Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1876 – The April Uprising breaks out in Bulgaria
1878 – US stops minting the 20-cent coin due to public confusion with the quarter
1887 – Hannibal Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film (used in Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope)
1953 – Hussein I installed as King of Jordan
1998 – 124th Kentucky Derby: Kent Desormeaux aboard Real Quiet wins in 2:02.20

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Famous Birthdays

1660 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian baroque composer (Tigrane), born in Palermo, Sicily, Viceroyalty of the Spanish Empire (d. 1725)
1860 – Theodor Herzl, Austrian journalist and father of modern political Zionism (World Zionist Organization), born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary (d. 1904)
1910 – Laurie Nash, Australian cricket fast-bowler (2 Tests, 10 wickets) and VFL player and coach (South Melbourne), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 1986)
1954 – Elliot Goldenthal, American concert, theater, and Academy Award-winning film score composer (Frida; Juan Darién – A Carnival Mass), born in Brooklyn, New York City
1984 – Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer, born in Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR

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Famous Deaths

2001 – Gina Mastrogiacomo, American actress (Goodfellas), dies at 39
2012 – Junior Seau, American Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker (12 x Pro Bowl; 6 × First-team All-Pro; NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1992; SD Chargers), commits suicide at 43
2013 – Jeff Hanneman, American haevy metal guitarist (Slayer), dies from liver failure at 49
2017 – Abelardo Castillo, Argentine writer and novelist, dies at 82
2018 – Wang Danfeng, Chinese actress, dies at 93

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Historical Events

1795 – King of Hawaiʻi Kamehameha I defeats Kalanikupule and conquers island of Oʻahu at Battle of Nuʻuanu [approx. date]
1957 – Vanguard TV-1 booster test reaches an altitude of 121 miles (195 km)
1967 – Anastasio Somoza Debayle becomes President of Nicaragua
1969 – Houston Astros hurler Don Wilson blanks Reds, 4-0 for second career no-hitter, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati
2007 – The Los Angeles May Day mêlée occurs, in which the Los Angeles Police Department’s response to a May Day pro-immigration rally becomes a matter of controversy

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Famous Birthdays

1831 – Emily Stowe, Canadian suffragist and first woman licensed to practise medicine in Canada, born in Norwich Township, Oxford County, Ontario (d. 1903)
1924 – Enriko Josif, Serbian composer and pedagogue (Lyric Symphony), born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (d. 2003)
1927 – Greta Andersen, Danish swimmer (Olympic gold 100m freestyle, silver 4×100m freestyle 1948), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2023)
1955 – András Törőcsik, Hungarian soccer forward (45 caps; Újpest Dozsa FC, Montpellier), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2022)
1970 – Damon Diletti, Australian field hockey goal keeper (Olympic silver 1992; Champions Trophy gold 1999), born in Perth, West Australia

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Famous Deaths

1679 – Esaias Reusner, German lutenist and composer, dies at 43
1913 – John Barclay Armstrong, Texas Ranger and U.S. Marshal (b. 1850)
1957 – Grant Mitchell, American actor (Great Lie, Laura, Cairo, Conflict), dies at 82
2018 – Chuck Missler, American evangelist and author, dies at 83
2021 – Al Jamison, American football offensive lineman (AFL All Star 1961, 62; AFL C’ship 1960, 61; Houston Oilers), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1492 – Spain announces it will expel all Jews
1945 – Concentration camp Munchen-Allag freed
1977 – Revival of musical revue “A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green” closes at Little Theatre, NYC after 92 performances
1997 – Big Ben stops at 12:11 PM for 54 minutes
2012 – Manchester City defeats Manchester United 1-0 in what is claimed to be the biggest match in English Premier League history

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Famous Birthdays

1723 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and naturalist (Ornithologie), born in Fontenay-le-Comte (d. 1806)
1909 – Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands (1948-80), born in Noordeinde Palace, The Hague, Netherlands (d. 2004)
1913 – Bernard Sendall, British deputy director general of the Independent Television Authority and author (Independent Television in Britain), born in Malvern, England (d. 1996)
1936 – Bernie Clifton [Quinn], British comedian (Oswald the Ostrich), born in St Helens, Lancashire, England
1982 – Kirsten Dunst, American actress (Interview with the Vampire, Spider-Man), born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1848 – Friedrich Freiherr Gagern, German Dutch army commandant, dies at 53
1942 – J. C. Arthur, American botanist (studied parasitic fungi rusts), dies at 92
1983 – Joel H. Hildebrand, American chemist and educator (research led to new treatments for divers with the ‘bends’ through the use of helium and oxygen breathing mixtures), dies at 101
1998 – Nizar Qabbani, Syrian poet (b. 1926)
2007 – Gordon Scott [Werschkul], American actor (Tarzan series), dies at 80

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Historical Events

1540 – Emperor Charles declares all privileges of Ghent ended
1636 – Prince Frederick Henry occupies Schenkenschans fortress after a nine-month siege during the Dutch Revolt
1965 – Australian government announces it would send troops to Vietnam
1986 – NFL Draft: Auburn running back Bo Jackson first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2016 – “H.O.L.Y” single released by Florida Georgia Line (Billboard Song of the Year, 2016)

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Famous Birthdays

1837 – Georges Boulanger, French general and politician, born in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, France (d. 1891)
1882 – Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch artist (The Blue Barge) and resistance fighter, born in Leens, Groningen, Netherlands (d. 1945)
1954 – Jake Burton Carpenter, American snowboarder (founder Burton Snowboards; one of the inventors of modern day snowboard), born in New York City (d. 2019)
1983 – Sam Jones III, American actor (Smallville), born in Boston, Massachusetts
2007 – Infanta Sofía of Spain, Princess of Spain, second in the line of succession to the Spanish throne, born in Madrid, Spain

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Famous Deaths

1712 – Juan Bautista Jose Cabanilles, Spanish organist and composer, dies at 67
1928 – Henrich Federer, Swiss writer (I Switch Off The Light), dies at 61
1967 – Anthony Mann, American film actor and director (El Cid, Winchester ’73, The Glenn Miller Story), dies from a heart attack at 60
1999 – Perry Ford [Brian Pugh], British pop singer, session musician and songwriter (The Ivy League – “Tossing And Turning”), dies at 65
2012 – Amarillo Slim, American professional poker player, dies at 83

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Historical Events

1920 – Azerbaijan SSR joins USSR (1st time)
1940 – Glenn Miller records the song “Pennsylvania 6-5000” in NYC; tune is named after phone number of the Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan
1966 – David Diamond’s 5th Symphony premieres with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein; the work was dedicated to the conductor
2019 – Disney says Marvel film “Avengers: Endgame” made estimated $1.2 billion worldwide, first film to make more than 1 billion on opening
2024 – A worse than usual rainy season across East Africa due to El Nino kills at least 155 people in Tanzania and 60 in Kenya with hundreds of thousands displaced

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Famous Birthdays

1757 – Claus Schall, Danish violinist and composer, born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1835)
1927 – Garry Weston, English businessman (Associated British Foods), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2002)
1952 – Chuck Leavell, American session and touring keyboardist (The Allman Brothers Band; Rolling Stones; Sea Level), and forest conservationist (The Tree Man), born in Birmingham, Alabama
1961 – Cathy Gerring, American golfer (3 x LPGA Tour wins; Solheim Cup 1990), born in Fort Wayne, Indiana
1978 – Nate Richert, American actor (Harvey-Sabrina), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota

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Famous Deaths

1716 – Louis de Montfort, French catholic priest and saint who preached Mariology (Secret of the Rosary; True Devotion to Mary), dies at 43
1843 – William Wallace, Scottish mathematician (rights of Wallace), dies at 74
1955 – Lode Cantens, Flemish playwright (Gnomes of the City), dies at 43
1992 – Francis Bacon, Irish-British abstract painter (Study for a Pope), dies at 82
2025 – Mike Peters, Welsh rock singer (The Alarm – “Rain In the Summertime”; Big Country, 2010-13), dies of blood cancer at 66

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Historical Events

1296 – Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated by Edward I of England
1877 – Rutherford B. Hayes removes Federal troops from Louisiana, Reconstruction ends
1905 – World Exposition opens in Liège
1976 – Stan Daniels’ musical “So Long 174th Street”, starring Robert Morse, opens at Harkness Theater, NYC; runs for 16 performances
1992 – NY Mets trade David Cone to Toronto Blue Jays for Jeff Kent

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Famous Birthdays

1875 – André Baillon, Belgian-French author (Un homme si simple), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1932)
1905 – Julian Stryjkowski, Polish journalist and writer known for his radical leftist leanings, born in Stryi, Austro-Hungarian Empire (d. 1996)
1963 – Schae Harrison, American actress (Darla Forrester in “The Bold and the Beautiful”), born in Anaheim Hills, California
1969 – Grahame Cheney, Australian boxer, born in Lithgow, Australia
1995 – Nick Kyrgios, Australian tennis player (Australian Open doubles [Thanasi Kokkinakis] 2022; Wimbledon 2022 runner-up; Hopman Cup 2016), born in Canberra, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1876 – George Aiken, American playwright and actor famous for writing the most popular stage adaptation of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, dies at 45
1996 – William Colby, American C.I.A. director (1973-76), dies at 76
1997 – Paul Lambert, American character actor (Executive Suite, Spartacus), dies at 74
1999 – Cyril Washbrook, English cricket batsman (37 Tests, 6 x 100, HS 195; Lancashire CCC), dies at 84
2002 – Ruth Handler, American toy manufacturer (invented the Barbie doll), dies of cancer at 85

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Historical Events

1906 – Motion pictures begin regular showings at the Orpheum Theater in Honolulu, Hawaii
1996 – Shaun Pollock takes 4 wkts in 4 balls for Warwickshire in BandH
2014 – Oratorio for chorus evoking Pennsylvania coal-mining life “Anthracite Fields” by composer Julia Wolfe premieres in Philadelphia (Pulitzer Prize for Music 2015)
2019 – Six suspected militants connected to Sri Lankan terror attacks killed along with ten others in a shootout with police in Sainthamaruthu
2023 – Brazilian Portuguese-language Michaelis dictionary adds “pelé” as a new adjective to its online edition, meaning “exceptional, incomparable, unique”

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Famous Birthdays

1798 – Eugène Delacroix, French painter and etcher (Journal), born in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, Île-de-France, France (d. 1863)
1931 – Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent, manager and producer (The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2008)
1955 – Mike Scott, American baseball pitcher (NL Cy Young Award and NLCS MVP 1986, NL wins leader 1989; 3 × MLB All-Star Houston Astros), born in Santa Monica, California
1957 – Rosa Briceño, Venezuelan conductor, and educator, born in Caracas, Venezuela (d. 2018)
1975 – Joey Jordison, American drummer (Slipknot, 1995-2013 – “All Hope Is Gone”), born in Des Moines, Iowa (d. 2021)

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Famous Deaths

1196 – Alfonso II, King of Aragon (1162-96), dies at 39
1984 – May McAvoy, American actress (Ben Hur), dies from heart attack at 84
2003 – Max Nicholson, Irish environmentalist, dies at 98
2017 – Jonathan Demme, American film director (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia), dies at 73
2021 – Al Schmitt, American Grammy Award-winning recording engineer and record producer (Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand), dies at 91

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Historical Events

1952 – American Bowling Congress approves use of an automatic pinsetter
1955 – Captiol Records releases “In the Wee Small Hours”, the ninth studio album by American vocalist Frank Sinatra; collection of melancholy ballads with arrangements by Nelson Riddle was an early example of a concept album and helped popularize the 12-inch format for non-classical recordings
1959 – St Lawrence Seaway linking Atlantic and the Great Lakes opens to shipping
1994 – Tsutomu Hata elected premier of Japan
2015 – 7.8-magnitude earthquake near Kathmandu in Nepal, killing 8000, leaving over 100,000 homeless, destroying many historic sites

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Famous Birthdays

1867 – Jean Demoor, Belgian physician and physiologist, born in Etterbeek, Belgium (d. 1941)
1869 – Karl Prohaska, Austrian composer, born in Mödling, Austria (d. 1927)
1923 – Anita Björk, Swedish actress (Miss Julie, Loving Couples, Night People), born in Tällberg, Sweden (d. 2012)
1949 – Michael Brown, American musician and songwriter (Don’t Walk Away Renee), born in New York City (d. 2015)
1994 – Sam Fender, English singer-songwriter and actor (Seventeen Going Under), born in South Shields, England

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Famous Deaths

1960 – Amanullah Khan, Emir and King of Afghanistan (1919-28), dies at 67
1969 – Margarita Xirgu, Catalan stage actress, director and political radical (Bloody Wedding, Mariana Pineda), dies at 80
1990 – Dexter Gordon, American jazz tenor saxophonist Go!; The Other Side of ‘Round Midnight), and actor (‘Round Midnight), dies of kidney failure at 67
2000 – Lucien le Cam, French mathematician (b. 1924)
2009 – John J. Marchi, American politician (NY Senate 1957-2006), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1910 – German Catholic youth movement Quickborn forms
1915 – Leaders of the Armenian community in Constantinople (now Istanbul) are arrested by Ottoman authorities, and many later killed, marking the start of the Armenian Genocide
1916 – Ernest Shackleton and five men of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition launch a lifeboat from uninhabited Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean to organise a rescue for ice-trapped ship Endurance
1949 – 3rd Tony Awards: “Death of a Salesman” and “Kiss Me Kate” win
1976 – American composer Steve Reich’s “Music for 16 Musicians,” scored for four pianos, multiple percussion instruments, two clarinets, a violin, a cello, and four wordless and amplified women’s voices, a violin, has its world premiere at Town Hall in New York City

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Famous Birthdays

1743 – Edmund Cartwright, English inventor (power loom), born in Marnham, Nottinghamshire, England (d. 1823)
1904 – Willem De Kooning, Dutch artist (North Atlantic Light), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1997)
1941 – Richard Holbrooke, American diplomat (Assistant Secretary of State, UN Ambassador) and author, born in New York City (d. 2010)
1948 – Paul Cellucci, American politician, 69th Governor of Massachusetts and former United States Ambassador to Canada, born in Hudson, Massachusetts (d. 2013)
1961 – Roger Mayweather, American boxer, (WBA and lineal super featherweight titles 1983-84, WBC light welterweight 1987-89; IBO light welterweight; IBO welterweight 1994-95), born in Grand Rapids, Michigan (d. 2020)

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Famous Deaths

1776 – Giuseppe Paolucci, Italian composer, dies at 49
1824 – Herman Muntinghe, Dutch theologian and writer (History of Mankind), dies at 71
1948 – Rosita Marstini, actress (I Cover Waterfront, Big Parade), dies at 54
1967 – Frank Overton, American actor (Fail Safe; 12 O’Clock High (TV series, not film)), dies of a heart attack at 49
1988 – Bob Newson, South African cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 4 wickets; Transvaal; Rhodesia), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1516 – Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria endorses “The German Beer Purity Law” (Reinheitsgebot) and adds to it standards for the sale of beer in Bavaria, ensuring beer is only brewed from three ingredients: water, barley, and hops
1949 – Netherlands annex several German territories, including Elten and Tuddern, as apart of post-Wold War II border adjustments
1977 – Czech chess master, Vlastimil Hort, plays 201 games simultaneously; won-174, drew-17, lost-10
2012 – Rangers F.C. owner, Craig Whyte, is banned for life from any involvement in Scottish football
2019 – At least 54 jade miners buried by a mudslide in Kachin state, Myanmar

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Famous Birthdays

1725 – Saint Gerard Majella, Catholic saint, born in Muro, Naples, Italy (d. 1755)
1881 – Claude Carter, South African cricket spin bowler (19 Tests, 28 wickets, BB 6/50; Natal, Transvaal), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 1952)
1900 – Henry Barraud, French composer, born in Bordeaux, France (d. 1997)
1918 – James Kirkup, British travel writer, poet and novelist (African in Greenland), born in South Shields, England (d. 2009)
1960 – Jodie Mudd, American golfer (Players C’ship 1990), born in Louisville, Kentucky

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Famous Deaths

1762 – Johann Samuel Endler, German composer, musician, and conductor, dies at 67
1986 – Jim Laker, English cricket spin bowler (46 Tests; 193 wickets; world best 19-90 4th Test v Australia 1956), dies from complications of gall bladder surgery at 64
1992 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director (Distant Thunder, Agantuk), dies at 70
2006 – Johnnie Checketts, New Zealand fighter pilot, dies at 94
2025 – Jonnie Boer, Dutch chef with three Michelin Stars and a pioneer of the New Nordic food movement, dies of a pulmonary embolism at 60

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