Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1893 – Francis Dhanis army occupies Kasongo
1959 – Yankee Whitey Ford strikes out 15, beating Senators, 1-0 in 14 innings
1962 – Stanley Cup Final, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: Dick Duff scores the winner as Toronto Maple Leafs beat Chicago Blackhawks, 2-1 for a 4-2 series victory
1977 – Shimon Peres becomes Acting Prime Minister of Israel
1981 – USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
1990 – NFL Draft: University of Illinois quarterback Jeff George first pick by Indianapolis Colts

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Famous Birthdays

1864 – Phil May, English cartoonist, born in Wortley, Leeds (d. 1903)
1920 – Jos de Haes, Flemish philological and poet (Misery of the Word), born in Leuven, Belgium (d. 1974)
1926 – Charlotte Rae, American character actress, (Facts Of Life – “Edna”), comedian, singer and dancer, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2018)
1933 – Anthony Llewellyn, Welsh-American scientist and NASA astronaut, born in Cardiff, Wales (d. 2013)
1943 – Steve Dunne, New Zealand cricket umpire (39 Tests; 100 ODIs), born in Dunedin. Otago
1955 – Arthur Baker, American music producer (Afrika Banbaataa; Planet Rock; New Order), born in Boston, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

1648 – Catharina Belgica of Nassau and Countess and Regent of Hanau-Münzenberg, Dutch daughter of William I of Orange, dies at 69
1827 – Thomas Rowlandson, English artist and caricaturist, dies at 70
1896 – Thomas Meik, Scottish civil engineer, dies at 84
2003 – Martha Griffiths, U.S. Congresswoman, dies at 91
2008 – Cameron Argetsinger, American auto racing executive (created Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course; F1 US Grand Prix 1961-80), dies from a stroke at 87
2019 – Dave Samuels, American vibraphonist (Spyro Gyra-Morning Dance), dies at 70

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Historical Events

1892 – Black longshoremen strike for higher wages in St Louis, Missouri
1930 – “All Quiet on the Western Front” based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, directed by Lewis Milestone, starring Louis Wolheim and Lew Ayres premieres in Los Angeles (Academy Awards Outstanding Production 1930)
1976 – Swine Flu vaccine, for non-epidemic, enters testing
1982 – Dr Michael E Bakey performs 1st successful heart implant
1984 – “Nightline” reverts from 1 hour to ½ hour format
2020 – Health Secretary Matt Hancock and UK government come under criticism for lack of personal protective equipment and testing for COVID-19 (despite pledge to test 100,000 a day only 19,000 done April 20th)

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Famous Birthdays

1912 – Marcel Camus, French film director (Orfeu Negro), born in Chappes, France (d. 1982)
1959 – Michael Timmins, Canadian musician (Cowboy Junkies), born in Montreal
1966 – Judy Diduck, ice hockey defenseman (Canada, Olympics 1998)
1971 – Samantha Druce, British swimmer, youngest woman to swim English Channel
1978 – Branden Steineckert, American drummer (Rancid; The Used), born in Pocatello, Idaho
1980 – Jeff Keppinger, American baseball player

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Famous Deaths

1910 – Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens], American author (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer), dies at 74
1958 – Manuel Infante, Spanish composer and conductor, dies at 74
1989 – James Kirkwood, American actor, author and playwright (A Chorus Line, P. S. Your Cat Is Dead!), dies of cancer at 64
1996 – Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder, sportscaster, LV bookmaker (The NFL Today; fired for racist remarks), dies of a heart attack at 77
2001 – David Hollestelle, Dutch baritone singer (Dutch Radio Chorus), dies at 84
2013 – Shakuntala Devi, Indian writer and mental calculator known as the “Human Computer”, stops calculating at 83 due to complications from severe respiratory problems

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Historical Events

1818 – Napoleon Bonaparte bids emotional farewell to his old guard at Palace of Fontainebleau
1914 – US President W Wilson, having dispatched more naval ships to Mexico, asks a joint session of Congress to approve armed force if necessary; Congress approves
1947 – Frederik IX becomes King of Denmark
1962 – NASA civilian pilot Neil Armstrong takes X-15 to 63,250 m
1963 – -30] All Africa Conferences of Churches opens in Kampala Uganda
1975 – 29th Tony Awards: “Equus” (play) and “The Wiz” (musical) win

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Bruce Cabot, American actor (Diamonds are Forever, King Kong), born in Carlsbad, New Mexico (d. 1972)
1919 – Richard Hillary, Australian Spitfire pilot and author (The Last Enemy), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1943)
1924 – Leslie Phillips, British stage and screen, screen, and radio actor (Carry On; Harry Potter films), born in Tottenham, England (d. 2022)
1936 – Pauli Ellefsen, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (1981-85), born in Miðvágur, Vágar, Faroe Islands (d. 2012)
1943 – Edie Sedgwick, American actress (Ciao Manhattan) and socialite, born in Santa Barbara, California (d. 1971)
1971 – Terry Smith, NFL wide receiver (Indianapolis Colts), born in Clemson, South Carolina

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Famous Deaths

1912 – Bram Stoker, Irish theater manager and author (Dracula), dies at 64
1935 – Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, English fashion designer, dies at 71
1951 – Ivanoe Bonomi, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1873)
1968 – Mabel Stark, American tiger trainer “crazy Mabel”, found dead after her suicide at 79
1998 – Trevor Huddleston, English Anglican bishop in South Africa and anti-apartheid activist (wrote Naught for Your Comfort), dies at 84
2015 – Bob St. Clair, American NFL football player, 1953-63 (San Francisco 49ers), known as “The Geek”, dies at 84

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Historical Events

1933 – FDR announces US will leave gold standard
1941 – Bulgarian troops invade Macedonia
1943 – Bicycle Day – Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann deliberately takes LSD for the first time
1966 – In 1st regular season game at Anaheim Stadium, Angels lose 3-1 to Chic
1987 – Jacqueline Blanc, sets women’s downhill ski speed rec (124.902 mph)
1999 – 103rd Boston Marathon: Joseph Chebet of Kenya takes men’s title in 2:09:52; 3-peat for Fatuma Roba of Ethiopia in women’s race in 2:23:25

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Famous Birthdays

1939 – Ellen Weston, American actress (Betty-SWAT), born in New York City
1944 – James Heckman, American economist (Nobel Prize 2000), born in Chicago, Illinois
1953 – Sara Simeoni, Italian high jumper (Olympic gold 1980), born in Rivoli Veronese, Italy
1962 – Al Unser Jr., American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1992, 94), born in Albuquerque, New Mexico
1978 – James Franco, American actor (The Disaster Artist), born in Palo Alto, California
1987 – Courtland Mead, American actor (Dragonworld), born in Mission Viejo, California

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Famous Deaths

1529 – John Cuspinianus [Spiessheimer], German physician, dies at about 55
1906 – Spencer Gore, British tennis player (1st Wimbledon singles champion 1877), dies at 56
1945 – J P Heyboer, resistance fighter, executed
1956 – Ernst Robert Curtius, German literature historian, dies at 70
1975 – Percy Lavon Julian, African American chemist who received 130 patents, pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants, dies at 76
2005 – Ruth Hussey, American actress (Another Thin Man), dies at 93

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Historical Events

1924 – 1st crossword puzzle book published by Simon and Schuster
1938 – 42nd Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson in 2:35:34.8; his second victory in the event
1946 – Rome, Auerbach and Horwitt’s musical “Call Me Mister” opens at National Theater, NYC; runs for 734 performances
1946 – Jackie Robinson debuts as 2nd baseman for the Montreal Royals
1983 – KMO-AM in Tacoma Wash changes call letters to KAMT (now KKMO)
1984 – Joan Benoit runs world record female marathon (2:22:43)

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Famous Birthdays

1842 – Antero Tarquínio de Quental, Portuguese poet (Beatrice), born in Ponta Delgada, Portugal (d. 1891)
1888 – Arnold Lunn, British skier (created the modern Alpine slalom race), born in Madras, India (d. 1974)
1946 – (Alexander) “Skip” Spence, Canadian guitarist and vocalist (Moby Grape – “Omaha”), born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1963 – Eric McCormack, Canadian-American actor (Will and Grace), born in Toronto, Ontario
1970 – Rico Brogna, American MLB baseball player (Detroit Tigers), born in Turners Falls, Massachusetts
1988 – Vanessa Kirby, English actress (Princess Margaret in The Crown), born in London, England

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Famous Deaths

1610 – Robert Parsons, English jesuit (A Letter Disclosure), dies at 63
1845 – Nicolas Théodore de Saussure, Swiss chemist, dies at 77
1882 – Henry Cole, English inventor and civil servant, 1st director of the VandA Museum, promoter of 1851 Great Exhibition, dies at 73
1976 – Mahmoud Younis, Suez Canal nationalization engineer, dies at 65
1985 – Gertrude Caton-Thompson, English archaeologist (Zimbabwe, So Arabia), dies at 97
1990 – Robert D Webb, American director and actor (Love Me Tender, Jackals), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1961 – 65th Boston Marathon won by Eino Oksanen of Finland in 2:23:39; his 2nd event title
1967 – Italian boxer Nino Benvenuti beats American Emile Griffith in a 15 round points decision to win world middleweight crown at Madison Square Garden; start of famous trilogy of fights between the pair
1969 – Mont Expos Bill Stoneman no-hits Phillies, 7-0
1969 – The Band (formerly The Hawks), perform their 1st concert, at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, California
1979 – Four Royal Ulster Constabulary officers are killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army van bomb in Bessbrook, County Armagh; the bomb is believed to be the largest PIRA bomb used up to that point
1981 – New York Islander Dennis Potvin’s 3 playoff power-play goals vs Edmonton Oilers tie NHL record

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Famous Birthdays

1865 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian Catholic saint and foundress of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus, born in Loosdorf, Austrian Empire (d. 1939)
1912 – Isador Caplan, British lawyer and Aldeburgh Festival pioneer, born in Blackpool, England (d. 1995)
1914 – George Davis, American art director (20th Century Fox), born in Kokomo, Indiana (d. 1984)
1961 – Frank J. Christensen, American labor leader, born in Chicago, Illinois
1970 – Redman [Reginald Noble], American rapper, born in Newark, New Jersey
1983 – Stanislav Chistov, Russian ice hockey player, born in Chelyabinsk, Russia

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Famous Deaths

1962 – Louise Fazenda, American vaudeville, and silent and sound screen actress (Mack Sennett comedies), dies of cerebral hemorrhage at 66
1971 – Carmen Lombardo, Canadian musician, dies at 67
1974 – Vinnie Taylor, rocker (Canned Heat), dies of a drug overdose
1997 – Allan Francovich, American documentarian
2013 – Deanna Durbin [Edna Mae Durbin], Canadian actress and vocalist (Every Sunday, Three Smart Girls, 100 Men and a Girl), dies at 91
2021 – Fred Arbanas, American football tight end (All-AFL 1962–67; Super Bowl 1970; Dallas Texans / Kansas City Chiefs), dies at 82

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Historical Events

1949 – Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: 3-peat for Toronto Maple Leafs as they beat Detroit Red Wings, 3-1 for a 4 game series sweep
1972 – Two British soldiers are shot dead by the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) in separate incidents in Derry
1987 – British Conservative MP Harvey Proctor appears at Bow Street Magistrates’ Court in London charged with gross indecency
2003 – Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting 10 new member states to the European Union
2018 – Kendrick Lamar is the first rapper and non-classical or jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music with his album “Damn”
2020 – 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment in 4 weeks (5.2 million in the last week), wiping out 9 1/2 years of job gains

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Famous Birthdays

1927 – Peter Mark Richman, American actor (Andrew-Dynasty), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1948 – Robert Kirby, British music arranger (Nick Drake), born in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire (d. 2009)
1963 – Hu Na, Chinese tennis star, born in Chengdu, Sichuan, China
1979 – Sixto Peralta, Argentine footballer, born in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina
1984 – Claire Foy, English actress (The Crown), born in Stockport, England
1994 – Midori Francis, American actress (Dash and Lily), born in Lakewood, New Jersey)

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Famous Deaths

1090 – Sikelgaita, Lombard princess, wife of Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, who often went into battle, armed, dies at about 50
1915 – Nelson W. Aldrich, U.S. Senator from Rhode Island, dies at 73
1981 – Eric Hollies, English cricket spin bowler (13 Tests, 44 wickets; dismissed Donald Bradman for 0 in his final Test innings), dies at 68
1991 – David Lean, English film director (Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Ryan’s Daughter), dies of pneumonia at 83
2010 – Daryl Gates, LAPD Chief, dies at 83
2023 – Eddie Colquhoun, Scottish soccer centre back (11 caps; Sheffield United 363 games), dies at 78

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Historical Events

1902 – Pope Leo XIII encyclical “On Church in US”
1921 – Black Friday in Britain: leaders of transport and rail unions announce a decision not to call for strike action in support of the miners; despite widespread feeling decision a breach of solidarity and a betrayal of the miners
1923 – 1st sound on film public performance shown at Rialto Theater (NYC)
1941 – 1st helicopter flight of 1 hr duration, Stratford, Ct
1972 – Barbra Streisand, James Taylor, Carole King, and Quincy Jones perform benefit concert for George McGovern for President campaign at the Forum in Inglewood, California
1988 – Meteorite explode above Indonesia

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Famous Birthdays

1588 – Claudius Salmasius [Claude Saumaise], French linguist, born in Semur-en-Auxois, France (d. 1653)
1772 – Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, French naturalist, born in Étampes, France (d. 1844)
1894 – Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1953-64), born in Kalinovka, Russia (d. 1971)
1908 – Eden Ahbez [George Aberle], American songwriter (“Nature Boy”; “Lonely Island”), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1995)
1937 – Conrad Russell, 5th Earl Russell, British historian, born in Harting, West Sussex (d. 2004)
1955 – Jeff Golub, American jazz guitarist (Avenue Blue; Rod Stewart), born in Copley Township, Ohio (d. 2015)

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Famous Deaths

1754 – Jacopo Riccati, Italian mathematician (Riccati equation), dies at 77
1863 – Jan Nepomuk Kanka, Czech composer, dies at 90
1865 – Abraham Lincoln, 16th US President (Republican: 1861-65), dies from gunshot wounds at 56
1984 – Tommy Cooper, British comedian and magician, collapses and dies on stage at 61
1991 – Marjorie Warfield, American stage, radio, and silent film actress, dies of pneumonia at 88
2010 – Jack Herer, American author and cannabis activist, dies at 70

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Historical Events

1915 – Dutch merchant navy ship Katwijk sunk by Germany torpedo
1978 – David Hare’s play “Plenty” premieres in London
2021 – Former Minnesota police officer who shot Daunte Wright with a gun instead of a taser is arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter,
2021 – Chicago White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodón no-hits the Cleveland Indians, 8-0 at Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago
2021 – Coinbase becomes the first major cryptocurrency company to trade shares on the New York Stock Exchange
2021 – Human cells grown in monkey cells for 20 days reported by US-Chinese team at the Salk Institute in “Cell”

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Famous Birthdays

1721 – William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, English army leader, born in London (d. 1765)
1827 – Augustus Pitt Rivers, English archaeologist, born in Bramham cum Oglethorpe, Wetherby, Yorkshire (d. 1900)
1931 – John Clarke, American actor (Days of Our Lives -“Mickey”), born in South Bend, Indiana (d. 2019)
1933 – Morton Subotnick, American electronic music composer (Silver Apples of the Moon; A Sky of Cloudless Sulphur), born in Los Angeles, California
1946 – Tom Monteleone, American writer (Dark Star and Illumination)
1966 – David Justice, American baseball player (Atlanta Braves), born in Cincinnati, Ohio

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Famous Deaths

1685 – Thomas Otway, English playwright and poet (Venice Preserv’d), dies at 33
1813 – Joachim Nicolas Eggert, Swedish violinist and composer, dies of tuberculosis at 34
1924 – Roland Napoléon Bonaparte, French prince and president of the Société de Géographie, dies at 65
1964 – Rachel Carson, American marine biologist, conservationist and author (Silent Spring), dies of a heart attack at 56
1978 – Joe Gordon, American Baseball HOF 2nd baseman (World Series 1938, 39, 41, 43 NY Yankees; 1948 Cleveland Indians; AL MVP 1942; 9 x MLB All Star), dies of a heart attack at 63
2007 – Don Ho, Hawaiian-American pop and Hawaiian music singer (“Tiny Bubbles”; “Ain’t No Big Thing!”), dies of heart failure at 76

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Historical Events

1346 – Pope Clemens VI declares German emperor Louis of Bavaria, envoy
1834 – HMS Beagle anchors at river mouth of Rio Santa Cruz, Patagonia
1911 – Polo Grounds grandstand and left field bleachers go up in flames in Manhattan, New York City
1939 – The Hindustani Lal Sena (Indian Red Army) is formed and vows to engage in armed struggle against the British.
1965 – 1st US Senate black page, Lawrence W Bradford Jr, 16, appointed by New York Senator Jacob Javits
1995 – Yankees beat the Mets 2-0

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Famous Birthdays

1891 – Nellallitea “Nella” Larsen [Nellie Walker], African-American Harlem Renaissance novelist (Quicksand, Passing), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1964)
1935 – Lyle Waggoner, American actor (The Carol Burnett Show; Wonder Woman), born in Kansas City, Kansas (d. 2020)
1939 – Wijnie Jabaaij, Dutch politician (PvdA), born in Dordrecht, Netherlands (d. 1995)
1952 – Jonjo O’Neill, Irish racehorse trainer, born in Cork, Ireland
1964 – Bill D’Angelo, American heavy metal guitarist (Femme Fatale), born in Albuquerque, New Mexico (d. 2005)
1971 – Dina Korzun, Russian actress, born in Smolensk, Russia

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Famous Deaths

1886 – Károly Thern, Hungarian composer, pianist, and arranger, dies at 68
1966 – Georges Duhamel, French author (Vie et aventures de Salavin, 5 vol.), dies at 81
1975 – François Tombalbaye, Dictator and 1st President of Chad (1960-75), dies at 56
1992 – Brian Oulton, English character actor, dies at 84
2000 – Inglis Gundry, British composer, musicologist and novelist, dies at 94
2009 – Bruce Snyder, American college football coach (Utah State, California, Arizona State), dies from melanoma at 69

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