Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1936 – Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie and family flee Abyssinia
1960 – Harry Belafonte’s 2nd Carnegie Hall performance (New York City)
1984 – New York Yankees Don Mattingly’s single breaks up Chicago White Sox pitcher Lamarr Hoyt’s perfect game bid, at Comiskey Park
1987 – 113th Kentucky Derby: Chris McCarron aboard Alysheba wins in 2:03.4
1992 – Allen Toussaint’s musical revue “High Rollers Social and Pleasure Club” closes at the Helen Hayes Theater, NYC, after 13 performances
1995 – Serbian missiles exploded in the heart of Zagreb, killing six

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Famous Birthdays

1901 – Willi Bredel, German writer, born in Hamburg (d. 1964)
1902 – Erin O’Brien-Moore, American actress (Peyton Place, Our Little Girl), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1979)
1929 – Luc Ferrari, French composer, born in Paris (d. 2005)
1929 – Edward Levy, American composer, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2002)
1945 – Bianca Jagger [Blanca Pérez-Mora Macías], Nicaraguan model and socialite who married Mike Jagger, born in Managua, Nicaragua
1950 – Randy Colley (Moondog Rex), American pro wrestler (WWF Tag Team champion 1981), born in Alexander City, Alabama (d. 2019)

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Famous Deaths

1250 – Toeransa, sultan of Egypt, murdered
1985 – Milton S Eisenhower, US diplomat, dies at 85
1991 – Leib Lensky, dies at 82
2009 – Marilyn French, American author (The Women’s Room), dies at 79
2018 – Bill Torrey, Canadian ice hockey executive (New York Islanders, Florida Panthers), dies at 83
2018 – Wang Danfeng, Chinese actress, dies at 93

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Historical Events

1919 – “L’Ordine Nuovo” Italian socialist weekly newspaper established in Turin by Antonio Gramsci, Angelo Tasca and Palmiro Togliatti
1928 – Drunken fascist Erich Wichman attacks VARA-radio transmitter
1954 – The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form the American Motors Corporation
1963 – Indonesia takes control of Irian Jaya (west New Guinea) from the Netherlands
1996 – “Ideal Husband” opens at Barrymore Theater NYC for 308 performances
2000 – Barry Bonds is first MLB player to hit a homer into San Francisco Bay as Giants beat Mets, 10-3; hits 35 there during his SF career

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Famous Birthdays

1924 – Terry Southern, American writer and screenwriter (Dr. Strangelove, Easy Rider), born in Alvarado, Texas (d. 1995)
1954 – Ray Parker Jr, American rock guitarist and vocalist (Ghostbusters), born in Detroit, Michigan
1966 – Johnny Colt [Charles Brandt], American rock bassist (Black Crowes), born in Cherry Point, North Carolina
1966 – Armando Reynoso, Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks), born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico
1967 – Yael Arad, Israeli middleweight judoka (first Israeli to win an Olympic medal – silver 1996), born in Tel Aviv, Israel
1984 – David Backes, American ice hockey center (NHL All Star 2011; Olympic silver 2010; St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Famous Deaths

1971 – Glenda Farrell, American actress (Golddiggers of 1935: Grand Slam; Exposed), dies of lung cancer at 66
1982 – Gene Sheldon, actor (Bernardo-Zorro), dies at 72
1986 – Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and record producer, dies at 69
1989 – Antonio Janigro, Italian cellist (Zagreb Soloists), dies at 71
1996 – Ivo Rudolph Jarosy, German-British film scholar and exhibitor, dies at 74
2017 – Janet Pilgrim, American early playmate model for Playboy (July 1955, Dec 1955, Oct 1956), dies at 82

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Historical Events

1506 – Philip of Burgundy and England sign trade agreement
1900 – The “Hawaiian Organic Act” is enacted by US Congress making Hawaii a US territory
1944 – NY Giant Phil Weintraub gets 11 RBIs
1971 – 25th NBA Championship: Milwaukee beat Baltimore Bullets in 4 games
1984 – Strong winds cause a 30 min delay in Toronto Blue Jays game
1985 – “Shoah”, French documentary about the Holocaust, directed by Claude Lanzmann, starring Richard Glazar and Raul Hilberg, premieres in Paris

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Famous Birthdays

1651 – Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, French priest and saint of the Catholic Church, born in Reims, Champagne, Kingdom of France (d. 1719)
1723 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and naturalist (Ornithologie), born in Fontenay-le-Comte (d. 1806)
1857 – Eugen Bleuler, Swiss psychiatrist (introduced the term schizophrenia to describe the disorder previously known as dementia praecox), born in Zollikon, Switzerland (d. 1940)
1858 – Mary Dimmick Harrison, US First lady (1889-93) as second wife of the 23rd President Benjamin Harrison, born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania (d. 1948)
1941 – Johnny Farina, American rocker (Santo and Johnny), born in Brooklyn, New York
1997 – Ayaan Chawla, Indian entrepreneur

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Famous Deaths

1630 – Ercole Porta, Italian composer, dies at 44
1792 – John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, British statesman who claimed to have invented the sandwich, dies at 73
1792 – Hans Adolf Friedrich von Eschstruth, composer and lawyer, dies at 36
1926 – Bessie Coleman, American aviator and 1st African-American woman and Native American to hold a pilot license, dies in a plane crash at 34
1983 – Muddy Waters [McKinley Morganfield], American blues singer and guitarist (“Mannish Boy”; “Got My Mojo Working”), dies of heart failure, while fighting cancer, at 70
2006 – Lawrence Patrick, Biomechanics Professor, crash test subject

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Historical Events

1956 – WLUC TV channel 6 in Marquette, MI (CBS/NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
1982 – Alfredo Magana elected President of El Salvador
1986 – Boston Red Sox Roger Clemens strikes out 20 Seattle Mariners
1991 – Earthquake in Georgia, kills 100
2006 – NFL Draft: North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams first pick from Houston Texans
2007 – 2nd Republic protest in support of state secularism held in Istanbul, Turkey

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Famous Birthdays

1863 – Mary Theresa Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian Catholic nun (founded the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver), born in Loosdorf, Lower Austria, Austrian Empire (d. 1922)
1899 – (Karl) Yngve Sköld, Swedish organist, pianist, and composer, born in Vallby, Södermanland County, Sweden (d. 1992)
1935 – Otto Zykan, Austrian composer, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2006)
1940 – Brian Taber, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (16 Tests, 60 dismissals; NSW), born in Wagga Wagga, Australia (d. 2023)
1957 – Timothy Treadwell, American bear enthusiast (d. 2003)
1960 – Joseph Guzaldo, American actor (Stir Crazy), born in Chicago, Illinois

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Famous Deaths

1380 – Catherine of Siena, Italian Dominican saint and Doctor of the Church (The Dialogue of Divine Providence), dies at 33
1798 – Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus, Austrian entomologist, dies at 74
1990 – Floyd Butler, American soul singer (Friends of Distinction – “Grazin’ in the Grass”), dies of a heart attack at 52
2007 – Ivica Račan, former Prime Minister of Croatia (b. 1944)
2021 – Johnny Crawford, American actor (The Mickey Mouse Club; The Rifleman – “Mark”), singer (“Sandy”), and bandleader (JCO), dies at 75
2023 – Yuri Korolyov, Russian artistic gymnast (World All-Around Champion 1981, 85; World Cup All-Around Co-Champion 1986), dies at 60

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Historical Events

1829 – Dutch parliament accepts new press laws
1848 – Slavery abolished in French colonies
1922 – WOI (Ames, Iowa) country’s 1st licensed educational radio station
1940 – Glenn Miller records “Pennsylvania 6-5000”
1952 – Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Supreme Commander of NATO
1969 – Charles de Gaulle resigns as president of France

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Famous Birthdays

1825 – James Winning McMillan, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Clark County, Kentucky (d. 1903)
1897 – Ye Jianying, Chinese communist general and politician (Head of State of the People’s Republic of China 1978-83), born in Jiaying, Guangdong, Qing Empire (d. 1986)
1900 – Maurice Thorez, French politician and secretary-general (French Communist Party), born in Noyelles-Godault, Pas-de-Calais, France (d. 1964)
1906 – Bart [Bartholomeus Jan] Bok, Dutch-American astronomer (Milky Way), born in Hoorn, Netherlands (d. 1983)
1930 – James Baker, American Secretary of the Treasury (1985-88), Secretary of State (1989-92), born in Houston, Texas
1961 – Futoshi Matsunaga, Japanese serial killer, born in Kitakyūshū, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1918 – Gavrilo Princip, Bosnian-Serb assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, dies of tuberculosis at 23
1945 – Benito Mussolini [Il Duce], Fascist Italian dictator (1922-43), shot by communist partisans at 61
1982 – Nobby Clark, English cricketer (32 wickets in 8 Tests 1929-34), dies at 81
1996 – William Colby, American intelligence officer (CIA Director, 1973-76), dies at 76
1997 – Susan Seddon Boulet, American artist, dies of cancer at 45
2021 – Michael Collins, American Major General USAF and astronaut (Gemini 10, Apollo 11), dies of cancer at 90

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Historical Events

1841 – Imakita Kosen, 1st Zen teacher of D.T. Suzuki, found the awakening
1877 – Rutherford B. Hayes removes Federal troops from Louisiana, Reconstruction ends
1990 – Villanova’s women set a 6,000 m relay world record of 17:18:10
1990 – 50th annual barbershop quartet singing convention held (Mich)
1994 – Graeme Obree bicycles world record time (52,713 km)
1995 – “Indiscretions” opens at Ethel Barrymore Theatre NYC for 221 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1903 – Frank Belknap Long, American writer (Rim of the Unknown), born in New York City (d. 1994)
1929 – Nina Ponomaryova, Russian athlete (Olympic gold USSR discus 1952, 60; bronze 1956), born in Smychka, Russia (d. 2016)
1938 – Earl Anthony, American professional bowler (PBA money champ 1974-6, 1981-3), born in Tacoma, Washington (d. 2001)
1939 – Jerry Mercer, Canadian rock drummer (April Wine), born in Montreal, Quebec
1969 – Tyrone Rodgers, American football defensive linebacker (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), born in Longview, Texas
1970 – Mikiko Hagiwara, Japanese basketball player, born in Fukushima, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1695 – John Trenchard, English radical Whig politician and statesman, dies at 46
1876 – George Aiken, American playwright and actor famous for writing the most popular stage adaptation of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, dies at 45
1902 – Julius Sterling Morton, American politician (3rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture) and founder of Arbor Day, dies at 70
1977 – Stanley Adams, American character actor (Star Trek – “Cyrano Jones”; Breakfast at Tiffany’s; Lilies of the Field), commits suicide at 62
1991 – Marcus Heeresma, Dutch author (Anna, Son of a Whore), dies at 55
2015 – Gene Fullmer, American boxer (World Middleweight title 1957; NBA [WBA] World Middleweight title 1959-62), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1926 – Germany and Russia sign neutrality peace treaty
1931 – Lou Gehrig hits a HR but is called out for passing a runner, mistake costs him AL home run crown; he and Babe Ruth tie for season
1986 – France performs nuclear test
1991 – Soccer star Diego Maradona, suspended for using cocaine, arrested in Argentina for possession and distribution of illegal narcotics
1993 – NBC announces Conan O’Brien to replace David Letterman on “Late Night”
2022 – World Bank warns the war in Ukraine will cause the “largest commodity shock” since the 1970s, with large economic and humanitarian effects

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Famous Birthdays

1538 – Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter and poet (Trattato), born in Milan (d. 1600)
1917 – Sal Maglie, American baseball pitcher (World Series 1954; MLB All Star 1951, 52; NY Giants; no-hitter 1956 Cleveland Indians), born in Niagara Falls, New York (d. 1992)
1926 – Michael Mathias Prechtl, German illustrator, born in Amberg, Bavaria (d. 2003)
1930 – Roger Moens, Belgian middle distance runner (800m world record 1955), born in Aalst, Belgium
1931 – Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent, manager and producer (The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2008)
1977 – Kosuke Fukudome, Japanese baseball player (Hanshin Tigers, Chicago Cubs), born in Osaki, Kagoshima, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1476 – Simonetta Vespucci, Italian noblewoman and inspiration of Botticelli, dies at 23
1785 – Karl Siegmund von Seckendorff, German composer, dies at 40
1956 – Edward Arnold, American actor (Mr Smith Goes to Washington), dies at 66
1982 – Celia Johnson, British actress (Jean Brodie), dies of stroke at 73
1994 – Manuel Enríquez, Mexican composer, dies at 67
2017 – Raj Bagri, Indian-British merchant in metal, dies at 86

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Historical Events

1846 – Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican–American War
1926 – Persian cossack officer Reza Chan crowns himself Shah Palawi
1946 – Christopher Fry’s “Phoenix too Frequent” premieres in London
1961 – Belgium government of Gaston Eyskens falls over the Unitary Law
1961 – Robert Noyce patents integrated circuit
1990 – 25th Academy of Country Music Awards: George Strait, Clint Black, and Kathy Mattea win

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Famous Birthdays

1502 – Georg Major, German Protestant theologian, born in Nuremberg, Germany (d. 1574)
1882 – Fred McLeod, Scottish golfer (US Open 1908), born in North Berwick, Scotland (d. 1976)
1901 – Ernst Gernot Klussmann, German composer, born in Hamburg, GermanyGerman Empire (d. 1975)
1906 – Zoltán Gárdonyi, Hungarian composer, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1986)
1921 – Jean Mogin, Belgian poet (Pastures of Silence), and playwright, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1986)
1981 – Anja Pärson, Swedish alpine skier, born in Umeå, Sweden

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Famous Deaths

1264 – Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester, English crusader, dies at about 69 [birthdate uncertain c. 1195]
1605 – Naresuan, King of Siam (b. 1555)
1926 – Ellen Key, Swedish author and feminist (Courageous Woman), dies at 76
1976 – Margaret Bannerman, actress (Great Defender), dies at 79
2019 – Manuel Lujan Jr., American politician (Rep-R-NM, 1969-89), dies at 90
2023 – Harry Belafonte, Jamaican-American Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning calypso singer (“Banana Boat Song”), actor (Buck and the Preacher), and human rights activist, dies of congestive heart failure at 96

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Historical Events

1915 – Pittsburgh Rebels’ Frank Allen no-hits St Louis Terriers (Federal League), 2-0
1963 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1969 – Marshall Lin Biao named Mao’s designated successor as the sole Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of China
1975 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1996 – 31st Academy of Country Music Awards: Brooks and Dunn, Alan Jackson, and Patty Loveless win
2023 – Tucker Carlson, Fox News most popular prime-time host, is fired from the cable network

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Famous Birthdays

1822 – Erastus Barnard Tyler, American businessman, merchant, and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in West Bloomfield, New York (d. 1891)
1828 – Robert Brank Vance, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina (1873-85), born in Buncombe, North Carolina (d. 1899)
1889 – Lyubov Popova, Russian avant-garde artist and painter, born in Ivanovskoe, Moscow (d. 1924)
1889 – Stafford Cripps, British Labour politician, born in London (d. 1952)
1954 – Thomas Jennefelt, Swedish composer, chiefly of choral works (A Warning To The Rich; Villarosa Sequences), born in Stuvsta, Sweden
1992 – Sean Rademaker, American actor (Kirkland Harrison-Another World), born in Washington, D.C.

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Famous Deaths

1961 – (Joseph) Rosario Bourdon, French Canadian-American cellist, violinist, conductor, arranger and musical director (Victor Talking Machine Company, 1905-31; Symphonique de Montréal, 1935-44), dies at 76
1967 – Frank Overton, American actor (Fail Safe; 12 O’Clock High (TV series, not film)), dies of a heart attack at 49
1983 – Rolf Stommelen, German auto racer (24 Hours of Daytona 1968, 78, 80, 82; 61 x F1 GP), dies in a racing accident at 39
1986 – Wallis Simpson [Duchess of Windsor], American divorcee whom British King Edward VIII abdicated his throne to marry, dies at 89
2011 – Sathya Sai Baba, Indian guru, spiritual figure, dies at 84
2011 – Colin Snedden, New Zealand cricket spin bowler (1 Test; Auckland), dies at 93

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Historical Events

1597 – William Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” is first performed, with Queen Elizabeth I of England in attendance
1867 – Queen Victoria and Napoleon III turn down plans for a channel tunnel
1989 – NFL Draft: #1 pick UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman by Dallas Cowboys
1989 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores 10 points in his last game as a Laker in a 121-117 win over Seattle SuperSonics at the LA Forum
1991 – Björn Borg loses 6-2, 6-3 to Jordi Arrese after an 8 year lay off without practising or playing any exhibition matches
1993 – Peter Townshend’s musical “Tommy” premieres in NYC

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Famous Birthdays

1141 – King Malcolm IV of Scotland, nicknamed Virgo “the Maiden” King of Scots (1141 April-May), born in Scotland (d. 1165)
1747 – Abbé Alexandre-Auguste Robineau, French composer and painter, born in Paris (d. 1828)
1893 – Frank Borzage, American director (7th Heaven, Strange Cargo), born in Salt Lake City, Utah (d. 1962)
1930 – Michael Bowen, British Roman Catholic Archbishop (Southwark), born in Gibraltar
1936 – John D’Arcy, New Zealand cricketer (NZ Test batsman on 1958 England tour), born in Christchurch New Zealand
1963 – Magnús Ver Magnússon, Icelandic powerlifter (World’s Strongest Man 1991, 94, 95, 96), born in Egilsstaðir, Iceland

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Famous Deaths

1897 – Clement Harris, English composer, killed fighting in the Greco-Turkish war at 25
1971 – William V. S. Tubman, Liberian politician (President of Liberia 1944-71), dies at 76
1986 – Jim Laker, English cricket spin bowler (46 Tests; 193 wickets; world best 19-90 4th Test v Australia 1956), dies from complications of gall bladder surgery at 64
1992 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director (Distant Thunder, Agantuk), dies at 70
2020 – Bernardino Lombao, Spanish handballer (Atlético de Madrid 1967-69), coach (Nat basketball teams) and TV presenter (De Olimpia a Los Ángeles, Objetivo 92), dies at 81
2021 – Bill Whittington, American auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1979), dies in a plane crash at 71

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