Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1898 – Louisiana adopts new constitution with “grandfather clause” designed to eliminate black voters
1915 – Franklin K. Mathiews first presents idea of “Book Week”
1961 – Russian Mikhail Botvinnik wins World Chess Championship for his third time
1978 – US Commerce Department says hurricane names will no longer be only female
2014 – Voters in Eastern Ukraine vote for self-rule in referendum

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Famous Birthdays

1700 – Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect (Palace of Caserta), born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples (now Italy) (d. 1773)
1910 – Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, British biochemist who developed protein crystallography to study molecular structure, including that of vitamin B12 (Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1964), born in Cairo, Egypt (d. 1994)
1956 – Homer Simpson, American fictional patriarchal character, and donut aficionado from the long running animated television show “The Simpsons”, born in Springfield
1959 – Ving Rhames [Irving Rameses Rhames], American actor (Mission Impossible), born in New York City
1981 – Lorena Bernal, Argentine Spanish model and actress (Miss Spain 1999), born in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina

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Famous Deaths

1918 – Abel Hoadley, Australian confectioner (Violet Crumble), dies at 73
1943 – Albert Stoessel, American violinist, conductor, composer, and educator, dies of a heart attack on the podium at 48
1957 – Alfonso de Portago, Spanish bobsledder and race car driver (b. 1928)
2007 – Mullah Dadullah Akhund, Taliban military leader (b. 1966?)
2020 – Astrid Kirchherr, German photographer, helped establish The Beatles image, dies at 81

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Historical Events

1625 – Peasants besiege Frankenburg estate in Upper Austria
1919 – Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hod Eller no-hits St Louis Cardinals, 6-0 at Redland Field, Cincinnati
1969 – British comedy troupe Monty Python forms, made up of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin
1972 – US conducts a nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site
2020 – Colombian airline Avianca, and world’s 2nd oldest, becomes 1st major airline to file for bankruptcy due to COVID-19

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Famous Birthdays

1840 – Filippo Capocci, Italian organ virtuoso and composer, born in Rome, Papal States (d. 1911)
1895 – Jan Parandowski, Polish writer and translator, born in Lwów, Austria-Hungary (now Lviv, Ukraine) (d. 1978)
1927 – Zilpha Keatly Snyder, American Newbury Award-winning children’s literature author (Headless Cupid; The Egypt Game), born in Lemoore, California (d. 2014)
1970 – Dean Capobianco, Australian 200m/400m (Olympics 1992, 96)
1988 – Marek Pospieszalski, Polish avant-garde jazz saxophonist and composer, born in Częstochowa, Poland

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Famous Deaths

1743 – Francesco Stradivari, Italian violin maker and son of Antonius, dies at 70
2016 – Jim Pothecary, South African cricket medium pace bowler (3 Tests, 9 wickets; Western Province), dies at 82
2021 – Janine Brookner [née Okun], American CIA officer and lawyer who spoke out against sexual discrimination in the CIA, dies of complications of kidney disease and cancer at 80
2023 – Hodding Carter III, American White House press secretary under Jimmy Carter (1977-80), dies after a series of strokes at 88
2024 – Mary Wells Lawrence, American businesswoman and the first woman to own a major US national advertising agency (Wells Rich Greene), dies at 95

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Historical Events

1534 – French navigator Jacques Cartier reaches Newfoundland
1933 – Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF) forms
1945 – Soviet troops occupied Prague
1992 – Revival of William Shakespeare’s stage drama “Hamlet” closes at the Criterion Theater, NYC, after 45 performances
1994 – Nelson Mandela is sworn in as South Africa’s first Black president

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Famous Birthdays

1830 – François-Marie Raoult, French physicist and chemist (law of Raoult), born in Fournes, France (d. 1901)
1877 – Roderich Mojsisovics-Mojsvar, Austrian music educator and composer, born in Graz, Austria (d. 1954)
1920 – Basil Kelly, Irish barrister, politician and judge (Lord Chief Justice), born in County Monaghan, Ireland (d. 2008)
1928 – Arnold Rüütel, Estonian agronomist and politician (President of Estonia, 2001-06), born in Pahavalla, Estonia (d. 2024)
1970 – Perry Blake, Irish singer-songwriter (The Hunchback of San Francisco), born in Sligo, Ireland

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Famous Deaths

1954 – George Hirst, English cricketer (36,323 1st-class runs, 2739 wickets), dies at 82
1968 – Scotty Beckett, American actor (Our Gang, Listen Darling, Battleground), dies from either an overdose, or as a result from a beating at 38
1972 – Rhys Gemmell, Australian tennis player (Australasian C’ships singles and doubles 1921), dies at 76
2001 – Deborah Walley, American actress (b. 1943)
2022 – Bob Lanier, American Basketball HOF center (8 x NBA All-Star; NBA All-Star Game MVP 1974; Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks), dies at 73

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Historical Events

1965 – The USSR launches Luna 5 with the goal of becoming the first spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, but it crashes during its landing attempt
1992 – 37th Eurovision Song Contest: Linda Martin for Ireland wins singing “Why Me” in Malmo
2018 – Dam bursts after heavy rains near Solai, Kenya, killing at least 41
2019 – English clubs create football history by taking all 4 final spots in Europe’s 2 major competitions; Chelsea and Arsenal qualify in Europa Cup after ‘miracle’ Champions League wins for Liverpool and Spurs
2019 – Pope Francis introduces new rules on reporting sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, criticized for not going far enough

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Famous Birthdays

1783 – Alexander Ross, Canadian fur trader, born in Morayshire, Scotland (d. 1856)
1855 – Julius Röntgen, German-Dutch composer, born in Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony (d. 1932)
1936 – Albert Finney, English actor (The Dresser, Under the Volcano), born in Salford, England (d. 2019)
1955 – Kermit the Frog, Muppet character created by Jim Henson, protagonist of “The Muppet Show”, “born” in Leland, Mississippi
1975 – Chris Diamantopoulos, Canadian actor (The Three Stooges; Silicon Valley), and cartoon Voice (Mickey Mouse, 2013-present), born in Toronto, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1745 – Tomaso Antonio Vitali, Italian composer and violinist, dies at 82
1850 – Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French physicist and chemist, dies at 71
1966 – Alfred Mendelsohn, Romanian composer, and conductor (Romanian National Opera, 1944-63), and teacher, dies at 56
1979 – Lan Adomian, Russian-born American composer, dies at 73
2019 – Alvin Sargent, American Academy Award-winning screenwriter for “Julia” (1977) and “Ordinary People” (1980), dies at 92

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Historical Events

1624 – Dutch Nassau fleet reaches port of Callao in Peru intending to ransack the annual Spanish silver ship convoy, misses them by five days
1909 – American Albert Raines runs world record marathon (2:46:04.6) in NYC
1976 – Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner’s musical “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue” closes at Mark Hellinger, NYC, after 7 performances
1988 – Brazilian musical revue “Oba Oba” closes at Ambassador Theater, NYC, after 46 performances
1989 – US space shuttle STS-30 lands

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Famous Birthdays

1906 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian film director (General della Rovere, Open City), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1977)
1911 – Robert Johnson, American blues singer-songwriter, and guitarist (King of Delta Blues Singers), born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi (d. 1938)
1945 – Arthur Docters van Leeuwen, Dutch politician, jurist and first chair of the Authority for Financial Markets (1999-2007), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 2020)
1980 – Benny Yau, Canadian TV presenter (What’s On), born in Hong Kong
1981 – Stephen Amell, Canadian actor (Arrow), born in Toronto, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1846 – Giacomo Cordella, Italian composer, dies at 59
1880 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (Madame Bovary), dies at 58
1960 – Hugo Alfvén, Swedish violinist, conductor, and composer (Midsommarvaka – Midsummer Vigil), dies at 88
1999 – Dana Plato, American actress (Kimberly-Diff’rent Strokes), dies at 34
2018 – James Scott, American boxer and felon, dies at 71

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Historical Events

558 – Dome of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople collapses, Justinian I immediately orders it rebuilt
1949 – 75th Kentucky Derby: Steve Brooks aboard Ponder wins in 2:04.2
2006 – On the final day of the Premier League season, Thierry Henry scores a hat-trick against Wigan Athletic in the last match played at Highbury
2011 – 137th Kentucky Derby: John Velazquez aboard Animal Kingdom wins in 2:02.04
2017 – MTV becomes the first major awards show to adopt gender-neutral categories, with Emma Watson winning Best Film Actor and Millie Bobby Brown winning Best TV Actor

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Famous Birthdays

1892 – Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and leader of Yugoslavia (1943-80), born in Kumrovec, Hrvatsko Zagorje, Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (d. 1980)
1936 – Jimmy Ruffin, American soul singer (“What Becomes of the Brokenhearted”), born in Collinsville, Mississippi (d. 2014)
1959 – Michael E. Knight, American actor (Tad Martin in “All My Children”), born in Princeton, New Jersey
1960 – Arnon Ohad, Israeli pilot and first officer of EI Al flight 1862 that crashed in Bijlmer Amsterdam, born in Israel
1964 – Leslie O’Neal, NFL defensive end and 6x Pro-Bowl selection (San Diego Chargers, St Louis Rams), born in Little Rock, Arkansas

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Famous Deaths

973 – Otto I, the Great, East Frankish king and Holy Roman Emperor (962-973), dies at 60
2018 – Mikhail German, Russian writer, dies at 85
2018 – Jeremy D. Safran, Canadian-born American clinical psychologist, is killed during a burglary
2020 – Brian Bolus, English cricket batsman (7 Tests @ 41.33; Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire), dies at 86
2021 – Martín Pando, Argentine soccer forward (11 caps; Argentinos Juniors, River Plate), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1916 – Belgian troops march into Kigali, German East Africa
1945 – General Johannes Blaskowitz surrenders German troops in Netherlands
1987 – American televangelist Jim Bakker and Rich Dortch dismissed from Assemblies of God after revelations of an alleged rape of a church secretary
1987 – Miroslav Mihailovic begins 54 hours of telling jokes
2008 – Chaiten Volcano erupts in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people

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Famous Birthdays

1758 – Maximilien Robespierre, French revolutionary (President of the National Convention, Member of Committee of Public Safety), born in Arras, France (d. 1794)
1843 – Grove Karl Gilbert, American geologist (investigated Lake Bonneville, Utah), born in Rochester, New York (d. 1918)
1925 – Patrick Meaney, British businessman and CEO (Rank Organization), born in Wandsworth, London (d. 1992)
1947 – Ronald Rivest, American computer scientist (RSA cryptography), born in Schenectady, New York
1953 – Michelle Courchesne, Quebec politician and former President of the Treasury Board, born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec

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Famous Deaths

850 – Ninmyō, 54th Emperor of Japan (833-50) during the Heian period, dies at 41
1727 – Catharine I of Russia [Marta Samuilovna], wife of Peter the Great, dies at about 42
1985 – Pete Desjardins, American diver (Olympic gold 10m platform, 3m springboard 1928), dies at 78
2014 – Geoffrey Maitland Smith, British accountant (Sir Charles Clore; Paul McCartney) and businessman (CEO of Sears, 1978-95), dies at 81
2018 – Cirilo Bautista, Filipino writer and poet, dies at 76

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Historical Events

1494 – On his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sights Jamaica and lands at Discovery Bay
1864 – Battle of Wilderness, Virginia (Germanna Ford, Wilderness Tavern)
1938 – MLB Philadelphia Phillies Harold Kelleher pitcher faces 16 batters in 6th, as Cubs score 12 runs, both marks are NL records off one hurler in a single inning
1990 – 35th Eurovision Song Contest: Toto Cutugno for Italy wins singing “Insieme: 1992” in Zagreb
1991 – A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after Salvadoran man is shot by police

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Famous Birthdays

1883 – Charles “Chief” Bender, American Baseball HOF pitcher (only indigenous American in BHOF; World Series 1910, 11, 13; no-hitter 1910; Philadelphia A’s), born in Crow Wing County, Minnesota (d. 1954)
1915 – Richard Rovere, American political journalist (Goldwater Caper), born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 1979)
1924 – Leopoldo Torre Nilsson, Argentine film director (Monday’s Child), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1978)
1950 – Googoosh [Faegheh Atashin (فائقه آتشین)], Persian singer and actress, born in Sarcheshmeh Street, Tehran, Iran
1982 – Jay Bothroyd, English footballer (striker for J1 League club Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo), born in London

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Famous Deaths

1945 – Peter Van Pels, Jewish Refugee (b. 1926)
1964 – Howard Zahniser, American environmental activist (father of Wilderness Act), dies of heart failure at 58
1995 – Anthony Wagner, English Officer of Arms at the College of Arms and author on heraldry, dies at 86
2000 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (Tour de France 1938, 48; Giro d’Italia 1936-7, 46), dies of a heart attack at 85
2012 – Raman Surendranath, Indian cricket fast bowler (11 Tests, 26 wickets), dies at 75

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Historical Events

1883 – John Gordon Cashman publishes the first edition of the “Vicksburg Evening Post” in Mississippi
1942 – Battle of Coral Sea begins (1st naval battle fought solely in air) between Japanese, US and Australian navies and air forces
1959 – First Grammy Awards: Perry Como and Ella Fitzgerald win major awards
1966 – The Soviet government signs an agreement with Fiat to build an automobile factory in the Soviet Union
2019 – 145th Kentucky Derby: stewards disqualify first-across-the-line Maximum Security for interference; longshot Country House declared winner; first DQ in race history for race infraction

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Famous Birthdays

1938 – Gillian Tindall, British historian and novelist (The Fields Beneath, Fly Away Home), born in London (d. 2025)
1949 – Zal Cleminson, Scottish guitarist (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band), born in Glasgow, Scotland
1956 – Barrie Masters, British pub-rock singer (Eddie and the Hot Rods), born in Rochford, Essex, England (d. 2019)
1977 – Mariano Pernía, Argentine soccer left back (11 caps Spain; Independiente, Recreativo, Getafe, Atlético Madrid), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
1984 – Manjural Islam Rana, Bangladeshi cricket all-rounder (6 Tests, 1 x 50, 5 wickets, BB 3/84; Khulna Division), born in Khulna, Bangladesh (d. 2007)

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Famous Deaths

1566 – Luca Ghini, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1490)
1855 – Camille Pleyel, Austrian pianist, piano manufacturer, and music publisher, dies at 66
1953 – T. Tertius Noble, English composer, dies at 85
1984 – Bob Clampett, American cartoonist (b. 1913)
1994 – Karl Francis Hettinger, American police officer (Onion Field survivor), dies at 59

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Historical Events

1815 – Battle at Tolentino: Austria beats King Joachim of Naples
1855 – Antwerp-Rotterdam railway officially opens
1952 – “Call Me Madam” closes at the Imperial Theater in NYC after 644 performances
1954 – WHA TV channel 21 in Madison, Wisconsin (PBS) begins broadcasting
1994 – Wim Kok and the Labour Party win Dutch general election

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Famous Birthdays

1729 – Florian Leopold Gassmann, Bohemian composer, born in Brüx, Kingdom of Bohemia (d. 1774)
1849 – Jacob Riis, Danish-American social reformer and “muck raking” reporter (NY Tribune, NY Evening Sun), born in Ribe, Denmark (d. 1914)
1895 – Cornelius Van Til, Dutch philosopher and Christian apologist, born in Grootegast, Netherlands (d. 1987)
1915 – Stu Hart, Canadian pro wrestler and trainer (founder Stampede Wrestling; sons Bret and Owen Hart), born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (d. 2003)
1949 – Albert Sacco Jr., American chemical engineer and astronaut (STS 73), born in Boston, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

1442 – Engelbert I Nassau-Dillenburg (counsellor to Duke of Burgendy), dies at 71 or 72
1737 – Abraham Patras, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1735-37), dies at 65
1988 – Johannes Driessler, German organist and composer, dies at 67
1994 – Milford Dolliole, American pioneer jazz drummer, dies at 90
2006 – Pramod Mahajan, Indian politician (b. 1949)

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