Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1894 – French bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin discovers bacillus responsible for the bubonic plague in Hong Kong (Yersinia pestis named in his honor)
1946 – NYC transit begins using PA system – Car # 744 on 8th Ave IND line
1976 – UEFA European Championship Final, Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia: Czechoslovakia upsets West Germany, 5-3 on penalties following 2-2 draw a.e.t
1981 – Mudjahedin uprises against Iran regime
1986 – Jim Fregosi replaces Tony La Russa as White Sox manager
2020 – 152nd Belmont Stakes: Tiz the Law with Manuel Franco aboard becomes first New York-bred winner of the event since 1882

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Famous Birthdays

1916 – Johnny Morris, British broadcaster and actor (Once in a Lifetime), born in Newport, Wales (d. 1999)
1924 – Rainer Barzel, German politician (CDU-CSU) and minister, born in Braunsberg, East Prussia, Free State of Prussia (d. 2006)
1927 – John M Dengler, American jazz multi-instrumentalist – bass sax/trumpet/trombone (The Intensely Vigorous Jazz Band), born in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania (d. 1994)
1928 – William Berger, Austrian American actor (Face to Face, Adventure of Hercules), born in Innsbruck, Austria (d. 1993)
1945 – James Buchli, American marine and astronaut (STS 51C, 61A, 29, 48), born in New Rockford, North Dakota
1951 – Tress MacNeille, American voice actress (Daisy Duck), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

840 – Louis the Pious (also the Fair, and the Debonaire), Holy Roman Emperor (814-840), dies at 62
1597 – Willem Barents [Barentsz], Dutch navigator and arctic explorer (Barents Sea named after him), dies at sea in the Arctic at about 47
1869 – Hijikata Toshizō, Japanese military leader, dies at 34
1994 – Louis Benjamin, British showman, organized Royal Variety performances, dies at 71
2005 – Jack Kilby, American electrical engineer (Nobel Prize in Physics, 2000 – handheld calculator, integrated circuit), dies at 81
2016 – James Victor, Dominican-American actor (Boulevard Night, Streets of LA), dies at 76

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Historical Events

1770 – Swedish theologian and philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg reports the completion of the Second Coming of Christ in his work True Christian Religion
1943 – NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers merge, (dissolves on Dec 5)
1944 – Japanese troops conquer Changsha China
1974 – Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) suspends constitution
1990 – Gary Carter catches his 1,862nd career game breaks Al López’s NL mark
2020 – Australian government and companies suffer a months-long state-based cyber attack according to PM Scott Morrison

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Famous Birthdays

1741 – Reinier Vinkeles, Dutch engraver and art collector, born in Amsterdam (d. 1816)
1903 – Hans Litten, German lawyer, workers’ rights advocate, anti-Nazi antagonist, and educator, born in 1903 Halle an der Saale, German Empire (d. 1938)
1928 – Barry Took, English comedy writer (d. 2002)
1935 – Tommy Devito, American rock baritone vocalist and guitarist (Four Seasons – “Sherry”), born in Montclair, New Jersey (d. 2020)
1947 – Salman Rushdie, British-Indian novelist (Midnight’s Children, Satanic Verses), born in Mumbai, India
1954 – Jim Cooper, American politician (Rep-D-TN, 1983- ), born in Nashville, Tennessee

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Famous Deaths

1936 – John Sharpe, cricketer (1-eyed fast bowler for England 1891-92), dies
1962 – Frank Borzage, American director (7th Heaven, Strange Cargo), dies at 69
1986 – Coluche [Michel Colucci], French comedian (My Best Friend’s Girl), dies at 41
2012 – Richard Lynch, American actor, dies at 76 (body found on this date)
2013 – Bojidar Dimov, Bulgarian pianist and composer (Die Hochzeit von Susa), dies at 61
2016 – Anton Yelchin, Russian-born American actor (Star Trek), dies in an accident at 27

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Historical Events

1821 – Carl Maria von Weber’s opera “Der Freischutz” (“The Marksman”) premieres at Schauspielhaus, Berlin, Germany
1912 – The Chicago national Republican Convention splits between President Taft and Theodore Roosevelt; after Taft is nominated, Roosevelt and progressive elements of the Party form the Progressive Party (also known as the ‘Bull Moose Party’)
1972 – 3 members of the British Army are killed by an Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb in a derelict house near Lurgan, County Down
1983 – Space shuttle Challenger 2 launches the first American woman into space, astronaut Sally Ride
1996 – Ted Kaczynski, suspected of being the Unabomber, is indicted on ten criminal counts
2013 – Russia passes a law banning foreign same-sex couples from adopting children

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Famous Birthdays

1934 – Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Japanese manga artist (d. 2004)
1942 – Hans Vonk, Dutch conductor (The Hague Philharmonic, 1980-1991; St. Louis Symphony, 1996-2002), born in Amsterdam (d. 2004)
1952 – Idriss Déby, Chadian politician and military officer (President of Chad, 1990–2021), born in Berdoba, Chad (d. 2021)
1962 – Jan[ice] Merrill, track star (US record long distance holder 1979)
1969 – Vito LoGrasso, American professional wrestler
1991 – Willa Holland, American actress (Arrow), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1629 – Piet Heyn, Dutch privateer who captured a Spanish silver fleet and admiral who became a folk hero, shot by cannonball during a skirmish with privateers at 51
1937 – Al Boasberg, American vaudeville, radio and film comedy writer (Jack Benny; Bob Hope; The Marx Brothers), dies of a heart attack at 44
1939 – Frans “Sas” van Aerschot, Flemish operetta actor (Paljas), dies at 73
1982 – Roberto Calvi, Italian banker and director (Banco Ambrosiano), hangs himself at 62
2016 – Paul Cox, Dutch-born Australian director (Lonely Hearts), dies at 76
2020 – Arturo Chaires, Mexican soccer defender (22 caps; C.D. Guadalajara), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1579 – English navigator Francis Drake lands on the coast of California at Drakes Bay, names it “New Albion”
1850 – Paddle-wheeler “G P Griffith” burns off Mentor Ohio, 206 die
1954 – Televised Senate Army McCarthy hearings ends
1990 – “Some Americans Abroad” closes at Vivian Beaumont NYC after 62 performances
1991 – South Africa abolishes last of its apartheid laws
1991 – Country entertainer Minnie Pearl suffers a stroke at 78

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Famous Birthdays

1920 – François Jacob, French biologist and bacteriologist (Nobel 1965), born in Nancy, France (d. 2013)
1926 – Manuel Enríquez, Mexican composer, born in Ocotlán, Jalisco, Mexico (d. 1994)
1930 – Romuald Twardowski, Polish composer, born in Wilno/ Vilnius, Poland
1947 – Paul Young, British rock singer and percussionist (Mike + The Mechanics – “All I Need Is A Miracle”), born in Manchester, England (d. 2000)
1970 – Stéphane Fiset, Canadian NHL goalie, 1998-2002 (Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings), born in Montreal, Quebec
1987 – Kendrick Lamar, American hip hop singer-songwriter (Damn), born in Compton, California

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Famous Deaths

1871 – Clement Vallandigham, American politician (Rep-D-Ohio, convicted of opposing civil war, exiled to Confederate States), dies after accidentally shooting himself at 50
1994 – Joeri Nagibin, Russian screenwriter (Babje Karstvo), dies at 74
1995 – Claire Sterling, American journalist and writer (The Terror Network), dies at 75
1996 – Thomas Kuhn, American philosopher of science (paradigm shift), dies at 73
2004 – Sara Lidman, Swedish author (Jag Och Min Son, Samtal in Hanoi), dies at 80
2015 – Suleyman Demirel, Turkish leader, President (1993-2000) and Prime Minister, dies at 90

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Historical Events

1953 – Despite Johnny Mize 2,000th hit, NY Yankees lose ending an 18 game winning streak and also ending St Louis Brown 14 game losing streak
1954 – Dutch military conscription shortened from 20 to 18 months
1969 – US Supreme Court rules suspension of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr from House of Representatives violated Article I of the Constitution by citing reasons beyond the exclusive list of qualifications in the article
1989 – Only 17 holes-in-one recorded since US open began, today 4 more are made all on 6th hole (Weaver, Wiebe, Pate and Price)
1989 – Funeral for Imre Nagy, leader of Hungarian uprising in 1956
2013 – 20 people are killed by a series of car bombings across Iraq

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Famous Birthdays

1941 – Dino Ciani, Italian pianist, born in Fiume, Italy (d. 1974)
1942 – Alan “Howling Laud” Hope, British politician and leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party (OMRLP), born in Mytchett, Surrey
1958 – Jóhannes Helgason, Icelandic guitarist (Þeyr), born in Reykjavík, Iceland
1977 – Kerry Wood, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs), born in Irving, Texas
1981 – Miguel Villalta, Peruvian soccer defender (28 caps; Sporting Cristal CS 233 games, CS Cienciano), born in Cusco, Peru
1986 – Farhad Reza, Bangladeshi cricket all-rounder (34 ODIs, 1 x 50, 22 wickets; Dhaka Warriors), born in Rajshahi, Bangladesh

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Famous Deaths

1925 – Chittaranjan Das, Indian lawyer, politician and activist (founded Swaraj Party), dies at 55
1944 – Marc Bloch, French historian and member of the French resistance, executed by firing squad by the Gestapo at 57
1947 – Jean-Francois Capart, Belgian Egyptologist (Memphis), dies at 86
2003 – Georg Henrik von Wright, Finnish-Swedish philosopher (b. 1916)
2004 – Thanom Kittikachorn, Thai politician and general (1971 coup Prime Minister of Thailand 1958-73), dies at 92
2010 – Maureen Forrester, Canadian operatic contralto (Resurrection Symphony), dies at 79

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Historical Events

1667 – 1st fully documented human blood transfusion is performed by French physician, Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys, when a small amount of sheep blood is transfused into a 15-year old boy, who survives the procedure
1903 – The Serbian Assembly meets and elects Prince Peter Karageorgevich king
1964 – Last French troops leave Algeria
1998 – 32nd Music City News Country Awards: Neal McCoy, Lorrie Morgan and Billy Ray Cyrus win
2012 – Five Dutch banks, including ING, receive credit rating downgrades of one or two notches
2015 – 800 year anniversary of “the birthplace of modern democracy”, the signing of the Magna Carta by King John at Runymede, England

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Famous Birthdays

1809 – François-Xavier Garneau, French Canadian poet and historian (d. 1866)
1915 – Patrick Piggott, British pianist, composer, and musicologist (The Life and Music of John Field; The Innocent Diversion – Music in the Life and Writings of Jane Austen), born in Dover, England (d. 1990)
1929 – Geoffrey Penwill Parsons, Australian piano player, born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1995)
1949 – Michael Lutz, American bassist, singer, guitarist (Brownsville Station – “Smokin’ In The Boys Room”), and producer, born in Ann Arbor, Michigan
1972 – Ramiro Mendoza, Panamanian MLB pitcher (NY Yankees), born in Los Santos, Panama
1999 – Peso Pluma [Hassan Laija], Mexican corridos singer, rapper, and guitarist (“Ella Baila Sola”), born in Zapopan, Mexico

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Famous Deaths

1814 – Charles Palissot de Montenoy, French playwright (Les Tuteurs) satirist and politician, dies at 84
1858 – Ary Scheffer, Dutch-French Romantic painter, etcher and sculptor, dies at 63
1991 – A. B. “Happy” Chandler, American Baseball HOF executive (MLB Commissioner 1945-51) and politician (44th and 49th Governor Kentucky), dies at 92
1996 – Piet Bambergen, Dutch comic and actor (The Mounties; The Mad Adventures of Sherlock Jones), dies of a heart attack at 65
2007 – Richard Bell, Canadian musician (Full Tilt Boogie Band), dies of multiple myeloma at 61
2013 – Kenneth G. Wilson, American physicist (Nobel 1982), dies from lymphoma at 77

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Historical Events

1847 – Robert Bunsen invents the Bunsen burner
1968 – “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” second studio album by Iron Butterfly is released
1988 – “Guy” debut album by Guy is released
1990 – NBA Finals: Defending champion Detroit Pistons beat Portland Trail Blazers, 92-90 in Game 5 for back-to-back titles; MVP: Isiah Thomas
2013 – The US government charges NSA leaker Edward Snowden with violating the Espionage Act and theft of government property
2018 – Rashid Khan makes his Test debut for Afghanistan against India

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Famous Birthdays

1903 – Alonzo Church, American Mathematician whose work provided foundation for computer science, born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1995)
1929 – Alan Davidson, Australian cricket all-rounder (44 Tests, 1,328 runs @ 24.59, 186 wickets, best 7/93, 42 catches; NSW), born in Lisarow, Australia (d. 2021)
1965 – Trina Shoemaker, American mixer, record producer, and sound engineer (Queens of the Stone Age; Sheryl Crow), born in Joliet, Illinois
1968 – Tony Smith, American NBA guard (Miami Heat), born in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
1979 – Carlos Henriquez, American jazz and Latin jazz double bassist (Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra), born in New York City
1989 – Courtney Halverson, American actress (Unfriended), born in Orange County, California

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Famous Deaths

1674 – Marin le Roy de Gomberville, French writer and poet (Polexandre), dies at about 74
1952 – Felix Calonder, Swiss politician (Free Democratic Party), dies at 88
1989 – Pete de Freitas, British drummer (Echo and the Bunnyman), dies in a motorcycle accident at 27
2005 – Carlo Maria Giulini, Italian conductor, dies at 91
2006 – Monty Berman, British film and television producer (b. 1905)
2009 – Ivan Della Mea, Italian singer-songwriter (b. 1940)

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Historical Events

1772 – Marion du Fresne is killed at Tacoury’s Cove, Bay of Islands, New Zealand, by local Māori
1933 – Financial and Economy World conference opens (66 countries)
1950 – 2 Air France DC-4s crash near Bahrain, about 100 die
1963 – “Cleopatra” directed by Joseph Mankiewicz and starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton premieres in NYC, then most expensive film ever made
2002 – 1st CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards: Dixie Chicks, Martina McBride, and Kenny Chesney win
2020 – African American Rayshard Brooks shot dead in drive-through carpark in Atlanta leading to further protests at police violence and the resignation of city’s police chief

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Famous Birthdays

1835 – George Atzerodt, American conspirator who failed to attempt an assassination of Vice President Andrew Johnson on the night Abraham Lincoln was murdered, born in Dorna, German Confederation (d. 1865)
1878 – James Oliver Curwood, American journalist and writer (Kazan the wolfdog), born in Owosso, Michigan (d. 1927)
1942 – Bert Sakmann, German cell physiologist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1991), born in Stuttgart, Germany
1945 – Alfred Gell, British social anthropologist (d. 1997)
1963 – Philippa Baker, New Zealand rower (World C’ship gold LW1x 1991; W2x 1993, 94), born in Wanganui, New Zealand
1973 – Jason Caffey, American NBA forward (Chicago Bulls), born in Mobile, Alabama

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Famous Deaths

1687 – Jurriaen van Streeck, Dutch still life painter, buried
1761 – Meinrad Spiess, German composer, dies at 77
1888 – Carel Vosmaer, Dutch poet and art critic (Netherlands Spectator), dies at 62
1994 – Ron Goldman, waiter, murdered with wife of O.J. Simpson at 27
1995 – Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian classical pianist, dies at 75
2022 – Phil Bennett, Welsh rugby union fly-half (29 Tests Wales, 8 British and Irish Lions; Barbarians FC; Llanelli RFC 414 games and 2,535 points), dies at 73

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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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