieuwke de Graaff-Nauta, Dutch politician (State Secretary for the Interior 1986-94), dies at 78
2009 – Norma Shaw, English lawn bowler (World Outdoor C’ship gold 1981; Indoor C’ship gold 1997), dies at 72
2021 – Neno, Portuguese soccer goalkeeper (9 caps; Vitória de Guimarães, Benfica), dies from a heart attack at 59

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Historical Events

1908 – King Edward VII of Great Britain visits Tsar Nicholas II at Reval, Russia, where the two discuss the growing power of Germany and British plans for reform in Macedonia
1960 – Roy Orbison releases single “Only the Lonely”; it becomes his 1st major hit – peaking at #2 in the US and topping the UK charts
1975 – Tony Orlando and Dawn receives gold record for “He Don’t Love You”
1984 – Jurgen Hingsen of West Germany sets record for decathlon, 8,798 pts
1984 – NASA suffers a launch vehicle failure launching Intelsat 509
2013 – The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, Shoal Creek GandCC: David Frost of South Africa wins his lone career major title by 1 stroke from Fred Couples

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Famous Birthdays

1898 – Luigi Fagioli, Italian auto racer (oldest to win F1 race at 53), born in Osimo, Ancona, Italy (d. 1952)
1901 – George Price, American cartoonist (The New Yorker), born in Fort Lee, New Jersey (d. 1995)
1938 – Gary Starkweather, American engineer and inventor of the laser printer, born in Lansing, Michigan (d. 2019)
1942 – Ossie Clark, British fashion designer of the Swinging Sixties, born in Oswaldtwistle, England (d. 1996)
1973 – Orlondo Steinauer, American CFL cornerback (Hamilton Tiger Cats) and coach, born in Seattle, Washington
1973 – Tedy Bruschi, American linebacker (New England Patriots), born in San Francisco, California

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Famous Deaths

1825 – Pauline Bonaparte, Corsican duchess of Parma and Guastalla, sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, dies at 44
1892 – William Grant Stairs, Canadian-British explorer and adventurer with leading role controversial African expeditions, dies of malaria at 28
1960 – René Maran, French writer (Batouala, 1st black writer to win Prix Goncourt), dies at 72
1976 – Sybil Thorndike, English actress (Melba, Major Barbara), dies at 93
1996 – Edward Morris Bernstein, American economist (US negotiator at Bretton Woods conference and establishment of IMF), dies at 91
2019 – Gerlind Reinshagen, German novelist, children’s book author, and playwright (Himmel und Erde (Heaven and Earth)), dies at 93

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Historical Events

1647 – England parliament bans Christmas, Easter and Whitsun festivities, services and celebrations, including in the home, with fines for non-compliance – proves unpopular
1817 – An uprising involving three hundred workers in the English town of Pentrich begins but is quashed almost immediately
1935 – 67th Belmont: Willie Saunders aboard Omaha wins in 2:30.6
1953 – Cluster of 6 tornadoes touches down in Flint, Michigan killing 113
1963 – American Heart Association is 1st agency to campaign against cigarettes
1983 – East German sprinter Marlies Göhr sets world record for 100m (10.81) in Berlin, Germany

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Famous Birthdays

1745 – Caspar Wessel, Danish-Norwegian mathematician, born in Vestby, Norway (d. 1818)
1903 – Ralph Webster Yarborough, American politician, U.S. Senator from Texas (1957-71), born in Chandler, Texas (d. 1996)
1923 – Malcolm Boyd, American Episcopal Priest, author and civil rights activist, born in Buffalo, New York (d. 2015)
1952 – Martin Taylor, CEO (Barclays Bank)
1970 – “Seu” Jorge [da Silva], Brazilian musical artist, songwriter, singer, and actor (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), born in Belford Roxo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1982 – Irina Lazareanu, Romanian-Canadian model

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Famous Deaths

1948 – Sammy Carter, Australian cricket wicketkeeper (28 Tests, 65 dismissals; NSWCA), dies at 70
1956 – Marie Laurencin, French painter, dies at 72
2010 – Crispian St. Peters [Robin Peter Smith], British pop singer (The Pied Piper; No No No), dies at 71
2013 – Paul Cellucci, American politician, 69th Governor of Massachusetts and former United States Ambassador to Canada, dies from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 65
2018 – Danny Kirwan, British musician, singer and songwriter (Fleetwood Mac – “Albatross”), dies at 68
2022 – Julio Jiménez, Spanish road cyclist (King of the Mountains: Tour de France 1965, 66, 67 and Vuelta a España 1963, 64, 65), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1340 – Rotterdam Netherlands founded
1654 – Louis XIV crowned King of France
1958 – Battles between Turkish and Greeks Cypriots break out
1965 – Gemini 4 completes 62 orbits
1969 – Supergroup Blind Faith’s debut performance in Hyde Park, London, featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Steve Baler and Rick Grech
1980 – Jeff Norman runs world record 50k (2:48:06)

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Famous Birthdays

1502 – John III, King of Portugal and the Algarves (1521-57), born in the Palace of Alcáçova, Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1557)
1899 – John Hawkes, Australian tennis player (Australasian C’ship singles, doubles, mixed doubles 1926), born in Geelong, Victoria (d. 1990)
1910 – Marion Post Wolcott, American photographer during the Great Depression, born in Montclair, New Jersey (d. 1990)
1940 – Tom Jones [Woodward], Welsh pop singer (“What’s New, Pussycat?”; “Delilah”), and TV personality (The Voice UK), born in Pontypridd, Wales
1964 – Judie Aronson, American actress
1974 – David Filoni, American director, producer, and screenwriter (Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-20 TV series); The Mandalorian), born in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1358 – Ashikaga Takauji, Japanese shogun (b. 1305)
1800 – Willem Arnold Alting, Dutch administrator (Governor-General of Dutch East Indies, 1780-97), dies at 75
1893 – Johann Schrammel, Austrian composer, dies at 43
1942 – Alan Blumlein, English electronics engineer, dies at 38
2009 – Kenny Rankin, American singer-songwriter (“Peaceful”), dies of lung cancer at 69
2021 – John McDonnell, American track, cross country coach (University of Arkansas 1972–2008; 40 x NCAA C’ships; 8 x NCAA Triple Crown; 30 x NCAA coach of the year), dies at 82

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Historical Events

1816 – 10″ of snowfall in New England, part of a “year without a summer” which followed the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia
1901 – British Open Men’s Golf, Muirfield: Scotsman James Braid wins first of 5 Open titles by 3 strokes from Harry Vardon of Jersey
1925 – French Championships Men’s Tennis: René Lacoste wins 1st of 3 French titles, beating fellow Frenchman Jean Borotra 7-5, 6-1, 6-4
1982 – Bernard Glassman installed as abbot of Zen Center of NY
1992 – WLAF World Bowl 2, Olympic Stadium, Montreal: Sacramento Surge beats Orlando Thunder, 21-17
2017 – Korean singer T.O.P is rushed to hospital after a suspected overdose while serving mandatory military service

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Famous Birthdays

1891 – István Kardos, Hungarian composer, born in Debrecen, Hungary (d. 1975)
1949 – Holly Near, American folk singer, actress and activist, born in Ukiah, California
1955 – Sandra Bernhard, American stand-up comic and actress (The King of Comedy; Roseanne – “Nancy”), born in Flint, Michigan
1961 – Bill Bates, American football safety (Super Bowl XXVII, XXVIII, XXX; Pro Bowl 1984; Dallas Cowboys), born in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
1966 – Sean Yseult [Shauna Reynolds], American rock bassist (White Zombie – “More Human Than Human”), born in Raleigh, North Carolina
1969 – Douglas Lee Mitchell, American heavy metal artist (Southgang), born in Miles, Michigan

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Famous Deaths

1861 – Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, Italian politician who advocated for unification (First Prime Minister of Italy 1861), dies at 50
1974 – Blanche Yurka, actress (Tale of 2 Cities, Cry of Werewolf), dies at 86
1976 – J. Paul Getty, American oil magnate and billionaire (Getty Oil), dies at 83
1993 – Peter Tazelaar, adjutant of Dutch queen Wilhelmina, dies at 73
1994 – Willie Humphrey, American jazz clarinetist, dies at 93
2006 – Hilton Ruiz, Puerto Rican-American bebop and Afro-Cuban jazz pianist, dies from injuries sustained in a fall at 54

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Historical Events

1942 – An explosion at the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant kills 48 people
1982 – “Murphy’s Law” by Cheri hits #39
1987 – Dwight Gooden returns from drug rehabilitation and allows wins game
2010 – French Open Women’s Tennis: Francesca Schiavone of Italy wins her first and only Grand Slam title; beats Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-4, 7-6
2012 – American gubernatorial recall election is held in Wisconsin. Governor Scott Walker wins and becomes the first governor to survive a recall election.
2018 – American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. named 2017 top earning sportsperson by Forbes with $285 million

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Famous Birthdays

1823 – George Thorndike Angell, American lawyer and advocate for the humane treatment of animals (ASPCA), born in Southbridge, Massachusetts (d. 1909)
1916 – Jack Sutherland, Scottish journalist, born in Aberdeen, Scotland (d. 1996)
1941 – Martha Argerich, Argentine-Swiss classical piano prodigy (concert debut at age 8; Chopin Competition winner, 1964), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
1953 – Kathleen Kennedy, American film producer (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park) President of Lucasfilm (2012-), born in Berkeley, California
1977 – Christian Martucci, American musician (Stone Sour), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1983 – Bill Bray, American MLB player, born in Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Famous Deaths

1118 – Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester
1915 – Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, French artist and sculptor, killed fighting in WWI at 23
1916 – Horatio Kitchener, British General who commanded British forces during the Battle of Omdurman (Sudan) and the Second Boer War who became British Secretary of State for War during WWI (1914-16), drowns at 65 after the HMS Hampshire struck a German mine
1978 – John Meulenhoff, Dutch publisher, dies at 71
2012 – Barry Unsworth, British novelist, dies from lung cancer at 81
2015 – Tariq Aziz, Iraqi politician and close adviser to Saddam Hussein, dies at 79

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Historical Events

1873 – 1st contract workers of British-Indies Co arrive in Suriname
1917 – Most Excellent Order of British Empire inaugurated by King George V to recognise the efforts of his people in WWI
1934 – Dr Frederick Banting, co-discoverer of insulin, is knighted
1943 – St Louis Card Mort Cooper pitches his 2nd consecutive 1 hitter
1982 – “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” released in USA
1990 – Greyhound Bus files bankruptcy

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Famous Birthdays

1915 – Modibo Keïta, 1st President of Mali (1960-68), born in Bamako Coura, Upper Senegal and Niger (d. 1977)
1930 – Bill Treacher, British actor (EastEnders, 1985-96 – “Arthur Fowler”), born in London, England (d. 2022)
1932 – John Drew Barrymore, American actor (Pantomine Quiz), born in Beverly Hills, California (d. 2004)
1954 – Raphael Ravenscroft, British session saxophone player (Gerry Rafferty – “Baker Street”; Maxine Nightingale; Roger Waters), born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England (d. 2014)
1973 – Antonio Anderson, defensive tackle (Dallas Cowboys)
1976 – Alexei Navalny, Russian political activist and opposition leader of the Progress Party, born in Butyn, Soviet Union (d. 2024)

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Famous Deaths

1918 – Charles W. Fairbanks, 26th Vice President of the United States (Republican: 1905-09) and Senator, dies of nephritis at 66
1926 – Fred Spofforth, Australian cricket fast bowler (“The Demon” – 18 Tests, 94 wickets @ 18.41), dies of chronic colitis at 72
1951 – Serge Koussevitzky, Russian-American conductor (Boston Symphony, 1924-49), dies at 76
1954 – Harold Hoffman, American politician (Governor of New Jersey 1935-38), dies at 58
1960 – Lucien Littlefield, American actor (Blondie), dies at 64
1985 – John Ringling North, American circus director (Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus from 1937-43), dies at 81

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Historical Events

1789 – Explorer Alexander Mackenzie sets out on his first expedition to the Pacific from Fort Chipewyan (finds the Arctic Ocean instead)
1861 – 1st American Civil War land battle: Union forces defeat the Confederacy at Philippi in modern-day West Virginia
1916 – US National Defense Act establishes Reserve Officers Training Corps
1944 – Generals Giraud and de Gaulle reach agreement on constitution
1987 – Cubs and Astro tie Oriole and Ranger record of 3 grand slams in a game
1989 – Beginning of the Tiananmen Square Massacre as Chinese troops open fire on pro-democracy supporters in Beijing

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Famous Birthdays

1866 – George Howells Broadhurst, English director (d. 1952)
1891 – Mary Browne, American tennis player (US Nat C’ship 1912-14), born in Ventura County, California (d. 1971)
1923 – Michael Jaffe, English professor and museum director (Fitzwilliam Museum), born in London, England (d. 1997)
1946 – Eddie Holman, American singer (“Hey There Lonely Girl”; “You Make My Life Complete”), born in Norfolk, Virginia
1978 – Lyfe Jennings, American RandB singer-songwriter, born in Toledo, Ohio
1991 – Yordano Ventura, Dominican MLB pitcher (Kansas City Royals), born in Samaná, Dominican Republic (d. 2017)

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Famous Deaths

1397 – William Montacute, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, English military leader, dies at 68
1849 – Francois de Paule Jacques Raymond de Fossa, French classical guitarist and composer, dies at 73
1983 – Ypk van der Fear, Dutch writer (Reade Runen), dies at 75
2000 – William E. Simon, American businessman, US Secretary of Treasury under Nixon, dies at 72
2015 – Bevo Francis, American basketball forward (NCAA record for points scored in a game [113] 1954–2012), dies at 82
2017 – Jimmy Piersall, American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 1954, 56; his bipolar disorder subject book and film, “Fear Strikes Out”), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1763 – Pontiac’s Rebellion: At what is now Mackinaw City, Michigan, Chippewas capture Fort Michilimackinac by diverting the garrison’s attention with a game of lacrosse, then chasing a ball into the fort
1862 – Raid at Early’s: Maryland towards Washington, D.C.
1902 – British naval officer David Beatty is appointed captain of the cruiser HMS Juno
1967 – Capitol Records releases The Beatles’ album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in the US; it is their first album with identical track listings in US and UK, and goes to number one for 15 weeks in US, 22 weeks in UK
1985 – LPGA Championship Women’s Golf, Jack Nicklaus GC: Nancy Lopez wins by 8 shots from fellow American Alice Miller
2020 – UK death toll from COVID-19 passes 50,000 (50,032) according to its Office of National Statistics

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Famous Birthdays

1740 – Marquis de Sade, French philosopher and writer (Justine) and where the words sadism and sadist are derived from, born in Paris, France (d. 1814)
1941 – William Guest, American soul singer (Gladys Knight Show), born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 2015)
1941 – Stacy Keach, American actor (Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer), born in Savannah, Georgia
1968 – Jon Culshaw, British comedian and impressionist
1972 – Simon Staho, Danish film director
1972 – Wentworth Miller, American actor

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Famous Deaths

1575 – Pieter Aertsen [Long Worm], painter, dies at about 65
1873 – François George-Hainl, French cellist and composer, dies at 65
1913 – Alfred Austin, English poet laureate of England (Garden), dies at 78
1948 – Viktor Brack, German Nazi physician and war criminal, executed by hanging at 43
1990 – Frederick Mellinger, founder of Fredericks of Hollywood, dies at 76
1998 – Sylvester Ritter (Junkyard Dog), American professional wrestler, dies at 45

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