Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1793 – 1st US fugitive slave law passed; requires return of escaped slaves
1818 – Chile gains independence from Spain
1925 – E. Thieffry departs with Handley Page for the Belgian Congo
1938 – Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg visits Adolf Hitler in Berchtesgaden
1997 – Fred Goldman says he will settle for a signed murder confession from O.J. Simpson in lieu of his $20.5 million judgement
2007 – A gunman opens fire in a mall in Salt Lake City, killing 5 people in the Trolley Square shooting.

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Famous Birthdays

1907 – Clifton C. Edom, American photojournalism educator (d. 1991)
1920 – Pran Krishan Sikand, Indian actor often cast as the villain in Hindi cinema (Khandaan, Be-Imaan), born in New Delhi (d. 2013)
1938 – Judy Blume, American author (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey
1969 – Byron Stroud, Canadian heavy metal bassist, born in New Westminster, British Columbia
1976 – Christian Cullen, New Zealand rugby union footballer, born in Paraparaumu, New Zealand
1985 – Saskia Burmeister Croft, Australian actress, born in Sydney, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1903 – Gaspar Núñez de Arce, Spanish dramatist and statesman (b. 1834)
1981 – Jean Dixon, American actress (Joy of Living, You Only Live Once), dies at 87
1996 – Bob Shaw, Northern Irish novelist (b. 1931)
2000 – (Jalacy) “Screamin’ Jay” Hawkins, American blues-rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter (“I Put a Spell On You”), and actor, dies of an aneurysm at 70
2004 – Robert A. Bruce, American cardiologist and pioneer (exercise cardiology), dies at 87
2022 – Brian Kan, Chinese thoroughbred horse trainer (5 x Hong Kong champion trainer; 5 x HK Derby winners), dies at 84

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Historical Events

1814 – Norway’s independence proclaimed
1929 – Eugene O’Neill’s play “Dynamo” premieres in NYC
1989 – Barbara Clementine Harris consecrated 1st female bishop (Episcopalian)
1994 – Space shuttle STS-60 (Discovery 18), lands
1995 – Space shuttle STS-63 (Discovery 19), lands
2020 – “The Hot Wing King” a play by Katori Hall premieres off-Broadway at Signature Theatre in New York (Pulitzer Prize 2021 for Drama)

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Famous Birthdays

1889 – Vladimir Mikhaylovich Deshevov, Russian-Soviet composer (Ice and Steel), born in St. Petersburg, Russia (d. 1955)
1904 – Keith Holyoake, 26th Prime Minister of New Zealand (National: 1960-72), born in Pahiatua, New Zealand (d. 1983)
1923 – Sy Kattelson, American photographer, born in the Bronx, New York (d. 2018)
1929 – Leonard Kastle, opera composer, librettist, director (The Passion of Mother Ann), and film maker (The Honeymoon Killers), born in New York City (d. 2011)
1930 – Alevtina Koltschina, USSR, cross coutry relay skier (Olympic gold 1960)
1977 – Mike Shinoda, American musician (Linkin Park, Fort Minor), born in Agoura Hills, California

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Famous Deaths

1755 – Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei, Italian archaeologist (b. 1675)
1939 – Franz Schmidt, Austro-Hungarian cellist, pianist, and composer, dies at 64
1944 – Ivan Sollertinski, friend of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, dies
1997 – Don Porter, American actor (Gidget), dies at 84
1999 – Jaki Byard, American jazz pianist (Charlie Mingus), saxophonist, drummer, composer, arranger, and educator, dies from an unsolved gunshot at 76
2021 – Phil Horrocks-Taylor, English rugby union fly half (9 caps England, 1 British and Irish Lions; Leicester Tigers), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1899 – -39°F (-39°C), Milligan, Ohio (state lowest record temperature)
1931 – Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s musical “America’s Sweetheart” premieres on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, NYC
1959 – Dutch Princess Wilhelmina publishes “Lonely, but not alone”
1971 – American Mensa Ltd incorporates in New York
1981 – 33rd NHL All-Star Game, The Forum, Inglewood: Campbell Conference beats Wales Conference, 4-1; MVP: Mike Liut, St. Louis Blues, G
2014 – Canadian short track speed skater Charles Hamelin wins his 3rd career Olympic gold medal in the 1,500m in Sochi; Vancouver (2010) 500m and 5,000m relay champion

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Famous Birthdays

1696 – Johann Melchior Molter, German composer, born in Tiefenort, Thuringia (now Germany) (d. 1765)
1846 – Mildred Childe Lee, American favourite daughter of confederate General Robert E. Lee, born at Arlington Plantation, Virginia (d. 1905)
1888 – Giuseppe Ungaretti, Italian poet (Hermeticism) and journalist, born in Alexandria (d. 1970)
1894 – Roy D’Arcy [Roy Giusti], American actor (Warning Shadows, Revolt of Zombies), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1969)
1913 – Ragnhild Marie Hatton, Norwegian historian, born in Bergen, Norway (d. 1995)
1918 – Gordon Pirie, English Group Captain and politician, born in Oxford (d. 2003)

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Famous Deaths

1543 – Johann Eck, German Scholastic theologian and early counter-reformer against Lutheran challenges, dies a 56
1836 – Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier, French chemist (worked with husband Antoine Lavoisier), dies at 78
1927 – Laura Netzel (née Pistolekors), Finnish-Swedish pianist, composer, concert organizer, and humanitarian, dies at 87
1987 – Sadequain, Pakistani artist, painter, calligrapher and artist, dies at 56
1995 – Paul Monette, American writer, dies of AIDS at 49
2001 – Lewis Arquette, American actor (Horror Show; Book of Love), dies at 65

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Historical Events

1922 – Brazil becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty
1935 – US male Figure Skating championship won by Robin Lee
1953 – WNEP TV channel 16 in Scranton Wilkes-Barre, PA (ABC) 1st broadcast
1960 – AFL and NFL agree verbally to a no tampering pact
1990 – Namibia’s constitution ratified
2006 – 56th Berlin International Film Festival: “Grbavica” wins the Golden Bear

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Famous Birthdays

1909 – Carmen Miranda, Portuguese vocalist and actress (Copacabana; Date With Judy), born in Marco de Canavezes, Portugal (d. 1955)
1914 – Ralph Herman, American Emmy Award-winning composer (From the Scriptures; Circus Time), orchestra leader, and music director (ABC-TV, 1952-71), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1994)
1927 – Joe Maneri, American jazz composer, saxophone and clarinet player (Boston Microtonal Society), born in Brooklyn, NYC (d. 2009)
1954 – Christopher Gardner, American entrepreneur
1971 – Johan Mjällby, Swedish footballer
1997 – Catie Waters, American jazz and RandB singer-songwriter, born in Fayetteville, Arkansas

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Famous Deaths

1875 – Cecil De Vere, 1st official British chess champion (1866), dies at 28
1964 – Willie Bryant, American jazz singer, bandleader, and disc jockey (Sugar Hill Times), dies of a heart attack at 55
2000 – Beau Jack, American boxer (NYSAC world lightweight champion 1942-44), dies of complications from Parkinson’s disease at 78
2001 – Herbert A. Simon, American political scientist (Nobel Prize in Economics, 1978; Turing Award, 1975), dies at 84
2001 – Herbert Simon, American economist, Nobel laureate (b. 1916)
2009 – Vic Lewis, British jazz guitarist, bandleader, composer, and artist manager (NEMS), and cricket club owner, dies at 89

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Historical Events

1750 – Minor earthquake in London
1776 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s play “Stella” premieres in Hamburg
1923 – Coal mine explosion at Dawson, New Mexico kills 120
1940 – Lodtz, 1st large ghetto established by Nazis in Poland
1963 – AFL’s Dallas Texans become KC Chiefs
1971 – Pedro Morales beats Ivan Koloff in NY, to become WWF wrestling champ

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Famous Birthdays

1810 – Norbert Burgmüller, German composer, born in Düsseldorf, Germany (d. 1836)
1817 – Richard S. Ewell, US Army officer and Confederate General (Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Spotsylvania Court House), born in Georgetown, Washington D.C. (d. 1872)
1888 – Edith Evans, British actress (Tom Jones, David Copperfield), born in London, England (d. 1976)
1937 – David Montgomery, American born photographer known for his images of the 1960s, born in Brooklyn, New York
1943 – José Antônio Rezende de Almeida Prado, Brazilian composer, born in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil (d. 2010)
1989 – Julio Jones, American football receiver (First-team All-Pro 2015, 16; 7 × Pro Bowl; Atlanta Falcons), born in Foley, Alabama

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Famous Deaths

1623 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English politician, dies at 80
1942 – Fritz Todt, German construction engineer, Reich Minister for Armaments and Munitions Reichs minister and Head of the Organization Todt, dies in a plane crash at 50
2015 – Filipe Pires, Portuguese pianist, composer (Portugaliae Genesis), and educator, dies at 81
2021 – Mary Wilson, American pop vocalist (Supremes – “Where Did Our Love Go?”), dies at 76
2023 – Charlie Faulkner, Welsh rugby union prop (19 Tests Wales; British and Irish Lions 1977; Pontypool RFC, Barbarian FC) and coach (Newport RFC), dies at 81
2023 – Burt Bacharach, American Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer (“I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”; “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”; “Promises, Promises”), dies at 94

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Historical Events

1653 – Nicolas Fouquet appointed France’s Superintendent of Finances
1908 – Philadelphia Athletics’ manager and owner Connie Mack sells future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Waddell to St Louis Browns for $5,000
1934 – 1st contract for TVA power, Tupelo, Mississippi
1950 – Georges Bidault forms French government
1969 – Al-Fatah-leader Yasser Arafat becomes president of PLO
2021 – Super Bowl LV, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominate defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9; MVP: Tom Brady, TB Bucs, QB; Brady’s record 7th SB win

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Famous Birthdays

1825 – Cristóbal Oudrid, Spanish pianist, conductor, and orchestral and zarzuela composer (Rondeña; El molinero de Subiza), born in Badajoz, Spain (d. 1877)
1878 – Ossip Gabrilovich, Russian-American pianist, conductor (Detroit Symphony, 1918-36), and composer, born in Saint Petersburg, Russia (d. 1936)
1923 – Martha Holmes, American photographer (d. 2006)
1958 – Michele Drake, playmate (May, 1979), born in La Jolla, California
1978 – Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Nigerian Nollywood actress, born in Lagos
1979 – Daniel Bierofka, German football player and coach, born in Munich, West Germany

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Famous Deaths

1820 – Samuel Adams Holyoke, American composer, dies at 57
1964 – Lillian Copeland, US discus thrower (Olympic gold 1932), dies at 59
1990 – Nathan Wartels, American publisher (Crown), dies at 88 of pneumonia
2020 – Steve Weber, American psychedelic folk guitarist, (The Holy Modal Rounders – “Bird Song”; “You’ve Got the Right String but the Wrong Yo-Yo”),dies at 76
2020 – Li Wenliang, Chinese doctor who tried to raise the alarm over COVID-19, dies of COVID-19 in Wuhan at 34
2021 – Elliot Mazer, American audio engineer and record producer (Chubby Checker; Neil Young), dies of a heart attack at 71

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Historical Events

1920 – Saarland administrated by League of Nations
1941 – Auke Adema wins 6th official Dutch 11 Cities Skating Race (9:19)
1971 – James Saunders (22), a member of the IRA, is shot and killed by the British Army during a gun battle near the Oldpark Road, Belfast
1973 – Bernice Fekete skips her curling rink to 2nd straight 8-ender, Edm
1974 – Dutch speed limit set at 100km due to oil crisis
1996 – Heidi Fleiss scheduled to begin her 7 year jail sentence

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Famous Birthdays

1639 – Daniel Georg Morhof, German writer and scholar, born in Wismar, Germany (d. 1691)
1899 – Ramon Novarro [Jose Samaniegos], Mexican-American actor (Ben-Hur, Mata Hari), born in Durango, Mexico (d. 1968)
1925 – Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Javanese author (Anak semua bangsa), born in Blora Regency, Indonesia (d. 2006)
1929 – Sixten Jernberg, Swedish skier (Olympic gold 1956/60/64), born in Lima, Sweden (d. 2012)
1957 – Simon Phillips, English drummer and record producer (Toto), born in London
1983 – S. Sreesanth, Indian cricketer, born in Kothamangalam, India

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Famous Deaths

1699 – Jozef Ferdinand of Bavaria, heir of Spanish king Carlos II, dies of smallpox at 6
1958 – Billy Whelan, Irish soccer forward (4 caps, Republic of Ireland; Manchester United 79 games), dies Munich air disaster at 22
1985 – Charles Briggs, American actor (13 Frightened Girls, Capt Newman), dies at 53
1989 – Nuno Oliveira, Portuguese equestrian, horse trainer, dressage instructor, author (‘baroque’ or ‘classical’ style), dies at 63
2001 – Filemon Lagman, Filipino Communist revolutionary (b. 1953)
2012 – Antoni Tapies, Spanish painter, sculptor and theorist (Dau al Set), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians, known as the 26 Martyrs, are killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society
1927 – “The General”, American silent film starring Buster Keaton and Marion Mack, co-directed by Keaton and Clyde Bruckman, premieres in New York City
1938 – Hans Engnestangen skates world record 500m (41.8 sec)
1948 – Gretchen Fraser becomes 1st US woman Olympic ski slalom champion
1962 – Black and White parents stage an overnight sit-in after school board denies transfer requests of nine Black families for their children to be transferred to newer school facility in Englewood, New Jersey
1988 – 1st prime-time wrestling match in 30 yrs, André the Giant defeats Hulk Hogan

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Famous Birthdays

1519 – René of Châlon, (d. 1544)
1921 – Ken Adam, British film production designer (James Bond sets), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2016)
1939 – Patric Standford, British composer (Taikayoku; Christus Requiem), born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England (d. 2014)
1966 – Rok Petrovič, Slovenian skier, born in Ljubljana, Slovenia (d. 1993)
1975 – Jan l’Ami, Dutch soccer player (Willem II), born in Breda, Netherlands
1986 – Reed Sorenson, American stock car racing driver, born in Peachtree City, Georgia

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Famous Deaths

1812 – Franz Schneider, Austrian composer, dies at 74
1926 – André Gedalge, French composer (le Petit Savoyard, Phoebé) and Mayor of Chessy, Seine-et-Marne, dies at 69
1961 – Anthony Gustav de Rothschild, British philanthropist, dies at 73
1975 – Åke Persson, Swedish bebop jazz trombonist (Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, 1963–71), dies at 42
1977 – Izaak Boleslavski, Russian chess player, dies at 67
2005 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma, General and President of Togo (1967-2005), dies of a heart attack at 69

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Historical Events

1600 – Astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler meet for the first time near Prague
1849 – University of Wisconsin begins in 1 room with 20 students
1913 – National Institute of Arts and Letters founded
1965 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1969 – 41,163, then largest NBA crowd, watches doubleheader Cin-Det, SD-Bost
2014 – Same-sex marriage is legalized in Scotland

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Famous Birthdays

1889 – Walter Catlett, American actor (Climax, Front Page, Tale of 2 Cities), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1960)
1925 – Jutta Hipp, German-American jazz pianist and composer, born in Leipzig, German Weimar Republic (d. 2003)
1938 – Joe Beard, American blues guitarist (No More Cherry Rose), born in Ashland, Mississippi
1941 – Mike Deasy, American rock and jazz session guitarist (Beach Boys; Monkees; Randy Newman), born in Los Angeles, California
1958 – Werner Schwab, Austrian playwright and artist, born in Graz (d. 1994)
1958 – Tomasz Pacyński, Polish writer

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Famous Deaths

1847 – Henri Dutrochet, French physiologist (discovered and named process of osmosis), dies at 70
1895 – Faustina Hasse Hodges, English-American composer, dies at 71
1961 – Piet[er] L. Kramer, Influential Dutch architect (Amsterdam School), dies at 79
1992 – Andries Antonie Rieu, Dutch conductor (Maastricht Symphony Orchestra, 1949-80), dies at 75
2005 – Peter Heine, South African cricketer (solid South African fast bowler in 1950’s), dies at 76
2013 – Reg Presley [Reginald Ball], English rock vocalist (Troggs – “Wild Thing”; “Love Is All Around”), and songwriter, dies from lung cancer at 71

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Historical Events

1969 – Ibuprofen launched in the UK under brand name Brufen as prescription medicine – now world’s most popular anti-inflammatory painkiller
1972 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1973 – Dr Hook’s “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone'” enters the top 40 and peaks at #6
1974 – “Pajama Game” closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 65 performances
1975 – Billy Herman, Earl Averill, and Bucky Harris elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1976 – 26th NBA All-Star Game, Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa: East beats West, 123-109; MVP: Dave Bing, Washington Bullets, PG

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Famous Birthdays

1883 – Clarence E. Mulford, American writer (Hopalong Cassidy), born in Streator, Illinois (d. 1956)
1900 – Mabel Mercer, British jazz and cabaret singer whose style and phrasing influenced Frank Sinatra (“Fly Me To The Moon”), born in Burton upon Trent, England (d. 1984)
1904 – Luigi Dallapiccola, Italian 12-tone composer (Il prigioniero; Ulisse), born in Pisino d’Istria, Austrian Empire (now Pazin,Croatia) (d. 1975)
1912 – Jacques Soustelle, French anthropologist and Minister of Information (Free French forces), born in Montpellier, France (d. 1990)
1936 – Bob Simpson, Australian cricket batsman, captain and coach (62 Tests @ 46.81, 10 x 100s, HS 311, 71 wickets; Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1965; NSWCA), born in Sydney, Australia
1966 – Jimmy Thunder, New Zealand boxer (IBO heavyweight title 1994-95), born in Apia, Samoa (d. 2020)

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Famous Deaths

1116 – King Coloman of Hungary (1095-1116) (b. 1070)
1895 – Theodore Dwight Weld, American abolitionist and writer (American Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses), dies at 91
1964 – Haakon Stotijn, Dutch oboist (Orkestgebouw Orchestra), dies at 49
1967 – Winifred Kingston, British silent screen actress (The Squaw Man, Davy Crockett), dies at 72
1984 – Ravindra Mhatre, Indian diplomat, murdered at 48 by Kashmiri terrorists in Birmingham, England
2022 – Tom Kiernan, Irish rugby union fullback (54 caps [captain 24]; British and Irish Lions 5 [captain 1968]; Munster RUFC), dies at 83

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