Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1714 – Nicholas Rowe’s play “The Tragedy of Jane Shore” premieres in London
1861 – The “Organized Incorporated Territory of Nevada” is created, lasting until October 31st, 1864
1888 – Frank Sprague opens the first successful U.S. electric street railway system, the Richmond Union Passenger Railway, in Richmond, Virginia
1973 – Richard Helms, ends term as 8th director of CIA; succeeded by James R Schlesinger (until July)
1992 – IRS and Willie Nelson settle on $9M tax bill (of $16.7M)
2016 – First case of Zika contracted on US mainland (Texas) and second known sexually transmitted case confirmed in Texas

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Famous Birthdays

1873 – Johan Paul van Limburg Stirum, Dutch colonial administrator and diplomat (Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies 1916–1921), born in Zwelle, Netherlands (d. 1948)
1901 – Connie Gilchrist, American actress (Cry Havoc, Letter to 3 Wives), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1985)
1927 – Richard Belmont Ray, American politician (Rep-D-GA, 1983-93), born in Fort Valley, Georgia (d. 1999)
1949 – Brent Spiner, American actor (Data-Star Trek the Next Generation), born in Houston, Texas
1973 – Radka Bobkova, Czech tennis player (quarter Bournemouth), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia
1996 – Paul Mescal, Irish actor (Normal People), born in Maynooth, Ireland

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Famous Deaths

1435 – Johanna II, Queen of Naples (1414-35), dies at 61
1491 – Martin Schongauer, German painter, dies at 40
1907 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and inventor who devised the periodic table of the elements, dies at 72
1952 – Johann Babtist Thaller, German composer, dies at 79
1970 – Jaroslav Vogel, Czech composer and conductor (Brno Philharmonic, 1959-62; Ostrava Orchestra 1919- 43), dies at 76
1993 – Alexander Schneider, Lithuanian violinist (Budapest String Quartet), dies at 84

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Historical Events

1957 – 1st black pilot (PH Young) on a US scheduled passenger airline
1959 – Swiss men vote against voting rights for women
1965 – Martin Luther King Jr. and 700 demonstrators arrested in Selma, Alabama
1973 – Outfielder Monte Irvin is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues; fourth inductee through the committee
1981 – French government accord sends 60 Mirage fighter jets to Iraq
2013 – John Kerry succeeds Hillary Clinton as US Secretary of State

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Famous Birthdays

1710 – Konrad Ernst Ackermann, German actor and theatre director (Die Oberpfalz), born in Schwerin, Germany (d. 1771)
1934 – Bob Shane, American folk vocalist (Kingston Trio – “Tom Dooley”), born in Hilo, Territory of Hawaii (d. 2020)
1967 – Patle Shishupal Natthu, Indian politician, born in Bhandara, India
1972 – Geoff Sanderson, Canadian ice hockey left wing (NHL All Star 1994, 97; World C’ships gold 1994, 97; Hartford Whalers, Columbus Blue jackets), born in Hay River, Canada
1989 – Hurricane Chris [Dooley], American rapper, born in Shreveport, Louisiana
1994 – Julia Garner, American Actress (Ozark), born in New York City

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Famous Deaths

1922 – Yamagata Aritomo, Japanese soldier and statesman (Prime Minister of Japan 1889–91,1898–1900), dies at 83
1957 – Friedrich Paulus, German field marshal who commanded the 6th Army at Stalingrad and highest-ranking German officer to surrender, dies at 66
1967 – Ernie Bromley, Australian cricket batsman (2 Tests; first Western Australian to play Test cricket for Australia), dies at 54
2000 – Dick Rathmann, American auto racer (first Indy pole-sitter to complete no laps), dies at 74
2007 – Ahmad Abu Laban, Danish Muslim leader, dies at 60
2017 – Étienne Tshisekedi, Congolese opposition leader, dies at 84

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Historical Events

1958 – “Jackpot Bowling” premieres on NBC with Leo Durocher as host
1966 – Belgian state police kills 2 striking mine workers
1978 – “Elvis: The Legend Lives!” opens at Palace Theater NYC for 101 performances
2003 – The Waterfall rail accident occurs near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia.
2016 – Australian Open Men’s Tennis: Novak Đoković retains Championship for his record-equaling 6th Australian title; beats Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6
2021 – Widespread protests in Russia against detention of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the government with 5,000 people arrested

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Famous Birthdays

1865 – Henri Desgrange, French cyclist, journalist and founder of the Tour de France, born in Paris, France (d. 1940)
1900 – Betty Parsons, American artist and art dealer, born in New York City (d. 1982)
1911 – Christina Foyle, English book seller (Foyles), born in London, England (d. 1999)
1941 – Richard Gephardt, American politician (Rep-D-MO, 1977-2005), born in St. Louis, Missouri
1952 – Rosanne Musgrave, English headmistress (Blackheath HS, 1989-2000)
1974 – Ariel Pestano, Cuban baseball player, born in Cuba

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Famous Deaths

1865 – Aristide Farrenc, French flautist, music publisher, and musicologist (Trésor des pianistes), dies at 70
1922 – Heinrich Reinhardt, Austrian composer, dies at 56
1955 – John Mott, American theologist and founder (YMCA, Nobel 1946), dies at 89
1983 – Lorraine Ellison, American soul singer (“Stay with Me”; “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)”), and songwriter, dies of ovarian cancer at 51
2012 – Tristram Coffin, American folklorist, dies from pneumonia at 89
2015 – Lizabeth Scott [Emma Matzo], American actress (Desert Fury, Dark City), dies of heart failure at 92

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Historical Events

1888 – Harry Moses 297 not out for NSW against Victoria
1939 – Adolf Hitler threatens Jews during his speech to the German Reichstag (Parliament)
1959 – Danish ocean liner MS Hans Hedtoft sinks on maiden voyage after striking an iceberg off the coast of Greenland;, 95 die
1977 – Edward W Stack replaces Paul Kerr president of Hall of Fame
1995 – Workers from the National Institutes of Health announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease.
2000 – Super Bowl XXXIV, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA: St. Louis Rams beat Tennessee Titans, 23-16; MVP: Kurt Warner, St. Louis, QB

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Famous Birthdays

1859 – Tony Mullane, Irish-American baseball player, born in Cork, Ireland (d. 1944)
1922 – Pal Jardanyi, Hungarian composer, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1966)
1927 – Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden (1969-76, 1982-86) assassinated, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1986)
1937 – Boris Spassky, Russian chess player (world champion 1969-72, born in Leningrad, Russia
1950 – Trinidad Silva, American character actor (Hill Street Blues -“Jesus Martinez”), born in Mission, Texas (d. 1988)
1975 – Juninho Pernambucano, Brazilian footballer, born in Pernambuco, Brazil

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Famous Deaths

1774 – Jean-Pierre Guignon [Giovanni Pietro Ghignone], Italian-French violinist and composer, dies at 71
1945 – William Busch, British composer, dies at 43
1987 – Angelo Rutherford, American actor (Willie-Gentle Ben), dies at 32
2002 – Ellis Larkins, American classically trained (1st Black student at Peabody Institute) jazz pianist (Ruby Braff), and accompanist (Ella Fitzgerald; Eartha Kitt, Mildred Bailey), dies at 79
2011 – John Barry [Prendergast], English film score composer (James Bond films; Born Free), dies at 77
2016 – Ken Sailors, professional basketball player (popularized and may have invented the jump shot), dies at 95

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Historical Events

1944 – World War II: About 38 men, women, and children die in the Koniuchy massacre in Poland
1959 – Smog pollution with readings higher than the 1952 ‘Great Smog of London’ hits London, with many suffering chest and lung-related illnesses
1984 – 34th NBA All-Star Game, Denver: East beats West, 154-145 (OT); MVP: Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons, G; first All-Star Saturday; Legends Classic, West wins, 64-63; first Slam-Dunk winner, Larry Nance
1985 – Oxford University refuses to award Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher an honorary degree
1986 – Yoweri Museveni sworn in as President of Uganda
1988 – United Airlines Boeing 747SP, circles world in 36h54m15s

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Famous Birthdays

1689 – Hubert K. Poot, Dutch poet (d. 1733)
1866 – Romain Rolland, French writer (Jean-Christophe, Nobel Prize for Literature 1915), born in Clamecy, France (d. 1944)
1898 – Karl Bjarnhof, Danish blind journalist and writer (The Stars Grow Pale), born in Vejle, Denmark (d. 1980)
1906 – Frans Hin, Dutch yachtsman (Olympic gold 12′ Dinghy 1920; aged 14 years 163 days), born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 1968)
1930 – John Junkin, British actor and scriptwriter (A Hard Day’s Night), born in Ealing, Middlesex (d. 2006)
1949 – Tommy Ramone [Tamás Erdélyi], Hungarian-American rock drummer and bassist (Ramones), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2014)

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Famous Deaths

1763 – Louis Racine, French poet (La Religion), dies at 70
1888 – Edward Lear, English poet and author (famous for his nonsense poems – The Owl and the Pussycat), dies at 75
1942 – Bion J. Arnold, American electrical engineer and inventor (railroad electrification), dies at 80
1965 – Jack Hylton, English orchestra leader and impresario (Crazy Passage Show), dies at 72
2012 – François Migault, French auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1976 runner-up; 16 F1 GP), dies from cancer at 67
2023 – Barrett Strong, American RandB vocalist (“Money (That’s What I Want)”), piano player, and songwriter (“I Heard It Through the Grapevine”; “Just My Imagination”;”Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone”; “War”), dies at 81

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Historical Events

1932 – Japanese forces attack Shanghai.
1943 – Chic Blackhawks beats NY Rangers 10-1, Max Bentley scores 4 goals
1951 – “La Vie Commence Demain” the 1st X-rated movie, depicting artificial insemination, opens in London
1979 – Pope John Paul II addresses the Third General Conference of Latin American Episcopate in Puebla, Mexico
2006 – Australian Open Women’s Tennis: Amélie Mauresmo of France wins her first Grand Slam title; beats Justine Henin 6-1, 2-0; Henin retires from stomach cramps
2017 – US President Donald Trump and Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull have a contentious phone call over deal for US to take 1,250 refugees

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Famous Birthdays

1600 – Clement IX [Giulio Rospigliosi], Italian Pope (238th: 1667-69), born in Pistoia, Italy (d. 1669)
1825 – George Edward Pickett, Major General (Confederate Army), (d. 1875)
1884 – Lucien d’Azambuja, French astronomer (studied the solar chromosphere), born in Paris, France (d. 1970)
1886 – Marthe Bibesco, Romanian writer (d. 1973)
1905 – Luther Simjian, Armenian-American Inventor (teleprompter and first self-posing portrait camera), born in Aintab, Ottoman Empire (d. 1997)
1951 – William “Billy Bass” Nelson Jr, American funk-rock-soul bassist (Funkadelic), born in Plainfield, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1895 – François Certain Canrobert, French marshal and parliament member, dies at 85
1898 – Alexandru Flechtenmacher, Romanian composer, violinist and teacher, dies at 74
1965 – Tich Freeman, English cricket leg-spin bowler (12 Tests, 66 wickets; Kent CCC), dies at 76
1986 – Ellison Onizuka, American Air Force Major and astronaut (STS 51C, 51L), dies in the Challenger space shuttle disaster at 39
2004 – Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch, American NFL halfback and end (LA Rams), dies at 80
2021 – Cicely Tyson, American stage and screen actress (Roots; The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman), dies at 96

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Historical Events

1880 – Thomas Edison patents electric incandescent lamp
1924 – The Natal Indian Congress and the Natal Indian Association jointly organise a mass meeting in Durban, South Africa in opposition to the Class Areas Bill
1936 – Australian Championships Women’s Tennis, Adelaide: Joan Hartigan Bathurst wins her 3rd Australian singles title; beats Nancye Wynne Bolton 6-4, 6-4
1956 – NFL’s New York Giants move their home from the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan to Yankee Stadium in The Bronx
1973 – UCLA’s basketball team wins 61st consecutive game (NCAA record)
1980 – Robert Mugabe returns to Rhodesia after 5 years in exile

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Famous Birthdays

1858 – Neel Doff, Dutch born Belgian writer (Days of Hunger and Distress)and artist’s model, born in Buggenum, Netherlands (d. 1842)
1901 – Art Rooney, NFL Pittsburgh Steelers [Pirates] team founder,owner, and chairman, 1933-88, born in Coulterville, Pennsylvania (d. 1988)
1908 – William Randolph Hearst, Jr., American newspaper magnate (Hearst Newspapers) and 1955 Pulitzer Prize winner, (d. 1993)
1934 – Federico Mayor Zaragoza, UNESCO director (1987- ), born in Barcelona, Spain
1969 – Michael Kulas, Canadian singer-songwriter (James, 1997-2001), and record producer, born in Oakville, Ontario
1972 – Guillermo, Mexican-born American TV personality

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Famous Deaths

1688 – Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, Empress of Manchu (1643-62), dies at 74
1773 – Philippe Buache, French geographer and cartographer (pioneered use of contour lines), dies at 72
1921 – Maurice Buckley, Australian soldier and winner of the Victoria Cross, dies at 29
1992 – Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, British actress (Eliza Dolittle), dies at 101
1996 – Tommy Mitchell, English cricket spin bowler (5 Tests, 8 wickets; Derbyshire CCC), dies at 93
2022 – Diego Verdaguer [Miguel Boccadoro], Argentine-Mexican singer-songwriter, bandoneón player, and trumpeter (“Volveré”; “Voy a Conquistarte”), dies of COVID-19 complications at 70

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Historical Events

1870 – US Congress authorises Virginia to rejoin the union
1918 – US Food Administrator Herbert Hoover calls for “wheatless” and “meatless” days to help war effort
1939 – Filming begins on film adaptation of “Gone With The Wind”
1951 – Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
1969 – 1st Australian Open Women’s Tennis: Margaret Court wins inaugural Open event; beats American Billie Jean King 6-4, 6-1
2013 – The United States Sentencing Commission is hacked by Anonymous in response to the suicide of Aaron Swartz

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Famous Birthdays

1786 – Benjamin Haydon, British painter (Waiting for The Times), born in Plymouth, England (d. 1846)
1913 – William Prince, American actor (Spies Like Us, The Stepford Wives, City in Fear), born in Nichols, New York, (d. 1996)
1932 – George H Clements, first Roman Catholic Priest to adopt a child.
1943 – Thom Bell, American session musician, arranger and Grammy Award-winning “Philadelphia soul” producer (Delfonics; Stylistics; The Spinners), born in Kingston, Jamaican (d. 2022)
1977 – Vince Carter, American basketball forward (8 x NBA All Star; NBA Rookie of the Year 1999, Toronto Raptors; Olympic gold 2000), born in Daytona Beach, Florida
1981 – Reminisce [Remilekun Khalid Safaru], Nigerian singer-songwriter and rapper (Vibes and Insha Allah), born in Kaduna, Nigeria

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Famous Deaths

1895 – Arthur Cayley, British mathematician (Cayley–Hamilton theorem), dies at 73
1974 – Siegfried von Vegesack, German writer, dies at 85
2006 – Carol Lambrino, son of Carol II of Romania and Zizi Lambrino (b. 1920)
2012 – Dimitra Arliss [Arlys], American actress (Rich Man Poor Man II, The Sting), dies at 79
2013 – Edwin London, American horn player, conductor (Cleveland Chamber Orchestra; Ineluctable Modality Choir), and composer (Dream Thing on Biblical Episodes), dies at 83
2022 – Janet Mead, Australian Catholic nun and pop-rock singer (The Lord’s Prayer), dies of cancer at 84

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Historical Events

1861 – Augusta Arsenal seized by the Confederacy in Georgia (US Civil War)
1890 – National Afro-American League founded in Chicago by Timothy Thomas Fortune, one of earliest civil rights organizations in America
1919 – The Hotel Pennsylvania, at the time the world’s largest, opens in Manhattan
1955 – Russia ends state of war with Germany
1987 – 3rd Sundance Film Festival: “Waiting for the Moon” and “The Trouble with Dick” (tie) win Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
1994 – Australia beat South Africa 2-1 to win cricket’s World Series Cup

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Famous Birthdays

1509 – Giovanni Morone, Italian cardinal, born in Milan, Italy (d. 1580)
1866 – Emile Vandervelde, President (1900–1918) of the International Socialist Bureau and Minister of 3 Belgian governments (d. 1938)
1957 – Andrew P. Harris, American politician and physician, born in New York City
1961 – Michele Tobin, American actress (Fitzpatricks), born in Chicago, Illinois
1966 – Paul Ranheim, American NHL left wing (Hartford Whalers), born in St. Louis, Missouri
1976 – Mario Haberfeld, Brazilian racing car driver, born in São Paulo, Brazil

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Famous Deaths

1627 – Louis Hébert, French apothecary, kings attorney and colonist of New France, dies at 51 or 52
1907 – René Pottier, French racing cyclist (Tour de France 1906), dies of suicide at 27
1963 – Wilson Kettle, of Newfoundland, dies at 102, leaving 582 living descendants
1975 – Charlotte Whitton, Canadian politician, Mayor of Ottawa (1951-56), dies at 78
1995 – Tom Brugman, Dutch puppeteer (Brave Dodo), dies at 62
1998 – Mohammad Yusuf Khan, prime minister of Afganistan in (1963-65), dies

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Historical Events

1857 – University of Calcutta founded as the first full-fledged university in South Asia
1961 – Lazard Brothers Ltd draw a check for $334,867,807.68
1986 – NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy scores his 1,000th point
1988 – 4th Sundance Film Festival: “Heat and Sunlight” wins Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
1988 – Australian Open Men’s Tennis: Mats Wilander wins 3rd Australian title; beats home town favourite Pat Cash 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6
2013 – A Japanese Coast guard ship engages a Taiwanese activist ship in the Senkaku Islands dispute

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Famous Birthdays

1712 – Georg Friedrich Schmidt, German engraver and etcher (court artist for King Frederick of Prussia and Empress Elizabeth of Russia), born in Wandlitz (d. 1775)
1798 – Karl von Holtei, Silesian actor, playwright and author (Die Vagabunden), born in Poland (d. 1880)
1828 – Adam Jacoby Slemmer, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (d. 1868)
1886 – Henry King, Christiansburg Virginia, American film director (d. 1982)
1972 – Naoshi Mizuta, Japanese composer, born in Kōchi
1977 – Lenka Cenkova, Czech tennis player (1995 Futures-Vaihingen-GER), born in Trinec, Czechia

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Famous Deaths

817 – Stefanus IV, Pope (816-17), dies
1812 – Eligio Celestino, Italian violinist and composer, dies at 72
1948 – Arthur Liebehenschel, Polish Commandant at the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, executed for war crimes at 48
1995 – David Cole, American songwriter ( C+C Music Factory – “Gonna Make You Sweat”), and record producer (Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, James Brown), dies at 32
2003 – (Giovanni) “Gianni”Agnelli, Italian industrialist, executive (President of Fiat Automobiles, 1966-96), and Italian Senator-for-life (1991-), dies of prostate cancer at 81
2012 – James Farentino, American actor (The Final Countdown; Dynasty; Mary), dies of heart failure at 73

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